Honoring dad this Father’s Day, June 20, doesn’t mean breaking the bank. Here are eight fun, frugal ways to celebrate pop this year:

Put together a gift basket. Fill a simple wooden basket with goodies for dad to enjoy, like his favorite junk food, a miniature tool kit, gift cards to his favorite stores and perhaps some homemade treats. You can easily tailor your basket to fit his personal tastes:

If he’s addicted to automobiles, fill his basket with items such as an air freshener, a tire guage, an ice scraper or even a subscription a car-related magazine such as Motor Trend or Car and Driver.

For a brilliant barbecuer, consider stuffing his basket with his favorite sauces and marinades, a recipe book, an apron and perhaps some grill cleaner.

It’s important for students to be aware of voting deadlines and to participate in elections, said OCCC President Paul Sechrist.

Sechrist said it’s important for students to be involved politically — both nationally and on a state level.

“I encourage everyone to get involved at some level in the upcoming elections,” he said.

“Students should know who the candidates are, what they stand for, what their priorities are, and most importantly, let your voice be heard by voting.”

As the race for the next Oklahoma governor ramps up, candidates are coming out strong on many issues, especially higher education.

Oklahoma’s gubernatorial candidates agreed over the past week that continuing to improve higher education in Oklahoma is important but disagreed on how this should be accomplished.

The way to make colleges more accessible is by controlling costs, said Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso.

Clinton Short is an OCCC computer programming major in his second semester. But on evenings and weekends, he picks up a Fender guitar and goes by the name Blue — one half of the blues/country band named Blue Country.

On Friday, June 4, they performed a free show at the Stone Pony, a bar located off the corner of SE 10th Street and Macarthur Boulevard, which is a dark, smoke filled venue whose clientele is people over 25 who tolerate the taste of cheap liquor.

“I like the guys in Blue Country, so we’re making them our official house band on Fridays and Sundays,” said Kelly Bradshaw, the bar’s owner.

Upon taking the stage, Blue gives off the aura of a mythic six string samurai.

The Oklahoma Film Institute is in full swing during its 10th year on the OCCC campus and is working better for students than it has is previous years, said Greg Mellot, film and video production professor.

The program, which kicked off June 3, offers three-day seminars in production, direction, script writing, and editing. The clinics are held Thursday through Saturday and run all day.

“This is the second year which we’ve split the program up into four sections,” Mellot said. “It simply works better for students.”

Tucked away at OCCC is an office staff comprised of five people that serves as the liaison between military veterans and the college, said Janis Armstrong, Veterans Services coordinator

Armstrong heads the staff in assisting veterans with their scholastic benefits and assistance packages. She said she is teamed up with five work-study students, all of whom are veterans themselves, who aid her, and the program, in any way they can.

When members of the military are discharged, they become veterans. Because of their service in the military, veterans are entitled to a certain amount of benefits, Armstrong said.

The Keith Leftwich Memorial Library is running its Summer Reading program again this year, said Barbara King, Library Services director.

“The primary purpose is to draw people into the library and let them know that we offer a well rounded collection,” King said.

“We want students and faculty to know they can utilize the library for pleasure reading, not just a coursework.”

The program consists both of books drawn from the existing collection, and between 100 and 150 new titles purchased with the summer program in mind, said Dana Tuley-Willams, systems librarian and creator of the program.

{jcomments on}Children in first through eighth grades are expected to learn sports, and get fitter and smarter this summer by participating in OCCC’s Summer Kids Camps.

OCCC is offering an affordable series of camps for children June 7 through July 30.

The college is offering a Sports, Fit Kids, and Recreational camp, directed by Eric Watson, Recreation and Fitness Specialist.

“We will see about 25 to 30 kids a week,” Watson said.

College students from all over the state, including 22 from OCCC, will rub elbows with the elite members of Oklahoma business and society as part of a summer internship with Greater Grads, said Debra Vaughn, Career and Employment Services director.

The interns will attend luncheons all over the city including places such as the Skirvin Hotel, Ford Center and the Cowboy Hall of Fame.