Oct. 31

THE“CAMPUS October 31, 2018 – Volume 112 Issue 9

Call to impeach activities vice president dismissed Elina Moon

It ultimately comes down to the problems we have in our constitution and bylaws.

PHOTO EDITOR

A call to impeach the vice president of the Student Activities Council was dismissed due to false claims.

Sen. David Hall (music) created a motion Oct. 24 to impeach against Madelynn Buckman, vice president of SAC, a branch of Student Government Association that plans student events. Hall accused Buckman of breaching faith and intending to misuse funds, which are bylaw violations.

Ellie Roth, chief justice of student court, made the decision Oct. 26 of how to handle the claim.

“After a comprehensive review and careful deliberation, I found the evidence fails to prove the claims. The charges have been dismissed,” she said.

The accusations were related to the use of funds for Free Movie Night, an event where students were provided with free tickets to a movie of their choice at a local theater.

Hall said he wrote the impeachment proposal after seeing a post inquiring about Free Movie Night in the “OCU” Facebook group. Kenzie VanZee, SAC executive member, posted that there was no intention to continue the event.

“As of right now, we do not have a free movie night planned this semester,” she wrote.

VanZee later amended her statement to address the possible use of funds.

“I would just like to point out that when I’m saying ‘free movie night’ I’m talking about the off campus free movie nights,” she wrote. “In regards to the ‘line-items budget presented to senators in steering committee explicitly list movie nights for this semester’ I assume the funding went to buying the rights to the movies on the quad. SAC still does movie night they are just not the free movies nights that this post is about.”

Since SGA money was budgeted for Free Movie Night, not

David Hall Student Government Association senator

hosting the event is a breached trust with senators and the student body, as well as implies the potential of misusing funds, Hall said.

“There is a trust with the student body that we’re going to do what we say we’re going to do and spend your money in a certain way,” he said.

In her formal decision, Roth wrote that Hall didn’t provide enough evidence to prove the “breach of faith” claim. She dismissed the misuse of funds charge because the budget didn’t specify that the free movie nights had to be at a local theater.

“It is impossible to say VP Buckman and her team have misused the movie night funding when there is plenty of time available to plan more movie events,” she wrote. “I am assured by multiple sources that SAC is working hard to set up an event with Tinseltown Theater. We cannot accuse VP Buckman of neglecting her budget while the budget period is still active.”

The SGA budget allocates $7,500 for two Free Movie Night events. The first Free Movie Night budget was spent on a screening of Ocean’s 8 on Sept. 20 on the quad, Buckman said. She said she’d like to do the second movie night at Cinemark Tinseltown USA, 6001 N. Martin Luther King Ave., but is having trouble getting in contact with their officials.

Buckman said she doesn’t think she made false promises.

“I said from the get-go when I was elected into this position last semester that Free Movie Night was going to be a lot different,” she said.

She said Hall assumed Free Movie Nights would be the same as in the past, and the situation wasn’t handled well.

“I wish he had come and spoke to me about this,” Buckman said. “I don’t think it was approached the proper way.”

Hall said he felt pressured to report the issue quickly because the SGA bylaws require an allegation to be filed within 48 hours of discovery.

“It ultimately comes down to the problems we have in our constitution and bylaws. There’s no way for senators to call for investigation on this kind of stuff,” he said. “The procedures that we have are outdated and, quite frankly, stupid.”

Hall said he wasn’t surprised by Roth’s decision but said what was considered Free Movie Night still wasn’t clear.

“I think part of the reasoning is a little foggy, as far as saying that movie nights have been had,” he said. “Aside from that, I completely agree. Since we’re going to have one, there are obviously no issues there.”

Roth said Buckman didn’t deserve the charges.

“At this time, I believe Madelynn Buckman is serving the student body within the power and budget she was given and is undeserving of impeachment proceedings,” she wrote in her formal statement.

Buckman said she hopes SGA takes this as a learning experience.

“I hope everybody takes it as an opportunity to kind of not be afraid to ask questions about something, rather than just accusing,” she said. “It’s not a secret, we didn’t all get along from the beginning, but we’ve gotten a lot better at working together, the exec of SGA, and that’s by communicating.”

University officials update emotional support animal policies Paul Dower

STAFF WRITER

University officials are in the process of updating policies for students with Emotional Support Animals.

Jenny Minsberg, senior coordinator for access in academic support, said different ESA policies are being combined and clarified due to current laws changing regarding ESAs in Oklahoma.

“One of the main updates that we are doing has to do with what kind of documentation is accepted,” Minsberg said. “It already says it is only from a mental health provider, but we all know that there are sites that people can go on and you can purchase your whole Emotional Support Animal package. None of those sites are actual legitimate sites. There is no such thing as a certified Emotional Support Animal.”

Minsberg said the change of ESA laws in Oklahoma was the cause of the updated policies.

“Oklahoma actually has just updated their state laws to say

that, if there are letters that are purchased through those sites, and the landlords—the equivalent of me or housing—has deemed them to be fraudulent, that we don’t have to accept them,” she said.

The qualifications to get an ESA requires a note from a mental health provider, as well as other details of the student’s treatment, Minsberg aid.

“A person needs to have an official diagnosis from a mental health provider,” she said. “I need to know the basics of the rest of your treatment plan. Do you have medication? Are you going and seeing your therapist on a regular basis? Then how having an Emotional Support Animal goes in with that treatment plan.”

Emily Tryon, acting senior, had two ESA pets in the past three years and said she supports the updates to the campus policies.

“Every year we do a checkup,” she said. “They’re changing it recently. Now we have to go and get a new doctor’s note saying that, ‘yeah, no, we still recommend an ESA.’” Tryon said ESAs help her with her emotional health.

“The dogs are able to help me to get out of bed in the morning,”

Tryon said. “They motivate me because I have to take care of my pup. My dog has to eat. My dog has to go out to the bathroom.

It gets me out of the house when I wouldn’t otherwise.”

Maureen Austin, dance sophomore, has an ESA-approved cat that’s been living with her for two months. Her therapist suggested an ESA to aid in the treatment of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. She got the cat from a rescue shelter this semester.

“Ellie is really good at noticing when I get nervous or upset or have had a nightmare,” Austin said. “She’ll come and lay on my chest, and the pressure helps when I have an episode and have a lot of pain in my chest.”

For more information about university ESA policies, visit okcu.edu/campus/resources/disability/housing-accommodations/ emotional-support-animal.

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Officials encourage students to vote in midterm elections Callie Dewees

STAFF WRITER

Kylie Sullivan Student Publications

Trick or treat?

Ally Lennon, dance freshman, and Meredith Crane, music freshman, give out candy at Walker Hall Trick or Treat Night on Oct. 25 in Walker Hall dormitory. Freshman residents gave candy from 6-8 p.m. to children from the Oklahoma City community. Residence Life hosts the event annually.

M MEDIAOCU.com

Students are preparing to vote in this year’s midterm elections.

Officials have been encouraging students to vote since the beginning of the semester.

Student affairs officials hosted a voter registration drive picnic Sept. 25. Forty-five students registered at the picnic.

Forms were available at the mailroom, in the law school, in the Involved Center, and in the office of Levi Harrel, director of student engagement.

“Voting is perhaps one of our most basic and most important civic obligations in our community,” Harrel said.

“We, as an institution, want to empower our students to let their voices be heard, so it is important to us that our students be registered to vote.”

Registered voters who are unable to visit their polling location Nov. 6 may vote by absentee ballot. An absentee ballot must be requested and can be done so online at vote. org/absentee-ballot/. Deadlines for requesting and sending in

We, as an institution, want to empower our students to let their voices be heard, so it is important to us that our students be registered to vote.

Levi Harrel student engagement director

a ballot vary between states and can be found at vote.org/ absentee-ballot-deadlines/.

Many states still are accepting applications. While many students are using absentee ballots, some are also opting to drive home Nov. 6 to vote in person.

“I am driving down early in the morning to vote and then driving back that day,” said Alison Sloan, acting junior.

“Last time I tried to apply for an absentee ballot, it didn’t end up coming. It just never showed up. I have heard that absentee ballots are getting harder to access, and I just want to not take any chances.”

Harrel said more students registered at the picnic this year. He said it’s because of the midterm elections, which

students are invested in. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in Senate are up for election.

Republicans are the majority party in the Senate with 51 representatives. Democrats are the minority party with 47 representatives, leaving two independents who caucus with the democrats.

“Vote. Your voice absolutely matters,” Harrel said.

“It does not matter who you cast your ballot for such that your voice is being heard, and you are meeting and fulfilling that very basic and most important civic obligation.”

Words We Mean

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Read about a new album by students in the indie-folk group Annie Oakley

View of a gallery of Silent Sky photos

Astonish the world

View a gallery of Little Women photos

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opinion Pet owners need to respect campus housing policies Students on campus are suffering because of improperly handled pets.

As campus officials revise emotional support animal policies, many student pet owners have shown a lack of respect for the rules. Students, with and without proper ESA approval, demonstrate an unwillingness to take good care of these animals.

See Page 1 for more information on ESA policy updates.

Students have complained about feces left on the Cokesbury Court Apartments’s lawn and animal damage to apartment property. Some students even reported seeing animal feces inside United Methodist Hall.

This lack of consideration puts all residents in a poor living situation, especially those with allergies. Students who enjoy the privilege of owning an ESA must understand the

impact it has on surrounding residents. Other students may not feel the same way as you do about that pet, whether approved or not.

Without consideration for non-ESA owners, this problem will continue, and approved animals might be at risk for eviction in the future, even having gone through the process.

Those with illegal animals should move off campus or find an alternative location for their animals. The presence of an illegal pet in campus housing disrespects housing policies and puts future residents at risk. Without knowledge of the animal, housing staff will not know which residences are thus unsuitable for new students with allergies. This is a serious health risk, something that the approved and instated guidelines will prevent, if followed.

Students who legitimately feel that an ESA will improve

Talk Back “If you could have any animal as an Emotional Support Animal, what would it be?”

their mental health must go through the proper approval steps outlined in university policies. While this may seem like a hassle, these policies are in place to prevent maltreatment of housing property and keep residence halls liveable for all students.

If not for fellow residents, students should at least follow housing policies for the sake of ESA owners. Some students need their ESAs for serious psychological issues. It would be cruel to take them away because of a lack of respect for the system, our campus and our housing. ESAs are a privilege, not a right, and must be treated as such. If student pet owners don’t follow the appropriate guidelines, then this privilege may be revoked.

"Dragon—I would ride on its back"

Kelly Pan nursing senior

"Hedgehog"

Kenzie VanZee religion sophomore

"Chinchilla"

"Goldendoodle"

Kelsey Bray acting sophomore

Jessica Zweig nursing senior

"My dog"

"A Pomeranian"

Allexus Rosas nursing senior

Thao Tran nursing senior

President’s rhetoric continues to encourage terrorist attacks We’ve seen two terrorist attacks by Americans during the last week.

This adds to a number of terrorist acts we’ve seen since President Donald Trump took office. There has been a 29 percent spike in attacks since 2016, according to the Washington Post. Even after President Barack Obama took office, hate crimes and terrorist attacks spiked at first, but remained low the rest of his presidency.

What’s scary about the Trump presidency is that the hate crimes spiked and have yet to flatline.

These attacks are carried out, mostly, by white males—

the president’s largest voter base. The president is quick to comment about terrorist attacks carried out by a person with a Middle Eastern background— the Pulse Nightclub shooting, for example—but when the attacker is white and American, Trump’s response is pitiful.

The president’s response to the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting Saturday was shameful. He claimed the mass killing could have been avoided had the synagogue been better protected and had there been more people with guns around.

Three officers were injured in the cross fire as the shooter was better armed with his AR-15.

Harrison Langford is an acting senior from Las Vegas who loves golden retrievers and the New York Giants.

Apparently the president wasn’t briefed or he was appealing to his pro-gun base.

His response to the pipe bombs sent to his democratic rivals and critics was even sorrier—it wasn’t his own. He retweeted his vice president’s response to the attack.

Whatever is to be said about Trump’s tax plan, his foreign

policy or even his nominations of family, friends and criminals for positions in our government, nothing is worse than his rhetoric.

He’s mocked black professional football players with demeaning names, threatened to physically assault people at his rallies, mocked a disabled reporter, bragged about sexually

assaulting women, and belittled immigrants.

I blame these hate crimes and terrorist attacks on the president’s rhetoric and his lack of response. If the president would come out and condemn these acts, we would at least feel safer.

Obama was quick to respond to acts of terror and hate. While he was not always successful, Obama’s rhetoric was at least one of American unification, of all of us coming together to stop these attacks on innocent Americans. It’s an approach that President Trump should learn from.

Yet, Trump taking this

approach seems unlikely. The president cares about votes in his 2020 re-election campaign.

Rather than condemning acts of violence, he’ll continue with, “We need to arm ourselves better” or “Very fine people were on both sides.”

The truth is, Mr. President, on one side you have people standing in support of a free nation where every American is created equal. On the other, you have those who believe that people are better or worse based on their wealth, skin color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or upbringing.

Americans need to stop this rhetoric.

Original ‘Halloween’ movie, slasher genre still inferior to other films You all know what day it is—Halloween. The single day Americans set aside for a cathartic release of paganism.

Twelve days ago, an 11th installment was born in the bloated and overblown horror franchise “Halloween.” And, with a generous 79 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, maybe it has undone the sins of the nine other sequels.

But, if we really want to get to the bottom of the franchise’s history and figure out why one should even care in the first place, we’re going to have to go all the way back to 1978—the year when the original, lowbudget Halloween changed the face of horror forever.

Those who haven’t seen the film may still recognize its antagonist, “Michael Myers.”

Myers is a crazed sociopath who, after murdering his sister when he was 6 years old, being sent to a sanitarium and escaping 15 years later, fixates on high school senior and baby sitter “Laurie Strode,” the inaugural role of Jamie Lee Curtis. Strode goes about her Oct. 31 day and—along with the viewer— discovers that be it daytime or nighttime, Myers can appear anytime, anywhere. You, as am I, are probably used to spookies occurring in the dark, making it a jarring experience when a masked, knife-wielding killer appears in the middle of green grass and white fences.

Following the lead of Psycho, this movie has been lauded as the pioneer of “slasher symbolism.” In the 1970s and ’80s, Halloween defined the

to some of my favorite movies of this decade—It Follows, The Witch, Hereditary—all dating back to this 1978 strain of “smart horror.”

But, in modern smart horror, these movies actually engage with the viewer. They don’t try to impress them with soon-tobe-obsolete gore, and they don’t beat around the bloodstained bush with their concept. They present a tone of emotional density and scares that are visceral enough to make the viewer really feel the meaning.

In slasher films like Halloween, the viewer maybe gets a vague idea of a concept, and only if they look ridiculously hard.

This is not to say spoonfeeding the viewer and encouraging ignorance is ideal, but the reason slasher films are blown

off so frequently is because they don’t feel like they mean anything, so the viewer has no compulsion to think any deeper about them. Nostalgia can only go so far, and there are plenty of non-slasher horror films from the same era that take a smarter approach—The Shining, The Exorcist, Alien, Eraserhead—and I still would watch them over this.

Maybe slasher films were necessary to transfer certain vibes and innovations on to the next generation, but when that generation uses the same tools so much better, the slasher genre becomes transitory, destined to be outdone every single time. Halloween is not a bad movie, but, as a whole, this movie and the era it represents is just not for me.

Homecoming Lip Sync at 6:30 p.m., followed by Homecoming Awards and Royalty Crowning in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

SUNDAY Silent Sky at 2 p.m. in Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

Chandler White is an English senior from Meeker, Oklahoma. He likes gothic horror and good hip-hop.

slasher genre with its most key tropes: juxtapositions of sex with murder, the background of middle-American suburbia under attack, an antagonist with all the attributes intimidating to the social norms of the era, all of which date back to Gothic stories like Dracula.

With his relentless terrorism of women and children, Myers is the sexually-bewitched, hypermasculine Antichrist of 1970s values, only coming out on that mystical October night when

evil things are allowed to roam.

Bet you didn’t know that, huh? Bet you never considered the thematic depth of a ’70s horror film, huh? I wonder why—maybe because it puts emphasis on absolutely everything but that.

For as long as I’ve been a horror addict, I just have not understood the appeal of the slasher genre. More than its strengths or weaknesses, what I noticed most about Halloween were the frequent similarities

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

TODAY Spring 2019 enrollment begins for undergrads with 60 plus completed credit hours THURSDAY President Martha Burger's Inauguration from 4-5:30 p.m. in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Silent Sky at 8 p.m. in Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

Recommended deadline to apply for financial aid for Spring 2019 semester

Christian College at 4 p.m. in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

presents Little Women from 8-10 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

Spring 2019 enrollment begins for undergrads with 30 plus completed credit hours

Volleyball vs. Panhandle State University at 7:30 p.m. in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

SATURDAY Volleyball vs. Wayland Baptist University from 1-2:30 p.m. in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

FRIDAY Homecoming tailgates starting at 4 p.m. in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center Men's basketball vs. Manhattan

Silent Sky at 8 p.m. in Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center Wanda L. Bass School of Music

Men's wrestling vs. Ouachita Baptist University at 3 p.m. in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center

Oct. 31, 2018, Volume 112, Issue 9

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Staff Writers: Callie Dewees, Erik Hamilton, Paul Dower, Amanda Miller, Dru Norton, Sarah Muscarella, Hope Melton Columnist: Caroline Hawthorne Photographers: Carolann Stout, Kylie Sullivan, Ethan Tate, Hope Melton Videographer: Emily Haan

Wanda L. Bass School of Music presents Little Women from 3-5 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

Wanda L. Bass School of Music presents Little Women from 8-10 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

MONDAY A Slice of Science Life: The OKCU Equation at 9:30 a.m. in Sarkey's Science and Math 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: Nicole Waltman Associate Editor: Emily Wollenberg Copy Editor: Chandler White Photo Editor: Elina Moon Community Manager: Harrison Langford Web Editor: Jessica Vanek

Silent Sky at 8 p.m. in Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and let-

Ad Director: Emily Jones Faculty Adviser: Kenna Griffin

ters 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, 2018. All rights reserved.

October 31, 2018

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news

Students claim ghostly activity in Walker Hall Erik Hamilton

STAFF WRITER

The walls of Walker Hall dormitory are going bump in the night, and students have taken notice.

Students have made claims of a ghost or multiple ghosts in Walker Hall. Claims include loud banging noises, paranormal “vibes” and objects moving independently. Students have said in person and online that they think the dorm is haunted.

Tomi Vetter, piano performance sophomore and Walker Hall resident assistant, said she believes the ghost stories.

“Her name is ‘Elsie.’ She has good intentions. She’s not evil or anything like that,” Vetter said. “There’s a few other ghosts that probably linger there as well.”

Vetter also said she thinks the ghost of May Walker, for whom the hall is named, haunts the dorm. She said Walker’s

portrait was taken from the dormitory and found in United Methodist Hall.

“We put it down in the storage area and, a couple days after that, it went missing. Then it appeared in the head office,” Vetter said. “We really do think that she’s also there too.”

Students say they have encountered a ghost in Walker Hall. Abigail Munday, acting sophomore, said she had an experience last year while lying alone in bed in the dorm.

“I just felt this overwhelming presence in the room, like I was not alone,” Munday said. “It was really scary. I’ve experienced sleep paralysis before, but I was wide awake. I couldn’t sleep.

I was paralyzed with fear. It wanted me to know that it was there and that it was their space.”

Ginger Harris, acting sophomore and Munday’s former roommate, said she agrees.

“The third floor of Walker Hall is absolutely haunted,”

No one's ever died on campus, as far as I know. We haven't been able to figure out where the rumor came from or to substantiate any actual details about the story.

Christina Wolf archivist Dulaney-Browne Library

Harris said. “She’s real. I know that for a fact.”

Some students repeat the legend that the ghost of Walker Hall died by falling through or jumping out of a window. Some students even said they have spoken with her directly.

“Her name was ‘Elsie,’” said Kayleigh Adams, acting freshman. “It was in, like, the ‘70s, she apparently fell off. No one’s really sure if she was pushed or if she fell off.”

Adams’s aunt is a shaman and made her a pendulum which Adams said allows her to speak to

paranormal apparitions. Adams said she and her roommate, Meredith England, acting freshman, used it to invite Elsie into their home and ask for her to make herself known. Adams said, when England moved by their whiteboard, it flew from the wall. Adams said they invited Elsie to do it again and she did.

“It happened the same exact way, the same exact time that she passed it,” Adams said.

Adams said, after experiencing further interaction with Elsie, they spoke to her with the pendulum again.

“From the questions I’ve asked her, she seems pretty chill,” Adams said. “It’s like her sense of humor. She wants to mess with people.”

Christina Wolf, archivist and special collections librarian at Dulaney-Browne Library, said she does not believe in the ghost. She also said there’s no known record of anyone dying in Walker Hall.

“No one’s ever died on campus, as far as I know,” Wolf said. “We haven’t been able to figure out where the rumor came from or to substantiate any actual details about the story.”

Wolf said the story is old, as did Shawn Hudson, alumnus and columnist for The Campus in 1997. Hudson wrote a column entitled “The Y Files” in which he examined rumors of a ghost in Walker Hall.

Shannon Gilland Lemmons, accounting alumna, said in Fall 1989 she was pushed down on her bed in Walker Hall. She was

the only person in the room, but she said she felt hands and an extreme amount of force.

The origins of the ghost story are unknown, but Alumna Devin Murphy wrote in a 2011 essay that she believed the story to be a communal coping mechanism. She wrote that Elsie is allegedly a dancer who failed in weigh-ins, could not graduate and killed herself.

“This legend was probably made up because it was a way that OCU students were able to express their fears of failing weigh-ins or not being able to graduate,” Murphy wrote in the essay. “As long as these stressors stay on this campus, this legend will keep being passed on from year to year.”

Three Walker Hall RAs declined to comment, as did LaVetra Stevenson, residence hall director of Walker Hall.

Spotlight musical emphasizes powerful women, family values Sarah Muscarella

STAFF WRITER

Students are preparing for this semester’s Spotlight musical, which presents themes of familial support and independence in a scaled-back, intimate fashion.

Little Women performs Friday through Sunday in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. The show features minimal set and costumes. Though there is lighting design, the actors work with only rehearsal blocks and source costumes themselves like every Spotlight musical.

“The story will be more powerful without all the frills of a normal mainstage production,” said Melissa Campbell, music theater junior playing “Jo March.”

Based on Louisa May Alcott’s novel, the musical Little Women follows the March family, focusing on sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The lack of a leading male figure highlights the power of women, Campbell said.

“It is a unique show because of the amount of women that are featured in it.

So often we choose shows— and there are so many shows in existence—that are maleheavy, and this show is not, for once,” she said.

Shannon Calkins, music

theater junior, also playing “Jo March,” said the women at the center of the show represent different ideals when it comes to conforming to society, but Jo in particular desires to be her own powerful self.

“She has such strong concepts of what she wants to be,” Calkins said. “And, of course, that changes over the course of the show, but the one thing that remains consistent is that she always has what she calls ‘fire’ in her.”

Lyndsey Boyer, music theater graduate and one of the women playing “Meg March,” said Little Women depicts sorrows of the March family as well as the joys, and how the characters support one another through them.

“It shows the struggles of the family,” she said. “There’s some fights between sisters that happen, and then it also shows the resolution and how, even going through struggles, the most important thing is that you’re always there for each other and that you always will be no matter what.”

To better understand the March family’s perspective and relationships, the cast explored transcendentalism, a philosophy among 19th century writers, Boyer said.

Transcendentalists consider all life sacred, she said, which leads to a desire for peace.

“Transcendentalists believe that there is a divine spark in every living thing, so there shouldn’t be war. There shouldn’t be violence or killing or that sort of thing because everything has that divine spark, that aspect of God in it,” Boyer said.

Karen Miller, director of Little Women and assistant director of opera and music theater, said transcendentalists value equality, an ideal that influenced the original author.

“How can you see a woman as less than? How can you see an African-American slave as less than, if you believe that there’s a divine spark in all things?” Miller said. “Mistreatment then becomes something of the unthinkable.”

Campbell said she encourages students to see the show because of its focus on women and because of the cast’s talent.

“It’s important for audiences to hear and see what women can offer in a public way,” Campbell said. “Also, the talent in this cast is just off the charts, so if you just want to hear some really good singing, you’ll get that too.”

Tickets are available at the Performing Arts Ticket Office in Edith Kinney Gaylord Center or at okcu.edu/tickets.

‘Silent Sky’ addresses historic feminist issues Hope Melton

STAFF WRITER

The School of Theater will present its next Stage II production, Silent Sky, this week.

Silent Sky will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center.

Silent Sky is about the life of Henrietta Leavitt, an early20th century astronomer at Harvard College Observatory.

During her career, Leavitt made many key discoveries, despite facing discrimination as a female scientist.

Onnika Hanson, acting senior, plays “Henrietta” and said the play is a chance to showcase an often untold side of history. Hanson also said the scientific aspect of the play is interesting to work with.

“It’s a cool show where the science supports the show, but it’s really the humanity that leads the whole thing,” she said.

Addison Pollard, theater and performance junior, plays October 31, 2018

Henrietta’s sister “Margaret Leavitt.” She said the play has feminist themes.

“It’s very feminist, but it’s not in your face,” Pollard said.

“It’s a very graceful play.”

Pollard said it is fun balancing the show’s informative nature with its universal concepts.

“Even though it’s a very smart play, it has very simple themes and it’s very down-toearth,” Pollard said.

The show is directed by Guest Director Lindsay Rae Taylor. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors in theater from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She has performed at venues across the world in places such as Poland, Germany, Hungary, and Greece.

Taylor said Playright Lauren Gunderson makes Silent Sky’s subject matter universal for the viewer.

“Lauren Gunderson refracts Henrietta’s story through a theatrical lens, allowing those of us who are unaware of her work to learn something about her while also contemplating

our own place in the universe,” she said. “At its core, it is a play about perspective.”

Hanson said she appreciates the different perspectives Taylor brings from outside the School of Theater.

“It’s nice working with her because, being in the acting school all the time, I’ve worked with every acting professor.

So, having someone outside of OCU come in with a slightly different perspective on how to work a rehearsal room, how to work a monologue and how to build a show is nice to see, and it’s not as repetitive,” Hanson said.

Tickets may be purchased for $5 at the Performing Arts Ticket Office in Edith Kinney Gaylord Center or at okcu. edu/tickets.

Editor’s note: Nicole Waltman, editor-in-chief, is cast in Silent Sky. She did not participate in the writing or editing of this story.

Kylie Sullivan Student Publications

Go the distance Senior Forward Natalie Speer travels the ball at the soccer game Oct. 23 at Stars Field against Central Christian College. The Stars won 2-0. The team’s next game will be in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament in November.

IT TAKES

6OF PREP HOURS TO MAKE A 30 SECOND

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