UCO's The Vista, Feb. 20, 2024

“OUR WORDS, YOUR VOICE.”

Lamb shows legislators UCO is a ‘wise investment’ for 2024

Jake Ramsey Managing Editor

With the 2024 Oklahoma Legislative sessions in full-swing, UCO President Todd Lamb has been active at the state Capitol doing what he describes as, “sharing with the legislators the uniqueness of UCO.”

Higher education in Oklahoma has consistently been discussed throughout the state government as the 2024 sessions begin, with issues ranging from DEI offices to funding to enrollment, higher education institutions, including UCO, have continued to experience changes going into their Spring semesters.

“It’s exciting to be on a college campus,” said Lamb when discussing the beginning of the Spring semester.

Lamb went on to discuss his recent activity at the Capitol and how this Legislative session can impact UCO, but also UCO’s impact on Oklahoma.

“We’re unique,” said Lamb. “The appropriated dollar of UCO stretches the farthest, it’s a wise investment, it’s a prudent investment and it helps the state of Oklahoma.”

There are currently two pieces of legislation that Lamb

is focusing on that can impact UCO. One having to do with concurrent enrollment, and the other having to do with deferred maintenance on college campuses.

“There’s legislation right now for a flat fee, regardless of how much it costs the institution to provide concurrent,” said Lamb.

Lamb then went on to discuss Rep. Mark McBride’s bill which involves deferred maintenance on college campuses.

A deferred maintenance can range from buildings that

UCO Roll Sober educates: prevent addiction and overdose

Titus Leong

Contributing Writer

The University of Central Oklahoma’s Roll Sober initiative aims to increase awareness and education concerning substance abuse as well as providing students with resources and means of prevention.

Angel Stine is the coordinator of Roll Sober, which operates under the Office of Health Promotion. The initiative focuses on substance abuse and suicide prevention on campus. Stine aims to ramp up Narcan training and accessibility across campus, so students have access to these resources when needed.

“The concern was the rise in opioid and stimulant misuse and overdoses within the college campus communities,” Stine said. “There have been huge spikes since Covid.”

In the Spring 2023 semester, a health self-assessment was handed out to students enrolled in the Healthy Life Skills class. Results reported 7.1% of students having misused prescription opioids, and 8.8% of students misused prescription stimulants, which is nearly double the national average taken from the National College Health Assessment data which reported 3.1% and 4.1% misuse nationally.

“The aim is to prevent any accidents, or potentially con-

cerning things that might happen,” Stine said. “You know, just trying to give people the tools they need so that they can feel safe.”

Roll Sober receives funding from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Stine said that they have resources to provide to UCO students and offer them with any methods of assistance.

Students can attend Narcan training held monthly across campus, so they know how to administer Narcan to a victim of opioid overdose at a moment’s notice. Those who attend such training sessions will also receive a microcredential.

“It’s a community effort now, because we never know when it’s going to happen,” said Stine, “It could even be cases where maybe if somebody in your house may have accidentally taken too much of a pain medication or something like that. You just never know and it’s always good to be safe.”

There was a Mario Kart event on campus last semester to spread awareness for substance abuse. Students wore a pair of VR goggles that simulate the differences with driving under the influence and not.

The next Narcan training on campus will be held at 1 p.m. Feb. 26 in the Education Building.

are not up to standard for The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to buildings that need refurbishment to simple boiler issues.

In the past two months, UCO has seen two major maintenance issues.

One being a burst pipe in the UCO Suites Dormitory which displaced 80 students at the beginning of the semester, and the other being an issue with the foundations of the Liberal Arts South building.

“A lot of our buildings on

UCO’s campus are old,” said Lamb. “Once you’ve deferred maintenance it doesn’t get any better, and it doesn’t stay the same, it just continues to get worse, and if it continues to get worse it becomes more expensive.”

Lamb went on talking about how the bill and current program are very general at the Capitol, but did describe how deferred maintenance operates and how there is an idea to assist higher education institutions with their deferred maintenance.

“I’ve got to keep this very general, because it’s very general at the state Capitol right now,” said Lamb. “There’s a pot-ofmoney that the legislature wants to set aside for higher ed deferred maintenance.”

“Of that pot-of-money, the way it’s currently divided between the 25 colleges and universities,” said Lamb. “I don’t think UCO will get its fairshare.”

Along with maintenance issues on UCO, the campus has also been facing a budget crisis which Lamb inherited from previous administrations.

As of right now, UCO is the 3rd-largest state university, but it remains the least funded of the 13 4-year institutions.

Protecting civil rights: Hoskin signs exceutive order

President Todd Lamb is UCO’s 22nd president. (UCO OFFICIAL/PROVIDED)

Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. signs and extends an executive order protecting the civil rights of Cherokee Citizens of freedman descent at their Black History Month Celebration. This order will give descendants of freedmen access to resources, health provisions, scholarships, etc., provided by the Cherokee Nation that they have been historically denied, despite these rights being granted in 1866. The audience responded to his speech with resounding applause. (TAYLOR HORNER/THE VISTA)

Weekly Horoscope

A new health-related jumpstart is here! You could feel a newfound sense of motivation to get outside as Spring pops around the corner. Mercury transits your subconscious this time around, so it’s a good time to keep a dream journal! Your song is “Real Power” by Gossip.

Super good news: your ability to let yourself experience joy is receiving an upgrade. Congratulations on being more in the present. Mercury moves your networks around, encouraging you to branch out and be a little more extroverted. Your song is “Heart” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise.

Something just clicks within your family or household. It’s a good time to shed unhelpful patterns as the new good stuff comes in. Mercury shifts your career forward: great time to update LinkedIn! Your song is “Always Gold” by Radical Face. Your mind and intellectual ability swim in a sea of moonlight this week. In other words, get ready for a shift in how you think. Mercury indicates travel even more strongly than last week: oh, the places you’ll go! Your song is “Suddenly” by Drugdealer and Weyes Blood.

VIR GO

August 23- September 22

Your perception of security is shifting as old patterns fall away. This moon works with Mercury to cycle through your depths and bring you to a place of newfound inner stability. You work with the world around you in seasons. Your song is “ON THE LINE” by MICHELLE.

LIBR

Your subconscious mind connects to your intuition, marking a great time to tune in to yourself. Mercury brings focus to communication about your daily habits or health. Your song is “Forever” by Hovvdy.

The spotlight is on as you complete an intense cycle with the rising Full Moon. A starstruck update to your life approach is on its way if you look for it. Mercury encourages communication with closest connections. Your song is “New Rhythm” by Greg Johnson and Starburst Records.

Your career is gaining traction now – conferences could be on the horizon! Mercury circles around family or roommate conversations as we move towards Spring. Your song is “mad cooking machine” by ego apartment.

Your networks expand and friendships transform at this time. You are blossoming! Also, Mercury focuses on the ways you share your joy with the world. Expect some sweet texts! Your song is “Not Dead Yet” by Lord Huron.

January

The depths of your mind swirl with possibility as you release a pattern that no longer serves you. In a wraparound way, this is exciting and will be so good for you! Mercury in your second house could mean money on your mind. Your song is “Life Is” by Jessica Pratt.

Your perspectives are changing and it could be related to things that happened on a trip that you recently took or will take soon. Mercury lights a brain boost as you shift towards presence. Your song is “Capricorn” by Vampire Weekend.

You are learning something related to love and it will crescendo this week. The waters of Mercury in your sign shine a light on the way you communicate. You may need to rebalance work and rest as well. Your song is “CD Wallet” by HOMESHAKE.

A

Zumwalt plans to put Oklahoma on the must-visit list

Jake Ramsey Managing Editor

Tourism is currently the third-largest industry in Oklahoma, and between historic destinations like Route 66 and new booming locations like Beavers Bend State Park, newly-appointed Secretary of Tourism Shelley Zumwalt said she hopes to see an influx of tourists coming into Oklahoma in 2024.

On Jan. 16, Gov. Kevin Stitt named Zumwalt the new secretary of tourism for the state of Oklahoma. Along with her new title, Zumwalt continues to serve concurrently as executive director of Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.

“The tourism department here in this state has worked really hard to get to this point, long before I got here,” said Zumwalt.

As of 2023, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism has seen an increase of travel spending to a record amount of $11.8 billion.

“We’ve got such a talented team that has really been working hard to get to that point,” said Zumwalt.

Zumwalt credits the advertising campaign promoting Oklahoma State Parks as

one of the biggest contributors to the record-breaking year in 2023.

“We dedicated a small amount of money to really promoting those parks with the ‘Best Summer Ever’ campaign,” said Zumwalt. “And we saw a 30% increase in lodging in just a really short amount of time.”

“People want to go to the parks, they just need to know about them,” said Zumwalt.

One of the key places that Zumwalt felt was important to discuss in the campaign was Route 66, highlighting the fact that Oklahoma has the most miles of Route 66 out of any state.

“We really leaned into, ‘What are those key things we need to be promoting along Oklahoma’s route,’” said Zumwalt.

She went on to discuss the thought process behind promoting Route 66 as well as other Oklahoma landmarks.

One of the challenges faced was ensuring the enhancements of the state parks, as well as keeping them clean for the public.

“Having well-maintained state parks and really a robust plan around how we want people to experience

them is essential,” said Zumwalt when discussing how to attract tourists and Oklahomans to the state parks.

Moving away from discussing the state parks, Zumwalt also focused on how tourism plays a key role in incentivising people to move to and stay in Oklahoma.

“We’re kind of a gateway industry for people relocating to Oklahoma,” said Zumwalt.

Zumwalt discussed how she believes one of the reasons people may be enticed to move to Oklahoma is the, “Economic reality that Oklahoma is going to be a great state to go to, but it’s also not

going to break your bank.”

In reference to expanding tourism destinations beyond Tulsa, Oklahoma City and places on Route 66, Zumwalt discussed how 38% of the $11.8 billion brought in from tourism came from Oklahoma and Tulsa county.

“I think the inverse of that is more interesting,” said Zumwalt. “Because that means that 62% of that came from outside of Tulsa and Oklahoma counties.”

“That means the money that we are drawing into those rural communities is actually out-pacing Oklahoma City and Tulsa right now,” said Zumwalt. Zumwalt believes that

while people may be flying into Oklahoma City and Tulsa, their primary incentive for coming to the state is to seek destinations in rural Oklahoma, such as the Wichita Mountains, Medicine Park and the Great Salt Plains.

“When you’re talking about the Great Salt Plains, or Little Sahara, those are two things that are super unique to Oklahoma,” said Zumwalt. “The nearest sand dune type park is in Michigan.”

Zumwalt hopes to not only continue the success of Oklahoma tourism in 2024, but to surpass all expectations.

Boeing in-flight malfunctions call for increased oversight

Sam Royka Editor-In-Chief

Last month, a cabin door panel flew off of a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which was traveling Jan. 5 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California. Later, an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that four missing bolts might have caused the malfunction. This incident is part of a string of incidents for Boeing, the latest of which is the loss of a front nose tire during takeoff for a 757 in Atlanta. In October 2023, a 737 slid off the runway and onto the grass in England.

While strange if viewed alone, the seriousness of the incidents is compounded by the Boeing 737 Max 9 crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. The Federal Aviation Administration responded by grounding 737s for almost two years while conducting investigations into the incidents. Boeing was charged with fraud and paid an estimated $2.5 billion in penalties and compensation.

“The tragic crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 exposed fraudulent and

STAFF

deceptive conduct by employees of one of the world’s leading commercial airplane manufacturers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General David P. Burns of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in a Department of Justice press release.

The crashes were attributed to faulty sensors in connection with software that was removed from the plane manual. The software, called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), was intended to correct the 737’s problem of stalling out when it reached a certain upward angle of flight. However, when the angle sensor failed, it sent incorrect signals to MCAS that triggered the system multiple times. Instead of correcting the angle of the plane, it overcorrected into a nosedive.

The pilots, in all likelihood, did not know that MCAS was a part of the plane because hours after its inception, Boeing requested that the FAA remove all but one reference to it in the manual where it was listed as an acronym. In the lawsuit, the FAA states they were ‘deceived’ by Boeing about the way MCAS worked, saying that Boeing downplayed its role in flight operation.

Sam Royka Editor-in-Chief

Jake Ramsey Managing Editor

Taylor Horner Photo Editor

Matilda Harvey Copy Editor

Sam Kozlowski Digital Editor

Zak Royka Reporter

Britton Summers Reporter

Victor Lopez Photographer

Troy Isbell Photographer

Ethan Brown Photographer

Tess Peters Graphic Designer

George Lang Adviser

VISTA 2022-23 layout design by Kevin Davis

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In addition to the direct cost Boeing has faced, they have also been subject to an estimated $60 billion in lost profits.

The solution to the MCAS overcorrection problem was to use data from two sensors, both already on the 737.

“It’s unclear to me why that was not being done in the first place,” said Evan Lemley, UCO’s assistant dean of engineering and physics. Events like air crashes are examples of what can happen when engineering goes wrong. In 1981, the collapse of two overhead walkways in a Hyatt Regency hotel killed 114 and injured 216 in Kansas City.

In this case, “an engineering design drawing was misinterpreted. And a decision was made on site to build something slightly differently than the drawing that appeared to be a slight difference that actually might have been even better. But it turns out, if you actually did the analysis, it was making things much, much worse,” Lemley said.

Another design flaw that is widely remembered today is the failure of the O-ring on the Challenger spacecraft that killed all seven crew members. This O-ring failed because it was used outside of the

recommended temperature range. Compounding the trouble were the record-low temperatures on the day of the launch.

In both cases, a material was used in a way unintended by the manufacturer and designers.

“There should be someone in the design teams that’s alerting upper management, others, that there’s a potential problem, and that actually did occur in that case, and their concerns were sort of downplayed. And as a result, you know, we see what happens,” Lemley said.

The responsibility lies both with designers and executives. Lemley noted the importance of company culture and listening by management. This communication is key in preventing mistakes that can prove both costly and fatal.

“So that’s why, as engineers compelled by the Code of Ethics throughout the process to be vocal about when they, their calculations, their analysis indicates that something might be unsafe or prone to failure or identifies a way something might be used that’s not intended, because that does happen,” Lemley said.

UCO’s Student Voice Since 1903

The Vista is published as a newspaper and public forum by UCO students weekly during the academic year, at the University of Central Oklahoma. The issue price is free.

EDITORIALS

Opinion columns, editorial cartoons, reviews and commentaries represent the views of the writer or artist and not necessarily the views of The Vista Editorial Board, the Department of Mass Communications, UCO or the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges. The Vista is not an official medium of expression for the Regents or UCO.

LETTERS

The Vista encourages letters to the editor. Letters should address issues and ideas, not personalities. Letters must

be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s printed name, major, classification and phone number. Phone numbers are included for contacting purposes only.

Letters are subject to editing for libel, clarity and space, or to eliminate statements of questionable taste. The Vista reserves the right not to publish submitted letters.

ADDRESS LETTERS TO:

Editor, The Vista 100 N. University Dr. Edmond, OK 73034-5209

Or, deliver in person to the editor in the Mass Communications Building, Room 131. Letters can be emailed to sroyka@uco.edu.

Newly appointed Oklahoma Secretary of Tourism Shelley Zumwalt wants to dramatically expand Oklahoma’s tourism industry. (VICTOR LOPEZ/THE VISTA)

UCO students highlight intersectionality via Culturs magazine

Matilda Harvey Copy Editor

UCO students studying strategic communications are participating in the 2024 Bateman Case Study Competition by asking students to examine hidden intersectionality within cultural fluidity.

In other words, their own hidden culture.

The Bateman Case Study Competition is a part of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), a student organization that is part of the strategic communications program. PRSSA assigns students a real world client for whom they must develop a public relations campaign. The 2024 Bateman client is Culturs magazine, a publication focusing on intersectionality via identities that may not be immediately visible.

Culturs Magazine was founded in 2014 as part of Col-

orado State University’s journalism department. Part of the mission of Culturs is finding the hidden culture within individuals, which is why there is no “e” in Culturs. The magazine operates under sixteen different definitions of cultural fluidity, available on their website.

The UCO student group, named Blue Stampede, is asking students “What’s Your Cultur?.” Their project is inspired by journalist Michele Norris’ Peabody-award winning “Race Card Project’’ from 2010. They tabled in the Communications Building on Monday, February 12, as well as Wednesday, February 14. The intent behind tabling was to examine what UCO students know about Culturs Magazine, as well as what they think of the cultural identity of UCO’s campus.

According to Blue Stampede’s survey of students, “68% of respondents agreed that UCO has easy to digest cultural

programs and activities,”while 87.5% said they think the university is a safe space for multicultural coexistence. Furthermore, 81.25% were interested in consuming more literature related to multiculturalism. Only 25% of those surveyed had heard of Culturs magazine.

“It was really cool, because we got a few students who were telling us about their whole, like, family ties and genealogy and everything and how it’s changed how they see their culture,” account executive Angel Stark said of the experience.

A project focusing on the hidden intersectionality of personal identity brings to mind recent headlines regarding the Oklahoma government’s handling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in public universities. On December 13, 2023, Governor Kevin Stitt signed Executive Order 202331, which prohibited DEI in state colleges and universities.

“I’m not afraid to say that I think that getting rid of DEI education and trying to erase history is not okay,” Stark said about political leaders denying the importance of DEI. “I think that if, you know, we don’t learn about it and we don’t, you know, encourage people to look back into history and look back into, you know, anything and really take a look at where we are in terms of DEI in the workplace and society and university, nothing’s going to get better.”

Stark, who plans to pursue a career in public relations, said that she believes getting rid of DEI in universities is the worst thing society can do.

Blue Stampede will be partnering with the Oklahoma City Zoo during the week of February 19 and has plans to potentially table in the Liberal Arts Building before the end of February.

Opinion: How U.S. election years influence people through media

You may have seen Biden’s bizarre social media post following the Chiefs victory in Super Bowl 58. Youth targeting, division, misinformation and polarization thrive during election years, as we are months away from voting.

Society has never been more overstimulated with news, entertainment, video games and virtual reality. Election years are met with increased political coverage on the news, so it is crucial that you can identify bias and catch fallacies in one’s argument.

In order to get support for their preferred candidates, misinformation and purposeful disinformation spread quickly. Campaigns, political fanatics and special interest groups use these tactics to sway public opinion on the Internet and television.

Donald Trump is no stranger to trying to influence young voters as well. Ad hominem attacks using Gen-Z slang calling Biden “Sleepy Joe”, as well as support from some of the media industry’s biggest stars such as UFC president Dana White, Kanye West, Kid Rock, country singer Trace Adkins and more.

To combat this, companies like Meta and X have implemented ways to curb misinformation, such as Facebook’s fact checking process and X’s community notes. Despite their efforts, misinformation still slips through the fingers of these businesses. In fact, these platforms profit from false facts. Shares, likes, comments and engagements on controversial posts keep users hooked for longer, thus increasing advertising revenue and possibly creator revenue.

Artificial intelligence used on social media has fooled millions of people already with computer generated images, news and celebrity voices. However, things have potential to get a lot more confusing for consumers. OpenAI founder Sam Altman unveiled his new AI video generation ‘Sora’ on Thursday, demonstrating its hyperrealism and near-unlim -

ited potential. In the midst of fears that AI will tamper with the election in 2024 and in the future, big tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, X and more signed a deal the day after Sora was previewed to combat AI-generated election manipulation.

Thanks to the corporate media machine and the public forum of the Internet, less and less people will get their election news from mainstream sources. After laws were put in place in the 1980s to relax media regulations by the Reagan administration,

the truth damages the press because news stations would rather cause division or push the same narrative to increase their profits. Because less people care about the news and have other ways to access it, there are many fewer people studying journalism now. What were once news stations full of bright and professional journalists, are now begging for any mass communication students to apply.

Even the most centered news organizations still have their biases, even if it is to a small extent. Regardless, fact check everything and cross

broadcast news switched focus to ratings and numbers, as opposed to truthful, unbiased reporting. Focusing on TV ratings instead of

reference between multiple sources to see if there are any inconsistencies or additional information.

Although news faces many

issues that make George Orwell’s 1984 seem like it’s coming true, the TV model is not going away. Streaming services are now using the broadcast model of ‘content-commercial-content-commercial’ because of how profitable it is. Netflix’ basic subscription with ads plan launched in 2022 at $6.99 per month and costs $15.99 per month for its adfree version. Although traditional television may end within a decade or two, it is merely a death and rebirth like the phoenix, as the TV model continues.

There’s not much we can do about modern press, but being informed and encouraging media literacy are necessary steps we must take to fix this devolving-from-truth platform. According to a 2023 study from Tufts University’s civic learning and engagement center, Gen-Z voted at a higher rate than previous generations such as Gen X and Millennials. Fortunately, you can be the change by staying informed and holding those accountable who are deceiving the masses.

Election years are crazy, take care of your mental health regardless of the outcome and stand up for what you believe in with your First Amendment right, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Sam Kozlowski Digital Editor

“Just like we drew it up.” An election meme posted by the Biden administration trying to appeal towards younger audiences. (@JOEBIDEN/X)

BRONCHO SCOREBOARD

BASEBALL

Feb. 17

Okla. Christian - 3

#20 UCO - 4

Behind 3-4 hitting from Cameron Uselton and a combined 10 strikeouts from the four pitchers UCO threw, the Bronchos were able to defend home turf and keep their perfect season alive against crosstown rival OCU.

Feb. 18

#20 UCO - 16

Oklahoma Christian - 6

Following the prior day’s pitching duel, Central lit it up at OCU. Carson Carpenter hit two homers at notched seven RBIs while Ryan Strickland and Garrett Long each had a home run as well, leading UCO to the weekend sweep and an 11-0 record in 2024.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Feb. 17

Washburn - 69

UCO - 79

Guards Jaden

Wells and Danquez Dawsey combined for 57 points in a super physical game as the Bronchos defend home court and grab a much needed win. The team now moves to 10-8 in conference and 18-8 overall as they push for an MIAA tournament berth.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Feb. 17

Washburn - 68

UCO - 82

Sophomore forward Reagan Fox led the way with 22 points on 4-7 shooting from three en route to the Lady Broncho’s dominant sixth win of the year. A great showing towards the end of a rocky 2023-24 season.

WRESTLING

Feb. 17

#1 UCO - 47

Fort Hayes State - 0

The number one UCO wrestling team capped off a dominant undefeated regular season with a shutout trouncing of Fort Hayes State. The ‘Chos have captured another MIAA Conference Championship and are the favorites to win it all at National next month.

MEN’S GOLF

Feb. 13

In the season opening tournament at the Houston Classic, UCO captured second place in the 15-team field. Behind Jordan Wilson’s second place individual performance of shooting par across all 54 holes, the ‘Chos get off to 2024 with a great start.

EA Sports announces return of ‘College Football’ video game after a decade

Bradie Gray Sports Editor

In a teaser trailer posted to the game’s official Instagram page Thursday, EA Sports has finally given fans an official look at the return of the long-awaited college football video game.

For the first time in over a decade, we know for a fact that the franchise is officially set to return. Formerly known as the “NCAA Football” franchise, the game will now simply be called

“College Football 25.”

The name change is due to Electronic Arts cutting ties with the NCAA.

In the trailer, posted to the new game’s Instagram page “@EASportsCollege,” we see the narrator at midfield of the Rose Bowl, college football’s most iconic venue, sewing a football jersey themed for the new game. We also get to see the early computer models of multiple team uniforms and mascots.

This was the advertise-

ment that fans expected to see back in January during the college football National Championship game between Michigan and Washington. To many fans’ dismay, the trailer was not released during the game nor was it released during the Super Bowl two weeks ago. Instead, EA opted to shock release the trailer on social media, working up a storm of football fans almost immediately.

The games most recent installment was released

back in 2013 as NCAA Football 14, but after several litigation concerns about then game using player likenesses arose to the national spotlight, EA pulled the plug to avoid any legal issues. Because of this, the game went on an 11-year hiatus, but thanks to the new Name, Image, and Likeness rules that allow college players to make money from brand deals and sponsorships, one of the most iconic franchises in gaming is set to return.

Fans hope that the new game will return some of the same features they fell in love with in the first place.

“I hope all of the old features and game modes return,” said Gunnar Nelson, a UCO student and a still avid player of the decade-old NCAA Football 14. “Dynasty, playing as a college head coach where you make all the calls during games and in recruiting in the offseason, is my favorite, but along with that I just want to see some kind of solo player career mode like the old Road to Glory mode in NCAA 14.”

According to the video, the game will be releasing later this summer, and the official full reveal of the game will drop in May.

UCO hockey wins WCHL conference championship

Bradie Gray Sports Editor

The UCO Hockey team secured its third-straight conference championship following a dominant weekend series against Oklahoma as they secure their spot in the national tournament.

Over the weekend, UCO and OU hosted each other in a home-andhome weekend series at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Edmond, which both teams use as a home venue. Coming into the series, the Bronchos were ranked at number three nationally, but Oklahoma looked to be far from an easy out as the number 25 ranked team.

In the first game, UCO was the away team, but early on they were right at home. Only 37 seconds into the first period forward Vitalii Mikhailov scored the opening goal; credit Jack Taylor and Adam Stalker with the assist. Then in the last minute of the first, Mikhailov scored his second goal, this time assisted by Carter Eha, making the score at the first intermission, 2-0 Bronchos.

In the second period, Stalzer scored his own goal in the eighth minute off of a Mikhailov assist. Then in the 14th minute, Broncho forward Sam Sykes

scored the team’s fourth goal off of assists from forwards Ondrej Blaha and Zach Guerra.

In the third, UCO goaltender Doug Wakelyn, who finished with 28 saves, received his only blemish on the night as OU scored its lone goal in the third minute, courtesy of Brenden Sinclair on Tristan Glass and Carson Basset assists. Central would get that one back from OU two minutes later as Blaha scored his own goal on a power play from Guerra and Sykes, capping off the night’s scoring.

UCO would go on to take game one over Oklahoma, 5-1.

In game two, the Bronchos celebrated Senior Night in the last regular season game of the year. UCO was the home team, and they certainly looked like it.

Six minutes in, Mikhailov scored his third goal of the weekend from Stalzer and Cooper Krauss’ assists. Nine minutes later, the ‘Chos scored courtesy of Eha from Davin Burton and Cash Reagan during a power play. After one period, the Bronchos led 2-0.

In the second, Central laid siege on the OU goal with 22 shots in the period alone. The team would finish with an astounding 48 shots to Oklahoma’s 18. In the third minute, Blaha scored a goal off of a Sykes assist. Then in

the 16th minute, Mikhailov found the back of the net for his second goal of the game and his fourth of the weekend, this one from Eha and Stalzer on a power play, extending the lead to 4-0. Just before the end of the period, Oklahoma scored on an Aaron Best shot from Benjamin Mondou, making it 4-1 after two periods.

Finally, in the third period the Bronchos decided to flex their muscles on Senior Night. They scored three goals to cap off the regular season. The first from Burton three minutes in off of Cullen Hogan and Kameron Williams’ assists. Five minutes later, Guerra scored from another Sykes assist. Finally, Jamison St. Clair scored in the 15th minute from Brandon McDonald and Cullen Hogan to cap off the night’s scoring. Bronchos win 7-1, sweeping OU 4-0 for the whole season.

Following the dominant weekend, UCO moved to 26-7 on the year and were named Western Collegiate Hockey League Champions for the third straight season. The Bronchos now get to set their eyes on next month’s national tournament in St. Louis, Missouri. Last season, UCO finished as the ACHA National Runners-up, and now they are poised to avenge their loss.

“College Football 25” restarts the long-dormant “NCAA Football” franchise. (CHARLIE RIEDELL/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

UCO’s Carter Eha scores a goal on a power play against OU Saturday night to extend the lead. (VICTOR LOPEZ/THE VISTA)

Supreme Court rules

Jake Ramsey

Managing Editor

After former President Donald Trump appealed his prosecution for election interference to the U.S. Supreme Court, the justices ruled unanimously on March 4 that Trump will remain on the ballot in Colorado, whose state supreme court had declared him ineligible.

Currently the former president is facing 91 criminal charges ahead of the 2024 election, which he currently leads the Republican primaries in. According to Project 538, a political polling organization, Trump leads in primary polling at

AI

Trump must be on 2024 election ballot

76.9% compared to South Carolina

Gov. Nikki Haley, who is resting at 14.5%.

While Trump is currently polling ahead of Haley and locked in a tight race with President Joe Biden, the legal scrutiny he faces can still be damaging. While Trump’s immunity appeals will directly impact him, UCO professor of political science Loren Gatch believes it can also present problems for present and future presidents.

“In order for someone to function effectively as an executive, it may require that we grant them a certain amount of forbearance in office,” said Gatch. “I’m putting it in that

general sense just to defend the idea of immunity.”

There is no immunity explicitly given to the president through the constitution as it stands, but Gatch argues that in order to understand the defense of immunity, it must be analyzed further.

“Are there certain kinds of activities that are not a part of the executive power that would make one liable?” asked Gatch in a restorative manner.

“Are there certain kinds of activities that are not a part of the executive power that would make one liable?” asked Gatch in a restorative manner.

Taking it back to the Clinton Administration and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Gatch cites the incident as an example of a president committing an act outside of the executive power.

Trump has argued that his actions taken during the 2020 election were official acts, and that the absolute immunity afforded to presidents covers actions taken while in office.

While Trump remains on the ballot in all states, his troubles still are not yet over, with his legal team still pushing the U.S. Supreme Court to find protections from the charges that he attempted to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election.

augmentation of writing indicates changes to education and the workplace

Sam Royka Editor-In-Chief

Last week’s Fusion Conference for UCO media students sparked conversations about how employees might soon be expected to use artificial intelligence on the job.

Laura Dumin, AI coordinator and English professor at UCO, spoke at a panel discussion titled “AI on the Job” and predicted a future in which “AI augmentation of your writing, not AI replacing your writing” is more likely.

“I’m sure that you all have professors on campus who are telling you, ‘You can’t use AI, don’t use it. It’s bad, it’s cheating.’ But the reality is that when you get out into the workforce, your boss is going to expect you to know how to use these tools, because they are tools. And they’re going to expect you to know how to use them responsibly and ethically, and transparently where it matters,” Dumin said.

Exact ethical guidelines for use of AI are still under construction, but the White House published a document titled “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights” and there are three AI-related bills currently proposed in Oklahoma.

“It was a lifelong goal to see journalism enter the digital age in a good way that helps the public and journalists, though I don’t have a lot of faith in the immediate future, so now it’s just before I die,” said panelist Alan Herzberger, who worked in journalism for two decades and now is a vice president at Koch Communications. The room erupted in laughter, and he added a more serious answer.

“The market has to demand change, then the industries will change,” Herzberger said.

Dumin said AI can be used like a personal assistant to help the user be more productive, rather than replace their original work.

“AI is kind of like a calculator for words, in some ways. And if you know, the foundation of writing, just like with math, if you know what a calculator is doing behind the scenes, it’s why you can’t use a calculator until you get to a certain age,” said panelist Jared Miller, vice president of growth marketing at Konnect Agency.

Writing is a skill you can lose if you don’t prac-

tice it, Miller said.

Many of the useful pieces of AI for writers echo these skills, but they can also be used in a proactive and transparent manner.

“In education, here for you all, the things that probably matter right now are things like drafting, outlining, ideation, that sort of thing,” Dumin said. “AI chatbots and generation engines can do these things and more, but they also make mistakes. When an AI generates incorrect information, this is referred to as a ‘hallucination.’”

In the multitude of AI softwares now available, there is one in particular for use in academia called Connected Papers.

Connected Papers is a tool that creates a visual map of similar papers. One good thing about this one is that it will not hallucinate. This AI is using keywords and other connectors to bring you related information all created by real humans.

It is an organizational tool that can be likened to a search engine algorithm that optimizes results, for anyone who has ever clicked the “sort by best match” option.

As AI continues to evolve and integrate into daily life, Dumin believes there is a balance between the hesitation that many in the industry feel toward the use of AI as a tool.

Within journalism, Dumin said, “We have seen a few missteps over the last year, places like the Washington Post and Sports Illustrated having AI write copy for them, there was not a human

in the loop. And then we had problems.”

The AI-generated article in Sports Illustrated about getting into Ultimate Frisbee included telling the reader that they did indeed first need a frisbee. This note shows another point: that humans have a common sense filter where AI does not.

“And so these things had to be retracted,” Dumin said. “And I think that’s one of the things that is kind of concerning. I have a cousin who is a journalist as well, and she’s sitting here going, ‘Am I still gonna have a job in a couple of years because of AI?’ But I think that’s also a space where we can have, again, humans in the loop, so AI can do some of the early drafting, and then we come back in and fix it, make sure that it’s real.”

Dumin said that people are often afraid of new technology.

In his “Bibliotheca Universalis,” (1545) Conrad Gesner reacted to the invention of the printing press with fears that the “confusing and harmful abundance of books” would cause an information overload.

Today, information consumption has sped up to scrolling through seven-second videos on TikTok, often for hours at a time. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and later engineer Robert Lucky each estimated the human brain’s processing capacity at 120 bits per second.

McConnell steps down: GOP faces internal conflict over Trump

Sam Royka

Editor-In-Chief

Mitch McConnell announced last Wednesday that he would step down from his post as the senate leader with the longest run in history. He has been representing Kentucky since 1985. But why go now?

Really, “he's leaving because he's old. You know, and I just put it really bluntly, he's not leaving because he's going to be primaried by someone on the MAGA side,” said Loren Gatch, professor of political science at UCO.

Some Republicans leave Congress when they feel “driven out by the MAGA part of the Republican Party, or because they're just plumb sick of it. And I don't think McConnell is either of that. McConnell is somebody who made his peace with Trump, got what he wanted in the form of Trump's appointing of three solidly conservative justices. But he is otherwise sort of leaving under his own steam,” said Gatch.

McConnell just turned 82, and “he knows that he is not no longer as effective as he used to be,” Gatch said. Recently, there have been “moments in public where he blanks out,” Gatch said, and “it's a good sign that maybe someone needs to find another kind of activity and, you know, open up a new chapter in their lives, as they say.”

Trump’s effect on the Republican party is something that will outlast his stay, Gatch said. Some Republicans have reported changing their party or position because of the shifting dynamics.

“You know, I would compare [McConnell] in some ways to, to Mitt Romney, who was another senator who basically left because he felt he had no place any longer in the Republican Party that was increasingly in the mold of Trump,” Gatch said.

McConnell had also stayed long enough to secure many of his own priorities even before Trump. “Having sort of secured that as his legacy, he's now leaving kind of on his own terms,” Gatch said.

McConnell’s move creates an internal conflict now faced by GOP senators. The pro- and anti-Trump voters in the party now have some choices to make, and not everyone agrees.

In an election year, the search for McConnell’s heir is on. While anything could happen between now and 2026, candidates in the Kentucky primary on the Republican side will probably be more pro-Trump, rather than less, Gatch said.

Currently, the senate split “is 50/50. And Kamala Harris is the one who makes it possible for the set to be the control of the Democrats. So it doesn't take much and probably

the chances of slipping to the Republicans is just a little bit greater this time than it would be in other two year cycles,” Gatch said.

While the senate is already feeling this impact, the house may go another direction.

However, “what it does for the house, though, that's not clear. It's not immediate to me. I mean, the house operates by its own dynamic, and, of course, they've got their own problems with a narrow, you know, a razor thin majority and a, you know, and a very weak leader in the form of Johnson as a, as a speaker,” Gatch said. For the 2024 presidential election, Gatch also does not see an immediate impact.

L to R: Laura Dumin, Jared Miller, and Alan Herzberger speak at the Fusion Conference. (SAM ROYKA / THE VISTA)

Lady Bronchos swing through Raising Cain’s softball festival

Jordan Adams

Contributing Writer

The University of Central Oklahoma Lady Bronchos Softball team hosted the Raising Cane’s Softball Festival this week, beating East Central 7-1, but falling to Arkansas Tech 0-9,

before posting victories against Southern Arkansas (10-2) and Southwestern Oklahoma State (9-1).

UCO Softball is currently ranked No. 11 and they took on East Central on Thursday afternoon with a 7-1 score on the first day of the festival at Gerry Pinkston Stadium. Rylee Lemos,

sophomore outfielder, had a grand slam setting up for teammate Terin Ritz a two run shot and Jacee Minter with a solo blast to home. This put the Lady Bronchos at 5-4 making this game their fourth straight win.

UCO returned home on Friday, meeting Arkansas Tech which took a turn. The No. 11-ranked Bronchos had five errors and were outhit 11-0 in a 9-0 run rule loss to Arkansas Tech. The Golden Suns scored at the top of the first then took control over the second, pushing across four unearned runs to 5-0. Three UCO pitchers gave up 11 hits and managed four baserunners all coming from walks. The only UCO scorers were McKenna Johnson and Ritz in the fourth inning from walking.

Bronchos had a 10-2 win over No. 23 Southern Arkansas on the final day of the Raising Cane’s festival. Emily Deramus went 3-for3 with home runs to take the lead over the Muleriders.

Layne Smith clubbed her first home run of her career in the first inning. Deramus added a second home run in the second inning and Jacee Minter with another one in the fifth inning. The Bronchos advanced to 6-5 with this big win, while the Muleriders fell to 9-4.

On Sunday, Central wrapped up the festival against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Lady Bronchos ended things on a high note, winning 9-1 in the run rule. Jacee Minter, Tatum Long, and Shayleigh Odom each went yard to punctuate the weekend.

Guthrie fast-pitches her health priorities on and off the field

Perla Tovar Contributing Writer

Emmy Guthrie’s freshman year in softball at The University of Oklahoma in Norman took an unexpected turn when she faced a medical crisis that led to her being redshirted. Guthrie received a diagnosis that changed her life: ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune disease.

Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the joints and ligaments of the spine, and Guthrie’s journey highlights the challenges faced by students battling health issues while pursuing their athletic dreams. Though medically retiring wasn’t in Guthrie’s playbook, she found herself unable to continue playing softball due to the toll it took on her body.

Two years later, with the help of a new medication and making dietary adjustments, Guthrie

found significant relief. She is navigating the challenges of playing sports with an autoimmune disease once more, but now as a Broncho at The University of Central Oklahoma.

Moving from a Division I to a Division II institution did not make much difference, Guthrie said. She shared that both teams’ goals are to compete and strive for the same thing: a national title.

Getting back on the field and playing the sport Guthrie loves did not come back naturally, especially after taking a year off, but her new teammates and coaches made the challenges much easier, she said. Guthrie embraced the task of managing both academic pressure and physical discomfort, recognizing the inherent stress of being a student-athlete.

“I’m learning that every day is a learning process,” Guthrie said. “Some days I feel awful, somedays I feel great. When I feel great, I just try

to throw as much as I can and on the days that I do feel bad, I pull myself back. I’m just trying to listen to my body the best that I can.”

Guthrie learned to manage stress alongside physical discomfort, since being an athlete and going to college as a biology major at the same time is stressful. Acknowledging the difficulty firsthand, Guthrie emphasizes the resilience needed in such circumstances.

“It’s really hard, it’s gonna be a challenge and you’re gonna have to learn how to work around certain things,” she said. “But you can do hard things when you put your mind to it. Work when you can work, and if your body is telling you to rest, then you need to rest. You only live once, and I feel like God gifts everyone with something and for me it’s softball and even though circumstances aren’t perfect I have the chance to play and I wanna glorify God in any way that I can to serve a bigger purpose.”

Tatum Long connects during UCO’s victory against Southwestern Oklahoma. (CENTRALSPORTS/PROVIDED)

McKenna Johnson rounds the bases against Arkansas Tech. (BRONCHO SPORTS/PROVIDED)

Following a diagnosis that directly impacts her game, Emmy Guthrie is prioritizing self-care and improving her overall health. (BRONCHO SPORTS/PROVIDED)

Chokes and Barley gets jiu-jitsu fighters to tap in

Kelly Clayton Contributing Writer

What goes well with beer?

Nuts? Pretzels? How about both?

While patrons usually come into Lively Beerworks to drink local beer, this past Saturday the brewery owned up the “lively” part of its name, hosting a local community, looking to choke the spirits out of one another.

This original seminar series, Chokes and Barley, combines craft beer and jiu-jitsu, yielding a fellowship of nuts, looking to twist each other into pretzels. The “nuts,” so to speak, are harvested from local Oklahoma dojos. The pretzels are served up by the effective techniques and tactics of the fighting sport.

While not your typical fight club warehouse, local breweries do provide enough space for attendees to roll around in battle with anticipation of post-combat liquid offerings. Event organizers Therman Lee and his instructor, Thomas Williams, came up with the concept after seeing a similar event, and saw the benefits of having these seminars via local breweries, to get a variety of instructors and students to “get out of the gym and have kind of a community event out of it,” Lee said.

“It’s combining two ingredients into a seminar,” said Lee. “When you have seminars at a gym, it causes two problems — one, if it’s your gym, it just feels kind of like another class; the other part of that is, it doesn’t do a lot to bring in other schools that are not directly affiliated with your school.

I’m trying to spread that love of community and jiu-jitsu around to other places,” he said. “I just want

to get people outside of the gym and bring people together that wouldn’t normally get together. And you can all socialize and hang out.”

Jiu-jitsu is a form of martial arts that involves ground fighting and grappling, forcing an opponent into submission. Chokeholds are often a dominant move, forcing the victim into such a vulnerable position that they have no other choice but to tap out.

The combat sport originated in Japan in the form of judo, then was modified in Brazil, focusing more on applying leverage on an opponent instead of throws. This allows smaller, weaker challengers to use their opponents’ strength and body weight against them.

Not a commonly recognized form of martial arts for a long time, it gained international notoriety when Royce Gracie, now a legend in the sport, won the first two UFC championships in 1993 and 1994, defeating much larger opponents using this style. Competitors soon took notice.

Jiu-jitsu has also been adopted by others as a great way to exercise. Susan Ormston, one of several women who attended the seminar, has been training in the sport for nearly 13 years.

“Back when I started, there were few women in the gym,” Ormston said. “There’s been more trickling in through the years. I don’t like exercising, but this is a good exercise. It keeps me fit — my mind, my body — and it has a great purpose behind it: a little self-defense. And it’s a great community.”

The community was a common theme amongst attendees.

“It’s a good place to socialize,” Lee said. “You also get to meet

awesome multi-time world champions that you wouldn’t otherwise get to meet.”

The events feature renowned athletes in the sport who come to teach their personal styles and techniques. This seventh installment of Chokes and Barley offered presentations from highly-regarded local instructor Michael South, and was headlined by special guest, twotime Black Belt World Champion, Renato Canuto.

South kicked off the morning’s festivities by demonstrating his skills and explaining afterwards, “being a smaller guy, I wanted to learn how to defend myself against larger, stronger, more athletic opponents.”

After practicing martial arts for years, South wrestled an opponent from a much lower rank according to belt color.

“And there was nothing I could do. He took me down, submitted me over and over,” South said. “‘I guess I have to learn that.’ Over the years, I prioritized jiu-jitsu over the other martial arts I was doing, and now it’s pretty much my main thing. I own a school and I teach

every day. I love it.”

After South’s showcase of talent, Canuto showed his prowess of the art. Canuto gave a presentation and demonstrated moves, putting several lucky participants into submission holds, revealing his tricks and answering questions.

“I always had confidence,” Canuto said. “It helped me focus on the things I actually wanted to be good at, or in school, being respectful, knowing when to listen or when to talk, how to treat others with respect.”

After about a three-hour seminar and demonstration, the fighters all gathered for libations in the brewery’s front half. No longer fighting, they were eating off of each others’ plates, drinking after each other.

“We sweat into each other’s mouths,” Lee said. “When we go out, other people are like, ‘What are they doing? Interacting so closely.’” It’s because you lose that bubble of space around each other, around your training partners. As long as you maintain hygiene, it feels like nothing.”

UCO students celebrate NAACP 115th anniversary

Reflecting on the significance of NAACP Week, Phoebe Hilliard, first vice president, discussed her favorite parts of the week.

The University of Central Oklahoma celebrated the 115th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) with a week of events for faculty and students to attend.

Named NAACP Week, UCO’s NAACP chapter, also referred to as Unit 6823, organized a series of events aimed at building community engagement from students under the theme of “Proud Family,” inspired by the popular Black cartoon.

On Monday, the organization hosted “Proud Family Challenges,” a night of individual and teamthemed games. On Tuesday, students were given the opportunity to volunteer at the Hope Center.

Thursday’s event was a collaboration between the NAACP and their Freshman Committee titled “Zen Night.” It provided students with resources and support to manage stress and prioritize self-care.

The week concluded with a casual hangout at The Collective on Friday.

“My favorite part of NAACP week so far is building the community around campus and seeing new faces along with old ones, as well as having a good time with my community” Hilliard said.

Aumbrielle Miles, second vice president, events coordinator, and NFC advisor, highlighted the significance of NAACP’s mission in supporting minority communities.

“NAACP is all about helping black and brown people thrive within their communities, and as 2nd vice president I’ve had numerous opportunities to help black students elevate.” says Miles.

Founded on Feb. 12th, 1909, the NAACP, stands as one of the most influential civil rights organizations in America. Their mission is to ensure equality of all rights for all people and eliminate race-based discrimination.

UCO’s Chapter of the NAACP is an organization that falls under the Inclusive Community Student Hub. Its board members include President Makia Sulilvan, First Vice President Hilliard, Second

Four players pair up to spar in the style of jiu-jitsu. (KELLY CLAYTON/THE VISTA)

Shanice Hopkins Contributing Writer

Vice President Aumbrielle Miles, Johnathan Mosely (secretary and social media chair) and Treasurer Zion Dangerfield.

The UCO NAACP 2023-24 executive committee from left to right, top down: Vice President, Phoebe Hilliard, Second Vice President, AumbriElle Miles, Secretary, Jonathan Mosley, President, MK Sullivan, and Treasurer, Zion Dangerfield. (PROVIDED/ WASTED

One player pins another to the ground using a jiu-jitsu move (KELLY CLAYTON/THE VISTA)

Lopez spills liquid sunshine on first album in nine years, ‘This is Me... Now’

Zak Royka Reporter

Jennifer Lopez’s new album, “This Is Me... Now” is a bottle of sunshine, filled to bursting with nostalgia for the aughts, but fails to capture the magic of classic J.Lo. These slick tunes and smooth r&b send heatwaves from a summer that never was, but lack the bite of the real thing.

“This Is Me… Now,” much like 2002’s “This is Me… Then,” is full of songs directly addressed to Ben Affleck, but it just lacks the character to compete with that titan of an album. There just isn’t a “Jenny from the Block” earworm to top this tiara. There are good singles, with “Can’t Get Enough” standing out as a solid composition filled with driving energy and an infectiously fun atmosphere, but it feels cheap compared to the iconic tracks of the era to which it pays homage.

Also notably missing are any serious rap and Latin influences (outside of reworks only on the deluxe edition), with sleek synths and TLC style production taking their place. Pop has come a long way

since J.Lo’s last album “A.K.A.” came out in 2014, and none of that development is on display here.

Creativity and progressive songwriting aren’t coming in hot either, with half the tracks following the

same narrative of joyous reunion between Affleck and Lopez, and the shine wears off even faster. Their highly publicized relationship aside, this album has few unique tracks. The best song on the album is one

of those Affleck-a-thons, “Midnight Trip to Vegas,” because it tells a sweet story well.

“Hearts and Flowers,” an ode to the pressures and difficulties of maintaining a public presence and the difficulties of keeping yourself together, is crushingly mediocre. It’s a wonderful sentiment bogged down by dishonest imagery and a lack of candidness. That speaks to the problem with this whole album, there isn’t any of the “truth” that the tracks all promise.

Musically, most of this album slides right into the background. The tracks are consistent; there isn’t much of a gulf between the best and worst of the album. It’s laid back and ready to rock along to whatever you’re working on, with plenty of Post Malone’s “Sunflower” energy to be had, just not quite enough.

This album is competent and well constructed, but lacks the fire that has made Lopez one of the most respected names in pop for over two decades. “This Is Me… Now” isn’t innovative, and the nostalgia-bait doesn’t quite make up for that.

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Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton, Feb. 20, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

Tish Hinojosa, Feb. 21, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc.com

Akaash Singh, Feb. 22-24, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Randy Rogers Band, Feb. 22, The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan, thejonesassembly.com

Zachary Lucky, Feb. 22, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc.com

Thumpasaurus, Feb. 22, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

K.C. Clifford, Feb. 23, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc. com

Alaska, Feb. 23, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

He.She.They., Feb. 23, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Scotty McCreery, Feb. 23, Riverwind Casino, 1544 Highway 9, riverwind.com

Headspace Residency with Lennon, Tokyo Swish, Some Fear, A Flower of Blood, Sky Hemenway, Feb. 23, Resonant Head, 400 SW 25, resonanthead.com

Travis Linville, Feb. 24, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc.com

Mr. Big, Feb. 24, Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S. Eastern, dcfconcerts.com

The Thing, Feb. 24, Resonant Head, 400 SW 25, resonanthead.com

Red Not Chili Peppers, Feb. 24, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

My So Called Band, Feb. 24, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

Small Black, Feb. 25, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Post Sex Nachos, Feb. 25, Resonant Head, 400 SW 25, resonanthead. com

Ben Brainard, Feb. 25, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Chappell Roan, Feb. 26, The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan, thejonesassembly.com

Dylan LeBlanc, Feb. 27, Ponyboy, 423 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

Tow’rs, Feb. 28, Ponyboy, 423 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield, Feb. 28, Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan, criterionokc.com

Langan Band, Feb. 29, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc.com

Mojo Brookzz, Feb. 29, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

MARCH

JR De Guzman, March 1-2, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Mania: The ABBA Tribute, March 1, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

Sexy Unique Podcast, March 1, Resonant Head, 400 SW 25, resonanthead.com

Keith Sweat, SWV and Pretty Ricky, March 2, Paycom Center, 100 W. Reno, paycomcenter.com

Them Dirty Roses, March 1, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Veeze, March 2, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Whitey Morgan and the 78s, March 2, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

The Brook and the Bluff, March 3, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Kristin Key, March 3, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Tab Benoit, March 3, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc. com

Living Colour, March 4, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Riki, March 5, Resonant Head, 400 SW 25, resonanthead.com

Gareth Reynolds, March 6, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Katie Thurston, March 7, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Grant Lee Philips, March 8, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc.com

Ms. Pat, March 8, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

Craig Ferguson, March 8-9, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Night Lovell, March 9, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Dan + Shay, March 9, Paycom Center, 100 W. Reno, paycomcenter. com

Van Full of Nuns, March 9, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

Max and Heather Stalling, March 9, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc.com

Guster, March 10, The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan, thejonesassembly.com

Flipturn, March 10, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Ben Bailey, March 10, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Fall Out Boy and Jimmy Eat World, March 11, Paycom Center, 100 W. Reno, paycomcenter.com

Letterkenny Presents: A Night of Standup, March 11, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc.com

Rene Vaca, March 13, Bricktown Comedy Club, 409 E. California, bricktowncomedy.com

Sunny Day Real Estate, March 14, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, beercitymusichall.com

Canterbury Voices, “For All the Saints,” March 14, Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker, okcciviccenter.com.

Clancy Jones, March 14, Resonant Head, 400 SW 25, resonanthead. com

Katt Williams, March 15, Paycom Center, 100 W. Reno, paycomcenter. com

Jennifer Lopez’ “This is Me ... Now” is the spiritual sequel to her 2002 album, “This is Me... Then.” (BMG/PROVIDED)

Chappell Roan performs Feb. 26 at The Jones Assembly. (ISLAND RECORDS/PROVIDED) Fall