4 March 2019

The Collegian: 2

News

4 March 2019

Counseling Services encourages group therapy

A conversation with the director of Counseling & Psychological Services reveals the logistics behind the recent push for group therapy.

Madison Connell Satire Editor The Counseling and Psychological Services Center on campus recently implemented several big changes, including a push for students to participate in group therapy, a new $10 per session fee after 10 sessions and new assessment and accommodation capabilities. These changes are intended to help students on campus, from adding a “clinical motivation” to providing a way for more students to be seen for therapy.

Group therapy At the beginning of this semester, the counseling center advertised across social media and the campus TV system about three new group therapy types: a Harry Potter themed “Defense against the Dark Thoughts” group, an LGBTQ+ “Of a Feather” group and two general “Skills & Processing” groups.

While there have been therapy groups in the past, this is the first semester the center is widely advocating and advertising for them. Michael McClendon, the director of Counseling & Psychological Services, says there are two main reasons for the recent push.

“We don’t leave anybody hanging there who has a clinical need to see us,” said McClendon. “Everyone who was on the waitlist was offered multiple times to do groups and offered referrals off campus that would have met their needs … We reassessed to make sure nothing was intensifying and we told people in a lot of ways individual therapy isn’t what you need, and of all of those people, everyone remained on the waitlist because they elected to remain on the waitlist.”

One of the students that was triaged onto the back of the list was Kyle deVries, a psychology student who is the president of HeadStrong, a mental health awareness and advocacy group on campus.

When deVries attempted to get into individual therapy last semester, he was told that while he had a history of trauma, because he did not fall under the clinical diagnosis of PTSD, he would be among the 80 percent who is placed at the back of the line for individual therapy. Instead, the psychology student joined one of the processing group therapies last semester, which he believes was a great fit for him.

“I found [group therapy] very helpful,” explained deVries. “I went in trying to deal with trauma. When it comes to trauma, talking about it is one of the best things you can do, and in a process group, that is basically what you do besides a little bit of skills like emotions regulation.”

While he found group therapy beneficial, most of the participants stopped showing up

“[L]ast semester, the waitlist to [receive counseling] was around 40 students. Currently, it’s around 20.” “[Group therapies] are supremely matched for what college students go through,” said McClendon. “Eighty percent of the students who come to the counseling center are dealing with the most common type of situation or stressor or source of issue that has to do with, ‘I’m experiencing my world in this way, I’m experiencing these things … am I wrong? Is that weird? Is something broken inside of me?’”

McClendon revealed the other reason was due to the long waitlist. At its peak last semester, the waitlist to get into the therapy center was around 40 students. Currently, it’s around 20.

“We are never going to have enough counselors to provide everyone with individual therapy, nor should we,” stated McClendon.

“I don’t think everybody needs individual therapy. We have to think about efficiency and delivering the greatest amount of good to the most number of people. An hour and a half that serves 10 students perfectly is a great solution.”

According to McClendon, around 80 percent of the students that come to the counseling center do not fall into a clinical diagnosis for a mental illness. This does not mean they are not dealing with their own significant issues but only that they do not have a specific diagnosis showing signs of a chronic illness like depression or anxiety. While this 80 percent is the target demographic for group therapy, that does not mean that 80 percent of people seeking therapy are taking advantage of these groups.

McClendon added, “At this point, we only have the resources to really provide the [individual] care that we need for the 20 percent that do meet the clinical criteria for a diagnosis and have more severe or significant levels of mental health distress going on and need more intense levels of treatment.”

The people on the waitlist were triaged to determine the order of who would receive therapy. Nobody that fell into the clinical category waited more than two weeks.

However, the counseling center does not forget about those who they cannot see.

after the third meeting, and the group was dismantled shortly after.

The counseling center is trying to advertise their therapy groups through word of mouth, but so far it is only having limited success. There was not enough interest in the “Defense Against the Dark Thoughts” and the “Of a Feather” group, so the counseling center split those interested into a graduate group and two general processing groups. Combined, they currently have around 25 students.

Many students are worried to join these groups because it is a small campus. While McClendon argues the chances of seeing someone you know in a group is small, he also says that everyone has a vested interest to keep that information to themselves.

McClendon explains, “If you’re thinking I don’t want people to know they are going to counseling, you also need to recognize that perhaps that person you are afraid might voice that, ‘Oh, I saw Michael in group therapy,’ would also be outing themselves as having gone to group therapy. There is an inherent and implicit understanding that there is a combined interest to keep it to ourselves and private.”

While the counseling center does not currently have any plans to start another group, that may change come March if there are 30 to 50 students on the waitlist again. The counseling center does not plan to give up on trying to push group therapy.

Ten free session limit The second big change to the counseling center came at the start of last fall semester.

The counseling center decided to make the first ten sessions free and for students to pay $10 for each additional one. There is also a new $15 fee for each missed appointment.

“When you dig around the literature on session limits, and fees for services … you find [if] you have free services, people kind of languish in free services, there’s no motivation, you’re not putting anything into it,” said McClendon.

McClendon intends this to be a clinical motivator for students to change faster.

graphic by Conner Maggio McClendon’s data indicates that students ineligible to be diagnosed with a clinical condition make up the majority of students seeking counseling at TU.

The decision wasn’t tied to money as the profits do not support the counseling center, claims McClendon. The $10 fee is still cheaper than the student insurance copay and most other off-campus prices.

This policy is also more lenient than most other universities, McClendon argues. According to him, most universities do offer free counseling sessions, “but they have a very stringent session limit. Those policies range — a lot of universities [will give you] six-to-eight sessions a year, and that’s it. After that, it doesn’t matter if you want to pay or not — you can’t come to the counseling center. And that’s just because they have to manage demand.”

The reason the counseling center set the limit for free therapy at 10 sessions is because the average session length for each patient is around six. This way, most students would be covered by the 10 free session limit. There were more charges for noshows than charges for a $10 session.

The no-show rate of appointments is around 10 to 12 percent of all appointments, which is why the counseling center decided to implement the $15 fee.

However, the counseling center is willing to work with students. If not showing up to an appointment is part of the bigger picture

“The $10 fee is still cheaper than the student insurance copay.” of what ails the student, or if students cannot afford $10 per appointment, the counseling center is willing to waive the fee or drop the price down to even $1 an appointment.

Most of the charges have not been placed yet as the counseling center is still trying to find how to confidentially put fees into a student’s account, but they plan on implementing it in the near future.

To schedule a therapy session, call 918631-2200. The Counseling and Psychological Services Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch.

@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

courtesy University of Tulsa Counseling Services Michael McClendon posits that some students could benefit more from group therapy.

Assessments The last major change to the counseling center is that they will be starting full psychodiagnostic assessments soon, including cognitive, intellectual, emotional and interpersonal functioning and personality structure. These will help students be able to get accommodations at CSAS, the Center for Student Academic Success.

“The idea is that we have a lot of students that don’t realize they need an accommodation,” said McClendon. “They were able to get through high school, and then they get to college and they’re like, ‘Whoa, the strategies that I had are not working. And it’s not just study strategies.’”

Because the counseling center has limited resources, they will not be able to help everyone who wants to get tested and will triage the list like they do for the therapy waitlist. Interns and trainees will be the ones to complete the assessments so to not pull staff members away from providing therapy.

While students must pay to receive an assessment, it will cost considerably less than getting one off campus. It will be on a sliding scale, with no student paying more than $600. The average price in the outside community can range from $1,500 to $3,000 depending on what is being assessed.

Bryant Loney

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News

4 March 2019

The Collegian: 3

Feb. 25 10:35 a.m.

University of Tulsa campus Security Officers were dispatched to check an individual who was sitting on a ledge outside of Hardesty Press building. The individual stated they were taking a break from walking and would leave.

The individual was informed that Hardesty Press building was private property. The individual was cooperative and left campus without incident. The individual was not trespassed from Hardesty Press building.

Feb. 22 3:30 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus security Officers were notified of suspicious phone calls made to TU affiliates. The identity of the subject making the phone calls is unknown. Officers are investigating the incident.

4:45 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Lafortune Hall in response to a fire alarm. Officers did a thorough check of the building, finding no signs of smoke or fire. The Communications Center canceled Tulsa Fire Department.

11:20 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible noise complaint at the Mayo Village Apartment complex. Upon arrival, officers were able to hear music coming from an apartment. Officers made contact with the resident and informed them of the complaint. The resident agreed to turn the music and base down. A housing contact card was issued.

1:40 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to LaFortune Hall to investigate a possible fire alarm. Upon arrival, Officers made contact with a student who stated they put a rice bag in the microwave that started smoking. Officers cleared the alarm and advised the student to keep their windows open until the smoke clears. The Tulsa Fire Department was contacted but their assistance was cancelled.

4:15 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible panic alarm at Zink Hall.

Officers discovered the panic alarm had been activated accidentally by a TU affiliate. Officers notified the Communications Center of the false alarm 5:00 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to Mary K. Chapman for a medical call. Officers arrived along with Tulsa Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA). The individual was transported to the hospital by EMSA.

Feb. 23 12:55 p.m.

While on routine patrol University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers conducted a pedestrian check on a non-TU affiliate in the John Mabee Hall Courtyard. The individual was negative for prior contact and active warrants. The individual was trespass warned and escorted off campus.

Feb. 26 8:00 a.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers met with a University of Tulsa staff member at Mabee Gym in regards to lost property. The staff member gave officers information about a lost University of Tulsa owned portable radio. The portable radio has not been turned in.

Feb. 24 1:10 a.m.

While on routine patrol University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers observed a TU affiliate urinating in public on the Kappa Alpha Fraternity House. Upon making contact with the individual they also admitted to underage drinking.

12:30 p.m.

University of Tulsa campus security Officers were dispatched to investigate a possible sexual assault that occurred between students. An anonymous individual informed the Communications Center they were not one of the parties involved. The investigation is ongoing.

Chris Lierly Apprentice Editor Lindsey Prather Student Writer

India launches preemptive strikes into Pakistan India’s military began launching cross-border strikes into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, Feb. 26. This comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a strong response after 40 were killed in a suicide bombing on Feb. 14 by terrorists of the group Jaish-e Mohammed. Modi claimed that the strikes destroyed one of the group’s major camps in the region while others were also targeted.

As strikes continued the next day, an Indian MiG-21 jet was shot down and the pilot was captured by Pakistani forces but was returned to India on Friday, March 1. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the return of the pilot was “a goodwill gesture aimed at de-escalating rising tensions.” Since the strikes on Tuesday, the conflict has significantly de-escalated.

Trump, US delegation leave Vietnam without an agreement This week in Hanoi, President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un held their second summit on North Korea’s nuclear program. The first summit, held last June in Singapore, concluded with a jointly-signed statement committing both countries to a more stable relationship, but this week’s meeting ended after only a few hours with both leaders blaming the other for the lack of progress.

Trump described Kim’s demands by saying that “they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, and we couldn’t do that … We had to walk away from that.” However, a State Department official later partially confirmed claims by North Korean officials that Kim only asked for the partial lifting of sanctions in exchange for the shutting down of North Korea’s main nuclear facility. Trump also said that the next meeting between the two leaders “may not be for a long time.”

Iran foreign minister tries to resign, blocked by president Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attempted to resign unexpectedly on Monday, Feb. 25, a move that surprised many among the Iranian government. Zarif, a fundamental player in negotiating the Iran Nuclear Deal, attempted to resign through an Instagram post, citing his personal shortcomings as the primary reason.

This announcement threw the Iranian political apparatus into a tailspin; speculation regarding other high-level departures led to the resignation being rejected by the President of Iran, President Hassan Rouhani. In a letter released to the public, Rouhani described the move as “against national interests” and therefore refused to allow the tendered resignation to go into effect.

Feb. 27 10:00 a.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were notified by Domestic Violence Intervention Services about an anonymous report involving a TU affiliate that occurred over four years ago at an off campus location.

2:00 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to the Allen Chapman Student Union to speak with a TU guest. Upon arrival Officers spoke with the guest who advised Officers about a suspicious conversation concerning a student at the Allen Chapman Student Union. Officers interviewed the reporting party for follow up.

3:00 p.m.

While on routine patrol University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers came across an invalid parking permit on a students vehicle. Officers made contact with the student and confiscated an invalid permit from the University of Tulsa student’s vehicle.

Feb. 28 5:55 a.m.

While on routine patrol University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were approached by a janitorial services staff member who notified them that a toilet was broken at Stephenson Hall. The engineer on duty was called and they shut the water off in the bathroom. A work order was placed.

2:00 p.m.

While on routine patrol University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were flagged down a TU Affiliate in the College North Parking lot who stated that while attempted to park they hit a parked car. The vehicle that was hit was not registered with the university so the individual left information on the vehicle for insurance claim purposes.

2:00 p.m.

University of Tulsa Campus Security Officers were dispatched to the Allen Chapman Student Union on a report of an injured person. Officers made contact with the reporting party. The reporting party stated that the injured person drove themself to a medical facility prior to notifying the Communications Center.

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

Wednesday, March 6 at 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Harwell Hall, Seminar Room Sociolinguistics on Tanna: Disputes, the Apocalypse, and more Please join us on a journey through the local knowledge systems, language, and social movements of Tanna, presented by Dr. Lamont Lindstrom from the Anthropology Department (TU). Free food will be provided.

Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Lorton Performance Center Concerts with Commentary: Vintage Wildflowers The University of Tulsa School of Music continues its Concerts with Commentary series with a program by Vintage Wildflowers featuring special guests Scott Schmidt and Quinn Maher. Acclaimed for their instrumental prowess, onstage charm and soulful vocals, Vintage Wildflowers has developed an enthusiastic legion of fans with their vibrant Celtic, folk and bluegrass blend featuring three-part vocal harmonies, fiddle, Celtic harp, guitar, flute, Irish whistle and accordion.

Thursday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Pearl District Building, 1209 E. 3rd St., Tulsa Multicultural Expo Support our diverse community and the Public Interest Board (PIB) Summer Stipend Program! The TU Law student organization, PIB, is hosting an evening of various cultural performances, free food, a cash bar and a raffle. We have invited different cultural groups around Tulsa to showcase their talents. Individual tickets are $ 7.00 (presale) and will be $10.00 at the door.

The Multicultural Expo is at The Pearl District Building, 1209 E. 3rd St., Tulsa (Just west of Peoria.)

100% of proceeds from this event will go towards funding our PIB Summer Stipend Program! This program provides stipends to students in unpaid public interest positions. In a world where such noble work is often uncompensated, the stipend program provides vital assistance to students working for the public benefit, seeking to better our community.

Thursday, March 7 at 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Tyrrell Hall, Lecture Hall Gun Violence as a Threat to Reproductive Justice: A Panel Discussion Reproductive justice, which requires that people be able to live and raise their families in safe, healthy communities, is threatened by the pervasiveness of gun violence in the United States. Panelists will discuss and debate the promotion of reproductive justice through measures such as stricter gun control laws, an end to police violence and Stand Your Ground laws that disproportionately affect African Americans, and an honest reckoning with the culture of masculinity in which men commit the vast majority of gun violence.

Friday, March 8 at 6:00 p.m.

Living Arts

Alternative Archives From fashion and found photos to recipes and home movies, what is worth remembering? How do we choose what we save?

This exhibition and interactive event will explore the ways we remember, create meaning and tell stories through the ephemera we keep and leave behind.

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

Contact us at news@tucollegian.org with events.

The Collegian: 4

Commentary

4 March 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 The legislature has passed a few bills this year, and more are on the way. To explain the process a bit, when a bill has been approved of by both houses, it’s passed on to the governor for enrollment. Before that, though, a bill originates in one chamber. If it’s passed, it becomes engrossed; the bill with all of its corrections and amendments as dictated by that chamber is passed on to the other house. If a bill is amended and then passed in the new chamber after it’s been engrossed, it becomes re-engrossed and sent back to the first chamber. Here are a few engrossed bills in the works this week.

HB1940: On its first reading in the Senate, this House bill defines the reasons that an absence would be justified. Those reasons include “any school-approved activity,” extracurriculars that have been approved by the principal or board of education and “any other reason deemed appropriate by each local school district.” While it would still depend on the principal or the board of education to approve of extracurricular absences, this law would save many high schoolers a lot of grief when trying to get absences excused and trying to work with their teachers to make up missed assignments. As ever, I’m all for education reform that works to make life easier for students.

SB969: This bill does two main things: it would allow people who prove that they were “incarcerated or otherwise detained by law enforcement at the time of the failure to appear” to avoid a misdemeanor charge for not appearing in court when they should have been. It also switches the law to “gender neutral” language. The first is a common-sense law and should absolutely be adopted. The second is progress, but frustrating nonetheless. Many laws, when the legislature revises or changes them, are edited to include “he or she” in the recent past, rather than the traditional “he.” It’s like the lawmakers of years past thought that women were first allowed out of the kitchen some time in the ‘90s, so it makes sense that they’d only refer to police officers, defendants, teachers and all other people referred to in bills as he. Similarly, today’s legislators seem to think that the word “they” only came into the cultural lexicon post-Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.”

SB798: We don’t talk about the beauty of bureaucracy enough. The red tape that so frustrates is also often the only thing standing between an innocent person going to prison, a customer getting food poisoning and a hundred other problems that fall between. Senate Bill 798, which is now in the House, formalizes and codifies procedures for eyewitness identification of subjects. Investigators would have to use methods that decrease the chance that their suspicions influence the witness’ memory of who had committed the crime, which has been known to occur (purposefully or not) in investigations. The bill outlines several encouraged methods and requires that police forces adopt and formalize the policies they’ll use in these situations.

Bernie Sanders’ 2020 platform still blind to racial inequities

Sanders’ 2016 platform popularized progressive economic reform on the Democratic ticket but failed to address racial issues.

Andrew Noland Student Writer Last Tuesday, Bernie Sanders threw his hat back into the ring for the presidency in 2020. Hoping to capitalize off his 2016 momentum and brush past recent allegations of sexual misconduct in the upper echelons of his campaign staff, Sanders enters an already crowded Democratic field.

However, the presidential race looks much different than it did in 2016. Instead of taking away crucial support from the clear favorite in Hillary Clinton, Sanders is facing off against a field that doesn’t have a frontrunner. In addition, over the last three years, the Democratic Party as a whole has moved to the left toward his own positions on economic issues. Sanders completely rewrote the economic platform of the Democratic Party, enough so that Howard Schultz, a billionaire pseudo-liberal, is considering making a run to combat the danger that democratic socialism poses to his class position.

content with being the kingmaker: he wishes to crown himself too. The primary issue for Sanders is that he doesn’t understand that the revolution left him behind.

In front of him, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and (most notably) Elizabeth Warren have all subscribed to his 2016 economic platform, promising to relieve student debt, provide affordable (or free) tuition, universal healthcare and to overhaul the criminal justice system. While these series of proposals, first championed

by Sanders in 2016, stymied Hillary Clinton, the new candidates have grasped the popularity to forge a new Democratic ideology. Sanders is no longer the sole champion of democratic socialism.

In fact, Sanders is left confronting serious issues on the fronts of racial and social justice. With news that major members of his campaign staff across the country were sexually harassing women, Sanders chose to confront these women and apologize privately rather than publicly address the issue.

He has apologized, but his actions spoke louder than any socially mandated statement of regret can convey.

However, most puzzlingly, Sanders still continues to cling to his reticence to confront racial issues. On many occasions, including in his declaration of running on Vermont Public Radio and in an interview with the New Republic, Sanders dodged questions of representation. Rather than celebrate the diversity of the candidates, that same value that sprung forth American ingenuity and the Great Compression that Sanders consistently harkens to, he insists that we “move past identity politics.”

It’s disheartening that a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president

“Sanders continues to insist that economics will solve the issues of race ...”

For most septuagenarian politicians, they would be content with crafting and resting upon the remarkable legacy they made for themselves. Sanders, through the sheer force of will, reimagined and revitalized democratic socialism in the last major Western nation that has actively rejected it. But Sanders’s ego does not allow him to remain

would choose to ignore such a crucial, unifying component of the Democratic coalition. However, it’s even more unfortunate for Bernie Sanders, who apparently has not learned his lesson on race. He failed to galvanize minority voters in 2016, and it appears he will fail to do the same in the next two years.

courtesy Wikimedia Commons Elizabeth Warren has several of Bernie’s reform points on her 2020 platform, including debt-free college.

Clinton’s failure to win the presidency despite her victory in the popular vote was attributed to her inability to revive the Obama coalition: white working-class voters along with marginalized black communities who were both shut out of the mainstream economic and social order. Although Sanders managed to win those states most closely associated with that bloc in the primary (the Rust Belt), Clinton’s failure against Trump does not mean Sanders would have done any better. With no racial component to his campaign, no rallying cry and effective rhetoric for the dreams of millions of people of color across the nation, Sanders would have failed to secure any hope for victory either.

Sanders continues to insist that economics will solve the issues of race, but he forgets that this country’s greatest era of prosperity, the ’50s and ’60s, was also the period of the highest racial tensions in America since the Civil War. Increased income equality ignored minorities then and would likely

leave them out again now under a Sandersled economic redistribution.

For their bids in 2020, Harris, Booker and Warren are positioning themselves where Sanders hesitates. Fashioning themselves as harbingers of social safety nets and the levelers of vast income inequalities in favor of the middle and poorer classes while also addressing racial injustices, the former three will thrive while Sanders flounders. By the time the senator from Vermont realizes his weakness, it will likely be too late, if he chooses to rectify his mistake at all.

Sanders, by running now, has effectively sealed his legacy as a bitter old man clinging desperately on to his own desire for power.

Unwilling to let go and allow his political ideology to triumph, Sanders will instead prove an effective punching bag for Trump to mindlessly bash over the head of any of the candidates that end up the Democratic nominee. But at least he was talking about universal healthcare before anyone else.

Increased allowance of selenium in Okla. waterways dangerous

The variance proposals were chosen to keep Oklahoma competitive with regulations in surrounding states.

Hana Saad Apprentice Editor Toward the end of February, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board considered two proposed rules that would affect the variance in water standards in Oklahoma. The first, which the board passed, allows a temporary increase in the pollutants that corporations are allowed to dump into the water.

The second proposal, which was supported by environmental groups, would have

lowered the amount of chemicals allowed to be dumped into the water. It was withdrawn on Feb. 12, due to concerns raised by the Department of Environmental Quality.

The department believed that decreasing the variance would have put Oklahoma at an economic disadvantage, since the surrounding states are allowed to dispose five micrograms of selenium per liter into their water supply. The proposed rule would have lowered that to 3.1 micrograms.

By accepting this proposal, the board seems to contradict the Scenic Rivers Act. The act was created in 1968 to protect Oklahoma’s natural streams and rivers. No one is suggesting that Oklahoma’s rivers are clean, but increasing the level of pollutants that industries can now dump into our rivers will disrupt the food chain — and in turn, the environment at large.

Selenium is not an inherently harmful substance. It occurs naturally in the envi-

“... the effects of dumping large amounts of chemicals in the environment are no small thing.”

Since the proposed increase has no clear deadline, the board allowing the variance in water standards to be increased is detrimental to the health of both the environment and the general population.

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board is responsible for “water use appropriation and permitting water quality monitoring and standards,” among other duties concerning wastewater management and Oklahoma’s water supply.

ronment but becomes toxic when present in high levels. Excessive selenium enters the water through runoff from agriculture practices or wastewater that is dumped into the rivers from industrial factories.

Selenium causes reproductive issues in fish, which affects the population as a whole.

It doesn’t take long for drastic changes to occur, but it does take much more time for the water and fish populations to heal once they have been damaged.

A journal article, “Symptoms and implications of selenium toxicity in fish: The Belews Lake case example,” details how fish populations were damaged when North Carolina’s “Belews Lake was contaminated by selenium in wastewater released from a coal-fired electric generating facility.”

The facility eventually stopped dumping wastewater,, but the fish populations and the health of the lake didn’t recover quickly.

High levels of selenium were still present in the water a decade later.

The way the proposal is written is too vague. The language itself is open-ended and provides no clear deadline. The board says the variance will remain “until changes can be practically achieved,” which could make it easier for the board to allow the variance to stay at an increased level indefinitely.

This makes the rule dangerous. As the Belews Lake case shows, the effects of dumping large amounts of chemicals in the environment are no small thing. Even if the variance is lowered at a later date, the damage to the environment may already be done.

Commentary

4 March 2019

The Collegian: 5

All gender draft an opportunity to simplify voter registration process

By expanding the draft to women, the U.S. could also improve voter registration and turnout.

Nathan Hinkle Student Writer A new court decision in Houston, Texas, may lead to women joining the same military draft as men. In a statement addressing the constitutional legitimacy of a male-only draft, Judge Gray H. Miller of the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas has argued that leaving women out of the draft is unconstitutional due to the recent legislation allowing women to join any combat role.

Miller stated, “While historical restrictions on women in the military may have justified past discrimination, men and women are now “similarly situated for purposes of a draft or registration for a draft.” Due to this change in

policy, women aged 18 to 25 may now be forced to sign up for the draft. The draft currently requires that all 18-year-old men are required to sign up in case of future need and are required to stay in the system until they reach 25 years of age. If one does not sign up for the draft, the person may be fined, imprisoned or denied services like student loans.

If all citizens, male and female, are going to be put in the selective service, the information should also be used to register them to vote. It would help make the registration system quick and efficient, as everyone could be signed up for the draft and be registered to vote at the same time. Unlike the military draft, this system would be completely optional and contain no punishments for those who choose not to register.

Many people are unable to vote for a variety of reasons. According

able to vote due to problems with the registration process.

One potential reason for this is a general lack of knowledge about registration and how to vote. Some citizens, particularly young ones, feel that they don’t understand the voting and registration processes.

In an interview with NPR on voting, young Marine Corps veteran Shelby Mabis said, “From what all I know about voting is that you show up to a poll place and you vote, but I don’t know what to bring. I don’t even know what happens […] there.” This problem of not knowing what to do at the voting booth could be changed by combining the draft and voting registration processes. While a future education expansion on the intricacies of our voting system would be another good step, providing a simple voting registration provides a good first step in the right direction.

courtesy Navy Live Servicemen currently must register to vote separately from their enlistment paperwork.

security number. Voting requires one’s current address in the state and a form of photo ID at the voting booth. The draft system could easily share this information with a state voting agency in order for each new 18-year-old to join the draft as well as be registered to vote. This could be done by pro-

“... voting registration and signing up for the draft require the same forms of information.” to the Pew Research Center, four percent of Americans who did not vote in 2016 faced registration problems and 14 percent were unable to vote due to conflicting schedules or being too busy. A large quantity of citizens are un-

This consolidation could be easily done because voting registration and signing up for the draft require the same forms of information. The draft requires one’s name, physical address, email address, phone number and social

viding a box at the bottom of the draft legislation that asks if you want this information to be spread to a voting office in your state of origin. This process may put a new task on the draft agency, but

it would be beneficial as a tool to help provide distinct and easy opportunities for people to register to vote.

Signing up for selective service is already necessary for men seeking federal aid in education.

Therefore, the addition of voting registration to the application would make it so everyone in the United States would have a quick and efficient solution. A collaborative effort between state voting agencies and the selective service system would not require a widesweeping change of policy and would help boost the number of United States citizens who are registered to vote.

ISIS defector’s attempt at reentry makes for complicated situation

Despite a history with ISIS, Hoda Muthana is hoping to be readmitted into the U.S. Lindsey Prather Student Writer The topic of citizenship in the United States has been hotly debated in recent years, but Alabamaborn Hoda Muthana is thrusting the issue into an entirely new light.

Muthana is seeking to reenter the United States following a stint as a member of a radical Islamic terror group that has killed countless citizens across the Middle East.

Muthana, a 24-year-old runaway, made headlines following her defection from the United States to join the Islamic State, the notorious terror group that has been brutalizing Syria and Iraq for the past several years. In 2014, following a supposed trip to Atlanta, Muthana instead traveled to Turkey and was smuggled into Syria. She was married twice to IS fighters who were later killed in combat. Following the massive decline of the caliphate’s territory, Muthana fled to the al-Hawl refugee camp in late 2018.

A notable detail in this saga involves a suspended Twitter ac-

count that was run by Muthana.

Despite claims of Muthana’s lack of support for the terrorist group, the account was suspended for declaring allegiance to the Islamic State, as well as sharing violent propaganda and inciting violence toward American citizens in the United States.

Muthana and her family are now insisting on her acceptance back into the United States on the basis of citizenship, a claim that the United States State Department is seeking to block. Muthana’s family is campaigning against efforts to keep her out; however, the immeasurable loss of life, physical destruction and political turmoil wrought by the Islamic State has hamstrung any sympathy that Muthana could possibly garner in the United States.

The current state of Muthana’s citizenship status is murky at best; she was born in New Jersey, however, her father is a former foreign diplomat, a fact that the U.S. State Department is relying on to revoke her citizenship. Children born on U.S. soil are considered automatic citizens, with the one rare exception of children born to foreign ambassadors.

However, the United States government is going to have a difficult time legally separating Muthana from her citizenship; the government has recognized and treated her as a citizen since her birth, issuing all relevant vital records and documents including a Real IDcompliant passport issued since 9/11 response standards were enacted. Additionally, the Geneva Convention has provisions against

creating a stateless person, and a United States Supreme Court case, Trop v. Dulles, forbids the removal of citizenship as a punishment.

It’s unlikely this case will be resolved soon, due to the length of the appeals process as well as the vast amounts of international red tape that exists in cases of this nature. However, if Muthana is indeed a US citizen, she deserves the best the American judicial system has to offer. Most notable among these accommodations is a trial, in which she will most likely be found guilty, and a prison term that matches her crimes. If being young and stupid isn’t a good enough excuse to prevent kids from being thrown in jail for marijuana, it shouldn’t apply in this case involving inciting murder and committing treason.

Permitless carry is lazy, potentially fatal legislation

Though the new law focuses on gun rights, it could be used to further racial discrimination.

Raven Fawcett Managing Editor Let’s pretend no one has to get a driver’s license to drive a car. No one has to say whether they have a license unless specifically “demanded” by a police officer.

Driving is a skill you can learn without classes, I get it. So what if one or two people drive without a license who didn’t have the requisite skills? Maybe they crash, maybe they kill a few people. Maybe they have a few bad things going on in their life that make them particularly bad drivers on a given day, maybe they bump someone’s car and drive away because, well, why not.

The thing is, with House Bill 2597, it’s not cars that wouldn’t need licenses — it’s firearms, and firearms have no benign purpose in the way that cars do. They’re made to kill and injure things.

Not always people, but enough of the time to matter. While the bill doesn’t strip all restrictions, such as the ban on carrying on campuses and barring people with certain legal offenses from owning a firearm, it is still dangerously lenient.

The bill, passed last Thursday, removes the requirement that peo-

ple have a license to possess a firearm in Oklahoma. It does, however, institute a rule that if a “person who is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States” were to own a firearm, up to and including toy pistols, they would “be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine” of $250.

Recap: anyone can own a gun, except for people here without proper documentation. And that is in no way going to backfire when America is as racist as ever and starts waylaying every non-white person for possession of anything that looks like a firearm. Sure. It’s in the future, so let’s pretend that this point is still up for debate and move on.

Oklahoma isn’t the first state to approve such a law, which is alternately called “constitutional carry” or “permitless carry,” depending on which side of the issue you fall on. “Constitutional carry” refers to the right to bear arms. Proponents of the right argue that the Constitution gave them the right to own their guns and the government took that right away. What I’m not clear on is why they think that government can’t change its mind on data. People have killed a lot of people with guns. Guns have gotten more deadly in design over the years. Maybe the government should step in.

More people die from guns in the U.S. than in any other comparable country. Despite these high death estimates, NPR and other news stations report that there is a lack of concrete research into the subject after years of the government stifling funding for studies.

The NRA itself has backed efforts to reduce funding for firearmrelated research. It would be too easy to say that the numbers of gun deaths are too large for the public

courtesy Wikimedia Commons Constitutional carry has become more popular in the past few decades.

to process, though. The problem, unfortunately, isn’t their intelligence. It’s their entitlement.

People think they deserve guns because they are U.S. citizens.

They feel that they are so special, so competent and beyond questioning that we should allow them to have whatever they want. How dare they be forced to prove, in a relatively easy and official way, that they will be responsible?

The inconvenience of proving all of this and the insult of implying that maybe a couple people who aren’t otherwise barred from having a gun shouldn’t get one is far too much for them. The worst part is that Oklahoma officials have bought into this rhetoric.

Government exists to weed out the worst problems in a society.

It’s not here to be your counselor

or your friend. It’s here to curb violent death, regulate the economy and generally guard against too much chaos. Just because the federal government isn’t fulfilling these basic premises does not excuse our local government of its obligations.

Sometimes lawmakers go along with these ideas because they agree with them. Entitlement in public officials isn’t new. Worse, though, are the cases when they simply give in to the loudest complaints of the public. Proponents of permitless carry protest and throw money at government and make themselves heard, and legislators think that they have to bow to the wishes of the loudest of their constituents instead of listening to common sense and considering the available information on the issue.

The bill has already been passed and approved by Governor Stitt.

It’s too late to hope that it will be changed in this legislative session, and it’s too early to tell if will be a catastrophic failure in public policy or a mere continuation of the status quo. But it is the perfect time to reach the conclusion that we didn’t need the state of gun ownership in America to be worse or remain stable; we needed better laws that reduce mass shootings and firearm deaths in the states.

Until that happens, we’ll continue to see innocent people die because government listened to the loudest citizens. The same citizens who are also the most entitled and least willing to suffer minor personal inconveniences like waiting in a line to make the entire state safer.

The Collegian: 6

Variety

4 March 2019

TU students bring “Sea Breeze Academy” to the stage

Student writers and actors collaborated to perform Bryant Loney’s manuscript in a concert reading.

Lizzy Young Student Writer The concert reading of “Sea Breeze Academy” was filled with laughter as attendees supported their peers. TU students in the theatre department performed the beginning to senior creative writing major Bryant Loney’s third novel “Sea Breeze Academy.”

The concert reading was an excellent way to showcase the nature of Loney’s script/novel hybrid.

Before the show, Loney discussed his journey at TU. He said he was sad to be moving on because “the funny thing about college is that as soon as you feel settled, they kindly ask you to leave.” However, he also mentioned that he was excited about future writing opportunities.

Senior Alex Isaak then opened the show with a reading. Isaak, a friend of Loney, was among those who read the first draft of “Sea Breeze Academy” and gave Loney advice going forward.

Isaak read the opening to her sci-fi Honors project “Kepler 22-B.” The section she read was about two astronauts who had

TU theatre student Martin van Stipdonk then opened “Sea Breeze Academy” by setting the scene: season five of the dramatic, titular teen TV show. Van Stipdonk was the perfect narrator. He had that voice that every great narrator has: clear, concise, engaging and puts the perfect emphasis on just the right words. He was a delight to listen to.

The rest of the cast was just as fantastic. They portrayed their characters well and kept the audience laughing with jokes and interacting with the crowd. They even appeared in the audience at times and ran down the aisles.

The cast of characters was a friend group of teens at a boarding school in Southern California. Male protagonist Matthew Flynn was the popular, funny guy who kept the group together. Mitchell Shorey played Flynn. He struck the balance between Flynn becoming self-aware but also being a teenage boy at an elite boarding school. His confused facial expressions especially sold the character.

Opposite to Flynn was the main female protagonist, Brooklyn Rivers, the popular pretty girl played by Emily Peterson. Peterson was delightful as the blonde, preppy Rivers. She played her as someone who was popular but didn’t come across as bratty. I especially loved every time she said, “Blazer, registered trademark,” her inflection on Jourdon White played with the stereotypes

“The concert reading was a delight from beginning to end. All of the actors were fantastic ...” been sent to find life on another planet so they could settle it. Her imagery was beautiful and the tone was suspenseful.

of the comedic black sidekick as Chris Carmichael. The other guy in the group was spoiled-rich-kid Rhys Underwood, played

by Nicholas Mueller. Mueller played the

photo by Lizzy Young

The cast performing “Sea Breeze Academy.”

epitome of the oblivious white guy, with the annoying dudebro accent and everything.

The other girls in the group were aspiring actress Virgo Torres (who loves shoes), played by Stasha Cole, and the quirky smart girl who falls for Rhys, Liss Williams, who was played by Hannah Triplett.

Tyler McCoy was an audience favorite as Dean of Students Charles Fischer. The audience laughed uproariously at his comments about the inner workings of the school that perhaps paralleled the university’s own approach to running an educational institution.

The reading showcased Loney’s humorous work, as well as his love for puns. The audience chuckled at the recurring joke of “registered trademark” after each mentioning of particular products, as brand recognition is now present in every television show today.

Loney also namedropped university pro-

fessors in his novel. It was fun to catch the inside jokes only TU students would get like the aptly named Parssinen Hall or the G. M. Jenkins administration building, among others.

The concert reading was a delight from beginning to end. All of the actors were fantastic and displayed great talent, whether they were on stage for only a scene or the whole performance.

I was so delighted and intrigued by the story, I even bought a copy of the novel afterward because I wanted to see what happened next. I especially loved that this event was created in partnership between the creative writing and theatre departments. I look forward to hopefully seeing more collaborations such as this in TU’s future.

Artist performs and discusses “Reenactments” poetry at TU Hai Dang Phan’s poetry explored memory and history in his “Reenactments” reading.

Hana Saad Apprentice Editor Poetry is such a personal form of artistic expression. The best poetry allows us a glimpse inside the mind and feelings of the poet. No matter what the poetry is about, we are able to see the way the artist perceives their world through their writing.

That is is exactly what Hai Dang Phan’s poetry did Thursday night during “Reenactments: A Night of Poetry”. For an hour and a half, Phan read aloud selected poems from his debut, “Reenactments.” He also discussed how memory, war and family are common themes in his poems.

The Tulsa Artist Fellowship and the Oklahoma Center for Humanities sponsored this special event. Each year, the Oklahoma Center for Humanities picks a central theme to base their discussions and art in its various forms around. Past themes have included: home, humor, and similar topics. The 2018-2019 theme was memory.

Memory is a major theme in Reenactments. Phan enjoys writing about his family’s memories, in addition to photographs, because it gives him the chance to “experience something in the past that shaped me, but I never had the chance to actually experience” while also acknowledging that “history is not the past, it’s the present.”

Many of Phan’s poems have a juxtaposition between really delicate images and the harsher parts of reality. “Are Those F-16’s?” was one of those poems. The imagery that Phan infuses into the poem makes it captivating, but what is even more fascinating is the feeling that the images prompt themselve In the poem, Phan draws up images of machinery—cars and fighter jets—then has stanzas that seem to reflect a gentler side as

Hai Dang Phan.

he uses nature. A couple lines in the middle of the poem particularly struck me. Phan writes “as the last thin mists of fog burn fast/ through the dark green archipelago of trees” which is a stark difference from the previous stanzas in which he creates these images of broken cars and fighter jets.

There were two poems that Phan read towards the very end of the event that revolved around his parents and the stories that they have told him about escaping from Vietnam and being refugees in America. He toggles between “imagination and reconstruction” in order to understand his family.

One of these poems is “My Mother Says the Syrian Refugees Look Like Tourists.”

Phan wrote this poem in an effort to understand why her statement made him so angry.

This resulting poem is a combination of his mother’s story and his own understanding of why she feels the way she does towards the Syrian refugees. He writes, “…she’s not callous, you must understand, just protective…”

After Phan read some of his poems, Mark de Silva, writer and Tulsa Artist Fellow, sat down to have a conversation with him about the poems Phan presented. They also discussed the material that inspired Reenactments.

Phan said, somewhat jokingly, that he has a “deficiency of his own imagination so he relies on images to get his creativity flowing.” Photos of actors reenacting parts of the Vietnam War in North Carolina inspired him to write “A Brief History of Reënactment” which appeared in the New Yorker.

The poetry that Phan presented was captivating. He uses war, family and memories in “Reenactments” to create poetry that is powerful in it’s descriptions. The juxtaposition of hard and soft images, as well as the way he intertwines history and memories with his own experiences, makes “Reenactments” a truly special piece of work.

courtesy Hai Dang Phan

Michaela O’Brien with photos from the “Love Valley” installation.

photo by Piper Prolago

Living Arts hosts Okla. Avant Garde Artists performed spoken word poetry at March’s First Friday Art Crawl.

Piper Prolago Apprentice Editor During the March 1 First Friday, Living Arts hosted 14 spoken word artists from across the state for the Oklahoma Avant Garde event. These poets performed on the backdrop of installations by three local visual artists. The performers and visual artists included several students and faculty members from TU. Over the next two months, Living Arts will present two other events that incorporate work from the Oklahoma Avant Garde.

poetry. She described her approach to language as a collage in which she combined quotes from her friends and newspapers to create an eclectic collection of phrases.

Tulsa Artist Fellow M. L. Martin performed her translation of Anglo-Saxon poem “Wulf and Eadwacer.” In her experimental translation of this proto-feminist poem, Martin navigated the original writer’s switching between Old and Modern English.

She embraced the plurality and ambiguity of the speaker’s voice, represented by “&” in her translation. According to her translator’s note, she aimed to “to recover this radical female text to the feminist and experimental canons to which it belongs.”

Before the poetry performances began, visitors were invited to walk around the gal-

“The event centered on pushing the boundaries of written and spoken word, exploring the confines of poetry.”

The event centered on pushing the boundaries of written and spoken word, exploring the confines of poetry. The artists used language to navigate and explore contemporary life and experiment with form to achieve innovative expressions of these ideas. Artists broached social issues through intimate personal descriptions, used a collage-like approach to poetry and recited a translation of ancient texts. In each performance, the poets navigated language in a nuanced and exciting way.

Current TU student Brennen Gray and Dr. Bruce Dean Willis, a professor of Spanish and comparative literature, shared more personal memories in their performances.

Gray dealt with stereotypes about race and ethnicity and the experience of reconciling these with reality. Willis recounted experiences with a mortgage through the lens of looking at a new house. In another of Gray’s poems, he used Snapchat article headlines combined with a humorous look at popular culture. Another TU student, Haley Ashwell, also explored innovative forms in her

lery, where installations by three local artists were set up. This included Black Moon Collective artist Christina Henley as well as TU professors Michaela O’Brian and Xia Zhang. These women deal with complex themes through mixed media interpretations. Henley’s creation of a burnt house frame, “The Aftermath Remains,” takes on the memory of the Tulsa Race Massacre as it persists today. O’Brian’s videos and photos navigate the American Dream through the lens of a small community called Love Valley. Zhang’s videos and sculpture consider the experience of immigrants and women of color.

Poets and visual artists featured in Oklahoma Avant Garde push the boundaries of their genres to produce innovative approaches to their topics. Living Arts will continue to shoulder this objective and allow artists to delve into the complexities of contemporary life. The mixed media installations that premiered at this event will also be featured in the upcoming Alternative Archives event on March 8–9 and New Genre Arts Festival April 5–6.

Variety

4 March 2019

The Collegian: 7

Piano Puzzler speaks about memory in music

Bruce Adolphe combined neuroscience and classical music in compositions at the Philbrook.

Piper Prolago Apprentice Editor Bruce Adolphe, commonly recognized as the Piano Puzzler from American Public Media’s Performance Now, spoke at Philbrook on Friday, March 1 in partnership with the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities and the Tulsa Symphony. For this event, Adolphe spoke about his interest in the connectivity between music and memory through neuroscientific research that inspired a recent composition. After Adolphe explained these parallels, the Tulsa Symphony piano quintet performed the piece.

Adolphe started by telling the audience to close their eyes and imagine: “In the middle of the street, there’s a chair. And on top of that chair, there’s a car.” After allowing the audience paint this mental picture, Adolphe started to guess the details. He asked if the street was familiar, possibly one that they grew up on. About half of the audience had conjured a non-specific street. He asked the same of the car — could they name the make and model? Adolphe concluded that memory and imagination are inherently connected. The audience often couldn’t discern whether they had created an imaginary car or pulled it from somewhere in their memories.

This connection inspired Adolphe to write music that deals with memory and the act of remembering. He described one of his recent compositions, “Musics of Memory,” that was composed in honor of a friend who had developed Alzheimer’s. Each movement of the piece was meant to represent a different stage of memory, the first being the lived experience played by a solo piano.

By the fourth movement, titled “Recollections,” the themes that had been introduced

Bruce Adolphe pictured above.

courtesy Tulsa Public Radio

“Adolphe concluded that memory and imagination are inherently connected.” in the beginning were changed. Adolphe achieved a depiction of deteriorating memories through tonal shifts that maintained the same phrasing. The resulting themes were recognizable but also noticeably divergent.

In another composition, “Memories of a Possible Future,” Adolphe explores a more technical aspect of memory. Through partnership with the Brain and Creativity Institute and neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, this composition for a piano quintet takes inspiration from technical phenomena associated with remembering like neurons firing and consciousness, describing “several

metaphors for what goes on in the brain that you can hear in the music.”

While this is a unique way of framing his composition, most of the sounds that emerge were already principles of music theory that can be seen throughout the history of classical music. Adolphe describes that he is writing music like he normally would but “using techniques based on metaphors drawn from what we know about neuroscience.”

In “Memories of a Possible Future,” Adolphe adapts the idea of consciousness by having each instrument repeat the same

theme immediately after one another. While this sounds like imitative counterpoint, it is informed by the metaphor instead of music theory. Similarly, the development section of most compositions is found in the middle and refers to the composer’s adjusting of the introductory material, moving it into different keys and changing the mood established at the beginning. While Adolphe’s piano quintet also has a development section, he uses the idea of development in a person’s life, a time of establishing identity and moving through uncertainty and conflict.

After the Tulsa Symphony’s piano quintet performed “Memories of a Possible Future” to showcase the examples Adolphe discussed, he moved on to examples of “Piano Puzzlers.” This segment on NPR features brief performances of small compositions

by Adolphe that reimagine recognizable tunes in the style of classical composers.

Listeners can call in and guess the two components of the Puzzlers. At Philbrook, audience members competed against each other to guess the works for prizes like tickets to an upcoming Tulsa Symphony concert or copies of Adolphe’s books. Adolphe created innovative combinations like Chopin with “London Bridge” and Brahms with “Eleanor Rigby.”

Adolphe’s lecture and compositions create a unique experience for the audience by drawing on memory to rethink the way we understand classical music. As his website outlines, Adolphe’s goal as a composer and performer is to “connect disparate ideas and disciplines and to build community by exploring diverse manifestations of human creativity.” By combining ideas like music and neuroscience that are generally not thought of together, Adolphe enables listeners to consider the interplay between imagination, music and memory.

Tulsa at the heart of 2019’s TEDx Tulsa

The annual event welcomed TU students and faculty with levels of connectivity between speakers.

Conner Maggio Graphics Editor

TEDx UTulsa, the University of Tulsa’s own independent, student-led and organized TED event. This TEDx event, themed “Connect the Dots,” was an opportunity to listen to many speakers from Tulsa talk about their experiences, research and actions that tackled local or global issues.

Darcy Elmore, Senior Organizer stated that “As a born and raised Tulsan, being able to spread TED’s mission of “sharing ideas” with my home and the community that I love so much has been an incredible honor — and a highlight of my senior year.”

Many of the talks were fantastic and brought up ideas and concepts that were brand new to me. The first talk by Jonathan Neff brought up gluten-intolerance and how he was inspired to brew his own glutenfree beer. Abigail Williams brought Irish dance to the stage and explained why she was captivated by it and why it is important.

Weston Horn talked about how he conquers oversaturation with his band in an already oversaturated market, and then he played a few songs for the crowd. Caroline Bennett presented some amazing poetry about black girls’ identity. These talks might not seem to have much in common, but there was art involved in each one that made it special to the audience and presenter.

The best part about TEDx UTulsa was how local all the people and ideas are. Most speakers were from Tulsa or live here now, and subsequently, their research and things they have experienced happened in Tulsa.

So when Maureen Haynes talks about Oklahoma school teacher walkouts, for example,

you know what she is saying has merit and has personally affected her. Since talks like this will be available online, I suggest checking out any that interest you on the TEDx YouTube page.

Since the event was titled “Connect the Dots,” the audience was intended to make connections between the ideas presented.

My takeaway is mainly the connection between Tulsa and the world, from the extremely local neighborhood backyard to global economic powers. From the stories told by Kirk Wester about living in a poor neighborhood and doing all you can to help; Eric Cullen’s talk about Oklahoma’s female incarceration epidemic, in which Oklahoma has had the highest rate for over five years; and Mike Haskins’s talk on how debate helps his students at Will Rogers Junior High and how debate can help everyone.

Haynes additionally spoke about why Oklahoma school teachers are protesting and why they feel betrayed and angered by the Oklahoma government.

This TEDx event reminded me of Tulsa’s place in the world. Now if you have watched all the TED talks, I expect your takeaway to be completely different. Mine was a reflection of what interested me the most and what had the biggest effect on my thinking.

Tulsa is my home, so each individual issue that Tulsa has becomes important to me.

Many of these talks raised great points, but it is up to us to connect the dots and bring what we learn to our daily lives.

Elmore further commented “I believe ‘TEDxUTulsa: Connect the Dots’ went extremely well. We accomplished all of the goals we set out in early fall when we began planning! However, as a team we believe there is always room to improve and I will be excited to see what the next generation of the TEDxUTulsa crew will do in 2020.”

Micheal Haskins talked about debate in the context of education.

Lydia Cheshewalla discussed how to be a better global citizen.

Abigail Williams demonstrated the importance of Irish dancing in her talk.

Jonathan Neff presented on culinary inclusion.

Caroline Bennett gave a poetic discussion on black women’s empowerment.

Jordan Sosa and Peyton Manning hosted the event.

photos by Conner Maggio

The Collegian: 8

Variety

4 March 2019

Springfest to host La Luna Llena de Tambores The Panamanian group partnered with TU to bring a new cultural experience to students.

Piper Prolago Apprentice Editor As part of the 2019 Spring Fest, TU will host Panamanian drum group Luna Llena de Tambores for an interactive performance.

Luna Llena has maintained ties to TU, participating in the Jumpstart TU and Global Scholars program over the past two years.

Through these close connections, students are able to engage in and learn about Panamanian culture in a unique and exciting way.

Luna Llena de Tambores was founded

by Alfredo Hidrovo, a Panamanian artist whose goal is to bring people together for a collective musical experience. His demonstrations allow performers and the audience alike to make music, bringing drums and

na’s performances during her Jumpstart trip in the summer of 2018. She described how “we all sat down and were given drums and just started following their instructions.”

As she continued to drum, “[she] felt really connected to these two men that [she] didn’t even know, just through the music.”

Luna Llena was first introduced to TU during the summer of 2017 when Jumpstarters attended a performance, but this partnership has grown over the past two years. On last summer’s trip, the Jumpstart itinerary included several days of shadowing the drum corps. Students travelled with Hidrovo and his group to perform for gang members, elderly Panamanians and children to bring this unique experience to a diverse audience.

The Global Scholars Program also brings students to Panama for the spring extension class. During this time, students from each cohort split into groups to focus on specific

“... students are able to engage in and learn about Panamanian culture in a unique and exciting way.” sticks for people to participate with. Hidrovo encourages the public to welcome the inspiration of music and to allow themselves to dance and feel the rhythm. Luna Llena performances aim to bring people from assorted backgrounds together and promote inclusivity.

Students who participated in Jumpstart TU were exposed to Luna Llena on their summer trips to Panama. Here, students could participate in this unique experience.

Russian studies and English double major Stasha Cole participated in one of Luna Lle-

Panamanian businesses; one of these groups is devoted to Luna Llena. Each group pitches ideas to improve or expand the business they are assigned. The current Luna Llena group is aiming to bring the drummers closer to the Tulsa community and potentially create a model for an arts community center that could be built in Panama and recreated in other areas.

This year’s Spring Fest will further develop the relationship between Luna Llena and TU. Global Scholars helped plan their visit as a way for the drummers to network

courtesy Luna Llena

A Luna Llena drummer performs with audience.

on campus and across the city. Luna Llena will bring drums and sticks to TU, allowing students to join in the experience. Throughout the rest of the week, Hidrovo and his group will visit businesses like Guthrie Green, The Gathering Place and art galleries around Tulsa to find potential future partners. This will especially focus on ways that Luna Llena can connect to Tulsa’s Hispanic community.

During their time in Tulsa, Luna Llena plans to organize several other events that bring TU students and Tulsans together.

They plan to organize a drumstick decorating competition open to the public. Anyone wanting to participate will be able to pick up sticks on campus that they can decorate and

submit to the competition. Luna Llena will also partner with the Kendall Whittier drum corps kids in another performance.

Partnerships with groups from across the world like Luna Llena benefit both the students and businesses. This relationship not only helps Luna Llena improve and expand their businesses to the United States, but it also enables students to develop skills in cross-cultural thinking. TU emphasizes the importance of this through the Center for Global Education with study abroad opportunities and language requirements. However, direct engagement with people from across the world allows students see firsthand the importance of global connectivity.

courtesy Luna Llena

Alfredo Hidrovo leads young drummers in the crowd.

Success of “Spider-Verse” marks 2018 as the Spider-Year In a major upset, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” swept the Oscars and box office.

Chris Lierly Apprentice Editor “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was likely 2018’s biggest surprise success, and its Oscar win was the cherry on top for the best year the webslinger has had in awhile.

Despite the fact that DC has consistently put out great animated features for years, American audiences prefer their superhero movies made by Marvel and to be in the CGI’d live-action format. “Into the Spider-Verse” checks one of those boxes, but it is far from live-action or even the now-conventional animation style of Pixar.

Instead, it used a harder edged style that brought out the depth of each and every shot. This diversion from the animation norm, along with the fact that the film introduced the often wonky multiverse that plays such a key role in many of the Spider-Man comic stories while the Marvel Cinematic

Even after “Into the Spider-Verse” received the nomination for Best Animated Feature, it had to go up against “Incredibles 2” (with Disney’s six-year streak at winning the award) and “Isle of Dogs” (directed by human Oscar-bait Wes Anderson). Still, the part-origin story, part-interdimensional battle to save the multiverse won the Oscar, cementing its place in film history while also marking an incredible year for the character of Spider-Man in general.

Spider-Man began the year by playing a key role in the most-awaited ensemble blockbuster of all time when Tom Holland played Peter Parker in “Avengers: Infinity War.” Though “Infinity War” included the major heroes from all of the MCU’s films, Spider-Man played a major role in his meager seven-and-a-half minutes of screen time.

Holland’s ability to play into Spider-Man’s comic relief meant that despite the stakes of “Infinity War,” the film was still peppered with Peter’s witty humor — which is basically well-written dad jokes and a lot of pop culture references (evidently too many for Iron Man).

“Its witty humor, compelling origin story/ies and entertaining action made for one of the year’s best films.”

Universe (MCU) is just now getting around to the Infinity War storyline, meant that “Into the Spider-Verse” was going to have to receive a rip-roaring response if it was to be in the discussion with more conventional animated or superhero movies.

“Into the Spider-Verse” not only blew up at the box office but also went on to get nominated and win the Academy Award for Best Animated Best Feature. Additionally, it not only topped its opening weekend with $35 million but, according to IMDb, would go on to gross $185 million domestically and $326 million worldwide. That was more than enough for Sony to begin production on a both a sequel and a spin-off with the potential for more if those run smoothly.

However, all of this success did not guarantee Oscar gold.

SPOILER ALERT! Spider-Man did not make it out of the movie alive though and was instead, along with half of the universe’s population, decimated by Thanos’s snap of a fully-loaded Infinity Gauntlet.

That set up maybe the most emotional scene in the MCU as Peter (having felt the snap coming earlier than most due to his Spidersense) disintegrated in the hands of his mentor and superhero father figure Tony Stark.

The film marked the best earning project involving Spider-Man up until that point, but like “Into the Spider-Verse,” the next media that featured the webslinger would be a groundbreaking one.

After having been announced over two years ago, the “Spider-Man (PS4)” game, which stands independent of all cinematic

“Spider-Verse” won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

storylines, got nominated for Game of the Year and reminded fans that standalone superhero video games are worth buying.

When “Arkham Asylum” came out in 2009, it changed the state of gaming. Up until that point, superhero video games were almost always tied directly to a movie and almost always lackluster, but “Arkham” was a financial and critical success that spawned two sequel games and a prequel.

“Spider-Man (PS4)” is “Arkham’s” spiritual successor in three ways: its story is tied to no films despite there being “SpiderMan” films constantly in production, it is willing to play with the hero’s story without deviating from the too well known backstory and the gameplay does a good job of capturing the best parts about the hero. Despite adoration by fans and getting a Game of the Year nomination, “Spider-Man” lost out to the likes “God of War” and “Red Dead Redemption 2.” If people were disappointed

courtesy Buzzfeed

with the game’s lack of awards (I was), it shows just how unlikely it was for “Into the Spider-Verse” to win how it did.

By ending Disney’s stranglehold on the Best Animated Feature category of the Oscars, “Into the Spider-Verse” acted as an incredible finale to what we can look back on as the Spider-Year. Its witty humor, compelling origin story/ies and entertaining action made for one of the year’s best films. There is an argument to made that it should have also been given a Best Picture nomination, but that can take a back seat for now. More important is that the film fits into this pattern of groundbreaking Spider-Man content that defined 2018 and likely laid the groundwork for all animation studios going forward.

That is where the legacy of this movie really lies. Its influence will likely reverberate in the American animation world until long after its own series has concluded.

Sports

4 March 2019

The Collegian: 9

Tulsa triumphs against Green Wave

TU basketball journalist Hannah Robbins discusses the Golden Hurricane’s come-frombehind victory over Tulane.

Tulsa managed to bounce back from their tough loss against Temple with a comeback win against Tulane on Thursday after a slow first half. Martins Igbanu and Curran Scott led the Golden Hurricane with 19 points each. Rounding out the high-scorers, Sterling Taplin and Elijah Joiner both added nine points.

While Tulsa won the tip, Scott’s missed three and Taplin’s botched layup left Caleb Daniels open to score a three to start the half. Tulsa continuously failed to capitalize on possessions.

The Golden Hurricane got on the board with a Igbanu’s free-throw shortly after but could not maintain any momentum. Daniels hit another layup, and Tulsa’s only response was an additional two free throws by Igbanu.

Tulane continued to charge ahead, scoring nine consecutive points as Tulsa missed eight shots in a row. Halfway through the period, Tulsa finally connected with the basket from the field. Scott’s jumper shrunk Tulsa’s deficit to 14, finally kicking the Golden Hurricane into action.

Igbanu continued to live at the line, and when his layup was quickly followed by a three-pointer from Scott, Tulane’s lead was narrowed to eight. Samir Sehic hit a jumper, but by then, the tide had shifted in TU’s favor.

At this point, Tulsa seemed to stutter, unable to shrink Tulane’s lead further as the Green Wave and the Golden Hurricane went shot for shot. With a little more than four minutes left in the half, Sterling Taplin’s jumper put Tulsa within two of the lead.

Two free throws by Jeriah Horne tied the score, and after Connor Crabtree’s two freethrows in response, Horne hit a three-pointer to give Tulsa the lead for the first time in the game. Sehic hit a layup in the closing minute of the half to put Tulane up by one going into halftime.

As the teams returned for the second half, both seemed energized, staying neck and neck, but Tulane’s energy was short-lived.

courtesy Oklahoma Eagle

DaQuan Jeffries goes up for a layup.

Moses Wood’s jumper three minutes into the half was the last time Tulane was ahead.

Successive layups by Taplin and Igbanu gave Tulsa the lead, and they ran away with it.

Igbanu, Scott and Joiner continued to widen the lead with a pair of free throws, a jumpshot and a three-pointer respectively.

Joiner pushed Tulane further away with an-

other jumper, widening Tulsa’s lead to six.

Lawson Korita made a layup and Kevin Zhang responded with a dunk. But Tulsa didn’t let it bother them, with DaQuan Jeffries making a layup on the next possession.

Joiner hit another jumper to put Tulsa up by 10, but a layup by Sehic took Tulsa back down to a single digit lead. Tulane tried to stage a comeback with four minutes left,

scoring seven unanswered points, but Igbanu hit two layups and a free throw to push the lead back out to 10 points.

Daniels and Jordan Cornish tried to make a play with a minute left in the game, but their jumper and three-pointer respectively didn’t make much of a dent and Tulsa claimed the win 72-64.

courtesy Jordan Korphage

The Collegian: 10

Sports

4 March 2019

Golden Hurricane starts strong, but sputters Student writer James Taylor covers the Golden Hurricane falling 64-60 to the ECU Pirates despite dominating most of the game.

Despite holding the lead for 35 minutes of the 40-minute game, Tulsa fell to ECU Saturday afternoon. The game marked Senior Day for three Tulsa players as they closed out their career with the Golden Hurricane.

Jasmine Butler, Tyjae’ Scales and Crystal Polk all started for the Golden Hurricane for the final home game of their career. Despite the effort put in by the Golden Hurricane, they would see another late lead diminish as they lost 64-60 to ECU. The first quarter started off with Polk scoring an easy bucket in the paint with the assist from fellow senior Scales.

The senior scoring would continue with Butler being fouled after getting an offensive rebound. Butler would sink one of her two free throws to give the Golden Hurricane a 3-0 advantage.

Scales would also get a chance at two free throws following a foul and would also sink one of her two free throws to give the Golden Hurricane a 4-0 lead with all three seniors scoring to start the game.

Scales and Butler were subbed out at the 5:44 mark in the first quarter with the normal starting five for Tulsa returning to the floor.

The first quarter finished off hot for Tulsa as they went on a 7-3 run to take the lead 17-13, getting buckets from Rebecca Lescay, Polk and Morgan Brady.

Kendrian Elliott dominated the second quarter, scoring eight points and gathering three rebounds for the Golden Hurricane.

Elliott was joined by Lescay, Brady and Desiree Lewis as they all contributed points to the effort.

Tulsa went into the locker room at halftime with a commanding 35-24 lead. Tulsa shot 44 percent from the field in the first half while holding ECU to 28 percent. Tulsa looked to be in control as the teams entered the locker room.

Polk and Desiree Lewis both added buckets at the start of the third quarter to stretch the lead to 13 points, the highest of the game. However, ECU would start to slowly

Action shots from Tulsa’s close loss to ECU.

chip away at the lead after trading buckets back and forth with Tulsa.

The margin was down to three points with 2:55 left in the third quarter, but Lewis and Lescay added in five points to close out the quarter and give the Golden Hurricane an eight-point advantage entering the final frame.

The fourth quarter started off hot with both teams trading three pointers, but things quickly took a turn for Tulsa. Despite scoring some points, Tulsa went 2-6 shooting to start the fourth quarter while ECU went 5-7 with three treys to tie the game at 57 with 3:09 left.

Tulsa added two free throws from Alexis Gaulden to give them the lead again, but ECU immediately equalized with a layup in the paint. ECU then added another three pointer for the 62-59 lead, the first time they held the lead all game.

Desiree Lewis would add another free throw, but another basket by ECU would seal the game at 64-60. Tulsa shot a dismal 15.4 percent in the fourth quarter compared to ECU’s 60 percent.

Lescay lead the way for Tulsa with 15 points, two assists, three steals and six rebounds. Kendrian Elliott and Desiree Lewis both added 10 points in the effort, Elliott with three rebounds and Lewis with six.

Polk finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, just missing out on a double-double for the game. Brady was the only Tulsa player to hit a three pointer, and her two threes were a part of her eight total points.

Gaulden led the team with six assists and scored six points of her own.

Tulsa fell to 12-16 on the season and 6-9 in the American Conference. Tulsa finishes its season with an 8-6 record at home (4-4 in conference play). Tulsa currently sits in sixth place in the American conference. If the current standings hold, they will likely play Memphis in the first round of the American Conference Tournament.

However, with the standings so close and only one game left, no position is solidified.

photo by James Taylor

USF is currently ahead of Tulsa and holds the tiebreaker, so while they could drop lower, sixth is the the highest Tulsa can finish.

Tulsa returns to action on Monday night in Wichita as they close out the season

against Wichita State. The Shockers are currently in last place in the American Conference with a 4-11 record in conference play and 11-17 overall.

photos by James Taylor

Sports

4 March 2019

The Collegian: 11

NFL owner charged with soliciting prostitute Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, was caught on tape in midJanuary allegedly attempting to pay for sex.

Lindsey Prather Student Writer The New England Patriots are grabbing headlines once again, only this time for all the wrong reasons. Owner Robert Kraft was arrested Feb. 22 and charged on Feb. 25 with soliciting a prostitute at a massage parlor in Jupiter, Florida.

Kraft is only one of 25 men being charged in the large-scale sting operation, the result of an ongoing investigation surrounding human trafficking in Florida.

On Jan. 19 and 20, Kraft allegedly visited the Orchids of Asia Day Spa, according to affidavits filed by Martin Country authorities. These charges allege the wrongdo-

regarding outside misconduct by members of the league.

Regarding administrative conduct, the NFL’s personal conduct policy states: “Ownership and club or league management have traditionally been held to a higher standard and will be subject to more significant discipline when violations of the Personal Conduct Policy occur.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay similarly was suspended for six games and fined the maximum $500,000 in 2014. Irsay pleaded guilty to both driving while intoxicated and possessing controlled substances.

Additional examples of commissionersponsored punishment can be found in disciplinary actions against both other members of franchise front offices and players.

Investigations and punishments against Tom Brady, Jerry Richardson and Ezekiel Elliott are primary examples.

Goodell’s past stances on individual conduct suggests that he will take some type of action against Kraft. However, it is extremely unlikely that Kraft will be punished by the league in any meaningful way.

Off-the-field issues for players are not a new phenomenon; players have been get-

“These charges allege the wrongdoing took place around the same time as the AFC Championship Game ... ” ing took place around the same time as the AFC Championship Game, where the New England Patriots were facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

There is video evidence of the first incident, showing Kraft visiting the spa and paying in cash at the front desk. After the illicit events took place, Kraft left the facility and was later pulled over by police during a routine traffic stop, confirming his location. Kraft returned to the spa the following morning, Jan. 20, for similar services, afterwards flying to Kansas City for the AFC Championship game.

What will happen to Robert Kraft? There are two areas in which Kraft could face punishment: the Florida judicial system and the NFL. The repercussions for the two are supposedly independent of one another, yet both come directly into play considering the reputation of commissioner Roger Goodell Robert Kraft could face repercussions from the league and the law.

ting suspended for years in the NFL, and this brand of misconduct is not uncommon.

The unusual aspect of this is merely the opportunity to set an example regarding the misconduct of administrators and owners, the latter of which rarely face any sort of palpable consequences.

This is an opportunity for the NFL to communicate similar standards between administrative staff and players, and take a strong stance against misconduct at all levels of the organization.

If players can receive suspensions or expulsions for something as minor as marijuana, owners and other administrative staff should be held to a similar standard, especially in a situation as serious as that of Robert Kraft’s.

courtesy NBC News

Machado and Harper end free agency Editor-in-Chief Justin Guglielmetti discusses the conclusion of two of the lengthiest free agencies for Major League Baseball stars in recent memory.

At long last, with Spring Training already well under way, the two jewels of the 2019 MLB free agency class have new homes.

Manny Machado, after a tempestuous six and a half seasons with the Orioles and a disappointing playoff run with the Dodgers, landed in San Diego for 10 years, $300 million.

It was the biggest free agent contract in the history of American sports for a grand total of eight days, before Bryce Harper topped it with 13 years, $330 million from the Philadelphia Phillies.

Though they are of different nationalities, play different positions and (until now) have resided in separate leagues, Machado and Harper have been linked together since the start of their careers. If I asked you to guess which one I was thinking of by telling you he was a heralded prospect who broke into the majors in 2012, his age-19 season, before becoming an MVP contender in 2015 and earning a reputation as a surly, possibly dirty, curmudgeon of a ballplayer … well, you’d still only have a 50 percent chance of getting it right.

Now they will each join a historically sad sack of a franchise in the role of “veteran presence overseeing a youth movement,” as they attempt to lead the Dads and Phils to their first winning seasons in nearly a decade.

For a while this offseason, as December turned to January and the hot stove seemed to burn cold, it looked like Machado and Harper wouldn’t be getting their money.

When they set the baseball world on fire in 2015, pundits thought they would eventually lead the craziest free agency frenzy in the sport’s history, with each possibly commanding as much as $400 million.

But that didn’t end up happening, and as many of the pair’s suspected big-market suitors — the Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox, etc. — either dropped out of the race or showed a lack of interest altogether, those same talking heads began wondering if the system was broken.

It may still be. Regardless of how much they ended up receiving, we shouldn’t pre-

tend that it’s normal for two of the game’s biggest stars to receive so little interest, or for their unemployed status to extend beyond pitchers and catchers reporting. Dallas Keuchel remains unsigned, despite being a former Cy Young Award winner who threw for over 200 innings last year.

So is Craig Kimbrel, the greatest closer since Mariano Rivera, and Gio Gonzalez, a veteran lefty innings-eater who is just two years removed from a sixth-place Cy Young finish. Nearly every other significant signing of the offseason either took longer than expected or amounted to less money than initially expected, and there are disturbing rumors that MLB could face a lockout after the 2021 season should the new CBA fail to address concerns regarding player service time manipulation and tanking.

But there is far too much stuffed into that issue to unpack here, not to mention the fact that thinking about a year of no baseball makes me sick to my stomach. Let’s instead think happier thoughts and concern ourselves with what we can expect from Machado and Harper in 2019.

The Phillies hope that Harper will be the piece to put them over the top and make them World Series contenders for the first time since the end of their Howard/Rollins/ Utley mini-dynasty. At his MVP peak in 2015, Harper enjoyed the finest offensive season since prime Barry Bonds, but his career has been defined more by maddening inconsistency than sustained excellence.

According to Baseball Reference’s version of the statistic, he has only topped 5.0 WAR (a good baseline for an All-Star level position player) during one other season, and that was in his rookie year. Harper’s defense and baserunning have declined precipitously in recent years as he’s struggled with various injuries, plummeting his value even as he has remained an effective hitter.

Last season, despite leading the league and walks and topping 100 RBI for the first time, his WAR total amounted to a pedestrian 1.3.

The Phillies are obviously banking that Harper, who is still just 26 years old, can re-

capture some of the form that once made him a legitimate rival to Mike Trout for the title of Best Player in the Game. He’s obviously still got the talent, and though it’s probably the result of small sample sizes and facing Philadelphia’s pitching staff, he has historically raked in Citizens’ Bank Park.

The pressure won’t all be on Harper either, as they also signed All-Stars Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen, David Robertson and J.T. Realmuto.

Machado has been a substantially more consistent performer over his career even if he’s never flown quite as high. He has topped 33 home runs each of the last four years, played 155+ games in five of his six full-time Major League seasons and surpassed 6.5 WAR three times.

One of the biggest issues surrounding Machado has been his poor attitude, which has led to disputes with teammates, accusations of foul play, and insistence last year on playing shortstop instead of third base.

Harper (left) and Machado (right) went months unsigned.

Though his steady glove and rocket arm had already established him as an elite defender at the hot corner, Machado’s quickness and range proved far too limited to man short at an adequate big league level, yet he refused to play elsewhere.

It appears that $300 million was enough to sway him, as reports indicate that Machado will man third for his new team.

That will open up space for members of San Diego’s top-ranked farm system, which includes Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Luis Uris.

Tatis, in particular, is a shortstop who is the consensus second-best prospect in baseball, and could be ready to join the big league club as soon as this season.

Even so, it’s unlikely that these additions will amount to a playoff appearance for the Padres, who will still have to contend with the talented Dodgers and Rockies as they attempt to climb out of the cellar of the NL West.

courtesy USA Today

Sports

The Collegian: 12

4 March 2019

New Chelsea beef could get Sarri fired Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga shocked the world by defying manager Maurizio Sarri’s request for a substitution.

Andrew Noland Student Writer The whole world, no matter whether they like soccer, has likely seen the video of Kepa Arrizabalaga, goalkeeper for Chelsea, rebuffing the substitution off the pitch during the 2019 Carabao Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City. Maurizio Sarri, the manager for the London side, told by his medics that Kepa was

suffering from cramps, chose to sub in veteran goalkeeper Willy Caballero with that knowledge.

Kepa, in what appeared to be an act of insubordination, refused to leave, repeating, “I’m okay.”

Stunned with the rest of the soccer world, Sarri then almost walked out of the stadium, and likely his job, but was called back when told Kepa was fine.

Chelsea went on to lose in a penalty shootout 4-3 with Kepa allowing an easy save from Sergio Aguero to slip literally between his fingers.

Although Chelsea played a nearly flawless game, in which they arguably looked better than the defending champions, those uncomfortable three minutes of a player denying his manager dominated headlines.

This event was the culmination of an epidemic that has plagued Chelsea since Roman Abramovich’s takeover of the club in 2003: the priority of players over the managers.

Although this makes financial sense (Kepa Arrizabalaga was the most expensive goalkeeper transfer ever at the time of his purchase by Chelsea), it doesn’t produce a winning football culture. Abramovich has fired over a dozen coaches in 16 years, and Sarri looks halfway out the door.

No one believed former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho when he was shown the door for the second time. It was the players, he insisted, that refused to play.

When Antonio Conte arrived, revolutionized English soccer with his three defenders at the back, and won the league in his second year, he was practically begging the owner to sack him in the third year. The same words came out of the Italian manager: once the play-

selves barely clinging to fourth place.

When Sarri publicly called out the players by admitting he “couldn’t motivate them” after a lifeless Arsenal loss, the media tore into the Italian for taking out his frustrations in a public forum.

The 0-6 loss to Manchester City at home only intensified the calls for Abramovich to sack manager #13.

Chelsea looked like they didn’t want to be out on the pitch and repeatedly made rudimentary mistakes with no effort exerted. Sarri again tried to appeal to anyone, but he was again ripped for his supposed inflexible tactics and his insistence on using Jorginho in the middle.

However, Sunday revealed the truth: Sarri called for a substitution and the player refused to come off. Only David Luiz, the last person anyone would have expected, told Kepa to sub out. The captain, Cesar Azpilicueta, didn’t

should be re-signed and guaranteed a starting position. The untouchable “popular clique” of Willian, Marcus Alonso, Hazard, Azpilicueta, Luiz and Rudiger need to be shipped off, regardless of talent.

Combined with the transfer ban for two windows due to their youth scouting and signing practices, Chelsea has a chance to regroup and build a winning culture through their alleged loan army and impeccable youth academy.

Sarri should retain his position and cement his style of soccer into Stamford Bridge both at the youth and senior levels.

This doesn’t mean that Sarri doesn’t need to improve. He continues to use the best defensive midfielder in the world, Ngolo Kante, out of position and needs to be pressed on that error. He also should make use of his bench to avoid exhausting his star players. But the media’s insistence that Sarri’s ineffectiveness and

“Sarri then almost walked out of the stadium, and likely the job, but was called back when told Kepa was fine.”

Arrizabalaga claims he is good to play.

courtesy Fox Sports

ers began to realize they wouldn’t win the league, they stopped playing with conviction.

Abramovich let Conte go and hired tactical visionary Maurizio Sarri out of Napoli to bring beautiful, possession-style football to Stamford Bridge.

After acquiring Kepa and Napoli linchpin Jorginho, Chelsea started the season unbeaten for 12 games. Cruyffian football had arrived in London.

However, when Sarri’s team eventually lost, and Liverpool and Manchester City broke away at the top of the table, the team fell apart. Chelsea lost multiple games in a row and suddenly found them-

move. Antonio Rudiger? Nowhere to be found. Superstar Eden Hazard? Simply staring in awe.

The players are used to being champions. Anything less doesn’t require their 100 percent effort and they can simply get the manager fired by crying wolf loud enough. Previous managers called the Chelsea board and management out in public but they were dismissed by everyone as the disgruntled whinings of failures. But the truth is evident now: this team needs a fundamental rebuilding from the foundation.

The transfer director, Marina Granovskaia, needs to be fired immediately. Callum Hudson-Odoi

stubbornness will be his downfall sounds similar to what they said during Pep Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City.

The Catalan, when he was given the right players and the time, produced the most dominant season in Premier League history.

Sarri may lack the innate genius of Guardiola, but the Italian has a chance to resurrect Chelsea football if he’s given the right opportunities.

The Italian wants to stay but keeps running into detractors and bystanders. On Sunday, the world found out what the real problem at Chelsea was. It remains to be seen what Abramovich will do about it.

Benzema says good riddance to Ronaldo European soccer expert Chris Lierly details Karim Benzema’s bold statement that his club is better off without Cristiano Ronaldo.

In an interview this week, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema claimed that the departure of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus last summer will allow him to “play [his] real football.” Benzema would also say that while in the past he had been focused on helping Ronaldo score, he now considers himself “the leader of the attack”.

Benzema’s comments might sound self-aggrandizing, but what does a team that has primarily relied on one forward since 2009 do when that forward leaves?

Coincidentally, Benzema also arrived to Real in 2009, so his guess is as good as anyone’s as to what Los Blancos will do in the next few years to make up for a man who scored 44 goals last season.

One option for Real Madrid is to take Benzema’s advice and make him the focal point of their attack. He spent the better part of a decade playing target-man for Ronaldo. He would get open control of a pass just to put the ball at Ronaldo’s goal-happy feet, so it is safe to assume that most of those skills would translate to being a more scoring-focused 9.

In fact, the French striker has scored eleven La Liga goals and four in Champions League play after a slow start to the season.

However, there are two problems with making Benzema the focus of the Real attack.

First, he is not a consistent scorer, and even though attacking involves more than scoring, Real need to make up for a massive goal difference in a post-Ronaldo world. Second, he is now 31 years old, and Real need to look at the future.

That future could rest in the hands of a youngster that Benzema mentioned in the same interview, Vinícius Juníor.

Vinícius has sometimes played in Ronaldo’s old position on the left-wing this season and though

Benzema and Ronaldo square off after Benzema’s claim that Real is better without his former teammate.

he has definitely not scored prolifically, he shows incredible potential and has become beloved by many Los Blancos faithful. He is only 18 years old and has appeared in 14 matches for one of the world’s biggest clubs.

He was characterized by ESPN journalist Dermot Corrigan as a “second striker,” which could play to Real Madrid’s advantage were they to pair him with the aging but experienced Benzema.

For all we know, Vinícius could rise to superstardom in the next few years while Real go through a

few rebuild-lite seasons. However, that seems unlikely. Vinícius is somewhat of a risk because there is not really a system for him to work within right now at Real. He would have to personally prove to the board that he is worth playing rather than buying a new winger from another club.

The third option will likely be how Real solve their problem on the left-wing and relies on the immense amount the club is willing to spend on transfers. Instead of replacing Ronaldo’s scoring with aging stars like Benzema or Ga-

reth Bale, they will likely make a blockbusting transfer from another super-club. Their options are limitless. Neymar and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain are two likely candidates to become Galacticos, but other stars could end up playing in the Bernabeu as well. From the Premier League, Eden Hazard will likely flee the sinking ship that is Chelsea, and Real looks like the most likely destination.

Also a possibility Harry Kane could finally win a trophy if he ever left Tottenham Hotspur.

graphic by Conner Maggio

Despite all of these possibilities, Real could also take all three.

They could keep Benzema to help work new transfers into their rotation.

They could try to convince Vinícius that it would be worth staying and playing under a star winger while he hones his craft, and they could buy any if not two of the four players mentioned.

It will not be easy for Real to make up for letting Ronaldo go, but when they have that much of the Franco family’s money at their disposal, a solution can be bought.

Sports

4 March 2019

The Collegian: 13

Tulsa hosts joint tournament with OSU

The Golden Hurricane suffered losses to Northern Iowa and Illinois, but came away with a win against Syracuse to go 1-2-0 in the TU/OSU Invitational.

photos by James Taylor

Mar. 4 - Mar. 10 Monday

Tuesday 4

W Basketball @ WSU 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday 5

6

Thursday

Saturday

Friday 7

No Events No Events No Events

9

8

W Tennis @ OU 3 p.m.

Softball @ GCU 3:30 p.m.

Sunday

Softball vs. NSU 10:30 a.m.

M Basketball @ Memphis 8:30 p.m.

Rowing @ OCU TBA

10

W Tennis vs. Bradley 11 a.m.

Softball vs. Drake 12 p.m.

the

State-Run media Quiet down or join a punk band.

Opinionated politicians team Tulsa Driller sealed up, form punk rock band away for our safety After years of criticism, four female politicians reclaim their shrillness and monetize it.

Sara Serrano More Emo Than Punk Although we’re only months into the new year, the entire nation already seems fixated on the 2020 presidential race. And who can blame them? With politicians announcing election bids every other day and media members already making predictions, the one question on everyone’s mind seems to be, “Who will be the Democratic challenger to incumbent President Trump?”

One thing’s for sure: don’t look at Hillary Clinton.

After being pestered and peppered with questions for months on the subject, Clinton took to Twitter last week to clear up all speculation about 2020.

“I’ve had it. No. I am not running for president again. I have no desire to be bullied, criticized and attacked for simply being a woman. No, the only rallies that I’ll be hosting in the next year are ones for my new band Shrill Pillbox.

Check out our new record btw.”

According to the band’s website, Shrill Pillbox is a four-piece, all-female, all-politician punk rock band with Hillary Clinton on main vocals, Senator Elizabeth Warren on bass/backing vocals, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on guitar and Senator Kamala Harris on drums.

“Well, ole’ Hillary’s let the cat out of the bag, I guess,” chuckled Senator Warren when questioned about her involvement in the punk group. “Yes, I’ve decided to rescind my presidential bid and commit myself entirely to this band. I just feel like I can do so much more good on stage than in the Oval Office.”

their ear-splitting sound.

Even while practicing, the ladies can be seen giving it their all. Clinton and Warren spit out fiery passion with every lyric they screech in harmony. OcasioCortez is absolutely dynamic on guitar, punching out chords and springing around the space. Harris is equally fun to watch, thundering down on the drums and cymbals to the point of breaking them.

Unfortunately, the punk scene has not received these women too kindly. “[Shrill Pillbox] is setting the genre back fifty years,” said an Alternative Press magazine review of their debut album. “Their sound

“‘I just feel like I can do so much more good on stage than in the Oval Office.’”

Senator Harris has announced that she too is dropping out of the race in favor of “blasting out beats on her kit.”

“Let’s see how they like our voices now,” Harris said to press clamoring for comment outside the U.S. Capitol.

Although they have yet to perform in public, their website features footage of a garage practice session where the band shows off

just too high pitched, too grating, too loud for punk. Honestly, it’s just very unbecoming of these girls.”

Despite the critics, Shrill Pillbox is a thunderous middle-finger of a band that definitely deserves a listen. Their new album “Filibustin’” is out now, featuring such songs as “Red Tape Blues,” “Fuck the Incumbent,” “Veto Men” and “G.O.P. (Grimey Old Peckers).”

graphic by Conner Maggio The last movie for Disney is expected to be a live action “Bambi” that features furries because of budget cuts.

Disney Studios runs out of live actions and remakes, bankrupts Disney’s new motto: original new ideas, who dat?

Hannah Robbins Oh Deer I should have seen it coming.

As evidenced by the new live action “Mulan,” “Aladdin” and “Dumbo” movies, to “Toy Story 4” and “Frozen 2,” Disney has run out of new ideas. While there are still a few more animated movies they could make into live-action films (“Finding Nemo” and “Lady and the Tramp” come to mind), the executives at the Walt Disney Company have decided to (finally) close down Disney’s movie division.

Shutting down the core business of the Walt Disney Company could not have been a simple decision, but looking back at some of the recent movies that came out, it also shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Sure, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” sounded like a good idea and had live-action dancing, but who could forget

the disaster that was “Cars 3” (the sequel to the failed sequel to the original “Cars”), the live action “Jungle Book” or even “A Wrinkle in Time,” the latest butchering of a beloved childhood novel? Don’t forget the rumors of a sequel to “Hannah Montana: The Movie” and a new film called “Earth: This Time We Focus On Humans.”

Obviously, it seems that the Imagineers that are coming up with the movie concepts have run out of imagination. Before 2021, Disney will have had three dozen live action remakes come out and too many sequels to count. It seems that they just decided on an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. That caused all the talent to leave, meaning that suddenly, they had no other choice but to make a fourth “Lion King” and a seventh “Little Mermaid.”

As Disney’s Marvel Studios mayhem continued to make oodles and oodles of dough, it became clear that Walt Disney Studios could not keep up. When asked to comment, Sherri Francis, a senior executive assistant to the head Imagineer, commented, “Honestly, I saw it coming. My boss just

was unable to come up with anything new. In pitch meetings, he would spitball a sequel to Disney Channel Original Movies but as full length films. Like, seriously, no one needs a third ‘Camp Rock.’

And that wasn’t even his worst idea! Imagine someone actually pitching you a prequel to ‘Frozen’ but it’s just about Elsa’s childhood.

Come on, we already played that out, and it didn’t even take an entire song!”

Apparently, it got so bad in recent months that some Imagineers had come to rely on random movie generators to come up with pitches. These generators came up with such concepts as “‘Wreck It Ralph’ prequel but from the villain’s POV” and “Mashup of ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood.’”

Don’t worry though! As Disney’s movie production studio shuts down, it leaves open the opportunity for even more Marvel and Pixar movies. Oh wait, you didn’t want a fifth “Thor” movie or a sequel to “Turbo”? Too bad! I did hear that there might be a third “Captain Marvel” movie already in pre-production, so stay tuned!

Oral Roberts clerics preserve Tulsa’s shrine to the oil business for another 1,000 years.

Brennen Gray Sealed Away His Own Heart The Demon Driller, after a difficult battle waged by level 20 clerics from Oral Roberts University, has been sealed inside the massive landmark of Expo Square known as The Tulsa Golden Driller yet again. Tulsa is now safe from the unmatched dungeon boss.

Now that his firebreath, super strength and mansplaining are sealed within a giant golden cage custom made for the demon himself, the city can celebrate another millennium of peace.

More important than the defeat of the demon, the statue itself commemorates the fact that Tulsa relies on an oil-only economy.

Keeping the Demonic Driller inside the giant golden landmark sends the correct message that Tulsa should only be characterized by its ties to the oil industry and nothing else.

Avid tourist Anita Vacay of Sunnyday, Nevada, expressed her interest in the driller.“There are so many landmarks in Tulsa that are way better, but this one is special because it keeps a massive demon monster at bay. Gee, making the Golden Driller the symbol of Tulsa sure does make me think there is nothing but oil there, but that is OK!” The showdown to keep Tulsa safe occured on Friday, March 1 at 8 p.m. The ORU clerics were tasked with both sealing the demon and keeping him contained within the area to prevent it from wreaking havoc on downtown’s First Friday activities.

Tulsan Ron E. Scared recounted the events.“The Tulsa Driller, praise be to oil, began shaking

and rumbling like he was real mad about something. Then all these old people dressed in cult robes started using their magic on him!

I was worried that our great city of Tulsa, praise be to oil, was going to fall to the darkness!”

Many Tulsans shared this experience, saying the battle was loud and fierce. People as far as Bartlesville claimed to have seen some of the sparks fly. This was reportedly the most difficult demon-sealing in recorded history.

“We had five of us, all level-20 clerics, converge on the site.

We had all majored in Defense Against the Dark Arts at school, so we thought we were prepared,” said Hal A. Luyah. He then shed a single tear.

“Our ancestors first fought the Golden Driller 4,000 years ago, but none of them sustained our losses. This time, only me and Cleric Jimmy N. Amen survived.”

Clerics Meg A. Church, E. van Jelical and Christian McChristiansworth all fell in battle.

But many Tulsans argue that the tragedy was worth it. When it comes to the guaranteed safety of the masses, no price can be too much to pay, especially if it keeps Tulsa associated with the oil industry forever.

The Golden Driller’s fire breath and the clerics’ spells combined to look hauntingly similar to a good Fourth of July fireworks show. Local art-lover George Kaiser commented on the spectacle.“I liked it,” he said.

And so, with the Demon Driller sealed inside the Tulsa Golden Driller, Tulsa can rest easy knowing that the massive dungeon boss will not rise again for another 1,000 years and that it can continue to use the landmark as the definitive symbol for its economy long after the oil industry is gone.

Still no word on why the federal government, the Catholic church and other religious institutions, or literally anyone else, is not allowed to fight the dungeon boss.

graphic by Conner Maggio New movie poster for a documentary about the Tulsa Driller and his recent kills.