13 February 2023

Proposed raise system ignites controversy, p. 4

Stitt trying to bring sports gambling to Oklahoma, p. 3

TU purchases ahha center, p. 5

Death Cab for Cutie gallery, p. 6

Valentine’s horoscopes, p. 7

TU search ing for a new mascot

Sports writer Mary Lickona discusses why Goldie is the best option for a new mascot.

Last year, TU lost of its beloved members. The 13-year reign of Captain Cane has come to an end. As of early 2022, Carson took to Twitter to announce that the superhero-esque mascot for TU would be replaced, sharing a tombstone intended for Captain Cane. Last month Carson announced that the new mascot would be unveiled this coming football season.

As sad as the TU student body will undoubtedly be to see the fleshy and cartoonish Captain Cane go, I don’t think they understand the difficulty there is in choosing a new mascot for TU. For years, TU has struggled to present a fighting front for football that can be represented by an appropriate figure. Carson has gone on record stating that the Golden Hurricane is hard to actualize, as shown by the multiple changes in mascots. Previously the Golden Hurricane was represented by Hurc, a little gold cloud arriving in the late 1970’s, only to be replaced by Huffy in the 90’s, who was then replaced by the late Captain Cane in 2009. In an interview with Tulsa World, Carson admitted the weight of the task. “I think it’s going to be controversial however we go. Some people are going to hate it. I’m going to have to own that.”

Another suggestion for the new TU mascot is the obvious choice of our favorite little labrador, Goldie. The Canine Ambassador is already a very familiar figure around cam

pus and often makes appearances at games.

1. Everyone LOVES Goldie. This fluffy ambassador has probably done more for TU notoriety than admin cares to admit. Goldie is an absolute icon. Lose or lose, students will turn out to a football game for a chance

their feet. They will follow where the dog goes, and if the dog goes with the football team, I guess the team has a fanbase now.

3. Lots of other schools have a dog mascot, but do other schools have a Canine Ambassador? Let’s depend upon our strengths instead of undermining them. That’s how games are won, and we want TU to be a winning school.

4. Honestly, it would be a nice change.

Governor Kevin Stitt has made sports betting legalization one of his main goals for the four-month legislative session that began Feb. 6. Stitt says he is currently working to bring the interested parties together to discuss what sports betting in Oklahoma should look like.

“Right now, we’re just kind of studying it, bringing all the stakeholders together,” Stitt claimed, “We’ve got some casinos that want to be a part of that. We’ve got the [Oklahoma City] Thunder … and the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State athletic departments that want to weigh in.”

The Stitt administration filing argues the approval of these compacts is still valid under federal law, stating that “state-law disputes over the Governor’s authority to negotiate Tribal-State compacts cannot render invalid a compact that already has taken effect under federal law.”

involved in developing and running class III gaming, which may have been operating for years under federal approval.”

One suggestion for TU’s new mascot was the well-documented suggestion from a boy in Scarsdale, New York. Given via letter, this young fellow suggested to Carson that the new mascot be Nax D. Saurus, based on an extinct Oklahoman animal. Though unlikely for his suggestion to be taken, credit must be given to this New York boy for his interest in TU’s new mascot.

It would be very easy and fun to incorpo

rate a Goldie mascot. It would be cute and cuddly, much less off-putting than Captain Cane. Personally, I am a big fan of the Goldie Mascot option. will list the following reasons as to why Goldie would be a superior mascot as opposed to another superhero or an alternative animal mascot:

to pet a puppy or at least get one of those little goldie plushies. We are fundamentally big kids and we require the fluffiness.

2. Goldie is already a hit. Why venture out into unknown territory with a new mascot when there is one already here? As admin observed in the clearly well-thought-out and good-for-everybody 2019 True Commitment Plan, students have already voted with

I think that 13 years is a long time to keep a mediocre mascot around, and since we have already tried a nebulous cloud and a funny superhero, why not throw out something new. It will be a new season, and a new class joining TU’s ranks — the class of 2027. Bring on the change and see how it changes TU (high hopes, but dogs are hopeful creatures).

Feb 13 - Feb. 19

Stitt has been unsuccessful in bringing the native tribes of Oklahoma, who have exclusive rights over gambling in the state, to the negotiation table so far. But according

to Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association

Chairman Matthew Morgan, while some tribal leaders are apprehensive to work with the governor, they are not opposed to opening respectful dialogue about sports betting.

Stitt has previously faced legal trouble in his attempt to create gaming compacts negotiated with four smaller Oklahoma tribes in 2020 that included provisions for sports betting.

Those compacts were all approved by the office of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior by September 2020. However, some of the state’s largest tribal governments opposed the compacts. A state lawsuit resulted in an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that declared the compacts illegal under state law because of the provisions for possible future sports betting.

After losing the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors in six games, the Boston Celtics were looking to replicate their success for the upcoming season. But the off-season did not start off in their favor.. A month before the season, first-year head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022-2023 season for violation of team policies, pertaining to an intimate relationship with a female staff member. Because of this, assistant-turned-interim coach Joe Mazzulla, who had no previous NBA head coaching experience, took over. Then, both Robert Williams III and Danilo Gallinari – who had just signed a contract a few months prior – had surgeries on their knee and leg, respectively. Going into the season, people had their doubts with a new head coach and roster turnover from the previous year, but that has since been squashed.

people had their doubts with a new head coach and roster turnover from the previous year, but that has since been squashed.”

Through the first 55 games of the season, the Celtics have amassed a 39-16 record, giving them the best overall record in the NBA. With highly productive play from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the team has ascended to the top of the league. Jayson Tatum, entering his sixth season, has turned heads by averaging 30.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists on shooting splits of 46.2/35.3/86.8. Despite the talent the league has across the board, Tatum has steadily remained at the top of MVP races all season long. With Jaylen Brown, he has been credited similarly to Tatum as one of

the league’s best “1-2” punches, averaging 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists on shooting splits of 48.7/33.1/77.9. Alongside Tatum and Brown, the Celtics have built a core of talented players around them, like Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III. Marcus Smart is the longest-tenured Celtic of anyone on the team, having been there since 2014 where he was selected sixth overall. He is best-known for his defensive prowess on the court, having won the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award. He also brings high energy every game, diving for loose balls and playmaking for other teammates. Al Horford was brought back last season after previously playing for the Celtics from 2016 to 2019 and has provided immense leadership and clutch plays throughout the 2022 playoffs, especially in the semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Malcolm Brogdon was one of the bright spots that the previous off-season brought us as he was traded to Boston from the Indiana Pacers. Despite his injury concerns and load management issues over the years, he has put together a stellar season so far – all off the bench. Averaging 14.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists on shooting splits of 48.0/45.6/88.6, he has contended himself for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Finally, we have Robert Williams III. Although he had an arthroscopic procedure done on his left knee

“Stitt has spent much of his time as governor focused on this issue, and his administration remains committed to its continued push towards sports betting in Oklahoma.”

Under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior has 45 days to approve or disapprove a state-tribal compact. If the secretary issues no recommendation, the compact is considered legally approved.

The Stitt administration noted all four state-tribal gaming compacts went through that process in the midst of the Cherokee Nation, and other entities, arguing that they were not legal, and were still approved.

The memorandum of law from the Stitt administration claimed that tribes “would hardly be willing to undertake the expense of building and operating class III gaming facilities if they knew that federal approval for gaming under IGRA could be pulled out from under them at any time. Yet Plaintiffs’ view would undermine Congress’s scheme by giving States the ability to disavow their side of the agreement at any time. Notably, this would apply equally to Tribes already

More recently, Stitt tweeted, “Let me be clear: I support sports betting in Oklahoma – provided that it’s fair, transparent, and the state can maximize revenue potential to invest in top priorities, like education. More to come.” Oklahoma State Rep. Ken Luttrell (RPonca City) seems to have the same goal. His most recent attempt of many to create a bill on sports betting is HB 1027. This bill allows the tribes to amend their gaming compacts with the state, allowing them to offer both retail and online sports betting options. Tribes would also be required to pay a fee derived from sports pool revenue back to the state, based on a monthly sliding scale system outlined in the bill. Stitt has spent much of his time as governor focused on this issue, and his administration remains committed to its continued push towards sports betting in Oklahoma. What will primarily decide whether he accomplishes this goal is his ability to work with the tribes.

NBA

during the off-season which caused him to miss much of the season, he has since come back to playing at a high level. With just as many rebounds as points, and shooting 77.2% percent from the field, he could break the single-season percentage record set by Mitchell Robinson in the 2019-2020 season, shooting 74.2%. While there are certainly more players to give their flowers to, this team has been established to repeat their finals run from last year.

I have the utmost confidence to say if everything goes right, barring injury and at least above average play, the Celtics will return to the NBA Finals and win it, giving them the 18th ring in franchise history. I predict the Celtics will beat the Denver Nuggets in six games for the 2023 NBA Finals. Only time will tell.

“Going into the season,

Courtesy @bradrcarson on Twitter

“The Canine Ambassador is already a very familiar figure around campus and often makes appearances at games.”

Sports writer Brenton Jennings discusses the Celtics’ season so far and what is to come.

Boston Celtics start season with best record in

Kevin Stitt still battling to allow sports betting in Oklahoma

Stitt hopes to turn around his past failures and finally allow sports betting in OK by the end of the current legislative session, reports sports writer Aurora Stewart

Proposed faculty raise system ignites controversy

TU administration has proposed installing a merit-based system for faculty raises, but many professors find the timing of the initiative tonedeaf.

Zach Short Editor-in-Chief

The University of Tulsa administration is currently working to shift faculty pay raises to a merit-based system, as opposed to a years-worked or seniority system. The new method of granting raises would operate based on department-specific criteria that each department would determine on its own. Administration asked faculty last fall to submit these criteria with the hopes of implementing the new system in the 2023-24 budget, which administration will finalize late in the spring semester.

Controversy has arisen among faculty, however, in light of what some see as an incredibly misguided approach to the shift. The provost announced the plan to a meeting of faculty chairs last fall, asking departments to submit their own proposed criteria for raises. At that time, the impression given suggested that faculty alone would determine these criteria. More recently, however, administration informed faculty that their structure proposals would undergo peer review to see how proposed TU criteria compared with that of a handful of R1 universities. R1 universities represent the highest level of research activity on college campuses as judged within the Carnegie Classification; The University of Tulsa currently stands at R2 ranking. This move surprised faculty as they had not known that their proposals would undergo peer review at all, much less with faculty at universities better suited for research than TU.

The initial proposal also came in light of the fact that in spring of 2022 the university began an inquiry into comparing faculty pay with that of other universities within the region. This inquiry started because faculty had not had a substantial pay raise in at least five years. This past week, administration released the collected data, revealing some serious issues.

While many faculty on campus do receive pay on par with what is expected of their field and years contributed, some found that their pay fell not only far below the median but even substantially below the lower quartile of pay among similar faculty. This means that, for some professors, they currently receive less compensation than over 75% of similar faculty within the region.

Problems such as this one illustrate the problem of salary compression plaguing TU. Salary compression occurs when current faculty receive small raises, if any, while starting salaries for new hires rise disproportionately. In a competitive job market, new hire pay has to rise at a certain rate if the university hopes to attract quality candidates, but this begins to harm the workplace environment when current faculty do not receive a fair salary, eventually posing a threat to repel would-be applicants.

And faculty have expressed discontent with the proposal. In an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Hockett of the political science department, he noted that “In view of recent inflation, and considering that the faculty and staff brought the university through the pandemic, the administration should not be surprised the faculty regard the timing of the current effort as a slap to the face in the absence of at least a cost-of-living pay adjustment before moving to merit pay.” And other faculty members seem to have a similar opinion.

Dr. Matthew Dean Hindman of the same department concurred on the poor timing, but did express gratitude that the current president had chosen to investigate comparative pay — an issue in which the last two acting presidents had expressed disinterest. What the university does with this information, he was keen to identify, does at this point still hang in the balance.

But even after a potential adjustment to correct for pay inequity and cost-of-living adjustments, the proposal itself still has its problems. One Arts and Sciences professor, who wishes to remain anonymous but whose identity The Collegian has confirmed, noted the general faculty position seemed in favor of fixing pay inequity before implementing any new system.

But they also expressed concern at TU’s attempts to place its raise criteria on par with elite research institutions. After re -

to reach R1 status, he thought, but to hold its faculty to those standards now did not seem appropriate.

cent cuts to academic programs, research travel and other academic resources, and after years of under-compensation of faculty, they wondered whether TU currently even sits securely enough in the R2 category to consider making criteria comparable to that of R1 schools.

Dr. Ram Mohan, a professor of mechanical engineering and president of the faculty senate, concurred with the disagreement over using R1-level criteria, finding that now did not seem the best time to make this move. TU could aspire

The president plans to meet with each college on campus individually in the coming weeks to discuss the path forward. Faculty do not know yet what will enter the budget for the next fiscal year, whether the merit-based system will begin or if any adjustment for cost-of-living and comparatively low pay will occur. Administration has also pushed back the date for sharing salary statements with professors, saying that it will not meet the usual April 1 deadline and that early May could be a realistic timeline.

ChatGPT and the impacts on academia

The new AI software has begun to pose problems as some students consider its potential in completing assignments for them.

Alex Soeder Student Writer

ChatGPT is a software that has taken college campuses by storm. This software helps students write code, come up with fake stories and even does their assignments for them with enough manipulation of the service. GPTZero is the service that can catch those who utilize this software. Edward Tian, a 22-year-old senior at Princeton University, built the app to detect if submitted work has been generated by AI. The app was created out of his own inspiration to detect human writing from AI-generated text.

communicates, and that is how Tian made his GPTZero software, by comparing the “perplexity” (complexity) and “burstiness” (variation) of text. If a sentence is high in complexity, then it is likely to be written by a human and not an AI, but if a sentence is low in complexity and is “familiar” to GPTZero, then that sentence will be flagged for a high probability of being written by an AI.

ChatGPT has become an important factor in homework, tests, quizzes and assignments in general, especially on TU’s campus. In anonymous interviews with students here at the university, multiple questions were asked to each student, including just how useful this software is, why the student has used it and what the student thinks the future of AI-generated homework looks like.

After conducting these interviews, there was a concentration of usage in majors that related to computers/high computer usage

carries a large amount of information that is accessible with a minor payment each month, and allows users access to nearly infinite online answers with the opportunity to pose questions as well.

So why hasn’t Chegg come under the same fire that ChatGPT has? It is not exactly the same thing, but Chegg can be moderated by professors who write their own exams while ChatGPT comes up with answers for problems without necessary input from a professor. Due to this, ChatGPT can be used to cheat on exams and fill in the required work of a student or employee. This

is why Tian wrote the GPTZero software. As quoted, “GPTZero is ‘not meant to be a tool to stop these technologies from being used… but with any new technologies, we need to be able to adopt it responsibly and we need to have safeguards,” which clarifies why professors want to get ahead of the potential risks of students using this service. By preventing cheating, attempted cheating, or any sort of misuse of this software, professors can limit the amount of academic dishonesty that occurs in and outside of the classroom, and GPTZero is another tool to help combat this issue.

The following paragraph is directly from ChatGPT, after asking the AI itself how it functions.

“ChatGPT is a transformer-based language model developed by OpenAI that uses deep learning to generate text. It’s trained on a large corpus of text data and learns to generate text based on patterns it observed in the training data. The model uses an attention mechanism to weigh the importance of different parts of the input when generating the output. Given an input sequence, the model generates a probability distribution over the vocabulary for each word in the output sequence and samples from that distribution to generate the final text.”

As described by the AI itself, it is an attention mechanism that translates to a cognitive-mimicking part of the AI. The AI tries to mimic human cognitive function and follows a probability sequence for how a sentence would normally be generated. But this function only mimics human speech patterns — it is not a 100% accurate copy of how a person

that was significantly higher than in majors that did not. This survey was not all-inclusive, so a statistically significant conclusion cannot be made regarding the numbers collected, but the data collected does show some sort of relation to computer usage and increased understanding and utilization of the ChatGPT service.

After interviewing roughly 15 students with varying majors, those interviewed who had a focus on computer science/engineering were discovered to have used ChatGPT more than any other major. Of those who answered yes to knowing what ChatGPT was, none of them outwardly admitted to using it to successfully cheat, although some admitted they attempted to use it for help with homework.

After these interviews, it is a fair assessment to say that students are going to use a service that allows them to complete homework easier or faster, whether professors want or allow them to do so or not. Another example of this is Chegg, which

“ChatGPT has become an important factor in homework, tests, quizzes and assignments...”

The University of Tulsa proposed raise system has caused discontent and concern from faculty. courtesy Facebook.com/@tulsa.edu

“And the faculty have expressed discontent with the proposal.”

TU purchases Hardesty Arts Center

shone through saying, “TU demonstrates, once again, our commitment to the arts and humanities.”

TU boasts support for the arts, yet neglects its arts and humanities students, faculty and programs.

Callie Hummel Sports Editor

In an effort to expand The University of Tulsa’s reach into the Tulsa art community, President Carson officially announced that the university had bought the Hardesty Arts Center on Feb. 2. The facility was a Tulsa favorite that unexpectedly had to close its doors in November. This center isn’t the first building TU has purchased in regard to art, as they are also a partner owner of the Gilcrease Museum.

During the announcement of the acquisition, President Carson’s boastfulness for TU

While buying the building is great for downtown’s art scene and for local artists to show their work, TU has been focusing too much on the artists from the city of Tulsa and neglecting the ones they have on their own campus. In 2019, under former President Gerard Clancy, there were drastic cuts made to the arts and humanities departments. Although there is now a new president, the art department is still not in a period of growth — it is simply not in a period of cuts anymore.

The money used to buy the Hardesty Arts Building could have been used in numerous other ways on campus to improve TU’s art department. The two most prominent ways are hiring permanent professors and replenishing the art department’s endowment fund.

There are currently only two tenured art professors and a majority of the rest are visiting professors or adjuncts. While visiting professors and adjuncts are cheaper and assume less risk since they can easily be let go at any year’s end, they’re not traditionally used to fill an entire department. And although TU has the largest kiln in Oklahoma, big enough to fit a whole person, there is currently no permanent ceramics teacher.

Despite TU having a gradual decrease in admissions over the years, the art department has had a steady uptick in students. Therefore, the professors have to teach an overflow of students as they don’t have enough faculty to hold multiple classes.

Prior to the 2019 cuts, the art department had an endowment that paid for the daily upkeep of machines. If a printer broke, money was taken out of the endowment to pay for it. In a drastic and short-sighted act during the cuts, the upper administration spent the endowment to pay the professor’s salaries, leaving the fund for fixing or replacing machines empty. This fund has not been replenished since.

The fund was also used to pay the expenses of holding shows in the Alexander Hogue Gallery, the exhibition space on campus in Phillips Hall. TU would pay the fees for artists to travel to Tulsa with their work so students would have on-campus access to different types of professional art. Since the fund has been depleted, TU has had to limit the number of shows they can host. If TU cannot afford to exhibit artists in the space they have on its own campus, there is no reason to buy another exhibition space downtown. TU has always been advertised as a STEM school with an emphasis on engineering, but if the president now wants to

publicly use his school’s “commitment to the arts and humanities” as a form of advertisement, then he needs to prioritize his own artists before expanding to the rest of the city. It seems as though TU likes the idea of arts and humanities without actually backing the practice on its own campus.

Since TU has already bought the Hardesty Arts Building, instead of making the improvements to its own art department, TU needs to work to integrate the building into their future education. If they spent the money to buy the building instead of replenishing the art endowment, then the space could act as an extension of TU’s campus. Hardesty Arts has “STUDIO” which gives the public access to a light studio, dark room, metalworking studio, printmaking and a wood shop. The building is a multimillion dollar facility, so these studios are newer, better maintained and far more advanced than anything in Phillips. Hopefully, TU utilizes these facilities and connections to artists that Hardesty Arts has to improve the education of student artists.

The University of Tulsa can buy as many exhibits and galleries around Tulsa as it likes, but it must realize that without artists, its buildings will remain empty.

Jamie Rhudy on Native American chronic pain research

Dr. Rhudy’s work in pain management started in 2010, when the first review article about pain disparities in the Native American community was released in the Journal of PAIN’s 2010 volume. Dr. Rhudy now sits as an associate editor for the Journal of PAIN. Upon reading this article, Dr. Rhudy was inspired to kick up collaborations with his colleague Joanna Shadlow and continue his work in pain mechanisms that he started in graduate school.

Adam Porterie Student Writer

Jamie Rhudy and his team’s research on chronic pain in Native Americans is groundbreaking work that pulls back the veil on discriminative policies that have led to Native Americans experiencing chronic pain at higher rates than any other ethnic group. The Collegian was able to sit down with Dr. Rhudy and explore his team’s past findings while also discussing future plans for a $2.7 million research grant received in the past year.

This grant-funded study conducted by Dr. Rhudy and his colleagues is his fourth time leading research on the issue. When reflecting on current findings of Native American pain rates, Dr. Rhudy states “that Native Americans were indeed developing chronic pain at higher rates.” Dr. Rhudy and his colleagues have also found that “we could predict who is going to develop chronic pain by experienced discrimination, experienced trauma, how much psychological stress someone reported and then some emotional, cognitive, and behavioral factors.”

Through this new study, Dr. Rhudy and his team intend to add a top-down view to the societal level discriminatory practices that contribute to Native Americans experiencing chronic pain at three times the rate of non-Hispanic white people. The first step in Dr. Rhudy’s lab is to conduct geocoding on participants, in which they take a respondent’s living history and compare it to

TUpartners with VITA for free tax preparation

check in list, given an Intake/Interview & Quality Review Sheet to fill out and offered as many snacks as I desired from the surprisingly loaded snack table.

After I completed the form, I was introduced to Dr. Thamara Barthelus, TU’s financial wellness consultant. I sat in her office as she went through my intake information and I gave her my tax paperwork. I am a special case since my permanent residence is in Maryland, but my income was made here in the Sooner State — one of the reasons I was so hesitant on filing taxes myself. Dr. Barthelus was extremely kind as she answered my questions and talked me through my paperwork.

Shelby Hiens

Commentary Editor

Two weeks ago, my dad asked me for my W-2’s to take to his tax lady. I emailed them over and thought nothing of it; until he asked what the tax laws are in Oklahoma, that is. After some extensive Googling, we determined that the minimum amount of income for a non-resident of Oklahoma to be required to file taxes is $1,000. Thanks to all my side hustling, I was required to file taxes this year. I freaked out, naturally. Despite the ludicrous amount of math courses I’ve taken as a computer science major, I still can’t file my own taxes.

I have no tax knowledge whatsoever. I feared filing them myself because I don’t want the IRS to throw me in jail, but I didn’t want to pay some ridiculous fee for a professional to file them for me either. I was researching various tax programs online before I saw the free tax preparation advertisement in the TU weekly email for Saturday from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M.

I walked into the second floor lobby of the Holmes Center today at 1:30 P.M. and asked if tax preparation was still being offered — since the lobby was completely empty — to which they gave confirmation. I was greeted, signed my name on the short

Next, I saw Don Nuam, a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Specialist through Goodwill Industries of Tulsa. VITA is an IRS-certified volunteer program that provides income tax return preparation for free to qualified individuals such as people making $60,000 or less as well as disabled and limited English-speaking taxpayers. Nuam resolved the difficulties and confusions that arose due to my part-year residency status.

I am appreciative of the services Dr. Barthelus and Nuam provided as they saved me from the headache of stressing over taxes for two more months as well as an exorbitant fee. However, there were very few students that took advantage of these free services today. Dr. Barthelus said that I was her second client of the day and I was definitely her last as I left at 3 P.M.

TU partnered with VITA in order to bring their services to campus for students, staff and faculty alike. I hope the university continues to partner with VITA in the future to allow easy access to free tax assistance specialists. Tax time can be overwhelming for many people, especially students preparing for midterms and faculty/staff conducting research or caring for their families. I know that I will be using VITA’s services again next year should their specialists come to campus.

both Census and Environmental Protection Agency data to determine exposure rates to elements “indicative of structural racism and discrimination.” The team’s current findings suggest that neighborhoods that are primarily minorities have also been connected to exposure “to a lot of environmental hazards, toxins, waste, noise, pollution, ozone, and cancer causing agents like lead.” The gathering of address history also allows for Dr. Rhudy’s team to examine confounding markers of racism and discrimination such as educational inequality, access to food, and income inequality and how these factors allow for a greater risk of developing chronic pain later in life.

With the new grant, Dr. Rhudy and his colleagues are able to take a look at the greater scope of chronic pain while also honing in on the role of stress and its relation to physiological systems. In addition to the stress and cultural factors behind chronic pain, Dr. Rhudy’s team will also examine cultural resiliency factors Native Americans have that “buffer against the effects of structural racism and discrimination.”

Looking to the future, Dr. Rhudy wants his work to be able to shed light on the impacts of discrimination for the people that are forced through it within our society. He believes that our “society focuses too much on pharmaceuticals and less on behavioral kind of interventions that help us treat

chronic pain.” Alluding to the development of holistic medicine in modern health, Dr. Rhudy acknowledges that there is often not a “magic bullet pill” to fix an issue as his findings suggest “psychological factors play a pretty important role” and that by not “addressing that piece of it, then you’re missing a huge component of not only the cause, but the maintenance of chronic pain.”

In order to take such a broad perspective on the psychological perspective, Dr. Rhudy’s team has grown to include Travis Lowe, a sociologist at TU; William Lavallo, a specialized stress consultant; and continuing connections with the Native American community through an Indigenous advisory council. Dr. Rhudy and his colleagues meet with the advisory council quarterly in order to receive input from the Native American community to create engaged participants.

Dr. Rhudy says that the advisory council brings “a lot of experience to the table, including personal experiences with racism and discrimination within the Native American community.”

Dr. Rhudy’s research will have an impact felt all throughout the healthcare industry as his team conducts work that is bound to change lives. It is research like his that will ultimately lead to the addressment of systematic issues throughout America.

How do you admit you need help?

ally. She shifted how she walked and talked and slowly became quieter. After a couple months of her behavior shifting like this, we sat down and had a discussion, talked through her emotions, how she had been feeling lately and why she was so disconnected.

The pandemic launched a mental health crisis and we are still reeling.

Alex Soeder Student Writer

Mental health is a nuanced and stigmatized topic that is difficult for many to speak on when relating to their personal experiences. But why is this? If you break an arm or a leg, you seek medical attention and actively choose to better yourself after recognizing the injury. So why is mental health treated any differently? Breaking the stigma is something everyone can and should actively participate in.

Increases in poor mental health are an effect of our society transitioning to distanced learning, social distancing, and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic going forward. The World Health Organization (WHO) released an article on Mar. 2, 2022 detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an increase in depression and anxiety. A 25% spike in cases of young people, particularly women, has led to perilous situations for personal mental health.

I have witnessed this shift on a personal level and in my work. After being a frontline healthcare professional for the last three years as a Certified Nursing Assistant, I have seen how isolation has affected myself and my sister as individuals and frontline coworkers.

As a brother, I watched my sister become distanced, both physically and emotion-

It took us months to get to this point and even after waiting all that time, my sister needed help from a professional to work through her problems, not just a single conversation with family at the dinner table. I wondered at what point in time does someone stop and look around at how they are living and decide that enough is enough — “I need help.”

Someone in need of help may display this need in a multitude of ways. A person making too many jokes at their own expense or joking about the death of a loved one can be signs and symptoms of needing professional help, though this is not always the case. The best way to work around this potential confusion is to ask the person up front. Be direct with your questions and show them that you care enough to put yourself in an uncomfortable position to ensure that they are okay.

On the other hand, when you are feeling down, staying in during the weekends more often and isolating yourself from friends and family, you should reflect on the situation at hand and ask yourself a couple of questions: Why am I isolating? Is it due to a recent issue that has come up in my life?

Do I want to change my situation? Why or why not? These questions can help discern whether your situation might need outside assistance and if so, you should familiarize yourself with local resources.

There are a variety of resources available for students on and off campus, with an emergency therapist on dial through Campus Security (918-631-5555), Counseling and Psychological Services (918-6312200), the CaneCares reporting tool (https:// utulsa.edu/office-student-life/canecares/) and the Mental Health Lifeline (988).

Dr. Rhudy is leading groundbreaking research on the connections between discrimination and chronic pain within the Native American community.

The Collegian rates artists’ 2023 Grammy outfits

There’s more to the Grammys than just the music, says sports editor Callie Hummel.

Callie Hummel Sports Editor

Housing some of the biggest names in the music industry, the Grammys once again gave people something to talk about for weeks after the event ended. The 2023 Grammys were held on Feb. 5 and although it was an award show for music, that doesn’t mean the artists didn’t look to outdo each other in their red carpet Grammy outfits.

Cardi B - Gaurav Gupta - 9/10

Cardi B wore a blue mermaid-fit dress with cutouts on the stomach and pieces of the dress holding high above her head. Even though she wasn’t nominated for any awards, Cardi B came, and as always, made a statement. She even had an outfit change from walking the red carpet to when she was announcing the rap album of the year, which went to Kendrick Lamar. The dress of course housed a large cutout, the new big thing that was seen by many others on the red carpet. The top of the dress that held high above Cardi B’s head truly made it ‘high’ fashion

Taylor Swift - Roberto Cavalli - 8/10

Taylor Swift wore a dark blue, long sleeve sparkly two piece dress that showed off her stomach.

After the release of her new album “Midnights”, it became the most streamed album in a day, breaking Drake’s record with 184.6 million streams on Spotify in its first 24 hours. To personify the album, Swift attended the Grammys with a navy blue, sparkly two-piece dress. Many thought the purple on her earrings was a hint to the announcement of her “Taylor’s Version” re-recording of her Sparks Fly album. Although Taylor looked stunning and matched her album perfectly, the dress was a bit simple, like something I would have worn to my senior prom if there wasn’t a global pandemic.

Harry Styles - Egonlab - 4/10

Harry Styles wore a rainbow patterned sparkly jumpsuit without a shirt underneath and white dress shoes.

The September Gucci fashion show “Twinsburg” showed the public the kind of creative genius Gucci is looking to accomplish. With Styles’ long-term collaboration with Gucci, one would expect his outfit to the Grammys to follow this same innovative and exploratory look. Instead, he wore an Egonlab rainbow, sparkly jumpsuit that I’m pretty sure I had a replica of when I was seven.

Shania Twain - Harris Reed - 4/10

Shania Twain wore a white blazer with large black dots, matching bell bottoms, and a matching spotted hat. She dyed her hair red for the occasion.

Speaking of Harry Styles, ever since Shania Twain ran her hand down his bare chest at Coachella, she’s been in a goofy mood. As if the public didn’t already know she was a country music star, she had to wear a cow print suit with bell bottoms to make sure it was cemented into our brains.

Anderson Paak - Gucci 8/10

Anderson Paak wore a floral suit with pink tinted glasses and a cabby cap.

Anderson Paak gave us the Gucci moment we deserved in his floral suit. Many thought the outfit was too tame for the Grammys, a show that is generally one step behind the Met Gala in avantgardeness. However the green hat, pink sunglasses, silver necklace and chest tattoos poking out over his white undershirt all added to the absolute vibe of an outfit. While it was not Gucci’s most creative suit, the whole outfit put together perfectly matched the energy of Paak’s smile and the thumbs up he continuously gave the cameras.

Olivia Rodrigo - 5/10

Olivia Rodrigo wore a skin tight black, sheer dress with black undergarments and a black statement necklace.

Olivia Rodrigo, like Cardi B, wasn’t nominated for any Grammys but was an -

nouncing the award for Best New Artist. Normally, I believe that Rodrigo can do no wrong when it comes to style, but she opted for the mainstream look for the Grammys. Sheer has been seen on and off the runway prolifically for 2023, and Rodrigo’s dress was just a simple black dress that was entirely see-through. For someone who is usually so adept at styling for the occasion, Rodrigo kept it too simple.

H.E.R.- Bach Mai - 9/10

H.E.R. wore a black mini dress with a longer black sheet skirt underneath with a silver choker and black circular sunglasses.

H.E.R. heard that Y2K was coming back but had enough sense to give off the illusion of jeans underneath her dress, instead of actually her trusty blue jeans. I’m a big fan of the circular sunglasses and silver choker to complete the look.

DOMi & JD Beck - 10/10

DOMi wore a matching orange plaid blazer and skirt with blue plaid tights and undershirt. JD Beck wore a floral shirt underneath bright blue overalls.

After hearing that DOMi & JD Beck call their style of music, “disruptive jazz,” I knew I would be a fan. DOMi

& JD Beck rocked this look, whether it was appropriate attire for the biggest music award show or not. In all seriousness, many of the major celebrities here took major risks under the name of major luxury brands. Seeing two people show up in an outfit that probably got a lot of hate, but an outfit that they support and feel comfortable in should be what fashion is all about. I also, in all seriousness, would wear either one of these outfits.

Lizzo - Dolce and Gabbana - 10/10

Lizzo wore a long orange silk dress with a corset and large orange opera coat covered in flowers.

Saving, what I believe is, the best for last. Despite at first glance it looking like Lizzo was peeking her head out of a bush on the red carpet, the intricate designs of her opera cape pulled her out of the forest. The look could have definitely crossed the line from avante-garde to outrageously overdone, but the orange complimented Lizzo. The dress was huge, which seemed perfect as she was at the Grammys winning awards for an album telling people that it’s okay to take up space. The attention to detail on each flower, jewelry, makeup and hair made the outfit more of a work of art than just a dress for an award show.

After having to cancel their Tulsa concert last year, the band made up for it this past week.

Maddie Walters Managing Editor

Death Cab for Cutie brought their Asphalt Meadows tour to Tulsa this past week with a sold-out show at Cain’s Ballroom. The night began with Momma, the opener of the tour, who recently released their third studio album “Household Name” last year. Reminiscent of the Breeders and Smashing Pumpkins, the band’s magnetic and dynamic performance won over the audience before the first song even finished. Unfortunately, the band’s set was cut short as a man

collapsed during the set — he later rejoined the concert after getting checked out by the medical team.

Death Cab for Cutie later took the stage to thunderous applause before breaking into “I Don’t Know How I Survive.” Ben Gibbard (lead singer) played each and every song with a wistful intensity that reached a climax when the band played “I Will Follow You into the Dark.” Gibbard went on a tangent during the song, saying that he hated it when bands ask for the crowd to sing the song instead of the band, but he then went on to say experiencing it from the stage is one of the most beautiful experiences. He asked the audience to sing the chorus back to him, and, in trade, would sing an extra chorus so he would be “even Steven.”

The band ended the concert with a four song encore much to the delight of the audience.

Photos by Maddie Walters

Lizzo won Record of the Year, making her the first African American woman to win this cateogory since Whitney Houston for ‘I Will Always Love You.’

Courtesy @lizzo on Twitter

All horoscopes belong here

State-Run the media

Hardesty STEM lounge opens

Aries, expect an exciting week! Jupiter in Aries will activate your ruling planet of mars which will amplify your charisma. The moon will also be transitioning into sagittarius on the 16th which will bring gravity to the decisions you make during this time. Have fun and welcome new opportunities.

Taurus, this week will bring joy. On the 14th, Venus enters pisces, a water sign very compatible with your earth element. On the 15th, this will peak, bringing abundance. Give into your impulse to indulge, because it will bring fulfillment.

Last week, The University of Tulsa announced their acquisition of the Hardesty Arts Center, the former location of the Arts and Humanities Council (more commonly known as ahha). In the center of Tulsa’s arts district, this building previously hosted multiple galleries, artist studios and educational opportunities. Many members of the Tulsa community have become concerned about the building’s fate since the closure of ahha, and finally they can quit holding their breath. Don’t worry, arts lovers of Tulsa, TU is here to save the day!

Because TU is an incredibly rich school sitting on an absolute nest egg of funds to do with whatever they please, they acquired the multi-million dollar facility the second it went on the market! Rumor has it that president Brad Carson himself sat at his computer, waiting to claim the building with lightning-quick speed as if it were a pair of coveted Taylor Swift tickets. TU’s Board of trustees sat anxiously in the next room, waiting for Brad to swing open the door with triumph and shout, “I got ‘em!! Sorry, I mean, I got it!!”. Congratulations, Mr. President.

So what exactly is TU planning to do with their hot new acquisition? I’m so glad you asked. Janet Levit herself, TU’s most beloved interim president emerita, reappeared on campus just for the chance to announce the heavily-anticipated news. After flying into the press conference on her magic broomstick and tipping her witch’s hat off to the audience, she began her remarks.

“It is with the utmost pleasure that I announce to the city of Tulsa that the university will be transforming the Hardesty Center from a valuable space for the arts to grow into a highly exclusive lounge designated for our beloved STEM students!” stated Levitt.

“The lounge may only be entered and utilized by students majoring or minoring in one of our worldrenowned STEM programs. It will include an arcade, a space for bowling, a spa with access to a sauna and complementary massages, a rooftop restaurant complete with a bar and whatever else our precious STEM students may desire. There will be a VIP space on the second floor designated specifically for those studying engineering. Finally, our perfect angels will have the recognition they deserve, and get the rest they have so valiantly earned!”

“Although we are a liberal arts institution, we all know no one studies the arts and humanities at TU anyway. We have actually purposefully neglected the two arts buildings, Chapman and Phillips, in hopes that they will become so dangerous and unpleasant that all A&S students will either become the poor victims of a tragic accident or illness, or they’ll simply leave the university altogether.”

Levitt concluded her address with a wide smile, and a request for questions from those in attendance. One reporter representing TU’s very own Collegian stood up slowly and asked, “What about the business students? Will they have access to the new lounge?”

In response, Levitt furrowed her brow and gave the reporter a puzzled look. “We have business students?” she asked, “Huh, you don’t say…”

Can’t wait to see you all at the new and exclusive STEM student lounge! It’s since been revealed that A&S students may be allowed in, after all, someone has to scrub the toilets!

Gemini, this will be a week of recognition for you. On the 15th, try and decide what area of your life you want success to come to. Venus and Neptune will conjunct bringing you luck and inspiration. If you focus on your goals you will find prosperity.

Cancer, you may feel anxiety surrounding finances and material goods this week. On February 16th, Saturn and the Sun will conjoin in your eighth house of other people’s money and material attributes. Be careful of comparison. Focus on your own goals and take everything one step at a time.

Leo, do not fear commitment this week. As Mercury conjuncts with Jupiter, the planet of good fortune, you will find communication easy. When making decisions, trust that what you ask for will find its way to you. Make your intentions known.

Virgo, you will feel a push this week. You are in high demand which will likely deplete your resources. Work on rest. Because on the 16th Saturn will orbit close to the Sun, this incompatibility between ice and fire will be felt in your productivity.

Libra, things will be transparent this week. On the 16th, Saturn will orbit close to the Sun creating friction in your life. It will be easier to see what is going on behind the scenes, but this is likely to bring stress. Focus instead on your relationships. Venus will conjunct with Neptune, and as a sign ruled by Venus you will find luck in this transit. Scorpio, take action! Your ruling planet, Mars, will call you to take big steps as it interacts with Uranus. Leading up to the 14th and peaking on the 15th you will find movement in your relationships fruitful. Go with your instincts and stay ambitious.

Sagittarius, you may experience a delay. Be careful of making too many promises that may be unrealistic as Saturn will conjoin the Sun in Aquarius, which will bring unpredictability in your life. Be willing to surrender to changing circumstances and look out for new experiences and connections they may bring.

Capricorn, you will feel both burdened and inspired by your relationships this week. Saturn, your ruler, will conjunct the Sun on Feb. 16. This rare conjunction will bring new responsibilities. Be kind to yourself and avoid unnecessary criticism as you adjust to these new aspects in your life.

Aquarius, do not neglect yourself this week. Saturn will conjunct the Sun in Aquarius on Feb. 16 which will put a spotlight on your work and responsibilities. Remember to remain balanced and focus on your passions along with your ambitions. If you do not also focus on your own needs you are likely to lose your health for the week and experience delays.

SAD SATIRIST SEEKING SUCCESSOR

Should satire-seeking strangers see said sad situation, soon shall said seeker stew some satirical soup sans uhh, selery [sic]. Shit. So strange shall she seem, scribing some sick satire. Okay, I give up on this dumbass alliteration. Can’t you see I am out of ideas? Write for me if you are interested in being the future satire editor for this esteemed Collegian. personal ad by Kyle Garrison

Pisces, look for unions this week. Uranus is in your third house, which rules contracts and commitment. You may find yourself drawn to new people and possible connections. Trust this instinct. You are likely to find ease in your ability to spot those who would be a good addition to your life. horoscopes by Aurora Stewart

Margaret Laprarie

Local satirist

TU turns former Arts & Humanities council building into exclusive STEM student lounge.

graphic by Kyle Garrison

Ahha has been converted to a place STEM majors feel.