VIDEO:Bruno:Run time:2:14;09

Second Chance Animal Sanctuary provides abandoned animals with the right homes

Animal abandonment is a growing problem in Norman, Okla. and animal rescue missions such as Second Chance Animal Sanctuary are seeking to help stop this problem.

“Last year alone thousands of dogs and cats were euthanized in the Norman shelter only because there were more dogs and cats brought in than there were people who needed animals,” Kay Stout, the Executive Director for Second Chance Animal Sanctuary, said.

Various areas in Oklahoma have recognized animal abandonment as a problem in the past year.

According to the Central Oklahoma Humane Society, The Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division (Oklahoma City Animal Shelter) admitted over 26,700 dogs and cats into the shelter in 2011. Approximately 18,500 of those animals were dogs and puppies. Of the dogs and puppies admitted, 30.5% of them were surrendered by their owners.

"The bigger issue is that people need to be responsible and have all of their animals spade and neutered unless they are licensed breeders,” Stout said.

In Norman, there are several different animal help organizations similar to Second Chance such as, Oklahoma Beagle Rescue, Blue HAWK and Hands Helping Paws located in the local PetSmart. All four organizations seek to save these animals from abandonment.

Some believe that in the Norman area students are a part of this animal abandonment problem.

“I do think student’s not being able to have pets in their dorms rooms and Greek housing is a problem,” Taylor mills, a student pet owner, said. “I know a lot of students who adopted a pet and then abandoned it because they got in trouble with their housing.”

Mills has a cat of her own that she leaves with other students because she is not allowed to have it in her sorority house.

“A friend of mine wanted to get him too for our house next year,” Mills said.

In order to keep her cat, Mills has to leave him with older members of her sorority who live at the Cottages of Norman where animals are allowed.

Animal shelters, such as Second Chance Animal Sanctuary, have noticed the problem with student pet owners and do not want to add to animal abandonment by adopting to students.

“One of the reasons we do not adopt to college students is we do not want to contribute to that abandonment problem,” Stout said.

According to the City of Norman Animal Welfare, the city of Norman is a great place to adopt and has plenty of animals that are in need of homes.

The Norman Animal Shelter has come up with a few criteria for people to follow in order to adopt an animal, including the rule that no owner may abandon his dog or cat or permit the animal to become a stray.

Second Chance went into shelters such as the Norman Animal Shelter and chose dogs and cats scheduled to be euthanized that we felt we could adopt into our sanctuary, said Stout.

Animals are brought in animal rescues such as Second Chance and not only are taken care of by these organizations but are made sure to be put in the right homes.

“Sometimes we have those people that don’t meet our criteria,” Stout said.

If you are interested in adopting a pet or would like to volunteer at Second Chance Animal Sanctuary please visit www.secondchancenorman.com

The University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts Presented Seussical the Musical this weekend at the Rupel J. Jones Theatre 

 Students in the College of Fine Arts took the stage this weekend in their spring production of Seussical the Musical in the Rupel J. Jones Theatre Thursday to Saturday night at 8 p.m.

 All 17 cast members sang and danced as they told the popular story of Horton Hears a Who with colorful costumes and astonishing set pieces.

 “I loved the over all atmosphere the show gave off,” Macey Flowers, a sophomore student who attended the event, said. “It was energetic and entertaining from start to finish and the props and set costumes were fun to look at too.”

 Audience members were easily drawn into the story as the cast members frequently came out into the audience as they performed.

"I love how all the Dr.Seuss characters jump out of their storybook's and everyone finds a way to interact together and the Cat in The Hat oversees it all," Brooke Lacy, a cast member performing in her first University production, said. "In a nut shell, I like how all of the characters come together in one show."

Lacy played the part of  Bird girl in the show. She sang and danced behind the main characters and was in the background for most of the scenes in the show.

The program guide that each audience member received at the show, explains that Seussical the musical tells the story of Horton Hears a Who and brings together characters from several different Dr. Seuss stories. These characters include Horton the elephant, Mayzie Labird, Vlad Vladikoff, and many more.


Students enjoyed the crazy characters, costumes and interactive entertainment as Seussical the Musical  
debuted the past two weekends. 


"I would recommend people to go see it but only if you want to laugh and have a good time," Flowers
 said. 


Brooke Lacy shares a bit of her experience performing in Seussical the Musical: 

PHOTO: Jess Bruno

Campus Activities Council hosts Elizabeth Smart on Thursday at 8 pm.

Elizabeth Smart, founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and American activist and contributor for ABC news, shared her 2002 kidnapping experience with students on Thursday, April 19 hosted by CAC in the Meacham Auditorium at the Union.

“I remember the next words that I heard was 'I have a knife at your throat get up',” Elizabeth Smart said.

Smart was kidnapped from her bed in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 5, 2002 at the age of 14. Smart spent nine months she spent with her two captors Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee as the state of Utah had an ongoing investigation in her disappearance.

“I made a decision that I would survive,” Smart said. “Didn’t matter if I was with them three months or three years.”

Smart explained the trials she endured during her nine months of captivity and shared personal experience with the audience.

“He told me that if I tried anything funny my life would come to a quick end.” Smart said.

Students heard Smart’s story and how it impacted her life and caused her to develop a passion for abused children and start the Elizabeth Smart Foundation which speaks out against crime against children.

Smart inspired students with her story and outcome of her situation.

“She was inspiring because she taught us that even when we feel like we’ve hit rock bottom we can come back from it and work our way to the very top.” Natalie Gilbert, an OU student who attended the event, said.

Smart travels around the country speaking at different schools and conventions sharing her story and speaking out against crime against children.

“I think there is a special place in hell for people that hurt children.” Smart said.

For more information about Elizabeth Smart and the Elizabeth Smart Foundation visit http://elizabethsmartfoundation.org/ 

OU Price College of Business presents is members 

with many future career opportunities through 
JCPenny Leadership.

The JCPenny leadership program in the Price college of Business hosted Richard Fisher, currently the President and CEO of the Dallas Reserve Bank, Tuesday afternoon, for all JCPenny students.

“Through JCPenny we attend many different workshops, distinguished speakers, and philanthropies, that we learn about not only the business world but different areas of study as well,” Kelsey Harms, a sophomore JCPenny member, said. “I had little knowledge on any of the things he talked about prior to the event and it was really cool hearing and learning more information on different sectors in the world.”

Throughout the year, JCPenny leadership has hosted things for their members such as, Women in the Business Leadership Conference, A Leadership and Diversity Conference hosted by Parker Leadership Conference, Numerous Information Sessions hosted by different companies, Executive in Residence by Max Weitzenhoffer who is on the OU Board of Regents, and have read the Steve Jobs book and discussed it, Harms said.

The team consists of 80 members who are all business majors and go through a tough interview and application process to get into the club and receive its’ many benefits.

“JCPenny has benefitted me overall in life by having numerous networking activities, different philanthropies, and taught me more about professionalism. It has helped me interact with companies that recruit at OU to get my foot in the door and form relationships with them,” Harms said. “Also, at career fairs when I give my resume to different employers, JCPenny leadership stands out and they circle it since it is a selective high achieving program for business students.

The students are provided with a wide variety of speakers and conferences to attend that teach them more about their aspired career field and help them learn more about business.

“It gives you a lot of opportunities to network with other students and learn more about possible future careers by getting to meet business leaders from around the country,” Carter Tesh, another JCPenny member, said.

For information about the Price College of Business JCPenny leadership program and opportunities in Price go to http://www.ou.edu/content/price/jcpl.html

Kelsey Harms talks about JCPenny leadership and how it has affected her major and time in the Price College of Business.
BRUNO: Video

Students sing and dance portraying their culture at the Native 
American Youth Language Fair Monday and Tuesday at Sam Noble.

Students accepting their awards and placement.

PHOTO: Jess Bruno

Students from all over Oklahoma came together on Monday and Tuesday at the Sam Noble Museum to share their language and culture through interpretive dance, song and even poetry at the 10th Annual Native American Youth Language Fair.

This fair brings together 600-800 students every spring who are learning their native american languages and gives them the opportunity to present their language and culture, according to the Sam Noble Department of Native American languages website.

"Them starting at a young age will allow them to teach other kids and eventually keep the culture alive,"Wilson Littlehead, an OU who is a part of the Sac and Foc Nation of Oklahoma, said.

The Sac and Foc Nation is dying, we only have three native speakers, Littlehead said.

The children enrolled in the native american language programs are given a chance to learn about their own culture and keep their language alive.

"We're overwhelmed with English," Joyce Twins, a Cheyenne professor here at OU, said. "The TV we watch and all the electronic things are all in English. My tribe is looking at creating Cheyenne computer games so the children can learn more that way."

Twins believes the public school system can do more with their money to teach the native american children their language, and help them learn about their culture.

"There is money in the public schools that can be utilized. They need to fix their spending to include that," Twins said.

The annual Native American Youth Language Fair gives these students an opportunity to embrace their heritage, practice their language, and gives them a chance to keep their language and culture alive in the U.S. today by sharing it with the public.

For more information about the annual Native American Youth Language Fair you can visit http://nal.snomnh.ou.edu/onaylf

Littlehead shares his reaction to the Fair:

Midterm

                                            Jess Bruno RUN TIME: 1:46
Commitment statement: Josh Christopher is unique because after growing up in various different cultures overseas and being directly subjected to human trafficking, he developed a passion to stop human trafficking and an even bigger passion to save the children who are affected by it. He chose his major and college path because of this passion and has great aspirations for his future to achieve this goal.

A sophomore International Area Studies major plans to attend law school solely to represent human traffic victims after growing up around human trafficking.

After growing up overseas directly subjected to human trafficking, Josh Christopher developed a passion for human traffic victims and high hopes to spend his future trying to do whatever he can to save them from this lifestyle.

Christopher grew up overseas until the age of 13, with his dad in the oil business and his mom teaching English. He was born in Ecuador, then moved to Indonesia and eventually ended up in Southeast Asia where human trafficking is at its greatest.

After growing up in the environment, Christopher developed a passion for human traffic victims, especially for children. He explained that at a very young age he would get off of the plane in Indonesia or Ecuador, and among the many things that people would be selling, children were the most valued items being sold at these airports.

“This really captures my heart,” Christopher said. “It really gives you a different view of the world.”

According to Luis Cdebaca, the Ambassador-at-Large, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, human trafficking has become a problem in 177 countries now including the United States for the first time.

Christopher hopes to help with prevention and aftercare at the International Justice Mission sometime in his future. Aftercare inaugurates the children back into society after they have been through such an ordeal as human trafficking, and prevention is trying to stop human trafficking in the first place.

Christopher is a sophomore International Area Studies and economics major studying the world and global politics. He plans to attend law school after college and eventually practice law with the mission. This mission’s goal is to stop human trafficking and support human rights in the name of Christ.

They do big work in Southeast Asia, Christopher said.

“Josh is someone that is kind of different from a lot of other college students,” Corbin Wallace, a close friend of Christopher’s, said. “A lot of students go with the flow and just accept things as they come. But Josh works extremely hard and doesn’t just take the status quo for being what it is. He’s always willing to push the envelope and work hard.”

Among many different clubs and groups at the University of Oklahoma, Christopher is involved with The Oklahoma Group and the International Advisory Committee, which he believes play a role in his future career.

The Oklahoma Group consults for non-profits in the Oklahoma area. It brings together all different majors and utilizes their skills for non-profit.

“They teach you while you work,” Christopher said.

The International Advisory Committee oversees all 3,000 foreign students here at OU. Christopher’s role is the American Liaison, who teaches the students English and about God.

Christopher hopes to utilize these experiences working for non-profit and working with international students for his future working for the International Justice Mission representing international children.

“I can’t see someone fully aware that their selling a human being and just walk away as if nothing had happened,” Christopher said. 

Sophomore student starts a monthly prayer movement on campus bringing together all different types of students 
Published on March 16, 2012

 A student who has a passion for prayer and change on campus starts a prayer movement which takes place on campus once a month to bring together all different types of students to pray for our campus, government, and the world.

 “My goal for this is to have people praying for our campus and the nations around the world on a daily basis,” Reagan McDonald, the student who started the movement, said.

 Around 90-100 students showed up the first time, McDonald said.

 The prayer movement meeting consists of a PowerPoint of guided prayer, which is optional, and worship music in the background. People get into groups and prayer together for the hour.

 “I just really felt like we needed something like this on our campus and it really unites all Christians, not just ones in specific organizations,” McDonald said.

 McDonald has a passion about prayer and has shown her beliefs in a very public way through this movement. Despite any criticism for public prayer coming her way, she has gone through with this idea.

 “One thing I love about OU is that students have the freedom to start clubs and organizations and are encouraged to follow their passions. I think that this movement is not offending but simply students practicing their faith,” Allie Corbin, a student who attended the prayer movement event, said.

 The next movement meeting will take place on April 1 in Dale hall room 128 and you can join McDonald’s “Prayer Movement” group on Facebook for more information.

 http://www.facebook.com/events/344063962310472/

 

Slideshow

This is the dinning room at my house, Delta Delta Delta. It's a great place to study because it is usually pretty quiet. Also it's a place where girls from all different pledge classes in the house come together to study and socialize, so it gives you a chance to get up during study breaks as well. This is a place that most girls in the house spend a lot of time in, whether their studying, eating, or socializing. VIDEO: Jessica Bruno, Runtime:  0:57

“I Heart Social Media” alerts students about the importance of online profiling sites in Dale Hall Tuesday

The “I Heart” Panel, hosted by Gaylord College student leadership, encouraged students to pursue professionalism online during the “I Heart Social Media” conference on Tuesday evening.

The panel consisted of five professionals in the media industry who covered different topics ranging from getting a job in media to maintaining online profile accounts.

Panel member Cassie Gilman, a former OU political science student, explained how she never puts anything on her Facebook or Twitter account that she would not want anyone professional to see.

“Whatever you put out there is for public consumption,whether it is for your professional or your personal life,” Gilman said.

The panel talked about ways that employers utilize online profiles to check out potential future employees.

“This is like your online reputation,” panel member Miranda Wilson, Associate Director of Communications for the YMCA, said.

The panel also touched on utilizing online profile sites to possibly secure a future career, even as a student.

“Use social media as a way to get your foot in the door,” Wilson said.

Wilson advised students to be cautious online but to take advantage of using online profiling sites to get their names out there.

The panel alertedstudents of posting information onthe Internet and gave tips on preparing yourself for a job in the media.

Panel member Dave Rhea, the managing editor for online products at The Journal Record, in Oklahoma City, suggested getting a personal website together junior year of college because it could be a landing point for you if an employer is looking to hire you.

Olivia Price, a sophomore advertising major, attended the event and took some key points away from it.

“It told me that employers do look at your Facebook and read your Twitter accounts before they hire you. And that everything online can be traced. Which is scary,” Price said.

If you have questions for the I Heart Panel or would like to see some questions and answers from the event you can check out their @iheartpanel twitter account.

“Search for Identity” screened in the Gaylord auditorium Tuesday evening

The creator of the documentary “Search for Identity” spoke to students about the importance of an individual’s right to identity via Skype interview in the Gaylord auditorium Tuesday at 7 p.m.

“We can make a difference, but you don’t make a difference sitting on the sidelines,” Charlie Tuggle, the “Search for Identity” creator, said.

Gaylord College played Tuggle’s film Tuesday evening for students. The film emphasizes family and identity, focusing on the children who lost their families after being born and then kidnapped by military members in Argentina detention centers during the 1970 Dirty War.

Tuggle, who was once a journalism professor for the University of North Carolina, sent two journalism students to Argentina to report on the Grandmothers of May Plaza, aka the Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. The film centered on these women who spend their lives looking for their lost grandchildren with hopes of restoring their identity.

In the Skype interview, Tuggle explained his heart for the project and the thesis that drove the film.

“It’s the right to identity, a basic human right, let’s make sure we come back to that for our basic thesis,” Tuggle said.

Tuggle explained his aspiration for this film and shared his passion for an individual’s basic human right to identity.

For more information on the documentary or Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo you can visit www.searchforidentitydocumentary.com

CAC’s annual Dance Marathon event will return on March 3 to raise money for OU Children’s Miracle Network

By: Jessica Bruno

Published February 5, 2012

Campus Activities Council invites students to dance the night away at its annual philanthropy event Dance Marathon, March 3, at the Huston Huffman Fitness Center.

“It is a 12 hour event where ,'we dance for kids who can’t,' which is the Dance Marathon motto. There is a carnival, multiple dances, a moon bounce, a lot of food, and there is a DJ,” said Taylor Reames, a member of the Dance Marathon morale team, who are the leaders of the event.

The event will last from 10a.m. until 10p.m. with non-stop activities. This event is not only a fun night to interact with other students, but also a night to give back.

According to Reames, Dance marathon is a collegiate fundraiser, that raises money for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, specifically OU Children’s.

Each member of the morale team is required to raise about $150 for OU Children’s and there are various fundraisers throughout the year.

Annually, CAC spends the year preparing and getting the word out for this Spring event. CAC has "125 days of Dance Marathon," a series of fundraisers year round to raise money for OU Children’s. 

The event is sponsored by Children’s Hospital Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Registration is $25 and you can find out more information at www.helpmakemiracles.org. 

                                                    PWOP PHOTO: Jess Bruno

                                                     SOP PHOTO: Jess Bruno