October 2019 - 15th Street News

15th Street News Volume XLVIII

October 2019

Lady Raiders ranked No. 7 in nation Story by Photo by Caleb Betterton Sports Editor

Women’s soccer at Rose State had a tough but strong start to the season, a start that propelled them into the top of the national rankings.

They are currently ranked seventh in the nation and have a record of 9-1-1.

The Lady Raiders achieved this success under the leadership of Head Coach Tommy Riley and Assistant Coach Steven Cummins.

“Expectations were high,” Riley said.

They had to be, because they started out the season facing two opponents that were ranked in the Top 10.

They beat Iowa Western, the thirdranked team in the nation at that time, 2-0. Then they lost to the fifthranked team in the nation at that time, Navarro, 1-0.

Rose State women’s soccer team has an abundance of talent this year, giving them plenty of options and opportunities to try different formations. Also, this allows Riley the ability to keep the starting positions up for grabs every week.

Riley said, “this increases the intensity in practice because it causes the athletes to fight for their place.”

The talent has transferred over to the field, both offensively and defensively.

“We have some really good defenders,” Riley said.

The three starting defenders for Rose State, Paige Graham, Mackenzie Greer and Avery Holland, have allowed only two goals in the past 11 games, while their offense has scored 38 points.

They are very confident they will keep up that trend for the rest of the season, especially on the defensive side.

“I don’t see us letting in anymore goals,” Holland said.

Even with the success they have

Lady Raiders’ Chelsie Hay helps lead the team to victory.

had so far, they believe there is still room for growth. Communicating together and always being on the same page is something Graham thinks they could get better at, which will only help them down the road.

In spite of the constant competition for starting positions and playing time, this team is a strong team.

“We are like a little family here,” Greer said.

One of Riley’s favorite aspects about this team is their attitude; he said it’s “nice to come in and do a job that you love every day and be around kids that make it easier.”

Riley’s coaching style and philosophy is a little different than the average coach.

“Tough love,” Greer said. “He just pushes us to be the best players we can be.”

Riley tries to present problems so players can learn how to figure things out for themselves.

“Because it’s like anything in life, if you can’t solve the problem then you

have issues,” he said.

Riley said it comes down to being able to “manage people; everyone is different and you have to coach different people in different ways.”

Although the expectations were high to start the season, they were clear.

“Definitely the national tournament,” Riley said.

Greer agreed, “I want to make it to nationals.”

Those expectations have not changed either. Now with the momentum of having beat a highly-ranked opponent and being ranked in the Top 10, they are on track to fulfill that goal of reaching nationals and bringing the trophy home to Rose State.

Find game times and locations at rscraiders.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule.

Student admission is free, while non-student admission is $5.

Editor’s Note: Rankings were current as of Oct. 3 press date.

ISSUE II

Swift starts petition for Equality Act, calls for support at VMAs Story & Photo by Leah Irwin Multimedia Editor During her MTV Video Music Awards speech Aug. 26, Taylor Swift, spoke about how much LGBTQ equality is needed and her fight for the Equality Act. How we got here: The road to equal rights for the LGBTQ community in the US starts in the 1950s, with the creation of the Mattachine Foundation.

Founded by Harry Hay, the Mattachine Foundation worked toward improving the lives of gay men with discussion groups and activities. It was later renamed the Mattachine Society. By the end of 1952, another organization known as ONE, Inc. was formed, which welcomed women and published ONE, America’s first pro-gay magazine.

By the 1966, many gay people were regularly harassed in bars and restaurants. In New York City, gay gatherings were considered disorderly and bars would not serve alcohol to gay people. Some would be denied service or even kicked out if they were suspected of being gay. This led to the Mattachine Society forming what they called a “sip in” inspired by the “sit in” of the 1960s, during these sip ins, would enter bars and openly declare themselves gay. Once they were turned away the person would sue the establishment.

During a prominent sip in at Julius, a tavern located in Greenwich Village, the establishment denied the patrons service and erupted in publicity with the reversal of the anti-gay liquor law following.

This wasn’t the last time Greenwich Village became involved in LGBTQ activism. On June 28, 1969, police raided the gay club The Stonewall Inn, a large and cheap institution that welcomed trans people, drag queens and homeless youth. During the arrests residents of the inn, including Marsha P. Johnson, began See EQUALITY, Page 4

In this issue The Things We Don’t Say Page 3

October Horoscopes Page 6

County Criminal Justice Authority Page 8

Selena Screens It Page 10

2

Raider News

Campus Chat

“What is your Starbucks order?”

Danielle Stangle

Kenndrick Hicks

Cameron Rogers

Major: Biomedical Engineering Stem Cell Research

Major: Criminal Justice and Police Science

Major: Nursing

“Pumpkin Spice Latte”

“Vanilla Bean or Caramel Frappuccino”

“Vanilla Chai Latte”

Raider Rack and Raider Necessities: Giving students what they need to succeed Story & Photo by Selena Williams Assistant Editor Many students find it difficult to make ends meet while attending school, but the University Center’s Raider Rack and Raider Necessities has their backs, supplying students with the food and clothing they might need.

Raider Rack Clothing Closet and Raider Necessities Food Pantry opened its doors to students May 21.

Raider Rack supplies students with the proper clothing they need and is operated through a partnership with Sharing Tree, “a nonprofit organization serving families in need by providing a dignified shopping experience at no cost through four programs: Christmas Connection, Crisis Connection, Classroom Connection and Community Connection.”

Raider Necessities is a comprehensive food and personal care pantry that is operated through a partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. These services are free for any Rose State student.

Raider Rack and Raider Necessities have fed and clothed 500 students since June 2019.

The creator, Dr. Monique Bruner, director for the Rose State College Center for Success, Inclusion and Diversity, worked

Dr. Monique Bruner sees her longterm plan through to existence. Shuntae Wallace and her daughter, Isabella utilize the new Raider services. (Photo of Isabella courtesy of Shuntae Wallace.)

on getting these projects on campus for almost five years.

“I want to see our students succeed, and I see so much need from students,” Bruner said.

“Additionally, research says that students must have their basic needs met in order to be successful in college.”

Both causes have impacted Bruner in a positive way.

“I’m overwhelmed by the support faculty, staff, students and the community have committed to this initiative,” she said. “The stories of hope and love from the students makes my heart smile.

While most of the students and staff that have utilized Raider Rack and Raider Necessities want

to be invisible, their gratitude is awe-inspiring.”

Raider Rack and Raider Necessities helped Rose State student Shuntae Wallace in more ways than one.

“The program helped me with maternity clothes from the Raider Rack,” Wallace said. “I found out I was eight weeks pregnant, and I had an 8-month-old baby when I returned to Rose in the Spring.

My daughter, Isabella, loves to walk around the pantry and shop for her favorite snacks.”

Wallace said the programs have helped her with the necessary items she needed so she would not have to stress, knowing this allowed her to focus on her assignments.

Wallace was a stay-at-home mom, and now she has found a second family with these programs.

Wallace thanked Bruner and said “no matter what people are going through [Bruner’s] staff makes them feel like family.”

Bruner said anyone can donate clean clothes, toiletries and food (canned goods, microwavable soups, frozen dinners/pizzas and snacks).

Donations can be dropped off between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at the University Center.

Requested items for donation: • Men’s clothes • Dawn dishwashing soap • Laundry soap • Feminine hygiene products • Razors • Tissues • Bath and body products • Canned foods • Frozen dinners • Microwavable soups Raider Necessities and Raider Rack are both open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Other times are available by appointment.

For more information, contact Bruner at mbruner@rose.edu.

Lifestyle

3

The things we don’t say: Communication and connection Story & Photo by Camryn Sturgill Features Editor In order to maintain a healthy state of mind, it is important to learn how to communicate feelings and emotions with the people around us.

Communication is a skill that is developed over time. Just like any skill, individuals must work to perfect it. But what happens when someone lacks the skills to communicate effectively?

Some cultures view those who show little to no emotion as “powerful” and “secure” individuals. People who do not regularly reach out to others may seem as if they have life figured out; however, things are not always as they seem. Many college students are young adults, and as such their desire for independence is growing. In search of independence people oftentimes frown upon the idea of communicating or reaching out to others for help.

“Human beings are wired for social interaction, for many different reasons, but mainly this is to learn how to develop the skill of communicating,” said Dr. Sheri Fleming, professor of psychology at Rose State.

Professor of Psychology Dr. Elizabeth Boger explained the importance of communicating emotions and circumstances, as well.

“As a species, we are social,” Boger said. “We need to have productive, warm relationships with other people. One important facet of friendships and strong family relationships is disclosure, particularly emotional disclosure.”

Just as communicating with others has positive effects, the lack of doing so can be particularly negative.

“Repressing emotions does not permit us the ability to process them,” Boger said. “Denying the events that aroused the emotions, likewise, does not allow us to determine what, specifically, was damaging or provoking about the event. We can’t determine our role in events, other peoples’ roles, or even how to avoid the event or prevent the event from recurring.

Though we focus on negative emotions and events when discussing this topic, the same is true for positive events.”

For some people, it is already a struggle to understand the strange, new emotions we experience on a day-to-day basis. Add this to the fear of not being understood when reaching out to someone. As young people, it can be difficult to take the first step into finding someone with whom they feel safe communicating; however, this is extremely important.

“We tell the people in our lives about the events of our lives and

how we felt — and they do the same.

We don’t just benefit from sharing our feelings and experiences; when others confide in us, we benefit as well. That reciprocal sharing strengthens relationships,” Boger said.

Boger suggests those struggling in this area should reach out to some of the professionals at Rose State.

“The college has a variety of resources available for students, for both psychological and environmental struggles,” she said. “Dr. Joanne Stafford is a clinical psychologist on campus who can provide therapeutic assistance and referrals. The college

now has a food pantry and a clothing rack for students experiencing challenges meeting their daily needs — a situation that many people are hesitant to discuss openly due to stereotypes about self-sufficiency and dependency.”

For more information regarding free counseling services offered by Rose State, visit Rose.edu/counseling or call 733-7373 to schedule a counseling appointment. All calls are confidential.

For more information regarding the food pantry or clothing rack, contact Dr. Monique Bruner at mbruner@ rose.edu.

The sleep deprived cannot survive

Story & Photo by Ahmya Williams Co-Editor in Chief

Class, homework, work and repeat.

This is a typical day in the life of most college students, and this does not include the student athletes or the clubs and organizations in which a student may participate. College students have full days and nights of school and work. When is there time to get enough rest?

The average amount of sleep required for adults is seven to nine hours. Getting an adequate amount of sleep each night is just one essential element to maintaining a properly functioning body. Many college students have had at least one incident of sleep deprivation.

Hunter Snow, a nursing student in his second year at Rose State, is also a shift manager at a restaurant and normally works 40-50 hours a week.

Snow said he sleeps about four to five hours daily. He noticed being a full time manager and student has affected his sleep schedule.

“I have pulled many ‘all-nighters’ to stay up and study for my exam or finish homework because I was at work,” he said. Psychology Professor Richard Wedemeyer explained how lack of sleep can negatively affect the body and daily life “Sleep deprivation may be the most pervasive health problem contributor that we face,’’ Wedemeyer said. “Not

With midterms approaching, students must be aware of sleep deprivation effects.

getting enough quality sleep easily causes us to be moody, short-tempered and causes us to make more mistakes, including omitting steps, making careless errors, and it impairs our learning and decision-making. Lack of sleep also causes us to gain weight and then suffer additional consequences.”

Snow also mentioned how his lack of sleep could be affecting his body negatively.

“I’m always trying to drink energy drinks and coffee,” he said.

The amount of sugar and calories most energy drinks and coffee contain can cause weight gain and can be unhealthy.

Wedemeyer can relate to being a sleep deprived college student.

“I was particularly stressed during a period in the ‘80s when I was working two jobs and going to school four nights a week,” he said, “My sleep suffered then much as it

does for many students now who are working and going to school while also attempting a social life.”

Many college students today work at least one job while going to school full time, and trying to keep a social life is just as hard as trying to get enough sleep.

“It seems that our culture has presented us with the notion that doing a lot is somehow valuable, a reward in itself,” Wedemeyer said. “It is easy to reach a point wherein quality sleep is sacrificed.”

While it may feel good to get a lot accomplished daily, it is also essential to one’s health to get enough rest.

“I think it is important to recognize that nightly sleep – long enough and of the right structure – is as important as any health initiative in self-care,” Wedemeyer said. He also outlined ways to try to get good rest at night. “There are many sleep hy-

giene recommendations that can assist this, such as making a routine of the rituals surrounding bedtime, not drinking alcohol or caffeine within four hours of bedtime, leaving your phones and TVs off, and so on.”

There are many other tips to try to achieve proper rest at night. Going to bed and waking up around the same time every day will help set the internal clock and help with having better sleep at night. Keeping a regular wake to sleep cycle will keep a good routine for your brain and body to know when it is time to get rest.

Taking a nap anytime after 3 p.m. would cause someone to stay up later throughout the night and create an irregular sleep schedule. It is also best to avoid doing homework or studying in bed. Keeping the bed as a place just to sleep will make it easier to get rest.

Listening to soft music or nature sounds can help with falling asleep, these sounds can help calm the brain, which makes it easier to fall asleep. Making a to-do list before going to bed will help get rid of worrying thoughts on the brain so rest at night can be easier to come by.

Allowing an adequate amount of rest each night will improve physical and mental health. Sleep is one of the best forms of self-care.

“We are mammals after all, and so it is our destiny to spend a third of our lives sleeping,” Wedemeyer said.

4 EQUALITY continued from Page 1 to throw whatever they could at police. This act blew up into a riot and for the next five days many protests. One year after the protests, locals marched down the nearby streets. Calling the event Christopher Street Liberation Day, this march is considered America’s first pride parade.

Later on, in 1978, this country would see greater strides to the LGBTQ community as California elected its first openly gay man, Harvey Milk, into political office.

Shortly after, Milk went to a gay rights activist and artist, Gilbert Baker, to create a symbol of pride.

In the same year, Baker revealed his creation at a pride parade — a rainbow flag.

As time went on, the LGBTQ community in the United States made many more strides toward equality. These included the striking down of anti-sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas (anti-sodomy laws still exist in Oklahoma), President Barack Obama signing the Matthew Shepard Act, Obama repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and later the Supreme Court ruling against Defense of Marriage Act’s Section 3. It was not long after that, in 2015, the Supreme Court decided to make the states unable to ban same-sex marriage. Finally, throughout the country, same-sex marriage became legal.

Where we are now: The most recent stride to equality is the Equality Act. The Equality Act aims to help women and those in the LGBTQ community

Lifestyle gain equal rights, most notably, non-discrimination in the workplace and when applying for housing. So far, the Equality Act has been passed by the House but still must head to the Senate. Pop artist Taylor Swift has become very adamant about pushing the Equality Act forward. Last summer, Swift released a music video to her song “You Need To Calm Down” where she invited many famous LGBTQ figures to join her in the video.

At the end of the video, she left a message asking her fans to go support the Equality Act on change. org, stating, “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.”

Swift posted a call to action on change.org.

According to Swift’s petition, “Our country’s lack of protection for its own citizens ensures that LGBTQ people must live in fear that their lives could be turned upside down by an employer or landlord who is homophobic or transphobic. The fact that, legally, some people are completely at the mercy of the hatred and bigotry of others is disgusting and unacceptable.”

Swift got the chance to throw out her message once again at the MTV VMAs when Swift won Video of the Year for the same video in which she addressed the Equality Act. “I first want to say thank you to the fans because in this video several points were made, so you voting for this video means that you want a world where we’re all treated equally under the law,” Swift said in her acceptance speech.

To read Taylor Swift’s full petition, visit change.org.

She later pointed out in her speech that her petition has five times the number of signatures a petition would need to warrant a response from the White House.

“The Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, the House-passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights,” responded White House spokesman Judd Deere in a statement to USA Today.

Since this statement, there has not been much word on when the Equality Act will go before the Senate. At the moment, Swift’s Equality Act petition has gained over

558,000 signatures.

“Our country has made strides in creating policies that promote equal rights for the LGBTQ community but we still have a long way to go. Our current administration as put in place a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. Our Supreme Court is currently looking at work protections/ discrimination for LGBTQ individuals,” said Sarah Hoss, adviser of Rose State’s Spectrum Alliance.

“None of us have equal rights until all of us are protected by the law.

That includes the LGBTQ community, women, people of color, people with disabilities, people with few or limited socioeconomic resources, and people with chronic illnesses.”

Factory Obscura’s Mix-Tape offers immersive art experience Story by Tanner Pipins Editor-in-Chief Photo by Todde Clark Factory Obscura, an Oklahoma City-based art collective, held its grand opening of ‘Mix-Tape’ Sept.

21. Since being formed in 2017, the collaborative artists have created multiple immersive art odysseys designed to take their guests to a new world of creativity and consciousness.

One of Factory Obscura’s earlier creative experiences was known as SHIFT. SHIFT was an environment its artists created with the intentions of allowing their visitors to visualize what the different stages of human consciousness would look and feel like. The states of consciousness represented in the experiences were asleep, almost awake, fully awake/attentive and finally falling back to sleep.

Factory Obscura’s newest experience is the second installation

of ‘Mix-Tape,’ its fourth initiative and first permanent exhibit on 9th Street in Automobile Alley.

Mix-Tape is now occupying the remaining 6,000 square feet of the building.

Over 30 artists have come together to provide a handcrafted, “out of body experience” using music and architecture. Even though the Mix-Tape installation is an auditory art show, the full-sensory exhibit has distinctive embellishments that were created to observe and interact with their surroundings in creative ways.

With Phase 2 of Mix-Tape opening up to the public, Factory Obscura is aiming to carve out new creative frontiers for Oklahoma City by supporting arts education and building an economy for creative works.

“We are changing the economic model in the arts,” Laura Massenat, Co-Founder Factory Obscura said. “Providing jobs for

artist to be paid as they work, instead of working in hopes of finding a buyer who will purchase their creations. I like that we offer the opportunity to collaborate and create bigger and more ambitious projects than a single artist could complete. We are building a sustainable company that can provide long term art jobs that show young people that art is a viable

and valuable field of study.”

Factory Obscura’s operating hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sundays the hours are limited from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Factory Obscura is located at The Womb, 25 N.W. 9th Street Oklahoma City. For more, visit @factoryobscura on Instagram.

Lifestyle

Story by Camryn Sturgill Features Editor Chris Freihofer has brought a little bit of Hollywood to Oklahoma with The Actor Factory, an on-camera training center for actors of all ages.

Freihofer is a casting director, actor and owner of The Actor Factory. Some might recognize him from his role as Dan Wachsberger on AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” while others might be more familiar with his work as a casting director. Freihofer has cast many movies, including “To the Wonder,” “The Jogger” and “Forsaken.”

“I accidentally fell into casting,” Freihofer said. “Someone hired me to be an assistant on a film. Other ad agencies found out I did that and asked if I could help cast commercials.

Then some movies came to town and I asked if I could help out with that, so it all just kind of fell into that.”

Freihofer has experience in many areas of the industry.

“I’ve done a couple of movies in the past couple years as well as a couple TV shows, but I primarily do casting now,” he said.

Freihofer taught acting for

Hollywood in Oklahoma many years before discovering there was not a place for adult actors to study on-camera acting outside of the university setting.

When asked what he hopes actors take away from his classes, Freihofer said he hopes people walk away as a better on-camera actor. He does not promise success, but he thinks actors will gain new insight.

“We can’t make any promises.

We can’t say ‘just because you take a class you’re going to be cast in movies or become famous,” Freihofer said. “Acting is an ongoing study. You don’t take a class and suddenly become an actor. You’re always studying. I have been doing it for 40 years in one way or another, and I’m still learning. We have classes that help people get their feet wet, learn the vocabulary and learn what is expected. We want people to learn the basics and the techniques so they can hopefully become a better actor.”

Alex Preble is an L.A.-based actress and former student at The Actor Factory and spoke fondly of her time there. She credits The Actor Factory for all of her auditioning skills.

“As an acting major at the University of Oklahoma, I wasn’t

Poe Bouyz House along I-35 in Oklahoma City.

The House that Howard built Story & Photo by Zaviana James Social Media Coordinator

Over the past four years, many people have wondered what was to come of the strange building on the east side of I-35 with the odd windows, crooked doors and not to mention the waterfalls. Well, that building opened at the end of August and it is a seafood restaurant called “Poe Bouyz House Seafood.”

Many students had plenty of ideas of what this odd building was going to be, but only a few were correct.

“My sister and I use to think it was going to be some type of weird restaurant or something,” said Jacob Moody, mass commu-

nication major.

“I personally thought it was just a really weird shaped house,” said Alexandria McClail a pediatric medicine major.

“I thought it was going to be some type of museum or restaurant honestly,” said Dallan Wilson a liberal studies major.

The owner, Tony Howard, has built this creative restaurant on his own. Howard, having 25 years of experience in construction, was able to take his time to make this the restaurant he wanted.

The outside of the building is possibly one of the most unique buildings in Oklahoma.

“God will give you great ideas, if you just open your mind,” Howard said.

5

‘fitting in’ with what the professors wanted. I felt as if they always found a problem with me,” Preble said. “But when I was at The Actor Factory, it was like coming home. I was there nearly every night in a class; it became the place I associated with a safe zone. I knew I could be myself without judgment. The flaws that my professors saw in me, were the ones that the Factory taught me made me unique and special.”

Preble has gratitude toward Freihofer.

“No one works harder than Chris Freihofer for the Oklahoma film community,” she said. “He is always looking for ways to help the actors. He was a huge reason I stuck with acting when I felt like I wasn’t good enough. I’ll forever be grateful for the Factory.”

Freihofer offered advice for aspiring actors.

“If you want to be an actor, jump in and work as hard as you can,” he said. “Don’t expect it to come easy.”

For more information, visit theactorfactory.com.

According to Howard, all the ideas came together over time.

First came the crooked doors, roof waterfall, side waterfalls and then the Poseidon tridents.

Howard originally had a seafood restaurant in 1999 called “Flip Flops Seafood” and one again in 2008 called “Big Boys Seafood,” it may be safe to say that seafood is his specialty.

“I love seafood, obviously. So that inspired me to stay with the seafood theme,” Howard said.

At the moment, Poe Bouyz House has various menu items that make some customers believe they are at a Cajun restaurant.

However, over time the menu will expand to more seafood.

Howard is currently preparing for some big things that are going to be happening at Poe Bouyz House. Friday nights are going to turn into “crab night” with various choices of crab. Also customers will be able to enjoy live music while enjoying their food.

Poe Bouyz House is also featuring various local artists to show abstract pieces around the restaurant walls. Currently, the walls are covered with some abstract paintings that are available for purchase by customers.

“If pieces are for sale Poe Bouyz House receive a 20% cut that is donated to Hope For The Future,”

Howard said. Hope for the Future is a non-profit organization. They give children who have been taken away from their homes by Child Protective Services a place to visit their families in a home-like environment.

Poe Bouyz House is open to anyone bringing their pieces of art to be shown around the restaurant.

Howard wants the overall experience from the food to the environment to be the No.1 thing that makes Poe Bouyz House different from all the other seafood restaurants in Oklahoma.

“The ultimate vision is to have a great spot with great seafood and a wonderful environment for families,” Howard said.

Poe Bouyz House plans to be the total opposite of other restaurants, people will feel at home, enjoying the food and the atmosphere.

Howard has put his heart and soul into this restaurant from building it himself, to working in the kitchen and even working during closed hours.

Poe Bouyz House is currently looking for individuals to join their staff. If interested, contact Howard at 979-0240 or visit the location at 3500 N. I-35 Service Road. They are open for business 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.

6

Lifestyle

Horoscopes

by Ahmya Williams Co-Editor in Chief

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) It’s all about you, Libra … during your birthday month.

Time for your rebirth and reset.

What brings you great joy? What pleases you? Who do you really want to be?

As well as your spiritual growth, financial growth will be great this month, and I’m not just talking about birthday gift money.

Let’s create an opportunity for a relationship to enter your life or change for the better. What do you really want from someone romantically?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be aware of the light you shine wherever you go and in whatever you do. What is the bigger picture you would like to see for yourself and the world? Be open-minded to exploring the city, making new friends and creating new projects this month.

Romance has gone well for you these past months; marriage has been a topic of discussion or will become one this month. You will be reuniting with someone from the past this month; hear them out and gain peace. Keep shining your light, Capricorn.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) This is the month for you to do what you do best … take control.

Control what you can, and let go of what you can’t.

Be open to change and take risks this month.

A past relationship or someone new will enter your life, and you will be hesitant to let them in. Listen to what they have to say. This will be essential for your growth this month.

The last few months for you have been exhausting. You began to think, will I ever be happy again? You will, and this is the month to allow true happiness in your life.

Expressing your creativity this month will allow happiness to present itself in your life.

You will make new friends this month so don’t hesitate to join that club or organization you have been looking into.

Open yourself up to allowing romance to enter your life.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Peace will be prominent this month, take advantage of it.

Practice self-care intensively.

Plan a trip, and explore something new. New beginnings will be present in your career and school life.

Visitation from someone special in your life will happen this month.

Open yourself to receiving new opportunities and miracles in your life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20) These past few months have been hectic for you.

This month will be a lot less hectic and present an abundance of peace in your life.

This is a good month to study life more deeply than you normally do.

A past love will return this month.

Explore your gifts and talents more.

Think more about your future this month, what possibilities are available to you?

It is your time to shine, Pisces.

7

Lifestyle

What do the stars have to say?

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19) This month will be all about peace for you.

Peaceful communications will present itself in your relationship or a new relationship will present itself if you’re ready.

You will receive good news financially this month.

This is a good month for you to explore your spiritually more.

Anything that has been in the dark, will come to light this month.

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May. 20) You can’t control everything, Taurus, but don’t let this discourage you. Victory is yours.

New beginnings will occur in your relationships this month, allow it.

Time to get busy; physical activity should be prominent this month.

Find your balance.

Freedom is key, Taurus.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20) This month will start off with an abundance of creativity from you.

Do anything that puts a smile on your face.

Observe your social circle and make some necessary changes. Are they adding more positivity than negativity into your life?

Be open to changes in your relationship or allow a new one to present itself.

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22) This month is all about decluttering for you. Declutter anything that is needed to allow new and positive energies into your life.

Be open to networking and forming new connections this month that could be beneficial to you and your future.

Bring out your individuality this month.

Keep learning about yourself, Cancer, you have come a long way.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22) Learn more about life and yourself this month.

Try to make your spaces more aesthetically pleasing to lift your energies and spirits.

This month is a good time to focus on your higher education and completing something, maybe a degree.

Relationships will present themselves when you are ready.

What is meant to be, will be.

Inspire others.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) It is time to get back in control this month. Take a look at that to-do list you have made and get productive.

Do the best you can; nothing is ever perfect for long.

Explore new career opportunities and services. Have you been thinking about launching a YouTube channel, website or social media account? This would be a good month to launch it.

Are you overspending or not treating yourself at all? Study your finances and create a balance.

Let go of all of the negativity gracefully.

8

Lifestyle

Story by Selena Williams Assistant Editor With Halloween right around the corner, it is only right to tell a creepy story. Now, here’s a story the Rose State community will not soon forget.

According to one source, there is a poltergeist located in the security office on Rose State’s campus.

Rick Melendez worked for Rose State’s campus security for five years. He said he experienced paranormal activity when he worked for Rose State.

“I had my back turned, and I felt something touching me,” Melendez said. “I thought it was

a fly or something, I kept swatting at it; you know, just carrying on with my routine, watching the monitors. When all of a sudden, this chair just bounces up and down and then, I get all of this background noise. I turn around and this chair is just hopping.”

Melendez tried to assess the situation.

“I said, ‘what the heck,’ and then I turned around, and we started looking for fish lines, you know. I thought some of the officers were playing tricks,” he said.

“Because this thing was bouncing straight up and down like somebody was pulling it from the bottom and dropping it.”

Melendez called Martin Steger,

a humanities division technical assistant who works for the theatre department to help shed some light on the spooky situation.

“I came over, and I was trying to figure out how I could make that happen,” Steger said. “I grabbed the back of the chair because I was going to lift the chair up, and the back came out of the base because the base was so heavy that it didn’t even come with it. So, yeah, for someone trying to be under the table, out of sight and try to bounce that chair without being seen ... no, nope, no way.”

There is obviously no way to explain what happened in that

room, but Melendez tried to make sense of it all.

“It happened during the day, so I just wanted to explain it more than anything,” Melendez said. “I kind of walked around the room and I kept saying what would cause this? I looked on my phone and Googled [if we had] any earthquakes. Nothing whatsoever. I showed it to chief of security and some other people and they were like ‘oh shoot, we’re going to stay out of the security office from now on.’”

So, students, faculty and staff, beware of the poltergeist that is lurking around campus because you never know who could become its newest victim.

Scissortail Park holds Grand Opening Story by Tanner Pipins Editor-in-Chief

Photo courtesy of @ROSESTATE Instagram.

Moscow Ballet ballerina visits Rose State Story by Tanner Pipins Editor-in-Chief

Moscow Ballet is a group of award-winning dancers and ballerinas that travel the world to perform ballet classics like “Cinderella,” “The Great Russian Nutcracker,” “Swan Lake,” as well as others to sold out audiences around the globe. In preparation for their performance of “Great Russian Nutcracker” at the Hudiburg Chevrolet Center in November, Bogdana Kopiy, Moscow Ballet ballerina and audition director, visited Rose State to engage with students in a unique way.

Kopiy began dancing at 5 years old and went on to earn a specialist diploma in choreography from

Ivan Franko National University.

Kopiy has performed as Little Swan in “Swan Lake,” the cat in “Sleeping Beauty,” as well as a Princess, Soldier and Snowflake in “The Nutcracker.”

Moscow Ballet’s Art, Drawing and Dance program brought Kopiy out to allow students to draw and interact with her as she held various ballet poses. The Art, Drawing and Dance program was established to build a relationship between fine art students and the artistic potential with the dancer’s movements.

Both students and Kopiy benefited from the artistic and cultural experience they had here on campus.

After a decade in the making, Scissortail Park has finally opened and more than 25,000 Oklahomans were there to celebrate. The opening weekend kicked off with a ribbon cutting that was followed by a concert from Grammy-winning band Kings of Leon. The 70-acre park features a lake, boathouse, outdoor roller rink, an enclosed dog park, water features and tailored landscaping that has prairie grasses native to the area. Friday’s celebration marked the official opening of the northern section of the park.

However, the section located west of the park is not estimated to be completed until 2021.

Photo courtesy of OKC Mayor David Holt.

“This is an example of vision and persistence,” OKC Mayor David Holt said in an interview with the Oklahoman. “And it also is a reminder that this community is capable of great things and I certainly want it to inspire people ... to continue this journey with MAPS 4 and give somebody some exciting ribbons to cut in a decade ahead of us.”

The park is located at 300 SW 7th St., and was built as a result of the MAPS 3 program. MAPS 3 remains on budget to finish the remaining sections of Scissortail Park. As for MAPS 4, every registered voter in Oklahoma will be able to cast their ballot on Dec. 10.

Politics

Criminal Justice Authority to control County Jail, friction with Sheriff’s Office

9

to stay and work at the jail is for the benefits.”

Brown expressed frustration and confusion over the testimony from the officers, he explained the trust has done everything it can to address officer concerns and asked, “who’s stirring the pot?”

Oklahoma Sheriff’s Office employee, Lt. Shaw, speaks before the trustees on Sept. 9.

Written by Bailey Walker Senior Editor The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office has run the Oklahoma County Jail since its construction in 1991, however, a jail trust was formed in June to eventually relieve the Sheriff’s Office of its authority over the facility. This trust, named the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, holds open meetings at the Oklahoma County Annex Building and has been a site for contention.

The jail has always been plagued with problems, garnering attention from the Department of Justice for dangerous and unconstitutional conditions. At trust meetings, activists continue to express concern and correctional officers worry aloud about the future.

The trust is composed of nine trustees: Chair Tricia Everest, Vice-Chair Jim Couch, County Commissioner Kevin Calvey, Sheriff P.D. Taylor, Lawyer Frances C. Ekwerekwu, former Sen. Ben Brown, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, former OKCPD Chief M.T. Berry and billionaire Sue Ann Arnall.

JAIL HISTORY AND INMATES City officials at the time saw the new jail as a symbol of modernization, but soon after it was built infrastructural defects became apparent: kitchen mold, pipes and walls leaking and sewage systems failing and backing up into toilets and showers. The companies tasked with designing the jail, Manhattan Construction Co., and its architects, HTB Inc. and RGDC, had never built a jail before. As a result of their work, County Commissioners filed a lawsuit against the builders which was settled out of court. The design of jail pods themselves prove problematic. Not every cell is visible by stationed guards and active checks every hour are the only method of direct supervision, this allows a wide window for inmates to suffer physical or mental health crises to only be found dead later.

Other conditions directly concerning inmates have had a poor history. Oklahoma has the highest incarceration rate on the planet, as such, the County Jail experiences overcrowding of at least 2,000 inmates in a facility built for about 1,250. It is important to note not every person in the jail is a convicted criminal, many are awaiting trial after an arrest and can remain there for months. Unsanitary food conditions

and poor fire safety procedures have been documented, as well.

In July 2008, the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division published a report outlining “constitutional deficiencies” of the jail.

DOJ Constitutional Deficiencies 1.

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Insufficient Protection from harm Inadequate security and supervision Inmate-on-inmate violence Prevalence of staff use of force Inadequate disciplinary and classification processes Deficient suicide prevention Inadequate investigation of serious events Inadequate health care services, Inadequate access to medical care Inadequate mental health care Inadequate treatment and management of communicable disease Deficient housing, sanitation, and environmental Protections Inadequate detainee housing Inadequate maintenance of the Jail’s physical plant Unsanitary food service protections Inadequate pest control Inadequate laundry services Dangerous life and fire safety deficiencies

The DOJ outlined minimum improvements to meet generally accepted professional standards of correctional practices including improved staff numbers and training, repairing jail locks, implementing adequate sanitary laundry procedures and properly separating inmates to prevent violence.

Between 2014 and January 2019, 45 inmates have died in the Oklahoma County Jail. Enid News reported 110 cases of inter-inmate assault in 2018, and 254 cases of inmates assaulting corrections officers. Data on officers assaulting inmates does not appear to be available, though cases of firings and prosecution have occurred to remove offending officers.

The jail has no dedicated mental health facilities, an ordinary pod serves as a makeshift special ward, and available empty cells as treatment units.

Kingfisher County Deputy Mike Sterling is a retired Navy Chief, having served in two combat zones and worked to detain terrorists over his 40-year career. Sterling worked in the OCSO from 1990-1997, in the jail and on the bomb squad. He returned from April 2018 until September 2018. On dangerous and antagonistic conditions in the jail, Sterling wrote: “There are many reasons, but a couple of the main ones are low pay doesn’t make a happy employee,

working conditions along with low pay make it worse, and leadership that is exposed to the same as the employee with a view of no chance to advance or get a pay raise breeds discord, and then lack of supervision which causes folks to take short cuts and treat people badly due to their circumstances.

It is a vicious circle but there is hope now that the jail will be run in a trust situation and all of the allocated funds will go to raises, training, supervision, and the correct training of supervisor management trying to teach supervisors how to manage employees.”

OFFICER CONCERNS There are concerns among the Sheriff’s Office and jail employees about changes during and after the transition of power. At a Criminal Justice Authority meeting, jail employees approached the podium with similar concerns: employment benefits and Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training certification. CLEET is the regulatory body that certifies peace officers, encompassing highway patrol, municipal police and security guards. This training makes these guards certified peace officers instead of a civilian employees, and officers want to keep that certification.

Retaining that certification should not be an issue, according to Tina Hutchinson-Romena at Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office.

“It’s not a long process,” Hutchinson-Romena said. “The director contacts CLEET to obtain certification, sends a letter of intent, a job description and reason for firearm.”

Though there was a gap in certification from 2002-2008, Hutchinson-Romena explained it was a misunderstanding. The former director simply did not reapply for certification, and in late 2007, another director came on staff and began the process, obtaining certification by 2008.

Correctional officers make around $28,000 a year and those who testified before the Criminal Justice Authority explained though the pay is low, the benefits are worth it.

“A lot of these employees are getting by paycheck to paycheck,” said Sheriff’s Office employee and Vice President of the Office’s Fraternal Order of Police Mike Durban, “and that for most of these current county employees, one of the main reasons they’ve decided

FRICTION The Sheriff’s Office claims low funding is the main problem with the jail, and that the new jail trust adds “uncertainty” to employment.

Others claim the jail’s problem is not funding but organization and operations. Sterling wrote, “It also became clear to me that funds were being diverted somehow from the jail to other functions at the Sheriff’s Office such as salaries. This should have been quite obvious to you when the Sheriff fought so hard to keep the biggest liability he has. [Under the trust] his budget went from 50 million to around 10 million and he is unable to maintain top-heavy staff of unneeded supervisory employees since he can no longer pay them. I resigned from the Sheriff’s Office, dismayed at this lack of common-sense reform.

“The difference between [Oklahoma and Tulsa County], in the same state, same laws, and roughly the same jail population, two urban counties, if you look at the [Tulsa County Jail] and ours it’s like the difference between a civilized country and a third-world country,” Calvey said. “We lock ‘em in like animals 23 hours a day; in [Tulsa County] they’re out of their cell 16 hours a day, only lock ‘em in at night.

Out there they can check out tablets that can get a certain amount of free legal research and they can pay to listen to music or watch movies. Now, out of their 24 pods, two of them are restrictive housing, ours it’s everybody.

It’s really that big a difference. The problem now is operations, has nothing to do with funding.”

Sterling, in a letter to the OKCJA Trustees, wrote: “I was astonished that jail operations were so unorganized. I was also saddened by the lack of leadership and negative mindset toward not only the prisoners themselves but the employee to supervisor attitude.”

A memo from Calvey outlined data from the County Clerk’s office showing leftover money in the Sheriff’s Office budget of FY 2017-2018 of a little over a million dollars. The memo explains this money could boost the pay of OCSO employees to the highest in the state. A history of this kind of surplus is corroborated by previous statements from County Assessor Larry Stein.

“I drew up a plan for the total reorganization of the Sheriff’s Office and Jail operations,” Sterling’s letter continued, “I submitted my plan in August of 2018; I waited two weeks, however saw no changes and no one from the upper level even inquired about the plan.”

Sterling recommends, “For now we try the Band-Aid method and fix items in priority of their severity until we can make it possible to obtain a temporary half cent or one cent sales tax to fund a new facility that won’t have the issues this building does.”

10

Opinion

Selena Screens It Story by Selena Williams Assistant Editor “IT Chapter Two” Directed by Andrés Muschietti Cast: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgård “It Chapter Two” is the sequel to the 2017 film “It,” both based on the 1986 novel “It” by Stephen King. “Chapter Two” was not extremely horrifying to watch, but the almost threehour film kept me engaged the entire time. The film is filled with bloody gore, CGI corpses and surreal humor.

You definitely get a “Stranger Things” vibe, which is not a bad thing. The film tackles bullies,

“David Makes Man” American drama series Executive producers: Tarell Alvin McCraney, Mike Kelley, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey The series about an underprivileged boy growing up in Florida, is from Tarell Alvin McCraney the writer of “Moonlight.” This is the first show in awhile, that I know of, that highlights the struggles of adolescent boys. It’s a coming-ofage story about a black teenager, the people who want him to live up to his promise and a country that does not seem to have room for him, no matter how great he might

hate crimes, domestic violence and broken friendships.

Spoiler Alert! The first scene takes place 27 years later in Derry, Maine at an amusement park with a same sex couple running into a group of guys, that were not happy about the two mens’ relationship.

Without getting too far into it, one of the men was beaten and thrown off a bridge into a river, where Pennywise devoured his body.

This particular scene was hard to watch; it definitely was not what I expected from the franchise. Moving on, “The Losers Club” are now all adults leading mostly successful lives in big cities, until they are called back home by their old friend Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), when Pennywise strikes again. None of them can

recall the specific trauma of their teen years, and in one of the best scenes, memories bubble up at a Chinese restaurant. Even if they do not remember the past, they are all still running from what happened, and their daily lives are filled with pain. Beverly (Jessica Chastain) has found herself miserable in an abusive marriage in New York. Wanting to spare the local kids their hardship, the grown-up losers vow to destroy Pennywise for good.

The adults of “Chapter Two” are very well-casted and each cast member resembled their child counterpart. The film is a psychological thriller and is worth watching. Also, Stephen King makes a surprise appearance in a pawn shop. So, if you are going to watch, keep an eye out for this scene, you do not want to miss it.

become.

I love that the series focuses on David’s life at school. Especially notable is his friendship with a boy in his class named Seren, as part of a storyline that dips into topics like colorism and violence and a legacy of trauma, without becoming too heavy-handed.

Seren’s family is slightly better off than David’s, so he has a slightly more realistic path to follow toward stability and success. But everybody at the school seems to see how much David might accomplish if he can navigate the minefield of black male adolescence in America and come out the other side.

“David Makes Man” stumbles a

bit in the episodes that follow its mesmerizing first hour. I’ve seen five so far. But it’s worth watching for what it does get right and for its visual style. It creates a world where teen boys’ innermost thoughts are scribbled on the wall, like passing notes, and where David can seem trapped between moments of time, in a dark place where he has the luxury to pause and breathe and contemplate for just a moment. A show does not have to be perfect if it’s offering something no other show can, and I can think of no other show that is quite like this one.

“David Makes Man” airs at 9 p.m.

Wednesday on OWN.

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11

Calendar

OCTOBER SUN 13 SCCA Autocross Event @ Remington Park @ 7 a.m.

20 Fall Harvest Fest @ Delmar Gardens

@ 2-5 p.m.

MON 14 Fall Fest on Campus Mall through Wednesday

21 Baseball game @ home @ 2 p.m.

TUES

WED

THUR

15

16

17

18

Thunder vs.

Grizzlies @ Chesapeake Energy Arena @ 7 p.m.

Fall Break - no class

Fall Break - no class

Mason Ramsey concert @ Tower Theatre @ 8 p.m.

FreakFest @ OKC Farmers Public Market @ 7-11:55 p.m.

Wind Ensemble Concert @ Atkinson Theatre @ 7:30 p.m.

22 Domestic Violence Awareness Day seminar in PTC @ 1-3p.m.

23 Guns ‘n’ Roses Concert @ Chesapeake Energy Arena @ 7:30 p.m.

27

28

29

30

Women’s soccer home game @ 2 p.m.

Brick-or-Treat in Bricktown @ 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Baseball game @ home @ 2 p.m.

Thunder vs.

Trailblazers @ Chesapeake Energy Arena @ 7 p.m.

24

Criminal Justice Reform in Oklahoma Debate Panel in CLC @ 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Women’s soccer game @ 1 p.m.

Men’s soccer game @ 4 p.m.

31

FRI

25 Baseball home game @ 1 p.m.

SAT 19

Making Strides of OKC Breast Cancer Walk @ Wheeler District @ 8 a.m.

36th Annual Haunt the Zoo @ OKC Zoo @ 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

26 National ACT @ 7 a.m.

12 Staff Members Editor-in-Chief

Tanner Pipins @princeoftan_air

Co-Editor in Chief Ahmya Williams @qtmyaaa

Assistant Editor

Selena Williams selena-williams@raider.rose.edu

Senior Editor

Bailey Walker bailey-walker.com

Features Editor

Camryn Sturgill @camrynsturgill

Sports Editor

Caleb Betterton caleb-betterton@raider.rose.edu

Multimedia Editor

Leah Irwin leah-irwin@raider.rose.edu

Social Media Coordinator Zaviana James @gxldenzayy

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