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Wednesday, March 10, 2021

‘A slap in the face’ Students discuss the effect of wellness on mental health

Joshua Cleary

By Kenlee Smith Numerous students at OSU have reported feeling mentally drained due to not having a spring break this spring semester. Oklahoma State University’s spring semester began on Jan. 29th, which was one week later than the initial starting date. OSU also announced that the

university would not be having a spring break in order to hinder the spread of COVID-19. OSU implemented three “Wellness Days” for the campus community to have days off in order for students and faculty to rest.The Wellness Day dates are Feb. 3, March 4, and April 13. Although Wellness Days give students the opportu-

nity to take a small break, many seem to be upset at the loss of memorable spring break traditions, or even find the days unhelpful. The week-long “break” caused by the unfavorable weather conditions in February caused many classes to get behind in classwork and assignments, causing mounting stress

and assignments for students. Hannah Gallegos, sophomore, said, “Without having a spring break there is no time to relax during second semester which, for me personally, is when I typically take my harder classes. I feel bombarded with homework, exams and quizzes, and have no opportunity to take

time to focus on my mental health.” Even though students had a “week off” from class inperson, the workload still remained intact for most. By not having a spring break, students have claimed to feel “overwhelmed” and “bombarded with homework”. Gage Hart, a senior at OSU, said, “I will say it’s personally kind of sad for me to not have the week off because my mother’s birthday has always been over spring break, so even once I moved away from home, I was still able to spend her birthday with her during the week off.” When Hart was asked his opinion on Wellness days he said, “I think they were a bandaid that was desperately thrown on a horrible wound after we lost five students (I believe it was five) to suicide last semester. Now is there something better they could’ve done? Probably not, but I think the three Wellness Days were perceived as a slap in the face to people See Slap on pg. 2

On or off? Bryan Pizana

Jones and Patchin Hall at Oklahoma State University on September 21st, 2020

By Kenlee Smith Everyday the clock atop Edmon Low Library sings the OSU Alma Mater hymn. Students who live on campus hear this song almost every day. Students off campus

don’t share this experience, but rather a different one. Every freshman who attends OSU is required to live on campus, except under some unique circumstances. After students complete their freshman year, they have the choice to remain living on campus or move off campus.

Living on campus, students have numerous resources available to them. Popular resources include Twenty-Something, the Colvin and Edmon Low, which is a short walk from almost anywhere on campus. All of these resources are still available to students who

live off campus but perhaps they just aren’t as convenient. Trace Holsted says, “I like living off campus because you have more personal space. We have our own See On or off? on pg. 2

Page 2 Wednesday, March 10, 2021

News

Slap Continued from pg. 1

who cared about mental health and also a crappy replacement to those who were looking forward to spring break.” Students have reported popular Wellness Day activities, which include partying and going out of town with friends. SOme students disagree

on the three Wellness Days being a fair trade for the week long spring break. Bailey Rubin, sophomore, said, “I think that replacing spring break with wellness days just provides students another excuse to go out and party because ‘we have another day off.’” Rubin also stated her opinion over not having a spring break,”I feel that when we do have a spring break we will actually take the opportu-

nity to go home and take a mental break from the college environment, whether it be an escape from stress of school work or the constant feeling of not wanting to miss out.” OSU plans to have a “normal” fall semester, which depends on the advances and vaccination schedules for COVID-19. Many students are hopeful to return to normalcy this upcoming fall. news.ed@ocolly.com

Joshua Cleary

On or off? Continued from pg. 1

backyard and patio where we can grill and hangout outside. I miss the social networking aspect of the dorms the most, it seemed like there was always an activity going on to help build friendships that last a lifetime.” On a similar note, “ I like the feeling of having my own place. Although, I don’t like walking to campus, but it’s a short walk.” says Cade Moore. For the students who live on campus, the walks are shorter and the advantages of the

social aspect seem important. “I like living on campus because it gives me a chance to meet new people.” says Colton Hanna. Kaitlyn Taylor said, “I like how close I am to my classes. However I do wish I had more room.” Living on campus gives students the benefit of being close to classes and having the opportunity to socialize with other students. On the other hand, living off campus, students claim to have more room and the freedom to do what they want. news.ed@ocolly.com

Page 8 Wednesday, March 10, 2021

sports

Bracket analysis What the road to the Big 12 Championship looks like for the Cowboys

Dean Ruhl Avery Anderson scored 31 points, without Isaac Likekele and Cade Cunningham, the Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers 85-80 to finish the regular season. Now they’ll have to do it all over again. OSU finished with a record of 18-7, 11-7 in the Big 12. This is the first time coach Mike Boynton has crossed double-digits in conference wins during his tenure. It’s only the second time the Cowboys have won more than 10 conference games in a season this decade. They earned the No. 5 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, and will face the No. 4 seed, West Virginia on Thursday. The teams split the season series. West Virginia won the first game 87-84 on Jan. 4, and OSU won the second meeting on Saturday. A win against WVU would likely match the Cowboys up against Baylor on Friday, unless TCU or Kansas State can upset the top-seeded Bears on Thursday.

Big 12 Conference

The Cowboys are surging right now, and have become one of the hottest teams in college basketball. They’ve won five of their last six ranked matchups, including a season sweep of rival Oklahoma. As a result, the

national narrative of this team being just Cunningham and some other athletes has changed. Some say they are a legitimate threat in the NCAA Tournament. Cunningham is still the leader of this team, but the emer-

gence of Kalib Boone, Bryce Williams and Anderson, have created the atmosphere of a team that can contend nationally. The most recent Big 12 Tournament champion, Iowa State, was a No. 5 seed when they won in 2019. With

the momentum OSU has, they too can win the conference. Even with a loss, OSU is projected to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. sports.ed@ocolly.com

Page 4 Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Lifestyle

Accidental Road-Side Attraction The Giant Transformers of Stillwater

By Anna Pope Bumblebee Transformer Statue | Visit Stillwater Life-size Bumblebee and Optimus Prime transformers greet drivers on Highway 51 going into Stillwater. G&M Body Shop put up the transformers in 2015 and structures almost instantaneously became a tourist attraction in Stillwater and are now featured on sites like Visit Stillwater and Tripadvisor. Both statues are made

mostly of metal decked with headlights and finished with a sleek paint job. Standing around 20 feet tall weighing roughly 5,200 pounds, Bumblebee is located at G&M’s east location while 22-foottall Optimus Prime stops traffic at its west location. These transformers are massive and are seemingly difficult to assemble. Derek McCubbin, manager at G&M, said setting up the transformers requires a crane, a few hands, knowledge on how to do it and the right equipment.

McCubbin said the statues were purchased but the owner spent around six months overhauling parts by repainting, smoothing down sharp edges, repairing what was falling apart and adding finishing touches like the tires on Optimus Prime. While robots are eyecatching, McCubbin said the transformers becoming an attraction was unexpected and now people are always there. “Typically every day we see someone out front taking photos or looking at it,” McCubbin said. “We’ve seen it

in the rain, it’s been lightning outside, (and) people pull up. Like, why are standing next to a big metal structure in the rain?” The life-size robots are not just a local attraction. Visit Stillwater is a local organization dedicated to bringing attention to what events, activities and attractions are in Stillwater. Nicole Horn, director of sales of Visit Stillwater, said the information from the organization’s website shows people specifically drive in to see the transformers. In addition to people asking about the transformers in the organization’s visitor center, Horn said the structures compel a good amount of traffic off of Interstate 35. When she first saw the robots Horn said she thought they were incredible and immediately wanted to find a way to promote them. Even though it is a part of the job, Cristy Morrison, president and CEO of Visit Stillwater, said anytime unique or different things are in the community it’s exciting to publicize it. Different attractions draw people in at different times of the year. Morrison said it’s difficult to narrow down how many tourists stop to gawk at the transformers. However, she said people are consistently there to stop by for a photo and she has the opportunity to hear from groups like school classes, motorcycle clubs and car clubs about making special trips to see the giant robots. entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

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DON’T STUMBLE! (Part #1) “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Mt. 11:6) The words “fall away” are sometimes translated “offended” or “stumble.” Let me paraphrase; blessed is the man who does not stumble, get offended, or fall away because of the way I do things. This is Jesus’ answer to a question from John the Baptist. Are you the one who should come or do we look for another? John was now in prison. He is the one who baptized Jesus and said “Behold the lamb of God.” John is the one who had given witness who Jesus was. Now John is asking, “Do we look for another?” John believed the messiah was coming, but in coming he expected him to come in a different way than Jesus came. It is so easy to stumble at God’s ways,

because his ways are not ours Notice Paul’s quotation from Isaiah: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that make them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (Is.8:14, 28:16 NIV) The Jewish leaders stumbled at Christ’s first coming because he did not come as they expected. They expected a conquering king, but he came as a servant in doing God’s will. (Phil.2:8) Peter almost stumbled and was very upset when Jesus began to tell his disciples what was going to happen to him: he was going to suffer. “Never, Lord!” Peter said. He did not understand God’s plan! Let’s be people of prayer and humility. Be open to God’s clear guidance in our lives!

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sports

Corrections to make Cowboys down Memphis 4-1 Jared A’Latorre Even though the Cowboys beat Memphis, 4-1, the Cowboys said they still have to make major adjustments. With the depth the Cowboys have, the team feels they should be playing up to the standard. They don’t think so quite yet. Even though Dominik Kellovsky won his singles match, not a single pair of Cowboys won their doubles match. “We have been very bad in doubles so far, I think there’s not much to say, we’re just trying to figure out a couple of things, it’s not great, we’re struggling on each spot and I generally think that we have to be much, much better than this to achieve the goals which we are setting, so we can’t lose doubles points to the players which we have,” Kellovsky said. A team that has numerous nationally recognized players should be able to put up a battle in doubles, at least that’s what Kellovsky said. “I think that we have that many good players to play in doubles, that doesn’t matter who we’re going to play against, we should at least compete for each dou-

Claire Boomer Emile Hudd and Matej Vocel play their doubles match as the Cowboys play No. 4 Michigan Wolverines on Feb. 21, 2020 at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

bles point and not lose them, because we are losing them right now,” Kellovsky said. Emile Hudd had a day, winning 6-4 and 6-4 in doubles. Hudd said he knew the way to beat his opponent in this game, but has the same thoughts about the latest struggles. “For us, I think everyone is a skillful doubles player, it’s just kind of about lack of confidence and a rhythm,” Hudd said. “I don’t think it’s anything to do with

ability or pairing, it’s just a confidence thing.” Coach Scoville Jenkins was emphasizing the adversity the team faced after the doubles matches, but also addressed the struggles to his team after the game. “It just feels like in doubles, there could be a little bit of confidence because there’s a lack of execution,” Jenkins said. “It feels like we’re just thinking too much, it wasn’t all bad, sure, but we just have to be better at execution.” When it comes to Big 12

play, Jenkins said the problems need to be fixed. Jenkins said that losing is one thing, but the competition is what matters. “Even if we don’t win the doubles point, we have to make it tougher,” Jenkins said. “I’m tough on them and not happy with doubles because I know we can do a lot better, if we couldn’t, it’d be a different story but we can, we can do so much better.” sports.ed@ocolly.com

FOR RELEASE MARCH 10, 2021

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Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis ACROSS 1 Is sporting 6 Bobby who lost to Billie Jean King in the Sexes” 11 Place to unwind 15 Sign up, in Sussex

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3/10/21

By Roland Huget

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Daily Horoscope Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Linda Black Horoscopes (TNS) Today’s Birthday (03/10/21). Invent and realize bold possibilities this year. Put in the consistent backstage efforts to realize your dreams. Navigate springtime career obstacles, before a sweet summer of domestic renewal and family connection. Resolving communication challenges next winter leads to a professional status surge. Follow a dream. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 7 — Stay polite and helpful with others, even when they’re not. Appearances can deceive. Each has their story. Advance a shared dream through collaboration. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Balance work and family responsibilities. Explore new workspace options. Adapt to shifting professional circumstances. An old dream seems newly possible. Imagine the potential. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Adapt studies and research to explore virtually. Avoid risky travel conditions. You can advance a longheld dream. Investigate a fascinating subject. Learn valuable tricks. cial effort. Collaborate around an unexpected expense. Focus on fundraisLeo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Strategize with your partner to work out a way around an obstacle. An old ambition or dream offers new potential. Discuss possibilities together. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Physical action gets results. Prioritize health and wellness. Slow to avoid accidents. Disciplined practices support with complications or changes. Collaborate with a great coach. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Breathe deeply and focus on what you love. Avoid risk or hassle. You can see clearly what’s important. Savor simple pleasures at home with family. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 7 — Share family support. Adapt to a domestic breakdown. Make a repair or upgrade that provides lasting improvement. Plant seedlings and tend your garden. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8 — Carefully edit your message. Diplomacy helps you communicate around a misunderstanding. Listen to all considerations. Let others know they’ve been heard. Solve an intellectual puzzle. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 9 — Focus on the numbers. project. New evidence threatens complacency. You’ve got this. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 9 — Take charge of your destiny. You’re ready to make positive changes, despite complications. You’re getting stronger. Consider what’s most important. Invent inspiring possibilities. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 6 — Plan your moves to advance a dream. Listen to intuition. Keep strengthening structures and supports, despite risky travel conditions. Play it safe and easy.

Level 1

3/10/21 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk

Page 8 Wednesday, March 10, 2021

sports

Bracket analysis What the road to the Big 12 Championship looks like for the Cowboys

Big 12 Conference

the momentum OSU has, they too can win the conference. Even with a loss, OSU is projected to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. sports.ed@ocolly.com