In Comp I, for project three we had to pick an organization from OU to see what kinds of values or worldview they bestow to their organization and why they believe their worldview/value.
Luis Alfaro
Rosillo
English 1113
19 November 2021
The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma has over 150 organizations that go from multicultural programs and services, student organizations, and many other resources to getting people involved. For example, the Gender and Equality Center supporting the LGBTQ plus community, Hispanic American Student Association, with being part of Latinx community, and so many other organizations that make the campus open to opportunities. An organization that stands out a lot is Camp Crimson. For those who do not know what Camp Crimson is, it is an orientation experience group that assist undergraduate students as they transition into their first year being here at OU. Camp Crimson has been around for more than twenty years, and to create a “common experience”. The organization has many activities that engage with their peers, for some it can be from being in-state, and for some out-of-state. Camp Crimson has the value of unity meaning that people are joined. What it means for Camp Crimson is that they think that they get to bring people from everywhere in the nation and brings a light to everyone that for some are not from Norman, or from Oklahoma. The expectations for the how they shared unity is by having events, and just having fun. For example, the excursions to Heyday, Oklahoma City, Retro-Night, etc. It allows students to learn about the University of Oklahoma’s history and traditions, trainings, and attend many events that are hosted by many other organizations. Camp Crimson also has many families that they offer to students, to include Whoop-Te-Do, Crimson Family, etc. They also aim to build another value, experience. The meaning of experience is practical contact with and observation of facts or events. For Camp Crimson, it has had the same meaning, but go above and beyond as stated before. The social/political issue that makes it happen is the reaction to COVID, and how it changed the course for the University of Oklahoma when it came and about. Their primary goal is that every camper leave Camp Crimson feeling that they have been connected through unity with a vital support system to help them succeed and have the experience to transition.
It is important to build unity, especially with the past two years two thousand twenty, modern time, and how they dealt with COVID. For example, from the OUdaily, they explained “The health and safety of all OU community remained at the forefront of Camp Crimson. Through university-implemented mitigation efforts paired with a majority of activities done in small groups, new students still had opportunities to connect to their peers, campus resources and other organizations” (OUDaily). What it indicates in the group and seeing through OUDaily is seeing that is necessary to be a part of being precautious, but still being united as a group. Even though during this pandemic mask are not mandated, it’s best to keep in the CDC guidelines if not fully vaccinated. From my point of view, I have seen unity through when we officially met for the first time after move-in day. For example, I still like to keep my mask mandate, and even with the responding to COVID in my mind is still to be safe than sorry. To also include from another article from Oklahoma News 4, it even said how they even responded to the pandemic, and still having it safely. The article quoted:
“The University wishes to clarify reports and note that seasonal employment for Camp Crimson staff was set to expire this Friday, July 2020 and no staff were laid off. Camp Crimson staff are hired on a seasonal basis to support Camp Crimson. In keeping with that original agreement, staff will be compensated accordingly for hours worked through the duration of their work agreement. However, there is continued conversation about possible opportunities moving forward. We want to acknowledge the good work of the students who have been connected to Camp Crimson during the time of COVID-19. This year’s virtual Camp Crimson, while not the in-person experience that was anticipated by students and staff alike, was innovative and important to our incoming students. We are currently exploring opportunities for the Camp Crimson staff to continue their work with students through Crimson Welcome Week while managing the evolving nature of the current public health crisis. In an effort to adhere to policies and the changes associated, Crimson Welcome Week programming will continue as Student Affairs actively works on a plan to support student leaders and incoming students in the days ahead” (Oklahoma’s news). Even with the quote from the president meaning that that still want to be okay, and still want their campers, and camp guides to follow. To include from the same article explains, “We asked all off our faculty members, ‘Even if you don’t qualify legally, would you like to be in a position where you can teach online and give us the circumstances,’ not asking for health information,” Harroz said. “We just got the results back from that. In the first instance we were able to provide flexibility to 97-percent of them and we’re talking to the other three percent as well” (OUDaily).
How it was from them, to today was during my experience was that the only time that we were required to wear masks was when we were on buses that lead us to excursions. For example, me, and two of my other friends wore masks, but one of us was fully vaccinated, so she didn’t wear one at all. She was okay even without it and having no symptoms at all. That is how unity while responding to COVID was in effect of having a value of unity here. Also, when it came to unity with COVID protocols, I also made sure that I was fully vaccinated, and still wore my mask even when being half vaccinated. That is how we still have the value of unity, and through my perspective.
Experience is another value that was seen at Camp Crimson during the pandemic. When explaining what experience is either the process of doing and seeing things and of having things happen to you, skill, or knowledge that you get by doing something, or the length of time that you have spent doing something (such as particular job). For example, from an interview that I’ve with my TA, and a good friend of his was explaining how they seen experience during Camp Crimson. They said: “They had to move Camp Crimson so together, used to be so spread out during the summer, to prevent from going everywhere, and not spread COVID, there was a lot of challenges, and the campers that have lost their prom, and that happened to them their senior year” (Allie Sexton and Ezra Koenig). This is another reason that experience was seen during the pandemic during Camp Crimson and seeing that they didn’t want to see the COVID cases rise at all especially since we do not need anymore. Experience for me during the response of COVID was something that I was scared for because I was exposed to COVID even before coming to the University of Oklahoma, and do not want to get tested positive. However, from OUDaily, Katie Kernal explained it was for her even as an SGL. The article quoted, “Katie Kernal, a political science sophomore, was a small group leader during Camp Crimson and was frightened by how few campers and SGLs were wearing masks. “During SGL training, I was one of probably less than 20 people wearing a mask, and the numbers just got worse once camp actually started,” Kernal said. “But now that camp is over, the same leaders that did not wear masks at all are texting in the GroupMe asking SGLs to make sure their campers are getting tested, because many people who went to some of the events are testing positive. Kernal said the lack of masking was also present in Camp Crimson’s executive level. She believes this created an absence of leadership or encouragement to mask in general. If I had known the situation I was going to be placed into, I would have very likely not participated in camp at all due to a fear for my safety,” (Kernal OUDaily). The quote that is represented shows that no matter how much the safety happened, it showed no leadership of them feeling safe with the pandemic. To top of it, without the masks being required it was going to be more of a risky situation.
To summarize everything, Camp Crimson is a group that that assist undergraduate students as they transition into their first year at the University of Oklahoma. The group also lets campers know OU’s history and traditions, complete their first-year trainings, connect with faculty, and staff, and attend many amazing events. My TA explains about the group, “you learn a lot through paid staff at Camp Crimson, but also learn a lot through an SGL, again I learn how to take care of somebody is experiencing heat exhaustion, to heat stroke. Something I learned from this job, it’s a not an adult job, it transfers you to the real world. Also, it gives many different perspectives, I have become a different person when I started as a camper and becoming an executive director. Also getting the taste of what’s liked to be at campus, ad having fun” (Ezra Koenig). Also, to include the positive effects that group has had it made more open with myself especially coming from a small town even during a pandemic. Some of the plans that join the group is an application through the University of Oklahoma application page, and what I appreciate about them is that they make more to be content with the people that I’m around. It has also brought me a lot of friendships through unity because majority of my friends come from the same state, but from Tulsa, Wisconsin, Maryland, Texas, etc. What I see for the future for Camp Crimson is seeing more involvement, and not a lot of restrictions for COVID, but who knows? Another quote from the OUDaily interviewed by Razor said, “Camp Crimson follows university guidelines. The university urges all OU community members to get vaccinated; encourages masking indoors, especially in high-density settings. These COVID-19 safety protocols were mirrored during this voluntary program.” When explaining that values of what they mean is unity being in the state of being united of joined as a whole, and explaining what experience is demonstrating practical contact with an observation of facts or events. These definitions hold what Camp Crimson is, and what it holds for the future. That is how the values of unity and experience play a huge role and seeing the response of how they are dealing with COVID.