Student newspaper of the University of Tulsa
Student releases Olympics themed podcast
Tandy shutdown incovenience
Tulsa’s supercomputing center closed its doors, leaving many students and teachers searching for an alternative. Adam Lux Satire Editor
Over winter break, many TU students and faculty received an email informing them that the Tandy Supercomputing Center (TSC) would soon be shutting down. TSC operated the Tandy, a 1600core supercomputer available for private, commercial and academic use. TSC was an initiative started in 2013 by the Oklahoma Innovation Initiative (OII) and a number of other institutions, including OUTulsa, OSU-Tulsa, TCC and TU, among others. It was funded partially through the A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Foundation as well as the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The physical system itself, Tandy, is housed in city hall. It has 1600 cores, 12.8TB of RAM and is running CentOS linux. It takes up about four racks, each about the size of a refrigerator. What will happen to the physical computer itself is still up in the air, although its likely at least some of the infrastructure will go to the city. The email suggested alternative computing centers at OU and OSU and offered to help any users with transitions. “Financial reasons” were stated as the cause for the shutdown. TSC Director George Louthan expounded on the reasoning for TSC’s shutdown. “I don’t think it’s a secret at all that higher-ed in Oklahoma is not in a very good place right now funding-wise.” He continued, “A major source of our funding has always been contributions from the member institutions … from TU, the two campuses of Oklahoma State in Tulsa and the OU campus in Tulsa. The kind of money that that historically has been doesn’t exist anymore.” Non-university funding sources have taken a hit due to the energy downturn affecting this part of the state. Louthan said operating a supercomputer like the Tandy costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. “Computational science and engineering is a third, co-equal, approach to doing science.” When asked about the role of supercomputers, Louthan said, “There’s questions for which we can the answer best by theory, some by experimentation and some by computation.” “At the end of the day it’s easier to help people when you’re three miles away than it is when you’re a hundred miles away or a thousand miles away,” Louthan said. Louthan also expressed that one of the consequences of TSC’s shutdown will be that they can no longer work to bring supercomputing to new areas of science. Scientists “can ask bigger, more exciting questions if we can get them comfortable using bigger tools.” he said. Louthan said that he wanted people to know that “we have a great supercomputing community in Oklahoma … even though we’re going away there’s still help and tools out there for people. We hope they’ll continue to think big about the kind of science that advanced computing can help them do and reach out to the resources that are available.” All TU students and faculty are able to use OU’s supercomputer Schooner and OSU’s supercomputer Cowboy for their academic research for free.
February 19, 2018 Issue 18 - Volume 103
photo by Kayleigh Thesenvitz
Haynes has produced three podcasts and written three novels. Hannah Kloppenburg Web Manager
TU student Jesse Haynes has made strides with three young adult novels and three wildly successful podcasts. Now he’s bringing a fourth podcast to life — one that focuses on the Olympics. Haynes is no stranger to sports writing. A passion for sports and success in high school athletics bled into his academic life and eventually led to a sports writing position at the “Skiatook Journal” and sports stringer work with the “Tulsa World.” The upcoming podcast will likely be titled “The History of Olym-
pic Politics.” Its focus is just that. “I’m starting with a history of the Olympics for episode one, then I’ll dive off into the different political factors affecting the Olympics, from race, to business, to government, to amateurism and more,” Haynes explains. Haynes says that the best part of his work on the show is the guests he’s worked with. The show features interviews with academics, including one of the world’s leading Olympic historians, past gold medalists and hopeful future Olympians. All of the featured guests will share their perspective on the interplay between politics and the Olympics. The show is mainly historybased, but Haynes thinks that the currently ongoing Olympics have their own political elements.
“Look at the unity of North and South Korea in 2018. In fact, I am beginning to think it’s impossible to separate the Olympics from politics. The former couldn’’t survive without the latter,” he says. Haynes’ upcoming podcast is part of a Media Studies independent study project — he is a class of 2019 Media Studies major with minors in Creative Writing and Digital Humanities. He first began making his own podcasts after becoming an avid podcast listener. He recorded his first show, “Cryptid Creatures,” with a $30 microphone on the floor of his closet. The show is a nonfiction show that explores the science and myth behind various cryptids. The success of “Cryptid Creatures” led to the creation of “The Others,” an audio drama about a
man stranded on an island crawling with paranormal monsters, and “The Mazie Meadows Morning Show,” a series of “live broadcasts” from a small town full of strange creatures. The two podcasts have been downloaded over one million times and both made it into the Top 50 on iTunes. With over two million podcasts hosted on the website, this is no small feat. Haynes says he’s “a one-man production team. From writing the scripts to layering the sound effects and producing the final product, I do all of that.” He does, however, rely on the help of friends and TU affiliates to contribute to voice acting. See Haynes, p. 4
Upcoming “1984” promises to delight The play appeals to both fans of the book and those unfamiliar with the story. Brennen Gray Student Writer Don’t call this propaganda, but the TU Theater Department has done it again. Laura Skoch directs Andrew White’s adaptation of “1984” by George Orwell. I sat in on a dress-rehearsal, and the production proved fantastic. The adaptation follows the novel’s Winston Smith and his struggles with a dystopian society controlled by a tyrannical regime known as the Party. He meets Julia and starts to fight against the Totalitarian regime by daring to think for himself. He then must face the consequences. Beginning with the acting, the execution was perfect. The chemistry between Corey Allcorn as Winston and Emma Lucas as Julia felt authentic. I rooted for their relationship with genuine interest. Samantha Potrykus played a convincing O’Brien: intimately terrifying and a fitting symbol for the tyranny of the Party. The ensemble delivered a top-notch performance as well. As I sat in on a dress rehearsal, I
Lacking a full set did not prevent the cast from giving an enjoyable performance.
did not receive the full visual power of the set. The set I viewed made for a solid imitation of a concrete bunker, with lighting that made the dark stage look like it was floating in the dark theater. However, the actual performances will also include custom-made backdrops. “We had to do tons and tons and tons of CGI. We spent five hours shooting underwater,” said Susan Barrett, head of projection design and CGI. The TU-made CGI will provide the setting for the world of
Oceania, and the underwater moments will provide a backdrop for the romance scenes. The plot does not require analysis; George Orwell proved its success almost 70 years ago. The adaptation mostly cut out the world building and descriptions from the book, compensating for it with CGI and other backdrops. Anyone who has not yet read the novel will be able to follow the story without problem. Any fan of the novel should be satisfied as well, as long
photos by Brennen Gray
as they recognize that it is an adaptation and should not be compared too much to the original text. The director said she chose the play as part of an outreach to local high schools. “We wanted to find books on the high school reading list. Last year we did Julius Caesar,” said Skoch. She also commented on why “1984” of all the books on the average high school reading list. See “1984,” p. 9
Mail room an underappreciated resource More is going on behind the scenes of TU’s mail room than some may realize. Tori Gellman Student Writer Everyone gets mail at some point. Maybe you order a cool new gadget on Amazon or your mother sends you a care package for finals week. Regardless of what you’re waiting to receive, the place you’ll have to go is the TU Mail Room. I have been a work study at the TU mail room in ACAC since the
start of this academic school year. And I absolutely love my job. I love the people I get to work with, and I love when I get to see my friends, or even meet new people as they come to pick up their packages. But I think what a lot of students, and even faculty, fail to realize, is how much goes on in this little corner room. Every morning, under the supervision of the amazing Weldon Hurd, package scanner extraordinaire Leah Leffingwell arrives to campus before most students are even awake and gets the mail room set up for a day of receiv-
ing and delivering packages. We receive mail from seven different delivery companies, including UPS, DHL and FedEx. For USPS, the wonderful Kenny Byerly, with the help of the terrific Marcoe Holmes and eclectic newbie Mark Mayer, drive out to the post office every morning and load typically hundreds of packages into carts, which they then unload and wheel into the mailroom where Leah and I are waiting. And then the sorting begins. We separate boxes from flats, sort departmental and student mail, PMB packages, etc. Then we indi-
vidually scan in each package, using the appropriate barcode which varies depending on carrier, and we type in the last name of each person – you know, when people bother to put their names on their orders instead of just leaving it blank or as “Valued Customer” It’s not that we don’t want to find your package, but if your name isn’t on it, we can’t possibly know who it goes to. See Mail room, p. 6
19 February 2018
The Collegian: 2
CONNECTION
COMFORT
CONVENIENCE
Finding a roommate has never been easier TU’s online Roommate Finder service makes the process quick and painless.
1
Log on to the roommate finder service.
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Complete a simple profile.
3
Review a list of compatible roommates.
Please see the housing website for additional information on roommate options and requirements.
Super Jam it Up Roommate Event If you are still looking for a roommate for next year, come out and meet other students who are also looking. Club Mabee Sunday, Feb. 25 at 9 p.m.
@TUCampusHousing
Housing Office: 918-631-2516
canelink.utulsa.edu
Sports
19 February 2018
Men’s basketball escapes at the buzzer
Sterling Taplin had the best night of his career and led TU to another win and a season sweep of the UConn Huskies. Justin Guglielmetti Sports Editor The last time the men’s basketball team played the UConn Huskies, they barely survived a double-overtime thriller at home on the back of Corey Henderson, who hit clutch shot after clutch shot on his way to a career-high 30 points. Last Thursday, it was Sterling Taplin’s turn to take center stage and drop a 30, as the junior point guard turned in the best performance of his career to lead the Golden Hurricane to their fourth consecutive victory and first ever in Hartford. Taplin came out of the gates looking to fire away early, knocking down two treys in the opening five minutes to spot TU to an 8-6 lead. It was the last time Tulsa held the advantage until the second half, as the Huskies responded with a blitz of wide-open looks from the corners and wings. They connected on 8-19 triples in the first half, point guard Jalen Adams having no problem breaking down the defense to the tune of six assists. The Golden Hurricane looked outmatched against the talented Adams and his backcourt mate Christian Vitale, who tallied a team-high 13 points and six rebounds. Entering the break, they were down 40-31, nearly half of those points coming from Taplin alone. Things began to look up for TU around the 17:00 mark, when the team went small and replaced Martins Igbanu with DaQuan Jeffries around the other starters. Igbanu had looked sluggish and out-ofsorts all night (he finished scoreless and with two rebounds in just 16 minutes), and Jeffries’s high-octane play on both ends looked like it sent a much-needed jolt of lightning through the Golden Hur-
ricane. His rim-rattling, one-dribble baseline slam immediately after checking in kicked off a 14-5 stretch over the next few minutes that saw Tulsa regain the lead. During that run, Taplin canned his seventh three pointer of the game with more than 13 minutes to go, looking like a real threat to challenge the TU single-game record of 10 set by James Woodard in 2015 against SMU. Though it would be his last such shot of the game, he continued to be effective facilitating the offense, dishing out four assists in the closing minutes. UConn hung tough and briefly regained the lead, but when Lawson Korita hit a three from the left wing off a beautiful inside-out dish from Junior Etou to go up 68-61 with two minutes remaining, it looked all but over for the Huskies. “Not so fast,” replied Adams and swingman Terry Larrier. Larrier, whose missed three-pointer at the buzzer clinched the win for the Golden Hurricane during the teams’ first meeting, hit two huge triples
spiked it into the hardwood. Ballgame, 73-71 TU. For the game, Tulsa shot an impressive 55 percent from three and the floor overall, though they connected on just 10-19 from the free throw line. They held UConn to 40 percent field goal shooting, but suffered on the defensive glass, giving up 15 offensive boards to help keep the Huskies close. In addition to Taplin’s gamehigh 30 points, Etou and Jeffries put up a combined 29 on 11-18 shooting. With the W, TU improved to 15-10 (8-5) and maintained its fourth seed in the AAC, while Connecticut fell to 12-14 (5-8). Additional Thoughts As Coach Haith eloquently put it after the game, Taplin “had a night.” You think? I don’t know, I’ve always considered 10-12 shooting, including 7-8 from three, and four dimes with 0 turnovers more of a “day” performance myself. But then again, I am but a lowly college sports writer. I kid Haith of course, because there’s not really much more you could say about Taplin’s sublime game. Obviously hitting seven three pointers is always going to be a bit of a fluke for anybody not named Steph Curry or James Harden, but hopefully this represents a change in fortune for Taplin’s success from deep. After knocking down 40.3 of his shots from beyond the arc last year (albeit on only 2.3 attempts per game), he struggled mightily to kick off 2017-18, still connecting on a high-twenties clip more than two months into the season. That mark is now all the way up to 38 percent, now on 3.7 shots per game, and more and more defenders are finding themselves having to go over screens or switch the defensive action altogether. This is opening up all kinds of driving lanes and mismatches for Taplin, who then gets to flex his greatest strengths: ball control and finishing ability around the basket. If he can prove that this recent hot streak is not a mirage and potentially improve on it going into his senior year, we could be looking at one of the best, or at least most underrated, point guards in the country.
“As Haith so eloquently put it after the game, Taplin ‘had a night.’” in transition from Adams to bring Connecticut back within one. One possession later, two free throws from Christian Vitale gave his team the lead and had the XL Center crowd ready to explode. With Tulsa’s winning streak and postseason hopes on the line, Taplin once again came up huge as he had all night, cutting through the middle for a tough layup to regain the lead. On the ensuing possession, he channeled his inner Dane Evans and bombed a pass downcourt to a wide-open DaQuan Jeffries, who made it a three-point game. Even after all his heroics, it was still almost for naught in the game’s final seconds. Adams found an open man under the hoop, then had a chance to tie or win on the final possession when Etou hit only one of two free throws. Barreling towards the basket, he got off a tough but very makeable scooping layup under the extended arms of Jeffries. The ball floated over the rim, not catching any iron. It landed softly in Etou’s hands, who
Hurricane Scoreboard Men’s Basketball Feb. 15: Tulsa 73 - UConn 71 Women’s Basketball Feb. 17: Cincinnati 78 - Tulsa 41 Men’s Tennis Feb. 15: Tulsa 5 - Pine Bluff 0 Feb. 15: Tulsa 6 - ORU 1 Women’s Tennis Feb. 17: Tulsa 4 - DePaul 0
The Collegian: 3
Justin Guglielmetti is…
the
bleacher creature?
“Shut up and dribble!” How about no, you pea-brained ignoramus. In case you’re out of the loop, the cretin in question is Laura Ingraham, a meaner-spirited and less accomplished Megyn Kelly clone who currently hosts a Fox News talk show called “The Ignorant Angle.” I’m sorry, that was supposed to be “The Ingraham Angle,” but you can see how one might get confused. A few days ago, Ms. Ingraham got on her soapbox and blasted LeBron James and Kevin Durant for having the unmitigated gall to voice their political opinions in an interview where they were … wait for it … asked about their political opinions. With the condescending sneer of a woman who wishes that “plantation owner’s wife” was still a viable career path, Ingraham called James’s and Durant’s candid comments “barely intelligible” and “ungrammatical” (mere moments after referring to them as “jumb docks,” by the way) and then proceeded to give her viewers all sorts of fallacious reasons as to why these two upstanding citizens should be barred from exercising their First Amendment rights. She claimed that LeBron left high school early (he didn’t), then insinuated that he was stupid because he chose to make millions of dollars playing professional basketball instead of going to college. She mocked the work ethic and skill of professional athletes by reducing their abilities to merely “bouncing a ball,” when it is almost certain that top-tier pros have put vastly more time into their craft than Ingraham has put into hers. Finally, she insisted that “nobody voted” for NBA players while millions voted for Trump, which is idiotic on two levels: first, elected officials aren’t supposed to be immune to criticism, and second, that you’d have to have your head far enough up Trump’s ass to taste his digesting well-done steaks to believe for a second that he is more popular or respected than the likes of James and Durant. I know I’m usually the one talking about separating political and sports discussions, but I’m not going to stand by while some barely closeted bigot thinks it’s acceptable to attack people for speaking their minds. Even if there was no racial motivation in Ingraham’s pathetic diatribe, and I’ll concede that none of us are able to truly see into her heart, it is reprehensible to suggest that people be censored just because they disagree with you or possess a relatively unqualified opinion. And Fox News, if you want to suggest that athletes don’t know anything about politics, at least pretend not to be so hypocritical and kick Curt freaking Schilling off your network. Okay, I’m calm now Now for some good old-fashioned Sports Outrage™, where we can get mad at things that ultimately have no bearing on world events! This week, let’s all rage at the farce that is NBA All-Star Weekend, a masturbatory vacation for basketball’s best where the top players get together to play a terrifically boring pickup game. Nobody plays any defense because everyone is best buds and wants to avoid getting hurt in a meaningless exhibition, and the end product is something that ranks between amateur curling and equestrian on the interesting scale. I’m not lying when I say that I’ve literally never met anybody who is legitimately excited about the game, or the stale dunk or three-point contests for that matter. If they just scrapped the whole thing, I wouldn’t even be mad.
Softball Feb. 16: Iowa 2 - Tulsa 1 Feb. 16: Texas A&M 7 - Tulsa 0 Feb. 17: Texas A&M 6 - Tulsa 0 Feb. 17: Butler 2 - Tulsa 1 Track & Field Feb. 17: Arkansas Qualifier Women 4x400 m relay - 1st: 3:42.47 Men 4x400 m relay - 3rd: 3:14.52
The print media isn’t dead yet “Bleacher Creature” enthusiasts, you’ll be pleased to hear that my trickery in last week’s edition earned me first in the class! I’d like to thank all of you, my tens of erstwhile fans, for making this possible, I couldn’t have done it without you. From now on you’ll be known as my Little Monsters and Lady Gaga can deal with it or lawyer up. Deal? Deal.
Feb. 19 - Feb. 25 Monday
Tuesday 19
Men’s Tennis vs. Wichita St. 6 p.m.
Wednesday 20
Women’s Basketball vs. ECU 7 p.m.
21
Men’s Basketball vs. UCF 8 p.m.
Thursday 22
No Events
Saturday
Friday
24
23
Softball vs. Dartmouth 8 a.m. Softball vs. UIC 10:15 a.m. Track & Field American Indoor Championships
Softball vs. Texas St. 8 p.m. Softball vs. Columbia 10:15 a.m. Men’s Soccer vs. OKC Energy Women’s Basketball @ Memphis 1 p.m.
Sunday 25
Men’s Basketball vs. Cincinnati 11 a.m. Women’s Tennis vs. USF 12 p.m. Softball @ Fl. Atlantic 12:30 p.m.
The Collegian: 4
News
19 February 2018
Alum Justin Harlan teaches to make a difference
TU Alum Justin Harlan discusses his work in Reading Partners and other teaching programs. Lizzy Young Student Writer
Executive Director of Reading Partners and TU alum Justin Harlan exudes passion when he talks about his work. Originally from Kansas City, Harlan attended TU for his bachelor’s degree from 2004 to 2009. Involved in nonprofit work since graduating from TU, one experience in particular changed his view of the world and solidified his interest in nonprofits. The summer before his senior year of college, Harlan did humanitarian work in the middle of Jamaica. At the end of the summer he was invited to the house of a kid named Jason who he had mentored all break. He said, “I’ll never forget sitting down with his parents in a house that was no bigger than this little area.” He gestured to the small area in Cirque coffee between the window and the bar area. “His parents told me they were being forced to choose which one of their five kids they were going to send to college. “I remember feeling in that moment that nobody should be forced to make that choice, choosing which of their kids to put on a different life path,” Harlan said. Harlan returned to the US with a passion for making a difference in children’s lives through education. His passion led him to work for Teach for America. “TFA recruits, selects and trains people from all sorts of backgrounds to be a teacher in low-income areas, filling a really urgent need for teachers,” Harlan said. “All the schools they place them are Title I schools, so the majority of kids are on free reduced lunch.” Harlan worked for Teach for America for seven years, where he “had the opportunity to wear a lot of different hats.”. “It was kind of a lucky experience because I was new as a professional and the region was very new too. I was able to grow up alongside the region. As TFA grew, I had the opportunity of taking more on,” he said.
courtesy Justin Harlan
Justin with his third-grade reading partner, Jayla.
This experience allowed Harlan to find what he enjoyed doing the most. He advised college students to find a job they love, saying, “I think having the opportunity in my first couple of years to try a lot of different things out helped me figure out what I liked doing and what I did best. As the organization grew, I was able to narrow my scope and focus on things that I was contributing the most to, there’s only so many roles out there that allow you to wear that many hats. I think especially like entry-level roles are really great for that like trying a ton of different roles and figuring out what you like best from that.” The former executive director of Reading Partners recommended him for his current job. “Our mission is to help children become lifelong readers by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction with measurable results,” Harlan said.“The
mission of Reading Partners really is to catch kids up in reading by the end of third grade because a student who is not on grade level by the end of third grade is four times less likely to graduate high school than their peers.” At the age of eight or nine a student’s opportunities are being opened up as they shift in school from learning to read to reading to learn. Reading becomes the foundation of everything they learn in school, Harlan said. Reading Partners in Tulsa is growing and having an impact. “We’ll have 1700 volunteers in Tulsa this year,” Harlan said with pride, “which is pretty amazing when you consider there are 14 regions with reading partners and Tulsa is the biggest despite being one of the smallest cities. Tulsa has embraced the program and really rallied behind kids here.” Reading Partners is effective because it
uses individualized instruction that volunteers are able to provide. “Reading Partners meets every kid where they are. They figure out the skills they need and work with them to bring them up to skill level,” Harlan said. Reading Partners has 26 centers in 23 schools in Tulsa. TU is one of Reading Partners’ biggest volunteer providers with over 100 students consistently participating. Harlan encourages other TU students to join their classmates in volunteering. “It’s not too late to sign up. It’s really as easy as going to a one-hour. training. If you can read at a third-grade level you can be a reading partner.” Harlan said with a smile, “I’m sure college students can find an hour in their busy schedules to come and help us out.”
Viktoria Rodinkova continues aerobiological research at TU Viktoria Rodinkova chose to work with TU’s prolific aerobiologist, Estelle Levetin, aided by a Fulbright grant. Alex Garoffolo Student Writer Viktoria Rodinkova does not rest often. Here from Ukraine on a Fulbright research grant, she studies pollen and spores for the biology department. Fluent in Russian, Ukranian and English, she has a multilingual talent set. When she leaves in May, she already has a three-country tour lined up to present her research in Europe She is here with her youngest son and husband. TU provides schooling for her son at the university school. During the holiday break, the family went to the Grand Canyon and several other destinations. Rodinkova is the first person to receive a Ph.D. in Ukraine based on field studies in pollen research. “It was hard to write and defend the thesis because nobody had ever done research like this before,” she explained.
From cover, Haynes
“TU was really good to me,” he adds. “They provided me with a good deal of equipment that made ‘The Others’ and ‘The Mazie Meadows Morning Show’ possible.” Aside from his work in podcasting, Haynes is also a published author. He’s written three young adult novels: Creepers
Her research centered around leaving pollen traps on rooftops in her home city of Vinnitsa, Ukraine. These traps caught pollen from the air. This pollen data helped her develop pollen profiles for Ukraine. At the same time she defended her doctoral thesis, she worked as a journalist for Vinnitsa’s newspaper. As editor-in-chief of the paper, she had a team of 28 people under her. Three days before one of her largest stories broke, a project on which her team had been working for weeks, she also had to defend her thesis. It was a hectic time,” she said. “But I made it happen.” Her love of journalism took her to Cincinnati and around various countries in Europe to study the field. Eventually, she left journalism to focus on science. As she became a well-known pollen researcher in Ukraine, agencies invited her to do research and present in other countries in Europe. It was through one of these contacts that she first heard of Dr. Levetin. “My German colleague, Dr. Bergman, gave me a book of Levetin’s. She is the best known American aerobiologist in Europe. She works with both pollen and spores. Europeans work mainly with pollen,” she stated. “I’m here to learn more about spores.”
While at TU, she assists Dr. Estelle Levetin in the biology department with pollen and aerobiological studies. Currently, the two have several pollen traps set up on the roof of Oliphant Hall. The research is to help figure out the pollen profile for Tulsa. Rodinkova maintains a pollen forecast online for Ukraine for most months of the year. She holds a position of editor-in-chief at her university’s newspaper, but no longer for Vinnitsa’s city newspaper. Rodinkova did the pollen research via the roof trap method in five different cities in Ukraine. European aerobiological organizations used her data as well as data of other researchers to create and maintain a pollen forecast for all of Europe. Rodinkova said she’s “happy that I’ve made the issue of pollen research more well-known and better understood.” She gives interviews yearly for local radio stations in Ukraine and presents her findings at conferences around Europe. Upon return to Europe in May, she has a three-country tour planned to continue to present her research. She will also give interviews about her time in America on the Fulbright.
(2014) and Creepers 2 (2016), which follow two brothers seeking a cure to a virus that has turned most of humanity into zombielike creatures, and Special (2017), the story of an unlikely friendship between a boy with Down Syndrome and a cheerleader. Though he loves podcasting, “Novel
writing is still my favorite,” Haynes says. “Novel writing is a lot more conducive to building submersive worlds, which is something I absolutely love to do.” Along with the upcoming Olympics podcast, Haynes will bring “Cryptid Creatures” and the “Mazie Meadows Morning Show”
photo by Alex Garoffolo
Rodinkova with one of the Ukranian flags she’s been adoring the school with.
back from hiatus on March 1. He also just signed on with Roadrunner Press and plans to release three more novels over the next two years.
19 February 2018
Feb. 6 2:30 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers spoke with a student suspected of causing a hit and run motor vehicle accident. The student admitted to getting into the accident and not leaving contact information for the other party. Officers collected a written statement. 3:00 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to the Alexander Health Center for a report of a student who was having an allergic reaction. Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) was already on scene and transported the student to Hillcrest Medical Center for further treatment. Feb. 7 10:15 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers spoke with a student suspected of causing a hit and run motor vehicle accident. The student admitted to getting into the accident and not leaving contact information for the other party. Officers collected a written statement. 11:55 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Of-
News ficers impounded a vehicle from the Keplinger/Shuttle Lot. The vehicle was found to be parked contrary to university parking rules and regulations. Impounding of the vehicle was authorized by the on duty supervisor. Feb. 8 1:30 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Fisher West Suites for a report of multiple housing violations. During a routine housing safety inspection, a resident assistant discovered a smoke detector covered and alcohol present in the room of a student under the age of 21. The alcohol was disposed of and the smoke detector was uncovered. 1:35 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Fisher West Suites for a report of a housing violation. Upon arrival, officers impounded a compound hunting bow. Officers were unable to make contact with the student registered to the room in question. The hunting bow was placed in property room for safekeeping. Feb. 9 2:45 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to University Square Apartments West for a report of loud music. Officers located the apartment that the music was coming from. The officers identified that the residents were playing video games and listening to music loudly. Officers requested the residents turn down the music. The residents complied and a contact card was issued.
Emma Palmer Student Writer
Ethiopia declares national state of emergency Following the abrupt resignation of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the nation has declared a state of emergency. Desalegn hoped his action would end civil unrest in Ethiopia. “I see my resignation as vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy,” Desalegn said. This follows hundreds of people dying in anti-government protests for more inclusive political rights for the Oromo people, a group that makes up over about 61 percent of the country’s population. The Oromo have been repeatedly marginalized by the current government. In August of 2017 Ethiopia’s government lifted a 10-month state of emergency that attempted, and failed, to curb demonstrations. The state of emergency, which went into effect on Friday, currently has no expected timeframe.
Mass shooting in Florida 17 people were killed in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Wednesday. Nikolas Cruz, a former student, opened fire in the hallways, firing into five classrooms. The shooting lasted for three minutes and ended when Cruz dropped his backpack filled with ammo and exited the building, blending in with evacuating students. He was apprehended after leaving a McDonald’s. Cruz has confessed to the crime and is facing 17 charges of premeditated murder. He purchased the AR-15 rifle used in the shooting legally as an 18-year-old. The public responded with an outcry for more gun control. Victims of the shooting are also speaking out about gun control. “We need to do something,” said Douglas senior David Hogg. “We need to get out there and be politically active. Congress needs to get over their political bias with each other and work toward saving children’s lives.”
South African President resigns South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma announced his resignation on Wednesday. This resignation comes after years of allegations of corruption surrounding the wellknown political figure, as well as a recent raid on the home of the Gupta family, Zuma’s wealthy associates who are accused of using their wealth for political sway. Zuma, President since 2009, agreed to resign following a no-confidence vote of the African National Congress, Zuma’s own political party. “No life should be lost in my name,” said Zuma in a televised broadcast. “The ANC should never be divided in my name. I have therefore come to the decision to resign as president.” He assured the people that “as I leave I will continue to serve the people of South Africa as well as the ANC, the organization I have served … all of my life.” He is succeeded by Cyril Ramaphosa, who was sworn in on Thursday as the new President of South Africa. In an address to Parliament, shortly after being sworn in, Ramaphosa expressed his gratitude, saying, “I truly feel humbled to have been given this great privilege of being able to serve our people,” promising to act as a “servant of our people.”
4:20 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to John Mabee Hall for an odor of marijuana emanating from a dorm room. Officers searched the room and found marijuana and paraphernalia. The contraband was confiscated and impounded at the Security Office for destruction. 5:30 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers spoke with a student who had been reported to have been sexually assaulted on a unknown date, time, and location by an unknown suspect. The student did not want to disclose any details and did not want any further action taken. Feb. 10 6:05 p.m. While on routine patrol, University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were informed that a staff member had fallen down some stairs walking by Hardesty Hall. The staff member refused medical attention at the scene. Officers went to the scene of the accident and observed some ice on the steps. The Physical Plant was notified of the ice.
The Collegian: 5 cers were dispatched to the Brown Village Apartments for a report of two students having an argument outside of an apartment. Officers arrived and spoke with both parties. The parties were separated and left the area without further incident. 4:50 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to John Mabee Hall for a report of two students having an argument in a dorm room. Officers arrived and spoke with both parties. The students were separated and returned to their own residences. Feb. 12 8:45 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to the University School for a report of an injured person. Upon arrival, officers located a staff member with an injury due to a fall. Emergency Medical Services Authority and Tulsa Fire Department arrived and the individual was transported to an area hospital for further treatment.
11:20 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers responded to a noise complaint in the Mayo Village Apartments. Officers made contact with a University of Tulsa student who was having a party. The resident agreed to turn down the music, and keep the guests quiet. A Campus Housing Contact Card was completed.
11:15 p.m. Security Officers responded to a noise complaint in the University Square Apartments West. The reporting party stated that the noise diminished moments after making the call to the Communications Center. Officers were not able to identify which apartment the noise had been emanating from. The officers advised the reporting party to contact the Campus Security Office if the noise started again.
Feb. 11 3:30 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Offi-
The Collegian does not produce or edit the Campus Crime Watch except for content and brevity.
Monday, February 19 Hardesty Hall, Hardesty Language Community Apply to live in the new Hardesty Language Community Hardesty Language Community is for students passionate about practicing and speaking Chinese, French, German, Russian or Spanish. It is housed on the third floor of Hardesty Hall near the center of campus and offers use of a family-style great room and the ground-floor patio on Hurricane Plaza. The great room includes a large kitchen, lounge seating and commanding views of campus. Submit your housing applications by Feb 26 to the housing office.
Tuesday, Febuary 20 at 3:30 p.m. Helmerich Hall, HELM 121 #Adulting 101 Series: Steps to Personal Tax Preparation Everyone dreads the April 15th tax deadline. If you’re one who tends to put it off until the last minute, you know it can be especially stressful. All Business Students are encouraged to come learn from a CPA some important steps to help you with the process of preparing your tax returns. Wednesday, February 21 at 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. Zink Hall, Room 226 CSAS Mental Health First Aid This workshop enables students to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and learn how to help someone experiencing a mental health crisis. Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Lorton Performance Center, Meinig Hall The Truth About Black Lives Matter The Truth About Black Lives Matter hosted by T.U. Young Democrats will feature community leaders such as Marq Lewis, Jean M. Neal and others to discuss the BLM movement and how it is has been misconceived by the media. The discussion will also entail an examination into modern race relations in the United States. Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Chapman Hall, Lecture Hall “Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters” Documentary Screening University of Tulsa Photo Club will be screening Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters on Wednesday February 21 at 7 p.m. in Chapman Hall Lecture Hall. Free pizza will be available in the Lobby after the screening!
Thursday, February 22 at 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Student Union, Lobby U.S. Army Information Session Come learn more about potential career paths in the U.S. Army. U.S. Army recruiters will be on campus to speak with interested students. Thursday, February 22 at 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Drawing The Color Line: Thoughts on Norman Rockwell’s Integrationist Illustrations Learn about two iconic Norman Rockwell works and their relationship to civil rights issues. Writer and historian Hannibal B. Johnson, Esq., a respected voice in the national dialogue on race relations, contextualizes the Rockwell images and provides insights regarding how the issues featured in these works continue to affect race relations and equity today. Stay for an interactive discussion following the talk. The Collegian does not produce all event descriptions in the Community Calendar. Contact us at news@tucollegian.org with events.
The Collegian: 6 From cover, Mail room And another note, your address is not 800 S. Tucker Dr. That is the address OF THE ENTIRE CAMPUS. I promise you, you cannot, nor do you want to be, everywhere on this campus at the same time. I know sometimes running around and being a busy college student feels like you’re in ten places at once, but your permanent address has not moved with you. If you’ve moved, we have your new oncampus address in the system before you’ve
Commentary
19 February 2018
even unpacked, so when you come to get a package, make sure to tell us the most current address you’re residing at. Please be courteous. If you see anyone in the mailroom scanning, writing and clearly doing something, do not walk up to the window and immediately yell out your room number. This room is not your personal post office. We will be with you as soon as we can. I promise you that every individual employed in the mail room strives to make sure that the items you are searching for get to you as efficiently as humanly possible. We also treat you with the utmost respect, because that is what every human deserves. We ask that you please do the same. If you
can see that there is a long line behind you of people who are in the same busy boat as you and have very little time to accomplish things outside of their education, please make your pick-up process as painless to yourself, us and them as possible. All you need when you come to the mailroom is: 1. Your TU student ID (or some other type of photographic identification), 2. Your most current on-campus address, 3. The number of emails you received specifically from the TU mailroom (one email per package). Not an email from Amazon or UPS saying that your package was delivered, because it very well may be delivered to the city of Tulsa, but anyone who has come by the mailroom
before 2 p.m., knows that we could build several castles out of the numerous boxes we process every single day. So please be patient as we make our way through the packages as quickly as we can. To the students and faculty who continuously let us know how much you appreciate us, the feeling is mutual. Thank you for the cookies from Merritt’s right before you graduate, the handmade Christmas ornaments, the loaves of homemade pumpkin bread that you made in your dorm right before Thanksgiving, and the kind everyday conversations. We are here to help you get what you need. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. through 5 p.m..
Other positive perceptions of the regime have come from the Olympic Games as well. NBC’s Lester Holt praised “a new image” for the regime as he stood in a bustling ski resort that was almost certainly a staged environment. North Korean skaters have been called the “darlings of social media” by at least one news site. The problem with this charm offensive is that it actually appears to be working on some. Sending beaming cheerleaders and healthy athletes gives the world a poor glimpse of the reality of the average citizen’s life in North Korea. For those who haven’t fallen for the charm offensive, there’s another trap: the assumption that the DPRK’s presence in the games means something. There’s the small chance that North Korea might be more open to negotiations during and after this year’s games, but keep in mind that North and South Korea have marched under a unified flag in nine different international athletic competitions since the 2000 Olympics in Australia. Those games involved their own controversies, including pressure from the DPRK for South Korea to pay for their team’s uniforms and the fact that South Korea had, on top of more open trade, paid at least 100 million dollars’ worth in government money to the Kim regime to attend a major summit. Under alleged direct orders from Kim Jong Il, North Korean spies attempted to ruin the 1988 Seoul Olympic games by detonating a bomb on Korean Air Lines Flight 858. The Boeing 707 exploded and killed all 115 passengers on November 29, 1987. However, the games went on. Now Kim Hyon Hui, a North Korean defector who aided in the bombing, warns the world that the DPRK hasn’t changed and that their leaders still haven’t apologized for the bombing. “They are using South Korea to overcome their difficulties … to achieve their goal they execute their own people, siblings, families … do not be fooled, North Korea has not changed at all,” she told reporters.
We can’t allow ourselves to be fooled by North Korea’s participation this year. North and South Korea marched together in Italy in 2006 before North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon eight months later. They stood unified at the Asian Games in 2014 before exchanging fire over the border once the games ended. Whatever benefits the international community reaps from Pyongyang’s peaceful participation will likely be short lived, according to Dartmouth College’s Andrew Bertoli. “We shouldn’t fall for the temptation to see this short-term warming effect as an indication that these sporting events are actually leading to any type of long-term improvements in the behavior of these countries.”
sit in on the Olympic games, one defector recently alleged that she and 10,000 of her peers were forced to watch as 11 musicians, accused of making a pornographic video, were gruesomely executed in a stadium. “They were lashed to the end of anti-aircraft guns. Their bodies were blown to bits, totally destroyed, blood and bits flying everywhere … and then after that military tanks moved in and they ran over the bits on the ground where the remains lay.” Let’s welcome the DPRK to the 2018 Winter Olympics. It might alleviate international tension, even if just for a moment. However, let’s not forget just what nation it is we’re talking about here and how routine these unification marches are becoming.
North Korea not redeemed by Olympic Games
North Korea’s charm offensive is not enough to forgive them of their numerous aggressions and indiscretions against their own people and other nations. Nathan Gibbons Distribution Manager Much of this year’s Winter Olympics media coverage is focused on one topic. North Korea’s participation and all the negotiations, political implications and awkward moments that comes with it have been in the limelight of about every major news channel in the United States at some point in the past month. At a moment when tensions seem as high as ever between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, and much of the international community, many applaud the idea of turning over a new leaf with the isolationist regime. All this coverage has given the DPRK a new opportunity for a charm offensive. Some news reporters, but mostly social mediaites, have affectionately called Kim Yo Jong the “Ivanka Trump of North Korea.” In an article by the “Washington Post,” multiple people were quoted telling reporters just how much nicer Kim Yo Jong was than they’d imagined North Koreans. The “Post” said she had a “Mona Lisa face” and a sphinxlike smile. Keep in mind, this is not only Kim Jong Un’s sister but also the deputy director of the party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department.
Adam Lux, Satire Editor: I have personally used the Tandy off and on since my sophomore year. One summer I completed a TURC project that heavily used the Tandy, and my first scientific publication was based on the work I did on the Tandy. TSC has been one the most valuable tools in my undergraduate education, and I owe them an enormous debt. I’d specifically like to thank George Louthan and Ryan Quinn for their immense help.
“We can’t allow ourselves to be fooled by North Korea’s participation this year.” Pyongyang has spent recent months testing ballistic missiles, threatening to “reduce the United States to ashes,” “sink Japan” and are likely responsible for the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother. The regime also tested a nuclear weapon 17 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, broke numerous sanctions in trade and continues to starve most of its citizens. While a few North Koreans get to
Mike Pence, love him or hate him, seems to have the right idea. North Korea recently contested Mike Pence’s invitation to Fred Warmbier to the Olympics, but perhaps they shouldn’t have sent Warmbier’s son home in a coma from which he would never wake up. If you have to sit next to one of the most insulting dictatorships in today’s history, at least remind them you know what they are.
South Korea, hosting this year’s Olympic Games, has a history of tension with North Korea.
tucollegian@tucollegian.org
LETTER
editor-in-chief
Kayleigh Thesenvitz
to the editor
Dear Editor: As someone who was sexually harassed in the past, I know about the inner-pain that victims and survivors experience. But, as someone who spent five years as a counselor and a therapist working in the fields of alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental health, I want to share my observations and research findings about another form of sexual abuse. Our country needs to start having a conversation about the plight of incest victims and survivors. It is my opinion that these people suffer more deeply and profoundly than victims and survivors of other forms of abuse. Their self-hatred, self-loathing, and self-blame are so severe and extreme that some of them constantly smile even when it is not appropriate to do so. Experienced counselors and therapists will tell you that they do this as a way to hide and cover up how dirty, disgusting, and miserable they feel deep within themselves. They will also tell you that very few of them ever have a healthy, “functional,” and happy romantic relationship. Incest victims also suffer from very high rates of suicide, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia. Our society needs to take the next step and try to eradicate this problem from existence. Sincerely, Stewart B. Epstein Dear Editor: I believe that most of us Americans have been victims of bullying and/or some form of abuse at some time in our lives. As a former counselor and therapist, I worked with and tried to help many victims of everyday bullying as well as various forms of abuse. I found that the biggest problem, issue, and challenge that they dealt with was that they did not stand up to their bullies and abusers. The best question that I have ever heard a counselor or therapist ask their clients and patients relative to this was the following: “What parts of yourself don’t you love that allows you to let this bully or abuser to continue to mistreat and abuse you?” This question prompted many people to finally make some serious changes in their lives and to walk away from and leave their abusers. Sincerely, Stewart B. Epstein
managing editor
Michaela Flonard news editor
Trenton Gibbons sports editor
Justin Guglielmetti variety editor
Ethan Veenker commentary editor
Raven Fawcett satire editor
Adam Lux photo & graphics editor
Madeline Woods
business & advertising manager
Brian Kwiecinski
social media & web manager
Hannah Kloppenburg distribution managers
Amber Bonag-Stoner Katelyn Baker and Nathan Gibbons copy editor
Bryant Loney
courtesy NDTV
@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. Requests for accomodation of disabilities may be addressed to the university’s 504 Coordinator, Dr. Tawny Rigsby, (918)631-3814. To ensure availability of an interpeter, five to seven days notice is needed; 48 hours is recommended for all other accomodations. Advertising Policy: Advertising appearing in this publication does not imply approval or endorsement by the University of Tulsa or the Collegian for the products or services advertised. For advertising information, email the Collegian at advertising@tucollegian.org. The deadline for advertising is noon on the Friday proir to publication. Letter Policy: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words and can be sent to tucollegian@tucollegian.org. Under no circumstances will anonymous letters be published. The name of the person submitting the letter must be published with the letter. We reserve the right to edit or reject all letters. The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication. Editing Policy: The Collegian reserves the right to edit all copy submitted by all writers. This editing may take place in many forms, including grammar corrections, changes in paragraph structure or even the addition or removal of sections of content. Editorial Policy: Columnists are solely responsible for the content of their columns. Opinions expressed in columns may not represent the opions of the Collegian staff, the administrative policies of the University of Tulsa, the views of the student body or our advertisers.
19 February 2018
Commentary
The Collegian: 7
The Legislative Digest is your weekly look at the happenings of Oklahoma’s state legislature, upcoming bills and the terms to know. Raven Fawcett Commentary Editor
This week’s look at the latest and sometimes greatest bills passing through our local legislature. SB1430: The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2018 would prohibit all parents from aborting children with Down Syndrome or other genetic anomalies. While I appreciate the sentiment, the government should still not be allowed to meddle in a person’s right to choose whether they carry a child to term. Abortion is about bodily autonomy, and as such, the government should not step in to regulate those decisions unless it has to do with making those decisions safer. SB1158: This bill would remove a clause from a firearms law that regulates the possession of firearms in cars, among other things. It would remove the rule that people cannot have firearms in cars in which a passenger has been convicted of a felony. Persons with felonies cannot always control what the driver of the car has in their car, and the bill acknowledges that life has a funny way of making the worst possible thing happen at the worst time. The bill is a fair concession to coincidence and a felon’s lack of control over their surroundings. SCR16: Concurrent resolutions are put forth by both chambers and don’t have the force of law in the way that bills do, but they do express the will and interest of the legislature. This concurrent resolution requires the State Regents for Higher Education to submit a report in December of 2018 detailing the salaries of all professors and related staff members, their courses and the hours of those courses, tenure policies and the number of faculty who had tenure in the 25 public colleges and universities in Oklahoma. Accountability for schools is always a good plan, and the state legislature is right to formally require that information. SB957: Currently, deadly force against an assailant is explicitly legal in a person’s home or place of business. This bill would extend that protection to places of worship. While we all should expect to be safe from gun violence, this bill misses the point. Instead of worrying about whether we can kill intruders at our local church or mosque, we should be looking at why we feel so unsafe in public. The effort to amend this bill would be better spend looking into how to enforce existing gun laws in Oklahoma or scrutinizing ways to improve gun ownership laws. SB921: This bill would amend current law to expand the list of people who are not able to serve on a jury to include all law enforcement. Which is rather intuitive, up to a point. People who are integrated in the justice system will have long-set views and are likely to have preconceived notions about cases because they know the people that are on the case or other conflicts of interest. People deserve an unbiased appraisal of their case, and while I’m sure that law enforcement officials do their best to avoid such bias, it cannot be completely avoided.
NASA, private companies should work together in space
While NASA is economically beneficial, allowing private companies to become stakeholders in space would increase efficiency. Nathan Hinkle Student Writer
President Donald Trump recently put out a plan to remove funding of the International Space Station by 2025. To fund the International Space Station through non-federal means, the US government has begun to think about the probability of the privatization of outer space. This would mean that International Space Station, or the ISS, would lose direct federal funding in 2025 and would instead be open to private investment in the system. An internal NASA document acquired by the “Washington Post” stated, “The decision to end direct federal support for the ISS does not imply that the platform itself will be deorbited at that time — it is possible that industry could continue to operate certain elements or capabilities of the ISS as part of a future commercial platform.” Not everyone is onboard with this new plan for the ISS. Some scientists at NASA fear this loss of federal control will hinder scientific research Future private space exploration is not a completely ludicrous concept. Companies such as SpaceX are being to enter the space market as opposed to merely the government. The best solution for the future is that
public and private entities, such as NASA and SpaceX, should work together through the exchange of information to help further the United States and the world’s knowledge of outer space. One of the major problems concerning privatization is that the United States does not have full ownership of the space station. In 1998, the United States, Russia, Japan, the EU and China worked together to launch the station into outer space in several pieces. There are two main components to the ISS. The first is the Russian Orbital Segment, ROS, which contains important elements such as the DMS-R, an EU-created set of of computers which controls the “guidance, navigation and control for the entire Space Station,” according to the NASA website. The other part is the U.S. Orbital Segment, USOS, which is where various laboratories and living quarters for current astronauts are located. This part is currently run by the United States, Japan, the EU and Canada. In addition to this, members of foreign nations, such as South Korea and South Africa, have visited the ISS for various different reasons.
study, done at Pace College in New York, found that “each dollar spent on R&D by NASA returns an average of slightly over seven dollars in GNP over an eighteen-year period following the expenditure.” While this study may not be recent, it gives a good general impression of the monetary value of NASA. The money spent on NASA has also been important on many technological breakthroughs that affect the daily lives of average Americans. A 2016 Forbes article stated, “Modern satellite communications, weather forecasting and GPS simply would not exist without space exploration. Modern robotics, computers, digital photography and digital video, fuel cells and many other key technologies received huge boosts from spacerelated R&D.” The work done by NASA has monumental effects on America not only based on scientific research. However, some may argue that private industry can do the same job and do it cheaper than the government can. One of the major reasons behind this philosophy is the work currently being done by Elon Musk and his company, SpaceX. A budget proposed by
“... Private industry can do the same job and do it cheaper than the government can.” Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the United States could potentially sell off or give private companies access to the space station, as they would be competing with various foreign space agencies. Private entities would have difficulties proposing a deal with not only the United States but the rest of the four important members. NASA and the work it does are not only important for pure scientific research but also for the economy. The money spent in NASA has had a positive effect on the United States since its inception. A 1972
the United States Air Force in 2017 stipulated that a rocket launch in 2020 would cost $422 million to complete using a company known as United Launch Alliance. United Launch Alliance is a company created in 2006 by defense and aviation companies Lockheed Martin and Boeing. In opposition to this monetary assessment, SpaceX was able to complete a similar military launch for the Air Force for $96.5 million. This would be a difference of almost 300 million dollars. CEO Elon Musk stated on Twitter, “$300 million diff.
between SpaceX and Boeing/Lockheed exceeds avg. value of satellite, so flying with SpaceX is basically free.” Through this large difference in price, it could be argued that we should let space travel to be done by private businesses as it would save money for the government and the taxpayers. While the Air Force paid for this bill, one could argue that private businesses should run the International Space Station themselves because they could it do more cheaply than the federal government. An example of this fiscal benefit can be seen through the difference between the old Space Shuttle program, discontinued in 2011, and new commercial resupply launches. Every year the Space Shuttle program was active, it cost the U.S. government 4 billion dollars. Through new commercial resupply ships, it only costs 50 million dollars, a trip, to reach the International Space Station. The best solution is to find a middle ground between the two entities. The United States government should not remove direct financial attachment to the United States’ part of the Space Station because it poses problems in two areas. The first is that the United States Orbital Segment is beneficial for scientific research for not only the United States but also the rest of the globe. It provides scientific discoveries that are not only academic but economic. The second is that it is a good tool of global diplomacy. In the ISS, various countries of the world work together to produce scientific research and are a good symbol of global diplomacy. On the concept of private companies in outer space, the United States should work together with private entities to enhance scientific discoveries. Companies should compete with each other in the space field. This would not only promote new technological discoveries but also lower the cost of space travel. The government and private companies working together could potentially achieve things that they could not do alone.
The European Union (upper left), China (upper right), Japan (lower right), the United States (bottom center) and Russia (lower left) share ownership of the International Space Station.
graphic by Raven Fawcett
The Collegian: 8
Variety
19 February 2018
“Black Panther” a beautiful “The Vagina Monologues” change of pace for Marvel affirming, maybe problematic Marvel’s new film is an undeniably flashy superhero flick, but the deeper questions it poses and the larger themes it touches on make it a film worth remembering. Michaela Flonard Managing Editor “Black Panther” came out in the middle of Black History Month, and for good reason. The film is unapologetically Black, proud of Africa and black culture everywhere. So much so that there’s only two significant white characters, whose parts don’t even overlap. The film follows T’Challa, first introduced as the Black Panther in “Captain America: Civil War,” as he becomes king and fights to decide where his country, Wakanda, will go in the future. It opens with an aesthetically beautiful retelling of Wakanda’s history, and how vibranium, an alien metal, has allowed the country to become the most advanced, but also most isolated, nation on Earth. A mix of the future and the past, Wakanda is one of the best recent examples of Afrofuturism. Magnetic-levitated trains speed next to more traditional African markets, and while everyone wears vibranium-laced clothes, their clothing reflects tribal identities. In keeping with their past, Wakandans maintain their religion. The Black Panther is an emissary of the panther goddess Bast, empowered by a heart-shaped herb to protect the country. The utopian beauty of Wakanda is especially striking given the second scene in the movie takes place in 1990s Oakland. While it establishes Wakandans have spies everywhere, it also offers a contrast with Wakanda. The isolationist country has thrived, unwilling to share its advancements with the world, both to preserve its security and to not impose their ways on the world. Others of African blood, however, have been taken advantage of and live in an unequal state. This, to Erik Killmonger, played outstandingly by Michael B. Jordan, is a disappointment that deserves fixing. Although initially Klaue, a man named for his prosthetic arm, appears to be the villainous lead, Killmonger emerges instead. He marks a Marvel villain with a sensible, even understandable, motive behind his deeds. Unlike so many others, who seem to be in it for some vague definition of power or childhood trauma, Killmonger has childhood trauma but also an understanding that Wakanda has stood by as people have been tortured, enslaved and killed, out of a blind allegiance to tradition. As an audience, it’s easy to identify with his desires, if not his means, because it’s hard to justify Wakanda’s isolationism given the fate of black people around the world. Killmonger also serves to ask the major ques-
tion of the movie: what kind of king will T’Challa be? Chadwick Boseman plays T’Challa, a somewhat soft-spoken king, uncertain of his readiness for the role, but assured when righting wrongs as the Black Panther. By his side are mostly women: his sister, Shuri, is a tech genius better than Tony Stark; his general, Okoye, leads the all-female Dora Milaje, bodyguards to the king; and his ex-lover, Nakia, is a Wakandan spy, or “wardog,” who refuses to sit by as others suffer. These women are definite equals to T’Challa and aren’t objectified; instead, they’re allowed bring their unique skills to the table. The men by T’Challa’s side are W’Kabe, a tribal leader who agrees with the push for opening Wakanda, and M’Baku, the leader of the Jabari, a mountainous tribe who are somewhat separate from the rest of Wakanda. Each of these characters is allowed the space to break from a simple stereotype and experience conflict and growth. The movie slips into and out of the comedic, but the timing, on most of these moments, feels right. Seeing T’Challa and Shuri interact is both the best and worst of having a younger sibling, and sly comments slip into otherwise tense scenes. But the movie is also unafraid to deal with solemn points too; there were definite lines and moments that hit hard and forced the audience to deal with history. Killmonger, at one point, mentions that the sunsets in Wakanda are the best in the world. And the movie does its best to make that true; overall, it’s stunning. The dreamscape-esque scenes are probably the best example. The costuming is elegant and vibrant, and images of the lush countryside or bustling city made me want to move there immediately. Of course, the arc of the movie is standard superhero plot. There’s several large-scale fight scenes, a car chase, technology to die for. There’s a touch of the spy genre in there too. It’s a flashy movie, but like T’Challa, also a thoughtful one. Unlike most superhero movies, “Black Panther” deals with the political and social issues it raises, instead of shoving them aside in a battle scene at the end. Instead, Killmonger forces the conversation to stay on those issues. Wakandans are forced to evaluate what they are willing to do for their side of the argument. There’s no clear answers, but the movie offers none. “Black Panther” has garnered such attention not only for being a good movie, but for its social implications. It’s the first black superhero movie since the “Blade” trilogy, featuring and celebrating a mostly black cast. It’s an uplifting vision of a world without the ravages of colonialism or colorism, creating a mythos so far unseen in the Marvel universe.
“It’s a flashy movie, but like T’Challa, also a thoughtful one.”
photo by Dalton Stewart
Amanda Chastang (left), Hannah Smith (right) and Tori Gellman (not pictured) delivered the introduction.
TU’s production brought a range of emotions to the stage over two widely-attended nights. Michaela Flonard Managing Editor Over 20 years ago, Eve Ensler first released “The Vagina Monologues,” a play of personal monologues collected from various interviews around the topic of, you guessed it, vaginas. TU once again put on this production last Friday and Saturday, performing the same pieces Ensler did twenty years ago, to great success. The night started out introducing how Ensler had come to write the pieces, after interviewing 200 women about sex, relationships and violence. Tucked in there was humor, with the performers reading a list of terms women used for their vagina. Often, as they would for the rest of the play, they had to stop to let the audience’s laughter subside. Then another person came to the stage. Each transition flowed seamlessly, and rarely did the same performer say two pieces. “Hair,” performed by Layla Mortadha, was one woman’s reflection that complying with her husband’s desire for a shaved vagina did nothing to stop him from cheating. The piece immersed the viewer in each scene, from the couples’ counseling to a shaving experience. “The Wear and Say Lists,” performed by Tori Gellman, Michelle Stephens and Anna Rouw, was collected responses from questions by Ensler: what would your vagina wear and say? Though this question doesn’t make a ton of sense, the responses ranged from serious to funny, a window into the respondent’s soul. This piece emphasized a theme running throughout the play: women are their vaginas, a reductory view that has been criticized through the years. Diane Jessup read “The Flood,” one of the first melancholy pieces. It was written as an interview, with only the respondent’s answers. In it, an older woman describes how her first kiss had turned into a flood from “down there,” and as such, she’s never gotten further than that. Even with the shame reflected in the piece, Jessup managed to make bits funny. One of the most heart-wrenching pieces was “They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy — or So They Tried.” Written from the perspective of several transwomen, the performers went from early childhood and adulthood
struggles, as their gender was denied, to elation when they were finally able to be accepted for who they were. But the piece ended in a heart-wrenching note that left a few crying, as one performer described a boyfriend’s murder for being with her. The other most hard-hitting piece was “My Vagina was My Village,” read by Darcy Elmore. The piece flipped back and forth between a woman’s vagina before soldiers came, and after they came. Before was a happy time, full of beautiful imagery, while after, it became shuttered off, reeling from rape and torture. “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy” was one of the funniest pieces, about a former lawyer who transitions to the life of a dominatrix who aimed to make women moan. The killer end came from Kelsey Hancock renditions of various types of moans; the audience was bursting into laughter, almost drowning out her voice. After, she asked, “Was that good for you too?” a nice touch on an already good piece. Other pieces discussed childbirth, reclaiming the word “cunt” and facts about the clitoris and female genital mutilation. Some celebrated the vagina and women, while others were more sober or angry. The play ended with a reading of an article published anonymously in the Collegian in 2016, which described a student’s sexual assault story. The performers wore mostly black, with a touch of red, that gave the play a cohesive, somber feel. Each did her part well, reading from a binder, but adding emotion to invest the audience in the part. “The Vagina Monologues” has come under some criticism for being anti-transgender, focusing too much on the vagina as what a woman is and colonialism, and TU’s performance acknowledged the play came to be 20 years ago. That was definitely notable within some of the pieces. The theme that vaginas were the essential part of a woman was a little too much for me; it felt overly simplistic and ignoring those who fell outside the gender binary. “Because He Liked to Look at It” really emphasized this, as it describes a woman who grows to like her vagina because someone she sleeps with is reverent of hers. He claims looking at her vagina is a way to understand what kind of woman she was; while poetic, this sentiment was a little weird and nonsensical. But overall, the play celebrated women and forced attention on a topic people often ignore out of an alleged politeness, which just leads to misinformation and shame.
TU Jazz Winter Concert mixed bag, ultimately delightful The jazz concert, featuring Big Bands I and II, was a varied but delectable experience. Kayleigh Thesenvitz Editor-in-Chief No one chasséd out the door of Thursday night’s TU Jazz Performance in Lorton PAC, but it wasn’t from a lack of impetus. The show started rough with a less-thanstellar opening by TU Big Band II. Throughout the first song, “Have You Heard,” the guitar was overbearing, and the trumpets were inconsistent. The nervous start faded by the second song, “Stolen Moments.” The band played as a unit, and John Storgion on piano showed himself to be a rising star. Big Band II closed their set with “Summertime,” a choice Director Danny Arthurs called, “A great way to end a winter concert.” The beginning of the song had fantastic rhythm, but the band lost track somewhere in the middle with a jarring difference in tempo between bass, piano and drums. They figured out the mistake and corrected before the end of the song. I don’t mean to be disparaging. They did well. It was clear, however, why they weren’t in Big Band I. The second set was performed by TU Jazz Combo I, which featured Drew Thomas on tenor sax, Bishop Marsh on trumpet, Taron Pounds on guitar, Dean DeMerritt on bass and Ryan Ganaban on drums. Being the “Chosen 5,” I expected a lot when
they stepped on stage. I expected even more when they entered without Director Michael Cameron. They played together well, and they played individually well, but I was less than thrilled with the opening choice of “The Source” by Chris Potter. The song put Thomas and Marsh in direct competition with each other for the listener’s ear in an unflattering way. This wasn’t necessarily the combo’s fault. I listened to the song again on Spotify after the concert and was just as turned off by that particular segment of woodwind and brass battle royale. The second song, “Student Loan Shark,” was an original by Pounds and allowed him to show off his talent for strumming. Pounds emoted his enjoyment to be playing the song out into the audience. This was by far my favorite song in the set. As I listened intently to third song, “Django,” I began to wonder why this group of talented men were playing for free. Jazz
yet and would be the second-fastest song in the entire show. The use of competition between the saxophone and trumpet worked much better than it had in “The Source.” For the record, Marsh won for sheer volume. Subjectively, as someone who is only a moderate jazz fan, the song sacrificed some of its most beautiful arrangements for speed. Although I appreciate the skill required to stay with that tempo for a significant length of time, it doesn’t leave the listener with enough time to enjoy the complexity of notes that make jazz so satisfying. As TU Big Band I set up, Director Vernon Howard alerted the audience that the band had an all new set of music for which they’d only had three weeks of practice. This tidbit of information made their strong start right out of the gate with Thad Jones’s “Groove Merchant,” all the more impressive. Marsh stole the performance on trumpet, overshadowing a still supremely excellent line of saxophonists.
“I was impressed by the audience’s restraint in not getting up to dance to the final tune.” Combo, if you’re reading this, consider not getting a “real job” after college and go on tour instead. The final song, an original by Marsh, “First and Foremost,” seemed purposefully designed to put the drummer through his paces. Marsh’s song had the quickest tempo
If you don’t take the time to listen to the song yourself, Howard summed it up afterwards by saying, “If they were paid by the notes they’d all be rich.” “Outstanding,” was true to its name on all counts with Thomas and Pounds proving yet again why they deserved to play the lead
roles. From where I was sitting I’m not sure Thomas even glanced down at his music, playing with his eyes closed instead. For the third and fourth songs, Howard brought out singer Nina Underwood, otherwise known as less-raspy Ella Fitzgerald. I can’t offer any critique of the instrumentation on “Watch What Happens” or “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” because I was too blown away buy Underwood’s voice. Nina, can I buy your album? “Scotland, Africa” was an interesting number. The Peter Erskine song was a complex mixture of Celtic and African beats with the trombones standing in for bagpipes. The experimental sound proved a challenge that Ganaban met with flying colors, but despite the talent on display, the song was ultimately a confusing listen. Closing out an energizing show on a somehow even more energized foot, the band played Horace Silver’s “Nutville.” I’m not exaggerating when I say if I listened to this song first thing every morning I could kick my caffeine addiction. While nothing the band played could quite be categorized as swing, I was impressed by the audience’s restraint in not getting up to dance to the final tune. If you haven’t seen a TU Jazz show, I highly recommend you make the time before you graduate. Our fellow TU students aren’t quite professionals, but the likelihood that you’ll leave disappointed is basically zero. You can see them again this semester April 2 and 12 in the Gussman Concert Hall. Go.
19 February 2018
From cover, “1984”
“Given last January when we had a strange moment about not knowing what the truth is, some people have been calling it a ‘post-truth era,’” she said. “We are in the day of something called ‘alternative facts,’ so what is truth?” The political climate where our president is calling the media a liar and vice versa generated a renewed interest in the book. “1984” became a best-selling novel in January 2017, reaching the top of the Amazon bestseller list. She also commented on the power the play has in showing how people change. “Both on a political level and a personal level, we change so much in our lives.” She said, “How does our past shape who we are in the future?”
Variety
The performance resonated with the modern cultural zeitgeist as if it were adapted from a novel written last year. The torture scene haunted me, the love scene melted my heart and the ending is one that will stay with me for a long time. Seeing the performance with the technological enhancements is an experience no one should miss. The TU Theatre Department performs the play this week, February 22 – 24, at 8 p.m. in Kendall Hall. Tickets may be purchased online at www.myticketoffice.com, by phone at 918-631-2567 or at the Kendall Hall box office on the TU campus. Admission is $15 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and area students and $6 for TU students, faculty and staff. I strongly urge any student to see this double-plus-good production. Remember, Big Brother is watching. Will you be?
The Collegian: 9
TU puts on symphonic tribute to Yevtushenko In memory of former professor Yevgeny Yevtushenko, the University of Tulsa hosted a symphony featuring pieces composed to the tune of his poems. Brennen Gray Student Writer The University of Tulsa and the TU Symphony Orchestra paid tribute to the late Yevgeny Yevtushenko on Monday, February 12, with a symphony in Lorton Performance Center. Almost a year after his death, his legacy is still being discussed, and his cultural impact still being measured. The prolific poet, born in Zima, Siberia, wrote many beloved poems such as “That’s what is happening to me” and “Zima Station.” Many know him for his work “Babi Yar,” which earned him a nomination for the Nobel Prize for Literature. The concert began with “Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn” composed by Brahms in 1873. The piece has a subtle cadence to with but still has a joyful mix of sounds that takes the listener on a journey. It ends in a triumph. Next, the LPC’s projector screen lowered above the orchestra. A smiling Yevtushenko soon graced the screen while his son took the podium below to read one of his father’s poems. He read “The City of Yes and the City of No.” He read the first stanza in Russian and then continued in English. It felt just as beautiful as the music. The next speaker, Noam Faingold, took the stage. Faingold, who composed the next piece being played, talked about the importance of community in arts. He remarked about how society, especially today, tries to say that art is not useful or important. He
believes that Yevtushenko was a central person in Tulsa’s community. After the poetry, the orchestra performed Faingold’s “A Defiant Poet: Elegy in Memory of Yevgeny Yevtushenko.” Faingold finished the piece last summer, after beginning its construction a week after Yevtushenko’s death in April. Next came another Brahms piece: “Rhapsody, Op. 53.” Judith Pannill Raiford and a male choir accompanied the orchestra to sing the rhapsody. The words were adapted from a Goethe piece called “Winter Journey through the Harz Mountains.” The sounds blended well. The orchestra finished the night out with another Brahms piece called “Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80.” It was triumphant and a fitting end to a night dedicated to the poet. After the concert, Faingold commented on the inspiration for his work, saying that when Yevtushenko died, “His obituary was all over, and I sensed a slowness within his [and] our own community.” He also commented on the “immensity of having his figure” here in Tulsa due to his fame influence. Faingold described the tone as “impressionistic” and “hazy” with a “climax [he] stole straight from pixies,” which is a band that influenced Nirvana. He said that his piece, about 10-minutes long, took “eight hours a day for three months” to complete. Faingold later commented on the importance of art in a community when he described art as a “canary in the coal mine.” As in, when things go wrong, art is the first indicator. The canary represents beauty and innocence but will suffer when something toxic is in the air. Yevtushenko would heartily agree if he were here today, smiling to himself. After all, he said, “Poetry is like a bird, it ignores all frontiers.”
George Saunders details process on writing, growth The Philbrook Museum, the TU English Department, the Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Magic City Books all jointly hosted an intimate night with George Saunders. Trenton Gibbons News Editor
photos by Brennen Gray
TU’s performance is filled with many familiar scenes from the famous novel, accurately caputring its tonal range.
The Philbrook Museum recently hosted George Saunders, one of the most celebrated authors of our time, to Tulsa for an evening that was as much about the love of creative writing as it was the author’s life and career. Saunders, primarily known for his short-story collections, such as “In Persuasion Nation” or “CivilWarLand in Bad Decline,” recently expanded his creative efforts, authoring the experimental historical fiction novel “Lincoln in the Bardo.” The University of Tulsa Creative Writing Department, the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Magic City Books and other creative organizations helped sponsor the event. Saunders is a hard author to box into a single category. His works, from what I’ve read of him, are often satiric, effectively dramatic and characterized by a remarkably sharp wit. I won’t pretend to be his most well-read fan; in fact, I wasn’t much of a fan at all until very recently. Exposed at too young an age to his oddball criticism of consumerist culture in his short story collection, “In Persuasion Nation,” I misunderstood what his stories were meant to convey; I thought his work to be an unflinching mockery of the middle class, and I imagined him casting a distasteful glance over the “fly-over states” he often set his stories in. Having been re-exposed to his work through a Creative Writing course earlier this semester, I was more willing to give him a second chance. Now, after having spent a couple hours listening to his downto-earth philosophies and his own elaboration on how much of his writing comes from a deep feeling of empathy for his characters, I’m ready to say I’m a fan. The evening opened with a “Writer’s Salon” in which three Fellows in the Tulsa Artist Fellowship got up to read their own work, with each reading taking about twenty minutes. Each story was different from the last: Dan Musgrave’s described two primates communicating through a humanbuilt machine, Laurie Thomas read a work focused on the tension between a young girl and the colonizer invading her home by romancing her aunt and Jennifer Hope Davy’s focal point was the drama surrounding the
digital economy of popular MMO “World of Warcraft.” After the readings, Professor Keija Parssinen briefly touched upon the relatively new Creative Writing program at TU. Finally, to introduce George Saunders himself, student Ethan Veenker, an English major described the positive effect Saunders’s work had had on his own creative efforts. The rest of the evening consisted of George Saunders discussing on stage his motivation for writing, and the effect it had on his life. I was surprised by how soft-spoken and kind he was. He spoke of growing up in the heart of America and relating to the plights of the middle class. He called his work a mix between “Monty Python and John Steinbeck.” Maybe my favorite story of the evening was his recounting the first novel he’d ever tried to write, before he’d found short stories to be a more favorable craft. After he’d spent over a year on it, his wife didn’t hesitate to let him know her opinion on it, and the result was a momentary feeling of devastation regarding his future as a writer. When she next read some limericks he’d scrawled in his notebook at work, she had such a positive reaction he realized needed only to take a different approach to his writing. Additionally, he talked about staying in a homeless shelter for a week for research, attending Trump rallies and having a piece on Trump supporters rejected three times and the time he got sick by swimming in a body of water in which a dozen native monkeys were defecating. If any one thing sticks with me from such that evening (besides the book I got signed by him; I had to muster up some courage for that and still ended up hiding behind Ethan Veenker while he spoke to him), I hope it can be the message that great works should have some sense of good in them. Saunders said that it was easy in writings to be dark or harsh or cynical, but that writers should aspire to have some glimmer of hope in their writings as well. It was eye-opening for me, regarding his work, and I’m excited to read his books knowing the mindset he had when he wrote them. Maybe what I mistook for mockery was just his way of accurately portraying the beautiful-ugly lives of his characters. At the end of the evening, it was announced Mayor G. T. Bynum made February 16 George Saunders Day, to show Tulsa’s appreciation for the author. Saunders’s latest book and first novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” won the 2017 Man Booker Prize and is out now in paperback.
The State-Run Media
19 February 2018
the
State-Run media Sponsor of “The Penis Monologues.”
“Vagina Monologues” interrupted by “Penis Monologues”
This weekend, “The Penis Monologues” succeeded in its goal of undermining women. Sara Serrano A woman
Artist’s rendition of GWB’s rendition of the Obamas’ portrait.
graphic by Michaela Flonard
5 reasons George W. Bush should have done the Obamas’ portraits With controversy over the Obamas’ official portraits, it is clear that the portraits should have been painted by a more presidential painter. Conner Maggio Professional sandwich art critic 1. George W. Bush has nothing else to do. Let’s be honest: George has run out of things to do. It’s not like he has the power to start a war or benefit the rich anymore. He’s just chilling out, trying to learn how to paint. I think it would be very supportive and nice of the Obamas to help the man out. George has nothing left to accomplish or strive for — he was already the most powerful man in the world. What else could you possibly want from him? Now, as he takes a new approach to life, would it not be nice for Obama to come out and support a fellow former president? 2. He is the only artist who understands what the White House did to Obama. The White House is full of unspeakable horrors. There is a reason that after one term Obama had gray hair. And not because the White House is sponsored by Touch of Gray for Men™. The White House contains many Eldritch horrors, like the ghost of Rutherford B. Hayes. It’s bad enough that the man had to deal with all the country’s problems, but he also could not get any sleep knowing what horrors were in his home. 3. He has to atone somehow. George W. Bush, love him or hate him, has something he needs to make up to the
world. I am not talking about being partially responsible for the decline of America, an awful president or a war criminal. I am talking about how he was marketed as “someone you could have a beer with,” despite never having a beer with the American people. He did not even begin to fulfill his campaign promises. He clearly should have gone out and gotten a beer with every American. Even if he only had a beer with half of Americans, we could call it good. Unfortunately, he comes nowhere close to that mark. A classic blunder from a politician not being able to do what he promised. 4. George W. Bush is a way better painter than any other currently alive president. Jimmy Carter notoriously lost the painting competition with Bush, making George W. Bush the greatest painter among living former presidents. (Of course, the best painter of any former president goes to Coolidge, who always painted his feelings rather than expressing them, but alas he is no longer with us.) No one is left to challenge his painting ability, unless Bill Clinton decides to give it a go. 5. Democrats and Republicans would be forced into a bipartisan art agreement, finally mending the broken political system in our country. Now, Democrats and Republicans have never really seen eye to eye, but with such a display of bipartisan agreement, they would ultimately be forced to agree that the president’s portraits don’t actually matter. Then they will probably fight each other over real issues, and then maybe they will actually compromise.
Last week, the University of Tulsa put on a production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” in Tyrell Hall for S.A.V. E. Week. The play is normally an occasion of empowerment and catharsis, meant to bring awareness to violence against women through stories from women about their vaginas. However, this particular performance was unfortunately interrupted by a rival play put on by self-described student Meninists: “The Penis Monologues.” Scheduled at the same time and in the exact same place, the performers of “The Vagina Monologues” were forced to concede half of their stage to those of the “The Penis Monologues,” who had protested having to perform on a different night or later in the evening, calling it sexist. “The idea that women are oppressed and discriminated against in society today is laughable,” said Chad Andrews, student sponsor and writer of “The Penis Monologues.” “It’s men who are being oppressed by all of this radical, toxic feminism. That’s why I decided to write this play, so people could hear the truth.” Friday night, I went to go see the two shows for myself. The ladies were surprisingly gracious, considering the circumstanc-
Comparison of the two plays’ posters.
graphic by Conner Maggio
graphic by Kayleigh Thesenvitz
Global warming just God being overprotective of the thermostat Global warming is one of the greatest challenges to our future. But there’s more than one side to this story.
Conner Maggio 2nd law of thermodynamics truther
God ensuring Earth’s thermostat is at the right temperature.
es. They went on as if they were alone, delivering powerful and moving performances that would have really resonated with the audience if not for the men on stage. The substance of “The Penis Monologues” appeared to be half stories from men about how they have been subjugated by women and half retorts to the stories of “The Vagina Monologues.” A story about sexual abuse would begin only to be interrupted by a barrage of “#NotAllMen” from the other side of the stage, followed by a different story to drown it out. “I bought her drinks and dinner. I complimented her eyes. I was an absolute gentleman, but when I dropped her off she didn’t even invite me in,” said one of the male performers. “Excuse me? Didn’t I deserve a little something, some thanks for all that work I did? She owed me! Women are freeloaders.” Because of this, it was often hard to hear anything at all, which seemed to satisfy the Meninists’ goals. The women, however, were much less happy about it. “I am just so disappointed that these men felt the need to put this mockery of a show on. It’s not only disgusting but also pretty much ruined the real play,” said student Janet Erickson, an audience member. “Why can’t they just let women have a voice?” “The Penis Monologues” may have succeeded in undermining women this weekend, but men have already been doing that for thousands of years. Nothing is new under the sun, and women will not be fazed in their fight for equality.
Ever since learning about climate change and how global warming is a scam created by the Chinese to sell fans in the 6th grade, I knew that there was something fishy about it, and not just the millions of dead fish that are washing ashore. How can something so horrible be happening to our planet? Well, simply put, it’s not, and the real truth may shock and surprise you. A recent Harvard study concluded that 99 percent of orphans believe in climate change, and the reason behind that is simple: they do not have a dad to yell at them for touching the thermostat. However, your chances of having a dad and not believing in climate change are 50 percent. If we expound on that statistic, we see that the half the participants that do not believe in climate change lived in houses without thermostats or with partially absent fathers. The evidence is overwhelming. Obviously if you have a present father figure and a thermostat, you will not believe in climate
change. The reasoning behind the thought is simple. If God is the Father of the human race, then why would he let them touch the thermostat? That would not make any sense, therefore the current “climate change” is just God trying to save on his electricity bill, which he pays every month with his own God-based currency. Say you do not believe in the divine; well, the universe has to run based on some principles and laws, which do not want to have to pay for your transgressions against nature, so they turn the heat up to try to get all the humans and corporations to chill out for like 10 millennia. So then what is climate change? Well it must be a conspiracy to get us to treat the Earth better, an agenda pushed by dirty liberals trying to sell you trees. What else could it possibly be? We know it is not greenhouse gases because the studies and research done by scientists show there is no link between holes in the atmosphere and anything humans have ever done. A special thanks to all the oil companies that funded such brilliant research. So greenhouse gas must be caused by all these trees that are being grown everywhere by liberal goons, who are just trying to save the environment, those fiends! Indisputably climate change is happening, but if we band together and don’t touch the thermostat of the Earth, we will all be safe from the wrath of God.