Year In Review- 2014

M A Y 5  M A Y 9 , 2 0 14

Campus: Three Oklahoma colleges won’t release student parking ticket records but one will (Online) Opinion: Let’s recap what riled up the Editorial Board most this semester (Page 4) Sports: Twitter isn’t just for us “normal” students (Page 14)

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L&A: A look back at the apps this semester and the one’s for this summer (Page 8)

Year In Review

STORY ROUNDUP

In case you missed it — A year in news 1

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STAFF REPORTS

With the spring semester coming to a close, The Daily searched through the archives to find the biggest news of the semester. Here’s a look back, in case you missed it.

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1. Stolen Art Léone Meyer is suing OU for the painting “Bergère rentrant des moutons (Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep)”

by French impressionist Camille Pissarro. Before World War II, Meyer’s family owned the painting. During the war it was stolen by Nazis. Now the painting hangs in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, where it was donated by its last owners, Aaron and Clara Weirzenhofffer. OU won’t give the painting back to Meyer until the matter’s been decided in court.

2. New provost After 19 years, Nancy Mergler, senior vice president and provost, is stepping down to return to teaching.

OU President David Boren will request the OU Board of Regents name Kyle Harper, senior vice provost, as the interim provost until the position is officially filled.

Mergler’s resignation is effective starting June 1.

3. The Weed Issue The number of students caught with marijuana on campus during the first two months of the spring semester was higher than 2013’s fall and summer semesters combined. According to requested records, since 2009, Couch Center has had the most marijuana cases with 22 cases. At the same time, some Oklahoma legislators like Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Forest Park, are lobbying for marijuana legalization. On Feb. 4, the second reading of the bill was referred to the Public Safety Committee then to the Finance Committee.

4. New eatery in Union to open for Fall 2014 The new Oklahoma Memorial Union eatery, dubbed The Union Market, will open by July 1, months after it was initially set to open. The original opening date was this spring, but construction issues such as renovating the air conditioning and draining system pushed back the completion date. This will be the first time the space has been renovated in 30 years. The market is envisioned as a “grab and go” location where students can get healthy items on the go.

5. State appropriations and projected tuition increase OU President David Boren said in an informal meeting with students that university officials wouldn’t make any decisions regarding tuition next year until the state’s budget is approved. However, International bond ratings agency, Fitch Ratings, said OU may increase tuition for non-residents by 2.9 percent. The report didn’t mention in-state tuition rates. If approved, the state budget would cut appropriations to higher education by nearly $50 million.

6 6.Daily to be repurposed in the fall The Daily will continue to publish five days a week in the fall, but its Friday edition will be repurposed to focus on the weekend. In the fall, ESCAPE will standalone on Fridays. The Daily will maintain its online platform.

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• Year in Review 2014

OUDaily.com ›› Meet Matthew Gonzales who

Paighten Harkins, campus editor Alex Niblett, assistant editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily

will graduate with his third degree this graduation week.

Graduation 7,300 students to receive degrees The OU’s 2014 Commencement event will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

More than 7,300 students who completed their coursework this spring, as well as those who finished in the summer or fall 2013, will be receiving their degrees, according to a press release.

The graduates to receive

4,500 bachelor’s degrees, 1,776 master’s degrees, 229 doctoral degrees and 796 professional degrees, in addition to the 2,894 graduates from December 2013, according to the press release.

Emma Sullivan, Campus Reporter

Commencement

OU allows on-stage selfies at graduation Some colleges ban student photos at the ceremony, OU designates a hashtag Paighten Harkins Campus Editor

While at least two universities have banned graduates from taking selfies on stage, OU graduates can snap self-portraits all they want — as long as they don’t slow down the ceremony.

OU has even created the Twitter hashtag #OUGrad14 for selfies and any other photos students take regarding graduation weekend or graduation memories, graduation office director Becky Heeney said.

On April 18, the Associated Press reported that Bryant University in Rhode Island had banned selfies for graduates as they were receiving their diploma. On May 2, they reported the University of South Florida had, too, banned selfies.

In both situations, administrators banned selfies because they were afraid it would slow down the graduation ceremonies.

“We really want our students to enjoy themselves and take selfies within reason,” Heeney said.

Additionally, at each college convocation, professional photographers will take photos of graduates as they receive their diplomas, Heeney said.

OU’s commencement ceremony is at 7 p.m. Friday at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Photo Illustration by Oriana Lovera

Paighten Harkins, paighten.harkins@ou.edu

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Year in Review 2014 •

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Resident life

Housing to create home for upperclassmen Officials considering building residential colleges inspired by prestigious schools Mike Brestovansky Campus Reporter

OU upperclassmen living on campus have two choices: live in the residence halls or in campus apartments like Traditions Square or Kraettli Apartments. However, two years from now, students may have another option.

OU officials are considering building two new residential colleges for upperclassman housing, OU President David Boren said. The proposed colleges would provide amenities currently unavailable to campus residents, such as individual dining halls, faculty fellows for each college, faculty offices and seminar rooms.

“They would allow more sophomores, juniors and seniors to live on campus and would empower a stronger campus community,” Boren said in a statement. “OU would be a leader among public universities in creating residential colleges.”

The model for the proposed colleges is based on similar developments at other universities, such as Oxford University, Yale University and Harvard University, Boren said.

While the proposed colleges could be built in less than two years, Boren said the proposal is still in its early evaluation stages. The university is currently in the process of raising private gifts to fund the colleges.

The colleges will be paid for by room and board fees and $5 to $6 million in private gifts — not a tuition hike — Boren said in a tuition meeting last Tuesday.

While the final location for the colleges hasn’t decided, Boren said the new residence halls would likely be built on the south side of Lindsey Street would resemble Headington Hall.

“When it comes to housing, upperclassmen have a choice that’s usually limited to places like Traditions or the private sector,” Boren said. “So, we think they should have an alternative.”

While there are upperclassmen dorms available in OU’s residence halls, only 335 non-freshmen lived in residence

Tony Ragle/The Daily

Speech pathology major Caroline Stanford studies in the Walker dorms.

Meal plans will also cost an additional $79, according to halls this semester, said Amy Buchanan, assistant director of the Regents’ agenda. communication for Housing and Food Services.

These increased costs will include a $30 laundry charge, Higher costs and laundered clothes which will give residents unlimited access to laundry Next semester Housing and Food will implement a 4 per- facilities. cent rate increase for all campus residence halls and food In the past, residents could only operate laundry facilities services. via Sooner Sense payments of $1.50 for washers and $1.25 The rate increase will cost students between $127 and for dryers. This generated over $80,000 per semester for $151, depending on whether students choose a cheaper Housing and Food Services, Buchanan said. double occupancy room or a more expensive single occupancy room, according to the March OU Board of Regents agenda.

Matt Brestovansky, mcbrestov@gmail.com

construction

safety

Study determines safest places Campus to get many updates in future years Construction projects include shelters, building renovation, funded by bonds Emma Sullivan Campus Reporter

Jacob Vogt / The Daily

A Severe Storm Refuge Area bulletin is posted on the wall in the basement of Couch Center. Dozens of posters similar to the one shown are on display in every floor of the dorms, displaying safe places to stay during severe weather.

Storm shelters defined in campus-wide study, don’t align with national codes Kate Bergum

Campus Reporter

An email sent out late last month told OU students, staff and faculty where to take refuge if a storm hit, but those areas aren’t necessarily up to FEMA or International Code Council standards.

Emergency Preparedness Manager Lisa Teel said that these shelters, which the university began identifying last year, are considered Best Available Refuge Areas.

According to the FEMA website, areas are considered safe rooms when they follow standards set by FEMA. Alternately, storm shelters adhere to standards set by the International Code Council.

FEMA and the International Code Council have specifications regarding categories such as building material and inspection that buildings must follow to be considered a safe room or storm shelter.

Teel said the refuge areas listed in the email are not designated as safe rooms or storm shelters by FEMA or the International Code Council.

Regardless, they are the securest places to go in case of severe storms, Teel said in an email.

“These areas would provide the safest refuge from tornadoes,” Teel said.

Brian Ellis, director of Facilities Management, said OU’s areas of

best refuge are not aligned with the standards outlined by FEMA or the International Code Council because most of the buildings on campus were constructed before the standards were published in 2008. In order to be considered a storm shelter or safe room

by FEMA or the International Code Council, a building has to be constructed with their standards in mind, Ellis said.

Teel said the Best Available Refuge Areas were determined in a study done last year at OU President David Boren’s request.

‘‘

These areas would provide the safest refuge from tornadoes.”

Lisa Teel, Emergency Preparedness Manager

University spokesman Michael Nash said Kirkpatrick Forest Curtin Engineering, a structural engineering firm, conducted the study last fall. In the study, one of the firm’s structural architects examined campus buildings using FEMA guidelines.

Not all campus buildings were looked at in the study in the interest

of time, Ellis said. Instead, the study looked for buildings with sturdy, below-grade areas that would be easily accessible.

“It’s the same kind of common sense principles you’d apply at home,” Ellis said.

Though these places are considered the safest, students should only go to the Best Available Refuge areas on days when there is advance notification before a tornado warning, Teel said.

If the Storm Prediction Center identifies a Particularly Dangerous Situation, which happens when there is notice before a warning, the university will make the Best Available Refuge Areas available for students, faculty and staff, Teel said. Classes and university activities might be canceled or shut down early to allow people time to get to these areas safely, Teel said.

If, however, there is not advanced notice before a tornado warning, students should seek shelter where they are, Teel said.

“It is important to remember that after a tornado warning has been issued, it is too late to move to a university designated Best Available Refuge Area unless you are already in that building,” Teel said.

Instead, students should find a hallway or closet away from windows and go to the lowest level possible, Teel said. These are the safest places to seek shelter during a storm.

More online at OUDaily.com

This semester, construction workers have been working to complete OU’s Scholar’s Walk. While the walk should be completed sometime over the summer, there are a number of other projects planned for the coming semesters.

Many of the projects for the upcoming year are part of the $38 million bond issue passed by the OU Board of Regents at the March 2014 meeting, said University spokesman Michael Nash in an email.

University officials hope these projects will be completed in the next two years, Nash said.

The projects include: •$12 million to build new tornado shelters, mainly for the Norman campus.

“It is my strong feeling that the university needs to upgrade its capacity to cope with severe storms, including major tornadoes,” OU President David Boren said.

•$10 million to renovate Kaufman and Gittinger Halls.

The plans for these renovations are still in the architectural phase, Nash said.

The bond issue consists of Section 13 funds, and will not require any use of tuition, fees or state appropriated dollars for these projects, Nash said.

Imhoff Road will undergo construction, and a new roof will be constructed on Evans Hall, according to the regents’ minutes.

Emma Sullivan, emmanic23@gmail.com

Caleb Smutzer/The Daily

OU construction workers put finishing touches on a new concrete pathway Friday afternoon in front of Bizzell Memorial Library.

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• Year in Review 2014

OUDaily.com ›› Learn from a senior how to make the most out of college.

Kaitlyn Underwood, opinion editor Rachel Montgomery, assistant editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/opinion • Twitter: @OUDailyOpinion

A Year In Editorials Our View: We covered many issues over the spring semester, but a few key topics — like Oklahoma state

government, OU football and education — stuck out above the rest.

It’s been a long, eventful semester, and we — like most OU students — ­ are looking forward to a lengthy summer break. However, before you head off for internships, jobs, study abroad, summer classes or simply weeks of relaxation, we want to leave you with a recap of the most important issues the Editorial Board covered this semester. Consider this a top three list of the things that got us the most riled up this spring.

Oklahoma government

Far and away the topic that caused the most controversy in the newsroom was the Oklahoma state government, usually involving Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. We addressed First Amendment freedom of religion rights by urging the Oklahoma government to allow a satanic statue on the state capitol grounds, since it has already permitted the erection of a Ten Commandments monument.

We lamented Gov. Fallin’s proposed budget, which would cut state funding for higher education even further. From banning Oklahoma cities from establishing a minimum wage higher than the national minimum to refusing to ban texting while driving, we had plenty of reasons to be frustrated with Oklahoma lawmakers this semester.

However, we did agree with Fallin on one point: her veto of a bill that would give state universities exemptions from open records laws. We believe transparent government is vitally important to a fully functioning democracy.

Unfortunately, all good will we had toward Fallin for her open records veto quickly vanished when news of Oklahoma’s botched execution of a death row inmate broke last week. Fallin demanded the execution proceed with an untested mix of drugs, something that epitomizes our grievances with Oklahoma state government throughout the spring semester.

OU football

Although it was the spring semester, several events inspired us to editorialize on OU football and collegiate football in general. We couldn’t help but satirize OU’s ridiculous pastagate scandal, in which a few OU athletes ate more than their NCAAallowed portions of pasta at a graduation banquet and had to donate to charity to regain eligibility. We are relieved to say NCAA has since lifted portion controls on student-athletes’ food consumption.

We were also frustrated by yet another corporate name change to the OU-TX rivalry game. To us, no sponsor will every effectively change the Red River Shootout. We encouraged OU students to take part in university tradition by attending the spring game and asked the football department to consider changing the midfield logo permanently. There is no reason we, OU football’s loyal fans, shouldn’t have a say in what we see on the field.

Finally, we addressed the issue of pay for play in college athletics. We aren’t sure what the right answer is, but we hope our editorial helped you make a decision on the issue.

Education

This semester we were most shocked that Mustang Public Schools approved the use of religious curriculum in an elective high school class that teaches history and the arts through Bible stories. We just do not believe in choosing one creed over another to teach America’s future in public schools.

Along the same lines, we were outraged that an Oklahoma television station “accidentally” cut out the only portion of the premiere episode of the science education show “Cosmos” that said human beings evolved. Oklahomans deserve unbiased education based on fact, not classes with Judeo-Christian values and obscured educational programming.

We also called for OU to require a money-sense class as part of its core curriculum to help prepare students for real-world financial decisions. More generally, we urged OU students to take advantage of all the educational opportunities on campus, such as the university’s Teach-In, guest lecturers and free arts shows.

As The Daily’s editorial board, our mission is to provide our thoughtful opinion to inspire debate and discussion in the OU community. We are happy if we offered our insight on even one issue that made you stop and think. As we head into the summer months, we urge all Sooners to maintain a critical eye and to speak up when they don’t like what they see.

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Column

Connect to campus with us

Continue to explore post OU

O

ver the last few better than any previous managing editor years, The Daily staff before at reaching all staff has been corners of campus, finding transitioning to be an onstories that you care about line-first news organization. and finding stories that But the transition is over need to be told. starting fall 2014.

A few ways we will do In March, I was hired by that are through social the OU Publications Board media outreach, blogs and Blayklee Buchanan to be editor in chief for the simply seeking out student blayklee@ou.edu fall. Since then, the fall Daily voices by asking people staff and I have been setting what they care about. goals, brainstorming ideas and planning for I encourage you to follow @OUDaily the fall. on Twitter and like The Oklahoma Daily/ The purpose of a news organization is to OUDaily.com on Facebook. Reply to our inform and to be a platform for voices of the tweets and posts. Comment on our webaudience — it’s all about the readers. Since site. Let us know what you think — and not 1916, our audience has thought of us as a just about what we post — about what you newspaper, but we want to expand further want from The Daily, too. than that. We want to increase our presence We will use blogs on OUDaily.com to on the web because that’s where many stucover specific communities and groups. dents are.

Though we have a limited staff, we think The Daily is digital. reaching out and asking members of camThat’s the phrase we’ve been throwing pus communities to write blogs will help around the newsroom all semester, and we expand The Daily to be something for any have made great strides toward being digital, Sooner. If you are part of a student club or but next semester we want to seal the deal. organization and want a blog on OUDaily.

The Internet is a tremendous resource. com, contact us. We have a place on the It has connected people across the globe, it website for you. I want each and every one has more information than any one person of you to be able to see yourselves in Daily could possibly retain and it is a way to enstories, photos, videos and blogs. counter ideas that might not normally cross The theme of this paper is supposed to your path. encompass this idea. By being a digital-first We want to be part of that. We have a com- organization, we have virtually unlimited mitment to you, our audience, to be your re- platform. We have the resources to be the source, and with our website we have seem- smartest, most understanding and most ingly infinite space to showcase student connected age. Let’s take that opportunity. voices. That’s the thing a newspaper can’t always offer because it is limited in space, Blayklee Buchanan is a professional writing and that’s why OUDaily.com is such a great and English junior. opportunity.

Next semester, the staff and I want to be

W

hen I started this journey as editor in chief, I knew two things: It would probably be the most rewarding part of my college career, and I was absolutely terrified to do it.

It was challenging to lead a team of around 100 to produce an award winning newspaper and website. There were many nights where I asked myself why I decided to do this. There were many nights where I wanted to quit.

But I didn’t.

Those were the same thoughts I had when I came to OU. For someone who had never been away from his parents — or any other parental figure — for an extended period of time, coming to college was a terrifying experience. I was on my own, and I didn’t know how I was going to be able to adjust to the change. I didn’t know how to embark on my new life.

But I eventually found my place at OU. And for that, I am eternally grateful because these have been the best five years of my life.

I’ve met some of my best

Editor in Chief

graduating in a week (Congratulations!), you can’t get involved at OU anymore, unfortunately, but I hope you’ll find other areas in society in which to get involved.

Don’t be afraid to spread your wings and explore Kyle Margerum the world. You don’t have kmargerum@ou.edu to go to extravagant places to see the world. There’s a friends. I made some fond whole world worth explormemories. I got to explore ing in your own backyard. an aspect of education OK, maybe not your litermany will never get to. al backyard. Go to a local There were times where I art class and learn how to wanted to pull my hair out paint. Help out at a food from all the essays, exams bank. Drive an hour from and projects, but those are your house and see where minuscule in the grand the road takes you. scheme of things.

Maybe you’re more of I wrote a column in the adventurous type who August telling Sooners to wants to go above and befind where they fit into OU’s yond. For you, I say create a puzzle. I hope you did, be- bucket list. cause if you didn’t, you’ll Do something you’ve regret it down the line. always wanted to do but For those who are return- couldn’t. If you’re having ing in the fall, it’s never too trouble thinking of things, late to get involved in one start thinking bigger. What of OU’s many clubs and is the one thing you’ve organizations. Let those or- always wanted to do but ganizations be your home never thought you’d be able away from home. I know to do? Put that at the top of how challenging it can be your list and work up to it. to be away from home for How will you find the an extended period of time, puzzle pieces of your life? and believe it or not, other students are facing the same thing you are.

Kyle Margerum is a For those who are professional writing senior.

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

Kyle Margerum Blayklee Buchanan Paighten Harkins Arianna Pickard Kaitlyn Underwood

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Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and must be fewer than 250 words, typed and signed by the author(s). Letters will be edited for accuracy, space and style. Students must list their major and classification. To submit letters, email dailyopinion@ou.edu.

Our View is the voice of the Editorial Board, which consists of eight student editors. The board meets at 2:30 p.m.

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Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are their own and not necessarily the views or opinions of The Oklahoma Daily Editorial Board.

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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 405325-2522.

Year in Review 2014 • 5

Blended

Janux

Classes mix classic, new styles

Students engage in different ways on open platform

Students enrolled in blended courses doubles this spring Amber Friend

Janux meant to showcase features of OU, help students in for-credit classes

Campus Reporter

As digital learning gains ground on campus, students and professors have begun interacting with certain OU courses following a blended or online format.

While online and traditional courses are familiar concepts to most students, some are not aware of an option that meets in the middle: blended courses generally allow professors and students to meet once a week and then include the second half of the week’s curriculum on online media.

Blended and online courses have been options at OU for many years now, though the amount of students who take advantage of them varies semester to semester.

W h i l e t h e nu m b e r o f blended classes fluctuates each semester, the amount of students enrolled this semester is nearly double the amount enrolled last spring, jumping from 301 to 601, according to D2L enrollment records.

Summer enrollment in blended courses is also on the rise. With 206 students enrolled, this upcoming summer semester has the most students enrolled in blended courses, according to enrollment records.

Online classes follow a similar pattern of variation.

This summer semester has 50 more online courses than last summer, despite a drop in online courses in the past fall and spring semesters, according to enrollment records.

Professors and students alike see different benefits to

Kate Bergum

Campus Reporter

‘‘

them.

“I think it’s the best way to teach Intro to Sociology,” Damphousse said. “Its that whole idea of doing versus learning. Every week they get an opportunity to do sociology and that’s what I like about it.”

The College of Arts and Sciences requires professors to approve their blended course designs through the college after meeting specific guidelines, a process that has inadvertently reduced the total use of the blended model by departments such as Human Relations, said Shannon Bert, assistant human relations professor.

The human relations department blended classes made up 50 percent of

On Janux, an interactive learning platform OU promoted this spring, students have been interacting in a variety of ways — sharing notes, entering discussions and tweeting about subjects of interest to the class.

Brandi VanAlphen, a chemistry degree-holder with a background in geochemistry, said she signed up for the course — the chemistry of beer— because she wanted to advance science’s presence in Oklahoma media. Using the hashtag #ChemBeerOU on social media platform Twitter, VanAlphen said she tried to call attention to the fact that organic chemistry is part of everyday life.

Others who have used Janux include Jimmy Hill, a home-brewer who lives in Texas. Though he had only had taken one chemistry course in college, Hill said he used other Internet resources such as Wikipedia to help him through the course. The course helped him solve problems with his brewing.

Mark Morvant, the course’s instructor, said that 42 OU students took the course for credit this semester and 9,049 signed up for the class on the open platform, including VanAlphen and Hill.

The student diversity in Janux’s open courses can help students taking the class for credit succeed, said Adam Croom, director of Digital Courses for the Center for Teaching Excellence.

Experts in brewing, microbiology and chemistry signed up for the Chemistry of Beer course and shared their knowledge with their peers, Morvant said.

“The students in the college course not only saw my expertise, but they saw the expertise of students in the course,” Morvant said.

When student posted questions on the platform, Morvant didn’t always have to answer them — instead, a classmate with background knowledge would jump in.

Morvant could then “heart” the comment or reply to it telling students that he/she gave a good answer.

VanAlphen was somewhat surprised by the discussions, she said. When she first saw students posting questions, she assumed that they would be given a brief answer. Instead, oftentimes a lengthy and in-depth discussion ensued.

This level of interaction was possible because of Janux’s special features, including the ability to take and share notes on video transcript and directly in the free textbook, Croom said.

A core group of students participated in the course

see blended page 7

see janux page 7

Graph by Taylor Bolton/The Daily

Having a blended class gives me an opportunity to combine opportunities for students to hear me speak with other activities for them to tap into...”

Zermarie Deacon, Human Relations professor

blended and online courses.

Human relations professor Zermarie Deacon, who has taught several blended courses in the past, said the format expands the curriculum.

“Not everybody learns in the same way,” Deacon said.

“Having a blended class gives me an opportunity to combine opportunities for

students to hear me speak with other activities for them to tap into, other ways of interacting with the material.”

Kelly Damphousse, sociology professor and College of Arts and Sciences dean, said the online portion of blended courses pushes students to find information on their own, rather than have a professor give it to

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campus

• Year in Review 2014

Service

Student trains autism help dogs Canine companions learn to remain calm, be a ‘social bridge’ for children

While these skills are helpful, Mack says they aren’t the most important benefits of having an autism service dog.

“If the mother takes a child grocery shopping … and the child starts stimming in the grocery store, like flapping or Steven Zoeller screaming or throwing a tantrum on the ground or someFor the Daily thing, the general public might make extremely rude comIt’s hard for psychology junior Sam Mack to skip class un- ments,” Mack said. “But when the child has a dog with them, noticed. When she’s not there, it’s obvious, even in the big the comments are a lot more friendly.” lecture halls — her presence isn’t easily forgotten.

Parents are regularly bombarded with harsh comments, This is also true outside of class. Heads turn as she walks said Mack, such as “Get your child under control,” and, biaround campus, and strangers frequently stop her to chat. zarrely, “Your child needs an exorcism.”

On some days she’s approached by as many as 15 people she As the mother of a boy with autism, Laura Sylvester, the doesn’t know. They all want to meet her two escorts, Drake founder of Good Dog!, has received these sorts of comments and Huckleberry, who trod faithfully at her side, both wear- herself. Experiences like these were partly what inspired her ing turquoise vests that say “Good to start the organization. She knew Dog! Autism Companions.” service dogs could bring awareness On each vest is a patch — “In and thereby encourage people to Training.” Since the dogs go evthink twice before they judge. erywhere with Mack, it applies to “Somebody that might be uncomthem at every moment. It’s part fortable because my son is screamof a 24/7 regimen to adapt Drake ing and flapping his hands now and Huckleberry to a variety of can look at the dog,” Sylvester said. settings.

“They see the patch, so now a light “When we’re walking around switch goes off. And instead of my here, and [Drake] sees a squirrel son being ridiculed and judged, he’s or something, she has to know it’s celebrated and loved because peoThey see the patch, so now a not OK to run off after the squirple understand why he’s acting that rel,” Mack said. “When I’m in class, light switch goes off. And instead way.” she’s learning that she has to be This has the effect of bringing famof my son being ridiculed and calm and just lie there.” ilies closer together, because one of judged, he’s celebrated and loved the parents Mack, 25, works for the is no longer as pressured non-profit organization, Good because people understand why to stay home with the child to avoid Dog! Autism Companions, and distressful public outings, Sylvester he’s acting that way.” has coached these particular casaid. She said this is a byproduct of Laura Sylvester, nines for months. Though the orthe dog’s role as a “social bridge,” or founder of Good Dog! ganization is based in California, a kind of ambassador on the child’s Mack has continued to train dogs behalf. under its umbrella since moving to The dog’s social bridge function Oklahoma nearly six months ago. is emphasized by the fact that most Growing up on an Illinois farm primed Mack to love an- service dogs are golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers, imals, and professional training at Bergin University of two popular and approachable breeds. These breeds also Canine Studies has helped her express this love by prepar- tend to exhibit the most frequently sought after qualities in ing puppies for the day they’ll be sent off to help people. service dogs: mellowness and sociability.

Mack’s passion and skill for training certainly shows.

In addition to these traits, puppies destined to become Drake and Huckleberry keep pace with her as they walk, service dogs must also match the energy of their owner. rarely falling behind or bounding ahead. They don’t bark or Because autism is more of a category of conditions than it is pull at their leashes, despite the abundant strangers walking a condition itself, it can sometimes be tricky to match a dog by and the squirrels frolicking on the grounds. to a person with the disability, Sylvester said.

In August, Drake is scheduled to be placed with a teach“You might have one child with autism who wants the er or a therapist at a facility that works with children with dog near them, with them, lying on them, providing deep autism. Huckleberry has not yet been placed, but in a few pressure by leaning into them all the time,” Sylvester said. months, he’ll be matched with a family who has a child with “Then you might find another child with autism who wants the disability. the dog there, but only when they want it there. They want Service dogs are coveted for more reasons than their to go to the dog. They don’t want the dog following them ability to go on walks without chasing squirrels. Mack has everywhere.” taught Drake and Huckleberry to recognize a host of special commands. At her word, they provide what’s called “deep More online at OUDaily.com pressure” by lying across a child to calm them, and they can gently interrupt disruptive body motions by nuzzling them.

‘‘

Congratulations Spring 2014 Graduation Candidates!

The University of Oklahoma community looks forward to celebrating your academic accomplishments during graduation weekend activities!

Join us for Commencement 2014 7 p.m. Friday, May 9 The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and College Convocations Saturday, May 10 For a complete schedule of Convocations, visit ou.edu/commencement and click on Convocations/Receptions.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

Steven Zoeller/The Daily

Psychology Junior Sam Mack walks up the South with Drake, the golden retriever she’s training to assist children with autism. Mack spends roughly a year with each dog she trains, during which they live with her and follow her everywhere.

Year in Review 2014 • 7

Janux: Courses show varying levels of openness Blended: Approach Continued from page 1 lets students interact on computer, in class heavily and responded to questions and comments, Morvant said.

In addition to providing information to students taking the course for credit, Janux also seeks to help share information, Morvant said.

“Making it open is really for public good and to represent the quality of education OU is providing on campus,” Morvant said.

Laura Gibbs has taught online courses at OU for over 10 years. This spring, she decided to join the history of science open course on the platform. Despite providing an open course, Janux could improve how it shares information, Gibbs said.

Gibbs said in her online courses, she prefers to make all of her resources available on the open web. That way, anyone using a search engine can find and use them.

On the Janux platform, this isn’t always the case, Gibbs said. Instead of having videos available on a widely used platform, such as YouTube, Janux keeps them on their own platform, Gibbs said.

To access videos and additional course materials, someone would have to sign up for the program, which is not something that everyone interested in the content would know about, Gibbs said.

“You can’t tell what’s inside,” Gibbs said. “It’s like a black box. And inside are hundreds of wonderful videos.”

Faculty teaching courses should consider how much content they want to make available, Croom said. If they choose to be completely open with their resources, Croom said, that is great.

Kate Bergum, kate.c.bergum-1@ou.edu

Continued from page 1

Macey Davis/The Daily

Professor Morvant teaches a free online course about the chemistry of beer. These free class are called Janux courses and are available to anyone with Internet access.

Teaching

Workshop to improve large lectures Faculty to learn about how to improve engagement of many students at one time Matt Woods

Campus Reporter

Senior vice provost Kyle Harper will hold a workshop with around 20 instructors to improve classroom engagement in 1000-level courses with hundreds of students.

The workshop will allow OU’s faculty members to share their best teaching techniques with each other and ensure awareness of university resources that can be applied to help students, Harper said in an email.

“With this workshop, we want to create a venue to explore best practices and share what’s working and listen to challenges and think about how we can improve together,” Harper said.

The workshop aligns with Harper’s stated commitment to listen to the OU community and improve the edu- Kyle cation experience for Harper students.

Harper said the idea for the faculty workshop came from efforts to increase the freshmen retention rate. By focusing on faculty

members who teach classes of several hundred students, Harper said he hopes to increase campus-wide student retention by giving seasoned teachers a chance to share their “tricks of the trade.”

“We have some fantastic teachers in some of our large classes,” Harper said. “I think we all want to understand what makes them special and how we can learn from what they are doing.”

NEED A BREAK? CHECK OUT ROOM 339 AT THE BIZZELL! Sunday, May 4 Finals Week Break Room opens at 6 pm

Monday, May 5 (8 am - 10 pm) 1–3 pm Therapy Dogs 2–4 pm Popcorn provided by the Writing Center 2–5 pm Chair Massages 6–9 pm Trivia (new game starts every hour)

Tuesday, May 6 (8 am - 10 pm) 10 am – Noon Therapy Dogs 2–4 pm Popcorn provided by the Writing Center 2–5 pm Chair Massages

Wednesday, May 7 (8 am - 10 pm) 2–4 pm Popcorn provided by the Writing Center 2–5 pm Chair Massages 6–9 pm Trivia (new game starts every hour)

Thursday, May 8 (8 am - 10 pm) 2–4 pm Popcorn provided by the Writing Center

Matt Woods, matt.woods@ou.edu

offered blended class from fall 2010 to fall 2012, according to enrollment records. New requirements may account for the overall drop in blended courses in spring 2013.

However, the department supports the system in the best interest of their students, Bert said.

“Though this process takes time, we find comfort in knowing that the blended courses offered in the near future fill meet the same quality, engagement and rigor evident in our traditional and online courses,” Bert said in an email.

Mark Walvoord, online biology professor and director of the Student Learning Center, said he thinks that the effectiveness of online classes varies depending on individual students, faculty and classes.

Walvoord said he favored the traditional classroom setting because he valued the student-teacher connection.

The same interaction is vital for an effective online course, he said.

“That constant interaction, the [instructor] input and having smaller assignments due throughout the week so that students stay on the material and it stays fresh, I think are all good strategies,” Walvoord said.

The Digital Initiative has been offering blended, online and flipped classes through Janux, exploring the technology along with other departments of the university. Like other blended and online courses, Janux offers video, self-assessment quizzes and discussion board platforms, as well as text, said Erin Yarbrough, associate vice president of web communications.

“We’re seeing a lot of interaction on Janux and a lot of engagement through the platform,” Yarbrough said.

Students seem to have mixed feelings concerning a more digital approach to classes. On one hand, there is the freedom to do their work wherever and whenever they find the time, and on the other, there is the danger of letting that work pile up, students said.

“You can do the work whenever it fits into your schedule,” university college freshman Brandon Terrell said about his blended course. “You could do it in your pajamas at midnight instead of going to class from 10:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.”

However, that freedom can be a burden.

“They give you a deadline and it looks like it’s long, but it’s actually not. You end up having so much work at one point in the semester,” said Joshua Ditep, business and administration sophomore.

Other students like the blended or online models because it helped enhance the material.

“It kind of helps you apply the concepts that are in the lecture,” university college freshman Jessica Woodard said about Damphousse’s sociology course.

Amber Friend, ambermfriend@ou.edu

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE 2014 GRADUATING CLASS! A SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO THE TAU SIGMA DELTA HONOREES Tau Sigma Delta is the National Honor Society for Architecture and the Allied Arts.

Teresa Coates Master of Architecture Yohanes Sugeng Master of Science in Construction Administration Emily Reed Master of Interior Design Conor Cummings Master of Landscape Architecture Jennifer Thomas Master of Regional and City Planning Amy Shell Bachelor of Architecture Yichen Wang Bachelor of Architecture David Lasiter Bachelor of Science in Construction Science Jourdan Neustadt Bachelor of Interior Design Lauren Niblett Bachelor of Interior Design Roland Sevigny Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design Salma Al Nairab Master of Science in Architectural Urban Studies

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8

• Year In Review 2014

OUDaily.com ››

Tony Beaulieu, life & arts editor Luke Reynolds, assistant editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/life&arts • Twitter: @OUDailyArts

Visit the L&A page throughout this week for features on internships, exams, and technology.

technology

The apps that changed our lives LOOKING BACK

T

Life & Arts Columnist

his semester had its ups downs for all of us, especially in the technology world. From time-wasting games to creep-enabling dating apps, these are the apps that touched our lives in the last year, sometimes inAPPropriately:

Flappy Bird

W

MOVING FORWARD

hether your summer plans consist of lazing around the couch, visiting family or exploring new places, there is undoubtedly an app for that.

TV Guide

Sarah Pitts This addictive game became popular at the beginning of the semester, Look, you don’t always have to have a grand adventure for the summer. s.elizabethpitts@ou.edu only to be taken away shortly after. The game’s short-lived success has The TV Guide app lets you scroll through all the channels and time slots inspired a new wave of Flappy Bird spin-off games, including Fratty Bird, of shows so you can find exactly what you’re looking for without having to Flappy Smash, Splashy Fish and Flappy Doge. The original app is no longer available for watch the guide on your TV move at glacial speed. You can also create a watch list to orgadownload after the creator, Dong Nguyen, took it down because he felt that it was too adnize your favorite shows, movies or even celebrities. dictive, according to an interview with Forbes. If the app was already downloaded before it was removed from the app store, people could keep playing. Phones with the downloaded app sold the next day for thousands of dollars and are still on sale for hundreds.

Netflix offers a massive variety of movies and TV series that can fill your entire summer. You can even take your favorite shows with you when you actually have to get up off the couch.

Happy binging.

Another spring game sensation is 2048. It’s a number strategy game developed by KetchApp, and the goal is to swipe identical numbers together to eventually total 2048. It is a quick and easy way to For people feeling a bit more adventurous, look kill a few minutes between classes. into the Geocaching app. This app is the key to modern day treasure hunting. It works by using your location to come up with the coordinates of nearby geocaches, or containers. Then it Although it may not be as popular as Tinder, is up to the player to use their GPS to go near SmileBack brought a game-like atmosphere the geocache and find it. So next time you are to the burgeoning dating app genre. Creator going for a walk or hike, check out this app to Dan Berenholtz launched the app at OU this see if any geocaches are near by. semester and has been developing it for other colleges around the country.

It is set up so that you can anonymously send someone a smile, then the recipient has If outdoor adventuring isn’t your thing, and five choices to guess from. If the recipient guessyou prefer a more urban lifestyle, check out Uber. es correctly, you can chat and redeem a coupon Uber connects you with professional drivers when for a free drink. If you don’t, you remain anonyyou need a ride and don’t feel like taking a cab or mous to avoid any awkward confrontations on camtaxi. The app keeps your credit card or PayPal inforpus. Sounds like a lot of work to us. We prefer the onemation so you never have to worry about having enough swipe rejection of Tinder. cash to cover the ride. Uber isn’t available in every city, but

Netflix

2048

Geocache

SmileBack

Uber

it is international, so if you are traveling abroad this summer, make sure to see if Uber works where you are going.

Snapchat

Snapchat has been popular since 2013, but this semester saw the rise of Snapchat Stories. This allows users to post pictures or videos to all of their friends on Snapchat, and it will stay posted longer than the typical five or 10 seconds. taylor bolton/The Daily This new feature peaked over spring break when everyone started posting multiple A screenshot of several app icons. Applications like Flappy Bird, 2048 and Yik Yak were some of the most photos and videos on their Snapchat story so that they could show they were drunk and popular apps for college students this past semester. having fun without getting in the trouble they would if they had posted it on traditional social media. It wasn’t annoying at all.

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Year In Review 2014 •

9

trends

Summer jobs

Apps bring out worst in all of us

Sooners discuss internship opportunities

Life & Arts Columnist

Unpaid summer positions hard to muster for many college students Sarah Hurd

ESCAPE Reporter

Andrew Wagner andrew.w.wagner-1@ou.edu

A

s I’m sure many of you are aware, the smartphone apps Yik Yak and Gaggle had a brief stint of popularity in the OU community. For those of you who are not aware, Yik Yak and Gaggle are local, anonymous messaging boards that function kind of like Twitter, except only people within a five mile radius of you can see your message, and nobody knows who you are. The only difference between Yik Yak and Gaggle is that on Gaggle, users can post pictures, and on Yik Yak they cannot.

The content produced on these apps has been pretty much exactly what you would expect. There have been a lot of uncomfortably desperate solicitations for casual sexual encounters, a lot of jokes that have been circulating the Internet for years and a lot of people making fun of “geeds,”— a term used to describe non- Greek students. In my research, however, I did stumble across a few notable posts.

On Gaggle, I saw a picture of the most enormous stack of parking tickets I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t get an exact count, but it had to be upwards of $300 worth of those infamous yellow envelopes. Shout out to this anonymous dissenter and his blatant disregard for OU Parking Services’ authority.

Also on Gaggle, I saw a

‘‘

tony Beaulieu/The Daily

This screenshot from popular anonymous social media app Yik Yak showcases posts from users within a 5 mile radius.

days by decorating statues overnight.

Looking back, it was a horribly embarrassing idea.

However, had I actually exeit, Yik Yak and Gaggle It’s interesting to me that under the safety cuted would have been excellent of anonymity, we — myself included — mediums to promote “The have chosen to post and encourage mostly Boom-Soon Bandit’s” work.

The only thing I ever convulgar and negative content.” tributed to Yik Yak was a single post that read “Man, I screen-shot of a Snapchat under the safety of anonym- be poopin’ in all the coolest wherein a grown man apity, we — myself included — places,” and I hope 17-yearpeared to be urinating in the have chosen to post and en- old me is ashamed.

In the event that Yik Yak bushes outside of Dale Hall courage mostly vulgar and Tower in broad daylight. negative content. The apps and Gaggle make a comeWhile absolutely disgusting, are losing popularity quick- back, I hope we can all try submitting content with a it was certainly a notable ly, and I think it’s because little more substance. Even post. we didn’t choose to use though it’s anonymous, the Yik Yak first introthem to their full potential.

Internet is written in stone, duced me to the name When I toured OU’s and it’d be a lot cooler to “Stoolwater,” a delightfully campus as a senior in high crude nickname for our school, I had the idea to cre- look back on something creative than a dirty joke northern rivals’ town. I’m ate an anonymous characsure this name has been ter called “The Boom-Soon you liked when you were 20. around for years and I’m Bandit.” “The Boom-Soon Andrew Wagner is a just late finding out about it, Bandit” was going to be journalism sophomore. but I enjoyed it nonetheless. a kind-hearted jokester It’s interesting to me that who brightened people’s

‘‘

There are many stressful aspects of the last month of school, but one of the most frustrating is the internship wait.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, as reported by Marketplace, nearly 30 percent of college students take unpaid internships, and the application process is often incredibly competitive.

International studies sophomore Katie Peach is still waiting to hear from a senate internship she applied I had hoped that six months ago. applying so early to “Ialmost had hoped that applying would show them so early would show them how committed I how committed I was to the position, but they haven’t was to the position, even returned my e-mails,” Peach said. but they haven’t She is not alone. The ineven returned my ternship system is set up in such a way that it leaves stuemails.” dents hanging for indefinite katie peach, amounts of time while appliinternational studies cations are reviewed, other sophomore applicants are interviewed, and those other applicants are given time to decide whether they want to accept the offer. This can leave students wondering if their application was even received.

Letters junior Molly Oberstein-Allen, was frustrated with the wait and decided to take matters into her own hands.

“I ended up calling both of the internships I hadn’t heard back from and told them I needed to know immediately what their choice was. It turns out I got both,” ObersteinAllen said. “It definitely taught me that it can help to be proactive.”

Another lesson Sooners have learned about internships is to look local.

Broadcast journalism junior Gatlin Didier heard on the radio that a local station was looking for interns and jumped at the opportunity. Even though he had only been involved with radio for a few months, getting to work for 107.7 The Franchise sounded like a dream job, so he went for it.

“This is the career field I ultimately want to be in, and I am very passionate about sports. I hope to gain experience that will further interest my desires to enter this field and give me a better perspective on how it all works,” Didier said.

Congratulations to our dreamers

&DOERS

wants to thank its dedicated seniors for their hard work.

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Late-Night Flex expands service to 12:05 a.m. during finals week.* *Late-Night Flex bus runs Monday through Thursday every 30 minutes from Campus Depot beginning at 9:05 p.m., and from Brooks Street Transfer Station beginning at 9:10 p.m.

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10

• Year In Review 2014

Events

Sooners have options for stress relief Life & Arts Columnist

F

inals week is finally here. And if you want to avoid looking like that guy from “The Scream” painting, just follow these two simple steps:

Step 1: Accept it. Finals are here to stay, and there’s nothing you can do about it — kind of like that annoying zit before prom night.

Step 2: Find ways to de-stress yourself. You’ll be studying and examining nonstop (somewhat) and need to take a break once in a while. To help out, here is a list of events happening over finals week to help you relax before you develop finals PTSD.

Sama Khawaja

When: 10 p.m.

Tuesday

sama.khawaja-1@ou.edu

1. Sometimes, the food at the Caf

doesn’t quite cut it, and one starts to miss home-cooked meals. Second Wind Coffee House has the perfect remedy for that.

During finals, the coffee shop will be offering homemade dinners for students who want a quiet place to study and enjoy a hearty meal.

Where: Othello’s Price: Cost of food, drinks

2. Good ol’ Othello’s always has some-

thing going on over the week for locals to come and revel in. Every night, the restaurant has some form of live music playing, be it suave jazz or upbeat folk, and let’s not forget that every Tuesday is Open Mic Comedy Night. So if you’re in the mood for some good laughs after reading about the American revolution, hit up Othello’s.

Info: Othello’s weekly stand-up comedy open mic night

When: 7 p.m.

Wednesday Where: Lumber yards, 227 W. Main St.

3. If you missed out on StART Norman,

now would be a good time to catch up. The month-long event will be running its last week of art programs that includes a mobile sketchbook market that sells sketches from across the country, an open mic night by the Songwriters Association of Norman and a closing reception on Friday, with DJ Timmy B.

Price: Free

4. Friday is going to be pretty eventful,

considering it’s also going to be Second Friday Circuit of Art. A number of galleries and studios down Main Street will be featuring some interesting artistic exhibits such as works by Melissa Gray at STASH, printed pieces by Jami Hale in Dope Chapel and some spectacular photographs of Cuba at Shevaun Williams & Associates, just to name a few.

Info: StART Norman Songwriters Association open mic night

When: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday Where: Firehouse Art Center

5. The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art will

be screening deadCENTER films on Friday, as well. The great thing about these films is that they are short, 15-minute clips that don’t take up too much of your time.

GO AND DO Things to do over finals week to relieve stress

Price: Free Info: “All Fun & Games” exhibit

6. The Firehouse Art Center is not to be

forgotten in offering fun ways to blow off some steam this week. If you haven’t heard of their “All Fun & Games” exhibit then there’s no time like Friday to check it out.

Matthew Kaney’s exhibit “All Fun 7. There is no better way to relax than Artist & Games” is a creative way of presenting listening to some good music while hangvideo arcade games as a form of visual art. ing with your pals. Opolis has a number of If you want to take a walk down memory local bands coming to play over dead week, such as Pinkish Black, Fox and Moongiant. lane, this exhibit might just be your cup of tea.

Just grab a couple of friends and head on over because you all deserve a break in the form of some stellar guitar riffs and epic drum solos.

Take the

Commencement CART!

When: 8 p.m. Friday Where: Opolis Price: $5 Chris Michie & taylor Bolton/The Daily

Top: Patrons relax and study at Second Wind Coffee House on campus corner. Bottom: The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art on the corner of Boyd St. and Elm Ave. Both locations will be holding events over Finals week which students can attend to help relieve the stress of final exams.

Info: The bands Fox, Moongiant, and Forrester perform a concert

REAL WAR. REAL FOOTAGE. REAL HEROES.

It’s FREE and open to all guests and graduates!

Avoid trafÄJ HUK WHrking Jhallenges at your graduation on Friday, May 9.

Park your car at the Lloyd Noble Center and take the CART directly to The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

CART will deliver guests and graduation candidates to Gates 7 and 11/12, the stadium guest entrances.

The CART will run between the Lloyd Noble Center and the stadium continuously from 5 to 11 p.m.

Gates open at the stadium at 5:30 p.m.

Guests are asked to be in their seats by 7 p.m. for the processional. Please allow extra time for security checks at the stadium.

For additional information about Commencement and Convocations visit ou.edu/commencement.

All CART buses are ADA accessible. For accommodations on the basis of disability involving the CART, call the CART Office at (405) 325-CART (2278).

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

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Year in Review 2014 • 11

OUDaily.com ›› Check our website on Tuesday for the Top 5 sports moments this season.

Julia Nelson, sports editor Joe Mussatto, assistant editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports

Sports blogs: Which one should YOU pick?

S

ports have created SPORTS COLUMNIST a culture in our society. Whether you like it or not, you will have no choice but to hear the latest sports headline from someone at some point in time during your day.

Ultimately, social media Trent Crabtree has turned sports into a trent.j.crabtree-1@ou.edu lifestyle.

Sports blogs connect us to this culture in a way never seen before. Like many other blogs, the massive amounts of information available to us through sports blogs make us feel closer to our teams. We also love these blogs because they offer opinions that are less politically correct and offer only the raw details of a story. Finding the right blog for you, however, can be intimidating in a blogosphere that has been watered down in many ways. So, I’m going to share some of my personal favorites and let you decide for yourself.

BLEACHER REPORT One of the best starting points is Bleacher Report. Many consider Bleacher Report to the standard of sports blogs because it is not just one blog. It is essentially a collection of blogs from virtually every sport. Every team from every professional league — as well as many major Division 1 college programs — have their own blog site. There are even blogs for WWE and NASCAR fans.

This is what makes Bleacher Report so cool. Anyone can contribute, assuming they have some

experience in sports writing or analysis. This means that there are many articles and columns written by people who have a unique knowledge of a particular sport or team.

Want to know about the hot prospects blazing their way through the system of your favorite MLB team? Bleacher Report has you covered.

Scared that your rival school might be gaining an edge in recruiting? Bleacher Report makes these unique perspectives available.

Ultimately, the bread and butter of Bleacher Report is its intuitive user interface. It allows fans to edit their favorite teams so the team blogs are easily accessible. The user has the option to either read general sports stories on the home page or hop back and forth between blogs.

DEADSPIN When looking at some of the biggest scandals and stories in the world of sports, there seems to be a common thread in how these stories were broken: deadspin.com.

From the Manti Te’o fake girlfriend scandal, to Brett Favre’s sexting, to the Jameis Winston sexual assault case, Deadspin used anonymous tips from readers to bring these stories to light.

There are no filters to these stories; writers aren’t restricted by corporate interests, so details are amazingly accurate. Even more, rumor columns

that might turn into big stories are constantly posted on the site. A cool aspect of Deadspin is that many of the stories are written in a humorous tone that actually makes complicated stories easier to understand. The blog also is known for publishing stories that are notable solely because they are bizarre, taking the comedic quality of the site to a whole new level.

UNI-WATCH A blog that many might not know about, but one that is a personal favorite, is Uni-Watch. Started by ESPN.com columnist Paul Lukas, Uni-Watch is the best source on the web for any news on sports aesthetics. Flashy uniforms with the latest technology and throwback games appear to be a huge trend in sports. Uni-Watch is on top of this trend with published rumors of uniform changes, leaked uniform pics and columns by Lukas that criticize praise new uniforms.

As with the other blogs, the user carries the xmost importance. Graphic designers are able to post mock-ups of uniform ideas they think a team should implement and readers can post pictures of bizarre uniforms they have seen their favorite team wear. If you believe the brand of sports is important, you will love this blog.

You really can’t go wrong with any of these blogs, but ultimately the public must make their own decision on which one best fits their social media preferences. Whatever blog is chosen, an intuitive media experience is assured. Happy blogging!

Trent Crabtree is a journalism sophomore.

On behalf of the Joe C. and Carole Kerr McClendon Honors College, Dean David Ray, Associate Dean Rich Hamerla, and Melanie Wright, Director of Honors Curriculum, wish to acknowledge the accomplishments of the following students who won or were named finalists for nationally competitive scholarships in 2013-2014. University of Oklahoma students were exceptional this year! We congratulate them on their outstanding achievements.

Sydney Bader Goldwater Scholar

Daniel Glickstein NSEP Scholar for International Study

Rachel Norris NOAA Hollings Scholar

Jack Bergum NSEP Scholar for International Study

David Harrison NOAA Hollings Scholar

Sheon Paige Gilman International Scholarship

Brett Borchardt NOAA Hollings Scholar

Benjamin Hill Gilman International Scholarship

Dan Phillips Rhodes Scholar Finalist

Sara Chilson Fulbright Scholar ETA

Beth Huggins Luce Scholarship Finalist

Sierra Richey Gilman International Scholarship

Maura Cremin Rhodes Scholar Finalist

Victoria Kappel Gilman International Scholarship

Yuan Rui Goldwater Scholar

Evan DeFilippis Marshall Scholarship Finalist

JoAnne Kosta NSEP Scholar for International Study

Amy Sanders Gilman International Scholarship

Nathan Edmonsond Gilman International Scholarship

Uytran Le Gilman International Scholarship

Alexis Taitel Truman Scholar

Emily Farris Gilman International Scholarship

Daniel Lerman Gilman International Scholarship

Benjamin Trabing NOAA Hollings Scholar

Laura Figueroa Goldwater Scholar

Eric McCormick NOAA Hollings Scholar

Victoria Trost Gilman International Scholarship

Jahangir Ghassemi Gilman International Scholarship

Taylor McKenzie Fulbright Scholar

Jennifer Wade Gilman International Scholarship

Shannon Gibson Gilman International Scholarship

Daniel Meschter Truman Finalist

Angel Giron-Lopez Gilman International Scholarship

Andrew Moore NOAA Hollings Scholar

Joshua Wadler NOAA Hollings Scholar Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention Ashley Wood Fulbright Scholar ETA

12

• Year in Review 2014

TAKE A BREAK with

C R O S S W O R D S THE

Universal Crossword Universal Crossword

ACROSS 1 Break-even ACROSS 1 situation Sites of abs 5 Has andwings? pecs 9 At ___ 5 (stumped) Italian bills 10 Big wine 14 Kind of container saxophone 15 14 Actress Vet text 15 Gilbert Like the 16 ___-Bed game, to (sleep sofa) Holmes a 17 Dominate 16 meeting, Ubiquitous plant in a way 17 Bart When your 20 Simpson’s alarm might aunt ring next 21 20 Veteran Hockeysailor 22 A string venue has two 21 Artist’s They cause 23 stiff arms? rendering 26 22 Unlikely, Poetic as a tale “black” 28 25 Drives Engineaway, with as gnats 8-Down 30 Words 26 before Room furnishing “one’s feet” “one’s 29 or Born’s door” partner 34 31 Palindromic Required “before” 35 Dads’ Country 37 lodge counterparts 36 Writer Esau’s dad 39 38 Calvino Arid 40 Exhausted 39 Thoroughly all efforts 43 Kind of 44 Aquatic bean organisms 44 Czech, Font Serb 45 flourish or Croat 46 45 Southeast Tokyo, once 46 Asian Casts out language from the 47 Airport sign body e.g. holder, 49 Cornball One kind 49 of starter 52 Distinctive 50 flair Johnny in gray 5/3 5/5

A

Edited by Timothy E. Parker May 3, 2014 Puzzle A May 5, 2014 Edited by Timothy E. Parker 54 Reflex 42 Foot part 13 Loses 43 51 response Color to a 12 elasticity Mama’s 42 Satanic Aloof sudden 48 forecast, 18 Carpenter’s lightly pain boys 47 April A marmoset 57 At a distance often strip 53 Svelte 13 Brewery 48 Small 60 Cicero’s 50 Minor 19 Salty lake 55 three Vientiane unit incisions falling-out 24 Prolonged resident 18 unconPotter’s 52 Twist “___ together Care of 51 62 Like a 58 base-stealing Musical Peter Business” 53 Land by sciousness threat Lake 25 bridge 19 Heckling Hoarfrost (1974Chad hit) 64 Carried out 55 Tops off a sounds 62 Anonymous 23 Approxi54 Stood for sincerely room 27 Like a human trio mately 55 new Handedand honestly 56 Highly flock 65 Nut Cookie 24 Migrating Tide types down tales 68 with agitated 29 26 salmon Hunter’s 56 Second Call from abrand cupule 57 66 Small Wrote weapon the pews 69 fruit-eater 31 King before notions case 58 bad checks 27 David Strip of gear 57 Central Western 70 points 32 67 Detective’s Scent 28 “And Lawnto ___ alliance quest 59 “Author good night” detector dwarf 59 Swell 71 Belarus city unknown” 33 Foofaraw 68 Assign Quakera 30 Cheese Calendar 60 (Abbr.)

Bear, to 72 34 on leader a skygazer PG-13 61 Itsy-bitsy afeatures party tray, William 32 perhaps Block 61 piece Head set 73 Sports63 went 69 channel Conde35 up, 33 Stir Destroy 62 “___ Mountain award thataway!” without scending bit by bit part DOWN 65 Stamp-pad a spoon one 34 Disband 63 “The Matrix” 1 Mouthfuls fluid 36 Border 70 “Jabber37 Devour Apple character of gum 66 On a date 38 wocky” centers 64 Board-game Banned 2 Succulent 67 greedily opener 40 (with Prehistoric insecticide plants roller “down”) DOWN 3 Pursue like mammal 41 Sprinklers, lion 1 aVideotape 41 essentially Al’s boss, 4 Doyle’s format, once detective PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER once 5 Winning PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER 2 finish?

Olfactory trigger 6 Utterance 3 upon Coin entering smaller athan hot tub a penny 74 Weigh Thing station in allowance a sling 8 Occupied, 5 as Anvil setting a desk E.T.’sthat craft 96 Org. 7 awards Handles the Calder Cup the oars 108 Leaning Get-uptoward and-go 11 Norse god 9 of Swiped war and 10 poetry Most 5/2 shrewd 12 Mail program © 2014 Universal Uclick 5/4 ©www.upuzzles.com 2014 Universal Uclick 11 command Got off www.upuzzles.com

a horse

FROM START TO FINISH By Richard Auer WHO IS THIS GUY? By Kenneth Holt

College of Law Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker Puzzle B May 6, 2014

ACROSS 1 Catherine wed by Henry VIII 5 Like a fairytale piper 9 Overhand tennis shot 14 Length x width 15 Nursing a grudge 16 Leisurely stroll 17 Some Major Leaguers 20 Clifftop home 21 Conciliatory offering 22 Extravagant publicity 23 In need of companionship 26 Mythical Himalayan 28 Twilight, old-style 30 Abstain from 34 Oft-used abbr.

37 Nile creature 39 What David did to Goliath 40 Give up 44 Desire greatly 45 Bogus thing 46 Cobbler’s gadget 47 Roundtrippers 49 Gulps of a drink 52 Enjoy a book 54 Like Letterman’s pet tricks

B

5/6

57 One of Isaac’s twins 60 Xis’ predecessors 62 Certain noblewoman (Var.) 64 Couldn’t sleep 68 One keeping minutes 69 Finished 70 18-wheeler 71 Licorice flavor 72 Former cygnet 73 “While” attachment DOWN 1 Hemingway’s nickname 2 The Little Mermaid 3 Coming back into vogue 4 Participating in the Indy 500 5 Pressure meas.

6 End of an accord?

7 Work units 8 Wooden duck, e.g.

9 Masseur’s workplace 10 Tough-guy trait 11 Pale and wan 12 Slowly permeate 13 Hydrant hookup 18 Toe’s opposite

19 Page in the paper 24 Central points 25 Tales well-spun 27 Kind of tube or pilot 29 Emperors in the closet 31 Caucus state 32 Hearty dinner 33 Kiss partner 34 Engrave with acid 35 “Comin’___ the rye” 36 Hit the books hard 38 Tobacco mouthfuls 41 Strains, as a muscle 42 “___ all in this together” 43 Send out matter

48 Glassmaking need 50 Advice maven 51 Scanty 53 Pairs 55 Outer’s opposite 56 Views as 57 European volcano 58 In the near future 59 Italian wine town 61 Skier’s wish 63 Work in the cutting room 65 Bard’s preposition 66 Crime lab evidence 67 Bo Derek comedy

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

5/5 A

© 2014 Universal Uclick www.upuzzles.com

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sports

Year in Review 2014 • 13

sooners for haiti

Student-athletes volunteer in Haiti Journey church pairs with OU athletes to help those in need Ryan Gerbosi

Men’s Basketball Beat Reporter @ryangerbosi

Summer vacation has been calling for many students as finals week marks the end of the semester, but one group of student-athletes isn’t ready to relax just yet.

For the fifth year, Sooners for Haiti is headed to the Caribbean country to spread its faith and assist in the continued efforts to rebuild.

Twenty-nine student-athletes will accompany a group from Journey Church of Norman on May 10 to assist Mission of Hope Haiti, an organization providing care and education for struggling Haitians.

The athletes, most of whom are also members of Journey Church, come from five different OU sports. Thirteen football players, including Sugar Bowl heroes Trevor Knight and Zach Sanchez, will be joined by athletes from men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics and track.

Journey Church college pastor Adam Barnett and asI had never heard sistant women’s basketball coach Jan Ross got the idea of anything like to bring athletes on a misthat happening, sion in September 2009.

“My wife and I were lookwhere an entire ing for items for an auction sports team from a to support Mission of Hope major university just Haiti,” Barnett said. “(Coach had told me that I jumped on a plane Ross) could come and get a basand flew to a third- ketball signed by all the girls for the auction.” world country.”

As the players signed the Adam barnett, ball, former OU basketball pastor at journey church star Whitney Hand asked Barnett about what was happening in Haiti.

“Coach Ross and I just kind of locked eyes, and we were thinking the same thing: What if we took the whole team?”

Ross had always wanted to do some kind of mission work and saw the opportunity to bring her squad.

“Whitney Hand and Danielle Robinson were in the gym, and we said, ‘Would you guys be interested?’” Ross said.

“And they said, ‘Oh yeah, that would be awesome.’”

“I had never heard of anything like that happening, where an entire sports team from a major university just jumped on a plane and flew to a third-world country,” Barnett said.

The planning began in the next month by raising money, as well as getting approval from head coach Sherri Coale, the compliance department and the NCAA. But just as

‘‘

photo provided

Then-freshman quarterback Trevor Knight and other OU student-athletes traveled to Haiti in 2013 for mission work. This year will be the fifth time Sooners have traveled to Haiti. Twenty-nine student-athletes will accompany a group from Journey Church of Norman.

things got rolling, the trip seemed uncertain, following the January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti.

“I had to make a phone call to ask, ‘Do you still want us to come?’” Barnett said. “The leadership of Mission of Hope Haiti said, ‘We want you to come now more than ever before.’”

While the group couldn’t provide the medical care or food distribution that many needed in the country, it was able to do its part by working with kids.

“That first team got to go down to Haiti and remind the kids what it meant to be a kid,” Barnett said. “We started playing basketball and soccer, and they started laughing and playing. It kind of took their mind off the devastation for a short time.”

The next year, through Hand’s relationship with thenOU quarterback Landry Jones, football players joined the trip. It has now grown into a must-do activity for athletes across the athletic department.

“We have many more people that want to go than don’t want to go,” Ross said.

Barnett said there’s a waiting list each year and there are a few different draws that have made it so popular.

“I think there’s the interest in sacrificing their time off and going to serve somebody and put somebody else’s needs before their wants, and that’s pretty cool,” Barnett said. “I think also, after each year, they talk about it. You have freshmen coming into the team and hearing what their teammates experience in Haiti.”

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WORKING ON THE GROUND Once in Haiti, the group finds different ways to help and make a difference. Each year, the student-athletes go classroom to classroom in one of the schools run by Mission of Hope Haiti, sharing testimonies and the gospel.

“We go into the classrooms and get to talk the kids about the importance of setting goals and academics and dreaming big,” OU football center Ty Darlington said. “We get to be around them and play with them a lot, which is a lot of fun.”

Darlington is headed to Haiti for the second time. He is also the president of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is leading a group of 12 other football players on this year’s trip.

Barnett said the students’ excitement is palpable when the athletes enter.

“It’s loud and energetic, and they know we’re coming.”

Along with meeting and interacting with Haitians throughout the week, the group provides manual labor for various projects that need assistance.

“There’s still a large portion of the population living in tents,” Darlington said. “So we’re rebuilding housing communities, like little one-bedroom houses. It’s like nothing we would think of as a house, but it’s pretty nice housing for them.”

More online at OUDaily.com

14

• Year in Review 2014

SAM’S Best Buys Big selection, latest styles

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