W E E K E N D E D I T I O N | O C T O B E R 11 -14 , 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
For 100 years, the student voice of the University of Oklahoma Charnell Walls, president of the Sooner Chapter of Women in Aviation International, stands in front of a plane at the Max Westheimer Airport in Norman on Oct. 10.
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
TAKING FLIGHT
International Girls in Aviation Day aims to inspire next generation of women to seek careers in the sky
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fter the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Charnell Wa l l s f o u n d h e r s e l f without a job. Laid off by United Airlines in a personnel sweep after the tragic attack, Walls headed to Oklahoma to attend aviation school with one goal in mind: bring more women to the field of aviation. “I started this journey in 2001 as a flight attendant for United. The attack happened and shut all of that stuff down,” Walls said. “I was laid off, and it was at that time that I decided to be a pilot because the pilots were not getting laid off.” Walls is now president of the Sooner Chapter of Women in Aviation International, an organization created to combat low female enrollment in the School of Aviation by creating a space for females to come together, share their experiences and champion female aviation initiatives. She moved to Oklahoma from Denver, Colorado, in pursuit of studying aviation at OU. Walls appreciated the country lifestyle and felt it would be a nice place for her and her daughter to settle. She now lives in Norman and attends classes each week at
JERICK A HANDIE • @JERICK AHANDIE the Max Westheimer Airport in Norman. Girls in Oklahoma will have an opportunity to learn more about the aviation industry Saturday at the Max Westheimer Airport for the fourth annual International Girls in Aviation Day, an outreach event to inspire the next generation of women to seek careers in aviation. Events are free and open to the public and will go from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The local chapter will join international chapters around the world Saturday to host a program full of events designed to provide girls with hands-on aviation related experiences. Sooner Flight Academy will also host several events. The S ooner Women in Aviation is a chapter recognized by the Women in Aviation International nonprofit organization that encourages the advancement of women in all aviation career fields. The event will include female-identified representatives from around the state who share expertise in a wide range of aviation jobs such as pilots, air traffic controllers and maintenance technicians. Girls ages 8 to 16 will be able to ask experts about their experiences working in
aviation. Victoria Croney, aviation junior and professional pilot, said she is lucky she had female role models to educate her about aviation growing up and luckily ended up in the career field.
“Girls in Aviation Day is a really good opportunity to not only show the girls that women in a male-dominated field that have been told or shown through social norms that they can not be pilots or mechanics are actually doing it.” VICTORIA CRONEY, AVIATION JUNIOR AND PROFESSIONAL PILOT
“Girls in Aviation Day is a really good opportunity to not only show the girls that women in a male-dominated field that have been told or shown through social norms that they can not be
pilots or mechanics are actually doing it,” Croney said. “It is beneficial to them to get hands-on experience in aviation.” Walls said introducing girls to aviation early on will benefit the girls’ longevity in the career. “We want to help steer girls in directions that they want to go and introduce them to places that they didn’t even know existed,” Walls said. Walls said the organization’s mission is to inform students and the community that OU has an aviation department. The organization has worked to advance its presence on campus and garner more community support. “My initiative this year — and the rest of the officers agree with this — is to get people to know that we even have an aviation department,” Walls said. “Last year, no one knew except for the aviation students, pretty much.” Mark Thiel is a member of the organization, which welcomes m e n to c o m e su p p o r t t h e i r goals, and said there are people who can and want to be flying but are unsure if it is an attainable goal. “The organization helps say that this is something that you can do, and anything that is
going to promote flying in aviation to a group that does not really consider it an option is going to be fantastic,” Thiel said. Walls said the urgency to educate younger generations about what aviation entails is even more important today because the career field is losing numbers due to natural attrition of aging pilots. “At 65, most pilots have to retire from flying,” Walls said. “They are retiring faster than they can filter new pilots in, so we are trying to get the word out so that people get into the aviation program and actually help close that gap.” Croney also said the organization provides a safe space for women to express themselves openly. “When you are the subject of being one of few, you tend to change yourself to fit into your environment, but being with women, you can be yourself and talk about your struggles and your accomplishments and not fear any judgement because they are going through the exact same thing,” Croney said. Jericka Handie
Jericka.C.Handie-1@ou.edu
McNeill welcomes defensive challenges Interim coordinator prepares to take helm from Mike Stoops ABBY BITTERMAN @abby_bitterman
Ruffin McNeill is up for the challenge. McNeill was named Oklahoma’s interim defensive coordinator on Monday, Oct. 8 after it was officially announced that Mike Stoops had been dismissed. Now, McNeill will be faced with the task of improving the Sooners’ defense, a defense that currently ranks No. 96 in the
country and gives up 421.2 yards per game. “I’m grateful and honored to be here at OU first, but the interim doesn’t bother me,” McNeill said. “I love challenges — I love opportunities even more than challenges.” Lincoln Riley hired McNeill as assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach a week after being named the Sooners’ head coach. The two had previously coached together at Texas Tech and East Carolina. This isn’t McNeill’s first time taking over as a defensive coordinator with an interim tag. It’s something he had to do in 2007
when Lyle Setencich resigned as Texas Tech’s defensive coordinator. McNeill eventually took over the role for the next two seasons. The Red Raiders were just four games into the season when McNeill took over, and they didn’t have a bye week for things to settle down like the Sooners do now. Having seen McNeill take over in an interim role before helped Riley name him to the position this time around. “Sometimes you get trained for situations like this,” McNeill said. One of the biggest challenges the Sooners face defensively is
their ability to tackle. But tackling is something McNeill thinks can be fixed. “I had to do it before. It takes work,” McNeill said. “There’s no Harry Potter. There’s no magic wand. It’s just making sure that we keep emphasizing it.” Having been around the players and the staff will help with the transition, McNeill said. As he takes over as defensive coordinator, McNeill wants to make it as smooth a transition as possible. His goal is to get everyone on the same page before Oklahoma goes down to Fort Worth to take on TCU. “The ideas we had on defense,
we were all part of,” McNeill said. “I like what we do, so there won’t be any changes in nomenclature. It’s not an overhaul at all. With the kids, with the interim tag that was asked earlier, it’s the most minimum adjustments as possible, so it’s held true here.” McNeill, who will retain his assistant head coach position, also used to be a defensive line coach alongside Calvin Thibodeaux, who will handle the position group on his own now to allow McNeill more time during practice to work with all parts of the defense. See MCNEILL page 6
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NEWS
Anna Bauman, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
SGA fails to set election board Shift in workload will accommodate lack of appointees JORDAN MILLER @jordanrmillerr
Due to miscommunication issues the executive branch took responsibility for, OU’s Student Government Association is left without an election board three weeks prior to upcoming elections. SGA president Yaseen Shurbaji vetoed a bill appointing election board members on Oct. 4, and explained his veto at the meeting of SGA’s Undergraduate Student Congress Tuesday. He said it was due to congress passing the bill on the premise election board candidate Kayla Ward would resign, but Ward decided to withhold her resignation after being confirmed. Shurbaji said many members of the congress approached him about vetoing the bill prior to his decision. “Given a lot of input I thought … it was in our best interest to veto it and just figure it out from there,” Shurbaji said. Shurbaji has a storied history with SGA’s election board from when he ran for president ten campaign grievances were filed against him during that time. E l e c t i o n b o a rd c h a i r Brandon Swearengin said he was not consulted in the vetoing of his bill appointing election board members, and learned about it after the fact through a text from Shurbaji. “I would have appreciated
input,” Swearengin said. “I was not pleased.” Although Swearengin said he was unhappy with his bill’s veto, he said he did have ethical concerns with Ward’s decision to withhold her resignation. Swearengin said his recommendation to congress — if they wanted to take action against Ward — was to go through the impeachment process so that they could still have an election board. “The president either wasn’t aware of that … or chose to disregard it,” Swearengin said. “Regardless, the president chose to veto that piece of legislation, against the advice I gave to congress, and I would have advised him against it, too, had he given me the courtesy of letting me know.” Over the weekend, Shurbaji wrote a bill to appoint a board after the original bill was vetoed, but it failed in a congressional committee since the opening text was not properly advertised as regulated by a code provision to protect against favoritism, chair of Undergraduate Student Congress Tom Cassidy said. In the meantime, election board duties will be taken on solely by Swearengin and the SGA superior court. O ne specific election board duty is running polling places, since they are required to have one election board member oversee procedures during the election polling, according to Swearengin. If there is no board appointed, Swearengin said running all five polling places proposed — there have only been two in the past — will be left up
to him. The bill on polling places was tabled until next week to give time to see who will be running them. “(It is) a strong concern of mine that the superior court is going to be overwhelmed,” Swearengin said. “It’s just a mess.” Shurbaji said he believes the superior court should be ready for any amount of work. When asked about the executive branch’s mishandling of the process, Shurbaji said he’s had a “whole lot” on his plate and designated things out to others, which led to miscommunications. “They shouldn’t be afraid of a lot of work because that’s why they exist — to serve the student body,” Shurbaji said. “Whether it’s a little bit of work or a lot of work, it shouldn’t really matter.” Shurbaji said anything the election board would have needed to rule on will be assigned to the superior court. For help with Swearengin’s work, Shurbaji said they are working on reopening applications to fill the election board by the week prior to voting. Swearengin said one of his main concerns with not having an election board is that polling locations will be put in jeopardy, since although designees to the election board can be appointed in the meantime, “very few people are interested in serving in that capacity,” and many do not understand the procedures on polling places. “I would rather have no polling places than corrupt polling places,” Swearengin said. “At this point I do not feel comfortable in stating
JORDAN MILLER/THE DAILY
Members of the Undergraduate Student Congress meet Oct. 3. The Student Government Association is left without an election board after president Yaseen Shurbaji vetoed a bill appointing election board members Oct. 4.
that we will have polling places, because I simply don’t feel like we will.” Shurbaji said he feels they can find people to run the polling places, saying there were more than enough “competent people” to do the job. Swearengin said he may “go rogue” and refuse to hold polling locations if the location bill is passed through the legislature without an election board. Swearengin has been threatened with impeachment and the removal of his stipend if he decides to do this, he said. “If they want to impeach me or take my stipend away because I’m acting in what I believe is the best interest of the student body to make sure election integrity
is being upheld, I will go before the senate any day,” Swearengin said. During the meeting, Shurbaji said he felt the election will “not be as contested” and the election board will have “fewer things to do.” There are only two candidates running for president in the upcoming election, one of whom is Shurbaji’s chief of staff. Swearengin said although he agrees the presidential election will not be as contested, the other elections will be and the board will still have work to do. “Respectfully to the president ... the president is not the chief justice of the SGA election board,” Swearengin said. “Although … he is familiar with (Ward’s) perspective, he’s not as familiar
with the behind-the-scenes perspective.” Shurbaji said although there are a lot of qualms about there not being an election board in time, the superior court will be able to fill in with election board duties. “I think those concerns are valid,” Shurbaji said. “But I think they’ll find it won’t end up being as big of a deal as they’re making it to be now — particularly because there’s a superior court in place that can help make rulings on any serious complaints that arise.” Jordan Miller
Jordan.R.Miller-1@ou.edu
NEWS
October 11-14, 2018 •
Sooners embrace gaming OU esports group aims to break video game stigmas BLAKE DOUGLAS @Blake_Doug918
On a Saturday afternoon in Dallas, Texas, a group of Oklahoma Sooners gather before the biggest game of their short playing careers. After a few last words of encouragement and pats on the back, the team members enter the field of play and don their headgear. But instead of strapping into football helmets, these Sooners wear gaming headsets. Rather than holding a football, each player grips a controller. This is not the Red River Showdown. These students are in the Irving Convention C e n t e r, c o m p e t i n g i n the finals of the OP Live Overwatch Tournament — a competitive video gaming, or “esports,” event. O ver watch is a vide o game featuring two teams of six players who choose from a variety of heroes, containing many nuanced strategies and combinations of characters. The Sooners lost in the finals at their most recent competition, but their matches were viewed by thousands online and in person. Esports has been steadily growing in popularity across the world, and this has led to some large tournaments being aired on ESPN internationally. That growing popularity can be seen on OU’s campus, too. The Overwatch team is only a small subdivision of the larger eSports Association, which encourages gaming Sooners to get together and play for fun or competitively with popular games like Super Smash Brothers, Call of Duty and Overwatch. The eSports Association at
OU has more than 380 members, according to its lead adviser Mike Aguilar, and he said he expects that number to climb to about 450 members by the end of 2018. “We knew we had to create our own ESPN for visibility. So we are,” Aguilar said, referring to the association’s growing media platform, sooneresports.org. Esports competitions are held worldwide among the most talented players of specific games. Often, the events are held at regional levels before players move on to national and world stages. Depending on the game, individuals or teams play against one another for opportunities at prize pools that often range from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars at the most popular events. Bryan Climer, coach of OU’s Overwatch team and an IT employee at the university, said some universities are even offering scholarships and recruiting talent for collegiate esports. Climer said there is a common stigma that most people are reluctant to consider playing video games a “sport” and often question why ESPN and other sports outlets cover them, but that he sees little reason to hold esports in any less esteem than traditional games. “It does take a tremendous amount of skill,” Climer said. “Hand-eye coordination, focus, determination, the ability to think on the fly and modify your decisions.” P l ay e r s o n O U ’s Overwatch team hone these skills in specific drills, putting in the countless hours of practice expected of other student-athletes, Climer said. Meteorology sophomore Ben Price said some of those drills include learning how to strategize with various game characters and watching old game film of previous
JORDAN MILLER @jordanrmillerr
Members of OU’s Student Government Association will work with the new OU administration to provide input on university financial issues through an advisory budget council. The budget council is an advisory group that meets several times a semester to give recommendations on “anything we think is needed on the university basis,” involving the university’s fiscal policy, said Sam Quick, Congress Ways and Means chair who was appointed by OU President James Gallogly to the council. The
budget council has been in existence for a “long time,” Quick said. The budget council has 14 members, including a president-appointed student, two SGA student appointments, and faculty and staff members to help advise on financial matters, Quick said. The budget council’s first meeting was Oct. 1. Ways and Means committee member Taylor Wilson, one of the student appointees on the council, said its first meeting served as an introductory one. “Just letting us know the current budget crisis situation that’s going on, and some suggestions on how to fix that, that’s where we are right now,” Wilson said. “(The meeting was) like, ‘Hey, this is the situation, and this is how we think we want to fix it.’”
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Bryan Climer, OU’s Overwatch coach, stands on the north side of Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 2.
tournaments. In preparation specifically for the recent tournament, he said stadium noise was also used. “Before this tournament, Coach had us put on crowd cheering noise as we played, since OP Live was going to be on a stage,” Price said. “So we had to prepare for a vastly more difficult atmosphere than just being in our own rooms.” Price said there are a variety of Overwatch character types — healers to keep teammates alive, tanks to absorb damage and shield more vulnerable characters, and DPS, or “damage per second,” characters who deal massive amounts of damage but are generally vulnerable. Like a traditional sport, Climer said part of his job is to identify the strengths of his players as they experiment with the different Overwatch characters in friendly sessions. While these sessions are not traditional practices, Climer
said playing for fun during off-time does help hone the team’s skills and deepen the pool of strategies they can employ in a tournament setting. Bailey Brown, an advertising senior and news director of the eSports Association, said the team spends as many as 50 hours a week practicing. “I built a scouting report for this event,” Climer said, referring to his lists of every other Overwatch team the OU group might face and how to best beat them. Just as a Sooner sports team must adjust their game plan week-to-week, the Overwatch team changesdstrategies match-to-match to better oppose their 16 opponents at OP Live, each with individual strengths and weaknesses. The Overwatch team also requires its members to keep up with physical activity in addition to their practices. “They’ll go to the gym twice a week as a crew to
go work out. They still don’t want that stigma of being gamers in a chair for 12 hours,” Brown said. Climer said esports has a bigger potential to be more inclusive than traditional games. “Esports has a definitive edge in being able to be played by a larger variety of people,” he said, referring to the esports teams that are often co-ed. While the team may not get the recognition it is due in Climer’s eyes, the group’s members will continue to prepare and battle through their preseason, working toward events in the spring semester. “These kids have ability and skill the likes of which I’m amazed by,” Climer said. “They’re just phenomenal students.” Blake Douglas bdoug99@ou. edu
SGA members join budget council OU students to use advisory group to voice concerns
Kayla Branch Editor in Chief
H a r o l d M o r t i m e r, a Weitzenhoffer-endowed professor of musical theater performance, serves as the chair of the budget council. This is Mortimer’s first year as chair and second year on the council. Mortimer said in an email his duties as chair include facilitating meetings, working with members to set goals for the year and inviting administrators to speak to the council. “All members are expected to actively engage with their constituencies, collecting concerns as well as giving pertinent updates,” Mortimer said in the email. Mortimer said the first few goals of the budget council will be to review audit reports on the Financial Support Services website and to review faculty salary discrepancies.
In the wake of the presidential transition, Mortimer said many campus advisory groups have been excited about “potential change and growth.” “President Gallogly has been very receptive to input and advice,” Mortimer said in the email. “For the Budget Council, learning a new or updated budget system and reviewing prospective changes will be primary goals. I expect that we will have much more work as a committee than has been experienced in the most recent years.” Wilson said she is happy she has the opportunity to talk with university administration as part of the budget council. “All we really want to do is make sure students have the resources they need to continue on in their
organizations … Sitting there among all of those other people higher in the administration, we have the opportunity to tell them up close and personal how important this is,” Wilson said. “Now we have our voices at a higher up table.” Wilson said her main goal with the budget council is to make sure more resources are available to student organizations outside of SGA funding. “Programming for organizations is super important, it’s very integral to the organization as a whole,” Wilson said. “If those resources are cut, what are they going to do?” Jordan Miller
Jordan.R.Miller-1@ou.edu
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Faculty Senate addresses allegations News 9 article suggests financial ignorance at OU JERICKA HANDIE @JerickaHandie
OU’s Faculty Senate discussed a News 9 article that suggested certain professors planned summer research around their family vacations, among other alleged incidents of the university’s inappropriate spending, at its Monday meeting. News 9 published an investigation Thursday, Oct. 4, with documents that said expense data shown in open record reports painted a
picture of the state’s flagship university ignoring frequent financial red flags, including faculty members purchasing inappropriate supplies and taking advantage of OU’s “working meals” policy. OU President James Gallogly was quoted in the story speaking about OU’s inefficiencies. Fa c u l t y S e nat e C ha i r Megan Elwood Madden said three members of OU’s faculty contacted her over the weekend and brought the article to her attention. Senior Vice President and Provost Kyle Harper said at the meeting he thinks the article falsely implied professors were “living large in first class.”
Elwood Madden said faculty travel expenses may have been misinterpreted by the news outlet, given that there are sometimes exceptions and special accommodations needed. “If it is a conference hotel and they are giving you an approved rate, then that may actually be your cheapest option and your best option,” Elwood Madden said. “There was none of that context provided.” Elwood Madden refuted claims in the article and said it lacks context for both Gallogly’s statements and for the travel and receipt “anomalies.” Elwood Madden said she thinks Gallogly’s answers
were taken out of context. “The interview was about fleet vehicles and fleet usage, and the quotes may have been in regard to fleet vehicles and fleet usage that were then used about travel expenses and research reimbursements,” Elwood Madden said. Joshua Nelson, Faculty Senate chair-elect, also expressed concerns with the article following Harper’s remarks, saying he interpreted the article as inaccurate because it implied issues with OU’s fleet services were the cause of major financial problems. “I think that the provost was suggesting not that either the report nor the
president was suggesting that fleet vehicle use was precipitating a financial crisis,” Nelson said. Senate members also voted to empower the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to act on behalf of the full senate on recommendations regarding academic programs and budget changes. Members also listened to a presentation from the interim Vice President of Human Resources Marcy Fleming concerning benefits for faculty members. Jericka Handie
Jericka.C.Handie-1@ou.edu
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VOL.103, NO. 57
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• October 11-14, 2018
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
Siandhara Bonnet, a&e editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/life&arts • Twitter: @OUDailyArts
ALMA CIENSKI/THE DAILY
Breakfast from IHOP includes hash browns, bacon, eggs and blueberry pancakes Oct. 8. IHOP beat Waffle House in a taste test of breakfast foods.
Battle of the breakfast giants IHOP wins out in taste test between restaurant staples ALMA CIENSKI @almacienski
Since IHOP and Waffle House came on the scene in the 1950s, Americans have debated, rated and contemplated which of the two most popular breakfast bites reigns supreme. The Daily went to both restaurants to observe the atmosphere, price and quality of the food to crown one restaurant as king of the most important meal of the day. As a consumer of both restaurants from a young age, I do not have a preference toward waffles or pancakes. However, it’s important to note that I prefer crispy hash browns, chewy bacon and fluffy eggs. Waffle House features a blueberry waffle, so I decided to order that, as well as blueberry pancakes at IHOP to see which one does the flavor best. I ranked each food item on a scale of 1 to 10: 1 being inedible, 5 tasting like a standard, store-bought product and 10 absolutely blowing my mind. WAFFLE HOUSE: Atmosphere - No rating given, but I always love the small-town feel of Waffle House. The workers cared about my meal and made sure everything I ordered was on my table. Waffle House’s motto, “Good Food Fast,� rings true, as my meal was served in a timely manner. I ate at Waffle House at 10:30 p.m. on a Tuesday night. Eggs - Standard eggs. It tasted like they were made
from real eggs, opposed to liquid egg mix from a carton. They were just like how I make them at home, although I would prefer them with cheese. There is not much to say about these eggs. Rating: 5/10 Hash browns - Pretty good, as far as hash browns g o. Thes e hash brow ns were probably frozen, but they cooked them to a nice crisp. I cover my hash browns with ketchup, but thes e w ould have be en perfected with some added salt and pepper. Rating: 7/10 Bacon - Bacon is perfect when it is chewy and crispy in all the right places. The Waffle House bacon was a little too crisp for my liking but still had good seasoning. Rating: 5/10 Blueberry waffle - It hit the spot. The waffle was sweet enough that it could be eaten on its own, although it would feel dry. The butter and syrup make it next-level. Rating: 8/10 Total: 25 points
IHOP: Atmosphere - I sat down at the table at 7:30 p.m. and was not ser ved my food u nt i l ap p rox i mate ly 3 0 minutes later. While it took a bit longer for my food to arrive, the wait staff was kind as they filled up my glass and asked if I needed anything with my meal. The price for my meal was a reasonable $8.99, not including tax. IHOP’s menu features breakfast, lunch and dinner that is served 24/7. Egg s - The e ggs w ere pretty good. Cheese would be a nice addition, but I’m sure the staff would add it upon request. Rating: 6/10 Hash browns - The hash browns were good. A good flavor and an interesting
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.
stack - So sweet and so delicious. The only thing preventing me from giving it a perfect 10 is the knowledge that I may not be in the mood for something sweet as pie for breakfast. This stack is topped with blueberry spread and whipped cream that could stand alone or be paired with original or blueberry syrup. Rating: 9/10 Total: 30 points
THE WINNER: IHOP When it came down to the right textures and rich flavor, IHOP took home the crown as the better of the two. While it may take slightly longer and cost a few dollars more, IHOP offers a menu with a wide variety of meal options that will hit the spot any hour of the 24 it’s open. Note: While at IHOP, I also tried a burger, out of
curiosity after the whole “ I H O B� ( I n t e r n a t i o n a l House of Burgers) campaign earlier in 2018. I was shocked to find that the Cowboy BBQ burger I had f ro m I H O P wa s f a nt a stic. This burger is stacked w i t h l e ttu c e, to mato, a hamburger patty, cheese, bacon, an onion ring and barbecue sauce, although I opted for the original “IHOP sauce,� which tasted similar to the In-N-Out spread. With each bite, it actually made me feel bad that they received such criticism, having pulled a publicity stunt like they did. Don’t get me wrong, they should continue focusing on breakfast. However, the burgers are not something to be laughed at, just something to be enjoyed. Rating: 9/10 Alma Cienski
aacienski@ou.edu ALMA CIENSKI/THE DAILY
Breakfast from Waffle House including hash browns, bacon, eggs and a blueberry waffle Oct. 2.
Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker October 11, 2018
ACROSS 1 A guttural laugh? 6 Oboe ancestor 11 Across-thepond airer 14 Greyhound loading site 15 Mountaintop dwelling 16 State neighboring Fla. 17 The forcing from a fixed position 19 Tough thing to crack 20 Singlemasted crafts 21 Crane part 23 Floyd and Cleavon 26 Fen-ish 27 Exit 28 Scald and cool vegetables 30 Like Pegasus 31 Fertilizer from bats 32 Dim going back? 35 “Deck the Halls� verb 36 This puzzle’s topic 38 Tokyo, once 39 Plea to the Coast Guard 40 Signals with a thumbs-up 41 Quick cut 42 Communion plates 10/11
contrast of crispy on the outside and mushy on the inside. I dressed these hash browns with ketchup, and I savored every bite. Rating: 7/10 Bacon - It was just how I like it : chewy while still having a crunch. The flavor from the fat of the bacon was delicious, although I wish it were a bigger piece. Rating: 8/10 Blueberry pancake
44 Move sneakily 46 Handy symbol of hard work? 48 Simon Legree and his ilk 49 One way you can say that? 50 Little software program? 52 Coal mover 53 Disturbance of the normal position 58 Deli sandwich 59 Mary of “The Maltese Falcon� 60 Third monastic hour 61 Affirmative reply 62 Strike hard, centuries ago 63 Muse playing a lyre DOWN 1 Throw in 2 Floral necklace 3 Wife of Saturn 4 Handgun sheath 5 Ringlike islands 6 Palms yielding starches 7 Ropemaking fiber
8 Greek war god 9 Beat everyone 10 Antifreeze predecessor 11 Extreme evictions 12 Cheek application 13 Vindictively tart-tongued 18 Buck lovers 22 Tolkien monster 23 Tips for salespeople 24 Arctic digs? 25 Some surgeries 26 Every ___ king 28 Harbor bouncers 29 Washrooms, for short 31 Male Fed 33 Genius? Not even close
34 Relatives of 33-Down 36 Huge domed rooms 37 ___ out a living 41 Outlawed pitch 43 Heavyweight legend 44 Softest solid 45 Picture in one’s mind 46 Driver for hire 47 Quick on one’s feet 48 Future mushroom 50 Vino region 51 Moviegoers follow it 54 Suffix with “professional� 55 Financial portfolio part 56 Fourth qtr. month 57 “New� prefix
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HOROSCOPE By Eugenia Last
Copyright 2015, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last Positive thought and progressive action will help you overcome any adversity. Offer an objective point of view in order to attract people who are as innovative as you are. How you bring about change and what you do to help others will affect your personal growth. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Find a way to make a difference. If you offer your time, skills or a kind word, you’ll find a way to bring positive change to your life as well. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Think outside the box. Be innovative and proactive when handling sensitive situations. Personal growth will lead to a positive change. Love is on the rise.
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GET OUT By Timothy E. Parker
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -Consider the sort of changes you’d like to see happen before you make your move. If you look out for the underdog, you’ll get some surprising help.
for what you want to see happen. Financial gain and long-term contracts look promising. Romance is highlighted. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Stick to the people you know you can trust. Getting together with a former co-worker will lead to an interesting suggestion. Nurture an important relationship. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You’ll be drawn to a partnership that encourages you to do things differently. What you learn from someone with more experience will lead to new beginnings. Personal change is favored. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Take the time to listen and find out where others stand before you jump into something risky. Physical activities will help you blow off steam. Tidy up loose ends before moving forward. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Settle in and get things done. Personal changes will turn out well, and relationships with children and loved ones will flourish if you offer encouragement and help. Romance is highlighted.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- A change to how you do things will make others take notice. Your dedication and hard work will pay off, LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Don’t let anger ruin your day. Treat others and the support you receive will the way you want to be treated, give you hope and added vitality. and be willing to bend in order to get things done. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Listen and assess situations cautiously. Don’t be too open about VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -your plans or opinions. It’s in your Travel, communication and personal growth are all featured. If you sign best interest to find out where up for a retreat or self-improveeveryone else stands before you ment seminar, the people you meet make a commitment. will change your perspective on life. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Sail into whatever new venture attracts you. Share your ideas and push
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
October 11-14, 2018 •
5
Capstone pushes boundaries
24-hour plays will challenge artists, debut in festival HEATH KUYKENDALL @HeathKuykendal1
It might sound impossible to create a working theater show in a single day. At OU, theater performances are planned far in advance of their show dates, with more than enough time set aside for costumes to be sewn, sets and props to be built, and actors to memorize lines and bring their characters to life. But acting senior Jonathan Yawn wants to do the impossible and find out what kind of art can be produced if a show only has 24 hours to prepare. This is the mindset behind his senior capstone project. Used as a conclusion to a senior drama student’s college career, a capstone project encourages students to get outside of their comfort zone and create unique, impactful art. Yawn plans to use his capstone to challenge not only himself, but anyone else in the School of Drama who would like to assist him. His 24 Hour Play Festival will see student playwrights creating several 10-minute plays from 6 p.m. Oct. 12 to 6 p.m. Oct. 13. After the writing is done, the playwrights will hand off their scripts to student directors and their small teams of actors. The groups will have between eight
and 12 hours to rehearse their shows and gather any costumes or set pieces they might need before performing at 7 p.m. Oct. 13. “We are trying to create an opportunity for playwrights and directors to flex their muscles and really work on their craft with low stakes,” Yawn said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to act in a really short span, too. We wanted to formulate a way for many people to collaborate.” Yawn said his choice of capstone project is unusual. Most drama students either take on research projects, write new plays for future publication, work as the head of an entire backstage crew or cast and direct a full play. Yawn said while he respects these projects, he wanted to create something special. “One of the things I was looking for in my capstone was something that doesn’t revolve around a passion project,” Yawn said. “I don’t want to put up work that will serve only myself. I wanted to create something that is for ever yone involved, both the company and the audience members. I wanted to do something that is repeatable, too.” More than 30 drama students have signed on to work with Yawn so far, and he hopes a few more will join before the festival begins. Yawn said there has been a pretty even grade breakdown among the students, with freshman actors itching to work and senior
PAXSON HAWS/THE DAILY
Acting senior Jonathan Yawn reads the introduction to the “Union Square Accident” on Jan. 20, 2017. Yawn is performing a show for his capstone project with only 24 hours preparation.
directors and playwrights brainstorming ideas. Yawn will serve as the event’s leader, along with acting seniors Tori Hartley and Michael Breath, who will also use the festival as their capstone projects. Hartley will serve as the coordinator of the six student directors, as well as directing one of the shows herself. She will aid the directors in getting what they need and will coach them through the process if they get overwhelmed. Hartley said she hopes the festival will become a new tradition in the School of Drama. “I really wanted to do something meaningful for my capstone,” Hartley said.
“I wanted to create something tangible. I want to see this recreated next year and the year after that. It’s a great chance for someone who’s never gotten their work out there or who’s never worked under challenging circumstances to grow.” Hartley said when debating on an admission price, the leadership team decided to ask for a minimum of two canned or non-perishable items from every audience member. The team plans on donating the collected goods to Norman Food and Shelter, a local charity feeding and empowering the homeless. “It’s special to me that we
can create art and then give back as well,” Hartley said. While Hartley will coordinate the directors, Breath will serve as the acting liaison, helping the student actors flesh out their characters in the limited amount of time they’ll have to work. Breath will also act in one of the 10-minute plays himself. Breath said he hopes to push his own skills to the limit with the project. “I like to think I’m pretty good at cooperating with people,” Breath said. “But this is the ultimate test of ‘Can you work with a group?’ I’d like to see if I’m capable of that.” Like Hartley and Yawn, Breath is excited to get to
work on what he thinks will be an incredibly unique and enjoyable capstone project. “It ’s a br illiant idea,” Breath said. “It’ll be fun to write, cast and put it all up in just 24 hours. The challenges and the rewards that come from that are awesome.” The 24 Hour Play Festival will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Gilson Lab Theatre in Old Science Hall. The event is open to the public, and admission requires at least two canned or non-perishable food items. Heath Kuykendall
kuykendallheath@ou.edu
One-act operas showcase duality of humanity Two performances capture mankind’s fear, compassion
O U ’s p e r f o r m a n c e s o f “Bluebeard’s Castle” and “L’Enfant et les Sortilèges” showcase a wide range of emotions as their complex stories unfold. SAM TONKINS OU School of Music’s two @samanthatonkins one-act operas portray contrasting views on human From sorrow, grief and nature. In “Bluebeard’s betrayal to laughter, won- Castle,” humanity seems d e r a n d c o m p a s s i o n , dark and harmful, but in
“L’Enfant et les Sortilèges,” mankind is depicted as compassionate even if individuals sometimes make mistakes. The sets for both plays are intricately designed and fundamentally different. “Bluebeard’s Castle” features seven locked castle doors that light up when the lock is turned. A screen
JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY
Nina Estelle Whyte singing in “Bluebeard’s Castle” at Holmberg Hall Oct. 9.
above the center door shows the audience what the characters see as they peer into the doorways. “ L’ E n f a n t e t l e s Sortilèges” takes place in a battered library full of books and shelves. Later, the center bookshelf is moved, and a large tree is revealed. “Bluebeard’s Castle” tells the story of Bluebeard and Judith, a newlywed couple that has just arrived at Bluebeard’s dark castle. Judith finds a series of seven locked doors and demands the doors be opened, and Bluebeard reluctantly gives her key after key. However, as each door is opened, Judith learns more about her new husband’s terrible past. From a torture chamber to a lake of tears, the doors guard Bluebeard’s dark nature. As each door is opened, the screen above the stage shows pictures that depict the emotions released with each room. The pictures include scenes from the Holocaust, missiles and human corpses. Nina Estelle Whyte, seco n d - ye a r vo i c e p e r f o rmance doctoral candidate, delivers a powerful performance as Judith. She captures the emotions of the character as Judith’s love for
her husband turns to fear and sorrow. “L’Enfant et les Sortilèges” is the story of a young boy who does not want to listen to his mother and finish his homework. He throws a tantrum, tears pages from the books and throws his books across the room. This releases the characters from the books, and they come alive to scold the young boy. The characters range from a princess dressed in a flowing gown to a math teacher who shouts equations as people holding numbers race around the stage. All of the characters are angry at the boy for destroying their books. However, when one of the characters is hurt, the boy helps bandage the wound, and the characters learn the boy is not entirely bad. Beatrice Kim, vocal performance senior, portrayed the disobedient boy, and her tantrum was believable as she sank to the floor and cried. Her emotions swung from wonder to fear as the storybook characters appeared before her. By the end of the opera, the audience can feel the regret pouring off her character as he regrets his actions. One of the most impressive parts of the opera was
the music from the OU Symphony Orchestra, directed by Jonathan Shames, OU professor of orchestral conducting. The music was soft and mysterious at the beginning of “Bluebeard’s Castle” and slowly built to a crescendo until the fifth door was opened — becoming echoing and powerful. In contrast, the music for “L’Enfant et les Sortilèges” was more fun and quirky but still conveyed the fear of the boy. By the end of the play, the music was ethereal as the characters learned they misjudged the boy. Each opera runs for approximately an hour, and ha s a 1 5 - m i nu t e i nt e rmission between the two shows. “ B l u e b e a rd’s Ca s t l e” a n d “ L’ E n f a n t e t l e s Sortilèges”will have performances at 8 p.m. Oct. 11 to 13 and at 3 p.m. Oct. 14 in the Reynolds Performing Arts Center. Advanced tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and can be purchased through the OU Fine Arts Box Office. Tickets at the door are $30 for adults and $15 for students. Sam Tonkins
samantha.tonkins@ou.edu
JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY
Jenna Michele Black performs with Amanda Wilson in “L’enfant et les Sortilèges” at Holmberg Hall Oct. 9.
JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY
Thomas Cannon stands against the seventh door in “Bluebeard’s Castle” at Holmberg Hall Oct. 9.
JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY
Jenna Michele Black (left) faces Beatrice Kim (right) in “L’enfant et les Sortilèges” at Holmberg Hall Oct. 9.
6•
October 11-14, 2018
SPORTS
George Stoia, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports
Players react to Stoops’ firing Defense looks toward McNeill for future, leadership CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21
SOONERS TRUST COACH RILEY’S DECISION Murray repeatedly said he believes in McNeill, and he respects coach Lincoln Riley’s decision of firing Stoops. “ I tr ust coach R ile y,” Murray said. “I’m glad we have coach Ruff now. I’m balls to the wall for coach Ruff just like I was for coach Mike.” Besides a tweet about Stoops, Murray went into more detail about his reaction to Stoops’ departure. “He means a lot to me,” Murray said. “He gave me a shot when nobody else gave me a shot.” “He believed in me a lot from the jump, so for that I’m forever grateful; I’m forever thankful for it.” Ju n i o r d e f e n s i ve e n d Amani Bledsoe also expressed his reaction to Stoops leaving. “It was definitely a big shock,” Bledsoe said. “We all love coach Mike, but at the end of the day, we trust coach Riley’s decision.”
It is now day three since Oklahoma players were told in a meeting about former defensive coordinator Mike Stoops’ firing, and that Ruffin McNeill will take his place with an interim position. Stoops’ firing comes right after then-No. 7 Oklahoma’s 48-45 loss to then-No. 19 Texas on Oct. 6 with a defensive performance that allowed the Longhorns to dish 501 total yards of offense with 27 third down conversions. The firing created a frenzy on social media, including a heartfelt goodbye from the defense’s leader sophomore linebacker Kenneth Murray. Now, as the news is settling in, the Sooners are going to work on getting a rhythm with McNeill and picking up where they left off against Texas. Here is what the players are saying about McNeill KENNETH MURRAY’S and these upcoming weeks L E A D E R S H I P U N before the Sooners head to C H A N G E D W I T H TCU on Oct. 20. MCNEILL’S PROMOTION
Mur ray made it clear Stoops’ departure doesn’t change his status as a leader on the defensive side of the ball. “Nothing’s really changed in my leadership,” Murray said when asked whether or not leadership will change on defense. “I was already there from the jump.” Murray also stated he and McNeill have already discussed how important their relationship is for the defense. “Yeah for sure,” Murray said when asked about the importance of him and McNeill connecting. “That’s something that me and him talked about. That’s something that me and him are on the same page on.” AN ANSWER FOR THE STRUGGLES IN TACKLING Almost all season long the Sooners have continually cited tackling as a huge factor for defensive inconsistencies, and rightfully so. The Sooners have lacked physicality when it comes to putting pressure on an offense, often allowing large receivers like Texas’ Lil’Jordan Humphrey to run through poorly executed tackles for 133 receiving yards and a
touchdown. But on Tuesday, Murray was able to give an answer as to why the physicality was lacking. Murray cites overcompensating of aggressiveness as a factor. “Not being fundamentally
sound with point of attack,” Murray said. “Obviously when you hit somebody, a lot of the times in situations we see kill shots. And so we see opportunities to go out there and try to kill somebody and we just gotta realize that it
don’t have to be a kill shot every time.” “Get them on the ground. At the end of the day, that’s the end goal.” Caleb McCourry
caleb.a.mccourry@ou.edu
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Sophomore linebacker Kenneth Murray points to the UT sideline during the Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 6. Murray expressed his gratitude for former defensive coordinator Mike Stoops on Twitter.
Stoops opens up after dismissal from team Former defensive coordinator takes blame for defense CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21
Four days after his firing as Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator, Mike Stoops had his first interview since coach Lincoln Riley decided Stoops’ time with the Sooners had to come to an end. Stoops joined Dusty Dvoracek on the Sports A n i m a l We d n e s d a y a t noon, and the two had a 20-minute discussion about a number of topics concerning what happened and what’s next. Here’s what Stoops had to say.
career, and he regrets not figuring it out in his second stint with Oklahoma. “Disappointment in myself is probably the No. 1 thing. That I couldn’t get our program back to that level consistently is probably what hurts the most,” Stoops said when asked about his consistency in his first stint with Oklahoma
versus his failures in recent years. “For whatever reason, we weren’t able to find consistency and too many bad games throughout this second stint,” Stoops continued. “I wish I could put my finger on it — there’s a lot of different elements that go into each year. Coaching is a big element of that.”
DISCONNECTION FROM PLAYERS OVER THE YEARS Dvoracek cited his and his teammates’ love for Stoops when he played for him in the early 2000s. Dvoracek then asked if there’s anything different about how relationships with players can change
over time. “The times have changed greatly in the last ten years,” Stoops said. “Social media has changed the game in a lot of ways. I think kids are much different now than they were back when you (Dvoracek) were playing.” Dvoracek, although not mentioning his name, cited freshman safety Brendan
UNKNOWN FUTURE For the first time in the 21st century, Oklahoma’s coaching staff won’t include a man with the last name “Stoops” making play calls. When asked about his future, Stoops said he’s just relaxing. “ I j u s t w a n t t o r e s t ,” Stoops said. “Get healthy. It’s been a great strain on all of us, my whole family ... I just want to rest, heal, reflect and see where it takes me. I really don’t know.” “I wouldn’t say I’m in the same situation Bob is in,” Stoops said laughing. “I don’t know. I could see myself doing a lot of different things. I could see myself just trying to be an understudy to somebody. A Nick Saban. A Kirby Smart, somebody of that magnitude and trying to rethink and relearn. Reteach. I could see myself ... I don’t know ... I gotta see where my gut takes me.”
STOOPS STILL TAKES THE BLAME After allowing 501 yards of total offense and 48 points, Stoops is still insistent on the team’s defensive struggles falling on his shoulders. “Everything kind of came to a head on Saturday, our inability to play a level of football that Oklahoma should expect,” Stoops said. “Ultimately, that fell on me.” Stoops said he even approached Riley after the loss to Texas and apologized. The two met up on Sunday and had a discussion before his termination. STOOPS’ TAKE ON HIS FAILURES Stoops cited his inability to consistently bring success to the Sooner defense as he looks back on his
MCNEILL: Continued from page 1
The players seem to have already taken to McNeill as their new defensive coordinator. Sophomore linebacker Kenneth Murray said he loves McNeill, and he’s happy to have him as the new defensive coordinator. Murray said the Sooners have kept the same structure at practice. He and McNeill have already talked about building up their relationship, Murray said, since it’s important for him, as a leader, to have good communication with McNeill.
Radley-Hiles’ tweet the day before that gave interim defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill a happy birthday greeting, while at the same time saying “It’s different when you love the coach you playin for ...” “I can’t answer for every player,” Stoops said. “There has to be accountability. You have to play for each other at a high level. Everyone’s not going to like you and the way you coach and the way you teach. That’s obvious.”
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
OU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops walks on the field before the game against Baylor on Sept. 29. Stoops was dismissed from the OU football program Oct. 7.
“He’s a real calm, cool, collected-type guy,” Murray said. “He’s seen so much, and I’m able to learn so much from him.” Riley said on Monday he decided to make the change because he knew his team had an opportunity to make a run, and he felt like this was the best decision going forward. He thought the team needed a spark and a new voice. After having suffered one loss so far this season, the Sooners still have many opportunities left in front of them, and it is yet to be seen if McNeill can help bring the change necessary to help Oklahoma achieve its goals. “I work on controllables
Caleb McCourry
caleb.a.mccourry@ou.edu
and not uncontrollables,” McNeill said. “The uncontrollable thing is we do have an opportunity as a group, as a team, and the controllable thing we can work on is how hard we work each day as a group, as a staff, so I’m really focusing on that.” Abby Bitterman abbybitt@ou.edu
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PAXSON HAWS/THE DAILY
Then-assistant head coach Ruffin McNeill walks across the field before the Ohio State game Sept. 9, 2017. McNeill was named OU’s interim defensive coordinator after the dismissal of Mike Stoops.