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.

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.

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.

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.

From Staff reports

Three Southeastern students and one faculty sponsor represented the Oklahoma Theta chapter at the super-regional convention of Alpha Chi National Honor Society, March 22-24 in Baltimore, Md.

One of the students, Ashlee Hale, a psychology major from Denison, Texas, presented a paper at the convention entitled “Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder in Adults.”

Also attending the convention were: Bryanna Bradshaw, a criminal justice major from Pottsboro, Texas, who served as the chapter’s voting student delegate to the convention; Cody Chapman, a psychology major from Garvin; and Dr. Brett Elliott, the chapter’s voting faculty delegate.

The convention, attended by about 404 delegates representing 84 chapters, featured scholarly, creative and artistic presentations by more than 200 students and a national literacy service project of providing books to a local elementary school.

Alpha Chi has some 300 chapters in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Members are in the top 10 percent of juniors, seniors, and graduate students in all academic fields.

by David Reagan

Staff writer

Police from all over Oklahoma are volunteering to participate in SWAT-style law enforcement training exercises this year in a program called ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training).

The most recent multi-agency session took place Thursday with Tishomingo Police, McClain County, Choctaw Travel Police and Madill Police department. The SE campus police were included in March’s first training session, during SE students’ spring break.

The live-shooter training took place on the second and third floors of the old Hallie McKinney Dorms. The scenario involved dividing the students into two teams, with red bullets signifying “bad guys” and blue bullets signifying “good guys.”

Simulation ammunition rounds, similar to rubber bullets with chalk tips, were discharged when a team swept a room and encountered an enemy.

McClain County Officer Brandon McDonald, a student who participated Thursday, called the bullets “a mix between airsoft and paintball.”

by Jerreck McWilliams

Staff writer

Springfest XXVIII wrapped up this year with the student team Happy Hour taking first place overall.

An annual week of games for students, this year’s Springfest saw participation from eight student teams comprised of six to 10 players.

“I feel like it went really well,” said Demi Wilkerson, this year’s Springfest co-chair for Student Senate. “The overall cooperation went well, and it seemed like everyone enjoyed the events.”

According to Allison Roberts, Springfest committee member, the weather created a few complications.

“We were unable to play kickball on Monday due to the high winds, so zombie quidditch was played in its enirety on Monday,” said Roberts.

Wilkerson said this year, the Student Senate’s Springfest committee was “quite adamant” about playing a new game called zombie quidditch.

“It was quite difficult and taxing,” said Wilkerson.

However, it was also one of the events that she said went well, along with the obstacle course and the perennial attraction that has been happening since the first Springfest, mud volleyball.

Happy Hour, the team which scored the highest overall, also placed first in mud volleyball and several other events, including zombie quidditch and the obstacle course.

However, Just Do It took home the sweepstakes trophy, which is awarded to the team with the highest percentage of their members present at each event.

Wilkerson wanted to thank the Physical Plant, Jack Ousey, Liz Howard and Nick Osbourne for their contributions to Springfest this year.

She also had some advice for next year’s Springfest chairs: “Be OK with things not going 100 percent the way you planned. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s a 90 percent chance that what you need is somewhere on campus and someone knows how to do it. No matter how much you plan, last minute changes like weather or something can always mess up.”

From Staff reports

Oklahoma Student Government Association’s 31st Congress, held March 30-31, proved to be an overall positive experience for many of Southeastern’s student senators.

One freshman student, Senator Kevin Anastasio said, “Spring Congress was a much more enjoyable experience than I originally expected.”

A statewide organization comprised of Oklahoma higher education schools approved by the Board of Regents, OSGA is intended to serve Oklahoma by acting as a unified voice of its students in state politics.

Each semester, a congress is held at which delegates from these schools can bring forth legislation to be heard and voted on by the organization.

Anastasio added, “Being able to participate in a fully functional meeting at state level that can have a strong effect on college campuses across the state is an experience that not many can say they have had or will have.”

Twelve of Southeastern’s student senators attended this meeting as representatives: Anastasio, Joseph Badan, Cody Chapman, Brandon Connors, Preston Cosper, Stephen Hightower, Jerreck McWilliams, Allison Roberts, Garrett Shoemake, Matthew Sitton, Blake Tomlinson and Sadie Woodruff.

Badan, Connors and Roberts were the three voting delegates from Southeastern.

The first and second sessions of Congress were held on Saturday while Friday was reserved for registration, welcome and committee meetings held on Oklahoma City University’s campus.

The main course of the scheduled events took place on Saturday when several pieces of legislation were brought before the body of student representatives.

The group voted on three bills before voting on three resolutions. Elections for positions within OSGA were then held.

Resolutions make no changes to current legislation and do not dictate funding. Most often, they state official opinions or begin a course of action.

Bills, unlike resolutions, deal directly with amending the organization’s constitution or bylaws and often with allocating money for specific purposes.

The first resolution, authored by Southeastern Senator Angelo Ndilou, who was unable to attend, and McWilliams, who presented it, addressed a need for incentives and funding opportunities for international students studying at Oklahoma schools.

This legislation prompted some of what Sitton described as “passionate, but incredibly respectful” as well as “some of the best debate that I have ever heard in that organization.”

The side opposing the resolution argued that there are not enough workers in Oklahoma, so the state should not fund students who do not intend to stay here.

It was also mentioned that many Oklahomans would not want their tax dollars or in-state scholarship funding to be tapped into for this purpose.

The supporters of the resolution countered that the request is not for state lawmakers to give handouts to international students but for them to simply consider the issue and think of ideas for funding and incentives.

It was added that it is among Oklahoma’s goals to become a leader in national and international politics and that this resolution could serve as the starting point.

After the debate, the resolution passed.

Cosper expressed his hopes for the future of that issue: “Hopefully we will start seeing some additional funds to those students who have traveled so far to attend classes at one of our Oklahoma universities.”

“That resolution is going to help international students across the state, and I am so glad people are recognizing the importance of having international students in the state of Oklahoma,” shared resolution author Ndilou, an international student from Gabon.

The second resolution heard was authored and presented by Shoemake, who described his experience as “brutal” and said that he “got torn apart for authoring controversial legislation.”

This was “A Resolution Concerning the Allowance of Concealed Carry on College Campuses” and resolved to support legislation allowing concealed carry by students, faculty and staff on college campuses.

Intense debate was again sparked within Congress.

Among the arguments presented in favor of the resolution was the point that police are a reactionary force, whereas if students and faculty were allowed concealed carry rights, they could serve as a preventative force by eliminating threats before police could arrive.

Those against the legislation argued that regardless of the amount of training people undergo to receive concealed carry permits, it is unlikely that most would be prepared to respond in a real crisis.

The opposition also argued that allowing concealed carry on college campuses could create confusion among police and defensive students or faculty who respond to threats and that this confusion could lead to unnecessary injury or death.

When it came to a vote, the resolution failed.

Badan presented the third resolution—a piece of legislation in direct opposition to Shoemake’s.

The text of the resolution reads that the OSGA “encourages the state legislature to continue to support the prohibition of guns on higher education campuses.” Essentially, this resolution proposed that the official opinion of OSGA be opposed to guns on campus.

Badan said that the atmosphere being more relaxed than anticipated made the process of presenting his first legislation easier. When voted on, the third resolution passed, and Shoemake said, “I was very proud of (Badan).”

The elections for positions within OSGA and the Student Advisory Board resulted in several of our school’s Senators being elected to various positions.

Connors was elected Southeast regional director, Badan was elected OSGA research director, Woodruff was elected OSGA secretary and Sitton was elected to the Student Advisory Board.

by Kendra Germany

Staff writer

The SE True Blue Ambassadors Program applications are due April 20 to fill the spots of graduating ambassadors.

According to Recruitment Coordinator Elizabeth Stidham, “Anyone who loves Southeastern and would want to represent SE at events is encouraged to apply.”

According to Stidham, there are currently 22 True Blue Ambassadors in the program.

“We have several current ambassadors graduating, so we want to keep our numbers strong,” said Stidham.

According to Stidham, there are two ways to become a True Blue Ambassador. SE students can be nominated by a faculty member or can fill out the general application.

“I ask for faculty to submit nominations of outstanding students,” said Stidham. “I contact those students and specifically give them an application. These students still have to go through the selection process, but they don’t have to get a faculty reference letter.”

Students who are not nominated by faculty can also apply.

“Any student can apply simply by picking up an application at Student Life, University Recruitment  or downloading it online,” said Stidham

Applications are due on April 20 and are to be turned in at the recruitment office located in the Administration Building.

“The only requirements are that a student love Southeastern and want to talk about it,” said Stidham.

According to Stidham, students cannot apply until they have completed their freshman year ,and ambassadors must serve at least two semesters.

“We do not take graduating seniors unless they are staying for graduate school,” said Stidham.

After applying students must take part in the selection process.

“Once students apply, we have a selection mixer,” said Stidham. “ It’s a time for me to outline my expectations and help answer questions about the program.”

According to Stidham the mixer is also a time to observe the applicants.

“It also gives us a better idea of how students interact, especially in an awkward situation,” said Stidham. “Sometimes, the ambassadors get put in situations when they have to talk to distinguished alumni or entertain a prospective student or parent. It is important that they can handle those situations.”

According to Stidham, after the mixer students must attend a formal interview.

“A panel of current ambassadors and then a representative from the Office of the President, Alumni Association, Special Events and Recruitment interview the students,” said Stidham. “We look for students who show school spirit, knowledge of Southeastern, professionalism, communication skills, commitment to the ambassador program and the quality of their application.”

Stidham said that this spring, they would like to select around eight new ambassadors to join the existing team.

According to Stidham, True Blue Ambassadors have many responsibilities.

Ambassadors assist in SE Live, campus tours, Blue and Gold Gala, off-campus recruitment and Transfer Day.

“SE Live is our largest on-campus recruitment event,” said Stidham. “We had 248 students attend.”

According to Stidham, ambassadors gave tours, presented workshops and led the opening session of SE Live.

Campus tours are another large part of the ambassador program’s duties.

“We have an average of eight tours a week,” said Stidham.

According to Stidham, new ambassadors selected this spring will not begin their duties until the fall 2012 semester.

For more information on True Blue contact the Recruitment Office @ 745-2060 or email recruitment@se.edu.

by Dani Norton

Staff writer

Students Lyndsey Lamar and Marie Halbrooks have co-founded the Gay-Straight Alliance, an organization that welcomes individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, a place to socialize and to feel accepted.

The GSA held their first meeting on March 16 where co-chairs Halbrooks and Lamar shared their vision of the organization’s purpose and future with those in attendance, summarized in the penning of an official mission statement.

The purpose of SE’s GSA will be to “provide a safe and respectful environment for all students and faculty, regardless of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) status. By creating a strong social support network and advocating for issues concerning the LGBTQ community, we hope to create understanding and awareness everywhere we go,” the statement read.

For co-founder Lamar, this mission statement is one of personal struggle and high hopes.

“I really wanted to give people a place where they could be themselves and feel accepted regardless of their sexual orientation. I know we’ve all felt like we’re alone at some point in this big world, and if I can make at least one person feel like he or she is a part of something and make a difference in his or her life, it’ll make this entire experience worthwhile,” she said.

During the first meeting, GSA made several key decisions about how the organization would operate.

The members unanimously decided to start the process of becoming an official SE organization, which would allow them to receive funding in addition to qualifying them to be recognized on the national level as part of the Gay Straight Alliance Network.

The GSA Network is a youth leadership organization that helps schools connect with each other through their own GSA groups. According to the GSA Network website, the organization provides a framework of community and support to those schools interested in starting a chapter.

Part of that process includes finding a faculty adviser. Art, Communication and Theatre Chair Dell McLain attended that same meeting and confirmed that he would serve as adviser. He also indicated that several other faculty members had expressed interest in supporting the organization.

The GSA also decided that their membership would be open to faculty and staff as well as individuals from the surrounding area who aren’t associated with the university, especially high school students.

Halbrooks pointed to the growing number of teen suicides as a result of bullying. She said she hopes that providing area teenagers with a safe, supportive environment like the GSA will help to alleviate some of the feelings of alienation and fear young gay people can feel.

Shortly after the March 16 meeting, the co-founders and a handful of members took a trip to OSU to attend the First Annual Oklahoma LGBT College Summit on March 31.

Co-sponsored by The Equality Network Institute and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, the summit provided information about effective media messaging, ways to advocate for LGBT issues and also how to start and sustain a GSA.

Lamar said that SE’s GSA had the opportunity to speak with Laura Belmonte, co-founder of TEN Institute and Penny J. Reynolds from Allied Oklahoma, among others.

According to their website, TEN Institute is Oklahoma’s “advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political and legal rights.”

Belmonte spoke with the group about presenting an advocacy seminar at SE. She and her staff would come to campus and give an hour long presentation about how students can get involved in LGBTQ political issues.

Reynolds founded Rose State College’s first GSA in 2010, and Lamar said she told the students she was glad they were bringing a GSA to the Durant area and encouraged them to continue to work hard.

Additionally, Lamar said she and other members were able to meet with ECU’s GSA. The two groups plan on collaborating for future events.