13 April 2015

Bringing back the prairie, p. 8

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Osage County provides a haven for almost 3,000 American bison. To learn more, see p. 8. This week’s cover is a relief print made for the Collegian by printmaker and TU alum Leigh Taylor.

The Collegian: 2

Do not be alarmed: LRAD Corp. demos notification system The LRAD corporation demonstrated its Mobile Mass Notification System to TU administrators on April 6, alarming some students.

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Apprentice Editor Last Monday, a loud voice sounded across campus mid-afternoon, repeating phrases such as “this is a drill” and “one, two, three…” An investigation promptly started to find its source.

The obnoxious noise that could be heard from the Reynolds Center to University Square Apartments was simply a sales pitch to TU’s Director of Campus Security from the LRAD Corporation. It was a demo of the company’s Mobile Mass Notification System.

The acronym LRAD stands for Long Range Acoustic Device.

Students who were walking around campus at roughly 3:30 p.m. were shocked and confused.

Freshman Braden Turner said, “The counting terrified me!”

The Director of Campus Security, Joe Timmons, said if the University were to look into this product, it would only be as an enhancement to the current system.

“I probably have three or four vendors a week that come trying to sell the latest and greatest thing that’s out there,” said Timmons.

The vast majority of these tests don’t interrupt the daily lives of students.

Timmons said some vendors are impressed by the security systems that the University already has in place.

“It goes from a sales pitch to, ‘Hey! Can I use you guys as a showroom of what other clients could be doing,’” Timmons bragged.

The LRAD Corporation is also doing business with the City of Muskogee according to a Channel 6 report. Muskogee plans to use their devices for emergency weather alerts.

The university has not made plans to purchase the system from LRAD, and even if they do, the ominous counting won’t become a regular thing.

News

13 April 2015

Kyle Walker / Collegian The LRAD Corporation brought a trailer-mounted long-range acoustic device (LRAD) for an on-campus demonstration. Director of Campus Security Joe Timmons and Executive Vice President Kevan Buck attended. This device has an effective range of 850 meters.

Chinese students prepare to perform at Int’l Night

Backstage at Sunday’s International Night, a group of Chinese students prepared before their performance. From right to left: Hualing Zhang, Yilan Ye, Chuyi Wen, Luna Lu, Shuman Zhang, Bo Ran, and Qiaoyun Ran. For more International Night photos see p. 14.

Chuyi Wen / Collegian

News

13 April 2015

The Collegian: 3

SA election results announced

Last week, SA held executive elections for the coming year. All positions were contested, and the United 4 TU ticket saw mixed success.

Brennen VanderVeen Politics Reporter Michaela Flonard Apprentice Editor

Whitney House won the SA presidential seat, and Connor Wurth won the vice presidential seat. Grace Doyle will be the next SA secretary, and Mackenzie Smith the next treasurer.

House, elected by a margin of 109 votes, served this year as SA’s vice president. She was part of the United 4 TU ticket.

House has cited legislation raising travel funding for organizations from $1,000 to $3,000 as one of her legislative accomplishments.

In a debate before the election, House said she believes current rules favor organizations that are better established and are more likely to know the attendance to an event. As such, House wants to make it easier for organizations to account for attendance uncertainty.

Wurth, who ran as an independent, was elected vice-president by a small margin of 35 votes.

Wurth has been a part of SA Senate for the past three years, where he was chairman of Government Operations Committee (GOC) and Financial Allocations Committee (FAC).

As chairman of the GOC, Wurth wrote legislation that would create a bracket system for organizational funding. This legislation will go into effect next school year and will allow for flexibility in attendance numbers.

Although his role in voting for resolutions is limited as VP, Wurth hopes to research bills before meetings so he can give detailed reports on them. He also plans to attend different committee meetings each week, so he can better know the details of their plans.

Since the VP is a representative to the board of trustees, Wurth hopes to impress upon them the diversity of students in TU and remind the board of the individual needs of students.

Doyle, another member of the United 4 TU ticket, was elected secretary by 123 votes. She has served as the Student Organization Committee (SOC) chair this year, where she chartered 119 clubs. The SOC is currently auditing clubs to create a database of information about the clubs’ functioning.

As secretary, Doyle hopes to publish “snapshots” of the minutes of SA meetings, which would be posted somewhere public on campus. These snapshots would provide information such as reso-

lutions passed. Doyle also plans to work with IT to improve the SA website’s functionality and ease of use.

Smith, who ran with Tavis Phan, was elected treasurer by 115 votes.

She has been a part of SA Cabinet for the past three years, where she has served as associate director of athletics and executive director of PR. As director of PR, Smith created an external PR chair to help organizations improve their advertising for events.

As treasurer, Smith hopes to increase the efficiency of spending within SA so more money can go towards clubs. Additionally, she hopes to meet with organizations before events to ensure members know how the allocations process works.

Apart from the executive elections, a constitutional amendment removing gendered language from the SA constitution was also passed.

The constitutional amendment will change the SA constitution so that instances of masculine pronouns also include a feminine pronouns whenever the provision doesn’t relate specifically to men.

Basically, “he” would become “he or she” and “his” would become “his or her.”

This amendment passed with 76.1 percent of 805 total votes. A similar measure failed to pass the two-thirds vote requirement in the spring of 2012 when only 64.8 percent favored the change.

TU to introduce law minor Next fall, undergraduate students will have the opportunity to take classes for credit towards a new law minor.

Brennen VanderVeen Politics Reporter Next year, the TU College of Law will launch a minor in law.

The idea began two years ago during a presidential retreat for senior administrators.

According to outgoing Dean Janet Levit of the College of Law, it began as a combination of both practical and philosophical concerns.

On a practical level, Levit said there was overcrowding in the block courses. Meanwhile, law school attendance has been steadily decreasing.

According to Dean Levit, national law school attendance has gone down about 40 percent in the last five years, a trend with which TU’s College of Law’s attendance has been “in tandem.”

On a philosophical level, administrators felt that knowledge of the law is a necessary part of a liberal arts education.

The law minor will consist of at least two lower-level and two

upper-level courses. Many of the lower-level courses will be available as block courses. Some upperlevel courses will be cross-listed with courses for J.D. students.

Next semester, five courses total will be offered: Law, Ethics and Psychology of Responsibility; Law and Knowledge; Copyright Law and the Digital Age; Federal Indian Law; and Medical Consumerism.

Additional courses that cover international law, piracy, sex crimes, bioethics and sports law, to name a few, are planned for the future.

A class on piracy as well as the Law, Ethics and Psychology of Responsibility class were offered this year, and both have fairly large attendance. At some point, it is possible a law major could be developed.

The law minor is not a pre-law program. Levit said it is “not designed to be a sort of mini law school.” TU College of Law professors Robert Spoo and Sam Halabi hosted an information session for interested students on March 31.

Professor Spoo stressed that the law minor is designed to be a liberal arts program, not a pre-law professional track.

Spoo also compared the law minor to political science, his-

tory and English. Professor Halabi stated that there is no ambition to displace the current pre-law apparatus.

Still, the advertisement for the program states that, “While the Law minor is not designed as a ‘pre-law’ program, students with an interest in eventually attending law school will find much that is interesting and useful in the Law minor.”

Professor Jeffrey Hockett, who is TU’s pre-law advisor and was not consulted in developing the law minor, is worried that that statement doesn’t go far enough in making clear that pre-law does not imply that one type of study is superior to another.

Hockett said “one would be hard pressed to find a major/minor” which is not interesting and useful for students considering law school.

Hockett also says students who are interested in going to law school should take courses in a discipline that interests them and that emphasizes reading, writing and independent research. He cites the American Bar Association, which “does not recommend any undergraduate majors or group of courses to prepare for a legal education.”

Governor Fallin signs law to reduce prescription drug abuse House Bill 1948 is intended to prevent people from stocking up on drugs by “doctor shopping.”

Brennen VanderVeen Politics Reporter In her State of the State Address this year, Governor Fallin spoke of the need to reduce Oklahoma’s prescription drug abuse problem.

In a press release, the governor cited Oklahoma State Department of Health statistics that include Oklahoma having the sixth highest unintentional drug overdose death rate in the United States for 2013.

Oklahoma also has more deaths attributed to hydrocodone or oxycodone than alcohol and illegal drugs combined.

To counteract this, Fallin wants to prevent “doctor shopping,” or the practice of going to several doctors to get more prescriptions.

The new law, House Bill 1948, requires physicians to check with an online tool called the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP).

PMP hosts information about patients’ prescriptions and provides access to doctors, pharmacists and law enforcement.

Under HB 1948, physicians will have to check with PMP the first time they prescribe opiates, synthetic opiates, semisynthetic opi-

ates, benzodiazepine or carisoprodol to a patient.

Physicians will also have to check with the PMP every 180 days the prescription continues.

The bill was introduced by Representative Doug Cox (R) in the House and Senator AJ Griffin (R) in the Senate.

Representative Cox, a physician, has wanted to reintroduce this sort of measure since a similar bill failed last year.

The bill passed 64–30 in the House and 35–10 in the Senate.

While the bill received bipartisan support, all but one of the nay votes in the House and all of nay votes in the Senate were from Republicans.

Oscar Ho Student Writer Last minute change in New York opera Italian baritone Luca Salsi was asked to substitute for a lead role at the Metropolitan Opera only 30 minutes before the curtains went up. Placido Domingo, who was supposed to sing, had caught a cold.

Fortunately, Salsi was about nine blocks from the opera house, so he walked over, donned a costume, and took the stage. The last time Salsi sang Don Carlo in Verdi’s Ernani was in 2013. He had no time to review the music. “I had to improvise everything,” Salsi said. “I didn’t have the time to think and be nervous.”

Tibetan nun sets self on fire Tibetan nun Yeshi Khando of Nganggang Nunnery set herself on fire to protest Chinese rule of Tibet and to call for the return of the Dalai Lama from exile. She is the second woman to have done so in the past year and one of 138 Tibetans to have done so since 2009.

Khando’s death was not officially confirmed, as she was doused with fire extinguishers by police and subsequently taken away; however, she is believed to be dead based on the reported intensity of the fire.

South Korean sends “The Interview” north A South Korean activist has said he sent copies of “The Interview” into North Korea by balloon. “The Interview” is a satirical film about a CIA plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Although the film was torn to tatters by critics, it enraged Pyongyang, which allegedly hacked Sony Entertainment in response.

The activist, Lee Min-bok, told AFP News that he launched thousands of DVDs and about a million leaflets criticizing the regime. Although Lee said he did not laugh at the movie and found it “vulgar,” he sent it over the border anyway.

Activists in South Korea regularly use balloons to distribute material critical of the regime inside the restrictive country.

Conviction in Boston bombing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted of his role in the Boston bombing of April 2013. A Boston jury found Tsarnaev guilty of all 30 charges brought against him, some of which carry a death sentence.

The guilty conviction was expected, and the jury will now consider what sentences to recommend. Tsarnaev’s defense, headed by celebrity lawyer Judy Clarke, will push for life-in-prison sentences instead of death sentences.

Although Massachusetts outlawed the death penalty in 1984, Tsarnaev was convicted of federal crimes and can therefore face the death penalty.

French strike strands travelers French air traffic controllers went on strike on Monday and Tuesday, leaving hundreds of flights disrupted and thousands of passengers stranded. The strikers were protesting a proposed increase in retirement age. All airlines servicing any French airports had to deal with the fallout.

Easyjet was forced to operate five “rescue” flights on Friday to help stranded passengers. Ryanair canceled over 500 flights. The low cost airline has no influence over the air traffic controllers.

“We sincerely apologise to all customers affected by this unwarranted strike action and we again call on the EU and French authorities to act now and prevent thousands of travellers being held to ransom by these French [air traffic control] workers,” it said. Further strikers are planned for April 16 to 18 and April 29 to May 2.

Students receive national research scholarships The Goldwater and NSF scholarships will help TU students carry out research in STEM fields.

Fraser Kastner Satire Editor Several TU students were awarded Goldwater and National Science Foundation scholarships this year.

Senior Caleb Lareau, senior Mitchell Trafford, graduate student Edward Lannon, alum John Eason and alum Thomas Linscott won National Science Foundation awards. Each recipient will be awarded $138,000 to conduct research without having to answer to a particular institution.

Lareau plans to use the money to do research in genetic disorders using network theory, which holds that genetic disorders are the result of multiple interacting factors.

“Because of [the scholarship], I’ll be able to do whatever I want,” said Lareau. “I can seek out any projects that are interesting to me.”

In addition to the National Science Foundation scholarship, Lareau also won a Goldwater scholarship as a sophomore.

This year, TU juniors Austin Evans, Marissa Schmauch and Katy Riojas were awarded the Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

The Goldwater is intended for students who want to go on to do research in the STEM fields.

Riojas is a founding member of Make a Difference Engineering, a club that designs new prosthetics and devices for the disabled.

“Mostly I’m hoping the Goldwater can open some doors for me down the road,” said Riojas.

Sixty-two TU students have received Goldwater scholarships since 1989, the year of its inception.

News

The Collegian: 4

13 April 2015

TPD to the Tulsa County Jail.

April 5 4:10 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to Mayo Village for a complaint of someone knocking on an apartment window. The reporting party stated that three individuals had knocked.

Officers searched the area and were unable to locate the individuals that were described.

April 6 2:30 p.m.

Campus Security reviewed video files from Found Property. The footage confirmed illegal recordings. A victim was been identified and agreed to file charges against the suspect. Tulsa Police were contacted to collect the video evidence, and take statements for their report. The suspect was arrested.

April. 3 Officers were dispatched to possible noise complaint. Upon arrival they discovered numerous students were in possession of contraband, marijuana related items. Some of the items were destroyed by Campus Security and the remaining items were confiscated, logged, and kept for safekeeping in property lockers.

11:30 a.m.

Bike Shop staff impounded a mountain bicycle that was locked to a gate on the east side of Rayzor Hall.

2:20 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible larceny from Keplinger Hall. Upon arrival they made contact with a student who stated their hand held bag was stolen at Keplinger Hall. A statement form was given to the student to fill out. The student asked the advising office inside of Keplinger Hall but no one had turned in any property.

4:28 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to McFarlin Library to investigate suspicious activity. An unidentified person was seen on camera trying to gain access into the McFarlin Library Special Collections area.

Officers made contact with the individual at their apartment, and the individual admitted to being inside the McFarlin Library while it was closed for business and to taking things from it.

The individual gave the items to security and completed a written statement describing their actions inside the library. They also admitted to being under the influence of alcohol.

8:33 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to receive found property that was discovered outside the construction zone near McFarlin Library.

The property included possible drug paraphernalia so it was turned over to the Tulsa Police.

10:30 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to a noise complaint in Mayo Village Apartments. Upon arrival officers could hear the music outside of the apartment. They spoke with the resident and told them that complaints had been made about the volume of the music.

Officers advised then to lower the volume of music and they stated they would watch the volume of the music. A contact card was completed.

April 4 10:15 p.m.

While on routine patrol officers saw what appeared to be a person in the southeast side of the football stadium. Upon investigating, it turned out to be the mannequin that the athletic department was missing. The mannequin was placed in the Sergeant’s office for safe-keeping.

11:30 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to the University Bookstore regarding a person attempting to steal textbooks. Upon arrival, officers observed the person conceal a textbook in his bag and leave the store.

Officers stopped the person outside the store and found the stolen textbooks in his bag. The Tulsa Police Department was contacted and the person was placed under arrest for grand larceny and transported by

10:50 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to Norman Village regarding damaged personal property.

Upon arrival, officers met with the victim who showed where the rear passenger side taillight was broken on their vehicle. There were broken pieces of taillight on the ground approximately 10 feet from the vehicle. Officers searched nearby cars for any damage, but were unable to locate any possible suspects.

11:30 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to a report of trespassing at the Collins Fitness Center. The reporting party stated that an individual vaguely matching the description of a trespass banned individual had entered the fitness center over an hour previous.

The reporting party stated that there was confusion over the individual’s name/identity which led to a large time gap, but was instructed to immediately notify campus security in the future.

April 7 1:30 a.m.

Officers were dispatched to Keplinger in reference to a student who was feeling unsafe.

Upon their arrival officers saw a student being forced through the atrium of Keplinger by another student.

Officers made contact with the students separating them. Officers spoke with the students as well as a student who witnessed the altercation. The officers determined that the physical altercation was due to a disagreement over lab results. The students were sent home.

9:50 a.m.

Campus Security reviewed video files from A student reported their vehicle was stolen from the Mayo Village Apartments. The student reported driving the vehicle the evening prior to the theft as well as securing it after. The student was advised to contact their insurance, a report was filled with Tulsa Police Department.

10:45 a.m.

Officers were dispatched to a fire alarm at the Reynolds Center. Upon arrival, officers heard no auditory alarm and found the fire panel to read “All Systems Normal.” An officer walk-thru revealed no signs of smoke or fire so all officers were clear of the scene.

10:45 a.m.

Officers were dispatched to a fire alarm at sorority Delta Delta Delta house. Upon arrival officers made contact with the house chef who burnt toast that made the smoke detector go off. Officers walked through the building, found no fire, cancelled TFD and the fire panel was reset.

3:30 p.m.

Officers received a report that a physical altercation had occurred between two students on April 4th. The two students had been in a dating relationship and had left campus to get something to eat when they got into an argument and it turned physical.

The students returned to campus where the argument continued until one of the students was able to enter a building the other was unable to enter.

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

The photos of the Tulsa Zoo exhibit “Zoorassic Park” that appeared in the April 6 issue of the Collegian should have been credited to Sara Douglas.

Research Colloquium showcases student projects

Colloquium presentations spanned a multitude of subjects, from engineering to the humanities.

Wade Crawford Sports Writer

From last Tuesday to Saturday, the University of Tulsa hosted its 18th annual Student Research Colloquium. The Colloquium was a chance for a wide range of students to present their research from many subjects, ranging from computer science to mechanical engineering.

Graduates and undergraduates alike submitted finished or in-progress works for judging. Most projects were experimentally based, but other topics were also presented.

Judging panels were comprised of students from TU and OU-Tulsa, in addition to faculty and administration from a wide variety of academic disciplines.

The main judging criteria for projects were content and presentation. Separate rubrics were given for community projects,

poster projects and oral presentations. Different rubrics were given to a judge outside of the field in question than to a judge in the field.

“I appreciate how the colloquium was a school-wide event over so many days. This allowed me to attend other lectures I was interested in when not in class,” said Jeremy Sabo, a biochemistry and physics major.

Sabo’s presentation was centered around the selective killing of cancer cells by inhibiting metabolic pathways.

Sabo said, “while this colloquium had fewer judges, it allowed my peers to be present during my presentation. [Previous] colloquiums had 5 or more judges and only the presenters in the room.”

Special events that occurred at the conference included two Research Institute presentations.

The first Research Institute presentation, given by the Tulsa Institute of Alternative Energy, dealt with several issues in the fields of renewable energy.

The second presentation was centered around several different aspects of major adaptive systems in the body, such as stress.

Rep. Kevin Matthews wins Senate primary

Oklahoma Representative Kevin Matthews will fill Jabar Shumate’s state Senate seat.

Brennen VanderVeen Politics Reporter

State Senator Jabar Shumate resigned his seat on Jan. 6 of this year in order to work for the Oklahoma Federation for Children, a school choice group. He represented District 11, which covers parts of TU west of Delaware. The Democratic primary was held on April 7. Republicans did not field any candidates.

State Representative Kevin Matthews, who has served in the House since 2012, won with 47.35 percent of the vote. He beat Heather Nash and Regina Goodwin.

Matthews received endorsements from former state senators Shumate and Judy Eason McIntyre and also from the Tulsa World.

Since no Republicans filed for the seat, there is no need for a general election.

However, Mary Fallin will need to call for a special election to fill Matthews’ seat for House District 73, which covers most of Downtown Tulsa and also part of North Tulsa.

Tuesday, April 14

McCoy’s Wonderful World of Physics

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, TU Applied Associate Professor of Physics and Engineering Physics will be presenting “Professor McCoy’s Wonderful World of Physics.” This event will be in Chapman Theatre of Kendall Hall. The show is a delightful and engaging exploration of the laws of physics that govern this wonderful world. The show is suitable for ages eight and up, and is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, April 15 Annual Paul Buck Memorial Lecture

The Biological Sciences Department will host Dr. Samuel D. Fuhlendorf for their sixth annual Paul Buck Memorial Lecture, titled “Conservation of Oklahoma’s Natural Landscapes.” Fuhlendorf is the Regents Professor and Groendyke Chair in Wildlife Conservation at Oklahoma State University. The talk will be in Tyrell Hall at 7 p.m.

Fuhlendorf’s research is focused on conserving grassland landscapes and the wildlife living on those lands. More specifically, he has focused on the role of disturbance-driven heterogeneity in the function and structure of grasslands, fire ecology, wildlife conservation. He has also researched the reasons for the distribution of plants and animals across landscapes. His work hopes to integrate a landscape perspective into conservation.

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

Contact News Editor Morgan Krueger at morgan-krueger@utulsa.edu with events.

13 April 2015

Variety

The Collegian: 5

“’71” succeeds as an action thriller, but fails to deliver as an emotional drama “’71” is a 2014 action thriller based on North Ireland’s Troubles.

The film stars Jack O’Connell as a British soldier who gets separated from his squad during the riots and has to survive the night alone.

Nathan Gibbons Student Writer “’71” is a 2014 film that follows a British soldier’s night after a riot separates him from his squad in Belfast.

In a foreign city terrorized by a deep feud, new recruit Hook simply tries to get back to his barracks alive.

The Troubles, the historical foundation for this film, were the prevalent years of the feud over the British occupation of Northern Ireland: Against the occupation, Irish Catholics and their more radical parts making up the Irish Republican Army; for it, British paramilitaries and protestant loyalists.

It’s a feud whose history can be traced to previous wars. With such an emotional premise, it’s surprising “’71” chose to be an action film.

The early ’70s brought some of the largest tragedies of The Troubles, including 1972’s Bloody Sunday and Bloody Friday later that same year.

Why, then, with such a deep and emotional source material, did they make up a fictional fast-paced plot, and worse, one that doesn’t even take time to examine the motives of two real groups?

This flaw probably stems from the movie’s status as an action thriller.

In the first ten minutes, the movie appears to be preparing to become a gritty historical drama.

I was hoping “’71” would do for British recruits what “Bloody Sunday” did for protesters and give their side of the story by

Courtesy Studio Canal UIK

British soldiers pile out of a van in Belfast in this scene from the exciting but still forgettable “’71.”

displaying their humanity.

This sense is strongest in the first riot scene, but dwindles.

When the film begins in earnest, however, it shows its true colors as a chase through the streets ensues, inspiring more excitement than reflection.

One of the reasons this movie still works is Jack O’Connell’s performance as Hook.

He acts with a mixture of vulnerability and a will to survive, making him a believable protagonist who we want to succeed.

Everyone else puts in great performances as well, whether as naive recruits, irate citizens, people just looking to get by or oth-

erwise.

There’s a multitude of antagonists who seem to hold endless, mindless rage towards their opposition in the city.

All the characters can be pretty easily read, which helps in a movie whose characters must be taken at face value for lack of explanations or motives.

Though it wasted its material on an action thriller, “’71” is a reasonably pleasing action thriller. Relative to others of its genre, it is reserved, with action scenes mostly grounded in realism.

Although there are a few too many twists and turns, it is entertaining to see suspicious

characters tip-toe around each other and opposite factions. The setting of war-torn Belfast looks beautifully authentic throughout as a city falling apart.

If you want a drama examining the IRA’s dehumanizing radical methods, the civil war’s pinning of brother against brother or the conviction of those against British occupation, see “The Crying Game,” “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” or “Hunger,” respectively.

If you want an enjoyable thriller you might not remember two weeks later, see “’71.”

Carlisle Floyd fireside chat provides some insight for outsiders Although it was sometimes hard to follow for the uninitiated, Carlisle Floyd’s talk was personable and engaging.

Hannah Kloppenburg Apprentice Editor This past Saturday, the Tulsa Opera hosted “An Evening With Carlisle Floyd” at TU’s Lorton Performance Center. Floyd is hailed as the “Father of Modern Opera” and is well known for works such as “Susannah” and an operatic version of “Of Mice and Men.” “Of Mice and Men” was featured at the Tulsa Opera this weekend, so Floyd’s appearance at the LPC was particularly poignant for local opera fans.

“An Evening With Carlisle Floyd” consisted of a classic fireside chat setup, with two plush chairs placed side-by-side onstage. One was intended for Floyd himself, while the other was occupied by Rich Fisher, General Manager of Public Radio Tulsa and the evening’s moderator.

I must confess that, having no back-

sation was a bit dry at first simply because it was (unsurprisingly) directed at those who already had a fairly extensive knowledge of his life and works. The purpose of the talk was not to inform but rather to extrapolate on the nuances of Floyd’s work in a personal manner.

Floyd is notable for two outstanding traits in his work: First, his commitment to a unique brand of purely American opera, and second, his tendency to both compose and write the libretto (the words or script) for his operas. Usually, a composer and a librettist will work together to create an opera; Floyd is both.

The discussion became particularly engaging when it was turned toward political and social commentary in his works. Though Floyd stated that he never consciously chose to feature politically controversial themes in his operas, he admits that his works are influenced by the time periods in which they are based.

Born in 1926, Floyd has lived through most major developments in 20th century America, and I thought it was fascinating to hear the voices of poignant American issues in his timeline of works—for example, traces of McCarthyism in “Susannah” and

The purpose of the talk was not to inform but rather to extrapolate on the nuances of Floyd’s work in a personal manner. ground knowledge about American opera, I had little understanding of Mr. Floyd’s contributions to the field.

For this reason, I was a little taken aback when he walked onstage and was almost immediately greeted with a standing ovation.

Whether this was due to the effects of his works or just the affections of over-zealous opera lovers I can’t say for sure, but it certainly struck me as notable.

Fisher moderated the conversation in a conversational, friendly way while still keeping pace with a series of well-placed questions about Floyd’s work, his background, his composing methods and the inspirations that led to some of his greatest works.

While Floyd is an adept storyteller and engaging speaker, I did find that the conver-

the plight of migrant workers in “Of Mice and Men.” The evening also featured performances of some of Floyd’s work by the Tulsa Opera Studio and Tulsa Youth Opera.

To be perfectly honest, I’m still not sure what I thought of it—I am by no means an opera expert, but it struck me as very strange compared to the perfectly timed symmetrical grace of classical European opera. Floyd’s music was instead discordant and haunting, with a lilting and almost disconcerting medley of melodies.

In conclusion, “An Evening With Carlisle Floyd” may have meant more to an avid opera fan than it did to myself. That said, it was still an enjoyable experience and an opportunity to learn about one of the most poignant voices in American opera.

Just off the Creek Turnpike between Aspen and Elm in Broken Arrow WarrenTheatres.com

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Movie Line (918) 893-9798

The Collegian: 6

Jesse Keipp is…

Inside the head of a goalie During the NCAA men’s ice hockey championship, heavy favorite Boston University lost after an unforgivable blunder by its goalie, Matt O’Connor. With 8:36 left in the third period and a 3–2 BU lead, Providence’s Kyle McKenzie floated a puck into O’Connor’s glove.

Unfortunately, a bewildered O’Connor dropped the puck. Then in his desperate search for the puck, O’Connor’s skates knocked the puck into the goal. Moments later O’Connor relinquished a to goal Brandon Tanev, handing Providence its first national championship.

A few weeks ago, the Bleacher Creature took a look inside the head of a slam dunk contestant. This week, the Bleacher Creature brings you an exclusive look at the authenticated thoughts of Matt O’Connor. Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you the hardcore journalism that you won’t get from posh outlets of CNN or the New York Times.* Awwww, yeah. ‘Bout to win me a championship. “O’Connor! O’Connor!

O’Connor!” I can hear the crowd cheering my name at the parade now. They do parades for college hockey, right? Oh boy, here comes the puck! It’s alright, Matty; you’ve done this a thousand times. Andddddd right into my glove … or not. It’s cool. Don’t panic. That hunk of rubber has to be around here somewhere. Is it at my feet? I’m going to skate backwards now. Well, it’s not down there, soooooo … damn it.* 10 years in the making Bartolo Colon got an RBI! Bartolo Colon got an RBI! For the uninitiated, Bartolo Colon is a hefty New York Mets starter who occasionally has the misfortune of swinging a baseball bat. Thanks to the nature of baseball, unathletic men sometimes squeak into the majors.

Colon, with his enviable roundedness, is one such man. Nevertheless, Colon’s struggle is the world’s joy. So when Colon drove a run in on Sunday, his first since 2005, against the Braves, there truly was peace on Earth, if only for a moment.

With a swing that would never be mistaken for Mike Trout’s, Colon utilized his spherical shape, mustering enough rotational velocity to plop a ball in the outfield. Because God really does love us and because cartoons are more realistic than you’d think, Colon’s helmet popped off as he swung with all his might.

Sports

NHL preview: Who’s going to win the Stanley Cup?

Just as the baseball season is getting started, hockey is winding down, and the Stanley Cup playoffs are about to begin. We take a look at the matchups in the first round.

Matt Rechtien Sports Editor

The NHL regular season has ended and the dust has finally settled over the playoff picture in the National Hockey League. The playoffs start this Wednesday, but let’s take a look at the matchups that will make up the first round.

Eastern Conference The New York Rangers, the winners of the Presidents’ Trophy, will take on the eighth seeded Pittsburgh Penguins who squeaked into the playoffs with a win on the final day of the season against the Buffalo Sabres (one of two NHL teams actively seeking to lose games). Rick Nash of the Rangers, who led the team in goal, looks to lead the Rangers back to the Finals, while the Penguins are missing Kris Letang who suffered a concussion in late March and has been ruled out for the playoffs. Prediction: Rangers in 6 The second seeded Montreal Canadiens will take on the red hot Ottawa Senators who are 23–4–4 in their last 31 games. With their top player out with concussion-like symptoms for the foreseeable future, this could be the first upset of the playoffs if the Senators can continue to keep the intensity, no easy task when you’ve essentially playing playoff hockey since mid-February.

Prediction: Senators in 7 The Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the Detroit Red Wings who are in the playoffs for the 24th consecutive year (impressive, but not the longest streak in NHL history).

The Lightning are trying to address some issues on the injury front with three of their top defenders questionable to return by game one. The Red Wings on the other side have two strong goalies in Petr Mazrek and Jimmy Howard, that coach Mike Babcock will have to choose between as the playoff starter. Prediction: Lightning in 6 In the final matchup of the Eastern Conference, Washington Capitals will take on New York Islanders. The Capitals have the star power of Ovechkin and

Oilers make playoffs

The Oilers made the playoffs in their first year as a member of the ECHL, and look to make a run at the Kelly Cup. Joey Byron Sports Writer

Courtesy Bleacher Report

The way that Colon is smiling proves that he knows his role in the hierarchical society of baseball. He’s a goofball when it comes to batting, but at least he knows it.

That’s quite a large score What does Division II baseball have that MLB doesn’t? The offense that baseball fans have missed since the beloved days of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds. At least, that’s the extrapolation I’m making after Minnesota State’s 41–20 victory over Bemidji State on Saturday.

The score may have been even higher if it weren’t for sports’ worst rule—the mercy rule—which ended the contest in the eighth inning. If I had a dime for every time the mercy rule ruined one of my Little League wagers, I wouldn’t have to hide from my loan shark. If you’re reading this, hi Sergey!

And congrats on learning to read English! *A special thanks to Mr. O’Connor, who unknowingly allowed The Collegian to use its brain scanner on him. The Collegian’s R&D budget is HUGE.

Courtesy classified

Our research and development budget can be seen in the photo above. Not even the NSA can boast a budget this large, in fact it’s $54575755427.53 *Editor’s Note: It has come to my attention that Jesse Keipp, the “Bleacher Creature” thought it would be acceptable to publish our R&D budget. This information is classified and his comments have been adjusted accordingly.

Backstrom, and the Islanders have the AllStar in Jaroslav Halak who had a .914 save percentage playing in 59 games this season.

Prediction: Capitals in 7 Western Conference The Anaheim Ducks take the first seed in the West,and play the Winnipeg Jets, who are playing in the postseason for the first time since returning to the city. For the Ducks to make a deep playoff run and prevent dropping out in the first round again they will need to improve upon their power play or penalty kill. The Jets will be wanting to prove themselves in their first playoff appearance since 2007 when they were the Thrashers. Prediction: Ducks in 7 The second seeded St. Louis Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks in the last week of the season to clinch the Central Division, and will play one of the hottest teams in the NHL in the Minnesota Wild. The Blues will look to avoid what has happened in the last two seasons by advancing past the first round.

This series will come down to the goalies as the Wild have Devan Dubnyk who has been phenomenal since joining the Wild in January and the Blues will have to decide to go with the rookie with the hot hand in Jake Allen, or the goalie with playoff experience in Brian Elliott. Prediction: Blues in 6 The Chicago Blackhawks will play at least a couple games against the Nashville Predators without their top player, Patrick Kane who suffered a fractured clavicle that sidelined him for over a month. The Predators stumbled into the playoffs on a six-game losing streak, but still have home ice advantage over the Blackhawks.

Even without their top player, Chicago has the tools in Jonathan Toews and Corey Crawford to make it deep in the Western Conference. Prediction: Blackhawks in 6 In the last matchup in the West, the Calgary Flames who had the one of the most unconventional way of winning (which involved letting other teams score first), which might be difficult to do in the playoffs when defenses are stingier than normal.

Their opponent, the Vancouver Canucks have to decide if they want to want to start Ryan Miller who has played in only one game since Feb. 10. Miller has the playoff experience, but Eddie Lack has done well since Miller’s injury and has more recent playing time. Prediction: Canucks in 7

The Oilers have clinched a spot in the ECHL playoffs with their two wins over Wichita and their overtime loss to Quad City this past week, taking the fourth and final seed in the Central Division.

In December it seemed that the Oilers’ season was going to take a turn for the worst. They dropped six in a row before the New Year and were bouncing around a .500 record throughout the months of January and February.

Come March, though, they had won five in a row and found the momentum that is now carrying them into the playoffs.

The Oilers haven’t brought a champion-

ship to Tulsa since 1993 when they were still a part of the Central Hockey League.

The Central Hockey League disbanded during the 2014 season and the teams were then accepted into the East Coast Hockey League.

The team is led by the Saskatchewan native Nathan Lutz. The 36-year-old captain will be looking to make a trip to the championship since his age dwarfs the number of chances he has left to win it all.

Oilers’ goalie, Kevin Carr, really hit his stride mid-season when he had to step up for the previous goalie that left the team.

The Oilers, as the fourth seed, will play the Allen Americans who have given them trouble all season long. It will be interesting to see how they react when they face them again.

The series against the Americans starts on Tuesday, and the Oilers will host their first playoff game of 2015 on Friday night, so come on out and support your Oilers!

13 April 2015

Golf The women’s golf team finished 12th in a field of 16 at the SMU/DAC Invite this past weekend. Senior Alex Haun finished with a top thirty finish, with a score of 227 for the 54-hole event. The next tournament will be the American Conference Championship this upcoming weekend in Palm Coast, Fla. The men currently sit in 10th place at the Irish Creek Collegiate Tournament.

Tennis The women’s tennis team split their final two regular season games against Kansas and Wichita State this past week. The Golden Hurricane routed the Jayhawks 5–2, giving them their 13th straight victory over Kansas. In the regular season finale, the Hurricane lost a close match to the Shockers by a score of 4–3. They finish the regular season with a record of 13–10. The women and men will compete in the American Conference Tournament this week at Tulsa for the conference title.

Softball TU was recently ranked the fifth best school for D1 softball in the country by the USA Today’s College Factual, based on both athletic and academic requirements. The College Factual cited the past success of Tulsa’s softball program including six trips to the NCAA Tournament, as well as the small, private school atmosphere with an 11:1 student to faculty ratio as reasons for the rank. In other softball news the Golden Hurricane fell to Wichita State this past Tuesday 7–2, but was able to bounce back against conference foe East Carolina, sweeping them in the three-game series, giving up only a single run in the process. Next up is a home and away series against Oklahoma State and a two game series against the University of Kansas on Saturday and Sunday.

Track and Field The track and field team had six top-finishers at the John McDonnell Invitational this past weekend. Elijah Silva and Simon Greiner finished in first and second respectively in the 800-meter run, both setting personal bests for the event. The Hurricane once more took the top two spots when Isaac Dobos and Austin Del Rosso finished first and second in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Colt Johnson took third in the 400-meter hurdle, but only finished a few seconds from taking the top spot. Continuing his string of success on the field side, Tyler Lybarger took second in the hammer throw event with a toss of 58.87 meters. Stacie Taylor was the top finisher on the women’s side, taking fourth in the 3000-meter steeplechase. The Golden Hurricane will travel next to Walnut, CA to compete in the Mt. Sac Relays next weekend.

Sports

13 April 2015

The Collegian: 7

Spieth wins Masters Game of buckets, a playoff preview

In record-breaking fashion, Jordan Spieth won the first of the four major championships, becoming the second youngest player to do so.

Mason Morgan Student Writer

After finishing second to Bubba Watson in last year’s Masters, many thought that Jordan Spieth would win one, if not many green jackets sooner rather than later. It turns out, he didn’t have to wait that long.

Spieth had a wire-to-wire win at the 2015 Masters this weekend, leading from the end of day one and winning the tournament by four strokes at the end of Sunday’s final round. He tied the tournament record set by Tiger Woods in 1997.

Spieth has been dominating the PGA Tour lately, winning two of the last four tournaments he’s played in, and finishing second in the other two.

He’s currently on a run that could end up with him being ranked first in the world. He is 21 years old. Imagine being the best at anything when you’re 21 years old.

His performance is a lot like the 2011

U.S. Open when Rory McIlroy came out firing at Congressional and never looked back to win his first major. Going into Sunday, the only story was if their leads would hold, and neither of them made it interesting.

To succeed at Augusta National, recent winners Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott play craftily hitting high curving shots for tee offs and approaches.

Spieth is basically the opposite; he plays aggressively by taking dead aim at pins, barely drawing or fading in at all.

Expericene certainly helps playing the course. Yet in only his second Masters Spieth is reading the complex greens like someone who had been playing in Augusta for decades.

Due to favorable scoring conditions at Augusta this weekend many other players had strong performances as well, including Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose, who tried to give Spieth a run for his money. McIlroy had three great days but one bad one that left him out of contention.

This Masters could possibly set up a great rivalry between McIlroy and Spieth, two young players that have been tearing up the tour lately. Now that Spieth has his major, he can submit his name into the conversation.

‘Cane Calendar April 13 – 19 Wednesday, April 15 Softball vs. Oklahoma State; Collins

Family Softball Complex; 5 p.m.

Women’s Tennis @ American Athletic

Conference Tournament; Case

Tennis Center; TBA

Thursday, April 16 Softball @ Oklahoma State; Stillwater, OK.; 7 p.m.

Track and Field @ Mt. Sac Relays; Walnut, CA; All Day Women’s Tennis @ American Athletic Conference Tournament; Case Tennis Center; TBA Men’s Tennis @ American Athletic Conference Tournament; Case Tennis Center; TBA

Friday, April 17 Women’s Soccer @ Oklahoma State;

Stillwater, OK; 7 p.m.

Track and Field @ Mt. Sac Relays; Walnut, CA; All Day Women’s Tennis @ American Athletic

Conference Tournament Men’s Tennis @ American Athletic Conference Tournament

Saturday, April 18 Women’s Soccer vs. Kansas; Hurricane Stadium; 2 p.m.

Softball vs. Kansas; Collins Family Softball Complex; 2 p.m Men’s Soccer @ Creighton; Omaha, NE; 7.30 p.m.

Track and Field @ Mt. Sac Relays; Walnut, CA; All Day Women’s Tennis @ American Athletic Conference Tournament; Case Tennis Center; TBA Men’s Tennis @ American Athletic Conference Tournament; Case Tennis Center; TBA Women’s Rowing @ Lawless Cup vs.

SMU; Dallas, TX; TBA

Sunday, April 19 Softball vs. Kansas; Collins Family Softball Complex; 2 p.m Women’s Golf @ The American

Championships; Palm Coast, FL;

All Day Men’s Tennis @ American Athletic Conference Tournament

Tulsa University

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“Game of Thrones” spoilers ahead

With the season’s end approaching, NBA playoff games are coming. We preview every team’s chances, comparing them to GoT characters.

Pat Fox Student Writer

As I write this article all I can think about is the “Game of Thrones” season premiere.

I have so many questions I want answers to, but I have to write this article about the NBA playoffs so I guess I can combine the two. I’m going to compare each playoff team to a GOT character.

The NBA playoffs this year are a lot like “Game of Thrones.” I honestly have no idea what is going to happen. Tyrion could die in the first episode and maybe the Mavs will win the championship. Actually let’s be real.

The Mavs won’t win the championship.

Let’s get started.

Eastern Conference.

The last two spots in the East are up in the air between the Nets, Celtics and Pacers.

I think the Celtics and Pacers will get in, so let’s just assume that.

The Pacers are Theon Greyjoy, a once mighty warrior who is a shadow of himself.

The Pacers were championship contenders last season then Paul George broke his leg in the most gruesome fashion. Theon Greyjoy was the heir to the Iron Islands then Ramsay Snow caught him and made him Reek.

The Pacers lost their best player and so did Theon when Ramsay took his manhood. After that Greyjoy was never the same as are this year’s Pacers. 2014 Pacers equal Theon Greyjoy. 2015 Pacers equal Reek.

The Seventh Seed in the East is probably going to be the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are likable and very fun to watch and have a very cunning GM. They are going to have to play the Cavs in the first round which means their exit from the playoffs will be as painful as anyone’s making them Oberyn Martell.

The sixth seed is the Milwaukee Bucks, otherwise known as Arya Stark. Much like Stark, the Bucks are very young and total badasses. And I’m sure Jason Kidd has probably poked a fat boy with a sword named Needle. The Bucks have also gone through some hard times this year with a lot of injuries to players, but they bounced back just like Stark bounced back numerous times.

The fifth seed out East is the Washington Wizards. Washington should be a lot better than they are, but they aren’t bad. Maybe they will win their first round matchup, maybe they won’t. They aren’t that important to the playoffs. I’m going to go with Catelyn Stark’s brother who runs Riverrun because ehh.

The fourth seed is the Chicago Bulls.

Chicago has underperformed this season, but nobody wants to see them in the playoffs. I would not be surprised if they win the East. They’re feisty, old school and mean.

They are Bronn. Nobody really thinks about Bronn in Westeros, but does anybody really want to mess with Bronn? We saw what he did to Lysa Arryn’s knight in High Garden.

The third seed out East is from a foreign land that nobody has ever heard of, yet they are good, but not quite great. I am talking about the Toronto Raptors of course. With all of this being said, the Raptors are Arya’s sword fighting teacher, Illyrio. He was entertaining to say the least, but he was not pivotal to the plot. I am sad that he is dead, but not that sad. If the Raptors get eliminated I will be bummed, but not that bummed.

The second seed out East is the Cleveland Cavaliers, otherwise known as the Mountain. The Cavs are big and powerful much like Ser Gregor Clegane. Everyone is terri-

fied of the Cavs as they should be, but they can play a lot of simple basketball on offense and could be beat by a smarter team.

The Atlanta Hawks are the first seed out East, and nobody knows how that happened, much like nobody knows how Petyr Baelish basically controls the Seven Kingdoms.

Petyr Baelish is a weak man physically, but one of the smartest and most cunning men the Seven Kingdoms has ever seen. No team will be intimidated when they see the Hawks walk out of the tunnel, but when they see their passing and beautiful offense they will be terrified. Littlefinger could win the “Game of Thrones,” and the Hawks could win an NBA championship.

Western Conference Sorry Thunder fans, but I do not think that Russell and company will make the playoffs, which means the New Orleans Pelicans will be the eighth seed out West. The Pelicans have the best player not named LeBron in Anthony Davis, but the rest of their team is weak. The Pelicans are Bran Stark. Anthony Davis is the best part of Bran, and the rest of the Pelicans are his legs: useless.

The Dallas Mavericks think they can win a championship. Nobody else does. They are old and unrealistic about their chances.

They are Balon Greyjoy. He always thinks he can win the Iron Throne for some reason.

He tried to rebel after Robert Baratheon for the Iron Throne and failed. The Mavs are trying again and will fail again.

The Houston Rockets are the sixth seed at this point, but that could change very quickly. Nobody likes the Rockets. They are evil, plain and simple. That is why they are Ramsay Bolton. Ramsay is a sociopath who tortures people and kills without a care in the world, but he is good at what he does and he gets results much like the Rockets.

They might be hated, but they are good and could easily win an NBA championship.

I feel bad for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Injuries have ended their chances of winning a championship. They were so fun to watch, but alas, it was not meant to be, much like everyone’s favorite Hand of the King and Warden of the North, Ned Stark. Pour some out for Ned. I still miss him.

The San Antonio Spurs are tricky and old and really damn good at what they do. It is really scary. You know who else is like that?

Olenna Tyrell. She got a king killed, stole her sister’s husband and I am pretty sure she is immortal. She will always be around to run the show. The Spurs never go away and they could win it all again. It is kind of annoying at this point, but they are still likable.

The third seed is the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers whine more than any team in NBA history. They are entitled despite the fact that they have never made it past the first round, and they are probably the most hated team in the NBA. People actively root against them. Sound like any “Game of Thrones” character you know?

Yep, the Clippers are the one and only Joffrey Baratheon.

The Memphis Grizzlies are known for their grit and grind style of play. They are old school, yet they are struggling right now. I am not really sure what to make of the Grizzlies. They are Jorah Mormont. Last time we saw him Khaleesi kicked him to the curb, but there is still hope that he could come back and save the day.

The last team to cover is the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are amazing. It is hard to find a flaw with this team. Steph Curry might be the greatest shooter in NBA history, and Klay Thompson might be the second best (just kidding). Everything about them is amazing. They are Tyrion Lannister, the Halfman.

Opening day in Tulsa Baseball has arrived in Tulsa. The Drillers celebrated opening day last Thursday.

Wade Crawford Sports Writer

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The Tulsa Drillers recently began the new minor league baseball season, playing the San Antonio Missions on Thursday. In the first game since the Drillers changed to the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate, the new team beat the Missions 10–4.

After a strong first inning by starter Chris Anderson, Brandon Dixon sparked the offense with a two-run double, scoring the Dodgers’ top prospect Corey Seager and former Boston first baseman Lars Anderson.

The Missions answered in the next halfinning, however, as left fielder Yeison Asencio hit a big two-run home run to left to tie the game. That would be Anderson’s only mishap, as he finished his five-inning outing without allowing another run.

The Missions weren’t so lucky in their starter. After giving up a home run of his own to catcher Ali Solis in the bottom of the second, pitcher Justin Hancock followed with five walks and two wild pitches before he was pulled after three innings, giving up four runs on the night.

Tulsa had a constant stream of offense throughout the game, as Solis and Seager each had an RBI double. Three runs on sacrifice outs rounded out the ten-run showing. Seager led the offense with three RBIs, while Solis and Dixon each had a pair.

Asencio and third baseman Casey McElroy were the only two players with offensive success, each with a pair of RBIs. McElroy had a two-run shot in the eighth, off of reliever Chin-hui Tsao.

After finishing their series with San Antonio and the Corpus Christi Hooks on Tuesday, the Drillers take their first road trip April 16–22. Afterwards, the Drillers will be back in town, hosting the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on the last weekend of April.

The Collegian: 8

Buffalo

13 April 2015

An old flame back on the plains by

Kyle Walker

A bison stands with a small herd at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Osage County. Around 2,700 bison live on the Preserve.

Kyle Walker / Collegian

To the Comanches, the southern plains must have seemed an earthly paradise. The Pleistocene extinctions nine thousand years earlier had left dozens of grazing niches vacant on the American Great Plains. Nature’s solution was to evolve a dwarf species of bison that had a higher reproductive capability than any of its ancestors and to flood most of those vacant niches with an enormous biomass of one grazer. In an ecological sense, bison were a weed species that had proliferated as a result of a major disturbance. That disturbance still reverberated … And it made the horse Indians a group of humans who throve on a unique environmental situation that has few parallels elsewhere in human history. ~ Dan Flores, The Natural West

On 39,100 acres just north of Pawhuska, The slaughter from their kill, and most of them killed far Okla., conservationists are trying to recreate Before 1800 there were probably 28–30 more animals than they could actually make the unique environment of the presettlement million bison on the Great Plains. By 1900 use of. tallgrass prairie. Though this vast ecosystem there were fewer than 1,000.

Frank Roe, who appears to have mustered once covered more than 142 million acres, A combination of exotic bovine disease, every available source for his encyclopedic it is almost entirely gone today. Most of it global demand for bison robes, and increas- 1951 study “The North American Buffalo,” was long ago transformed into farmland or ing pressures from displaced and adapting wrote that every bison robe brought to marforest.

Plains Indians had led already to a decrease ket in the years 1871 and 1872 represented But the Nature Conservancy, a national in the bison population by 1850, according anywhere from three to five dead buffalo. charitable organization dedicated to pre- to Dan Flores, author of “The Natural West.”

Oklahoma was not spared the carnage. serving natural landscapes, seeks to White hunters were not then allowed protect this patch of prairie in Osage to ply their trade in Indian Territory County by bringing back two of the (as most of present-day Oklahoma We come now to a history which I would Great Plains’ most significant natural was known); this was little impedigladly leave unwritten.

Its record is a disforces: fire and the American bison. ment to the determined hide hunters. grace to the American people in general, and Spring visitors to the Tallgrass Hornaday reported that such men Prairie Preserve will likely encounwould camp out on the south Kanthe Territorial, State, and General Governter both of these things. Groups of sas border to lie in wait. “A herd no ment in particular. It will cause succeeding bison are frequently found grazing sooner crossed the line going north generations to regard us as being possessed beside public access roads; smoke than it was destroyed,” he wrote. of the leading characteristics of the savage or scorched earth marks ongoing or In preparing his work, Hornaday recent burns. tried to establish the number of biand the beast of prey—cruelty and greed.

According to Robert Hamilton, son still alive as of Jan. 1, 1889. director of the Tallgrass Prairie PreThe very scarceness of the animal in ~ William T. Hornaday, Extermination serve, bison were the “premier influquestion seems to have made his job of the American Bison ence” of the presettlement plains, “a easier: force of nature in themselves.”

“In the United States the death of a Together with fire and the impact buffalo is now [1889] such an event of Native Americans, bison created that it is immediately chronicled by the ecology of the prairie. The histhe Associated Press and telegraphed torical tallgrass prairie region was a chaotic But it took two great periods of slaughter all over the country.” place where the human use and natural out- at the hands of mostly white hunters in the According to Hornaday’s numbers, there break of fire drove the movements of graz- 1870s and 1880s to fully humble the Ameri- were only 635 wild bison in North America ing mammals, who were preyed upon by hu- can bison. at the beginning of 1889: 25 in the Texas man and non-human predators alike.

The bison had all but vanished by the time panhandle, 20 in Colorado, 26 in southern In the wealth and diversity of the Great William T. Hornaday, then superintendent Wyoming, 10 in Montana, 4 in the Dakota Plains, Hamilton said, “we had the original of the Smithsonian’s National Zoological territory and perhaps 550 in Canada’s NorthSerengeti.”

Park, wrote his polemical 1889 treatise on west Territory.

But unlike their ancestors, the bison of the “Extermination of the American Bison.”

Together with captive animals, including Osage County must content themselves with As Hornaday and others reported, it was those protected by federal law in Yellowthe rolling landscape of Oklahoma’s Flint common practice among bison hunters to stone, he put the total number of living bison Hills. The age of the buffalo is long over. kill an animal solely for its robe or its tongue. at 1,091.

Many hunters rarely paused to strip the meat Continued next page

13 April 2015

Buffalo

Fire swept through grassland near the south end of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve during a prescribed burn on Saturday.

The Collegian: 9

Kyle Walker / Collegian

Old flames The transition from prairie to woodland that oil and gas production is compatible More than twice that number now live can happen in the span of a human gen- with conservation. within the confines of the Tallgrass Prairie eration, according to Hamilton. “As a land It still helps to have Sublette around, Preserve. In 1993, the Preserve received a manager, you’ve got to move fast and not sit though. “I think of Kerry and his team as the donation of 300 animals from the Ken-Ada on your thumbs,” he said.

Ghostbuster guys,” Hamilton said. That is, Ranch in Bartlesville. Since then, the herd So the second weapon in the Tallgrass when something spills in your neighborhood has grown to a summer size of 2700. Most Prairie Preserve arsenal is the controlled … of that growth was through natural repro- burn. Every year, the Preserve burns a full The Preserve’s land management plan also duction. third of its holdings, choosing sections serves a research purpose. Patch-burning as Free to wander throughout most of the spread throughout its 39,100 acres. practiced at the Preserve differs from more Preserve, these bison are essentially wild.

The result is a “shifting landscape patch conventional practices, some of which inThe Nature Conservancy gathers them only mosaic,” in Hamilton’s words. This mix- volve burning all pasturage every year. once a year to administer vaccines and re- ture of burnt and unburnt patches is critical 11,000 acres of the Preserve are set aside for move excess animals. Without external pre- to the Nature Conservancy’s mission at the the testing of progressive land management dation, the herd’s natural birth rate exceeds Preserve. “You need to have this landscape techniques with domestic livestock like catits mortality rate, so a little intervention is diversity out there,” Hamilton said, “if you tle. necessary to keep the herd at its target size. want all the native species to survive.”

The active role played by the Nature ConOtherwise, the herd servancy in mainis left to its own detaining landscape divices. versity clashes with We read of men so wickedly wasteful that ‘thousand upon thousands’ of But the herd is only what Hamilton calls the first step in recrethe “keep the chainbuffalo were killed for their tongues alone, and not even skinned; so that ating and preserving saws out of the forit was ‘no uncommon thing’; for a man to bring in two barrels at once this tallgrass praiest, human beings of salted buffalo tongues without another pound of meat or a single skin. rie ecosystem. The aren’t part of nature” Even from the lesser sin of mere ignorance, it was considered by careful plains are notorious approach to conserfor their vast open, vation.

Hamilton observers that every buffalo robe that went to market from the southern but seemingly empty territory in the years 1871 and 1872 represented as many as three or four, thinks this view igvistas. In spite of this nores the substantial and even as high as five dead buffalo! reputation for dullrole played by Native ness, the prairie is a Americans in managcomplex and delicate ~ Frank Roe, The North American Buffalo ing the prairie before system. the extermination of “The problem with the bison. grassland conservaThe prairie is in tion is that the prairie some ways a humanisn’t the sort of jaw-dropping, hit-you-increated environment. “Without people, we the-face scenery of the Rocky Mountains A man-made landscape would not be talking about a prairie system,” or Himalayas,” Hamilton said. Instead, the The Preserve has been a hotspot for biolog- Hamilton said. For thousands of years before prairie is a subtle, but complicated machine ical, ecological and environmental research. 1800, indigenous people were already using with many hidden, moving parts. “It’s like Over 180 papers have been published on the fire on the prairie, both to drive animals off the inside of a clock.” basis of research conducted at the Preserve. cliffs or into corrals and to lure them with And like a clock, all the parts need to be Scientists working at the prairie have ac- vibrant new growth. properly balanced and aligned. cess to a research station at the preserve But instead of lighting fires for the sake “For the prairie to work, it needs three headquarters. Built by the Nature Conser- of food, the Nature Conservancy does so to things,” said Bill Alexander, a volunteer do- vancy in partnership with the University of protect the tallgrass prairie from extinction. cent at the Preserve: “the climate, the fires Tulsa, the Tallgrass Prairie Ecological ReAt a prescribed burn last Saturday, a team and the bison.” search Station was dedicated in 2004. of three Oklahoma State University reThe bison fertilize and aerate the soil, AlDr. Kerry Sublette, Sarkeys Professor of searchers lead by Joe Lautenbach were conexander said. As they pursue the best graz- Environmental Engineering at TU, has been ducting a raptor survey. Standing in the back ing, these benefits spread to diverse parts of involved with the research center since the of a pickup truck, one would say the name the landscape. But bison alone will not pre- fundraising process began four or five years of a bird and another would write it down. serve the prairie. before. Sublette has been conducting oilfield “Turkey Vulture.” “Swainson’s Hawk.”

“If you remove fire,” Hamilton said, “it remediation and restoration research at the By early afternoon, the prairie smoldered quickly becomes woodland.” Besides pav- Preserve for over twenty years. on the east side of the road leading south ing the way for lush, new growth, fire proWith around 200 active oil wells, the Tall- out of the Preserve. On the other side, a bitects the prairie, shielding it from the on- grass Prairie Preserve is not without its mis- son lay calmly on a verdant patch of ground slaught of its forest neighbors. haps. But for Hamilton, the Preserve shows which had burned only weeks before.

Commentary

The Collegian: 10

13 April 2015

John Mabee motion-sensor lights: a bad idea for other buildings

The window blinds and motionsensor lights in John Mabee Hall shouldn’t be used in new buildings or renovation projects.

Brennen VanderVeen Politics Reporter Over the summer, John Mabee Hall received a renovation. Most of the changes are improvements. The bright wooden doors present a much more cheerful environment than the dark purple they replace. The new sinks are quite nice. Also, having more control over the temperature makes for a much more comfortable room.

Overall, these changes make John Mabee Hall a much nicer place to live. However, the new window blinds and motion-sensor lights shouldn’t be used in any new projects.

During the day, the window blinds are very nice. They look better than the ones last year, and they’re easier to raise if one wants an open window.

However, at night there’s a problem. If the lights are on in a room, it’s very easy to see inside. The blinds make it difficult to see

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inside if one is viewing the window perpendicularly, but other angles hide very little, at least for the first floor.

Walking to one of John Mabee Hall’s entrances, it’s possible to see the way that furniture is arranged. If someone is in the room, one can see defining facial features if he’s close enough to the window. Through the blinds, I’ve seen one person wearing headphones.

If someone on the first floor is wanting to change with any degree of privacy after the sun sets, he’ll have to switch the lights off.

Even on the second floor, he’d have to back away from the window.

In addition, the motion-sensors on the lights don’t work well, at least, not across the whole room. They’ve turned back on after my roommate rolled over in bed, but they only seem to recognize that I’m in the room when I’m within arms-length of the light switches. As far as I can tell, there’s no way to disable the motion sensors so that the lights stay on until I turn them off myself.

John Mabee residents were never instructed on how to control the settings on the lights, but after playing with them I discovered that one can change the duration for which they stay on by holding the button down. However, 20–30 minutes seems to be the maximum.

As a result, whenever my roommate is gone for a few hours, the lights turn off every 20–30 minutes. It’s rather distracting when one is studying for the lights to go off suddenly. If one is really focused on writing an essay, that focus is disrupted every time

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Last week, my attractive female co-worker was wearing some very tight fitting clothing which accentuated her large breasts. Needless to say, as a warm-blooded heterosexual male I was very appreciative. After this co-worker left, my friend (also male) walked by and I told him about my attractive coworker’s breasts in explicit detail.

We had a lengthy discussion about how women serve no other purpose in the workplace than to be eye-candy for hardworking men. We even came up with a chant about how there would never ever ever be any ugly bitches at our place of employment!

To my surprise, my boss called me into her office and terminated me from my employment on the basis of sexual harassment. I was stunned, and slowly that shock became outrage! I never laid a finger on any of my co-workers and furthermore, never said anything to her directly!

However, it seems as though the equipment we use to record our office space when assessing participants for our study had been turned on, and my comments became available to my co-workers and subsequently posted online.

My boss found this recording and fired me for it! To recap, my words cost me my job.

Actually they didn’t.

Although my comments regarding my co-worker were never made directly to her, and my song about “ugly bitches” was never aimed at any particular female, I created a toxic environment for my female coworkers. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety and comfort of the women in the workplace, as well as the reputation of the research facility itself, I had to be removed.

For those of you aghast by my blatant sexist remarks, let me alleviate your concerns now. This story is entirely fictitious. I mean, it’s 2015. Nobody still makes idiotic comments about discrimina-

Elias Brinkman / Collegian

A student in John Mabee rolls over, sets off the lights, then shields himself from the unexpected brightness.

the lights turn themselves off.

Ideally, the blinds would be changed and the lighting would have the option of being on a sensor or not. However, I realize this costs money and John Mabee has just undergone an otherwise very beneficial reno-

vation. It’s possible to live with these relatively minor inconveniences with curtains and a desk-lamp. Still, I don’t see a reason to extend these annoyances to any new construction or renovation projects.

Nigel Cook: Expulsion of OU SAE students justified, constitutional tion against a particular minority group and subsequently those comments get reported online, right? Right…?

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Last March, news reports regarding a racist chant sung by OU’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chapter were posted online.

I need not report the facts of this incident in great detail as they are easily accessible online and have been written about in The Collegian and other news sources already. Instead, for the purposes of this piece, I will simply note that the two instigators of this chant were expelled from OU’s campus.

The Collegian article published by editor-in-chief Kyle Walker on March 30th, 2015 called this decision a “deeply and dangerously illiberal perspective on freedom of speech.” The article went on to report that First Amendment case law protects free speech, which is true. In fact, I shall quote the first amendment now: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

I fail to see how Congress became involved with OU’s decision to expel the two students or how this event was a “quintessential violation of the First Amendment.”

In fact, government restrictions on free speech seemed to play no part in this decision. Instead, OU President David Boren seemed to have made the final call.

The article makes the claim that Boren’s decision is concerning, as it is in violation of the (former) students’ right to free speech. Although the university was operating under the guidelines of Title VI of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Walker finds it disconcerting that they were removed from campus

for this isolated incident. The article concludes: “On this formulation, the freedom to say what you wish is unlimited, but the right to do so with impunity ends at the whims of those in power, who turn out to be little more than enlightened despots.”

I disagree with this rhetoric. On the basis of the article itself, Boren operated under what he felt were the guidelines set forth by Title VI and made his decision accordingly. His own “whims” were not the issue, as he probably had little-tono interaction with these students prior to their expulsion. Instead, his decision came from video evidence of the event and existing policy.

Additionally, The Collegian article claims: “[T]he incident at issue, one chant sung on a bus by a crowd of fraternity brothers and their friends, was neither severe, persistent nor pervasive—even if it was abhorrent” (emphasis add-

ed) to which I also disagree. The chant involved a repetitive use of a racial slur for African Americans and indifference toward those who may “hang them from a tree” (in reference to lynching, a practice historically perpetrated by Whites toward African Americans). I would argue that this language is by all means severe. Further, the fact that this is a historic chant used by SAE (formally or informally) makes it persistent, and the fact a video was posted online makes it pervasive.

How many African Americans viewed that video and felt unwelcome on OU’s campus?

Simply put, SAE’s chant was hate speech. While Walker’s article seems to be in support of an individual’s constitutional right to say whatever they choose free of consequence, I would feel more uncomfortable in a world which tolerated—and even Constitutionally protected—hate speech.

Language is a powerful social tool and therefore our words should always be chosen carefully.

Although Congress shall make no law abridging our right to use speech however we choose, our speech should have consequences, whether or not those consequences are formal or informal. Our right to free speech comes with a price, and the ability to say whatever you choose is directly proportional to your willingness to deal with the repercussions.

The two expelled individuals may now freely sing that chant and the government will not persecute them for it.

Did the (former) students have the right to say whatever they wished, as abhorrent as it is? Yes. Did their words have consequences? Yes. Is this unconstitutional?

No.

As many people have known about the tragic event that took place at The University of Oklahoma with the SAE racist chant, it was my facebook status that started a minor controversy but was still so empowering to many students. I stated, “This whole situation is why BLACK PEOPLE NEED TO STOP PLEDGING WHITE SORORITIES AND FRATERNITIES! They don’t care about you! Their founders didn’t care about our ancestors so what makes you think they’ll care about you too? WAKE UP!!! Get mad all you want. But I don’t care, that’s the truth!” Although I did not clarify what I meant in my status because I was so infuriated with this issue, a lot of people jumped to conclusions and assumed that I was generalizing all sororities and fraternities, which was totally not the case. I got a chance to clarify what I meant and suddenly most

people caught my drift.

As President of the Association of Black Collegians, I felt that it was my duty to stand up for something that is important to my culture and my family. Although some people did not agree with what I was feeling, none of that mattered because I knew what was right. Because I and other students of different organizations were feeling like this situation was way too close to home, we came together to start L.E.A.D. It stands for Leaders of Equality, Awareness, and Diversity. This organization is about more than just race.

It’s also about awareness of sexuality, women’s rights, anything you can think of—we are ready to educate you on it.

L.E.A.D. is important to me because these issues that are happening in the world are slowly but surely making their way to campuses, and my goal is to prevent

it from happening before it is too late. Currently, we have about 30+ members ready to understand what it’s like coming from a minority’s point of view. All I want to accomplish is getting everyone on campus involved in this movement. I am happy with the turnout that we have so far. However, I want people to get involved because they really care and not because it’s mandatory for any organization. I would also like to see more faculty and staff getting associated with this specific organization as well.

If anyone has questions about what L.E.A.D. or wants a more detailed explanation, please feel free to contact me, and please don’t be afraid to want to learn about the people on this campus.

Nigel A. Cook

Jasmine Antwine: Students should join L.E.A.D

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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 opinions of the entire Collegian staff, the administrative policies of the University of Tulsa, the views of the student body or our advertisers. Letter Policy: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words. While we do not require it, letters sent via e-mail to the Collegian are encouraged. 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 Saturday prior to publication.

Jasmine Antwine President of the Association of Black Collegians

editor-in-chief—Kyle Walker managing editor—Conor Fellin news editor—Morgan Krueger sports editor—Matt Rechtien variety editor—Abigail LaBounty commentary & barricade editor—Giselle Willis satire editor—Fraser Kastner photo & graphics editor—Elias Brinkman copy editor—Amanda Hagedorn apprentice editor—Michaela Flonard, Hannah Kloppenburg, Kayleigh Thesenvitz business & advertising manager—Jesse Keipp distribution manager—Walker Womack editorial consultant—Nikki Hager web manager—Sam Chott social media manager—Charlie McQuigg

13 April 2015

The Collegian: 11

13 April 2015

The State-Run Media

the

State-Run media Ideas worth forcibly disseminating.

RFRA restores long-dead religious practices

Following the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Indiana has seen a resurgence of ancient paganism, animism, and Old-Testament style animal sacrifice.

Fraser Kastner Dagon Cultist

Sources confirmed last week that Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act managed to restore some seriously whacked out stuff.

“I was kind of hoping this bill would allow us to return to a simpler time,” said Indiana Senator Scott Schneider, who helped author the bill. “I wanted to return to a time when I was too young to understand how complicated the real world is. Now the social landscape is even more complicated than it was before.”

Since the bill was passed two weeks ago, dead religious traditions from all over the world have begun springing up in Indiana, including a resurgence in Mesopotamian paganism and Neolithic fire worship.

“When I signed this bill into law, I had no idea it would allow other religions freedom of practice,” said Indiana Governor Mike Pence. “At least now we don’t have to worry about the death penalty being outlawed,” he added as

he plunged an obsidian dagger into the heart of an adulterer as part of a ritual to appease Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec god of death.

“This isn’t what we imagined at all,” said Sen. Jean Leising, one of the bill’s co-authors, watching a team of loinclothed workers placing a giant sandstone brick on an under-construction pyramid.

“We just wanted business owners to feel safe denying service on the basis of sexual orientation.

Now we have to interact with even more people who are different from us.”

The bill, which many critics claim was intended to legitimize discrimination against LGBT individuals, seems to have backfired.

Now, the Hoosier State is a prime destination for cults, monastic orders and long-dead religious practices.

“It used to be that I just had to shoo the occasional gay out,” said Bradley Nicholson, a baker specializing in heterosexual Christian wedding cakes.

“Now I’m only comfortable around one in ten customers,” he added, shaking his fist at a group of Hare Krishnas across the road.

At press time, there has been no word on whether or not Indiana will be smitten by God for allowing people of other faiths to live within its borders (Deuteronomy 13:12–15).

Elias Brinkman / Collegian

Indiana Governor Mike Pence takes part in a ritual to appease the Aztec death deity Mictlantecuhtli as well as the Indiana public.

A tale of two TEDs: Cruz gives talk Ted Cruz gave a TEDx talk earlier this week, highlighting exactly how easy it is to land one of those things.

As part of the TEDx talks at TU last week, President Steadman Upham announced that he had invited Texas Senator Ted Cruz to speak at the University.

Everyone thought it was a joke, but no one was laughing when Cruz showed up Friday riding an oil derrick and trailed by sixteen trained elephants spraying crude oil all over the steps of the Reynolds center.

words “buffalo” and “bison.”

When asked about the talk Freshman Communications major Nick Holesby said “I honestly have no idea what that was. I kind of zoned out after he got to the Polish Bison.”

Senior Physics major Anna Mips said “I think he thought he was filibustering. There was a whole four-hour stretch about the history of the alphabet where he was just reading off a huge stack of paper. I don’t think he even knew what he was saying.”

After hour forty, Cruz just started waving around bundles of money and chanting the word “appletini” over and over again.

He also looked like he really needed to pee. The chant dis-

As the longest-serving solicitor general of Texas, Cruz had a lot of advice to offer young people just starting their careers. Cruz offered none of this advice, insight or even entertainment during his forty-eight hour TEDx talk. He spent the six hours discussing the etymological differences between the

solved into incoherent mumbling somewhere around hour forty-six.

When asked why he had played such a prominent part in shutting down the government during 2013, Cruz lit the bundles of paper on fire, mounted his horse and galloped off stage and into the sunset.

Abigail LaBounty Paint Thinner Sommelier

Elias Brinkman / Collegian

Texas Senator Ted Cruz spent his entire talk screeching and waving money around. The State-Run Media’s political analyst said, “It was unclear how Cruz’s TEDx talk differed from his usual campaign speeches.”

Top Ten Summer Activities

Finals are coming up, which can only mean that summer is just around the corner.

Here is a list of the top ten State-Run Media approved fun summer activities.

Fraser Kastner Summer Fun Specialist

1. Playing in the sprinkler: When it comes to fun in the sun, nothing’s quite as good as needlessly depleting the water table and ignoring the advice of respected scientists. Looking at you, California.

2. Flagrantly abusing power: Nothing says summer fun like shooting an unarmed man eight

times in the back and then planting evidence in self-defense.

3. Destroying the environment: Go hop in your bulldozer and destroy a beloved urban wilderness.

Progress marches on, son.

4. Dousing a living tree with gasoline and setting it on fire: Revel in the rush that comes from doing something truly evil.

5. Fracking: I don’t know about you, but for me there’s nothing quite like dangerously unsettling the very ground we walk on in pursuit of unsustainable profits.

6. Sticking your fist in an active beehive: (only do this if you are a bear).

7. Coming to grips with the fact that your childhood is over, and that nothing will ever bring

back the feeling of hearing the ice cream truck in your neighborhood, or catching fireflies without having to feel self-conscious and weighed down by the accumulated guilt and anxiety of adulthood: Just getting that out there.

8. Killing some ants with a magnifying glass: Just fuck ‘em right up.

9. Volunteering your ample time: Just kidding. Fuck other people, right?

10. Getting a fucking job: Let’s be serious here. I’m an adult. You, reader, are an adult. Summers spent in pure, innocent self gratification are a thing of the past for us. So really, just go get a fucking job and build your resume, you slacker.

“I think he thought he was filibustering.”

ENTER THE STATE-RUN MEDIA GULLIBILITY CONTEST WHOEVER SENDS THE MOST MONEY TO THE FOLLOWING SWISS P.O. BOX K-MONEY ENTERPRISES P.O. BOX 191919 GUSSMAN, SWITZERLAND WILL RECEIVE AN EXCITING PRIZE

13 April 2015

VS. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC 2

The Collegian: 13

The Collegian : 14

13 April 2015

International Night is a staple of TU’s annual event calendar. Students from around the world sing, dance and perform sketches. This year’s event was held in the Lorton Performance Center.

Chuyi Wen / Collegian Selfie, everyone!

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International Night super photogenic

Oscar Ho / Collegian

Chuyi Wen

/ Collegian

Chuyi Wen / Collegian

Oscar Ho / Collegian

Clockwise from left: Collegian photographer Chuyi Wen (second row, left) performs in a fan dance; dancers execute gymnastic maneuvers; Tana Ali Kizi, Linh Phan and Lan Le Mai enjoy cupcakes; and Ain Das smiles at the camera.