W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | O C T O B E R 15 -17, 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 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Redshirt junior defensive tackle Dillon Faamatau, senior offensive lineman Dru Samia, sophomore cornerback Tre Norwood, redshirt senior linebacker Curtis Bolton and redshirt junior offensive lineman Bobby Evans in the red room Oct. 1. Faamatau, Samia, Norwood, Bolton and Evans all have tattoos with significance to them.
SOONER INK
Five OU football players show off tattoo pieces with special meanings, stories behind them ABBY BITTERMAN • @ABBY_BITTERMAN
The Sooners have a lot of ink on them. Many of the players on Oklahoma’s roster have tattoos, and many of those tattoos have stories behind them. The Daily set out to find the stories behind some of the most interesting and meaningful tattoos on the team.
TRE NORWOOD
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Left: Sophomore cornerback Tre Norwood in the red room on Oct. 1. Right from top to bottom: Norwood got this tattoo in memory of his grandfather, who he is named after. Norwood’s mother, Shea, said the bottom tattoo is “a mother holding her infant child.”
Tre Norwood’s mom never wanted a tattoo. But one day, Norwood suggested to his mother, Shea, the two get matching tattoos. They went and got it done two days after Norwood’s 18th birthday, just a few months before he had to head to college. “When a child comes to you, there’s no love like that that you have for your child, and so, without any hesitation, I was just in. I was absolutely in,” Shea said. “I just thought, ‘wow’ — that’s the best way to really say it. My son — you don’t ever doubt that your kids love you — but wow, he really loves his mom.” Shea, a nurse, wanted to get something simple, so they got a symbol that means mother and son on their wrists. The big half circle is the mother holding the son, the smaller half circle. “My mom, after we had established that we were going to actually do it, she looked up some ideas,” Nor wood said. “And
this is one that she likes, and of course it’s what my mama likes so I’m going to go with it.” Norwood, a sophomore cornerback, has several other tattoos on his left arm, including one in remembrance of the man he’s named after. W h e n Sh e a wa s p re g na nt with her first child, a boy, her husband wanted to name him Michael after himself, but she wa nt e d t o na m e h i m Ca l eb because there were already Michaels in her Catholic family. But then, Shea got a call from her father-in-law — also named Michael. “He always felt like Tre was going to be great, so he wanted somebody to carry on his name as a grandchild,” Shea said. “He’s such a man of strength and humility, he’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met. It just instantly changed my mind.” So the Norwoods named their son Michael Wayne Norwood III, and he goes by Tre.
Norwood and his grandfather, known as Pawpaw, were “thick as thieves,” Shea said. Pawpaw put a football in Norwood’s hospital crib when he was born and was the principal of his school from seventh to ninth grade. When he died in June 2015 from bladder cancer, Norwood wanted to do something for the man who meant so much to him. When Norwood’s uncle spoke at the funeral, he ended it with “Be like Mike.” Norwood decided to get that as his first tattoo, along with the tattoo he got with his mom. Norwood and his father both got “Be like Mike” tattoos the same day he and his mom got their matching tattoos. “ W e w e r e s u p e r c l o s e ,” Norwood said. “I miss him all the time, think about him all the time. He was a great role model, great leader. He was always in my life, and he just taught me a lot of things within sports and just life in general.”
The tattoo took eight hours, and Faamatau sat through it with no breaks. Wuki drew the lion freehand. Faamatau wasn’t worried about how the tattoo was going to turn out though, having seen the work his cousin had done on his brothers. Faamatau also has Samoan tattoos on his arms, but the designs aren’t finished yet, and he said he can’t tell the story behind them until they are done. “The meaning is not completely done until the tattoo is complete,” he said. As for the meaning of the lion, Faamatau has some ideas about why his cousin picked it. “I feel like he probably chose the lion because, like they say,
the lion is the king of the jungle,” Faamatau said. Faamatau has a thick, curly head of hair framing his face in a way that almost resembles a lion’s mane, but that’s not all he wants to have in common with the animal. Faamatau’s goal is to be as respected as a lion is. “He’s respected by many, and also feared by many,” he said. “I don’t want to say that’s my motto, but I kind of live by that. I don’t want to have many fear me, but I just want to be respected by many.”
DILLON FAAMATAU
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Left to right: Redshirt junior defensive tackle Dillon Faamatau in the red room on Oct. 1. Faamatau’s cousin Wuki gave him a tattoo of a lion since he thought it represented him.
D i l l o n Fa a m a t a u s a t a n d watched two of his older brothers get tattooed by his cousin Wuki when he decided it was his turn. “Hey, can I get a tattoo?” Faamatau, now a redshirt junior defensive tackle, asked. “All right, well this one, I’m going to make it mean something,” Wuki said. Faamatau, who was heading into his junior year of high school at the time, wanted his cousin to choose something that he thought represented him. His cousin came up with a lion. “I asked him to give me something that he thought resembles me,” Faamatau said, “And he chose to put a lion on my arm.”
See TATTOOS page 2
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• October 15-17, 2018
SPORTS
George Stoia, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports
BOBBY EVANS
TATTOOS: Continued from page 1
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Left: Redshirt junior offensive lineman Bobby Evans in the red room on Oct. 1. Top right: The clocks on Evans’ forearms have the dates and times his brothers were born. Bottom right: Evans’ “Feed the family” tattoo is the most meaningful to him.
Family is important to Bobby Evans. Several of his tattoos are family oriented, just like he is. One is a saying that reads, “Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.” His most meaningful tattoo is on his left forearm and says “Feed the family.” He got the tattoo with his older brother, Tay, who has the same words on his left bicep, and it’s a motto he goes by each day. Evans, a redshirt junior offensive lineman, and his brothers have always
been close. They did a lot of together, even beyond sports, Tay said. Tay and Evans played at OU together, studied in Italy together and have been roommates since coming to college. “Family is something that is really important to us,” Tay said. “For us to even come here and play together and go to the same school together, it means a lot, because a lot of people don’t have that relationship with their siblings so to get the opportunity to do some of the things we’ve been able to do together. It’s really been amazing and I’m very grateful for it.” Last semester, Evans decided he wanted another tattoo. He was looking around the internet for
inspiration when he saw clocks. He decided he wanted to incorporate the clocks into a tattoo representing his brothers and came up with the idea to make them the times and dates his brothers were born. The top clock reads 12:41 for the time his younger brother, Jonquae, was born. Jonquae is two years younger than Evans, and the two shared a room growing up. The bottom clock is set at 10:36 for Tay, who is one year older than Evans. “I thought it was a pretty cool idea,” Tay said of the clocks. “Me and my brothe r s, w e’ve a l way s b e e n close growing up … when he said he was getting that I thought it was pretty cool.”
“That’s power hour right there. I don’t know how Dru did it,” said Dillon Faamatau, who has similar tattoos and was impressed with the time Samia spent in the chair to get it done. Each of the designs has a different meaning to it. One of the designs represents an octopus arm, Samia said. It symbolizes multitasking and being able to take on and juggle different things. “My tattoo artist went through and explaine d what each one meant as he was putting it on me, and I just told him my story and he gave me the tattoo that he thought fit me the best,”
Samia said. Samia told the tattoo artist about where he was from, about being half white and half Samoan and about the story of football in his life. Samia said the artist also talked with Gilbert while planning the tattoo, and his uncle was there with him for the beginning and the whole second day while he was getting it done. “I always wanted something to kind of show my culture and kind of be proud of it because I guess I don’t look the most Samoan,” Samia said. “But now that I have this on my arm, I can kind of represent my culture.”
growing up. He would leave the house for work at 3 a.m., Bolton said, get home at 5 p.m. and then come to practice to coach him. When he died, the military gave his family a box with his rank, accomplishments and other things. Included in the box was the photo his father took when he first joined the Navy, and Curtis decided to get that tattooed on his chest. He plans to add more around the portrait in the future. “I just wanted something to remember him by,” Bolton said. “You know everybody has the little memorial piece.” Bolton’s best friend’s big brother, Daniel, gave him that tattoo and his others. He wanted to get it done by someone he trusted and he wanted it to be as detailed as
possible. It took about three hours to get done, Bolton said. In addition to the memorial to his father, Bolton also has several other pieces, one is a praying angel with wings that is dedicated to his late grandmother. He also has a Bible verse, a cross and a warrior from the movie “300.” On the back of his left bicep, Bolton has a tattoo that combines two things that are important to him. The tattoo is a crucifix with Jesus on it, but the cross has been replaced with an anchor to honor his dad’s 20 years in the Navy. “I consider myself a godly man, too,” Bolton said. “The most important figures in my life are Jesus Christ and my father.”
DRU SAMIA
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Left: Senior offensive lineman Dru Samia in the red room on Oct. 1. Top and bottom: Samia is half white and half Samoan. These tattoos represent his culture.
Dru Samia’s tattoo took 15 hours. Samia, who is half white and half Samoan, wanted a tattoo to represent his culture. He got advice from his uncle, Gilbert, who is like a father figure to him. His uncle has a Samoan tattoo, and he helped Samia pick a tattoo artist. Samia, a senior offensive lineman, got the tattoo done during this past summer break, and it took two days for the artist to complete the work on his right arm. He was in the chair for 10 hours the first day and came back the next day for five hours to finish it.
CURTIS BOLTON
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Left: Redshirt senior linebacker Curtis Bolton in the red room on Oct. 1. Top to bottom: Bolton’s dad died in 2011 when Bolton was a sophomore in high school. Bolton combined the two most important figures in his life — his dad and Jesus — for this piece. Bolton has a praying angel above his wrist in honor of his late grandmother.
When Curtis Bolton was in fourth grade, his father was diagnosed with cancer. His father had multiple myeloma, or bone marrow cancer, and was given three months to live. However, Bolton’s dad, also named Curtis, fought until 2011, when Bolton was a freshman in high school. “That’s another thing why I don’t quit. They gave him three months to live and he stretched it out to six years,” Bolton, a redshirt senior linebacker, said. “I have no excuse to quit on anything after witnessing something like that.” His father’s death has driven him, he said, and added more fuel to his fire. Bolton gets inspiration from his father, who was in the Navy when Bolton was
Offense dominates in this week’s report card Defense needs to step up; special teams doing well PARKER PRIMROSE @parker_primrose
After its first Saturday without a game in well over a month, Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) looks like a team that will go as far as its quarterback will take them, with the offense’s dominance juxtaposed by serious concerns about the defense. Here’s how the Sooners have scored so far: OFFENSE: A The Sooner offense has been humming along, leading the Big 12 in total yards and scoring the thirdmost points in the country. Redshirt junior quarterback Kyler Murray is putting together one of the best seasons of any quarterback in the nation, passing for 1,773 yards and scoring 26 total touchdowns while also leading the team in rushing with 447 yards. Complementing Murray in the passing game is a talented wide receiver corps, a s s o p h o m o re C e e D e e Lamb and junior Marquise Brown are both putting together strong seasons.
Brown’s speed and agility have stretched the field, with his ability to make plays both downfield and in the flats putting him fifth in the nation in receiving yards. Playing the thunder to Brown’s lightning, Lamb seems to pull in a highlight-reel reception every week while using his size to box out opposing defenders. Combined, the pair is responsible for 1,098 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. The rushing attack has been hampered by the loss of redshirt junior Rodney Anderson, but the unit has still served as a threat to opposing defenses. Murray’s ability to scramble has kept defenses on their toes, and strong offensive line play has resulted in every running back averaging more than 5 yards per carry. The story to watch moving forward will be if sophomore running back Trey Sermon can follow up his 117 all-purpose yardage performance against Texas with consistent play for the rest of the Sooners’ season, which would add another dimension to the offense.
giving up an average of more than 400 yards per game and forcing just four turnovers. The unit has particularly struggled when it matters most, as they’ve allowed opponents to score points on all 21 trips to the red zone and have allowed conversions on a combined 45.7 of third and fourth down attempts. In the secondar y, the Sooners have been out-sized and out-schemed, as boxedout defenders and broken coverages have resulted in several big pass plays for opponents. Although the unit has been responsible for key interceptions to seal wins against Army and Iowa State, they have typically been bullied by opposing wide receivers and have given up an average of 306 passing yards per game when not including Army’s triple-option offense. Tackling has also been a major issue, as the Sooners have struggled to get opponents to the ground on first contact and have allowed several big gains as a result. Opponents are averaging 156 yards per game against Oklahoma, with teams like DEFENSE: CTexas and Army being able T h e m u c h - m a l i g n e d to control the clock with Oklahoma defense has had a steady ground attack. a tough start to the season, S o p h o m o re l i n e b a c k e r
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Redshirt junior quarterback Kyler Murray runs the ball in for a touchdown in the Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl Oct. 6. The Sooners are now 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12.
Kenneth Murray has had a solid season with 28 tackles, but the rest of the front seven needs to step up if things are going to improve. SPECIAL TEAMS: B+ If special teams units aren’t drawing much attention it means they are doing their job, and the Sooners have done just that. Senior kicker Austin Seibert has made five of seven field goal attempts and all 39 of his extra point attempts, serving as a consistent scoring threat when
called upon. Seibert has also averaged 43.2 yards per punt and has landed five punts inside the 20-yard line, successfully flipping the field position the few times the Oklahoma offense has stalled. On the receiving end, the Sooners have been relatively quiet, as there have been no return touchdowns and few long returns by Lamb or sophomore Tre Brown. The biggest play came via a punt block by redshirt senior Curtis Bolton against
FAU, which was scooped up for a touchdown by senior Lee Morris. This solid-if-not-spectacular unit will continue to serve Oklahoma well moving forward, as the addition of coach Shane Beamer appears to be paying dividends.
Parker Primrose
parker.m.primrose-1@ ou.edu
October 15-17,2018 •
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
Siandhara Bonnet, a&e editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/life&arts • Twitter: @OUDailyArts
Dance, drag star takes Netflix OU student appears in new docu-series ALMA CIENSKI @almacienski
Keeleigh Everett planned to have a normal senior year at her performing arts high school. She planned to audition for the school of dance at OU, dance every day at school and enjoy some time with her friends in between classes. But all of those plans changed when she got a call from her dance teacher, Justin Johnson, saying he wanted her to come back to his studio to film a Netflix show. Today, the modern dance performance freshman is at OU in rehearsals, but she can also be found on Netflix’s new original reality show “Dancing Queen” where she travels the country with her dance teacher who doubles as drag star Alyssa Edwards. “Dancing Queen,” which became available Oct. 5, showcases RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Alyssa Edwards, known outside of drag as Justin Johnson. By night, Edwards rules the drag world, as shown on season six of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a competitive reality series that searches for America’s next drag superstar. But after the wig comes off, Johnson runs a dance studio in Mesquite, Texas; Beyond Belief Dance Company, which trains young dancers to achieve
greatness on and off stage. In this “Dance Moms” meets “Queer Eye” series, the camera follows Johnson interacting with the dancers in his company and their moms, who attack Johnson’s assistant Marcella Raneri in the series. A former professional dancer for the Dallas Mavericks and studio owner, Raneri’s studio merges with Johnson’s in the first episode. “It was a culture shock to see someone be that tough on the kids, but it’s like the real world,” Raneri said. “He’s hard in the studio and loving outside of the studio. At the end of the day, (‘Dancing Queen’ is) a family show that will show Justin as being a positive light.” “Justin in the studio is completely different from his character on RuPaul’s Drag Race,” said Everett, who started dancing with Justin when she was 8 years old. “Justin is hard. He is very demanding. He knows how to push you too far, like to the point of crying. He knows how to come at you so you want to prove him wrong. The people who last at the studio are the people who want to prove him wrong.” And Everett is one of those dancers since she graduated from his studio after finishing high school. Everett said she felt like she wasn’t challenged at her previous studio and joined Beyond Belief after she saw Johnson’s company perform at a dance competition. Everett danced with Johnson from age 8 to 12 and took a
SAM TONKINS
@samanthatonkins
OU’s fourth annual “Me Too Monologues” aims to tell the unspoken stories of OU students and create empathy and understanding across the community. “Me Too Monologues” is an annual event where students perform monologues written by other OU students. Each year, the organization accepts anonymous submissions of personal stories about anything from political discourse to suicide to sexual assault. These monologues are then performed by student-actors on stage and this year will be performed at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25. The “Me Too Monologues” was inspired by a similar show at Duke University and was brought to OU four years ago. The event is not affiliated with the #MeToo movement on Twitter but does address the same topics of sexual assault. Rehan Zafar, biochemistry senior, is the theatrical director of “Me Too Monologues.” He said this year’s show focuses on topics that have not
been addressed in previous shows. “In the past, a lot of the monologues have been very serious and very heavy, sometimes very triggering,” Zafar said. “This year, we — myself and my assistant director — really wanted the show to have a positive message and to send an overall message of hope.” Zafar said, unlike previous shows, this year’s performance is more of a production and takes place at a party. Instead of being isolated stories, the 10 monologues try to tell a complete story. “Everyone in the background is enjoying the party, and one by one, everyone comes up and tells the thing that is bothering them the most, the experience that is affecting their life on a daily basis when they leave that party,” Zafar said. Lawri Sanders, a freshman, is one of the actors for the show and said all of the monologues are extremely relatable. She said her performance showcases the emotions of many OU students. “Whenever you are at your lowest point, when you’re stressed out about everything, and then you see this random girl — me — lashing out on stage, I feel like people
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Modern dance performance freshman Keeleigh Everett practices a dance routine with her colleague in the Reynolds Performing Arts Center common area. Everett is in the Netflix show “Dancing Queen,” where she travels the country with her dance teacher who doubles as drag star Alyssa Edwards.
drops, Johnson is not all fun and games when it comes to his work at Beyond Belief. “I’m very much a toughlove teacher,” Johnson said. “When we get in the workroom, that’s the workroom. As long as the work is there, I am pleased.” Johnson does whatever necessary to ensure his students rise to the top, including calling out students at competitions. “Justin played back the critiques for the group dance over and over and was like, ‘What is that, girl?’ like attacking me, and I remember seeing the camera zoom in on my face, and I was like, ‘Don’t cry. Don’t do it,’” Everett said. Season one has eight episodes, featuring auditions for the company, makeovers,
competitions and even a Halloween-themed episode. Johnson said there are no confirmed plans for a season two of the show, but he is waiting to see what doors will open to make that happen. “I really challenge the kids to figure out who we are as people,” Johnson said. “‘Dancing Queen’ is not just about snatching the trophies or the crown. It is about achieving a dream, a goal, a desired destination while along the way understanding that we all have a purpose.” Season one of “Dancing Queen,” the first Netflix original docu-series, is available on Netflix in 190 countries and 97 languages. Alma Cienski
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Monologue event tells student stories Annual show aims to promote understanding
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break to try and become a more well-rounded dancer by working with other teachers, but returned to Beyond Belief when she was 16, Everett said. After one class, she said her perspective of dance changed from simply doing the steps to focusing on becoming the best dancer and person she could be. Johnson’s studio has two competition teams: the mini team, ages 6 to 11, and the senior team, ages 12 to 18. As a member of the senior team, Everett has traveled to Los Angeles with Johnson, performing at dance competitions with Beyond Belief, as well as at events like DragCon LA dancing backup for Edwards. Although Edwards is all about tongue pops and death
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Performers of the “Me Too Monologues” practice in the Black Box Theater Oct. 11. The show will be performed at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25 in Meacham Auditorium.
can relate to the stress and the pressures that school can put on you sometimes,” Sanders said. Natalie Berryman, biomedical engineering freshman, said the “ Me To o Monologues” allowed her to continue acting and sharing stories. She said her performance is both funny and serious and highlights a particular way of coping with negative experiences. “My monologue especially has a lot of ties into using humor as a coping
mechanism, and I think a lot of people do that,” Berryman said. “It kind of relates the fact that it’s okay to use humor as a coping mechanism, but it’s also okay to recognize all of the painful things happening in your life.” Zafar said he hopes the show enables people to not only have the confidence to share their own stories, but also to create a sense of empathy among students. “I hope that audience members, even if they can’t relate to any of the topics that
are discussed in the monologues ... learn how to listen to someone and how to believe someone and how to show support for someone who is going through a difficult time,” Zafar said. The “Me Too Monologues” w i l l b e p e r f o r m e d at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25 in the Meacham Auditorium in the OU Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public. Sam Tonkins
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Disney releases trailer for ‘Aladdin’
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Remake will be newest addition to live-action family KATHRYN STACY @kathrynstacy
In the latest string of childhood favorites receiving makeovers, Disney released a live-action “Aladdin” trailer on Thursday. Overall, the trailer is subtle, but still manages to enchant audiences. The first half of the trailer seems to follow Iago, the evil sorcerer Jafar’s parrot companion, through the desert. The only words in the
trailer are one of the more p ro m i n e nt l i n e s i n t h e original film : “Only one may enter here, one whose worth lies deep and hidden. A diamond in the rough.” The lines are spoken by the gatekeeper to the hidden treasure trove. There is no sign of the magic carpet in the trailer. Only two characters are portrayed — Aladdin and Iago. The only other character in the original film that is shown is Jafar, and he is seen from behind. The city of Agrabah looks just as imagined, grand and vast in the middle of nothing but sand. According to IMDb, the
2019 “Aladdin” lists the cast as having two more characters than the original film. Those characters are Prince Anders, most likely another potential suiter for Princess Jasmine; and Dalia, Princess Jasmine’s best friend and most likely standing in for one of Disney’s most memorable pets, Raja. This is the latest trailer released in a long string of Disney remakes. In recent years, the company has made or has begun work on what is rumored to be a dozen or so remakes of childhood favorites. This includes “Pete’s Dragon,” “The Jungle Book,” “Beauty
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VIA SCREENSHOT FROM TRAILER ON YOUTUBE
Disney’s live action “Aladdin”trailer was released Oct. 11. The movie is slated for release in May 2019.
and the Beast,” “Mulan,” The live-action “Aladdin” “Christopher Robin” and is slated for release in May “ M a l e f i c e n t .” R u m o r s 2019. are also swirling of “Lilo and Stitch,” “ The Little Mermaid,” “Pinocchio,” Kathryn Stacy “ The Lion King,” “Lady kathryn.n.stacy-1@ou.edu and the Tramp” and “Snow White.”
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NEWS
Anna Bauman, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
VIA OU.EDU/FLEETSERVICES
An OU Fleet Services vehicle. Fleet Services will see cutbacks as part of President James Gallogly’s attempts to keep tuition costs low.
OU to cut campus vehicle funds University plans to downsize campus fleet of 450 vehicles BAILEY LEWIS @BaileyLewis75
OU’s Fleet Services department will see cutbacks as part of President James Gallogly’s attempts to keep university costs low. L eon Fourcade, Fleet Services administrator and head of business operations,
said departments will benefit from the cost savings that reduce or eliminate vehicles in their area. At a S ept. 4 me eting, Gallogly said lowering the cost of OU’s tuition is his first priority because the high costs put a burden on students’ families and keep students from being able to attend OU. “ The first complex financial issue that I wanted to address when I got here had to do with your tuition,�
OEA endorses Drew Edmondson Organization lauds candidate’s public education focus JORDAN MILLER @jordanrmillerr
The Oklahoma Education Association endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Drew Edmondson on Oct. 11, per a news release. The OEA is Oklahoma’s “largest professional organization for education professionals,� according to its website. Edmondson has advocated for restoring the gross production tax on oil and gas to increase education funding, the news release said. “It’s time to set partisanship aside and do what’s right for our kids. People of all political parties recognize the importance of public education and the critical impact it will have on our state’s future,� Edmondson said, per the news release. “Public education will be my top priority in the governor’s office. I am proud to have this endorsement and the support of teachers and parents throughout the state.� OE A President Alicia
Priest said Edmondson has been a proponent of public education for a while. “Drew has supported public education every day of his career, beginning when he taught for Muskogee Public Schools,� Priest said, according to the news release. “Most importantly, Drew is the only candidate who has an actual plan to increase funding for Oklahoma’s schools.� Priest also said Edmondson was supportive of the teacher walkouts in April and his Republican opponent Kevin Stitt would not have signed the bill approving teacher raises if he had been governor. “Drew Edmondson stood with educators every day of the walkout, and he supported HB 1010xx,� Priest said. “Kevin Stitt said as governor he would not have signed it. We need a leader who can help both Republicans and Democrats find new bipartisan agreements in the coming legislative session. That leader is Drew Edmondson.� Jordan Miller
Jordan.R.Miller-1@ou.edu
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.
Gallogly said. “What’s more important than the affordability of this school for the average student coming that wants to graduate? There’s nothing more important than what it costs to go here.� Gallogly said reducing the fleet is one of the ways he’s trying to cut down costs so students don’t have to pay for them and he can give OU faculty raises, and after he pointed out the overabundance of fleet vehicles, many old vehicles were turned in to save money. “We have 450 university vehicles on campus,� Gallogly said at the meeting. “Some owned by various departments, and a lot of them just sit in a parking place and get driven two or three times a week. Usually not very far, but we’re paying for that vehicle — I said that wrong. You’re paying for that vehicle.� He also pointed out a lot of the vehicles not being used were taking up parking spaces and furthering the issue of parking on campus. There are currently 404 vehicles in the fleet. However, excluding the
Cleveland Area Rapid Transit, which provides transportation for OU students and faculty and Norman residents, the number drops to 358, according to Fourcade. The majority of the vehicles are used for site support, such as Facilities Management, Information Technology, Housing and Food Services, CART, and Landscape and Grounds, said Fourcade. Fleet Services provides vehicles, golf carts and all-terrain vehicles to all departments and has several types of vehicles available. All of the vehicles and equipment can only be driven by OU employees or for official business purposes, according to the Fleet Services website. Fourcade said the departments that will be affected the most are the ones with a dedicated vehicle because they may have to use a shared vehicle, so time will have to be invested to manage a schedule for the drivers. Information Technology currently leases 20 vehicles from Fleet Services to
HOROSCOPE By Eugenia Last
Copyright 2015, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- You hold the key to your success. You have options and the support of someone who can help you reach If you look back, you’ll recognize what you must do to move forward. your goal. Love, romance and a joint effort will change your life. Letting go of the past and leaving behind the things you no longer ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Don’t need will lighten your load and fret over what others do. Pour your make room for new beginnings energy into something that makes and adventures. Focus on positive you feel good about who you are change. and what you can accomplish. Don’t let anger stop you from achieving LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -your goal. Consider what others want, but don’t forgo your own desires just to avoid discord. Sometimes it pays to TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- A stick up for who you are and what change is heading your way. Don’t expect to please everyone. Do what you want. suits your needs, and live life your way. Let experience be your guide. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -Participate in events that stimulate GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Don’t your mind and encourage you to take on projects that will test your stop until you have taken care of your responsibilities. You’ll be skills. Spend less time worrying judged by what you do, so put in and more time doing something the effort and make everything constructive. you do count. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Don’t -- Don’t assume that everyone is hesitate when you should be on your side. Sharing your plans moving forward and accomplishing or feelings with someone at work all you can. If you expand your or who is influential in your community will put you in a precarious interests, skills and friendships, good results and rewards will be position. yours. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- If LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Don’t let you aren’t vocal about the way you feel, it will be difficult to bring the actions of others get to you. Look at what you can accomplish, about the changes that will make and head in a direction that will you happy. Taking an assertive give you the opportunity to do what role will encourage others to look you do best. up to you. MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2018 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Anger will not help you solve a problem you have with someone. If you don’t want to take part in something or you disagree with what someone is doing, you must walk away.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Tie up loose ends and plan to take on new endeavors. A positive change in the way you treat friends and family will lead to greater popularity and support.
support network, security camera, telecom, data center and cabling operations across the research, main and north OU campuses, including athletic venues and campus residences, according to Nicholas Key, executive director of design, data and development at Information Technology. Key said, reducing the number of vehicles would probably not impact the department very much. “We do use vehicles for our employment work around cabling and network maintenance and things like that, but those are things that can be scheduled a little more easily than a classroom support issue,� Key said. “So, from that perspective, a reduction in vehicles isn’t going to make any major change to those sorts of things because you can plan around shared vehicles and things like that for the most part.� However, Key said he has not heard enough details about reductions to Fleet Services vehicle counts to be completely sure, and emphasized Information Technology will work closely
with the Fleet Services staff to manage any changes and address potential impacts to the core university services. Key said Infor mation Technology has already implemented cost-reduction initiatives by moving from full-size vehicles to golf carts, and has leased 10 golf carts from Fleet Services to deliver technical support in classrooms, computer labs, and other academic and administrative spaces on research and main OU campuses. “We’ll certainly retain mission-critical vehicles, but there are opportunities for reductions that make sense,� Fourcade said. “Some vehicles are old and costly to maintain, some aren’t utilized much, and there are pooling and sharing opportunities that can provide transportation while reducing costs. It’s always a good idea to review the fleet and make adjustments with the goal of maximizing utilization and value.� Bailey Lewis
bailey.n.lewis-1@ou.edu
Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker October 15, 2018
ACROSS 1 Diluted? Not at all 5 Depicts unfairly 10 Word with “we forget� 14 With an active fleet 15 Tinker Bell kin 16 St. Louis attraction 17 Bog moss 18 French wine valley 19 Indisputable 20 Do some nursing 23 Shaver’s mishap 24 To the point 25 Move from side to side 28 Big name in baseball cards 31 Biblical twin 32 Make really happy 33 Wee drink 36 Is on the riot squad 40 It can turn syrupy 41 Pouts all about 42 Close friends 43 Follows the rules 44 Online newsgroup system 46 Lickety-split, way old 49 Joust verbally
10/15
50 Make deals? 57 Flat-topped hill 58 Poultry delicacy 59 Horn sound 60 Treated a sprain 61 Brunette? No 62 Like a weak joke 63 Some holidays in 26-Down 64 Salt and gold producers 65 Cast-ofthousands movie DOWN 1 Daddy alternative 2 Like yard sale stuff 3 Copier paper unit 4 Relishing and how 5 Do a film editing chore 6 Stall in the mall 7 Way off the turnpike 8 Electricity carrier 9 Future revealer 10 Beard softener 11 Fielding gaffe 12 Short tails
13 “We hold ___ truths ...� 21 Zip on a soccer field? 22 Work a handlebar 25 Ties the knot 26 Where Bhutan is 27 Suddenly inhale 28 Escapes 29 “Bonny� person 30 Relative of “et al.� 32 See from a distance 33 Magnificent bird 34 Not busy 35 Whispered interjection 37 Burning coal bit 38 Fish eggs
39 Like working machinery 43 Groups of eight 44 Overturns 45 Squid’s ink holder 46 Allow in 47 Fragment 48 Thing worth something 49 Georgia mountain 51 Weapon in a silo (abbr.) 52 It’s near Java 53 “... ___ a midnight dreary ...� 54 Bring in a crop 55 God head? 56 Blueprint particular
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10/14 Š 2018 Andrews McMeel Universal 10/11 Š 2018 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com www.upuzzles.com
MAKING DONATIONS By Timothy E. Parker
NEWS
October 15-17, 2018 •
5
Hurricane trapped researchers
OU SMART team collected data as it battled Florence DREW HUTCHINSON @drethegirl
In September, thousands of Americans in the Carolinas fle d w est as Hur r icane Florence marched toward the eastern coastline. At the same time, a small band of OU researchers, armed with a radar truck, headed into the heart of the storm. Michael Biggerstaff, an OU professor of meteorology, is a founder and the leader of the Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching radar program at OU. The team travels to hurricane impact areas to collect data on the storms. “(The team’s) research product is to understand how the storm evolves as it’s making landfall,” Biggerstaff said. Biggerstaff, Gordon Carrie, Addison Alford and Noah Brauer comprised the team for Hurricane Florence. The men traveled to Wilmington, North Carolina, armed with weather balloons, Portable In situ Precipitation Stations (PIPS), two vans and a radar truck to accomplish their mission. The team also worked with Sean Waugh from the National Severe Storms Laboratory, without whom the team said the effort would not have been possible. The team’s trip lasted from Sept. 9 to 18. Besides helping scientists better understand the structure of hurricanes, the data the team collected will help to project surface wind speeds, which Alford said helps to enhance building codes for hurricane-prone areas. The data may have been worth the effort, team members said, but the trip into the heart of a hurricane had its setbacks, challenges and scary moments. “AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO LEAVE.” The team would be stationed on a bridge over the Cape Fear River, hunkered down amid the hurricane’s winds — a feat that many would consider unbelievable. Biggerstaff said even the New Hanover County emergency manager chuckled when Biggerstaff told him they wanted to park a truck on a bridge during a hurricane. “And then finally they say, ‘Are you serious?’” Biggerstaff said. “Yeah, we’re serious.” The team started looking
for hotels about a day before arriving in North Carolina, a task Biggerstaff said was challenging because residents were evacuating the area and many hotels were shutting down due to the threat. “So it’s really hard, actually, to find a hotel room in an area that’s about to be impacted by a hurricane,” Biggerstaff said. Biggerstaff stressed the importance of a flexible itinerary on these kinds of trips. He said he ended up booking two hotels in case one didn’t work out, finding multiple routes to those hotels and picking two sites to collect data in the storm itself. The group chose to stay at a hotel in Leland, North Carolina, and set up weather instruments a couple days after arriving, Carrie said. The hurricane started one day after that, and the men set out to start collecting data. The group stayed awake for nearly 30 hours through the hurricane — Biggerstaff, Carrie and Alford in the radar truck, and Brauer and Waugh at Wrightsville Beach launching weather balloons. Carrie, a self-described “computer IT guy,” long time colleague of Biggerstaff and veteran SMART radar team member, said everything was “rocking and rolling” as 100 mph wind gusts shook the truck. Biggerstaff said these gusts could have reached 200 mph in the inner eye wall of the hurricane. “A s t h i s t h i n g s l o w l y marched toward us, I was thinking, ‘At some point we have to leave,’” Biggerstaff said. But the storm ended up turning away from the group, Biggerstaff said, eliminating the danger of the inner eye wall’s speeding winds. Alford, a doctoral meteorology student who has studied four other hurricanes with the team, said the data collection period was exhausting, but he didn’t feel the situation was life-or-death. “It’s kind of scary, but at the same time, the truck is well-designed,” Alford said. “It’s actually a very stable piece of equipment, and it’s designed to be in those kinds of environments.” Alford also said the discomfort of the 30 hours was worth the solid data the team collected. The radar ran for the entire time the men were stationed on the bridge — whereas most radars break at some point during deployment, Alford said. Meanwhile at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, Brauer and Waugh were performing
OU’s Kappa Alpha Order suspended National office closed chapter for unknown reasons SIERRA RAINS @sierramrains
The national administrative office of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity has suspended its OU chapter amid unknown
circumstances. Bryce Bonnet, OU Kappa Alpha Order president, confirmed the OU chapter is closed as of Oct. 12. The Kappa Alpha Order National staff and OU adm i n i s t ra t o r s a re w o rking together to reach an agreement on how long the chapter will be under suspension, Kappa Alpha Order Assistant Executive
MICHAEL MOFFITT/THE DAILY
The Kappa Alpha fraternity house on July 9. The OU chapter was suspended by the national Kappa Alpha Order administration for an unknown reason.
“soundings.” These involve spreading out a tarp, tying instruments that gauge environmental variables to a weather balloon, inflating the balloons with helium and launching them every couple of hours to collect data on different parts of the storm. Brauer said he and Waugh were launching weather balloons in 65 mph sustained winds, with some gusts reaching 90 mph. Despite the difficulty of holding down a tarp in these conditions, he said the highlight of the trip was getting to launch a weather balloon into the windiest part of the storm — the hurricane’s inner eye wall. T h e d a t a B ra u e r a n d Waugh collected was shared in real-time with local forecast offices, which helped experts track the storm. “I think definitely providing that (data) to real-time operational forecasters in such a rough situation, scary situation, was pretty critical,” Brauer said. When the 30 hours had passed and the group started making its way back to the hotel, Biggerstaff said, the rain was still pouring, trees and power lines were down everywhere and cars were flooded in ditches. “So this is the other thing you have to contend with as you’re making your way back to shelter: There are other people that may need help, you know,” Biggerstaff said. “So if we can, we help them.” The men finally returned to the hotel, drained. They settled in for a few hours of sleep, unaware that days would pass before their return to the Wilmington area.
but then a bridge flooded that had the county’s main water line on it, and the team spent three days without running water. Luckily, one of the groups that got trapped in the same area worked for Walmart and was pulling a generator to power the stores that had lost electricity. There was a Walmart just down the road, and the store’s manager gave food and toiletries to the team. The flood eventually receded, but not enough for the group to return to the original hotel. The men drove to Columbus, North Carolina, instead, where Alford and Brauer left for weddings they had to attend, Biggerstaff said. The remaining group members entered the Wilmington area from the north and returned to the hotel. Again, the men faced a problem: The rivers were going to crest in a few days, which Biggerstaff said would produce a huge flood. “So we had to get the hell out of Dodge,” Biggerstaff said. The remaining members gathered their belongings and fled the area. Only Biggerstaff and Carrie remained at the end of the trip, exhaustedly driving back to Oklahoma.
our own,’” Biggerstaff said. Biggerstaff helped to build the SMART radar program in 1998 when he still worked at Texas A&M University. In doing this, he collaborated with colleagues at Texas A&M, OU, Texas Tech University and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. The National Weather Service had decommissioned certain radar hardware, which was then passed from the federal government to the state level. Biggerstaff claimed the hardware in 1997 and traded some of it with private companies to obtain sturdy, World War II-era equipment that could be attached to trucks. It took three years to build these ground-based radars, Biggerstaff said. “The impact of the hurricane on the coastal communities was a problem that didn’t have a lot of data collection associated with it at the time,” Biggerstaff said. “So we felt like we had to have ground-based systems to do this. You can’t do it from the air.” The SMART radar program was unique in that it was jointly owned between the three universities and the national lab, hence the “shared” in SMART. Biggerstaff said this kind of collaboration had never been done before. Biggerstaff deployed the ground-based radar for the first time in 2001 for a NASA project, the mission of which was to study tropical hurricanes in Florida. Biggerstaff left his job at Texas A&M, came to OU and took the radars with him. The SMART radar program then became OU-centric, he said. Other universities study hur r icanes and launch weather balloons to collect data, but the OU team is
unique because its groundbased radar provides a well-rounded view of the storm, Biggerstaff said. When Hurricane Isabel came to North Carolina in 2003, Biggerstaff assembled a team of 10, took his groundbased radar and deployed to collect data. After Isabel, the SMART rsdar team’s main problem was how to get funding to continue collecting hurricane data, Biggerstaff said. “You can get money to analyze data,” Biggerstaff said. “But it’s hard to get money to collect the data.” As Biggerstaff continued efforts to collect data on hurricanes making landfall, he asked federal agencies for funding. But hurricanes rarely make landfall, so reviewers don’t usually like to designate hundreds of thousands of dollars to an improbable project, Biggerstaff said. “There’s no guarantee that we’re going to go out and actually even see a hurricane,” Biggerstaff said. “It’s still almost impossible to get the money to go out and do this.” H o w e v e r, O U g i v e s Biggerstaff $15,000 a year to support the radar program, he said, and federal agencies give him money to analyze the data once he has it. The SMART radar program is good for the university because it produces research, which Biggerstaff said “pays the bills.” “We’re now focused on getting the hurricane data set as often as we can with the funding that we have,” Biggerstaff said.
“IT’S STILL ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THE MONEY TO GO OUT AND DO THIS.” While many scientists and research organizations use airborne radars to collect weather data, Biggerstaff was undertaking a giant project that needed giant, sturdy radars — but there was a shortage of these systems in the sciDrew Hutchinson ence community. drew.hutchinson@ou.edu “And so a bunch of crazy “ WE GOT TRAPPED. WE GOT CUT OFF FROM scientists got together and OUR HOTEL, FROM OUR decided, ‘Well, we’ll just build SUPPLIES.” The difficult, tiring data collection was over for the men, but they now faced a new challenge — while the team was retrieving its weather instruments from the collection sites, the roads had flooded, cutting them off from their base at the Leland hotel. There were three routes to get back. The group tried all of them to no avail. “ W e g o t t r a p p e d ,” Biggerstaff said. “We got cut off from our hotel, from our supplies.” The group ended up staying at a Comfort Inn & Suites hotel at the intersection of DREW HUTCHINSON/THE DAILY two highways. The hotel had From left to right: OU research scientist Gordon Carrie, meteorology graduate student Noah power, so the group went in to Brauer, meteorology professor and SMART radar team leader Michael Biggerstaff, National use the bathroom and figure Severe Storms Laboratory researcher Sean Waugh and meteorology doctoral student out what to do next. Addison Alford comprised the team for Hurricane Florence. The men traveled to Wilmington, The hotel had water at first, North Carolina, with a radar truck to gather data during Hurricane Florence.
Director for Advancement Jesse Lyons said in a written statement about the suspension. All members living in the chapter house have been offered the option of moving into on-campus housing for the time being, and active members will receive alumni status of the fraternity, Lyons said. The reason for the chapter’s suspension has not been disclosed. “Kappa Alpha Order is a moral compass for modern gentlemen, believes in students’ rights, and holds its members and chapters accountable to its policies and laws,” Lyons said in the statement. “ The Order is proud of its history at OU, appreciates the partnership with the OU administration, and looks forward to returning to Norman and building a model chapter.” Steven Ashmore, director of OU Student Conduct, said he would defer all comment to OU Public Affairs. The Daily has reached out to Public Affairs for further comment. Sierra Rains
sierra.m.rains@gmail.com
OU considers shortterm plan for CART City of Norman may take control of transportation CHARLEY LANZIERI @charlanzieri
OU will continue its discussion with the City of Norman at an upcoming meeting regarding shortand long-term plans for the Cleveland Area Rapid Transit (CART) system, which will soon offer reduced services in order to cut costs. The CART system has been a loss of revenue for the past two years, and O U ’s Parking and Transportation system has been planning a meeting with Norman leaders to decide how to cut costs, according to OU parking director Kris Glenn. The meeting is Oct. 30. Glenn is proposing a short-term plan to save money this year and a longterm plan, which is expected to go into effect next fall, of moving control of city routes over to the City of Norman.
“If we don’t make some changes this year, we will lose money again,” Glenn said. OU first announced it would discontinue CART service for the wider Norman area in early September. The proposed short-term changes are to cut Saturday CART service and to change the pickup times of the Main Street and Alameda routes to every hour instead of every 30 minutes. While the exact date of when these changes would be put into effect is unk n ow n , G l e n n s a i d O U Parking and Transportation will keep the student population updated via a press release and through OU’s Student Government Association. “Saturday service is the lowest ridership day of the week, and it’s mainly city service, but the ridership is really, really low, which is why we’re looking at that,” Glenn said. “(We) do not want to completely take away those stops, or another stop, but by reducing the amount of time the bus stops there, it saves money and
still allows those people to use the bus.” The long-term goal is to eventually give control of the non-campus routes over to the city. OU would keep running routes like the apartment loop and Lloyd Noble route, but the routes that go around town would be run by the city. Bruce Blackwell, a Norman citizen who was waiting for the bus in the early morning last week, said he uses the bus to get around Norman, including to and from work and on any errands he needs. “It sounds like it won’t really affect me,” Blackwell said when asked about the changes. “CART is a very unique operation in that the university operates it, but it’s actually the public transportation system for the City of Norman,” said Glenn. “You should ask the question: Should a university be running a transportation system for the city?” Charley Lanzieri
charlton.r.lanzieri-1@ ou.edu
6
NEWS
• October 15-17, 2018
Assassins target the OU Pride Band members play stealth game hunting each other MATT MORRIS @Matt_Morrris
Alyssa Leo sat down at a CiCi’s pizza with her back to the buffet line, talking to friends. As she prepared to take a bite of her food, she felt a highlighter being marked across her neck. Leo, a creative media p ro d u c t i o n s e n i o r a n d flute section leader for the OU Pride, had been “assassinated”. I n e a r l y S e p t e m b e r, members of the Pride starte d a game calle d Pr ide Assassins, where players are each assassins with a target, meant to assassinate each other by marking the neck or wrist with a highlighter. Once a player is eliminated, their assassin receives that player’s target, until only one member of the game is left standing. Kevin Severin, creative media production senior, t e n o r s a x o p h o n e p l ay er and current moderator of Pride Assassins, said the game includes 245 members of the Pride of
EMILY ADDINGTON/THE DAILY
Members of the Pride of Oklahoma during the Red River Showdown Oct. 6. In early September, members of the Pride started a game called Pride Assassins, where players are each meant to assassinate each other by marking the neck or wrist with a highlighter. The game continues until the last person is eliminated and a winner is crowned.
Oklahoma. Pride Assassins was first started in 2014 by a small group of Pride members, with about 70 people included in the game’s first run, Severin said. Severin said he didn’t play his freshman year because he hadn’t heard about the game, but it’s
b e c o m e a st ap l e o f t h e Pride since Severin took over as moderator, he said. “I think just managing everything logistically better, changing some of the rules to make it more open to all kinds of people, just sort of making it a brand is one of the biggest reasons it got as big as it did,” Severin
said. Since the game has grown in popularity, players have received awards for par ticularly unique eliminations, said Lorene O’Quinn, biomedical engineering junior and flute player. Last year saw the creation of the “No Chill Kill”
award, which was given to a player who eliminated thier target while they were using the restroom, and the “Highest Altitude Assassination,” which was awarded when one player highlighted their target’s neck at the top of the Mr. Freeze roller coaster at Six Flags in Arlington, Texas.
There is more to Pride Assassins than the assassinations alone. Both O’Quinn and Leo said the game has also been a good way to meet new people, with targets often being someone the assassin has never met before. “A lot of the times when you’re a senior, you don’t really know all the freshmen, and if you’re a freshman, you probably don’t know a lot of the upperclassmen outside your section,” Leo said. Pride Assassins will continue for the next couple months or until the last person is eliminated and a winner is crowned. The Pride members themselves may know one another much better than they did at the beginning of the year, Leo said. “It’s a lighthearted way to get to know people and just to step out of your comfort zone a little bit, almost kind of an escape from when school starts to get really stressful in the middle of the semester,” Leo said. “It’s something fun you can look forward to.” Matt Morris
mattrmorris@ou.edu
Alum turns passion for fashion into job Blueberí Lane owner pursued dreams for store MADISON NEVERS News reporter
Many OU students have big goals for their lives after graduation, but one OU alumna reached her goals sooner than others. When Priscilla Nortey was a student at OU starting in 2010, she was interested in fashion but majored in psychology with a pre-med track because she didn’t believe she could make a living in the fashion industry. “I like to shop a lot, and I travel just to go shopping,” Nortey said. “And when I went to school here, (I saw) there are a couple boutiques down here, but if they did have cute clothes, they were very overpriced. So a lot of the students were ordering their stuff online.” That’s when Nortey realized she could use her love of fashion to fill a need she saw in the Norman community. Now, she is the owner of Blueberí Lane, a b ou t i q u e o n Ca mpu s
Corner. “It was kind of my idea to bring trendy clothes to Norman so people weren’t constantly having to order their clothes online and send them back when they didn’t fit,” Nortey said. “I don’t think I ever thought, ‘Oh, I could make a living.’ It was kind of like, ‘I want to open up a store.’ And I just kind of went for it, and it ended up being successful, so I’m very thankful.” With her idea in place, Nortey started the process of opening a new business. “ ( My hu sb a n d a n d I ) saw the spot when we were walking by, and (my husband) was like, ‘You should open your store here,’” Nortey said. “So we called the landlord, and a week later, we had already signed for a year.” N o r t e y ’s s t o r e h a d a home at Campus Corner but still needed a name and an image. She decided to name it Blueberí Lane after a nickname she gave her husband’s car, a blue Sahara. “As far as the branding, it was kind of a mix of my style and ... Norman style,” Nor te y said. “I catere d more to the sorority girls
FIELD PARSONS/THE DAILY
OU alumna Priscilla Nortey. Nortey owns Campus Corner store Blueberí Lane Boutique, near the corner of White Street and Asp Avenue.
— so very just girly, trendy, chic clothing.” The Blueberí Lane b ra n d h a s a p p e a l e d t o customers such as Visual Communication senior, Peyton Hazel. “I would describe (Blueberí Lane) as a very welcoming place, and the clothing is super nice, but the prices are fair, so
it won’t break the bank,” Hazel said. “Everyone is so welcoming there, and the owner, Priscilla, is so sweet.” A finance junior, Randie P a r k e r, c a m e a c r o s s Blueberí Lane while shopping on Campus Corner and said the environment of the store kept her coming back.
“When you go to most stores on Campus Corner, I feel like there’s not much interaction with the workers past the initial greeting, but Priscilla always made an effort every time I came in to have a conversation with me and remember my name,” Parker said. “I also feel like the style of Priscilla’s store is just a touch better than everything else on Campus Corner.” Starting her business wasn’t easy, and there were things she needed to learn along the way, Nortey said. Behind-the-scenes aspects of owning a business like taxes were things she just had to learn, she said. “I didn’t take any business classes, so I didn’t know what was involved in the business part — I just knew I wanted to buy clothes for a living,” Nortey said. “I wish I knew what I know now when I started.” Eventually, Nortey developed a routine for running her business. An average day looks very different depending on the season, she said, but right now, “it’s basically no sleep.” “I get new arrivals daily, and so I’m constantly
updating the website and having me or the girls process the orders, put them on the floor and tag them. (I’m) also fulfilling online orders and getting those shipped out, too,” Nortey said. Nortey said she has advice for Sooners wanting to do the same thing. “Research everything. You can never research too much. Ask questions, ask people that have the same business. That way, you kind of know what to look for or what to expect,” Nortey said. Nortey said she feels she has created a business that has set itself apart from the rest. “I think a lot of people like my store because I work the floor a lot compared to the other stores, and I’m closer with my customers, and the customers know me as a person,” Nortey said. “They know me as an owner.” Madison Nevers
Madison.A.Nevers-1@ ou.edu
Newborn elephant joins herd at OKC Zoo Veterinary staff, animal caretakers welcome strong calf FRANCESCA MARINONI @FrancescaGMarin
On Oct. 9 the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden welcomed a new baby elephant to its Asian elephant herd. Both mother Asha and newborn Kairavi (Kai), which is Sanskrit for moonlight, are in good health and are now viewable to guests. Kai is the third elephant calf to be born at the OKC Zoo, and her birth brings the total number of Asian elephants at the zoo to seven, according to an Oklahoma City Zoo press release. According to the release,
the entire herd was present during the 15-minute delivery, which is an important component to the herd bonding with the newborn calf. The veterinary staff and animal caretakers were also there but did not have to intervene, as the process went well. After the birth, the veterinar y staff performed a visual inspection of the calf and confirmed that she is strong, standing only 12 minutes post-delivery and nursing after just 40 minutes, and the mother demonstrated appropriate maternal behavior, according to the press release. The OKC Zoo participates in the Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan, developed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In addition to supporting the Northern Rangelands Trust
since 2009, which protects African elephants, the Zoo ha s b e e n w o rk i ng w i t h Rainforest Trust to purchase and preserve 13,000 acres of forest in central Sumatra and 18,000 acres of forest in Borneo, both of which are natural habitats for Asian elephants, according to the release. The zoo is located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Regular admission is $11 for adults and $8 for children aged 3 to 11 and seniors aged 65 and over. Children aged 2 and under are admitted free. Francesca Marinoni francescag.marinoni@ ou.edu
PHOTO BY CHASE HARVICK PROVIDED BY THE OKLAHOMA CITY ZOO
An Asian elephant named Kairavi, Sanskrit for moonlight, was born at the Oklahoma City Zoo Oct. 9. Kai is the third elephant calf to be born at the OKC Zoo.