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Students violators of shared housing residential ordinance • Violators of 74-year-old ordinance could face up to $500-per-day fine JAMIE HUGHES The Oklahoma Daily An OU senior named Lindsay lives in a house with four other women, and if her neighbors complain, it could mean trouble for her and her housemates.

In effect since 1954, the City of Norman’s Three Unrelated Persons Ordinance states that no more than three unrelated people can live together in a single family home, including apartments, condominiums and town homes, unless the apartment has obtained a zoning exception.

According to city zoning codes, residents must be related by blood, marriage or adoption to live three or more to a single-family house.

The city’s Web site states that if a citation is issued, those in violation could receive a fine of up to $500 a day.

The ordinance was instituted to maintain the family feel of neigh-

borhoods, said Kathryn Walker, assistant city attorney for the City of Norman. The city and its residents don’t want rent houses to dominate neighborhoods and weaken the community, she said.

Lindsay, who asked not to be identified by her last name for legal reasons, said she didn’t know about the ordinance and said she thinks it is “ridiculous.”

“Renters are the ones renting the property, and it’s their business if [they] think the quantity is not OK,” she said.

Lindsay said she doesn’t think it’s a problem if there are five unrelated people living in a house together.

While some college students are violating the ordinance, few have been affected by the rule, said Linda Price, revitalization manager for the City of Norman.

Price said she can recall two or three violations this fall but did not know the exact numbers. “[It has] not been a major issue,” she said. “[It is] usually a loud party that brings attention to a specific area.”

Walker said the City of Norman issues violations on a complaintspecific basis. Complaints from neighbors, she said, are caused by everything from loud music and parties to too many cars parked at a house. “[There was a] rash of complaints last spring,” Walker said. “Word

got out and people started being quieter or not doing things to generate complaints.”

According to the city, after a complaint is filed against a house, an investigation will begin and the property owner will be contacted. If an investigation produces evidence of a violation, police contact the tenants.

According to the city’s Web site, if the problem is voluntarily resolved within a given time frame, there will be no citation issued.

College students aren’t being targeted, Walker said, though students are involved in the typical citation.

Lindsay said she doesn’t think her neighbors have a reason to complain about her living situation.

“We aren’t disturbing,” she said. “[There are] no wild parties, no loud music, and our yard looks nice.”

The city has been working to come up with a more effective way to raise awareness of the ordinance, Walker said.

Price said the city has looked at requiring landlords and tenants to fill out forms related to the ordinance before a group moves into a new house.

The City Council would have to approve the forms before the city can require landlords to use them, she said.

OU ECONOMY SERIES: PART 1

SPORTS

Ready for recession

Lighting the way

• Pres. Boren says university has policies in place to cut costs

CAMPUS BRIEFS Regents meet today in Union The OU Board of Regents will discuss the transformation of the musical theater program from a department to a school and finalize funding for the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at its meeting at 9 a.m. today in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

OUDAILY.COM

MEREDITH SIMONS The Oklahoma Daily

y sports editor Corey DeMoss ap• The Daily’s peared on ESPN’s First Take Monday morning to take on the Texas fan who created the “Lest we forget” Facebook group. Check out OUDaily. com’s Newsroom Blog to watch DeMoss’s argument.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a threepart series about OU’s efforts to deal with the economic crisis. Today’s article addresses the university’s cost-cutting measures.

Wall Street sank again Monday, with the Dow Jones industrial average sliding 7.7 percent on the same day that an economic research group officially declared the United States economy in recession.

Across the country, universities are struggling OU ECONOMY to cope with the effects of a recession that has Today endowments shrinking and donors, students and Part 1: Cutting parents scrutinizing their costs at OU spending.

At the University of Tuesday Georgia, student learning Part 2: Donor reac- center hours have been reduced to cut costs, while tions to recession the University of Hawaii is turning off the air condiWednesday tioning during nights and weekends, according to Part 3: The the Chronicle of Higher economy’s effect Education. on endowments But OU administrators have expressed confidence that the university will be able to survive the financial crisis without implementing any drastic measures.

Looking ahead

If you’ve gone to OU women’s basketball games this season, you may have noticed a new face knocking down 3-pointers. That face belongs to freshman Whitney Hand. Page 8.

• Gov. Brad Henry will be one of several governors who meets with President-elect Barack Obama today in Philadelphia. Henry is hoping Obama’s economic stimulus package will include money for bridges and roads in Oklahoma.

• Barack Obama announced Monday former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton will be his Secretary of State. But with tension flaring between India and Pakistan over the Mumbai terrorism, some are concerned that Clinton’s longtime support of India will set her up for diplomatic problems before she takes office.

• For more on these and other nation and world news stories, visit OUDaily.com.

Photos by Amy Frost/The Daily

ABOVE: Misheala Giddings, international and area studies sophomore, helps light the menorah at the Holiday Lighting Celebration Monday night at Burr Park. Members of three different religious groups spoke at the ceremony. BELOW RIGHT: The Christmas tree.

OU President David L. Boren said he began to prepare for an economic slowdown months before the stock market began to slide in September, and he has been preparing the university to withstand a financial shock since this summer.

Boren said while he wrote and promoted his book “A Letter to America,” his ideas about the American economy took shape in a worrisome way. He felt the United States’ debt was out of control and a financial crisis “wasn’t a matter of if, but when.”

When the subprime mortgage crisis began to accelerate just as Boren was speaking to audiences about his book, which covers economic issues, his fears deepened.

“Things just crystallized in my mind,” Boren said. “You can’t spend a trillion a year and not pay for it and not eventually have a day of reckoning.”

At the time, OU was preparing a slate of new construction projects and engaging in a hiring spree that had brought on so many additional faculty members that 100 of them had been left without adequate office space.

“I kept waking up in the night during the sum-

large red switch flipped and immediately the Christmas tree at David A. Burr Park was aglow.

OU President David L. Boren and a group of children hit the switch to light the tree Monday evening as part of OU’s annual Holiday Lighting Celebration.

Charles Kimball, religious studies director, drew a connection to light as a representation of knowledge and wisdom during his speech at the celebration.

“Light dispels the darkness,” he said. “When the light is on, you can see, and when you can see you can know.”

Boren said the holiday season is a time to reflect.

“Hearts are not changed, minds are not changed purely by military power,” said Boren. “The power of kindness itself is often

RECESSION Continues on page 2

LIGHTS Continues on page 2

• Annual ceremony emphasizes common spirit of the holidays that binds religions WILL HOLLAND The Oklahoma Daily

A

TODAY’S INDEX A&E Campus News Campus Notes Classifieds Crossword

5 3 2 6 6

Horoscope 7 Opinion 4 Police Reports 2 Sports 7, 8 Sudoku 6

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TODAY LOW 33° HIGH 59°

WEDNESDAY LOW 44° HIGH 50° Source: Oklahoma Weather Lab

2

News

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

Recession

FAST FACTS

Continued from page 1 mer,” Boren said. “I would wonder, ‘Should I start digging?’ ‘Should we keep hiring?’”

He eventually decided the answer to both those questions was no.

Dodging a credit crunch During the summer, Boren convened a meeting of top administrators and told them to prepare for an economic slowdown.

He decided to hold off on any new capital improvement projects that would require the university to issue a large number of bonds.

Bonds, which are essentially loans with a set interest rate, have become less attractive as credit markets have tightened and interest rates have gone up.

The move has delayed several construction projects that have been underway for years, including the new aquatics complex and a new building for the School of Social Work. Boren said it could be another year or two before construction starts, even though the projects have been approved by the OU Board of Regents and private fundraising has begun.

“We’ve been drawing up architectural plans for several of these things, and we’re ready to go,” Boren said. “But we’ll just keep our powder dry until the markets get better.”

Although Boren and administrators have decided to limit new construction to privately funded projects, the university won’t be able to avoid issuing bonds entirely.

Close to $80 million in bonds is

needed to complete construction that is already underway.

“You can’t leave the research building with a roof not on it or the dorms not completely finished just because we’re in the middle of an economic crisis,” Boren said.

In order to avoid issuing bonds at highly unfavorable credit rates, university officials have made an arrangement with the OU Foundation that will allow the foundation to loan the university money if necessary.

Instead of issuing bonds it would have to repay with a 10 percent interest rate, the university will be able to borrow money from the foundation at about 6 percent interest, then convert the loan to bonds when the credit market improves, Boren said.

Cutting back In addition to limiting new construction projects, Boren has also instructed administrators to limit the hiring of new faculty and staff for all but a few positions.

He announced in August that the university would be under a hiring freeze until the economic situation improved. In September, he downgraded the hiring freeze to a “chill” and said that while some positions would be filled, most hiring would have to be put on hold.

“We’ve had to replace about a dozen people, but that’s different than 75 or 100,” Boren said.

Boren also instructed colleges and departments to trim about one percent of their budgets for redirection to the general budget.

OU’s response to the recession Since the economic crisis began, OU administrators have taken several steps to save the university money, including: • Delaying construction on projects funded principally by bonds, including the new aquatic complex and a Administrators were asked to postpone hiring new faculty or buying new equipment.

As a result, the university has spent close to $5 million less this year than it had at the same time last year, Boren said.

Administrators are also looking to keep costs down for the rest of the fiscal year. Officials have locked in future prices for natural gas, a move that is expected to keep utility costs down during the winter. A sustainability committee is researching ways to reduce energy use on campus, which will be good for the environment and OU’s balance sheet.

Problems and priorities Boren said as he and other administrators work on OU’s budget for the next fiscal year and grapple with the shifting realities of a nation in recession, their goal is to produce a budget that will keep tuition and fee increases low and allow the administration to avoid laying off any faculty or staff.

Boren said he does not expect to be forced to lay off employees,

new building for the School of Social Work • Putting a “chill” on hiring to limit the number of new faculty and staff positions that are filled • Trimming department budgets by one percent and redirecting savings into the general budget • Locking in utility prices for the winter • Proposing an $80 million deal that would freeze tuition and fees for Oklahoma students. but he is urging prudence in the budget-making process to ensure that layoffs aren’t necessary.

He is also hoping to avoid tuition and fee increases but said he can’t control how much money OU will get from the state, and therefore how much it will have to get from its students.

Boren said he would like to keep tuition and fees flat next year, but if the university is forced to collect more money from its students, his goal is to keep any increases to less than 5 percent.

Tuition and fees increased 9.9 percent this year.

Boren and other Oklahoma university presidents have proposed a deal that would guarantee a freeze on tuition and fees at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities if the legislature appropriates an additional $80 million to higher education.

State officials have expressed skepticism that so much money will be available, but Boren is hopeful.

“The last thing we want to do is to have to raise tuition on our students,” he said.

Lights Continued from page 1 underestimated, and yet it is the building block of our community,” Boren said.

Members of the Pride of Oklahoma Holiday Pep Band and the University Chamber Ensemble performed Christmas carols and speakers from different religious backgrounds spoke about the significance of the holiday season.

UOSA President Amanda Holloway led the crowd that included people of all ages in the singing of “Deck the Halls” before introducing Boren.

Boren said the Holiday Lighting Celebration

is important because it brings people together.

“It builds that sense of family and community that we talk about so often,” he said.

Other people from the OU community also reflected on the meaning of the holiday celebration, where a menorah also was lit.

This was the first year that Kimball was involved in the celebration at OU, but others, like Judaic history professor Norman Stillman, have been involved for many years.

Stillman spoke about Hanukkah, the Jewish celebration that he said represents

religious freedom and victory of the small over the large.

Norman, who has been involved in the light celebration for the last 12 years, said light is one aspect that Christmas and Hanukkah share.

After Stillman spoke, two students lit the candles on the menorah, which was about 7 feet tall.

Microbiology senior Munim Deen also spoke at the celebration. He spoke about his Muslim background, and he said his religion focuses on faith, family and fellowship.

helping families one pancake at a time

CAMPUS NOTES The Daily draws all entries for Campus Notes from OUDaily. com’s comprehensive, campuswide calendar. To get your event noticed, visit OUDaily.com and fill out our user-friendly form under the calendar link.

TODAY SCHOOL OF MUSIC A concert will be at noon in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS A Bible study will be at noon in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Sooner Room.

PRE-NURSING CLUB A meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Physical Sciences Center, room 122.

UPB A seminar entitled, “All About Research and Writing: Finding,

POLICE REPORTS Names are compiled from the Norman Police Department or the OU Department of Public Safety. The report serves as a public record of arrests or citations, not convictions. The people here are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

DRIVING WITH LICENSE CANCELED/ SUSPENDED/REVOKED

Citing and Using Sources,” will be at 7 p.m. in Bizzell Memorial Library, room LL227.

WEDNESDAY CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS A Bible study will be at 12:30 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Sooner Room.

UPB A seminar entitled, “Preparing for Your Math Final Exam – What to Expect,” will be at 3 p.m. in Carnegie Building, room 200.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The team will play Creighton University at 7 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center.

OUr EARTH A general meeting will be at 9 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Weitzenhoffer Room.

OR DRUGS/ACTUAL PHYSICAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE Johnathan Gordon Fleming, 20, Asp Avenue, Sunday

MUNICIPAL WARRANT Robert John Meyer, 27, 900 block N. Pickard Avenue, Sunday

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Jason Clark Berdinner, 33, N. Porter Avenue, Sunday, also driving under the influence-liquor or drugs/actual physical control of the vehicle and county warrant

Michele Lee Wharton, 22, 200 block W. Boyd Street, Sunday

COUNTY WARRANT Billy Ray Coats, 28, Eastgate Drive, Saturday

Mario Mejia Zarza, 23, 400 block College Avenue, Saturday, also operating vehicle without a license

PUBLIC INTOXICATION

WARRANT

Johnny Harper Driskell, 30, 700 block Asp Avenue, Saturday Diane Eckiwardy, 42, 200 block Woodcrest Drive, Saturday Presley Alice Juliette Gallup, 22, 3800 block Lynnbrook Circle, Saturday

Klinton Bradley Wyont, 28, 2700 block Monitor Avenue, Friday Keith O’Daniel Wyont, 51, 2700 block Monitor Avenue, Friday

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE-LIQUOR

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCURACY The Daily has a long-standing commitment to serve readers by providing accurate coverage and analysis. Errors are corrected as they are identified. Readers should bring errors to the attention of the editorial board for further investigation.

TRANSPORTING OPEN BEER IN MOTOR VEHICLE

OPERATING VEHICLE WITHOUT A LICENSE Walter Eugene Mahuren, 28, Lindsey Street, Wednesday

ERROR SUBMISSIONS e-mail: dailynews@ou.edu phone: 325-3666

The ultimate community dining experience.

Thursday December, 4th 11 pm - 2 am 845 Chautauqua • Kappa Alpha Theta House $4 Pre-Sale

$5 At the Door

Come celebrate Theta’s Annual Pancake Party Benefitting Crossroads Youth and Family Services, Inc Accommodations of the basis of disability are available by contacting Alissa Myers, alissa.k.myers-1@ou.edu, 713.857.1629 by December 2.

Also sponsored by the OU Student Alumni Association.

Coming to campus soon.

Housing and Food Services is a division of OU Department of Student Affairs.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

housing&food

Ellis Goodwin, managing editor dailynews@ou.edu phone: 325-3666 fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Campus News

Tour guides add personality to recruiting WHITNEY ORTEGA The Oklahoma Daily Walking backwards and knowing OU trivia are just a few skills necessary to land a job as a tour guide for OU, a highly sought-after position.

“It is very competitive and generally we have more than enough applicants. This fall semester we had about 50 applications and eight or nine spots,” said Andy Roop, Prospective Student Services director.

Roop said most tour guides continue until they graduate, which leads to less available positions and a more competitive application process.

Beth Pearcy, architecture sophomore, knows how competitive the application process can be.

“When I first came to school here, I already knew I wanted to be a tour guide. I just thought I would be really good at it. I applied, and didn’t get it, but I kept trying.”

Pearcy didn’t take no for an answer and reapplied. But this time she didn’t just turn in her application, she decided to be more persistent. She visited the office several times and introduced herself to current tour guides and asked them to recommend her as a guide.

Pearcy is now an OU tour guide.

She said her campus tour was an essential part of her decision to attend OU. “The tours are huge deals when choosing a college. The guide talked to me, and I felt like I knew him on a personal level,” Pearcy said.

Pearcy’s interest and excitement about being a tour guide is essential, Roop said.

“We look for students who have an active interest in visiting with students about the university they choose. They will be speaking to student’s not only from Oklahoma but all over

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

3

Law student blocked from Grad. Senate chair JAMES ROTH The Oklahoma Daily

Saul Martinez/The Daily

Kristin Conder, public relations senior, Regan Garrison, communications junior, and Taylor Krebs, international and area studies sophomore, welcome visitors to OU. The three students are tour guides for the Visitor Center. the United States,” Roop said.

While extensive training is required, most of the guides said it isn’t too difficult.

Preston White, a biochemistry senior and tour guide, said the training requires learning a book of facts about OU’s campus. Before giving a tour alone, the guides are required to follow veteran tour guides, give two or

three tours under the supervision of a veteran tour guide and secure approval from a director of prospective students.

“There’s quite a bit of hard knowledge facts on buildings, colleges,” White said. “For me it was less of memorization than I like to throw in my own personal experiences and cool stuff that has happened to me that

isn’t in the tour guide book.

I like to give them different experiences from different tour guides.”

Roop said tour guides are encouraged to give their tours a personal touch.

“We want our tour guides to share their personal experiences with the group while they are out on campus,” Roop said.

OU Superior Court officials denied an OU College of Law student permission to run for a leadership position in the Graduate Student Senate Monday.

Nicholas Harrison will not be allowed to run for vice chairman of Graduate Student Senate. Harrison was elected at the end of the spring 2008 semester to fill a vacancy as a senator in the Graduate Student Senate. He served in the Senate for the remainder of the spring semester, then the summer session and currently serves as a senator. However, according to a Graduate Student Senate ruling, Harrison has not yet served for one full semester, a requireNICHOLAS ment for chair positions, according to the Graduate Student Senate Bylaws section HARRISON 5, article 2.

Harrison petitioned the Graduate Student Senate earlier in the semester, but was denied by their Internal Affairs Committee.

He was denied a second time by a majority vote by the Senate. Harrison then appealed to the OU Superior Court, asking that the eight-week summer session be accepted as a “full semester,” thus making him eligible for election.

“It is perfectly reasonable to assume that a summer session can be accepted as a full semester,” Harrison said.

Fall and spring semesters at OU are 16 weeks long, and summer sessions are only eight weeks long. During fall and spring semesters, senators are required to attend meetings, discuss issues and vote on acts of legislation that do not take place over the summer.

“Senators do not do anything in the summer,” said Michael Ukpong, OU graduate student and current chairman of Internal Affairs Committee of the Graduate Student Senate. “Harrison was well-qualified, but he did not meet the eligibility requirement by serving a full 16-week semester.”

It was determined that if the OU Superior Court were to accept Harrison’s argument regarding the summer session, the court would eliminate the Graduate Student Senate’s ability to determine its own internal rules for electing its officers.

“That is a path we don’t want to go down. We only want to get involved if there is an actual constitutional violation going on. In this case, there isn’t,” said Kyle Eastwood, chief justice of the OU Superior Court.

The OU Superior Court’s ruling in favor of the Graduate Student Senate prevents Harrison from running for the vice chairman position this semester. However, Harrison will become eligible for the after the current semester.

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Printing funded by UOSA The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution For accommodation on the basis of disability, call (405) 325-3163

4

Opinion

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

Hailey Branson, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

OUR VIEW

Norman ordinance discrimination unnecessary Norman’s Three Unrelated Persons Ordinance OUR VIEW is absurdly is an editorial unfair to OU selected and debated students. by the editorial board and written after a T h e majority opinion is 74-year-old formed and approved ordinance by the editor. Our View is The Daily’s official forbids opinion. more than three unre-

lated persons to live in a single-family homes unless it has obtained a zoning exception.

(See page 1 for details.)

The purpose of the ordinance is to keep the “family feel” of neighborhoods, according to one Norman official.

But we believe disruptive bad neighbors should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, without the blanket statement

that infers that college students weaken neighborhoods.

If houses with several college students are annoyances because of noise violations, Norman should strengthen its noise violation policies. If neighbors need to be arrested for other reasons, the cops should be called, whether or not they are college students.

It is unfair to believe that all

college students are irresponsible and disruptive residents, and it is elistist and wrong for the City of Norman to assume they are.

College students are adults and can be — as other adults can be — responsible, wellbehaved residents and neighbors.

There are many legitimate reasons why students choose

STAFF COLUMN

to live with several other people.

It is cheaper to split rent with a few friends. Also, many houses are closer to campus than apartments marketed to students, and they also may be better quality homes.

The fact that students may need or want to live with several other people should not bar them from being able to

find the best housing they can afford.

This ordinance is discrimanitory toward a vital part of the Norman population.

Bad neighbors should be dealt with, but they should be dealt with for specific violations, not arbitrary rules that determine how many unrelated persons can live in a house.

STAFF COLUMN

War on Christmas blown out of proportion Don’t be tacky when Thanksgiving is over, if it was truly recognized in the first place, we find ourselves thrust into the war zone that our secular society calls “the holiday season.”

Along with the usual materialism, we will begin to hear of the so-called “War on Christmas.” Every year, there is always controversy over whether one should say, “Merry Christmas,” “Happy holidays” or “Season’s greetings.”

There is usually a lawsuit of some sort regarding the legality of displaying a nativity scene, whether on public or private land. There have been lengthy debates on calling Christmas trees “holiday trees” and Christmas break “winter break.”

Both sides have blown the controversy out of proportion.

In 2007, in Fort Collins, Colo., green and red lights were permitted on the outside of city buildings, and only secular decorations were allowed inside.

Nativity scenes have been forbidden at Texas Tech, but trees are permitted with the official statement, “We’re not saying it’s a holiday tree because it’s a Christmas tree, but we choose to do a tasteful tree that really anybody can embrace.”

In Tehama County, California officials attempted to banish Santa Claus from office displays but were successfully protested.

These are only a few examples of this war, but they show that political correctness has extended from banning public religious displays t o

English haligdaeg, literally holy day, which usually means a religious festival or a day of recreation.

I am not offended if someone wishes me “happy holidays,” since I assume that person is wishing me happiness on the holiday I celebrate, which is Christmas.

For political correctness “holiday” should backfire since it promotes the recognition of an individual’s religious holiday, specifically the ones celebrated in December. “Season’s greetings” might be the most euphemistic, but if it were not commonly used during December, then it might be mistaken to be useful in the summer, spring and autumn as well.

I find giving the appellation “holiday trees” to decorated evergreens, real and fake, a bit ludicrous and ripe with denial. Everyone knows it is a Christmas tree. It originated in Germany, a Christian country, so it has a Christian connotation.

OU can set up its usual “holiday” tree display and proclaim its symbolism of cultural diversity and unity, but it really is a way of disguising the spirit of the season in which God has proclaimed “peace on earth to men of goodwill.”

I will embrace the spirit of goodwill, but please do not tell me that those decorated pines are not Christmas trees. A rose by any other name is still a rose.

Christmas is a long-standing part of American culture, even when it has been stifled under the rampant materialism that has made our society and economy so vulnerable.

Any attempt to euphemize or make Christmas politically correct suggests shame of the culture of the supposedly 80 percent Christian population and misguided cultural inclusiveness.

I do not have a problem with wishing members of other religions joy on their respective holidays, but to presume all December holidays are the equivalent to Christmas is insulting to both Christians and Jews and those others who celebrate holidays in December.

The Jewish feast of Hanukah is not nearly as significant as Yom Kippur or Passover.

We would respect all religions more adequately if we did not try to make them equal to each other.

I will not be offended and boycott Wal-Mart if anyone wishes me “happy holidays” or “season’s greetings,” and I will be equally happy if I hear “merry Christmas.”

And I do not expect OU to display a crèche.

However, I am all for prominent nativity scenes on church grounds — and my front yard.

I will celebrate Christmas this year with the lighting of my advent wreath, decorating a Christmas tree with my family, re-telling stories about Santa Claus and going to Christmas mass.

I also will wish happy holidays, the season’s greetings, a happy Hanukah and a merry Christmas to all.

even banning secular symbols of Christmas like Santa Claus, reindeer, evergreen trees and red and green decorations.

Simply because these symbols point to a Christian holiday does not mean they promote a public endorsement of Christianity.

I have no problem with decisions to display menorahs and stars and crescents alongside manger scenes and Santa Claus on public property for a display of superficial SARAH unity between the three ROSENCRANS major religions.

But there is no reason why private groups should not sponsor their own religious holiday display.

It is their money and their right to express their beliefs, so it is their right to choose to display a nativity scene if they so believe.

In regard to the greeting “happy holidays,” both secular and religious-minded people would do well to keep in mind that the etymology of “holiday” comes from the Old

Sarah Rosencrans is a zoology and biomedical science junior. Her column appears every other Tuesday.

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breaking a heart Over the years, I’ve found that the easiest way to lose a friend of the opposite sex is to date that friend.

While most young men and women spend an overwhelmingly stupid amount of time dreaming of going on another date and starting an exciting new relationship, many forget what typically occurs after all the fun stuff is over.

You guessed it: it’s the nasty, hatred-inspiring, sometimes vomit inducing and always verbally explosive breakup. And while no human should ever want to claim to be good at breakups, the following is an abbreviated list of “backdoor breakups” which most respectable humans should avoid.

The cold shoulder Used by players worldwide, the cold shoulder usually entails the screening of phone calls, ignoring text messages and generally forgetting the existence of a formerly significant other. The tactic has widespread appeal to players because of the enormously low amount of effort it requires. Perhaps the most degrading, insulting and offensive of the ways to break up, players often use this tactic to get even with the opposite sex after becoming victim of a heartbreak earlier in life.

While virtually effortless at the time of initial breakup, there is no limit to the wrath of the army of friends that a person suddenly acquires shortly after being given the cold shoulder. Use this tactic, and it might be a good idea to sleep with one eye open.

ERIC COMBS

The dump and run The old-fashioned dump and run is a tactic that includes an offender driving a car with the victim riding eagerly in the passenger seat.

At the end of a seemingly successful and fun date, the offender stops to drop off the victim at home, when suddenly the offender throws a curveball and tells the victim that the relationship has reached a point of no return.

With little explanation, the offender ends the relationship, coaxes the victim out of the car and speeds of into the night.

While in-person breakups are always the best solution, an abrupt dump and run is a half-hearted attempt at severing ties respectably.

Expect retribution in the form of destruction of property, typically the getaway car.

The “Dear John” text message This one’s a real doozie. Perhaps I should’ve mentioned it in my rules of text message etiquette I proposed earlier this semester in a column.

The “Dear John” text message is the millennium-age version of the “Dear John” letter, better known to Dumb and Dumber fans as the “John Deere” letter.

As you’ve likely figured out by now, this method involves sending an innocent-looking text message that eventually shows teeth with some sort of creative excuse such as “it’s not you, it’s me” or the ever-so-honest “I’m just not ready for a relationship” ploy.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that the relationship found its untimely death via cellular device, it often costs the victim the requisite ten cents to read the text message. Talk about kicking a guy while he’s down.At least an e-mail is free. Or if you’re really feeling frisky, send the person smoke signals. They’ll appreciate the effort.

Point shaving, or “tanking” An allusion to an athlete intentionally performing poorly in order to gain money or get out of a trouble with the mob, point shaving in a relationship is the most hysterically entertaining way to force a break up.

In point shaving, the offender becomes the victim by behaving so erratically and nonsensical that the victim is forced to end the relationship.

There are all kinds of methods to shave points in a relationship, which include but are not limited to: mass consumption of alcohol on consecutive nights, repeated references to the attractiveness of all your significant other’s friends, the sudden accumulation of medieval weaponry, constant video gaming and in the most extreme cases -- a spur-of-the-moment addiction to illicit drugs.

All of these actions bring about negative responses from a significant other. Repetition and combination of these actions will undoubtedly make you single in a matter of days.

And while you technically weren’t the one who did the heartbreaking, your reputation nevertheless suffers.

Regardless, it’s common for relationships and their endings to turn messy in a hurry. Taking a backdoor approach on someone, no matter how amazingly fun or easy it may be, is the fast lane to a less than amicable reputation.

So the next time you decide to ruin someone’s day, be sure to avoid these afore mentioned methods of mischief. Otherwise, the gruesome threads of JuicyCampus.com may await.

Eric Combs is a journalism senior. His column appears every other Tuesday.

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Arts & Entertainment

Adam Kohut, A&E editor dailyent@ou.edu phone: 325-5189, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

FUNK AND A FIREMAN • The Daily reviews Anathallo, The Fireman and our obscure Christmas album of the week: James Brown’s ‘Funky Christmas.’

ANATHALLO “Canopy Glow” anticon.

Anathallo may just be the best band you’ve never heard of, and the band’s latest release, “Canopy Glow,” absolutely demands that you rectify that situation immediately.

The Chicago-based seven-member group has released its most immediate album ever, even topping 2006’s ambitious “Floating World,” a record replete with lyrics in Japanese and an elaborate four-part story.

“Canopy Glow” is the most impeccable of folky alternative pop — guitarist/pianist Matt Joynt’s earnest vocals mingling with autoharp player Erica Froman’s delicate harmonies lead the charge, subversive song structures keep things interesting and unorthodox percussion methods and choral-inspired background vocals fill out the sound.

Song topics range from a Cool Whip baptismal to an accidental finger amputation, but at heart, the mem-

Photo provided

bers of Anathallo are just a bunch of band geeks — the backing brass instruments and symphonic sensibilities gave them away a long time ago.

But this is music that’s hardly reserved for your snooty music professor — “Canopy Glow” is one of the best albums of the year.

— DUSTY SOMERS/THE DAILY

THE FIREMAN, YOUTH AND PAUL MCCARTNEY “Electric Arguments” MPL Communications/ATO Records There’s no questioning Paul McCartney’s musical genius, but his recent output hasn’t exactly lived up to it. Until now, McCartney has come roaring back with a modest little side project that may just be his best work of the last several decades.

The Fireman is an experimental project McCartney formed with famed producer Youth in the early ‘90s.

The duo had released two instrumental electronic albums, but “Electric Arguments” is the first to incorporate vocals, most of which are McCartney’s.

“Electric Arguments” is an unmistakably experimental project, but its diverse forays into blues, rock

Photo provided

JAMES BROWN Cheese Factor: “Funky Christmas” Phantom Sound & Vision James Brown’s “Funky Christmas” takes the cake as most obscure Christmas album ever, turning our once humble concept of the holiday into a screaming, hollering, sweat-induced dance-a-thon and packing a little extra tongue into the mistletoe kiss this year.

The album ebbs and flows between funky explosive jams and soulful ballads, then suddenly ends at track 17, leaving the listener alone and slightly violated, shamefully assured that “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” will not be calling them back.

Photo provided

and techno all work, and McCartney’s forceful, often unpolished vocals sound great. The barn-burning “Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight” and “Highway” are McCartney at his best.

He sounds like he’s having fun, and there’s no wondering why — “Electric Arguments” is a solid hour of brilliant music from Sir Paul.

— DUSTY SOMERS/THE DAILY Yeah, he’s good.

I like “Funky Christmas” a lot because it’s actually a combination of Brown’s other Christmas albums from 1966, 1968 and 1970 (“Funky Christmas” was released in 2000). He didn’t release these songs as a washed up musician (cough, Kenny Rogers) in a last ditch effort to remain relevant. Mr. Superbad released “Funky Christmas” in his prime, when everyone wanted to be (or at least dance like) James Brown. Even now, hearing him sing “Please Come Home for Christmas,” temporarily convinced me to travel home to him myself.

The songs are kind of cheesy, but Brown can actually sell it in a way that makes it instantly impressive.

In “Santa Claus, Santa Claus” Brown screams, “Santa Claus, please, please, please don’t let me suffer so,” screaming each “please” in painfully successive, unintelligible octaves, as if Santa’s elves maliciously connected jumper cables to parts of his body as punishment for being a bad boy this winter.

But underneath the “peace, love and harmony” Christmas songs, Brown also injects social consciousness into this holiday album, most notably in “Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto.” In this song Brown authoritatively orders Santa Claus to take his presents “straight to the ghetto” this year, in a manner that has you picturing him wincing. He finishes his request with, “If anyone wanna know/tell them James Brown told you so/Santa Claus, go straight to the ghetto.” Pretty intense stuff.

Everybody needs to play this album at their Christmas parties this year. It should go on right after your guests are beginning to nod off during the Nat King Cole performance of “The Christmas Song.” It’ll perk them all up, and maybe even get you lucky.

— TYLER BRANSON/THE DAILY

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

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Native American ‘docu-drama’ to screen tonight in Meacham LIZZY LOPEZ The Oklahoma Daily “The Exiles,” a docu-drama following the lives of Native Americans in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles in the 1960s, will screen tonight in Meacham Auditorium in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

The film, written, directed and produced by Kent Mackenzie and shot in black and white, depicts the lively social scene of bar hopping and gambling that took place in the district. The docu-drama was created from narration of interviews with participants and their friends who left reservations to live in Los Angeles.

The Native American Journalists Association, Gamma Delta Phi and the Honors College will host the screening. NAJA is an organization that promotes Native American culture and tradition through journalism programs. The organization’s national base is located on the OU campus, and the screening marks the organization’s first major on-campus event.

“The organization itself has been around for 25 years,” said Jeffrey Palmer, education director of NAJA. “One of the reasons it moved here to the Norman campus is because in some ways Oklahoma is considered a Native American cultural center.”

There will also be a silent auction featuring framed photographs taken by Native American journalists from around the world. All proceeds will benefit the OU NAJA chapter.

“NAJA is so new to the campus, so it is a good way to get our name out there,” NAJA president Nicole Walls said.

Membership to NAJA is open to all students of any major.

‘THE EXILES’ When: 7 p.m. tonight Where: Meacham Auditorium in the Oklahoma Memorial Union How much: Free

Photo provided

“I became involved with NAJA after a friend of mine told me about it,” Tyler Knowles, public relations senior, said. “After a few meetings, I really started to learn more and more about NAJA and what they are all about, and I felt like I wanted to be a part of that.”

The student chapter meetings average approximately eight people, but the organization has 700 members nationwide.

“We want to include ourselves with other organizations on campus,” Palmer said. “Campus-wide is sort of the goal, so hopefully the screening will open the doors to people all over campus.”

Palmer said NAJA selected Mackenzie’s film is because it will attract a broad audience. The screening is free and open to the public.

“I would encourage students to come to the screening because it is a very informative documentary, and really teaches the audience about the struggles of Native American life, and how it has affected many,” Knowles said.

6

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HELP WANTED High energy waitstaff wanted! Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar. Apply in person: I-40 & Rockwell.

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America’s FAST LANE is now hiring lube techs, car wash attendants, service advisors, cashiers, and management trainees. Full and part-time positions are available with no experience necessary. Fast Lanes offers competitive pay, flexible schedules, and opportunity for advancement. Apply in person at 1235 West Main Street, Norman OK or call 321-5260.

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Hours are 2-9pm every other Tues; 2-9pm every Thurs; 2-9pm every other Fri; and 8am-2pm every Sunday. Apply in person between 9:004:00. Please see receptionist and be prepared to interview. 1221 Ed Noble Parkway.

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J Housing Rentals

APTS. UNFURNISHED VERY NICE!!!, 800 sf, 1 bdrm, living room, kitchen, bth, wood floors, 1 block OU, 1018 S College, $275/mo. Call 306-1970 or 360-2873.

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2 6 9 5 3 7 8 1 4

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Difficulty Schedule: Monday - Very Easy Tuesday - Easy Wednesday - Easy Thursday - Medium Friday - Hard

2

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.

Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker December 02, 2008

ACROSS 1 Where some get their kicks?

5 Imitate a donkey 9 Pizza feature 14 Canvas carrier 15 Act the femme fatale 16 It may exist among thieves 17 Having the necessary skill 18 Life sentences?

19 Confuse 20 Some bars 23 “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” girl 24 “What’s the ___?” (quitter’s comment) 25 Went off at an angle 27 Vampire feature 31 Much of boot camp 33 Lengthwise 34 Bearing 35 State number 45 38 Arthur Murray teaching 39 Badminton opener 40 Sub assembler 41 Unescorted 42 Walk-on parts?

43 Source of irritation 44 Manage a museum

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1

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.

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Nice, large 3-4 bd, 826 Jona Kay, 3/2/2/2 living, fp, 2000sf, $950/mo; 2326 Lindenwood, 4/2.5/2/3 living, 2400sf, $995/mo. 360-2873 or 306-1970.

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10 Angler’s item 11 Automotive handling problem 12 What you’re trying to do 13 Sneaker surface 21 Cask’s stopper 22 Just like ewe?

26 Slipped through one’s hands 27 Mama with a strong voice 28 Doo-wop group member 29 Playwright who’s afraid of Christmas?

30 Move like a rushing wind 31 Mournful tune 32 Guns, Indy-style

Previous Answers

34 Be introduced to 36 Menlo park middle name 37 Goes quickly 39 Partner of burn 43 Feet in a pound 45 Not long past 46 More submissive 47 Destroy, as a pumpkin 48 Olga’s peer 49 Camel’s cousin 52 Too 53 Stationer’s order 54 “___ and the Swan” (Yeats) 55 Cosmetics name 56 Marathon unit 57 Overloaded, as a fuse 59 Robt. E. Lee, for one

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46 Light, patterned cloth 47 Causes of rude awakenings 49 Fictional Archer 50 Breadbasket 51 Elia the essayist 58 “Measure twice, cut once,” e.g.

60 News source, sometimes 61 “___ Under the Sun” 62 Warning wailer 63 Equivalent 64 Charity distribution 65 Somewhat common contraction 66 Barbra’s costar in 1968 67 Turn over ___ leaf DOWN 1 Deer fellow 2 “I Am a Lonesome ___” (Bob Dylan song) 3 “___ put hair on your chest” 4 Can’t be without 5 Women’s wear daily?

6 100 kopecks 7 Bittersweet covering 8 Himalayan humanoid 9 Coco of fashion

Sports

Corey DeMoss, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu phone: 325-7630, fax: 325-6051 For more, go to oudaily.com.

Stoops reaches 10th anniversary

7

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK Bradford tears thumb ligaments

• Head coach reflects on his decade at OU

Head coach Bob Stoops confirmed that sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford tore ligaments in the thumb of his non-throwing hand during the first half of OU’s victory over Oklahoma State Saturday.

The Sooners were forced to change to a predominately shotgun formation in the second half because the injury made it difficult for Bradford to handle snaps from under center. However, Stoops said he does not expect to be limited in the formations OU can use against Missouri.

“We feel confident that [Bradford] will be able take snaps and do everything as usual,” Stoops said.

JOEY HELMER The Oklahoma Daily It’s official: Head coach Bob Stoops has been at OU for 10 years.

Monday marked the 10-year anniversary of Athletic Director Joe Castiglione’s hiring of Stoops back on Dec. 1, 1998.

“It’s hard to believe it’s 10 years today,” Stoops said. “[I was] standing right here with the team. I remember.”

Stoops, who graduated from the University of Iowa in 1983, has had an illustrious first decade as head coach.

He held up the crystal football in January 2001 after the Sooners won the 2000 BCS National Championship at the Orange Bowl.

He has guided the Sooners to seven Big 12 championship appearances, including the one the Sooners are set to play this weekend.

OU has won four of the six it has played in during the Stoops era.

He has posted a 108-23 career record (.823 winning percentage).

And Stoops has led the Sooners to four bowl victories, including the 2000 National Championship.

OU also won the 2002 Cotton Bowl, 2003 Rose Bowl and 2005 Holiday Bowl.

A Sooner team under Stoops has never finished worse than second in the Big 12 South.

Stoops reflected on some of the defining moments of his career at OU. “Heck, you know, two years ago when we removed our quarterback [Rhett Bomar] from the team at the start of the year, no one gave us a prayer [to win the conference],” — Head Stoops said. “We bring in Paul Thompson from wide receiver back and do it.

I mean, that year was one of the more ... pleasing ones in the end of the year.”

OU went on to win the Big

Stoops regrets not calling time out Stoops said he wishes he called a time out after defensive back Nic Harris came up with a fumble recovery that officials did not call during a third quarter drive that led to an OSU touchdown Saturday.

Stoops said he did not call the timeout because he was under the impression the play was already under review.

“I assumed that [the referees] had reviewed it because they review all plays, or at least they tell me,” Stoops said. “Obviously, I don’t think that one was; they haven’t told me. But I should have called a timeout.”

Instant replay clearly showed that defensive end Jeremy Beal forced the fumble before the OSU running back hit the ground, but officials did not see it before the next play began.

Box out 3-4 weeks with sprained knee Middle linebacker Austin Box sprained his knee in Saturday’s victory and will be out at least three weeks.

The Sooners used junior college transfer Mike Balogun in place of Box Saturday, and Balogun will get the start this Saturday against Missouri.

English could be back for Big 12 Championship AP Photo

Head coach Bob Stoops reacts after a touchdown during the Sooners’ Nov. 22 game against Texas A&M. Stoops reached the 10th anniversary of his tenure Monday, a period during which OU has never finished worse than second in its division.

12 Championship, the last time it played in Kansas City, over Nebraska 21-7 before later losing in the Fiesta Bowl to Boise State.

Stoops also chose his favorite road game. “[Texas] A&M in the 2000 year,” Stoops said. “The biggest play we had was Torrance Marshall’s [interception].”

With the Sooners trailing by three midway through the fourth quarter in College Station, Marshall picked off a pass and sprinted down the sideline 41 for what coach Bob yards turned into a Stoops game-clinching return for a touchdown.

And there’s no surprise for his choice of favorite home game. “[My] favorite game here would be the 2000 Nebraska game,”

“It’s hard to believe it’s 10 years today. [I was] standing right here with the team. I remember.”

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Stoops said. “The fans storming the field; they just couldn’t hold it in anymore. And the way the game happened, being down early the first two possessions, on top of us 14-0, and then to come back and win like we did.”

OU went on to win 31-14 over the Cornhuskers.

That victory marked Sooner football’s return to prominence.

OU had beaten the No. 1 team in the nation and took over that spot for the first time in nearly 13 years.

But there are many special moments for Stoops and the Sooners since he’s arrived. Not any single one takes the cake.

“All of them are special,” Stoops

said. “Again, all the championships are always special.”

Compare the 10 years prior to Stoops’ arrival, and it’s easy to see the comparative success he’s had.

Between the three previous coaches in the decade prior to Stoops’ arrival, OU won a total of 61 games, compared to Stoops’ 108.

Out of the three — Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger and John Blake — only Gibbs won more than 40 games. He finished his career with 44 victories.

With a couple more successful years, Stoops is already set to double the amount of victories by the three preceding him combined.

Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Monday that injured defensive end Auston English might be capable of playing this weekend against Missouri.

“I think [English] will continue to progress throughout the week,” Venables said. “We don’t want to overwhelm him because physically he hasn’t been out there, so we’re working him into good shape and hopefully he’ll be able to help us.”

Wilson named a Broyles Award finalist Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson was named as a finalist for the Broyles Award, which honors the best assistant coach in college football.

“Kevin is a sharp guy, does a great job in developing this offense and using all of the pieces he has to work with, motivating [the players] and keeping them sharp, Stoops said. “He’s done everything and more.”

This is the second time Wilson has been a finalist for the Broyles Award.

He was first nominated in 2000 when he was the offensive coordinator at Northwestern.

— DAILY STAFF

HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- In situations where you are strongly motivated to provide for those you love, things will turn out to be far more fortunate than you could imagine. The more you give, the greater the return.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Although obstacles that impede the progress for others may also slow you down, they’re not apt to stop you from moving forward on your plans. Your will to win is extraordinary.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- You’ll be right to give credence to your hunches or insights, especially when they pertain to your involvement with friends.

Your psyche will perceive what your intellect misses.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -When it comes to something you want to accomplish that needs assistance, the wise thing is to pick someone who is smarter than you. Don’t let ego direct you otherwise.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You’ll realize that one of the biggest secrets for favorable commercial dealings is to show a willingness to cooperate. When you do, others will respond in kind to the example you set.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Conditions could take a turn for the better with regard to a recently established joint endeavor. Both you and your counterpart will recognize this, and take full advantage of the good circumstances.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -With a lot of patience, success is PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -Don’t hesitate to establish contact indicated at this time. Make it a point to not prematurely tip your with persons of influence when given the chance. They will secure hand by saving some of your aces for the final stages when important connections that you you’ll want to go all out. couldn’t make on your own.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -Your popularity will grow because you’ll let friends take the bows for things primarily created by you. You’ll make a big deal out of the roles they play.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- An opportunity to work once again with someone who has proven to be a fortunate contact will turn out successfully. This project might even be larger than the last one.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -Giving everything you have will not be readily forgotten by those you’re trying to help. Although you may not be seeking any pats on the back, acknowledgements will be forthcoming.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Try to get your pals to arrange their schedules to set up a social get-together. Gadding about town with your best friends will prove to be a happy occasion for all.

8

Sports

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

STAFF COLUMN

Warren helps OU find identity W

Michelle Gray/The Daily

Freshman Whitney Hand (25) prepares to drive during OU’s Nov. 23 game against North Carolina. Hand, who was selected as the Big 12 co-Freshman of the Year, leads the Sooners with nine three pointers this season.

Sooners get helping Hand • Freshman helps OU’s outside shooting ANNELISE RUSSELL The Oklahoma Daily The face of the OU women’s basketball is changing this season and it is due in large part to the success of freshman Whitney Hand.

While Hand is only six games into her college career, her important role is already signaled by the buzz surrounding the young guard and her spot in the Sooners’ starting lineup.

The freshman hails from Fort Worth, Texas, where she led successful high school and club basketball teams. Hand was part of back-to-back state championship teams at Liberty Christian High School.

Hand described that team as an eight-senior fantasy team with

some of her best friends.

Athletics is in Hand’s blood.

Her father was a major league pitcher with the Cleveland Indians, Anaheim Angels and Texas Rangers.

“I think you’re kind of bred for it,” Hand said.

The Texan signed with Oklahoma after giving all the schools in her state a quick look over.

“I just was not a fan of any of the Texas schools,” Hand said, so she ended up north of the Red River.

Coming out of high school, Hand was nationally ranked as one of the nation’s top recruits.

SLAM Magazine labeled her the No. 1 shooting guard in Texas and the No. 5 shooting guard in the nation.

The high school All-American finished her high school career with numerous state and local accolades, including the 2008 TAPPS Large Division Player of the Year.

Coming into the college system

Tyler Metcalfe/The Daily

Whitney Hand (25) tries to keep the ball in bounds during OU’s Nov. 21 game against Arizona State.

is a big change, but her role hasn’t changed much. She was brought in because of her ability to hit shots from long range. Even in her first handful of games, Hand could be seen streaking to the corner for quick three-pointers.

Toward the end of last season, it was clear the Sooners were not able to consistently put points on the board, but Hand could be one of the solutions that problem.

After only six games this season, Hand is already a leading scorer and threat from the threepoint line. In last week’s game against Marist, Hand took control of the game with a team-high 20 points, shooting 50 percent from the three-point line.

The freshman once beat Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry in a 3-point competition. That speaks volumes to the type of player head coach Sherri Coale is looking for.

Hand said she knows she was recruited because she is a shooter, but despite the label, she hopes to help out wherever she is needed.

“I just want to contribute in any way that I can,” Hand said, “I hope I can bring something to the team.”

So far this season, that means drawing the defense out of the paint or putting up the three.

The transition from high school to college can be overwhelming, and that feeling is no different for Hand.

“Your mentality, competition, and everything is different,” Hand said. “It’s pretty intense when practice starts.”

Hand should not have trouble with schoolwork after coming out of high school graduating No. 3 in her class, but she said things have been different balancing school and basketball in college.

“It’s been a big roller coaster,” Hand said, “but I could not ask for a better team”.

Hand is very gracious about the opportunity she was given to work with a team of experienced, senior players.

“It is awesome to learn from the best,” Hand said.

Senior and team leader Ashley Paris said having Hand on board is very beneficial, and she just wants to make sure they enjoy the experience. She also talked about the impact Hand has on the court.

“She is very versatile, she is tall, and she is a sound player,” Paris said.

Paris is not the only one taking notice of Hand’s hard work in

practice and games.

Coale said she is very pleased with the hard work Hand has been putting in.

“We’re very excited to have Whitney Hand as part of our program,” Coale said. “Her skill set is extraordinary, she’s big and strong and talented.”

Coale was upfront about the weakness she saw in her team from beyond the three-point line last year, and she said she sees Hand as an important addition.

“Her accuracy from beyond the arch is uncanny,” Coale said. “Her offensive IQ is going to be her ace.”

Hand shot 45 percent from the three-point line as a junior in high school, and since she has been at OU she is scoring almost two outside shots every game and shooting over 83 percent from the free throw line.

Although the freshman seems comfortable now that the season is underway, she said she still has a lot to work on.

“It’s just taking it one step at a time because everything is new,” Hand said.

Coale said Hand is conscious of her weaknesses and the most obvious is when the Sooners don’t have the ball.

“If you ask Whitney what her weaknesses are she will say everything on the defensive side,” Coale said.

Hand got her first chance to alleviate some of her jitters in the Sooners first preseason game against Western State. Hand put up 14 points in the exhibition game.

Hand said she was nervous once the lights came, but once things got going her nerves calmed.

Hand is poised to be a strong force for the Sooners and the long season will only prove to be helpful in her growth as a player.

Tough losses to North Carolina and Connecticut are only stepping stones in her route to improve her game.

While Hand still has some freshman mistakes and kinks to work out, some on the team think she’s ready.

“She’s only 19 years old, but she plays like a 22-year-old,” Paris said.

hat a difference a year makes. Well, a year coupled with the addition of one of the most highly regarded freshmen in the country.

Last week I wrote that the men’s basketball team’s trip to Madison Square Garden in New York City would provide the Sooners with a significant learning opportunity.

But like any opportunity, the Sooners had to take advantage of it.

College provides the opportunity to learn, but the student must put in the effort in order to reap the benefits.

Similarly, OU’s two games in the Big Apple last week gave the Sooners the chance to find out who they are as a team.

And they did.

ERIC Credit Willie Warren for marching to the front of the class, picking up the chalk and passing out DAMA the lesson plan.

His 22 points, three assists and three steals in OU’s overtime victory over No. 10 Purdue Friday in the NIT Season Tip-Off final were a major indicator that he and his teammates are aware of what is necessary for success this season.

Warren was recruited largely because of his tremendous ability to attack the basket and either score the bucket or draw the foul— or both, which has been the case many times this season.

But during the first several games, the freshman seemed hesitant to handle the ball and content to settle for outside jump shots that obviously weren’t falling.

Warren gradually began making a concerted effort to drive the ball inside the paint, until finally — in OU’s 82-78 thrilling win over Davidson — he scored 20 points and looked like the player Jeff Capel hoped he was getting when he recruited the guard last year.

Warren reached the free throw line 13 times against Purdue, scoring 11 of his 22 points from the charity stripe.

Blake Griffin already commands enough attention from opposing players inside the paint.

With Warren’s attack-first mindset, if he doesn’t score on his way to the basket, he’ll either draw a foul or swing the ball out to the perimeter where shooters like Cade Davis and Tony Crocker can hit the open shot.

And that’s exactly what the Sooners need to do to succeed. They learned that much in New York.

Last year, OU played a schizophrenic style of basketball.

Nobody — players, coaches or fans — seemed to know what was going to happen when the Sooners took the court.

They had the ability to play with some of the top teams in the country (see: win against Gonzaga and at West Virginia), but they also lost games that left you scratching your head in disbelief (see: home loss to Stephen F. Austin).

This OU team, however, knows what it’s doing.

The Sooners have already beaten two top-25 teams, and have proved in each of the last three games (against Purdue, GardnerWebb, and Davidson), that they can keep their composure when it’s close and late in the game.

Warren is the key to the Sooners dangerous inside-outside game because he has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor.

His performance in New York proved that much.

More importantly, it gave the Sooners the much-needed identity it so desperately struggled to find last year.

— ERIC DAMA IS A JOURNALISM SOPHOMORE.