Opinion: It’s time for schools and sports teams to ditch the “Redskins” mascot. It is disrespectful to the Native American culture. (Page 3) The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
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MIDTERMS
STUDENT LIFE
Day of the Dead comes to OU Campus to hold Dia de los Muertos event on Friday TONY BEAULIEU
Life & Arts Reporter
Dia de los Meur tos is a Latin American holiday commonly translated as “Day of the Dead.” Despite its macabre evocations, and close
proximity to a certain other spooky holiday, scares are not what one should expect from one campus event this Friday. The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and OU Student Life are hosting a Dia de los Muertos festival from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday outside and inside the museum. Student Life and Fred Jones
Museum’s Day of the Dead will feature activities for every age group. From face painting and crafts, to live music and traditional Day of the Dead “sugar skulls,” the event organizers are hoping to offer something for everyone. “We’re encouraging visitors to get a real hands-on experience,” said Michael Bendure, Fred Jones Museum SEE HOLIDAY PAGE 2
HALLOWEEN
Sooners show their costumed spirit
CHRIS JAMES/THE DAILY
University College freshman Audra Brulc does World War II history homework Oct. 23 in the dining hall located in Cate.
Making the grades and so much more OU freshmen are figuring out how to adjust to college and prepare for tests TESS THOMSON
Special Projects Reporter
JACQUELINE EBY/THE DAILY
Multidisciplinary studies junior Kayla Blood, psychology junior Sara Morgan and chinese senior Kate Neal, pose on the South Oval Thursday dressed as a zebra, baby, and the Wicked Witch of the West for Halloween.
Midterms are stressful for all students, but for some new OU students, they can be especially exhausting. As midterms come to an end, members of The Oklahoma Daily’s Freshman Experience project have a better idea of how much work college actually can be. Most agreed the most stressful part of midterms is how they all seem to happen at once. University College freshman Christina Hamilton felt “totally swamped” by all the work she had around midterms, and on her birthday weekend, no less. “There’s a lot of work to do and not enough time,” Hamilton said. “But I will finish it; I always do.” Hamilton had a difficult start to the semester because she felt too far from her home of Trinidad and Tobago. She has since made friends that she said are great and she even met two people from Trinidad who took her to an international party. “I have my little Trini connection,” Hamilton said. “I’m pretty happy here right now.” For University College freshman Jessica Graro, the semester has been busy with philanthropy events and getting initiated into Gamma Phi Beta. Luckily, her midterms kind of came and went so she could spend more time with her sorority. Her midterms were random and unpredictable. While she spent a bunch of time holed up in her room studying, she didn’t find any too difficult. “All of it was just kind of overwhelming,” Graro said. With all the excitement of playing in the Pride of Oklahoma each weekend, midterms crept up on University College freshman Spencer Smith. He had a few late nights and started to learn some time management skills, but overall felt confident in his grades. “Although midterms are stressful, they help a ton,” SEE MIDTERMS PAGE 2
WEATHER
ACTIVISM
Incarceration to be discussed Weather Festival this Saturday Activist-in-residence Gwen Jones holding panel Q&A MOLLY EVANS
Campus Reporter
OU’s new activist-in-residence is holding her first event on campus Monday to show members of the community solutions to reunite families torn apart by female incarceration. Activist-in-residence Gwen Jones will head the forum, called “The Not So Merry Go-Round: Stopping the Cycle of Incarcerating Women and their Children,” w ill take place at 7 p.m. Monday in Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Regents Room. The event will include a panel discussion and Q-and-A with several speakers, said Jill Irvine, co-director for OU’s Center for Social Justice. The forum will include Sen. Constance Johnson, sociology professor Susan Sharp and Cheri Fuller of the Redeeming the Family’s Oklahoma Messages Project and Robin Khoury of Little Light Urban
Ministries, Irvine said. The women will discuss the reasons for and consequences of Oklahoma’s high rate of female incarceration, Irvine said. Oklahoma leads the nation in the number of people incarcerated per capita, with the majority of incarcerated offenders having committed nonviolent crimes, such as drug possession, according to the 2012 report from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Many women who are incarcerated have children, so the discussion will consider both the economic costs as well as costs to the families of these women, many of whom are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes, Irvine said. “It’s an incredibly important issue. I think this is a moment when nationally there is a lot of discussion about incarceration,” Irvine said. “Oklahoma is a state right in the center of it because we do have one of the highest rates of incarceration.” Along with her affiliation at OU, Jones currently works as the executive director SEE PANEL PAGE 2
Sports: The soccer team must win today in order to keep its playoff hopes alive. (Page 5)
Experts will be at festival to speak CAITLIN SCHACHTER Campus Reporter
The National Weather Center will hold the annual National Weather Festival this Saturday to address the fears many people still have in the aftermath of the tornadoes that ripped through central Oklahoma in May. The festival will take place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to the press release. Experts will be there to answer any questions ab ou t to r na d o e s a n d fear about the weather, said Melissa Bird, manager of public relations and manager for the College of Atmospheric
HEATHER BROWN/THE DAILY
The National Weather Center will hold the annual National Weather Festival Saturday to address the fears many people still have in the aftermath of the tornadoes that ripped through central Oklahoma in May.
and Geographic Sciences and the National Weather Center. Volunteer organizations such as First Responders, Red Cross and the National
L&A: Take a ride on the ‘Carousel’ with the School of Musical Theater. (Page 6)
Guard, who helped out after the tornadoes in May, will be there to talk to locals, Bird said. SEE WEATHER PAGE 2
VOL. 99, NO. 55 © 2013 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25¢
INSIDE TODAY Campus......................2 Clas si f ie ds................4 L i f e & A r t s ..................6 O p inio n..................... 3 Spor ts........................5 Visit OUDaily.com for more
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