W E E K LY E D I T I O N | O C T O B E R 7-13 , 2 0 19 | O U D A I LY. C O M
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OU student Alan Lee recycles cardboard at the city of Norman recycling drop-off point on McGee and Lindsey streets.
CHRISTIAN ANDERSON/THE DAILY
RECYCLING THE SAME ISSUES Norman businesses, apartments struggle to reduce waste at low costs ABIGAIL HALL @abigail_wah
MOLLY KRUSE @mollykruse98
Two to three times a week, John Howell and his staff load pickup trucks with glass and cardboard and make the drive to one of Norman’s three recycling drop-off centers. In 2018, Howell, co-owner of GL Dining group and owner of popular Norman eateries Blu, Blackbird, the Library and the Brewhouse, began a pilot program at Blu to address the restaurant’s creation of waste. The restaurant attempted to source its menu from 100-percent organic, all-natural products and replaced its plastic-based straws and to-go carriers with food-based, biodegradable products. “We were doing anything you can think (of) to reduce our waste,” Howell said. “We decided we’re going to eat as much of this cost upfront and not pass that around to the customers.” The program was an experiment to see if Norman’s residents responded to the all-natural products, and if the business could survive by purchasing the more expensive, natural and waste-reducing products without increasing the cost of meals to the consumer. The answer was no. “People thanked us, but it didn’t drive business,” Howell said. The business backed off on the all-natural sourcing of its food products, but it continues to invest in biodegradable straws and to-go options as a way to reduce its waste and, in turn, the amount and cost of trips to the drop-off center. “We’re not a big company, we’re not a super-rich company ... we’re not able to hire someone for (driving recyclables to a drop-off center) to be their job, and no one wants to pay $20 for a hamburger,” Howell said. “The reality is that restaurants are one of the smallest-margin retailers.” While Norman has a residential recycling pick-up program with a resident participation rate of over 90 percent — one of the highest in the nation — the city has yet to create a comprehensive commercial and multi-family recycling program, said Amanda Nairn, chair of the city’s Environmental Control Advisory Board. For residents living in a single-family home, recycling is as easy as throwing recyclable materials into their city-provided recycling bin and rolling it to the curb for city pick-up twice a month. But for businesses and residents living in one of Norman’s many apartment complexes, it takes more effort. Norman’s single-family residences pay $14 a month for curbside weekly waste pick-up and an additional $3 per unit for curbside recycling. The rate for commercial pick-up is $19.64 per unit. Oklahoma City and Edmond have residential trash and recycling programs
similar to Norman’s, and they currently do not offer commercial recycling. Oklahoma City bundles its residential trash and recycling in one monthly fee of $23.45, while Edmond has a similar program for $15.35. Na i r n s a i d a c o m m e rc i a l a n d multi-family recycling program is a high priority for the advisory board, City Council and citizens of Norman — but it’s complicated. “Commercial is more complicated,” Nairn said. “A lot of cities do it. I think we have to figure it out, but we’ve really been pushing for several years to figure that out, and part of the problem is if you institute commercial recycling as mandatory, it takes a vote of the people to approve that, whether it’s for residents or businesses.” Nairn said, as a city, Norman has frequent voting on local issues, but voter turnout is often low. While Nairn and members of City Council receive frequent requests for more expansive recycling programs, the residential recycling program took two turns on the ballot to pass. “As far as universal, city-wide (recycling), I just don’t think we’re there yet, and we need to figure out a way ... to get there,” Nairn said. “The problem right now is commodities and recycling are not worth very much.” In 2018, the business of recycling faced a setback when China banned recyclable exports into the country to decrease pollution. “The commodity market is in a very bad way right now,” said Bret Scovill, the city of Norman’s solid waste manager. “It’s a tough, tough market — tougher than it’s ever been — right now.” Cities across the United States have closed their recycling programs due to a lack of buyers and increasing cost of production, Scovill said. Materials that used to be acceptable are now considered contaminates, which places stricter rules on what items are commodities and what items end up in a landfill. But while some cities are struggling to adapt, Norman is “OK,” Scovill said. Forty percent of Norman’s total waste is recycled or composted, which is 5 percent above the national average as of 2015, according to a 2018 study by the Environmental Protection Agency. “Norman knows how to recycle,” Scovill said. “It’s unusual and Norman’s an exception. Other cities are struggling.” With the stricter rules placed on acceptable and non-acceptable recyclables, many cities have heavy amounts of contamination at their drop centers, Scovill said. If a load of recyclables is two-thirds
contaminated, that load is instead taken to a landfill by the processing company, and the city responsible for the load will then have to pay a residual fee for the labor. However, Scovill said Norman’s drop centers have little, if any, contamination. “Norman’s peculiar — the other cities don’t report this, they say they have real problems with contamination at their drop centers,” Scovill said. “Our cardboard is accepted as 100-percent pure ... (we) have 92-percent participation rates at the residential level ... our drop centers are clean — Norman does it right.” Scovill and his team visit Norman’s drop centers daily, transporting the community’s recyclables to a material-recovering facility in Oklahoma City where the items are separated, cleaned and mashed into one commodity to be sold to buyers across the nation. Norman’s drop centers collect about 5,000 tons of materials annually, Scovill said. While Norman’s program is successful, Scovill said it’s not enough to simply recycle. “We don’t want to recycle more — we want to recycle less,” Scovill said. “Recycling begins at the point of purchase. Just don’t buy that stuff to begin with. Don’t buy styrofoam, don’t buy plastic. Reducing was the priority, and w e’ve l o st that priority. We need to get it back before it becomes a real crisis.” The challenges of environmental consciousness in Norman affect more than just businesses — OU students living off campus feel the burden as well. The city of Norman tried a pilot recycling program with five apartments about a year and a half ago, Scovill said. But when the pilot program ended, the apartment complexes did not choose to continue providing recycling because of the price — about $150 a month for weekly pickups. OU student Raphael Anguiano lives at Callaway House Apartments, which was built to include separate chutes for recycling and trash on each floor. But right now, both are being used for trash. Of the 10 student apartments and condos contacted by The Daily, currently nine do not offer recycling, although some said they had considered it before. Anguiano said he talked to his apartment’s management about the lack of recycling, but that management said the services just weren’t viable. “We saw interest from residents, from the apartment managers themselves, the
owners and everybody,” Scovill said. “It was just the matter of the cost of it.” Scovill said the bulk of the cost comes from the vehicles that collect the recyclables, which can be $300,000 or more. In some cases, apartments may have been able to reduce trash enough to offset the cost — but, since the pilot program ended, no one knows. “I would hope the apartment complex would just be willing to eat the cost of it,” said Josie Phillips, an economics and international studies senior who lives at 2900. “But even if it meant a small rent increase, I think a fair amount of people would still be interested in having recycling.” While Scovill said the city saw a lack of interest from apartments, some student apartment employees said their complexes had trouble coordinating recycling with the city of Norman. Callaway House can’t use its recycling chutes because Norman did not approve recycling for an apartment of its size, said Fletcher Young, community assistant at Callaway House. “We did try to implement it, but it wasn’t able to happen,” Young said. Millennium Apartments was the only contacted apartment that offers recycling — but only for cardboard, said owner Ashleigh Barnett in an email. Last summer, Phillips drafted a petition in hopes of gathering enough signatures and convincing 2900 to provide recycling. She lost motivation and never finished her petition, but she still feels “weird” not being able to recycle at her apartment complex, she said. Many students may lack motivation to take their recycling to different spots in town, although they would recycle if their apartment offered the service, Phillips said. The lack of recycling services at home has prompted students to find alternatives. Anguiano cuts down on single-use plastics and gives his cans to a fellow resident to recycle. Phillips has friends who take turns with their roommates in taking recyclables to the centers in Norman. “Obviously, I want to do everything I can within my ability, but there is a reason that the saying is, ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ — ‘recycle’ being the third on that list,” Anguiano said. But Phillips said she still thinks it is reasonable to require all apartment complexes above a certain size to offer recycling. “It would make a marginal difference, but the only way to make a big difference is to make a lot of marginal differences,” Phillips said. Abigail Hall ahall@ou.edu
Molly Kruse
molly.kruse@ou.edu
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• Oct. 7-13, 2019
NEWS
Jordan Miller, news managing editor dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
Fighting for OU community Destinee Dickson reflects on staying despite racism BLAKE DOUGLAS @Blake_Doug918
In the spring of 2019, Destinee Dickson was asked to answer one of the most difficult questions of her college career. “At first I didn’t know what to say, it kind of shocked me,” Dickson said. “I’ve always waited for that moment. I was waiting, anticipating.” Th e p o l i t i ca l s c i e n c e a n d w o m e n ’s a n d g e n der studies senior has served several semesters as a campus tour guide and a diversity enrichment programs intern for the Office of Recruitment and Admissions. As a guide, Dickson is responsible for leading potential students on tours of OU’s landmarks and amenities and introducing them to the benefits and opportunities available for OU students. She said she deeply loves OU as an institution. Si n c e Ja nu a r y 2 0 1 9 , Dickson has also been an outspoken critic of the university’s response to racist incidents on campus. She is a member of both the Black Student Association and the Black Emergency Response Team, and she was involved in organizing the march to protest last spring’s blackface incidents as well as the most recent press conference following the incident on Sept. 22. Dickson said this dual-faceted relationship with the university complicated the answer she gave to the family of a student considering OU last spring, amid the several racist incidents that had occurred on campus. “A f a m i l y ca m e u p t o me and said, ‘Why should I let my daughter be here as an African American woman?’” Dickson said. “I just looked at them and said, ‘At this moment, I don’t know if I still want to
be here at OU.’” Before that spring, Dickson said it had been difficult to imagine herself attending any other school. When searching for college options as a high school student, OU was Dickson’s top choice from day one, said Joya Hudson, Dickson’s mother. “She loves OU — that’s w h e re h e r h e a r t i s a t ,” Hudson said. “She never one time looked at going someplace else, or even talked about or considered going someplace else. She wants to be able to speak on behalf of the university and let people put their minds at ease about coming to the university.” Kayla Storrs, assistant director of diversity enrichment programs for OU’s Office of Recruitment and Admissions, said she saw Dickson’s drive to improve OU when she first met her during Dickson’s sophomore year. “I could tell that she had a genuine desire to make OU a better place,” Storrs said. “She wanted to figure out how she could work to better create an OU that she would be comfortable with and that she would be proud of marketing to other people.” Dickson’s love for OU was why, when the first b l a c k f a c e i n c i d e n t o ccurred in January 2019 followed by several more racist events in the following months, she was conflicted and angry. Dickson said she was considering possibly leaving what was once her dream school during a phone call with her mother. “I called her and I said, ‘Mom, I don’t know if I want to be here anymore,’” Dickson said. “‘I want to leave. I want to transfer. I want to go somewhere far away.’ I was crying to her, and she just gave me the honest truth.” Hudson said, that night, she reiterated some of the first advice she gave to her daughter when Dickson f i r s t s t a r t e d l o o k i n g at universities. “I always told her that
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Destinee Dickson, political science and women’s and gender studies senior, during the “Better Together” march Jan. 24, 2019. Dickson is an active member of OU’s Black Student Association and the Black Emergency Reponse Team.
when she went to college, she was going to face the real world,” Hudson said. “She was going to see things, to see racism, and she needed to be prepared for that ... and she was going to realize that she was black.” During Dickson’s childhood and high school years, Hudson said, her race was not something Dicks on was extremely affected by. Despite attending a majority-white high school in Deer Creek, Oklahoma, Hudson said the students there were friendly, and Dickson did not encounter the racism she would have to fight in college. After that phone call, D i c k s o n s a i d , Hu d s o n urged her to use her emotional response to continue to make OU a better place for its students. “(My mom said) ‘Don’t let this upset you or tear you from your goals and dreams of what you hope to do,’” Dickson said. “‘Let this put fuel to your fire to continue to do the work that you need to do.’”
A few hours after Hudson gave her that advice, Dickson said she was asked to help organize the Black Student Association’s march to Evans Hall. Dickson said the raw emotion and outpouring of support from the OU community she saw at the march was “like being in a movie,” and the reason she chose to come to OU in the first place became clear again. “I’ve stayed because of the resources and the people,” Dickson said. “(The march) proved to me that there might be people who don’t want me on this campus because I’m black, or people who don’t like me b e cau s e I’ m b la ck, bu t there’s more people who want me here and want me to thrive in this institution.” Th e k i n d n e ss s h e received after the incidents helped her remember the sense of community she originally loved about OU, Dickson said. Her coworkers offered to take her shifts a t He a d i n g t o n C o l l e g e while she was dealing with the emotional fallout, and several professors checked
in regularly to ensure she was coping well. Hudson said the support Dickson received from her community after the incidents and Dickson’s desire to improve OU for future students have been a blessing and a curse. While her passion to better the university drove Dickson to “be a voice for those who don’t know how to be a voice,” it also introduced her to the racism Hudson warned she would face for most of her life. Dickson said she knows OU is far from perfect, and university policy has to make progress in order to bring about real change. Just days after speaking to The Daily, Dickson spoke at a Black Emergency R e s p o n s e Te a m p r e s s conference after another blackface incident involving an OU student Sept. 22. Despite efforts from the Office of Diversit y and Inclusion to have a transparent selection process for its next vice president, and interim OU President Joseph Harroz’s early involvement with the Black
Student Association, Dickson said the work will take years to complete. Throughout her remaining time at OU, Dickson said she plans to continue advocating for improvement in the administration and university community while also encouraging freshmen to consider the school she loves. Although she could not truthfully answer the family she spoke with last spring, Dickson said she now fully understands why she chose OU, and why others should do the same. “I know OU is a place that I’ve been able to grow,” Dickson said. “Not everything will be perfect ... but it’s the people that keep us here, the people that want me here and appreciate me is the reason why I’ve stayed. I might have issues with the university, might still be one of its biggest critics, but at the same time I love this institution.” Blake Douglas
bdoug99@ou.edu
Board of Regents receives Black Hole Award Board of Regents a prize recognizing “an individual, agency or organization that has most thwarted the free flow of information” at a ceremony this week. EMMA DAVIS Freedom of Information @emmarileydavis Oklahoma, an organization that supports individuals An Oklahoma organiza- and organizations who protion advocating for free in- vide the public with open formation awarded the OU records, gave the board its
Prize challenges OU leaders to be more transparent
2019 Black Hole Award, according to a press release. At a ceremony on Oct. 2, Freedom of Information Oklahoma gave multiple individuals and organizations awards based on their ability to provide information to the public and uphold the First Amendment, according to the press release. Andy Moore, Freedom
of Information Oklahoma executive director, said the Black Hole Award went to the board due to lack of transparency surrounding the presidential search that selected former OU President James Gallogly and the selection of interim OU President Joseph Harroz. Harroz was selected in a
six-hour regents’ meeting in May, which was held almost entirely in executive session. Going forward, Moore said he and Freedom of Infor mation O klahoma hope the Board of Regents uses this award as motivation to make a change with its transparency. “The organization hopes
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that the Black Hole Award can be a catalyst to encourage the recipient to make changes moving forward, and we would be happy to recognize them for any changes made,” Moore said.
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NEWS
Oct. 7-13, 2019 •
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New club to educate, support OU students aim to advocate for reproductive rights ARI FIFE @arriifife
Russian language sophomore Olivia Bicknell was 38 weeks pregnant and walking into class at the OU College of Law when she was overwhelmed by a contraction. She had been suffering from severe contractions, about an hour apart, before the break in her eight-hour class, but this particular contraction rendered her unable to walk. “I got into this squatting position because it was the only thing that relieved the pressure, and I just stayed there,” Bicknell said. “I don’t know how long. My professor came in after me ... and walked me to the classroom.” Once in the classroom, Bicknell was feeling better when the contractions returned, now occurring about every 30 minutes. At the beginning of the class period, Bicknell’s professor had jokingly asked the class if anyone knew how to deliver a baby, which foreshadowed the rest of the day. “ I a c t u a l l y w e nt i nt o labor in the middle of class,” Bicknell said. Bicknell said, at the time she got pregnant, she was enrolled in the paralegal program at the OU College of Law and was also working as a paralegal at Crowe & Dunlevy in Oklahoma City. She said she chose to give birth because she was in the financial position to be able to support a child. Besides this, she didn’t know when she’d be able to have a child again. “I have some health issues that make it difficult to not only get pregnant, but to have a full-term pregnancy,” she said. “And I made the decision to have a child because I could, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to later.” This ability to choose to have a child is the reason political science junior
KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY
Russian language sophomore Olivia Bicknell speaks with a reporter Oct. 3 at the Bizzell Memorial Library.
Tasha Dawson and math and economics junior Anna Hayes felt the need to create Students for Reproductive Justice at OU — a group fighting to protect reproductive rights. Dawson, founder of Students for Reproductive Justice at OU, said after volunteering with Planned Parenthood for about a year, the group reached out to her about starting a Planned Parenthood Generation Action club on OU’s campus, and the group was created in August 2019. According to the Planned Parenthood Generation Action website, these clubs form “a network of young organizers and activists across the country who organize events on their campuses and in their communities to mobilize advocates for reproductive freedom.” As an affiliate of Planned Parenthood, the club also re ceives res ources and
support from the group’s Oklahoma City office. P l a n n e d Pa r e n t h o o d Generation Action groups are committed to “raising public awareness about reproductive health and rights, (and) educating young people about sexual health,” according to the website. Bicknell said, as a mother, she sees the existence of an on-campus group advocating for reproductive rights as necessary. “As someone who has a toddler and is finishing my undergrad, it is not easy. I work, I’m a single mom, now I work two jobs, I go to school full-time and take care of my kid. And that is not ideal,” Bicknell said. “Women definitely need to have resources to decide whether or not that’s a path they want to take.” Hayes, vice president of Students for Reproductive Justice at OU, said her group
is the first on campus to focus solely on reproductive justice. “Part of creating the club was finding like-minded individuals who really value activism and will make sure they’re educated enough to be competent and successful activists,” Hayes said. Since the club is so new, it has not yet partnered with any other organizations but would like to in the future, Hayes said. “We’re still building our coalition, we’re building people to work with and trying to find alliances in our community,” Hayes said. “There’s a lot of clubs that maybe have similar interests but aren’t completely aligned in mission, so there’s certainly opportunities to engage with other clubs.” The broad mission of the group is to promote reproductive justice, which Hayes would define as promoting bodily autonomy and the
ability to decide if, when and how to have children. The core values of the group include inclusivity and intersectionality, as well as providing access to education and care. “We want to make sure we’re being aware of everyone’s needs and protecting their rights and their access to education to access healthcare,” Hayes said. Hayes said the recent proposal of abortion bans by multiple states probably motivated a higher turnout to the first meeting than expected, with more than 40 people in attendance. Dawson said Students for Reproductive Justice at OU has been welcomed on campus so far, and she has not been aware of much pushback from other groups. She invites critics to learn more about the organization and said she’s happy to educate everyone on reproductive rights.
Bicknell said it’s almost impossible to predict all the effects of motherhood — the added financial burden, as well as mental and emotional changes during and after pregnancy, to name a few. “Being able to have all the information in front of you and make a decision is the most important thing,” Bicknell said. Hayes said she hopes Students for Reproductive Justice at OU becomes a place people can go to get that information, as well as receive support and be activists. “There’s a lot of room, and we don’t want (the group) to be set in one specific thing because you have to do what you’re passionate about, and you’re going to do that the best,” Hayes said. Ari Fife
ariani.s.fife-1@ou.edu
Catlett lot car theft victim responds to case Student expresses sympathy, concern for two suspects ZACHARY VOLK @zvolksports
BAILEY LEWIS @BaileyLewis75
A red Mazda 3 Sedan was stolen on Saturday from an OU music student, who has expressed sympathy for the suspects. The owner of the vehicle, Braden Wolf, had his backpack stolen from Catlett Music Center before the two suspects stole the car. The police have two unidentified suspects, but neither are in custody. Wolf, a member of the Pride of Oklahoma, wrote in a text message he thought another member had picked up his bag but quickly realized what had happened after a friend drove him over to where his car had been parked and it was gone. The vehicle had been parked at a university parking lot at
College Avenue and Cruce Street. Wolf said he then called his dad before calling the police, who confirmed the car had been taken. Wolf didn’t see the two suspects take his bag, but Wolf said in the text he thought he walked by the two men in Catlett and said they stuck out to him. “The police said I actually walked into the hall about 30 seconds after they left with it,” Wolf said in the text. “My Pride iPad was in it, so I assume they felt that and decided to take it, and once they found my keys, they took the opportunity.” Wolf described the suspects as two young males — one below average height and Caucasian with curly hair, and the other above average height with slightly darker skin and dark, curly hair. Wolf said in the text he wants to speak with the suspects if or when the situation is resolved to “get to know them and let them know someone cares.” “I didn’t smile at them
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The two suspects accused of stealing OU music student Braden Wolf’s car. Wolf has expressed sympathy for both suspects.
when I walked by them in the building, and I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” Wolf said in the text. “Maybe I could’ve helped them through something had I stopped to talk to them. I don’t blame
myself for all this, nor do I fully blame them. They’re just kids who could use some support.” Wo l f ’s l i c e n s e p l a t e is ESM060 and has an Oklahoma Sooners cover.
The OU Police Department encourages anyone with information to reach out to Norman Crime Stoppers at 366-STOP (7867), or text a tip to CRIMES (274637).
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• Oct. 7-13, 2019
CULTURE
Abigail Hall, culture editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/culture • Twitter: @OUDaily
‘Auntie Project’ aids migrant kids Group joins with food bank to feed children in need ABBY TOW @abby_tow
In the early summer of 2019, Amanda CobbGre etham gathere d for a potluck with several Native American women of Norman to discuss forming a fundraising group to help feed children in need. The group called themselves the “Auntie Project,� hoping to be just that for children in need: aunties. The Auntie Project’s first initiative is to raise money to feed children affected by the conflict at the U.S.-Mexico border. “Our first meeting was on a Tuesday. We were a 501(c) (3) by Friday afternoon at 5 o’clock with a bank account. People said that was impossible — it is not impossible,� said Amanda CobbGreetham, president of the Auntie Project, member of the Chickasaw Nation, OU professor and department chair of Native American Studies. Although it varies by tribe, aunties play a specific role in the lives of Native American children. They do all the things a mother does, as far as raising and mentoring their families, feeding them, mentoring them and loving them. “They are present, and they’re a presence,� CobbGreetham said. “They’re women in my life who have provided mentorship, but they’re just mostly there. They give you that feeling of security that there are these people in the world who love you.� The issue that brought the women together was a jarring development regarding the treatment of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. A few weeks before the Auntie Project for med, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that over 1,000
unaccompanied migrant children would be transported to Fort Sill Army Base in Lawton, Oklahoma. This announcement was all too familiar for Native Americans in Oklahoma, said Gloria Tallbull, research scientist at OU’s Center for Applied Social Research and a member of the Cheyenne Nation. “For Native communities, Fort Sill is very negative to us,� Tallbull said. This negativity stems from Fort Sill’s history as a location for the forced assimilation of indigenous children and as an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II. It was a Native American boarding school beginning in 1891, and thus a site of immeasurable loss of Native culture, Cobb-Greetham said. Children there were prohibited from speaking their native languages and were culturally distanced from their parents and traditions. Fort Sill is also located on the ancestral land of the Apache, Kiowa and Comanche people. “It touches your heart because you know the history there,� Tallbull said. Knowing the painful effects of generational trauma, Tallbull, Cobb-Greetham and Native American women from various Oklahoma tribes wanted to do something tangible to aid these children, Tallbull said. “One of the aunties is a veteran and was stationed at Fort Sill,� Cobb-Greetham said. “And the general feeling was family separation leads to generational trauma. That is something that Native communities have experienced over and over again.� These women had something in common with the children at the border : first-hand accounts of the suffering caused by separated families, boarding schools, forced removal and relocation. “We felt that if these children were going to be at Fort Sill, if Fort Sill was going to
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be used in this way again ... wouldn’t it have been nice, in our own histories, if our ancestors and relatives and family members who were in places like that ... had some aunties nearby looking out for them?� CobbGreetham said. The deep connection between aunties and Native American children makes the trauma that migrant children are currently experiencing painfully relevant for the women involved in the Auntie Project. This connection is what drives them to make change in migrant children’s lives. “In my tribe, we don’t have a word for auntie ... they just call me ‘Mom,’� Tallbull said. “Aunties are your second mom.� Trinity Guido, president of OU’s chapter of the Native American sorority Gamma Delta Pi, knows first-hand the importance of the support aunties provide. “If it wasn’t for the love they gave me, I wouldn’t be here at this school today,� Guido said. “I would probably be on the streets somewhere or dead because of the cyclic dysfunction that I come from.� Guido is a member of the Delaware Nation of Oklahoma and is also Kiowa,
Comanche, Caddo and Fort Sill Apache. She was raised by her grandmother after her mother passed away when she was 7, and after her grandmother died, her aunt stepped in to continue raising her. A mother herself, Guido relies on her best friends and sisters to serve as aunties for her two sons. “If something were to happen to me, I know they’d be there for my kids,� Guido said. For the women of the Auntie Project, being an auntie is a vital facet of their respective tribal cultures, and in this crisis it means fundraising to bring hope to migrant children through feeding them. Since a recent drop in the number of migrant children caused the facility to be put on hold, no children are being held at Fort Sill currently, but the facility is still prepared to hold them if needed, Tallbull said. The Auntie Project, in partnership with the Re g i o na l Fo o d Ba n k o f Oklahoma, is fundraising this year to supply food to migrant children at the border and, if need be, at Fort Sill. The organization hoped to work with the Department of
Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg October 7, 2019
ACROSS 1 Kick out 6 Made difficult to find 9 Smallest prime 12 Maker of the Maxima and Murano 14 Kwik-E-Mart proprietor 15 “___ your own business!� 16 Kind of skate 17 Rock, Paper, Scissors 19 “Yes, captain!� 20 Lamb mothers 22 Certain musical inability 23 Place for dirty laundry 26 Add-on 27 Grocery ___ 28 Prom night extravagances 30 Protrude 31 “But that was ages ___!� 34 Jose Andres, for one 39 Aykroyd of “The Blues Brothers� 40 “Watch where you’re going, mister!� 41 Occupied, as a lavatory 42 “Wheel of Fortune� turn 44 Construct 46 Centerpieces at yuletide dinners
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50 Pull from the ground 52 Agitate 53 Wager 54 Convincing, algorithmically generated video ... and a hint to the word concealed in 17-, 23-, 34- and 46-Across 56 Inventor Tesla 58 Oftendedicated poems 59 Maker of the Sedona and Sportage 60 Whine 61 Playful bite 62 Finale 63 Like Athenians and Spartans DOWN 1 Big computer of the 1940s 2 What LPs are made of 3 Land between Great Britain and Ireland 4 Long-running forensic series 5 Best-selling author Coates 6 Unforgiving 7 Big Wall St. event 8 Pest that might live in a pillow 9 Need for a game of Pictionary
10 Washington Mystics’ org. 11 Stench 13 Handrail feature 15 Impressionist Edouard 18 Movers and shakers at a club? 21 Subj. for a new immigrant, perhaps 24 Classic film set in cyberspace 25 H.S. reunion attendee 28 Hallucinogenic tabs 29 Hoppy beer, for short 30 “___ Leno’s Garage� 31 Notably better than the alternatives 32 Hydrogen, e.g.
33 Hydrogen’s atomic number 35 Asian mushroom 36 Egg layers 37 White German wine 38 1/36 of a yard 42 Fills up a cart, say 43 Univ. teacher 44 Mopey musical genre 45 “When it ___, it pours� 46 Weirdo 47 Escalator part 48 Chaotic brawl 49 Stem for corn 50 Thick Japanese noodle 51 Mani-___ (“me day� treatment) 55 Relatives 57 Aperitif with white wine
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Health and Human Services, but Tallbull said the department was not interested. “Battles over policy are long, but in the meantime, children have immediate and material needs,� according to the Auntie Project’s website. Immigration reform is a hot issue in politics right now, but not one that has been conducive to quick legislative conclusion. This is precisely why the organization opted not to align itself with any political or religious organizations. Avoiding institutional partnership, aside from other service groups like the food bank, is what the group hopes will reduce barriers between them and positive change for immigrants, Tallbull said. “Any other type of affiliation or identity diminishes or detracts or distracts from our mission: serving children in need, period. Kids first,� Cobb-Greetham said. “Any time you’re attached to something else, people get tangled up with it. They can’t hear what it is that you’re doing, or why. And this is about the mission. It’s about being human in the world.� It’s a strong priority to thes e w omen that the y maintain the true purpose
Š 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal Š 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com www.upuzzles.com
Playing Doctor by Evan Kalish
Abby Tow
abby.tow1@ou.edu
HOROSCOPE By Eugenia Last
Copyright 2015, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last Stop fretting over what others are doing and start working on your own strategy to build a better life. Ask yourself what you want, and consider what you need to do to find peace of mind and happiness. Don’t sit still when it’s time to make life choices. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -Consider what truly matters to you. It’s time to reevaluate your life and direction. Be honest with those who will be affected by the choices you make. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- A change can make or break you. Don’t act on impulse or let your emotions lead you down the wrong path. Think before you act, and nurture what you love.
10/6 9/30
of being an auntie, as CobbGreetham said, by “being a presence.� While these women are not senators, representatives or wealthy beneficiaries, and they are not physically with the children at the border, the power they hold is love — and lots of it. “Aunties all over the world have been reaching out to us, predominantly from North America, but then some others who just read about it,� Cobb-Greetham said. “And they’re like, ‘I understand this, I feel this, I resonate with this, I’m an auntie, too.’� The Auntie Project has been official for less than six months, and it has already raised $10,000 toward its first initiative, Cobb-Greetham said. But the organization hopes to create more initiatives for children in their communities or elsewhere who are in need of an auntie. “The auntie perspective is: The whole world is our backyard, right?� CobbGreetham said. “A child in need is a child in need.�
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Keep moving toward your goal. Refuse to let distractions come between you and what you want to achieve. The shortcut someone offers will lead to a setback. Use common sense.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Take time to consider what’s best for you. Running with the fast crowd or letting others entice you to get involved in something that isn’t good for you should be avoided. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You’ll be drawn to questionable people and concepts. Look for flaws in whatever is being offered to you before you decide to take part. A partnership needs an adjustment. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You’ll have too many choices and too many people tempting you. Take a step back and consider what’s realistic and what isn’t. Look at the facts before you take a leap of faith. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Keep moving. Physical action will get you closer to your destination than will arguing with someone who doesn’t see things your way. Romance is on the rise.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Put your energy into something unique, original or creative. Refuse to let others’ actions stop you from reaching your goals. Focus on achieving, CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- He not on getting into a debate. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) who hesitates is lost. Consider what you want and make it happen. It’s -- Personal growth, physical improvements and getting things done up to you to control a situation if on time should be your priorities. you want it to turn in your favor. Don’t follow someone else when you have your own responsibilities AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Spend more time sorting through to complete. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. your personal papers, and consider 22) -- Get away from anyone who your medical or legal options. Refuse to let your emotions stop you is causing confusion in your life. Surround yourself with positive from making the right decision. people who share your beliefs and complement what you have to offer.
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SPORTS
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George Stoia, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666 oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports
Buckle up — it’s OU-Texas week Sooners, Grinch, Riley ready for Red River Rivalry game GEORGE STOIA @GeorgeStoia
LAWRENCE, Kansas — As Brendan “Bookie” RadleyHiles jogged off Kivisto Field after No. 6 Oklahoma’s (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) 45-20 win over Kansas (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) Saturday, members of The Pride shouted, “Texas week!” Radley-Hiles, as most O k l a h o m a p l ay e r s a n d fans would do in response, flashed the horns down before disappearing into the Oklahoma locker room. It’s that time of year, and it feels more monumental than ever. And the Sooners feel as confident as ever heading to Dallas. “I feel good about our team. I feel good about our whole team. I feel like our whole team is in the same boat,” coach Lincoln Riley said about heading into
Texas week. “We have got to continue to have an extreme sense of urgency to improve. No doubt, when we play well on all three sides of the ball we can do some really, really good things ... I feel good about our entire team.” Because Texas beat West Virginia Saturday, it’ll be the first time since 2012 that both teams come into the game ranked in the top 15. The Sooners have just seven days left to prep for the Longhorns, and if Saturday was any indication, they still have a lot of work to do. Without their two starting tackles on the offensive line — Erik Swenson (left) and Adrian Ealy (right) — Oklahoma’s offense looked dismal for much of the game against the Jayhawks. Defensively, the Sooners allowed Kansas to gash their front seven as Pooka Williams racked up 137 rushing yards. And as a team they had eight penalties for 89 yards, adding to their already heavily penalized season, ranking second in penalty yards in the country
coming into the game with 90.8 yards per game. It was by far OU’s sloppiest game of the season. And to those on the outside, it’s easy to think that with the Texas game looming, the players’ minds were elsewhere. But not according to Riley. “I honestly did not feel that with this team,” Riley said. “We had some points that we wanted to come in and focus on. We did some of them well, we didn’t do some of them well ... We just have to do better. But I don’t think the Texas game was in any part a factor at all.” Riley may be right, but for the first five games, it’s safe to say most of Sooner Nation has had the Longhorns in the back of their minds. With Oklahoma State falling to Texas Tech on the road this weekend and Baylor having yet to prove themselves, No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 11 Texas sit above the Big 12 as the clear favorites to win the conference. If the Sooners can walk out of the Cotton Bowl with a win
next Saturday, they could seemingly run the table and safely put themselves into College Football Playoff consideration. Two Sooners who might just be the most important to the team — defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and quarterback Jalen Hurts — are new to the rivalry. But make no mistake, they know what’s at stake. “I know it’s one of the greatest (rivalries) in sport, I do,” Grinch said. “Having an understanding in terms of the respect factor between both schools, both football programs. You know it’s a war each year. You gotta make sure that you respect it that way. You know it’s game six, but you can’t just go down that road and say, ‘It’s game six.’ It’s not just anything. I know enough about it not to suggest that.” For Hurts, it’s nothing new. “I grew up in Texas. I saw it,” said Hurts, who totaled 284 yards and four touchdowns Saturday. “I played in the Iron Bowl. I played in
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
OU coach Lincoln Riley calls a play during the game against Kansas Oct. 5.
big games before. I think I’ll be all right.” From Hurts to Grinch to Riley, Oklahoma will have to have its best performance of the season so far Saturday in Dallas to earn a win. The players know that. The coaches know that. And they feel ready to do that.
“We obviously still have a lot of things we can do better. I like where our heads are at,” Riley said with a pause. “ Yeah, I like this team. I do.” George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu
Hurts focuses on how to improve after Kansas OU quarterback stays level after imperfect game VIC REYNOLDS @vicareynolds CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts runs the ball during the game against Kansas on Oct. 5.
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LAWRENCE, Kansas — Jalen Hurts is his own biggest critic. Oklahoma fans have seen that first-hand through the five games he’s captained the No. 6 Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12), but in his first four games there was very little to criticize. He completed 77 percent of his throws, accounted for 1,735 total yards and scored 18 touchdowns. After Saturday’s 45-20 win over Kansas (2-4, 0-3 Big 12), Hurts stood before the media, and while his red sweatpants and white baseball cap were different than the sharply tailored suits he normally wears after games, the content of his speech was mostly the same. “We have a lot of self-inflicte d w ounds that w e have to learn from,” Hurts said. “We have to continue to take steps ... I have to play more disciplined. I have to play better.” T h i s t i m e , h o w e v e r, Hurts has better reason to want more from himself. Hurts showed he was human in the win by tossing his second interception of the year and throwing
eight incomplete passes — his most as a Sooner. Perhaps his worst play came in the first quarter, on an ill-advised screen pass to junior w ide re ceiver CeeDee Lamb that was thrown directly into the chest of Kansas safety Mike Lee. It surely would have gone back for a Jayhawk touchdown, but Lee dropped the ball and Oklahoma kept possession and went on to score a touchdown. It was among the worst throws of Hurts’ season, but afterward he had no change in attitude. “ There was no difference with him after that play,” sophomore fullback Brayden Willis said. “It was just the same things he usually says. Stuff like, ‘Come on, we have to get it together. We’re not focused right now.’ Really, it’s just all about him leading us and doing a good job at leading by bouncing back from that.” His response to his poor decision was reflective of a consistency that he has brought to Norman. Since transferring to Oklahoma from Alabama in January, Hurts has never faltered on his values. He’s been clear that he has a relentless desire to get better, and that he wants that to trickle down to the rest of the Sooners’ roster. “I just have to go out there with the right
approach and being decisive,” Hurts said. “Like I said, the energy that I have for myself leaks onto the team. The approach I have definitely affects the team, and I need to make sure I’m on my p’s and q’s all the time.” This is not to say that Hurts played poorly against the Jayhawks, because he didn’t. He finished the game with 284 total yards and four total touchdowns. But regardless of his numbers, Hurts has shown time and time again that he will always look for things to improve on. It’s reflective of the dominance of Hurts’ 2019 campaign thus far when a performance that earned him a 165.6 quarterback rating can be framed as a disappointment. “He’s hard on himself, and I have to bring him back to reality because everyone messes up,” junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “When I’m mad or frustrated or if he feels a bad vibe from me, he comes and keeps my head on straight. I was kind of that person for him today. I just tried to keep his head in the game and (after the game) tell him that this game, it’s over, and we can be better next week.” Vic Reynolds
victor.reynolds@ou.edu
JALEN HURTS VS KANSAS
1 2
2
interception rushing touchdowns passing touchdowns
10
56
rushes rushing yards
228
passing yards