Students, faculty and staff filled the Bruce Owen Theater and The Pioneer newsroom recently, as the Absolute hosted two creativity-focused events aimed at encouraging community engagement across campus.
The Absolute, OCCC’s long-running literary and artistic journal, held its fall open mic event just ahead of finals week. Participants shared original poetry, short stories, music and karaoke. One student brought a saxophone and played along with a background tune that he set up on a portable speaker. Another performed an original song, written for his wife, on the acoustic guitar. The tone of the performances ranged from humorous to deeply personal, and the welcoming environment encouraged even first-time performers to step onstage.
Jeffrey Provine, professor of English and faculty advisor for the Absolute, said the open mic tradition dates back to the journal’s earliest days.
“The Absolute has had open mics as far back as the beginning,” Provine said. “It’s such a great way to share the talents of students and the community.”
He noted that open mic events paused during COVID-19 but are now returning as students seek more ways to connect.
This semester also marked the introduction of a second event: a creativity session held the day after the recent open mic event in The Pioneer newsroom. Although originally designed as a holiday-themed, multi-artform workshop, the event quickly transformed into a spontaneous karaoke gathering as participants gravitated toward singing.
Even Dean of Arts, English and Humanities Jennifer Fike joined in, performing alongside her assistant Rochelle Mosby. The newsroom setting – now featuring a comfortable sofa and loveseat donated by Vice President for Academic Affairs Liz Largent – created a relaxed environment, and most participants gravitated toward the karaoke setup as the event unfolded.
Provine said the creativity events emerged from a collaboration between the Absolute, World Languages and Cultures Center Coordinator Chiaki Troutman and Pioneer Advisor-Editor Melissa Davis. The goal, he said, was to broaden student exposure to different cultural and artistic experiences.
“Chiaki Troutman is always looking for ways to introduce students to wide aspects of culture,” Provine said. “Since The Pioneer is also such a strong part of creativity on campus, thanks to the talents of the reporters, photographers and designers, Mrs. Davis was eager to team with us also.”
Meanwhile, the open mic session was inspired in part by former student editor Robert Butler, who completed the Absolute’s digital archiving project last summer. After reviewing historical editions of the journal, Butler encouraged the team to host more frequent open mic events to highlight student creativity year-round.
Provine said the response so far shows that students want opportunities to share their work and support others.
“Karaoke is a fun way for community engagement, and I’m all for having fun,” he said, noting that the evolution of the newsroom event into a largely karaoke-driven gathering was a welcome surprise.
The Absolute and The Pioneer hope that the increased visibility of their events will encourage more students to submit creative work to the publications. Provine said engagement is essential for helping students feel connected to campus opportunities.
“We have so much going on in our daily lives that people need to pick and choose what they’ll spend their energy doing,” he said. “It’s exciting to expand the community around the Absolute and The Pioneer to have them grow along with student interest.”
Looking ahead, the Absolute is already planning additional events in the spring semester.
“We’re already brainstorming for the spring and excited for more fun times,” Provine said.
Provine believes that participation from students across different academic divisions will strengthen campus culture even further.
“Stories are part of human nature, so we all engage with them,” he said. “All departments – from Business and Information Technology to Health Professions to Science, Engineering and Mathematics – can come together to share their experiences, making us all stronger together by understanding each other a bit more.”
Given the high turnout at both of the recent creativity events, the Absolute and The Pioneer plan to continue building spaces where students can express themselves creatively – whether through poetry, artwork or an impromptu karaoke session.
