Mar. 2-8, 2021

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‘I’d like to see it here’ OU seeks millions in legal sanctions, fines amid ongoing litigation in case involving Nazi-looted Pissarro painting, demands end to suit

BLAKE DOUGLAS @Blake_Doug918

OU is seeking to levy millions in legal fines against its courtroom opponent in ongoing litigation to uphold a 2016 settlement establishing the scheduled rotation of a looted painting between France and the university for display.

The university and the p a i nt i ng ’s h e i re s s, L é o n e Meyer — a Holocaust survivor who was adopted into the Jewish family that had the painting looted from its home

by Nazi forces — reached a settlement in 2016 stipulating the painting would rotate between OU’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

Meyer reopened litigation in November 2020. According to a statement from Meyer’s attorney Ron Soffer, Meyer sued once again due to the Musée d’Orsay’s refusal to accept the painting as a gift, a condition of the original settlement, due to “French law which prohibits perpetual agreements” like the rotation of the painting between OU and France agreed to in the 2016 settlement.

Article 1210 of the French Civil Code, translated into English, states “perpetual undertakings are prohibited,” and either party to such an agreement “may put an end to such an undertaking under the conditions provided (in the code) for contracts of indefinite duration.”

On Jan. 4, the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma requested the university submit recommended sanctions against Meyer after she failed to comply with a cease and desist order it issued, demanding she end her litigation in the French courts.

The university submitted its recommended sanctions for holding Meyer in contempt of the court Jan. 15, including a one-time fine of $3.65 million should she not cease litigation within three days of the submission and further per diem fines between $25,000 and $100,000 should Meyer not end her litigation within three days after payment of the original fine. More than a month later, the litigation is still ongoing.

The fines were calculated by estimating Meyer’s net worth from “publicly available sources,” according to a document from the Western Distr ict Court of Oklahoma, which was roughly $731 million, making the suggested one-time fee “equal to one-half of one percent” of Meyer’s estimated wealth.

NAYAN RAGULURI/THE DAILY

Former regent Max Weitzenhoffer at the Board of Regents meeting Jan. 28, 2016. Weitzenhoffer originally donated the painting “Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep” in 2000.

Any funds received from the fines beyond what is necessary to compensate for legal fees incurred by the university may be used, if the court deems the use “appropriate,” to “establish scholarships and other financial aid vehicles” to assist students studying “fine arts, the French language and/ or studying abroad in France.”

Max Weitzenhoffer, an OU graduate, former regent and Nimax Theatres chairman, donated the “Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep” painting, finished by Camille Pissarro in 1886, to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in 2000. In an interview with The Daily, Weitzenhoffer said he had since paid little attention to the painting or the original court battle that unfolded in 2014.

“I disliked the whole tone, anyway, of what went on. I just kind of removed myself from it,” Weitzenhoffer said. “Let the university decide what they’re going to do with it.”

Weitzenhoffer said he felt the original settlement was an equitable agreement for each party.

“They made an arrangement on the painting, which is perfectly satisfactory. … I’m really not interested any longer — it’s been 22 years,” Weitzenhoffer said, noting how long it’d been out of his possession.

Meyer ’s adoptive father, Raoul Meyer, attempted to reclaim the painting after discovering it had been moved to Switzerland in 1951, according to summons documents from

the Paris District Court. A 1953 decision by a Swiss judge dismissed her father’s attempt to recover the art due to the “fiveyear statute of limitation,” which had elapsed, according to summons documents from the French court, though the judge did not dispute Raoul Meyer’s original ownership of the painting.

“Following the Swiss court

disposed of it,” the summons read.

The painting emerged again in 1956 when on exhibit in New York’s David Findlay Gallery.

The Weitzenhoffer family purchased the painting from the gallery in 1957, according to the summons document.

“It wasn’t darkly secreted to sources in the United States,” Weitzenhoffer said. “All the

VIA FRED JONES JR. MUSEUM OF ART

“Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep,” painted by Camille Pissarro in 1886.

decision, Raoul Meyer once again lost track of the painting, as the possessor quickly

years we had the painting, it wasn’t an unknown painting.”

We i t z e n h o f f e r s a i d h i s

mother would never have been interested in the painting were she aware of the piece’s past, since the family is of Jewish descent.

Weitzenhoffer said he supports the original agreement to rotate the painting between Oklahoma and France as a way to give people who may not have the opportunity to travel to art hubs like New York City or Paris a way to see valuable works.

“This painting being here benefits a lot of people. People in this state, people in this city really enjoy seeing these things when they don’t live in New York, they don’t live in France,” Weitzenhoffer said. “(The Shepherdess piece) is not a great Pissarro — in Paris there are great Pissarros … you’re going to see paintings that knock the spots off that painting … it’s a first-rate picture, but a really great picture it is not.”

His father’s belief that the family’s wealth is a result of the “hard work of the people of Oklahoma” is another reason he wants to give back in what ways he can, including fine art, Weitzenhoffer said. After his grandfather immigrated from Austria and opened a saloon in Lexington prior to Oklahoma’s statehood, Weitzenhoffer’s father generated much of the family’s wealth through the oil industry, he said.

“When we give back, we give back to them. That is why these paintings are here, and that is why I put them here,” Weitzenhoffer said. “ They made it possible to give (the paintings). I’d like to see it here (in Oklahoma) back and forth for them.”

Soffer wrote in the statement it was important for Meyer to have the painting on display in its native country.

“It is important to (Meyer) that the painting be exhibited at one of the largest museums in the world, so that millions of visitors can see it, read about its history and remember her parents,” the statement read.

On March 2, the Judicial Court of Paris will hold a hearing on the merits of the case, a hearing on if the painting should be held by another party until the legal dispute is ended and a recently filed anti-injunction suit from Meyer’s legal team in opposition to the university filing which resulted in the cease and desist order.

Blake Douglas

bdoug99@ou.edu

Oklahoma artist to showcase ‘prairie land’ Art project seeks to highlight natural landscape at library JACINDA HEMEON @jacindarae4

Tall grass that swayed in perfect harmony with the stems of wildflowers used to be a staple of Oklahoma’s landscape. The prairie was o n c e h o m e t o b e e s , b u tt e r f l i e s, b i rd s a n d b i s o n , s o No r m a n a r t i s t L a u re n Rosenfelt has made it her

mission to preser ve that memory in an art installation at the Norman Central Library.

Rosenfelt has been awarded two grants — one from the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and one from the Norman Arts Council — to create a signage art installation at the Norman Central Library. The exhibit will feature four signs that showcase the flora and fauna of Norman.

Rosenfelt is originally from Newalla, Oklahoma, and said

she is used to small-town life.

She now lives on the outskirts of Norman near the Post OakBlackjack Forest and said after spending much of her time in nature she developed an interest for ecology, conservation and preservation of native species.

“I spent a lot of time outside, and I was interested in nature,” Rosenfelt said.

“Learning about science and the problems that we’re facing with the extinctions of many species is what led me to that.”

During her teenage years at Little Axe High School, Rosenfelt said she felt the need to choose between pursuing a career in either art or science. She followed the art path and earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

Rosenfelt said she was able to combine her love of science and art by using her art to educate the public about the natural world. She said many people are unaware of the nuances of ecosystems, but she

hopes to change that with her new project at the Norman Central Library.

The librar y already embraces a more natural landscape, and Rosenfelt said the library’s branch manager encouraged her to pursue the signage project before she had even received the grants.

She hopes the art installation will serve as an educational resource about the differences between man-made landscaping and areas where see ARTIST page 3

2

NEWS

• Mar. 2-8, 2021

RAY BAHNER/THE DAILY

Student sits in Zoom class on Oct. 9.

OU reflects on remote learning FARID ZUCHRINATA @faridzuch

Nearly one year since OU first shifted in-person classes online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online professors said they hope the “emergency online instruction” has not negatively impacted people’s view of properly planned online education.

For the past two semesters, OU has been implementing a hybrid academic model, requiring classes with over 40 students to be delivered fully online. For in-person classes, students in quarantine have the option to attend a live Zoom streaming from the in-person classroom without any attendance penalty.

Laura Gibbs, an OU professor at the College of Arts and Sciences who teaches exclusively online, said i n s t r u c t o r s h av e f a c e d unique challenges in this hybrid teaching model.

“OU is encouraging faculty to try to duplicate their classroom approach online by using Zoom,” Gibbs said. “And in some cases, OU is also expecting faculty to be able to manage students online (via Zoom) and in the classroom at the same time. ... That is the most difficult possible scenario to manage, especially for faculty who are doing this for the first time.”

The shift to online classes during the pandemic — adopted not just by OU but also universities across the U.S. — started an ongoing, national debate about the merit of “online education.” Murat Turk, a teaching and research assistant at OU Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, said the online classes OU stud e nt s a n d f a c u l t y have been experiencing the past year overlook what online education really is.

“I need to make one thing clear,” Turk said.

“When the pandemic broke out, and higher education institutions with millions of students moved their teaching and learning online, they started doing ‘e m e rg e n c y re m o t e i n struction’, not online learning or online education.”

Turk said online education is supposed to be intentionally planned and

d e s ig n e d f o r a n o n l i n e l e a r n i n g e nv i ro n m e n t , whereas emergenc y remote instruction simply aims to use whatever resources available to continue education under extraordinary circumstances, such as a global pandemic or a natural disaster.

G i b b s, w h o ha s b e e n teaching online courses for 19 years at OU, also thinks the “online classes” OU students and faculty have been exper iencing this past year is not representative of an online education well done.

“I don’t want Zoom to become a synonym for online classes,” Gibbs said.

“And unfortunately, when people are speaking about problems with online classes right now, I think what they mean are problems with Zoom.”

Gibbs said psychologists have been documenting a worldwide phenomenon called “Zoom fatigue” which is described as the feeling of being drained after being exposed extensively to micro-delays in Zoom audio, low-resolution visual and poorly lit por traits of Zoom participants.

While Zoom classes are fine in small doses, Gibbs said faculty might not realize just how much “Zoom fatigue” their students are experiencing after spending many hours in front of their computers attending Zoom classes.

Most importantly, Gibbs said OU has not done a good job at soliciting student and faculty feedback that are pivotal in figuring out what does and does not work with online classes the past year.

“When I asked in spring 2020 if the course evaluations would be revised to solicit specific feedback and suggestions from students about how to do a better job with online courses, I was told that under no circumstances would the course evaluation be changed to include that question,” Gibbs said.

“Here we are in our third pandemic semester, and the OU administration is still not gathering any information from OU’s students or faculty about the good and the bad of this pandemic online learning effort,” Gibbs said.

OU’s director of media relations, Kesha Keith, wrote in an email to The

Da i ly t hat f a cu l t y have used differing approaches to transition their classes online, and therefore could assess student experiences using personalized surveys separate from the official course evaluations.

Last semester, Keith said OU assessed whether students preferred in-person or online classes for spring 2020. The assessment — which was responded to by 2,703 students of OU’s total 27,782 in fall 2020 — found that 60 percent of students who responded to the survey indicated they preferred all or mostly in-person classes.

This semester, half of OU’s courses were offered in-person, 35 percent were online and 15 percent were blended. Of all student enrollments, 25 percent were for in-person classes, 23 percent for blended and 52 percent for online classes, according to the survey results.

“The recommendation

“

intentionally developed to collect information regarding student experiences in courses that cover all modalities,” Keith wrote.

The shift to online classes over the past year surf a c e s va r y i ng o p i n i o n s from students.

For Fanni Váradi, an industrial and systems engineering junior, the shift to online classes moved her campus from South Oval buildings to her living room. Her typical lecture halls, normally filled with hundreds of students, are now downsized to a table for two — her homemade classroom where she and her boyfriend log into different Zoom classes next to each other.

“I actually liked online classes more than in-person lectures”, said Váradi.

“I found it more convenient to study online, because I don’t have to spend time going to campus. I’m also able to get some studying done between class-

I need to make one thing clear. When the pandemic broke out, and higher education institutions with millions of students moved their teaching and learning online, they started doing ‘emergency remote instruction,’ not online learning or online education.

-Murat Turk, teaching and research assistant at OU Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education

to add questions inquiring about online courses was not reflected on course evaluations as this had already been assessed (in the fall 2020 survey),” Keith wrote.

Keith said instructors can add supplemental questions, and students can still include feedback on online courses in most course evaluations if they choose to. OU is developing a new tool to assess student experiences in the classroom and is pilot-testing this tool in 16 departments this semester.

“The tool was

“

Faculty, students weigh pros, cons of online instruction

es, or rest a little, which I wouldn’t be able to do if I had to walk from class to class all day.”

Even though Váradi’s ov e ra l l e x p e r i e n c e ha s been positive, she said online classes also pose newfound challenges. She struggles with connectivity issues — her slow WiFi at her apartment sometimes cutting off her Zoom lectures. She said she misses lab works and group projects, and she struggles with the lack of interaction with other students.

Brenda Rodarte, a psychology sophomore and

teaching assistant, said she found the shift in interaction dynamics between students to be a prominent challenge. Rodarte said her office hours where she’d normally meet with her students face-to-face are now without many meaningful interactions.

“Oftentimes, it was just the TAs putting into their group chats ‘Hey, this (assignment) is due this time,’” Rodarte said. “It was less like interacting and more like different reminders.”

However, Rodarte said she enjoys the flexibility that online classes bring, especially in asynchronous classes where real-time attendance is not required.

“Because of what’s happening with the financial circumstances (that the pandemic has caused), a lot of people have to take up new jobs or a different schedule,” Rodarte said.

“And it kind of gives flexibility if the classes are asynchronous instead of synchronous.”

Gibbs proposed OU administration should be more open to let faculty teach fully online and asynchronous courses. She said she thinks asynchronous classes are more effective for professors who need to oversee a lot of student interactions.

Gibbs also said async h ro n o u s c l a s s e s o p e n more opportunities for instructors to explore online learning platforms. While Canvas is the most commonly used online learning platform at OU, she recommends instructors to explore other tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Docs, Hypothesis and Padlet.

“I personally prefer to use a blog network so that ever y student has their own blog, and then students interact with each other in their own blog spaces,” Gibbs said.

Kara Brightwell, an international studies graduate student at OU, said synchronous Zoom classes could also be enjoyable.

“My favorite online class really made the effort to include casual conversation by including ice-breaker questions at the start of every class,” Brightwell said. “So, we still felt like we were interacting.”

Brightwell said that the ice-breaker questions could both be content

related or not.

“O n e t i m e, t h e q u e s tion was ‘Would you rather fight one human-sized cockroach or 1,000 cockro a c h -s i ze d hu ma n s ? ’” said Brightwell. “Another class we were discussing trafficking, and the question was ‘Have you ever bought counterfeit goods?’ … The questions could be anything, but they all prompted conversations.”

Gibbs said that students are the ones who can best tell instr uctors what is working and what is not.

“Faculty, you need to make it easy for students to give you feedback, including anonymous feedback, all semester long, not just at the end of the semester” Gibbs said.

For instance, Gibbs said she set up an anonymous Google Form embedded in Canvas called “Suggestion Box.” Tu r k , w h o h a s b e e n documenting his online students’ feedback, said in an online course, students commonly expect a clearly organized course structure, flexibility and open and frequent communication.

“They find (clear organization) very important in online learning because they need to self-regulate a n d m o n i t o r t h e i r ow n learning process since they do not have immediate instructor or peer support,” Turk said.

Turk also said courses should accommodate students’ special needs and circumstances.

“Especially during the current pandemic, most of my online students have had to deal with various responsibilities and commitments in their lives, including part-time employment, taking care of family members and testing positive (for COVID-19),” Turk said.

Most importantly, Turk said instructors should humanize their online learning environments.

“Openly and frequently communicate with your online students who might feel afraid or hesitant to reach out to you and ask you something about the course,” Turk said.

Farid Zuchrinata zuch@ou.edu

CULTURE

Mar. 2-8, 2021 •

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

The Pioneer Library System - Norman Public Library Central on Feb. 26.

ARTIST: continued from page 1

native flora and fauna are allowed to flourish.

“This used to be prairie land ... not manicured lawns,” Rosenfelt said.

Rosenfelt brought her signage project proposal — tentatively titled “ Po l l i nat o r a n d Nat i v e Prairie Benefits Public Art Signage” — to Norman Arts Council Executive Director Erinn Gavaghan who said she was impressed by Rosenfelt’s professionalism and her desire to better the community.

T h e a r t s c o u n c i l f re quently funds artists’ projects through grants, but Gavaghan said Rosenfelt’s proposal was the first of its kind. Rosenfelt included a detailed budget, program outline and sketches of the finished project. “ We l o o k e d a t i t a n d were like, ‘Yes, yes, this is perfect,’” Gavaghan said.

“It was a project that was not only well thought out, but actually fulfills a need within the community. We felt like it was a really wonderful fit.”

Gavaghan said the council found Rosenfelt’s idea particularly appealing because the Norman Central Library has elected to maintain a more natural outdoor landscape. Gavaghan said many library visitors have been confused by the “wild

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and weedy” appearance of the library’s lawn. “(Rosenfelt’s project) is very purposeful in its intent and educates the community,” Gavaghan said. “(The library’s landscaping) is actually meant to be the way it is, so that it can be a natural landscape that attracts pollinators and birds here to help with the ecosystem in the area.”

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition was also impressed by Rosenfelt’s project proposal and awarded her the Community Artist Partnership Grant as part of its “mission to grow and develop Oklahoma’s visual arts community,” according to a press release.

Rosenfelt said she hopes her project will help explain why the library’s landscaping is different and why that’s a good thing. She said she believes it’s important to allow Oklahoma’s native wildlife to prosper and avoid planting invasive species varieties like the common Bermudagrass.

“It is really impor tant for people to understand that it doesn’t have to be a Bermudagrass l a w n ,” R o s e n f e l t s a i d .

“Bermuda(grass) is actually an introduced species that’s super invasive and is taking away the diversity of grass species and wildflower species that are native to our lands here.”

Bluestem, Buffalo and American Beakgrain, and Indian grass are native grass species in Oklahoma,

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VOL. 106, NO. 7 Copyright 2021 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25 cents

Previous Solution

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.

3

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

The Pioneer Library System - Norman Public Library Central on Feb. 26.

according to a guide from the Oklahoma Native Plants Society.

Rosenfelt said part of the problem with invasive flora in Oklahoma is that people aren’t aware of what the landscape should look like.

She said there are very few places to purchase native

plants and that many popular landscaping stores don’t always sell plants that are native to the area where they are being sold.

“It’s the way that people have been raised to look at landscapes and their yards,” Rosenfelt said. “It’s been capitalized on by lawn

HOROSCOPE

By Eugenia Last

Copyright 2020, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last Exercise, proper diet and a healthy lifestyle will help you maintain a positive attitude and achieve the physical strength needed to reach your goal. Strive for perfection and kindness, and implement solutions to problems that are holding you back.

Romance is encouraged.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Take the high road, regardless of what others do or say. Follow your heart. A change of plans will alter the way you live. Rely on the knowledge you have gathered to make the right decision.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Align yourself with like-minded individuals who can help you achieve your goals.

Discuss your plans to ensure everyone is heading in a similar direction.

Eliminate interference.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Take care of business before someone in charge complains. Control your emotions, set your sights on what’s important and don’t let others interfere with your plans. Avoid making empty promises.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Tell the truth at all times and promise only what you can deliver. Learn from experience and avoid a no-win situation. Stick to people you know you can trust.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -Personal improvements will give you confidence to follow through with a long-term professional plan. Changing your direction or associating with people in a field that interests you will lead to opportunities.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You have more options than you realize. Stop letting someone make decisions for you. Start trusting in your ability to

get things done. Follow your heart, and make things happen.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Someone from your past will step back into your life. Make changes that will encourage greater happiness. Moderation, a minimalist lifestyle and a change of heart could be required.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -Discipline will affect the outcome of a situation you face with a close friend or relative. Speak up, make a difference and do what’s necessary to get others to take note and do what’s right.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Pay attention to what’s going on with a friend or relative. Protect your home and family from risky people. Pay more attention to someone you love, and make romance and self-improvement priorities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- A disciplined approach to your responsibilities will pay off. Listen to the facts, and don’t lose sight of what’s real and what isn’t. Break away from manipulative people.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- An unexpected change will require an instant response. Take a unique approach to the way you handle your money and professional responsibilities. Romance is featured.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -Take your time, and look for investments, deals and opportunities that will encourage stability and financial security. Don’t make changes based on what someone else does. Do what works best for you.

mowing and the use of pesticides. It just becomes like a regular part of life.”

Rosenfelt’s art installation outside the Norman Central Library and will be on display starting June of 2021. Rosenfelt said she hopes the project will help the community

realize the natural beauty of Oklahoma.

“We are looked at as a flyover state,” Rosenfelt said.

“But prairie land is really super diverse if you look close.”

Jacinda Hemeon

jacinda.r.hemeon@ou.edu

Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg March 2, 2021 ACROSS 1 Chip with toppings 6 Embassy employee 13 Loud noisemaker 15 Knights ___ (Catholic crusaders) 16 Makes happy 17 Wardrobe fresheners (SCATHES anagram) 18 Legume that sounds like a letter 19 Make very happy 21 “No ___, ands or buts!”

22 Used to be 23 The “R” of BART 26 About 30% of Earth’s land 29 “One Night in Miami” star Goree 31 Where a pop-up may send you 35 Emerald or aquamarine 37 Love, in Italian 39 Price add-on 40 Fertility lab eggs 41 Arrivals of notable things 43 Bit of gear for a cross-country trip?

44 Stimpy’s pal 45 Dough raiser 46 Domesticates 48 Inconsequential matter 50 Pull to a garage

3/2

52 Period before Easter 53 Memory failure 55 Silent communication syst.

57 Altar vow 59 Bert’s friend 61 Afternoon snooze 64 Proportionately 67 Far from forthcoming 69 Turtle candy ingredient 70 Diabolical 71 Coastal region, or what each starred answer has?

72 Holy council DOWN 1 River in Egypt 2 The “A” of BART 3 *With some of 4-Down and all of 22-Down, shoo 4 Book after Daniel 5 End of an ultimatum 6 Befuddled 7 *With some of 6-Down and all of 24-Down, disentangle 8 Film lover’s network 9 Ladybugs’ prey 10 Staff symbol, in music 11 They’re thrown into a metaphorical ring

12 Trauma ctrs.

13 Tablet download 14 Codecracking org.

20 Three-month period 22 Technique 24 Role 25 Latin for “that is” 26 Scrub, as a mission 27 Cut off 28 Persian, today 30 It may cool into obsidian 32 Response to “Who’s there?”

33 Spoken for 34 Be 36 Woman in a Derek and the Dominos hit 38 Aware of 42 *With some of 54-Down and all of 66-Down, wellestablished

47 *With some of 56-Down and all of 68-Down, versatile type of tire 49 Groups of plants 51 Relinquishes 54 Black Panthers co-founder Bobby 56 Disreputable 57 “Dies ___” (hymn) 58 Explorer on Nick Jr. 60 His home is next to Homer’s 61 El ___ (cause of disrupted weather) 62 Fired up 63 Ab’s neighbor 64 Some laptops 65 Parisian pal 66 Actor Danson 68 “My boy”

PREVIOUS ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

3/1 2/23

© 2021 Andrews McMeel Universal © 2021www.upuzzles.com Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com

Shore Thing by Kathy Wienberg

4

SPORTS

• Mar. 2-8, 2021

Attorney alleges ‘more’ to story Attorney releases statement; fourth party identified MASON YOUNG @Mason_Young_0

Walker Brown, an OU junior who has identified himself as being involved in an altercation with football holder and receiver Spencer Jones at Campus Corner bar Logie’s on the Corner, released a statement Feb. 24 regarding the incident.

T h e D a i l y p re v i o u s l y contacted Walker’s father, Thomas Brown, on Feb. 22, and he declined to comment but informed The Daily the statement was being crafted.

Wa l k e r h a s r e t a i n e d Steve Stice of TTSB Law in Norman as his legal counsel and released the statem e n t v i a a G o Fu n d M e page created by his mother, Jennifer Walker, late Monday. Brown is attempting to raise $50,000 to cover medical costs pertaining to injuries in the fight, time off of work and attorney fees.

As of March 1, he’s raised over $62,000.

“My client would first like to state how much he appreciates the

JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY

Campus Corner’s Logie’s on the Corner bar on Oct. 18, 2019

overwhelming support he has received from friends, family and complete strangers as he deals with the aftermath of the events of Feb. 13, 2021,” Stice said in the statement. “As always, there is more to the story than what is depicted

in the video.

“What is not shown is the original assault and battery suffered by Mr. Walker at the hands of Mr. Jones and his friend before the captured footage. As can be seen, my client’s nose and clothing were bloodied

prior to the beginning of the video. Mr. Walker was legally justified in defending himself in this matter.

As a result, Mr. Walker received several injuries including a torn bicep which will require surgery. We will not make any further

comment until the conclusion of the investigation by the authorities.”

According to Jones’ attorney, Woodrow “Woody” Glass of Ward and Glass, L.L.P in Norman, Jones’ injuries sustained during the fight with Brown required a

four-hour surgery to reconstruct his left-orbital socket in his eye Feb. 16.

Alongside Jones, Brown a n d B r o w n ’s b r o t h e r, Braden Brown, The Daily has identified — via a source and separate photos — the fourth party involved in the altercation as Andrew Magee. Magee, an OU senior, from Allen, Texas, played wide receiver for the Sooners for one season in 2018.

Magee was seen alongside Jones in a Twitter video displaying the altercation, telling Walker to “look at me, b****,” twice before shoving him, just seconds before the fight’s escalation. Magee, who then became involved in a separate fight with Braden, declined to comment about the situation when The Daily reached him Feb. 23.

The Norman Police Department last offered an update on Monday morning stating the investigation is ongoing. Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn will decide any charges that may be administered after the investigation is complete.

Mason Young

mason.e.young-1@ou.edu

Women’s gymnastics coach, team find stride OU celebrates historic win on the road to nationals GRAYSON BLALOCK @grayson_blalock

K.J. Kindler earned her 500th career win as a Division I women’s gymnastics head coach Feb. 26 — an accomplishment she didn’t take the credit for.

Friday’s three victories, which put Kindler evenly at 500, came as the No. 3 Sooners (14-0, 4-0 Big 12) defeated No. 10 Denver, Texas Woman’s University and Lindenwood 197.175-196.875-193.650191.625. Yet, instead of talking about her accomplishment after the meet, Kindler reflected the focus onto her athletes.

“This is their win, not ours,” Kindler said. “A coach only wins when their players are amazing. … Kudos to all of our alumni. I saw many of them in the stands tonight, and all those across the country. You guys did this.”

Kindler’s first 94 wins came at Iowa State, but the next 406 have come at the helm of the dominant OU gymnastics program, in large part due to her influence. Throughout Kindler’s 15-year tenure, she’s remained extremely humble despite having won four of the last five NCAA championships, and has always expected excellence from her

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Head coach K.J. Kindler talks to freshman Audrey Davis during the meet against Denver, Lindenwood and TWU on Feb. 26.

gymnasts.

The task has been difficult at times, but the results of her labor have been rewarding.

Former Oklahoma standout Haley Scaman, who suited up for Kindler from 20132016 and was a part of her first two national championship teams, knows that as well as anyone.

“She’s built that program from the ground up,” Scaman told The Daily after the meet.

“It means a lot to be a part of that, and it’s great to see her be

very successful.”

And for everything Kindler did for former gymnast Samantha Craus in the gym, the impact Kindler had away from the floor stands apart.

She’s more than just a coach to her team, but a loving supporter and encourager as well.

“My senior year, I tore my ACL and she wrote me a letter,” Craus, who competed at OU from 2015-2018, told The Daily. “In the letter she said that sometimes we leave a

greater legacy than numbers on a scoreboard. That stuck with me.”

To help claim the historic victory, in which Kindler cemented her legacy beyond the scoreboard, freshman Audrey Davis had one of her best meets yet. She tied her career high on both vault and bars with two 9.95s. She won the vault title outright and tied with Denver senior Lynzee Brown for the bars title.

Davis’ performance Friday marked the first time she’s

broken 9.9 on vault and bars in the same meet. And throughout her excellent freshman year, her attitude has stood out as much as her gymnastics.

“You can see joy on her face when she competes and she hits a routine,” Kindler said.

“It’s like a ray of sunshine. You can see she’s so joyful, and then even when she knows it wasn’t her best effort, you can see it in her body language that she has a passion for being out there and she’s

really enjoying every moment of it. That’s what impresses me the most about Audrey.”

In addition to Davis’ stellar performance and senior Karrie Thomas’ timely 9.9 on beam, senior Evy Schoepfer posted a 9.925 on vault and freshman Kat LeVasseur scored the same on bars.

Senior Anastasia Webb added a pair of 9.9s on vault and floor, the latter coming when Oklahoma needed a clean routine to solidify its win over Denver and help Kindler reach 500.

Despite the milestone and current undefeated record, Kindler believes her team has yet to reach its full potential.

The only active coach in the NCAA with even one national title is determined to get her fifth.

OU and Kindler will make one final home appearance for senior night at 6:45 p.m CT on March 5 against Brigham Young University before taking the road for the rest of the 2021 season, where Kindler looks to add to her win total and potentially her trophy case.

“K.J. is one of the most passionate people about gymnastics that I’ve ever met,” Craus said. “She puts everything she has into this sport, and to see her come out with this accomplishment is amazing. She deserves it and more.”

Grayson Blalock

graysonablalock@ou.edu

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Sophomore Vanessa Deniz during the meet against Denver, Lindenwood and TWU on Feb. 26.

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Senior Karrie Thomas during the meet against Denver, Lindenwood and TWU on Feb. 26.

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The Sooners cheer on freshman Bell Johnson during the meet against Denver, Lindenwood and TWU on Feb. 26.