Mar 29 by MediaOCU

THE CAMPUS March 29, 2017 – Volume 110 Issue 49

Cou�tesy o� OCUspo�ts.com The women's basketball team displays their banner after winning the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics Division I Tournament. The Stars faced Lewis-Clark State in the championship game March 21, where they defeated them 73-66. This is the university's 64th national championship in all sports, and the ninth national win for women's basketball. Coach Bo Overton was named the NAIA's Coach of the Year and Senior Forward Daniela Wallen was named the NAIA's Most Outstanding Player. This year's team has four seniors who will graduate, including Wallen. Overton said he's going to work hard next year to bring another national championship banner to the university.

Women’s basketball team celebrates championship season

he women’s basketball team had their most successful season since Bo Overton became their coach in 2015. They reached the highest rankings they’ve achieved in university history, won the Sooner Athletic Conference championship, and brought home a championship banner and trophy from the national tournament. This is the 64th national championship in all sports for the university, and the ninth national win for women's basketball. The team’s last national championship was in 2015. “You can walk around our gym and there’s a lot of banners in there, but I had never won one, and nobody on our team had ever won one,” Overton said. “We wanted to have one of those banners that belonged to us.” The Stars advanced to the championship game of the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics Division I Tournament, where they defeated Lewis-Clark State on March 21, securing their national win. “From early on in the year, we tried to get better every game and every week, and I thought we did that,” Overton said. “You have to give a lot of credit to the players. We had a plan, they stuck to it, worked very hard at it, and, at the end of the year, you can kind of see what happens. It was just a great year all around.” The team had 34 wins and only two losses this season, one of which was to Wayland Baptist. After that loss, the team went on to

win every game, taking the championship title undefeated. “We lost a game at Wayland Baptist and it was a new thing for a lot of these players. We had a really good discussion about how we could never let that happen,” Overton said. “We have good players. We have a good team. We can’t let another team play harder than us. From that day forward, we didn’t lose another game.” Senior Forward Daniela Wallen was named NAIA’s Most Outstanding Player and Overton was named the Coach of the Year. Junior Guard Daniela Galindo received honorable mention all-American honors. Wallen said she attributes the team’s success to her coach and fellow players. “I can’t believe what we have done,” she said. “I just want to say thank you for my coach and my teammates because, without them, I couldn’t do all this stuff.” Overton said the team deserves all the awards they’re receiving. “I just feel great for the players, and I’m really happy for them. I don’t even know why they give Coach of the Year, because we don’t play,” he said. “I’m just really happy for these players all the way down the line. From conference to the nationals, when you go 34-2 and you win the national championship, you should win all the awards.” Wallen and Galindo received a lot of attention, especially during the tournament, but Overton said the whole team working together is the reason their season was so successful.

“I don’t think we win this without everybody doing their job,” he said. “We gotta have the Danielas do what they do, but Mariana Duran had a great tournament, Brooke Irwin had a great tournament—you can just go down the line. Everybody did their job and that’s why we won.” Senior Guard Mariana Duran said she couldn’t explain the feeling when she realized they were the winners. “I couldn’t believe that we were the national champs,” she said. “My first thought was that all our hard work paid off.” Duran said the team has a good dynamic and strong leaders who make it easier to win. “They’re the ones who put rhythm in the game,” she said. “We were always together, inside and outside the court.” Overton said he’s going to work hard next year to guide the Stars to another national win. “There will be people next year who will know what it takes to win a banner, and we’re just going to work again next year to get the new team one,” Overton said. By Miguel Rios, editor-in-chief

SGA presidential candidates discuss platform, priorities Miguel Rios

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Student Government Association’s 2017 elections are underway, with the only contested office being president. Students can vote until 5 p.m. today via OrgSync, bit. do/ocusga. The two candidates are Randy Gipson-Black, religion sophomore and member of Student Court, and David Hall, music education/sociology sophomore and SGA chief of staff. Gipson-Black has served on Student Court since his freshman year. He’s a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, serving as the fraternity’s external vice president and philanthropy chairman. He is also the risk manager for the Young Democrats organization on campus. Gipson-Black said he wanted to attend the university since he was in middle school and now wants to take advantage of opportunities to change the campus in a positive way. “I think being a steward to OCU is something that I’m called to do. It’s something that I would absolutely adore the opportunity to be able to do, and there’s no better way to do that than to be SGA president,” Gipson-Black said. If elected, Gipson-Black said he’ll focus on smaller things to

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Randy Gipson-Black, religion sophomore, talks about his platform at the March 22 candidate forum in Wanda L. Bass Music Center. His platform includes fixing things like faded parking spots before moving on to bigger issues like the school of theater petition. Visit MediaOCU.com for a video of the forum.

David Hall, music education/sociology sophomore, talks about his platform at the March 22 candidate forum in Wanda L. Bass Music Center. His platform focuses on student feedback and creating an open dialogue so SGA can do things students actually want. Visit MediaOCU.com for a video of the forum.

build up credibility before tackling bigger issues. “Starting out with smaller issues, I think, can give you legitimacy with faculty and staff and maintenance—people like that,” he said. Eventually, Gipson-Black's plans include addressing larger projects in the university, such as the recent petition in the acting school or the repeated flooding in United Methodist Hall, he said. Gipson-Black said his time as a member of Student Court puts him in a position to hear the issues students have on campus. “SGA plays a really big role

that they would like to see done. I think that’s something OCU SGA could do, either partner with OU or just get people aware on campus,” Gipson-Black said. Hall has served as chief of staff and music senator during his time in SGA. He co-founded and led the university’s Ris4Thursday, which led to creation of OCUFeeds, a program where students donate their unused meal points to feed homeless youth. Hall is also a consultant for different non-profits, primarily focusing on services for homeless or foster youth. Hall said he hates the idea

on campus. Students may not recognize that all the time, but they do,” Gipson-Black said. “I want people to be excited about it. I love promoting things. I love getting people excited about changes they can make, and that’s usually going to be through SGA.” Part of Gipson-Black’s platform is to bring more attention to OCU’s campus by contacting state senators on current issues. “My friend, JD Baker, who’s the OU SGA president, writes letters to the Oklahoma Senate and U.S. senators to voice the concerns of the campus when it comes to a bill, per se, or things

of platforms because they focus mostly on issues and not on the person running. But, he said he wants to focus on student feedback and transparency. “I first need to focus on the issues that are most important to students, which has been the feeling of safety as a minority and feeling as though the university has not cared about the disenfranchisements that has been going around,” Hall said. For that reason, Hall said he’s going to talk to organizations like Black Student Association and potentially the Hispanic Student Association and Native

American Society to see what they want from the Dean”s Council on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. “As of right now, there have been recommendations sent to the council from the task force,” Hall said. “There has not, however, been anything done or anything actually stated saying ‘we will do something in some sort of time.’” Hall already chose his cabinet in case he wins the election. “I’ve actually selected each cabinet member I hope to have if elected,” Hall said. “Each one of them knows the different projects they’ll be doing. It’s part of the reason that I chose them, because I thought they would be best at those projects.” Both candidates are reaching out to different student organizations to get feedback on the kinds of things they’d like to see. Hall said he wants the community to hold whoever is elected accountable. “I urge the student populace to hold both campaigns accountable,” he said. “Both of our campaigns have the ability to reach out to you. So, if we don’t reach out to you throughout the year, that’s saying that we chose not to.”

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Vote for SGA president before polls close today Elections for the next Student Government Association president close at 5 p.m. today. Unlike the U.S. presidential election, SGA voting requires no registration or complicated absentee ballot process. Voting takes place via OrgSync, so students don’t even have to leave their dorm rooms to vote. Because the process is so simple, students have no reason not to vote. SGA is the voice of the student body and the main connection between students and university officials. If students want to see changes on campus, SGA is the group best equipped to make those changes happen. Aside from acting as a liaison between students and authority, SGA handles student activities like Stress Relief Week, Free Movie Night, Big

Event, and pop-up events. They also manage a budget that gives monetary allotments to various student organizations. Of course, the president does not control everything alone, but they do oversee and advise SGA functions and play a big part in choosing committee heads that directly plan events and make monetary decisions. Think about the changes you’d like to see at OCU and which issues are most important to you. Make a list of your top concerns and examine the candidates to see who could most realistically cater to your needs. Since OCU elections do not use a two-party system, students cannot simply vote for the candidate who matches their political ideology. This can make voting difficult if you don’t know either of the candidates.

Talk Back “How did the housing draft go for you?”

See Page 1 for information about the candidates’ platforms. If this is the case, go to MediaOCU.com to watch the Facebook Live video from the candidate forum and check out both students’ platforms and profiles, even if you only have a few minutes. Ask other students about their opinions on the election and approach the candidates with specific questions. Knowing the candidates personally may make your decision easier, but do not let your friendship be the sole reason behind your vote. The candidates will never know who voted for them, so vote for the most qualified person that will best fit your needs.

“It was a little anxietyinducing, but overall it worked okay.”

“I actually liked it. It took me like five minutes.“

Suzy Newsom university studies freshman

Luke McGuire clarinet performance freshman

“I mean, I was either going to live in the Kappa Sigma house or be an RA, so it was fine.” Bobby Tankersley psychology freshman

“Not good. We got it super late and none of the quads were left.” Ernie Cottier mass communications freshman

“I didn't understand where each room number was in Methodist. If there was a map, it would have been easier.” Jenna Moloney dance freshman

“It was simple. I have one roommate and am hoping for two more good ones.” Emily Roper instrumental performance freshman

Students need to watch, better appreciate underrated short films Most Americans spend the majority of the year paying little to no attention to the existence of short films. They might be reminded of this category of cinema when the Oscars roll around or if their cousin shares a short film on Facebook, but, for the most part, the average moviegoer does not commonly seek after short films. This devastating fact calls for a list of the best shorts from recent years. One exceptional short film from 2016, Thunder Road, is a triumph of comedy and drama. Written and directed

by Jim Cummings, Thunder Road won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival in 2016. The film, which is available on Vimeo, also stars Cummings as a cop delivering a speech at his mother’s funeral. Thunder Road accomplishes every filmmaker’s dream of making the audience shed tears of laughter and sympathy all at once. Consisting of one single shot, the whole 13-minute film was performed in one take, which only adds to its impressive format. This year at Sundance, Garrett Bradley, a filmmaker from

Mary McLain is a film production sophomore from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who loves sandwiches and social media.

New Orleans, took home the festival’s Jury Award for her 13-minute short Alone, which follows a young woman who grapples with her desire to marry her incarcerated boyfriend. The film, which can be found on The New York Times’ OpDoc online channel, is quiet

and poignant. The language and honesty of the film lingers with any viewer for days after viewing. Netflix offers a few great short films like World of Tomorrow, made by Don Hertzfeldt in 2015, which could charm even the coldest heart. The

Oscar-nominated 17-minute film follows a young girl named “Emily” as she is introduced to scientific concepts of her own distant future that are far beyond her reality. The use of animation in this film allows for a magical and refreshingly unique viewing experience even for selfproclaimed haters of animation. The aforementioned filmmakers also produced less critically acclaimed work that is still guaranteed to entertain, move and provoke audiences everywhere. Any lover of poignant

romantic comedy would enjoy Us Funny, another short made by Cummings that can be found on Vimeo. Don Hertzfeldt’s short Wisdom Teeth, which delights and tortures audiences with its deceptively charming animation, can be found on YouTube. Check out shortoftheweek. com for an exciting new short film every week. You also can explore past weeks’ features on the website to discover a form of art and entertainment that rarely permeates larger online platforms.

Columnist abroad describes the ‘explosive’ Spanish Fallas festival I traveled inside Spain last weekend with a few friends from my study abroad program and headed toward Valencia for the famous Fallas festival. Fallas is an explosive celebration, and I mean that literally. When you go to Valencia for Fallas, there are firecrackers going off everywhere. Children set small ones off in the same streets that massive crowds are walking through. More than once I was less than three feet from an unnoticed and exploding firecracker. The kind of caution that most U.S. citizens practice is unknown and unheard of, but, strangely enough, I was more wary of the drunken,

English-speaking tourists who were setting them off. For me, the mascleta started my Fallas festivities. The mascleta is just like any fireworks show you might experience on the Fourth of July, except that it isn’t like the Fourth of July at all. First, it begins in the middle of the day, and, second, it’s not as much about the lights as it is about the sound. The fireworks are set off to create a special rhythm and the pounding is almost deafening. Toward the end, you can feel the explosions in your chest. There was so much soot in the sky the sun turned blood red, and everyone cheered for it. Things quieted down more or less after that, and, without

Madelyn Parker is an English and studio art sophomore who loves to rant about feminism and tell stories. She's currently studying in Spain. Visit MediaOCU.com to follow her abroad column.

really knowing what was next, we stumbled upon a parade of hundreds of Valencians wearing traditional dress. The women wore beautiful embroidered dresses with full skirts. The men wore wide shorts, vests, scarves on their heads, tall socks, and sandals. The colors were so vibrant, you could easily watch them glide past all day, and you actually could if you wanted to because the parades continued

into the night. The Valencians didn’t take the traditional clothing off, either. I saw a few women who, once they’d finished parading through the streets, were seated at cafés with lighted cigarettes in the same clothes. Throughout the night, we walked around the city looking at the actual Fallas, big structures made of wood, paper and Styrofoam that are meant to burn at the end of the festival.

There were little ones and one big, enormous one as tall as the buildings surrounding it. All of them were extremely close to the buildings. We didn’t get to see these Fallas burn, unfortunately, thinking they were supposed to burn the first night, when they were actually meant to burn the next. Our Airbnb was in a town about an hour away (another mishap that we didn’t plan for), but not all was lost. Many pueblos around Valencia also follow the tradition of Fallas, and, although the Fallas in Puerto de Sagunto were much smaller than Valencia’s, that wasn’t a disappointment at all. The Fallas there were still incredibly impressive and the

crowds reduced. We watched four Fallas burn, and we were able to stand a lot closer to them than I would have expected. And when I say the Fallas burned, I really mean it. Prepped with all kinds of festive explosives, the Fallas spray fireworks and spit beautiful blooms of light into the sky. Firefighters spray surrounding buildings so that nothing will catch fire. Then the entire sculpture catches ablaze, and the heat was so much more incredibly intense than anything I’ve ever experienced. I had to cover my face with my hands to be able to stand the blaze. Truly, Fallas was an experience I’ll never forget.

graduate conducting recital from 4-5:15 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

SUNDAY TheatreOCU presents The House of Atreus Part II at 2 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

Grace Lewis's senior bass recital from 6-7 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

Lauren Urso's senior music theater recital from 8-9 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

TheatreOCU presents The House of Atreus Part I at 8 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

MONDAY Summer/Fall 2017 enrollment begins for undergraduate honors and graduate students

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

WEDNESDAY Taylor Carter's junior flute recital from 8-8:30 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center THURSDAY Sushi and T'ai Chi from 7-9:30 p.m. on the west patio at Oklahoma United Methodist Hall Lambda Chi Alpha's Hearts for Hunger philanthropy event from 7:30-9 p.m. in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center SGA Free Movie Night from 7-11

p.m. at Harkins Theatre,150 E. Reno Ave. TheatreOCU presents The House of Atreus Part I at 8 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center FRIDAY Matthew Gabriel Gauear's senior composition recital from 6-7 p.m. in the medium rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center Sierra Jo Stan's junior trumpet recital from 6-6:30 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center

Deanna Wren Pfal's junior flute recital from 8-9 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall in Wanda L. Bass Music Center TheatreOCU presents The House of Atreus Part II at 8 p.m. in Burg Theater in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center OCUStripped presents Heathers the Musical at 11 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center SATURDAY Amanda Dolph's junior music theater recital from 12-12:30 p.m. in the small rehearsal hall

in Wanda L. Bass Music Center Zachary Lute's senior vocal performance recital from noon to 1 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Rebecca White's graduate vocal performance recital from 2-3 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Christine Lute's graduate vocal performance recital from 4-5 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center Daniel Felipe Taborda Higuita's

March 29, 2017, Volume 110, Number 49

Photographers: Courtney Beyer, Donovan Lawson, Ali Wonderly Staff Writers: Taylor Rey, Prisca Lynch, McAlyn Forbes, Nathan Moelling, Adrianna DelPercio Film Critics: Danielle Petersen, Mary McLain Videographer: Emily Haan Ad/Marketing Director: Madison Clark

Evensong at 8 p.m. in Watson Lounge in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel

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.

THE CAMPUS Editor-in-chief: Miguel Rios Associate Editor: Sage Tokach Copy Editor: Chandler White News Editor: Zoe Travers Lifestyles Editor: Madelyn Parker Photo Editor: Elina Moon Community Manager: Lauren Berlingeri Web Editor: Nicole Waltman

OCUStripped presents Heathers the Musical at 11 p.m. in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center

The Student Publications staff welcomes unsolicited material and let-

Ad Representative: Jonathan May Circulation Director: Brianna Demuth 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.

March 29, 2017

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Elina Moon Student Publications

Embracing girl power Maddie Riggin, music theater freshman; Ally Zahringer, theater performance freshman; Shendra Stevens, acting freshman; Adelaide Ross, acting sophomore, and Isabella Gonzalez, music theater freshman, mime out the image of a vagina during rehearsals for Out of the Box’s The Vagina Monologues. Rachel Weisbart, music theater sophomore, directed the show, which had performances March 24-25. Above: Students surround Isabella Gonzalez, music theater freshman, as she gives her monologue about pubic hair in Out of the Box’s performance of The Vagina Monologues. Out of the Box’s next show will be Consider the Oyster. It will run at 10:30 p.m. April 28-29 in Clara E. Jones Administration Building.

Students express confusion about online housing draft Sage Tokach

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The university housing draft closed last week after allowing students to retain their rooms or sign up for new ones. The new system, StarRez, allowed students to register for housing exclusively online. This was a change from the previous method, which required students to meet with housing officials in person. The time period to sign up for room retention ended March 10, and officials emailed

everyone else about their registration times, beginning March 20 with incoming seniors. The draft opened for incoming juniors and sophomores March 21 and March 22, respectively. Students had to create accounts on the StarRez website to retain a room or participate in the draft. As of March 20, 526 students had accounts. “In years past, we’ve had 300 to 400 total students participate in the draft, so the numbers are good in that regard,” said Kevin Culbertson, coordinator of housing operations. “The rest would go through the manual

It’s a good idea, but, since there was no human interaction, I wasn’t really sure what I was doing or when my form was officially complete. Bailey Youngs acting junior

application process and get what’s left.” Students who did not choose a living space in this year’s draft will be assigned a room and

roommates. One student successfully retained her room after slight confusion. “StarRez felt like a social

media platform,” said Bailey Youngs, acting junior. “It’s a good idea, but, since there was no human interaction, I wasn’t really sure what I was doing or when my form was officially complete.” Lindsay Steinberg, acting sophomore and Cokesbury RA, said the application was hard to navigate, but she figured it out. “The amount of information on the form seemed excessive, and I had to show multiple people how to complete it,” she said. “I think this system is built for a campus much bigger than ours. This was a test run, though,

so I think it’ll get better in the future.” Some students expressed their confusion to housing officials who helped resolve issues fairly quickly, Culbertson said. “We’ve hardly heard any issues from freshman, which is promising since they don’t have the other draft processes to compare to,” Culbertson said. “It’s a trial-and-error process for both students and the housing office, but things are looking good.”

Down to business: Meinders students benefit from first year of Bloomberg computer lab Nathan Moelling

STAFF WRITER

The Chickasaw Nation Financial Resource Center, also known as the Bloomberg Terminal computer lab, has been a successful new part of the Meinders School of Business. It was completed during the summer of 2016, making it the newest addition to the business school. “The Bloomberg Terminal is the most valuable financial information tool, offering a sea of market, fundamental, technical, and macroeconomic information,” said Dr. James Ma, associate professor of finance. “It covers all regions and all

products types, with historical data and timely information up to the second. One can basically look up any financial or economic information one can think of.” The lab has 10 computers, each equipped with a licensed Bloomberg Terminal software package, Ma said. The software package licenses were financed as gifts from the Chickasaw Nation and Sue Ann Arnall, executive-inresidence at Meinders. Any financial institution and any major university should have a Bloomberg Terminal, Ma said. The university has a fullblown lab where multiple terminals are housed. OCU is among the nation’s best in

terms of Bloomberg Terminal availability for student use. The university also has the highest Bloomberg Terminal to student ratio across the state, giving OCU students an advantage over their peers, said Max Stewart, finance senior. “Being able to utilize the Bloomberg Terminal gives OCU students the ability to access the latest information about current markets all over the world,” Stewart said. “Employers also look for students with Bloomberg Terminal experience, giving OCU students a clear ascendancy in the workplace.”

Business school officials to host networking luncheon for all students Adrianna DelPercio

STAFF WRITER

Students will have an opportunity next month to network with potential employers. The university will host a networking luncheon through Meinders School of Business. It will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 28 in the Gardner’s Conference Room in Meinders School of Business. The conference is a way to introduce local companies to business students and help kick-start relationships between students and their potential bosses. This will be the ninth year university officials host the March 29, 2017

networking luncheon. Last year, 14 companies attended the luncheon. Maranda Kitchingham, director of outreach and special projects, said she hopes to top last year’s number of companies and students. She also said there are many things students can get excited about. “We offer prizes, we offer raffles at the event, we give away gift certificates to various places around town, and we also give away an iPad,” Kitchingham said. The event is geared toward business administration and economics majors, but the event is open to anyone on campus. “I think it’s a really cool

o p p o r t u n i t y, e s p e c i a l l y for the business majors or people who are looking to getting into the entrepreneur business,” said Suzy Newsom, university studies freshman. “It’s just a cool opportunity.” The event is free to all students and lunch will be provided. For more information, call Kitchingham at 405208-5536 or email her at mjkitchingham@okcu.edu.

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lifestyles

Officials to host events for Holy Week McAlyn Forbes

STAFF WRITER

Elina Moon Student Publications

Hamentashen bake-off

Celia Tedde, music theater and vocal performance sophomore, adds filling

to the center of the cookie at the Hamentashen Bake-Off and Purim Cel-

ebration on March 24 in Watson Lounge in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel.

The OCU Jewish Stars hosted the event. Purim is a Jewish holiday that cel-

ebrates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, the antagonist of the

Purim story who planned to kill them. Hamentashen are triangle shaped

cookies that represent Haman’s three-pointed hat.

Wesley Center officials will observe Holy Week with services and events open to any interested students. In Christian tradition, Holy Week is the week directly preceding Easter, which is April 16 this year. In honor of Holy Week, there will be a Maundy Thursday worship at 1 p.m. April 13 in Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. Good Friday will be observed with a tree planting at noon April 14. A location on campus is not yet decided. The tree is a symbol of life, contrasting the time when Jesus was killed and someone had to cut down a tree to make it an instrument of death. The tree planting is a great opportunity for students of all faiths to gather together, said Jordan Tarter, English sophomore. “It’ll also be nice to have the tree planting. Students that aren’t necessarily religious might be encouraged to just come out and see that,” she said. “It’ll be an opportunity for people of all different beliefs to come together and share in the experience.” After reading Scripture, students will throw handfuls of dirt into the hole around the tree, symbolically taking the things in their life they want to bury with Jesus in hopes of resurrection. The services are great for OCU students, said Tomorrow Denton, cell and molecular biology senior. “Easter services at OCU are a great spiritual reminder of what the holiday is about,” she said. Sandy Coursey, music junior, said it’s great that the school encourages students to get involved, but wishes that activities were better advertised. “I didn’t know about any of these events, but I think it’s really great that the school encourages students to get involved

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I think it’s really great that the school encourages students to get involved in the different activities leading up to Easter. Sandy Coursey music junior

in the different activities leading up to Easter,” she said. “Hopefully they continue to advertise these events so more students can be aware of them and be able to participate.” The Wesley Center will not host a worship service on the morning of Easter Sunday, said Elizabeth Horton-Ware, director of religious life “We don’t have worship on Sunday morning, but invite students to find a nearby congregation to join for worship,” she said. Onnika Hanson, acting sophomore, said it makes sense that there is no Sunday service. “It’s cool to go out to other churches, and it gives people on campus who would usually stay on campus a chance to go somewhere else off-campus,” she said. The week following Easter will be marked with celebration worship services in both chapel services and Evensong worship.

Star Summit 2017 to focus on ‘being an innovative leader’ Chandler White

COPY EDITOR

This year’s Star Summit conference will emphasize innovation and implementation of leadership skills for student organizations. Star Summit is an annual leadership conference meant to educate, equip and inspire student leaders, said Levi Harrel, assistant director of student development. “Not only are we educating students, but we’re actually helping them to understand how to implement those skills that they’ve learned,” Harrel said. “Everything that we do is forward-thinking and forward-doing.” The conference emphasizes educating students on leader-

ship and helping them set goals for their organizations. Though student organization leaders are especially encouraged to attend, the event is open to all students. This year’s theme is “Being An Innovative Leader.” Provost Kent Buchanan will give the keynote speech, and students will then perform a “leadership innovation inventory” to assess their own skills, abilities and areas of improvement. The event will finish with a calendar-planning exercise where students will put Post-It notes on calendars around the room with their organization’s events written on them. The average number of students in attendance is 40-50 students, Harrel said. At presstime, two students had registered for the event.

Not only are we educating students, but we’re actually helping them understand how to implement those skills that they’ve learned. Levi Harrel assistant director student development

Isa Ramirez, dance performance junior and Panhellenic Council President, registered and said the event will benefit her desire to unite all the sororities on campus, she said. “Something that I really want to do as Panhellenic president is really unite all the chapters on campus and really make sure that we’re all working together,” Ramirez said. “I think by learn-

ing how to be a better team player, we can learn how to work better together.” Star Summit is a good opportunity to come in contact with perspectives different from one’s own and that one may not become familiar with otherwise, Harrel said. “Star Summit is not only an educational opportunity, but it’s a lot of fun,” he said.

“There are very few opportunities when we get to reach across all boundaries and get to work with other leaders who have different backgrounds, different mindsets, different sets of beliefs and values and form a shared vision together, and Star Summit is very effective at doing that.” In the past, students at Star Summit created a list of the top ten issues they saw on campus. Last year, officials decided to switch to a program called “what you would like to see,” which involves a list of things students would like to change in their organizations and in the university in general. “It’s the same idea, but it’s being used in a more constructive manner,” Harrel said. He said the new program allows for more of a positive

intent rather than focusing on the problems of the university. Students will have the ability to fill out notecards explaining changes they would like to see be made. Star Summit is from 2-5 p.m. April 6 in the Leichter Room in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. Students who wish to attend need to RSVP by April 3, either through Harrel directly or through the Google Doc link sent out earlier in the month. Attendance is free. More information can be found on the Star Summit page website, okcu.edu/students/ leadership/star-summit.

Officials to initiate interfaith dialogue on Muslim experience through OCUTalks Zoe Travers

NEWS EDITOR

OCUTalks will continue its conversation series with “The Muslim Experience.” OCUTalks is a panel discussion, typically on the topic of campus diversity. Dr. Imad Enchassi, professor of Islamic studies; Dr. Mohamed Daadaoui, professor of political science, and Sireene Khader, cell and molecular biology/chemistry freshman, make up the panel for this discussion. Russ Tallchief, director of student engagement, inclusion and multicultural program hosts the panel.

March 29, 2017

The event will be from noon to 1 p.m. April 4 in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. Admission is free. Enchassi said he was contacted by Tallchief in light of the political atmosphere. “We must have a conversation in Oklahoma City about the Muslim experience from the perspective of professors and students,” Enchassi said. “Like any other conversations, this will break down the wall of misunderstanding and mistrust.” Enchassi said OCU officials have been instrumental in initiating interfaith dialogue. He said President Robert Henry contacted him when the initial “Muslim ban” was released. “We met with every Muslim student here on campus about how that affected them,” Enchassi said. “It’s refreshing OCU thinks of

the Muslim experience on and off campus.” The conversation’s objective is to inform the public about the issues Muslims face. Khader said she will discuss her personal experience and will participate in a Q&A discussion. “It’s important for students to attend to further their knowledge on how fellow Muslim Stars might be feeling and ask any questions about things they’re curious about,” Khader said.