State & Local News
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008
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Charges dismissed in OU-Texas football fight SEAN MURPHY Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY — Allen Beckett said he was just enjoying a beer at his favorite Oklahoma City bar in June 2007 when a young man wearing a University of Texas T-shirt strolled in. Beckett, a 54-year-old federal auditor and church deacon, said he good-naturedly ribbed the man, saying the Longhorn emblem on his shirt was upside down. What ensued a short time later was a bar fight that left the Texas fan nearly castrated with an injury to his scrotum so severe it took 60 stitches to close and Beckett facing a felony assault charge and up to five years in prison. The criminal case ended Wednesday when prosecutors filed paperwork to dismiss the charge against Beckett, saying witnesses had come forward who indicated the alleged victim, 35-year-old Brian Christopher Thomas, was actually the aggressor. Messages left Wednesday for Thomas and his attorney, Carl Hughes, were not returned. During a preliminary hearing in March, Thomas testified that Beckett taunted him relentlessly and that when he decided to leave, Beckett attacked him without provocation, grabbing his groin. “I turned around and he grabbed a hold of my testicles,” Thomas said at the time.
When a pair of bar patrons tried to separate the two men, Thomas said he heard a popping sound, looked down and saw a lot of blood. “I saw a tear and an exposed testicle,” Thomas said. “I panicked.” But District Attorney David Prater, who initially charged Beckett with felony aggravated assault, said witnesses have since come forward who said Thomas was the aggressor. “So many witnesses came forward with stories counter to what the victim’s story was and supporting the story of the defendant,” Prater said Wednesday. “We found we had a case on our hands that we no longer could prove beyond a reasonable doubt.” Jamy Snyder, a bartender at Henry Hudson’s Pub, a northwest Oklahoma City bar in the heart of Sooner country, told investigators Thomas said he’d already been in another fight and was anxious to scrap with Beckett, according to court papers. Other bar patrons, including friends of Thomas, also told investigators that Thomas was intoxicated and looking for trouble, court records show. For his part, Beckett said he was minding his own business when Thomas approached him at the bar and threatened to beat him up. He said he only grabbed Thomas after the bigger, younger man tried to pull him from his bar stool. “He started pulling me out of the chair, so I sprung out of the
“You go straight for ‘em. You don’t hit the dirt, you go straight for the machine gun.” Photo Provided
— Allen Beckett, defending his actions in a fight with a University of Texas fan chair into his chest,” said Beckett, a 22-year Army veteran. “You go straight for ‘em. You don’t hit the dirt, you go straight for the machine gun.” Beckett said he didn’t grab Thomas’ groin until the two men hit the ground and then only to keep Thomas from attacking him. He said he also had no idea Thomas had been injured so severely. “I expected him to be sore for a couple of days, but I didn’t think he was seriously hurt, Beckett said. While Beckett acknowledged ribbing Thomas once about his Texas T-shirt, he said it was just a friendly taunt. “I didn’t even go to OU,” Beckett said. “I’m a baseball fan.”
Major decisions • Students talk about indecision in their academic paths PAIGE LAWLER Daily Staff Writer University College sophomore Becca DeFoe has switched her major almost 11 times. She has no idea what she wants to do after college. Defoe said she asks herself everyday, “What do I want to major in today?” The recent economic turmoil leaves DeFoe in doubt about her future. “Every time I pick a major, I wonder if I’ll be able to find a job,” she said. The economy is a factor for any student trying to choose a major, said microbiology sophomore Courtney Barfoot. She said if healthcare falls under a socialized plan, doctors will not make as much money. “Pretty much every profession right now is affected by the economic state,” said Barfoot, who is considering switching her major. But there are many other reasons why students have changed their majors, said Diane Mayes, director of academic advising for University College. Mayes said the economy is not on most students’ minds when switching majors, and most freshmen switch after they figure out where they want to go. “Once they’ve made adjustments to the university, choosing a major is a more pressing problem,” Mayes said. On top of economic issues, DeFoe said she also feels pressured by her family and peers. While most students claim a major early, DeFoe said she needs time to find the right one for her. Lately, she feels overwhelmed. “A lot of people I know, a lot of my friends, are working toward their major already,” DeFoe said. She mostly rotates through elementary educa-
tion, sociology, history and public relations, but she is currently stuck on an undecided route. DeFoe said when she claims a major, something else comes up and she changes her mind again. Having the right skills to find a job and survive in the professional world is intimidating, she said. Most people gravitate toward majors that intrigue them, but DeFoe said no specific subject stands out in her mind. “I’m not passionate about anything in particular,” she said. Other students have the opposite problem. Environmental design junior Jonathan Stone has the passion, but lacks the grades. As a freshman, Stone started at OU as an architectural engineering major, but hit a wall when he struggled with calculus. So he switched to an undecided major. He said it was like a wake-up call. Stone said he still wanted to pursue an architecture major, and the label was a “placeholder” until he decided to commit to that path. Stone’s current major re-opens the door to architecture after he raises his grade point average. DeFoe said her adviser has offered sufficient help with her indecisiveness. “It’s definitely very beneficial to talk to your adviser and see what you should do,” DeFoe said. University College offers several methods for students to help choose the right path for them, Mayes said. The Strategies for Undecided Students brochure offers many options to help, such as career assessments, course descriptions and seminar information. “There are multiple, multiple avenues students can pursue to resolve [problems], Mayes said. She said she would advise confused students to take an on online career assessment, and research the careers that the program suggests. University College is also sponsoring presentations in February focusing on how to select a major and how to find a job. All options are available to the entire campus, and if all else fails try Google, Mayes said.
New music program produces better experiences for students KATE CUNNINGHAM The Oklahoma Daily The School of Music’s latest program edition teaches students how to record and generate original music composition with computer programs. But some students are taking this new technology emphasis beyond OU’s sound booths and producing and editing music from their bedrooms. Guitar performance senior Russell Watson, communications sophomore Josh Hammell and composition graduate student Kerry Folsom are students of the school’s recently developed music technology program. “Developing my own recording system has made my education,” said Watson, who enjoys the technological aspect of making music. “It really bridges the gap of ‘conceptuality’ to actuality, implementing the techniques I learn in class into my own music.” Konstantinos Karathanasis, assistant professor of music technology and composition, structured the eight-class program about a year ago. He emphasizes the importance of creativity in musical composition and improving the technology that produces these original sounds. “We are musicians. We are not just learning technology for its own sake,” Karathanasis said. Hammell, who runs his studio out of his bedroom, enjoys the composition aspect of the process the most. He said the energy produced from live music is difficult to reproduce in an amateur sound booth in his apartment, but he said he benefits from working with this technology on his own time. “I listen to music much more critically than I used to, and I have appreciation for really good
recordings because I know how hard they are to make,” he said. The equipment used can range from simple to complex, but the necessities include a desktop or laptop computer, an interface, a mixing board, cables, microphones and musical instruments. The software that Karathanasis uses in his courses is ProTools, but these students use a variety of software at home. Karathanasis encourages them to use their minds and ears to tweak the technology and produce a fully developed sound. While Watson and Hammell are making educational strides by experimenting outside the classroom, Folsom, a graduate student, has spent the last few decades working with recording technology. Folsom owns his own music publishing company called Franklin Folsom. He is an active member of the Oklahoma City music scene, produces a variety of back-up tracks in his home recording studio and performs his music live. Folsom said he is impressed by the developments in technology and sound quality since he began recording in the 1980s. “Digital technology has made recording more affordable,” Folsom said. “There’s not a huge difference between major and small studios any more.” Folsom thinks this technology has a cultural impact beyond producing less expensive, more easily edited sounds. He said music technology, along with the Internet, has created a sense of community among music lovers around the world. “It’s brought music back to local artists, and at the same time, changed the meaning of the word ‘local.’ Now local music is not geographical, but ‘genre-graphical,’” he said.