Much of the Social Sciences Center, Wellness Center and the Aquatics Center were shut down July 7 after about 2.5 inches of rain the evening before led to partial flooding of the college.

The college reopened July 7 with students and faculty being moved into other campus buildings. The weight room reopened July 8 but the Social Sciences Center and pool remained closed at presstime.

After 33 years with OCCC, Gloria Barton, Enrollment Management dean, has retired.

A come-and-go retirement reception for Barton was held 2 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Al Snipes Boardroom.

About 30 faculty and staff members attended the event.

Job skills workshops are being held every Thursday throughout July as a free service through Student Employment and Career Services, said Debra Vaughn, Student Employment and Career Services director.

Workshops are held 12:30 to 1 p.m, Thursdays in the Main Building, Room 1G7.

Subjects covered include internships, interviewing and professional dress.

For the second year in a row, professors have been working as academic advisers and helping to speed up the summer enrollment process for students.

Mary Ann Bodine, Academic Advising assistant director, said having faculty advisers working during the summer makes enrollment more convenient for students and helps build staff relationships.

The faculty advisers are available by appointment during regular department hours and advise in all academic areas, Bodine said.

A simulated bomb threat drill will take place at 9 a.m. today on campus, Safety and Security Director Ike Sloas said in an e-mail sent out to all OCCC students and staff members last week.

The drill will be staged in parking lot F and the Facilities Management storage building, Sloas said.

As a result, all of parking lot F east and south of the Aquatic Center will be reserved for emergency vehicles until 5 p.m.

Heavy metro flooding has forced several areas on campus to close, according to an e-mail sent out to all current students and staff members by Marketing and Public Relations.

Although campus is open today, the OCCC Aquatic Center and weight room, as well as several classrooms in the Social Sciences Center, will be closed until further notice, the e-mail said.

The e-mail advised students with classes today and Thursday in the SSC to contact the division office.

OCCC’s Emergency Medical Sciences program earned national attention this year when it was selected to participate in a National Registry Psychomotor Competency Pilot Program, said Leaugeay Barnes, EMS director.

Through the program, Barnes said, students will be participating in practice exams that may later be included in future NREMT certifications exams.

The psychomotor portion of the certification process gives students the opportunity to demonstrate hands-on skills they learned according to national guidelines, she said.

Students in the Information Technology division will soon be staring at two computer monitors instead of one and using a faster operating system, said John Helton, Computer Aided Technology department chair.

Helton said one of the multimedia labs will have all computers fitted with two screens, and computers in two classrooms will be upgraded to the Windows 7 operating system.

Michael Reeves, Student Computer Center supervisor, said he believes Windows 7 is a better operating system for the kind of work IT students do.

Last week, OCCC students and staff members said they are hungry and unhappy now that the college does not provide hot food service for them.

In the College Union, Carson’s Catering closes at 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 2 p.m. Friday. The OCCC Coffee Shop closes at 2 p.m. every weekday.

As a result, students who take classes at 5:30 p.m. or later must either remain hungry, bring their own food or eat out of vending machines.

For the first time, OCCC theater students will team up with film and video majors to create a short film.

The production, titled “Going Down,” is part of an Oklahoma Film Institute summer seminar held at OCCC until July 16.

“Going Down” will be staged in an elevator car that will be constructed for the film, said Greg Mellott, film and video production professor.