8 April 2019

The Collegian: 2

News

8 April 2019

The anti-vax movement in Okla. purges inactive voters the past and present While negligible on a national scale, the amount of people openly skeptical about the safety and efficacy of vaccines has been rising.

Emily Every Commentary Editor Anti-vaccination content has been increasingly under a spotlight in the last few years, and it’s only become more polarizing with this increased attention. While the antivaccination movement has been growing, it’s been met with equal outrage and intrigue from the general public.

More people have taken anti-vaccination views as the discussion of vaccinations enters the public forum. At the same time, provaccination groups have been more vocal than ever.

Movements against vaccinations aren’t new in the social media age. Vaccines and their dissenters have been around since 11th-century China. Though pre-18th-century opposition to vaccinations was largely based on religious reasons or uncertainty of the exact mechanics of molecular biology, how, why and if vaccines actually worked is still a topic for debate for many today.

The historic narrative for vaccinations often starts when Edward Jenner discovered the smallpox vaccine in 1796 and from then on, vaccines were simply a given scientific reality. But the story is more complicated and more contentious. For one, vaccines were known in China and generally outside of the West earlier than is often discussed.

There were also the many times vaccines failed people, especially before we had a stronger understanding of molecular science: in the 1955 Cutter Incident, live polio viruses were administered via vaccines through a safety testing error. This led to at least 250 cases of polio in Berkeley, California, through Cutter Laboratories. There’s also the 1948 Kyoto Disaster, in which 68 children in Kyoto, Japan, lost their lives following diphtheria immunization after a problem in the production of the vaccine batch. It also seems relevant to mention that a significant amount of early 20th-century

Citizens who haven’t participated in elections for eight years are at risk vaccination testing used the bodies of nonconsenting minorities or institutionalized of losing their registration. people as testing grounds.

Outside of the long-standing medical history of vaccines is the sociological history of how they’ve been perceived. In the 1970s and ‘80s, vaccinations faced serious legal and social pushback. A 1998 English study in which scientist Andrew Wakefield asserted that there was a relationship between the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism. This study was found to be fraudulent in 2004, and Wakefield’s ability to practice medicine in Britain was revoked in 2010, though the paper did negatively affect the public’s perception of the MMR vaccine and, arguably, vaccines as a whole.

In 1999, the year after the study was published, the number of British children vaccinated with the MMR vaccine went from 90 percent to 80 percent. The false linkage between vaccination and autism is still a fairly popular belief held within the anti-vax community.

The rise of anti-vaccination rhetoric may be surprising, but it is not without historic precedent. Science has always been coupled with doubt, and for good reason. Vaccines have killed people before, and it does make a certain amount of sense that a parent would worry about what they may be injecting their child with. However, the rise of anti-vaccine content on social media has allowed misled anti-vaxxers platforms and therefore increased the amount of people interacting with and being duped by antivaccination content.

In 2018, the Americas saw its first cases of measles, the outbreak of which began in Venezuela, since it was believed to be eradicated in 2016. Pro-vaccination groups have suggested a positive correlation between anti-vaccination content on social media and this measles outbreak. In response to the outbreak, the WHO has emphasized provaccine education.

In an effort to quell these growing misinformation-based groups, Pinterest is no longer showing content related to vaccines, and YouTube is reducing anti-vaccination content and recommendations.

Lindsey Prather Student Writer Beginning in April, the Oklahoma State Election Board is set to continue its process of biennial purging of inactive voter registration. Although the legality of this procedure is still being challenged in many other states, proponents argue that Oklahoma’s method is entirely reasonable.

While Oklahoma has been practicing this method of purging for over two decades, opponents argue that the revoking of voter registration is downright unconstitu-

they are designated as “inactive;” however, despite this designation, they are still able to cast a ballot in elections and would not have to reregister. On the contrary, if the voter participates in any election or responds to update their voter registration information, they regain their “active” status. They must undergo the previously described process in its entirety before being designated as inactive again.

Oklahoma is one of seven states that allow this termination of voter registration, a process that requires a relatively prolonged period of voter inactivity to be initiated. This takes place every two years, and it tends to affect a proportionally large number of voters in Oklahoma. Out of the 2.2 million registered voters in Oklahoma, the last purge of registrations yielded around 290,000 of

“Oklahoma is one of seven states that allows this termination of voter registration.” tional. Cases involving this affair cropped up prominently in the 2018 midterm elections, most notably in Georgia and Ohio; the Georgia governor’s race faced specific scrutiny following widespread purging in voter registration in the weeks leading up to the election. Nationally, cases such as this have been making their way through the judicial system. However, according to supporters, Oklahoma’s method is fair and balanced.

The procedure for removing inactive voters begins in the spring following a general election. This process for removal is relatively long, taking around two full election cycles, or eight years, to be completed. Voter rolls are constantly updated as citizens change addresses, die or otherwise alter their voter status; the result of this is a web of detailed information that must be sorted through to maintain accuracy in registrations.

The Election Board will begin sending letters to kickstart this process before June 1, sending an address confirmation to registered voters who haven’t participated in any elections since the 2012 general election.

The voter must respond within 60 days, or

removed voters; although there are other logistical reasons for deletion, more than half were removed from rolls due to inactivity.

However, there are also partisan repercussions for this process. An audit of the 2017 purge of voters revealed that Democrats are typically more likely to be affected disproportionate to their representation of the voter base. Registrations prior to the deletions show that while Democrats made up about 39 percent of all registered voters, around 46 percent of the purged voters were Democrats. Republicans, however, made up about 33 percent of the purged voters while making up nearly 46 percent of the pre-purge voter registration totals.

The process of purging voter registration in Oklahoma is set to continue, although the various cases related to it continue to make their way through the courts. Following the publicity caused by the Georgia governor’s race, this topic also has the potential to be addressed legislatively, as institutions seek to strike a balance between security of elections and ease of access for those seeking to vote.

The draft: how it works and how it could change The draft, or Selective Service, has recently re-entered the public consciousness amid the question of whether women should be included.

Thomas von Borstel Student Writer The American eye has suddenly been cast on the draft. A recent federal District court ruled that an all-male conscription is unconstitutional. The decision has been considered more symbolic than pragmatic, but recent comments by the chairman of National Commission for Military, National and Public service suggests changes are to come in the near future with clear implications toward some institution of women registering for the draft.

Judge Gray Miller, whose court saw the decision in favor of the National Coalition of Men, has been quoted saying, “the time has passed,” meaning women in the 21st century are fit for both combat and noncombat roles. If the draft became gender inclusive, this could see women registering with the Selective Service: an organization which is tasked with maintaining the information of eligible citizens in case of a military draft. But how this would be carried out remains a mystery to most.

Conscription, foreseen by the Founding Fathers as the ability to “raise and support Armies,” is a tenant of the United States’ Constitution. Early in the days of conscription, local militias were raised by communities, but many could buy their way out of being drafted by paying a substitute. This practice continued through the Civil War until World War I. National conscription was first carried out in the Civil War, but accounted for few of the actual soldiers who fought in the conflict.

World War I saw the creation of conscription as we know it today with a federal initiative created and signed by President Woodrow Wilson. Known as the Selective Service Act of 1917, the bill mandated that all men between the ages of 18 and 45 had an obligation to their country. A national lot-

tery was called and exemptions were created to head off any corruption. The draft was ended in 1918.

1940 saw the first peacetime draft in the United States’ history. The Selective Training and Service Act would be renewed until 1971, which was the end of the draft in the United States until further notice. Today, eligible male citizens are required to register with the Selective Service by their 18th birthday in the case of a sudden need for a draft. Individuals are eligible to be drafted until their 26th birthday.

Before a draft could occur today, Congress would need to pass appropriate legislation with the president’s approval. Then Selective Service would be tasked with shifting from registration to conscription. A national lottery would be called. Numbers between one and 365 (366 during a leap year) would be selected randomly by a computer, alongside a simultaneous selection of the dates ranging the 365 days of the year.

These numbers and dates would be loaded into a drum, and selected one-by-one. The order of ages drafted ascends from 20 to 26.

Then, if all other age groups are exhausted, 19-year-olds would be conscripted, followed by 18-year-olds. To make sense of this: if the number 21 is selected alongside the date January 6, all eligible 20 year old males born on January 6 would be the 21st group to be conscripted.

Exemptions and deferments are straightforward. Divinity students, ministers of religion, and dual-nationals/aliens are exempt from duty. Those whose family would be placed in financial jeopardy can request a deferment. Death in immediate family would exempt someone from duty. Those who are deemed “unfit” for duty would be exempt, such as those with criminal records, drug abuse history or disabilities.

How the system would change with the introduction of female registrants is yet to be seen, but the status quo is changing.

An all-gender draft would both double the selection pools and allow for more exemptions to be made for those who have civilian specialization, as well as students.

“How the system would change with the introduction of female registrants is yet to be seen, but the status quo is changing.”

The vast majority of purged voters are removed from registration on the basis of inactivity alone.

courtesy KOSU

Okla. Democratic HQ vandalized The building, located in Oklahoma City, was spray-painted with neoNazi imagery.

Emily Every Commentary Editor On Sunday, March 21, authorities found the parking lot, sidewalk and windows of the Oklahoma Democratic HQ in Oklahoma City spray-painted with neo-Nazi propaganda, homophobic and racial slurs and fascist imagery, including swastikas. Similarly threatening graffiti was found in the Oklahoma City office of the Chickasaw Nation.

Found alongside the vandalization was a letter stating in red marker that “white men have been and still are the backbone [of society].” The letter went on to threaten gender, religious and ethnic minorities and said that the author “would be very scared [if they were them].” It also threatens the life of former U.S. President Barack Obama.

The document made several references to the Weimar Republic, the period of Democratic Germany preceding the governmental rise of Nazis, which the vandal compared to the present-day United States.

Thursday, March 28, authorities released an image caught on surveillance camera of

a woman spray-painting the front entrance of the Oklahoma Democratic Headquarters.

The following Sunday, the Oklahoma City department posted on its Facebook that, “Investigators are still trying to ID and locate the female shown in the original photos we released Thursday in connection with the graffiti left at two OKC businesses (one on Lincoln and the other on Classen).” As of writing, the woman pictured has yet to be identified, and police are still seeking information on the case.

Nazi propaganda featuring swastikas and death threats was also found spray-painted on public buildings in Norman last Wednesday, April 3. The hate speech was found on the Cleveland County’s Democratic Party headquarters, McKinley Elementary School and Firehouse Art Center. The Oklahoma City police department is working alongside investigators in Norman, though it is currently unknown how related the cases may be.

Following the incident in Norman, the Oklahoma Democratic Party commented that it is “disgusted by these cowardly attacks of hatred [and that] we must send a message that racism will not be tolerated in our communities and take a stand against those fanning the fans of nationalism and bigotry.”

8 April 2019

News

The Collegian: 3

March 30 4:00 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to the Security Office to take a report in regards to a burglary from vehicle. The vehicle was parked at West Park apartment complex. It was burglarized on March 29, 2019 between the hours of 0200 and 1000.

The victim reported the burglary to the Tulsa Police Department before speaking to officers.

March 27 5:50 a.m.

A University of Tulsa Campus Security Officer made contact with a TU student just north of the Case Athletic building, on 8th Street. The student was parked in a no parking zone but refused to move their vehicle. The student refused to give the officer their student ID and went into the Case Athletic building. The officer got the vehicle tag information and left without further incident.

12:50 p.m.

A member of the housing department requested an incident report be completed by security on an apartment in Brown Village that smelt of cigarette smoke. The odor of cigarette smoke coming from a particular apartment in Brown Village has been an on-going issue for residents in the area.

11:40 p.m.

Officers on routine patrol, observed an unknown individual walking through the 6th street and Delaware lot. Officers spoke with the individual and determined they were not an affiliate of the university. A warrant and previous contact check returned negative for both. The individual was trespass warned and escorted off property.

March 29 2:59 p.m.

Officers attempted to tow a vehicle off campus from the Lorton Village Apartments Lot. A vehicle was found parked contrary to university policy and officers verified that the vehicle had been previously tow warned. Towing of the vehicle was authorized by the on-duty supervisor. While the wrecking company was in possession of the vehicle, the owner of the vehicle arrived and paid for their vehicle to be released.

4:50 p.m.

Officers responded to a non injury accident at 4th Place and Harvard Avenue. Officers made contact with the three parties involved, and one of the parties was a TU affiliate. Tulsa Police responded to the scene.

10:10 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to Mayo Village for a noise complaint. Upon arrival, officers found that the noise was coming from a registered event at the Mayo Village Clubhouse.

Officers spoke to the personnel running the event and informed them that they needed to keep the noise to a reasonable level. The event was allowed to continue.

March 31 12:30 a.m.

An officer witnessed a black vehicle speeding out of Mayo Village Apartment parking lot. The vehicle was driving recklessly and almost struck two individuals crossing the street. As the officer attempted to stop the vehicle in the Delaware lot, the vehicle took off at high speed driving recklessly through the parking lot. The vehicle was stopped later on 8th St. and the driver identified.

1:00 a.m.

Officers were dispatched to the University Square South Apartments in regards to a fight. Upon arrival, officers found five unknown individuals trying to flee the scene by car. Officers observed a cut above one of the individuals left eye. No individuals wanted to press charges and medical attention was denied. All individuals were released without further incident.

2:45 p.m.

Officers responded to a student wanting to file a report of burglary from a vehicle on March 30, 2019 in Norman Village Apartments. Items were stolen from the student’s vehicle. The student was advised to file a report with the Tulsa Police Department regarding the incident. There was no witnesses or suspect identified

Chris Lierly Apprentice Editor Lindsey Prather Student Writer

Erdogan’s party loses elections in both Ankara and Istanbul President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party (in English: Justice and Development) lost control of both Istanbul and Ankara on Sunday, as elections resulted in the opposition winning both cities’ mayoral positions. Though the nationwide elections bolstered the conservative Islamic party’s control in many regions, those two cities are the commercial and political centers of the country. Adding to the loss, Ankara has been AK’s stronghold for decades.

AK has announced that they are challenging election results in a cumulative 64 districts between the two cities. If overturned, the results would keep control of both cities in AK’s hands. Erdogan has been consolidating power in the last three years, sparking concern that he may intend to assert dictatorial powers if confronted with an election loss like the ones in Ankara and Istanbul.

Julian Assange set to be expelled from Ecuadorian embassy in the UK WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to be expelled from his refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. According to Ecuadorian officials, Assange has repeatedly violated the terms put in place to continue his asylum under their protection. Specifically, officials allege that Assange worked to hack devices illegally, distributed the material from these actions and interfered in foreign politics, all of which infringe on the previously agreed-upon stipulations of the embassy.

Assange first sought asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy in 2012 to prevent being extradited to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning as part of a sexual assault investigation. Although the danger of extradition to Sweden has passed, Assange now fears he could be deported to face charges in the United States related to the actions of WikiLeaks. It is currently unknown if British officials will seek to hand him over for trial in the United States.

Canadian provinces impose carbon tax The Canadian federal government began its final step in implementing a nationwide carbon tax on April 2, as it was enacted in its final four provinces. Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick had attempted to hold out against this policy, as opponents claim it could potentially slow economic growth and place an economic burden on consumers.

In accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement, Canada will apply a carbon tax on fossil fuel emissions, beginning this year at 20 Canadian dollars per ton. The policy will also enact hikes of this tax for the next three years, ultimately capping out at a total of CA$50 per ton in April 2022. The goal of this policy is to encourage companies to seek out alternative fuel sources while also incentivizing the scaling back of carbon emissions; ultimately, the Canadian government plans to utilize the revenue as a tax deduction for Canadian citizens.

3:00 p.m.

An officer was dispatched to take a report of a knife being found in a student’s vehicle. No items were reported stolen from the student’s vehicle. The knife was impounded as evidence. The student was advised to file a police report with the Tulsa Police Department. No witnesses or suspects were identified.

April 1 12:01 p.m.

Officers towed a vehicle off campus from the Mabee East Lot. A vehicle was found parked contrary to university policy and officers verified that the vehicle had been previously tow warned. Towing of the vehicle was authorized by the on-duty supervisor and the vehicle was towed off campus without incident.

12:46 p.m.

Officers towed a vehicle off campus from the Brown Village Lot. A vehicle was found parked contrary to university policy and officers verified that the vehicle had been previously tow warned. Towing of the vehicle was authorized by the on-duty supervisor and the vehicle was towed off campus without incident.

1:03 p.m.

Officers towed a vehicle off campus from the Brown Village Lot. A vehicle was found parked contrary to university policy and officers verified that the vehicle had been previously tow warned. Towing of the vehicle was authorized by the on-duty supervisor and the vehicle was towed off campus without incident.

1:55 p.m.

Officers investigated a report of unauthorized equipment installed on the university computer network at Tyrrell Hall.

The investigation revealed the equipment was installed by a university employee and was turned over to Human Resources to handle the personnel matter.

6:45 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to investigate an injured affiliate at Collins Fitness Center. Officers met with the TU affiliate who was having back pain. Emergency Medical Services Authority was not contacted, and the affiliate was transported to their residence.

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

Monday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Lorton Performance Center Breaking the Gender Mold with Rain Dove Rain Dove is the androgynous/agender model who has been in W, Vogue, Buzzfeed, Elle, Marie Claire, Cosmo, Harper’s Bazaar, Mashable, People and many more. They have created several viral campaigns including a lingerie shoot challenging Victoria Secrets’ Beauty standards which reached over 35 countries. They are known not just as a pretty face, but also as a humanitarian. Their recent video combatting HB2 has garnered millions of views discovered a previously unexposed illegality to the bill. They also speaks about homelessness and hunger both of which they have experienced themself. Prior to their fashion career, they were a wilderness brebghter and also obtained a BA in Genetic Engineering from UC Berkeley. Rain will be speaking on experiences throughout her life, and her experiences with activism.

Wednesday, April 10 at 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Allen Chapman Student Union, Great Hall B Pay It Forward Free Informative Lunch (Chick-Fil-A) Pay It Forward is an organization on campus that collects unused meals from students and distributes them to the homeless and less fortunate around Tulsa. In order to do this we need a lot of help from our fellow students. Come enjoy a free lunch and learn how you can help us reach those in need!

Thursday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Phillips Hall, 211 Artist Lecture: Zora J. Murff Zora J Murff is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Photography at the University of Arkansas. Zora received his MFA in Studio Art from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and holds a BS in Psychology from Iowa State University. Combining his education in human services and art, Zora’s work explores how photography is intertwined with social and cultural constructs. His work has been exhibited nationally, internationally, and featured online including Aperture Magazine, The New Yorker, VICE Magazine, The British Journal of Photography, and The New York Times. Zora was named an honoree for PDN’s 30: New & Emerging Photographers to Watch, was selected for the 2019 Light Work Artist-in-Residence Program, named the Daylight Photo Award Winner, and was also selected as a LensCulture Top 50 Emerging Talent with his collaborative partner Rana Young. Zora’s first monograph, Corrections, was published by Aint-Bad Editions in 2015 and his second monograph, LOST, Omaha, was published by Kris Graves Projects in 2018.

Thursday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Tyrrell Hall Big Ideas @ TU: The Girl Who Smiled Beads Join us for a talk by Clemantine Wamariya: storyteller, human rights advocate, and author of The Girl Who Smiled Beads.

The Girl Who Smiled Beads is Wamariya’s memoir about the human side of war: what is forever destroyed, what can be repaired, the fragility and importance of memory.

The book is her attempt to piece together the beauty and the loss of her own experience.

Leading up to the public talk, 50 copies of Wamariya’s book will be given to TU students who wish to read it and take part in a group discussion.

This talk is brought to you by TU Global Scholars and the Big Ideas @ TU initiative, sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities.

Free and open to all. Signing will follow.

Friday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Lorton Performance Center Cappella Chamber Singers & TU Chorale Spring Concert The University of Tulsa School of Music presents Cappella Chamber Singers and TU Chorale in their spring concert.

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

Contact us at news@tucollegian.org with events.

Commentary

The Collegian: 4

8 April 2019

The Legislative Digest is your weekly look at the happenings of Oklahoma’s state legislature and the bills and politics you need to know.

Raven Fawcett Managing Editor In the penultimate Legislative Digest, we’re looking at bills that affect children and the elderly in disparate ways. One remains in its first committee; the second was engrossed to the Senate, meaning that it was approved of by the House already.

HB2456: The “Youth Mental Health Protection Act,” House Bill 2456, would ban conversion therapy on children younger than 18 years of age. Conversion therapy, in this bill, is defined as “any effort to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward persons of the same sex.” That’s a tame way to phrase it, but we’ll take it. Will the bill actually succeed in Oklahoma? Absolutely not, but it’s nice to think that it might.

The bill was referred to the Public Health Committee, and there is still time for the state legislature to vote in favor of not subjecting children to horrific “therapy” that increases risk of suicide. If the therapy itself won’t, the fact that families push for it sure does. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), compared to LGBT+ youth who were accepted by their families, youth who were rejected are eight times more likely to attempt suicide. So, maybe we as a society shouldn’t promote and legally endorse ways to increase child suicide.

HB2304: This bill would increase pensions for certain retirees, like former firefighters or police officers, four percent in 2020 to account for inflation and a higher cost of living. It’s about time! Life is expensive, and the elderly have expenses different from their younger counterparts, but that doesn’t magically make them go away. The bill was engrossed to the Senate, then to the Retirement and Insurance Committee, then the Appropriations Committee.

Efficiency anxiety due to political and economic pressures

America’s high stakes political and economic systems take away the ability to enjoy leisure activities.

Emily Every Commentary Editor I sometimes wonder what motivates me to do certain things: volunteering for an event, taking a certain course, applying for summer internships, friending someone on Facebook or adding them on LinkedIn, journaling, taking a friend out to lunch, writing an article. I question my motives because, even if I want to see a friend or take a course, there is still somehow this attached mental weight attached to scheduling and maximizing the day’s productivity.

In my mind, I’m running through how I have to show up on time for the event in question and ensure that it doesn’t run overlong and make me late for the next item on my agenda. It’s like having a washing machine in my head, the same unfinished tasks and yet-to-be-solved problems constantly whirling around.

“I still need to pencil in some time to write this paper and email a professor, and I probably need to call my mom because it’s been over a month since our last chat. And now that I’m thinking about it, I should be in contact with my last boss in case I need a recommendation from them down the line.

Let me put that down in my calendar for right after I tell someone that I can hang out and then never following through and then feeling a light sense of guilt for the next week or so.”

That’s not even getting into feeling a constant sense of inadequacy when I’m not “on my grind” or whatever you want to call it. It’s this feeling that, unless something can go on my resume or make me generally more employable, I probably shouldn’t be doing it. And just in case anyone says that I’m using this article as a public therapy session, I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. I can’t think of any peer that I’ve brought this feeling up around who doesn’t relate, which is a bit worrying in itself.

This pervasive, insidious thought process leaks efficiency (i.e., anxiety) into everyday life and can make every aspect of a routine feel like it needs to justify itself. I like to call this “resume panic,” but I think it probably works the same for everyone, regardless of a given title. It translates free time into time where we are either productive or unproductive, with the unproductive portions making us feel badly about ourselves.

Why are we always in our own heads about being more efficient, better scheduled and more competitive in the social and professional marketplace?

Well, for one, it could just be a symptom of being a college student in 2019: every day, in some form or another, we’re told just how scary the world is and just how unprepared we are to face it. Politics are a nightmare right now (although they have always been a mess), there’s a large-scale workforce mechanization transition on the horizon, and acts of terror are only becoming more common. Given the state of the world, it only makes sense that I should prepare myself as well as I can to get a good career where I don’t have to be in danger. At least that’s how the thought goes.

There’s also the pressure that we put upon ourselves that idolizes an imaginary lifestyle in which every second from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. is used with utmost precision and planning (including half an hour for meditation, of course). This sort of content is all over social media, and it has seen considerable growth over the past five years or so.

If you get productive enough, you can even monetize your own productivity through self-help books or a Patreon for a YouTube channel.

ourselves in a system that doesn’t do it for us. Say you break a leg and can’t work for a while, or maybe you’re born with or develop some sort of chronic illness. It happens to people, and yet there’s little that society or government puts in place as a safety net.

You better make one yourself, the construction of which can often manifest itself as valuing productivity. What’s our other option? Is there one?

My best guess for a simple solution is to stop putting so much societal pressure on

“This pervasive, insidious thought process leaks efficiency (i.e., anxiety) into everyday life ...”

While I don’t have any particular vendetta against self-help content, I don’t think life should be about efficiency, cutthroat competition and profit/time maximization. Feel free to call me naive for believing that there are things to do outside the workforce and a scrubbed-clean homelife, but I have to hold out hope for something beyond constant mental schedules and cost-benefit analyses of a full night’s sleep. The problem is, I’m not exactly sure how we get there, and I’m not sure that our current political and economic structure would support it.

I bring up politics and economics because I believe they are a large, though silent, motivator behind all this advocating for productivity and efficiency. It seems selfprotective to me, and I don’t mean that in a capitalism-makes-us-all-selfish-and-greedy sort of way, but rather that we’re protecting

having a capital-C Career and to start emphasizing hobbies and cultivation of genuine, non-corporate-minded relationships.

This would have to be coupled with policy reform, particularly for healthcare and welfare. Call me a “neo-marxist, postmodern communist” or whatever buzz words are in vogue right now, but there’s an undeniable link between our nation’s current policies and a rise in public anxiety, particularly in minority groups.

I know saying “we should just simply change society overnight” is simplistic and overplayed, but I do think that there’s societal roots in individual anxiety, and I hope that we begin to better the way we think of ourselves soon.

@TUCollegian

tucollegian@tucollegian.org editor-in-chief

Justin Guglielmetti managing editor

Raven Fawcett news editor

Ethan Veenker sports editor

Brennen Gray variety editor

Emma Palmer commentary editor

Emily Every satire editor

Madison Connell photo & graphics editor

Conner Maggio

business & advertising manager

Brian Kwiecinski

social media & web manager

Sara Serrano

distribution managers

Jacob Lee Jesica Santino and Katelyn Baker copy editor

Bryant Loney

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Fast-paced schedules don’t always allow for lunch.

photo by Conner Maggio

8 April 2019

Commentary

The Collegian: 5

People still value the Myers-Briggs test despite its flaws

Psychologists have largely disproved MBTI typing, but it helps people categorize themselves in social situations.

Nathan Hinkle Student Writer The Myers-Brigg Type Indicator originated in the early 1900s and was standardized in the 1960s by Isabel Briggs Myers, daughter of creator Katharine Briggs. It sought to create a way to properly categorize people through a standardized series of personality types. Subjects taking the test answer a series of questions that place them in one of 16 personality types. These types describe the general nature of different people, from extroversion and introversion to “thinking” versus “feeling” orientation.

89 of the Fortune 100 companies use it as a tool for determining employment? The answer is twofold: it provides a quick and easy system, however flawed, for defining one’s identity, and it also creates an easy way for people to group themselves together. People who receive the same results now have a new community that they can interact with based on these principles even if the test has no scientific weight. However, its scientific faults mean it should not be used in any form of job interview or important decisionmaking.

The Myers-Briggs test provides an easy answer to describe one’s self to other groups of individuals and for people to begin to understand themselves better. It is difficult to describe one’s characteristics and personality to strangers and the test can go some ways toward redressing that. Therefore, the system provides an easy opportunity for people aware of the system to easily converse on the topic of their groupings.

In the NPR article “How the MyersBriggs Personality Test Began in a Mother’s Living Room Lab,” author Melissa Block describes why there is such fascination with these types of personality tests. This conception is similar to why Buzzfeed quizzes are so popular. They all provide a quick knowledge of one’s personality. The article suggests that the MBTI works well because it

“... the MBTI should not be used in job interviews or important decisions.”

The study holds little weight in the scientific community, with many psychologists arguing that it is a useless tool for understanding human beings. In 2013, social scientist Adam Grant stated in an article titled “Goodbye to MBTI, the Fad that Won’t Die” that there is a problem with the test in that the results can too easily change based on the different times one takes it.

So if the test is a scientific fraud that holds no validity, why it is so popular? Why did

“offers us a really easy and non-judgemental language of the self,” adding, “It offers us a vocabulary to talk about who we are and what our desires are and it doesn’t make us feel like we have to apologize for those desires.”

The test’s relative simplicity and strict categories, though scientifically problematic, work in its favor to provide an efficient system. A more complete and accurate grouping would contain millions of

Myers-Briggs personalities are identified by four-letter acronyms.

variations due to the complexity of human psychology. By condensing the number, it provides a simple way to explain ourselves to others and see if we connect with them.

While it has some use in everyday conversation, the MBTI should not be used in job interviews or important decisions because of its inherent flaws. Companies who use the test are potentially looking for certain traits that they believe to be advantageous, like extrversion. However, these traits focus on a system of terms that lack necessary scientific backing or rigour and give a false impression of the individual. In addition to the test being inaccurate, the knowledge that companies are looking for certain traits means that people have the ability to study beforehand on which options will lead to the supposedly positive results. These tests provide a false promise of objectivity that po-

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

tentially causes problems for the individuals involved.

Instead of using the Myers-Brigg Test for future employment, there are better systems available that meet a similar need. While these systems are not perfect, they are more scientifically credible. A newer test, called the Big Five focuses on five traits, extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness. A potential sixth term of honesty-humility is also a potential good tool. These five parts each have genetic, biological and neurological bases in the human body and can be seen across the different cultures of the world. While no personality test will be perfect, a constant theme of progress or adjustment of the system in testing procedures will produce better results.

Extracurriculars help to make for a complete education

Friends made outside of lecture halls are the ones we’ll value long after we’ve graduated.

Ethan Veenker News Editor It is my personal belief that the average studentry-at-large ignores the benefits and possibilities offered through extracurricular activities. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “extracurricular” as “outside the normal curriculum,” and in a college context, these activities can span from the college newspaper (write for The Collegian!) to a competitive robotics club. The University of Tulsa, despite being a rather small university, is actually resplendent with extracurricular groups and clubs to fit a wide swath of interests. There are tabletop roleplaying groups and community outreach groups and competitive frisbee groups and culture groups. There is also an admittedly intricate platform for student government.

I’m still waiting for someone to start a LARP club on the old U though.

While other universities, such as OSU, can be rather exclusive with their extracur-

riculars, going so far as to charge admission fees for some clubs, TU has seemed — in my admittedly small exposure to all it has to offer in the way of extracurriculars — accessible and easy to skim for one’s interests.

Amid the many problems the average student could voice against TU, it should be said for the university that it makes creation and advertisement for one’s group or club easier than most.

This is undoubtedly a good thing; second only to one’s education, extracurriculars can make for some of the most important and formative moments one can have in college. I should iterate up front that this article stems from my own involvement with extracurriculars on campus and the opportunities they have afforded me. I don’t necessarily believe, however, that my positive experiences are limited only to English majors like me.

some student loans on your conscience. A career out of college is the simplest and most societally-lauded way to alleviate that side effect of our late-stage capitalist society. I’ve found myself in preliminary interviews discussing the work I’ve done in my extracurricular groups far more than any other subject; my GPA has yet to be mentioned once.

That’s not to say that GPAs are completely irrelevant, but that discussing the work you’ve done in extracurriculars gives you more room to shine. You can go into explicit detail on how you brought your robotics team to the regional finals, or how the piece of legislature you put forward fared in the student government, or how many people you were able to feed in one day as part of a community outreach group. Extracurriculars are made by students and, thus, tailored for students’ interests, and the average stu-

“[TU] is actually resplendent with extracurricular groups and clubs to fit a wide swath of interests.”

The first and most pragmatic advantage of extracurriculars, one that connects to education and which certainly spans all fields of study, is the professional experience it provides. To put it more bluntly: extracurriculars are resume-boosters. Now, I hate this business- and career-oriented post-college hellscape as much as any other left-leaning 20-something, but the sad truth is that if you’re attending TU, you’re likely here with

Many universities have robotics as an extracurricular activity, which can lead to long-term opportunities.

dent’s interest errs toward their future success. Ergo, extracurriculars are made to help you succeed.

More to my own humanist interests, however, extracurriculars tend to be the place where one meets the people with whom they’ll form lasting friendships in college.

I know it’s a well-loved platitude repeated by parents and high school counselors the world over to “join groups — you’ll make

friends!” but in my own personal case, it’s proven to be quite true. Classes simply haven’t afforded me as much time to get to know people as has seeing them outside of class in a mutual club or group. That’s not to say I haven’t forged bonds through repeated exposure during lecture hours alone, but seeing these people outside of class is what really solidified those friendships, and the easiest way to see someone outside of class is to be in the same extracurricular as them.

Also, my classes in the College of Arts and Sciences differ greatly from the classes taken by those in STEM fields of study, both in size and general attitude. As far as I can tell, there is simply less discussion in the latter, making the importance of extracurriculars for genuine connection all the more prevalent.

And while your main pursuit in college would ideally be your education, you’re probably going to look back more fondly upon the nights out with your friends than upon your lecture hours. Being social is part of being human, and only going to class doesn’t cut it. Friends are hard enough to make at a new school; barring oneself from the places where friends are traditionally made is grounds for poor mental health, and we’re all stressed enough as it is. I think friends are good to have, and I’m glad that my involvement with extracurriculars has afforded me the opportunity to make them.

But if your focus is still ensnared by the capitalist deathtrap that is the post-college world, extracurriculars can be great for networking as well.

courtesy Flickr

Commentary

The Collegian: 6

8 April 2019

Antisemetic Okla. Democratic HQ graffiti connected to POTUS

By not calling out white supremacist vitriol, the president emboldens racists.

Lindsey Prather Student Writer On March 28, surveillance video from the Oklahoma Democratic Party Headquarters in Oklahoma City recorded a woman armed with spray paint vandalizing the property with an assortment of slurs and other hateful content. Days later, the same woman was recorded once again committing similar crimes, this time defacing the Firehouse

If Trump doesn’t actually hate groups of people in a classically racist sense, he’s certainly not straining to prove otherwise. He was elected due to the desire of voters to hear a non-politician tell it like it is. Unfortunately, the type of rhetoric used in Donald Trump’s speeches is open to interpretation.

The name for this type of messaging is “dog-whistling.” It essentially relies on speech that could be interpreted in a specific way. However, it’s insidious in the fact that the speech’s interpretations are subdued enough to take no explicit stance while implicating abhorrent views.

It doesn’t necessarily matter if a politician outright calls for a specific action; it’s more important that the speech doesn’t condemn or speak against an action. A noteworthy example of this being Trump’s infamous “both sides” comment following Charlottesville. This is all the justification needed, and this is the type of opening that encourages delusional people to do horrible things.

If anything, politicians should be actively trying to prevent the misinterpretation of their words, especially if that speech is being used as cover to commit horrible crimes.

“... dog-whistle rhetoric relies on a certain amount of plausible deniability [for] the hateful statements.”

Critics don’t take into account Nyong’o’s dedication to her craft.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Criticism of Nyong’o’s acting methods is unfounded

The controversy surrounding the “Us” actress is a byproduct of our current outrage culture.

Chris Lierly Apprentice Editor Actress Lupita Nyong’o took some heat this past week as some accused the KenyanMexican actress of insensitively portraying a character with spasmodic dysphonia in Jordan Peele’s newest film “Us.” Nyong’o played two characters in the film: mother and protagonist Adelaide as well as Red, her demonic doppelgänger. Red is the character up for debate, but the critique that Nyong’o is at fault for any offense taken by the portrayal of Red is outrage culture at its worst.

Spasmodic dysphonia is “a neurological disorder affecting the voice muscles in the larynx,” according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Disorders. Though a definite cause of the disorder is hard to place, it has been identified to sometimes follow “injury to the larynx” and in most cases it “causes voice breaks and can give the voice a tight, strained quality.”

the actions of someone dedicated to their craft, who did their utmost to flesh out an at-some points intentionally vague character, but who unjustly ended up on the other end of the outrage mob that now dominates public discourse.

Lupita Nyong’o was the subject of multiple opinion pieces that lambasted her use of a neurological disorder as the basis for a horror villain. The people making those claims, including multiple who live with the disorder, saw Red as a villainization of a disorder that affects about one in every 10,000 people. It is important to note that those with spasmodic dysphonia have a right to be offended about something like this. Horror as a genre has not been kind to people with disabilities in the past and has consistently demonized people with conditions that may seem creepy and eerie to some. However, the media that lauded the movie on Wednesday do not get to tear down its lead actress on Monday.

When disability rights groups began making their claims at the start of the week, it became clear that there would be a space to provoke outrage. That outrage followed in the form of articles aiming to get the most clicks, and they likely accomplished that. The outrage machine, which consists of journalists and Twitter personalities and is always changing depending on the thing being outraged over, stirred up enough negative energy that Nyong’o apologized to anyone offended by her performance.

The troubling side to the whole affair is that, even though Nyong’o looks to have done nothing wrong and apologized in case she accidentally offended anyone, it hasn’t

Art Center, McKinley Elementary School and the Cleveland County Democratic Party headquarters in Norman. The vandal defaced sidewalks, statues and windows with racist slurs and Nazi imagery in a crime that currently has one suspect in custody.

Thankfully, there was no shortage of solidarity against the hateful messaging, as several volunteers acted swiftly to erase the politically-charged vandalism. However, its contents held an all-too-familiar tone. The graffiti and defacement prominently featured swastikas, slurs and other white nationalist symbolism, alongside messages of support for President Trump’s re-election.

The implication of this is yet another instance of Trump’s rhetoric being featured alongside destructive acts of white nationalist violence.

Many accuse Trump of encouraging white nationalists. White nationalist leaders Richard Spencer and David Duke publicly supported Trump’s candidacy and presidency. In the first year of the Trump Presidency, Trump infamously refused to outright condemn the Neo-Nazi violence at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In his manifesto, the New Zealand shooter referred to Trump as a “renewed symbol of white identity.”

The entire concept of dog-whistle rhetoric relies on a certain amount of plausible deniability in relation the hateful statements. However, I find it entirely reasonable to assume that deniability isn’t a priority anymore. Trump has repeatedly supported questionably intended statements; most recently, he defended a Fox News host’s implication of disloyalty targeted toward American Muslims.

Donald Trump is constantly pushing the limits of acceptability to his advantage. This creates an environment where extreme rhetoric becomes more acceptable. Accepting extreme rhetoric has consequences — hate crimes, intimidation or incidents like those previously mentioned here in Oklahoma.

When someone regularly uses language that is on the very edge of acceptability, it becomes incorporated into regular political discourse. The normalization of this type of rhetoric is not only distasteful — it’s strengthened by apathy. The result of this is the poisoning of our political dialogue, as this new evolution of dog-whistling allows for the proliferation of two entirely different versions of reality.

Trump’s campaign rallies are filled with dog-whistles.

courtesy Flickr

“Nyong’o’s speech in the film is slow, hard to understand and unnerving ...”

Without spoiling the movie, that description fits the context of Red’s story. She experiences trauma at a young age involving a choking, and Nyong’o’s speech in the film is slow, hard to understand and unnerving in how difficult it sounds for her to get any sound out at all. What really got the outrage mob going was an interview Nyong’o did with The New York Times that delved into the sources that the actress studied to portray Red. In the same interview, Jordan Peele said that he gave little direction concerning Red’s voice, but he did say that he “described it as a voice that hadn’t been used in years.” Going off that information and after hearing what Peele revealed of Red’s backstory, Nyong’o said, “I was fascinated, and I started doing research.” She also said she “met with people who have the condition and built it from there.” All of this describes

stopped publications like Forbes from putting out a piece titled “Lupita Nyong’o Apologizes For Demonization Of Disability In ‘Us’ But Is That Enough?”

We are approaching the 2020 election, and if we go into it powered by a culture more interested in condemning good intentioned people for unintentional mistakes rather than laying blame on those who refuse to apologize for wrong after wrong, then we had better get ready. A Democratic primary will no doubt bring out candid debates, but many of the candidates will likely slip up and say something dumb. Only the context of those comments will decide whether they were accidental or intentional, but that won’t matter if the people who piled on to Nyong’o’s voices are louder than those remembering what the 2020 Democratic nominee will be up against.

Sports

8 April 2019

The Collegian: 7

The Gronkowski is out-ski Professional football journalist Lindsey Prather covers the departure of the NFL’s top tight end and what it means for the Patriots.

Gronkowski will retire after nine seasons with the Patriots.

The NFL offseason is always littered with announcements and retirements.

Although the element of surprise was absent, Rob Gronkowski, the long-time tight end of the

New England Patriots, announced his retirement via Instagram on March 24.

Gronkowski’s struggle with various injuries in recent years is well documented; as a result, this

courtesy ESPN

decision was not necessarily surprising.

Furthermore, it was reported that Gronkowski threatened retirement just this past season following rumors regarding a mid-season

deal that would have resulted in his transfer to the Detroit Lions.

The prolific tight end is now taking the opportunity to go out on top with yet another Super Bowl win under his belt and an undisputed Hall-of-Fame career behind him. The question of retirement arose rather quickly following the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory over the Rams; however, Gronkowski was relatively tight-lipped about his final decision at first.

Nonetheless, Gronkowski’s career is complete with 522 recorded catches for 7,861 total yards, with 79 touchdowns over nine seasons with the Patriots.

However, the pivotal storyline throughout his career involves the astonishing injury history that plagued most of his time in the NFL. Even prior to his draft selection, concerns regarding his back issues wreaked havoc on his firstround projection, leading to his draft stock falling into the second round.

Gronkowski only played two full 16-game regular seasons: his first two years in the NFL. Even so, his injuries could not keep him from five Pro Bowl selections and four All-Pro honors.

Gronkowski’s nine-year career was full of spectacular plays and unbelievable catches, coupled with a New England offense that forced the entire league to completely reevaluate their defensive schemes.

His career is quite literally one for the record books. His collection of records is astounding: he is the all time leader in the NFL postseason for touchdowns, receiving yards and targets by a tight end.

So what’s next for the Patriots?

Gronkowski has been a Swissarmy knife for New England’s offense and a reliable target for quarterback Tom Brady. The draft is going to prove to be make-orbreak for the Patriots this year, especially due to their vulnerability to losing several pivotal pieces of their team to free agency.

Free agency has already been unkind to the Pats, as players such as Trey Flowers have moved on to greener pastures.

Ignoring the potential shortcomings of their other position groups, pursuing a tight end in the draft should be a priority. Even considering their wealth of draft picks in the top 100, finding a diamond-inthe-rough player that can replace Gronkowski is going to be exceedingly difficult.

Although there is a great amount of fanfare surrounding his retirement, there is already speculation as to whether it will even last.

Retirement isn’t exactly binding; a prime example of this is running back Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch retired from the Seattle Seahawks to similar fanfare until the chance arose to play for the Oakland Raiders. Lynch signed with the Raiders with retirement all but forgotten.

However, given that Gronkowski has hinted towards other pursuits beyond football, for now it’s easy to reminisce about being one of the best tight ends to ever play football and wish him well on other endeavors.

A-Rod sparks Philly vs. D.C. debate Baseball journalist Lindsey Prather weighs in on Alex Rodriguez’s inflammatory comments toward Washington D.C. as a sports city.

Potential baseball Hall-ofFamer Alex Rodriguez drew the ire of sports fans in Washington D.C. following derogatory comments prompted by the departure of Bryce Harper from the Washington Nationals to join the Philadelphia Phillies.

Harper signed a 13-year, $330-million deal with Philadelphia back in February, something that was rather unsurprising considering the factors that could alter the trajectory of Harper’s career.

Aside from the glaringly obvious question of salary, Harper allegedly took into account determinants such as the roster that would be surrounding him.

Harper sought to join a successful team that he could reasonably contribute to. However, according to recent comments by Alex Rodriguez, the overall atmosphere and dedication of the cities to their respective teams were major sticking points.

“Now D.C.’s about 130 miles down the road, but let’s make it clear, it’s a world of difference between markets,” Rodriguez said “If you’re over there, you’re thinking about politics and what happens in the White House. If you’re here [in Philadelphia], this is a sports town and they love their Phillies.”

The home of the Washington Redskins, Nationals and Capitals didn’t take too kindly to these remarks, with most responding with comparisons between Philadelphia sports’ attendance in line with Washington, which is about even by most metrics.

Defending Philadelphia, arguably the most notoriously rambunctious sport city in the country, is an odd move for Rodriguez, especially considering the records of various sports teams in the two

graphic by Emma Palmer

Philly and D.C. duke it out.

cities in the last few years and beyond.

The two cities are relatively close in successes across various franchises; the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII in 2017 for the first time in franchise history, and the Washington Capitals won their first Stanley Cup the following year. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers hold two Stanley Cups, and the Washington Redskins have a career record in the NFL comparable to the Eagles. Although it

should be noted that Washington has two more Super Bowl wins to consider.

The comments made by Alex Rodriguez reflect the type of banter that is commonplace among sports analysts.

A career in sports casting is typically prefaced by a career in sports; after all, tangible playing experience is invaluable. However, A Rod’s argument is more opinionated than objective and can be boiled down to personal expe-

riences throughout his career. Rodriguez has faced the Phillies in a World Series, seen the passion in Philadelphia and also witnessed the responses to their franchise successes.

Nonetheless, the reality in these comments is relatively negligible.

Comparing the two cities leads to an approximately even split, and one that hardly supports these comments.

Although the one-off comments

by Rodriguez are inconsequential,

it’s unsurprising that they have received backlash. The relationship between fans and their cities is strong, and it’s understandable that this slight against Washington D.C. was taken seriously by fans.

Regardless, the reputations of the two cities are secure in the legacies of both their sports franchises and their fans, independent from the opinions of others.

Sports

The Collegian: 8

8 April 2019

Professional baseball preview: NL edition Editor-in-Chief Justin Guglielmetti delivers a comprehensive breakdown of what he thinks will happen in the National League’s regular season.

NL East Philadelphia Phillies: If I had my way, the city of Philadelphia would never field a competitive sports team again. Alas, the Phillies’ ownership group broke out the big bucks over the offseason, revamping their roster and making their team true World Series contenders.

Bryce Harper was obviously the biggest move and will be a huge upgrade for the lineup even if he

need consistency and a well-kept stock of healing potions.

Washington Nationals: Many have predicted a demonstration of the Ewing Theory in Washington, where the Nats will avenge their disappointing 82-80 finish and the loss of Harper by becoming World Series contenders.

This will hinge on the immediate success of Victor Robles and Juan Soto, who are an even younger and more talented pair of

banged-up bullpen and make it one of baseball’s best. The Central could go to any of its top three teams, with one or both of the runners-up making a play for a Wild Card spot, but this is the Brewers’ to lose.

Chicago Cubs: Despite making the playoffs for four consecutive years (which included a 2016 World Series win that was supposed to erase all negativity from the city of Chicago for the rest of

pect Nick Senzel waits in the wings. The bullpen past Raisel Iglesias will continue to be a major concern.

Pittsburgh Pirates: When your yearly payroll amounts to just $62.8 million, I’m not sure you even deserve to call yourself a Major League Baseball team. The Bucs aren’t faced with a total lack of talent; Chris Archer and Jameson Taillon are both well-aboveaverage starters while Starling

Tatis Jr. opens up all sorts of exciting possibilities. Keep an eye on two other exciting infield rookies, Luis Urias and catcher Francisco Mejia, as well as stud-in-the-making Joey Lucchesi heading up the pitching staff.

Colorado Rockies: What kind of bizzaro world do we live in when it’s the Rockies’ pitching staff that is keeping the team afloat? Kyle Freeland is coming off one of the best seasons in team history, Ger-

“The Central could go to any of its top three teams, with one or both of the runners-up making a play for a Wild Card spot, but this is the Brewers’ to lose.” never recovers his transcendent 2015 form. He’ll be surrounded by veteran Andrew McCutchen, All-Star shortstop Jean Segura, emergent slugger Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto, who only established himself last season as the best catcher in baseball.

Aaron Nola has seized the ace reigns from the declining Jake Arrieta to lead a talented (if underachieving) rotation, while Da-

dynamos than Acuna and Albies in Atlanta. Max Scherzer has officially seized the “Best Pitcher in the Game” championship belt from longtime titleholder Clayton Kershaw and, at 34 years old, is more terrifying to opposing hitters than he’s ever been.

We’ll see if newly acquired Brian Dozier and Patrick Corbin are enough to put this team over the top, but I predict that they will

time), the Cubs enter the new season with a shocking air of negativity surrounding the organization.

Why? A healthy Kris Bryant is almost a guarantee to play like an MVP, Javy Baez just finished runner-up for that award and is must-see TV, Kyle Hendricks continues to defy sabermetrics predictions. It’s true that the Cubbies have a questionable pen and Jon Lester’s impend-

Marte, Corey Dickerson and Jung Ho Kang all possess All-Star upside. It’s merely the other 21 minor league caliber players on the roster who should sink this ship to the division floor.

NL West Los Angeles Dodgers: This is a very different Dodgers team than the one that has made two consecutive trips to the World Series.

graphic by Conner Maggio

The National League teams ranked by division.

vid Robertson and Seranthony Dominguez highlight an excellent bullpen. Even with intense competition, anything short of a division crown will be a disappointment.

Atlanta Braves: After arriving ahead of schedule and winning the NL East in 2018, most experts are now picking the Braves to experience a bit of a backslide. There is legitimate cause for concern given the age and inexperience of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the questionable underlying statistics of ace Mike Foltynewicz and new acquisition Josh Donaldson’s injury history.

I don’t care. Acuna and Freddie Freeman are both going to be in the MVP conversation at season’s

fall just short in what should be an absolute dogfight of a divisional battle.

Miami Marlins: Oh yeah, the Marlins exist. I have an enduring affection for Starlin Castro from his brief tenure on the Yankees.

If he scrapes together 170 hits, you’ll hear sleepy broadcasters commenting on his “slim but not impossible” chances to reach the hallowed 3,000 total by the end of his career, so that should be fun.

Brian Anderson, who isn’t a stock video game character, finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and could be a competent baseball player. Jorge Alfaro is no guarantee to bat even .200, but hey, he’s my fantasy league catcher and

man Marquez has the potential to be even better and Jon Gray’s biggest weakness in his awful 2018 was his paradoxical inability to perform away from Coors Field.

Meanwhile, the lineup is awfully thin after the left side of the infield, which features all-around wizards Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story. Even Charlie Blackmon, though he remains an excellent fantasy player, can’t be counted on

ing decline highlights a rotation that might not be handing down many leads to begin with. But let’s wait and see if the house of cards actually collapses before we write off such a battle-tested group.

St. Louis Cardinals: Count me a big fan of the Paul Goldschmidt trade that gave St. Louis its first true superstar since Albert Pujols left. Jordan Hicks is going to find a way to leverage his Chapmanin-Cincinnati velocity into more missed bats before long.

Miles Mikolas’s unexpected breakout at 30 was a terrific story, and I’m a firm believer that the dude’s nickname should be “the Czech Spider-man.” Something just feels off with the rest of this

Gone are Manny Machado, Yasmani Grandal, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Alex Wood.

Clayton Kershaw is shelved with a shoulder injury to start the year, and though his return is imminent, no one knows how close he’ll look to the Kershaw of old.

Still, the overall collection of talent in the lineup — Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, new centerfielder A.J. Pollock — is better than anyone else’s in the West.

The rotation is deep and includes a budding young ace in Walker Buehler who provides a pretty picture for the team’s postKershaw future. Even after a down year with decreased velocity, closer Kenley Jansen should still be

at this point for much more than league-average production.

San Francisco Giants: This will be the last stand of the Giants’ mini-dynasty that won three World Series earlier this decade, as it is manager Bruce Bochy’s final season and playoff legend Madison Bumgarner’s last year before free agency (one that probably won’t be kind to the former ace given his injury history). A resurgence from Buster Posey and Evan Longoria could keep the team semi-relevant until the dog days of summer and human highlight reel (mentioned earlier in the Blue Jays’ preview and traded within the first week of the season) should help the watchability factor.

“... Manny Machado is a superstar, and his agreement to move back to third base in order to clear room for uber prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. opens up all sorts of exciting possibilities.” end and Atlanta will be looking at 90 wins.

New York Mets: Seasons come and go, and Mets fans will always wonder what could be if their team’s starters stayed healthy and maximized their potential.

If Zack Wheeler builds off last season’s success and Noah Syndergaard doesn’t strain his back lifting Thor’s hammer, they will join Jacob deGrom (last year’s Cy Young winner and my pick for 2019 as well) to form the best starting rotation in MLB. Then they’ve got Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia locking things down in the pen and sweet-swinging lefties Michael Conforto and Robinson Cano bolstering the lineup. All the talent is there for a return to the playoffs, the Mets just

has an absolute cannon strapped to his right shoulder. Miami will struggle to win 60 games.

NL Central Milwaukee Brewers: I was firmly on the Christian Yelich will regress bandwagon, but through Spring Training and the early days of the 2019 season, it looks like the MVP’s power stroke might be for real. Lorenzo Cain is a two-way weapon and one of the most exciting players in the game to watch.

Yasmani Grandal was an absolute steal of a free agent signing. The rotation is a bunch of no-names like Jimmy Nelson and Jhoulys Chacin, but it’s fairly deep.

Finally, a Craig Kimbrel signing (mark my words, it’s coming) would take an imposing but

roster, whether it’s the unproven track record in the rotation or the threat of decline from mainstays Matt Carpenter and Yadier Molina, both of whom are on the wrong side of 30.

Cincinnati Reds: One of the few teams that exists in the nexus between obvious contender and tanker, the Reds could be a playoff sleeper under the right circumstances. Joey Votto will need to bounce back; walks are well and good, but 12 homers and a .417 slugging average aren’t going to cut it. We’ll see if a change of scenery sparks the superstar potential that Yasiel Puig demonstrated earlier in his career.

Luis Castillo shows a lot of promise and will make his first All-Star team, while infield pros-

one of the better relievers in the game and anchors a good bullpen.

A seventh consecutive division title seems imminent.

San Diego Padres: This franchise has stunk for a long time, last having put up a winning record in 2010, and their attempts at roster construction in that time span have been laughable (no team has ever been so insistent on stockpiling mediocre right-handed power hitters in a pitcher’s park that favors lefties). But these aren’t your dad’s Dads, and the Padres have stockpiled the young talent to finally make some noise.

Much as I think he’s a douchebag, Manny Machado is a superstar, and his agreement to move back to third base in order to clear room for uber prospect Fernando

Arizona Diamondbacks: What a bizarre organizational decision for this still-young franchise. Two years after winning 93 games and bowing out in the NLDS, the DBacks said goodbye to their homegrown core of Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock and replaced them with two out-of-work actors from the Phoenix area. Wait no, that’s just the corpse of Adam Jones!

The rotation still features two nominally elite arms in Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray who should help elevate Arizona above the true dregs of the league, but I foresee even those guys taking a step back.

8 April 2019

Sports

The Collegian: 9

Tulsa sweeps Houston back to Texas TU sports photographer James Taylor captures the action from Friday’s contest at the Collins Family Softball Complex.

photos by James Taylor

Sports

The Collegian: 10

8 April 2019

Football closes out spring scrimmage Tulsa Hurricane details TU’s 108-play workout and head coach Phillip Montgomery’s thoughts on the team going into next season.

The Tulsa football team put an exclamation point on spring drills Saturday with a 108-play Spring Game at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

It was another solid performance by a veteran defense, while the offensive unit connected on 2 big plays for touchdowns.

Seventy-three percent of Tulsa’s offense was through the air for a total of 314 yards, while the defense forced five 3-and-outs.

Head Coach Philip Montgomery was pleased with today’s scrimmage.

“I thought it was really good give and take on both sides of it. Our defense has been really, really good all spring. It was good to see offensively us come out and hit a couple of explosive plays,” said Montgomery. “We’ve got to be more consistent on both sides of it, but I did see us eliminate some of the mistakes we had last weekend.

It was good to see those guys come out and compete like that. Coming out and being healthy, that was the No. 1 goal and I feel like we accomplished that today.”

The Tulsa defense forced punts on the first two drives of the spring game before Zach Smith connected with Keylon Stokes on a 60-yard touchdown pass that capped a 4-play, 70-yard drive.

Jacob Rainey’s 42-yard field goal put the offense on the board again three drives later.

The offense’s final score came on another explosive play as the Smith-Stokes connection hit jackpot again, this time the scoring play covered 63 yards, capping a 63-yard, 3-play drive. For the day, Smith completed 4-of-8 passes for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Stokes caught 7 passes for 153 yards and 2 scores, both coming from Smith. Seth Boomer completed 12-of-21 passes for 66 yards and Davis Brin was 12of-25 for 77 yards on the day.

In the run game, Tulsa carried the ball only 24 times today. Last season’s tailback duo of Shamari Brooks and Corey Brooks, that combined for over 1,800 rushing yards and 18 TDs, toted the ball only 3 times between them today.

Red-shirt freshman Elijah Lucas ran 13 times for a team-high 37 yards.

Montgomery talked about the offenses ability to connect on a couple of explosive plays in today’s game.

“To be able to see it happen in a scrimmage or in a game, that’s when it counts.

Being able to translate what we have been able to do in practice and being able to put that onto the field and execute it that way, it’s good to see. We’re continuing to keep growing,” said Montgomery. “Our receivers I think are getting better. Obviously, Keenen (Johnson) didn’t go today and getting him back will be important, but I thought overall we’re doing some things schematically different in our passing game right now and I think that has allowed us to be more productive in our passing game.

Tulsa’s defense put six points on the board for the final scoring of the day when Treyvon Reeves took the game’s only interception 46 yards for a defensive score.

Montgomery complimented the defense’s play today and throughout spring drills.

Tulsa’s defense outshined their offense.

“I think the guys are flying around and executing what Coach (Joe) Gillespie wants done defensively. I think we’re playing at a really high level and we’ve just got to continue to grow and see the type of progression that we made last year. We’ve got to do that again,” said Montgomery.

Tulsa opens the season on the road in East Lansing, Michigan, against the Michigan State Spartans on Friday, August 30.

Tulsa opens the home season on September 14 against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Fans can purchase season tickets online at TulsaHurricane.com or by calling 918.631.

GoTU (4688).

SCORING SUMMARY Keylon Stokes 60 pass from Zach Smith (Rainey kick) 4 plays, 70 yards Jacob Rainey 42 FG 12 plays, 68 yards Keylon Stokes 63 pass from Zach Smith (Rainey kick) 3 plays, 63 yards Treyvon Reeves 46 INT return

courtesy Tulsa Hurricane

PASSING Zach Smith, 4-of-8, 133 yards, 2 TD (1 for 60, 1 for 63) Davis Brin, 12-of-25, 77 yards Seth Boomer, 12-of-21, 66 yards, 1 INT Brandon Marquardt, 7-of-12, 38 yards RUSHING Elijah Lucas, 13-for-37 yards Seth Boomer, 3-for-3 yards Shamari Brooks, 1-for-3 yards Keylon Stokes, 1-for-3 yards Corey Taylor II, 2-for-3 yards TK Wilkerson, 3-for-3 yards Davis Brin, 1-for-2 yards RECEIVING Keylon Stokes, 7-for-153 yards, 2 TD Joseph Breedlove III, 3-for-28 yards Malik Jackson, 2-of-26 yards JuanCarlos Santana, 5-for-23 yards Josh Stewart, 4-for 20 yards Sam Crawford, Jr., 3-for-18 yards Malik Rodgers, 4-for-17 yards Thomas Bingham, 2-for-16 yards Cannon Montgomery, 1-for-5 yards Abe Anderson, 2-for-4 yards

Elijah Lucas, 1-for-3 yards Imiee Cooksey, 1-for-1 yard DEFENSE Allie Green IV, 4 tackles, 1 PBU Jajuan Blankenship, 3 tackles Mike Garrett, Jr., 3 tackles CJ Larry, 3 tackles TieNeal Martin, 3 tackles Diamon Cannon, 2 tackles, 1 PBU Daiquain Jackson, 2 tackles, 1 PBU Manny Bunch, 2 tackles Treyvon Reeves, 2 tackles Justin Wright, 2 tackles Akayleb Evans, 1 tackle, 1 PBU Brandon Johnson, 1 tackle, 1 PBU Bryson Powers, 1 tack, 1 PBU Kendarin Ray, 1 tackle, 1 PBU Zaven Collins, 1 tackle Cooper Edmiston, 1 tackle Trevis Gipson, 1 tackle Jett Hendrix, 1 tackle Connor Kelley, 1 tackle Mitchell Kulkin, 1 tackle Grant Sawyer, 1 tackle (sack -5)

Owls beat Golden Hurricane at home Tulsa Hurricane covers the men’s tennis team’s 4-3 loss to Temple on Sunday.

The University of Tulsa men’s tennis squad (13-11) dropped its Sunday afternoon match to Temple (11-6), 4-3, at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

Kody Pearson and Majed Kilani got Tulsa started in doubles, picking up the duo’s third victory of the season at the No. 2 position with a 6-1 victory over the Temple tandem.

The Owls responded with victories at the No. 3 and 1 positions, winning 7-5 and 7-6(5), respectively, over the Golden Hurricane to claim the opening point.

Tulsa regained momentum early in singles play, claiming four of the six first frames in solo play. Stefan Hampe tied the match up at 1-all for the Golden Hurricane, earning his third-straight win with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Temple’s Eric Biscoveanu.

Joshua Goodger pushed TU ahead 2-1 with his 11th victory of the dual season, notching a 6-1, 7-6(3) win at the No. 3 slot.

Temple quickly evened the match back up,

as Jarod Hing fell in straight sets to Uladzimir Dorash.

Kilani picked up his third-straight victory to move Tulsa in front 3-2, defeating the Owls’ Alberto Caceres Casas, 7-5, 6-1.

Temple managed to once again even the score up at 3-3, as Juan Araoz defeated Boriss Kamdem in a three-set battle at the No. 6 slot.

With just Pearson remaining for the Golden Hurricane, the freshman defaulted the match, giving the 4-3 win to the Owls.

The team will hit the court once again next Friday, April 12, playing host to SMU for Senior Day at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. The team will honor lone senior Kilani at 5 p.m. CT against the Mustangs.

For all Tulsa men’s tennis news and information, visit TulsaHurricane.com. Be sure to follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. courtesy Tulsa Hurricane

Sports

8 April 2019

The Collegian: 11

Does cannabis enhance performance?

Sports journalist Thomas von Borstel delivers the science and history concerning marijuana products in athletic performance.

Marijuana as an athletic performance-enhancing substance has been the subject of much debate, largely due to its widespread ban in the NCAA. Now, it’s rarely tested for; most universities test increasingly rarely for recreational drugs, especially now that the drug has almost entirely shirked its taboo reputation.

Much of the conversation surrounding the performance-enhancing nature of cannabis is the widespread cultivation of anecdotal evidence suggesting a myriad of benefits, ranging from enhanced sensory experience to supermanlike physical prowess.

The nature of these stories can be summarized with a nice pastiche of an athletic, long-haired guy donning a drug rug after his pre-hike yoga routine, lighting up a finely rolled joint abreast of a 14,000 foot peak somewhere in the Rockies. He’ll probably say something along the lines of, “it helps me stay mindful, brother.”

To preface the exploration of the actual nature of cannabis as a PED, it is necessary to establish a common vocabulary. There are two specifications for any substance pertaining to physical performance: ergogenic and ergolytic. Ergogenic defines any

performance enhancing substance: steroids, jimmies, shooters, peretriptomites, et cetera. Ergolytic substances are the giggly drugs: alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, gummy worms, cocaine and cannabis!

Here’s the research: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was isolated in 1964. Cannabis sativa was scheduled in ‘61. Steadman and Singh (in 1975) administered 1.4 grams of marijuana, smoked, to 20 individuals who all experienced tachycardia (increased heart rate), increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure and reduced physical work capacity.

In 1986, Renaud and Cormier had 12 “healthy young subjects” consume marijuana containing 1.7-percent THC. Similar results.

No ergogenic potential.Some things to note: forced vital capacity (FVC) did not change at the peak of exercise, nor did the expiration rate.In fact, Pletcher and associates found little to no diminished pulmonary function in their participants.

And indeed, marijuana has analgesic capacities, specifically when viewing the interaction with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). Unfortunately, activation of the CB1 receptor has noticeably negative effects on mood,

courtesy NCAA Research

The percentages of NCAA athletes and the substances they consume.

movement and memory, although the neurotransmitters that can activate the receptor have noticeably euphoric effects (such as anandamide and 2-Arachidonoyl glycerol). There has not been found a way to isolate and inhibit the CB1 receptor’s effects. Marijuana is an ergolytic substance. As long as users are aware of this before partaking, anecdotal evidence suggests athletic activity while high on can-

nabis is pleasurable (anandamide is activated by cardiovascular activity and dually, marijuana consumption). Do not expect elite hyper-sensory athletic performance.

Maybe some incredibly elite athletes will be able to perform, but most likely everyone who tries will look like a buffoon. Cannabis’s most assured use though is that of relaxation and pain management.

Its potential for mitigating concussion symptoms has been recognized but has little research to prove such.

The normalization of consumption will certainly change the lack of sufficient scientific understanding soon enough.

LeBron loses 14-year playoff streak NBA journalist Chris Lierly discusses the factors leading to the Lakers missing the playoffs despite having the league’s best player.

LeBron James will miss the NBA postseason for the first time in 14 years. As usual, the Western Conference of the NBA has a small gap between its potential third and eighth seeds for the playoffs. The Warriors and Nuggets stand atop the conference followed by the Rockets, Trailblazers, Jazz, Clippers, Thunder and Spurs.

Those teams were at one point separated by less than two games, but one team is notably getting left behind.

The bar is set higher for LeBron James than any American athlete, regardless of where he plays. Yes, he established that standard for himself when he went to Miami, but with his move to LA, a ridiculous amount of Kobe successor expectations were placed on him by what is one of the worst fanbases in all of sports.

The Los Angeles Lakers are a poorly-run franchise stoked by a rabidly nostalgic fanbase and sadly, it might make up the last quar-

estly a bright future. However, by trading Russell for trade rights to Kyle Kuzma in order to make way for Lonzo Ball, and then dropping Randle to prepare for LeBron, they abruptly changed course,seemingly without knowing where they were headed.

Kuzma and Ball are both highquality players, but pairing two rookies with an aging legend is a perplexing move.

If the Lakers wanted to bet the future of their team around a few

tory of the game who probably has little patience to play with first and second year players.

If this front office insanity wasn’t enough, the Lakers’ fanbase is far too unhinged to take any of that with a cool head.

Whether that means defacing a mural of LeBron in Los Angeles or defending anything Lonzo Ball does, Lakers’ fans have proven to be the clowns throwing gasoline on the fire to every problem the organization faces.

est, Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum to name the best.

However, that team today would be lucky to make a conference finals. The stars in the NBA have consolidated to a few major teams, and the Lakers are not one of them.

The NBA world is changing, and LeBron’s Lakers are getting left behind. If he spends his last few years in a team that struggles to make the playoffs, we shouldn’t forget the years he spent dominat-

“A front office led by Jeanie Buss, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka has refused to decide whether the Lakers are rebuilding or trying to compete in the short term ...”

With the first round of the playoffs starting on April 13, the Los Angeles Lakers are statistically incapable of making the NBA postseason. Though that has basically been the norm since Kobe Bryant passed his prime, the presence of LeBron on the Lakers’ roster was supposed to change all of that.

At least that’s what Laker fans thought.

ter of LeBron’s career.

A front office led by Jeanie Buss, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka has refused to decide whether the Lakers are rebuilding or trying to compete in the short term, and that indecisiveness swept LeBron into a storm of chaos.

Three years ago, the pair of D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle looked to be the future for the Lakers, and that was hon-

young stars and the pieces they could place around them over the next few years, then that would have been an understandable path.

If they wanted to trade young stars and picks to get the pieces needed to win a championship with LeBron now, then that too would have made sense.

Instead, they’ve decided to put a few inexperienced young stars around the best player in the his-

15

Most fans were probably alive for the team’s last Finals win in 2010, and that has imbued the entire fanbase with a mentality that championships are within reach.

But the reasons for not competing are in no way due to their demands for instant and sustained success.

The NBA of 2010 and 2019 are universes apart. In 2010, Kobe won a Finals with a solid lineup: Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Art-

ing all facets of the game in a way no one else ever has.

LeBron is not without fault for the Lakers missing the playoffs, but the front office and the fans are much more to blame than anyone that actually puts on the purple and gold in the Staples Center.

Apr. 8 - Apr. 14

Monday

Tuesday 8

Wednesday 9

No Events No Events

10

Softball @ Missouri State 5 p.m.

Thursday 11

No Events

Saturday

Friday 12

Sunday

13

Softball @ ECU 5 p.m.

W Tennis @ Wichita State 12 p.m.

M Tennis vs.

SMU 5 p.m.

Softball @ ECU 1 p.m.

Track and Field @ John McDonald Invit.

Rowing @ Lake Natoma Invit.

14

Softball @ ECU 11 a.m.

Rowing @ Lake Natoma Invit.

Variety

The Collegian: 12

8 April 2019

Are universities exploiting slaves through images?

Descendant of enslaved man challenges use of daguerreotypes owned by Harvard.

Piper Prolago Apprentice Editor

In March, Tamara Lanier filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, disputing their ownership of daguerreotypes depicting enslaved people taken in 1850. Lanier claims the images owned and used by Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography portray her ancestors. Because Harvard continues to profit from the use of images of Lanier’s family, she contends in her lawsuit that they symbolically “remain enslaved.” These daguerreotypes are considered to be the earliest-known images of enslaved people in the United States, but may perpetuate the horrendous legacy of the degrading system by denying direct descendants of enslaved people ownership of their histories.

Lanier grew up hearing stories about her great-great-great-grandfather from her mother; they called him “Papa Renty.” Papa Renty was born in Congo but was enslaved on a plantation in South Carolina. Lanier and her mother shared pride in the fact that Papa Renty taught himself and other enslaved people to read; he was known for secretly reading the Bible aloud to others.

As Lanier’s mother was dying in 2011, she made her daughter promise to document this history. During the research process, a friend of Lanier’s found pictures of Papa Renty online, owned by Harvard University.

The images paint a bleak picture. Renty and his daughter Delia are shown stripped naked in a South Carolina photo studio. According to Lanier’s lawsuit, through this process, the photos were taken from several angles “without consent, dignity or compensation.” Rather, Renty and Delia were treated like research subjects and completely devoid of humanity in their treatment.

In fact, the two enslaved people were research subjects for Harvard professor Louis

Agassiz. This Swiss professor was one of Harvard’s leading scientists. He commissioned the daguerreotypes of Renty and Delia as part of a research project intended to support the theory of “polygenism.” This

Behind this heinous mistreatment and message, Lanier claims, is the university itself. Harvard not only supported Agassiz’s research and placed him at the highest level of academia and prestige, but Harvard also

Lanier presented images of the slaves Renty and Dahlia in her evidence against Harvard.

courtesy CNN

“... [Harvard is] denying direct descendants of enslaved people ownership of their histories.” was the idea that people of different races had evolved separately, fabricating scientific legitimacy for white supremacy. In this way, the images of Renty and Delia were intended to demonstrate their “inherent biological inferiority and thereby justify their subjugation, exploitation and segregation,” according to the lawsuit.

continues to avoid acknowledging their role in the issue. “I want them to tell the true story of who he is, and I want them to acknowledge their complicity,” Lanier explained.

Images of Renty and Delia have been used by the university on several occasions. Notably, they appeared on the cover

of a textbook, the 13th anniversary edition of “From Site to Sight: Anthropology, Photography and the Power of Imagery” that sold for $40 per copy. Beyond this, Harvard charges a licensing fee to anyone who wants to reproduce the images. Without a doubt, Harvard has intentionally and continuously benefited from these images taken without consent of the subjects.

Lanier’s lawsuit raises important questions about ownership and ancestry in a country that is plagued by a shameful history of slavery. Universities including Harvard must consider the roles that they played in this history, whether it be from money made in the slave trade or objectionable work done by faculty members. Ben Crump, one of Lanier’s attorneys, explained that “169 years later, Harvard is telling Renty’s descendant that he still does not own his image — he still is a slave.”

This lawsuit comes at a time when Tulsa has been challenged to recognize its dark history of racism with the centennial of the Race Massacre just around the corner.

Tulsa’s 1921 Race Massacre decimated Black Wall Street and continues to haunt Greenwood. Our city too must consider the role of racism in its history. In the same way that Lanier challenges Harvard’s profits from images of Renty and Delia, Tulsa reconsiders figures like W. T. Brady.

Brady was involved in the Tulsa Race Massacre and a member of the Ku Klux Klan, as well as a founding member of Tulsa.

Although Brady Street was named after this controversial figure, the city has taken measures to dissociate from his legacy. In 2013, the name of the street was changed to W. B. Brady for the famous Civil War photographer, rather than the city’s founder.

Discussions about racism and slavery necessarily confront us with the reality of its perpetual legacy and consequences that are still felt today.

courtesy BGR

Kit Harrington as Jon Snow and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in a season eight promotion.

“Game of Thrones” final season isn’t a pit, it’s a ladder The series finale ends the reign of “Game of Thrones” over the television world.

Chris Lierly Apprentice Editor [Spoiler warning] In less than a week, the grandest television show ever made will come to an end after eight years atop the Iron Throne of the television world. Calling a show the best ever made, or even one of the best, isn’t a smart thing to do, since shows can end on horrendously bad notes (see “Lost”). But “Game of Thrones” is the by far the greatest accomplishment in television history. It has completely changed the world of television by expanding horizons for the kinds of studios with the bank to get a project like it off the ground.

Yes, creating the visual spectacles that are the Wall and Daenerys’s three dragons are accomplishments on their own, but it’s the accolades the show has won that will help ensure it stands the test of time. “Game of Thrones” has won 47 Primetime Emmy

Additionally, “Game of Thrones” has instigated a rush by major television production companies to find the next show capable of being a comparable cultural phenomenon. Finding the next “Game of Thrones” is a weird subject to begin with because nobody knows what it really means.

Is it the next high-budget show of similar epic scope, such as HBO’s “Westworld”? Is it another TV series based off the works of a famous fantasy author, like Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” prequel? Or is it one of the “Game of Thrones” spin-offs that HBO has prepared to run following the conclusion of their flagship series? Only time will tell, but for the moment, the ending of this titan of a show is about to create a power vacuum that TV studios will all try to lay claim to.

Since the end of its fifth season, “Game of Thrones” has been running off the path set forth by George R.R. Martin’s novels. In that time, the show has done a fantastic job of wrapping up storylines begun in seasons four and five, while also launching new plot arcs that set the stage for the finale.

Season seven begins with what amounts to a two-season arc to round out the show.

It ended with the Targaryen and Stark

“‘Game of Thrones’ is by far the greatest accomplishment in television history.”

Awards while racking up a total of 132 nominations. In doing so, the show has blown by records set by shows like most Emmys in a year (“The West Wing”), most Emmys by a scripted show (“Frasier”) and most Emmys for a show (“Saturday Night Live”).

Those awards have not been restricted to the kind of technical recognition that actionheavy shows tend to win, but have instead included acting awards for Peter Dinklage, writing awards for David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directing awards for David Nutter and Miguel Sapochnik.

armies prepping for a showdown with the Night King after the bringer of winter brought down the Wall with undead dragon Cersei focusing more on the impending battle royale for the Iron Throne than the cataclysmic threat posed by the Army of the Dead; and maybe most important, Jaime finally deserting his sister and lover as her reign as queen becomes too much for him to stomach.

All of this sets the show up for a somewhat hard-to-predict ending, and that is what

courtesy Buzzfeed

Jon Snow fighting in the Battle of the Bastards.

the show thrives on. By killing off Petyr Baelish in the season seven finale, the show looks to make season eight the bloodiest yet for a series already notorious for never particularly caring which characters are fan favorites. A few key characters could die by catching a blade between their armor, or everyone could perish in the storm as the Night King ends up sitting on the world’s most uncomfortable chair by the finale.

This brings up the second big mystery.

Who sits on the Iron Throne when the dust settles? Cersei occupies the seat now and is a member of two of the great families, Jon is technically the rightful air to the throne, Daenerys has been making a claim to it since season one and Gendry is a dark horse

courtesy Vox

with a semi-legitimate claim. And though it doesn’t seem like they will make a play for it, Sansa and Tyrion are probably the two best rulers in the series. Anyone could die and anyone could win the Game of Thrones, and that chaos is what gives the show its potential.

By crafting characters that so many people love or hate and then pitting them all directly and indirectly against each other, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have set themselves up for success. I don’t even want to get into my predictions here or my hopefulness, but if they handle the final season like they did the last seven, then viewers have little to worry about.

8 April 2019

Variety

The Collegian: 13

Regurgitating jokes makes comedy boring

Listening to more diverse comedians encourages creativity and originality.

Emily Every Commentary Editor Let me start off by saying that I like John Mulaney too. He seems to do his best to write inclusive comedy that doesn’t punch down (excluding some SNL Stefon skits circa 2010), and that’s pretty exciting. Not all comedians, especially comedians who also happen to be straight white dudes, put enough effort into their set being kind to others. Also, he’s pretty funny, so there’s that. I can say the same thing for the McElroy brothers, whose content has blown up in popularity in the last three years or so, and it’s been cool to be along for the ride for that one.

Nonetheless, I don’t think I have it in me to hear one more repeated John Mulaney or Griffin McElroy joke. I get it, “horse in the hospital” and “cronch” and all that; it’s funny stuff, but only on the first go around, you know?

Mulaney and McElroy bits in particular seem to occupy these weird cultural niches where people think that their content is more obscure than it is, which, for whatever reason, makes some people believe that it’s then okay to just parrot it off the cuff. I don’t see that happen with “Parks & Rec” or some other popular comedy, so I think we should know repeating comedy for the sake of repeating comedy isn’t, you know, funny.

And that’s the real issue. Constant repetition of comedy most people our age already know isn’t funny, and it sucks the original set of its humor. This also applies

John Mulaney performs material from his comedy routine “New In Town.”

courtesy Portland Mercury

“... repeating comedy for the sake of repeating comedy isn’t, you know, funny.” pretty heavily to social media meme culture, especially when meme jokes are told in person. They may be easy to get a chuckle from, but it feels a little bit cheap and overly irony-baked. The funniest people I know rarely pull jokes off their Twitter feed; the shock of originality is what makes something funny, and there’s little to be found in the majority of meme culture.

This is a pretty common thing in everyday conversation: you tell a joke, and I know it’s stolen from Twitter. I’m not going to call you out on it unless we’re close, but I know you’ve done it. And why did you do it? Was it supposed to referential? It didn’t seem like it. So then it’s a case of content theft, which isn’t really cool either.

We’re all guilty of this, myself included, but it’s not really how jokes are supposed to work. As is, the constant conversational callbacks to certain famous sets and social media jokes creates a weird universal stockpile of comedy, which removes an incentive for comedic creativity. None of this is to say that I’m upset at people who constantly reference memes and Mulaney bits, or that I’m the funniest person around or anything. I just want to hear new jokes.

I could make this article a call to action thing about listening to more diverse comedians: “Listen to more funny black women,” or something like that (which you should still totally do — Wanda Sykes’s 2017 set is great). But I’d just like for more than three or four voices to rule our generation’s sense of humor, regardless of those comedians’ demographics.

And I know that finding comedians that jive with your sense of humor can be difficult, especially if you’re a minority who’s at risk of being the butt of a joke from a less socially-sensitive comedian. But, we’re in an age with more comedy available for us than ever, and word of mouth and recommendations on social media are effective ways to start branching out. It’s also decently easy to avoid overtly offensive comedians if you do a bit of research on them beforehand. And, if something doesn’t click, you can always just turn it off.

Comedy also doesn’t have to be stand up: there are plenty of diverse comedy novelists (Brian Limond comes to mind) and zine creators out there. Different comedic voices are all over — we just all need to put a little bit more effort into the search.

Death Cab for Cutie gives unemotional concert Opening act My Brightest Diamond performed with surprising vivacity while Death Cab seemed tired.

Emma Palmer Variety Editor I was really looking forward to the Death Cab for Cutie concert that played on April 4 at Cain’s Ballroom. I got there at 7:00 and stood a respectable four heads away from Ben Gibbard’s face. If I have one thing to compliment the band on, it’s their professionalism. The show started at 8:00 on-the-dot, with My Brightest Diamond playing for a brief 30-minute interval. Death Cab started at 9:00 and had us out by 11:00.

The whole show moved like clockwork, smooth and metallic. But similar to a clock, Death Cab’s portion of the concert felt heartless.

Now that I’ve seen Death Cab, I’ve completed the trifecta of bands that I listened to during my freshman year of high school (The Decemberists and The Mountain Goats round out the group). While I’ve enjoyed all of these shows, I find it frustrating that the bands I love keep touring for new albums I don’t. Death Cab was touring for their 2018 album “Thank You For Today,” which I have yet to make it all the way through in one listen. It just doesn’t have the same nostalgia that, say, “Plans” or “The Photo Album” has for me.

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of me listening to music, and being an early 2000s baby, a lot of the music my parents played in the car was Death Cab. I have this one specific memory from when I was maybe four or five, of singing along quietly to “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” on a night drive home. I noticed my mom was crying, and when I asked her why, she told me it was because I sounded so beautiful. I guess in some ways Death Cab sparked a love of music for me.

All that said, when I went to the concert, everything felt a little tired. Ben’s hair flopping sadly in the fan. When they came back for an encore and finally played “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” the whole crowd sang along so raucously that Gibbard didn’t sing the last chorus, instead letting the audience take it home.

I guess this all goes to say, I had expected to leave the concert in tears, and I left with two very dry eyes. Objectively, the band gave a terrific performance (they sound exactly like they do on the CD), but it was definitely a performance. Death Cab put on a show for us — the same show they put on for Houston and Kansas and Dallas. The performance felt the tiniest bit contrived. I felt bad for the band, and kept wondering, “Do they even want to be doing this?”

Death Cab is the sort of band that you listen to passively. You don’t even realize that you are listening to them until you notice yourself humming along. It’s fitting then that the concert felt the same way. I nodded along most of the time, content for the most part, and left with one ringing ear and the realization that I had enjoyed the show.

More notable than Death Cab’s performance, however, was their opening act, My Brightest Diamond. Shara Nova, vocalist and creator of the band along with drummer Jharis Yokley, played a short set, but boy, did it pack a wallop. Nova brought a sense of vigor to the stage, dancing and telling anecdotes in between songs. A classically trained vocalist, Nova’s control over her voice was astounding.

They closed their act with perhaps my favorite song of the night, “White Noise,” which Nova prefaced with “This is a song about my white skin.” A friend turned to me with a “Oh gosh hope this isn’t racist” look on her face. What we were met with was a funky and self-aware song complete with bubbly pop background vocals. “Are you mad?” Nova sang, adding, “You ain’t mad enough.” The backbeat of the drums along with Nova’s charming and surprisingly good dance moves brought a vigor to the show that was lacking in the rest of the night.

Now don’t get me wrong, Death Cab played a good show, maybe even a great one. But you can bet your boots that when I got home, the first song I played was “White Noise,” not “I Dreamt We Spoke Again.”

Death Cab was the music of my childhood; I guess it makes sense that when I went to their concert, it felt like I had outgrown them.

Shara Nova of My Brightest Diamond (above and second from top) and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie perform at Cain’s Ballroom.

photos by Emily Every

the

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Inactive politicians thrown out of legislature

A quirk in the law gives citizens the power to kick out politicians who don’t serve the people.

Hannah Robbins Spared From The Purge

For once, it seems that lawyers have actually been useful. Without them, Oklahomans never would have found this quirk in the wording of the law. When voters heard about the massive inactive voter purge happening in a few months, they looked into what they could do to prevent it. They found something better.

Around two months ago, a lawyer found a clause in an obscure subsection of a voting law that said if politicians don’t act in the interests of the voters, they can be purged from their position. This purging can only be prevented if the politician pleads their case to the public under the light of a blue moon on exactly three odd-numbered cable news channels. This then comes to a simple majority vote on whether that politician was compelling.

Once this was brought to the public’s attention, politicians began to be purged. It started slowly. At first, it was just the politicians that everyone sort of hated. You know — the ones who actually are in the pocket of Big Pharma™ and such.

One such politician was Mark “Allegra” Johnson, the self-proclaimed King of Allergies. When the motion to remove him came up in the legislature, Mr. Johnson stated, “You know, I just don’t get it. I try to serve the interests of those that got me elected, and suddenly, someone says I’m not serving ‘the people.’ I’m serving the people that gave me money and that should be enough, okay?”

Mark “Allegra” Johnson using his cable news program to push his agenda.

Mr. Johnson was just the beginning. After him was the King of Oil himself, Mr. Dick Sanders. This started a ripple effect. Soon, cable news began wall-to-wall coverage of pleas, with some politicians trying to get on national television to hit the quota of oddnumbered channels.

This brought the debate to the Supreme Court on the validity of this quirky clause, but a month ago, the Supreme Court of the United States decided it’s none of their business.

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated in the majority opinion of Johnson v.

People of Oklahoma, “Honestly, who cares about special interests? I’m here until I die or someone royally screws over the Constitution, so let’s get special interests out of politics one way or another.”

This Supreme Court case led to a purge of a majority of politicians in Oklahoma. For a few weeks, the three dozen civil servants who were left tried to continue to keep the government working, but they hit a snag when there was no governor to sign the bills they had quickly gotten through the state legislature. The politicians then demanded emergency elections to fix the situation.

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photo by Conner Maggio

In the new elections last week, an entirely new class of politicians was sworn in.

Since these eager lawmakers realized special interests got their predecessors kicked out (because who can cater to the people if their backers stand in direct opposition?), they campaigned with donations from small donors and local individuals. I, for one, am excited to see what this new class of Oklahoma lawmakers tackles first, and I’ve heard rumors that other states are seeing if they can use the legal precedent that the Supreme Court created to oust some of their own problematic lawmakers.

graphic by Conner Maggio

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