The OCCC Board of Regents voted June 21 in favor of banning smoking on campus. It did so to stop smokers from lighting up next to doorways and to help make OCCC a healthier campus.

While on the surface this may seem like a positive move in the direction of a healthier campus, the Board should have made a different choice.

The OCCC Board of Regents voted June 21 in favor of a resolution that will make all college properties tobacco free.

Previously, college policy barred students, staff and visitors from smoking cigarettes within 25 feet of any campus entrance.

To the editor:

AAA Oklahoma will offer its Tipsy Tow service in seven cities across Oklahoma for the Fourth of July weekend.

Since the recession hit, state economies have been tightening down. There have been layoffs and budget cuts, and still there isn’t enough money.

For the second year in a row, OCCC is not giving its valuable teaching staff raises, and tuition prices are going up. But it seems that politicians can still find the money for favors and political ploys.

House Bill 748 was originally designed to restructure the struggling Oklahoma County Medical Examiner’s office.

To the editor:

I was a bit disappointed to hear of all OCCC’s budget woes in the latest edition of the Pioneer. It seems there are several places we could save money that have not been addressed.

First off, how many times have you visited a classroom or office on campus that was extremely cold? The vents in my office routinely blow at anywhere from 64 to 70 degrees.

When I was a student here, I always brought a jacket (even in the summer) because classrooms were so cold. I understand that air circulation is an issue, but does the air have to be so cold?

At OCCC last spring, Mike Talkington, biology professor, allegedly taught an Introduction to Biology class in support of Intelligent Design and abstinence.

Intelligent Design is the theory that man did not evolve but was created created by an intelligent entity. It also centers on the idea that Earth is only about 6,000 years old. While some would argue, he did the right thing because students need to become more diverse in their education, what Talkington is said to have done is wrong.

The battle over the theories of Evolution vs. Intelligent Design has raged since Charles Darwin unveiled his concepts more than 200 years ago.

Recently, OCCC students, faculty and administration have joined the fight thanks to a choice by adjunct Biology Professor Mike Talkington who allegedly taught students Intelligent Design during his class this spring semester.

Intelligent Design roots lie in the ideas such as Earth is only about 6,000 years old, and humans were created by an intelligent entity and did not evolve from lower life forms.

June has already started off as a busy month in the Office of Academic Advising. Summer enrollment is now winding down and summer classes are well under way.

For students planning on attending in the fall, this is a great time to meet with an Academic Adviser or one of the Faculty Advisers working in our office for the summer semester.

Faculty Advisers can help you in the selection of your faculty approved electives, career exploration, and a variety of other needs particular to your major.

Students, are you undecided on your college major and future career path? If so, I would like to recommend the fall 2010 class PSY-1001 “Career Exploration” Section E15 which meets 11 to 11:50 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the SSC Bldg, Room 1H3.

The class begins with a series of self-assessment tools to help you identify your interests, abilities and career values.

The online DISCOVER career guidance program from ACT is demonstrated and fully described to facilitate your individual utilization of career surveys that ultimately provide a summary of specific career fields for you to explore.

In the wake of the disastrous and ongoing British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it may be time to consider some of the ramifications of our national dependency on oil.

It’s time this country honestly focuses on developing biofuels, incentives and sub-sidies for car manufacturers to produce more hybrid and electric vehicles, and tax incentives for using public transportation.

These are all viable places to start looking for a real solution so this tragedy, which is killing wildlife up and down the Gulf Coast and displacing millions from their homes, never happens again. But they don’t address the real problem.