Vol. 52, No. 10
Leading Summit League spring season Page 12 Oklahoma walkouts Page 5
Fighting seasonal allergies Page 11
Tulsa, Oklahoma • April 6, 2018 • www.oruoracle.com
Minimalism defined Page 15
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Federal and state gun laws face changes by Makenzie Trotter @makenzietrotter On Saturday March 24, large crowds arose all over the nation to march for gun control policy changes in response to the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month. The gun control protests consisted of blaring music, homemade signs and anti-gun chants. The survivors of the Parkland shooting became the face of the March for Our Lives movement that was put together by the survivors of the Parkland shooting. The main march on Saturday took place in Washington, D.C., but there were many sister marches around the nation including New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Dallas. In the midst of the protests, there have been a few different states that have already passed new laws related to gun control. The most prominent changes in gun laws since the Parkland shooting have come from Florida. On March 7, Gov. Rick Scott signed what has been called the most aggressive gun reform that Florida has seen in recent years. The changes include raising the gun purchasing age from 18 to 21, as well as increased funding for school security, while making provision for armed school personnel. From now on, people in the process of buying guns have to wait three days, or until a background check is finished, whichever process takes longer. Bump stocks were also banned. Rhode Island, Connecticut, California, Washington, Oregon and Indiana are a few of the other states who have also made gun law changes since the Parkland shooting. The changes for these states initiate a “red flag” policy. This is to help keep guns away from people who might be a significant threat to public safety according to ABC News. While the new gun law changes that have been seen so far are only on the state level, there are measures being taken to change gun laws on the federal level as well. On Feb. 20 a memorandum was sent to the Department of Justice by President Donald Trump to instruct Attorney General Jeff Sessions to ban bump stocks. On March 10, a notice was sent to the Office of Management and Budget by the DOJ to ensure that federal law be changed to ban the possession, sale or creation of bump stocks. Sonny Branham, assistant professor of government at ORU, shared his thoughts on this issue. “By passing laws civil government can, by restricting gun-owner rights, potentially reduce homicide rates. However, violence is a moral issue; and you know the trite phrase ‘You Can’t Legislate Morality,’” said Branham. “The hearts of people must be changed, and civil government cannot do that; only the Savior’s work in one’s life can.”
Graphics by Alejandro Contreras
April 6, 2018 • Oracle • 3
“I ran for this because I wanted to give back to the student body.” President William M. Wilson shakes the hand of the new ORU Student Body President-elect to welcome him into his new position./ Photo by Josh Crow
Hello, Mr. Student Body President by Cicely Rubottom @cicelypixely On Wednesday March 14, ORU students welcomed their new Student Body President-elect during chapel. This was the moment that would give merit to all that Titus Schmitt had been preparing for since the summer after his freshman year. With a concealed envelope in hand, Schmitt stood next to his two competitors, Jonathan Roesler and Hannah Brennecke, trying to focus on worship. During the eight-day campaign, the ORU campus was filled with the faces of the three candidates with promising slogans and ideas. Among them was Schmitt, a junior education major. Despite Schmitt’s victory, his final campaign score was docked one percentage after it was discovered that a few of his campaign business cards had been passed around during a chapel service prior to the campaign kickoff. After the lost percentage and a minimum of 50 percent of votes needed to win the election, Schmitt and his campaign team were fully prepared for it to go into a run-off. When his name was announced by ORU President William M. Wilson, Schmitt was called to the stage to the sound of a roaring crowd and introduced as
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the new Student Body President-elect in a moment that he only vaguely remembers. “There was so much angst built up beforehand, so when he said [my name], it was just like… relief,” said Schmitt. “It was a sigh of relief that it was over. And then, because this is just how I am, I was immediately thinking, who do I have to talk to? Who am I connecting with? Let’s get to work.” According to the election results released by ORU Student Association, Schmitt scraped into victory by only .76 percent. “It’s funny, me and my friends did the math and it was like nine votes,” said Schmitt. Two days later, Emily Bishop unconventionally stepped down one month early from her position as current Student Body President as she accepted a job on Capitol Hill, according to a statement released on Bishop’s Twitter. Currently, there is no one “filling the role” of Student Body President, however, Bishop’s former assistant Mason Miles is fulfilling “administrative duties.” Until Schmitt fully adopts the role in May, his training is being done under the Director of Student Experience Sara Haag and Miles. He has begun planning meetings with department heads, the president and Sodexo to begin the implementation of his campaign staples.
He says he expects to address the rising student concern of hammocking on campus, has already brought up the issue to Haag, and deems it to be “not a far shot” from approval. Unlike his usual 17-18 credit hour class load, Schmitt will be taking 12 credit hours in the fall and will no longer serve as a Resident Advisor. “It’s gonna be school and student body president, and I’m very excited for that,” said Schmitt. “Like never before, since I’ve been at ORU, I’m going to be able to put my all into one thing. I wouldn’t want to do it any other way. It’s what I signed up for. It’s what I started running for. The students deserve it.” Schmitt expressed his excitement for being elected to be the mouthpiece for students. “I ran for this because I wanted to give back to the student body,” said Schmitt. “To help bridge the clear communication of thoughts between administration and [students].” Ultimately, Schmitt believes that the challenging campaign process “fit very well in my wheelhouse.” With a heart for connecting to people, a selfproclaimed administrative personality, Schmitt is optimistic about this opportunity to serve the student body.
Oklahoma teachers walk out on low pay by Miqueas Barreiro @ORUOracle Every child’s dream: to wake up and be told school is cancelled. Every Oklahoma teachers dream: to wake up and be told they can return to school on a pay raise. On Monday April 2, Oklahoma public school teachers took part in a walkout to protest low pay. How low? Oklahoma teachers are paid on average $42,240, which is one of the lowest average teacher salaries in the nation. The demands set by the Oklahoma Education Association were a $10,000 pay raise for Oklahoma teachers over three years, with an initial raise of $6,000. The State Legislation did pass a bill to raise teachers’ salaries an average of $6,100 on March 29. Although this was touted as the largest teacher wage increase in Oklahoma history, it was
not enough to convince teachers to return to business as usual. “Just like Oklahoma families, we are only able to do what our budget allows,” said Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin in a statement. “Significant revenue-raising measures were approved to make this pay raise and additional school funding possible. We must be responsible not to neglect other areas of need in the state such as corrections and health and human services as we continue to consider additional education funding measures.” Oklahomans are not alone in their battle for higher wages. Kentucky teachers rallied on Monday as well to protest changes in teacher pension plans. West Virginia has already staged its own walkout that ended with a five percent raise across the board. Many are saying that Arizona
could be next. In contrast, the opposition has their reasons for not complying with the demands. Critics say this is not just about higher wages for teachers but about what they see as unsustainable increased spending on education. According to NewsOK, they point to the other demands the Oklahoma Education Association has laid out, such as a $5,000 raise for all school staff (such as janitors, secretaries and bus drivers), as well as a $200 million increase in school funding over three years, among other things. Another rallying point for the opposition is that teachers already have generous retirement and health care benefits, most of which are already causing budgetary concerns. Oklahoma teachers are expected to continue the protest until their
Many Oklahoma schools cancelled school for the whole week. Photo by Josh Crow
Facebook and the NSA face-off by Grant Holcomb @grantholcombORU
In 2016, voters may have had their personal information acquired through Facebook. Christopher Wylie, a former employee at Cambridge Analytica, is a whistleblower who alleges that his former employer obtained personal information of 50 million Facebook users and used the data in then-candidate Donald Trump’s election campaign according to CNBC. Cambridge Analytica is a British consulting firm that mines for data, analyzes the data and utilizes the information for strategic communication in elections. Anyone with the appropriate software can download the non-private data (wall posts, photos) of any Facebook user, however, obtaining the private data (messages, contact information) of other users is illegal. The firm is denying they used the Facebook data for the Trump campaign. Allegedly, they obtained the voters’ information through a psychology test quiz and the users “likes” on Facebook. No user’s passwords were released, but their location was available to Cambridge.
Wylie testified before British lawmakers and said the strategy’s intent was to target voters with election material of a specific candidate. He also said Brexit was swung in favor of the “Leave” vote due to Cambridge Analytica. Wylie also speculated that Facebook and other apps have the ability to listen to people through the microphone on cell phones for advertising purposes. He did not say they were transposing conversations verbatim, but it was contextually driven. “It’s not natural language processing. That would be hard to scale. But to understand the environmental context of where you are to improve the contextual value of the ad,” Wylie said. Wylie continued his testimony by saying Canadian company AggregateIQ designed a software to identify Republican voters in the 2016 election. In a tweet on March 27, Cambridge Analytica said, “Christopher Wylie was a part-time contractor who left in July 2014 and has no direct knowledge of our work or practices since that date.” Despite initially stating they did not have the information, Cambridge Analytica said they obtained the information legally and all the data had
been deleted. But copies of the data may still exist. Cambridge Analytica CEO, Alexander Nix, has been suspended in light of the scandal. No date has been set for his return. At Facebook, an internal memo leaked from 2016 indicates Facebook might have deprioritized security for the sake of connectivity. The memo came from Andrew Bosworth, a Facebook vice president. “Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack coordinated on our tools. And still we connect people. The ugly truth is that we believe in connecting people so deeply that anything that allows us to connect more people more often is *de facto* good,” the memo read. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has disavowed the memo. “I’ve been working to understand exactly what happened and how to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Zuckerberg in a statement on Facebook. He will testify before Congress in April regarding the scandal. Since the scandal, Facebook has lost $50 billion in stock market value, and the #DeleteFacebook movement gained traction.
April 6, 2018 • Oracle • 5
by Chae Woon Yoo @chaewoonyoo
Trump nominates ORU alumni as ambassador
President Donald Trump tweeted his intent to nominate Kyle McCarter, an ORU alumni and U.S. Senator to Illinois, to replace Robert Godec as the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya on Wednesday, March 28. McCarter has served as senator since February of 2009. McCarter and his family have led charity efforts to Kenya since 1980. This is the first nomination an ORU alumni has received from the president to be an international ambassador.
Global Crisis Simulation
“ORU is lowering the number of credits needed to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.” Graphic by Alejandro Contreras
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On April 14, in the GLC, the world is going into crisis for ORU students. The annual Global Crisis Simulation presents students with a random, unknown crisis. Last year’s crisis was a China bombing and trading collapse. Students then were assigned with random groups imitating world diplomats and leaders to try and solve the issue. This year, students will be able to sign up through Sarah Degarmo (sariadegarmo@oru.edu) and Heather Snow (hsnow@oru.edu), leaders of the Global Crisis Simulation.
Photo provided by Oracle archives
It is estimated that there are 2,618 accredited four-year colleges and universities in a study done in 2005. With many different colleges and universities to choose from, students can be overwhelmed and befuddled in choosing which college is the best fit for them. In the U.S., a total of 2,617 schools compete to get prospective students to attend their college. To combat this, ORU is lowering the number of credits needed to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. “Three years ago, we began a comprehensive review of ORU’s general education requirements. It was time,” said Chair of Computing and Mathematics Dr. Andrew Lang. “Several things have resulted from the review process, including a new 120-hour minimum for every degree program and a new set of core general education requirements.” “Beginning fall 2018, as part of ORU’s core general education curriculum, every program at ORU must include at least three hours of ‘civics’ general education while some programs may elect to require more than the three hours minimum,” said Lang. These civics classes include GOV 101, GOV 103, HIS 110, HIS 111 and HIS 200. In the past, students had to take both history and government to graduate. Now, with the new
degree plan sheet, students will only have to take one. That includes three hours of a foreign language, the new biblical literacy classes that have been split into two hours and three hours of social science. “This isn’t an overnight decision. ORU has been talking and putting input into this plan for years,” says Associate Professor of Government Sonny Branham. According to Branham, decreasing the number of credits allows students more of an opportunity to graduate on time or earlier. The cons of cutting a history or government class is that students get less exposure to gen-ed and humanities classes. “The review process was very thorough and included an initial period of research, a review of current best practices, consultation with ORU’s primary constituents which included focus groups of students, alumni and faculty, and consideration of the skills and knowledge that employers are (or soon will be) demanding from college graduates,” said Lang. However, the decision is left up to the students on whether they want to take more or less classes than the minimum requirement. “This is just the minimum,” said Branham. “Students can still take 128 or 138 or whatever. Technically, it isn’t cutting off anything. This is just allowing more flexibility for students, should their schedule need it.”
Photo provided by Louis Velazquez
Graduation just got closer
Creating a capsule closet by Emma Giddens @em_giddy At least once a week, I used to walk into my closet, stare at the massive piles of clothing on hangers, shelves and, of course, the floor and tell myself that I had nothing to wear. The irony of this situation doesn’t escape me—in fact, it bothered me so much that I not only sold the majority of my clothes on social media (Instagram is great at more than just keeping track of your likes), but I also resolved to fall back in love with the few staple pieces I still owned. I did some research, and came across an Insta-trend called the 10x10x10 challenge.
In the 10x10x10 challenge, participators choose 10 items of clothing, and create 10 different outfits using only the 10 pieces, styling them over a period of 10 days—hence, of course, the repetitive and rather redundant usage of a doubledigit number. The rules for the 10x10x10 challenge are quite ambiguous, leaving participators ample room to express themselves through the clothing items they’re learning to re-fall in love with. I wanted to take the challenge a step further, though, by including my shoes in my 10 items. What can I say? I’m radical.
The majority of these items—with the exception of the two Everlane dresses—are pieces I’ve had for at least a year and worn often, but have fallen out of love with in the past few months, which is why I wanted to break them out for this challenge. I love the idea of making more with less—call me a minimalist, but there’s something special about choosing to love what you already have, rather than owning 10 $7 t-shirts that won’t make it past the rinse cycle. It all comes down to choosing a life with less waste, and that’s what I’m learning through the 10x10x10 challenge, and why I think I’m maybe a bit too passionate about the
principle behind it. My goal for the 10x10x10 challenge is to remind myself that my love for fashion is rooted in my love for creativity, an intrinsic trait that is necessary for viewing fashion as more than just an obligation. Instead of shopping that 40% off sale at Urban Outfitters this week, try shopping in your own closet. You know those pieces you have that haven’t seen daylight in six months? Try them on—if there’s not a spark, part ways. But if there is, you just found a new outfit for free.
Photos by Haley Gibson
April 6, 2018 • Oracle • 7
Photos by Josh Crow
The S3 club uses food waste to create compost for sustainable plant growth. 8 • Oracle • April 6 , 2018
Campus compost for a cause by Haley Gibson and Chae Woon Yoo @gibson_hay @chaewoonyoo
Sustainability is a popular word. In its simplest definition, it means to maintain a certain rate or level. For ORU’s campus, it means tracking energy, creating compost from Sodexo waste using practical methods and extending those discoveries out to different continents. Students for Sustainability (S3) is a new club on campus, formed this year with one goal in mind: changing campus culture to include sustainable actions and environmental awareness. “I wanted the club to become a movement on campus and almost create a culture shift. I want anyone who can and is willing to be involved in any way possible to be involved,” said Anna Mueller, the club president. Previously there have been many clubs’ efforts at ORU toward maintaining campus sustainability. Campus grounds workers help save thousands of dollars by growing and planting their own flowers, not buying them. David King, the Director of Energy Management of the ORU campus and CitiPlex, also helps ORU save money by overseeing how much energy and water are used on campus. In an online data pool*, people can view a campus map that shows just how much electricity is being used in all the different buildings. King analyzes and then informs faculty
on the misuse of energy and helps prevent wasted energy, thus saving money. S3 intends to exponentially increase those works toward a sustainable awareness on campus. On Sunday, April 8, the team is officially moving into space behind Towers to create their system. This area attached to the ORU green house was originally used to compost for a former student’s senior project. Mueller says that the team plans to repurpose the area to be a fully functional keyhole composting system. The keyhole garden concept utilizes a high level of self-sustaining system. First made popular in Africa, it uses single compost and grows plants simultaneously. Utilizing red wiggler worms to break down compost and distribute nutrients through soil, the keyhole gets its name by a circle hole for the compost that sits in the middle of a bed of soil with an outside wall. The bed’s microclimate temperature is tracked, along with the amount of compost weight in pounds being placed into the hole. The full process takes about a month. Prepping for this sort of endeavor involves obtaining left over fruit, vegetables and other waste from Sodexo and placing it in the center of the keyhole. The compost from this can be used as soil on ORU grounds, or sold to local landscape contractors. Although Sunday is a landmark day for the club, they have been composting since a little before March, tracking all of the metrics and poundage every day. After weighing, the data will go into the
sustainable Tulsa scorecard. This website tool allows businesses to see how much money is being saved from preventing food waste. ORU pays for garbage per pound, meaning the university saves money if it uses food waste for composting. “We want to show the staff and faculty at ORU that we can handle this [project] and move on to big things to make a move on campus,” said club member Taylor Thomas. Their efforts on campus go much further than ORU and even Tulsa borders. Mueller and another team member, Nathan Feller, have chosen to spend their summer participating in ORU’s Zimbabwe Healing Team. Their work here on campus will reach across the globe to affect communities in Zimbabwe as well. They intend to create the same keyhole model in Zimbabwe by using their knowledge gathered from the campus prototype. Along with the compost project, the S3 team has also successfully taken Sodexo’s extra food before breaks and delivered meals to commuters who can take the food home for further use. They have also hosted known speakers such as Carla Grogg from Grogg’s Green Barn, and Nathan Pickard, a conservationist from Hopping House Farms this semester. While becoming a sustainable campus seems hard and almost impossible, Mueller says, “The easiest part in being sustainable is that everyone can do their part. It takes little by little to make a difference.” * http://10.100.1.105/oru-public/index.html
April 6, 2018 • Oracle • 9
Love and literacy by Lauren Dunlap @Laurenodunlap Springs of Grace is a little church nestled in a North Tulsa neighborhood and is the home of nonprofit One Hope, where week after week faithful volunteers pour hope into the local community. The ministry’s main outreach is called getAHEAD, a free reading program held yearround after school from August to May and targets children who struggle with reading and writing. Volunteers pick up the children from their schools or homes and bring them to getAHEAD, where they spend the next three hours playing games, eating snacks and working on homework together. They have an extensive library of children’s books, and time is set aside each day for the kids to practice their reading skills one-on-one with a volunteer. At the end of the day—the most important part of the day—the kids gather around their teachers, sing Bible songs and hear stories of how much Jesus loves them and wants them. One Hope volunteer Mackenzie Moody explains, “We really try to focus on improving
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their reading skills, because studies show that kids at Tulsa Public Schools are pretty behind. If we can get their reading skills up to par, we get them that much closer to graduating high school.” High school graduation is something that One Hope Ministries aims to help every Tulsa child reach, whether through academic help or athletic training. One Hope is very enthusiastic about getting children involved in their school sports. Each year, One Hope sponsors, staffs and hosts the largest free summer day camp for children in Oklahoma, with over 400 children attending each summer. Every morning, church youth and volunteers help local football, basketball, volleyball, track and soccer coaches staff a sports camp at the Rose Bowl as a way of expressing love to the neighborhood kids and conveying the hope of the Gospel. One Hope volunteer Samuel Blankenship states, “If we can get these kids involved in sports and loving sports at an early age, they are a lot more likely to graduate high school. Team involvement is good for students on so many levels, and it provides a higher level of accountability and
guidance when it comes to getting their school work done as well.” However, One Hope cannot take this on alone and each summer they hire 15 to 20 college-aged interns to train in inner-city ministry and to staff these programs. During the 10-week internship, the interns go through rigorous training, including sexual abuse prevention, practical training for sharing the Gospel in the inner city, rigorous book studies and Bible studies each week as well as helping perform basic maintenance and cleaning in service to the church. A truly unique ministry that labors in love for North Tulsa, One Hope’s mission is this: “One Hope exists to love the people in our city well by standing for justice, staying present in relationships and communities long-term, and sharing the hope of the Gospel in the context of the local church for the glory of Christ.” To learn more about One Hope or to get involved, visit http://onehopetulsa.com/.
Photo by Nicole Melendez
Journey to the Cross open at Prayer Tower
This Easter season at Oral Roberts University, the Prayer Tower is featuring an interactive display portraying the journey and roots of Jesus’ life, called Journey to the Cross. This year’s theme for the display is based upon Banning Leibscher’s book “Rooted,” which is all about God’s interests and investments inside of the development of the lives and core beliefs of believers. Students are encouraged to visit the Prayer Tower to fully gain an understanding of what this time is truly about. The interactive display will be up throughout Easter time until Monday, April 9.
Photo provided by NeONBRAND
Cherry Street Farmers Market opens Saturday
Tulsa’s own Cherry Street Farmers Market opens this Saturday, April 7, at 7 a.m. It is located on 15th and Peoria and will be open until 11 p.m. each Saturday night, up until October 20. The market features local produce from all around Tulsa, including organic produce, dairy and protein and nursery plants. There will also be live music, food trucks, garden crafts, handmade crafts and other prepared foods. Don’t miss out on a Tulsa tradition throughout the rest of the school year and into the summer.
Tulsa’s harsh winds can cause allergy season to be rough, but there are many home remedies for hay fever. Photo by Josh Crow
Sneezing in season change by Haley Gibson @Gibson_Hay Picture sitting in an early class, eyes sunken, red and itching consistently every few seconds. The back of the throat feels like a small “ahem” is going to satisfy its subtle itch. Nose sniffly but not clogged– this is definitely not the flu. Maybe it’s a series of breathing troubles, a sneezing fit or intense sinus pressure. It’s uncomfortable, it’s highly confusing and it can bring an individual to the brink asking the world “WHY?” Hay fever, that’s why. It is a seasonal condition, in which the body reacts to natural pollens in the air that one breathes into the lungs or comes in contact with the eyes. These allergies affect 50 million people in the United States. That’s roughly 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of children. Outdoor allergies are triggered by many factors such as: trees, grass and weed pollen, mold spores, dust mites, cockroaches and animal dander. The most common allergies begin in the month of February and end in the early summer. They are highly influenced by weather patterns in the area as tree and weed pollens are increased in climates that have warm days and cold nights. Wind highly affects allergies, because its forces carry pollen. When there is low wind, these airborne allergens are grounded and less variant. Avoiding these allergens is virtually impossible, but there are ways to combat discomfort. Regardless of
where one lives, these allergens are virtually everywhere. To escape the fear of becoming ill, the best way to fight allergies is to know what triggers there are in the local area. In Tulsa and many parts of Oklahoma, over 30 different allergy-contributing plants grow during the spring. These plants yet again vary in how severely they affect the majority of individuals Many ways have developed to combat such a natural and unpredictable force. Immunotherapy shot treatment is available for people who are experiencing life disturbing allergies, but many other less intense treatments also exist. Several over-thecounter season allergy medications are sold locally. More natural remedies exist to combat allergies. Oregano is a great way to combat all the symptoms of seasonal allergies; peppermint oil and lavender are also effective against sinus headaches and congestion. Eucalyptus oil and daily apple cider vinegar have also proven to aid in symptoms. Eating local raw honey from a farmers market or local store can increase the immunity of ones’ body against allergies persistent in their area. But the greatest of all these deterrents is to be aware. An individual heavily hit by grass pollens should avoid mowing lawns excessively. Roll down windows less on windy days with extreme pollen, and check local websites to determine what sort of things are in the air daily. Visiting a local allergist and determining the direct source of suffering may be the best resolve for daily discomfort. Happy hay fever season everyone.
April 6, 2018 • Oracle • 11
ORU outdoor invitational record breaking by Haley Gibson @Gibson_hay
On March 9, the Summit League picked both ORU Men’s and Women’s track as fourth for the outdoor preseason poll. A standard they are determined to uphold. Mercy Abire and Aniekeme Etim were picked as preseason women’s athletes; Jaden Purnell and Omeiza Akerele were on the men’s side for the Summit League preseason. Senior Nigeria-native Akerele also clenched indoor season Summit League Athlete of the Year. Last weekend, the Golden Eagles
made history as they hosted the first ever campus outdoor track event at the ONEOK Sports Complex. The 2018 Jimmy Johns Invitational began Friday, March 30, and concluded March 31, the first event of its kind hosted by ORU. Etim won both the women’s 100m and 200m events, breaking the current school record in the 200 with 23.20 seconds. That time also earned her the 11th spot in the nation this season, breaking Madison Reynolds’ record of 23.47 from April 16, 2016. Kirsten Burnett, Abire and Kayvon Stubbs took the 4x100m relay by running 45.19 seconds,
and taking first by a full second. For Burnett, this record broke her previously set 45.40, with Cameron Hilliard in the 2016 outdoor season. Raymond Ekevwo took the 100m and 200m events for the men’s team, creating a time of 10.24 in the 100. This earned him the title of fifth fastest in the nation coming into the competition Saturday. His time for 200m dash didn’t disappoint either, tying for 15th in the nation. Overall, the invitational was a success on ORU’s turf, with 13 total events ending in victory and a top collegiate mark in another. The Golden Eagle men
took the team title with 148.5 points, and the women took third with 103 behind second seed South Dakota and Oklahoma State. Outside of the U.S. ORU’s track team is still setting records; Sasha Wells set a new Bahamas Junior National Record by finishing in third place in the 100m at the 2018 CARIFTA Games. If the event Wells’ ran took place in a NCAA sanctioned event, she would’ve broken a school record in hurdles. All of the Golden Eagles track members will return to competition on April 7, for the Baylor Invitational in Waco Texas.
Golden Eagle baseball season midway by Lauren Dunlap @laurenodunlap
The Golden Eagles baseball regular and conference season continues until May 19. /Photo by Mike Martin
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As the season’s midway mark quickly approaches, the Golden Eagles baseball team is experiencing an ebb and flow of wins and losses. Standing with a decent 16-10 record, the longest winning streak ORU has held has been three games. The important statistic—conference wins and losses—is more impressive at a 7-2, comfortably positioning the Golden Eagles as the leader of the Summit League standings. Not only are the Golden Eagles currently heading in the Summit League, they are also dominating the individual Summit League statistics. Cal Hernandez and Spencer Henson are currently ranked at the top of the batting average statistics, with .361 and .359 respectively. Noah Cummings ranks first in runs batted (29) and home runs (5). Pitcher Justin McGregor currently holds the best earned run average at 3.35, Grant Townsend is ranked second in total pitching wins and strikeouts and Kyler Stout has recorded the most saves (7) thus far. Multiple Summit League Player of the Week awards have been earned by the Golden Eagles, including a sweep for the week of March 5 through
11, as Riley Keizor and Stout secured the Summit League Baseball Player of the Week and the Pitcher of the Week awards respectively. With a strong Summit League performance in their back pocket, the rest of the season is looking bright for the team. The impressive Golden Eagles roster is more than capable of securing the Summit League Championship and getting a bid to the NCAA College World Series in June. Starting out the season with a sweep of Utah provided a strong indicator of where Golden Eagles baseball stands nationally, as Utah just defeated the top ranked baseball team in the nation--Oklahoma State. The Golden Eagles will face the Oklahoma State Cowboys themselves on Tuesday, May 1, at J.L. Johnson Stadium. Some other important games coming up for the Golden Eagles include two face-offs with the University of Oklahoma on April 3 and 11, and a match up with Western Illinois, who rolls into town for a weekend series on April 27. Fans can follow the Golden Eagles as they finish out the season by tuning in to the ORU Sports Network, and they can also receive updates on the team by downloading the apps Golden Eagles Live and ORU Front Row.
Alejandro Arroyo @dro3686
ORU Tennis falls short in late season matches
In the latest match for ORU, women’s tennis fell 7-0 on Sunday, April 1, against the Denver Pioneers. For men’s tennis, ORU took a fall to Valparaiso on Friday, March 30, matching 0-7. On both recent games, Brenda Mercado Jove on the women’s team and Alvaro Santamaria on the men’s team were close in competing in their No. 5 and No. 3 singles match, falling short just shy of one point. The next matches for the men’s tennis team is on Thursday, April 5, at 2 p.m. against Northern Colorado, and the women’s tennis team at 1 p.m. taking on the Oklahoma Sooners.
Photo provided ORU Athletics
Sorry about your bracket, you picked all the right teams, it’s just that the teams that you picked decided not to win. Ironic huh? To make matters worse, if you thought that you had a chance to win Warren Buffets’ One Million dollars, you had approximately a one in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 chance. That’s nine-quintillion for those that stopped reading after nine. That being said, I thought it fair to shed light on other things that are more probable than having a perfect bracket. According to Jeffrey Bergen, a professor of mathematics at DePaul University, an NBA player making 414 consecutive free throws is far more probable; the NBA record is 97. Or an NFL quarterback completing 96 consecutive passes; the NFL record for most completed passes in a row is 25. Or an MLB team winning 97 regular-season games in a row; the MLB record for most wins is 26. Or finally, my personal favorite, becoming President of the United States, coming in at 1 in 10,000,000. So, don’t feel bad if your girlfriend had a better bracket because she only picked the teams with cute mascots. It was bound to happen anyway. Just ask your college dorm know-it-alls. I’m sure that they had perfect brackets for all of 14 hours. Moreover, in a year where we saw the number one overall seed lose to a 16 seed, an upset that’s almost as devastating as the Golden State Warriors blowing
a three-one lead, the odds were never in your favor (cue the Hunger Games theme song). It’s March, what did you expect? However, a one losing to a 16 is a first. To give you another statistic, 16 seeds were 0–135 against number ones … until 2018. Adding to the Madness, Loyola-Chicago quickly became everyone’s favorite Cinderella story after they edged out Miami, thanks to Donte Ingram’s buzzer beater, which was followed by Clayton Custer’s miracle buzzer beater against Tennessee to send them to the Sweet 16, which again, was followed by Marques Flowers and his buzzer beater to beat Nevada, to send them to the Elite Eight. All thanks to everyone’s favorite nun, sister Jean who received most of the praise after their win thanks to her prayers. Unfortunately, their story ended in the Final Four thanks to the Michigan Wolverines, who won 69-57. Speaking of, who didn’t enjoy Michigan’s run? Watching their game against Houston was pure perfection. Jordan Poole was clutch, another buzzer beater to add to the many Wolverine game winners within the past decade. Yeah, it was sweet, but for those sentimental fans out there, it’s just part of the madness. Sure, watching these guys lose and cry on the court sucks, but on the flip side, watching the jubilation and sheer joy on the winning teams’ faces is priceless. Just look at Buffalo when they upset Arizona or Texas A&M when they knocked off North Carolina. Or even watching Florida State knock off Xavier and the formidable Gonzaga squad, another set of bracket busters that were exciting. It might have meant you lost $100 in your ESPN bracket challenge but hey, who cares, you were out after the second round anyways. Besides, this was the year of the 11’s, thanks Syracuse and Loyola. It was some ride. As for the National Champs, bravo Villanova and congrats Divinchenzo. To sum up this year’s March Madness, I picked Arizona to win it all and still came in second in my Bracket Challenge. Yeah, crazy isn’t it? So, thank you UMBC, Loyola, Syracuse, Duke and Kansas because March was yet again perfect.
Photo provided by ORU Athletics
Divison I bracket tournament
Golden Eagles take golf honors this spring The Golden Eagles golf team finished fourth overall at the ORU/SFA challenge over spring break. The team scored 867 (294-291291), losing to victor North Texas who scored 865 (290-290-285). Already in April, the golf team created a third place finish at the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate, hosted by Arkansas State. After the event, sophomore Mike Biata was awarded Men’s Golfer of the Week by the Summit League. The Golden Eagles return for the Tiger Invitational at Hawthorne in Columbia, Missouri on April 9.
April 6, 2018 • Oracle • 13
The Middle East from three perspectives
Lauren Dunlap @laurenodunlap After the horrors of World War II, millions of displaced Jews longing for their unified homeland returned to the ancient land of Israel. After a mass influx of Jews into the area which had come to be called Palestine by the majority Islamic-Arab population, the United Nations decided in 1947 to divide the land equally between the Jews and the Arabs that each believed they had a historical right to the land. The Jewish communities immediately accepted the compromise, and the Arabs summarily rejected it. The Arab states quickly invaded the newly allocated Jewish state, and waged war against the Jews on behalf of their Palestinian neighbors. Miraculously, the fledgling state of Israel won the war, thus commencing a mass (unforced) migration of Palestinians into the surrounding nations, where they were instructed to exist as refugees by Arab authorities who desired to return and eradicate the Jews. Conflict ensued, and decades of war and struggle between the Jews and Arabs continue into the present day, all while Israel has quickly developed into one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. The heart of the issue is religious, as both people groups believe they have the same claim on the land, and that God—Jehovah or Allah, respectively—gave them the land. The difference is that only the Israelis are willing to live at peace. This phenomenon has been proven time and again, from the Jewish-controlled areas of Jerusalem allowing freedom of religion, while
14 • Oracle • April 6 , 2018
the Palestinian Muslim areas forbid anything but Islamic worship, to the severe lack of unity in Palestine. Several factions of pro-Palestine terrorism have sprung into action as a result of the Palestinian estrangement. The most menacing of these include Hamas and the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization), who have fired more than 17,000 rockets into Israel since 2001, and have killed thousands of Israeli civilians and provoked three wars with the Jewish State. The fairest solution proposed to the IsraeliPalestinian unrest thus far is the ‘two-state solution’, which would provide for the Jewish state of Israel living in peace with a demilitarized Palestinian state. There is no indication that this will be implemented any time soon, though, considering the lack of legitimate peace-talks. The U.S. has historically supported the Israeli state, and during the Trump administration, the American-Israeli bond has grown. Yet, many Americans question why the U.S. provides such strong support to Israel. Here are a few reasons: The Jewish state is the most advanced in the region when it comes to democratic ideals (freedom of religion, women’s rights, freedom of speech, etc.), and aligns the closest to American principles of freedom. Also, the cooperation between the two countries in intelligence, homeland security, missile defense and counterterrorism has helped the United States meet its growing security challenges. As a result of the strong friendship between Israel and the United States, the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. military share technologies and techniques that greatly benefit both nations. A two-state solution would be ideal for two democratic and peace-seeking societies. With the Palestinian history of ignoring cease-fires, it is unlikely that such a program would have any lasting repercussions. Furthermore, the recent U.S. official proclamation and recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital decreases the potential of a peaceful existence with the Palestinian state, as Muslims in Palestine consider the Islamic holy city of Jerusalem their capitol as well.
“The heart of the issue is religious.”
Graphics by Alejandro Contreras
Living with less, yet caring much more
Nina Lange @NinaForshea About a year ago, I stumbled upon a YouTube video about minimalism and watched it out of curiosity and boredom. In the video, the couple talked about the philosophy behind minimalism and why they chose to live such a simple lifestyle and I was intrigued. They talked about how living a minimalistic lifestyle helped them live intentionally and thoughtfully, which allowed them to focus on moments and people rather than possessions.
A minimalism movement has exploded in America, and many people have tried to conform it to a standard and set of rules, claiming that their way is the only way to achieve a truly minimalist lifestyle—however, that’s not true. In a general sense, minimalism is keeping the items you use on a regular basis and that bring you joy so the possessions you don’t need aren’t weighing you down in life. As I began to dive into minimalism, I took to the Bible to see what God had to say about it, and it turns out, He has a lot to say. There are many verses in the Bible that talk about living simply and abundantly, but the one that stuck out to me the most is Romans 12:2 where Paul talked about how we are not of this world. As I meditated more and more on that verse, I started losing desires for the materialistic things of this world. I looked around my room at all the stuff I had and all the stuff I didn’t need and decided it was time to start eliminating. I started small at first—one drawer, then two drawers and so on, until I had two huge trash bags full of stuff. Half of it was full of broken things, like necklaces I claimed I would fix some
far-off day that didn’t exist, old papers with random scribbles, socks with holes and dried out pens. The other half were items in good enough shape to donate, like empty notebooks, jewelry and clothes I hadn’t worn in a long time. As I began to simplify my life, something happened that I didn’t expect. I have struggled with anxiety for a long time, but it never prevented me from living my life. However, it was always in the background hindering me from completely living in the moment. As I began to simplify the physical world around me, my mentality began to simplify. My thoughts became clearer, my relationships with people became more purposeful, and most importantly, my walk with God got so much stronger because He became my only want and need in life. “It’s sobering to contemplate how much time, effort, sacrifice, compromise and attention we give to acquiring and increasing our supply of something that is totally insignificant in eternity.” –Anne Graham Lotz
Millennials and their modern medicine
Writer’s Name @Twitter Emma Giddens @em_giddy Lavender, rose, jasmine and geranium aren’t just flowers—they’re peaceful sleep, a positive mood, stress-relief and glowing skin. That is, they are if you use essential oils. Essential oils are all the trend right now, with Millennials and Generation Zers promptly exchanging ibuprofen bottles for flasks of eucalyptus oil. For every ailment, there is an ostensible cure in the form of two drops or a
quick whiff of an earthy, potent oil. Essential oils are made through an elaborate process of distilling or cold-pressing plant materials and mixing them with various solvents and fats. It’s not an easy process or a low-impact one. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), in order to extract just one pound of lavender oil, it is necessary to distill 220 pounds of lavender flowers. As a recent convert to the essential oils veneration, I decided to delve into the hard facts behind the trend, starting with the largely unfounded claims of health benefits touted by both major “oil” tycoons. Back in 2007, Physician Data Query (PDQ) conducted a study over the effectiveness of essential oils in relieving secondary symptoms in cancer patients, like anxiety, stress, nausea and vomiting.
PDQ’s study contained many different trials, including regular massages or daily inhalation testing the effectiveness of oils in treating patient anxiety and nausea. PDQ’s researchers concluded that while “a decrease in anxiety and improved symptoms were noted in the group that had massage with essential oil… no improvements in vomiting or chronic nausea” were recorded, and in some cases, records showed that semmling or tasting sliced oranges had a greater effect on patients’ overall well-being than sniffing a citrus-based oil. Essential oils have been and remain to be a placebo drug, with multi-level marketing enterprises like Young Living and doTerra capitalizing on the oils’ feel-good effects. Over the past 10 years, both companies have doubled their revenues, as well as surpassing one billion dollars in sales
in late 2015 and early 2016, according to a recent New Yorker article. “Like homeschooling, beekeeping, and canning, the use of essential oils crosses the political spectrum and speaks to a common desire for increased self-sufficiency—or, more darkly, a fear of imminent institutional collapse,” wrote The New Yorker’s Rachel Monroe, who covered the essential oil epidemic late last year. Millennials and GenZers alike are known for their innate distrust of social constructs, and it’s clear that this same fear is prevalent in their choice of remedies. No longer do they trust doctors to care about their wellbeing—independence is key to the Millennial, and this phenomenon is evident in their holistic, self-sufficient approaches to wellness.
April 6, 2018 • Oracle • 15