27 March 2017

a student newspaper of the university of tulsa

march 27, 2017 issue 21 ~ volume 102

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graphic by Elias Brinkman

The Collegian: 2

News

27 March 2017

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News

27 March 2017

The Collegian: 3

Students shared their fun experiences from this year’s spring break.

Justin Guglielmetti Apprentice Editor

Alex Isaak “I was on the beach walking amongst piles of shells, my feet were bleeding, and there were pockets of chopped coral, like dead coral, just lying on the beach. And I touched it and it was spongy and then when I checked it later that day it was hard. It was really cool, got a lot of sun, read a book, it was really great.”

Kyle Barker “We went to Windsor, Colorado and [because we left on March 11] we gained an hour and then lost it right back. We went to Devil’s Backbone, which is a trail. It was really funny because we had just come from Kansas where it was really boring and snowing, and then we went to Colorado where it was 70 degrees all week. Apparently the legal age there is 21 so I thought about getting a “marijuana cookie” that didn’t have any marijuana in it for my mom, but she would have killed me. I played Rock Band a lot and sang songs I didn’t know, saw “Logan” (great movie by the way), but their theater wasn’t as good as the Warren. I made pico de gallo, that was good. Someone made me dinner, she was like 12 or 13, she was staying at the house we were staying at and I told her I was gluten free which I’m not. That was probably mean, she got really freaked out. I wanted to go back Thursday morning but got overruled by the other two people in the car and we left Thursday night instead. So we got back at 5 in the morning. And then I tried to get into my house and the doors were locked and I used the key and the key didn’t work so then I had to wake up my dad and that wasn’t a very fun experience right there.”

Jennifer Shelton “I was in Belfast and we were working on a college campus there.

We were meeting people and getting to know the culture and worked with the Missionaries of Charity, which is the organization that Mother Teresa started. We also worked with college students on campus and a group called Youth Initiatives, just a lot of different stuff!”

Sina McClin “I went to Dogtown in St. Louis for the St. Patrick’s Day parade.”

Cassandra Meador “We went to the Route 66 museum and it was really cool because it showed all the decades and then we went to the museum of Women’s Pilots of the ‘99s and there was a ton of stuff there. And then we went to Pop’s and the Red Barn, and I got to know my family a little better!”

Daniel Conwell “I played D&D for the first time. It was really fun, we played for like seven hours and it was interesting and I got really into the story. I’m going to play it again for sure.”

Dr. Tracy Manly (accounting professor) “There’s a state park and a lake down by Broken Bow, Oklahoma, and we went hiking, fishing and golfing, and stayed in a nice cabin.”

Caleb Cantwell “I got to go with BCM to Panama City Beach and we met up with 600 other college-age students from churches and other ministries from around the nation. We gave out free van rides at night from 9:00 to 2:00 in the morning and in the morning from 11:00 to 1:00 we gave out pancakes to people. So we were pretty much serving the spring breakers there, loving on them, just talking with them. I got to meet people from around the world.

I met some Saudi Arabians who went to Southern New Hampshire University, got to talk with them a little bit. Met a guy from France who taught me how to say ‘I love you, Mom’ in French, so that was pretty cool. Most importantly we just got to share the love of Jesus with the people. It was just awesome letting people know that somebody cares for them.”

James Leahy “I went to the St. Louis Zoo with my dad and we were walking around and seeing the animals. It was pretty cool because we saw sea lions and they had feeding time there, so they were doing little tricks like high-fiving the sea lions.”

SA passes three dining resolutions based on recent student survey The resolutions concerned Chick-fil-A and Benvenuto’s, requesting the locations stay open later and expand their menus.

Brennen VanderVeen Student Writer In the beginning of February, SA sponsored a dining survey to determine changes students would like to see in the Student Union.

Joey Zitzman, who represents the business college and chairs and is a part of the Student Investigative Committee (SIC), designed the survey after discussion with Mike Neal, the Director of Dining Services. Among other things, the survey measured which restaurants were more favored, which restaurants students want open later and new items students want to see. The results are somewhat complex, with Zitzman’s report on them being 41 pages long.

However, one notable finding was that Chick-fil-A and Benvenuto’s were the first and second most favored restaurants, respectively, with the former at 37.7 percent and the latter at 17.7 percent of respondents selecting each as their favorite. Along the same lines, Chick-fil-A was also the top rated restaurant in terms of net positive reviews. Benvenuto’s received third place in that category. Finally, of the suggestions received

for new items, requests for Chickfil-A to carry milkshakes and spicy chicken sandwiches were especially common. Based on these results, Zitzman wrote four resolutions to be considered by Senate. However, since Senate does not actually have direct control over dining services, these are all just formal recommendations that Mike Neal and/or Sodexo can still reject.

Two resolutions passed on March 7. The first resolution requested that Sodexo “consider shifting Night resources from Pizza Hut to Benvenuto’s to allow it to be open in the evening.” Since the staff for both of these restaurants work for Sodexo, workers for Pizza Hut would just need to be retrained for Benvenuto’s. The bill passed with two senators voting against it.

The second resolution passed that night recommended that Chick-fil-A offer spicy chicken sandwiches. Some senators were concerned that offering a new menu item could make the lines longer. The resolution ultimately passed without objection, though.

On March 21, Zitzman’s other two resolutions were discussed.

The first requested that Chick-filA consider selling milkshakes. If Chick-fil-A were to do so, it would need to buy a milkshake machine (to be purchased by Sodexo) and to hire one more employee, bringing the total crew there to eight.

The resolution ultimately failed without a single senator voting for it. There were a few differ-

ing changes and thought that this resolution should perhaps be reintroduced next April if the other

later. Thursday was selected because staff in the Student Union thought it was one of the busier

photo by Michaela Flonard One resolution asked Sodexo to shift night resources from Pizza Hut to Benvenuto’s to have the latter restaurant open later as well.

ent concerns with the resolution.

Emma Stewart, who represents apartments, was concerned that it would be difficult to reverse a decision to buy a milkshake machine if it turned out not to be profitable.

Michael Mancini, who represents the graduate school, was concerned about overburdening Mike Neal with so many proposed din-

changes go well. Austin Carr, who is an at-large senator, said he had talked to some students and that they were concerned about lines.

The fourth resolution asked Sodexo to consider having Chick-filA open on a trial basis on Thursday nights. Chick-fil-A was the only restaurant in which a majority of respondents wanted it open

days. Having more days open late was not considered an option for the resolution because doing so would require a new crew according to Chick-fil-A corporate policy. There was some concern as to whether this would be profitable for Chick-fil-A, but the resolution ultimately passed with only one nay.

The Collegian: 4

News

27 March 2017

Majority of senior class embroiled in mass email list The mass email chat went from harmless fun to hateful speech, drawing strong responses from students and administration.

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Social Media Manager An unintentional group chat started before spring break when an email with the subject line “Test,” and the content “Just ignore this” was sent to a majority of the senior class. The email was sent from Jeremy Plunkett, Senior Systems Administrator for TU to the address goglobal@utulsa.edu.

With most widely distributed university emails, the ability to reply, even to the sender, is muted. However, the reply all option was available on this one, and it wasn’t long before someone noticed and took advantage of it.

Many of the responses were simply people asking to be removed from the list.

One early respondent was Chris Borden who wrote, “Your test may have worked.

Did you secure the goglobal@utulsa.edu email address so people can’t reply to it and broadcast to the entire school?” Along with the general annoyance of having emails buzz off the hook is the potential for security issues.

Senior computer science major Sam Chott noted two of these issues. First, “the risk of having a reply all-able email go out to so many people is that each reply all makes a lot of data, so the university actually running out of server room is plausible.”

Secondly, “you don’t have to log in to an email account to use that address in the ‘sent from’ field. It’s really easy to pretend to be someone else over university email,” Chott added.

Other responses included a Rick Roll by Grant Bohls, “Kevin Durant is a cupcake,”

courtesy Elias Brinkman

The mass email list drew criticism on social media after one person with the email nazi42069@aol.com sent the phrase “Hitler did nothing wrong,” an internet meme associated with 4chan.

by Ryan Orland, “Beyonce was robbed,” by Albert Song, “School wide group chat. Let’s go, testfam,” by Amy Cairns, and “This is why God doesn’t talk to us anymore,” by Kyle Doud.

In response to request for removal, Ryan McCarthy posted, “Here’s a short tutorial for how to remove yourself from an email chain: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ.” The harmless fun didn’t last long, though.

Within less than an hour of the chat being made live, someone by the name Adolf, whose email address was nazi42069@aol. com, wrote “Hitler did nothing wrong.”

This phrase is commonly associated with an internet meme often used on the website 4chan.

Shortly after this email, people took to social media to express their outrage with this type of speech. Tara Grigson posted a screenshot of the email on Facebook saying, “when someone sends out an unsecured test email to the entire senior class at tu, which means anyone on the list can ALSO send an email to the entire senior class at tu #ithoughtourtruecolorswereblueandgold #turnsoutourtruecolorsareantisemitism.”

In the comments under that post Grigson, Whitney Cipolla and Kelsey Hancock each mentioned reporting the incident to various campus authorities. Jacqueline Caldwell, Vice President for the office of diversity and engagement, sent an email out to the senior class following the incident that read: “It

has been brought to our attention that an inappropriate and concerning email was sent to the students earlier this week. The University’s IT Department has looked into this matter and has discovered that an email distribution list was compromised for a time, which made that particular list vulnerable to an attack from a spammer.”

Caldwell suggested, “should you receive any such emails in the future, please notify IT immediately at help@utulsa.edu.”

Caldwell concluded, “we regret this unfortunate incident and want to reaffirm the University’s commitment to maintaining our campus as a safe and welcoming home for all.”

SA charters DigiCo (Digital Arts Collective) club The club will allow students, art majors or not, to learn and create digital art and collaborate with other students.

Amy Cairns Student Writer A new student organization has arrived on campus. DigiCo, or Digital Art Collective, was made for students to have a place to create and share their digital art. DigiCo allows any student from the University, art major or not, to learn about digital art, have a space to create and work with other students to help them learn.

The University has many art organizations, but none of them focus specifically on digital media. With the major’s growing popularity, faculty member Aaron Higgins spoke with senior Elias Brinkman about the need for a new organization.

The goal is to allow students of all majors to come together, learn about the art department at TU, try out different software and

courtesy DigiCo Facebook Digico hopes to collaborate with other organizations to make art more accessible to any student on campus.

create works of art. Brinkman teamed up with junior Amelia Som de Cerff to found this new organization. Som de Cerff took on the role of president, working with the Student Association to get the club chartered.

DigiCo became an official SA chartered club in February.

“We want our organization to be a place

for people to come together to work on things; to make art,” stated Som de Cerff.

“You don’t even have to be an art major to come in and learn how to use the software.

Everyone is welcome.”

According to the organization’s Facebook page, DigiCo aims to “increase appreciation of the digital arts among members of the student body by hosting events to develop individual skills and collaborate with other organizations and departments of the University.”

Brinkman, now the vice president of DigiCo, stated that the club has given him many new opportunities to share with other students. “One thing I’ve been wanting to do for a while is hold a workshop on modeling in 3D, which I can now finally do,” he said. This workshop will be held in April, and will focus on 3D modeling software, such as Blender, to learn the different tools available. It is open to all students.

“Art software can get really expensive, and sometimes that can make it hard to get.

We wanted to make a place for students to come and try out different software, or learn

the tools and apply them to whatever they’re using,” stated Som de Cerff. “We just want to make art more accessible to any given student on campus.”

Apart from sharing with other students, the founders of DigiCo hope to collaborate with other organizations to create a more creative and cooperative campus. “We really want our club to work with other organizations on campus as well. We were thinking about reaching out to do things like animating logos or working with the film festivals,” Som de Cerff stated.

“The club is a nice way to communicate collectively with other departments, like music and computer science. Animated and interactive art pieces are always desperately in need of music/audio in general, and events like the Heartland Gaming Expo lend the need for programmer-artist relationships,” said Brinkman.

DigiCo meets on Thursdays at 8 p.m., or Fridays at 1 p.m., in Phillips Hall. The organization will be having an open initiation next year, welcoming any and all students to come join their club.

Clancy receives award for medical education from UVA School of Medicine

President Clancy received the award for his work to reduce the differences in life expectancy between north and midtown Tulsa.

Alex Garoffolo Apprentice Editor

The Brodie Committee grants the Brodie Medical Education Scholar Award on an annual basis to an “innovator in socially accountable medical education.” President Clancy gave two lectures while at the University of Virginia, as well as attended community meetings. His presentations focused on how location of residency in American cities determines life expectancy, calling on data and Clancy’s experience in the field during ten years (2005-2015).

After finding out residents of north Tulsa had a life expectancy 14 years lower than those who live in midtown, he actively sought to improve health standards and initiatives for north Tulsans. After ten years, life expectancy increased in north Tulsa by three years, according to Clancy. The math works out thus: 20,000 residents multiplied by three years apiece gives a total of 60,000 years of life added.

Clancy said there is more work yet to be done, and that the next phase of the project will pose its own set of challenges. The goals are to create safer access to care for north Tulsans, along with food security and better nutritional options in the neighborhoods.

courtesy Gerard Clancy

While the life expectancy of north Tulsans has increased by three years, Clancy still believes there’s work to be done and hopes TU students will be part of the effort to solve problems in the community.

“Also key is working to change the culture surrounding health and mental illness in these communities,” Clancy said. Mental illness is a large problem in north Tulsa, as well as Oklahoma as a whole.

Oklahoma is second highest in the nation in number of adults struggling with mental illness. The state also has very high rates of various types of trauma: child abuse, neglect and incarcerated persons. The site claims these are all large contributors to the development of mental illness and addiction.

President Clancy recounted a time in his experience in which he met a patient with a mental illness in north Tulsa who had gone 20 years without seeing a doctor. Stories like this indicate just how bad the problem is just a few blocks north of the TU campus, let alone how bad it is statewide.

What matters is that the city of Tulsa recognized the problem and actively takes steps to fix it. In Clancy’s opinion, Tulsa is one of the first cities in America to take such a health initiative.

President Clancy shared his vision for the next five years at TU. He wants students to see problems in the real world and their communities, make a solution and act upon it. To that end, this fall he will teach a leadership class for freshmen involving case studies concerning racial tensions in the United States, policy analysis on K-12 education in Oklahoma and improving US/China or US/ Russia relations, among other topics.

27 March 2017

News

The Collegian: 5

TU hosts, wins Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

The competition involved teams of students from eight colleges working as an IT firm for a mock business.

Amy Cairns Student Writer

The University of Tulsa hosted the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) on March 17-19. The CCDC is a national level cyber defense competition that tasks teams of 8 college students each to defend a mock corporate network against professional penetration testers.

Over the course of sixteen hours, the team of students act out the equivalent of two months pretending to be an IT firm for a mock business. The students have to protect the network as attackers (Red Team) try to gain access both digitally and physically.

The CCDC tests leadership, teamwork, technical/business skills and knowledge.

The teams are scored based on their service up-time, responses to the “White Team” (the mock business), policy write-ups and implementation, and finally, a presentation on a selected topic.

At the beginning of qualifiers, regionals and nationals, each competing team is given identical hardware and software. However, the business scenario changes for each tier. For regionals, the teams were a mocktrucking business, operating primarily on the cloud and with a telematics system. The teams aren’t given any prior warning as to what system or network they will be work-

ing with. Teams are not allowed to bring any technology to the competitions; they’re only allowed to bring paper, manuals, books and the skills they’ve developed through coursework and internships. Since little information is given prior to the competitions, the teams rely heavily on a firm understanding of their roles and a strong sense of communication.

The University of Tulsa has been competing in CCDC for 10 years now Last year was their first time winning Regionals, advancing them to Nationals. Since the team won Regionals, the University was granted the opportunity to host this year’s regionals for the first time ever, at which the TU team won again.

The team was selected based on interest and skill level, made up mostly of computer science majors, and for the first time, two Computer Information Systems majors: seniors Ashley Etter and Jenna Waters.

“CCDC is a very technically challenging, strategic competition that requires an enormous amount of preparation for the team to perform at their best,” Waters said. “It was easily one of the best learning experiences I’ve ever had while attending the University of Tulsa.”

Waters said she “primarily developed and wrote the policies, memos, incident response reports and any responses or reports requested from the “White Team.” I also researched Cloud service firewalls, IDSs and learned federal regulations and best-practice guidances surrounding telematics systems.”

Meanwhile, Etter said “the experience was demanding at times, surprising and ex-

courtesy University of Tulsa

TU has competed for 10 years and won Regionals for the first time last year, allowing them to host the Regional competition this year.

citing. I enjoyed the competition because it allowed me to experience a real-life scenario of taking care of business needs, professionalism, solving problems and working collaboratively as a team. At Nationals, I hope to be able to provide our organization with policies that are more creative and unique but still cover all aspects required.”

When asked what her favorite part of the experience was, Etter stated that she “loved researching upgrade solutions for telematics systems and presenting to our company CEO with my findings. It forced me to learn a lot about something I didn’t know much

about at and be able to speak and answer questions about it with confidence. I also enjoyed thinking about the different scenarios that Red Team could find out information and problem solving to keep them at bay — such as covering our door with papers so that the Red Team were unable to see what was going on in our room, and closing the blinds to prevent any sight from drones.”

Waters, Etter and the rest of the University of Tulsa team will compete along nine other regional winners at Nationals in San Antonio, on April 13-15, 2017.

SA passes resolution to allow alcohol over 3.2 ABV in Hurricane Hut Stronger alcohol might be allowed at the Hurricane Hut upon agreement of the University and acquiring liquor licences.

Brennen VanderVeen Student Writer Besides the stadium during football games, the only place for students to buy alcohol on campus is the Hurricane Hut. However, only low strength beer can be purchased. Citing low attendance at the Hut, Kate Tillotson, an at-large senator, introduced a resolution calling for higher strength beer and wine to be allowed. Senate does not actually have the power to implement the change themselves, so it is more of a formal suggestion to administration.

Tillotson had the idea for the resolution through her leadership as president of another organization: TU Student Veterans.

That organization had wanted to have bar meet-ups. They tried off-campus bars, but she said “none of them really worked.”

They tried the Hut, but Tillotson said her group was disappointed that it only served low point beer.

Tillotson also described herself as a sup-

courtesy Pexels

Kate Tillotson brought the resolution to SA, as the TU Student Veterans organization wanted to use the Hut for bar meet-ups but was disappointed by the alcohol selection.

porter of local craft beer and as “an avid IPA enthusiast.” She said Prairie Ale, COOP and Roughtail are some of her favorite local beers and that she thought it was “messed up” that students did not have local beers available to them on campus.

She believes “Students deserve to be treated like the adults we are. We pay tu-

ition, we work hard to stay on top of our academic course loads and we deserve to drink real beer not low point beer.”

However, as only a resolution, Tillotson’s bill has not taken effect.

In order for the Hut to sell higher point beer and wine, President Clancy has to agree to her resolution and the Hut would

need to acquire licenses from the state.

Tillotson is hoping that other changes come to the Hut as well. She said she’d like to see TU lift restrictions on liquor. Also, she is working with Mike Neal, the Director of Dining Services, to see what other options students would want at the Hut.

Faculty Senate a collaborative effort to give faculty a voice Members of Faculty Senate join committees and represent their colleges in making formal recommendations to the university.

Giselle Willis Managing Editor The mission of the Faculty Senate is, according to its constitution, “to provide a forum in which the elected representatives of the faculty may, without restraint, freely express their thoughts on issues of specific and general concern to the members of the academic community.” To that end, it meets nine times an academic year and has subcommittees to investigate and answer charges — directions to look further into areas of interest.

These subcommittees are meant to address everything from student affairs to “academic computing.” Over the summer, the Steering Committee condenses charges based on feedback from faculty and senators from the previous year. At the beginning of the school year, Senate members vote on which charges to accept and delegate to subcommittees. Each subcommittee already has a standing charge which essentially summarizes its purpose. For example, the Library Committee is supposed to “concern itself with all phases of the University Libraries.”

The standing charge for the Financial Review Committee allows it access to confidential information. Because of the charge,

administration has a duty to explain their financial decisions to the Senate every year.

Senators can then affirm to faculty that they think the university is being managed properly. Dr. Bradley Brummel, psychology professor and president of Faculty Senate, said that Senate recently changed its bylaws to add another member to this committee for added expertise in financial matters.

The Faculty Affairs committee is charged with monitoring the implementation of the “Faculty Senate Strategic Plan for Faculty Development.” Dr. Brummel explained that the plan involves providing faculty with more resources for development and higher pay, among other things. He said Senate has kept this as a charge to highlight the fact that faculty feel they aren’t supported as much as they should be in terms of money for development, salaries and benefits.

The Senate, after all, is meant to make recommendations. Its constitution gives it the power to do so, but not the power to fund anything. There are University committees that report to Senate, but the Senate committees conduct investigations regarding Senate’s charges specifically. After a year, the investigation can come with a recommendation, at which point the senate can vote to make the recommendation stronger by creating a resolution — what Dr. Brummel says is “a stronger voice saying faculty really wants something.”

Ultimately, decision-making falls to administrators and the Board of Trustees. If they ignore Faculty Senate, that could lead to stronger statements from faculty. But Dr.

Brummel clarified that there has not been a contentious relationship between Senate and administration. Lately, the most far-reaching issues senators have voted on include establishing a position for Vice President of Diversity and continuing to grade without incorporating a “plus-minus” system.

Rather than try to do the administration’s job, Dr. Brummel said, senators just want to “have [their] voices heard.” Precisely because there are so many different voices, he said it can be challenging to effectively convey the a cohesive faculty perspective.

Yet he enjoys that the position gives him a better understanding of how the university works. Part of the idea behind senate, he thinks, is educating the faculty; when they receive certain charges, they have to talk to administration to “figure out what we’re doing and is what we’re doing state of the art.”

At first he didn’t know what Faculty Senate was or how it worked, but after participating in it, he thinks another part of Senate’s value is facilitating discussions across colleges. He said senators can learn about how other colleges do things and understand why perspectives are different. As president, he has been surprised with how often he talks with Dr. Clancy because of the recent university president transition.

Previously, Dr. Brummel had been vice president and a member of the Steering Committee. Recommendations for vice president and president go through this committee, and both positions rotate between all five colleges (including Law).

Right now, there are 35 elected members

of the senate and eight administrators. Elections are every April. Faculty members eligible for nomination are full-time resident faculty members who have completed at least a year of the job before beginning their terms. Senators meet once a month.

Student Affairs Committee investigates free speech This year, as an echo of national debates regarding free speech on university campuses, one of the charges for the Student Affairs committee was to investigate the University’s policy on speech and speakers for student groups.

The committee said that, according to the student handbook, students have rights to “free inquiry and free expression,” as well as peaceful assembly.

However, such assemblies “shall not interfere with normal passage of other students and members of the academic community or the continuity of the educational process.”

Student organizations are allowed to invite speakers to campus, and it is understood that the invitation does not necessarily indicate approval or endorsement by the group or the University. Additionally, student editors possess “editorial rights and responsibilities and should be guided by principles of responsible journalism” when covering these events. In general, the policy on speech is at the university president’s discretion.

The Collegian: 6

News

27 March 2017

AIS Cultural Exchange program in full swing

Hannah Kloppenburg Editor-in-Chief

The February 13 issue of The Collegian featured an article entitled “AIS plans to bring a world of cultures to kids at Kendall-Whittier” about the Association of International Students’ plan to implement a Cultural Exchange program with Kendall-Whittier Elementary School.

On February 17, members of Indonesian Student Association kicked off the program with a visit to Kendall-Whittier to speak to the kids about climate change and biodiversity in Indonesia. They encouraged the students to participate and ask questions by giving away stuffed animals as prizes.

Members of Malaysian Student Association spoke to the students on February 25 about Malaysian culture and embracing diversity. They also taught the girls a traditional Malaysian dance called Tarian Asyik.

Angolan Student Association recently went to Kendall Whittier Elementary to give a lesson in Portuguese and share their traditional clothing and history with the students. They also played musical chairs and served Angolan desserts.

AIS will continue sending groups from various international student organizations to Kendall-Whittier every other Friday. courtesy AIS Facebook Top left: Reeza Redzuan Rosnan with Kendall Whitter students during the Indonesia cultural exchange. Top right: students lecturing during the Angolan Student Association event. Bottom right: Malaysian Student Association and the students they worked with.

TU professors visit Jordan and teach athletic training

Clinical professors Greg Gardner and Ron Walker spent two weeks in Amman, Jordan teaching an introductory athletic training course.

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Social Media Manager By invitation of the Crown Prince, TU professors Greg Gardner and Ron Walker traveled to Amman, Jordan over Christmas break to assist the country with its Qusai Initiative.

Jordan has recently had some high profile deaths in the sports community. “One of them, who the initiative was named after, his name was Qusai, he was 19 years old and he died on a soccer field. The official cause of death from the Jordanian media was that he swallowed his tongue,” Walker said. “That’s an airway management issue. It’s very easy for anyone who has any training or experience at all to manage.”

“In the United States, if someone is to practice as an athletic trainer, there are rules.

You have to have a certain level of education, you have to pass the board examination test, you have to be licensed by the state medical board. That wasn’t the case in Jordan. Anyone could call themselves a sports therapist,” Walker explained.

The Crown Prince of Jordan, Al Hussien Bin Abdullah II, wanted proper athletic safety in all levels of sports across the country, so he called in the World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy to act as an independent international consultant. Gardner is a member of the organization, and Walker was invited along at the last minute because someone dropped out.

Gardner and Walker taught a 40-hour course for recent physiotherapy grads, wrote and administered a credential examination and visited universities, the Olympic Committee, the Sports Medicine Federation and hospitals to examine the current education system for physiotherapy. “What we focused on was credentialing and policing the people practicing sports therapy,” Gardner

The professors taught a course for physiotherapy grads, pictured above, wrote and administered a credential examination and visited various locations to examine the physiotherapy education system.

said. The emphasis was on, “how you train them, how you credential them, how do you ensure they continue to be competent.”

Walker emphasized that “there were some very good professionals, very strong practitioners there. We didn’t want to step on their toes, because there were a lot of people who knew what needed to be done,” but they needed an international body to help because of the scale of reform that needed to take place.

Walker also expressed great admiration for the Jordanian government and the people he worked with while in Jordan because, “they recognise there is a problem and are literally willing to go to any lengths to fix it, versus the United States where we have problems like concussions and it is an absolute battle to get any policies in place to correct them at the government level.”

The policies they assisted in creating included hiring requisites for sports therapists, basic participant safety (which includes having first aid kits and defibrillators on hand in sports facilities), the necessity for emergency action plans in practice facilities and requiring coaches to have basic level

CPR training.

In the US, sports teams are highly privatized. In contrast, the Jordanian Olympic Committee presides over every aspect of sports from the highest level to the lowest level (with the exception of Jordanian Football, which has its own committee). Walker expressed that this was great for the intent of this trip because, “you have one body that can set policy and it impacts everyone else.”

The course that Garner and Walker taught “would have been a three to four credit hour course and we taught it in five days.”

“These were people who had already graduated from physiotherapy school so their evaluation and rehab skills were pretty good,” he said. However, they needed help with their emergency care and preventative care knowledge and techniques, Walker explained.

According to Walker the students were “among the best and very engaged.” Their official language for medical education is English so there was little to no language barrier to overcome. “They were very hospitable, friendly and awesome to work with.

They had a sincere interest in wanting to

know [the information]. They asked questions a lot,” Walker said.

Walker was in Jordan for 14 days (Gardner stayed a few days longer), and in that time they had one day off.

“That one day, we used about 19 hours of it,” Walker said. “We got up early. We drove from Amman to Petra. We hiked Petra for about 15 miles.” Their driver and host hiked with them and were able to take them off the beaten trails, “which was great until we got lost.”

“We ended up renting mules to get out, because we were that lost,” Walker continued. “After a mule ride and a ride in the back of a pickup we got back to our car and we drove to Wadi Rum” to watch the sunset. “This is where they filmed Lawrence of Arabia, Transformers, The Martian.”

“I would go back in a heartbeat. They were so welcoming. I have never experienced better hospitality in the United States,” Walker enthused. “Jordanians are so much more tolerant than we are led to believe,” he said, emphasizing their concern with opportunities for women. “All the crazy inequalities that you hear about, not the case there.”

After the first day at the Olympic Committee, Gardner and Walker were invited back. The General Secretary asked for their advice on the design and construction of the new sports medicine facility they were building, during which time they got to spend hours looking over the plans with the architect and make suggestions.

During Gardner’s extra days in Jordan, he toured a public hospital, a private hospital and a physical therapy clinic. “The private hospital, it was nice. It was just like if you go up to St. John’s [a local Tulsa hospital].

The public hospital, it was chaos.” Gardner noted an incident in the public hospital where the door to the x-ray room was open and the room was crowded with people while the technician was in the middle of taking an x-ray.

Gardner did not get the opportunity to talk with Jordanians about the state of local hospitals during this trip, but both Walker and Gardner expressed their excitement to go back to Jordan again sometime this year.

photos courtesy Ron Walker The professors visited Petra, where they hiked for about 15 miles, rented mules to get back to their car and drove to Wadi Rum to watch the sunset.

News

27 March 2017

Chapman Student Union. Security officers and Emergency Medical Services Authority paramedics responded. The paramedics evaluated and transported the individual to the hospital 1:00 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security received a report of a sexual assault of a student by another student. The investigation is ongoing.

Feb. 15 2:00 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security were dispatched to the Law School. A 4-door car driven by an unidentified individual pointed a toy gun at a TU affiliate. Officers search the area but were unable to locate the subject’s vehicle.

11:10 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security were dispatched to Mayo Village regarding a noise complaint. Officers found the apartment that was the source of the noise and contacted the resident. Upon the resident opening the door, there was a strong odor of marijuana. Contraband was found and impounded. A contact card was filled out.

Feb. 17 8:30 a.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were contacted by a faculty member who reported an individual who they believed was high on drugs in the area between Stephenson Hall and the Allen

Feb. 18 12:25 a.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to University Square West Apartments to investigate a possible large group of people congregating in one of the common areas. When officers arrived, they were unable to find the large group of people from the original complaint but did notice a party being too loud in one of the nearby apartments. The officers spoke with one of the residents and ask them to keep their volume down. A housing contact card was issued.

1:10 a.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Mayo Village Apartments due to a noise complaint. The resident had friends over for cake and music, which was too loud. A contact card was issued and the resident was advised to keep the noise down.

Nathan Gibbons Distribution Manager

Sword attacker arrested in New York City US Army veteran James Harris Jackson, 28, travelled to New York City and fatally stabbed a black New Yorker late last Monday night. The victim, Timothy Caughman, a 66-year-old man whose Twitter profile describes him as an autograph collector and a can and bottle recycler, made it two blocks away to a police station but later succumbed to his wounds in a hospital.

Jackson, who is white, walked into a police station a day later and turned himself in, telling officers he had harboured a hate for black men for at least a decade. He had travelled from Baltimore and checked into a hotel on March 17 before seeking a victim.

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio condemned the attack, saying “We are a safe city because we are inclusive. We are a nation of unrivalled strength because we are diverse.”

“No act of violence can undermine who we are,” he stated.

Man arrested for recent bomb threats in Israel An 18-year-old Jewish Israeli-American was arrested last Thursday in connection to a wave of recent bomb threats, according to Israeli officials. The multinational investigation began after multiple bomb threats against Jewish institutions in the United States, Australia and New Zealand forced evacuations and heightened security. A judge has ordered that the suspect’s father be held under suspicion of cooperation and that neither man’s name be released.

The judge also ordered a medical examination for the suspect, who suffers from a brain tumor that some allege affects his decision-making. The arrest comes at a time in which threats against Judaism have been made around the globe, leading many to fear a rise in anti-semitism. However, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said officials believe the teenager to be the primary source of the threats. “This is the guy we are talking about,” said Rosenfeld.

ISIS claims responsibility for attack in London The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for last Wednesday’s attack that left five dead, including the attacker, and dozens wounded in London. Nearly 10 remain in critical condition and many victims have had to seek medical attention. According to witnesses, the attacker, Khalid Masood, mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and sped into pedestrians with his car. Crashing outside the House of Parliament, Masood confronted police with a knife and killed officer Keith Palmer, who was unarmed. He was then shot dead by armed officers.

Retaliatory raids in London and Birmingham saw 11 people arrested, but six have since been released. The nation’s threat level has been changed to severe, meaning a terrorist attack is highly likely. Prime Minister Theresa May has said that this will not change for some time and Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said the security in London is at “near double strength,” though he clarified he is open to discussion with Parliament about security measures.

Egypt’s Mubarak acquitted of mass murder charges Former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak returned to his home in Heliopolis last Friday after being acquitted of charges of mass murder earlier this month, according to Egyptian officials. Escorted by groups of security forces from the Armed Forces hospital in Cairo, Mubarak was moved in secrecy to his home, where Mubarak’s lawyer said the 88-year-old ex-leader enjoyed breakfast with his sons and wife.

At the time of his acquittal he had been serving a three-year detainment for embezzling funds. Charges alleging that Mubarak had ordered the deaths of protesters in 2011 were dropped by Egypt’s top appeals court on March 2. The decision comes as a blow to human rights groups which have seen many of the hopes of the Arab Spring fall in years since. Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Bahrain and Syria have all become failed states or had civil wars since their mass uprisings.

4:50 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate a report of an individual soliciting door-to-door in Mayo Village. Officers made contact with the individual at Mayo Village Apartments.

The individual did not have an I.D. in their possession and claimed to be with a traveling fund-raising group from out of state.

A contact card with trespass ban was completed, and the individual was escorted off campus.

9:50 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers conducted a pedestrian check on an elderly individual walking through Bayless Plaza pushing a cart with a trash bag in it.

Upon making contact, the individual explained that every Saturday night they leave home located just north of the campus to wash their clothes at the laundromat on E. 11th street, and then return home. No contact card or trespass ban was issued for the pedestrian check.

Feb. 19 8:50 p.m.

While on routine patrol University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers observed three individuals walking around the stands of Chapman Stadium. Upon making contact with the individuals officers determined they were not affiliated with University of Tulsa. They attend and live at Tulsa Job Corps on N. Lewis Avenue. They were negative for outstanding warrants and had no prior contacts on file. Officers explained

The Collegian: 7 the University of Tulsa was private property and officers issued them all trespass warnings.

11:40 p.m.

While on routine patrol University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers noticed an individual sleeping inside of the Shuttle Bus stop located on Delaware Ave. Officers made contact with the individual who claimed to just be sleeping. Officers checked the individuals record for warrants and notified the individual that they were trespassing on private property. The individual left without incident and a contact card was issued.

11:10 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Mayo Village Apartments for a noise complaint. Upon arrival officers heard loud music coming from an apartment and verified the residents of the apartment with the Communications Center. Officer made contact with the residents and noticed drug paraphernalia on the kitchen counter. Officers searched the apartment and found more drug paraphernalia.

All drug paraphernalia was impounded and a contact card was filled out.

The Collegian does not produce or edit the Campus Crime Watch except for content and brevity.

Monday, March 27 at 8:00am to 6:00pm Student Union, 2nd floor meeting rooms 20th Annual Research Colloquium The Student Research Colloquium was established in 1998 to provide TU students with an opportunity to gain public speaking experience, learn about research from fields outside their own academic discipline, and experience judging methods used by professional organizations for national and international meetings/conferences.

Through Friday, March 31, 2017 Wednesday, March 29 at 7:00pm to 8:00pm Mayo Village Apartments & Student Activities Center Sipping Lemonade at the Table Join SA & ABC to listen to revolutionary music and discuss the intersectional themes of Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Solange Knowles’ A Seat at the Table albums.

We’ll be serving Evelyn’s BBQ, and of course, lemonade.

We’re also giving away FREE Lemonade-themed baseball caps!

Thursday, March 30 at 11:00am to 1:00pm Student Union, Covered Patio Colloquium Special Presentation: Live Archaeological Excavation If you have ever wanted to see what an archaeological excavation looks like up close, this event is for you! For the first time in TU history during the 20th Annual Research Colloquium, students enrolled in the new Anthropology course “The Archaeology and History of the African Diaspora” will be conducting a live demonstration of an archaeological excavation on campus as a special colloquium presentation. The live demonstration will be held on March 30th from 11am to 1pm, on the covered patio in front of the TU Student Union. We encourage all students, faculty, staff, and the larger Tulsa community to stop by, ask questions, and get a chance to see some archaeologists at work. This event sponsored by the TU Anthropology department offers TU students a rare opportunity to get hands-on training in archaeology and engage with the public at the same time without ever leaving campus.

Thursday, March 30 at 5:00pm to 7:00pm Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall 49th Annual Gussman Juried Student Exhibition The Gussman Student Exhibition will open on March 30 through April 20, 2017, in the Alexandre Hogue Gallery. Opening reception will be March 30 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. with an award ceremony from 5:30-6:00 p.m.

This exhibit celebrates the best of the School of Art in ceramics, digital media, drawing, graphic design, painting, printmaking, and photography. The Gussman Student Art Show is the capstone exhibit of each academic year.

This year’s juror is Jennifer Scanlan, Curatorial and Exhibitions Director at Oklahoma Contemporary. Jennifer spent the previous 16 years in New York City, twelve as a curator at the Museum of Arts and Design, and three as an independent curator. In her practice, Jennifer focuses on contemporary art and design. Her first three exhibitions at Oklahoma Contemporary were: Melvin Edwards, In Oklahoma; ArtNow 2017, and Jeffrey Gibson: Speak to Me. In addition to curating, Jennifer has taught at Drew University in New Jersey, Courtauld Institute of Art Summer School in London, England, and at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. Jennifer has lectured internationally, including at the 2010 Conference of the International Committee of Design History and Design Studies in Brussels, Belgium; Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute in Taichung, Taiwan; the 2007 Adornment Magazine conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; and the 2005 Glass Art Society Conference in Adelaide, Australia.

This exhibit is intended to showcase the most exceptional creative works by students in the School of Art. All University of Tulsa undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled during the current academic year are eligible to submit works for inclusion in this exhibit.

Through April 20, 2017 Friday, March 31 at 7:00pm to 9:00pm Gilcrease Museum Gilcrease After Hours: Wonder Women Celebrate Women’s History Month with Gilcrease After Hours. Tour the galleries and spot the Wonder Women in the collection for the museum-wide scavenger hunt.

Come dressed as your favorite woman of the arts, or as any woman, real or imagined, that you find to be a strong and inspirational role model. Prizes, food, a cash bar, plus a performance by Tulsa singer/songwriter Christine Jude.

The Collegian does not produce all event descriptions in the Community Calendar.

Contact us at news@tucollegian.org with events.

News

The Collegian: 8

27 March 2017

Panel on implicit bias in higher education brings together various disciplines Panelists discussed how implicit bias works, how it appears on our campus, how it affects decisionmaking and how it doesn’t.

Giselle Willis Managing Editor Students hosted a panel to discuss how implicit bias manifests itself in their surroundings. Student Alliance for Violence Education (SAVE) and Graduate Students in Psychology (GRASP) brought four panelists from different backgrounds to Lorton Hall on March 7.

Clinical psychology graduate student Merdijana Kovacevic began the event with an overview of research on implicit bias in higher education. First, she went over the underrepresentation of people of color in academia. Then she explained that implicit biases, like explicit biases, are attitudes that affect understanding and behavior.

However, implicit biases are uncontrollable and outside of one’s awareness, sometimes to the point of conflicting with one’s declared beliefs.

Kovacevic discussed a 2012 study on gender bias as an example. 127 biology, chemistry and physics professors evaluated applications for a lab manager position. All the applications were the same; only the gender varied. Participants were randomly assigned to assess either female applicants or male applicants. Female applicants were generally rated lower on hireability, competence and mentoring. They were, on average, offered a salary around $4,000 less than that offered to men.

In another study, researchers posing as inquisitive students sent emails to 6,548 faculty members at 259 American universities. The faculty members were from a variety of disciplines: business, education, human services, engineering and computer sciences, life sciences, and natural/physical sciences and math. The emails were

all the same except for the race/ nationality (Caucasian, Black, Hispanic, Indian, Chinese) and gender (male, female) of the supposed student. Faculty members across disciplines — regardless of racial/national background — ignored requests from women and minorities at higher rates than they did Caucasian men.

Kovacevic added that the effects of bias on the recipients of it are detrimental. Psychological well-being decreases while psychological distress, anxiety and depression are more likely. Overall physical health decreases and blood pressure increases.

Next, SA Vice President and SAVE President Whitney Cipolla spoke on some changes that would increase inclusivity on campus.

She said TU should be more accessible to transgender people as well as people with disabilities. Two areas of improvement included roll call and physical spaces. To avoid confusion, professors could email those on their attendance sheets before the semester started and ask for gender and preferred name.

Bigger desks and longer times for open doors on elevators would also be helpful. Cipolla added that professors could allow different ways of achieving participation points for students who are not neurotypical.

Jazzmin Wilson, a student at the TU law school, presented on how implicit bias can affect various aspects of the legal system. First, she described how lawyers are mostly non-Hispanic Caucasian men between the ages of 40 and 50. Law classrooms are similarly homogenous, and even those minorities who graduate don’t typically stay in law practice.

At the TU law school, one of the 42 faculty members is African-American: Professor Johnny Parker. Across the country, around twenty percent of law school faculty members are people of color.

There is no national requirement for law school courses required to take the bar exam to focus on civil rights or gender.

courtesy National Center for Education Statistics Most higher learning instittuions, like TU, have a white majority faculty. Dr. Brummel said that some minority professors have left TU because of a higher salary at a more prestigious institution.

Meanwhile, when lawyers write questions to filter out potentially biased jury members, sometimes their questions can lead to nonrepresentative juries who are implicitly biased in other ways.

For example, said Wilson, asking whether potential jury members are Democrats and then dismissing those who answer affirmatively is more likely to remove minorities from the jury. In New York City, when jury members are required to provide an NYC driver’s license, people with lower socioeconomic status are less likely to have one since they can just take public transportation. When lawyers ask to remove potential jury members who have ever been harassed by police, they disproportionately turn away people of color.

Lastly, industrial/organizational psychology professor Dr. Bradley Brummel warned of discussing implicit bias too narrowly. He said it can be easy to fall into a trap of “going after the symptom” of implicit bias rather than “working on the system.” Focusing on implicit bias could steer people away from solutions, just like how worrying about the ACT’s potentially biased questions distracts from unequal access to educational opportunities between different socioeconomic classes.

He said implicit bias manifests itself in various ways; for exam-

ple, professors at a university may not necessarily be thinking about gender or race when hiring a new colleague, but they will likely want someone who went to the same kind of school as them, or presents at the same caliber of conference.

Yet these requirements can also conflate with gender and race.

At the same time, he said, those who believe in the existence of implicit bias can sound imprecise when trying to tell others of its presence. Dr. Brummel asked audience members to determine what percentage of underrepresentation is due to implicit bias. When no one offered a number, he said that it was critical to be able to acknowledge to what extent other factors that play a role in underrepresentation. That way, one gets a better view of the importance of each factor.

One example of a different factor was money. He said TU has seen some minority professors leave because they were offered a higher salary at more prestigious schools, and TU just could not compete. Organization-wide policies meant to combat implicit bias can also be expensive.

Dr. Brummel added that even well-meaning advocates against implicit bias can be unpersuasive.

If one begins a conversation with “everyone has bias,” people get defensive, so sometimes you have

to “come in sideways” — address the issue without making people feel attacked. If people always call out others for using microaggressions, the end result is that those who were called out feel less of a desire to spend time with people different than them.

And in the end, he said, there is no good evidence to suggest that simply making people aware of their implicit biases is enough to change their biased behavior.

Rather than target implicit bias, Dr. Brummel said advocates should reframe the issue to be about decision-making in general.

If people can realize that they are always bad at making decisions but will always think that they are good at it, they might be more willing to entertain the question of “How do we create a system that won’t let us do this?”

After all four panelists spoke, psychology graduate student Jim Scholl asked them questions about how to move forward. The panelists agreed that it is important to distinguish implicit bias from structural and explicit bias. Dr. Brummel added that the famous Implicit Associations Test would not be reliable or valid enough to say, hire bias-free police officers.

He also stated that TU wants to move toward helping first-generation college students achieve success.

Warm, dry weather may affect this pollen season Professor Estelle Levetin talks pollen and your springtime allergy forecast.

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Social Media Manager Spring is heavily associated, by those of us who are chronic sufferers, with allergies. The trees start pollinating as early as February and by the time they are finished the job is taken over by grasses in May. Dr. Estelle Levetin, professor and Chair of Biological Sciences, explained the process. “We see a transition going from the early pollinators like cedar and elm (those are really high in February) and now we’re in the throws of everything,” she said.

Oak, mulberry, birch, ash, hackberry and sycamore are all pollinating by March. “Mulberry seems especially high this year,” she added.

All of those types of pollen continue through mid-April, “then in April we start picking up a few other pollen types including pecan and walnut.”

Levetin was initially concerned about the pollen count for this season because of the dry winter: “I thought that maybe the plants might be stressed.” Luckily, it doesn’t look that way. The pollen levels seem to be high.

Electron microscope image of ragweed pollen.

Electron microscope image of Bermuda grass pollen.

In a normal year, Levetin described, “as we go from April into May we start picking up some weed and grass pollen as well.”

Levetin said she was surprised when she saw on the news that, “the allergy clinic reported that the grass was high, which is probably a month early for grass pollen.”

The department will not have evidence of the clinic’s claims until Tuesday. However, Levetin was also curious whether or not her slides would show the presence of Rumex, a weed that also pollinates in May, because of the early presence of grass pollen.

According to Levetin, the early presence of certain types of pollen could potentially be caused by warm weather like we had last week.

Levetin also listed the types of

photos courtesy Estelle Levetin

pollen which are common allergens in Oklahoma such as cedar, oak, grass and ragweed. Ragweed is usually the worst for Oklahomans, but it is only present in the fall. Grass, on the other hand, is the second most noxious. “If grass pollen is really early that’s bad, and coinciding with high tree pollen, that’s really bad,” Levetin explained.

Levetin pointed out some characteristics and facts about pollen that the average student without a background in biology might not know. For starters, pollen can travel thousands of miles. One of the grad students who worked with Levetin last year was able to prove using molecular techniques that pollen from trees in southern Oklahoma and Texas were found in Ontario, Canada.

Another fun fact is that corn pollen is used in a lot of Native American rituals and various other pollen types are used by local populations around the world for other rituals. For example, “they may shower people with pollen for good luck,” she explained.

You can also buy pollen collected by bees in the pollen sacs on their wings as a health food in some places.

The niftiest thing about pollen, though: “They’re beautiful. When you look at them under the electron microscope they’re magnificent.”

courtesy Collins Fitness Center Facebook The dress code posted to Facebook was based on the outline made by the TU president and board of trustees fifteen years ago when the gym first opened. The post has since been deleted.

Fitness Center considers changes to dress code After the negative responses to the Facebook post clarifying appropriate dress, the Collins Fitness Center is reviewing the policy.

Trenton Gibbons Variety Editor The Collins Fitness Center recently posted to Facebook a picture announcing what many students believed to be a newly revised dress code for gym-goers.

The image distinguished acceptable and unacceptable clothes for the gym, the latter of which included shirts that exposed the midriff or back. This image in fact did not announce a new dress code

at all, but was based on the dress code outlined by the TU president and board of trustees fifteen years ago, when the gym first opened.

“The Facebook post was created after students asked for clarification of the current dress code,” says Director of Marketing and Communications Mona Chamberlin. After student responses to the post were largely negative, the administration has considered revising the policy. While the dress code is currently under review, Chamberlin says “any clothing that could jeopardize the health or safety students, faculty or staff using the fitness center will be addressed on a case-by-case basis…

The health and safety of the campus community is always our top concern.”

27 March 2017

Commentary

The Collegian: 9

LEGISLATIVE

DIGEST

Raven Fawcett Apprentice Editor

The Legislative Digest looks at the bills and resolutions passed

by Oklahoma’s state legislators.

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Oklahoma’s Congress focuses on local issues that directly impact you and, luckily, Congress people are equally influenced by you. They are easy to contact so long as you have an opinion. Here’s the week’s look at recent legislative happenings. They include passed and failed bills, resolutions, and engrosses (an addition to a preexisting bill).

SR 7: The Senate rebuked Senator Ralph Shortey for “disorderly behavior.” The unanimous resolution, passed in a 43-0 vote, is less like time out and exactly like getting your senatorial privileges revoked, your executive assistant reassigned, your name stripped off bills and being suspended from committees. Police found Senator Shortey in a motel room with a minor, lotion and condoms. No charges are on record at this time, and the senator will continue to draw his senatorial salary and retains voting privileges in Congress. He did not retain his office or parking space. The “disorderly behavior” clause is vague but included under the rules of the Senate and the Oklahoma Constitution. Government acknowledging officials’ mistakes is always a pleasant surprise.

SB 600: The Oklahoma Tuition Equalization Grant Act has been updated in the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House. The new stipulation to the act, which provides up to 2000 dollars per eligible student per year, would be restricted to schools that were deemed not-for-profit before July 1, 2012. The University of Tulsa remains part of the set of institutions covered by the fund. Full-time TU students that are residents of Oklahoma and do not exceed the maximum income for the grant don’t have to worry about their wallets, at least as far as the Tuition Equalization Grant is concerned. I can’t speak for their wallets when it comes to buying the finer things in life that aren’t an education.

SR 4 & HR 1006: Resolutions in both chambers of Congress declared the week of March 5 to be Emergency Management Week. The bill is in response to the Emergency Management Day for officials who plan for and deal with severe weather issues on March 8, a time for state managers to gather and create and improve emergency plans. While one might hope that this would include the state budget, instead the week focuses on natural disasters (the budget, as a man-made disaster, sadly does not qualify).

Since 2007, snow, ice, flood, tornado damage and other disasters have prompted more than $620 million in aid from the federal government to help with damage to infrastructure — which does not include private property. Congresspeople formally encouraged Oklahomans to have a plan and work with local authorities to create effective plans should natural disasters strike, particularly in view of the looming tornado season.

SB 350: This engross updates the guidelines on what constitutes a political party in Oklahoma. In the past, political parties needed 2.5 percent of the vote in the most recent election to remain recognized as a political party. Under the new version of the bill, parties would only need 2.5 percent of the vote in one of the past two elections. The Senate agreed to the update, and the House is likely to accept the change as well, although it has yet to vote. Written by Senator David Holt and Representative Jon Echols, SB 350 takes effect November 1, 2017. Political parties deserve the time to gain support, and this additional time might help to increase political participation.

SB 34: Senator Kim David and Representative Scott Biggs proposed an engross that adds a clause to a bill on human trafficking. The engross adds that not knowing the age of the exploited party cannot be used as a defence for the human trafficker. This is a much needed update, as a defendant’s knowledge of age is difficult to prove in court and victims (particularly minors) are victims regardless of what the trafficker did or did not know. The Senate has already approved the change, and the House votes on the measure soon. The update, if passed by the House, goes into effect November 1, 2017.

HB 1837: House Bill 1837 is another engross, pertaining to the Oklahoma Education Lottery Fund (OELF). Currently, at least 45 percent of lottery revenue goes towards prize money, and 35 percent towards the OELF. Under the proposed engross, the first $50 million in proceeds would be guaranteed to go towards the education fund and more money would be deposited into the fund as proceeds increase. Administrative costs, which don’t include expenses like advertising, would not eat more than 3 percent of the lottery funds.

The changes are projected to add millions to Oklahoma’s education fund. At such a time as this, that can only be a good thing, so long as it works even half so well as planned.

Senator Kim David and Representative Leslie Osborn co-sponsored the engross, which passed in the House and has not yet been voted on in the Senate.

HB 1798: Feral swine can be hunted without a license during the day or night under a modification of current laws in House Bill 1798. However, if anyone tries to remove feral swine at night during deer gun season (mid-November to early December) they must notify the warden of that county in writing or by email, phone call or text. The updated bill, co-sponsored by eight Republican representatives, does not permit killing by “headlighting” feral swine or killing of other animals without a license unless expressly permitted by legal code. The update passed the House in a 69-15 vote, with 15 more abstentions, and is currently in the Senate.

HJR 1002: This amendment, passed by the House and awaiting a vote in the Senate, victims now have explicit permission to refuse interviews or depositions and talk to a government attorney. Language was also changed to make most victim rights, such as information on a parolee’s whereabouts and other information regarding the accused available to victims upon request. While the amendment requires the government to act promptly, it also notes that it does not provide a legal backing for any compensation from the state.

Nonetheless, it ensures victims are given the same respect and rights as the accused.

This joint resolution by the House was sponsored by six representatives and a senator. It amends the Oklahoma Constitution (specifically, Section 34 of Article II). The resolution was passed in the House and is in committee in the Senate. Included is the clarification and strengthening of the rights of victims, and more clearly extending those rights to juvenile victims.

State must be accountable for supplanting education funding

Taking away money from the education budget is a significant detriment to the state in addition to being against the law.

Nathan Hinkle Student Writer The Oklahoma government is currently under fire because of its actions involving public education money for Tulsa. The state government moved exactly $10,144,171 dollars from education into another field.

The problem is that money from the state lottery was used to fill the budget shortfall since the original education money had been moved into a different area of government.

Under the Oklahoma constitution, the funds received from the state lottery are to be used only in addition to education funds rather than being a part of the original budget.

One of the major problems with this allocation of funds is that it goes against the state constitution, which states that “In order to ensure that the funds from the Oklahoma Lottery Education Fund are used to enhance and not supplant funding for education, the State Board of Equalization will examine and investigate appropriations from the trust fund each year.”

Through a ballot measure in 2004, the Oklahoma State Lottery Commission and the Lottery Trust Fund were created to both allow lottery companies to Oklahoma as well as create a trust fund for education funds from taxation. According to the Tulsa World, the current Oklahoma lottery makes around “54 to 70 million annually for the education trust fund.” This moneyn is nor-

mally in addition to the initial amount of education spending.

According to the state constitution, the state of Oklahoma is required to send the exact amount of money received due to the state lottery to the State Lottery Commission. The current problem is that Oklahoma lawmakers are now required by law to send the exact amount to the State Lottery Commission before they can work on the next year’s budget. Until the money is received, the state government is not able to create any new budgetary plans or options.

The State Lottery Commission is important because it helps provision the money into four separate areas. The first specific area is common education at 45 percent of the total profit. This includes items such as materials for K-12 schools as well as building funds for repairing or fixing school buildings that are needed. This also potentially includes teacher salaries. Another beneficiary at 45 percent is higher education, such as money for colleges and trade schools in Oklahoma. It can help provide things such as scholarships as well as money for the institutions.

Another potential five percent is given to the school consolidation fund. The school consolidation fund gives money to schools who accept new students from schools that have closed down voluntarily due to budgetary issues. The money in this fund is given to both the facilities that house the students as well as potential severance pay for the teachers whose jobs were lost in the closing of their schools. The final five percent is given to the teacher retirement system, which gives out money to retiring teachers in the Oklahoma public school system.

While it can be argued that Oklahoma is in the middle of a budget shortfall, funds that are specifically designed for one section of government need to be properly allocated. While this statement is true for all state divisions, the education department is extremely important. The Oklahoma educational system is currently under extreme amounts of stress because of issues such as teacher shortage and a lack of funds.

Because of these problems and the impor-

tance of education, it is extremely important that education receives the funds that have been allocated to it. Therefore, the govern-

ment should be held accountable for these actions and money needs to be given to the right section.

graphic by Elias Brinkman

The movement of over $10,000,000 to other unspecified areas of government will only have a negative impact on the state’s already-struggling education system.

The Collegian: 10

Commentary

27 March 2017

Why media matters

While Americans should be critical of media, that movement should come from citizens participating in the media rather than be used as political leverage by the government.

Hannah Kloppenburg Editor-in-Chief I have a few thoughts I’d like to share in light of the current administration’s rhetoric concerning the media.

During his campaign, Donald Trump expressed the feeling that media coverage didn’t accurately reflect his campaign, his actions and the priorities of Americans. He continues to do so as president.

This is evident in the recent popularity of the phrase “fake news,” as well as some of Trump’s more fervent tweets concerning the press. Email bulletins sent out by the GOP ask party members if they support Trump’s efforts to fight against dishonest media.

In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February, Trump criticized organizations that have published material which reflects poorly upon him, labeling them as “fake news” and declaring the media to be “the enemy of the American people.”

The day after the CPAC speech, Trump restricted access of several news organizations, including the New York Times, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, the BBC and others to an off-camera press briefing held by Press Secretary Sean Spicer — an unusual breach of tradition in the relationship between the White House and the press. The administration allowed a handpicked selection of media outlets to attend, including Breitbart, the Washington Times and the One America News Network as well as TV networks CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC. This isn’t completely unprecedented.

The Obama administration received criticism for an equally ill-advised attempt to exclude Fox News from interviews with top administration officials. However, the Trump administration seems to have made a battle against the media into one of its main priorities — a smart political move for sure, particularly in gaining the support of conservative Americans who feel that their viewpoints are often not covered accurately.

This obvious trend of making the media into a scapegoat is truly frightening to me

(and not just because it threatens my job prospects as a Communication major).

Part of the media’s role in modern democracy is that of the “watchdog,” keeping leaders accountable and keeping institutions transparent. It is seriously sketchy to me that an elected official is actively campaigning against an institution that’s traditionally intended to hold him accountable.

Additionally, the public deserves coverage from a variety of news sources — even ones they don’t agree with. Even ones that have a clear bias.

It’s a citizen’s responsibility to critically analyze what they consume, and that means we must allow a variety of news sources access to government officials so that Americans have access to a range of sources and make informed decisions for themselves.

The Trump administration largely claims to be fighting fake news for the benefit of Americans. I definitely agree that it’s good for Americans to keep their media accountable — critical consumption of the media is a wonderful thing.

For example, it’s worth questioning a news organization that receives funding from political candidates or their families.

While I’m generally not a huge fan of Breitbart, I did see a Breitbart article recently that questioned the validity of an AP poll that was conducted by an openly liberal organization and used a sample that was disproportionately composed of respondents from traditionally liberal groups — and rightly so.

Another great example is when Buzzfeed acted irresponsibly by publishing unsubstantiated reports (papers that many other news organizations refused to publish) that made dramatic claims about the Trump administration. It’s worth pointing out here that not only did readers criticize Buzzfeed for this, but other news organizations such as CNN also condemned the group’s actions — in many cases, the media keep each other accountable.

To summarize, it’s healthy for citizens in a functioning democracy to be critical of the media they consume. Trump isn’t merely being critical of the media for the benefit of Americans, however, as much as he purports to do so. He’s making the media into a scapegoat. And when one of the most powerful men in the country does this, it opens up a whole bunch of opportunities for abuse of power.

A quick Google search will show you several accounts of the factual inaccuracies President Trump and his administration have claimed during his time in office. I’m not talking conflicting opinions, either, or dubious measurements — I’m talking factual and numerical inaccuracies.

The most notorious example of this is when KellyAnne Conway reported inaccurate inauguration numbers that were way higher than the actual figures.

In a conference concerning the inauguration turnout numbers, Sean Spicer implied that President Trump has no need for the press. “As long as he serves as the messenger for this incredible movement he will take his message directly to the American people, where his focus will always be,” Spicer said. It sounds noble, except that an unfortunate portion of what our President is communicating are self-serving falsehoods.

There’s a lot that can be improved when it comes to American media coverage, but Trump’s rhetoric concerning the media isn’t productive. It’s damaging, unnecessarily divisive and does little to actually help the American people or criticize the media in a constructive way. At worst, it’s an active attempt to discredit an institution that holds the administration accountable.

Criticize the media all you want. That means you’re thinking critically about it.

That means you care.

But also recognize that the media is an institution that fosters open debate, encourages transparency and keeps our leaders accountable. It matters. It exists for a reason.

In lieu of treating the media as a scapegoat when it reports something you disagree with or perceive as inaccurate, I encourage you to actively participate in the media you consume — including this publication. This includes writing letters to the editor, reaching out to members of the media, sharing articles and your thoughts about them on social media and having informed debates with your friends. And hey, if you disagree with this article, great — please send me a letter. Let’s start a conversation.

tucollegian@tucollegian.org editor-in-chief

Hannah Kloppenburg managing editor

Giselle Willis Cuauhtle news editor

Michaela Flonard sports editor

Matt Rechtien variety editor

Trenton Gibbons commentary editor

James Whisenhunt satire editor

Sam Chott photo & graphics editor

Elias Brinkman

business & advertising manager

Paul Moses

social media manager

Kayleigh Thesenvitz web manager

Sam Chott

distribution managers

Nathan Gibbons, Adam Lux and Trenton Gibbons

@TUCollegian

The Collegian is the student newspaper of the University of Tulsa. It is distributed Mondays during the fall and spring semesters, except during holidays and final exam weeks. The University of Tulsa does not discriminate on the basis of personal status or group characteristics including but not limited to the classes protected under federal and state law. Inquiries regarding implementation of this policy may be addressed to the Office of Human Resources, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-9700, 918-631-2616.

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For advertising information, email the Collegian at advertising@tucollegian.org. The deadline for advertising is 12 pm on the Friday prior to publication. Letter Policy: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words and can be sent to tucollegian@tucollegian, or dropped off at Oliphant Room 110. Under no circumstances will anonymous letters be published. The name of the person submitting the letter must be published with the letter.

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Opinions expressed in columns may not represent the opinions of the entire Collegian staff, the administrative policies of the University of Tulsa, the views of the student body or our advertisers.

27 March 2017

Sports

The Collegian: 11

Tulsa hosts first and second round of NCAA The University of Tulsa was chosen as the host for the NCAA tournament this year, a big chance for the city and the school to show off. Kansas, Baylor, SMU, USC, Miami, UC Davis, New Mexico State and Michigan State all played in the first two rounds. Kansas and Baylor emerged as the Sweet Sixteen teams from the Tulsa region.

Left to right: Baylor junior Manu Lecomte drives to the hoop in Baylor’s win over New Mexico State in the first round of the tournament. Lecomte was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in his first year since transferring from Miami. Kansas sophomore guard Lagerald Vick slams the ball against Michigan State in their win. Kansas won their first three games by a margin of 30 before falling to Oregon in the Elite Eight.

Left to right: Baylor’s Johnathan Motley, a unanimous All-Big 12 first team honoree, goes up for the jump ball against USC’s Elijah Stewart in Baylor’s 82–78 win in the second round at the BOK Center. Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson watches a shot against Michigan State in their second-round win over the Spartans. Every team that played in Tulsa has been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.

photos by Dalton Stewart

Left to right: SMU was upset by USC in the first round. USC was coming off of a win in the first four and SMU was a tired team after winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament less than a week before. Michigan State freshman guard Miles Bridges puts the ball up against Kansas late in the first half of their second round game. The Spartans rallied at the end of the first half to make it a close game at halftime.

Sports

The Collegian: 12

Hurricane Recap

Men’s Tennis With a loss to No. 9 North Carolina, the men’s tennis team has lost five in a row since March 12. Four of the five losses were against top-50 teams (USF twice, Oklahoma, and UNC) and the fifth loss was against Purdue. After three weeks though the men’s tennis team will finally return to campus and look to snap their losing streak against Texas Tech on Friday.

Women’s Tennis The women’s team lost to No .18 Arkansas last week, snapping their sixgame winning streak dating back to March 3. The highlight of the winning streak was a 4–3 win over No. 13 Baylor.

The women’s team has a two week break before they resume play against Wichita State on April 5.

Track and Field The Golden Hurricane track and field team opened up their outdoor season with first place finishes at the Tulsa Duels and Arkansas Spring Invitational. The Golden Hurricane took home 10 first-place finishes at the Tulsa duels. The women took first in the 4x100 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay, 200-meter dash, 400 meter hurdles, 100 meter dash, 800 meter and the 3,000 meter. The men took first in the 400 meter, 2,000 meter and the 3,000 meter run. At Arkansas the Golden Hurricane won the men’s 800 meter, men’s 1,500 meter and women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase.

27 March 2017

Softball team sweeps South Justin Guglielmetti is…

Florida, win streak now at nine the

The Golden Hurricane are heating up in the second half of their season, currently sitting at nine wins in a row and looking to continue the streak against Memphis.

Matt Rechtien Sports Editor

Starting with an 8–0 win over Arkansas during Spring Break the Golden Hurricane softball team has won nine games in a row, including a sweep of the Rock Chalk Challenge and their first series win over South Florida since joining the American Athletic Conference.

Junior pitcher Emily Watson was the winning pitcher for six of the eight games and was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week for the the third time this season. Three of those wins were shutouts, including shutting down No. 25

Arkansas and No. 12 LSU — her second and third shutout of ranked teams this season.

There wins in the Rock Chalk Challenge included Southeast Missouri State, UMKC, LSU, Kansas and Omaha, and the Kansas game is the only one in which the Golden Hurricane trailed at any point in the entire tournament.

The Golden Hurricane opened conference play against the defending regular season champions South Florida. The Golden Hurricane had never won a series against the Bulls until this past weekend when they not only won the series, but swept it. Watson won the first two games for the Golden Hurricane and junior Lexi Blevins finished them off in the series finale to put their winning streak at nine.

The Golden Hurricane (23–10, 3–0 AAC) will look to continue their win-streak this week when they host Missouri State and Memphis.

2017 Softball Standings

Tulsa 3–0 23–10 Memphis 2–1 17–13 UCF 2–1 17–14 Houston 1–2 15–14 East Carolina 1–2 17–16 USF 0–3 20–18 UConn 0–3 9–14

United States wins first World Baseball Classic As the country that founded the game of baseball, it took the United States four tries before they could be called World Champions.

Justin Guglielmetti Apprentice Editor You might not have been paying too much attention to it in the midst of the glorious chaos of March Madness or the embodiment of childhood nostalgia that is spring training, but the fourth installment of the World Baseball Classic has been going on, and it’s actually been pretty great.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the WBC (and there’s a good chance that you are), it’s a 16-team tournament that’s designed to be baseball’s equivalent of the World Cup, pitting the world’s most baseball-crazy countries against each other. The inaugural tournament was played in 2006, and after having been held in 2009 and 2013, is now planned to run every four years.

It’s not the first major international baseball tournament but unlike the now-defunct Baseball World Cup and Olympic baseball, the WBC actually features stars from MLB representing their countries. This year’s festivities featured big names like Manny Machado, Buster Posey, Carlos Correa, Felix Hernandez, Paul Goldschmidt, Adam Jones and Francisco Lindor.

Being the country that invented the sport, you might think that the good old US of A has a history of success at the World Baseball Classic, but just like our international math and science tests, we’ve actually been a lot more mediocre than you might think. In fact, the USA’s record going into 2017’s tournament was a mere 10–10 and

Monday

they had failed to even once qualify for the final round. That all changed this year as the Americans went 4-2 in the qualifying rounds before downing perennial favorite Japan 2-1 in the semifinals.

The single-elimination championship game, held in Dodger Stadium on March 22, found the United States facing off against its baseball-mad territory Puerto Rico in a battle of North American ballplayer supremacy.

It was a showdown that didn’t disappoint.

Marcus Stroman, the Blue Jays’ diminutive flamethrowing wormburner of a starting pitcher, took the mound for the US. Though the 25-year-old Stroman has so far failed to live up to his reputation as a staff ace in the big leagues, he looked like a true stud in the

“... through events like these [baseball] stands to expand to all corners of the globe.”

WBC, firing six no-hit innings before giving up a double to Giants left fielder Angel Pagan.

Stroman was lifted by manager Jim Leyland after the hit (the WBC institutes rules limiting pitch count, probably in part so as to appease concerned major league owners) but Sam Dyson, Pat Neshek and David Robertson brought the game home scoreless and held Puerto Rico to just two more base hits.

In the end, the Americans didn’t even need such dominant pitching, putting up an eight spot of their own.

Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler was the star, plating the game’s go-ahead runs with a two-run bomb to left-center. Near-capacity Dodgers Stadium was delirious afterwards as fans of both teams serenaded their boys with a pure joy and fervor that evoked

Tuesday 27

a Little League game, or perhaps more accurately for the venue, an international soccer match. The whole thing was about as fun as you could get out of an exhibition baseball game in March.

That may sound a bit facetious, but it’s no small thing for this game — and this year’s tournament as a whole — to feel legitimately important and exciting.

This was the first time where it seemed like the World Baseball Classic was a true competition between the best teams in the world, and even if that’s not strictly speaking true (many of MLB’s brightest stars like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw stayed home for spring training, something they never would

Wednesday 28

29

have done if the WBC actually had as much prestige as the World Cup), the record attendance for the 2017 tourney showed that fans from across the world are starting to come around.

Baseball will never match the international popularity of soccer, and it even has a long way to go match the likes of basketball or cricket, but through events like these it stands to expand to all corners of the globe.

Everyone knows of the baseball hotbeds in the Caribbean and east Asia, but what about in the Netherlands or Israel, both of which made a big splash in the WBC? This is a great thing! Baseball may be America’s pastime, but it’s about time the rest of the world got to share it.

Thursday 30

Women’s Golf @ Eagle’s Landing Golf Course

Softball vs.

Missouri No Events State 5:00 p.m.

Devin Booker Goes Supernova Unless you’re a fan of the Phoenix Suns (I’ve been assured they exist, though I’ve never met one), you probably don’t spend too much time thinking about Devin Booker. Basketball fans recognize the name, sure: he’s the sweet-shooting Klay Thompson lookalike (from their faces to their jumpers) who barely cracked 20 minutes a game at Kentucky before entering the NBA draft .

But what do you actually know about him?

Can you describe his game? Do you have any idea what kind of numbers he’s put up?

Well, after Booker’s performance Friday night against the Celtics, people shouldn’t be asking too many of those questions anymore. The 20-year-old shooting guard scored 70 points (not a typo) against Boston, becoming just the fifth player ever to hit the mark following Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, David Thompson, David Robinson and Kobe Bryant. What’s more, he did it not in the style you might expect from a young gunslinger in 2017’s NBA, launching an absurd number of off-the-catch threes, but by slashing his way into the paint and displaying a previously unexplored midrange savviness well beyond his years. And on top of that, he got all those buckets despite being guarded most of the game by Marcus Smart, one of the very best perimeter defenders in the game. Naysayers will point out that the Suns still lost to Boston, and that they were fouling the C’s at the end of the game to get the ball back in Booker’s hands. I don’t care. This was unreal.

March Sadness This is a basketball-heavy Bleacher Creature, folks. But hey, it’s March, and aside from getting drunk on break in Cabo, what else are people thinking about? I would just like to take this moment to share with you all that my NCAA tournament bracket is absolute trash, like literal dumpster fodder.

My Final Four was Villanova (RIP), Arizona (come on), UCLA (el oh el) and Kansas.

Other big predicted upsets of mine included Elite Eight appearances from SMU and URI (still trying to process how they lost), a first round exit for Florida (I think I read the tea leaves upside down) and a typical choke job from Gonzaga (who I guess finally got around to selling their souls to Satan).

For a little perspective, I’m ranked in the 16th percentile of all brackets submitted to ESPN. This is all going to make it so much sweeter when I submit the first ever perfect bracket next year. Calling it now!

Ball Does Lie I’m all in on Lonzo Ball. The dude is a whirling dervish of pure basketball savvy who might step into the NBA and immediately be one of its top five passers. Concerns about his defense and unconventional shot are way overblown; athletic 6’6” point guards can learn to lock people down and his shooting percentages at UCLA were phenomenal. But as much as I love Lonzo, I’m really not sure how I’d feel about the Celtics taking him. A big reason why? His father. I cannot stand Lavar Ball. The man has become a meme over the past couple weeks, hyping up his talented sons and making such sweeping declarations as “I could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one in my prime.” I know he’s blowing hot air. I know this is all just marketing for the Ball brand.

Still, it reeks of a narcissistic has-been who is projecting his own failures and living out his own fantasies on his children. And good God is that the most ignorant type of person in the world.

Mar. 27 - April 2 Saturday

Friday

31

Track & Field @ Stanford Invitational

Women’s Golf @ Eagle’s Landing Golf Course

bleacher creature

Men’s Tennis vs. Texas Tech 5:00 p.m.

Sunday

1

2

Track & Field @ PSU Invitational Rowing @ FIRA Championships Softball Women’s Soccer vs. Memphis vs. Kansas State 12:00 p.m.

& TCU Rowing @ 11:30 a.m.

FIRA Championships & 3:00 p.m.

Softball Softball vs. Memphis vs. Memphis 2:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs. MO State 5:00 p.m.

Men’s Tennis vs. Baylor TBA

Improve TU

The Collegian: 13

27 March 2017

20 Suggestions to Improve The University of Tulsa

courtesy The University of Tulsa

We asked our writers and students to present ideas to improve TU. These suggestions are the opinions of students and writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial staff.

#1: Teach school chants, recruit spirit ambassadors during player introduction.

Despite only being a freshman, my brother already knows all of OU’s chants, traditions and fight song by heart and is visibly proud of that. I’ve gotten similar impressions from friends of mine who attend schools like the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri Columbia.

They exude a sense of school pride I rare-

— one that TU’s administration and student organizations have puzzled over recently.

We can take one of the first steps toward bolstering school spirit by making it a priority to teach the fight song, alma mater, sports traditions and chants during orientation week.

Orientation week is intended to instill TU pride in incoming freshman, so it seems fit-

TU can improve school spirit by teaching the fight song, alma mater, and cheers and by implementing an athletic ambassador program.

Hannah Kloppenburg Editor-in-Chief When I was a freshman, my orientation leader was determined that every student in his orientation group would know TU’s fight song. Like, to the point where he distributed sheets of paper with the fight song printed on them and insisted we commit the words to memory. One time he tried to convince us to start singing in a spontaneous burst of fervent school spirit as we were waiting for an event to begin (it wasn’t very effective).

While I was vaguely embarrassed at the time by my OL’s antics, I have to admit that he may have been onto something. TU students don’t seem to be particularly familiar with the words of our fight song (maybe just the part where we yell “gold, blue, and red?”

Or the “Go TU” at the end?). Only people who stay to the end of basketball games know the words to the alma mater.

This might not seem like a big deal, especially at a small school that isn’t necessarily known for its school spirit or attendance at athletic events — but it is.

In contrast, my brother goes to the University of Oklahoma, a school that’s known both for its athletics and for its spirited traditions, as many state schools are. A 2012 article in OU’s student paper, the OU Daily, outlined some of the sports traditions that every incoming OU student should know: cheers and chants, the practice of singing “Sweet Caroline” when a football game is essentially won and throwing crumpled newspapers at opposing basketball teams

graphic by Elias Brinkman An artist’s rendering of a spirit ambassador.

ly see in TU students — and that’s a shame, because there’s a lot to be proud of here.

Granted, these are all large state schools with lengthy athletic traditions, but TU is also a DI school with a long and rich history. Improving school spirit is a hefty task

ting to incorporate songs that are vital parts of TU history into the program. OLs have the perfect amount of enthusiasm and pep for such a task (and it will be way less awkward when everyone’s running around singing these chants and songs during orienta-

tion week than it was for me when my OL tried to singlehandedly enforce them).

By teaching songs, chants and athletic traditions during orientation week, we can continue boosting TU pride and give students a reason to actually be excited to participate in sports games. As it is now, the chants used by the crowd at TU sports games are sparse and disorganized. Being at a game isn’t particularly fun because of this — there’s a lack of opportunities to participate in the way that OU or Mizzou fans do.

Orientation week offers a great opportunity to brainstorm some new chants or cheers over the summer and begin teaching them to new students in the fall. We can also take this as an opportunity to more strongly enforce some of the traditions currently listed on the TU athletics website (for example, waving red hurricane flags at football games, which I didn’t even realize was supposed to be a tradition).

Once incoming freshman have taken all these traditions to heart, we can continue fostering school spirit by implementing an athletic ambassador program. These ambassadors would mingle with the crowd at sports games and contribute to the work that TU’s Spirit Squad and marching band already do quite well — getting the crowd hyped up, starting chants and cheers, boldly singing the fight song and showing out in their brightest, boldest, wackiest TU game day attire.

I’m sure we could find willing candidates to take on the athletic ambassador challenge, particularly if TU offers the position as an internship or academic credit opportunity for marketing or advertising students.

The article from the OU Daily about traditions concludes that “The most important thing to remember is participation. Participating in the traditions make all the difference.” This participation is what TU is lacking — a tricky problem to solve, but not an impossible one.

By teaching TU traditions and songs at orientation week and maintaining that school spirit with in-crowd athletic ambassadors, we can gradually cultivate a student body that is familiar with TU traditions, full of school pride and willing to actively and passionately participate in sporting events.

#2: Open administrative meetings to students for increased transparency

Allowing student access to administrative meetings would increase trust and foster accountability.

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Social Media Manager For the average student at the University of Tulsa, administration is often unseen. We know the president, Gerard Clancy, and there is an off chance you may have met vice president for enrollment Earl Johnson, but unless you have spent a significant amount of time researching university employees you rarely come across the names Kevan Buck, Roger Blais, Jacqueline Caldwell, Kayla Hale, Duane King, Derrick Gragg, Susan Neal, Janet Levit, Richard Kearns, Scott Holmstrom, Winona Tanaka and any of the thousands of other employees who work for the university in adminis-

trative positions.

Even if you are not inclined to care what the public. In Oregon’s meetings the board Not only do we not know their names, the university does with your tuition money, deliberates on important issues, and then we don’t know what their jobs are and what the secrecy itself can seem potentially per- opens the floor for a brief comment period important decisions they are making for nicious. In fact, for primary public school before casting votes.

There are a few understandable reasons the university day in and day out. As stu- systems in a similar circumstance in New dents we may not necessarily care to have York, the New York Supreme Court ruled why the university might not be inclined to complete oversight on the day to day func- that Department of Education school lead- open meetings to the public. A primary contions of the university. We have classes to ership team meetings should be open to cern is that their might be classified inforattend, papers to write, exams to take, but the public. The decision was hailed by the mation about a particular student or faculty the tuition we pay requires us to take an in- plaintiff, Public Advocate Letitia James as, member to discuss. A secondary concern is terest in university operations. Our bank ac- “a victory for parents, students, educators that it might stifle open communication becounts and the quality of our education are and all of us who believe in transparency tween the board and executive staff if they feel they must be cautious about what they dependent on how this private organization and accountability.” chooses to handle its finances.

James also said, “Important decisions say.

The first concern can be easily addressed The University of Tulsa has executive about our schools must be made in sunlight by reserving those conversations for primeetings once a month that include the with input from parents and teachers.”

While this instance is about elementary vate meetings. The second concern, while board of trustees, the president, and the exvalid, does not inherently outweigh students’ rights to transparency of university administration.

As students we have a critical role to play in the function of a university. While you, as the administration and faculty, provide an important service for us ( a prestigious ecutive staff. And they also have commit- aged children, transparency, accountability private education for which we are gratetee meetings like finance and athletics that and the ability to provide input are just as ful), we also provide a hefty tuition and each meet four times a year. All of these important to college students whose future the potential to increase the prestige of the meetings are closed, and only include high careers are in some ways reliant on the con- university as alumni. We have a real interest in seeing that this university is the best level people in each department. It is also tinued prestige of the university.

TU should follow in the footsteps of Ore- institution it can possibly be, and therefore highly unusual for the meetings to result in so much as a press release about important gon State University, whose Board of Trust- deserve a seat at the table to see that progees and committee meetings are open to ress take place. issues that were discussed.

“‘Important decisions about our school must be made in sunlight with input from parents and teachers.’”

27 March 2017

Improve TU

The Collegian: 14

#3: Smoking policies lose effectiveness with poorly placed ashtrays

Smoking near buildings causes issues for students on campus.

Ashtrays, not smokers, are the one of the main problems.

Raven Fawcett Student Writer On-campus smoking rules limit smoking to areas 25 feet away from building doors.

Rules that are unenforceable are no kind of rule at all, but a way to undercut your own authority. Even worse, rules undermined by your own design are unenforceable at the onset.

I know, I know: smoking? It’s smoke in Oklahoma, the wind will just blow it wherever it wants anyway. The problem isn’t wind, though, it’s people who cannot be

around smoke. The Center for Disease Control note that secondhand smoke has led to fatal health complications in the millions since 1964 such as lung cancer and strokes.

Moreover, secondhand smoke harms people with asthma, creating an increased risk of asthma attacks.

Many ashtrays are set into the ground closer than 25 feet to building doors. The chance of exposure decreases rapidly when cigarettes and their users are a safe distance away from main entrances. People can give designated smoking areas a pass and walk around them, but doors are a necessity. Smokers and non-smokers alike find themselves vying over the same space, and smokers are physically encouraged to be close to doors, even if the policy forbids it.

In Fisher West, both ashtrays are too close, just a couple feet away from the front and back entrances. The cafeteria has a handy patio in the front that is easiest to use to smoke when it’s raining or even just when you want to sit down. Hardesty has a couple benches out in the open, but lacks an ashtray or shelter for inclement weather. One of the only buildings suited to smoking is the Allen Chapman Student Union, with a covered patio away from the main entrances.

People who smoke don’t want to stand in

#4: Increase access to feminine hygiene products on campus

Where did all the tampons go?

Feminine hygiene products should be sold in campus bathrooms.

Carlie Wisely Editor, The Odyssey Online That’s right, I said tampons, in public.

Tampons, pads, sanitary products, feminine products, girly things; whatever you want to call them, women need these products. But I

the rain, or even in the sun once the weather turns humid and insufferably warm. It is easiest to stand near the ashtray, and the ashtray is, again, close to the doors and usually in a sheltered area.

There are several easy ways to fix the problem. The first is to simply move the ashtrays. People will go where it seems easiest and makes the most sense to smoke. Currently, that’s near ashtrays that are next to the doors. If the university moved ashtrays to 25 feet away or more, the rules would be easier to follow.

If the university wanted to outdo itself, it could also provide overhangs or other coverage in case of inclement

weather, or benches to sit on. However, budget-wise, the most straightforward solution is still to move the ashtrays. A simple solution to a simple problem that affects nearly every person on this campus in some way.

courtesy Elias Brinkman Let’s take this ashtray and move it somewhere else.

there’s actually a piece of metal screwed into the wall that is the size of a tampon dispenser — why did they take the tampons away? That big, fancy restroom next to the cafeteria? No tampons in there either.

Friends tell me that there are no dispensers in Keplinger Hall and that a dispenser in Chapman Hall is long empty. You can however, get free tampons at the gym if you ask at the front desk, so kudos to the Collins Fitness Center.

Yes, the women on this campus are, well, women. Grown women who probably have enough experience with their menstrual cycles to know if they need a pad or not.

But women aren’t perfect. (Yes, it’s hard to believe, I know.) Sometimes we don’t know when we will start, sometimes we just forget to pack a tampon, and sometimes we have to pee in the middle of class. Do you know how awkward it is to pull a pad out of your bag in the middle of class? It’s not like you can take your whole big bookbag with

“Do you know how awkward it is to pull a pad out of your bag in the middle of class?” have a hard time finding them in the public you, either — what if the professor thinks restrooms on this campus. (In case you’re you’re just leaving? I am in no way encourmale and unfamiliar with a women’s rest- aging women to be ashamed of their periods, room, this is how it works: there is usually but let’s be real, most of us don’t want the a box on the wall of public restrooms from whole world to know it’s that time of the which you can get a tampon or pad for some month again.

So why don’t we have dispensers for small price less than a dollar.)

I visited some restrooms around campus pads and tampons? I honestly can’t think of to see what kind of options we women have, a good reason. At a minimum, there should and it’s pretty disappointing. The first floor be one dispenser per building so that womwomen’s restrooms of Oliphant Hall, the en have access to products no matter where Student Union, Kendall Hall and Tyrell Hall they go on campus. Let’s improve TU by do not have tampon dispensers. In Oliphant, making women’s lives just a little bit easier.

courtesy Madeline Woods Tampon dispensers would make the school day easier for women on campus.

#6: Update the student organization list

#5: TU needs a new mascot

Superheros are so 2015. TU needs a new mascot. Maybe a ship captain?

Michaela Flonard News Editor Throughout the years, TU’s mascot has undergone significant changes, with the last big change occurring in 2009. For the past eight years, the large-headed superhero mascot with his lightning sword has attempted to electrify crowds. The change came just in time, arriving soon after the first Iron Man

forces that mutated him into a superhuman with both athletic and academic prowess.

This story takes the Flash’s (Barry Allen from DC universe) backstory and shifts it to TU, replacing forensic science with school and speed with overall athleticism.

Overall, Captain Cane’s story is a cute one, perfectly fit for our superhero-obsessed time. But in that way, it’s also an oversaturated cultural phenomena, when instead the university could distinguish itself with an uncommon mascot.

The potential replacement? A ship captain. Whenever hurricane sirens go off during games, such a mascot could start off the warning. He could even keep the sword, shifting from lightning to a normal blade.

With this mascot, the university could expand its musical revenue to more pirate or nautical-themed music, and emphasize the idea of having competitors “walk the plank.” Doing the wave would also make more sense during games. Goldie could also drive out on a golf cart decked out as a boat, which would be cute.

“Goldie could also drive out on a golf cart decked out as a boat, which would be cute.” movie and right before the Marvel Cinematic Universe began pumping out a movie or two per year. But after eight years, it’s time to move on to something new, a mascot that better captures the spirit of a hurricane.

Currently, the story of our mascot goes like this: a freshman was hit by static electricity while fixing a satellite on the football field, entangling him in “cyber-athletic”

Right now, however, changing mascots might be a little impractical. Changing the mascot would not only involve a new costume, but changes to marketing and branding for many products like the shuttles. With the budget as it is, this change is low on the list of priorities but hopefully something the university will keep in mind.

The organization list on the university website as well as TU OrgSpace are outdated regarding looks and content.

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Social Media Manager Are you looking for a comprehensive list of student organizations on campus that will provide you with information about the group, their leaders, upcoming events, links to their websites or social media pages and accurate contact information? Well, good luck.

For a slightly improved user experience you can sign into TU OrgSpace, an inefficient and underused website for which SA pays more than $5,000 dollars a year.

Although the site provides more direct access to clubs, it still does not include every student organization and the event calendar has not been updated since April 30, 2016.

In addition the site looks like it was created for Windows XP and hasn’t been updated since.

SA and TU could both do much better.

An easy to use and navigate organization list could boost student participation, and would actually be fairly simple to create and maintain. Instead of paying for the use of a website, a regularly updated version of the list on the utulsa website with links to the organizations’ social media accounts or websites they regularly use would be sufficient. Because SA has easy access to information about active organizations through regular interaction, it would be a simple and straightforward job to create and maintain such a list. It would then be incumbent

“In addition the site looks like it was created for Windows XP...”

There are two different ways by which you could potentially access some (although not all) of this information.

The University of Tulsa has a page on their website titled “Student Organizations” which is a very basically formatted list that provides the name and type of organization.

Some of the organizations on the list are hyperlinked to websites associated with the organization. However, the list is not comprehensive, more than half of the listed organizations don’t have linked websites, and a handful of the linked sites are no longer actively used by the organization.

on organizations themselves to regularly update their social media or websites with working contact information and events.

It can’t possibly be a meaningless correlation that both student participation and access to accurate information about student organizations are in short supply. Our lack of participation on campus is not some ‘generational lack of involvement’. We want to participate, but in general we only hear about events and organizations through word of mouth and social media. If TU and SA are committed to student involvement, than they should make it an easier task.

The Collegian: 15

Improve TU

27 March 2017

#7: Voting should be made more accessible on campus

More comprehensive and helpful voting services on campus would keep students informed and increase voter turnout.

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Social Media Manager We just came out of the general election, and most people aren’t ready to start thinking about elections again until 2018, but that doesn’t mean the issue of low voter turnout has gone away.

As long as there is political apathy in the word, voter turnout will never be perfect.

But there are some steps student organizations and the University itself can take to help students become more politically engaged.

Students need more opportunities to register on campus.

A handful of student organizations have led the charge when it comes to voter registration, setting up tables around campus before big elections to try to get students involved in the political process.

However, these organizations have other goals they want to accomplish throughout the year, leaving a hole where a permanent resource should be.

There are a couple of possible solutions.

If the university could spare the expense, they could hire a permanent representative of the Oklahoma Election Board who could be available on campus to help students with registration or answer questions about absentee ballots.

At the very least, there should be one organization dedicated to having voter registration events several times each semester, even in years with no large federal elections.

With so many politically minded student organizations on campus, their goals should include keeping students engaged and aware of their civic responsibilities on the local, state and federal levels.

Students need access to consistent and reliable voter information.

Did you know if you are an out-of-state student, Oklahoma has a law allowing you to vote from your temporary campus address as if it were your permanent address?

That means you wouldn’t have to send out for an absentee ballot or drive for two hours to go home just to vote.

This is the kind of information that most people do not have easy access to, and it is also the information that is very crucial to their decision to be an active participant in civic life.

Luckily, this is also the kind of problem that is relatively cheap and easy to solve.

Solutions can include anything from hosting an event about voter awareness on campus to printing up fliers with voter information and leaving them around campus.

These tasks can either be taken up by politically minded student organizations or TU itself; it doesn’t really matter who answers the call. What matters is that as an academic community we foster a sense of civic responsibility.

#8: Publicize course evaluations link

Past semesters’ course evaluations can be found on the TU website.

Giselle Willis Managing Editor

Ever wondered what happens to those course evaluations you dutifully filled out

that one time your professor offered extra credit or you had a grudge to vent about?

Now that it’s enrollment time, wish you had a way to look at ratings professors have gotten on specific courses? Well folks, look no further. Just log in and click on “See Results From Past Years” at the top of the page.

https://utulsa.smartevals.com/

#9: Talk to SIC about your ideas The Student Investigative Committee has been working on resolutions concerning the restaurants on campus.

Joey Zitzman SA SIC Chairman This past year the Student Investigative Committee (SIC) has been quite busy working on many different projects. To start off, all semester we passed two resolutions: The first of which concerned a request for the cafeteria menu to be posted (and it now is available on the “Bite” by Sodexo app) and another concerned the ability of students to hammock on campus. Moving into the spring semester, we started by mak-

ing improvements to the pool table downstairs (sticks, tips, etc.) as well as allocating money to be used for gift cards on the future dining project. Last month we were able to pass a resolution allowing for higher point alcohol to be sold in the Hut by Sodexo. This month saw the end of the Dining Project, where three resolutions were passed concerning Chick-Fil-A opening one night per week, Benvenutos being open for dinner and Spicy Chicken Sandwiches being offered at Chick-Fil-A. In the future we are working on resolutions concerning advertising for specials in the Hurricane Hut, an accessibility report across campus, a sustainability project getting rid of water bottles on campus, game day parking, music in the Student Union and various improvements to the Hurricane Hut.

courtesy Madeline Woods Game Day Dollars are wasteful and don’t necessarily encourage sports attendance.

#10: Game Day Dollars fail to benefit students or athletics

Dining Dollars could easily replace Game Day Dollars, allowing students greater choice in their dining options.

Raven Fawcett Student Writer Game Day Dollars are currently a requirement for all first- and second-year students with a meal plan. Only juniors and seniors can be game day dollar-free under some dining plans, which is whatever the exact opposite of “neat” is. Many people attend few athletic events. It’s not for lack of support — our students athletes are fantas-

dogs are offered to students for Game Day Dollars. Chick-fil-A and other, more substantial and interesting options are offered through vendors that do not accept Game Day Dollars. Students benefit little from a system that mandates spending but minimizes tangible benefits.

Not only do many students attend games just long enough to spend their TU-mandated money, but there are other incentives to attend athletic events that are oftentimes more useful than Game Day Dollars. Sweatpants, water bottles, shirts, scarfs and other free items are frequently given away to students. TU does not need to use a money system that can only be used at athletic events to prop up attendance when there are already so many other great reasons to watch on-campus sports. It’s insulting to the athletes who work hard to perfect their abilities, an insult to the coaches who help to shape them and the teams and individuals who make attending athletic events worthwhile.

The university would utilize student funds more efficiently if Dining Dollars subsumed Game Day Dollars. Students who want to attend games will. They do not

“Only juniors and seniors can be Game Day Dollar-free under some dining plans” tic, personally and athletically. Rather, there are endless reasons that people do not go, from previous plans to lack of interest, lack of time or an excess of homework.

Similarly, people attend for a variety of reasons: to support their friends, to watch exciting events, for socialization or schoolwork or even, sometimes, to use their Game Day Dollars. Most important, though, is what Game Day Dollars buy: sugar, candy, soda, Gatorade, pretzels. Nothing that fills students up for long or promotes healthy eating. Mandatory Game Day Dollars don’t entice students to sit and watch a volleyball or soccer game. They promote the fiveminute stop to use the money students have already bought before leaving again with friends.

The school does have more food available at games: occasionally pizza or hot

need the pressure of a wasted $100 dollars per year to cheer on their peers. The money wasted because people did not want or forgot to spend their Game Day Dollars is reprehensible, considering that the money comes out of student pockets. College kids make enough jokes about only being able to afford ramen without the university demanding they throw more money at the school without a say in what it goes to.

If students could choose to spend their Dining Dollars at athletic events or the Allan Chapman Student Union, money could be spent where students can most enjoy it.

If less money is spent at the track, stadium or arena, so be it. Students have the right to spend their money where they see fit, and support the kinds of food and drinks that they like best.

#11: McFarlin should stay open later The library quiet rooms should be open 24 hours a day to help students.

Alex Garoffolo Student Writer Ever walk into McFarlin, past the vending machines and 24 hour computer labs, thinking “man, thank God I have a study space that’s open all night?” Yeah, I did too. Once.

During orientation week. Almost three years ago. And then I learned the savage truth. A four year accredited institution doesn’t have even one quiet area of its library open past midnight? Please. The 24-hour labs are never quiet — just ask any student who’s walked in there at 1 a.m. praying for some peaceful work time.

The law library? The atrium is open all night, but Campo locks the doors at midnight. So if you don’t have a friend already in there, you’re screwed. The law library itself? Closed at 11 p.m.. ACAC? Closed at

midnight. There is not a single spot on campus reserved for students to study all evening unimpeded. Helm? You’re kicked out at midnight. Kep? Sure, more 24-hour computer labs complete with chattering voices.

Don’t have earplugs? You’re SOL. It’s time we opened one of the first floor study reading rooms at McFarlin around the clock. It would not take any extra supervision (wow! Cameras exist!), the electricity costs of lighting the area surely could be covered by the hefty TU endowment and students would be ever the more grateful.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

swipe of an ID. Even better would be opening the first floor of the actual library 24 hours — you’re forced to be quiet, there’s

“The very minimum TU could do is make the law library atrium accessible around the clock... ” Don’t the students deserve to have services that make us happy to be here?

If this idea seems too much, the very minimum TU could do is make the law library atrium accessible around the clock with the

plenty of willing student labor to staff the all night desk and it’s an easy change to make.

Studies prove that it’s psychologically unhealthy to work and live in the same space.

Ever try studying for a gnarly exam in your

dorm/apartment/fraternity house? Complete with distractions, your comfortable bed, and friends with whom you can chat, how much work is actually getting accomplished? Yet with the current setup, the university leaves students with virtually no other option for studying past midnight.

If TU curriculum continues to be as challenging, rigorous and demanding as this university has come to be known for, it does the student populace a grave injustice to not provide a designated 24-hour study space at our own library.

27 March 2017

Improve TU

Student suggestions to improve TU

We left a box outside our office for students to submit their spur-of-the-moment Improve TU ideas:

The Collegian: 16

27 March 2017

Variety

The Collegian: 17

Special Olympics real winner at St. Paddy’s Run The 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Run proved to be a perfect way to benefit the Special Olympics of Oklahoma.

Nick Rethford Apprentice Editor Overcast skies and gloomy rain may have sent some people indoors, but the participants at the St. Patrick’s Day run saw it as a challenge — a challenge to run faster! And that’s exactly what the energy was like at the run on Saturday, March 11. People everywhere were gearing up to get their sprint on and support a good cause while they were at it.

The race offered a 5K course for avid runners and a one mile fun run course for those who didn’t want to run the 3.2 mile course but still wanted to show their support. Special Olympics Oklahoma athletes also got the chance to participate in an exhibition run to showcase their skills and remind everyone that they were running to benefit Special Olympics Oklahoma.

“The run raises funds for Special Olympics Oklahoma and Tulsa Running Club,” explained Marketing and Communications Director of Special Olympics Oklahoma Donna Ham. “The funds generated by the St. Patrick’s Day Run benefit the 11,600 Special Olympics athletes residing in Oklahoma and assist us in providing not only sports competitions and training but also in providing the athletes with so much more.”

The race also offered lots of activities as well as tons of festive spirit. “The run provides the community with a family-friendly event with activities for children such as inflatables, face painting, a costume contest, Southwest Dairy Farmers mobile classroom

and the one-mile fun run,” comments Ham. People came decked out in their best St. Patrick’s Day gear, taking pictures with their running mates and joining in the festivities.

Participants were also encouraged to engage in some friendly competition. Local schools with the most participants in the one mile fun run received cash prizes. The Corporate Challenge pitted business teams against each other in a variety of categories including fastest team, most participants, and best team costume. This was all in addition to the competition between friends so see who could run faster.

The race itself went off without a hitch.

The one mile fun run was first in the lineup, beginning at 8:30 am. Next, the Special Olympics Exhibition Run, the overall crowd favorite, began at 9:15 am, with the 5K bringing up the rear at 9:30 am. While only the 5K was timed, the crowds still cheered everyone at every moment, motivating them to move as fast as they could.

“The Special Olympics exhibition run allows the athletes to be recognized as they head toward the finish line, the street is lined with other runners and spectators who applaud and cheer giving the athletes a great sense of appreciation for their achievements,” Ham concludes. “The Special Olympics exhibition run, frankly, is the very best part of the entire St. Patrick’s Day Run event.”

The race concluded with some celebratory music and dancing. Volunteers handed out water and fruit to the finishers, and awards were handed out to the top three male and female runners. In each age group.

“It was a lot of fun,” says participant Melissa Rethford. “It felt good to do something that was good for your body as well as the community.”

Participants ranged from elementary school kids to local business teams.

courtesy Special Olympics Oklahoma

“Beauty and the Beast” retelling retains its charm

Disney’s live action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” expands on the critically acclaimed 1991 film to create a highly familiar but similarly enchanting tale.

Brennen VanderVeen Student Writer

Disney’s 1991 “Beauty and the Beast” has long been my favorite animated film.

I suspect this is also true for many of my peers. Even if it wasn’t someone’s favorite film, I highly suspect that it is undoubtedly extremely well regarded. Beauty and the Beast’s reputation stems from more than just childhood nostalgia, too. It was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture, and the only one to do so until 2009’s Up. In 2002, the Library of Congress selected it for the National Film Registry, which means the institution found it worthy of preservation for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

So, how did the 2017 live action adaptation live up to this childhood icon and masterpiece of animation? Quite well, I would say.

To be sure, the 2017 adaptation follows the 1991 version extremely closely. Many parts of the songs and much of the dialogue are identical. It received some criticism for this. However, I don’t see a problem with it. When adapting a film that is so beloved, there is no reason to make changes just for the sake of being different. Also, it would definitely be a mistake to say that this film is identical to its predecessor (not counting the obvious difference of being live action).

The 2017 film is 45 minutes longer, and it expands upon many aspects that were lacking in the original. The most superficial of these are the questions that have bothered fans for a quarter century. For instance, how does no one realize that there is a castle a short journey from town? Was Beast cursed as a ten or eleven year old? (For those who don’t know, the prologue and the lyrics of “Be Our Guest” seem to imply so in the original). What’s the deal with Mrs. Potts?

She appears to be a little old to have several young children. Is every object in the castle alive? The new version either answers or at least pokes fun at all of these.

Answering a few fan theories would not be enough to make a good movie, though, so it’s good that the movie also expands on a few characters. The beast/prince and Maurice in particular are given better characterization. In the original, Beast was primarily characterized by his significant anger issues, at least until he became more “dear” and “so unsure” as Belle might say. In this version, he is still a jerk, but less obviously in need of significant counseling.

He is also given more emotional depth.

He is given a backstory which helps to explain his personality. His imprisonment of Maurice, while still unjustified, is less wantonly cruel (and closer to the original book).

While 1991’s beast was illiterate according to a deleted scene and to my knowledge is never shown reading, 2017’s beast can recite

The newest iteration makes only slight tweaks to the tale of a cursed prince and his romantic captive.

Shakespeare from memory and is shown to enjoy literature. Beast is even given a song in which he beautifully expresses his sorrow at Belle’s departure.

Finally, Beast’s wooing of Belle is less forced. I always found it off-putting how Beast gives Belle a room in the original simply because she could potentially break the spell. In the new version, it’s the servants who do that sort of plotting. Beast even tells his servants that a woman who has just been imprisoned probably does not want to have dinner with him or try for a romantic relationship. Things like this make the unfolding relationship between Beast and Belle seem more real in the 2017 version.

I also appreciated the changes made to Maurice. In the 1991 version he was certainly loving towards Belle, but he also often seemed foolish. He was shown to be seen as the town loon even before he started talking about a beast living in a nearby castle. He never seemed aware of how crazy he sounded after he did start talking about the beast. While it was certainly brave of him to try to rescue Belle by himself, his near death in the snow shows a much more limited competency without someone helping him.

In the 2017 version, Kevin Kline’s por-

verse effect. Her looking less human made their romance more tragic and simultaneously endearing. Her ability to fly added a level of grace.

The 2017 version also treated the songs more realistically. The colors in the “Be Our Guest” sequence were justified as an effect orchestrated by Plumette. People joined in on the “Gaston” song in part because LeFou paid them. The musical background in “Beauty and the Beast” was justified because musical instruments were in the wall.

There was nothing wrong with not having these features in the 1991 version, but seeing them added to the novelty of the 2017 version.

So, do all of these things make the 2017 adaptation a better film? No. Part of the problem is that it borrows so heavily from the 1991 version that it can’t really get credit for the creative features of that film.

Also, some of the changes either don’t make much sense or are distracting.

The most hyped change was making LeFou gay. Disney bragged about having its first “exclusively gay moment.” That moment probably lasts less than two seconds.

There are other parts that imply LeFou to be gay, but I generally found them to be

“The most hyped change was making LeFou gay. Disney bragged about having its first ‘exclusively gay moment.’

That moment probably lasts less than two seconds. ” trays a much stronger Maurice. He seems much more self-aware, but still mildly eccentric. His limitations against Beast and Gaston seem much more of him just being less physically strong than they are, rather than as him lacking a certain competence.

The 2017 version also offers a few other nice additions. Lumiere’s design as a more anthropomorphized candelabra enabled his character to move in ways his 1991 version could not. Plumette, who goes unnamed in the 1991 version, is designed as a bird. I thought I would make Lumiere’s flirtations with her creepier, but it actually had the re-

somewhat off-putting, sometimes because I thought his infatuation with his friend was somewhat creepy, and sometimes because I thought the film relied too heavily on the stereotype of homosexual effiminacy. But in any case, for all the hype from Disney and backlash from Russia, Malaysia, and Alabama, LeFou’s sexuality is not a major part of the film, and I just thought it was unnecessary.

The film also added in a new magical object, and I still cannot figure out why.

The enchantress gave Beast a book that, I kid you not, is a teleportation device. It

courtesy Walt Disney Pictures

doesn’t just let one figuratively travel anywhere in the world. It actually transports him and Belle somewhere and back to the castle. They use this device once. To learn backstory. Backstory that could have been explained without teleportation. For what could be such a powerful device, it is ultimately rather inconsequential.

This next point is a bit of a spoiler, but the enchantress is given an expanded role.

Again, I don’t know why. Her motivations aren’t actually explained any better. In the end, she serves as a completely needless deus ex machina. The 1991 version did not need her to come back and fix things. I see no reason why this version did either. The curse already had a way to be lifted.

The 2017 version also made a point of Beast saying “I am not a beast” after Gaston called him such. This could have been a much more powerful moment, especially since this film expanded on his less beastly side. However, the conflict between beastliness and humanity was never really shown before. Most importantly, we never learn his name. In a video game he was named Prince Adam, but in this film the audience (and presumably Belle) still have to call him Beast, even as he declares that he is not one.

Finally, I was underwhelmed with some of the visuals in the 2017 adaptation, particularly in regard to the transformation.

Everything had been leading up to that moment, but it was less visually stunning than the animated version. The servants’ transformations did not even happen on screen.

I suspect because showing the transformations would be too cartoony, but it still seemed lacking to me.

Overall, though, the 2017 adaptation is thoroughly enjoyable. I have seen it twice and actually enjoyed it more the second time. While some of the additions don’t work in my opinion, they generally do add to more depth to the animated version’s story. Anyone who loves the 1991 movie half as much as I do should see this adaptation of a tale as old as time.

Variety

The Collegian: 18

27 March 2017

Poet Freedman Lewis brings a taste of avant garde to TU

Freedman’s zany and entertaining poems made for a novel experience.

Ethan Veenker Apprentice Editor On the night of March 21, I watched a man create poetry on the spot. His name was Lewis Freedman, a poet who lives in Stillwater, OK. Born in England, he received a Master’s degree in Poetry from the University of Belfast and has published a wide array of hard-to-find books, such as “The Third World,” “Hold the Blue Orb, Baby,” “Suffering Exchange Walks With And” and “Solitude: The Complete Games.” His most recent anthology is titled “Residual Synonyms for the Name of God,” a title he described as having come from the many Hebrew names for God that arose in lieu of a very long and unpronounceable 27-syllable name.

Throughout the night he read many poems from “Residual Synonyms…” but he began it in quite a different way, with a poem he titled “(Diurnal) So(fties).” Prior to reading the poem, his work was described to us as “interesting and challenging” and Freedman told a humorous anecdote. I don’t think anyone in the room was quite prepared for what happened next.

The poem was a mosh of confusion for me at first. Just before jumping into the poem, he called up a buddy of his named Rick whothat assisted in reciting the poem.

I was immediately confused: why are two people necessary for a poetry recital? Then Freedman began reading letters. Quite literally, he started listing off a few random letters of the alphabet. Rick jumped in after the first few letters and formed a word from them. For example, if Freedman had read “G-O-A” then Rick could have jumped in with “goalie.”

And that’s just what they went with.

placed, but also intentionally left unidentified. A different poem could arise from every performance of it. (aAt least, that’s what I gathered).

My lack of understanding didn’t keep me from enjoying it, however. It was entertaining at its core, and rather episodic in nature.

Given that they seemed to be making it up as they went, they could not or chose not to remember previous lines. In that regard it was this sort of combined stream of consciousness in several parts. This same phenomenon allowed the discernible lines to change meaning on a dime. “A goalie awash

“The entire poem was rather on the spot. It was interesting, strange, confusing and above all, funny.”

The entire poem was rather on the spot.

It was interesting, strange, confusing and above all, funny. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what was happening as it went on, though. Only during a Q&A at the end of the reading did he explain the poem a bit more and show us the poem itself on paper. I couldn’t make much sense of it from the brief moment I had to look at it; it was a confusing mosh of letters and parentheses.

He explained it in a rather quick and convoluted way. The letters are intentionally

with sick irritability,” for example, was sluggishly followed by “user syndrome:” “A goalie awash with sick irritability-usersyndrome.” So many interesting lines and scenarios came up in the poem. The performers seemed always on the brink of saying something profound, but never quite got there, allowing the listener to fill in the gaps.

The rest of the night was dedicated to poems from “Residual Synonyms for the Name of God” and one piece from a future collection, but nothing quite crested “(Diurnal)

So(fties).” Freedman’s style is one that requires re-reading and reflection, something difficult to obtain from a live poetry reading.

He was an excellent performer in his own right; he orated his pieces with emotion and feeling, even singing the songs he’d inserted with full lungs. The poems were full of oneliners, dense metaphors and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle references. He seemed to simultaneously take himself seriously and not. There was a certain formula he seemed to abide to: a long, quickly read and poorly comprehended string of text à la stream of consciousness followed by a slowly read and more easily discernible line, something like “You can’t keep a keeper, can you?”

After his selected poems and an ambitious, vastly humorous new piece titled “Repeated on the Other Side,” Freedman took a few questions. He discussed genre and meaning, oblivion and thought, programming and philosophy. He described himself as a “transgressive writer.” He found humor in his publishing house publishing one of his past works under the genre “poems/ essays.” He went on a rather lengthy discussion on how we as humans experience things only through repetition, and he just generally made himself out to seem like a lovable philosopher. My personal favorite quote of his from the night was succinct and silly in all the right ways: “I don’t consider myself a thinker. I consider myself a writer.”

“Dietland” a “Fight Club” for fat-positive feminists Sarai Walker, the author of “Dietland,” visited TU to discuss the pressure to be thin and the influence behind her book.

Michaela Flonard News Editor Sarai Walker’s “Dietland” fit perfectly with the Oklahoma Center for Humanities’ theme for the year: food. Walker’s book follows Plum Kettle, a fat woman aching to be thin who becomes embroiled in an underground community of women who reject the pressure to be thin. The book has been described as a cross between “Fight Club” and a feminist/fat positive manifesto. On March 9, Walker visited campus to discuss the ideas surrounding her book, namely the pressure to be thin. Dr. Jan Wilson, Associate Professor of History and Director of Women’s and Gender Studies, invited Walker, who has given similar talks at various festivals and other events.

Walker described the process of writing “Dietland” as a “long tortured history of getting here.” One of the sparks for the novel was the movie “Fight Club.” “It’s got a lot of problems — I’m not endorsing the whole thing, but this idea of angry, punk defiant spirit appealed to me, and I was thinking about men as gendered beings and about their bodies,” Walker said. She wondered if a similar story could exist for women, but, at the time, had no idea the main character would be a fat woman.

Then, in graduate school, she wrote a short story about a fat woman working in a teen fashion magazine, a reflection of

the highway, while in another, they scalp a hostage to demand his sister, a newspaper mogul, remove lewd images from the newsstands.

When writing the novel, Walker said she liked all the forms of resistance in their own way. Walker said “Jennifer’s story was disturbing to write, then I got numb to it …

I always get so surprised when people are shocked. So in some ways it was fun, exhilarating to write, in other ways it was hard to write, to have these violent parts. Because it was even more violent but I toned it down ... I loved the women of Calliope house.”

Readers connected to Plum’s character, but Walker said many stopped liking her as the book went on, as Plum became more bold and activist, sometimes even violent.

Walker noted “they liked her more when she’s miserable. She becomes liberated and they don’t like her anymore because she’s too abrasive.” According to Walker, “the idea of likability of female characters in literature is very loaded, and it does mirror the pressure women face to be agreeable in everyday life. So I think anytime any woman has any sort of complexity, she’s not likeable anymore.” In her own work and others, Walker said she likes characters who are unlikable.

Walker wrote “Dietland” while working on her PhD in English with a focus on feminism and the body, so both projects fed into each other. Her work was also influenced by her attendance at fat studies conferences. “It’s the kind of thing you have to stumble upon, because you don’t know it exists. It is more online nowadays. When I was younger, we didn’t even have the web; I think the internet and social media have enabled these ideas to spread, because the mainstream media is not really going to pay attention to it,” she said.

“The fat-positive movement emphasizes individual change over societal change.” her life experiences. According to Walker, “it was very difficult to write and personal.

I’d never written anything like that before.

But it had this great energy, and I realized it could be the heart of the novel.”

Her novel merged the two ideas together.

“On the one hand it’s this woman’s story about relationships, but it’s also the type of story more associated with men: violence and aggression,” she explained. With this aggression, she wanted to look at different forms of resistance. “There’s individual resistance, which Plum learns; the women at the Calliope house, the more traditional form of activism and collective resistance and then there’s Jennifer, this violent resistance.”

The Jennifer form of resistance was important to Walker, who “wanted to look at what violent resistance would look like in feminism, because we never have really seen that.”

“I wanted to see what would that be like, what would they do, who would they target,” Walker said, “I think Jennifer was more influenced by stories about men, like there’s Thelma and Louise, but that’s kind of a dated movie. There aren’t a lot of stories like that. Men get a lot more.” At one part of the novel, the vigilante group “Jennifer” tosses two rapists off an overpass on

The fat positive movement emphasizes individual change over societal change, because “individual change is possible ... we can’t force society to change, but we can change our own view of how we respond to society.” The movement hopes to “change our own personal way of thinking and then try to change society as much as we can.”

However, Walker acknowledged “society’s not going to change for a very very long time, and we have to live our lives now.” While she realized ““it’s not fair to put stress on individual people, saying ‘well I live in a fat hating culture, I’m just going to stand up to it,’ … you have to try to change your own personal response to it, for your own well-being.”

Since “Dietland,” Walker said there have been a few similar novels, including Lindy West’s “Shrill.” While “there have always been books about fat characters,” Walker said, “the way they deal with it isn’t really fat positive.” In many novels, the fat characters are either awful people or trying to lose weight and have a life. “There are novels with fat characters, the question is are they fat positive,” she noted. “There aren’t many of that kind of thing so I think that’s one of the things “Dietland” did that we don’t see very much.”

Trying to publish “Dietland” was diffi-

courtesy Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

With Dietland, Walker hoped to portray an explosion of radical feminist violence.

cult, as “it’s not a traditional women’s novel … The publishing industry generally resists things like that.” She acknowledged “there could be some great novels out there that aren’t getting through because of that. I was lucky because I got an agent. It’s hard when you want to write a story about women that’s not a traditional story — it’s not easy to get it published.”

After the publication, Walker received mixed responses. “There’s people who are eager for this message. It can be very lifechanging,” she said. Walker received emails saying “‘I’ve worn dark colors all my life and now I wear bright colors; I threw out my scale,’ but then you get the real haters, most people who haven’t read the book, just seen interviews with me in the media, and just respond with their fat-shaming, ‘oh I hope you die’ and things like that.” Her policy is not to engage such people, believing it gives them the attention they want, although she keeps the emails in case something happens to her.

Currently, Walker is working on another book, which will be very different from “Dietland.” She has, however, started thinking about the novel again, as there’s a TV show being made about it. Walker will be a consultant to the production and plans to work on it in Los Angeles for a few months.

In general, Walker sees her novel as “something that we don’t see very often.

Not only is it fat positive, it’s women acting in ways they aren’t supposed to behave. Those are the types of books men get.” Walker found it “interesting to subvert those traditional narratives, subvert reader’s expectations.”

“Particularly if you’re a women think-

ing about ideas about the body, it can give a voice that isn’t really given a voice, at least in literature,” she said. “I think that it fills a void in some way.”

Walker acknowledged the book might be particularly impactful for college students.

As an RA during her PhD years, Walker noticed ”there are so many problems with body image and dieting and eating disorders among the college population. It’s a hotbed for that.” While she’s “sure it reflects society in general,” she realized college was a “stressful environment, as you’re living away from home for first time. High school can be that way as well, but I do feel that it could be a little bit worse.”

She remarked that she hated the term “Freshman 15” because it reflects our culture of “always trying to be obsessed with weight and turning it into a problem. It’s this lens we have to view everything through, which I don’t think is healthy or productive.”

Walker viewed diet companies’ recent attempts to be more accepting of different body sizes with cynicism. “Dieting is eating a restricted amount of calories, so it’s giving your body less than it needs. So to me, that’s not really a body positive thing.”

“I think it’s just a cynical ploy,” she said, noting that cosmetic companies promote body positivity for marketing as well. On the other hand, the movement “healthy at any size” is truly body positive according to Walker. “It’s about healthy eating and exercise but doesn’t focus on weight ... There’s lot of unhealthy thin people and healthy fat people. Thinking about health, disconnected to weight, is much better for your mental health and wellbeing.”

Variety

27 March 2017

The Collegian: 19

“Time for Chocolate” bring ancient Mexican culture to life

“Time for Chocolate” highlights pre-Hispanic leaders and poetry.

The play, written by a TU professor, directly places the audience among the eloquent speech, intricate dance and historically-minded philosophy of an underrepresented era.

James Whisenhunt Commentary Editor “Time for Chocolate,” a play written by TU professor Bruce Dean Willis, recently had its premiere production in Tyrell Hall, and was directed by Rogers State University professor David Blakely. The play, Willis explained, is based on a section of “Cantares mexicanos,” a collection of Aztec poems “about a late 15th-century gathering of leaders in central Mexico.”

Willis noted that from its first draft in 2009, “Time for Chocolate” has developed and expanded from a close interpretation of the source material into its current form: a character-driven piece focused on the importance of language and food as ways to bring people together.

The play is centered around Stone Creek, Lord of the Aztec-controlled city of Huejotzingo, hoping to teach his athleticallyoriented son Gold Eagle about the importance of “flower-song,” a style of speaking Willis described as “poetic composition,

courtesy University of Tulsa

recitation, and movement.” At the same time, Stone Creek is preparing to host a party for his fellow flower-song composers.

Of course, what is a party without chocolate — a frequent talking point in the play and an integral part of the ancient culture Willis is looking to represent. The importance of chocolate in Willis’ view comes from the fact that “cacao was a luxury item and its beans could be used as money… [but] once you’ve ground up your cacao into chocolate, it’s got to be consumed — the process can’t be run backwards.”

Much as the gods consumed blood, the characters in “Time for Chocolate” see chocolate as one of the highest forms of earthly pleasure. The fleeting nature of the chocolate drink, which must be consumed quickly, sets itself in contrast to the view of flower-song, which Stone Creek feels is a way to let the voice of one’s ancestors flow through them. Chocolate is to enjoy the present; flower-song is to honor the past and lay a foundation for the future.

The flower-song performances from Stone Creek and other party attendees translate to a series of careful and eloquent monologues and characters communicating through symbolism and repetition of phrases. Initially, this style of speaking may seem inaccessible to some viewers: most people don’t readily associate ancient Mexico with an almost Shakespearean speaking style. Despite this, one is able to adjust to the speaking style after a short time and ac-

tors were able to convey their character’s emotions well enough that those having difficulty following the flower-song can still understand what’s happening.

Although, admittedly, there’s not too much happening in terms of an overarching plot. To some viewers, this may be a flaw in the play’s storytelling. There aren’t a lot of things driving the plot forward and there isn’t complete resolution for the conflicts Willis does set up. From another perspective, it allows the play to be solely concerned with its language and representation of the ancient culture.

Willis feels that the use of flower-song in the play is “a corrective to a generalized Eurocentric worldview.” By giving an opportunity for “the English-speaking populace of the United States [that] has a limited knowledge of indigenous communities” to experience the format and nuance of ancient language, Willis hopes to “bring focused attention to cultural contributions from the indigenous and African communities of the Americas.”

Given this desire, it’s no surprise that the language is the true centerpiece of the “Time for Chocolate.” Although the first part of the play is largely focused on conversation between Stone Creek and Gold Eagle, as more composers come to the party, the play evolves into a series of monologues that gives the vibe of a poetry reading more than a scripted play.

This feeling is amplified by the use of the stage and the auditorium’s entrances. Characters presenting their flower-song poetry directly face the audience, with other characters hitting hand drums to show their approval and provide a rhythm for the speech.

When characters arrive at Stone Creek’s home, they enter behind the audience and walk around them, occasionally greeting audience members as they approach the stage.

This gives the audience the feeling that

they’re a part of Stone Creek’s party, an observer of ancient language and a participant in keeping its culture alive.

Another aspect of the ancient culture “Time for Chocolate” looks to keep alive is the dance prevalent in the time period. In the second half of the play, a flower-song composer named Painted Mask arrives at the party with a group of dancers in beautiful and elaborate costumes, who spend one of the longer segments of the play performing an ancient dance. The dance is performed by the Tulsa-based Danza Santa Cruz, “for whom many ancient aesthetic traditions related to flower song are still very much alive,” according to Willis.

Though the dance itself was excellent, it went on for long enough that it was an overall detriment to the flow of the play. The dancers arrived, performed and promptly left with the exception of two who stayed on stage and sat quietly until the end of the play. Perhaps the performance could have been trimmed down and more group members could stay onstage and use their instruments and voices to accent parts of the character’s flower-song poetry. As it stands, the group is far too isolated for how skilled the dance was and how much time clearly went into the costuming.

Despite this light pacing hiccup and a bit of initial difficulty approaching the poetic language, “Time for Chocolate” gives viewers an intricate and loving view of the performances and philosophies of a culture often cast aside by modern nations. Though there are no new performances of “Time for Chocolate” scheduled, Willis plans to use this experience to continue writing plays and notes that “it’s been an honor and a pleasure to be involved with the other Fellows in the 2016-17 OCH Food Seminar, and also to have worked with the production crew, the cast, and the dancers for this production!”

courtesy Oklahoma Center for the Humanities

Among the performers for “Time For Chocolate” was dance group Danza Santa Cruz.

TU student films debut in Spring Film Festival Alex Garoffolo Apprentice Editor

Twelve student films, many complete with original scores, made their TU debut at the Lorton Performing Arts Center on Monday, March 6th. The films ranged from the futuristic “116” to racially charged “House Jazz.” At the end of the evening, Chandler Barrett’s “House Jazz” took home the awards for Best Picture and Audience Choice.

During the student film awards, other prizes awarded were Runner Up (Lisandro Boccacci’s “If Only”), Best Senior (Steven Buchele) and Best Actor/Actress (Tabitha Littlefield). Barrett’s film was not done just yet. “House Jazz” also won Best Score, composed by Dominique Barnes. However, TU is not the only place film students received recognition this year.

In 2016 the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition awarded Boccacci with a grant to create his now upcoming film “Up from Smoke and Ash.” This film will be screened at the Momentum Event in Oklahoma City March 24-25. His film “If Only” from the TU Film Festival and Anne Mirrop’s film “Oh Larry!” were selected for screening at the BisonBison Film Festival in Ponca City on April 7-8. This film festival took submissions from throughout the Midwest.

Past honors for students in the film department include Chase Chambers’ Student Emmy for his 2016 film “Deaf Code” which discussed deaf culture and debunked many of the myths surrounding deaf people’s lives. TU alumnus Brian Du just finished working as a post production assistant on a documentary called “Far Western” that was selected for the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam. Also, recent alumna Bridgette Smith worked for the Motion Picture Editor’s Guild in Los Angeles and had a chance to attend the Oscars.

The Outstanding Senior Award Films were: 116 by Lisandro Boccacci Bad Day by Bridgette Smith

“twenty-one plus”

Grey Fever by Maddi Birky

Lemon Cake Martini

Laundry Blues by Jake Mohan Oh Larry! by Anne Mirrop Room Full of Liquor by Meg Crockett The Legend Begins by Steven Buchele Jeff by Lisandro Boccacci Lunch by Keven Kisling If Only by Lisandro Boccacci House Jazz by Chandler Berrett

Sam Chott Satire Editor

This drink is a slight variation on a Lemon Drop, which can be served as either a shot or in a stemmed glass. Though Lemon Drops are often very sweet, this recipe retains a good amount of tartness from the lemon juice. By replacing half of the vodka in a normal Lemon Drop with birthday cake-flavored vodka, we get a hint of the cake flavor without it overpowering the drink. While you could use ReaLemon or lemon juice concentrate, fresh lemon juice will elevate this drink.

If you don’t have a cocktail shaker or sturdy water bottle, freeze the vodka before mixing to chill the drink, and add ½ tablespoon of water to dilute it. Note that without shaking, the mouthfeel of the drink won’t be as smooth.

Drink this if: it’s your birthday, or we’re going to party like it’s your birthday.

.75 oz lemon juice .75 oz simple syrup* 1 oz vodka 1 oz birthday cake-flavored vodka 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

1. (Optional) Pour a small amount of white sugar on a small plate or saucer.

Brush the rim of a chilled martini or coupe glass with simple syrup, then roll the glass in the sugar to coat the rim.

2. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker or sturdy water bottle, along with about ¾ cup ice.

3. Vigorously shake for 15 seconds.

4. Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass. *To make simple syrup: Add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to a microwave-safe container. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until sugar is completely dissolved and syrup is clear. Chill in refrigerator before using.

Variety

The Collegian: 20

27 March 2017

“Lysistrata” is a delightful comedy with a strong message “Lysistrata” is a well-executed contemporary take on a Greek classic.

Nick Rethford Apprentice Editor

This past weekend, The University of Tulsa’s production of “Lysistrata” opened to audiences. The play tells the story of a group of oppressed women, sick of the needless war they must suffer through, who decided to take matters into their own hands and withhold sex from their husbands until peace was declared. Directed by Michelle Miller Dill, “Lysistrata” perfectly highlighted the contrasting themes of oppression and equality while still capturing the timeless humor of the original piece.

While based on the original Greek play

by Aristophanes, this version of the play was definitely a unique creation of its own. Dill did an amazing job of modernizing the play, updating the setting, costume, and dialect (as well as innuendo) of the play, which not only underlined the play’s universal themes of war and equality but also presented something that everyone could relate to.

“When we first found out that the show was going to be modernized, I was skeptical, but I quickly learned what people truly meant when they say that Greek plays are timeless,” explains John Broadwater, who plays Artemas. “I was shocked to see that we really didn’t have to alter what Aristophanes did very much. We actually took out some of the more raunchy stuff,

believe it or not!”

The play itself was an interesting experience. Each cast member took a unique approach to their character that added to the overall charm of the show and an atmosphere of comedy that never felt forced or rushed. Special props go out to Mia Graham as Kleonike, who delivered her punchlines with a subtle sense of realism that filled the theatre with laughter every time. The cast also seized every opportunity to keep the audience engaged, often chasing each other through the audience and even tossing a baby (fake of course) to an audience member at one point, which added to the delightful mayhem of the show.

The audience members weren’t the only ones having a lot of fun too. The cast genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves as they paraded around stage, bickering effortlessly back and forth with each other and dropping perfectly timed jokes that would leave grandma deaf in one ear but were hilarious nonetheless. “There are still so many moments where it’s hard for me to stay in character because I’m dying laughing underneath,” explains Broadwater.

“There really is something for everyone in this show.”

Overall, the show was a delightful experience that contained something for everyone to enjoy. As to whether or not the rest of the audience had a great time, audience member Jessica Maas definitely did. “I enjoyed it so much,” she says. “I’ve seen it multiple times and each time was even funnier than the last. I’m really glad I got the chance to ‘lock it down.’”

Hannah Benson as Zosime.

Samantha Potrykus as Lysistrata and Mia Graham as Kleonike.

Audrey Williams as Polymnia, Austen Naron as the Commissioner and Faith Greenhagen as Desma.

The women of “Lysistrata” are determined to “lock it down.”

photos by Dalton Stewart

Samantha Potrykus as Lysistrata.

Xiu Xiu’s latest album is one of their most accessible The 44-minute record contains a vast array of sounds and emotions that are sure to stick with the listener for a long time.

Ethan Veenker Apprentice Editor No one is really foreign to the concept of “sad music.” We all have a track that we tend to queue up when we’re feeling sad or when we’re pissed off. Music is perhaps the artform most proficient in eliciting emotion. When you hear “sad music,” however, you’re likely to think of artists like Modest Mouse or Frank Ocean, artists who supply heavy lyrics over comparably light tunes.

This isn’t to say that the mentioned artists haven’t released songs that just sound sad without the lyrics (one needs only to listen to Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” for proof of that), but there are certain masters of darkness in music that they can’t compete with.

“Darkness” in music is a bit more complicated than sadness. Sadness is the emotion that the music riles up within you; darkness refers to the tone of the track itself. Sad songs can be described as having “somber” or “sullen” tones, but idyllically sad music doesn’t hold a candle to a truly “dark” tone.

A dark song provides near sensory overload and isn’t something that most people — even those who appreciate the genre — are willing to listen to every day. Perhaps the most popular icon in dark music is the band Swans and their depressive frontman Michael Gira. From “Filth” to “The Glowing Man,” Swans are known for getting underneath your skin and forcing you to feel exactly what they want you to feel. Given that Xiu Xiu performed as an opener for Swans in a past tour, it’s only fitting that their musical darkness should be appreciated too.

And appreciated it is. Xiu Xiu’s largest recent hit was “Xiu Xiu Plays the Music of Twin Peaks,” a barren record that captures the spirit of the show perfectly while also molding it in their own vision. Shortly after that album had run its course and the hype had subsided a bit, Xiu Xiu announced “Forget” (stylized as “FORGET”), their tenth studio album.

courtesy Xiu Xiu

“FORGET” features dark melodies from band members Jamie Stewart, Angela Seo and Shayna Dunkelman.

“FORGET” hits hard and it hits almost immediately with the opening track “The Call.” Immediately a panicked and energetic voice yells (perhaps “raps”) some senseless lyrics into the listener’s ears, serving to perk them up for the work of art that would follow. Frontman Jamie Stewart’s idiosyncratic singing voice seeps in alongside driving percussion and a droning synthesizer.

There is little variation and little other way to describe the song. The chord changes from time to time, but it is an otherwise solid blast of noise that is backed by percussion, vocals and a few other synthesizer effects. Somehow, though, it comes together into a fantastically dark track.

The next track, “Queen of the Losers,” takes this even further. A repetitive banging of drums and what sounds like an acoustic guitar are slammed on every beat alongside ear-wrenching synthesizer effects for the verses of the track, but a recurring aspect of “FORGET” begins in the chorus.

A higher synth comes in to complement the noisier ones, and suddenly the song sounds a bit happier, for lack of a better word. For a moment the clouds part and the song is a careless-if-not-crazy pop track, creating a perfect irony as it plays over Stewart’s singing of “everyone hates you, the pain has just begun.”

All of a sudden, the listener realizes that Xiu Xiu has released their most accessible album yet. The darkness is still there; the needlessly grotesque and violent lyrics are still there; the overwhelming bursts of noise lie just beneath the surface of what can ostensibly be called experimental pop songs.

They’re not tracks you would hear at a club, they’re rather perforated with harsh noises and interspersed with less-than-dancy elements (an exception to this being “Wondering,” which serves as perhaps the most upbeat track on the record).

From the restrained and balladic “Get Up” to the dissonant and nearly melodyless “Hay Choco Bananas,” Xiu Xiu has truly provided their widest array of sounds for this record. There is the aforementioned dancy and poppy and the aforementioned bursts of dark noise, but there are also masterful hybrids of the two. Tracks like “Jenny GoGo” and “At Last, At Last,” for example.

It’s an album that truly feels like it can serve everyone. Dedicated fans may appreciate the darkest parts and newcomers to the genre can easily get into the more cadencedriven moments of the record. There’s plenty of each to go around, but it’s surely not Xiu Xiu’s darkest album; don’t go into it expecting this. I would still classify it as “dark,” however. And, if you’re going into it

looking for some darkness, look no further than the masterful and hard-hitting finale, “Faith, Torn Apart.”

We’re led into the eight-minute track with the chaotic clinging of dozens and dozens of bells and chimes. The lead synth suddenly bursts its way into the track, a slow cadence on heavy drums takes backstage with a sort of deep-jungle tribal sound and a debilitating bass synth begins to overwhelm the ears. Most profound on the record, however, are Stewart’s painfully stretched and delivered vocals. I’ve failed to define what I meant by “idiosyncratic” earlier, and that’s that Stewart sings like a man straining very hard to hit the highest note he can at any given time. To the unlearned listener, it can get quite grating, and given the environment of music he surrounds his vocals with, I suppose that’s the point. On “Faith, Torn Apart” all of the ingredients come together perfectly to form what is the darkest landscape on the record.

And just as it seems the song is drawing to a close, a nearly three-minute monologue begins. It’s sneeringly read by transgender icon Vaginal Davis and serves as some sort of first-person description of a woman lost to the international sex trade. There are innocent lines like “My room is a mess, my hair is black and blue,” there are vaguely worrying lines like “My gaze will never settle […] my village is 6,600 miles away” and there are downright depressing lines: “My skirt is thrown up over my head […] my skin feels like a breaking vase […] my family will never see me again […] my deadend childhood is just beginning […] my age is on a card and can not be disputed.” All of these respective lines, of course, build up (or down, you could say) in tone as the monologue drags on. I remember my slow realization of its true nature when I first heard it. The incessant chimes and bells still play just behind the words, creating a mocking allusion to a church alongside the depressing story. But finally, to solidify the song’s identity as a legendary dark track, we hear “It doesn’t matter what you think, do anything you like, because I was born dead, and I was born to die” and the record abruptly ends, ringing of unheard cries for help that the listener imagines, staring blankly at a wall, unable and unwanting to move.

27 March 2017

The State-Run Media

Could this one easy trick change your life forever?

We’ve got one easy trick – could it change your life?

No, it can’t.

Sam Chott Easy trick

courtesy Wikipedia

Ok, who did it: somebody Sean Spicer invites “Know Your told John about Marxism John kept posting things like this on Facebook after he read a page of The Communist Manifesto.

Spicer answers a question about the acceptable use of Trump’s hair in memes.

courtesy Wikipedia

Meme” to press conferences

After banning multiple news organizations from White House press conferences, Press Secretary Sean Spicer has begun briefing Know Your Meme reporters.

Sam Beckmann Pepe apologist After kicking out Fake News outlets The New York Times, CNN, and Buzzfeed from White House press conferences, Sean Spicer made the surprising decision to invite Know Your Meme to the briefings. The decision to invite this news outlet was reportedly a result of their hard hitting reporting on the “wat in tarnation” phenomenon and its many offshoots. The representative will be sitting in CNN’s usual seat directly in front of Mr. Spicer during all press conferences.

“After removing all 324 Fake News outlets from our briefings, the place was looking a little empty,” Spicer said in a press release yesterday. “I feel Know Your Meme is an important source of fact in this infor-

Someone told John about the political and economic ideas of mation age, and their particular appeal to Karl Marx, and now he won’t shut millennials is especially relevant. I use them the fuck up about it. regularly to keep up to date with all the latest internet trends, and I’m pleased to welcome them to my conferences.”

In an undoubtedly Fake article this morning, the New York Times interviewed the Know Your Meme correspondent about his new position. “I’m incredibly excited to be attending these press briefings. I have a long list of questions for the new administration, and can’t wait to get started,” said Senior Memologist Brad Stevens. Among those questions, the correspondent planned to ask what Baron Trump’s favorite video game is, which pictures of Trump’s face would make the best image macros, and if Mike Pence has a comprehensive plan for replacing the Biden memes of last year.

“These are essential questions that aren’t being asked right now, pushed aside in favor of frivolous comments about health care, Russia, and immigration. I feel I can meaningfully contribute to changing the tone of these conferences, upping the rate of meme generation worldwide. There’s a lot to be done,” said Stevens. The White House could not be reached for comment.

Adam Lux Bourgeoisie backer Troubling news broke last week out of a friend group of arts and science students.

Sources say that someone told John, one of the friends, about Marxism, specifically breaking a blood pact that the other members of the group made freshman year.

The members of the friend group, who call themselves “The Infinite Jesters,” met early freshman year. The group consists of five guys and one girl, Jessica, who the guys clearly don’t have a crush on or anything.

Second semester freshman year, the group identified one of their members, one John Capital, as particularly in danger of being seduced by the ideas of Marxism. Not wanting their good friend John to become “that guy,” the group made a blood pact to do everything in their power to protect John from the radically attractive ideology.

The group would hijack John’s textbooks

at the beginning of every semester and rip out any pages with references to Marx. They would quickly remove John from any situation they thought might lead to discussion about Marxism. They even hired a computer science major to put a virus on his computer which blocked any web pages that contained references to Marx or Marxism.

The plan worked flawlessly for two years.

However, last week Capital posted a Marxist meme in the group’s group chat. Within seconds the group’s other group chat that they used when they needed to talk about Capital without him knowing, called Sans John, blew up with finger pointing and accusations.

“I just can’t believe someone would undermine our group like that,” said Jessica in an interview. “We worked really hard to keep John from becoming a douche… and now…” She trailed off.

Sources say John hasn’t stopped talking about Marx since Tuesday. He even went so far as to make his own Marxist meme which he posted in multiple group chats. It was a picture of Kanye West with an x through his face and the words “Down with the bourgeou-Ye!” written under it.

At press time nobody has confessed to exposing Capital to Marxism.

White boy raps along to “Gold Digger,” isn’t slowing down A white guy at a party started rapping along to the explicit version of Kanye’s “Gold Digger,” and he doesn’t seem like he’s gonna avoid certain words.

Adam Lux Loudly raps along to “Bonfire” Bam Seckmann, a junior computer science major, held a small but lively party this past weekend which was disrupted when one of his guests started singing along to the song “Gold Digger” by Kanye West.

The guest in question, Tanner Carthswell, is a 20 year old white male. Carthswell isn’t your average white guy, he’s what’s known as “mega-white.” Like I’m talking still wears a power balance bracelet white.

The party was going very well up to that point in the night. The drinks were flowing, the music was all bangers and somebody even brought pizza rolls.

When “Gold Digger” first came on most of the party simultaneously thought to themselves “While I don’t agree with the message of this song, I can still appreciate it musically. However because of some of the language used in the song, and the historical context of that language, I should refrain from singing it. “ Tragically, it appears Tanner was not on the same wavelength as the rest of the party.

He believed the appropriate response to this song was to start rapping along to it, very loudly, and not with particularly correct timing either.

At first it was slightly amusing, if a bit uncomfortable, and everyone chuckled

West, when asked for comment, said that this wasn’t what he wanted his legacy to be.

along to the lanky, basketball shorts-wearing, white boy rapping along to Ye. However instead of just singing the Jamie

When he got to the second hook it became apparent to everyone he had no intention of stopping.

“...instead of just singing the Jamie Foxx intro and stopping, Carthswell continues into the hook” Foxx intro and stopping, Carthswell continued into the hook without even pausing.

“It was the most awkward moment of my entire life,” said one guest who asked to re-

courtesy Wikipedia

main nameless. “It was like watching someone push on a door that says pull.”

By the time the song ended the entire party was silent and motionless, all paralyzed from sheer awkwardness.

Thankfully the oven beeped, signalling the pizza rolls were ready, and the party continued jovially.

Seckmann has informed the State-Run that “Gold Digger” has been removed from the “Lit Party 100 100” playlist to prevent this situation in the future.

The State-Run Media

27 March 2017

5 things I learned while high on spring break A State-Run writer had a few epiphanies while on spring break, which were definitely unrelated to any substances he was ingesting.

Conner Maggio High credit score, also just high

Over this spring break, we all had some fun, did some things we regret, but the most important thing is the lessons that we learned along the way. My lessons were all learned the easy way: using hard drugs, sometimes many hard drugs simultaneously, but always responsibly.

1. During my trip to El Paso, after huffing two cans of spray paint from a sock, I learned that I could get mad tax credit if I totalled up all of my charitable contributions throughout the year, including all of the food I had purchased and prepared for the various charity events I hosted. Now, I keep a record in my personal finance excel sheet that I update throughout the year. It’s a mild hassle, but I usually just keep my receipts and update my sheet quarterly. Always remember that you can count out-of-pocket costs on your taxes while doing work for a charity, which can include anything from stamps to tolls for any philanthropic trips.

2. While railing nose beers in Cabo with a $100 bill, I came to the realization that I needed to do more chores in my daily life. I just wasn’t washing my sheets enough, once every fortnight is not frequent enough and could even lead to acne and general grossness. Nobody wants their room dirty but also nobody wants to vacuum — that’s why I vacuum every Sunday. Remember: Chores are only boring if you make them boring.

I love to try and invent new and creative games to play with myself during my daily household work. For example, I love to count all the tiles that I have vacuumed, or how many times I have filled my dishes with water while washing them.

3. After taking 6000% of my daily vitamin B12 I found a way to incorporate a new one turn kill combo that hasn’t been banned yet into my Magic: the Gathering deck. I can’t share it with you because I’m about to go to a regional competition and use it there.

Just trust me when I say it’s a real doozy.

4. At the Louvre, immediately after falling down the slippery slope with some lefthanded cigarettes, I figured that if I kept a schedule I could plan out my time and use it more wisely. Now I am trying to follow a more strict sleep schedule that follows closely with my circadian rhythm. The best advantage of this is planning my free time, I can use it for anything I want. How exciting is that?

Spring break, seen here, can be a good time to really figure some stuff out.

5. While sipping morphine in the Himalayas I learned that although people think of finding inner peace as some big revelation, sometimes the peace comes in little pieces and that is just fine. I may not be experiencing peace right now but I know that with age my heart will settle down and I can be more

courtesy Wikipedia

at ease. I’m just waiting for the good times to come. It isn’t a bad way to live but it is a very temporary way to live. I can’t live my life living from one moment to the next forever, but living like that right now (in my early 20’s) is fine.

Quiz: Do you like cilantro?

Do you like this soapy plant, you monster?

There are all kinds of people in the world, and they can all be separated with short quizzes. Are you a decent person, or the kind of sub-human that enjoys cilantro?

Amy Cairns Enjoys the taste of soap Question #1: Close your eyes. Imagine you’re walking through a forest. The sun is out, there is a light breeze, everything seems perfect and serene. You look down at the greenery below you. What’s your favorite genre of movie?

A.Horror movies - I love being afraid.

B. Comedy movies - Anything that will make me laugh!

C. I like most movies.

Question #2: You follow the path through the woods, the trees are tall and majestic, shading you from the world above. As you approach the end of the path, you find a house. Are you a cat person or a dog person?

A. Cat person - they’re so fluffy and smart.

B. Dog person - they’re fun and adventurous!

C. Either, both are cute.

Question #3: Whichever house you described, you approach it. The house seems abandoned, as if it was cleared out, just waiting for you. You see a door! Are you an indoor person, or an outdoor person?

A. Indoor B. Outdoor C. A mixture of both.

Question #4: You place your hand on the door, preparing to open it. A deep, overwhelming sensation builds inside of you.

What’s your favorite color?

A. Green - the color of plants and nature.

B. Red - the color of apples and love.

C. All of the colors are nice.

Question #5: Do you like cilantro?

A. Yes B. No C. I’m indifferent.

Mostly A’s It seems that you might like cilantro. Tell me, have you always liked the taste of soap,

courtesy Pixabay

or is this a new development in your life?

Have you always been a terrible person? I hate to break it to you, but, your tastebuds are wrong. No, no, no, I don’t want to hear your “it’s genetic!” nonsense. Don’t patronize me. Your genetics are wrong. Cilantro is a heathen herb; the real devil’s lettuce. No, listen, I don’t want to hear your arguments.

“It’s good in salsa!” Sure it is, if you like your salsa to taste like a frothy mixture of depression, loneliness and Dawn. I don’t care what you eat it in. I don’t care what you think it might be good in. You. Are. Wrong.

“It’s good in small doses…” you say? It’s better in no doses. Because it’s awful. Just like you.

Fine. Why should I care? Keep your suds-plant. Yeah, keep eating your cilantro.

Garnish your life with a nice leafy bundle of terrible. See how much I care. Plot twist: I don’t.

Mostly B’s Wow. It looks like you don’t like cilantro? Have you ever tasted cilantro? Cilantro is a gift. Cilantro is the greatest thing that is ever going to happen to your sad, pathetic life. And here you are, dissing it? Incredible.

Is your taste in everything terrible, or just food? I bet you microwave your steak too, don’t you? You have the tastebud range of a saltine cracker. Cilantro came into your life, prepared to love you, and you told cilantro “No! I don’t like quality! Life is terrible. I want everything to be sad and bland, just like me.” You aren’t worthy of cilantro’s love. Go back to your flavorless life, plebeian.

Mostly C’s Congratulations, you won! You are the only correct person. Life is hard. It really is. And decisions are hard. But you, YOU didn’t make a single decision this entire quiz, and that, my friend, is what life is really about. Who cares if you like cilantro or not? It’s not some deep, introspective metaphor for life! It’s just an herb! People seem to get really heated about this topic, and by having an opinion on it, you’re inevitably going to anger somebody. What better way to avoid conflict than not deciding!

The more you don’t care, the less chance you have of making someone mad. And that is the true meaning of life. So continue on with your apathy. It’ll get you nowhere in life, but that’s okay.

Wither can be seen here in the second hour of her call to customer support.

courtesy Pixabay

Student asked to restart it, like she hadn’t tried that five times already While trying to replace her laptop, a TU student encountered a customer service representative who asked her to do some basic troubleshooting, like she’s some kind of idiot.

Sam Beckmann Holding the power button In a tense call with customer service last Thursday, sophomore Kelly Wither tried to get her computer replaced. The situation began when she noticed as soon as the desktop was loaded, her laptop would crash, displaying an error message related to faulty RAM. Quickly determining this problem would only be solved by getting the entire machine replaced by the manufacturer, she called customer service and the altercation began.

After explaining the problem, and clearly stating the issue was related to the RAM, the customer service representative still asked her to “turn the machine off and back on again,” as if that wasn’t the first thing she tried when this happened. Not wanting to waste any more time than she had already spent, Wither waited 15 seconds or so before

telling the other end of the line that “yes, in fact, the problem still is fucking there.”

It would have still been somewhat acceptable if the representative agreed to a return at that point, but nooooo, there were more useless steps to take. Next, she was told to “go to settings, then system, and should be a button labeled ‘Reset to Factory Settings.’

Go ahead and do that.” Despite repeated attempts to indicate that the system crashed before she could get to that button, the representative still insisted she tried. Eventually, desperate to get this process over with, Wither indicated that she did, in fact, reset the computer, and yes, in fact, the problem was still there.

Finally, the representative asked for her serial number, which she, of course, had ready, and then put her on hold. The hold lasted nine whole minutes! I mean, how hard can it be to enter a 16-digit serial number, this reporter asks. Anyway, after an excruciatingly long delay, the hold ended and she could resume her conversation.

At press time, Wither is still on the phone the representative, growing increasingly worried that the conversation still will not be finished when she needs to leave for class in 15 minutes.

27 March 2017

The State-Run Media

the

State-Run media Ready to improve TU, but only if we don’t have to do any work

Improve TU:

The State-Run Media presents student ideas for campus improvement

More fountains that spray you while you’re walking

We’ve been overlooking the most important element of our campus’ design – giant fountains that unexpectedly spray you with water.

Amy Cairns Appreciates fountain showers

The University of Tulsa is constantly looking for ways to improve campus life.

From fixing the wifi to removing those pesky Christmas lights in the winter, TU really strives to hear its student’s needs and fix their problems. What the university needs now: more inconveniently placed uncontrollable fountains.

Picture this: you’re walking across campus, and you’re late to class. Normally, your route takes you past at least one fountain, but since you’re running late, your only option is to take a different route — a fountainless route. If you take the fountain-free route, you won’t get your daily dose of chlorinated water to the face. If you take your usual route, though, you’ll be late to class.

It’s usually best not to be late to class, but

how will you survive without your refreshing splash to the face? The other students will see your dry papers, and know that you didn’t take the fountain route. They’ll laugh and mock you. Better to be late to class than show up to class dry.

This is an issue students face daily. The solution? More fountains.

Many students are outraged by the fact that the whole campus isn’t slightly moist.

“This campus has too many dry spots,” cried fountain activist Jacob Thompson. “The administration just isn’t listening to our needs.

We don’t need new courses! We need more fountains, specifically ones that deliver an aggressive, light mist as students walk by.

We need to act now! Damp-us, Campus!”

While students like Thompson feel strongly about the apparent lack of fountains, other students think the university has done a decent job at hearing their pleas.

“We can’t really blame the University for ignoring this issue — because they haven’t.

They built the Hardesty fountain. They’ve heard us, and are working towards a better campus. Is it a slow process? Yes. But at least they’re doing something, right?” student Ashley Harper told reporters at StateRun Media, flinching each time the fountain spit water on her. “Though the numbers are

We had an artist mock up a picture of an improved, constantly damp campus.

small, we at least have one fountain that sprays students as they walk by. That’s better than nothing.”

courtesy Pixabay

No university officials were available to comment on this issue.

Fewer restrictions on funding for student journalism

courtesy Wikipedia

TU would be a lot better if my kitchen looked like this, and wasn’t full of week-old Chinese food.

Make my roommate stop leaving her dishes out, BECKY

We can improve TU by keeping our campus (my kitchen sink) clean.

Hannah Kloppenburg Has had it up to here

Everyone thinks that college students are sloppy, messy, and generally unmotivated to keep their living spaces clean. In some cases, that’s very true — I’ve seen it right here on TU campus.

The TU experience could be greatly improved if all of us worked together to make our campus a clean and pleasant space. You know, like, picking up trash on the Old U, not leaving messes in the classrooms, and NOT LEAVING DISHES OUT IN OUR APARTMENTS. I just think that if everyone, especially my roommate Becky, put in a little extra effort

each day, we could really make this campus into a beautiful place to be. I know we’re all busy with studies and extracurriculars, but cleanliness is really a vital part of collaborating as a student party and is also a vital part of not pissing off our roommates.

Everyone should try their hardest to just pick up a little bit of the mess they see around them. We shouldn’t be littering or being wasteful! We should be taking responsibility for our own messes! We shouldn’t be leaving pots of soup on the stovetop for five days at a time, eventually forcing our roommates to throw the moldy soup away for us!

Part of living together on a college campus is being considerate of others. TU students (Becky) should be working harder to do this. If you (Becky) are reading this, you (Becky) should think of ways you (Becky) can get started! Maybe by cleaning the bowls that have been stacked in our sink for two weeks?

Ask the Head Propagandist

Q: I keep getting in relationships and not understanding where they’re going. Everyone I date seems like they’re not ready to open up emotionally, and I’m tired of shallow people. How can I find someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with?

A: Call me ;)

courtesy Pixabay

Honestly, it would be nice if the University could just provide funding in a cash-in-briefcase format.

One thing that TU could improve is funding – specifically, giving more of it to student journalists, and asking fewer questions.

Sam Chott Wrote this on a gold laptop TU has come under a lot of fire recently for funding issues. After a large number of employees were let go and staff retirement and disability funding were cut, some have said that funding in many areas should be cut. While that may be true, there’s one area where funding shouldn’t be cut, and should actually be increased – student journalism.

Some of you may be suspicious of this suggestion. After all, as the Chief Propagandist of the State-Run Media, I’m a direct recipient of funding earmarked for student journalism. The truth is, it takes someone close to the problem to see it, and from my vantage point in my gold-plated tower, I can definitely see that we could use some more money.

It’s not just a lack of funds; there are also problems with how purchases are reimbursed. Last week, it was important that we get a small amount of cocaine, for journalism reasons. Unfortunately, the university refuses to refund purchases without

receipts, and our dealer refused to provide us with proof of purchase. How can we be expected to report on current events under these conditions?

Despite our minimal funding, we’ve been able to do some stellar journalism. A couple issues ago, a writer wrote an excellent review of a restaurant in downtown Tulsa.

Unfortunately, university funds could only cover a couple hundred dollars worth of food, so the writer was only able to review a couple of courses. How can we be a respected university if our journalism needs to be subject to such arbitrary constraints?

Now, it’s true that there are some rumors about the State-Run Media misusing university funds. You may have heard far-fetched stories about State-Run editors using funds to purchase luxury items like watches, jewelry, and even automobiles. Tragically, any documents related to the purchase of my Rolls-Royce were destroyed in a recent mysterious fire in McClure Hall, so any accusations of impropriety can’t be proven.

Journalism is important on every campus.

How would you stay informed if journalists didn’t inform you of important events taking place? In turn, how can journalists do their jobs without access to advanced training, cutting-edge equipment, and lavish parties that come straight out of the university’s budget? I’m sure that you’ll agree with me when I say that all restrictions on student journalism funding should be lifted.

The Collegian: 24

27 March 2017

Relay for Life celebrates survival, grieves loss

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Students travel around the nation for spring break During the Luminaria ceremony, each Luminaria represents someone who was lost to cancer.

SBU160050 Mstrs_Cllgn_5_1x10_5.indd 1

10/31/16 9:26 AM

From Paddy’s Day parties to local community service, students chronicle their spring break adventures!

courtesy Michaela Flonard

Michaela Flonard, Nathan Gibbons, Jacob Eddy and Trenton Gibbons show off their bead haul from the St. Patrick’s Day festivities in New Orleans.

courtesy Caitlyn Dryke

Members of Alpha Phi Omega volunteered at New Hope Oklahoma, helping to serve children with incarcerated parents.

courtesy Kate Tillotson

Isla Peterson, Kate Tillotson and Will Hubbard, all from Student Veterans of America, take a selfie in front of the White House in Washington D.C.

Nick Rethford poses by the sign for Black Mesa State Park.

courtesy Nick Rethford