8 October 2018

News

The Collegian: 2

8 October 2018

Brett Kavanaugh confirmed for Supreme Court

Following sexual assault allegations, a senate hearing and an FBI investigation, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. Emily Every Commentary Editor Last Saturday, United States senators voted 50-48 to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice, thereby creating a conservative majority within the court. Following Kavanaugh’s nomination, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford publicly voiced that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the 1980s.

Coupled with the attention of the #MeToo movement, Kavanaugh’s nomination has proven highly controversial, and the confirmation process at Capitol Hill experienced several disruptions from protesting groups. Ford’s allegation was shortly followed by another claim of sexual assault against Kavanaugh by Deborah Ramirez, a former peer of Kavanaugh’s at Yale University. Ford and Kavanaugh have since testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ford restated her original allegation against Kavanaugh, while Kavanaugh denied Ford’s claim. Nonetheless, Ford’s allegation caused the GOP to delay the confirmation vote by

a week, providing additional time for further FBI background checks into Kavanaugh. The FBI has stated that it has found no corroborating witnesses to Ford’s claims, though some Democrats have raised issue with the small time allotted and lack of apparent effort put into the case; “In purposefully limiting the FBI investigation, it is clear the Republicans were not seeking the truth,” said minority leader Nancy Pelosi. The FBI’s statement paved the way for two then-unconfirmed Republican votes, Arizona’s Jeff Flake and Maine’s Susan Collins, to put their support behind Kavanaugh. They revealed on the Friday preceding the vote that they would confirm Kavanaugh

due to the lack of corroborating witnesses. Kavanaugh’s politics appear partisan thus far, and he’s likely to act as a consistent conservative vote within the Supreme Court. His stances have been historically antiabortion, anti-net neutrality, anti-regulatory in relation to firearms and environmental issues and generally pro-business. Both Democrat and Republican politicians have suggested that Kavanaugh being sworn in will only serve to fire up their party’s voters for November’s midterm elections.

Pictured in July 2018 from left to right, Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Vice President Mike Pence and Arizona senator Jon Kyl stand in the White House.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Student org Pay it Forward supports Tulsa’s homeless Pay it Forward urges students to use extra meal swipes to help feed the homeless. Anna Robinson Student Writer Plenty of Tulsans cross paths with homeless people or are at least aware of their existence around town, but few do anything about it. Pay it Forward is a group of students who are encouraging their peers to donate their leftover meals near the end of each week. They take these meals to nearby locations and hand-deliver them to homeless people. I spoke with Carter Bradford, a junior here at TU, about this new program on campus. The program’s purpose is to benefit the disadvantaged in Tulsa while reducing TU’s food waste. He explained that it began when a friend of his mentioned that he took leftover meals from his own meal plan at the end of the week to people in need around town. Together, he and his friend took around five to 10 meals to homeless people. These numbers grew. Bradford said, “We got 25 to 30 meals to take downtown. Why not get the whole campus involved?” To do so, Bradford placed a sign-up sheet next to the register in the C-Store at the Student Union and asked customers if they had a cafeteria meal plan. Knowing that most students rarely use all of their swipes in their meal plans, he asked people if they would like to donate their unused meals to homeless people in town instead of letting so much food go to waste. In his own efforts on campus prior to the creation of Pay it Forward, Bradford claimed that, “Most homeless people are still working, they just don’t have a home. They’re good people.” While some may battle alcohol and substance abuse, this does not disqualify them from receiving

help. For example, Bradford met a person who works as security for the BOK center, but lives in a tent. Bradford’s local observations match national statistics. On average nationwide, 44 percent of homeless people are employed. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports that Oklahoma as a whole sees around 10 to 11 homeless people per 10,000. This is a higher ratio than that of Texas and Arkansas. Families make up 79 percent of these numbers. According to The Tulsa Salvation Army, around 800 people are on the streets in Tulsa per night. Some areas of Tulsa where there are higher concentrations of homeless people, such as the QuikTrip on Admiral Street and downtown, are not far from TU’s campus. Pay it Forward has partnered with other efforts in Tulsa to provide food for homeless people, such as the Healthy Community Store Initiative. This organization’s leader, Katie Plohocky, takes buses of food with multiple options to poor communities. Along with Plohocky, Pay it Forward is working hand-in-hand with TU’s Dining Services and Sodexo general manager Mike Neal. He allowed Pay it Forward to put the sign-up sheet in the C-Store and has even helped package the meals to send out, as has Dining Services. Students from Pay it Forward deliver the meals to locations around Tulsa on Thursdays or Fridays each week. Last week, their goal was to reach 100 meal donations for delivery on Friday; they gathered 117. Going forward, this program aims to continue to reach 100 meals per week. They will also continue to encourage more students to get involved, but this is not limited to donating unused meal swipes. Pay it Forward is looking for more volunteers for the transportation of the meals at the end of each week. Follow this program on Instagram at @payitforwardtu.

courtesy Carter Bradford Carter Bradford began Pay it Forward after independently bringing food to the homeless with his friend.

SQ801 could alleviate some of the problems that led to 2018’s teacher strikes.

courtesy Flickr

State questions on the ballot The ballot in November will include five state questions on varied topics. Emma Palmer Variety Editor Besides the candidates for governor, there will be five state questions on the ballot in the upcoming Nov. 6 gubernatorial election in Oklahoma. Here’s what you need to know about each of them: State Question 793 - This question, if passed, would allow optometrists to practice in retail spaces. Currently, any practice that sells prescription eyewear must make more than 50 percent of revenue from eye care or they must have an entrance separate from the retail space. This measure would change that, with the the idea being that optometrists would be able to operate outside of medical offices in large retail spaces like malls or Walmart. This would potentially make eyecare less expensive for the consumer. State Question 794 - Also known as “Marsy’s Law,” SQ794 advocates for more protection for crime victims during the time offenders face trial. If passed, the measure would allow for victims to be informed about general court proceedings as well as have an opportunity to speak during hearings. Additionally, victims would be able to speak with the prosecutor on request. Started in California, the measure has since been passed in five other states, although it has recently been ruled as unconstitutional by the Montana Supreme Court. Those who oppose the bill claim that the measure would be a strain financially and could interfere with the offender’s case.

State Question 798 - Up until this point, the Oklahoma governor and lieutenant governor have been able to run on seperate tickets. SQ798, however, would require that they run together on one ticket. This would mean that the governor and lieutenant governor would have to be from the same party, a change that could lead to more unification in governing, as well as more partisan power. State Question 800 - If passed, this measure would create a trust fund called the Oklahoma Vision Fund, which would take five percent of taxes on the oil and gas industry and put them in an emergency reserve fund. This would be the third emergency reserve approved in Oklahoma, with the key difference being that money would be placed in the reserve on a yearly basis. The measure aims to take advantage of the oil and gas industry’s significant presence in the state, and the amount of tax taken from the industry would rise by two-tenths of a percent every year. A set amount of money from the Vision Fund would be spent per year, with allowances for the state to pay off debts and invest in local government. State Question 801 - This question, if passed, would loosen the restriction on school millages and how tax dollars are spent on schools. Currently, schools are only permitted to use the money on maintenance and building upkeep. This measure would allow each school to use this money as they see fit. The allotted funds could be used on teacher pay raises, or additional personnel in large classrooms. The measure would not provide any more funds for schools, but rather, hopes to more effectively use money already provided.

8 October 2018

News

The Collegian: 3

LIBR researches eating disorders New liquor laws affect stores An ongoing LIBR study seeks to understand mental conditions regarding eating disorders. Brooke-Lyne Holland Student Writer Valerie Upshaw, a registered nurse and Clinical Research Coordinator, works on multiple studies at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research. Her job is to help conduct studies run by Principal Investigator Sahib Khalsa that focus on people who currently have or used to have eating disorders. Dr. Khalsa is Director of Clinical Studies and Assistant Professor at LIBR and is also a volunteer faculty member at the University of Tulsa. According to the LIBR website, he graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from The State University of New York in Stony Brook in 2002 and received his M.D. and Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2009 from the University of Iowa. Upshaw spoke of the many studies that Khalsa is currently conducting, which observe and monitor patients who suffer with anxiety and eating disorders. Eating disorders, specifically anorexia, are Dr. Khalsa’s main focus of study because, according to Upshaw, the mortality rate of eating disorders compared to other mental health diagnoses is much higher and “one of the areas that are least focused [on] throughout the mental health community.” Upshaw explained that the study is “interested in people who have symptoms of worry that affect their daily life and sleep.” Anxiety and eating disorders can relate to each other and the study monitors how being worried affects these mental disorders. She spoke about a few of the studies being conducted at LIBR and what each study monitored. In one study, the Brain and Body Dysfunctions Eating Disorder study, the patient is put into an MRI where they are given different tasks to do while in the machine. Upshaw says that, in this particular study, they are trying to see if the actions relate to innerbody sensations to try to figure out where in the brain these sensations are processed. In another, the Float study, the patient floats in a large one-foot-deep pool with

2,000 pounds of Epsom salt. The main focus of this study is to look and see if this technique of relaxing in the pool could help with anxiety, eating disorders or self-image issues. University of Tulsa students are invited to participate in the study and be compensated for their time. Participation entails floating in a pool, MRIs and answering questions on one’s physical and mental states before and after the treatment. Patients do not have to be medically diagnosed with any type of eating or anxiety disorder to sign up for the study. The study is also looking for healthy individuals who do not experience any symptoms of an eating disorder to be the control group of the study. According to LIBR, the study is open to people who are: • 18 years and older. • Can understand enough English to complete the interviews and answer questions. • Have access to a computer. • NOT an international student visa. This is due to restrictions on international students’ research compensation. • NOT currently experiencing severe/ unstable health issues that need immediate medical attention. The length of each study ranges from one day to several weeks. Call the number provided below to receive more information on the study. Emergency Hotlines Local Crisis Line: 918-293-2100 National 24/7 Suicide Hotline: 1-800784-2433 True Blue Neighbors Behavioral Health Clinic: 918-631-3342 Alexander Health Center: 918-631-2241 Campus Security: 918-631-5555 Domestic Violence Intervention Service: 918-585-3163 If interested, call 918-502-5100.

Larger supermarkets can hope for a profit upswing, but smaller liquor stores may suffer. Brennen Gray Sports Editor For many years, Americans performed a slightly taboo ritual of driving up to the liquor store, buying a bottle of booze in a brown paper bag, and going home to throw it in the refrigerator. Since State Question 792 was passed, convenience and grocery stores can sell wine and highpoint beer — and cold ones at that. Liquor stores see less change except that they can now install refrigerators like their new competitors can to chill their beer. Abandoning traditional Oklahoma liquor laws raised concerns about how selling cold ready-to-drink beer may increase drunk driving. Others worried about the laws increasing the sales of alcohol in Oklahoma, and possibly contributing to alcoholism because of the new convenience. The largest immediate effects so far, however, have been with the liquor store’s sales. “Before the new law came in, we were making holiday sales. Ever since the new laws came in, it was like slow-mo,” said Gaslite liquor store worker Joey. “Walmart has the resources; we don’t. And everyone coming in here is a refrigeration expert. Asking us, ‘Why don’t you guys just install a refrigerator over on that wall over there?’ Well, we don’t have the space for it.” Joey raises a point about the issue of physical space. Small business usually

means small revenue and small amounts of merchandise, which fits small stores like Gaslite well. However, the legalization of refrigerated beer means stores with less floor space are disadvantaged, with or without the money. “And people say, ‘Well, at least you guys can sell liquor,’ and we are like, ‘Well, for now.’ If you don’t think Costco, Walmart and all the other big stores aren’t pushing for that next, you are crazy.” Big business has long plagued stores like Gaslite, who stay afloat largely from customer loyalty alone. “We sold our first bottle the day after Prohibition ended in Oklahoma in 1959. I don’t drink myself, surprisingly, but I always enjoyed hearing stories of people saying they remember their grandparent coming in here.”Typically, small business has an edge to keep their doors open against the encroaching powers of corporation. The new laws may have liquor stores rebranding with new appeals to market their wares. A support local business or Route 66 gimmick may be in order. Other liquor stores that have the resources for refrigeration units seem to be doing all right. Parkhill’s Warehouse Liquors & Wine in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Collins Midtown Liquor have installed units. Collins Midtown liquor has seen little difference in their sales. For liquor stores that can afford refrigeration units, relying on their expertise in alcohol sales as well as brand loyalty may keep them in business during the dark times ahead.Smaller liquor stores may be a different story. Gaslite may have sold your grandfather his first bottle in ‘59, but they might just sell their last to his grandkid.

courtesy Gaslite Liquor Store Facebook Gaslite, a liquor store with a long Oklahoman history, could meet its end under the new liquor legislation.

courtesy Laureate Institute for Brain Research Valerie Upshaw (top) and Dr. Sahib Khalsa (bottom) are working on research to help treat anxiety and eating disorders.

News

The Collegian: 4

8 October 2018

Sept. 30 12:20 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible physical altercation at the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity House. Upon arrival, officers identified four individuals fighting and separated the parties. The individuals involved in the altercation were not injured. All parties were compliant with officers and went back to their residence without further incident.

Sept. 28 10:40 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible noise complaint at Brown Village. Officers were told that it sounded like someone may be fighting in an apartment. Officer could not hear any noise in the area. Officers knocked on the door and checked with the resident. They were having a social gathering and stated that they will keep the noise level down. Sept. 29 11:40 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Collins Hall to investigate a possible panic alarm. Officers made contact with a TU staff member and discovered it was accidentally pushed by a University of Tulsa affiliate who was working the front desk. Officers left the scene after they made sure the affiliate was not in harm or danger. 4:00 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible non injury motor vehicle accident in the Allen Chapman Student Union Parking. Upon arrival Officers spoke with a TU student was attempting to do a U turn in a parking lot but were unable to make the turn. They put the car in reverse and backed into another vehicle as they were pulling into the parking lot.

2:30 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to a welfare check at Fisher South Hall. Upon arrival officers were told that a student had returned to their dorm intoxicated. Officers made contact with the student, the student was able to answer all questions and did not need medical treatment. Officers informed the Resident Adviser of the situation and left the scene without further incident. Oct. 2 3:20 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate an individual knocking on apartment windows. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the subject who reported that they were looking for their friend’s apartment. Their friend came out of their apartment and spoke to officers. The subject called and got a ride off campus and was not trespass banned and a contact card was not issued at this time. 9:10 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Norman Village to investigate a possible noninjury vehicle accident report. Upon arrival Officers met with a student who stated they had backed their vehicle into a parking space and made contact with another vehicle parked beside it. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Norman Village to investigate a possible non-injury vehicle accident report. Upon arrival Officers met with a student who stated they had backed their

Nate Gibbons Distribution Manager

Osaka cuts ties with San Francisco over controversial statue Osaka, Japan officially cut sister-city ties with San Francisco last week as tensions over a controversial statue boiled over. The statue depicts a Korean activist, Kim Haksun, gazing at women from the Philippines, Korea and China standing on a pedestal and holding hands. It commemorates the thousands of “comfort women” detained and raped by Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. Last year, Osaka’s mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura declared the message of the statue one-sided and threatened to cut ties unless it was removed. Japanese officials have often fought the creation of statues or memorials commemorating women harmed by their occupation. They claim the information is disputed and bad for reconciliation, while critics say they’re trying to downplay a tragedy. San Francisco mayor London Breed said one mayor could not undo the ties that exist between her city and Osaka. She stated the statue would remain as “a symbol of the struggle faced by all women who have been, and are currently, forced to endure the horrors of enslavement and sex trafficking.”

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to campaigners against sexual violence Last Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to both a former IS captive and a Congolese gynecological surgeon in recognition of their efforts to stop the use of mass rape as a weapon of war. Both Nadia Murad, who was captured and forced into sexual slavery by IS, and Dr. Denis Mukwege, who has treated thousands of women in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, risk their lives to campaign against sexual violence. IS kidnapped Murad and thousands of other Yazidi women in northern Iraq in 2014. When their town was captured, the men and boys were executed while the women and girls were sold into slavery. Murad suffered at the hands of an IS judge and his bodyguards before eventually escaping. Unlike many other escapees, Murad made her name public and sought to inform the world of her and others’ plight. Dr. Mukwege has worked for years to aid villagers preyed upon by militias, government soldiers, bandits and other abusers, often with little access to anesthetic and electricity. In his work, he recounts horrors done to the victims he’s seen around the world. Shortly after giving a speech to the United Nations in 2012, he survived an assassination attempt that involved four or five gunmen, his children taken as hostages and the death of his security guard in his home in the Congo. Speaking from a hospital in Bukavu, he accepted his award last Friday, dedicating it to “women of all countries bruised by conflict and facing everyday violence.”

Aid organizations forced to leave Pakistan International NGOs must cease their operations and leave Pakistan within 60 days, the Pakistani government says. ActionAid, one of the organizations, claims the order was connected to a “worrying escalation of recent attacks on civil society” by the Pakistani government. ActionAid said in a statement that their appeals have been denied, as have other organizations’, with no reason given by the government. ActionAid was told it could re-apply for registration in six months. Pakistani officials often suspect NGOs of international espionage. In 2011, a fake vaccination program was revealed to be a cover for CIA agents to track Osama bin Laden. After attempting to ban NGOs in 2017, Pakistani officials bowed to Western pressure and allowed the organizations to stay and appeal against the decision. At least 18 aid organizations have now been banned from the country.

vehicle into a parking space and made contact with another vehicle parked beside it. 9:03 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible fire alarm at the LaFortune House. The fire panel read that the alarm was in a room. Officers went to the room and identified the source of the alarm. In the room there was a burnt waffle in a toaster emanating smoke. Tulsa Fire Department was canceled. Housing took possession of the toaster. Officers then reset the alarm. 10:25 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible ill student at Hardesty Hall. Officers made contact with the student who stated that they had a diagnosed concussion last week and were under medical care for it. Officers requested EMSA and they transported the student to St. Francis Hospital. Oct. 3 10:00 a.m. While on routine patrol University of Tulsa Campus security Officers noticed a cut bike lock on the bicycle rack in Fisher West Suites’ parking lot. The stolen bicycle was a white Giant mountain bike. The identity of the victim is still unknown at this time. The investigation is on-going. 4:00 p.m. While on routine patrol University of Tulsa campus Security Officers were flagged down by a faculty member reporting an auto burglary of a University of Tulsa work truck. Upon arrival the officer located the work truck in the Kep-Rogers lot and assessed the damage. The Collegian does not produce or edit the Campus Crime Watch except for content and brevity.

Wednesday, October 10 at 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Oliphant Hall BBB Lunch and Learn: Mouse Genetics & Human Reproduction Mouse genetics unravel the molecular mechanisms of human reproduction. Dr. Mateo Avella will speak about his research and findings. Pizza and drinks will be served.

Thursday, October 11 at 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tyrrell Hall, Lecture Hall The Fight for Reproductive Justice in Oklahoma and the U.S.: Film Screening and Panel Discussion Film Screening at 5:00 p.m. Birthright: A War Story is a feature-length documentary that examines how women in the U.S. are being jailed, physically violated and even put at risk of dying as a radical movement tightens its grip across the United States allowing states, courts and religious doctrine to govern whether, when, and how women will bear children. Pizza at 6:00 p.m. Panel Discussion at 7:00 p.m. The Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice is a group of organizations and individuals promoting reproductive justice issues in Oklahoma through education, empowerment, advocacy and lobbying. Members of the OCRJ will discuss reproductive justice issues in Oklahoma and the importance of the November midterm elections. Thursday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Lorton Hall, Room 207 Camp Manna: Movie Screening with Q & A Little Blue House and East Side Christian Church bring you a satirical look at church camp. In the movie, Ian Fletcher, a “nonbeliever,” is shipped off to a backwoods Christian camp, where he is forced to compete in (and survive) a Biblically-themed Olympiad known as the God Games. Stars Gary Busey, Jimmy Tatro and Joey Morgan. The writer/director and one of the stars will be in attendance. Free food! Thursday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m. Lorton Performance Center

TU Jazz Concert The University of Tulsa School of Music presents its jazz ensembles in concert. The jazz ensembles will perform standard and contemporary jazz music along with original pieces composed by the band members.

Friday, October 12 at 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Gilcrease Museum Gilcrease Museum Symposium: Gender and Identity in the American West Join us as we explore gender and identity in the West from multiple perspectives, expand on historical narratives and further the dialogue about the human experience. Gilcrease Museum holds a rich collection of artwork depicting the western United States. Created throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of these artworks perpetuate a Euro-American narrative of the West as a wild frontier destined to be tamed by rugged, independent, heterosexual white males. Backed by the pseudoscience of the day that stressed the mental and physical superiority of white males, historical imagery of the American West often confirms and perpetuates this masculine ideal. However, Gilcrease is also home to various art and archival collections that reveal a more nuanced, complex, rich and diverse American West. These collections show that distinct communities challenged hegemonic manhood by creating new ideals of gender and masculinity in the West. Hear from panelists from around the country as we take a deeper dive into gender and identity in the West. $25/Gilcrease Museum members; $35/not-yet-members; $10/students & educators Lunch option: $20 For detailed speaker information and lunch menu, please visit gilcrease.org/identity. The Collegian does not produce all event descriptions in the Community Calendar. Contact us at news@tucollegian.org with events.

Commentary

8 October 2018

The Collegian: 5

3D-printed guns lack governmental oversight

3D-printed guns present a major safety hazard through their lack of serial numbers and plastic parts. Nathan Hinkle Student Writer Due to the rise in availability of 3D printers, people are now able to produce firearms at a cheap cost. In 2012, a company known as Defense Distributed proposed a plan to sell blueprints on how to build plastic 3D-printed guns. While the guns are still in the development cycle, they are also being illegally produced by third parties. These guns require metal parts, such as the stock and the barrel. The difference from regular guns is that you can easily remove the different components at will to avoid detection. However, the State Department argued that the actions of Defense Distributed were illegal under the Arms Export Control Act. The major problem with these weapons is that people can download them across the globe and not be under government supervision. Defense Distributed was then forced to shut down production of the weapon and selling of the blueprint. The blueprints have since appeared on the internet. In 2015, with the help of the Second Amendment Foundation, Defense Distributed went on to sue the State Department under the premise of a First Amendment violation. The State Department

eventually allowed the designs to be re-published to avoid losing in the courts. However, 19 U.S. states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey, are in the process of fighting this settlement for fear of these firearms being freely available to anyone with access to a 3D printer. I agree with these states; providing access to difficult-to-trace firearms is dangerous. Such firearms lack the regulation of other firearms, and such oversight is necessary for the safety of United States citizens. The production of guns should be limited to only licensed arms dealers. There are two major problems with these 3D-printed guns. First, by removing the steel parts, such as the firing pin, guns can be carried through airport security without setting off metal detectors. This comes into direct conflict with the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, which makes it a federal offense to “manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer or receive” a firearm unable to be detected by a metal detector. While the current design sold by Defense Distributed will contain a piece of steel to meet these requirements, it could be easily removed before walking through airport security. Second, these 3D-printed guns, commonly referred to as ghost guns, lack the serial numbers that allow guns to be tracked and monitored. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, all firearms are required by law to have a specific set of numbers that are placed on the firearm by the manufacturer. In order to import or export firearms, they are also legally required to list the city or state from which they were made. These weapons have none of the important markings that are required on other firearms. Owners of these guns would not have to go through any form of background checks that

courtesy Flickr The Liberator, a single-shot handgun among the first designed 3D-printed firearms, can be broken down into several component parts.

are normally required to receive a firearm. In an argument against these weapons, Kristen Rand, the legislative director of a gun control advocacy center known as Violence Policy Center, said, “3D-printed guns represent one dimension of

Some may argue that 3D-printed weapons are no substantial threat due to the existence of easier ways for criminals to get firearms, such as theft or illegal purchases, but these guns provide another opportunity for people to get firearms not registered by the government.

over the world. By avoiding important government supervision, these firearms are unmonitored, dangerous tools that could be acquired by anyone. If law-abiding citizens want to buy firearms, they should be required to go through licensed manufacturers and sellers.

“Owners of these guns would not have to go through any form of background checks... required to receive a firearm.” a larger problem of do-it-yourself homemade firearms, which is an increasing threat to public safety. It is important that policymakers act now to address this burgeoning threat before it is too late.”

While 3D-printed guns are not an extremely prevalent concern at the moment, their impact will have a large impact on the safety of citizens of the United States and all

Through the use of background checks and a specific code, we can lower the risk of deadly weapons across the United States.

Kavanaugh confirmation #MeToo successful in generating discussion a Republican farce

Following Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, Republicans can no longer paint themselves as the moral party. Andrew Noland Student Writer The Senate confirmed the embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh despite accusations of sexual assault from five sources. The debate raged across the nation as Americans questioned the validity of the rape claims, Kavanaugh’s behavior and the actions of their representatives. I consider that Saturday a tragedy; not because I’m a liberal snowflake who hates when conservatives win (although guilty as charged), but because we failed every sexual assault survivor in America on Oct. 6, 2018. I don’t have any consolation to offer anyone. The conservatives possess a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court, and several paramount issues will find themselves at the forefront once again. Justices Kagan, Sotomayor and Ginsburg will stand alone against ideologically identical conservative men on cases ranging from immigration, campaign finance, abortion and, most relevant to Kavanaugh’s appointment, Trump’s impeachment. It is more than possible that the conservatives will win on every issue, and we will watch together as minorities’ rights are stripped away one by one. If you wanted to pick a moment when America looked darkest since Lincoln’s death, it’s this one. This sounds melodramatic, but it remains imperative to recognize historic moments when they arrive in our lifetimes: 9/11, the Great Recession, the 2016 election, the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing and now this con-

firmation will etch themselves into our generation’s collective memory. Events dictate our story, not time periods, and we cannot understate the significance of Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. However, what we also learned from Saturday’s confirmation vote is the extent of the Republicans’ cognitive dissonance. What does the Republican Party stand for? Christian values? I don’t remember Jesus preaching about trickle-down to the poor from the top one percent, about how we should dishonor and degrade women or that we should lie about the size of our inauguration crowds. Fiscal responsibility? Massive tax cuts combined with colossal increases in military spending equals budget deficits and trillions of dollars in debt. That’s just math. Small government? Sorry, conservatives, you aren’t allowed to construct a national apparatus of mass incarceration devoted to indiscriminately putting minorities in jail and then preach about law and order for the sake of supposed individual liberty. Above all, Republicans can no longer pretend that their moderates are the sole moral agents left in American government. Jeff Flake, with nothing to lose, still remained a sexist partisan hack until the end. Susan Collins, who complained that liberals were attempting to bribe her to vote to deny Kavanaugh a seat, created an “alternative reality” (as Christine Ford’s sister-in-law articulated) in which Ford was sexually assaulted, but not by Brett Kavanaugh. This conclusion was based on what evidence? The documents you didn’t show your constituents? Apparently, Republicans are willing to pretend they’re on a twisted holodeck simulation rather than admit they’re potentially backing a sexual assaulter. The central tenet of the Republican Party seems to be victory at any cost, and, to paraphrase our president, I’m tired of their version of winning. Much like a Roman triumph, they appear to be willing to humiliate and discredit anyone, regardless of their tragedies, who dares threaten their drive for power. On Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, we witnessed Donald Trump, Jeff Flake, Joe Manchin and Susan Collins put an alleged assaulter on the highest court in the land for “no less than victory” and a little piece of America’s soul faded away.

On the anniversary of #MeToo, it is important to recognize the movement’s shortcomings and triumphs. Anna Johns Student Writer It’s been a year since the New York Times exposed Harvey Weinstein for his repeated sexual misconduct. The impact of the exposé was instant and struck social media and the news like a meteor — while thousands of stories erupted on Twitter, women came together and supported one another through their traumas. The #MeToo movement was born, and the voices of victims rang louder than ever. And today, we are still listening. Abusers were actually held accountable for their actions as workplaces and schools took investigations of sexual misbehavior seriously. We have seen tangible repercussions, such as increased discussions of power dynamics and how they influence a person’s conduct. We saw public figures shamed and the rise of power for the words of victims. Most important, within the span of a year, we have watched our culture recognize unwanted sexual behavior, seen the double-sided coin of justice and injustice. Still, #MeToo is controversial, and its progress leaves some feeling disappointed in its shortcomings. There is a key factor that divides the movement: privilege. Because the faces of the cause are often white, affluent celebrities, women of color and employees of lower-wage jobs feel left out of the conversation. The National Women’s Law Center of the Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission analyzed complaints filed between the years 2012 and 2016 and found that Black women filed sexual harassment charges “at nearly three times the rate of white, non-Hispanic women.” Ultimately, #MeToo neither touches on the ways race and gender intersect, nor does it discuss the nuances of racial bias and powerlessness for women of color in the workplace. After all, high-profile cases are what attract a constantly moving society. That’s why when a celebrity is accused, we hold our breaths, watch and wait while we delve into detailed accounts of misbehavior. Sure, #MeToo has tightened a leash and held the entertainment industry responsible for its actions, but our action must extend to the industries working around us, too. Generally, critics of #MeToo have said the movement can harm men’s reputations and framed the issue as a “witch-hunt.” #MeToo’s founder, Tarana Burke, told Al Jazeera that “to watch people turn #MeToo into a weapon, as opposed to acknowledging it is a tool, is not just unfortunate, but it’s dangerous.” Millions of people have been hurt by sexual violence and have felt the toll it has taken on them. And within the current political climate, a survivor who has overcome obstacles to share their story is now seen as a tool to take down powerful men. Today, we find sexual assault cases sharing the same space as a gossip column. As a result, the guilty are absolved, and the victims lack justice. At its core, #MeToo is about supporting victims of sexual misbehavior and educating the public about the trauma involved, and it is imperative for us to remember that. The most important thing the #MeToo movement has done is generate discussion. As reported by the Washington Post, the National Assault Hotline has seen “about a 30 percent increase in calls since the rise of #MeToo.” The world has watched as the power structures of rapists and harassers crumble. Women’s words have only gotten stronger. #MeToo still has work to do and things to improve, but the conversation isn’t over yet.

“#MeToo is about supporting victims of sexual misbehavior and educating the public...”

Commentary

The Collegian: 6

8 October 2018

OCD Awareness Week an Journalism hyperfocused, opportunity for empathy repetitive, uninformative

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a commonly stigmatized and misunderstood mental illness. Avery Childress Student Writer OCD Awareness Week is an internationally recognized week of advocacy and a promotion of understanding surrounding Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and other disorders on the Obsessive-Compulsive spectrum. It was started by the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) in 2009 and has been conducted every year since then during the second week of October. A number of U.S.-based organizations and others worldwide have celebrations this week, hosting events such as documentary screenings, fundraisers or lectures. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a highly stigmatized mental health condition. We’ve all heard it, and maybe even said it — “I’m so OCD!” — without thinking about how trivializing and embarrassing it is for people who actually live with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. OCD isn’t just feeling uncomfortable when something is out of place, or feeling like a perfectionist over a piece of art or writing. ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder is much more serious, and for some people, life-ruining. So, what is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? From the IOCDF: “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.” and although many of us may get caught in such a cycle at some point in our lives, “that does not mean that we all have ‘some OCD.’” In order for someone to be diagnosed with OCD, “this cycle of obsessions and compulsions becomes so extreme that it... gets in the way of important activities that the person values.” Obsessions in OCD refer to unwanted or intrusive thoughts, images or urges that are disturbing to the person. These obsessions cause uncomfortable feelings of doubt, fear, disgust or anxiety. These obsessions occur all the time, over and over again, leading the person to believe that they have no control over their obsessions. According to the IOCDF, “Common obsessions can include contamination, losing control, perfectionism, harm coming to others due to negligence, unwanted sexual or violent thoughts [and] religious obsessions.”

The second half of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, compulsions, are more readily what comes to mind when people tend to think about the disorder. The IOCDF explains: “Compulsions are excessive, repetitive behaviors or ‘mental acts’ (e.g., thought suppression, counting, praying, etc.) that a person uses to try to neutralize or make their obsessions or distress go away.” People with OCD usually have the insight that their compulsions are an irrational reaction, and only provide temporary relief. Some of the most common compulsions found in individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are “frequent, excessive washing and/or cleaning, frequent, excessive checking (e.g. that the door is locked, that the oven is off, etc.), repeating, mental compulsions... and avoiding situations that may trigger their obsessions.” So, now that we’ve recognized that Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a real mental health condition and not just exaggerated perfectionism, let’s look at some stats: • Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are 10 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. (Karolinska Institutet, 2016) • It takes an average of 14 to 17 years from the time that OCD symptoms begin for individuals to obtain the appropriate treatment. (International OCD Foundation, 2010) • Studies indicate that approximately 75 percent of patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder have at least one comorbid psychiatric condition. (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, 2017) Those are pretty harrowing and prove why it is necessary for us to work hard to end stigma surrounding OCD and related conditions. If less than 10 percent of individuals living with OCD are receiving treatment, we can safely assume that at least a portion of that remaining 90 percent refuses to seek treatment as a result of the stigma. No one wants to be labelled as “crazy.” The trivialization of the condition through “I’m so OCD” and similar sayings can cause a great deal of discomfort and shame for people who actually live with the condition — another reason why they may not seek treatment. For more information about ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder, I encourage you to visit the International OCD Foundation’s website at iocdf.org. In addition, Headstrong, TU’s mental health advocacy and awareness organization, will be hosting an OCD Q&A on Oct. 18 with special guest Alicia Urban, coordinator for the Little Blue House. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about OCD, the ways that stigma and trivialization are harmful and to ask any questions you might have about OCD. Snacks will be provided. So the next time you want to characterize yourself or someone else as “so OCD,” please reconsider. The more than 2.2 million Americans living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder will thank you for it.

Partisan politics have pushed journalism to highlight Trump’s latest misadventures, blocking out other stories. Andrew Noland Student Writer One night at family dinner, over another argument about Trump, my little brother jokingly coined a phenomenon he called “Blitzer’s Law.” A variation of “Godwin’s Law,” the rudimentary theory states that as a conversation progresses, the chances of someone mentioning Donald Trump exponentially increases. The 24/7 news cycle seems to bear this out: everywhere we look, whether it’s the newspaper, television, radio, the internet or even the occasional blimp, Trump’s face and voice seem to follow.

News pretends to be principled journalism while serving as an entertainment source for the sake of profit through advertisers. I don’t buy into the myth of the informed American voter; no one can convince me that in any point in the nation’s 229-year history, the American public conducted intellectual discourse through an impartial, truth-revering media. Americans have always relied on heuristics, or mental shortcuts, to vote on policies. Voting patterns tend to manifest mostly through political parties, race or sex. Nonetheless, the media has transformed significantly from its days of investigative journalism and voicing intelligent political opinions. Outlets like Fox News and CNN fill airtime discussing Trump’s latest fiascos with supposed experts and drown out truth for the sake of being “fair and balanced.” To paraphrase one of the best shows to ever grace television, “The Newsroom,” not all stories have two sides. Some have one, others have five. Therefore, when Brooke Baldwin, Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper or Don Lemon pretend to moderate a panel of conflicting pundits, I’ve got some advice: turn it off. Their deliberate media circus is a waste of your time. Fox News is practically a talk show channel that averages a fact every two years, and only when they’re legally obli-

“News is not meant to only discuss the president and politics.” America finds itself at an impasse in how it produces and intakes news. What is the media’s purpose? Will it persist as an annoyingly depressing reality show, depicting the most controversial and high-profile politicians as celebrities and propagating a perpetual game of “the other side is ruining America”? Or can news function as an investigative force, grounded in norms of truth and relevancy? Major credible news sources seem to blare the same headlines, providing supposedly unique takes while giving time for pundits to spin and conjure mistruths on national television to millions of people. Jeffrey Lord served as an ineloquent mouthpiece on CNN for Donald Trump’s bigoted actions and incompetence. Academics use Dinesh D’Souza’s writing and filmmaking as examples of terrible scholarly work, yet D’Souza has been published in several high-profile newspapers. Worst of all, the American public, the majority of which doesn’t have the patience or time for advanced critical thinking, is subjected to this garbage for the sake of what? Honesty? That can’t be it. The man who lies about the number of people at his inauguration or whether 15 million illegal immigrants voted in California should not be reinforced. Yet the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and CNN continue to serve as platforms for sycophants to defend Trump’s actions and present their opinions as facts.

gated to provide it (usually due to sexual harassment allegations). News is not meant to only discuss the president and politics. Although one can argue that everything is inherently political, news also provides the opportunity for journalists to investigate places inaccessible to the average American. Journalism allows Americans voters to place themselves out of their own shoes by watching reporters expose wasteful corporate practices, discrimination based on race, gender or sexuality, environmental concerns, academic conversations, historical shifts, scientific discoveries, construction of extraordinary achievements and countless other occurrences that escape our attention. These stories shine a light on the hidden aspects of American life; without an understanding of others’ experiences, a diverse democracy can never hope to thrive. Trump’s antics aren’t amusing enough to justify them being repeatedly displayed on every news outlet. I can only stand as much stupidity as a certain 1 p.m. class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday permits me. The news must diversify itself, not only for the sake of my sanity, but to recommit to its sacred duty of informing the American public. It requires a series of conversations about what the media ought to be, and the result of that debate will likely determine the intellectual, deliberative tradition in America.

@TUCollegian

tucollegian@tucollegian.org editor-in-chief

Justin Guglielmetti managing editor

Raven Fawcett news editor

Ethan Veenker sports editor

Brennen Gray variety editor

Emma Palmer commentary editor

Emily Every satire editor

Madison Connell photo & graphics editor

Conner Maggio

business & advertising manager

Brian Kwiecinski

social media & web manager

Sara Serrano

distribution managers

Nate Gibbons Jesica Santino and Katelyn Baker copy editor

Bryant Loney Public perception of OCD is plagued by stereotypes and misinformation.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

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8 October 2018

Sports

The Collegian: 7

Ronaldo accused of rape

Soccer journalist Chris Lierly details the latest allegations against the Juventus player. There were major developments in both the Premier League and the Champion’s League last week. United’s board of directors backed Mourinho, Bayern and Real Madrid are struggling and Liverpool stumbled running the gauntlet. But one story should take precedence over these: on Wednesday Oct. 3, Kathryn Mayorga, a Nevada woman, accused soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo of sexual assault. Mayorga says that in the summer of 2009, Ronaldo raped her in the penthouse of a Las Vegas hotel. The German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that Ronaldo hired fixers to pay her off and keep her quiet. 2009 was the same summer that Ronaldo transferred from Manchester United to Real Madrid.

raped Mayorga, which were seen as highly insensitive. Public outrage followed the tone-deaf tweets and Juventus’ stock price dropped by 10 percent in less than a week. However, Juventus is not the only company financially connected to Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo has been the cover athlete of EA’s best-selling videogame FIFA for the last two years, but now he has been deemphasized in FIFA 19’s design. EA did not drop him, but citing fears over the allegations, they have replaced a giant image of Ronaldo wearing a Juventus shirt with a generic teal design for the loading screen. They have also replaced a large image of him on their website with a stock photo of four guys playing FIFA. Another sponsor

“... Mayorga says that in the summer of 2009, Ronaldo raped her in... a Las Vegas hotel... ”

courtesy The Independent

Mayorga’s lawyers filed a lawsuit containing the allegation on Sept. 27 of this year. The suit also claims that Mayorga received $375,000 from Ronaldo as payment for signing a non-disclosure agreement in 2010, and that the mental trauma induced from the rape left her “incompetent to participate in the negotiations.” The civil suit detailing both the sexual assault and the hush money has been out for three days, but Der Spiegel reported on the non-disclosure agreement back in the spring. After the lawsuit, the German paper released further reports that Ronaldo immediately denied. The Portuguese forward labeled the lawsuit “fake news” and claimed that “rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.” This summer, Ronaldo transferred from Real Madrid to Italian club Juventus. Unsurprisingly, Juventus stands behind their newly acquired star. In a string of misguided tweets, they used Ronaldo’s accomplishments as proof that he could not have

tied to Ronaldo, Nike, said they are “concerned” about the allegations but have yet to take any action. Following Mayorga’s lawsuit, the Las Vegas Police Department has reopened the investigation after closing the case in 2009. In response, Ronaldo’s lawyer denied the allegation and claimed that he has “complete faith in the justice system.” Though it is unclear whether criminal charges will be brought against Ronaldo, the chances of Portugal extraditing their favorite son will be slim. However, all of this proves that the mountains are moving. Ronaldo is maybe the biggest sports star in the world, and has played for the biggest clubs in England, Spain and Italy. Still, his sponsors feel the kind of public pressure that they never would have only a few years ago. Kathryn Mayorga said that she was influenced to make the claim public, among other reasons, because of the #MeToo movement. She directly pointed to the survivors who have come forward with their stories in the past few months, empowering one another in a great moment of solidarity.

Champions League update Soccer journalist Andrew Noland gives the rundown on this week in the Champions League. Hoffenheim 1 Manchester City 2 You could tell this was going to be a wild game from literally the first minute, as Hoffenheim struck first with a shot from Ishak Belfodil. Only six minutes later, Sergio Aguero fired back with a bumbling assist from Leroy Sane.After that, both teams had close calls, and Hoffenheim arguably looked like the better side until the 87th minute, when City’s David Silva finally broke the draw. I wasn’t sure if Pep Guardiola was serious when he said that his team’s concentration would remain fixed on retaining their domestic title rather than lifting the Champions League trophy, but it’s about to become his only option if his team continues to play this horribly. I understand that they lack the magic out of the midfield that seems to radiate from De Bruyne, but their ludicrous spending doesn’t seem to be justified while watching this supposed quality out of the Citizens. Pep took my advice (taking all the credit) and started Sane, but City needs to see more out of their immeasurable talent if they want to go further. Manchester United 0 Valencia 0 You might be wondering why I chose to highlight this game, and I’ll answer by sharing an epiphany I had while watching this horrorfest: it turns out that in order to score, Team A needs to have possession on Team’s B side of the pitch in order to put the ball into the opposing net. I am confident that neither team came to this realization for the excruciatingly long 90 minutes of play, and, despite several close calls from Marcus Rashford, Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba, Manchester United persisted in their efforts to get manager Jose Mourinho fired in the most humiliating fashion imaginable. It’s great television (except when Manchester United is playing the sport they’re paid to play), but I can guarantee the Reds’ fans are less amused by the drama enveloping Old Trafford. If this is what Manchester United looked like at home, they should fear the return leg to Spain, and, before that, a trip to Turin to face off against a surging Juventus. CSKA Moscow 1 Real Madrid 0 You’re reading that score correctly. Apparently the Russians weren’t quite done humiliating the Spanish, and Nikola Vlasic in the second minute caught Los Blancos goalkeeper Keylor Navas napping. Spending the

rest of the game in full park-the-bus mode, the Russians held on, despite looks from Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz and Karim Benzema, to take all the points from Real Madrid. Despite two losses back-to-back, bandwagon Real Madrid fans do not need to worry. The group is still a cakewalk for Lopetegui’s team, and the manager rested his best players like Luca Modric and Gareth Bale due to an intense stretch of games. Real Madrid should still cruise to the knockout stage, but losing to the considerably less talented Russian side will still agitate fans in Madrid. It might be time for Lopetegui to consider adding Vinicius Jr. to the team sheet. Bayern Munich 1 Ajax 1 By the fourth minute, after a beautiful header from Mats Hummels, Bayern looked ready to assert their dominance over the youth development focused Ajax. However, nearly twenty minutes later, Ajax forward Mazraoui took an easy pass to shoot right past Neuer. The Bavarian team should have had several easy goals from James Rodriguez and Thiago, and Ajax had two great chances from Van der Beek and Lasse Schöne but Manuel Neuer is still the greatest goalkeeper in the world. Ajax should feel fantastic for playing the German juggernaut to a draw away from Amsterdam, and if they continue to sail through the rest of the relatively easy group, the return clash in their home stadium will likely determine the top two seeds walking into the knockout stage. On the other hand, Bayern and new coach Kovač have no excuses: this group should be a walk in the park, but Der FCB seems to want to struggle continentally as well as domestically. Die Roten need to overcome recent media drama and locker room tensions to pull themselves together. If they have any chance to uphold their reputation as giants to be feared both domestically and in this competition, they need to accept the truth: Toni Kroos is gone and Robert Lewandowski will be too in a year’s time. Until then, they need to discover their identity and prove they’re more than a big fish in a small pond. Tottenham 2 Barcelona 4 Coutinho started off the proceedings with a great shot past Lloris in the second minute, and Rakitic’s ludi-

Kane and Messi compete for the cup. crous volley in the 28th minute made the game look sealed for the Catalan side. However, Tottenham striker Harry Kane had a magnificent solo strike in the 52nd minute and things looked better for the Hotspurs. However, Messi finally finished, after multiple close calls, in the 56th minute and Barca never looked back. Lallana made it look close with a curved shot in the top left of the goal, but another shot by Messi in the dying seconds solidified the narrative of the game: Barcelona is king of this group. Tottenham need to panic if they weren’t already. It never really looked close, and the London squad’s midfield looked pathetic compared to Barca’s. The Spurs appear to be in a slump, and Pochettino might need to be looking over his shoulder with his refusal to adapt his tactics and procure new talent over the summer. Barcelona have returned to their unstoppable form, but Valverde’s side need to figure out a starting lineup and a plan for the knockout stage. Whether Ousmane Dembele has a place in Camp Nou remains up in the air, and Messi’s frustrations are clearly exhibited on the field. They need to address these before winter comes. Napoli 1 Liverpool 0 Despite the scoreline, this game was a blast to watch. Napoli and Liverpool should have scored several times, but goalkeepers David Ospina and Alisson Becker made spectacular saves throughout the game. However,

graphic by Conner Maggio Lorenzo Insigne finally put it home from an easy cross, and Liverpool lost all the points in Italy. Napoli under Ancelotti look like any other team under Ancelotti: the Blues will start strong, but they’ll inevitably collapse in cataclysmic fashion. They still won’t finish above Paris San Germain and the English team they narrowly bested at home. Reds’ fans should not fear; they just went through a six-game gauntlet spanning two weeks in which they played Tottenham, Paris San Germain, Chelsea, Chelsea again, Napoli and Manchester City. They’re exhausted and it showed out on the field. Nonetheless, Salah has looked terrible, and if Liverpool stand any shot of topping the group and progressing deeper, they need to find a reliable scorer again. Juventus 3-0 Young Boys AEK Athens 2-3 Benfica Lyon 2-2 Shakhtar Donetsk Roma 5-0 Viktoria Plzen Paris San Germain 6-1 Red Star Belgrade Lokomotiv Moscow 0-1 FC Schalke Borussia Dortmund 3-0 AS Monaco Atletico Madrid 3-1 Club Brugge PSV 1-2 Inter Milan Porto 1-0 Galatasaray

Sports

The Collegian: 8

8 October 2018

League of Legends preview Esports expert Andrew Noland picks his favorites for the League of Legends World Championship. Group A: Flash Wolves (Taiwan 1st Seed) Afreeca Freecs (Korean 2nd Seed) Phong Vu Buffalo (Vietnam 1st Seed) G2 Esports (Europe 3rd Seed) Every group looks like a group of death this year, and Group A kicks things off with a bang. G2 barely scraped their way out of Europe and the Play-In Stage, but this is where their road ends. Afreeca, led by explosive jungler Spirit and midlaner Kuro, have had more than enough time to prepare for this disaster, and if the Freecs are given time, they can beat anyone in the world. While the Flash Wolves had an impressive group stage at the Mid-Season Invitational, it remains to be seen if their domestic dominance can finally carry over onto the international stage. They’ll rely on support SwordArt and ADC Betty in order to claim hegemony over this group. Phong Vu Buffalo are rumored to be phenomenal, though I always have my doubts about any team outside Korea. They’ll steal games off their opponents, but I don’t think they’ll have the consistency to overcome Flash Wolves or Afreeca. 1. Afreeca Freecs 2. Flash Wolves I’m predicting a tiebreaker with Afreeca at least struggling a little at the beginning of the proceedings before making a second week surge. Flash Wolves can prove me wrong, but they need Maple to step up in order to challenge the Korean giants. Group B: Royal Never Give Up/ RNG (China 1st Seed) Gen.G (Korea 3rd Seed) Team Vitality (Europe 2nd Seed) Cloud9 (North America 3rd Seed) Cloud9 made a truly remarkable run through the Regional Gauntlet, but found themselves struggling in the Play-In Stage. Cloud9 always seem to crawl out of the Group Stage, but even with their star rookies in top laner Licorice and support Zeyzal, they won’t find their way out (cue the Reddit tantrums). Vitality will find the same end as their Western counterpart. However, the team is young, and if they stick together, they should find themselves back here in 2019. The real story of this group is between RNG and Gen.G. For the third year in a row, they find themselves competing for the top spot in the group, and while RNG’s Uzi and Xiaohu bested Ambition and Co. last year, it was Samsung Galaxy (who this year became Gen.G) who took the World Championship as the Chinese titans watched from home. This year, however, RNG ADC Uzi walks away from the most chaotic of the top five leagues as its victor, holding the MSI crown and he looks unstoppable. While Gen.G have been a miraculous team, they will need to summon every last drop of their mythical “playoff buff” to walk away with the first seed. Watch out for the bottom lanes in this group, because some of these matchups will prove fascinating. 1.Royal Never Give Up 2.Gen.G

I’m not doubting that this is the “Golden Year.” RNG look almost untouchable aside from their domestic rivals Invictus Gaming. Gen.G look the same as last year, and they’ll need ADC Ruler and Haru to maintain their incredibly form. That being said, Cloud9 or Vitality can take games off their Eastern overlords, and this group can easily devolve into a free-for-all. Group C: KT Rolster (Korean 1st Seed) MAD Team (Taiwan 2nd Seed) Team Liquid (North America 1st Seed) Edward Gaming/ EDG (China 3rd Seed) The winners of LCK Summer are the least confident I’ve ever seen in a Korean #1 seed (don’t get excited). KT have all the pieces and while they appear to have put them all together, they always seem to find a way to disappoint everyone. MAD Team arguably shouldn’t be here, but I’m obligated to talk about them anyway. Team Liquid, North America’s one true hope, need ADC Doublelift to stop talking trash and start taking it out, because while he’s probably the greatest domestic North American player in history, his legacy is blotted by his international defeats. He’ll need to overcome his synergy issues with support Olleh and midlaner Pobelter will need to finally prove that his IQ is indeed 200. EDG look amazing behind mid-laner Scout and ADC iBoy, but they usually crash their way out of the World Championships in spectacular and head scratching fashion. 1. Kt Rolster 2. Team Liquid Okay, my ‘Murica bias is showing, but I honestly believe North America has a shot out of the Groups this year. This group will be a slugfest with everyone taking games off one another, but I think that Team Liquid can emerge from this group if toplaner Impact decides he’s ready to return to his Season 3 form. This will likely go to a series of tiebreakers, but KT Rolster should eke their way through with Team Liquid only just defeating EDG to make it to the next stage. Group D: Fnatic (Europe 1st Seed) 100 Thieves (North America 2nd Seed) Invictus Gaming (China 2nd Seed) GREX (Taiwan 3rd Seed) Probably the easiest group by far, this is honestly just a competition for second seed. Rookie, TheShy and the rest of Invictus Gaming will crush every one of the other teams with no issues while Rekkles and Fnatic will wonder why Riot Games continues to punish them. Fnatic, led by superstar mid-laner Caps, should take the second seed with no fuss from the slumping 100 Thieves and a GREX that barely made it out of the Play-Ins. 1. Invictus Gaming 2. Fnatic IG and Fnatic are just too good. I think that Fnatic can make a deep run into the WOrld Championships, but they’ll struggle initially. GREX might make things interesting, but North America will wonder how 100 Thieves paid their way into this competition (likely with their shoe merchandise).

courtesy The Esports Observer

With Brennen Gray as the Feature Creature No More Talk Ken Griffey Jr. has some news for the stuffy oldheads who seemingly populate the majority of baseball media and front offices: let the kids play! In a new MLB-produced ad for the postseason, the legendary outfielder lists off a number of the supposedly cardinal sins of America’s national pastime, “unwritten rules” including “don’t flip your bat” and “don’t stop and stare” [at your home run]. I’ve written before how ridiculous these traditions are, as well as the dangerous retribution that is often enacted for breaking them (if you support intentionally hurling a projectile at another human being at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour, potentially exposing them to an injury that affects their livelihood, then you are an asshole), but it’s nice to see some more influential voices than mine coming around to the idea. Ideally, that person would be a current baseball celebrity who might be more familiar to young fans of the game, instead of a ‘90s star looking thiccque almost beyond recognition, but I’m not complaining about the message. Because guess what, if you want baseball to start appealing more to youth and minorities, you have to… make it fun? What a scalding take! They could also make another ad featuring a popular hippity-hop group in order to speak to the non-good-ol’boy fandom. I’m thinking Migos could be a fascinating choice, can we make this ha — oh they already did that? And it’s as cringy as all hell? Welp, back to the drawing board, gang. 7d Backgammon Do you know how many people came up to me after the Patriots began the season 1-2 to tell me that the dynasty was over and that I was a fool for picking them to win the AFC? At LEAST one. It was a difficult time for me and my family, to say the least. And look, I know we’re only five weeks in, and there is still technically a possibility that things turn to shit in New England. But after these last two convincing wins, can the haters slow their roll a little? You guys will have your time in the sun eventually, after TB12 retires to the great big sonkissing, vegan-eating commune in the sky, but don’t rush a thing before its time. This is like the fourth time this decade that the Pats have started off slow, and what do you know, things are already in the process of working out again. Screw 4d chess, Belichick is out here playing… well, you already know the joke. Sk’douche Ball Before I hand the ball over to the Feech Creech, I’d like to share with you a little diddy that’s the best drunk game you’ve never heard of: sk’douche ball, alternatively spelled skidoosh or stylized as an image of Jack Black’s character Po from “Kung Fu Panda.” It’s like tennis plus volleyball, only stupid! To play, all you need is an indeterminate number of (preferably inebriated) college students, a single tennis ball and an empty court. Line up the players on either side of the net, paying no attention to an equal number of people on each team, and proceed to play tennis using your hands instead of rackets. Here is the catch: the ball is allowed to hit the ground twice before it has to be returned, and you can volley the ball in the air between your teammates as many times as you want. It seems like an advantage, but you’ll be too drunk to use it. Feature Creature One Sport to Rule them All I have found Ivan Drago’s true calling. He may have lost to Rocky in the documen-

15

tary “Rocky IV,” but I found the sport he would be unbeatable in: Chessboxing. Russians are good at three things: chess, boxing and drinking. Chessboxing combines the former two of these traditional Russian pastimes to form a sport in which Drago could pummel grade-school dropout Rocky Balboa. I bring this up because the first chessboxing world championships were held in October 2005, opening the world’s eyes to the perfect meld of skill and power. One professional chessboxer, Conner Maggio, expressed enthusiasm that the sport is taking off. The game can either end by knockout or checkmate. A match consists of 11 rounds: six of chess and five of boxing. The rounds alternate between until one fighter/player wins. The champion achieves world fame as the literal coolest person ever to walk on Earth. The majesty of the burning sweat pooling over the pieces and board. The beauty of a man’s genius brain getting knocked about. This sport is not only brutal, but tasteful. It is the perfect representation of what ancient Athenians wanted for humanity. Soccer Uniforms This soccer-heavy sports section needs to address one little detail. Does anyone else get sick of how soccer uniforms have the name of their sponsor on their chest? I keep finding myself cheering for United Arab Emirates or Samsung. My precious Liverpool sports Standard Chartered on their chests. I support the beautiful football club that will never let me walk alone, not this British banking corporation. That being said, we could have some fun with this. When I am an eccentric billionaire, I plan on buying some football clubs. Imagine Liverpool running around with “Feature Creature” on their chests! Or I could make fake companies just to have them sponsor other teams. Real Madrid would be sponsored by the Fascist International Real Estate Locations or “Fascist IRL.” I would probably make sure that Man U and Man City are just Dumb and Dumber, in any order. But seriously, you see the point here. Having not the city the team plays for, not the nickname nor the mascot on the uniform, but instead the sponsor looks pretty dumb. Who is Marlins Man October is here again, and we all know what that means. We all wonder one thing: who, seriously whomst the hell, is Marlins Man. We know he is just some guy who always sits behind home plate of every major MLB game in a bright orange Marlins jersey. Commentators have made, well, comments about the mysterious superfan. I have a few theories. First, he could be a robot constructed by the Marlins franchise. He sends the message that while his team can’t seem to win World Series, Marlins fans are the most loyal and enthusiastic. True Americans indeed. Speaking of true Americans, he may be the opposite: a Russian spy. Let us think about this, he shows up constantly, but few people know his real name. He subtly influences American media, yet, without making an argument or even saying much of all. He is there for Americans to get used to seeing him, until he releases a signal that travels through the airways and brainwashes all of us. Lastly, maybe he is like the Avatar. Once the Marlins Man can no longer see a game, another random fan suddenly finds themself wearing the orange jersey, and his spirit will reincarnate forever.

Oct. 08 - Oct. 14

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday 9

8

Thursday 11

10

Saturday

Friday

13

12

Sunday 14

Volleyball vs. Cincinnati 1 p.m.

No Events

M Soccer vs. MSU 7 p.m.

Softball vs. SSU 5 p.m.

W Soccer vs. SMU 7 p.m.

Football vs. South Florida 6 p.m.

W Tennis @ ITA Regionals TBA

Softball vs. LCC 12 p.m.

No Events

8 October 2018

Variety

The Collegian: 9

The Decemberists concert plays to all fans

An enthusiastic crowd and the energy of the performance more than made up for the lacking setlist. Emily Every Commentary Editor I’m probably the one person on this planet who got into the Decemberists through Colin Meloy’s one solo album, “Colin Meloy Sings Live!” It’s a romp through the band’s most well-known songs until 2006, sprinkled here and there with deep cuts, like “Bandit Queen” or “Barbara Allen,” from the band’s independent days. It’s a quaint live album with a distinct lack of bells or whistles, just Meloy’s voice accompanied by his own acoustic guitar. Meloy asks the audience to whistle through drum solos and to visualize themselves at a dusky campfire circle somewhere deep in the Colorado mountains. When I think of the Decemberists, I think of this stripped-down to basics, moody sound that’s backed my last two summers. The band’s most recent album, “I’ll Be Your Girl,” sparked their first tour to come to Tulsa since 2009’s “Hazards of Love,” a rock opera about fawns, abduction and

As much as I was excited to have the opportunity to see the band live at Cain’s Ballroom, I was equally worried that their setlist would be loaded with new material and lack representation from their earlier work; I know an artist wants to play their new material, and I can’t fault them for that, but I also knew that I probably wouldn’t get all from the concert that I wanted. Out of the 19-song setlist, four were from the early albums I went to the show for. But I really, really didn’t care. The crowded, cramped atmosphere of live music won me over, and I got over the faux politics of favorite albums and personal attachment to an artist’s own discography. The stage of Cain’s never had no less than six people playing music on it at any given time. The bassist switched through four different basses, including a hulking double bass. There were two incredibly talented female vocalists backing Meloy, one later carrying the entirety of “Won’t Want for Love.” The loving attention to detail paid to every note of every track was self-evident, and it seemed to me that even partially dismissing the concert due to its setlist would be letting personal bias ruin a fantastic live show. The concert opened with the slow, medi-

“Out of the 19-song setlist, four were from the early albums I went to the show for.” drowning. The three albums the Decemberists have put out since last coming to Tulsa have seen Meloy abandon the band’s early narrative motifs in favor of tighter, more pop-friendly melodies. “I’ll Be Your Girl” is probably the album most divorced from the timeless, acoustic sound that I first identified with Meloy’s music.

tative “California One / Youth and Beauty Brigade,” a 10-minute-long dirge about wine and restlessness. This was a surprising choice for an opening song, but kicking off an otherwise high-energy concert with a mellow, less well-known track was a fun choice, especially considering putting it anywhere else in the setlist would’ve killed the crowd’s energy. The rest of the setlist, in-

courtesy Aminatta Forna

Aminatta Forna recalls trauma and discusses its impact The author drew upon statistics and personal experience in her lecture on trauma. Lizzy Young Student Writer Aminatta Forna, the J. Donald Feagin visiting artist, discussed the history of trauma in literature this past Thursday at the Adelson auditorium in Tyrell Hall. She read a passage from Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” which is widely viewed as one of the first descriptions of PTSD in literature. However, trauma wasn’t directly addressed in literature until war poets, like Robert Graves, who were in the trenches of World War I, wrote about the trauma they experienced. Coincidentally, that war is when doctors and psychologists first started discovering PTSD and asking why men in the trenches came back differently. Forna also discussed her background and the reasons that drew her to write about trauma. She has a unique heritage, with a Scottish mother and her father from the westAfrican country Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone experienced a civil war from 1991–2002, which greatly affected Forna and her family. Her father was im-

tury. Instead of only soldiers dying and experiencing PTSD from war, like in World War I, in modern warfare, civilians are also affected. She cited the statistic that 90 percent of the casualties in modern wars are civilians. Forna’s experiences and research drew her to writing about the topic. Specifically, in her works, she wanted to show how civilians coped with this trauma —how people dealt with living in a former war zone, as well as living among the people who committed atrocities against you, your family and your people. Forna’s latest novel, “Happiness,” follows Attila, a trauma specialist who travels all over the globe. Forna said that through happiness, she wanted to show that it is possible to come back from great trauma and find happiness. Forna finished by reading a couple of excerpts from her book and answering audience questions. She was a mesmerizing speaker with a lovely accent, and I really enjoyed learning about her backstory and how her writing makes a difference. Forna is a prolific author. She has published four novels as well as a memoir. She has won several awards for her writing, including a Windham Campbell Award from Yale and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize

“She cited a statistic that 90 percent of casualties in modern wars are civilians.” prisoned many times during the war as a political prisoner and was murdered by the state when she was 11. As shown by Forna’s story, the civil war was a traumatic event for Sierra Leoneans, and unfortunately because of the nature of the conflict, many citizens had traumatic experiences during the war. This conflict was particularly devastating to the civilian population, Forna explained, because warfare had changed over the cen-

Best Book Award in 2011. Currently, she serves as the Lannan Foundation Chair of Poetics at Georgetown University This event was hosted by the TU creative writing and English department. Their next event is on October 25, where author Jeffrey Eugenides will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of his novel “The Virgin Suicides.”

photo by Emily Every

cluding the two encore tracks, went through five songs from the band’s most recent album and, another surprise, four tracks from the less popular “Hazards of Love.” Meloy played through the band’s most requested live tracks from “their early work was so much better” elitists like me: “O Valencia!,” “Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect” and “The Mariner’s Revenge Song,” which closed the show with confetti and a huge, plastic blow-up whale thrown into the audience. Between older and newer tracks Meloy played a sweet little snippet of the Kinks’ “Oklahoma, U.S.A,” taking

advantage of that hot-and-cold state pride that everyone possesses. It was a setlist that seemed to aim to please all types of fans, and I believe it succeeded. More than anything, I think the concert worked well because it knew its audience. Having not played Tulsa in nearly a decade, the Decemberists focused on their more recent work as to not repeat too many tracks for fans that saw them in 2009. Was it my ideal concert from the band? No. Did their sheer showmanship and talent sell me on it anyway? Absolutely.

courtesy Legion M

Interview with Legion M co-founder Jeff Annison The fan-owned company is unlike anything Hollywood has ever seen. Gideon Moore Student Writer In 2016, Jeff Annison and Paul Scanlan posed a question to the entertainment community that could potentially shift the balance of how we see entertainment: “What if studio executives didn’t decide what content was created?” They expounded, “What if the content was dictated by fans?” With this mission statement in mind, they founded Legion M to give an avenue to directors, writers and all other forms of content creators to place their works and ideas before a sort of internet tribunal of the very people they’re making the content for.

brilliance in the entertainment industry. Fans can rest easy knowing that the next thing coming out at the movies will be more than prequels, sequels, remakes and reboots. Instead, it will be original content produced by up-and-coming geniuses that can satiate that deep desire for a damn good story. Although Legion M has only been around for three years, they already have an illusterous track record. The company’s accomplishments include “Colossal” (an Anne Hathaway-led black comedy about a monster terrorizing the world), “Bad Samaritan” (a horror-thriller starring David Tennant) and “Mandy” (the revenge flick starring Nicolas Cage that I was able to see), as well as Virtual Reality content produced by Stan Lee and Kevin Smith. Legion M has done all of this through crowdfunding with only five full-time employees. It’s remarkable.

“Legion M has made a name for itself by not accepting... that settling for ‘what sells’ is good enough.” This is not a literal committee of fans plucked from the street but a collective unified under one company, one purpose (to get what fans want to see out there) and one system of investment and shareholder ownership. Legion M was the first fan-owned entertainment company in the world and the first U.S. equity crowdfunding campaign. The latter was made possible through the passing of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups, or JOBS, Act by the Obama administration in 2012. When I asked Annison about the company and its philosophies, he made it obvious that this was all for the fans. “Fans hold all the power in the entertainment industry,” he said. our eyeballs and wallets fuel this massive multi-trillion-dollar industry, and individually, any one of us is simply a fan — but when we unite and come together, we have so much power, there is literally nothing we can’t do.” Every piece of content produced by Legion M has reestablished innovation and

He also explained how Legion M is a haven from the monotony of the modern Hollywood blockbuster. Is it an independent studio? Yes. But is “indie” their only aesthetic? No. If the fans want a superhero movie, they’ll get one! But it will be a good one, an innovative one. Legion M has made a name for itself by not accepting the idea that settling for “what sells” is good enough. “If you have a number of fans who are invested in a company itself, then we’ve got an audience that is built into every project that we do,” said Annison “That’s extremely powerful in that we can allow creators to think outside the box. We can tell original stories, and maybe turn them into the next franchise because we’ve got this established audience.” I think this may be the most enlightening portion of my discussion with Annison. Anyone can make good content and be supported both financially and by a community of unified fans.

Variety

The Collegian: 10

8 October 2018

First Friday features TU students and alumni Tulsa art crawl takes over downtown galleries and shops. Piper Prolago Student Writer First Fridays are unique experiences that provide a glance into the arts community of Tulsa. During these monthly events, galleries and museums stay open later to showcase the work of local artists and allow free admission to visitors. These artists work in a variety of media — from oil paint to collages to glassblowing. Even local stores like Made: The Indie Emporium Shop participated with sales on art prints. This month’s installation of First Friday encompassed a particularly diverse range of entertainment. Each month, Guthrie Green hosts a musical performance during the First Friday festivities. At the October First Friday, performances were kicked off at 6:00 p.m. with the Booker T. Washington High School jazz band, followed by the WestAfrican, Arabian-Peninsula and funk-influenced band Yemen Blues. After these two performances, art crawlers could buy tickets to a wine tasting/jazz club sneak peak and performance by The Bad Plus that lasted until midnight. Beyond these scheduled acts, performers took to the streets around downtown to share their talents with passersby. This included a preview of “Man of La Mancha” by University of Tulsa theatre students, who were in full costume to sing and monologue while passing out flyers. “Man of La Mancha” will be the first musical of the year put on at TU, scheduled to take place on October 18 starting at 6 p.m. Musical acts, like break dancers, entertained guests on corners as they were ser-

enaded by musicians singing original songs while playing the guitar. Even when not inside of galleries, First Friday participants are immersed in the local arts scene. One of the largest galleries to open its doors to visitors without an entrance fee was ahha Tulsa, a three story building next to the Guthrie Green. This month, ahha teamed up with the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition to present a juried exhibition. Usually juried exhibitions are judged by a panel of experts or artists who critique the art based on a specific rubric. Instead, ahha provided small multicolored balls that visitors could use to jury the art themselves. These were available throughout the gallery with a key that outlined the meaning of each color: green for beautiful, yellow for innovative, red for fine craftsmanship, and blue for thought provoking. Visitors were able to drop these balls into tubes beside several works, effectively allowing the public to have first-hand involvement and participation in the art. One of the artists whose work was showcased at ahha was TU digital arts alumna Michele Clancy. She exclaimed that her submission “Abstract in Morocco” is her first time having art in a First Friday. She hopes that having her work featured in such a big event will help her career. First Friday is not just an opportunity for visitors to participate in and learn about local art, but also a chance for artists to get recognition on a larger scale than would usually be possible. First Fridays are an important part of creating an accepting and open community in Tulsa and are a fun way to support local artists. The next event will take place on Nov. 2 and promises to bring even more innovative exhibits for guests to enjoy.

First Friday is an opportunity for local artists to display their work.

photos by Piper Prolago

“Black Hole Blues” an enlightening presentation Janna Levin spoke on her research, and looking for meaning in the cosmos. Piper Prolago Student Writer Fumbling with her laptop to find the correct presentation mode, Janna Levin started her Presidential Lecture Series discussion disclaiming “I’m just a theorist.” This is a bit of an understatement. Levin is a theoretical physicist working as a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University and, as of 2012, a Guggenheim fellow in the field of science writing. Her most recent publication, “Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space” chronicles the journey of astrophysicists Rai Weiss, Kip Thorne and Ron Drever in developing the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO. Although it had been developed over half a century, just before the publication of “Black Hole Blues” in 2015, the machine finally accomplished its goal: it detected the sound of two black holes crashing together. To preface the investigation of LIGO itself, Levin spoke about the importance of this kind of pursuit. Black holes, she teaches, cannot be seen directly because they do not produce light, but rather suck the light into themselves. However, almost everything we know about the universe we understand because of light; light is how we are able to see into the cosmos and learn about the 300 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy or about the hundreds of billions of galaxies. This poses a problem: most of the universe is dark. Because of this, Levin says, “some of the most interesting phenomena in the universe we can never see through light.” The study of black holes can be traced back to Einstein, who published a basic definition of them in his writings about the

theory of relativity in 1915. About 50 years later, Rai Weiss, a professor at MIT, started what was originally a three year investigation into how to detect gravitational waves. LIGO only saw success 50 years after the beginning of Weiss’s research. This research cost approximately $1 billion. Although his tenure at MIT was threatened, Weiss continued to develop the LIGO technology. With his entire career at stake, he continued to work on an incredibly expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful project. After extensive hardships, the LIGO machine detected the sound of a collision between two black holes with individual masses thirty times larger than our sun that would have occurred 1.3 billion years ago. At that point in the history of Earth, multicellular organisms were still differentiating. The recording of this massive event in the history of the universe sounded remarkably like a slider whistle after the sound traveled all the way to Earth. Last year Weiss, along with Thorne and Drever, were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics. During the questions and answers section of Levin’s lecture, she evaluated the importance of humanities in the public perception and reception of scientific breakthroughs. When asked how these scientists knew to keep going — in spite of all of their obstacles and not seeing success for 50 years. She answered that this idea was exactly what “Black Hole Blues” is all about. Through these stories we can understand, as Levin says, that “science is crucial and discoveries are crucial, but so is the narrative that goes along with them.” Without this narrative, it is next to impossible to conceive of just how significant these discoveries are and just how important LIPO is in the study of the universe. “Nature doesn’t care about us,” she tells the crowd. We have to find meaning in spite of this by telling personal stories that reconcile this impersonal relationship between humans and the world around us.

courtesy Medium

Variety

8 October 2018

The Collegian: 11

Ethan Hawke’s “Blaze” emotionally nuanced The film observes the life of Blaze Foley and the reverberations of his work. Will Gibson Student Writer I first heard about “Blaze” while reading Rolling Stone Country’s coverage of AmericanaFest in East Nashville. In the article, it described a set at one of the Fest’s more intimate venues, with actors Benjamin Dickey and Charlie Sexton playing the songs of Blaze Foley and Townes Van Zandt, who they portray in the film, respectively. This caught my eye because Sexton is currently Bob Dylan’s lead guitarist, and I thought it would be striking to see him portray Van Zandt. When I watched the preview, the pull quote from RogerEbert.com’s glowing

“Blaze” starts with two scenes running parallel to each other: Foley and Van Zandt drunk and rambling nonsense in a studio, as well as Foley and crew playing “Clay Pigeons” (the most ubiquitous of Foley’s songs) on somebody’s porch. After this, the film is presented through three intersecting storylines, each with a different purpose in advancing the narrative. The main plot follows Foley’s relationship with his muse, Sybil Rosen (who cowrote the film with director Ethan Hawke), which takes place alongside Foley’s trek into the music industry. The other two storylines illustrate different subplots, such as the relationship between Blaze, Townes and Zee (Blaze’s harmonica player) or the events of Foley’s last day. The timeline that struck me the most takes place after Foley’s death and consists of a radio interview between a DJ, Van Zandt and Zee. This way of advancing the narrative not only gives an

“The film is presented through three intersecting storylines, each with a different purpose...” review of “Blaze” also caught my eye: “Hands down the best movie of its kind since ‘Inside Llewyn Davis.’” With all of this in mind, and wanting to learn more about Foley and Van Zandt, I was excited to see “Blaze” at Circle Cinema, in what felt like a private screening with nobody else in the auditorium.

interesting perspective on the events shown while Foley is still among the living, but also challenges the current understanding of Van Zandt and Foley’s relationship. Throughout the interview, Van Zandt does the majority of the talking, and Zee is seemingly bewildered and disheartened at some of the claims Van Zandt makes about

courtesy IFC Films

Foley. It paints Van Zandt almost as a villain, while Zee had been with Foley from the very beginning. “Blaze” is an emotional film. Foley deals with self-destructive traits such as alcoholism, as well as love and loss. It is presented on the screen with an image and color that at times feels nearly overexposed and dreamy. A particularly emotional scene for me was when Sybil and Blaze arrive in Austin, Texas, after hitchhiking from rural Georgia.

They meet Blaze’s sister at a hospital, where his father (Kris Kristofferson) is living. It’s explained that Foley and his sister used to sing at Pentecostal revivals, and they revisit one of their old numbers for his father. The elder Foley begins to cry while hearing his children perform again. It was shot beautifully and thoughtfully like the rest of the film, but the scene was too much for me as well. Let’s just say I’m glad I had the theater to myself.

courtesy IFC Films

The film follows Blaze Foley (Ben Dickey) and his muse, Sybil (Alia Shawkat).

Fleetwood Mac brings rock and roll to the BOK Though key members are now in their 70s, the band still brought the house down in Tulsa. Anna Robinson Student Writer Fleetwood Mac’s frontwoman Stevie Nicks once said in an interview, “If you can’t rock and roll, you’re old.” Apparently early 70s is not old, as the longstanding members of Fleetwood Mac who still perform together are all between 70 and 75 years old. Their level of talent and performance at the BOK Center last week does not reflect these numbers. The only aspects of the show that remind you that you are not in a time machine back to the 1970s is Mick Fleetwood’s balding white hair and new guitarists Neil Finn and Mike Campbell. The show began with the formidable drum rhythm of “The Chain,” a song which I hope that most people my age knew before hearing the “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” soundtrack or Harry Styles’s cover of it on his recent tour. Intricate video projec-

such as Bob Welch and Peter Green parted ways early on. Earlier this year, the band decided to fire Lindsey Buckingham, who became a key member in the 1970s. Finn and Campbell joined Fleetwood Mac this year as replacements for Buckingham. Finn was a frontman for Crowded House and Campbell was a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a legendary group in its own right. These two proved themselves to be incredible additions to the band with each epic guitar solos from classic hits, one after another. These changes are only small pieces of the band’s tumultuous timeline that was largely due to personal relationships within the band. However, the household names of Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood have remained resilient enough through almost five decades to come together once again for another nationwide concert tour. Tulsa was the first stop, and therefore the first to see the new show. My mom could hardly stay in her seat from beginning to end. And yes, I went to the concert with my mom. It’s her favorite band and one of mine as well.

“If your music doesn’t have a pants-ripping guitar solo, then you’re doing something wrong.” tions with visual effects over live filming accompanied each song in true 1970’s hippie, fashion. The hits kept coming with “Little Lies” and “Dreams.” The latter was featured on the 1977 album “Rumours,” as was “The Chain.” To this day, it is one of the highestselling albums of all time. In the middle of the show, Fleetwood played the longest drum solo I’ve ever seen. The band gave the whole stage to him, save for a hipster guy playing the bongos with him. The joy that Fleetwood clearly gets out of performing was infectious, spreading to the entire arena. The new guitarists are part of the band’s new line-up. Fleetwood Mac’s touring roster has changed multiple times over the band’s nearly 50-year history. Founding members

Fleetwood Mac and particularly Nicks have a history with Tom Petty that predates the addition of Campbell. One of the first singles of Nicks’s solo career was a duet with Petty titled “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” in 1981. They did special performances together on many occasions. Upon the one-year anniversary of Petty’s untimely death, Fleetwood Mac gave a tribute to him at the BOK Center by singing his song “Free Fallin’” and showing photos of the two together over the years. Sitting next to me, my best friend and huge Tom Petty fan started crying, so I started crying. We were a mess. The concert was one for the books. The Fleetwood Mac concert reinforced one principle that I have held for quite

courtesy Tulsa World

some time: If your music doesn’t have a pants-ripping guitar solo, then you’re doing something wrong. Not to say that there is a correct way to make music. But the world

needs more music with real instruments and real standout moments like those from Fleetwood Mac.

The Collegian: 12

The State-Run Media

8 October 2018

Top 10 sexiest Halloween costumes

Here are a few Halloween costumes that are not irreverent or disrespectful in any way (and definitely not stupid). Brennen Gray Going as Sexy Clancy

1. Sexy Gandalf — Three words: Just. The. Beard. You’ll be covered by a gray mane of magical follicle-produced hair that should cover up all the necessities. You shall not pass as a party pooper with this ensemble straight from the depths of Middle-earth. Heck, add some stockings if you need to, or that enticing hat, but I would say it is unnecessary with Gandalf’s natural appeal. Added bonus of being able to ride away on giant eagles. Choose this for when Halloween arrives precisely when it means to. 2. Minion — What better way to look attractive than dressing up as a yellow, balding, sometimes-cycloptic henchman of Steve Carell doing a villain impression? Benefits to this one are being in one of the world’s greatest heists, constant baby talk, being adorable as well as sexy and accomplishing someone’s evil plan of turning my favorite wholesome animated proletariat

of your guests, stoners and the entire animal order of Rodentia! Just get a normal pizza costume, cut out the legs, snip off all that useless top crust and add some patches of mangy fur. I am getting all worked up just thinking about this one! 4. Any PBS character ever — All right, this is a large subject, so I’m going to have to generalize here. Anyone on “Sesame Street” may be off limits for this. You shouldn’t even do it. I mean really shouldn’t. Bert and Ernie

ever you can forge or kill for a while, wear a bear-skin rug as a cape, with the head over your face like a hood. People will ask you for your number faster than they can say, “Hey, boo boo!” 6. Mailman — This one may be pushing the envelope, but we are going to send it anyway. The brilliance of this little number is how you don’t even need to make it any more sexy than it already is. The uniform, the mail, the friendly demeanor. Speaking of

“Bert and Ernie are actually pretty fine where they are, and ‘Sesame Street’ is not in a red light district.” are actually pretty fine where they are, and “Sesame Street” is not in a red light district. In the dragon department, Zak and Wheezie would make a great couples costume. But, you know, they are siblings and all. As far as Hacker from “Cyberchase” goes, anyone able to pull off that look just needs help anyway. Now, other PBS characters are pretty much free game. Except for Mr. Rogers. That man is so incredibly beautiful, there is no one worthy of dressing up like him. Sexy or otherwise.

the uniform, go with something classic; the mid-sixties uniform is a sure way to deliver the package. Next, cut off the arms. Last, slit the pants into shorts as short as you can make them, and that will raise every red flag in suburbia. This one is sure to get the job done in rain, sleet or snow. 7. Moth — All the others are dedicated to lighting up the party. But if a light is already there, then this costume will go perfectly. Imagine all your friends dancing on the floor and you come in with wings flap-

graphic by Conner Maggio

GanDILF, a regular Bob Ross (no additional sexiness needed) and a sultry bear party it up for Halloween.

into a ruinous mass of depravity. Just take a normal Minion costume (they are everywhere) and then lose everything but the goggles! So evil! 3. Pizza rat — Guys, hear me out. Pizza? Eh, five out of 10 sexy. Rat? Also about a five. But put those Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers together and voila! You have a 10 out of 10 costume sure to water the mouths

5. Grizzly Bear — OK. Bear with me. This one may be unbearable, but this is my burden to bear upon you this costume if you are forbearing enough. Go mostly bear skinned, like a barbearian, and wear bearlythere clothes, maybe something threadbear. I also suggest going out into the woods and refusing to shave for a couple years, forgetting your language, and surviving on what-

When this meme dies in like a week, it will be less funny. Plan ahead and make it a zombie moth so you can be a resurrected meme for Halloween! 8. Bob Ross —The world’s most beautiful man just got a lot sexier. I would suggest for this one to throw on the most alluring afro in your collection. Next, add the painting outfit. That thing is gorgeous. The most important thing to remember about dressing up as his wonderfulness is to make sure you are your happy little self on the inside. If you wish to go as Bob, remember one thing: no mistakes! Just happy accidents! 9. Mr. Krabs — Woo woo! You have arrived at sexy crustacean station! Is sexualizing a cartoon character from our childhoods wrong? Yes, of course! But in the spirit of Mr. Krabs, we are going to do it anyway, for money! For this costume, just get naked and lie out in the sun for a couple days until you are a nice deep red. PVC pipe works well for prosthetic claws, and fashion some antennae from pipe cleaner. AGAGAGAGAG! 10. Ear of corn — This classic is a staple for the fall. Now store bought costumes are all fine and dandy, but what you really need to do is make one from actual ears of corn. Just start collecting them a couple weeks in advance until you have enough. Then shuck

ping like crazy to attack the disco ball in a desperate thirst for satisfaction. I would suggest throwing on a couple of wings, just some cloth nothing fancy. The hard part is the face. You need that hungry, desperate moth face to be furry, mothy and sexy. Add some glowing eyes for full effect. Last, throw some carefully-placed antennae over your more personal areas and you are done!

those suckers, sew ‘em together and slip inside. You may look like a monster from a bad horror movie, but if you cut out the midriff, by golly, you’ll be the sexiest monstrosity ever to grace the fields of the American heartland.

Disgruntled students begin new Newspaper Citing fascist Collegian editors, a group left to start their own rival paper. James Terrell Petty Bitch A group of disgruntled Collegian writers have decided to run their own rival newspaper. The paper is to be spearheaded by Debra Mury, a sophomore chemical engineering major. Mury was always the type of person to complain that she didn’t get her own weekly column. It was carefully explained to Mury that a weekly article over the grammatical use of the Oxford comma was unnecessary (she’s pro-comma since it goes against AP Style), but unsatisfied with her rejection, she has decided to take matters into her own hands. Mury states that the paper will be called the Newspaper, because as the title suggests, it’s brand new. We aren’t sure if people will get the reference when discussing the paper (if it’s ever discussed in the first place), but good for you, Debra — way to keep those artistic juices flowing. Her inspiration comes from a movie she saw once, but when asked what movie, her eyes kept darting around, and it was difficult to discern what she was talking about. Mury will also be joined by her boyfriend of five months, Stanley Fleeter. Fleeter does not go to TU, but he will be rating certain professors from murmurs he’s heard in the Student Union, as well as bombarding people with questions about TU’s sports teams

while standing outside McFarlin Library. Campus Security is already fully aware of his unwanted presence on this campus, but if he’s seen wandering around, feel free to call (918) 631-5555. Other students who will be a part of the paper include French major Octavia Wilson, local goth Meyal XEX, chemical engineer Duncan Pleeter and Ted. Ted has a last name, but he really only goes to meetings for the atmosphere and is overall irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Some of the other sections include knock-off BuzzFeed quizzes, Not All (blank) People, and Pat Case Dining Center reviews. The Newspaper does not have a meeting location as of yet, but it has been explicitly said that breaking into The Collegian offices at night does not qualify as a proper meeting place. They have yet to find a professor to sponsor the Newspaper since every single one they have asked has snickered at them. Circulation is supposed to start within the next couple of weeks, but knowing Mury’s track record, expect it to come out by the end of next semester, if at all. As for how they will print and distribute their paper, Mury has gone on record to state that she doesn’t use her TU print allowance anyway, so she’ll just use that for the time being. The Newspaper also plans on releasing their paper on Tuesdays to provide “ultimate relevancy.” State-Run Media readers might be concerned that this article was too harsh or condescending, but if you mess with the bull, you get the horns. Boom. Roasted.

The Newspaper’s first hard-hitting issue.

graphic by Conner Maggio

The State-Run Media

8 October 2018

the

State-Run media Killed by those dang millennials.

Millennials killing the institution of marriage

Old folks hate the youngins for ruining our country’s traditional marriage values. Sara Serrano A God-Fearing American

America is in grave danger. The pillars that uphold our righteous society are crumbling down around us. A dark change is blowing in the wind, ripping away all that we hold close to our hearts. Blink and the world around you will morph into the hellish landscapes that haunt your unconscious mind and soak your pillowcase with cold sweat come morning. But this time, you can’t wake up. To come face to face with the facts, divorce rates in

the United States have dropped about 18 percent in the last 10 years. And who is to blame for this atrocity? Who is at fault for this failure in the eyes of God? Those selfentitled, weak minded, Satan-sympathizing, kale-sipping, liberal excuses for human beings: millennials. Back in the good ol’ days, when the sanctity of marriage was still intact, it was one man and one woman. They married at 18 and stayed together for 30 years of infrequent bliss and red-faced fights that made their kids hide under the covers. Then they divorced when the man had enough money to attract a younger model and maybe remarry again every six years, depending on the economy. But no, millennials seem intent on destroying everything that once made Ameri-

ca great. They wait until their mid-30s, until they are financially stable and in a relationship with someone that they truly love before popping the question, if they pop it at all. They must think that they’re too good to do things the old fashioned way. But I can only guess at the nonsensical workings of their minds. I worry most about their children. They will never know what it’s like to wake up at the age of 30 to find that their parents, the ones who formed their entire definition of love, were never really happy together. They will never miss their train stop because they were deep in contemplation on the nature of perception, never wistfully stare at an old couple holding hands and wish that that would someday be their own parents, never look to their partner and question

whether what they feel toward them is truly love. These moments shape a person and are crucial to maturity. I fear for the generations ahead that will lose these opportunities for growth forever. It doesn’t have to be this way! We don’t have to let millennials ruin what was once holy. If we band together and take up arms against them, they can be stopped. Go forth to the bedside tables of the world, to the glove compartments, to the bottoms of purses. Go forth and damage, go forth and poke holes in every condom you can find! Let the millennials get pregnant and marry in their in their adolescent twenties, before they settle down and are actually ready! May they marry hastily, so that they may divorce just as quickly.

graphic by Conner Maggio

A baby boomer poking holes in millennials’ condoms to uphold traditional marriage values.

Are animals more important than humans? A TU student investigates if millennials pay more for their pets’ insurance than their own. Courtney Spivey Betrayed by Own Roommates A recent study from MIT’s top experts showed that pets receive better health insurance than millennials of the same age. The MIT researcher conducted a survey over the period of three days and while the details have not yet come to light, the statistical analysis generated a bitter truth that has struck many college students and recent graduates. While many students have been skeptical about the results of this report, they have not been able to prove or disprove any sort of evidence. Therefore, as a student with roommates constantly hinting about getting an animal of sorts, I have taken the burden of responsibility to investigate the truth myself. Below are my observations and documentations taken over the past month. 5 a.m., Sept. 1, 2018: My roommates Kimb and Cory are murmuring in their rooms. I go closer to investigate. Upon further analysis, I realize they are sharing cute animal videos on YouTube, something about overweight squirrels. All is clear, all is quiet. I go back to my room and sleep. 3:29 a.m., Sept. 9, 2018: I am over at a friends apartment to play a lighthearted round of Monopoly when my friend excuses herself from the table. She then proceeds to walk over to the kitchen cabinet, open it, and inject herself with an epi-pen. “Are you okay?” I ask, confused and slightly worried. “Don’t worry about it, I still have six of them left. I’m just kinda allergic to my cat.” She smiles and comes back to the table. I am confused. “Why do you have a cat if you’re so allergic to it?” She takes a deep breath, rolls a nine on the dice. It lands her straight into jail. “I guess it’s just nice to know that if finals don’t kill me there’s always Sparkles to finish off the job.” “Huh.” I respond. I leave her home that evening with a bit of confusion and a lot of

inner reflection. I wonder if her insurance is better than her cats. 9:02 a.m., Sept. 15, 2018: I awake Saturday morning to the feeling of something moving over my blanket. I open my eyes, groggy and confused, as my nose met the wet lick of a small tongue. I grab my glasses and stick them on, only to come face-to-face with a small dog. “His name is Mr. Nutt,” Kimb and Cory coos happily at me, and I am suddenly re-

My pet food costs more than your rent.

minded of the serious undercover investigation I am shrouded in. I nod and pet the puppy. “Just let me know what insurance you get him, if any,” I smoothly interject, and my roommates nod back, unsuspecting. “Haha, that’s kinda weird, but sure fam.” They take their little puppy and leave me to my thoughts. I fall back asleep. Sept. 25, 2018: The animal, “Mr. Nutt,”

has made himself at home. I am constantly ignored in favor of tending to the new puppy. Every time I open my mouth to say something, the puppy does something incredibly rude, therefore interrupting me and the attention of my roommates. “Who wants to come study in my sick crib?” I ask, and immediately, the dog drops a small brown bomb onto the carpet. “Does anyone want to make cookies with—” The creature would start whining.

graphic by Conner Maggio

“Courtney, Mr. Nutt needs to go on a walk. We’ll make cookies with you later, okay?” They still haven’t. Sept. 27, 2018: When alone with Mr. Nutt, I try various ways to assert my own dominance. “Who’s your daddy?” I ask when he ignores me, and then I snicker. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Using this technique, coupled with some others I have learned from experienced pet

owners, I have been able to achieve many small victories. The puppy has become more well-trained. On a side note, my roommate Kimb is currently sick with a case of strep. We don’t know for sure though because that’d be 20$. Cory and I stay a minimal radius of 2 meters away, but Mr. Nutt doesn’t care and is constantly toying with fate, licking her whenever he gets the chance. I do not hope for his demise but let’s just say if Mr. Nutt became Mr. No-More I’d be okay. 7:23 p.m., Sept. 28, 2018: I return from class, tired and hungry. My roommates wave Hi, and I nod back, earbuds still blasting “Dope vaporwave lofi 24 hr study vibes” tunes. I drop my stuff and go back outside to the kitchen, opening the fridge door to see what sad vegetables await my chopping block tonight. Cory taps my shoulder. “Hey since you keep asking about Mr. Nutt’s insurance plan, here it is,” she says. “We already got him the first half of his vaccines.” I slowly close the refrigerator door. “What’s the company?” I ask carefully, trying to hide the shaking of my hands. I had been researching extensively, and this was the moment of truth. It was time to disprove MIT, once and for all. “Oh, I have no idea. I just know his plan covers more issues than the TU insurance because I compared my benefits to his. Isn’t that funny? Apparently, if he even sneezes six times in a row, I can send him to the doctor, and they’d give me free dog food to ensure he’s not allergic to anything he’s eating, and he’d come back with a new free collar and two chew toys.” “Oh,” I say. “Good for him.” I laugh once, a lifeless “Ahaa,” and return to my bed. I did not return to human interaction until Oct. 1. The results of my research, I have decided, are inconclusive. I did not have enough evidence to prove that all pets have better insurance. What does that mean for you, troubled reader? Do not fret. Just know that it’s okay. We still have more thumb dexterity than them, and that is all that matters.