To the Editor:

I just wanted to write in and respond to Mr. Cloud’s portion of [last week’s editorial]. He makes a good point and a couple of faulty ones.

His good point is that people should not be discriminated against for things they do on their own time that [don’t] affect others. That is absolutely true.

However, he has two flaws in his argument.

First, smoking is often done on the company dime, and affects non-smokers in the way that they are left to pick up the slack while the smokers fix themselves up.

To the Editor:

The two articles in [the Jan. 13] Pioneer have misinformation.

1. Financial Aid Title IV Regulations, pertaining to Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), went into effect July 1, 2011, for SAP evaluations beginning with fall semester. The Financial Aid Office has made numerous attempts to inform students and our campus colleagues of these changes.

2. The Financial Aid Office staff made numerous presentations to students in the Success in College and Life courses [during] the fall semester, during [which] changes in the SAP policy were explained.

To the editor:

Happy New Year!

A new year often brings new changes and 2012 is certainly not going to be an exception. As OCCC begins a new spring semester, we also begin the visible change from ANGEL to Moodle. The first of those visible changes occurred today with the change of the page at online.occc.edu. This has been the “ANGEL log on page” for the past several years. However, this page has changed in an attempt to support our students during the LMS change. The new page contains a link to the ANGEL log on page, a link to the Moodle log on page, and a link for help information. You will also notice a change on the college homepage to include Moodle on the quick links.

To the editor:

Theatrical Dance is coming to the OCCC campus through a three-pronged curriculum offering dance technique classes, a student performing company and a general education humanities course, Understanding Dance.

The dance technique class initiates the plan beginning spring semester. Theatrical Dance technique classes will be offered from 3 to 4:20 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, through the Recreation and Fitness Department. Utilizing elements of jazz, ballet and modern dance, the class will offer options to accommodate beginning through advanced dancers.

Tights and leotards or stretchy, close-fitting attire is required, as well as ballet or jazz shoes, dance paws, or dance sneakers.

Athletic shoes are not allowed due to the risk of knee injuries during spinning turns. Bare feet are also allowed, but not suggested.

To the editor:

OCCC and the math department has lost a long time teacher, friend, and student advocate.

Dr. Judy Gailey passed away from a heart attack while visiting a friend in Maryland.

Over the past 17 years she helped thousands of students as a Math Lab assistant and adjunct professor of mathematics. Her doctoral studies were in learning styles. She had excellence in her work with all students, but she had a marvelous, compassionate ability in working with students who struggled with math and with life.

Her funeral services will be this Saturday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. at Havenbrook Funeral Home in Norman.

To the editor:

Staff writer Priscilla Colley’s commentary on the Occupy Wall Street movement in the Oct. 28th issue of the Pioneer would be right at home on right-wing blogs and “news” sources.

She proclaims that the protestors have no work ethic, and have made a conscious decision not to work, and instead to be hippies, lounging and dancing in the street and beating their drums. It’s an interesting analogy, although not very accurate.

Reality painted a very different picture of the Occupy protests when a two time Iraq War veteran, Scott Olsen, was injured in Oakland last week. He has only recently been upgraded from critical and is still currently in the hospital unable to speak.

To the editor: I agree with Whitney Knight’s observation [Pioneer, Oct. 21] that higher education is “a distant dream for many Americans.” This situation is unfortunate. Also unfortunate is that

To the editor:

Students and offices across campus should be reminded that the Federal Work Study program enables student hiring to help with a growing workload from a large student population and evolving initiatives to provide quality services to students.

Wages for the Work Study program are paid by the federal government. The starting wage is $8 an hour and students may work up to 20 hours a week.

Students who have been awarded Work Study for the current year should consider seeking a position on campus.

To the editor:

The Oklahoma City Mayor’s Committee on Disability Concerns will honor outstanding Oklahoma City citizens with disabilities and their advocates at its 21st Annual Awards Luncheon.

The ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Magnuson Hotel (formerly Clarion) at 737 S. Meridian Avenue in Oklahoma City.

Award-winning KFOR-TV news anchor Kevin Ogle will serve as the master ofceremonies.

Mayor Mick Cornett declared October as Disabilities Awareness Month and Oct. 26 as Special Disabilities Awareness Day in Oklahoma City.

Cornett is scheduled to speak and help present the awards.

To the editor:

No matter your religion, political affiliation, gender, taste in music, or whatever other silly criteria you use to separate yourself from the general populace, I’m willing to bet you have heard this gem: do unto others as you would have them do to you. That is the golden rule, and according to British philosopher Simon Blackburn, it can be found “in some form, in almost every ethical tradition.”

If that’s true, why does it seem that people have forgotten the meaning?