NSUOCO students volunteer to clean optometry grounds

In preparation for a grand opening, students, faculty and staff of Northeastern State University's Oklahoma College of Optometry dedicated an afternoon and evening July 19 to cleaning areas around the buildings.

Flowers beds were weeded, weed guard and mulch were placed and bare areas received sod. In addition, doors, trim and metal handrails received badly needed new paint.

The NSU Physical Plant recently completed a year-long major renovation of the last building in the original complex and it will soon be dedicated as the Clinical Education Laboratory. Previously the building was used by the university as the Literacy Center and most recently as the ROTC shooting range.

The CEL includes a large open area with seven complete eye examination lanes and instructor podium. The area will be used as a teaching laboratory for the clinical methods courses and be available to students in the evenings as practice lanes to enhance clinical skills and techniques. Three faculty offices and individual student study rooms are also included.

Project volunteers included optometry students Ben Lundeen and wife Anna, Tiffany Heydt, Jason Koschmeder, James Thirion, Jackie Munson, Colby Roberts, Preston Smith, Jordan Ewert, Jason Myers, and Jill Huelskamp; and faculty members Dr. Alan McKee, Dr. Earlena McKee, and Dr. John Pembroke; and Mary Stratton. Facilities technician Raymond Jones arranged to have tools, mulch and other supplies on site. The date of the grand opening is to be announced.

Last fall, a donation of trees, flowers and shrubbery from co-founders Burl and Bob Berry of Tri-B Nursery created an attractive entrance to the College of Optometry building. The Berrys provided plants and manpower to landscape the area around the optometry building and areas between the primary building and three annex buildings which house different components of the program.

The historic complex was originally the W.W. Hastings Indian Health Service Hospital. Built in the 1930s, the complex was used by the IHS until construction of the replacement hospital east of Tahlequah in 1984. Five years later, NSU competed for and was granted use of the complex by the Department of Labor. The Oklahoma College of Optometry moved into the renovated main building in 1990.