Jan. 18-24, 2022

W E E K LY E D I T I O N | J A N . 18 - 2 4 , 2 0 2 2 | O U D A I LY. C O M

OUDAILY

The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

OU temporarily requires masks

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

A sticker given to recipients of a COVID-19 vaccination in an OU vaccination clinic on March 26, 2021.

Omicron variant shapes updated measures in OU virus response for spring JILLIAN TAYLOR BLAKE DOUGLAS @jilliantaylor__ @blake_doug918

OU enacted changes to its COVID19 policies, including a mask mandate in all classroom settings through Jan. 31. The decision drew criticism from community members who saw the move as contradictory to the university’s previous assertions that state law prevented a mask mandate.

The changes come as the highly transmissible omicron variant — which accounted for 95 percent of sequenced cases in the U.S. since the beginning of January — triggers climbing COVID-19 case numbers, with a seven-day average of 8,485 cases in Oklahoma as of Jan. 14.

OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler wrote in an email to the Norman campus that provisional measures are being instituted to safeguard OU community members and preserve the institution’s “continuity of service” to students.

The two-week mask mandate will begin during the first week of classes on Jan. 18, Bratzler wrote. On Feb. 1, the Norman campus will revert to its fall 2021 masking guidance, which expects masking in classrooms and requires it during a two-week quarantine period after a positive COVID19 case is confirmed.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bratzler wrote OU has sought to implement protocols that will protect its community while allowing the institution to continue offering its in-person experience. He wrote there is “no perfect balancing of those priorities” and attributed the maintenance of this “life-changing in-person experience” to the vigilance of community members.

In fall 2021, OU gave statements that Oklahoma law forbade it from requiring masks across campus but did not specify when asked which sections of state law provide for the exception after a positive test or for the first two weeks of a semester. This contradiction drew criticism from community members who demanded the university implement stronger COVID-19 policies.

As early as August 2021, some OU Law professors were skeptical of the reach that Senate Bill 658 and Executive Order 2021-16 had to prevent a general mask mandate at OU. SB 658 alone only prevents some entities from implementing vaccine mandates, requiring vaccine passports or requiring masks for unvaccinated individuals. The executive order requires buildings and spaces operated by the state to “rescind any mandate for the wearing of masks in order to receive government services.”

“After continued consultation with other universities in the state, the consensus is that there is some ambiguity in the interpretation of what constitutes a public space,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email

to The Daily. “Given the high likelihood that one or more members of any class would return to campus with COVID, coupled with the university’s commitment to high-quality, in-person instruction, (OU) has chosen to adopt an initial two-week mask mandate in classrooms only.”

In a policy carried over from the fall semester, OU professors are also able to institute a two-week mask mandate after a positive test in their classrooms.

When asked specifically what language the university feels “provides some latitude” for establishing mask mandates in either of the statutes or if the university could have implemented a broader mask mandate last semester, OU responded only with the above statement.

For the week of Jan. 6-12, 134 positive cases were recorded out of 536 tests conducted only by OU Health Services — a 25 percent positivity rate. Bratzler said he expects substantial spread as universities return to in-person instruction.

The OU chapter of the American Association of University Professors issued a press release on Jan. 11 calling the mask mandate an acknowledgment of “what many bonafide legal experts have stated all along.”

“After continual claims, assertions, and public relations press releases throughout the (fall) semester that a common-sense masking policy for COVID-19 protections was not legally possible. … OU abruptly changed course and instituted a temporary two-week mask policy,” the press release read.

The OUAAUP called on the university to implement mandated masking for the entirety of the spring semester, pointing to Oklahoma State University’s policy of allowing instructors to move classes online for the initial two-week period in addition to requiring masks during in-person instruction.

Oklahoma State University implemented a similar two-week required masking period. An OSU spokesperson wrote the university’s interpretation of the law and public space means that a university classroom is not a public space while classes are in session, allowing OSU to mandate masks in the classroom “for limited periods of time or following positive cases,” similarly to OU’s policy.

“The rationale for the baseline of Feb. 1, 2022, from a public health perspective … has not been provided,” the OUAAUP release read. “As omicron COVID-19 cases soar, why this major public health emergency would have subsided by that date is not known and justified.”

In a Jan. 10 statement, a university spokesperson said OU implemented the two-week mandate as it is “virtually assured that individuals will unknowingly be infected returning to the classroom, which is why the spring 2022 temporary modification assumes there will be infected individuals in the classroom within the first two weeks of class.”

OU Law Professor Joseph Thai wrote that OU leadership “continues to gaslight our community on the legality of mask mandates to excuse its moral and legal failure” to protect

community members’ health.

“OU leadership deliberately spread COVID misinformation that state law forbids the university from adopting a general mask mandate,” Thai wrote in an email. “But read the law for yourself, OU: state law only forbids a targeted ‘mask mandate for students who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.’ It does not forbid a general mask mandate for all students, faculty and staff.”

Gov. Kevin Stitt’s executive order forbidding mask mandates for receiving government services, Thai wrote, is void because the governor “has no legal authority to dictate what happens at OU,” as OU is governed by the OU Board of Regents under the state’s constitution.

The ability for instructors to implement a two-week mask mandate after a class member tests positive is also proof OU could implement a more general mandate if it wished, Thai wrote, as the law provides “no such exception.”

“Truthfully, OU can mandate masks two weeks after someone comes to class infected — as well as two weeks at the start of the semester, as OU is now requiring — because state law allows OU to mandate masks at any time, as long as the mandate is general and not limited to the unvaccinated,” Thai wrote. jillian.g.taylor-2@ou.edu bdoug99@ou.edu

OU sees rising cases amid omicron surge COVID-19 dashboard shows increase in new positive cases over break Kaly Phan @KPhsn

The OU COVID-19 dashboard shows about a 15 percent increase in positive tests from the week of Dec. 30 to Jan. 6 as the university prepares to resume classes for the spring 2022 semester.

According to the dashboard, during the week of Jan. 6-12, positive case numbers rose to 134 from the previous week’s 36 cases. The 134 positive tests are out of 536 total, meaning 25 percent of COVID-19 tests taken were positive.

On Jan. 12, the seven-day case average in Oklahoma was 7,185 cases.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the average positive test rate statewide is almost 34 percent and Oklahoma ranks 27th in the nation in average daily cases as of Jan. 11.

This OU dashboard update follows a Jan. 10 university email from OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler that OU will implement a two-week mask mandate in response to an increase in COVID19 cases with the omicron variant.

Omicron is the “most transmissible variant of the pandemic” out of those documented, Bratzler wrote in the university email.

A university spokesperson wrote that an “ambiguity in the interpretation of what constitutes a public space” allows OU to implement a two-week mandate, despite the institution’s interpretation of Executive Order 2021-16 and Senate Bill 658 as barring it from enacting a general mask mandate.

The OU chapter of the American Association of University Professors wrote that OU administration was being contradictory after “continual claims, assertions, and public relations press releases” throughout last semester that COVID-19 protocols were not possible. OU Law Professor Joseph Thai wrote that the

administration “continues to gaslight our community on the legality of mask mandates to excuse its moral and legal failure.”

In his Wednesday live stream, Bratzler said he expects another surge of cases as OU and other schools reopen. A total of 20 public schools — including Norman and Oklahoma City Public Schools — announced temporary closures and transitions to remote learning.

In the university email, Bratzler strongly advised community members to get vaccinated and their booster shots and encouraged meetings, events and classes to be held online “if reasonable.”

After Jan. 31, OU will continue to abide by its fall guidelines, which allow a two-week mask mandate in classrooms with a confirmed positive COVID-19 test. The current mandate for spring 2022 is only temporary, Bratzler wrote in the announcement, but is subject to change if “additional guidance” is given. kaly.n.phan@ou.edu

LITZY SILOS/THE DAILY

OU student Logan Pesina shows off the shirt she got after providing proof of vaccination in front of the Goddard Health Center on Sept. 3, 2021.

2

NEWS

• Jan. 18-24, 2022

Stitt endorses Kish for mayor Governor makes first endorsement at municipal level PEGGY DODD @pegdodd

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks during the inauguration ceremony of OU’s 15th President Joseph Harroz on Sept. 17, 2021.

Gov. Kevin Stitt endorsed Nicole Kish for Norman mayor in a Jan. 13 statement, making her the first Norman candidate to receive an endorsement from a statewide elected official.

“Dr. Kish is a political outsider that will bring her successful business record to prioritize resources towards keeping our communities safe and thriving,” Stitt said in the statement. “This city needs bold, common-sense leadership to help capitalize on the momentum the rest of Oklahoma is experiencing with booming economic growth, and Dr. Kish has the grit and will to make it happen.”

Kish is a self-identified conservative who traveled to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, to attend the #StopTheSteal rally. Stitt is also a Republican who is currently running for reelection.

“I’m so humbled and grateful to Gov. Stitt for his endorsement. It is time for collaboration between the City of Norman and our great State of Oklahoma leadership. … Gov. Stitt and I will work together to return public safety, improve Norman’s business reputation, and get our local economy back on track,” Kish said in an email to The Daily.

Kish is the first mayoral candidate for any city to be endorsed by Stitt during his term.

She has also been endorsed by Unite Norman, a grassroots organization that campaigned to recall several members of the Norman city council following a vote to reduce the Norman Police Department’s proposed budget increase in 2020. Kish is a founding member of Unite Norman. “(Kish) is passionate about protecting freedom, supporting our public safety professionals, and making Norman the most competitive city for new jobs. Help me elect Dr. Kish on Feb. 8,” Stitt said. peggy.f.lail-1@ou.edu

New semester signals potential case surge Chief COVID officer stresses importance of booster shots ARI FIFE @arriifife

OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler said as Oklahoma’s schools and universities reopen, the state is likely to see an increased amount of COVID-19 cases during a Jan. 12 livestream.

Oklahoma State University started spring semester classes last week, and OU resumed classes on Jan. 18. Both universities have implemented a two-week mask mandate at the start of the semester, and Bratzler wrote in a university email that in-person meetings, events and classes should be held virtually, if “reasonable.”

The Daily asked each university why these mandates don’t constitute a violation of Executive Order 2021-16 and 70 O.S. 1210.189 based on their interpretations of state law, and why a broader mandate was not possible before. Neither university has responded.

There’s been a “substantial” spread of COVID-19 in Oklahoma, Bratzler said, adding that the seven-day average

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler speaks to members of the media before an OU COVID-19 vaccination clinic March 26, 2021.

is now the highest it’s been at any point in the pandemic.

“I don’t think we’re out of the woods by any means,” Bratzler said. “I think that we will likely see more cases as schools remain open and universities open up.”

Last week, multiple school districts in southwest Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Public Schools announced closures, with

several citing a lack of staff due to COVID-19. Bratzler said he predicted disruptions in schools would be inevitable this year, as both students and staff are exposed to COVID-19 and have to self-isolate.

According to The New York Times, 1,523 Oklahomans w ere hospitalized w ith COVID-19 as of Jan. 15. Cases across the country are also climbing, with 1,709 new

cases per 100,000 over the last seven days as of Jan. 16.

Bratzler also highlighted new findings surrounding the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 in both adults and children. One study published by the CDC studied 1.7 million children under 18 to track new diabetes diagnoses.

Researchers found that kids who recovered from COVID19 were 1.3 to 2.6 times more

likely to have a diagnosis of diabetes in the next 30 days than kids who didn’t get COVID19 or had other respiratory illnesses like the respiratory syncytial virus or the flu.

Researchers involved in another study by the National Institute of Health performed autopsies on patients who died of COVID-19 at various points in the pandemic. The study found that COVID-19 disseminated widely outside the lungs and persisted for up to 230 days after the onset of the disease. They also found extensive evidence of COVID19 in patients’ brains, which Bratzler said could explain the long-term symptoms some people experience after recovering.

Bratzler said when some people become infected with COVID-19, they develop autoantibodies, which attack organ systems and can cause negative long-term effects.

A study from Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found that even some people who were asymptomatic developed autoantibodies that affected their bodies long after they recovered from COVID-19.

“It just keeps highlighting for me the most important thing we can do to prevent infections (is) have people get their vaccine and booster doses,” Bratzler said.

It’s unclear how often booster doses will be needed, Bratzler said, but evidence supports the fact that individuals who receive the booster have a much lower risk for complications or death from COVID-19. He also said Pfizer is in the process of developing an RNA vaccine that will target the omicron variant, but he’s unsure if it will still be necessary by the time it’s available in March.

Bratzler also highlighted a Commonwealth Fund study that examined the effects of increasing booster rates. The study found that if the U.S. doubles the number of boosters it administers, it could prevent more than 41,000 deaths and 400,000 hospitalizations between now and May. If it triples its booster rate, it could prevent 63,000 deaths by May. “I strongly encourage people, if you’re eligible for a booster, get your booster dose because that will help slow the spread of this disease and certainly prevent the serious complications of the disease,” Bratzler said. fifeari@gmail.com

Norman mayor tests positive for COVID-19 Clark attributes feeling ‘fine’ to vaccination status PEGGY DODD @pegdodd

Mayor Breea Clark has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be in quarantine for ten days in Costa Rica, where she traveled to teach a study abroad class through the

Blake Douglas Jillian Taylor Mason Young Trey Young Justin Jayne Beth Wallis

contact us

JCPenny Leadership Program at OU, according to a video posted to her Facebook page Friday.

In the video Clark said that she doesn’t have any symptoms and feels “fine” due to her vaccination status.

The Jan. 18 city council meeting will be led by Mayor Pro-Tem and Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Holman. Clark said that she requested all hosts of the upcoming candidate forums to switch to a virtual format

Editor-in-Chief News Managing Editor Sports Editor Visual Editor Video Editor Enterprise Editor

so she could still participate safely.

Clark said she would host Q&A sessions on social media platforms during her quarantine to continue campaigning.

“While this situation is certainly not ideal, it’s also not insurmountable. So get vaccinated, get boosted and wear your masks,” Clark said. peggy.f.lail-1@ou.edu

Jazz Wolfe Makenna Buckskin Francisco Gutierrez Jordan Lanoue Josie Gerdes Seth Prince

160 Copeland Hall, 860 Van Vleet Oval Norman, OK 73019-2052

phone:

405-325-3666

Mayor Breea Clark on Nov. 5, 2021.

Culture Editor Engagement Editor Copy Chief Designer Designer Staff Adviser

email:

dailynews@ou.edu

The OU Daily is a public forum, the University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice and an entirely student-run publication.

The Editorial Board, which consists of student editors, meets Monday to Thursday in Copeland Hall, Room 160. The newsroom is open to the public.

To advertise in The Daily, contact the advertising manager by calling 405-325-2521 or emailing dailyads@ou.edu.

SHELBY REASOR/THE DAILY

One free copy of The Daily is available to members of the OU community. Additional copies may be purchased for 25 cents by contacting The Daily business office at 405-325-2521.

Corrections: The Daily is committed to accuracy in its publications. If you find an error in a story, email dailynews@ou.edu or visit oudaily.com/site/ corrections.html to submit a correction form.

VOL. 108, NO. 16 Copyright 2021 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25 cents

CULTURE

Jan. 18-24, 2022 •

3

‘It can be freeing to break out’ Rug Making Club offers stress relief, fosters creativity JAZZ WOLFE @jazzmwolfe

It all started with an email thread.

The subject line of the OU mass mail sent in late September to thousands of students was “Rug, Rug, Who’s There?: Join a new club on campus!” It opened similarly, with a chant-like repetition of “rug” in all capital letters. By the end of the fall semester, the Rug Making Club had turned into one of the largest art clubs on campus.

Freshman Aksel Sozudogru and sophomore Prakhyat Rachamalla, the founders of the Rug Making Club, initially guessed around 20 to 30 people would sign up for the group.

Within two weeks, the club’s GroupMe had around 300 members. Within a month, the executive team had grown from two people to nine. Shortly after, it gained funding from SGA. “I started the club so we can all enjoy (rug making) together,” Sozudogru, a computer science freshman, said. “And now we get to.”

The art of rug making has recently sewn itself into the mainstream through TikTok, a social media app based on

short videos. Julian Armstrong, an artist in San Antonio, claims to have posted the first “viral” video of rug making, which has garnered more than 1 million views since being posted in August 2020.

While rug making has been around for hundreds of years in various methods — including simple at-home ‘rag rugs’ that sparked interest this year — the rug making that’s gone viral uses the method called “tufting.”

With tufting, clumps of yarn are pulled through a fabric backing in a design using a tufting needle or gun. A tufting gun makes the process particularly quick and efficient, leading many rug makers to purchase them and start selling their art.

For example, the website tuftinggun.com reported a 648 percent increase in sales of the tool in late 2020 compared to the same time in 2019.

Since the tufting method went viral, rug making has become a massive method of expression and content creation on social media. It was through these platforms that Sozudogru and Rachamalla first became passionate about rug making.

Sozudogru was initially interested in custom shoe making in high school in Turkey, even designing a few of his own. That led him to social media that focused on fashion and creating your own clothes. Quickly, he found his way to rug making.

“I fell down a wormhole of

COMING UP AT OU

Tuesday Classes Begin OU students, faculty and staff return to campus for the beginning of the spring semester. Good luck, and have a great semester!

Men’s Basketball vs. Kansas, 6 p.m.

The Sooners will take on the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks at home. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. in the Lloyd Noble Center. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit soonersports.com. Don’t forget, students get in free with an OU ID. For game day coverage, visit oudaily.com and follow us on Twitter @OUDaily or @OUDailySports.

makers,” Sozudogru said.

Entranced by the videos, Sozudogru watched as rug makers took tufting guns to rapidly create massive projects. He showed them to Rachamalla, and they began to weave a plan of their own. The pair initially met in Armenia where they attended school together. After coming to OU, the two reunited and soon began planning out their new endeavor.

‘You don’t have to be good at it.’

While rug making can generate random beauty, its popularity during the pandemic was anything but random. The craft, along with other art projects people could do at home, saw a significant rise in the past few years, art therapist and previous OU professor Aimee Rook said.

Rook explained that while the pandemic had everyone hidden away at home, people had to look for new ways to get out of their minds and interact with other people. Social media played a large part, especially videos of artists showing how they create their pieces.

“Witnessing and being around creative activity can be energizing for people,” Rook said. “It can bring levity to life.”

When you watch another person create something or do something with their bodies, you naturally start to imagine what it would be like if you did that, Rook explained. She said that practice can “get you in touch with your body” and ground you in the real world and out of your head for a moment.

At-home crafting saw a rise among college students in particular throughout the pandemic, said Soni Parsons, another art therapist and previous OU professor. Being at home more often and away from campus and regular classes led to more students experimenting with arts and crafts.

“Everything is so structured as a college student,” Parsons said. “It can be freeing to break out of that.”

Parsons emphasized that creating something for yourself or a loved one that wouldn’t be graded could be healing for college students. Typically, the idea of arts and crafts was “packed away as a childhood behavior,” Rook explained. Sometimes, that could be because “someone said (the student) was bad at it,” Parsons said.

“The thing is, you don’t have to be good at it,” Parsons said.

“You can just do it.”

When Sozudogru first began making rugs, he looked at some

JAZZ WOLFE/THE DAILY

Colorful yarn used in rug tufting is also used in a variety of other crafts, including knitting and crotcheting.

of the more traditional styles where he grew up.

“Coming from Turkey, you’re actually always exposed to carpets,” Sozudogru said, further explaining that much of the art he first saw was in Istanbul, where he grew up.

Through his family, Sozudogru was shown various carpet art styles and how they were created throughout Turkey, Iran and other countries in the region. While many of the carpets were more expensive than those he saw on social media, they were gorgeous pieces of his culture to him.

“Carpet making … is kind of in my blood,” Sozudogru said.

When he dove into carpet and rug making, he focused more on “funky and colorful designs” as opposed to the classical styles he had grown up with.

He found himself loving all rug designs, from iconic fictional characters to complex album covers to simple, bright letters to hang on the walls.

By embracing the community of rug makers on social media, Sozudogru wove a path to be with people that had been unavailable at the start of the pandemic. For a while, social media had been the only way people could talk to one another, Parsons explained.

Additionally, as people moved back home, there was less compartmentalization of activities related to certain places. Instead, you could — and often had to — do everything at home, which then turned some homes into places where people felt they were meant to do arts and crafts that they would normally relegate to other

HOROSCOPE

Thursday Wrestling vs. Missouri, 7 p.m.

Watch the Sooners in their duel against the Missouri Tigers at the McCasland Field House.

For more information, visit soonersports.com. For game day coverage, visit oudaily.com and follow us on Twitter @OUDaily or @OUDailySports.

Saturday Men’s Basketball vs. Baylor, 2 p.m.

The Sooners will take on the No. 1 Baylor Bears at home. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. in the Lloyd Noble Center.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit soonersports.com. Don’t forget, students get in free with an OU ID. For game day coverage, visit oudaily.com and follow us on Twitter @OUDaily or @OUDailySports.

– From staff reports

Previous Solution

By Eugenia Last

Copyright 2022, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take time to make your surroundings conducive to your success. A personal change will lift your spirits and fetch compliments. An affectionate signal will spark your interest.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Think about the changes you can make to improve your community, relationships, qualifications and ability to get ahead. Broaden your interests and skills. Romance is featured.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take notice of what’s going on around you. Be open to suggestions, but don’t go out of your way to please someone who doesn’t reciprocate. Be fair, not gullible. Don’t let anyone manipulate you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Emotions will surface if someone tries to interfere with your plans. Don’t make changes because someone else does; do what’s best for you. Take an intelligent and healthy approach to life.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Leave nothing to chance or unfinished.

A spontaneous act will result in an emotional setback. Work alongside people who are striving for the same results as you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You’ll gravitate toward unique people and pastimes. The more you indulge in something foreign to you, the easier it will be to recognize what’s possible. Romance is in the stars.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Use your intelligence wisely. Get involved in events that offer eye-opening information. Being prepared will help you make better decisions when the time is right.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Be smart; provide valid reasons for the changes you make or the plans you pursue. A proactive approach and open mind will help keep the peace and get you the help you require to reach your goal.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You’ll find it challenging to stick to one thing. Avoid promising more than you can deliver. Put your physical strength and energy where they will bring the highest return.

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Spend more time with your peers, and you will gain perspective regarding the best way to move forward. Avoid individuals who are indulgent or exaggerate. Intelligence and determination will be needed.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Don’t labor over something you cannot change. Take physical action and do what you can to make your life better. Expand your interests, friendships and physical activities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Money problems will lead to confusion and costly mistakes. Rethink your financial plan and put spending limits in place. Refuse to let anyone talk you into an indulgent expense.

places or even times of their lives, Rook said.

“Home suddenly became a freeing place,” Rook said.

At-home crafting also became a source of success and project-completion for people, especially college students who were previously relying on grades and test scores for that validation, Rook explained. Rug making was particularly attractive, as it was a quicker craft that seemingly required less raw talent than other types of art might.

“Most importantly,” Rook said, “You can feel like you’ve accomplished something during that time when everything was crazy.”

‘Empathy for imperfection.’

The Rug Making Club’s rapid growth can be credited to the sense of isolation students have felt since the pandemic began, Rook said. After graduating high school in Dubai during a pandemic, Rachamalla said he felt like he missed out on a lot of human interaction before starting college.

“It was really important to me that we make this club as accessible as possible,” Rachamalla said. “Whether it’s during COVID-19 or not, it’s important that people have … a chance to work through their stress and interact with others in a safe environment.”

Despite the club’s size, Rachamalla said they plan to host in-person meetings with a small number of people, potentially as few as 10, to allow for social distancing and for everyone to learn how to make rugs.

He said he hopes to remain in the club until his senior year, at which point it will be passed

down to a new executive board and remain a lasting legacy of two students’ desire to make rugs and new friends.

It’s the importance of being able to learn and work with groups that drove the pair to start the club, Sozudogru said.

They found that, especially in the peak of the pandemic, they were missing the experience of being around other people and creating something together.

“Humans are designed to work in groups,” Rook said. “I know some introverts will disagree with me, but it’s true. It can make you so much happier to do things with people you like.”

Rook said crafting is about focusing on an “empathy for imperfection.” Parsons similarly emphasized the need for allowing yourself to make mistakes and enjoy your life. There is a great need for people to learn to forgive themselves and “allow themselves to exist,” Rook said.

The club allows for just that.

For Sozudogru and Rachamalla, the club is simply about having fun and learning something new, all while decompressing from the stress of college and the pressure of growing up. There is no deeper meaning besides a desire to make friends and enjoy the time they have on campus.

And it all started with an email thread. jazzwolfe@ou.edu

Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg January 18, 2022 ACROSS 1 Tears to shreds 6 Irish name related to Mary 11 Fannie ___ 14 River’s small cousin 15 Full of cargo 16 First word of “A Hard Day’s Night” 17 What a 40-Across wouldn’t order at a bakery 19 Congressperson, for short 20 Smooch on the subway, e.g.

21 “Get lost!”

23 Cast with one line, perhaps 26 Homer’s neighbor 29 Slides along a bench 30 Prefix for “matter” 31 Lumberjacks’ tools 33 Mess up 34 Scottish group 35 Office fixture 36 Gets exactly right 39 Mousespotter’s cry 40 Monster with fangs 42 Came together 43 “Stone Cold” Austin 45 Window section 46 Auburn rival, for short

01/18

47 It’s thin in the mountains 48 Metal containers 49 Frankenstein’s assistant, in movies 50 “Space Invaders” venue 53 Bread for a reuben 54 Polite fellow 55 Yuletide activity for four birds 57 Young trickor-treater 59 Not yet scheduled, briefly 60 What a 40-Across wouldn’t want from a tailor 66 Noh costume’s sash 67 Whole-grain cereal brand 68 City northeast of Lincoln 69 Edge 70 Like some winter days 71 Evil spells DOWN 1 1993-2020 SCOTUS member 2 Important time 3 “Neither a borrower ___ a lender be” 4 Usually gray swimmer 5 Slide along the pavement 6 Mike Trout’s org.

7 Gondola propeller 8 Conception 9 Paper quantities 10 Director’s last words 11 What a 40-Across wouldn’t want to see at a salon 12 Irked 13 Athletic awards 18 Country with the most polar bears 22 Name hidden in “decorator” 23 Turns toward 24 Coastline recess 25 What a 40-Across wouldn’t do with an insurance agent 27 Not obligated 28 Hopelessness

32 Like a latte made with nonfat milk 37 Garnish for a Tom Collins 38 Get underway 40 Decisions 41 Turns back to zero, e.g.

44 Glass container 46 To a great degree 50 Role player 51 Rosh Hashana VIP 52 Energy company in 2001 news 56 Attend 58 Alternatively, in text-speak 61 Took notice of 62 Full of guile 63 Government charge 64 2008 film about a Cuban revolutionary 65 Possesses

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

12/14

© 2021 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com

Sink Your Teeth Into This Puzzle! by Victor Barocas

4

SPORTS

• Jan. 18-24, 2022

New-look Sooners enter 2022 Venables hire attracts fresh players, staff MASON YOUNG @Mason_Young_0

When Brent Venables became Oklahoma’s new head coach on Dec. 5, the former Sooners and Clemson defensive coordinator had his work cut out.

Lincoln Riley had just left Norman to become head coach at Southern California after five years, helming OU to a 55-10 record, four Big 12 Championships and three College Football Playoff appearances. In his departure, he pilfered a handful of assistant coaches and recruits, while additional players hit the NCAA Transfer Portal searching for greener grass.

Venables, who helped the Tigers win national championships in 2016 and 2018, was tasked with providing stability amid uncertainty. Since his arrival, he has kept Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class largely intact, rebuilt a good portion of OU’s coaching staff, convinced multiple players to stay, and added to a promising roster via the transfer portal.

Here’s a look at several key moves since Venables took the reigns of the Sooners: On Dec. 10, Venables announced the hiring of Jeff Lebby and Ted Roof as offensive and defensive coordinator, respectively.

Lebby, a former OU offensive lineman and graduate assistant, spent the past two seasons as offensive coordinator at Mississippi, calling plays for Heisman contending quarterback Matt Corral. The Rebels ranked sixth nationally in total offense, averaging 492.5 yards

per game during the 2021 season.

Before his time in Oxford, Lebby was on staff at Baylor when the program’s sexual assault scandal came to light, and he is the son-in-law of former Bears coach Art Briles.

Roof spent last season as a defensive analyst under Venables at Clemson. A 35year coaching veteran, Roof has been somewhat of a journeyman, having served as defensive coordinator for 10 different FBS schools.

From 2004-07, Roof was head coach at Duke, but produced a lackluster 6-45 record.

He was defensive coordinator when Auburn won the 2010 national championship, but the Tigers’ success was largely due to the performance of Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.

Strength and conditioning coordinator Jerry Schmidt, defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis and safeties coach Brandon Hall were announced to Venables’ staff on Dec. 17.

Schmidt was previously OU’s strength and conditioning coach from 1999-2017 before taking on the same role at Texas A&M. Nicknamed “Schmitty” by former OU players he trained, he’s known for an intensity and toughness many hope will round the Sooners into shape for 2022.

Chavis is a former Clemson defensive lineman who spent the past five seasons as one of Venables’ assistants. He helped coach Tigers defensive linemen Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and Austin Bryant, who were all selected in the 2019 NFL Draft.

A Newcastle native, Hall was previously an OU graduate assistant under Venables from 1998-2005. He returns to Norman from Troy, where he has worked as defensive coordinator and safeties coach

since 2019.

After declining to provide a definitive answer on his future with Oklahoma, quarterback Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal on Jan. 3.

Williams supplanted preseason Heisman Trophy favorite Spencer Rattler, who since transferred to South Carolina, as the Sooners’ starter at midseason and finished with 1,912 passing yards and 21 touchdowns.

Williams quickly endeared himself to fans when he helped OU erase a 21-point deficit against Texas on Oct. 9. He entered to replace Rattler after an interception and fumble, and tallied 411 total yards and three touchdowns while steering the Sooners to a 53-45 comeback victory.

Formerly a five-star recruit and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2021 cycle, Williams chose OU over LSU, Maryland, Clemson and Penn State partly due to his relationship with Riley.

Upon his arrival, Venables said he expected Williams to stick around, but the freshman phenom decided to test the college football free agency waters instead.

It’s assumed that wherever Williams lands, he’ll be in line for massive financial gain thanks to name, image and likeness powers. Former Eastern Michigan quarterback Charlie Batch offered him $1 million to join the Eagles. While that has never really seemed like a possible landing spot for Willliams, the rumors linking him to a USC reunion with Riley refuse to subside.

With Williams examining other opportunities, Oklahoma chose not to wait and promptly pursued an insurance policy. Former Central Florida quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who previously committed his transfer to UCLA, flipped his

pledge to the Sooners hours after Williams entered the portal.

Gabriel arrives with three years of eligibility remaining and knowledge of Lebby’s offensive system from when the latter was UCF’s offensive coordinator in 2019. The left-hander from Mililani, Hawaii threw for 8,037 yards and 70 touchdowns in three seasons with the Knights, but missed the last nine games of the 2021 season after fracturing his left clavicle.

OU is also recruiting transfer quarterbacks Chubba Purdy and Jaxson Dart, from Florida State and USC, respectively, and four-star class of 2022 recruit Nick Evers is already on campus as an early enrollee.

Even so, Gabriel seems the early favorite to be the starting quarterback in 2022.

Other key transfers Venables has netted include tight end Daniel Parker Jr., offensive lineman McKade Mettauer, defensive linemen Jonah Laulu and Jeffrey Johnson and linebacker T.D. Roof, the son of Ted Roof.

Venables rounded out his coaching staff after Oklahoma’s bowl victory by adding Todd Bates as defensive tackles coach on Jan. 2 and Jay Valai as cornerbacks and nickelbacks coach on Jan. 11.

Bates had worked with Venables as Clemson’s defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator since 2017, following a three-year stint at FCS Jacksonville State. The former Alabama defensive lineman and Tennessee Titans draftee was named Rivals’ Recruiter of the Year in 2019.

Valai spent last season as cornerbacks coach at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide reach the national championship game against Georgia. Before that, the former Wisconsin standout helped the same position at Texas and Rutgers for

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Interim head coach Bob Stoops exchanges hats with head coach Brent Venables after defeating No. 14 Oregon in the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 29, 2021.

one year each.

The Sooners will lean heavily on redshirt junior Theo Wease and fifth-year seniors Brayden Willis and DaShaun White next season after the trio decided to return for another year.

Wease, a former five-star recruit at wide receiver, tested the transfer portal waters after Riley’s departure but decided to return to OU once Venables was hired. He has recorded 45 catches for 666 yards and six touchdowns in his career but missed the 2021 season due to injury.

Willis said recently on his podcast that the NFL draft grade he received was much higher than he anticipated, but he wanted to return for one more season as the Sooners’ primary tight end anyway.

Willis made 15 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns last season.

White is a three-year starter at middle linebacker, who told reporters before he announce his return that he’d enjoyed meeting Roof and was interested in play for the veteran defensive coordinator. White made a career-high 61 tackles in 21 and has registered 159 tackles for his career.

Rattler and wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, who jumped from OU to Arkansas, transferred early in the offseason and a handful of others followed. Tight end Austin Stogner went with Rattler to South Carolina to play for former Sooners assistant Shane Beamer, and linebacker Jamal Morris recently committed to Houston.

The most telling transfer though is that of wide receiver Mario Williams, who committed to USC on Jan. 14., becoming the first Oklahoma player to follow Riley to his new school.

Mario Williams said as he left Norman that he wanted Caleb Williams to be his quarterback, wherever he chose to transfer.

With Mario Williams’ pledge to the Trojans made, Caleb Williams’ announcement of his transfer to USC seems even more imminent.

masyoung@ou.edu

TCU bests Sooners defense during overtime Moser pins defeat on team’s missteps in pivotal moments COLTON SULLEY @colton_sulley

Umoja Gibson was forced to decide between guarding two opposing players when TCU forward Charles O’Bannon made a cut toward the basket unguarded through the lane.

O’Bannon then popped out to the left corner where he stood unattended after Gibson, a senior guard, followed Horned Frogs forward Emanuel Miller under the basket.

Freshman guard Bijan Cortes, in for injured redshirt senior guard Jordan G oldwire, allowed TCU guard Mike Miles to drive left and pass to an undeterred O’Bannon who swished a game-winning 3-pointer with 27.3 seconds remaining in overtime that left the record 2,144 students inside Schollmaier Arena roaring.

“We had them almost at the shot clock,” Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser said, describing the play after the game. “It was the same thing against Butler where there’s three seconds, two seconds. The guy is stuck and they back-cut out to the corner where we fell asleep.”

Prior to O’Bannon’s shot, the Sooners had battled through both halves, even forcing overtime when junior forward Jalen Hill was left completely unattended for a tying layup to end regulation. On the last possession of overtime, senior guard Elijah Harkless drove, turned and launched a desperate go-ahead field goal attempt like he’d sunk against Alabama last season and Butler earlier this winter.

This time, he wasn’t quite so lucky, as the ball clanked off the rim at the buzzer, handing OU (12-5, 2-3 Big 12) a 59-58 loss to TCU (12-2, 2-1 Big 12). The defeat marks the first time this season

Oklahoma has lost consecutive games and is its first loss to the Horned Frogs since March 8, 2017.

Moser expressed frustration postgame with his team’s decision-making and shot selection. The Sooners picked their attempts poorly not only throughout the game, but especially in crucial moments down the stretch, including Harkless’ last chance effort.

“EJ’s made a lot of big shots in those moments,” Moser said. “We just didn’t make good decisions. …

You’ve got to make the defense do something hard and they didn’t. When you dribble (into a triple team) and then just stop and pick it up (that’s not going to work) … I’ve got to coach it better.”

The Sooners turned the ball over a season-high 20 times in Saturday’s contest and surrendered 22 points off those takeaways. They also shot their second lowest percentage from the field this season at just 40 percent after shooting 37.5 percent vs. Houston Baptist on Nov. 24.

Moser’s group was looking to get back on track offensively after its lackluster showing against Texas on Jan. 11 in Austin, where it shot 40.4 percent from the field and made just one of 13 3-point attempts in a 66-52 loss. Instead, OU’s woes were only accentuated in another loss that, on paper, appeared a likely victory entering play.

“I think at the end of the day, we’re just not getting good shots and good possessions,” Hill said. “We’ve just got to keep moving the ball and play through the offense. We’ll fix it and we’ll improve on that.”

“We’ve just got to make smarter plays. We had a lot of turnovers, a lot of bad shots.

We’ve just got to find ways to get easy buckets for us.”

Hill was the lone offensive bright spot for OU, scoring 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting and making all four of his free-throw attempts. He also grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, including five

offensively, finishing with his second double-double of the season.

Off a pass from Harkless, Hill sunk the game-tying bucket under the basket with 1.4 seconds remaining in regulation that forced overtime.

“We knew that they were switching and I had a smaller guy on me,” Hill said. “Porter drew it up, I went to set a slip screen and just came back to the basket and opened up for an easy layup.”

Alongside Hill, Goldwire finished with 12 points on 6-for10 shooting, Harkless added 11 points and Gibson ended the night with nine points and three 3-point makes. Their efforts were for naught, though, following a bevy of turnovers, poor shot selection and an endgame defensive lapse.

Next, Oklahoma faces No. 9 Kansas (14-2, 3-1) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 18 in Norman in what will be no easy opportunity for a rebound.

Additionally, the Sooners take on ranked opponents No. 1 Baylor and No. 4 Auburn in two of three games following the matchup with the Jayhawks.

“I will say this, the effort didn’t get us,” Moser said. “EJ, Jordan, their effort was really good. Their effort was good enough to win. There was a physicality in it and there was the decision-making and the shot selection.

“This group is playing hard and competitive. We are right there, they didn’t quit. They believed, it’s just hard to win when you have 20 turnovers and 20 bad shots.”

You’ve heard that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

And if the “beerholder” drinks too much alcohol, the frontal cortex of the brain, eyes (and other senses) become impaired. It’s as if a person is wearing “beer goggles,” meaning that alcohol clouds the vision of the drinker, not to mention judgment and reasoning skills.

When sober, the body works best, with neurons firing well, allowing the brain to accurately process information and perceptions of people, places, and events. The ability to process and evaluate the surrounding world is at its peak. However, normal functions and reactions often fail when under the influence of spirits. Alcohol acts as a drug to depress and diminish the responses of the Central Nervous System. A rising blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can cause blurred or double vision and an inability to see well in the dark. The more alcohol imbibed, the greater the impairment in the drinker.

Alcohol affects the brain in an interesting and predictable sequence.

The cerebral cortex (located mostly in the front and top of the brain) is the first area to be disturbed. As BAC rises, drinkers experience diminished judgment, reason, decision-making, and self-control, leading to the lowering of inhibitions in social settings. Next to be impacted is the cerebellum (located in the back lower part of the brain) which controls muscle coordination and equilibrium. The last area to be affected is the medulla, which regulates heart rate and breathing.

Remarkably, there may be another scientific explanation to your question. Recent studies indicate that facial symmetry is a desirable quality of physical attractiveness in humans. Drinking alcohol has been proven to reduce visual perception and judgment. According to researchers* from Brazil and the United Kingdom, intoxicated subjects were less able to detect asymmetry than sober subjects. Alcohol makes people less able to see imperfections. In real life terms, this may partially explain why the drunker you get... the better others look. * Souto, Bezerra, Halsey, 2008 This Red Cup Q&A is written by Charlene Shreder, MPS, ICPS, Chloe Sanders, LCSW, and Mackee Slattery, BSW from OU OUtreach Southwest Prevention Center. Content provided

by University of Arizona Health Promotion and Preventative Services department of the UA Campus Health Service.

Red Cup Q&A is paid for

by SAMHSA SPF-PFS

colton.m.sulley-1@ou.edu