07082019

J U LY 8 - 2 1, 2 0 19 | B I W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M

OUDAILY

The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

VISION FOR THE FUTURE New Norman Mayor Breea Clark shares outlook on collaboration with OU, other city partners

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NEWS

• July 8-21, 2019

Breea Clark sworn in as mayor Norman’s mayor enters office, talks collaborative vision

BEAU ANDERSON @YouKnowBeau

SCOTT KIRKER @scott_kirker

Breea Clark raised her hands high in the air as attendees stood and cheered in the Norman City Council chambers. As she walked the path toward her new chair, she shook hands with people along the way, waving to the crowd with a smile.

Clark was celebrating a unique accomplishment — becoming mayor of Norman.

“I’m dedicated to this community,” Clark told The Daily before being sworn in. “It’s my adopted hometown.”

Clark, former Ward 6 councilmember and director of the OU Price College of Business’s JCPenney Leadership Center, was sworn in July 2.

Clark said learning former Mayor Lynne Miller would not run for reelection created “an opportunity (she) could not pass up.” Clark said she hadn’t planned to run for mayor until Miller said she would not run again — but the new position is an exciting opportunity to bring the community together and move things forward.

Clark said finishing NORMAN FORWARD projects and other projects will be a priority while in office.

The potential reallocation of funds from part of a onefourth percent sales tax that currently goes toward funding the county jail, Clark said, could eventually help fund

another project — the operation of bus routes that OU had run until this year. “(The reallocated funds) would pay for that and then some,” Clark said, “and really help Norman become the Norman of the future when it comes to multi-modal transportation and meeting those infrastructure needs.”

The transition of bus routes from OU Cleveland Area Rapid Transit to the city is part of an important relationship that Clark said her experience and connections make her well-equipped to navigate, and she’s excited to improve — the relationship between the City of Norman and the university.

Besides serving as director of the JCPenney Leadership Center within OU’s Price College of Business, Clark was integral in the creation of OU’s Office of Academic Integrity Programs during her time as a law student at OU and employee in the provost’s office, according to her JCPenney website bio. Clark received her juris doctorate from OU in 2008.

“I have great relationships with a lot of the City of Norman’s community partners, and OU is one of those,” Clark said.

Clark said she knew interim OU President Joseph Harroz when they were both on the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Law Schools Committee.

“So we have an existing relationship — I know how passionate he is not only about the university, but about the city where the university is located — and we work well together. So we already have a meeting scheduled, and we’re looking forward to collaborating in ways that we haven’t

Mayor Breea Clark celebrates after being sworn in July 2. Clark was elected mayor Feb. 12.

seen before, and we’re really excited about that.”

Clark said she hopes her experience and involvement in city issues will help her build collaboration in numerous other areas as well.

“I’ve been on the city council for the past three years, but I’ve been involved in leadership within the city in a variety of ways for the past decade,” Clark said. “So I’m familiar with the issues. One of my strengths is building relationships, which is exactly what Norman needs right now. I think I have a vision for what the future of Norman can be, and again that kind of visionary leadership is what we need right now.”

Clark said Norman has a

strong legacy of leadership throughout its existence, and she will try to bring a collaborative leadership style to continue Norman’s legacy of strong leadership into the future.

“We’re all in this together,” Clark said, “be it the county, be it the university, be it the (Norman) Chamber of Commerce, be it Ready for 100 with environmental issues, Norman Citizens for Racial Justice, we all are involved because we care about this town.”

Miller says farewell Clark succeeds former mayor Lynne Miller, who did not seek reelection this year.

“Lynne Miller’s leadership has really got us to a point where we can move forward and I don’t think we’d be in that position without her,” Clark said.

Miller, who became mayor in 2016 after serving on city council for six years, is a lifelong Norman resident. She graduated from OU and worked as a principal in the Norman Public School system before joining city council.

In Miller’s farewell speech, she said she was grateful to be able to serve her hometown.

“Being elected as mayor of the city where you grew up, your hometown, is such a privilege,” Miller said. “It’s such an amazing

KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY

opportunity. You learn so much about your city that I don’t think there’s any other way to learn it.”

After the swearing-in ceremony, Miller told The Daily that Clark is more than capable of taking the city government’s top leadership role.

“I think that Breea Clark will be a wonderful mayor,” Miller said. “She’s optimistic, she’s energetic, she has tons of ideas, and she’s very connected.”

Beau Anderson

alec.b.anderson-1@ou.edu

Scott Kirker stk@ou.edu

NEWS

July 8-21, 2019 •

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KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY

The OU Board of Regents meets June 27 at the Chickasaw Retreat and Conference Center in Sulphur, Oklahoma.

OU regents approve 2020 budget Harroz prioritizes affordability, keeps tuition constant SCOTT KIRKER @scott_kirker

SULPHUR — The OU Board of Regents met at the Chickasaw Retreat and Conference Center June 25 through June 27 for its annual retreat, holding two meetings to consider OU business.

At its June 25 meeting, the board approved interim OU President Joseph Harroz’s recommended $2.02 billion budget for fiscal year 2020. The regents also approved a proposal to hold tuition and fees constant for Norman campus undergraduates.

“This is a budget that

balances, it is a budget that makes investment in our mission and it is an important point from which we can launch further. This is not an ending point, but it’s a point from which we can absolutely advance,” Harroz told the board at the meeting.

After the meeting, Harroz told The Daily that the budget and decision to hold undergraduate tuition and fees constant were based on the university’s mission to try to be “the best value institution.”

“That means excellence,” Harroz said, “and it means affordability. Together.

When we look at everything, you don’t want to be the cheapest, you want to be the best opportunity for our students to be successful. … We know the kind of

pressure our students are under to afford their education, and we have to make sure we meet that with the best we can.”

Prior to the approval of the proposal to keep 201920 Norman campus tuition and fees constant, Norman campus tuition rates had been held constant for the 2018-19 academic year after increasing for the previous three years.

The fiscal year 2020 budget decreased from the fiscal year 2019 budget of $2.12 billion, the first university budget decrease since 2005.

The budget also provides for a 3 percent salary raise program on average for eligible Norman staff, as well as compensation for staff at the Health Sciences Center, according to an OU

press release following the budget’s approval. “(Staff raises are) an effort to say we value not just the people, but the work that’s done by the staff,” Harroz said. “I think that message has not been loud enough, and I think people didn’t feel valued when there hasn’t been a raise in five years. Hopefully what this says is, we all know everyone is working hard and their contribution is real.”

In addition to a 2.6 percent annualized faculty salary increase on the No r m a n c a m p u s f r o m January 2019, according to the release, the budget also incorporates support from the state legislature for another 2.2 percent annualized faculty salary increase on the Norman campus and an annualized

i n c rea s e at t h e Hea l t h Sciences Center. Both are proposed for October.

Harroz sent a letter to the OU community after the regents approved the budget June 25.

In the letter, Harroz said the new budget eliminates a structural operating deficit by taking actions he said were “painful” but ultimately required.

“One year ago, we were sp e n d i ng m o re m o n e y than we were taking in at a rate that was unsustainable. Today, a budget has been put in place that ensures our financial health.

We have achieved this by honestly and clearly addressing our budget problems,” Harroz said in the letter. “At times, this past year was painful, but the a c t i o n s w e hav e t a ke n

were necessary, and they were done at all times in a way that was meant to minimize the impact to our mission.”

In the letter, Harroz said the budget also aimed to help OU “achieve excellence in teaching, research and service.”

“A great comprehensive, public university provides excellence at a price that does not exclude the most talented because of their economic circumstance,” Harroz said in the letter.

“We continue to make new investments in need-based scholarships, notably the Crimson Commitment.

And for the second year in a row, we are holding undergraduate tuition and fees flat.”

see REGENTS page 8

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• July 8-21, 2019

De’Vion Harmon joins young Sooner team under Kruger

CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21

LaQuita Harmon received a phone call from then-Oklahoma assistant coach Chris Crutchfield in the fall of 2017. He wanted to celebrate.

“What are you celebrating?”

LaQuita recalls asking.

Crutchfield — now an assistant coach for Arkansas — informed LaQuita that her son, De’Vion Harmon, had just verbally committed to Oklahoma. She and the rest of the family had no idea.

LaQuita politely told Crutchfield she needed to call him back. She had to confirm with her son, who was in class at the time, if what she heard was true.

She texted him, and after class she called. “ W hat d i d you ju st d o ? ” LaQuita asked.

De’Vion informed his mother that he had just committed to Lon Kruger’s class of 2019. He was the first in the class to commit, and it would be more than a year before the next recruit, Victor Iwuakor, gave a verbal commitment.

Finishing his high school career as the No. 43 player and the No. 9 point guard in the nation, per Rivals.com, De’Vion’s signature boosted Oklahoma to one of its most impressive recruiting classes in recent memory. He’s also a Fédération Internationale de Basketball (International Basketball Federation or FIBA) gold medalist.

He’s joining an Oklahoma team that lost nine Sooners to either graduation or the transfer portal.

But those left behind have a bright future. Sophomore guard Jamal Bieniemy made his way into the

July 8-21, 2019 •

Freshman point guard seeks success as Sooner starting lineup his freshman year, and is expected to be a valuable leader. Upperclassmen Brady Manek and Kristian Doolittle will be complemented by a talented freshman class.

Twenty months after committing to OU, De’Vion finally got to show off his new look as a Sooner.

In front of a crowd of around 20 reporters, De’Vion showed his excitement for college competition.

He was so excited, he accidentally revealed Oklahoma’s first regular season game before the schedule was officially announced.

“For me, when the rocket launches Nov. 5 against UTSA,” De’Vion said, “all I want to do is be the most competitive guy on the court.”

‘He didn’t play with any toys.’

LaQuita can still recall her first basketball memory of De’Vion when he was a toddler.

At church, when other kids were playing, De’Vion — then two years old — would instead sit on his mother’s lap with a basketball, and watch his dad, Deon Harmon, play the game that De’Vion would come to love.

“He didn’t play with any toys,” LaQuita said. “Everything he did was sports-related.”

In his childhood home in Corinth, Texas, De’Vion substituted basketball and football for action figures and remote control cars.

De’Vion, of course, excelled in basketball. His game developed so much that at some point in elementary school, he stopped playing with his age group because he was too competitive. He was playing with kids two years older than him instead.

“His team was with older kids and he was telling them what to do,” LaQuita said, “telling them

where to be on the court.”

Onlookers of the young leader were impressed too. One of them was Grant Long, De’Vion’s future coach at John H. Guyer High School in Denton, Texas.

Long saw a kid that was ready for the next level, which is why when De’Vion was in sixth grade, Long invited him to play in a summer camp with his then-varsity team. After the camp, Long thought he “held his own.”

Long invited him again when De’Vion was an eighth grader to another camp with his varsity team. That time, he did more than hold his own; he convinced Long of his future at Guyer.

“Right then I knew that coming in as a freshman he would already start for us and be ready to make an immediate impact on our program,” Long said. “And he did that for four years.”

They were four years of stardom. LaQuita described the last two years in particular as “crazy.”

De’Vion began to climb his class’ recruit rankings, and Guyer High School’s team was finding success — especially in his junior year, where he averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 assists per game, per MaxPreps.com.

The Wildcats finished with a 38-2 record. He was signing his shoes and his headband and giving them out to the crowd filled with kids, who would approach him after games to take pictures with him.

“When he mentors kids, it’s like the kids gravitate towards him,” LaQuita said. “They loved being around him. And he knows their names. He doesn’t not talk to them. He’ll stop what he’s doing and just (converse) with the kids.”

‘He’s just a tough kid.’

Don Showalter, a 10-time USA Basketball gold medalist

Freshman basketball player De’Vion Harmon talks with reporters June 27 at the Lloyd Noble Center practice facility.

KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY

and current Director of Coach Development of the USA Basketball Youth Division, has organized some of the best youth teams in America. Team USA chooses from thousands of the best youth players in the nation, and it’s the job of the coaching staff to narrow the roster to just 12 players.

De’Vion was invited to play in a Team USA camp and try out for the U-16 team in October 2016.

De’Vion — then a sophomore — was one of around 30 prospects invited. He survived the cut to 18 members a few days later.

Showalter said he stresses high IQ basketball, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and he saw that in De’Vion, along with athleticism. “ He’s j u s t a t o u g h k i d ,” Showalter said. “He’s the one who would save a ball from going out of bounds, give up his body for a charge, those kinds of things. So that sets a tone, especially coming from his position. It sets a tone for the game and how we wanted to play.”

De’Vion let his family know he was going to be competing in Formosa, Argentina, in the 2017 FIBA Americas U-16 Championship in June. Team USA won the gold medal with a 5-0 record, and qualified for the U-17 World Cup in Santa Fe, Argentina — where Team USA went 7-0 and won gold again.

“That process was really amazing. In high school you got to represent (this) country playing the game you love,” De’Vion said.

“And winning that gold medal with me and the 11 other guys, they become family at that point.

We just had one goal in mind, and that was just to win gold.”

De’Vion played alongside notable recruits such as class of 2020 Duke commit Jeremy Roach and R.J. Hampton, who is going to

New Zealand to play his first year in the National Basketball League (NBL). The USA U-17 program has produced NBA talent such as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who won gold for Showalter’s 2016 U-17 squad. Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young was a part of the 2016 U-18 team.

“Obviously it’s a high level.

You’re playing with 11 other really high level Division I players. That right there helps them prepare for the college level,” Showalter said. “They know they’re one of the 12 best players that we could put together. I think they get some confidence as well.”

“In my estimation,” Showalter said, “he’s going to do really well at Oklahoma.”

‘I think I’m just going to stay where I am.’

A week after he told his parents of his commitment to the Sooners, De’Vion began thinking about other opportunities.

De’Vion’s teammates were still in the recruiting process and visiting schools, a process most athletes find to be a fun time in their athletic careers. De’Vion was only 16 years old when he chose Oklahoma, and LaQuita says he felt he was missing out.

De’Vion didn’t officially decommit, but he did receive numerous offers. He racked up 15 total offers from schools such as Texas, Arizona State and Oklahoma State.

When De’ Vion made his commitment to OU on his own, LaQuita said she and the family “let him roll with it.” She said she wanted it to be clear the decision was 100 percent his, but also wanted to make sure De’Vion weighed his options properly.

“We sat down and we did out pros and cons,” LaQuita said.

“We just put all of that down and so after a month or two he said ‘I think I’m just going to stay where I am.’”

De’Vion stayed committed to the Sooners for the rest of his high school career.

Fast forward to June 27 this year, when De’Vion had his first media availability as a Sooner.

The new point guard was asked why he committed earlier than anyone else on the team. He answered with a rhetorical question. “ Hav e y o u n o t m e t L o n Kruger? He’s big time,” De’Vion said. “Coach Kruger, coach (Carlin) Hartman, coach (Jim Molinari) and coach (Pooh Williamson) — we have a great staff. We have great guys. I’m happy to be here and it’s time for me to get to work.”

Kruger is known for a lot of things in his coaching career — taking five different programs to the NCAA Tournament might be the frontrunner. His recruiting is up there, too.

Kruger’s 2019 class includes three four-stars in an attempt to reload an Oklahoma team that had eight players in their final year of eligibility in the 2018-19 season. Kruger continued to show up to De’Vion’s games and make sure he felt at home.

“There were definitely times where I was exploring and I was wavering back and forth,” De’Vion said, “but coach Kruger and the coaching staff, they stayed locked in on me. They showed a lot of loyalty throughout this whole thing.

“We’re going to ride side by side,” De’Vion said, “all the way to the top.”

Caleb McCourry

caleb.a.mccourry -1@ou.edu

5

HOROSCOPE

Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg July 8, 2019

my friend’s got mental illness

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

Mental Illness – What a difference a friend makes.

Previous Solution

ACROSS 1 Ferret relative 5 Boom supporter 9 Stock holder’s aid?

14 Cookie shaped like its first or last letter 15 Not fooled by 16 Some breakfast places 17 “Dragnet� sergeant 19 A gift of the Magi 20 Low-budget film 21 Vie 23 Vietnamese holiday 24 Title girl of a Rolling Stones hit 28 Give a scent to 30 Interject 31 Abbr. on a toothpaste tube 32 Employing 34 Shopping cart unit 35 TV daughter of Morticia and Gomez 41 People you might unfollow 42 Saoirse of “Lady Bird�

43 Loop in secretly 44 Knowledge shortcoming 47 Readies, as a red carpet

7/8

51 19th-century baseball player who became an evangelist 54 Yogurt mix-in 55 Bullish?

56 Spitting Andean animal 58 About 59 Does some scheduling ... or, when parsed differently, a hint to this puzzle’s theme 62 Nonreactive 63 People surnamed Gore include Lesley, Tipper, ___ 64 Greek appetizer 65 Come to terms 66 Socially awkward type 67 Born’s partner DOWN 1 Mintgarnished cocktail 2 Removed wrinkles 3 Must 4 Annan in Ghanaian history 5 “Who, me?�

6 This ___ that 7 London who co-hosted “What Not to Wear�

8 Prius maker 9 Walked unevenly

10 “Now I remember�

11 Spreadsheet command 12 Terse order from a cop 13 ___Kosh B’gosh 18 Come up again 22 It’s slung during campaign season 25 Israeli submachine guns 26 Road curve 27 Orange or purple vegetables 29 Does a 10K, say 33 Needlenosed fish (RAG anagram) 34 Social Security fig., e.g.

35 5’7� NBA great Spud

36 “Ooh, fun!�

37 Bridge player, at times 38 “___ be surprised�

39 Actress Kendrick 40 Sabara and Hannah of Hollywood 44 Do the hula, say 45 “___ was saying ...�

46 Played with words 48 Demolition cleanup vehicle 49 Class for the expecting 50 Didn’t go 52 “Filthy� money 53 “Cool beans!�

57 Ewe’s baby 58 Operative’s org.

60 Damage 61 Antler wrestler

PREVIOUS PREVIOUSPUZZLE PUZZLEANSWER ANSWER

By Eugenia Last

Copyright 2015, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

MONDAY, JULY 8, 2019 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last Focus on the positive and what you can accomplish this year. If you let the little things get to you, opportunities will be missed. Trust in your ability to find solutions, and use your talents to get things done.

Don’t resist change, as the best is yet to come.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Don’t dwell on the negative. Concentrate on doing what makes you happy and helps you feel healthy. Added discipline will help you reach your goal.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- If you share your thoughts, the results could be unexpected. Choose your words wisely and show compassion and understanding toward others.

Practice what you preach.

7/7 6/24

Š 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal Š 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com www.upuzzles.com

See You in a Week! by Ross Trudeau

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Pay less attention to what others do and more attention to what you can achieve. A lifestyle change will be rejuvenating and will spark ideas that bring you closer to a loved one.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Let your intelligence shine through. Put your emotions aside and do what’s right and best for everyone. If someone is challenging you, know enough to walk away. Surround yourself with positive people.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- A new change will require a learning curve, but it will ultimately be beneficial. Taking on a new challenge will bring you in contact with someone who shares your interests.

Romance is on the rise.

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.

The OU Daily is a public forum, the University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice and an entirely student-run publication.

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The Editorial Board, which consists of student editors, meets Monday to Thursday in Copeland Hall, Room 160. The newsroom is open to the public.

To advertise in The Daily, contact the advertising manager by calling 405-325-2521 or emailing dailyads@ou.edu.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -Use your imagination, but also rely on practicality and common sense if you want to get ahead. Don’t make hasty decisions without enough information.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- If you play with someone’s emotional vulnerabilities, you will end up dealing with the backlash. Show compassion and understanding if you want to come out on top.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Share what you have to offer, what you would like to pursue and where you think you should begin.

Once you have a plan in place, everything else will flow naturally.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Help yourself before you move on to helping others. You have to be on stable ground mentally, emotionally and physically to give your all.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -Expand your mind, learn something new and look for opportunities that allow you to use your many skills.

Opportunity is within reach if you follow your heart.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- A physical or personal change will lift your spirits. Stop talking about what you want to do and start doing it. You are the master of your happiness.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You’ll get a quick education regarding partnerships if you are too trusting.

Don’t make a change just because someone else does. Think and do for yourself, and avoid being manipulated.

One free copy of The Daily is available to members of the OU community. Additional copies may be purchased for 25 cents by contacting The Daily business office at 405-325-2522.

Corrections: The Daily is committed to accuracy in its publications. If you find an error in a story, email dailynews@ou.edu or visit oudaily.com/site/ corrections.html to submit a correction form.

VOL. 104, NO. 28 Copyright 2019 OU Publications Board FREE -- Additional copies 25 cents

CULTURE

July 8-21, 2019 •

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KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY

Customers at Ray’s Smokehouse BBQ dine in the restaurant June 13. OU football memorabilia lines the walls.

Ray’s BBQ: From gridiron to grill Former OU football player spices up Norman barbecue

JORDAN MILLER @jordanrmillerr

Ray’s Smokehouse BBQ on Lindsey Street serves two things: southern barbecue and Oklahoma football.

The powerful smell of barbecue fills the place.

Customers ordering see the cooks in the back chopping up meat and removing sizzling entrées from the oven.

For football fans, the grandeur of the smell of barbecue is matched only by the Oklahoma memorabilia that decorates the walls all around the restaurant — newspaper clippings from Oklahoma’s 13-0 victory over Texas in 1938, pictures of former players and various football cards.

The man who runs it, former Oklahoma safety Darrol Ray, is no stranger to football and barbecue. At one point in time, Ray had the longest playoff interception return for a touchdown in NFL history.

Now over 30 years removed from his football ca re e r, R ay r u n s R ay ’s Smokehouse BBQ, back in the town where he made some of his best memories as a safety for former head coach Barry Switzer from 1976-1979.

When Switzer originally recruited Ray out of Killeen, Texas, he originally had plans for him as a wishbone quarterback, but Switzer said they had better wishbone quarterbacks at the time and Darrol was “too good an athlete to play a backup role and not be on the field.”

“He was big, he was fast,

he was strong, and he was smart, and he wanted to play and knew how to practice,” Switzer said. “Every coach on my staff wanted him at receiver; they wanted him at running back ; they wanted him at defensive back; they wanted him at linebacker — because he was so talented, he could play anywhere.”

Switzer said former assistant coach Bobby Proctor eventually decided that the best way Ray could serve a purpose on the team would be at safety, and he immediately showed that he was going to be a talented player his first few days in the position.

“He played extremely well through his career; he was an All-Big Eight safety during that period of time, made a lot of big plays, played on great teams,”

Switzer said. “You wish everyone you ever coached was like Darrol Ray.” Following his career at OU, Ray was selected in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. During his time there, he made his record-breaking interception return against the Cincinnati Bengals during the 1982 playoffs, eventually advancing the Jets to the franchise’s first AFC Championship.

After a few seasons in New York City, Ray decided it was time to come home in 1985.

“I came back to the Norman because I had such a great experience in Norman. I loved it,” Ray said. “Met my wife first day of class my sophomore year. And she was a small town gal, and living in New York City may not have

been conducive for marital harmony.”

Ray initially started his own Kettle franchise when he returned to Oklahoma, which he ran for about 10 years before transitioning into his own businesses.

“If you own a restaurant and (someone) comes in there and asks for something and your name was on the sign, you’re dealing with them one-on-one,” Ray said. “But if they come in and you’re operating a chain restaurant, your hands are limited to what you can do or even what you may want to do.”

Ray then moved into the liquor business, owning and running a liquor store before deciding to focus on Ray’s Smokehouse BBQ, which opened in 2008 in place of an old Pizza Hut. “I was kind of this

back-and-forth guy overseeing both of them and not really grinding it out, working one,” Ray said. “I’m very grateful and extremely proud of what has been accomplished through my family and my wife and my daughters and then my crew and everybody that’s just ... made it happen.”

Former OU football player Dewey Selmon played for the Sooners at the same time Ray did and was one o f h i s f i r s t c u s t o m e r s.

Although Selmon thought the restaurant was a great idea, he told Ray it would be a lot of work, but “that did not bother him at all.”

“The spirit of the place kind of brings you back to the spirit we had when everybody was playing here at

see RAY’S page 8

8

CULTURE

• July 8-21, 2019

RAY’S: continued from page seven

OU (in the ‘70s) because a lot of that legacy goes straight into his restaurant,” Selmon said. “It’s definitely built around family ... so it’s a great place to not only get good food but also have that family atmosphere.”

Ray’s wife, Diane, and their daughter, Kendall, b o t h h e l p r u n R a y ’s Smokehouse BBQ. The family also opened a secondary location in Moore in 2018, and Ray can often be found working there.

Switzer said the family are great members of

REGENTS: continued from page three

Research programs in the areas of “quantum technology, air, space and defense, and computer science” will be funded by an $8.3 million provision from the Oklahoma Legislature, Harroz said in the letter.

OU must continue to focus its resources to serve its mission, Harroz said in the letter, and to more efficiently serve its students.

“As we begin the new academic year, our efforts to focus our talent and financial resources on our mission must always continue. To do otherwise would betray our students, the state, and the broader societies that benefit uniquely from our university,” Harroz said in the letter. “With every

the community and very special, and that he and Ray have remained close throughout the years.

“He was an outstanding player through his career,” Switzer said. “He’s an outstanding person and citizen in our community today.

Always got a smile on his face, got a great family, great family man. He’s one of my favorites, always makes me smile.”

Switzer said he and Ray occasionally eat together at Ray’s, with Ray often asking how his restaurant measures up to former Sooner Billy Sims’.

“He’d always ask me ‘Is mine better than (Billy Sims Barbecue)?’ and Billy would always ask me ‘Is mine better than Darrol’s?’” Switzer

said. “And I’d say ‘It’s a toss-up.’”

Ray was well-connected in Oklahoma after going to school here, so he was able to build contacts through that for his business, Switzer said. Ray returning to Oklahoma to run the restaurant was something Switzer said he would have never imagined, but he is glad he did.

“I mean it when I say he’s (got) a special family, his children, they’re really outstanding people in the community,” Switzer said. “I really wish that all were like him; we wouldn’t have any problems in this world if we were all like him.”

collective decision and action, we must ask the question: Is what we are doing advancing our mission in the most effective and efficient way possible? If the answer is ‘no,’ we must find a better way.”

Harroz concluded the letter by asking the OU community to look ahead to the next academic year optimistically.

“We can approach the coming academic year together with a sense of optimism and excitement, and I want to be clear that a great university is never satisfied. … I believe that the world has never needed the OU spirit — a spirit of optimism and community — more than it does now,” Harroz said in the letter. “We have to keep seeing and believing in the possibilities.”

The OU Board of Regents re s u m e d i t s c o n s i d e ration of OU business June 27, addressing personnel

actions, program changes, employee healthcare plan changes and numerous other agenda items.

Harroz presented his report of OU’s fiscal year 2019 expenditures and awards, including several research awards.

Adjustments were also approved for OU student and employee healthcare plans. Harroz said this change would unify providers across OU campuses, while they had been different previously. Blue C ro s s Bl u e Sh i e l d w i l l serve as the new healthcare payer beginning in January 2020, according to the release.

“One healthcare payer p rov i d e s t h e u n i ve r s ity improved services and discounts on medical and pharmacy claims and broader networks to our employees across all three campuses,” Harroz said in a June 27 OU press release.

The regents then entered

Jordan Miller

jordan.r.miller-1@ou.edu

The kitchen staff at Ray’s BBQ works June 13.

executive session to consider administrative and personnel actions, including Harroz’s salary, numerous coaches, and many other university personnel.

The regents approved a $500,000 annualized salary for Harroz.

Following the university’s plan to transfer operation of some Cleveland Area Rapid Transit routes to the city, the regents approved transfer of some assets and a plan to lease some of the Theta Dempsey Transportation Center to the city.

According to the release, the regents’ vote makes the city the grantee for federal funds for Norman public transportation. OU will assist with the transition of fleet and facilities for Norman’s operation.

Jones Day’s work complete Follow ing the June

2 7 m e e t i n g , O U B o a rd of Regents Chair Leslie Rainbolt-Forbes told The Daily that the board has concluded its work with the Jones Day law firm.

“They’ve made their report. I’m not aware of any ongoing work that we’re doing with Jones Day at this time,” Rainbolt-Forbes said.

The regents had employed Jones Day to conduct two investigations, one regarding misreporting of alumni donations and another regarding personnel. The university has paid the law firm over $1 million, according to a June 5 report from The Oklahoman.

“Jones Day was only engaged relating to misconduct for one individual,“ a university spokesperson told The Daily after the June 27 meeting.

Confirmation that Jones Day is no longer working with the regents came two

KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY

weeks after former OU President David Boren separated from the university June 12, losing his role as president emeritus, any possible teaching positions and numerous other benefits he had been eligible for.

Boren has been accused of sexual harassment, along with former OU administrator Tripp Hall. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation opened its own inquiry in March.

OU alumnus and staff member Levi Hilliard filed a civil lawsuit against Hall May 31 alleging “sexual assault and battery.”

Following Boren’s separation from the university, the regents said his separation concluded the university’s investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him.

Scott Kirker stk@ou.edu