26 February 2018

Student newspaper of the University of Tulsa

graphic by Madeline Woods

February 26, 2018 Issue 19 - Volume 103

26 February 2018

The Collegian: 2

CONNECTION

COMFORT

CONVENIENCE

What do you love about living on campus? n n n

Meeting new friends and attending fun events Rolling out of bed and being minutes from class Convenient laundry facilities

n n n

Close to fitness center, library, computer labs and more Wireless internet EVERYWHERE Fill in the blank __________

Hey Freshmen! CHECK OUT YOUR OPTIONS FOR HOUSING NEXT YEAR. n n n

Keep your current space, if available to retain. Enter the housing lottery and select any available housing space. Live on Sorority Row.

Log on and sign up before the deadline, Feb. 28 Freshmen must sign up for campus housing or complete a housing exemption form in order to enroll for fall classes.

Priority Parking Each student who completes a license and makes a selection will qualify for priority parking. March 7, 2018 — Students who retain their current assignment or are a mutually confirmed roommate with a retainer may start the parking registration. Students participating in the lottery selection may complete their parking registration at the time of housing selection.

@TUCampusHousing

“My room is only a short walk from all of my classes, making it very convenient.” -David Horton, Class of 2017

Housing Office: 918-631-2516

canelink.utulsa.edu

Sports

26 February 2018

Men’s winning streak reaches six games With strong efforts from stars and role players alike, the Golden Hurricane continued its late-season surge with wins against USF and UCF.

Coming off his worst performance of the conference schedule, Martins Igbanu wasn’t about to be discouraged going into last Sunday’s game against South Florida. “Coach said before the game… to trust in yourself and others,” he said. And that is exactly what Igbanu and the rest of the Golden Hurricane did, as TU rolled over the cellar-dwelling Bulls to win their fifth straight and complete the season sweep. Igbanu led the way with 16 points in just 21 minutes, working masterfully from the low block and shooting a hyperefficient 7-9 from the field. He was joined in double figures by Junior Etou, DaQuan Jeffries and Curran Scott, each of whom recorded 11 points. Etou also tallied game-high totals of nine rebounds and five assists, while Scott played his best game in months, matching his seasonhigh in conference play. Just as they had at home three weeks ago, USF came out frisky and took an early 7-0 lead. TU settled for tough, contested looks and bricked them all in the opening minutes, including two from Sterling Taplin, who was unable to replicate his magic shooting touch from the matchup against UConn. It was nearly five minutes into the ballgame before the Golden Hurricane finally got on the board, a corner three from Jeffries off a nice drive-and-dish from Taplin. After Jeffries hit another from the same spot on the very next possession, the game was firmly back in Tulsa’s hands. The Bulls kept it close for a few minutes, but an 8-0 run from Tulsa to end the half left them down 34-23. Scott and Jeffries did most of the damage of the bench, nearly matching USF’s point total between them. Not satisfied with a comfortable margin, the Golden Hurricane decided to turn the game into a blowout in the second, scoring the first 11 points of the half. Igbanu was the biggest difference maker, showing off his trademark combo of fi-

Justin Guglielmetti Sports Editor

nesse and power and scoring at will over USF’s overmatched bigs. He scored 14 of 16 points after the break and didn’t miss a shot. TU’s lead eventually reached 24, which was more than enough to withstand a small South Florida run and close out the game 73-61. Next up, Tulsa faced off against a much more daunting opponent from the Sunshine State: the UCF Knights. Though they’ve been without seven-foot-six Tacko Fall, the reigning AAC Defensive Player of the Year, since January, Central Florida still had a better overall record than TU, going into the matchup and trailed by just one game in the conference standings. Undaunted by the task, the Golden Hurricane put on yet another strong showing and walked away with a 70-61 victory. DaQuan Jeffries put on a show, scoring a team-high 19 points off the bench on 6-8 shooting. Etou was the only other member of the Golden Hurricane in double digits with 17 and led the team with five rebounds. Other standouts included Taplin, whose six assists led all players, and Lawson Korita, who turned in an electrifying nine-point performance in the first half. Point guard B. J. Taylor netted a gamehigh 26 points for the Knights. Even without Fall, the long arms and swarming D of UCF bothered TU, forcing them time and again to take tough shots late in the shot clock. The team got off just 18 shots in the first half, yet still managed to connect on a blistering 67 percent from the floor and 56 percent from three. The Knights’ ball denial and frequent switching made nothing easy, and Etou was held scoreless in 16 minutes. It was Korita, the unlikeliest of heroes, who came in clutch with two three pointers. His high-arching four-point play from the corner with four minutes left in the half gave Tulsa its first lead since scoring the first bucket of the game and ignited a 10-0 run.

Etou and Jeffries dominated the ball and owned the second half, between them taking more than half of TU’s shots and combining for 31 of the team’s 35 points. The score remained close for the first 12 minutes of the second half, the Knights going up briefly on a triple from Taylor, then knotting it up again at 53 with just under eight minutes remaining. From there, the Golden Hurricane’s big forwards went to work and exploded for a 12-2 run to put the game away. TU improved to 10-0 all time against Central Florida in the Reynolds Center and at 53.5 percent, was the first opponent to shoot better than 46 percent against UCF all season. They pushed their cushion in the conference standings to two games. Additional Thoughts My hat goes off to Korita, who made the most of his playing time and hit some big-time shots. I know at times earlier in the year it must have seemed I was overly critical of his play, but the guy clearly puts in the work, and it’s great to see him go off like this. I’m hoping we see a little more from Elijah Joiner over the home stretch of the season. Joiner was the team’s best three point shooter by percentage over the first month of the season and looked like he would be able to provide poise beyond his years in running the second unit. Since then, his play has been characterized by the sloppy play typical of a freshman point guard: careless passes, forced shots, split seconds of indecision that allow defenses to adjust and windows to close. Joiner’s minutes have been slashed as Haith has solidified the rotation, but I still think he could have a big role left to play. Should Taplin find himself in foul trouble, he’s really the Golden Hurricane’s only effective option; Corey Henderson, despite his speed, decent handle and prototypical point guard size, doesn’t have the passing chops to hold down the fort.

Hurricane Scoreboard

Men’s Basketball Feb. 18: Tulsa 73 - USF 61 Feb. 21: Tulsa 70 - UCF 61

Feb. 23: Tulsa 7 - UIC 2 Feb. 24: Texas St. 6 - Tulsa 1 Feb. 24: Tulsa 4 - Columbia 0

Women’s Basketball Feb. 20: ECU 59 - Tulsa 57 Feb. 24: Memphis 65 - Tulsa 56

Track & Field Feb. 24: AAC Championships Women: 800 m - Sabrina Monsees, 4th: 2:09.52 4x400 m relay - 4th: 3:45.49 400 m - Ca’Purnika Galbert 5th: 56.32 Team Result - 11th place: 18 points Men: 3000 m - Ben Preisner, 1st: 8:12.89 Adam Roderique, 2nd: 8:15.64 800 m: Robert Tully, 3rd: 1:51.18 4x400 m relay - 4th: 3:14.90 Team Result - 6th place: 65 points

Men’s Tennis Feb. 19: Wichita St. 4 - Tulsa 3 Women’s Tennis Feb. 18: Purdue 4 - Tulsa 3 Softball Feb. 18: Iowa 11 - Tulsa 3 Feb. 23: Tulsa 8 - Dartmouth 0

The Collegian: 3

Justin Guglielmetti is…

the

bleacher creature?

Tankapalooza 2018 It’s everyone’s favorite part of the NBA season: tanking time! It starts every year when the calendar hits February, then ramps up over the final two months. Who doesn’t love to see star players sit with fake injuries, or rosters made up entirely of names that you’re convinced are taken from NBA2K MyPlayer mode? The thing is, before this season, tanking had always been an open secret. Everyone knew that it was in the long-term best interest of mediocre and terrible teams to lose in order to earn a higher pick in the draft and have a better chance of adding a franchise-altering superstar (“Trust the Process,” anyone?). But owners never admitted this because doing so would seem to violate the timehonored covenant between team and fanbase. The entire relationship between these two entities, the reason we fans are supposed to invest ourselves in a bunch of professional athletes who will never return the favor, is a quid pro quo: you put out a quality product, we will root for you. Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, apparently decided he was done messing around with pretense and began worshipping at the altar of the golden tanking calf. Last week, he revealed that he told several of his players that “losing was the best option.” For shame, Cubes, for shame. Naturally, the NBA fined him $600,000 (as if that matters to a billionaire) but everyone and their mother knows it’s an incredibly hollow gesture. Always outspoken, Cuban was just speaking the truth. In the current system, if you’re not a contender, it behooves you to bottom out. As long as the NBA remains a star-driven league, there’s nothing you can do to prevent this without overhauling entire nature of the sport or the drafting system and those just aren’t feas… oh wait, one of those options is 100-percent feasible! It’s been revealed in the past couple of days that the NBA is considering overhauling their draft and playoff systems, and I would just like to use my soapbox here to endorse the Stan van Gundy Draft Wheel. If you’re unfamiliar with it, the idea is that each team is assigned their draft position every season for the next 30 years, distributed such that each team is guaranteed one top pick during that span and a top five pick every five or six years. A team’s record in any individual season will have no bearing on their position, which means there will be no incentive to lose. Fanbases will be saved from having to sit through consecutive travesties of seasons on nothing more than a wish and prayer for something better. Plus the overall product will be better when everyone is trying to win, and the Joe Edmunds of the world won’t be able to complain as much about entitled and lazy NBA stars playing no defense. Everyone wins! What corruption? Obscured in the news cycle behind another fairly important investigation, “Yahoo Sports” published a report on Friday which featured some new findings from the FBI’s ongoing investigation into widespread NCAA recruiting violations. The report mentioned several big names currently playing college basketball, as well as a few that have already entered the NBA, like Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith, Jr. and Bam Adebayo, and suggested that “impermissible benefits” were given to these players and their programs. None of the dollar amounts stated were particularly high, and some of the contributions were merely free meals, but there is undoubtedly more to come out of this. You’d have to have your head buried in the sand to believe that recruiting corruption begins and ends with Rick Pitino, and I wouldn’t be surprised if in the annals of college sports history, this marks the start of a long-winded decline. It won’t be Lavar Ball who does it, but all it will take is one enterprising individual starting a relevant, competitive minor-league system, and college ball will feel the walls beginning to close.

Feb. 26 - Mar. 4 Monday

Tuesday 26

Women’s Golf vs. Houston Women’s Basketball vs. Wichita St. 7 p.m.

Wednesday 27

Women’s Golf vs. Houston

28

Men’s Tennis vs. UT Arlington 10:30 a.m. Men’s Tennis @ TCU 5:30 p.m.

Thursday

Saturday

Friday 1

Men’s Basketball @ ECU 6 p.m.

3

2

Softball vs. Nicholls St. 11 a.m.

Softball @ North Texas 1:30 p.m.

Sunday

Softball vs. UT Arlington 10 a.m. Softball vs. Nicholls St. 12 p.m. Women’s Tennis vs. Oklahoma 12 p.m. Women’s Basketball AAC Championship

4

Softball vs. UT Arlington 9 a.m.

Men’s Basketball vs. Temple 2 p.m.

News

The Collegian: 4

26 February 2018

This year’s Springfest promises changes

SA Exec. Director Catherine Aaronson says that this year’s festival will center around the concert and won’t include a week’s worth of set events as in past years. Hannah Kloppenburg Web Manager

Seniors, throw out your preconceived notions about what Springfest is supposed to look like. This year’s festival promises some unprecedented surprises. Student Association Executive Director Catherine Aaronson explained that the main event for this year’s Springfest will consist of an on-campus concert, as usual. This year’s Springfest artists are indie pop group Smallpools and pop singer Bebe Rexha. However, SA is introducing a pre-party, which will be held outside the Reynolds Center on the day of the concert — something that’s never been done before. Aaronson said that SA plans to partner with the art department and local vendors to set up booths featuring student artwork and handmade products, similar to an art fair. Aaronson also hopes to include TU student Clara Ard’s brand, NeighborhoodBoy, and Red Bull in the event. “We have some more surprises for that [event] in particular that will be revealed later on in the semester,” she explained, “so I can’t exactly disclose it now.” Aaronson said this year’s Springfest is expected to consist mainly of the concert and pre-party and will not have set events every day of the week like it has in past years. “There might be other things during the week,” she said. “We are just trying to keep a little bit of an air of mystery around Springfest still, so as the semester goes on, we’ll reveal more and more things. “But no, it won’t be like it has in years past in the sense that there are set events every single day, because there isn’t really any overarching theme this year,” she concluded. Aaronson wanted to experiment with the structure of Springfest because of the feedback she’d gotten from friends and fellow TU students throughout last year’s Springfest, as well as research she’d done on other universities that host similar festivals. “I’ve been surrounded by this huge push towards focusing on concerts more, instead of the events. So it’s kind of an experimental year. I fully intend on releasing a survey when I’m done so students can give their input on how much they liked this year, because it’s very different and very new,” Aaronson said. She added, “I’m really excited about it, and so far we’ve had a really positive response.” Aaronson explained that while her number one priority is to provide a great event for students, she also hopes the concert will interest people in the Tulsa area, from high school students who might be considering attending TU and students from neighboring universities who have friends at TU. “I just wanted to make it as inclusive of an event, and inclusive music type, as possible,” she said. While the Springfest artist is chosen based on scheduling and budget constraints, the committee also sent out a genre survey to students last fall in order to gauge where student interest lay. They then worked with a liaison to determine the most feasible option. Aaronson commented that the headliner, Bebe Rexha, has been featured in every genre from country to rap to pop. “We thought she’d be able to appeal to a large range of people.” While the committee booked the artists over winter break, Aaronson began brainstorming for Springfest last summer. Her favorite part of the planning process has been working with her team of four associate directors. “We actually have three freshmen and one senior, so it’s really diverse. First of all,

photo by Hannah Kloppenburg Aaronson’s Springfest team, from left to right: Miah Schultz, Gentry Kincade, Catherine Aaronson, Elliott Gilmartin and Darian Dozier.

Smallpools, who will be opening for Rexha.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Bebe Rexha, who will be headlining at this year’s Springfest.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Darian is a senior and she’s seen three other Springfests … I’ve only seen one. So she has a really excellent insight to things,” Aaronson said. “And then the three freshmen bring really fresh perspectives to things. “So it’s a really great mix of opinions and ideas,” she concluded. Aaronson also loved the Springfest concert reveal, which took place during halftime at the February 1 basketball game.

“Getting to see the student body’s reaction to something that we had been working on for so many months and had to keep a secret for so many months was an amazing feeling,” she said. Though there isn’t an official theme this year, Aaronson said that her team has been following the slogan, “It’s a Springfest 2.0.” “That’s what we’re trying to go for. We are changing things up,” she said.

With this in mind, keep an eye out for Springfest developments as the semester continues. The Bebe Rexha and Smallpools concert is scheduled for April 19 at 8 p.m. in the Reynolds Center. Admission to the Springfest concert is, as always, free with a TU student ID.

Neuroscience minor coming to TU in fall 2018 The ENS College plans for the minor to consist of seven classes and are considering adding a major if interest is high enough. Madeline Collins Student Writer The College of Engineering and Natural Sciences will be offering a minor in neuroscience starting next semester. It will “allow students to gain an understanding of the structure and function of the brain and nervous system,” according to a

fact sheet released by the department for the recent Tulsa Time. It will be both interdisciplinary and interdepartmental, with courses in biochemistry, biology, psychology and computer science. According Dr. Estelle Levetin, chair of the Biology Department, neuroscience is “a rapidly expanding discipline” with the potential for lots of growth in the near future. “Prospective students consistently asked the admissions office about neuroscience, so we figured it was time to add it to our offerings,” Levetin explained. “Coupled with ongoing research at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research, the increased demand provided us with a perfect opportunity to start the program.”

Levetin went on to say that TU already has undergraduate researchers at Laureate. The connection between TU and the research center is a strong one. Neuroscience is especially appropriate for students considering graduate study in neuroscience or careers in medicine, occupational therapy, psychology and artificial intelligence. As it stands, the minor will consist of seven classes. Four are required and the remaining three electives will be chosen by the student from a list of potential classes. “We want to start with a minor. If there’s enough interest, hopefully we can move into offering a full-on major,” Levetin said. The minor will consist of 21 – 22 credit hours. “Making the program a major will likely

require the hiring of new faculty, so we’ll see how the minor goes,” she mentioned. “I have three or four current students of mine already checking schedules in hopes of making the minor fit into their curriculum plans here,” Levetin exclaimed enthusiastically. “I hope all biology and biochem students will look into this minor because many of the classes have prerequisite courses that those majors will have already taken. “There are many careers in which a solid understanding of how the brain works can be useful,” Levetin stated. “Because of scientific advances today, we are learning more and more about the mind as new tools for study appear.”

26 February 2018

News

The Collegian: 5

TU students give back to the community

TU’s annual Service Day event took place on Saturday, February 24. Alex Garoffolo Student Writer The annual Service Day happened Saturday. According to sophomore Megan Sinek, SA’s executive director of community service, the day’s goal is a simple one: to engage with non-profits in the Tulsa area through service. “Not only do we aim to provide assistance, but [also] to learn more about what each organization does in attempt to better the Tulsa community. We hope that Service Day helps integrate our university with the Tulsa community and create ties with organizations that can be built upon in the future,” Sinek said. Each year on Service Day, TU students head to different locations around Tulsa to work on various volunteer projects. These range from beautification efforts at the com-

munity rose garden to working with youth at the Tulsa Boys Home. This year, 625 students signed up for the event. They represent more than 50 different campus organizations. Saturday saw 28 separate Tulsa organizations receive assistance from TU students. Sinek reported that this year, SA, which runs service day, partnered with True Blue Neighbors and the TU Alumni Association for the first time. “Many of these community organizations told me that this day is a large benefit to them, even though it’s just one day of the year. Organizations that do not have a large workforce to draw upon are especially grateful,” Sinek explained. “For example, many of the smaller groups [we] help on Service Day do not have a lot of the manpower to complete the [larger] outdoor projects that a group of 50 students can do in a couple hours.” Locations for Service Day this year included the Tulsa Boys Home, Global Gardens, Kendall-Whittier Elementary and the Dream Center.

Sinek was assistant director of community service last year, so moving into the position of executive director of community service this year came naturally. “We live in this city for the better part of the year, so we should try to become involved in this city outside of just our campus,” Sinek asserted. One group volunteered at The Bridges Foundation in Jenks. 29 students cleaned walls, organized chairs, wiped tables and mopped and swept inside the building. Duties outside and in the warehouse included breaking down boxes, stacking pallets and throwing out trash. The foundation, formed from a merger in 2012 of the Bridges Foundation and the Riverview Association for Retarded Citizens, exists to enhance the quality of life for individuals with disabilities through job placement and vocational training. Bridges Foundation’s ultimate goals include developing interpersonal skills and enabling clients to be independent, functioning, contributing members of society. Work at the Outsource Center, where students were on Saturday, is done via contracts with outside companies. For example, Bridges clients do piecework for Hilti such as boxing nails (100 per box). They get paid per box completed. There is no time limit for clients in the program. “Some stay for only a few weeks, others work here for 40 years,” Amy McAbee, the accounting manager, explained. She’s worked with Bridges in various capacities for 28 years. “We have 10 job coaches who help clients in placements at the IC Bus Plant here in Tulsa. We’ve worked with the plant for 13 years,” McAbee added. The bus plant produces 50-80 buses per day, starting from bare sheet metal to fully finished product.

photos by Alex Garoffolo

History dept. soon to welcome Nicole Bauer Incoming professor Nicole Bauer will specialize in European history, particularly French and Russian.

Electronic transcripts TU’s current, inconvenient system for sending transcripts is getting a much-needed update.

Michaela Flonard Managing Editor The history department is getting a fresh face this fall. Nicole Bauer, currently at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will be replacing Dr. Bradley, who is retiring in May. In the fall, Bauer will teach Modern Europe, which surveys European history from the Protestant Reformation to present day, as well as the French Revolution. The latter course hasn’t been taught for decades at TU. Bauer’s specialty is French history. Teaching the French Revolution is important because it “is one of the most monumental things to have happened in Western history,” she said. “We get a lot of our modern ideas about politics from it.” Bauer is also interested in teaching a course that would compare French, Russian, Iranian and other revolutions over time, according to Kristen Oertel, a chairperson and professor for TU’s history department. As Bauer is a cultural historian interested in looking at honor and gender among other things, she’s also considering offering a course on women in European history and a course on masculinity and honor in early modern Europe. The latter course, for instance, might “look at rituals like duels and try to understand them, a bit like anthropologists would.” Bauer’s research also looks at the connection between secrecy and honor, such as how early modern Europeans used secrecy to maintain their research. “I’m attracted to tricky concepts like honor or complicated ideas related to religion because…I believe that history is a lot more than just economic

“Because we pay sub-minimum wage, we’re regulated by the State Department of Labor. We also have summer camps for 10to 22-year-olds that last eight weeks in June and July, as well as a transition program for high school students who need help adjusting to adulthood before entering college. The transition program provides an opportunity for high school graduates to learn vocational training and job readiness. Students visit multiple community employers to gain knowledge of a work environment, sample job-specific tasks and develop skills needed to maintain a relationship with an employer. The summer camp offers both indoor and outdoor extracurricular, educational and personal development activities. Campers increase their social skills and learn to practice healthy lifestyle habits. The Bridges Foundation has two locations in Tulsa. One in Jenks and one at Pine and Lewis serve north Tulsans. The organization’s large, annual fundraiser takes place on June 9 at Riverwest Festival Park. “It’s called the Dirty Dog Glow Run, but you don’t have to be a runner to participate. We are always looking for new volunteers,” McAbee assured. Bridges also has openings to work as a camp counselor during its summer camps, as well as internship opportunities for students seeking work. Interested students are encouraged to contact Bridges President and CEO, Karie Johnson, to find out more and learn how to help. Her work number is 918-592-3333, and her email is kjordan@thebridgesfound. org.

Michaela Flonard Managing Editor

forces affecting people,” she summarized. The history department has lacked a professor specializing in Europe since 2011, when Dr. Jay Gellar left, Oertel said. With Dr. Bradley leaving, the department also loses their Russian specialist. 215 candidates applied for the position, which the department narrowed down to 15 for a Skype interview and three to bring to campus. Bauer was chosen for her academic pedigree, student reviews and research potential. “Her research on secrecy and scandal in the French Revolution looked very prom-

courtesy Uuiversity of North Carolina

ising for publication and scholarly significance,” Oertel said. Bauer attended the University of California at Berkeley for her B.A., Yale for her M.A. and UNC-Chapel Hill for her Ph.D. Bauer said visiting TU showed her the history department was “dynamic and interested in public humanities or public outreach,” which was part of TU’s attraction. The students also appeared to be “sharp, lively, enjoy their classes and like their teachers,” she said. “Overall there was a pretty good vibe.”

Electronic transcripts can be required by various graduate schools or internship opportunities during your college career, but unfortunately, at the University of Tulsa, those requests have so far been impossible to satisfy. Instead, students are required to send them physically, which can result in a slower receiving time. By next fall, the University of Tulsa hopes to have electronic transcripts available for students’ use. Chris Farwell, the Associate CIO and Chief Applications Officer, said the project will be started after the IT department finishes another project near the end of March. Then, they will begin to further look into eTranscripts and have them fully ready by fall 2018. Ginna Langston, the registrar, said her office had requested electronic transcripts for about eight years. Farwell said at that time, several prerequisite projects needed to occur before they could implement eTranscripts. Several years later, those prereqs have been met. When electronic transcripts are available, the Registrar’s office will use the National Student Clearinghouse to send the transcripts. The office is ready for the new form of transcripts immediately as they become available.

The Collegian: 6

News

26 February 2018

Hijab Day encourages cultural crossover

photo by Madeline Collins

Hijab Day provides female students a chance to try on a garment usually restricted to members of the Islamic faith. Madeline Collins Student Writer Last Wednesday, Chateau Room C was filled with multi-colored scarves flying around being fixed to young ladies’ heads. SA partnered with the Malaysian Student Association and the Muslim Student Association to put on its annual Hijab Day celebration. About 50 students and faculty, muslim and otherwise, attended. Muslim students Ayah Salem and Musamma Akhtar spoke about their daily life wearing a hijab and what it means to them. After their speeches, the two girls and

a few others helped students and faculty put on a hijab, many for their first time. This event was held approximately three weeks after the official World Hijab Day on February 1. While there were lots of smiling and laughing, a bigger, more sombering theme was the clearing away of common misconceptions around the hijab. Salem said, “It’s my body, my rules,” a sentiment shared by others in the community. Akhtar explained the significance of when exactly she wears the hijab. “The hijab is a more of a public statement, so it’s like at home you’re with your family and you don’t need to cover yourself with your family, because it’s your family,” she said. The speakers also made it clear that it is not something to pity. “It’s more of an empowering thing,” Salem stated.

When asked what the hijab exactly meant to her, Akhtar said, “The hijab personally means self-love. I wear it because I love to show that I am a Muslim, that I am proud that I am a Muslim.” While the vast majority of the women in attendance had a hijab put on them by a fellow Muslim student, the crowd was split on whether they were going to keep it on for the rest of the day. Morgan Mayberry, who tried wearing the hijab, was one of those that chose to not wear the hijab after the event. Part of that reason was because she realized the sentiment was not right. “If I were to ever wear a headscarf, it would be more of a style thing, and I realize that’s not the heart behind why they are doing it,” Mayberry said. Juddie Williams-Tomshany, an English Institute instructor with the International Student Services, decided to wear it all day in solidarity.

“I don’t remove it when I go to my office, and my Saudi students especially love it. It’s the one day when they’re like, ‘Oh, you look so beautiful,’” she said. Overall, it was in agreement by those who ran and attended the event that it went well. Many learned things that broke their preconceived notions of the hijab and its wearers. Mayberry said, “I didn’t know it was a choice, but my friend mentioned something that was very impactful — that her mom, even into her adult life, didn’t wear the hijab and was still a strong Muslim.” The Muslim students also got a lot out of the program. “It legit brings me joy having to wrap hijabs for strangers, beautiful people, and meet such kind-hearted people. It literally restores my faith in humanity, and it reminds me society isn’t that bad,” Akhtar said.

Local high schools compete in TU math competition TU’s second annual mathfest promoted outreach programs to high school students. Lizzy Young Student Writer Challenging math questions created by volunteers from the TU math department were posed to high school students at TU’s second annual Hurricane Mathfest on Saturday February, 17. The University of Tulsa Mathematical Association of American (MAA) chapter and the math department hosted the event, which brought together around 90 high school students from eight Tulsa area high schools, including Union, East Central, Cascia Hall, Holland Hall, Edison, Bristow, Riverdale and Bishop Kelley. Students compete against each other in individual and team competitions. In the individual competition students are given a list of challenging math problems that they have to complete in 45 minutes. The top five competitors in the individual test, in descending order, were Elaine Wang from Holland Hall, Robert Hale from Riverfield, Julian Zanders from Cascia Hall, Tony Nguyen from Union, and Allan Kalapura from Holland Hall. Students then competed in teams of three or four for the team competition. They were asked 15 math questions and collaborated on the answers. First place went to the “Front Row Team” of James VanOrsdol from Bristow, Robert Hale from Riverfield and Marian Nguyen from Bishop Kelley. In second place was “Team Wab” from Holland Hall, composed of Anna Byrd, Elaine Wang and Marta Almazovaite. Placing third was “Team Won” from Cascia Hall with Joseph Barbour, Julian Zanders, Grey Bodi and Sebastian Molina. In addition to the individual and team scores, awards were given out to the two schools with the highest overall achievement, called School of the Day awards. Union won the award for most total points

earned, and Holland Hall won the award for the highest average score. Hurricane Mathfest also included guest speaker Dr. Janica Edmonds, a mathematics professor at TU who talked about Knot Theory. Dr. Bill Coberly (head of the Mathematics Department), Professor Kimberly Adams and Adriana Rivers as well as 16 student volunteers from TU’s MAA chapter volunteered their time to put on this event. The idea for Hurricane Mathfest came about a couple of years ago. “It is the culminating event to gather high school students together who love math and spread the word about future events,” TU mathematics student Nitesh Mathur said.

Mathfest is a way for TU to reach out to high school students. Mathur said, “The TU math department has events for middle-school girls, but once they hit the high school level, there is nothing, the events stop.” The idea of Mathfest is to gather high school students and get the word out about a high school math circle starting at TU after spring break and hosting three events in April. The math circle is to have high school students come to TU and solve math problems together, with the goal of meeting on a weekly basis in the future. He continued, “The overarching Goal of Mathfest is to promote math outreach with high schools in the form of Hurricane MathFest and High School Math Circle, and to

courtesy Jennifer Burleson

have a platform to organize events for TU students who love mathematics.” One of those events for TU students will be on March 14, Pi Day. The math department is hosting their first ever Integration Bee. Mathur describes it, “The group Integration Bee will be a fun event that is open to all majors. There will be teams and a SMART Board where integral problems will be put up, and the teams will be judged on speed and accuracy.” There will also be free pie provided. The idea behind all these events is “to just get together and do math for fun,” Mathur says.

26 February 2018

Feb. 13 10:35 a.m. While on routine patrol, University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers came upon an injured student outside the northeast stairwell to the Law School. Emergency Medical Services Authority had already been contacted by another student who had observed the student trip and fall. The injured party was transported by EMSA to a local hospital. 3:15 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Mabee Gym to take a harassment report. A student reported to officers that a family member has been sending repeated harassing communications to them through their phone. The student did not want the Tulsa Police Department contacted at that time, but wanted to make Security aware of the situation. Officers collected a written statement and a photo of the suspect. 3:50 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to the McFarlin Library Lot for a report of a hit and run motor vehicle accident. Officers met with a student who stated that they had parked their vehicle in the lot in the morning, and when they returned, the vehicle had a noticeable dent

News and scratches on the rear bumper. Officers searched the area, but were unable to find a vehicle with consistent damage for the accident. 3:00 p.m. While on routine patrol, University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers at the Oxley College of Health Sciences Building noticed the arrival of an Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) vehicle. Officers met with the staff of the Hurricane Health Clinic and were informed a non University of Tulsa affiliate came in with symptoms of a severe illness. The staff of the Hurricane Health Clinic determined the individual needed to be transported to a hospital for proper treatment. Feb. 15 1:30 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to the Kappa Delta Sorority House for a larceny. Officers talked with the victim who stated that construction supplies from the current project at the house were taken overnight. The victim did not want to file a Tulsa Police report. 8:35 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers conducted a pedestrian check on two individuals in the shuttle bus stop at the West Park Apartments. Both individuals were not affiliated with the University of Tulsa. Both individuals left the property without further incident. They were not trespass warned. Contact cards were created. Feb. 16 12:25 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Offi-

Emma Palmer Student Writer

Resolution for ceasefire in Syria denied A resolution for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria put forward by Sweden and Kuwait at the UN Security Council was reportedly denied by Russia. The outcry for a ceasefire has become even stronger after more than 403 people died in Eastern Ghouta on February 18th from airstrikes by the Syrian government, backed by Russian warplanes. The proposed resolution would go into effect 72 hours after being passed, with evacuations and medical aid brought in 48 hours after. The United States, the UK and France called for the resolution to be enacted immediately, and Kelly Curie, the deputy UN ambassador for the United States, criticized Russia for “appearing to be intent on blocking any meaningful effort.”

Deputy Prime Minister of Australia resigns

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announced his resignation following an affair with a former staff member. He steps down Monday from his position as leader of the National Party. When news of the affair broke earlier this month, Joyce repeatedly resisted initial calls for his resignation, stating that “private matters remain private”; however, he has since announced via Twitter that he will be resigning. “I would like to thank everyone for offering their support to me, especially the people of New England,” the tweet read. Joyce is currently residing with his partner, after obtaining a formal divorce with his wife. They expect a child in April.

Saudi Arabia to invest in entertainment industry Saudi Arabia says they plan to invest approximately $890 billion into further developing their entertainment industry. This investment comes as a part of Vision 2030, a program based on the principle of social and economic reform championed by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The investment intends to boost the already growing industry, which plans to host big acts this year such as Maroon 5 and Cirque du Soleil. “In the past, investors would go outside the kingdom to produce their work, and then showcase it back in Saudi Arabia,” said General Entertainment Authority Chief Ahmed bin Aqeel al-Khatib. “Today, change will happen and everything related to entertainment will be done here.” There are plans for a Las Vegas-sized entertainment city as part of the country’s efforts to boost their tourism industry. The country has also begun construction of its first opera house in Riyadh. This continues the trend of modernization in Saudi Arabia, following June’s lifts on bans of commercial cinemas and women driving.

Nigerian schoolgirls still missing Following a mass kidnapping last Monday and false rumors of rescue, 105 schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Dapchi have been reported missing. It is suspected that the girls were abducted by a faction of Boko Haram, a militant resurgence group known for abducting children. It is suspected that the girls have been kidnapped in hopes of a ransom, similar to the one given for the release of the Chibok Schoolgirls, a group of children who were abducted in a similar manner in 2014. Reporters on the situation say the similarities between Dapchi and the Chibok Schoolgirls are strikingly similar, with the initial facts of the incident unknown and false reports of rescue perpetrated by the government.

The Collegian: 7

cers received a noise complaint in University Square Apartments West. Officers made contact with the individuals who were the source of the complaint and informed them to turn down the music and to be not as loud. The individuals were compliant with officers and a housing contact card was issued. 10:20 p.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to the West Suites Lot for a report of a hit and run motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the reporting party who stated that a vehicle had backed out of a parking stall and struck their vehicle. The suspect vehicle then left the parking lot. Officers took photos of the damage and documented the accident scene. Feb. 17 12:00 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers responded to a noise complaint at University Square Apartments West. The complaint was for loud music. Officers made contact with the source of the complaint, and advised the apartment’s resident to keep the noise level down. A Housing Contact Card was issued. 1:15 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers responded to a noise complaint in the University Square Apartments West. A University of Tulsa student was having a party. The student agreed to turn down the music, and keep the guests quiet. A Campus Housing Contact Card was completed. 2:35 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers conducted a party shutdown in the Uni-

versity Square Apartments West. Officers had made contact with the residents previously in the night for noise. The apartment was cleared of all students not residing in the apartment. A Campus Housing Contact Card was completed. Feb. 18 12:30 a.m. University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers responded to reports of an ill student at Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority. A student requested medical assistance due to a food allergy. Emergency Medical Services Authority(EMSA) responded and evaluated the student. The student was cleared and remained on campus. 9:00 a.m. Officers conducted a welfare check on a student at Lottie Jane Mabee Hall. Officers received the request from a non-TU affiliate about the well being of a current student. Officers attempted to locate the student at their on campus residence but were unsuccessful. 10:00 p.m. While on routine patrol, University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers noticed a walkway light that had been knocked over and damaged by a dumpster on the south side of the Lottie Jane Mabee Hall courtyard. The dumpster appeared to have been blown into the light by the wind. Officers put a maintenance order in with the Physical Plant. The Collegian does not produce or edit the Campus Crime Watch except for content and brevity.

Tuesday, February 27 at 7:30 p.m. Lorton Performance Center, Meinig Recital Hall Student Recital by Hope Bradford, soprano The University of Tulsa School of Music invites you to a Junior Recital by soprano Hope Bradford, with faculty pianist Brady McElligott. The recital will include works by Scarlatti, Schubert, Clara Schumann, Maurice Ravel and Bedřich Smetana, among others.

Wednesday, Febuary 28 at 12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. Keplinger Hall, 3010 (formerly U2)

Geo Seminar Jida Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Geography at Kansas State University, will speak on the subject of “Lake Water abundance and dynamics in the Anthropocene.” Wednesday, February 28 at 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. Zink Hall, Room 226 CSAS Improving Concentration and Focus Workshop Poor concentration skills can make listening to a class lecture or completing homework assignments very difficult. In this workshop, we will examine various causes for concentration difficulties and how to overcome them. Wednesday, February 28 at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mabee Gym, Spirit Room Learn the Basics of Ballroom Dance Join Terpsichore and learn ballroom dance. Taught by Co-President Annette Baird, this master class will be a great experience for dancers of any level. Wednesday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Student Union Expressions City-Wide Pan-African Night and Talent Showcase Performers of all ages will show off their expression of history and culture, celebrating the trailblazing legacy of all styles of performance with Pan-African and Black roots or influence. This event is hosted by The University of Tulsa Student Association, the African Student Association, and the Association of Black Collegians as the closing event for Black History Month celebrations.

Friday, March 2 at 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Brummett Echohawk: An Artist Who Happens to be an Indian Join Dr. Kristin Youngbull, author of Brummett Echohawk: Pawnee Thunderbird and Artist, as she discusses the life and work of Brummett Echohawk and examines why he and his art have had lasting significance. A book signing in the Gilcrease Museum Store will follow the talk. Free for museum members; free with museum admission for not-yet members.

Friday, March 2 at 5 p.m. TU in Valencia Application Deadline Want to earn one service-learning and six Spanish credits this summer in Valencia, Spain? Come talk to the CGE about TU in Valencia, one of our most continuously popular summer programs! The application deadline for this program is March 2nd. For more information, visit the CGE in Hardesty Hall or our website.

The Collegian does not produce all event descriptions in the Community Calendar. Contact us at news@tucollegian.org with events.

Commentary

The Collegian: 8

A Tulsa Time honored tradition Tulsa Time allows students a glimpse into their future, helping those on the fence make their choice. Alex Garoffolo Student Writer

Tulsa Time is a great program for TU. Not only does it get prospective students on campus for longer than a tour or a few hours of info sessions, but it gives high schoolers a chance to ask us college kids for our true protips and opinions on college, no filter necessary. Tulsa Time also provides potential TU students with glimpses into the actual housing units in which they’ll likely one day live. Last week’s Tulsa Time program saw 104 TU students hosting 232 prospective students. Participants had the chance to go to a TU basketball game, sit in on actual TU classes and spend the night in a host’s apartment or dorm room. In other words, they got a taste of life as an actual TU student. An overnight program is absolutely essential to any admissions office arsenal. Any college can run daytime programming, giving tours to families while extolling the value of its education on high schoolers. However, allowing visiting students to stay with current ones and sit in on actual classes with actual students is an experience that’s a level above just visiting for the day. Most important, Tulsa Time presents such a complete picture of campus life to potential students that many leave Monday afternoon knowing for sure whether they’ll enroll. I’m a proud participant of the Tulsa Time program. I still remember my hosts, Philip and Joe. I remember sleeping on their floor in Fisher South after staying up talking about college and life until the wee hours of the

morning. I remember the classes I sampled: a macroeconomics course where the professor vehemently encouraged students to read “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and a physics class where I learned about the doppler effect. I remember the Trivial Pursuit games played in the Reynolds Center after attending my first TU basketball game (and seeing my first TU victory). Tulsa Time builds these same memories for prospective students. Any program that can provide such a visceral, hands-on experience surely makes an impact on a student’s school decision. Did I choose to attend TU because of Tulsa Time? No. But the program gave me a very good idea of what to expect if I decided to come here, and it was an idea I liked. You must understand that the admissions office can’t win everybody. What they can do is polarize the students who are on the fence into either a “yes” or a “no.” A program like Tulsa Time helps do just that. It takes students who are iffy on TU (or maybe even a bit skeptical) and shows them what life here is like. Students have literally nothing to lose by taking part in the program. They get free food, free sporting events, free college lectures, free TU apparel and free information from an army of campus academic sources. When I hear people complain about Tulsa Time, the argument always boils down to one thing. “Ugh, high schoolers on campus? Such losers. And they’re coming to my class too? Dammit, man, why…” Just hold on. Each and every person enrolled at this university was once a lame high school kid. Regardless of how much you loved or hated high school (or its homeschool equivalent), you went through it. The main negative view of Tulsa Time, that it’s “an annoyance to have losers on campus,” is pathetically weak. Remember that you were likely a loser once yourself. And by choosing TU, utilizing its programs and creating shared experiences with friends that last a lifetime, you’re (hopefully) no longer a loser by the time you graduate. So if our only problem with Tulsa Time is that it brings lame people to campus, I’d say we’re doing a damn good job.

232 prospective students attended the last Tulsa Time program.

26 February 2018

It’s Tulsa Time for changes Tulsa Time is disorganized and frustrating to prospective students, discouraging them from attending TU at all. Lizzy Young Student Writer

Hordes of people swarmed TU campus for the Tulsa Time event on Monday, February 19. High school students, potential transfers and parents tramped around campus wearing badges and carrying maps with a confused look of wonder on their face. While I was dodging these newcomers, I remembered my own Tulsa Time experience. The experience that almost made me not come to TU. Before going to a Tulsa Time event, I had decided to come to TU. I had gone through the application process, gone on a campus tour and even had some friends on campus. I was ready to come to TU. I decided to go to Tulsa Time to get more of a feel for how my TU experience would go. The purpose of Tulsa Time is to introduce prospective students to the TU campus, students and faculty in order to give them an immersive experience. The TU Tulsa Time webpage describes the experience prospective students can expect. “Discover how our university can meet your individual interests and needs,” the site says, “As our guest, we promise a program that is enjoyable and informative! Sounds like fun, right?” Wrong. The event officially started with some faculty introducing themselves, as a well as a message from President Clancy in the Reynolds center. On the stage in the Reynold’s center, they were surrounded by mostly empty seats. As a prospective student sitting in a huge, mostly empty auditorium, I did not make me feel particularly encouraged about the state of TU recruiting. We were then shuffled out to the different colleges to find out more about the degrees they offered. I went to the College of Arts and Sciences and was pretty much bored to death. All they talked about was academics and how difficult the curriculum was and how difficult it was to get accepted into TU. I remember feeling a distinct sense of

hopelessness about my upcoming TU experience. After the lecture about academics, there were some other events going on around campus. I went to find one, but with no helpful guides around and my terrible direction sense, I got lost. I couldn’t find anyone in a blue shirt to help me. I was hot, lost and frustrated, so I left. There was nobody to guide me around campus, help me find things or even to check on me. After Tulsa Time, I turned down my acceptance letter and started looking at other schools. Maybe I judged TU too harshly after one event, but should one event discourage a prospective student from coming so much that they actually start to look at other colleges? Eventually, I did decide to come to TU. I put the Tulsa Time experience out of my head and had practically forgotten about it until I saw prospective students wandering around like I had last year. It is a good idea for TU to put on an event to draw prospective students. However, I think there should be measures put in place to ensure people are having an enjoyable time. There should be friendly TU guides assigned to small groups of people to take them around and help them feel connected to other prospective students. People shouldn’t be left to wander around by themselves. There should also be students posted in commonly passed locations on campus to guide people around campus to the different events and help directionally-challenged people like myself. One of the biggest problem with Tulsa Time is the lack of structure. There are events on campus but not really a helpful way to get to them or even understand what you want to go to. There should be some way prospective students can customize their experience at Tulsa Time to best fit their needs, whether that is filling out a more comprehensive online questionnaire or having people at the registration table asking them about their interests on campus. Then a schedule fitting their needs should be individualized to them, and the guide assigned to them can help. This would provide a more individualized experience to each prospective student instead of having people wandering aimlessly around. Last, I am still getting emails from TU recruiting, asking me to sign up for the Tulsa Time experience as a prospective student. This is ironic because I am currently a student. The idea of Tulsa Time is to target prospective students, not the ones who already attend TU.

graphic by Madeline Woods

Abuse of all-school email reveals flawed system

An all-school email with a misleading title aggravated many students last week. Conner Maggio Student Writer Last week, an email titled “Student Association: Important Information,” which contained no Student Association information whatsoever, was sent to all current TU students and consisted of three students asking for votes for the “Red Bull Can You Make It Challenge.” This email is strange in that it is an obvious attempt to lure people in, but why lie to them? If anything, you would make people mad by actively trying to mislead them. I do not believe that this email was thought out at all by the group. Normally, if I had gotten this sort of email with an appropriate subject from a regular student, I would have pushed for maybe locking away the ability to email everyone from the average student. But as it stands, any TU student can send an all-school email through Harvey in the Student Association tab. I can see that these are some students

who are trying to have fun, and if it was titled something like, “Help out a fellow TU student!” I would have even voted for them. They are not necessarily bad or wrong for writing this email or trying to get attention. What I do not like is that this is an abuse of power by an elected official of SA doing this and trying to mislead people into clicking on his email by baiting them with important SA information. This is a clear abuse of power by a member of SA for their own personal gain, which has students and SA members upset. In a statement to the “Collegian,” Colleen Yoder wrote, “As a member of Student Association, it is disappointing to see an abuse of power from a peer, especially one that holds a position within the organization. As SA, we hold University of Tulsa organizations to a high standard and it is only fair that we hold ourselves to an even higher one.” Student reactions ranged from not caring to mild annoyance. I’m sure some people went ahead and voted for them in their competition, but this probably was not the reaction that they were hoping for. Yoder further added, “The content was not about an event occurring on campus that students might not otherwise know about; rather, it was about an activity which only directly applies to three individuals on this campus. If there was a reason to use this system, it would have been to issue an emergency alert or, at a minimum, a TU event that applies to all students.” This further explains why many people who are active on this campus have a problem with this email. In the past few years, I have heard many

people complaining about not having access to an all-school email to advertise or give some sort of notice to students. And then the first time we see a system used for emailing the entire school, it is not relevant to anyone on this campus. Since this is the first time people have abused the ability to spam the entire school, it would be wise to shut it down as quickly as possible. Anyone who attends this school can send anything to all students at once, with no real consequences. People have had the ability to email everyone for a while now, but it has never been used until last week. The email system was immediately abused upon its first use.

There should be a system in place for emailing everyone, but giving anyone this ability and merely trusting them is a recipe for disaster. The person who had emailed everyone asking for votes was elected, but even he couldn’t be trusted not to abuse his power. So then, who should have this power? It would be wise for only a few SA members to have this ability and have a standard form that people can fill out with their email that they want to give to the entire school. That way the emails can actually be checked for content. Since most clubs on campus already go through SA, this would hopefully be seen as an effort to help clubs host large events.

The email that was sent out to all students with a misleading title.

courtesy Student Association

Commentary

26 February 2018

LEGISLATIVE

DIGEST

The Collegian: 9

The Legislative Digest is your weekly look at the happenings of Oklahoma’s state legislature and upcoming bills and the terms to know. Raven Fawcett Commentary Editor

Legislators have passed few bills thus far in the legislative session, but there are some interesting bills circulating the committees. Here’s this week’s look at what your legislators are looking at. SB993: The Health and Human Services Committee recommended this bill be passed, and with good reason. It increases the scope of investigation for suspected abuse on vulnerable adults (those who are elderly, incapacitated and disabled) in thoughtful ways. The bill encourages law enforcement and the Department of Human Services to work together and outlines how interviews will be conducted in a manner that is better for the alleged victims. HB2624: This bill would require health care facilities that require employees be vaccinated to allow employees to skip vaccinations based on religious beliefs. I’ll add that very few religions actually ban vaccinations as part of their theology. Let me restate: the person checking you into a clinic, the nurse at the hospital, the cashier at the pharmacy who had previously been required to be vaccinated, would no longer have to be. These are people who deal with sick people, with people with compromised immune systems! This is a bad idea! And let’s face it, religious exemptions are already easy to get for kids; they wouldn’t be any harder for adults. (You fill out a form and send it to the school. I found the form in less than two minutes with Google, and it’s easier to fill out than it is to get my transcripts.) Religious objections are valid and important, but in a healthcare setting, you have to understand that many people have complex problems, and your lack of vaccination shouldn’t feed into those problems. It received five yes votes and two no votes in committee. SB1185: The Oklahoma Industrial Hemp Pilot Program Act would allow people to apply to grow hemp. Hemp was long been outlawed in Oklahoma and the U.S. in general, which is ridiculous considering the benefits of industrial hemp, which include everything from paper to clothing. It’s a good bill that takes advantage of a resource that we’ve discouraged because legislators thought that hemp and cannabis were the same thing (spoiler, they’re not). And even if they were, hemp is still an excellent way to increase productivity and decrease deforestation. It was referred to the Appropriations Committee from the Agriculture and Wildlife Committee, who gave it a “Do Pass.” SB1135: When the state appoints children to live with a guardian, this amendment to the law would require the guardian, along with all adult members of the household, to undergo a background check. The background check would also include looking into any sex offenders that might live in the house. The law doesn’t state how much extra money would be spent on these checks, but surely any amount is worth it. My only question about this bill is whether this wasn’t already done before, and if not, why? It seems like the kind of thing that should really, really be mandatory.

Parkland students’ bravery inspires others to stand up

The Parkland students remind other victims of gun violence and the public that changes need to be made and can be accomplished through hard work. Emma Palmer Student Writer

I first heard about the Parkland shooting from Twitter. From one of the students inside the building. I was leisurely scrolling through my timeline when my heart stopped. “I am in a school shooting right now,” read the tweet from Marjory Stoneman Douglas student Aidan Minoff. For the first time in my life, I was getting the news, in real time, directly from the voices

on the sides? I like to think of everyone going through life as wearing a pair of those glasses. We all have multiple lenses; we view the world through different parts of ourselves. For me, one of those lenses was changed forever when five young men with guns kicked in the door to my house in the middle of the night. My parents awoke, and my dad calmly gave them what they demanded and then, just like that, they were gone. We moved out of that house the next day. And I remember the moment when I thought, “I will never be the same.” It was a moment of private helplessness. I can’t imagine, then, the exponential helplessness that must have been felt initially by the survivors of Parkland. That feeling of helplessness multiplied as over the years as I watched the number of gun deaths increase, alongside lawmakers’ responses growing increasingly more apathetic. But something changed with Parkland. Sure, it started with the same trope of politicians tweeting condolences, Facebook profile photo changes and a cry for more gun control. I expected that to be all there was to it: lots of hand-wringing for a day or two, then a deafening silence until the

There is a boldface bravery in the actions of the Parkland survivors, in the way that they are holding politicians accountable and making themselves heard. It’s a notable fact that this movement has resounded with young people, especially high schoolers, who have all the reason to fear a mass shooter will inevitably show up in their hallways. More young people are joining in protests and marches and petitions every day. If they can stand up and stand together, maybe I can stand with them as well. Between the emotions of anger and sadness, there is a line of apathy and action. Far too often I find myself on the side of a stoic sadness, one that tells the lie of, “You can’t do anything about it.” I am far more comfortable with my sadness than I am with anger. When I get angry, I don’t know what

to do about it, I don’t know how to hold it in, and I worry what will happen if I give it a voice. I am scared of my anger. But today, there is too much of it to hold in. I am a survivor of gun violence, and I am angry about it. I am furious that what could have been prevented by laws, which seem to be common sense to the rest of the world, has instead fractured my childhood. I used to be scared of my anger, but not anymore. Now I will use it to propel me, in the hopes that righteous indignation will change something. Because we defeat ourselves before getting up if we say that it’s impossible to change. It is possible, it just takes work. Lucky for us, our generation is full of hard workers.

“We all have mutiple lenses; we view the world through different parts of ourselves.” of those living through it. This was just one of the first signs that, in the wake of this terrible tragedy, which up until this point had followed a similar script of past shootings, the aftermath would be different. The gun control debate hits close to home for me. You know those glasses they make you wear during eye exams when you’re a kid? Those ones with multi-colored lenses

next one. But it wasn’t. Instead, I saw the survivors stand up. Shouting over the din of the Internet, young, angry people, barely younger than me, rose up, speaking the kind of truth you tell in grief. “We are going to be the last mass shooting,” was the resounding cry. They organized, and are still organizing, and the movement is growing.

courtesy New York Times Students protest the state of gun control in the wake of yet another mass shooting, sparking a new wave of politically-engaged youth.

Universities need to respect the Open Records Act

Oklahoma State University’s newspaper’s struggle to get information in a timely manner exemplifies many universities’ lack of transparency. Nathan Gibbons Distribution Manager Many of Oklahoma’s universities are defying the Open Records Act. Whether they’re concerned for student’s privacy doesn’t give them the legal right to break Oklahoma law. Universities should answer requests for records reasonably and quickly if they want to be transparent. The Oklahoma Open Records Act is a set of laws meant to guarantee public access to all public records of government bodies. This means all state government agencies, including the publicly funded State Department of Education, must be able to produce any records deemed open upon written request from anyone. No declared purpose is necessary, though some fees may apply

if the requester wants the records for commercial use. There are exemptions, of course. Personnel records that include information such as addresses and personal phone numbers are excluded. Police departments are supposed to keep records like initial offense, radio logs and arrest records open, but investigatory records are closed. In terms of universities’ records, there’s a good amount of controversy as to what should be public record and what shouldn’t. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, was established in 1974 to protect the privacy of student education records within any schools that receive funds from the Department of Education. In the act, any materials “which contains information directly related to a student … and are maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a person acting for such agency or institution” are deemed protected. Eligible students or parents of minors must sign consent forms in order for the student’s papers to be released.

the employment contract of the university president and other information defined as public record. Of the 31 schools the paper wrote to, only 60 percent sent documents for inspection. The gray area of what’s public and what’s protected led to multiple universities withholding documents. Some universities acknowledged the request had been received but failed to send the materials before the report was published. Others didn’t acknowledge the request. Many of the unreleased documents were incident reports or other information the universities deemed protected by FERPA. However, FERPA was amended in 1992 to remove protections of documents held by campus police or security, making it unlawful to cite FERPA when refusing to release information such as a student arrest record or incident report. In 1998, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that “FERPA was not intended to preclude the release of any record simply because the record contained the name of a student. The federal statute was obviously intended to keep private

“Of the 31 schools the paper wrote to, only 60 percent sent documents for inspection.” Last year, the “O’Colly” sent written record requests to 31 Oklahoma public universities asking for campuses’ police reports, incident reports, criminal citations, lists of people with unpaid parking tickets,

those aspects of a student’s education life that relate to academic matters or status of a student.” Even as FERPA is amended and courts rule what is and isn’t protected from re-

quest, some schools continue to cite outdated FERPA laws. Incident information that is both within a student’s personal school files and within a campus security file is often withheld under the assumption it is protected by FERPA. However, its place within campus security files which aren’t protected by FERPA means it may be released in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act. Critics say universities treat compliance with the Open Records Act more as a suggestion than a law. “O’Colly” waited an average of 18 days to receive requested documents, and others have reported bureaucratic and needless delays in receiving their information. Many say these delays can dissuade people from requesting records. Obviously, a school should protect students’ personal information. However, state law demands transparency from its public schools, and the amount of disobedience with which many of these universities respond may represent a larger trend of low transparency. Whether lists of unpaid tickets should be available is to be debated, but campuses too often incorrectly cite FERPA to withhold incident information such as sexual assault rulings. If someone is barred from a university, has been found guilty of an offense or otherwise has sanctions placed on them for one reason or another, that information should be open to the public through campus security offices.

The Collegian: 10

Commentary

26 February 2018

SA springs to wrong idea for Springfest

SA cut Springfest to a single concert this year, excluding students who prefer the other events of past years or who don’t like the singer. Michaela Flonard Managing Editor

Springfest this year consists mostly of a concert. Student Association Executive Director Catherine Aaronson confirmed that the concert, featuring Smallpools and Bebe Rexha, will be the main feature of the festival, without any other events during the week. Of course, Aaronson said the festival is a bit of a “mystery,” meaning SA could randomly add things whenever they feel like it, but here’s the bottom line: Springfest is changing, and not for the better. Hosting only a concert for this year’s Springfest is a disappointing move by SA, who claims that student feedback — some

from her friends — suggested a new format was necessary. Clearly the process of collecting student feedback was not widespread. None of my friends were asked, and all of them have not liked the change. I’ve heard from several people that the other events beside the concert are what they have primarily attended in the past. What’s more, some have said previous concerts have been disappointing. This change seems to be have been made without a lot of input, and not considering the students. Having other events besides the concert is more considerate. A week of events gives students plenty of opportunities to attend Springfest for the year. If the concert isn’t your brand of music or it’s on the wrong day, as it’s generally on a weeknight, when people might have night classes or a test the following day, there’s generally at least one other thing you can show up to. These events have been pretty well attended in the past, causing long lines and delays. Previous attendance doesn’t suggest students dislike other Springfest events; in fact, it suggests the opposite. Bebe Rexha might be more welcome than past artists; she has partnered with artists from a variety of genres. But at her core, she’s still a pop-electronic artist, not necessarily someone with a wide appeal. And while all my professors tell me Wikipedia

is not a reliable source, its entry on her does predominantly mention she’s “best known for her collaborations with other artists.” An artist best known for her duets might not make for an interesting concert by herself. SA’s budget for Springfest also suggests more events should be happening. This year, as with previous years, the organization planned to spend about $100,000 on Springfest. Maybe Rexha is an extremely expensive artist; she’s a little more well-known than Hoodie Allen, who came four years ago, and while I’d argue MisterWives is just as well-known as Rexha, they might’ve been a bit more hipster than her. Of course, I’m not privileged to knowing

day of the concert and they have an awesome, super well-known artist headlining. Not all is bad. The pre-party with the art fair is a neat touch — something cool that local students can attend. But the vague plan behind it doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence. Honestly, this year’s Springfest is dubious, allowing them to change things when they feel like it. Hopefully they change it for the better. As a senior, I wanted a good Springfest before I leave; previous years have featured disappointing artists (except for MisterWives, but that concert was delayed way too long, which made it terrible) and knowing that this year is only a concert doesn’t inspire confidence. I understand the

“As a senior, I wanted a good Springfest before I leave; previous years have featured disappointing artists ...” how much they spent on Rexha, but given that previous years SA has managed to get a halfway-decent artist (especially Panic! At the Disco in 2014) and still have other events, I have to wonder what else they’re doing with the money. Is she really worth that much? Is the pre-party going to be all free stuff? If you’re only doing a concert, get someone amazing, someone worth it. Yes, other colleges only do concerts, but they generally have a little more during the

need to change things up; it’s good, keeps students interested as the times change. But at the same time, maybe get a little more input from the students. Offer some options. Not everyone enjoys a concert; some people might like a movie night or a inflatable race or something else more. That’s valid, and if SA wants to represent all students, they should perhaps consider that a bit more next year.

photos by Greg Diskin

In 2016, the lines for Springfest events snaked around Chapman Commons demonstrating high turnouts for events other than the concert.

AP class credit rewards students for hard work

Many universities are tightening their standards for AP credits, which is a disservice to students’ bank accounts and experience. Nathan Hinkle Student Writer Throughout the country, participation in Advanced Placement classes is on the rise with new students every year being involved in these more difficult courses. Students are not only taking these classes at a higher level but also succeeding at a greater rate as well. According to College Board, the company in charge of AP testing, 1.1 million students in the graduating class of 2016 took at least one AP test in their high school careers. This is around 25,000 more than the year before. Through AP, students are allowed to receive credit for college classes in 23 states across America. However, the influx of students taking these classes have made colleges begin to think about their current AP requirements. According to a study done in 2016 by the Progressive Policy Institute, almost 44 percent of top universities do not accept a 3 on AP exams for credit. The University of Tulsa does take 3s on subjects such as Calculus, Chinese and Statistics. Current AP score requirements for beginning classes may cause problem for future students due to the fact that it may be dangerous for students’ educational development if they skip beginning classes. An attempt by some universities to fix this problem is to raise the point requirement on certain essential classes. This attempt could have its flaws in that students who understand the material but are less skilled in the art of taking tests will be left out. One of the arguments behind the increasing AP score requirements is that it is extremely important that students legitimately understand the material they are passing over. These beginning classes are the foun-

dation of their college experience. If they skip these and do not properly understand the material, they may face problems in later classes, as they don’t have the foundational material to build on in the future. A major example of this is AP English, which allows students to pass a beginning English college class. Through this class, they will learn important things such as academic paper writing or English composition. This knowledge will help them in their future classes, where they are required to use their particular skills in addition to the subject matter included in the class. There may be a sharp difference between the work done in a high school and a college English class. This leaves a potential risk for prospective students, as they may be forced into a situation in which they are not prepared for. The Dean of Faculty of the School and Arts and Sciences of Dartmouth, Michael Mastanduno, stated that Dartmouth’s reason for not accepting AP scores is that “the decision to modify the policy was made to require our students to take full advantage of the faculty expertise and unique academic resources that characterize a Dartmouth educational experience.” While there is no definitive proof regarding this issue, universities could also be raising AP requirements to force students to take more classes and therefore pay more money, in tuition, to the university. In a report done by the Government Accountability Office, GAO, universities are increasingly dependent on school tuition to pay their bills, as

state and federal funds have dried up over the past few years. More students continually skip paying for introductory classes may make universities inclined to raise AP score requirements to support their bottom line. Raising AP scores could also be seen as problematic, as it negatively affects students who are less gifted at taking tests, especially ones as long as AP tests. Two students could have a very similar knowledge of the subject material, but due to a wide variety of circumstances, ranging from test taking ability and economic background to personal wellness, have very different results. Some students who have the knowledge required to skip a step in their college careers are being left out due to the existence of a

balance between AP testing and classroom activity is to require both a baseline AP score as well as a grade. The University of Tulsa has an example of this through the first two musical theory classes. One must achieve a 4 on the AP exam as well as having a B in their high-school class, and vice versa. This allows students to showcase that they are were not only successful on the test but in their classwork too. Unlike AP scores though, class work and grading are not a standardized system across the country, so there could be an imbalance in grades. However, it would still be a potentially beneficial system to fix any worries about foundational knowledge without requiring a 5 on the AP test itself.

“... universities could also be raising AP requirements to force students to take more classes ...” single test. Issues that are outside their control could force them to do worse than their peers. A student could have been sick or was unable to receive enough sleep due to a variety of issues. However, one could argue that students who did bad on an AP test would also do bad in the classes on testing. While there is no perfect solution to the problem, providing a solid baseline would give students who clearly understand the material the credit they deserve for the material they produced. A way that could potentially fix the im-

courtesy the University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa allows a large number of AP scores to be counted for class credit, depending on the score a student recieves on their test.

AP score requirements at universities should not rise, because it would be detrimental to students who worked to achieve those scores. The fear of students ruining their college careers by jumping into classes they are not prepared for can be remedied by a discussion with their professor before the class begins. While this may not be possible in larger state universities due to the class size, these universities could have an event for new students in which they describe the skills required for advancement. At the University of Tulsa, this event could be easily accomplished due to lower class sizes. Most of the largest classes never reach more than 30 people, allowing a preemptive meeting for AP Freshmen and others a valid possibility. Students can then decide themselves whether they feel ready to skip the foundational step or take the class. This promotes a system where the weight of this decision is placed on the student to make for themselves rather than the university taking complete control and determining what is best for the student. The University of Tulsa currently allows students to acquire 36 credit hours throughout all forms of high school advancement, whether that be AP testing, International Baccalaureate or language proficiencies. In addition, transfer students wanting to receive credits for their AP scores must have passed TU’s AP requirements rather than one’s previous school requirements.

Variety

Best Picture nominees summed up

26 February 2018

The upcoming 90th Academy Awards have a strong roster of Best Picture nominees, briefly summarized and detailed here. Emma Palmer Student Writer Trenton Gibbons News Editor “Call Me By Your Name”

wig for Directing; Writing (Original Screenplay). Also Features: Thrift stores, high school musicals, Catholic nuns, me bawling my eyes out at the end. Did You Know: Greta Gerwig is the only female director nominated for an Oscar this year, and the fifth women ever to be nominated in this category. You Should See It If You: Want to see a well-done coming-of-age story written and directed by a woman.

The Collegian: 11

once again playing a supporting character and not a lead, finger horror, eggs. Did You Know: Director Guillermo Del Toro said that if “The Shape Of Water” had flopped, he would have retired from directing due to the personal nature of the film. You Should See It If You: Are sad at the state of monsters being typecast as villains and want to see one as the sexy hero. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

“Get Out”

courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

courtesy Sony Pictures Classics

What It’s About: A teen on the cusp of manhood falls in love with his father’s male research assistant over the course of the summer in Italy. Other Nominations: Actor in a Leading Role, Timothée Chalamet; Music (Original Song), “Mystery Of Love”; Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Also Features: Ancient Grecian sculpture, peaches, the Italian countryside, fatherly advice, reading books moodily. Did You Know: Timothee Chalamet learned piano and Italian for the role of Elio. You Should See It If You: Are a fan of Sufjan Stevens and can get past the fact that Timothee Chalamet looks like a baby while Armie Hammer looks like a man. “The Post” What It’s About: Based on a true story, “The Post” follows one newspaper’s struggle to publish the truth about the Vietnam War, even in the midst of a large-scale government cover-up. Other Nominations: Meryl Streep for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Also Features: Briefcases, Meryl Streep being the only woman in the room most of the time, telephone dialogue, intense situations you already know the ending to, entrepreneurial children. Did You Know: The film was rushed into production due to the timely nature of its message. You Should See It If You: Are looking to be inspired and mildly entertained. “Lady Bird” What It’s About: A teen navigates her final year of high school, balancing friendships, first loves, college applications and her relationship with her mother. Other Nominations: Saoirse Ronan for Actress in a Leading Role; Laurie Metcalf for Actress in a Supporting Role; Greta Ger-

courtesy Universal Pictures

What It’s About: A black man visits his white girlfriend’s family for a weekend, but things are not as they seem. Other Nominations: Daniel Kaluuya for Actor in a Leading Role; Jordan Peele for Directing; Writing (Original Screenplay). Also Features: Deer, a new outlook on TSA, the most messed-up game of Bingo ever. Did You Know: It was filmed in 23 days. You Should See It If You: Want to be culturally relevant, wished you could have voted for Obama a third time or are just in the mood for a really good movie. “The Shape Of Water”

What It’s About: A woman enraged by the unsolved rape and murder of her daughter rents three billboards to publicize her outrage against the local law enforcement. Other Nominations: Frances McDormand for Actress in a Leading Role; Sam Rockwell for Actor in a Supporting Role; Woody Harrelson for Actor in a Supporting Role; Film Editing, Music (Original Score); Writing (Original Screenplay). Also Features: Arson, corrupt cops, some small-town charm, good people doing bad things to each other, Midwestern accents. Did You Know: Caleb Landry Jones, who plays the manager of a small advertising firm, also starred in the Oscar-nominated “Get Out”. You Should See It If You: Want to see an emotionally effective redemption film with a good sense of humor. “Dunkirk”

“The Darkest Hour” What It’s About: Amidst the escalation of conflict in World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill struggles to find the right course of action for Britain. Other Nominations: Gary Oldman for Actor in a Leading Role; Costume Design; Cinematography; Production Design; Makeup. Also Features: That girl from “Baby Driver,” a pretty convincing fat-suit, characters from “The King’s Speech” depicted negatively, very little color, a Teddy Roosevelt cameo. Did You Know: Gary Oldman is the sixth actor to play Winston Churchill who also starred in the Harry Potter film franchise. You Should See It If You: Have the patience and interest for another biopic about a World War II leader, and maybe a generic biopic at that. “The Phantom Thread”

courtesy Focus Features

courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

What It’s About: A mute janitor develops a strong connection to a strange fish-like creature being held in captivity in a secret government facility. Other Nominations: Sally Hawkins for Actress in a Leading Role; Richard Jenkins for Actor in a Supporting Role; Octavia Spencer for Actress in a Supporting Role; Cinematography; Costume Design; Guillermo Del Toro for Directing; Film Editing, Music (Original Score); Production Design; Sound Editing; Sound Mixing; Writing (Original Screenplay). Also Features: Cold War-era Russian spies, flooded bathrooms, Octavia Spencer

Also Features: Harry Styles, a confusing and non-chronological sequence of events, Mad Max a really contagious phobia of drowning. Did You Know: Veterans who had survived the events of Dunkirk complained that the film’s soundtrack was louder than the actual bombardment. You Should See It If You: Want to see a sweeping but contained military epic that attempts to capture the horrors of groundlevel combat.

courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

What It’s About: Surrounded by German forces, Allied forces struggle to cross the English Channel, while civilian vessels are called to aid their escape from northern France. Other Nominations: Christopher Nolan for Best Director; Film Editing; Music (Original Score); Cinematography; Sound Mixing; Production Design; Sound Editing.

What It’s About: In Post-War London, an acclaimed dressmaker’s life is disrupted by his fixation on a young woman. Other Nominations: Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor in a Leading Role; Lesley Manville for Actress in a Supporting Role; Paul Thomas Anderson for Best Director; Music (Original Score); Costume Design. Also Features: Hallucinations, Belgian royalty, Daniel Day Lewis method-acting, age disparity in a relationship and the economy of dress. Did You Know: This is, supposedly, Daniel Day Lewis’ final film before he retires. He previously worked with director Paul Thomas Anderson in “There Will Be Blood.” You Should See It If You: Have a dramatic interest in dark and unconventional romance stories.

Nonfiction to read if curious about ______ Editor-in-Chief Kayleigh Thesenvitz weighs in with three nonfiction books to read if you’re curious about female empowerment, global warming or poverty. If you’re curious about Native American history and female empowerment: “Cherokee Women in Crisis” by Carolyn Ross Johnston

to meet men and marrying and divorcing at will. Women owned the homes. Women worked in the fields. One observer quoted in the book that he never saw a Cherokee man ever hit or even raise his voice at a woman. The crux of the book is how removal on the Trail of Tears, the American Civil War and allotment of native lands profoundly impacted Cherokee society. Throughout the century of genocide, Cherokee women suffered a serious blow to their power and influence. Survival and the maintenance of culture has never been so hard-fought. If you’re curious about human environmental impact beyond global warming: “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History” by Elizabeth Kolbert

how scientists across the globe are documenting the mass extinction of species happening right before our eyes. Did you know that the Panamanian golden frog, which was once so prolific that it was a tourist attraction, has now been reduced to a less than 1,000 living in tanks in around the world? And none have been recorded in the wild since 2009? It’s not just Panama. Frog and toad populations have crashed all over the world. In 1844, a species of penguin called the great auk was wiped out in Iceland. The human carbon dioxide output has increased ocean acidity by 30 percent since 1800, ruining marine life habitats. These are only some of the extinctions humans are directly responsible for, and you can read more in this book. If you’re curious about life in rural, poverty-stricken America: “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” by J.D. Vance

courtesy University Alabama Press

The best way to introduce this book is to quote its opening sentence: “In February 1757, the great Cherokee leader Attakullakulla arrived in South Carolina to negotiate trade agreements with the governor and was shocked to find that no white women were present.” Traditionally, Cherokee women were equal to Cherokee men in the home, culture and even in the politics of the tribe. Cherokee women were once sexually autonomous, dancing provocatively in public

courtesy Henry Holt and Co.

A Pulitzer Prize winner, “The Sixth Extinction” chronicles in painstakingly scientific and heartbreakingly dramatic detail

courtesy HarperCollins

You may have a different reading of this book than I did. For me, Vance’s description of his childhood in the Appalachian Mountains stuck out as a nearly perfect mirror to my own childhood and the lives of many of my closest friends growing up in rural Oklahoma. This book was #1 on the “New York Times” bestseller list and was named by the “Times” as one of “6 books to help understand Trump’s win.” If you have been so lucky as to never experience poverty, Vance’s searing personal account will bring incite. If, like me, you grew up in a single-parent trailer house with more step and half-siblings than fingers on your hands, it will move you to tears. One of three main criticisms leveled at the book is the focus on the plight of white culture without acknowledging the much more long-lasting and systemic plight of black people. The second criticism, leveled primarily by his fellow rust-belt Americans, is that he overgeneralizes, making everyone seem trashier than they actually are. The third is best encapsulated in the 1-star Amazon review that says, “Self gratifying and narcissistic are the only words to describe J.D. Yance,” presumably because he spends the book talking about his own challenges and how he has overcome them. To each of these criticisms I really have only one thing to say … it’s his personal memoir. He is entitled to tell his life story as he sees fit. I, for one, enjoyed it.

Variety

The Collegian: 12

26 February 2018

Oscar-nominated animated and live action shorts

Animated and live action shorts nominated for Oscars face strong competition this year. Hannah Kloppenburg Web Manager

Animated Shorts

“Dear Basketball” — Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant, USA In light of his retirement, “Dear Basketball” is an illustrated love letter from Kobe Bryant to basketball. This short was incredibly visually appealing thanks to the gorgeous hand-drawn illustrations of Glen Keane, which brought Bryant’s childhood dreams of being a basketball star to life. The film also features an emotionally delivered narration by Bryant himself and music by John Williams — the sweeping soundtrack is slightly over-the-top but ultimately fitting for a sports star’s soliloquy. “Negative Space” — Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata, France This claymation piece is based on a poem and deals with the death of the narrator’s father, who traveled often for work. The father and son bonded through the ritual of packing his suitcase for these journeys. The claymation format provided ample room for artistic license, with the luggage packing itself and at one point transforming into a sea of swimming dress shirts and tube-sock seaweed. Upon the father’s death, the son wryly notes the wasted space around his father, “packed” in his coffin. This short was artistically solid, but felt detached, and I didn’t find it to be particularly emotionally moving despite the subject matter. “Lou” — Dave Mullins and Dana Murray, USA This is a Disney/Pixar short with the duo’s characteristic animation style and charm. Lou is a friendly monster who lives in the lost & found at a school playground (an adorable concept) and is made of various lost & found items (sweatshirts, baseballs for googly eyes, a tennis racket arm, etc.). The Muppet-like monster stands up to a schoolyard bully who’s been stealing his classmates’ toys. Typical Disney/Pixar antics ensue. This short was exactly what I would expect from Disney/Pixar. It was cute, tugged on my heartstrings a bit and artistically was indistinguishable from any other D/P project.

“Revolting Rhymes” — Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer, UK This short is based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name and is a vaguely gruesome but still kid-friendly re-imagining of various fairy tales. The Roald Dahl book contains a number of short stories about Snow White, Red Riding Hood and other famous characters, all with twists (Red Riding Hood, for example, becomes a vigilante wolf killer, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves bet on horse races in the city). The movie version weaves these tales into one 30-minute cohesive story. The 3D-modeled animation attempted to mimic the characteristic art style of Quentin Blake, which sometimes worked very well and sometimes fell flat. I almost think it would have done better in an illustrated style. The ending is the only part I disliked, as it was notably distinct from the book.

Michaela Flonard Managing Editor Gilcrease Museum every so often hosts “After Dark” events, a chance for the Tulsa community to visit the museum for free, generally with some interactive component and a new exhibit. This past week featured the museum’s new Norman Rockwell exhibit, which will be shown until June. The night offered a chance to look at the newest gallery, a “classic cocktail” making demonstration and some food/wine opportunities. Even with the heavy rain, the museum was packed with people, ranging in age from kids to older adults. Because of the number, tours of the gallery were staggered by time. The gallery was tucked into the back of the museum and was a wonderful tour through the life of America’s most well-known and influential recent artists. The Norman Rockwell Museum and curator Ron Schick organized the gallery. Through photos Rockwell used as inspiration and the final product, the gallery sheds light on Rockwell’s process of creating a “Saturday Evening Post” cover and other artwork. It also details Rockwell’s life and those he worked with. Learning about Rockwell’s process was fascinating. He relied heavily on live models and required them to remain still while he drew or painted. He then referenced photographs, which required hundreds of photos over the years. Rockwell would then combine parts of each photograph for the final product, taking an expression from one and a pose from another. Using photographs allowed him to get every detail of a scene or

“DeKalb Elementary” — Reed Van Dyk This film was particularly jarring in light of the recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A gunman enters DeKalb Elementary and holds the school hostage, not intending to harm its inhabitants but rather intending to lure police to the school to kill them. The receptionist, who is actually just standing in for her coworker’s lunch break, talks the gunman and the 911 operator through the situation. It’s incredibly tense, morally ambiguous and very unsettling. “The Silent Child” — Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton, UK, 20 minutes

“Garden Party” — Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon, France

courtesy Slick Films

courtesy Sève Films

This was my favorite animated short by far. “Garden Party” follows the antics of various frogs that have invaded a house. The viewer chuckles as the frogs chase each other through the rooms of the house, break into a jar of macarons and chase butterflies through the backyard. At the same time, unsettling details begin to present themselves — is that a bullet hole in the home’s security camera? Why is there rotting food in the kitchen? The answer reveals itself in the film’s gruesome ending. I was struck by this short’s gorgeous hyper-realistic animation. I’m so unaccustomed to seeing digital animation that doesn’t imitate a Disney-like cartoonish design, but the animators who created “Garden Party” captured everything down to the dust motes floating through the abandoned house. The film’s plot built well, the music didn’t overshadow the sound effects of the frogs and various sounds of the empty home and the ending was perfectly timed.

Gilcrease engages guests with “After Dark” event The event showcased the museum’s newest gallery on Norman Rockwell’s work, gave cocktail demonstrations and brought Tulsans of all ages together.

Live Action Shorts

person, so that his paintings look extremely realistic. In fact, as signage revealed, sometimes editors didn’t believe his paintings were based on real people, as they were so full of expression, to which Rockwell would pull out his photo inspiration. The gallery collected many of Rockwell’s art, some well-known, some not. Generally, with each cover or large piece came one or more of the photos Rockwell used as models, along with commentary by Rockwell or others on the piece. Some also showed the same cover and larger painting together, which allowed for a better examination of detail. Studying a cover revealed hidden details, and each cover told a succinct story that was understandable even without a sign. Some were heartwarming, some funny, some sad. The most moving pieces came after Rockwell moved on from the “Saturday Evening Post.” Two were social commentary. “The Problem We All Live With” showed a black girl being escorted to school by several policemen, with racial epithets and fruit thrown at her, and “New Kids in the Neighborhood (Negro in the Suburbs)” depicted black children in a neighborhood being stared at by white children, but their baseball gear implies they will soon be friends. Such images would’ve been unheard of while at the “Post,” which even forced Rockwell to remove any black person not in a service job. At the end of the gallery was a spot for people to put themselves into a “Post” cover or a Rockwell painting, a cute end to the gallery. After the gallery, the Gilcrease also offered short lessons on cocktails. These were given by someone from the Vault, a downtown bar and eatery. The audience learned how to create a whiskey sour, a classic martini and a few other drinks in short demonstrations that were easy to follow. Watching the bartender make a drink was a comfortable end to a great event.

“...[E]ditors didn’t believe his paintings were based on real people, as they were so full of expression.”

This British film focuses on Libby, a young girl who is deaf and doesn’t communicate well. Her family hires a specialist named Joanne to improve her communication skills before she starts school. Joanne makes significant progress in communicating with Libby through sign language; however, her family is busy, and Libby lacks the attention she needs. Her mother eventually fires Joanne, determined that Libby will do just fine in school by lip-reading without special accommodations. A message at the end of the short informs the viewer that 90 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents, and 78 percent attend mainstream school with no specialist support. The filmmakers’ goal is for sign language to be recognized in schools and for appropriate accommodations to be provided for deaf children. The whole movie is subtitled, which I realized was likely a very intentional decision. It was moving and worked effectively to raise awareness for an issue that I, for one, had no idea existed. “My Nephew Emmett” — Kevin Wilson, Jr., USA, 20 minutes Set in 1955, this short depicts the abduction and lynching of Emmett Till from the

perspective of his uncle Mose Wright. Emmett is visiting his aunt and uncle from Chicago and allegedly flirts with a white woman at the store. Later that night, her husband and his half-brother forcibly enter Wright’s home and take Emmett away at gunpoint. The scene closes with the two men driving Emmett away from his family’s house in their truck. It’s terrifying because as events unfold, you can see the absolute panic and utter helplessness in Wright’s face as he realizes what is to happen to his nephew and that he can do nothing to prevent it. The short ends with what I presume to be real footage of Mose Wright — he famously later testified against Emmett’s killers, which was a first in civil rights law. “The Eleven O’Clock” — Derin Seale and Josh Lawson, Australia, 13 minutes “The Eleven O’Clock” has a very vintage feel to it, appearing to be set in the ‘60s or ‘70s. In this short, a psychiatrist receives a patient who has delusions of grandeur and thinks that he himself is a psychiatrist. The normal secretary has been replaced with a temp, and no one is able to identify the real psychiatrist. Shenanigans ensue, with the two supposed psychiatrists fighting for control of the appointment. This short was wellexecuted, with perfect comedic timing, and refreshingly light-hearted compared to the heavier subject matter of some of the other nominations. “Watu Wote/All of Us” — Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen, Germany, 22 minutes Arguably my favorite of the live-action shorts, “Watu Wote” is a based on a true story and follows a Christian woman traveling on a bus from Nairobi, Kenya, to Mandera, Somalia. The film’s introduction informs us that the border between Kenya and Somalia is particularly dangerous, with Christians regularly attacked by Al-Shabaab terrorists. The protagonist’s son and husband were killed by these terrorists. Her bus loses its police escort and is attacked by Muslim extremists, at which point the woman’s Muslim seat companion protects her by covering her in a spare burqa, and the other Muslim riders refuse to sell out their Christian companions to the terrorists. The film was heartwrenching and well-developed, a testament to the enduring nature of human compassion. It’s dedicated to Salah Farah, a teacher on the bus who was wounded protecting the other riders and died several weeks later.

Tulsa Opera proves its continued relavance

Tulsa Opera’s recent performance of “The Stars Align” proved entertaining even for those unfamiliar with opera but also demonstrated opera still has some tricks up its sleeve. Amber Bunnag-Stoner Distribution Manager

On February 17, 2018, Tulsa Opera hosted an elegant one-night-only gala and concert, “The Stars Align,” at the Performing Arts Center. The opera company celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, making it the 12th oldest in the country — an impressive but little-known fact about Tulsa! The show was intended to demonstrate the wide variety of styles, genres and subjects that opera and vocal music as a whole can display, to prove that “opera isn’t just for your grandma.” “The Stars Align” starred world-famous mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, a Grammy winner who played the titular character in the New York Metropolitan Opera’s “The Merry Widow” just last month. Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Graham has traveled around the world enchanting audiences with her powerful voice, performing also with the Paris Opera and the Vienna State Opera (to name a couple). The anniversary concert also featured Tulsa’s own “silver-voiced soprano” Sarah Coburn, who has performed extensively with the Tulsa Opera, the New York City Opera and the Los Angeles Opera, as well as Aaron Blake, a tenor who has also performed all over the country and the world. Tulsa Opera is extremely lucky to have such well-trained, famous performers. Classic opera pieces, from “Manon,” “Lucia di Lammermoor” and “La Traviata,” for example, were performed at the show alongside more contemporary pop music and musical theater pieces, like “I Will Always Love You,” “The Sound of Music” and “For Good” from “Wicked.” The kids of Tulsa Youth Opera even made an appearance to perform an absolutely adorable, and catchy as always, rendition of Toto’s “Af-

rica.” All of the vocalists returned to the stage at the very end to lead the audience in a rousing sing-along of the Finale from “Oklahoma!” to which I still don’t know the words. It was incredible to hear opera sung alongside pop music and musical theater. Each new performance was dramatically different from the last, but they all blended beautifully and satisfyingly, reminding the audience what music is all about. Music serves many practical purposes: it gives us a way to express our feelings, unite a group, or simply entertain. It’s been around as long as humans have, and we keep coming up with new ways to make it bigger and better. Rachel Wallis, a soprano who performs at the University of Tulsa and has worked closely with the Tulsa Opera over the past several years, describes opera as “the pinnacle of human ability” — it combines difficult singing and projection techniques that require years of training with dance, composition, storytelling and orchestra. To people who aren’t very familiar with or interested in opera, she says, “Don’t knock it till you try it!” There are hundreds, thousands of operas out there, and it’s certainly possible to find one that speaks to you if you just make the effort to look for it. It’s tragic that many people in the United States aren’t interested in seeing operas nowadays; this has resulted in the closing of opera companies all over the nation, as well as the Tulsa Opera having to cut down from three operas a year to two from 2015 to 2017. This is the same reason that funding for the arts is being cut in public schools: it’s seen as unnecessary, auxiliary to life rather than essential. But the fact is that people love listening to stories. We always have. Thankfully, the amazing Tulsa Opera is going to be okay. At the “Stars Align” concert, it was announced that the 2018-19 season will once again feature three operas: “The Barber of Seville,” “The Little Prince” and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” which is one of the most-performed operas ever and whose message continues to speak to modern audiences despite the fact that it’s approaching its 231st birthday.

Variety

26 February 2018

Jini Kim and Mike Teal pieces in MFA/MA gallery Showcased in their Masters’ galleries, Jini Kim’s work stands out with its conservative use of color and Mike Teal’s pottery ranges from the simple to the complex. Conner Maggio Student Writer “My Rat Problem” by Jini Kim is an assortment of canvas paintings featuring a comic and grotesque rat. The paintings themselves are interesting in that there are usually two main colors, one for shadows and one for highlights. They tend to be colors that contrast in some sort of way, like blue for the highlights and orange for the shadows. Some of her paintings have her signature or logo for this gallery, which is like a seal used in East Asian art, but with “Jini Kim” stylized onto it. In these paintings, there are several movie and pop culture references, specifically action and horror films. The rat predominantly featured in Jini Kim’s work “came out of a personal nightmare, an allusion to a horrendous ex and finally into a symbol of masculine chaos,” according to the artist, and one can infer from her art the rat’s allusion to an attack on women from this toxic masculinity. The paintings reflect dealing with this rat and interacting with it through the viewpoint of a woman, especially as an Asian woman. In her artist statement, Kim writes, “Being an Asian woman often casts this expectation to be either a fetish, obedient, loyal, submissive, weak, dependent or a model minority type,” a slew of reasons for the rat’s presence in her work. Kim adds that, “Colored women in general are exploited for their bodies and a quest to conquer, creating a hostile and dangerous environment between men and women,”

The Collegian: 13

further explaining the symbolism found in her work. The color contrast in her work gives the pieces a visually-appealing uniqueness. It’s these bold colors that let the paintings work so well. The comic and grotesque nature in the rat is fascinating and gives the art charm. Personally, my favorite piece of her gallery was “Pretty in Pink,” one of the earlier pieces in the gallery. It sets the tone for the rest of the paintings that follow, introducing this disgusting rat and Kim herself. All the colors are done in a warm pink with outlines in black.

“Contain/Convey” by Mike Teal is a set of pieces that revolves mainly around modern pottery, stoneware and art deco. The pottery and stonework are pretty diverse artistically, developing more in complexity the farther you go into the gallery, from white pottery with ink, to terracotta, to stoneware, to cracked glaze pots. The wall pieces, made with slip cast clay, are these cool geometric deco-style tiles that keeps the viewer looking. “Tulsa Deco” in particular is really eye-catching, and it’s geometric style makes it a fun piece that grabs attention. “Terra Bottle Family,” in that same vein, is simple, yet masterfully made. The style of these jars is reminiscent of some older pottery, but the flat top openings give a much more recent vibe. In addition, the beautiful colors and refinement give it a nice, new twist. “Deco Pot” is a sort of combination of the pieces previously mentioned; it has a pleasing, modern color palette, with lines and traditional art. The pot itself is one of the most different and eye-catching pieces of his work in this gallery. It is unique in that most of his other jars tend to be more classic, whereas this combines the two styles he works with in a meaningful way.

“Fear and Loathing in Seoul, Tulsa” by Jini Kim shows the role Kim’s rat plays in her art.

photos by Conner Maggio

“Lament,” “Amen” and “The Anti-climax” by Kim display a series, from which one piece is missing.

Typhoon’s “Offerings” a concept album on memory

“Jude’s Star” by Mike Teal displays his expansive application of ceramics.

courtesy National Public Radio

Typhoon’s new record is notable for its wispy segments of sound interspersed with brief bursts.

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business & advertising manager

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social media & web manager

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@TUCollegian

The Collegian is the student newspaper of the University of Tulsa. It is distributed Mondays during the fall and spring semesters, except during holidays and final exam weeks. The University of Tulsa does not discriminate on the basis of personal status or group characteristics including but not limited to the classes protected under federal and state law. Inquiries regarding implementation of this policy may be addressed to the Office of Human Resources, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-9700, (918)631-2616. Requests for accomodation of disabilities may be addressed to the university’s 504 Coordinator, Dr. Tawny Rigsby, (918)631-3814. To ensure availability of an interpeter, five to seven days notice is needed; 48 hours is recommended for all other accomodations. Advertising Policy: Advertising appearing in this publication does not imply approval or endorsement by the University of Tulsa or the Collegian for the products or services advertised. For advertising information, email the Collegian at advertising@tucollegian.org. The deadline for advertising is noon on the Friday proir to publication. Letter Policy: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words and can be sent to tucollegian@tucollegian.org. Under no circumstances will anonymous letters be published. The name of the person submitting the letter must be published with the letter. We reserve the right to edit or reject all letters. The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication. Editing Policy: The Collegian reserves the right to edit all copy submitted by all writers. This editing may take place in many forms, including grammar corrections, changes in paragraph structure or even the addition or removal of sections of content. Editorial Policy: Columnists are solely responsible for the content of their columns. Opinions expressed in columns may not represent the opions of the Collegian staff, the administrative policies of the University of Tulsa, the views of the student body or our advertisers.

The rock band explores memory loss by way of musical soundscape in their fourth studio album. Emma Palmer Student Writer

“Listen. Of all the things that you’re about to lose, this will be the most painful.” Thus begins Typhoon’s fourth studio album “Offerings,” a concept album that traces the lines of memory loss in dark acoustic crooning. Kyle Morton, the lead singer and lyricist of Typhoon, has described “Offerings” as “a record from the perspective of a mind losing its memory at precisely the same time the world is willfully forgetting its history … with no past and no future, there is only suffocating, annihilating present, looping on and on.” Typhoon makes this concept — that time is irrelevant, and the present is on loop — manifest within “Offerings” through melodic themes they introduce and then bring back with a sad sort of redemption. Representing memory loss through song is an ingenious idea, as the medium is infinitely well-suited to it, and Typhoon delivers on the promise of the concept, rambling with glimmers of recognition only in the briefest moments. Morton deftly pulls together literary references and melodic themes in a multilayered soundscape, dark and foreboding. Past Typhoon albums illustrated that the band is no stranger to more classical symphonic arrangements, and he brings those storytelling and dynamics into “Offerings.” “Offerings” has a sort of richness that rewards the patient listener, like the song

“Wake.” The track fades out with the gibberish chant “Asa Nisi Masa,” a mnemonic device that alludes to Federico Fellini’s 1963 film “8 ½.” The film entwines reality with fantasy in a manner very tangibly similar to the protagonist of “Offerings,” who is lost in waves of the forgotten and webs of the remembered. This motif returns later, suggesting that the protagonist is clinging to some faint strand of memory. “Unusual” features restless voices in the background while Morton softly sings of redemption in a bloody river, perhaps an allusion both to the Old Testament’s plague of water turning into blood and the New Testament rite of baptism. The complexity of “Offerings” makes it infinitely re-listenable while simultaneously requiring a time investment to appreciate fully. Narratively, “Offerings” is bleak yet poetic in its truth. It’s an extensive story that feels more like an epic told through song than anything else. In “Ariadne,” Morton describes the process of unraveling memory with the line “The spiral is unspooling,” and “Offerings” does just this, slowly unspooling tangles and snags, with echoes from other songs lyrically weaving their way back into the plot. The result is a labor of love that examines the murky shadows of who the protagonist was and who they are now. This makes the hidden track “Afterparty” feel like the redemption of all that went before. Slowly and softly, the protagonist fades blissfully into soft noise in “Sleep,” and then, moments later, there are cheers of welcome and bright lights in pure sound form: “You shed your clothes, you jump the boat and join us in the river,” sings a chorus of voices, and you swear you can hear them smiling.

The State-Run Media

26 February 2018

the

State-Run media Only listens to Soulja-Core

Art major tired of explaining what art is to ENS majors

State-Run writer presents her method for explaining art to engineering students. Madison Connell Swings both ways

A TU ENS student completely confused by art.

graphic by Madeline Woods

What exact day and time will you die? (Quiz!) Conner Maggio Fortune Teller/Starbucks barista

There are many questions we have to ask ourselves as humans. Why are we here? What are we supposed to do with our gift of life? What used car should I buy? But with these questions, there is one that trumps them all: when can I be done with this shit? Well worry not, take the quiz and find out! 1. What quality are you best known for? a. Tenacity. b. Hubris. c. Honesty. 2. It’s a night with the boys. What sport are you all playing? a. We’re just gonna go swimming in the lake. b. Good ol’ American cage death match. c. Wrestling, of course! 3. What was your most life-shaping experience? a. Visiting the best taco truck at three a.m. while drunk b. Seeing my enemies driven before me. c. My mother dying of milk sickness. 4. What kind of family life do you want? a. I’ll decide that later, maybe after I take the quiz that predicts my death. b. I want to marry the strongest person I can find. c. A spouse and three kids. 5. Ideal place to live? a. In the forest, preferably in a box or shack of some sort. b. A medieval style castle. c. A log cabin would be nice. 6. How do you dress to impress? a. I put on a dress shirt that I have never ironed, or even really washed. b. Lots of leather. c. Accenting my outfit with a fancy hat. 7. What does your ideal night on the town look like? a. Just gonna grab some brewskis with the boys.

b. It always ends up in an alley. c. Dinner and a show. 8. What’s your ideal job? a. The fuck is a job? b. Monster hunter by day, bouncer by night. c. President of the United States. 9. What was your first real “adult” job? a. Vagabond. b. Weapons manufacturing associate. c. Lawyer. 10. How do you want to be remembered? a. Not at all; I want to immediately be forgotten. b. As a badass. c. I want my name on everything from postage stamps to the capital of Nebraska.

Mostly A: Unfortunately, you’re a two dimensional character that will be killed first. The best you can hope for is a surprise redemption, where the first attack didn’t actually kill you and you heroically stall the monster. The moviegoers will know that it was just shitty writing but will appreciate the badass nature of the character regardless. 11:30 p.m., October 31, 2020. Mostly B: You’ll probably live forever, ha ha ha just kidding. You die in the year 2094 4:43 p.m. on August 4. As you die from old age, your family is gathered around your hospital bed, weeping. They all knew this day would come. Unfortunately as you did not die in some cave battling demons, they are a little disappointed in you. Sure, you did plenty of badass things; those were appreciated certainly. But not having one final badass character arc before you go made you look like a pansy. I mean, your family still loves you, but they just wanted something a little more action-packed. Mostly C: 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865, is when you died, as 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln. You die by the hands of an angry theater major, who was mad at you for not being racist enough.

As someone who is bi-collegiate in the ENS and A&S college, not a day goes by where an engineering student doesn’t question my existence. Just yesterday, when I mentioned how I am also in the Arts and Science College, a classmate, Clark Johnson, remarked, “Wait, there are majors outside of Kep?” After I inform the ENS students of the other colleges, I usually pull out the campus map I keep stashed in my backpack for such occasions. This never fails to blow away these sun deprived individuals who haven’t walked past Rayzor since their freshman year. I’m so used to their questions that I’ve memorized an entire speech. Still, no matter how many times I point out how TU has an entire building dedicated to art, I still haven’t gotten used to the question, “What’s an art?” When I first got this question, I didn’t know how to respond. What is art? Should I Facebook message my art instructor, or is this a problem to bring up to my philosophy professor during our weekly Kumbaya? None of my strategies come close to making the ENS students understand. I try rea-

“Yes, but where is the van going, what’s its mass and at what velocity...”

Student sends school-wide email promoting his SoundCloud Those who clicked the link said that Carson Mencher’s SoundCloud wasn’t even good. Adam Lux Head Propagandist “This is a violation of the sacred trust between SA and students, or something like that,” said junior Maddy Garfunkel in reference to last week’s schoolwide email sent by senior SA member Carson Mencher. The email in question was sent Monday morning and was titled, “Student Association: Extremely Important! Open Immediately!” However, the email’s content was neither important nor time sensitive. It read as follows: “Hey everybody, it’s ya boi Carson Mencher. In case you’re one of the like five students on campus that doesn’t know me I’m a MechE major by day and sick EDM artist by night. Peep my soundcloud https:// soundcloud.com/getinmycarson. I’m only 95 followers away from 100! Mencher out!” The email also had a misused Kermit sipping tea meme template that said, “My soundcloud is dope, but that’s none of my business.” Reactions to this email varied. Some students felt it mislead students, others found the email amusing. Most simply ignored it. One person who was definitely not

Mencher’s misused Kermit meme from the email.

graphic by Madeline Woods

soning with them, asking if they have heard of such greats as Van Gogh. “Yes, but where is the van going, what’s its mass and at what velocity is it going in meters per second?” they reply. The simplest definition I can think of is to say art is “expressing yourself.” When I told this to one student, junior Jamie Shelton, she said, “Oh, like complaining about how much harder my major is than yours?” What I usually do next is pull out a carton of crayons, which I always carry on me since it’s one of my degree requirements and draw whatever I’m feeling particularly artsy about that day. Then, I hand them the utensil and tell them to draw what they feel. One student drew a calculus formula in an angry red color, another drew a stick figure and yet another time a professor just drew a frowny face next to one of his student’s test grades. It’s tiring to explain something so essential to my being. I graphically designed awareness signs and even made a post on my art-based aesthetic Tumblr. I’ve hit my breaking point. It’s decided. I’m going to create outfit entirely out of popular art pieces, sew the word “Art” across my chest in all-caps Comic Sans, and then dance through the Samson Plaza fountain. Maybe that will convince enough STEM students to finally stop the obsessive questioning. Catch me at 4:20 p.m. this Wednesday to experience live art.

amused was President Clancy. “Dammit, I was going to shill my SoundCloud in my weekly email. Now I’ll look like a copycat,” he reportedly said after reading Mencher’s email. “It’s just an email, I’m not sure what everyone is freaking out about,” said Mencher’s friend Danny Coeman. “His SoundCloud is awesome! He uploaded this really dope Wii-mix. You should check it out.” The song in question is a remix of 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” with sounds from Nintendo’s Wii console added into it. Multiple sources have claimed that the song is certainly not dope. Mencher refused an interview but, in an email correspondence, claimed that “everyone loved that email, I’m the best email writer. They say I write the best emails.” He also added a link to his Gaia Online profile during this correspondence. “SA members pushing their own agendas under the guise of important SA information is a breach of ethics,” said Garfunkel. “Think of the chaos that will ensue if we let this behavior go unreprimanded. Plus his SoundCloud is, like, totally lame. He just has a bunch of meme songs on it.” There has been no word from SA or TU Administration on whether Mencher will face any disciplinary action. No more school-wide emails have been sent at this time. While y’all here check out my Insta xXx_ KaminaFan1995_xXx and like my good guy greg meme. It’s almost at 100 likes! Thnx!

“His SoundCloud is awesome! He uploaded this really dope Wii-mix.”