13 April 2020

a student newspaper of the University of Tulsa

April 13, 2020 issue 23 ~ volume 105

IMPROVE

TU

cover by Emma Palmer

pg. 6

True Commitment a year later, pg. 3 Literary magazines offer an outlet for writers, pg. 11

Sports

The Collegian: 2

13 April 2020

How we can improve TU’s athletics Sports journalist Hannah Robbins discusses some of the simple ways everyone can help TU athletics succeed.

The University of Tulsa has the smallest division one program in the nation.

While internally this is praised, showing what we can do with a smaller recruiting pool, one glance at most of our sports teams’ past records show another side: it’s hard to get the talent for a team to succeed at a small university.

However, just assuming the small talent pool would be at fault ignores the success I’ve seen at my time at TU. My freshman year, TU football had a 10-win season.

This year, TU’s men’s basketball beat two ranked teams, and last year they beat Memphis, another ranked team.

The women’s rowing team competed overseas this past summer.

Our teams have the ability to win. So why don’t they? One of the most dangerous places for an athlete to be is in their own head.

If athletes believe they cannot succeed, it is very hard to create a reality where they win.

So when some athletes seem defeated by the third quarter, there is nothing more that the team does but wait for the mercy kill.

This won’t get our teams the win, but instead prolong the loss and prevent the team from living up to its potential.

One of the most frustrating things as a sports fan is to watch a

team continually fail a practicable skill.

Take the football team’s inability to hit a 40-yard field goal.

This is a skill the kickers should practice continually (it’s their only job, after all), but in two separate games this season this lack of practice caused TU to lose.

We have the ability to succeed, but if the team is not practicing the right things in the right way to make some of the most clutch moments routine, they won’t be able to put up when it counts.

Right now, there is a public perception that TU has poor athletic showings. This is not a blanket statement, but to the student body, it is, and that shows in student attendance.

Very few women’s basketball games have any student attendees, and even I’ve missed most games that weren’t basketball or football.

Students’ presence and cheering at games is motivational.

Who can forget the times that students have surged onto the basketball court after upsets or stormed the field before the first home football game?

Crowds can be electric, and while there are incentives to attend other sports, such as free soccer giveaways, the crowd isn’t there.

If this changes, I believe that TU athletics would make strong showings in more sports.

graphic by Emma Palmer

Captain Cane is getting ready for next year.

Once again I have needed to full up some space in everyone’s favorite outlet for sports.

Brace yourselves!

First off, I want to wish everyone a happy Easter, as that is the day on which this was written. May it be blessed and bright and full of life in these dark times.

Something I have been reflecting on a lot lately is the Olympic games.

They are postponed this year of course, but I would be remiss not to talk about them a little bit before I graduate and hand off the proverbial torch to the next sports editor.

Sports, in many ways, are not necessary for life. They do not directly feed anyone, nor do they cure diseases or build many permanent homes.

And yet, the Olympics is something we make time for all the same.

Wars are put on hold, with the exception of the world wars which cancelled the games, and countries that literally hate each other compete in diving off platforms and running in circles.

It is a time of humanity reminiscent of the Christmas Day truce of WWI in which enemy soldiers played a game of soccer together between days of shooting each other to pieces.

One must wonder, if we are so capable in this level of peace, why are we so unable to do it more often?

Perhaps we will one day.

Interestingly enough, the last two times the Olympic games were cancelled were also in Japan.This means the The Land of the Rising Sun is 1-3 in starting their games on time.

It also means that three out of four times the Olympics were cancelled or postponed, Japan was set to host.

The remaining one occasion was when Germany was set to host the 1916 Summer Olympics that were cancelled because of WWI. While the trivia here is quite fun, there is something to think about here. Niche sports which most people only care about every four years have outlasted empires and wars and now a pandemic.

The elegant sport of curling has predated and outlasted the Nazi empire. The U.S. handball team is older than its Department of Defense.

When Japan had forfeited its right to host the 1940 and 1944 games, it was amassing an empire, and just a year after it would have hosted its second games, it had lost that empire and, surviving the horrors of no less than two atomic bombs.

Yet, just 19 years later, Japan went on to host the world in playing games of which Japan won 16 gold medals.

Every time the world is ending, and the relatively unimportant world of sports is put on hold for a while, the Olympics always return when the crisis is over.

The Olympic torch may be an old symbol from a bygone era, but nowadays, I like thinking about it here and there.

Somewhere it is on hold in Japan, sitting by itself in storage where it was left to be temporarily forgotten.

Burning completely alone in the cold and the dark. Waiting to be free again.

This is a fake calendar since all sporting events have been cancelled.

Monday

Tuesday 3

M Virusball vs. OBU 6 p.m.

Wednesday 4

Quarantine Crochet Tournament @Grandma’s 11 a.m.

5

Race to the vaccine vs.

COVID-19 24/7

Thursday

Saturday

Friday 6

7

Sunday 8

9

Quarantine W Basketball Staring at Staying Alive Gains the Ceiling Fan Contagion Everyone @Your house vs.

Yourself League All the Time All Morning 6 p.m.

8 p.m.

13 April 2020

News

The Collegian: 3

“Our path to a golden future”:

The lack of commitment to True Commitment

A year after the initial announcement, TU withdraws from many big pillars of True Commitment.

Chris Lierly Commentary Editor Lindsey Prather Staff Writer To quote Interim President Levit’s town hall remarks from April 11, 2019: “We are far from the university we were just 12 months ago.”

Following a series of oversight measures by faculty committees and the Faculty Senate, several aspects of the True Commitment plan have been abandoned. There has been no complete reversal regarding the programs cut under True Commitment — however, these programs can petition the Board of Trustees for reinstatement.

After consistent backlash and research that called into question the merits of True Commitment, TU administration has opted

not to implement proposed certain initiatives. The Professional Super College and the controversial shift from academic departments to divisions across the university will not be proceeding as planned.

The TU Board of Trustees accepted the recommendations of faculty task forces, which did not support a broad range of these proposed changes. These reports were submitted to the Faculty Senate in January and advocated against divisions and consolidation, on the grounds that neither change would cut costs, but instead would have a negative effect on retention and accreditation.

set to be released within a month, barring any complications.

Despite these developments, when asked for comment the university affirmed, “The idea of consolidating our five colleges and over 30 academic units into a smaller number remains under review. The status quo is not an option.”

As of April 9, the TU Academic Strategy website still lists multiple of the now rejected changes alongside yet to be determined propositions such as the University Studies program for freshman students.

Following the Board meeting a few days prior, Interim President Levit announced

“There has been no complete reversal regarding the programs cut under True Commitment — however, these programs can petition the Board of Trustees for reinstatement.”

The conclusions from that final task force regarding the viability of University Studies is still pending, and will act as a final verdict for True Commitment and its remaining supporters. The findings of this report are

this decision to the Faculty Senate during a virtual meeting on March 12. When asked for comment, Chair of the Board Frederic Dowart could not be reached. True Commitment consumed much of Dorwart’s recent

tenure as chair, and a transition from him to Dana Weber is scheduled to occur before the next academic year.

President Holmstrom and Vice President Airey of the Faculty Senate could not be reached for comment regarding these updates. As the Faculty Senate prepares to transition into a new year, a scheduled rotation is set to occur that would place an Arts and Science professor, likely Airey, as the President of the Faculty Senate in the upcoming year.

April 11 marked a year since the announcement of the True Commitment plan, championed by Provost Levit, Former President Clancy and other vocal members of the PPRC. The twelve months that followed were marked with considerable confusion, ambiguity, and mobilization among the university’s constituencies, with the rollback of this plan appearing as the end result. True Commitment’s now-defunct webpage described the plan as “our path to a golden future;” now it appears that TU’s future will find a way to be golden without it.

Abortions considered North Macedonia enters “non-essential” in US NATO with new name

graphic courtesy Wikimedia The Republic of North Macedonia, formerly just Macedonia, gained its independence in 1991 from Yugoslavia.

courtesy Charles Edward Miller/Flickr Person protesting the so-called “Gag Rule” President Donald Trump put in place to prevent federal funding to go to organizations such as Planned Parenthood.

Oklahoma joined in on the trend across the United States to deem abortions “non-essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tori Gellman Student Writer In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, hospitals and medical facilities around the globe have quickly become overwhelmed with the number of infected patients. Subsequently, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has suggested that all elective procedures are postponed until after COVID-19 has been sufficiently contained. The question now is, what procedures qualify as elective?

Numerous states — including Texas and Ohio — have deemed abortions non-esential procedures. Some states have decided to fine and jail providers who continue performing abortions during this time.

Governor of Mississippi Tate Reeves stated that he would continue his attempt “to make Mississippi the safest place in America for unborn children.” Reeves later was forced to backpedal and said that abortions would be considered elective procedures only because of the pandemic, not for any other political agenda.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that violators would be “met with the full force of the law,” which could mean 180 days in jail or a $1,000 fine.

Many leaders and advocates of women’s right agencies have spoken out against the classification of abortions as non-essential procedures. Acting President and Chief Executive Officer of Planned Parenthood Fed-

erations of America Alexis McGill Johnson responded to these decisions in the New York Post, calling abortion bans “unconscionable.” Center for Reproductive Rights President Nancy Northup said that they “would take every legal action necessary to fight this abuse of emergency powers.” CEO of #VOTEPROCHOICE Heidi Sieck stated to USA Today, “it’s insidious for anti-choice lawmakers to politicize this time of crisis to restrict abortion and necessary reproductive services and try to control our bodies.”

Ohio Health Director Amy Acton created a state order that outlined criteria for essential procedures; a threat to the patient’s life if the procedure is not performed, the threat of permanent dysfunction to an extremity or organ, risk of metastasis or progression of staging or risk of rapidly worsening severe symptoms. The order doesn’t list specific procedures, which is what is allowing the continued dissent between pro-life and prochoice organziations and initiatives.

In Oklahoama, Governor Kevin Stitt confirmed that his executive order in midMarch, which banned non-essential procudres, did in fact apply to any abortion procedures. Judge Charles Goodwin blocked the issued state executive order that limited abortion access during the current pandemic. Goodwin acknowledged the time-sensitive nature of abortions and refused to allow republican officials get carried away even in this unprecedented time.

In addition to the timely aspect of abortions, very few abortions actually take place within a hospital. This fact undermines much of the argument to ban abortions during the pandemic, because the procedure isn’t taking resources away from those infected with COVID-19.

After years of dispute with Greece over the country’s name, North Macedonia changed its name to join the military alliance.

Dominic Cingoranelli Student Writer The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) welcomed its 30th member, North Macedonia, on March 27. This marks the culmination of a 30 year effort on behalf of North Macedonia, which has sought NATO membership since shortly after the dissolution of the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991.

After joining the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) in 1995, a program designed

by NATO to build trust with and potentially groom former Soviet states for NATO membership, North Macedonia (formerly just Macedonia) has worked tirelessly to enter the organization. Their largest hurdle pre-

nia simply added a geographical distinction to its name, thus becoming the Republic of North Macedonia. After the naming dispute was resolved, North Macedonia was extended an invitation to become a NATO member in July 2018. In early 2019, the NATO member states began the process of ratifying North Macedonia’s membership; this process concluded on March 19 after unanimous member state approval and unanimous approval of NATO membership in the North Macedonian senate.

NATO is, first and foremost, a military alliance predicated on the concept that “an attack on one is an attack on all.” NATO members are required to spend two percent or more of GDP on their military, and joint actions between NATO member states have been taken in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the breakout of the Bosnian War in 1992, in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks, in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean to deter piracy in the region and against the Gaddafi regime in the 2011 Libyan Civil war, amongst others.

“The historical merit of each nation’s right to use the name ‘Macedonia’ has been a fierce point of contention.” venting membership has been the recentlyresolved naming dispute with Greece.

Until mid-2018, North Macedonia was known only as Macedonia. This posed a problem for North Macedonia’s neighbor to the south, Greece, because the northernmost administrative region in Greece is also known as Macedonia. The historical merit of each nation’s right to use the name “Macedonia” has been a fierce point of contention, so much so that Greece vetoed North Macedonia’s previous attempt to officially join NATO in 2008.

However, in June 2018, the two countries reached an agreement: Greece would not hinder any further attempts by Macedonia to join NATO if the Republic of Macedo-

NATO was founded with only 12 members in 1949 as an extension of a previous, similar alliance, The Brussels Treaty Organization. NATO generally limits its sphere of activity to anything north of the Tropic of Cancer and in the Atlantic or Mediterranean area. The alliance was originally designed to counter the influence of the USSR in Europe, but since the dissolution of the USSR it has shifted its attention more to the domestic concerns of its constituent nations, which has led to interventions in power struggles and periods of civil unrest in nearby states, such as in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Libya.

News

The Collegian: 4

13 April 2020

4 p.m.

Officers assisted Housing staff, who were contacting a Norman Village resident to complete required paperwork to stay on campus.

6 p.m.

Officers discovered students in the Hurricane Track/Soccer Stadium without authorization and escorted them out.

March 28 6:40 p.m.

Officers responded to a fire alarm at the Sigma Nu Fraternity House. Upon arrival officers met with a TU student who informed us that they were cooking and burnt the food. The Tulsa Fire Department was cancelled and the fire panel was reset.

March 29 7:30 p.m.

On 30 Mar 2020, Officers took a report of indecent exposure to a student on 29 Mar 2020 at 6th St. & Delaware Ave. Students were taking pictures when they saw the suspect slowly drive by with his pants down and exposing his genitals before driving off campus. The student declined to file a report with Tulsa Police at this time and officers will watch for the vehicle if it returns to campus.

March 31 1:25 a.m.

Officers were conducting apartment security checks and discovered an apartment unlocked in Lorton Village. Officers made contact with the resident who wasn’t on the current approved list to stay on campus. Officers advised the resident to contact housing in order to maintain their residence on campus.

11:55 a.m.

Officers made contact with a student in Mabee Gym and determined the student did not have permission to be in the building, and escorted them out. Officers informed the student to contact Campus Security if they need to gain access to buildings on campus in the future.

April 1 1:25 a.m.

Officers were conducting apartment security checks and discovered an apartment unlocked in Brown Village. Officers made contact with the resident who wasn’t approved to stay on campus and advised them to contact housing for approval to reside on campus.

9:20 a.m.

Officers responded to McFarlin Library in regards to a student being in the computer lab since the lab is closed due to COVID-19 and the student was escorted out.

April 2 11:40 a.m.

Officers interviewed a student regarding unauthorized access into the Sigma Nu house on campus. The student was advised access is not allowed into the fraternity house at this time. The student collected remaining personal items and the fraternity house was secured.

4:30 p.m.

Officers are investigating larceny from a vehicle after a TU affiliate reported their catalytic converter had been removed from their vehicle while parked in the 4th & Harvard Lot. The victim was advised to file an online Tulsa Police report.

April 3 7:20 p.m.

Officers made contact with a student at the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Officers determined students were living in Kappa Alpha without authorization. Student misconducts were issued and the student was ordered to leave Kappa Alpha by morning 04 APR 2020.

April 4 6:10 p.m.

Officers made contact with two individuals at the Hurricane Track Complex. It was determined the individuals did not have authorization to be using the facility. Officers escorted

the individuals from the premises, and informed them they will be issued student conduct violations if they enter the facility again without proper authorization.

11:55 p.m.

Officers made contact with an intoxicated student near the Sigma Chi Fraternity and determined the student had been drinking inside the fraternity house with other students and non-students. Officers identified the students involved and attempted to make contact with them. Three student misconducts were issued. This report is linked to 0441-20.

11:55 p.m.

Officers made contact with an intoxicated student near the Sigma Chi Fraternity and determined the student was currently residing on campus without approval. The student contacted a sober third-party to transport them off campus.

Two student misconducts were issued. This report is linked to 0442-20.

April 5 2:50 p.m.

Officers made contact with two students at the Hurricane Track Complex. It was determined the students did not have authorization to be using the facility. Officers escorted them from the premises, and informed them they will be issued student misconduct violations if they enter the facility again without proper authorization.

3:25 p.m.

Officers made contact with two students at the Case Tennis Center. It was determined the students did not have authorization to be using the facility. Officers escorted them from the premises, and informed them they will be issued student misconduct violations if they enter the facility again without proper authorization.

April 6 6 p.m.

Officers made contact with a student at the Hurricane Track Complex and determined the student did not have authorization to access the facility. Officers escorted the student from the premises and informed them they would be issued a student conduct violation if they entered the facility again.

The Collegian does not produce or edit the Campus Crime Watch except for content and brevity.

All coronavirus updates are taken from the utulsa.edu/archive/coronavirus-updates website. The email updates are in reverse chronological order and the date at the top of the updates reflects the date the updates were sent. Updates were not edited except for brevity.

Chris Lierly Commentary Editor Lindsey Prather Staff Writer

East African countries brace for the second wave of locusts Shortly before much of the world responded to the coronavirus outbreak with stay-athome and quarantine orders, East Africa was faced with the largest locust swarm in over half a century. Some countries had not seen a swarm this bad in 70 years. This week, experts project that a second wave, originating from Somalia, will hit Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan, with Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania and Congo also potentially sitting in the swarm’s path.

These nations are, for the most part, the same ones affected by the initial wave, but key differences exist between the two swarms. The most important of those differences being that samples of the second wave show some locusts in it to be 20 times larger than those in the first wave. As millions brace for the impact of a second potentially cataclysmic wave, COVID-19 is a secondary, yet still very real, threat to the region.

5G towers targeted by conspiracy theorists Protestors in multiple countries have damaged various types of 5G infrastructure following unsubstantiated claims linking the connectivity to COVID-19. Multiple instances of this targeted sabotage have been reported in countries such as the Netherlands and Great Britain. Various groups in the Netherlands have actively opposed the expansion of 5G connectivity throughout the country, due mostly to potential health concerns stemming from the radio waves that could hypothetically be harmful to those in the vicinity.

However, according to authorities, issues such as graffiti and arson have increased in number following the proliferation of unsupported connections to the spread of coronavirus. British authorities have reported multiple cases of arson, all targeted toward 5G towers. This comes after a conspiracy theory claiming that Wuhan, China aggressively implemented 5G prior to getting rocked by the virus. Despite the traction enjoyed by this theory online, there is no evidence to support this.

Land around Chernobyl catches on fire Following a series of wildfires that broke out in the Chernobyl exclusion zone on April 4, radiation levels in the area have spiked, prompting an evacuation of the surrounding areas as the fires continue to burn. Although the number of people in the adjacent villages is somewhat minimal, the fires have been the subject of great concern due to their ability to send radioactive particles high into the atmosphere, potentially endangering those downwind.

The largest fire spans around 50 acres to the west of the exclusion zone, near the abandoned village of Vladimirovka in Ukraine. Officials are concerned at the potential of the fires to worsen, given the large swathes of uncontrolled forests, grasslands and other wooded areas that would exacerbate this issue. However, the flames have yet to pose a significant threat to those outside the exclusion zone, and authorities hope that the issue will be resolved quickly with no further incident.

Friday, April 3 COVID-19 Presumptive Positive Test The University of Tulsa Crisis Management Team learned this afternoon of a student living in a campus apartment who has received a presumptive positive result for a COVID-19 test. As a result, this individual has begun working with TU health officials and is receiving medical attention off campus. In addition, we have notified those individuals known to us who have been in direct contact with the student. We understand that this is a difficult situation and ask that you respect the privacy of those affected during what is a difficult time.

All of the affected individuals have been quarantined and steps are being taken to amplify cleaning protocols. We will continue to take action to protect the health and safety of our community.

Thursday, April 2 Employee news and updates In accordance with Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum’s Safer at Home Order that now extends through April 30, employees who are able to work remotely should remain off campus unless absolutely necessary. TU staff members who report to work for minimal campus operations and anyone who visits campus must take their temperature twice daily (once in the morning and once in the evening). If you have an elevated temperature or feel ill, please remain at home and notify your supervisor. Faculty and staff should also contact Laurie Paul at Hurricane Health Clinic at 918-631-2974 for further evaluation and advisement if their temperature is elevated.

Wednesday, April 1 Commencement Postponed I am sad to share with you the news that The University of Tulsa’s 145th Commencement on May 9 will be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We polled students to ask how best to honor and celebrate this year’s graduates given our current challenges. You told us that you are not interested in a virtual commencement. You also told us that you don’t want commencement canceled; you want it postponed. The majority of respondents were in favor of rescheduling it for October, perhaps tied to TU Homecoming. There was also support for a summer ceremony, if the COVID-19 threat lifts by then. We will explore alternatives and will keep you informed.

Meanwhile, the faculty, administration, Alumni Association and Student Association will find another way to recognize those of you completing your degrees in May. We may not be able to replicate the pomp and circumstance of a traditional TU commencement, but we will not let this milestone go unnoted.

Wednesday, April 1 Keep Learning Website, Internet Connectivity and More!

We still see some areas where we might be able to address shifting concerns. As such, we welcome you to visit a new website landing page dedicated entirely to you and your personal support team: https://keeplearning.utulsa.edu/. We promise to keep the webpage fresh and timely as we will continue to listen to YOU. We are honored to address YOUR NEEDS/WANTS. Your success is our success.

Monday, March 30 Student news and updates In response to the latest developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, TU has updated its policy and now requires students, faculty and staff to self-quarantine off campus and record their temperature twice daily for at least 14 days after traveling outside the state.

Those returning from travel abroad or on board a cruise ship also must be screened through a call with Alexander Health Center (students) or Hurricane Health Clinic (employees) before stepping onto campus. Information on TU’s travel policy as well as full COVID-19 response details are available online.

The Collegian does not produce all event descriptions in the Community Calendar.

Contact us at news@tucollegian.org with events.

Commentary

13 April 2020

The Collegian: 5

Boris Johnson’s reckless behavior puts many at risk

The British PM boasted of shaking COVID-19 patients’ hands before contracting the virus himself.

Hannah Robbins Student Writer Boris Johnson made a tactical error in his efforts to prevent the British people from worrying about COVID-19. On March 3, the British Prime Minister announced at a press conference that he had shook hands with every person who had COVID-19 at a hospital he visited the night before. Johnson bragged about the encounter, as if he had not just exposed himself to a highly contagious and occasionally asymptomatic virus in the midst of a pandemic.

Not only did Johnson contract the virus, which he announced on March 27, but, before he showed symptoms, continued to run the British government, exposing hundreds of lawmakers who have a significant impact on the nation as a whole. This is negligent in a way that is worse than Rand Paul’s trips to the golf club and the gym. At least four members of Johnson’s staff tested positive in the days since his positive test.

Then, Johnson got worse. On April 5 Johnson was admitted to the hospital for routine tests related to COVID-19. Ignoring the concerns about his health, Johnson has been one of the first world leaders to deal with the virus personally, and his state has had an impact on the nation he leads. No one wants their leader ill in the midst of a pandemic. Then, the next day Johnson was admitted to the ICU. After three days he was able to leave, but the impact is substantial.

All Johnson did was expose himself needlessly to the virus and he was considered in enough danger to be in the ICU less than two weeks later. COVID-19 is dangerous and not well understood, and Britain should be concerned about the decision making skills of their leader. In the midst of this pandemic the government has been the biggest hindrance to the nation fol-

“... Britain should be concerned about the decision making skills of their leader.”

Of course, this encounter went just as anticipated. Johnson knew what the virus was like, at least on some level, yet put himself in danger, and his unwilling staff along with him. Johnson ignored all the restrictions he was placing on his nation, continuing to go about business as usual in March, ignoring social distancing, which exasperated the situation in his office.

lowing rules and guidelines to flatten the curve, and maybe other world leaders will learn from Johnson’s mistakes. I personally don’t have much faith in the ability of those that lead to follow their own rules, but maybe in a global pandemic someone will gain some common sense and allow the government to still have the ability to lead in the future.

Johnson had a brief stay in the ICU but is said to be recovering now.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Despite destruction, pandemic has inspired many to do good Many stores have hours designated for more at risk populations.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

@TUCollegian

tucollegian@tucollegian.org editor-in-chief

Ethan Veenker managing editor

Emily Every news editor

Madison Connell sports editor

Brennen Gray variety editor

Piper Prolago commentary editor

Chris Lierly satire editor

Sara Serrano photo & graphics editor

Emma Palmer

business & advertising manager

Brian Kwiecinski

social media & web manager

Anna Johns

distribution managers

Alaina Nauman Mary Bergwell copy editor

Hana Saad

The Collegian is the student newspaper of the University of Tulsa. It is distributed Mondays during the fall and spring semesters, except during holidays and final exam weeks. The University of Tulsa does not discriminate on the basis of personal status or group characteristics including but not limited to the classes protected under federal and state law. Inquiries regarding implementation of this policy may be addressed to the Office of Human Resources, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-9700, (918)631-2616. Requests for accomodation of disabilities may be addressed to the university’s 504 Coordinator, Dr. Tawny Rigsby, (918)631-3814. To ensure availability of an interpeter, five to seven days notice is needed; 48 hours is recommended for all other accomodations.

Advertising Policy: Advertising appearing in this publication does not imply approval or endorsement by the University of Tulsa or the Collegian for the products or services advertised. For advertising information, email the Collegian at advertising@tucollegian.org. The deadline for advertising is noon on the Friday proir to publication.

Letter Policy: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words and can be sent to tucollegian@tucollegian.org. Under no circumstances will anonymous letters be published. The name of the person submitting the letter must be published with the letter. We reserve the right to edit or reject all letters. The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication.

Editing Policy: The Collegian reserves the right to edit all copy submitted by all writers. This editing may take place in many forms, including grammar corrections, changes in paragraph structure or even the addition or removal of sections of content.

Editorial Policy: Columnists are solely responsible for the content of their columns. Opinions expressed in columns may not represent the opions of the Collegian staff, the administrative policies of the University of Tulsa, the views of the student body or our advertisers.

Acts of kindess and a creative spirit are things that have made this crisis manageable for many.

Tori Gellman Student Writer The human population is experiencing an unprecedented change in the way we live our lives. We, as inherently social creatures, are being asked, and even required, to stay at home and limit our physical contact with others. Some people are following these guidelines better than others, but most everyone acknowledges how challenging and frustrating this period of isolation can be.

That being said, I can’t help but notice that, though we are physically apart, people seem to be more connected and united than ever before.

For every piece of news about the coronavirus and the increasing death toll, there’s a matching one describing the kindness of

animals. Individuals are being resourceful and innovative, making face masks out of old t-shirts and hair ties and taking walks with their friends from opposite sides of the street. The importance of local businesses is being recognized on a much larger scale as people opt to get curbside takeout from small restaurants as opposed to supporting bigger chains.

Major holidays and celebrations are taking place in the midst of stay-at-home orders. Parents created elaborate Easter egg hunts for their children while remaining in the confines of their homes. Passover Seder was held through Zoom around the country.

Families are talking and checking on each other more. Friends are exchanging handwritten letters of positivity.

All of these amazing moments and actions are not limited to while we are in the middle of a pandemic. Having meaningful connections and interactions with individuals does not have to end after we return to our insanely busy lives.

In fact, when we are overwhelmed and moving non-stop, I’d argue these support systems we are currently relying on are more important than ever. The joy and satisfaction people are deriving from reading and writing and creating can still be felt while people are students, parents and workers.

Most importantly, this sense of community that has emerged in the midst of isolation has to continue.

The way we are caring about and for one

“... I urge everyone to not think of kindness as limited to times of tragedy.” strangers or the support efforts for nurses and doctors. My sister in Philadelphia, along with her two roommates, have been picking up their elderly neighbors’ medications and leaving groceries on his doorstep.

There has been a revived sense of creativity in people as they find themselves with more and more time on their hands. People are reading for pleasure again! Musicians are creating virtual concerts and museums and aquariums are keeping us up to date on their

another is incredibly beautiful. The way we are choosing to share facets about ourselves and embrace those around us is creating a more understanding and thoughtful society — one that I want to get to walk around in and be an active part of. So, I urge everyone to not think of kindness as limited to times of tragedy. To not only allow yourselves to be vulnerable in times of uncertainty. To be open and loving moving forward and continue cultivating this sense of togetherness that has blossomed in the last few weeks.

The Collegian: 6

Improve TU

13 April 2020

16 Suggestions to improve the University of Tulsa

This year marks the Collegian’s seventh annual Improve TU issue. In the past, this issue has been used to affect real change on TU’s campus.

From suggestions in our 2014 issue, Campus Connection became a far less clunky Portal, events hosted by student organizations now rely less heavily on studentsfronting the cost, the McFarlin computer lab was upgraded, a bulletin board was placed in the Student Union, course evaluation due dates were pushed to more reasonable times and the commuter lounge was replaced and updated.

From 2015, students became more politically engaged, dining dollars donations to those in need was implemented and domestic minority outreach increased with the hiring of Jacqueline Caldwell as vice president for diversity and engagement.

From 2016, our recycling bins became easier to access, SA made real efforts to engage students during election time and there became no question about our right to hang in a hammock.

From 2017, the course evaluation link went from being underpublicized to being the first pop up when you log onto a library computer, McFarlin r eceived a 24-hour study lounge and gender-neutral bathrooms were added across campus.

From 2018, a course in Tulsa history was offered for undergraduate students.

From 2019, students were given the option to directly transfer unused printing pages to students who needed more.

We are not so presumptuous to believe the Collegian is solely responsible for these changes. They are the result of students making their opinions heard in a variety of ways, not only through the paper but through direct appeals to SA and the administration. As students we are a powerful force to be reckoned with. It may be a cliche, but we are agents of change. Keep up the good work.

#1: Give students a late-night dining option on campus

Health and safety make up two major reasons that TU needs dining options after 11 p.m.

Brennen Gray Sports Editor Have at least one food option open after hours — Brennen TU needs a place where students can use Dining Dollars or Meal Swipes late at night.

During weekdays, dining options on campus sit at a respectable four choices up until 8 p.m. Then that number moves to a decent three options between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and then to just The Hut after 9 p.m.

Then the Hut closes at 11 p.m., and TU students are left with no access to food outside of the vending machines. The usual option is to go to Taco Bell or something across the street. But if a student does not feel safe or lacks transportation to go through a drive through at midnight in Tulsa, what then?

It would be safe to say that meal access can be limited. Students cannot use their meal swipes to stock up on food for the evening when they are only allowed three swipes a day, including the meals students

Most college students stay up later than 11 p.m., and on nights before due dates and exams, they are going to bed as late as three or four in the morning, if at all.

That makes at least four to five hours without anything to eat, so chips and honey buns are where students tend to go.

One reason this may not be as much of a priority is that some students do have access to food, just not all of them. Students who do not have apartments all share a small kitchen with the entire dorm, sometimes without

“The important thing is that it is an upgrade from off-campus fast food and vending machines.” actually eat in the Pat Case Dining Center.

This means a student has to choose between eating a meal during the day and having something to eat after 11 p.m, on a late night study session. A 24-hour food option would alleviate this.

Another problem lacking a late-night option presents is that students consistently eat too much vending machine food at night.

all the cooking ware they would need.

So the majority of students who would have the most trouble getting food are freshmen who live in dorms. What other group is more likely to mismanage time and pull an all-nighter, or end even up dropping out because they did not feel at home?

Now there may be some obstacles here.

Staffing a place 24 hours could present some

logistical problems. The school would have to acquire a space for students to eat, and then find employees that the school trusts to work the late hours.

As is such, the dining option could open at 11 p.m. and close around 8 a.m., so that it at least covers the hours it would be most needed. If it gets to the point where it would be beneficial to extend its hours to cover more of the day, then that can be done later.

Another way to make this possible would be to hire student employees, especially considering the hours would be the same as the ones that were cut from the front desk workers just two years ago.

All the positions the restaurant would need, except for the food preparing itself, could be done by students.

As far as what the place could serve, I would suggest whatever is best for the school. The important thing is that it is an upgrade from off-campus fast food and vending machines.

College students do many things at odd hours, especially eat. We need an option for the late nights.

#2: Ban all fraternities at the University of Tulsa Fraternities contribute to a toxic campus culture and pose a threat to members and non-members alike.

This writer requested anonymity.

Fraternities are embedded within the culture and conception of the college experience. However, not only do fraternities cultivate a culture of misogyny and violence toward outsiders, they also put their members at risk. In November 2019, Ashley Collman of Insider Magazine stated that there had been five fraternity-related deaths that year alone — these include a high school student visiting his brother who went into cardiac arrest and died in an off-campus fraternity, as well as a four-year-old boy in Kentucky who was run over by an intoxicated KU fraternity member. After a fiveyear study of fraternity culture, Sociology professor Elizabeth Armstrong concluded that fraternities are hotbeds for “alcoholism, alcohol poisoning, people falling out of windows and dangerous hazing incidents.”

These are not remotely uncommon occurrences. Journalist Hank Nuwer said, “there has been at least one hazing death a year” at American colleges from 1959-2019.

At the University of Tulsa, a former member of Pi Kappa Alpha, Zach Martin, was arrested in 2017 for multiple accounts of

sexual battery as well as rape and sodomy.

The victim, a Kappa Delta sorority member, told officers that the event occurred within the fraternity house. Every month, there is at least one campus crime report related to inappropriate use of drugs or alcohol in relation to a fraternity. In 2018, a Kappa Sigma fraternity member was expelled from the chapter after an individual in a sorority reported he assaulted her.

I have personally watched my attacker, also a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, walk across the stage at graduation and accept his diploma with a smile on his face — only three months after he broke into my

The University of Tulsa has consistently requested that students participate in the Campus Climate Survey, the purpose of which is to “investigate the prevalence rates, attitudes regarding interpersonal violence, knowledge of and access to resources, alcohol and drug consumption, mental health symptoms and perception of preventative and response efforts by the university” according to TU’s website. Though sexual assault and interpersonal violence reamin underreported crimes, the CCS gives an overall picture of the levels of such crimes on college campuses. The 2018-2019 Executive Summary of the CCS at TU shows that

“... The University of Tulsa would be a much safer place without the presence of social fraternities.” on-campus apartment and raped me. After I spoke out about the incident and reported it to campus security, other members of the fraternity started verbally harassing me on campus and spreading rumors about me. I seriously considered transferring schools or taking a leave of absence. I would come to find out that this individual had had prior offenses related to underage drinking. No actions were taken against him by the university.

8.6 percent of students reported experiences of forced, drug-facilitated or attempted sexual assault. 76.2 percent of these assaults occurred on campus, with 34.1 percent occurring in fraternity houses. That is more than double the next highest percentage of location of assault.

In the portion of the summary regarding campus culture, the lack of accountability for fraternities and their members is highlighted as well as an overwhelming concern

that “campus security does not have the authority to address issues at the fraternities.” There is evidence supporting the fact that fraternities do not follow alcohol policies and subsequently perpetuate a culture of binge drinking and increasing risks of assaults. But the correlation between prevalence of assaults and fraternities doesn’t stop there. 43% of survivors identified that they were a part of Greek life.

With the overwhelming statistics and the continually supported narrative that fraternities perpetuate acts of violence, why are fraternities at TU allowed to continue? According to the National Institute of Justice, “Fraternity men are three times more likely to commit rape than their non-Greek peers.”

There have been great strides in the past few years to provide resources for survivors of assault, as well as to implement programs that reduce the prevalence of assault and the current culture of binge drinking. However, it isn’t enough. Victims of acts of violence continue to be scared to speak out, and TU’s fraternities continue to be the primary hotspots for sexual assault on campus. Furthemore, fraternities continue to disregard rules and regulations surrounding alcohol dispersion and consumption. All this to say, The University of Tulsa would be a much safer place without the presence of social fraternities.

#3: Stop cutting langauge programs, offer Arabic

The university’s claims of valuing a global education do not fit with their lack of support for language programs.

Piper Prolago Variety Editor TU’s proposed elimination of several foreign language programs seems in direct opposition to the university’s emphasis on the importance of a global education. Notably,

I believe the foreign language department was already lacking an Arabic program, which not only detracts from the message of global engagement, but also from the efficacy of other existing academic programs.

While foreign language is grouped with liberal arts programs, the ability to communicate in a global job market is an essential skill in many fields.

Around the same time the university planned to roll back foreign languages, the global education department grew and garnered more attention. With the combination of the Center for Global Education and International Student Services, the newly created Center for Global Engagement emphasizes international relationships and experiences.

Through the implementation of Jump Start TU and the proposed expansion of the global scholars program, TU has demonstrated an interest not just in student employability, but also in teaching students to think in a global context. Both of these com-

ponents, though, necessarily require knowledge of foreign language.

While TU’s greatest academic claim to fame is perhaps the petroleum engineering program, we lack any opportunities for students to learn a language that would significantly contribute to future job prospects in this field. With Saudi Arabia’s dominance in the oil market and several OPEC countries naming Arabic as official languages, such as Iraq and Qatar, knowledge of Arabic, in particular, is increasingly relevant for students hoping to find jobs related to petroleum engineering.

Along with the petroleum department, though, Arabic and other languages facing cutbacks are directly pertinent to students pursuing careers in many fields. Notably, the potential elimination of the Chinese and Russian studies majors dismiss the role that knowledge of these languages could contribute to students pursuing careers in international business, international relations and foreign policy.

All of this is not to say that language programs are only relevant as means to pursue ulterior career goals. Beyond career marketability, knowledge of foreign languages is in itself fulfilling and meaningful. Studying languages promotes greater cultural appreciation and more open communication with people from different places. This could mean broadening opportunities to travel and more holistically experience other places.

On TU’s own campus, two of the top three countries for international students (Saudi Arabia and Oman) have Arabic as their official languages.

The lack of programs that would offer foundational skills to students represents a level of hypocrisy in decision making on the University’s part. Ignoring the potential that foreign languages have to enrich and support students negates the inherent role that the humanities play in promoting engaged citizenship in an increasingly global job market.

Improve TU

13 April 2020

The Collegian: 7

#4: Lessen meal swipe restrictions #5: Give students extra sick days

By not labeling each meal in the system and allowing extra swipes on Friday, meal plans could be made more flexible.

Myranda New Student Writer The University of Tulsa offers students many food options from the cafeteria, with countless hot meal options and to-go meals to the C-Store with all sorts of entrees, sides and snacks, besides of course the student union where there are ten various restaurants covering all kinds of cuisines. Students are not short of any options, and we are very lucky to have so much to choose from, but what could make it better is if we were allowed to pick whatever we wanted when we needed it.

The meal plans that are offered to students are applicable in the cafeteria and in the C-Store for to-go meals as meal swipes, but we are only offered three meal swipes a day. I see why this is an advantageous system, regulating how many meals are bought a day. If only three meal swipes are allowed to be used a day, then the number of students purchasing meals stays quite consistent, and meal services know how much food to prepare for the day. With this system, they do

not over- or underestimate meal sizes.

This is a frustrating system, though, for students when they purchase a to-go meal for lunch, but the dinner swipe is accidentally accepted; then they cannot eat dinner in the cafeteria with their friends. Another frustrating moment is when a student has five meal swipes left on a Friday and wishes to use three swipes in the C-store to purchase snacks for the weekend and next week, but cannot get lunch or dinner afterwards in the cafeteria. Even though there is still the amazing program to donate meal swipes, there are still swipes being wasted that students cannot use because they are limited to so many swipes a day. By the end of the week, a portion of those will be lost.

A start to fixing this issue while also maintaining the continuity of supplies is getting rid of the system that labels each meal. If someone purchases snacks from the C-Store on their way to the cafeteria for lunch, they should still be able to get both if they are willing to spend two of their swipes that day. They should not have to be told when they get to the cafeteria that their lunch swipe was already used.

It is more complicated to change how many swipes a student is allowed to use a day since if we had unlimited swipes, we would run out of far more supplies or be burdened by other meals that no students wanted. Instead of unlimited swipes, we could possibly implement a system where on Fridays, students were allowed to use the rest of their swipes for the week. It would only be one day of unlimited swipes that would probably only peak at five given how much is spent earlier in the week on average. One day to anticipate a surge of supplies is all that is required, but it could be used as a way to get rid of everything for the week and start fresh for the next, benefitting both students and meal services.

With COVID-19 a new factor of life, students should not have to decide between class and their health.

Chris Lierly Commentary Editor Even before COVID-19 forced most universities in America to make the shift to online classes, an allowance of three unexcused absences before a grade drop in many classes seemed a bit harsh. However, now it will be almost necessary for the colleges at TU that use this limit to expand it to at least four or five absences.

unnecessary. It’s college, we’re adults, we’re paying for these classes and should be trusted with showing up when we can.

Second, it’s admirable that some professors observe an expanded version of the broader attendance policy when there is no requirement that they do so, but a university standard is necessary in this regard. Yes, attendance and involvement play a more operative role in discussion based classes, but there is often a grade component of the syllabus focused on this.

Three excused absences might seem like enough to get through the worst of the common cold or even a small round of the flu.

However, if three days remains the allowance limit this removes the freedom for students to use those three days on more planned for absences.

Then there are the effects of making students come to class on days that they might be sick. If what they have doesn’t pose the potential of infecting others than any student who feels that they need to attend class while sick will at the least contribute less to any discussion and take less thorough notes.

If what they have is infectious, it could lead

“Excused absences are almost expressly reserved for university-related events ...”

Excused absences are almost expressly reserved for university related events such as job fairs and sporting events, and though some professors accept doctor’s notes for the ignorance of absences, this raises two issues.

First, the requirement of a doctor’s note to excuse an absence for being sick seems

to entire classes catching whatever should have kept the student at home in the first place.

If classes resume in the fall, a measure like this could play an important role in preventing the coronavirus, or any other virus, from surging at TU.

graphic by Emma Palmer TU’s Pride organization has often been left out of major decisions about Pride Week.

#6: Give TU’s Pride organization a bigger role in Pride Week University of Tulsa doesn’t understand this concept.

Throughout the year, different cultural events are held, some in celebration of a certain cultural holiday and some in education of that group or their customs. Just one of these celebrations is Pride Month. Because TU is out of session in June for the standard Pride Month, it is typically held at TU in the fall.

Student Association should let TU’s LGBTQ+ community plan Pride Week .

Madison Connell News Editor This may sound like a wild idea, but here it goes: let people from the LGBTQ+ community run Pride month. Yet, somehow, the

are trying to celebrate.

I went to one of the larger events of the month, the Pride parade. At the event, a group that seemed to largely consist of “allies” yelling and coloring on posterboard a few catchy but ultimately trivial phrases, all while eating a cheap platter of cookies.

Ultimately, the gesture of celebrating Pride Month seemed meaningless. The celebration lacked the spirit and the “pride” that

“... if you’re going to put an event on, do it correctly.”

Despite the fact that TU has a LGBTQ+ organization and other members of the LGBTQ+ community at TU, this last November it was put on largely by the Student Association with little input by the group they

is associated with the LGBTQ+ community.

Pride Month wasn’t made originally for cute selfies to post on Instagram “proving” how much of an ally you are; Pride Month has a rich history of marching for equal rights

after what many consider to be the pivotal moment in queer rights at the riots at the Stonewall Inn. Pride Marches are for continuing that fight for the rights not yet won and for celebrating queer culture together.

This isn’t to say straight and cisgender allies aren’t welcome at Pride Month. Allies are important for continuing this fight.

But allies shouldn’t be the ones making the calls, and they shouldn’t shout inappropriate, inaccurate phrases such as “we’re here, we’re queer!” when we’ve had to fight to reclaim such words that were once derogatorily thrown at us.

So let cultural events on campus be meaningful; let those from that group take the lead, and if you’re going to put an event on, do it correctly. We don’t need cheap $10 for 100 stickers from Amazon as an afterthought — we need to celebrate the people on campus by showing them the respect they deserve.

#7: The LaFortune Hall side of campus needs better lighting

The southeast side of campus can be an intimidating walk after dark and students need to feel safe.

Myranda New Student Writer

Whether it is daytime or nighttime, it is always vital to know where you are going and what you will come across on that path.

During my first semester, I was working on a class project with my friend in her dorm room at LaFortune. When we finished at 9:00 pm, I took the project and headed back to my own dorm room in Lottie Jane. What I did not anticipate, since I had not yet been on LaFortune’s side of campus, was how there were no streetlights guiding my path from the dorm to Collins Hall. Being a college freshman living on my own for the first time, it was pretty scary to walk by myself in the pitch dark with only my phone screen to guide me, even though nothing happened.

Throughout the year, I continued to frequent

that stretch of pavement in the dark, walking to and from Mabee Gym with my friends to attend Texas Two-Stepping meetings. While I did feel better walking with a group, I could not get over why it had to be so dark.

The University of Tulsa needs to put in more streetlights on that corner of campus, especially because that is where all of the fraternity houses and sports venues are. It is a corner of campus that many students frequent for events where they may trek alone. I believe that the university does a very good job making students feel safe, but I do wish that there was more lighting along all sidewalks that are more frequently populated than people realize, like the walkways behind buildings near the center of campus.

Behind Kendall Hall and Oliphant Hall, I also think it would be beneficial to add another light or two.

To achieve this, costs for campus care could be resituated to support the input of a few more streetlights to improve campus safety. Even if streetlights do not impact campus safety directly, students would at least feel safer knowing that they could see what was ahead of them. Not everyone has the opportunity to walk with a group to get where they are going, and by installing two or three more lights in the corner of campus that need them, students would feel safer traveling on their own, and LaFortune may even have more residents selecting to live there.

The Collegian: 8

Improve TU

13 April 2020

#8: Buy new bicycles for student use, ditch the old ones bikes from getting stolen. TU is a very accessible campus. It doesn’t take much energy to walk from the Quiktrip across the street up to the door of someone’s apartment, no matter how much Campus Security doesn’t like that. There’s evidence that TU has attempted to curb the raw accessibility of the campus by closing off certain gates in certain parking lots, some of which I’ve never seen open in my four years at TU, but

TU’s free bike system is great for students, but the bikes themselves need an update.

Ethan Veenker Editor-in-Chief If there’s one thing I remember loving about living on campus, it was the opportunity to use a free bike — provided by TU itself — to get around to my classes. The best part about these bikes is that they’re never stolen, they never go through weird mechanical problems and they’re too light to toss into trees.

Now, I understand that it’s well outside the ability of the bike shop or of TU to keep

make tiny mechanical homes. Maybe we could just scrape off the TU regalia and donate those bikes elsewhere: we’re overdue for an upgrade.

I may just be terribly out of shape (and have never been the natural athlete), but I had a difficult time getting around campus on those bikes. TU is subtly hilly, and because those bikes are one-speed, well, there’s a lot of standing pedaling to be done

“We’ve all seen that giant clump of yellow bikes outside LaFortune Hall ...” there are still plenty of open doors. This is all to say that there’s precious little the university can really do to stop someone from running on campus, grabbing a bike and taking off. The infrastructure is practically set up in favor of it.

This suggestion may seem absurd in light of that, but what if we made the bikes better, right? We’ve all seen that giant clump of yellow bikes outside LaFortune Hall — exposed to the elements, rusting, good fodder for any sorts of mice or other pests to come

to get just about anywhere. Riding westbound on the old U is a breeze and heading eastbound past the sorority houses is another easy one, but going the reverse direction on either of those stretches is difficult on a one-speed, weirdly-manufactured, cheap bike. At least, it is for out-of-shape people like myself. Think about us, huh? Try to understand what we have to go through.

My suggestion: get some bikes better suited for heading uphill. I’m talking higher gears — three-speed at the minimum. (And

don’t bring your athletic science in here, telling me I’d be expending the same amount of energy with a different bike to head uphill.

I want the illusion.) As opposed as I am to this in general, the bikes are TU’s and they are allowing students to use them for free, so why aren’t they being GPS-tracked? Considering how frequently they’re being stolen, it seems like a no-brainer. Now, I know nothing about the expenses behind this sort of stuff, but GPS trackers on Amazon seem to average $30, so I’m guessing that’s why we’re not GPS-tracking bikes. Still, at what point does the cost of replacing stolen bikes outweigh the cost of simply tracking them in order to get them back when they’ve been stolen (because the police have nothing better to do than chase down random dudes on bikes around town).

And it’s not like there’s some sort of budget crisis or anything. What’s the holdup?

So, there we go. Clearly it’s the most pressing matter at TU right now, and it clearly demands immediate change (for pennies on the dime!). The sooner we get started on this, the sooner we can all live improved, utopic lives in the eye of the Golden Hurricane.

#9: Lime scooters need rules

Lime, and other pay-per-ride scooters, should be held to the same standard as bikes on campus.

Madison Connell News Editor Lime and other pay-per-ride electric scooters are a great resource — and a great nuisance. While TU is not at fault for their misuse, they are partially responsible for not fixing it.

The scooters on campus are a great way for people to get to class, especially if you live on one side and have a class on the other, can’t walk very far or are simply running behind schedule one morning. Their relatively inexpensive price created a large influx of them at once, and it appears they’re here to stay for a while.

But impolite users ruin their otherwise beneficial presence. A day can’t go by that you don’t almost get run over by a rider, or with the scooters left in hoards in pathways or in front of doors.

As someone in a wheelchair, I cannot physically move the latter. Riders parking without a thought block me from my classes on a weekly basis, and I either have to find a different entrance or request a stranger to move it for me. A few times I’ve even caught them hidden in a walled-in ramp such as the one into the Student Union, and

in front of my apartment door.

Scooter users also often don’t yield to pedestrians or cars, almost running them over in the process. This anarchy luckily hasn’t led to any accidents that I’ve heard of, but the University of Tulsa needs to stop it before it does.

First, TU needs to make scooter policies.

Then, they need to actually enforce them.

One of the easiest policies to enact that would instantly make a big difference would be to mandate that riders park their scooters at bike racks. This would allow students to avoid needing to climb over a herd of Birds on the way to class with a rule that users should be able to easily remember, and be relatively easy to implement as bike racks are already in place in front of virtually every building on campus.

The second would be to implement the same rules that apply to bikes and humans to the scooters. Yield to pedestrians, and generally don’t try to zoom within inches of another person if you can help it.

I’m not sure exactly how it would be enforced, other than if a campus security officer sees a student breaking a rule to catch that student in the moment and fine them.

Any cameras around buildings could be used to monitor any incorrect parking jobs and to find the student associated, or other students could be allowed to report another student for misconduct and after so many warnings the student in question is talked to, or fined.

The penalty for these could be fines in increasing amounts and eventually a lack of scooter privileges. TU needs to show they will be taking students’ safety and their peace of mind seriously, and if college students prove themselves to be too irresponsible for this basic privilege, then revoke all scooters’ rights on campus.

#11: Help ENS seniors graduate

Grad checks would go a long way in preventing seniors from being forced to take extra classes.

Hannah Robbins Student Writer As I get closer and closer to graduation I wonder: will I even be able to graduate?

While self service tells me I can and I seem to be cleared, I’ve heard too many horror stories to trust TU’s online programs. Just this year, one of my friends was almost three credits short of graduation and had to take an emergency independent study in late February to graduate in May (October?)

2020. While this would have been horrible if it were the fault of the student’s advisor, it was instead due to ENS advising telling a student they could drop a course and not realizing their error until after the add date for the semester. If this was the only time this had happened, I would think it was a simple error, but I’ve had several other friends only

graduate with enough credits due to professors taking pity on them.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit I don’t use my academic advisor well, but this issue with ensuring students graduate on time is widespread. You see, in other colleges students have grad checks that confirm students are enrolled in the right courses to graduate the semester before they’re on track to graduate at TU. That’s not the case in ENS. I personally had to go to advising myself to fix course overrides and check my course requirements. While it’s great to teach students self-advocacy, it should not be a requirement to graduate with minimal debt.

To fix this issue, ENS should make sure that all students have a graduation check during registration going into their last semester at TU. They should have a clear cut plan of how to finish strong. Realistically to make sure this happens, students need to be able to have grad checks their junior and sophomore years too. In some ENS majors, if you don’t take the right classes sophomore year, then you’re screwed, and it’s not always intuitive that that 8 a.m. TTh really does have to be taken this semester.

Advising is so inundated with students, and academic advisors don’t care, so students are getting screwed over. I want to never have doubt or panic that I won’t graduate on time, especially if it’s too late to fix it, like it almost was for my friend, and for that to happen the advising office needs to find a system that actually advocates for student, not whatever understaffed mess those administrators have to deal with now.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Limes have taken TU’s campus in droves.

#10:Update students on grades

Not knowing your grade in a class midway through the semester can be more worrying than it has to be.

Emma Palmer Graphics Editor Picture this: you have anxiety, you are halfway through the semester and your professor hasn’t gotten a single grade back to you. Sound familiar? To the common college student, waiting on grades is a universal issue. And while a majority of the time it turns out OK, there are those classes that make you hold your breath and cross your fingers, hoping that the professor doesn’t hold some secret vendetta against you.

I’m an English, art and creative writing major, so nearly all of my classes’ grades are subjective and not always easy to grade.

Assignments can run the length of a semester and sometimes depend heavily on

things like participation grades. One thing that some of my professors do when taking grading into account, then, is have a sort of midterm review, where they send out a basic check-in grade just to give you a better idea of how you are doing in the class.

It’s a strategy that works quite well, but since it’s not in writing, professors do this as a common courtesy rather than a mandated task. I hesitate to propose any sort of requirement that could mean more work for the already overworked faculty, but there should be something done. What if we instituted a university policy where professors are required to have maybe 30 percent of a course grade back to students by the midpoint of the semester? If professors are doing what they should be doing, it shouldn’t change anything for them.

It’s unfair to students to withhold grades in a course until it is too late to change them. The relationship between students and professors is a two-way street — it demands mutual respect. If we get work in on time, it’s only fair that we get grades back on time. This can be the difference between an A and a C. And, for the more nervous among us, it’s the difference between enjoying a class and feeling like worms are eating your insides every time you go to class. Just me?

courtesy engineering.utulsa.edu The ENS college does not require in person grad checks like AnS does.

13 April 2020

Improve TU

The Collegian: 9

#12: Fix UA’s lack of diversity #13: Phase out Springfest

A complete overhaul of University Ambassadors is needed to make it the best it can be for TU. Tori Gellman Student Writer University Ambassadors (UA) is an application-based organization that gives tours to prospective students throughout the calendar year. The job of a UA is to answer questions and get students and their families excited about the prospect of coming to the University of Tulsa. I have been a Univer-

members of Greek organizations. TU is constantly boasting its high student diversity and its acceptance of every individual student. I think it’s a travesty that the organization most often pointed to as the reason students come to the University is so heavily populated by one specific sect of our demographic. In Spring 2018, when we had our meeting to vote for the next round of executive members, a few UAs sitting in front of me decided to write the Greek house each person running belonged to rather than circle the names and vote.

Before each semester, UAs sign up for tour times that work with their schedule.

When we get to meet the other students who we’ll be conducting tours with for the next few months, I have always felt incredibly out of place and like I’m an outsider because everyone else in my group has a similar major and know each other from IFC (Interfraternity Council) social events. I think there needs to be a complete overhauling of the executive positions within UA to eliminate the consistent biases among members of Greek organizations on campus.

“... [The] lack of diversity within the organization has only been amplified and perpetuated over the last three years.” sity Ambassador since the start of my sophomore year, and honestly, the organization was problematic when I joined it. However, the systemic lack of diversity within the organization has only been amplified and perpetuated over the last three years.

The current executive UAs are the ones who recruit and officially confirm the next group of Ambassadors. However, those in executive positions are almost exclusively

Admissions Counselors and administration should be a much bigger part of the vetting process for potential university ambassadors so the organization can truly represent the diverse student population at TU. Not only will this lead to more cohesion and camaraderie within the organization, but it will allow UAs to better cater their tours and experiences to the diverse range of prospective students that they encounter.

Rather than a concert that has shrunken in size over the years, SA could host multiple other events.

Chris Lierly Commentary Editor Every year TU’s Student Association (SA) organizes Springfest, and while this may have seemed like a good way to provide on-campus events for students in the past, it hasn’t aged well and uses funding that could be better spent across several other events.

In 2014 Springfest went from a week’s long schedule of events, (think homecoming but more spring focused events) to one concert with smaller events scheduled around it.

Change is not unprecedented where Springfest is concerned, and another major change should come soon.

“Change is not unprecedented where Springfest is concerned ...” #15: Provide sanitizer everywhere

#14: Pay work-study jobs more

The grants that pay for these jobs aren’t getting fully utilized when they could be going to students.

Chris Lierly Commentary Editor Based on both the purpose and method that work study positions are funded, it makes little sense for the university to pay all work study jobs the minimum wage in a time when that minimum wage has not been directly adjusted for inflation. Federally funded work study programs were a vital

TU has a set number of federally positions given to it yearly by the ED for which it has to return any unspent funds to the federal government. However, every TU work-study position starts out at $7.25 an hour, with a yearly raise of 50 cents if you remain in the same position. This pay rate, coupled with the fact that many positions have a weekly hour limit, means that the work-study students often fail to receive all of their grant with that money just flowing back into the ED. By increasing the wage for work-study students, the university could better allocate the funds set aside for students who need it and be no worse off by doing so.

Lastly, if we think about the minimum wage in a larger sense … it sucks. The minimum wage has sat at $7.25/hr since 1991.

The current minimum wage is older than everyone in Gen Z and a good deal of millenials, and it has seen three terms from two seperate President Bushes. This impacts work-study pay because the pay rate for work-study positions must pay at least the minimum wage. Not that tying work study to the state minimum wage would make a

“By increasing the wage for work-study students, the university could better allocate the funds set aside for students who need it and be no worse off by doing so.” component of the Higher Education Act of 1965 signed into law by Lyndon Johnson, and have received additional congressional appropriations and amendments as recent as 2014 with the newest version still in discussion. Since that first bill, the Department of Education has subsidized student jobs on campuses to “help needy students to finance the costs of postsecondary education.” With that purpose in mind, students should get as much as the university can give them through the program.

difference since Oklahoma’s is equal to the federal minimum. In a day and age when the minimum wage has little chance of ever getting attached to the inflation in prices since 1991 (it’s a lot), TU should pay better than it’s required to. This would help students better utilize funds and keep with the Johnson administration spirit that made the small but significant parts of America’s social safety net exist in the first place.

Obviously, the global pandemic is going to make this year’s edition of Springfest an impossibility, which gives SA a whole year to consider how much better that money could be spent elsewhere. I don’t know how much the concert costs, but reallocating its price to fund four smaller events could include more students and better spread out the events of what is often a quieter spring semester. Without homecoming and Hurricane Thursdays, the spring semester has few campus inclusive events. There’s a second activities fair and a lot of career events, but those are either less advertised than their fall counterparts or focused on a specific group. One-time events that serve free food and give away prizes would act as a much better resource for funds than a concert in a city with an already popular concert scene.

I’ve never been to Springfest so I’m not gonna comment on the quality of the concert or the events around it as that would be unfair. I have however heard it end up as the butt of way too many jokes for SA not to find a better place to spend the money. And, hey, if SA really thinks it’s a popular thing, maybe an online poll like the one conducted for the 2020 commencement could help assess what events students want to see. Either way, COVID-19 canceled Springfest this year, and SA should do the same for 2021.

After COVID-19 many social norms will change, and this one could help all of us.

Ethan Veenker Editor-in-Chief There’s some kind of terrible, unprecedented, world-rending pandemic going on, or something, so I’m reminded of this thing I saw in my middle school: hand sanitizer.

It was everywhere. In every classroom, bathroom and so on. It was even on either side of the random doors in the hallway that were designed to be shut in case of school intrusion and which were constructed once American school shootings and doing the bare minimum to stop them became really in vogue. And, intelligently, there was a dispenser easily accessible from the line in the cafeteria. My point is that you couldn’t go a few yards in that school without a chance to disinfect.

Why isn’t that normal for all public buildings? No, seriously, what’s going on there?

We’ve all gone through outbreaks of ebola, swine flu, normal flu, SARS — multiple bird flus. Why isn’t Purell or Germ-X lobbying for legislation on this? Isn’t that what corporations do? This is a rare instance where the unnecessary interpolation of corporate interests in government legislation could work out for the good of the people.

Why doesn’t TU have hand sanitizer dispensers all over every building? After COVID-19, if this sort of infection-curbing

measure isn’t worked into pretty much every public space, I think it’ll be clear that we’ve learned nothing from this terrible thing that continues to kill thousands every day (someone may have been taken off their ventilator while you read that last sentence; maybe they’re headed to one of those mass graves in New York!).

This would definitely put a bit of additional strain on custodial workers constantly needing to check and refill the dispensers, but I don’t think the extra work would be that substantial. There’s the fact that putting dispensers everywhere would mean way more plastic production and consumption. OK, sure, that’s bad, but the world’s addiction to petroleum-based products is another discussion entirely, and it’s not like there aren’t alternatives. We can’t place the weight of that argument on humble hand sanitizer dispensers.

Some people have allergies to the ingredients of typical hand sanitizer. I don’t know how serious those tend to be, but I’d imagine that simply avoiding the hand sanitizer dispensers could go a long way in preventing that headache. I have a feeling that the pandemic thingy I referenced earlier is going to restructure societal norms anyway, so I don’t know if handshakes (and thus possible exposure to allergy-causing irritants) will even be a thing after all this.

Then there are people like me with chronic eczema which can become incredibly irritated (to the point of fingers unable to bend due to the dryness of skin and the presence of open wounds) by hand-washing, hand sanitizer or lotions with perfumes. Because we make up an inarguable minority of the population, we should just carry around medicated lotions (which we already should be doing!) during this hypothetical future in which hand sanitizer flows like milk and honey through all our public buildings.

Problems solved.

For real, what’s the downside here? Why wouldn’t we have this?

“Why isn’t Purell or Germ-X lobbying for legislation on this? Isn’t that what corporations do?”

#16: Upgrade the C-Store into an A+ store Most of the traffic in the C-Store seems to be for the meal-swipeable products, such as the sandwiches, fresh fruit and milk. The rest of the store is so inconvenient that most of the rest of it remains untouched except for the occasional student with a sweet tooth or a desperate student low on essentials.

As it stands the C-Store is too small, offers too slim a selection and charges too much.

Madison Connell News Editor The University of Tulsa’s convenience store, or C-Store, in the Student Union could be a whole lot more convenient if it was larger and closer in size to its namesake, such as a small gas station convenience store.

must-haves. The combination of the university requiring students to live on campus for the first two years (with exceptions such as guardians living in Tulsa) and the large international student population brings a large group of students either relying on an expensive meal plan or to fend for themselves

“... TU, meet the needs of your students by providing a larger store with more options.”

I believe this is for a few reasons — first, the aisles are so small that it is almost impossible to have more than a few customers in the store at once. I can hardly fit my own wheelchair down the aisles without knocking everything over. If it’s one thing college students are good at, it’s avoiding mildly uncomfortable situations.Second, the selection is very slim. Some very basics such as a half gallon or gallon of milk, eggs and butter are missing, let alone more specific grocery

food-wise. Especially for international students and those without cars, the lack of essentials forces students to either rely on others with cars or order groceries delivered.

Finally, the limited grocery supply carries with it a premium price tag. Yes, the University of Tulsa is not providing this service out of the goodness of their own heart; they’re in it to turn something of a profit. But some of the prices seem ridiculous; a small jar of peanut butter might be two or three times the

price of a large jar at Walmart, for example.

I can’t remember exact numbers, as campus has essentially been closed for too long, but I can hardly think of a time I’ve actually bought a grocery item from the store. It’s not a secret college students generally aren’t rolling in the bank. A bit of an upcharge is fair for the convenience, but screwing over already economically disadvantaged students is not only ethically questionable, but seems not in the best interest if they want to sell as much as possible.

So, please, TU, meet the needs of your students by providing a larger store with more options. If the store was physically bigger, had more pantry and fridge basics and charged a reasonable price, more students would actually use this currently under-utlized resource — and you’d probably make more money in the process.

The Collegian: 10

Variety

13 April 2020

“Tiger King” showcases the chaos of Joe Exotic The Netflix documentary short centers on players in the exotic animal trade and their antics.

Karelia Alexander Student Writer Through the love of the eccentric and exotic animals, “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” leaves little to the imagination. The docuseries highlights the deceit and decadence of former self-proclaimed Tiger King, Oklahoma’s own Joe Exotic (Joseph Allen Maldonado- Passage) and his rocky road to fame that led to his ultimate downfall.

“Tiger King” showcases Joe Exotic’s hectic life, living for desire and letting his wants get the best of him. Having limited success jumping from one thing to the next, he found himself working various jobs in multiple states, aspiring to be a country singer, even running for office, to ultimately working with exotic animals, mainly tigers.

He was even able to acquire owning tigers early on as a way to open up his own zoo.

Eventually Joe Exotic opened and ran his own zoo — tigers being the main attraction — in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, approximately 67 miles south of Oklahoma City. As time went on, the Tiger King found himself in the crosshairs of deceit, betrayal, fighting for power, love and eventually being sentenced to jail for animal abuse and murder for hire against his rival, Carole Baskin.

more information is given to the viewer, the madness becomes more manageable.

As the series showcases his ups and downs, we are able to see the other reckless characters that played a huge role in this story as well. Just like Joe Exotic, they also found themselves in hot water with their personal connections to each other and to Joe. “Tiger King” discusses how the ideology of “more is more” harms yourself and others. In Joe’s case, it focuses on how he let

“... a passion for animals morphed into power hungry politicking.”

Like many docuseries or true crime shows, “Tiger King’’ depicts the mayhem without being one-sided, telling the story from many perspectives. With larger than life personalities and intertwined storylines, “Tiger King” can be a bit overwhelming.

Nevertheless, as the show progresses and

his reckless ambition get the better of him, leading to a 22-year prison sentence.

“Tiger King”’ doesn’t only focus on Joe Exotic, however; the documentary highlights eccentric people who have come in contact with Joe and how competition among zoos affected their personal lives.

The series manages to switch from one person’s story to another, often showing how a passion for animals morphed into power hungry politicking. Their goals were no longer taking care of tigers and putting on events, they became obsessed with having control over others, financially or otherwise.

Overall “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” is interesting. The show at times can be overwhelming and messy.

Aside from trailing Joe’s pitfall, the characters are unlikeable — even unrelatable, yet they captivate with their unconventional personalities and bizarre thought process.

Though “Tiger King” is dark, the series shines a light on the consequences of trying to live above the law and uses Joe Exotic as an unfortunate case study. It also exposes why big cat trade is still an issue within zoos through using them as a financial gain.

Rather than doing this, it sparks ideas, such as raising awareness and protecting them, or leaving them alone in their natural habitat.

Despite the chaos, the show is pretty good.

“Tiger King” is available on Netflix.

courtesy Netflix

“Tiger King” tells the story of Joe Exotic, whose zoo in Wynnewood is fewer than three hours from TU’s campus.

If you’re feeling explorative: If you’re feeling suffocated: If you’re feeling desperate:

courtesy Graywolf Press

courtesy Dial Press Trade

Tori Gellman Student Writer

I feel like this book of poetry really gives you room to breathe and explore in ways that could be really beneficial to anyone feeling completely enclosed on during this time of isolation. Gatwood’s first full-length collection, “New American Best Friend,” immediately made me want to hear more of her voice. Gatwood doesn’t focus so much on fancy words or vague descriptions, but rather describes unfortunately common experiences for women around the world.

“Life of the Party” is kind of a macrocosm of the continued prejudices, as well as the perpetuated culture of objectification and assault, that women face.

I was immediately drawn to this collection for two reasons. First off, Tracy K. Smith is a dynamite writer with so much hope to give the world. Secondly, “Life on Mars” is one of my favorite songs of all time.

I’d read some of Smith’s previous work after discovering her in my Black American Women Writers course sophomore year.

This collection stands out to me because of how many different moments and feelings are subtly discussed and picked apart before you even realize you’ve read the last poem.

There are beautiful references to scientific discovery and space travel that you might expect given the cover, but then there are also moments reflecting on love, family, celebrity and what each of these contributes to the meaning of existence.

courtesy Copper Canyon Press

I use the word desperate as I feel it’s rather open-ended; desperate to be understood, to be heard, to feel wanted and loved. I think Ocean Vuong captures all of these moments and more with his first full-length collection of poetry. Each poem works individually and as a part of the whole collection and I think that’s part of what makes this book so striking. Spanning subjects from family, war, romance and beyond, “Night Sky with Exit Wounds” is a beautiful portrait of the human experience in all of its many facets.

13 April 2020

Variety

The Collegian: 11

Polly Samson streams release of “A Theatre for Dreamers” David Gilmour performed Leonard Cohen songs to accompany the release of “Theatre for Dreamers,” Samson’s novel inspired by Cohen.

Karelia Alexander Student Writer In the gloom and silence that has been covering the world recently, beauty has bloomed through art and hope. Last week David Gilmour, the guitarist and co-lead singer of Pink Floyd, covered two of poet and musician Leonard Cohen’s songs, “Bird on the Wire” and “So Long, Marianne.” Despite Gilmour being one of the highlights of the live stream, he was not the one being interviewed, rather it was about his wife, author and lyricist Polly Samson’s novel, “A Theatre for Dreamers.”

A song that Gilmour performed, “So Long, Marianne,” was dedicated to his longtime muse, Marianne Ihlen, who he met while living in Hydra, Greece in the 1960s.

It was this relationship that influenced the novel.

When discussing her novel, Samson focused more on the background of the book and her personal thoughts. Though she did this, she didn’t turn the attention to herself; instead she created anticipation for the viewers. It was her joy and hard work that was put into writing the novel that was the main attention. As she shared her ideas, I was moved by her passion and dedication to not only her work, but for bringing a positive light to others, her family and artists such as her husband and Cohen. Early on, she expressed gratitude for the ability to have her family with her, as she knew that there were people that wanted to be with their families

who was completely vulnerable in his love for his family and his music.

As one of my favorite guitarists from one of my favorite bands, I loved being able to stream this. It put me at ease and put hope in my heart. Both Samson and Gilmour shone in the live stream, with their happiness and love for music and the deep appreciation of each other’s accomplishments. Aside from this interview, many artists are using this

time to share their music, collaborations, and other works via live stream. It’s a wonderful way to stay connected and updated with the latest events, even ask questions via social media. Though we are far from each other physically, we are never too far to share love and creativity. Samson’s novel “A Theatre for Dreamers” is already out now.

“... artists are using this time to share their music, collaborations and other works ...”

The live stream started with him walking up to a stage with kitchen props, with his family following him, one by one, sitting at two tables, drinking wine and talking to each other. They surrounded him with deep admiration. To me, this represented a continued connection through music and art despite social distancing. It certainly showed as David Gilmour sang and strummed his guitar quietly, never looking for attention for him, only to play the music that he appreciated. Though it was background music at the beginning, it really set the tone for the remainder of the live stream.

Gilmour’s choice to cover Leonard Cohen’s songs coincided with Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson’s, release of her new novel, “A Theatre for Dreamers,” which was the main topic of the live stream. Samson’s book was inspired by Cohen’s life experiences.

and friends but couldn’t. I loved how she didn’t take what she has for granted, especially her time with loved ones.

During the live stream, Samson and Gilmour were interviewed by their son, Charlie, about their different inspirations for writing both books and lyrics. Their answers came naturally, never feeling rushed or rehearsed.

In some instances, Samson and Gilmour finished each other’s sentences. It was heartwarming to see how two people who have been married for 26 years and have collaborated on several projects have such a strong bond and to have such a deep admiration for each other.

Though he only played twice, Gilmour set the tone for the entire interview. It was light and joyous. As he played, he wasn’t Pink Floyd’s guitarist or vocalist, shredding his guitar and singing about the emptiness of society. He was David Gilmour, a man

courtesy Bloomsbury Circus “A Theatre for Dreamers” takes place in a 1960s artist community living on a Greek island.

courtesy David Gilmour YouTube

Samson and Gilmour were joined by their family in the live stream, sitting together as they discussed their work.

Literary magazines opportunity for exploration and expression Writing can provide an outlet during quarantine, and several journals continue to accept submissions in many forms and sizes.

Tori Gellman Student Writer In my flash fiction writing course this semester, one of the assignments was to create a presentation on an online literary magazine. It was incredibly fun to learn about various publications from my peers and get a deeper insight into the rapidly changing and evolving literary industry. These presentations happened to take place during the current quarantine, and I started thinking about how these magazines and journals probably go undetected by most of my students outside of the English and creative writing departments.

I also thought about how, for people looking for creative outlets and safe ways to stay busy and sane during this time, reading and even writing short works could be extremely therapeutic and enjoyable. Not to mention, those who no longer have access to their public libraries or bookstores may be longing for new material to read. So take a look at this list of online lit mags, sit and read for a while, or get to writing and submitting your own stories!

Jellyfish Review The Jellyfish Review is entirely devoted to flash fiction and creative nonfiction pieces of no more than 1,000 words. They claim they are open to any content, but “have a soft spot for beautiful things with stings.”

Unlike many lit mags, Jellyfish Review promises a response within a week! To submit, copy and paste your story into the body of the email, and send it to jellyfishreview@ outlook.com. Simultaneous submissions, as well as multiple submissions are accepted.

Just make sure no one email contains more than 2,000 words! Jellyfish Review has set

a goal to have more than 66 percent of work published in 2020 to be written by women, and at least 41 percent to be written by writers of color.

Better Than Starbucks!

Claiming to be “not your ordinary poetry magazine,” Better Than Starbucks accepts submissions in prose, but mainly focuses on

graphic by Emma Palmer

various forms of poetry including haikus, free verse and experimental. Founded in 1995 and revived in 2016 under their new name, this literary journal uniquely accepts previously published materials. To submit, copy and paste your work into the body of an email and send it to betterthanstarbucks2@gmail.com. You should receive a confirmation that your email was received within 24 hours.

Blue Mountain Review Blue Mountain Review accepts submissions of poetry, prose, flash fiction, art,photography and even book reviews!

The editor’s only request is that all submissions “are carefully thought-out, thoroughly edited, and sent in by the appropriate deadline.” Blue Mountain Review is a branch of The Southern Collective Experience; an organization for writers and artists seeking support from their creative peers. For poetry, up to three pieces are accepted in any form or style. Fiction submissions should be no more than 2,500 words and only one piece per submission is allowed. All text needs to be in 12 point Georgia font. Additionally, a cover letter short third-person bio is required.

There are literally hundreds of other literary journals to explore. There are journals solely dedicated to translations. There are many science fiction and horror literary magazines. Many magazines focus solely on women writers or LGBTQ+ content.

Whatever sort of writing you like to read or make yourself, hopefully this sparks some curiosity and you go diving into the magical online publication world!

The State-Run Media

the

13 April 2020

State-Run media It’s time to “Improve” TU.

#1: Improve TU by truly commiting to it

graphic by Emma Palmer

The rest of campus is but a smoldering ruin. Collins Hall, home of TU admin, is all that remains. And it is glorious.

In an epic culmination of their groundbreaking work this year reporting on True Commitment, intrepid journalists Chris Lierly and Lindsey Prather make one final comment on the plan sure to revolutionize the University of Tulsa. s the saying goes, “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”

For too long the University of Tulsa has abided by the norms of higher education and offered the kinds of superfluous programs that “attract students” from across the “nation” and “world.” Here at the State-Run we don’t enjoy going with the flow. In that spirit, we propose that the university undergo something revolutionary. So revolutionary, in fact, that no other university could imagine following suit.

This plan is radical, visionary and expands the most attractive part of TU: the administration. Students will flock to TU, desperate to be educated at an institution that boasts such a large administrative staff.

To quote the prophetic author Ayn Rand, “How the fuck are we gonna pay for it?” In recent years, TU’s faculty and students have enjoyed spending far too much money with no oversight. This plan would enforce and implement severe austerity measures and seek to minimize wasteful programs such as theatre, music, fine arts, anthropology, chemistry and languages.

With the “sunsetting” of these programs, we can make room for what we would like to dub the “essential arts”; programs like petroleum engineering, which will be around

forever and aren’t dependent on cultural priorities that have only been around since the Middle Ages. Additionally, if we simply get rid of every one of them without any overemotional input from those affected, then those funds can be redirected to the most essential promoter of success-student: the administration.

No other group at TU bears as much of a burden as our administration. From the Senior Assistant Manager of Esports affairs all the way to the Assistant Undersecretary of Departmental Supervision, our administrative staff is more truly committed to this university than anyone (that’s right, Goldie: get wrecked). If they shrugged it would all fall apart.

The link below will let you view the glorious announcement for this plan, as well as the conclusions of the Provost’s Personal Review Committee (PPRC). We cannot thank them enough for their willingness to cut so many programs, especially for such a small personal bonus and for such a low price. They certainly have bright futures ahead of them in the field of university administration. https://utulsa.edu/?page_id=28763 Note from the authors: Oh, uhm. Whoops.

It appears that the webpage has been deleted for some reason … Here is an archived version. https://web.archive.org/ web/20190418022109/https://utulsa.edu/ truecommitment/

#2: Dedicate SA’s entire budget to Springfest Let’s make Springfest amazing next year by cutting funding to all other events and clubs!

Michaela Bueche Stans Gags

With performers like Lizzord, Springfest could be the new Coachella!

graphic by Emma Palmer

I personally have never been to Springfest. Why? Because it sucks! But we can change that. How? Dedicate SA’s entire budget to Springfest.

Maybe it’ll actually get good if there’s more money put into its budget. Of course, this means that clubs will no longer get funding, and there will be no other SA events, such as Homecoming and Pride Month. But it’s not like the Pride club got any say in Pride Month anyway.

Getting rid of club funding isn’t really a problem since they can’t meet anyway. It’s just a waste of money to give them money now that we’re an online-only school. If we start now, the clubs next year (if any survived COVID-19) will already be resigned to the lack of funding.

Some may be disappointed by the end of other SA-funded events like Homecom-

ing. They’ll tell you, “Homecoming brings together the community and allows alumni to remember the good ol’ days. Doesn’t that make them more likely to donate anyway?”

To that, I say, “If you really want those other events, you can pay for it yourself.

The alumni are going to donate no matter what. They’re just a bunch of money bags with no other way to spend their fortunes.”

SA can advertise Springfest as the new, better Coachella. With all the extra money, they can get the big names like Lad Gags, Lizzord, Britney Bitch, T-Swizzle, After Malone, etc. To make it really worth it, classes can be shut down for a few days.

Then we can get the full blown music festival effect.

Now sounds like a great time to announce my campaign for SA Treasurer. That’s the one that deals with all the money, right?

This is just one of my many great plans for our great organization. If I am elected to the position, I will find a way to implement this plan no matter who stands in my way. That means you, Jimmy. Come on down to your local polling place to vote Bueche for SA Treasurer on April 20.

13 April 2020

The State-Run Media

The Collegian: 13

#3: Terminate all scholarships

It’s the best way to solve all of TU’s budgetary concerns!

Michaela Bueche Here on a full ride If you didn’t already know, it’s COVID-19 season, baybee. Everyone is social distancing (supposedly), and administration can’t meet to continue their destructive rampage known as True Commitment. Therefore, True Commitment is over for good.

Right? Wrong!

They’re still at it somehow. But we can change that with one quick and easy fix. We have to get rid of scholarships. Cue the protestors throwing eggs and rotten tomatoes.

At least they don’t know where I live and can’t get any toilet paper.

Just wait a hot second and hear me out. Be honest, do you really need that scholarship?

If you can’t pay $51,000 every year, just get a few minimum wage jobs, take out a few loans and rent out your campus apartment to other people. That last one might not be legal, so don’t tell anyone I suggested it.

This will be plenty to pay for tuition and go partying every weekend.

You may be wondering how this will solve our True Commitment problem. That’s simple. If everyone is paying full tuition then TU is receiving plenty of money. They’ll no longer need budget cuts and therefore won’t need to cut departments and programs.

In my quest to cure the world of the devastation that is True Commitment, I interviewed a few students to get their opinion on my solution. Poli sci major, Richy Rich, accepted his fate and said, “Well, if I have to die homeless and starving trying to pay off my student loans, then so do you. We must share in the financial ruin, comrade.”

Another student sulked, “I might as well drop out now. My degree is useless anyway, and this way I can get a head start on finding an essential job.“ Lastly, I asked a senior how they thought the students would deal with the change next year. They said, “Who cares what y’all have to deal with next year. I just want my refund.

How the hell am I supposed to get back to campus from my Florida spring break trip in 24 hours to completely move out of my apartment?”

Many students already agree with these aid-cutting measures.

graphic by Emma Palmer

#4: Change TU’s grading system

By only releasing grades at the very end of the semester, student stress levels will decrease dramatically.

Hannah Robbins Is taking everying Pass/Fail

As this completely normal semester draws to an end, I have considered all the ways that the university could make our time at TU better more dramatic. After significant deliberation, I believe that instead of releasing grades sporadically on Harvey after every assignment, or for plebs through email or in person, professors should instead assign a student’s grade at the end of the semester, not telling them how they are doing at any point while they are still teaching.

Now this wouldn’t stop a professor giving

after students are kicked off campus, there will be almost no begging for higher grades.

After all, with just a letter assigned there is no way to nitpick that a student should have gotten more points on subsection C of problem 23, making professors’ lives easier.

In addition, this would benefit students too. Students would not be able to stress out about how they’re doing in classes, giving them more time to party and create their own drama. By not knowing their grades until the end of the semester they don’t have to worry about every single extra credit assignment. College students are lazy, and if they don’t know if those 13 bonus points will bump them up a letter grade, why in the world would they do a seven hour assignment? With all the stresses of the rigorous academics at TU, this will do wonders for the mental health of the student body.

“ ... this will do wonders for the mental health of the student body.”

Think of all that extra leisure time for professsors!

graphic by Emma Palmer

an assignment, of course, but instead simply omit communicating that grade to students.

Now, of course professors would still grade exams and assignments. Professors are not so lazy that without oversight they would assign grades arbitrarily, of course.

Instead, this will allow them to grade at their own, astronomically slow pace. In addition, professors would have less attendance at office hours, which benefits them since they often don’t want to hold office hours in the first place. Since grades usually come out

And, with this new grading policy, refreshing browsers and praying will become a ritual for more than just concert tickets and registration. The anticipation that comes with learning how you did in a class will be better than a trashy reality TV show.

Will you have to retake that class next year, preventing you from graduating on time?

Will you keep your scholarships and be able to take classes next semester? Tune in after it’s too late to add new classes and find out!

#5: Replace the Sharp Chapel’s bells Everyone agrees! Those tired old bells have got to go!

Michaela Bueche For whom the bell tolls I can hear the bells, well, don’t you hear ‘em chime? Can’t you hear them ringing out over TU in perfect tune? I know you’re reading this, but please tell me you can hear the sarcasm. The Sharp Chapel’s bells are so out of tune that it’s painful. But why stop at just simply fixing them when we could improve on them entirely?

How many times has this happened to you: racing across campus to get to class 10 minutes late, those bells just lull you back to sleep. By the time you get there you’re passed out in your seat and learn nothing.

That by itself isn’t really a problem. But every once in a while your professor will call on you, and you’ll look kind of stupid sleeping through your afternoon class.

That is why I propose, instead of tuning the bells, we replace them with an entire professional violin section. Every hour — and a couple other random times during the day — they should play the screeching from the famous “Psycho” shower scene.

You know the one. Anthony Perkins (what

a hotty) … I mean Norman Bates stabs the girl in the shower. Oh wait … spoiler alert.

The screeching will startle you awake, so you’ll only be three minutes late or maybe even have a heart attack. If you do make it to class alive, you’ll be wide awake to participate to the fullest. You’ll soon become the professor’s favorite, and they’ll be willing to write you recommendation letters for the jobs that’ll definitely ghost you instead of rejecting you like a real man.

While we’re at it, we should change what song is played at 5 p.m. The bells currently play the school song, but that’s not good enough. For how much we’re paying to go here, we should get the good stuff. No one has school spirit, anyway. That’s why I propose we change the song to the “Ride of the Valkyries.”

It’ll fill you with enough impending doom to remind you to eat dinner and do that project due tomorrow that you haven’t started. However, it will only be effective if you pass in front of Sharp Chapel at 5 p.m. to hear it. Otherwise, you can continue your day in denial of the fact that you haven’t eaten yet today or won’t actually get anything turned in on time.

I don’t know how these changes are going to be executed, but that’s not my problem. I’m just here to complain.

What’s a better motivator to get to class than horror music?

graphic by Emma Palmer