April 28 - May 1, 2016

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Faith offers oodles of noodles

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ANNA MAYER • @ANNAMAY136

rawford Avenue smells like spaghetti.

It’s Friday night and the sun has just set, sucking the last light from downtown Norman. Only late-night cafés and bars illuminate Main Street now.

That, and the multi-colored disco lights boiling over from Crawford.

The streets are eerily empty, kept company mostly by the howling wind. Cars packed with college kids are starting to pass on their way to the next party. Meanwhile, a handful of suits clamor about, heading home after finishing an obligatory business dinner.

Suddenly, people arrive. They step out of their cars, holding tubs of pasta and bottles of beer, and make their way toward Crawford — the downtown side street two blocks from the railroad tracks.

With the week’s accumulated stress behind them, they have only one thing on their minds now: church night.

The door to the city’s new venue-turned-church stands ajar. The silence of the street is broken by the deep bass emanating from inside, enticing believers and misfits alike. Painted eyes goggle down at them as they enter the place of worship with colanders on their heads.

Welcome to the First Pastafarian Church of Norman. *** “What if we offer baptisms?” someone suggests.

Eleven out of the around 25 crew members gather in a circle one week before the Norman Music Festival to plan the best way to attract more people to their church that opened last October — the first of its kind.

“Wait, so how exactly would we want to do that? Are we just going with the colander?” their leader

asks.

“Yeah, the idea of dipping people in a kiddie pool filled with noodles is gross,” someone else laughs.

It’s decided. Colander baptisms it is.

Pastafarianism, a religion with growing media attention, worships the Flying Spaghetti Monster, believes humans evolved from pirates and that heaven has a Beer Volcano and a Stripper Factory.

The church is a world religion that, according to its website, has existed in secrecy for hundreds of years but just recently entered the mainstream spotlight.

And its entrance is causing quite a commotion.

The baptism that the Norman crew debated is actually a part of a broader Pastafarian tradition.

The ceremony consists of holding a colander, preferably gold, over someone’s head and chanting the Pastafarian Commandments, which go something like this: 1. Don’t litter.

2. Wear deodorant.

3. Always shower.

4. Don’t be an asshole.

5. Less upsetti, more spaghetti.

6. Don’t be a meany, eat fettuccine.

“The first night I came here, I was baptized,” said Hannah Anvar, an OU sophomore and crew member of the First Pastafarian Church of Norman. “They put a colander over my head, and we did the whole nine yards.”

No one from the church can exactly remember how many commandments there are because they keep adding to it. The latest one that the crew is considering adding is: Always finish your beer.

“We really just add to the list as we need to,” Anvar said. She’s been hanging around the church since January, three months after its opening.

SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

Co-founders stand in front of the First Pastafarian Church of Norman on Wednesday. Some of the Pastafarians’ Commandments are: don’t litter, wear deodorant and always shower.

Elizabeth Odors and her husband, Sky Oak Red Rock Thomas Aq u i na s, a re a l s o b ap t i z e d Pastafarians and members of the Norman congregation, not to mention the first couple to have a marriage ceremony in the church.

“Everyone we’ve talked to who’s come, they’ve really enjoyed it because it’s just so laid back and it’s a lot of community and hanging out with likeminded people.”

ELIZABETH ODORS, CHURCH MEMBER

Odors said her husband got involved with the church through

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an invitation from a friend. Then she joined. Then they got another friend to join. Then another.

“It’s like a snowball effect,” she said. “Everyone we’ve talked to who’s come, they’ve really enjoyed it because it’s just so laid back and it’s a lot of community and hanging out with like-minded people.” *** Pastafarianism gets served a lot of criticism on its plate, with people claiming it is a satire created simply to mock religion and keep creationism out of public schools.

Even on the Norman Pastafarian church webpage, there are comments like: “I’m not going to play there because it mocks my faith and the Creator of the universe,” musician Ed Crunk said.

“This has to be a big joke,” Rean Henderson Lackey said.

However, Pastafarianism has already been legally recognized as a

religion in Poland, the Netherlands and New Zealand, where the first legally recognized Pastafarian wedding was performed this month. Meanwhile, a federal judge in the U.S. ruled that the church is not a real religion.

OU professor and religious studies scholar Mara Willard disagrees.

She looks at Pastafarianism as being something that has strong potential for being taken seriously in her field of study.

Willard has a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and specializes in religious and political thought in many areas.

She said that, although she has a few questions, if she were sending her students to do site visits, she would absolutely support them visiting the Pastafarian church.

“I would take it seriously,” she see PASTA page 2

ENTRY FORM Thursday, April 28 Due by Friday, April 29 at 4:30 pm

Name: Phone Number: OU Email: Location: Entry Form Must be original newspaper form. No photocopies or reproductions will be accepted. Each day’s entry forms will be collected at 4:30 p.m. and winners will be drawn at 5:30 p.m. Grand prize drawing will be Thursday, May 5 at 5:30 p.m. Entry forms may be submitted at the following locations: Walker Center Housing Office, Couch Restaurants, Cate Main, The Bookmark, The Sooner Card Office (Oklahoma Memorial Union)

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• April 28 - May 1, 2016

NEWS PASTA: Continued from Page One

said, explaining that she doesn’t see it as just a political movement. “Everything is a political movement. Being a Protestant is political. Being subversive to your tradition is still a political move. The Supreme Court has really been inconsistent in describing what counts as a religion.”

Willard brought up other examples of once unconventional religions that have actually turned into serious institutions, such as Unitarian Universalism, saying that it started out as a hippie movement but is now highly recognized.

“Not to boil all religions down to the same thing, but people across time and space, they gather together, they eat, they trust each other, they celebrate, they have a sense of what’s constant, and they have a sense of what can change,” Willard said. “If you just hold that people have to worship God to be a religion, then you end up ruling out, say, Buddhism and even Unitarian Universalism.

“In that case, a group that wants to gather together on Fridays and eat pasta begins to compete,” she said. *** “Fridays are our ‘Holy Nights,’” Josh Babb says, casually sitting on a barstool.

He slides his hand over his backward snapback hat and goes over in his head what else needs to be done before the weekly church meeting.

On the agenda for the night’s service: hang out, drink beer, eat spaghetti, enjoy live music and, of course, praise the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Babb is the captain of Norman’s First Pastafarian

Andrew Clark, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily

Church. Once a kid from the East Coast who attended a Catholic high school, he is now the owner of what he believes to be the first established church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in the United States.

He gets up and paces the floor, fixing last-minute things and cracking jokes.

He stops only for a minute to welcome the early newcomers who have wandered in.

His crew continues to bu s i l y s e t u p t h e st ag e around him, rushing between the main room and the back, coiling cables, checking sound systems, preparing pasta. They turn to him whenever they have questions.

“He’s very organized. We would be nothing without him,” Odors said. The others nod along in agreement, remembering aloud how Babb was the one who convinced many of them to join.

“My roommate brought me here first, and I started talking to Josh,” Anvar said.

“He invited me to come help out and said I should come be a part of the church because we’re one big family.”

“Ooh, what’s up?” Babb calls out suddenly to some friends that entered the shop. “Hey, do any of you want to be captain tonight?

Who wants to be captain?

Nose goes?” A loud chorus of laughter follows.

Pastafarians copy pirate ships. Because pirates are sacred beings to Pastafarians, they mimic many of their ideas. “Pirate shipping” means that the church organizes exactly how a crew on a ship would, with a captain and first mate.

No one seems to know exactly how many people make up the Norman crew, and they all jokingly argue over who has what position on the “ship.”

SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

“We pirate ship because pirates and global warming are linked,” Babb said.

“I think they were the original Pastafarians. Or wait, no that’s wrong.”

“No,” James Jackson, another crew member, chimes in. “There’s a correlation between the steady decline of pirates and the rise of global warming.”

Suddenly, everyone joins

“Being a Pastafarian is mostly just about accepting people for who they are and being like, ‘You can do whatever you want, just be a good person.’”

ELIZABETH ODORS, CHURCH MEMBER

in on the conversation, debating who were the most sacred Pastafarian people.

“The first humans that were intellectually designed

by the Flying Spaghetti Monster were very, very short,” Babb said with a smile.

“They were small because there were more of his noodles to go around and push down on the population.

That’s how gravity works.”

“You can see as human population increases, so too does average height,” he continued. “That’s because there are just less noodles for the Flying Spaghetti Monster to hold us all down. Scientists will tell you it’s gravity holding you down on the planet, but really it’s his noodles.”

Ever yone laughs, and Babb finally says: “They felt his presence much more strongly back then. That’s just a little bit of allure.” *** While all Pastafarians have a sense of humor about it, they say they still believe that Pastafarianism is a true religion and value its beliefs.

“Being a Pastafarian is mostly just about accepting people for who they are and being like, ‘You can do whatever you want, just be a

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good person.’ That’s the only rule,” Odors said. “You can be Christian and a Pastafarian, if you want. You can believe in both values, theoretically.”

While the national Pastafarian leader, Bobby Henderson of Oregon, has tried to oppose one teaching of Creationism in public schools, Pastafarians say they pose no threat to Christianity, or any other religion.

The idea that Pastafarianism is trying to oppose established religions is widespread and seems to be why many reject it.

However, Willard, the O U p ro f e s s o r, b e l i e v e s more questions should be asked before anyone actually begins taking offense to Pastafarianism.

“I feel like if they’re just trying to wear a colander on their head and have their driver’s license picture taken just to prove that religious garb is sort of ridiculous, then I’d be more irritated with them,” she said. “As a scholar of religion, I’d want to know what do they think they’re

doing constructively instead of just to undermine teaching creationism in schools.

“But there are also people that have deeply felt loyalties to Christianity and Judaism and other religions, and they really don’t want to have their church be considered just silliness,” she said. “They do want to uphold some kind of place in society that is respected as a source of values and tradition. It’s really difficult to draw those lines.”

Me a n w h i l e, t h e Fi r s t Pastafarian Church stands, cooking a new kind of community in Norman. Crawford Avenue, once desolate, now draws small crowds.

And the church is there, its front window painted over with a giant mural, mimicking Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam.” In its center, in all his glory, the Flying Spaghetti Monster rules.

Anna Mayer

anna.n.mayer@gmail.com

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April 28-May 1, 2016 •

NEWS

Andrew Clark, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily

Election piques interest

Political science professors strive for courses relevant to current campaigns JESSICA JAMES @jessjames43

O n Su p e r Tu e s d ay , Glen Krutz walked into his American Federal Government class wearing an “I Voted” sticker and began his lecture with a question.

“I just voted in my first-ever presidential primary, and yet I’ve voted in every election since I’ve been 18. How can that be?” he asked.

To answer his question, Krutz’s students discussed the different rules the major parties have from state-tostate regarding who can vote in their presidential primaries until the answer was revealed. This year, the Democratic and Libertarian Parties opened up their primaries to independent voters in Oklahoma for the first time ever.

Krutz, the vice provost for academic initiatives and a professor of political science, said interest in primary elections is not always present.

“That sort of stuff doesn’t happen if it’s not an election year,” he said.

The recent increased participation of Krutz’s students is not unusual. The 2016 presidential election has a significant influence on not only the American Federal Government class, but on all political science courses, said professor Ronald Gaddie, chair of the political science department.

Students are interested in campaigns, Gaddie said, and this interest manifests itself in more engagement in class.

The department takes this into account when deciding

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NOOR EEMAAN/THE DAILY

OU College of Law offers 15-month master’s program for non-lawyers The OU College of Law has announced a new Master of Legal Studies degree for non-law students interested in oil, gas and energy law.

The program is structured as a 15-month, 32-credit hour graduate degree, according to a press release.

The first 28 hours will be offered as online courses while the final four hours will be earned during a one-week session at the OU College of Law. The structure was designed to allow students from anywhere to complete an OU Law degree.

“There is a large demand for advanced degrees in this area, and OU Law is perfectly positioned to meet that need,” said Joseph Harroz Jr., the dean for the OU College of Law, in a press release. “This program, when added to our Juris Doctor, J.D. certificate and Master of Laws programs will further expand our leadership in energy law and extend our expertise to a new group of students.”

The program is designed for non-lawyers and aims to give them knowledge in mineral rights, negotiating oil and gas contracts and working with energy attorneys, according to a press release.

Derek Peterson, @DrPetey15

Students in American Federal Government attend class in Adams Hall on Wednesday. This year, the Democratic and Libertarian Parties opened up their primaries to independent voters in Oklahoma for the first time ever.

what courses it will offer.

“The one thing we pay attention to in the setting of the schedule, in general, is where we are in the electoral cycle,” he said, giving the example of campaign classes, which are most often offered during even-numbered years in the fall.

However, the department is not offering any special courses during the election because “we offer such a broad curriculum, anything that would be of special interest during an election year is always offered,” he said.

Gaddie said the American Federal Government class, a requirement of all OU students, is the best place to discuss the elections and inform the student body. Although Gaddie is not teaching the course this semester, he said he has lectured for Krutz a few times as a guest.

“The nice thing about an American government class is that you can cover all the basics, to an extent, and then tailor it as needed to make it more interesting,” Krutz said.

To keep students engaged,

Krutz said he uses current event assignments and humor, such as clips from “Saturday Night Live” or “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

“I’ve found that millennials respond well when politics is discussed with humor in it,” he said.

Another way to increase engagement and make the course content relevant is to base assignments on the election. Petroleum engineering freshman Kaden Cable said his papers required him to research the positions of the various candidates on certain issues.

“I don’t think anything I’ve learned is going to change the way I vote, but I think being in class has helped me more to look at their actual policies than just vote for them based on whether or not they’re a Republican or a Democrat,” Cable said.

Cable said he was glad he took the course during an election year.

“It made government relevant to me because it gave me information on something

that’s going to affect me for the next four to eight years,” he said.

Making government relevant and convincing students to participate in the political process are, ultimately, the goals of the class.

“A n y s t u d e n t t h a t comes to OU and comes to the American Federal Government class should be infused with the sense that they can take control of their destiny in some form or fashion,” Gaddie said. “That every choice that’s made, from the neighborhood association up to the national government, has a form of democratic control on it, has the opportunity to engage in debate and that you ought to be able to go in and grab a hold of it. If we can spark that in somebody’s mind, we meet the obligation of this university.”

Jessica James j.james@ou.edu

Mobile healthcare unit will park on campus to offer free mammograms A local healthcare center will offer mammograms for OU employees and spouses on campus this week and next.

The Oklahoma Breast Care Center will have its Mobile Mammogram Unit in Norman today and May 2. The mobile unit will be parked at the College of Continuing Education parking lot at 1700 Asp Ave., according to a press release.

The mobile unit’s services are available to OU employees and their covered spouses, said Lindsay Mitchell, employee wellness coordinator with Healthy Sooners. Mitchell said annual mammograms and screenings should be typical practice for women beginning in their 40s.

This is the mobile unit’s sixth year providing services on OU’s campus during staff week, Mitchell said. This year’s primary event is scheduled for April 28 but has already filled up with appointments, she said. However, she said the event on May 2 is still available for appointments.

Mitchell said the screenings are part of Healthy Sooners’ priority of promoting healthy lifestyles and access to healthy lifestyles for OU employees.

Screenings with the Mobile Mammogram Unit are available by appointment, according to a press release.

Those interested in scheduling an appointment should call 405-755-2273, ext. 110.

Emma Keith , @shakeitha_97

Boren talks budget burdens OU president dubs high tuition hikes, cuts as last resorts OU President David Boren held an open conversation for faculty and staff Tuesday in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Beaird Lounge regarding the financial burdens and education budget crisis facing the university.

He also held a similar conversation for students April 19. The four main takeaways from the speeches are as follows: Boren pledged he will not raise tuition and fees for students by double digits and said any attempt to do so would be an absolute lastditch effort.

Boren said “sky-high”

tuition hikes, mandatory monetary cuts to various departments and staff and the elimination of school days in the week would all be last resort options for addressing the budget crisis OU faces.

A tuition and fee increase by 9.9 percent would also be unacceptable, and he will aim to keep tuition and fees hikes in the mid-single digit range, Boren said.

Boren repeatedly said the state of Oklahoma has “defaulted its responsibilities in educating the next generation.”

The responsibility to educate the next generation was a major focal point of Boren’s speech. Boren spoke several times about the lack of funding OU is receiving from the state, as well as the state’s lack of investment in

its economic future.

Boren said the state must diversify its economy in order to grow.

Boren said he is a strong advocate of energy wealth in the state, but in order to properly prepare for the future, Oklahoma must invest in education.

Boren said the state’s education ranking could also repel businesses looking to move into Oklahoma. He said the lack of funding in education will be a “disaster” for the future of Oklahoma’s economy.

Boren provided graphs and charts that showed his current plans and methods cannot cover the full extent of cuts, and he is open to suggestions for a solution — even from students.

Boren said the fixed costs

for this fiscal year at OU have risen to $17.3 million, and cuts for this year are projected to be in the $42.9 million range, although that number is not final yet.

However, Boren said cuts and savings only amount to $22.7 million. Boren also said a 1 percent increase in tuition and fees would generate a net income of $3.2 million, and larger increases would generate more income.

Tanner Osborne

Tannerosborne84@yahoo.com

NOOR EEMAAN/THE DAILY

OU President David Boren speaks to students about OU’s budget April 19. Boren spoke to faculty and staff about financial burdens and education crises April 26..

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NEWS

â&#x20AC;˘ April 28-May 1, 2016

Remedial classes re-teach skills Courses help with areas neglected in some high schools

majors. Fundamentals of Writing assists students who have failed the Language Skills Test, the grammar exam the college uses to admit students.

The course presents a mixture of frustration and growth for students, as many have not seen or been taught grammar skills since middle school, said Leslie Cermak, Fundamentals of Writing instructor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re (students who have failed the LST) really good writers; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not an issue of being a bad writer,â&#x20AC;? Cermak said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What it is is, they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t looked at grammar as English grammar since probably middle school. With the change in public education and testing, what we see now more is that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bigger emphasis on reading and writing, and the particulars of what the students need to know for grammar (have) been kind of pushed aside.â&#x20AC;?

University College freshman Chase Bryer said while being placed in the class was frustrating, he now feels equipped and prepared to retake the Language Skills Test.

EMMA KEITH @shakeitha_97

T h e n u m b e r o f Oklahoma college students enrolled in remedial classes has increased from 2004 to 2014, and many are worried the number could get worse amid the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education budget crisis.

Remedial classes offer a second chance for OU students who were frustrated with their high school educationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lack of preparation for collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demands.

Freshmen represent the majority of students taking OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remedial courses.

These classes work to make up for concepts students struggle with or skills that their high schools did not adequately prepare them to deal with in college.

Remedial classes re-teach certain skills to bring students to a college level, OU Provost Kyle Harper said.

Harper said in an email that for the 2015 to 2016 school year, only 1.44 percent of OU full-time undergraduates were enrolled in a remedial class. That number represents 282 students out of OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 19,598 undergraduate students, Harper said in the email. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By definition, remedial courses are for students who still have work to do in a particular subject to get up to the OU standard of college readiness,â&#x20AC;? Harper said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And they might be very college-ready; they wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been admitted if they w e re n â&#x20AC;&#x2122; t g e n e r a l l y c o l lege-ready,â&#x20AC;? Harper said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In most subjects, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ready for college, but, for instance, (remedial classes address) that area where they require an intermediate step, some help in getting up to that level.â&#x20AC;?

One remedial course is Fundamentals of Writing, a grammar course for students looking to enter one o f t h e Gay l o rd C o l l e g e of Journalism and Mass C o m m u n i c a t i o n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s f i v e

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The loss of these quality teachers ... will have a significant negative impact on the quality of education in this state,â&#x20AC;?

GREGG GARN, DEAN OF OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JEANNINE RAINBOLT COLLEGE OF EDUCATION â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just kind of sets you back, in a way,â&#x20AC;? Bryer said on having to take the course. â&#x20AC;&#x153;(But) it sounds pretty similar to (the) next course, 2033.

So, yeah, I feel a lot better about it.â&#x20AC;?

Bryer went to an Oklahoma high school.

According to Together OK, a nonpartisan coalition, Oklahoma schools have suffered the worst funding cuts in the nation, with a 23.6

SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

Students in the Fundamentals of Writing class go through a grammar exercise April 25. The majority of remedial classes are math courses.

percent decrease in per-student spending since 2008.

To make up for the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decrease in education funding, OU President David Boren is leading an initiative to create an estimated $615 million for Oklahoma education in one year. The initiative would increase the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales tax by one penny on the dollar and will be on the November election ballot for voters to approve. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like coming from a smaller school, it was just kind of more difficult pounding the grammar in,â&#x20AC;?

Bryer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, just kind of like a lack of preparation, lack of refreshing.â&#x20AC;?

From 2004 to 2014, the percentage of students at Oklahoma research colleges and universities taking remedial classes increased from 6.9 percent to 8 percent, according to okhigered.org.

Gregg Garn, dean of OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, said in an email he believes the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lack of education funding has hurt its quality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One big issue is competitive teacher salaries,â&#x20AC;? Garn said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oklahoma has fallen behind surrounding states, and teachers are moving out of Oklahoma to teach in those states. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The loss of these quality teachers ... will have a significant negative impact on the quality of education in this state,â&#x20AC;? he said.

University College freshman Julie Le, who went to

high school in Texas, said although being in the remedial writing class is a result of several different factors, the semester has been refreshingly instructive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like high school didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really prepare me, but I also kind of rushed through the test,â&#x20AC;? Le said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s frustrating, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honestly just like nice to refresh your memory.â&#x20AC;?

Cermak said such feelings of frustration are not uncommon among students placed in her class. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of students express not so much regret, but I would say frustration is probably the right word, about the public school system and how they feel like itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not fair that they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t prepared accurately for what they were going to do,â&#x20AC;?

Cermak said.

Cermak said while students who did well in high school math are generally prepared to take on fundamental college math courses, students whose high school teachers told them they were good writers might be surprised to find their grammar skills are not up to a college level.

These students may have received marks off for grammar mistakes in high school, but might never have had a teacher explain the solution to seemingly small errors, Cermak said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I understand why they come in frustrated from that, and I see why theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there, but I try to make it clear to

them, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not really your fault,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Cermak said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Again, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just been circumstances that the school system have put on them, in some cases.â&#x20AC;?

Harper said while reasons for needing remedial classes can vary on a student to student basis, studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; presence in the classes is most often due to some form of high school

failure to prepare for college demands. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some students will go to a school where that (subject) wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a strength,â&#x20AC;?

Harper said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t prepared as strongly as they needed to have been, and so they simply werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t given the preparation at that level.â&#x20AC;?

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HOROSCOPE

my friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got mental illness

By Eugenia Last

Copyright 2015, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 Set your sights on projects that add to your knowledge and skills as well as bring you closer to friends, relatives and the love of your life.

Children will play an important role today, offering greater insight into what really matters. Travel and socializing will prove enlightening.

To a friend with mental illness, your caring and understanding greatly increases their chance of recovery. Visit whatadifference.samhsa.gov for more information.

Mental Illness â&#x20AC;&#x201C; What a difference a friend makes.

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- YouĘźve got the edge. Your ability to foresee trends and make quick, sound decisions will make you the go-to person. Interviews and meetings look promising.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- DonĘźt let anyone entice you down a path that leads to bad habits, unhealthy pastimes or unsavory influences.

Discipline and activities that lead to greater self-awareness will help you overcome temptation.

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Previous Solution

Monday- Very Easy Tuesday-Easy Wednesday- Easy Thursday- Medium Friday - Hard

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

issues are best thought through before you make a move.

Concentrate on how you can benefit.

You canĘźt change others, but you can change yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- You can gather valuable information by attending a function that addresses some of your concerns. If you make creative suggestions, you will have an opportunity to team up with someone interesting.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Personal change will lead to good fortune. Consider the people you have dealt with in the past and revise your list of friends. Cut out the middleman and do your own thing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- YouĘźve got everything going for you, so donĘźt let someone ruin your plans. Walk away from anyone who shows signs of procrastination or unpredictability. Speak up and take action.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- If you look at the bright side of any situation, you will find it much easier to convince others to join in. Use AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- If your knowledge and expertise to you look over personal papers and bring about positive change. investments, you will find that you have more assets than you realize.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Take the Invest in your skills and ideas in initiative to make things happen. order to set your long-term plans in Personal changes will enhance motion. your appearance and give you the strength and courage to PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Refuse improve your life and important to let anyone take you for granted or relationships. limit what you can do. Get involved in groups or events that you believe VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) make a difference. Make your time -- Participation will be in your and effort count. best interest. Attending functions that allow you to show off your ARIES (March 21-April 19) -intelligence and skills will put you in Professional concerns will stir up a good position and draw interesting emotions. ItĘźs time to invest in your proposals. skills, knowledge and expertise, as well as to put your finances in order.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Emotional Money is heading your way.

Universal Crossword Edited by Fred Piscop April 28, 2016

ACROSS 1 Cartoonist who lampooned Tweed 5 Roe source 9 Night fliers 13 Big Apple tennis venue 14 Glazed square 15 Courage, slangily 16 Foolish talk 18 Deck out 19 Flock leader, for short 20 Helpful connections 21 Units of force 22 Passes, as legislation 24 Generous giving 27 Slum scurrier 28 Elsieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company 29 Some facial treatments 31 Meat-grading org.

32 Latch on to 36 Kadett automaker 37 Apportions, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;outâ&#x20AC;?

38 Fallonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s predecessor 39 Cookbook amount 40 __ impulse (rashly) 41 Like an innie, maybe 42 Bring in 44 Ballpark fig.

45 Old-fashioned to the max 4/28

48 Much of North Africa 51 Blackbordered notices 52 Apt. amenity 53 Pres., militarily 54 Deck with pentacles 55 2000 presidential debate phrase 58 Manicuristâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s material 59 Without a stitch 60 Creme-filled goodie 61 Trampâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partner 62 They may be rolled over 63 __ buco DOWN 1 Mollusk shell liner 2 Visibly shaken 3 Noisy mock serenades to newlyweds 4 Downing Street address 5 Leaves speechless 6 Serenade the villain 7 Will Smith biopic 8 Boxing Day mo.

9 Golferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s post-shot gyrations 10 Nerve cell conductors 11 Runs out of gas

12 Have a feeling 15 Madonna nickname 17 Bakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s protectors 23 Some saved iPhone data 24 Penmanship, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claimed 25 Impassioned, as a plea 26 Dietary figs.

28 __ Aires 29 Okra, essentially 30 Energy Star org.

33 Alamo or Dollar offerings 34 Tiny tunneler 35 Any Little Leaguer, once 37 Wear a puss 41 Needing sealant

43 Johnny Mathis classic 45 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Psychoâ&#x20AC;? setting 46 Malia or Sasha 47 Did a studâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work 48 Venti and trenta, at Starbucks 49 Bar mitzvah and bris 50 It may elicit a blessing 52 Cornell of university fame 55 Clarice Starlingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s org.

56 Onetime Egypt-Syria alliance (Abbr.)

57 Holsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greeting

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

4/27

4/25

Š 2016 Universal Uclick www.upuzzles.com Š 2016 Universal Uclick

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS By Fred Piscop

April 28 - May 1, 2016 •

SPORTS

5

Spenser Davis, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports

Crimson and cream to NFL dream Six Sooners are projected to be picked in this weekend’s draft

STERLING SHEPARD

ZACK SANCHEZ

CHARLES TAPPER

Sterling Shepard became a hometown favorite during his four years in Norman. The son of former OU great Derrick Shepard — who died unexpectedly in 1999 — Sterling came into OU with high expectations.

Zack Sanchez, a redshirt junior, decided to forego his senior year at Oklahoma. Sanchez started all but two games last season (injury) and had two games with multiple interceptions. A former three-star recruit out of Central High School in Fort Worth, Texas, Sanchez played both defense and offense in high school.

Charles Tapper was a three-year starter at defensive end for the Sooners. He came to OU as a three-star recruit out of City College high school in Baltimore, Maryland where he didn’t start playing football until his junior year.

Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 191 pounds | 40 time: 4.48

He eclipsed his dad in nearly every statistical category, finishing his collegiate career as Oklahoma’s No. 2 all-time leading receiver with 3,482 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 185 pounds | 40 time: 4.48

Sanchez started 37 games in his collegiate career and recorded 15 interceptions in three seasons.

Stats

Stats

Senior stats: 86 receptions, 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns Career stats: 233 receptions, 3,482 yards and 26 touchdowns

Junior stats: 11 starts, 45 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 7 interceptions, 7 pass breakups.

Career stats: 37 starts, 134 tackles, 5 tackles-for-loss, 15 interceptions, 28 pass breakups.

Expert opinions Dane Brugler and Rob Rang, CBSSports.com: “Shepard routinely proved to be a mismatch during one-on-one drills against cornerbacks at the Senior Bowl, using his short-area burst to create spacing and give his quarterback a clean target. If the corner doesn’t make contact with Shepard off the line of scrimmage, it’s too easy for the smallish but talented receiver to make something happen.”

Spenser Davis, @Davis_Spenser

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 281 pounds | 40 time: 4.59

Tapper will now enter the 2016 NFL draft, where he is a strong candidate to be selected on the second day of the event.

Stats Senior stats: 13 Starts, 50 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, 7 sacks, 4 forced fumbles.

Career stats: 38 starts, 138 tackles, 26.5 tackles-for-loss, 15.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles.

Expert opinions

Expert opinions NFC Director of Scouting: “He is fast and talented. I’m always partial to guys who make plays on the ball so I like him. I don’t think he’s tough enough to tackle so he is probably just a true nickel cornerback who you have to play outside so teams can’t run it at him in the slot.”

Rob Rang, CBSsports.com: “(He) was asked to play mostly contain for the Sooners and offers little creativity as a pass rusher. His compact, muscle-bound frame leaves Tapper with limited flexibility and just average agility, overall, and he struggles to change directions in close spaces to make tackles on his own. Will be viewed by as a ‘tweener who lacks a real position in the NFL.” Scott Hiney, @scotthiney

Scott Hiney, @scotthiney

ERIC STRIKER

DEVANTE BOND

DOMINIQUE ALEXANDER

Eric Striker was a tenacious presence in the linebacking corps during his four years at Oklahoma. The Tampa, Florida, native played in all 52 games during his tenure at OU and started 39 of them, being named first team All-Big 12 in three of his four seasons and first team All-American after his senior year.

Devante Bond became a well-known name at Oklahoma after playing in 12 of 13 games his junior season (2014) at outside linebacker and starting in the final three games of 2014. The Sacramento, California, native and junior college transfer played in 21 games at Oklahoma. Bond was poised to play a big role in the Sooners’ defense in 2015 before an ankle injury sidelined him for four games his senior season.

Dominique Alexander surprised most — including OU coach Bob Stoops — when he decided to declare for the NFL Draft after his junior season.

Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 227 pounds | 40 time: 4.80

Striker was a force on and off the field, helping lead his team during 2015’s SAE incident.

Stats Senior stats: 13 starts, 67 tackles, 19 tackles-for-loss, 7.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble Career stats: 39 starts, 191 tackles, 46.5 tackles-for-loss, 23 sacks, 1 interception, 11 pass breakups.

Expert opinions Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “Each year there is a highly productive but undersized linebacker prospect in the draft, and the question is always the same — ‘Is he too small?’ An NFL team will find room for Striker because of his explosiveness to the ball; ironically, he grew up in Tampa watching a Buccaneers defense that would have valued his speed and tenacity despite his size. He garnered first-team All-Big 12 and Associated Press All-American notice as both a junior (third team) and senior (second team).”

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 235 pounds | 40 time: 4.70

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 229 pounds | 40 time: 4.75

Stats Senior stats: 5 starts, 43 tackles, 7.0 tackles-for-loss, 3.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 2 pass breakups.

Career stats: 8 starts, 72 tackles, 11.0 tackles-for-loss, 3.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 2 pass breakups.

Expert opinions Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “(Bond is a) competitive, 4 -3 linebacker prospect who often played 3 -4 outside linebacker in college. On tape, Bond looks like a fairly average athlete with limited speed which could hurt his draft stock, but scouts like the way he applies coaching and plays with effort and consistency. Bond might have to earn his way onto a team through special teams play early on, but I wouldn’t bet against him.”

Still, Alexander, a three-year starter at Oklahoma, was a model of consistency. He started every game in each of his last two seasons and led the Sooners in tackles in both years as well.

Stats Junior stats: 54 unassisted tackles, 104 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception.

Career stats: 153 unassisted tackles, 292 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 1 interception.

Expert opinions Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “Small, but rangy linebacker with very good play speed but a lack of desired strength. It’s easy to want to write Alexander off considering his issues with play strength, but then you look at his downhill tackling and ability to get to the ball and you reassess. Alexander’s ability to cover in space should pair well with a move to outside linebacker in a 4-3 where he can avoid some of the size coming at him that gave him issues inside.”

Spenser Davis, @Davis_Spenser

Kelli Stacy, @AstacyKelli

Dillon Hollingsworth, @DillonJames94

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6

SPORTS

â&#x20AC;˘ April 28-May 1, 2016

Sooner gymnasts share success Close proximity strengthens bond between programs KELLI STACY @AstacyKelli

A small street covered in patched potholes lies beside Oklahomaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faculty-in-residence housing. The road leads to a full parking lot, both sides of the street lined with cars. The grass east of the chaos is used to host the overflow traffic.

The owners of these vehicles are used to sharing: sharing space, sharing a sport and, this year, sharing NCAA history.

This congested parking lot belongs to the Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center, home of the Oklahoma menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics teams, which made NCAA history on April 16 when OU became the first school to earn both menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics national titles in the same season.

Oklahoma menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics claimed its second consecutive national title and 10th in program history â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the seventh under O k l a h o m a c o a c h Ma r k Williams â&#x20AC;&#x201D; while Oklahoma womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics earned its second national title in program history and first outright title.

Sharing is something both teams have become familiar with and something that has made their joint success this season that much sweeter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Usually weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all together, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see each other in the academic center and do homework,â&#x20AC;? freshman Yul Moldauer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fun time in the gym and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll crack jokes.â&#x20AC;?

Oklahoma is one of the few schools where menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a n d w o m e n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s g y m n a s tics teams share the same

practice facility, and up until 2010, when the renovation of the Sam Viersen Center was completed, that was seen as somewhat of a hardship.

The teams were sharing limited space and equipment prior to the renovation and 7,000 square foot addition to the practice facility.

Wo m e n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s g y m n a s t i c s coach K.J. Kindler said it was her first time sharing a gym when she arrived at OU. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was actually one of the most difficult things that probably (Williams) and I had to do together since Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been here,â&#x20AC;? Kindler said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We got along very well and were able to work everything out and never had any issues, so to me that was a big success.â&#x20AC;?

The Sooners donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look at their shared facility negatively, however, because it has given them the chance to build a family and support system within the gym.

The relationship between them has been described by both as that of siblings.

Moldauer said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proud of the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team because he has a close relationship with them and has witnessed the hard work they put in during the season.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Usually weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all together, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see each other in the academic center and do homework. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fun time in the gym and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll crack jokes.â&#x20AC;?

YUL MOLDAUER, FRESHMAN GYMNAST

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Honestly the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team is like sisters to us, so of course weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll watch over them,â&#x20AC;? Moldauer added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I mean, we hang out on the

NOOR EEMAAN/THE DAILY

Freshman Nicole Lehrmann flips during her beam performance March 4. The womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics team won the 2016 national championship April 16.

weekends sometimes, and the freshman group is really close. I know some of the sophomores are really close, too.â&#x20AC;?

The feelings between the teams are mutual, senior Keeley Kmieciak said.

Kmieciak said sharing a gym helped her form an immediate bond with members of the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I definitely like (sharing the gym),â&#x20AC;? Kmieciak said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the things coming here I thought that was really cool and interesting. Not everyone does that, but I liked how OU did that. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awesome that we get to work out together.â&#x20AC;?

Though the two teams are close, they understand that once practice begins, their interaction with one

another ends. Staying focused during training is fundamental to the success of both teams, Williams said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generally a business relationship between our training times because we each have a lot to do, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a lot of interaction or socializing because there just isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t time,â&#x20AC;? Williams said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We get three hours in the afternoon to do what we have to as a team, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expected.â&#x20AC;?

O klahoma menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics teams have found a balance between focus, fun and camaraderie that has helped create a supportive and productive environment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an environment that is conducive to success and celebrating each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victories.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can tell both of our programs are working to be the best, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve figured out how to do that,â&#x20AC;? Williams said.

Kelli Stacy

kelliastacy@ou.edu

MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GYM 2nd consecutive national title

10th national title in program history 9.35: largest margin of victory in modern scoring era

WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GYM 2nd national title in

program history

2nd national title in the last three years

2 individual national champions (Yul Moldauer and Colin Van Wicklen)

16 All-America honors

18 All-America honors

We Love Our Readers Event MONDAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WINNERS: $25 La Baguette Gift Certificate Hien Tran Dasol Lee Alyssa Hubbard Mark Thiel

NOOR EEMAAN/THE DAILY

Senior Sergey Resnick performs on the pommel horse March 5. The OU gymnastics teams made history April 16 when both won national titles.

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Each day at 5:30, we will draw winners of the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prizes. Only one prize per day per person.

All entries for the week will be saved and the grand prize winner of the reserved parking spot will be chosen on Thursday, May 5th at 5:30 p.m. from the entire collection of entries. The more times you enter, the more chances you have to win!

Employees of OU Student Media are not eligible for prizes.

Entry form MUST be original newspaper form. No photocopies or reproductions will be accepted.

Each dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entry forms will be collected at 4:30 p.m. and winners will be drawn at 5:30 p.m. Grand prize drawing will be Thursday, May 5 at 5:30 p.m. Entry forms may be submitted at the following locations: Walker Center Housing Office, Couch Restaurants, Cate Main, The

Bookmark, The Sooner Card Office ( Oklahoma Memorial Union

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April 28 - May 1, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘

OPINION

7

Dana Branham, engagement managing editor dailyopinion@ou.edu â&#x20AC;˘ phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/opinion â&#x20AC;˘ Twitter: @OUDailyOpinion

Weighing in on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Boomer Soonerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

OU is still OU even if â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Boomer Soonerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; should we change our mascot not cause controversy Lena Tenney @Lena10E

I was incredibly disappointed in and saddened by the reaction of many in the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sooner Familyâ&#x20AC;? (a family that seems to only include certain types of students, I might add) when news broke about a recent bill in Student Government Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Student Congress. For those who may not know, someone proposed a bill that would officially congratulate OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sports teams on their successes by telling them â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boomer Sooner.â&#x20AC;?

There was a vote taken to potentially remove the phrase. That vote failed, so the phrase remained. The bill then failed as a whole, amid concerns that athletic teams were being given special recognition via this bill when there are so many other student groups and organizations on campus also excelling in their fields.

Indigenize OU â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a group of indigenous student-activists who publicly raised the issue of the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mascot and chant being problematic â&#x20AC;&#x201D; had nothing to do with the bill. They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know it existed until people started attacking Indigenize OU on social media â&#x20AC;&#x201D; blaming them for causing the bill to fail. Many racist and anti-indigenous comments were posted on various threads. These included suggestions that indigenous students assimilate or leave; false claims about casinos, alcohol abuse, and indigenous parents not caring about their children going to school; racist rants against Latinxs; and much, much more.

I was dismayed by the immediate visceral reaction to even taking into consideration the possibility that the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditions may

be harmful to some of its stakeholders. How can we claim that OU is a welcoming institution when any time marginalized students suggest significant change they are met with hate and derision?

Indigenize OU has tried for some time to help OU become less anti-indigenous and racist. Many people who claim that OU is not anti-indigenous and racist have said anti-indigenous and racist things in response, thus proving Indigenizeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original overall point (because this is about much more than a mascot and a chant: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about a campus climate and university system that do not truly value indigenous students, traditions, ways and experiences).

This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t about millennials being too sensitive or politically correct. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about students wanting the university to improve so that future generations can have an even better, more inclusive experience at OU. By the way, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a fan of substituting the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;being politically correctâ&#x20AC;? with â&#x20AC;&#x153;treating other human beings with respect.â&#x20AC;?

In terms of the history of traditions and how much money OU would allegedly lose by making some changes: OU has had several mascots throughout its history, so changing the mascot is not without precedent.

Furthermore, OU could potentially turn a profit from rebranding as fans buy new merchandise. And even if not, perhaps losing some money by adopting a mascot that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t celebrate the land run, anti-indigeneity, genocide and cheating might be be the least that this institution â&#x20AC;&#x201D; built on colonialism â&#x20AC;&#x201D; can do.

Do I truly expect to see

the mascot changed any time soon? No. Because it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly be the first time in American history that money was valued more than the lives, cultures and experiences of indigenous peoples.

But letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say things do eventually change. Then I must ask: where does your loyalty truly lie? If you would stop donating to OU because the mascot was changed, if you would stop cheering for OU sports teams because the university dropped the chant of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boomer Sooner,â&#x20AC;? if you would discourage your friends/ kids/whomever from attending OU because a few traditions were altered to make the university more inclusive as a whole â&#x20AC;&#x201D; then to what are you being loyal? To a couple of traditions? To a football team? Or to the flagship university of the state of Oklahoma, an educational institution that shapes the minds and lives of thousands of students every year?

I, for one, love the University of Oklahoma as an educational institution that has helped me learn, grow and become a better version of myself. I will be loyal to this university (despite its problems and challenges) because of those transformative experiences â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not because of a sports chant or a mascot that are rooted in oppression.

Lena Tenney is an OU graduate student, member of the class of 2013 and 2016, and she is a founding member of Queer Inclusion on Campus (QuIC).

Kyle Meyer

@kylemeyer44

Boomer Sooner! This is a phrase you are bound to hear at the University of Oklahoma and around the entire state. We are known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sooner State,â&#x20AC;? after all. Recently, there has been some controversy regarding the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boomer Sooner.â&#x20AC;? This controversy began with the group Indigenize OU. They argue that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boomer Soonerâ&#x20AC;? is â&#x20AC;&#x153;offensiveâ&#x20AC;? and perpetuates the history of whites stealing away the land from Native Americans. They argue that the term has â&#x20AC;&#x153;real and violent consequences.â&#x20AC;?

This simply isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t true. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boomersâ&#x20AC;? were people who favored the opening of unassigned lands in the Oklahoma territory. The people who settled the land too soon were known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sooners.â&#x20AC;? This is part of the rich history and tradition of Oklahoma. To say that these terms have â&#x20AC;&#x153;violent consequencesâ&#x20AC;? is comical. I have never heard of someone acting in a violent manner for simply uttering the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boomer Soonerâ&#x20AC;? (well, maybe if they did it on

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a simple phrase such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boomer Soonerâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which is part of the great tradition of this university â&#x20AC;&#x201D; would cause controversy, is a sign of a greater issue that is happening on college campuses. The issue is that political correctness is running rampant. A lot of college students are now â&#x20AC;&#x153;offendedâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;hurtâ&#x20AC;? by anything and everything. Simply chalking the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vote Trumpâ&#x20AC;? on the sidewalk is considered dangerous and violent rhetoric. Simply asking someone where he or she is from is considered a â&#x20AC;&#x153;microaggression.â&#x20AC;? This has to stop.

In the real world, nobody is going to care if your feelings are hurt by something someone said or if their views â&#x20AC;&#x153;offendâ&#x20AC;? you. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to stop finding something to always complain about and start being more positive.

Boomer Sooner!

Kyle Meyer is a political science freshman and a former member of OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Undergraduate Student Congress.

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the campus of UT).

We cannot simply try to erase our history and traditions just because a small group disagrees with it. We must recognize the wrongs of our past while also embracing all of the incredible parts of our great history and past.

Indigenize OU is the same group that claimed that Sheriff Joe Lester â&#x20AC;&#x153;openly and actively celebrates the forced displacement and genocide of an entire community,â&#x20AC;? simply for celebrating the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;89er Parade. I can personally tell you that Sheriff Lester does not support such a thing. He is one of the most kind and generous men I have ever met, and the fact that this group would publicly say such a thing is disingenuous and counterproductive. Instead of accusing a man of supporting genocide for simply going to a parade celebrating the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history or trying to change OUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special traditions, they should focus on real issues that the student body can get around.

Instead they are alienating themselves and stirring controversy.

To conclude, the fact that

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8

• April 28-May 1, 2016

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

Jessica Barber, a&e editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/a_and_e • Twitter: @OUDailyArts

Dances to explore love, physics Performance will feature work of OU faculty, guest artists JESSICA BARBER @JessicaDylan16

Contemporar y Dance Oklahoma opens Friday and features works by both OU professors and guest artists, with themes ranging all the way from love to physics.

Modern dance professor Austin Hartel serves as both artistic director and as a choreographer for Contemporary Dance Oklahoma.

“They’re kind of one and the same,” Hartel said on balancing being artistic director and choreographer.

“They’re different in that I’m looking at the overall artistic presentation of the company, including guest artists. I try to create work that pushes (the students’) boundaries physically and technically.”

One of Hartel’s pieces was originally choreographed in 1991 and was restaged for this year’s production. The solo, though choreographed more than 20 years ago, is still poignant today, Hartel said.

The piece is based on a poem about a tightrope walker on the moon who has been watching the Earth for years. Eventually he falls off the tight rope to Earth and is distraught by humanity’s inability to stop fighting wars, Hartel said.

“It’s because, just like when the poem was written, humans can’t seem to stop fighting wars. We haven’t grown,” Hartel said. “Some

NOOR EEMAAN/THE DAILY

OU School of Dance students perform in ‘Lucid’ choreographed by OU ballet professor Ilya Kozadayev. Contemporary Dance Oklahoma opens Friday, at 8 p.m. in the Reynolds Performing Arts Center

part of us is still trapped in the Middle Ages or something. It would be nice if we could develop a more global human conscience.”

Hartel’s second piece was inspired by physics, Schrödinger’s cat and Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time.” The book was sitting on Hartel’s desk with several bookmarks stuck inside as he spoke.

“I love theoretical physics. My wife gave me this book, and I was like, ‘Wow, I wonder if I could create visual representation of this concept,’” Hartel said as he opened “A Brief History of Time” to point at different concepts of light and time.

Hartel uses his dancers to demonstrate these concepts of time, space and light by playing with lighting design to only show some of

his dancers and to question time, he said.

Hartel’s final piece is to music by Bach and is simply entitled “Bach.” This piece, unlike the others, does not deeply question the darkness of humanity or the concept of time but is a classic modern dance, Hartel said.

Hartel said. “It’s classic in its sensibility.”

Students have been rehearsing for 21 to 27 hours each week in addition to completing their classwork and have been through audition processes with the guest artists to determine who will dance in which piece and in which role, he said.

The other pieces include “I try to create works by OU ballet professor work that pushes Ilya Kozadayev and guest (the students’) artists Raimondo Rebeck and Sonia Dawkins. boundaries K o z a d a y e v ’s p i e c e , physically and “Lucid,” is about dreams and dream states, Hartel said. technically. ” “ It ’s v e r y c o n t e m p o AUSTIN HARTEL, rary ballet. Students look ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, great in it,” Hartel said. “It’s CHOREOGRAPHER very rich in its movement vocabulary.”

“It’s just a really pretty, Dawkins’ piece, “Love happy dance; just a classic Letter,” revolves around love modern dance, very upbeat,” and love letters and allows

dancers to put their own personal experiences into the choreography.

Rebeck’s work, “Black Lights,” was set on the OU dancers and explores blindness and how those who are blind visualize the world.

“They visualize in 3-D but don’t see the world, but do experience the world,” Hartel said. “The main character is blind and the character that comes with her in the duet is like her ‘guide’ and the one that pushes her to go beyond her boundaries.”

The guest artists give students the opportunity to work with not only renowned choreographers but also to be pushed even further technically, he said.

“We look for work that pushes and challenges our students and gives them exposure to choreographers

and styles they don’t usually get exposed to here, with the faculty,” Hartel said. “We try to educate and train them to be stronger when they leave here.”

Jessica Barber

jessiedylan16@gmail.com

Contemporary Dance Oklahoma Opens at 8 p.m.

Friday, in the Reynolds Performing Arts Center.

Additional performance dates: April 30, May 5 and May 6 at 8 p.m. and May 1 and 7 at 3 p.m.