Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Solar Eclipse Watch Party draws
hundreds to Library Lawn Grace Balducci Staff Reporter Hundreds of students gathered on Edmon Low’s Library Lawn to watch the first total eclipse in seven years. On Monday at 1:40 p.m., the Great North American Eclipse passed over North America from Mexico’s pacific coast all the way to Eastern Canada. Totality covered U.S. states from Texas all the way to Maine, covering major cities in darkness such as Austin, Dallas and Indianapolis. With Stillwater reaching 93% totality, students were spread out from the library entrance all the way to Greek row. Students were standing and sitting around the perimeters of the Student Union. Anna Porter attended the solar eclipse watch party. “There are a lot more people than I expected, like the entire lawn is covered with people and everybody is just laying down with their friends,” Porter said. “I came here with my friends, and then my whole class, since I’m in class at this time, so my whole class came out here as well”. Several OSU professors canceled their Monday afternoon classes to give students the chance to watch the rare phenomenon. Afterall, the next total solar eclipse will not occur until August 22, 2044. It took around four hours for the moon to completely pass the sun. Students used this time to soak up the nice 70 degree weather, spreading out on picnic blankets with peers. Grace Baldwin explained how she saved her Monday afternoon for the solar eclipse. “My mom brought it up a lot,” Baldwin said. “Because she was like, ‘That’s a once in a lifetime thing. You know, you should do that.’” Additionally, Edmon Low Library staff handed out solar eclipse glasses throughout the day for students who needed them. Without using the correct protection, one’s eyes can become damaged from looking directly at the sun. Peyton Harris said wearing the glasses was cool but had expected the event to be a little more interesting. “It didn’t really live up to my expectations only because I saw the same thing back in 2017, and when I saw it then it was a partial eclipse too” Harris said. “So I felt like I was expecting more because it’s been hyped up for the past month and it’s been 7 years since the last one occurred in the US.”
Payton Little
See Eclipse on 8 Hundreds of students and staff set up blankets and lawn chairs across Library Lawn to watch the solar eclipse.
Stillwater hammock Faculty council addresses new deans, centralized freshman academic advising do’s and don’ts Bella Casey News and Lifestyle Assistant Editor
Do bring your hammock to campus and attach it to the hammock posts on campus. There are hammock posts outside Classroom building. Bring friends! There are enough posts for multiple hammocks, and those who The weather is warming up, don’t have a hammock can hang and the grass is getting greener. out in the spider web. It’s time to break out your hamDon’t attach your hammock mock. to trees on campus. Use the hamWhether you recently mock posts on campus to keep moved to Stillwater or you are OSU’s trees healthy and beaunot familiar with local hammock tiful. Hit the library for some spots, it can be hard to find the studying after you hammock, or perfect spot to set up a hambring your hammock to class and mock. Check out these do’s and relax outside afterward. don’t for how to hammock on and Do bring your hammock to off campus. Sanborn Lake. Sanborn Lake is Don’t bring your hammock only a few minutes off campus to Boomer Lake. The trees there and is near the Stillwater Airare small and twiggy, so they port. While you’re there, walk are not suitable for supporting a the trials, fish the pond or enjoy hammock. Instead, bring a picnic the view of the lake from a picnic blanket or plan to study on one of table. the park benches. See Hammock on 7
Luisa Clausen Editor-in-Chief
Provost Dr. Jeanette Mendez kept her word. During the faculty meeting on March 12, Mendez said she planned to have a new dean for the College of Arts and Sciences. She announced her task was complete during the faculty council meeting on Tuesday. Dr. Melinda Croaccepted the position of Dean and Professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures and will also hold the Puterbaugh Foundation Endowed Chair, established to promote excellence in teaching, research and scholarship in CAS. “It was an exciting
process,” Mendez said. “It’s always a heavy list, the number of candidates that we interview, but we are excited.” On March 8, Oklahoma State announced Dr. Hanchen Huang as dean, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the holder of the Donald and Cathey Humphreys Endowed Chair of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. Huang started at his position on April 1 due to prompt availability, but Crowe will start on July 1. “We were grateful and I kind of love this idea of starting before July because he’s really able to transition with the current leadership there,” Mendez said. During her announcements to faculty, Mendez said the Institute for Teaching and
Learning Excellence will develop ten undergraduate industry and career-aligned certificate programs or public projects. The certificates will be funded at $10,000. ITLE has not officially announced this project but Mendez said it is coming soon. “We really want to jump-start some of these certificate programs and build all these industry relationships and partnerships,” Mendez said. Once the official announcement is out, The O’Colly will follow up with an update. Shannon Baker, the associate provost of student success, updated the faculty council on how the new centralized freshman academic advising system will work. See Freshman on 6