W E E K E N D E D I T I O N | M A R C H 2 3 - 2 6 , 2 0 17 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M
OU DAILY
SUITING UP SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY
Joe Castiglione Jr., son of athletic director Joe Castiglione, is a walk-on for the Sooners as a fullback. The sophomore was previously a student assistant for the team.
Son of athletic director prepares to walk on to football team
W
hen the Sooner faithful look down on Owen Field this fall, they will find a familiar name emblazoned on the back of a crimson and cream jersey: Castiglione. Joe Castiglione Jr., who was previously a student assistant under linebackers coach Tim Kish, is trading in his clipboard for a helmet, pads and a shot at fulfilling his dream. “If you told me a year ago that I would be walking on the team right now, there would be no way,” said Castiglione Jr., who is the son of OU athletic director Joe Castiglione. “It was about last August going into fall camp right before school started. I just started thinking I really regretted not trying to walk on my freshman year, and I was like, ‘What’s holding me back from that?’” Castiglione Jr. played on both sides of the ball at Mount Saint Mary High School, a Catholic school in Oklahoma City. At the end of his senior year, he received an offer from Oklahoma Baptist University to play football, giving him a choice: Play football at the next level or go to a big school and give up his dream. “I knew ever since I was young that I wanted to play football in college one way or the other, so it was hard to choose against that,” Castiglione Jr. said. “Going to OU was just too hard to pass up.” Castiglione Jr.’s decision seems natural with his close connection to Oklahoma athletics. Despite this connection, Castiglione Jr.
KELLI STACY • @ASTACYKELLI
said the choice to come to OU was all his own. “My dad really gave me the opportunity to go to any school within reason that I wanted to, and I looked at a lot of other big D1 schools for academics, but it came down to this was the place I needed to be,” he said. “He asked me a lot of questions like, ‘Are you sure about this?’ I had zero pressure from him to come here. It was more of my decision, which was awesome.” In August, Castiglione Jr. realized he might be able to have the best of both worlds. He began working out and eating healthier to get back into shape, all the while telling no one of his plan. Around November, Castiglione Jr. started telling people what he planned to do. He talked to Kish and other coaches, then-director of player personnel Drew Hill, and made his intentions official. He joined the team and strength coach Jerry Schmidt at the start of winter workouts after the Sooners’ 35-19 Sugar Bowl win in January. “It’s been a lot of fun,” said Castiglione Jr., who lives with walk-on quarterback Connor McGinnis. “I can tell you that the team is really welcoming, and a lot of the players were really excited when I decided to do this and supported me throughout winter workouts. It’s a big transition physically from personal workouts to going through Schmidt’s strength program, but I’ve really enjoyed the process, and it’s just been a lot of growing. I know that, instead of being discouraged, it’s
just growth for the future.” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops praised Castiglione Jr. for his work ethic as a student assistant, saying he went above and beyond, staying late into the night to help out and learn, and that he’s supportive of his decision to join the team. “He came to me after the bowl game and said he wanted to, he wanted to try playing,” Stoops said. “He wanted to be out there on the team and participating, and I said, ‘Hey if that’s what you want to do, more power to you. We’ll support you.’”
didn’t have any pressure for this because no one told me to do it, it was all me. So after he was sure it was what I wanted, he was really supportive.” Castiglione remembers the conversation vividly, as he was once again surprised by his son. “I got a call late one afternoon and he just said, ‘Hi dad,’ and it was one of those ones where you know something is going on,” Castiglione said. “I’m thinking ‘Uh oh, what’s happened? Everything going all right? Are you doing all right in school?’”
“I knew ever since I was young that I wanted to play football in college one way or the other, so it was hard to choose against that.” JOE CASTIGLIONE JR., SPORTS MANAGEMENT SOPHOMORE Stoops said that Castiglione Jr. fits in well with the team, adding that he’s the first student assistant to walk on in Stoops’ 19-year tenure at Oklahoma. Castiglione Jr. said that his dad was extremely supportive of his decision. “He was really happy to say the least, but he was also asking me if I was sure that this is what I wanted to do and asking my reasoning behind it,” Castiglione Jr. said. “He really wanted to make sure that this is what I wanted to do, and I
The two met for dinner, and Castiglione Jr. told his dad that he planned to join the team. Castiglione said he knew his son missed football, but Castiglione Jr. was enjoying the student assistant position so much that his dad hadn’t thought he was considering this. His main concern was making sure his son was making the choice for the right reasons. “It doesn’t mean that there’s any kind of questioning of your passion, just make sure you’ve thought it all the way through,”
Castiglione said. “If there’s an opportunity for you to do this, you want to go after it with all you can. Don’t go into it half-hearted. “And he was and has been completely locked in. My guess is that’s part of why he wanted to take certain steps to tell people at certain times, because he wanted to be absolutely sure. I give him a great deal of credit for that because it shows he’s thinking everything through.” Castiglione knows what his son is going through, because he went through the walk-on process himself at Maryland. He was a walk-on defensive back for a year and then helped out in the athletic department as a way to stay involved. Castiglione Jr. might just follow in his father’s footsteps down the road as he pursues a sports management degree. He said he’s considered the possibility of becoming an athletic director but is keeping his mind open to other options. “I definitely want to go into college athletics in some aspect,” he said. “When I was a student assistant, I really thought about going into college football coaching because I really got to see behind the doors of that, so either that or going into athletic administration like my father.” Kelli Stacy
kelliastacy@ou.edu
Boren recovers from heart bypass surgery OU president to work from home temporarily following hospital stay STAFF REPORTS
OU President David Boren is resting after successfully undergoing heart bypass surgery Monday morning. Boren will be in the hospital for a week and will work from home for a few days before returning to work on campus, similar to his 2005 recovery from
back surgery, according to an OU News press release. “ There is a ver y talented team at OU who will conduct routine business without interruption while I am recuperating. I will continue to provide supervision and direction. I appreciate all of the encouraging messages which I have received,” Boren said in the release. An interim president was not appointed during Boren’s recovery time, as he has continued to serve in his position, OU
press secretary Matt Epting said in an email. B oren w ill not attend the Thursday President’s Associates dinner, Epting said in the email. J.D. Vance, author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” will speak at the dinner. The Daily inquired Tuesday about Boren’s general health, which hospital he is staying in and whether the surgery was planned, and Epting declined to comment. Staff Reports
dailynews@ou.edu
NOOR EEMAAN/THE DAILY
OU President David Boren at a Board of Regents meeting Jan. 26. Boren had a successful heart surgery March 20.
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• March 23-26, 2017
NEWS
Andrew Clark, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
Students guide housing option
Residential colleges aim to create new sense of community ANNA BAUMAN @annabauman2
While OU’s Dunham and Headington Residential Colleges — scheduled to open fall 2017 — must abide by some rules required of all university-owned housing, students will use a system of self-governance to decide their own policies — including those surrounding alcohol. The two colleges will serve as upperclassmen housing modeled after similar residences at Yale University. Its policies will allow students of legal drinking age to decide if they want to have alcohol in their rooms, said Keith Gaddie, Senior Fellow of Headington College. “This is a space that’s made for people to be adults,” Gaddie said. “And that doesn’t mean stuffy or conservative, that means we are trusting in people to use judgment and govern themselves.” The residential colleges will incorporate faculty mentorship, classes, social events and self-governance into the living experience, Gaddie said. “Far from being just a place where you sleep and leave your stuff, it is a place where you dine together, where you learn together, you socialize together,” Gaddie said. “It has cultural, academic and social programming built-in.” Each residential college has 12 faculty fellows who will teach one-hour seminars every semester for residents
and act as mentors by engaging with students in the informal environment of the living spaces. Some faculty will have offices on the first floor of the colleges, Gaddie said. “Their job is to create relationships and do the kind of soft teaching in the hallway that’s really at the heart of the good liberal arts education,” Gaddie said. Gaddie said the colleges will each have four “resident mentors,” or student leaders living in each hall whose role is similar to that of the resident advisers in the other on-campus residential halls. In addition, each college will have four graduate tutors living in the halls who will play a similar leadership role and offer tutoring services. Holly Crawford, international business and entrepreneurship junior, will serve as a resident mentor in Dunham College and said she will help act as a support system for the residents by planning activities and promoting community building. Crawford said she wanted to apply for the position because of her positive experience living on campus as a freshman. “Living in the dorms was the best experience I could have asked for, where I met my closest friends, and something I know I’ll always look back on and just have really, really fond memories from,” Crawford said. “So the chance to get to move back to campus and having the chance to set up community, hopefully kind of like what I had freshman year but for upperclassmen, is just an incredible opportunity that I couldn’t pass
PAXSON HAWS/THE DAILY
The new residential colleges are set to open fall 2017. Four resident mentors have been hired to work in each of the colleges next year.
up.” Applications to live in the residential colleges are currently open. Gaddie said there are no special requirements, but he hopes the colleges will attract a diverse group of students who want to build a new culture. “This is a place for the kind of student who wants to be engaged in campus life,” Gaddie said. “So if you’re the kind of person who engages with programming on campus, engages with life on campus, and you don’t want to have to drive all the time, this is exactly where you ought to be.” Each college has the capacity to house 311 students, but Gaddie said he expects it will take several years for the space to be completely filled. “It takes three to four years to fully stand something like
this up and have demand to exceed capacity, because it takes that long to establish the culture,” Gaddie said. “If we’re at 65 percent, that’s a win, because we’ve hit a critical mass, we’ve got good numbers and the revenue model looks good.” Mark Morvant, Senior Fellow of Dunham College, said the concept of a residential college is difficult to explain and understand because it is rare and new to OU, so there is a general lack of prior experience. “After we go through one year, everybody will go, ‘Oh, that’s what a residential college is,’” Morvant said. The social programming will be largely left up to the student residents after they move in, which also makes it difficult to predict exactly
Food pantry officially opens Campus resource to serve students for rest of semester KAYLA BRANCH @kayla_branch
The OU Food Pantry officially opened during a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday. The ceremony included speeches from Matt Marks, director of the OU Food Pantry, and J.D. Baker, Student Government Association president. Marks said the opening of the pantry was a success and he was happy with the support of those who attended the ceremony. “We had people from all over campus and from different departments here, and I did not know we had this big of a crowd, so it’s really cool to see that and just know that everyone is supportive of what we are doing,” Marks said. Marks said the OU and Norman communities have
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Students who help put together the OU Food Pantry pose for photos at the grand opening of the pantry Wednesday. The pantry is at Stubbeman Place, near Adams Tower.
already donated to the pantry through the pantry’s Thousands Strong campaign, with donations reaching close to $1,000 in the campaign’s first day. Dave Annis, director of OU Housing and Food Services, said the pantry is a great way to help students combat hunger.
“We know, and I’ve seen over the years of working with students, that they have issues sometimes paying for their room and board and other things,” Annis said. “Being able to provide for the needs of students facing food insecurity is a very special thing.” The pantry held a soft opening Feb. 22 during
which eight students were served. Marks said the pantry will be open biweekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. until the spring semester ends. Kayla Branch
kaylabranch@ou.edu
what it will look like, Morvant said. “We can’t show you what’s going to be there because we’re waiting for the students to develop it,” Morvant said. “What we’re trying to get is to get students who are kind of visionary and want to be part of building something to jump on board.” Gaddie said the residential college model offers the basic framework for growth, but the residents will give it life. “We’ve got a basic framework here ... and we have people,” Gaddie said. “And they’re going to make something — we don’t know what it’s going to be, but I tell you what, if this sticks, and I think it will, I think it’ll be special. I really do.” Gaddie said the university is considering using the residential college model in
future housing developments. “Moving forward into the future, hopefully we can find additional donors, additional support, and construct additional residential colleges,” Gaddie said. “We can imagine a future where the freshman experience is based more upon a commons model, with a new freshman campus that looks more like this and feels more like this.” Anna Bauman
anna.m.bauman-1@ou.edu
For more information about the residential colleges, visit ou.edu/ residentialcolleges.
Weatherman Al Roker to visit OU, students plan to break world record Nationally recognized weatherman Al Roker will visit OU next week to attempt to set a world record with OU students. Roker, weatherman and host with NBC’s TODAY show, will lead a live broadcast from the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Monday, where students will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest human weather symbols. Participants must be at the stadium by 4:45 a.m. for a free breakfast before the 5 to 9 a.m. event and are requested to wear crimson and cream, OU press secretary Matt Epting said in an email. Organizers are aiming to draw 3,000 students, but only about 1,000 people are necessary to set the world record, Epting said. The chosen world record for the day reflects both Roker’s passion for weather and OU’s meteorology program, Epting said. The event will include a pretaped segment from March 26 involving OU student groups and locations on campus, Epting said. The gathering is one of Roker’s stops on this year’s Rokerthon, Storming into the Madness, in which Roker will visit college campuses across America. Epting said other universities participating in Rokerthon next week will include Northern Michigan University, the University of Tennessee and Loyola University Maryland. Previous Rokerthons have taken Roker on a road trip to broadcast from all 50 states and a world record-setting 34-hour uninterrupted live weather report. Those interested can register for Rokerthon at ou.edu/web/rokerthon/. Staff Reports
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March 23-26, 2017 •
YOU ARE INVITED! Informal Discussion featuring
J.D. Vance
#1 New York Times %HVW 6HOOLQJ $XWKRU of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis examines the struggles facing America’s working class. Vance was raised in the Rust Belt city of Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian town of Jackson, Kentucky. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Iraq. A political contributor for CNN as well as a contributing writer to The New York Times and National Review, Vance has appeared on many television and radio talk shows, including Late Night with Seth Meyers, Anderson Cooper 360, The Michael Smerconish Program, Morning Edition with Steve Inskeep and Your Voice, Your Vote 2016 with Martha Raddatz. He also has been featured as a speaker on TED Talks. A graduate of The Ohio State University and Yale Law School, Vance currently serves as a principal at a leading 6LOLFRQ 9DOOH\ LQYHVWPHQW ¿UP
S P 7KXUVGD\ 0DUFK Sandy Bell Gallery Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art 5HVHUYDWLRQV DUH UHTXLUHG E\ FDOOLQJ WKH 2I¿FH RI 3XEOLF $IIDLUV at 325-3784 or emailing specialevents@ou.edu )RU DFFRPPRGDWLRQV FDOO WKH 2I¿FH RI 3XEOLF $IIDLUV DW The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo
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• March 23-36, 2017
OPINION
Audra Brulc, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/opinion • Twitter: @OUDailyOpinion
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FILE - President Donald Trump listens during a meeting on healthcare March 13. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, host of “The Rachel Maddow Show�, presented Trump’s previous tax returns.
Corrections: The Daily is committed to accuracy in its publications. If you ďŹ nd an error in a story, email dailynews@ ou.edu or visit oudaily. com/site/corrections .html to submit a correction form.
Fair news deserves views valid and thorough reporting on how the opioid epidemic is killing white women can be missed amid thinkpieces about how “2016 was the year of coddling white people.� The dawn of the internet age means that half-baked, under-researched takes are often displayed on the same forum as legitimate news from reputable sources, making confusion easy.
Timothy Sheridan
timo.f.sheridan@ou.edu
These days, assuming a neutral stance on newsworthy events means assuming a no-win position. Fair, unbiased reports about Trumpian impropriety are lambasted as “fake news,� while taking Trump supporters at face value amounts to “coddling� their supposedly unallowable or invalid worldviews. On both sides, defenses of the media tend to end where objectivity begins to conflict with preexisting political biases. Democrats love exposes on Mar-aLago trips but downplay reports on white discontentment; Republicans ate up coverage of Hillary’s email scandal but now question the necessity of investigations into Trump’s Russian ties. Both must acknowledge the hypocrisies inherent in their media criticisms and realize that standards of journalistic integrity demand coverage of perspectives that might sometimes offend. Unfortunately, in a world awash with partial political reporting, objectivity is sometimes hard to spot. It’s easier for a climate change denier to write off a headline like “Earth begins 2017 with near-record warm temperatures,� when it’s sandwiched on a newsfeed between “8 maps that reveal Americans’ incoherent opinions on climate change� and “Who doesn’t like clean drinking water? 11 ways the EPA has helped Americans, even if they didn’t know it.� Likewise,
“Articles and news stories that challenge one’s beliefs should be welcomed, not ignored.� TIMOTHY SHERIDAN, ECONOMICS JUNIOR
Dismal U.S. media literacy makes matters worse. A recent Stanford University study of 7,804 middle school to college-aged students found that most couldn’t distinguish between real and fake news stories. Mapping plummeting rates of media comprehension onto an environment of news over saturation and rising polarization yields disastrous results. Take, for example, the January incident involving the now infamous TrumpRussia dossier. Thirty-five pages of lurid claims about potential blackmail material the Kremlin had on Trump proved too tempting of a scoop to pass up, so BuzzFeed published it with the massive caveat that the information contained within was “unverified� and “contained errors.� The blatant disregard for any kind of journalistic diligence was probably missed by most of the 6 million people who read the article on BuzzFeed’s website. For a more recent
Previous Solution
Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard
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example, consider Rachel Maddow’s botched reveal of Trump’s tax returns. After tweeting on March 15, “BREAKING: We’ve got Trump tax returns ... (Seriously),� along with a plug for her show, Maddow quickly backpedaled. The tax returns weren’t complete — it was only a Form 1040, and it was from 2005. The paltry upshot of her hour-long special was the reveal that in 2005, Trump paid $38 million in taxes on $150 million of reported income, an effective tax rate of 24 percent. The information was incomplete and the publicity misleading, but it didn’t matter. MSNBC still scored 4.1 million viewers for Maddow’s show that night. In a world full of BuzzFeeds and Maddows, it’s easy to understand why many are so willing to ignore journalism with which they disagree. When some journalists don’t take their job seriously, they degrade public trust in the entire media institution. Fortunately, discerning eyes can still pick out
trustworthy news sources. And — spoiler alert — they’re mostly newspapers. The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, NPR and your very own OU Daily all continue to be bastions of good journalistic practice. Readers concerned with failing media objectivity should support a variety of organizations that make fair reporting their mission. Articles and news stories that challenge one’s beliefs should be welcomed, not ignored. In an age of polarization, organizations that strive for objectivity should be rewarded. An objective press is more important now than ever. The Daily welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns from the OU community. To submit a letter or column, email dailyopinion@ou.edu.
One free copy of The Daily is available to members of the OU community. Additional copies may be purchased for 25 cents by contacting The Daily business ofďŹ ce at 405325-2522.
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HOROSCOPE By Eugenia Last
Copyright 2017, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017
email:
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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You can negotiate a deal or make alterations to your living arrangements, but If you choose to help others, youĘźll donĘźt go overboard when it comes to gain respect, confidence and satisfaction. Your ability to put people spending or you will end up stressed and frustrated. at ease will encourage them to give you the assistance you require to get things done. Do your best to nurture LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Children, friends and loved ones will play important partnerships, and strive important roles in the way you to keep balance and equality when respond to your current personal dealing with others. situation. Draw strength and courage from the wisdom being offered you. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- A little charm and a whole lot of compassion SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Chill will help you complete pending out and do something creative. Work projects and resolve problems or uncertainties you face. Romance and toward a goal that requires only your personal improvements are favored. input. DonĘźt take risks or get involved in an emotional battle. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Putting SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- If pressure on someone who opposes you will help you get your way if you you share your feelings with someone you love, it will lead to plans that do so in a persuasive manner. You will improve your standard of living might need to offer an incentive to and boost a personal relationship. push matters along quickly. Commitment and romance look GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Do whatĘźs promising. best for yourself and aim to improve CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- A how you present your personality conversation will be misleading. If and abilities. Love and romance are you are uncertain regarding whatĘźs encouraged, and partnerships can expected of you or the cost involved, be formed. ask questions and get answers in writing. Protect your assets and ideas. CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Look inward and consider what you can AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- YouĘźve do to make personal improvements. got spunk, but that doesnĘźt mean you A better health routine or more should get into an emotional spat. nutritious diet will do you good. Let bygones be bygones and go about Avoid excessive behavior and your business. The sweetest revenge overindulgence. is your own success. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Partnerships, PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- A meetings and collaboration look persuasive approach when dealing promising. Your experience, with others will help you get what knowledge and desire to get ahead will lead to an opportunity that is too you want. If you express your desires good to refuse. DonĘźt let an emotional colorfully, youĘźll attract interest. Put a little muscle behind your intentions. situation stifle your productivity.
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Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy Parker March 23, 2017 ACROSS 1 Rural measurement 5 The 43rd state 10 DNA examiners, sometimes 13 Jewish place of worship 14 Lowest point of anything 15 Purposefully provoke 16 It’s taught to body shop trainees? 19 Reward for those who mine their business? 20 Pop, as a balloon 21 Wizards 22 Without wasting any words 24 What’s left with no one in a million? 25 Small, rectangular paving stone 26 Young one 28 Pain in the neck 30 Waterway near the Sorbonne 31 Org. that OKs medications 34 What numismatists have 38 Exceed 39 Wicked things 40 Lobster catcher 41 Personal system of beliefs 42 Editor’s “Never mind�
3/23
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15 Smallest NBA starter, typically 17 Doubter’s brush-off phrase 18 Egg dish 23 Like all blockbuster movies 24 Vitamin ad phrase: “From A to ___� 26 Violin’s big brother 27 Beats a hasty retreat 28 Be in a cast? 29 Dove’s remark 30 Hit the dirt at second 31 True grit 32 Modern evidence 33 Snake of Egyptian art 35 Red color 36 Walkie-talkie user’s word 37 Any listed thing
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CO CO PUFFS By Timothy E. Parker
March 23-26, 2017 •
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
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Chloe Moores, a&e editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/a_and_e • Twitter: @OUDailyArts
Freestyling friends make music Six freshmen floor mates create rap group, record songs CHANDLER KIDD @chanannkidd
A serendipitous dorm room assignment brought six OU freshmen together on Walker Center’s sixth floor, leading to the formation of rap group BackWood Academy. The group of friends creates rap songs out of the dormitories for fun and to help pass time, but now it has an end goal in mind: to produce music and enact social change. The group includes David Megwa, biology freshman; Barry Tefera, biology freshman; Eyoel Teeshome, business freshman; Caleb Elliott, biology freshman; Kyron Epperson, biology freshman; and Bishop Dewberry, biology freshman. Since Megwa moved from Nigeria to Oklahoma at 15, he planned to attend the University of Oklahoma. When Megwa moved into Walker Center in fall 2016, he met five hallmates and roommates who shared the same passion for music. After realizing they shared interests of making music as a form of creative expression, they began recording and producing music in their dormitories. BackWood Academy doesn’t have a professional producer, allowing Elliott to practice producing in a comfortable environment, he said. “I’m about to make producing for the group a job for me. I want to get on that grind. I plan on waking up every morning at 6:30 and making that change for us,” Elliott said. Members of BackWood Academy begin creating songs by putting on a beat
BackWood Academy, a rap group composed of freshmen, formed fall 2016. The group hopes to release its music to the public soon.
and then taking turns freestyling. The group records songs on a voice memos app in Dewberry’s car, Tefera said. “We will just be hanging out because we are friends and also a group. When we are in Dewberry’s car, we will be jamming and then he will just stop playing music to our surprise, then a beat will come out of nowhere and we start rapping,” Tefera said. Before the group sits down to record they will play video games, Teeshome said. “We play a lot of (Super) Smash Bros while making music. It helps us get the joking out of our system before we get serious about recording songs,” Teeshome said. BackWood Academy plans on performing and sharing its songs with the public once the group has produced and finalized enough songs to do so. Currently, BackWood Aca d e my ha s re c o rd e d around 40 songs, Elliott said. “We listen to our freestyles and pick out which ones we enjoy. Then we will
extrapolate on them. That is how a good chunk of our songs are created,” Elliott said. Many artists including The 1975 and Kanye West influenced BackWood Academy, but it relates to Grammy winner Chance the Rapper the most. Chance the Rapper refuses to sign a record label, which allows him to have more creative freedom and work with his own schedule. Recently Chance the Rapper donated
its music. Elliott refers to making that societal change as a “Zack De La Rocha movement.” Zack De La Rocha is the singer of Rage Against The Machine, who calls out social issues in the band’s music. “My goal here at college is not to just become a doctor but to enact change. I feel like my medium of change is through music. Some use church as a form of change, but I choose to use music,” Elliott said.
“We all just enjoy hanging out and making music. We were doing it when we weren’t part of the group, so now that we have a group to share ideas with, it is really cool.” EYOEL TEESHOME, BUSINESS FRESHMAN
$1 million to Chicago public schools to enact change in his hometown. BackWood Academy wants to make a similar impact, not by donating money, but by bringing societal problems to light in
The biggest obstacle for BackWood Academy is the lack of market for new and upcoming artists in the Oklahoma area. The group doesn’t view this as a setback, Tefera said.
“There is a lack of a market, but at the same time, there is an upcoming one. The limited market helps us in a way because we can be pioneers,” Terfera said. “You see a lot of rock groups come out of the Oklahoma market, but we want to also show there can be rap groups too.” Being across the hall from one another allows the members to practice and hang out constantly throughout the week. BackWood Academy hopes to make its future listeners feel and experience emotion through its creative rap verses. Being close friends allows them to rap about both the fun and hard times they have experienced as a group, Tefera said. “Being friends allows the group to have so many directions to bend the stories we rap about. We even bend the sounds we create a lot just to make our songs flow more. Really in the end it all comes together. We don’t stress, we just do it to have fun,” Tefera said.
CHANDLER KIDD/THE DAILY
The members of BackWood Academy share the overarching goal of continuing to make music. Teeshome believes the label and fame will follow if the music comes first. “That label stuff will come for sure, but as a group we’re really proud of creating music that is so expressive,” Teeshome said. “We all just enjoy hanging out and making music. We were doing it when we weren’t part of the group, so now that we have a group to share ideas with, it is really cool.” Ultimately, the members of BackWood Academy just enjoy being together, Epperson said. “Music is a form of entertainment, but I get to express my thoughts. If I stay at this level making music I will be satisfied,” Epperson said. “I just want to be with my friends. That’s really what it is.” Chandler Kidd
chandlerkidd@ou.edu
Student foodies dish on college-focused website Twelve contributors comprise branch of Spoon University DEVIN HIETT @DevinHiett
For Carly Aasheim, public relations sophomore, dining out and finding the best restaurants in town is more than just a fun pastime. Aasheim created an Instagram dedicated entirely to photographing and sharing her favorite meals with hundreds of followers, but she soon realized there was an even better way to connect with other foodies on campus. After learning about Spoon University, a food website created entirely for and by college students
MORE INFORMATION If you want more information about Spoon University, visit spoonuniversity.com, or email Carly Aasheim at Carly.E.Aasheim-1@ ou.edu.
around the world, Aasheim decided to kickstart an OU chapter of Spoon University. The w ebsite employs 10,889 college volunteers from 266 campuses around the world to share recipes, local restaurant reviews, health and exercise stories and any other food-related content that writers wish to share.
“Our goal is to help our generation eat intelligently, and we invite you to join our community of creators so you can help too,” according to the website’s mission statement. Each participating campus consists of a marketing, editorial and video director who maintain a team of writers who share articles, videos and photos on Spoon University’s website. The website is viewed by more than 2 million unique visitors each month, according to Business Insider. Spoon University has a team called “Secret Sauce,” which is dedicated entirely to training students from participating campuses how to write successful articles for the website that share the company’s style and
M
brand. “ They give you really good feedback and help you along the way. Even if you don’t know how to write for them, they teach you as you go,” Aasheim said. Kathryn Ward, public relations sophomore, had little writing experience before joining the Spoon University team and recalls being nervous to have her writing shared on an acclaimed website. Her first article, “The Healthiest Options at Your Favorite Food Spots in Norman,” went live on the website just in time for spring break. “When I was getting my article edited, I was super nervous (national Spoon University editors) were going to rip it up, but they just gave helpful criticism in
a nice way,” Ward said. “The advisers are all really chill and easy to talk to. It’s comfortable and relaxed.” OU’s chapter of Spoon University is currently composed of 12 female contributors, but the team is looking for more writers to join. Any men interested in writing food related pieces are especially encouraged to apply, as OU does not yet have any men writing for the site. Anyone interested in writing for Spoon University can apply for a position online. According to its website, Spoon University is “the place where you can build your brand and leave a legacy. If you’re an aspiring journalist, budding food personality, creative marketer or entrepreneur that
wants to run their own startup, you’re in the right place.” Sami Canavan, public relations junior and editorial director for OU’s chapter, enjoys the freedom that writing for Spoon provides her. Students can pitch any food and lifestyle related story ideas to the website’s national headquarters to get approved for publication. Canavan is currently working on a healthy turkey chili recipe and an article about her three favorite Asian restaurants in Norman. “It’s fun and lighthearted and doesn’t follow AP or other writing styles. You write how college students can read and relate to it,” Canavan said. Devin Hiett
hiettdevin@gmail.com
2017 TRUE FAMILY LECTURE A free public address on Thursday, March 23rd, 7:00 p.m. Robert S. Kerr Auditorium, Sam Noble Museum
Wandering in Darkness: Exploring the Problem of Suffering through Narrative Dr. Eleonore Stump, the Robert J. Henle, S.J. Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University, is a world-renowned philosopher, author and educator specializing in philosophical theology. Her work represents an interdisciplinary and nuanced approach to the problem of suffering and how suffering can be reconciled with the belief in an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly good God. Free and open to the public. For more information visit stm-ou.org or call (405) 321-0990. Sponsored by St. Thomas More University Parish, OU’s Catholic Student Association, Campus Activities Council Speakers Bureau, OU Student Government Association and made possible by the Agnes M. and G. Herbert True endowed lectureship that brings a prominent Catholic intellectual or artist to the University of Oklahoma annually to deliver a public lecture.
6
• March 23-26, 2017
SPORTS
Spenser Davis, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports
Mayfield looks to final season Star quarterback seeks to redeem himself after arrest
Mayfield is one of the top college football players in the country, and he has hopes of being a Heisman Trophy finalist for the second straight year. Even GEORGE STOIA though Mayfield has talent @GeorgeStoia on the field, offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said After being arrested in teaching his players off the Fayetteville, Arkansas, on field is more important. Feb. 25, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield is “When it comes trying to learn from his misdown to it, I have takes and redeem himself been and will be a lot on the football field. Wi t h s p r i n g p ra c t i c e harder on myself.” starting Tuesday, there BAKER MAYFIELD, were a lot of questions surQUARTERBACK rounding the Sooners’ star quarterback. Mayfield was arrested in Fayetteville for “It’s not just coaching public intoxication and them about throws and this running from the police. He and that,” Riley said. “It’s said he now realizes how trying to help them learn big of a mistake he made from life and learn from the and is willing to face the mistakes they’ve made and consequences. the mistakes we’ve made “When it comes down and trying to help them be to it, I have been and will better people. It’s somebe a lot harder on myself,” thing we do on a daily basis, Mayfield said. “I’ve been so it’s really nothing new for very hard on myself. I’m in us, and we’re always going a position here where it’s a to be there for our players.” special honor to play quarMayfield also said his terback here. I know what teammates have been great I can and can’t do, and I throughout the situation messed up.” and have helped him get his
spirits back up. Tight end Mark Andrews said despite the incident, Mayfield hasn’t lost his positive personality. “He’s still confident, as always,” Andrews said. “I haven’t noticed anything different from him. He’s leading us and we’re following him so it’s the same thing as always from Baker.” This will be Mayfield’s final season in an Oklahoma uniform, and he hopes to make it his best one yet. “It’s up to me to make the most of my senior year,” Mayfield said. “This is my team, and that’s the mindset I’m going to carry. One final run at the school that I love, just got to enjoy and make the most of it. I came back to win a national title.” Mayfield’s punishment has yet to be decided, and head coach Bob Stoops recently said that decision won’t be made until all legal issues are handled. For now Mayfield will practice with the Sooners until the spring game on April 8. Georgie Stoia
george.s.stoia-1@ou.edu
SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY
Senior quarterback Baker Mayfield throws the ball down field during spring practice Tuesday. Mayfield was arrested on charges of public intoxication Feb. 25 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Sooners seek to replace Dede Coaches, players not worried about finding new receiver KELLI STACY
@AstacyKelli
Going into spring practice, Oklahoma is facing the same issue it was a year ago at this time — replacing a star wide receiver. Last spring the Sooners were looking for someone to step up and fill the shoes of Sterling Shepard, who was responsible for a majority of the receiving core’s production. OU found its answer in Dede Westbrook, 2016 Biletnikoff Award winner. Westbrook recorded 17 touchdowns and 1,524 yards his senior season. Now Oklahoma is tasked with replacing him. Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Andrews was with the team last year in its search for new sources of production and doesn’t think it’s going to be a problem this year. “We kind of go through this every year I’ve been here,” Andrews said. “We lost Sterling, lost Dede, but there’re always going to be people that step up. And this is a group that has a ton of talent, so I’m not too worried about it.” Two receivers who may be able to give the Sooners more production are senior Jeffrey Mead and redshirt
SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY
Senior wide receiver Jeffery Mead low-fives junior wide receiver Chase Nevel during spring practice Tuesday. OU is searching for its next star wide reciever for the 2017 season.
senior Jordan Smallwood. Smallwood said that both he and Mead understand it is their job to step up as older members of the team. “It’s my turn to step up, and Dede was telling all of us older guys, ‘I’m leaving now, so you guys have got to work.’ So that’s the whole idea now is to work to fill in those shoes because we had the best wide receiver in the country here,” Smallwood said. “He gave us a new level to reach (for), and we’re about to try to reach it.” Mead and Smallwood both had impressive plays in 2016, but neither of them were consistent throughout the season. Westbrook became Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield’s favorite target, so there weren’t many opportunities
2017 SPRING GAME Time: Kickoff at 1 p.m. Date: April 8 Place: Norman Source: soonersports.com
for more. Mead said he’s confident that this year will be different. “I feel good,” Mead said. “We had a lot of talent last year, but we mainly threw it to Westbrook. We have a lot of talent this year, and I feel like we’ll spread it out more.” Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said he’s not concerned with finding a go-to receiver like
Westbrook, but he’s also not concerned with spreading the ball around. “You just need guys that can w in in one-on-one situations and that can make plays,” Riley said. “Regardless of if one guy has a huge year like he did or it becomes more balanced, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about whether you get the production or not, so we’re not sitting there saying we need some guy to go replicate exactly what Dede did, but we need to get the same kind of production, whether it’s one guy or five guys. At the end of the day it’s still a point or a yard or a catch for the Sooners and that’s all we care about.” Kelli Stacy
Two football players to sit out spring practice to recover from surgeries Two Sooners will not participate in spring practice because of recent surgeries, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops announced at his press conference on Monday. Junior safety Steven Parker is out due to shoulder surgery, Stoops said. Parker played through a shoulder injury at the end of the 2016 season. Parker has 154 career tackles and two interceptions in his Sooners’ tenure. He has started every game of the past two years in OU’s secondary. Redshirt junior linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo also had surgery in the offseason and will not participate in spring practice, Stoops said. Okoronkwo was among OU’s best defenders in 2016, tallying nine sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Other Sooners facing injury this spring include Marcelias Sutton, who has a stress fracture, and Kyler Murray, who has a strained hamstring. The Sooners started spring practice Tuesday, and the spring game will take place April 8 at 1 p.m. Abby Bitterman, @abby_bitterman
Women’s basketball season ends after second-round tournament loss Oklahoma’s season came to an end Monday night after a 108-82 loss to Washington in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners (23-10, 13-5 Big 12) started out the game strong, led by senior Gioya Carter with 15 points in the first. They hit four 3-pointers but trailed 27-22 at the end of the first. Oklahoma took the lead in the second quarter, but a 13-0 run by the Huskies (29-5, 15-3 Pac 12) ended the Sooners’ momentum. Oklahoma went to halftime down 54-47 despite shooting 53 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line. Things started to go downhill for the Sooners in the third quarter, as the Huskies seemed unable to miss. Washington’s Kelsey Plum broke the NCAA single-season scoring record in the third. At the end of the quarter Washington hit seven straight shots to extend its lead to 84-61. The deficit was too large for Oklahoma to overcome in the fourth quarter. The Sooners shot 46.4 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from the 3-point line. Carter led the Sooners in scoring with 17 points. Kelli Stacy, @AstacyKelli
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