W E E K E N D E D I T I O N | J A N U A R Y 2 6 - 2 9, 2 0 17 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M
OUDAILY
For 100 years, the student voice of the University of Oklahoma
TRAYTON MILLER
EB MCREADY
AMY SIGFRIED
JANE HSI
SHARING STORIES Students in lineup for annual TEDxOU event A
n annual conference will return to OU this year to provide community members a chance to learn from a diverse range of speakers in a series of short talks. TEDxOU will come to Meacham Auditorium in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Jan. 27 with the theme “Elemental,” according to the event’s site. This year’s event will include 12 speakers ranging from OU students and faculty to local entrepreneurs. TED is an organization that hosts two annual conferences offering leaders of all professions and ideas a chance to give 18-minute TED talks, according to the site. TEDx programs, like OU’s event, are independently organized events with the same general format as the larger conference. 2016’s event featured talks on sexuality, sharing experiences and the balance between school and work. Preview a few of this year’s speakers and topics: SHREYA PATEL AND RIJUTHA GARIMELLA Patel and Garimella will give a joint talk on how Bollywood contributes to the patriarchal society in India. Patel, economics and computer science senior, said she and Garimella have been friends since freshman year and have discussed this topic in-depth, often sending arti-
“I think it’s always good to, no matter whether its’s art or whether it’s anything, to keep questioning our lives and what influences you.” JANE HSI BIOCHEMISTRY AND STUDIO ART SENIOR
cles to each other about Bollywood and its impact on society. They also grew up watching the films with friends and family and saw a disparity happening, said Garimella, who is also an economics senior. “We did a lot of research independently out of both interest and curiosity,” Patel said. “We also attended TEDx conference two years ago in 2015 and decided, ‘You know what, why don’t we talk about what we’ve been researching about?’ And that’s how it happened.” Both said they have visited India recently — Patel a few weeks ago and Garimella a few years ago — and witnessed the disconnect for themselves. “There is definitely a disconnect
STAFF REPORTS
between culture and values in India,” Garimella said. Although they said neither of them have given a speech of this magnitude, they are confident and hopeful that they’ll be able to spread awareness of how the film industry, especially in India, shapes the mindsets of many individuals. “It’s important to showcase this outside of just a small group of people,” she said. “We live in a pretty globalized world where everyone is in tune with the cultures of various people. Many people see Bollywood films, and we want them to not only enjoy them, but to also look at them through another lens and realize that what see in entertainment has an impact. I hope that others realize that they can help be a part of the conversation.” The title of the talk is “Bollywood’s Impact on the Patriarchal Society of India.” —Taylor Wilson TRAYTON MILLER Advertising junior Trayton Miller will give a lecture titled “Thoughts, Feelings, and Confessions of a Sports Uniforms Geek.” He said he will be talking about his love of uniforms and his theory for the perfect one. Despite this passion, Miller said he has never participated in sports. “For some reason, I just really attached myself to sports uniforms,” Miller said. “It’s always fascinated me and something that I’m just a huge geek for. I love learning about it.” Miller said he hopes the audience takes away the importance of nuance in appearance. “I feel like the best way of illustrating this is through sports uniforms because they evolve over time, but oftentimes they do carry history and aesthetic ideals from past generations in a very unique way,” Miller said. Miller said his favorite uniform is the 1980s San Diego Padres’, which he said has a unique look, especially for baseball. “They had these brown, gold and orange uniforms that I’ve loved for a long time now,” Miller said. He said he is excited for the opportunity to speak about his passion. “There are so few students who are giving these sorts of talks at this event and the fact they chose mine is really amazing,” Miller said. He said he wants to show his friends and family that his obsession is something that other people will find interesting. —Matthew Viriyapah EB MCCREADY Advertising and management senior EB McCready will speak on the importance of positivity and smiling during her TEDxOU talk. “The two premises are the power of smiling and how I convince people that I’m funny even though I’m
actually not,” McCready said of her talk. McCready said she decided to apply for stage time at the 2017 TEDxOU after attending the event last year as a spectator. Originally, she planned on speaking about a subject related to ADHD medicine, but said she changed her mind as auditions approached. “While I think that issue is important, I think in the world we’re in right now, positivity is more important,” McCready said. “And so I somewhat on a whim decided that I still would apply, just change the subject matter.” She landed on something more positive. “I hope to encourage people to think more positively and, when things aren’t going their way, to be like, ‘Okay, I can get through this,’ and be able to share that positivity with other people,” McCready said. McCready said the subject is also somewhat of a personal intrigue, citing a quote she attributed to Martha Washington: “I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be. I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery is based upon our disposition and not upon our circumstances.” McCready said she personally subscribes to this mindset. “Along with that, ‘Hakuna Matata’ is kind of what I go by,” McCready said. “In addition to that interest, I love the science behind how emotions work.” —Shane Byler JANE HSI Jane Hsi, a biochemistry, letters and studio art senior, will take the stage to discuss the way she has challenged herself to portray diversity in her own artwork. “Growing up with Western art history, artwork such as the Mona Lisa that featured a lot of the same white Caucasian face, sort of influenced the way I think about beauty,” Hsi said. “I think that images are strong, and that if people see more color in art, it’ll change the way we think about race as it pertains to aesthetics.” For two years, Hsi immersed herself in cultures outside her own in order to develop a more relatable and diverse artistic style, she said. Hsi said her philosophy and art classes sparked an interest in the relationship between art and diversity, a concept she hopes to share with her audience. “It’s just for people to challenge themselves to see beyond what they’re sort of fed, or what they’re fed by society image-wise or education-wise,” Hsi said. Although Hsi’s talk focuses specifically on art, she said she hopes to convey a broader message that will challenge the way people think. “I think it’s always just good to, no matter whether it’s art or whether
RANYA O’CONNOR
RIJUTHA GARIMELLA AND SHREYA PATEL
it’s anything, just to keep questioning our lives and what influences you,” Hsi said. Hsi said she was compelled to audition as a student speaker for the event when an art professor challenged her to put herself out there with her ideas. “This is the first time I’m doing public speaking on a subject that is personal and important to myself, so it’s a little intimidating,” Hsi said. “I’m looking forward to this event overall, and I hope that everyone who goes to it will get, not just from myself, but just so much out of all the really wonderful speakers who will be there.” —Anna Bauman, @ annabauman2 RANYA O’CONNOR Local nonprofit entrepreneur Ranya O’Connor will bring a message of inclusivity, understanding and encouragement to her TEDxOU talk. O’Connor is the director of The Curbside Chronicle, a publication produced and sold by the homeless in Oklahoma City and the very first of its kind in Oklahoma. Known as a “street paper,” the Chronicle gives contributors and volunteers valuable experience in writing, design and social interaction, as well as hard-earned money. While many students prefer to wait to graduate before starting a career, O’Connor established the publication in association with the Homeless Alliance in 2013, her senior year at OU. Although she received a bachelor’s degree in marketing, O’Connor said her motivations are not financial. “Something that is important to me is this idea of surrounding myself with people who are different from me, whether that be race, religion or socioeconomic status,” O’Connor said. The issue of homelessness has always been one close to O’Connor’s heart. She and her mother experienced it together when she was young, spending a brief stint in a shelter before her grandparents adopted her. “I believe that people deserve opportunity. I believe that people experiencing homelessness deserve a more dignified way to earn income than having to turn to panhandling and flying a sign,” O’Connor said. “That’s why we created Curbside. To say ‘Hey we get it, there are barriers that you’re facing, but here’s a product that you can sell, here’s a platform for your voice. Let us work alongside you to help transition forward.’” O’Connor said she believes that barriers can be torn down with paper and the promise that if people will listen, those experiencing homelessness won’t have to tear them down on their own. She has been giving back to the
OKC community for some time now, but wants to give something to her alma mater as well, O’Connor said. TEDxOU is just the right opportunity to deliver that message. “One person, one organization can make a difference to tackle big issues like homelessness,” O’Connor said. “And maybe we’re not going to solve it in its entirety on our own, here, immediately, but interaction between just a couple of people can make a difference.” —Mitchell Willetts, @ MitchBWilletts AMY SIEGFRIED Amy Siegfried will speak on harnessing sports dialogue as a networking tool as the co-founder of Last Night’s Game, a web-based publication on trending topics in the sports world published three times a week. Siegfried said her talk will focus on “making sports your secret weapon” and the use of sports as a tool in networking. “It’s something else to have in your repertoire,” Siegfried said. “This is one thing that crosses over languages and cultures, and I think it’s really important to have that in your bag of tricks.” Siegfried said her talk is for everyone, but her passion centers on educating women with little knowledge of sports. She said she aims to break down sports jargon and inspire an interest in sports and provide basic knowledge to use in conversation. “Whether we like it or not, it’s a man’s world — sports tends to be a man’s world,” Siegfried said. “And there’s a reason you see women who go out for cigars or whiskey with their male co-workers, because you really have to be at the table to play.” The publication stemmed from an idea Siegfried had after going to a baseball game with a friend who did not understand baseball, Siegfried said. “The guys were running off the field and she asked me ‘Why are they running off the field?’ and I said ‘well they have three outs,’ and she said, ‘What’s an out?’” Siegfried said. “So it’s sort of this idea that a little bit of additional knowledge is really gonna help people along the way.” Olivia Dubcak, @olivedubbie
SPEAKERS & TICKETS
Other speakers: Gregg Garn, the dean of the College of Education, Lauren Whiteman, assistant director of Student Life and the coordinator for African American student programs and services, Ken Stoner and Dave King. Tickets for OU students are $27 and may be purchased online at tedxou.com. General admission tickets are $70 and may also be purchased at tedxou.com.