THE 6420 - FALL 2022

THE

6420

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN?

ISSUE NO. 12 | FALL 2022 1

STAFF MEMBERS Editor in Chief

Assistant Editor

Contributors

Katrina Crumbacher

Valerie Scott

Assignment Editors

Layout and Design

Nathan Fox

Jeremiah Cockroft

Staff Writers

Photo Editor

Zak Royka Alyx Sabina Thomas Slinger

Mike Palacios

Bryton Buckaloo Braydon Buzzard Delle Cruzan Aaron Dawes Jeremy S. Fields Peter Monden Sean Penn* Grace Woodard

Comics Artist Marsted R.

Adviser Darcy Delaney-Nelson

Top left to right: Zak Royka, Jeremiah Cockroft, Nathan Fox, Peter Monden Bottom left to right: Mike Palacios, Katrina Crumbacher, Valerie Scott, Alyx Sabina (Photo by Mike Palacios) 2

*writes under pseudonym

CONTENTS 2

Letters from the Editors

14 Eating Healthy on

26 Malicious

4

Heard but Not Understood

18 Oklahoma Winter

28 Keep an Eye

8

Marvel vs. DC

20 Art, AI and

30 The State of

10 Opinion:

Weapon or Tool?

12 Metro Bites

a Budget

Weather Outlook

what it means to be human

25 Overwatch 2

Transactions

on Esports

Education

36 Comics

Review

Letters to the Editor: The 6420 welcomes and encourages letters to the editor. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and are subject to editing for obscenity, clarity and space. Submissions must include name, major and phone number. The 6420 reserves the right to not publish submitted letters.

Letters to the editor may be hand-delivered to FA110.

Policies:

The 6420 is a designated public forum. Student editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. Columns, commentaries and letters to the editor are personal opinions of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of The 6420 or other students, faculty or administrators of the college.

Anyone having a complaint may contact the editor in chief, (405) 733-7400.

The 15th Street News and The 6420 are a member of OCMA, OPA, ACP, and the Society of Professional Journalists.

This publication is printed by Mercury Press, issued by RSC and authorized by the Advisor of Student Publications.

RSC in compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Executive Order 11246, as, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and other federal laws and regulations does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures.

This includes, but is not limited to, admissions, employment, financial aid and educational services.

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LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS

H

ere we are. The end of the semester is nigh, and finals have us all stressed. I stepped into the role of editor in chief very suddenly mid-semester. While it was rough, the staff and I resolved to put together a very unique magazine for students, by students.

The theme of this issue is something near and dear to my heart: community. As a student body, as a college, I wanted to put out a student magazine that reflected the community fostered here at Rose State College. It’s why our staff wanted to take a group photo as opposed to individuals. As one, we put this issue together with blood, sweat, tears and many long hours.

The cover photo and table of contents image were both generated by artificial intelligence. As I said before, we wanted this magazine to be unique. Since The 15th Street News has been producing The 6420 magazine, we have never used AI-generated art. The idea came from our website designer, Zak Royka, an engineering student.

He writes monthly book reviews for The 15th Street News, and he wrote this issue’s main feature about AI, art and what it means to be human in this day and age.

Inside, you will find submissions from students just like you, students who felt they had something they could bring to the table. From esports to poetry, it’s all in here, and there is certainly something here for everyone.

I want to thank my hard-working staff for everything they’ve done these past few months. I also want to thank our adviser, Darcy Delaney-Nelson. You have always supported me and our staff and pushed us to be better. None of this would have been possible without you.

And most of all, thank you. Thank you for picking up The 6420 magazine and supporting student publications. If any of the articles within pique your interest, share it with your friends and family. Show off your college and be proud. Be Raiders.

With a bright future and the world at your feet,

Katrina Crumbacher, Editor in Chief

H

ello, students! For those who are graduating this year and to those who are just joining the Raiders, the newsroom hopes you all have been enjoying the ‘22-23 school year. The folks in the newsroom have done their best to provide you all with entertaining and trustworthy news in our magazine. Also included are some pieces from students around the campus. We thank our adviser Darcy Delaney-Nelson for helping us produce the best news reporting possible. We wish you all a fantastic school year!

Valerie Scott, Assistant Editor

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A Reason for Everything

By Jeremy S. Fields, pre-education major

Sometimes I wish I was a raindrop Fall from the sky and die But as I fall, I’d leave a rainbow and bring something else life.

Sometimes I wish I was a bad mistake Something you wish you could forget But as I was happening, you would be learning and getting stronger; something you won’t regret.

Because there’s good to every bad A story behind every cover A reason for everything

Sometimes I wish I was a dream You wake up and I’m gone but every time you sleep, I bring you happiness And when you wake up, I give you something to wish on.

Sometimes I wish I was a fairy tale Made-up make belief but every time you think of me, you find a reason to believe in me.

Because there’s good to every bad A story behind every cover A reason for everything

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HEARD but not

UNDERSTOOD

By Katrina Crumbacher and Valerie Scott

A mural at the Latino Community Development Agency in downtown Oklahoma City. (Photo by Katrina Crumbacher)

B

eing a non-bilingual Spanish speaker in Oklahoma is not easy. From health care to banking to schools, to be a Spanish speaker and not be bilingual in Oklahoma is to be marginalized.

Imagine being in critical condition, attempting to explain your symptoms to a medical professional, but try as you might, the doctor cannot understand the words you are speaking. Imagine needing to apply for a mortgage, but there are no Spanish-speaking bankers in the area.

For many, they don’t have to imagine. For many, this is an everyday struggle.

“Not everyone gets the same level of care,” said Rita Mild, dean of Rose State’s Health Sciences division.

“What I’ve witnessed a lot is if you don’t speak the language around that’s native, we say it’s English, it’s somehow seen as a decrease in intellect, which is just not true.”

The Hispanic and Latino communities make up some of the fastest-growing ethnic populations in Oklahoma, yet they are at a disadvantage when receiving health care in Oklahoma.

“One of the things that has always driven me crazy is when people are like ‘Well, they’re here. Why don’t 4

they know English,’” she said. “They are passively in a place that’s new to them. I mean think about the bravery it takes to leave everything that you know and come to another place and then try to navigate this crazy world.”

The courage it takes to leave your home country for an unfamiliar one is often overlooked.

“I think about our students who are English as a second language,” she said. “I can’t imagine learning science in my non-native language, so I think there needs to be more emphasis on the humanity that people have. These are people who are impressive.”

Recent studies have shown Hispanic adults are less likely to have employer-sponsored health coverage due to higher rates of employment in low-wage jobs, such as line cooks, housekeepers and cashiers, etc.

Almost 24% of Hispanic adults have no source of health care other than an emergency room. In comparison, only 12% of white adults can say the same, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study shows.

“If you don’t have health insurance, if you’re only going for emergency treatment, you’re not used to going in for routine cleanings and checkups,” said Esmeralda Ornelas,

“What I’ve witnessed a lot is if you don’t speak the language around that’s native, we say it’s English, it’s somehow seen as a decrease in intellect, which is just not true.”

Rita Mild, dean of Rose State’s Health Sciences division

a dental assisting professor at Rose State College. “We needs of those with limited English and implement only went to the doctor when we were sick. It was never a successful system for those individuals in need. The established that we go to the doctor so we don’t get sick.” order also requires federal agencies to ensure that A lack of health insurance means paying out of pocket beneficiaries of federal financial assistance supply for health care, which is often too expensive, even for sufficient access to LEP applicants. regular checkups.

Essentially, all federally funded institutions are legally “Everyone in my family has health problems. My dad bound to provide access to a translator for non-English has diabetes. My paternal grandfather has congestive heart speakers. Most hospitals receive federal funding and failure. I don’t have my maternal or paternal grandmother must provide access to a translator. Big-name hospitals, anymore,” she said. “My dad is a Type 2 diabetic. He such as INTEGRIS Health, Mercy Hospital and SSM drinks a lot of beer, eats a lot of red meat, has a major sweet Health St. Anthony, provide access to translators. While tooth, eats sweets all the time and never feels good. He’ll a hired translator is not always on site, the facilities will say, ‘I need to go see my doctor.’ He never goes.” offer an over-the-phone interpreter.

The American Diabetes Association reports the For those who face financial difficulties, most attempt Hispanic community is at a 66% greater risk of developing to avoid hospital bills and instead resort to cheaper Type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic white people. A recent health care alternatives, such as Urgent Care Clinics and Pew Research Center study shows that just under half Health Express Centers. of Hispanic adults say they have a close friend or family member who needs a Spanish-speaking health care provider or translator.

“They use anybody, a friend, a sibling or a child to come translate for you, and that is completely unethical,” said Dr. Yuliana Reyes, director of health at the Latino Community Development Agency. “You should not have somebody else translate for you that is not a translator, a professional interpreter, because professional interpreters are required by law to say exactly what the doctor says.”

In 2000, then-President Bill Clinton signed an executive order titled “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.” The order mandates federal agencies to evaluate their provided services, recognize the (Photo by Katrina Crumbacher) 5

Smaller institutions like these are not legally bound to offer translation services like federally funded hospitals.

Not being bilingual in a society that’s tailored to English affects every aspect of life. Most public information is in English, which leads to less information available for those who only speak Spanish. The federal Office of Minority Health reports that nearly one-third of Latinos are not fluent in English, and the pandemic only exacerbated the health care challenges facing the Hispanic and Latino communities.

During the pandemic, Reyes said she watched the televised Centers for Disease Control and Prevention press conferences. She watched the conferences first in English then in Spanish, but what the Spanish translators were saying didn’t match what was being said in English.

“The Hispanic community, especially in Oklahoma City, didn’t know who to listen to,” she said. “They listened to their friends and families back home. There was so much false information going around everywhere, worldwide.”

Beyond health care, language barriers continually challenge social services, such as public safety institutions and schools. Lawmakers like Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, have seen what it’s like firsthand.

“I was in the fire department for 25 years,” said Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa. “We actually ended up having to have interpreters. When we went on a medical call or they would be in transport to the hospital, etc., there was a problem because the people who were there to help couldn’t communicate.”

Staff were forced to rely on other members of the department to translate while also having to focus on the life-saving tasks at hand. “We recruited people that would understand, and they got compensated for being bilingual,” Matthews said.

“When we went on a medical call or they would be in transport to the hospital, etc., there was a problem because the people who were there to help couldn’t communicate.”

Sen. Kevin Matthews

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“The Hispanic community, especially in Oklahoma City, didn’t know who to listen to.”

Dr. Yuliana Reyes, director of health at the Latino Community Development Agency Schools also face the language barrier for students, parents and teachers. Classrooms revolve heavily around communication. If a child can’t understand the counselors, teachers or students around them, they can’t be expected to learn at the same pace as their peers.

“When I was a school counselor at Adams Elementary, we would have child mental health issues,” said Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman. “At least two times I know of involved a child whose parents did not speak English.”

The miscommunication that comes with a lack of translation puts a hold on children who cannot be understood when voicing their needs.

“Basically, as a parent, you’re trying to say, ‘Look, my kid really needs help now,” she said. “If you have a language barrier, you might say, ‘My kid is upset. He’s crying.’ Then the person who’s taking them on would say, ‘Well, there’s lots of kids that are upset and crying in the world.”

Several employees are expected to play the role of translator while also being responsible for completing their own work. Along with miscommunication when translating, professional translators are required by law to interpret each word to the best of their ability. For someone who is not a trained interpreter, several key points in conversation can and often get lost in translation.

“Often you’ll see in schools, ‘You speak Spanish. Come here!” Boren said. “In our school, they pulled English language learner teachers to come interpret at the front desk if the parent walked in and needed help, so they pulled them out of the classroom.”

This can easily lead to a slip in the school environment when teachers are pulled away from their classrooms and are heavily relied on to translate.

“They could spend a good 50% of their day just answering questions on the phone for parents about lunch, or when’s the meeting and they weren’t doing instruction for their ELL kids,” she said.

These key employees are stretched thin by being the only reliable source of communication for non-English

speaking customers, students or patients. Especially when these key bilingual workers are not appropriately compensated for their extra workload.

The Apple Store at Penn Square Mall recently approved a move to unionize and cited a lack of multilingual speakers in store as one of many concerns, an Oklahoma City television station reported.

As one of only two Apple stores in the state, the store faces an overwhelming level of storefront traffic. As one of only a few multilingual employees in the store, union organizer Kevin Herrera is stretched thin ensuring Spanish-speaking customers have someone who can understand them.

“I, as a bilingual speaker, want to give that part of Apple to our community so they can have the same experience as our English speakers,” he said. “When it was Mother’s Day, I had a line of one hour and a half, people waiting to speak to me because I was the only bilingual speaker in the store at the time.”

Being a non-bilingual Spanish speaker in Oklahoma is not easy, and those who are bilingual end up overworked and underpaid.

These key employees are stretched thin by being the only reliable source of communication for non-English speaking customers, students or patients.

(Photo by Katrina Crumbacher) 7

BY NATHAN FOX

S

uperhero movies are titans today. They regularly gross in the millions and, in some cases, billions of dollars.

Their popularity is undeniable. The juggernauts behind these films are the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe.

There could be many “first steps” in how each of these entities were created, but Marvel’s acquisition of ToyBiz in 1993 was a crucial building block. The company wanted to profit from the sale of action figures. This acquisition was a no-brainer and led to Avi Arad becoming the CEO and president of Marvel Entertainment.

Around this time, Marvel sold the rights of many iconic characters to interested buyers. They did, however, venture

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into filmmaking with the release of “Blade” in 1998. With a budget of roughly $45 million, the movie made $131 million worldwide.

The next pivotal moment for Marvel came in 2007, when they promoted a promising junior executive to president of Marvel Studios, the one and only Kevin Feige.

Feige got right to work and released “Iron Man” in 2008.

The importance of this release cannot be overstated. With a budget of $140 million, Iron Man more than tripled this by grossing $585 million worldwide.

This set the stage for the current iteration of Marvel Studios and their massive success. This is clearly evident with “Avengers: Endgame,” which premiered in 2019 and grossed

Creating these on-screen spectacles is about more than just money.

$2.7 billion worldwide. With their impressive storytelling and worldbuilding, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand and the profits roll in like clockwork.

On the other side of the superhero movie genre stands DC Studios, the purveyor of the DC Extended Universe.

One of its first key accomplishments came with the release of “Superman” in 1978. The film had a budget of $55 million and grossed $300 million worldwide. The production resonated with audiences, and its impressive soundtrack stands out even to this day.

Their next success came in 1989 with the release of “Batman.”

Although this movie doesn’t jump out with flashy numbers, it grossed $251 million at the box office against a budget of $35 million. This movie transformed the landscape and future of DC Films and led to the creation of the much-beloved “Batman: The Animated Series.”

The pinnacle for DC Films is, of course, none other than the Dark Knight Trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan.

These films, which seemed like an extreme risk at the time, proved that DC Studios could produce quality content, not to mention the haunting performance of the Joker by the late great Heath Ledger. His performance netted him an Oscar, marking the one and only time an actor from a superhero movie has won the award. These films are truly iconic.

However, DC Studios have made critical missteps as of late. These mistakes are largely the result of disorganization.

For example, take 2016’s “Suicide Squad” and 2017’s “Justice League.” These films experienced similar problems, studio overhandling. The story for “Suicide Squad” morphed and transformed numerous times, and the script went through countless iterations. Directors came and went. Justice

League was marred by a personal tragedy in the life of the director, Zack Snyder. He ultimately had to step away from the film, and the key to the city was handed to writer Joss Whedon.

This is the distinct difference between how these two companies operate. Marvel Studios creates an environment that provides incredible structure and direction while DC Studios, on the other hand, experiences instability and inconsistency more often than not.

Nevertheless, there is a yellow sun on the horizon for DC Studios. The release of “Justice League: The Snyder Cut” premiered on HBO Max in 2021 and gave fans the release envisioned by the director. While reviews contained a mix of positive and negative reactions, the overwhelming reception was warm, and the release was welcomed by DC fans.

Furthermore, “The Batman,” which was released in 2022, provided another ray of optimistic light for the DC fandom.

Superhero movies are an incredibly important piece of American culture. There is something exhilarating about seeing good triumph over evil. Viewing these films is an emotional experience, and when the product is bad, it can leave a bad taste in the audience’s mouth. It should come as no surprise that the massive audiences who enjoy these films and TV shows have high standards. When a great superhero movie is seen, it makes the bad ones stand out and disappoint even more.

Creating these on-screen spectacles is about more than just money. They engender courage, strength and resilience in the hearts and minds of the many generations who have enjoyed these films and will for years to come.

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Opinion:

Weapon or Tool?

By Thomas Slinger

I

am pro-Second Amendment and believe it is every American citizen’s right to own a firearm, but even I can see there’s a problem with our country.

The wake of violence throughout the United States has made it necessary for gun reform. The United States has more civilian-owned guns than any other country in the world, 393 million according to the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey. The only other region where civilian firearm ownership is even remotely comparable is the Middle East, a place of conflict and war for over 50 years.

However, the United States isn’t at war, and we haven’t seen an enemy power (excluding 9/11) on our soil since World War II. So the question remains: why are there so many guns?

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The easy answer is the Second Amendment. The Constitution recognizes American citizens’ God-given right to bear arms, so states formed militias and civilians bought firearms. However, the history of firearms in the United States runs much deeper than just the Constitution.

America has always been a frontier, and when living close to the wild, a gun becomes necessary.

“My family has always hunted,” said Marcus Johnson, English major. “Growing up, we were about 30 minutes away from a grocery store or Walmart. So if you wanted meat, you had to go and get it.”

This way of living isn’t uncommon. The U.S. Wildlife Conservation Agency estimates 25 million Americans still hunt for meat to feed their families. In Oklahoma, around

“... the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Second Amendment

200,000 deer are harvested every year by hunters, according to the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Agency. “My family needs a rifle to live and eat,” he said. “That’s why I will always be for the Second Amendment.”

Even though the number of hunters in America is high, the number of guns they own still doesn’t come close to the number of total firearms in this country.

While specific numbers are hard to track, the FBI estimates roughly 200 million firearms are located in major cities and suburbs, and 75% of them are handguns.

“Yeah, everyone has a gun around here,” said Daa’quon Harris, a local resident. “When you live in the hood or even just a bad area, you have to keep something with you just in case. There are a lot of bad people you know?”

Unfortunately, many citizens feel they have to carry a weapon at all times to keep themselves safe. In Midwest City, many point to the response time for police enforcement as the cause. “Cops don’t come to help black people,” he said. “And even if they did come fast, it doesn’t help me in the moment of getting robbed or shot at.”

A 2020 report by the FBI’s National Crime Statistics Database reveals that crime, gang and domestic violence account for 98.5% of all homicides in America, and 90% of homicides used a handgun. Looking at statistics alone, it seems handguns are the problem in the United States, but that’s not the case.

Despite making up less than .01% of all homicides in the United States, mass shootings dominate national talking points and legislation, but it’s a uniquely American problem.

In a Politifact research study, the United States has experienced 133 mass shootings since 2000. The rest of the world combined had 23. The sad reality is Americans

are becoming accustomed to mass shootings. We are bickering over what rights are being infringed upon, while our children, friends and family die.

“It’s just sick,” said Julie Dower, business major. “No one has the right to own a tool whose entire purpose is to kill something or someone.”

What’s frustrating about the political discourse surrounding gun control is the lack of understanding and effective communication on both sides of the issue. To make firearms illegal would be a terrible mistake. It would harm not only hunters but those who wish to protect themselves and their families. However, we can’t keep things as they are either.

I think nationally raising the age of firearm ownership to 21 is a fair solution. Many states, such as Oklahoma, Florida and Texas, allow minors to use firearms within the vicinity of an adult and purchase them on their 18th birthday. Since most school shootings are committed by 18-year-olds, according to FBI crime statistics, I think it would be an effective solution.

The United States also needs stronger background checks and must require a license to operate a firearm.

There’s no reason why any Joe Shmoe can walk into a Walmart and buy a rifle.

America is hurting, and how we fix that is to put our differences aside and work together to craft solutions.

When it comes to gun violence, it shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Although tensions and emotions run hot, we need to put that aside and listen to each other for the sake of our children and our country.

For more information about gun violence and how you can help, visit protectingourstudents.org.

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metro bites

By Michael Palacios

Oklahoma City has diverse culinary experiences sprawled throughout the metro. From brunch food to Japanese, the food options within the city are nearly endless. Here are six must-try local restaurants offering delicious food and welcoming dining atmospheres.

(Photos by Mike Palacios)

1. Paseo Grill

2909 Paseo, Oklahoma City, OK 73103

Located in the historic Paseo Arts District of Oklahoma City, the Paseo Grill offers a masterful take on American cuisine. The menu includes dishes found all over the globe with tasteful spins added from their own kitchen. You can expect to find every corner covered here as the menu features entrees coming from both land and sea with their signature being the prime New York strip steak.

The romantic ambience of the Paseo Grill creates an intimate experience for visitors whether it be inside in the warmly lit velvet seating area or the patio that overlooks the Paseo’s dazzling scenery.

2. Neighbohood JAM 525 NW 11th St., Suite 101, Oklahoma City, OK 73103

Breakfast or lunch? Sometimes it can be a bit difficult deciding what to eat when you don’t know what you want. Neighborhood JAM makes the choice much easier as its known definitively as the community brunch spot. Sprinkled with colorful decor, the atmosphere is a warm welcome for family and friends to come and enjoy comfort food together. They have pancakes, eggs, potatoes, sausages and much more. You want it? They have it. Best part is there’s never a Neighborhood JAM that is too far away as they have four locations throughout Oklahoma City.

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3. The Hall’s Pizza Kitchen 1004 N Hudson Ave., Suite 106, Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Pizza is an all-American favorite. A seemingly endless variety of combinations of toppings and ingredients can be assembled when creating a pie. It never seems to go wrong. The most popular pie is “The Saturday Night,” a classic meat lovers pizza inspired by the owner’s tradition of making this signature pizza every Saturday night.

Their wood-fired pizza comes in all styles, and the atmosphere inside boasts a light industrial aesthetic along with a rooftop patio for a gorgeous view of Oklahoma City. Hall’s Pizza Kitchen offers just that, a great taste and time.

4. Flower Child

1144 NW 63rd St., Oklahoma City, OK 73116

A thoughtfully-crafted menu with an intention of serving healthy meals, every ingredient put into the dish is brought fresh from nearby farms. Inclusion is a major goal for Flower Child as their menu features various meals that are labeled as either vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. They also offer other options for those expecting a more traditional take on healthy options such as the popular grilled chicken thigh and yaki noodles. Flavor is definitely not a missing factor. Because of the practices used, there is something for everyone here. It’s simply healthy.

5. Tamashii Ramen House 321 NW 8th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Inspired by the Japanese noodle houses across the Pacific Ocean, Tamashii Ramen House offers an authentic taste of ramen with a noir-like setting and plays anime and Japanese shows on their projectors for guests to enjoy. Specializing in pork-based broths, the ramen house serves a multitude of soups. The biggest hit is the tonkotsu ramen, a classic noodle and pork broth adorned with vegetables, hard boiled egg and slices of pork.

6. Stella Modern Italian Cuisine 1201 N Walker Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73103

As the restaurant’s name advertises, Stella adorns itself with elegant contemporary decor. This philosophy transfers to their culinary practices as their presentation of each dish is distinguished by its aesthetic. From tastefully aged wines to quintessential dishes like Italian sausage pasta and tomahawk pork chop, Stella has cuisines that coincide with the atmosphere. The menu also changes with the season that keeps visitors coming back to experience the fine dining all over again. The Italian restaurant also offers popular brick-oven pizzas for casual dining with great taste.

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FROM THE KITCHEN Eating Healthy on a Budget

By Thomas Slinger

College can become a headache with late nights, endless studying and an unforgiving workload. With all the stress, sometimes it’s easier to go out to eat or skip a meal rather than worry about cooking. However, cooking can be easier than it might seem on the surface.

Although cooking started as a hassle, it has become one of my favorite hobbies. I will share four of my favorite recipes, all of which are nutritious, delicious and cost-effective. Every single one can be prepared in bulk and meal-prepped. Don’t be afraid to change some of the recipes to suit your needs and remember to have fun!

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Chicken Parm Hero Sandwich Yield: 2 Servings

Calories: 450

At first glance, chicken parmesan doesn’t sound like a healthy meal. But by making wise choices with our ingredients, we can easily make this a healthy choice. Start by butterflying (slicing down the middle lengthwise) your chicken breast, then flatten and coat in panko bread crumbs. Cook in an air fryer at 390 degrees or bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. When cooked, add 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce and 1 tablespoon of low-moisture mozzarella. Add to your bun and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS •

Chicken breast

•

Panko breadcrumbs

•

Great Value marinara sauce

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Low-moisture shredded mozzarella cheese

•

Buns

Breakfast Ice Cream Smoothie Yield: 3 Servings

Calories: 250

Who doesn’t love ice cream? This dish is simple yet so, so delicious. Start by taking 8-10 pieces of frozen fruit. Pineapple and mango are my favorites. Add 1/2 cup of milk (almond milk works just as well) and blend until thick. The trick to getting the ice cream texture just right is to add slightly less milk than you would for a regular smoothie, about 3/4 cup normally. After that, add anything to the mix that you want. I usually top it with oats, fresh fruit and some chia seeds.

INGREDIENTS •

1 pound of Great Value frozen fruit

•

1 Quart of milk

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Tomato Soup Yield: 4 Servings

Calories: 300

It’s soup season! Tomato soup is one of my comfort foods, and I’ve found a way to make it healthier. Take 5 vine tomatoes, 1 yellow onion and 2 heads of garlic and roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Then take your roasted veggies and add to a blender, along with a 16-ounce can of pureed tomatoes, ¼ cup of half and half creamer and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, blend and simmer on the stovetop for 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS •

Vine tomatoes

•

Yellow onion

•

Garlic

•

16-ounce can of pureed tomatoes

•

Half and half creamer

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Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas Yield: 1 Serving

Calories: 457

This one is a personal favorite. Take 1 chicken breast and 1 strip of bacon (turkey or vegan bacon works too) and cook thoroughly in a skillet. When done, roughly chop and combine in a mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning, ¼ cup of Mexican cheese and hot sauce of your choice. Put the mixture between two Olé wraps and add to the skillet to toast. Cut into fourths, and you are good to go!

INGREDIENTS •

Chicken breast

•

Bacon

•

Ranch packet

•

Shredded Mexican cheese

•

Olé tortilla wraps

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2022 OKLAHOMA WINTER WEATHER OUTLOOK

By Grace Woodard, Aaron Dawes and Braydon Buzzard

Submitted by Prof. Steve Carano’s weather forecasting class

Be prepared to enjoy the holiday season with favorable winter weather conditions.

The 2022 Oklahoma winter will likely have above average temperatures with slightly above average snowfall amounts.

These weather conditions will likely align with those of the past two winters. These conditions are influenced and controlled by various global factors including ocean currents and temperatures, wind patterns and solar radiation.

The wind patterns present describe the placement of the “rivers of air” above our heads, the subtropical and polar jet streams. Wherever the subtropical jet stream is positioned will bring in moisture for the specified area. The placement of the polar jet stream will bring dry conditions to the area affected. The behavior of ocean temperatures, or patterns, have three main categories: El Niño, La Niña and neutral.

El Niño patterns are defined by warmer temperatures causing cooler and wetter conditions in the southern United States and warm and dry conditions in the northern United States. La Niña is defined by colder temperatures creating warm and dry conditions in the southern United States and cold and wet conditions in the northern United States.

“Neutral” means the weather pattern in place will reflect average conditions for most or all of the year. The combination of these factors can lead to a vastly different winter than the previous year.

Though 2020 was not in a La Niña pattern for the entire year, the United States is currently in a “triple dip” La Niña pattern for 2022, meaning La Niña has affected North America for three consecutive years. This means that the subtropical jet stream is bringing moisture and cold conditions in the northern United States, while the southern United States is being affected by the polar jet stream leading to dry and warm conditions. For Oklahoma, this means dry winter conditions but warmer winter temperatures.

Average temperatures, specifically for Oklahoma City, typically range from the high 30s to low 40s. From 20002021, the average snowfall for Oklahoma City was 8.1 inches and was the same for the La Niña years within the same timeframe. The average snowfall was higher when La Niña lasts all year as opposed to when it lasted only during the winter months. For example, the average snowfall from 2000-2021 was 11.4 inches when only looking at year-long La Niña patterns. This leads to the prediction that the winter of 2022, as this year has been a year-long La Niña pattern, will have slightly above average snowfalls.

18 18

Continuity

By Delle Cruzan, general sciences major Wet earth The smell captures me For as long as I remember I have wanted to Run into the fog Surround myself in leaves Make everyone forget about me I want the tranquility that leaks out of the leaves Want to bury myself in this dirt Feels like everyone has a purpose Waiting on mine is hard Is there such a thing as a perfect pursuit?

I don’t think there is I may as well have fun Right?

Is that the right thing to do?

I can’t write about politics I love the honking geese And the lush snow I may not have any hobbies But I will happily be a bystander as long as I can while the hemispheres fall in love and I get to watch the lightning seduce the grasslands

The colors The colors The colors I want to conserve, preserve, absorb Never enough to satiate Captivated by the way the leaves are They whisper a language I would pay to speak A peace that surpasses all understanding Everything is happening all at once On its own time And I know everything is still yet to be seen Crashing into my heartbeat Run away with me

I wrote this poem at a time when I was in a transition stage. I found relief in observing the intense Oklahoma weather but more specifically, how each season and each different aspect of nature reacted and continued to react to this weather, how despite the chaos, time passes and beauty is continually created. I hope this poem provides comfort to someone who has also experienced the many transition stages that life can bring. There is concrete in the flood and stillness in the downpour.

19

AI

Art, AI and what it means to be human

By Zak Royka

20 20

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Does Creativity Matter?

S

ince this past August, artwork generated by artificial intelligence has gone from a relative novelty to a concrete reality available to anyone with an internet connection.

This radical democratization of technology is one of the pillars of the internet, but it comes at a cost.

AI artwork and other neural network-generated content lay a burden of responsibility on the person behind the machine, a burden of factuality, moral decency and honesty. With computers that can churn out masterpieces in moments, vainglory can easily creep in.

This artwork can be indistinguishable from photos, fooling even the trained eye. Unlike photo editing of decades past, the speed and lack of skill required to create myriad images are staggering.

There is beauty too. The floodgates are open for every painting style, funny idea, creative moment and human emotion on the internet. AI has eliminated the need for extensive effort in creative endeavors. Humans must now compete with AI programs that have learned to write articles, blog posts and books. There are already several examples of AI-generated videos, and increasing computational power means it may only be a few years before whole movies are available at the click of a button.

News and journalism are under threat too. Why have a staff of writers when a computer will do the same job for a fraction of the cost? These AI-generated news stories are everywhere, and they are only becoming more and more indistinguishable as AI algorithms continue to learn and grow.

However, AI can help more than it hinders, gracing those with access to modern computing the ability to use AI creativity on demand. By giving artists and illustrators more time and freedom to explore concepts, AI can help improve the workflow of any creative profession. Of course, that assumes people will still get paid for tasks AI can do and those people will pay to keep the lights on for the AI. The primary problem we mere mortals face is the speed with which AI is improving. In the 1990s, AI was considered a science fiction plot device or an impractical thought experiment. By the early 2000s, it had become a term for gimmicks and marketing, but the research didn’t take. However, in the last 10 years, AI has gone from a curiosity to the most impactful development in computer science.

There are also ethical concerns about the widespread use of AI. Most people point to science fiction movies and video games, which paint vivid pictures of how society could devolve. “The Matrix” and video games like “Detroit: Become Human” could indeed be foreshadowing the future if AI keeps progressing.

It’s an open question as to whether or not artificial intelligence is self-aware. With experts on both sides of the debate, anyone claiming to have a definite answer most certainly does not know.

In June 2022, an engineer working for Google named Blake Lemoine got fired after claiming a newly developed chatbot was conscious. These ethical hurdles are of constant 21

These ethical hurdles are of constant concern to many and a mere afterthought for others.

By further removing the need for human effort, is technology removing what makes us human?

Mechanical brains have already started to replace humans in the job market.

22

concern to many and a mere afterthought for others.

“I don’t have any issues with it,” said Professor Ken Dewey, director of Rose State College’s Cyber Security program. “I mean, we see the ‘Terminator’ movie. Obviously, I don’t think we’ll ever get that far.”

Time-traveling AI may be the stuff of movies, but mechanical brains have already started to replace humans in the job market.

For example, algorithm-driven robots already stock Amazon warehouses.

“Look at Amazon, for instance, the way their warehouse is managed,” he said. “The algorithm behind that is phenomenal.”

AI technology may also one day replace the friendly security guards that patrol college campuses and

the hardworking people who keep those same colleges clean for every aspiring student.

The burning question remains unanswered: what does this mean for humanity? It could lead to a world where humans can pursue their interests without limit. It could shape a society that values authenticity above all else. By further removing the need for human effort, is technology removing what makes us human?

Images of all kinds are a mere rendering away. Check out beta.dreamstudio.ai to let your creativity run wild.

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selected_prompts = [prompt_ matrix_parts[0]] + selected_prompts all_prompts.append(“, “.join(selected_ prompts))

All photos above were AI-generated. Above text is an excerpt from a stable diffusion generator, which is used to make AI photos.

23

WHICH

sTRANGE R THINGS CHARACTER ARE YOU?

BY ALYX SABINA Circle the answers that best describe you.

What is your favorite breakfast food?

A) Waffles B) Pancakes C) Energy Drinks D) I don’t eat breakfast.

What do you like to do in your free time?

A) Hangout with new friends B) Play Dungeons & Dragons C) Play the guitar D) Listen to music It’s the first day of school, what outfit do you pick out?

A) A patterned one-piece romper B) A graphic T-shirt, a patterned button up and a hat C) Your favorite club/band shirt and a jean jacket D) A striped shirt and high-waisted jean shorts

If you could hang out with one character in real life, who would it be?

A) Mike B) Suzie C) Chrissy D) Billy Do you lie to your friends?

A) No, never B) Sometimes C) Only to make them feel better D) Yes, it’s easier to lie than to tell the truth.

Pick an ice cream flavor.

A) Strawberry B) Chocolate C) Mint Chip D) Vanilla

Choose a quote.

A) “Mouth Breather” B) “We never would’ve been upset if we knew you had super powers.”

C) “We are not heroes.”

D) “Yeah, well, boyfriends lie. All the time.”

What is your favorite color?

A) Blue or Pink B) Yellow or Green C) Black or Red D) Purple or Orange

How would your friends describe you?

A) Ruthless B) Goofy C) An outsider D) A tomboy

Pick a villain.

A) Dr. Brenner B) Demogorgon C) Myself D) Mind Flayer

Add up how many answers from each letter you got. Which letter did you choose the most?

If you chose mostly option A, you are Eleven! You are determined and ruthless. You love your friends and would do anything for them.

If you chose mostly option B, you are Dustin! You are goofy and devoted. You love to laugh and are always the life of the party.

If you chose mostly option C, you are Eddie! You often feel like an outsider. People often see you as tough on the outside, but you’re just a big softie.

If you chose mostly option D, you are Max! You’ve been called a tomboy most of your life. You keep a close inner circle and are very self-sacrificing when it comes to your friends.

24

AN HOUR IN AND AN HOUR GONE

By Sean Penn

O

ne of the most anticipated games of 2022, “Overwatch 2,” released to much fanfare. But is this game worth buying? Well faithful reader, I am here to answer that question for you. Let us dive into this intense question about whether or not you should invest, not your money, but something far more important.

Your time.

Developed by Activision Blizzard, “Overwatch 2” is a team-based, first-person shooter game and is free to play.

There are a total of 35 characters to choose from, and each are classified as either damage, tank or support. Players can choose their favorites from the three character classes and play a wide variety of game modes, such as deathmatch, capture the flag, escort and many more.

Limited to a maximum of five players, each team may only have one tank, two damage and two support characters.

This is in stark contrast to the first “Overwatch” game, which allowed for six-player teams with two tank characters per team. With this new dynamic, you can finally find out who your true friends are. So long, Keith!

The only reason people buy a sequel is to get a better or different play experience, so what direction is Blizzard taking the “Overwatch” series? You might say, “But Sean! What about ‘Madden,’ ‘2K’ or ‘Call of Duty’ where it is pretty much the same game being rereleased? Or ‘Skyrim,’ where it is the same game?”

Well devoted readers, those are weird phenomena that I will try to tackle in a future review. But the biggest change Blizzard has made in the sequel is making “Overwatch 2” free to play. Blizzard also added three new characters to the roster at launch, Kiriko, Sojour and Junker Queen.

Kiriko is a pay-to-win character that ruins the balancing of the game, and she needs to be nerfed ASAP. Sojourn is a nerfed Soldier 76 Echo fighter that does as much damage as the P2020 pistol in “Apex Legends” with the same amount of fun. I played her for two rounds, and I still don’t know what her ultimate is. That just shows

how lackluster she is! Junker Queen mains are the worst in the game. They leave the objective just so they can get murdered immediately. They also only choose her to go with some Australian map (the map is so forgettable, I don’t even remember the name).

However, the gunplay is solid, and the missions have been reworked from the original game to be more enjoyable. The first game was bogged down by the two-tank player count, but the new single tank has made the experience much faster. This faster gameplay makes the games more hectic but far more enjoyable.

The old characters are still enjoyable to play with, but you won’t love every character. That is just par for the course for any hero-based shooter game. The choice of characters is slightly put to shame by other well-done, free-to-play games of the same genre, such as “Rogue Company,” “DayZ” or “Krunker.” Their characters have heart and don’t seem like they’re trying to pander to the fans.

Unlike “Overwatch 2,” even the gunplay is handled in better titles such as “Shotgun Farmers,” and the graphics in “Terraria” are much more up to snuff for modern gaming market standards. The graphics might be fine if you only play “Team Fortress 2,” but not if you are a game connoisseur with titles such as “Beast Quest,” “Rumbleverse” or “Adam’s Venture: Origins” under your belt.

Overall, I find Overwatch 2 to be a below average game. It is a jack of all trades and master of none, and you can feel it especially in the first hour. And I have played different games, and unlike “The Evil Within,” this game does not stand out as a genre-defining game in the initial 60 minutes. None of the moments caught my eye, and the game was sluggish at the points it needed to be snappy. But to be fair, the Co-Op Campaign is not out yet, which was the biggest selling point.

Will it be able to save the rest of the game though?

We’ll find out soon.

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$0.99

$9.99

$0.99

$49.99

$4.99

OPINION:

MALICIOUS $0.99

$99.99

TRANSACTIONS

$1.99

$0.99

$2.99 $19.99

$24.99 $4.99

M

icrotransactions have ruined video games.

There was a time when you could purchase a game from the store, come home, insert it into your gaming console and play. Simply play. No extra hoops. No downloading. No extra money. That is not the case these days.

While it’s true that not every game offers or intends microtransactions, these money-eating monsters lurk in the shadows (or sometimes on the surface) of many games released today.

Sports games are some of the biggest offenders.

Both Madden and NBA2K cost around $60. Sounds reasonable enough. However, lurking beneath the surface are game modes that will quickly drain your bank account.

Both of these games offer modes which allow you to build a fantasy roster of past and present players.

There are certain tasks you can perform to unlock these “cards” as they’re called in the game, or you can spend money to obtain them. The more money you spend, the better cards you have.

Yet, spending this money doesn’t guarantee you 26 26

BY NATHAN FOX anything. On the contrary, spending this money allows you the opportunity to purchase a box of cards, which has the “chance” of containing certain rare, unique or valuable cards.

Many would label this gambling—spending money to receive a reward you may or may not obtain. For those spending this money, it is their way to get ahead of the competition. They are incentivized to spend more and more of their money to receive rewards that will offer them in-game advantages.

Specific to NBA2K, MyPlayer is a game mode that allows you to create a custom character and play out an NBA season, but to improve your character’s attributes, you must spend virtual currency.

Conveniently enough, NBA2K has made the option available to spend real world money to purchase virtual currency. Though you don’t have to spend money to increase your player’s skills, it’s virtually imperative to spend money to remain competitive. Once again offering an “opportunity” for an in-game advantage.

There’s the rub. Spending money to obtain in-game advantages over other players makes for an unbalanced

To continue reading this article, simply pay me $4.99.

game. To those with disposable income, they meet few rivals. To those with less money, the game isn’t fun anymore. Either way, the game companies are taking a comfortable stroll all the way to the bank and paying their overworked employees.

This raises another wrinkle in the ethicality of microtransactions.

Many games released today are simply unfinished.

Game developers run their design teams into the ground to meet release deadlines. More often than not, the game is full of bugs, doesn’t run properly or is blatantly incomplete.

To make matters worse, certain sections of the game may be guarded by a “paywall” meaning players would have to spend even more money to access additional content. “Just how much did the purchase price buy?” is a question many gamers ask themselves when met with this decision.

Console games are not the only offenders here.

In fact, they’re not even the biggest offenders.

No, the real culprit behind this money-grubbing scheme are mobile apps that offer in-app purchases.

Of course, there are utility apps that offer more features if you purchase more content within the app. Those are not the focus of this article.

The apps in question are games that offer in-game rewards or even the ability to continue playing the game by spending money. Yes, there are some games that require you to spend money to continue

playing the game. You could wait an extended period of time and return to it with one more try, or you could spend $1.99 to continue now.

With the release of dopamine you just got from beating the previous level, this measly $1.99 purchase seems like a drop in the bucket. But what if you don’t beat it this time? “Am I willing to pay $1.99 again?” you’ll ask yourself. Before you know it, you’ve spent roughly $10 just to pass the next level.

This scheme is disgusting. I’m not talking about the act itself. It’s understandable that we convince ourselves to pay money to continue gaming. When we play games and are successful, dopamine is released into our brains, and it makes us feel good.

The option to continue is a no-brainer. We want to continue feeling good, and the only hindrance to that is $1.99 and, in some cases, even more.

There doesn’t seem to be a way to escape this system. You have to be aware of what games do and don’t have microtransactions. There are games that release with none of these microtransactions included.

However, until we stop paying for these in-game purchases, companies will keep using this money-making tactic. Until then … to continue reading this article, simply pay me $4.99. This has to stop. Game developers, please give us the full game or price it appropriately at launch.

Sincerely, disappointed (and now-broke) gamers everywhere.

27

Keep an Eye on Esports

By Michael Palacios

T

raditional sports have been a staple in entertainment media for decades, but the recent rise of esports is unmistakable.

For many young kids growing up, they dreamt about playing video games for a living. Now with the popularization of competitive gaming known as “esports,” the dream has become a realistic possibility with players around the world fighting for a chance to play on stage.

Since the early 2000s, esports has gained momentum because of the small gaming communities passionately supporting their favorite game.

Esports is a relatively new term referring to the competitive video game setting in which players compete.

The industry has grown exponentially since the early 21st century. Various video games have harbored niche competitive gaming scenes that held consistent player and viewer engagement.

Robert Morris University in Illinois was the first university to recognize esports as an academic degree. The program launched in 2014 and offered scholarships to students that competed at a professional level.

After noticeable success in the student retention rate in the esports program and increased enrollment rate, more colleges around the country began developing programs of their own.

By 2020, there were more than 125 varsity programs accredited by ESPN. The National Association of Collegiate Esports is the main home for these programs to collaborate with their players and teams for competition and ranking.

28

NACE offers scholarships yearly for students accepted into the program.

Growth continued into the latter half of 2010, and two of the biggest governing entities in college athletics decided to create esport associations to help nurture the esports collegiate scene. The Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference and the National Junior College Athletic Association have invested into the esports associations. With full support aiding in player programs allowing for talent to develop, students have begun to compete at an elite level.

The final piece for esports development at the collegiate level was the creation of the Collegiate Esports National Championship, which hosts yearly championships for all esport programs. With these associations backing the programs, students have the ability to play in an organized regular season, followed by a conference and a national championship.

Given this structure for esports, programs around the country have exploded with student interest. The talent pool has significantly increased due to college programs allowing students to prosper, creating fiercer competition.

Many Oklahoma universities have built centers just for their esport players, such as the Innovation Hub at the University of Oklahoma and the CO-OP Esports and Gaming Arena at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Smaller colleges also offer gaming and pop culture clubs giving students an opportunity to connect with one another. The realm of esports is constantly expanding, and careers propelled by these programs are being recognized and respected as time goes on.

Dull Attempt

By Bryton Buckaloo, creative writing major we were given the ultimate peace offering.

This offer had its moments of severance, verity & all I was still unseen.

I had soon realized the differences in the air between us. you had told me this was the “happiest you had ever felt” but I knew that we tended to lie to one another.

Our love was nothing but a toddler of coherence.

We wanted to achieve the world, But never in the same place.

How foolish could I have been to learn the passage of acceptance?

You often reminded me of how naïve I sounded, I found it quite unsettling.

It was your love language after all.

What a dull attempt it was, to suede, a peace offering that had no silver lining. our wedding vows were a dull attempt.

29

30 30

THE STATE OF EDUCATION

By Katrina Crumbacher

A

ll Samantha Richards wants is what’s best for her son.

She wants him to be safe, to do what is right and to have a good education.

While her 8-month-old is still much too young for pre-K, she knows that her son’s future is not a matter to be taken lightly.

“I need to live in a good area that has a good school, so wherever I live, it has to be based around the education,” Richards said. “I already know that Moore has really good schools. I also heard about Yukon and Piedmont, so I like those.”

Education has been a hot button issue in Oklahoma for decades and was a major source of contention in Oklahoma’s race for governor in 2022.

Gov. Kevin Stitt touted the “largest investment in education and teachers in the history of our state” as part of his re-election campaign, yet Oklahoma’s per-pupil funding is still among the lowest in the nation.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister has been Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction for eight years, yet under her watch, Oklahoma’s education system has dropped from 48th to 49th in the nation.

When Hofmeister started her tenure as the state’s leading education official in 2015, Oklahoma was ranked 48th. Four years later and a brand-new governor to boot, the state dropped to 49th.

“Every time we think about what we’re going to do for the future of this state, we think about our kids,” Hofmeister

“I need to live in a good area that has a good school, so wherever I live, it has to be based around the education.”

Samantha Richards said in a debate. “Oklahoma is woefully prepared for the future in education because we do not have the people on the team to meet the needs of students.”

Teacher shortages have plagued Oklahoma for more than a decade, and legislators and education officials alike have struggled to fix the problem. In the ongoing effort to combat the issue, the Oklahoma Board of Education recently voted to give teachers a $5,000 pay raise as part of their 2024 budget proposal.

“We’ve significantly raised teacher pay in recent years, but so did our neighboring states with whom we are competing,” Hofmeister said in a press release. “In the midst of an unprecedented and worsening teacher shortage, it is imperative we look for long-term solutions to show that Oklahoma values and respects its teachers.”

Though Oklahoma is dealing with its share of teacher shortages, the nation as a whole is struggling when it comes to education.

(Photo by Katrina Crumbacher) 31

(Photos courtesy of The Oklahoma State Department of Education)

The National Center for Education Statistics recently reported 53% of public schools felt understaffed entering the 2022-23 school year. The most understaffed positions in those schools were special education teachers and transportation staff.

“When I first stepped into office, I asked for competitive pay to attract teachers, and we got that after three years,” Hofmeister said. “But what we realized too is there needs to be more people on the teams—school counselors, reading specialists, paraprofessionals. We are losing those people to other states and other industries.”

As outlined in Oklahoma’s $9.7 billion budget for 2023, almost $3.2 billion is dedicated to the funding of common education. In comparison, New Jersey’s education system is currently ranked first in the nation, and they have dedicated $18.6 billion to common education funding in their 2023 budget.

New Jersey spends Oklahoma’s state budget twice over on common education alone. Oklahoma can’t even begin to compete with a state whose revenue exceeds Oklahoma’s four times over.

“Education is something that everybody—that’s what we want for our kids,” Stitt said. “We can’t keep doing the same things we’ve done for the last eight years.”

In an effort to improve the quality of education received at Oklahoma public schools, Stitt supported Senate Bill 1647, which would have allowed parents more freedom in school choice. However, the bill failed to pass in the Senate after a majority voted nay on the measure.

Authored by Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, the “Oklahoma Empowerment Act” was designed to 32

The National Center for Education Statistics recently reported 53% of public schools felt understaffed entering the 2022-23 school year. take the public funds that would have been spent on a child’s education at a public school and reallocate them to school, etc. The bill would have also allowed for other education-related expenses, such as tutoring and transportation.

“It allows for parents to be in charge of their kids’ education,” Treat said in a committee meeting. “When you have competition, I absolutely, in my heart of hearts, in the core of who I am, believe that public education will get stronger not weaker, and that is my aim.”

Treat said he believes public schools have a monopoly on public dollars and that mediocrity has been accepted far too often.

“We need more competition, not less competition,” he said. “Competition drives excellence, and if you’re not competing for those dollars, there’s not the same drive for excellence in my opinion.”

A second-generation public school teacher, Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, opposed the bill and was concerned with its potential impact on rural communities.

“I agree that parents have an incredible role in the education of their children, but what I’m most concerned about with this particular approach is that the largest expense in our public school investment right now is in teachers,” she said.

“What is going to happen to main street rural Oklahoma where the best jobs in the town are in education, where folks have served their community for generations?”

Rural communities weren’t her only concern. The state has struggled with a lack of appropriate oversight in the past.

“I don’t see the accountability,” she said. “I think it’s fraught with unintended consequences, and I don’t know how we can be honest in answering our constituents, the taxpayers, that we’ve done our diligence ensuring that the money is invested wisely.”

One of the largest failures in governmental oversight in recent years, the ClassWallet disaster still looms over Oklahoma like ash over a volcano. Though the lava no longer flows, the ash can be seen for miles.

With few safeguards and little-to-no oversight, ClassWallet was awarded a contract to distribute $18 million in federal pandemic relief grants in August 2020. The grants were designed to aid Oklahoma families in the purchase of educational supplies and help out private school families through vouchers.

Through a combined investigation by The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch, records showed families used the grants to purchase a wide swath of non-educational items, such as TVs, Christmas trees, barbeque grills and smartphones.

When the “Oklahoma Empowerment Act” was introduced, Treat attempted to reassure legislators by smoothing over accountability concerns.

“This does not open up any new avenues for waste, fraud and abuse,” he said. “We’re sinners by nature, and there’s going to be people who take advantage of systems, whether they be public systems, whether they be private systems. We’re not going to stop that, but we are going to have safeguards in here that make sure people are held to account if they do abuse the taxpayer dollars.”

The biggest pushback against the “Oklahoma Empowerment Act” has come from Hofmeister, claiming the bill to be a “rural school killer.” Using it as a rallying cry, she has toured rural communities to garner support.

“Here’s the problem: this governor has a school voucher scheme that is a rural school killer,” she said. “You kill the school. You kill the community.”

How much public schools receive in state aid is determined

by Oklahoma’s school funding formula, which utilizes a weighted pupil system. Students are assigned a number that represents how difficult they may be to teach. The higher the number, the more difficulties facing students, the more expensive they are to teach.

The school funding formula takes the weighted sum of public school students and the funding received from local communities in consideration to ensure that no school receives too much.

Every student that leaves public school for private school, homeschool, etc. decreases the state aid those public schools receive.

Hofmeister argues that with the passing of private school vouchers and similar programs, too many students would leave rural public schools in favor of private schools or homeschool. With the potential mass exodus of students,

“I don’t know how we can be honest in answering our constituents, the taxpayers, that we’ve done our diligence ensuring that the money is invested wisely.”

Sen. Carri Hicks

33

she argues that rural schools will fail to stay appropriately funded and will close.

“If we’re going to look long term, we’ve got to support our kids,” she said. “They’ve got to have a competitive education.

We can’t dismantle public education, which is going to happen under the governor’s watch.”

However, most rural communities do not have the luxury of private schools in the area. The National Center for Education Statistics reports there are nearly 2,000 schools serving students K-12 in Oklahoma, and only 135 are considered private.

For a small town like Cashion, the nearest private school is 17 miles away in Guthrie. Even if students were pulled out of the Cashion public school system in favor of an alternative, Superintendent Leon Ashlock of Cashion Public Schools said they wouldn’t be very negatively impacted.

“I don’t think the bill would harm Cashion, in particular,” he said. “I think we would be OK, but as far as a large majority of the schools in the state, I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Cashion Public Schools is indeed an outlier. In terms of funding, Cashion Public Schools barely qualifies for state aid as it is. For the 2022-23 school year, CPS received $3.7 million from local revenue sources, and only 1.1% of their funding came from state aid.

However, school districts like Peggs in Cherokee County or Pleasant Grove in Pottawatomie County receive very little locally. State aid makes up more than 80% of their funding.

“The vast majority of the schools in the state are on that state funding formula,” Ashlock said. “Just because it doesn’t hurt us immensely, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt anybody else.”

34

Ashlock said he didn’t see the need for the state to fund the choice to attend private schools.

“If somebody wants to go to a private school, it’s their choice to go to a private school,” he said. “I don’t really know that there’s a giant need for the state to have vouchers.”

Instead of thinking solely on how a school voucher-like system would affect public schools, Sen. Marty Quinn, R-Claremont, said that students should be the primary concern.

“The emails you get from time to time use phrases like ‘public schools will be hurt,’” he said. “Why is that same person not putting forth that students will be hurt? Because that’s what moms and dads are seeing. Moms and dads see that first. The kid should be the priority. The student should be the priority, not the system that has long been in existence.”

Samantha Richards said she’s thought about sending her son, Brodie, to a private school and would support a school voucher-like program. “I feel like that would give more kids an opportunity for a better education even if they couldn’t afford it,” she said.

When Richards was in high school, she received an offer to attend a private high school, but she turned it down.

“For high school, I did vocational college to be a cosmetologist, so when I graduated high school, I also graduated with my license,” she said. “The reason I chose not to go to private school is I wanted to do that college thing in high school.

They didn’t offer that at the private school I was going to go to, so I’m glad I went to a public school.”

The prevalence of public school shootings in recent years also has Richards concerned, and it’s this pervading thought that keeps her wondering, “Would a private school be better?”

WHAT’S IN YOUR BACKPACK? THE INSIDE LOOK

By Alyx Sabina

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t’s that time of year. School is becoming more stressful, and backpacks are becoming cluttered. It’s much easier to shove it in your bag rather than to find a trash can. So let’s take a dive into the lives of a couple of students and see what’s hiding under all those books and laptops.

Raelyn Kirkpatrick, criminal justice major, unzipped her bag to find one of the most important school supplies for her major, a hair clip.

“If I forgot my hair clip, I’d be really sad,” she said. “In my classes, we do lots of labs where I have to put my hair up, and I don’t always have a hair tie on me,” she said.

The next thing in her bag is one of the most essential things for long days on campus, an emergency kit.

“I keep important things like a charger, masks and chapstick in this bag just in case,” Kirkpatrick said.

Lastly, she said it was super important for her to always keep cash in her bag.

“I always carry cash in my bag when I am on campus,” she said. “It’s just easier. If I forget my wallet, I can’t just run home to get it since I’ll be here all day.”

Donell Jensen, multimedia major, shared some interesting

stuff he’s been stashing away in his bag over the school year.

The first thing he pulled from his bag was a pack of ramen.

“I love ramen, and I love both the chicken flavor and the beef flavor,” he said. “I keep this in my bag to save money and to stay fed. Ramen is pretty freaking good.”

The next thing he found floating in his backpack was his “thinking” sock.

“I don’t really know how this is going to help me, maybe by keeping one foot warm and obviously helping me think,” he said.

Last but certainly not least, Jensen explained a very essential book that he enjoys keeping in his bag.

“This is my favorite book called ‘The Storytelling Edge,’” he said. “It teaches you how to market your stuff, how to get your voice out there and make people actually care about your work. I’ve reread it several times.”

Everyone has a method when it comes to making it through college, and what’s in your backpack is part of that method. What are some random things that you keep in your backpack that help you on your journey to graduation?

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find your voice.