OklahOma Panhandle State UniverSity The Collegian Vol. 89 no. 7 Wednesday, February 25, 2009 [email protected] Going Once, Going Twice, SOLD! Total Donations, $800! Omega Psi Alpha’s First Annual Date Auction defines fraternities STAFF WRITER presence on campus of OPSU. RachaelBeck As R. Kelly shouts across the big speakers the lyrics of “Bump and Grind” to the young students of OPSU, Jose Mendoza steps into the bright lights for the first annual Omega Psi Alpha Date Auction. The 19-year-old San Antonio native started Improvements at the Mckee the night off with a bang, but apparently Library the gun was not loaded. An apprehensive audience remains silent as the crickets and -Page 2- tumbleweeds slamming into the Hughes-Strong auditorium are the only sounds to be heard for the next five miles. Fellow Alpha members Matt Warner, Teron Guidry, and Daryl Brister feel the heat as one of the best looking guys on campus failed to even put up a single bid. “My mind’s telling me no,” seems to echo through Mendoza’s brain straight OPSU Plans AITP Nationals from R. Kelly’s mouth as if the CD were on repeat. Due to the overpopulation of guys to girls here on campus, -Page 3- the silence was not unexpected. Teron Guidry was not taking no for an answer though. “If no one would have bid on them, they would have stayed on stage all night!” Finally a voice was heard from the back row. “$5!”, and OPSU Erin Hensley was the first bidder of the night, starting things Softball pulls off a little rocky with the minimum bid of $5. Mendoza out their responded that “Girls were just bein’ stingy”. first win of And stingy they were. With only four of the twelve the season men involved banking in more than ten dollars, the against women of OPSU quickly stole the show. Molly Woodhall NMHU. started things on the ladies side with yells bouncing from all sides of the auditorium. Cody Martinez was the lucky -Page 4- man, winning the March 2 appointment with a final bid of $20. Carli Whittler nabbed her second man of the night with Dyran Wright. Skylar Watson was upset as the bids for Gus Overstreet were reaching mass amounts. He yelled to Whittler, “You can’t be greedy!” White signs shown across the audience. The battle for 1919 - Oregon places a 1 Overstreet was heating up as the Whittler vs. Watson cent per U.S. gallon tax debacle seemed to be nearing its end. Finally, a bid of $80 put things at a halt. Carli Whittler was the victor. on gasoline, becoming Watson ended, “Let’s meet in the parking lot.” the first U.S. state to levy For the big winners of the night, Audrey seemed a gasoline tax. to be the name of the game. First off, Audrey Whittler’s beginning bid of $20 in no way Cont. Page 2 page 2 Wednesday, February 25, 2009 least I could do,” as basketball and school detain him from “Why not put ON A GOOD SHOW FOR A GOOD T h u r s d a y , cause?” February 26 -LACHA OSSAA Vocal Contest Choirs WN Hugh-Strong Aud. ANDERSON 8:00AM Basketball- OPSU vs. Texas A&M International (Goodwell, OK) Women’s 5:30PM/Men’s 7:30PM actually being in the fraternity. The Ladies from the night. From Left, Molly Woodhall, hectorCOBOS He also added, “Why not put Friday, February Kayla Joos, Shaquita Murel, Arlene Soto, Heather Helton, on a good show for a good 27 Lauren Cherry, Milica Rodic, Audrey Smith, Audrey Whittler, Chanel cause?” Rodeo Garden City Community The initial goal of $400 Henderson College was shattered with a $770 final Date Auction Cont. From Page 1 total and a final donation of (Garden City, KS) intimidated buyers. It seemed as though she would be sold at $121 $50 bringing the grand total to Softball-OPSU vs. University of when a last minute bid was set at $135 closing the deal. Audrey Smith $820.25. Guidry stated the night Nebraska-Omaha was the star of the night with Lachawn Anderson emptying $210 from his was “excellent; over and above (Pittsburg State) wallet. Of the highest bidder of the night, Anderson stated, “It was the all expectations.” 3:00PM Baseball-OPSU vs. Incarnate Word Library Laptops Availablecourtesy of C. MarchEvlyn Schmidt 2 (Goodwell, OK) McKee Library will begin circulating laptop Read the laptop user agreement carefully to understand 1:00PM computers for in-library use only on Monday, March 2. your responsibilities. Saturday, Laptops were purchased to provide flexible group study We hope this service will benefit student space and encourage collaborative learning. Current February 28 computer locations in McKee Library do not provide Senior Day space for more than one person at each terminal. Hugh-Strong Aud. Librarians have noticed the increase in students trying to 11:00AM huddle around our computers and work together. The Basketball Homecoming-OPSU vs. new laptops can be used anywhere the library wireless Incarnate Word network is available on the first floor. We encourage (Goodwell, OK) small groups to take advantage of this capability to Women’s 2:00PM/Men’s 4:00PM work on class projects. Softball-OPSU vs. Fort Hays/ These laptops can be checked out for two hours and print to library printers. An OPSU ID is required Pittsburg State for checkout. Microsoft Office Suite is installed on the (Pittsburg State) laptops. Users must sign a laptop use agreement the 9:00AM/3:00PM first time they checkout a laptop. Library laptop policy learning outcomes at OPSU. McKee Library Baseball-OPSU vs. Incarnate Word is available on our website, http://www.opsu.edu/ continuously tries to improve resources and services for (Goodwell, OK) McKeeLibrary. Laptops must remain in the library the OPSU community. Come in and check out the many 12:00PM and students are responsible for returning the laptop. improvements @ your library! Sunday, March 1 Psychology Club Quote of the Week Men’s Golf-Texas A&M Commerce “Got Problems? Get Psyched.” (Pottsboro, TX) OPSU Psychology Club along with Aggie Peers will be sponsoring 11:00AM Softball-OPSU vs. Truman State/ Safe SpringBreak Week during the week of March 9th through the Missouri Southern 12th. (Pittsburg State) Wednesday, February 25, 2009 page 3 OPSU to Plan AITP Nationals Burris Oklahoma Panhandle State University is embarking on Asked a new kind of journey within the Association of Information Technology Professionals National Collegiate Conference. to Leave For the 14 years AITP has existed, the OPSU Programming Senate team has just competed in contests, but this year, they get to STAFF WRITER be on the “behind the scenes” side and help plan nationals as a KimTuttle STAFF WRITER host school. StephenSkacall Four members of the OPSU’s AITP Student Chapter (Kevin Miller; President, Blake Westbrook; Vice-President, Lindsey Haley; Secretary, and Kim Tuttle; Treasurer) and their adviser, Diane Murphey, attended a planning meeting “I have at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. It was a short, but absolutely nothing successful day. to hide.” Those Other host schools include Cameron University and the University of Central are the words Oklahoma. The schools divided tasks amongst themselves and conquered of US Senator accordingly. OPSU took on the set up side of the network prior to the contest. Roland Burris (D- Cameron University brainstormed ice breakers for the welcoming night and IL), appointed UCO tackled the Bricktown Bonanza scavenger hunt activity. last month to The group started out the meeting with overviews of schedules and speakers, replace President encountered a tasty lunch at Earl’s Rib Palace, broke off into groups to tackle Obama in the specific tasks and tour bricktown, and wrapped up the meeting with progress Senate. Since reports from each school. his appointment by former Illinois After returning home and reflecting on the experience, OPSU students Governor Rod share their opinion of the meeting. B l a g o j e v i c h , “I enjoyed being able to sit down with a team and bounce ideas off others to Burris has been at the center of followed was a media circus make nationals a better experience for the students. Plus, to know our opinion controversy over whether he surrounding one of the nation’s really mattered for something so big is great.” –Blake Westbrook participated in so-called “pay to most powerful politicians and “I really enjoyed the weekend. It was awesome to be on the inside and play” activities. In short, Burris is how President Obama’s seat know your opinion was respected and put to use.” –Lindsey Haley accused of offering money and in the Senate would be filled. “It’s exciting to have input in the way things are ran and it’s very interesting that other assistance to Blagojevich in Blagojevich, as Governor, had students are encouraged to be involved in getting sponsors and exhibitors as exchange for being appointed to authority under Illinois state well as plan activities.” –Kevin Miller the Senate. law to appoint a replacement “Wow, I have never competed in AITP or anything yet, so I’m very much The scandal started when Senator for Obama. He chose coming into this without much previous experience, but I was expecting a Blagojevich was arrested by the Burris. huge room full of tons of people without much interaction. No, this was a room FBI on December 9th, 2008. Taken While both the Illinois with maybe 18 people total and all interaction.” -Kim Tuttle from his upscale Chicago home, Secretary of State and Lieutenant AITP NCC 2009 is scheduled for April 2-4 in Oklahoma City.