Aug 23, 2013 Print Edition

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

SPORTS EXCLUSIVE

LOOKING BACK

New to ORU? Get familiar with Tulsa’s best hot spots pg 10-11

Your guide to picking this season’s winning roster pg 14

ORU professor reflects on landmark civil rights event pg 17

Welcome to T-town

Fantasy football

‘I Have a Dream’

Fighting through barriers

Photo by Austin St. John

RED TAPE

Oral Roberts University

·

Tulsa, Okla.

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Aug. 23, 2013

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Vol. 48, No. 1

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By Kristy Sturgill and McKensie Garber About 270 ORU students are international students, representing 68 different countries.

Each student has a unique journey with varying obstacles, but they all have one thing in common — they came to the U.S. by choice.

RED TAPE TO GET HERE Imagine the anxiety of sitting outside the doors of the U.S. Embassy after months of waiting for an appointment.

That’s how junior Sam Bako felt as he sat outside the U.S. Embassy in Ghana with his bank statements and identification in hand.

When Bako was allowed in the embassy to obtain his visa, the next layer of red tape emerged — the interview.

“They want to know why you want to get an education in the U.S., rather than staying in your own county,” Bako said. “I have seen other students not get a visa because they were too nervous, or because the interviewer didn’t like their answers.”

For senior art major Evelina Lundqzist from Sweden, months of preparation were not an option when she heard the voice of God and decided to attend ORU two months before classes started.

Continued on page 3

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Letter from the editor Address 7777 S. Lewis Ave. Tulsa, OK 74171 Web www.oruoracle.com Phone (918) 495-7080 Email oracle@oru.edu The Oracle is the premier student news media organization of Oral Roberts University. Our mission is to serve the ORU community with accurate and relevant media content, integrity, creativity and a focus on continual improvement.

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•Mcknellieʼs •Dilly Deli •Joe Mommaʼs The Oracle strives for accuracy •EL Guapoʼs •Yokozuna and integrity in all content. If you •Elote

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find aCoffee: mistake, let us know: •Modʼs & Crepes Phone: (918)Coffee 495-7080 •The Pheonix •Foolish Things •Topeca Coffee

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bizarre, Okie culture.

The red tape these students get caught up in, and must fight through, cannot be underemphasized.

President Billy Wilson’s notable vision for ORU is globalization. Does that mean simply getting more international students?

Or should it be part of a broader discussion of diversity on this campus and beyond it?

The first step in ORU’s globalization process is this: Develop a Global Lens and Expanded Culture at the Tulsa campus.

ORU can certainly tout its demographics as diverse.

Continued on page 3

S:5.4”

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issue of The Oracle.

The striking image of an international student alludes to the paper’s thematic focus on diversity.

Talking to international students recently alerted us to some of the struggles and hurdles they must overcome to get here.

Did you know some of our international students have to wait up to three months for meetings with their U.S. embassy to come here?

We heard stories of student visa applications, problems with shipping or storing possessions and learning aboutB:5.125” a new and, T:5.125” let’s admit it, often

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Positions Center Letters to the Editor include photography, graphic Have a thought or story idea you’d design ASsand reporting. like to share? Send us an email at

e & Mid-Town

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Hannah Covington Editor-in-chief oraclechief@oru.edu

By Hannah Covington Editor-in-chief It has been 50 years since the violent summer of 1963 exploded on American streets.

During this time, the civil rights movement lurched with bombings, beatings and ugly behavior.

America’s mangled vision of equality landed on newspaper covers and living room television screens across the world.

Then, an imperfect man found the perfect words to jolt a nation to attention.

Aug. 28 marks the 50-year anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s proclamation of, “I have a dream.” These words still sing off the page as I write them.

Fifty years have passed since racism first got tangled up in King’s vision for a better future.

Fifty years since this university first received its charter from the state of Oklahoma.

In terms of overlapping anniversaries, maybe we should claim this one as our own.

It’s on this note that I turn to our choice of cover photo for the first

News

Red tape: International students’ challenges Continued from cover International students are required to obtain documents and vacinations before the embassy will schedule an appointment. The wait can be up to three months.

“My dad called the embassy and they had an opening from a cancellation,” Lundqzist said. “I was able to go in a week later. It was kind of miraculous.”

After international students receive a Visa, they must book their flights, acquire a passport and choose what items to bring that will fit in one bag.

Once in country, they are faced with another web of red tape, said Bako.

“You are asked many tricky questions,” Bako said.

“If they don’t like your answers, they won’t let you in.”

And the red tape doesn’t end there. Many international students are faced with culture shock.

For Lundqzist, the transition into American culture went smoothly with the welcoming atmosphere of ORU. Culture shock did not hit her until six months into the school year.

“Even though the American culture is very welcoming, it’s very hard to get to know people deeply,” Lundqzist said. “I told my friends I wanted to know them more than just how classes are and how the weather is. This culture is different socially.”

When faced with difficult times, such as medical emergencies, an international student cannot simply call their family, Lundqzist said.

If international students go home for the summer, they must once again condense their belongings for travel and put the rest into storage.

Dr. William Wilson, ORU president, has annouced a new vision for the university: globalization.

At this semster’s first chapel, Wilson said, “Welcome to ORU. You are home. You are not a foreigner.”

BY THE NUMBERS

29

With this new vision, students hope the red tape will be less sticky for those called to the university.

“The focus has been getting ORU students out there into the rest of the world,” Lundqizt said. “But there is a lot of the world already inside of ORU.” RED TAPE TO STAY The hurdles students face do not end once they get to school. For those wanting to stay stateside, a whole new set of problems arise.

Deborah Skinstad, a HPE professor and tennis coach, is originally from South Africa, but has chosen to make the U.S. her home. She is now in the midst of a 10-year battle for citizenship.

Skinstad said she was invited to come to ORU on a full tennis scholarship, but as she played her way through her education, she struggled finding work, having no family nearby or having only two suitcases of belongings.

Joshua Wagner is a Canadian senior but has lived in the U.S. since 2001. Wagner is on a student visa.

He has the option after graduation to apply to work in a program called Optional Practical Training, as does every international student.

Wagner married an American in college, a special circumstance that will allow him to become a U.S. citizen before having to return to Canada.

He also has two brothers. One has been in the U.S. since age 7. Though the U.S. is the home he remembers most, he still may not be able to stay.

Wagner said his dad sometimes goes back to school to keep them in the U.S., the place they call home.

“We have lived here for 12 years and have applied and tried and are still denied Green Cards,” Wagner said. “They contribute to America’s economy. People who would be a good addition to American society

STUDENTS COME FROM NIGERIA AND

INDIA

17

STUDENTS COME FROM SOUTH KOREA AND CANADA

should have the opportunity to live here.”

The global-political climate can affect how and when an international student can get to the U.S. to go to school. Currently, there are some students still waiting on Embassy appointment.

American immigration policy has been deadlocked between the Senate and Congress.

The Senate wants to grade immigrants based off of two paths and two separate score cards; one for white collar internationals and one for blue collar internationals. Points would be awarded on criteria met such as work experience, a job in high-demand, family, age, knowledge of English, education and country of origin. Applicants scoring higher would have a greater priority than those who scored lower.

The debate is over the ability and costs to implement such a policy.

They are also looking into providing citizenship incentives to international students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields (STEM).

Skinstad said it’s unfortunate that the intellectual internationals are not brought into the dialog.

“The United States has inadvertently put legal immigrants into the mix with illegals,” Skinstad said.

“If nothing is done to help, the educated international minority people will leave this country in droves, which will result in a brain drain, dramatically impacting the United States economy.”

There are many different routes into the USA, and the student visa accounts for 4 percent of immigrants.

If a student can obtain their F1 Student Visa, they have overcome their first obstacle.

The next is finding income. After graduation, it is a non-stop battle through a wall of red tape in the quest for citizenship.

17

STUDENTS COME FROM BRAZIL AND MEXICO

Letter from the editor Continued from page 2 Students from 68 different countries call this campus home.

But do we know their stories; celebrate their cultures as they try, day by day, to learn ours?

The currency of globalization is acceptance. It finds value in unpretentious interest in “the other.”

In its most basic sense, valuing diversity means listening to stories. Telling stories. Remembering moments in history like the one 50 years ago.

That’s what we wanted to do in this “Welcome Back” edition — tell stories of diversity and plurality.

Find out more about why the March on Washington still matters in our guest

editorial. Enjoy a note from our first international student association president, Ooceeh Afame, from Nigeria.

Read about students living in the dorms and ones who commute everyday.

Experience these stories in all of our platforms: print, the new Oracle website and social media.

And then take notice of our diverse

student body. Utterly imperfect and utterly changing, this is our hybrid home.

In a year of landmark anniversaries, a global vision is before us.

Keep a clear eye on diversity and empathy as we make sense of what it means to walk and live together.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • 3

Students look to nab more books for the buck

By Meghan Drake Textbook prices are on the rise, making rental and used books a must.

Think you were done with school fees after you paid tuition? Reach into your wallet again, because textbooks snatch a pretty penny.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, in a study conducted in 2005, college textbook prices have increased twice the rate of inflation from 1985-2005.

This study found that textbook prices have raised an average of 6 percent each year since the 1987-1988 academic years.

Students are feeling it, but certain measures in the past years have helped to alleviate the pain.

The Higher Education Act was passed by Congress in 2008. Its main aim was to provide options for buyers to potentially choose a less expensive textbook.

This was a reaction to the USGAO’s study that asserted high textbook prices were due to quick and unneeded textbook revisions and bundled textbooks that professors didn’t use in the classroom.

Perhaps the most popular remedies to get a bargain on textbooks are buying used or renting textbooks through the university bookstore, Amazon or Chegg.

Debbie Haymaker, campus bookstore manager, said the bookstore’s initiative this year is to rent in order to cut down costs and to offer multiple alternatives to each book, including used and digitized copies.

“We have an initiative where we are renting almost every book that we could possibly rent,” Haymaker said.

She said prices are set primarily through the publisher, but the bookstore has additional pricing options.

“Whatever the publisher charges us then we have a percent of markup that we are allowed to charge based upon our contract with the university,”

Haymaker said.

Cheyenne Hunt, freshman health and exercise fitness major, said she saved nearly $100 buying her books through Amazon.

“It just depends on what Amazon has and the bookstore and the price difference,” Hunt said.

She said comparing prices is the key to saving and that’s her plan for the next three years of undergraduate.

Augustine Mendoza, a sophomore ministry and leadership major, said his general education books were priced higher than those in his major.

Mendoza said he buys his books on Amazon and from other students because $300 of the bookstore prices. $275 “They’re a little high,” Mendoza said.

“You could definitely $250 find better prices on Amazon.” $225 Mendoza spent nearly $500 $200 in textbooks this semester, which was $175 higher than his freshman year. $150 At the end of the semester when textbooks become $125 unneeded, Haymaker said the bookstore $100 offers up to half of what you paid for, $75 depending on whether or not they can use the $50 textbook next semester.

If they cannot use the $25 textbook, they may not buyback at all.

“If we don’t need it for our school, then that’s when the prices are going to be less.”

4 • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • THE ORACLE

Photo by Julianne Gonzalez

Store manager Debbie Haymaker assists sophomore Shonnece Berry in the university bookstore. Students search for deals on texts for class.

$118.75 + $195.25=$314.00

$183.00

$112.95

$69.95

$22.95

Bartolome De Las Understanding I Pledge Allegiance Casas Great Pathophysiology 5th 2nd Edition & By: Paul Vickory (ORU Edition American Government Professor) Packs By: Sonny Branham (ORU Professor)

Essence of Physical Activity 5th Edition By: Fritz Huber (ORU Professor)

MyMathLab (Access Code) & Mathematical Ideas 12th Edition

Graphic by Rebecca Glenn

Beloved math professor remembered as a “man of joy”

By Hannah Covington As Vincent Dimiceli, Ph.D., raced into chapel, he asked a colleague for an unusual favor: help with a math problem.

For the next 30 minutes, Dimiceli and Andrew Lang, a fellow ORU math professor, worked diligently on a paper cluttered with numbers and symbols.

Lang remembers the “anointing was thick” in that service to unearth the complex answer.

Finally, they decided the problem was unsolvable. Laughing, both realized Dimiceli had already assigned it to his Calculus III class in a take-home test.

“It was the best chapel ever,” Lang recalled during Tuesday’s memorial service for Dimiceli.

The associate professor of mathematics passed away June 9 after a life-long fight against childhood kidney and liver disease.

“He always made me laugh and was a great friend,” Lang said. “He was a man of joy.”

About 150 ORU students, faculty and family members gathered in Christ Chapel to remember the funny professor, talented cook, compassionate father and husband they had come to know and respect.

When Lang told the story about the math problem, laughter rippled in the crowd.

Several students smiled, looked at one another and whispered, “I think that was our class.”

“His students knew him as being not an easy

Photo by Liz Pressley

President Wilson comforts Linda Dimiceli during her husband’s memorial service.

teacher, but a fair one,” said Dr. Debbie Sowell, vice-president of academic affairs and acting provost. Sowell originally helped hire Dimiceli in 1997.

A man of perpetual humor and optimism, Dimiceli brought warmth into the classroom.

Students said he often arrived singing.

A Facebook post written Dec. 8, 2010, glistens with this enthusiasm for teaching: “Done grading for the semester,” he wrote. “Time to continue research. Been a great semester! I love my students! ORU students are the best!”

With a Master’s Degree in Mathematics and a Doctorate in Mathematics Education, Dimiceli was an expert in using technology to teach mathematics, a skill he put to good use at ORU. Open a “Math and Society” textbook and flip to the title page. Dimiceli’s name is printed in the middle. He helped rewrite and tailor the curriculum for his classes.

But his time at ORU must be understood in the context of his Texas roots.

“Vince’s success was a result of his efforts, but it was also a family affair,” Sowell said. “They gave him an adult life.”

Dimiceli’s medical battles began before he turned 2. When the doctors found out about his kidney ailments, they offered little hope.

“You have six other healthy children,” they told his mother, Betty Dimiceli. “Why don’t you just let him go?”

She wouldn’t. Neither would his younger twin brother, Charles, or “Chuck.”

When he was 18, Chuck offered him one of his kidneys.

After the transplant, Dimiceli attended Texas A&M, solidifying his loyalty to the Aggies.

There he met his wife, Linda, in a prayer group. He called her “the woman of my dreams.”

Their children, Peter, 12, and Emma, 9, enjoyed their dad’s cooking and his enthusiasm for their sports teams. He coached them in football, baseball and basketball.

Sports aside, representatives from the National Weather Service insist his contributions to meteorology not be overlooked.

Dimiceli took a sabbatical in 2010 to work at the National Weather Service. His research may reduce heat-related illnesses. Meteorologists

ORU Courtesy Photo

Dr. Vincent Dimiceli taught math at ORU for 16 years. knew him as their math guy, the one who made meaning of the numbers and equations behind their weather instruments.

Everyone knows if mathematics were a language, Dimiceli could use numbers to craft poetry.

But he was also a lover of poetry in the traditional sense.

With Lang, he shared a zeal for 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns.

During the memorial service, Lang unfolded a paper to recite lines from Dimiceli’s favorite Burns poem, “To a Mouse.”

It reads, “But little Mouse, you are not alone, / In proving foresight may be vain: / The best laid schemes of mice and men / Go often awry, / And leave us nothing but grief and pain, / For promised joy!”

Even through the tumult of health battles, Dimiceli’s friends and peers said his joy was infectious.

To his family, this joyful man is “Vincent.”

To his ORU colleagues, “Vince.”

To weathers researchers, he is “the polynomial master who helped crack the code to measure heat.”

And in the eyes of others who knew him, Vincent “Vince” Dimiceli’s days glinted with optimism and pulsed with the cadence of a life well-lived.

August 18

1962-2013

June 9

THE ORACLE • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • 5

ORU snags Princeton Review’s ‘Best in the West’ award

By Staff Reports Earlier this month, the Princeton Review released “The Best in the West” list, which included Oral Roberts University among five other Sooner schools.

For the fourth consecutive year, ORU landed a spot among 124 other universities named the top schools in the western states for 2014.

The private, Tulsa university was one of six Oklahoma institutions to make the list. The University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma Christian University and the University of Tulsa also claimed the “Best in the West” distinction.

Factors taken into consideration in making the list include visits to the universities and student opinions recorded in an 80-question survey, said Robert Franek, a spokesman for The Princeton Review.

On the survey, students rated their schools on topics like campus food, contact with professors and extracurricular activities.

Students surveyed at ORU cited the school’s emphasis on a “whole person education” and the connectivity of dorm groups on campus as a few of the university’s highlights, according to The Princeton Review website.

The Princeton Review also designates rankings of 60 to 99 in academics, admissions selectivity, financial aid, fire safety, quality of life and environmental awareness to help

prospective college students weigh their options.

The western regional list features colleges located in 15 states. The Massachusetts-based company also designates regional best universities in the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast.

Collectively, the 644 colleges chosen

by The Princeton Review make up about 25 percent of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges.

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FEATURES

The commuter conundrum Students, staff weigh-in on recent changes and challenges for commuters

By Amber Smith If the walk from the back of the Mabee Center parking lot is typical, you might be an ORU commuter.

While the reasons for commuting may differ between each student, some commuters chose this lifestyle to forego the cost of room and board.

“Commuting is a cost efficient option for my situation,” said Jessica Fuentes, a sophomore electrical engineering major.

However, the commuter life comes with its own struggles, starting with the sometimes unknown Commuter Lounge on the second floor of the LRC. “Commuting benefits are not well advertised, nor well maintained,” said Megan Case, a sophomore mechanical engineering major.

This lounge contains a TV, kitchen and seating for commuters. Commuter lockers are also available across the hall.

Case said the kitchen doesn’t have a lot of supplies and that the singular operational microwave causes a long wait on chapel days.

Others see the Commuter Lounge as a hub to welcome new commuters to their family.

“I hope for the present commuters to be open to new faces,” Case said.

“And that we all begin to be familiar, because that makes the Commuter Lounge feel like home.”

Some commuters, like sophomore elementary education major Averi Lange, dislike the limitations on their student IDs, which denies access to the dorms.

“I have to text [my friends] to have them open the door for me or I have to knock and pray whoever is working the desk will unlock it for me,” Lange said.

For the first time this year, Student Association included a Commuter Student Orientation during ORU Arise, and plans to continue this orientation for years to come.

“We don’t want to treat them [commuters] as if they are a subculture at ORU,” said Aaron Brown, director of Student Experience. “They are a part of it.”

In order to better the experience of the commuters living throughout Tulsa, SA representatives said they are working hard to plan events that will not only connect the students, but entertain and refresh them.

The first event is a graduate and commuter family picnic on Aug. 31 from noon to 5 p.m.

While the location has still not been

Photo by Austin St. John

Commuters gather to eat lunch and talk before class in the commuter lounge after last Friday’s chapel. Many off-campus students make a habit of eating together at the lounge, a central hub for commuters. announced, the picnic will include food, music, and sports activities.

“At the end of the day, we want [the commuters] just as involved as our residential students,” Brown said.

Want more info about commuter life?

Email SA commuter coordinator Ricardo Castaneda at commuters.orusa@gmail.com

Photo by Austin St. John

Commuter students and faculty fill the balcony of Christ’s Chapel during the semester’s kick-off service. Commuters make up about 40 percent of the ORU student body. About 1500 non-residential students go to ORU.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • 7

Students and alumni help Moore tornado victims

By Hannah Covington Looking back, David Snuffer sees his days spent in the Moore tornado recovery are best described as surreal.

Snuffer had finished substitute teaching a second-grade class at Union elementary the afternoon of the storm.

The 2011 alumnus is a 1st Lt. in the Oklahoma National Guard and was living in Tulsa at the time.

Hours after dismissing his own class, Snuffer found himself picking through debris in the wasteland of Plaza Tower Elementary in Moore, Okla. The storm took 24 lives, seven of them being children at the school where Snuffer helped with cleanup and recovery after the EF5 monster hit May 20.

“It was the most devastating scene I had seen,” Snuffer said.

The tornado struck the school at 3:19 p.m. After learning of the storm’s fury, Snuffer slipped on his National Guard uniform, grabbed his rescue bag and drove west toward the destruction.

Once at the epicenter of the destruction, the West Virginia native began setting up lights for search-and-rescue efforts. Survivors and first respond-

ers worked in the rubble, listening for voices buried in debris.

The stench of gas leaks explained the flames dotting the now-unrecognizable landscape. Snuffer remembers the musty smells of wet, crushed concrete and insulation—like inhaling the heavy air of a basement.

The buzz of generators and screams of sirens punctuated the night.

“You could hear helicopters circling overhead,” Snuffer said. “There was still rain falling, and all of us kept looking up at the sky, checking for more storms.”

Snuffer only returned to Tulsa for a few hours sleep before he headed back to Moore for another day of recovery.

By the third day, Snuffer was joined by a group of 20 ORU volunteers wanting to help with the cleanup.

Bobby Parks, director of the missions and outreach department, helped mobilize the group from Tulsa.

“We wanted to be strategic,” Parks said. “We didn’t want to get in the way [by] trying to be heroes.”

Instead, Parks and his team met Snuffer at a church on the outskirts of

Moore, bringing with them water, food and hygiene products for residents and volunteers.

Partnered with the disaster relief organization, Convoy of Hope, ORU’s two dozen volunteers drove through neighborhoods offering supplies.

The team Courtesy photo spoke with survivors and helped David Snuffer talks about the tornado relief with Director them find clothes, of Public Relations, Jeremy Burton. Burton talked to survivors and volunteers like Snuffer for ORU’s TV network, valuables and medication lost in GEB America, and its special, “Moore, OK 2013.” the storm. welcome relief to the devastation.

Plans for a follow-up outreach effort “When I saw them in their bright from ORU are in the works, Parks said. yellow ORU shirts, I was definitely The university’s baseball team plans to proud to be a Golden Eagle right then,” help with cleanup in Moore Sept. 7.

Snuffer said. “It was awesome to see As Snuffer watched students and students living out the motto of going staff respond to the disaster, he said into every man’s world.” seeing his alma mater in action was a

Mathematics professor honored at White House

Courtesy photo

Andrew Lang stands with Jean-Claude Bradley, his main collaborator from Drexel University, and Caitlin Thaney in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House.

By Meghan Drake Oral Roberts Universiy professor of Mathematics, Dr. Andrew Lang, received honors at the White House this summer for his contribution in Open Notebook Science.

Dr. Lang helped create Open Notebook Science,

8 • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • THE ORACLE

a completely public online notebook where scientists work together.

“I collaborate with a lot of people from around the country and, actually, from around the world,” Lang said. “One of the ways to do that easily is to put everything, all the research that all of us do, in one location online where everyone can read it.”

The idea started six years ago with two collaborators. It has since grown to 15 collaborators from around the world.

“It’s not like 20 mathematicians. We have organic chemists, physical chemists,” Lang said.

Lang said for every professor there were at least three students working in Open Notebook Science.

The professors and students collaborate around the world on current scientific issues. The increased number and diversity of fields present in Open Notebook Science give the forum an advantage compared to the “Lone Ranger” scientists.

“Some of these problems are really big for one person to try and tackle,” Lang said. “Like finding a cure for malaria is quite a challenge.”

In the 21st century, one would assume a forum that allowed people around the world to discuss scientific

issues had been present for decades. Lang said this isn’t the case.

“Since the 17th century, the way science was communicated was via traditional paper and pen and journals,” Lang said. “We’re sort of still in that model.”

He said the Digital Age has helped mathematics and science become less of individual tasks and more of social endeavors, and aren’t the only disciplines represented in this move toward open information.

Lang worked with a student to make Frederick Douglas’ handwritten diary digitized and searchable through Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Lang co-presented Open Notebook Science information in the White House’s Indian Treaty Room.

He connected with John Holdren, President Obama’s chief adviser on science and technology and Todd Park, the chief technology officer of the United States.

In the midst of scientific experts and White House officials, Lang said his trip was “a little bit surreal.”

“We were like a little group of tourists being led around,” Lang said. “The only way to top it would be if I got invited to see the queen.”

Culture within a culture: Fellowship — not frat

By McKensie Garber With its distinct culture, ORU is oneof-a-kind to this or any parallel universe.

Among many of its traditions, there is one deeply rooted in the student body social structure: what goes on beyond the entrances of the dorms.

Floor culture largely determines your friends, secrets, campus involvement, intramural activities and where you sit in chapel and Saga. If you’re a freshman, the second question anyone will ask upon meeting you is probably, “What floor do you live on?” If you’re wondering why your dwelling location is so important, allow me to explain.

Towers are known for being more of

a studious environment, where you can crack open your books without the temptation to throw a party.

Claudius and EMR are known as the more social, boisterous dorms, where vocal messages easily carry down the long, thinly walled hallways.

Gabrielle, also known as Gabby, is more of a private place to live with the nice option of having your own room.

Without Greek-life on campus, many floors have adopted similarities like those of sororities and fraternities.

Some traditions go back for decades, such as “Polyester Power Hour” put on by the brother and sister wing, Men of God (EMR) and Moriah (Claudius), where

everyone dresses up in 70’s attire for chapel.

Many floors have hand signs, colors, relics, creeds, mottos, shirts, awards and welcoming ceremonies.

“Alumni come to visit us often,” said Mary Earls, senior and Gucci (Claudius) resident. “This is the closest thing to a sorority on campus. It is a sisterhood.”

Although floors may have reputations, the main focus of many is fellowship.

“Our floor was founded by mission leaders,” said Austin Whitaker, junior Men of God resident. “We have MOG fathers that come every year from around the world to help train missionaries.”

Cultural traditions are bound to develop when about 3,000 students live

within a half-mile radius of each other for a majority of the year.

Senior Jason Proffitt has lived on Republic (EMR) since his freshman year.

“I honestly don’t know if I’d still be at ORU if not for my floor,” Proffitt said.

“We are what a brotherhood looks like, keeping each other accountable and being there for each other.”

If you see students walking around campus in one solid color, hear tribal chants outside your window after hall meeting or notice an unidentified object hanging in an oak tree, don’t feel confused.

While living on a campus celebrated for strong fellowship, you can attribute such things to ORU floor culture.

Photo by Chandler Branzell

Photo by Chandler Branzell

Photo by Julianne Gonzalez

Moriah residents display their hand sign.

Kingsmen shows their school spirit with Ozone.

Young Blood is known for athletics and brotherhood.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • 9

• For more extensive descriptions of these places, visit: oruoracle.com • Like thrifting? Log onto oruoracle.com for the best thrift shops in town

Downtown/Blue Dome District

Food:

•Mcknellieʼs •Dilly Deli •Joe Mommaʼs •EL Guapoʼs •Yokozuna •Elote

Coffee:

•Modʼs Coffee & Crepes •The Pheonix •Foolish Things •Topeca Coffee

Fun:

•Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge •The Center of the Universe •The Admiral Twin Drive-In Movies •Tulsa Performing Arts Center •ONEOK Field (Home of Tulsa Drillers) •BOK Center

Utica Square & Mid-Town

Food:

•P.F. Changʼs •The Wild Fork •Queenieʼs Café & Bakery

Shopping:

•Saks Fifth Avenue •Anthropologie

Fun:

•Woodward Park •Philbrook Museum

WE

Tul

Check out these hot spo

Elcome to

lsa!

ots and all they have to offer South Tulsa/ Cherry Street

Food:

•Marioʼs •Orange Leaf •Cheesecake Factory •La Madeleineʼs, •Kilkennyʼs Irish Pub •Andoliniʼs

Brady Arts District/ Brookside

Food:

•Pei Wei •In The Raw •Old School Bagel Café •The Brook •Blue Moon Café •Yolatti •Chimera Café

Coffee

•Coffee House •Double Shot Coffee

Fun:

• $6 Mini Golf at All Starʼs Sports Complex •Dollar Theater Eton Square •Woodland Hills Mall

Coffee:

•Gypsy Coffee House •Shades of Brown Coffee & Art

Fun:

•Purple Glaze Studio •Brady Theater •Cainʼs Ballroom

Riverside

Food

•Melting Pot •Five Guys •The Blue Rose Café

Fun

•Pedestrian Bridge •Andy Bʼs Bowling

Graphic by Bruce Dixon

Students back on campus with a BANG Clockwise from top left: Rebecca Glenn, Mariah Lipnick, Mariah Doty and Tiana Woods enjoy a free picnic at Partiestival. Zachary Swalley takes a drink from the slip and slide hose. Golden Eagle Cheerleaders Daisha Batson, Brittani Montgomery, McKayla Merrell, Benjamin Ramirez, Stephen Guzman and John Arriola practice stunting while recruiting prospective team members. Andrea Campbell and Joy Mae Ching Chen tug of war for the last Partiestival Partiestival photos tank. Reid Andrews throws around a football with his other floor members from United.

by Chandler Branzell

Worship night photos

by Austin St. John

Above: Daniel Dauwe plays his guitar during worship. Left: Bass player Josh Kluge joined hundreds of students for Worship night Aug. 15.

12 • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • THE ORACLE

SPORTS

@oruoraclesports Photos by Austin St. John

Alex Gonzales

Jaci Bigham

THE NEXT STEP

By Sports Staff Former ORU pitcher Alex Gonzalez became the eighth ORU baseball player to be selected in the first round of the MLB draft on June 6.

Gonzalez, the 2013 Southland Pitcher of the Year, was selected 23rd overall by the Texas Rangers and signed with the team on June 10.

He is the only ORU player to be selected in the first round since Bob Zupcic was drafted by the Red Sox in 1987.

Gonzalez was placed on the Spokane Indians, a Class A farm team for the Texas Rangers. Gonzalez started nine games for the Indians before being moved down to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a Class Advanced A farm team.

ORU baseball coach Ryan Folmar said of Gonzalez, “He has worked so hard for us the past three years and is deserving of this opportunity.”

Gonzalez spent three years as a member of ORU’s pitching squad. He earned 23 wins throughout his ORU career and his 292 strikeouts ranks fourth in ORU history. In his final year at ORU, he recorded 126 strikeouts with a career low 1.83 ERA. Former ORU star, Jaci Bigham, will return to the bench for the 2013-14 season. Bigham, who graduated in May, has taken the Director of Player Development position for the ORU Women’s Basketball team.

President Billy Wilson

Oral Roberts University President

Warren Niles

Former ORU stars strive for success in the game of life

Bigham noted that the role Coach Misti Cussen entrusted to her this past year would make her transition to the staff a smooth one.

“She trusted me and really gave me a lot of freedom to do that,” Bigham said. “It will definitely have its differences, but I’ll be familiar with what it’s like just from the experience she let me have this year.”

Alongside her coaching responsibilities, Bigham will begin her master’s degree in business management.

Bigham averaged 6.7 assists per game during her senior year, and currently holds ORU’s career assists record with 668 assists.

Former ORU basketball player Damen Bell-Holter signed with Telekom Baskets Bonn, a professional basketball team based out of Bonn, Germany.

The signing was a surprise to the people who follow the 6-foot-9-inch forward out of Alaska. It was originally thought that Bell-Holter would sign with the Italian team, Libertas Pasero. However, the new father said this signing was best for his family.

When asked how ORU has affected his life and basketball career, his response was simple.

“ORU helped me prepare for pro-ball,”Bell-Holter said. “My coaches at ORU had a big role in molding me and helping me get to the point I’m at now.”

Last season, Bell-Holter led the Golden Eagles in rebounding and blocks, while he was second on the team

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We could have been the Oral Roberts Vultures”

Damen Bell-Holter

26

in scoring. Those interested in following the former Golden Eagle can follow him on twitter, @dbh32ORU. Telekom Baskets Bonn opens the season on October 5.

ORU alumnus, Warren Niles, spent time with the Golden State Warriors’ summer league team.

The NBA’s Summer League ran from July 12 through July 22 and consisted of 22 teams that represented 21 NBA Franchises and one team that represented players selected from the NBA Developmental League. The Golden State Warriors, on which Warren Niles played, won all seven games that they participated in, including the championship game of the Las Vegas Summer League.

Niles had the chance to play with rookie names such as Draymond Green of Michigan State University, Kent Bazemore of Old Dominion University, and James Southerland of Syracuse University. The Summer League as a whole represented many talents from the past year’s NBA Draft as well as other highlighted players from across the country.

Niles ranks fourth in school history in career 3-point field goals made with 292, and was named First Team All-Southland conference his senior season.

shots taken by

ORU during Tuesday’s soccer game, compared to only 15 by JBU

27

days

until ORU Volleyball home opens on

September 19th

THE ORACLE • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • 13

Forget the Names, Find the Numbers How to win your fantasy football league in 2013

By Hutton Jackson That’s right. The 2013 Fantasy Football season is about to be back and better than ever. So whether you drafted Adrian Peterson and won your league last season, or Maurice Jones-Drew and cried yourself to sleep, we all have a blank slate.

Fantasy Football is all about the numbers—not the names. Don’t believe me? Here are some examples that might make you rethink your draft perspective.

Russell Wilson had 35 more points than Eli Manning despite not being drafted on most teams last year (Manning avg. rd 3). Alfred Morris had 773 yards and 11 touchdowns, more than LeSean McCoy; yet, Morris was not drafted (McCoy avg. top 5rds). James Jones ranked 26 spots ahead of Percy Harvin.

What’s our point? Numbers, not names, win fantasy championships. With that in mind, here are some undervalued players who have top fantasy potential, and some overrated players who could be in for a down year.

DRAFT SUCCESS 1. The season can’t be won in

the first round, but a bad pick sure can lose it. Heroes are overrated…go with guys who are going to be around to get you numbers in December.

2. Do some mock drafts. Practice makes perfect. Being smarter than your friends on draft day makes it that much more fun.

3. Remember, the game isn’t

real, but the perks of winning are.

If you stay active, you only increase your odds of winning. It’s that easy.

Internet Photo

Stevan Ridley, Patriots RB Last season, the Patriots offense was top 10 in the NFL in rushing yards, top five in rushing attempts and led the league in rushing touchdowns.

That’s right, the great Tom Brady offense is a run-first team, especially with the loss of Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, and a fragile Rob Gronkowski.

Ridley scored in 10 of 16 games in his first season as starter, with 18.1 carries per game.

Even with the prospect of backup running back Shane Vereen getting some carries, there’s plenty of love to go around here.

14 • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • THE ORACLE

Internet Photo

Matt Forte, Bears RB Forte is taken in the early second round in most leagues, which means he’s being picked before Dez Bryant, Stevan Ridley and Brandon Marshall. Which wouldn’t be so bad, if you hadn’t considered that Forte spent almost half the season out with an injury.

Even worse, the man can’t get in the end zone.

Forte has actually been so bad at the goal line, that the Bears have given the carries to alter-ego Michael Bush.

But the reality is I just don’t trust him to stay healthy week to week, and I don’t trust him to produce week to week if he is healthy. I just don’t trust him.

Need more help with your fantasy draft? Check out the rest of our list of studs and duds at: oruoracle.com For the latest soccer coverage go to oruoracle.com

SCENE

Wilson announces campus-wide updates

By Meghan Drake ORU’s Information Technology department worked to improve cable and internet services in the dorms over the summer.

The coax cable television has been replaced, and the internet bandwidth was increased from 300 MB to 1.8 GB. Tyler Hearn, a sophomore theology major, said the new cable system is better than last semester.

Last fall, channels began disappearing. Those left were fuzzy, Hearn said.

“As the year progressed, it kind of got worse,” Hearn said.

But now, Hearn said the channels “work ten times better.”

Senior art education major, Janelle Andrus, said she didn’t have any complaints from last year.

“It seems good, but it doesn’t seem

a whole lot different,” Andrus said.

Andrus said she thinks she had good service last year because of the location of her room.

The coax cable television system has been completely replaced by over 1,400 cable drops, which consist of thousands of feet of coax cable and fiber, new amplifiers, connectors, splitters, taps and wall connectors.

The same line of work is being conducted in the Aerobics Center.

Other buildings will be addressed this semester.

More than 10 miles of data cable was pulled to various locations which gave every dorm room a full 8Pin CAT6 wired connection.

The 5-year-old network core received a facelift to better handle the many different devices that are depen-

dent on the network.

Other updates throughout campus were announced by President William “Billy” Wilson during chapel Aug. 16.

This included new heat and air systems in the dorms which allow them to respond to the ever-changing Oklahoma weather in three hours rather than the historical four days.

Extra-long beds are now offered in the dorms for those who are blessed with more height than the average student.

In Saga, a chef station received a facelift, and a Moe’s ORU special allows daily student deals.

Perhaps, the favorite of the updates behind extra bandwidth is the extension of Chik-fil-A’s hours—they are now open from noon until curfew.

Photo by Chandler Branzell

President Wilson addresses students during chapel.

Famed Tulsa treat offers a taste of summer

By Hannah Covington Eight years ago, Tulsa native Josh Juarez was a 19-year-old college student looking to make some cash for school expenses so he could marry his high school sweetheart.

Offering a city with Baghdad-hot summers a bit of flavored, handheld snow seemed like a bankable idea. Four

Josh’s Sno Shacks later, Juarez, 27, has created a household name in Tulsa.

“I saw there was no real night life for people in Tulsa and wanted to create a place to hang out that’s positive,” Juarez said.

So the Northeastern State University alumnus decided to make a spot for fun, safe socializing to occur.

Photo by Bruce Dixon

New this season to Josh’s sno cone empire is a food van offering mobile shaved ice to hot residents craving a smooth, sugary treat.

His major in college? Business. the culture.”

“Most of what I understood in The shacks open in April and close school was by doing,” said Juarez, in late October. On opening day, cuswho is married to his high tomers sometimes wait more school sweetheart and than three hours to taste : s is now working on their first icy delight of r u r Ho 1st and e m 8 his MBA. the season, Johnson ial Sum arnett, mor G e d M Juarez’s said. n d a 71st , 91st an 10:30pm selective hiring Junior Daniel Yale nday 2 Su y a practices and Dickie lives in Tulsa d ur -Sat pm y a d emphasis on and also works at Mon 0:30pm orial crafting the Josh’s. The mechanical 12-1 d Mem an 61st smoothest ice engineering major said 0pm 2-9:0 12-9pm y possible set his local high school seniors a Sund aturday S shaved ice stands often plan their senior day Mon apart from the skip days around Josh’s competition, he said.

April launch.

For Tulsans, getting sno ORU students can look cones from Josh’s offers the for Josh’s at various events chance to park, pull down truck throughout the year, includbeds and mingle in the summer night. ing Partiestival and Student “If you ask Tulsa natives what they Association’s annual Picnic think of when you say ‘summer,’ they’ll on the Lawn. say Josh’s and QuickTrip,” said sopho“It’s not summer for very much more JJ Johnson, who has worked at the longer,” Dickie said. “So you might as sno shacks for three years. “It’s part of well get a taste of it while you can.”

THE ORACLE • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • 15

Welcome to OK: Towns that actually exist

By McKensie Garber 1. Broken Bow- First, there’s Broken Arrow. Now the bow, too? The pilot episode for “Star Trek: Enterprise” was filmed here in 2001, titled “Broken Bow.” 2. Beaver- It is unknown if they have problems with dams, however, this town is home to the annual World Cow Chip Throwing Championship.

3. Disney- Sorry, there are no rides here. This town has no affiliation with Walt Disney. It is known as “Disney Island” because it sits on—you guessed it— an island, at the southern shore of Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees.

4. Fort Coffee- Has an area of 6.4 square miles with 419 mocha-loving people.

5. Canadian- The birthplace to Holly Holland, an 8-year-old girl who won a writing contest for an episode for the children’s show, Arthur, which aired in 1999.

6. Hoot Owl- Hoot, hoot, who’s there? Four people within an area of 0.1 square miles.

7. Kingfisher- Birthplace of WalMart’s founder Sam Walton.

8. Lone Wolf- Named for Chief Lone Wolf, a warrior chief of the Kiowa Indians.

9. Friendship- Makes up 0.15 miles of Oklahoma, with a population of 24 friendly people.

10. Loveland- Why didn’t we

know of this place before? Because the population is 13. Before it closed, the post office was very popular on Valentine’s Day. People drove many miles to have their valentines postmarked “Loveland.”

11. Corn- A tornado was caught on film here for the second time in world history, and the first time in the U.S., on June 8, 1951.

12. Monkey Island- A peninsula on the northern shore of Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees, Monkey Island received its name as a joke quoted in the Tulsa World, thus causing the name to stick.

By Chelsey Butler

One Direction to star in a movie

The English pop sensation, One Direction, will soon be releasing a 3D film that showcases the life of the band while on tour, called “This is Us.” It opens in theaters Aug. 30. Pop music has transformed into a revitalized and changed genre since the advent of boy bands in the nineties, and One Direction is one modern day group who have won the hearts a variety of fans.

Gentlemen of the Road Stopover in OK

Somewhere deep in the heart of Oklahoma, in a city that was once known as the Sooner State’s capital, lies a concert that is epitome of indie music. The Gentlemen of the Road Stopover, headlined by Mumford & Sons, will be heading to Guthrie, Okla. on Sept. 7 and 8. Along with Mumford there are 11 other groups to perform including: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Alabama Shakes and Willy Mason.

Though originally sold out, the stopover has offered more tickets to accommodate the amount of interest across the Midwest.

McNellie’s Opens New Location

McNellie’s new location at 71st and Yale opened July 11.

The $3 burger is also served at this location after 5 p.m. every Wednesday, and comes with french fries or sweet potato fries.

Hoot Owl

Images From Sydney Morning Hearld, MSN and WikiMedia Commons

Oracle History Flashback

Lovela nd

Fort Coffee

d

y Islan Monke

Illustrations by Matt Dean

16 • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • THE ORACLE

STORY BRIEFS

By Kelsie Wardell Twenty-five years ago this month, Oral Roberts stepped inside the classroom to teach “Bible Principles for Abundant Life through Faith.”

Does this class sound familiar? Probably not. It is currently known as “Spirit Empowered Living.” Alumni of ORU may also recognize the name “Charismatic Life and the Healing Ministry.” However, the name changes don’t affect Roberts’ original vision for the course.

After being out of the classroom for years, Roberts explained his reason for returning to teaching. “I know it is my time to share the infallible, inspired word of God and the principles of abundant life,” Roberts said in an Oracle article from 1988.

The first lectures took place on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon, whereas this semester it is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:50 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. A discussion group outside of the lecture is an added component of the course.

Though the university founder died Dec. 15, 2009, his vision for the course lives on.

The tradition of the president teaching this class continued on through his son, Richard Roberts, followed by Dr. Mark Rutland and his wife, Alison.

This semester President William “Billy” Wilson is teaching the required theology course.

MUSE

So then, what shall we say 50 years later?

Editor’s note: Dr. Tapp teaches graduate education classes and is a member of ORU’s diversity committee.

By Sherri Tapp I was delighted and frankly a bit intimidated when offered the remarkable opportunity to write this piece commemorating the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington and the “I Have a Dream” speech preached by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What would I write? I am not, by profession a historian. How could I

squeeze so much important history into a few hundred words? I reached out to ORU Dean Emeritus Dr. Clarence Oliver who was born the same year as Dr. King, as was my dad, John W. Jones Jr. I also sought input from him and my mom. These people lived the reality of that time and remember.

I’ve decided to write a letter to you, the students of this great university.

How do I describe and convey the emotionally and spiritually charged meaning of that march, the culmination of a struggle that was on-going since slavery? What can I say to hip you to the fact that, as Dr. Melissa Harris Perry of Tulane University says, “…the struggle continues?” Why is it so terribly important that we “grow not weary in well doing?”

Background: 50 years ago, before some of your parents were born, people of color were having a rough time in the United States. Look at your roommate, classmates and fellow students; look up the term “Jim Crow laws” and consider what it must have been like not to be able to sit together at the movies, use the same bathroom or be treated in an emergency room simply because of what one looked like. The original march of 1963 was called The March for Jobs and Freedom.

Did you know that a similar march was planned in 1941 by the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters? Look it up. Neither the march nor the speech was spontaneous. People believed in and still believe in America and the Declaration of Independence that

A brief message from your SA President By Ooceeh Afame There’s excitement in the air about this new school year. ORU has a new president and our university looks great. There are new students on campus (freshmen, transfers and graduate students alike), our athletes are setting new records and Saga has been renovated and revived.

Student Association has enjoyed overwhelming support from the administration, faculty and staff this fall. We are grateful to our new president, Dr. Billy Wilson and his dear wife, Lisa for coming on stage with incredible listening ears and humble praying hearts.

SA is also grateful to the staff and faculty who worked hard behind the scenes to advance the voice of students.

The momentum that has been created by addressing the major concerns of students

indicates that the best days of ORU are here.

SA has a big heart for the university and is eager to help improve the overall college experience of every student.

We plan to represent graduate students well, carry along all commuters, provide camaraderie and support for athletes and sports teams, and help international students feel at home.

A big focus for SA this year is building a strong, cohesive community within the student

Internet Photo

states all of us are “…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” —Yet many Americans were relegated to second class citizenship for no other reason than their gender and/or the color of their skin.

You may think that was 50 years ago! Things are different now. I agree with you in part. People of color can reasonably expect to get treated in any emergency room. Everyone can sit where they like in the movie theater now and we can all use the same restroom. Many have received degrees from prestigious institutions, and work in professional and executive positions.

But, there’s still much to do.

Continued on page 18

population and enhancing student-administration relationship through various activities and programs that will increase interactions and build better interpersonal relationships.

SA strongly believes in the mission and vision of ORU. We are committed to working hand-in-hand with administration to ensure that our campus remains the birthplace of 21st century Holy Spiritempowered world-changers who will bring healing to our generation.

Introducing our newest columnist:

Sarah Dinwiddie Check out her poetic vision of everyday life in her column “Rhyme & Reason” online at oruoracle.com

THE ORACLE • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • 17

Date Doctor: 10 don’ts The Syndicated Cynic

By Caleb Koehler

Christian campus subcultures are often riddled with dating dilemmas and misconceptions. Ever wonder what the best way to ask someone out is or where to take them? Here are the top 10 dating don’ts from the new Date Doctor. Keep it classy, ORU.

10. Saga dates

Do you really have no other place to take her? If you want to make an impression, don’t go cheap. There should also be a limit on how much you spend on your dates…but don’t spend nothing. Hanging out in the cafeteria does not qualify as a date.

thing she wants is for you to be complimenting her or to ask her out. Why follow her around asking for her number? If you see her there, approach her later and use the AC as a conversation topic instead of staring at her while she works out.

6. Wimp out

Guys at ORU are notorious for wimping out when it comes to asking out girls. If you gain the courage to ask a girl out, you automatically gain an advantage over 40 percent of the guys at ORU. So take the risk, what’s the worst that can happen?

-Want to read the rest of the list? Go to

oruoracle.com

9. Cuddling in the Fishbowl and Prayer Gardens

The Fishbowl needs a sign saying: “Let your girl breathe in the fishbowl.”

Some couples think of themselves as the “cute fishbowl couple,” but trust me, there is nothing cute about two people frenching in public. Find somewhere else to get buddy-buddy with your “special friend.”

You may have heard the phrase: “Laying on of hands and speaking in tongues.” The Prayer Garden is for praying. The name should say enough; however, couples still think that it’s a great place to get romantic. Let’s keep it classy— Stay out of the gardens.

8. Roommate date

The roommate date is intended to be a wing event aimed at helping people get to know each other. People take this fun and innocent event and make it into a serious marriage building concept. Girls: just because a guy goes out with you does not mean you should expect a marriage proposal. And guys: don’t make it too serious. Just have fun and make sure it’s enjoyable for both of you. The same goes for wingcest- don’t ask out your brother or sister wing.

7. Ask girls out in the AC

If a girl is dedicated enough to frequent the Aerobics Center the last

Graphic by Matthew Dean

Tapp continued from page 17

Present Ground: Did you know The Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were both signed into law in 1964

by President Johnson the very next year after the 1963 March on Washington aka the March for Jobs and Freedom?

Those were great strides in the right direction. Why must the struggle continue? Why can’t everyone just be content?

Have you read about the current efforts to “un-do” what the Voting Rights Act provided? Are you aware that in the first quarter of this year alone there have been more than 55 new voting restrictions placed in motion? Some of

18 • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • THE ORACLE

By Greg America Brown Welcome back, morons.

It is that time again, and ORU is back in session for the 201314 school year.

Although, if you didn’t figure that out already and are simply wandering the grounds, attending classes and indulging in the fine campus cuisine for no apparent reason, then you either have some sort of problem or are very enthusiastic about this place.

Either way, welcome.

As the school year gets underway, it may become easy to get caught up in the routine of class, study, work, chapel, eat, sleep (if possible) and repeat.

I understand that obtaining a degree requires a lot of commitment, but keep personal growth in mind this year; not only in the intellectual sense, but also in the human sense.

Though the words “whole person” are quoted quite frequently on campus, it is vital we all take a moment to soak in what that really means, and to demand ourselves to make time to really grow in every aspect of our lives.

Go out with friends or get that extra mile in; finish a book you have been trying to read since the beginning of summer; get off of campus (yes, there

is something outside of ol’ ORU) and discover who you are as a human being through thought, interaction and prayer.

These few short years of college will be the years that define us, where we step from optimism to cynicism—I mean, where we grow from children to adults or something like that.

From freshmen to faculty, we all have an intense, stellar school year ahead of us. Throughout it, we are going to have many opportunities for selfdiscovery and growth as whole people.

Who knows, maybe you can finally get that hot cafeteria date that you have been searching for since freshman year.

I am certainly crossing my fingers on that one. Seriously, for my sake, do not miss out on the hot cafeteria date.

So as the thick Oklahoma summer fades into a brief but crisp autumn, and as that autumn fades into something that seems eerily reminiscent of a penguin’s hometown, be sure to keep things in perspective.

Don’t be afraid to put your textbook down every once in a while. Make some time to find you, but don’t fail your classes or anything, you have invested too much for that.

Regardless of how you spend your school year, keep in touch with me as I give a fresh look on the reality of life at ORU, and maybe we’ll both learn something along the way.

them impact college students! Be sure to check that out. Even though a law for equal pay for equal work was signed into law in 1964, there still exists a significant gap in pay as women make 80.9 cents for every dollar a man makes, and this disparity is even more dramatic for women of color who make about 57 cents for every dollar a man makes and that’s up from 54 cents in the 1960’s.

Fore Ground: In the face of on-going issues around “Stand Your Ground” and racial profiling as we seek to be a more globally culturally competent people, I hope I’ve written something that honors the original spirit of Dr.

King’s speech, noted some of the progress we’ve made in the last 50 years and challenged all of us to keep dreaming of “ONE nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for ALL.” Keep praying for peace in our country and around the world, keep loving and forgiving as Christ commanded us and make a commitment to work toward the goals set forth by a man who had a God-given dream.

I hope we read and re-read this speech, this urgent message over and over, year after year….until it is realized fully.

Research Participants Needed in a Brain Imaging Study of Depression The Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Okla. is currently recruiting participants for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study of depression. Participants must have been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.

We are also recruiting healthy individuals and individuals with Anorexia Nervosa.

Participant Requirements: • Female • Ages 14 to 25 • No history of an eating disorder • Body Mass Index of 18.5 to 25.0 • No psychiatric medications within 3 weeks of scanning (6 weeks for Prozac); participants will NOT be asked to stop current medications.

• Right-handed • Native English speaker

Compensation is provided for time and effort related to participation.

For more information, please call:

(918)502-5100 6655 S. Yale Ave. Tulsa, OK 74136-3329

THE ORACLE • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • 19

SHOW YOUR ORU I.D. TO SAVE 10%

20 • Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 • THE ORACLE