UCO's The Vista, Oct. 4, 2022

‘They just want freedom of choice’

to reach family during

Additionally, both Nasihatkon and AS ex pressed being warned at the airport of their attire.

Every province of Iran has seen pro tests following the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. The Iranian “morality police” arrested Amini on Sept. 16, when she was in Tehran with her family, for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. She died that evening after falling into a coma. The Iranian govern ment asserts that Amini died of a heart attack, while her family insists that she was healthy and had no heart problems.

The protests, which originated in Amini’s Kurdish hometown of Saqez, have led to violent clashes between protesters and armed forces. Women are burning their hi jabs and cutting their hair in public areas. The Iranian government has not confirmed any civilian deaths from the protests, but Amnesty International puts the current number at 52.

Two members of UCO’s Iranian Student Association are speaking out about the protests and what it means for Iranian women. Golrokh Nasihatkon, who was born in Iran, moved to the United States at 16 with her parents and young er brother on an asylum visa. Another student, whose entire family remains in Iran, has chosen to remain anonymous for safety, and will be iden tified as AS. Nasihatkon chose not to wear a hijab when she first immigrated and has since convert ed to Christianity, while AS prefers not to wear a

hijab.

Iranian women begin wearing hijab at an early age; Nasihatkon began covering her hair in middle school around age 12. Schools, which are segregated by sex, mandate girls as young as 7 to wear hijabs.

“Why do we have to wear [hijab] if they have a choice?” Nasihatkon recalled saying when she visited Malaysia with her family around age 9. She shared that she was stopped by the morality police once because she was with a female friend, and her friend’s brother was with them.

Title IX lawsuit claims ‘unequal treatment’ of female athletes

Jocelyn Schifferdecker Contributing Writer

The head counsel representing the three female athletes who have filed a Title IX lawsuit against the University of Cen tral Oklahoma said it is one of the most extreme cases of sex discrimination and retaliation he has seen.

Arthur Bryant, a part ner at Bailey Glasser LLP, has reportedly represented more female and male athletes in Ti tle IX cases against schools and universities than anyone else in the country.

“I have never seen a case with such extreme unequal treatment and retaliation,” said Bryant.

The female track and cross country teams do not have locker rooms or an on-campus track to practice on. In contrast, the men’s football and wrestling teams have top of the line locker rooms with cus tomized name plates, lounging areas, and vending machines with free snacks and sport drinks. The men’s teams also receive better travel accommo dations, medical and training services, more publicity, and more funding for recruiting, among other things, according to the legal complaint filed by the plaintiffs.

“UCO can offer its student athletes whatever kind of program it wants to. But whatever the program is, it has to offer equal treatment and equal opportunities to the men and women on campus,” Bryant said.

The lawsuit was the athletes’ last resort, said Bryant. According to the complaint, they tried to communicate to the university the unequal treatment female athletes at UCO received compared to male athletes and asked for the issue to be fixed in February

2022.

In response, UCO athletic director Stan Wagnon told them the only reason their team was reinstated in 2010

after being cut in 2000 was to comply with Title IX standards when they “weren’t really want ed,” according to the lawsuit. In addition, Wagnon alleged ly told the female athletes he would have someone access the program and develop a plan to fix it by May, but the women heard nothing.

On May 16, Bryant emailed a letter to UCO presi dent Patti Neuhold Ravikumar informing her of the Title IX violations. Three days later, UCO’s counsel responded say ing an investigation had begun.

One month later, UCO emailed the plaintiffs’ counsel, saying the university was not breaking any Title IX rules.

Following this, the director and head coach of the women’s cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field teams, Martha Brennan, was fired. In a Zoom meeting, Wagnon told the athletes she

“I think [the protestors] are really brave, because, during the protests, a lot of people are getting killed,” AS said. “You might get killed, you might get arrested, it’s going to look bad on your record, you might go to the jail for God knows how long, but they’re still doing it.”

Internet access in Iran has been restricted in response to the protests, reported NPR. This has affected people outside of Iran due to an inability to communicate with those still in the country. AS said she has not been able to speak to her family for two weeks. Nasihatkon echoed this, saying she can’t speak to her friends or her grandmother.

“I deactivated all of my social media because it was mentally and emotionally very exhausting for me,” Nasihatkon said. Individ uals have been posting images and videos from the protests on Twitter and Instagram to spread awareness.

“[Iranian women] aren’t disrespect ing religion, they just want freedom of choice,” Nasihatkon said. Both students stressed that the current protests have nothing to do with religion, but rather government control.

“[People] think Iranian women are op posing hijab, which is absolutely not true, they’re just opposing the fact that it was forced on them,” Nasihatkon said.

Know the symptoms:

Allison Miller Contributing Writer

October is ADHD Awareness Month. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects people of all ages and, according to Chil dren and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperac tive Disorder (CHADD), it is estimated that 2% to 8% of college students have ADHD.

There are three types of ADHD: inatten tive, hyperactive, and combined. The inattentive type is where it is hard to pay attention, concen trate, be organized, and keep track of things and conversations. The hyperactive type is where you are moving around a lot, talking a lot, and saying and doing things without thinking them through. The combined type is where a person meets the criteria for both the inattentive and hyperactive type, said Amber Miller, testing coordinator at Advanced Therapy Associates.

ADHD is not what someone does, it’s how their brain works. If they are not interested in something, then their brains have a hard time focusing on it, said Miller.

One of the biggest problems students with ADHD face is starting assignments, said Miller. Other problems include not being able to organize, not remembering things they need to do, not making it to class on time, not being able to keep track of what they are doing, and not being able to pay attention in class.

Students who suspect they have ADHD should reach out to the Center of Counseling and Well-Being or, if they already have one, their own

counselor, said Thy Nguyen, graduate assistant case manager for the Center of Counseling and Well-Being.

The Center of Counseling and Well-Be ing will do an evaluation for ADHD for students who get distracted easily. This is not an official psychiatric evaluation. However, it does allow the center to see if a student meets the symptom criteria, and then they can refer them to a psy chiatrist, said Nguyen.

There are three things that college students with ADHD can do to help them get through school: medication, accomodations, and counseling. Medication can help a student focus and organize better, accommodations can help since people with ADHD tend to lose focus, and counseling can help get the anxiety under control that many people with ADHD have, said Miller. UCO students with ADHD can receive accom modations by going to UCO’s Disability Support Services and filling out the forum on the website, said Ngyuen.

According to DSS’s document guide lines, one of their requirements for getting ac commodations for ADHD includes “A diagnosis by a licensed diagnostician who has been trained in the assessment of ADD/ADHD and is experi enced in assessing the needs of the adult learner.”

The document guidelines state this diagnosis must use adult testing measures and be less than 5 years old. The diagnosis also has to be based on the DSM-5 Criteria. A Disability Ver ification Form can be filled out by the student’s treating provider if an evaluation is not available.

Arthur Bryant, a partner at Bailey Glasser

(The Vista/ Logan Gassett)

This week starts off with the asteroid Vesta going direct in Aquarius. This brings the focus off our inner work and onto helping others, espe cially for you. On Thursday a Mercury trine Pluto means you may be the one to inspire others with problem-solving skills. This weekend shapes up to a Full Aries Moon Sun day. This Moon interacts with your third house, the house of intellect and analysis. This may indicate a breakthrough in the areas of knowledge, re search, or learning. See how you can use intellectual ener gy to propel forward change.

In 1975, Gary Wright sang “Fly me high through the starry skies, Maybe to an as tral plane,” to Dream Weav ers like you. This Sunday, the Full Moon in Aries interacts with your second house, the house of security both emo tional and financial. This is an excellent time to culti vate your inner sense of in dependence as well as your innate ability to consciously connect with others. As it is a Full Moon which can sym bolize the end of a journey, this could be a time of epiph any or completion in regards to a process you’ve been working on.

This week will be all about empowerment. This will be especially true for you, Aries, as the Moon waxes to full in your sign on Sunday. Earlier in the weekend, Pluto goes direct in Capricorn, acting as a catalyst for cutting old patterns and negative cycles. This Full Moon interacting with your first house shines a light on identity and en acting the person you want to be. It is the perfect time to release what’s holding you back. Mercury follows Venus into Libra on Monday, shin ing a flattering light on our communication skills.

The horns on the symbol of the Bull mean confidence and surefootedness. This is the energy you’ll be tapping into with the Full Moon in Aries on Sunday. When combined with Pluto direct in Capricorn and the Ura nus retrograde, this Moon is about shedding the layers of the past to come into our em powered selves. It will inter act with your 12th house, the house of the subconscious. This is an excellent time to journal about what you want to release yourself from. You remain powerful in your healing.

Venus in Libra may be bring ing extra harmony into close connections. When Mercury follows suit, things will only get better. A waxing Pisces moon may bring out your softer side and gears up to a Full Aries Moon. This Moon interacts with your 11th house, the house ruling your relationship with the collec tive, whichever larger groups you are part of as well as clos er friendships. Vesta goes direct in Aquarius, matching up the energy of helping oth ers. This moon can be a great reminder that you can reach out to your support system if you ever need to.

The mid-week Pisces moon provides an excellent time to express creativity and emo tions. The Full Aries Moon Sunday delves into your 10th house, the house of ca reer and public image. This focused energy could mean a change in how others see you and is a very good sign regarding promotions and reaching your goals. Pluto goes direct this week, which may bring internal tensions to the surface. When this happens, it is a powerful time for reviewing how subcon scious beliefs affect your life.

Vesta direct in Aquarius may inspire you to nurture a cause. Last week’s Venus in Libra continues to add spar kle to your social life. The Full Aries Moon on Sunday transits your ninth house, the house of keeping an open mind. The energy residing in this expansive house can be related to travel, spiritu ality, or philosophy. Com bined with Vesta’s transit and Mercury stationing in Libra Monday, this Moon focuses energy on interactions with others. This can be in many forms, from volunteer work to personal life projects. Keep your eyes and ears open for insights this weekend and continue to follow your intu ition.

VIR GO

August 23- September 22

This week, Vesta goes direct in Aquarius, creating a good time to volunteer or do hu manitarian work. A com bination of Pluto going di rect in Capricorn and a Full Moon in Aries that focuses on your eighth house indi cates you may be busy with behind-the-scenes work this week. The eighth house, tra ditionally ruled by Pluto, is the house of transformation and secrets. The ongoing Uranus retrograde supports the idea that something may be coming up from your subconscious. Because these transits are so internal, jour naling, freewriting, or medi tation may be a good idea.

For you, this week will be a continuation of last week’s focus on relationships. Mer cury follows suit on Mon day, making the world match with your energy just a little more. You may find that re lational communication is easier at this time. Sunday’s Full Moon in Aries interacts with your seventh house, the house of relationships. This can be romantic, but it more accurately symbol izes whoever you are most deeply connected to, so best friends are definitely part of the equation. Either way, this weekend is an excellent time to spend time with those you hold dear.

Your sign is ruled by Pluto, which goes direct this week. You may find that things come together easier as the retrograde ends! Secrets and transformative energy come to the surface. When the Full Aries Moon fills the sky Sun day night, it will interact with your sixth house, the house of health and daily routine. This is a great time to start an exercise routine or consider the little things you do every day that affect health both physical and mental.

Full Moon in Aries

Dear freedom-lover, when Pluto goes direct this week, hidden things and secrets may catch your attention! As Vesta goes direct in Aquar ius, the urge to help others may be particularly strong.

An exciting and empowering night may be in store over the weekend as the Full Ar ies Moon shines in the sky.

On Monday, Mercury enters Libra just as Venus did last week. It’s likely you’re already feeling this sparkly effect in your relationships. Speak ing of exciting, this Moon lights up your fifth house, the house of amusement and pleasure. What’s in store for you this weekend?

This week may have you con sidering your relationship to power. Vesta goes direct in Aquarius, then Mercu ry trines with Pluto in your sign, and on Saturday Pluto goes direct in your sign. This powerful sequence sets the stage for helping others, pro vides a burst of luck in prob lem solving, then leads you to confront old patterns based on past experiences that no longer serve you. When the Full Moon shines Sunday, it interacts with your fourth house, the house of home and family, so look for op portunities to grow here.

Get rid of shoulder tension before midterms

Sam Royka Managing Editor

As the semester rolls forward, mid terms come nearer. At a time like this, shoul ders across campus are feeling sore. Muscular tension caused by stress is anything but uncommon.

“Stress can be carried in the body as physical tension,” said Laura Anderson from Michigan State University.

In a presentation for the University of Michigan, medical professional J. Lindsay Quade evaluated the “painful shoulder.”

Quade found shoulder pain to be common, “responsible for 16% of all mus culoskeletal complaints” in the primary care setting.

At some point in health class it might have been mentioned that muscles are made up of fibers. An article by Harvard Health uses a unique metaphor, describing muscles as “cotton fabrics” because they have fibers that may shrink up when tensed but can be loosened by stretching.

The best stretch, according to medical

professional Steve Mora, can be done using a doorway.

Step one: lift your arm 90 degrees away from your body and bend at the elbow another 90 degrees. Then, place your entire hand and forearm palm-side against the edge of the doorframe when standing to face it.

“Walk forward, you get a stretch,” he said.

One area being stretched here in the front of the shoulder is called the subscapu laris, although all the muscles of the rotator cuff are typically involved in shoulder stretch es.

The best stretches for sore muscles are 30 seconds or more of gentle pressure that does not cause pain, according to Harvard Health. Bouncing muscles when stretching is also not recommended, as it can cause a reflex called muscular coil, making it harder for the muscle to relax.

Anderson brought in another recom mended stretching technique.

First, she recommends finding a quiet place. It may be difficult to relax and stretch effec tively in a stimulating environment.

Then, “roll your shoulders slowly

forward and up to your ears to the count of five. Hold. Then roll your shoulders slowly to your back and downward to the count of five. Practice this twice before adding in deep breathing,” Anderson said.

Sometimes it may be difficult to move away from the desk and find time to de-stress. There are also stretches and activities that can be done while working.

The University of California Santa Cruz released a series of stretching exercises that can be done at the computer or desk.

One stretch involved the separation and stretching of just the fingers until “ten sion of a stretch is felt,” a 10-second hold, direction to “relax and bend your fingers at the knuckles” and another hold for the same duration.

Another involved linking the fingers and turning palms overhead to straighten the arms, then direction to “think of elongating your arms as you feel a stretch through arms and upper sides of rib cage,” then a hold of 10-20 seconds.

UC Santa Cruz recommends only holding stretches that result in relaxation.

This Week in History: Oct. 4- Oct. 9

John Drake Contributing Writer

October 4

1582 – Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar. This calendar was a modification of the Julian calendar, which had been in use since 45 B.C., and it is the version used by the majority of the world today. The most important change between the two versions was the spacing of leap years; the Julian calendar marked every fourth year as a leap year without exception, causing important dates to drift away from the associated astrological event. Although this concept was introduced in 1582, it was only put into effect over time as indi vidual secular rulers adopted it.

October 5

610 – Heraclius I arrived in Constantinople and killed Emperor Pho cas, usurping his title as Emperor of the Romans. A heroic and per haps unlucky figure, Heraclius came to power eight years into the final war between the Byzantine Roman Empire and the Sassanid Persian Empire. Byzantium nearly collapsed before the Sassanid onslaught, losing Egypt, Anatolia and the Levant, but Heraclius held the nation together and ultimately won a peace that restored all lost territory to his empire. His victory was short-lived, however. The newly unit ed Rashidun Caliphate surged north, crushing the Byzantines at the Battle of the Yarmouk in 636. By the time of Heraclius’s death in 841, almost all the territory he’d saved from Persia had been lost to the Caliphate.

October 6 2010 – Instagram was launched by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Primarily a photo and video sharing ser vice, it was bought by Facebook, Inc. in 2012 for around $1 billion. As of 2021, it was host to over 1.2 billion users. It was one of the Top 5 most-downloaded mobile apps of the 2010s. Although it remains one of the most popular social media sites, there are some concerns over Instagram’s harvesting of users’ private data. In September 2022, Instagram was fined over $400 million by the Irish Data Protection Commission for mishandling the private data of minors.

October 7 1916 – The biggest blowout in college football history occurred, with

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Georgia Tech, coached by John Heisman, defeating Cumberland University 222-0. It is widely speculated that this mercilessly lopsided game was intended as revenge for Cumberland’s supposed use of pro fessional baseball players in a 22-0 victory over Georgia Tech’s base ball team earlier that year. Cumberland had discontinued its football program the previous year but was forced to scrape together a small team to honor the scheduling agreement. Georgia Tech scored 32 touchdowns in the game, while Cumberland committed 15 turnovers and finished the game with negative yardage.

October 8 319 B.C. - King Pyrrhus of Epirus was born in Greece. He was widely considered by his contemporaries as an excellent military leader, fa mously clashing with the rising Roman Republic in southern Italy. He won a costly victory over the Roman legions at the Battle of Heraclea, and another the next year at the Battle of Asculum. Casualties were high on both sides, and Pyrrhus is reported to have darkly comment ed, “If we are victorious in one more battle against the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.” The term “Pyrrhic victory” is still used to de scribe a victory in which the winner is devastated by their own losses.

October 9 768 – Charlemagne was crowned King of the Franks in Noyon, France. He expanded his Frankish kingdom into what would become known as the Carolingian Empire, spanning across modern France, Germany and Italy. He became an iconic, founding figure in both French and German history, and was also crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800, a title which would remain in use for over 1,000 years until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806.

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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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Comics aren’t just superheroes: Horror Comics to Read During The Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year, much to the chagrin of my parents. Halloween is my second favorite holiday right behind Christmas, and I often celebrate the spooky season by reading a lot of horror books and watching a lot of horror movies. I also like to celebrate by reading horror comic books, since they can be easier to read than regular books sometimes and tend to be faster to digest. Since there was already a film recommendation list for the Halloween season, I was curious on how I could contribute to the Halloween spirit this year, so I decided to do so with comics. They’re not merely composed of superheroes in the industry, and I’m going to shine a light on some horror comics today.

The Saga of The Swamp Thing by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totelben

recommend as well), I find that his other horror series Outcast is overlooked. This isn’t fair because it really is quite the gem. Outcast follows the story of Kyle Barnes, a young man who’s had the unfor tunate ability to attract demonic entities to him, which caused his mother to be possessed and his ex-wife to cut ties with him. He is then recruited by the local pastor in his town to help him with exor cisms and begins to learn about his past along the way.

As someone who was raised as a good little Christian boy, I have always been freaked out at the possibility of demonic possession and the idea of demons in general. But like with The Walking Dead, Kirkman makes Outcast into a human drama more than a spooky demonic story, though the demonic elements are certainly creepy thanks to the gorgeous art from Kyle Azaceta and the magnificent colors of Elizabeth Breitweiser.

Unlike The Walking Dead and Invincible, Outcast isn’t a long running series and only goes on for 8 volumes and it’s a quick read to complement its short length. Outcast shows why Kirkman is one of the best working in the business today.

Harrow County by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook

I was a bit hesitant to read this after reading some of Cullen Bunn’s other work, which was disappointing to me. But I ended up picking this up and I was immediately blown away by it. Harrow County is the story of a girl named Emmy who lives with her father out in the deep South, where creepy crawlies and spirit-like creatures called haints haunt the woods near her house. On her eighteenth birthday, she learns that she might just be related to a witch who was killed by the townsfolk years prior.

The only Marvel or DC product that I’ll be discussing in this list. The Saga of The Swamp Thing was where legendary comics writer Alan Moore made his name in the United States. DC editor and Swamp Thing creator Len Wein decided to give Moore the chance to reimagine the character of Swamp Thing as he saw fit since the title was failing at the time, and Moore took the opportunity to do what he does best: take a familiar concept and give it a far more interesting twist.

Moore turned Swamp Thing from a generic monster com ic into an existential nightmare, and once Karen Berger came in as editor, The Saga of The Swamp Thing was taken to even new heights. It eventually became the first comic book to eschew the Comics Code Authority after the “Love and Death” issue. I also still hold “The Anat omy Lesson” to be one of the best re-imaginings of a character that I’ve ever read.

Not to be forgotten is the superb artwork of Steve Bissette and John Totleben, who give The Saga of The Swamp Thing a gritty tex ture that gives off a sinister atmosphere to the series. While art duties would be taken up by other artists such as Rick Veitch, Ron Randell, Stan Woch, Alfredo Alcala, Shawn McManus, and other talented people, Bissette and Totleben were the main artists on the title and seemed to be made for the title of Swamp Thing.

Sadly, Moore never got to touch other DC properties due to conflicts between Moore and DC Comics, but I am still happy that we have this to enjoy.

Wytches by Scott Snyder and Jock

Scott Snyder is well known for his work on Batman, but my personal favorite work is this strange little folk horror comic that he did with artist Jock for Image called Wytches. Wytches follows the story of young adult author Charlie Rook and his daughter Sailor as they struggle to create a new life for themselves after an incident that left Sailor psychologically scarred.

What makes this book work is the pure storytelling that Sny der brings to the book. Much of Snyder’s storytelling in this is rem iniscent of Stephen King’s best work, which is funny considering he is shown complimenting the book on the front cover. Wytches is the story of a father and daughter’s relationship, and the way that Snyder depicts it is touching, engaging, and complex for the audience.

While I wasn’t initially impressed by Jock’s art, it grew on me over time. Much like the art in my previous pick, it’s a very grungy and gritty look for the story and it ends up working quite nicely for the story that’s being told. It makes me hope that Jock ends up taking on a Swamp Thing book at some point.

Wytches is a great spooky read for Halloween and my person al favorite work from Scott Snyder.

Outcast by Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta

While Robert Kirkman is well known for his franchise spanning books The Walking Dead and Invincible (which I highly

I love folklore and legends, and I love how Cullen Bunn weaves this folkloric tale of past wrongs coming back to haunt the people of this town and the local mythology of the haints is truly fascinating. Harrow County proves to be a well-paced, sometimes touching book about a girl who’s attempting to find her place in the world and not allow her past to define her present now.

Also, to be mentioned is the beautiful artwork of Tyler Crook, while I usually would question the use of watercolor in a horror book, Crook manages to use it magnificently in this book. The art in this book is gorgeous and well rendered, with beautiful colors and evoca tive imagery from Crook.

Harrow County is well worth the read, and a good spooky read for this Halloween season.

Blue In Green by Ram V and Anand R.K.

A more recent book that I read, but one that I think is worth a look. This is one that personally appeals to me as it has a lot of things that I enjoy: evocative, atmospheric artwork, excellent writing, explo rations into jazz music, and horror that’s beyond compare.

The story of Blue in Green follows Erik, a jazz musician whose mother recently passed away. He aspired to be a jazz great akin to John Coltrane or Miles Davis, whose song provides the title to this comic book and eventually settled by becoming a music teacher. He is unsatisfied by this life and wishes for something more. He eventually finds out a dark family secret that gives him the opportunity to follow his dreams, at a dark cost.

Ram V is a rising talent in the comic book field and his writ ing flows quite nicely, he is also complemented by the surreal artwork of Anand R.K., whose art creates a dreamlike atmosphere to the story. Blue in Green explores the price of ambition and just how far some one is willing to go to do what they love. But the snag is that the price might not be worth the cost.

It’s a book with a lot of soul, much like the music that inspired it.

I hope that these spooky reads will be able to satiate you during the Halloween season, and my only regret with this list is that I couldn’t put more comics on here. Hopefully I can do more of these in the future, and maybe recommend some more comics for longtime fans looking for something new to read or newcomers who are curi ous.

Title IX investigation still underway

Continued from Pg. 1

was fired because they voiced their concerns about the university not providing them with equal treatment and opportunities, said the plaintiffs’ legal complaint.

The University was officially served with the lawsuit Sept. 27, Bryant said. UCO will have

21 court days to respond.

“What happens next really depends on UCO.

If the school wants to comply with Title IX and provide equal treatment and account ability for its retaliation, that’s what we want,” said Bryant.

The university issued a statement, saying it will not comment on active or pending

litigations but it looks forward to filing their response following court rules.

According to the United States Department of Justice, Title IX prohibits both sex dis crimination and retaliation. UCO is federally funded and so it must comply with Title IX standards.

“It’s not complicated, it’s the law,” said Bryant.

(Provided)

Edmond moves to make transportation easier

Emma Nickles Contributing Writer

Edmond City Council met Sept. 26 to discuss EdmondShift, a $120 million city mobility plan to improve east Edmond’s street efficiency and safety by 2050. EdmondShift is a comprehensive plan that integrates and modernizes the city’s mobility network, prioritizing high-demand and high-risk areas.

The plan promised 46 intersection revamps, 64.9 miles of bicycle routes, 113 miles of roadway upgrades, 36 miles of safety improve ments, 2.7 miles added to the pedestrian network, the widening of Ninth Street, more sidewalks, enhanced landscaping, and improved neighborhood connections.

Jeff Whitacre, the lead project manager, said EdmondShift ensured that every recommendation was based on technical analysis and surveys from the public. He said that improvements to the bike paths were the top concern among citizens.

The current bike plan, updated from the 2018 plan, includes adding bike parking, benches, shade, crosswalks, and maps to make “trailheads” all over Edmond.

“Route 66 has been identified in the regional plan to actually become a bicycle route… they’ve been working through a way to actually route through,” Whitacre said.

A bike share system will be introduced in the next two to five years.

“We partnered with UCO to expand their current bike share system and monitor the usage of the bike share stations,” Whitacre said.

In the next five to ten years, there are plans to ren ovate Edmond’s roads.

“The roadway network, we really focused on four elements, improving con nectivity, modernizing the street sections, developing an improved retrofit pro cess…and updated policies,” Whitacre said.

Roundabouts will be built in rural areas to increase the capability and safety of the intersections. Elongating ar terial intersections and max imizing dual left turn lanes will be the top priority.

The focus of Edmond Shift is reducing pedestrian and cyclist fatalities to zero.

Improved crosswalk but tons, clear road striping and leading pedestrian interval lights, and a light cycle that allows citizens to cross the street before the light of the intersection turns green, are planned to increase pedes trian safety.

Whitacre estimated that it would cost approximately $760,000 to connect neigh borhoods, $350,000 to add bike lanes to Ayers Street, and additional funding to connect existing trails to new ones. The plan is ex pected to be funded through

public and private sector partnerships, federal grants, and a possible roadway impact fee, which is a onetime payment imposed by a local government to help offset development costs. So far, the city has secured $40 million.

Improvements in frequen cy and access points will be made to the CityLink bus route. Edmond plans to lean on technology for an easier scheduling process for its citizens. Funding will be used for marketing and branding the buses.

Tea and onigiri on the menu at International House

Antony Morales Garcia Contributing Writer

The International House at the University of Central Oklahoma will host a high tea and onigi ri afternoon from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 7, at the UCO International House room W111.

The event takes place every month and focuses on serving tea from different countries around

the world, and will be serving special matcha tea and onigiri, a traditional Japanese tea and rice.

Japan Outreach Initiative Coordinator Aya Iwamoto mentioned that the event seeks to help students, faculty and staff at UCO to have a little taste of Japanese culture.

“I wanted to make an event where people that are interested in the Japanese culture could come and enjoy some Japanese tea and rice. I

just wanted to create an opportunity for people to meet up and enjoy our culture here at UCO,” Iwamoto said.

This event is done in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Table For Two, which will donate one school meal for each attendee on the day of the event.

“Just show up, come and get some free food,” Iwamoto said.

Fall Fest promotes responsible approaches to alcohol

Andrea Zuniga Contributing Writer

The Sixth Annual Fall Fest, cre ated to promote alcohol education on campus, is coming Oct. 20 on Buddy’s Lawn to honor the lives of two former UCO students.

In 2016 Jordan DeShazer and Ryan Hamm were both UCO students killed in two separate car accidents in which the driver was under the influence of alcohol. Fol lowing their deaths, the UCO Fall Fest was created to promote safe use of alcohol for students on campus.

“Alcohol Education is important to UCO, because of students like Ryan and Jordan. It’s important to be taught on college campuses

because in 2022, 21- to 24-yearolds have the most drunk driving accidents in the U.S.” said Taylor Shelton, UCO health promotion prevention and outreach specialist.

The Fall Fest is being organized by Amina Gueye, a recipient of the Hamm-DeShazer scholarship, and has multiple partners including the Oklahoma National Guard.

“We want our students to grad uate, be successful adults, and live fulfilling lives, and part of that is teaching students how to do things, like drinking alcohol, in a safe, legal, and responsible way.” Shelton said.

For more information on the Fall Fest contact aqueye1@uco.edu. For information on Fall Fest partners contact tshelton5@uco.edu .

EdmondShift plans to dramatically improve the city’s transportation options. (CITY OF EDMOND/PROVIDED)

Onigiri is a popular Japanese snack that is convenient and handheld. It is served with Nori wrapping, or dried seaweed. (PROVIDED)

left, and Ryan Hamm, right, were each killed in separate

the drivers were under the influence of alcohol.

PS5 shortage extends through 2022 holiday season

Benjamin Anderson Contributing Writer

Those wanting to buy a Play Station 5 in time for the holiday release window for new games might have trouble picking one up, despite claims from Sony that sup ply issues have been addressed.

The PS5 has been plagued with supply issues since its launch in November 2020. This was in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected many businesses’ ability to get their products to con sumers. Sony was unable to man ufacture enough inventory in time for the release of the console, and has been struggling to do so since. Another problem that persists is online scalping, in which scalpers use bots and algorithms to buy a mass quantity of items as soon as the prod uct goes on sale online. These issues have meant that even though the PS5 is almost two years old, many people still don’t have access to the game system. A stark contrast to Mi crosoft’s Xbox Series X/S consoles, which have been much easier for the

public to buy, being readily avail able at most retail and game stores.

Now, Sony has addressed these issues, saying during a financial pre sentation for its shareholders in May

to 20 million units as of this summer.

Despite Sony’s optimism, Pat Gelsinger, CEO of chip manufac turer Intel, told CNBC in April that a shortage of important tools

ductor shortage will now drift into 2024, from our earlier estimates in 2023, just because the short ages have now hit equipment and some of those factory ramps will be more challenged,” Gelsinger said.

So, many are still finding it diffi cult to find a new console, and have been continuing to use their PS4s, the previous generation of the con sole. Until now, game publishers have been releasing games on the older consoles, as is the trend during the transition period between sys tems, as new games take years to develop and are optimized for the older tech. The problem now is that more game developers are only re leasing on the newest systems, with Sony exclusive titles like “God of War: Ragnarok” only releasing on PS5, leaving people without the new consoles no way to play.

2022 that the inventory issue has been fixed, and that sales for the PS5 are expected to pass that of the previ ous console by 2023, having sold up

could cause the current chip short age to continue through 2024.

“That’s part of the reason that we believe the overall semicon

For those looking to grab a PS5 this fall, one of the best options is to pay attention to online release windows for websites like Amazon, Target, and Walmart, with games sites like Tech Radar regularly posting inven tory updates for these distributors.

‘Avatar’ holds up thanks to eye-catching visuals

Logan Wood Contributing Writer

James Cameron’s “Av atar” recently returned to theaters in preparation for its sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which opens Dec. 16. For this rerelease, the film was remastered in 4K and features a special look ahead at the sequel during the end credits.

The original “Avatar” is the highest-grossing film of all time. Prior to the rere lease, the film made over $2.8 billion worldwide and also helped popularize mod ern 3D and IMAX presen tation formats.

I never saw “Avatar” when it was released in 2009. I only heard about it through osmosis and

pop culture, so I thought it would be interesting to take advantage of this rerelease and see the film for the first time, in IMAX 3D and in the context of today’s medi ascape.

“Avatar” was written and directed by and stars Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Grace Augustine, Laz Alonso as Tsu’tey, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge and Stephen Lang as Colonel Quaritch.

The film is set over 130 years in the future, when Earth has been ruined, so humans travel to the alien planet of Pandora to mine its resources. But the natives of the planet stand in their way. Then the humans dis

cover a way to make them selves look like the natives in order to gain their trust.

The film is really light on story. It’s another sim ple story about nature vs technology that I feel like I’ve seen many times before. I didn’t feel myself get ting attached to any of the characters, but the visual experience made up for most of that.

I was impressed with the quality of the motion capture technology used throughout the film, espe cially since it came out only 10 years after “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” which was the first film to use motion capture technol ogy to bring a CGI charac ter to life. It’s mind-blow ing to see how much the

technology evolved in only a decade.

The film had a gi ant-sized budget of $237 million, but I’m surprised it didn’t cost more than that. It’s hard to believe that this wasn’t the most expensive film of all time with the amount of CGI and motion capture and performance capture used throughout its runtime.

I’m usually not a fan of 3D and I’ll try to avoid it any chance I get. It almost never adds anything to the experience of seeing a film in theaters other than making the screen appear dark and blurry while also supplying an annoying headache, but I heard this film was a game changer for 3D, so I gave in.

I wouldn’t say I was blown away by the 3D, but I do think it made the experience surprisingly better. The visuals of the film wouldn’t have been as fun to look at in 2D format. Some scenes were also in a higher frame rate, which made the way characters move feel more real, making for a very visually pleasing experience.

That’s pretty much where all my enjoyment of this film comes from, the visuals.

Certain stories might not connect with some people as much as others, but I think a lot of people can ap preciate the advancements in technology and beautiful visuals that are on display throughout “Avatar.”

Overholser Mansion gets scary with haunted Halloween ghost tours

Hayden Smith Contributing Writer

One common fall tradi tion, especially around Hal loween, is to visit haunted houses, and Oklahoma City is home to some places that people claim to be actually haunt ed.

The Overholser Mansion, 405 NW 15th St. in the Heritage Hills neighbor hood, was built in 1903 by Henry and Anna Overhol

ser, a powerful couple who helped build Oklahoma City. This architectural masterpiece is open to the public by appointment only during the week and is open from 10 a.m.. to 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for those who simply want to take a tour of the property.

Then there are the Hallow een tours, which begin on Oct. 8 tand will continue through the end of October.

“I went on this tour last year, and I will be going

back again this year,” said Melody Emerson, an Okla homa City resident. “It is so cool and everything has been preserved so nicely. The tour guides also have many stories about ghost interactions.”

Fort Reno is another option for those who want to visit haunted houses this Halloween season. Visi tors and workers claim to have heard voices and seen furniture moving at Fort Reno. Since this place has

drawn so much paranormal interest, it has become a destination in the month of October. It is located at 7107 W. Cheyenne St., in El Reno.

There are other haunted attractions around Hal loween time for those who do not prefer to go inside of houses that are actually haunted. Lawton, Oklaho ma is home to one of these attractions. The Trail of Fear Haunted Scream Park, 11101 SE Lee Blvd., is

Oklahoma’s largest haunted attraction and offers haunt ed hayrides. Anyone who is looking for a closer attrac tion can look toward The Sanctuary in Oklahoma City. The Sanctuary hosts many different scenes and stunts when tours are taking place and is one of the most famous haunted attractions in central Oklahoma. There are many options all around the state to choose from when looking for haunted houses this year.

The PS5 console Deluxe Edition will be released Oct. 11, 2022 (PROVIDED).

Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in the new film Avatar: The Way of Water. The film is to be released in December 2022. (PROVIDED)

UCO football fights for President’s Cup

Eden Jones Sports Reporter

The UCO football team is back at home this week after taking on the Lincoln University Blue Tigers at their home pitch Saturday afternoon. Back at Chad Richison Stadium, the Bronchos are set to host the Northeastern State University Riverhawks at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6.

With this game, the annual President’s Cup, a decade-long tradition in which the two teams meet and compete for the cup, is up for the taking. The Riverhawks and the Bronchos have played against each other 80 times, first meeting in 1912, with UCO holding a 51-27-2 advan tage. This tradition began in 1998 after North eastern State upgraded to NCAA Division 2 and the Bronchos are 15-9 in the series since then.

The game will see UCO searching for its eighth consecutive win over the in-state rival. The matchup between UCO and NSU normally ends in a tight score, but not last year’s game. In Tahlequah, the Bronchos busted the Riverhawks 49-9 in their 2021 season. The Bronchos used a big 21-point second quarter to gain the lead and never looked back, cruising to the MIAA vic tory. The game ended with the Bronchos piling up a total of 253 rushing yards and 172 passing yards. UCO also had a dominating performance on the defensive side of the ball.

Senior Daunte Mcgee said this is a game he always anticipates.

“NSU is a rival, so no matter what, we take the preparation leading up to the game just as serious as any other team,” Mcgee said. “We’ve beat them in every year I’ve been at UCO and that’s something we are looking to keep going.”

After beating the No. 2 team in the nation, the Northwest Missouri Bearcats, Mcgee is confi dent he and his team can get the job done.

“We showed the level that we can play at, so now it’s on us to keep it going. We can’t be com placent either, we have to continue to get better each week because the teams we play aren’t going to take it easy on us,” Mcgee said.

Layne Grantham is also ready to compete in this iconic match-up.

“With them being the only other D2 school from Oklahoma in our conference, it’s a big deal for recruiting. It’s always a fun game because the rivalry makes everyone play a little harder,” Grantham said. “Coach Dorrel believes in us being mentally and physically fresh, disciplined,

and playing with high energy. Those things nev er change for us.”

There are several promotions for Thursday’s game. To start off, the first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a white T-shirt featuring a glow-in-the-dark design. Fans can also grab glow sticks on their way into the stadium.

Those will come in handy during the “lights out” halftime show performed by UCO cheer and marching band. Another one is Youth Foot ball Night, in which the Bronchos invite partic ipants to attend the game free of charge when wearing their team jersey. Additionally, parents and others can receive a 20 percent discount on tickets when using the code BUYONLINE to purchase tickets at BronchoSports.com/Tickets.

Bronchos fend off top-rated Bearcats in road game rout

running back for the ’Chos, carrying the ball a total of 10 times for 97 yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns. He put the ’Chos up 7-0 in the first quarter after a 11-yard scamper into the endzone. Later in the third quarter, he scored the 11th longest run in school history as he went down the field like a bolt of electricity for an 83-yard touchdown run that gave UCO a 20-7 lead.

The ’Chos were able to do just enough on offense as they found their stride.

Thompson had a 47-yard strike in the first quarter after coming into the game due to an equipment issue with Brown.

Devon Bajek Contributing Writer

The Central Oklahoma Bronchos Football Team played the part of David as they slung their rock and slayed their Goliath, Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, on Sept. 24 with a score of 23-14. The Bearcats entered the game ranked as the No. 2 team in the country and No. 1 in the MIAA conference.

UCO had a strong show ing from Jaylen Cottrell, the

redshirt freshman running back from Lexington, Okla homa. Cottrell jump-started the offense early in the third quarter with an 83-yard touchdown run that saw him stiff-arm a Bearcat defender in the process and put the pressure on the Bearcats, forcing the team to play catch up the rest of the afternoon. Cottrell led a Bronchos rushing attack that racked up 107 yards on the day, which was more than triple the 34 rushing yards that the Bearcats were

allowed heading into this game. This is the second win in a row against the Bearcats in Edmond since 2018, when the Bronchos won 31-21.

“I’m proud of our guys,” UCO head football coach Adam Dorrel said. “It’s a big win for our program. The guys played great defense and it was great to see our passing game finally come together. It was all around a good effort by ev eryone. A true team win.”

Cottrell was the main

UCO had 106 yards on the ground and a pair of rushing touchdowns that were both a season first given up by the Bearcats.

The passing game was explosive as quarterback Stephon Brown had 10 completions on 16 attempts totaling 139 yards, which saw him pick up most of the yardage on a 52-yard catch and run for sophomore wide receiver Jacob Delso.

Freshman tight-end Os car Hammond, the former Collinsville Cardinal, had a coming out party, recording five catches for 89 yards.

Backup quarterback Peyton

The defense for UCO had their best performance this season forcing five turnovers the first of which was a miscommunication on the snap between the quarterback and center of Northwest and then the first career interception of fresh man Chase Faber’s career. The bearcats would go on to throw two more intercep tions and muff a punt that was recovered by UCO. Nicky Quevedo was per fect on his three field goal attempts nailing them from 31, 33, and 43 yards.

UCO is now 3-2 with an undefeated home record at Chad Richison Stadium as they secured the first road win of the season in Week 5 when they crushed Lincoln University on Oct. 1 in Jefferson City, Mis souri. The Bronchos will be back at home for Week 6 in the Presidents Cup Trophy rivalry against the Riverhawks of Northeastern State on Thursday.

UCO President Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar raises the President’s Cup after the 2021 win. (Central Sports/Provided)

UCO’s Jaylen Cottrell pulls away from Northwest Missouri’s Trevon Peak. (Central Sports/Provided)

UCO Jazz Lab hosts Edmond Festival

Quinn Daugherty Reporter

The UCO Jazz Lab hosted the Fifth Annual UCO Edmond Jazz Festival this past week, featuring performances from UCO Stu dent Jazz Ensembles, faculty, and guests.

The festival began Monday, Sep. 26 and ended Saturday, Oct. 1. Monday’s performances by UCO Student Jazz Ensembles

I and IV were prefaced with an opening from the Edmond Santa Fe High School Jazz Ensemble.

Tuesday featured the Edmond Memorial High School Jazz Band opening for UCO Student Jazz Ensembles II and IV and Wednesday the festival hosted modern jazz saxophonist Adam Larson.

Thursday’s performances were highlighted by an open jam session led by UCO Director of

Jazz Studies Brian Gorrell and his band Jazz Company.

UCO Student Jazz Ensemble I performed again on Friday during the Jazz Lab’s 20th anni versary celebration. The event included a fundraiser for the Jazz Studies Support fund, for which the proceeds will be matched 3:1 by an unnamed sponsor, accord

ing to the Jazz Lab’s website.

“An event to honor all of the individuals that continue to inspire the vision of the UCO Jazz Lab,” the Jazz Lab’s website described the 20th anniversary celebration.

The final day of the festival, Saturday, featured a performance from headliner Jeffery Smith, a Texas based Jazz guitarist.

Behind the hit: The most sampled artists and songs of all time

Payton Scott Contributing Writer

According to Whosampled.com, the following artists and songs are sampled more than any others in music history.

(1999), and “Pigs” by Tyler, the Creator (2013)

Lyn Collins

Tmes sampled: 3,549

Songs made from sampled artist: “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & Dj E-Z Rock (1988),

“Amen, Brother” by The Winstons

Times sampled: 5,902

Songs made from sampled song: “Straight Outta Compton” by N.W.A (1988),” Fu turama Theme” – Christopher Tyng (1999), and “Pigs” – Tyler, the Creator (2013)

“Think (About It)” by Lyn Collins Times sampled: 3,286 times

Songs made from sampled song: “So Ap palled” by Kanye West, Swizz Beatz and Jay-Z feat. Pusha T, CyHi the Prynce and RZA (2010), “Lost in the World” by Kanye West feat. Bon Iver, Alicia Keys and Charlie Wilson (2010), and “CHURCH GIRL” by Beyoncé (2022)

“Change the Beat (Female Version)” by Beside

James Brown, Times sampled: 8,494 Songs made from sampled artist: “South Bronx” by Boogie Down Productions (1987), “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy (1989), and “3005” by Childish Gambino

“I Shot Ya” by LL Cool J (1995), and “Ash Rockin” by J Dilla (1996)

Public Enemy Times sampled: 3,296 Songs made from sampled artist: “Much More” by De La Soul (2003), “Guess Who’s

Times sampled: 2,617

Songs made from sampled song: “Colors” by Ice-T (1988), “Boyz-N-The-Hood” by Eazy-E (1987), and “Hey Young World” by Slick Rick (1988)

“Funky Drummer” by James Brown

Times sampled: 1,772 times

Songs made from sampled songs: “Mathe matics” by Mos Def (1999), “The Morning” by Raekwon, Pusha T, Common and 2 Chainz feat. Kid Cudi, CyHi the Prynce and D’Banj (2012), and “Where I’m From” by Digable Planets (1993)

“La Di Da Di” – Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick

(2013)

The Winstons.

Times sampled: 5,902

Songs made from sampled artist: “Straight Outta Compton” by N.W.A (1988), ”Futurama Theme” by Christopher Tyng

Back” by Rakim (1997) and “ Everything Thing I Am” by Kanye West featuring DJ Premier (2007)

Beside/Fab 5 Freddy Times sampled: 2,616 Songs made from sampled artists: “Paid in Full” by Eric B. and Rakim (1987), “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz (2012), and ‘Right Here” by Justin Bieber featuring Drake (2012)

In addition, Whosampled.com tallied the most sampled songs in music history.

Times sampled: 1,077 times Songs made from sample: “Hypnotize” by The Notorious B.I.G (1997), “Party” by Beyoncé feat. André 3000 (2011), “Audito rium” by Mos Def feat. Slick Rick (2009)

“Amen, Brother” by The Winstons, “Think (About It)” by Lyn Collins and “La Di Da Di” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick all contain samples in them, as well.

The correlation that happens within the music where elements of samples relate to other songs is what makes sampling so time less. The controversy with samples is that it is stealing someone else’s intellectual prop erty and using that to engineer a hit. Some argue that it is stealing and some argue that it is art, and when you flip it and use it in a different way it becomes their own intel lectual art because the original piece wasn’t used the way the sample did or didn’t sound like the sample.

Musicians Jeff Kidwell and Lee Rucker play brass at the UCO Jazz Lab during the music festival (The Vista/Elizabeth Estabrooks).

James

On Side B of the original record, Beside raps in French to Fab 5 Freddy’s “Change the Beat” (PROVIDED).

Nick Cockerill, Eric Neel, and Sam Vaughn take a break from the music at the Edmond Jazz Festival (The Vista/Elizabeth Estabrooks).