The Oklahoma Daily

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VOL. 94, NO. 122 FREE — Additional Copies 25¢

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2009 © 2009 OU Publications Board

Famous pollster praises youthful zeal, uniqueness of college generation • Nation’s 18-29 year olds ‘first global’ generation SANDRA KUNZWEILER AND LEIGHANNE MANWARREN The Oklahoma Daily

Elizabeth Nalewajk/The Daily

John Zogby (right), founder and CEO of Zogby International, addresses students during an informal discussion held Monday evening at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. OU President David Boren invited Zogby to discuss the future of America and how students, ages 18-29 years old, affect global changes each day.

WHAT’S INSIDE

POLLSTER Continues on page 2

More National Merit Scholars may flock to OU

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Want to stop smoking but can’t kick the habit? Check out The Daily’s how-to Tuesday to see what you can do to curb the addiction.

Page g 3.

Today’s college generation is leading the nation into a world without borders.

John Zogby, internationally noted pollster, told students they are the first of their kind in a speech Monday evening at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. “You are America’s first global citizens,” he said.

Today’s generation is not apathetic like some believe, Zogby said. He said he feels optimistic toward what he called the generation of the “first globals.”

Members of a generations are determined by two age cohorts: where they are in their life cycle and what historic event dominates their lives, he said. Events for past genera-

tions have been Pearl Harbor and the Cold War. Today it is the speed of technology.

“You are growing up in an age of globalization, which defines you more than anyone else,” Zogby said.

The generation of the “first globals,” ages 18-29, have more ready access to information, which leads to a world of network opportunities.

“When we ask who are your friends ... friends used to be immediate and personal ... friends today are your network,” Zogby said. “‘I have a friend in Thailand,’ I’ll hear. You are global in every way, shape and form.”

But not all members of the “first globals” have the same perception of theirs and other countries.

Zogby said because some countries are rising again, members of the “first globals” generation in the United States are more likely to be “citizens of the Earth.”

“A global citizen in China or Russia is decidedly different from a global citizen here, because nationalism and ultra-nationalism and the appeal to national greatness

See what the OU College of Dentistry is doing to help bring dental care to rural Oklahoma communities on page 5.

Gov. Brad Henry is trying to end the derogatory use of the words “retard” and “retarded.”

Page 2.

LIFE & ARTS Excited about the Norman Music Festival?

Check out New Music Tuesday on page 9 for reviews of some of the expected bands.

The Lyric Theatre’s “Woody Sez” features Oklahoma native Woody Guthrie’s songs while telling the famous singer’s story. Check out more on page 10.

SPORTS The women’s basketball team is looking to move on to the Elite Eight after cruising past Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Sooners match up against Purdue tonight for a shot at the Final Four. Page 6.

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The baseball team finished up its threegame series against Nebraska Monday, taking the game 16-6. See the full story on page 7.

Elizabeth Nalewajk/The Daily

National Merit Scholars gathered in the Great Reading Room in Bizzell Memorial Library in October for OU’s new nationally televised commercial. Fifty more National Merit Scholar high school students already have applied to OU compared to the same time in the spring 2008 semester.

• Scholarship package among factors that make OU more enticing RENEÉ SELANDERS The Oklahoma Daily OU has long been known for its National Merit Scholars, but the current economic climate might bring in even more this fall.

About 50 more National Merit Scholar high school students have

applied to OU than at this same time last spring, LeeAnn Victery, OU National Scholars Office director said in an e-mail.

In addition to the increase in applicants, the office is recruiting 100 more National Merit seniors than last year, Victery said.

Ranking in the top 20 of all public universities for the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled, OU has consistently recruited these scholars for the past 25 years. A scholarship package that provides resident tuition waivers, partial non-resident tuition waivers and allowances for laptops and study abroad brings many National Merit Scholars to OU, Victery

Amy Frost / The Daily

TODAY’S INDEX Campus Notes 5 Classifieds 8 8 Crossword Horoscope 9 L&A 9, 10

News 3, 5 Opinion 4 Police Reports 5 Sports 6, 7 Sudoku 8

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said.

“I think that they’re looking for a top school where they can excel academically and OU definitely provides that,” Victery said.

The increase in applicants is beneficial for OU but it’s hard to pinpoint the cause, she said. Tough competition for prestigious private schools can make high school seniors, especially National Merit Scholars, apply to more schools to cover all their bases.

National Merit Scholars do apply to private universities but the enticing scholarship is a reason for OU’s high numbers, said Brittany Stidham, National Scholars Program student

assistant.

“Basically the conversation generally turns to, ‘You know this is such a great scholarship that we have to give it a shot,’” said Stidham, public relations sophomore.

The recession is affecting many families’ finances and high school students are keeping that in mind when they visit OU and make their final selections, she said.

“The economy definitely comes up a lot of times whenever I’ve been talking to them about the scholarship,” Stidham said. “That tends to be a consideration when they’re looking at the scholarship and looking at the other

SCHOLARS Continues on page 2

New grant aims to recruit teachers to help low-income areas • $4K annual scholarship requires four-year postgraduate commitment CLARK FOY The Oklahoma Daily A new scholarship for education majors could help education students face the struggling economy, if they are willing to commit to four years of teaching in Oklahoma’s poorest neighborhoods.

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program will be available for the first time this semester.

The grant will give education majors $4,000 per year under a few conditions.

Students who receive the grant must agree

EDUCATION Continues on page 2

Merrill Jones/The Daily

A new scholarship will offer funds for education majors who promise to teach in lowerincome areas after graduation.

The grant available for education majors will pay $4,000 per year for high-importance education majors, such as math.

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News

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Education Continued from page 1

to teach in low-income areas for four academic years after they graduate. The four years of teaching must be completed within eight years after the grant student receives their degree.

The scholarship is available to education majors who agree to work in “high need areas,” said Gregg Garn, associate dean of the College of Education.

Education majors focusing in math, science, special education, foreign language and reading education are in the highest demand.

“It is a great opportunity and is also very timely,” Garn said. “[TEACH] will help out lots of kids who are in need of money because of the economy.”

“I think it is a really great thing,” said Claire Schroepfer, language arts education sophomore. “I know a lot of people who want to go teach in low-income schools and raise their test scores, so this is great for them because it is supporting their passion.”

Schroepfer said she would not be interested in the grant, however.

“I know that a lot of other people have that passion. It just isn’t mine,” Schroepfer said. “Also, I would be nervous to plan out the next 4-8 years of my life after college because you just never know what could happen.”

If students who receive the grant back out after graduating or do not complete their four-year commitment within eight years of graduating, the grant will be converted into a Stafford loan that must be paid back with interest.

Garn said he is still optimistic about the program because it gives new incentives to teach students in low-income areas.

“It is a really good program that will get the best teachers into areas where they are most needed,” Garn said. “I am very excited for it.”

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.

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

ODD

State takes steps to stamp out ‘R word’ • Governor targets disability discrimination CADIE THOMPSON The Oklahoma Daily Gov. Brad Henry is taking action to end offensive language toward people with disabilities.

The governor declared today “Spread the Word to End the ‘R’ Word Day” to raise awareness about how the word “retard” or “retarded” negatively impacts people with disabilities and their families.

The day is nationally recognized and promoted by the Special Olympics, but Wanda and Rick Felty of Norman petitioned the governor to make it officially observed in Oklahoma.

The Feltys, who have a daughter with multiple disabilities, started a grassroots campaign in April 2007 to raise awareness about the disrespectful nature of the words.

“Our whole effort is to encourage and empower fami-

Pollster Continued from page 1

in this new world is something very much on the minds of people in China and Russia,” he said. “They are apt in emerging or re-emerging as global powers [and they] are making young people, at the same time, more global and more national than here at the states.”

Zogby used polls that show babyboomers couldn’t locate Vietnam on a map as an example of the “first globals’” knowledge of the world

Student receives top honor, grant An OU student has received a prestigious national award based on leadership, academics and the “likelihood of making a difference” in the world.

Political science and history junior Matthew Gress was the only Oklahoma student named a Truman Scholar.

Recipients of the honor must be committed to careers in government or non-profit areas and are given $30,000 for graduate study.

“The university is extremely proud of Matthew Gress for his academic

lies, and let them know it’s OK to speak out against the word itself and against the attitude,” Wanda Felty said.

Felty said she and her husband have always felt passionately about fighting negative attitudes toward people with mental retardation. But a specific incident spurred the couple to start speaking out against such discrimination.

While shopping at a grocery store, she heard another customer comment, “I don’t know why they let people like that live,” in reference to the Felty’s daughter.

“That was the first I had ever seen the effects of the prejudice,” Wanda said. “We looked into it further and realized people don’t take people with disabilities seriously, and it starts a whole cycle.”

According to the 2005 U.S. Census Bureau, there are 604,245 people in Oklahoma with disabilities and about 50,000 people in the state have developmental disabilities.

Jenny Hughes, a special education teacher in the Enid Public School District, said she has not noticed people using the word “retarded,” but said she knows negative attitudes toward people with disabilities exist.

Hughes, a 30-year veteran of special education, said

around them.

“They may not know where Darfur is on a map, but what makes these 20-somethings so different today than previous cohorts of 20-somethings is that they know there is a Darfur on the map,” he said.

Another difference between this generation and prior generations is how it assesses cultural issues.

“One of the things that I’m proudest of the first globals is the position on things like abortion,” Zogby said.

“First globals tilt pro-choice but by and large what they tell us in a poll is ‘Give me the situation and let’s evaluate the situation and I will tell you whether it

record and his leadership abilities,” OU President David Boren said. “Above all, we are proud of his commitment to give back to the broader community and to serving others.”

Gress was raised in Cyrill and currently holds a 3.96 GPA. He lists Stanford as his first choice for graduate studies in both the law school and school of education program in policy, organization and leadership studies.

Gress is active in many student organizations and won several leadership positions at OU. He has been part of Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature since his

“We looked into it further and realized people don’t take people with disabilities seriously, and it starts a whole cycle.”

Wanda Felty, Norman resident and mother of disabled daughter she realizes the word can be offensive, but said she is not sure establishing a day is the best resolution. The day could draw unwanted negative attention to people with disabilities, she said.

“Instead of End the ‘R’ Word Day, it should be Learn the ‘R’ Word Day and it should be ‘respect,’” Hughes said.

is legitimate.’ Why didn’t we think of that?”

Many students approached Zogby to thank him for refuting the preconceived notions of their generation, he said.

“I think that the hope he gave our generation is appealing,” said Chris Shilling, psychology senior.

OU President David Boren said he, like Zogby, is optimistic about the future of this generation of students.

“I think it is fascinating to look at the attitudes of this generation, and to think about how they are likely to change America and make America what it will be 20 years from now,”

freshman year and is running for governor of the organization after serving as representative, senator and attorney general. Gress was also a member of the President’s Leadership Class, Oklahoma Student Government Association, OU Political Science Club and student advisory council for the Political Science Department.

Gress also has participated in UOSA since 2007 after serving as external affairs chair last semester.

Gress will intern this summer with Congressman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., in Washington.

— CLARK FOY/THE DAILY

Boren said. “I hope to be around to see that.”

Zogby said he appreciates the diversity, fearlessness and level of intelligence he sees in the students who attend his lectures nationwide.

“Universities really have become places where a lot people think, and I am appreciating that more and more,” he said. “I think just the very fact that it is different for people to be with people of different cultures, and to be in a world of ideals to have so much to worry about with the world at large, compared to the previous generation that went to college [who] were clueless.”

Scholars Continued from page 1

schools that they’ve applied to.”

Sara Brown, anthropology and Russian senior, said the National Merit scholarship was the biggest factor in her decision to come to OU as a freshman.

“I think a lot of people can say that,” she said.

“It’s probably the best deal you’re going to get.”

But the scholarship’s link to the economy isn’t certain, Victery said.

“While these are both good indicators that OU would see an increased enrollment of National Merit Scholars this fall, it is impossible to make predictions at this point because of so many other factors involved,” she said.

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Tuesday

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

3

Kick the habit: quitting smoking

• Curb your cravings and save some money RICKY MARANON The Oklahoma Daily With tobacco taxes going up once again, quitting smoking looks like a quick way to save a dollar.

Cigarettes are the most popular form of tobacco in America, and also are the most popular tobacco product to tax.

On Wednesday, taxes on people who roll their own cigarettes will increase from $1.10 per pound of tobacco to $24.78 per pound.

Even when untaxed, cigarette smokers are still are faced with rising costs. This month the price of a pack of cigarettes rose 75 cents because of increased production cost.

All smoking-cessation aids are focused on one ingredient in cigarettes: nicotine. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance in tobacco products and helps users feel calm and satisfied while being awake and focused.

There are many options to help you quit smoking. Some respond

to certain treatments better than ket that claim to help users stop others, so if one doesn’t work, don’t smoking. Zyban and Chantix are two prescriptions that help many give up.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stop smoking, and are approved by the FDA. Chantix was proven in six clinical studies to help people lose Gum, patch, lozenge the urge to smoke.

There are three types of prodA third remedy is Smoke Away. It ucts that can work independently is an all-natural herbal supplement or together to give smokers a small that has received mixed reviews. dose of nicotine to temporarily sat- Smoke Away is not FDA approved, isfy cravings. but it is sold on some late-night None of these remedies should infomercials.

Source: Food and Drug Administration be used as the “cure all� to kicking the habit. The gum is intended to be a saving grace when sudden cravings attack. It comes in boxes Support groups of 110 to 170 pieces.

Both federal and state governThe patch is placed on the upper ments have taken steps to set up arm and is intended to be the main support lines to assist those who means to quit smoking by allowing want to kick the habit. In addition nicotine to be absorbed through to the “Tobacco Stops with Me� the skin. campaign, the Oklahoma Tobacco Lozenges are another option Helpline is set up in association with when trying to fight the nicotine the Centers for Disease Control and craving. It is a candy-like tablet that Prevention to help smokers of all comes in many flavors. ages. The number will put you in No matter what product you contact with a trained counselor. choose, each one is supposed to Some support groups offer free deliver enough nicotine to beat nicotine replacement treatments cravings. such as those previously mentioned.

Source: CVS pharmacist To reach the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Pills

Elizabeth Nalewajk/The Daily

Source: Center for Disease Control: Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline

There are three pills on the mar-

With an increase in taxes, smokers must decide whether to kick the habit or pay more to satisfy their cravings.

CAMPUS BRIEFS Vietnite returns to campus After a three-year hiatus, the Society of Vietnamese Students is bringing back Vietnite to OU Tuesday in the Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom.

The sixth Vietnite, an evening of events celebrating Vietnamese culture, is returning to OU after low membership in the Society of Vietnamese Students left the group without enough manpower to put on the function since 2005, said Lena Phan, president of the organization.

Phan said this year’s event, “Impressive Vietnam,� will be divided into three primary

portions: a cultural dance, a fashion show featuring traditional Vietnamese dress and a dinner of authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

The purpose of Vietnite 2009 is not only to display Vietnamese culture, but also to introduce a new side of a country that has a very politicized reputation in the U.S., Phan said. “We just want to introduce the feeling of Vietnam and how it has changed during the last 30 years,� Phan said. “I just think people would be interested in knowing a new Vietnam.�

The event begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Dinner tickets are $4 and can be purchased at the door.

Union evacuated briefly

I-35 construction continues

The Oklahoma Memorial Union was evacuated completely Monday afternoon due to a small bag of overcooked popcorn, OUPD Sergeant Tim Tucker said.

Fire alarms sounded shortly before 4 p.m. and the building immediately was evacuated. “We heard the ďŹ re alarm, smelled the smoke and then just left,â€? said Kari Dawkins, volunteer coordinator in the Student Leadership Development OďŹƒce.

Members of the OU community were allowed to re-enter the building around 4 p.m.

Motorists will be aected by two o-ramp and lane closures as construction continues on Interstate 35 in Norman.

The southbound I-35 o-ramp to eastbound Robinson Street closed Sunday evening and is expected to reopen by the end of April, said David Meuser, Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman.

Meuser said motorists could still access eastbound and westbound Robinson using the westbound o-ramp.

The southbound I-35 o-ramp to US-77 is scheduled to close Wednesday evening as

workers replace the bridge over northbound I-35. The ramp is scheduled to reopen in four months.

Meuser said north and southbound I-35 will be narrowed to one lane as crews move barrier walls and repaint stripes on the pavement from around 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day. It will reopen to two lanes both directions during the day.

Phase One of the construction is scheduled for completion in summer 2010. “We are on the target, time wise,� Meuser said. “Overall we have been very pleased at this point at how things are going.� —DAILY STAFF REPORTS

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4

Opinion

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

OUR VIEW

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

GOVERNMENT MOTORS?

New education grant a step in right direction for Okla.

Oklahoma needs an education in good educaThis program would keep teachers who might tion. otherwise leave for higher salaries in Kansas or Right now, the education system in the Sooner Texas in the state for at least four years.

State is struggling. According to the Oklahoma It’s a good investment for Oklahoma: $16,000 in Department of Education, our state exchange for at least four more years of ranks 46th in per-pupil spending at more OUR VIEW service. There’s a good chance that after teaching for four years, which the grant than $2,300 below the national average. is an editorial recipients have eight years to do before It also ranks 42nd in average teacher salselected and debated by the editorial board the grant turns into a loan, the teachers ary at about $9,000 below the national and written after a will stay in Oklahoma long term. They average. majority opinion is are likely to have lives established and That’s unacceptable. formed and approved by the editor. Our View much more than four years invested by But a new grant program for educais The Daily’s official the time their four years is up. tion students could be a step in the opinion.

While the grant is a step in the right right direction. The Teacher Education direction, it’s also not enough. Salary Assistance for College and Higher Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Education grant gives education majors $4,000 increases and dollars per student need to ultiGeneral Motors CEO Rick Wagoner, Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli, Ford CEO Alan Mulally, testify at a Senate Banking, Housing per year if they will teach in Oklahoma for four mately increase if Oklahoma is to be more than a national education embarrassment. In the mean- and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Nov. 18. Wagoner resigned Sunday at the request of the Obama administration. years after they graduate.

Discuss his exit and more at OUDaily.com at the opinion page blog. time, the TEACH grant will do.

See Page 1 for more details.

STAFF COLUMN

Legalize marijuana, save more lives Two years ago, Mexican President Felipe Calderón declared his intention to shut down Mexico’s drug cartels.

The only significant effect this new effort seems to have had is to trigger an eruption of violence.

The University of San Diego TransBorder Institute estimates 7,337 lives have been lost in Mexico’s drug war, including more than 1,500 deaths in 2009 alone.

Compare that to, for instance, the 4,260 U.S. casualties of the Iraq War. This slaughter is not driven primarily by cocaine, methamphetZAC amine or even heroin.

Marijuana, accordSMITH ing to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is the “cash crop” of Mexican drug cartels. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said up to 70 percent of Mexican violence is fueled by the marijuana trade.

The majority of marijuana exported from Mexico goes to the U.S., a country whose own war on drugs, though having gone on for much longer than two years, shows a similar lack of progress.

Since its declaration by President Richard Nixon in 1971, the U.S. War on Drugs has absorbed greater and greater amounts of money.

Government figures for 2009 predict

the spending of at least $22.1 billion.

That’s about $700 per second, assuming no unexpected costs of any kind are incurred. And, if the trend of the past 37 years continues, next year this figure will be higher.

And what are these billions of tax dollars buying?

Marijuana continues to be grown in significant quantities in every state, and is available cheaply and conveniently almost everywhere.

With such plentiful resources available, why is it the War on Drugs seems incapable of even denting marijuana commerce and usage?

Truth or D.A.R.E.?

My own experience with socially focused antidrug programs has led me to conclude that while they are wellequipped in material terms, they are usually coordinated with ineptitude and naivete.

Take the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program.

D.A.R.E. consumes more than $1 billion per year, some of which is contributed by the government.

It’s fabulously popular with teachers and parents, having been implemented in 75 percent of U.S. school districts with the help of more than 7,800 law enforcement officers.

D.A.R.E. assemblies, as I remember them, were a mixture of smarmy inspirationalism and scare tactics. When we

weren’t learning about positivity and teamwork as taught by “Daren,” the anthropomorphic, sunglasses-wearing lion, we were hearing grim tales of flaming death in marijuana-fueled road accidents.

Needless to say, the whole exercise seemed fishy.

After all, I knew many students who used marijuana, and none of them had been consumed by fireballs.

A little homework revealed that while marijuana is carcinogenic and impairs short-term memory, the odds of it leading one to shrieking, fiery doom are pretty remote.

Research suggests that many other students have shared my skeptical reaction to D.A.R.E.’s theatrical techniques. Indiana University, the University of Maryland, the Research Triangle Institute and the American Psychological Association have all published studies demonstrating that D.A.R.E. is useless in changing youth behavior, and may unintentionally encourage drug use.

And all this is in spite of its immense funding and support.

But, then, how could D.A.R.E. and other sub-efforts of the War on Drugs better discourage people from substance abuse?

It’s my observation that factual knowledge provides a better reference for dealing with reality than even the most meticulously constructed fiction.

If antidrug programs relied less on

Byzantine propaganda techniques and focused more on educating people of all relevant facts, no matter how inconvenient to their agenda, they might actually start working.

I know that I don’t want to do heroin, not because of the horror stories or grossout photographs shown to me by D.A.R.E. people, but because of scientific data and the unembellished accounts of heroin usage provided by authors like William Burroughs and Hubert Selby, Jr. The disappointing truth is that marijuana, while harmful, isn’t particularly terrifying.

By distorting the negative effects of marijuana, antidrug programs squander the credibility that could be used to steer people away from more deservedly controlled substances.

Alcohol policy inconsistent Speaking of, one might wonder why the government would spend billions and arrest millions in a clearly futile attempt to eradicate the usage of a substance that is much less hazardous than many legal drugs, such as alcohol, which kills 6.5 times more youth than all other drugs combined.

Honestly, I don’t know for certain what has led the government and the public to become so phobic of marijuana and so cozy with alcohol. However, it’s clear the data doesn’t justify this attitude. It is irrational.

Prohibition of alcohol was repealed

STAFF COLUMN

Don’t dismiss religious dialogue

I N D E P E N D E N T

S T U D E N T

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Assistant Managing Editor Night Editor Opinion Editor Photo Editor

Dane Beavers Whitney Bryen Steven Jones Luke Atkinson Judy Gibbs Robinson R.T. Conwell

Senior Online Editor Multimedia Editor Sports Editor Life & Arts Editor Editorial Adviser Advertising Manager

O F

160 Copeland Hall 860 Van Vleet Oval Norman, OK 73019-0270 phone: (405) 325-3666 e-mail: dailynews@ou.edu

T H E

Zac Smith is an English junior.

COMMENTS OF THE DAY In response to Monday’s Our View about ice storm paranoia in Oklahoma As a meteorology major, I know that winter weather is difficult to forecast. Every meteorologist I saw was saying that the possibility of snow forecasted could change as the storm progresses and patterns are made clearer. The reason the forecast was blown: an unexpected dry slot formed taking out the moisture. Had that dry slot not formed I’m almost certain that the system would have precipitated several inches of snow upon us.

- POSTED BY KCREASEY AT OUDAILY.COM

Good article. We get all hyped up anytime the weather turns sour here.

It gives this place an excuse to be excited about something. But, hell, I never minded getting a break from school or anything else.

- POSTED BY JFREEZY AT OUDAILY.COM

In response to Mary Stanfield’s Monday column about voting for an anti-discrimination policy I’m almost surprised this is even an issue that needs to be voted on.

As students of the 21st century, we are a progressive generation with a bright, open-minded future full of social acceptance and human and civil rights awareness. It should be almost a given that this type of language be included in the non-discrimination policy of a large public university.

Why isn’t this already a part of the code? And why has it taken us this long to take measures to amend it?

I applaud the efforts Nicholas Harrison and other campus leaders who are finally bringing light to this issue.

- POSTED BY ACSOONER AT OUDAILY.COM

Trevor Clark is a University College freshman.

V O I C E

NEWSROOM DIRECTORY Meredith Simons Nijim Dabbour Jamie Hughes Mack Burke Ray Martin Zach Butler

ting of a lunch table doesn’t always reflect that time.

Also, I think religious conversations like these are not fruitless. Many people typify religious dialogue as a bunch of blind men touching an elephant: Each is somewhat mistaken and all are individually convinced.

I disagree with this wholeheartedly. This metaphor assumes the elephant itself cannot trumpet out, which is a tremendous presupposition to make.

I think conversations should be aimed at discovering truth, and that they should not begin with a presupposition that truth cannot be discovered. After all, assuming religious truths cannot be discovered is saying that it is true that these truths cannot be discovered – that is a self-refuting statement.

Author C.S. Lewis believed our conversations could direct us toward true and reasonable conclusions. I’ll leave you with the final stanza of his poem “The Birth of Language,” which I think encapsulates that belief: “So dim below these symbols show, Bony and abstract every one.

Yet if true verse but lift the curse, They feel in dreams their native Sun.”

The Fine Print

T H E

What would it be like if religious adherence not only defined some of our choices in the world, but if religion could correctly define the world we live in, its problems, pleasures and how to react to these?

Religion would be a really big deal.

If suffering is the fundamental splinter in humanity’s side that could be removed through the Noble Eightfold Path as Buddhism teaches, then that has major ramifications for how I live my life.

If I am born into a world plagued by sincaused death and there is a God who redeems people from sin through a man hung on a cross then raised again to life, then I would want to believe that. People are going to discuss these things regardless of what is written here.

This week’s Islam Awareness Week and a myriad of other religious happenings, will open the door for such discussions.

The reason I wrote this column is to impress on readers the importance of those conversations that are bound to happen. These talks affect what we do and (if the words are true) they foreshadow our futures to the point of eternity.

Many religious conversations should be religious dialogues: people talking with each other, not just at each other. There is definitely a time to be “spoken at,” but the intimate set-

Contact Us

I’ve talked about the need for civil discussion on campus before, and religion was included under that umbrella, but I think recent events indicate a need to discuss religion specifically.

Charles Collins’ article about President Obama’s faith is one of these instances, as well as the multitude of vehement comments in response to that article. Kyle Williams’ prediction of American Christianity’s collapse is another.

If you search for “religion” on The Daily’s Web site, you should find nearly 30 results for the past two months alone. Richard Dawkins’ visit to OU, Islam Awareness TREVOR Week and the United Nations’ recent efforts to ban “reliCLARK gious defamation” are all reminders that religion is an integral part of society.

Religion is a big deal.

It can unite people, divide them and encourage them to do a number of acts. What people believe is a foundational part of their worldview, and it is through this lens that people interpret and decide how to respond to their surroundings.

because it was practically unenforceable, because it promoted organized crime and because, as a legal drug, alcohol can be taxed for funds that go toward repairing the damage it causes.

Marijuana is, in these terms, fundamentally similar to alcohol.

If marijuana were decriminalized, we could take the billions being incinerated in ineffectual attempts to control it and inject them into our desiccated economy.

We could arrest 800,000 fewer people per year. We could put more effort into controlling genuinely dangerous drugs.

And we could instantaneously gut the Mexican cartels, which are murdering thousands.

It is the irrational attitudes of American policymakers that provide these cartels with an incentive to murder.

No informed person would argue that we’re lowering the net number of deaths by keeping marijuana “controlled,” and yet we continue.

As long as our government persists in this fashion, every murder committed by Mexican drug cartels is done with U.S. complicity.

Therefore, I ask the public to try engaging in a rational and evidence-based dialogue on the legal status of marijuana.

Or, at very least, I would ask the U.S. government to try to fail on a budget of less than $700 per second.

U N I V E R S I T Y

The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum and OU’s independent student voice.

Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed, double spaced and signed by the author(s). Letters will be cut to fit. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. All letters must include a daytime phone number. Authors submitting letters in person must present photo identification. Submit letters

O F

O K L A H O M A

Sunday through Thursday, in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters can also be submitted via e-mail to dailyopinion@ou.edu.

Guest columns are accepted at editor’s discretion. ’Our View’ is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily.

Editorial Board members are The Daily’s editorial staff.

The board meets Sunday through Thursday in 160 Copeland Hall.

Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.

News

POLICE REPORTS Names are compiled from the Norman Police Department and OUPD. The reports serve as a record of arrests and citations, not convictions. Those listed are innocent until proven guilty.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Eric Jonothan-Paul Siverston, 23, Boyd and Elm Street, Saturday Milton William Washington, 23, Boyd and University, Friday Loren Larae Felts, 19, Boyd and University, Friday

CONCEALING STOLEN PROPERTY Evan James Avant, 21, 200 N. Jones Ave., Sunday

MUNICIPAL WARRANT Nicholas Zackery Bates, 31, 2556 Classen Blvd., Sunday Malcolm Rashad Lewis, 22, McGee Drive, Sunday, also driving under suspension

PETTY LARCENY Logan Cash Potter Brooks, 22, 1400 24th Ave. NW, Saturday Leo Scruggs, 55, 3499 W. Main St., Saturday

POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL Meredith Eileen Foerster, 19, 529 Buchanan Ave., Saturday

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Steven Loyd Gregory, 33, 760 Asp Ave., Sunday

CAMPUS NOTES TODAY

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

College of Dentistry reaches out to rural areas • OU is one of three universities participating in pilot program LAUREN STALFORD The Oklahoma Daily The OU College of Dentistry is reaching out to the state’s rural communities to provide dental education and care to areas that have long needed dental professionals.

The College of Dentistry is participating in a fiveyear pilot program created by the American Dental Association to train students in health care centers across the nation in areas that lack access to dental care, said Dunn Cumby, chairman of the Division of Community Dentistry.

The Community Dental Health Coordinator program will add a new classification of dental care providers, said Karen Hart, director of the Council on Dental Education and Licensure. A community dental health coordinator will be any health worker who undergoes some basic dental training, Hart said.

OU, the University of California in Los Angeles and Temple University in Philadelphia are the first to adopt the pilot program, Cumby said. Within five years, programs will be established in rural Oklahoma communities, Native American communities in California and urban communities in Pennsylvania, Cumby said.

OU’s program is currently training six students who should be ready to begin seeing patients in 18 months.

The students will spend the first year in online coursework, and will intern at local, rural health care centers during the last six months.

All six students live in the rural Oklahoma towns the program seeks to help, like Clayton, Baptist and Tishomingo.

Once their training is complete, the students will go into the community and provide dental education and basic dental examinations, Hart said. “The big thing is patient education and prevention.

What we can do is educate the population and have an effect on the future,� Cumby said.

The program is aimed at bringing communities dental health care by training people within their community, Cumby said. “It’s a distribution problem; We don’t have people going to areas where they are really needed,� said Cumby.

The community dental coordinators will be trained to handle basic dental care like cleaning, examinations and basic repairs, Hart said. They will also encourage and motivate people to set up appointments with dentists at these health centers, Cumby said. “The idea is to expand the treatment capability of these centers,� Cumby said.

Community dental coordinators are different from dental hygienists because they have less training and responsibility, and will focus on areas that are usually underserved by dental hygienists, Hart said.

The cost of seeing the community dental coordinator will vary depending on the health center, Hart said. “We believe it’s important to get people to change habits,� said Hart, “I have heard dentists say, ‘We can’t drill and fill our way out of this problem.’�

CAREER SERVICES

Photo Illustration by Lilly Chapa/The Daily

The College of Dentistry is reaching out to rural areas that lack access to dental care. “What we can do is educate the population and have an effect on the future,� says Dunn Cumby, chairman of the Division of Community Dentistry.

STATE BRIEFS

Career Services will host a resume critiquing session at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS Christians on Campus will host a Bible study at noon in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

SOCIETY OF VIETNAMESE STUDENTS The Society of Vietnamese Students will host the VietNite Festival at 7 p.m. in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

WEDNESDAY CHRISTIANS ON CAMPUS Christians on Campus will host a Bible study at noon in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Agency awards stimulus road projects funding OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Transportation Commission Monday awarded $228 million in road and bridge repair contracts funded by the federal economic stimulus program as part of the largest amount of transportation dollars spent at one time in the agency’s history.

The commission awarded $270 million in construction work including 42 road and bridge projects paid for by federal stimulus funds that the director of the state Department of Transportation said will transform some of Oklahoma’s most traveled roadways from “poor and terrible to great.� “These are really good projects,�

Director Gary Ridley said. “We have

some major deďŹ ciencies in our roads and bridges. We have a huge backlog.â€?

Ridley estimated the value of backlogged road and bridge work in the state at $11 billion.

He said the money will not only improve highways but will revive road builders and related industries whose business has slowed with the downturn in the economy. “We have been actively hiring people,� Lemon said. He said the company has hired 10 new workers and is looking for 15 more. “There are many companies like ourselves,� Lemon said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge.�

Transportation commissioners authorized the road work while rejecting calls from state Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, to vote against spending

federal money that comes with strings attached until the Legislature has a chance to vote on whether to accept the money.

Bill to place monument at Capitol advances OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A bill to allow the Ten Commandments to be placed on the Capitol grounds has won approval in a Senate committee.

The vote was 5-3 for the measure, which opponents argue is unconstitutional.

Sen. Jim Wilson, a Tahlequah Democrat, argued it was a religious display prohibited by the state Constitution.

But Sen. Randy Brogdon, an Owasso Republican, said the monument recog-

nized the historical importance of the Ten Commandments and had “nothing to do with religious viewpoints.�

The bill, which already has passed the House, will be considered next by the full Senate.

Formerly conjoined twins improving OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Twin girls who were born conjoined at the chest are doing well 10 weeks after successful surgery that separated them, pediatric surgeons at Children’s Hospital said Monday. “So far, the girls have exceeded expectations,� said Dr. David Tuggle, the chief surgeon for twins Preslee Faith Wells and Kylee Hope Wells.

“Their wounds are 99 percent healed and they are gaining weight.�

Their mother, 20-year-old Stevie Stewart of Calumet, said Kylee now weighs 15 pounds and Preslee weighs 14 pounds. “They’re pretty good size,� Tuggle said. “So far, they’ve done very well.�

Preslee and Kylee had been joined at the chest since their birth on Oct. 25.

They were separated on Jan. 19 during a 6-hour procedure that Tuggle said at the time went smoothly.

Tuggle said the girls will need additional surgery to reconstruct their chests but it is unknown when that will occur. They have been removed from a respirator, but Tuggle said the surgery will not be scheduled until the girls no longer need periodic use of a ventilator to help them breathe.

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- The Impact of Excellence

6

Sports

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Women’s Basketball

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

STAFF COLUMN

MLB needs to fix immigration issue aseball is becoming the Jerry Springer of the sports world.

Since the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa home run chase, no other topic has been talked about as much as steroids.

We’ve seen superstars become demoralized, their statistical records in question, and their respect in jeopardy.

Now, as if we need more, there are other issues arising in baseball: immigration.

Earlier this week ESPN reported that commissioner Bud Selig “has given Major League Baseball’s security division an open checkbook in an attempt to clean up off-field scandals in the Dominican Republic and other foreign countries”.

The FBI has teamed with officers in the Dominican Republic to solve incidents involving the White Sox and Washington Nationals.

Apparently, they falsified birth certificates, kept bonus cash targeted at teenage prospects and smuggled performance enhancing drugs into the country.

Seventy players are being detained from the Dominican Republic and other countries, including ‘some big name prospects’ that weren’t listed.

B

Amy Frost/The Daily

Senior forward Ashley Paris (5) faces a double team of Pitt defenders Shayla Scott (25) and Xenia Stewart (33) during Sunday’s Sweet 16 victory. Paris scored 12 points and had 12 rebounds in OU’s 70-59 win. The Sooners now face the Purdue Boilermakers at 8 tonight at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.

Sooners prepare for Purdue “It’s an incredible feat. There are eight teams left and we’re one of the lucky few that get to practice another day.”

• Boilermakers, OU fight for Final Four ANNELISE RUSSELL The Oklahoma Daily It has been seven years since the OU women’s basketball team last participated in the Final Four, and the Sooners will look to make their much-anticipated return tonight.

OU earned the right to play in the regional championship against Purdue after Sunday night’s 70-59 defeat of fourth-seeded Pitt.

The game against the Panthers was one of the Sooners’ best, and guard play was as strong as ever.

Freshman guard Whitney Hand led the Sooners with 22 points in the matchup.

The last roadblock the Sooners must face on the way to the Final Four is sixth-seeded Purdue.

“This is incredible. It’s an incredible feat,” Hand said. “There are eight teams left and we’re one of the lucky few that get to practice another day.”

Purdue also played Sunday and claimed its spot after finishing off seventh-ranked Rutgers 67-61.

The Boilermakers may only be a six seed, but they have played well enough to knock off third-seeded North Carolina.

Purdue could present problems for the Sooners as the Boilermakers have ripped

Freshman guard Whitney Hand through higher-seeded opponents with ease.

The Boilermakers do not usually average multiple players in double figures, normally one or two if they are lucky, but Purdue has five players averaging more than 10 points per game in the tournament.

They do not also have a single player rebounding in double figures, and this might be an area the Sooners can exploit with senior center Courtney Paris down low.

The Boilermakers are a team that looks vulnerable on paper, but they have been playing with a high level of confidence.

Head coach Sherri Coale said OU should be ready for a tough matchup.

“I think maturity level is the first thing that I come to, and that you have to be able to immediately switch gears and fine-tune your focus and look exactly at your opponent and what you need to do to win,” she said. “At this stage in the game everybody is good.”

OU also should be playing with some confidence, especially after the way the Sooner guards have come up big this tournament.

In years past, the game plan was to force it

in to Paris who would then take the shot down low, but with Hand knocking down 3s, there is no need to make the pass to Paris.

Hand played some of her best basketball in the previous two games, and it is not all about the points on the stat sheet. Hand was always in the mix of a scuffle, diving for loose balls and coming up with the steal. She did not shy away from girls bigger than her.

This confidence, along with the poise of sophomore guard Danielle Robinson are the tools the Sooners will need to bring down a strong team as of late in Purdue.

Junior guard Nyeshia Stevenson said she is looking forward to playing in front of Sooner fans in Oklahoma City one more time this season.

“Our fans are awesome, and for them to be here with us fighting the fight with us, knowing that we have one more game just to get to the Final Four, it’s awesome,” Stevenson said. “We really do appreciate our fans and we love them as much as they love us.”

OU and Purdue tip-off at 8 p.m. in the Ford Center.

Everyone has to abide by [immigration laws], even if it means shrinking the talent added by international players, whether the MLB like it or not.

“It’s no different from any other immigration situation when it comes to American jobs,” one general manager said.

What’s the deal? A high majority of Major League Baseball players are international players. It has been that way for a long time.

Now, all of a sudden, the league is having problems with inaccurate birth certificates?

Give me a break.

It’s underMJ standable: CASIANO teams want these international players because it’s a way they can sign players with a high skill set before they are 20 years old.

I get that.

But maybe if there was as much time and money invested in American children learning baseball from professionals at early ages, there wouldn’t be a problem with illegal immigration. Maybe there would be younger, better American players.

Illegal immigration laws are set, and with reason, so breaking them is not an option.

Everyone has to abide by them, even if it means shrinking the talent added by international players, whether the MLB like it or not.

It all comes down to the commissioner, and Selig needs to take accountability for the mishaps happening during his time as commissioner.

He is of the highest powers in baseball, and I know he wouldn’t let someone else take the credit if it was positive.

The young players are not to blame; it’s the scouts, coaches, agents and position holders that are the victims of money hunger.

MJ CASIANO IS A BROADCAST AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA SOPHOMORE.

MORE ONLINE To stay up to date on the Sooners’ march through the NCAA tournament, stay online at OUDaily.com.

For immediate results following tonight’s game, go to OUDaily.com.

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Sports

7

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Baseball

Sooners power their way to win over Nebraska • OU hits seven homers in run-rule victory Monday JONO GRECO The Oklahoma Daily The No. 12 baseball team defined the phrase “boom goes the dynamite” Monday as OU blasted seven home runs out of L. Dale Mitchell Park en route to a 16-6 run-rule victory against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

OU (23-6, 4-2) won its first home Big 12 series of the season 2-1 and improved to 15-1 at home. In the three-game series, the Crimson and Cream outscored Nebraska 37-26.

“We pride ourselves in being a really good ballclub at home,” head coach Sunny Golloway said. “We had a very disappointing loss last night and we let one get away, so it was real important for us to come back and play the way we performed today.”

The series is the first time OU has beaten Nebraska in a three-game home set and won back-to-back Big 12 series to start a season since 1997.

The Sooners’ seven homers improved their season total run 54, which ties last season’s total. Also, OU has 27 long balls during Big 12 play, which is the highest season total since the 2002 season where it hit 30.

“No one tries to hit home runs, not in college,” Golloway said. “[Home runs] just end up being a product of really doing a good job of staying down [through the ball]. It’s nice to know that we have power and that we can rely on it sometimes.

We want to be a fundamentally sound team that can manufacture runs.”

Baker got the Sooners on the scoreboard in the first with a two-run homer that cleared the batter’s eye in center field. The homer Head coach brought in junior shortstop Bryant Hernandez.

Hernandez’s hit extends his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games. The last game he did not hit safely in was on March 10 against Houston Baptist.

OU added one more run in the first inning after back-to-back two-out walks and a wild pitch that

allowed freshman third baseman Garrett Buechele to single in a run.

Buechele’s first-inning RBI-single stretched his hitting streak to nine games, a career high.

After a leadoff double and a fielding error by Baker, Nebraska (16-10-1, 4-5) platted a run on a wild pitch by OU junior pitcher J.R. Robinson (3-1) to cut the Sooners’ lead to 3-1.

In the third inning, Baker made up for the error with his second two-run blast of the game that brought Hernandez home. Monday’s game marked Baker’s second two-homer game of his career with the last one coming against Arizona State on May 31.

Baker went 2-4 on the day with two homers while bringing in five runs. His five RBIs is a new career high.

Buechele added another RBI in the third with a solo-blast of his own to take an early 6-1 lead.

Nebraska narrowed the gap to 6-2 in the top of the fourth before the Sooners launched three bombs out in the bottom half of the frame for five runs. Senior second baseman Matt Harughty and Hernandez led off the inning with back-to-back solo-jacks to deep left center and sophomore left fielder added a threerun shot for good measure.

“It’s always nice when you have run support,” Robinson said. “You can work ahead and if a few guys get hits, you don’t have to worry about having them not score. You can afford to make a couple of mistakes and you can pitch more aggressive.”

Hernandez went 3-5 with a homer and two RBIs in the series finale and upped his team-leading batting average to .443.

OU added three more runs in the fifth on a fielder’s choice by Baker and a two-run shot to left by senior catcher J.T. Wise.

Wise’s homer was his third of the series and extended the score to 14-2.

Robinson had a solid day on the mound as he went six and one-third innings while giving up five runs on 10 hits. He also struck out five batters and induced Sunny Golloway three double plays. “[Robinson was] terrific,” Golloway said. “He did a great job. When you consider [the wind blowing out to left field] and the job J.R. did, it’s nothing short of terrific.”

Nebraska rallied to avoid a seven inning run-rule by sending nine batters to the plate and scoring four runs in the seventh to narrow the score to 14-6.

“The last thing you need to do is to think you’re Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle and try to hit home runs. If you think you have to hit home runs to win the game then you’re going to lose the game.”

SPORTS BRIEFS Griffin named first-team All-American Blake Griffin and Tyler Hansbrough spent a lot of time together on the court last weekend and were back together Monday as the top vote-getters on The Associated Press’ All-America team.

Griffin, the sophomore forward from Oklahoma who led the nation in rebounding, was the only unanimous selection for the team. Hansbrough, the consensus player of the year last season as a junior, repeated as a first-teamer the day after his Tar Heels beat the Sooners 72-60 to advance to the Final Four.

Joining them on the team were players from schools with little All-America history, sophomores DeJuan Blair of Pittsburgh, James Harden of Arizona State and junior Stephen Curry of Davidson.

Griffin, who averaged 21 points and 14.3 rebounds while shooting 63.5 percent from the field, became college basketball’s image for toughness when he returned from a concussion only to drive headlong onto the scorer’s table.

He received 71 first-team votes and 335 points from the same national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Balloting was done before the NCAA tournament.

Hansbrough, a unanimous pick BLAKE last season along with Kansas State’s GRIFFIN Michael Beasley, got 50 first-team votes and 304 points. This is the fourth straight season the 6-foot-9 forward received All-America recognition. He was a third-team pick as a freshman and was on the second team after his sophomore season.

Blair is Pittsburgh’s second first-teamer, joining Don Hennon in 1958. Curry, who led the nation in scoring, is Davidson’s second as well. Harden is Arizona State’s first AP All-America.

Griffin, the Big 12 player of the year, is the third Oklahoma player to be selected and the first since Stacey King in 1989. Wayman Tisdale of the Sooners was a three-time All-American from 1983-85.

“When Coach (Jeff ) Capel started recruiting me, he talked to me a lot about changing the culture of this program and getting it back to a place where guys like Wayman Tisdale and Stacey King and those guys came to play,” said Griffin, a native of Oklahoma City. “It’s definitely an honor.”

Hansbrough, who is in his second straight Final Four with the Tar Heels, is the third North Carolina player to repeat.

“Those are some of my favorite Carolina players. To be up there with them — that’s special,” Hansbrough said. “I never dreamed of that when I came here.”

Blair, who was third in the voting, averaged 15.6 points and 12.2 rebounds, was the only postseason All-America player not to be on the preseason team.

“That’s pretty big. That’s total,” the 6-7, 265-pound sophomore said when told he made the team. “I worked hard, and the hard work paid off. It’s pretty cool just to be

up there with those guys and to be talked about.”

Harden was the Pac-10 player of the year after a sophomore season that saw him average 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 35.8 minutes.

“There have been a lot of great players in this program and to be the first to get this is quite an accomplishment,” Harden said, adding it’s all part of making the Sun Devils a national program. “That’s the reason I came here, to help get the respect and hopefully we can keep it up.”

Curry became an overnight star in Davidson’s run to the round of eight last season, and he backed it up with a junior season that saw him lead the country in scoring.

He averaged 28.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists as the Wildcats won the Southern Conference regular season title but didn’t make the NCAA field.

“It was difficult to go from being a scoring threat to someone who creates for others, but my teammates helped me in my transition and made my job easier,” said Curry, who received 288 points. “It was a tough challenge, but I met it head on and worked hard to be the best point guard I could be.”

Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet led the second team with 238 points and was joined by three other juniors, Ty Lawson of North Carolina, Luke Harangody of Notre Dame and Jodie Meeks of Kentucky, along with senior Jerel McNeal of Marquette.

The third team had seniors Terrence Williams of Louisville, Toney Douglas of Florida State and Sam Young of Pittsburgh, along with juniors Sherron Collins of Kansas and Gerald Henderson of Duke.

— JIM O’CONNELL/AP

Ricketts named CLASS Award finalist Senior first baseman Samantha Ricketts was named one of ten finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award for softball. The award is presented annually to honor a top student-athlete.

The award is intended to reward the athlete both performing on the field and showing loyalty to the school by staying all four years.

The winner of the award will be announced during the 2009 Women’s College World Series from May 28 June 3 in Oklahoma City.

SAMANTHA Ricketts is the team’s captain for RICKETTS the 2009 season. She was named a 2008 Academic All-Big 12 first team member and is on track to graduate in May 2010 with a degree in Sociology.

The other finalists for the award are Whitney Haller from Georgia Tech, Lillian Hammond from Tennessee, Jenae Leles from Arizona, Jessica Mapes from Arizona State, Stacey Nelson from Florida, Amber Patton from DePaul, Missy Penna from Stanford, Brittany Rogers from Alabama and Tammy Williams from Northwestern.

— DAILY STAFF

Amy Frost / The Daily

Junior J.R. Robinson pitches for OU during the game against Nebraska Sunday. The Sooners defeated the Huskers in the first game of their double header 12-9. The Sooners dropped the second game of the double-header, but won the series finale Monday, 16-6 to win the series 2-1.

The Sooner bullpen went one and two-third innings allowing one run on two hits while OU’s offense scored two runs in the eighth to finish the game.

The Sooners have homered 29 times in their past six games and are averaging 1.86 homers per game over 29 games this season.

At this pace, OU is projected to hit 104 homers on the season which is 10 short of the program’s record.

Despite showing flashes of power all season, Golloway said the coaching staff is going to work on making sure hitters can produce runs by getting base hits rather than the long ball.

“Wednesday when we come out to practice, we’re

going to be yelling at our guys about not hitting the ball in the air,” Golloway said. “The last thing you need to do is to think you’re Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle and try to hit home runs. If you think you have to hit home runs to win the game, then you’re going to lose the game. Our guys understand that.”

Baker said that Monday’s win was big for the team heading into the rest of its Big 12 schedule.

“To come in and play Nebraska, a great ballclub, at our park where we feel we should win every game feels good to come out and win the series,” Baker said.

The Sooners return to action at 6:30 p.m. Friday against Missouri in Columbia,.

8

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

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APTS. UNFURNISHED 1 BLK FROM OU, very nice 4 room apt, 800 sf, wood floors, 1016 S College, Apt 1, $295/mo.

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5 7 9 3 8 2 5 9 3 8 1 3 6 9

8 9 3 4 1 6 6 7 1 8 2 4 6

Previous Solution 5 7 6 3 9 1 8 4 2

5

9 3 8 2 5 4 1 6 7

1 4 2 7 6 8 3 5 9

8 9 7 4 3 6 5 2 1

4 6 5 1 7 2 9 8 3

2 1 3 9 8 5 6 7 4

7 8 1 6 2 9 4 3 5

3 5 4 8 1 7 2 9 6

6 2 9 5 4 3 7 1 8

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

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

Universal Crossword

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ACROSS 1 Distinctive clothing 5 Aqueduct formation 9 “The Turn of the ___” 14 Lotion lily 15 “Oklahoma!” prop 16 “E.T. ___ home!”

17 Discovery zone?

19 “Belling the cat” originator 20 Minor planet 21 Apprehend 22 “… how I wonder what you ___” 23 Part of Caesar’s last words 24 Exorcist’s adversary 28 Ignore, as an insult 33 Wear away, as rock 34 “Misery” star 35 Red or white baseball team 36 Quote 37 Squatter’s right 39 First name in the “Ocean’s Thirteen” cast 40 Outstanding tennis serve 41 Head of 42-Across 42 Stout cousin 43 Be classified as 46 Word with “soap” or “grand” 47 Greek god of war

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True Sooners Don’t Haze.

48 Last qtr. kickoff 50 Loud and blaring 53 Type of ratio 58 What to do with a full house 59 Place where sleep is paramount, in poetry 60 Pearl Mosque country 61 “The Grapes of Wrath” character 62 Horsewhip 63 Ford failure 64 Took advantage of 65 “Auld Lang ___” DOWN 1 Type of affair 2 Shakespearean “Bummer!”

3 Opposite of a squeaker 4 “Stand By Me” singer ___ King 5 Apt rhyme for “deplore” 6 Describing a certain type of wit 7 Decent, so to speak 8 Pronominal contraction 9 Certain Greek, once 10 Angelic young’un 11 U.S. national flower 12 “The Dukes of Hazzard” spin-off

13 “Jesus ___” (Bible’s shortest verse) 18 Long-necked wading bird 21 Special Forces unit 23 Actor Morales 24 Joe without the buzz 25 “Fear of Flying” writer Jong 26 Roadside lodging 27 Horatian creation 29 Caesar’s “veni” 30 Midwest native 31 Campaign target 32 More than required 37 Brooklyn island 38 Young men 39 Where X

41 42 44 45 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 59

marks the spot Certain marine mammal State revenue generator Timmy’s pal Country singer Milsap Handed over Certain soft cheese “The Fountainhead” novelist Ayn Pitches in Tara’s neighbor, Twelve ___ Does in, mob-style Word of exclusivity When two hands meet?

What trained athletes look for Costello or Gehrig

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2009 Universal Press Syndicate www.upuzzles.com

“ASTRONAUT TRAINING” by Gary Cooper

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Life & Arts

MUSIC REVIEWS

Getting to know Black Angels before NMF Austin, Texas rockers, Black Angels, known for their psychedelic weird, disingenuous or trite to him: especially if nobody offers him any sound and incessant drones, will make their way to Main Street in Norman drugs, or if his entire motivation is to debunk and convert others to your April 25 as part of the 2nd annual Norman Music Festival. own blend of musical dogmatism.

Psychedelic rock has its hits and misses, and the The formula for the Black Angels is apparent from the get-go. A one Black Angels are no different. Following closely to the to two-chord rhythm, usually with heavily distorted guitars, organs, sitars rules set up by their very genre, they succeed at creat- or a combination of all three, combined with the reverbed vocals of Alex ing some intense, dark and inexorable grooves, but Maas, whose voice sounds like a séance or a Monk-like incantation. occasionally blend their songs into one-another, and on Solos and effects proliferate each song, but not too overbearingly, with their 2008 release “Directions to huge buildups and crescendos, all backed by See a Ghost,” you aren’t sure if unswerving, hypnotic beats. It’s not necessarily a you’re on the 16-minute closer bad thing. or the 5-minute halfway point of For example, the crescendo at the tail end of the album—which may be the “Science Killer” is thunderous, hypnotic and capTYLER intended, if not the entire point tivating. The beat drones onward, the soupy bass relentlessly pounding with little variation, and the BRANSON of psychedelic rock. If you don’t like that kind of music you probwailing, slow solos and distortion-induced rhythm ably won’t like the band, but like yields involuntary head-bobbing and compulsory anything in life, they deserve a chance because eye-closing. “You in Color” has a similarly intense you may end up liking them, or at the very least, in crescendo, with heavy drum-work and a simple, the desert somewhere, unsure how you got there. yet funky rhythm. All the songs kind of sound the On the liner notes of their 2006 album “Passover,” same, but again, given the genre of music we’re The Black Angels quoted famous painter of “The dealing with, I won’t write them off entirely for Scream” Edvard Munch: “Illness, insanity, and that. death,” he said, “are the black angels that kept While drawing on influences from the more watch over my cradle and accompanied me all sordid 60s psychadelia, the Black Angels still my life.” manage to find a sweet spot and they stick with ‘Directions’ Taking Munch’s morbid perspective and it. They aren’t reinventing the wheel, but unlike The Black Angels the reins of musical predecessors, The Velvet other formulaic bands, the van in which they’re Underground and Spaceman 3, the Black Angels riding isn’t broken. It may have stupid tie-dye lift off with “Directions.” The group applies the colors and marijuana leafs painted on the side, dark ideology of Munch to their not-so-unique but it’s still a reliable vehicle, though aged over blend of psychedelic rock, with five, six, or even 15 minute songs, chanting 40 years. vocals and long, ominous solos accompanied by strange effects and slowMoreover, the lyrics, as suggested by the Munch quote, aren’t exacttempo sludge. They sound like how the painting “The Scream” looks. ly reminiscent of the lets-all-love-one-another 60s euphoria. The song Pitchfork Media wrote that “Directions” contains trite homages to other, “Vikings” calls upon images of Viking warships, German war-planes, and more influential stoner/psychedelic bands of the 1960s and fails miserably, finally a desert, likely tying in the war in Iraq. Maas sings with heavy because where successful stoner bands “make you feel like you're high, or reverb, “In and out / We're gonna run through the desert / We got big boots at least able to empathize with the notion of feeling high,” Pitchfork writes, to fill / We’re just gone to seek cheap thrills / Imported wisdom / Incredible the Black Angels make you feel like “you're actually stuck in a room with cry / Unfortunate lie.” someone else who's high while you're sober.”

Pretty poignant for a bunch of stoners.

Pitchfork, however, perhaps caught up in their own pretentiousness, TYLER BRANSON IS AN ENGLISH SENIOR. assumes the role of the curious Mormon missionary who attends the Burning Man Festival. Of course the Black Angels are going to sound

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

9

“Lady Luck” - Maria Taylor At its best moments, “LadyLuck,” the third solo effort from singer-songwriter Maria Taylor, is a dreamy blend of folk and pop, accentuated by lush strings and delicate harmonies. There are shades of alt-country and electronica sprinkled throughout, and the more the songs stay away from typical sparse folk conventions, the better they work.

Taylor, a former member of indie bands Azure Ray and Now It’s Overhead, and a frequent collaborator with Bright Eyes, has a silky smooth vocal delivery that hints at mischief below the surface.

Her songwriting is poetic (“Passed country lines and interstate signs / We were here to sing / To shadow an endless dream”) but not terribly striking or memorable. Most of it contributes to a pervading melancholia that is fitting to the genre, but becoming less interesting as the years go on.

But a fresh approach can be found on the album’s final and best track, “Cartoons and Forever Plans.” Featuring backing vocals from R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and Taylor’s former bandmate, Andy LeMaster, the song is a sunny pop gem not buried under a mountain of schmaltz, like so many songs of its type.

Taylor has the subdued downheartedness down pat; exploring the sunnier side of her abilities might be the next jumping off point for this gifted performer.

“Out of My Hands” - Green River Ordinance Halfway through “Out of My Hands,” I could’ve sworn I’d accidentally bumped the repeat button, inadvertently subjecting myself to another go-round of bland pop-rock, but I was still on track six, ironically titled “Different (Anything at All).”

I vainly searched for anything different at all on the major label debut from this Fort Worth-based five-piece, but only came up with the recycled melodies of the modern rock bands that were all the rage around the turn of the century.

One of the songs has a city in its title (“Goodbye L.A.”), another has a month (“Last October”) and one has a body part (the title track, “Out of My Hands”).

That’s about the biggest difference among any of these selections.

What these guys are lacking in originality, they try to make up for with earnestness, though, and it helps make the album suitable for causal listening. Lead singer Josh Jenkins’s voice is nothing if not pleasant, and for those who prefer their tunes airwave-friendly, you could do a lot worse than Green River Ordinance.

Still, it just goes to show that major labels can’t be feeling the effects of the economic downturn too severely if they can afford to keep pumping out product virtually indistinguishable from the fare they put out last week, last month and last year.

You might enjoy “Out of My Hands,” but you’ve probably already got a couple CDs just like it.

DUSTY SOMERS IS A JOURNALISM JUNIOR.

HOROSCOPE

By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2008, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 ARIES (March 21-April 19) -Important or significant matters should be accomplished as early as possible. If you concentrate only on enjoyable things, thinking you’ll get to the necessities later, you’ll end up in trouble.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -Although you may feel you are treating others in a fair manner, you may be placed in a position where the more you give the more they seem to think they deserve. Be smart enough to trust yourself.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -Even though your organizational skills might be superior to others, you’ll have a hard time convincing them of this.

Unfortunately, they might discredit everything you do, regardless of the facts.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -Unfortunately, companions could have a stronger influence on you than they should. If you hang out with those who waste their time and resources, chances are you’ll do the same.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Whatever you do, don’t bank on things that you merely hope will happen, especially when it comes to business concerns. If a situation doesn’t exist, wishful thinking won’t make it happen.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -Don’t listen to what you know is bad advice, just because it comes from someone who holds a high position. Conversely, if you think that the facts don’t add up, be open-minded.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Someone who is indebted to you might try to put the bite on you again.

Don’t think this person won’t use you just because you are friends.

He or she might not be worthy of your trust and friendship.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -You’re not likely to cave in under the weight of events. However, this should not be interpreted as an excuse to treat a situation lightly; it needs to be taken seriously.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Be prepared to produce what you want yourself instead of thinking life owes you a living.

If you don’t look for easy outs or shortcuts, you stand a good chance of personal achievement.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- It’s up to you to treat frustrating situations philosophically if you hope to manage things in a manner that won’t disrupt your sanity. Hang loose, and keep your cool.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Should you find yourself relegated to a minor role in a joint endeavor, stand above it all and keep your wits. If you speak out in anger, it might justify your being remanded to a trivial position.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- If possible, avoid any arrangements with friends or associates where you have to either borrow or lend something of value. An unavoidable mishap could occur.

10

Life & Arts

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

THEATRE REVIEWS

‘The Left Hand’ misses rhythm • Production hit and miss

photo provided

Cast members of the Lyric Theatre’s production, “Woody Sez,” perform a tribute to Woody Guthrie’s folk songs. The play runs until April 11.

Uncovering an Oklahoma legend Fiddles were smoking, spoons were clacking and one fascist-killing Life-landmark hits include Guthrie’s tragic childhood that was puncmachine was furiously playing the songs of Woody Guthrie Saturday tuated by a number of fatal house fires and the institutionalization night at Lyric Theatre’s production of “Woody Sez.” of his mother, who suffered from Huntington’s disease, in an insane It’s the latest in a long series of tributes to Guthrie, the folk musician asylum. born in Okemah, whose protest songs and ballads swept the nation, Later in childhood, Guthrie became musically proficient, which and whose guitar was often emblazoned with a label that proclaimed would lead to a life of traveling and playing songs informed by the “This Machine Kills Fascists.” circumstances that defined those early years – poverty, the Great Originally conceived by David M. Lutken and Lyric Depression and the Oklahoma Dust Bowl.

Theatre’s new artistic director, Nick Corley, “Woody The strains of “This Land is Your Land,” “This Train is Bound for Sez” premiered in 2007 in Edinburgh Glory,” “Riding in my Car” and a number of other influbefore embarking on a European ential Guthrie works keep the atmosphere upbeat, “WOODY SEZ” tour. despite the personal hardship that seemed to follow Now, the show has come to Guthrie.

When: April 2-11 Guthrie’s home state starring the “Woody Sez” doesn’t shy away from these facts, Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. original cast – Lutken as Guthrie, but more than anything, it’s a celebration of his music Fridays, 8 p.m. with Darcie Deaville, Helen J. Russell and the unique “hillbilly perspective” he was always Saturdays, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. willing to share, whether he was in New York City, DUSTY and Andy Teirstein playing a variety Where: Lyric Theatre roles. This ensemble succeeds California or his home state.

SOMERS of 1727 NW 16th St. both as an overview of Guthrie’s life The cast effortlessly shifted between short sketchOklahoma City, OK and a barn-burning journey through es, sparse harmonizing melodies and big ensemble his music. numbers. The casual approach to the production For tickets, call 524-9312.

Nearly 30 songs – mostly Guthrie’s with a few invited plenty of singing along from the enthusiastic traditionals thrown in – make an appearance in the crowd, and the show’s tendency toward simplicity 90-minute production, which starts slowly, but builds seems quite appropriate for the man to whom it pays up to an immensely enjoyable show. tribute.

An austere stage was adorned simply with wooden crates and a Guthrie died in 1967, himself a victim of the hereditary Huntington’s, variety of instruments, including guitars, fiddles, a double bass, banjo but the influence of his compositions has spread far and wide across and an Autoharp. Hidden in the performers’ pockets were harmonicas, the folk genre and beyond. Lyric’s production of “Woody Sez” is a conspoons and a jaw harp. sistently entertaining way to take a trip back in time to visit the man Despite its rather brief running time, the show achieves a nice bal- and his music. ance between recreating the events of Guthrie’s life and performing his DUSTY SOMERS IS A JOURNALISM JUNIOR. songs, without having to sacrifice a substantial portion of either.

The backdrop of Carpenter Square Theatre’s latest production, “The Left Hand Singing”, is significant and rather enormous – the civil rights movement of the ‘60s – but its execution and purpose are much more modest.

Three college students in upstate New York decide to join in the cause of black voter registration in rural Mississippi in 1964, in what was known as “Freedom Summer,” but their mysterious disappearance throws the lives of their respective parents into a tumult.

Wes Partridge (Collin Andrulonis) is the idealistic white student spearheading the cause.

He enlists his secret crush, Linda Winnick (Heather Boothby, OU drama sophomore), who’s Jewish, but they have trouble convincing her black roommate, Honey Johnson (Kaicee Mayo), to join their ranks.

The story is based on the reallife murders of three young men who participated in the Freedom Summer of 1964 in Mississippi.

Directed by Carpenter Square veteran Terry Veal, “The Left Hand Singing” is effectively moving much of the time, thanks to overall solid performances, but the structure is often scattered, which lessens the impact.

In the play, time is divided in half, as is the stage. In one section, we’re in a dorm room in 1964, with the three students discussing their plans. In the other, we travel across 30 years in the lives of their parents, John and Claire Partridge (Rob May, Lana Henson), Bea Winnick (Misti Pryor) and Maddy Johnson (Tyree Donato).

The circumstances surround-

ing the students’ disappearance might be murky, but the eventual outcome never really is, ensuring that “The Left Hand Singing” doesn’t attempt a suspenseful tale, but a character study that looks at idealism, young love, grief and loss.

The nonlinear time structure probably worked better on paper – in theory, it’s a good idea, but it prevents the play from attaining any sort of dramatic rhythm.

Still, there are individual scenes that are outstanding.

Particularly, a scene where the parents have been informed of their children’s disappearance, and meet each other in a police station. May, Prior and Donato each express the tension between hope and fear in that pivotal movement in their own way, and the dialogue is a piercing example of the lengths we go to fool ourselves that our present situation isn’t as bad as it appears.

Also moving is a monologue

by Henson that is a heartbreaking look at the consequences of stifling emotions.

The scenes with the younger set of actors tend not to work as well, thanks to some unimaginative blocking, but their performances capture the idealism of the era nicely. The knowledge of what will end up happening to them as a result of their good intentions casts a grim pallor over all their interactions, but it also reinforces the importance for what civil rights activists fought for.

“The Left Hand Singing” drags a bit at the end, when it feels like it’s already said what needs to be said, but Carpenter Square’s production overcomes it flaws to be an interesting and involving study of emotion.

DUSTY SOMERS IS A JOURNALISM JUNIOR.

You Are Invited!

Arbor Day 2009

THE

I N U

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TY

OF

OKLAH

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Picnic: Noon Wednesday, April 1, 2009 David A. Burr Park Honoring students, faculty and staff who have helped with the campus reforestation efforts.

President David L. Boren will speak about the importance of Arbor Week.

Bring your blankets and join us for a free picnic lunch celebrating the 2009 OU Arbor Day. The picnic is free and open to the public.

Tree planting immediately following in the housing area to the west of David A. Burr Park.

To volunteer for the tree planting, please contact Volunteer Programs at 325-2340.

In the event of inclement weather, the picnic will be held in Couch Cafeteria.

For accommodations on the basis of disability, please call the Office of Special Events at (405) 325-3784.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.