November 6, 2015Vol. 94 Issue 3 EASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE COLLEGE EST. 1908Eastern StatesmanEastern Statesman

Views & Reviews Pgs. 4-5

“ The human soul is hungry for beauty; we

seek it everywhere - in landscape, music, art,

clothes, furniture, gardening, companion-ship, love, religion, and

in ourselves. No one would desire not to

be beautiful. When we experience the beauti-ful, there is a sense of

homecoming.”- John O’Donohue

In this Issue

News, Pg. 3

Homecoming, Pg. 8

Campus prepares for Homecoming celebrationWYATT STANFORDAssistant Editor

Footloose, an obstacle course, and scooter races. What do they all have in common? They will be a part of events during this year’s Homecom-ing celebration this year along with several other fun activities for stu-dents, staff, faculty, and alumni alike.

“We’re excited,” said Eastern’s di-rector of Institutional Advancement, Treva Kennedy. “We did research into what other colleges do. What brings in people? Our goal is to show that we are proud to be Mountaineers and to get our alumni to come back.”

Homecoming will be Nov. 9-15 and this year’s theme is “Snapshot in Time.” The first activity of the week will be the Color the Campus Blue event, where the whole campus will be decorated with blue. Later that evening, there will be a chili cook-off and karaoke in the Goddard building at 6:30 p.m. and a Foot-loose-themed barn dance following. SEE HOMECOMING PAGE 2

Alumni honored at annual Homecoming dinnerEastern Okla-

homa State Col-lege’s Homecom-ing Awards Dinner is set for Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. The annual event honors alumni, a former faculty member and those that have impacted the college’s history.

Bill White of Oklahoma City will be inducted as the 32nd member of the EOSC Alumni Association Hall of Fame. This award is presented annually to an Eastern alumnus who through extraordi-nary achievement and service at the lo-cal, state, or national levels has brought honor and distinction to both themselves and the institution.

White has spent the majority of his career in emergency management. He served in a variety of capacities for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission as a public utility complaint investiga-

tor, manager of technical services and agency liaison to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Man-agement, reporting major utility out-ages due to natu-ral or man-made disasters in Okla-homa. He retired in 2011 after 31 years with the Commission. Later, he worked for 17 months as the deputy public as-sistance coordinator following the May 2013 tornadoes that affected six Okla-homa counties. Following the tornado disaster, he became the state coordinator for Safe Schools 101 and implemented a safety program for existing school build-ings to protect students and staff from fu-ture tornadoes and other types of severe weather. He also served in the personnel, training and retention areas for the Okla-homa National Guard from 1980-2005. He received two national military awards for his service as part of the disaster team

We’re excited. We did research into what other colleges do. What brings in people? Our goal is to show that we are proud to be Mountaineers and to get our alumni to come back.

Treva KennedyInstitutional Advancement Director

“

”On Nov. 10 the Mountain-

eer Challenge will take place at 5:30 p.m. The challenge, similar to the “American Ninja Warrior” TV series, will feature an obstacle

course created by Eastern Chief of Police Bryan Denny. The event is open to students, faculty and staff.

On Nov. 11, students will be welcomed to participate in “Chalk

It Up” in the amphitheater area. Later that day, there will be a movie.

Next on Nov. 12, show your “Snapshot in Time” by decorat-ing windows at the Student Cen-ter. Later that evening, the famous Mr. Eastern pageant will take place.

Blue and gold day, scooter

Wilburton Mayor and Outstanding Young Alumnus honoree Stephen Brinlee (front left) signs a proclamation declaring Nov. 9-14 as Eastern Homecoming Week. He is joined by Eastern President Dr. Stephen E. Smith and cheerleaders (back l to r) Byjou Vaughn of Morris; Shaquielle Carter of Gans; Eastern Mascot Shadoe Harshaw of Quinton; and Shantel Brennan of Quinton.

for the Murrah Building bombing in 1995 and secu-rity detail in the disaster area dur-ing the May 1999 tornado in Moore.

A 1966 Eastern graduate, White earned a bach-elor’s degree in sociology from Northeastern State Uni-versity and a master’s degree in natural and applied sciences from Oklahoma State University. He also served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award will be presented to Wilburton Mayor Stephen Brinlee. A lifelong resi-dent of Wilburton, Brinlee earned two associate degrees from Eastern, including a degree in music education in 2005 and criminal justice in 2010. He was elected mayor of Wilburton in 2007 at the age 22, making him the youngest mayor in the state of Oklahoma at that time. He is active in the community, serving as a

board member for Kiamichi Econom-ic Development District of Okla-homa (KEDDO), Oklahoma Confer-ence of Mayors, Kiamichi RC&D, Wilburton Cham-ber of Commerce, Eastern Alumni As-sociation, Wilburton High School Alumni Association and as a past chairman of the Latimer County Democratic Party.

Byron Bohanon of Tuskahoma will receive the Distinguished Former Faculty Award, which honors those who exhibit-ed exemplary service in teaching at East-ern. A 1959 Eastern graduate, Bohanon earned a bachelor’s’ degree in mathemat-ics and a master’s degree in education in from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Early in his career, Bohanon taught high school mathematics at Mari-etta, Tuskahoma and Clayton, where he

Brinlee Bohanon DunlapWhite

SEE ALUMNI PAGE 2

NewsPage 2 November 6, 2015

Fall textbook buyback schedule

Book Buyback dates and times for all campuses for Fall 2015:

IDABEL:December 9, 201511 until 3 p.m.

ANTLERS:December 9, 20155 p.m. until 7 p.m.

MCALESTER:December 10, 201510 until 8 p.m.

WILBURTON:(Always open on these days)Monday – Thursday 7:45 until 5December 7-10, 2015Friday 8 until 4December 11, 2015

The Best Mix of Top 40, pop, adult, contemporary, light classic rock and today’s cross-over country music.

The Morning Show with The Crazy TrainWeekdays 7 - 10 a.m.

The Afternoon Show with DougoWeekdays 2 - 6 p.m.,

Listen on your smart phone with the TuneIn Radio App

races along with a pep rally will hap-pen on the afternoon of Nov. 13.

The Homecoming Award Din-ner will take place at 6 p.m. This year, the honorees include Dis-tinguished Former Faculty, Byron Bohanon, Heritage award-winner E.T. Dunlap, Outstanding Young Alumnus Stephen Brinlee, and Hall of Fame inductee William White.

The Homecoming Parade in downtown Wilburton will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 14.

Following the parade at noon, will be the Mountaineer Cookout.

Parents, students, and alumni can have dessert with President Dr. Ste-phen Smith from 1 until 2 p.m. This a part of an effort “to get parents acquainted with Eastern,” according to Kennedy. The basketball games are set to tip-off at 2:30 p.m. The Homecoming king and queen will be crowned between the games.

Two activities that will take place the entire week are “Mountaineer My Ride,” in which students, faculty, and staff can decorate their vehicles to see who can display the most school spirit, and “Paint the Town Blue” in which local business can display their Mountaineer pride. Help is available to participating businesses

HOMECOMINGCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

also served as high school principal for three years. He began teaching math-ematics at Eastern in 1969. During his 21 years at Eastern, he also taught computer science programming and served four years as both the chair of the Mathemat-ics Department and chair of the Faculty Council. Upon his retirement in 1990, Bohanon became a full-time rancher. He remains active in his community, serv-

ALUMNICONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ing on a number of boards including the Latimer County Excise Board and the County Equalization Board. He is also active in the Latimer County Cattleman’s Association, the Oklahoma Cattleman’s Association and the National Cattleman’s Association.

The Heritage Award will be present-ed to the family of the late E.T. Dunlap. The Heritage Award recognizes an indi-vidual, group or organization that played a significant role in shaping and molding the history of Eastern. Dunlap’s impact on education spanned local, state and

federal levels throughout his life. A native of Red Oak, Dunlap attended what was then Eastern Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical College and began teaching in 1936. After serving as superintendent of Latimer County Schools and Red Oak, Dunlap was elected and served three terms in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives. Following the death of his cousin, Claud C. Dunlap, E.T. was named president of Eastern in Decem-ber of 1951 at the age of 36. During his 10-year tenure at Eastern, the institution experienced prosperity as enrollment tri-

The Lady Mountaineer softball team poses with the spirit stick after winning the award last year. File photo

pled and the campus grew and was mod-ernized. He left Eastern in 1961 when the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education appointed him chancellor of higher education, where he remained until his retirement in 1981. Prior to his death in 1997, Dunlap was inducted in the Eastern Alumni Association Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the event are $30 each and can be purchased by calling the Of-fice of Institutional Advancement at 918-465-1759.

Mary Barnard, Wainwright - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Jake Briggs, Wetumka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Britton Putnam, Wetumka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Stetson Wilkerson, Wetumka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Taylor Cox, Wilburton - Sapphire Ball Annual Scholarship Amber Deela, Wilburton - Mary Lea Gillespie Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipLola Hamilton, Wilburton - Willie Ho-gan Endowed Scholarship Ricky Jiles, Wilburton - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship

SCHOLARSHIPSCONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Maria Kelley, Wilburton - John and Clara Gaustad Annual Scholarship Christina Medcalf, Wilburton - Edgar and Jessie Wood Endowed Scholarship Kristin Mitchell, Wilburton - Franklin Electric Corporation; Endowed Scholar-ship Academic ScholarshipGarrett Negen, Wilburton - Frank and Grace Cirar, Jr. Endowed Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipZane Nowlin, Wilburton - Dr. Loyd E. Church Endowed Scholarship; Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Sarenity Reynolds, Wilburton - Franklin Electric Corporation Endowed Scholar-ship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipSelene Roberts, Wilburton - Joe and Brenda Coy Endowed Scholarship Ashley Rosa, Wilburton - John and Clara Gaustad Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity Scholarship

Sabrina Stanford, Wilburton - John and Clara Gaustad Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipCourtney Wall, Wilburton - BP America Annual Scholarship Anthony Whisenhunt, Wilburton - Rich-ard C. and Barbara Hartigan Endowed Scholarship Haylee Elliott, Wright City - John Hendrix Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipJared Engler, Wright City - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportu-nity ScholarshipTrevor Kirkes, Wright City - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship ArkansasMichael Cory Brown, Fouke - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Jesse Claybrook, Lincoln - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship

Bethany Farmer, Beebe - Johnnie Wray Endowed Scholarship, Otha Grimes An-nual Scholarship MissouriPaul Shanks, Belle - Otha Grimes An-nual Scholarship Jordan Volkmann, Bourbon - Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipTexasMorgan Ames, North Forney - Eastern Opportunity Scholarship Tanner Burris, Wichita Falls - “21” Scholarship Annual Scholarship Morgan Foster , The Colony - Wilbur and LaVerne Smith Endowed Scholar-ship, Eastern Opportunity Scholarship Krystal Holbrook, Ft. Worth - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Madison Reich, New Boston - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship, Eastern Opportunity Scholarship

Student Support Services has a couple of remaining college tours scheduled for the semester. You must be a member of SSS, passing all of your classes, and you can only tour TWO colleges a semester.

If you are interested in any of the visits please contact Kinya Mei-neke or sign up in Johnston Hall.

Northeastern State University-Nov. 5 - leaving at 9 a.m. and re-turning around 5-5:30 p.m.

OU-Nov. 19 - leaving at 8:30 and returning around 7 -8 p.m.

The times are subject to change and SSS must have at least two members attend the tour. If you have any questions contact Meineke at (918) 465-1822.

Remaining college tours for SSS

NewsNovember 6, 2015 Page 3

Published monthly from August through May by stu-dents of Eastern Oklahoma State College, Wilburton, OK. Opinions expressed in the “Statesman” are not necessar-ily those of the Eastern stu-dent body, faculty or admin-istration. Opinions expressed in articles, columns or letters are those of the individual writers.

Members of the Oklahoma Collegiate Press Association, Community College Jour-nalism Association, Student Press Law Center and Okla-homa Interscholastic Press Association.

Letters to the editor are not only welcomed, but en-couraged. All letters must be able to be verified with the author’s phone number, ad-dress, and e-mail address. The editor reserves the right to edit to fit space limitations and to comply with libel laws and good taste.

The publication is issued by EOSC and is printed at a cost of about $50 per page. Telephone is (918) 465-1714. E-mail: statesman@eosc.edu.

Eastern Statesman Staff

Chelsie PeckioEditor

Wyatt Stanford Assistant Editor

Guy Folger, Senior Staff WriterRobert Bedford, Staff Writer

Taylor Cox, Staff WriterDerek Hatridge, Staff Writer

Kristen Turner, Adviser

CHELSIE PECKIOEditor

EOSC in collaboration with Phi Theta Kappa planned a week full of events in correlation with the Community College Completion Corps, or C4. The initiative came after shocking statistics were re-leased stating that only 38 percent of the 65 percent who plan to return to college after dropping out actually do. This could have drastic effects on our communities and our colleges.

To encourage students to complete community college, C4 provides oppor-tunities to allow students to commit to completing their education by signing a pledge. It also gives students access to websites like CollegeFish, which al-

lows students a resource for information about colleges they would like to attend and scholarships available.

Faculty were not left out as they were allowed to sign a similar pledge dedicat-ing themselves to helping their students complete their education. Students could access the pledge in the cafeteria Oct. 20-26, but even if you missed this week, you can still sign up at http://www.cccomple-tioncorps.org/.

The week had several successful events including a kick-off dance, job fair, and college fair. Phi Theta Kappa signed up 74 students and nineteen faculty and staff through the week. For more infor-mation about C4 or Phi Theta Kappa contact Brenda Kennedy at bkennedy@eosc.edu.

DEREK HATRIDGEStaff Writer

As the weather cools, students bring out their sweaters and scarfs. But Moth-er Nature brings out the flu.

Winter is coming, which means the cold and flu season is along for the ride. Students at Eastern battle sickness day in and day out, especially since col-leges are a prime breeding ground for germs.

But now, thanks to a coalition with EOSC and the Wilburton Health and Wellness Center, located at 802 Highway

2 North, Mountaineers will have a new plan of attack in the ongoing war for health.

“Students can have quick access there for doctor appointments,” said Dean of Students Greg Warren. “We’ve made arrangements that for uninsured students, they can get some free servic-es, at least for initial visits.”

Some things covered by Student Health Services include treatment for minor illness and injuries, referrals to health care providers or specialists, ba-sic physical exams, even lab tests and X-Rays/EKGs. Also, if medication is to

be prescribed, the Health and Wellness Center has agreements with Main Street Drug to help fulfill prescriptions.

Flu shots have already been pro-vided to students thanks to the Latimer County Health Department, but Warren said, should the need arise, the Health and Wellness Center would be able to set up any additional flu shot clinics. But he also advised students to take care of themselves to help stay healthy.

“Do the usual stuff. Wash your hands regularly, cover your mouth when you cough, sneeze and all those sort of things,” Warren said. “We’ve got

PTK hosts Community College Completion Corps

Members of the Eastern Expressions perform during one of Eastern’s C4 events. Statesman staff photo by Taylor Cox

Coalition offers students quick access to health carehand sanitizers and things like that placed all around campus to help with that.”

However, if students do get caught up with the flu bug, they can make ap-pointments at the Student Services Of-fice to take advantage of the partnership with the Health and Wellness Center. Any student interested in learning more about Student Health Services can pick up an informational pamphlet in the Student Services Office as well.

“If you’re not feeling well, come let us know,” Warren said. “We’ll get you taken care of.”

Soil judgers place at Region III competitionSuBMITTED REPORTS

Eastern’s soils judging team placed second at the Region III Soils Contest held October 10 in Columbus, Indi-ana. Team members included Kelsey Chambers, Tushka sophomore, Britton Putman, Wetumka sophomore, Ryan Reddick, Hartshorne sophomore, Dylan Pingleton, Hartshorne sophomore, and Stetson Wilkerson, Wetumka freshman. Coach Crystal Shipman was pleased with the team’s performance and the progress they have made this semester. In addi-tion to the team honor, Chambers was the third high individual overall and Put-man finished as the eight high individual overall at the competition.

Views and ReviewsPage 4 November 6, 2015

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

Sexual harassment is a gateway crime, and creates a culture where words can escalate to physical contact and other forms of violence, includ-ing stalking, assault or rape. We would like to share some important informa-tion with you regarding sexual harass-ment.

Sexual harassment is unwanted, unwelcomed and repeated behavior of a sexual nature. The following are ex-amples of behavior that may constitute sexual harassment:

• Inappropriate touching, pat-ting, or pinching

• Physical assault or coerced sexual activity

• Demands or subtle pressure for sexual favors

• Obscene phone calls, emails, or gestures

Here are some ways to help lower the risks of sexual harassment and as-sault:

• Be aware of your surround-ings—Who’s out there and what’s going on.

• Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable in your surround-ings, leave.

• Keep appropriate company—Do not maintain relationships with in-dividuals who make you feel uncomfort-able.

• Conduct yourself with self-confidence—Weak individuals are often targeted as victims.

• Let others know that sexual

harassment will not be tolerated!• Don’t prop open self-lock-

ing doors.• Park in well-lit areas and

lock the car, even if you’ll only be gone a few minutes.

For more information about sexual assault, contact the following organizations:

National Center for Victims of Crime

Phone: 800-394-2255 or 202-467-8700 (TDD: 800-211-7996)

National Sexual Violence Re-source Center

Phone: 877-739-3895 or 717-909-0710 (TDD: 717-909-0715)

Office on Violence Against Wom-en, OJP, DOJ

Phone: 800-656-4673 or 202-544-1034

Important dates to remem-ber:

November 3—Current Student Enrollment (Sophomores)

November 4—Current Student Enrollment (Freshmen)

November 11 – Veteran’s DayNovember 14—HomecomingNovember 23-27 – Thanksgiving

Break

Tina Ray and Sandra Robert-son

Located in the Library Building, Enrollment Center

Offices 156 and 157

Be aware of sexual harassment behaviors

Staff members wantedThe Eastern Statesman is currently looking for writers,

graphic artists, and photographers for the spring semester. If you like to write or have a creative eye, contact the student-produced newspaper for more information.

If you are interested or have questions, contact Kristen Turner at (918) 465-1720 or kturner@eosc.edu.

You do not have to be a Mass Communication major to participate in the publications.

Stephanie Giacomo, Institutional Advancement Specialist; Dr. Stephen Smith and Janice Forwoodson, Executive As-sistant to the Director of Institutional Advancement discuss plan for Eastern's upcoming Homecoming. Statesman staff photo by Guy Folger

Dr. Smith: Our Man in Denmark or McAlester or Wilburton GUY FOLGERSenior Staff Writer

So, just how does he do it? One day he is in Wilburton and the next day he is in Denmark or McAlester or some other distant location. I’m speaking of Dr. Stephen Smith, president of Eastern Oklahoma State College, of course. There have been some strange goings-on and the Eastern Statesman decided to get the facts and just the facts of the matter.

The trail first led to the Mass Communications office and Professor Kristen Turner who said, “I don’t know what the heck is going on, but I’ve heard some strange things, so I want you to get to the bottom of this mystery.” Me? I can’t go to Denmark, I’ve got another test in Environmental Science.

So, bypassing Denmark, I stayed in the immediate vicinity, the EOSC campus in Wilburton. Thinking I would ease on over to McAlester at a later date, I moseyed toward the Institutional Advancement office, that being the most reliable clue thus far.

As I strolled across the beautiful campus, my mind was wandering and also wondering. I wonder if they ever caught that cute little mouse back in the Statesman office. I heard the little critter

also paid Dr. Mattson a visit over in the Halls of History. Well, I can’t be thinking about cute little rodents now, I had to concentrate on my assignment.

Approaching the Bill H. Hill Library building I encountered other students scurrying about, too busy to stop and answer questions. So, using my investigative reporter voice, I said, “Hey, anybody hear anything about Dr. Smith being in two or three different places at the same time?” “No, not me,” said a soccer guy. “I’m afraid I can’t help you,” said a cute little blonde. “Uh, I heard something about Denmark or Sweden,” said an Ag student. Somebody else said, “You need to check over at the Mass Communications thingy.”

Well, onward to Institutional Advancement.

As I rounded the corner, entering the hallway leading to IA, I noticed the light in Professor Perry Olson’s office was on. Strange. I thought he had already departed for evening class at McAlester. Knocking, I went in. The office was in great disarray. I said, “Wow, what’s up, Doc?”

“Somebody trashed my office,” he exclaimed, “that’s what’s up.” “I tell ya, there’s some strange goings-on going on around here and I want you to get to the bottom of it,” he added. Me? Again?

On to Institutional Advancement. Wait a minute, is that Dr. Smith looking out the window of the office? I thought he was in Denmark. Strange things, indeed. That smile. That funny looking tie. It was weirdly like deja vu, again.

After finding the IA office door locked, I returned to Doc Olson’s office and shared my discovery. “Oh, that’s right,” he said, “I forgot. I think they went to the beach somewhere.”

“If it’s any help, I remember the ladies next door saying they heard that IA had made a photo cutout of Dr. Smith because he had too many events that he couldn’t attend them all. They had it made for those occasions,” he added.

After enjoying a cup of Joe and catching up on the campus gossip, we were just relaxing when Doc jumped up and said, “Holy moly, I just remembered something else,” he blurted. Those ladies also said they heard that IA had even thought of hiring a movie star Doppelganger.”

Aha!So, there you have it, ‘tis only a Dr.

Smith photo cutout that is making the mysterious appearances. Or is it?

Well, just another day in the life of an Eastern Statesman investigative reporter.

COLUMN

Views and ReviewsNovember 6, 2015 Page 5

"Mad Max" is a game that was released for the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC systems on September 1, 2015.

"Mad Max" has some slight ties to the movie released earlier this year, with the villain of the game being the son of the villain in the movie, but the game and movie are never explicitly tied together. In this game, Max is trying to cross the Plains of Silence when he is attacked and his car destroyed. From this setback, he goes on a quest to build a new car powerful enough to cross the Plains, the Magnum Opus. With the help of a hunchback mechanic named Chumbucket, he travels across the wasteland helping others and fighting off minions in glorious vehicular combat towards his goal of acquiring a powerful V8 engine.

The gameplay is very well polished, with flashy melee combat and tight vehicle mechanics. When you’re on foot and fighting off legions of War Boys you use only your fists and feet to fight them off. Max is also equipped with a shotgun, but it has limited ammo and is best used when you’re desperate.

The fighting is tough but fair with how one can use parries and counterattacks to their a d v a n t a g e . When in your Magnum Opus the entire concept of battle changes. You ram into other vehicles, shoot your harpoon at them to drag the drivers out, and explode gas tanks to destroy them entirely. The vehicle combat is visceral and satisfying, providing tons of entertainment for players.

The game is extremely fun and provides hours of entertainment to anyone willing to buy it. The story is nothing to write home about, but it does its job of giving you a reason to go out and blow stuff up.

"Mad Max" is a game, not a masterpiece of storytelling and emotion. Fun is all it needs to be because sometimes a game just needs to be a game.

"Mad Max" proves that a game doesn't have to be a masterpiece to have worth

Online dating is becoming more and more prevalent on college cam-puses since the rise of apps like Tin-der. Access to a plethora of options that give millennials the ability to pick and choose the ideal mate. There are innumerable stories online about people meeting through apps like Tinder and eHarmony that allow you to build a profile that presents the best parts of you. What are these apps and why are they so popular?

Tinder is a downloadable appli-cation for your phone. This app al-lows you to set a radius of up to one hundred miles, and set gender and

age preferences. The app is set up in a format where you can either “swipe left” if you are not attracted, or “swipe right” if you are. If they swipe right on your photo, and you also swipe right, you are deemed a match and then you are allowed to message back and forth. This allows you to express inter-est in someone without fear of rejec-tion. To decide if you like someone or not initially, all you have to go off of is a short biography and a few pictures. This app has a minimum sign-up age of 18, making it popular among younger people, as most sights like eHarmony require you to be 21.

We asked some students who will remain anonymous, why they joined Tinder, and what their experience has been so far with the people they met, we received the following responses.

“It hasn’t been good so far, I went on one date, and it was terrible. I think if I had met him in person, it would have been better. I would have known more of what to expect. At least he paid for my dinner!”

“Online dating isn’t traditional; that’s for sure. I wouldn’t benefit from it. I believe that if you met someone in person that the relationship would go a lot smoother.”

Not all quotes from students had a negative outlook, though.

“I think online dating gives you more options, it lets you know what’s out there. You’re more likely to find someone who fits your standards or your type.”

“I’ve had great experiences with sites like Tinder, not every single per-son on there has been great, but not every person you’re going to meet in real life is great. You can weed through and find some really interesting peo-ple online,” said another student.

Regardless of how you feel about online dating, with today’s technology

you can rest assured, it’s here to stay. Websites like e H a r m o n y have reported increases in profits and with ease of accessibility to apps like Tin-der it’s easier than ever to have all these options at our fingertips.

College students and the rise of online dating

Chelsie PeckioEditor

Robert BedfordStaff Writer

GAME REVIEW

Eastern Oklahoma State College theatre students were recently hon-ored for their participation in the Re-gion 6 Arkansas State Festival for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). Students earned several awards at the event, which was hosted by the Univer-sity of Arkansas-Ft. Smith Oct. 22-24. “The students involved with the theatre program represented the high quality work Eastern Oklahoma State College is known for producing at KCACTF,” said Director Marshall Carby. “These talents were showcased in Eastern’s production, the workshops they attended and in fo-rums in which the program and our stu-

dents’ performances were discussed. I’m proud of both our students and faculty.” Eastern presented Rajiv Josephs’ “Grue-some Playground Injuries” at the fes-tival. The play’s leading actors, Austin Graham of McAlester and Kaylinn Daw-son of Haileyville, both received Irene Ryan Acting Award nominations for their performance. The award is named after American actress Irene Ryan, best known for her role in “The Beverly Hill-billies,” who found success in vaude-ville, radio, film, television and theatre. In addition, Kayla Carr of Eufaula was honored for Excellence in Stage Man-agement, while Dawson and understudy Maddie Kraft of Savanna were named as

members of the festival’s Honor Crew. “Gruesome Playground Injuries” follows the lives of two childhood friends, Kay-leen and Doug, as they compare scars and the physical calamities that keep draw-ing them together over the course of 30 years. Eastern’s production was originally performed at the college in early October. The KCACTF is a national organization that celebrates the educational and cre-ative process of university and college the-ater. It promotes professional standards and provides students and faculty with opportunities to bridge the academic and professional worlds. More than 600 insti-tutions and 18,000 students nationwide are involved in the program.

Theatre students honored at Kennedy Center Festival

Eastern students Kaylinn Dawson and Austin Graham received honors for their performances in “Gruesome Playground Injuries” at the Region 6 Arkansas State Festival for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

www.statesman.eosc.edu

NewsPage 6 November 6, 2015

Eastern Oklahoma State College has provided nearly $500,000 in scholarships to 148 area students attending classes in Wilburton, McAlester, Idabel and Antlers for the 2015-16 academic year. The students were recently recognized during a reception in Wilburton.

Eastern provided institutional scholarships and tuition waivers totaling $315,575 to students, while the EOSC Development Foundation awarded an addi-tional $183,820 in scholarships.

Treva Kennedy, director of Institutional Advancement, said that while Eastern remains an affordable option for higher education in Oklahoma, financial assistance is still very important to students and their families.

“Scholarship funds can influence the number of classes students take in a semester, how quickly they can graduate or whether they work part-time or full-time while attending college,” Kennedy said. “We are grateful for the individuals, businesses and organizations that contribute to the success of our students. Their support and generosity is helping our students grow and prosper.”

Kennedy said endowments are the primary source of funding for the majority of scholarships provided by the EOSC Development Foundation. Endowments provide permanent funding for scholarships as the principal amount of the endowment stays intact while all or part of the earnings are used for annual scholarships. As the principal increases, the earnings available for use each year also increase.

Scholarships can be based on financial need, major or academic merit. For more information about establishing an endowment to support student scholarships at Eastern, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 918-465-1759.

Eastern’s 2015-2016 scholarship recipients are listed in alphabetical order by

Eastern Oklahoma State College awards nearly $500,000 in scholarships to 148 area studentshometown.OklahomaKayla Ward, Antlers - Mary Beth Guard Endowed Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipCaleb Dubler, Asher - W.H. and Joan Sutton Endowed Scholarship Academic ScholarshipHunter Fowler, Asher - Public Service Company of Oklahoma Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipAmber Frazier, Atoka - Ramon Jackson Endowed Scholarship Destiny (Joyce) Hilliard, Atoka - Jess & June Bailey Endowed Scholarship Caitlin Tubby, Atoka - Academic ScholarshipSkie Wilson, Battiest - Seldon Taylor Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportu-nity ScholarshipNikki Amos, Broken Bow - Tom and Betty Bagwell Endowed Scholarship April Bray, Broken Bow - Southwestern Bell Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipAlex Froslie, Broken Bow - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipKelsey Brown, Buffalo Valley - Kiamichi Electric Endowed Scholarship; Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Spencer Cole, Buffalo Valley - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Brittany England, Buffalo Valley - John and Clara Gaustad Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipBrandon Fogarty, Buffalo Valley - BP America Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity Scholarship, Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Erin Grey, Buffalo Valley - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipKareesa Kennedy, Buffalo Valley - Ray Fuertsch Endowed Scholarship Claria Vandaveer, Buffalo Valley - John and Clara Gaustad Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipIan Fulton, Calvin - Fred Jester Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity Scholarship; Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Sarah McKinney, Canadian - Larry and Ann Owens Endowed Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipBrock Carter, Carter - Regents Academic ScholarshipKayla Carr, Checotah - Dolly Hughes Harrison Endowed Scholarship; Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Julianne DePre’, Checotah - Mark Winters Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipGarrett Rogers , Clayton - Sapphire Ball Annual Scholarship Ronald Canon, Crowder - Academic ScholarshipHaley Duff, Crowder - Eastern Opportu-nity ScholarshipTerra Hawkins , Crowder - Clark and Wanda Bass Endowed Scholarship; Academic ScholarshipDru Pilgrim, Crowder - Eastern Opportu-

nity ScholarshipAshlee Skidmore, Crowder - Presiden-tial Leadership ScholarshipEmily Walker, Crowder - Academic ScholarshipAndrea Willis, Eagletown - Senator Billy Mickle Endowed Scholarship; Academic ScholarshipEddie Bright, Eufaula - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Morgen Dockray, Eufaula - Deno and Gwen Maggi Endowed Scholarship Katie Thompson, Eufaula - Exxon Corporation Endowed Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipJohn Anderson, Haileyville - Pete Pritchard Endowed Scholarship Britni Clark, Haileyville - Charles Turney Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipCaleb Cooper, Haileyville - Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipShelby Drake, Haileyville - Kiamichi Electric Endowed Scholarship Cassidy Morgan, Haileyville - Dr. Stephen E. Smith Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipMalorie Washington, Haileyville - Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipBrett Lee Akins, Hartshorne - Public Service Company of Oklahoma Endowed Scholarship Ernest Bedford, Hartshorne - Milton and Joan Smith Endowed Scholarship ; Jim Sullivan Endowed Scholarship Emily Jackson, Hartshorne - Puterbaugh Pittsburgh County Annual Scholarship Hunter Mason, Hartshorne - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Dylan Pingleton, Hartshorne - Clark and Wanda Bass Endowed Scholarship Ryan Reddick, Hartshorne - Oklahoma Independent Meatpackers Endowed Scholarship; Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Paige Sparks, Hartshorne - Milton and Joan Smith Endowed Scholarship Cheyenne Wood, Hartshorne - Presiden-tial Leadership ScholarshipKatie Morgan, Heavener - Kerr Founda-tion Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipAlexis Gutierriz, Hilldale - Franklin Electric Corporation Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipAngel Bonilla, Idabel - John Hendrix Endowed Scholarship Lane Williams, Idabel - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Roger Shirley, Indianola - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Zana Johnson, Kinta - Dr. and Mrs. James Miller Endowed Scholarship; James, Sarah and Scott Salmon Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipBailey Sexton, Kinta - Vastar Resources Endowed Scholarship Jordan Armstrong, Kiowa - BP America Annual Scholarship Austin Simpson, Latta - Farrell Cooper Endowed Scholarship; Academic ScholarshipKatelyn Creekmore, McAlester - Eastern

Opportunity ScholarshipAustin Graham, McAlester - Dr. and Mrs. James M. Miller Endowed Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipBrandon Green, McAlester - Ross Harlan Endowed Scholarship Brett Homer, McAlester - Clark and Wanda Bass Endowed Scholarship Jared Morgan, McAlester - Carl Ryan Endowed Scholarship; Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Jonathan Mullins, McAlester - BP America Annual Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipChelsie Peckio, McAlester - Ross Harlan Endowed Scholarship Paden Snell, McAlester - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Wyatt Stanford, McAlester - Fred and Florence Stovall Endowed Scholarship Logan Shimp, McCurtain - BP America Annual Scholarship; Del Allen Endowed Scholarship Byjou Vaughn, Morris - Sapphire Ball Annual Scholarship Easton Elliott, Moss - Roger and Betty Sinner Endowed Scholarship Gabrielle Renteria, Moyers - Shirley Bambeck Annual Scholarship Brittany Vega, Moyers - Charles Davidson Endowed Scholarship Eric Rutingabo, Oklahoma City - William E. “Bill” White Annual Scholarship Mykaela Jones, Owasso - Southwestern Bell Endowed Scholarship Hannah Goines, Panama - Presidential Leadership ScholarshipCody Bull, Panola - Holly Walker Annual Scholarship Wesley Corcoran, Panola - Joe and Brenda Coy Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipLogan Tollenson, Prague - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Alexa Miller, Quinton - Clark and Wanda Bass Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipEmily Rea, Quinton - Albert Shelton Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportu-nity ScholarshipSamuel Simco, Quinton - Regents Academic ScholarshipKaycee Turner, Quinton -Tri-County Administrators Endowed Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipCassidy Courtwright, Rattan - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship; Academic ScholarshipBrenna House, Rattan - Faculty Choice Endowed Scholarship Jimmy Wilson, Rattan - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Jordan Campagna, Red Oak - BP America Annual Scholarship; Academic Scholar-shipBailee Davis, Red Oak - Charles Collins Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportu-nity ScholarshipNathaniel Lawrence, Red Oak - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Savanna Lovell, Red Oak - Helen Albright Endowed Scholarship; Academic ScholarshipJustin Ford, Ripley - Otha Grimes Annual

Scholarship Morgan Spradlin, Sand Springs - Faculty Choice Endowed Scholarship Seth Burke, Savanna - W.E. “Bill” Allford Endowed Scholarship; Academic ScholarshipJustice (Kane) Konsure, Savanna - Martha Grantham Leadership Endowed Scholarship; Dr. Bill and Anna Vee Hill Endowed Scholarship Madeline Kraft, Savanna - Wilburton State Bank Endowed Scholarship Anna Little, Savanna - Dr. William W. and Harriet A. Brewer Endowed Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipRandall Lyons, Savanna - Gene Stipe Endowed Scholarship Academic ScholarshipTrevor McBane, Savanna - Dolly Hughes Harrison Endowed Scholarship Ashlie Butler, Smithville - Regents Academic ScholarshipLane Holmes, Smithville - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipJeffrey Kemp, Smithville - Weyerhauser Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportu-nity ScholarshipSabrun Lee, Smithville - John Hendrix Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportu-nity ScholarshipSavannah Ryan, Smithville - Roger and Bettye Sinner Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipAllison Cheek, Spiro - Deno and Gwen Maggi Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipJames Robbins, Spiro - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Chris Coplen, Stigler - Roger & Betty Sinner Endowed Scholarship Jacob Hammons, Stillwell - Dr. Loyd E. Church Endowed Scholarship; Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Jessie Jones, Stuart - Seldon Taylor Endowed Scholarship; Academic ScholarshipChristie Goggans, Talihina - Don C. Phelps Endowed Scholarship Ty Trowbridge, Talihina - Bill Lambert Endowed Scholarship; Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Anna Peralta, Tulsa - Southwestern Bell Endowed Scholarship Ryan Broughton, Tushka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Kelsey Chambers, Tushka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Courtney Cook, Tushka - Dolly Hughes Harrison Endowed Scholarship; Eastern Opportunity ScholarshipBrandon Keeler, Tushka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Taylor Mobbs, Tushka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Cassidy Spradlin, Tushka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship; Presidential Leadership ScholarshipGarrett Wall, Tushka - Otha Grimes Annual Scholarship Hunter M. Lasater, Wagoner - Don and Dot Adkins Endowed Scholarship

SEE SCHOLARSHIPS PAGE 2

AlumniNovember 6, 2015 Page 7

By Mike Cathey EOSC 1983 Of IndIanOla

Most recently you will find Bryant Rickman {EOSC 1967 of Antlers} on the pages (the cover story actually} of the July/August 2015 Oklahoma Today magazine and the August 2015 Dis-tinctly Oklahoma magazine. The Okla-homa Today article is entitled “A Breed Apart” and though the article is refer-encing the Spanish Mustangs, who have lived in the hills of southeastern Oklahoma for the past 150 years it also a very appropriate description of EOSC alum and primary champion of the Oklahoma Heritage Horse- Bryant Rickman.

The August 2015 “Distinctly Okla-homa” article shares “Rickman has been working much of his life pre-serving the heritage of the Spanish and Choctaw Mustangs in Oklahoma. When the timber company called for the removal of Rickman’s wild hors-es from their grazing lands in the Kiamichi Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, he had no choice but to comply. It took several to get them all rounded up safely and off the moun-tain they called home.

“Before Rickman had to move them, these horses ran hundreds of thousands of acres of open land near Medicine Springs, a place likely first discovered by the Choctaw tribe in the mid-1800s and coveted for the spring water’s healing powers. At a time when mustangs held such a stigma that ranchers in the west would shoot them on sight and thousands were be-ing rounded up from the plains and sent to slaughter.

“Centuries ago the Conquistadors came to America on horseback. Over time, their horses were lost, set free, or stolen. Soon they began to popu-late the vast, untamed west. Rickman speaks of the theory that the explorers rode big strong warhorses and took along smaller, hardier pack horses, both of Spanish origin. The idea is

that once free, the horses mixed and grew into a touch, enduring breed of horse that became the Spanish Mustangs of today. These are horses that became invaluable to the Native Americans.”

After earning an EOSC associates degree in Agriculture, Bryant Rickman completed his bachelor’s degree at East Texas State University also in Agri-culture and among his many duties in southeast Oklahoma he was the long time Vocational Agriculture teacher at Hugo High School.

Recently, after a very long day of tending to the mustangs, Bryant reflected nostalgically on his time at EOSC.

“I have two special memories that always cause my mind to come rush-ing back to Eastern. Mr. Sokolosky ( Wilburton High School Vocational Agriculture teacher) was a great influ-ence on me and trusted me as a young man to work for him and thus provid-ing additional support and opportu-nity to get through EOSC. He even provided me a vehicle that I was able to use both during and after work.

“I will never forget that I also had an accident (not my fault) in that old truck and though Mr. Sokolosky said not to worry about it that even after graduation a buddy and I spent the time getting that vehicle back into the shape that it was when I got it in order to return it to him.

“I also have great memories of Mrs. Salmon. I initially had some struggles with English and composi-tion and with the aid of Mrs. Salmon and her commitment to us students things eventually worked out. I later gave Mrs. Salmon a ton of credit along with a great instructor at East Texas, that for a class at East Texas I was for-tunate to get a story published in the ‘Dallas Morning News!’”

Rickman also shared, “I have a very special place in my heart for EOSC. Not only is it the place where my higher education journey and my

WHERE ARE THEY NOW...

Eastern Alumni making an impact on the world

Bryant Rickman

life beyond Pushmataha County be-gan but it has also been an important place for students that I have taught and come across throughout my years in public education and beyond. Just in the last several years I have traveled to Wilburton for graduations etc. in support of two different EOSC new graduates.”

In 2014, the Spanish Mustangs/Choctaw Ponies received the official

State designation of “The Heritage Horse of Oklahoma. Simultaneously with a mission to help preserve and promote these special horses the Friends of the Heritage Horse Foun-dation Herd was created to assist with feed, veterinary costs, whatever the horses need.

For more information and to help www.spiritofblackjackmountain.com Follow on Facebook at Friends of The

Eastern alumnus, Bryant Rickman, has spent much of his life preserving the heritage of the Spanish and Choctaw Mus-tangs in Oklahoma. Submitted photos

Heritage Horse Foundation HerdsMike Cathey is a lifetime

member of the EOSC alumni association. While at Eastern, Cathey was also a staff writer for The Statesman and the Vice President of the Student Senate. Cathey is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and resides in Chicago and Indianola, OK.

Homecoming 2015Page 8 November 6, 2015

Kesey Chambers & Britton Putman

Aggie Club

Shantel Miller & Tarius DawsonCheer

Alexis Gutierrez & Nestor Moguel

Multi-cultural Club

Chris Coplen & Kent Keeling

Softball and Baseball

Julie Layton & Jalen Cunningham

Basketball

Morgan Spradlin & Dylan Pingleton

BCM

Paige Campagna & Kane Konsure

PBL

Reagen Brinlee & Austin Graham

Characters Club

Bailey Ward & Kristopher Anderson

Criminal Joes

Bethany Farmer & Taylor Mobbs

ESGA

Brittany Thomas & Dylan Victor

FCA

Madeline Kraft & Garrett Rogers

Honors

Brenna House & Jesse Claybrook

Math and Science

Amy Jo Davis & Kameron Dugan

Nursing

Sabrina Salias & Angel Bonilla

PASS Club

Zana Johnson & Derek Hatridge

Photo Club

Kareessa Kennedy & Zach Torres

PTK

Makayla Jones & Tanner Burris

Soccer

Lacy Dunlap Eastern Expressions