W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | F E B R U A R Y 2 6 - 2 8 , 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
OU DAILY CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
(Clockwise from top left) Sophomore forward Kristian Doolittle, junior center Jamuni McNeace, freshman guard Trae Young and junior guard Rashard Odomes during the game against Kansas State Feb. 24.
SOONERS SHOW LIFE
Team fights complacency, brings energy to game against Kansas State to revive possibility of making NCAA run
O
klahoma was gasping for air Saturday night. The team didn’t just want to win — it needed to win. The Sooners did all the things they had to do to walk away with an 86-77 victory over Kansas State — the things they weren’t willing to do all of February. They rebounded, dove for loose balls, hit open shots and, most importantly, swung back when they were hit in the face. “We needed this,” junior guard Christian James said. “We came out and fought, and it showed tonight.” After a six-game losing streak, the Sooners finally walked away with a win just a few days before the month of March. Only two games and the Big 12 Tournament stand between them and the “Big Dance,” and while it’s almost certain the Sooners will go dancing, a multitude of obstacles still sit in
GEORGE STOIA • @GEORGESTOIA front of them. With only two regular season games remaining — Baylor on the road and Iowa State at home — Oklahoma has little time to fix the glaring issues it’s had for the last month, not to mention the Sooners currently sit at the No. 8 seed for the Big 12 Tournament. This means they would have to face in-state rival Oklahoma State in the first round, who recently beat Oklahoma in overtime and is known as one of the scrappier teams in the conference. There are only three days left before the month of March, and Oklahoma will need all three to keep its season’s hopes and dreams alive. Even though the odds are against the men in crimson and cream, Saturday night proved they still have some fight left in them. T h e “ T r a e Yo u n g s h o w ” seemed to return, with the side acts of Christian James and
Brady Manek once again spending time in the spotlight. But, while Oklahoma looked to be, in Young’s words, “back” Saturday night, one question still remains: Can the Sooners turn that spark into a fire before the NCAA Tournament?
“We just wanted to win a game. Obviously when you lose six straight, you want to focus and get better on the next one ... Yeah, we were ready to play today.” TRAE YOUNG, FRESHMAN GUARD
All season, Oklahoma has played under a magnifying glass, with college basketball analysts and national media outlets
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Freshman guard Trae Young gives high-fives to fans after winning the game against Kansas State on Feb. 24.
scrutinizing its every move. At the beginning of the season, faith in the Sooners was low as they were coming off a disappointing 11-20 season, but optimism grew with the addition of Young. Regardless, no one thought the Sooners would go on the run they did — beating teams like Oregon, Wichita State and Texas Tech. While many praised the Sooners for being nearly perfect in the first half of the season, they were quick to point out each error Oklahoma made when things began to go south. That scrutiny wouldn’t be here if OU didn’t have arguably the best player in the country. Every game became a national watch party, with promos and highlight videos of Young hyping the Sooners up each time they stepped on the court. Young took the nation by storm, scoring 43 points on Oregon, dropping 22 assists against Northwestern State and leading Oklahoma to an upset win over then-No. 3 Wichita State. Opposing team’s fans began to hate the 19-year-old phenom and his teammates, booing him or chanting obscenities each time he touched the ball. The pressure to be perfect quickly began to take a toll on Young, who would become noticeably more frustrated with every missed shot and turnover. Young began forcing shots, trying to counter each big shot by the opponent with an even bigger shot of his own. He was in the worst slump of his career, going 11-of-56 from beyond the arc at one point. During the six-game skid, the tide turned once again, and it felt as if a new national debate formed around the Sooners: Is Young too good for his teammates? Is Young overrated? Is Oklahoma worthy of playing in the NCAA Tournament? For 25 days, the Sooners listened to the noise. They crumbled down the stretch in Austin,
dropped their first game in Norman, got manhandled in Ames and Lubbock, saw their home crowd leave the Lloyd Noble Center early and finally hit rock bottom in Lawrence. Six games, six losses. Oklahoma’s win Saturday night wasn’t just another tally in the win column, it was the confidence boost it desperately needed. “We just wanted to win a game,” Young said. “Obviously when you lose six straight, you want to focus and get better on the next one ... Yeah, we were ready to play today.” Following the game, coach Lon Kruger was asked if he thought his team had turned the corner. In the most-Lon Kruger way, he jumped around the question, smiling and saying, “We made progress this week. Again, like these guys said, it’s just good to win a game.” All 16 Oklahoma players walked off the court at the Lloyd Noble Center Saturday with smiles on their faces. Their body language expressed a sense of relief, but it may be short-lived. The month of March will be an uphill battle, and the Sooners will face teams that know how to slow down their high-powered offense and pick apart their open defense. No matter their seed, the spotlight will be brighter than ever with Young leading the way. “(We had) the awareness that we’re running out of games,” Kruger said. “You’ve got to line up and play better.” Maybe Oklahoma did turn the corner Saturday, but only time and March will tell. If they want to have any chance at all, the Sooners have to play like the Oklahoma of old — splashing 3s and playing physical at the rim. If the Sooners can get back on their feet, maybe, just maybe, they can dance all the way to San Antonio. George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu
2
• February 26-28, 2018
SPORTS
George Stoia, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports
Junior guard Christian James pumps up the crowd during the game against Kansas State on Feb. 24. The Sooners beat the Wildcats, 86-77.
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Oklahoma emerges victorious Sooners’ offensive energy brings win over Kansas State
JADYN WATSON-FISHER @jwatsonfisher
Freshman forward Brady Manek squared up to take a 3. He pulled up and released. The ball bounced off the rim, and in a quick flurry of bodies, senior forward Khadeem Lattin came up with the offensive rebound before passing the ball back to Manek. He drove into the lane and went up for a dunk but slipped off the rim. A little more than a minute later, freshman guard
Trae Young pulled up for a deep 3-pointer. His shot also was too strong and bounced off. Junior guard Rashard Odomes grabbed the board, helping turn a missed basket into a fresh shot clock, which ended in a layup. While Oklahoma doesn’t like missing shots, and the 3s clearly didn’t go in, those two possessions showed something that’s been missing for weeks — fight. The Sooners (17-11, 7-9 Big 12) came out of the locker room — in both halves — with a little bit of swagger and excitement. They wanted to have fun again. That attitude carried them to an 86-77 win over Kansas State
(20-9, 9-7 Big 12) Saturday night, snapping their sixgame skid. “They came out with a little desperate energy,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “They fought for things they haven’t been fighting for, switched some things, fought for some passes.” D u r i n g O k l a h o m a ’s slump, offensive efficiency had been down, and its lax defense had been on full display. Things changed at the Lloyd Noble Center against the Wildcats. Young hit a long triple to put the Sooners on the board, and they never looked back. Eight of the nine players
who saw the floor made at least one shot, with four of them hitting from downtown. At one point, the Sooners hit three consecutive from deep — instant confidence booster. “It gives us life. It gives us energy,” junior guard Christian James said. “We want to play for each other. I feel like we moved the ball great tonight, and we got great open looks, and they fell.” Oklahoma battled for loose balls, split ball screens and muscled through defenders for tough shots — even ones that didn’t look like they would be going in. The effort paid off.
The defensive performance was something to be proud of, too. Seven men pulled down a rebound and held Kansas State to only four made 3s out of 21 attempts. Just Monday, they gave up 16 at Kansas. Oklahoma didn’t fall apart down the stretch, despite Kansas State trying to come back. The difference was stark. “We were more engaged,” coach Lon Kruger said. “They were more physical, more aggressive, more of a five-on-five feeling from the start and (had) better communication. We have to keep improving, but I thought we took some nice steps this
week.” The Sooners have work to do, and they will be the first to admit it, but they’re still in it. That’s what matters. What felt like a complete six-game free-fall didn’t end them. It finally pushed them out of complacency and back into the style of play that stunned the nation early on at places like Wichita State and USC. “I told them I thought our season was on the line,” James said. “We needed this.” Jadyn Watson-Fisher jlfwf96@gmail.com
Sooners break slump behind Trae Young Freshman guard is ‘back,’ team ends long losing streak GEORGE STOIA @georgestoia
As Trae Young jogged back to play defense after hitting his third 3-pointer of the game, he looked at the fans sitting courtside at the Lloyd Noble Center and said two words: “I’m back.” In the second half, after na i l i n g h i s f i f t h t r i p l e, Young galloped to the other side of the court with a grin from ear to ear. And then, finally, after his sixth and last made 3-pointer of the night, Young stuck his tongue out with joy as he waved to the crowd. The “Trae Young show” was officially back. Young and Oklahoma (17-11, 7-9 Big 12) finally ended their six-game losing streak with an impressive 86-77 win over Kansas State (20-9, 9-7 Big 12), and more importantly, they had fun doing it. “ You’re always wanting to do that,” coach Lon Kruger said about having fun while playing. “When things get off to a good start early, you make some shots, that kind of picks everyone up.” The Sooners hadn’t won in over a month, dropping games left and right, while
You ng — t h e f ro nt r u n ner for National Player of the Year — went through the worst slump of his career. Before Saturday night, Young had gone 11 of his last 56 from deep. Saturday was a different story, as the freshman would finish with 28 points on 6-of-9 shooting from behind the arc, deal out seven assists and commit only five turnovers. He looked like the Trae Young of December and January, with the ball in his hand and a smile on his face — a sight Sooner Nation has been waiting for. “My main focus is just playing and having fun,” Young said. “ The roller coaster that we’ve been on — it’s been tough. But you have to have fun.” Young’s energy and ability to get his teammates involved was more than apparent Saturday. With each made basket, the smiles on the Sooners’ faces would get brighter and brighter. When Kansas State would make r uns, the y didn’t panic, instead shooting with a confidence they haven’t had since December. They knew how important it was to get back in the win column, but they also knew the importance of playing with faith in themselves and their teammates as they did early in the season. The joy and enthusiasm Oklahoma showed started and ended with Young, who
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Freshman guard Trae Young smiles after making his shot during the game against Kansas State on Feb. 24. Young had 28 points in Saturday’s game.
finished the night by knocking down three straight free throws to seal the game. Before going to the line one last time, Young took the ball to midcourt, smiled at the crowd and waved his right arm up and down as
the 12,102 fans in attendance gave him and the Sooners a standing ovation. For a brief moment, there was hope in Norman. Maybe the boys in crimson and cream have turned the corner and are ready to
make a run, come March. But one thing was certain for the Sooners in that moment — they were smiling again, something they hadn’t done in 25 days. “I think I smiled a little bit more today,” Young said
with a grin. “This was one game, though. (We have) got to prepare again like we did for K-State.” George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu
SPORTS
February 26-28, 2018 •
3
Sooners secure last home win
Oklahoma seniors shine in final game at Lloyd Noble ERICKSON DEMBOWSKI @EDubya42
You win a few, you lose a few, and a few get rained out. Texas Tech (7-21, 1-16 Big 12) might have hoped for a rain delay Saturday in Norman. Unfortunately for the Lady Raiders, that doesn’t happen often in basketball. Oklahoma (16-12, 11-6 Big 12) overcame a poor shooting night to earn a 79-61 victory over the last place team in the Big 12. The margin of victory was almost disappointing for such a stout Sooner start, especially on defense, where senior center Vionise PierreLouis blocked six shots — a season high — and recorded a career-high four steals. For Pierre-Louis, Saturday’s win was a senior swan song of sorts. When Texas Tech pulled within 10 points in the fourth quarter, Pierre-Louis scored 9 of Oklahoma’s next 12 points to seal the game, despite facing sizable Texas Tech defenders. “ You just (have) to go
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Senior center Vionise Pierre-Louis recovers a ball during the game against Texas Tech on Feb. 24. The Sooners beat the Lady Raiders, 79-61.
around them,” Pierre-Louis said. “You can’t necessarily go through them. I’m used to banging into people and going through them.” And she did, indeed, go
through, around and over the Texas Tech defenders, even though Pierre-Louis was in foul trouble for most the game. She finished with a team-high 19 points and 12
rebounds, securing her sixth double-double in the last 10 games. “(Pierre-Louis’ play) is one of the things that steadies us,” coach Sherri Coale said.
“We get so used to her making eight out of 10 shots. She handled herself and her physicality and emotion very well.” P i e r re - L ou i s wa s n o t the only factor behind Oklahoma’s defensive dominance. Texas Tech tallied a torrent of turnovers, losing the ball nine times in the first quarter alone. The result was the third-lowest point total against Oklahoma in a quarter since women’s basketball switched to quarters: a grand total of 4 points. Oklahoma tied its season high with 16 steals and had several players to thank for the total, with freshman guard Ana Llanusa grabbing three and graduate guard Maddie Manning tallying four. Llanusa added 17 points and six rebounds as well. However, in the Sooners’ last home game, Saturday’s win belonged to the seniors and graduate. Down the stretch in the fourth quarter, both Manning and senior LaNesia Williams hit a crucial 3-pointer apiece, never mind that the Sooners hit only 4-of-24 before then. When Manning sank her last home bucket as a Sooner with just under three minutes remaining, she yelled
and pumped her fist, electrifying an oft-reserved Sooner crowd and sparking a 7-3 Oklahoma run to close out the game. “ T h a t w a s a b i g 3 ,” Manning said. “It got us going again. You could see our energy rise from there.” With only one game remaining in the regular season — against rival Texas, no less — Oklahoma will need the energy to continue. It’s fueled the team’s four-game win streak thus far, but the No. 4 Longhorns (22-5, 13-3 Big 12) are not equal to a seven-win Texas Tech team. For the Sooners to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament, they’ll need to pull off a top-10 win on the road in Austin. Even though Oklahoma is just 2-8 against ranked teams — albeit while playing the No. 1 toughest schedule in the country — anything is possible, especially come Big 12 Tournament time. Oklahoma concludes its regular season Feb. 27 in Austin, Texas. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT. Erickson Dembowski erickson.w.dembowski-1@ ou.edu
Oklahoma baseball struggles with errors Sooners win first game, come up short in second CHARLENE AINSWORTH
@charleneyvette1
O k la h o ma ( 2 - 4 ) sp l i t Saturday’s doubleheader with a 1-0 win over Holy Cross (1-3) and an 11-4 loss to Valparaiso (1-3). Through six games, the Sooners have shown the ability to come out on top of hard-fought games, but errors have been primary factors in each loss. The Sooners’ game against Valparaiso got off to a rough start, falling behind 9-0 through just two innings. The Crusaders were able to bring in six runs on four hits due to two errors that allowed them to take a 9-0 lead. In last weekend’s Baseball at the Beach Tournament, the Sooners committed 16 errors across their three losses. Though fewer errors were committed on Saturday — two — the opposing team was able to capitalize on the mistakes and gain momentum. Despite the momentum being in favor of the Crusaders, Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson was impressed by the amount of energy his team played with. “I think our energy to start game two was better than the whole game, game one,” Johnson said. “Jake
set the tone game one, and then we had really good performances from Prater and Berry.” Junior right-hander Jake Irvin started on the mound for Oklahoma in game one against Holy Cross, allowing only two hits through six innings. It was a different story in game two, where junior right-hander Lane Ramsey allowed eight runs on six hits after just one and one-third innings. Trailing 9-0 at the top of the third inning, junior right-hander Dylan Grove took over on the mound, allowing one run on three hits through three innings to help his team get back
on track. “I knew that if I could come in and get a couple zeroes on the board that I would give our offense a chance to get rolling again.” Grove said. “(I was) just trying to stop them and put the momentum back in our dugout.” The amount of energy that a team plays with is almost always front and center, and in Saturday’s games it was no different. It was clear that the Crusaders came out with a high level of energy that set them up with the early lead — but for the Sooners, their energy seemed to grow as the game progressed,
despite trailing by 10 runs. The Sooners would finally drive in a run during the sixth inning off a double from freshman catcher Justin Mitchell. Though still trailing by nine runs, the Sooners committed another mistake that drew a close to the momentum they had gained during the
final innings. With a runner on base, junior outfielder Cade Harris hit a home run, but by passing sophomore outfielder Kyler Murray on his way to home plate, he was ruled out and the Sooners were rewarded only one run. “I wasn’t sure if he was going to bring it back or
not, but when he didn’t, we got caught up between the bags,” Harris said. T h e S o o n e r s d e f e a ted Holy Cross again on Sunday. Charlene Ainsworth
charleneainsworth18@gmail. com
WHERE
FRESH & FAST MEET ®
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Junior Steele Walker runs around third base toward home plate Feb. 24. The Sooners defeated Holy Cross in their home opener this weekend.
THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA® UNIVERSITY THEATRE AND SCHOOL OF DANCE
CONTEMPORARY DANCE OKLAHOMA GUEST CHOREOGRAPHERS DAVID HOCHOY AND JEAN-GUILLAUME WEIS School of Dance Faculty Choreographers
Austin Hartel and Roxanne Lyst
8 p.m. March 2, 3, 9, 10 3 p.m. March 4, 11 Elsie C. Brackett Theatre 563 Elm Ave., Norman
This production is suitable for all audiences. For tickets call (405) 325-4101. Online tickets theatre.ou.edu Advance Purchase: $10 student, $25 adult, $20 senior adult, OU employee Tickets at the door: $15 student, $35 adult. No discounts, cash/check only. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. For accommodations, please call (405) 325-4101.
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• February 26-28, 2018
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
Allison Weintraub, A&E editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/life&arts • Twitter: @OUDailyArts
SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE
Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in the movie “Darkest Hour.� The movie was released nationwide on Dec. 22, 2017.
Churchill movie brings honesty
‘Darkest Hour’ gives look at man behind legendary politician HEATH KUYKENDALL @HeathKuykendal1
Director Joe Wright’s Br itish political drama “ D a r k e s t Ho u r,� w h i c h has been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, shows audiences an accurate and very human depiction of a legendary man who dug in his heels and fought against tyranny. Taking place in May 1940, “Darkest Hour� follows the tumultuous first month of Winston Churchill’s tenure as prime minister of Britain. Throughout the movie, Churchill finds himself attacked on all sides — by the Nazis in France and Belgium and by his own party at home. Churchill spends most of the runtime debating whether he should agree to peace talks with Hitler or should continue calling for war. James Hart, OU professor and chair of the history department, said the film is incredibly accurate, with very few inconsistencies. Hart specifically noted that “Darkest Hour� has one of the most realistic
adaptations of Churchill he has ever seen on film. Gary Oldman stars as the weathered and temperamental prime minister. His portrayal of Churchill is stunningly human for a man so often seen as one of history’s greatest heroes. The screenwr iters do not shy away from showing Churchill as a man of great anger, who smoked and drank more than he slept. The flawed but morally driven character Oldman crafts around this historical figure comes across less as a great hero and more as an unprepared man rising to the occasion. Hart said he found Oldman’s performance to be both terrific and historically sound. “There was a real human being in there who wasn’t all bluster and public rhetoric,� Hart said. “He was a human being with lots of flaws. It was a very real portrayal of him.� Critics seem to agree. The role snagged Oldman an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Oldman’s Churchill does not go into the fight alone, though. He is accompanied every step of the way by his secretary Elizabeth Layton, played by Lily James. James has perhaps the most
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underused role in the film, with her character primarily serving as Churchill’s typist and editor. James’ portrayal of the confident and witty secretary is nearly flawless, and despite her lack of character development, she bolsters Oldman’s performance of Churchill. Kristin Scott Thomas’ beautiful portrayal of Clementine, Churchill’s lifelong love and confidante, cements Oldman’s character as a man and not a myth. Thomas shows the audience a woman who is deeply in love with a man she knows is flawed but who would stay by his side no matter what. “It was an amazing relationship,� Hart said. “It was rocky as hell from time to time, but it was a wonderful relationship, a working marriage that really worked. It was portrayed very honestly.� H o w e v e r, “ D a r k e s t Hour� falls short in its plot. Without the powerhouse
characters it boasts, it’s doubtful the film would be as engaging as anything other than an overly dramatic documentary. With a runtime of two hours and five minutes, the movie overstays its welcome by just a hair. Nearly ever y moment in the movie, though dramatized, holds up against a historian’s scrutiny, according to Hart. One scene is most certainly unreal, however. A desperate Churchill boards a London subway and listens to the common people tell him they shall never surrender to a man like Hitler. Inspired, Churchill speaks to Parliament in a rousing final speech denouncing peace talks with a tyrant. Quite obviously, the scene is too storybook t o hav e e v e r o c c u r re d . Hart said no such interactions ever took place, but the message the scene conve yed was far more important.
Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker February 26, 2018
ACROSS 1 Quite a distance 5 One way to think 10 Informal negatives 14 Unadorned 15 French book 16 Eurasian range 17 Villainous 18 Last watch brand? 19 Ballet attire 20 Oft-memorized thing 23 Toast holder? 24 Comes closer 25 Without exception 28 Wee branch 30 Undiluted, in bar-speak 31 Gold measure 33 Android download 36 Meetings for the distanced 40 Way-old before 41 Clergy opposite 42 Breakers of fives 43 Tasting sour 44 Instant of truth? 46 An actual jerk 2/26
49 Handy Lewis 51 Camera attachments 57 Type of pricing 58 San Antonio site 59 Almost 5,000 square yards 60 Wave makers 61 Tornado warning 62 Work out at the gym 63 “Get out of here!� 64 “Giddyap!� animal 65 Woolly mothers DOWN 1 Be an accomplice 2 Top pick, in slang 3 Seed cover 4 Assign 5 Pearl City greetings 6 Impressive transports 7 Roasting places 8 Hankering 9 Sausage purveyor Jimmy 10 It’s covered by 3-Down 11 Caribbean island 12 U-turn from supporter
13 Speaks unclearly 21 Tissue layer 22 Join together 25 “Cough up,� in poker 26 How roue look? 27 Corduroy ridge 28 Swish from beyond the arc 29 Word with “cry� 31 Sweater type 32 Captain’s rear 33 Facial blemishes 34 Hammer variety 35 “Ahem!� kin 37 “C� for a carpenter?
38 Boat propeller 39 Appoint 43 African fly 44 Sam at “Cheers� 45 Metal rock? 46 Fill, as a teddy bear 47 Type of colony 48 Flared dress style 49 Musical Ringo 50 Abodes 52 Choppedmeat dish 53 Grab bag 54 Tugged thing 55 Eagle type 56 Comprehends
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“He’s up against a huge challenge: convincing the British to go to war again,� Hart said. “That (scene) was a perfect way of creating what the filmmakers saw as his relationship with the British public.� By the time Parliament rises in full force to applaud Churchill’s call for war, it’s hard not to feel moved to action. The film is by no means perfect, but it captures the atmosphere of a
TEL E ABOUT IT By Timothy E. Parker
Heath Kuykendall
kuykendallheath@ou.edu
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HOROSCOPE By Eugenia Last
Copyright 2017, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -Financial gain, joint ventures and networking are all favored. Don’t sit back when you should be sharing your ideas and turning your dream into a reality. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Don’t make hasty decisions regarding your home, family or personal life. Find out all you can before you make a move to avoid a big mistake. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Do your own thing. What you have to offer others will affect how they view you. Step things up a bit and make your point heard, while fulfilling your promises.
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coming war beautifully. While often full of itself and sometimes bland, “Darkest Hour� perfectly and honestly defines the human being behind the legendary man whose powerful voice rallied a nation to war.
company. Love and romance are highlighted. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Don’t bring work home if you want to keep the peace. Personal responsibilities should be taken care of first if you want to avoid criticism. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Embrace the people who have always been there for you and build a strong circle of friends. A connection you share with someone special will change your life. Pursue creative dreams. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Your generosity will get you into trouble. Use your charm, not your cash, to win someone’s respect or love. The best change to pursue is the one that begins within.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- The odds are against you if you get into an argument. Focus more on helping others instead of just trying to get ahead. Important relationships will be on shaky ground.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -The knowledge and experience you possess will help you decide what’s right and best for you. Reconnecting with people from your past will help you gain insight and move forward.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Lead the way and do your own thing. Your insight, innovative outlook and persuasive personality will encourage good things to unfold. Personal gains look promising.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Monitor your spending and keep your reactions to a minimum. Concentrate more on personal change, not on trying to change others. Question your motives.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Be on the secretive side regarding your assets and financial situation. If you are too open, someone will take advantage of the information you share and put you in jeopardy financially. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Take part in organized charity events or offer your assistance to children or older family members who could use some guidance, support or
February 26-28, 2018 •
NEWS
Emma Keith, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
Firm vets Boren successors Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates find, research candidates
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Shelly Weiss Storbeck and Alberto Pimentel, managing partners and co-founders of Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates.
you’re using public funds for a good portion of what goes on at the university. That means that your constituents are not just the faculty and the students, but it’s the entire state of Oklahoma.” Though it is OU’s first time employing Storbeck/ Pimentel, the firm has conducted a dean and provost search at Oklahoma State University. OU presidential search c o m m i t t e e s p o k e s p e rson David Rainbolt said the firm’s assistance in the search has been valuable. “As you might imagine, it’s always good to avail yourself in any decision making process to someone who has experience,” Rainbolt said. “This search firm is renowned for having conducted many searches in higher ed around the country, so you might imagine they’ve been helpful in many aspects of (the) process.” Alberto Pimentel, one of the firm’s two managing partners, said the size and publicity of the OU search requires more employees to manage it. “This is a high-visibility search, this is a big search. So in this case, you have two main partners involved in this particular search,” Pimentel said. “You don’t usually get that. In addition,
we have another two senior -level associates working on this search and then we have a research staff. It’s an elaborate group.” The firm will be paid onethird of the next president’s anticipated $500,000 salary, including bonuses, as well as a retainer of $47,917 and a capped professional fee for candidate travel expenses, according to the contract between the firm and OU. Pimentel said these costs reflect an industry standard for search firms. Pimentel said the benefit of his firm’s employment is the background checks it performs on potential candidates but, more importantly, the ability to reach better potential candidates. “Keep in mind the people we try to attract for these types of searches are those who are gainfully employed, doing well at their current institution and have no reason to leave their institution,” Pimentel said. “The reason for having a search firm is what we call active recruitment. We reach those individuals and explain to them why it’s important those particular individuals would be good for the position.” Pimentel explained the three different levels of the background checks. In level
one, the firm does a basic search of internet databases and periodicals to see if any troublesome information arises about the candidate. In the second level, the group searches criminal history and civil litigation history, as well as terrorist and sex-offender databases. The second level is also where firm employees go through social media accounts of the candidate and search for anything the candidate has posted that may be deemed inappropriate. On the third level, the firm reaches out to a list of references provided by the candidate, as well as “offlist” references that would hav e k n ow l e d g e o f t h e candidate’s character and job performance at other institutions. Wilde said one problem in executive searches, specifically in which confidentiality is part of the firm’s contract, is reusing information gathered from a previous search without updated information. Pimentel said this was not the case with his firm. “When we do each search, we approach it with a fresh set of eyes. Information about candidates changes so regularly,” Pimentel said. “The reality is that the information we may have about an individual provides the
basis for understanding. But then everything after that has to be verified and updated.” Pimentel also said the OU search, in particular, has yielded a diverse pool of applicants and candidates. “With the help of a search firm, you find a diversity of candidates that you wouldn’t normally see, and I do mean diversity not only in a traditional sense but also in terms of profession and so forth,” Pimentel said. “So you get a broader spectrum of candidates, and you get candidates who wouldn’t have shown up on your radar any other way.” Rainbolt said that of all the help Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates has given to the search committee, recruitment of high-quality candidates has been the most valuable. “They (in the search firm) have become acquainted with, over the years, many sitting presidents and provosts throughout the country. They help bring us together with talent they’ve seen in their searches,” Rainbolt said. “I would say they’ve absolutely been a crucial help in our search undertaking.” Nick Hazelrigg
hazelriggn@gmail.com
Committee to present candidates
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Board of Regents to receive presidential search finalists NICK HAZELRIGG @nickhazelrigg
A f t e r a m o n t h l o n g process, the search committee tasked with finding a replacement for OU President David Boren has completed all interviews of potential candidates. After review ing more than 70 applications for the job of university president and interviewing a smaller and undisclosed number of candidates, the committee is on track to present its list of candidates by March 1, as anticipated, said committee spokesperson David Rainbolt. “I absolutely think that we will turn over several candidates with diverse skill sets that would be capable of being outstanding presidents for the University of Oklahoma,” Rainbolt said. Rainbolt said the committee is currently compiling the information on those finalists and transmitting that information to the Board of Regents, which will then begin the process of selecting OU’s next president. Though he said he could not confirm specifics about the finalists, including the total number of candidates interviewed, Rainbolt said he was confident in the finalists and, more
Kelli Stacy Editor in Chief
Emily Farris Engagement Editor
NICK HAZELRIGG
At the heart of the search for OU’s next president, one group unfamiliar to OU’s constituencies plays a pivotal role behind the scenes. St o r b e ck / P i m e nt e l & Associates, an executive search firm being paid more than $250,000 by the university, is responsible for much of the recruitment and vetting of David Boren’s successor, two tasks vital to the success of the next president. Though Storbeck/ Pimentel has conducted numerous searches for university presidents, provosts, deans, chancellors and other executive positions, OU will be one of the largest public research universities for which the group has operated a presidential search, based on information available on the firm’s website. Utilization of an executive search firm in presidential searches has dramatically increased in the last 20 years, according to Judith Wilde, a professor at George Mason University who has co-authored research on executive searches. Based on her research, Wilde said in 1975 only 2 percent of institutions employed the use of search firms, while by 2016 that number had climbed to 92 percent. A f t e r a na l y z i n g O U ’s search firm contract, Wilde said the firm’s exact responsibilities are “fairly typical” but ambiguous, an issue common to many similar contracts. The only information provided is the firm’s responsibility to conduct “extensive background checks” on candidates. “What we warn people is that the only thing you know is going to be done is what is written and signed for. You’re not going to be able to hold them to anything else,” Wilde said. “This is a public university, which means
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Members of the Board of Regents laugh during their meeting Jan. 24. The search committee will submit finalists for OU’s presidency to the Board of Regents by March 1.
importantly, in the work conducted by the committee over the course of the search process. “I was disappointed in no one,” Rainbolt said. “I think everyone was a zealous advocate for their constituency, yet the decorum and respect was palpable. I couldn’t have been more impressed by the people I worked with.” Rainbolt also said he believed members of the committee should be free to discuss their opinions on
the process after the new president is selected. “I think once the process is over and a president has been selected, that each of these representatives of various corners of the university community should be free to talk about their views of the process itself,” Rainbolt said. “Obviously, we can’t talk about names of candidates, ever. We’ll continue to be under an agreement.” Members of the committee signed a confidentiality
agreement at the beginning of the proceedings not to discuss information about candidates, which drew criticism from members of the OU faculty. While Rainbolt said he was confident in the list of names, he also said he believed everyone on the search committee had one or two favorites, but that they would support the next university president regardless. “It would be arrogant to think any one of us had the
ability to choose the right one in a vacuum by ourselves. So while the new president may not be who any one of us might have personally chosen, we all have confidence in the list we’re sending on,” Rainbolt said. “A choice on that list will deserve the respect, the loyalty and the support that we want the president of the university we love to have.” Nick Hazelrigg
hazelriggn@gmail.com
@theoklahomadaily
@theoudaily oudaily
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VOL. 103, NO. 14
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NEWS
• February 26-28, 2018
OU researches climate change
Teams collect data, hire new faculty using grant money JANA ALLEN
@janaabananaax
OU researchers have used a National Science Foundation grant to conduct climate research and to increase the university’s capacity for future research. T h e g ra nt, o r i g i na l l y provided by Oklahoma’s Established Program to St i mu l at e C o m p e t i t i v e Research in summer 2013, has since funded several different research teams at OU that have created a statewide socio-ecological observatory, developed high-resolution climate projections and made data available as a resource for cities and other decision-making bodies to plan for the future and manage resources. Renee McPherson, director of research for the S o u t h C e n t ra l C l i m a t e Science Center and associate professor in the OU Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, has served as a co-lead researcher for the EPSCoR project. McPherson’s team used money from the grant to purchase computer storage that lets members make high-resolution climate projections of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, L ou i s i a na a n d p a r t s o f Kansas and Missouri through the end of the century. “We’ve started working with tribes and cities and other decision organizations to help them use these projections to plan for the future, whether that planning be for water management and thinking about their broader needs,” McPherson said. “Or, for example, with some of the tribes they’re thinking more holistically about how climate change will impact public health, how it will impact their emergency management operations, their energy usage and water usage.”
JORDAN MILLER/THE DAILY
Alicia Knoedler, executive associate vice president for research, speaks to a reporter about her work on the Oklahoma EPSCoR project on Feb. 20. A 2013 grant from the National Science Foundation funded the work of several OU research teams.
The team has worked most closely with the Chickasaw, Choctaw and Citizen Potawatomi nations, McPherson said. The Citizen Potawatomi Nation recently completed its climate adaptation plan — the first that a tribe has worked on, she said. “Chickasaw and Choctaw nations use our projections in their water plan process,” McPherson said. “So they’re doing a large scale water plan for both the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. They’ve been working together on that.” McPherson said there are many questions that can be answered with these data sets and that anyone who wants to use them may. Other than the tribes working with EPSCoR, they’ve
already been utilized by OU students working on capstone projects, faculty and students at Oklahoma State University and students being paid to work on other projects, she said.
Biology, has focused on establishing a statewide socio-ecological observatory as part of the EPSCoR project. The observatory is meant to give a better understanding of how the in-
“We’ve started working with tribes and cities and other decision organizations to help them use these projections to plan for the future, whether that planning be for water management and thinking about their broader needs.” RENEE MCPHERSON, OU ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND CO-LEAD RESEARCHER FOR THE EPSCOR PROJECT
Xiangming Xiao, director of the Earth Observation and Modeling Facility and professor in the OU Department of Microbiology and Plant
teractions between humans and the natural environment will change due to a varying climate. The researchers have
created this observatory through technologies like remote sensing, GPS and geographic information systems, as well as through the placement of observation sites throughout Oklahoma that collect data scientists can use to predict how vegetation will react to a changing climate, according to Oklahoma’s EPSCoR website. “So that ecological observatory is trying to develop a multi-skill observations system ... (for) monitoring and tracking the ecosystems’ ... composition, structure and function,” Xiao said. Alicia Knoedler, OU’s executive associate vice president for research and the co-principal investigator for the EPSCoR project, said EPSCoR not only has
allowed researchers to do valuable research but also has helped the university build infrastructure that makes it more competitive in the research field. The infrastructure Knoedler referred to includes the computer storage purchased by McPherson’s team, equipment purchased by Xiao’s team and three new faculty members hired through the EPSCoR grant. “EPSCoR is also interested in increasing diversity,” McPherson said. “Before the three hires that we had in our department (of geography and sustainability) that were EPSCoR-related, we only had three females on our faculty, and so this added three female faculty members.” The geography and sustainability department held searches for new faculty at the same time that were unrelated to EPSCoR but used identical techniques in the way their search committees brought in a broad range of candidates and treated them equally throughout the interview process. The outcome brought in two other female faculty members. “Now, about half of our faculty of about 20 is female,” McPherson said. “There’s a gender balance now that did not exist before.” McPherson added that a team led by an OU meteorology professor has applied for and received a new National Science Foundation grant that will allow it to better predict natural hazards with a focus on heavy rainfall. “This group ... is now able to use that computing infrastructure that we bought within EPSCoR to do this work for the new grant,” McPherson said. “That’s one of the main focuses of the EPSCoR projects, in totality, is to build infrastructure that allows the university to be more competitive, to bring in other external grants.” Jana Allen
jana.r.allen-1@ou.edu
OUPD investigates student death in dorm Freshman found dead on Thursday in Walker Center
a student death that occurred in the residence halls on OU’s campus last week. Kyle Carey, an OU freshman and member of Delta ANNA BAUMAN Upsilon fraternity, died @annabauman2 Feb. 22 in Walker Center, university officials said. T h e O U P o l i c e OU press secretary Matt Department is investigating Epting released a statement
on behalf of OU President Dav i d B o re n re ga rd i ng Carey’s death. “We are deeply saddened by Kyle’s tragic death,” Boren said in the statement. “Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends.” Delta Upsilon’s international executive director
Justin Kirk said the fraternity is mourning the loss of one of its own. “Delta Upsilon mourns the tragic loss of associate member Kyle Carey, Oklahoma ‘21,” Kirk said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Kyle’s family, the Oklahoma Chapter and the entire OU
community during this dif- will be released when plans ficult time.” are finalized, Kirk said. OU has provided counselors for Carey’s hall mates and friends, Epting said. Anna Bauman D e l t a Up s i l o n a l s o ha s anna.m.bauman-1@ou.edu made counselors available for fraternity members as they process the tragedy, Kirk said. Information about a vigil
Oklahoma students to march for gun laws Florida shooting incites others to ask for gun control SIERRA RAINS @sierramrains
Oklahoma students will march on the Capitol next month to join students across the nation in demanding better gun control laws after a Florida high school shooting. Jamie Pool, a Sallisaw High School student and one of the main organizers of the march, said she and her fellow classmates were just looking for a way to support Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students when they decided to organize a local “ Ma rc h f o r Ou r L i v e s,” which will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 24, at the Oklahoma Capitol. “We saw the shooting, and it was very heartbreaking,
and when they announced that they were going to do a march, we wanted to do anything we could to support them,” Pool said. “We looked and we couldn’t find an Oklahoma march, so we decided to organize our own.” The Florida shooting left 17 people dead, and with numerous active shooter situations occurring this year, Pool said she believes only students are going to be able to make a change at this point. “For years, adults have had the opportunity to fix this, and they haven’t, and it’s our lives on the line, so if somebody is going to do it, it has to be us,” Pool said. After creating a Facebook group for the march, Pool said she and the other organizers of the march received an outstanding amount of support. People from different organizations across the state began reaching out to offer resources for the
march, Pool said. “They started advising us, and they’ve been helping us with recruitment. They’re helping with security and fundraising, and they’ve just been letting us know everything that goes into it,” Pool said. Pool said people of all ages are encouraged to attend, and so far she is expecting around 1,000 people from across the state to participate in the march. S e ve ra l stu d e nt s w i l l speak out at the event to encourage lawmakers to make changes that will better protect students, Pool said. “We are hoping that more common sense gun reform will be passed, like better background checks, psychological evaluations, as well as limited access to assault rifles,” Pool said. Sierra Rains
sierra.m.rains@gmail.com
VIA FACEBOOK
Oklahoma students have planned a march on the Capitol next month to demand gun control laws. This march was organized after 17 people died in a Florida high school shooting.