W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | F E B R U A R Y 19 - 2 1, 2 0 18 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M
Plants grow inside of the OU freight farm Feb. 15.
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
OU DAILY Plants grow inside of the OU freight farm Feb. 15.
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Environmental studies senior Cindy Belardo gives a tour of the freight farm on OU’s campus on Feb. 15.
LETTUCE FEED YOU Hydroponic farm in shipping container grows lettuce for OU campus using environmentally sustainable methods
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edged behind Cate Main sits a white, 40-foot standard shipping container that hardly seems to merit a second glance. But the oblong rectangle offers more than meets the eye — its interior, which has been retrofitted for hydroponic agriculture, contains a self-sustaining world primed to grow plants. Leafy greens in various stages of growth bloom from row upon row of vertical towers, 256 in all, coaxed out by strips of red and blue alternating lights that dangle from the ceiling. The neon glow, which offers ideal ultraviolet light conditions, lends to the farm’s futuristic feel. The future is exactly what’s at stake — the hydroponic system is designed with sustainability in mind, using far less water, electricity and space than traditional farming to bring agriculture to urban settings across the country. “We’re looking at a sustainable product that leaves such a negligible print that you wouldn’t expect it,” said Windeon McDowell, a Housing and Food special projects manager who oversees OU’s “freight farm” operations. “You’re talking about 1,000 heads of lettuce, an acre and a half worth of growth, that’s been grown with 10 gallons of water — that’s less than a standard shower for most students.” Each week, up to 1,000 heads of lettuce are plucked from the vertical hanging towers within, put into boxes and carried 20 feet into Cate, where they’ll be washed, chopped and served at the salad bar within a few days, if not hours. The freight farm got its start in the fall of 2016 as part of OU’s initiative to provide fresh, local food to campus. As part of the student-led initiative, OU supplies all of its eggs from a nearby farmer and a significant amount of meat from Oklahoma ranchers, but the freight farm is hyper-local in both its placement on campus and its involvement of students as volunteers. “It allows us to kind of stand out and be more on the forefront as opposed to trying to catch up with things,” McDowell said. “And I think that Housing and Food services here at the university has tried to make that their priority ...
ANNA BAUMAN • @ANNABAUMAN2 As long as it’s good for our school, as long as it’s good for our students, we will be more than willing to look into those things.” HOW IT WORKS OU is the first of any Big 12 school and one of 10 universities in the country to have its own freight farm, known officially as a Leafy Green Machine. The concept is a product of Freight Farms, an urban agriculture company founded in 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts, that has sold around 160 of its farms to places around the world. Lettuce grown in the freight farm helps supply restaurants in Cate, including the salad bar at O’Henry’s. McDowell said the farm is unable to produce enough to cover Cate’s entire lettuce supply but, to date, has produced more than 500 pounds of lettuce in total. The hydroponic growing process itself is a simple procedure broken into three basic steps: s e e ding, transplanting and harvesting. Student volunteers who staff the farm pluck pelleted seeds from the package they arrive in and carefully place them inside small pods of soil that come ready-made with a small hole. After a day or so of soaking up moisture beneath a humidifier, the 200 seedlings on each tray will be placed on a shelf where they are watered and exposed to light. Several tiny blooming leaves and a solid network of roots stretching around a pod’s surface will soon indicate the plant is ready for transportation, usually within a few days. From there, it’ll be planted into one of the towers, which contain slots stacked one on top of another, where the plant’s mini-blossoms will transform into a blooming head of lettuce within about six weeks. McDowell selects a wide variety of lettuces, all markedly different. The texture of the leaves — some buttery, others brittle — as well as the various shades of red and green and the shape of the blossoms, distinguish each unique variety from the rest. Water piped in from Cate trickles down through the vertical growing towers and imitated UV rays from specially designed lights
provide the resources necessary for growth. In total, the farm uses 10 gallons of water and 160 kilowatt hours per day to sustain the equivalent of an acre and a half of growth, McDowell said. The operation is controlled by an app called “Farm Hand,” which allows the freight farm staff to regulate the temperature, lights, water, humidity and other factors either from an iPad station inside the farm or from afar on their phones. For the seeding, transplanting and harvesting aspects, volunteers from OUr Earth, an environmentally minded club, each spend roughly an hour per week to keep the farm up and running. Emily Sullivan, biochemistry sophomore and OUr Earth freight farm volunteer coordinator, said she thinks maintenance and dayto-day operations in the farm are fairly easy. With 14 volunteers each working one hour per week, the farm is able to run smoothly, Sullivan said. It’s taken lots of experimenting and learning from mistakes for the freight farm to get to where it is today. After months of trying different products, including herbs and other greens like kale, swiss chard and arugula, McDowell decided to focus solely on lettuce. The team encounters new problems and obstacles they must deal with regularly. Recently, a fruit fly invasion caused lettuce production to slow considerably when the flies began laying larvae in the grow mediums, Sullivan said. The problem has since been addressed, but Sullivan said she and McDowell must deal weekly with other minor issues like supplies and volunteer schedules to keep it running smoothly. “When we first got the farm, I kind of considered it more like a lettuce factory — you know, you follow the steps, you get the lettuce, and that’s how it is,” McDowell said. “But I had to understand that what you’re doing is, you’re farming. And not only that, what you’re growing are living plants ... and, as such, they are subject to the whims of growing conditions in the way that a typical plant or anything else might grow.” THE BENEFITS The freight farm allows Cate to offer a wider selection than
store-bought lettuce while also eliminating processing and transportation, which lessens the environmental impact and increases nutritional value, McDowell said. “When you typically get your lettuce from wherever you get it from, it’s been harvested somewhere, it’s been sent somewhere, they’ve probably processed it and sent it somewhere and, depending on if your lettuce comes chopped or something like that, they’ve probably processed it, and now you’re getting it,” McDowell said. “It’s probably been two, three weeks or a month out, and at this point, yeah, there’s probably not a whole lot to it.” Getting fresh food on campus is part of what makes the freight farm so valuable, said Cindy Belardo, the president of OUr Earth. “Locally sourced means it’s going to be fresh,” Belardo said. “Right when we pick it, we put it into the box, and it’s walked over to the restaurant and used right away, if not, maybe within a week ... It just tastes good, just the quality.” McDowell said it’s important to provide a quality product that is much more than what could be found in the aisles of a grocery store. “Most people don’t realize that there’s a whole lot more lettuce than you would even think about or know,” McDowell said. “So from us focusing more on lettuce, we said, ‘Okay, let us use this as an opportunity’ — as an opportunity to not only show all these different kinds of lettuce but to actually show people that lettuce can be more than what you expect in the store.” A partnership between OU Housing and Food and student volunteers in OUr Earth allows the farm to operate efficiently with a solid labor force that is driven and dedicated to the project, Sullivan said. “The way that we grow our food and where our food comes from is a big part of the environment and how to mitigate problems that human activities have on the environment,” Sullivan said. “And everyone involved in OUr Earth finds that very important.” The volunteers are able to eat the food they grow by hand, which is a rewarding experience, Belardo said.
“Being a part of OUr Earth club and being a volunteer in it, it’s kind of an activity,” Belardo said. “It’s a way you can give to the local community on campus and have a purpose that way and show people results, how we’re actually making an impact — I think that’s really rewarding.” LOOKING AHEAD McDowell said he would love to add another freight farm to campus in order to supply more local food. But since Housing and Food is focusing on its next big project — the Cross Neighborhood development — getting a second freight farm is not high on the list of priorities, considering the $85,000 sticker price and the work required to run it. Housing and Food director Dave Annis said expanding the freight farm initiative hinges on a continued interest from students involved. “If there’s interest on the students’ part for more of that around campus, and if there are certainly the volunteers from different environmental groups that want to help with that, then we’re all about looking at expanding,” Annis said. “It’s, again, a pretty costly upfront commitment, and we wanted to make sure we got one up and running really well before we committed to doing more. But I’d love to see them all over the place, I really would.” For McDowell, operating the freight farm has changed the way he views agriculture. Instead of relying on traditional, large farms to ship food from states away, the freight farm gives small, urban places the year-round option of providing their own food for their communities, he said. “Whenever most people think about agriculture and farming, you think about huge farmlands and big tractors and all these things,” McDowell said. “But what freight farm has done, what they’ve done I think quite fantastically, is they’ve taken that and broken it down into a way that you can get that same kind of farming, but in an urban setting.” Anna Bauman
anna.m.bauman-1@ou.edu
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• February 19-21, 2018
NEWS
Emma Keith, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
OU, Cherokee Nation team up Researchers study cancer, tobacco use of tribe members JANA ALLEN
@janaabananaax
O U r e s e a r c h e r s a r e c o l l a b o ra t i n g w i t h t h e Cherokee Nation to help the tribe understand more about the cancer disparities affecting its members. In partnership with the Stephenson Cancer Center and OU’s Health Science C e n t e r, t h e C h e r o k e e Nation has conducted an 18-month study on 375 American Indians who live within the Cherokee Nation a n d a re t o b a c c o u s e r s. The research, which examines the use of tobacco and e-cigarettes by Native Americans, has been taking place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of Cherokee Nation. American Indians have nearly 50 percent more colorectal and lung cancer than others in the state of Oklahoma, said Paul Spicer, principal investigator on the project and professor in OU’s anthropology department, in an email. “One of the leading cancer health disparities in O klahoma is relate d to s m o k i n g ,” Sp i c e r s a i d . “American Indian people smoke more than non-native folks, and they die at higher rates from lung cancer.” One of the main goals of the research is to gain more knowledge about whether e-cigarettes are helpful to people who want to quit smoking, said Ashley Comiford, epidemiologist for Cherokee Nation and co-principal investigator for the project.
PROVIDED BY OU
The Stephenson Cancer Center. OU researchers and the Cherokee Nation are working together to research lung and colorectal cancer.
“This is a new and evolvi ng a re a o f re s e a rc h — whether or not e-cigarette use helps smokers quit smoking,” Comiford said. “We’re hoping to provide more information in that area ... it may be an indication that people who use e-cigs are probably wanting to quit smoking ... whether or not it actually helps is still what we’re kind of investigating.” Students from OU helped recruit American Indians for the study that consisted
of a survey that asked questions relating to the participant’s e-cigarette use, cigarette use, intentions to quit, past attempts to quit, methods of quitting and demographic information, Comiford said. “We’ve ... collected biomarkers of tobacco use, and we are following them through 18 months, and after that 18 months we are surveying them again and collecting biomarker data again to see how their smoking patterns
have changed — and how, if at all, e-cigarette use may have influenced that change in smoking behavior,” Comiford said. Comiford said, because the study is observational, the researchers are not asking the participants to quit smoking or try e-cigarettes but are simply finding out how the users’ patterns change over the 18 months. Comiford said the researchers are currently in the process of collecting data from the study, and
Flu deaths break records Oklahoma’s many cases include first pediatric death VICTOR POZADAS @sayhitovictor
Flu-related deaths in Oklahoma have risen to record-breaking numbers, including the first pediatric death this season. The flu has caused 153 deaths and 3,400 hospitalizations in the state since the beginning of flu season in September 2017, according to a weekly report from the Oklahoma State D e p a r t m e nt o f He a l t h. These numbers are highe r t ha n a ny s e e n s i n c e 2009 when the health department began collecting data on the flu, according to a press release from the department. This week, an Oklahoma County resident between 5 and 18 became the first individual under the age of 18 to die from the flu this season, according to the press release. OU Health Ser vices is offering free immunizations for students with a valid student ID. Faculty and staff can receive the flu shot through their provided insurance. OU health educator Katie
the findings will be put into a manuscript. The study has given many OU students opportunities to gain experience in health research and data analysis, Spicer said. “What’s different about us is that a lot of the centers that are like this are actually supporting places that have students closer to where the research is occurring,” Spicer said. “In our case we’re in Norman, Cherokee Nation is in Tahlequah, so it’s a bit of a distance to
overcome.” Spicer said researchers have gotten past this obstacle by scheduling student research over the summer or by having students go to Tahlequah whenever they are able. Though it’s been difficult to have students actually on the field sites, there have been plenty of opportunities for data entry and analysis in Norman, Spicer said. Spicer said another goal of the project is to continue to build a strong relationship between OU and the Cherokee Nation. “The goal of the partnership is to grow partnerships between the Stephenson Cancer Center and tribes more generally, so that we can support tribes who want to engage in cancer disparities research and address the cancer disparities in their tribal populations and in the populations they serve,” Spicer said. Mark Doescher, the director of community outreach for the Stephenson Cancer Center, said in an email that the research they’re doing and the training of students and researchers to do research aimed at reducing cancer disparities, as well as building “a climate of mutual respect and trust between the Cherokee Nation and academic researchers,” will be factors that assist the Cherokee Nation in growing their research capacity. “I think it’s a really exciting opportunity for the University of Oklahoma and for the students to do some valuable work,” Spicer said. Jana Allen
jana.r.allen-1@ou.edu
OU dean sends petition to regents calling for open presidential search
An OU dean has submitted a petition to the university’s Board of Regents with the names of more than 300 OU students, faculty, staff and alumni asking for a more open presidential search process. Suzette Grillot, dean of the College of International Studies, originally released the petition to the OU community Feb. 5 for signatures. Grillot emailed the petition to all six of the current regents Feb. 16. The petition requests transparency from the Board of Regents on the identities of any presidential candidates and proposes that the OU community have a chance to hold public forums or meetings with those candidates. Originally drafted by Grillot and other faculty members, the petition drew signatures from across campus, from the religious studies department to Housing and Residence Life, and from current and former students alike. Emma Keith, @shakeitha_97
AUSTIN CARRIERE/THE DAILY
OU’s Goddard Health Center offers free flu shots. This season’s flu-related deaths in Oklahoma have broken records.
Qualls Fay said the immunization period for administering the flu shot is based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information. “They’re recommending now that it’s still OK and still safe to get a flu vaccine,” Fay said. “We’ll keep giving them until (the flu) slows down.” The Oklahoma State Department of Health will also offer free flu immunizations at all county health departments, according to the press release. Anyone older than 6 months can receive a flu
shot, but health officials especially recommend the vaccination for seniors past the age of 65 with lung and heart conditions because they need stronger doses. According to the department’s weekly report, out of the 3,400 hospitalizations, more than 1,800 were seniors over the age of 65 and more than 400 were minors. Kristy Bradley, state epidemiologist, said in the department’s press release that there is still time to get immunization, and she urges Oklahomans to get vaccinated. “It is not too late to receive
protection from the flu, and it is important to do it now, since it takes up to two weeks after receiving the vaccine to reach full effectiveness,” Bradley said in the press release. The department was “surprised” at the number of people that have not received the vaccination, Bradley said. “We are making this effort to ensure that everyone who would like a flu shot will be able to get one,” Bradley said. Victor Pozadas
vapozadas@ou.edu
Duck Pond’s water level lowered temporarily to restructure bridge OU’s Duck Pond has been drained to protect and make improvements to the 1930s-era bridge that crosses it. The water level of the pond has been temporarily lowered while OU’s Facility Management begins to implement improvements to the pond’s bridge in order to ensure structural integrity, OU press secretary Matt Epting said in an email. “Due to significant flooding in the Spring of 2015, the Duck Pond bridge and its approach were significantly damaged such that the future structural integrity of the bridge could be undermined,” Epting said in the email. The work’s completion is anticipated by next week, at which point the water level of the pond will be returned to normal, Epting said in the email. Julia Reese, @adventurerjules
NEWS
February 19-21, 2018 •
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GRAPHIC VIA WGS CENTER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AT OU
The poster for “Be the Change: Student Activism on Campus.” The Women’s and Gender Studies’ Center for Social Justice hosted an activism discussion on campus on Feb. 15.
OU students discuss activism Center for Social Justice holds forum to address issues KATE PERKINS @Kate_perkins6
M e m b e r s o f a c t i v i s t groups from across campus met for a student activist panel to discuss how to address a variety of social issues. The “Be the Change: Student Activism on Campus” event, hosted by OU Women’s and Gender Studies’ Center for Social Justice, took place at noon Feb. 15 and brought
together representatives from OUr Mental Health, the Veg Club, Disability Inclusion and Awareness, Latinos Without Borders and OU FORUM, along with nine audience members. Panelists discussed a variety of sensitive topics, such as lack of disability resources on campus, gender discrimination, minority issues and funding issues for the groups. Lisa Funnell, co-director for the Center for Social Ju st i c e, m o d e rat e d t h e forum. “The tie that binds all of you is essentially that there’s a gap — there’s a
space — and a desire to not only fill up that space but to be a bridge or connector to resources, to knowledge, to basically help change the situation and circumstances of your fellow students,” Funnell said. “It’s not just you doing it for yourself, it’s you trying to give back to your community and be that bridge.” Rachel Whitfield, a representative of student-run news magazine OU FORUM, said her publication “fills the gap in experiences and perspectives from everybody on campus and voices you don’t necessarily hear from in neutral
media.” Funnell also addressed how anger can often be a call to action when it comes to social justice issues, but it is not necessarily healthy or sustainable if held onto for a long period of time. Although the panelists did say that the anger is somewhat of a motivator, it is essential to remember the importance of having real conversation and intelligent discussion in order to make progress in educating others about real issues that others have to deal with. MG Hirsch, the panel member from DiNA, discussed how the issues
regarding disabilities are often times physical. “Ou r ca mpu s i s re a l ly, really terrible for students with mobility aids,” Hirsch said. “Every time I go into the (Physical Science Center) ‘Blender’ and go down that ramp, I remember if I was in a wheelchair I would run into the doors at 15 to 20 miles an hour ... if enough people know about it, it’s going to change.” All of the panel members agreed that one of the biggest issues in raising awareness is funding. Latinos Without Borders is somewhat funded, but the club mostly has to
fully sponsor itself, “which has been one of the biggest struggles,” said Noemi Martinez, the panelist representing the group. Nicole Larsen of OUr Mental Health said that anyone can be an activist on this campus and in today’s society, whether or not they are a part of a specific club or group. People can be activists by spreading their beliefs or experiences through empathy, actions and words, she said. Kate Perkins
mperkins5@ou.edu
OKC schools receive threats to student safety Four area schools deal with risk after Florida shooting EMMA KEITH @shakeitha_97
SIERRA RAINS @sierrarains
In the days following a mass shooting in Florida, several Oklahoma public schools are on heightened alert after receiving threats to their safety last week. Four Oklahoma
City-area schools received notice of possible threats throughout the day Feb. 15. The threats came a day after a gunman in Parkland, Florida, killed 17 people at a local high school. On the morning of Feb. 15, Western Heights Public Schools announced that district officials had learned of a possible threat being made against one of its schools. The threat came from a 13-year-old student who was not in school at the time and was later taken into custody.
N o t t o o l o n g a f t e r, Guthrie Public Schools also reported that Guthrie Junior High School had received a threat to its safety. School administrators immediately turned the information over to the Guthrie Police Department, and the person making the threat was arrested, according to Facebook updates from Guthrie Public Schools. A Southmoore High School student was also taken into custody after a d m i n i s t rat o r s d i s c overed a “kill list” the student
had written containing the names of several students at the school, according to KOCO. Later the same evening, Oklahoma City Public Schools announced that threats had been made against Northeast Academy and John Marshall MidHigh School. The person making the threats was also quickly taken into custody, and increased security measures were put in place at the school, according to a statement from OKCPS. OKCPS was also made
aware of a social media threat against Northeast Academy and John Marshall Mid-High on Feb. 15. Oklahoma City Police were notified, and the suspect was identified, with criminal charges pending, according to a release from the OKCPS. OU press secretary Matt Epting said in an email that anyone who is made aware of a threat against OU should contact the OU Police Department immediately, and that the department takes all reported
threats very seriously. “The safety of students and individuals on campus is of the utmost importance to the university,” Epting said in the email. “Upon evaluation of a reported threat, OUPD will take all necessary and appropriate action to protect the OU community.” Emma Keith
emmakeith97@ou.edu
Sierra Rains
sierra.m.rains@gmail.com
Congress appoints SGA president’s cabinet Undergraduate Student Congress passes budget bill GRACE MITCHELL @Graceem__
O U ’s Undergraduate Student Congress met Feb. 13 to hear various committee reports, discuss legislation, allocate funding and appoint various cabinet and committee members. Those appointed to serve on Student Government Association President Yaseen Shurbaji’s cabinet include: LEXI AUDAS, a public relations sophomore, was appointed the SGA Department of Communications cabinet director. Audas’ plan includes creating a video on how to get to the SGA office. “Half the issue is that a lot of people don’t know SGA exists,” Audas said. “The other half don’t know how to get to us.” CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Members of the Student Government Association sit during their meeting Feb. 13. The Undergraduate Student Congress passed a budget bill and a higher education resolution.
sophomore, was appointed the SGA Department of Inclusivity cabinet director. Dickson said she is excited to be able to provide representation to various groups. “The biggest thing I want to do is co-program with a lot of organizations and groups that don’t usually get their voices heard,” Dickson said. “There is a reason why diversity is a part of our SGA, and I’m ready to make progress.” CHRISTOPHER CARTER, an industrial and systems engineering senior, was appointed the S GA Department of Interior cabinet director. Carter said he’s looking forward to working on many upcoming projects, including Shurbaji’s Swipeto-Share program aimed at helping students with food insecurity.
MADDIE MCCLUNG, a political science sophomore, who was appointed the SGA Department of Exterior cabinet director. “Living in Norman my entire life, I’ve seen the efDESTINEE DICKSON , fect of great things happenpolitical science and wom- ing at OU and really negen’s and gender studies ative things happening at
OU having an effect on the community,” McClung said. “I want to try something new and see if we can improve the relationship (with Norman).” KARLA BONIC, a political science sophomore, was appointed chair of the University Policy Committee. “I didn’t really trust anyone but me to do something,” Bonic said. “Since it’s a new committee, there’s always the risk that people won’t take it seriously. I plan on combatting that with the partnership program.” In addition to appointing members of Shurbaji’s cabinet, congress passed this week’s budget allocation for various student groups, with a total allocation of $1,994.88, as well as a bill to streamline parts of the SGA code. Representative Dan Williams, the bill’s author, said he was excited to see the bill pass, and that it was a long time coming. Congress also passed a much-debated resolution that asks Oklahoma residents and members of the
Oklahoma state and federal governments to support education and higher education. Representative Alex McClintic, chair of External Affairs Committee and author of the bill, said the purpose of the bill was to show legislators that students care about funding issues. Hennessy Chism, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, voted no to the resolution. “I felt that there were several whereas clauses that skewed or covered up the point of this resolution and made it less impactful, more of a political bill,” Chism said. “I am absolutely in favor of higher education, I just want a resolution to be as impactful as possible when we send them to our legislators.” McClintic said he thinks being political is sometimes required, and that he wrote the bill after seeing how state budget cuts have been affecting OU. Grace Mitchell
GraceMitchell222@ou.edu
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• February 19-21, 2018
SPORTS
George Stoia, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports
Oklahoma struggles offensively Red River rivalry proves difficult for Sooner basketball JADYN WATSON-FISHER @jwatsonfisher
Junior guard Christian James feigned a half-smile for two young fans who wanted to say “Hi� after the game. Once out of earshot, he let out a guttural “Ugh� on the way back to the locker room. He wasn’t just being dramatic — the loss was that bad. The Sooners dropped their Red River rivalry matchup 77-66 behind their worst offensive performance this season. “No one likes losing, especially us,� freshman guard Trae Young said. “We’re very competitive. Coach (Lon Kruger) is on us about being competitive and just taking it game-by-game, and tonight, we just didn’t knock down shots.� To say Oklahoma didn’t knock down shots would be an understatement. The team finished the afternoon with 20 successful field goals on 65 attempts — only 30.8 percent — the worst they’ve done all year. The Sooners sank eight 3-pointers, but it took them 30 tries. Some were too
PAXSON HAWS/THE DAILY
Junior guard Rashard Odomes tries to keep the ball from his opponent Feb. 17.
strong, some were way too short, and not enough of them went in. Oklahoma cut Texas’ lead to 1 point multiple times during the game, forcing turnovers and getting a few stops, but the Longhorns kept responding. Earlier this season, when the defense didn’t hold, the Sooners’
offense surged forward. That’s not working now that the ball can’t find the net. “It’s a lot tougher when shots aren’t falling,� James said. “I don’t want to say it’s kind of draining, but it’s like, ‘Man, another one?’ We just got to keep working. I feel like we just had an off night.� It seems like off nights
are becoming a regular occurrence for Oklahoma. In six of the last 10 games, the Sooners haven’t shot better than 30 percent from behind the arc, and a season-low 13.6 percent came in the last meeting with Texas. Three other matchups featured a higher efficiency, but it still never got more than 40
percent. Part of the issue lies with Young. He says he’s fine and that the team is fine. He just hasn’t shot well and is being guarded heavily. Young is known for his dazzling 3s and getting into a groove, but in the last five outings, he’s made 10 of 51. His fix is to keep shooting.
“I do the same routine every day. I get to the gym the same time every day. I do the same stuff every day,� Young said. “I’m not going to change because that’s what got me to this point in the first place. I haven’t been shooting well these past few games, nothing’s going to change for me. That’s what the great ones do, they don’t change.� With the majority of the o u t c o m e s b e i n g d e t e rmined by 10 points or fewer, Oklahoma is living and dying by the 3-point line. There was a time this season where the Sooners would hit 50, even 60 percent from beyond the arc. It’s not that way anymore, and while it’s unrealistic to think they can put up those kinds of numbers every night, they need to fix things fast or else Young won’t get the national championship he still believes they can contend for. “There’s not any shortcut to it,� Kruger said. “A lot of it is related to confidence, getting some shots to go down and feeling good about it, trying to get some movement away from the ball, perhaps, (and) getting the ball moving off the pass a little bit more. Just anything to find a spark.� Jadyn Watson-Fisher jlfwf96@gmail.com
Softball endures first loss CLASSIFIEDS Sooners fall 4-3, bounce back in Troy Cox Classic ABBY BITTERMAN @Abby_Bitterman
The No. 1 Sooners (6-1) suffered their first loss of the season Saturday afternoon, falling 4-3 to Boston University (4-3), but they bounced back with a 2-0 win over New Mexico State (2-3). The game against the Terriers was Oklahoma’s first in the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, New Mexico, after its two Friday games were canceled due to inclement weather and field conditions.
Boston struck first, getting two runs across in the top of the second, but the Sooners responded with one run in the bottom of the inning. Oklahoma took the lead in the third inning off doubles from junior second baseman Caleigh Clifton and freshman designated hitter Jocelyn Alo. The Terriers would come back, though, capitalizing on errors made by the Sooners. Boston put two unearned runs on the board to claim a 4-3 lead. Oklahoma committed three errors, got seven hits and left 11 runners on base in the loss. Sophomore righty Mariah Lopez started in the circle for the Sooners and gave up four
Oklahoma baseball faces 3 losses in tournament on opening weekend
Oklahoma (1-3) lost to No. 17 South Alabama (2-0) and Coastal Carolina (2-0) in Saturday’s double-header at the Baseball at the Beach tournament. The Sooners’ first loss of the day came to South Alabama in a 6-5, 12-inning matchup. Oklahoma had a 4-1 lead at the bottom of the fourth, but the Jaguars would tie the game with a threerun home run from junior first baseman Wells Davis. After the Sooners tied the game 5-5 in the top of the eighth, the game would continue for three extra innings, until an RBI single from senior third baseman Paul Russo gave South Alabama the win. Junior left fielder Cade Harris was 2-of-4 hitting and brought in three runs for the Sooners. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Nathan Wiles pitched 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on four hits. Oklahoma’s second game of the day also went to extra innings, resulting in a loss to Coastal Carolina, 4-3. The Chanticleers led 3-1 until a single from sophomore catcher Brady Lindsly drove in two runs in the top of the eighth. Sophomore second baseman Cory Wood drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th for Coastal Carolina with a single. The Sooners finished the Baseball at the Beach tournament on Sunday with a 14-6 loss to Virginia Tech.
Charlene Ainsworth, @charleneyvette1
Previous Solution
Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard
Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.
hits and two runs in one and two-thirds innings pitched. She was replaced by senior left-handed pitcher Paige Lowary, who gave Oklahoma three and one-third innings but also gave up four hits and two runs. Senior lefty Paige Parker closed out the game for the Sooners, pitching the final two innings after coming in with no outs in the sixth with runners on first and second. Oklahoma finished the Troy Cox Classic with a 2-0 win over New Mexico State on Saturday night. The Sooners struck early, getting one run across in the top of the first. They added on an insurance run in the third,
and that is all Oklahoma would need. Junior third baseman Sydney Romero was responsible for both RBIs. Oklahoma recorded seven hits and left seven on base, while New Mexico State committed one error and left one on in its shutout loss. Senior left-handed pitcher Paige Parker threw a complete game in the circle for the Sooners. She gave up two hits and struck out eight. The Sooners will next travel to Palm Springs, California, for the Mary Nutter Classic. Abby Bitterman abbybitt@ou.edu
Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker February 19, 2018
ACROSS 1 Oh so quick 6 Cube’s dozen 11 Chapeau 14 Solitary 15 “And ... here it is!� 16 “Long ___ and far away� 17 Lucifer, for one 19 Bad thing to break 20 Imitating 21 Stringed instrument 23 Old string players 26 Does some dredging 27 Any artful dodger 28 AKC word 29 Slippery sea creature 30 Fibula neighbor 32 MAGA guy 35 Animated chipmunk 37 “Hold all my ___� 39 Like a cracked door 40 “12 Years a ___� 42 Image on a pole 44 Enjoyed a smorgasbord 45 Kin of bros and dudes 47 Many turns
2/19
49 Saps of strength 51 Head cavities 52 Gymnasium seating 53 Raccoon relative 54 You-are-you provers 55 Bile storer 60 Golf course elevator 61 Follow as a consequence 62 Rocky sparkler 63 Hostile reaction center? 64 Jewish feast 65 Grain bane DOWN 1 Part of the British military 2 Au alternative 3 One seeking votes 4 Like some fancy floors 5 Like sunken eyes 6 “Dyno-mite� surname 7 Part of a doorbell sound 8 Musician’s booking 9 One by one? 10 Noteworthy
11 Some church cries 12 Once more 13 Relatives of cities 18 Acid variety 22 Place with bassos 23 Yorkshire city 24 Relating to an eye part 25 City in Florida 26 Started a poker game 28 Metric meas. 31 Kathy of Hollywood 33 A photo finish 34 Flatten clothes 36 Bring about
38 “To be continued� story 41 Comes into view 43 The making of coins 46 Certifiable 48 The one steering 49 Use cursive 50 Duck variety 51 Not drunk 53 Popular board game 56 Hallucinogenic drug 57 Man’s best friend 58 Old samurai home 59 Abbr. for a worker no longer?
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To a friend with mental illness, your caring and understanding greatly increases their chance of recovery. Visit whatadifference.samhsa.gov for more information. Mental Illness – What a difference a friend makes.
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FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Don’t step out of bounds when dealing with people who can affect the outcome of what you are trying to pursue. Getting along with others will encourage support and success. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Know what you want before you start talking. Having a plan will give you the control you need to get others to bend to your way of thinking. Personal gains are apparent. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Don’t wait to be asked to jump in and help. Fire up your enthusiasm and make a difference to the outcome of whatever you pursue. Distance yourself from disgruntled or negative individuals. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Sign up and help out. Whether assisting in your community or promoting your beliefs, doing something for the betterment of society will make you feel good and will encourage progress. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Slow down before you make a mistake. Partnerships will test your patience and leave you feeling uncertain. Take a step back to gain a better footing. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Look past the demands being put on you and focus on what’s actually possible. If you are intent on learning and experimenting with alternative methods, you will excel. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Initiate change, but do so quietly and quickly. Act on instinct and make sure that whatever you initiate is going to increase your financial
situation instead of creating debt. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Put your energy into something that will make a difference. Don’t argue or waste time on people who play mind games with you. Choose your friends wisely. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- You’ll flip-flop when it comes to emotional matters. Try not to confuse someone you love. If you cannot commit to something, do your best to explain why that’s so. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Be open to new possibilities. It’s OK to change your mind or do things differently. Connecting with people who have something to offer will inspire you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Make positive changes at home. Move things around to make space for new projects or to encourage using what’s at hand and getting rid of what you don’t need. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -Get everything in order before you lay your cards on the table. Precision and attention to detail will help you avoid an unwanted change that could leave you struggling to reach your goal.
February 19-21, 2018 • 5
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OU alumna joins ‘Hamilton’ Cast of musical’s first national tour includes graduate TIM HATTON @nottahmit
D o r c a s L e u n g a u d i tioned for the musical “Hamilton” 11 times. Leung first auditioned for the show for its premiere at New York City’s Public Theater in February 2015, while she was a senior studying musical theater at OU. Organizers of the show then invited her to audition for its Broadway premiere in June 2015, before also asking her to audition for the show’s Chicago staging in fall 2016 and the first and second company of its national tour, which both launched in 2017. “ T h e n f i na l l y , o n t h e 11th callback, I got a call that they wanted me to join the first national,” Leung said. “So I’m currently on the first national tour of ‘Hamilton.’” Leung said she was exc i t e d t o h av e a r o l e i n “Hamilton” because it’s a cultural phenomenon, but for her, the show has a deeper resonance because she is an immigrant to the U.S., just like Alexander Hamilton and many other characters in the show. “As an immigrant, I cannot be more ecstatic or more proud or more humbled to be a part of something like this,” Leung said. Leung was born in Hong Kong, but she moved to Te x a s w h e n s h e w a s 3 . Because her family left a whole life behind to come to the U.S., Leung said she was humbled to be telling the stories of the founding fathers who built the country she immigrated to. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Leung said. “It’s beyond my mom’s and my grandmother’s. It goes back generations and generations. I’m just so proud and excited to be part of something that is so American.” Leung’s position on the tour is the Schuyler sisters’ standby, meaning she does not have a regular role she plays every night of the tour. Instead, she is prepared to fill in for any of the three female cast parts i n “ Ha m i l t o n ” — E l i z a Schuyler, Angelica Schuyler or Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds — on any given night, with as little as an hour’s notice. Eliza Schuyler marries Alexander Hamilton midway through the musical’s first act and carries the emotional weight of that marriage throughout the remainder of the show. Angelica Schuyler, who
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NICOLOSI & CO.
A headshot of Dorcas Leung. Leung is a member of the first national touring company of “Hamilton: An American Musical.”
the show implies has romantic feelings of her own for Hamilton, maintains close relationships with her brother-in-law and sister for the show’s duration. Leung can play both the roles of Peggy Schuyler (who appears less prominently than her sisters) and Maria Reynolds (a seductress with whom Hamilton has an affair) in the same show because each character appears for only one act. Beyond characterization, each of the women Leung plays has distinct choreography and vocal parts, as well. Because the roles are so different, knowing all three parts is a unique challenge for Leung. “It’s insane,” she said. “My brain is constantly on fire.” Leung credits her college experience for developing her as an artist and enabling her professional success, even in difficult roles like a standby for three different characters. “I’m grateful for my education at OU, and I think
it did help me — what I impression with what kind learned in our school of of program I was working musical theater helps me for,” Stratton said. in my career now,” she said. Paul Christman teaches performance in the department and worked with “I’m grateful for my L eung several times on education at OU, and OU’s musicals, including I think it did help me “Avenue Q” in 2012 and “The Drowsy Chaperone” — what I learned in in 2014. our school of musical “She’s terrifically talenttheater helps me in ed, smart, personable and just someone you just want my career now.” to be in the room with,” Christman said. DORCAS LEUNG, OU ALUMNA Lyn Cramer is a dance instructor in the school of Those who knew Leung musical theater. She cast a t O U a r e f o n d o f h e r. Leung as Trix the Aviatrix in During Daveena Stratton’s “The Drowsy Chaperone.” first day of work as direc“On Broadway, (the role tor of operations at the of Trix) was cast as a 6-foot Weitzenhoffer School of African-American woman, Musical Theatre, Leung but Dorcas is so funny, and brought her muffins. Dorcas has an amazing inThis was in January 2014, strument — her voice is when Leung was a junior really something — that in the musical theater pro- I cast a 5-foot-1 Asiangram. Stratton remembers American,” Cramer said. that first encounter with Beyond the show, Leung very well. Cramer had Leung as a stu“ It w a s v e r y s u r p r i s - dent in tap dance classes. ing that students would “She’s a lovely mover, do something so nice for s h e’s a re a l l y g o o d t a p me, so that really left an dancer, so that’s how I had
her in class,” Cramer said. “She’s an exceptional actress and vocalist.” Cramer said that Leung’s position as the Schuyler sisters’ standby speaks to her talent because knowing three roles demands far more versatility and range than a single role would. “It’s not surprising that someone of her caliber is in ‘Hamilton,’” Cramer said. “To me, it speaks volumes that she’s not playing a role in the show, but she’s understudying all three sisters.” Cramer also said she is glad to have an OU alumna involved with such a high-profile show. “I couldn’t be happier for her,” Cramer said. “I couldn’t be more proud of her, and I couldn’t be more proud of the fact that she’s representing our school.” Tim Hatton
hamlin@ou.edu
OKC arts center to present onewoman play about Mozart’s sister The Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City will kick off its “Women in Performance” series with the play “The Other Mozart.” “The Other Mozart” tells the forgotten story of Nannerl Mozart, the lesser-known but equally talented sister of the famous composer Wolfgang Mozart, according to a press release. The series aims to showcase the work of women forgotten in history. Jeremiah Davis, artistic director at the Oklahoma Contemporary, said the play uses letters written by various members of the Mozart family to piece together the life of Nannerl Mozart. “‘The Other Mozart’ explores the relationship between Mozart and his sister and the larger idea of women being written out of history when they actually had major contributions to global events going back to the beginning of time,” Davis said. The one-woman play is written and performed by Sylvia Milo and features an 18-foot-long dress that covers most of the stage. “The Other Mozart” will be performed at 8 p.m. on March 2 and 3 at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. Tickets are available through Oklahoma Contemporary’s website. General admission tickets are $25, and tickets for seniors, students and veterans are $18. Samantha Tonkins, @samanthatonkins
VIA OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY WEBSITE
Sylvia Milo in “The Other Mozart.” The Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center will show the onewoman play on March 2 and 3 in Oklahoma City.
6
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
• February 19-21, 2018
‘Black Panther’ triumphs OU Black Student Association sells out tickets for film TIM HATTON @nottahmit
On Monday, Jan. 22, the Black Student Association at OU announced it was selling 100 tickets for a showing of “Black Panther” on the movie’s opening night. By that Friday, Jan. 26 — a full three weeks before “Black Panther” premiered on Feb. 16 — the tickets were sold out. Crystal Graves, president of the Black Student Association and a social work senior, said she was shocked by the event’s popularity. “I knew the tickets would probably go fast, but I was not expecting 100 tickets to go that fast,” Graves said. “Black Panther” is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2018. Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman in the titular role, it earned $192 million domestically and $361 million worldwide in ticket sales over its opening weekend, according to Forbes. Early reviews, including one from The Daily, regard “Black Panther” highly. The movie is the story of Wakanda, a fictional African nation in the Marvel comics universe that is richer and more technologically developed than any other nation. Boseman’s character, the Black Panther, is a superhero but also the nation’s king. Members of the Black Student Association said “Black Panther” has a special resonance within black culture, and that the speed with which the association sold out of tickets for its screening speaks to the black community’s enthusiasm for the film.
Snapchat redesign faces backlash, angry users respond with petition In the short history of Snapchat, several updates have revolutionized the app. From adding filters to adjusting the viewing time of individual snaps, most of these updates have made the app infinitely more fun for its users. However, the most recent update has people in an uproar. By changing the design of the app, Snapchat became a complicated labyrinth users are still trying to understand. Snapchat still opens to the camera, but that is where the similarities stop. Swiping to the left reveals a “Friends” page, where users see both snaps from their friends and their friends’ stories. Swiping to the right leads to a “Discover” page, full of popular stories from celebrities, businesses and news organizations. In response to this update, a petition on Change. org has gained more than 1,130,000 signatures. With the hashtag #snapchatupdate, Snapchat users have taken to voicing their complaints on Twitter. Sam Tonkins, @samanthatokins
SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE
“Black Panther,” the newest Marvel movie, premiered in theaters Feb. 16. OU’s Black Student Association sold 100 tickets to a showing of the movie three weeks before the premiere date.
“We recognized that it was going to be a big event for the black community,” said the association’s special projects coordinator Destinee Dickson, a political science and women’s and gender studies sophomore. “It’s going to be a great event to see a black director and a black cast in these major roles.” The Black Student Association began planning to host an event focused on “Black Panther” in the closing weeks of the fall 2017 semester, when commercials for the film began appearing regularly on TV. While “Black Panther” is not the first black superhero film — the 1998 film “Blade,” starring Wesley Snipes, and the 2008 film “Hancock,” starring Will Smith, are notable examples — it’s the first in Marvel’s highly popular cinematic universe. It’s also the first to feature a black hero alongside a predominantly
black cast. Dickson cited both factors to explain the movie’s popularity. “I think there’s a lot of hype around this movie because there hasn’t been a movie on its scale in a very long time,” she said. “It’s just awesome that the all-black cast is involved.” Karlos Hill, chair of African and African-American studies at OU, offered an additional explanation. He said that the excitement around “Black Panther” can be seen as a direct response to difficult issues facing the AfricanAmerican community. “In an era where there seems to be racial retrenchment at the national level, I don’t think it’s an accident that this film is garnering this much attention and this much anticipation,” Hill said. “I think it’s a product of the times we’re living in. There’s a hunger for a black hero who might be able not just to kill bad guys, but can also maybe
OKC Broadway releases schedule for 2018-2019, includes ‘Hamilton’ OKC Broadway released dates for the 2018-2019 season, including the dates for “Hamilton.” “Hamilton” will show from July 30 through Aug. 18, 2019, at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City. It will also show in Tulsa at the Performing Arts Center from Aug. 20 through Sept. 8, 2019. Other shows for the season include “Les Miserables” (Sept. 18 through Sept. 23, 2018), “Phantom of the Opera” (Jan. 9 through Jan. 20, 2019) and “Waitress” (March 19 through March 24, 2019). Tickets are not yet available for individual shows, but a season subscription is available on OKC Broadway’s website. Siandhara Bonnet, @SiandharaB
do other things in terms of healing society or transforming society.” Graves said she’s not a big fan of superhero movies. Even so, “Black Panther” is meaningful to her and to other members of the black community because it depicts black characters in a position of triumph and authority instead of in a position of oppression. She said this allows the film to celebrate black culture on its own terms, which is one reason black culture has embraced it Bruno Mars adds extra tour stop at so enthusiastically. “It’s not something about BOK Center in Tulsa for ‘24K Magic’ s l av e r y . It ’s n o t s o m e Bruno Mars has added an additional show at the thing about the plight of Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa. African-Americans in the The performer originally had one date lined up for U.S. It’s about something Oct. 11 in Tulsa. The second date is Oct. 12. triumphant,” Graves said. Tickets for Mars’ “24K Magic” show went on sale “It’s about black people being kings and queens.” Feb. 16. The second show’s tickets will go on sale Tim Hatton
hamlin@ou.edu
Feb. 23. Ticket prices range from $59.50 to $175 and are available through the BOK Center’s website.
Sam Tonkins, @samanthatokins
2018 True Family Lecture Dr. Maureen Condic, M.D., Ph.D., University of Utah School of Medicine “Virtues and the Utilitarian Frontiers of Science: New Ways of Thinking Ethically about Biomedical Research” Wed, Feb 21, 7:00 PM Kerr Auditorium, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Free and open to the public.
Call (405) 321-0990 or visit stm-ou.org for details.