March 31, 2021

THE CAMPUS

March, 31 2021 – Volume 114 Issue 9

Experienced Presidents Lead On

OCU names Dr. Kenneth Evans as New President Paul Dower

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

OCU announced on Mar. 23 that Dr. Kenneth Evans will serve as the new president of OCU following July 1.

In an email from OCU Communications sent out to the campus community, Paul McLaughlin, Board of Trustees chairman, announced that Evans is the chosen pick for president.

“With his years of academic leadership at Lamar and other institutions, we are confident in Dr. Evans’ ability to help us continue our tradition of excellence,” McLaughlin said in the email. “His experience as a president and administrator, along with his local connections in central Oklahoma, will be valuable assets in continuing to move the university forward.”

President Martha Burger will continue as president of OCU until June 1. Burger said she is looking forward to Evans’s leadership.

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Evans as the new president of OCU,” Burger said. “I believe that my alma mater will be in good hands and that OCU’s future is as bright as ever.”

Evans currently serves as the president of Lamar University and has served in that position since 2013. Evans has a bachelors in English/political science from University of California-Davis and received his masters in business from California State University-Sacramento and doctorate in business from University of Colorado.

Evans has worked in higher education for over 35 years, including serving as dean at the Michael F. Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma, various positions at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a faculty position at Arizona State University.

During the general and student candidate forums hosted by the Presidential Search Committee on March 11, Evans said one of the reasons he wants to be president at OCU is because he likes Oklahoma.

“I was in Oklahoma, as you know, for about seven years.

I fell in love with Oklahoma,” Evans said. “I grew to love the people here a great deal.”

Evans also said he liked OCU is because it is the only university embedded in OKC and is perfectly situated to help the city grow.

“Being the only embedded university in this city, you have an obligation to this city,” Evans said. “The more you improve this city with the next level of improvements, revitalizations going on in Oklahoma City, unless you attend the gentrification, you will create a massive problem. There’s too much data out there to demonstrate that that is the case.”

Evans said he sees a gentrification problem in Oklahoma City, and he sees the less financially capable people in these gentrified areas will be crowded out of their homes in the coming years. He said he wants OCU to be part of helping these communities when and if this process happens.

“You can, indeed, make a contribution as a university to start talking about the important subjects around gentrification, and how we can do intelligent things now in Oklahoma City so we can avoid some of the pitfalls that community after community has experienced,” Evans said.

Evans said he thinks issues of diversity and inclusion in most instances comes from a place of ignorance, and universities like OCU should work to educate people on these matters.

“Our role, and the great thing about being educators, is we have the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat to do a much better job of preparing the world to understand how the greatest communities that constitute the network, the fabric, this rich mosaic, this part of humanity, how it all fits together,” Evans said. “And if we’re not playing a role in that space then shame on us.”

Student Publications conducted a survey about how the campus community felt about Evans being selected as the new university president and the Presidential Search Process in general. Several community members expressed their concerns about Evans’s ability to lead a healthy and diverse campus.

Evans said Lamar University has a very diverse population, with a about quarter of the population on campus being Black, around 21% being Latinx and 58% of students being first generation. Lamar University also has a significant amount of deaf and hearing-impaired students on their campus.

Dr. Evans continued on 3

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Sou�ce: okcu.edu

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Dr. Kenneth Evans currently serves as the president of Lamar

Re-elected SGA President Reid Powell and SGA Vice President Brittany

University and is set to take over as president of OCU on July 1.

Wyatt pose in front of the Clara E. Jones Administration Building.

Re-elected SGA President, Vice President devoted to communication, transparency, advocacy Paul Dower

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Reid Powell, Student Government Association president, and Brittany Wyatt, SGA vice president, were re-elected after running unopposed in the recent electoral race.

Candidate filing applications for SGA president, vice president and each of the seats in the SGA senate opened March 9. Powell and Wyatt filed their names on the same ticket. The filing closed March 15, and during the mandatory candidate seminar on March 16, it was determined Powell and Wyatt would be elected by acclamation to the roles of president and vice president in accordance with Article III Section Two of the SGA Constitution. Powell and Wyatt will be sworn into their positions on April 13th.

The only positions up for an election at press time are the senate seats for the Music District and the Science and Mathematics District. A candidate forum will take place at 5 p.m. on March 26 over Zoom, and the election for these seats will be conducted from 8 p.m. on March 30 to 5 p.m. March 31. The results will be posted that night. The rest of the senate seats were elected by acclamation.

Powell is a political science junior and started in SGA at the end of his freshman year when he was elected by acclamation into the senate seat for the Social Sciences District. During that time, he introduced a resolution for Housing and Residence Life to change their housing process to be more gender inclusive and allow students to room with people with whom they shared their gender identity, regardless of what gender they were assigned at birth, which has gone into effect for fall 2021 housing applications.

Powell then ran for vice president under Abby Banks, political/philosophy/economics junior, at the end of his sophomore year, and they both won by acclamation. During his time as vice president, he proposed the idea to create gender-inclusive restrooms across campus, a proposal which, according to Powell, will be completed in the coming weeks.

Wyatt, a political science/philosophy/ economics sophomore, started her career in SGA as one of the freshman-at-large senators her freshman year. She then ran

for and was elected as one of the sophomore-at-large senators. At the beginning of the fall 2020 semester, she ran for speaker of the senate and was elected to the position.

On Nov. 5, 2020, Banks resigned from the SGA presidential position, so Powell and Wyatt took over the positions of president and vice president on Nov. 9.

They have served in both positions since then. As president and vice president, they have worked to strengthen SGA’s social media presence, continued to work on initiatives started in the Banks administration and revitalized student caucuses.

Powell said his and Wyatt’s platform centers around active communication with the student body, such as increasing social media usage and updating the SGA page on OCU’s website, transparency with students about what is going on in SGA, and advocating for students’ best interests.

“In almost every issue we have seen or that has arisen, it is one of these three things that we feel plays a role in how to be more proactive in the future in preventing those from happening. And so, we plan on implementing these, not only in our own administration, but also encouraging—well at this point it will be a future president of our university and our administration to uphold these things as well,” Powell said.

Powell said he wanted to continue and expand some of the initiatives the previous administrations have been working on to improve, such as the initiative to create gender-inclusive restrooms across campus and the PATs initiative, which distributes menstrual care products to bathrooms across campus.

Powell said he is in the early planning stages to renovate the Student Leadership Center next to Chick-Fil-A in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.

“Every day, I walk in, and I see this large piece of real estate on campus that I think has so much potential, and I hardly ever see students using it. So, I think there are ways we can really improve that space and make it a space where student organizations have a place to call their own,” Powell said.

According to Powell, the plans to improve the Student Leadership center have not been fully fleshed out, but Powell said he is thinking about adding

lights to brighten up the space, painting the walls, replacing the furniture with new furniture that encourages group collaboration and upgrading the technology.

Wyatt said her goals for the next academic year are the same as Powell’s, as well as improving student involvement in SGA and teaching senators how to write legislation and experience that process.

“The biggest thing I want to focus on is just legislation: teaching senators how to write legislation, getting the legislation written and the process of doing that. The process of doing that includes reaching out to people in their districts, talking to their peers and students and campus facilities and administration and things like that,” Wyatt said.

Powell and Wyatt have chosen two people for the positions in their executive cabinet so far. Torey Smith, political science junior, was chosen for chief of staff, and Tara Ramakrishnan, finance junior, was chosen for secretary of finance. Powell said he will open the rest of the executive cabinet positions, which include secretary of public relations, secretary of policies and initiatives and secretary of diversity, equity and inclusion, to the campus instead of picking people from his inner circle, which he said is common for most SGA presidents to do.

“It is typically not precedent that it is through an application,” Powell said.

“I know that sometimes there are people who are so eager and passionate to serve in these positions, and they are usually appointed before those people have the opportunity to express that interest. So, I want to make sure that I know everyone that is interested in the role.”

The deadline for the applications was 5 p.m. March 24. From there, Powell and the executive committee will decide who they will pick to fill each position.

Powell said he is hoping to have his picks selected by April 5. The cabinet picks will then be approved by the student senate during their next meeting.

To read the full story, visit MediaOCU. com.

Songs for a New World

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lifestyles

Jessica Vanek

LIFESTYLES EDITOR

Something strange is afoot.

State Rep. Justin Humphrey recently filed House Bill 1648, which would create a section of law stating, “the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall promulgate rules establishing a big foot hunting season. The Commission shall set annual season dates and create any necessary specific hunting licenses and fees.”

The proposed bounty to capture Bigfoot alive and unharmed began at $25,000. It has since been raised to $2.1 million.

In an interview with FOX 7 Austin, Humphrey said it was secretly a plan to bring in tourism revenue to his district.

“We’re having fun with it. It’s a lot of fun. I’m enjoying it,” Humphrey said. “But at the same time, I know a lot of people thought I was crazy.”

However, Student Publications was contacted by someone who is not enjoying it.

Bigfoot, resident of the Pacific Northwest, said he was merely on vacation in the rural area of Southeast Oklahoma.

“I’m constantly on the run,” Bigfoot said. “They’re always chasing after me up in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, California, Montana and Wyoming. I thought I would be safe here in Southeast Oklahoma, but I guess I can never be happy.”

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Mackenzie Shaw Student Publications

Bigfoot was interested in seeing the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park from the popular Netflix show “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”

Bigfoot said this life on the run has put a strain on every single aspect of his life, including his family relations.

“I haven’t seen my wife in over 200 years,” he said. “Ever since they first saw me in 1792, I had to kiss my sweet Tabitha goodbye and live my life on the road. I even missed my daughter’s 316th birthday.”

Bigfoot said he is the only “Big” foot, which contributes to the reason why only he is evading capture.

“Sasquatch is a species,” he said. “However, I’m the only ‘big’ foot to my knowledge. Sure, we have Mediumfoot, Smallfoot, Slighty-larger-than-averagefoot, but Bigfoot just stuck to me I guess.”

Bigfoot said he wears a size 29 in men’s shoes and is always struggling to find a pair which not only fit his feet, but also his style.

“I consider myself a pretty fashionable guy,” he said. “I used to be able to get into Men’s Warehouse after dark, but they started locking their back door, and I’m not about to get another warrant for my arrest.”

Bigfoot said he politely is begging for people to leave him alone.

“Listen, I’m a Leo sun and rising, so I love attention, but this is frankly too much,” he said.

Bigfoot said he is terrified of capture.

“I’ve gotten pretty good at covering my tracks,” Bigfoot said. “For example, I required this interview to be conducted in the middle of the forest at 3:23 a.m. I also microchipped Jess here to make sure that if she does cross me, I know where she sleeps. I also know her social security number, which is [REDACTED].”

For more information on Bigfoot, go to Washington.

New OCU CARE officers look to include faculty Des Barrett

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The student organization Oklahoma City University Creatives for Artistic and Realistic Equity recently completed officer elections for the 2021-2022 year.

Sadie Koopman, music theater/vocal performance sophomore, was elected as the new vice president of CARE. Koopman currently serves as the co-leader of the LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity branch, also known as QI. Koopman said the election procedures were completed using Google Forms.

Between Jan. 27 - Feb. 5, members of OCU CARE were able to nominate themselves or others for any elective position. Once the nominations were announced Feb. 5, nominated members chose a single position to run for and present a platform. Voting opened Feb. 10 and closed Feb. 17. All members of CARE were sent a digital ballot. According to the OCU CARE constitution, two-thirds of the members must vote in order for the vote to be valid. The newly elected officers were announced Feb. 24.

Koopman said the officers decided to keep elections open to all members, not just active or regularly attending members.

“In the end we all decided that it was better to have everybody’s voice and make sure it was the voice of the majority of people, rather than focusing on the people who have time, because you’re so busy as a music student, and whether or not you have time for CARE doesn’t make your voice any more or less valuable,” she said.

The other elected officers for CARE are as follows: • President: Nasir Panjwani • Vice President: Sadie Koopman

In the end we all decided that it was better to have everybody’s voice and make sure it was the voice of the majority of people, rather than focusing on the people who have time.

Sadie Koopman

music theater/ vocal performance sophomore

Secretary: Luke Gilmore Treasurer: Lily Parker Community Engagement Officer: Sam Pottinger • S o c i a l Me d i a D i r e c t o r : E l l a Dolynchuk • Body Empowerment Branch Director: Grace Knight • Queer Inclusivity Branch Director: Eli Nash • Mental Health and Wellness Branch Director: Hunter Semrau • Race and Ethnic Diversity Branch Director: Viviana Goodwin The only position without an officer is the Disability, Neurodivergence, & Accessibility Branch. A special election for the DNA Branch will be held soon.

Koopman said the CARE Vice President acts as the liaison between represented students, and faculty. She said as the future vice president, she wants to bring more faculty on board and create programs, events and meetings to educate faculty on important issues, such as interacting with gender-nonconforming students. She said she hopes to spread these meetings to faculty in all the fine arts schools, not just the Wanda L. Bass • • •

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School of Music.

“They have monthly faculty meetings that they use to catch themselves up about what’s going on in the school, and so I think CARE is equally important to that. So, finding a time, whether it’s in that meeting or a separate meeting, to continue educating our faculty,” Koopman said.

Koopman said she was inspired by Gwendolyn Walker, assistant professor of musical theatre at Pennsylvania State University, who recently spoke about the importance of educating faculty at a QI town hall the organization hosted.

Koopman said she thinks CARE’s purpose is to begin to put pressure on faculty at OCU to help create and preserve a safe, positive and equitable environment for all students.

“I think, if we had an ultimate goal, it would be that CARE is no longer needed, and that the faculty really has the information and the resources and the policies and the process of being able to be equitable and safe for every single type of person that walks through the OCU doors,” she said.

Simón Gómez Villegas, music theater/ music composition senior, is the current community engagement officer for CARE.

Gómez Villegas said most of the nominated officers ran unopposed. He said Pottinger will be an excellent community engagement officer.

“I’m so thrilled. It is such a dream team,” Gómez Villegas said. “I can speak from experience because I’m close to Sam, but also he is a very dedicated, hardworking person and has just so many ideas to help CARE improve the community, and the same can be said for every single person that was chosen for the position. I think each elected officer is very dedicated to CARE, and wants the best for CARE, and wants to help CARE succeed in the community.”

Gómez Villegas said he believes all the new officers are the right people to help CARE grow, create a legacy and establish itself in the fabric of the music school.

CARE’s next event is a Body Empowerment town hall led by the recently elected Grace Knight, music theater/vocal performance junior.

OCU CARE is open to all students. Readers can find more information about CARE and their upcoming events on their Facebook and Instagram pages. Students can join OCU CARE by emailing Gómez Villegas at sgomez@my.okcu.edu for more information, or by filling out the interest form available in the organization’s Instagram bio.

Praxis students submit papers to pop culture conference Destyni Lietzke

STAFF WRITER

Three students in Jennifer Ezell’s Praxis class submitted their papers for a virtual academic/pop culture conference.

Oklahoma City University theatre and performance juniors Olivia Allen, Harley Harris and Shelby Parker all submitted academic papers at the Southwest Popular/ American Culture Association Conference.

“The mission of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (SWPACA) is to promote an innovative and nontraditional academic movement in Humanities and Social Sciences celebrating America’s cultural heritages. To provide an outlet for scholars, writers, and others interested in popular/American culture, to share ideas in a professional atmosphere, 2

and to increase awareness and improve public perceptions of America’s cultural traditions and diverse populations,” the organization’s website reads.

The students’ essay topics varied, but they revolved around the concepts of the Monstrous Feminine and queer theory.

The Monstrous Feminine is a concept created by Barbara Creed. The Monstrous Feminine dives into the theory of how women are portrayed as “motherly” or are often seen as victims in horror films. The Monstrous Feminine also discusses how women can try to fight these ideas.

Queer Theory explores various aspects of LGBTQ+ sexuality, how they are exploited and ways to fight against this exploitation.

Harley Harris wrote their paper over analysis of The

The work that you do by yourself impacts other humans when it goes out into the world.

Jennifer Ezell visiting professor applied theatre

Monstrous Feminine in characters from the horror podcast “The Magnus Archives.”

Olivia Allen took the concept of The Monstrous Feminine and combined it with her love for Taylor Swift for her paper submission.

“I was rewatching the Reputation Stadium Tour, and I started to notice that it kind of matched up with what we had been discussing in class about feminism and the Monstrous Feminine.

And to me, Taylor had recre-

ated this character that had kind of taken it and turned it into a cool, positive thing. I decided I wanted to write my paper about that,” Allen said.

Shelby Parker wrote her paper about queer theory and “Phineas and Ferb,” titled, “Behold, the Queer-inator: Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Queerness in Phineas and Ferb.”

Her paper was about how throughout the Disney show “Phineas and Ferb,” Dr. Doofenshmirtz was made

predominately to have gay characteristics, and how queer characteristics were exploited through him.

These papers began in Jennifer Ezell’s Praxis class.

The basis of the class is to explore various critical analysis theories and how they’re seen in culture. Some of these theories include Abjection Theory, Male Gaze Theory and the Monstrous Feminine.

For an assignment, her students had to write papers about one of the theories mentioned in class and connect it to culture. Ezell encouraged students to submit their papers to the conference. Harris, Parker, and Allen were the three who did.

The Southwest Popular/ American Culture conference was an opportunity for writers and scholars to experience a professional network.

“Research can be isolating.

You’re alone in your room studying with a bunch of books. However, going to the conference and talking to others who are in the same interest field you are, you don’t feel alone anymore. The work that you do by yourself impacts other humans when it goes out into the world,” Ezell said.

Ezell said she liked the SWPAC conference because of how helpful and welcoming they are, as opposed to bigger conferences.

“We just don’t go to conferences because they’re fun.

We don’t just go just to network. It’s for you, personally, to takes notes and learn from what they had to say after reading your paper.

And if that helps, then that’s enough,” she said.

March 31, 2021

news Car raided in Methodist Hall parking garage Anette Barrios-Torres STAFF WRITER

Mackenzie Shaw Student Publications

Officials prepare safe, in-person commencement Anette Barrios-Torres STAFF WRITER

Graduation for the classes of 2020 and 2021 will take place in-person this May. OCU officials are planning on having two graduations. On May 7, one ceremony will honor the class of 2020, while another ceremony on May 8 will be dedicated to the class of 2021.

Allison Hudson, assistant director of student engagement, said she is excited to give the graduates a day to celebrate their achievements.

Hudson said one of the graduation committees is focused specifically on solidifying the logistics of health and safety standards, amidst changing CDC guidelines relating to COVID-19. She said there are parts within the ceremony which are set to take place in several areas to allow for continuous movement in order not to confine a large crowd.

“The way it was described to me was like a Disney ride,” Hudson said. “It’s supposed to keep moving, all through different spaces with lots of little elements that come together.”

Shakurah Maynard, graphic design 2020 alumna, said the end of her final year in college felt more like a cutoff than a triumphant finish.

“I just now am getting excited about taking graduation photos a year after I’ve graduated. In a way, I didn’t do them because I didn’t even feel like I had graduated,” she said. “I just remember checking the mail one day, and I had been sent my diploma.”

According to the OCU website, class of 2020 graduates are requested to RSVP by April 9 if they wish to attend their commencement ceremony.

Students from the classes of 2020 and 2021 are each permitted four guests, and additional guests can watch the ceremony via a livestream.

Commencement for the class of 2021 is currently split into six groups: POD 1 | 9-11 a.m.

(8:45 a.m. arrival time) Dance and Theatre degrees POD 2 | 10 a.m. to noon (9:45 arrival time) Music degrees POD 3 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

(10:45 a.m. arrival time) Petree Undergraduate degrees POD 4 | 1:30-2:45 p.m.

(1:15 p.m. arrival time) PA degrees & Petree Graduate degrees

On March 19, Alyssa Snow, design and production junior, found her car had been broken into and her lights switched on, leaving the car battery dead.

Snow said she was walking on the second floor of the Methodist Hall parking garage when she noticed the trunk of her car was ajar, but thought nothing of it.

When trying to open the car, she said her key fob wasn’t responding, so she opened the driver’s side door manually.

“When I got into the car, I saw that the glove compartment and center console were open,” Snow said. “I’m really good about not leaving things out, so I couldn’t think of any other reason why things would be all over the place.”

Snow said her insurance and owner’s manual were scattered across the seats and loose change was sprinkled throughout the floor.

“I don’t keep any valuables in my car,”

Snow said. “It must have been someone checking car doors. I think the thought is more scary than anything else.”

The Methodist Hall parking garage requires a key card to enter both the garage’s gate and the entrance door to the building. Snow said she called the OCU Police Department to log the incident but originally had no intention of filling out a report since nothing was stolen or damaged.

“A woman answered the phone. I used the phrase, ‘My car got broken into. I don’t think anything’s missing, but my car needs a jump now,’” Snow said. “They said it would be a good idea to fill out a statement, just to have one on file.”

Dexter Nelson, chief of police for OCUPD, said though a report was filed, there wasn’t much the department could do since there was no concrete evidence of damage or breaking into the vehicle.

“The possibility that someone was in there was good, but the intent is unclear,” Nelson said. “From our experience, even

“

if someone doesn’t take anything from a car, there’s usually some indication of forced entry. Her battery was dead, and her trunk was open, but we didn’t really have any information.”

Though things in the car had been disturbed, Nelson said it would be impossible to tell for sure whether someone had actually broken in because neither Snow nor the officer on the case could determine whether anything was missing.

To better prevent this from happening to students in the future, Nelson said the easiest security steps to take are to lock car doors securely and hide smaller items like phone chords, coin purses and change.

Above all, Nelson said students should make absolutely sure there are no purses, backpacks or electronics left in cars.

Acclaimed Poet Hosts Virtual Workshops Anette Barrios-Torres STAFF WRITER

National Book-Award winner and prominent Black poet Nikky Finney will lead virtual poetry workshops and events on April 6 and 7.

The events include a live reading, a conversation with guest interviewer Clemonce Heard and an open mic.

Every April, OCU hosts a nationally recognized poet as part of the Annual Thatcher Hoffman Smith Poetry Series. This yearly series originally began with professor emeritus Harbour Winn and took off when a generous donor interested in promoting film and poetry committed to making it a yearly occurrence in an effort to explore how these mediums help people understand themselves and others.

Dr. Tracy Floreani, professor of English, said this series is something she looks forward to each year because it brings a fresh and exciting new perspective, along with its lessons and joys.

“It usually turns out that we pick exciting and generous people who makes us think about how language affects our perception of the world. Great poets make us rethink the way we see situations,” Floreani said.

An email sent to the campus community

by Rod Jones, associate director of communications, stated Finney is best known for her depictions of the African American experience which she describes as “the graciousness of Black family perseverance, the truth of history, the grace and necessity of

Dr. Evans Continued from 1 “When you talk about diversity and inclusion, it means telling the community, of which you are apart, that we welcome the diverse population, and we want you to feel that you have access to the supportive services this institution can provide you to make your experience as a successful student at OCU the very best it can be.” Evans said.

When asked about cost-ofliving adjustments for university employees and the lack thereof in recent years, Evans said he has hosted fundraisers for faculty raises at LU. “The commitment is really around building professorships, fellowships, endowed chairs.

When I arrived, we had I want to say maybe six endowed chairs and professorships and no fellowships. We now have about 35, and this campaign will probably grow that, about double

Great poets make us rethink the way we see situations.

Dr. Tracy Floreani

professor English

memory, as well as the titanic loss of habitat for all things precious and wild.”

Finney was also a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets Collective for African American Poets and has won several prizes, including the PEN American Open Book Award and the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award for the Arts in South Carolina. Some of her well-known poetry collections are “On Wings Made of Gauze” and “The World Is Round.”

As a professor whose research specialty is in multiethnic American literature, Floreani said she feels it is especially important to highlight artists of color, because the variety of voices in the American creative scene are profound and deeply thoughtful.

“The timing is incidental, but in her most recent work, it includes a lot of poems and reflections on the violence against unarmed Black citizens. Her perspective is so timely,” Floreani said.

In considering what makes poetry so special to her, Floreani said its nature is freer and more flexible than other mediums because its greatest purpose is to fulfill rather

that number,” Evans said. “So, where I may not be able to find funds in the operating budget, specifically, I’m finding funds through alternative sources.”

When asked about a time he defended academic freedom, Evans did not provide a specific example but said academic freedom is essential to universities and spoke about the invention of tenure during the McCarthy era to protect professors from being fired and blacklisted for teaching the subject they wanted to teach.

“If we kept doing that, then who really dictates what the message is? Who becomes the governing mechanism to determine what truth is? You tell me,” Evans said.

Several attendants at the general session asked if Evans would commit to creating an office of sustainability to transition OCU renewable energy. Evans said he doesn’t know the specifics of what it would take to do those things, but he is in favor of it.

“I’d have to see a plan, and I

than to sell.

“It’s not as market-driven. It’s an especially great venue for diverse perspectives,” Floreani said. “One of my wishes is for any student or faculty member to try this out.

College is a time for stepping out of the comfort zone to explore. I hope all that go gain a new inspiration of thinking about the power of poetry.”

Olivia Fosson, music theater sophomore, said she is looking forward to the insight and nuanced angle Finney brings to the world of writing.

“I’m most excited about hearing her unique path. I think with lots of writers, we see that their ideas have taken journeys of their own,” Fosson said. “Getting to hear the arc of where she started, to how her thought process may have shifted or changed as she’s grown would be awesome.”

The intersectionality of Finney’s experience as a Black woman who is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community is something Fosson said she values deeply.

Fosson said she hopes to see more poets, musicians and artists of different backgrounds represented in future events at OCU because their stories and points of view can bring a richer and more comprehensive view of the world.

“Writing is so personal and very much an outlet for so many of us. It’s beautiful when people can put their thoughts to words and share those with others: powerful,” Fosson said.

would have to see how it plays out. But that would be a really positive and a very exciting objective,” Evans said.

Another attendant asked him about the recent United Methodist Conference decision against LGBTQ+ clergy and marriages. Evans said OCU’s role in the midst of that decision is to encourage discussion.

“I think when misunderstanding and misrepresentation–and oftentimes hate–is a consequence of attitudes that are formed in a social setting. Those attitudes are often a function of misinformation. They are a function of ignorance. They are a function of the failure to perceive alternative perspectives. And the role of the university plays is all about building intelligent dialogue,” Evans said.

BreAuna Shaw, marketing sophomore, said she appreciated how open the candidate was with the attendants of the forum.

Shaw asked what brought him to apply for OCU, to which he

responded he would like to work with a smaller university, and he said his wife had recently died, so he said he sees working for a different university as a way of moving on.

“I liked how open he was, especially to my question. Of course, I had no idea what brought him here, but I thought it was really cool that he mentioned his wife,” Shaw said. “I also love that, besides his experience as a previous president, he also comes with a lot of unique ideas.”

Maya Ferrer, acting senior, said she is not thrilled about the decision.

“I hope that Dr. Evans is good for OCU,” she said. “But I do know of some staff members who are not happy. I don’t know a single student who wanted him to be president.”

POD 5 | 2:45-4:45 p.m.

(2:30 p.m. arrival time) Business degrees POD 6 | 3:45-5:45 p.m.

(3:30 p.m. arrival time) Nursing degrees

Receiving a shot of normalcy

To stay informed on updated graduation details, changes and protocols, students are encouraged to frequently check the Commencement page on the OCU website.

Workers hold up signs at the March 19 COVID -19 vaccination clinic designating which spots are open for community members to receive vaccines. The event took place in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. Volunteers administered second-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and first-dose Moderna vaccines to students, faculty, and locals. The March 19 clinic administered 750 vaccines to community members. The next vaccination clinic will be April 1 in the Freede Wellness Center. Volunteers at this upcoming clinic will be able to administer 50 first doses Jessica Casebeer Student Publications

March 31, 2021

of the Moderna vaccine and 60 second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

3

opinion

Why students should pay attention to SGA Student Government Association elections have just started, and this year will be the second year in a row in which SGA has had a president and vice president acclimate to the role due to no other students filing for candidacy.

On the face of it, student involvement in SGA has seemed to take a dive. But why should students even care about student government in the first place? What is the purpose of having it around?

SGA is a way for the student body to represent itself to the administration. The SGA president, by virtue of their position, is a full voting member of the Board of Trustees. That position is a way for students to have their voices heard by the administrators at OCU whom we hardly interact with. If we want to send a message to the board, we send it through the SGA president.

The legislation SGA passes also sends a message to the administration. Two years ago, during the Trousdale administration, SGA crafted a resolution asking the university for the suspension of Greek houses Alpha Phi and Kappa Sigma. This resolution along with other outside pressures, forced the university to respond to

Talk Back “What policies do you hope the new university president will enact?”

the situation, and the houses decided to suspend themselves for a semester.

SGA is also in charge of funding for student groups on campus. Anyone in charge of an official club on campus will tell you they had to go before the Student Senate to request a grant for things their club needs.

It may be hard to see it sometimes, but SGA affects student life all across campus.

However, the relationship between SGA and students has to go both ways. One of the goals of the new Powell and Wyatt administration is to improve relations between the student senators and the constituents in their districts. By demonstrating an interest in student opinions, SGA is aiming to foster a more communicative and involved space.

Students should care about SGA because SGA can, has and will continue to effect real change on this campus. If students want to have their voices heard and speak out against a problem facing our campus, SGA is the best vehicle to make lasting change on campus.

“The university produces a lot of trash, and sometimes the cans don't get emptied as much as they should”

“I really hope the new president enacts more environmental policies, especially focusing on recycling”

Becca Wallingford music theater/music composition freshman

Jordan Iwuchukwu game design & animation freshman

“Keep diversity and inclusion going. I don't want that to die down with the transition of the new president”

“I hope he doesn't cut small majors”

Chris Richie music theater junior

Olivia de Haan theatre and performance sophomore

“Bigger emphasis on facilities and inclement weather issues”

“More lenience on COVID protocols”

Luis Sanchez music education junior

Preston Hunt design and production freshman

Survey Says...

What did the campus community think about the Presidential Search?

Do you support the Presidential Search Which candidate was your preferred choice Did you feel represented by the Presidential Committee’s choice of Dr. Kenneth Evans as out of the four finalists?

Search Committee? the new OCU president?

No Opinion

Depoy 12% Brennen 48%

Evans 12%

19% 11%

Austin 27%

No 70%

Yes Student Publications put out a survey asking these questions and more about the topic. The results are from over 50 responses from students, faculty and staff.

Student Government Association Senate Voter's Guide Science and Mathematics District

Katelyn Morton Submitted

Ashley Nguyen

Ashley Nguyen is a cell and molecular biology freshman. She currently serves as the SGA Science and Math senator and is working on legislation that could provide OCU students with free self-defense classes and resource seminars in the future.

She wants to continue to serve as senator to continue her work in making OCU a safer campus while also advocating for the needs of the Science and Math District.

Katelyn Morton Submitted

Maddy Simms

Maddy Simms is a cell and molecular biology sophomore from Oklahoma City.

Some of her involvement on campus includes service on Student Activities Council's executive committee, on New Student Orientation's executive committee, and as a member of Phi Mu. Her goal as a senator would be to give the science and math students an official voice and to promote their rights and interests.

Music District

Katelyn Morton Submitted

Kiegan Ryan

Kiegan Ryan is a composition/cello performance freshman. Through his composition major, Ryan is experienced in time management and coordination with others. Ryan wants to represent the constituents within the Music District , even the smaller subgroups within the district, and make sure the interests of the Music District are kept in mind when making funding decisions in the senate.

THE CAMPUS

4

Matthew Pitman

Matthew Pitman is a music theater freshman with a minor in Film and Digital Media. He deeply believes in the importance of a supportive community and ensuring that every student feels they have a voice in the decisions regarding the school of music. He thinks topics such as mental health, facility cleanliness and a sense of community within the music school should be top priority.

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 31, 2021, Volume 114, Issue 9

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 Ad Director: Blake Keesee

Katelyn Morton Submitted

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

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

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 31, 2021

arts & entertainment

Go on a journey

Mackenzie Shaw Student Publications

Top left: Avery Mahan (vocal performance sophomore, middle) as “Mrs. Claus,” shares her frustrations about her husband while elves Cooper Clack (music theater junior, left) and Adam White (music theater junior, right) dance behind her during “Surabaya-Santa” as part of the OCUStripped production of “Songs for a New World.” The show performed March 20-21 in the Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. The performance was streamed via ShowTix4U. Top right: The cast members of “Songs For A New World” stand united on stage.

Left: Fiona Scott, music theater freshman, sings “I’m Not Afraid of Anything,” a reflection on the fears holding back the people in her life from achieving their dreams, and her realization that she is ready to face anything to live a fulfilling life.

School of Theatre alum stars on ABC, CW Troy Freeman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Laura Kariuki, acting alumna, is signed to serve as a series regular in two network TV shows throughout 2021.

Kariuki replaced “Black Lightning” star China Anne McClain for the show’s fourth and final season on The CW Network. She is also slated to be a series regular in ABC’s reboot of “The Wonder Years” alongside Emmy nominee Dulé Hill.

Kariuki said both opportunities came from auditions given to her by her agency, A3 Artists Agency, which she signed with after OCU’s New York Showcase.

She said she auditioned for “Black Lightning” in November of 2020 and was cast only a few weeks later.

“At the time, I didn’t realize how big the character was, that I was replacing China Anne McClain’s character.

So, I auditioned for it, and like a week later I had a callback,” Kariuki said. “The

callback was a week later, and a few days after that I found out I booked it. That one happened super-fast, honestly.”

Kariuki said all of these auditions took place remotely via Zoom meetings and self-tapes.

Shortly after being cast, she said she was flown to Los Angeles to begin pre-production.

“Two weeks after being cast, I flew to L.A. for costume fitting and stuff, and then I flew to Atlanta to start filming. I’ve been filming since December, and I’m now on my seventh episode filmed.”

Kariuki is set to perform throughout the remainder of the last season of “Black Lightning,” with the final episode airing in May 2021.

While preparing and shooting “Black Lightning,” Kariuki also auditioned and began pre-production on “The Wonder Years” reboot.

“My agent sent me that audition about a month and

Submitted

a half ago/two months ago.

That was another self-tape,” Kariuki said. “Sent that in, and then I got a callback. I then had a producer session, which was live on Zoom with producers and creators of the show.”

Kariuki said she started testing for the show in a final

round of callbacks. She was then put in a group of three finalists, two of which were asked to meet the producers in person.

“They sent two of us to ABC for them to pick who they wanted, and a day or two days after that, I found out I got it,” Kariuki said.

Kariuki said preproduction has already begun on “The Wonder Years” and filming is going to commence in a few weeks.

“We start filming in like a week and a half, and we’ve already had our table read a couple days ago over Zoom.

So, that was fun getting to see everyone,” she said.

Kariuki said she is thankful for the opportunity to perform during the COVID19 pandemic.

“It’s a lot, obviously, because I don’t have much experience for what it’s like to be on set. You learn how to act at school, but not really what it’s like to be at the place. So, I’ve learned so much,” Kariuki said.

Bo Harris, acting alumnus, was roommates with Kariuki some time after graduation, prior to her moving to New York. He said her incredible work ethic was evident throughout college and after.

“During the day, the other roommates and I would have

to walk in the house quietly because most of the time she was filming something in the living room with her equipment,” Harris said. “She was just working her butt off every single day and sending in auditions all the time. It wasn’t like it just happened.

She really worked for it this past year; I mean constantly.”

Harris said he is endlessly proud and impressed with Kariuki’s talent and kindness.

“Oh my gosh, she is my best friend. Like, the best person alive. She is hilarious.

She is kind. She deserves everything that she is getting now,” Harris said. “She is someone that makes you feel like the most important person in the room every time you’re with her. Talent goes a long way, but also her kindness is what will project her to her next project.”

Norick Art Center shows Music theater and vocal perwork of local artist formance auditions go virtual Tyler Robbins

STAFF WRITER

The Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery within the Norick Art Center has a new exhibition on display.

“Dean Bloodgood: 70 Years of Painting,” a visiting installation, explores painting from broader lenses. “70 Years of Painting” consists of work from artist Dean Bloodgood, an Oklahoman and professor at Oklahoma State University for over 40 years. Heather Lunsford, gallery director, said the exhibition is one of several the Hulsey Gallery hosts throughout the academic year for students and the nearby community to partake in.

“We hope that the gallery can be a place for students to see art in a comfortable environment,” Lunsford said. “Not only visual art students are welcome, but everyone.”

Lunsford said being able to showcase “70 Years of Painting” is a great opportunity for the art department at OCU to collaborate with OSU. “Whenever we are able to partner with other departments and schools, that is great exposure for our students,” Lunsford said.

Lunsford said the pieces in the gallery are a great representation of Bloodgood’s work because he works in various media.

“The pieces in this installation follow similar, but distinctly different themes,” Lunsford said. “The work is all unified by similar hues March 31, 2021

and tones, but containing differing media usage.”

Lunsford said this exhibition shines a light on Bloodgood and his broad career.

“The art currently in the gallery celebrates the achievements of his career,” Lunsford said. “I think the pieces chosen will take you on a journey.”

Davis Roby, political science sophomore, said he had no idea about new art being in the Norick Center.

“Yeah, I’ve been in there a few times but didn’t realize there was new art on display,” Roby said.

Sophia Patterson, music theater freshman, said she was shocked there was an art gallery on campus.

“How did I not know we had a gallery,” Patterson said. “I’ve seen those blue letters that spell “ART” but didn’t know there was a gallery.”

Patterson said she loves to visit art museums in her free time.

“I always like to scout out places to see new visual art,” Patterson said. “I will definitely be taking a trip to see the campus gallery when I get a chance. I wish I would have known about it sooner.”

“Dean Bloodgood: 70 Years of Painting,” will be on display 9 a.m.

- 5 p.m. weekdays until April 16 in the Hulsey Gallery. Admission is free to the public.

Troy Freeman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

The Wanda L. Bass School of Music moved all auditions for the music theater and vocal performance programs online.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, yearly auditions for the Wanda L. Bass vocal programs are occurring digitally.

More information on the audition process can be found on the School of Music website.

Jordyn Younger, vocal performance/music theater senior, is the National Live Auditions coordinator for the School of Music. She is serving her second year in the position but had to reimagine her role when the university moved all national auditions online.

“Basically, I was a part of planning our audition process this year, which was a huge challenge at first because we wanted to make sure that were still providing a similar experience to the prospectives this year as any other class would get,” Younger said.

Younger said the administration worked to build the entire framework of the audition around the Acceptd website, which is used for many university performance programs. Professors and adjudicators reviewed auditions on the site and offered interviews based on those. Younger said the interviews, hosted by Dr. David Herendeen, director of opera and music theater, and Karen Miller, assistant director of opera and music theater, help the faculty get to know the prospective students personally.

She said the callback interviews were 15 minutes long and enabled prospectives to ask questions.

Younger said she and other student ambassadors for the school simultaneously hosted Q&A sessions in breakout rooms for the prospective students to join before or after their interviews. Younger said the main purpose of the breakout rooms was to give a sense of the on-campus culture to students who may have never visited campus.

“I’m always really proud of all the ambassadors of the School of Music. They all did such a wonderful job embodying the student culture of OCU,” Younger said.

“We just really felt confident in being able to talk about our school in a way that was inviting and welcoming

and enthusiastic.”

Karen Miller, assistant director of opera and music theater, said changing the format for auditions gave the faculty an opportunity to adjust the requirements for auditions, to help ease both the time needed for adjudication and allow prospective students more flexibility.

“We’ve actually standardized what we were asking for musical theater students to do as far as cuts,” Miller said.

“When we’re on campus, we have people sing complete songs and prepare complete songs. That is not necessarily standard for programs.”

Miller said the only special piece of material they continue to require is an art song for the voice faculty to analyze. The requirements for the art song selection were also further specified for this year’s audition.

“We’ve given more resources in terms of what constitutes an art song. We’ve included folk songs, gospel and given some clear definition that it doesn’t have to be in a foreign language,” Miller said.

Miller said the vocal performance audition stayed consistent with previous years.

She said the largest addition from previous years in the inclusion of a ‘wild card’ video.

“It is just any special skill. You can talk to us about something that you’re passionate about, and basically, you can do anything,” Miller said. “It’s a way for us to learn more about their personality and their other interests as a whole person.”

Miller said the interviews with the directors and wild card videos are elements which the faculty is interested in keeping for the future.

“Online auditions are something we have had in many years, but the addition of those elements lessens the feeling that it is a ‘less-than’ audition” Miller said.

To read more about the virtual audition process, see the full story at MediaOCU.com

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sports

Cou�tesy o� OCUspo�ts.com

OCU Cheer wins 2021 national championship MaKayla Baxter

SPORTS EDITOR

The OCU competitive cheerleading team are officially 2021 national champions.

The team competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics competitive cheerleading championship March 12-13 at Lee Lohman Arena in Davenport, Iowa.

The Stars won the national title with a preliminary score of 90.25 and a finals score of 91.95, rounding out their overall score to 91.53. St. Ambrose University (Iowa) placed second with a score of 91.1, and Indiana Wesleyan University (Ind.) placed third with a score of 90.56.

This victory marks the fourth time OCU cheer has won a NAIA title, after previously winning the championship in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

The win also pushed OCU Athletics to a new milestone, marking its 70th national championship across all sports, as well as its 28th consecutive year earning at least one national title.

Zachary Prall, acting senior, said the team was determined to end their season as national champions.

“I’ve been on the team for four years, and everyone has known that we have been good enough to be at the top every year, and I think, for one reason or another, every time we just fell short,” Prall said. “I think it really was time for

the team to just lock in and come out on top this year.”

Prall said the team’s preliminary performance in the competition did not meet their expectations.

“It was weird. On Friday we didn’t really have the best performance that we thought we could do. We’ve done a lot better,” Prall said. “We were the last team to go on Friday, so I think having those nerves all day tired people out, mentally and physically. Also, it was a new day, and I think that was nerve-wracking for some people. We just needed to get those nerves out in order to come back the next day and do really well.”

The team still managed to snare the top preliminary score of the day.

Prall said the team’s finals performance proved to be much more satisfactory.

“The second day, we came out and did the absolute best we possibly thought we could,” Prall said. “You could just see it on everyone’s face after the music stopped. Everyone knew that we gave 110% and everything that we had, and I think what was most fulfilling is that we left everything on the mat, and there was no question about what we could have done better.”

Alicia Bailey, head competitive cheer coach, said the team had no idea if they would win the title.

“It was very, very close,” Bailey said.

“We were hoping that what we had

done would be enough to stay on top, but with cheerleading there’s so many things being judged that you just don’t know how the judges will score you.”

Bailey said performances were judged based on 10 different score sheet categories and subcategories, including stunts, pyramids, tumbling, jumps, basket tosses, difficulty, execution and choreography.

Bailey said she knew the team could win and that this year was the most confident she’s felt as a coach approaching competitions.

“Our goals were to do the best we could with what we had, so we spent a lot of time focusing on us, as a team, rather than what other teams were doing, because, at the end of the day, that’s all you really can do,” Bailey said.

“I gave them skills that we knew we could perform and perform well, so that they could be confident with the routine they put out on the mat.”

Bailey said she believes the team ultimately pushed through such a challenging year because they never wasted time and cherished every opportunity to practice and improve their routine.

“We only had three freshmen on the mat, so having a bunch of upperclassmen and people with experience helped with that condensed time frame” Bailey said.

Bailey said team was not entirely convinced the championships would not be canceled for a second time and

were overjoyed when the competition officially began and realized they would be able to perform.

“I think we were just grateful,” Bailey said. “I can tell you, every single competition this year, the kids--or I should say student athletes--just looked at each other and were like, ‘hey, we actually get to compete today,’ and we did the same thing when we got to Iowa: ‘hey, we made it here. Hey, we passed our COVID tests,’ like ‘that’s a win right there,’ because we couldn’t get that far last year.”

The Stars also qualified for the 2020 NAIA championships, but the competition was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Prall said not being able to compete for last season’s title was upsetting.

He said the team’s 2021 competition preparation timeline was drastically shortened due to COVID-19 protocols, which prohibited student athletes from practicing outside of small groups.

“This year has been absolutely insane with obstacles,” Prall said. “Usually, we get our routine in August, and we start practicing and doing choreography towards the end of October. So, we would have the routine October, November, the beginning of December, then we would leave for Christmas break and be able to come back to start working towards competition season. Well, this year, we didn’t get our routine until January, so we’ve only had our routine

for around seven weeks, which isn’t even a quarter of what that time would normally be.”

Prall said spectators were not allowed at the championships, and masking and social distancing guidelines were strictly enforced for approved athletes, coaches and staff. He said every athlete was tested for COVID-19 prior to traveling and competing, and they received daily health screenings throughout the competition.

Prall said he has cheered with some of the greatest athletes he has ever worked with during his time on the team.

“I just wish people would know the legacy and the hard work that has been put in, you know?” Prall said. “There’s just been so many great people who have come out of that organization, even just in the last 10 years, and it has made an impact on campus. It has made an impact on OCU Athletics and beyond.

I think cheer gets overlooked as a sport, in general, just because it is such a newly sanctioned sport, and I think if people paid a little more attention, they’d really be impressed with the things some of these athletes do. They put their bodies on the line every day, and I wish people saw that more.”

Star setter makes OCU history with SAC, NAIA honors Sarah Kolb

STAFF WRITER

An OCU volleyball player recently secured a national title and three conference titles.

Sophia Salak, biomedical science junior, was awarded both Sooner Athletic Conference setter of the week and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics setter of the week for Feb. 22-March 1 after a season-opening 3-1 win against Texas Wesleyan University (Texas) Feb. 22 at Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. Salak offered 55 assists in the team’s 13-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-12 victory, marking the sixth time she had reached 50 assists over the course of her athletic career.

Salak was awarded SAC setter of the week again for March 1-7 after two more wins against John Brown (Ak.) (3-1) and Southwestern Christian (3-0).

She was awarded SAC setter of the week for a third time after OCU’s 25-22, 25-22, 25-20 win against Mid-America Christian (Okla.) March 18.

Salak is the first SAC setter of the week for the 2021 season, and the first player in OCU Athletics history to earn NAIA setter of the week.

Kristen Coventon, head volleyball coach, said she is proud of Salak for earning the titles and believes she is well-deserving of the recognition.

“Sophia has had some really solid games these past few weeks,” Coventon said.

“She is leading the nation in sets right now. She really puts in extra work in watching film and coming in extra to work on skills.”

Salak said she was excited and shocked to learn she had won all three awards.

“It was definitely a shock to me when I heard I earned NAIA national setter of the week,” Salak said. “Last week

I was not feeling as confident or consistent in my play, so the second SAC weekly award was completely unexpected.”

Salak said she credits her team for her awards and is grateful for her fellow players.

“I was blessed to earn this award, but it is truly because of my team,” Salak said. “I have to give credit to my back-row players for working hard to get me a good pass, and my incredible hitters for taking care of the ball every time I get them a set. We are lucky to have amazing chemistry as a whole, so my job is so much easier because of the great connections I have with my hitters.”

Salak said she hopes to continue to perform well in her position this season.

“I hope to continue to deliver great balls for my hitters for the rest of this season,” Salak said. “I love setting them and just watching them take care of the rest.

Everyone on this team is so much fun to play with.”

Cou�tesy o� OCUspo�ts.com

Salak said she is ready to continue proving the Stars’ worth after the team ranked 16th in the 2020-21 NAIA Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

“Our team goal for this season is to finish this season as undefeated conference champions and make a solid run at nationals,” Salak said.

“We want to prove that we

deserve to be ranked higher than No. 16 in the nation.”

Salak said she is thankful for time on the court this year because many athletes are not getting the same opportunities due to COVID-19.

“I truly just feel so grateful to have the opportunity to play this season with such great girls,” Salak said. “We weren’t sure if we were even

going to be able to have a season due to COVID, so we are just thankful to be on the court competing together.”

Salak said her sights are now set on a 2021 All-American title.

OCU soccer plays first season after Harvey’s retirement Megan Filler STAFF WRITER OCU soccer has approached one year since their original coach’s retirement.

Brian Harvey served as Oklahoma City University’s head soccer coach for 34 years, beginning with the men’s team’s conception in 1986 and followed by the women’s team’s conception in 1994. Harvey celebrated over 800 wins in his coaching career, is in the NAIA Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Soccer Association Hall of Fame

6

and the Oklahoma City University Athletics Hall of Fame and was named conference coach of the year 16 times.

His achievements were honored by the university on Aug. 24, 2019, when the campus soccer field was renamed after him.

Following his retirement in 2019, Billy Martin was named head coach.

Martin is an OCU alumnus and former men’s soccer player, and he was assistant soccer coach to Harvey for 17 years, from 1996 to 2014. He then accepted a position as head soccer coach at Rose State University, where he led the

men’s team.

Martin said he learned a lot while being coached by Harvey during his years playing soccer for OCU. “It’s an honor to take after such a legend that was also my mentor,” Martin said. “I learned most of my coaching from him. Every coach has their own spin, and no two are ever alike – but playing for Harvey and then being his assistant – not a lot has changed in the program. Our goals are the same: to bring in good players who will become good alumni, and also win some SAC championships.”

Martin said the team spirit has been great despite difficulties due to COVID-19 concerns.

“We started off the spring a little slow, but they’ve been getting better and better every week,’’ Martin said.

“We still got to practice in the fall, but we didn’t get to play, which hurt us a little in the spring.”

Martin said despite the obstacles, both teams are playing really well.

“On the ladies’ side we’re 7-2,” Martin said. “All the girls have come in and contributed and done their part.”

Martin said the men’s team has

faced more challenges.

“We had a few players that couldn’t return, and we’ve suffered some important injuries, but overall, their record is very good, 5-2-2-0, and they’re third in the conference right now,” Martin said.

Martin said he learned how to help players on and off the field from Harvey.

To read the full story, visit MediaOCU.com.

March 31, 2021