10 October 2022

UGA back at No. 1, Alabama slips to 3 behind OSU

Ralph D. Russ AP College Football Writer

Georgia took back the No. 1 spot in The As sociated Press college football poll from Ala bama on Sunday after being bumped out last week by the Crimson Tide, who slid to No. 3.

The Bulldogs received 32 first-place votes and 1,535 points in the Top 25, presented by Regions Bank, to easily reclaim No. 1. They were just two points behind Alabama at No. 2 last week.

Georgia thumped Auburn 42-10 on Satur day. The Tide, whose Heisman Trophy-win ning quarterback Bryce Young was sidelined by injury, escaped an upset bid at home by Texas A&M.

Ohio State moved up a spot to No. 2, receiv ing 20 first-place votes and 1,507 points.

No. 3 is a season-low for Alabama, which was preseason No. 1 but fell to No. 2 after Week 2. The Tide received 11 first-place votes.

There were two notable season debuts in the Top 25: No. 24 Illinois is ranked for the first time since 2011 and James Madison is in the AP Top 25 for the first time in its program his tory. The Dukes are playing their first season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in Divi sion I college football’s highest level.

Clemson overtook Michigan and moved up to No. 4 and the Wolverines fell one spot to No. 5.

Tennessee moved up to No. 6, which is the best ranking for the currently undefeated Vol unteers since No. 5 early in the 2005 season. Tennessee stumbled to a 5-6 and unranked fin ish that year.

Southern California fell one spot to No. 7, and Oklahoma State, Mississippi and Penn State held their places to round out the top 10.

POLL POINTS

The shuffle that Georgia’s made from No. 1 to 2 and back No. 1 over three polls hadn’t hap pened in more than a decade.

Florida went back and forth between Nos. 1 and 2 in 2009, flip-flopping with Alabama as both teams won in late October.

The Tide is the first team to drop from No. 1 to No. 3 off a victory in 25 years, when Ne

braska beat Missouri in overtime on the famous “Flea Kicker.” Michigan jumped from No. 4 to No. 1 on Nov. 10, 1997, after it won 34-8 at No. 2 Penn State.

IN The week after Kansas handed the ignomini ous title of Power Five conference team with the longest streak of being unranked to Illinois, the Illini are now off the schneid in their second year under coach Bret Bielema.

Illinois improved to 5-1 by beating Iowa and landed in the poll for the first time since Oct. 16, 2011 — 178 polls.

Next up on the list of longest ranking droughts for Power Five schools are: Rutgers (2012), Oregon State (preseason 2013) and Vanderbilt (final 2013).

James Madison has been a powerhouse in the the Football Championship Subdivision for years, winning a national title in 2016 and los

ing to North Dakota State in the NCAA cham pionship game in 2017 and ‘19. The Dukes have had no issue moving up so far, going 5-0 and averaging 44 points per game.

— No. 22 Texas is ranked again after blow ing out rival Oklahoma and tied with Kentucky in the Top 25.

OUT BYU is unranked for the first time this season after losing to Notre Dame.

Washington dropped out of the rankings after a second straight loss.

— LSU’s return to the Top 25 was brief after getting thumped at home by Tennessee.

CONFERENCE CALL

The Sun Belt went from its inception in 2001 to 2015 without having a ranked team. The conference has now had at least one team ranked for at least one week each of the last five seasons and six of the last seven.

James Madison is the second Sun Belt team to reach the Top 25 this season, along with Ap palachian State.

SEC — 6 (Nos. 1, 3, 6, 9, 16, 22).

Big 12 — 5 (8, 13, 17, 19, 22).

ACC — 4 (Nos. 4, 14, 15, 18).

Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 2, 5, 10, 24).

Pac-12 — 4 (Nos. 7, 11, 12, 20).

American — 1 (No. 21).

Sun Belt — 1 (No. 25).

RANKED vs. RANKED

A season-high six games matching ranked teams:

No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan.

No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee.

No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 13 TCU.

No. 15 North Carolina State at No. 18 Syra cuse.

No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 Kentucky.

No. 7 USC at No. 20 Utah.

GOP states sue Biden administration over student loan plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Six Repub lican-led states are suing the Biden ad ministration in an effort to halt its plan to forgive student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans, accusing it of overstepping its executive powers.

It’s at least the second legal challenge this week to the sweeping proposal laid out by President Joe Biden in late Au gust, when he said his administration would cancel up to $20,000 in educa tion debt for huge numbers of borrow ers. The announcement, after months of internal deliberations and pressure from liberal activists, became immediate po litical fodder ahead of the November midterms while fueling arguments from conservatives about legality.

As the lawsuit was being filed, the Biden administration quietly scaled back eligibility rules for the debt relief, eliminating a relatively small group of

required by the 2003 federal law that the administration is using as legal justifi cation. They point out that Biden, in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” this month, declared the COVID-19 pan demic over, yet is still using the ongoing health emergency to justify the widescale debt relief.

“It’s patently unfair to saddle hardworking Americans with the loan debt of those who chose to go to college,” Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rut ledge, who is leading the group, said in an interview.

She added: “The Department of Edu cation is required, under the law, to col lect the balance due on loans. And Presi dent Biden does not have the authority to override that.”

The states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina joined Ar kansas in filing the lawsuit. Iowa has a Democratic attorney general, but the state’s Republican governor, Kim Reyn olds, signed on the state’s behalf. The states argue that Missouri’s loan servicer

The Education Department updated its website Thursday saying borrowers with federal loans that are owned by pri vate banks, including the FFEL program and Perkins loans, will now be ineli gible unless they already consolidated their loans into the government’s direct lending program before Thursday. The change will reverse eligibility for about 770,000 borrowers, the department said.

“Our goal is to provide relief to as many eligible borrowers as quickly and easily as possible, and this will allow us to achieve that goal while we continue to explore additional legally-available options to provide relief to borrowers with privately owned FFEL loans and Perkins loans,” the department said in a statement.

Still, the administration has long said it was confident the forgiveness pro gram would survive court challenges.

“Republican officials from these six states are standing with special interests, and fighting to stop relief for borrowers buried under mountains of debt,” White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said Thursday. “The president and his ad ministration are lawfully giving work ing and middle class families breathing room as they recover from the pandemic and prepare to resume loan payments in January. “

Biden’s forgiveness program will cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 or households with less than $250,000 in income. Pell Grant recipients, who typi cally demonstrate more financial need, will get an additional $10,000 in debt forgiven.

The administration also said it would extend the current pause on federal stu dent loan repayments — put on hold near the start of the pandemic more than two years ago — once more through the end of the year.

forgiveness program violates the Ad ministrative Procedure Act, which lays out how federal agencies should make regulations in order to ensure executive branch policies are well-reasoned and explained.

“The president does not have the au thority to put himself in the place of Congress,” Rutledge said in the inter view. “These actions must be taken by Congress and he can’t override that.”

To justify the plan’s legality, the Biden administration is relying on a post-Sept. 11, 2001, law meant to help members of the military that the Justice Department says allows Biden to reduce or erase stu dent loan debt during a national emer gency. But Republicans argue the ad ministration is misinterpreting the law because, in part, the pandemic no longer qualifies as a national emergency.

Another lawsuit against Biden’s stu dent loan program was filed this week in an Indiana federal court by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a libertarian legal ad vocacy group that employs a lawyer who says he would be harmed by the forgive ness plan. The lawyer, Frank Garrison, says erasing his current debt load will trigger a tax liability from the state of Indiana, which is among at least a half dozen states where the forgiven loan amounts will be subject to state taxes.

A federal judge on Thursday rejected Garrison’s request to temporarily block Biden’s plan, saying there’s no evidence he will be “irreparably harmed” by the cancellation. Garrison was given until Oct. 10 to revise his argument.

borrowers who are the subject of legal debate in the suit. Those borrowers, whose loans are backed by the federal government but owned by private banks — a relic of defunct lending programs — are now ineligible for Biden’s debt cancellation, the Education Department said.

In the lawsuit, being filed Thursday in a federal court in Missouri, the Re publican states argue that Biden’s can cellation plan is “not remotely tailored to address the effects of the pandemic on federal student loan borrowers,” as

is facing a “number of ongoing financial harms” because of Biden’s decision to cancel loans. Other states that joined the lawsuit argue that Biden’s forgiveness plan will ultimately disrupt revenue to state coffers.

In particular, the suit alleges that Mis souri’s loan servicer will lose revenue from loans it owns through the Federal Family Education Loan Program — a program that allowed private banks to issue and manage federally backed stu dent loans until the program was dis banded in 2010.

The administration faced threats of legal challenges to its plans almost im mediately, with conservative attorneys, Republican lawmakers and businessoriented groups asserting that Biden was overstepping his authority in taking such sweeping action without the assent of Congress.

Democratic lawmakers battling in tough reelection contests also distanced themselves from the student loan plan, as Republican officials called it an un fair government giveaway for relatively affluent people at the expense of those who didn’t pursue higher education.

In their lawsuit, the Republican at torneys general also contend that the

The White House dismissed the law suit as baseless because any borrower who does not want the debt relief can opt out. The Education Department is still on track to unveil the application for the forgiveness plan in early Octo ber, and it sent an email to borrowers Thursday explaining how to prepare to apply. The email noted that applicants do not have to submit any supporting documents.

Republicans have also seized on the Biden plan’s price tag and its impact on the nation’s budget deficit. The Con gressional Budget Office said this week that the program will cost about $400 billion over the next three decades. The White House countered that the CBO’s estimate of how much the plan will cost just in its first year, $21 billion, is lower than what the administration initially believed.

Seung Min Kim Associated Press

courtesy Associated Press

Joe Biden speaks at a White House Conference.

courtesy Associated Press

Georgia moved to No. 1 overall after defeating Auburn last Saturday.

Supreme Court poised to keep marching to right in new term

Mark Sherman Jessica Gresko

WASHINGTON (AP) — With public confi dence diminished and justices sparring openly over the institution’s legitimacy, the Supreme Court on Monday will begin a new term that could push American law to the right on issues of race, voting and the environment.

Following June’s momentous overturning of nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion rights, the court is diving back in with an aggressive agenda that seems likely to split its six conservative justices from its three liberals.

“It’s not going to be a sleepy term,” said Allison Orr Larsen, a William and Mary law professor. “Cases the court already has agreed to hear really have the potential to bring some pretty significant changes to the law.”

Into this swirling mix steps new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s first Black woman. Jackson took the seat of Justice Ste phen Breyer, a member of the court’s liberal wing, who retired in June. She’s not expected to alter the liberal-conservative divide on the court, but for the first time the court has four women as justices and white men no longer hold a majority.

The court, with three appointees of President Donald Trump, could discard decades of deci sions that allow colleges to take account of race in admissions and again weaken the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, the crown jewel of the civil rights movement.

In a separate elections case, a Republicanled appeal could dramatically change the way elections for Congress and the presidency are conducted by handing more power to state leg islatures and taking it away from state courts.

Also on the agenda is a clash over the rights of a business owner with a religious objection to working with same-sex couples on their weddings.

In the term’s first arguments Monday, the justices are being asked to limit the reach of the Clean Water Act, nation’s main law to combat water pollution. The case involves an Idaho couple who won an earlier high court round in their bid to build a house on property near a lake without getting a permit under that law.

The outcome could change the rules for mil lions of acres of property that contain wetlands.

A Supreme Court decision for the couple could strip environmental protections from 45 million acres and threaten water quality for mil lions of people, said Sam Sankar, senior vice president of the Earthjustice environmental group.

“It’s going to help a lot of industries. It’s go ing to hurt real people,” Sankar said.

But Damien Schiff, representing the couple, said a favorable court ruling could free ordinary property owners from worrying about large fines and years of delays. “You don’t have to be a large industrial company or large property owner to have a problem,” Schiff said.

There’s little expectation that the outcomes in the highest-profile cases will be anything other than conservative victories, following last term’s outcomes. In their first full term together,

the conservatives ruled not only on abortion, but expanded gun rights, enhanced religious rights, reined in the government’s ability to fight cli mate change and limited Biden administration efforts to combat COVID-19.

Deborah Archer, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, underscored the long odds facing defenders of affirmative action in college admissions.

“It is most certainly an uphill climb. We’re in a scary place where we are relying on Justice Roberts,” Archer said.

Her assessment stems from Chief Justice John Roberts’ long-standing support, both as a judge and a White House lawyer in the 1980s, for limits on considerations of race in education and voting.

“It’s a sordid business, this divvying us up by race,” Roberts wrote in a 2006 redistricting case from Texas.

Last term’s epic decisions might have pro duced bruised feelings among the justices any way. But the leak of the abortion decision in early May, seven weeks before it was released, exacerbated tensions on the court, several jus tices have said. The court has apparently not identified the source of the leak, Breyer said in a recent interview on CNN.

Justice Elena Kagan delivered a series of talks over the summer in which she said the public’s view of the court can be damaged es pecially when changes in its membership lead to big changes in the law.

“It just doesn’t look like law when some new judges appointed by a new president come in and start just tossing out the old stuff,” Kagan said in an appearance last month at Salve Re gina University in Newport, Rhode Island.

Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito both took issue with Kagan, if obliquely. Roberts said it was wrong to equate disagreement with the court’s decisions with questions of legitimacy.

In a comment Tuesday to The Wall Street Journal, Alito didn’t name Kagan. “But saying or implying that the court is becoming an ille gitimate institution or questioning our integrity crosses an important line,” he said, according to the newspaper.

Separately, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, was inter viewed on Thursday by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. She stood by the false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent, according to the committee chair man, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.

Ginni Thomas, a longtime conservative ac tivist, texted with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin in the weeks after the election. In January, her husband was the only justice to vote to keep documents from the Na tional Archives out of the committee’s hands.

Polls have shown a dip in approval for the court and respect for it. The latest Gallup Poll, released last week, reflected Americans’ low est level of trust in the court in 50 years and a record-tying low approval rating.

In a talk to judges and lawyers in Colorado last month, Roberts reflected on the last year at the court, calling it an “an unusual one and difficult in many respects.” Following the leak, the court was ringed with an 8-foot security fence, and Roberts called it “gut-wrenching” to

The two newest justics have a pronounced impact on the average age of the court.

drive to work past the barricades. He also said it was “unnatural” to hear arguments without the public present, a concession to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now the barricades are down and the public will be allowed inside the courtroom for argu ments for the first time since March 2020. The court will keep one pandemic practice, broad casting live audio of arguments.

Roberts seemed eager to look ahead. “I think just moving forward from things that were un

fortunate in the year is the best way to respond to it,” he said.

Last term, the court moved “firmly in a rightward direction,” said Irv Gornstein, execu tive director of the Supreme Court Institute at Georgetown University’s law school. “There is no reason to think this coming term or any term in the foreseeable future will be any different.”

Arizona clinic has workaround for abortion pill ban

PHOENIX (AP) — A Phoenix abor tion clinic has come up with a way for patients who can end their pregnancy using a pill to get the medication quick ly without running afoul of a resurrected Arizona law that bans most abortions.

Under the arrangement that began Monday, patients will have an ultra sound in Arizona, get a prescription through a telehealth appointment with a California doctor and then have it mailed to a post office in a California border town for pickup, all for free.

While not as easy as before an Ari zona judge ruled that a pre-statehood

law criminalizing nearly all abortions could be enforced nearly two weeks ago, the process saves an overnight trip to a major California city with an abor tion clinic. And it is more accessible than the previous workaround used by Camelback Family Planning in Phoenix, which was to have a doctor in Sweden prescribe the pills and a pharmacy in India mail them to Arizona. That could take up to three weeks.

Ashleigh Feiring, a nurse at the clinic, said the cost of the pills will be covered by the Abortion Fund of Arizona, which is helping women pay for out-of-state access to abortions. Women can use a pill for an abortion until the 12th week of pregnancy. Pills and surgical abor tions were legal until about 24 weeks until the U.S. Supreme Court struck

down Roe v. Wade in June and allowed states to ban all abortions.

The Food and Drug Administration earlier this year permanently removed rules requiring in-person consultations with a provider before women can re ceive a medication abortion, allowing women to have a telehealth appointment and get the pills through the mail.

But Arizona has a law that bans mail ing the pills, as well as the law that bans all abortions unless the life of the moth er is in jeopardy. That has led clinics to make arrangements with clinics in New Mexico and California to treat patients who wanted to access the abortion pill as well as those more than 12 weeks along who need a surgical abortion.

At Camelback Family Planning, Feir ing said they are not worried about do ing ultrasounds and post-abortion care for those who use the pill to have an abortion.

“We’re not providing abortions,” Fei ring said. “We’re just giving people in formation.”

Those who get the pills mailed to one of three California towns along the bor der with Arizona would pick them up with the post office and take the first medication there before returning home and taking the second medicine. They would return to the clinic in about a week for a follow-up exam.

Cathi Herrod, president of the so cial conservative organization Center for Arizona Policy and the architect of many of Arizona’s tough abortion re strictions, slammed the proposal.

“The plan for abortion pills shows a stunning disregard for the health and well-being of the mother,” Herrod said.

Despite the FDA approval, Herrod ar gues that abortion pills have significant consequences and women need an inperson exam and follow-up care.

“I’m not surprised that the abortion industry would care more about their bottom line and about selling pills than they would about taking care of women still,” she said.

Planned Parenthood Arizona said it has a team of patient navigators to in form them of their options, including having and keeping the baby, putting it up for adoption, or going out of state for an abortion, according to President and CEO Brittany Fonteno.

If the patient decides to have an abor tion but can’t afford the new costs, Planned Parenthood will work with the patient to arrange for care. Help with the added expenses will come from ei ther Planned Parenthood funds or mon ey from the two abortion funds in the state. This will pay for travel, lodging, child care and other needs.

“It’s doing everything that we have within our power to break down those barriers to care,” Fonteno said. Planned Parenthood was the largest provider in the state before the ban.

Arizona is among several Republi can-led states that bar delivery of abor tion pills though the mail. It is one of 14 states with near-total abortion bans that the Supreme Court allowed when it overturned Roe.

About 13,000 Arizona women had abortions last year, about half with a pill. Most occurred before the 15th week of pregnancy.

Bob Christie Associated Press

Tulsa football faces previous AAC champion

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane started their 2022 American Athletic Conference schedule last Saturday against reigning AAC Champion and 2021 College Football Playoff contender the Cincinnati Bearcats. A team that has given Tulsa problems in the past, Cincinnati played Tulsa for the final time for the foreseeable future, as Cincinna ti will be one of four teams making the tran sition to play in the Big 12 Conference in 2023. This was the first time since 2016 that Cincinnati had made the trip down to Tulsa

The game got off to a rough start after starting quarterback Davis Brin, a gametime decision after an injury suffered dur ing the Ole Miss game, threw a pick-six on the first drive of the game. Tulsa went on to answer with a touchdown of their own but were never able to come up with the lead. Cincinnati went on to score with less than a minute left in the first quarter and then again with their second possession of the second quarter. Tulsa was able to bring it within three with a score of 24-21, but that was the

“With it being potentially the last time to play Cincinnati, there was a lot riding on this game for Tulsa.”

to play the Golden Hurricane at Chapman Stadium. Since that point, Cincinnati is 2-0 against Tulsa, winning both of their previ ous matchups in 2019 and 2021. While not considered a rivalry by head coach Phillip Montgomery, whenever the two teams play, there always seems to be bad blood between the two squads, with many scuffles break ing out in the past. With it being potentially the last time to play Cincinnati, there was a lot riding on this game for Tulsa. Not only would Tulsa be able to hand the Bearcats their first in-conference loss in over 17 games but it would also be a much-needed morale boost after losing a close game to #16 Ole Miss.

closest they were able to get as Cincinnati went up by 10 with eight minutes remain ing. That’s all they needed to secure the win as Tulsa failed to score on their last five pos sessions of the game, punting the ball and turning the ball over twice each. Brin fin ished the game with 18 completions on 36 attempts, no touchdowns and one intercep tion. All three of Tulsa’s touchdowns were found on the ground as Braylon Braxton found the endzone on a 2-yard run. We also saw the return of star running back Deneric Prince, who had the other two touchdowns of the day. Prince finished the game as the leading rusher, carrying the ball 18 times for 71 yards and two touchdowns. In a season

where our wideouts have been such a huge part of the Tulsa offense, the Tulsa core was held relatively quiet with only Keylon Stokes reaching over 100 yards. With a final score of 31-21, Tulsa falls to their first inconference opponent of the season and adds another loss to their record, now standing at 2-3.

Tulsa will face Navy on Saturday in An napolis, Maryland, looking to get back to .500 on the season before going into their bye-week. The Golden Hurricane are 2-7 against the Midshipman all-time.

Doctor that cleared Tua Tagovailoa fired

Sports editor Caspian Denton reports on Tagovailoa’s injury and the public dispute on whether he should have been playing in week four.

On Sept. 29, the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals started the fourth week of the NFL season. The Bengals took the win by outscoring the Dolphins 27-15. However, the Bengals’ win was shadowed by Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s severe injury. With less than six minutes left in the second quarter, Tagovailoa was sacked by Bengals’ defensive tackle Josh Tupou. The tackle came with extreme force, resulting in Tagovailoa’s head harshly hit ting the ground. His movement was limited after the tackle, only being able to turn on his back. This also included the worrisome action of Tagovailoa’s fingers clenching up and freezing in front of his face. The direc tor of Boston University’s CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) Center, Dr. Ann McKee, publicly commented on the play stating this is “a clear sign of a brain injury with brainstem dysfunction.” This is also known as a fencing response, which is an involuntary neurological response to a sig nificant concussion. After receiving medical assistance shortly after the hit, Tagovailoa was placed on a stretcher and escorted to a hospital within three minutes.

This injury became controversial for multiple reasons. The main one is that Ta govailoa had experienced a head injury four days before during a play against the Buf falo Bills on Sept. 25. It was tied 14-14 with less than three minutes remaining in the half. Tagovailoa was hoping to make some big plays in the remaining time to take the lead. It was third-and-3 on the Dolphins’ 21-yard line. The play resulted in Tagovailoa scram bling to find a receiver while experiencing pressure from the defense. He eventually lo cates Jaylen Waddle who completes the pass and gets the first down. Shortly after Tago vailoa threw the ball, however, linebacker Matt Milano knocked him to the ground. Tagovailoa is seen hitting the ground hard, causing his back and head to take most of the impact. This is followed by him standing up, lacking full balance. He attempts to run to the line of scrimmage but stumbles and eventually falls to the ground. Tagovailoa quickly gets up and continues to stumble until two of his teammates stop him from running and hold him in place. Medical as sistance rushes to him while he is seen hold ing his head. Tagovailoa was able to walk to

the locker room himself to be checked out. The injury was originally labeled as headrelated by the Dolphins after the hit, but then it was changed to a back injury being the result of his lack of balance. He was said to have been fully cleared to play after being checked for a concussion and returned at the start of the third quarter.

protocols for concussion checks are being reviewed.

“After receiving medical assistance shortly after the hit, Tagovailoa was placed on a stretcher and escorted to a hospital within three minutes.”

Due to the outcome of Tagovailoa’s more critical injury in the Bengals game, it is speculated that proper protocol did not take place and he should not have been playing four days after the initial injury. A few days following the game, the NFL Player’s As sociation fired a doctor involved in clearing Tagovailoa of a concussion during the Bills game. NFLPA found that the doctor had made “several mistakes” in their evaluation. Both the NFL and NFLPA have stated the

Once Tagovailoa made it to a hospital after exiting the Bengals game he was di agnosed with a concussion. According to ESPN, he “underwent testing, which showed no structural damage to the head or neck area.” On Sept. 30 Tagovailoa in cluded in his most recent tweet, “I’m feeling much better and focused on recovering so I can get back on the field.”

Regardless, events like this continue to raise the issue of concussions and head in juries in the sport of football and whether the proper precautions are being taken, so players are not exploited.

Soccer

Softball

W Golf Dale McNamara

Softball

College

M Soccer Memphis

p.m.

Tennis

Sports writer Joe McCurdy covers Tulsa’s performance against undefeated conference opponent Cincinnati

courtesy @TulsaFootball on Twitter

Italy’s government may be on the return to fascism

In the upcoming elections, Giorgia Meloni is expected to win Prime Minister, and she and her government will be the most farright since Mussolini.

Victoria Grossman Student Writer

Italy may be on the return to fascism, and the world is taking note. The Brothers of Italy, a far-right political party formed in 2012, is projected to win the majority in Italy’s parliamentary election. The govern

ment that presumptive incoming prime min ister Giorgia Meloni will form is suspected to be the most far-right since Mussolini’s government.

While still only 10 years old, the Broth ers of Italy party is rooted in the neo-fascist movement that arose in Italy following the downfall of Mussolini’s government. While they adamantly reject this idea, Mossolini’s own descendants, still carrying his name, are proud members of the Brothers of Italy.

Additionally, video has recently resurfaced of a then 19 year old Giorgia Meloni pro claiming Mussolini to have “done every thing he did for Italy.” She also referred to

him as a “good politician.” In the 2018 elec tion, the party only received 4% of the vote. As a result, the group took this as a sign and shifted their rhetoric to appear less nation alistic, although many believe this change was for show.

The new Italian administration is expect ed to remain pro-Ukraine and pro-NATO,

minister. Instead, voters pick the members of parliament, and those members vote to elect a prime minister. Additionally, because Italy has a vast number of political parties, those with similar ideologies must form to gether in parliament to create a coalition to elect a desirable candidate.

Inclusive playground to be built in Tulsa

The new playground in Whiteside Park will accommodate children and parents with all different kinds of disabilities.

Myranda New Student Writer

Last Thursday, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum announced the plans to construct and unveil an inclusive playground in the heart of Tul sa, just down the street from campus around 41st St. and Harvard Ave.

Currently, Whiteside Park looks like a fun space to play, but it is not as inclusive as it could be. It does not cater to children with wheelchairs, sensory disabilities or other di agnoses. It also does not cater to parents who have disabilities, who bring their children to the park to have fun. With the installation of this new playground, Whiteside Park will become one of the largest and most inclu sive play spaces in the state of Oklahoma.

“This is one of the projects I am most ex cited about in the whole city,” Bynum an nounced. “As we seek new ways to build community in Tulsa, children from through

design background, she tied her own experi ences into her plans for the park.

“One of my favorite features of this play ground is how many play options it has for children who are staying in their mobility devices,” Moore said. “There are also many options for a child’s range of motion, no matter where they are in their sensory de velopment. For children with sensory dis abilities, Autism diagnoses, even ADHD and dyslexia, the variety of sensory play in this space provides ample opportunity to seek out what a child’s sensory system is craving.”

The playground at Whiteside Park will feature wheelchair ramps, but also inclusive walkways, slides and teeter-totters. In addi tion to the playground, the restrooms will also be renovated to be a fully accessible family bathroom. There will be a heightadjusting changing table, automatic doors, grab bars and ADA-compliant fixtures. Not only are these changes made to be inclusive for children, but to be inclusive for adults as well.

Anna America is the Chief of Culture and Recreation and Parks Director, and she was present when the news was unveiled.

both of which are pressing concerns for Eu rope. However, Meloni has made her stance on LGBTQ+ issues clear: she is emphatical ly anti-gay. Many of Meloni’s policies seem to be very similar to that of Donald Trump, proclaiming in a speech earlier this year that she says “no to mass migration” and “yes to secure borders.” In fact, Meloni has several ties to the former U.S. president and his ad ministration. She proclaims former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon to be a close ally, and has spoken at gatherings of promi nent American conservatives.

This Italian election was originally slated for this spring, but was pushed forward fol lowing the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi in July. This kind of election is called a “snap” election, and is not un common in Italy. The nation has a parlia mentary election system, meaning that the people do not directly vote for the prime

In recent years, the Italian parliament has reduced from over 900 members across both houses down to 600, making each member vote for prime minister all the more impor tant.

When the Sept. 25 election was finished, the right wing coalition, dominated by the Brothers of Italy party, had won over 47% of the vote, with the left wing coalition coming in at just 28%. Analysts attribute the left’s poor performance to a lack of an effective alliance of its parties. While the Democratic Party managed to form a coali tion with several smaller leftist parties, the Five Star Movement refused to join, and ran as a stand-alone. Winning around 13% of the vote on its own, many suggest that a more unified left will appeal more to voters in the future.

New evidence in murderfor-hire crime case

Richard Glossip is facing his fourth execution date but is hoping for another day in court to plead his case once more.

Thomas Jackson Student Writer

The case of convicted criminal Rich ard Glossip has been back in the news in Oklahoma recently. Glossip is currently in Oklahoma State Penitentiary on death row, where he awaits execution after his date was pushed back to Dec. 8th of this year, making this the latest of several stays of execution that he has been granted.

and ignored glaring holes in their theory of the crime, and woefully inadequate defense lawyering that left much of the state’s story unchallenged.”

Because of this controversy, the case has gained quite a bit of attention from people all around the world, with actors, billion aires, religious leaders and even local poli ticians showing their support for Glossip.

In addition, evidence gathered by inde pendent investigators suggests that Sneed killed Van Treese in a robbery gone wrong in order to help fund a drug habit, and that Glossip had nothing to do with it. Alas, Glossip has remained on death row for 25 years, even as multiple reports came in of how Sneed had reportedly bragged that

out the region will be able to use this new inclusive playground.”

When the Gathering Place was unveiled as Tulsa’s riverfront park, it was advertised for its inclusivity, bringing together people from all different areas and ethnicities. On the website, it is said that the Gathering Place is “committed to creating a gathering space that is a recreational, civic and cultur al destination for all walks of life to enjoy, promoting inclusivity in [Tulsa].”

There are events throughout the year to showcase different cultures. There are also play areas dedicated to specific sensory play and long walkways to use as opposed to stairs. The sprawling park was a first for Tulsa, and it seems to have encouraged the construction of more inclusive parks.

Jill Moore is an inclusive play specialist who assisted in designing the new White side Park. A wheelchair user herself with a

“Children are constantly learning through play, by making new friends, sharing, taking turns, and interacting with other children,” America said. “When all children can play side-by-side no matter their background or ability, it creates life lesions and new friend ships.”

Thanks to The Burnstein Foundation do nating $1.2 million, this project is able to be accomplished. Sanford and Irene Burnstein were eager to share their vision of an inclu sive Tulsa with city officials.

“Stan and I had a vision that children of all ages and abilities could gather together to play, explore, and learn from one another. My family celebrates this vision with the announcement of the plans for a playground that will bring joy and fun to so many,” Irene Burnstein said.

Construction will begin in 2023.

The 59-year-old man, then 33, was origi nally convicted of hiring another man, Jus tin Sneed, then 19, to murder Barry Van Treese, the owner of the Best Budget Inn in Oklahoma City where Glossip and Sneed both worked, back in 1997. Sneed report edly escaped the death penalty by confess ing to the act but also by telling police that Richard Glossip had hired him to do so, receiving life in prison for his part in the crime. Glossip would later be arrested, maintaining his innocence the entire time, and he would be convicted and sentenced to death the next year.

Knowing this, and not much else, one could assume that it was that simple, that Glossip had hired Sneed to kill his boss, but one of the things that makes this case so controversial is that, according to reports, there was very little evidence against Glos sip outside of the statement from Sneed. However, according to a report from The Intercept in 2015, any defense Glossip could have made was marred by “a per functory and biased police investigation, aggressive prosecutors who cut corners

he’d let Richard Glossip take the blame.

Now, a recent report given by Oklahoma officials and reported by NBC News gives startling new evidence that may exonerate Glossip, or at least work towards doing so.

The report alleges that Justin Sneed has re portedly considered recanting his testimo ny, and more shockingly, that the state even provided Sneed with information he could use to match his testimony with other wit nesses to the crime, avoiding the majority of the blame while Glossip took the fall for it. As a result of the report, Glossip’s attor neys have filed what is known as a Brady Motion, urging prosecutors to turn over any evidence that they have which might aid Glossip’s defense. However, given how the state Attorney General has been reluc tant at best when it comes to listening to any new information, only time will tell if Glossip will be freed or if he will need to wait longer for his day in court, if that day even comes at all.

“The playground ... will feature wheelchair ramps, but also inclusive walkways, slides, and teeter-toters.”

“...there is very little evidence against Glossip outside of the statement from Sneed.”

Giorgia Meloni spoke at a press conference in Italy.

Courtesy FratelliaItalia.it

“Many of Meloni’s policies seem to be very similar to that of Donald Trump...”

Navigating death as a student in college

so overwhelming that it could hinder their school and personal life badly.

Recently, I had to deal with the death of someone who raised me since I was born.

It was an out-of-the-blue type situation no one expected to happen. I felt very rushed in trying to figure out how to do all of my work and tests early so I could get home.

Student writer Krislyn McKinney details her struggles balancing the stress of college with her recent loss of a loved one.

Krislyn McKinney Student Writer

When most people think of college, they think of challenging classes or how stressed the workload makes them. Most of the time, if you go up to a college student and ask them if they are stressed it will usually result in a yes. The American Addictions Center states that 87.9% of students in col lege deem their school life to be stressful.

There were many emails sent out to my professors, and I even went to talk to some in person. I am very thankful that all of my professors were understanding about letting me take something early or getting an exten sion. However, once I came back, I felt like a brick wall of stress hit me, adding to the number of emotions at the time.

There was this need in the back of my head saying that I should get back on top of my work. So, immediately I started to work on homework and studying for tests that were pushed back. Looking back on that week, it seemed to be something that I was grateful for at the time because it kept my mind occupied. However, now I know that was not a good way of coping and it just contributed to more stress. Someone should never feel rushed to get over the death of someone close to them. It took time to build that relationship and you just can’t forget about everything in a few days.

Sadly, during the days I was gone from school I noticed that I seemed to be think

wouldn’t have perfect scores on attendance anymore. This is not what someone should be worrying about in a very vulnerable time. They should be able to take the time they need and process their feelings of loss and sadness. However, that is hard to do in col lege as it is such a fast-paced environment. You can’t even miss three days without feel ing behind on everything.

Now, just think about what would happen if a student had to deal with the death of some one close to them. The stress could become

ing about my classes more than I should’ve. With most of my classes taking attendance points, I started to get a feeling of failure as I

If I could go back and get accommoda tions, I don’t know if it would have made me more stressed in the long run. Trying to overcome the bigger workload that would come with accommodations seemed worse at the time, but maybe it wouldn’t have been. I will most likely never know, but I do know that dealing with death is hard on

everybody. You never really know when or how something is going to happen to some one close to you. It’s not like someone can call you and say “Hey, take this week off in advance.” Life just doesn’t work like that. So, yes you may be stressed trying to get on top of your workload, but in the long run, you might be proud of yourself. Sometimes you experience some big hurdles in life but once you get over them, you come out stron ger every time.

It’s time the U.S. takes a stronger approach to Russia

a credible threat and he might as well not have them — it begs the question, if he de cides to use tactical nuclear weapons, how should the United States respond?

The U.S. response to Russia’s aggression is historically weak. It’s time for the U.S. to change tactics.

Dominic Cingoranelli Student Writer

As Russian forces in Ukraine continue to make blunder after blunder, Putin continues to remind everyone of his willingness to use nuclear weapons. Although the fact that he’s saying he is willing to doesn’t mean that he actually is planning to — the principles of nuclear deterrence require that he at least signals willingness to use them under cer tain circumstances, otherwise they’re not

Ellen Mitchell of The Hill reports that the most likely response would have a con ventional and a diplomatic component. Use of nuclear weapons would likely put diplo matic pressure on neutral and weakly-Rus sian-aligned countries to enact economic and diplomatic sanctions. Additionally, a NATO effort to destroy conventional (nonnuclear) assets in Ukraine and the Black Sea would probably ensue. Ukraine would also be provided with some systems which have been withheld from Ukraine thus far, such as ATACMS surface-to-surface mis siles, which are faster and have a longer range than anything previously supplied to Ukraine, but are also fewer in number than the guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) missiles they currently have.

That certainly sounds... adequate. But despite the dysfunction of the Russian military, frequently outwitted by a much smaller nation using such devious, cunning and novel tactics as “logistics chains” and “combined arms warfare,” the rump state of the USSR has always been able to play a weak geopolitical hand rather strongly, and I believe one reason for this is that the West has generally been unwilling to apply

any strong punitive actions to Russian ag gression in the past. Both the W. Bush and Obama administrations more or less opted for the fearsome “strongly worded letter” strategy in response to the 2008 Russian in vasion of Georgia and the 2014 invasion of Crimea.

concluded that Russian elites are very con cerned with maintaining dominance within the former Soviet bloc, and plan to exploit perceived decline in the West to fulfill this aim. One critical reason why Russia is op posed to former Soviet countries joining NATO is not because that represents a direct

Given that development theory was the consensus in Washington at the time, these responses are understandable, but with the benefit of hindsight we can see that 1) the invasion of Ukraine absolutely did not take place in a vacuum and 2) a firmer response to these earlier, smaller acts of aggression, perhaps involving economic sanctions or limited military support to the invaded regions, could have contributed to deter ring an invasion of Ukraine. Although the Western response to the latest invasion of Ukraine has been considerably stronger than responses to either Georgia or Crimea, it still seems like a tit-for-tat, proportionate response.

Perhaps a more effective solution to Rus sian nuclear use, then, would be to “up the ante” and, in addition to conventional tar gets, sink a Russian nuclear submarine or otherwise damage Russia’s capacity to use nuclear weapons.

Some might say that this would only push Putin into further nuclear escalation but I believe this assumption re lies on the belief that Putin is behaving in an irrational manner when in fact he is guided by a different calculus than Western leaders, which is internally consistent even if it ap pears crazy.

The RAND Corporation has analyzed Russian grand strategy in depth, and has

threat to Russia, but rather to Russia’s abil ity to coerce, dominate and brow-beat those countries, hence the invasion — which is perfectly rational from a Russian perspec tive. Thus, if we eliminate the perceived weakness by indicating a willingness to escalate, Russia will have no choice but to update its strategy, taking into account the knowledge that the combined military and economic potential of the West vastly exceeds his own and can credibly threaten him. The ultimate result would not be fur ther nuclear escalation, since Putin knows that an all-out nuclear exchange would leave Russia even more devastated than the West.

Hopefully, we won’t need to find out whether I’m right or wrong. Even with an uncontroversial, standard response from the West on Russian nuclear use, there are plen ty of reasons why it would still be a very bad idea on Putin’s part. Because of that, I’m inclined to believe that his recent state ments don’t indicate that he intends to use nukes, and are strategic posturing more than anything else. Nonetheless, the Western ap proach to Russia has barely changed since the end of the Cold War. Perhaps it’s time we ask ourselves if we can change Russia’s behavior by changing our own strategy.

“Someone should never feel rushed to get over the death of someone close to them.”

courtesy utulsa.edu

TU offers many resources for students who are struggling with stress and grief through CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services).

“Perhaps a more effective solution to Russian nuclear use, then, would be to ‘up the ante’ ...”

courtesy wikimedia commons

Putin threatened Ukraine with the use of nuclear weapons if the country continues to fight Russian forces.

Deadpool is coming to the MCU

Not only is Deadpool officially join ing the MCU, he’s bringing a special friend with him

Caitlyn Tucker Student Writer

Deadpool is making his entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And he’s not alone. Ryan Reynolds, the star of the hit 2016 film, took to social media on Septem ber 27th to announce the release date of the highly anticipated third installment in the Deadpool franchise, and a very special guest to join him for his MCU debut.

about how long he has been contemplating a storyline and if he had any news to reveal about Deadpool 3, Reynolds pauses and asks Jackman as he’s walking up the stairs in the background, “Hey Hugh, you wanna play Wolverine one more time?” to which Jackman replies, “Sure Ryan”. As fans may know, Jackman hung up his claws back in 2017 after the film entitled Logan. His role as Wolverine gained him a Guinness World Record for longest career as a Marvel superhero and a title as a fan favorite in the X-Men fran chise. Even amid the success and admira tion Jackman received in this role, he hadn’t been introduced into the MCU, until now.

The video which, in true Ryan Reynolds fashion, made fun of himself and how long the film has been in development, featured a cameo by none other than Hugh Jackman, better known to Marvel fans as Wolverine. In a witty and clever reveal, while talking

While Jackman’s return to Wolverine may have been a surprise to some, other fans claim they saw it coming after Reyn olds had promised he would get Jackman back to play Wolverine at some point. And boy did he deliver. To no surprise, fans went wild after this reveal with some fans stating

on Twitter that this film is the only reason they’re sticking around in the MCU. Other fans say that they can’t wait to see Logan and Wade’s chemistry in the new film, of course we can imagine that the chemistry everyone is hoping for will come from the relationship that Reynolds and Jackman have developed off-screen as the actors are well known for roasting each other on social media.

While Wolverine’s confirmed appear ance is very exciting, it is currently the only information we have on Deadpool 3. We don’t have a concrete plot yet, though it is rumored to be centered on the X-Force. If this rumor is true, then we could be getting appearances from other X-Force members such as Psylocke, Archangel, and Bishop. As far as confirmed cast members, Reyn olds and Jackman are the only ones offi cially signed on for the film. Rumored cast members include Leslie Uggams as Blind Al (Wade Wilson’s roommate/bestie), Josh

Brolin as Cable, Zazie Beatz as Domino and Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Of course, this is just a rumored list and because this film is officially set in the MCU, potentially just about anyone could show up for a cameo.

All in all, this film should be a fantastic watch. The first two films in the Deadpool franchise worked within a budget of $58 and $110 million dollars, respectively, so it’s safe to say we can expect an even big ger budget this time around. A bigger bud get could mean a multitude of things such as even more A-list actors cast, bigger pro duction, or even more SFX than the last two films. There is still a lot to unpack with Deadpool 3, but we have nearly two years to do so. Along with Wolverine’s return an nouncement, Reynolds also revealed that the merc with a mouth will be in theaters on September 6th, 2024. While 2024 seems like a world away, it’s sounding like it will be worth the wait.

Spotlight on the Spotlight Theatre

Tulsa’s historic theater offers unique entertainment and performance op portunities

Celeste McAtee Graphics

If you’ve ever run along Riverside a mile or so north of the Gathering Place, you may have spotted a white rectangular building with a huge circular window and a poster of some dramatic-looking characters near the entryway. This historic Tulsa landmark is the Tulsa Spotlight Theatre, home of the country’s longest-running stage play.

The unassuming building that houses the theater boasts a history of its own. Designed by famous architect Bruce Goff in 1928, it

itself seriously at all, inviting everyone in volved in the performance, actors and audi ence alike, to spend the evening in roaring, carefree laughter.

Spotlight’s “The Drunkard” shows every Saturday night, starring Tulsa community volunteer actors. Every showing is unique, as different cast members play their charac ters in a variety of ways. Tickets cost $20 per person, and food and drinks (including alcoholic beverages) can be purchased dur ing the show. For those interested in com munity acting, auditions and rehearsals take place Wednesday evenings. Aspiring actors can audition for a wide variety of roles, in cluding the sweet and innocent Little Mary, the obnoxious country bumpkin Sample Switchell, and the mustache-twisting villain Harvey Green.

For any of those with younger fam

Oktoberfest returns to Tulsa

up in your lederhosen and tirolerhut, don’t worry: you’ll have several opportunities to purchase the perfect Oktoberfest outfit es sentials. Guests may also watch adorable dachshund races and dress competitions, or even register their own weiner dog for $15.

Thursday hours are 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Friday and Saturday hours are 11:00 am1:00 am, and Sunday hours are 11:00 am - 6:00 pm. Daylight hours provide guests with family-friendly events such as polka dance parties. If you don’t love swarming crowds and loud noises but still enjoy the festivity of the season, daytime hours offer opportunities for more calm celebration for those easily overstimulated. Once the sun goes down, the festival becomes a huge party, complete with overflowing steins and enthusiastically-attended concerts. Sounds of laughter and mirth fill the tents, and a few passionate patrons may even be seen danc ing atop tables not unlike Merry and Pip pin in that one scene from “The Lord of the Rings.”

was originally built as the Riverside Piano studio. After the original owners lost the property during the Great Depression, it was eventually purchased in the 1940s by an ac tor and converted to a theater.

In 1953, the theater began showing “The Drunkard,” and has continued ever since with only a brief hiatus during the 2020 pan demic. “The Drunkard” is a stage adaptation of the 1854 American temperance novel “Ten Nights in a Bar Room”. “The Drunk ard,” is no ordinary temperance play, how ever. Spotlight presents a comedy-melodra ma, complete with flamboyant characters, audience participation and several welltimed jokes. The actors frequently interact with the audience, encouraging the house to boo and hiss the villains and wildly cheer for the heroes. At one point, audience members are even able to rent cloth tomatoes to throw at the villain after his most dastardly deed. The show, based on the preachy anti-alcohol culture of 19th century rural America, turns its own genre on its head. It does not take

ily members, Spotlight also offers rotating performances of children’s plays. Just as with “The Drunkard,” the Children’s the ater relies on community volunteers, which provides opportunities for local children to discover the world of stage acting.

The Spotlight Theatre, while often un mentioned in lists of famous Tulsa loca tions, provides the city with an essential outlet for creative expression. It provides those interested in the stage, both casually and seriously, to perform to a local audience and retain a high degree of autonomy in how they present their characters. The inclusion of audience participation in shows unites audiences and actors, creating an event in which even those who came to observe find themselves an essential component of the creative activity on stage. When the five act, three hour show finally concludes, the view er leaves smiling, feeling the sense of what it means to belong to a community.

Autumn in Tulsa may not be the prettiest, as the trees stay green and the weather stays hot, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.

With the Tulsa State Fair wrapping up, Tul sans are anxiously awaiting the next autumn festival to take place in the city. Tulsa’s massive Oktoberfest, occurring October 2023, offers everyone in the community, from toddlers to grandparents, a few nights of German-style merrymaking to celebrate the change in seasons.

Tulsa may be 15 hours and an $800 plane ticket away from Munich, but that doesn’t mean a Bavarian celebration of the harvest can’t take place here. Tulsa’s Oktoberfest, now in its 43rd year, has been acclaimed as one of the top five Oktoberfest celebrations in the United States. The event isn’t about drinking unhealthy amounts of beer and blowing imprudent amounts of money on German paraphernalia, but it is about bring ing a community together in celebration. For a population still scarred by the isolation of the pandemic, a communally-oriented event

Oktoberfest is held at 2100 S Jackson Ave, just across the river. The admission price is $15, and authentic German food, beer and souvenirs can be purchased at the festival. Once admitted, guests can watch free concerts from German bands and cheer on competitors in the Bavarian cup chal lenge, who participate in activities such as barrel racing and a stein holding contest. Food and drinks at Oktoberfest are not difficult to come by. Bratwurst and Bavar ian cheesecake are found at every corner, and the festival boasts over 300 beers on tap, 200 of which are imported from Germany. Local breweries too, such as Mar shall and Cabin Boys, create their Munichstyle lagers just for the event. Attractions go beyond food, however, as several carnival rides and games are available, and dozens of local artisans are on site selling high quality goods and souvenirs. If you forgot to show

like Oktoberfest is welcome indeed. So next weekend, why don’t you take a break from your studying and participate in one of Tulsa’s greatest cultural events. You likely won’t be disappointed.

“While Wolverine’s confirmed appearance is very exciting, it is currently the only information we have on Deadpool 3.”

courtesy @RealHughJackman on Twitter

Hugh Jackman’s throwback phtoto working with Ryan Reynolds has fans excited to see their chemistry on screen.

courtesy @Deadpool on Twitter

movies

streaming on DisneyPlus.

“Spotlight’s “The Drunkard” shows every Saturday night, starring Tulsa community volunteer actors.”

Everything to know about Tulsa Okto berfest

Celeste McAtee Graphics

“Daylight hours provide guests with family-friendly events such as polka dance parties.”

courtesy @OktoberfestTUL on Twitter Oktoberfest in Tulsa has activites for everyone.

Publishing fake news is my therapy

State-Run the media

Feeling the burnout? Sucks to suck

Tips and tricks to avoiding burnout (these won’t work).

Mary Lickona Local self-care guru.

Got your first test? First project due?

Feeling stressed? Feeling blue?

Join the club darling. ‘Tis college we are talking about, and burnout is as natural to us college scholars as the takeout that is fermenting in your fridge right now. Fret not, however; here are six tips n’ tricks on how to handle burnout:

BURN some cookies

If your mind is feeling foggy from stress and to-do lists, add some intentional fog and piss off everyone in your dorm while you’re at it. Toss some flour, sugar, baking soda, gasoline, kerosene and lighter fluid into a medium-sized bowl, add eggs and chocolate chips (or not if you hate your self), toss in the oven and walk away from it like you wish you could walk away from your problems. Burn to your taste, and share with friends and enemies.

Sun BURN Combat the pain within by the pain without. Go sit on the Old or New U, tak ing care not to get run over by the Roomba (it will sneak up on you regardless) and allow the inferno known as the Oklaho ma sun to singe your skin. Make sure to turn over so you can be well-done (meat preferences can be taken into account, but only by your professors, who will be chewing you out once you stop turning in assignments)

Feel the BERN

Engage in a good ole’ heated political debate. Right around the corner that you never knew existed lie The Elections, just waiting to pounce. Debate who should

have won: the old white man or the old white man. Argue the concepts of pay, housing and lifestyle until you come full circle and eventually pull your head out of your ass and realize you’re better off doing your homework than debating the lives of other human beings.

BURNish your car

You always hated cleaning your old man’s car, now you must clean your own. Engage in this menial task that you could just pay someone else to do, but you also kind of want to be able to eat and pay tu ition. Grab water, soap and some fancy

wax to give your 2007 Volkswagen Jetta that newborn shine that it never had to be gin with.

Picture to BURN

Throw on some angry music! Get your self worked up! Dance around! Burn your ex’s photos! Scream their name to the raf ters! Burn their frat house! Dance around in the flames in wicked glee until you are engulfed like that crazy lady from Jane Eyre (No one knows what you’re talk ing about!!). Remember the words of our fearless leader Taylor Swift: It’s gonna be forever, or it’s gonna go down in flames.

BURN your textbooks

You cannot experience burnout if you have burned the cause of said burnout. Pile those $200 stacks of kindling on top of the flowery ‘U’ in the center of the Old U or Dietler Commons (I am just priming it for homecoming, Campo), strike a match or two or use a lighter if you cannot for the life of you remember where you put those matches you bought at the beginning of the semester, and feel the toasty warmth that will warm your outsides, if not your insides.

Fascinating. You mentioned impris oning teachers, could you elaborate on what would be a punishable offense un der your regime?

Basically if a teacher mentions anything that cannot be found in the three Bible verses I know, I will send them straight to jail. Because I am still on the payroll of the remaining Koch brother, my top priority is enacting his Libertarian ideology of arrest ing people for their political views, or for even mentioning concepts I do not under stand.

Thank you for elaborating. Now since we are almost out of time, I wanted to ask, could you provide a quick elevator pitch for a prospective voter who may be undecided on who to vote for in the up coming Nov. 8 election?

beautiful prose, Hrabal shows how fun it can be to destroy books.

I did not realize you were such a con noisseur of literature. That is certainly an interesting reading of the novel. Are there any other novels which have influ enced your political stance?

“The Book Thief.”

Care to elaborate on that?

No.

As the resident political expert/head pro pagandist/annoying political science class mate, I will use this column to inform all you amateurs on the complexities of poli tics which you likely won’t understand. I will do my best to stoop to your level and make it simple enough for you.

If you are asking why you should care about politics and are a person who calls themself apolitical, I have a fun fact for you: you can’t be apolitical. Laws aren’t website cookies and you cannot opt-out.

For those of you who live in Plato’s “Al legory of the Cave” or play “Fortnite” all the time, the midterms are coming up on November 8th which is more important than ever, regardless of your political lean ing. Pay better attention. Anyway, for this week, I interviewed the GOP’s controver sial candidate for State Superintendent.

So, I heard you have recently started calling yourself a “GOP Communist.” What makes you call yourself a commu nist?

Well, I read “Too Loud a Solitude” by Bohumil Hrabal and was inspired. In truly

Uh, okay. On a different note, if you are elected as State Superintendent will you require students to read these books that have clearly impacted you so great ly?

Nah, I think I’d rather burn them.

Let’s move on. Since you describe yourself as a “GOP Communist,” what Marxist ideas do you avow?

I am not a racist. I do not know why you asked me for this interview if you were go ing to attack me. Why does everyone say I am racist?

No, not racist, Marxist.

Oh, sorry. It is a touchy subject for me. What is a “Marxist?” Is that when you hate people named Mark? I do not like Mark Ruffalo, if that counts.

Never mind. What part of Commu nism do you support?

That is an interesting question. My daddy told me that Communism killed 500 billion people through famines and political killings. For this reason, I want

Sure! In layman’s terms, there is a fight between fascism and communism happen ing right now in America and it is impera tive to take a stand in choosing the right side of history. If you want the best censor ship from both ideologies, vote Walters this October!

You mean November?

Uh, yeah.

graphic by Kyle Garrison

to imprison teachers for mentioning gen der, sexuality or race in a classroom and I want to end the Free and Reduced Lunch Program for kids by refusing all federal funding for schools.

graphic by Kyle Garrison

We interview Ryan Walters, self-described GOP Communist candidate for Oklahoma State Superintendent.

Kyle Garrison

Your political science class’s resident devil’s advocate.

graphic by Celeste McAtee