The OCCC campus will be closed on Monday, Jan. 19, to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

A federal holiday since 1986, the day was dedicated to honor Martin Luther King Jr., who was an important influence in the American civil rights movement.

According to www.history.com, the Baptist minister and Nobel Prize recipient, helped bring equality for African-Americans and influenced the federal legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Classes for the 16 week semester start on Jan. 20 and the first few weeks can be a confusing experience. Erin Logan, student life director, said students can help themselves feel more comfortable with their surroundings by asking questions.

Logan said the campus can be intimidating at first, with the multiple buildings, parking lots, and levels. The answer, she said, isn’t getting lost until you figure it out. Find a table, a professor, or walk into an office and ask for help.

“We will have welcome week tables out the entire first week that will have schedule books. Faculty and staff will be around campus that their sole purpose is to ask questions to them. They can help students find their way, figure out what office they’re supposed to go to. The biggest, biggest, biggest piece of advice is to ask questions and to not be afraid to ask questions.

[caption id="attachment_7253" align="alignright"]Mary Chapin[/caption]Tickets for the Mary Chapin Carpenter Spring 2015 Acoustic Trio Tour Concert at 7 p.m. on March 30 are now available for Preferred Customer Presale. Cultural Programs Director, Lemuel Bardeguez, said those hoping to get good seats should act now.

“If you want to sit on the front row, you can get those seats before anybody else. If you like to sit in a particular place, if you want to sit up close to the stage, because once the tickets go on sale to the general public, then it just kind of becomes a frenzy. You might get stuck with seats in the back or undesirable seats,” Bardeguez said.

Dec. 9, 2014, was a day OCCC employee Chris Snow will never forget. His childhood dream of becoming the Facilities Management Director came true.

Snow said after getting a job at OCCC in high school working in Building Services, he knew the college was a place he wanted to work the rest of his career. Achieving his goal was a long and hard process, he said, but he kept his eyes on the prize – becoming the director.

“I very clearly defined what it would take to accomplish that task, whether it was educationally, or learning what it takes to actually run a Facilities management department. I very actively took on those challenges and accomplished them, getting me ready for the opportunity,” Snow said.

The OCCC Foundation is offering over 35 scholarships for the spring 2015 semester. By filling out a single application, students will be matched up with the scholarships they qualify for, said Jennifer Harrison, development director.

Students can then answer additional questions or essays that may be needed for certain scholarships.

Around 1,000 students apply for the scholarships each year, and although Harrison is pleased with that number, she said more students should take advantage of the opportunity.

From ukulele music to shadow dancers, with a Country Music Award winning country artist thrown in, the next Performing Arts Series will offer a variety in the large theater on campus next year.

Cultural Performances Director, Lemuel Bardeguez, said he is excited to announce eight headlining acts that will be performing at Oklahoma City Community College in the upcoming 2014-2015 season.

The first performer arriving at the theater next year is one of the most highly acclaimed vocalists of our era, Sandi Patty. She is known for her songs “Via Dolorosa” and “Was It a Morning Like This.”