The Student Success Center Newsletter

OPPORTUNITIES

Check out these great job prospects!

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Meet our academic all-star!

CAS COURSES

Take a look at a few courses offered in the fall.

WELCOME

Hello, Students!

This is the last newsletter for this semester! We are here, friends; we made it through this long semester. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Be on the lookout for newsletters over the summer. I hope you all have a restful and fulfilling summer.

- Lilly Amechi, SSC Student Intern

SSC Twitter Contest

Be sure to follow the Student Success Center's Twitter @OuSuccess for a chance to win a CAS swag bag! The winner will be picked randomly, so make sure to follow before May 13.

Student Spotlight: Alejandra Cruz

Q: What is your favorite CAS course?

A: My favorite course I’ve taken is Law and Social Movements (LTRS 3703) with Dr. Schumaker. The historical aspect of this class is what makes it a classic letters course but the learning environment that Dr. Schumaker creates is what makes it so unique and special. This course intersected my two majors perfectly by challenging the way we analyze the Constitution. It encouraged me to have a critical perspective of how history has traditionally been taught and the history that has been omitted. With social movements part of the story has been written into law. Understanding the relationship between these movements and the way policy is made in Supreme Court cases has been one of my favorite things to learn in undergrad.

Q: What do you love about CAS?

A: What I love the most about CAS are the people that I’ve met through my undergraduate career. I’m a first-generation student from a low-income background, so college often felt out of reach and seemed really intimidating. The faculty and staff that I have met in the college have always been so welcoming, supportive and excited for wherever my path may take me. I have found comfort in this support and will definitely miss it when I graduate.

Q: What are you looking forward to upon graduation?

A: I’m honestly looking forward to doing nothing. I want to spend time on the things I care about and with the people I care about after graduation.

Q: How do you destress?

A: Music!!! I love to go on drives with no destination in mind and with the windows down. A good playlist or song is always capable of getting me through stressful times.

Students, meet Alejandra Cruz! Alejandra is a senior from Oklahoma City, studying letters with an emphasis on constitutional studies and women and gender studies with a minor in political science. In addition to her academic endeavors, Alejandra is the co-chair for Oklahoma Votes and Civic Engagement Fellow for the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, dean of intake for the Alpha Rho Chapter of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc., a McNair Scholar, and involved with Society of Fellows, Withrow Leadership Scholars and the Steering Committee for the National Campaign Conference at Harvard.

Opportunities

The Ulta internship program is designed to provide real-world experience directly related to your academic discipline and career goals to provide you with a better understanding of your career options. The virtual program is slated for 10 weeks from June 7 to Aug 13. The application and more information can be found here.

The LGBTQ Victory Institute seeks Congressional Interns for fall 2021. Interns will be matched with a member of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus to learn about policy and governance. This internship is located in Washington, D.C. Find this opportunity on Handshake.

The Walt Disney Company seeks a Star Wars enthusiast majoring in Library Studies or similar fields for a remote Games & Interactive Experiences Archivist Internship on the Lucasfilms team. Find this opportunity on Handshake.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport, a nonprofit organization focused on ending all forms of abuse in sport, seeks an upaid remote summer Prevention Program intern. Details on Handshake..

Join a world-class team at an award-winning attraction right here in Tulsa! The Gathering Place is hiring for food and beverage, maintenance, and park host. Find your passion in the park and apply today.

INCOG, the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Tulsa area, seeks a sustainability intern for summer 2021. Full time, paid. Learn about INCOG here and find internship details on Handshake.

Liquidfish, a firm of designers and developers of integrated brand experiences headquartered in OKC, seeks a paid project management intern for summer 2021. Details on Handshake.

George Fischer Piping Systems of Shawnee, Oklahoma, seeks a paid summer Human Resources Intern. Details on Handshake.

The Demand Project, a Tulsa-based nonprofit working to eradicate human trafficking, seeks a bilingual social work intern. Details on Handshake.

Partner workshops and job postings distributed by the Student Success Center do not imply the college’s endorsement of the mission of any individual organization external to the university. Students are encouraged to learn for themselves about individual opportunities and organizations, and contact ssc@ou.edu with questions.

Outstanding Faculty Awards

Faculty Achievements

Sara Rhinehart and Michael Crespin, Ph.D. published an article titled, "Jumping on the Trump Train or Ditching the Donald: Campaign Rhetoric and the 2016 Congressional Election."

Provost’s Community Engagement Award for Outstanding Engaged Teaching

Ben Keppel, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences

Ben Keppel has been the History department's coordinator of undergraduate internships and community engagement since 2017. The program offers direct work experience and introduces students to career opportunities in the field. He has worked diligently to secure partners, which include Norman Public Schools, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, the Governor’s Office, the Oklahoma State Department of Libraries, the Oklahoma Historical Society, Greenwood (Tulsa) Chamber of Commerce and Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Q & A

What has been your most rewarding experience teaching at OU/ What is your favorite course to teach?

It is always African American history because it is a chance not only to correct a record of perceptions based on prejudice, stereotype and ignorance, but it is, most importantly, an opportunity to replace these things with the beginnings of real knowledge and understanding. It is my goal that the class begins each student on a new and varied path of lifelong learning about this area of US history.

How and why do your classes incorporate community engagement?

Without realizing it I have been doing that for a long time: whether it was inviting Congressman Tom Cole to talk about why he was a history major and what you can do with it, or Norman or campus police to talk over problems, or having noteworthy journalists or historians come to campus to discuss important public issues, it has always been part of my job. But, it is true that the history department internship program has made this aspect of what I do much more generally visible and important.

Provost's Community Engagement Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity

Meredith Gwynne Fair Worthen, Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences

Meredith Gwynne Fair Worthen is recognized for her engaged and activist scholarship on campus and in the field of sociology on the national level. She initiated both The Welcoming Project and the #MeTooMeredith social media platform to address critical community needs to support both LGBTQ and sexual assault communities and their allies. Worthen’s innovative community engagement initiatives are interconnected and synergistic with her scholarship and research.

Q & A

What has been your most rewarding experience teaching at OU?

I have rewarding experiences with my students every semester. I love hearing how they are engaging with the things we are discussing in class and I especially like hearing how they are growing and changing as a result of what they are learning. One especially memorable experience was when (former) Dean Paul Bell surprised me (and my students) when he came into my classroom with a bouquet of balloons to give me the Irene Rothbaum Award for Outstanding Assistant Professor in 2013. It was a really fun experience to share with my students.

What is your favorite course to teach?

Sexual Deviance and Society. I actually created this course way back in 2008 when I was still a graduate student. I brought the course with me to OU after I graduated and I have been teaching it every semester since then. It is something I feel very passionate about. In fact, I wrote the textbook for it, which is now in its second edition. This course is so important to me because it allows me to help students open their minds to sexual and gender diversity. I also spend a great deal of time teaching my students about the complexities of rape and sexual assault. This course connects well with my overarching goal as a teacher, a professor, and an activist: to cultivate empathy. It is my hope that my students learn throughout their student careers to empathize with others, to be kind and compassionate.

How and why do your classes incorporate community engagement?

As a scholar/activist, I teach my students about different ways to engage with their passions. I make it a point to talk to them about how I started The Welcoming Project, a nonprofit that offers free “All Are Welcome” rainbow signs to places that want to support the LGBTQ community, and how I started the Instagram account @MeTooMeredith, a platform that allows survivors of sexual assault to share their stories anonymously. I encourage my students to pursue their own passions, using social media and beyond, to make a difference in the world.

CAS Courses

P SC: 4023

Are you interested in public policy or local government and are looking for an internship for next fall? The Community Scholars program provides a unique learning opportunity for a cohort of undergraduates who will experience first-hand the dynamics of working within community-based organizations. The internship experience will be enriched through weekly seminars and briefings with leaders from local government and the nonprofit sector.

Community Scholars are placed in assignments with local governmental agencies, various nonprofit organizations and other community-oriented agencies. Internships require 16 hours of work per week and may include night meetings.

You can learn more about the program here and apply here.

Please contact Professor Rachel Blum with questions at rblum@ou.edu.