14 November 2016

a student newspaper of the university of tulsa

The Collegian sat down with new TU president Dr. Gerard Clancy to learn a little more about his plans for the university.

Hannah Kloppenburg Editor-in-Chief Dr. Gerard Clancy is familiar with the ornate desk, smooth wooden floors, and sturdy bookshelves of a university president’s office — he held such an office for eight years at OU-Tulsa. Now, he settles into a very similar office — one with a view of Chapman Commons.

Clancy assumed the presidency on November 1, two months ahead of schedule. Former president Steadman

november 14, 2016 issue 12 ~ volume 102

Upham had been slated to retire at the start of the new year.

Many have been curious as to why Clancy assumed early, which the president calls “a natural question.”

“I was named to be the next president in May, and the plan was over the next few months I’d get trained in the job,” Clancy explains. “As we got closer to January, as I was being trained, people started coming to me for the long-term decisions anyhow….It became clear that it was good for me to assume early.

I’d been a president at OU-Tulsa for eight years, so I knew the job pretty well.”

SEE CLANCY, P 6

New president, new laws, same old Congress, p 3 Student struggles to obtain CSAS assistance, p 7 The underappreciated presidency of Barack Obama, p 9 Uninformed voting worse than not voting at all, p 9

graphic by Elias Brinkman

The Collegian: 2

News

14 November 2016

Over 150 gather to protest president-elect in Tulsa Tulsans seeking to promote tolerance and oppose bigotry took to the streets to protest presidentelect Donald Trump.

Trenton Gibbons Variety Editor On Friday, November 11, a protest named “We Are Better Together” was held in downtown Tulsa. The march, which began at the Center of the Universe, covered nearly five miles, bringing the crowd through the Blue Dome District to the BOK Center and, of course, back to the Center. The message of the event was broad in that it was meant to be a promotion of tolerance, love and acceptance; it was particular in its anti-Trump sentiment.

There are some discrepancies amongst local media outlets regarding the size of the protest. The Tulsa World claims the crowd was somewhere around 100-strong, but the Facebook page shows over 150 participants in the event as having attended, and a few pictures help capture this impressive scale.

No matter its size, the protesters made their message clear. Signs carried high

above heads could read “Love Trumps Hate” on one side, and “This Pussy Grabs Back” on the other. “Not My President” was a popular message for the poster boards, but some preferred humor, such as, “If America had no immigrants, Trump wouldn’t have any wives.” Some sign-bearers showed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, others reinforced pro-choice ideals.

Many of the signs, including an abundance of rainbow flags, supported the LGBTQ+ community, to which many of the event’s young organizers belonged.

The chants also addressed this variety of contentious topics. “Her Body, Her Choice” was emanated by the marchers as often as “Black Lives Matter,” and not many who had raised their voices for one hesitated for the other. Still, the duality of the event meant that when they weren’t promoting equality, protesters were voicing their disdain for Trump. “We Reject the PresidentElect” was one popular phrase of the evening, while later on chant-leaders switched it up with, “Hey ho, Donald Trump has got to go!”

When the crowd wasn’t cheering they were often talking to each other, with many exchanging names, brief histories and their

photos by Trenton Gibbons

While the protesters tried to promote acceptance, tolerance and love, they did encounter some opposition.

The protest traveled from the Center of the Universe, through the Blue Dome District and back to the Center.

reaction to Trump’s election to the Executive office. While many of the protesters were college students, others had either long since graduated or were significantly younger. Alongside a handful of University of Tulsa students were a few members of TU faculty.

This protest made efforts to keep its rebellion within the realm of legality. The event was originally slated to begin on the Guthrie Green, but due to its privately-owned status was rescheduled for the Center. Outside of a few momentarily blocked streets in Brady Arts (the size of the crowd and its wish to stay together made this inevitable) the protesters performed no illegal action.

This doesn’t mean it didn’t occasionally attract opposition. One woman leaning out of a bar with her head over the crowd jeered incessantly at its members to “get a job.” When one man stopped to contest her by referring to his multiple jobs, someone else responded excitedly that he was “living the American Dream.” Another heckler came in the form of an irate stranger, who asked if protesters thought walking would change anything. “That’s what you’re out here doing right now?” he cried. “This is what you’re fighting?” Still others mockingly tailed the crowd, a few conjuring up no better argument than to produce gagging

noises while taking pictures.

If any of this phased the protesters, they showed no sign. After about an hour and a half the march had looped participants back to the Center of the Universe, where the organizers made a few statements, despite the exhaustion evident in their hoarse voices.

“Look to your left; look to your right,” instructed a self-identified 21 year-old gay man. “These are your fellow brothers and sisters in America. We shall not hate!” To the crowd’s cheers he continued, saying, “We are tired of bigotry, we are tired of being hated for something we were born with!”

Another organizer urged intervention, saying, “don’t tolerate hate, don’t stand on the sidelines.”

Before the group dispersed, it made a final trip to Club Majestic, “to show them how much we love them!” Outside a few organizers, many of whom were under 20 years old, posed with their posters and agreed to an interview by a young woman in a hijab. When asked why, in their opinion, any American had voted for Trump, they hesitated only a moment. “Because they have hate in their hearts,” one finally said. “Anyone who voted for Trump voted for hate.”

News

14 November 2016

The Collegian: 3

Oklahomans decide the fate of state questions The results of the seven referenda on the Oklahoma ballot are in — with mixed outcomes and long term consequences.

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Managing Editor SQ776 - 66 percent voted yes State question 776 declares the death penalty constitutional in Oklahoma and allows the legislature to use any execution method not prohibited by the US Constitution. The passage of this question changes very little about how the state currently operates, because the death penalty and legislature’s right to choose the execution method are already well established laws within the state.

Oklahoma statute 21-701.9. already holds that “a person who is convicted of or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to murder in the first degree shall be punished by death, by imprisonment for life without parole or by imprisonment for life,” and “a person who is convicted of or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to murder in the second degree shall be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment in a state penal institution for not less than ten years nor more than life.”

In effect, the passage of SQ776 reaffirms that the state has a right to continue doing what they have been doing.

SQ777 - 60 percent voted no State question 777 would have prevented lawmakers from passing legislation to regulate broad farming and ranching practices unless there is a compelling state interest.

Because this vote failed, legislation about farming practices will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

In order to see the current laws about farming and related practices, the simplest place to go would be the website of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. http://www.oda.state.ok.us/ogc/laws.htm SQ779 - 59 percent voted no State question 779 would have enshrined language into the state constitution that permanently increased the state sales tax by 1 percent. The money collected through the tax would have been allocated so that 69.5 percent would have gone to common education in the form of an increase in teacher pay of $5,000 per person and to “otherwise

address and prevent teacher and certified instructional staff shortages,” 19.25 percent to higher education, 8 percent to early childhood education and 3.25 percent to career tech.

Because this vote failed, there will be no constitutionally protected funds for public education and education legislation will continue to be decided upon by state legislators as it was before. .

SQ780 - 58 percent voted yes

State question 780 reclassifies some current felony drug possession and property crimes as misdemeanors.

Previously, possession of illegal drugs was a felony according to state law. Now drug possession will be classified as a misdemeanor. Drug manufacturing, trafficking and selling are still felony offenses. The referendum does not specifically discriminate between illegal drugs for which the law applies.

Previously, a theft or forgery of property worth over $500 dollars was considered a felony offense by state law. State Question 780 raised that threshold to $1,000 dollars.

This aspect of the law is not new considering that House Bill 2751, which took effect on November 1, 2016, increased the property threshold for felony prosecution from $500 to $1,000. This new property value amount for felony prosecution applies to crimes including embezzlement, bogus checks, fraud, forged instruments, and grand larceny. SQ780 added false declaration of a pawn ticket, receiving or concealing stolen property and taking domesticated fish or game to that list.

It is important to note that a misdemeanor charge can still result in a significant fine and jail time up to one year. SQ780 will take effect on July 1, 2017 and will only apply to new cases brought before the court.

of each county and could be claimed by privately-run rehabilitative organizations that provide drug and mental health treatment, job training and education programs.

SQ781 will also take effect on July 1, 2017. Funds for rehabilitative services will be available after the law is in effect for one year.

SQ790 - 57 percent voted no

State question 790 would have allowed the government to use public money or property for the benefit of a religion or religious institution. This is currently against the state constitution which says in Section II-5, “No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.”

SQ790 sought to amend this portion of the constitution. The failure of this question would suggest that Oklahomans do not want government money or property to be used for religious purposes.

SQ792 - 66 percent voted yes State question 792 changed the laws governing alcohol sales and distribution in the

state, including provisions allowing grocery stores and convenience stores to sell refrigerated, full-strength beer and wine seven days a week. Restrictions, licenses and taxes associated with the law will be decided on by state legislators. Restrictions and new licensing requirements will be placed on all manufacturers, brewers and wine-makes operating within the state as well as specific licensing for liquor stores, grocery stores and convenience stores.

According to one report by News OK, victory for SQ792 campaign does not ensure Oklahomans will be able to buy wine and full-strength beer in grocery stores due to plans for a lawsuit by The Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma to challenge the constitutionality of the measure.

Bryan Kerr, president of the Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma, shared his concern that the law holds liquor stores to additional, stricter standards that regulate everything from how many locations they can operate to what percentage of their sales come from nonalcoholic items.

Reportedly smaller wine and spirit distributors have also said SQ792 will render them unable to compete in the marketplace since the measure gives alcohol manufacturers the right to choose one, exclusive distributor in the state.

The measure will go into effect sometime in 2018, although the exact date seems unclear.

SQ781 - 56 percent voted yes State question 781 could only go into effect if voters approved Question 780.

SQ781 uses the money saved from SQ780 to fund rehabilitative programs including substance abuse and mental health treatment programs.

Under SQ781, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services will determine each yearhow much money was saved by courtesy Wikimedia Commons the state prison system because of changes implemented by SQ780. That amount will Although the passage of SQ792 should allow for the sale of full-strength beer and wine in grocery and be divided proportionally to the population convenience stores, plans for a lawsuit by The Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma may defeat the question.

After months of campaigning, election results are finally in The results of the national and local elections for office show maintenance of the Republican establishment.

James Whisenhunt Commentary Editor President of the United States: Donald Trump Republican candidate Donald Trump was the first to reach 270 electoral votes last Tuesday, managing to take key battleground states like Florida and Ohio despite what many considered a narrow path to victory heading into Election Day. In Oklahoma, president-elect Trump won handily, with 65 percent of votes in the state going to him. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton received 29 percent of the overall vote and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson received 6 percent of the vote. According to data from Tulsa World, 85 percent of voting precincts in Oklahoma went to Trump. Tulsa County precinct 33, containing TU, only cast 32.2 percent of its votes for Trump, though it doesn’t specify what percentage went to Clinton and what went to Johnson.

Trump’s election has been met with protest around the nation, including demonstrations in Tulsa (see the article by Trent Gibbons on page 2). Protesters argue that Trump is unfit to serve office and should not be elected on the basis that he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. Online, a change. org petition calling for the Electoral College to vote for Hillary Clinton (who won the popular vote by almost 400,000 votes) has garnered over 3 million signatures within three days of Trump’s election. The hashtag #NotMyPresident has also been trending on Twitter and Facebook, reflecting many people’s feeling that the result was undemocratic.

Despite protest and outrage surrounding his election, Trump is looking to the future, having recently released his “100-day action plan to Make America Great Again.” The first section of the plan details his efforts to handle corruption in D.C. This list included term limits for members of Congress, a ban on foreign lobbyists raising money for U.S. elections and a requirement that two existing federal regulations must be eliminated

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Although the nation’s votes were counted last Tuesday, November 8, the Electoral College won’t convene until December 19 to officially elect the President of the United States.

to create one new regulation.

The second section looks at the protection of American workers, including a renegotiation of NAFTA, a withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and cancelling U.S. payments to U.N. climate change programs. The third section is focused on “security and the constitutional rule of law.”

Actions within this section include finding a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, removing over 2 million criminal illegal immigrants and suspending immigration from “terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur.”

US Senator for Oklahoma: James Lankford Last Tuesday, Republican James Lankford won his first complete term in the US

Senate. Lankford received 68 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Mike Workman, who received 25 percent, Libertarian Robert Murphy and Independent Sean Braddy, who both received three percent, and Independent Mark Beard, who received two percent.

After Senator Tom Coburn stepped down at the end of the 113th Congress in January 2015, Lankford was voted in to serve the last two years of Coburn’s six-year term, leaving the House of Representatives after four years. He is currently on four committees: Appropriations, Homeland Security, Intelligence and Indian Affairs. Lankford’s stances on major issues tend to be standard conservative fare: he has taken a pledge to endorse no new taxes, supports the Patriot Act and feels that federally funded health care is unconstitutional.

US Representatives for Oklahoma All five of Oklahoma’s Republican representatives retained their positions in last Tuesday’s election. Most of Tulsa and its surrounding towns are in District 1, represented by Jim Bridenstine. Bridenstine, who began in the House in 2013 as a member of the Tea Party, ran unopposed in last week’s election, the only Representative to have that luxury. He is currently on two committees: Armed Forces (Bridenstine is a Navy veteran) and Science, Space and Technology. Much like Lankford, Bridenstine’s stances are fairly standard: he believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, personhood begins at conception and that “the Second Amendment is not negotiable to the people of Oklahoma’s First District.”

News

The Collegian: 4

14 November 2016

Key LGBTQ+ issues identified at PRIDE panel Panelists from TU and the local community brought insight into issues affecting LGBTQ+ communities at TU and throughout Oklahoma.

Grace McFee Student Writer The university’s Pride Month kickstarted this week with an open panel designed to discuss important LGBTQ+ issues and answer student questions. Dr. Marianne Blair, professor of international and comparative family at TU, Preston Brasch, president of Outlaws at TU Law, Michael Mills, dean of community relations for True Blue Neighbors, and Sharon Queen, representing Oklahoma for Equality Gender Outreach Program, had a lot to say in regard to LGTBQ+ topics both on and off-campus.

When asked about the evolution of LGBTQ+ rights, especially within Oklahoma,

Mills responded: “We continue to have laws passed all the time that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people….For every step forward, we take several steps back.” This becomes doubly relevant when one realizes that 27 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were proposed in the Oklahoma House’s last session alone.

Queen believes “we really have to get beyond hiding behind the term ‘religious freedom.’” In her mind, the beliefs of one group of people have been proclaimed as more important than those of others, which becomes an enormous problem for the people whose personal identities those beliefs attempt to invalidate. “If Oklahomans can start to speak more on behalf of marginalized citizens, then we can start making progress,” said Brasch. While these bills were all defeated, the panelists are convinced the fact that they were proposed at all shows there is a real problem in the way people and government see those in the LGTBQ+ community. “I don’t need special rights or different rights, just the same rights,” asserted Queen

in a sentiment that many in the LGTBQ+ community echo.

On the topic of the university’s recognition of LGTBQ+ students, Blair stated that, while the university has anti-harassment policies to protect students, policies dedicated to gender recognition, and offers some available accommodations, “there is always room to do more and to do better.” Brasch believes a good place to start improving would be in Career Services, arguing that “it’s important to provide students with a network they can connect with and succeed in once they leave.” Mills works to improve university recognition of and relations with LGBTQ+ students all the time not only because it is important, but also because, as he said: “I don’t want our students to feel we are a close-minded campus.”

In the last moments of the panel, the discussion turned to allies. From a student perspective on the campus community in particular, Brasch commented: “The visible support from allies, from an emotional

standpoint, has been really nice to see...it gives me a lot of hope for the future.” However, on a wider scale, the need for allies has only increased during the current political atmosphere. It is not good enough to stand in the shadows as a neutral bystander in the face of discrimination. “When you’re in an uncomfortable situation, the most comforting thing to have is a group...maybe not like-minded people, but people willing to walk next to you,” said Queen.

Now more than ever, the LGBTQ+ community needs the support of their fellow people to counter injustice and fight for their human rights. The panel as a whole argued that one cannot be a supporter and be silent, encouraging people to take an active role either as a member of the LGBTQ+ community or as an ally. “Be seen. That’s how you affect change. Be seen. Be willing to stand up,” declared Queen.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Mills remarked: “We’ve got a long way to go.

Evenings like this are important.”

Nathan Gibbons

Distribution Manager

Move to Impeach Hollande in France Dozens of members of Parliament in France are now calling for President Francois Hollande’s impeachment. This past week, the conservative members sent the motion to the government alleging that the socialist president gave classified information to journalists. Pierre Lellouche, who is attempting to trigger Article 68 with supporters’ help, claimed Hollande “had seriously violated defense secrecy.” Article 68 of the French constitution states that impeachment cannot go into effect without a two-thirds majority of both the Senate and Assembly.

51 percent of the National Assembly and 37 percent of the Senate belongs to the Socialist Party. “The President Should Not Say That,” the book that started the cries for impeachment, was largely recognized as political suicide before the upcoming 2017 presidential election. The collection of private conservations Hollande had with two journalists contains his admission to assassinating four enemies of the state, among other controversial statements.

Prime Minister Banned from Mardi Gras in Australia

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was the first sitting PM to attend March’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, has been barred from attending the next parade.

Organizers passed a motion last Saturday, November 12, on the accusation that Turnbull used this year’s march as a media opportunity. Cat Rose, who put forward the motion, claims Turnbull has been “nothing but a conduit for homophobes wanting to derail marriage equality through a vindictive plebiscite” since the parade.

“We wanted to express our disgust at his prime ministership as a community and to say that we don’t need his phony friendship … for this reason we are not extending an invitation for him to attend the parade while we wait for equality,” Rose stated on Facebook. Currently, Australia allows civil union and registered relationships for same-sex couples, but they are not recognized as married under national law. Turnbull and party supporters want to put it to a national vote, as the public majority seems to support marriage equality, but critics say this could lead to harmful anti-equality campaigns.

The Battle Continues in Mosul Backed by Iraqi and U.S. airstrikes, Iraqi special forces made their way through ten suicide bomber vehicles to take control of another two districts of Eastern Mosul last Saturday, November 12. Lieutenant-General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi of the Counter Terrorism Service told Iraqi media, “We destroyed more than 10 suicide car bombs and killed snipers and weapons teams … The clearing is continuing and in the coming hours, God willing, this quarter will be completely cleared.”

In a nearby neighborhood, infantry and armored divisions also advanced against Islamic State troops, destroying at least three rocket launchers and killing 30 militants.

Iraqi special forces have been fighting ISIS troops inside the city for ten days. Saidi stated that Iraqi troops had entered or controlled less than a quarter of the fifty districts of Mosul East of the Tigris River, and that progress is often hindered by losses overnight. The campaign, which has lasted little over a month, united 100,000 Iraqi fighters backed by Western personnel.

Turkey Coup Aftermath Continues Over 370 non-government organizations, many of them children’s organizations or human rights groups, have been closed in Turkey following an announcement by the Interior Ministry last Friday, November 11. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus stood by the decision the following day, stating, “Turkey has to fight terrorism on so many different fronts. We are trying to clear the state institutions from Gulenists.

At the same time we are fighting against Kurdish militants and Islamic State.” The purge, a reaction to a failed coup last July, has led to over 37,000 arrests and more than 110,000 people being fired. The organizations and individuals targeted are alleged to have ties to the United States based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who denies claims that he is responsible for the coup. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says the ongoing purge and investigations are crucial to rooting out those who would topple the government.

In Chad, Boko Haram Soldiers Surrender

Amid growing military pressure in Chad, Boko Haram soldiers and families surrendered in the hundreds this past month, officials say. “They surrendered to our troops on the front line in Lake Chad...”The surrenders are taking place because of the firepower of our operations. The groups, many of them armed, have been arriving since September and their number keeps increasing,” said Colonel Mohammad Dole, Chief Military Public Information Officer for the Multinational Joint Task Force.

Over 240 of the Chadian Boko Haram fighters are now being held in detention with their families. Boko Haram, which means “Western Education is Sinful” in the local Hausa language, has been known to forcefully recruit citizens. In Nigeria last year, Boko Haram held territory approximately the size of Belgium but have now lost significant ground as they fail to keep new recruits and land.

Monday, November 14 at 7:00pm to 8:30pm Chapman Hall, Lecture Hall Auditorium Hibakusha Stories: Testimonies of Survivors of the Atomic Bomb Shigeko Sasamori and Yasuaki Yamashita will share their experiences from the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9. They will discuss the aftermath and how these tragic events shaped the course of their lives and history.

TU Assistant Professor of American History Jeremy Kuzmarov and Kathleen Sullivan, consultant to the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs, will join the survivors in a panel discussion on the historic, ethical, human and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons.

Sponsored by the TU History Club and Youth Arts New York.

Wednesday, November 16 at 12:00pm to 1:00pm Student Union LGBTQ+ Student Panel Join SA for a panel of students talking about what it’s like to be an LGBTQ+ student at the University of Tulsa.

There will be food and t-shirts provided.

Thursday, November 17 at 7:00pm Tyrrell Hall, Lecture Hall Having a Taste for Beethoven Sanna Pederson, the Mavis C. Pitman Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the development of “taste” – both the flavorful and the aesthetic – in her lecture about Ludwig van Beethoven’s times and music.

This is the first part of a two-part lecture series connecting Beethoven, music and food.

Friday, November 18 at 10:00am to 5:00pm Gilcrease Museum, Museum Store Annual Bronze Sale Loking for the perfect gift for the art-lover in your life? Visit the Gilcrease Museum Store during our Annual Bronze Sale and enjoy 30 percent off all bronze sculptures.

No other discounts apply. Gift wrapping available. Shop early for the best selection!

Saturday, November 19 at 10:00am to 5:00pm Sunday, November 20 at 10:00am to 5:00pm Friday, November 18 at 7:30pm to 9:00pm Lorton Performance Center, Gussman Concert Hall TU Opera Theatre Performance The University of Tulsa Opera Theatre, directed by Brady McElligott, will perform Mozart’s comic opera, Così fan tutte.

The story involves a sly older gentleman who bets his young friends that their lady friends will be unfaithful, and the tricks and shenanigans that ensue, when they accept the bet. Will the two couples ever get back together, with the right people, as they should be? You be the judge!

This free performance is staged, performed with orchestra, and will be sung in Italian.

Saturday, November 19 at 9:00am to 12:00pm Mabee Gym, Campus Security Office RAD for Women Self-Defense Class The RAD for Women Self-Defense is an easy to learn way for women to defend against unwanted attention or and attack.

The class consists of two 3-hour sessions. Wear comfortable clothes, class includes physical activity.

Call or email the security department for details. Download the latest R.A.D. Brochure or visit RAD-systems.com for more information about the program.

Saturday, November 19 at 11:00am to 1:00pm Gilcrease Museum, Helmerich Hall Music in the Museum Visit the galleries and enjoy various small ensembles from the Tulsa Symphony performing repertoire spanning four centuries from Renaissance and Baroque to Pop and Broadway music. Drop in for a few minutes of music, or stay for the whole performance.

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

Contact us at news@tucollegian.org with events.

News

14 November 2016

The Collegian: 5

TU students question future as teachers

While some elementary education majors at TU want to stay in-state to teach, many also struggle with the future of education in Oklahoma.

Michaela Flonard News Editor

In August 2016, the Oklahoma School Boards Association reported that districts across the state were trying to fill more than 500 vacancies for the 2016-2017 school year. These vacancies came from eliminating 1,500 teachers and 1,300 supporting staff positions. To fill these remaining spots, the state has been forced to rely on emergency certified teachers.

This certification can be given to someone with a bachelor’s degree, in any subject, who passes several required tests. In 2015-2016, more than 1,063 certifications were issued by the state, compared to 32 in 2011-2012.

But the state’s ability to fill these positions with graduating education majors may also be slim. Since 2008, enrollment in education training programs has dropped in the state of Oklahoma.

In 2008-2009, there were 23,631 enrolled in accredited programs; in 2015-2016 there were 4,6546 enrolled, with 545 enrolled in alternative, non-IHE (institute of higher education) based programs.

This didn’t surprise Phillip Applegate, the Dean of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning at TU. “I can’t imagine why anyone in their right mind would go into education in Oklahoma these days,” he said. TU has been largely unaffected by the dropping enrollment rates of education majors, hovering from 150 in 20112012 to 110 in 2015-2016. Part of this, Applegate suspected, was that many of TU’s education students are from surrounding states, and plan to return to these states when they leave.

Julie Tandy, who currently studies elementary education at TU, agreed, but added that local

degree, leave ... My high school teachers, before I left, were telling me try something else. Not because they don’t think I can do it, just because they know that you get frustrated with the politics of it and not being able to change that.”

Tameka Collins also embodied another struggle, as her husband, another teacher, is from Texas.

The one who planned to stay and teach in the state for about ten years, Melissa Buchman, said she hoped to eventually obtain a law degree in education so she could help fix the system.

Collins, a current TU elementary education major, said “it goes back to pay every single time. Obviously money isn’t everything to me or I wouldn’t have chosen to be a teacher in the first place, but I need it to survive.” When she first started her degree, she believed she would stay in state, but has adjusted her plans as a result of the state of teaching and her marriage.

Because of the low salary, Buchman said she’d been told to “marry wealthy” if she wanted to go into teaching. But, she argued, she should be able to support a family on her teaching salary without having to do so.

The major reason for this lack of teachers, according to Applegate, current education majors and reports from current teachers in the public press, is pay. Oklahoma has the lowest teacher salary of the surrounding states, and consistently ranks in the bottom of the nation in teacher salary. This low salary is compounded by the fact many teachers buy supplies for their classroom and students out of their own pockets, according to Tandy.

Another issue detracting from attracting new teachers was respect. Several of those interviewed felt teachers in Oklahoma weren’t respected very much. Tandy said, “for instance, when SQ779 didn’t pass, the comments on the Tulsa World article on Facebook were filled with sentiments of ‘stop whining, you make $x, that’s plenty’ or ‘get another job’.”

“Even though we are working hard and getting that four year de-

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

This graph, with data from 2005, reflects the current trend in teacher pay. Oklahoma consistently ranks lowest compared to the surrounding states and in the U.S overall.

sessions, I think we moved into the idea that if we kept cutting taxes dramatically, everyone would flood into Oklahoma and there’d be development. But that came at the price of dramatically reduced public services,” Applegate said.

Since 2000, the state government has slashed the state income tax.

The top income tax bracket has been cut by almost a fourth, from 6.65 percent before 2004 to five percent in 2016. According to an analysis conducted for Oklahoma

Policy Institute by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in January of 2016, the “annual cost of cuts to the top personal income tax rate enacted since 2005 is $1.022 billion”. While the state did initially see robust growth in annual appropriations until about

courtesy Moving at the Speed of Creativity

gree,” Moseley said that teachers often aren’t respected or paid as professionals. “I have people telling me I’m wasting my talents because I’m going into education,” she added. “I could technically do a lot of other majors, but I want to do this so badly. But it’s almost like, am I an idiot? I could make like double my salary easily, but

was important for fixing it.

Tandy agreed that there were problems with SQ 779 and that “there would be a better way to adjust teacher pay, but it’s still unfortunate that it was defeated. I don’t know how long Oklahoma teachers are going to have to wait for a ‘better way’ that makes everyone happy, when they so desperately need more.”

Applegate hoped the election would make students “become much more politically and so-

“My message is just buckle down, work hard and we can move this state back to a functional state. If not, we’ll all just move somewhere else.”

Although State Question 777 did not pass, Applegate hopes the election will motivate students to be more politically and socially aware.

students who study at TU, like herself, also often leave the state upon graduation. They “have very little to entice them into staying, especially when moving just a state away to Arkansas or Texas could give them a huge raise and a huge boost in school quality.”

Those who do stay, she believed, “are doing so to stay near family or because their spouse or significant other has a job that makes more money than teaching that requires them to stay in Oklahoma.”

Of the five students interviewed for this article, all were from Oklahoma, and all but one planned to eventually move to a surrounding state to teach.

Emma Moseley emphasized their struggle, saying “I want to go back [to Owasso] so badly, but I don’t think it’s a smart choice to stay in Oklahoma.” Other former administrators and teachers have told her “as soon as you get your

salary where they can actually live a life,” Moseley said. “There’s so many important things and they’re over here debating whether or not we should keep this class.”

She also brought up the debate over Common Core, saying that while the state had decided to not use the system, the standards legislators created were “just about the same” as Common Core. She recalled teachers who used Common Core worksheets, but because of state policy, the teachers cross

2009 due to high energy prices, since then the state has seen little growth to a loss in appropriations.

“So people are going to have to come up with a better political and economical philosophy to move forward cause this isn’t working very well,” Applegate concluded.

Moseley also pointed to misguided priorities in the legislature.

out the name “Common Core” before they use them in class.

“We spent so much time and energy redoing those guidelines,” she said, with reference to Common Core, but hadn’t focused on other important issues like teacher pay.

Tandy noted oftentimes the teachers don’t seem to factor into legislative decisions. “Major decisions are made without really considering how it will affect teachers. For instance, elementary reading curriculum changed to a program that almost every teacher hates — it’s incredibly scripted and allows for very little creativity on the teacher’s part, and does not connect well with what students are tested on by the state — and the district is not listening to teachers’ concerns about this.” Her argument was echoed by Buchman, who noted that the emphasis on standardized testing, especially tying performance to salary, led to “teaching to the test.”

“Second graders are being taught how to fill in the bubble,” she said, even if they don’t fully understand multiple choice yet.

While Moseley believed “a lot is changing in education, and it’s really bizarre that it’s not one of the main issues of the election,” the results of the election, at both a local and national level, will affect Oklahoma. The failure of SQ 779 is the most obvious example.

This question would have resulted

cially aware — that this isn’t the end of the world, that if students disagree with the way the country moves as result of this presidency they’re gonna have to get more involved and more politically active.

It could be a good thing.” While Tandy, who described herself as a political moderate who avoids commenting on politics, said Donald Trump’s desire to reduce funding to the department of education has her concerned.

“While I agree that the money in the DoE is not spent wisely on our education system, we desperately need an overhaul of the public education system in order to catch up with other first-world countries who are light-years ahead of us,” she said.

As for the future of teaching and education in Oklahoma, those interviewed had some bleak hope. “I don’t see it changing anytime soon because it’s so down in the hole right now. To get back up where we need to be is gonna take a long time,” said Collins. Applegate recalled a former boss, a state superintendent, who said as she left, “‘we’re gonna burn the barn down before we have a chance to rebuild it’. I think we’re getting very close to that point.”

But all the elementary education majors emphasized that their love for teaching drives them. “People who are in the classroom love the kids, because they’re not getting paid, they’re not getting treated

“I don’t know how long Oklahoma teachers are going to have to wait for a ‘better way’ that makes everyone happy, when they so desperately need more.” that would be so boring.”

Several different explanations were offered as to how Oklahoma became so notorious for a poor education system. Most argued parts of the legislature didn’t prioritize education, instead either focusing on other issues of governance or focusing on overly minute details.

“The last couple of legislative

In 2015, the legislature debated banning AP US History, under HB 1380, although ultimately they did not do so. The bill was sponsored

by Rep. Dan Fisher, who believed the new AP framework viewed America as “nation of oppressors and exploiters” and shows “what is bad about America.”

“Right now, our issues are teachers making a self-sustained

in a one percent increase in the state sales tax, and 69.5 percent of that raise would have gone to an increase in teacher pay of $5,000 per person. Other portions went to higher education (19.25 percent), early childhood education (8 percent) and career tech (3.25 percent). Buchman was encouraged by the support for the proposal, saying that awareness of the issue

like professionals,” Moseley said.

“Oklahoma will eventually come back,” Applegate said. To those who are in the process of becoming or want to become teachers, he said, “My message is just buckle down, work hard and we can move this state back to a functional state.

If not, we’ll all just move somewhere else.”

News

The Collegian: 6 From Clancy on cover This isn’t Clancy’s first time around the block.

According to his bio on TU’s website, he “more than doubled the number of education programs, student enrollment, patient care visits, employees, campus facility square footage and campus annual budget to more than $150,000,000” and “was able to fully fund and build seven new education and clinical buildings and build a significant reserve fund for the campus,” during his tenure at OU-Tulsa.

all university employees.

Clancy emphasizes that the main priority in the university’s decision-making process was to avoid hurting the student learning experience.

“We needed to move relatively quickly, and so what we did was we suspended the retirement benefit until we could get caught up,” he says.

“The plan going forward is to adjust the budget as much as we can to try and bring back the retirement benefit as soon as we can.”

The president intends to move forward not by making more cuts,

Clancy Facts: He learned hostage negotiations in the Air Force.

He intends to continue building upon former president Upham’s legacy.

“TU is on a trajectory [where] we’ve built a beautiful campus, and now it’s my job to fill it up with programs and people and students,” Clancy says.

Clancy’s priorities for TU are varied but targeted.

They include a focus on campus safety, diversity, student accommodations and support, resources

but by “growing the pieces we need to grow.”

He sees diversifying TU’s programs as one of the main priorities for resolving the budget crisis, as this will prevent the university from being too dependent on a single department(such as energy) and will help boost enrollment.

Efforts to do so are already underway with the addition of newly accredited Health Sciences programs, as well as partnerships with

Clancy Facts: He loves to sail and really enjoys the physics of directing a sailboat.

14 November 2016

servist in the Air Force for another 20, and plans to work with the Student Veteran Association to make sure people know that veterans are “very welcome” at TU. “It’s important to me,” he emphasizes.

He also intends to boost service outreach. “At TU I want to be known for more than just volunteering,” he enthuses.

“I want our students to be known for knowing the communities and the projects that they’re in, and doing things at a deeper level than just putting in some service hours.”

Clancy notes that courtesy University of Tulsa many campus ef- Clancy hopes to avoid making more cuts and instead diversify TU’s programs, such as the addition of forts, such as the new Health Sciences degrees.

True Blue Neighwhat The Collegian does — you’re you have to have a long horizon, bors Behavioral Health Clinic, actually doing more than can hap- but the key factor for leadership Reading Partners, Joe’s Garage, pen at other universities where stu- for me is execution,” he says. the Little Light House and the dents are kinda passive and sitting “It’s pretty easy to come up with Boesche Law Clinic already back. So that’s the story I wanna ideas and pretty easy to actually achieve this, but it’s an effort he tell, that when you come to TU put together a plan. It’s DOING intends to expand upon. you actually get to DO more.” the plan that’s the hard part.”

He becomes visibly impasOn a more serious note, Clancy “I’m kind of a high-energy persioned as he talks about the service notes that campus safety needs son and part of that is just pushing efforts TU has conducted so far, to be a priority for the university through when things are hard,” he praising TU students’ ability to get moving forward, especially in the explains. out and get involved. “We’ve got a light of the arrest and suspension He also intends to bring experigreat story to tell at TU. of TU student Alberto Luis Molina ence from his work in psychiatry I think it’s three overlapping cirfor a number of crimes including to the president’s office. Clancy cles, the first being we do a great burglary and sexual battery. He has a long and successful career

for first-generation college students, resources for veterans, increasing internship opportunities and affordability.

The president acknowledges that there may be some setbacks along the way in achieving these goals, particularly in light of TU’s recent budget cuts.

Clancy attributes the budget cuts to disparities in TU’s income, which he says has four main components: tuition, endowment (scholarships or endowed chairs), research grants and gifts.

“This is a school that goes up and down enrollment-wise like the energy industry does,” he says.

“We’re in a three-year lag now with the energy industry and we’re in a three-year lag with enrollment.”

He concludes, “When any one of [the four components] is lagging a little bit, the university struggles a little bit.

Endowment is down a little bit, enrollment is down a little bit …

I think everyone’s realized that we’ve had to make some cutbacks.”

These cutbacks have mostly included changing the hours of oncampus services, such as shuttles, limiting janitorial services for offices, and most notably, the suspension of retirement benefits for

local high schools, concurrent enrollment and outreach in cities such as St. Louis and Houston.

Clancy also intends to increase

This includes involvement with student associations. Clancy was active duty for six year and a re-

ects, that’s Made at TU, that’s Ad Program, that’s Third Floor Design, that’s Studio Blue, that’s

424 students answered the Campus Climate Survey on topics ranging from sexual assault reporting to their perceptions of TU.

73.8 percent of perpetrators were male. Alcohol use was prevalent with 76.9 percent reported use by the perpetrator an 76.8 percent use by victims. 71.1 percent of sexual assaults reported occurred on campus and of the 31 respondents who listed specific locations, 51.6 percent occurred in campus apartments, 29 percent occurred in fraternity houses and 19.4 percent occurred in dorm rooms.

Respondents who said they had experienced assault were asked to indicate if and to whom they disclosed their assault. 55.3 percent said they had not told anyone about their assault. Others told a roommate or close friend, a family member, a counselor or mental health professional and in only one case to a campus sexual assault advocate.

Of the students who told no one, their reasons for doing so included: being embarrassed and ashamed (52.6 percent), believing it was private matter and prefered to deal with it alone (70 percent), being concerned that others would find out about their assault (31.3 percent), fearing retribution from the perpetrator (14.3 percent), fearing not being believed (31.3 percent), fearing punishment for infractions such as underage drinking (13.3 percent), did not know reporting procedures on campus (14.3 percent), feeling as though nothing would be done (26.7 percent) and not thinking the school would do anything about their report (14.3 percent).

Only two of the students who

had experienced assault identified using formal university procedures to report the incident.

Students were also asked about their perceptions of leadership, policies and reporting violence at TU. Despite mandatory training required for all students prior to enrollment, only 72.9 percent of respondents reported receiving training in university policies and procedures. 23.4 percent of students expressed a belief that official were “not at all” or “slightly likely” to take corrective action against an offender; and 20.3 per-

Clancy Facts: He attended survival school, and jokes that his survival skills really kicked in during Tulsa’s 2007 ice storm, in which the city lost power for several days. internship options for students, both to increase enrollment and to provide students with as many opportunities as possible to prepare themselves for life after college.

Recently, he’s reached out to Microsoft to discuss internship options, and made a trip to China to discuss exchanges and joint partnerships.

As president, Clancy plans to get involved on campus as much as possible. “I expect people to see me around. I walk around a lot, and so please stop and say hi to me, I like that. I go and see the band at the football games...I want to be with students.”

job in the classroom, the second is we do a great job introducing students to what the world is like in complex environments like True Blue Neighbors and the Global Scholars, but we really succeed in

intends to promote a climate of cooperation and safety, and notes that “even within some of our most recent cases there’s some successes of communication is getting better,

Clancy Facts: He loves to go to restaurants in Tulsa and later try to replicate the food at home. that our students, earlier than most students and to a greater depth than most students, actually go out and do things.”

“That’s Little Light House proj-

and people are talking. Clearly it’s very on the minds of the students.”

From his successful tenure at OU-Tulsa, Clancy brings the ability to work through long term prob-

Clancy Facts: He has been married to his wife Paula for 30 years. They have 3 children including Sam, 25, Mary, 22 and Joseph, 17. lems. “Sometimes these things take time. To get things done at a big complex organization like this

in psychiatry, beginning with a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Iowa. He continues to work at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research and continues to see psychiatric patients.

“In my job [as a psychiatrist], part of what is helpful is I know people,” he elaborates. “So I know when people are upset, I know a little bit about understanding people’s motives and incentives.

But probably the most important thing I do as a psychiatrist … is bring hope back into the equation.

It’s kind of a tough time for TU right now and my job is to say that things can get better.

“To have hope, you have to be able to show a pathway,” Clancy concludes. “You can’t have hope without a pathway. You can’t fake it. And so part of my job is to put together the path for our university, for our programs, to say that we’ll get through this.”

Campus Climate Survey reveals student unease about personal safety

Kayleigh Thesenvitz Managing Editor The Campus Climate Survey was conducted by the University of Tulsa Institute of Trauma, Adversity and Injustice (TITAN) and the Advocacy Alliance. The stated purpose of the survey was, “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.”

The results of the most recent survey were finalized on October 24. Members of TITAN and the Advocacy Alliance have been unavailable for contact to answer further questions about the survey, but some of the survey’s key findings are still noteworthy.

The sample size of the survey was 424 students, approximately nine percent of the total student population. Overall, 9.1 percent of students reported the experience of sexual violence while a student at TU. Information about the contexts in which students at TU experienced assault was made available.

58.2 percent of perpetrators were also students at the university and

cent believed that officials were “not at all” or “slightly likely” to take corrective action to address the factors that may have led to the sexual assault. 60.6 percent of students felt college administrators should do more to protect students from harm.

Students also expressed attitudes about safety on campus.

These included concerns about poor walkability at night, the absence of patrolling campus security officers, lack of safely located parking lots and the public accessibility of campus.

The report highlights, “there has been no reduction in the occurrence [of] sexual violence on the University of Tulsa campus from the 2014-2015 to the 2015-2016 academic year.”

“Our primary hindrance from achieving best practices with regards to sexual violence prevention on TU’s campus is the need to have information centralized and managed on a full time basis through positions dedicated to these efforts,” the report concludes.

courtesy Campus Climate Survey

The Campus Climate Survey revealed there was no reduction of sexual violence between the 2014-2015 and the 2015-2016 school year at TU.

News

14 November 2016

The Collegian: 7

Student encounters difficulty seeking CSAS accommodations

TU student Kaitlyn Counter says she has negotiated with the Center for Student Academic Support for months in an attempt to get assistance for ADHD. Hannah Kloppenburg Editor-in-Chief

When Kaitlyn Counter was diagnosed with ADHD during spring of her sophomore year, it became apparent to her that her condition was affecting her academic performance. She turned to TU’s Center for Student Academic Support, which offers accommodations to students with students with disabilities including ADHD. “I had just gotten my ADHD diagnosis from my psychiatrist, and I took it to CSAS because everybody talks it up like they’re really going to help you,” Counter said.

“I gave them everything that they needed, I got a letter from my psychiatrist stating the accommodations that I need, what he thinks would help me … he did all of his paperwork that they gave me to give to him. Basically they laid it all out for me and they were like ‘this is what you need,’ and I brought it back to them,” she explained.

Counter’s case was taken to CSAS’ Eligibility Committee. According to the CSAS handbook, the committee “includes staff from CSAS, a trained staff member from the student’s academic college and staff from the counseling center,” and “reviews the documentation and makes determinations about appropriate accommodations,” before

tling with them since mid-[spring] semester and then all this semester,” Counter said.

When Counter asked what she needed to do to receive the accommodations, she was told by CSAS officials that she needed to take a 6-8 hour formal assessment with a licensed professional, which included an interview and a series of aptitude tests. The cost of the assessment was $2,000.

“I asked if they had any resources or if they offered that testing — and they didn’t point me in the direction of any places that would offer it, but they said that they could give me the names of some psychiatrists’ offices. And I was like ‘well, I have one of those.’”

Counter was told by her employer that the True Blue Neighbors Behavioral Health clinic offered the assessment she needed for free, so she contacted the clinic. The True Blue Neighbors clinic is TU-affiliated and provides mental health assessment and treatment services to people in areas near TU. “They made it sound like they could do the test, and they obviously offer it,” she said. “I got a call a week or two later saying they actually wouldn’t do it because they saw that I wanted my results sent to CSAS.” The clinic stated that it would be a “conflict of interest” to provide the results to CSAS, and that CSAS would not accept the results.

“I just don’t even know what to say to that,” Counter said. “Because they have the resources to give students this assessment that they require for ADHD accommodations, and they just don’t allow you to use it, essentially.”

“So here I am, praying that I have pro-

“So far, Counter has been relying on gracious professors and convenience in scheduling to complete her exams.” notifying the student of the committee’s decision in writing.

“I got an email that was like ‘we are not granting you accommodations … we don’t have sufficient evidence that you’re impaired enough,’” Counter said. She explained that when she asked for elaboration, she was not given a clear reason as to why her ADHD diagnosis from her psychiatrist was not sufficient evidence to grant her accommodations.

The CSAS handbook, which can be accessed on TU’s website, lists the following documents as necessary for acquiring accommodations: “procedures followed, the instruments used to assess the disability, the test results, and the interpretation of the results.” Also required material are “recommended academic accommodations,” “individual’s present achievement level … dated no more than three years prior,” test results for criteria including intelligence, reading rate, and processing skills, and any “additional testing … as determined by the Eligibility Committee.”

“The gist of it was that I did not have enough ADHD to constitute getting time and a half [on exams], which was all that I had asked for. So I’ve been basically bat-

fessors who are accommodating … I feel so bad,” she continued. “Because I love TU, I love the professors because all of them have been super nice to me and they’ve been really accommodating. But it’s just stuff like this that just doesn’t ever work.”

Counter commented that “it feels like specific discrimination against people with ADHD and learning disabilities because we’re the only two that are listed on their website who have to go through … special guidelines to get accommodations.” She said that she has spoken to students with bipolar disorder and depression who have been offered time and a half on exams by CSAS. “Why don’t I get that?” she asked. “Why do I need to spend $2000 in order to get my accommodations when this person has what I have, which is a diagnosis from a psychiatrist, and they’re cleared?”

The CSAS handbook states that “In order to qualify for accommodations, students provide documentation of their disability to CSAS. Depending on the type of disability, there is different information that will need to be provided by the student’s diagnosing professional.” Though the handbook does note that a variety of documentation

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

If she were able to recieve the CSAS accommodations, Counter would be allowed to test in a private room with time and a half on exams.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

CSAS provides academic accommodations to students who need them, along with other services like tutoring.

(i.e. different assessments) may be required depending on disability, it doesn’t specify which types of documentation are required for certain disabilities.

“They don’t state it explicitly [in the handbook],” Counter explained. “But I’ve asked them ‘should I have my psych write me another letter,’ or ‘what else can my psych do’ and they said ‘no, you need that testing.’ I was not given any other options.”

The handbook states that “TU is in compliance with requirements under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students must provide sufficient disability documentation as determined by the 504/ADA Coordinator before services or accommodations will be provided (accommodations cannot be provided retroactively).” It specifies that “It is the student’s responsibility to provide or pay for the cost of this documentation.”

Additionally, the handbook seems to state that service providers cannot be affiliated with the university, potentially explaining the “conflict of interest” cited by True Blue Neighbors: “Documentation must be prepared by appropriately certified personnel qualified to diagnose disabilities including, but not limited to a certified physician, educational diagnostician, learning disability pec list or psychologist. The service providers cannot be associated with the University of Tulsa in a full-time or part-time following documents will be needed: procedures followed, the instruments used to assess the disability, the test results and the interpretation of the results.

So far, Counter has been relying on gracious professors and convenience in sched-

with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prevents discrimination on the basis of disability and ensures equal opportunity for those with disabilities. The ADA covers individuals with mental illnesses, which includes ADHD. Though TU “is in compliance with requirements under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act,” according to the CSAS handbook, the university “reserves the right to determine the most effective and timely accommodation(s) after consultation with the student and appropriate health care providers (with the student’s permission) as the 504/ADA Coordinator deems essential.”

Counter doesn’t feel as though she has been treated in a way that is ADA compliant. With the ADA, “the person just needs to show a reasonable amount of disability, or that their work is affected,” she said. “One of the biggest lines in the ADA is that the employer needs to make a reasonable accommodation, unless it is of high cost to the employer. And the employer in this case would be TU, because the section also applies to institutions,” Counter says, referring to Title I of the ADA. “So while I can see a $2000 test being an unreasonable cost to an institution, there’s also the fact that there’s this clinic that will test me for free or at a lower cost — anything is better than $2000 — they won’t allow me that service, so that’s a lack of accommodation there,” she continued.

“The fact that they require me to have that test in the first place when I have a letter from my psychiatrist saying ‘she especially struggles in this area, this area and

“Next step is sending a letter to administration, and if that doesn’t go anywhere then...where am I gonna go with it?” uling to complete her exams. “I’ve lucked out with my schedule. I have a 9 a.m. and then an 11 a.m. So that gap really helps because … I can come in early, take the exam, like start taking it and then [the professor] will move me to the class and that’s fine.”

However, she’s concerned that her schedule might not work out so well in the future. “It basically just depends on how much your schedule matches up with your professor’s.”

The setup also isn’t ideal because it allows Counter to be distracted easily by outside stimuli. With CSAS accommodations, she would be allowed to test in one of CSAS’ private rooms. As it is, “I get to start 20 minutes early, but the tradeoff is I get moved from wherever he has me start to the classroom.”

“There’s almost a certain amount of shame,” she added. “I walk in with my test that I’ve already done. I’ve gotten extra time and it’s apparent. So it’s like, I almost hide my test until people start and then I make it look like it’s been handed to me. Because people get upset about that, they don’t understand why I get special treatment.”

As previously stated, TU is compliant

this area because of her ADHD,’ seems very unreasonable. Reasonable accommodations are not being made for me. And that to me does not sound ADA compliant,” Counter concluded.

Counter said that the process has added quite a bit of work to her plate. “It feels like such an unnecessary addition to my workload,” she lamented. “I’m taking 16 hours, it’s technically 18 hours because I picked up a lab, and on top of that I’m trying to get paperwork and stuff … It should not be this much work to get accommodations. I know several people at state schools who have absolutely no issues getting accommodations, people with ADHD … That’s a state school, they have so many students to care for and if they’re able to do that at a state school I just don’t understand why it’s such an issue here.”

Looking forward, Counter plans to take her case to TU administration. “Next step is sending a letter to administration, and if that doesn’t go anywhere then … where am I gonna go with it?”

SA’s SOC declares 26 clubs on campus inactive

Brennen VanderVeen Student Writer

In order to ensure that SA has an accurate count of organizations on campus, it periodically updates its list. If an organization fails to update its officer list, it is presumed inactive. However, before officially designating an organization as such, SOC (Student Organization Committee) attempts to communicate with an organization’s last president or its faculty advisor at least three times. If those attempts all fail, SOC looks to see if an organization has had any SA

sponsored events in the last two years. If it has not, it will be officially designated as inactive.

In order to become active again, an organization will have to go through the same process as new ones. However, since it can just use the old constitution, the process is slightly faster. Also, the account number in the business office will stay the same.

The following is the list of clubs that have recently been deemed inactive.

• • •

Slackling Club TU Tasters Students Against Slavery

• • • • • • • • • • •

National Association of Black Accountants Pi Sigma Alpha Omicron Delta Kappa Muslim Student Association (MSA) Asian American Student Association Knights of Columbus Christian Legal Society TU Society of Human Resource Management Society of Automotive Engineers Hillel: Association of Jewish Students French Club

• • • • • • • • • • • •

TU Global Network Model United Nations Business Law Society Phi Lambda Upsilon Big Brothers Big Sisters Omicron Delta Epsilon Campus Crusade for Christ Zeta Phi Beta Nurses Christian Fellowship Peace and Justice St. Jude/ Up til Dawn Kappa Alpha Psi

Commentary

The Collegian: 8

14 November 2016

Tulsa’s flag should not have the city’s seal on it

Tulsa’s flag is one of many in the U.S. in dire need of a redesign, ranking 124 out of 150 city flags.

Brennen VanderVeen Student Writer For those who are not familiar with Tulsa’s flag, it consists of the city’s seal over a white background. Such a design is too common in the United States. About half of the state flags consist of a symbol, usually the state seal, over a blue background. The repetition is boring and makes it more difficult to distinguish between different flags.

Considering that being a clear symbol of something is the whole point of a flag, the similarity is a problem. Also, putting a seal on the flag violates some of the basic principles of vexillology, the study of flags.

According to the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), flags should follow five basic principles: 1) they should be simple enough to draw it from memory,

2) they should have meaningful symbolism, 3) they should only have a few colors, 4) there should be no lettering or seals and 5) they should be distinctive or clearly related (think of the Nordic countries).

The reasons for most of these basic principles are fairly obvious, or at least should be. (Considering how many states use the seal over a blue background, perhaps distinctiveness is not an obvious goal). But anyway, it might not be immediately apparent why seals and writing are such bad things to put on a flag. If a flag is supposed to clearly represent a particular place, writing “City of Tulsa Oklahoma,” which is on the flag as a part of the seal, will make it perfectly clear what the flag is supposed to represent.

A 2004 report from NAVA ranking the flags of 150 American cities explains why seals and writing are bad. The first reason is that “A flag is a graphic symbol, not a verbal display.” Basically, putting letters on a flag entirely defeats the purpose.

As NAVA’s official report on flag design puts it, “one might simply write the name of a country or location on a white sheet and wave it around.” Secondly, “Lettering is nearly impossible to read from a distance, hard to sew, and difficult to reduce to lapelpin size.”

Think of the flags of the United States, the United Kingdom or France. All of those flags are extremely easy to recognize even at

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Washington D.C’s flag, ranked #1, is a simple and effective representation of the city.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Tulsa’s flag, consisting of the city seal on a white background, violates major rules of vexillology.

a distance because of their iconic designs. If the words on a flag are all that distinguish it from others, it will be useless at a distance.

There is one other reason NAVA notes for not putting words on a flag. “Words are not reversible.” This means that flag manufacturers are left with two options: they can either make a flag that has one side backwards, or they can make the flag doublesided. The former is obviously not a good choice, and the latter increases the costs of manufacturing.

So how did Tulsa do in NAVA’s ranking, with its seal and white background?

It scored 124 out of 150. Now, there is one caveat in that ranking — it was determined through an Internet survey. However, that is not enough reason to disregard the survey. It was posted only on websites for flag enthusiasts, but more importantly, the principles of flag design are based on simple aesthetics. Does one really need to know a lot about vexillology in order to know that the flags

of Washington, DC (#1) and St. Louis (#5), which have distinctive and pleasing designs, are superior to the flag of Pocatello (#150), which literally has a copyright notice on the flag itself?

Luckily, there is a campaign starting to get Tulsa’s flag changed so it no longer has the seal on it. According to the Tulsa World, the campaign is being led by two residents named Jacob Johnson and Joey Wignarajah.

Part of the reason they’re wanting to change the flag is that Tulsa restricts the use of the city’s seal, so using the flag in memorabilia is legally questionable.

The campaign will be conducted online and with private money. Their website is tulsaflag.com. They plan on taking suggestions through November, designing in December, voting on designs in February and presenting the winner to the City Council in March or April. The public should keep in mind the five principles of flag design while recommending and voting on the new flag.

TU needs to improve its sexual health resources

TU was ranked 119 out of 140 schools on sexual health, reminding us that we have a lot of work to do.

Raven Fawcett Student Writer

Trojan (of the condoms) has released a Sexual Health Report Card every year for the past 11 years. They compare the information available about on-campus resources for sexual health at 140 colleges across the United States, which account for one third of undergraduate students in the U.S. The report looks at 11 criteria and ranks colleges in relation to one another.

To do so, they complete an exhaustive internet search, pulling data from anywhere from the schools’ websites to Reddit.

They also send out 2-page questionnaires to each school, which their Student Health Center fills out and sends back to Trojan, along with other goods from their school such as sunglasses or pens.

The research focuses on the quality and quantity of resources available to students, not about the students’ sexual health on a person-by-person basis.

Bert Sperling, lead researcher on this project, emphasized that the point of the report was checking resources “so every student can make their own best choice.”

This year, the University of Tulsa dropped 10 spots, from 109 to 119. Sperling explained the change in rankings and

could only be found on Reddit.

He described a “rising tide of information” on sexual health in universities, and pointed out that TU has simply failed to continue to improve the ease of access to this information in a way that keeps pace with other schools, thus the drop in ranking.

In TU’s favor are the university’s “sexual violence prevention” tab on the school’s home page and similar programs, iStand and Red Flag campaigns, and social media efforts, among other factors.

As information is increasingly made available, it’s worthwhile to ask what improvements can be made. This question is exactly what makes Trojan’s Sexual Health Report Card a successful and worthwhile report.

Schools that have exceeded expectations set the curve and, in true college fashion, TU should be ready to learn from them. One phenomenal way to improve the availability of sexual health at TU would be to licence the use of, or at least promote awareness for, the University of Oregon’s app, SexPositive.

Currently, three schools use the app: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Maryland, and the creator, the University of Oregon.

The app opens to a disclaimer screen that reads “By clicking Continue, you agree that you will express and obtain explicit consent from everyone involved before engaging in a sexual act,” before going on to explain the definition of explicit consent and that no personal information is tracked or shared by the app.

Users are shown a wheel where they can choose various acts, and then explore the risks associated and ways to minimize those risks. Users are eased into the app by the opening combination, “when a finger touches a toe.”

Below the wheel are four sections, “S.T.I. Risks,” “Safer Sex Practices,” “Communi-

“Factors [in TU’s score]... included TU’s lack of online resources and other schools’ improvements.” what sets some colleges apart from others.

Factors in that included TU’s lack of online resources and other schools’ improvements in education and outreach.

For instance, Sperling noted that TU does have 10 condoms for $1 available at the Alexander Health Center, but that information

cation & Advice,” and “Spin Again,” which lets you randomize your results.

An app as a resource promotes anonymity, ensuring the safety and comfort of students. To encourage the university to utilize this app or similar apps, you can contact the Alexander Health Center.

Another easy way to boost not just TU’s

courtesy Trojan

TU dropped 10 spots on this year’s Report Card, a clear sign that action needs to be taken.

ranking in the annual report is to consider columns in the on-campus newspaper. Several schools utilize their health center’s professionals, members of faculty, or even their student staff to foster a safe and informed environment for students.

Columns come in the form of sexual health reminders, relationship advice and anything in between. If this is something that is deeply interesting to you, come to a Collegian meeting and propose the idea or talk to a writer to see what can be done about your questions.

Sexual health is important. You don’t have to put your personal life on display, and the Sexual Health Card certainly isn’t

asking you to. But I hope that you and your friends stay safe.

I hope you check out the SexPositive app, and talk to the Alexander Health Center about TU utilizing it. I hope you go to programs put on by the halls on campus that provide contraceptives and information.

I hope you make informed decisions about what you do with your body. And while I think this university does strive to make sure that you have the resources to make those decisions, I also believe that we can do better, that life is about improvement and that you, the student body, deserves the best possible resources when it comes to your health.

14 November 2016

Commentary

The Collegian: 9

Low voter turnout isn’t necessarily troubling problem seems to boil down to there being a large segment of the population that just doesn’t want to put in the effort of driving to the polls and casting their vote, and any measure taken to increase voter turnout has to deal with the fundamental task of moti-

Though our nation prides itself on democracy, someone not voting because they don’t know enough to make an informed decision shouldn’t be frowned upon.

Justin Guglielmetti Student Writer It was an historic primary season for Oklahoma, with record high turnout numbers for both major political parties. According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, 39.5 percent of registered voters showed up to the polls on Super Tuesday and the raw total of ballots cast shattered the previous mark that had been set in the 2008 election. Following a 2012 election that saw Oklahoma post the seventh-worst voter participation rate in the nation, it appears that things are trending in the right direction, but how far the state can still go towards having an engaged electorate should not be lost in the good news.

When the figures are expanded to include all those people who are eligible to register to vote, Oklahoma’s turnout in the primary was just 28.6 percent. That’s still not entirely terrible compared to the other 49 states (the highest of which was New Hampshire at 52 percent and the lowest Louisiana at 18.2 percent) but that itself really emphasizes the overarching point: election turnout,

“Even local media attention... is fixated on the presidential election as if it’s the only election going on.” vating and enabling these people to take part in the democratic process.

What makes this so difficult, however, is that not all of them have the same rationale behind their unwillingness; indeed, many don’t even have a choice in the matter. For example, many in the impoverished and working classes find themselves physically unable to get to where they need to be, either not able to get off work for the day or lacking viable transportation. An obvious remedy for this would seem to be to make election day a federal holiday or at least to introduce some legislation permitting private sector workers to miss work while fulfilling their civic duty to vote (similar to jury duty), which would hopefully eliminate any fears people might have about losing money or their jobs. Bills which would institute a federal holiday on election day have been introduced in Congress a couple times in recent years, by Democratic Representative John Conyers of Michigan in 2005 and by Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont in 2014, but neither passed. If legislators are serious about boosting voter turnout, they might look into reopening the discussion.

Presenting a far more troubling and complicated dilemma, however, is the other segment of the population that refuses to vote: those who have the means to do so but find

“Election turnout... is never as high as it should be in a nation that prides itself on the vote.” even in highly publicized national races like this one, is never as high as it should be in a nation that prides itself on the vote.

This is no new phenomenon — it seems like there is some reiteration of the same debate come every November. And yet we don’t seem to be any closer to a solution, though our annual exposure has certainly given us a pretty good idea of why so many people choose to stay home. Ultimately, the

concerns so much more challenging is that it is truly difficult to rebut most of their main arguments. For those who don’t want to vote because they don’t like everything about a particular candidate, reminding them of the virtues of compromise only goes so far; af-

themselves disenfranchised with the country’s political process, not identifying with any of the candidates or believing that their individual vote will not matter. Providing easier access to the polls wouldn’t make any difference to these people, as they are actively choosing to spend their time elsewhere on election day.

What makes addressing these people’s

ter all, so many believe in a broken system and the equal ineptitude of all candidates and are perfectly at peace with executing their right to not participate in the electoral process at all. And for those who say their vote doesn’t matter...in many places, isn’t that really true? In our winner-take-all system, a vote for the minority party in a state that is solidly one color (think Oklahoma or Utah for Republicans and New York or Massachusetts for Democrats) essentially amounts to nothing. It appears in the popular vote tally at the end of the year, but does it actually contribute towards electing the person who you voted for? No. We won’t even get into the electoral college here, the members of which have the power to vote against the interests of their constituents

to look hard enough, but it’s a huge flaw in the system if election day turns into a fullblown research project, the time for which many people simply don’t have.

I wish there was a switch we could flip to address these voter concerns; in an instant get rid of the electoral college, implement a popular-vote-wins system, guarantee that every candidate on the ballot, down to the smallest local positions, has enough relevant coverage to inform the public of their viewpoints, and be left with a huge politically active and informed voter block. Of course, I also wish that people would stop being so violent, that Kevin Durant and the Warriors would miss the playoffs, and that McDonald’s would serve the McRib year round. Point being, wishful thinking doesn’t do much good when it concerns things that don’t have much possibility of coming to fruition. In reality, we are probably going to have to put up with low voter turnout for the near future. So given that, let me offer a slightly different perspective: maybe that low participation rate isn’t such a bad thing?

Most people would agree that the healthiest democracy is one that has a large population of intelligent and well-informed voters, as this is the most effective way of ensuring that the best ideas make their way to the

“To those who say their vote doesn’t matter... in many places, isn’t that really true?” without facing any legal repercussions, but it’s another highly visible reminder to cynics that their voice is insignificant.

Another interesting element that is unique to voter disenfranchisement at the state level is a lack of relevant information. When NPR did an investigation into why Oklahoma’s voter turnout was so low in the 2012 election, they found that one of the biggest problems among prospective voters was that they had no idea who was running for anything. In the NPR piece, Jeanette Mendez, the head of political science at Oklahoma State University, says that “even local media attention...is fixated on the presidential election as if that’s the only election going on” and she’s absolutely right. We’ve heard about emails and walls and “locker room talk” ad infinitum, but how much would any readers be able to tell me about the policies of their candidates for city council positions? I’d imagine that most of that information is out there if voters would be willing

forefront. Short of that, however, it is probably best for the health of the state if the uninformed keep their contributions to a minimum. After all, if you don’t know what you are talking about, is it really such a bad thing if you are not voting, choosing to leave the governing decisions to those who are in a better position to make them? This is not to suggest that there should be some sort of test or intellectual qualification needed for the right to vote, as I can only imagine such a thing becoming subjective and politicized, but I certainly don’t lose respect for people just because they choose not to partake in an election. If anything, I think I would gain respect for a person who could honestly look at themselves and say that they were not informed enough to vote. As I said before, voting is a right, not an obligation, and that right includes the choice to abstain. Look at things from this perspective and suddenly that 28.6 percent doesn’t seem so bad.

I underappreciated Obama’s presidency

Looking forward to Trump’s time in the Oval Office, Obama’s humor and professionalism in the face of controversy was a gift to the American public.

Trenton Gibbons Variety Editor When Barack Obama took office eight years ago, I imagined the country changing for the worse, because that’s exactly what I’d been told by many of relatives was going to happen. (Mind you, we did celebrate his election as the first black president as a historic occasion).

Four years later, when he took office again, I believed this to a lesser extent, but I was still rooting for the other guy.

Even after he’d cemented his first and second terms, I’d practically viewed him with a sense of hostility.

I disliked seeing him on TV or hanging out with celebrity guests. I despised his family’s presence in social media, or the pictures one might see of a holiday gathering at the White House.

It took a long time for this hostility to become light irritance, which eventually became cold indifference.

Only in the last few weeks of this election cycle do I realize how ungrateful I’ve been.

As someone who disagrees with President Obama on some purely uninteresting economic policies, I believe I was allowed to support his rival in both elections, so I don’t fault for myself for that.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

President Obama’s charm and likability were valuable assets in trying political times.

I fault myself for viewing him as the enemy for the eight years otherwise.

I should’ve reveled in our president’s charm. As a friend put it, he’s perhaps the “coolest” president we’ve ever had, and I’m hard-pressed to disagree.

He engaged the public and retained his dignity all at once.

His sense of confidence meant he could take a joke, and his sense of wit meant he could make one back.

It’s more fun to watch Obama roast than it is to watch him get roasted.

In a video that now carries an air of ter-

rible irony, President Obama mocks his successor at a 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner on the issue of his questioning the president’s American citizenry.

Since Obama had just released his birth certificate, he says Trump can finally get back to the issues that matter. “Did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?”

It’s a sense of wit that he maintained throughout his presidency.

When, at a speech, he mentioned that his current term would be his last and some Re-

publicans applauded mockingly, he made sure to remind them that it was because he’d won twice.

The American presidency has produced more than a few verbal blunders, either because a president wasn’t a charismatic speaker or because they didn’t quite believe what they were saying.

In the campaign cycle, as I watched both candidates (but one significantly more than the other) stoop to insults and name-calling, and often awkwardly at that, I developed a new appreciation for President Obama’s ability as a public speaker.

Maybe the definitive moment I realized I’d readily take another four years of Obama’s presidency was when I began to fear for the future of our dealings with foreign leaders. President Obama was professional and presentable.

His level-headed attitude meant that a Filipino dictator could call him the “Son of a Whore” and he’d respond with practiced surprise rather than an outburst of contempt.

I don’t expect this level of composure out of Trump, nor should I. Our president-elect is a man who the media circled because of his outrageous outbursts and Twitter tantrums.

His past is marred by scandals that I suspect would’ve prevented America’s first black president from taking office. Worst of all is the fact that he built his political reputation through his attempt to tear President Obama’s down.

Of all the things I’ve come to realize about President Obama, maybe the most unfortunate is how insulting it must be to watch your office get taken by one of your loudest decriers.

So in the coming years, as President Trump undoubtedly embarrasses himself and perhaps the nation in botched meetings, insulting speeches and sudden outbursts, I will be sorely missing our 44th president.

the Collegian: 10

Variety

Indian association’s Diwali Festival lights up the night

The Indian Student Association celebrated the Diwali: Festival of Lights outside of John Rogers Hall.

Nick Rethford Student Writer

At a cool 52°, the crisp fall weather provided the perfect atmosphere for Diwali: The Festival of Lights last Wednesday night. Presented by the Indian Student Association, the event provided an enjoyable night full of food, games and sparklers while blending in traditional Indian culture.

Diwali is a religious festival celebrated in various countries including India and Pakistan. It extends over a five day period, each day paying tribute to a different deity, and it celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness. It is the third, though, that holds the main celebration, the Festival of Lights. During the fest, citizens light candles, lamps, firecrackers, and sparklers that fill the sky with bright light (hence the name) and make tons of noise.

The Indian Student Association began the night with Puja, the act of worshipping to Hindu deities. They lit candles and incense and held a silent ceremony to pay tribute to the gods, which brought a tranquil stillness to the crowd as everyone who wished to participate prayed silently. Next,

14 November 2016

they performed a skit to pay tribute to Lord Rama, one of the many deities that Diwali celebrates. It told the story of Lord Rama’s fourteen year exile, along with his bride Sita and brother Lakshman, in which he defeated the demon-king Ravana.

Next, the celebration continued with a variety of games, including hit the crown, in which everyone got a chance to shoot an arrow at the Hindu version of Satan. They also held a Rangoli competition, in which people use colorful powders to create amazing designs on the ground. Talented Henna artists painted traditional Henna designs on the hands and arms of women. They handed out sparklers to everyone, lighting up the night and adding to the festive atmosphere.

To top it all off, they held a traditional Indian feast, presenting a variety of food that tasted amazing and left everyone wanting seconds.

All around, the night was a success. The Indian Student Association managed to immerse everyone in a celebration taken straight from India. There wasn’t a single moment the whole night that wasn’t filled with laughter and music.

“I loved how they prepared a skit to show us the history of Diwali, and all of the food and games made it even better,” student Janice Chung said. “I felt like I was in India, celebrating with everyone there. I can’t wait until next year!”

courtesy Indian Student Association

Participants were invited to try their hand at archery, use sparklers and of course partake in free food.

Pulitzer-winning author Jane Smiley visits campus

courtesy therealjanesmiley.com

Acclaimed novelist Jane Smiley visited campus to speak to faculty and students about her work.

Trenton Gibbons Variety Editor American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley recently visited TU’s campus, agreeing to meet with a few members of faculty and students from classes centered on creative writing. The session was hosted in the faculty lounge on the second floor of the McFarlin library and attracted a small crowd of less than ten people. Despite this, Smiley was enthused, demonstrating

a genuine desire in sharing her love for the craft.

At the beginning of her talk, Smiley spoke of her love for the novel’s capacious, complex form. Because of these attributes, she said that the “novelist is the tortoise, while the poet is the hare.” Writing a successful novel, or any novel for that matter, requires a duality of patience and stubbornness. Addressing writing in general, Smiley first cited the difference between pleasure and addiction. Pleasure, to her, is the thing you do and feel good about afterwards, while addiction is the thing you do that you feel bad about afterwards. Writing has always proven to be a pleasure for her, and she believes it should be the same for all writers.

While, in my Writing Fiction course, we

have often discussed, ‘Reading as a Writer’, or being more analytical of the choices made in literary content we would usually just consume, Smiley recommended ‘Writing as a Reader.’ In this method, one might write up a first draft of their work, leave the page and return to it with the intent of simply reading it. This method is effective because the “reader-brain has more practice.”

She noted that many of us had been reading since infancy, but only really writing since high-school.

Smiley went on to discuss her belief that all great novelists have some unique trait that benefits their writing. “When we look at an author,” she said, “we can ask ourselves: what was their gift?” She offered Charles Dickens as a prime example. Dickens’ terrible insomnia had caused him to roam the streets of London at a time when the city was rapidly expanding and its populace was still varied. Because of this and his ability to listen, he was able to capture the speech and culture of a variety of people, and in turn, bring them to life on the page.

When, later in her session, we were allowed to ask questions, I asked her what she thought her own gift to be. “Nosiness and curiosity,” she responded. This struck me as unsurprising, due to her vocal belief that the predilections to novels are ‘always gossip’. She spoke of her novel “Greenlanders”, a fictional account which explores a Norse settlement in Greenland through the 14th and 15th centuries. She was prompted to write the story after visiting Iceland and

hearing a friend talk about their wish to row between Greenland and Iceland. Similarly, she became interested in writing about violence in the antebellum era after witnessing the extreme right wing violence of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Smiley decided early in her career that she would work with different literary genres.

“If Shakespeare could do it,” she asked, “why can’t I?” She was inspired to do so because she found she loved such a variety of books that she felt compelled to write with the same variety. Some of her books are epics, others tragedies. What stays consistent throughout is her passion. When asked if her passion for writing had ever waned, Smiley answered that even in projects that turned out much more complex and frustrating than she had previously imagined, she never felt disheartened.

One of the guests inquired if Smiley had ever tried her hand at playwriting. “No,” she said, “I hate plays. Too much talking.

Novels can go inside and outside, showing the reader exactly what they need to know without spilling it all out in dialogue.”

Smiley and I talked only a little about our mutual hometowns of Webster Groves, Missouri. She described St. Louis as being ‘big’ when she was younger, and how humbling it can be to return. “That yard you thought was the size of a baseball diamond is no bigger than this room,” she said. “The city that made up your world doesn’t seem so big when you return.”

Variety

14 November 2016

the Collegian: 11

Modigliani Quartet shines in Saturday night concert

In their most recent visit, the French Modigliani Quartet performed three concerts in Tulsa.

Matt Magerkurth Student Writer

Returning for their second weekend of concerts with Chamber Music Tulsa, the Frenchmen of Modigliani Quartet presented a salon concert for donors and friends Saturday night on Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Westby Pavilion. In their second of three ticketed concerts over the weekend they presented a program of quartets by Mozart and Ravel.

Notably absent from this weekend’s concerts was founding first violinist Philippe Bernhard, who was forced to resign from the quartet due to pain and tension in his right hand. In his place before the appointment of a permanent replacement was Guillaume Sutre, a veteran of the Ysaÿe Quartet, who mentored the young Modigliani players. Sutre, of a grayer generation than his counterparts, projected a fatherly presence on stage. It felt almost like a family band, finely molded and tuned by Sutre’s charisma and precision.

The performance began fittingly with the civil discourse of Mozart’s Quartet in D Major K 575, composed in 1789, two years before his death. In this piece, Mozart’s polished yet adventurous style shines as he starts to stretch the fabric of the traditional classical forms. This particular piece highlighted Sutre’s highly expressive virtuosic playing, but also unusually features copious melodies for cellist François Kieffer. The piece was driven by the two outer voices, but particularly notable was the plasticity of second violinist Loïc Rio and violist Laurent Marfaing. Their sound was a perfect blend that richly supported the dominating factors of the work. Mozart’s cheeky sense of humor was deftly highlighted by the group’s strong dialogue of tension and resolution, and the warm, bright sound lifted the audience, proving a lovely concert opener.

Next on the program was Ravel’s Quartet in F Major, a piece right in the beating heart

courtesy Tulsa Performing Arts Center

The adept performers wowed the crowd with an exceptional selection of classical music.

of early 20th Century French impressionism and right in the wheelhouse of the quartet.

Where the Mozart contained a limited palate, the Modiglianis masterfully teased out

development. This was contrasted by the intimate lushness of the third movement, wherein Ravel returns to colors that were almost whispered, and handed gently from

“It felt almost like a family band, finely molded and tuned by Sutre’s charisma and precision.”

Ravel’s fluent timbral tongue. In the first movement, the group showed impressive restraint and control with their mostly muted, swirly colors, brightening them only in a few select places. The second movement’s fun, folksy attitude was spurred by a brisk pizzicato introduction that drove the jaunty

instrument to instrument. This repose was interrupted suddenly by the fourth movement’s brash beginning, a wicked chromatic lick in an odd meter, throwing the listener off-kilter before bringing them home — for the first time in a long time — to F Major.

Their interpretation was intensely thought-

ful — every subtle color change was executed deliciously, and their lush variety of sound was downright orchestral. The audience leapt to their feet in admiration, and the ensemble gifted them a parting tune: a goofy but spirited rendition of Leroy Anderson’s “Plink Plank Plunk.”

Chamber Music Tulsa is an organization that excels in welcoming world-class ensembles into town for concerts that enliven the audiences and masterclasses and outreach programs that inspire the students in town. Coming up next this season is the Beethoven Winter Festival, in which Miró Quartet returns to play all 18 Beethoven string quartets in the course of February 1726.

“Magic Mama” brings a unique, contemporary voice to TU The reading of Inda Craig-Galván’s script provided a platform for a new playwright and gave an entertaining performance.

James Whisenhunt Commentary Editor Last weekend, TU Theatre put on a reading of “Black Super Hero Magic Mama,” a contemporary play by Inda Craig-Galván, a Chicago native studying at the University of Southern California. The script was the winner of TU WomenWorks, an annual national competition in which female graduate students across the nation send in scripts to be judged by TU. The winner of the competition is flown out to Tulsa to workshop their script for a week and conduct a reading of the play.

The play, set in present-day Chicago, is centered around Sabrina Jackson, whose son Tramarion is shot by a white police officer. As Sabrina attempts to work through her son’s death, she imagines herself as Maasai Angel, the main character of a comic book Tramarion was creating before his death.

Given that synopsis, “Black Super Hero Magic Mama” seems to be the most contemporary plays I’ve ever heard of. Though it certainly has one foot strongly planted in the modern day, the play largely focuses on the timeless theme of overcoming grief.

This focus means that the play can still stand on its own after the issue of police brutality has left the public spotlight.

However, the play still manages to use its modern elements in interesting ways. It draws a parallel between Maasai Angel’s quest for vengeance with Sabrina’s stages of grief, shifting and blurring the lines between the real world and the comic world at various points in the play.

Of course, the audience had to gather all of this imagery from little more than stage directions, given that this wasn’t a full production of the play. Instead, the actors, dressed in all black, simply sat in a row of chairs and stood for the scenes they’re featured in, reading their character’s lines straight from the script on-stage. The cast, a combination of TU students and actors from the Tulsa community, used small movements to convey larger things that would happen in a full production.

An actor simply rotating themselves away from another substitutes for a charac-

ter walking to the other side of the stage. In some cases, like the villains presenting their weapons in what would be an impressive display during a full production, the actors would play up for laughs by giving a purposefully uncoordinated attempt.

The actors performed well, conveying the emotions of the characters well and managing to carry the script without the aid of music, lighting, or staging. Though I was in the fourth row near center stage, some of the actors were a bit difficult to hear at the beginning. I found myself leaning forward to make out some lines, so I imagine that people near the back couldn’t hear those lines at all. As the play progressed, however,

tucollegian@tucollegian.org editor-in-chief

Hannah Kloppenburg managing editor

Kayleigh Thesenvitz news editor

Michaela Flonard sports editor

Matt Rechtien variety editor

Trenton Gibbons commentary editor

James Whisenhunt satire editor

Sam Chott photo & graphics editor

Elias Brinkman

business & advertising manager

Paul Moses web manager

Sam Chott

distribution managers

Nathan Gibbons, Adam Lux and Trenton Gibbons courtesy the University of Tulsa

The play succeeds in blending timeless themes with contemporary issues.

the actors seemed to be more confident and speak louder, especially when they played exaggerated comic versions of themselves.

Overall, I was impressed with the script and the reading. Craig-Galván has a lot of potential as a playwright, and she has an excellent gift for taking modern situations and combining them with timeless themes. The reading itself was entertaining and made me hope that I could see a full production at some point. The WomanWorks competition is meant to give a voice to playwrights who have been historically ignored, and “Black Super Hero Magic Mama” is one play that definitely deserves a platform for its characters and ideas.

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 accommodation of disabilities may be addressed to the University’s 504 Coordinator, Dr. Tawny Taylor, 918-631-3814. To ensure availability of an interpreter, five to seven days notice is needed; 48 hours is recommended for all other accommodations. 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 12 pm on the Friday prior to publication. Letter Policy: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words and can be sent to tucollegian@tucollegian, or dropped off at Oliphant Room 110. 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 pm 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 opinions of the entire Collegian staff, the administrative policies of the University of Tulsa, the views of the student body or our advertisers.

Variety

the Collegian: 12

14 November 2016

Jeff Rosenstock delivers oddly comforting punk album Chock-full of blunt lyricism and the telltale rage of punk, Jeff Rosenstock’s new album takes these devices to new heights.

Ethan Veenker Student Writer “Jeff Rosenstock,” reads the banner on his Bandcamp page, “Professional Recording Artist and Person.” You might normally feel as though such a label is ironic, being that the overwhelming trope for when someone releases a solo album is to discuss their shortcomings in life; certainly not a “professional person.” On top of this, the album in question is literally named “Worry,” (stylized as “WORRY.”) so this is the vibe you might be expecting going into your first listen. Jeff Rosenstock’s new album, however, is an extremely intelligent piece discussing serious themes, such as adulthood and the current state of the world. Nothing particularly groundbreaking, but certainly more self-aware than the solo records you might be used to hearing. This isn’t a sad 20-something with an acoustic guitar complaining about his lack of direction in life. This is brutally honest, fast-paced punk rock.

You may know Jeff Rosenstock as the frontman of ska/hardcore punk band “Bomb the Music Industry!” whose Wikipedia page boasts a collective list of 23 members (obviously not all at one time). Of course, you may instead know him from his myriad of solo albums that he’s been releasing almost yearly since 2012. You might be like I was, instead, and you’ve never heard of Jeff Rosenstock. Well, the discovery has certainly been a positive one.

Rosenstock’s voice is an acquired taste.

It strains, it dips, it soars and at times it cracks. It’s almost funny at times, but it also screams the intent of a man who means what he’s saying. “Fuck off, the internet. I’m tired of circling amongst apologists who love ignoring the reality of unarmed citizens executed publicly,” he says, for example, on the song “To Be a Ghost…” Is it preachy at times? Perhaps, but I feel as though the campiness might add to the album in some backwards way. It feels pitifully honest at

The album addresses much more important issues than an adolescent’s lack of motivation.

times, and if that honesty comes off sounding a little cheesy, well, then more power to it. It works.

Musically, it’s a surprisingly diverse album. I admit I’m not too familiar with punk as a genre, but this record seems almost to simultaneously buy into and destroy its tropes. There’s the aforementioned heartthrobbingly honest vocals, the overwhelming guitar environments created in each track and the fast-paced, driving beat behind each song. Rosenstock takes his chances at eclecticism, though. “Staring Out the Window At Your Old Apartment,” for example, has an organ in it with a sound that fits more into a child’s cartoon than a large church.

The album is filled with exciting highlights. “Wave to Goodnight to Me” with its memorable chorus of what sounds like several voices yelling “C’mon, c’mon get out of here!” “To Be a Ghost…,” as previously

mentioned, starts as a biting political commentary punctuated with just an acoustic guitar, but the song ends in a cacophonic mess of rock beauty. The most stand-out track on the record happens to be “I Did Something Weird Last Night,” which is oddly humorous with its two completely different vocal styles: a dull, lethargic slowness and a quick, rapid-fire string of words. “June 21st” has fantastic, overlaid vocal arrangements and the appropriately named track “The Fuzz” is blanketed with overwhelming guitar. The album ends in an appropriately exciting manner with the final two tracks. “...While You’re Alive” makes great use of Rosenstock’s “crowd-yelling” vocal style, and as that track comes to its close it fades into “Perfect Sound Whatever,” an appropriately heavy finale.

“WORRY.” is a fantastic record. It has its share of filler, but the highlights more

courtesy jeffrosenstock.bandcamp

than make up for its shortcomings. The best part about this album, though, is the way it sounds throughout. It’s raw, honest, angry.

Rosenstock has something to say and he gets it out of the way. Listening to it is like listening to a podcast hosted by this crazy, funny guy. “WORRY.” is an album that creates a deficit of that very emotion; it’s such an enriching piece of music that you can’t help but just forget things whilst listening.

The rest of the world disappears for awhile.

The way it ends correlates perfectly with the feeling it gives, too. “It doesn’t exist, it doesn’t exist!” Rosenstock screams again and again as the album reaches its end. The line actually refers to the idea of perfection, but I’d like to think of it as a reference to the title of the album. In the end, despite all the stress you may have in your life, you can always plug into a good album and let the worry seep away, if not just for a little while.

“The Handmaiden” an erotic exploration of deception

Visionary Korean director ParkChan-Wook delivers another mesmerizing, unique thriller in a tale of love and betrayal.

Nathan Gibbons Distribution Manager

“The Handmaiden”, a Korean romance/ drama/thriller and the latest movie from critically acclaimed director Park Chanwook, is best viewed without any prior knowledge of the film. Unlike some other movies, “The Handmaiden” genuinely surprised me multiple times throughout its twoand-a-half-hour progression. Its twists are both unpredictable and wholly believable.

Much of Park Chan-wook’s previous work has received immaculate praise from his fans from but serious criticism from media outlets. One of the only things I knew about this film going in was that the opinions of the two had aligned; “The Handmaiden” was beloved both among the director’s cultish fan-base and outspoken critics. I feared that, perhaps, he had achieved this by rejecting the uniquely stylistic and somewhat alienating qualities of his previous films.

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded: “The Handmaiden” is disturbing, outrageous and yet accessible all at once.

In 1930s Japan-occupied Korea, a makeshift gang of thieves is approached by a hustler, the fake Count Fujiwara, to join him on a con. The Count enlists Sook-hee, who plans to one day live a life of leisure, to disguise herself as a handmaiden and look after the niece of a rich estate. There, it is Sookhee’s job to make sure the niece falls for the

The movie’s sexual imagery manages to be graphic without being tasteless.

Count and abandons her soon-to-be-groom uncle, at which point the Count will proclaim her mad, have her locked up, and the poor girl’s inheritance will be split between the two thieves.

This ambiguity helps to humanize the film’s characters, despite their terrible penchant to betray and deceive one another. Of-

The characters in the movie are often larger-than-life and yet decidedly human.

courtesy IMDB

ten times the same character you despised a scene before will earn your sympathy, while a character you previously sympathized with might reveal themselves to be surprisingly unlikable; this gray morality helped keep me hooked throughout the film.

In some countries, the movie has earned a rating of Adults Only. That’s not to say “The Handmaiden” is too violent. Rather than driving the characters to violence for the sake of violence, it merely gives them more potential and makes the movie feel richer. If a character wants to curse, kill someone or build character in bed, they’re free to. When the movie handles sex, it looks at both sides of the coin: how it can bring joy or misery to those involved, and how different people might seek it in different forms.

The movie has been called the most erotic movie of the year by many entertainment sources, and they’re probably not wrong.

There is a debate online regarding the purpose of these scenes, as their gratuitous nature seems to be coming more from a male fantasy and less from the sentiment of female liberation that resonates throughout the film.

Just like “Oldboy”, Park Chan-wook’s masterpiece of a revenge thriller, “The Handmaiden” plays out like an old myth.

courtesy IMDB

The movies contain stories of good vs evil, but it’s not as simple as heroes-kill-villains storytelling. Where “Oldboy” mirrors the Greek tragedy of Oedipus to tell the story of a vengeful man, “The Handmaiden” is an erotic tale of forbidden love. Characters like the crook, the uncle and the lady of the house feel realistic and larger than life at the same time. They’re entertaining to watch, but their stories might be told by wise men to their children in cautionary tales. The entire movie has a sense of love, wit and humor to it, giving it a breath of humanity that a less experienced and inventive director might’ve failed to pull off.

On a technical note, the movie is outstanding in practically every way. The sets and other shooting locations, camerawork and acting is top notch. The estate, a mix of English and Japanese designed wings, is both dreary and beautiful at the same time.

The soundtrack sounds great and original when too many soundtracks nowadays focus only on building tension or fear.

It’s for all these reasons that I highly recommend you watch “The Handmaiden” and, by extension, the director’s previous “Oldboy”. Movies like these aren’t made often enough.

14 November 2016

Justin Guglielmetti is…

the

bleacher creature Kaeperhack I’m not sure if you guys heard, but there was an election this past Tuesday! It was a pretty big one too, deciding who would take over for Barack Obama as the president of the United States.

Now you’d think that a lot of people would be turning out to vote, especially those who really care about the rampant social ills and inequities that continue to plague our country, right? That Colin Kaepernick, he of the brave national anthem-kneeling protest, he must have had some strong opinions about this election!

Wait, what’s that? He didn’t vote? He doesn’t think either candidate will change “a system that oppresses people of color?”

He admitted that he “really didn’t pay too close of attention” to the election? Surprise everybody, Colin Kaepernick is an idiot and a hypocrite who doesn’t know what the hell is talking about.

You know what, I used to be a firm defender of his protest because I believe in the right to stand up and fight for what you think is right, but are we entirely sure that he didn’t just do it to garner up some media attention as he faced exile to the end of the bench? If that’s the case, let’s add selfish race-baiter to his resume!

Well at least I can take solace in the fact that he has to live with the fact that he’s a backup quarterback. Wait, what’s that? He just threw for 398 yards? Typical, there’s no justice in the world.

See You in 2017 Happy holidays from the Bleacher Creature! Here’s a look ahead at the upcoming year with some bold predictions. I’ll let you decide which are the jokes….

Tim Tebow legally changes his name to Bo Jackson, makes an MLB roster, sets the single game home run record with five long balls, and finishes the year batting .150….

Golden State dominates a suddenly geriatric LeBron in the third installment of their Finals trilogy. The Warriors finish 74-8 and Steph Curry reestablishes himself as the team’s alpha dog with yet another recordsetting season from three point land….

The TU men’s basketball team loses to at least four glorified DIII teams and finishes near the bottom of the American conference, the universe’s revenge for the sham that was our tournament bid last year….

The Golden Hurricane is for the second year in a row a participant in the highestscoring bowl game, only this time we win.

Also a dashing collegiate trumpet player/ sports writer is caught on camera at the game, launching the most improbable Hollywood career of all time….

Kawhi Leonard wins the most hotly contested NBA MVP in years over the likes of LeBron, Curry, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. James Harden proves his toughest competitor after he becomes the second player ever to lead the league in scoring and assists….

Tom Brady wins the NFL MVP in dominant fashion despite missing the first four games of the season due to a Roger Goodell temper-tantrum, then leads the Patriots to their fifth Super Bowl title, cementing his legacy as the undisputed greatest quarterback of all time. After the win, Brady reveals that he overinflated the game balls to 20 PSI, then transfers all of his football acumen into Jimmy Garoppolo’s head before ascending bodily into heaven….

The Chicago Cubs improbably set themselves up to be a new evil empire, winning their second consecutive World Series in dominant fashion. The AL’s representative in the Fall Classic? Baseball’s new most tortured franchise: the New York Yankees….

And finally, Donald Trump, assuring us all that he will be as cool as president as Barry O, appears on Fox and Friends to shoot some hoops. He misses bigly.

Can’t get enough of Collegian sports?

• Follow us @TUScoreboard on Twitter. We’ll keep the sports news and pictures flowing even when we’re not publishing papers.

• Look out for a link to join our College Bowl Pick’Em for the chance to win a prize(s).

Sports

Women’s basketball opens season up with win

The women’s basketball team traveled to UMKC and started the season with a win.

Matt Rechtien Sports Editor

The Golden Hurricane women’s basketball team won their season opener against University of Missouri Kansas City 80–70 on Friday night, the first time they’ve started the regular season out with a win since the 2009-2010 season seven years ago (which was against UMKC as well).

The Golden Hurricane finished the game with double-digit points: juniors Liesl Spoerl (17) and Erika Wakefield (21) and freshman newcomer Kendrian Elliott (11).

Tulsa started out the game shooting 64-percent from the field through the first 10 minutes of play which led to an extremely contested first quarter. There were seven different lead changes in the first ten minutes, but the Kangaroos edged out the Golden Hurricane 23–22 at the end of the quarter.

Junior guard Ebony Carter made a threepointer at the start of the second quarter to retake the lead for the Golden Hurricane who maintained that lead throughout the entire second frame. The Golden Hurricane outpaced the Kangaroos 15–10 in the second quarter and took a 37–33 lead into halftime.

UMKC came back from the break playing lights out, as they went on an 18–8 run to start the second half and led by as many as six points late in the third quarter. Tulsa recovered thanks to sophomore Crystal Polk who made four free throws at the end of the quarter to bring the Golden Hurricane within four points at the end of the quarter.

Tulsa went on a run of their own to start off the fourth quarter, quickly taking the lead back from UMKC. The Golden Hurri-

cane outscored the Kangaroos 29–15 in the final quarter to take a ten-point win on the road.

After the game head Coach Matilda Mossman discussed the motivation that the team had to get a win to open up the season.

“I am excited to be able to come here a get a win to open the season, and knowing that we hadn’t won since beating them in 2009 was my motivation.”

She went on to address the back and forth nature of this game as well.

“Basketball is a game of momentum changes and I felt like it just kept going back and forth tonight. Once we had the surge in the fourth quarter, I felt better, but it was never out of reach for either team.”

The win capped off an exciting week for the women’s team, who also signed two recruits to national letters of intent earlier in the week. The Golden Hurricane signed Rebecca Lescay and Krystan Vornes.

Lescay is a guard from Plano, Texas and Vornes is a forward from Osceola, Ark. Mossman spoke at the press conference.

“We are absolutely thrilled to add these two young women and their families to our Hurricane family. Rebecca will greatly add to our guard position with her leadership, her work ethic and her ability to get to the basket. Krystan is a rebounding machine who has a high motor and will fill a void we have at the 4 position. Both of these student-athletes are leaders on their teams and in their schools, and we look forward to them making a huge impact on Tulsa Women’s Basketball. Today is a great day for our program.”

The women’s team will continue their road trip at Kansas State on Monday and Oral Roberts on Thursday, before returning for a one-game homestand on Sunday when they will host South Dakota.

Three in a row! Men’s soccer wins third straight AAC title For the third time in as many years, the Golden Hurricane men’s soccer team won the AAC Championship (all of which were in PKs). The men’s team has won the title every year since joining the American Athletic Conference.

Matt Rechtien Sports Editor The Golden Hurricane men’s soccer team has earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with their third straight victory in the American Athletic Conference Championship.

In the semifinals, No. 2 seed Tulsa faced the UConn Huskies, the No. 3 seed. Early on, Juan Sanchez scored his second goal of year with a nice piece of dribbling before getting his shot past the goalkeeper. Tulsa took the 1–0 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Matt Puig finished off a nice team play with Sanchez and Rollie

Rocha to double the Golden Hurricane lead.

The defense held strong to secure the victory at the 2–0 score.

No. 1 seed USF defeated No. 4 seed UCF in overtime to earn a matchup in the finals against Tulsa.

The championship game was very even throughout. Neither team was able to convert any chances in the first half, leading into a crucial second half of play. USF struck first, scoring five minutes into the second half. Tulsa responded midway through the half, as Sanchez scored for the second game in a row to knot the score.

The remainder of regulation and the ensuing two overtime periods were scoreless, leading the teams into a penalty kick shootout to decide the champion. Tulsa goalkeeper Jake McGuire was the hero, making two saves to give Tulsa a 4–2 penalty kick victory.

With the championship win, Tulsa clinched the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and will find out their opponent later this week.

Men’s basketball falls to Gamecocks in opener The men’s basketball team struggled in their opener, falling to Jacksonville State 84–73.

Joseph Edmunds Sports Writer In their first game of the season, the Golden Hurricane men’s basketball team lost to Jacksonville State, a team they would normally expect to defeat.

Early in the first half, the game was close, as Tulsa stuck with the Gamecocks. Jacksonville State started to pull ahead late in the first half, eventually getting to a ten point lead as the half expired.

In the second half, the Gamecocks were able to pull ahead by as many as 19 points, keeping Tulsa out of comeback distance.

The final score was 84–73 in favor of Jacksonville State.

Despite the loss, there were a few positives to come from the game. After a massive senior class graduated last year, this Tulsa team looks very different.

Many players got their first chance to play for the team on Friday. This included transfer players Junior Etou and Corey Henderson Jr., who scored 20 and 15 points, respectively.

Head Coach Frank Haith talked about the

youth of the team in post-game press conference. “[We] knew there would be some tough moments. They’re a veteran team — they have 10 junior college players — and they were quicker than us. We missed too many shots around the basket, and we missed free throws.”

“I think this team is capable of making free throws, but maybe it was first-game jitters. We have to be able to defend better.

They executed very well, being a veteran team. We’ll get better. It’s early in the year and I think this team will get better.”

“This is just a young team that’s going to have some bumps and bruises early. Those guys need court time, I didn’t expect us to be a finished product here, early in the year.

When you have 10 new guys, it’s going to take some time.”

“We haven’t had two of our important guys with us [on the court] in Jaleel [Wheeler] and Corey [Henderson Jr.]. I think when you put those things in there, and you’re playing an older team, like Jacksonville State, those guys can play. I said this to our guys — ‘Now you know. Every time you lace them up, you’re going to play guys that can play.’”

The next game for the Golden Hurricane is a road game against Wichita State on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.

The Collegian: 13

Volleyball The women’s volleyball team hosted USF and UCF this past weekend beating USF in five sets, and falling to USF in straight set.

The win on Thursday was the fifth straight win for the Golden Hurricane.

After winning the first two, the Bulls rallied to take the third and fourth set. The Golden Hurricane dominated the fifth set to take the win.

Senior outside hitter Rebecca Reeve led the team on offense with a seasonhigh 23 kills and added 12 digs as well to finish with a double-double. Fellow senior outside hitter Erica Bohannon had 20 kills for the Golden Hurricane in the match.

Head Coach Ryan Wills said after the game, “I think that’s the first time all season we had two players getting 20 kills, so that’s nice and adds a little balance.

Rebecca Reeve played a great match. I think she had over 10 digs, maybe 13.

She had a double-double. She played really great on the right side for us.”

“It was great, because I think last time we played them, she struggled offensively a little bit on the right side, and this time she played great for us. That was a huge piece of it, because she passed well, and served well in the fifth set, really ripping at it and getting us into a good spot.”

He also talked about the turnaround the team had after dropping the fourth set.

“In the end, I’m pretty impressed that we came up with it in the fifth set. We were really struggling at the end of the fourth set, and we had a lot of things going on. But the players stepped up and made plays.”

“We went back to the service line for a while, and really put pressure on them and got up big, and were able to side out as the fifth set went on, and we were able to get it. Offensively, we played great in the fifth set, defensively we played great in the fifth set, and that’s why it ended up the way it did.”

The match against UCF on Saturday did not go as well for the Golden Hurricane. The team-high for kills was only 10, recorded by sophomore outside hitter Emily Thorson. Brooke Berrryhill and Reeve both tallied double-digit kills for the Golden Hurricane.

Tulsa’s record now sits at 18–10 overall, 7–9 in American Athletic Conference play. The Golden Hurricane have four more matches left in their season, including two more at home this week against Southern Methodist University and Senior Night against Memphis on Friday.

Women’s Golf The women’s golf team team signed Randi Romack from Austin, Texas to a national letter-of-intent this past week.

Romack played at Westlake High School and placed in a multitude of tournaments around Texas. She placed third in a field of 60 golfers at the UIL Texas District Championship in both 2015 and 2016.

She won the Starburst Junior Classic, second at the Legends TLJT.org and third-place at the TJGT Holiday Classic.

She also competed in the 2015 Junior PGA Championship Qualifier and the 2016 Southern Texas Section Junior PGA Championship with fifth and eighth place finishes respectively.

Women’s golf Head Coach Emilee Klein-Gille talked about the signing after it was over.

“I am so excited that Randi is joining us at Tulsa. She has had an exemplary junior and high school career winning some prestigious events. Randi’s golf game is very solid all around and I know she will immediately make an impact on our program.”

Women’s Soccer Junior Rachel Thun was named the American Midfielder of the Year last week. She was also named to the AllConference First Team.

Thun led the team with 12 goals and also had nine assists for a total of 33 points in the season. Tana Dake was named to the All-Conference Second Team and Anna William was named to the All-Rookie team.

Sports

The Collegian: 14

14 November 2016

Golden Hurricane outlasted Cross counby Midshipmen, fall to second try races at

The Golden Hurricane lost on the road to the Naval Academy on Saturday, most likely knocking Tulsa out of contention for the conference title.

Matt Rechtien Sports Editor

In a battle of offenses, the Golden Hurricane came just short of beating the Naval Academy in Annapolis over the weekend.

With the loss, Tulsa drops to second in the West division, tied with Houston.

Navy takes sole possession of the West division and has the easiest path to the American Athletic Conference Championship.

The two offenses combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense between the two of them. Navy utilizes a run-heavy offense, and Tulsa — which has had an extremely strong running game the last couple of weeks — used a much more balanced approach this game.

Senior quarterback Dane Evans threw for 369 yards, and become Tulsa’s all-time passing leader, moving ahead of Paul Smith who set the record from 2003-2007. Evans currently sits at 10,945 yards and will have three more games left this season to add to that total.

The Golden Hurricane still ran the ball effectively, even with a more pass-heavy kind of offensive effort, rushing for 207 yards.

Senior running back D’Angelo Brewer rushed for 81 yards which put him over 1,000 yards for the season, joining teammate James Flanders in the process.

This is only the second time in school history — the first being in the 1982 season —

through the end of the first quarter. They tacked on another seven point when Navy quarterback Will Worth ran the ball in for a one-yard touchdown after a long 10-play drive by the Midshipmen.

The Golden Hurricane responded just 1:29 later on a 56-yard pass from Evans to receiver Atkinson to bring the Golden Hurricane back within four points with ten minutes to play.

After that drive though Navy started to grind, which is something that they do well, especially since they are a primarily running team so the clock doesn’t stop very often.

Their next drive was 13 plays that took seven minutes of the clock, and still ended with a touchdown.

With only three minutes left in the half, the Golden Hurricane moved down the field but once again had to settle for a Redford Jones field goal, putting them down 20–28 at halftime.

The Golden Hurricane came out strong after halftime and were marching down the field when Navy’s defense intercepted Evans in the end zone, taking away Tulsa’s momentum before they could capitalize on it.

The defense stood strong on the next drive though and sacked Worth on a 4th and 1 to force the Midshipmen to turn the ball back over to the Golden Hurricane.

The offense took advantage of the swing in momentum this time, and true freshman receiver Keenen Johnson had his first touchdown when Evans found him for 31 yards, bring the Golden Hurricane within one.

Navy took the next drive down the field again, capping it off with a 15-yard run by Worth to go up 35–27.

On the next drive the Golden Hurricane looked to have their drive stall when they had 4th-and-8 on Navy’s 45-yard line, but

“They’ve been through the ups and downs as far as momentum goes and capturing that” that Tulsa has had two 1,000 yard rushers in the same season.

Navy wasted little time in putting points on the board. After returning the opening kickoff 48 yards, Navy took just three total plays to reach the endzone taking the early 7–0 lead.

The Golden Hurricane took even less time, scoring on their first offensive play of the game when Evans found wide receiver Keevan Lucas wide open on the left side for a 74-yard touchdown to even the score.

The Golden Hurricane forced Navy to punt, which was the first time that the Midshipmen have punted in their last 13 possessions — going back to their game against Notre Dame last week.

After the punt, Tulsa moved down the field but had to settle for a field goal in the redzone taking a 10–7 lead midway through the first quarter.

Navy used another three-play drive to score again, this time on a 41-yard run to take the lead a four point lead that they kept

Monday

Evans found receiver Josh Atkinson for a 44-yard pass to the one-yard line. Two plays later, Evans ran it in himself, but his twopoint conversion run fell just short of the goal, putting the score at 35–33.

Navy responded with a big run by Worth from 44-yards out to take the lead, but the Golden Hurricane came right back when Evans hit tight end Chris Minter for a 22yard touchdown, Minter’s first in his career.

In the final drive of the game, the Golden Hurricane had the Midshipmen at 4th and one on their 49-yard line.

With a stop Tulsa would get the ball back with just under 90 seconds to try and win the game, but giving up the yard would end the game as the Golden Hurricane didn’t have enough time outs to stop the clock.

Jesse Brubaker appeared to strip the ball from Navy before forward progress was called, but the referees called the play dead and flagged Brubaker for delay of game.

Without a review of the turnover, Navy was awarded a first down and they ran the clock

Tuesday 14

Women’s Basketball @ Kansas State

21

No Events

15

No Events

22

Men’s Basketball vs. Oregon State 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday

Volleyball vs. SMU 6:00 p.m.

16

Men’s Basketball @ Wichita State 7:00 p.m.

23

Volleyball @ UConn 11:00 a.m.

out taking the win.

Head Coach Philip Montgomery answered some questions after the game.

He addressed the difficulty of trying to play catch up throughout almost the entirety of the game.

“Well it’s one of those games you know, we started off on fire there offensively, we scored a big one early. That’s good and bad, you like plays like that, but you don’t really have any rhythm or flow to what you’re doing, so you still got to try and figure out what they’re doing.”

“But our team’s built to help each other and playing from behind, if that’s what we have to do, we’ll do that. I can promise you that our guys have not had any negative thoughts about not winning this game. Everyone was in and we felt like we had the opportunity to get it done.”

He also talked about the balance of the offense and some of the tough breaks that the team had during the game.

“I thought they did a good job on our run game, but we still had some explosive runs in there. We just weren’t as consistent with our running game as we have been in weeks before.”

“Our passing game, that’s why we want to be balanced, you need to be good at both if you’re going to win big ball games. This was a big one that we just ran out of time on, had our opportunity if ball just comes our way a little bit, or if a call comes our way a little bit then we have the opportunity to try and win it with about 1:40 left.So you gotta be able to do both, especially late in the year.

With a team that controls the ball for long periods of time like Navy, offenses can get thrown off because of how much time they have to spend on the sideline, and Montgomery addressed how that can affect the momentum of the game.

“It’s hard to stay in rhythm, a bunch of our guys went down today and some of their guys went down so that breaks up the rhythm as well. But our guys have been through it now for a year.”

“They’ve been through the ups and downs as far as momentum goes and being able to capture that, so we just got to stay focused and need to keep creating it when we have the opportunities and when you got it, you got to use it.”

Finally, Montgomery talked about Evans after he found out that he broke the all-time passing yards record in Tulsa history.

“Extremely proud of Dane, he’s a great leader, he’s a tireless worker, he’s relentless about being great and you know he’s hard on himself in certain situations. And so, the competitive nature that he brings to the table is something that you can’t put a price tag on.”

“Really, really proud of him, he made some really big, big throws today and really in some big-time situations. Some of those are fourth-and-long, fourth-and-medium, third-and-long. Thought he did a nice job seeing coverages and finding the open guy.”

Tulsa plays next week at UCF and will finish up their regular season just after Thanksgiving against Cincinnati.

Thursday

Regionals, takes second and sixth

In the Midwest Regionals, the men’s and women’s cross country teams took home second and sixth, respectively.

Matt Rechtien Sports Editor

The men’s and women’s cross country team competed in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on Friday afternoon.

The men’s team took home second, which earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, while the women’s team finished sixth.

Luke Traynor took the individual title with a time of 30:18.5 — the fourth time in five years that a Tulsa runner has taken the individual men’s title, joining Marc Scott and Chris O’Hare — beating Oklahoma State’s Joshua Thompson by three tenths of a second. Three of the other four runners placed in the top-12 earning all-region honors. Ben Priesner (30:35.0), Henry Pearce (30:35.9) and Adam Roderique (30:37.0) finished 10th-12th respectively. Sophomore Jay Ort, who was the final scorer for the Golden Hurricane, finished 57th with a time of 31:25.1.

The Golden Hurricane finished with 89 points, behind only Oklahoma State who finished with 64 points.

Head Coach Steve Gulley spoke about the strength at the top of the roster.

“We really put four up at the front, and we were solid at the top. We probably needed to be a little bit better in the five-hole, but they did a good job and got the job done. They put themselves in good position, I think they ran a very smart race, and I’m very proud of them. [Traynor winning] was awesome.

I’m very proud of him. That was one of his goals, and he thought he had a chance to do it.”

The men’s team will compete in their sixth-straight, and seventh overall NCAA Championship next week.

The women’s team was led by Clara Langley, who finished 16th with a time of 20:41.4 (the women’s race is a 6K, not a 10K like the men’s race). Fellow senior Stacie Taylor (20:48.5) joined Langley in the top-25 and they both earned all-region honors. The other scorers for the Golden Hurricane were: Olivia Lopez (21:12.3), Adrena Mazzei (21:19.4) and Nicole Lee (21:29.8).

“I think the women’s team had a good race. There were four good teams that I think had an exceptionally good race,” Gulley said.

“I think they ran really, really well, but we’re just in a very competitive region, and that’s the downside.”

With a sixth-place finish, the women’s team did not earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

Nov 14 – 27

17

Women’s Basketball @ Oral Roberts 7:00 p.m.

24

No Events

Saturday

Friday

18

Volleyball vs.

Memphis 7:00 p.m.

Football 25 @ Cincy

Volleyball @ Temple 12:00 p.m.

Women’s Basketball vs. New Mexico 8:00 p.m.

Men’s 19 Basketball vs. New Orleans 3 p.m.

Football @ UCF 7:00 p.m.

Sunday

20

Women’s Basketball vs. South Dakota 1:00 p.m.

Cross Country @ NCAA Championship 26

Women’s Basketball vs. Saint Joseph’s / BYU

27

No Events

Sports

Hurricane stumble in opener

14 November 2016

The Collegian: 15

Photos left to right: Freshman forward Martins Igbanu goes up to the basket in the Golden Hurricane’s second exhibition match against Northeastern State. The Golden Hurricane dominated the game, winning 84–52 in final preparation for the season. Sophomore guard Sterling Taplin dribbles past Jacksonville State’s defense. Taplin had four total points in the 84–73 loss to the Gamecocks and also added three assists. Taplin, after playing a very limited role last season as a freshman, looks to be a key part of the lineup this season.

Photos from left to right: Junior Jaleel Wheeler dunks against Northeastern State. Due to an NCAA infraction that Wheeler committed over the summer, he must sit out for two games before he is eligible to start playing for the Golden Hurricane. He will be eligible to play in the Golden Hurricane’s next home game against New Orleans. Freshman forward Travis Atson fights past Jacksonville State in the loss. Atson only had three points in the loss, but also committed four personal fouls in the process.

Introducing for 2017 Access to Legal Education Tuition $24,600/yr for all full-time JD students. Spring, summer, fall starts.

Learn more and apply for a fee waiver today: law.utulsa.edu/tuition2017

photos by Dalton Stewart

TU is an EEO/AA institution.

Senior Pat Birt drives toward the basket against Jacksonville State in the season opener. Birt shot 3–13 and only had seven points in the game, which is well below his numbers from last season, when he was a key player.

14 November 2016

The State-Run Media

the

State-Run media All protesters paid by the media, come pick up your checks

How to get SA funding: a practical guide for treasurers

If you ever need to get SA funding to get reimbursed for a club’s event, just follow this “simple” guide.

Joe Moran Treasurer for twelve clubs

The first step to get money for your club back from SA is to be in a club. That requires having interests. If you do not have many of those, and thus an existing club covering an interest of yours does not exist on campus, you can always create your own. This requires having friends. If you do not have many of those, be sure to make each signature unique while you’re forging them.

Now that you have a club, you must hold elections to become treasurer. If you went with the forgery route, this should be very simple. Just vote for yourself. Also, simply volunteering to be treasurer should be enough for most clubs, since no one wants to do it. When an election is necessary, it has become apparent that attacking your opponent, using xenophobia and sexism and bragging about the size of your genitalia is the best strategy.

Once an event has been planned, the turning in of forms must begin. First is the event form on the SA website, which you can fill

Stuart was right, Jimmy John’s would have been a much better choice than Papa John’s, since it’s the third time that week you’ve had it.

Suddenly, it’s a dark Tuesday night, and you descend into the basement of the business school as you stumble into the Senate chambers, feeling more drunk that the “slight buzz” you convinced yourself would help pass the time. There, you have to awkwardly stand while the members must navigate their labyrinthian rules in order to graphic by Elias Brinkmann ask you a question. Then while The State-Run suggested that SA should give out all funding in “SA bucks.” We have not heard back. they discuss and vote for your out provided that the website is in service. you assure them that yes, the numbers you funding, you get to make like a paranoid Then you must complete the Catering Ex- put on the application are the ones you do in schizophrenic and have to go out into the emption Form, which exists simply so that fact want, which could possibly be why you hall while your government talks about you behind your back.

Sodexo can waste your time for not giving put them on the form in the first place.

Walking back in, they announce how To receive funding, you must advertise them money (this requires blissfully ignoring the fact that a French food company who your event. This means putting up flyers in much money you earned (“I hope that’s that operates prisons is required to be in the loop various buildings so that as many students amount I was asking for,” you think) and for every event on campus). Next, you sign as possible can know what they’re too lazy then they applaud, for you have now coma form to promise there won’t be alcohol at to attend. Chalk is another good way to pleted all their steps.

A couple more forms later and your bank the event, a lie most students perfected in spread the word. Making hopscotches that their high school days. end up at your event are a surefire way to account rises back up to the amounts it was at before the event, so now you can afford With all that out of the way, you attend attract at least a couple impulsive students. a meeting called the FAC, where members The next step is to have fun at your event, that extra guac at Chipotle once again. of SA read your form in front of you and and ignore your mind telling you that yes,

Student realizes font changes are futile

After working on an essay for hours, a student begins changing font and period size to try to fit it into a five page minimum.

Sam Beckmann Corrupts files to get more time

Education undergrad Mary Alexander describes her situation as “dire” after a night of trying to trying to stretch a single page of content in a five page essay Despite many attempts to adjust the typeface, size of periods, line spacing, and indentation, she simply could not get it longer than about a page and a half

.

.

“Honestly, I’m seriously getting concerned,” Mary told the State-Run Media. “If I can’t find some way to stretch out my content soon, I might be forced to add very very many adjectives and adverbs to the essay. If that’s not enough, the only other option I see is to actually develop real opinions and

write more.” She shuddered at the thought of taking such a drastic measure.

The essay is on the subject of “Instilling good writing habits in young children” and is supposed to discuss how to convince students of the importance of developing strong points, and removing the obsession with minimum lengths that many students struggle with. Ms. Alexander agrees that the subject is an important one, but commented “Why does it have to be 5 pages?

I didn’t actually do any research into this subject.”

At press time, Mary managed to eke out the minimum page limit, but her next assignment reportedly has a 5,000 word minimum. Mary hopes using Impact instead of Helvetica will help her hit that mark quicker.

How to not accept the results of the election If you didn’t like the results of the election, State-Run political scientists have put together a list of political actions you can take.

Adam Lux Moving to Hawaii 1. “Nah man, that’s some shit” 2. “Damnit, I’m moving to [insert country here]. They have [insert government policy or entity]. Plus I hear [insert natural or man-made landmark] is absolutely breathtaking. And boy do I love [insert activity or pastime]” 3. Do The Ostrich!

4. www.undergroundbunkers.com 5. Blame Obama

6. Bush did 11/8

7. Make sure people haven’t forgotten about Harambe 8. In one brief moment of awareness, realize that this reality is just a projection and not an absolute. Become aware of yourself as an entity and feel unfamiliar, separated, and scared of the being bearing your name and likeness. Run to the sink, avoiding mirrors as you go and plunge your head under the cold spray in an attempt to escape the insufferable knowledge. But you no longer have control of your mind, as if you ever did, and the truth opens up to you, black and slimy, and engulfs your vision. You scream but no one hears you, and no one cares.

9. Bake cookies!

10. I don’t know. Play Pokémon or something. That always takes my mind off things.

Campus coffee shops rated by poetry written there When going to coffee shops, you need to adopt a sufficiently moody attitude.

Not sure which campus coffee shop to go to? A State-Run poet went to each of them, and reported back on which was best for his poetry.

Adam Lux Likes blonde roast and cinquains With the recent addition of a Starbucks, there are now three places on campus to buy coffee, discounting the Caf, because what they serve is not coffee but rather watered down dirt with children’s’ tears mixed in. I decided to review each of these establishments and figure out which coffee joint is top bean. I, of course, will be using the standardized metric of all coffee shops: the quality of poetry written there.

I’ll start with Einstein Bros. While they’re primarily a bagel place, they take a lot of pride in their coffee. So I grabbed a cup of joe and sat down with a moleskin notebook and a seventeen dollar mechanical pencil and got to work. Within a few minutes I was able to push out a nice sonnet (Petrarchan, not Shakespearean, of course). The only criticism I have of Einstein Bro’s is that I saw someone in the booth next to mine writing a novel. How proletarian.

photo by Adam Lux

Next I decided to try the coffee at the library cafe. The stronger bitterness of the coffee from this establishment helped me connect with the darker side of my inner self. I wrote a mixed verse, long form piece that I titled “The Trash Earth.” I thought it was pretty good, so I showed it to my English professor, who said that it was “derivative” and that I “literally just copied ‘The Waste Land.’” Clearly he doesn’t appreciate the avant-garde.

Now for the newcomer. At Starbucks, my pencil could only form haikus, for some reason. However I was able to write 1046 of them, all while only having nine shots of espresso and three large coffees. I’m sorry, three venti coffees. There was one issue, though. While I was able to prolifically produce poems in this establishment, they all sucked. Like one of them I didn’t even follow the syllable scheme and just wrote “grass is green / so is my notebook / everything is green / I am scared.”

Each of these three coffee places has their own character, which heavily influences what types of muses tap you on the shoulder as you try to sing your sweet song. This just goes to show that what coffee shop someone is in can affect the quality of their poetry just as much as their skill with language. Oh yeah, and I guess the coffee is bearable too.