UCO's The Vista, Oct. 18, 2022

Plantiffs speak out

Women athletes claim unequal opportunities source for investigation

‘Divergent’ author visits campus for new release

The Vista talks to Veronica Roth about her new novel ‘Poster Girl,’ life and advice to college students

Ainsley Martinez Editor-in-Chief

Plaintiffs involved in the Ti tle IX lawsuit against the University of Central Oklahoma are currently facing for sex discrimination and retaliation in its athletics programs say the university’s treatment of their team makes them feel as it they are not wanted.

“We don’t even have a space for our team on campus, so when you come there you may not even know we have a track team,” said one of the plaintiffs, Tatum Robert son.

There is no designated area on campus for the sole use of the women’s track and cross country team. The team practices at a local

middle school off campus, in the upper level of the Hamilton Field House, and in the parking lot be hind the sports performance build ing. The track and cross country teams share these spaces with other athletic groups and constantly feel like they are being displaced, said Robertson, a junior from Cashion.

“It’s kind of this overarch ing feeling of being unwanted — that you’re just constantly in some body else’s way and you shouldn’t be there,” said fellow plaintiff Eve Brennan, a junior from Edmond.

According to Brennan and Robertson. the problem goes farther than not having a space for

Continued from Pg. 3

New York Times best-selling au thor Veronica Roth will discuss her latest novel “Poster Girl” at a book signing event at 3 p.m. Oct. 30 hosted by the UCO College of Liber al Arts creative writing program and Best of Books bookstore.

Best known as the author of the “Diver gent” series, Roth will answer questions from attendees, and sharwe her thoughts about the newly released book, which involves similar dystopian elements readers are familiar with.

But in the latest dystopian land scape Roth creates, the failure of an oppressive regime shines light on the faults of the com munity.

“Poster Girl” centers around the question

‘What would hap pen if the govern ment collapsed?’ as it follows a woman’s relentless pur

how she might deal with the aftermath of that.”

Roth said she found exploring the

suit of a missing child after a state collapse. “I had this kind of post-dystopi an regime concept in mind, but I couldn’t really figure out what kind of story to tell in that world,” Roth said. “It came together when I thought about this character who had been formerly complic it in that regime, and

perspective of someone guilty more exciting than telling the nar rative of someone undeniably innocent.

“What’s ap pealing about dystopia, specifically to me, is how it allows you to explore something through exaggeration.

Continued on Pg. 3

Group questions whether UCO violated HB 1775

Quinn Daughtery Reporter

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) says its attorneys are working to determine whether UCO violated HB 1775 during its 9th Annual Fusion Conference.

Dr. Felicia Blow delivered the key note address virtually at the conference titled “Media Unmasked: The Changing Face of Communication.” Dr. Blow, the associate vice president for Development at Hampton University and chair of the Public Relations Society of America, discussed diversity and inclusion in higher education during her address titled, “A Conversation on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & PRSA.”

“I have a few slides that I’m going to go through about diversity, about commu nications, about equity and inclusion,” Dr. Blow opened. “I’m going to talk to you about my personal DEI journey, my work with PRSA and then thoughts for the future.”

The OCPA is a “trusted source for fact-based public policy analysis,” according to its website. The OCPA’s mission statement is “to promote the flourishing of the people of Oklahoma by advancing principles and policies that support free enterprise, limited government, individual initiative, and per sonal responsibility.”

In a staff article titled “UCO Hosts DEI Indoctrination’’ the council said Dr. Blow’s address potentially violated HB 1775. The article also mentions “OCPA attorneys are conducting further research to deter mine whether UCO’s program violated state law.”

“That the keynote speaker at the conference is a proud adherent of CRT,” Trent England, OCPA’s media contact said in an email. ”Suggests that the content of the conference may have violated the law.”

Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs Adrienne Nobles said in an email the University does not believe its actions violated state law.

“The university does not believe the conference or any individual session during the conference was contrary to state law,”

she said in the email.

Additionally, OCPA claims students were required to attend the conference. According to organizers, the conference was scheduled at a time when classes were not in session, and students were encouraged but not required to attend.

“The UCO Department of Mass Communication redirected classes in its department to encourage students to attend conference sessions,” Adrienne Nobles, Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs said in an email. “Students could choose among many sessions and were not required to attend any particular session… No classes were redirected or canceled for this particular session and no student was

certain forms of training or counseling re lated to sexuality, gender, or race. The state Board of Education approved permanent rules regarding the bill on March 10, 2022.

The rules found in Subchapter 1 of Chapter 10 in Title 210 state that, “It shall be the policy of Oklahoma State Board of Education to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race or sex in the form of bias, stereotyping, scapegoating, classification, or the categorical assignment of traits, morals, values, or characteristics based solely on race or sex. Public schools in this state shall be prohibited from engagin in race of sexbased discrimintaory acts by utilizing these methods, which result in treating individuals differently on the basis of race or sex or the creation of a hostil environment.”

Megan Lambert, the legal director for ACLU of Oklahoma said in a 2021 statement the bill negatively affects the quality of pub lic education in the state.

“HB 1775 is a direct affront to the constitutional rights of teachers and stu dents across Oklahoma by restricting con versations around race and gender at all levels of education,” Lambert said in the statement.

Trent England says he believes the bill protects students from discriminatory programs being presented by state schools.

required to attend.”

Trent England said whether the Uni versity broke the law hinges on one ques tion.

“Whether it presented stereotypes or bias is the question, but if it did, then UCO broke the law,” England said in the email.

He said in the email that the OCPA is gathering more information about the con ference and that if proof is found that the law was broken, they will bring that material to the attention of the Oklahoma Attorney General.

“We will do whatever we can to see this law enforced,” he said in the email.

HB 1775 was passed in May of last year and prohibits students in certain in stitutions from being required to engage in

“HB 1775 is positively affecting education policy as it reminds us all that our nation is founded on the idea that all people are created equal, with equal dignity and equal natural rights,” England said in an email. “That vision, that truth, is worth fighting for even as we acknowledge that our nation has failed many times to live up to it.”

In October of last year, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma (ACLU), the Oklahoma State Conference National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the American Indian Movement Indi an Territory (AIM) sued the state in district court over HB 1775. The organizations say the bill sends Oklahoma public education in

“OUR WORDS, YOUR VOICE.”

Jocelyn Schifferdecker Contributing Writer

Author Veronica Roth will visit UCO on Oct. 30. (Provided)

Track athlete Tatum Robertson said a lack of resources for women’s athletics is why she decided to become a plaintiff for the Title IX. (Provided)

“HB 1775 is a direct affront to the constitutional rights of teachers and students across Oklahoma by restricting conversations around race and gender at all levels of education.”Megan Lambert

AQUARIUS

Dear Water-Bearer, this Eclipse/New Moon in Scor pio transits your tenth house of public perception. Expect a shift in your career face or public image. You have an opportunity to make a change to the way others see you at this time. Facework is a communication term re ferring to the things we say and do (Instagram, for ex ample) to control the way we are perceived. Any facework done now will have transfor mative and lasting effects.

CANCER

This exciting Scorpio Solar Eclipse/New Moon combo on Sunday transits your fifth house of amusement and pleasure. The scorpion is a water sign the same as you, so it’s safe to say emotions will be flowing high this weekend. Since Eclipses are often catalysts for or markers of change, this could indicate a shift in the way you expe rience the things you do for fun.

PISCES

Saturday will be filled with Libra energy, providing sweet rest before Sunday’s Eclipse/New Moon combo.

The Eclipse fills the sky with watery Scorpio energy and draws focus to your ninth house of curiosity and trav el. Philosophical questions could come into your view now. Additionally, if travel or transportation has been playing a character in your life recently, expect some change! When Juno goes di rect in your sign, it becomes easier to connect on a deeper level.

The Solar Eclipse/New Moon in Scorpio transits your eighth house of transforma tion and hidden things. This house rules anything at the edge of human understand ing, and can be said to in clude the occult. The eighth house is also traditionally ruled by Scorpio. Expect a shift, change, or realiza tion in regards to a part of life that is normally hidden from view. This can be a very exciting time if you enjoy self-discovery. Look up the eighth house.

This Eclipse and New Moon transit your seventh house, the house of closest con nections. This is the second eclipse that concludes a cy cle begun with an eclipse in Taurus a while ago. This cy cle likely involved learning and shifting beliefs around the way you form close re lationships. Now, the stars provide an opportunity for a final curtain call to any en ergy you don’t want to stick around. This intense astro logical event is an excellent time to call forth a new chap ter in your life.

This astrological event tran sits your sixth house of health and wellness! This is the house of daily routines: what you do consistently re ally matters when time goes by. While you could be in spired to make a big change regarding exercise, more likely is a shift in your view point. What parts of the day to day do you want to keep? Which are serving you posi tively and which should go?

LEO July 23-August

A Libra-vibes Saturday pro vides a day of rest before the next astrological event. The Solar Eclipse/New Moon combo transits your fourth house of home and family.

Especially if you have Scor pios under your roof or dear to your heart, you may have the opportunity to hold light for someone who needs it.

Look for a shift regarding the home as energy flows around you.

VIR GO

August 23- September 22

This Eclipse/New Moon transits your third house of mind and intellect. You may hit a breakthrough at this time; and that feels likely anyway for a Virgo just after midterms! Something in re gard to school or intellectual thought will change in the coming days. How can you best make use of this time?

LIBR A

23-October 2 2

Tuesday is a great day for ne gotiations as your ruler Venus trines with a Gemini Mars. If power struggles come up on Wednesday your powers of compromise and persuasion will come in handy. Sunday’s Scorpio event transits your second house of value and finance.

SCORPIO

23-November

Dear Scorpio, this week you may feel energy building up. On Sunday, the Sun, Venus, and the New Moon align in your sign. The same day we’ll experience a solar eclipse! This is the ultimate combi nation of the dark and the light. Transformative vibes are all over this interesting astrological event as it tran sits your first house of self and identity. Your ruler Plu to went direct in Capricorn a couple weeks ago. Extremes of emotion could be part of the forecast. You will know which parts of the shadow self this eclipse is adjusting. It’s a good time for journal ing, but following your intu ition will be crucial.

This astrological event tran sits your twelfth house of emotion and intuition. This house is similar to the eighth in that it rules things unseen. You are likely to experience a decently sized emotional shift during this time. Talk to the Scorpios in your life. Following your intuition will be easier than ever during this Eclipse and you are very likely to discover or realize something that links to your own hidden realm. Follow your quas.

Saturday, your ruler Saturn will go direct in Aquarius. Life will align more naturally after this point and you may begin to restructure some beliefs based on internal changes. Scorpio’s ruler, Plu to, went direct in your sign a couple of weeks ago. Now with huge energy shifts in ac cordance with a Solar Eclipse and more change over the New Moon (and Scorpio Sun and Venus), expect a polarity shift. This event transits your eleventh house of friendships and hope. You may uncover a light of optimism or your relationship to the collective could show its strength in ways previously unknown.

Sam

The Full Moon in Aries is on Sunday night. Read your sun and rising sign to see how it will affect you!

Conference leaves questions on HB1775

the state.

“HB 1775 is a direct affront to the constitutional rights of teachers and students across Oklahoma by restricting conversations around race and gender at all levels of education,” Lambert said in the statement.

Trent England says he believes the bill protects students from discriminatory programs being presented by state schools.

“HB 1775 is positively affecting education policy as it reminds us all that our nation is founded on the idea that all people are creat ed equal, with equal dignity and equal natural rights,” England said in an email. “That vision, that truth, is worth fighting for even as we acknowledge that our nation has failed many times to live up to it.”

In October of last year, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma (ACLU), the Oklahoma State Conference National Association for the Advancement of Colored

Veronica Roth depicts dystopian realm in new book

Continued from Pg. 1

We see things a different way when they’re like a layer removed from us, or when they’re a little bit bigger than life,” she said.

developing their own stories, to ‘feel free to explore.’

“Especially when I was in college, what I wish someone had told me was to really be curious about any subject. You don’t just take English like you should take whatever interests you because all that stuff feeds your writing,” she said. “I just think being curi ous about the world is what has driven me creatively more than anything else.”

Roth said she hopes readers ‘can escape into another world’ through the novel in the same way she did writing it.

“I think I feel like I’ve returned

People (NAACP), and the American Indian Movement Indian Ter ritory (AIM) sued the state in district court over HB 1775. The orga nizations say the bill sends Oklahoma public education in the wrong direction.

“HB 1775 censors and chills the way Oklahoma teachers and students discuss fraught topics in state and U.S. history, particularly regarding racial mistreatment and injustice,” Anthony R. Douglas, President of the Oklahoma State Conference NAACP said in a state ment last year. “Educators cannot adequately teach students about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the Trail of Tears, the Civil War, World War II, the Holocaust, or any other cultural issue throughout U.S. history by silencing courageous classrom conversations that depict a more inclusive perspective of U.S. History.”

ACLU of Oklahoma legal director Megan Lambert said the case was brought to court to vindicate the rights of Oklahoma teach ers and students and to protect the integrity of our educational insti tutions. The court has yet to hear arguments in the case.

Women athletes share their thoughts on Title IX case

Continued from Pg. 1

themselves; it’s an overall feeling of their team not being wanted by UCO. It is seen in big things, like having no practice space, to little things, like not being able to buy a track and cross country sticker at the bookstore.

“We came here and every time we go to a track meet we’re representing Central Oklahoma and we’re proud to do that. It’s just, you wish they took that same kind of pride in our team as a univer sity,” said Brennan.

All women athletes at UCO, according to Brennan and Rob ertson, face similar neglect.

Brennan and Robertson said they don’t expect to see the conditions improve while they are still students, because legal issues take a long time to work out. However, they hope what they are fighting for helps the athletes who come after them.

The lawsuit was their last resort, they said, having tried for months to communicate with the university before taking legal action. They said they met with UCO Athletic Director Stan Wag non and Compliance Director Jeremy Rogers in February to express their concerns. They were told to give them until May to come up with a plan to fix the issue and the athletes heard nothing.

While current events shape Roth’s imagination, she said she feels the most com fortable not pointing the finger at anyone—unless she can also point it at herself.

“[‘Poster Girl’] is a little less about our political situation and more about our cultural one with the use of smartphones and the ways that we volunteer for mass surveillance already,” she said.

For fans of “Divergent,” readers can expect a tangled romantic relationship with two characters in the book, but Roth warns, ‘It won’t come easy.’

“Romance is like the carrot that I dangle in front of myself to keep myself writing, so I really like the way it develops,” Roth said. “They start off in a place of complete ha tred and they move into a differ ent place, which is pretty fun.”

Roth encourages creative writing students, or anyone interested in

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Ainsley Martinez

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to the place I was in before ‘Di vergent.’ Because for [Divergent], I just wrote for fun and had no expectations. Then while I was writing the series, the expecta tions became bananas,” she said.

“Now, I feel like I’m back to a place of freedom with it.”

Tickets range from $25-$30 and are required to attend the event. Each ticket comes with a presigned copy of “Poster Girl.” To purchase tickets, visit go.uco.edu/ roth.

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“We felt like this was our last course of action to get justice, for not only our team but all the women’s teams at UCO,” said Rob ertson.

The university continues to say they do not comment on pending or active litigations.

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

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VISTA 2022-23 layout design by Kevin Davis

Eve Brennan is on the Women’s Leadership Council. and a plaintiff on the case (Provided/ UCO Athletics)

Continued from

Cover of ‘Poster Girl.’ (Provided)

Cover of ‘Divergent.’ (Provided)

Library removes books during Banned Book Week

Royka Managing

Board book formats of two books were removed from the Metropolitan Library System’s collection in favor of another format meant for older children. The decision to proceed with this change occurred during Banned Books Week, an event in which the library promotes free speech and First Amendment rights. The books in question were “A is for Activist” by Innosanto Nagara and “Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race” by Megan Madison.

Angel Suhrstedt, director of communications for the Metro politan Library System, said the cardboard baby book formats of the books have indeed been removed from shelves, Board books are typically recommended for infants and children up to the age of four years old.

“The moving of these two items was prompted by a parent’s concern that the materials were not age appropriate in board book format,“ Suhrstedt said.

The objection, Suhrstedt said, was not due to the subject mate rial of the books, “just that the format wasn’t age appropriate.”

“While we did make the determination to take the board book format of these two books off the shelves, both are still available in print in the children’s easy (picture book) section of multiple locations as well as in e-book format through our digital services,” Suhrstedt said.

The decision was made by Larry White, the executive director, in consultation with the collection development staff, and a few library commission mem bers after a care ful examination of the items and their professional reviews, Suhrstedt said.

“In this case, we looked closely at our collection de velopment policy and our recon sideration proce dures determining age-appropriateness. ‘A is for Activist’ is professionally recommended for children ages 3-7, slightly above the target age for board books. ‘Our Skin’ is recommended for ages 2-5, the upper range of the board book format,” Suhrstedt said.

She continued.

“While we did make the determination to take the board book format of these two books off the shelves, both are still available in print in the children’s easy (picture book) section of multiple locations as well as in e-book format through our digital services,” Suhrstedt said.

Since the decision to withdraw the board books from the collection, numbering six in total, “the library is ordering additional

print and digital copies for the collection, and both books will con tinue to be available at multiple locations as well as to reserve online,” Suhrstedt said.

So far this year, the library has received 26 requests to recon

sider books that are part of the collection, Suhrstedt said. These two requests have been the only ones that resulted in changes made to the collection.

Suhrstedt emphasized that the materials are still available for checkout, just not as board books. The words and images are identical in both formats, she said.

“The library supports our community’s right to have the freedom to read what they want, when they want, as well as the First Amendment and the Library Bill of Rights,” Suhrstedt said.

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of and from religion, as well as the right of the people to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

The Library Bill of Rights is a declaration of library values adopted by the American Library Association in 1939. It states that libraries should present all points of view, challenge censorship, and serve the “enlightenment of all people of the community.”

The Freedom to Read Statement, often seen alongside the Library Bill of Rights, states that “the freedom to read is essential to our democra cy.”

Both documents are available to read in full at ala.org/intellec tualfreedom.

“That’s what libraries are here for – providing credible, accu rate information and resources for our customers as well as passion ately defending the rights of all readers,” Suhrstedt said.

UCO families impacted by Hurricane Ian

NASA)

Olivia Miller Contributing Writer

At least 137 people died when Hur ricane Ian hit Florida and several island nations in late September. Hurricane Ian was classified as a Category 4 hurricane according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, and the strongest to hit Florida since 1935.

A lot of people are still experiencing the effects that Hurricane Ian brought with it.

UCO student Catherine Bruce has family in Palm Bay, Florida, a city on the east coast, and they experienced parts of the storm.

“They still knew that they could re ceive a lot of the flooding and wind and, like, the aftermath of the hurricane,” Bruce said.

Although her family did not get the brunt of the storm this time, they have had to go through a hurricane before.

“I’ve never personally had to evacuate or ride out a hurricane, but my family has,” Bruce said.

As with any storm, it will take months for Florida to recover. It takes time to build and recover from hurricanes, Bruce said.

Much of central Florida is still sub merged. St. John’s River, the largest river in Florida, is experiencing higher levels that may take months to return to normal. This is because the river is a famously slow and lethargic river, according to CNN.

To help with disaster aid, visit the Red Cross’s website at redcross.org.

Native nations endorse Hofmeister for governor

Tribes take the unusual step of siding with one candidate in statewide election

Tilly Harvey Reporter

Oklahoma’s five largest Native American tribes have endorsed Joy Hofmeister in the 2022 Governor’s race, the first time the tribes have ever endorsed a political candidate.

The five largest tribes in Oklahoma, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Semi nole, and Muscogee (Creek), constitute 800,000 citizens of the state. According to a press conference on Oct. 11, they

make up about $15 billion in Oklahoma’s economy.

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. of the Cherokee Nation cited public education as a primary reason for endors ing Hofmeister.

“If we have leadership capable of working with the tribes there is no limit to what the state of Oklahoma can do,” he said.

“I believe that [Joy Hof meister] will put the people of Oklahoma first,” said Gov ernor Bill Anoatubby of the

Chickasaw Nation.

“She epitomizes my values as a fellow conservative Okla homan and that’s the reason why I support Joy Hofmeis ter,” said Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation.

“I previously attended a State of the State in Tulsa Aug. 18. There was not one word mentioned about any tribal Nation,” Principal Chief David Hill of the Muscogee Nation said of the current ad ministration, continuing with communication and support

for tribes as the cause for en dorsing Hofmeister.

“The education of children is really truly the foundation for the future of the state of Oklahoma,” said Chief Lewis Johnson of the Seminole Nation, echoing support for Hofmeister’s background in education.

While the tribes have never endorsed a gubernatorial can didate before, Gov. Kevin Stitt has had public clashes with the tribes during his term. After the McGirt v. Oklahoma Su

preme Court case, Stitt called the outcome a “public safety threat,” which the Cherokee Nation responded to, saying “The Cherokee Nation care fully prepared for the Supreme Court’s decision, and is hard at work to ensure public safety and justice can continue now that the court acknowledged the state illegally exerted prosecutorial authority involv ing Natives on our lands for decades.”

The Oklahoma general elec tion will be on Nov. 8, 2022.

Harris-Till draws on family, civil rights history for congressional bid

Devon Bajek Contributing Writer

Democrat Joshua Harris-Till is running for Oklahoma’s fifth congressional district against Rep. Stephanie Bice, a Republican elected in 2020. Joshua attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, where he majored in political science, and he previously ran for Congress in the state’s second congressional district in 2014 and 2016.

Harris-Till is a cousin of Em mett Till, the 14-year-old from Chicago whose gruesome, racially motivated murder in Mississippi in 1955 helped spark the Civil Rights Move ment. He wants to prove that a Black Democrat from Oklaho ma can be elected to one of the nation’s highest offices.

Bice’s party has made the educational and historical protocols for discussing race and racial injustice known as Critical Race Theory, or CRT, a talking point in the 2022 election.

“When it comes to CRT as a

concept, to say you don’t want to teach CRT is to say you don’t want to teach the story of Emmett Till, which also says you don’t want to teach American history,” Harris-Till said. “That is the part that I think they are leaving out or intentionally misrepresenting. American history is American history, and that is the good with the bad. All of that stuff is important to know about, so that we don’t repeat those same mistakes.”

One of Harris-Till’s key is sues is education. He supports child care relief, increased funding for K-12 schools and the opportunity to attend col lege or trade schools without incurring crippling debt.

“When it comes to educa tion in Oklahoma, we just have not prioritized it,” he said.

“We can pretend we have, but where your money goes it shows where your priorities are. We just haven’t put money into education like we could have. What we can do is repri oritize education. We can put in the dollars that are neces

sary, we can pay teachers what they deserve, we can make sure class sizes are manage able. It is not something that requires an Act of Congress to do, it just requires some body who has the dedication, strength, and determination to push for that to be the case. Should I be elected, that will be a battle I am at the forefront of.”

Harris-Till and Bice are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their views on reproductive rights. Bice is in favor of a national abortion ban and has an “A+” rating from the Susan B. Anthony Nation al Pro-Life Scorecard.

“What it boils down to is your right to privacy with your medical decisions, and I think that this is something that needs to be protected,” Har ris-Till said. “The reality of the situation, whether it is abortion or anything, to make a blanket policy for medical decisions is just stupid. We can’t pretend like this one decision equally applies to me as it applies to you. Everyone’s situation is

different, and doctors are the professionals who look to see how they can best treat this person, not how they can best treat all people or how they can best treat this group of people. Doctors and scientists have to be able to do their job; it is not the job of a lawmaker to restrict what they’re able to

do when it comes to medical practices and decisions.”

The general election date is on Tuesday, Nov. 8 and the deadline to receive an absentee ballot is Oct. 24.

Bice was contacted but did not respond to an interview request.

Edmond franchisees bring new concept for hair care to Market Square

Emma Nickles Contributing Writer

Blo Blow Dry Bar, a new hair and makeup salon on the south side of Covell Road, is expected to open by the end of 2022.

The new beauty shop offers a variety of hair and makeup services including blowouts, up-dos, braids, Color Wow Dream Treatments, and full-face “celebri ty”-style makeup. Blowouts start at $49, which includes a wash and style. A full face of makeup starts at $60. They also offer memberships starting at $80 a month. The fee includes two blowouts each month, $5 off any additional blowouts during the month, 10% off makeup services, and 10% off retail products.

According to a company statement, Blo offers an inclusive space “where people of all ages, ethnicities, and sexual orientations can feel welcomed, represented, and gorgeous.”

Blo is located at 1308 W. Covell Road, Suite 148, in Market Square, across from Mitch Park, between Pie Five and Red Wing. Jerry and Tanya Elledge are the franchise owners and Oklahoma natives.

“We love to make people look and feel their best, all while giving back to the Edmond community in charitable ways,” Jerry Eldridge said.

Blo boasts nearly 120 locations across North America and the Philippines. The dry bar will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Visit blomedry.com.

Before their endorsement of Democratic candidate Joy Hofmeister, the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Tribes had never taken such a step. (CHEROKEE NATION/PROVIDED)

Oklahoma Congressional District 5 Democratic candidate Joshua Harris-Till is a cousin of the late Emmett Till. (TWITTER/PROVIDED)

Blo Blow Dry Bar will open at 1308 W. Covell Road. (PROVIDED)

Upcoming study tour explores Japanese culture

to some other palaces. In Tokyo, we are going to visit a variety of places that are popular all over Tokyo such as Shibuya, and potentially a baseball game, a sumo match and more.”.

UCO’s Centre for Global Competency and its sociology department have announced their upcoming study tour to Japan, May 15-24, 2023 during the spring semester.

The tour, considered a sociology course and known as Applied Intercul tural Competency in Japan, welcomes any UCO student who wants to be part of it.

Jared Scism, one of the directors of the tour, said that there is no require ment to be a sociology major to be part of the tour, no Japanese language requirement and students with free elective courses available are encour aged to participate.

“We are going to be going to the atomic bomb museum,” Scism said. “In Kyoto, we are going to see some of the old imperial palaces in addition

Students can apply by visiting the UCO study abroad portal.

“It will be a great experience,” Scism said. “If you ever want to go abroad, especially in Japan and you don’t want to go alone, this is a great chance for you to go with some faculty that will help teach you intercultur al skills, but also give you a chance to practice traveling to a place that may be somewhat unfamiliar like Japan compared to some other places.”

The total cost is $3,975.00 before tuition.

“I would highly recommend anybody to study abroad,” Scism said. “It really is an opportunity to put yourself into a different culture. For this tour, we are going to be looking at how you apply intercultural skills work ing with people that are different from you in Japan.”

Disney’s ‘Werewolf By Night’ offers bite-sized fun

Marvel Studios kicked off October with the release of its first TV special, “Werewolf By Night” on Disney+. The 54-minute short is being labeled as a “Marvel Studios Special Presentation,” and it will not be the only special presentation Marvel releases in 2022.

Later this year, Marvel Studios is expected to release a “Guardians of the Galaxy” holiday special, also on Disney+.

“Werewolf By Night” focuses on a group of monster hunters who com pete against one another for the possession of a magical artifact.

The special stars Gael García Bernal as Jack Russell, Laura Donnelly as Elsa Bloodstone, Harriet Sansom Harris as Verusa, Kirk R. Thatcher as Jovan, Eugenie Bondurant as Azarel, Leonardo Nam as Liorn, Daniel J. Watts as Barrasso, Al Hamacher as Billy Swan and Carey Jones as Ted.

Interestingly, ‘Werewolf by Night” is directed by film music composer Michael Giacchino. Giacchino has a very small number of directing cred its, but he is mainly known for composing music for films like “Up,” “In side Out,” “Star Trek,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “The Batman,” as well as the music for ABC’s “Lost.”

I’m a big fan of Giacchino’s work as a film composer, so I was curious to see how he would do in the directing chair. I have to say, I was very impressed with Giacchino’s directing. He absolutely delivered a spooky Marvel Halloween special and I’ll be really interested to see what he directs next.

The special is shot in black and white, which helps to give it a fun, oldschool 1930s monster movie vibe. The black and white also allows the filmmakers to show more blood and get away with extra violence without slipping into a TV-MA rating.

As the title suggests, the special focuses on a werewolf character, and the werewolf transformation is easily my favorite shot in the entire special. These days, it would not be surprising if Marvel decided to make the were wolf fully CGI, but luckily it was not. The costume was created complete ly practically using makeup and prosthetics, which gives the werewolf a certain charm and tangible feel.

This is the introduction to the supernatural side of the Marvel Cine

matic Universe. In the special, we are introduced to Jack Russell and Elsa Bloodstone, two characters that could potentially go on to appear in future Marvel projects. With a shorter runtime, Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly manage to make Jack and Elsa likable fleshed-out characters that I would like to see again.

The special doesn’t require viewers to be all caught up on all 30 Marvel Cinematic Universe films so it’s really something that anyone can check out and enjoy. Overall, I’d say it’s just a fun bite-sized Halloween-themed treat from Marvel Studios.

Student organization goes retro with ‘Stranger Things’ theme

English and member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ facul ty staff association.

“There are a lot of steps to creating an endowed scholarship, and getting the account funded so that the scholarship can be disbursed is a long process, but hitting the necessary amount to open the account is an important first step,” said Quoss-Moore.

“Our goal right now is to open the ac count for an endowed scholarship during the next FSA president’s tenure—so, we’re trying to hit that target by the 2024/2025 school year,” she said.

This year’s Equity Gala is “Stranger Things”- themed, and dressing in1980’s-style outfits or monster masks is encouraged. It will feature performances from drag queens Tiffany and Khloe Diamond and dance music from DJ Mikey. There will also be a silent auction that many local businesses and artisans will contribute to, Quoss-Moore said.

The ticket prices for the event are $55 per person and $390 for a table of eight. Ev eryone in the metro community is welcome to attend.

endowed student scholarship.

The Equity Gala, hosted by UCO’s 2SLGBTQIA+ association, will be held Oct. 29 at the UCO Boathouse to fundraise for an

“In past years, we’ve funded smaller awards, and in 2019, we funded the launch of the 2SLGBTQ Success Initiative, which is now housed and funded within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.” said Dr. Rebecca M. Quoss-Moore, president of the Department of

“Those registration prices are fundraiser gala prices--we know this isn’t a price range that is going to be attractive to most students, and the idea is more to raise funds from the community to support students than to throw this event for students to attend.”

For more information contact Quoss-Moore at rquossmoore@uco.edu.

Logan Wood Contributing Writer

Antony Morales Garcia Contributing Writer

Gael García Bernal as Jack Russell in ‘Werewold By Night,’ (Provided)

Andrea Zuniga

Contributing Writer

(Provided/ UCO)

Bronchos keep the Cup

UCO drowns the Riverhawks in 55-6 President’s Cup victory

Eden Jones Sports Reporter

It was a momentous occasion as the Central Oklahoma Bronchos and Northeastern State University Riv erhawks battled for the President’s Cup, with UCO ultimately coming out on top, 55-6.

The roar of the crowd was heard for miles as the Bronchos galloped onto the field in their white uni forms. Nicky Quevedo kicked the ball off for the Bronchos and the game began.

It did not take long for UCO to get on the board. The Bronchos led 7-0 within the first two minutes after Stephon Brown trotted into the endzone for an easy touchdown. While NSU tried to make something happen, the UCO defense was absolutely suffocating, not allowing the Riverhawks to do anything.

Then, it was Brown again. He swiftly darted around the defense for a 65-yard rushing touchdown to make it 14-0. The defense was on fire — so much so, that they actually got a touchdown on the board themselves. The third touch down came just nine minutes into the game by a forced fumble on the NSU quarterback that popped into the air and into the hands of Jason Harris, who ran it all the way into the endzone.

The Bronchos did not let up, eventually leading 52-0 at half. The 52 points in the first half are the most points in a half for the Bron chos since 2017, in another game versus Northeastern. Despite the first-half blowout, the Bronchos

were still hungry. In the second half, the Bronchos ran the ball 26 times to only four passes. UCO head coach Adam Dorrel substi tuted constantly, meaning multi ple guys on the offensive side got touchdowns of their own. Andrew Carney, Payton Scott and Jacob Delso also scored touchdowns for the Bronchos. Defensively, UCO was led by Chase Faber with a game-high seven tackles.

Northeastern got its lone score on a nine-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute left in the game, not enough to escape the blowout.

Offensive lineman Cooper Mc Coy said the overall play of the team was solid.

“I feel like both the offense and defense were firing on all cylinders. Our team is consistently getting better and better every week. It’s exciting to see,” McCoy said.

But with this confidence, he said it’s important to stay focused and use this momentum to their advan tage.

“We are definitely on a roll, but we are taking things one day at a time. We have had a few weeks of really good wins, but we cannot let

that get to our heads. We under stand that every single day of prepa ration counts, and we have to be consistent with our work,” McCoy said. After hoisting the President’s Cup trophy, McCoy said he left the stadium feeling proud. “I’m get ting pretty used to the feeling. It’s always fun beating those guys and then getting to celebrate with that cup,” he said.

Over fall break, the Bronchos scored yet another win against Fort Hays State University Tigers at Chad Richison Stadium Saturday, trouncing the Tigers 35-23.

Esports gets a battle pass for ‘Overwatch 2’

stayed mostly the same, though several old char acters were redesigned with new abilities added. There are a mix of old and new maps. The biggest change to the game is the addition of a “battle pass” loot system, as opposed to the previous “loot box” system from the last game. Game modes changed as well, switching from a sixversus-six to a five-versusfive combat mode.

ecution,” said Ty Wallace, one of the “Overwatch” esports team coaches.

Wallace said he thinks that it is a positive step.

“Visually, they aren’t doing a ton, but technical ly they are doing a lot for performance that is really important for competitive modes,” he said.

scrimmage lined up that first week.

“We did have a bit of a rocky start, but we built this year’s team with the new game in mind, so we were already prepping beforehand as much as we could,” Wallace said.

“Overwatch 2” is final ly out, and despite server issues and critiques from players, is growing more popular by the day.

Released Oct. 4, the

sequel to the 2016 MMO FPS “Overwatch” aims to keep hold of its predeces sor’s massive player base by switching up the formula just enough that it pleases existing players and new comers to the series alike.

Besides three new characters, the hero roster

The response to these changes is mixed. Some players feel like the changes are not enough to justi fy calling it a new game. Others think that the new systems are not what they need to be.

“I like the idea [of the battle pass], just not the ex

Despite some of the criticism, the game’s player base has grown dramati cally, reaching 25 million players in 10 days, even with a DDOS, or distribut ed denial of service attack on the publisher Blizzard’s servers that caused massive wait times to get into online lobbies.

The DDOS caused delays for the UCO esports team as well, who had a

The game has experi enced some other minor issues too, ranging from more DDOS attacks to problems with the character progress carrying over from the previous game, though Blizzard claims that it has been working to fix the is sues and has been releasing patch updates as needed.

“Overwatch 2” is avail able now on all gaming platforms, and is free for those who own the original “Overwatch.”

Bronchos dominated the first half and held the NSU Riverhawks to a lone touchdown pass in its defense of the President’s Cup. (CENTRAL SPORTS/PROVIDED)

Benjamin Anderson Contributing Writer

Behind the hit: DJ Khaled stays alive with the Bee Gees

songs on the Billboard Hot R&B/ Hip Hop Song Charts. He also has one No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, “Wild Thoughts,” released in May 2017. It spent 22 weeks on the chart.

Khaled’s most recent hit is “Stay ing Alive,” released this past August. It is included on Khaled’s No. 1 album, “God Did.” The song has been on the charts for the last nine weeks, peaking at No. 3, and the hit featured Drake and Lil Baby.

Payton Scott Contributing Writer

Dj Khaled is known for being a hit maker and a walking meme, famous for his funny words of encouragement like, “Another one,

no. Another two, drop two singles at a time,”“Congratulations, you played yourself,” and “I can deal with everything. I got the answer for anything. This DJ Khaled.”

Khaled is behind some of the biggest hits of the last decade, piling up three No. 1 hits and 20 Top 10

“Staying Alive” is just the latest in a long line of hits from the collab orations of Drake and Dj Khaled, including hits like the 2011 single “I’m On One,” the 2012 hit “Stay Schemin’,” and the 2017 song “To the Max.” This is not the first time Khaled has worked with Lil Baby either: hits include the2021 song “Every Chance I Get,” 2019’s “You

Stay” and ‘Weather the Storm” from Khaled’s album, “Father Of Asahd.”

“Staying Alive” contains one inescapable sample, and that is the Bee Gees 1977 classic “Stayin’ Alive.” The sample is used is the hook of the song: “We’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive Ah, ha, ha, ha, stay in’ alive, stayin’ alive Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive.” Drake harmonizes on the record low laidback tone

“I-I-I-I’m stay in’ alive, we’re stayin’ alive, we’re stayin’ alive, we’re stayin’, we live.”

“God Did,” an 18-song al bum, captured many hip-hop fans’ ears when it was released in early August. The album featured artists such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kanye West, Eminem, Future, John Legend, Rick Ross, Juice Wrld, Jadakiss and more. It debuted No.1 and marked Khaled’s sixth No. 1 album.

Flanagan’s ‘Midnight Club’ finds horror and heart in teen hospice

Britton Summers Reporter

Mike Flanagan has done it once again; he has created yet anoth er series that combines horror with riveting character drama. He has made it a tradition in the last several years to put out miniseries such as “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” and “Midnight Mass,” and now he’s co-created “The Midnight Club” with Leah Fong, based on the novel of the same name from Christopher Pike. The story of “The Midnight Club” follows Illonka (played by Iman Benson), who is a brilliant young girl with high aspirations before she’s hit with thyroid cancer and her prospects are not looking good. She ends up going to a place where other kids like her are allowed to go out with dignity. Death looms over this series’ main cast, and there isn’t anything sugar coated about the process of slowly succumbing to cancer.

Where Flanagan shines as

a horror director is his fierce attention to character drama. The reason that Flanagan excels with Stephen King adaptations is that he understands that it’s not the horror and monsters that make King’s work so powerful, but the characters that inhabit those sto ries. With “The Midnight Club,” it is not different. While the show is dripping with atmosphere and a sense of mystery, what makes this show shine is the characterization and the chemistry between the cast of characters. Flanagan and the crew of writers craft a mem orable cast of characters who are too human with their flaws and rough edges, and the interactions between all of them were always a delight to watch. While the core mystery was engaging enough, it was the characters who kept me coming back for more.

But my favorite aspect of the season was how the characters would share stories during the evening as a part of the titular “Midnight Club.” A lot of them proved to be riveting and enter taining while also being a clever

piece of exposition, as it reveals a lot of the characters’ backstories unconsciously before their true backstories are revealed. All the stories were charming, funny, and sometimes tragic. It was also fun to see Flanagan and the crew take jabs at certain cliches in horror movies, such as the almighty jump scare, which is used for hu

morous effect in one of the first episodes.

Overall, the first season of “The Midnight Club” was yet another master class in storytelling and characterization. It shows why Flanagan is one of the best direc tors working in the horror genre today, and we are insanely lucky to have him with us.

LISTEN UP FOR LIVE CONCERTS

tokc.com

Smilin’ Vic, Oct. 22, UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth, Edmond, ucojazzlab. com

Shadow of Intent, Oct. 23, 89th Street OKC, 8911 N. Western, 89thstreetokc.com

Sasha and the Valentines, Oct. 24, Ponyboy, 423 NW 23rd, pony boyokc.com

Jordy Searcy, Oct. 25, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, tow ertheatreokc.com

Nikki Lane, Oct. 26, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, tow ertheatreokc.com

Duckwrth, Oct. 27, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, towerthe atreokc.com

Chat Pile, Oct. 27, 89th Street OKC, 8911 N. Western, 89thstreetokc. com

Macabaret, Oct. 27-29, UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth, Edmond, ucojaz zlab.com

Sofi Tukker, Oct. 18, The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan, thejones assembly.com

Neil Frances, Oct. 18, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, tow ertheatreokc.com

Dawn Lindblade-Evans, Oct. 18, UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth, Edmond, ucojazzlab.com

Corb Lund, Oct. 19, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, tow ertheatreokc.com

UCO Jazz Combos, Oct. 19-20, UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth, Edmond, ucojazzlab.com

Melvins, Oct. 22, Beer City Music Hall, 1141 NW Second, towertheat reokc.com

Agent Orange, Oct. 22, 89th Street OKC, 8911 N. Western, 89thstree

Christian Nodal, Oct. 28, Paycom Center, 100 W. Reno, paycomcenter. com

Willis Alan Ramsey, Oct. 28, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc.com

Highly Suspect, Oct. 29, The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan, criterionokc. com

John Petrucci, Oct. 29, Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd, towertheatreokc. com

Cutter Elliot, Oct. 29, The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley, bluedoorokc. com

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Oct. 31, The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan, criterionokc.com

DJ Khaled sampled a disco classic to create a new banger. (PROVIDED)

Iman Benson stars in “The Midnight Club” (NETFLIX/PROVIDED)

Sofi Tukker (ULTRA/PROVIDED)