February 3, 2012 Print Edition

MAKING MUSICAL HISTORY

Men’s basketball team continues its domination Page 15

IWC to record its first live worship album since 2009 Page 9

Oral Roberts University • Feb. 3, 2012 Photo by Austin St. John

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THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 2

Contents 5

Life: Rutland holds press conference

7

Life: Homecoming week begins

9 12

Stunt of the Week Got a photo of you or a friend planking somewhere awesome?

Send it to oracle@oru.edu and you might see it in the next edition!

Faith: IWC album to be recorded live in March Center: Super Bowl to be held in Indianapolis

15

Sports: Men’s basketball keeps winning

17

Scene: Civil Wars concert review

Nick Munch planks on two parking barriers in downtown Tulsa.

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Keith Wheeler, above, carried a cross around the world and spoke to missions students on Jan. 31.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 3

Life

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GEICO Play of the Year

Roberta Roberts-Potts writes book about father

Photo by Austin St. John

ORU men’s basketball player Damen Bell-Holter has advanced to the final round of the 2012 GEICO Play of the Year for a game-winning shot made against UALR on Monday, Dec. 12, 2011. After intercepting a full-court pass with 2.7 seconds remaining, Bell-Holter made a shot from beyond half court to win the game at the buzzer. He beat out three other finalists on the third out of eight nomination weeks. Fans determined the winners by voting for their favorite GEICO Play of the Year nominee on Facebook. The winner will be featured on CBS on March 25.

Oral Roberts’ daughter Roberta Roberts-Potts wrote a book titled “My Dad, Oral Roberts,” chronicling the journey of her father. Released on Nov. 1, 2011, the book is available online as well as in bookstores nationwide. Roberts-Potts shares some of the most difficult times in her father’s life, including the turning point when he accepted God and began down a path that would change lives, including his mission to build Oral Roberts University. In 2010, she was asked to serve on the Board of Trustees here at ORU.

Richard Roberts arrested for DUI

Former ORU President Richard Roberts, 63, was arrested Jan. 24 for excessive speeding and driving under the influence. Oklahoma Highway Patrol clocked Roberts at 93 mph in a 65 mph zone while traveling east on the Creek Turnpike.

The trooper pulled over Roberts on U.S. Highway 169 North just south of the 71st Street exit. The trooper “immediately detected the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage about Roberts’ breath and person,” according to a Tulsa County arrest report.

After failing to perform two sobriety tests, Roberts was placed under arrest for speeding and driving under the influence. He was transported to Jenks Police Department, where he agreed to a breathalyzer test. His blood alcohol level was measured at 0.11, above the 0.08 legal limit. Roberts was then transported to Tulsa County Jail. He was booked at 2:46 a.m. and released on $1,100 bond at 5:47 a.m.Under Oklahoma law, first-time DUI offenders face from 10 days to one year in jail, a fine up to $1,000, a 30-day license suspension, participation in assessment and evaluation for treatment, and a $300 minimum DUI fee.

Roberts leads Oral Roberts Ministries.

4 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE

ORU Hall of Fame adds three

Internet Photo

ORU inducted three players into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 28 during half-time at the men’s basketball game against UMKC at the Mabee Center. The Golden Eagles honored Tim Gill (men’s basketball 1994-1998), Prince Mumba (track 2002-06) and Jeff Stallings (baseball 1997-2000).

Gill led ORU in scoring in each of his four seasons, playing on Bill Self’s NIT team in 1996-97 and the school’s first Mid-Con championship team in 1997-98. Mumba, a five-time NCAA Championship qualifier in the 800 meters, holds the school record in the event with a time of 1:47.19. Stallings was MidCon baseball Player of the Year and received first-team All-America honors in 1999 when he batted .417 with seven homers and 42 RBI, scoring a conference-record 81 runs. Former women’s basketball coach Debbie Yow was also selected for the Hall of Fame, but will be inducted next year.

“Nothing but good news,” says Rutland

By Amy Lecza The tradition of hosting a press conference after the Board of Trustees meet continued on Jan. 26. Assisted

by Senior Director of University Relations and Communications Jeremy Burton, President Rutland delivered a brief and informative presentation to the staff, faculty, administrators and students in attendance.

“I have nothing but good news to report,” said Rutland after showing a video clip of Damen BellHolter’s game-winning fullcourt buzzer-beater against Arkansas Little Rock.

Rutland shared that a five-year master plan has been approved, meaning that the future of the university is planned.

“We have a complete, strategic master plan,” said Rutland. “We’re working the plan, not the man.”

Positive financial news was a common theme.

“The issues that we’re facing are general compensation for everybody and faculty salaries,” said Rutland. “This university has fallen behind.”

Rutland announced that ORU finished 2011 in the black, and is currently financially solvent.

“We went through the entire fall semester without adding one penny to our credit,” Rutland said.

“This has not happened in 23 years.”

In addition to financial security, Rutland also announced that all

full-time faculty will be receiving raises.

“We are about $10,000 a year behind the median,” said Rutland of the average salary of the premier Christian universities in the country.

Colleges like Lee University, Biola University, Azusa Pacific University and Wheaton College were considered as such.

But how can that be accomplished?

“Reduced expenses, resource allocation and reasonable calculated revenue projections,” explained Rutland.

“All departments have done exactly what I asked, which is to reduce expenses.”

Faculty members can expect salaries to change this year.

“We believe we can have the faculty salaries on parity in five years,” said Rutland.

“Half of each of those annual, 20 percent five-year raises will show up in the faculty contracts in February.

The rest will happen in the middle of the year.”

To break it down simply, 10 raises spread over five years equals two raises per year.

“With incremental growth, careful budget management and continued development, we can do this,” said Rutland.

Retirement plans for full-time faculty and staff are also changing.

“Starting next fiscal year, you’ll be able to put up to 6 percent of your income in your retirement fund,” said Rutland. “The university will

match half of it.”

Rutland encouraged all faculty members to save money and to allow the university to match as much as allowable.

This will come into effect at the beginning of next fiscal year, May 1, 2012.

Rutland also shared that 55 new students have enrolled this semester, and that the now-dormant University Planning Council will be called to action soon to develop relevant site plans for future campus improvement and development.

“The Board of Trustees is committed to seeing the best done for the faculty, staff and students of this university,” said Rutland. “This is an important step for us.”

Butterfly collection donated

By Charlie Meadows Professor emeritus Dr. John Nelson has decided to give one of his most prized possessions to the public: his personal butterfly and moth collection.

Nelson chaired the biology department for 18 years.

Nelson’s massive Lepidoptera collection has an estimated 32,000 butterflies and moths.

Nelson donated his collection to the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity in the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville.

The museum is the second largest museum in the world for Lepidoptera, second only to the Natural History Museum in London.

“I have been collecting for years,” said Nelson. “I’ve spent thousands of hours, spent thousands of dollars and traveled thousands of miles to amass this collection.”

What’s even more amazing is that he has acquired almost the entire collection by himself.

He has collected specimens from all 77 counties in Oklahoma.

At the end of 1981, a general survey reported an average of only 15.4 butterfly species recorded per county.

Nelson and a colleague have submitted 62 butterfly and 512 moth new county records, which includes 47 state record moths, to the 2010 Lepidopterist’s Society Season Summary Report.

“At the end of 2010, we have a total of 2,029 species (195 butterflies & 1834 moths) recorded for Oklahoma county records,” Nelson said.

“And as of the end of 2010, we have an average of 74.5 butterfly species per county on record.“ Nelson has many fond memories of the times he spent collecting specimens, including the time he

Photo by Michelle Karjadi

These are some of the 32,000 butterflies and moths donated by Dr. John Nelson to the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Fla. spotted a mountain lion while out in the field.

He expressed his dismay about what happens to so many other great, private collections after their owners had passed.

“Many collections are simply thrown away and/or destroyed after

the owner passes, which is a great loss to the public,” Nelson said.

Nelson has been maintaining his collection of Lepidoptera in the ORU biology insect museum for several years.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 5

Silhouette meanings revealed

By Nathanael Robertson Walking back to Towers from upper lot at night can bring all sorts of surprises.

If you manage to avoid the occasional water balloons or young men serenading those passing by, look up and you may be greeted by anything from Star Wars battles, comical messages, Christmas trees or even a marriage proposal.

For the past two and a half years, junior Michael Whitlach has been creating silhouettes and displaying them in his Wesley window. They are only visible at night when his light is turned on.

“I think ORU could use a little eccentricity, like Luke and Darth Vader. They make people laugh,” explained Whitlach.

Inspired by the 90s classic film “Home Alone,” Whitlach set up cardboard silhouettes to scare away

trick -or-treaters while in high school.

“One day I saw someone in Michael and was reminded of that,” said Whitlach. “I thought, ‘You know what? I could do that here and people would see it on the way back from upper lot.’”

“I had my sister trace me out, and we put that cutout in the window,” Whitlach said. “I kept that one up for a month or so, then I figured I’d change it up.”

The next week, Whitlach and two friends designed a Tetris scene to display in his seventh-floor window.

“We spent so much work on that and realized it’s on the seventh floor and was hard for people to see,” said Whitlach. “We sort of had to tell people about it.”

The next year, Whitlach moved to the second floor of Wesley to get a better platform to show off his creativity.

So how exactly does he do it?

Whitlach finds a suitable picture on the internet, prints it and using a special tracer projector he projects the image onto his dorm room wall where he can control the size.

After adjusting the projection to the size he likes, he then locks it in and traces it onto construction paper.

Michael then cuts out the cardboard and sticks it on his window and turns on the fluorescent lamps in his room.

Sometimes it takes quite a bit of adjusting and frequent trips outside.

“It’s definitely something that’s trial and error,” Whitlach said.

Last year, Whitlach came up with the idea to have a storyline involving a man and a woman that caused a little stir when a passer-by misinterpreted his proposal scene.

“Ninety-nine percent of the people I talked to saw it as a

proposal but somebody interpreted it as something inappropriate and talked to the hall director,” said Whitlach.

The hall director himself admitted to being a fan after finding out Michael was behind it during RA interviews.

After looking in the student handbook and confirming what he was doing was within ORU guidelines, he took down the scene because he didn’t have time to fix it before his exam the next day.

“It’s not normally what you see in a window,” said junior Marshall Harrup. “It kind of breaks up your idea of typical ORU environment and brings a creative aspect to it.”

For Michael, it’s just a way to express himself.

“I just want to make people laugh on their way back from upper lot,” said Whitlach. “It takes up time, it’s a hobby, it’s what I do for fun.”

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Philbrook Museum hosts banquet

By Katy Miller The Philbrook Museum has welcomed many ORU art lovers in the past, but on Feb. 17, it will transform into a banquet hall and dance floor for this year’s homecoming dance ($65 couple/$35 single).

Featuring a gallery hour and a three-course dinner, the event will also offer ballroom and salsa dancing lessons.

“We picked Philbrook this year because we wanted to go with a really classy theme,” said Christine Anthony, SA director of programs. “None of us have had a banquet at Philbrook before, so it will be new and fresh for everyone.”

According to Anthony, dancing will take place on a stage in the café area. The gardens surrounding the museum will be equipped with tents and heaters for guests mingling outdoors.

Only 350 tickets will be available for the event.

Homecoming Week Events

• Saturday, Feb. 11: Coronation at men’s basketball game (halftime), After-Party at the 71st Street Marriott following game • Sunday, Feb. 12: SA Movie Night in Zoppelt showing “Night at the Museum.”

6-8 p.m.

• Monday, Feb. 13: Minute to Win It competition, SAGA, 5-7 p.m.

• Wednesday, Feb. 15: The Price is Right, Zoppelt, 7-9 p.m.

• Thursday, Feb. 16: Battle of the Bands, Mabee Center, 7-10 p.m.

• Friday, Feb. 17: Homecoming banquet, Philbrook Museum, 6-10 p.m.

Although renting the Philbrook cost $5,000, Anthony said she expects the ticket sales will more than cover the cost.

The homecoming banquet will cap off the ORU Homecoming week, which begins with the men’s basketball game and an after-

party Feb. 11.

Other events include The Price is Right, Minute to Win It, movie night and Battle of the Bands.

Where You Belong Though ORU has undergone many changes since its founding in 1965, from

ORU Faculty, Staff, Students and ICECAP Friends PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR

ICECAP OFFICES OPEN HOUSE AND DEDICATION Hosted by Alison Rutland, Dr. Leo Lawson & Members of the Board of Advisors

Thursday, February 9, 4 to 6 p.m.

ICECAP Offices, 44th Floor, ORU’s CityPlex Tower, Ste. 4475 Refreshments will be served. Casual attire.

presidents to rules to public image, the theme of this year’s alumni homecoming — Where You Belong — seeks to assure past students from across the country and across the world that ORU is still where they belong.

The alumni event will take place Feb. 9-11, ending with the basketball game that kicks off events for current students.

“We want to involve them in the university and for them to feel like ORU is still home,” said Jesse Pisors, director of alumni relations.

“We just felt like that was an important message, and the theme is intended to reflect that. Someone may have been a student 20 years ago, but this is still a place of belonging.”

Paul Palmer, a 1972 graduate, is one such alumnus who strongly feels ORU is a welcoming home.

Part of the first-generation group of students who attended ORU during its formative years, Palmer now lives in California but has returned to ORU for several class reunions.

This year, Palmer will host the 40+ Alumni Reunion Dinner, titled “Remember the Titans?” which refers to ORU’s former mascot, the Titan.

Palmer said he has stayed in touch with fellow firstgeneration alums through a closed Facebook group called, “You Know You Went to ORU 1965-1972.”

He created the group after noticing the popularity of the original “You Know You Went to ORU” group last spring.

Palmer said he and fellow alums greatly value

Changes for Fall Although ORU has traditionally held homecoming in the spring, most universities place homecoming during the fall football season.

Starting next fall, ORU will experiment with a fall alumni reunion event by moving some alumni events that would have taken place in spring 2013 to fall 2012.

“It’d be a smaller version of what we currently are used to as homecoming,” said Pisors. “We’d still have a homecoming event in February, but not as big.”

Whether the fall event continues will be based upon the turnout.

“If it’s good, we’ll strongly consider doing it that way,” Pisors said.

“Or we may go back to doing it as we have all along.”

their ORU years as a time in which “we lived Oral’s vision; it become part of us.”

In addition to class reunions, ORU will host several new alumni events this year, including an ORU Kids Olympics event on Feb. 11, designed as an activity to occupy younger children while their parents attend other events.

The full schedule of alumni events can be viewed at alumni.oru.edu.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 7

Faith

The Faith Editor is Josh Copeland.

You may contact him at joshuatrevorcopeland@gmail.com

Former student-led worship team returns for performance

By Hannah Rundell As alumni prepare to reunite with their old classmates during homecoming weekend and current students begin planning for basketball and celebration, there is one event that is likely to be overlooked.

On Friday, Feb. 10, a Homecoming Vespers Service will be held at 8:30 p.m. in the Christ’s Chapel.

Current students and more recent graduates may not be familiar with the term “vespers.”

But to alumni who experienced Vespers Services when they were students at ORU, this is a chance to get together with their past classmates once again and worship.

According to Dean of Spiritual Formation Clarence Boyd, Vespers was a Sunday night student-led service in the cafeteria, which were quite popular and averaged several hundred students each week.

What some may find unique about the Homecoming Vespers Service is that, according to Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations Jesse Pisors, the Alumni Association Board of Directors made the decision for past worship leaders to lead the Friday night service: Patti Holcombe Thompson, Jeff Ling, Tim and Monica Amstutz, Brannon Carnes, and Laura Cooke.

“We will have people from all the different de-

cades,” Pisors said.

Also, the Rev. Larry Stockstill will be speaking at the service. Stockstill graduated from ORU in 1975.

According to Pisors, this is not the first time Vespers services have been held for homecoming.

“It has been done before, but it has been several years and has not been done often,” Pisors said.

Although Vespers services occurred mainly in the 1970s and 1980s, current students have recently been participating in student-led campus worship.

“We are working right now with chaplains and International Worship Center to plan this semester’s campus worship events,” Boyd said.

Although the Homecoming Vespers Service is geared toward returning alumni, current students are certainly welcome to attend.

When the past ORU students and leaders join

8 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE

Courtesy Photos

the current ORU students in worship next weekend, it won’t matter whether a student graduated in 1978 or is merely a second semester freshman. As everyone joins together, they will find “It’s Where They Belong.”

Between the Vespers and Souls A’Fire, ORU has a rich musical history that continues to grow to this day.

Above: Students congregate in Saga for Vespers during the 1970s. The informal services were held on Sunday nights and included praise and worship and a short message.

At left: Campus chaplain Bob Stamps breaks concludes a Vespers service with Communion.

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IWC live album to be recorded

Photo by Austin St. John

The International Worship Center leads a night of worship Nov. 4 in Christ’s Chapel during Fall College Weekend.

By Joshua Copeland It’s been three years since the last ORU worship record debuted, and five years since the International Worship Center’s last live worship record. ORU IWC will add to its discography with a live recording of the group’s newest album at the ORU Mabee Center at 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 1.

ORU Worship has created three albums: “Extraordinary” (2006), “Revolution” (2007) and “Until the Whole World Knows” (2009).

“We didn’t just decide to make a record for no reason,” said Daniel Tsubota, the album coordinator.

“We’ve seen [the] hurt, but we’ve also seen the hope that the Spirit of God brings when we minister in the worldwide language of music.”

“This album was on the

calendar before I took over the department, and it was one of my events to cancel as director,” said Jon Swindal, IWC interim director. “About a week after I canceled the live recording, it was all I could think about.”

According to Tsubota, the album is comprised of original songs written entirely by the ORU community, including both students and IWC staff.

“In the last few months I have encouraged the students to write and use some of the songs in chapel,” said Swindal. “Their talent and content are more than capable of producing a product that can represent what God is doing at ORU to the world. We want to gather the best of what the ORU community is writing for its corporate worship settings.”

“We did a rough test run of what the album night could be like last College Weekend, and we were overwhelmed by the reactions and results,” said Tsubota. “We decided that this Spring College Weekend is the perfect time to combine the ORU community, College Weekend visitors, Tulsa community and local church members and anyone who wants to be part of an epic night of worship.”

The songs for the album will be posted on facebook. com/oruiwc for the audience to learn beforehand. Many of the new songs have been introduced in chapel, and demo versions will be available so people can become more familiar with them before the recording.

“We don’t want it to just be the choir who can sing along,” said Tsubota.

Missions teams introduce new fundraising efforts

By Joshua Copeland Don’t be alarmed if you notice one of your fellow classmates walking around a neighborhood, toting a large bag of toilet paper rolls.

It’s crunch time, and with the 50 percent deadline fast approaching, mission teams are doing whatever they can to raise funds.

This year, the missions department introduced Jordan Carter as fundraising coordinator.

Carter is responsible for training and consulting the different teams and team leaders on creative ways to fundraise for their respective mission trips.

Last year, as the team leader for ManTeam, Carter proved his nonconventional fundraising ingenuity when he spearheaded the ManTeam

calendar fundraiser. Not only did ManTeam reach its team fundraising goal, but additional fundraisers, such as the ManTeam Car-bash, helped other teams meet their goals as well.

“What [ManTeam] did last year was to set a precedent to think big and out of the box,” said Carter. “The No. 1 pillar of fundraising that we are pushing is excellence. You have to be able to think big, but after you think big you have to then evaluate what it is that you can do with excellence. If you can’t do it with excellence, it’s not worth doing.”

How do teams effectively convey their need for donations to potential donors?

“The biggest hurdle for most of the teams is making others believe in their trip the way that they do,”

Upcoming events to raise money for missions: Carter said. “When they are fundraising they have to let their passion out.

The overflow of [their] passion will get other people passionate.”

•The 11 members on Team Zambia, lead by Will Retherford, are doing several fundraisers, ranging from selling toilet paper, selling homemade cookbooks with international recipes and selling scarves that say S.W.A.G. (Serving With A Goal). They anticipate the cookbooks and scarves will be available for sale in two weeks.

•The nine members on Team Panama, lead by David King, will help spread the love this Valentine’s Day by selling chocolates and flowers. They will be selling half-dozen

roses for $12, one dozen for $20, and a super pack that includes balloons, chocolates, World Famous Dipsticks and Valentine’s candy and roses for $45.

•The nine members on ManTeam, lead by Jon Patterson, will be bringing back the ManTeam calendar, as well as the ManTeam Carbash.

In March, the ManTeam Carbash will benefit all mission teams through several mini-games that will be held as part of the main event.

The new ManTeam calendar was released this past week for $15.

“This year’s calendar is based on a play on words for each month,” said Patterson.”

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 9

Baby shower aids Ghana trip

By Hannah Rundell Anna Vaughn School of Nursing experienced quite the shower, a baby shower, that is.

As the trip to Ghana drew closer, the senior Nursing Leadership 405 class, comprised of nine senior nursing students and two professors, came up with the idea to have a baby shower to collect extra supplies to bring along.

The group left Thursday, Jan. 26, with their medical supplies and countless onesies, stuffed animals, pacifiers, soaps, towels, toys, changing pads, hats, shoes and blankets for the mothers and babies of Accra, Ghana.

According to assistant nursing professor Rebecca Poore, senior trips for the Anna Vaughn School of Nursing started in 2007, but this is the first time a baby shower has been held for one of the trips.

Poore and assistant nursing professor Patricia Catts will be accompanying the students on the trip.

The trip’s destination varies each year, but last year’s trip was also to Accra, Ghana, and it was that group of students who saw the need for baby supplies and passed on the idea to this year’s group.

Though some donations came beforehand and afterward, the official shower was held on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in one of the nursing classrooms in the GC. “It was just really nice to see the support of the students and faculty,� said

senior nursing major Grace Mueller. “Several people brought donations for the shower, and some stopped by just to show their support and encouragement.

Out of all of the supplies, the largest donation they received was baby blankets.

Hundreds were made and brought in for the shower, and students were even able to sign the blankets with messages.

According to Mueller, the majority of the trip will consist of nursing students working with mothers and young children, including labor and delivery. “I think it’s going to be a really growing experience,�

Mueller said. “We’ll get a lot of responsibility. We’ll have a lot more opportunities to have a little bit more than we would in clinicals in the states.�

The group will return Feb. 17, and preparation for next year’s trip will begin.

With so much preparation and, of course, baby supplies, the students are ready to put their skills to use. “I am looking forward to meeting all the people and being able to meet them at their need,� senior Bethany Fron said. “I believe God has set up divine appointments for us to speak into their lives over there.�

With suitcases full of bottles, blankets and medicine, and hands ready for the tasks before them, the students set out to shower Ghana with blessings.

10 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE

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Rick Warren finds new purpose

Internet Photo

Megachurch pastor Rick Warren, author of the best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life,” is embarking on a new mission: Curbing the obesity epidemic at church. Since January 2011, Warren has shed 60 pounds on a diet-lifestyle program called the Daniel Plan.

By the end of 2011, about 15,000 members of his Saddleback Church in Southern California had registered for the program, losing 250,000 pounds collectively.

The Daniel Program advises followers how to eat healthier foods, encourages exercise and urges participants to join small groups with health and spiritual curricula.

“The Father made your body... You better take care of it,” Warren said.

Foreign atheist given prison sentence for using Koran to deny existence of God

A 31-year-old atheist was charged with blasphemy in Indonesia for defiling Islam by using the Koran to try and prove their God does not exist. He is facing a 5-year prison sentence for writing “God does not exist” on his Facebook page.

Many Indonesians have protested the government action as an infringement on their human rights and freedom of expression.

Police have chosen to remain neutral on the topic. The underlying issue is not that the accused man spoke against the existence of God but that he used the Koran to denounce the existence of God in Islam.

Internet Photo

Palin protests plane prayer card removal Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is speaking out against Alaskan Airlines’ decision to remove prayer cards from in-flight meal trays, a 30-year tradition.

The airline stated that some customers had voiced concerns about the appropriateness of the prayer cards in the meal tray, while others enjoyed the sentiment.

Palin said that as a longtime customer she felt comforted by the tradition and has voiced her frustration about the removal to her Facebook followers.

Palin also sent a letter to the airline’s CEO to express her gratefulness for the prayer card tradition and to encourage the CEO to continue with the sentimental tradition.

Longtime evangelist R.W. Schambach dies at age 85 Longtime evangelist R.W. Schambach died Jan. 17 of a heart attack, and a memorial service was scheduled Feb. 3 in Tyler, Texas, where his ministry has been based for several decades. He was 85.

Schambach was among the Pentecostal preaching pioneers like Oral Roberts who set up circus-style tents in inner cities all over the United States and in more than 200 countries around the world to share the

Gospel and lead healing crusades.

Schambach graduated from Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Mo., in 1951, and went on to preach for more than 60 years.

His daughter, Donna Schambach, continues to operate the ministry.

Internet Photo

Oklahoma lawmakers argue for, against origins of life teachings

The Oklahoma legislature is considering a bill that will allow teachers to teach scientific theories that are considered to be controversial, including the origin of life. House Bill 1551 and Senate Bill 554, titled the Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act, would require all local and state authorities to “assist teachers to find more effective ways to present the science curriculum where it addresses scientific controversies.”

The bill would allow teachers to review scientific weaknesses regarding biological evolution, global warming, human cloning and the chemical origins of life. The legislators encourage teaching scientific education, however they object to the way information is presented.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 11

By Billy Burke In 2007, the New England Patriots were noted as the best team since the ‘72 Dolphins. The New York Giants were practically given the loss before they even set foot into the stadium. The prediction looked like it would hold true, until a miracle catch by David Tyree set the Giants up to score the game-winning touchdown. This year, a similar scenario presents itself: the Giants are being written off, yet again. Mistake No. 2.

1. One Small step for NY, One Giant Step for Manning This year Eli Manning has established himself as an upper echelon QB in the NFL. With a second Super Bowl ring, he can solidify that status and silence the critics. Manning ranked No. 4 in passing yards and is currently No. 2 in the postseason, as well as No. 1 in touchdowns. With the tools at Manning’s disposal, he should be able to pick apart the Patriot’s secondary without a problem.

2. WR’s on Cruz Control The New York Giants possibly have the most talented starting WR core in the NFL: Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and breakout star Victor Cruz. These three will wreak havoc on a porous Pats secondary that has struggled all season defending the pass. Nicks is strong, fast and can hawk fly balls like it’s nothing.

Cruz is dangerous off the screen and can beat you with his speed.

Manningham is a speedster with soft hands who works well in the slot.

By Ricky Ortiz A Patriots-Giants Super Bowl rematch seems like a plot for a sports movie. After being denied perfection in 2007, the Pats get a second shot at the title. The hype surrounding the game even has high-rolling celebrities chipping in on the action. Rappers Birdman and 50 Cent wagered a combined $6 million on the two teams. I can’t afford to throw down that kind of cash, but I can give you three reasons why the New England Patriots will win the Super Bowl.

3. Thunder and Lighting

1. Tom Brady

2. Wes Welker and the Boston “TE” party

Both teams have a vicious passing attack and elite QB’s.

However, one thing that the Giants have on the New England is a ground attack. The Giants have both Brandon Jacobs, a north/ south bruiser who can get tough yards inside and at the goal line, and Ahmad Bradshaw, the team’s lead back who can run in between the tackles but also has the speed to get to the outside. Both are excellent receivers and give the Giants an extremely versatile offense that can ether score fast or control the clock. When you’re playing the Pats, you need to be able to do both.

Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and is a first ballot Hall of Fame player. Brady could set the record for most playoff wins (17), and win his fourth ring in the process. He also wants to redeem himself for his sub-par AFC championship performance against the Baltimore Ravens. In a postgame interview, he admitted that he “sucked.” When there is a chip on his shoulder, Tom Brady plays football at his best. And that’s scary.

In Week 9, the Boston “TE” party Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez each tore down the Giants secondary. Combining for 136 yards while scoring a touchdown each. The Giants will have to pick their poison Sunday. Should they choose to heavily blitz the Patriots O-Line, Tom Brady will look for dump passes. Whereas if they choose to play shallow and guard the short dump passes, it will open up the deep threats of Wes Welker and Deion Branch.

3. Revenge Head coach Bill Belichick will not publicly admit this (or anything), but the Patriots are seeking revenge for the Giants destroying their perfect 18-0 season. The Pats were one miracle catch away from making history and possibly going down as the best team in NFL history. No matter what you say, neither Bill nor the team forgot the plane ride home that night. With a victory, Belichick is on the brink of doing something that hasn’t been seen since Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll: win four Super Bowls.

Billy Burke’s score prediction: NY 34, NE 31

Ricky Ortiz’s score prediction: NE 41, NY 34 Internet Photos

Who: The New York Giants and the New England Patriots What: Superbowl XLVI (46) When: Feb. 5, 2012. Pre-game starts at 3 p.m., Kick-off is at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind. Halftime Show: Madonna....Why?

Did you know that 30-second spots during Super Bowl XLVI are being sold for as much as 3.5 million dollars?

Some of the top voted Super Bowl Ads between 2010 and 2011 were:

2010 Doritos Super Bowl XLIV

“Play Nice”

2011 Volkswagen Super Bowl XLV

“The Force”

2011 E*TRADE Baby Super Bowl XLV

“Tailor”

Shutter

Got a picture you’d like to see in the Oracle? Send it to oracle@oru.edu and you may see it in the next issue!

Photo by Stephen Salmon

Board of Trustees member Jacquie Cardone, above, addresses the crowd of ORU faculty, staff and students at the Jan. 25 groundbreaking for the Armand Hammer Alumni-Student Center. Contruction on the 28,000-square-foot facility should be completed

by January 2013.

Photo by Sami Prichard

Welcome Home Alumni!

We hope you enjoy your Homecoming 2012 weekend!

For a current list of homecoming activities, click the Alumni tab on the www.oru.edu website.

The Office of Alumni Relations (918)495-6610 alumni@oru.edu

14 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE

Sports

The Sports Editor is Billy Burke.

You may contact him with comments or questions at therevolutionis@oru.edu

Bracketbuster teams ORU with Akron

Photos by Austin St. John

Damen Bell-Holter, left, scores against South Dakota. Steven Roundtree, center, puts up a shot. Jake Lliteras, right, makes the dunk that made Sports Center’s Top 10 against South Dakota. The men’s basketball team is now 12-0 and holds the conference record. They will play Akron in the bracketbuster. to secure a bid to the big The two schools have a the Eagles are a different The Zips are the last

By Billy Burke dance: earn a place in history between them, and team than last season. non-conference opponent For the past several weeks, the AP top 25 rankings. until this point, all has swung Lead by senior and budthe Eagles face before the the ORU Golden Eagles have Understand that this will in Akron’s favor. ding NBA prospect DomiSummit League Tournament valiantly fought and bled on be an uphill task for the The Zips have gone 4-0 nique Morrison, the Eagles begins. Should the Eagles the court. The fruit of their Eagles, who are in a less against the Golden Eagles rank No. 16 in the nation in prove victorious against labor is a 13- game winning the Akron Zips and superb streak and an NCAA best 12-0 than elite division. A factor and defeated them 84-80 just FG percentage. ORU also has that could contribute to last year. Akron’s strength lies four players averaging more in their conference record, conference record. the Eagles’ cause is their in its ability to dominate in points per game than Akron’s ORU could punch their This is definitely an acnationally publicized Sears the paint, something ORU top three scorers. (Morrison ticket twice, or at least imcomplishment to be proud Bracketbuster game. has struggled with at times 20.2, Niles 12.0, Craion 11.7, prove their seed. of. The overall goal of playOn Monday, the Akron this season.

Roundtree 10.5 PPG).

Are the odds in ORU’s ers, coaches and fans is Zips, who rank No. 58 in Lead by Zeke Marshall The task of becoming a favor? Of course not. nothing less than to win the NCAA RPI ratings, were (who ranks No. 12 in the ranked team is a daunting Going into the March Summit League Conference selected as ORU’s opponent NCAA in blocked shots), the one for the Eagles.

Madness season, the only tournament and claim a bid for the big game on ESPN. Zips are No. 72 in rebounds They can’t afford to lose thing ORU can say is, “Exin the NCAA Tournament.

ORU holds the advantage, in the league, compared to more than once, maybe twice. pect a miracle.”

However, there is ansitting at No. 49.

ORU’s No. 289. However, The key is beating Akron. other way for the Eagles

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 15

Scholar athletes recognized

ORU Athletics

In an effort to recognize student athletes who maintained academic excellence (3.6 GPA) while competing in full-time fall athetics, the Summit League recently released a list of 21 ORU students who met those requirements: • Women’s cross country: Kristen Radcliff, Tiffany Hagan and Samantha Watson • Men’s cross country: Shadrack Koech, Ryan Masey and Leif Peterson • Women’s soccer: Jennifer Abernathy, Leah Bickers, Rachel Carrol, Whitney Brannan, Jordan Parsons and Helen Erb • Men’s soccer: Aaron Douthit, Dan McCarthy, Cody Lofgren and Paul Oliver • Volleyball: Jessica Pancratz, Shelby Robb, Bruna Silva, Laura Taylor and Sheina Fernandes

Junior Jack Whitt vaulted 5.51 meters on Jan. 11.

Vaulter Whitt ranks No. 1 nationwide Junior All-American Jack Whitt currently ranks No. 1 in the nation among pole vaulters and recently won first place at the 2012 Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan. He cleared 5.31 meters, out-vaulting Kansas sophomore Alex Bishop by a mere 4 inches. Whitt set the nation’s record on Jan. 11 with his 5.51-meter vault. He will be heading to the Indoor Track and Field National Championships in March. Other Golden Eagles with wins include senior Clive Chafausipo in long jump with a jump of 7.74 meters. Senior Jeremy Roberts won the 400-meter with a time of 50.04 seconds, while sophomore Ryan Alvarez won the 1600-meter with a time of 4:23:05.

ORU has hired Randy Williams as full-time assistant coach for the women’s soccer team.

Williams was a part-time assistant coach last season.

His 10 years of coaching experience began in 2000 at Harrah Public Schools.

He went from coaching women’s soccer there to becoming head coach of the Jenks junior varsity squad and assistant coach to the high school men’s team in 2004.

He also coached soccer at camps at the University of

Texas and Baylor University in the summer of 2010.

Williams graduated in 2004 from Oklahoma City University after starting for four years and captaining OCU men’s soccer team from 2002-2003.

Jersey retired Golden Eagles legend Krista Ragan-Binam was honored Jan. 28 at the women’s basketball game against UMKC when her No. 11 jersey was retired. It is only the third time in ORU history that a basketball jersey has

been hung from the rafters and the first for a woman.

Ragan-Binam played for the Golden Eagles from 1996 to 2002.

Baseball team looks ahead to spring

ORU signs volleyball standout Women’s volleyball head coach Sheera Siola announced that Sadie Schaffner, a senior at Bartlesville High School, has signed a letter of intent to join the ORU women’s volleyball team for the 2012 season.

Standing 6-foot-3, Schaffner plays right side and middle blocker. She led her high school team to an OSSAA Class 6A State Semifinal appearance in the 2010 season and was a 2011 all-state selection.

In a press conference,

New assistant coach hired for soccer

Coach Sirola expressed her excitement at Schaffner signing with the Golden Eagles.

Schaffner led the Bartlesville Bruins with 337 kills and 79 total blocks last season.

She also ended her season with 47 service aces.

She has been coached by ORU assistant Dane Hendrix.

16 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE

ORU baseball’s spring schedule for the 2012 season begins Friday, Feb. 17, and is highlighted by games against Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisville, Baylor, Cal State Fullerton and Missouri State.

ORU will open the season with a three-game series facing Baylor before playing eight home games against Eastern Michigan, Wichita State and Alcorn State.

The Summit League opener will be held at J.L. Johnson Stadium against Oakland on April 6-8. From 2011, the Golden Eagles are returning four position players and two starting pitchers, including

Summit League Newcomer Year Alex Gonzalez. of the Year and Pitcher of the

Scene

The Oracle Scene Editor is Halle Byrams.

You may contact her with comments or questions at hbyrams@oru.edu

The Civil Wars visit Tulsa

By Halle Byrams Jan. 18 fell on a chilly Wednesday night, but that didn’t stop people from waiting in line in downtown Tulsa at Cain’s Ballroom.

The Civil Wars had come to Tulsa for the first time, and standing in the cold soon was worth the payoff.

The Civil Wars is a Grammy-nominated, folk-country duo consisting of Joy Williams and John Paul White.

The duo birthed out of Nashville in 2008 when the two met during a songwriting session. The next year, The Civil Wars recorded “Live at Eddie’s Attic” at a music club in Georgia.

One of their popular songs, “Poison & Wine,” was featured in its entirety on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

From there, the duo’s popularity took off.

Their album, “Barton Hollow,” was released in 2011 and rose to No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart and remained No. 1 on iTunes for nine straight days. “Barton Hollow” sold 25,000 copies in its first week, and the duo has been nominated for two Grammys, Best Folk Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

With the beautiful, melodic harmonies the duo is known for, The Civil Wars opened the show at Cain’s with “Tip of My Tongue,” a song from “Live at Eddie’s Attic.”

There are many artists whose live vocal performances may leave fans slightly disappointed.

Not so for The Civil Wars.

The pitch, the harmonies and the charming vocal deliveries were absolutely perfect.

Many songs from the set included White carefully plucking away at his guitar while Joy Williams swayed, danced and gestured delicately to the music.

The duo has a curious but charming chemistry on stage.

One could tell that they truly enjoy each other and appeared to be in love, often singing closely and staring into each other’s eyes.

However, White and Williams are both married to other people. The chemistry and flirtatiousness were unmistakable, but it only made the two that much more enjoyable to watch.

The piano-based “Poison & Wine” was initially hushed and acoustic, creating a dramatic buildup. Each song had the audience either singing along, clapping or both.

Crowd favorites included a unique rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” and the duo’s single from the title album “Barton Hollow.”

“Barton Hollow” can be purchased on iTunes, and “Live at Eddie’s Attic” can be downloaded free on Noisetrade.com.

Internet Photo The Civil Wars, made up of John Paul White and Joy Williams, performed at Cain’s Ballroom on Jan. 18. It was heavily attended by ORU students.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 17

Italian feast for a group: It’s easier than you think Spinach Stuffed Shells Serves 8 1 box large shell pasta 32 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese 3 c. frozen spinach, partially thawed 1 large egg 1 Tbsp. olive oil 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1 Tbsp. fresh, chopped basil (dried works as well; reduce to 2 tsp.)

2 c. tomato sauce* (see recipe below) ¾ c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large pot, boil pasta until almost cooked through, or al dente.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, spinach and egg.

Mix until thoroughly combined.

Add in oil and spices. Set aside.

Drain pasta and let cool a little.

To fill, open shell and stuff about a tablespoon of ricotta mixture.

Place in the bottom of a 9”x 13” pan. Repeat until all shells are filled.

Pour tomato sauce over shells and around edges. If desired, sprinkle half mozzarella cheese on top.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for another 15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Easy Tomato Sauce 2 c. plain, canned tomato sauce (Hunt’s or similar) 2 tsp. garlic powder 2 Tbsp. fresh, chopped basil (dried works as well; reduce to 1 Tbsp.)

1 Tbsp. olive oil Instructions: In a medium sized saucepan, combine all ingredients and stir over medium-high heat until hot throughout.

Baked Zucchini Fries Serves 8 2 large zucchinis 2 large eggs Salt and pepper to taste 2 ½ c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 c. finely shredded Parmesan cheese Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover two baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with baking spray.

Wash and dry zucchini, then cut width-wise into three sections.

Cut each of the three sections in half, and then in small, French frysized slices. In a bowl, whisk eggs, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Pour breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Dip zucchini slices in egg mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs and lay on baking sheet.

Repeat until all zucchini has been coated. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and firm.

Internet Photos

By Amy Lecza Italian food is hearty and delicious, but can often be time consuming to make.

Not everyone has the time to stand over a hot stove and wait eight hours for tomato sauce to be made from scratch.

For those of us who have jobs or other priorities, it’s always a challenge to find good-for-you meals that won’t break the bank.

If you’re looking for a good, cheap and relatively healthy meal that’s easy to prepare for a large group of people, look no further.

Stuffed shells are simple to make and require minimal ingredients and equipment.

You can control the fillings; feel free to add more vegetables or even some ground Italian sausage or ground beef.

The leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To accompany your meal, try these baked zucchini fries.

Eating them hot from the oven, you’ll burn your tongue trying to get a taste!

Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells, left, and Parmesan crusted baked zucchini fries, right, make for a delicious and inexpensive meal.

18 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE

SIFE launches campaign to eliminate local hunger

By Francesco Lucido and Amy Lecza ORU SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) has a reputation for hosting communityand campus-wide volunteer events that garner much support, but none as much as Let’s Can Hunger.

Last year, the SIFE team, led by alumna Hannah Sweeney took first place in a nationwide competition to raise funds, canned food and awareness of global hunger.

The team was able to donate 158,910 pounds of food to Tulsa, South Africa

and Japan.

More than 70 volunteers packed the food, which was the equivalent to more than 160,000 meals. They won the national grand prize, a trophy and a personal visit from Campbell’s CEO Doug Conant.

This year, SIFE will kick off Let’s Can Hunger on Feb. 11 by partnering with the ORU Athletic Department.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate by dropping off non-perishable canned foods. Receptacles have been placed in

the north lobby of the Mabee Center, or in various other donation locations around campus.

There will be bins in each of the dorm lobbies.

Let’s Can Hunger will receive 15 percent of all sales made Feb. 20 from 5-9 p.m. at Tres Amigos restaurant (located behind McAlister’s at 81st and Lewis).

More volunteer opportunities will be made available.

The SIFE team hopes to break their own record of cans and to take home the grand prize once again.

Courtesy Photo

ORU SIFE member Hannah Sexton feeds Campbell’s CEO Doug Conant soup after winning the national competition.

Child illiteracy volunteers team with ORU SIFE

By Francesca Lucido Did you know that more than 8 out of 10 minority students read below grade level by the time they enter middle school?

How does this happen? How does this impact students’ lives?

More importantly, what does this mean for McClure Elementary, where 100% of the student body is on the free or reduced-fee lunch program and many fall into the most vulnerable social and economic categories?

These are tough questions, but through the Mentoring Program of Congregation B’nai Emunah volunteers have risen to the call by participating in a new literacy program under the direction of Jay Pendrak, the director of community development at McClure.

Pendrak and his team has chosen to focus their efforts in building students’ literacy skills because it is both foundational for a child’s success in every academic subject, as well as heavily influential in many

To get involved with Reading A-Z through SIFE, email Jay Pendrak at jaypendrak@ gmail.com aspects of our society.

For instance, more than three out of four of those on welfare, 85 percent of unwed mothers and 68 percent of those arrested are illiterate.

Additionally, a recent study by United Way estimates that the cost of illiteracy to businesses and the taxpayers is $20 billion per year.

To fight the injustice behind these numbers, volunteers are practicing proven strategies and techniques through the nationally recognized reading program, Reading A-Z. Reading A-Z was founded in 2002 by a group of literacy specialists and now boasts over 170,000 members worldwide.

It has won a number of national awards in education for creatively

providing high-level, accessible reading resources to the general public.

ORU’s SIFE team has chosen to adopt the Reading A-Z program because it allows SIFE volunteers and other ORU students to easily assess where McLure students’ literacy levels currently are and provide the volunteers with the means of measuring the students’ progress throughout the year.

Additionally, resources and strategies are easily attained online or by Pendrak, allowing mentors to effectively help a student regardless of whether or not that student is a strong or weak reader.

The Reading A-Z program is also aligned to the assessments used in Tulsa Public Schools and so volunteers and SIFE members able to effectively communicate with the teachers and staff of McClure Elementary.

If you’re interested in joining SIFE’s team of committed volunteers, please reach out to Pendrak at jaypendrak@gmail.com.

Oklahoma Literacy Statistics

35% Okla. children aged 3-5 who were not enrolled in preschool or kindergarten

16% Okla. juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate

Okla. fourthgraders who scored below basic on reading tests

41% Okla. schoolaged children who repeated one or more grades

85%

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 19

Concerts

Mayday Parade and We The Kings

Auditions to be held for spring Showcase Internet Photo

Internet Photo

The End of the World Tour with Mayday Parade and We The Kings is coming to Cain’s Ballroom on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Tickets are $21 in advance and $25 the day of. The show starts at 6:30 p.m., and doors open at 5:50 p.m.

The Rock & Worship Roadshow

Internet Photo

The Mabee Center welcomes back the Rock & Worship Roadshow to Tulsa on Friday, Feb. 17. Special guests include MercyMe, Tenth Avenue North, Hawk Nelson, Disciple, Lecrae and Sidewalk Prophets. General admission tickets are $10 at the door. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and the doors will open at 6 p.m.

ORU Theatre’s spring directing class will be directing scenes from Joe DiPietro’s show “Art of Murder.”

Auditions will be held Saturday, Feb. 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Howard Auditorium.

Callbacks will be Sunday, Feb. 5, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Performance dates for “Art of Murder” are March 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Howard Auditorium.

Gungor: Ghosts Upon The Earth Tour

Internet Photo

Gungor and opener, The Brilliance, are coming to Cain’s Ballroom Sunday, March 4. Tickets in advance are $21 and $25 the day of. VIP tickets include 30-minute Question and Answer session with Michael Gungor one hour before doors open. VIP tickets are $32. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m.

Movies Opening Feb. 3

Opening Feb. 10

“Big Miracle”

“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island”

Inspired by a true story, “Big Miracle” is about a Greenpeace volunteer (Drew Barrymore) and a reporter (John Krasinski) who work together to save a family of whales trapped in a hole in the Arctic Circle.

“Safe House” “Undefeated”

“The Innkeepers” “The Woman in Black”

20 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE

Internet Photo

“Chronicle”

“The Vow,” starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, tells the story of a young woman who loses her memory after a car accident and her husband who tries to win her heart again.

Internet Photo

“The Vow”

Muse

The Muse Editor is Kelsie Wardell.

Contact her with comments or questions at klwardell@oru.edu.

Is it the end of the Internet as we know it? would also target sites based in the U.S. If passed, PIPA and SOPA would allow copyright holders and the Department of Justice to seek court orders to bring down entire websites.

These sites may contain what intellectual property owners deem as “pirated” material, or even links to other blacklisted sites.

Since the phrasing of these bills is very vague, many believe it could lead to government abuse of censorship, making the U.S. more like other countries that manage what the public can see on the Internet.

Under PIPA and SOPA, uploading as little as a cat video with a popular song for background music could be

considered a felony and punishable by imprisonment.

The type of censorship provided by these bills could change the dynamics of user-based content sites such as YouTube and Facebook.

Search engines could be forced to filter their results to accommodate what the government permits.

There are two main reasons why online piracy is so prevalent these days: it provides convenient, fast and free content, and it allows the bypass of annoying advertisements. While it’s true that these illegal practices hinder intellectual property owners and should be stopped, these acts wouldn’t stop online piracy, since DSN blocking can be by-

Internet Photo

By Maria Hernandez “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge” was the message from Wikipedia on Jan. 18, the day over 7,000 websites went dark to protest PIPA and SOPA. The Protect Intellectual Property and Stop Online Piracy Acts are bills introduced to Congress to stop illegal file sharing and streaming of copyrighted material, such as music, movies, computer software, etc.

PIPA was introduced to the Senate in May 2011 to target foreign websites that contained infringed material.

When PIPA failed to pass in the Senate, Republican Rep. Lamar S. Smith of Texas drafted SOPA, the House version of PIPA, which

passed by placing the exact IP address of the site in the URL bar.

Thanks to the large opposition toward these bills, it seems this battle has been temporarily won against online censorship.

SOPAstrike.com called the January strike the “largest online protest in history,” and was crucial in getting many companies to drop support for the bills. Some sites also made it possible for (Continued on page 22)

Students believe in Ron Paul for president in 2012

By Wes Hill and Greg Tanis Since President Obama took office, the United States debt has risen four trillion dollars. Unfortunately, governmental overspending is not a partisan issue. Under George W. Bush’s presidency, the debt rose almost five trillion dollars. According to USDebtClock.org, the U.S. debt is at 15.2 trillion dollars, which amounts to just under $50,000 per U.S. citizen, or about $114,000 per U.S. taxpayer.

Texas Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul is the only Republican candidate who has a comprehensive plan to begin paying off the U.S. debt; a plan that includes cutting the debt by one trillion dollars

within his first year of presidency.

Many true conservatives agree with cutting spending, but are fearful of Paul’s non-interventionist policies. This is largely because media and political enemies have wrongfully portrayed him as an isolationist. It’s false to call Ron Paul an isolationist; he denied this in the first Florida GOP debate. Paul is a Internet Photo strict constitutionalist, a defender of the document that is supposed to govern this country.

In an airplane crash, people are instructed to put on their own oxygen mask before helping those around them, so that they actually can help those around them. If you are losing

your home, you don’t take out loans to pay for other people’s bills before you have paid your own. America’s frivolous military spending is making our economy unstable. The Bible commands us to use “honest weights and measures” (Leviticus 19:36).

Inflating our currency to compensate for overspending is not only destructive, but also morally wrong.

A stable U.S. is a stable world.

In order to fix the problems facing America, we must start with basic, unbiased truths. Imagine the power vacuum if the U.S. fell— it would be chaos. China admits it isn’t in the position to shoulder the responsibility that we do. Tyranny abounds in the Middle East, and what European country could possibly step up to fill the void? America needs to be strong for America, but also for the rest of

the world. It is the kindest thing we can do. Ron Paul’s policies focus on rebuilding America domestically, and that’s what America needs right now.

The debt and foreign policy are at the top of a long list of reasons to vote Ron Paul. He is the only candidate who will decrease spending and isn’t a big-government Republican. He is the only candidate who has never voted for a tax increase, and has voted down every unbalanced budget. He’s the third most popular GOP candidate.

Please take him seriously— spare a moment to take an unbiased look at his views and what impact they would have. Ron Paul may not be the most conventional or have the media attention like other candidates, but he does have the policies, the morality and the decision-making capabilities to restore America.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 21

The Case for Mercy

By Roy-Gene MacIninch and Justin Allen In his op-ed printed in this publication on Jan. 20, Dr. Winston Frost was correct in classifying capital punishment as a controversial flash point within Christian communities.

We do, however, find dubious the idea that the death penalty’s biblicality affords it a guaranteed position in the modern repertoire of criminal discipline.

Since his op-ed fields a discussion on capital punishment from a purely biblical standpoint and avoids secular argument, we shall as well.

Most importantly, we think it crucial to define the meaning of the word “biblical,” which means simply “of, relating to, or contained in, the Bible,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

To say something is “biblical” doesn’t assign it value. And, indeed, an argument predicated on the idea that something is good simply because it’s “biblical” should raise more than a few eyebrows.

Stoning rebellious children, for example, is “biblical;” it’s found in

the twenty-first chapter of Deuteronomy.

Polygamy, too, is “biblical,” as is the practice of slavery and animal sacrifice. Even claiming something should be done because God at some point commanded it is problematic, especially when consideration isn’t given to context. The list of biblical crimes that require the death penalty includes adultery (Lev. 20:10-12), lying about your virginity (Deut. 22:20-21), homosexuality (Lev. 20:13), being raped inside a town (Deut. 22:23-24), and not keeping penned a known-to-be-dangerous bull (Exodus 21:29).

Moreover, a logic that says, “If it’s in the Bible, it has to be good,” couldn’t possibly exclude the multiple pictures of God’s mercy toward those who, according to the law, deserved his wrath.

Take, for instance, the case of the woman caught in adultery. According to the law, she should have been put to death and, indeed, the Pharisees fully believed so.

Christ, however, who was really the only one in any position to con-

demn, saw that none of her accusers held the moral high ground and, when they had all departed, sent her on her way, her sins forgiven.

“Well,” a person might think, “she was just an adulteress. Murderers definitely deserve death.” Perhaps.

But, what about Moses? And the Apostle Paul? Both were guilty of murder and yet are two of the most well-known figures in the Christian faith: the former, the receiver of the Law, and the latter, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

In saying that capital punishment is justified because God commands it, one necessarily must ignore passages of Scripture where the Lord says otherwise.

Furthermore, failure to take into account that different portions of the Bible were written at different points in history to serve different purposes opens the door to acceptance and advocation of any number of grotesque practices.

In that light, the scriptural foundation for support of a punishment that achieves neither justice nor reconciliation is shaky at best.

On a side note, Frost’s concluding quote from Gervais Carey, who

advocates execution as a way of encouraging wrongdoers to repent, borders on the absurd, quite frankly, and differs only marginally from the logic of jihadists.

In other words, if the threat of death really is a good incentive for repentance—and if people are feeling nostalgic for the Crusades—then ORU’s Outreach and Missions department might consider equipping its teams with AK-47s to maximize their effectiveness.

While it might be possible to argue either side of this issue from a scriptural standpoint, there’s more at stake than simply being “biblical” in our beliefs.

Of greater importance is being Christ-like in our lives, for it was Christ who declared, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer.

But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” As Christ’s Church and, consequently, the physical manifestation of his Kingdom on Earth, it’s vital that we model ourselves after his sacrifice on the Cross, not after the sword of the Roman Empire that executed him.

SOPA, from page 21 The FBI has also been part of this battle by bringing down the file-sharing site called “Megaupload,” since some of the servers that hosted the site were on U.S. soil. In response to this action, a group of hackers called “Anonymous” retaliated by temporarily bringing down the sites for the DOJ, RIAA, Universal Music, the U.S. Copyright Office, Broadcast Music Inc. and the Motion Picture Association of America.

So imagine a world without free knowledge, a place where you would think twice

22 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE

Internet Photo

thousands to sign petitions and email representatives to vote against the bills.

However, the fight is not over. Though PIPA and SOPA have been shelved indefinitely, there is another giant lurking on the horizon called ACTA. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a European version of the PIPA/SOPA bills. Since it’s a trade agreement, it will allow other countries, even the U.S., to enter this agreement.

It can then force agreeing governments to enforce such censorship of the Internet.

before adding any content to the great World Wide Web. The acceptance of these bills and agreements can change the way the Inter-

net works through allowing content to be censored by governments.

If you disagree with these actions, make sure to do

something about it while you still can— fight to stop online piracy without compromising our online freedom.

Time for NBA shot calling

By Billy Burke The NFL season is coming down to its last game, and baseball season is slowly coming toward us. That leaves an especially interesting subject this year— the NBA. Thanks to a lockoutinspired 66-game schedule, the NBA looks like it might throw a curveball or two come April. This season is bringing surprises.

Eastern Conference

Biggest disappointment: Magic Orlando is having a meltdown. Dwight Howard is on his way out. At first I was against it, but after seeing the Magic’s roster, can you blame him? Orlando

has done a terrible job in building the team around him. Howard leads the team in every offensive category, except assists. Unless the Magic can get a good trade package for Superman, dark days loom for Orlando Biggest Surprise: 76ers The 76ers have always seemed to fall just short of being an elite team. This year they could turn that around.

The 2010 No. 2 overall pick, Evan Turner, is starting to turn into a young Andre Iguodala; a guy who fills up the stat sheet and does a little bit of everything. If the 76ers can keep it together, look for them on your TV in May. Dark Horse: Knicks

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The Knicks are a dysfunctional team, but a dangerous one nonetheless, with veteran and young talent alike. The team needs to gel with Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire down low, and Carmelo “Melo” Anthony needs to stay healthy. But a player people are forgetting about is Baron Davis, who is nearing a return. With some veteran presence to guide the talented Iman Shumpert along, the Knicks could squeeze into the playoffs and make some noise at the Garden.

Finals Pick: Bulls No, it’s not because I hate Miami, it’s because the Bulls are finally starting to play up to their potential. Although they just lost to South Beach, they played without Deng, their second leading scorer.

MVP Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the NBA, and he’s finally getting help.

Even with Luol Deng out, Richard Hamilton is shooting like he did with Detroit.

Down low, the Knicks are more stacked than any other team, with Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and budding talent Taj Gibson, who leads the team in blocks.

Western Conference

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Biggest Disappointment: Mavericks After winning the finals last year, I thought the Mavs would be a dominant team for years to come. Yes, dumping Tyson Chandler was stupid. Lamar Odom isn’t looking like his Hollywood form. Jason Kidd’s age finally seems to be catching up to him, missing the most

Internet Photo games in a season since 2004. They will make the playoffs, Dirk Nowitzki will make sure of that. But I don’t see them pushing the repeat button this year.

Biggest Surprise: Spurs When Manu “Obi Wan” Ginobili went out, I thought San Antonio was done-zo.

So what do they do? Scrape their bench to get points from guys that most fans haven’t heard of, like Kawhi Leonard. Not to mention Tim Duncan, at age 35, is still better than most players in the NBA. So yeah, San Antonio is again in the hunt.

Because once Manu returns in three weeks, they will roll into May. They are easily the most overlooked and consistent team in the NBA. Oxymoron? No word fits this team better.

Dark Horse: Lakers The Lakers are reeling right now; a new coach, no Chris Paul and last in conference standings. So why are they a dark horse? Two words: Kobe Bryant. In my opinion, he’s the best player since Michael Jordan and top five all time. The man has been playing with a torn

wrist tendon and is the scoring leader. No, LA isn’t as stacked since the departure of Odom. But with Andrew Bynum healthy (dominating) and Pau Gasol not taking smack talk from 5’10 point guards, I still wouldn’t want to play this team in the playoffs.

Finals Pick: Thunder This is the year that “Operation Rolling Thunder” commences. Russell Westbrook just signed an extension and is flirting with a triple double virtually every night. Kevin Durant is grabbing more boards this year and can turn on the scoring switch any night. But the biggest story for this team is James Harden. Harden is having a breakout year with a 17 PPG average, and seems like he was the missing piece to the puzzle. Not to mention a shoo-in for No. 6 Man of the Year.

It might be cliché to pick the No. 1 seeds for my Finals picks, but they’re number one for a reason. As last year’s March madness brackets proved, nobody can be right every time…unless you’re a fourth-grade girl picking at random.

THE ORACLE • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • 23

24 • Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 • THE ORACLE