A fundraiser on campus April 17 raised about $875 for the Connie Nieser Memorial Scholarship.

OCCC’s faculty and staff donated books and baked goods knowing that all proceeds would benefit the scholarship fund.

The annual scholarship was awarded to Dominique Hall on April 27 at the 2012 Scholarship Luncheon, said Myra Decker, professor of accounting and business. The total amount this year is $1,500.

The scholarship was founded in honor of former accounting Professor Connie Nieser, who died in 2005.

The Leadership Council held its annual student club awards luncheon and officer transition ceremony on April 26.

TLC is an organization made up of representatives from each student organization, plus a number of at-large members. Its mission is to unite other groups to achieve and excel at their goals at OCCC, said Angela Gutierrez, president of The Young Democrats.

The annual club awards luncheon is designed to honor those individuals and organizations that have made an impact on both the community and the college in an outstanding way.

Student Life’s last Brown Bag of the semester is to take place at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, in CU1.

Assistant Director Amy Reynolds said the session’s theme is “Finals Prep.”

Reynolds said Rachel Olsen, supervisor of the Communications Lab, is scheduled to once again present on the topic for about an hour.

The upcoming jazz band concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 3, will showcase the talent of one student in particular, music major Steve Silver.

The performance will include Silver’s original piece, titled “Out of a Blue Funk.”

The jazz ensemble, led by Adjunct Professor Miguel Correa, will perform in the Bruce Owen Theater, free of charge.

Tornadoes in Norman on Friday the 13th canceled the Special Olympics in town the next day, preventing a group of 45 OCCC students and staff from performing the community service work they had scheduled.

Curtis Boyer of Oklahoma Special Olympics said the possibility of more bad weather was a factor in the decision to call it off.

“That evening after the storms came through Norman, we had a chance to look at the area surrounding the event and some of the damages.

The end of the semester is just around the corner, and the end of the academic year comes hand-in-hand with final tests, and test-related stress.

Learning Support Specialist Mary Turner said taking control of study habits and learning how to manage time helps students lower their stress levels.

“I would encourage students to sit down and look at what they need to accomplish between now and May 11,” Turner said. “Work backward over those three weeks, so students have a clear expectation of where their time is going to go.”

Turner said the anxiety of meeting deadlines can be due to a fear of failure.

“Briefly tell me about yourself.”

This is one of the seminal questions of a job interview and knowing the right answer can set the tone for the whole process. On Wednesday, April 25, Student Life hosted a Brown Bag workshop to help answer this and other interview questions.

Student Employment and Career Services Director Debra Vaughn began the presentation with a brief description of her office and its duties.

A UPS recruiter will be coming to campus to find more people who love logistics.

Recruiter Janelle Rodgers will be here to talk to students face-to-face about opportunities at UPS from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 27.

Debra Vaughn, director of Student Employment and Career Services, said students interested in working for UPS should look for the recruiter in the main lobby area on the corner of the coffee shop.

Anyone interested in pursuing a nursing degree is invited to attend a career-exploration workshop on campus at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in the Employment and Career Services department in the Main building.

Debra Vaughn, director of Student Employment and Career Services, said 30 to 35 nursing career jobs will be explored during the workshop hosted by Johnson and Johnson. Vaughn will be presenting the material.

Nursing fields such as Case Management Nursing, Advanced Practice Nursing, Forensic Nursing, Dermatology Nursing and Health Policy Nursing are areas that will be recognized.

When it comes to abusive relationships, the most damaging effects come from psychological abuse rather than physical abuse, said Jennifer Haplin, professor of nursing at OCCC. She gave a workshop on Healthy Relationships on campus March 27.

This workshop was a part of OCCC’s Brown Bag Series, and drew about 20 participants.

Although Haplin said that psychological abuse is the most common, physical abuse comes to mind first because it’s easier to see the damage.

Any use of physical pain or force, or even threats of these, is considered physical abuse, Haplin said.

Although physical abuse can be a one-time thing, chances are that it will happen again, she said.