Oct. 30

THE CAMPUS October 30, 2019 – Volume 113 Issue 9

page 2

Opinion

page 3

News

page 4 News

Getting into the Halloween “spirit”

Good grief

Donate for Socktober

Web Editor Luke Barrett wrote a spooky story about a camping trip gone

The next School of Theatre Stage II is a modern twist on what Peanuts char-

Students in Kappa Phi are collecting socks for the Oklahoma City Homeless

wrong to celebrate Halloween.

acters would be like as teenagers in real life.

Alliance for the month of October.

Interim diversity, inclusion advocate named Emily Wollenberg

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The university’s new interim diversity and inclusion advocate is attempting to pave the way for student equality and diversity celebration.

Jessica Martinez-Brooks started as the interim diversity and inclusion advocate on Oct. 8. Previously, Martinez-Brooks served as director of diversity enrichment programs at the University of Oklahoma and the director of community outreach and education at Oklahoma City Community College. She said part of her job was to help minority students feel more comfortable in college.

“When you have students that come from majority-minority communities and move to a majority-white campus, there are issues that come up. ‘Are there other people on this campus I can feel comfortable speaking with?’” she said.

Martinez-Brooks said as a first-generation college student, she recognizes the barriers minority students face.

“There’s not a lot of resources,” she said. “People expect you to know certain things. Those things can be very intimidating.”

Taking away those barriers is very important in a diversity and inclusion program, she said. Listening to student, faculty and staff concerns and ensuring appropriate action is taken is her primary job, she said.

Diversity and inclusion advocate is a new position suggested

by Student Government Association officials last year, MartinezBrooks said.

“Just the fact that I am here shows that the university is moving forward with actionable step in university concerns,” she said.

Destini Carrington, psychology senior and president of the Black Student Association, said Martinez-Brooks has made students a priority.

Jessica Martinez-Brooks was named the university's new diversity and inclusion advocate. Her job entails meeting with student organizations and ensuring students' voices are heard.

“She has been running since she got here,” Carrington said. “She has been running with purpose and action.”

Carrington said when she met with Martinez-Brooks, she discussed the lack of transparency from university officials regarding recent racially charged incidents on campus.

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Kicking off retirement

“How can we as a university talk about the racist issues at OU and not here?” Carrington said.

The university needs a reporting system for racist issues, Carrington said.

“A system that doesn’t go to the deans or chairs of schools, but outside the schools, possibly the provost, to where there will be an extra set of eyes on these issues, so they can be handled in the proper way,” she said.

Martinez-Brooks said she will be assisting in the search for a permanent vice president of diversity and inclusion. A national search will be conducted to find potential candidates. MartinezBrooks said she hopes the position will be filled permanently by January, but the national search will take time. She said it will most likely be conducted like the university presidential search and will provide time for students, faculty and staff to give feedback on the candidates.

Carrington said it is important that the future vice president of diversity and inclusion is a person of color.

“We need someone who can see through one of those lenses and have that experience themselves,” she said.

Martinez-Brooks said she has already met with students from SGA, BSA, Native American Society, Hispanic Student Association, Constellation, Korean Student Association, Interfaith studies, and FEM. Martinez-Brooks said students can contact her at jmartinezbrooks@okcu.edu or 405-208-5042 with any questions or concerns.

“My number one goal is to try to meet individually with the different student organizations,” she said. “It’s important for students to voice their concerns.”

Cou�tesy o� OCUspo�ts.com

Left: Rachel Brantley, senior forward, prepares for a corner kick at the game against Mid-America Christian at 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at Brian Harvey Field.

Top: Brian Harvey, men's and women's soccer coach, speaks to children participating in the Brian Harvey Youth Soccer Camp last year. Harvey brought men's and women's soccer to Oklahoma City University over 30 years ago and has been OCU's only head soccer coach.

Right: Julio Hernandez, senior forward, kicks the ball toward the goal at the game aginst Mid-America Christian at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Brian Harvey Field.

Katie Gibbs Student Publications

The game was Harvey's final game coaching before retirement.

Hope Melton Student Publications

Senate passes resolution calling for bathroom hand dryers MaKayla Baxter

STAFF WRITER

The Student Government Association has passed a resolution calling on the university administration to install automatic hand dryers in bathroom facilities.

Resolution 002 was drafted by Sen. (dance and entertainment) Emily Haan.

The resolution recommends the installation of automatic hand dryers as both an environmental and fiscal conservation effort.

“Essentially, the resolution is calling on OCU to do their part in preventing unnecessary environmental waste,” said Sen. (music) Elmer Carter III. “Excessive paper towel use is a waste of trees, and that could be prevented by installing the automatic dryers.”

Carter said the installation of automatic hand dryers would ultimately save money.

“It would take a while to get there, but over time it would definitely prove to be financially beneficial,” Carter said. “It’s cheaper to use the hand dryers rather than constantly buying and stocking paper towels.”

M MEDIAOCU.com

The resolution is calling on OCU to do their part in preventing unnecessary environmental waste.

Elmer Carter III music senator

The resolution states that the average cost of paper towels for restrooms in a public facility totals approximately $75 per month, while the cost of an electric hand dryer is $280-$480 per unit, $200 installation, and $15 in energy per month.

Blake Bulger, nursing sophomore, said he supports the idea as long as students still have the option to use paper towels.

“People are always running to the bathroom to grab paper towels if, for example, something gets spilled,” Bulger said. “They have many

different uses. I think installing automatic dryers is great, just as long as students still have those other options.”

Bulger said he is glad the university is taking more steps to becoming a green campus.

“When I first came to school, we didn’t have many options for recycling and other things like that,” Bulger said. “Green options have started popping up more and more, and that’s amazing. I can tell the administration is trying, and I hope they do more in the future.”

Carter said there is a high student demand for environmentally sustainable options.

“Sustainable options are definitely an issue students are fighting for, and SGA is helping in that fight,” Carter said. “I think the university has done really well so far by listening to and acting on students’ requests. I really hope they consider the resolution and, eventually, other environmentally sustainable options.”

Emily Haan is the videographer for Student Publications. She did not participate in the writing or editing of this story.

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opinion

The Flame: A Spooky Story My aunt never approved of my interest in field biology. She always said, “Kelly, the most dangerous thing someone can do is go to the woods, and don’t get me started on camping!”

Of course, I grew up and learned to make my own decisions. I barely batted an eye when my friends Sal and Mike suggested we take a couple days’ trip out to the woods for some camping under the stars to see them as they really are without all the light pollution.

We drove out on Tuesday and hiked through the woods for what seemed like hours, because Sal insisted we needed to be far away from a road or a camp building to get the full effect. Sal got us set up pretty quickly, and soon we were sitting around small, yellow light in the dark. The others had brought blankets and huddled inside them, hands barely extended to hold marshmallows over the fire.

The fire ate through the first two logs we’d brought out, so we grabbed some of the extra kin-

dling we’d found and added it to the center of the fire. It jumped from branch to branch, curling the leaves and twisting the small sticks into impossible shapes as they crumbled from the inside.

I had never been so close to a fire, I’d realized. I found myself entranced, watching it dance and twirl around in the small pit. I wanted to remember every flash and bend it made in the air, searing a white-hot afterglow into my retinas.

I don’t remember if I screamed when it began reaching out. I don’t think I did, or else someone would have noticed.

A lash of yellow flame leapt from the middle of the pit, scorching Mike’s marshmallow.

He began to let out a “what the f—,” but the embers caught the words in his throat.

We tried to help him, but it was too late. The fire didn’t need to grow, only to stretch and reach itself in front of us. We were trapped. Dry leaves make for excellent kindling, and though we cleared the area around the fire pit, we hadn’t bothered

Talk Back

to clear our whole campsite. I watched as our tents bubbled and collapsed on themselves.

The inferno cornered Sal and I in a circle. The fire seemed too tall for what it had been in the pit, now flaring up in blue streaks. I could feel the ends of my hair beginning to smolder, the acrid tang of it entwining with the smoke at our feet. The pillars of flame grew taller until looking up all we could see was a mote of empty sky.

I didn’t notice Sal had left my back and was clawing at the ground furiously. I only remember dirt spattering onto me as I watched that point of darkness, waiting for the fire to consume it.

The next thing I remember was sitting in Sal’s car, driving to the nearest phone. I don’t know what we said when we called the park rangers—or Mike’s family.

I only know that I will not go camping again, for a long, long time.

By Web Editor Luke Barrett

"What are you going to be for Halloween?"

“A cheetah”

“A cheetah girl with my cheetah sisters”

Erica Herrera acting freshman

Julia Lyall dance senior

“A moth”

“I'm going to put on my boyfriend's hoodie and be him.”

Kyla Powers business administration freshman

Madi Thomas clarinet performance freshman

“A vampire”

“A grandpa”

Tyler Robins acting freshman

Kaden Gray mass communications freshman

Columist discusses “Monster Mash,” impact on Halloween customs On this lovely All Hallows Eve-Eve, what better way to prepare for Halloween than to listen to the holiday’s unofficial anthem, the “Monster Mash”

by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers.

If we really dive into the lyrics, the “Monster Mash” is practically fanfiction based on the 1818 novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. In the novel, “Dr. Victor Frankenstein” brings to life a creature.

While the story has themes of alienation, regret and revenge, it is often approached comedically. The “Monster Mash” is about Frankenstein’s creature throwing a huge dance party where everyone does the latest dance-craze, the monster mash.

The “Monster Mash” was written in 1962 and was origi-

nally written as a parody making fun of popular dance songs at the time, specifically Dee Dee Sharp’s “Mashed Potato Time.”

Before it became a graveyard smash, the song was originally rejected by multiple major record labels. It was finally produced by Garpax Records and sold over a million copies in 1962, holding the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks leading up to Halloween. The song creeped its way back onto the chart twice, once in 1970 and again in 1973.

For some unexplainable reason, everybody knows the “Monster Mash.” Every year without fail, the song sees an increase in sales around the month of October. In fact, I remember purchasing it on

Francesca Iacovacci is a music theater junior from Clearwater, Florida. She loves zoodles, Jeopardy! and a good poop joke.

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iTunes around Halloween when I was in middle school because I thought it would be funny. Now that I think about it though, it is pretty unusual for a quirky song about monsters to have maintained relevancy for 57 years and counting.

While this novelty single may have caught on in a flash, the same can’t be said for the rest of Pickett’s album. If you didn’t know, the monstrous single comes from an entire album of equally spooky Halloween

songs, “The Original Monster Mash.” The album showcases humorous and nonsensical stories about mummies, vampires, skeletons, and every other scary creature you could imagine.

While the whole album is worth a listen, there are undoubtedly a few standouts.

“Rabian The Fiendage Idol” is a comedic narration of Dracula pleading Dr. Frankenstein to let a new band member, Rabian, join the Crypt-Kickers. The song takes a sharp turn when

Rabian sings, shouting “WAH WAH WAH I’m a werewolf,” all the while being under pitch and off-rhythm. This disturbing performance is met with Frankenstein’s delight as he agrees to let Rabian join the band.

Another notable song is “Me & My Mummy,” a heart-warming song about falling in love with a mummy. Although we all know a mummy’s favorite genre is wrap, the track more closely resembles 1940’s doo-wop.

Many songs on the album are spoofs. The “Transylvania Twist” alludes to Chubby Checker’s “Twist” and consists solely of upbeat music with a monster-like voice ad-libbing nonsense over it. Though this song lacks a narrative and doesn’t live up to the rest of the album, I appreciate the refer-

ence to Checker.

The last song on the album is “Monster’s Holiday,” a Christmas-themed sequel to the “Monster Mash” that perfectly transitions us from the graveyard to the North Pole.

It is certainly not your typical Christmas song, but it is sure to lift your spirits (both figuratively and literally.)

Overall, “The Original Monster Mash” is the album I never knew I needed and is perfect for all your Halloween needs! Next month the only thing we’ll be mashing is potatoes, but I refuse to transition into Thanksgiving mode until the clock strikes twelve on Nov. 1. After all, you know what they say: “it ain’t over ‘til the bat lady sings!” Happy Halloween everyone!

Columnist reviews The Parlor, El Guate, praises Guatemalan comfort food I never really go to Automobile Alley, so when I went down there to review Coffee Slinger’s last week, I was totally surprised at all of the new restaurants that have popped up in the area. One that really caught my attention was a huge new building called The Parlor.

After asking around, many of my friends gave The Parlor rave reviews. Several said it is one of their favorite new places in OKC, and one friend said it has become her new go-to spot for girl’s night out.

I don’t take these recommendations lightly, so as soon as I heard the praise I headed over to The Parlor to check it out for myself.

The setup of The Parlor is pretty much the exact same as The Collective. It’s a fancy food court except with local

restaurants instead of chains.

When I arrived at The Parlor, I was shocked at how large the space was. This place is easily larger than The Collective, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating on two different levels.

There’s also a spacious bar area.

I really liked The Parlor’s modern, sleek design, and, overall, this place has a really hip vibe, just like The Collective. I could totally see myself hanging out with a group of friends here on a Saturday night.

Just like with my Collective review, I’m going to focus on one specific food stall within The Parlor and perhaps return to try others in the future.

The Parlor has a huge variety of food stalls ranging from fried chicken, to pizza, to sushi.

On this particular day, a Guatemalan food stall called El

Hope Melton is a political science senior from Edmond, Oklahoma. She likes basketball, '70s music and Marvel movies.

Guate caught my attention.

Their menu had a variety of dishes such as tacos, tamales and empanadas. There were not many vegetarian options, but this stall only had about five entree options in total. If I were to go to a typical sit down restaurant, I would not be very happy if the menu was as limited as El Guate’s. However, I think the small menu makes sense due to the food stall setup and the relative newness of the restaurant, so I will give it a pass.

I ended up ordering some

pupusas (dough stuffed with cheese) and tajin-seasoned potatoes.

It took a while for my food to be prepared, but when I finally received it, everything was very hot, and I could tell that it was freshly made. The warm pupusas were carb-filled and bursting with melted cheese, so they were pretty much my favorite thing on Earth. They were the absolute perfect comfort food for a cold day.

They were served alongside some sort of slaw. The slaw was

fine, but the real stars of the show were the pupusas.

My only complaint with this dish was that the portion sizes were too small for my liking.

However, the potatoes were warm, comforting and a great match for the cold weather outside. Admittedly, it’s hard for any sort of potato dish to disappoint me.

But these potatoes went above and beyond because they were so well-seasoned. The tajin was tangy and gave the dish a very interesting flavor. I will warn you if you’ve never had tajin before and you're not a fan of sour/tangy things, then you may want to order a different side.

In many ways, The Parlor is identical to The Collective, so I would recommend it to the same group of people. I

think concepts like these are awesome for group outings because they can accommodate so many different tastes and dietary restrictions. Because The Parlor is open pretty late and it has a bar, I also think this would be a cool place to hang on a Friday or Saturday night.

When it comes to El Guate specifically, I was super pleased with my experience. While I am excited to try some of the other stalls The Parlor offers, I just really want to go back to El Guate because it was so good!

Before I never really would have equated Guatemalan food with comfort food, but everything I ate there was super comforting and delicious.

Overall, both The Parlor and El Guate are very strong recommendations from me, and I can’t wait to return!

Campus Calendar Calendar items must be received in the Newsroom or stupub@okcu.edu by noon Friday for inclusion in the following Wednesday issue.

THURSDAY Weekly Play Club meeting at 7 p.m. in the Honors Lounge in Gold Star Memorial Building Chapel service at 1 p.m. in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel Oklahoma Premiere: “The Zombies of Penzance!” at 10 p.m. in

Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Project 21’s Spooky Halloween Concert at 7:30 p.m. in Medium Rehearsal Hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center “Dogs Sees God” at 8 p.m. in Black Box Theatre in Wanda L.

Bass Music Center

Bass Music Center

Bass Music Center

Arts Center

FRIDAY Oklahoma Premiere: “The Zombies of Penzance!” at 8 p.m. in Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

SATURDAY Oklahoma Premiere: “The Zombies of Penzance!” at 8 p.m. in Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

SUNDAY Smashcade at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.

“Dogs Sees God” at 2 p.m. in Black Box Theatre in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

“Dogs Sees God” at 8 p.m. in Black Box Theatre in Wanda L.

“Dogs Sees God” at 8 p.m. in Black Box Theatre in Wanda L.

Oct. 30, 2019, Volume 113, Issue 9

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Staff Writers: MaKayla Baxter, Erik Hamilton, Francesca Iacovacci, Hope Melton, Shelby O'Brien, Hannah Prentice Columnists: Paul Dower, Francesca Iacovacci, Hope Melton Photographers: Clara Foster, Hannah Campbell, Katie

Flute Choir Presents Movie Night at 6 p.m. in Medium Rehearsal Hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

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

THE CAMPUS Editor-in-chief: Emily Wollenberg Copy Editor: Paul Dower Photo Editor: Clara Foster Community Manager: Jessica Vanek Web Editor: Luke Barrett Ad Director: Maddie Bowes Graphic Designer: Melissa Campbell

Oklahoma Premiere: “The Zombies of Penzance!” at 3 p.m. in Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine

Gibbs, Hope Melton Faculty Adviser: Ben Felder

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 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, 2019. All rights reserved.

October 30, 2019

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news

Music school to host invited auditions for upcoming opera Shelby O’Brien

STAFF WRITER

The auditions for OCU’s next semester opera will be conducted differently than they have been in previous semesters.

Opera auditions typically are open to everyone on campus and are a requirement for all music school students.

Auditions for this upcoming opera, “Die Fledermaus,” will be based on invitation.

Dr. David Herendeen, director of opera and music theater, along with the rest of the voice faculty in the music school, will compile a list of students that will be invited to audition for the principal roles in the production.

Herendeen said the main reason for this alteration was because of a schedule change due to holiday breaks, a change in the genre of show usually done at this time and ultimately to reduce stress among students.

“We are having a guest director come in, and the guest director for the musical was unable to work in the first semester, so I did a switch in the amount of musicals versus operas in the first and second semester,” Herendeen said.

Herendeen said the final auditions are typically the week after Thanksgiving break, but this year Thanksgiving is the last week of November, causing the schedule to shift.

“Thanksgiving has sort of messed up the schedule. I usually do three auditions in the fall semester, but because of the guest director, I have to have four, and I became very worried about killing our students with a full day of auditions and callbacks,” Herendeen said.

Herendeen said he began to see there would be far too many

I think if you play your cards correctly, this process could be really good.

Jackson Holtkamp vocal performance senior

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auditions that would disrupt the students mentally and academically, so he began to make a plan to resolve these concerns.

“The motivation is that we will have great information from the first two auditions, and we will have great information from the auditions for the spotlight musical as well, so we decided to do a principal audition,” Herendeen said.

The voice faculty, the conductor for the opera and Herendeen will all have a say on who is called to the principal audition.

“We are speaking to the voice faculty to make sure that their students have the opportunity and if they feel like they want somebody to try this material pedagogically to see how it fits in their voice or just because they think their student would be good in the role,” Herendeen said.

The audition will not be required, which, Herendeen said, will relieve many students who feel stressed and overloaded with all of the other auditions for the spring semester, as well as their academic requirements.

Herendeen said there will still be three required full auditions

for the music school students, as well as this principal audition, which will have a very wide net of advisement from Herendeen and the voice faculty.

Herendeen said it doesn’t exclude anyone who wants to audition, but they do have to be up for the task of singing this material.

“The love of my life is oriented around how to best preserve my students’ vocal, physical and mental health,” Herendeen said.

Jackson Holtkamp, vocal performance senior, said he had heard rumors that the audition was not going to be required.

“They actually just recently sent out an email with all the audition info, including the topic of the principal audition,” Holtkamp said.

Holtkamp said no invites have been sent out yet.

“Some people might be upset when the invites get sent out, but I think if you play your cards correctly, this process could be really good,” Holtkamp said.

Simón Gómez, music theater/composition junior, said he knew the auditions were invitational but didn’t really know what to expect.

“From what I understand, every voice studio will recommend students from their studios to be considered for the roles,” Gómez said.

Gómez said he thinks the process is new and interesting and will really be great for people who have auditioned for operas in the past out of requirement, but didn’t actually want to be considered.

“Boy, I don’t want this job; but it’s a joy. It’s a challenge, and every challenge has a solution, and this is a good solution,” Herendeen said.

Story of teenage Peanuts characters opens, explores identities MaKayla Baxter

STAFF WRITER

TheatreOCU’s second Stage II production of the season will open this weekend.

“Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” will be performed at 8 p.m. Oct. 31-Nov. 2, and 2 p.m Nov. 3 in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center.

The play, written by Bert V. Royal, reimagines characters from the Peanuts comic strip as teenagers dealing with the harsh realities of adolescence.

Anastasia Pellar, theatre and performance junior, is the director.

“Imagine the Peanuts characters with a dark twist,” Pellar said.

“Pretty much every character you know and love are portrayed as having struggles and identity crises, from their sexual identities to the way they look and behave.”

Pellar said the show’s focus on the characters’ issues and how they choose to either suppress or work through them reflects our own world.

“The show has a lot of themes that are very relevant in today’s society,” Pellar said. “It goes to some very dark places. We aren’t publishing any official trigger warnings or anything, but the show deals with some serious issues and has dark moments.”

Cesar Carreno, music theatre sophomore portraying “Matt” in the play, said the rehearsal process has been emotionally taxing at times due to the nature of the themes portrayed.

“It’s a dark show, and that can be hard to process sometimes,” Carreno said. “It’s not all dark, though. There are lots of light

I haven’t experienced any serious emotional turmoil or anything, but I know my director and cast would have my back if I did, which is very special.

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Katherine Abel acting junior

moments, so you get both ends of the spectrum. Really, it’s fun and sad at the same time. I’ve loved being a part of something like that, where you get a mix of both.”

Katherine Abel, acting junior portraying “Trisha” in the play, said the cast has grown close during the rehearsal process, with Pellar checking in on them emotionally.

“There’s definitely a point in the show that is so beautiful, to the point where I cry every time,” Abel said. “I haven’t experienced any serious emotional turmoil or anything, but I know my director and cast would have my back if I did, which is very special.”

Pellar said she tried her best to provide the actors with freedom and flexibility when crafting their interpretations of the characters.

“I asked the actors lots of questions, and encouraged them to expand on certain aspects at times, but ultimately I wanted to let them create their own characters,” Pellar said. “I think it’s a very important part of the show. I wanted the characters and their rela-

tionships to feel natural in the way they connect and intertwine with each other.”

Pellar said she has a close personal connection with the play.

“I started thinking about this show last fall, when I directed a scene from it for a class,” Pellar said. “I submitted it as a Stage II, it was accepted, and I’ve been basically thinking about it constantly ever since.”

Pellar said directing the show has been a learning experience, and a great joy.

“I have loved every single rehearsal,” Pellar said. “It has been the highlight of my day, every single day. It’s such an important piece, and I want everyone to experience it.”

Carreno said he encourages students to see the show.

“For one, the characters are really relatable,” Carreno said. “I think anyone who comes can have someone to identify with in the show. Also, the story is just really relevant right now. These are topics that have been talked about before, but they’re presented in a new, funny, heartbreaking way and through the eyes of characters that a lot of Americans know and love.”

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased in advance through the ticket office in the Edith Kinney Gaylord Center or by calling the ticket office at 405-208-5227.

School of Music production to feature zombies singing opera Hannah Prentice

STAFF WRITER

This Halloween season, the OCU campus is facing an infestation of zombies through the second mainstage show of the year, “The Zombies of Penzance.”

Dr. David Herendeen, director of opera and music theater and director of the show, said he would describe the show as a fun and silly operetta, perfect for introducing opera to people who have never experienced it before.

“Zombies are a big thing, and they have been for quite a while, so to ‘zombify’ certain things, that trend evolved in

1978 when George A. Romero created ‘Night of the Living Dead,’” Herendeen said. “So a guy a couple years ago came up with the idea that he could take the basic storyline of ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and all he was going to do was shift the storyline a little bit to make the pirates become zombies and make the General’s daughters into zombie hunters. It is silly and absurd, and the writing is not nearly as witty as ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ script is, but it’s Halloween, it’s zombies and therefore absurd and fun.”

The show was chosen specifically for the Halloween slot of shows this year as something entertaining and fitting for the

It's Halloween, it's zombies and therefore absurd and fun.

Dr. David Herendeen opera and music theater director

holiday, which Herendeen said he would like to incorporate into the show through the audience. Herendeen said he encourages audience members to dress up in costume to attend the Halloween showing.

“I only ask that no one ooze on my seats, because I don’t

want to have to clean them, and don’t block the people behind you. Other than that come happy and fun,” Herendeen said.

Lilliana Saffa, opera performance graduate, plays the role of “Mabel” in the show.

“I play Mabel, one of the

daughters of the retired zombie hunter, ‘Major-General Stanley,’” Saffa said. “Mabel has the most gentle heart of the bunch and quickly falls in love with ‘Frederic,’ a newly-made zombie, against the better judgement of her family.

Throughout the course of the story, she tries to protect her family while also following her heart, which puts them all in a rather sticky situation.”

Saffa also said she thinks this show was a great choice for this time of year.

“This show was chosen to bring a new and exciting twist to an old classic, and what better time for a zombie show than during Halloween,” Saffa

said. “The show has provided the cast with opportunities to be larger than life and to really dive into the spirit of the season.”

The show will be performed 10 p.m. Oct. 31, 8 p.m. Nov. 1-2 and 3 p.m. Nov. 3. in the Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased either at the Box Office located in the Gaylord Center or online at okcu.edu/ main/tickets.

Editor’s Note: Community Manager Jessica Vanek is playing Mabel in the production. She did not participate in the writing or editing of this story.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” performs sold out run “To Kill a Mockingbird” ran Oct.23-27 to sold out audiences for almost every performance. The play, based on the novel by Harper Lee, was performed in Burg Theatre in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. The play features a new script written by Aaron Sorkin.

Left Top: Evan Clear, theater and performance senior, and Gareth Forsberg, acting senior, perform in the final scene of Aaron Sorkin's "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Left Bottom: Megan Berning, acting junior, Trevor Rau, acting freshman, and Andrew Lewis, acting junior, perform a scene where they speak to the 'town drunk,' played by Dustin Dale Barlow, acting senior.

Right: Sara Byerly, School of Theatre alumni, and Ryley “R.J.” Flud, acting freshman, perform in a courtroom scene.

Clara Foster Student Publications

October 30, 2019

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Hannah Campbell Student Publications

Ghouls just want to have fun Far left: Members of the Oklahoma City community were invited to bring their children to trick or treat in a fun and safe environment at the Annual Walker Hall Trick or Treat.

Top: Josie Bowlouden, business and political science sophomore, poses with two children who attended the event, which has been hosted by Walker Hall for more than 20 years.

Lee Parr, viola performance freshman, and Madison Altom, biochemistry freshman, dressed up and passed out candy. The event took place 6-8 p.m. Oct. 24.

Business professors discuss possible future recession Maxwell McIntire

STAFF WRITER

With news outlets across the country warning of a looming economic recession inShelby the coming years, business students and O’Brien faculty offer their views on the country’s financial future.

STAFF WRITER While there is no universal agreement on what constitutes a recession, there is a general consensus, said Steve Agee, dean and professor at the Meinders School of Business. A recession occurs when there are two consecutive quarters of negative growth in the economy. If the Gross Domestic Product goes down over the course of six months (consisting of two three-month quarters), the economy enters a recession.

The last recession in the U.S. was the Great Recession, which lasted from around 2008 to 2009.

“That was a monstrous time period, the closest thing to the 1930s Great Depression we’ve ever had,” Agee said.

There are too many variables at play to make a certain prediction, Agee said. Some indicators, such as recent economic growth, support the predictions that there won’t be a recession.

Others, such as the United States’ ongoing trade war with China, support predictions of an upcoming recession, he said.

However, even if a recession does occur in the next few years,

Think about your degree and major, think about what opportunities are out in the workforce that pertain to your major.

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Steve Agee Meinders School of Business dean

Agee said it won’t be nearly as bad as the Great Recession that occurred in 2008.

Eduardo Lima, adult degree completion program senior, said the likelihood of a current recession is strong.

“I think it’s very likely that we’re in a recession right now, and we just don’t know it. We won’t know it until it’s in hindsight,” Lima said.

An inverted yield curve which preceded the last seven recessions has already occurred, Lima said. Additionally, interest rates have dropped twice in the last quarter, and Lima said there’s a 75% chance they’ll drop again by the next quarter.

Lima said that the public sentiment has also shifted, and people are already in the mindset of a recession. He believes Meinders School of Business has prepared its students well for a recession after their studies.

“I’ll go so far as to praise the school and say that it actually provides its graduates with the skills that will allow them to be more attractive to employers during a recession. I think that the diverse skill set of the Meinders School of Business students allows them to be strategically positioned in such a scenario,” said Lima.

Agee said he has some advice for all students graduating in the upcoming years.

“Think about your degree and major, think about what opportunities are out in the workforce that pertain to your major, and if there are additional subjects of minors that you could take on in addition to your degree program, you should consider it,” he said.

Christian organization collects socks for Oklahoma City Homeless Alliance MaKayla Baxter

STAFF WRITER Kappa Phi’s sock drive has been running thoughout October.

Kappa Phi’s fundraising activity, “Socktober,” aims to collect packaged socks and other goods for the Oklahoma City Homeless Alliance.

Rebecca Hill, elementary education senior and Kappa Phi copresident, said the items will be outsourced to families, veterans, the homeless, and other Oklahoma City residents in need.

“The organization is focusing mainly on the long term homeless community,” Hill said. “That basically means those who are consistently bouncing in and out of homelessness. The Homeless Alliance is trying to work with them, as well as families and veterans who don’t have a consistent income.”

Hill says Kappa Phi members have been collecting items in bins placed in the chapel basement and outside the cafeteria.

“We’ll accept a whole range of items, as long as they are unused and packaged,” Hill said. “We can offer them many different items, if they are good quality.”

Isabel Finney, biomedical science junior and Kappa Phi community service chair, said the fundraiser has not been as successful as she hoped.

“It hasn’t been going well,” Finney said. “We haven’t been pushing or advertising very much, which I can understand. October is a crazy month.”

Finney said she hopes more students will donate by the end

October 30, 2019

It takes very minimal effort to serve others in a great way.

Rebecca Hill elementary education senior

of the month.

“I know we’re all busy here on campus, but we are in a position of privilege where we can actually help others and really make an impact,” Finney said.

Hill said she encourages students to donate whatever they may have.

“It takes very minimal effort to serve others in a great way,” Hill said. “We may just see socks, for example, as something insignificant, but it’s about to be winter and freezing outside. Those who are homeless and have to wander the streets looking for food are a lot more vulnerable, and these donations would mean so much to them.”

Breaking barriers

Paul Dower Student Publications

Erika Lucas, keynote speaker, speaks to students at the Latino Youth Leadership Conference. The conference took place 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 25 in Meinders School of Business. Lucas spoke about the challenges of being an entrepreneur as a woman of color. She is the co-founder of StitchCrew, a business to help entrepreneurs make connections.

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