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To Group or NoT To Grouppage 6

Three’s A pArTypage 10

new mom on the block

page 3

I’m NoT surprIsedpage 13

November 8, 2012 | Volume 2, Issue 12 | Stillwater, OK www.theodysseyonline.com | @odyssey_okstate | Facebook.com/TheOdysseyOklahomaState

editor's notewww.theodysseyonline.com2

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heAdING

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OLYMPIA MEDIA GROUP888.272.2595 | OlympiaMediaGroup.com

We want a representative from every house!To apply for a writing, photography or sales position,

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© 2012 Olympia Media Group, LLC All Rights Reserved. The Odyssey is a private entity not associated or governed by OK State or OK State Greek life office. The views and opinions shared in The Odyssey are those of the writers and do not

necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Odyssey and Olympia Media Group.

CREATIVE TEAMEditor-in-ChiefAndrea Cerar, Kappa Alpha Theta

Contributing EditorMadison Harrington, Alpha Delta Pi

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EXECUTIVE TEAMPresident

Mitchell Earl, Alpha Gamma Rho

Sales ExecutivesJohn Gilmore,

Kappa Sigma

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Pal Hernson, Alpha Gamma Rho

Cerar article. In progress.

David William Brumfield, born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Pamela Lynn and Edward Lee Brumfield was born September 15, 1990, and passed October 15, 2012.

In Loving MemoryDavid William Brumfield

feature storywww.theodysseyonline.com 3

House moms are a vital part of a fraternity or sorority, and they have been since about the beginning of social fraternities. Just as the chapter house is supposed to be your home away from home, house moms are supposed to be your mom away from your real mom. They are the responsible adults in the house, they help give advice, enforce manners and teach you how to properly set up a formal dinner table, and of course sew back on buttons on your blazer when they pop off from wearing it every day during pledgeship.

House mothers are great and Gamma Phi Beta is lucky enough to have gotten a new one who is nothing less than amazing. Last year their house mom, Mom Moody, began to have medical issues and she had to leave, leaving a gap in the G Phi house that needed to be filled. Charlissa Hunter was the lucky one to fill this position. Charlissa or

“Mom Char” as the girls call her, was born in Stillwater and her father was a senior at Oklahoma A&M. She then moved around a little bit but eventually ended up in Kansas City with her high school sweetheart. When her husband passed away and with her kids grown up and moved out, she was left with a void (and 28 acres of land); she was wanting more or something different.

Her son Cody, who was a Pike here, is dating Emily Lissuzzo who is a Gamma Phi. Emily knew that G Phi was in need of a new house mom and she knew that Mom Char was looking to do something new, so she called around and got her an interview. Mom Char met with Debby

Strickland who is the Delta Tau Delta house mom, the Gamma Phi financial advisor, and a founding member of G Phi here at OSU. When they met for the interview Debby and Charlissa immediately got along and Mom Char knew that this would be a great place for her. She got the phone call and accepted the job. When she told her friends and family she was packing up and moving into a sorority house, they all thought she was crazy. She even told people about it on the flight down here, and they were shocked and amused at how quickly she was willing to change her life in such a big way.

Mom Char loves it here already. She says it’s like being at home when her kids were growing up. She said that there were always

kids at her house, even when her kids weren’t there, their friends would show up and sit at the kitchen table and just talk to her. She loves Gamma Phi and all the girls, although she is still working on remembering all of the 100-plus girls’ names. She loves being around all the girls and young people and just likes having the mother’s responsibility again. She is very happy to be back in Stillwater, and she says that this is hardly a job because she likes it so much. She also likes not having to commute to work. “My feet hit the floor and I’m here,” said Mom Char.

The house voted on what they wanted to call her and they voted on Mom Char, but she said, “If it was up to me, they would call me Gramzie Doodle.” She likes how all the girls are friends and she loves to see the camaraderie among them. She says it is funny to hear girls squealing and laughing at the top of their lungs for 10 minutes and she just wonders “What is happening up there?” Morgan Ardrey, a

G Phi sophomore said, “We already love Mom so much because she fits in, she is so fun and sassy, same goes for Chloe the house dog.”

House dogs are another important aspect of house moms, because nearly everyone loves dogs and it is always good to have a cute dog to welcome you at the door. Mom Char has a sweet little dog named Chloe. “Chloe runs all around the house, and it’s cute when I wake up and Chloe is next to me” said Caitlin Kittrell. Carrie Stevenson said, “We not only have a new mom, we also have a new dog on the block.” At the end of our nice interview, I had one final question for mom, I asked her who her favorite houseboy was and she said without hesitation, “Kennedy!” Mom Char and the girls are already getting along great and Mom Char loves everything about being a house mom, she has found a great place with great girls and plans on sticking around for as long as she can.

New mom oN The BloCKMATTHEw kEnnEDY Sigma Alpha EpsilonMatthew is a junior studying marketing and management. You may contact him at matthew.w.kennedy@Okstate.edu.

greek life traditionswww.theodysseyonline.com4

After the fun yet exhausting time of living in the chapter house, one must come to find a place to call home. For fraternities, this time may not come until senior year, and for sororities the time comes when the new pledge class decides to take over.

Finding a place to live outside of the chapter house is exciting and makes students even more independent. There are countless housing options in Stillwater that students must choose between. There is anything from an apartment, a duplex or a house, and there are locations from right next to campus to 10 miles away. As a Greek community, we tend to stay together.

Weighing the pros and cons of each individual living arrangement, a decision must eventually be made. It is hard to decide what is most important when choosing a place to live. Location and quality are generally the two main criteria when searching for a house.

Although the lease launch party has passed, Aspen Heights is still being talked about throughout campus. The new luxury homes are being built northeast of town and have the student body excited for the new addition in

Stillwater. Focus groups ensure the OSU student is getting all he or she could want in a house. Students are highly attracted to this neighborhood due to the wide range of amenities offered. There will be a resort-style pool, work out facility, recreation house and much more. The amenity that has most students excited is the bus system. It is run by the property and will run continuously, even throughout the night, to and from campus. This makes for easy transportation from the strip on weekends as well. Aspen Heights sounds like it is going to be a hopping neighborhood fi l led with happy students.

If Aspen Heights is too big for your taste, an apartment might be your choice. Popular apartments for Greeks to look into are the KD Apartments. They run between 4th Ave. and 3rd Ave., between the Kappa Kappa Gamma House and Pi Beta Phi. The parking lot is always filled with cars bearing a Greek symbol. The location is prime to walk to any chapter house for chapter or a meal. Also, the walk to campus is not too difficult to make either. Stillwater Property, a highly regarded local business, runs this complex, along with a number of others.

Another neighborhood filled with happy students is Westwood. Although the area did recently run into some parking problems, the issue has since been resolved, and is populated with Greek students. Houses are put up for rent throughout the year and for different lease agreements. They range in two bedroom to six bedroom houses, and are either two story or ranch style. The choice is up to you, and there is guaranteed to be a house that fits your needs. The biggest benefit of the Westwood neighborhood is the location in relation to campus. It butts right up to the west side of campus and is a short walk to any building. It is the closest off-campus living option to the Colvin.

Regardless of where you decide to live, there will more than likely be a good amount of Greek friends that live

around you. Lease signing is an exciting part of college, to see with who and where you will be living the next year. Moving out of house is exciting, but can also be sad, as so many memories were made in the one, two, maybe even three years spent in the walls of your beloved home. The in-house times are some of the best memories a college Greek will have with their fraternity brothers or sorority sisters. The best way to make the years out of house count is to bond with members of other chapters in your new living area and make new memories.

where GreeKs should GoEriCAMcCARThY Phi MuErica is a junior studying strategic communications. You may contact her at erica.mccarthy@okstate.edu.

greek life traditionswww.theodysseyonline.com 5GreeK of The weeK: WhITNey WrIghT

If you ever have a rough day and are looking for someone to laugh with, Whitney Wright is your girl.

Wright, a marketing junior, is a member of the Alpha Omicron chapter of Alpha Delta Pi. Whether through her position as skit day chairman, pledge class vice president or entertaining her sisters, she strives to better her chapter in a variety of ways.

“I just hope that when I leave ADPi, people will remember me as the fun, outgoing person that always wanted to have a good time and make people laugh,” she said.

Whitney’s multiple positions in her chapter and on campus do not reflect a businesslike personality. She’s the life of the party and always cracking jokes. Her participation in prank wars throughout the house is an example of her humorous side.

“Once one girl took one shoe out of all of the pairs of my shoes and hid them everywhere,” she said. “It was perfect timing, too, because I was running late for class that day and was freaking out when I realized the prank.”

Wright says things like prank wars are why she loves ADPi, which she describes as a chapter of down to earth girls.

“I never have to worry about being judged,” she said. “We’re all real and there’s hardly any drama at all. For me, that’s the ideal environment.”

Whitney said she picked ADPi because of her conversations with the older members.

“I just really clicked with a lot of the girls I talked with,” she said. “They made me feel comfortable no matter what we talked about.”

Whitney said during her time in ADPi, her study skills have improved.

“My study habits have changed so much since I was a freshman,” she said. “I actually use a planner now. That’s how unprepared I was my first year. I didn’t even have a freaking planner. Times have definitely changed and I’ve grown up a lot more now.”

Outside of ADPi, Whitney is a member of Delta Sigma

Pi business fraternity.

“I love getting out and meeting all kinds of people,” she said. “And it gives me something to stay busy.”

She stressed the importance of getting involved on campus early in college.

“Get your foot in the door early on,” she said. “Businesses aren’t just looking for college graduates anymore. They’re looking for the students who excelled.”

Not only is Wright involved in her chapter and on campus, but she also participates in intramurals, including flag football and volleyball.

“Flag football is definitely just for fun,” she said. “And I played volleyball in high school, so I wanted to keep it going.”

Whitney said before intramurals, she hadn’t touched a football.

“Last week we were playing and I caught the ball and turned around and ran the fastest I’ve ever ran in my life,” she said. “I ran from the 20 yard line and scored, running for a 60 yard touchdown. I did a little celebratory dance, to turn around and realize that someone on our

team got a flag and my touchdown didn’t even count. Seriously? That’s my life.”

Wright is also a talented tennis player. She uses that talent to make a different in children’s lives.

“I teach little kids tennis twice a week,” she said. “I like it just because I know that I’m helping them improve in many ways. I don’t even really like kids that much, but they’re an exception.”

Wright’s spunky personality, athleticism, motivation and overall zest for life are even more unique because of the trials she faced as a baby.

“I had a diaphragmatic hernia when I was born, which is basically where my diaphragm didn’t grow all the way so my intestines were all over my body,” she said. “I wasn’t expected to live, so... Go Pokes.”

If anything, the opposition Whitney faced at the start of her life made her stronger. She’s always looking on the bright side of things and is able to be a source of encouragement for others.

“I always try to make [my friends] laugh and give them helpful advice when they’re down or having a hard time,” she said.

libbY nIChOLAsChi Omega

Libby is a junior studying journalism. You may contact her at elizabeth.nicholas@okstate.edu.

Wright with some of her ADPi sisters.

Wright with friends at the game.Wright with her twin littles.

campus connectionswww.theodysseyonline.com6

Ah, group projects- you either love them or hate them. Some students relish in the idea of a teacher encouraging a collaborated effort and really thrive when it comes to group projects. Other students, however, would rather work solo and earn a grade all on their own. Throughout my time here at OSU I have participated in quite a few group projects and have gathered a few tips to make your next group project as smooth and stress-free as possible.

Communication is Key

I cannot stress the importance of communication enough when it comes to group projects. I would recommend email or even texting as the easiest and most efficient way to connect to your group. Often times people’s schedules

overlap and it’s nearly impossible to find a good time to all meet in person, so email is an easy way to let everyone know at the same time what their individual jobs will be.

Organize the Project Early

My best piece of advice would be to set the roles of the project early. Whether it be separating sections of a paper or allocating duties throughout the project, letting everyone know what is expected of them as early as possible will help the project be smooth over time.

Don’t Wait ‘Til the Last Minute

I’ve already admitted my love for procrastination in a previous article, but a group project is one of the few things I know I can’t put off. It’s really important to remember that your effort towards a group project affects the outcome of other people’s grades. Don’t wait until the night before your section of a 15-page paper is due in case you end up needing help from the rest of the group. No one likes being “that girl” sending emails at 1 a.m. begging for help.

Consult your Professor

Let’s face it- sometimes you just have to break down and talk to your professor. Whether it be difficulties with your project or problems between the group members, your professors are there to help and advise you. I once had a professor encourage us to come talk to him in confidence if someone wasn’t pulling their weight within the group.

Be Flexible

We’re all in college, and we all have understandably busy schedules that can make fitting in meetings for group projects extremely difficult. Whether it be chapter, meetings for on-campus organizations, or a job sometimes it’s almost impossible to find a convenient time for everyone to meet. Sometimes you’re going to have to miss your favorite show or skip your favorite class at the Colvin to meet with your group.

Hopefully now that you have a few new tips your next group project will be a breeze. Just relax, build a group camaraderie, and remember that you can always consult your professor if you have any questions or concerns. Good luck!

Voting for college senators will begin on Nov. 13 at 8 a.m. and close on Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. Elected individuals will serve for a term of one year as a senator to their respective constituencies. SGA Senators work directly with affairs concerning the general student body, recognized campus organizations and clubs, as well as providing for the allocation of student fees to fund various programming efforts campus-wide.

The following individuals are running for college senate seats:

College of Arts and sciences:Six open seats

Jake AkinBaylee ButlerDevin Fortner

Christina MillerSusan Occhipinti

Carlie PearsonSarah Sauer

spears school of Business:Six open seats

Aaron CharrierMichael Chorley

Ryan DoolinCharlie Gibson

Kyle Kertz

Evyn LarsenJessalyn Mcalister

Emily O’BrienJeffery (Cole) Parsons

Alexander RheaThorne Stallings

Alexis Wiebe

College of Education:Three open seats

Jennifer Holcomb

College of Agricultural sciences and natural Resources:

Three open seats

Brian BartonShane Jemison

Hannah SandersAlison SlagellRoss Mencke

College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology:

Five open seats

Tempitope AkandeLyndall Berwaldt

Matthew ChuningKelsey Duepner

Connor MojoKale WoosleyDonnie Worth

College of human and Environmental sciences:

Two open seats

No application submitted

To vote, go to elections.okstate.edu and log in using your okey username and password. Absentee voting will take place Thursday, Nov. 8 in the SGA office (211Q Student Union)

For questions or concerns, contact:

Mike Merit, Election Agency Chair

mike.merit@okstate.edu

SGA office (211Q Student Union)

(405) 744-6500

Senate meetings are held Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. in Case Study 1 of the student union. A time slot is available for any student concerns at the beginning of each meetings.

To Group or NoT To Group

GA Fall General Election to take Place nov. 13 and 14

MADiSOn hARRInGTOn Alpha Delta PiContributing EditorMadison is a senior studying marketing and management. You may contact her at madison.harrington@okstate.edu.

philanthropy & servicewww.theodysseyonline.com 7

Despite the slow progression/lack of cold weather, the 2012 football season is coming to an end as fall turns to winter. Bedlam is a common part of vocabulary for OSU and OU fans alike, but as it nears the infamous game once again that one game is weighing on everyone’s minds. There is more to the Battle of Bedlam than just the game though.

Did you know every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood? More than 44,000 donations of blood are needed each day. One donation alone can help save the lives of up to three people. Less than 38 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to give blood. And that makes it even more important that people donate because blood is not a resource that can be manufactured. It can only come from generous donors, like you. So why not donate?

The Bedlam Blood Battle is a great opportunity to do that. This year the blood drive will be held Monday, Nov. 12 through Friday, Nov. 16 in the Gallagher-Iba Arena East lobby or Kerr-Drummond Mezzanine between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Appointments can be made to donate online at www.obi.org in the events and promotions section. The event is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Student Alumni Board.

All who are in good health and 16 or older, which should be most of you that are reading this, are encouraged to donate. It only takes an hour! All donors will receive a T-shirt that says, “I Bleed Orange” (I know we all have plenty, but still, who could pass up a free T-shirt?) and a chance to win two tickets to the Bedlam game, hosted at The University of Oklahoma the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Each day, one lucky donor will be selected to win an autographed football from Cowboys’ Head Coach Mike Gundy.

OSU has won the blood battle for the past two years. That is something for us, as die-hard Oklahoma State fans and students, to brag about. With a dominating win last year on the field, most OSU students understand how it feels to be victorious over our rival. But with the loss

of several key players, this year’s game may not be as predictable. We as a student body and a Greek community need to come together and do our best to secure a win over the Sooners in the blood battle.

With several incentives listed above, being able to help out others and have bragging rights over that school to the south for the next year, why wouldn’t anyone sacrifice an hour of their time to give blood? Especially being Greek, the rivalry seems to dig a little bit deeper. Don’t sit back and then complain when OU gets the victory. Let’s all rally together for our school and others, and then let’s carry that adrenaline and enthusiasm on to game day so we can bring the Bedlam Bell back to Stillwater once again.

BATTle of BedlAm Comes To BloodMErriCk EAGLETOnkappa Alpha ThetaMerrick is a sophomore studying multimedia journalism. You may contact her at merrick.eagleton@yahoo.com.

"Did you know every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood? More than 44,000 donations of blood are needed each day. One donation alone can help save the lives of up to three people."

debate & discusswww.theodysseyonline.com10

It’s always up in the air when it’s officially socially acceptable to start listening to Christmas music or whip out your favorite version of The Grinch (the one with Jim Carrey, obviously). The fact that stores have been putting up their Christmas displays before Halloween has come and gone confuses us even more. I’ve heard countless times, “When can I start watching Elf again?” So I think it would be in everyone’s best interest to just get it out in the open when the appropriate time to publicly be as jolly as the big man himself.

First off, I’m all about Christmas. My favorite episode of Workoholics is when they celebrate “Half Christmas.” Sue me for loving the only time of the year everyone is happy-freezing, but happy. That being said, I don’t follow any kind of personal rule about Christmas celebrations. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I was listening to Michael Buble’s Christmas album starting after the first cold front of the season hit. I would listen to it all year if my car

riding passengers wouldn’t give me the what-is-this glance once the CD player started up. Obviously that’s a little ridiculous and embarrassing to admit, but I know my faults. However, I don’t condone it and feel like every holiday should have its fair share of the calendar.

Halloween and Thanksgiving are before Christmas. For some reason, it seems like some people and local decoration stores forget that. Which is why it seems only obvious to truly accept decorations or the sound of jingle bells after Thanksgiving. We can’t ignore Thanksgiving after it’s always been there for us with pie as far as the eye can see. Sure there’s no countdown TV special on ABC Family to keep up with and remind us of this, the only thing out there for the holiday is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, which was made back in the ‘70s, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. If it’s anything at all, the holiday simply gives us a reason to go home for a little less than a week, which I’m not complaining about.

Thanksgiving has definitely been put on the backburner, just like Columbus Day (Oct. 14) or Oklahoma Day (April 22), for all those against Texas Independence Day (March 2), and it’s easy to see why. Let’s allow the other holidays to have their time to shine before moving on, after all, the screeching of “All I Want for Christmas” by Mariah Carey would quickly become too much to handle if it started up two months in advance.

T h i s m o r n i n g , I turned on the TV and was flipping through channels when I stopped on CSPAN. There was a program titled “Third P a r t y P re s i d e n t i a l Debate” being aired. I don’t know about any of you, but I had no idea this was even happening. I knew there were third party candidates, but none of them are ever mentioned in the news.

One of the main reasons this is true is due to the fact that public contributions and campaign funding are very low for most third party candidates. This could be because very few people know about the third party candidates. I know that third party candidates usually help or harm a certain election. This is the idea behind the spoiler effect, which occurs when a minor party candidate runs in an election against a major party candidate that is only slightly dissimilar from him. This, in turn, causes a split in voting, and causes the opposite party candidate to win.

For example, it is hypothesized that if Ralph Nader, a liberal, had not run as a third party candidate against Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000, Gore most likely would have won. Nader’s policy and ideals were close

to Gore’s, therefore splitting what was most likely the Democratic and Independent vote, which in turn led to a larger number of electoral votes in favor of George W. Bush.

The sad part about that fact is that we as citizens are missing out on different views that could possibly help our country. The best thing about third party candidates is that since they do not have as much funding behind their campaign, they have less people buying their power and influence over legislation. I do believe that corporations have become excessively powerful in our government, and neither party is guiltier for taking

money from these groups. This problem has gotten grotesquely larger over the last few decades, and I think that if we gutted our political system a little and brought in a third party candidate, more would get done.

If we elected a third party candidate who had good policies about moving this country forward, I think that Congress would be more likely to actually get to work because less people in Congress would be trying to further their party’s agenda by making the incumbent look good or bad to the American people. While I do not agree with some ideas of third parties and even think that many are too radical, I do think that fresh, new ideas could help us in an economy like ours.

Perhaps we should be allowing third party candidates to participate in mainstream Presidential debates. Even by just taking that small action, many American citizens will be able to see that they have more than one option in elections. The only thing to be weary of, though, is the possibility of a spoiler candidate. Maybe one day we will see a third party come out strong on the stage and claim one third of our electoral votes, making the playing ground more even for all voices. Until then, we have to play the hand that we are dealt and see what we can do to implement future changes.

wheN CAN we Be Jolly?

Three’s A pArTy

briTTAnYsETzEkORn Alpha Delta PiBrittany is a junior studying strategic communications. You may contact her at brittany.lauren.setzekorn@okstate.edu.

kEiGHlEY sALLEE Gamma Phi beta

Keighley is a junior studying zoology and is pre-vet. You may contact her at keighley.sallee@okstate.edu.

fashion trendswww.theodysseyonline.com 11

still posh Ad

In high school, you were considered weird if you didn’t look nice for class. Now that we’re in college, you get weird looks if you do. Dressing up for Pin Day is always a pain, every sorority girl can agree. Trying to wear something other than your Nike shorts or leggings and over-sized T-shirt is always a struggle. And now that it’s getting cold, it’s creating a whole new set of problems for sorority life. But as you struggle to find an outfit for that oh-so-dreaded Pin Day in the winter, here are some helpful things to remember.

Some chapters have a l l together banned skinny jeans, colored or not, from Pin Day attire. And while they do offer you the choice of khakis or slacks, I’m thinking a large portion of us don’t own such wonderful articles of clothing. My suggestion: wear some leggings under your dress. I’ve seen plenty of my sisters come out of the house looking like super models with a cardigan over it as well and their leggings tucked into their boots.

Shoes are always my personal struggle. Looking for something that’s nicer than the usual Chacos, but not so uncomfortable as some heels can prove to be one of the hardest tasks of Pin Day. Try wearing your boots. They cover a large section of your legs, protecting them from the frigid winter wind. Personally, I wouldn’t bother wearing heels or wedges at all. By the time you reach Monroe, you’re going to regret your decision.

Jackets are also problematic. How can you look cute but still keep yourself from being miserably cold? Those huge wool jackets are a great way to keep warm. Some of them go down far enough to cover the top part of your legs and are heavily insulated. Or pick a normal jacket that is bound

to keep you warm and just add a cute scarf on top. Or there is a point where it is just so ridiculously cold out that you no longer care about looking cute and just want to wear that jacket that makes you look like a colored marshmallow.

There is also the option of layering. Maybe wearing a tank top under a nice shirt with a cardigan and a scarf. Whatever type of layers you decide to wear, think “warm.”

No matter what you end up putting on during these cold winter Pin Days, we all know we’ll get those weird stares from people who are not Greek and don’t understand why you have to dress up for no particular reason. But keep on trekking through campus in your comfy yet nice clothes as you day-dream about crawling back into your warm bed.

#pINdAyproBs

bOnni BROWn Zeta Tau Alpha

Bonni is a sophomore studying speech pathology. You may contact her at bonni.brown@okstate.edu.

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Who doesn’t love a good date party? You get to theme-appropriately dress up, go to a rented venue to dance the night away and do things that are reserved for 21 year-olds. It’s a great time for everyone involved. Well, almost everyone. However tough as it is to have a bad time at a date party, there are always those few people who let something ruin their (and sometimes everyone else’s) good time. What they need is a simple three-step guide to having a great date party.

step 1 - find a date: I know some of you lone wolves like to go to date parties solo, but in reality, no one wants to be the guy in the back of the party bus with the guy who looks like Dobby from Harry Potter and your pledge brother who never learned proper bathing habits, all the while, everyone else is paired up and canoodling. However, finding a date is easier said than done, you’ll probably run into a few excuses when you ask a girl. Common excuses you run into are:

“I’d really love to, but it’s my best friend’s birthday that day.” What she really means is she saw on Facebook that someone from her high school is having a birthday the same day as the date party and is using that as the perfect white lie. Another excuse is “That sounds like

so much fun, but we’re having a sisterhood event that day.” In reality, that “sisterhood event” is her and four of her friends hanging out with people much cooler than you. But don’t be discouraged; with enough resiliency you should be able to find a date.

step 2 - Attend date party: Congratulations, your hard work has paid off; you’ve waded through the excuses and found someone to take to the date party. Now, just because she has agreed to go to the date party with you, doesn’t grant you exclusive property rights. Don’t be a weirdo who thinks that you’re the only person who can dance with, talk to or look at your date. If you hover around your date like a helicopter and never let her leave your side, chances are your

night will end with a Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit and a side of frustration. Also, don’t think for a second that you’re part of the three percent of the population that can actually dance. While you may think you’re a phenomenal dancer, in reality, your awkward gyrations on the dance floor leave people wondering if there is a need for an ambulance. Find one move you’re comfortable with and stick with it. Just attend the party, don’t hover and stick to one move on the dance floor.

step 3 - leave date party: After spending most of the night at White Barn or The Legion or the venue of your social chairman’s choice, you realize that the night is dwindling to an end, the party is over and it’s time to go home. This step is pretty self-explanatory; you get on the bus and go home, because as much as you want to spend the night at White Barn, I’m pretty sure you’ll get in trouble for that.

Date parties are a lot like ice cream sundaes, they’re pretty hard to screw up. So just follow these three very simple steps and you’ll never have a bad one.

THrEE SiMPlE STEPS TO A GrEAT DATE PArTY

ARIEsMarch 21 - April 19A big opportunity may come your way, Aries, but your head may be too cluttered to take advantage of it. Don’t be afraid of what the opportunity holds, because while you sometimes let your hesitant nature hold you back, now is the time to take the risk.

You wear many different masks in life, Libra, and while you’re used to switching yourpersonality on and off, you need to choose one and stick with it.

LIBRAseptember 23 - October 22

While you’ve come a long way this year, you still have miles to go, Scorpio. Your next task on the road to success may involve a person you don’t want to deal with, but tap into that soft sugary side you know you have and you’re sure to win them over.

sCORPIOOctober 23 - november 21

Indecision will plague your thoughts this week, Sagittarius, as you have a few big weeks ahead of you. Remember to go with your gut as your heart and mind will lead you in the right direction.

sAGITTARIUsnovember 22 - December 21

You let your sensitive side get the best of you this week, Taurus. Friends may come to you for advice and guidance and you would be wise not to let them down.

TAURUsApril 20 - May 20

You’re on the fast track to success this week, Gemini, but success can be measured in different ways. Be sure to consider your emotional and professional success and you’ll be surprised.

GEMInIMay 21 - June 20

Slow and steady wins the race this week, Cancer. You may feel sluggish at the beginning of the week from last Saturday’s festivities. Each day you’ll continue to regain more momentum.

CAnCERJune 21 - July 22

You feel emotionally strong this week, Pisces. Even though certain people may be getting inthe way of your plans, you will feel that you can accomplish a great deal this week.

PIsCEsFebruary 19 - March 20

Your generous attitude is inspiring and welcomed by others this week, Leo. However,think carefully about your actions as others might perceive them as arrogant.

LEOJuly 23 - August 22

Just as you’re starting to experience success in work or school this week, something comes along to make you feelbadly.

VIRGOAugust 23 - september 22

You may feel like you’re putting in all the work in a romantic relationship this week, Capricorn, and your thoughts suggest that you think if you pull away for a minute the whole thing may fall apart.

CAPRICORnDecember 22 - January 19

It’s important to remain flexible this week, Aquarius, but not so much that you can’tmake a decision about anything. Your worldly consciousness has become more obvious to you as time has gone by.

AQUARIUsJanuary 20 - February 18

WEEkLY horoscopes

kADE GOODWIn Phi Delta ThetaKade is a sophomore studying political science. You may contact him at kade.goodwin@okstate.edu.

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Living in a fraternity house provides us with a few of the best years of our lives, while trimming a few years off of our later days in exchange. We’re aiming to enjoy the best quality lifetimes possible, rather than thinking about the quantity of our years. The Greek system treats us all too well and has taught us a few different things. Most importantly, we’ve learned that we won’t be surprised by too much after our four years here.

Westin Hayes, a sophomore member of Phi Delta Theta, recalls a time during last semester when many members of our fraternity were pretty surprised. “We casually woke up on a Saturday morning to notice that our living room had been completely destroyed.” Members walked downstairs to find our couches flipped over, and three of our fire extinguishers laying on the carpet. Some random and anonymous people figured a way to sneak into our house and throw a two-minute party in our living room at around 2:30 a.m. They set off our fire extinguishers and sprayed them throughout the living room and kitchen areas. Touché. We weren’t even mad about the whole thing (except for paying a few fines to the fire department). A group of random people had the courage to sneak into a fraternity house during a peak hour of the weekend night, when we were most likely to still be awake. Yet you all somehow went unseen and weren’t caught by us.

Whoever you guys may be, good one.

Falling down from dangerous heights is also surprising for many people. It’s scary because someone could become seriously injured after falling from any height. Injuries from falling are a large concern for risk managers of all fraternity houses. People will inevitably somehow fall down. If those people are luckily completely unharmed after falling, that’s when it’s funny. Cameron Gaddy, who is a young alumnus of our fraternity, survived falling three stories out of a window. He was a 4.0 engineering student and now works for ExxonMobil – a smart guy. Somehow he landed in a soft and comfortable bush after his fall from the third floor. He’s a true legend who’s lucky to be alive, and we strongly believe that bush was planted by some beautiful girl with Cameron in mind. Hagan Baker, an active

member, has similarly fallen down two flights of concrete stairs recently. He has almost made a complete recovery after walking and speaking like a grandfather for much too long now.

These are just a couple examples of the funnier things that have surprised me about my fraternity’s house in the past. I’ve also been surprised by some of our house’s recent accomplishments, but they aren’t as funny. Some of the smartest guys eventually have their unexpectedly funny and wild night that surprises everyone. Those moments are great to witness- but for right now I feel like I’ve seen or experienced most of Stillwater’s surprises. However I still want to study abroad, play lacrosse, or maybe finally learn how to two-step. Until then, I’m just not that surprised.

I’m NoT surprIsed

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STEfAn TAYLOR Phi Delta ThetaStefan is a junior studying international business. You may contact him at stefan.taylor@okstate.edu.

Tanning on the roof is normal at my house.

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@krissygilbert Don’t webmd. Just don’t. #scared

@alexisamblair I got 99 problems and this Lil Caesars is probably the solution I mean damn

@Mitchell_J_P So in hindsight maybe fishbowl races were not a great idea. But this is how we learn.

@SheBanggs It’s not fair that haunted houses pay someone to dress up and chase customers with a chainsaw but grocery stores won’t let me do it for free.

@MitchMcGrew It’s ridiculous that clean sheets aren’t one of Julie Andrews’ favorite things.

@jenniferleabeck “You never know someone until you play UNO with them and the mother effer hits you with a draw four.”

@ConorTripler fellas are comin for the game and I’ll say it right now. If Brad wears white pants again he can’t come inside. U know when labor day is Brad

@OSUBetaThetaPi Shout out to @chrisamansker for organizing our Destination Turkey Pull! #kansascity2012

@calepotts If you don’t eat your candy corn in three separate bites starting from the big yellow end to the small white end, you’re a communist.

@camsikes Tweets of the week suck today

@boring_as_heck MISSING: SUPER ADORABLE PUPPY. WILL COME IF YOU PLAY WU-TANG HELLA LOUD. THIS IS NOT A PLOY TO GET THE NEIGHBORHOOD BUMPIN’, THE DOG IS REAL

@nick_jordan3 THERE ARE VERY FEW THINGS IN THIS WORLD THAT GET ME AS HYPED AS PIGS IN THE BLANKET

@TheHoyBoy This rum and coke tastes a little bit like I’m not going to work tomorrow

@ezeddaly If I had a dollar for every time I accidentally browsed in the ladies section of The Gap, I’d have $17 and wonder why I got paid for that.

@Jen_Gilliland Definitely just opened the passenger side door to a man in a van needing directions..probably not the smartest decision of the day #nocandy

@LElivers Thank you @haileyhaworth for holding my hair back so I could eat a hotdog on the way to class.

@kpaxxxxx Girl next to me is eating a Taco Bell crunch wrap supreme. I’m eating a packed PB&J from Pi Phi…Waiting for her to turn her head.

CAMErOn sIkEsSigma nu

Cameron is a senior studying biological sciences. You may contact him at cameron.sikes@okstate.edu.

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