College freshmen have to decide what to take to school
University of Oklahoma resident assistant Beth Anne Underwood holds up some of her essential items in her room at Couch Tower. (Photo by Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman)
As many of you know, I’m occasionally called upon to step away briefly from the entertainment brief and contribute stories from other areas to The Oklahoman’s special sections and projects. This story is from today’s Collegebound special section for next year’s college freshmen. I’m posting it here in the hopes some of you might find it useful or interesting.
Will it stay or will it go?
College freshmen graduate from high school belongings
Once they’ve picked the right school, selected their class schedules and agonized over a major, college freshman have another decision-making process to navigate: what to take along and what to leave behind when moving into their new home-away-from-home.
“I brought way too much stuff to the dorms. … I ended up taking like two big tubs back home,” recalled Stephanie Bidelspach, now a junior physical geography major at the University of Oklahoma. “Dorms are rather small, especially when there are two people living in them.”
Incoming freshmen often worry so much about taking essential items that they overpack. When Bidelspach first moved from Chickasha to OU’s Couch Tower, she toted along too many clothes, sheets and towels. And she wasn’t alone.
“Some of the people that I roomed with were from at least 200 miles away, and they too brought a lot of stuff that they really didn’t need and ended up having to leave it in their car until they went home next,” she said.
New students should remember that they will have to haul everything they bring to their room, and on moving day, elevators may be hard to catch. They also will accumulate more stuff during the course of the school year.
In the excitement of moving away from home, students shouldn’t forget to stock up on necessary school supplies, along with an umbrella for the inevitable cross-campus walk in the rain.
“I went through a lot of notebooks … and pencils and pens do disappear,” Bidelspach said.
The most useful item Bidelspach said she brought along her freshman year was her laptop.
“There’s a lot of stuff on the Internet that you have to do for school,” she said. “It gets really inconvenient when you go down to a (computer) lab and there’s not a computer available.”
She also suggested that freshmen invest in a mini-refrigerator, coffee pot, microwave and storage shelves or boxes for snacks. Stocking drinks and munchies from the supermarket is much cheaper than constantly hitting the vending machines, campus store or coffee shop.
“I did a lot of cooking in my dorm with a microwave. There’s a lot of recipes out there that you can use a microwave for instead of an oven, and that saved a whole bunch of money,” said Bidelspach, who now lives in a house off campus.
While microwaves and coffeepots are permitted, Beth Anne Underwood, a resident assistant at OU’s Couch Tower, cautioned students against turning their rooms into a restaurant. Indoor grills and mini-stovetops aren’t allowed, and neither are alcoholic beverages.
“You can’t bring candles or anything with an open flame,” added Underwood, a junior majoring in social sciences and organizational students.
The Alex High School graduate advised incoming students to buy storage devices that will help them maximize their small residence hall space. A shoe rack that hangs on the back of a door, squat plastic tubs that can fit under a bed and shelves or cubbies to stow toiletries in a shared bathroom can keep roommates and suitemates organized.
Another essential item no college student should leave home without: their health insurance card. Underwood, who also works in the campus health clinic’s pharmacy, said parents should request an extra card from their insurance company before school starts.
“Students will come in and they’ll just be like, ‘Yeah, I have insurance, it’s through my parents.’ And then we’re like, ‘Well, do you have your card?’ ‘No, you should be able to look it up, can’t you?’ No, we can’t,” Underwood said. “Even a copy would be better than nothing … as long as they have both sides of the card copied.”
But OU freshmen can leave at home the often-recommended rolls of quarters for laundry. The campus washers and dryers don’t take coins; students swipe their ID card and use their debit account to operate the machines.
“All the kids that come with quarters get really angry. … It’s like, ‘Sorry, go spend them at McDonald’s because they’re not going to do anything for you here,” Underwood said with a laugh.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 8, 2009
Okemah-born singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie (The Oklahoman Archives photo)
Today’s featured event:
Hear a Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 7 tonight at the Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley.
For more information, go to www.bluedoorokc.com
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Read more What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 8, 2009 at BAM's Blog
What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 8, 2009
Okemah-born singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie (The Oklahoman Archives photo)
Today’s featured event:
Hear a Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 7 tonight at the Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley.
For more information, go to www.bluedoorokc.com
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Taylor Swift to host, perform on “Saturday Night Live” tonight
Taylor Swift (Associated Press photo)
Country music starlet Taylor Swift will host and perform tonight on ”Saturday Night Live.”
“I’ve been thinking about skit ideas for a long time,” Swift, 19, told the Associated Press last month. “There are definitely some hilarious things that have happened to me over the past couple of months that I think will be pretty substantial skits.”
The only question is who will play Kanye West, since it’s hard to imagine that the “Not Ready for Primetime Players” won’t want to spoof West’s buffoonery at this fall’s MTV Video Music Awards, when he memorably hijacked Swift’s acceptance speech.
“SNL” airs at 10:30 p.m. on NBC (KFOR-4 in Oklahoma City).
For more TV news, visit Penny Soldan’s always informative blog at http://blog.newsok.com/television.
-BAM
BAM’s college football favorites for Nov. 7, 2009
OSU quarterback Zac Robinson (Photo by Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman)
After a disappointing loss to Texas last week, my Oklahoma State Cowboys will take on Iowa State Cyclones at 2:30 p.m. today in Ames, Iowa. The game will air on ABC.
It’s been a tough week for the No. 19 Cowboys and their fans. After getting blown out last week by the Longhorns, the Cowboy Nation learned this week that All-American wide receive Dez Bryant’s final appeal for reinstatement this season has been denied. That means he most likely will enter the NFL draft. Who can blame him? He could come back and play for OSU next year, but why would he put himself under the fickle authority of the NCAA ever again?
The No. 24 University of Oklahoma Sooners will travel to Nebraska to play longtime rivals the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The game will kick off at 7 tonight and air on ABC.
The No. 1 University of Florida Gators, the McDonnell family’s traditional favorite team, will try to stay undefeated today as they take on Vanderbilt at home in the Swamp. The game will kick off at 6:15 p.m. and air on ESPN2.
Good luck to all my favorite teams.
“Twilight Saga: New Moon” actress Rachelle Lefevre campaigning for animal adoption
Rachelle Lefevre (Associated Press photo)
“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” actress Rachelle Lefevre and her friend, Johnny, a rescue dog, will be urging people to “Adopt Don’t’ Shop” in a series of public service announcements for Best Friends Animal Society debuting Dec. 1 in New York’s Times Square on the jumbo video billboard, Geoffrey Tron.
Lefevre, who plays vampire villainess in the movie “Twilight,” as well as its soon-to-be-released sequel, “New Moon,” is the star of 30-second and 60-second spots that will be distributed to television and radio stations across the country. She will also serve as national spokesperson for Best Friends’ “Puppies Aren’t Products” campaign, which draws attention to the fact that pet shops around the country are selling puppies that come from large commercial breeding operations known as “puppy mills” with deplorable conditions.
“I’m delighted to help speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves,” Lefevre said in a news release. ”Ever since I rescued my own dog I have wanted to encourage people to do the same. Working with Best Friends is the perfect way to do this and I’m excited and proud to be working with an organization so dedicated to animal kindness.”
The PSAs will be distributed to about 1,400 television and cable stations, plus another 1,250 radio stations. Best Friends Animal Society is known for its leading initiatives and community programs in animal welfare, as well as operating the largest companion animal sanctuary in the United States.
“Puppy mills are directly linked to pet overpopulation in the United States, which contributes to the fact that approximately 4,000 dogs are put down in shelters every day,” Lefevre said in the release. “We hope that our message of ‘adopt don’t shop’ resonates with the general public so we can bring that number down substantially.”
The goal of the “Puppies Aren’t Products” campaign is to reduce the number of homeless animals by fighting against puppy mills and irresponsible breeding.
“We are so fortunate to have Rachelle giving a voice to the animals as our national spokesperson,” said Vicki Kilmer-Rinker, director of marketing for Best Friends Animal Society, in the release. “Our goal is to increase awareness of where pet store puppies come from, especially as we approach the holiday season when so many families think about adding a family pet.”
Lefevre, who has a wide range of credits in movies and television, moved to Los Angeles when she landed the female lead in the Fox comedy series “Life on a Stick.” She went on to appear in multiple episodes of acclaimed series “Boston Legal” and “Swingtown.” On the big screen, she appeared in a diverse range of roles including opposite Stephen Dillane in the Holocaust era drama “Fugitive Pieces” based on the international best-selling novel by Anne Michaels and comedy “The Pool Boys” opposite Tom Arnold and Matthew Lillard.
Lefevre will be seen next in “Casino Jack,” opposite Kevin Spacey and “Barney’s Version” opposite Paul Giamatti. But she will not reprise her role as Victoria in the third “Twilight” film “Eclipse”; Summit Entertainment created a bit of a furor earlier this fall when it replaced Lefevre with Bryce Dallas Howard due to scheduling conflicts
In addition to working with Best Friends Animal Society, Lefevre is involved with the literacy organization “School on Wheels” and is an “Ambassador for the Cure” with The Susan G. Komen Foundation.
I’m just returning from Los Angeles, where I participated in interviews with many of the cast and crew of “New Moon,” though Lefevre wasn’t among them for obvious reasons. Look for several posts from those interviews as Nov. 20, the opening date for “New Moon,” draws nearer.
-BAM
Tickets to Bon Jovi Tulsa show go on sale Nov. 16
Rockers Bon Jovi have announced that their 2010-2011 “The Circle World Tour,” promoted by AEG Live, will stop April 13 at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16 and can be purchased at the BOK Center Box Office and all Tickets.com outlets, phone at (866) 7BOKCTR or online at www.bokcenter.com.
Ticket prices are $29.50, $59.50, $99.50 and $129.50. Tickets are subject to applicable service charges and event time and date are subject to change.
The GrammyAward-winning band will spend much of the next two years on the road, performing 135 shows in 30 countries.
With the grounds of New Meadowlands Stadium as their backdrop, the band’s Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torres recently announced their two-year global trek with an exclusive performance for a group of more than 5,000 lucky contest winners, fan club members, and on-site construction workers currently building the venue. Following in the footsteps of their hugely successful “Lost Highway Tour” — Billboard’s No. 1 top-grossing tour of 2008 — Bon Jovi will draw fans around the world into “The Circle,” with a residency at London’s O2 Arena in June 2010 before returning to America in the fall for an additional nationwide leg, and further dates well into 2011.
The Nov. 10 release of the band’s new album, “The Circle,” and subsequent world tour, provides a powerful reassertion of Bon Jovi’s commitment to the rock ’n’ roll that has been the band’s indelible signature since it began more than 26 years ago.
For more information on the tour, go to www.bonjovi.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 7, 2009
Today’s featured event:
TULSA — Listen to country star Alan Jackson and up-and-coming band Gloriana at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the BOK Center, 200 S Denver.
For more information, call (866) 726-5287 or go to www.bokcenter.com
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Rascal Flatts closes 2009 tour, sells 550,000 tickets
Rascal Flatts (Associated Press photo)
Top-selling country band Rascal Flatts, which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher, wrapped the first leg of the “Rascal Flatts American Living Unstoppable Tour” last weekend. The tour sold 550,000 tickets in 39 shows since it began in June, according to a news release.
This total includes the two sold-out stadium concerts at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Columbus, Ohio’s Crew Stadium. From January of this year, the band has sold more than a million concert tickets, bringing the trio’s four-year total to more than 4 million tickets sold.
Critics claimed their live shows were a huge success. The Minneapolis Pioneer Press said, “the biggest band in country employed showers of sparks, a well-lit runway that ran the length of the arena’s main floor, and big screens bedecked with images of misty moors and words like “passion,” “faith” and “courage.” And it all fit well with their songs, which assign weighty import to the events of everyday life through carpe diem lyrics, every chorus screamed out with vein-popping urgency.” “Rascal Flatts is a dominant country band for a reason. The songs are catchy and the musicianship is some of the best in ANY genre,” claimed the Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Dallas Morning News said, “The show is high-energy, flat-out from the get-go.”
Next up for Rascal Flatts are nominations for Group of the Year at next Wednesday’s CMA Awards (watch the Country Music Association’s awards show on ABC and follow the live-blog here) and Country Group of the Year and Country Album of the Year at the American Music Awards (Nov. 22 on ABC).
Rascal Flatts newest CD, “Unstoppable,” has been certified platinum for sales in excess of 1 million. The CD launched as the group’s fourth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, more than any other country artist in the history of Soundscan. This brings the band’s career album sales to a staggering 20 million units in just this decade, and the group has amassed 22.5 million digital downloads.
Rascal Flatts is the biggest-selling and grossing group in country music history and has been named a Billboard Top Ten Touring Act in all genres with more venue attendance records than any other country act.
-BAM
Jamey Johnson-Kid Rock duet, Martina McBride added to CMA Awards performers’ list
Jamey Johnson
Kid Rock
Martina McBride
The performer lineup for the Country Music Association’s 43rd Annual CMA Awards gets even more star-studded with the announcement that Kid Rock will join four-time nominee Jamey Johnson in their first televised duet.
Kid Rock will also present an award during the evening.
In addition, four-time Female Vocalist of the Year winner Martina McBride will perform.
Nine-time CMA Award winners The Judds, Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristofferson, and six-time CMA Award winner Lee Ann Womack have been added as presenters.
The 43rd Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood, will air live from the Sommet Center in Nashville from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday on the ABC Television Network. You can follow along with my live-blog of the show here at BAM’s Blog.
Performers already announced include Oklahomans Brooks & Dunn, which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, who will perform with rock band Daughtry, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, and Carrie Underwood.
Other performers include Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Dave Mathews, Billy Currington, , Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band.
Previously announced presenters include Dale Earnhardt Jr.; stars of ABC’s “The Middle” Neil Flynn and Patricia Heaton; Julianne Hough; nominee Randy Houser (for both New Artist and Music Video of the Year for “Boots On”); nominee Jake Owen (New Artist of the Year); Kellie Pickler; LeAnn Rimes; and ABC News’s Robin Roberts, co-anchor of “Good Morning America” and host of the upcoming “Robin Roberts: Bright Lights. Big Stars. All Access Nashville” ABC television special (airing Nov. 10). Love And Theft will host the Pre-Telecast Awards.
Johnson is nominated in four categories: New Artist, Album (for his Gold-certified That Lonesome Song), and Single and Song (both for “In Color” which he co-wrote with Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto). He won Song of the Year in 2007 for co-writing the Strait hit “Give It Away” with Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon.
Kid Rock was nominated along with Sheryl Crow in 2003 for Vocal Event of the Year for their song “Picture.” The artist, who has sold more than 25 million albums, performed on the CMA Awards last year and at 2009 CMA Music Festival in June. His most recent album is the three-times-Platinum-certified Rock N Roll Jesus.
McBride is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, an Award she has received four times (1999, 2002-2004), tying her with Reba McEntire for the most wins in that category. The singer/songwriter/producer also won Music Video of the Year in 1994 for “Independence Day.” McBride, whose current album is Shine, has sold more than 18 million albums.
-BAM
