Oklahoma clergy, university leaders remain cautious of modified federal contraception mandate

BY CARLA HINTON

Local Catholic leaders said Friday they are cautious about voicing approval of the Obama administration’s modifications to a controversial federal mandate on birth control.
And an Oklahoma congressman and several leaders of local faith-affiliated institutions expressed cynicism about the recent mandate changes.

Mike O’Neal, president of Oklahoma Christian University, said the changes appear to be a “sleight of hand.”

“We’re grateful for anything that helps us in this matter; we just can’t tell what it means right now,” O’Neal said.

The Obama administration drew the ire of Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, as well as O’Neal and other local leaders, when U.S. Health and Human Services officials announced on Jan. 20 a federal mandate requiring faith-affiliated institutions like hospitals, charities and universities to offer free contraception and abortifacients (drugs that induce abortion) as part of their health insurance coverage.

Friday, President Barack Obama said the mandate would be modified so that religious-affiliated employers with religious objections to providing contraception and abortifacients would no longer be required to do so. Obama said instead, insurance companies, not the religious employer, would be required to offer contraception free of charge.

Coakley was out of town Friday and unavailable for comment. However, Monsignor Edward J. Weisenburger, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City’s vicar general, said he is reserving judgment on the altered measure.

Oklahoma Christian University promotes college affordability with new pricing

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (Feb. 13, 2012) – Oklahoma Christian University will eliminate all student fees and will not raise students’ total costs for tuition, room and board for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Oklahoma Christian also will expand its block pricing to 17 hours per semester (up from 15).

Tuition for most students taking 12 to 17 hours will be $18,800 per year. Total charges for the typical OC student, including room and board, will be $24,975. That price is far below the national private-school average of $38,589, and is further reduced by financial aid that makes OC’s nationally-recognized education competitive with many state-supported institutions.

“We’ve shown our commitment to affordability over the last decade by keeping our price increases at or below the rate of inflation and below the increases at both public and private schools,” OC president-elect John deSteiguer said. “Strong enrollments and wise financial management have fortified us in this turbulent economy, allowing us to take more steps to benefit students and their families.”

OC’s new pricing increases the opportunity for students and families to shape their costs with technology, housing, dining and other choices that best fit their budgets and needs. Options include the ability to upgrade the standard 11-inch MacBook Air that all fulltime undergraduate students receive as part of their tuition costs.

In addition to their meal plan, students have the option, but are not required, to purchase “Eagle Bucks” for tax-free dining at Alfredo’s, Chick-Fil-A, Jimmy John’s and the OC Grill.

OC’s 17-hour block pricing is aimed at helping students graduate in four years while controlling the costs associated with extra credit hours or extra years in school.

Differential tuition will continue to apply for certain students, such as those taking private music lessons or nursing clinical classes, but the elimination of fees will simplify the college search and decision-making process for students and their families. This approach will allow them to better assess OC’s costs in comparison to colleges and universities that charge course fees and other large fees on top of their tuition “sticker price.” 

In addition to its pricing policy, Oklahoma Christian will continue to promote affordability through student financial services. Ninety-five percent of OC students receive financial aid, including performance and athletic scholarships, need-based financial grants, and governmental assistance.

OC’s Presidential Academic Success Scholarship rewards academic achievement tied to student performance on ACT and SAT exams. The university also offers large scholarships for National Merit Scholars. Oklahoma Christian currently has 30 National Merit Finalists enrolled, including 11 in the most recent new student class.

Overall, the last five years have featured the five largest enrollments in OC history, including 2,193 students for the 2011-2012 academic year. OC’s student body is composed of students from 42 states and 61 countries.

OC’s 200-acre campus is located in northeast Oklahoma City, and borders the city of Edmond. The comprehensive Christian university offers 60 undergraduate majors and 30 additional areas of study, plus graduate degrees in business administration, engineering, ministry and divinity.

Both U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review annually recognize Oklahoma Christian as one of the best universities in the western region of the United States. Oklahoma Christian also is ranked among the Top 50 Schools for Entrepreneurship by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review.

“OC’s value is seen not only in our students’ academic success, but in their career success and commitment to Christian service in their communities,” deSteiguer said. “I am grateful to our faculty and staff for serving students with excellence, and to our alumni and friends who make it possible to keep OC’s high-quality education affordable for students from all over the world.”

Click here for more information about OC’s new pricing structure.

Eagles Fly Fee Free

Oklahoma Christian University announced Monday that it will eliminate all student fees and will not raise students’ total costs for tuition, room and board for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Oklahoma Christian also will expand its block pricing to 17 hours per semester (up from 15).

This video, featuring current president Mike O’Neal and president-elect John deSteiguer, celebrates the fact that “Eagles Fly Fee Free.”

Oklahoma Christian University to host Rick Steves on March 10

Travel writer and TV personality Rick Steves will appear at Oklahoma Christian University on Saturday, March 10.

Steves will present the lecture, Cultivating a Global Perspective through Travel, at 7 p.m. in OC’s Hardeman Auditorium.

Reserved tickets cost $10 and can be purchased by calling (405) 425-5488 or by ordering online at www.oc.edu/ricksteves. Sponsors for the event include the Oklahoman, KOSU, OETA and KaliKosmos Travel.

Steves advocates smart, affordable, perspective-broadening travel, helping travelers connect intimately and authentically with Europe for a fraction of what mainstream tourists pay.

Over the past 20 years, he has hosted more than 100 travel shows for public television. His Rick Steves’ Europe TV series is carried by more than 300 stations, reaching 95 percent of U.S. markets. He also created two award-winning specials for public television, Rick Steves’ European Christmas and Rick Steves’ Iran.

Steves also hosts a weekly public radio program, Travel with Rick Steves, and has created a series of audio walking tour podcasts for museums and neighborhoods in Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, London and Athens.

He has written more than 50 other country, city and regional guidebooks, phrase books, and “snapshot” guides since first publishing his travel skills book, “Europe Through the Back Door,” in 1980. For several years, “Rick Steves’ Italy” has been the bestselling international guidebook sold in the United States.

In addition to his guidebooks, television and radio work, Steves is a syndicated newspaper columnist with Tribune Media Services. He appears frequently on television, radio, and online as the leading authority on European travel.

Ozma of Oz presented by the OC Theater

There’s no place like Judd Theater this February when OC Theater produces Ozma of Oz. Set in Frank L Baum’s “wonderful world of Oz” after the events of “Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy Gale reluctantly agrees to accompany her doddering uncle Henry on an excursion to Australia. During the journey, the pair is whisked back to the magical kingdom of Oz. In order to return to their homeland, Dorothy and Henry must first restore time itself to the enchanted land, encounter vicious Wheelers, befriending a robot and giant chicken and overcome a ruthless volcanic, Gnome King.

Performance dates/times: February 17th, 18th & February 24th, 25th at 7:00 pm and February 17th and 24th at 10:00 am (Suitable for all ages)

Tickets will go on sale February 6th 2012. To reserve your tickets, call (405) 425-5540 or email ozmatickets@oc.edu

President-elect deSteiguer calls Oklahoma Christian his home

In his first address as Oklahoma Christian University’s President-Elect, John deSteiguer thanked those who have come before him to build on the university’s mission to transform lives for Christian faith, scholarship and service.

He thanked faculty members, previous presidents, board members and students who have built on OC’s humble beginnings over the last 62 years to bring the university to its stature today as a nationally-recognized and vibrant institution.

“What an honor this is for me and for my family,” deSteiguer said to a capacity crowd in OC’s Hardeman Auditorium Monday morning. “To me, Oklahoma Christian is home, and I want it to be your home.”

He explained that home is where you are nurtured, grow and learn, and that home is the place that prepares you to make a difference in the world.

A native of Tahlequah, Okla., deSteiguer was elected as the sixth president of Oklahoma Christian by the Board of Trustees on Saturday, culminating a six-month national search process.

Click here to read the full story about deSteiguer’s selection as OC’s next president.