October 31, 2022

Pictures from homecoming, p. 8 TU volleyball bouncing back, p. 2 OK literacy rates on the decline, p. 3 Student loan forgiveness not built to last, p. 4 The abortion debate, p. 9

Sports

The Collegian: 2

October 31, 2022

Golden Hurricane triumphs over the Owls Sports writer Joe McCurdy recapitulates Tulsa’s game against the Temple Owls.

Coming off a bye week, Tulsa football had one goal in mind: go out 1-0 against Temple. After going 2-4 in the first six games of the season and 0-2 in conference play, the Golden Hurricane was in desperate need of a reset not only to reevaluate the season but to give some key players the time to get back to 100% before the final six game push. Going into the matchup, Temple was 0-2 in conference play with two blowout losses, one of which was to the University of Central Florida where the Golden Knights hung 70 points on the Owls. Tulsa and Temple were tied at three apiece in all-time wins against each other so Tulsa would have the opportunity to pull ahead in victories between the two teams.

in the first two possessions is a huge hit to a team’s confidence. But this didn’t discourage the Tulsa defense. It did quite the opposite,energizing a defense that has been dealing with its own issues. In the next four Temple possessions, Tulsa forced three Temple punts and two turnover-on downs, giving the Tulsa offense time to breathe and get back to their style of football. Tulsa proceeded to score 14 unanswered points to close out the half with running back Deneric Prince and tight end Ethan Hall both finding the endzone. Not only did Tulsa go into the locker room with a 14-10 lead but they went in knowing that star wide receiver Keylon “Sleep” Stokes had just broken the alltime receiving yards record in Tulsa his-

“Tulsa and Temple were tied at three apiece in all-time wins against each other. . .”

Davis Brin was back to full health after dealing with an ankle injury in the last three games which played a part in the three game-losing skid that the Golden Hurricane was on, so Brin was ready to get off to the right foot against Temple.

That didn’t end up happening, as in the first two possessions Brin managed to throw two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six, in his first two passing attempts. Early interceptions are demoralizing to any offense but to have it happen

tory, surpassing Howard Twilley who has held the record since the ’60s. Now, standing atop the Tulsa record books, Stokes will look to build up that record over the remainder of the season.

Coming out of the locker room with the lead, Tulsa was looking to keep applying the pressure and pull away from Temple. But after their first two possessions ended in a punt and a fumble, it felt like Tulsa was giving Temple opportunities to come back and snatch the lead

courtesy @TulsaHurricane on Twitter

from the Golden Hurricane. Temple was handing those opportunities right back, as a battle of mediocrity occurred in the 2nd half. If it weren’t for an 84-yard touchdown run by Deneric Prince, the game may have been different. The 84-yard house call by Prince was the longest run Tulsa has had all season, as they saw the most production from the running back position they’ve seen all year. Prince finished the game with 231 rushing yards on 20 attempts, giving Tulsa the most rushing yards from a single player since 2017.

This team has made it a priority to focus on the running game and establishing it

early on and this was a reassuring message to see the team continues to move in the right direction. After going up by 14, the game was securely in Tulsa’s hands, and came to a close after Justin Wright intercepted a pass by Temple QB EJ Warner, giving Tulsa the 27-16 win over the Owls.

Improving to 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in the American, the focus shifts to SMU as they face the Mustangs in the Homecoming matchup. Even though the Hurricane sit under .500, they’re is still plenty of opportunity to build on this success and finish the season bowl eligible for the third straight year.

Tulsa volleyball makes a season comeback The Golden Hurricane has landed themselves back in the middle of the pack in the AAC, sports writer Joe McCurdy reports.

Tulsa volleyball has been in a rough spot as of late, losing five of their last six matches,growing into a five-game losing streak with their next two losses against Wichita State and Cincinnati. While it can be said that Tulsa has one of the more aggressive conference schedules in the AAC, to lose five straight is a shot to the team’s confidence and demeanor.

The team’s struggles grew against Wichita State, a match that was firmly in

a much-needed win on the horizon, Tulsa began to relax, expecting Wichita State to succumb to the pressure of being down 2-0. The Shockers did no such thing, proceeding to take advantage of the Golden Hurricane’s ineptitudes, winning the third and fourth sets 25-15 and 25-18. It was truly a shock to the Tulsa team as they had to attempt to rally back from what was almost a guaranteed win. Witchita pulled out the reverse sweep, winning the third,

“They had to take steps in the right direction to get over that hump.” the grasp of the Hurricane who had won the first two sets 25-20 and 25-22, hitting above .300 in both. With a 3-0 sweep, and

fourth and eventually fifth set with a score of 15-12 and handing Tulsa their fourth straight conference loss.

Things had to get worse before they got better for this young Golden Hurricane squad as they had to continue their road trip and face the Bearcats of Cincinnati. Going into the match, both teams sat at the middle of the pack in the AAC so it was sure to be a battle between the two self-declared rivals. But it was yet another lackluster showing from Tulsa, losing the first two sets 25-21 and 25-18. In the third set, Tulsa showed some resemblance of a fighting spirit winning the set 25-16 but that was the extent of it as Tulsa proceeded to lose the fourth set 25-20.

There was a hump that Tulsa needed to get over, a spark that needed to be lit, a connection within the squad that had been missing for the previous 5 games.

The team couldn’t focus on the previous games and only look to what was ahead of them and control what they can control to be as successful as they could be go-

ing forward. They had to take steps in the right direction to get over that hump. This seemed to have happened in their match against Tulane. The fourth game in their five game road trip was no longer a much needed win but rather a desperately needed win. Tulsa started fast and strong, going on a four point run early in the set, and finished the set with a five point run. Winning an opening set isn’t something Tulsa has been able to do since Wichita State and they made sure the same mistakes that were made against the Shockers were a one-time thing. They proceeded to win the following two sets 25-23 and 25-20 and got the win they so desperately needed. Snapping the five game losing streak and putting them back in the middle of the pack in the AAC where they could easily find their way into the top 4-5 teams in the AAC.

Oct. 31 - Nov. 6 Monday

Tuesday 1

31

M Tennis @ Fayetteville Futures

All Day

Wednesday

none

Thursday

W Tennis

@ ITA Nat’l Fall Championships

TBA

none

Saturday 4

3

2

M Soccer @ SMU 7 p.m.

Friday

Sunday 5

Volleyball @ Temple 6:00 p.m.

Football Tulane 11 a.m.

W Tennis

Rowing

Hurricane Invitational @ Tulsa Fall Invitational

TBA

TBA

Volleyball @ ECU 11:00 a.m.

6

M Tennis @ Fayetteville Futures

All Day

W Tennis Hurricane Invitational

TBA

W Tennis @ ITA Nat’l Fall Championships

TBA

M Soccer AAC Quarterfinal

TBA

October 31, 2022

News

The Collegian: 3

Car theft and vandalism on campus This year, TU has seen a rise in vehicle break-ins and damages, likely due to the increased number of students and faculty on campus.

Krislyn McKinney Student Writer Recently students have been noticing some weird things happening in the parking lots here on campus. It is well known that when parking your car in any highly populated place there is a chance of something happening to your car.

Most people don’t worry about where they have parked their cars unless they are in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Some people were taught to lock their cars no matter where they park and some never lock their cars. However, depending on

to grow. Statistically, it is shown that cars parked in lots are four times more likely to be stolen than a car that has been parked on the street. The number goes up when the parking lot is dimly lit or close to high-traffic areas.

For this article, an unnamed student has been interviewed. He is a current student who lives on campus in Fisher West and whose car has gotten broken into a few weeks ago. When talking to him, he mentioned that this was not the first time his car has been broken into, especially in the Fisher lot. His Jeep soft top was “cut or unzipped” so the perpetrator could access the vehicle. Luckily, nothing of value was stolen out of his vehicle either time.. He did mention that both times the vehicle was left trashed or in disarray.

“There has been a rise in the number of students whose vehicles are broken into or damaged...” what type of vehicle you drive, locking it might not even help.

There has been a rise in the number of students whose vehicles are getting broken into or damaged on campus this semester. With there being over 1,000 more students this academic year compared to the last, we might see this trend continue

The student went on to mention how he has had multiple friends whose cars have been broken into, again the Fisher lot. When asked if he felt like there was any way this could have been prevented he mentioned that he doesn’t think so.

“Campo did not get there on time whatsoever. Absolutely unacceptable that we

courtesy Parkingzone.com Parking lots can be more dangerous to park your cars, in terms of vehicle break-ins or thefts.

don’t have security cameras in the parking lot. We are spending money on robot lawn mowers and robot food delivery machines before we prioritize safety and protecting our vehicles.” With this said it doesn’t mean that the Fisher lot is the only place that gets hit on campus. This can happen in any lot on campus.

Here are a few ways you can try to prevent lots of damage or possible theft of your car. Keep anything that could be considered valuable out of your car and on you or in a safe place like your dorm.

Make sure that your vehicle is always locked and that all windows are rolled up. Older vehicles or cars with soft tops tend to be hit more frequently, so be careful if you drive either. However, always remember that it can happen to anyone no matter what vehicle you drive — the only difference is if they can get in or not.

Oklahoma City literacy rates fall below grade level Due to the pandemic and online learning, students’ reading and math scores have fallen below the national average, and schools are trying to bridge the gap.

Erika Brock News Editor Following the pandemic, schools across the nation were prepared to see literacy rates drop in subjects all around.

Unfortunately, the rates in Oklahoma City Public School systems are significantly below the average that would have been expected nationally in both reading and math scores in fourth and eighth grade students.

The pandemic allowed students to fall through the cracks because of the lack of individual attention that they could have ordinarily received in the classroom.

Teachers would have been able to ensure that students were truly reading or practicing their math skills if everyone had been in the classroom, but because so much of the schooling process was taking place in the home, parents became

Math scores were reported to have fallen even worse in Oklahoma. Fourth graders experienced an eight point drop, while eighth graders saw a 13 point drop. Nationally, the rates were five and eight points for fourth and eighth graders respectively.

Joy Hoffmeister, current State Superintendent, launched the Science of Reading Initiative at the start of the school year in order to help bridge the gap between the lowered reading scores that were seen across the state’s public schools and what is expected from students at the age levels. The goal with this program is to effectively teach educators the “why” of learning to read. It focuses on how students learn to read, why they struggle and what teachers can do in order to assist students who are struggling.

This will aim to improve the speed at which teachers can teach students how to read because they will understand exactly how and why students are making the mistakes that they are. This is a $13 million initiative in federal relief that is expected to reach over 10,000 teachers across the state over the course of the next three years.

“The goal ... is to effectively teach educators the ‘why’ of learning to read.” more responsible for children’s learning, and they may not have had the time available in order to truly aid their kids’ learning process.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports the reading and math abilities of students in the fourth and the eighth grades, important years that determine if students have learned the reading and math skills they will need to move onto middle school and high school. NAEP does not test every student in the district, but rather a population of a school district that is “statistically representative” of the whole.

This year, the NAEP reports that there was an eight point drop in fourth grade reading levels, and a seven point drop in eighth grade reading levels in Oklahoma.

The national average was a three point drop for both grades.

In order to attempt to combat these drastic drops in literacy rates, other programs, like Reading Partners, are paired with children in kindergarten to the fourth grade who are showing that they are six months to two and a half years below grade standards for reading. This program takes volunteers ages 18 and older in the community to meet with students twice a week to give them the additional individual help that they need in order to succeed.

Oklahoma schools are expected to turn around the poor literacy levels that the state is currently facing with hard work from the teachers and parents, but most of all, the students. It will take time for students to catch up, and maybe even get ahead, but it will be done with support from everyone in children’s lives.

courtesy OKPolicy.org Oklahoma students in public schools are not meeting grade level expectations post COVID-19.

courtesy Facebook @Tulsa Public Schools Students hope to get the reading help in the classroom that they missed during online learning.

The Collegian: 4

Commentary

October 31, 2022

University football concussion protocols are too lax

The NCAA’s guidelines for university football are not strict enough to maintain players’ health.

Catherine Case Student Writer

courtesy wikimedia commons Tua Tagovailoa was removed from the field at the Week 3 matchup by ambulance.

Bright lights, quick throws, thundering crowds and fast contact all come to a screeching halt when a football player does not get up after the referees blow their whistles. This could be a mundane injury, a sprained ankle, a cramp or simply getting the wind knocked out of them. In some cases, we watch players attempt to stand, only to stumble or fall back down with their limbs moving uncontrollably.

Crowds hold their breath as they wait for these young men to stand back up. Some, like the University of Tulsa’s own Keylon Stokes, can move with assistance or entirely on their own. Others, like the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, are taken off the field in an ambulance with family in tow.

vailoa went rigid and was removed from the field via ambulance to a local hospital. The public was later informed that he was stable, conscious and had movement in his extremities. It was confirmed by Miami coaching staff that he did have a concussion. Shortly thereafter, an internal investigation was launched into the Miami concussion protocols quickly followed by an official investigation by the NFL. This comes after significant changes were made by the league to the concussion protocol in 2018.

While TU is certainly not on the national stage in the way the Miami Dolphins are, there was significant media coverage of Stokes’s collapse. This has not seemed to spark an investigation the

“Crowds hold their breath as they wait for these young men to stand back up.”

Both players’ returns to the field are controversial, as Stokes was allowed back in the game just two plays after ESPN captured the startling footage of the helmet-to-helmet collision by Ole Miss defensive player Otis Reese during the Sept.

24 game. The contact appeared to cause Stokes to have uncontrollable spasms after attempting to stand. Reese was ejected from the game for targeting, and Stokes was taken to the sideline to be evaluated for a concussion. Just two offensive plays later and Stokes was once again on the field.

Similarly, Tagovailoa was removed from the NFL Week 3 matchup against the Buffalo Bills to be examined for a concussion, which was deemed a back injury. He was also cleared to return to the field by the medical professionals on the sidelines.

Just four days later, he was slammed to the ground by a member of the Cincinnati Bengal’s defense. Upon impact, Tago-

way that Tagovailoa’s dramatic exit from Week 4’s game did. The NFL publishes its concussion protocol that teams and physicians must follow, but the NCAA simply lists guidelines that schools must adhere to when creating their own protocols.

However, they state on their website that “Division I submission of institutional concussion management protocols for review by the Concussion Safety Protocol Committee is not required at this time.”

Additionally, their website states that schools have not had to submit their concussion protocols since 2020 when Division I schools were given a waiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This waiver has been extended twice to now include both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons.

This begs the question: if the NCAA is not checking schools’ policies, how much protection are they actually providing students? The heavy responsibility of keeping these students safe falls to the various

courtesy tulsahurricane.com Keylon Stokes experienced uncontrollable spasms after colliding with another player on Sept. 24.

athletic departments of each university.

Our own concussion policy does its best to provide a guide but does not have a set amount of time that a player must stay out of a game or practice after receiving a head injury.

While some of our student athletes receive athletic scholarships, not all do.

Some students are not compensated for any marketing or promotional work they do either for sporting events or TU in general. But TU relies on the money that comes from patrons and audiences watching all our athletic events, particularly football. We cheer for these students as they risk significant injury, when it is not worth the risk to many of them. I myself am an avid football fan but having held my breath while I watched players on the field injured, I’ve had to take a step back and consider what long term effects the game is having on these students.

Biden’s debt forgiveness program is legal, but might not last Those in opposition to this program criticize that the extent of forgiveness Biden is calling for is too much of a stretch. This implies that the HEROES act has limitations, but nowhere in the act does it specify how much hardship reduction is allowed or how much can be allocated to loan forgiveness.

The most legally ambiguous part of this

Lawsuits against The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program beg the question: can it endure the courts?

Aurora Stewart Student Writer In a time where student debt in the US has reached more than $1.6 trillion, it is no wonder that people all over the nation are watching Biden’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program very closely. Rising college costs and decreasing returns on that investment have classified the student debt rate as a crisis by many.

Despite this, states have begun levying lawsuits against the program. And while many of them have been rejected, the increasing number is becoming hard to ignore.

So, is this program legal? First, let’s look at the claims against it. The main claim is that Biden has no authority to roll out such a large amount of loan forgiveness. The six conservative states where most of these lawsuits are coming from – Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina – also claim they would be significantly harmed financially following the billions in loan debt forgiven.

Biden did not implement this program without evaluating his legal legitimacy of doing so. There is an institutional basis for helping students and graduates with their debt. The Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003 created the ability for the national government to reduce hardships that federal student loans placed upon persons during national emergencies. In 2020, Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency. He therefore gave Biden the ability to reinstate this act.

expanded national jurisdiction.

Laws are, of course, important in deciding if something is legal, but so are legal precedents. Legal precedence is always changing, and Biden has every right and ability to influence it. Even if you do not like this program, you cannot deny that Biden would not be doing anything out of the norm by

“Legal precedence is always changing, and Biden has every right ... to influence it.” legislation is the extent of national power expansion it implies. It would be austencible giving the national government the power to largely change the allocation of debt in the country. This would not be the first time we saw a president respond to a crisis with an executive order though, or the first time they

expanding national legal power. Franklin D. Roosevelt, George W. Bush and Abraham Lincoln prove in and of themselves that where there are not explicit national restrictions, presidents have the right to make interpretations and reforms through executive orders.

Biden’s program for student debt relief has been widely criticized.

This program does, however, put the Biden administration at risk of being sued by student loan servicers. These servicers collect student loan payments on the government’s behalf and would lose significant income from the reduced amount of fees collected. If one of these private banks goes to the Federal District Courts and has a favorable judge, it could result in a nationwide injunction that would stop the entire program from going into effect.

There is also the issue of if any of the court cases levied against the program go to the Supreme Court. As the court has not exactly aligned themselves with the Biden administration, likelihood is that they would quickly shut it down.

Essentially, there is no way to know right now if the courts will support the legality of the PSLF program. If you are one of the millions who have student debt, absolutely apply to Biden’s program, but do not bet on it.

courtesy whitehouse.gov

The Collegian: 5

Variety

October 31, 2022

Ralph Macchio brings book tour to Tulsa

Author S.E. Hinton sat in on this conversation with Macchio as he discussed his new novel, “Waxing On: the Karate Kid and Me.”

Luke Buzzelli Student Writer Karate Kid’s very own Ralph Macchio made a pit stop in Tulsa during his tour for the launch of his novel.

The memoir, “Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me” details his experience in the film industry, especially early on as, of course, the Karate Kid himself Daniel LaRusso, but also as Johnny Cade from “The Outsiders.”

In fact, Mr. Macchio invited classic Tulsan author of The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton, to be the moderator of the event. Since the filming of the movie in the early 1980s, they’ve remained incredibly close, opening with a heartwarming hug. Macchio also stated that he knew immediately he wanted to include Hinton in the event as soon as he knew he would be in Tulsa. She had a profoundly formative role in his youth.

When he read The Outsiders in the seventh grade, Macchio felt a special connection to Johnny. He recalled the profound effect that the character’s voice had on him.

He looked in the mirror at that time and even thought, “he looks a little like me!” As such, he knew that once casting began, as a young actor, he would only accept the role as Johnny.

“Macchio also stated that he knew immediately he wanted to include Hinton in the event as soon as he knew he would be in Tulsa.”

This wasn’t such a harsh truth for Hinton, who told the young Macchio that, “You gave me a good night’s sleep tonight, kid” upon witnessing his acting skills at the initial table read.

Once filming, Macchio found immersing himself in his character to be more intense than he thought — thanks to director Francis

Ralph Macchio was in Tulsa on Oct. 20 for his book tour.

While “The Outsiders” became an obvious avenue for success for Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez, it was Karate Kid that skyrocketed Ralph Macchio’s into stardom.

“When he read “The Outsiders” in the seventh grade, Macchio felt a special connection to Johnny.”

courtesy @ralphmacchio on Twitter Ralph Macchio’s book released Oct. 18

Ford Coppola. On one hand, he had visited a local football game to see in action the type of person he was to assume on screen. On the other, as part of Coppola’s method acting techniques, he was instructed to practice a greaser lifestyle and sleep in the streets of Tulsa with a newspaper as a blanket. He did so until he woke up half-way through the night and returned to the hotel.

In “Waxing On,” Macchio speaks of his experience of fame, and especially of coming to the realization that, as he says, “Holy crap, I’m the Kid!” He speaks of his initial response to receiving the role in the movie, and the intricate technicalities that truly do come from a perfect crane kick. The behindthe-scenes detail is awesomely available, as a good memoir ought to be.

courtesy @MagicCityBooks on Twitter

The crowd wielded an incredible response, often standing in ovation. Jeff Martin relayed that for representing Johnny Cade as a symbol of Oklahoman culture, for his successful career and for the release of his memoir, he is formally recognized in accolades from the state legislature, and is presented a certificate of recognition.

This has been the largest turn-out so far on the tour, according to Macchio. He continues his thanks toward the crowd itself as well as the host of the event, Magic City Books. “Waxing On” can be found online and in bookstores everywhere now.

The University of Tulsa homecoming Zach Short Editor-in-Chief

The University of Tulsa held its annual homecoming celebration the last full week of October. Friday Oct. 28 saw the bonfire, where students got to meet the Top 10 freshmen and seniors for the year as well as to cheer on the football team the night before their big game.

Saturday started off with a Plain White T’s concert on Dietler Commons as part of the tailgating experience, which also included catered food options and carnival attractions all free to the public. After the pregame on the lawn, students and fans walked to H.A. Chapman Stadium to see the Golden Hurricane take on the SMU Mustangs for the culmination of the week of festivities.

Unforunately, TU dropped the game against SMU 45-34 in a hard fought matchup.

courtesy Maddie Walters

Variety

October 31, 2022

MCR dress up as younger versions of themselves as a way of making fun of nostalgia culture, i.e., the core of WWWY Festival

Maddie Walters Managing Editor My Chemical Romance’s elaborate statement at the first day of When We Were Young Festival will be remembered for years to come. Escorted onto the stage by crew members wearing scrubs, four geriatric men took the stage. Covered in prosthetics making them look like dead versions of their younger selves from their signature “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” album.

The band committed to the bit, hobbling to their places as Gerard Way misaddressed the crowd as Utah, rather than Vegas — where the festival was actually held.

Death” and “Sister to Sleep.”

The band even changed their stage presence to match that of their younger selves.

Way lowered his voice, gruffly singing and speaking, satirizing the stereotypical hypermasculine rockstar persona. Hunching his shoulders, his entire defying appearance practically screamed out, “is this what you want?” He wanted people to see how ridiculous it was to prefer a reanimated corpse — or the version of himself that had to die in order for him to be happy — rather than the Way fans have come to know this year.

Perhaps the most striking moment of protest came at the end of the concert when the band played “Vampire Money,” a song that critiques mass appeal and its relation to artistic expression. Ending on this song would’ve been enough of a statement, but the band opted to make their message abundantly clear as they shot fake money out into the crowd.

There was no better place to make this statement either as the WWWY Festival panders in playing things for nostalgia as their entire marketing campaign was centered around notable punk/scene/emo moments from the past and even “middle school me” memes. If it only ended there.

Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba recently revealed that his band hadn’t agreed to play at the festival when the lineup was announced.

In an interview with Vulture Magazine, Skiba let the cat out of the bag, saying, “They announced all those bands playing before anybody said yes. It was a Fyre Festival kind of stunt that worked. And I only know that because my band was on that initial flier. They almost expertly started advertising it before they had a single band on the bill. And somehow, all the bands agreed to do it,” Skiba says, “Somebody may correct

The Collegian: 7 me, but I know that Alkaline Trio, we hadn’t confirmed anything. And when we read that, we called other bands that were playing, and nobody knew about it.”

It seems as if the festival relied entirely on publicity, generating excitement among fans so their favorite bands would be forced to perform at the festival. Though Skiba didn’t appear to be angry about the ploy, it would be interesting to know what some of the other bands think, though it would probably be safe to say My Chemical Romance were not happy.

Regardless, My Chemical Romance took the hand that was forced upon them, and still managed to come out on top — much like they always have — with this elaborate middle finger to the festival. There is not another band out there today doing it like them.

“The band, sick of these accusations, took matters into their own hands...”

Unlike any performance yet for their “Return” tour, the band made a deliberate choice not to play their newest song, “Foundations of Decay,” which was released back in May. Instead, they went directly into “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” which is arguably one of their most famous songs. What proceeded was a set comprisinged only of their hits, which sharply contrasts their previous show which saw deep cuts like “Fake Your

My Chemical Romance has never catered to so-called nostalgia culture, though they are commonly accused of doing so as journalists have continued to call their reunion a nostalgia tour. The band, sick of these accusations, took matters into their own hands by essentially saying, “You want nostalgia?

Okay, this is nostalgia.” Be careful what you wish for, eh?

Gerard Way’s makeup took about four hours to complete.

Maddie Walters Managing Editor This past week, Gogol Bordello returned to the historic Cain’s Ballroom for a concert in support of their newest album, “Solidaritine.” Gogol Bordello is a seven piece “gypsy punk” band comprised of Eugene Hütz (vocals, guitar), Sergey Ryabtsev (violin), Pedro Erazo (vocals, percussion), Boris Pelekh (guitar), Ashley Tobias (vocals), Korey Kingston (drums) and Gil Alexandre (bass). The Collegian caught up with lead singer and guitarist Eugene Hütz a few days after the concert here in Tulsa before their Dallas show.

Before the concert, the band had a small field trip to both the Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center. Hütz is amazed at the musical history present within Tulsa.

“Oh man, the amount of musical history that Tulsa hits you in the face with is incredible.

I’ve been to the Woody Guthrie Center previously, being a longstanding fan of his,” he says “Punk rock music, to me, comes from the same tree as his music. There are a lot of similarities between hardcore, punk rock and Woody Guthrie.” He is a firm believer of Guthrie’s infamous message placed on his acoustic guitar: “This machine kills fascists.” Hütz raved about the center’s commitment to keeping Woody Guthrie’s legacy alive and well, saying that it was a privilege to visit it again. As for their visit to the Bob Dylan Center, he wishes that friends of his who weren’t there could’ve shared that experience with him, opting to facetime them during his visit.

courtesy Maddie Walters

“Solidaritine” tackles the subjects of war and ageism.

Tulsa’s music history didn’t stop with the museums. Upon returning to Cain’s Ballroom, Gogol Bordello was reminded of the Sex Pistols’ legendary show at the venue, which ended with Sid Vicious punching a hole into the wall. Hütz is an avid listener of the Sex Pistols, but wishes the musician would’ve been more careful. “I wish [Vicious] didn’t do it. Fists are precious to musicians,” he says with a laugh, “That’s not the side of punk rock that attracts me to it.”

As for the show itself, it was unlike anything this reviewer had seen before. As soon as the band ripped into their first song, the ground quite literally began to shake from the audience jumping up and down. Every single person within view had a smile on their face, and some audience members shed their modesty and danced unabashedly right in the middle of the pit. The entire show was an unashamed celebration led by the contagious energy of the band as they skillfully took the audience hostage with their music, which can only be described as a marriage between Eastern European music and punk. Hütz said it best during the show with, “Love is in the house.”

He later told us, “It’s the beauty of being in a grassroots band. A lot of bands can play in New York, London, Paris, Berlin and L.A. That’s not hard. But when you get off the beaten path, like the midwest on a rainy Tuesday night, and it feels like London on a Friday night,” he says with a smile, “It’s really rewarding to see that kind of crowd participation like going absolutely ham! It’s not rainy nights on Wednesday in midwest.”

Looking to Hütz’s past is crucial to understand the importance of this band. At the age of 13, Hütz and his family were forced to flee their hometown of Boyarka, Ukraine after the Chernobyl meltdown, spending seven years trekking through Eastern European refugee camps before eventually obtaining approval to resettle in the United States.

During this journey, he began to learn more about his Romani ancestry, which is what began his foray into music.

Since the amplification of the war in Ukraine, Hütz has remained insistently vocal about the trials his home country is going through currently, routinely doing fundraisers and donating money to Ukrainian causes. In fact, Gogol Bordello made international news late this summer when it was released the band had traveled to a warzone in Ukraine to play music for Ukrainian soldiers and refugees displaced by the war.

Despite everything Hütz has been through, he’s still shocked by the brutality of this war. “It leaves you mind boggled that things like this can still happen in the 21st century. It gives you an idea of how backwards some things can be,” he says

Variety

courtesy @screaminmeemz on Instagram

October 31, 2022

Music is medicine: an interview with Sam Quartin of the Bobby Lees

Our managing editor speaks with singer and actress Sam Quartin about her band’s newest record, “Bellevue.”

Maddie Walters Managing Editor Three years ago, the Bobby Lees made both local and national news when their gear was stolen right here in Tulsa before their show at the Starlight. Local musicians banded together to help the band so they could still perform, but thousands of dollars of equipment and merchandise were unfortunately gone. Local news station, Channel 6, helped the police to track down one of the thieves as video footage of him selling amps to a pawn shop started making the rounds online.

Lead singer and actress, Sam Quartin, spoke with us about the aftermath of this robbery. “We didn’t get everything back. The drums were in a house that was burned down, and the police had said that it was a drug house. It was pretty crazy,” Quartin says, “Our drummer was pretty sad.

They were handed down throughout his family. It was really sad.” Luckily for the band, Fender donated some gear to them, allowing them to finish the tour.

sa at the historic Cain’s Ballroom on Nov. 5. “I’m so excited to play Cain’s. It’s been on my goal list for a while now,” Quartin says excitedly.

“Bellevue” is the product of an extremely difficult period in Quartin’s life as the title suggests; the title gives a nod to the mental health institution she used to live near. “I had a pretty intense, I don’t know what it was, some people would call it a breakdown, some people would call it a breakthrough,” she continues, “I had a pretty bad drinking problem…

I had some weird experiences and stories from that time, which made it onto the record.” Quartin cites the titular song, “Bellevue,” as her favorite from the record

But this experience didn’t leave a sour taste in the band’s mouth. In fact, Quartin herself actually moved here last year, and the band has continued to frequent Tulsa venues.

Hot off the release of their third album, “Bellevue,” the Bobby Lees will play a show this week in Tul-

White and his many bands. “That guy knows what he’s doing,” Quartin says with a laugh, “We were sitting in the listening room of the studio, and I remember looking over to my left and there was a Grammy casually sat on a stack of books. And I was like ‘Ah, okay’” No pressure, right? Quartin says she was nervous at first, but soon relaxed because, “He provides an environment where I felt like I could be the best version of myself and come up with stuff right up on the spot. Normally, that would freak me out.”

The product is an angsty, angry album that is still somehow full of hope. In fact, someone recently diagnosed with cancer reached out to the

“She also expressed an interest in getting the chance to open for My Chemical Romance – a concert of theirs in Connecticut inspiring this.”

Despite being influenced by hard times, Quartin maintains that making this album was the most fun she has had in the studio ever. “Stuff that feels really painful, in the moment can be kind of tough, but With time painful memories can be kind of fun or funny, and I’m so grateful to have a place to put those experiences and challenges and make something creative with it,” she says. She hopes

“The recording legend Vance Powell helped produce the band’s newest album.”

Resiliently good times: an interview with Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello The lead singer of Gogol Bordello talks about Tulsa, their new album and the war in Ukraine.

The Collegian: 8

that others who have had similar experiences to her can find a solace in the album, or even the inspiration to create their own art.

The recording legend Vance Powell helped produce the band’s newest album. Powell is perhaps most well-known for his work with Jack

band, and told Quartin that whenever they get frustrated with their situation, they put on “Bellevue.” This response blew Quartin away, surpassing any reception she expected from the record. She sums it up best with, “[Music] is universal. Music is medicine.”

Hailed by Iggy Pop and Henry Rollins, the Bobby Lees come into their own with “Bellevue.” The record is fast, loud and dirty, revitalizing the punk genre by breaking it down to its basics, while still maintaining a unique sound. Bassist Kendall Wind’s aggressive and fuzzy tones would make the late and great Glenn Snoddy proud. Rife with energy and deliciously facetious lyrics, they truly are one of the most dangerous bands in today’s music industry.

When asked why she wanted to start a band in the first place, Quar-

tin said she felt a responsibility to. “I had these ideas and energy I wanted to put somewhere and I didn’t know where,” she says. But the road to becoming a frontwoman was a long one. “I used to feel really paralyzed with fear. I was really freaked out about playing in front of people. How do you start a band if you can’t play music in front of anybody?” Her answer was Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way,” a self-help book that aims to help those who are self-conscious harness their artistic abilities.

Did her acting career help with this fear? No. Known for her roles in “Candy Land,” “Body Brokers” and “Run with the Hunted,” Quartin says that, to her, acting is less vulnerable than music. “With a song, I don’t feel like I’m playing a role. It’s me and my experience. I’m trying to be as raw and honest as possible. It was more vulnerable and scary.”

Looking to the future, Quartin expresses a desire to one day play the BOK Center here in Tulsa after seeing a concert there earlier this year. She also expressed an interest in getting the chance to open for My Chemical Romance – a concert of theirs in Connecticut inspiring this. “They’re a dream band to open for one day,” she says with a small laugh.

The Bobby Lee’s concert is looking to be a not-miss show, with Quartin hinting that some songs that haven’t been played live before just might get played at Cain’s.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased at https://www.etix. com/ticket/p/6776774/9th-annual-rockn-folkn-chili-cook-off-tulsa-cains-ballroom?partner_id=240.

Come back to the Collegian after their Nov. 5 concert for a show gallery.

Highly Suspect bring their Midnight Demon Club tour to Tulsa Maddie Walters Managing Editor

Born in Ukraine, Hütz has been very vocal about the war.

poignantly, “People relaxed too soon in thinking that when WWII was put to rest, that that was it; they thought everything else after is a safezone.”

“It’s hard to explain to people what it’s like to wake up in a peaceful city and see a military drone of an enemy floating in front of your balcony,’ he says. The world has become disconnected and desensitized to the plight of the Ukrainian people, though Hütz understands why; it’s not easy to open yourself up to so much pain, but those that do, in Hutz’s words, are “absolutely amazing.”

He has nothing but respect and love for his fellow Ukrainians during this difficult time. “We have skills of perseverance and resilience. People figured their way around it in Ukraine. My family and friends who are still there, we are in very close touch.”

So where was he on that fateful day in February? He was in the studio, making Gogol Bordello’s newest album, “Solidaritine.” He says the album was nearly finished when Russia launched their attempted invasion, though the themes are still present; the war really started in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea, and since that pivotal moment, a full-scale war had felt inevitable.

“The way we address things, we don’t write about the difficulties, we write about overcoming them. Punk rock is about perseverance and resilience. It’s about being faithful to your true calling against all odds. That’s the kind of music that I write and we play,” he says.

The main message of “Solidaritine” is one of hope. “This album is very positive music made for overcoming hardships of political turmoil of the last years, the pandemic and of atrocities like the war. It’s about gearing up and strengthening your inner core – your mental strength, he says, “It’s about ris-

courtesy Maddie Walters

ing to the highest possible level of human potential as individuals and as a society.”

Considering everything that Hütz has endured throughout his life, it’s a miracle he’s been able to retain his hope in the world — a testament to the human spirit. When asked how he’s gotten through so many hardships, he sighs and pauses for a moment before answering. “I’ve reflected on that a great many times in recent years and I think it’s the elders in our family. We grew up with people who have bullet wounds in their hips, in their shoulders, in their chest and they’re your great grandparents and grandparents and they’re just walking through like it’s nothing,” he continues, “You see them, as they grow up to 86 or 87 years of age. You start reflecting back on how they were – how was their daily operation – and you start understanding how crucial wisdom was. You start to learn from that more and more. You realize how lucky you were to have people like that in your family who served in WWII during its entire duration.

They did not sleep…eat for four and a half years, and then came home and had this whole other 60 years of Soviet Dictatorship and never lost themselves… They threw no fuss. Nothing fazed them.” He goes on to say that because of this fact, he believes ageism is completely moronic, which is a theme Gogol Bordello’s album tackles.

Looking back to the concert, one of the most poignant moments occurred during the band’s extended encore when Hütz grabbed a Ukrainian flag and waved it around for all to see while he sang “Undestructable,” with its lyrics about surviving the unthinkable.

“Solidaritine” can be streamed on any major music platform.

Grammy nominated band, Highly Suspect played a show at Cain’s Ballroom in support of their newest album, “Midnight Demon Club,” which was released back in September. This new album is their first 2019 album, “MCID,” — a fan favorite. In fact, two fans on the barricade even had “MCID” tattoos.

The crowd stood in suspense, waiting for the band to take the stage.

Once lead singer Jonny Stevens ran on stage, the audience erupted. Before beginning the show officially, the band paused to hug one another, and then immediately launched into “The Sound.” What proceeded was nearly two hours of impressive musicianship.

courtesy Maddie Walters

The State-Run Media

October 31, 2022

the

State-Run media We only publish uncontroversial lies

Is TU’s next mascot on the way?

In search of a new mascot, TU burns effigy of Captain Cane.

After deciding to replace Captain Cane, Brad Carson has labored day in and day out to decide on a new mascot. In this process he sought to “come up with a mascot that better fits the target demographic of gamers and business majors.”

As a homecoming event this semester, the administration decided to give the bonfire tradition a new twist. In front of the library, the bonfire was prepared as normal with the exception of a mannequin wearing the Captain Cane suit placed on top. Before tossing the torch into the gasoline doused pyre, Carson said to a ravenous audience all hyped up on “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” “Let the past die. Our future must burn brighter than this bonfire. We cannot let tradition hold us back.”

As his cape caught fire, Captain Cane went up in flames quickly due to the cheap materials used for the suit. The plume of smoke was briefly stained blue and then… nothing. He was gone. Perhaps he will return one day, when needed most.

Some students were uncomfortable with the display. Jessica, a sophomore art major explained, “I understand they are trying to change things up here, but it seemed a little more violent than necessary. It felt a little Salem.”

“I liked it, it felt like Salem,” said George, a pinstripe suit wearing Brad Carson groupie.

We contacted the student who usually wears the suit — who contractually must remain anonymous like they are some CIA agent installing “democracy” in South America. They expressed their concern with the display, “I am a little scared. This feels like a threat. Also, who knows if I’ll still have my job if they decide to make the mascot a robot or something a person can’t fit in.”

To help Brad Carson come up with ideas, we asked some students what their preferred mascot looked like. Surveying the gaming lounge, most responses can be summed up with one student’s response, “I hope it is an anime girl… ah shit, someone is giving out free Red Bulls, see ya loser.” In Rayzor Hall we got several suggestions in some way related to drones and military contractors.

“How about a drone that shoots a bunch of missiles all around the place and drops bombs with t-shirts in them on civilians, I mean students?” suggested a computer sci-

Regardless of what my opponent would have you believe, abortion access in the states is under attack like never before and in need of federal protections. The technocratic element in the U.S., however, is to blame for the successful efforts to restrict the right to an abortion. The bourgeois element lining the democratic party and many “think tanks” portrays abortion as a decision only made in the direst of circumstances, e.g., survival of the expectant parent or fetus at risk and cases of rape or incest. In actuality, the circumstances that

prompt the decision to have an abortion should be irrelevant.

[Maddie: The choice should be left up to the individual, not the state.]

Shut up Maddie; you’re out of your element.

In any case, Mr. Garrison and other agents of the technocracy (viz., the demiurge) would have you believe that a complicating factor must be present. Just looking at the party propaganda for the democrats, almost every advertisement takes a pathos approach to persuasion, hoping to tug at

Kyle Garrison Local Huffy Enthusiast

and Marx fans wouldn’t stop arguing about the proper way to choose a mascot, while the Rand supporters forged the signatures of everyone in the building and sent a letter to Brad while they argued.

Every single person we asked in Helmrich responded with simply “Patrick Bateman” and walked away.

This is one way to get people to attend homecoming events.

The Abortion Question

Kyle Garrison Feminist icon

ence professor who has asked to remain anonymous because they actually work for the NSA and can’t become compromised.

Everyone asked in Chapman Hall suggested Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Ayn Rand or Ben Shapiro. Ben Shapiro advocates asked us to specify they “don’t mean a Ben Shapiro suit. The real one.” The Lenin

the audience’s heartstrings, and seldom do any of these ads mention the right to an abortion independent of mentioning circumstances like the aforementioned cases.

And make no mistake, I absolutely defend the right to an abortion in any and all of those situations such that the person carrying the fetus makes that decision, but I also defend the right in any other case as well. The choice should be left up to the individual, not the state.

We need now to resist the propaganda of the technocracy and to secure legislation

graphic by Kyle Garrison

to protect the right to an abortion, Kyle’s presence as my roommate notwithstanding.

Zach Short Listens to women

The kingly duo that rules The Collegian, the political science department and US West apartments turns their attention toward America’s most hotly debated question.

What my collegue’s myopic argument misses is that we must insulate the right to abortion from market forces which seek to commodify women as childbearing cogs in the capitalist machine. The reification of women in the capitalist superstructure upholds patriarchal values by means of restricting abortion access except for in cases which a bourgeoisie patriarch benefits. Abortion bans do not preserve life, they maintain the capitalist state of exploitation.

[Maddie: To put it quite simply, abortion laws are put into place to subjugate women.]

Shut up Maddie; you have no frame of reference here, Maddie. You’re like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie.

Make no mistake, if the CEO of Raytheon wants his mistress to get an abortion in Texas, access will not be an issue for him. The explicit reason for restricting abortion laws is to subjugate women and specifically working class women and often women of color. Freeing women from oppressive laws restricting their bodily autonomy is imperative to the revolution.

If we cannot protect the fundamental human rights of our citizens, then we are a failed state. Despite the innumerable arguments otherwise, abortion laws are put into place to subjugate women. My distinguished adversary Zach fails to fully appreciate the importance of protecting the right to choose regardless of situation.

Capitalist exploitation relies heavily on

Disclaimer: Reminder, this is a satire article, and the three writers are friends, and commonly bicker for fun.

If you have ever had the misfortune to take a class with all three of us together, you know this all too well.

the oppression of women. The Democratic Party, while outwardly supporting abortion rights, have failed to act effectively in response to the actions of the fascistic actions of the right.

We need specific legislation that legalizes abortion. Without it millions of women are vulnerable to tyrannical laws. You have nothing to lose but your chains.