March 10, 2021 by MediaOCU

THE CAMPUS

March, 10 2021 – Volume 114 Issue 8

One year later: a pandemic anniversary PAGES 2-3 Photo Essay

Campus community reflects on a year of the COVID-19 pandemic Francesca Iacovacci

NEWS EDITOR

OCU a�chives

100 years ago, OCU fought with a different pandemic.

PAGE 4 Life

Submitted Students have found different ways to volunteer during the pandemic.

PAGE 5 News

Sou�ce: okcu.edu Diversity and inclusion has a new newsletter, “Luminosity.”

PAGE 6 Opinion

Columnist satirically claims she discovered new COVID-19 symptom.

It has been almost one year since OCU moved classes online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. On March 11, 2020, OCU officials decided to move classes completely online for two weeks following spring break due to the outbreak of a novel strain of the coronavirus. On March 19, the university announced online-only classes would be extended for the remainder of the spring semester. One year later, there have been over 25 million cases of COVID19 in America, and 500,000 people have died as of March 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Oklahoma alone, there have been 427,558 positive cases and 7,202 deaths, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Oklahoma County itself has had 81,276 cases and 758 deaths. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the campus community has been able to gather and attend classes in person for the 2020-2021 school year with mitigation factors in place, such as wearing proper face coverings, social distancing and limiting class sizes. Wendee Lentz, Emergency Operations Center COVID coordinator, wrote in an email the EOC is proud of the OCU community for following health and safety protocols, and their efforts are shown in the campus’s statistics. Since the EOC has received health reports, starting Aug. 11, 2020, there have been a total of 269 positive cases within the campus community, and there have been 996 times where community members have entered isolation due to possible exposure. During the 2020 fall semester, there were 74 positive, direct on-campus cases, and 62 positive, indirect on-campus cases. Direct on-campus impact is defined as

Francesca Iacovacci

NEWS EDITOR

Mackenzie Shaw Student Publications Brandi Stanley, OCU clinic instructor, gives Chris Reid, OCU clinic nurse, the COVID19 vaccine at OCU’s first COVID-19 vaccination clinic March 5 in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center.

an individual being on the OCU campus within two days of the symptom onset or receiving a positive test. Indirect on-campus impact is defined as an individual that does not report being on the OCU campus within two days of symptom onset or receiving a positive test. So far, the 2021 spring semester has had 27 positive direct on-campus cases and 106 positive, indirect on-campus cases. Lentz wrote it’s important to note the increase of indirect, on-campus positive cases spring semester is a direct result of the university’s entry surveillance testing requirement for residential students returning to campus. Additionally, there were 608 cases of students being quarantined and 118 cases of employees who were required to quarantine during the 2020 fall semester due to either testing positive for COVID-19 or because they were identified as a close contact for exposure. This spring semester, there have been

PAGE 7 Arts & Entertainment

Stephen Jackson Student Publications

Performing under the pandemic has brought performing arts programs some interesting challenges.

PAGE 8 Sports

210 students and 60 employees required to isolate or quarantine. Lentz wrote the OCU community has fortunately not received any report of hospitalizations or deaths related to COVID-19 among faculty, staff and students. Joey Croslin, vice president for Human Resources and EOC manager, said OCU rose to the challenge of navigating school within a pandemic. “I think our community has been really eager to comply with a lot of the health and safety protocol to keep people safe, and we really care about each other,” she said. Croslin said the biggest challenges for her this year were that COVID-19 is a novel virus, and there wasn’t a lot of research initially on how to mitigate the spread. In addition to the challenge of making sure the university had the necessary resources, Croslin acknowledged the emotional challenge the virus has presented. “I think there’s also the challenge we all face in our personal lives in that it’s just exhausting, you know, all the stress peaks and plateaus, and it’s easy to get complacent, so staying complacent can be a challenge.” Croslin said overall, the university continuing to operate in-person is a testament to the resilience of the community. “I think it’s a really big accomplishment, and we shouldn’t take it for granted that we’re here in person,” Croslin said. Benjamin Rosfeld, music composition sophomore, said the pandemic has made it hard to meet new people. “It’s made my circle a lot smaller, but it is what it is,” he said. “I’m usually a pretty social person, and I like meeting new people, but I haven’t met new people in a minute so I miss that.” COVID continued on 5

Cou�tesy o� OCUspo�ts.com With most sports continuing their seasons, several athletes share what it

Police chief reinforces COVID policy after officers found not wearing masks

Numbers and statistics in this graph are estimated based on reported number of enrolled students and 11:1 ratio of students to faculty from okcu.edu. The total number of faculty cases and isolations have been estimated using this ratio.

Some OCU police department officers were found to have not been wearing masks on duty. Some students have interacted with OCUPD officers who approached them without wearing a mask. In response, Student Government Association created a resolution encouraging officers to wear masks correctly. When asked about mask requirements, Dexter Nelson, OCUPD police chief, said he was unaware some of his officers were not following the university’s mask protocol and has since sent a message instructing officers to follow proper COVID-19 safety protocols. Dane Drennan, music theater junior, said he was pulled over late at night next to the Wanda L. Bass School of Music and the officer who approached his car wasn’t wearing a mask. “The first thing I noticed when he walked up to my window was that he didn’t have a mask on, and I was just taken aback because it’s OCU, you know, and I feel like we have all done a really good job so far of following protocol, and it’s been working and we’re still in person. So, I was just taken aback, and I think I visibly scooched away in my seat a bit because he was right at my window,” he said. Drennan said he didn’t ask the officer to put on a mask because he was nervous. “The interaction was fine. It didn’t end badly or anything, but he was just extremely close in the window, and I didn’t want to say anything because, especially now with everything with police officers going on, I’m not trying to back-talk to a police officer,” he said. Drennan said police officers not wearing masks worried him because they are supposed to protect the campus and wearing a mask is basic protection during a pandemic. Drennan said he told his roommate, Ethan Drezner, design and production sophomore, about the interaction, and Drezner said he had a similar experience. Drezner said he parked his car outside of the Gold Star Memorial Building last semester while he quickly dropped something off inside the building. He said he saw an officer walk up to his car, and since he wasn’t in a real parking spot, Drezner said he would move it. “He stopped me and started coming up to me, and his mask was below his nose just barely covering his mouth, and he kept coming towards me and I kept stepping back because, you know, ‘six feet apart,’” Drezner said. “He kept saying ‘don’t walk away from me, don’t walk away from me,’ but I was like, ‘no, just keep your distance.’ It was like the attitude he had was like he was trying to get me to listen to him, and I was like, ‘I am listening, but you’re not listening to the rules we have in place.’ It was just kind of uncomfortable.” To read the full story, visit MediaOCU.com.

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photo essay

Looking to the past

Who runs the show?

The above newspaper was printed

Acting Chancellor E. G. Green

on May 10, 1918 when the world

(right) was the equivalent of the

was in the midst of the influenza

university president during the

pandemic as well as World War I.

early 1900s, succeeding Edward

This paper was the only edition

Hislop as head of the university. In

available in the Dulaney-Browne

the May 10 edition, Green gave a

Library’s

1918.

review of the semester’s triumphs,

The front page praises both the

most notably those of the schools

Methodist University of Oklaho-

of education and music. Green also

ma speech and debate team and

praised the basketball team for

the OMU orchestra as they close

“making a reputation for them-

the semester. Below is the Ed-

selves as winners.” In his review,

itor-in-chief at the time, M.L.

Green also mentions the universi-

Simpson.

ty’s enrollment for the 1917-1918

archives

from

academic year had been “gratify-

Counting the minutes

ingly large” with an increase of 26

To the right are minutes from a

students from 186 to 212. In refer-

meeting that took place on Sept.

ence to medical professionals from

6, 1918. Paul R. Stevick was named

the “Oklahoma Methodist Hospi-

the secretary by one of the profes-

tal and Nurses Training School,”

sors in attendance. In the meeting,

Green praised the university’s Red

the committee discussed the reg-

Cross units that were working in

istration process for students and

the surgery wards of the Guthrie

how it would unfold for the fall

Red Cross. He specifically men-

semester, electing two professors

tions Merritt Brown and Elizabeth

to each subsection of students (up-

Redmond. He ends the article with

perclassmen, underclassmen and

“May we close with a ‘goodbye,

academy students). While there

good luck, god bless you’ for the

is mention of issues with military

summer, next year, and life.”

training, there is no mention of the pandemic.

March 10, 2021

photo essay

Editor’s note: The following page includes a racial slur for Indigenous people used in a team name, an offensive term for Roma, and misogynistic and ableist content.

Guthrie to OKC to France When Oklahoma officially joined the union as a state in 1907, the original capitol was Guthrie, about 30 to 40 minutes north of the current capital Oklahoma City. Methodist University of Oklahoma was founded in Guthrie, and according to the archives, the university moved to Oklahoma City in 1919 and became Oklahoma City College in 1922. The university experienced significant growth and was eventually renamed Oklahoma City University in 1924. To the right is a photograph from Guth-

Musically unmatched

rie, Okla. looking down the main

The School of Music was still one

pus. Based on what could be found

of the centerpieces of the univer-

from this transition, there seemed

sity in 1918, with Clara M. Hoyt

to be no impact on the move from

(above) serving as a featured voice

the pandemic. Most of the univer-

instructor in an ad in another page

sity was focused on the American

in the above paper alongside vi-

involvement in World War I, as

olinist Harry H. Ryan and pianist

there were a significant number

Fay Trumbell. The school offered

of students that went off to fight,

courses in “Piano, Voice, Violin

including F.A. Dunning and John

and other orchestral instruments.”

K. Nissley, the former a member of

The ad also states students from

the 116th Artillery and the latter a

each department had won awards

pilot. Above in the paper is a list

in inter-scholastic contests.

of participants who served on the

street toward the university cam-

European front.

March 10, 2021

lifestyles

Students look back on COVID volunteer efforts, experiences

COVID-19: A SUMMARY Online classes begin 3/19/2020

Non-essential OKC businesses close First OCU COVID-19 case

3/24/2020

3/31/2020

Credit/No Credit option announced Online commencement for c/o 2020

4/7/2020 Jessica Vanek

LIFESTYLES EDITOR

OCU students have been finding ways to give back to their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rachel Patel, nursing senior, volunteered with churches and charities as a blood donor ambassador at American Red Cross. “It’s so helpful. We always need blood at the hospitals,” she said. “I feel like now more than ever, it’s been really important to get with community members and see how they’re doing, especially those who don’t have many resources.” Patel said last semester, she volunteered time at a local church. “At St. Augustine Episcopal church, I did a service-learning credit for my community health class,” Patel said. “Me and three other students created 200 homeless care packages with hand sanitizer, socks, water bottles, disposable and reusable masks.” Patel said they distributed the kits to the Jesus House, a local rehabilitation center, as well as other homeless shelters in the city. Patel said she hopes to return to the church soon. “That time we spent with the church has helped out so many people,” she said. “We’ve kept in touch with them, and they’ve been coordinating for other events this semester, so we hope to go back.” Nichole Gould, voice junior, volunteered her time at a local hospital working as a certain princess. “I spend some time with ‘Princess Anna,’ and we did Zooms with the local Children’s Miracle Network hospital around the holiday season,” Gould said. “I read the story of ‘Olaf ’s Frozen Adventure’ and sang a couple of songs for them.” Gould said she reached out to her local hospital in Virginia and asked to volunteer her time. Gould also said being a princess is something she does independently. “I wasn’t getting hired by princess companies because there’s some fatphobia in the industry, so I got my own dress, and I decided to do it because I thought it would be nice,” she said. Gould said her interest in Children’s Miracle Network stems from multiple outlets. “I’m a Phi Mu, and our philanthropy is the Children’s Miracle Network hospital, so we’ve been raising money as an organization, and I also have been raising money for Miracle Marathon,” she said. Gould said she hopes to expand her volunteer capacity. “I’m planning on trying to gather some friends to do more stuff like this with the hospital in the future,” she said. “I literally just found their email and asked them if they would be interested. If you have an idea totally just reach out and try it. Don’t be afraid; the worst they could say is no.” Rebekah Small, youth ministry/Spanish senior, has been volunteering her time with a local church. “I’m an intern for the Wesley center here on campus, and we already started a community outreach program in fall of 2019, where we’ve been going to a local, small church called Billy Hooten UMC,” Small said. Small said the church gives food to locals who experience difficulty getting to other food donation resources. Small said she has enjoyed the volunteer work despite the

5/9/2020

SGA returns funds to university

6/25/2020

Alert level system announced

STAFF WRITER

A student hopes to bring a new club to campus at Oklahoma City University. Nick Sayegh, finance/economics/ accounting freshman, will be bringing the club Circle K International to Oklahoma City University in hopes of encouraging servant leadership and providing ways to help the community. “Circle K is a college-focused leadership and service organization, where we will be primarily focusing on volunteering in the community, building leaders here on campus, and just making OCU a more leadership and service-oriented university,” Sayegh said. Circle K is the collegiate form of Kiwanis Club, an international community of groups and programs, all 4

Martha Burger announces retirement

7/15/2020 Submitted Top: Rachel Patel, nursing senior (far left), volunteers at St. Augustine Episcopal church. Patel helped assemble 200 kits for the homeless. Patel also volunteers at American Red Cross as a blood donor ambassador. Above: Nichole Gould, voice junior, poses as “Princess Anna” from Frozen. Gould made zoom calls to her local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and met patients over winter break.

hurdles presented by the pandemic. “We’ve had to make a lot of adjustments since COVID. We only take about five students a month, but it’s still really good to be there with a couple of people giving back to that community,” Small said. “When we came back this fall, we were really eager to continue helping them, while still being safe and keeping our students safe, as well as the people coming to the food pantry.” Small said students who are interested in getting involved with the food pantry can contact her at rasmall@my.okcu. edu. Luke Gilmore, music theater junior, organized two benefit concerts to help raise money for the Actor’s Fund and the Black Lives Matter movement. “I wanted to help out organizations that had been deeply affected by COVID-19. It was successful; the first one raised $1500, and the second raised $1000,” Gilmore said. “Of course, I didn’t know the ramifications of how long they were going to be affected, but it’s just something that I really wanted to do, and I’m hoping to do more of this spring.” Gilmore said students interested in philanthropy should follow their passion. “I say just go for it. Any sort of impact is better than nothing, and even if you feel like you’re making a small difference, it will probably make a big impact,” he said.

New Circle K International club gives service opportunities for students Destyni Lietzke

University safety plan announced

4/30/2020

centered around community outreach and service. Sayegh said he hopes to connect with members on a local and national level. Sayegh said an important aspect of service Circle K International OCU will be focusing on is servant leadership. “My personal definition of servant leadership is strictly empowering other people. There’s so many other factors, but it comes down to empowering those around you either by mentoring, or pouring resources out into other people,” Sayegh said. Sayegh said Circle K will be a very valuable resource for Oklahoma City by adding connections to Kiwanis, allowing students to network and by increasing OKC’s visibility. Sayegh said he encourages students to get involved. “We’re currently looking for five

student leaders to fill those chairs and committee seats up, as we’re still in the chartering development phase. We’re hoping to have actual meetings and start doing activities in the 2021-2022 academic fall year. We’ll be recruiting at that point as well,” Sayegh said. Sonia Ruiz, finance/marketing/ economics freshman, said she thinks it will be a great opportunity. “I think it will be fun. I think it’ll be a great way to get students who are on campus involved directly in the community and to be a part of an established organization,” Ruiz said. Students who would like to participate can follow Circle K International on Instagram @ocu.cki to access their link tree to access committee forms and member interest forms.

SGA Mask up campaign announced 8/13/2020

8/3/2020

Weekly alert system announced

Fall 2020 semester begins

8/14/2020

OCU alert level raised to high

8/17/2020

11/17/2020

Final day of fall semester 11/18/2020

Spring 2021 semester begins

CRRSA grant applications open

1/19/2021

1/28/2021

Monthly on-campus testing announced

Alert level reduced to moderate 2/10/2021

1/29/2021

OCU vaccination clinic announced 2/23/2021

Jessica Vanek Student Publications

March 10, 2021

news COVID Continued from 1 Rosfeld said he’s learned a lot about how to use technology in his music, but the most important thing he’s learned is how to equip himself to deal with setbacks. “Honestly, the biggest thing I’ve learned is we have to be defined not by the negative experiences that happen to us. We’re not defined by those experiences; we’re defined by how we cope with them and how we choose to deal with what life throws at us,” Rosfeld said. Ashley Freeman, dance management senior, said while some things, like lecture-style classes, feel the same, performance-based classes feel very different because they’re more collaborative and movement-based. “I almost kind of forget what things were like before all of this. I know that sounds silly, but it’s just the little things,” she said. “In the dance school we’d use lockers and get ready and eat snacks between classes, and now it’s so normal not to use the locker room. We kind of forget that was a thing we used to do.” Freeman said she’s learned how to adapt when things don’t go according to plan. “I’ve always been OK with pivoting and changing plans, but actually opening up to that in my career, when things don’t go the way you plan, seeing those opportunities as an opportunity to do something else, something you didn’t expect and weren’t planning on, but maybe you’ve always wanted to do and haven’t because you were prioritizing other things.” Lindsey Cole, assistant professor of psychology, said shifting to online learning last year, regardless of whether the class had ever been planned online or whether a faculty member had ever taught online, demonstrated an educational environment could become completely virtual when in great need. “Having to do that has changed what courses will look like in the future in terms of what universities are willing to offer, what faculty will be expected to offer, what’s possible to be offered. I think there will be a shift in the mentality of that,” Cole said. Cole said the challenge of teaching during the pandemic has made her think outside of the box. “In my classroom I had to get really creative,” she said. “It’s been a lot of reworking educational opportunities into something that could work in a COVID environment and still make students feel safe and comfortable without losing the quality.” Cole said it’s hard to imagine what life was like before the pandemic. “We’ve been doing it for so long, it’s like an old hat,” she said. “If you just have the right attitude about it and find a way to still fit in the things you enjoy and spend time with people who are important to you and fit in the things that are meaningful to your life, you can still feel good about the way you live your life.” The Emergency Operations Center sends out emails every Wednesday to the campus community with updates regarding the state COVID-19 on OCU. To read more about COVID-19 on campus and to keep up with COVID-19 updates, visit MediaOCU.com.

Asking the right questions

“

Paul Dower Student Publications

BreAuna Shaw, business administration sophomore, asks Dr. Michael Austin, OCU presidential candidate, a question at the March 4 community forum when Austin visited campus. Shaw asked how Austin would maintain connections with the student body and student organizations. Austin replied that he would perform management by walking around. He said a president needs to interact with students, talk with them and eat in the cafeteria with them. Shaw represented the Black Student Association at the event. Students were able to attend the event digitally and were sent follow-up surveys after the event in order to get their opinions about the presidential candidate. Brian DePoy visited the campus March 2, and David Brennen visited March 9. More information about the presidential candidates below.

DEI Office creates issues-based newsletter Anette Barrios-Torres STAFF WRITER

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion created a new newsletter, “Luminosity,” to discuss issues affecting marginalized people on campus and in our broader community. They published their first edition Feb. 10 in a February/March issue introducing their faculty, staff and hopes for the upcoming months. Abbykate Waugh, senior administrative assistant, said the goal is to create a safe center for acceptance which fosters a kindness towards others. “We want to create space for people to have their voices heard on campus,” Waugh said. “In the future, there will be articles about what we’re reading and what we’re seeing in the news, so we can tie those things back to how they may affect or impact our own community.” When designing graphics for the newsletter, Waugh said she intended to bring color and beauty to each

As we continue to expand what we include, we hope it’ll be a resource for education.

Dr. Talia Carroll

vice president Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

issue to pique interest and tackle topics in a friendly way. She said more playful images and hues tend to make an issue easier to read and more accessible to a wider audience. “I knew that we wanted something that looked nice to catch people’s eye. I designed it around stuff that I like to read and ran with it a little bit,” Waugh said. “I wanted it to be Instagram-able, sharable.” Waugh said bringing an awareness to the everyday realities of marginalized people fosters a new level of empathy in our community and encourages OCU students to think beyond their own experiences. “I really hope people can

recognize themselves and learn something at the same time,” Waugh said. Dr. Talia Carroll, vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said she shares in Waugh’s sentiments and hopes grace and acceptance are what are most reflected in the upcoming editions. “A s w e c o n t i n u e t o expand what we include, we hope it’ll be a resource for education,” Carroll said. “It is a place to expand perspectives. I’d love for people to look forward to it. “ As a leader, Carroll said her department’s main objective is to create a way for all to feel a deep sense of belonging as part of the campus community. In supporting this

mission, the office is taking action in the form of projects to help introduce fresh points of view, beginning with an inclusive language campaign. “Building relationships with each other is so dependent on language. It’s powerful,” Carroll said. “We want to be responsive and thoughtful about how that might influence others.” Adamaris Lopez, music theater sophomore, said she is particularly looking forward to this effort, especially in seeing how the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion might tackle the nuance and delicate nature of the subject at hand. “A lot of times we throw our words away without realizing how impactful they can be and how they inform our actions,” Lopez said. “Not being in the dark about vocabulary or issues means we can invite everyone to the conversation.”

To read the full story, visit MediaOCU.com

University introduces presidential candidates

“ “ “

Paul Dower

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Submitted

Paul Dower Student Publications

Submitted

Dr. Brian DePoy

Dr. Michael Austin

David Brennen

I would define a successful presidency, under my leadership here, to be one where we have a truly integrated learning environment. DePoy works as the current senior vice president for academic affairs and institutional effectiveness at Lake Erie College and has worked and taught in higher education for over 27 years. He also worked as dean of the College of Creative Arts and Communication at Youngstown State University, as well as other music faculty positions at Delta State University and Southeastern Louisiana University. DePoy holds a doctorate in music from Florida State University. DePoy said community engagement is an extremely important value to him, and one of his goals is to talk to the community to discover their needs and help address them. To read more about DePoy, see our full coverage on MediaOCU.com. March 10, 2021

Presidents tell the institution’s story to the community, to donors, to students, to parents, and there is a wonderful story here to tell and I would be very honored to tell it. Austin works as the current executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Evansville in Indiana and has worked in higher education for over 20 years, 12 of which he worked at small, private, religious universities. Austin holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University at Santa Barbara. He started his career in higher education as a professor of English at Shepherd University. He was promoted to chair of the English and Modern Studies department and eventually became dean of graduate studies. Austin said he would measure the success of his presidency by the impact the university had on students. To read more about Austin, see our full coverage on MediaOCU.com.

I was very interested in becoming president at the right place. OCU offers that right environment with its liberal arts routes and its accommodation of both undergraduate and professional programs.

Brennen is a current professor of law at the University of Kentucky and the president of the Southeast Association of Law Schools, and he has worked in higher education for over 25 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Florida Atlantic University and a law degree and Masters of Laws in tax law from the University of Florida College of Law. Brennen joined the faculty of UK J. David Rosenberg School of Law in 2006 as a professor and became the first Black dean of the UK School of Law from 2009-2020. Brennen said he sees plenty of opportunities for him as president at OCU. To read more about Austin, see our full coverage on MediaOCU.com. 5

opinion

Editors reflect on a year of OCU’s COVID policies Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic provided a lot of interesting challenges for Oklahoma City University to overcome. From sending the campus community home to quarantine for the semester to where we are now, the university’s policies have ebbed and flowed with a close eye on the state of the pandemic in Oklahoma and the United States. The decision to send the campus community home for the semester was a tough one. Initially, OCU told students, faculty and staff they would extend spring break for two weeks around the time everyone left campus. Then, toward the end of spring break, the university informed the community that we would be continuing our education online via Zoom. Once the fall semester of 2020 came around, OCU decided we would resume in-person classes and implemented the alert level system that most of us have become accustomed to. The alert level has changed twice over the academic year, once at the end of the fall 2020 semester to high alert, then returning to moderate alert at the beginning of the spring 2021 semester. Looking at the numbers, OCU has done a good job of keeping students safe while in person. OCU has had a relatively small number of cases, at least compared to other colleges in the area. We have only had one outbreak toward the end of the fall semester, and the number of positive cases related to campus have dwindled during the spring semester. However, the way OCU handled communication with the campus community has not been so great. Students, staff and faculty during the fall semester repeatedly asked the

university to switch to a higher alert level as COVID-19 cases were rising on campus and in the surrounding community. OCU did not respond to the requests until finally changing the alert level during the last week of classes. The Emergency Operation Center does release weekly COVID-19 campus updates to people on campus, which is good to keep us updated, but the weekly emails never respond to campus concerns. Thus, students feel as though they are left in the dark and start to fear the worst. OCU’s communication about current policies is not too great either. Many students reported their concerns about social distancing outside the Caf in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. Moreover, several classes during the spring semester were scheduled to have over 25 students, despite the alert level at the time stating classes could not exceed 25 students. The COVID19 policies and what was being allowed on campus depicted contradictory rule sets to many people on the campus. Overall, OCU has done an exceptional job at keeping students safe, but a bad job at making students feel safe. OCU needs to establish better communication with the campus community to improve the feeling of security for students. The EOC’s weekly updates can be improved to make the guidelines clear and respond to questions and concerns the campus community may have. While we should be glad the university has kept us safe, letting us know what is going on will keep us even safer.

Talk Back “What was your biggest takeaway from the past year?” “Probably how to balance relationships. Basically, being cut off from everyone except your family, you have to work so much harder. You really see who your actual friends are and who you work well with. Through that you connect with people differently than you did before.” Kelsey Byrd dance freshman

“I would probably say still being able to dance. I've learned so much in the dance program, even though we're in a pandemic, which I think is really applaudable for the school.” Courtney Prendergast dance freshman

“Zoom classes. They're really annoying. I'd rather go to class.”

Noah Skibsted finance freshman

“I also run cross country and track here, so it was definitely tough at first - in the beginning - having all our season canceled and maybe going a full year without racing. But, you know, staying safe was important, and I feel like it was better for everyone in the end. We're able to host classes still and go about our normal days, just still being safe.” Joseph

Engel human performance junior

Columnist reports reacting strangely to COVID-19

Editor's note: This is a satirical article about the columnist's experience with COVID-19. It does not reflect legitimate medical findings. I had COVID-19 over winter break. Fortunately, I did not have a very strong case of it, and it revealed itself as just a particularly bad cold. I’m aware not everyone to catch it has been so lucky, and I am very grateful I had a mild case. That being said, I believe I have discovered a new side effect of COVID-19, and I am eager to finally share my discovery with the world. Most people know about developing a fever or chills, loss of taste and smell, fatigue, body aches, headaches and a dry cough, but I had a symptom that scientists have yet to announce or even discover. I believe it’s best explained in a story. It was day three of isolation, and I was going a little stir crazy inside all day. My eyes longed for the natural light of the sun, and my

Francesca Iacovacci is a music theater senior from Clearwater, Fl. She loves zoodles, “Jeopardy!” and a good poop joke.

nose for the smell of fresh air. It had snowed two days earlier ,and the next day was pretty rainy too; it seems the sun was having its own period of isolation. I was also feeling pretty sniffly, so it was just an all-around bad idea to go outside. The third day, however, I was feeling a bit better, and the sun had returned. I decided I would spend some time on the porch reading and enjoying the unexpected warmth of the winter sun. It was only 55 degrees, but I started to get all bundled up in my scarf, hat and gloves—not because I was sick, but because I’m from Florida. I grabbed

my earphones and keys and headed out the door. Immediately I was blinded by the sun, so I went back inside to grab my sunglasses and, again, was on my way. I locked the door from the inside, shut it behind me and immediately regretted what I had done. I had set the keys down when I picked up the sunglasses. Usually, I have a roommate and two other friends that live on the other side of our duplex house we rent. Since classes were dismissed, those three girls were all out of state. I had been the only one to stay in Oklahoma for the break. So, you can imagine locking

myself out of the house would have been a pretty bad situation in itself, but locking myself out of the house while having COVID-19? There’s only one possible explanation for that level of carelessness. COVID-19 made me dumb. I’m here to tell you that a side effect of COVID-19 is a lower intelligence level that forced me to do dumb things like setting down my key before leaving the house but still locking the door. It’s also a strong possibility it causes memory loss because that would explain how I lost the ability to remember to pick up the key after setting it down, but researchers need to collect more data on that before we jump to any conclusions. So, there I was, supposed to have stayed locked in for 10 days, locked out of my house. My first thought was, this is really bad. My second thought was, this is really funny. I called my only hope of getting

in without a locksmith, my landlord, and she said she’d be a few hours. She asked me if I could go anywhere while I wait, and I had to explain that, truly, I could not. In the end, I did get to spend some much-needed time outside. My landlord’s husband eventually pulled up in a big truck, and I crossed the street to get further away from him while he opened the door. I felt incredibly bad for making him drive here just to let me inside, but it turns out he thought it was pretty funny too. Disclaimer: while scientists are equally fascinated as they are disturbed by my sudden senselessness, it is not yet confirmed whether COVID-19 has lasting effects on intelligence. Regardless, it’s best not to take a chance. Please wear a mask, social distance and take this pandemic seriously; if not for the countless reasons I’m sure you’ve already heard, do it so you won’t be dumb like me.

Editor-in-chief thinks about past year of COVID-19 experiences

It’s officially been one year since COVID-19 touched this campus and things started getting real very fast. Looking back on the past year, I went through a lot of changes that helped me feel like a more fully formed person. This column is going to be some reflections on the timeline of events that happened over the course of the year that influenced changes in my life. So buckle up for a chill ride down quarantine lane. Whenever I left campus for spring break last year, I had a hunch that we weren’t coming back, and I suspect a lot of other people did as well. I carried on through spring break and kept a close eye on the situation unfolding. I was in North Carolina visiting my aunt at the time, so there was a very real possibility that the airlines were going to shut down and I would be stuck there for months. Fortunately, I made it back safe and sound to my

Paul Dower is a film junior from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He likes squishy toys, Superman comics and Stanley Kubrick.

home in Tulsa, where I stayed for the entirety of quarantine. Luckily, I have not caught COVID-19 (at least not that I am aware of ) and no people in my family have gotten seriously sick or have died when they had it. Me and my family are a lot luckier and a lot more fortunate than over half a million other American families that have suffered losses due to the pandemic. However, I have had my fair share of ups and downs with COVID-19, just as most everyone has. I remember the day when my dad came home early from work and told me he was let go. The situation

really started to spiral for me and my family. We all deliberated back and forth about who needed to get a job where and when. My mom (a registered nurse) even considered flying to New York to work on the front lines to raise enough money for us. Again, luckily, my family is ok, and my mother continued her job as a high school nurse (although the horror stories I have heard from her make me think she is on the front lines). Then, there was quarantine. Quarantine for me was lonely but refreshing. I am a person who likes to be reclusive, so the quarantine lifestyle fits my own pretty well. The

THE CAMPUS

I had a concrete way of achieving those goals. The end of summer snuck up on me in 2020. I realized we were going back to in-person classes as the COVID-19 cases were only going up. I was mortified by the idea that students could spread the disease quickly on campus, and we might even have deaths either directly or indirectly from campus. Fortunately, OCU has been able to avoid serious spread of COVID-19 on campus, and over the course of this year, I have only had to self-isolate once. With being back to OCU, I was able to get back into a schedule and put everything I had learned over the summer to use, and so far it has been working very well. This year has presented challenges in which I don’t think I will ever see again in my lifetime (or at least I hope I won’t). I am glad I have come out of this year as a better person, and I hope I will continue to improve without a pandemic raging across the country.

The Campus has served the Oklahoma City University community since 1907. It is published Wednesdays during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and exam periods.

March 10, 2021, Volume 114, Issue 8

Editor-in-chief: Paul Dower Associate Editor: Des Barrett Photo Editor: Stephen Jackson News Editor: Francesca Iacovacci Lifestyle Editor: Jessica Vanek Arts & Entertainment Editor: Troy Freeman Sports Editor: MaKayla Baxter

biggest downside is that I was forced to interact with other people 100% of the time, which does not fit my reclusive lifestyle. At the time, life was getting a bit too much for me to handle, and pumping the brakes on it helped me work through it. It allowed me to meditate on the problems in my life and think of solutions to them, a process which I replicate for new problems that come my way. The Black Lives Matter movement also helped realign myself politically. At the time of the murder of George Floyd, I was circling down a nihilistic political spiral. I thought that anything in politics is pointless and that the people in power will find any way to screw you over and there is nothing we can do about it. But after seeing people in the BLM movement stand up for themselves and strive for a better world, I couldn’t help but feel optimistic about the future again. I felt like I had a new political purpose, and

Video Editors: Josh Eliot Shelby O'Brien Columnists: Des Barrett Paul Dower Troy Freeman Francesca Iacovacci

Staff Writers: Anette Barrios-Torres, Megan Filler, Ava Karas, Sarah Kolb, Destyni Lietzke, Tyler Robbins Photographers: Annie Bragg, Jessica Casebeer, Mackenzie Shaw

The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s phone number, address, major, and classification. The staff reserves the right to edit all letters. The staff also reserves the right to refuse letters without explanation. Letters can be sent online at mediaocu.com, emailed to stupub@okcu.edu or dropped off at the Newsroom in Suite 112 of Walker Center for Arts and Sciences. Submitted items may appear on MediaOCU and in the print edition. The first issue of The Campus is free. Each additional issue costs 25 cents. Contents copyright © Student Publications 2020. All rights reserved.

March 10, 2021

arts & entertainment

Performance in a pandemic, one year later Troy Freeman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

A year after the university closed in-person classes, students and faculty reflect on the impact COVID-19 had on day-to-day life for arts students, and what they have learned in the ensuing year. Lance Marsh, head of performance for the School of Theatre, said the coronavirus challenged the faculty of the School of Theatre and Wanda L. Bass School of Music to rethink all of their strategies around teaching live performance. “I’ve learned that there are a lot more ways to teach performance than I thought there were before all this starting. I learned a few new things deeply that will change my teaching forever, for the better,” Marsh said. Marsh said the regulations regarding personal distance, class sizes and face coverings forced him to continue innovating to offer his students the education they deserved. “One example is going to sound really silly. It has to do with pool noodles,” Marsh said. “What I teach has a lot to do with physicalizing acting towards your partner and pushing and pulling. All of that requires touching. With the protocol, I was literally at a loss.” Marsh said his wife suggested using pool noodles to recreate the tension between actors. He said he tried out the method and found success. “There’s something about having that physical object between the two actors where they’re constantly pushing and pulling their space between them. I found the pool noodles to be incredibly effective

in enhancing that,” Marsh said. “So, I’m going to continue using the pool noodles after this.” Marsh said the lack of audiences and the addition of streaming for performances changed his role as a theater producer for the School of Theatre. “I really like the ability to stream because it allows friends, parents who can’t travel, grandparents who can’t travel, to see student performers’ work. There’s more access to it, which is very cool,” Marsh said. Marsh said he would keep streaming productions after the pandemic, but likely won’t be able to due to tightening regulations from the licensing companies. “This year, the rights houses have been very good about offering people something they’ve never had before, which is the rights to stream,” Marsh said. “We’re already seeing those streaming rights becoming less easy to get, or impossible to get, as people are perched waiting for live theater to reopen with live audience.” Marsh said he was worried about the impact the coronavirus would have on the theater programs, but he believes he was able to accomplish nearly everything he wanted to through creative answers to problems. “I don’t feel like the seniors who are graduating this year are going off with significantly lesser training than any other group of seniors had,” Marsh said. “They’re going off into a market with tons of uncertainty, but that’s not anything we can control here. I believe we’ve been able to maintain a really high level of quality.”

Reignite your love

Stephen Jackson Student Publications

The cast of “Closer Than Ever” take the stage in a socially distanced manner for their virtual performance on Feb. 26. The show livestreamed from the Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts center.

Marsh said what he misses most about the program before the pandemic is working through scenes and being able to see the actors’ faces. “There’s something about the human face that is so evocative and so vulnerable and so rich in terms of its ability to communicate,” Marsh said. “I miss that.” Grant Wilson, acting junior, said what he most looks forward to after the pandemic is performing alongside actors without masks and making connections. “We don’t get to do that anymore, so I feel like we’re losing a part of what we need to go out into the field, and we’re going to have to learn that on our own,” Wilson said. Wilson said another challenge in the year since the beginning of the pandem-

Alumni remember late OCU vocal professor

ic is the distance between students. “I really look forward to interacting with my class again. We’ve all grown a little distant, I think, because we can’t interact in the same ways as before,” Wilson said. “Last semester, I was in a Stage II production, which was a lot of fun and I learned a lot, but I don’t know half the cast still.” Wilson said the limitations and restrictions during the pandemic have reignited some of his passion in interesting ways. “It’s made me active to learn. I feel like I’m learning less, so I want to learn more. When we get lines for a scene or something, I just want to do really well, so I memorize it as soon as I can, and I get it down,” Wilson said. “In a normal year, I guess I would have been more tired, and I’d be taking it for granted. I don’t do that now.” Allie Milburn, music theater/vocal performance junior, said they attended courses during the fall semester remotely due to health restrictions. They have now returned to on-campus training for the spring semester.

“I am a type-one diabetic. I didn’t think being in on campus was a good idea at the time. It was hard being separated from the sense of community that being on campus at our school provides,” Milburn said. “Being back here, I feel a lot more artistically charged and have a lot more creative energy.” Milburn said being away from campus created a sense of isolation which made improvement in their craft more challenging. “It was hard. Since I wasn’t going to school in person, I was missing being able to create all the time. It’s really easy when you’re surrounded by your bubble of mutual artists,” Milburn said. “That’s a perk of being here, but you often don’t think about what if feels like to lose that. It became frighteningly clear to me last semester.” Milburn said returning to school this spring created a difficult but welcome transition. They said working with professors in person and performing in “The Consul” with the School of Music helped them get back on track, but they still struggle with the sep-

aration from other students. “Frankly put, I miss my friends. I miss being able to be around people and make those connections with friends and develop relationships,” Milburn said. “It’s hard to not be around like-minded people as much and collaborate. I do songwriting with some of my friends here, and we haven’t been able to get together and do that.” Milburn said something is lost as an arts student during the pandemic, but they are grateful for the chance to create art at all. “Coming back into a show after being away for so long is such a great opportunity,” Milburn said. “It’s a part I have wanted to play for a while. It was intense coming back into such a fast environment after being at home, but I did come back, and I am trying hard. I’m trying twice as hard.” The School of Music and School of Theatre have produced 13 productions without audiences since the beginning of the pandemic.

“

School of Music opens opera exploring fascism Tyler Robbins

STAFF WRITER Courtesy of OCU Communications Kelli O’Hara (left) and Kristin Chenoweth (right) pose with Florence Birwell (middle).

Troy Freeman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Florence Birdwell, former professor of voice, died in Yukon, Oklahoma on Feb. 15, 2021. She spent 67 years as a voice teacher on campus, from 1976 to 2013. Birdwell’s nearly seven decades on faculty brought her hundreds of students, including notable alumni such as Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth and Kelli O’Hara, Tony nominee Lara Teeter and Miss America 1981 Susan Powell. Angela Polk, OCU alumna, studied with Birdwell for six years through undergrad and masters from 2002-08. She said the key to Birdwell’s success with her students was an unwavering honesty. “Florence was always honest, plain and simple, and it worked for so many of her students because we needed to hear it,” Polk said. “At that time in your life, all you’re wanting from a mentor is someone to tell you the truth, good or bad. She wasn’t afraid to speak form the heart.” She said she would not have had the career she did if not for the mentorship of Birdwell. “I don’t believe that the career I had or have had since would have happened without her constantly in my ear,” Polk said. “Supporting me, pushing me, fighting for me, she was always there to lift me up and tear me down when I needed it.” Polk said Birdwell’s pride for her students was a driving force in their relationship with her. “You never wanted to disappoint her. So, March 10, 2021

you worked so hard just to have that one connection, that moment with her where the pride was just so apparent,” Polk said. Polk said her relationship with Birdwell continued years after graduation, and Birdwell continued to be a staple of guidance in her life. “In New York, I would call her to check in whenever I could. When I was back in Oklahoma, I would go to see her and just touch base on life and where I was and how I was doing,” Polk said. “Florence became family. You get to a point where you’ve passed the student relationship. She’ll always be your mentor, but my relationship with Florence became more family.” Polk said Birdwell’s ability to work at such a high level for so long is an astonishing accomplishment and a reflection of her passion. “It’s incredible that a woman could teach for that long and have so much passion her entire life. She never stopped believing in what she was teaching or in who she was and what she offered. I think a mentor like that is so hard to find,” Polk said. Polk said many of Birdwell’s former students had a Zoom call shortly after her death and discussed the shared adoration they have for her. “Just to see and hear the stories and the fun times, and the times we were in her office crying,” Polk said. “All of that was so impactful to the people that we are now. She was an incredible human being, a lifeforce for sure.” To read the full story, visit MediaOCU.com.

The Wanda L. Bass School of Music opened the first opera of the semester. “The Consul,” by Gian Carlo Menotti, performed 8 p.m. March 8-9. The show is about a woman attempting to emigrate out of an unknown country controlled by a totalitarian government. Karen Miller, assistant director of opera and musical theater, is the director of the production. She said the show is a testament to those who lost loved ones during World War II in much of Europe. “It is inspired by the displaced peoples after World War II,” Miller said. “The score is set during the rise of the Iron Curtain which made travel extremely difficult for many.” The Iron Curtain was the name given to the border between the former Soviet Union and Europe. Most famously, it included the Berlin Wall, which split Germany in half. Miller said this plot is extremely timely because those seeking refuge in the U.S. are often turned away. She said the opera is nearly 70 years old and is still impactful and poignant. She said the opera paints a vivid picture of what many go through around the world in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones. “We are experiencing this flood of people looking for home right now,” Miller said. “‘The Consul’ is the story of struggles so many sadly go through in the search of a safe place to call home.” Miller said producing the opera took a lot of hard work but proved to be enjoyable. She said she feels confident in her cast and staff, having worked through scheduling

“The Consul” is the story of struggles so many sadly go through in the search of a safe place to call home.

Karen Miller

professor of music Wanda L. Bass School of Music

difficulties and the difficult subject matter of the piece. “I’m proud of the production and where it has come,” Miller said. “We have really risen to the challenge.” Rafe McConnell, vocal performance sophomore, played “Nika Magadoff ” in the show. McConnell said the rehearsal process was intense but enjoyable. “We rapidly got the basics of the staging down, McConnell said. “We then fine-tuned each element, from little gestures to emotional motives of our characters.” McConnell said Nika is an outspoken magician whose playful nature is a refreshing contrast to the gloomy plot. “At first, it was difficult to understand the pompous and jovial character’s place in a show that is so melancholy,” McConnell said. “As artists, we try to cheer people up and make the best out of any situation, even when we may be suffering ourselves.” “The Consul” livestreamed at 8 p.m. March 8-9 from the Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.

sports

Canceled games, spectator limits define year of sports MaKayla Baxter

March 12-16

SPORTS EDITOR

OCU Athletics dealt with the effects of COVID-19 for a full year. On March 11, 2020, the National Basketball Association suspended operations after the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, and Oklahoma City University announced classes would move online March 23 - April 5. The women’s basketball team was preparing to compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament March 18 against Evangel University (Mo.) at First Interstate Arena in Billings, Mo. The women’s wrestling team had just finished third in the Sooner Athletic Conference Women’s Wrestling Championships and had arrived in Jamestown, N.D. to compete in the NAIA Women’s Wrestling Invitational March 13-14 at Harold Newman Arena. OCU cheer and pom/dance had just arrived in Davenport, Iowa for the March 13 NAIA Competitive Cheer and Dance National Championships. The other sports teams were preparing for games, invitationals and competitions nationwide. On March 12, the NAIA canceled all winter championships out of an abundance of caution. “The health and safety of our student-athletes, as well as all involved in our championship events, is the NAIA’s highest priority,” the NAIA national office stated. “We will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments and NAIA leadership will work closely with our member institutions to determine the best path forward for future NAIA events, including all spring 2020 championships.” With that announcement, OCU women’s basketball, women’s wrestling, competitive cheer and pom/dance lost their oppor-

Sept. 10

Feb. 25

NAIA cancels all winter championships and University delays the start of the all spring sports 2020-2021 season

OCU Athletics opens home games to 50 spectators at a time

March 2020

March 2021

July 31

Dec. 7

SAC rebuilds fall schedules, dividing games between semesters

OCU Athletics delays remaining games and practices until spring semester

tunities to become 2019-2020 national champions. Abby Selzer, criminal justice junior and basketball center, said she found out about the suspension while getting her nails done with a friend. “Our coach had called one of the seniors to tell her about it before anyone saw it on the news or social media, and so she called us and told us while we were there,” Selzer said. Later that afternoon, the SAC indefinitely suspended all practices and competitions for its 11 member institutions. Unbeknownst to student athletes, faculty and fans at the time, this suspension marked the end of the 2019-20 OCU Athletics season. On March 16, 2020, the NAIA announced the cancellation of the spring 2020 sports season, effective immediately. In the same announcement, the NAIA awarded all spring sport student-athletes who were enrolled full-time in 2020 two additional semester terms of attendance, or the equivalent. Jim Abbott, OCU athletics director, released a statement addressing the situation March 17. “Our primary concern is alleviating any challenges or anxiety for our students. Honestly, we are all still adjusting

to the new reality of our lives without the sports that we love. For many of us, this is the first spring break we can remember when we didn’t have a game to prepare for,” Abbott stated. “We are more grateful than ever for the support that you provide our university and department. Please keep our students, coaches and administrators in your thoughts and prayers. We long for the day that we will resume normal activities and once again be able to do what we love.” As COVID-19 cases rose in the U.S., OCU student-athletes anticipated their eventual return to competitive sports and tried to keep their minds and bodies active. “It was kind of hard to deal with at first, but it was nice to be at home with my family, so I spent a lot of time with them, and we did home workout-type things,” Selzer said. “I did a lot of running on the road to stay in shape, but mentally, we had a lot of team Zoom meetings so we could still talk to each other and get to be around each other, in a way, just so that we could all stay on the same page.” O n Ju l y 3 1 , t h e S AC announced they were building new schedules for 2020 fall sports due to NAIA fall national championship delays, with cross country, soccer and volleyball

dividing their games between the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. On Aug. 21, OCU Athletics announced their intention to resume competitions for the fall 2020 semester, with several COVID-19 safety protocols, including daily monitored health assessments and temperature checks for athletics members, and limiting practices to small groups under coach supervision. They announced a tentative schedule for the fall portion of the season and acknowledged the schedule’s potential to change. On Sept. 10, university administration made the decision to delay the start of the 2020-21 season, in conjunction with OCU Athletics. While the Stars would continue to compete in men’s and women’s golf because of their outdoor settings and limited contact between players, all other fall sports would continue practicing but could not begin their seasons until spring 2021. “These are gut-wrenching decisions for all involved, but the safety, health and well-being of our students and staff must remain our top priority,” Abbott wrote in his statement. Selzer said teams’ practices were limited to three players for the first half of the fall semester, and five for the second half.

“So, I mean, our practices were very small. We wore masks the entire time. We tried to stay six feet apart, so we really weren’t near each other,” Selzer said. Sydney Freund, biomedical science senior and women’s wrestler, said COVID-19 protocols have made practices more challenging, but not impossible. “Wrestling is difficult with a mask,” Freund said. “It’s one of the only sports where you’re constantly touching somebody else.” Freund said if wrestlers can learn to practice with masks, anyone can. “Although we have all been affected by the pandemic, we don’t let it stop us,” Freund said. “We still planned on having a really successful season and continuing to learn and grow in our sport.” On Dec. 7, OCU Athletics announced the delay of all athletic competitions and practices until Jan. 15, 2021, due to the continued increase of COVID19 cases in the surrounding area. Athletic activities resumed Jan. 15 with spectators prohibited. On Feb. 25, 2021, OCU Athletics updated their COVID19 protocols, allowing a maximum of 50 spectators at home competitions, with attendees required to wear masks indoors in shared spaces and socially distance six feet from others at all times. Fans must be on each of the teams’ pass lists to be permitted entry. The guidelines also require coaches, student athletes and personnel on the sidelines to wear masks or face shields during competitions. Selzer said the women’s basketball team faced some COVID-19-related complications during the spring 2021 season. “We started the season on Jan. 2, or I think somewhere around there, and we were able to play three games until one of our players actually tested positive for COVID, and we were sent home for 14 days under quarantine,” Selzer said. “So, because of that, we didn’t get to

practice. We weren’t allowed in gyms. We were all quarantined in our homes and weren’t able to do much, and when we got back there was a giant snowstorm, so everything was canceled for another week.” Selzer said these cancellations resulted in the team’s season lasting only around three and a half weeks. “It was different, for sure,” Selzer said. Selzer said the team never knew what was coming next. “I wish everyone knew how hard it was on you, mentally, to not know what was going to happen, because every time we go in to take a COVID test, we don’t know if that’s the end of our season, or if we’re done for 14 days,” Selzer said. “I mean, it’s pretty stressful in that sense because you never know what’s going to happen.” Selzer said she was proud of the team’s resilience over the past year, even in the most challenging of circumstances. “When we played our first game, we were playing a team that had already played 15 games, and we had only practiced for a week and hadn’t played anyone yet,” Selzer said. Selzer said the team was able to do something she wouldn’t have imagined just by working hard and staying positive. Freund said everyone she knows in the athletics department has stayed determined during times of uncertainty. “They don’t let the pandemic stop what they’re set out to do,” Freund said. “Actually, even outside of sports, everyone at OCU is like that. They don’t let it stop their art, or their dance or anything, and I think that’s really important.” For sports-related COVID19 updates, fans can visit the OCUSports website or the MediaOCU sports page.

Women’s basketball defeated in SAC tournament semifinals Megan Filler STAFF WRITER

The OCU women’s basketball team ended their 2020-21 season in the Sooner Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament semifinals. The Stars did not advance to the SAC Tournament championship after losing to Wayland Baptist University (Texas) in a Feb. 26 game at Hutcherson Center in Plainview, Texas, with a final score of 88-63. Wayland Baptist claimed the overall victory in the tournament, beating Langston University (Okla.) March 1 with a score of 71-63. This year marks the first time OCU fell short of the championship game since 2014. The Stars won the championship in 12 previous seasons. Selena McDonald, exercise science junior, said the game did not go as well as expected. “We couldn’t seem to get any shots to go in during the first half,” McDonald said. The Stars beat Southwestern Christian University (Okla.) 88-57 in their first game of the tournament, Feb. 23 at Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. “Compared to how we played on Tuesday, it didn’t seem like it was the same team out there,” McDonald said. McDonald said she is proud how hard the team fought during the tournament. “We kept fighting,’’ McDonald said. “It was

really important to us that we didn’t roll over and give up.” McDonald said the team’s practices were affected by COVID-19 guidelines. “In preseason we could only have groups of three, so we were in there maybe 45 minutes with our coach,” McDonald said. McDonald said the team’s goal is to accomplish more next season and advance to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Basketball Championships. “Our goal is to continue to build on the progress we made this year,” McDonald said. Brett Tahah, head women’s basketball coach, said the team trained hard to prepare for the season, despite the obstacles. “We did small group work and conditioning,” Tahah said. “We lifted weights three to four times a week, did speed and agility training, and sprints.” McDonald said team bonding was also affected by COVID-19 protocols. “We didn’t get to build team chemistry early on,” said McDonald. “We didn’t get to practice as a team until January, and our first game was Jan. 23.” Tahah said the team grew closer during practices and games. “Towards the end of the season, we were really becoming a team,” Tahah said. “We all really love and care about each other.” Tahah said the team has many unique qualities.

Cou�tesy o� OCUspo�ts.com

Abby Selzer, basketball center, blocks a shot in the SAC women’s basketball tournament semifinals against Wayland Baptist University (Texas) Feb. 26 at Hutcherson Center in Plainview, .

“We have a lot of really good players,” Tahah said. “We also have a lot of people on the team that never quit, never give up, so I think that will take us a long way when we get back on the court next year.” Tahah said she is proud of the team, despite the loss. “With all the ups and downs, I’m really proud of how we competed and never quit,”

Tahah said. The Stars completed their season with a final record of 5-1 and ranked 23rd in the NAIA. For more OCU Athletics updates, fans can visit the OCUSports website, and the MediaOCU sports page.

OCU softball opens 2021 season after game cancellations Sarah Kolb

STAFF WRITER

OCU softball recently opened their spring 2021 season. The Stars claimed their first victory of the season over Texas Wesleyan University at Sycamore Park in Fort Worth, Texas, with a doubleheader sweep of 11-4 and 5-0. This season opening pair of games comes after several game postponements and cancellations. The team was

last scheduled to play Mid-America Christian University Feb. 26 in Oklahoma City, but MACU canceled the game due to weather complications from the 2021 U.S. cold snap. They were also scheduled to play in the Ardmore Tournament in Ardmore, Okla. Feb. 12-13 and the Allen Tournament in Allen, Texas. Feb. 19-21, but both were canceled. Their Feb. 23 game against University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha, Okla. was postponed, with no future date for the

event announced. Phil McSpadden, head softball coach, said the team’s season was originally delayed due to COVID-19. “The only game that was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions was on Feb. 2,” McSpadden said. Before the game, Mallory McCoy, cell and molecular biology sophomore, said the team was expecting to push through with a win, despite previous game cancellations. “There is always a learning curve

during the first few games, no matter when they are played,” McCoy said. “Of course, we are expecting some hiccups here and there that come from a lack of game time, but with all the cancellations, we’ve had extra time to prepare. We may be at a slight disadvantage in the beginning when we are playing teams that have a few games under their belts, but I expect us to catch on pretty quickly.” The Stars were set to compete in the 2019 Sooner Athletic Conference

Softball Tournament, with hopes of advancing to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championship opening round and the NAIA Softball World Series, but their season was cut short due to the pandemic.

To re a d t h e f u l l s t o r y, v i s i t MediaOCU.com.

March 10, 2021