W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | F E B R U A R Y 4 - 6 , 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
OUDAILY
The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
COMING HOME
OU alumnus David Surratt returns to university to serve as dean of students amid racist activity on campus
W
hen David Surratt was a student at the University of Oklahoma, he spent his school days cultivating relationships and pouring into a community that was excited to have his leadership. Now, after being away for 15 years, he will return to OU at a time when the university is in need of strong leaders and community builders following racist activity on campus that has deepened rifts in the OU community. At 38, Surratt will be OU’s first new dean of students in nearly two decades. He comes armed with years of university administration experience, most recently from the University of California, B e rke l e y . A n d , f o r t h e s e cond time in his career, he’ll be starting a job at a college campus in the middle of a cultural reckoning. “As somebody who spent 18 years putting my heart and soul into a job to have David come in who is committed to the co-curricular development of our students? I mean, I couldn’t ask
ARCHIEBALD BROWNE • @ARCHIEBALDMOSES for anything more,” said Clarke Stroud, current manager of OU Football Operations and former dean of students. EARLY DAYS AT OU Surratt spent his childhood years in California with his parents: a mother who immigrated from South Korea and an African-American father in the Air Force. By first grade, Surratt’s father was working with American Airlines in Tulsa, where the family settled for good. “Most of my life and my u p b r i n g i n g w a s i n Tu l s a , Oklahoma,” Surratt said. “And so when people ask where I’m from, I always tell them it’s a complicated story. But ultimately I’m from Oklahoma.” While in high school, he knew that it would be important for him to attend college, making him the first of his family to do so. Surratt had baseball offers to different junior colleges, but he made the choice to give up playing baseball and swing for getting a Division I education, Surratt said. Surratt started college at OU
in 1998, majoring in English literature. He was a member of OU’s Black Student Association, joined the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and volunteered his time for health education groups and younger students, among other things. “I think it was an overall positive time,” Surratt said. “In terms of my overall experience, I was curious about a lot of different things because when you’re coming into an environment that’s new to you, you’re anxious, you’re open to learning a lot of different things.” Surratt was also a columnist at The Daily, giving his opinions on topics such as civil rights, politics of the day and words of advice for other students. “Remember that when you set personal goals, they do not become static. Things constantly change and many things around you change and it is to be expected,” Surratt wrote during his time as a student in a 2003 op-ed in The Daily. “The key is to not be frightened of it and realize it’s a natural process in our hopes to ultimately be better people — in whatever way you feel defines
David Surratt, bottom middle, poses for a photo with his family as a young child.
PROVIDED BY DAVID SURRATT
you as a better person.” Through his campus involvement, Surratt said he met P ro f e s s o r Em e r i tu s G e o rg e Henderson, who has been at OU since 1967 in a variety of teaching and administrative roles. Today, Henderson is a campus leader, activist and mentor, interacting and guiding students in their studies and lives. The tw o for med a fr iend ship by connecting on informal occasions and shared ideas, Henderson said. Henderson gave advice to Surratt on what he could do to help the campus community, and Henderson was impressed that Surratt engaged, asking questions of him, he said. “I saw growth. I saw his maturity. I saw concern. I saw a willingness to put in, put himself on the line for what he believed. I saw integrity,” Henderson said. When Surratt earned his bachelor’s degree in 2002, he enrolled in the human relations graduate program created by Henderson back in 1969. “He was definitely a figure that influenced me because he taught me something about our very existence being radical and pushing against expectations and norms and forcing people to come to a different place of learning,” Surratt said. Henderson said that Surratt helped other students learn to become constructive activists instead of “just (an) armchair activist” — one who only speculates and talks about what they need to change instead of making it happen, he said. “I remember one day (Surratt) said, ‘I’m beginning to tell people that if things are so bad around here, they’ve got to help us change some of them,’” Henderson said. “I’M ALWAYS GRATEFUL FOR THE STUDENTS” After graduating from OU, Surratt pursued his doctorate in higher education administration at George Washington Un i ve r s i t y . O ve r t h e ye a r s, he has held many positions at various public and private universities. In 2013, amid a lawsuit against the University of California,
Berkeley, for Title IX violations, Surratt was hired as associate dean of students, a position he would hold for the next five years, working closely with student advocacy programs. Surratt struggled to create relationships with the students because they were weary about anyone involved with the school’s administration while the college’s Title IX office was involved in state and federal audits, but they eventually began to trust him, he said. “One of the biggest things that was hard for me was to understand where our survivor activists were coming from and to make sure that we reached out and we express empathy and support for students who were challenging the rest of the university directly,” Surratt said. Dur ing that time, he als o eventually held the position of associate vice chancellor for student affairs, Surratt said. He was tasked with housing and dining services and looked at housing and food insecurity issues. Surratt said his biggest drive while at UC Berkeley was his connections with the students. “That’s something that I do try to take pride in because I feel like if I stopped being able to empathize with what students are experiencing, I feel like I’m not doing my job effectively. And so I’m always grateful for the students,” Surratt said. “I HOPE I CAN STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE” Surratt’s experience in building relationships with students during times of intense turmoil will be useful as he starts his work at OU. OU’s spring 2019 semester began with two blackface incidents on campus, one student in a widely circulated video and another unknown person walking near campus, prompting marches, protests and calls for the university’s new administration to crack down on systemic racism at the university. “Someone of AfricanAmerican and Korean-American sect coming into this role at this See SURRATT page 2
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• February 4-6, 2019
NEWS
Nick Hazelrigg, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
Sage Mauldin, an OU human relations professor, drafted legislation to ban conversion therapy in Oklahoma.
PHOTO GRAPHIC BY CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Professor fights anti-gay therapy Bill aims to outlaw conversion therapy for minors in state CHARLEY LANZIERI @charlanzieri
An OU professor drafted legislation to partially ban conversion therapy for minors in Oklahoma, something only 15 states and Washington, D.C. have passed. Human relations professor Sage Mauldin started the process to get conversion therapy banned about two years ago, and the final language for the legislation was filed Jan. 17. When session starts Feb. 4, the bill will be introduced and assigned to a House committee to start being discussed. According to the text of Oklahoma House Bill 2456, the legislation would make make it illegal for m e d i ca l p ro f e s s i o na l s, including mental health
SURRATT: Continued from page 1
time of climate concerns and issues sends a spotlight on me,” Surratt said. “I hope I can step up to the challenge, but I know I can’t do it without the support of the students and of faculty and staff.” The administrators and
professionals, to partake in anything that would be defined by the bill as conversion therapy. The bill defines conversion therapy as “any practice or treatment that seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, any effort to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward persons of the same sex.” Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of trying to change an individual’s sexual orientation using psychological or spiritual interventions, Mauldin said. “I call (conversion therapy) something that’s tantamount to torture,” Mauldin said. Mauldin said he first got interested in banning conversion therapy for minors after a conversation with a group of his friends who
had been through it when they were younger. “They shared with me that as they were going through conversion therapy, they felt ashamed, they had diminished self-worth, they experienced loss of faith, they felt dehumanized, they felt suicidal,” Mauldin said. Mauldin said his friends asked him why conversion therapy had not been banned yet in Oklahoma. He responded he didn’t know, but it should be. After that, he started working to getting it banned. In February of last year, Mauldin created an online petition to ask the Oklahoma Legislature to partially ban conversion therapy. In the petition, which currently has about 8,000 signatures, Mauldin details what conversion therapy is and why it should be banned. Last summer Mauldin star ted reaching out to legislators to see if any of
them would want to sponsor the bill. Mauldin decided to send his final draft to Rep. Jason Dunnington, D-Oklahoma City, who recently wrote a bill to protect housing and employment for LGBTQ people. “I don’t feel very good about (conversion therapy) because what conversion therapy is, is state-sanct i o n e d c h i l d a b u s e ,” Mauldin said, “Keeping t hat i n m i n d , i t ba f f l e s me, it concerns me that states aren’t taking action to prohibit any attempts to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” Dunnington said he thinks the main reason many states have not banned conversion therapy is due to lack of education. “It’s one of those things that if you never heard about it, or didn’t know anything about it, then it would never be on your radar,” Dunnington said. Dunnington said he
thinks that as states have found out more about the practice and why it’s harmful to children, more and more are taking steps to ban it. “I’m very hopeful and very optimistic that it will pass because people on both sides of the political aisle do not support child abuse,” Mauldin said. The OU Gender + Equality Center supports the bill and wants to be available to students for any questions or concerns that they have, Gender + Equality Center coordinator Erin Simpson said in an email. “The Gender + Equality Center supports the freedom of expression for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities,” Simpson said in the email. “Conversion therapy is currently prohibited in fifteen states and Washington D.C. On behalf of our university community, we will track
the progress of the legislation and respond to any questions.” Mauldin said the way to get any legislation passed is to have a group of people with experience in political advocacy, grassroots activism and working together with one goal in mind. Mauldin said he feels good about how this bill has progressed and how far it has gotten. “This is my first piece of legislation, and it’s gotten this far, and that makes me feel very optimistic and hopeful about other causes that I or others can champion in the state,” Mauldin said. “It is very much child abuse, and it’s got to stop, it’s got to be banned, it’s got to be prohibited.”
faculty who know and remember Surratt from his time at OU are excited for his return to campus. “(Surratt) worked really, really hard, and I’m just extremely proud of him,” Stroud said. “It’s really awesome to see one of our students who put so much into our community here and to leave and watch them make investments in other communities. But then to see them get to come back
home is really special for you.” When Henderson heard that Surratt was being considered for the job, he sent Surratt an email saying that if he was offered the job, he’d hope Surratt would accept because the campus was in need of him now more than ever, Henderson said. “Too many of us older men never passed the gauntlet onto the next
generation,” Henderson said. “David coming here gives me symbolically passing that gauntlet onto that next generation. And knowing that in a very positive way, that it’s in good hands, he will be fair, he will do the best that he possibly can. It means that people like me can, can sit back and say, ‘well done.’” For Surratt, it is a deeply personal decision aside from a professional one,
he said. Because working for a place like OU and its mission for success in public education spoke to him, Surratt hopes he can continue to lead teams to work on retention for students and take charge of student services. “There’s a special place of doing this for your alma mater and doing it at a place that actually gave me a lot of opportunities too,” Surratt said. “I was
(a first generation college student) … There was a lot of things I just didn’t know. And so then there’s a lot of gratitude I have for Oklahoma, not only for the focus on education, but also the things that it gave me personally.”
Charley Lanzieri
lanzieri.charlton@gmail. com
Archiebald Browne
archiebaldbrowne@gmail. com
NEWS
February 4-6, 2019 •
Emma Keith Editor in Chief Nick Hazelrigg News Managing Editor Julia Weinhoffer Engagement Editor George Stoia Sports Editor Siandhara Bonnet Culture Editor Kayla Branch Enterprise Editor Caitlyn Epes Visual Editor Emily McPherson Copy Chief Emily Douthitt Print Editor
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Abuse of prescription drugs is common among college students, according to the Center on Addiction.
PHOTO GRAPHIC BY CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
OU students and stimulants Two students, psychiatrist talk presciption abuse BAILEY LEWIS @BaileyLewis75
Editor’s note: This story uses quotes from two OU students who discussed their use of prescription stimulants but asked to remain anonymous out of fear of legal repercussions. In this story, these students’ names have been changed to Sarah White and John Smith. Their identities are known to The Daily. Abuse of prescription stimulants among college students is extremely common, especially for those who struggle with addiction and mental illness. The amount of college students who take ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)/ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity D i s o rd e r ) m e d i cat i o n s such as Adderall, Ritalin and Vyvanse continues to increase each year, and the percentage of college students who report using these stimulant medications without a prescription ranges from 5 to 35 percent, according to the Center on Addiction. Abuse of prescription stimulants is defined as taking the medicine in a way or dose other than prescribed, taking someone else’s prescription stimulant or using it to get a high, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. D r. Ta n y a Z i e l i n s k i , a psychiatr ist bas e d in Grapevine, Texas, said prescription stimulants can be very addictive, especially for those who already struggle with substance abuse and mental illness because it can be used as a coping mechanism. “Anything in the stimulant
category goes through the addiction pathway, which is commonly referred to as the reward circuitry,” Zielinski said. “The kids that misuse stimulants are more likely to suffer from mental illness or substance abuse than your average college student.” Sarah White, an OU student, said she struggles with depression and anxiety and uses a friend’s prescription stimulants to help her mental illnesses. White said she has tried to get a prescription for a prescription stimulant before but can’t because she does not suffer from ADD or ADHD. “Medication can give you the drive to get out of bed on the days when you are feeling too depressed to do so,” White said. “My thoughts tend to race and make me very anxious, especially when it comes to school, and prescription stimulants help me to better control this.” The risk of addiction to prescription stimulants is very low if one is prescribed the medication, but the risk is much higher if the medication is taken without a prescription or snorted, Zielinski said. Zielinski said when students snort prescription stimulants, it can have the same effects as methamphetamine or cocaine, and the risk of addiction and overdose is higher when taking stimulants this way. “If you’re snorting it and you’re abusing these medicines, it can have the same potential effects as using speed or cocaine,” Zielinski said. “If you swallow (the medication) and it’s delivered through the gut, it doesn’t really affect the addiction circuitry because the speed of delivery really has a lot to do with it. So the way that some students use these medicines is by crushing it and snorting it to get high.” Because of the potential
for prescription stimulants to cause a high, some students use them to mix with alcohol or illegal substances. John Smith, a former OU student, said he has used prescription stimulants to party but not on a regular basis. “I used the medications to stay up when I was going to be out late with friends,” Smith said. “This was normally mixed with alcohol, not weed.” However, Zielinski said most college students use prescription stimulants for academic purposes. “Usually what (students) do is use it as a performance-enhancing drug,” Zielinski said. “So a lot of the people that are using it don’t actually have ADD or ADHD, so they use it for tests or to try to stay up at night and study for tests.” About three-quarters of stimulant abusers use the drug for school to help them stay awake, focus and study for tests, according to the National Center for Health Research. Smith said he used prescription stimulants frequently while at OU to help him stay awake while studying and that he only used them for long or difficult tasks. “I used the medication because it allowed me to stay up longer and be more focused while working,” Smith said. “I have a terrible problem with falling asleep when I’m studying, so the medication would counteract this problem.” The reason these medications are so popular among college students is because they are easily accessible, and most students get them through friends with a prescription for a stimulant, Zielinski said. “It is very widely known from research that (students) get it from other college students with
prescriptions,” Zielinski said. “The way they do it is by figuring out which people are being treated for ADD or ADHD, and they offer them money to get their drugs.” White said she gets prescription stimulants from one of her close friends, but in the past, she got them from drug dealers. “I get Vyvanse from a friend of mine who has a prescription for it,” White said. “In the past, I have bought Adderall and Vyvanse from people I knew, as well as drug dealers.” Although taking prescription stimulants as directed puts you at a much lower risk of addiction, Zielinski said there are many uncomfortable or even dangerous side effects. “Stimulants can make your heart beat too fast, and you can get overstimulated, which doesn’t feel good, and then when it wears off, you can have a crash,” Zielinski said. “You can have side effects like akathisia (restlessness), have insomnia and suffer from sleep deprivation or become underweight because your appetite is so suppressed.” Some studies have shown Adderall and Ritalin can have negative side effects of blurred vision, gastrointestinal problems, irritability, reduced circulation and increased heart rate and blood pressure, according to the National Center for Health Research. These drugs can even be deadly for those with an underlying heart condition by causing cardiac arrest or death, and the risk of this greatly increases for those taking these medications without a prescription, according to the National Center for Health Research. Smith said he has experienced many side effects from taking these medications. “The side effects I have felt are nausea, fluctuation
of body temperature, headaches, loss of appetite, depression, anxiety and lack of sleep,” Smith said. “Not all of these happen every time, and most of the time the only side effects felt are fluctuation of body temp, loss of appetite and loss of sleep. I found myself getting depressed and angry, specifically when I took Ritalin.” White said she has also encountered different side effects from prescription stimulants, especially irritability and insomnia. “I will sometimes become irritable if someone tries to distract me from doing my schoolwork,” White said. Along with having many negative side effects, prescription stimulants are also a Schedule II drugs, which means the Drug Enforcement Agency cons i d e r s t h e m h ig h l y a d dictive, according to the National Center for Health Research. The federal penalty for a first offense of possession of a prescription stimulant can be up to one year in prison, a $1,000 fine or both, according to American Addiction Centers. The penalty for distributing Schedule II substances is a fine of up to $5 million and up to 20 years in prison for a first offense. White said even though she has a lot of side effects from prescription stimulants and it is illegal for her to use them, the benefits outweigh the negatives. “For me, the side effects don’t bother me that much because they help me in so many ways,” White said. “I do worry about getting caught, but since I get them from a friend, the chances of me getting caught are pretty slim, I think.” Bailey Lewis
bailey.n.lewis-1@ou.edu
Students find problems with SafeRide OU’s ride-sharing service has long waits, no-shows EMILY TUCKER
@carthagedelenda
It’s a Friday night, and political science freshman Jori Cowley is out for the weekend. It’s late when the night ends, so to make sure she and her friends get home safe, she gets out her phone, opens the OU Innovate app and calls for a SafeRide. She receives the code, confirms the ride, and then she waits. This is the third time she’s tried to use SafeRide. The first time she tried, she waited nearly an hour before the ride showed up. The second, it never showed up at all. This time, she’s apprehensive. She doesn’t want to walk home, so after half an hour, she and
her friends split an Uber. Cowley is one of many students who have struggled with issues regarding the SafeRide program. Students have reported location services not working, long wait times and the ride not showing up at all. Ac c o rd i n g t o G e o r g e Ahmadi, assistant director of Student Affairs, the average wait time in the last fiscal year was 21 minutes and 47 seconds, meeting the time limit mandated in the contract between the university and the vendor, Airport Express. Some students, however, have experienced wait times far longer than that. “We were just sitting on a bench at Campus Corner outside so it wasn’t like, safe, you know?” said Cowley, who most recently attempted to use SafeRide at the beginning of this semester. “I tried to use the OU Innovate app,
and we waited like 30 minutes and no one ever showed up.” SafeRide first launched in 2004 as an aid in enforcing the student alcohol policy. When it was first released, it was a phone number that any OU student could call for a free, safe and confidential ride that would get them back home safely. In 2012, the program switched to the “voucher system,” requiring students to come to the Student Government Association office to receive three free cards to use for the upcoming weekend, Ahmadi said. The vouchers were allowed to be passed around to friends and could be used for multiple people on a single ride. “I think some students mentioned that it was a little inconvenient,” said Ahmadi regarding the voucher system. “But the idea was that
you could pass them to your friends … if you knew that someone needed a ride.” In July 2016, SafeRide transferred to the OU Innovate app to better track the service’s use among students, Ahmadi said. There are four vehicles that run from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and each weekend there is an average of 87.5 rides — about 21 rides for each driver over the weekend and about seven rides each night SafeRide is open, according to Ahmadi. Nursing freshman Abigail Eichelberger had a similar experience to Cowley’s. She tried to use SafeRide last November when she called for a ride on the app with some friends at around 10:30 p.m. The ride never came, and she and her friends paid for a Lyft to get home. Eichelberger said that the
SafeRide feature would benefit from a certain amount of redesign to make it more “effective (and) convenient.” “With Uber or Lyft, you just put in your address and it shows you a map of where the driver is, when they’re going to get to you, what kind of car they’re driving… and with SafeRide you don’t really have that,” Eichelberger said. According to Ahmadi, if the wait time is excessive, students should report their experience. “ We’ re c o n t ra c t u a l l y bound with Airport Express for them to keep it under a certain time,” Ahmadi said. “So if it’s an excessive wait, we want to hear about that.” Emily Tucker
emtuck99@ou.edu
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VOL.104, NO. 7
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• February 4-6, 2019
CULTURE
Siandhara Bonnet, culture editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/culture • Twitter: @OUDailyCulture
PHOTO BY SHEVAUN WILLIAMS
A staged photo of OU basketball player Jamuni McNeace and OU dancer Julie Russel in a photoshoot by Shevaun Williams for the university.
Dancers, athletes collaborate OU recreates iconic “We Have It All� photo campaign ALMA CIENSKI @almacienski
Offensive lineman Bobby Evans, Jr. entered the historic Great Reading Room wearing his white, inscribed “81� football jersey. He came to meet with Amber Bailey, a mathematics and ballet performance graduate, adorned in an embroidered crimson tutu. B o t h l e a n e d d ow n t o change their shoes — Evans into his cleats and Bailey into her pointe shoes. The two got into position and flashed a smile. The two students were paired together for a photo campaign titled “We Have It All� that was shot in April 2018 and re-created from original photos taken in the 1990s and 2005. “It was really truly special to be a part of such an iconic image,� Bailey said. “I remember seeing the photo on the wall in the Reynolds Performing Arts Center during my freshman year, and to carry on the legacy of this well-known image by representing the School of Dance is quite an honor.� School of Dance Director Michael Bearden said the re-creation initiated from a conversation with photographer Shevaun Williams, who shot the past photos. Williams’ vision for the new photo included a new backdrop: inside the Bizzell Memorial Library. “You have this beautiful library, which subconsciously says to the viewer ‘academics,’ and then you have this big, strong athlete, so it says ‘high quality sports,’ and then you have a ballerina which says ‘high quality arts,’� Bearden said. Evans said he saw the original photo around the
librar y and found it exciting to be a part of the re - c re at i o n , t h ou g h h e did not know much about dance beforehand. “ It ’s a l w ay s i nt e re s ting to see how people fall i n l ov e w i t h t h e i r o w n type of thing,� Evans said. “(Dancers) use all kinds of muscles to dance. You have to have stamina for stuff like that.� In addition to the collaboration with OU Football, the School of Dance also collaborated with OU Men’s Basketball in a photoshoot with senior center Jamuni McNeace and modern dance performance senior Julie Russel. “I was thinking I would love to make use of our beautiful studios and invite (a) basketball player into our world,� Bearden said. “We have a classical-sports image with now a contemporary-sports image, which I think is more reflective of the overall scope of our school.� McNeace said he saw another side of OU that otherwise he wouldn’t have, thanks to the photoshoot. Athletes and dancers are not too different, he said. “We have a lot in comm o n ,� M c N e a c e s a i d . “They’ve got really good footwork — I feel like we got good footwork. We’re all pretty athletic, but (Russel) was jumping kind of higher. I consider (dance) a sport.� Bailey, who graduated in May 2018 and now dances for Fort Wayne Ballet in Indiana, said she was excited to attend a university that has a strong athletics program and even purchased football season tickets every year she was in college. She said the greatest skill she learned during her time at OU was learning to balance her academics with her artistic work. “I tried my hardest to apply myself equally and fully to every aspect of my
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college experience,� Bailey said. “I have found that this has brought great success in the beginnings of my professional dance career.� Bailey said she views sports and dance as “incredibly similar.� “ B o t h re q u i re a l e ve l of physicality that on top of normal college education and classes is quite demanding,� Bailey said. “This requires them to have a level of drive and attentiveness towards their craft that is sometimes not seen in the average person.� OU has had success in past years in both athletics and the arts. This is evident in Big 12 championships, invitations for the School of Dance to per for m in Beijing, Final Four finalists and top school rankings from Dance Magazine, among other accolades. Bailey said universities need “equal representation of academics, art, athletics, student organizations and sense of community.� “Sometimes I feel that the arts are lacking in university settings and the value of them is not recognized fully. It is an area
of ‘well-roundedness’ that can be improved upon,� Bailey said. “If a university lacks in one of the above areas, I feel like it doesn’t provide the fullest environment for education and growth of its students.� T h e “ We Hav e It A l l� photoshoot was a means of giving viewers an impression that OU is well-rounded and offers excellent programs in many fields, Bearden said. He said he wishes to continue the tradition of collaborating with sports to promote unity at OU. In the pursuit of creating a well-rounded university, OU President James Gallogly wrote a statement in an email to The Daily: “ The ar ts expand the m i n d , b o d y a n d s p i r i t. Cultivating the arts allows for creativity to flourish which can inspire innovation. Art requires one to think beyond oneself and one’s everyday concerns and examine our world with a different perspective, through a different lens. Through the arts, we learn how to see ourselves through others’ eyes and
HOROSCOPE By Eugenia Last
Copyright 2015, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last Look for the positive things in life and make changes that will help you reach your goals. Turn your thoughts and ideas into realities, and do your best to make physical improvements that will boost your confidence and make you feel good and try your hardest. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- If you say what’s on your mind, you will be able to make changes that will improve your life and important relationships. A financial gain looks promising. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Do what you can to help others, but not at the expense of going into debt or paying for someone else’s mistake. Offer time, suggestions or advice, not money or prized possessions. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Take advantage of any opportunity you get to learn something new. It will make a difference when you decide to embark on a personal change. Knowledge is power. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- A physical change will lift your spirits. Focus on better health, fitness and proper diet. You’ll have the discipline to reach your goal. Romance will enhance your life. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Put more time and effort into your job or apply for a position that will give you greater responsibility and earning potential. Send out resumes and set up interviews. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Take it easy. Do things that will ease stress. Working on an enjoyable
project will take your mind off your worries. Don’t take on someone else’s responsibilities. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- It’s up to you to make changes if you don’t like the way things are going. Use your intelligence and connections to take advantage of opportunities and new beginnings. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- If you participate in something unusual, you’ll meet someone interesting. What you discover will help you redefine what you want to pursue. Romance is featured. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Socialize with people who have something to offer. Sharing information will help you formulate ideas, bring about change and encourage joint ventures, collaboration and interesting opportunities. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -Concentrate on self-improvement, physical health and inner growth. Don’t let others deter you from doing your own thing. Avoid emotional discussions that could lead to unwanted domestic changes. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -Look at the bright side of life. Turn any negative into a positive. Don’t let change upset you. Make the most of whatever comes your way. A personal change will improve your life. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Hard work will pay off. Putting more time and effort into improving your personal environment will also prompt you to start something new. Love and romance should be priorities.
PHOTO BY SHEVAUN WILLIAMS
A staged photo of OU football player Bobby Evans, Jr. and OU dancer Amber Bailey in a photoshoot by Shevaun Williams.
by extension build under- and society as the study standing in our community of economics, science or and culture. For all of these engineering.� reasons, at the University of Oklahoma, we see our arts Alma Cienski disciplines as important to aacienski@ou.edu the growth of our students
Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg February 4, 2019
ACROSS 1 Clumsy sort 4 Latvia’s capital 8 Criticize harshly 14 Certain sculptor 16 So last year 17 One with a 1.0 18 X-ray vision and others 19 Get all misty 21 “Peter Pan� girl 22 All-ages video game descriptor 26 Like a generic brand 27 Do great, slangily 30 Small songbirds 31 Doolittle of “My Fair Lady� 33 “I pity the fool!� speaker 35 Manning of the NFL 36 Top-tier celeb 38 More, to a musician (anagram of “UPI�) 39 Sleep cycle inits. 40 Scoundrel 41 Remove from power 42 Scarcity 44 Serenaded
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46 Desk implement, or a hint to the starts of 17-, 22-, 36- and 55-Across 49 Bar scenes? 52 Steamy spa spots 53 Liabilities’ opposites 55 What violent movies might receive 59 Skilled NBA player 60 Cover in suds 61 Tiny bathing suit brand 62 Defeat, as a dragon 63 “___ questions?� DOWN 1 Checking condition, for short 2 Sounds of relief 3 In good shape 4 Cash in 5 Words in many wills 6 Comedy or horror 7 Pianist Rubinstein 8 Soak (up) 9 “Packed� circus vehicle 10 Marketing magazine
11 Now and ___ 12 Like boozy cider 13 Custom quilt site 15 Buddha’s sermons 20 Fool’s gold 22 Go inside 23 Thwarted 24 Not late 25 Move like molasses 28 Call into question 29 Sad, in Sevilla 31 Figureskating figures 32 Tigers’ southern sch. 34 One-on-one instructor 36 Taken into custody 37 Ex-senator Trent
41 Toddler’s bodysuit 43 Mutated gene 44 Beethoven’s “Moonlight ___� 45 What causes some not to vote 47 Lords above viscounts 48 Far from urban 49 Short punches 50 “Stat!� 51 Tahiti or Capri 54 Sellout sign abbr. 56 Org. for hunters 57 Hot glue dispenser 58 James Bond, e.g.
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“For Starters� by Ross Trudeau
February 4-6, 2019 •
SPORTS
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George Stoia, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports
Florida bows down to Sooners OU women’s vault performances push them to big break STEVEN PLAISANCE @splaisance00
No. 1 Oklahoma defeated No. 2 Florida 198.325198.025 Friday night in the Lloyd Noble Center, and did so in front of a school record-breaking crowd of 5,082. “This is a big win for our program,” head coach K.J. Kindler said after the meet. Freshman Olivia Trautman was the star for the Sooners, posting career highs in all four events and an all-around score of 39.725 en route to capturing her first career all-around title. Sophomore Anastasia Webb also posted a career high all-around score of 39.650. Vault proved to be the difference-making event in the meet. The Sooners scored a 49.575 on vault, compared to the Gators’ 49.150. “I thought it was our best vault of the year,” Kindler said. “ That is where we were able to pull ahead the most. That was probably the game-changer at the end of the day.” One rotation in, the S o oners traile d by just one-tenth of a point. The re cord crow d in L loyld Noble Center sat with bated breath, eagerly awaiting the first bombshell routine of the night. It wouldn’t have to wait much longer. From the five-spot, senior Nicole Lehrmann delivered a show-stopping uneven
KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY
Sophomore Carly Woodward performs on beam in the meet against Florida Feb. 1.
bars routine. The crowd erupted when she stuck the landing and delivered an even louder aftermath just moments later when the judges revealed her score—a perfect 10— just the second of her career. “Nicole was dead-set on her dismount,” Kindler said. “She could get a 10 every time she goes. She legitimately is one of the best bar-swingers I have ever seen.” In that moment, the Sooners grabbed all the momentum of the meet and the
full attention of the crowd. They did not relinquish that for the rest of the night. Both teams remained close to perfect in the third rotation, setting the stage for a high-stakes final rotation with the Sooners on the floor and the Gators on beam. The final routine of the night belonged to Trautman. Moments before Trautman began, Florida’s Alyssa Baumann delivered a stunning beam routine, earning a 9.975 and giving the Gators a slight lead.
All the pressure was on Trautman’s shoulders. After delivering career-highs in the three prior events, the freshman needed at least a 9.900 to clinch the allaround title and win the meet for the Sooners. Trautman delivered in stunning fashion. She posted a 9.975 on the floor, clinched the meet for the Sooners, won the allaround title and set another career high, her fourth of the night. Kindler had high praise for Trautman.
“I’m impressed with her mental toughness,” Kindler said of Trautman. “For a freshman, anchoring the floor squad, knowing she has to nail it for us to win. There’s a reason we’re putting a freshman in that position: because she’s special.” After the meet, Kindler delivered a message to Sooner Nation. “This was a big win for us, attendance-wise. This has been the most energetic, fun crowd that we have ever had. I know our athletes appreciate it, they have fun
when everyone comes out. It’s just an amazing environment, and we hope that Sooner fans will keep coming out and will come out for UCLA.” The Sooners go to Denver for their next meet on Sunday, Feb. 10. That begins a three-week road trip before Oklahoma comes back to Lloyd Noble to face No. 3 UCLA Sunday, March 3. Steven Plaisance
srplaisance@ou.edu
Men’s gymnastics team dominates on road trip Nebraska, Illinois fall to top-ranked Sooners in Lincoln TARIK MASRI
@Tarik_mofficial
The top-ranked Sooners went on the road to Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday and defeated the No. 7 Huskers a n d No. 4 I l l i n o i s. T h e Sooners finished ahead of second-place Nebraska by a score of 411.300-401.250. Oklahoma took home the top two spots in three events: the floor exercise, parallel bars and vault. S e n i o r Yu l Mo l d a u e r won the floor exercise title with a 14.950 and the parallel bars with a 14.700. He also finished second on the rings with a score
of 14.300. Junior Tanner Justus and freshman Vitaliy Guimaraes took the top two spots on vault with scores of 14.600 and 14.550, respectively. Senior Genki Suzuki finished tied for first on the horizontal bar (13.550) and finished second on the parallel bars (14.350). Sophomore Alexei Vernyi finished fourth in the allaround with a final score of 75.950. The meet was the 107th-straight win for the Sooners, who have faced five top-15 teams in their first four games of the 2019 season. They will continue their road trip next week when they take on No. 9 Iowa on Saturday. Tarik Masri
tarikmasri1@ou.edu
KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY
Senior Genki Suzuki looks at the high bar during his performance in the meet against Ohio State Jan. 26.
Oklahoma wrestling fails to end losing streak Sooners defeated by No. 22 Lehigh in 28-3 thrashing VIC REYNOLDS @vicareynolds
Oklahoma (5-8, 1-3 Big 12) set foot in McCasland Field House on Saturday night looking to end a twomatch losing streak. Instead, it fell to No. 22 Lehigh (6-8, 4-1 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) by a score of 28-3. The Mountain Hawks came in as one of the hottest teams in the country, winners of five of their previous six matches, including victories over No. 7 Cornell and No. 23 Arizona State. They continued their dominance Saturday in Norman. Luke Resnick set the tone
early for Lehigh by defeating junior Christian Moody in the 125-pound bout 4-2, and Brandon Paetzell capitalized on the early momentum by beating freshman Anthony Madrigal 7-2. Even when the Sooners appeared to gain some traction, the Mountain Hawks stormed back to take both the 141 and 149-pound bouts. No. 13 freshman Dom Demas held an early lead over Ryan Pomrinca, but ultimately lost 5-2. In possibly the most exciting duel of the night, senior Davion Jeffries held a 7-6 lead over Cortland Schuyler late in the third round, but eventually lost 9-7 in an overtime round. The Sooners ended the first half with freshman Justin Thomas losing to No. 16 Jordan Humphreys, 2-0. Lehigh began the second half by continuing their dominance over the Sooners
with a decisive 13-5 victory in the 165-pound bout over junior Hayden Hansen, then with a 4-2 victory over freshman Anthony Mantanona in the 174-pound bout, a 6-1 win over graduate Kayne MacCallum in the 184-pound bout and a 6-5 defeat of freshman Jake Woodley in the 197pound bout. The lone bright spot for the Sooners came in the final duel of the night. Heavyweight freshman Jake Boyd picked up a 5-4 win over Victor Lacombe after a late escape in the third round to put the only 3 points on the board for the Sooners. The Sooners are traveling to Edinboro, Pennsylvania, to take on the Fighting Scots next Saturday, Feb. 9. Vic Reynolds
victor.reynolds@ou.edu
KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY
Senior Davion Jeffries wrestles against an opponent in the match against Lehigh Feb. 2.
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SPORTS
• February 4-6, 2019
JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY
Senior guard Christian James talks to the referee during the game against Baylor Jan. 28.
Oklahoma men suffer defeat at West Virginia Sooners fall short to Mountaineers Saturday, 79-71 CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21
Oklahoma (15-7, 3-6 Big 12) fell to West Virginia (1012, 2-7 Big 12), 79-71, after being unable to finish the first half strong and find its way back in the second half. Sophomore forward Brady Manek scored the team’s first seven points, yet the Sooners struggled to give him the ball for the rest of the first half and almost all of the second half. He finished the game with 18 points.
Senior guard Christian James finished the game 1-10 from the field, 0-3 from 3-point range and finished with 10 points. Eight of those 10 points being free throws, where he was 8-8. On top of West Virginia’s superior rebounding, 45 to OU’s 30, the Mountaineers had freshman guard Brandon Knapper score 25 points off the bench while being 4-6 from the 3-point line. T h e o n l y re a s o n t h i s game was close was free throws. The Sooners scored 21 points from the foul line, making 21 of their 29 attempts. West Virginia was 20-31 from the line. Graduate transfer guard Aaron Calixte also kept
it close after a 3-pointe r f r o m h i m c u t We s t Virginia’s score 69-66, but the Sooners allowed the Mountaineers to respond immediately on the other end with a layup after an offensive rebound, and a foul. That play was costly enough to discourage Oklahoma in the final minute of regulation. Calixte finished with 17 points. West Virginia scored 27 second-chance points to OU’s nine. Oklahoma faces No. 20 Iowa State in Norman 8 p.m. Monday. Caleb McCourry
caleb.a.mccourry@ou.edu
JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY
Sophomore guard Ana Llanusa drives the ball to the basket in the game against Texas Feb. 2.
OU women’s basketball loses 8th straight game Young Sooners fall short to Longhorns, still playing hard GEORGE STOIA @georgestoia
At the start of the fourth quarter, with Oklahoma (415, 1-7 Big 12) trailing No. 12 Texas (17-4, 7-2 Big 12) 5747, a video came on the big screen. The video showed highlights from the season, and the audio was that of the famous movie “Hoosiers.” “I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game,” the famous coach Dale says in the movie. “In my book we’re gonna be winners.” It was a fitting line for the situation at hand. But unlike Dale’s Hoosiers, Sherri Coale’s Sooners would not be the winners Saturday afternoon. Instead, they were losers for an eighthstraight time, this time to the Longhorns, 76-67. “The one thing I would say
about them, they don’t ever not play hard,” Texas coach Karen Aston said. “They do.” Oklahoma was clearly out-manned and the less athletic team on the floor Saturday. The Longhorns dominated with their size and quickness, thrashing Oklahoma’s defense in transition. Texas had 40 points in the paint and out-rebounded OU 41-37. But, as Aston said in the postgame, there’s little quit in Oklahoma. Despite losing eight straight games — the second-longest losing streak under Coale — and only having one conference win, Oklahoma has stayed somewhat positive. “I think it’s just playing for one another,” said sophomore Ana Llanusa, who led the Sooners in scoring with 17 points. “Playing for a purpose bigger than ourselves. Just having our teammates’ back, our coach’s back, just being out there and playing for each other is what keeps us playing hard.” Oklahoma is on pace to
have maybe the worst season statistically underneath Coale, who’s in her 23rd year as head coach. Coale admits her team is young and inexperienced, having much to learn with only nine regular season games remaining. She wants to see her team have more discipline, something that’s been lacking throughout the season. “You have to learn how to be disciplined,” Coale said. “You have to be disciplined in everything you do. From tucking your shirt in to touching the line when you run to setting a screen ... When you’re not disciplined, that’s when good teams smell it and take advantage of it. “Case in point, we weren’t disciplined in defensive transition tonight.” Coale and the Sooners will be back in action on the road Wednesday at 8 p.m. against Oklahoma State. George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu