Feb. 13

THE“CAMPUS

February 13, 2019 – Volume 112 Issue 17

Auto break-ins raise concern for campus security Emily Wollenberg

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Officials are encouraging students to be careful about what they leave in their vehicles after seven cars were broken into on Noble Drive.

Campus police received a call at 7 a.m. Saturday, reporting a break-in in the Walker Hall dormitory parking along Noble Drive.

“These are your typical grab and smash crimes,” Police Chief Jennifer Rodgers said.

Students need to be aware of what they leave out in the open in their cars, Rodgers said.

“We’re having issues where students are leaving things like Michael Kors purses in their cars, and it’s making it appealing for people walking by to break in,” she said.

Noble Drive has cameras, Rodgers said, but many of them point toward the dorm and were unable to capture the thief.

Rodgers instructed dispatchers to leave the cameras pointed toward Walker Hall for safety reasons.

Rodgers said she doesn’t see OCUPD purchasing more cameras for the parking area because the police department doesn’t have enough personnel to watch them.

“We don’t have a full-time person to monitor them. Their attention is divided between two screens that are split between 25 cameras on each. There’s only so much you can watch at one time,” she said.

Short staffing is an ongoing issue in the campus police department, Rodgers said.

“I went back and looked at the officer’s activity, and they were on the other side of campus when the call came in. It’s just another point that we can’t be everywhere at once,” she said. “We have to increase our patrols. I’m asking for an increase in staff.”

Ellie Howell, psychology freshman, owns one of the cars that was broken into.

“My car alarm went off in the middle of the night because I got a notification from my Subaru app, but I guess it stopped because I didn’t wake up,” she said. “Then the OCU Police Department called me that morning at eight, and it woke me up. They told me that my car had been broken into.”

The thief stole some gift cards from her wallet and her favorite

We're having issues where students are leaving things like Michael Kors purses in their cars, and it's making it appealing for people walking by to break in.

Jennifer Rodgers police chief

jacket, Howell said.

“It was a little unsettling because I think a lot of times we, as students, assume incidents like this won’t happen to us, and then they do,” Howell said. “Things like this could happen to anyone.

So just always be careful and make sure you don’t have anything valuable that can be seen in your car.”

The university is not liable for the break-ins, Rodgers said.

“It’s up to the students’ insurance companies to pay for the stolen items or damages,” she said.

In the past, the Flamingo Apartments across the street from Walker Hall have had break-ins, Rodgers said. Students also should be wary of interacting with people walking around the area, she said.

“We have been stopping a lot of people on campus that do not belong,” she said. “We have identified a lot of people on campus who are on drugs.”

OCUPD is looking into putting a fence or barrier between 23rd Street and Noble Drive, Rodgers said.

“It’s not something that could happen right away because we don’t have the budget for it at this point,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said police have no leads at this point as to who the thief is, but she doesn’t think it is a student.

Rodgers said officers have noticed people who walk along the street often walk down Noble Drive instead of 23rd Street.

“I’ve asked our officers to be more vigilant in stopping people,” Rodgers said. “We’re going to end up stopping a few students along the way, but they can just show us their StarCard like they always do.”

Rodgers said students should always be aware of their surround-

Submitted

The car break-ins happened before 7 a.m. Feb. 9 on Noble Drive, where the street parking outside of Walker Hall dormitory is located.

ings and contact OCUPD in an emergency situation.

“We rely on the students to call us and let us know what’s happening,” she said.

Students may call OCUPD at 405-208-5911 for emergencies or 405-208-5001 for nonemergency matters.

Contributing: Staff Writer Dru Norton

Students frustrated by noises, plumbing in Methodist Hall and treat because the only solution is to bleed the pipes of air, but, by the time someone arrives to do so, the hammering has usually ended and bleeding the pipes wouldn’t be useful. The only way to permanently prevent the noise is to change out the system, which is a multimillion-dollar process.

Maintenance workers typically respond to emergencies as fast as possible and within the next business day for regular work orders, Culbertson said. He said maintenance response times can vary and the department has been short staffed on plumbers.

Students can help to prevent plumbing issues by being aware of their drain usage, Culbertson said. Only flush toilet paper down toilets, he said. He also said food should be put in the trash instead of down the sink when possible.

Luke Barrett

STAFF WRITER

Students have reported annoying sounds and plumbing issues throughout United Methodist Hall.

There have been maintenance issues in Methodist Hall ever since it opened in 2007. Students have complained about construction in the early morning, fire alarms going off in the middle of the night, dead pigeons in the courtyard, elevators malfunctioning, and consistent leaking.

Housing officials said the latest issues may be difficult or impossible to resolve, but a lack of communication has left students frustrated with the maintenance process.

Noises disturb residents Some sounds in Methodist are coming from the water pipes, officials said.

Giorgia Patterson, music education sophomore, said she heard strange noises outside her dorm on the second floor of Methodist.

“It sounds like a water pump to me, honestly, but it’s very loud, especially in my bathroom and right outside of our door,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just in the morning and at night, then sometimes it’s all day.”

The sound happens daily, but Patterson said she had not contacted anyone to have it fixed.

Corinne Prudente, acting junior, lives on the third floor of Methodist and said she heard loud sounds as well.

“This semester it started out okay, but then, over the past few weeks, the pipes have started being loud again,” she said. “It sounds like machinery or something. It’s really loud, it’s really bad and is all hours.”

Prudente said the noise happens a few times a day, and she actively avoids being in her room when she’s trying to work.

She hasn’t contacted maintenance, but said others have. She said a resident assistant reported the noise last semester, but nothing was done.

Plumbing issues cause flooding Pipes making noise aren’t the only issue in Methodist Hall.

Prudente also said she reported plumbing problems Feb. 1 because she had a broken sink drain. She resorted to using her bathtub as a sink for a few days until the sink was repaired.

“They did fix that. I haven’t had a lot of issues with my water since, but it just always seems that when one thing gets fixed, two other things break,” she said.

John Metcalf, acting junior, also experienced plumbing issues in his room on the first floor of Methodist Hall. He said he came back to his room in August to find clogging.

“Eventually it got to the point where the sink would overflow and start spilling dirty, brown water that had like, old coffee beans or whatever and just kind of spilling it out onto the floor and onto the cabinet and got into like all the little cabinets and stuff,” he said.

M MEDIAOCU.com

Luke Barrett Student Publications A latex glove was taped to the fire alarm on the L2 basement of United Methodist Hall as a temporary solution to fog forming in the stairwell, causing random sounding of fire alarms. It has been removed.

Metcalf said maintenance workers came and unclogged the sink, but the same issue started again after Winter Break.

Tom Hoblin, music senior and Methodist RA, noticed the flooding and contacted maintenance. The issue came back up, and Metcalf sent in another work order, which was marked as “complete” but not actually responded to. Hoblin contacted maintenance again, and the issue was resolved, Metcalf said.

Metcalf said he isn’t sure if the sink will remain fixed because of repeated issues. He said he was told that the pipes back up because they are used less during breaks and the inconsistent weather furthers the problem.

Max McIntire, acting sophomore, who also lives on the first floor of Methodist, experienced similar issues and said his sink overflowed after clogging issues in the past. Maintenance told him it was due to a sewer line burst caused by weather fluctuations.

“Two or three hours later, after an emergency work order was sent in, people arrived to fix it. Things were fixed, but it didn’t stop a lot of our stuff from getting soaked around the kitchenette area,” he said.

Officials respond to the problems Kevin Culbertson, assistant director of housing operations and residence hall director for Methodist Hall, said he is aware of the issue with sinks overflowing and said they are resolved. He said he also has seen a video of the loud hall noises, which he said are caused by water hammering.

“It’s actually very common, and especially in buildings with the type of boiler system that we have. You’ll hear it in Gold Star. I heard it in Draper. The way the air systems work in this building, they run off of water, whether it’s hot water for heat, cold water for cold air,” he said. “The boilers have a sensor. When it gets warmer outside, the boiler automatically adjusts the temperature.”

Weather fluctuations cause air to get in the pipes, which then cause the water to hit the inside of the pipes, resulting in the sound, Culbertson said. He said this issue is difficult to predict

Fire alarms sound off Methodist residents also seem plagued by fire alarms. The false alarms have gone off at least twice since November, according to Student Publications archives.

Culbertson said the troubles with the fire alarm system in Methodist originated in the basement. The system is dry, meaning a sensor being tripped releases air from the pipe and, after it falls below a certain point, the pipe is evacuated and flooded with water.

“Because it is exposed to elements and it gets hot and cold, even though we don’t have water in the lines, condensation naturally builds in those lines,” he said. “As the moisture naturally builds from it being hot one day and then cold, hot, cold, and then you get a really cold night, then that moisture actually does end up freezing in there,” he said.

Culbertson said facilities workers drain the lines daily, but it has not helped the pipes.

“When it freezes and it ruptures a line, well, there goes the air pressure sensor on it,” he said.

Culbertson taped a glove onto the fire alarm on Methodist L2 as a temporary solution, but it was removed.

There is no permanent solution to the issue without redoing the system, Culbertson said. The current solution is to monitor the basement sensors in the housing office, but disable them from setting off the entire building. This prevents needless evacuation of the building. Culbertson said it hasn’t gone off since then, but he monitors it daily and a potential fire in the parking garage is unlikely to be a problem.

“It’s a solid, concrete structure. That’s not something that’s going to spread to the rest of the building,” he said. “Now the safety stuff is still all fully operational, so in the case of a fire, then yes, the pumps are going to kick on and whatnot in a timely fashion.”

If students have concerns about issues in Methodist, they may email Culbertson at klculbertson@okcu.edu or Casey Kreger, director of housing and residence life, at crkreger@okcu.edu.

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opinion Student listening sessions create ideal setting for campus dialogue A huge benefit of attending a small school is the opportunity to sit down with the university president and talk about issues on campus.

President Martha Burger hosted a student listening session last week in partnership with student affairs. The session focused on diversity and inclusion and all students were welcome. Burger and Kanika Brown, assistant director of career services, were present with the students.

Visit MediaOCU.com to read more about the session.

The session was an opportunity for students to discuss their experiences on campus with the president, whether good or bad.

It would benefit the campus community for events like this to happen more often.

Students having direct access to Burger is a huge benefit that students at bigger universities may not have.

Burger’s willingness to sit down with students is admirable and hopefully will improve issues and highlight positive aspects of the university in the future.

Students should take advantage of opportunities like these and of Burger’s open-door policy. Then Burger can at least be aware of what students may want or need. Students also can inform her of what university officials are doing well.

Burger is the university president, but she’s only one human being. She can’t know about every concern on campus unless they’re brought to her attention. Listening sessions are an important way for that to happen.

In the future, hosting listening sessions at more opportune times would allow more students to attend. The recent listening session was from noon to 1 p.m. Many students have class until 12:15 p.m. or a class that begins at 12:30 p.m. Even

Talk Back “What is your favorite breakfast food from Chick-fil-A?”

though the event was comeand-go, students may have wanted to be in attendance longer. It's helpful to have a variety of input on important issues. The more students that can attend this type of discussion, the more beneficial it is for all involved. An evening session probably would fit more students’ schedules.

Every student has a unique campus experience to share.

Putting as much diversity as possible in one room with the president is likely to bring up issues that students or Burger may never have considered.

Being open and honest while remaining respectful and constructive is the best way to approach these types of conversations. Even when topics are uncomfortable, being mature and open-minded will bring positive results.

"Chicken minis"

"Cheesy biscuits"

Kendall Procaccino theater and performance/ education sophomore

Grace Nettrour acting sophomore

"Chicken minis"

"Chicken minis"

Marty Gibson studio art junior

Lauren Madsen design and production freshman

"I'm from New York—I've never had breakfast at Chick-fil-A before."

"Grilled chicken and fruit cups"

Mackenzie Farrell dance freshman

Morgan Tschoepe exercise science freshman

Columnist discusses incoming Broadway musical hype It is impossible to ignore Be More Chill. It’s one of Broadway’s most anticipated new musicals and is set to start previews today. It was most recently seen in 2018 during an off-Broadway run and in 2015 at a regional theater in New Jersey. And that’s really it—two limited runs and it’s headed to Broadway.

A cast recording is available to stream, and some songs on YouTube have more than three million views. But, somehow between these three productions and a cast recording, this teenage-centric musical created a passionate following of fans who know the show inside and out.

The musical follows a character named “Jeremy” who takes a special pill to help him

“be more chill” as he makes his way through awkward days in high school.

Some people may know of this show thanks to some of the names attached to it. Producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper, known to her 18.8K Twitter followers as @jenashtep, is a theater historian who wrote a trilogy of books titled The Untold Stories of Broadway. Tepper has been part of the Be More Chill team for years and works frequently with Joe Iconis, who wrote the show’s music and lyrics.

I don’t know much else about the musical than that, so far. But there is no way to ignore Be More Chill as it moves closer to its opening date. So, what is making all of this happen? I’ve heard that the performers are incredibly

Amanda Miller is an English senior from Kansas City. She likes pop culture, glitter and iced coffee.

talented and the songs are fun to listen to, but I think the show has become one of the most popular musicals of the year because of its devoted fans.

There’s an array of song covers, fan art and lyrics on every social media platform, and apparently there were fans that saw the show up to nine different times during its regional stint, according to Two River Theater. These fans have devoted hours and days and maybe even years to sharing

this show with the world simply because they see little pieces of themselves portrayed onstage.

I talked to Ali Wonderly, music/theater performance alumna, who worked in digital media for the Off-Broadway run of Be More Chill. Ali said, when she saw the show, there were fans screaming and crying as certain songs began.

“For many young audience members, this show has become a safe-haven for them, as it created a huge online

community for young people to share their insecurities, talk about characters that look/act/ feel like themselves and find joy creating their own pieces of the puzzle that have become the world of Be More Chill,” Ali told me via email.

Since I don’t know any of the music, I spoke to Vance Klassen, music theater sophomore, who has followed the show for a while. Vance and I discussed how he enjoys listening to the pop/rock score because it’s catchy and has great musical aspects for performers. When I asked about the devoted fans that have followed the show for years, Vance seemed hopeful about their impact.

“The world is in desperate need for great storytellers, and I hope this sparks a new genera-

tion of dedicated individuals,” he said.

In the upcoming weeks, Be More Chill will be one of Broadway’s hottest tickets, audiences filled with people wanting to know just why this show is so special. Any critical reviewer who wants to see the show may find themselves seated next to a super-fan who knows every lyric before the show even starts. Maybe someday soon I’ll see it, a cross between the critic and the super-fan, someone excited to see the musical that brought so many people together. And no matter how Be More Chill does on Broadway, the fans who carried this show with them will be left with the understanding that they were part of something special.

The Lego Movie 2 lives up to expectations, does justice to original film The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is the follow-up to the 2014 BLOCKbuster hit The Lego Movie. It was directed

by Mike Mitchell and written

by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

For a while, I had been unknowingly following Lord and Miller’s work, from their animated TV comedy Clone High to Lord’s recent work on Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse, I could not get enough of their witty, self-aware humor and serious heartfelt moments.

So, one could say, I was so pumped for this movie, and it did not disappoint.

First, let’s discuss t he impact that The Lego Movie had in the animation industry.

To a medium that was running

out of interesting ideas, The Lego Movie was a huge breath of fresh air. I know some of you may be thinking, “Oh Paul, you silly goose, The Lego Movie is obviously just one long toy commercial that glorifies its product and has no actual substance to it,” and to you I’d ask, “Did you see the movie?”

The Lego Movie is a commercialized movie for sure, but the story dealt with themes from totalitarianism to capitalism, all masterfully crafted into greater themes of creativity.

Unfortunately, The Lego Movie caused big old cartoon money signs to pop out of executives eyes and made them say, “Make more movies based on broad ideas!” And so, the age

Paul Dower is a film production freshman from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He likes squishy toys, hoodies and Stanley Kubrick.

of the commercial movies came about, and they were bad. I’m talkin’ real bad. We got Trolls, The Angry Birds Movie and (sigh) The Emoji Movie. These are all examples of movies that saw the success of The Lego Movie and said, “Yeah, I can do that,” then recreated the elements of the movie but on a surface level, to the point where one looks back on The Lego Movie and thinks, “Why did I

like that movie?” This thought process is sad because no one is going to see this sequel; which is big sad, because it’s great.

With all of that out of the way, how was the The Lego Movie 2?

Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic! The movie not only is a great sequel, but a great movie.

The visual style with the Legos never gets boring and is always captivating. The characters

retained all the lessons of the first movie and use those lessons in this movie to propel the story forward. The hilarious, self-aware Lord and Miller writing is off the chain with its commentary on not only sibling rivalry, but toxicity, hate, societal divide, and growing up.

The emotional punches in this movie are just as satisfying and well-deserved as the original, even though more expected this time around.

The only shortcomings of the movie stem from the mere existence of its predecessor and the oversaturation of The Lego Movie copycats. The Lego Movie had the element of surprise when it came out, so when it turned out to be really good,

it blew everyone’s mind into the ozone layer. With this sequel, everyone knew what to expect going in, and those expectations were met exactly, but not blown away as with the original. I’ve heard people say that it is not as good as the original, but the only reason people think that is because it came out second.

The Lego Movie 2 is a fantastically imaginative movie and a great sequel. The movie built off of the shoulders of its prequel and crafted its own excellent story that is just as unique as that golden Lego brick that came with some big sets of Legos. This is one movie that you will not regret seeing.

Baseball vs. Texas A&M University at 3:30 p.m. at Jim Wade Stadium

Campus Calendar Calendar items must be received in the Newsroom or stupub@okcu.edu by noon Friday for inclusion in the following Wednesday issue.

THURSDAY Play Club from 7-9 p.m. in Gold Star Memorial Building

theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

Project 21: Love, Tonally at 7:30 p.m. in Medium Rehearsal Hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

FRIDAY Weekly Play Club meeting from 2-4 p.m. in the Honors Lounge in Gold Star Memorial Building

Gloria at 8 p.m. in Black Box

Baseball vs. Texas A&M University

at 3 p.m. at Jim Wade Stadium

Stadium

Center

Gloria at 8 p.m. in Black Box theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

Gloria at 8 p.m. in Black Box theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

Free Movie Screening: River Called Titas at 2 p.m. in Norick Art Center

SATURDAY Baseball vs. Bellevue University at 12:30 p.m. at Jim Wade

SUNDAY Gloria at 2 p.m. in Black Box theater in Wanda L. Bass Music

Baseball vs. Central Methodist University at 10 a.m. at Jim Wade Stadium

THE CAMPUS

The Campus has served the Oklahoma City University community since 1907. It is published Wednesday during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and exam periods.

Feb. 13 2019, Volume 112, Issue 17

Editor-in-chief: Nicole Waltman Associate Editor: Emily Wollenberg Copy Editor: Chandler White Associate Copy Editor: Paul Dower Photo Editor: Elina Moon Community Manager: Maddie Bowes

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Web Editor: Jessica Vanek Staff Writers: Luke Barrett, Callie Dewees, Erik Hamilton, Dru Norton, Hope Melton Columnists: Caroline Hawthorne, Amanda Miller Photographers: Carolann Stout, Kylie Sullivan, Hope Melton, Clara Foster

TUESDAY Dr. Frank Lehman: Thematic Transformation in "Star Wars" at 1 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and let-

Videographer: Emily Haan Ad Director: Emily Jones Faculty Adviser: Kenna Griffin

ters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s phone number, address, major, and classification. The staff reserves the right to edit all letters. The staff also reserves the right to refuse letters without explanation. Letters can be sent online at mediaocu.com, emailed to stupub@ okcu.edu or dropped off at the Newsroom in Walker Center for Arts and Sciences. Submitted items may appear on MediaOCU and in the print edition.

The first issue of The Campus is free. Each additional issue costs 25 cents. Contents copyright, 2019. All rights reserved.

February 13, 2019

lifestyles Officials consider breakfast at Chick-fil-A Emily Wollenberg

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Students may soon be able to purchase breakfast items at Chick-fil-A after a decision this week.

Chick-fil-A corporate officials will make a decision Friday about whether the Chick-fil-A in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center will be approved to sell breakfast items, said Michelle Gaffney, director of retail.

If breakfast is approved, Gaffney said they would hope to have it ready to go by Spring Break. Chick-fil-A officials would need time to adjust facilities and staffing for the new option.

“If we get approved, we will have the full breakfast menu,” Gaffney said. “I will be diligently working on it as soon as we get a decision.”

Molly Sykes, mathematics education senior, said she is in support of Chick-fil-A breakfast.

“I’d want the Chick-n-

Minis. That’s like my favorite thing,” she said.

A breakfast menu could improve business, Sykes said.

“I can see why they wouldn’t get it if it wasn’t as popular, because I know a lot of people skip breakfast, but I think if I knew there was Chick-fil-A breakfast, I’d want to come,” she said.

Ma n y s t u d e n t s w o u l d appreciate having an early morning option, Sykes said.

“I’m an athlete, so I leave my house at 5:30 to get here, so sometimes I’m really hungry after practices. Lots of athletes would like that and lots of people get up early,” she said.

E. Blaze Stark, history/ political science senior, said he thinks people would enjoy breakfast.

“It’d be nice to have. I’m not exactly losing sleep over it, but it’d be a good option,” he said.

“The biscuits are good. It’d be a nice addition for those who like it.”

Student Publications a�chives Students eat lunch at Chick-fil-A after officials opened the campus location March 7. The location has a fuller menu than other Chick-fil-A Expresses, including salads and wraps. Officials will decide Friday whether the location is approved for the full breakfast menu.

“

Clara Foster Student Publications

Let me entertain you

Left: Cole Duffy, acting freshman, performs an original song at OCU’s Got Talent on Feb. 7 in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.

Above: Members of Phi Mu sorority perform a “synchronized swimming” routine at OCU’s Got Talent. They won first place in the competition. The event was a fundraiser for Miracle Marathon, which benefits the Children’s Miracle Network, and it raised $695. The dance marathon will take place April 5.

Students to bring legislature club to campus Caroline Hawthorne

STAFF WRITER

Two political science students are working to start an Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (OIL) club on campus.

Lyndsey Speer, political science/philosophy/economics sophomore, and Lucas Freeman, political science/history junior, have discussed starting the mock legislature group that replicates all three branches of the state government in Oklahoma. The last time the university had the group was in 2011, and it ended due to lack of leadership, said Dr. Richard Johnson, political science professor. Speer said the group allows students to witness the legislative process firsthand.

“Students from all over the state can write mock bills they want to see passed and take it to the capitol to see how bills become laws,” Speer said. “You go there with your bill, you present it to your committee, and you debate it. If it passes to the committee, it will go through the chamber. If that passes, it goes to the governor. It is exactly how real government works.”

Speer was involved in Oklahoma Youth and Government, a similar program, in high school. She was a representative at the Conference on National Affairs, the Oklahoma Youth Speaker of the House and the Oklahoma Youth Governor.

Freeman worked for U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn’s (D-Oklahoma) campaign when he found out about the program.

“She and her campaign manager met doing their time at Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, and it seemed like a really

There have been bills that have been passed because of this program, and I believe the ability to make that impact is awesome.

“

Abigail Banks

political science/philosophy/economics freshman

great thing for political science students,” he said.

Speer said the best part of this program is to see young people bring in topics and make changes. In the past, students have brought in issues such as the legalization of marijuana and gay marriage.

“Even though it is a mock program, it has actually inspired real life legislature,” she said. “There was one student who brought his proposal to the conference. He was so passionate about it, and he made it through all the rounds. He proposed for all interstate highways to have divided medians, because his own family was killed on an interstate highway in a head-on collision. It was so impactful, that there were actual legislatures who made a bill out of it, and it is a law now.”

Students must register to be a part of the program, but Speer said they did not have enough students to create a delegation this

year. She is aiming for the program to happen next year.

“Anyone who is interested is able to do it, but it was so last minute that we couldn’t pull it off,” she said. “It is a really great extracurricular. It is not on campus, but maybe next year if we have enough people, we can have on-campus meetings to go over details.”

Freeman said the program is beneficial for connecting students with like-minded people.

“People should join because of connection,” Freeman said.

“Like I said with Kendra, she met her political operatives through OIL, and it’s just a really good way to connect with people with similar interests.”

Abigail Banks, political science/philosophy/economics freshman, said she was interested because it can help students understand how the government works. Banks was a page at the Oklahoma State Capitol when she was told about the program.

“I was immediately interested because I had done similar things in high school,” Banks said. “I think that, in a sense, we don’t understand what goes into passing a bill, and this helps students understand. There have been bills that have been passed because of this program, and I believe the ability to make that impact is awesome.”

For more information, students may email Speer at ldspeer@ my.okcu.edu or Freeman at lsfreeman@my.okcu.edu.

Dean of arts, sciences plans to add new eSports club Callie Dewees

STAFF WRITER

The dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences is starting an eSports club on campus.

Dr. Amy Cataldi met with students Feb. 6 about their interest in the club and introduced a potential coach for it. Ten students attended the meeting, Cataldi said. eSports is competitive, organized video gaming. Varsity eSports programs are present at 125 universities across the country, according to ESPN. Cataldi said she has been thinking about creating the club for months and thinks it could improve students’ experiences on campus.

“I think the students would want it, whether they’re current students or future students. I think we’d be remiss not to have this experience for them,” Cataldi said.

She said eSports clubs are promoted as team sports, and there are recruitment and scholarship opportunities.

“I’d like to sponsor all of this so I can find a space, provide a coach who could enhance everybody’s ability, if they’d like to get February 13, 2019

I think the students would want it, whether they're current students or future students. I think we'd be remiss not to have this experience for them.

Dr. Amy Cataldi

dean Petree College of Arts and Sciences

into a competition. I’d like to see if I could sponsor that, so I’ve done all the work and figured out what that might look like. Now I have to assess student interest,” she said.

Cataldi said the club could be sponsored out of Petree, which has a computer science program and could support the club’s activities, but students of all majors would be encouraged to join.

She said there is already a league they could join that focuses on a few games including League of Legends and Hearthstone, but she wants to hear from the students what games they are interested in.

There are certain genres of gaming that the club would have to include to succeed, said Austin Hogue, music education junior.

“My interest are in fighting games,” Hogue said. “For the club to grow, they would need to focus on fighting games, first person shooter games and multiplayer online battle arenas.”

Hogue said other eSports communities have trouble keeping members because they focus on recruitment and advertisement, rather than the gaming itself.

“I hope to see this club grow into a community on campus,” Hogue said. “There’s a fine line between recruitment for enjoyment and creating a fun and enjoyable community, versus a community driven by monetary goals or reputation. If we can achieve that, then I think the group has a great chance of surviving.”

Cataldi said this semester will be experimental, but she has high hopes for the club. She said she sees this being a three to five year process to get the club where she wants it to be.

For questions about the eSports club and how to join, email Cataldi at acataldi@okcu.edu.

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news SHINING STAR Film production major to create cosmic horror A film production/studio art senior, is taking a stab at creating her first horror film.

Kyla Bruegel is planning the horrific film as the capstone project that will finish out her film production degree. This is her second capstone at the university, her first being for her studio art degree last semester.

“I have to direct and write a short film,” Bruegel said. “It’s been a really long process, casting it and finding a crew. But it’s been really fun.”

It is Bruegel’s first directing piece.

“I’ve worked on a lot,” she said. “Every year, I work on the other seniors’ capstones, where I worked on production design mostly. I’ve also done some sound work, but this is my first time actually directing.”

Bruegel said she is casting her piece and will begin production in March. The film lengths vary from 10 to 20 minutes.

“I would describe it as cosmic horror, like along the lines of H. P. Lovecraft,” she said. “The core of the story is that it’s this friendship between these two girls who find out they have alien creatures living in their brain.”

Bruegel often takes inspiration from her favorite film director, Guillermo del Toro.

“He just seems like a warm and kind person, and he loves horror,” she said. “I’ve read some essays he’s written, and he’s just so passionate about his work, and that rubs off on me.”

Bruegel said the film department is trying to get Tower Theatre, 425 N.W. 23rd St., or Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., to show the seniors’ work at the end of the semester.

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Kyla Bruegel, film production/studio art senior, works on sound for a film. She is about to direct her first piece for her film production capstone, inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft.

“The professors are talking to local theaters to try and get them to show our films, and that would be amazing,” Bruegel said.

The screenings are open for everyone to watch, and professors will interview the directors and give feedback after the presentations.

In addition to completing her film production capstone, Bruegel will intern at the Cannes Film Festival in France for two weeks this May. “I’m hoping I go and meet a lot of people,” she said. “I do speak

a little French, too, so it will be a lot of fun.”

Bruegel said the film department at OCU has undergone massive changes in her time on campus, thanks to Bryan Cardinale-Powell, associate professor and chairman of film, and Billy Palumbo, visiting assistant professor of film.

“Bryan has been here the four years that I’ve been here, and sophomore year he took over the department. I admire so much what he did because he’s really building the program up,” she said. “Billy is a new professor who was hired my junior year. I think he’s brought something new to the table and has a really fun personality and connects well with the students. Those two are a power team.”

Cardinale-Powell said Bruegel is driven and successful.

“Kyla’s always been a thoughtful part of the film department,” Cardinale-Powell said. “I particularly admire how hard she’s working this year, completing not one but two capstone projects, one for art and one for film. Not many students can keep up the energy necessary to be successful with that kind of double major, but Kyla does it without missing a beat.”

Bruegel said her busy senior schedule makes it difficult to make time for friends.

“Senior year has been the busiest year by far, but my friends are still important to me,” she said. “But the great thing about film is that it’s collaborative. A lot of my friends are working on my film, which is nice because we’re technically doing work, but still having fun.”

By Web Editor Jessica Vanek

Caf to cover peanuts, protect students with airborne allergies Dru Norton

STAFF WRITER

Dining officials are taking precautions to cover peanuts in the caf after a student with airborne peanut allergies experienced allergic reactions.

Erik Hamilton, acting junior, has experienced allergic reactions to peanuts in the caf many times.

“I’m not supposed to be in the same room as peanuts, or even in the same vicinity, because I can react from the air easily,” Hamilton said. “That’s actually a pretty common thing with peanut allergies.”

Hamilton said his symptoms are nausea, weakness and throat swelling. Being around peanuts also exasperates his severe skin condition and asthma, he said.

“Recently, there have been peanut butter cookies in the caf in a jar with no lid. In the past, there have also been open nut jars by the salad bar or main dishes cooked in peanuts, and I don’t notice until it’s too late,” Hamilton said. “I have to hold my breath when I walk to get food because I can’t be around it. I have to sprint in when the line is gone, hold my breath and sprint out.”

Hamilton said the reactions affect his studies and nightly rehearsals.

“I ended up going to rehearsal after being around peanuts at the caf, and my skin was out of control. I felt really weak, and I would lose my train of thought halfway through a monologue,

We understand and appreciate that there are some serious peanut allergies and want to remove as much of the potential for illness as possible.

Chris Barton

executive chef

even if I wasn’t having trouble with it,” Hamilton said. “In the show there’s a lot of huge projection moments and speaking very loudly.

Whenever I would do it, my throat would close up from the peanuts being in the same room as me, and it caused me a lot of pain.”

Dining officials should list ingredients for dishes and give a warning if it includes a common trigger, Hamilton said.

“It’d be nice if they listed the ingredients for some of the dishes or just didn’t use peanuts at all,” Hamilton said. “It would also be nice if the staff was aware of what is in each dish, allergen-wise.

Sometimes I can’t find anyone who knows if there are peanuts in certain dishes.”

Executive Chef Chris Barton said dining officials plan to cover any item that has peanuts or peanut products in it, but it is more likely they will try to not use peanuts at all.

“While we don’t have a formal policy to remove and manage peanuts on campus, we make every effort not to use peanuts in the facility,” Barton said. “We understand and appreciate that there are some serious peanut allergies and want to remove as much of the potential for illness as possible.”

Micah Gilley, acting senior, is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.

Gilley said while she personally wishes for a peanut-free caf, she sees room for compromise.

“If I had it my way, there wouldn’t be nuts in the caf at all,” she said. “That being said, I understand that it’s super convenient protein for people with a non-restricted diet. I’d like to see a peanut-free caf and other nuts in a specific area, only where people serving themselves can't accidentally drop them on other food.”

Barton said he wants to encourage all students, faculty and staff that have dietary restrictions to communicate openly with him and the staff so that they can work together to meet any dietary needs.

“If we are aware of those with allergies and the nature of their allergies, we can respond appropriately,” Barton said. “It’s important that there is constant and thoughtful communication on both the part of the persons with allergies and with the dining service department here on campus.”

Contributing: Editor-in-chief Nicole Waltman Editor’s Note: Erik Hamilton is a Staff Writer for Student Publications. He did not participate in the writing or editing of this story.

Senior acting students write web series about menstruation Erik Hamilton

STAFF WRITER

A new web series about men going through menstruation soon will be available for students to enjoy.

Reily Preston and Mercedes Arndt, acting seniors, are working on a seven-episode film series detailing a man named “Dave” and his journey with menstruation.

The series will be posted to YouTube at some point in the spring on a profile titled “Scrap It! Comedy.”

“I invited Reily into my room,” Arndt said. “I was like, ‘I want to make sketches, and I want to do it with you.’”

They went through a number of ideas before getting to the topic of menstruation, Arndt said.

“We were like, ‘What if a dude got his period randomly, but the dude was played by a woman?,’” Preston said.

Arndt said they originally planned to use this idea for one sketch, but eventually decided to expand the idea to a sevenepisode series, with Preston playing “Dave,” the main character.

Arndt said the series contains written, fictional dialogue, but

Submitted Reily Preston and Mercedes Arndt, acting seniors, hug. Preston is dressed as “Dave,” the main character of their web series about menstruation.

also has verbatim stories from women about periods. They used the Facebook group “Girl Bosses Unite” to ask women for their stories involving menstruation, Arndt said.

Preston said they are almost done with Episode 1, but they will not post any episodes until they are finished.

She also said every member of the cast is a woman, even those cast for male characters.

Preston and Arndt said they want to use this series to create opportunities for women, raise awareness for natural occurrences that happen to women and take command of their own work.

Preston said she talked to Kristen Cerelli, visiting assistant professor of acting, to get insight on the lack of roles written for women.

“There are female characters in Shakespeare’s canon and in several plays, but they’re not as multidimensional as we hope,” Preston said. “It’s important to learn to empathize with women when they’re on their period. It’s a universal thing that happens to all of us. Take the taboo off of it so that we can speak openly about it.”

Arndt said they plan to create more sketches as Scrap It! Comedy after this series concludes.

Athletes break record on Athletic Director’s List Hope Melton

STAFF WRITER

More than 200 student athletes were recognized on the 2018 Fall Athletic Director’s List, setting a new record for the list.

The list recognizes athletes who achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher for the semester. Student athletes had an average GPA of 3.223 last semester.

The 232-athlete list breaks the previous record of 203. Included on that list are 127 students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, 86 with a 3.75 or higher and 26 with a 4.0 or higher.

The sport with the most athletes on the list was competitive cheerleading, with 31 cheerleaders receiving the honor.

The record number of students is due to the work of the coaches and the students themselves, Athletic Director Jim Abbott said.

“I would give the credit to our coaches who, when recruiting our student athletes, not only consider their talent when playing the sport but also their commitment to academic achievement,” Abbott said. “And I would also give credit to the students. It is very challenging, balancing the rigors and the time demands of practicing and competing in a sport with what is necessary to achieve academically around here.”

Freshman Wrestler Brooke Logan is one of the students recognized on the list. She said balancing athletics and academics February 13, 2019

can be challenging.

“It’s always been hard, but I always find time,” Logan said.

“Usually, we have practices in the morning and then the rest of the day I can do homework or anything else that I need to do.”

Logan said her team helps her stay accountable for her grades.

“Our team is always about accountability,” Logan said. “If someone needs help then the older girls are always willing to help us and they’ve been through some of the classes. One of the girls also works as a tutor and she’s really good at helping.”

Senior Runner Sheridan Hoyer also was recognized on the list. She said she studies whenever she has spare time to keep her GPA up.

“It’s really hard, especially with cross country since our practices are at 6 a.m., so I’m up at like five every morning to get to practice and then straight to class,” Hoyer said. “I study in the evening or whenever I can make time.”

Hoyer said the study halls that her team hosts help the athletes with their grades.

“My team specifically does study halls on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and I’m sure that helps,” Hoyer said.

Carolann Stout Student Publications Senior Center Eric McCollum and Junior Forward Anthony Davis play against John Brown University on Feb. 2. The Stars won 82-81. The team had won the last six games at presstime. McCollum made the Fall Athletic Director's List for academic achievement.

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