W E E K E N D E D I T I O N | F E B R U A R Y 2 8 - M A R C H 3 , 2 0 19 | 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
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The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
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Communication senior Emily Brown and energy management and supply chain management senior Madison Horinek pose with glasses of wine Feb. 27. Brown and Horinek took OU’s Geography of Wine course in the fall of 2018.
RAISE A GLASS Professor uses online course to teach students about history, culture of wine drinking
E
ver y other We dnes day night, Emily Brown would meet up with her friends at Blu, a pub serving fine wine and craft beer, to exchange laughs, feelings and thoughts all while tasting several types of wine. The group’s activity appeared no different than that of the other patrons — drinking and talking. But Brow n and her friends had a different purpose for being at the pub: with every sip of wine, they were studying for an online class. In fall 2018, Brown, a communications senior, and her friends took Geography of Wine, an online course offered at OU that teaches the study of wine from a historical perspective, taught by John Boyer, a professor who seeks to show students the beauty of wine culture. An alumnus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Boyer became a professor of geographical and global studies 22 years ago. While at Virginia Tech, Boyer met Kirsten de Beurs, current department chair of geography and environmental sustainability at OU. After attending a conference at Oklahoma State University, where her cowboy colleagues bragged about starting a wine course, de Beurs asked Boyer to teach his Geography of Wine course in Norman — an offer Boyer happily accepted. Boyer resides in Virginia and now teaches exclusively online at both Virginia Tech and OU. Boyer teaches two unique courses at Virginia Tech: World Regional Geography, which he says is a summary of the world in one semester, and Geography of Wine, a general sur vey of commodity, history, production and nuances of wine and wine culture. The first time he taught his wine course in 1997 at Virginia Tech, Boyer had around 50 students in class. After transferring to the online realm in the mid2000s, his class multiplied, and he now teaches more than 1,800 students in his wine course alone, Boyer said. “ Jo h n ’s t e a c h i n g e v a l u a tions were always excellent, and he has won several teaching awards,” de B eurs said.
ALMA CIENSKI • @ALMACIENSKI “However, one thing that struck me when talking with the students of the Geography of Wine class was how empowered they felt learning about wine. The students often commented that learning a bit about wine and experiencing what they enjoyed made them feel grown up and empowered when they were making their way into the real world.” Boyer designed Geography of Wine specifically for seniors — not only so they were in the legal age range to be able to sample and write about wines, but to give seniors some “life skills” to leave with after they walk across stage at graduation. Boyer said each year he has taught the course, he receives emails from students’ parents complimenting his course, saying their child is now able to pick a great wine for dinner, and they see their child as an adult. “Folks all around the country now have an inherent understanding that they should be cultured and classy and they want to know about the finer things in life and be cosmopolitan. Wine speaks to all of those things,” Boyer said. “We go to universities to get some knowledge and training, but universities are really about expanding your horizons across the board.” Though students must be 21 to enroll in Boyer’s course, they do not necessarily have to consume alcohol. In the past and currently, Boyer said he has taught Muslim students in his course, despite religious guidelines restricting drinking. He recalled a time when a group of Muslim women from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt told him after class that, though they would not drink alcohol due to their beliefs, they were taking his course for the culture. “They said, ‘We are already at a disadvantage because we are women, so we don’t want to be at a double disadvantage that if we’re at a corporate meeting, we want to at least be able to talk the talk,’” Boyer said. Boyer said America has very different attitudes toward alcohol compared to other countries. Societies in Europe do not have nearly as many problems
with issues like drunk driving because they are taught how to drink — and American cultural puritanism is to blame, Boyer said. “Our culture says, ‘We’re not gonna allow anyone under 21 to even get near (alcohol) or touch it or have any sort of experience or acclimatization to it, and then when you turn 21, we’ll let you start drinking when you’re on your own, away from family, and you just got a credit card,’” Boyer said. “It’s a recipe for disaster. It’s like saying, ‘You can’t look at a car, you can’t touch a car, we’re not gonna teach you anything about driving — then we’re gonna give you a license, go get on the interstate and drive really fast.’” This concept of prohibiting alcohol education bothered Boyer and led him to teach this course in order to teach others how to drink and have better consumption habits. Boyer said that American culture has driven drinking underground for the youth and that lowering the drinking age to 18 would help remedy those issues — and wine leads the way. “ ( M o s t c o l l e g e s t u d e n t s’ drinking) habits are horrific, but it’s not their fault,” Boyer said. “Binge drinking, with ‘lesser-classed’ beverages occurs because our society has trained
everybody to do it that way since prohibition. Ever since then, we have had a cultural hangover.” Will Cornelius, 2018 broadcast journalism graduate, said he initially enrolled in Boyer’s course in the fall 2018 semester because he needed more credit hours before he graduated in December. However, the class changed his habits and beverage choices. “I had never thought of having specific wines with specific foods and pairing them so that they accentuate each other’s flavors,” Cornelius said. “I had been more of a Solo cup full of Franzia with my meal type of guy.” Boyer’s teaching philosophy is simple — make it accessible and make it relevant. He has a commodity-style approach to teaching history, and students find it interesting because almost everybody in college drinks, Boyer said. Geography of Wine has no midterm or final, and a grade is instead determined by completing work-based activities. Boyer said he has found this liberates students to have a better work ethic and allows them more flexibility. “I really liked the format of being able to try whatever wine I wanted to,” Brown said. “My friends and I would go (to Blu) and get appetizers and wine
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Communication senior Emily Brown and energy management and supply chain management senior Madison Horinek drink glasses of wine Feb. 27.
— they even had these cool wine flights that you could sample different kinds. My greatest takeaway was learning about wines that I probably wouldn’t have even known existed apart from that class.” Boyer said students can experience the class through tasting wines with friends because they can converse with people in their own age group, rather than listen to an “old guy” talk about wine for two hours. Though it may sound like cheating, he intentionally crafted the assignments to work together with other students, he said. O U ’s G e o g r a p h y o f W i n e course, which has been offered in fall 2017 and 2018, has an average class size of 225 people. Though many students, like Cornelius, have said it was more work than expected for an online class, they walked away with greater knowledge and more excitement for what was once just a pastime. “My favorite part of the course was how professor Boyer dumbe d d o w n w i n e ,” C o r n e l i u s said. “He says at the start of the course that wine is a drink of the people, and it really is. I think there’s a stigma around wine or being knowledgeable about wine — that you have to be rich or haughty to drink and know about it. Just because you don’t eat a multi-course meal ever y day doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know how to when the time comes. It’s about taking this thing that people have tried to make exclusive and making it inclusive.” Boyer said he looks forward to building his reputation at OU through teaching about the culture that he loves. “When it comes to wine, there is no favorite,” Boyer said. “It’s like saying which child do I love the most — I love them all equally. Wine is special because every single wine is unique. That’s what makes it fun and magical — endlessly searching for new flavors and aromas all over.” Alma Cienski
aacienski@ou.edu
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• February 28 - March 3, 2019
NEWS
Nick Hazelrigg, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
Panhellenic drafts diversity plan New document to aim for chapter equality, inclusivity KAYLIE COTTEN @Cotten_Kaylie
In the aftermath of the ra c i s t v i d e o ma d e by a former Tri Delta sorority member, OU’s Oklahoma Panhellenic Association is in the process of drafting a diversity plan. The diversity plan will be a new document that all chapters and chapter leaders will take part in creating, which will ensure that inclusivity and equality will be of utmost importance. The plan will be catered to each chapter individually based on their unique standards, said Kylie Frisby, Panhellenic Association adviser. In January, a video went viral on Twitter depicting a woman in blackface, using a racial slur. The student who filmed and posted the video was a member of the Tri Delta sorority and another woman shown in the video was a fellow OU student. Since then, both students involved have withdrawn from the university. Tri Delta is one of 11 soror ities under the Panhellenic Association, and after this racist video left many students demanding change and sparked a campus-wide march, the Panhellenic Association began drafting a diversity plan, said Hailey Thomas, Panhellenic Association president. “We are putting together a kind of action plan of tangible things that we’re going to do in the community,” Thomas said. “We’re hoping
VIA OU.EDU
The 2019 Panhellenic Executive Council members.
to implement a new position. It just needs to pass through all the chapters: VP of Inclusion.” Vice president of inclusion will be a new position under the Panhellenic Association that will work with all the chapters to ensure inclusivity is always a top priority, Thomas said. Frisby said there was not an official diversity plan that was put into action before this, despite the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity incident in 2015. “After SAE happened, Clarke Stroud, the thenVP for student affairs, had every organization write up a little report of what they’re planning on doing,” Frisby said. “But people graduated out, and I think things weren’t really followed up on like they should have
been.” This semester the Panhellenic Association will host a retreat with a day-long presentation and discussion with the chapter presidents on “privilege,” what that looks like, what plays into the problems that greek life has had previously and recently, and what each chapter can do to fix it, Frisby said. “I think it’s going to be good for chapters to get in a room together because frankly, they’re not having these discussions without them being facilitated, so that’s what we’re here to do,” Frisby said. Alpha Omicron Pi member Ana Cox-Fuenzalida wonders what changes the Panhellenic Association is really going to make with this new document, she
said. “We have hazing training, alcohol training and sexual assault training, but I’ve always thought it would be really helpful if we had diversity training,” Cox-Fuenzalida said. “The incoming freshmen do the alcohol and sexual assault training, but I think this would be helpful for them, too, so hopefully (the diversity plan) is something like that.” The Panhellenic Association’s new plan will not only require diversity training for recruitment leaders during rush season but will also host ideas about breaking the stereotypes that exist around sororities on who belongs and who does not. The Panhellenic Association understands it is historically
an exclusive, not an inclusive, community, Thomas said. “We understand that that stereotype exists, and we don’t want that stereotype to exist,” Thomas said. “We have talked about adding a student group for women of color in Panhellenic so they can feel supported and appreciated in our community.” Kappa Alpha Theta member Emma Lescher said she believes there is a stereotype that surrounds sorority recruitment. “I do notice the stereotype, not only in my sorority but all sororities, and I don’t think they do a very good job of making it all inclusive,” Lescher said. “I think the whole system of rush should be re-evaluated, and the girls choosing shouldn’t
have all the control on who goes into the house.” The Panhellenic Association is aware that it might not feel like the most welcoming place to the outside OU community and incoming students, Frisby said. “I think it starts with our chapter leaders,” Frisby said. “How are we doing things within our chapters that make it feel more inclusive like it should be?” Frisby said this day-long retreat for the chapter leaders to discuss the finishing touches of the diversity plan will take place on March 9, and the full plan will be released publicly to The Daily when finalized. Kaylie Cotten
kaylie108@gmail.com
Residential colleges reduce employee hours OU dining halls take steps to cut down on expenses MARIA DECOSTA @l_decosta
The residential colleges’ dining halls have made steps in decreasing expenses, which include reducing employees’ hours and modifying the hours of operation. Over the last semester, residential college dining halls have changed the operating hours of the dining halls. Headington College is closed on weekdays but remains open on the weekends from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dunham College’s dining hours still remain the same. Employees have also received reductions in working hours. The residential colleges first opened in fall 2017. Upperclassmen have the opportunity to live in the dorms and also to dine in one of two dining halls, Headington and Dunham. OU is one of few public universities to offer this kind of living opportunity to students, according to its website. “It was seen that reducing to one ser ver would still allow for a quality dining experience for our s t u d e nt s w h i l e o p e rating more efficiently,” said Keith Mackie, director of Residential Dining and Special Operations in an email. Mackie has worked for OU for nine years in t h e H o u s i n g a n d Fo o d Department. Mackie has been the director of residential dining since the opening of the colleges. Mackie said these cuts
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Dunham College. The residential colleges’ dining halls have reduced the number of employees in hopes of decreasing expenses.
were “strictly business” because the initial quota of meals served was not being met. “When this was built, it was designed to feed 600 meals a day on each side,” Mackie said. “Our average is less than that, total, so we made a business decision to change the way we do things.” General manager Chase Wiens has also worked in residential dining since the opening of the building and
said the residential colleges were trying to match their expenses to their revenue. Twenty-five percent of the student employees had the choice to transfer to other jobs on campus or stay at residential colleges with a reduced schedule, according to Mackie. Management at the residential colleges offered e mp l oye e s a re d u c t i o n of hours or helped them transfer to another job on campus, according to
Mackie. Wiens added that the employment reductions were done “based on seniority” and that “there’s always positions on campus.” Several employees have been impacted by the expense cuts, but Mackie assures that they were informed properly. “We’ve shared all this information with them as well,” Mackie said, “but I don’t know that they’ve understood.”
Majestie Barragan, political science sophomore, previously worked at the residential colleges’ dining halls from March 2018 through two weeks into January. “With my expens es, I couldn’t stay at the RESCO. I k n e w I h a d t o l e av e,” Barragan said. Barragan was transferred over to Cross Village where she works 18 hours a week rather than 12. “When it comes to
groceries, my sorority dues, gas, if my car needs any kind of maintenance, I c ove r t hat,” Ba r raga n said. “So working those 18 hours has gotten me to where I can pay all my bills comfortably.” Laine Russell, physics and math freshman and also a previous employee, began working at the residential colleges’ dining halls on the first day of the spring 2019 semester. “I was pretty excited to work there because I heard a lot of good things about the working environment,” Russell said. “It was a pretty good fit for me at the end of the day.” Russell remained at the residential colleges for a week before being transferred to Crossroads in a process they described as “pretty smooth.” Like Barragan, Russell also had financial responsibilities that would not have been met by the reduction of hours. “ I c ov e r my re n t a n d food, so I have to work a certain number of hours in order to pay for my basic things I need to survive,” Russell said. Mackie said in the future, the residential colleges can expect expansion. The decline of student activity goes back to occupancy, said Wiens. “We do have a new president now that looks at things a little differently, so we get to look at things differently,” Mackie said. “We get to make decisions based on what we need to be doing as an operating entity.” Maria DeCosta
Maria.l.decosta-1@ou.edu
NEWS
February 28 - March 3, 2019 •
SGA approves legislation OU congress passes resolutions, changes election processes
George Stoia Sports Editor Siandhara Bonnet Culture Editor
@carthagedelenda
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contact us New members and associates are sworn into the Undergraduate Student Congress Jan. 29.
Hunter McCans said. “Right now there’s a big focus on tr ying to fund common education ... and so I think it’s a good way to work higher education into that.” The congress also made some reforms to the current campus election process. The changes include the removal of filing fees for SGA president and CAC chair and the removal of penalty fees for candidates regarding certain campaign
violations. These violations will be penalized instead by point deductions. Secretar y of congress Richard Holt said the fines were “arbitrary” and that it is unfair to impose a monetary penalty on candidates because he does not believe money should prohibit someone from running. Additionally, the cong re s s p a s s e d t h e re a p portionment bill in the meeting, a process reorganizing which majors are
represented in each of the congress’ 16 districts. Some major changes include a new Finance and Accounting district from the original Business district. The Biology district was also shifted into the Life Sciences district, and the Education district was renamed the Interpersonal Studies district, which now represents human relations and social work majors. Holt said some changes come from seats not being
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filled. “Really this time, it was about making sure (Biology) and Life Sciences were getting filled, because that’s kind of the secondary goal, making sure that every seat in this room is filled, and if it’s not, then how can we make sure that those seats are more competitive,” Holt said. Emily Tucker
emtuck99@ou.edu
OU researchers study bird migration Case observes flying patterns, climate change NANCY SPEARS @ThisIsNancyS
OU researchers are conducting a study investigating trends in bird migration patterns in hopes of discovering what factors influence them. The study, called the Ru l e s o f L i f e, b e ga n i n January and is in the beginning stages of work, according to Jeffrey Kelly, the principal investigator of the project. The study hopes to find if bird migration patterns are changing in response to climate change and if the atmospheric changes impact the migratory habits of certain bird species. ”For a long time we’ve been interested in bird migration,” said Kelly, an OU biology professor. “We mostly study small songbirds that migrate at night. They are difficult to track. You can’t put a very big tracking device on them. We have to think of new ways to find out how far and how fast they’re going.” Ke l ly sa i d i nte re st i n using radars to understand the flow of migration started rising about 10 years ago. Some species under discussion for this research project include Mississippi Kites, Swainson’s Thrushes and Painted Buntings. “The reason to suspect bird migration is changing is that the migrants are timing their arrivals to be there when spring is going to be very productive. It’s bad to be there too early,” Kelly said. “But it’s also bad to be there too late, because you might miss the spring bloom. With climate change, that spring bloom is getting earlier.” Kelly said there are methods scientists have at their disposal that they can utilize to track birds: they can put tags on them (although this is really only ideal for bigger body birds), or they can use radar and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to help understand the atmosphere. The idea was to put atmosphere-measuring devices on both the birds and the UAVs to compare the environmental traits that the birds were flying through, Kelly said. H o w e v e r, K e l l y s a i d there are some persistent
Nick Hazelrigg News Managing Editor Julia Weinhoffer Engagement Editor
EMILY TUCKER
T u e s d a y ’ s Undergraduate Student Congress meeting saw two resolutions and two bills for election reform and reappor tionment, among other things. The resolutions, both proposed by the External Affairs committee, focused on higher education and were results of this year’s Higher Education Day. One resolution had to do with supporting economic policies and industries supporting higher education while the other focused on expanding concurrent enrollment opportunities for high school students across the state. Both resolutions passed. “I think concurrent enrollment is important because it’s a way that saves ( h ig h s c h o o l s t u d e nt s ) money, it can help them g r a d u a t e f a s t e r, i t c a n get them into jobs faster,” External Affairs chair
Emma Keith Editor in Chief
technological difficulties that impact the study, mainly regarding the weight and power of the tracking devices. Kelly said the average body size of a migrant bird is less than 20 grams and the project goes with a 5 percent weight limit for the tracking device — so, if it’s a 10-gram bird, that’s a 0.5 gram tracking device. “ Migrant birds are in general arriving earlier in the spring on the breeding grounds. There’s also sources of data that show that when birds migrate into North America from South America, they aren’t getting there any earlier,” Kelly said. “At some point between the Gulf of Mexico and the breeding ground, it seems like they’re catching up. The question is, how are they doing that?” The National Science Foundation is funding the study w ith a $1 million budget for three years. But Kelly said “it will be hard” to get the desired results in that amount of time. Phillip Stepanian, a post-doctoral research fellow and a bio-meteorologist who specializes in radar used to track animal flight, is determining the change in animal migration timing using historical bird migration data. According to Stepanian, a combination of methods will be used to investigate this topic. “This is a difficult topic to study. It requires systematic long-term animal observations sourced from a variety of historical datasets,” Stepanian said. Stepanian said understanding how these birds are impacted by environmental changes will help identify future ecological problems that could likely occur. Combining the historical data sets with the newly gathered information from the tracking systems will help gain a better understanding on how climate change impacts animal migration. Eli Bridge, a team member for the Rules of Life project and a professor at the Oklahoma Biological survey, tracks the movements and activities of birds as they travel. Finding tracking devices that provide large-scale geographic data while being light enough for a bird to carry is a major technical challenge, Bridge said. “ My colleagues and I have designed tracking
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OU professor Jeffrey Kelly is the principal investigator of the project Rules of Life.
devices that weigh less than a raisin. They can determine a location anywhere on the globe based on the timing of sunrise and sunset,” Bridge said. According to Bridge, the birds are essentially being used as a platform to collect meteorological data. The customized tracking devices monitor the bird’s activities as well as what environmental conditions they encounter during their travels. The goal of the project is to examine characteristics like body size and life history, determining the correspondence with those traits to migration speed and adaptability to weather conditions. A key element in this research is the use of the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) network, which collects continent-wide information on bird migration, Bridge said. Such data can be used to analyze migration activity from a
time-frame of a few minutes to an entire season. Katharine Goodenough, one of Bridge’s doctoral students, is collaborating with Bridge and other experts for the Rules of Life project. Goodenough works with Bridge to develop tracking technology for the proje c t. Wi t h B r i dg e w o rking on geolocator and radio-frequenc y identification (RFID) devices for smaller bird species and Goodenough’s work with devices for larger species, they “make a good team” Goodenough said. “I will be in charge of deploying trackers on the s e l e c t e d b i rd s p e c i e s,” Goodenough said. “I am pretty jazzed about the project. I think the Rules of Life project is an important step in understanding not only the ability of birds to adapt to change but also to understand the pressure these populations are under because of changes
in the environment.” Kelly said this project is an example of “applied aeroecology,” a growing interest in meteorology and biology fields. Kelly said a “balanced management” approach is needed to understand the aerosphere. Essentially, the aerosphere needs to be managed like resources and other habitats are managed. “A balanced management approach would allow people to use the aerosphere to make their lives better without having big negative impacts on the ecology of the habitat,” said Kelly. “Achieving this type of management will take a better understanding of this habitat both in terms of biology and many other aspects of how we use and perceive the aerosphere.” Nancy Spears
Nancy.M.Spears-1@ou.edu
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VOL.104, NO. 13
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• February 28 - March 3, 2019
SPORTS
George Stoia, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports
Sooners stay in tournament talk
ESPN’s Lunardi has men ranked No. 10 despite record CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21
E S P N ’s J o e L u n a r d i was making comparisons during Oklahoma’s 78-61 loss to Iowa State Monday night. “I have the Sooners in the field as a No. 10 seed,� Lunardi said on ESPNU. “And what we’re seeing is a repeat essentially of what happened a year ago with Oklahoma.� Lunardi is referencing the 2017-18 season where the Sooners, led by now-Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, went 8-10 in the Big 12. The Sooners made the NC AA Tournament that year and had a first round exit. The record, 8-10, is the best the Sooners can poss i b l y d o i n c o n f e re n c e play in 2018-19 after losing in Ames Monday. If
the Sooners would’ve beat the Cyclones, and go onto win the next three games — West Virginia, No. 15 Kansas and a game at Kansas State — the Sooners could’ve stayed afloat at .500 (9-9) in the Big 12. Now they will have to settle for a sub .500 Big 12 record. “I think their quality wins are going to carry the day,� Lunardi said before taking a pause. “My own opinion is I wouldn’t vote a team in unless they were .500 or better in their league.� But that’s Lunardi, not the NCAA, who has Oklahoma ranked No. 41 in the NET rankings. Lunardi is right when he says the quality wins will help out the Sooners. Before January, Oklahoma was 11-1, with wins against Notre Dame in Madison Square Garden, Florida in the Bahamas and nine other wins before starting Big 12 games. Oklahoma’s pre-January record is buffing its credibility. Depending on how the Sooners’ last three regular-season games play out,
Softball ready for first home game Oklahoma to host Louisiana, Oregon State this weekend VIC REYNOLDS @vicareynolds
No. 4 Oklahoma (13-2) will play its first games at Marita Hynes Field this weekend as it hosts No. 23 Oregon State (12-2) and No. 11 Louisiana (14-2) at the Courtyard Marriott Tournament. After spending the first three weeks of the season away from Norman, the Sooners are ready to play in front of their home crowd. Ju n i o r p i t c h e r M a r i a h Lopez is excited to play her first games at home this year. “I just think that playi n g a t Ma r i t a Hy n e s i s
something that’s really special to us, and having our home crowd there is really awesome, and not traveling is pretty nice, as well,� Lopez said. The Sooners will have the benefit of home field advantage. However, the comp etition coming to Norman could prove to be challenging. Oregon State is entering the weekend riding a fourgame win streak and is off to its best start since 2016. Last weekend, the Beavers won all four of their games in convincing fashion and only allowed four runs. L ouisiana started the season 14-0 but lost its last two games. The Ragin’ Cajuns have posted six shutouts on the season and two games where they’ve batted in 20 runs. However, Oklahoma is
the team’s credibility could be depleting. In order to get a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Sooners have to get at least two wins in their last three games of the season, and get past the first round of the big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, to be comfortable. A home game against West Virginia (1117, 3-12 Big 12) should be a win. Another home game against the Jayhawks (21-7, 10-5 Big 12) will be a tough o n e a n d a n away ga m e against Kansas State (217, 11-4 Big 12) will be even tougher. As of right now, standing at 5-10 in the league, the Sooners are a No. 10 seed against Iowa in Lunardi’s ESPN bracket, despite his thoughts on sub .500 conference records. Sooners host the Mountaineers Saturday at 1 p.m. Caleb McCourry
caleb.a.mccourry@ou.edu
no stranger to elite competition. The Sooners have already played four teams ranked in the top 25, including No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 UCLA. Despite the quality of opponents, Oklahoma is approaching these games the same as it would against anyone else. “I look at every team as the same no matter where they’re ranked or who they are because that’s just how the game of softball works,� L opez said. “ You never know what could happen, and I never overlook anyone.� The Sooners will face a double-header on Friday, first with Oregon State at 2 p.m. CT and then Louisiana at 4 : 3 0 p. m. Satu rday ’s games will be against Louisiana at 2 p.m. and Oregon State at 4:30 p.m.. Vic Reynolds
victor.reynolds@ou.edu
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Senior guard Christian James goes up for a shot in the game Feb. 23. The Sooners face West Virginia at home March 2.
Eight Sooners to watch in 2019 NFL Combine Murray to be in attendance; Brown, Anderson injured GEORGE STOIA @georgestoia
The NFL Combine officially started Tuesday and eight Sooners are in attendance hoping to make their pro football dreams come true. Here’s everything you need to know about the week. WHEN IS IT? The combine started Tuesday, but the actual athletic events won’t take place until Friday. Media inquiries and measurements will happen periodically throughout the week. The
Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg February 28, 2019
my friend’s got mental illness
To a friend with mental illness, your caring and understanding greatly increases their chance of recovery. Visit whatadifference.samhsa.gov for more information. Mental Illness – What a difference a friend makes.
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.
ACROSS 1 Bubble tea root (1) 5 Fuzzy fruit (1) 10 A deadly sin 14 Eras 15 Uber alternative? 16 “Do ___ others ...� 17 Full of greenery 18 Lose it 19 Included on an email 20 Silas Marner ailment (2) 22 Group of notes (2) 23 Salt Lake City student 24 Nook’s partner 25 Orion star 29 Gourmet’s gastropods 31 Monkey in some labs (3) 33 Insta upload (3) 34 Charged particle (3) 36 Campus cadets’ org. 37 Teeming (with) 39 Huffed and puffed 41 “Don’t drink and drive� spot, e.g. (4) 42 Twitter spammer (4) 43 “Aha!� (4) 45 Slow on the ___ 47 Faked romantic interest in 48 Cheese protein 2/28
50 Chicago Christmas hrs. 52 Obvious (5) 53 Posthumous Jim Croce hit (5) 59 She loved Aeneas 60 Garlicky mayonnaise 61 BBQ cabbage dish 62 This, in Toledo 63 Word before “duty� or “pride� 64 Canadian gas brand 65 Tragic fate 66 Nickname of the director whose films get “interrupted� in each set of numbered entries 67 ___-adoodle-doo DOWN 1 Soothing powder 2 Water, in Juarez 3 Musical intermission? 4 Workplace safety agcy. 5 Seattle’s Sound 6 Marry secretly 7 Fast cash sources, briefly 8 Early supercomputer 9 Once owned
10 Mexican wrestling 11 Still needing comforting 12 Strict 13 Hot, spiced drink 21 Echoic female “L� name 22 Dernier ___ 24 Secret stash 25 Sch. basics 26 Free Pancake Day chain 27 Becomes familiar with 28 Physical puzzle site 29 Sudden rush 30 Grafton’s “___ for Noose� 32 Crimson Tide coach Nick 35 Indie singer Case 38 Stir-fry pan
40 Pale 44 Beauty superstore 46 Little songbird 48 Wrote in C or Java 49 Spanish warning word 50 Infant’s woe 51 Michael of ’90s tennis 53 Clock’s four, rarely 54 Poli sci subj. 55 Minute part of a minute: Abbr. 56 Furthermore 57 Not fem. or neut. 58 “Return of the Jedi� furball 60 German complaint
PREVIOUS PREVIOUSPUZZLE PUZZLEANSWER ANSWER
events will start at 8 a.m. CT every day except Saturday, which will start at 9 a.m. Friday: RB, OL, ST, PK Saturday: QB, WR, TE Sunday: DL, LB Monday: DB
HERE’S WHO TO LOOK HOW DO I WATCH? FOR STARTING FRIDAy: The combine will be teleRodney Anderson, RB vised live on NFL Network (injured) Friday through Monday. Ma rq u i s e B row n , W R A B C w i l l a l s o t e l e v i s e (injured) two hours of coverage on Bobby Evans, OL Saturday when quarterCody Ford, OL backs, wide receivers and Kyler Murray, QB tight ends are participating. Ben Powers, OL That will take place at 12 Dru Samia, OL p.m. CT. Austin Seibert, K WHO WILL REPRESENT Find out where these OU? Sooners are projected to Oklahoma will be repre- land at oudaily.com/sports. sented by eight participants, including Heisman Trophy w i n n e r Ky l e r M u r r a y . George Stoia Running back Rodney georgestoia@ou.edu
HOROSCOPE By Eugenia Last
Copyright 2015, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last Take on whatever comes your way. Be up-front with everyone and follow your heart. Your ability to make changes that will improve your life and encourage you to make a difference will lead to a successful and satisfying year. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Set up guidelines and concentrate on your target. Determination and belief in your abilities will help you make a positive change. A financial opportunity looks promising. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Do what you can and stop being so hard on yourself. A physical activity will help you blow off steam. Don’t worry about what you don’t have; instead, be grateful for what you’ve got.
2/27 2/25
Š 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal Š 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com www.upuzzles.com
“Hanging in Suspense� by Christopher Adams and Robert Mark
Anderson and wide receiver Marquise Brown are not expected to compete in most events due to injury. Murray has yet to decide which events he will participate in.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Use your intelligence and charm to get ahead. The work you put in will pay off, and the praise you receive will raise your selfesteem. Learn as you go and stop at nothing. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Pay closer attention to your needs, and make changes that will improve your life and relationships. Walk away from people who are unreliable or untrustworthy. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Don’t disregard your ideas. Offering a different point of view will intrigue someone you want to get to know better or collaborate with. Romance is in the stars.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Anger will lead to trouble, but hard work and personal change will lead to opportunity. Choose the high road and don’t give in to someone looking for a fight. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Learn from past mistakes and feel confident about your path. How you deal with partners and peers will make a difference to the outcome. Distance yourself from indulgent or excessive people. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Assess your situation to figure out a way to deal with people who are pressuring you. Change may be needed, but it must lead to something better. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Participate, travel, set up meetings and express what’s on your mind. Taking a unique approach to an old idea will make you look like a genius. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Someone will try to make you look bad. Be explicit in your explanation and leave no room for error. Know what you want and what you are willing to give. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Don’t feel that you must fall in line with everyone else. Be a self-starter and pursue what you feel is in your best interest. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -Keep an open mind and be willing to let others do as they please. If you mess with someone’s plans, you will end up in an argument and be accused of meddling.
SPORTS
February 28 - March 3, 2019 •
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KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY
Freshman Olivia Trautman performs on beam in the meet against Florida Feb. 1.
Women prepared to face UCLA Top-two meet looks to be battle of floor routines STEVEN PLAISANCE @splaisance00
In April of last year, when the top-seeded Sooners finished second in the NCAA Super Six, they fell just short of a third straight national championship. In the end, there was only one team standing between the Sooners and their trophy: UCLA. “They had an amazing meet last year,” said coach K.J. Kindler about UCLA. “But it was certainly something that our team was wanting to do and, you know, they didn’t get there. They’ve been motivated since the beginning of summer about that and trying to push themselves a
little bit harder this year to try to get there.” For the past 10 months, No. 1 Oklahoma has been biding its time, waiting and preparing for one thing: another chance at UCLA. This Sunday, they get that chance. UCLA comes in ranked No. 2 in the country, featuring one of the best floor routines the sport has ever seen, courtesy of senior Katelyn Ohashi. Ohashi went viral each of the last two seasons with her flashy and flamboyant floor routine. “We recruited Katelyn,” Kindler said. “It was kind of between UCLA and Oklahoma, and I just really think she ended up in the right place for her. She can really show off her talents and really basically does a play for you. She’s
basically performing for you, 100 percent. It’s not like she’s doing a floor routine, but she’s doing Act 1 of the Katelyn Ohashi play. I just think she’s an amazing performer.” Fortunately for O k l a h o m a , O h a s h i ’s Michael Jackson-esque theatrics may not even be the best floor routine on Sunday. Ohashi is the topranked floor gymnast in the nation, but Oklahoma freshman Olivia Trautman is just two spots behind her. Trautman, who was not at the Super Six last year, may be the answer to Ohashi that the Sooners have been missing. “Olivia Trautman certainly can compete with Katelyn Ohashi, 100 p e rc e nt,” Ki n d l e r s a i d . “Tumbling-wise she abs olutely matches up to
Katelyn, performance-wise she does as well. She’s a super quick tumbler, really fun to watch. I think they’re very similar in that aspect.” UCLA is a daunting threat, but Oklahoma is no stranger to stiff competition. Earlier this month, Oklahoma defeated thenNo.2 Florida in a nail-biter. “Having competitions l i ke w e d i d aga i n st t h e University of Flor ida— where your back’s against the wall, you’re being pushed the whole entire competition — that only prepares you for moments like this,” Kindler said. Besides Trautman and Ohashi, fans should expect plenty of high-flying performances across the board. The last time these two teams met in a dual meet, six different gymnasts scored a perfect 10.
“I think there will definitely be big fireworks,” senior Nicole Lehrmann said. “In terms of 10s, you never know. You can never really predict what the judges are gonna be feeling that night, but I definitely think there will be fireworks regardless of the scores.” Lehrmann expects a lot of energy in this meet, not only from the two squads but from the crowd, as well. “There’s a lot of excitement,” Lehrmann said. “It’s No. 1 and No. 2. It’s kind of a rematch of Super Six — there’s so much excitement going into it. UCLA is a really energetic team, and we’ll have one of the biggest, if not the biggest, crowd we’ll ever have. There’s gonna be a bunch of energy in there and I know we’re all so excited for it.” She’s not the only one
expecting big things from Sooner Nation. “I think this is going to be the best crowd we’ve ever had, which, to me, is massively exciting all by itself,” Kindler said. “These athletes have been threetime national champions. They deserve the attention of our student body and our community. These are two of the very best teams in the history of women’s gymnastics coming up against each other right here. If you’re available, you should be there.” The meet will take place at noon on Sunday, March 3 in the Lloyd Noble Center. The meet will air on ESPN. Steven Plaisance
srplaisance@ou.edu
OU breaks losing streak after Bedlam battle Llanusa sets record despite Sooners’ dismal season TARIK MASRI
@Tarik_mofficial
The Sooners snapped a three-game losing streak on Monday with a 75-66 win against Oklahoma State. Oklahoma jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the second quarter. It wouldn’t give it back until a 13-1 run gave the Cowgirls a 47-44 lead with less than t w o m i nu t e s t o p l ay i n the third quarter, forcing Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale to call a 30-second timeout. The Sooners hadn’t scored in more than four minutes, and sophomore guard Ana L lanusa had 11 points on 3-12 shooting and seemed unlikely to extend her record-tying streak of five straight games with 20-plus points. “It wasn’t anything special about the call. It was more about them just gathering themselves — that’s one of our greatest areas of improvement,” Coale said. “A few of weeks ago, a 30-second stop didn’t have that kind of effect. But it does now.” The Sooners responded out of the timeout by finding Llanusa off the inbounds play who knocked down a 3-pointer to tie t h e g a m e. A f t e r a s t o p on defense, the Sooners found L lanusa again in
the fast-break who made the layup and was fouled. The 3-point play gave the Sooners the lead and the momentum. “I thought that play was important on a couple of levels.” Coale said. “(Llanusa) is learning how to read and react. It almost felt like it was in slow motion because she took the time to read it, and that growth is what’s so exciting to me.” Llanusa is now the only Sooner to score 20-plus points in six consecutive games, passing former Sooner Courtney Paris’ streak of five straight during the 2007-08 season. Llanusa has led the Sooners in scoring in each of their eight games, with totals of 33 and 31 against Kansas State and Baylor, respectively, after missing 10 of the first 11 games of the season to a foot injury. The sophomore guard’s play has been encouraging to a team that has little to play for after losing 10 of its first 11 Big 12 conference games. “The way Ana’s played has caused ever yone to relax. When you’ve got a guy that you know what you’re gonna get, ever y night no matter what, then you can become a better version of yourself because you don’t have to play outside of yourself,” Coale said. Freshman guard Jessi Murcer scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting and added
Senior guard Gileysa Kenzo looks to pass the ball during the game Feb. 10.
seven rebounds and seven assists. Freshman forward Madi Williams, who leads Big 12 freshmen in double-doubles with seven, added another on Monday with 11 points and 11 rebounds on 5-14 shooting. After being out-rebounded 44-36 in their first meeting in Stillwater, the Sooners controlled the
glass and came away with a 55-35 advantage including 18 offensive rebounds. Despite likely missing their first NCAA tournament in 19 seasons, the Sooners have a lot of young talent they can build on. Oklahoma is the only Power Five team in the countr y to have started four freshmen in multiple
games this season. The s e ve n f re s h m e n o n t h e team are the most of any OU squad since the 200203 season. With the last two wins a g a i n s t We s t V i r g i n i a and Oklahoma State, the Sooners have won consecutive games for the first time since winning their first three games of the
EMILY ADDINGTON/THE DAILY
season. Oklahoma improves to 8-19 on the season and 4-12 in Big 12 play. The Sooners will host TCU on Saturday for their final home game of the season. Tarik Masri
tarikmasri1@ou.edu
6
• February 28-March 3, 2019
CULTURE
Siandhara Bonnet, culture editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/culture • Twitter: @OUCulture
DRAG QUEENS OF NORMAN
CAITLYN EPES • @CAITLYNEPES
Main Street in downtown Norman is home to breakfast hot spots, local boutiques and popular restaurants. But on the third Thursday of every month, Main Street hosts royalty. Drag queens from all over the state come to Bison Witches Bar & Deli to perform in the monthly LGBTQ+ Night and Drag Show sponsored by Norman Pride. The host and emcee of the show, Keosha Simone, has been casting queens since the show’s inception two years ago. “I feel like every community needs a place for the LGBT people to get together,” Simone said. “I didn’t feel like Norman really had an open spot.” Simone partners with Andrew Coulter, president of Norman Pride, and the pair have been putting on the drag shows together since the first LGBTQ+ Night in April 2017. Coulter said he hopes the shows will make LGBTQ+ people in Norman feel more comfortable. “I want everyone in Norman to realize that this other community is out there,” Coulter said. “I want to make sure that they’re welcomed at any bar, restaurant, shop, whatever it may be that they could walk into and they don’t ever have to feel threatened or worried or anything like that.” The LGBTQ+ Night and Drag Show originally started at Louie’s Too! on Campus Corner, but when the 2017 football season rolled around, Simone had to find another venue. Bison Witches welcomed the show with open
arms, and since then, more people have been flocking to the entertainment. “The event is growing, and the opportunity for everybody is here,” Simone said. “All they have to do is show up and take advantage of the opportunity that’s been given.” Four queens perform in each show, and familiar faces, such as Simone and her son, Taylor Alexander Simone, entertain each time. Simone finds queens from her hometown in Oklahoma City, as well as cities around Oklahoma where she has performed before. Once she sees a queen with the potential for a great stage presence, she brings them over to Bison Witches. “There’s so many opportunities to drag, but so many people don’t give the opportunity to explore it,” Simone said. “My thing is opening up the door for everyone and giving everybody the opportunity.” The drag queens Keosha brings to Norman agree the community there is unique in its support for the show. Two queens who performed at the Feb. 21 show, Airabella and Jupiter Marie Halliwell, said Norman has proved to be a safe and accepting space for queens of all ages. “Norman having these things where people younger can come see these shows in a safe place that’s not necessarily a club scene (is) awesome,” Airabella said. “Norman kind of helps aid that and make(s) a safer place
for that to cultivate.” While Norman has started to embrace the drag culture, Keosha Simone is the queen who helped get it all started. “Even if she doesn’t know you, if Keosha sees something in you, or if you are honest and genuine ... she’ll be like, ‘Alright girl, I’ll get you,’” Jupiter said. “That’s just the kind of person she is. That’s the kind of person that Norman has embraced.” Simone and Coulter said they have seen the Bison Witches drag shows grow in attendance each month, and they hope the support will continue. Their biggest upcoming show will be their anniversary performance April 20, where they will raise money to put together the Norman Pride festival and parade in May. “I think that it’s building each and every month, it’s getting better and better, and we’re getting more support right here in Norman, which is what we came for,” Simone said. “We’re here in Norman now, and this is where we’re going to stay. The support is absolutely amazing.” Caitlyn Epes
caitlynepes@ou.edu
Latino Flavor Week to celebrate culture Events to show differences that make up Latin life SIANDHARA BONNET @siabon
The OU community will be able to experience and celebrate Latin culture during Latino Flavor Week from March 4-6. This is the first year the
event will be called Latino Flavor Week, but will be the seventh annual celebration of Latin culture and diversity on campus. “We want to have an actual week that displays content of Latin America,” said Claudia Salazar, public relations chair for Latino Flavor. Salazar said that llamas, which will be on the South Oval from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 5, will represent the Andes.
There will be a taco sale from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 4,co-hosted with Sigma Lambda Beta, and a full celebration with performances and food from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 6 in the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. “Basically diversity in diversity, what we mean is Latinos are viewed as a group, an ethnic group, but (people) put us in a box and view us as a certain type of Latino that eats a
certain type of food,” Salazar said. “The purpose of this (week) is we want to show people that within our group there’s so many differences ... We’re not one culture that we’re made up of — all these cultures make it into who we are as Latinos.” Admission to the celebration March 6 will be $5. Siandhara Bonnet arahdnais@ou.edu
VIA LATINO FLAVOR TWITTER
A traditional Venezuelan dish. The OU community will be able to taste Latin foods during Latino Flavor Week March 4-6.