Seminole State College nursing students recently visited Wewoka High School to present to students about general wellness and personal care. This was an opportunity for the nursing students to practice the skills involved with educating the public.
“This can be a hard skill to master and teaching in a public setting can be very scary. Being able to teach in a variety of settings, including schools is important for nurses to learn,” Assistant Professor of Health Sciences Ann Benson said. “We are so appreciative of Wewoka Public Schools and School Counselor Randi Bellinger for allowing us to come.”
Each high school student in attendance was provided a goodie bag of wellness items from the nursing students.
Seminole State College will host a reading by Assistant Professor of English Paul Juhasz on March 21, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Virtual Learning Lounge within the Boren Library. During the reading, he will read from his most recent collection of poetry and from an upcoming collection of short stories.
The Seminole State College President’s Leadership Class toured the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in Oklahoma City on March 9. Mark Woodward (left), OBN Public Information and Education Officer, and Agent Anthony Moore (right) spoke with the students about a wide array of activities the OBN tackles, including the monitoring of marijuana grow operations in the state, safe disposal of prescription and illegal substances, as well as various training for officers within OBN.
Agent Shaun Manes (left) demonstrated how OBN utilizes drones in investigations. PLC students also learned about the K9 program and heard from OBN Director Donnie Anderson, OBN Agents Anthony Moore, Dallas Lang, Attorney General Office Agents Christopher Culbreath and Brent Green.
Seminole State College History Professors Jeffrey Christiansen and Marta Osby volunteered their time to judge the first History Fair held by The Academy of Seminole (TAOS) on March 7.
The two judges scored 55 different exhibits and read and scored 34 research papers. The event was overseen by Kyle Moore, who organized the event and serves as history instructor at the Academy.
“Our history fair was a smashing success, and we could not have done this without their help. I cannot thank them enough for their generosity and expertise. Marta and Jeffrey went above and beyond for us,” Moore said.
The students were judged according to their grades with winners for each grade along with an overall “Grand” winner. The categories of different types of submissions included exhibits, research papers, websites, and documentaries. The subject of the fair was “Civil Rights and Minorities’ Contributions to Society.” Two other SSC history faculty members, Dr. Steve Bolin and Division Chair Sam Rivera, also supported the event and scored a portion of the papers.
Three Seminole State College language arts and humanities professors presented at the 2023 Southwest Popular and American Culture Conference during the week of Feb. 21-25. The mission of the SWPACA is to promote an innovative and nontraditional academic movement in humanities and social sciences celebrating America’s cultural heritages. The annual conference provides an outlet for scholars, writers, and others interested in popular/American culture to share ideas in a professional atmosphere and increase awareness and improve public perceptions of America’s cultural traditions and diverse populations.
Assistant Professor of English Paul Juhasz, author of “Ronin,” which was nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award in 2022, read from his most recent prose poetry collection; “Inner Life of Comics.” The collection was published by Turning Plow Press in the fall 2022. Associate Professor of English Yasminda Choate read her most recent non-fiction humor essay, “Please Don’t Call Me Pretty,” and Associate Professor of English Dr. Andrew Davis presented his academic research, “Transnational Queer Cinema and Its Audiences: Analyzing Circumstance and Its Marketing and Reception.” In addition to their representation of SSC with well-received presentations, the three attended sessions throughout the week, learning about recent scholarship in popular culture and pedagogy within the humanities. Their participation in the conference was generously funded through the faculty professional development fund.
Seminole State College President Lana Reynolds and SSC President’s Leadership Class student Hailey Wallace, a sophomore from Wellston, were among several community guest readers to visit Wilson Elementary School this week.
Reynolds and Wallace stopped by Mrs. Sonia Scott’s third grade class to read “If I Ran the Zoo” by Dr. Seuss on March 2. The reading was part of the national birthday celebration of the children’s book author and “Read Across America” week.
Seminole State College held a disaster training event for nursing students on Feb. 22 inside the Enoch Kelly Haney Center on campus.
Students participated in a training module designed to help them understand what qualifies as a disaster, how to triage patients, manage resources and how to work with other agencies to access quick medical care. Before the hands-on training, students attended a lecture about incident command, treating patients and communication techniques in a time of crisis.
Following the lecture, the nursing students were able to put their disaster response skills to the test during a simulation drill, where students responded to the aftermath of a bombing. The loading bay of the Haney Center served as the site of the incident. Students took on different roles. Some students took on the role of victims with various injuries, while other students were asked to perform search and rescue, triage patients and tend to their medical and psychological needs.
Students took on various roles during the simulation. Victims were transported from the site of the incident to a makeshift treatment center set up in a nursing classroom, where they were treated by their classmates.
“Disaster training is becoming more and more important. We are proud of our nursing students who embrace the philosophy that nursing is an intricate part of any successful disaster response,” Crystal Bray, SSC Nursing Program Director, said. “In the future, we hope to work with area hospitals, Emergency Medical Services and Police to expand the training for our nursing students, as well as area healthcare professionals and response teams.”
The Seminole State College Board of Regents granted tenure to two faculty members, approved an increase to room and board rates and approved a resolution to support the current law regarding firearm restrictions on college campuses at their meeting on Feb. 16.
A large delegation of campus and community leaders representing Seminole State College attended Higher Education Day at the Capitol in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Feb. 14. The event, sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, is held annually to demonstrate the value and importance of higher education in the state.
Through a partnership between the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education’s Reach Higher program and Seminole State College, a scholarship is now available for adults who previously earned college credit and would like to return to complete their degree.
The Reach Higher Finish Line Scholarship was established to contribute to the economic development goals of the state of Oklahoma through providing in-demand degree options for working adults.
