a student newspaper of the University of Tulsa
September 27, 2021 - issue 3 - Volume 107
Men’s soccer nationally ranked, p. 2
New budget cuts cause chaos, p. 4 2021 Met Gala review, p. 5
cover by: Amy Polovich
Supreme Court challenged by AG, p. 3
Sports
The Collegian: 2
September 27, 2021
Hurricane men’s soccer nationally ranked
Tulsa defies NCAA odds, sports analyst Callie Hummel reports.
Originally ranked #24 in the nation by the NCAA before the season started, the University of Tulsa men’s soccer team is rapidly making their way up the ranks. After another blowout away game against South Florida, on Sep. 18, resulting in a 5-2 win and an updated 6-0 record, the team is now ranked in the top 10 of 4 national ranks. Tulsa is ranked 5th on Top Drawer Soccer and 8th on both United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News, all of which are organizations dedicated to enhancing preprofessional soccer to its highest capabilities. The official AP poll that the NCAA uses for its rankings has even moved Tulsa men’s up to 8th as well. Sophomore, Alex Meinhard, is also in the top 100 individual soccer players by Top Drawer Soccer, coming in at #72. Meinhard believes however that it is most important to keep the focus ahead and always be thinking about the next game. “You can’t think of the trophies or the goals you scored in the past, let’s get onto the next one and beat the next team,” Meinhard explains. Statistics like these suggest that these players must be focusing all their time on soccer alone. However, the main goal of this program is not just to create good players, but good all-around people. Coach McIntosh wants “the players to grow up to be good people. We want them to have a great life when they leave and hope they’re building habits to do that.” This idea is put straight into action with the mission statement of the program which focuses on three major ideas: relentless pursuit of championships, tireless work for excellent grades to a degree meaningful to the player and positive impact on the campus and community. While the team’s success this season indicates great athletes, it takes all three of these things to make this 6-0 team. While the team works relentlessly towards championships every time they step on the field, most of that work is put
in when there are no spectators and no fans cheering them on. “Preparation is the key to where we are right now.” Meinhard says, “It started as soon as we left school in the spring.” Players were given a workout packet for the summer including workouts for five days of the week, and the team had regular meetings and talked tactics far before the season started. Now in season, players will show up for training before 7 a.m. to watch film, lift and then get to the field for practice from 8:30-11 a.m. Alex Lopez, freshman goalie, says that, “it’s not unlikely to see a minimum of five to eight players staying behind after official practice has ended to work on something or get advice from Coach.”
is an important aspect to the University of Tulsa men’s soccer program as well, whether that be the player to player or player to coach relationships, or just how the team can positively impact the Tulsa community.“We started building those [player] relationships the first week of summer. We started building this project two months ago, and now we are seeing the results,” Lopez says. McIntosh also believes that a large part of the chemistry between the team is the respect players have for each other. This respect continues to show in the relationship between coaches and players as well. The coaches want the players to work as hard as possible, and one way to foster that is to lead by example. Meinhard be-
photo by Callie Hummel
Malik Henry-Scott, sophomore forward, says that with all the training they’re doing, “the motto we talk about as a team is just always about getting better… It keeps us in a progressive and growth mindset.” Pursuing education is the second key factor in their program. “School is the reason we’re here- to get a quality education and make the most of it,” McIntosh says. Results are showing in schoolwork as well, as last year the team earned a team academic excellence award in the American Athletic Conference and ended the year with a 3.559 GPA, 11 players earning a 4.0. Enhancing the college and community
lieves that “the coaches don’t really get the credit they deserve most of the time” and Lopez says that the coaching staff analyzes their game film immediately after their games even though it’s 10 p.m. or later. The team plays every three days, and in that time period coaches watch the previous game’s film, film on the upcoming team and relay all the information to the team. The coaches reciprocate this same respect for the players with the confidence they show in them. For example, McIntosh’s starting lineup includes 18-year-old freshman Lopez who the coaching staff put full faith in for his first year. “He’s much
more mature than an average 18-year-old. Lopez has a game awareness and communication ability that a lot of 18-year-olds don’t have. He’s an excellent shot stopper, and he’s very good with his feet. He gives us an additional defender that can pass and play out of the back—that’s why he’s played as much as he has.” In the Tulsa community, the team works with the DreamCenter youth to put on soccer events and oftentimes bring the kids to the games. “We saw the kids out there and it was great to celebrate with them and give them high fives before and after the game,” Henry-Scott says. The team also does community service work such as handing out food and working with youth at Kendall Whittier Elementary. It’s important to the coaching staff to do this because they believe, “our players get as much out of it as the people we’re assisting… it’s another way to positively influence their culture.” Going into the game against Memphis, Henry-Scott is on a four-game scoring streak, keeping the mindset of going into each game “knowing [he has] to find a way to score anyway possible” to contribute what he can to the team. Coach is confident in his abilities saying, “He’s a tremendous individual … he’s gonna have a great career ahead of him.” On Sep. 29, Tulsa is back home going up against SMU, a top 10 team, with their first conference home game. With last year’s fans only being at 25 percent occupancy, the team is ready and excited to have more fans to show up to the games, especially this important conference game. Henry-Scott says that having the fans there “really helps out a lot—you can hear them and feel like they’re with you.” With the way the team has been performing, it’s inevitable that fans will be able to see a great game, and Lopez instills this idea saying, “We are trying to be the best team in the country...we’re trying to do it, and we’re on the way to do it, and we want to do it. We’re going to fight for that.”
Tulsa volleyball picks up pace post-COVID
Sports writer Callie Hummel summarizes the Hurricane’s season as of now. University of Tulsa’s volleyball season was supposed to open with three games at the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska, however, COVID-19 complications required the team to drop out of the tournament. After only playing ten games during the 2020 season for a 2-8 record, the entrance of COVID implications into the 2021 season created a slow start for the team. With no pre-season tournament to warm up as a team and a lineup still affected by COVID, Tulsa went up against Sam Houston on September 3 during the Maverick Classic, taking the match to a tiebreaker but losing in the fifth game making the match score 2-3. In collegiate volleyball, teams play best of five games to make up a match, each being rally scoring to 25 points except for the fifth game, the tiebreaker, which is to 15. The fifth game is only played if teams are tied 2-2 after the fourth game. Just hours later in that same tournament, Tulsa quickly picked up the pace in their
next game against UT Arlington making the tie breaking game unnecessary with a solid 3-1 match win. In a hard fought first game, Tulsa won at a close 27-25. For their third game of the tournament, Tulsa shut down North Texas with a match score of 3-0 and individual games at 25-22, 25-16 and 25-23. Kayley Cassady, a Junior on Tulsa’s team, dominated the matches with 43 total offensive attacks. Cassady stands out as a powerhouse on the front line as an outside hitter, already with 138 total kills, surpassing her 112 from last season when she led the team in kills. With 66 more kills than the next hitter, Callie Cook, it seems as though she’ll keep this ranking in the 2021 season as well. On the defensive side, the team’s libero and defensive specialist, freshman Marta Pecalli, leads the team in total digs at 163. Of those digs, 22 were during their most recent game against Southern Illinois, helping the team get their 3-1 win.
Cook, a graduate student and middle blocker, had a record breaking season last year, surpassing the all-time career blocks record that was previously set at 348 (Tulsa Athletics). Leading the team in total blocks at 34, she’s continuing to increase that new record this season. While there are stand out players on the offensive and defensive line, the team’s aggregate chemistry is something spectators notice as soon as the match starts. With cheers after every point in their favor or huddling up with every point against, it’s obvious that the players on the court have each other’s backs. Off the court, players on the bench choose to disregard the chairs set up for them, opting instead to stand and cheer on their teammates playing, enhancing the community spirit even more. The team has currently played nine matches and finished with an overall record of 5-4, and 25 games with a 20-15 record. In the upcoming matches, Tulsa is at home
courtesy @TulsaVolleyball on Twitter
playing against South Florida (6-5) on Oct. 1, and UCF (6-5) on Oct. 3, both at 1 p.m. at the University of Tulsa’s Reynolds Center.
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3 Monday
Tuesday 28
27
W Golf @ Norman All Day
Wednesday
none
Thursday
M Soccer SMU 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 1
30
29
Softball NE Oklahoma A&M 5:00 p.m.
Friday
W Tennis @ Baylor All Day W Soccer @ Temple 6:00 p.m.
Volleyball @ South Florida 1:00 p.m. Football Houston 6:30 p.m.
Sunday 2
W Tennis @ Baylor All Day M Tennis ITA All American Championship All Day Rowing Head of the Oklahoma All Day
Cross Country Chili Pepper Festival All Day
3
Rowing Head of the Oklahoma All Day
M Tennis ITA All American Championship All Day W Tennis @ Baylor All Day Volleyball UCF 1:00 p.m. Softball @ Central Arkansas 1:00 p.m. M Soccer South Florida 7:00 p.m.
News
September 27, 2021
The Collegian: 3
Gabby Petito’s disappearance garners national attention The 22 year-old woman’s remains were recently discovered, with her still-missing boyfriend a person of interest. Anna Johns Satire Editor National attention placed a spotlight on the case of Gabby Petito, 22, after she was reported missing on Sept. 11 after a crosscountry road trip with boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23. Her disappearance sparked social media discussion which helped accelerate her case: her remains were found in Wyoming on Sept. 19, and as of the following Tuesday, a coroner determined the manner of death as a homicide, according to BBC News. In June, Petito and Laundrie began their road trip in her white van, planning to visit national parks across the western United States. She posted frequently on her social media about their trip and kept in frequent contact with her family until all communication abruptly stopped in late August. On Sept. 1, Laundrie returned to his family home in Florida with the white van he shared with his girlfriend; notably, he came home alone and did not alert her family or the police regarding Petito’s absence. Weeks before her disappearance, tensions between the couple seem to have spiked. On Aug. 12, police in Moab, Utah received a call from a witness who observed a domestic violence incident. The caller said he saw the couple fight over a phone and saw
Laundrie slap Petito before they returned to their van. When a police officer pulled them over and separated the two, the body camera footage depicts a stark difference in their behavior: Petito sobbed hysterically, seeming unable to compose herself, while Laundrie smiled and laughed with officers. “She’s just crazy,” he jokingly said to the officers after they asked if she took medication for her anxiety. At the suggestion of the officers, Petito and Laundrie separated for the night, and Laundrie’s hotel was paid for by the police, which was something the department often did for domestic abuse victims. The next day, they continued their trip. The details surrounding Petito’s homicide are unclear, but police have labeled Laundrie a person of interest. According to CNN, an arrest warrant against Laundrie was is-
parents claim they have not seen him since Sept. 14 when he set off to Florida’s Carlton Reserve, leaving behind his phone and wallet. Authorities continue to search this swampy 24,000-acre nature reserve for his whereabouts: helicopters, drones, dogs, divers and officers in specialized all-terrain vehicles have been deployed for several days. The area is difficult for conducting any search, as 75 percent of the search area is underwater, and alligators have presented a safety issue. National attention not only keeps the search for Laundrie ongoing but has also propelled greater awareness of other missing persons cases such as Jelani Day, Lauren Cho and Daniel Robinson. Day’s body was found on Thursday, but the locations of Cho and Robinson remain unknown; the prior
“National attention ... has also propelled greater awareness of other missing persons cases ...” sued Wednesday over alleged fraudulent use of someone’s credit card between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, withdrawing more than $1,000 from the account; though the indictment does not say to whom the card belonged, the use of the card during the period of Petito’s disappearance spurs more suspicion toward Laundrie from those following the case. Regardless, this arrest warrant allows the police to pursue him while further exploring his involvement in Petito’s homicide. Though a warrant has been issued, the Associated Press reports that Laundrie’s
was last seen in Yucca Valley ,California while the latter in Buckeye, Arizona. Petito’s case has highlighted several wrongdoings from police misconduct in situations of domestic violence to the disproportionate reporting of missing people of color. Because Petito was a young, conventionally attractive white woman, her story fits into the phenomenon of “missing white woman syndrome,” coined by journalist Gwen Ifill. Within this narrative, missing white women are portrayed as innocent victims, their disappearance or murders draw-
courtesy Wikimedia Commons This image is the last known photo of Gabby Petito.
ing days of news coverage attention while similar cases with victims of color are often ignored. Social media coverage helped find Petito’s body in Wyoming relatively quickly; other victims in the same state have not had such luck as 710 cases of missing Indigenous people have been reported in the past decade, according to NBC. Their stories have been largely untouched. With Laundrie missing, findings regarding her disappearance continue to develop with intense media coverage, and others hope to utilize this national awareness to shine light on other untouched missing persons cases.
McGirt v. Oklahoma challenged again by Oklahoma AG Two new petitions seek to move major crimes committed against Native Americans into the jurisdiction of the state. Justin Klopfer News Editor On Sept. 17, Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor filed two petitions with the Supreme Court in an attempt to overturn their ruling in the 2020 case, McGirt v. Oklahoma. The petitions involve specific crimes committed by non-Native Americans against Native Americans on tribal lands. Attorney General O’Connor believes these cases come under the jurisdiction of Oklahoma’s courts, not federal courts.
ply when the perpetrator is Native American. One of the recent petitions filed seeks to put a case involving a non-Native drunk driving and killing Native Americans into the jurisdiction of Oklahoma. Critics of the court’s ruling point out the criminals that Oklahoma courts have been unable to prosecute, such as Shaun Bosse. Bosse is not Native American, but his victims were and his crimes were perpetrated on tribal land. This brought Bosse out of Oklahoma’s jurisdiction and into the federal courts, though Bosse is now on Oklahoma’s death row after an appellate court ruled McGirt didn’t apply retroactively. Attorney General O’Connor has said that McGirt has led to a “criminal justice crisis” in Oklahoma with state-level prosecution impossible for many criminals. Some activ-
“Only one flipped vote would be needed to reverse the decision ...” The McGirt v. Oklahoma case ruled 5-4 that the state of Oklahoma didn’t have the right to prosecute major crimes by Native Americans in eastern Oklahoma, as per the Major Crimes Act of the Indian Appropriations Act. The crimes must be tried by either tribal or federal courts. The total land this places under federal jurisdiction is just short of half the state’s land. Jimcy McGirt committed crimes on the Muscogee Reservation, which was never legally disestablished. For this reason, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of Oklahoma didn’t have the right to prosecute McGirt; he had to be tried in federal court. The Supreme Court ruling only specifically mentioned the Muscogee Reservation, but has been successfully used for crimes in various tribal areas. About a month after the Supreme Court decision, McGirt was sentenced in federal court to another life sentence. In the original McGirt case, the perpetrator of the crime was a Native American. However, in several newer applications of the Supreme Court decision, non-Native perpetrators have been charged for crimes against Native Americans. Attorney General O’Connor believes this is not the proper application of the ruling; it should only ap-
ists, however, saw the McGirt ruling as an important step for Native American rights, as it establishes a degree of sovereignty for various tribes. After the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was in the majority in the McGirt case, and the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the Supreme Court has a much more conservative tilt than it did in July 2020. Only one flipped vote would be needed to reverse the decision, and this replacement may represent the necessary vote. One major impact of the ruling is the overturning of death sentences. Several of Oklahoma’s death row inmates have had their convictions overturned in accordance with McGirt v. Oklahoma, usually replaced by life sentences at the federal level. The Biden administration has not yet used the death penalty in federal courts after Trump brought back federal executions from a 17-year hiatus, though Biden has encouraged the Supreme Court to reinstate capital punishment for Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Most of the city of Tulsa is located within the Cherokee and Muscogee reservations. As of writing, crimes committed by or against Native Americans in this area are not within the jurisdiction of Oklahoma’s courts.
courtesy Ok.gov John O’Connor was appointed Attorney General by Governor Stitt in July 2021.
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tucollegian@tucollegian.com editor in chief
Piper Prolago managing editor
Zach Short news editor
Justin Klopfer sports editor
Logan Guthrie variety editor
Julianne Tran commentary editor
Adam Walsh satire editor
Anna Johns photo & graphics editor
Amy Polovich
business & advertising manager
Madeleine Goodman social media & web manager
Maddie Walters copy editor
Ji Aldada The original Supreme Court case was decided in July 2020.
courtesy Wikimedia Commons
@TUCOLLEGIAN
The Collegian is the student newspaper of the University of Tulsa. It is distributed Mondays during the fall and spring semesters, except during holidays and final exam weeks. The University of Tulsa does not discriminate on the asis of personal status or group characteristics including but not limited to the classes protected under federal and state law. Inquiries regarding implementation of this policy may be addressed to the Office of Human Resources, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-9700. (918)631-2616. Requests for accomodation of disabilities may be addressed to the university’s 504 Coordinator, Dr. Tawny Rigsby. (918)631-3814. To ensure availability of an interpreter, five to seven days notice is needed; 48 hours is recommended for all other accomodations. Advertising Policy: Advertising appearing in this publication does not imply approval or endorsement by the University of Tulsa or the Collegian for the products or services advertised. For advertising information, email the Collegian at advertising @tucollegian.org. The deadline for advertising is noon on the Friday prior to publication. Letter Policy: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words and can be sent to tucollegian@tucollegian. org. Under no circumstances will anonymous letters be published. The name of the person submitting the letter must be published with the letter. We reserve the right to edit or reject all letters. The deadline for letters is 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication. Editing Policy: The Collegian reserves the right to edit all copy submitted by all writers. This editing my take place in many forms, including grammar corrections, changes in paragraph structure or even the addition or removal of sections of content. Editorial Policy: Columnists are solely responsible for the content of their columns. Opinions expressed in columns may not represent the opinions of the Collegian staff, the administrative policies of the University of Tulsa, the views of the student body or our advertisers.
The Collegian: 4
Commentary
September 27, 2021
New budget cuts revealed at faculty meeting
Although TU has faced budget cuts in the past, a new wave of reductions leaves faculty and students strangely hopeful. Adam Walsh Commentary Editor On Friday, Sept. 24, a College of Arts and Sciences faculty meeting took place under the direction of the new-ish dean, Karen Petersen. Of course, the second this meeting was planned, the rumor mill guaranteed there would be unexpected viewers, including a representative of The Collegian. The contents of that meeting split into two sections. Part one focused on a series of slides
the faculty. For instance, each department is supposed to have their own processes to decide on a new chairperson, as well as the power that chair holds in the department and their term limit. However, questions from the faculty illustrate the belief that portions of those responsibilities for setting rules and guidelines seemingly lied with administration. The terminology used drew forth images of protective items like guide rails and warning signs, and this discussion shifted to student retention. With a helpful chart, Petersen explained that student retention across the university remains in the 88 to 94 percent range, but she did indicate that the algorithms and processes used to calibrate and quantify these results were less than stellar and will require future tweaking. This seems to be the overarching theme of the new administration’s perspective on TU’s overall situation; the vast majority of issues are rooted in simple errors in the basic construction of the university that led to the possibility of exploitation, both incidental and intentional. With student retention came the question of what the university was currently doing to help students that were struggling financially. It’s no secret that the primary way to receive aid, both need- and merit-based, from the university itself is through meritbased scholarship determined by the applicant’s ACT score, a system which is always
claiming how the president’s schedule was made open to the public and how she would be happy to see anyone walking through her door to engage with her on pressing topics. She stated directly “I will not lie to you” and made clear her desire to reduce the amount of conspiratorial rumor mongering through
“[Dean Petersen] stated directly ‘I will not lie to you’ and made clear her desire to reduce the amount of conspiratorial rumor.”
up for debate. Primarily relying on these scores, rather than financial need, to award scholarships has created an environment where students from lower income households suffer disproportionately in comparison to wealthier families. This comes as no surprise, but Petersen’s acknowledgment of this as a problem that requires thought illustrates a capacity to care and an openness to change. Following the slide show, Petersen called for reports from two of the three standing A&S committees. First was from the curriculum committee, which consisted of quite a few technical terms that described the ways in which the provost office would track the change of curriculum and at what threshold, 25 percent, they would construct a greater report. Second came an executive commit-
students should be directly invited to important meetings instead of relying on receiving links from disparate sources. The report consisted of describing the creation and results of a new cross-discipline group of the department chairs and their nomination of a chair of the chair council, Dr. Donald Prudlo. Part of Tingey’s philosophy resides in a similar belief to Dean Petersen’s desire to make each side of the faculty/administration line distinct and visible. While the preceding information was extremely interesting and worth witnessing, the true meat of the meeting, as well as the concern drawn from other individuals, lies in the proposed budget cuts across campus. Introducing the topic, Petersen indicated that there would be no preferential treatment, that each of the four colleges would have a three percent reduction in the unrestricted portion of their budget while the administration and athletic budgets would receive a five percent cut from the same portion of the budget each. The unrestricted portion of the budget is somewhat equivalent to a discretionary or slush-fund type collection of capital used for non-compulsory expenditures. This translates to no cuts to faculty salary, layoffs or a reduction in travel costs covered by the university— President Brad Carson reportedly made the protection of these three factors mandatory to any proposed plan. Reactions, of course, were mixed. People seem amenable to an even-handed reduction, but the question of why we have to make this reduction seemed strangely muted. Instead, most of the ire came out of a question asked in relation to the announcement, that of a potential hiring freeze. Dean Petersen’s response was by the book, stating that there was no official university-approved hiring freeze. While true by definition, I have not met a new faculty member in quite some time, and that seems to be the common experience. German has had to convert professors from other languages to teach intro-level classes while Philosophy retains a diminishing staff, overworking the most aged department on campus. Petersen’s diction and approach to these heavy topics were actually quite heartfelt. She said that she understood how any budget cut would instinctively put the faculty on its heels, but also intimated that such a relationship would lead to more chaos and fractures than simply working together. In a series of statements, Petersen pointed out the willingness of herself and President Carson to meet with concerned individuals, pro-
it to be an online payroll system to be utilized by any company or business. Instead of having to remember to fill out a timesheet, or to punch a hole in a piece of paper when you come in or out to work, employees have to remember to a login username and password and to clock in and out digitally, as well as put in department from which the allocation of your pay comes from. All of this is found in one place, and if you miss a punch, you can always send a punch change request to fix the time on your punches so that you are paid properly. There are additional services that Paycom have added to their system over the years such as E-Verify, human resources and document storage all in one singular place, consolidating these resources and in theory making them easily accessed. The University of Tulsa decided in 2021 during the spring semester that they would
system that is supposed to be very consistent and efficient, it seems at face value that the concerns of those who do not like it are unwarranted, and that people are not willing to accept change. However, not everything is perfect with this all-in-one business tool Paycom. There is a very real flaw that makes it very problematic and needs to be addressed. The main problem for the University of Tulsa specifically is that not everyone is paid hourly. With a salary pay, as is the case in many areas of TU, an employee receives the entirety of their pay independent of how many hours in which they work. This makes using Paycom difficult, because if an employee clocks out when they have finished their work, then it is set up to pay them by the hour, so the employee may have to wait to clock out until much later to get the full amount owed, as if they are working hourly. This is hard
photo by Adam Walsh The seat of TU’s upper administration, Collins Hall, has struck fear into the hearts of students and staff; now, Dean Petersen has implemented an open door policy.
shown by Dean Petersen, illustrating figures on a few separate topics and reports from the standing executive committees in the A&S college. The second half was question/answer based, where faculty members could direct questions to Dean Petersen on any topic relevant to the running of TU. The primary thrust of the first portion coalesced around a series of points made by Petersen on the nature of TU’s active administrative machinery or, specifically, the lack of it. Development of procedures, policies and concrete structure for the approximation and application of decisions made by both Collins Hall and the Board remains as the first goal of this new administration. This prospective course would serve to reduce the gray area between the operations of the administrative branch versus that of
tee report where Dr. David Tingey noted the moderate student presence at a meeting and voiced the opinion that there should be more student interaction and invitation to these gatherings, as well as proposing the creation of two different terms for these prospective opportunities. His statements imply that
promising clear and coherent answers to any questions. This is not a six-month timeframe fix, a point Petersen repeatedly indicated, and she is correct. While it has been easy for a persecuted populace to find singular figures to direct rage at, there is more than enough blame to pass around for the budget crises, and we cannot afford alienating competent administrators working to fix problems we all care deeply about. The us/them dichotomy, as Petersen states, has contributed to a rumor-laden shadow administration that seeks out conflict and causes issues for the poor battered faculty. However, the faculty has definitely given an undue, if understandable, amount of grief to the administration. The overall vibecheck of the faculty at the meeting indicates a strong approval of President Carson, Dean Petersen and the new individuals in charge of the Admissions Office, which has begun accepting help from faculty members. Dr. Kristen Oertel in the history department has repeatedly attempted to offer her aid to the Admissions Office, only to be rejected for around 11 years. Finally, the new individuals in charge have accepted her help. This microcosm of accepting help changes the atmosphere between the two segments of the university, and sets an optimistic precedent going forward. Other pieces of good news came out in the meeting. Revelations that the minimum number of students enrolled in graduate courses to prevent the class from being cancelled has shifted from ten to six and whispers of written-proposals to reinstate graduate programs act as the opening moves in rebuilding TU’s reputation and the trust between faculty, student and administration.
courtesy utulsa.edu Previously employed at Middle Tennessee State University, Petersen brings to TU experience and a fresh start.
Paycom implementation a complete failure
With the change in payment systems, some staff members are left waiting for their paychecks, leaving those with bills to pay worried. Logan Guthrie Sports Editor It is nearly impossible to go anywhere on Tulsa’s campus without hearing someone complain about how much they despise the Paycom payroll system. This is a very new way for the college to do payroll, so it is very easy to dismiss any issues as people just not being willing to adapt, but they’ve been using Paycom for nearly a year and the problems seem to still be compounding. Paycom is not an inherently terrible system for clocking wages for employees, but there are multiple factors in its system as well as at the University of Tulsa that have made the transition difficult, leading to the negative experience of many university employees. Founded by Chad Richison in 1998, the idea behind Paycom Software, Inc. was for
“. . . not all of our problems with this system are Paycom’s fault.” be switching to using Paycom across the board for all employment at the college, to the dismay of many students, faculty and other employees. Practically, this seems like a reasonable and efficient move, considering that different areas of the university used widely different methods of tracking payroll. No department did everything the same way, and having one all-encompassing system should make things easier for the school as a whole. Paycom is also based in Oklahoma City, therefore by using this company, TU is supporting a local business. With all the apparent upsides to having this
to remember if you are no longer at work, and everyone has lives outside of their employment to also focus on such as family, friends and other activities, so expecting someone to remember to do this is an issue due to human error. While there are ways to schedule a shift, it is not readily apparent and easily accessed on Paycom’s page, and it is still based upon an hourly wage rather than salary. A payment structure based upon a salary pay or freelance is incredibly difficult to do with this system, and Paycom is simply not accommodating to this in many ways. The
fact of the matter is that Paycom is not made for people who are not paid hourly, and to force people to use it when they are paid by another method than hourly is not only making things harder on everyone at the university, but is really not fair to the supervisors, especially when they have to constantly approve punch change requests because people clock out early but want to get paid the correct amount for salary. On the other hand, not all of our problems with this system are Paycom’s fault. In fact, the majority of the issues with Paycom come down to the University of Tulsa itself. The college decided to completely uproot all of its payment systems with one fell swoop in the middle of a pandemic that took a good majority of students, faculty and various employees off campus. This was not at all something that the university needed to worry about at the time, and they haven’t in most cases provided any sort of proper training for the people that need to use this program. In many cases for student employees at TU, the only training was videos that did not explain well how Paycom works and there are just several functions that they will never use, such as document storage. The supervisors seem to not have the necessary help they need to use this system and relay this information to the employees. All these things considered, it is no wonder that there is an absolute hatred for the Paycom payroll system, and something needs to change if the University of Tulsa has any hope of running smoothly in this area.
September 21, 2021
Variety
The Collegian: 5
Met Gala attendees somehow miss and also fit the theme This year’s Met Gala brings us misguided and successful outfits that embody what fashion and culture mean in America. Hachi Chuku Student Writer The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event established in 1948 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met is beloved by fashion enthusiasts and pedestrians alike: some come for the jaw-dropping designs and discover new designers, others to see their favorite celebrities walk the red carpet. It is a beautiful collaboration between influential models and revered designers, brought together under the guidance of a theme with the watchful eyes of the globe awaiting their attire. The theme for the 2021 Met Gala was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” a look into American influences, popular figures and culture. With the 2020 Met Gala being
canceled due to the COVID-19, the anticipation for the event was doubled. However, it seemed that little to none of the wealthy affluents in attendance could take advantage of this wide and extremely interpretational theme, nor could articulate how the designs chosen fit with the mood of the night. It seems that instead of an American approach with rich vocabulary and history in fashion, the Met Gala was riddled with disjointed European influence paired with the lexicon associated with celebrities and many extreme examples with a few exceptions. I believe these examples and exceptions can tell us about the attitudes that Americans hold to their own culture. The most apparent case of ignorance towards the theme was Kendall Jenner, designed by Matthew Williams. The model wore a stunning sheer, crystal Givenchy dress that at first glance appears like Hedy Lamarr’s dress in “Ziegfeld Girls” as an homage to old Hollywood, similarly to Emily Blunt’s shimmering star-spangled dress. However, upon interview, Kendall made it adamantly clear that the gown was a ‘naked
graphic by Amy Polovich Kendall Jenner wears Givenchy and Quannah Chasinghorse wears a dress designd by Peter Dundas.
The Collegian team views and reviews a movie while getting uproariously drunk. Piper Prolago Editor-in-Chief Zach Short Managing Editor Maddie Walters Web & Social Media Manager Note: All participants in the production of this article are either of legal drinking age or did not consume alcohol. Disparity in coherent prose should make as much evident.
Zach: Monsters university is a very silly movie. It has a lot of commentary on Greek Life, probably not in a way that ~45% of campus (Greek Life) would appreciate. Well they can just watch the original Monsters Inc. or Legally Blonde, because this movie is made for real gamers. I’m just kidding; love y’all. This is a nice movie though, and it’s made much better by the fact that we are following it with Shrek 2. Plus it has Steve Buscemi and that guy is all right let me tell you. Overall I cannot say that I have much to say about the movie. Like, it’s okay, but it does not do too much to make itself memorable. There are jokes occasionally, but they’re not too fantastic. This makes the second time I have seen it, and I probably would not watch it again. Honestly, invest your time in something a little more worthwhile, like another viewing of Shrek 2. Piper: Monsters University said a lot about the university experience. I feel like the people who made this definitely wouldnt
dress’ take on Audrey Hepburn’s dress in “My Fair Lady,” a film starring the English actress, set in England about English politics. In other words, not very American. Something similar can be surmised about Lil Nas X’s three-piece attire designed by Versace: a large, golden royalty-inspired overcoat with golden armor underneath. It brings forth images of King George and European knights, both of which have very little to do with American culture — a country built in rebellion to these ideals. The artist’s interview did not lend itself to clarifying how these choices fit with the theme; he instead chose to highlight how the shedding of each layer symbolized his own personal journey. And lastly and most disappointingly, given her reputation as ‘The Princess of the Met Gala,’ Rihanna’s large black Balenciaga overcoat worn with a black beanie did not hit the mark. The overcoat was inspired by vintage Balenciaga balloon dresses, and has more Spanish and French influence than anything else. The same can be said for most celebrities who took pride in their foreign designer brands. On the other hand, there were extraordinary Met Gala looks that fit perfectly within the theme and were truly works of art. For example, Lupita Nyong’o’s denim Versace gown was clearly inspired by the role jeans played for the working class throughout American history. Her styled afro was in reference to American artist Lorna Simpson, spotlighting that the color indigo was historically harvested by the hands of enslaved people. Ciara Wilson chose to highlight the role that sports, or particularly American football, has had in our culture and entertainment, donning a bright green jersey gown with a train highlighting Russell Wilson’s jersey number and was designed by Peter Dundas. Lorde’s set, a white skirt and jacket with upcycled charms from the 1950s and 60s with a headpiece to match,
was designed by Collina Strada associates. This outfit had the ideas of the playful yet poignant era of the 70s and counterculture: recycling, individuality and exploration. And last but most definitely not least, model and activist Quannah Chasinghorse’s Native American heritage inspired attire designed by Peter Dundas was one of the most impactful looks of that night. A gold lamé dress paired with authentic Navajo jewelry served as a reminder to the history of Native Americans within this country and an accurate representation of these true Americans. With this year’s Met Gala, I and many others are left questioning about what it fundamentally means to be American and what American culture truly is. Designers for the Met Gala had a plethora of material to draw influence from such as the Roaring 20s, the Pop Art Movement, diners, landscapes, The Space Race, The Old West, American gothic literature, The Gold Rush, superheroes, surfing, streetwear, proms, dolls and the list goes on. American culture plays a dominant part of the world, so why were so many attendants wearing attire tied elsewhere? I think the former statement gives us a clue. When Chasinghorse was interviewed about the inspiration behind her look, the activist told Vogue Magazine, “It’s extremely important to represent and bring authentic and true American culture to this year’s theme, as Native American culture has been appropriated and misrepresented in fashion so many times.” I think in America, like Chasinghorse pointed out in her statement, there exists a larger issue of appropriation born out of egotistical values, the mix of cultures due to immigration and general ignorance. This issue is unfortunately a part of American culture. The 2021 Met Gala is an inadvertent, but excellent case study of these biases at play. And thus in a backwards way, maybe all the attendees fit the theme after all.
have been allowed to rush Roar Kappa Roar. There’s a lot of pent up rage at greek life there. I’m not saying i dont like it, . I’ve definitely seen that giant underbite frat monster walking on TU’s frat row. im just saying they didn’t need to go that hard. I really liked randall’s villain origin story. Monsters University walked so The Joker could run. It’s so sad he really just wanted friends and what happened? He is still friendless. I’m so glad that shot for shot was the perfect environment to tease out the nuances of these characters. Namely, there were a lot of controversial milves in this movie. I’m looking at you, Sherry. I can give you what Don Carlton couldn’t. Perhaps an even more controversial milf? The scary dean. Maddie: Our main man Steve Buschemi stole the show. He had the perfect transformational character arc, only he turned from good to worse. Monster’s University offers ther backstory to the original film’s antagonist. I agree with Piper. The character arc
for Randall rivals that of the Joker from the Joker. Spoiler alert, but not really because its been like two years, but in the Joker he’s invited to a chat show only to further make fun of him after they already ripped him earlier. In Monsters University, Randall is invited to a fraternity, but only as a ploy to make Sully jealous and when they initiate him, he’s just their scapegoat for their own pathetic performance in the final challenge of the annual scare challenge. At the end, everyone laughs and he’s still friendless…. Sad! I do not read Piper’s comments about Randall; creepy how we’re sharing the same single brain right now. The dean also reminds me vaguely of a professor here...No, I will not elaborate. Point point, I agree with Piper about the dean. It’s a divided household, but I agree.
“Montero” proves Lil Nas X is not a one-hit wonder
In his debut studio album, “Montero,” Lil Nas X displays his brilliance while utilizing his handle on outrage marketing. Joseph Boehm Student Writer
Imagine the first song you release sets new records on the top charts as the longest running number one song of all time. Not only does your reality completely change, making you an international superstar overnight, but now you have the eyes of the world on you wondering what you will do next. This is the reality for Atlanta native Montero Lamar Lil Nas X, better known as Lil Nas X. Lil Nas X’s path has been one riddled with controversy. It started unintentionally, as most things do, with the country charts removing his song from their lineup claiming that“Old Town Road” was a hip hop song. The internet erupted with outrage and people were calling for apologies and claiming that country charts were racist. This was until country icon Billy Ray Cyrus stepped in on the remix of the acclaimed song and shot it back to the number one spot on the country and general charts respectively. It remained there for 17 weeks, blowing away the previous record holder, Bruno Mars with “Uptown Funk.”
However, in more recent outings, Lil Nas X has decided to lean into the backlash that has ensued. Lil Nas X described his actions as seemingly trolling on “The Breakfast Club’s” interview on September 16, 2021. The artist has leaned in and allowed himself to be the butt of jokes and criticism. Frankly, I think it’s brilliant. By making fun of himself and allowing people to see his humorous side, he’s won over a lot of people by pulling back the curtain. Although there are certain stunts that may have taken it a bit too far, (i.e. twerking on satan during the “Montero” music video, which sent the internet into a tailspin) Lil Nas X has made it clear that he’s just having fun. Nevertheless, we live in a culture dominated by outrage. Since some of his stunts have been seen as offensive to large groups of people, he has opened himself up to heavy criticism. Whether you agree with the mantra “there is no such thing as negative attention” or not, you cannot argue with the numbers his single “Montero” put up. But enough about his persona, you’re not here to listen to me talk about his brilliance on social media or how he uses outrage culture to get his name out there; you’re here to see how I’m feeling about this album. Safe to say, I love it. I think Lil Nas X delivered and I’ve been bumping this album for the past 5 days on repeat. For a debut album, he killed it. There were high expectations, but I truly believe he delivered. Personally, I enjoy his genre-bending beats ranging from alternative to pop and
trap. This was the pop album we wanted and needed in 2021. Lil Nas remains authentic, speaking openly on his life and his struggles with self-love, his sexuality and his varying levels of success. This album feels deeply personal and although every song doesn’t hit home, there are definitely quite a few that delivered. My personal favorites are “Industry Baby,” “Dead Right Now,” “That’s What I Want,” “Dolla Sign Slime,” “Tales of Dominica,” “Montero” and “Don’t Want It.” The topics of these songs range from depression, fear, success, broken relationships and living one’s personal truth. If nothing else can be said for Lil Nas X’s character, it’s clear that he is honest. He’s not here to put on a front for anyone or be something he’s not
“Montero” was released Sept. 17, 2021.
and I respect it. Love him or hate him, I believe this album solidified him as a name to know. He’s not going to be the one-hit wonder many of us thought he would be. He has a voice. He has a melody and he has a message. I’m not here to judge his character one way or the other, but I do know musical talent when I hear it. According to Billboard, “Montero” drew 46.9 million U.S. streams and sold 21,000 downloads in its first week. Love him or hate him, take offense at his actions or not, the kid is here to stay and his outrage-marketing is only adding to his popularity. Regardless of what he does in his own life, there is no argument “Montero” is a quality debut record. I’m excited to see where he goes from here.
courtesy Columbia Records
The State-Run Media
September 27, 2021
the
State-Run media Honk if you love men’s tits!
“Dear Evan Hansen” teaches local man to weaponize mental illness The film preaches many moral messages, but best of all, it teaches how to up your manipulation game. Anna Johns Has a Zoloft-encrusted Rolex Broadway sensation turned movie “Dear Evan Hansen” attempts to tackle several serious issues faced by modern teenagers from suicide to family relations, centering its plot around a stammering, anxiety-ridden underdog and music that resembles Christian pop more than showtunes. Most of all, for junior Mechanical Engineering major Trent Calbert, the movie spurred a realization: mental health is a real problem that can be exploited. “Yeah, my girlfriend made me go see it with her,” Calbert explains, “and at first, I was like, this blows, this totally fucking sucks. But then that skinny whelp Evan Hansen guy opened my eyes. I thought anxiety was just, like, something you had before an exam.” Indeed, the protagonist struggles with his mental illness throughout the film, and actor Ben Platt attempts to utilize overexaggerated affectations to portray anxiety. He constantly wrings his hands and hunches his back, likening him and his perpetually damp hair piece to a wet, shaking Persian cat. In conversation, he stammers and darts his eyes about in an uncomfortably lizardlike manner. His prescription pills feature not only in the background but in multiple instances of passing dialogue (a special moment for viewers to gasp and say, “So relatable, I also take Zoloft!”). “Could also just be Beta Male Disorder,” says Calbert before letting out a snicker.
graphic by Anna Johns
Calbert enters Evan Hansen’s depression den.
“Just kidding! Don’t call the PC Police on me. I know now people with anxiety Frankenstein walk around and mouth breathe because they just can’t help it.” Notably, mental illness appears to be a reliable excuse. The protagonist brushes off his deception and meddling with a dead guy’s life because he has depression, anxiety and uwu soft boy symptoms. So, the moment this touch-starved attic child first tastes delicious attention, he does not want to set any record straight. Explaining the plot, Calbert lists the pros of deception: “Well, he gets a hot piece of ass, everyone loves him and he receives hella Instagram followers.”
“It totally works, too,” he continues. “I started over-apologizing in class, like an ‘oh, this might be a stupid question’ or ‘I’m not sure I have the right answer’ or whatever, and you should see how nice the professor gets or how people look at me, like I’m a fragile fucking vase or something. It’s like a Fortnite skin: put it on and look how people react.” Calbert also points to using mental illness as a get-out-of-jail card in his social life. He cites an example of missing an anniversary with his girlfriend (“Had a fantasy football draft to attend,” he explains), a situation that would usually result in a big fight and hurt feelings. Instead, Calbert hunched his shoul-
ders and fiddled with his hands then admitted that his anxiety has been so bad lately. He made sure to point out that it would be super shitty for her to get upset with him because he cannot control how his new disorder manifests. Plus, remember what happened to the Connor dude in the movie when he could not deal with his mental health? He killed himself, Jessica. Offering advice to those who struggle with mental illness, Calbert says, “Instead of having anxiety, maybe you could, like, put yourself out there or something? It worked in the movie. He got so much better after he made some friends. I don’t know. I just feel like it’s not that hard.”
TU Administration shrugs off COVID-19 concerns Amidst the spread of the contagious Delta variant, TU offers advice to older professors teaching in-person classes: “Ah, well. Good luck.” Kyle Garrison Simply a passive player in this game of life The University of Tulsa, well known for its foolproof and incredibly well-liked plans, has issued a new comprehensive statement for its older professors: “Oof, sorry about that, I wish you the best, but there is nothing I can do,” thereby eliminating all legal culpability, and addressing other relevant concerns, like losing donors. When asked about a comprehensive response plan to the Delta variant, TU’s highly trained contact tracer task force responded to our reporters by asking if we had “checked out our gaming lounge? It has a bunch of cool games and it’s a great place to hang out unmasked,” then immediately threw a smoke bomb and ran away. Our sources have yet to make any contact or track down any trace of the aptly named task force. An anonymous professor expressed his concerns to TU’s board of trustees about the plan to keep him safe from the increasingly dangerous and transmissible COVID-19 variants, to which they responded that they had an incredibly sophisticated plan, the best plan anyone had ever seen, but he was “simply not cool enough to see it.” When reached for additional comment from the board directly, a comedically villainous oil baron responded by rubbing his hands together and lamenting that he was
“sorry to hear about the danger to the lives of your professors, but if it makes you feel any better, replacing them with an adjunct when they die will save the university loads of money which we can funnel into more gaming lounges.” In the long run, he argued, the student and the stockholder—this being a business after all—would be better off. A local student who potentially goes here and was standing outside of a frat at 9:45 p.m. on a Tuesday, argued, “I shudt huv tuh wurr uh meask in clus. Urweellion as fucckkk. Uuhno. Iss amos muh budtim.” Many other students echoed his statements, or presumably would have had he been even remotely intelligible. In a contrasting view from another student interview, a nerd student said that he is willing to kiss any amount of professor ass to get good grades, and “if that includes mask wearing, so be it.” The university has clearly shown its full commitment to handling the virus in a way that best fits the unique perspective of its shareholders and donors. Oh, and also its students and professors, I guess. This comes on the heels of a long held commitment to listening to faculty opinions, especially when they say what we want to hear, and if it isn’t against the views of our donors, and if it is not in some way slightly inconveniencing the student body. A truer commitment has rarely been found in campuses across the nation. At press time, Brad Carson, newly appointed president of TU, whom I am contractually required to say will take TU in exciting new directions, sent out an email in response to this issue titled “Student and Faculty News of the Week” or some shit. I didn’t read it.
graphic by Anna Johns Ah, fuck, not the smoke bomb trick again. We really need to check administration’s defense budget.
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graphic by Anna Johns
