Does OSU motto CORRELATE?
Oklahoma State University has launched a new marketing campaign with a catchy slogan: INNOVATE – CREATE – EDUCATE – GO STATE.
Frankly, all those “ates” have me craving some Hideaway Pizza or Eskimo Joe’s cheese fries: all things I shouldn’t CONTEMPLATE.
OSU says the new tag line builds on the momentum created from “the STATE’s university” campaign launched several years ago.
What do you think? What other slogans would you NOMINATE for OSU or any other university?
Let me know here.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Txt Me Ur Homwrk
A school district in southern Mississippi has banned teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet social network sites such as MySpace.
Lamar County school board members say casual contact between teachers and students is unprofessional.
What do you think? Is this a good policy, or do you think these methods of communications are OK? How do you think teachers and students should communicate in this high-tech era?
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Getting his Kicks
Andy Benton, a former Oklahoman and longtime president of Pepperdine University, is on a journey of a lifetime.
And he’s packed some good tunes for the ride.
Benton is driving his 2008 Mustang Bullitt along Route 66 from Chicago to Malibu.
His goal? To explore expectations Americans in the heartland have about education, especially higher education.
Benton is board chairman of the American Council on Education, an advocacy group that hopes to influence both government and public opinion.
He’s bound to get lots of opinion on this trip. About education, about Route 66, about his car and certainly about his eclectic choice of music. Songs include “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts, the musical score from the movie Gettysburg and “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream.
Here’s hoping he finds lots of sunshine on his way through Oklahoma tomorrow. I’ll be talking to him as he heads into Oklahoma City for a reception at the Skirvin Hotel with Pepperdine alumni.
In the meantime, you can check out his travel blog at http://www.pepperdine.edu/route66
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
The crown stays at home
I was looking at school supplies yesterday for my 5-year-old, who starts kindergarten next month. I didn’t have a list of required items, but was temped to buy her some Disney Princess notebooks. Instead I e-mailed her principal about what she’d need.
Turns out that most parents at this school opt to give the teachers a minimal amount to buy the school supplies needed for the class. That way, all the kids have what they need, and there’s no bickering over who has the coolest stuff.
I like this idea, and I’m warming up to the idea of a school dress code; in this case, the kids wear basic shirts, pants and skirts in navy, white and khaki colors.
My daughter will still be my “pink-loving little princess,” she’ll just do most of her costuming at home.
What do you think about rules regarding dress codes and school supplies? Does such conformity squash individuality, or does it allow kids to focus more on the important stuff — learning.
Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Binge Drinking in College
Does just going to college make you more likely to binge drink?
A national study followed students from early adolescence through their mid-20s and found that compared to their peers that never attended college, current college students were less likely to have been binge drinkers prior to their college years but more likely to binge drink once they entered college.
The researchers say this is probably the result of the college environment. Living in an environment in which drinking behaviors are promoted may increase binge drinking. Also, college students with a greater genetic risk consumed more alcohol per drinking episode.
What do you think? Is getting drunk and sloppy on weekends still a “rite of passage” for college students? It’s not harmless fun if you consider the auto accidents and even death that result from drunk driving, or the impact on relationships and studies.
Post a comment here or e-mail me your thoughts at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Operation Clean Up
No butts about it, Operation Clean Up was a smashing success today at Oklahoma State University.
OSU kicked off its first day as a tobacco-free campus by asking students and employees to pick up cigarette butts littering the Stillwater campus.
Here are the results:
– Approximately 26,667 cigarette butts were collected in one hour (10 pounds)
– This number translates to 293,337 minutes of life lost on campus due to premature death caused by tobacco use (as per British Medical Journal – one cigarette reduces life by 11 minutes – http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/320/7226/53 )
– The “value” of the cigarettes $5,586.74 (average in Oklahoma is $4.19 per pack)
– Time spent smoking this number of cigarettes (assumes 7 minute average) = 186,669 minutes or 3111 hours
– The New York Times reports for each pack of cigarettes smoked, it costs the nation more than $7 in medical care and lost productivity. Based on this average, the number of butts collected today cost the nation $9331 in healthcare and lost productivity.
– Approximately 25 volunteers from across campus participated in the event.
Readers, make sure you check out our new blog by several OSUers trying to quit smoking. http://blog.newsok.com/quitting
Susan Simpson
New Degree Programs
Looking to learn to write the great American novel? Or to learn to teach others to write novels, poetry and nonfiction?
State Regents last week approved a new degree program at Oklahoma State University: a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
The graduate program aims to train the practicing writer/teacher and will begin enrollment in fall 2012. The Association of Writers and Writing Programs cited an increase in the number of jobs for writers, both in academic jobs and as self-employed or freelance.
The MFA in creative writing requires 42 to 45 credit hours.
Other new programs approved by State Regents are:
OSU-OKC: Associate in Applied Science in Dietetic Technology; East Central University, Ada: Master of Science in Accounting; Tulsa Community College: Associate in Applied Science in Computer Programming, Transaction Processing Facility and Certificate in Computer Programming, Transaction Processing Facility; and Western Oklahoma State College, Altus: Associate in Applied Science in Production Agriculture.
Thank You RCC
When people ask me where I went to college, it takes me a second to form an appropriate reply. I claim credits from three institutions (and a failed attempt at another). Generally people want to know where I graduated (UCO), if I went to OSU (I did for a year and still look good in orange apparel) and which alma mater was most influential (Redlands Community College.)
Redlands, then called El Reno Junior College, was most influential for several reasons, the most important being my family could afford to send me there (if I also worked a job or two.)
I don’t remember what I paid for tuition per hour, but I’m sure it was far less than the current rate of $97. That said, Redlands and all other state community colleges remain the best bargains in higher education.
If you look at the cost of 30 credit hours (a year’s worth), the tab at Redlands is nearly $1,000 less than at the least expensive four-year campus, Langston University. It’s less than half the cost to attend the University of Oklahoma.
Yes, you could argue that the OU professors might be more highly qualified, holding doctorate degrees and using better equipped classrooms. None of that matters if you can’t afford to go there in the first place.
Without Redlands, I wouldn’t have started my college journey, and gotten some necessary scholarships to continue on at bigger campuses. Without Redlands, I wouldn’t have gained the confidence in my education abilities to carry me forward.
So next time someone asks where I went to college, I won’t hesitate to say Redlands Community College – even if I’m wearing orange.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Sleepy Drivers
Yawn …. I’m having trouble staying awake long enough to write this post.
Not really, I’m just trying to set a tone here.
A new study by the Associated Professional Sleep Societies says that too many college students are driving sleepy. Some admitted to falling asleep at the wheel or causing an accident.
Drowsy driving can be just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. So here are some tips to avoid it:
* Get enough sleep. This seems obvious but when you are pulling an all-night cram session or out late with your friends, you might not consider the risks.
* Take breaks while driving.
* Consume caffeine.
* Do not drink alcohol.
I’ll admit to DWS (driving while sleepy) when I was in college, and even sometimes now. Luckily, I usually have noisy kids in the car to keep me alert, or I blast some rocking 80s music. But luckily, my nights of cramming for tests and all-hours partying are over.
Thank goodness.
Susan Simpson
Class: Out. Learning: In.
Summer is here! Or at least it will be later today when thousands of Oklahoma City school kids leave their classrooms for a two-month break.
But summer break doesn’t have to be a vacation from learning. Even if your kid isn’t enrolled in an organized summer program or class, there are plenty of educational opportunities for the whole family.
A few things my family will do this summer:
* Visit the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History at OU to see SuperCroc, a 40-foot long creature that lived 110 million years ago.
* Start a new tradition of going to the library. Those trips to Barnes & Noble are adding up but library books are free! And there are plenty of activities there too this summer.
What are your summer plans? What ideas do you have for fun yet educational activities that don’t cost a bundle?
Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com and I’ll share some of your responses.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
