The O'Colly, Monday, July 31, 2023

Monday, April 1, 2023

Baylor ‘disappeared’ at times last year, Aranda adjusting to get Bears back on top

Tessa Dorrell Staff Reporter

Over the next few weeks, The O’Colly sports staff will release its Big 12 preseason rankings in the form of team previews. This time, it’s the Baylor Bears, which our writers picked to finish ninth.

The Bears returned a starting quarterback and nearly the entire offensive line from a 2021 Big 12 Championship season in 2022 and was the preseason media poll favorite to win the conference.

Instead, Baylor went 6-7, losing the last four games of the season. Now, the Bears are regrouping to get back to being conference contenders.

Junior quarterback Blake Shapen is again the Bears’ starter for the 2023 season, it was announced after spring practices. The starting spot did not come without a challenge for Shapen, as he battled redshirt sophomore Sawyer Robertson, a transfer from Mississippi State.

“I look at it as an opportunity to grow and get better and have someone just pushing me and making me better every single day,” Shapen said.

Shapen threw for 2,790 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2022.

A Bear who has received some of the most preseason recognition is sophomore running back Richard Reese, who was voted preseason All-Big 12. Reese set a program freshman record

with 972 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. The Bears also added Oklahoma State transfer Dominic Richardson from the transfer portal to its list of running

backs. The transfer portal isn’t something coach Dave Aranda has liked to use in the past, but he dug into it dur-

ing the offseason. Aranda has favored working on players already on his team instead of bringing in new ones, but last season changed his view.

See Baylor on 3

Editor Column

History tends to repeat itself, and conference media days have been a hotbed for déjà vu.

Two years ago, then Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby stood at the Big 12 Media Days podium and listed reasons why conference realignment wasn’t one of his top concerns, even though his conference had been raided twice before.

“It doesn’t appear to me that the motivation is there at this point in time,” Bowlsby said. “Not to say it couldn’t happen, but it’s not one of the things that keeps me up at night.”

Then, it happened. OU and Texas declared for the SEC just days later, without so much as a clue.

The Pac 12 has seen

what’s happened to the Big 12 in recent years. Heck, it’s even been part of it. It took Colorado and saw three others leave the Big 12 from 2010-11, then watched OU and Texas leave. And the Pac 12 already lost cash cows USC and UCLA. That should have been a sign that other than the SEC and Big Ten, nobody is safe. Better keep looking ahead. It didn’t resonate. The Pac 12 missed out on a chance to end the Big 12 by taking OU, Texas and others in 2010, then stuck its nose up to the remnants of the Big 12 seeking shelter from what seemed to be a collapsing conference with the loss of OU and Texas in 2021.

Then, at Pac 12 media day this year, commissioner George Kliavkoff spoke those cursed words. “It’s not a concern,” Kliavkoff said about expansion on July 21 at Pac-12 media day. “Our schools are committed to each other and the Pac-12.

We’ll get our media rights deal done, we’ll announce the deal. I think the realignment that’s going on in college athletics will come to an end for this cycle.”

The OSU team will work to address health disparities related to poor nutrition, physical activity and obesity.

Jake Sellers Staff Reporter

Deana Hildebrand, Jill Joyce and Lacey Wallace of Oklahoma State University’s Department of Nutritional Sciences received $780,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the first year in the five-year High Obesity Program (HOP) to address

Courtesy of OSU

in eastern Oklahoma

nutrition and health challenges in eastern Oklahoma. HOP funds universities working with local cooperative extensions in mostly rural counties where obesity is found in nearly half the adult population.

The OSU team will work to address health disparities related to poor nutrition, physical activity and obesity.

“CDC is excited to announce this new HOP funding to

land-grant universities in communities with high rates of obesity,” said Dr. Terry O’Toole, program development and evaluation branch chief in CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. “This funding supports local programs to improve access to fresh, healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity with the goal of reducing chronic diseases.”

See Nutrition on 6

Davis Cordova

At Big 12 Media Days, Baylor coach Dave Aranda said his 2022 team lacked qualities of his 2021 team. “When things got hard, we were pretty good. Last year, when things got hard, we disappeared.”

Big 12-Pac 12 saga shows complacency, vanity is deadly in college athletics

OSU will improve nutrition and physical activity

Braden Bush Sports

Big 12-Pac 12...

Continued from 1

Call it naivety or hopefulness on the conferences’ parts, but realignment is always bubbling beneath the surface. Kliavkoff got the Red River treatment when the University of Colorado unanimously voted to leave the conference six days later. The Pac 12 was foolish to think it couldn’t happen to them and not get ahead of expansion, and now it is in jeopardy after years of vanity and complacency.

Both in 2010 and 2021, the Pac 12 had opportunities to overtake the Big 12 but instead let it live. That wasn’t so much as a favor to the Big 12 as it was the Pac 12 mindset that it was above the Big 12 on an academic level – and that the banks of the Brazos River were the closest thing to the Pacific Coast any Big 12 school could offer.

The Big 12 grew from those close

calls and learned not to be sedentary. You know the story. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby went on the offensive and added four new teams, which sturdied the conference. Then he handed the reins to a savvy Brett Yormark.

While the Pac 12 sat happy with its 10 teams for the 2024 season and was content on waiting to renew its media rights upon expiration at the end of the 2023-24 season – a year earlier than the Big 12 – Yormark cut in line and renegotiated with ESPN and Fox in October 2022. His prize was a six-year, $2.28 billion contract that raised annual Big 12 distribution numbers from $42.6 million per school to nearly $50 million – without OU and Texas. That number is far superior to the Pac 12’s current $32.1 million per school figure, and it severely crippled the Pac 12 media negotiations, which are still ongoing and have no timetable. Suddenly, the Big 12, which was on the brink of extinction, uppercut the Pac 12 and had more stability to offer.

If that wasn’t enticing enough, the Big 12’s contract includes a pro rata clause, meaning the conference receives a raise to keep per-school money the same in the case of expansion. All of that was enticing enough for Colorado, whose announcement dropped the Pac 12 to nine members in 2024.

But this time, there are no Big 12 schools to pick off.

“George Kliavkoff is doing as good a job as he can do, and he works his ass off and works tirelessly for the members of the Pac-12,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said. “ ... but this decision wasn’t about that. It was about this, and that’s the Big 12 Conference and what’s best for CU and CU athletics and our student-athletes, and that’s what we made this decision based on.” The Pac 12’s tone changed instantly. No longer was it satisfied with where it stood, nor did it think it was better of without a school like Texas Tech or Kansas State.

“We are focused on concluding

our media rights deal and securing our continued success and growth,” a Pac 12 statement said after the Colorado announcement. “Immediately following the conclusion of our media rights deal, we will embrace expansion opportunities and bring new fans, markets, excitement and value to the Pac-12.”

Too little, too late? Maybe. The Pac 12, even in a worst-case scenario, will likely still exist on some level. And sure, Colorado isn’t Oregon. But that door is open wider than ever. Who else could join the Buffs? To this point, the Pac 12 has played its cards wrong, and its unwillingness to adapt has put in an uncomfortable situation and allowed Yormark and the Big 12 to rise from the ashes.

All of this could have been avoided as recently as two years ago. The Pac 12 traded its leverage in conference stability for pride, and now it’s the conference looking for an escape route while the Big 12 looks on. And it might not find it.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Mackenzie Janish

Brett Yormark and the Big 12 lured Colorado back from the Pac 12, which might not be a conference-ending blow for the Pac 12, but it gives the Big 12 the upper hand.

Baylor...

“I think for me to kind of come to grips with, ‘Hey, this is what needs to happen for the betterment of the team,’ as opposed to just looking at what’s best for that one particular player on your team.”

The Bears heavily used the portal to refill the offensive line, where it lost four of five starters. They brought in brothers Clark and Campbell Barrington, along with Arkansas transfer Ketron Jackson Jr. Baylor tackle Gavin Byers is the lone returner to the offensive line, moving from right tackle outside to the guard position.

On defense, Baylor allowed opponents less than 350 yards of offense and 18 points per game in 2021, but that jumped to 26.8 points in 2022. So, Aranda is bringing back a piece of that 2021 defense.

Matt Powledge was the safeties and special teams coach at Baylor in 2021 before taking the co-defensive coordinator spot at Oregon last year. Now, Powledge is back as the Bears’ defensive coordinator this season.

Powledge will have experience on the defensive front with TJ Frankling and Gabe Hall, who combined for 22 starts last season, and Jerrell Boykins Jr., who led Hutchinson College to the NJCAA title game in 2022. In total, Baylor added four defensive transfers who project as starters.

Aranda is optimistic the changes and adaptations he and his staff have made can get the Bears back to the team they were two years ago.

“For us to be at our best when it matters most, I think you look at two years ago, you know the game that was played here (Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium) was a good example,” Aranda said. “When things got hard, we were pretty good. Last year, when things got hard, we disappeared.”

Continued from 1 sports.ed@ocolly.com

File Photo

Baylor had reasons for optimism last year when they returned quarterback Blake Shapen and others after a Big 12 title, but instead they finished 6-7.

Daton Fix wins gold at Poland Open, Dustin Plott takes third

familiar foe.

Fix represented the U.S. at the Ziolkowski, Pytlasinski, Poland Open in Warsaw, Poland, this weekend, and Fix took on Iowa’s Austin DeSanto in the 61 kg finals on Sunday. The two have faced off three times in college and once on the national stage, including the Final X True Third wrestle-off in in June, and Fix had won each bout.

early 1-0 deficit to DeSanto. Later, after a gutwrench, Fix took a 4-1 lead and never gave it up on the way to a 6-3 victory, earning the gold medal and pushing his record to 5-0 against the All-American Hawkeye.

against neutral athlete Iman Mahdavi, 10-0. Plott is already an U23 World Team member after winning the freestyle national championship earlier this summer.

Daton Fix owns another freestyle gold medal, and he did it against a

Fix took out Ramaz Turmanidze and Georgi Vangelov to advance to the all-U.S. finals but started with an

Another Cowboy, Dustin Plott, traveled to Poland and wrestled in the 79 kg bracket. Plott cruised through the bracket until a run-in with Mihail Georgiev, who defeated Plott 3-2 and sent him to the bronze medal match. There, Plott scored a technical fall

Brayden Thompson, an incoming OSU freshman and the No. 2 170-pound recruit in the 2023 class, also competed but went 0-2 in the 86 kg field. He, like Plott, had success earlier this summer, finishing runner-up at the U20 world team trials.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Molly Jolliff

Datin Fix won the gold medal against Iowa’s Austin DeSanto at the Poland Open on Sunday.

Braden Bush Sports Editor

PNAS publishes the research of three OSU faculty members

Luisa Clausen Editor-in-Chief

Three OSU faculty members achieve a milestone.

Drs. Michael Reichert, Matt Bolek and Elizabeth McCullah had their work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

The three worked together on the article “Parasite effects on receivers in animal communication: Hidden impacts on behavior, ecology and evolution,” which was included in the July 18 edition of the publication.

PNAS is a peer-reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences that publishes scientists’ research worldwide. Each year, PNAS receives more than 17,000 submissions and reaches a global audience.

Reichert said this journal has a broad read and people from different disciplines read the editions. Because of the broad reach, Reichert said their ideas will reach a wide audience inspired by those ideas to do new studies to help answer some of the questions they posed.

The article is part of a special edition on animal communication and encourages the focus on an area that is constantly overlooked.

McCullagh said most studies on animal communication focus on the signaler or the animal that is producing the communication signal- such as song, call or display- with very little focus generally on factors that change an animal’s ability to receive signal.

“In this context, we explore how parasites can change the reception of signaling information through infection of sensory organs,

the brain or other physiological mechanisms that ultimately change the signal,” McCullagh said. “This alteration has broad implications and evolutionary consequences for both parasites and those they inhabit.”

Reichert, Bolek and McCullah had different interests in biological sciences, but when they met at OSU, the three started to consider their interests as a whole.

Bolek said that collabora-

tion between a parasitologist, neuroscientist and behavioral ecologist is uncommon and he hopes their unusual collaboration can serve as an example when scientists from different ares share knowledge, noval ideas and hypotheses can result.

“The benefits of our collaboration stem from combining our individual research areas, resulting in the development of novel and diverse ideas

and hypotheses to help us understand the biological world,” Bolek said. Reichert said their article focused on the importance of using techniques and approaches from different fields in biology to study a phenomenon that was not appreciated before. The group foresees future multidisciplinary approaches to answering biological questions because animal communication research is advancing,

“It’s been very stimulating to me to think about communication in a different way, and that only happens because I have collaborations with some very passionate scientists who have skills and perspectives that complement mine,” Reichert said Learn more about PNAS and read open-access research articles on the PNAS website.

news.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of OSU

Integrative biology professors (from left) Drs. Michael Reichert, Elizabeth McCullagh and Matt Bolek

Nutrition...

Continued from 1

HOP works to implement multiple proven public health strategies. The first is food and nutrition security — promoting food service and nutrition guidelines, expanding fruit and vegetable voucher incentives and produce prescription programs. The second is

safe and accessible physical activity — connecting transportation networks to everyday destinations. Lastly, early care and education (ECE) settings — improving nutrition and physical activity.

Hildebrand said Oklahoma is unique in that strong partnerships exist between the OSU Cooperative Extension, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Healthy Living Program and Cherokee Tribal Nation.

“There is mutual and proven

capacity in using policy, systems and environmental (PSE) approaches to decrease obesity and health disparities,” Hildebrand said. “Collaborative efforts have been successful in improving nutrition standards, establishing food systems and increasing miles of activity-friendly routes and places for safe physical activity. We look forward to continuing these partnerships and the positive impacts we can make together during the next five years.”

The new award from CDC HOP builds on success from 2018-2023 in

Adair and Muskogee counties. The OSU team worked with Cooperative Extension and state and community partners to implement public health strategies, including significant increases in healthy food distribution capacities for local food pantries, revitalization plans for local parks, safer walking and biking routes to local schools and more. HOP’s collaborative work was recognized by 15 state, regional and national awards and featured in several CDC showcases.

news.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of OSU Agriculture

HOP works to implement multiple proven public health strategies. The first is food and nutrition security.

Mario Parker Bloomberg News

Donald Trump’s political action committee spent $40.2 million on legal costs in the first half of 2023 to defend the former president, his advisers and others, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The political group, Save America, is set to disclose the figure in a filing on Monday, said the people, who asked not to be identified before the information is released.

The figure is substantial enough that the PAC has requested a refund on a $60 million contribution it made to another group supporting Trump, and signals a potential money crisis for the campaign, the New York Times reported late Saturday.

The disclosure is set to come as Trump, who’s leading polls for the 2024 Republican nomination, braces for yet another indictment, this time in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the aftermath of the 2020 election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

He’s already been indicted in a federal case over his handling of classified documents and in New York state court where he faces charges over alleged hush money payments to an adult film star.

Trump was hit Thursday with new obstruction charges in the criminal case over classified documents, including allegations that he and two employees tried to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

The campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose standing in GOP primary polls has been dropping, criticized the spending. Communications director Andrew Romeo said the legal expenses wouldn’t help Republicans retake the White House.

“Trump has spent over $60 million on 2 things: falsely attacking DeSantis and paying his own legal fees, not a cent on defeating Biden,” Romeo posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Trump isn’t turning down anyone ensnared in his legal troubles seeking help, particularly those who can’t afford the expense, people close to him said.

news.ed@ocolly.com

HIMALAYAN GROCERY STORE

Trump’s PAC to report legal expenses exceeding $40 million

Courtesy of Tribune

Former U.S. President Donald Trump enters Erie Insurance Arena for a political rally while campaigning for the GOP nomination in the 2024 election on July 29, 2023, in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Reflecting on Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health

Emi Norton Staff Reporter

Speaking up and breaking down the barriers that oppression and world culture builds between ethnic minorities, and the right to a healthy state of mind.

The month of July was named Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008 by the House of Representatives. Campbell’s bountiful efforts to create safe spaces where people of color could find equitable support for mental health care allowed for the unheard to be heard and the untreated to be treated.

Advocates that stood alongside Campbell sponsored the month of awareness in July with two goals in mind: improve access to mental health treatment and services and promote awareness of mental illness, and secondly, to honor Campbell and enhance public awareness of mental illness in and around underserved communities.

Students part of ethnic minorities at Oklahoma State University today talk about their battles with mental illness and how they overcome barriers that continue to stem from the dark side of world culture. As a result of admirable effort from Campbell, individuals like first year Ph.D. student, Wilson Lazo-Salmeron, are taking opportunities to share their journeys with mental illness and seek out supportive resources.

“I have learned from my therapy experiences to cope and foster a better relationship with my mental health,” Lazo-Salmeron said. “I am still learning and growing from my new experiences. Mental health is super important and I hope to advocate for more services, education and training for people.”

As a native of El Salvador, a small country in Central America, Lazo-Salmeron’s heritage as well as being a member of the LGBTQ+ community has inherently put him in a position

that has made it more difficult to cope with the stress of life.

“As much as I love advocating for myself and others, it gets draining to do that, especially in predominantly white areas such as OSU,” Lazo-Salmeron said. “I have an established support system in my hometown in Maryland, and have found some new ones here which have been helpful. Nevertheless, microaggressions and biases still take a toll on my mental health, but I have better strategies to care for myself during these times.”

Studies show that racial and sexual minority groups show increased levels of anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, post-traumatice stress disorder and the list goes on. These results have reportedly been linked, but not limited to, immigration status, economic conditions, education levels and access to public health benefits.

“I did not want to be seen as less than or weak,” LazoSalmeron said. “Additionally,

white supremacy culture and patriarchal systems prevented me from speaking up about my mental health. I felt like I had to internalize everything to be seen as perfect, strong or complete.”

In addition to LazoSalmeron, members of minority groups across the OSU campus from all different backgrounds have experienced the same emotional and social oppression, finding it difficult to speak up about their mental health. Senior marketing and management major, Emmily Marquez, shares her experience as a young girl growing up in a hispanic household as she struggled with her mental health.

“Mental health is now very important to me,” Marquez said. “Growing up, I wasn’t sure if it was because in my culture therapy and healings were not an option. I am currently in therapy and it has started to help me see some things that weren’t clear before, but I’m still in the process and working

things out.”

In a culture that has little access to information and resources about mental health and illness, like many others, Marquez felt like her feelings were not understood as a minority in America.

“Being a minority in America and dealing with my mental health, one of the biggest obstacles that I’ve had to overcome has been my parents not hearing me out,” Marquez said. “My grandma, who I love very much, has always been there for me, taken care of me and stood by my side. At the same time, I was missing that parental connection since a bunch of my peers had those connections with their families.”

As the years go on, access to information that leads minority groups to resources that have the power to assist with mental health and illness is slowly increasing but has a long way to go. Coping with the stigma that hovers over individ-

uals from similar backgrounds as Lazo-Salmeron and Marquez has forced them to explore different strategies that allow them to take initiative of their mental health and heal on their own terms.

“Our identities and backgrounds provided us with strength and resilience,” LazoSalmeron said. “If you are not in a position right now to access information, I suggest trying to find a community you can feel safe in. It can be very hard, but having people you feel safe around can provide hope and security. If that isn’t possible at this time, I think finding a safe activity that you love can be rewarding. It won’t fix everything but it can be meaningful to breathe, reflect and be present with that activity.”

For information on OSU’s mental health resources, visit https://wellness.okstate.edu/ student-wellness/resources.html

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Dmitry Volochek

As the years go on, access to information that leads minority groups to resources that have the power to assist with mental health and illness is slowly increasing but has a long way to go.

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Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black

Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (07/31/23). Career victories come naturally this year. Making domestic changes and upgrades this summer inspires an autumn flurry of communications and networking. Winter brings exciting professional opportunities and creative projects, before springtime beckons exploration, investigation and discovery. You’re becoming an influencer in your field.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — New professional doors or markets appear to be opening. Grab an opportunity for a fun and lucrative project. Advance to realize your plans.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 9 — Explore new cultures, flavors and philosophies. Discover opportunities or treasure hiding underneath a change. Monitor news and conditions. Find creative solutions in your investigations.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Energize efforts contributing to joint accounts. Study money and review resources. Share the load to advance. Collaborate with your partner for common gain.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 9 — Ally forces. Together you can get farther, faster and with more fun. Romantic connections develop naturally. Share a mutual attraction. Share your insights and ideas.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 9 — Physical action gets results. Get support from friends. Build to fulfill a long-term dream. Envision beautiful results. Get out in nature and move your body.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Give in to creative impulses for delightful results. A playful attitude can lead to unexpected solutions. Practice your arts, hobbies and passions. Connect and share.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Nurture yourself and family with home comforts and diversions. Beautify your spaces. Fill with delicious flavors and fragrances. Relax together and enjoy the connection.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — You’re especially brilliant and creative. Write and sketch your ideas. Articulate your vision to take it to the next level. Network and collaborate with talented friends.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Keep up the good work. Lucrative opportunities are worth pursuing. Quick action can net an extra prize. Long-lasting gain is possible. Stash the surplus.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 9 — Pursue personal passions. Your confidence is contagious. Savor your favorite activities, views and people. Use your energy wisely to contribute to growth. Nurture yourself.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Peaceful privacy suits your mood and leads to productivity. Enjoy your secret sanctuary. Strategize and prepare for what’s ahead. Complete one phase and begin another.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — Keep developing team strategies. Connection with friends feeds your spirit. Don’t take anyone for granted. Discuss shared dreams, possibilities and options. Have fun together.

ACROSS

1 Matriarch of the Three Bears

5 Grocery shopper’s aid

9 Private supply

14 “Right away” letters

15 Mideast leader

16 Catchall

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

Jolie L’Heureux & Alexander Liebeskind

Tribune Content Agency, LLC