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BIG EVENT+

Gathering students to work for the community

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Copy Chief

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assistant editor

@katemcp92

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@DANGER_DUDLEY

keaton bell

@kildebell

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april 3

Escape is a student-produced publication of OU Student Media, a department in the Division of Student Affairs. Copyright 2014 OU Student Media.

make a differenceBig Event is almost here, which serves as a

reminder to us all that serving our community is something we shouldn’t do just once a year. With our busy schedules here at ESCAPE, we understand that finding time to volunteer can be challenging, so we’ve tried to provide a few simple ways to get involved.

You don’t necessarily have to sacrifice your time to do good. Discover some alternative ways to be charitable (pg. 3). However, time can often be the best sacrifice. Read one col-umnist’s perspective on why donating an hour a week to help a local teacher has been the best experience (pg. 6).

All it takes is half an hour to help out, so take a little time out of your day to put an effort into bettering your community.

megan deaton, escape editor, @meggiejennie

HEATHER BROWN

photographer

@HeatherMB8

ESCAPE 3 small ways to help

4 big event

5 where do you volunteer?

6 worry about teachers

7 saving songs

8 don’t get hooked

contents

I’ve been making an effort to volunteer ever since my first service project in middle school. I dug up this lovely throwback photo of myself sanding a ceiling in Mexico. Don’t make fun.

congrats to the 2013

escape staff for winning

first place in the special

section category of the cnbam awards

Set aside a time to volunteer. We all have different schedules, so it is up to us to decide when we have down time. But whether it is Sunday afternoon, two hours between class-es or even Thursday nights, instead of wasting time, use it to volunteer

regularly at a local animal shelter or read to children at a local chapter of the Boys & Girls Club of America. Whether you do it weekly or monthly, make it part of your regular schedule during a pre-determined time.

Switch to products that oper-ate as a charity. TOMS aren’t the only thing you can buy that also helps others. Proceeds from Sniff Pet Candles (sniffpetcandles.com) go to animal rescue organizations. Proceeds from quilted laptop sleeves (buyherb-

agnotherbody.com) go to the Nomi Network, a nonprofit working to eradicate sexual slavery in Cambodia. And the production of Haiti Bracelets (choosehaiti.com) provides jobs for Haitians displaced by the 2010 earthquake.

Don’t throw away those piles of magazines. Let’s be real, you are likely never going to look through those issues of “Rolling Stone” from 2011 ever again. And instead of throwing them away, there are places you could donate them to make sure they do not go to waste. There is the local library,

nursing homes, military troops, women/family shelters and many other organizations that could make sure they get even more use. Even preschool or daycare centers could use them for crafts.

3

5things to do this

weekend

what: The cherry orchard

when: 8 p.m. saturday

where: weitzenhoffer theatre

University Theatre presents “The Cherry Orchard.” Refi ne your tastes with the show, which is $14 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the OU Fine Arts Box Offi ce.

what: playwrights festival

when: 8 p.m. thursday

where: old science hall’s lab theatre

The Faith Broome Young Playwrights Festival will present six original short plays by School of Drama students. Tickets are $5.

what: 38th annual medieval fair

when: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. friday through sunday

where: reaves park

Head over to the legendary Medieval Fair for jousting, dancing, theater, pottery, jewelry and countless other attractions. It’s free just to walk around and see the sights!

what: free movie

when: screenings at 6 and 9 p.m., midnight

where: oklahoma memorial union’s meacham auditorium

You’ve probably heard talk about Disney’s “Frozen,” so head to Oklahoma Memorial Union for a free showing, courtesy of the Union Programming Board.

what: new media collective show opening

when: 6 to 8 p.m. friday

where: school of art and art history’s lightwell

gallery

Attend the opening reception of a new show in the art school’s Lightwell Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.

no excuses volunteer on a time crunch

keaton bell | volunteerism

In today’s fast-paced world of work, family and personal time, the idea of volunteering can seem like a bur-den. It is not that you do not want to go out and contribute or volunteer in some way, but our schedules can be jam-packed, making it difficult to squeeze in time to volunteer at a fundraiser or go walk dogs at the local shelter.

Believe it or not, it is not too hard to give back to the community or volunteer on a regular basis without taking away too much of your time.

There is more than one way to give back to your community. Even if you have friends who work at what seems like 300 charity events a year, doing what you can given your circumstances is still effort.

So if you are having trouble finding ways to volunteer, here are some tips and ways to make sure your smalls acts have a big impact:

1. 2.

3.Reduce/Reuse/Recycle.

Everybody knows to recycle glass, paper and plastic. But what about empty ink cartridges (recycleplace.com), old cell phones (collec-tivegood.com) and toothbrushes (recycleline.com)? The truth is that things we throw away on a daily

basis could be recycled and remade into products for oth-ers in need.

4.

Offer your skills. Volunteering or giving back does not have to be on a national level or with a large group. Are you a handy-man? Give back by helping out a neighbor with some household issues. A writer? Offer to help a local charity write press releases or clean up their website. Are you good at knitting? In your spare time, knit up some scarves, blankets or gloves and donate them to a local shelter or retirement home. Offering your skills to those who can really use them is an easy way to give back.

5. tweetyour volunteer ideas to

@OU_ESCAPE

4 5

teaming up for servicemegan deaton and kate mcpherson | big event

met

eorology students

o

u wesley

Meteorology students are taking a break from watching the fickle Oklahoma skies to better their

community.Addison Alford is the president of the OU chapter

of the American Meteorological Society, and will be leading a group combined with his organization and the Oklahoma Weather Lab.

“Community service is so very important to help rejuvenate our community,” said Alford, a meteorolo-gy senior. “Our presence in the community as students

can help us learn what we can do to better our world.”Alford said he has participated in two Big Events in

the past, and he always looks forward to getting dirty with some hands-on service.

The OU Wesley regularly serves the community through a Saturday Mis-sions group, but this Saturday, the team will be giving back through Big

Event. Broadcast and electronic media junior Nathan Harkins will co-lead the

Wesley group.Harkins said participating in Big Event just makes sense, especially for

college students.“As young college students, we are all extremely blessed to be getting an

education, to have a roof over our heads, and to not have to go hungry,” Harkins said. “Many people around Norman and Oklahoma City aren’t as fortunate. Big Event is a great opportunity to give up part of a Saturday to go help others in need.”

Harkins also said he hopes Big Event will encourage people to think about serving year-round.

“My hope is that Big Event will really motivate people to get out and serve not just one day a year, but on a regular basis, serving those in need in the community,”

Saturday’s Big Event will bring more than 5,000 stu-dents together for a day of giving back to the com-munity. Catch a glimpse into some of the groups participating and their motivations for helping out.

alpha phi Greek groups often have philanthropies they support throughout the year, but sororities and fraternities are also

coming out in force to contribute to Big Event. Blair McDonald, president of Alpha Phi, said she has participated in Big Event each year since she came to

OU, and she looks forward to being the Alpha Phi group leader.

“Big Event is such an incredible opportunity for others to see the giving spirit and family atmosphere that we have at the University of Oklahoma,” Mc-Donald, an accounting and entrepreneurship junior, said. Participating in the events shows that we are not only dedicated to bettering the university but also to

bettering the lives of those around the university.”Most of all, McDonald said she enjoys the willing

spirit and togetherness OU students display through the event.“Every year, I most look forward to seeing different types

of people from different walks of life coming together to help people that they do not even know,” McDonald said. “The students

at the University of Oklahoma are incredibly generous with their time, and Big Event constantly serves as a reminder of that.”

get connectedmegan deaton | volunteerism

Not sure where to get started on the road to volunteerism? There are plenty of on and off-campus resources to help you along your way. Here are a few suggestions:

ou l

eadership and volunteerismFinding a place to volunteer is incredibly easy with this OU group.

Their website has seemingly endless resourc-es with both ongoing and one-time volunteer opportunities. Plus, they are ready and will-ing to help you get started. Visit the website

at ou.edu/leadandvolunteer.

clev

eland county family ymcaIf you enjoy working with kids,first of all, you’re a saint, but more

importantly, you can volunteer at the local YMCA. There are dozens of volunteer op-

portunities available, according to the Cleve-land County Family YMCA website. For

more information, contact Crystal Wicker at 405-364-9622, extension 131.

s

econd chance animal sanctuary

Who doesn’t love helping poor, homeless animals? If you’re

an animal lover, then this opportunity is for you. Second Chance needs people to walk

dogs, socialize with cats, mop floors and work adoption clinics, among many other duties,

according to the Second Chance website. Get more information at

secondchancenorman.com.

BIG EVENT BACKGROUND:

OU students have been involved with Big Event since 1999. The tradition originally started at Texas A&M University, but the event has now spread to more than 60 major universities, according to the Big Event website.

This year, OU will celebrate the 15th annual Big Event at the OU campus. As an entirely student-run effort, the event’s widspread success at OU is impressive. The 2013 Big Event brought out over 5,300 registered volunteers, according to the OU Big Event website.

Volunteers will once again come out for Big Event on Saturday. They have registered in groups and will disperse to various service sites across the Norman and OKC area. Look for crowds of stu-dents with Big Event t-shirts all across town.

If you forgot to register for Big Event, but you would still like to get involved with volunteering in the area, see the suggestions in the “Get Connected” column to the right.

all photos were provided by the groups pictured and were taken at the 2013 big event.

6

I have strong feelings about glue sticks and crayons, and I can un-jam a copy machine at the speed of sound. I know how to get laminators untan-gled, remove permanent marker from white boards and that the paper cutter just never cuts straight, so you should line it up at the bottom rather than the top.

I guess it’s true, then: all I ever needed to know I learned in kinder-garten.

Over the past four years, I have volunteered at Madison Elementary School near The Reserves, and at an elementary school in my hometown. While you might think an elementary volunteer works with children, I actu-ally work with teachers to be sure the basic tasks that keep their classrooms running get done.

Each week, I go to a classroom at Madison for an hour, and I do what-ever needs to be done. This week, I cut down construction paper and mat-ted the kids’ artwork for an upcoming exhibition. Next week, I might make copies, and the week after that, I could be putting up posters for the book fair or filing papers or making worksheets so the kids can practice cursive.

It’s true this isn’t the most glam-orous work, but I firmly believe it’s important work. While the school day is technically only six or seven hours long, teachers spend about 50 hours a week doing work-related activities, according to the National Education Association. The average teacher will spend $485 from their own pockets, without reimbursement on school sup-

plies and classroom materials for their students.

Teachers work hard. They pour themselves into their classrooms. Case in point: When I ask my teacher what she did over the weekend, she almost invariably says, “Oh, I graded papers while my boyfriend and I watched Netflix!” or “I found this project for the kids on Pinterest, so I went shop-ping to get the materials and put it all together!” Because that’s what teach-ers do: they think about their students all the time. They care about them. They strive to help them succeed.

They worry about them.Isn’t it time someone worried about

teachers?If you want to give back to your

community, if you want to have an economically prosperous state, if you want our country to be the best it can be, worry about teachers. Then do something with your worry: support them.

Maybe your solution is mine, and you want to get into a classroom to do the support work no one wants to do because it’s not glamorous like inter-acting with kids. Awesome. It’s simple:

Email the principal of your local school — shameless plug, Madison is walking distance from the dorms — and ask if you can help a teacher. (Or get in touch with me, and I’ll help get you placed.)

Maybe you’re a policy wonk. Get educated about education policies in Oklahoma and lobby the state super-intendent to change them.

Maybe you’re a busy bee, but you want to support teachers financial-ly. Donate to their classrooms on DonorsChoose.org, an organization that lets you fund teachers’ requests for classroom materials and allows you to see how the students benefit from your donation.

No matter what your skills and time allow, there is a way to support teachers, and I cannot think of a more important thing to do. These men and women worked hard to put you through school, and they’ll still be there, underpaid and overworked, to put your brothers, sisters, chil-dren, nieces, nephews and neighbors through school. And they’ll probably do it fantastically and with a smile on their faces, because teachers are pretty much superheroes like that.

There’s definitely something important about kid-centric programs like Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Kids absolutely need tutors and mentors, and if that’s how you want to get involved, do it. But please remember that teachers play a huge role in these students’ lives, and they deserve our support as well. Consider giving back by getting involved with a classroom.

KATE MCPHERSON | VOLUNTEERISM

heather brown/escape

ESCAPE writer Kate McPherson helps a teacher hang students’ artwork at Madison Elementary School.

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Connie Francis, “In the Summer of His Years”Many people overlook Francis’ hit 1963 single when referring

to the history of charity singles. The song was written as a tribute to John F. Kennedy after his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, with all of the proceeds from the single donated to the family of J.D. Tippit, a policeman who had also been slain that

day in Texas.

George Harrison, “Bangla Desh”One of the strongest social statements in music history,

“Bangla Desh” is widely regarded as the first charity single. The single raised awareness for millions of refugees from

the country formerly known as East Pakistan, following the 1970 Bhola cyclone. It even led to an all-star concert for the war-torn country, featuring the likes of Bob Dylan and Eric

Clapton.

Band Aid, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”A supergroup featuring Sting, Bono and Phil Collins,

among others, this charity record raised more than $18 mil-lion for famine relief in Africa. Still one of the biggest selling singles in U.K. music history, it is also the most ’80s thing to

ever happen.

USA For Africa, “We Are The World”Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, “We Are

The World” is likely the most popular charity record of all time. Also raising funds for African famine relief, the track

raised more than $60 million in aid. It helped that the group featured the likes of Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Springsteen among the all-star group.

Elton John, “Candle In The Wind”Originally written as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, John’s

1973 single was rewritten as a tribute to Princess Diana after her fatal 1997 car crash. Having only performed the song

once at Diana’s memorial service, the track has since raised more than $60 million for the Diana, Princess of Wales

Memorial Fund.

7

Today, the charity single has become a sort of musical institution. Even since the idea was popularized in 1985 with the star-studded “We Are The World,” there have been countless songs released to support those in need.

A charity single is the release of a song for a specific charitable cause. This can be in the vein of supporting large organizations — “Just Stand Up!” for Stand Up To Cancer — or as a response to a national tragedy — “We Are The World 25 for Haiti” for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Here for your listening pleasure are some of the most notable tracks for a charita-ble playlist:

A HISTORYKEATON BELL | MUSIC