Cate Center Audio Slide Show

               The different thing you can eat in Cate Center  at the University Of University.

Resident Adviser Training Class at the University of Oklahoma

Resident Adviser, Meghan Saunders, briefly talks about her experience in becoming a RA.

The Resident Adviser Process

Every semester students at the University of Oklahoma enroll and compete in a semester-long resident adviser class to become a RA for the rewards and benefits.

Before enrolling in the RA training class, students have to submit a resume and cover letter, RA Meghan Saunders said. The training class is a 3-credit hour course, and is required before they can apply for a RA position.

Students must maintain a grade “B” or better with a semester GPA of 2.5, and attend orientation at the beginning of each semester, according to the University of Oklahoma’s Housing and Food department.

Oklahoma is the only state in the region that requires students to take a class before they can become a RA, according to the Oklahoma Daily.

Over the last four years OU has hired an average of 45 advisers each academic year, but an average of 114 students enroll in the RA training class, according to documents obtained by the Oklahoma Daily. Only 40 percent of the students in the class become a residential adviser.

 “The most difficult part about becoming an RA is the competition because there’s two applicants for every one opening, so there’s a decent amount of competition when you apply,” Saunders said.

The number of students hired depends on how many current advisers will return for another year, Saunders said.

Students of the University of Oklahoma, who become a RA, receive free housing and food for every semester they are a resident adviser, RA Anica Taylor said.

After completing the training class, students turn in an application, attend an interview, and wait a few months for a response from the Housing and Food department, Taylor said.

Housing and Food prefers their applicants to show leadership, dependability, an interest in other students, and an ability to relate to them, according to the Department of Housing and Food.

Students, who take the training class, develop life-long leadership and listening skills, even if they don’t get the position. They can also use these skills to guide them in their future jobs.

Listening Assignment

I went to Cate Center where they serve different types of food. During this exercise I realized that there are so many different sounds. It was interesting that when I closed my eyes I noticed sounds that I usually wouldn’t notice. They were clear and very precise sounds.  Whenever I heard a sound that I didn’t recognize I would look to see what it was, and realized that I can make cool shots with the visuals that produced the sound.

I was surprised that I was able to pick up on the tiny squeak of the door opening. The utensil’s dispenser, people chewing ice, cups and plates being slammed onto the table, ratting  of books and paper in backpacks , rattling of packaged food, keys jingling, dishes falling, and even the food being tossed into the trash can amazed me. It was cool to know that I was able to hear all of those sounds.

When I looked around to see what certain sounds were I saw the door being opened, the jaw of someone moving as they chewed ice, people drinking their drinks and then putting their cups down. Then I saw people about to sit down with their food as they slammed their plates on the table. There was someone opening a pack of pop tarts, which caused the rattling sound. The employees that worked in that back at the girl were reaching over to grab different cooking utensils as they put the ones that they didn’t need any more down. 

Cricket Invasion

         Sooners no longer have to watch where they step. The crickets have died and left many wondering why they came and why were there so many. 
         A few crickets in your house and around the neighborhood doesn’t bother most, but what happens when a swarm of crickets are attacking you and there’s nothing you can do.  
       Sooners along with everyone living in the sooner state were in dismay last week as they witnessed an overwhelming amount of crickets in massive packs hanging out in drive ways, front yards, walkways, parking lots, and any other place where there was a light source.         Students at OU were not able to enjoy a nice walk around campus while gazing at the moonlight without being bothered by crickets. 
       “A cricket almost flew inside my eye and then it flew in my ice-cream while I was eating it,” said OU student Jae Hornbeak. “I wasn't even able to enjoy my ice-cream that I just bought.” 
      “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I saw how many crickets were on campus,” said Justin Williams. “I really hate those things.” 
         The crickets laid their eggs last year, which are usually in large numbers, but many of the eggs don’t survive if the weather conditions aren't right.
        Oklahoma’s weather was the main culprit in the cricket invasion. Heat and drought was the source for fueling and bringing life to these crickets. 
          By late spring of this year the eggs hatched, and the crickets were roaming campus unnoticed as nymphs. They all reached adulthood at the same time, which explains why there were a multitude of them roaming every corner of Oklahoma. 
          A few days after the cricket boom, the chirping sound that echoed loudly through campus started to fade as each cricket began to die one after another. 
         As OU students walked to their classes, it was hard not to notice the pool of dead crickets scattered on campus. 
        “Dead crickets are creepy too,” said Hornbeak. “I feel like I still have to run from them.” 
        The OU facilities management team is responsible for cleaning up the lifeless crickets on campus. They don’t use pesticides to kill the crickets. Facilities management waits for the crickets to die before they do a clean sweep of them on campus. 
         This cricket problem happens often on campus, but Sooners are wishing that when the crickets do come back, they find a new nest, and hope that an invasion like this never happens again.