Actress Lawrence brings depth to lacking ‘Games’

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

by Dani Norton

Staff writer

Gary Ross’ “The Hunger Games,” adapted from the book of the same name by Suzanne Collins, now holds the record for biggest box office debut for a non-sequel. It also enjoyed the third best opening weekend in box office history with $152 million, behind the final “Harry Potter” installment and “The Dark Knight.” That’s a lot of hype to live up to, so did Ross and the rest of the gang earn those impressive numbers?

“The Hunger Games” is set in the futuristic, dystopian nation of Panem, which is divided into 12 poverty-stricken districts and one wealthy capital. The districts are poor because 75 years earlier, the nation rebelled against its government. And it lost. Badly.

Now, as a reminder of everything lost during the rebellion, each district is required to offer two of its children, a boy and a girl, as tribute to the Hunger Games, an arena-style battle where only one child comes out alive.

Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, is the story’s protagonist whose younger sister is chosen as tribute (by having her name drawn during a process ominously referred to as “the Reaping”) for their home of District 12. Katniss volunteers herself to go in her sister’s place, and she travels to the Capitol to begin her struggle to survive the Hunger Games.

As with any book adaptation, much of the fat of a story must be trimmed to make a good movie. This must be a horrifically difficult task since so few filmmakers can get it right. However, “The Hunger Games” makes decent use of its time, most likely because the book’s author helped write the screenplay.

There were still moments where those who haven’t read the books might be missing out on some key information. These blank spots weren’t necessarily plot holes, just areas where some rich storytelling had to be sacrificed to keep the film below a three hour runtime.

For example, one of the most common criticisms from fans of the series is that Katniss’ relationship with her fellow tribute Peeta Mellark is somewhat downplayed in the movie, despite it being a huge part of the book.

While a generic love story is not exactly the most exciting aspect of the series, it is omissions like this that make the film version feel a little empty. Without the interpersonal conflicts that built strong character identity in the book, “The Hunger Games” is basically just about a girl running around in the woods with a bow and arrow, trying to avoid getting stabbed.

The Games are certainly the focus of the story, but if you’re going to see this movie on a whim, don’t expect to find out why the citizens of the capital like to watch children kill each other for sport, or why there are little presents floating down from the sky to Katniss. Small things like that were sort of lost in translation.

Additionally, the graphic violence described in the novel was toned down to suit the younger audiences who would undoubtedly flock to see the film.

This was probably a wise decision, but Ross seems to have traded in a little extra gore for a shaky handheld camera that only adds about 30 extra unwatchable minutes to his movie, rather than subtly distort the violence that otherwise would have landed the movie an R rating.

The rough cinematography lends itself to the stark, grainy approach Ross took overall, but it also makes some scenes appear to be nothing more than blurs and people falling over.

“The Hunger Games” got one thing absolutely right, and that was casting Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. Lawrence was able to bring her character amazing depth and emotion, which is quite the feat considering the script had little of either.

Lawrence received critical acclaim in 2010 for her performance in the indie “Winter’s Bone.” Relatively unknown up until that point, Lawrence was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for the role.

Her performance in “The Hunger Games” stayed true to the poignant, determined character Collins wrote for the book. Lawrence manages to portray a young woman who is all at once iron-willed and incredibly vulnerable as she ventures out into the world beyond District 12 for the first time in her life.

It is dangerous to try to bring any beloved book to the big screen, but “The Hunger Games” does a fine job of hitting the high notes of an incredibly complex story. Though there were some problems with character development, the franchise will likely see three or four more releases in which to explore the issue.

All-American Reject’s new album is rejected

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

by Kendra Germany

Staff writer

Oklahoma rockers the All-American Rejects released their fourth album “Kids in the Streets” on March 26, failing to capture the raw rock ‘n’ roll attitude of past records.

It has been almost five years since the boys from Stillwater’s last album “When the World Comes Down” was released.

The All-American Rejects blew onto the scene in 2003 with the hit song “Swing, Swing” that was an anthem for angst-driven teens in love in the early 2000s.

But it wasn’t until the release of the band’s sophomore album “Move Along” that the band received mainstream success.

After songs like “Swing, Swing,” “Move Along,” “Dirty Little Secret” and “Gives You Hell,” there were high hopes that their new album “Kids in the Streets” would hold just as many hits as the past three.

However, the newest installment fails to catch that distinct vibe that the band is famous for. Many of the songs, though lyrically well-written, sound overproduced on “Kids in the Street.”

The raw sound and emotion that was poured into the early albums is what made most fans fall in love with the All-American Rejects.

On the new album, the true talent of the band gets lost in the sound.

With that being said, there are a few songs on the album that shine through the noise.

One song in particular that is truly a breath of fresh air is “The Beekeeper’s Daughter.” The song has both an infectious beat and catchy lyrics that make it easy to listen too.

The lyrics are provocative yet adorable. “You’re a pretty little flower, I’m a busy little bee. Honey that’s all you need to see,” croons lead singer Tyson Ritter in his trademark scratchy yet sophisticated voice.

Even though the album is not up to par with the past albums released by the band, there are songs that save the album from being a total loss.

However, instead of buying the whole album, buying the singles on iTunes would be a better option.

Titanic remembered 100 years after disaster

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

by Tiffany Logue

Contributing writer

April 15, 2012, is the 100 year anniversary of the Titanic disaster. According to CBS News, the disaster was remembered on land and sea. CBS News reporter Mark Phillips called it “remembering human arrogance and folly.”

Like most mistakes that earn the phrase “human arrogance and folly,” the Titanic disaster could have been less severe if the mistakes had been caught in 1912.

Titanic left for its first and only voyage on Wednesday, April 10, 1912. Its long-term destination was New York with two stops along the way.

After a narrowly missed collision with a steamer named New York, Titanic left Southampton and was on its way to stop at Cherbourg and Queenstown.

When it hit the open ocean, Titanic had somewhere between 2,200-2,400 people aboard it. However, exact numbers are debatable.

The Titanic sank at 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912. Of those 2,200 or so people, only 705 people were saved after the ship hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.

There were a few ways most of the people lost could have been rescued. Some of the ways could have been to add more lifeboats, to give the lookouts binoculars, to reduce its speed and to get a reply from the nearby ship.

According to “The Story of the Unsinkable Titanic” by Michael Wilkinson and Robert Hamilton, “It is now definitely known that the Titanic carried 20 boats, providing accommodation for about 1,200 persons.” At this time, the rules for number of lifeboats were not as clear, and the Titanic contained 20 because it was the minimum number they had to have.

According to “Titanic and Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic” by Tom McCluskie, Michael Sharpe and Leo Marriott, of these 20 lifeboats, only about three had close to their full capacities, 13 were about half full and four contained under half.

According to “Titanic and Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic,” the crew operating the lifeboat levers did not have training or experience with the equipment used to lower the boats and had not been given clear instructions.

Southeastern research librarian Dennis Miles, who has a personal interest in the Titanic, said, “(Captain E.J. Smith) should have given his officers specific instructions to fill the boats to full capacity.” He said that if the boats were full, 400 more people might have been saved.

After the Titanic disaster, lifeboat regulations were researched and updated to save more lives in future accidents.

An easily solved problem Titanic had was the lookouts lacking binoculars which made it harder to see icebergs at farther distances.

There are different theories as to why the lookouts did not have binoculars. One was that they had been locked in a box and a man took the key home with him.

The “Titanic and Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic,” theorizes that the binoculars “had gone missing during the officer reshuffle at Southampton.”

A larger issue that could have saved lives was the speed at which Titanic was going.

The last recorded speed was written down on April 14, 1912. Titanic was traveling at 22.5 knots at noon and was assumed to be traveling the same speed at the time of the accident, according to “Titanic and Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic” which is about 26 mph

Twenty-six mph is considered fast for a ship in 1912.

The theory from “The Story of the Unsinkable Titanic” was that if Titanic had not shut off its engines, went into full reverse and turned hard to the right, the main damage would have been to the front of the ship. Those same theories say that if this had occurred, Titanic would have not sunk.

Miles said if the Titanic had taken the iceberg on straight it “would have damaged the (front of the ship) for sure and would have messed that up, but it would have taken only the front compartments instead of all six.”

The truth is that no one knows if taking the damage on the front would have had a different effect. However, if Titanic had not been going 26 mph, it would have had a better chance of making it.

According to “The Story of the Unsinkable Titanic,” the ship’s needed stopping distance was half a mile. Without binoculars and moving that fast, it was impossible to not hit the iceberg.

No one knows why Smith ordered the ship to speed up seeing as he had received iceberg warnings. Like everything else surrounding the disaster, there are several theories as to why Smith did.

The theory given by “Titanic and Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic” is that he could have been trying to beat Titanic’s sister ship’s best speed of 22.75 knots.

The wider assumed theory is that J. Bruce Ismay, managing director of White Star Line, asked Smith to take Titanic to 22 knots. According to “The Story of the Unsinkable Titanic,” this theory suggests that Ismay wanted the ship “to reach New York ahead of schedule.”

Ismay denied all such accusations.

One of the least known problems that Titanic faced was lack of compassionate ships nearby.

All ships that received Titanic’s distress code were too far out to get there in time. However, survivors of Titanic said they saw a ship’s lights.

The ship the survivors assumed they saw was the Californian which had stopped in the middle of an ice field for the night. The Californian was said to be stopped anywhere from 6-20 miles away from the sinking Titanic.

According to “The Story of the Unsinkable Titanic,” the Californian’s wireless operator “had received a sharp rebuff from his Titanic counterpart the previous night…” The operator returned to find Titanic’s distress code, “CQD,” at 6 a.m.

According to “Titanic and Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic,” SOS had become the distress call in 1908 because it was easier to send in Morse code. However, “It was still not in common use by 1912.” Most ships still used CQD which meant “Come Quick, Danger.”

When it arrived the next morning, the Californian saw that a ship named the Carpathia had already arrived at Titanic’s location and was pulling up survivors. However, “It was said Titanic’s distress rockets were seen and misinterpreted” by the Californian.

“Captain Lord (of the Californian) did not give the rockets the amount of credit that they deserved,” said Miles. Had they given them credit, the Californian could have saved a lot more people if not all. Had someone on the Californian thought to see if Titanic needed help, they could have been at the ship in about two hours depending on the exact distance from the disaster.

There were many different ways Titanic’s losses could have been reduced. However, these mistakes were made, thus making Titanic a historical event.

For more information on the Titanic, visit libguides@se.edu/titanic.

Theatre at Southeastern provides entertaining rendition of ‘Schoolhouse Rock Live!’

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

by Lornna Bates

Managing editor

Children dancing in the aisles, songs teaching grammar and punctuation, characters based on multiple personalities of a teacher. Is all of this typical?

It is if you attended the production of “Schoolhouse Rock Live!”

The American Association of University Women and Theatre at Southeastern presented the children’s theatre performance.

The one-time only public production, directed and choreographed by Riley Risso Coker, assistant professor in theatre, was held in the newly renovated Montgomery Auditorium Thursday, April 5.

Dustin Curry, actor extraordinaire, plays a new teacher debating how to arrange his lesson plan for his first day of classes.

In an effort to distract himself from his anxiety, Curry turns on his TV, only to have his living room bombarded by the cast of “Schoolhouse Rock.”

Children growing up during the ’70s and ’80s could watch the “Schoolhouse Rock” cartoon shorts on ABC Saturday mornings. The show offered educational programming that taught children such things as multiplication tables, punctuation, grammar and government through stimulating tunes and clever, memorable lyrics.

The Emmy-award winning children’s show has begun to gain popularity once again. In 2010, Disney released a 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD of “Schoolhouse Rock,” which contains all of the songs from the original cartoon episodes.

Even though I am not very familiar with this particular children’s feature, the play was entertaining. Apparently, I was one of the few in attendance unaware of the original premise of the show.

I noticed the adults and children around me singing along with the ensemble, which leads me to believe that I was left out of something as a child.

And perhaps the most enjoyable part of the feature, at least for me, was the 10th and final song the cast performed. “Ay-yah (Hippy Hop Bump)” has Boomer Lowrie singing and playing guitar along with a beat-box accompaniment provided by Tanner Risner. The song was incredibly catchy, and the sound was infectious.

After now witnessing numerous productions from the Theatre at Southeastern, I am beginning to wonder if there is anything that the versatile and very talented Lowrie cannot do. The boy has some dance moves that are seriously smooth and innovative (at least for what I have witnessed thus far on campus).

In fact, the movement involved in the production overall was good. Coker’s choreography maintained audience attention with visual appeal.

The theater was inhabited by scores of young children with their eyes glued to the stage, held rapt by the action they were seeing from all corners.

Curry’s rendition of “Electricity” was also a must-see. If there was to be another performance of the play, I would probably go again just to get the chance to see his insane gyrations while he jammed out alone on the stage.

Occasionally the actors lined the aisles, inviting the people to join in the antics.

Children around the theater stared in fascination at the performers, reminding me of fans who are faced with a celebrity and can only stand there staring in awe and wonder.

The musical offered something for both children and parents in attendance. Parents were touched by a moment of nostalgia, possibly for the innocence and care-free times of childhood they miss so much, and children were delighted by the music, fun and fanfare of learning.

To me there is nothing cuter than watching a little ones giggling uncontrollably while chasing a seemingly endless supply of bubbles and balloons, which is how the play concluded.

The cast included Kevin Anastasio, Jessica Black, Victoria Cook, Brianne Cothran, Curry, Taylor Donaldson, Sheridan Hill, Domanick Hubbard, Lowrie, Noel McDaniel, Kylie Page, Rowdy Peacock, Trent Pratt, Aaron Rains, Risner, Minda Rocha, Ashleigh Self and Rebecca Sparks.

April Humorscope

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

An opinion by Steven Dixon

Advertising director

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

Excellent day to refer to everyone as “Doctor.” This will make them grin, and they’ll forget all about that favor they were going to ask of you.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

Good day to let your imagination soar. Tomorrow: imagining you’re sore.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

Today you will finally get to push the big red button! The main question now is…what are you going to do with the rest of your life?

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

You will try to alleviate the boredom you feel by making something creative with soda top tabs. Fortunately, it will work, but you’ll need a lot of patience.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

That bad smell in the trunk of your car will get stronger. Quit ignoring it and go investigate.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

While cracking your knuckles tomorrow, you will be a bit startled to hear a “ping” sound rather than a “pop.” That’s a bad habit, anyway.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Something will come over you this month and move you to make a dramatic change in your environment. Beware of Crane Flies and used couches though.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)

Bad day to call someone a “poser.” Tomorrow’s better, for that one.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)

You will need a significant amount of courage today. And for heaven’s sake, don’t forget the twine and duct tape, like you did last time.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 20)

While poring over some old historical documents you found in the attic, you will discover that the Norman Invasion was actually supposed to be the Hubert Invasion, but Norman stole the credit for it after he murdered Hubert. Too late to change it now.

Aquarius (January 21 – February 18)

It’s about time you became better acquainted with mustard. Get yourself four different kinds of mustard, and try them with oven baked home fried potatoes, or in sandwiches with pumpernickel bread, fresh vegetables and some excellent Gouda cheese.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

You’ll need to sign some important papers soon. Look for any mentions of “The Traveling Gnome” or “Basketcase.”

Students chose top 4 issues in upcoming election

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

An opinion by Sarah Tarver

News editor

The Republican primaries are almost half over, as far as delegates go, and with Santorum dropping out of the race there are only three candidates who are still in the running.

According to The Washington Post’s Republican Primary Tracker, Mitt Romney is leading with 684 delegates so far, which means he only needs 460 more delegates in order to get on the ballot.

Rick Santorum had 270 delegates before dropping out of the race, and those will not be reallocated.

Newt Gingrich is in third at this time with 136 so far, so he would need to 1,010 of the remaining votes.

The final candidate holding on is Ron Paul, who has 52 votes currently and would need to sweep 1,092 of the remaining 1,143 delegates.

Most everyone has assumed that Romney has already won the ticket, but I like to hold out hope that Paul can pull ahead in an amazing show and take it from him.

For the purposes of this column I will just look at Romney and Obama, as it is most likely, however much I do not like it, going to be the two of them on the ballot.

The economy is a bit of a touchy subject at the moment, but it is also one of the most important issues in this election.

Romney has an economic plan that “seeks to reduce taxes, spending, regulation, and government programs. It seeks to increase trade, energy production, human capital, and labor flexibility,” according to his campaign website, http://www.mittromney.com.

Obama has already instituted his economic plan which has, according to his website, http://www.barackobama.com, “added back more than 4.1 million private sector jobs and seen 25 straight months of job growth”

According to the Department of Education, Obama is also working to institute changes to No Child Left Behind in order to strengthen the education system. At this time those changes have not been set. Of course, we will have to wait and see whether those changes help or hurt the education system, although it would be really difficult to make it any worse than before.

Meanwhile, according to Romney’s site his plan for education reform is to take “the best ideas from states that are succeeding and replicating them across the country.”

The site also says, “Mitt Romney believes that the long-term strategy for getting America’s economy back on track is ensuring a world class education for American students.”

Romney’s home state of Massachusetts is ranked number one in education, but once again, there is no telling whether or not the ideas can be broadened to the Nation.

Obamacare has been under fire ever since it was passed and was recently taken to the Supreme Court.

The Court has made its decision, but we won’t see it for another couple of months.

Meanwhile Romney’s take on healthcare is to reverse what Obamacare did. His site says “On his first day in office, Mitt Romney will issue an executive order that paves the way for the federal government to issue Obamacare waivers to all fifty states,” said Romney’s site.

“He will then work with Congress to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible.”

Of course, depending on the Supreme Courts decision, Obamacare might be over anyway.

The final topic for today is the national budget. Neither candidate specifically talks about the budget, but the budget has been set for 2013, and the information on it can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget.

One thing that is specified is that “The President’s 2013 Budget is built around the idea that our country does best when everyone gets a fair shot, does their fair share, and plays by the same rules.”

We will see if this is the case when the time comes.

Campus communication, or lack thereof, a problem

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

An opinion

Communication is defined by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary as “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.”

There has been a distinct lack of information exchange around campus, which has been noticed by students and faculty alike.

Recently Springfest happened. However, when events were occurring, where they were occurring was often unknown until right before the event actually happened. Of course some of this was because of weather, and much of that could not be helped.

Other times it could have been fixed. For example, zombie quidditch was originally scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, but with bad weather preventing other activities on Monday, the entire zombie quidditch tournament was completed on that day. This would not have been a problem except that it was not taken off the event board for Tuesday. So anyone who missed Monday and wanted to watch the finals on Tuesday would think they were still happening.

Another is example is the laundry room for the Towers and North Hall was closed for a couple of weeks and no one knew why it was closed or if or when it would reopen. It turns out that the custodian in charge of the laundry room retired, and it took a while to find someone else to cover it. It has since been reopened and is up and running again.

Thursday, April 12, Southeastern played host to a training exercise for law enforcement officers. However, the most that was heard about it was a warning to those living in the dorms that they might hear gunfire and that it would be OK. Those who do not live on campus were unaware, and since the training was in Hallie McKinney, which is also where Business Services and Health Services are located, so it is very possible that someone living off campus might need to go into that building.

Additionally the week of April 9 was Library Week, and there were events going on all week, including a poetry reading and movie screening. Despite email announcements, most people on campus were unaware of these events unless they were involved in or knew someone involved in one of the activities.

The newest organization on campus for the faculty, the American Association of University Professors, is also concerned about the lack of communication on campus.

Although most students at one point in their college career may think their professors are plotting to make their lives miserable, the truth is that the issue on this campus is that there is actually very little inter-departmental communication.

So it isn’t just the students missing out. The departments are missing out on opportunities to work together, and as much as we as students cringe at the thought of our professors actually getting together and plotting against us, it would only help us in the end.

Let’s face it; once we decide on a major, we live in that department. We might venture to a different department if we have a different minor, but for the most part, we exist in that one department.

This is not always a bad thing. We specialize, and that specialization takes up a lot of time, and it should. But with the information exchange the way it is on campus, we lose out on opportunities that may pertain to us only slightly but that might be fun, or something to add to a resume.

Information exchange is the foundation for everything. Any project, any research, any event needs information and whether that information is being gathered or released, there has to be some way to transfer that information, some way to communicate between those involved.

Communication is exceedingly important in any institution, not only between departments, but also to the student body. Without communication no one knows what is going on, where something is happening, or why something is happening.

Things cannot change without communication. How can improvements be made, or issues be fixed if those who have the idea or know about the problems do not tell those who actually have the ability to make the changes?

Student Publications wins numerous awards at contest

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

From Staff reports

The Southeastern student news publication of Southeastern Oklahoma State University earned 21 individual student awards and three overall newspaper awards in the Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association competition.

The students received the recognition in achievements for the year of 2011 during the OCMA conference and awards banquet held Friday, March 30 on the campus of Oklahoma State University.

Students attended a choice of two sessions during the conference, in addition to the awards banquet. Topics included: tips for writing, editing and operating a magazine, strategies for obtaining public records at your school and covering college athletics, among others.

Just before the awards luncheon, all participants attended the 25th annual Paul Miller Lecture. This year’s guest speaker was William D. Snyder, a Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist.

“The photos he took were really breath-taking, inspiring and encouraging for me as an aspiring photojournalist,” said yeardisc editor Laura Tomah, a senior journalism major.

The Southeastern was awarded first place honors in Front Page Design and Interior Page Design, as well as receiving second place in the division for Overall Newspaper.

“I am so proud of the staff’s performance in this contest,” said Jeni Maple, Southeastern instructor and newspaper adviser. “The number and variety of awards are testament to the diverse talents of this group of student journalists.”

Managing editor Lornna Bates, a senior in the occupational safety and health program, received six individual awards, paving the way for the newspaper staff.

Bates was awarded second place for General News Reporting, Editorial Writing and Column Writing. She also received third place for Reporting Portfolio and honorable mention placements in the Editorial Writing and Feature Writing categories.

Following closely behind, contributing writer Brandi Bunch, former managing editor and senior English major, was awarded first place in Advertising Display. She also received third place in Reviews and Editorial Writing, as well as honorable mention in Column Writing.

Alisha Loyd-Norton, former yeardisc editor and spring 2011 graduate of journalism, placed first in Feature Photography. Loyd-Norton also received third place for Photography Portfolio and honorable mention in News Photography.

Loyd-Norton is currently employed as a photographer at Flora Photography in Shawnee.

Samantha Perera, former news editor and fall 2011 graduate of the journalism program, received second place accolades in News Photography and Reporting Portfolio.

Perera is now employed with The Lindsay Letter in Texas as a design and project assistant.

Staff writer Jerreck McWilliams, senior journalism major, won first place in Column Writing; contributing writer and former staff writer Nick Growall, senior broadcasting major, won first place in Reviews.

In addition, staff writer Dani Norton placed second in Reviews. Norton is a senior English student. Staff writer Chrissy Dill, senior communication major, placed third in General News Reporting.

Kendra Germany, staff writer and senior journalism major, received honorable mention in Reviews. And completing the awards for individuals, Steven Dixon, advertising director and senior broadcasting major, received honorable mention in Advertising Display.

“These awards truly are indicative of the staff’s dedication and hard work over the past year, and I am so happy to see them recognized for that hard work,” said Maple.

Bates agreed, “The staff has been striving to create a quality product with educational and entertaining content. As students, we are constantly learning from each experience, and to be recognized for our efforts in such a magnificent fashion is overwhelming.”

Five students have also been invited to attend the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists awards banquet held at the Jim Thorpe Museum in Oklahoma City on Saturday, April 21.

Bates, Bunch, Loyd-Norton, Norton and contributing photographer Kacy Hammock, graphic design and visual media major, received letters of invitation indicating that each will receive an award to be announced during the SPJ awards ceremony.

Jazzfest held Saturday

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

by Kendra Germany

Staff writer

The Southeastern Jazz Ensemble hosted Jazzfest 2012 on April 21 from 1-9 p.m. at Sports City Café.

The SE music department’s website, http://homepages.se.edu/music, said that Jazzfest featured the SE Jazz Ensemble and several other local jazz groups.

Cat5, Durant High School Jazz Ensembles I and II, McAlester High School Jazz Band and Dickson High School Jazz Band performed at the annual music event.

According to SE Jazz Band Director Dr. Brian Walker, there were a few changes to Jazzfest this year. “ The most immediate change was moving the event from Montgomery Auditorium to Sports City and adding in the high school jazz groups,” said Walker.

Walker said that he asked area high school jazz bands from strong band programs to perform during this year’s Jazzfest. “We had an overwhelming response,” said Walker.

This was the first year that Jazzfest was held at Sports City Café.

“When Carlotta’s at Lake Texoma was still in business the event happened there every year,” said Walker. “Now that Sports City is a more of a fixture in Durant social life, it seemed like a good choice.”

According to Walker, Sports City was chosen as the venue for this year’s Jazzfest because of the atmosphere, outdoor stage and relaxing setting.

There was no admission charge for the event and all were invited to attend.

Child fit, fun day at SE

Posted on April 23, 2012 by lbates

by Brittani Young

Staff writer

Children in daycare and Head Start get to have a day of fun at Southeastern. On Friday, April 20, Child Care Resource and Referral Center is hosting Young Children’s Fit and Fun Day.

Coordinator Stephanie Makke said this is an event focusing on 3- and 4-year-olds in daycare and Head Start.

For the third year, the event will be held in the Bloomer Sullivan Arena.

The children get to enjoy a day of playing games and refreshments.

Activities for the children include such games as and an egg and spoon race, a target toss, tunnel crawl, a fruit and veggie toss, a hopscotch/balance domes course, a noodle course and an activity where children mimic motions.

Makke is asking for volunteers to help with event.

“Due to the time of the event it is sometimes difficult to get enough volunteers for each station. So we ask that teachers be prepared to possibly participate in some of the activities and assist the children,” said Makke.

Even though Smart Start Durant and The Choctaw Nation Child Care Assistance sponsor the event, there is still a shortage of helpers.

For the past few years the attendance has been decreasing according to Makke.

In previous years there have been up to 700 children enjoying the day. This year there are only 400 children coming to Southeastern to play.

The last day for daycares to enter to attend was on April 6.

The event is broken into two sessions since the arena is not big enough for all the children from all over the 11 participating counties.

The first session is from 9-10 a.m. and the second is from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

To volunteer, please contact Stephanie Makke at smakke@se.edu or at 745-3176.