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a student newspaper of the university of tulsa
september 24, 2012 issue 4 ~ volume 98
Stead returns to presidency In the wake of Geoffrey Orsak’s dismissal, Steadman Upham comes out of a threemonth retirement to lead TU. Kalen Petersen Editor-in-Chief
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n Thursday, the University of Tulsa announced that a familiar hand would take the helm at TU. President Emeritus Steadman Upham, who led the university from 2004 to 2011, will resume his desk in Collins Hall on Oct. 1. Upham retired in June, making way for Geoffrey Orsak, who came to TU from Southern Methodist University. After Orsak’s Sept. 12 firing, board of trustees Chairman Duane Wilson asked Upham to resume his post. Only months after Orsak replaced Upham, Upham will be replacing Orsak. While the drumbeat of academic life continued at TU, Upham had been exploring
his more artistic side, painting contemporary abstract art in New Mexico, where resided this summer. “It’s ironic: just about 10 days ago, I signed an agreement with a gallery here in Santa Fe,” Upham said. Besides painting, Upham said that his summer was occupied by reading, working on his property and keeping up with events at TU. Upham was circumspect about the abrupt end to his retirement. “Life happens when you’re making other plans,” he said. Upham called himself “enthusiastic and willing” to serve the university until a new president is selected, a process he said could take several years. “We won’t search again for another president this year,” Upham said. “The process of finding a president usually coincides with the academic cycle; that means that the search process would begin next fall.” Upham said he was “surprised, number one, and then deeply disappointed,” when Wilson in-
formed him that there was a problem with Orsak. “I had the same kind of feelings for the university as I would for a member of my family,” Upham said, “so when things don’t go well, you kind of grieve along with the person who was suffering.” Upham called Orsak “a very accomplished young man, personable, outgoing, great sense of humor,” adding, ““I just wish him the best.” Despite Orsak’s dismissal, Upham offered praise for the board’s selection process. “Anytime there’s a high-level search, the outcome is not certain,” he said. “The people who were on the search committee and the process was spectacular. It could not have been a more deliberate and careful process.” The university has continued to decline comment on the reasons for Orsak’s firing. “There’s always a need to know, and it’s frustrating for people,” Upham said, “but I think the outcome is clear and
See Stead page 5
Religious diversity abounds among TU students Despite differences, desire to engage and do good characterizes a parallel purpose amongst TU’s religious groups. Cara Dublin Student Writer
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avigating the campus wilderness of religious organizations with three-letter acronyms and other religious organizations can be overwhelming. Most of them spread the word about weekly religious services and free lunches, but RUF, ISM, MSA and the others - what do they all mean? Hillel is an association of Jewish TU students. The group currently has around 15 members, and seeks to “create a place for Jewish life on campus and for Jewish students to hang out,” said Elizabeth Cohen, president of Hillel. International Student Ministries is an interdenominational Christian organization that has been on campus for 20 years. ISM’s mission is to “To love the nations at our doorstep by helping to meet their practical and spiritual needs through the love of Jesus Christ. For example, providing furniture for incoming students from overseas, free food, driving lessons, English practice, introducing them to quality students and local families, etc.” ISM has a small leadership of five people on campus, “plus many amazing volunteers from the Tulsa Community,” who help to “love and support (up to) 200 students from around the world,” volunteer Charlie Brill said. ISM’s Free International Lunch is every Thursday. Its English Corner allows language-learners to practice conversation on Wednesday evenings. Furniture Fest, held at the beginning of each semester, helps newly arrived international students who might not have a car or know where to shop furnish their apartments with donated items, from mattresses to couches to tables and chairs. There are also a weekly Bible study and frequent events, such as outings and parties at local family homes. “Our greatest service is friend-
ship,” Brill said. “All of our events are meant to help these students have a solid support base here as they are so far away from their homes.” President Mohammed Al-Gattan of TU’s Muslim Student’s Association said that MSA “is a nonprofit Islamic religious and social organization, providing TU students with the opportunity to lead a spiritual life in a supportive Islamic environment, and seeking to educate the Tulsa and Tulsa University communities about Islam.” The MSA “exists and operates in conformity with the normative Islam as presented by the Quran and Sunna,” Al-Gattan said. “All normative Islam, without ethnic and cultural innovation, are welcome into the field of brotherhood-sisterhood of MSA.” They also welcome non-Muslim visitors to the mosque, according to their website: tulsamsa.blogspot.com. Five daily congregational prayers and Jumuah (Friday) prayer, as well as two Eid Salas (prayers) are mandated in the bylaws of the MSA, and are held regularly. An member of the MSA said that there are around 60 members, though “people come and go as they wish.” He called the MSA “more than a religious group,” but also a place to build community and play soccer. The St. Philip Neri Catholic Newman Center is “a group that caters to the Catholic students on (TU’s) campus,” according to student Rick Shipley. “We also reach out to non-Catholics on campus.” Members of the Newman Center strive to do everything in a “spirit of praising Jesus for all he’s done for us,” Shipley said. “We help provide opportunities through retreats and small groups to think about what (we are) called to do in life.” The Newman Center, according to its mission, “prepares university students for a life of faith and leadership in the Catholic Church and service to the world. After all, “the whole spirit of college is preparing us for what’s next,” Shipley said. The Newman Center holds daily Mass, morning and evening prayer, and a variety of social and educational events. Every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. there is a free lunch
at the Newman Center. The Reformed University Fellowship, the college ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America, was founded at TU in 2001. RUF “exists to reach students with the good news of what Jesus Christ has done to reconcile sinners to God, and to equip students to serve Jesus in all of life through the avenue of the local church,” Campus Minister Brent Corbin said. According to its mission statement, “RUF believes in a very old message which we believe has the power to change people even in our day: We are more broken, sinful, and flawed than we ever dare to believe, but also, in Christ, more loved and accepted by God than we could ever hope. We think this is at the heart of the good news of the Bible.” As many as 90 students attend RUF Large Group Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Sharp Chapel. It hosts a freshman Bible study at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays upstairs in Sharp Chapel. Various smaller student-led fellowship groups meet throughout the week to accommodate busy schedules. “In addition, we serve our local community through several churches, including a tutoring program organized through Crossover Bible Church,” Corbin said. “Regionally, we have recently done mission/service trips to Joplin, Missouri and Chicago.” Corbin said RUF tries to be “a group where those who don’t believe in or are unfamiliar with the truth claims of Christianity can come and hear and ask questions about these truth claims while being cared for and welcomed by a genuine Christian community.” RUF also hosts parties, bonfires and regular football games tailgates, among other cultural and social community engagement. RUF works closely with Christ Presbyterian Church, River Oaks Presbyterian Church (formerly Redeemer) and Trinity Church, Owasso. United Campus Ministries was founded at TU in 1967, and is perhaps better known as the “Little Blue House” behind Chapman Hall. “UCM is ecumenical and interfaith and is comprised of students of all faith backgrounds, as well as those who do not iden-
Jill Graves / Collegian
Top: The Wesley Foundation Middle: The Muslim Student Association campus Masjid Bottom: The St. Philip Neri Catholic Newman Center
tify religiously. Everyone is welcome,” UCM Executive Director Nancy Eggen said. UCM’s mission statement is: “In cooperation with area congregations, United Campus Ministry awakens an ecumenical voice for peace and justice on the University of Tulsa campus by fostering a benevolent and inclusive environment, which nurtures both spiritual and academic growth within the
university community.” “There are probably 100 people on our email list, with weekly attendance at veggie lunches at between 30 and 40 people,” Eggen said. UCM plays host to many TU student groups, including the Coalition for Women’s Issues, Earth Matters, PRIDE and the Cultural
See Religion page 9