Best of Fall 2022

Ole Miss safety ejected for targeting Tulsa receiver

Sports editor Caspian Denton reports on the viral play from TU’s matchup with Ole Miss.

Tulsa’s football matchup against Ole Miss on Sept. 24 wasn’t only a close completion, but also included a play that gained a great deal of media attraction. The play occurred with less than a minute and 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter. It consisted of second-string quarterback, Braylon Braxton, scrambling to find a receiver. Braxton eventually locates TU star wide receiver, Keylon Stokes, for a 20-yard catch. Stokes had control of the ball only for a brief second before getting hit helmet-tohelmet by safety Otis Reese. The forceful

trol of the ball, so there was no fumble. As for the tackle, it was classified as targeting, which resulted in the ejection of Reese from the rest of the game and the first half of Ole Miss’ next match. While the play was under review, Stokes was able to walk back to the medical tent by himself where he went through the protocol to be checked for a concussion. Stokes was cleared to return within minutes and was back on the field within a single set of downs.

The play went viral after being posted on Oklahoma Sports Bros’ Twitter,

hit caused Stokes to fumble the ball and get picked up by Ole Miss’ second safety Trey Washington. After the initial hit, Stokes is seen attempting to stand up and continuing to stumble and fall. Teammates and Tulsa’s medical staff quickly rushed to accompany him. During the play, a flag was thrown after Rese’s tackle. The referee then stated that the play is under review reading if Reese’s tackle was targeting and if Stokes completed the catch. Targeting is the act of when a player lowers their head and makes helmet-to-helmet contact with another player. After review, Stokes did not have con-

currently sitting at 3.8 million views. The video gained much attention due to the harshness of the tackle and the difficulty of Stokes recovering. The clip clearly shows Resse lowering his head and making contact helmet-to-helmet. Hits like this frequently result in a concussion, so it was abnormal that Stokes was able to return shortly after.

The risk of concussions and head injuries, in general, has been a recurring issue within the sport of football. Because the game is fast-paced and physical, events like this are bound to happen. The National Center of Health Research has conducted studies

on the very topic and has found “high rates of concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and a serious brain disorder called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in former players.” This is why it is crucial to take the proper precautions when a head injury does occur. Stokes is certainly one of TU’s bestperforming wide receivers, entering the season ranked ninth on the school’s all-time receiving chart with 2,550 career yards. The season has already involved him climbing that ladder even closer to the top. This being said, Stokes’ health is still the priority. As already mentioned, he is said to have passed

the protocol while being checked for a concussion. It feels as though after a hit such as that, the medical team should take their time to verify Stokes is good to go, rather than put back in so quickly. The more dangerous symptoms of a concussion frequently come after already having an initial concussion. The Collegian reached out to the director of communications for our football team to see what the protocol was and how it was approved to establish Stokes was cleared to return to the game but received no response.

Following the recent Astros World Series win, it is pertinent to look back at their 2017 and 2018 cheating scandals and how their ramifications still echo throughout the MLB.

In 2019, the news broke that the Houston Astros had been caught using technology to steal signs of upcoming pitches. The Astros had been using a camera in center field to record hand signals relayed from the catcher to the pitcher in order to determine what

pitch was to be thrown. After figuring out the upcoming pitch, team and staff members in the dugout would give cues to the batter, such as banging on a trash can. The system was designed to let the batter know which pitch was coming next, giving him an advantage in deciding whether or not to swing.

For those not as familiar with the importance of certain types of pitches in baseball, some pitches are thrown intentionally to

move outside of the strike zone to get the batter to swing but decrease the likelihood of it actually being hit. Knowing if one such pitch was coming would prevent the batter from swinging.

Whether or not this system of cheating proved useful to the Astros (it likely did), the team won the World Series in 2017. The cheating continued until 2018, but stopped at some point mid-season, according to reports.

One would think that such an obviously deceitful flout of the rules would result in harsh punishments for both players and the franchise, but the Astros came away from the scandal almost no worse for wear. The franchise was only fined $5 million, had to sacrifice a few draft picks and their general manager and manager (coach) were banned

communication device between catchers and pitchers. Catchers can press a button on a remote that transmits the desired pitch into the pitcher’s ear via a speaker in his hat. The move has been controversial; most players are in favor, and fans, however, are more undecided.

for the year. There were no punishments given to individual players. In fact, Astros bench coach and a major figure in creating the cheating system, Alex Cora, would go on to become the manager of the Boston Red Sox, a team that has seen significant success in the postseason as of late.

As a result of the sign-stealing scandal, the MLB began implementing the use of a

Baseball is supposed to be a simple game, and these technological devices overcomplicate America’s pastime. Certain aspects of baseball are baked in, such as the complicated array of signs a catcher gives a pitcher, or a runner on second base repeating these signals back to the batter (legal “sign stealing”). These systems would not be needed if the MLB could guarantee that teams would not cheat. However, since they failed to punish the Astros properly, the MLB left the door open for further cheating, and now must take steps to go on the offensive. If the MLB seeks to reconnect with its fan base, it should start by enforcing the existing rules instead of adding complicated technologies to prevent cheating.

Jan. 9 - Jan. 15

Sports writer Victoria Grossman discusses how the Astros took advantage of an unprepared league.

courtesy @Htx_Owens on Twitter

Doctor that cleared Tua Tagovailoa fired

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 hitting 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 director 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 significant 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 Tagovailoa had experienced a head injury four days before during a play against the Buffalo 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 scrambling to find a receiver while experiencing pressure from the defense. He eventually locates Jaylen Waddle who completes the pass and gets the first down. Shortly after Tagovailoa 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 assistance rushes to him while he is seen holding 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.

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

Association

or

Once Tagovailoa made it to a hospital after exiting the Bengals game he was diagnosed with a concussion. According to ESPN, he “underwent testing, which showed no structural damage to the head

Regardless,

Formula 1 victory marred by controversy

Sports writer Thomas Jackson reports on the most recent F1

bris from an advertising board, which had been caused by a crash involving another driver earlier in the race. As he came out of the pit lanes and attempted to catch up to the rest of the pack under a safety car, he came within a couple of meters of striking a tractor that was on the racetrack without any warning lights visible on it. This tractor was on the track to recover the vehicle of Carlos Sainz, the 28-year-old driver for Scuderia Ferrari, who had crashed early on in the race.

Given the rainy conditions and extremely poor visibility, it was likely impossible for Gasly to see the tractor until he was practically able to touch it, leading to some rather angry comments from Gasly. “This is unacceptable!” he could be heard saying to his crew over his headset.

race.

to the FIA. In our view, it’s pretty straightforward. No tractors on track, and if you need a tractor on track, red flag it.” A red flag, in this case, means that the marshals of the race believe it’s unsafe to continue a race due to bad conditions on the track, and upon receiving it, racers are to slowly proceed back to the pit lane while the race is halted.

Lando Norris, the 22-year-old British driver for the McLaren F1 team, also commented on his Twitter. “Wtf. How’s this happened!? We lost a life in this situation years ago. We risk our lives, especially in conditions like this. We wanna race. But this… Unacceptable.”

After a difficult start to the season, 25-year-old Dutch Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen has sealed his status as the F1 champion this year. This is the second year in a row that the driver for the Austrian team Red Bull Racing has won the F1 World Championship. This comes after estimations had been made that the point gap between Verstappen and Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez, who also races for Red Bull, were so vast that it would likely be impossible for Perez to catch up in the last four races. As of now, the point total stands at 366 points for Verstappen and 252 points for Perez, who is in second place.

However, this victory came on the heels of some rather controversial behavior by the

courtesy @Max33Verstappen on Twitter

FIA, the governing body of F1 and many other major international auto racing events across the world.

During the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Japan on Oct. 9, Pierre Gasly, a 26-year-old French driver for the Italian F1 team Scuderia AlphaTauri, or AlphaTauri for short, had been forced to head into the pit lanes after his car was damaged by de-

Indeed, although Gasly’s actions of racing so quick to catch up to the rest of the pack despite the rainy conditions and poor visibility have drawn some backlash from commenters online, many have shown their support for Gasly, stating that the tractor

Indeed, this incident has given many drivers a rather poor opinion of the FIA as some believe the FIA has completely failed to learn its lesson after an incident in 2014 on the same track at Suzuka, where Jules Bianchi, the then-25-year-old French driver for the Marussia F1 team, lost control due to the rain on the 43rd lap of the race and collided with a tractor crane that was removing a vehicle that had crashed earlier. Bianchi sadly later died from the injuries he sustained in the accident.

should not have been allowed on the track while cars were out, given the conditions.

George Russell, a British driver currently driving for Mercedes’ team and a director for the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, commented on this when speaking to Motorsport.com: “We’re all going to speak

For many, this incident at Suzuka has brought back painful memories of the 2014 incident and shown just how close Pierre Gasly came to potentially dying. This day should have been a day of celebration for a new F1 World Champion, but is now marred by this. Now it’s up to the FIA to try and win back the public’s trust, and the trust of their drivers.

The Golden Hurricane triumphs over the Owls

recapitulates Tulsa’s game against the Temple Owls.

Coming off a bye week, Tulsa football had one goal in mind: go out 1-0 against Temple. After going 2-4 in the first six games of the season and 0-2 in conference play, the Golden Hurricane was in desperate need of a reset not only to re-evaluate the season but to give some key players the time to get back to 100% before the final six game push. Going into the matchup, Temple was 0-2 in conference play with two blowout losses, one of which was to the University of Central Florida where the Golden Knights hung 70 points on the Owls. Tulsa and Temple were tied at three apiece in alltime wins against each other so Tulsa would have the opportunity to pull ahead in victories between the two teams.

Davis Brin was back to full health after dealing with an ankle injury in the last three games which played a part in the three game-losing skid that the Golden Hurricane was on, so Brin was ready to get off to the right foot against Temple.

That didn’t end up happening, as in the first two possessions Brin managed to throw two interceptions, one of which was a picksix, in his first two passing attempts. Early interceptions are demoralizing to any offense but to have it happen in the first two possessions is a huge hit to a team’s confidence. But this didn’t discourage the Tulsa defense. It did quite the opposite,energizing a defense that has been dealing with its own issues. In the next four Temple possessions, Tulsa forced three Temple punts and two turn-over-on downs, giving the Tulsa offense time to breathe and get back to their style of football. Tulsa proceeded to score 14 unanswered points to close out the half with running back Deneric Prince and tight end Ethan Hall both finding the endzone. Not only did Tulsa go into the locker room with a 14-10 lead but they went in knowing that star wide receiver Keylon “Sleep” Stokes had just broken the all-time receiving yards record in Tulsa history, surpass-

ing Howard Twilley who has held the record since the ’60s. Now, standing atop the Tulsa record books, Stokes will look to build up that record over the remainder of the season. Coming out of the locker room with the lead, Tulsa was looking to keep applying the pressure and pull away from Temple. But after their first two possessions ended in a punt and a fumble, it felt like Tulsa was giving Temple opportunities to come back and snatch the lead from the Golden Hurricane. Temple was handing those opportunities right back, as a battle of mediocrity occurred in the 2nd half. If it weren’t for an 84-yard touchdown run by Deneric Prince, the game may have been different. The 84yard house call by Prince was the longest run Tulsa has had all season, as they saw the most production from the running back position they’ve seen all year. Prince finished the game with 231 rushing yards on 20 attempts, giving Tulsa the most rushing yards from a single player since 2017. This team

has made it a priority to focus on the running game and establishing it early on and this was a reassuring message to see the team continues to move in the right direction. After going up by 14, the game was securely in Tulsa’s hands, and came to a close after Justin Wright intercepted a pass by Temple QB EJ Warner, giving Tulsa the 27-16 win over the Owls.

Improving to 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in the American, the focus shifts to SMU as they face the Mustangs in the Homecoming matchup. Even though the Hurricane sits under .500, they’re is still plenty of opportunity to build on this success and finish the season bowl eligible for the third straight year.

Sports writer Joe McCurdy

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 protocols for concussion checks are being reviewed.

neck area.” On Sept. 30 Tagovailoa included in his most recent tweet, “I’m feeling much better and focused on recovering so I can get back on the field.”

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

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

courtesy @tua on Twitter

“...this victory came on the heels of some rather controversial behavior by the FIA”

Oklahoma teacher resigns after being forced to censor her library

Summer Boismier faces backlash from the State of Oklahoma Education Secretary over banned books.

Aurora Stewart Student Writer

Since 2021, dozens of bills have been passed throughout the United States regarding what one can and cannot teach in the classroom. Oklahoma recently became one of these many states with the passing of HB 1775.

This anti-critical race theory bill restricts what educators can discuss in schools, especially regarding race, ethnicity and gender.

On August 24, we saw the first fallout of this bill when a teacher in Norman resigned from her position.

Summer Boismier, an English teacher at Norman High School, received instructions from her district to rid her classrooms of books that were not conducive to the guidelines of the 1775 bill. She told CNN that her district required English teachers to report the contents of their libraries so they could review them and decide which materials students could have access to. Regarding her library, Boismier asserted to CNN, “I pay for those books. I put books on my shelves that I think not only would be appealing to students, but center stories that have traditionally been left out of the official ELA [English Language Arts] curriculum.”

Instead of removing the books from her classroom entirely, she covered them in butcher paper and labeled them “Books the state doesn’t want you to read.” She

also included a QR code on each book that her students could scan and use to access them for free in their own time. These QR codes gave her students access to resources from a program called “Books Unbanned” through the Brooklyn Public Library. This program provides free library cards to people all over the nation so they can access books that may not be allowed in their classrooms. Under these QR codes she wrote, “definitely don’t scan this!”

Boismier also provided clarification regarding her instructions from the district: “And I want to be clear, I was told to cover my books.”

In an email to Changing America, Wes Moody, a spokesperson for Norman public schools, said a parent reached out to the district about Boismier and a “potential issue regarding Oklahoma HB 1775.”

The parent’s concern regarded the use of classroom time to make political statements and personal assertions.

Moody later stated, “Like many educators, the teacher has concerns regarding censorship and book removal by the Oklahoma state legislature. However, as educators it is our goal to teach students to think critically, not to tell them what to think.”

According to Boismier, school district officials claimed the QR codes made the books seem forbidden and that they did not want to encourage illegal actions by students.

Boismier explained that the school forced her to take administrative leave and rebuked her for using class time to make political statements, though Moody denies Boismier was put on leave or suspended.

While Boismier was instructed to return to the classroom Wednesday following her alleged administrative leave, she instead resigned.

This bill is an example of a larger trend in the US, but HB 1775 is especially harsh

in its penalties as teachers can lose their licenses.

The Oklahoma Education Secretary Ryan Walters called for the revocation of Boismier’s teacher’s license, stating “There is no place for a teacher with a liberal political agenda in the classroom. Ms. Boismier’s providing access to banned and pornographic material to students is unacceptable and we must ensure she doesn’t go to another district and do the same thing,”

Following this, Walter’s received pushback from the Oklahoma Education Association who called his statements and bill interpretation inaccurate, while urging him to focus on the real issues in the classroom.

Through the next year we expect to continue to watch how these bills shape modern education, impacting educators and students alike.

Queen Elizabeth II, looking at her life and reign

Queen Elizabeth II had the longest reign of any monarch in the United Kingdom and wasn’t even born to be the queen.

Victoria Grossman Student Writer

The United Kingdom’s longest reigning monarch passed away at the age of 96 on Sept. 8. Queen Elizabeth II, having ruled the UK for more than 70 years, died peacefully at her Balmoral Castle, widely considered by the press to have been her favorite of the royal properties. She is preceded in death by her husband, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, whom she was married to for almost seventy five years. Queen Elizabeth II has long been lauded as one of the greatest British monarchs in history, but she was not even born to be queen.

came engaged to then-Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, coincidentally a distant cousin of hers. Almost a year after their wedding, the now-King Charles III was born, and three more children followed: Anne, Andrew and Edward.

Queen Elizabeth’s time as regent was not without its controversies, however. After a very publicly tumultuous marriage, then-Prince Charles divorced his beloved wife, Princess Diana, in 1996, causing a media firestorm to descend upon the royals. The pressure became even greater when Diana died, as two billion sets of eyes watched every royal move during her funeral. More recently, the queen had come under fire for the actions of her son, Prince Andrew, who had been a known friend of Jeffrey Epstein and settled a sexual abuse case out of court in Feb. 2022. In recent years, particularly since the death of Prince Philip, the late queen took a step back from some of her royal duties.

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.

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

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 administration. She proclaims former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon to be a close ally, and has spoken at gatherings of prominent American conservatives.

In 1936, Queen Elizabeth’s uncle became king following the death of his father. King Edward VIII reigned for less than a year before abdicating the throne in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Following his abdication, he was given the title Duke of Windsor and moved to Paris with his new wife. Queen Elizabeth’s father then became King George VI, making Elizabeth the heirapparent to the throne. Then in 1952, when her father died at age 57 of a heart attack, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at only 25.

As a princess, Queen Elizabeth served as a mechanic in World War II, and celebrated incognito in a crowd when Allied forces achieved victory in Europe. At age 21, she be-

The body of the late monarch is currently lying in state at the Palace of Westminster. Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is scheduled to be held Monday, Sept. 19, at 11 a.m. local time, which is 5 a.m. Central Daylight Time. At the end of the funeral, a two-minute nationwide silence will be observed before her body is buried in Windsor Castle, alongside her parents and late husband. The former Prince Charles immediately ascended to the throne upon the death of his mother, and has decided to keep his birth name upon becoming monarch, making him King Charles III. Queen Elizabeth is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren, twelve greatgrandchildren and countless corgis.

While still only 10 years old, the Brothers 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 proclaiming Mussolini to have “done everything he did for Italy.” She also referred to him as a “good politician.” In the 2018 election, 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 nationalistic, although many believe this change was for show.

The new Italian administration is expected to remain pro-Ukraine and pro-NATO, both of which are pressing concerns for Europe. However, Meloni has made her stance on LGBTQ+ issues clear: she is emphatically 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

This Italian election was originally slated for this spring, but was pushed forward following the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi in July. This kind of election is called a “snap” election, and is not uncommon in Italy. The nation has a parliamentary election system, meaning that the people do not directly vote for the prime 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 together in parliament to create a coalition to elect a desirable candidate.

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 important.

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 coalition 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.

“Queen Elizabeth II has long been lauded as one of the greatest British monarchs in history...”

Victoria Grossman Student Writer

Courtesy @MSBoismier_ELA on Twitter

Summer Boismier’s classroom after covering all of the books in her room with red butcher paper.

Courtesy FratelliaItalia.it

Giorgia Meloni speaking at a press conference in Italy.

courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Queen Elizabeth II poses for an official portrait right before her offical tour in 1959.

University of Tulsa’s beautification, Roomba style

with the red Tulsa flag roving slowly in randomized patterns.

Mary

You’ve heard of the cat condos, now get ready for the TU Roomba. As students returned this year, they quickly noticed some new characters on campus. Over the summer, TU, through Roark Landscaping, enlisted the service of some Turf-Mower 2000’s from ECHO Robotics. These silent, autonomous lawn-mowers, nicknamed the TU Roombas by students, are part of the initiative the University is taking to beautify and improve the campus.

According to ECHO Robotics, the Turf-Mower 2000 is a lawn mower that is eco-friendly, energy efficient and, most importantly, quiet. This is an improvement to other mowing services that are a noisy disturbance and an ideal solution for a college campus, especially when students are deep in the throes of studying and classes. The Turf-Mower 2000 is able to mow 6 acres on a single charge and is kept within the boundaries of its turf by a system of wires that stretch the perimeter of the grass under the Turf-Mower’s charge. Otherwise, the Turf-Mowers have free range over the New and Old U. As one is walking to classes, one can spot the blue machines

This new technological addition to TU has been met with a mixture of enjoyment and displeasure. Some students find the Turf-Mowers quirky and charming, with one student creating an instagram account dedicated to the Turf-Mowers where students can joke

about the newest TU members, going so far as to debate what name they should receive. Other students are less happy, with some now being wary of picnicking on the Old and New U. Students report that they are concerned about whether the Turf-Mowers can sense people or not, and wonder what would happen if someone were resting on a picnic blan -

ket and one of the mowers came upon them. Other students argue that the Turf-Mowers do a bad job of mowing, as there are uneven tufts of grass and one can clearly see the paths the TurfMowers take.

Current students aren’t the only ones humming about the Turf-Mowers too. Alumni have expressed their interest, but also their concern. Similarly to some current students, they are worried about the efficiency and safety of the TurfMowers. One TU alum, Anna Cheshire, who returned to TU over the Labor Day weekend, expressed about the TurfMowers:

“As an alumni it was very shocking to come back to campus and see huge, ugly lawn mowers on both lawns. They ruin the beauty of campus and feel like a hazard to students lounging on the lawns or playing sports. They seem to mow in no logical path and leave marks on the grass that look like a toddler was scribbling on them…. I can’t imagine that they are saving us enough money to be worth the hassle.”

As with many of TU’s initiatives in recent years, there have been a lot of unexpected reactions from students and alumni with the integration of the TurfMowers, or the TU Roombas. As TU continues the initiative to beautify campus through automated means, time will tell how the other, non-robotic members of campus welcome and adapt to it.

Student Association implements new funding system

Shelby Heins Commentary Editor

The University of Tulsa’s Student Association (SA) is responsible for allocating funding to student organizations. This semester, SA is implementing a new system that will simplify the process for student organizations trying to get funding for events throughout the year. Vice President Asa Scott, Director of Senate Operations Adrian Pizano and Government Operations Committee Chair Jack Sommers discuss how the funding process will be implemented and the hard work that went into its creation.

According to Scott, “The new funding process makes it easier than ever to acquire funding.” Student organizations now have the option to submit an Organization Strategic Plan (OSP) at the beginning of the academic year or an Event Proposal for Funding (EPF) before every event. When an organization submits an optional OSP, they must attend a 15 minute meeting with three senators to receive approval. If an organization decides to submit EPF’s throughout the year, they must submit a summary of the event to the Funding Review Subcommittee that the organization falls under. “The subcommittee may ask the organization to meet briefly to discuss this event, but meeting with the full Senate body will no longer be necessary…”

One of the major changes SA introduced are Declining Balance Cards (DBC). To acquire one, organizations must submit a roster of members including their names, TU email addresses and student ID numbers along with their designated officers and the assigned DBC holder according to Scott. Sommers stated that the assigned DBC holder will also be required to attend a Funding Training & Event Planning workshop. “That exact recipient is up to the organization, but that person will assume responsibility for all purchases made with that DBC including managing the SA oversight processes,” Sommers added.

The new system will categorize events using three tiers. Tier one will have the highest priority on funding whereas tier three will have the least priority. “DBC’s can currently only be used on tier three events which are typically organization meetings, bonding events, etc. that are geared towards the organization’s current members,” according to Sommers.

Despite all of the changes to funding allocation, “Submitting an OSP will not impact the amount of funding that an organization will receive… we wanted to keep the option of using an OSP open to organizations who either prefer it or don’t want to wait for the new funding system to request money for events,” Sommers stated. “The funding caps as described in the MA [Monetary Allocations] guideline will be standardized and overarching over the two systems (although I do wish to change the caps, most likely a project for a later date), requesting through one or the other

or both will grant you the same amount of funding regardless. It is important to note that we are intending that this new funding system will replace OSP’s in the future although perhaps we might find that doing them in tandem is a better method for funding student organizations!”

The new funding allocation system was created to alleviate the struggle student organizations experienced when attempting to acquire funding. “First, there was the whole concept of planning everything in advance which is difficult to do. As a new organization, the whole process could be confusing. Not everyone could look four or five months in advance with certainty about events,” Pizano stated. “Instead of planning and requesting fund-

a delay in their funding acquisition as the review must be tabled to the next week.

When asked about the penalties for student organizations who abuse the DBC’s, Pizano responded. “A key component of this funding system is trust within SA and student organizations. We are trusting organizations to use these DBC’s properly, while organizations are trusting us to provide funding in a simpler and timely manner. While there are several steps to try and prevent this from happening, such as transaction logs and pictures of receipts, we also have to anticipate a situation that may involve penalizations. In the case where something like this occurs, penalization may consist of loss or suspension of DBC’s for a certain period of time.”

the Senators to help ease those,” Pizano stated. The Monetary Allocations Committee is still making improvements to the system at the time of this writing.

ing in September, organizations are now able to do this within a few weeks of the event. Concerning OSP’s, the late review session for OSP’s is also gone. No more waiting until 11 or 12 on a school night to review your funding. Instead, this will occur during workshops which is faster, and more efficient.” Senate meetings where the funding reviews take place have taken as long as three hours. Representatives of student organizations have been known to leave before their funding review, causing

SA is aware that issues may arise with the new allocation system, but they are prepared to handle any problems that student organizations may have. “I think that the Senate body and everyone else included in this process, is fully capable of assisting [student organizations], making the process flow easily. The training workshops were definitely beneficial to potential problems… If and when issues start occurring, I can say that I am confident in the administration involved and

The new funding allocation system was spearheaded by Scott and the “Summer Senate, alongside the office of the Dean of Students. Notable names include the seven members of the summer senate: Zach Frame (Monetary Allocations Committee Chair), Jack Sommers (Government Operations Committee Chair), Hannah Grenier (University Improvements Committee Chair), Carter Dierlam (Student Organizations Committee Chair), as well as Ha Huynh, Kathryn Aung and Ella Northcutt. Assistance from Jasmin Resendiz and Ben Prugh during the summer was important as well. Adrian Pizano, Director of Senate Operations, was a key part of this process too,” Scott stated. “For implementation, much of this rested on the shoulders of myself, Adrian Pizano, and Peter Nguyen (Student Association Advisor). Together we coordinated the Optional OSP process, DBC’s and development of the EPF system.”

“In short, this project took a lot of hands, and could not be possible without the vast amount of work and cooperation put in by various student leaders. I am extremely grateful for all the assistance and insight many of my colleagues put into this to make it possible,” Scott stated.

SA creates a new funding allocation system aiming to simplify the process.

“The new funding process makes it easier than ever to acquire funding.”

photo by Mary Lickona

A new TU Roomba mows the lawn.

“This new technological addition ...has been met with a mixture of enjoyment and displeasure.”

The University of Tulsa’s new campus initiatives leave students with mixed feelings on the updates.

Lickona Business & Adverting Manager

courtesy Facebook @TheUniversityofTulsa

The Student Association

works hard to ensure that organizations can get the funding they need.

Biden’s loan forgiveness plan is making things worse

about the worst timing possible for loan forgiveness, which has been estimated to cost upwards of $300 billion (although the White House refuses to give an estimate). If it is paid for by implementing some additional tax, then the new tax will almost certainly impact the lower and middle classes more — and it will certainly impact people who never attended college in the first place, or else loan forgiveness would be pointless in the first place.

willing to provide or forgive does not line these students’ pockets so much as it lines the pockets of universities.

Dominic Cingoranelli Student Writer

I have no doubt that most of us are already aware of the Biden Administration’s plan to cancel up to $10,000 of federal loan debt, $20,000 for those who accepted Pell grants. This is extremely beneficial for many of us — but is it a good policy?

If we are thinking about long-term implications, it seems clear the detriments will outweigh the benefits. This policy is inflationary at a time when inflation reduction is sorely needed, and it is a regressive transfer of wealth from the lower class to the middle class. Most importantly, it does nothing to countermand the ballooning cost of college attendance, and perhaps enables it to rise further.

This policy is inflationary because the post-pandemic inflation has largely been demand-driven, and loan forgiveness would increase aggregate demand. Excessive inflation hurts everyone — it devalues our savings and incomes, eroding our purchasing power. Inflation is also disproportionately damaging for the lower and middle classes, since the ultra-wealthy typically have much of their net worth tied up in assets, the values of which tend to increase commensurate with inflation.

Regardless of how the loan forgiveness is paid for, it is regressive. If it is financed with loans from the federal reserve, then it will contribute to inflation. Small amounts of inflation can be healthy, but according to the most recent CPI report we are at 8.5%, which is not a small amount. This is just

In order to understand why this does not curb the rising cost of college tuition, we need to understand why these costs are rising so astronomically in the first place. In short, high demand, constrained supply, easy access to subsidies and incomplete access to information (about the true cost of college education as well as the expected return on investment) are among the most commonly-cited factors. Nullifying loans is great for the people who hold student debt right now, but it only incentivizes universities to further abuse the knowledge that the government will step in and cover whatever they believe students will be unable to pay. But what could be done to help address the college tuition crisis?

To reduce the cost of tuition, thereby eliminating the need for any debt forgiveness in the future, policy focused at reducing demand, increasing supply, limiting — or at least refraining from increasing — access to subsidies and providing better information to potential college-goers would be more appropriate.

Demand can be reduced by encouraging vocational training. Does every IT or cybersecurity professional really need a four-year degree? The National Cybersecurity Center doesn’t seem to think so, which is why they offer low-cost training and certification to help people break into the (rather high-paying) industry without a degree. By encouraging programs like this — through grants or less stringent licensing requirements — we can incentivize people to avoid taking out student loans in the first place. Increasing supply is a simple matter of streamlining the accreditation process to lower barriers to entry.

I understand that many college-goers are dependent upon federal loans, which is why I will not advocate for simply removing them overnight as that would be extremely costly for low-income students in particular, especially in the short term. However, raising the amount that the government is

DeSantis sends migrants to Martha’s Vineyard

As for incomplete information, many students do not know how much loan relief they are likely to receive until they are already accepted to college. The Department of Education already has tools to help people more accurately assess how much college will cost them such as the Loan Simulator. Perhaps requiring that this tool is used before filling out the FAFSA form for the first time would provide people with a better idea of how much their degree is going to cost, and a rough estimate of expected salary based on degree would be relatively easy to find as well — all of the data is there.

I understand that none of these suggestions represent a “silver bullet” which could easily solve the problem. But they could help, which is why I’d rather see any one of these suggestions implemented than loan forgiveness. If there is a mechanism to do so, I think I’ll have to put my money where my mouth is and pay off my $12,000 in federal loans the hard way. Because although debt forgiveness is, no doubt, a tremendous relief to millions of people for the time being, it’s also dangerously short-sighted and loaded with negative side effects. We, members of the lucky 30 million on the receiving end, may feel only the benefits for now, but the consequences will come back to bite us — as they will all 330 million Americans.

First Indigenous comic book convention a success

In a widely criticized political stunt, the Florida governor relocates nearly 50 migrants to the summer colony.

Victoria Grossman Student Writer

Citizens of famed Massachusetts resort town Martha’s Vineyard got quite a surprise on Sept. 14 when nearly 50 migrants arrived unexpectedly. After much confusion, Florida governor Ron DeSantis came forward to claim responsibility for the unannounced move. The event has been widely criticized by both Republicans and Democrats, and rightly so.

Relocating migrants is not a new policy by Republican governors, but this stunt is particularly egregious in that DeSantis facilitated a move of migrants from Texas to Massachussettes, both states of which he is not the governor. He also used funds belonging to the Florida state government.

Part of DeSantis’ plan surely was to sit back and laugh as the liberal elites that frequent Martha’s Vineyard turned away the migrants in a show of hypocrisy. Unfortunately for him, he failed to consider that it is the offseason for eastern seaboard vaca-

tioning, and the town only consisted of its year-round residents. The offseason population is only around 17,000, while during the summer the population can swell to as many as 200,000 coastal elites. In either case, the 48 migrants that DeSantis plopped on the island would not exactly overwhelm the population. And, in fact, it didn’t. The residents of Martha’s Vineyard sprang into action, feeding the migrants and calling in authorities to relocate them to temporary housing. The migrants, mostly from Venezuela, eventually ended up at a nearby military base.

From the beginning, it seemed fairly obvious these migrants were not aware that they were being relocated, despite DeSantis claiming that they had all consented. Reportedly, the “consent form” they signed was only partially translated into Spanish, leaving mentions of transportation and Massachussettes unreadable to most of the migrants. A class action lawsuit has since been filed on their behalf.

In addition to the lawsuit, a sheriff in Texas has officially opened an investigation into the actions of DeSantis, which ultimately cost Florida taxpayers $1.5 million.

It is worth noting that these migrants were no longer classified as illegal. In fact, many of them had court dates to continue on their immigration journey, which are now at stake due to Ron DeSantis’ political theater. This stunt seems cruel even for him. These migrants came to the United States seeking the best country in the world, as conservatives describe it. And why shouldn’t they?

The idea that America is the “best country in the world,” however false, is touted far and wide by politicians; yet when people of color decide to be a part of that idea, they become political pawns. While it is widely accepted that some migrants must be relocated from where they originally immigrated to, this action was not taken in any sort of official capacity, with no oversight from the federal government. This type of action by Republican governors is not new, nor will it likely disappear anytime soon.

Democrats and Republicans seem completely deadlocked on the issue of immigration, so until a compromise is reached, these kinds of political stunts will likely not stop. This cannot be the greatest country on earth if political officials kidnap migrants at will.

Isaiah Baldridge Student Writer

The Cherokee Nation celebrated an Indigenous perspective on comic books and related media with its first ever comic book convention: SkasdiCon. Before the pandemic, I would attend comic book conventions outside of reservation boundaries, so while there were lots of different twists on video game and comic characters, I was one of few people who showed up with an Indigenous twist on my own cosplays. I am glad there was a convention on my home turf hosted by my tribe.

The word “Sgasdi” is a slang term in the Cherokee language with no English equivalent, typically used to tease someone who thinks they’re “all that.” I have used it to describe someone who is mean. Yet, according to the SkasdiCon official website, “[Sgasdi] evokes pride, awesomeness, and fierceness - all traits that describe characters from video games and comic books.” Admittedly, I laughed when I read their translation, but most Cherokee words are used differently depending on how someone learns them.

SkasdiCon welcomed over 30 Indigenous artists and creators, featuring a screening of “Inage’i,” a children’s Cherokee language animation, and a cosplay competition. There was also a panel on how to do Native cosplay, which I immediately thought “Pfft, I do that all the time.” Only it’s usually just with clothes from my closet and the occasional beaded medallion. The panel was well attended, with cosplays that had their

own Indigenous twists on beloved characters as well as the reaffirmation that even just being a Native person in cosplay is also Native Cosplay. SkasdiCon was also excited to welcome Nathalie Standingcloud, a Cherokee artist who currently works as a tattoo artist at Inkjunkys in Tulsa and an actress in “Reservation Dogs.” Standingcloud was one of the artists showcasing and selling art at SkasdiCon in the main hall, which was located inside the ballroom at Northeastern State University.

SkasdiCon was hosted on NSU’s main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on Saturday Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event was hosted by Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism with the NSU Center for Tribal Studies, as well as Cherokee National Treasure artist Roy Boney Jr. While I have my own mixed emotions on tourism, SkasdiCon did have a great turnout of tourists from outside of the Cherokee Nation as well as people from across the reservation. A good chunk of the event seemed to fall more on Boney’s shoulders. His art is featured on the official SkasdiCon website, and he has actually created cover art for “Marvel’s Voices: Heritage” series. His extensive career in art as well as his status as a language preservationist and National Treasure elevate him in regards to this event.

All in all, I was glad that SkasdiCon happened, and I hope that Cherokee Nation can continue to host events such as this as well as others in a similar vein. As a Native who is a nerd and artist, I think an event such as this would benefit tribal citizens regardless of age who are looking to see themselves represented in local and global media. One drawback to SkasdiCon is it was a one-day event. I hope that in the future, SkasdiCon can last an entire weekend.

SkasdiCon, hosted by Cherokee Nation, was well attended this past Saturday.

Biden aimed to help low-income college students in debt. Instead, he screwed every taxpayer in the country and gave colleges the greenlight to raise tuition skyhigh.

courtesy @OKSheriG on Twitter

SkasdiCon featured a cosplay competition and over

Indigenous artists.

courtesy whitehouse.gov

The loan forgiveness plan is estimated to cost over $300 billion.

The Elizabethan Age has come to an end

alism have commonly focused on the idea that nations are imagined communities, or rather inventions of the people who inhabit them. It is worth pushing this idea further to analyze the relation that identity has to the nation. After all, if a nation is merely an invention, then it can always be reinvented. In this case, the United Kingdom and its subsequent commonwealth now have to decide what they are to be in the wake of the queen’s passing. This is because the United Kingdom now faces an identity crisis as a nation, not because Queen Elizabeth II has died but because what she represented has died with her.

Dylan Moucka Student Writer

The death of Queen Elizabeth II brought the end of the Elizabethan Age. It is worth asking what this age was and what it represented. Her reign witnessed drastic societal changes as the United Kingdom sought to rebuild itself following the end of the Second World War. When Queen Elizabeth II was proclaimed in 1952, the United Kingdom was a global empire. By the time she died, her country had long lost its colonies in return for a commonwealth and had forsaken its membership in the large collective organization — the European Union — that it had originally joined to combat the potential economic crises brought on by the disintegration of its empire. Moreover, this brings up a second key question: what is the United Kingdom to be in the 21st century? It may be too early to tell, but surely it will be different than it was in the Second Elizabethan Age. Modern studies of nation-

The passing of the Victorian Age to the Edwardian Age in the early 20th century was simultaneously the passing of the height of British hegemony to the calm before the storm that would culminate in the First World War. After the war, the British Empire retained its imperial practices, but the metaphorical torch had been taken by — rather than passed to — the United States. The passing of the Second Elizabethan Age may not be as drastic as this historical precedent, but it already has the potential to be a societal break for the United Kingdom. With the outbreak of a major European war in Ukraine and the United Kingdom still finding its place in the world after leaving the European Union in 2016, it is worth asking how much the stability of Queen Elizabeth II will be missed now that King Charles III is the figurehead of a new United Kingdom. Throughout the vast majority of the post-war years, Queen Elizabeth II was the figure who was consistently there for the United Kingdom. Even if she was not directly influencing policies in government, her presence alone acted as a symbol for her country. Prime ministers came and went but she stayed. The English poet Philip Larkin summarized her as a symbol of stability quite well when he wrote, “In times when nothing stood / But worsened, or grew strange, / There was one constant good: / She did not change.” These may be the best words to summarize the attitude of the Second Elizabethan Age, but the words of the past may no longer ring true in the present.

countries, particularly in the Caribbean, have begun expressing desires for independence with some additionally calling for slavery reparations. To those countries especially, the monarchy can be seen as a symbol of colonialism. The very name of Great Britain implies that Britain is great when it is not British because its greatness comes from outside of the British Isles. Put another way, the greatness of Britain has been ultimately tied to its empire, to paraphrase the

the clearest example of this: the longing to be free from continental Europe’s problems signifies a greater focus on introspection. A result of all of this is that there is not a place for the commonwealth in the world of today.

The death of the queen brings up many questions of identity: what is the role of the monarchy in the 21st century? What does it mean to be a part of the United Kingdom? Is the commonwealth merely another form of the white man’s burden? What will the

How lonely is it to be the United Kingdom today? How unified are they really?

The country no longer has an empire, a collective organization or a popular monarch. The commonwealth that Queen Elizabeth II was so proud of now stands on shaky ground. Some of those commonwealth

run, however, I think it’s safe to say that the effects of a global shutdown disrupted that balance even further. No longer could people leave their work at the office, because their home became their office. Work life permeated home life, and families became separated not just by the walls of their homes, but the different headspaces they began to live in as well. Now that we’ve allowed work into our homes, it’s begun to take root. Early morning and even weekend Zoom calls have brought the office to employees wherever they are… oh, joy.

influential British activist Akala. The future of the commonwealth in this century seems more likely to lie in its dissolution than in its existence. This is not just because of some Caribbean countries’ desire for independence, but because the United Kingdom is becoming less of a global presence. Brexit is

United Kingdom do to address issues of race? Moreover, there is still the ever-present question of what is the United Kingdom to become in the wake of Brexit? None of these questions are able to be answered easily, which if anything, may show how important they are to ask.

As Americans, 40-hour work weeks are the standard if not the minimum amount of time spent on the job. With the majority of daytime hours spent at the office, we often leave family time and household duties for the leftover scraps of time in the evenings. Sometimes, the typical American lifestyle leaves me to wonder if we work to live or live to work.

In some ways, the pandemic improved the lack of work/life balance. In the long

Does increasing time on the job lead to increased productivity? Would decreasing the hours spent working have any effects on productivity? These are the questions that leaders in countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden and Spain have asked, and the results of their trials would shock workaholics everywhere. In fact, 95% of U.K. companies who participated in the trial have found that working for four days instead of five has had no negative impacts on produc-

tivity and has even led to better collaboration among employees. These results lead

me to wonder about the other ways in which we could be intentional about spending our time and perhaps reassess whether we truly value quality over quantity.

The weekend as we know it wasn’t always two days of rest. Originally, it was just Sunday to allow people to go to church and

all? And even if we are, why must we live so far outside of ourselves and give so much to a system that has nothing to do with basic human nature and needs? Humans created the system of commerce thousands of years ago in order to make their lives easier, not to create a new life entirely.

perhaps do their laundry. When factory employees began skipping work on Mondays, or “keeping Saint Monday,” the weekend was extended back into half of Saturday in hopes of improving productivity. Henry Ford pioneered the two-day weekend with his implementation of the 40-hour work week. While this creation has tokenized the American worklife, I think that the evolution of our economy beyond assembly line labor would justify a shift. Our modern commerce system seems to have secrets from even the most expert economists, as if we’ve poured so much of ourselves into it that it now has a mind of its own. Since it’s no longer a machine with gears that we have to manually turn, then is it necessary to actively contribute to our economy for 40 hours a week, if we’re even contributing at

A four-day work week might allow people to take up a hobby, something only known to retirees and children. Nowadays, a full-time employee with a hobby might even be called a Renaissance Man (or Woman). So much of modern life is focused on productivity, achieving career goals and fulfilling the expectations of having a family while retaining sanity and maybe even being happy. Is simply striving for happiness considered to be admirable… would it even be considered a valid goal? I think that experimenting with a four-day work week would be valuable in determining where our priorities lie in our modern society and perhaps even shifting those priorities towards

as

rather than employees.

perhaps we could stop living to work

The U.K. is having an identity crisis now that their longest reigning monarch has died.

existing

humans

Then,

and start working to live.

Society is evolving and so is the workplace. It’s time to stop laboring over jobs for 40 hours a week.

Abby Fakhoury Student Writer

It’s time society adopted a four-day work week

courtesy wikimedia commons

Queen Elizabeth II passed on Sept. 8, 2022.

courtesy wikimedia commons

Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years.

“The future of the commonwealth in this century seems more likely to lie in its dissolution than in its existence. ”

“... 95% of U.K. companies who participated in the trial ... had no negative impacts on productivity and ... better collaboration among employees.”

courtesy wikimedia commons

There are about 70 companies and organizations participating in the U.K. trial.

courtesy wikimedia commons

Henry Ford pioneered the two-day weekend and standardized the 40-hour work week.

The devil works hard, but Taylor Swift works harder

by myself and other fans, exhibits Swift hunched over in a chair in a softly lit room, with one hand resting on her head and the other loosely holding a telephone.

Hannah Doom Student Writer

Once again, Taylor Swift is taking the internet by storm with the announcement of her 10th album. At the VMAs on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022 Taylor (drunkenly, according to fan speculation) announced the release of her new album “Midnights,” which will be released on October 21. The world is buzzing with excitement and preparing itself for whatever Taylor has up her sleeve this time.

In only two years, Swift has released a whopping total of four albums. This includes two new albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore,” one of which won a Grammy for “Album of the Year”. The third and fourth albums are reproductions of her earlier albums, “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version)”. Taylor works hard and consistently dominates the charts.

Social media is already covering all of the conspiracy theories regarding Taylor’s new album. Taylor is well known for her lucky number thirteen, which is coincidentally the

will live on forever and was the start of one of the biggest internet scandals of all time. All of this to say, Swift is an expert at comebacks, and the fact that she announced her new album 13 years after the Kanye incident certainly is no coincidence. In regards to the actual release date for “Midnights,” there is almost too much drama to cover in one article. To put it simply, October 21 is Kim Kardashian’s birthday. It also just so happens to be National Reptile Awareness

Day. Or for pop culture lovers, National Snake Day.

Taylor’s album announcement has shocked fans all over the world and has everyone counting down the days until midnight on October 21. Anticipation is high, as there is wondering what scandal might occur from Taylor’s new album. “Midnights” is available for preorder on Taylor’s website and can be accessed on all streaming platforms on October 21.

On August 28, Taylor posted the announcement on her Instagram page. The album contains 13 tracks; each track is described as a “sleepless night” in her life. “This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” Taylor writes. She states that this album is “for all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching - hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve.. we’ll meet ourselves”. The image, already being investigated for easter eggs

same number as the number of tracks on her upcoming album “Midnights”.

However, one of the most important conspiracies regards the dates Taylor is releasing “Midnights.” Concerning the date of the album announcement, let’s travel back to the 2009 VMAs. Thirteen years ago, almost to the day, an infamous VMA scandal occurred. Taylor had just received her award for “Best Video by a Female Artist,” when Kanye West stormed the stage and ruined her speech, claiming Beyonce should have won the award. This pop culture moment

Haunted Halls: the end of Fisher South

The event ended up being quite the fright, bringing in over 260 students.

Camden Goff Student Writer

As a freshman, I found myself thoroughly interested in the events that the school was holding; especially the recent events in the fall and during homecoming. but there was one event, during the school year and many others were looking forward to. This event was known as Haunted Halls.

Haunted Halls is an event that the University of Tulsa holds yearly around Halloween, and if you couldn’t already guess, this haunted house took place in Fisher South; an old dormitory that is currently undergoing renovations and repairs. As an avid haunted house lover and as a person who has been part of many haunted houses back home, the idea to hold this haunted house in an old, creepy, abandoned Dormitory was genius and ended up providing a great experience for all who dared to enter the halls of Fisher South.

The actual tour of the haunted halls was structured as a typical dormitory tour a group of incoming first-year or transfer students would receive. The tour of the haunted halls

tilated patients where I was surprised by a patient I didn’t realize was behind me. Once we reached the end of the second floor our tour guide told us that this was the end of the haunted halls. As we exited the hall and started making our way to the stairs, one of the actors came up to the guide and told her that they needed more time to set up and asked the guide to take us to the third floor.

Ralph Macchio brings book tour to Tulsa

Author S.E. Hinton moderated this conversation with Macchio as he discussed his new novel, ‘Waxing On: the Karate Kid and Me.’

Luke Buzzelli Student Writer

Karate Kid’s very own Ralph Macchio made a pit stop in Tulsa during his tour for the launch of his novel.

The memoir, “Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me” details his experience in the film industry, especially early on as, of course, the Karate Kid himself Daniel LaRusso, but also as Johnny Cade from “The Outsiders.”

In fact, Mr. Macchio invited classic Tulsan author of The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton, to be the moderator of the event. Since the filming of the movie in the early 1980s, they’ve remained incredibly close,opening with a heartwarming hug. Macchio also stated that he knew immediately he wanted to include Hinton in the event as soon as he knew he would be in Tulsa. She had a profoundly formative role in his youth.

When he read “The Outsiders” in the seventh grade, Macchio felt a special connection to Johnny. He recalled the profound effect that the character’s voice had on him. He looked in the mirror at that time and even thought, “he looks a little like me!” As such, he knew that once casting began, as a young actor, he would only accept the role as Johnny.

While “The Outsiders” became an obvious avenue for success for Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez, it was Karate Kid that skyrocketed Ralph Macchio’s into stardom.

In “Waxing On,” Macchio speaks of his experience of fame, and especially of coming to the realization that, as he says, “Holy crap, I’m the Kid!” He speaks of his initial response to receiving the role in the movie, and the intricate technicalities that truly do come from a perfect crane kick. The behind-

spanned all three floors of Fisher South. The design of each floor was unique and provided different spooks and scares as the tour progressed. The first floor was home to the dorm rooms and was where I was spooked the most by a tortured resident screaming and almost pleading “DONT. GO. THAT. WAY!!” over and over again. This was followed by my group being rushed by more tortured residents asking us if we wanted to be their roommates as we made our way to the second floor.

The second floor of Fisher South was known as the hospital wing where we were met with psycho doctors, nurses and mu-

This floor was supposedly off-limits to the public for an unknown reason. We entered the third floor and after the door closed behind us, our tour guide was snatched! My group was left to find our way out of this floor where we were chased by psychos. After being chased by the psychos, we finally found the exit and made it out of Fisher South with our souls and lives intact.

This event was quite the scare and ended up being a night that I will never forget. Especially since I was allowed into the haunted halls with my GoPro. So as a late Halloween treat, here’s what it was like to experience the fright of the haunted halls.

This wasn’t such a harsh truth for Hinton, who told the young Macchio that, “You gave me a good night’s sleep tonight, kid” upon witnessing his acting skills at the initial table read.

Once filming, Macchio found immersing himself in his character to be more intense than he thought — thanks to director Francis Ford Coppola. On one hand, he had visited a local football game to see in action the type of person he was to assume on screen. On the other, as part of Coppola’s method acting techniques, he was instructed to practice a greaser lifestyle and sleep in the streets of Tulsa with a newspaper as a blanket. He did so until he woke up half-way through the night and returned to the hotel.

the-scenes detail is awesomely available, as a good memoir ought to be.

The crowd wielded an incredible response, often standing in ovation. Jeff Martin relayed that for representing Johnny Cade as a symbol of Oklahoman culture, for his successful career and for the release of his memoir, he is formally recognized in accolades from the state legislature, and is presented a certificate of recognition.

This has been the largest turn-out so far on the tour, according to Macchio. He continues his thanks toward the crowd itself as well as the host of the event, Magic City Books. “Waxing On” can be found online and in bookstores everywhere now.

Taylor Swift’s big story behind the release date to her next album.

“We entered the third floor and after the door closed behind us, our tour guide was snatched!”

courtesy @taylorswift13 on Twitter

Taylor’s newest album “Midnights” will be released on Oct. 21, 2022 at midnight.

courtesy @ralphmacchio on Twitter Ralph Macchio’s book released Oct. 18.

“When he read ‘The Outsiders’ in the seventh grade, Macchio felt a special connection to Johnny.”

courtesy @magicCityBooks on Twitter

Ralph Macchio was in Tulsa on Oct. 20 for his book tour.

Photo by Shelby Hiens

This event was throughout all levels of Fisher South.

Photo by Shelby Hiens

Fisher South had a very successful Haunted Halls this year with more space to utilize since the dorm hall closed for renovations and is currently not housing any students.

“However, one of the most important conspiracies regards the dates Taylor is releasing ‘Midnights.’”

Maddie Walters Managing Editor

“For me, punk rock was always about the Woody Guthrie-ness and work ethic: ‘all your fascists are bound to lose!’ It’s music of pure impact with that experience driven intellectual insight into class struggle that comes only with working class territory

without the bullshit or pseudo-masculinity,” says Eugene Hutz, vocalist and guitar player of Gogol Bordello, a punk and selfdescribed Gypsy-swing band.

Gogol Bordello is a New York based collective comprised of Eugene Hutz (vocals, guitar), Sergey Ryabtsev (violin), Pedro Erazo (vocals, percussion), Boris Pelekh (guitar), Ashley Tobias (vocals), Korey Kingston (drums) and Gil Alexandre (bass). Formed in 1999, Gogol Bordello has wowed audiences with their raucous energy and spirit. This group of seven friends are linked by the shared experience of immigrant traumas and dislocation due to war and disasters with members coming from Ecuador, Ukraine and Russia.

Hutz has seen more than his fair share of tragedy, having been an evacuee from Chernobyl at only the age of 13 and now witnessing the war in his homeland of Ukraine. Gogol Bordello’s newest album “Solidaritine,” is about the spirit of resilience in the face of extreme adversity and though it was written before the war in Ukraine escalated, it still captures the essence of empathy, bravery and hope Ukrainians have maintained since the onset of the war.

“If you go to Ukraine now, people are fighting with integrity, heroism, and, believe it or not, humor too,” Hutz proudly says.“Despite anything, the Ukrainian people somehow just find a way to rise above these atrocities.”

With lyrics like “What is this fire that’s binding us all? Disentanglement Baby,” the single Forces of Victory is a morale boost to those who are fighting the war, featuring

This fall, Gogol Bordello embark on their North American tour in support of “Solidaritine.” In fact, on Oct. 26, they will be making a stop right here in Tulsa at the historic Cain’s Ballroom for a show that’s sure to be a tour de force of emotions and impressive musicianship. This isn’t the first time the band has made a stop in Tulsa, and it certainly won’t be the last. Crazy & The Brains will join Gogol Bordello for this outing, tying together what looks to be a mustsee show.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased on Cain’s Ballroom’s website at https://www.cainsballroom.com/event/ gogol-bordello/ or at the box office during open hours, though it looks like the show will be a sellout. Check back in after the concert for a photo gallery and an interview with the band. You can also visit our Instagram (@

“This isn’t the first time the band has made a stop in Tulsa, and it certainly won’t be the last.”

Ukrainian Nobel prize nominee poet and singer Serhiy Zhadan and electrofolk Ukrainian artists Kazka. At their heart, Gogol Bordello is a band about community and the shared experience of being human.

tucollegian) to enter to win a pair of tickets for the show. The deadline to enter is on Oct. 24, and a winner will be randomly chosen that night.

Arctic Monkeys album ‘The Car’ an unexpected take on a familiar sound

electric breakdowns seen in songs like “R U Mine?”

Arctic Monkeys album “AM’’ was a defining part of the 2014 indie sleaze Tumblr aesthetic we see resurging today. And just like many people’s recent adoption of lowrise jeans and use of heavy eyeliner, their new album seems to echo these roots with an updated take.

The album definitely sounds like Arctic Monkeys. Alex Turner’s distinct voice and inflections are unmistakable, but it’s not like any of their previous albums. The heavy use of jazz instrumentation and strings is an unexpected divergence from their typical heavy melodic style.

The album builds over the course of the 10 songs. Starting with “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball,” the album leads you in with suspenseful orchestral music. Turner comes in gently, ending the suspense with the words “Don’t get emotional, that ain’t like you.” His soft tone matches the light melody. Turner’s cool greaser persona solidified during their 2013 explosion after the release of “AM” has not gone anywhere over the many years. He always seems to play it cool while those around him play with a contrasting intensity. Contrasting previous albums, much of his accompaniment feels scarce. Leaving his voice nearly naked, except the occasional cut in of the 70’s-esque instrumentation.

While the focus on orchestral interludes is an asset in the way it helps distinguish this album from anything they have made before, it does feel overdone in certain sections. Once you get to “Jet Skis On The

The songs have a different pacing. It does not have the same sort of frantic energy you see on their other albums. It is slower with many of the songs culminating in large swaths of strings instead of the

Moat” and realize how pervasive a motif it is, it starts to feel slightly monotonous. Even the title track “The Car” does not seem to offer much to break the uniformity. It picks up once again when you reach “Big

Ideas,” but to have the entire middle section blend into itself takes away from its memorability.

One of my favorite parts of the album is in the song “Hello You” when Turner says, “LEGO Napoleon movie, written in noble gas-filled glass tubes.” In an interview with Radio X, Turner claims “Well, there’s ‘LEGO Star Wars’ and ‘LEGO Batman’… I was imagining those guys taking the Napoleon script that Stanley Kubrick never made. I think it was maybe something like that — they gave it to the LEGO guys.” The nod to “The LEGO Movie” is definitely a little strange, but has a sense of irony. It was an iconic movie premiering in 2014, the same time Turner and the band’s fame peaked. It draws upon those same roots felt in the new album, and the same past album that seems to forever mark their legacy.

Yes, this album is not going to rival “AM” in the cultural zeitgeist. As far as my personal opinion of it, it does not come close to

Our managing editor Maddie Walters gives a concert preview of Gogol Bordello ahead of their Cain’s Ballroom show coming up on Oct. 26.

taking the spot of my favorite al-

bum “Favourite Worst Nightmare.” But, it is worth a listen. Do not go in expecting the iconic fast paced energy we’ve come to love from the band. It is far more reminiscent of songs like “Only Ones Who Know” over all. If you understand that, then I think this album is an enjoyable listen.

“This fall, Gogol Bordello embark on their North American tour in support of ‘Solidaritine.’”

Arctic Monkeys defined the 2014 Tumblr era, and as those trends come back so is the band with this new album.

Aurora Stewart Student Writer

“Alex Turner’s distinct voice and inflections are unmistakable, but it’s not like any of their previous albums.”

Gogol Bordello is made up of seven indviduals, Eugene Hutz, Sergey Ryabtsev, Pedro Erazo, Boris Pelekh, Ashley Tobias, Korey Kingston, and Gil Alexandre.

courtesy Sanjay Suchak

courtesy Michael Avendon

Eugene Hutz plays a big part in Gogol Bordello as a singer and guitarist.

courtesy @ArcticMonkeys on Twitter

Arctic Monkeys “The Car” is the 7th album the band has released throughout their career.

courtesy @ArcticMonkeys on Twitter

Arctic Monkeys album “The Car” is now out and available on all music streaming platforms.

“Contrasting previous albums, much of his accompaniment feels scarce.”

courtesy @ArcticMonkeys on Twitter “The Car” consists of ten new songs from Arctic Monkeys.

Please write for me

State-Run the media

Queen’s death jarring for U.S. politicians

sidy of the Biden administration. Feinstein has at this time already requested papers for a reelection bid in 2024, at which point she would be 91 years of age.

In wake of her majesty’s passing, many American politicians have felt the reality of their own potential demise. Efforts therein have grown split between attempts to prolong further the unholy accumulation of years known only to U.S. politicians and to abstain from the stoic denial of pleasure-seeking.

Senator Dianne Feinstein of California was spotted attending a black mass mere hours after reports of the Queen’s death made headlines last Thursday. Feinstein, 89, had reportedly split ties with all churches of the occult as far back as 2018, when she won a fifth full senatorial term.

The state’s senior senator slaughtered as many as five goats by sundown, one for each vertex of the standard sacrificial pentagram, and local media outlets reported speculation that she offered another soul to her dark lord in the form of a virgin, purchased with the aid of a little-known sub-

For President Biden himself, however, the day proved one of good humour. White House staff saw the president cracking jokes about the deceased Anglican and inquiring as to who currently qualified in the Stuart line of succession. The commanderin-chief likewise changed his tie from orange to green immediately upon hearing the news himself. In an impromptu meeting, Biden revealed to his advisers a new policy of nonrecognition for King Charles III, reportedly saying that “with the last vestiges of colonialism behind us, nothing stands in the way of Ireland uniting under a single flag.”

Many republicans have also begun behaving differently with the sober reminder of mortality, perhaps most notably among them Mitch McConnell. Multiple reports place him at a costume party in Harrison, Arkansas on Friday, Sept. 9. In a room where all other guests had donned sheet ghost costumes, the Kentucky senator had instead opted to break etiquette, arriving in a therapeutic mud mask that completely covered his face, presumably in an attempt to de-age in physical features. Party guests took the gesture well, laughing and jokingly pretending to throttle him.

17 different girls at a middle school near Fort Walton Beach in Florida also report-

Feeling the burnout? Sucks to suck

ed the district’s U.S. representative Matt Gaetz had redownloaded the messaging app Kik shortly after the Queen’s passing.

Spectators have argued the move aligned only coincidentally with the tragic news, as Gaetz himself is much younger than other panicked officials. Others more willing to subscribe to the link have argued age might not matter and that his crisis does not necessarily constitute a purely existential one, that he may instead have taken the moment as a reminder of seeking the pleasures that make him feel young.

And many other politicians from the former colonies have made similar moves.

Top 10 Governor Stitt moments

Looking back at the highlights of Governor Kevin Stitt’s impressive first term in office.

Former College Republicans president impeached for premarital sex.

use pronouns. Ask any Democrat and they will always argue that “they” can be singular. They need to learn grammar. Also, the Oklahoma City Zoo was in need of renovations anyways.

When Stitt (former OSU accounting major) tried to annex Kansas for not criminalizing abortion but gave up because he couldn’t find the capital on the map

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

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 yourself), 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, taking care not to get run over by the Roomba (it will sneak up on you regardless) and allow the inferno known as the Oklahoma 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 tuition. Grab water, soap and some fancy wax to give your 2007 Volkswagen Jetta that newborn shine that it never had to begin with.

Picture to BURN

Throw on some angry music! Get yourself worked up! Dance around! Burn your ex’s photos! Scream their name to the rafters! 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 talking 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.

When Governor Stitt abolished school and replaced it with mandatory Chick-filA employment Oklahoma is known for its innovation in amazing inventions like the parking meter and the yield sign, this incredible policy put forward by Governor Stitt is no different. Who wouldn’t love how he managed to solve both our education and our labor shortage problems. This policy was accompanied by reallocating all the funds from the free and reduced cost meals program directly to oil company subsidies. He even went so far as to arm himself to escort all the kids from the schools to their new jobs.

When Gubernatorial King Kevin did an ollie on live TV while promoting neoNazi censorship policies

Sure, it’s a bit concerning but you can’t deny it was pretty sick.

When John (that is his real first name) started his speech with the dictionary definition of “liberty”

I am sure all professors will agree that dictionary definitions best introduce a rhetorical argument. He’s speaking my language. Before hist speech I had never heard of that word so I am glad I can add it to my lexicon.

When Jeb Stitt issued a blanket pardon for all white landowning men who aren’t communist or gay

What liberals refuse to admit is Stitt is the only person to actually act on mass incarceration. By pardoning all eight straight white landowning men who had previously been held accountable for their actions our state moved to 2nd in per-capita incarceration rate.

When JK Rowling-Stitt tried to use the singular joke us conservatives have about gender identity but ended up accidentally stealing Osama bin Laden’s identity and immediately was targeted by a drone strike which missed and completely leveled the Oklahoma City Zoo

Real right-wingers (let’s go Brandon, am I right fellas?) understand that when our buddy Kev said, “Oh, if gender identity is real than I identify as terrorist leader and perpetrator of the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden,” he meant that gender identity isn’t real. As real conservatives, we know he never would

As a pro-life man who hasn’t met a woman, I appreciate his effort to take a stand against the woke mob, even if in the end he gave up when his army of oil barons and college men that haven’t discovered hygiene got lost before they reached Wichita, which they had assumed was the state capital. Every politician has to come to terms with the fact that they will not be able to enact every policy they want, and for Stitt, this meant winnowing down his colonial goals to annexing Arkansas instead.

When he gave up on his lifelong dream to be on Broadway in order to support his family by founding a mortgage company and selling his soul to the devil

Our beloved Faustian Governor inspired politicians everywhere by giving up on his dream to play Munkustrap in “Cats” just to sell his soul to the devil (mortgage companies) in exchange for all his desires to be satisfied by Mephisto (the oil and gas industry). It takes a real man to roll up your sleeves and become a despicable human being in exchange for wealth and power.

When Kev stole 40 percent of the state’s budget so that he could take his buddies to Vegas I admire his entrepreneurial and enterprising approach to laundering.

When Lord Kevin mistook his own Lieutenant Governor for a deer and shot him in the face

You have got to love a man paying respects to the classic moments in the Republican Party’s history. Not to mention, no one really misses the guy and news sources have yet to notice that he was replaced by a similar-looking Oral Roberts alum also named Matt.

When Kevin Robinette Stitt sued President Joseph Robinette Biden for not giving him as many tanks for the OKC and Tulsa Police departments as he asked for Sure, Biden was willing to give a few tanks, but it really shows how little Democrats care about our law enforcement that he only gave enough for half of the police department to have one. Now they have to take turns. Although the legal battle ended in both parties repeatedly pardoning themselves, I think we can appreciate the effort regardless.

Reports place Vermont senator Bernard Sanders at no fewer than 14 of Burlington’s hottest clubs and bars, ingesting cocaine, a Schedule II narcotic in U.S. law, off the arse of a dancer at two separate locations. Iowa senator Chuck Grassley and Missouri senator Roy Blunt confessed feelings for one another and have scheduled to depart on a European tour together Wednesday, Sept. 14, visiting Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and Athens. And finally, former president Donald Trump spent the week with family, sharing with one another what stories and secrets had evaded the hands of federal investigators.

Zach Short

Everyone’s favorite Editor-inChief and Smashing Pumkins fan

Numerous governmental officials in the United States have begun acting upon impulse in a moment paralysing the

U.K.

graphic by Kyle Garrison

Mary Lickona Local self-care guru.

Her Majesty was survived by her four loving children/third cousins, once removed.

Article republished with permission of The Telegraph.

I guess I could have labeled the axes but who has the motivation

graphic by Kyle Garrison

Kyle Garrison