Boomer Blog

2009-05-13T12:49:00.001-07:00

Captain Hixson sits at his desk working on grades and ready for the semester to be over. He teaches many of the Air Force ROTC classes required for this program.

AFROTC Scholarships Pay For School

OU students can sign up for the Air Force ROTC and get scholarships to help pay for school and, in some cases, pay for all of it.

"Getting my bachelor's degree paid for and now getting my medical school paid for is probably the best part of this program," Cadet James Gentry said.

The Air Force ROTC has been on campus since 1952 and has helped a number of students pay for school.

For more information on how to get started or on the eligibility of the scholarships please go to www.ou.edu/rotc/air-force.

As many people have experienced, college is difficult to pay for and scholarships are even harder to get. Students and parents are especially in a state of worry due to the economy and all of its repercussions.

Many scholarships are available but are usually based on need and merit. The Air Force ROTC has several scholarships but most have nothing to do with how much money students' parents make or how much volunteer work they have done.

Some of the minimum requirements to apply for an Air Force ROTC scholarship is applicants must be a U.S. citizen, pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, pass the AFROTC Physical Fitness Test, have at least a 2.5 GPA, not be a contracted scholarship cadet and be under the age of 31 according to the In-College Scholarship Program information page in the AFROTC packet.

All Air Force ROTC scholarships recipients receive a nontaxable monthly allowance ranging from $300 to $500, and an annual textbook allowance of $900, according to the ROTC information packet. Many of these scholarships pay for the full amount of tuition and fees plus can help if not cover the entire costs of textbooks.

The Air Force ROTC has no limitations on who can sign up and, when in the Air Force ROTC, cadets are not required to join the military and can drop out any time they want. All OU students enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program have to take a one hour a week class per semester with a lab and do field training for four to five weeks in between the student's sophomore and junior year.

The AFROTC accepts all majors in to their program. They do have special programs for students who want to be a pilot or navigator, nurse, attorney, people already enlisted in the Air Force, non-OU students, and juniors, seniors, and graduate students according to OU's Air Force ROTC website.

"I really wish I had known about this program before I got in [to the military]," Senior Airman James Brown said. Senior Airman Brown joined the Air Force three years ago and recently discovered that he could have joined the Air Force ROTC straight out of high school and possibly had all of his school paid for.

"Now I am just going to have to wait until I get out to go to school," he said.

Cadet Gentry graduated last semester and had his entire school paid for. " I would definitely recommend this to people outside of the military, I mean what is better than getting your school paid for," Cadet Gentry exclaimed.

Cadet Gentry believes that the increase in applicants this year is due to the economy. "I mean it is a guaranteed job, and with the economy the way it is with layoffs and all, you don't know if you are going to have a job from one day to the next."

Captain Hixson also believes that the increase in applicants is due to the economy. "I really think the increase is due to the economy, I mean we have doubled the amount of people entering in this program in a year," Captain Hixson said.

Many OU students believe the military ties them down but Cadet Gentry had some words to share from experience. "Even though we don't always get to decide what we want to do and where we want to go, there are a lot of good things here besides just having your school paid for. I mean if you want to be a pilot, where else would you want to go to get your training," Cadet Gentry said.

Cadet Gentry would recommend the military to anyone, especially those how are unsure about what they want to do in life. "[The Air Force ROTC] gives people who don't have a path going anywhere... direction. I mean the military is a good thing. You get to meet people, see the world, and you grow up and learn responsibility so I would definitely recommend it to anyone."

"Anyone can sign up. There are tons of packets and information they can come and get in the office on any questions they have." Commander John Berry said. He teaches the upper division AFROTC courses for the seniors in the program.

Enrollment for the fall semester has already begun but different classes apply for different grade levels.

OU entering freshman should look for AERO 1011 on enroll.ou.edu to get started in the AFROTC. OU sophomores or above should contact the Unit Admissions Officer Captain Don Ricci at 405-325-3211 to find out how to get jump started into the program.

OU students can also stop by Craddock Hall off of Felgar and Jenkins near the Union to get more information.

For more on Cadet Gentry's interview, please click play.

2009-04-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Ad Agency Up and Running Soon

OU students will have access to the new Gaylord building add on starting in the summer semester.

The second floor will be entirely dedicated to the student run advertising agency. It also includes a focus group room that all JMC students can use to do research.

"Students will be able to use computers and rent laptops in the new computer labs Gaylord will soon house," Andrew Jones, Director of Production said.

Starting this summer semester, OU students will be able to use this new wing in full affect.

For more on Jones' interview and a preview of the Ad Agency, please click play.

2009-04-10T08:55:00.001-07:00

Kathy Adams working on scholarship paper work. She has been working on the set up for the luncheon for most of the semester.

The Gaylord Upper Classmen Scholarship

OU sophomore, junior, and senior students should apply for the Gaylord Upper Classmen scholorship because some awards give out up to $4000.

The Gaylord college has several scholarships that students can apply for just by applying to the Upper Classmen scholarship and this increases their chances of getting one.

"These scholarships, that can be up to $4000, come from donors that want to make sure the right person gets them, and the student that does get that scholarship gets to meet the donor at the luncheon we have. This is also where students find out how much they will receive, " Scholarship Director Kathy Adams said.

The luncheon is being held at 11 A.M. Saturday, April 18th 2009 in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Ballroom. The registration deadline for the luncheon is due Monday, April 13th 2009.

For more on Kathy Adams' interview, please click play.

2009-04-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

Kathy Adams works at her desk. She has been working on the Gaylord scholarships for about 20 years.

Scholarships for Students

OU Journalism and Mass Communication Students should sign up for scholarships because many of them go without much competition.

The Gaylord college has scholarships that offers around $1000 on average per student that receives a scholarship.

"We get about 150 - 160 applicants just for the Upper Classmen scholarship and only 100 students got scholarships. Some got multiple ones," Scholarship Director Kathy Adams said.

OU students can apply for the Upper Classmen scholarship at the beginning of each spring semester. Applications can be found and downloaded here.

To listen to more of Adams' interview, please click play.

2009-04-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Mistress at the Mug Slide. This was her third year at the Medieval Fair.

The Medieval Fair

This weekend, OU students can participate in keeping the Medieval Fair a tradition in Norman.

It was started by the OU english department in 1976 so students could learn about Shakespeare's time period. This year will be their 33 year and they are still going strong.

"We have been coming here for 10 years now and it has definitely become more of an Oklahoma thing than just a Norman or OU thing," said Moore resident Jim Wells.

The Medieval Fair is between 10 am and 7 pm, Friday April 3 to Sunday April 5 at Reaves Park. Free parking is located at the Lloyd Noble Center.

2009-03-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

OU student Lance Morales in Gaylord Computer Lab working on an assignment. Morales expected newscaster would be wrong about winter storm.

Snow Not Storm

Many OU students were skeptical of the winter weather warning and will continue to be next time one is announced because March 28th's winter storm was more of a few flurries than a storm like newscasters had said.

Oklahoma City received less than a tenth of an inch of snow, and Norman received only .02 inches of snow according to the National Weather Service.

"I knew this was going to happen," said OU student Lance Morales. "I just wish I could have gotten out of school early."

To find out local weather in your area please click here.

2009-03-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Paramedics lift man on to the stretcher. Paramedics showed up around 11:15 a.m. March 27th 2009 to help a man that had fallen.

Man Hurts Leg due to Weather

Many students will have to watch where they are stepping during inclement weather because an OU student fell around 11 a.m. this morning outside of Gaylord Hall due to a slip cause by the weather.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health tracked slips and falls injuries during the January storm statewide and identified that 482 people fell or slipped and 353 of them needed to be transported to a health care facility.

"I just heard a commotion outside and went to look what was happening," said OU student Melanie German who was working in the Gaylord Computer Lab when the student fell.

To find up dates on the weather related injuries, please click here.

For more on German's interview, please click play.

2009-03-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

OU Parking and Transportation Services Public Relations Executive Kristapher Glen stands outside Parking and Transportation Services building. Glen, a former OU student, is the person to contact if questions on campus parking need to be answered.

No Parking Space Increases Soon

Most OU commuter students will continue to be frustrated looking for parking spots because OU parking officials say that they will not add anymore parking spaces in the coming academic year.

OU parking officials have a policy that states they will not consider making new parking lots or garages until the number of open parking spots during peak hours drops.

"It would be nice if there were more parking garages, but I know they are really expensive [to build]," OU commuter Laura Walker said.

"I would pay a fee to make new parking garages because most people including myself don't notice [new fees]."

OU Students can meet with their UOSA members to discuss their concerns about campus parking.

Frustrated OU commuter students can often be seen driving around campus parking garages, parking lots, and streets due to the lack of parking near campus.

Many students spend as much as 30 minutes if not more looking for spots.

It is not Students agree that even if they get to campus early, there is no guarantee that there will be spots available.

"[The parking on campus] is terrible because even though I pay $200 for a spot, half the time I can't find one," OU commuter Kelsey Murray said.

There were 6,947 commuter parking permits sold during the 2007 to 2008 academic year.

There are only 4,249 commuter parking spots available not including 1,847 faculty and staff parking spaces that become available after 4 p.m. according to OU Parking Services.

OU parking officials say they will consider the parking situation when the number of empty parking spaces between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. drop to 100 or less from the 300 to 400 hundred they are currently at.

Parking garage solutions and not cost effective because they could cost as much as $10,000 per spot according to The Oklahoma Daily.

"We have appealed for several new parking structures, but we have been told by our group administrator that someone in the administration feels that parking structures are 'unsightly'," UOSA Coordinator of Off Campus Parking and Living Andrew Jones said.

"[the administration] also wants to implement the rental bike program but they have run into the additional problem of not having enough bike racks [available on campus]."

"I think the parking on campus is more of a perception problem because Parking Services has people go out randomly between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the busiest hours of the day, to count how many empty commuter parking spaces there are, and last year there were between 300 and 400 empty spots every day,"OU Parking and Transportation Services' Public Relations Executive Kristapher Glen said.

"Most of those parking spaces were located at the duck pond parking lot... which is a multi-purpose lot."

"It is impossible to think that you can get to campus five minutes before you are supposed to be in class and still manage to get a parking spot adjacent to your destination, " Glen said.

"The duck pond is not more than a 6 to 7 minute walk to the south oval so I suggest people who want to park on campus get to school a little earlier and go park at the duck pond."

To discuss on campus parking issues, please contact the president of UOSA, Amanda Holloway or in the near future please contact the future UOSA president, Katie Fox.

For an audio recorded interview with commuter Daron Ross, please click play.

Homework Causes a Short Spring Break

2009-03-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Spring Break has started but many OU students are going to stay near by and finish homework over the break.

Many professors have opted for giving out take home exams, assignments, or books to read over the break instead of handing out the assignment(s) when students get back.

"I literally could not go home this break because I have a huge project to do, a paper to write, and a test to prepare for. I could go home if I didn't want to get any work done," OU advertising graduate student Jacklyn Riddick said.

Spring break is set to officially start Monday March 16 and will end Friday March 20.

2009-03-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Director of Production, Andrew Jones does homework for his class in between classes in the Gaylord computer lab. He is excited to be starting the student run advertising agency this summer.

Students Excited About Starting AD/PR Agency

Advertising and Public Relations students have completed their applications of the student run advertising agency, and are excited about getting started.

The ad agency idea was started by Professor Tarpenning at the beginning of last semester. This idea came from several advertising professionals saying that they hire advertising graduates who worked in a student run advertising agency because they get better real life experiences there than internships.

"I am really excited to get started. We have had over 70 applications filled out for the first year alone. The students that start in the summer will go through a leadership course and teach the students that come in the fall," Faculty Advisor to the advertising agency Tarpenning said.

Students who have applied for the advertising and public relations agency should expect phone calls and interviews to proceed through the next month.

To hear what the Director of Production Andrew Jones has to say about the advertising agency, please click play.

Soundslides Test

2009-03-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

2009-03-06T05:52:00.000-08:00

OU student Adrian Reents frustrated over e-mail advisement. She has been e-mailing back and forth with her adviser.

OU Students Feel Uneasy About E-Mail Advisement

Some OU students are starting to feel the pressure of enrollment and the e-mail advisements recently received seem to not help matters.

Many colleges do not meet with students directly and depend on e-mail advisements from department advisers to ensure proper enrollment.

"E-mail advisements are not effective because if I have a question about my enrollment, she never e-mails me back," OU Student Adrian Reents said.

Enrollment is set to begin the first week of April but depends on how many total hours students have.

For more on Reents' interview, please click play.

2009-03-05T10:07:00.001-08:00

OU student Kelsey Neer studying before her class starts. She currently pays for school through loans and is concidering private loans to be able to study abroad.

Private Student Loan Lenders Limited Due To Obama's Budget

OU students may have trouble getting private loans due to cuts proposed by Obama.

Obama wants to limit lenders like Sallie Mae from handing out the bulk of student loans and give the U.S. Education Department the ability lend most of the loans according to money.cnn.com.

"I think that [limiting private loans] might be good for students beacause all they have to do is fill out the FAFSA instead of finding other loans they can apply for," OU student Kelsey Neer said.

OU Students can expect the private funding to decrease starting in 2010.

For more on Neer's interview, please click play.

2009-02-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

Empty Office of the Bursar Friday afternoon. Parents and/or students might be able to pay tuition easier due to the temporary college credit increase.

Tax Credit Could Cause Paying Tuition Easier For OU Students

OU students and their parents might be able to breath easier when paying tuition because the expansion of the Hope Scholarship tax credit has been increased.

Due to Congress finalizing the economic recovery plan, a new temporary college tax credit called the American Opportunity Tax Credit, that extends the Hope Scholarship, has been increased from $1,800 to $2,500 for higher education costs, according to cnn.money.com.

"I think this will help parents on their [child's] tuition costs," Student Operations Manager Armand Chance said. "Obama seems to really want to help education."

OU students and parents can expect this increase to show up when they file for their 2009 taxes.

For more on Chance's interview, please click play.

2009-02-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

Entrance to Price Hall located off of the South Oval. Students can check this wall for more information on internships and job opportunities.

OU MBA's Out Of Luck For Jobs This Year

OU MBA students may not be able to find jobs at coveted companies due to several job cuts in the field.

Big banks such as Citigroup Inc, Bank of America Corp, and Goldman Sachs Group Inc, have cut so many jobs, that MBA students might have to brawl over the few positions available, according to cnn.money.com.

"I agree, it's harder to find jobs, but certain fields, such as logistics and IT, are not downsizing," Marketing and Supply Chain Management Professor Anthony Roath said. "I would tell students to think about broadening their skill sets to help them find jobs."

OU MBA students can talk to professors and the Price College for help finding jobs post-graduation.

For more on Professor Roath's interview, please click play below.

2009-02-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

Starbucks on a slow Saturday night. Go to the Starbucks located in the Union to find out when the one dollar coffee's will be hitting their store.

Starbucks Announces Their One Dollar Coffee

By next fall OU students may be brewing their own cup of Starbucks coffee for less than a dollar.

Despite stores closing and a recession, Starbucks announced that they would soon start offering instant, customer-made, dollar cups of coffee to keep people who are strapped for cash in their stores.

"Starbucks is going to lose business, at least on campus, because college students are going to buy the one dollar cups of coffee more than their four dollar cups of coffee. This will end up backfiring on them," said OU student Adrian Reents.

OU students can expect to see these instant cups of coffee nationwide starting in the fall, but on March 3 they will hit Seattle and Illinois.

2009-02-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

OU student Jessica Boersma Facebooks in the Gaylord Hall computer lab. She is constantly Facebooking to connect to friends and keep them updated.

Everyone is Facebooking

OU students may find their future bosses on Facebook because more and more people over the age of 30 are signing up for it.

Facebook was aimed at 18-24 year-olds when it first started, but Facebook claims that this target group now makes up less than a fourth of its users according to cnn.money.com.

"I think it is really weird and uncomfortable that people that old are facebooking. I am pretty careful with what I put on there because of my sorority, but I can see how people should start to re-think what is on their Facebook," OU senior Jessica Boersma said.

OU students should be cautious with what they are posting when networking through Facebook because the amount of people signing up increases by five million users a week according to cnn.money.com.

2009-02-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

OU Student Adrian Reents writes in her planner. She plans to celebrate by going to dinner and a movie with her boyfriend.

Valentine's Day Was in Budget for Most OU Students

Many OU students still had plans to celebrate Valentine's Day despite the economic down turn.

The unemployment rate for January hit 7.6 percent according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics and is currently projected at 7.8 percent for the month of February.

"I am going out to dinner still. Of course he will probably pay, but we are still going out so I guess [the layoffs] have not affected him either," Senior Amanda Blackman said.

Obama's economic advisers expect the rate will continue to go up in this coming term according to money.cnn.com

2009-02-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

Sign at the top of the stairs on Buchanan Hall. Go to the Financial Aid office for more information.

OU Students Look Forward To Pell Grant Increase

Students who have applied or will apply for FAFSA should expect and extra $281 added to their Pell Grant this year due to President Obama's bill increase.

The Pell Grant is a federal program designed to help post-secondary students in need of financial assistance according to the ed.gov website. The amount rewarded is mostly based on the students need and how much it cost to attend their chosen university.

"Two-hundred plus dollars is $200 less in debt, and I pay for my own school with student loans, so it would really help me," OU Student Victoria Stahl said.

To find out more information on when the increase will hit student bursar accounts, please go to the Financial Aid office located on the second floor of Buchanan Hall, room 216.

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth for a Good Cause

2009-02-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

Norman North High School is hosting a Chocolate Festival were students can go sample several sweets and benefit the local art center.

Many different pastry and chocolate vendors come together at Norman North High School to raise money for the Firehouse Art Center. Depending on your ticket price, you can go in starting at 10:30 A.M. and try a number of delicious samples.

"I heard about this last year and decided to volunteer. Everyone was stressed out, but I got five free samples out of it," advertising junior Lauren Lazo said.

The Chocolate Festival will begin at 10:30 A.M. Saturday February 6th at Norman North High School off of Stubbeman Avenue.

Layoffs Cause Worries for OU's Students

2009-02-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Due to economy related layoffs, students should strive to have as many internships as they can.

Tough economic times have caused many businesses to make budget cuts and layoffs. Even if employers are hiring, they are more likely to choose the recently laid off professional with work experience than new college graduates without work experience.

" I have already had two (internships) and I am still worried about the chances of me getting a job," advertising junior Merrill Jones said.

Although some students feel graduation may still be far off, they should start thinking about alternative post graduation plans incase they don't get the job of their dreams.

University Emergency System Last Place Students Will Look for University Information

2009-02-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

Students will have to depend on their professors for class cancellations because the OU emergency phone call last Monday was too late for many students.

Last year, OU sent a university wide e-mail stating that a new emergency phone call system was put in place and students that wanted to be notified of any danger, or university wide closures needed to add contact information.

"I am glad I got an e-mail from my professor right before I was about to leave because otherwise I would have been driving to class," said Advertising Junior Laren Lazo. " I am from Houston so when it is cold outside, I don't want to drive anywhere."

When the next winter storm hits, students will depend on their professors for information on whether or not to come to class.