February 22-25, 2018

W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | F E B R U A R Y 2 2 - 2 5 , 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

OUDAILY

GRAPHIC BY PAXSON HAWS/THE DAILY

President David Boren announced on Sept. 24, 2017, his intent to retire, pending the selection of his successor. Once a replacement is found, the university will enter into a time full of changes.

A TIME OF CHANGE

OU’s next president will face challenges when taking over David Boren’s role amid budget cuts to higher education

W

hen President David Boren walks out of the president’s office for the final time, leaving it bare of the countless books and trinkets he has collected over the years, OU will face a period of change that it hasn’t seen in 25 years.

Maintaining the progress Boren has achieved will be paramount for OU’s 14th president, who will succeed one of the most accomplished presidents in the university’s history. The move from Boren to a new leader will be a transition felt by the entire university — but no one more so than the new president. With reminders of Boren’s legacy covering nearly every inch of campus, the new president will have to attempt to respect the direction the university has been pointed in while finding a way to move his or her own vision forward.

The Daily spoke with current and former university presidents who highlighted the skills and challenges to be faced by OU’s next leader. The next president of OU will need to fill a lot of roles, from community leader to politician to intellectual. The key to filling those roles successfully, according to these current and former presidents, is the ability to listen and remain flexible.

“Obviously President Boren is going to be a difficult person to follow because he’s accomplished so much for the university,” said former OU interim president David Swank.

“I’m sure the search committee is going to choose someone with leadership skills, but he or she is going to have to come in and make their own decisions.

Boren’s influence will still be felt, but the new president will have his or her own goals.”

KELLI STACY • @ASTACYKELLI Boren, who on Sept. 24, 2017, announced his intent to retire, will step down as president on June 30 pending the selection of a successor by the presidential search committee.

The search committee, which was chosen by the OU Board of Regents, is expected to be given a list of finalists from OU’s hired search firm, Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, by March 1, according to spokesperson David Rainbolt. The committee members will then begin narrowing down the finalists until they find OU’s next president or decide to continue searching if they are not happy with the candidates.

Once named, Boren’s successor shouldn’t come in with plans for immediate change, said Oklahoma City University president and OU alum Robert Henry. Rather, he or she should begin by reaching out to the various constituencies at OU and listening to them to get a sense of how to form his or her vision around what is best for the OU community.

Building relationships with the community, faculty, staff, students, donors and alumni will be a critical part of how the new president acclimates to campus and how the community acclimates to him or her.

According to Henry, attending a variety of events and meetings will help the new president understand more clearly those he or she is serving.

“They’re going to have to listen a lot and figure out what is on people’s minds and how to make sure that the tremendous progress that OU has seen over the Boren years is sustained,” Henry said.

As the new president steps into his or her role, he or she will immediately be dealt a number of trials outside of continuing

Boren’s success — the struggle to find funding as the budget crisis continues to affect higher education, as well as the need to build trust among the faculty, staff, students, alumni and donors. Much like a first impression, the first months of a presidency can set the tone for what the future holds.

“An incoming president’s vision has to be tempered by certain realities. What a president may think should be done may have already been done, or it may need to be altered,” said Henry, who was nominated for the presidency but declined to apply. “That’s why listening is so important — to temper one’s own vision with the visions and expectations of others. In President Boren, we had a nationally known public intellectual, but one who also understood the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the folks back home ... One must try to meld these together into a way to sustain progress.”

Like all people of power, the new president will need a team of individuals around him or her who can be relied upon.

Henry suggests the new president surround himself or herself with veterans at the university from every rank, whether they be regents, professors or vice presidents.

In a statement emailed to The Daily, Boren said that during his transition into the presidency he put a great deal of time into seeking advice from veterans at OU — people who had strong knowledge of the university’s history.

“I was very fortunate because great figures from our past like P re s i d e nt a n d M r s. G e o rg e Cross, President and Mrs. Paul Sharp, and Savoie Lottinville, who built the OU Press, were still

available to give me perspective and advice,” Boren said in the statement. “In addition, Dr. David Levy shared with me highlights of his historical research about the university. Longtime citizens of the OU community like Dr. George Henderson, Dr. J.R. Morris and Dr. Rainey Williams also gave me valuable advice.”

O nce the new president ’s team is in place, he or she will have to tackle what will potentially be the biggest struggle in his or her presidency — funding.

As state and federal funding for higher education has decreased over the past several years, tuition increases at OU have been an annual occurrence. In 2017, the OU Board of Regents approved a 5 percent tuition increase for resident undergraduate and graduate students and a 6.5 percent and 4.3 percent tuition increase for nonresident undergraduate and graduate students, respectively.

Oklahoma has seen the deepest cuts to higher education in the nation, with higher education receiving approximately $34 million less in 2018 than in 2017. Boren attempted to create more revenue for education in 2015 by supporting a penny tax initiative, which would have been a one-cent sales tax going toward education and teacher pay raises, but it failed to pass.

Now, the new president will be tasked with trying to find a solution for funding as state funding declines and OU’s tuition rises.

“It’s not going to be a time, initially, of substantial change, but it’s going to be difficult (for him or her) because of the budget and how it will continue to function with the legislature and funding,” Swank said. “He (or she) will have to work with them to try to increase funding.”

The transition between presidents is never simple, especially with funding rapidly dwindling, but for OU’s next president it will be slightly more challenging.

“I would just say that following David Boren’s presidency is going to be very difficult,” Henry said. “It’s just almost the ultimate understatement to say that.”

Kelli Stacy

kelliastacy@ou.edu

“An incoming president’s vision has to be tempered by certain realities. What a president may think should be done may have already been done, or it may need to be altered. That’s why listening is so important — to temper one’s own vision with the visions and expectations of others.

In President Boren, we had a nationally known public intellectual, but one who also understood the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the folks back home ... One must try to meld these together into a way to sustain progress. ” ROBERT HENRY, OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH

PRESIDENTIAL STRUGGLES

․ The OU Board of Regents is expected to be given a list of finalists by March 1. ․ Daniel Pullin, Michael F. Price College of Business dean, is the only applicant who The

․ 65 percent of college presidents identified budget and financial management as one of

Daily has confirmed is a candidate for the presidency.

Source: Staff Reports

the areas that most often occupies their time.

․ In 2016, college presidents said that lack of funding is their biggest challenge.

Source: The American Council on Education

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• February 22-25, 2018

NEWS Kelli Stacy Editor in Chief Emma Keith News Managing Editor Emily Farris Engagement Editor George Stoia Sports Editor Allison Weintraub A&E Editor Kayla Branch Enterprise Editor Paxson Haws Visual Editor Daniella Peters Copy Manager Savannah Saing Print Editor

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Emma Keith, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily

OU extends a helping hand

Students use 3-D printing to create prosthetic for boy KATE PERKINS @Kate_perkins6

Day-to-day activities have always been more difficult for Austin Shumsky, who was born with an underdeveloped hand.

But thanks to OU’s biomedical engineering department, the Oklahoma City boy recently put on his first 3-D-printed hand, free of charge.

Twelve-year-old Austin Shumsky was born with Poland Syndrome, a condition that affects one side of the body, often times the hands or pectoral muscles.

His left hand is significantly smaller than his right, and his fingers are fused together.

Jennifer Shumsky, Austin’s mother, first discovered the possibility of 3-D printing opportunities for her son when she stumbled across the blog of a girl from Nevada with the same condition as Austin who had a 3-D-pr inted hand from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“I just sent a random email this summer to the engineering department ... telling them about Austin and his syndrome, and asked if it was a possibility of something that maybe s o m e o f t h e i r s tu d e nt s might want to do,” Jennifer Shumsky said.

She was referred to Rachel Childers, an assistant professor of practice in the biomedical eng i n e e r i n g d e p a r t m e nt.

Childers recruited Emily May and Amanda Phillips, two biomedical engineering juniors, to help with the project.

The hand was created by 3-D printing segments of a wrist part, palm part and fingers made out of polylactic acid, a type of plastic.

The segments are printed separately and assembled using elastic and velcro, May and Phillips said.

The hand attaches to

PAXSON HAWS/THE DAILY

Austin Shumsky, 12, sits at a table at Starbucks on Main Street. Shumsky’s prosthetic hand was 3-D-printed by students and faculty from OU’s biomedical engineering program.

Austin Shumsky’s wrist like a glove, and the fingers move in an inward motion as he bends his wrist. It is most helpful with grabbing things, which was his greatest difficulty before the hand, Jennifer Shumsky said.

Between meeting with Austin and his mother, taking his measurements and working on the hand, the project took around two months, May said. May and Phillips gave him the prototype around Thanksgiving.

“It was so cool — he was so excited,” May said.

Because Austin will grow and the hand was a prot o t y p e, t h e b i o m e d i ca l engineering students are

hoping to work on an improved product.

“Now we’re working on potentially creating our own design, now that he’s had his hand for a while and now we’ve seen what the kinks are with it and what needs to be adjusted,” May said.

Although this first prot o t y p e i s b l a c k , Au s t i n Shumsky is hoping for a cooler, themed hand eventually. May mentioned that he wanted an Iron Manthemed design.

“My friends and me were making a joke about getting a blue sticker ... that would be awesome,” Austin Shumsky said when talking about making his hand Iron

Man-themed.

Au s t i n S h u m s k y a l s o loves soccer and the NBA 2K video game. His smaller hand has not stopped him from enjoying these things, and his new hand has just made everyday things like having a better grip easier, Jennifer Shumsky said.

3-D printing technology has been a revelation in prosthetics because it ma ke s t h e p ro c e ss significantly cheaper, said the students and Jennifer Shumsky. OU has 3-D printers in spots around campus, including the library and the Innovation Hub. “3-D printing has been such a godsend for

prosthetics because it’s been so much cheaper, and you can do it anywhere where there’s a 3-D printer, which is most universities now,” Phillips said.

Jennifer Shumsky said she had never tried to get a p ro s t h e t i c f o r Au s t i n before this opportunity arose, mainly due to high expenses. “ Fo r o n e, I’ m j u s t s o grateful they were able to do anything for us to begin with,” Jennifer Shumsky said. “Because a prosthetic, I’m assuming, would be thousands of dollars.”

Kate Perkins

mperkins5@ou.edu

Community kitchen opens in dorm Facility in Walker Center available for use by all students TORRE MULRONEY @torre_mulroney

Students living on campus will now have the chance to cook for thems e l v e s i n a c o m mu n i t y kitchen on the first floor of Walker Center.

OU Housing and Food Services decided to build the kitchen in response to student requests for a place to cook. According to Dave Annis, university associate vice president and director of Housing and Food Services, the kitchen opened at the beginning of the spring semester after initial installation began in summer 2017. It is open 24 hours a day.

“This was really the one thing over the last few years that students asked us for, a place where they could do some cooking — you know, simple things like making cookies or a birthday cake for a friend or something like that,” Annis said.

The residence halls have two other kitchens — on the third and 12th floors of Couch Center — but they are only open to residents on those floors.

“Those kitchens are more a part of the global community and really

JORDAN MILLER/THE DAILY

Mathematics and letters freshman Karaline Petty is interviewed by a reporter near the Walker Center’s kitchen on Feb. 20. Petty uses the new kitchen frequently.

aren’t open to everyone,” Annis said. “We wanted a place where anyone in housing could come and bake if they wanted to.”

The computer lab that previously occupied the space was rarely used. After a new lab was installed in Couch Center, it was time for Walker’s lab to be replaced, Annis said.

“This was a lab that had been put in probably in the early ‘90s and looked like it had been put in in the ‘90s.

With students having laptops and mobility now, it

really wasn’t being used,” Annis said.

Karaline Petty, a mathematics and letters freshman who is a resident of Walker Center, said she uses the kitchen pretty frequently.

“I am really glad that the kitchen is here,” Petty said.

“There are a bunch of computer labs, but there aren’t other kitchens (open to everyone) in the residence halls.”

Kitchen amenities include ovens, induction stoves and sinks. In

addition, mixers, pots and pans are available for student use. There is also an industrial dishwasher that will run a full cycle of dishes in about two minutes, Annis said.

The kitchen is designed to be fully accessible to students with mobility issues, Annis said.

“It is completely ADAcompliant,” Annis said.

“We have ovens that open from the side instead of the top. The whole thing is designed to make sure that our students with mobility

issues have the opportunity to use the kitchen.”

Space near the kitchen has been converted into a sitting area with power outlets and tables, which some students use for hanging out and studying.

“The fact that there are whiteboard tables in here makes me really happy because I can do my homework while things cook,” Petty said.

OU Campus Dining will host events like cooking classes and chef tutorials throughout the semester.

“We wanted to create a place where students could hang out and have fun,” Annis said.

Petty said students use the kitchen all the time, especially in the evenings after classes are out. “ I t h i n k i t ’s a c o nv e nience,” Petty said. “I don’t know what we’d do with another computer lab.”

B r i a n Ng u y e n , a m e chanical engineering freshman, said he is surprised it doesn’t have a microwave, but he is excited about the new kitchen and the opportunities it provides. “ It o p e n s u p a l o t o f healthier food options,” Nguyen said. “It is helping so much.”

Torre Mulroney

torre.d.mulroney@ou.edu

February 22-25, 2018 •

SPORTS

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George Stoia, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports

Oklahoma’s slump continues McGusty, McNeace step up, but team still falls in blowout JADYN WATSON-FISHER @jwatsonfisher

LAWRENCE, Kansas — The Sooners (16-11, 6-9 Big 12) recorded another loss Monday night. It was an ugly one.

The defense and effort were lacking, and Oklahoma dug itself a hole early once again. It didn’t seem like there were many bright spots in the 104-74 blowout against Kansas (22-6, 11-4 Big 12), but there were at least two — sophomore guard Kameron McGusty and junior center Jamuni McNeace.

For the first time this season, the duo made its way into the starting lineup, rather than coming off the bench as key reserves. It was a move that proved effective. “We’d lost a few in a row.

We’re just trying to get some sort of a spark,� coach Lon Kruger said. “(McGusty and McNeace) played great.

They gave us a little pop offensively. We have to keep searching, keep working at it.�

While the two have experienced inconsistencies this year, things seemed to click on the offensive end, even if the outcome was undesirable. The two went 17-of-26 compared to the rest of the team’s 13-of-39 and were Oklahoma’s top scorers.

PAXSON HAWS/THE DAILY

Junior center Jamuni McNeace fights to get around his opponent during the game against Kansas on Feb. 19. The Sooners fell to the Jayhawks, 104-74.

McGusty was there for the assist from freshman guard Trae Young on two 3s — he was one of only two Oklahoma players to hit more than one shot from the arc — and one under the bucket. He also recorded a mid-range jumper in the first half to keep the Sooners in the game. He tied his career-high 22 points and pulled down three rebounds.

McGusty, who has struggled to be the offensive power he was for Oklahoma last season, played his best game in seven weeks and had double figures for the second time in three games.

McNeace, an all-or-nothing man for the Sooners, proved to give it his all offensively on the trip to Allen Fieldhouse. He muscled his way to the basket for

a dunk, was ready for the much-needed tip-in, logged essential jumpers and layups. To top it all off, he hit both free throw attempts to finish his night with a new career-high 18 points. “These guys picked it up a little bit tonight and battled, no doubt about that,� Kruger said. “All things considered, it felt like we hung in there a little while.�

While McNeace said nothing changed or clicked internally, and that the Sooners shared the ball and funneled him scoring passes, McNeace and McGusty’s night cushioned the already hard blow. They helped bring Oklahoma back from a 20-8 deficit early in the first half and then cut the Jayhawks’ lead to 9 points in the second. It could have — and

with Young’s season-low 11 points, it probably would have — been worse without their contributions. “(I’m) just doing whatever I can to help the team grow and help us get over this hump that we’re in right now,� McGusty said.

Jadyn Watson-Fisher jlfwf96@gmail.com

Softball loses No. 1 ranking CLASSIFIEDS Sooners experience first loss of season, win second game ABBY BITTERMAN @Abby_Bitterman

The Sooners (6-1) fell to No. 4 in the USA Today/ NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 5 in the

ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 after previously being ranked No. 1 in both.

Oklahoma suffered its first loss of the season this past Saturday at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, New Mexico, falling 4-3 to Boston University. The Sooners were able to bounce back in their second game of the

tournament, though, beating New Mexico State 2-0.

Washington claimed the top spot in the USA Today/ NFCA poll, and Florida is the new No. 1 in the ESPN/ U SA S o f t b a l l p o l l . Tw o other Big 12 teams were also ranked in both polls — Bay l o r No. 8 / 1 0 a n d Oklahoma State No. 18/16.

The Sooners will be back in action this weekend at

the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California.

They will take on No. 17/15 Arizona State, Team Japan, B r i g h a m Yo u n g , No r t h Carolina and No. 13/12 Arizona.

Abby Bitterman abbybitt@ou.edu

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Then-junior left-handed pitchers Paige Parker and Paige Lowary discuss on the mound in the Women’s College World Series Championship game against Florida on June 5. The Sooners lost their first game of the season Feb. 20.

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.

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DEADLINES Place line ad by 9:00 a.m. 3 business days prior to publication.

Display Ad ............................................................................3 days prior Classified Display or Classified Card Ad Place your display, classified display or classified card ads by 5:00 p.m. 3 business days prior to publication.

Universal Crossword 44 Lease again 46 Make a decision 47 Title for Shakespeare 48 Attachment to 62-Down 50 A singing voice 52 Fixes 56 Puzzler 60 Yarn makers of old 63 Be a hawk 64 Recorded 65 ___ mater 66 Violin’s pins 67 Sees 68 Pig food DOWN 1 Prefix with “biotic�

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8 Spanish appetizer 9 Acid variety 10 Reprimands 11 Neat 12 Some bills 13 Major direction 18 Stretched tightly 19 Sandwich meat

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Edited by Timothy Parker February 22, 2018

ACROSS 1 To a great distance 5 “Ain’t ___ Shame�

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17 Feature of “Twin Peaks�?

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42 Takeoff surface 43 So-so grades

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23 Brasserie 24 Try 26 Fry in a pan 27 Flynn of old Hollywood 29 Assembly in D.C. 31 Word with “ear� or “tube�

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ROUND DANCE By Timothy E. Parker

HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

Copyright 2017, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Make every moment count. Look for the positive in any change that comes your way. Accepting others and yourself and doing your best with PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Be grateful and use whatever is gener- what you’ve got will lead to peace of mind. ously offered to help spin things your way. Don’t ignore what’s SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Beavailable to you or dismiss what fore you make a purchase, consider you are capable of achieving. your motives. If you’re on an emoARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Work tional spending spree, stop. Only until you have mastered what you spend your money on something that can help you advance. want to present. Winging it may have worked in the past, but this time you will have to get your facts SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Put more energy into how you straight. earn your living or your volunteer TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Open work. Being responsible will give up and let others know where you you a greater sense of self-worth and confidence. stand and what you intend to do.

Taking control will give you a sense CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -of freedom and the ability to get How you were raised and the way what you want. you handle money and domestic GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Little situations will be what elevates you gestures can turn into a big deal if to a place of comfort. Ease your stress by knowing what’s right and you are forthright in the way you go about helping others. What you then doing it. receive in return will surprise you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Avoid arguments with peers or CANCER (June 21-July 22) -relatives. If you don’t agree, do Participate in group endeavors to your own thing. Arguing will be work alongside people from all walks of life. The information and a waste of time and will make experience you gain will encourage matters worse. Avoid excessive behavior. positive personal changes.

FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Stay under budget and don’t promise more than you can deliver. Timing will be important, along with moderation and emotional control to avoid a misunderstanding that affects an important relationship.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Address an issue you have with a friend, relative or colleague. Keep an open mind to find a way to turn a negative into a positive.

4

• February 22-25, 2018

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

Allison Weintraub, A&E editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/a_and_e • Twitter: @OUDailyArts

Local theater company debuts

Group will present different version of Shakespeare’s play HEATH KUYKENDALL @HeathKuykendal1

Norman Family Theatre will present its first full-length production, “Romeo and Juliet: The Radio Play,” this weekend.

According to its Facebook, Norman Family Theatre strives to create theater that is “accessible to the general public on all levels” while providing a space where people of all ages can enjoy theater.

According to Dara Fogel, a professor of education management at the University of Central Oklahoma and one of the co-founders of the group, said Norman Family Theatre sees itself as filling the gap left by the Norman Community Playhouse, a center for producing community-oriented plays. Fogel said her parents

were founding members of the Playhouse.

“There really wasn’t any active community theater around for families,” Fogel said. “There are theater classes, but for people of modest means those are out of reach.”

Fogel said she wanted to give young people like her son the opportunity to experience theater in a safe community environment. She said she believes that allowing young people to work on productions gives them invaluable skills.

“Theater training teaches you a lot of life skills,” Fogel said. “And even if you never step foot on stage, just being around the craft and the discipline of it can really help young people. Plus, it involves face-to-face interactions with humans, as well as reading and understanding literature.”

In September 2017, Fogel ap p ro a c h e d h e r f r i e n d and fellow theater enthusiast Cody Clark, asking if he would like to start a

community theater with her.

He agreed, and the two filed the proper paperwork to be recognized as a nonprofit organization.

Norman Family Theatre has held several meetings since, where it was decided the group would put on its first show in February, with Norman Family Theatre’s board of directors suggesting a production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Clark volunteered to direct the show under the condition that he could adapt it into a lighthearted comedy rather than a tragedy. To do so, Clark cut the script down into smaller scenes without changing any of the dialogue.

He eventually created a version of Shakespeare’s classic tale told by a group of actors performing at a radio station in the mythical town of Frog Hollow, Oklahoma.

Clark said his adaptation made staging the show a challenging process.

“What the actors are actually doing only now and then

has anything to do with the actual words they’re saying,” Clark said. “The actors voicing Romeo and Juliet may be at each other’s throats while they’re saying ‘I love you.’ It became something very different for the actors right off the bat — they’re having to learn the lines of Shakespeare and the motivations of (their characters).”

The production will feature eight actors, five technical workers and a small backstage crew. It will also feature 90-year-old local actor John “Count Gregore” Ferguson, who previously hosted horror movie shows on WKY-TV. The show will be held at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 and 24 at the West Wind Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

Shows are free and open to the public. If attendees would like to reserve seats in advance, they can either email nor manfamilytheatre@ yahoo.com or they can message the group on Facebook.

Heath Kuykendall

kuykendallheath@ou.edu

Girl Scouts come to OU’s Norman campus to sell their popular cookies to members of university community Girl Scouts are out and about, ready to sell OU community members their cookies.

Girl Scout Troop 238 was stationed outside of the Bizzell Memorial Library. Thin Mints, Caramel deLites and Peanut Butter Patties are just a few popular names of Girl Scout Cookies that are available to choose from. “(We) plan on going all over campus,” said Anita Winborne, Girl Scout parent of Troop 238. “We just stopped here first because there seems to be a lot of traffic here.”

Winborne said that part of the money goes to the Girl Scouts program and that some of it will go to building a new Camp Cookieland. The old Camp Cookieland was previously sold by the Girl Scouts to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority so that it could build a turnpike.

Tyler Moore, @onetmoore

Kesha to visit Oklahoma City’s Zoo Amphitheatre in 2018 as part of tour promoting ‘Rainbow’ album

Kesha will bring her “Rainbow” tour to Oklahoma City’s Zoo Amphitheatre in the summer of 2018.

The concert will take place on July 2, 2018, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Lawn special presale and venue presale began at 10 a.m. on Feb. 21. Public onsale begins at noon on Feb. 23.

Kesha released her album “Rainbow” in 2017 after going through a legal battle with former producer Dr. Luke. The album spawned the singles “Praying,” “Learn to Let Go” and “Woman.”

The “Rainbow” tour offers a VIP package that will allow fans to get into the venue early, as well as commemorative objects like an enamel pin set and an autographed poster.

The Zoo Amphitheatre is located at 2101 NE 50th St. Tickets can be purchased online.

Allison Weintraub, @AllisonWntrb

Sooner Theatre to put on production of famous musical ‘Les Miserables’ with full cast of high school students “Les Miserables,” the critically acclaimed musical, will come to Norman in March, courtesy of the Sooner Theatre.

But this isn’t the everyday production — what makes this production of the musical unique is that the cast is made up entirely of high schoolers.

“We knew that we were going to perform it with a full cast of high school students,” said Nancy Coggins, Sooner Theatre’s development and marketing director.

“It is difficult to get the rights to perform ‘Les Mis,’” Coggins said. “They do offer limited rights to be able to perform that production with students. Every cast member in the show has to be in high school or lower.”

Age, however, is no indicator of the talent represented in the production.

“Any audience member that comes to see this production is going to be impressed with the amount of passion and talent that the kids leave behind on that stage,” Coggins said.

Tickets are now on sale for $15 on the Sooner Theatre’s website. The musical will run from March 7 through March 11.

Stephanie Boyls, @bluemoose96

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Way to go! Keep up the good work!

The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution. For accommodations on the basis of disability, call 325-7869.

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The Norman Family Theatre will present a non-traditional version of “Romeo and Juliet.”