a student newspaper of the university of tulsa
september 23, 2013 issue 3 ~ volume 99
Reddest state
in the union
Oklahoma’s original state flag, adopted in 1911 and meant to symbolize Oklahoma’s status as the 46th state, was replaced in 1925 due to its purportedly communist overtones. The Red Scare of the 1910s saw a decline in the socialist and communist institutions and symbols that had previously taken hold in Oklahoma.
Though Oklahoma is today known as a bastion of conservative Republicanism, it has in the past leaned much farther left. In this issue, we explore Oklahoma’s rich socialist and communist past. Victoria McGouran Staff Writer
A
ccording to recent research by Gallup, Oklahoma is the 6th Most Conservative State in
the nation with 47.3 percent of the population estimated to be conservative. While this research undoubtedly leaves liberals shaking their heads in disgust, it likely does not come as a shock to most Oklahomans. Oklahomans have given their electoral votes to the Republican Party in every post-WWII Presidential election—with the exception of re-electing Johnson after Kennedy was assassinated—and in 2008 Oklahoma was the only state which failed to deliver a single county to Barack Obama.
On the surface at least, it certainly appears that conservative values run deep in Oklahoma’s past. Some jokingly say they run so deep that it has turned the soil red. However, when one takes a look into Oklahoma’s past it becomes clear that the soil is red for a very different reason. There was a time in Oklahoma’s history when the red of Lenin and Marx, the red of socialism and then communism, swept across the plains with a power that overcame slow-moving traditionalists. As hard as it may be to believe,
True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center The True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center connects TU’s staff, faculty, and students to the community around us. Mentor, tutor, assist a teacher, monitor a playground or cafeteria, work in a Food Bank. We partner with over 75 agencies in and around the Tulsa area, so wherever your interests are we can find a place for you volunteer your time. Make a Difference Day This is a national event to spotlight community service in your area. TU will be joining other Kendall-Whittier community partners to clean up Kendall-Whittier Main Street on Oct 26th from 1 P.M. – 4 P.M.
at one time, Oklahoma had the most influential Socialist Party in America and was a thriving environment of radical thought. Signs of socialism can be found throughout Oklahoma’s history, even as early as 1911—only four years after achieving statehood— when Oklahomans adopted their first official flag. Citizens could then look above the State Capitol in Guthrie to see a bright red flag emblazoned with a single white star. The flag recalls images of Russian and Chinese flags from the
Communist Revolution, and much like those flags, the Oklahoma flag was flown for the disenfranchised, the poor and the native peoples forced to live in Oklahoma because of the U.S. government’s policy of explicit indigenous expropriation. Ultimately socialism found its voice through the farmers of Oklahoma (primarily those affiliated with the Farmers Union and the Farmers Alliance) and the movement grew rapidly due to the
See Red page 5
Community Service Work Study Would you like to work in a rewarding atmosphere? Do you qualify for Federal Work Study? You can use your work study at a non-profit agency or school, get paid $9 an hour and change a life! Reading Partners Reading can change a child’s life! Become a True Blue Neighbors Reading Partner at Kendall-Whittier Elementary, commit to 1 hour a week and a 45 minute training session and you can be the catalyst to launch a child’s education to a higher level.
For additional information on volunteer opportunities, contact Kathy Shelton in the True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center at kathy-shelton@utulsa.edu or call 918-631-3535.
Sports
23 September 2013
the Collegian : 2
Logan Miller / Collegian
The Golden Hurricane’s Carly Boatwright approaches the net to hit a ball set by Bailey Clampitt over net during their match against the University of Oklahoma Sooners on Sept. 17th at the Reynolds Center. The Golden Hurricane fell behind 2–0, caught up to tie the match 2–2, but eventually lost 3–2. Over the week, the team bounced back and won the Nike Invitational Tournament in Norman, Okla.
Volleyball dominates in Norman After a loss to the Sooners at the Reynolds Center, the volleyball team swept the Nike Invitational Tournament in Norman, Okla. Ryan Selvius Student Writer
Last week was a fairly busy and successful week for our volleyball team. They were able to go 3–1 in their four matches while also taking first place in the Nike Invitational Tournament in Norman, Okla. Their first match of the week came on the 17th against OU. They fell behind by 2 sets early on in this best of 5 match, but the Golden Hurricane found a way to make it interesting by winning sets 3 and 4. By taking the 3rd set 25-18, the Hurricane stayed alive and forced a 4th set. TU soon found themselves trailing 24-21 in the late stages of this set, giving OU 3 consecutive chances to close out the match. They failed and allowed TU to fight off three consecutive match points to tie the set at 24 all. From this point forward, the
scoring went back and forth, which left the outcome of the match very much up in the air. After fighting off a fourth match point, TU won the set by a score of 31–29, and forced a deciding fifth set. Unfortunately, OU took this set and the match by what ended up being a very narrow margin, 15–13 and 3 sets to 2, but this was a great effort nonetheless. TU continued their season in the Nike Invitational this past weekend, and bounced back with an impressive come from behind victory over LIU Brooklyn. Having dropped the first set 18–25, and the second set 19–25, The Hurricane needed a comeback similar to the one they nearly pulled off against OU earlier in the week. The Hurricane played very well in the final three sets and completed this comeback while recording 40 kills and 65 digs in those 3 sets. Kellie Culbertson, Valerie El Houssine, and Bailey Clampitt as well as Genesis Viera, all made substantial contributions throughout this match that helped TU recover and come out on top. On Saturday, the Golden Hur-
O’Hare competes in international event
Tulsa’s top track and cross country runner talks about the World Championships and his racing goals. Alex White Student Writer
Chris O’Hare is the resident track and cross-country star at TU. He runs races ranging from 1500 meters to the 10 km, but the Scottish runner has received the most attention for his performance in the 1500 meter race. “My goal is to win a world championship and an Olympic gold medal. I know that may not be realistic, but I don’t care. I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen,” the lean 22year old distance runner says. However, when O’Hare was first inspired to start running by his older brother back in primary school, competing in the world championships for the 1500-meter race wasn’t realistic, either. Competing for Great Britain at the World Championships in Moscow, O’Hare ran with the best track and field athletes in the world. He plowed through the qualifying rounds, reaching the finals proving he is among the world’s top runners. “Going in, my feelings were mixed,” he says. “It’s difficult when you’re one of the youngest runners out there to know what you’re capable of. But once you get there it’s just another race. Next year I don’t plan to do anything differently at all, except be faster. It’s all in the training I’ll put in between now and then.”
O’Hare came in last in the finals at Moscow, finishing in 3 minutes 46.04 seconds, slower than the semifinal. He started the race with the leaders, but when the last 600 meters came into sight, O’Hare “just couldn’t find the gears.” Nevertheless, his presence there at such a young age is a major accomplishment and a national milestone for Scotland. O’Hare is the first Scottish runner to even make it to the finals in six years. His last-place performance in the finals has done nothing to discourage O’Hare, instead, he’s come away with more motivation than ever before for the upcoming cross-country season. One might think that after achieving such success on a global scale, the University of Tulsa cross-country team might be on the back burner in O’Hare’s mind, but he says opposite is the case. “Cross country is my focus now; we came in seventh at nationals next year and I’m aiming for the top five this year. The new runners we’ve got this year strengthen the team much more than the seniors we lost at the end of last year. Personally, I know that the higher I place at nationals, the better it will be for my team.” Most of all, O’Hare is a man of ambition; “I’m disappointed with anything less than a win, even though that’s not always realistic.” At least we know that with such lofty goals he will never be without motivation and neither will the cross-country team; they have a fantastic prospects for the coming season.
ricane played well in each of their matches. Although TU did win 3 consecutive sets against Miami, the match was much closer than the sweep initially indicates. TU won each of the first two sets by a narrow 2 points and went on to win the third and final set of the match 25–21. In what would be their final match of the weekend, TU played the University of Nebraska-Omaha and won easily (25–14, 25–19, 25–22). The Golden Hurricane will return to action at home on Sept. 27 when they will play the Italian U23 team in an exhibition match at 5 p.m.
News and Notes •
The Tulsa Revolution of the Professional Arena Soccer League released their 2013-2014 season schedule. Their home opener is on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. against RGV La Fiera of Hidalgo, Tex at the Cox Business Center, formerly the Tulsa Convention Center.
•
The New York Islanders played their first game at the Barclays Center on Saturday losing to the New Jersey Devils 3–0 in a preseason game. The Islanders will move into Barclays Center permanently in 2015 after their lease at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum expires.
•
The Baylor Bears are the first team FBS team to score at least 60 points in their first three games since the 1930 Louisiana State Tigers.
David Kennedy / Collegian
The ball flies passed Valparaiso keeper, Tom Serratore, on Friday night. The Golden Hurricane was able to find the back of the net four times in the game against the Crusaders on Friday night.
Hurricane-Cyclone series to climax Thursday
The Hurricane is preparing to play the Iowa State Cyclones for the third time in 13 months on Thursday night. Catherine Duininck Student Writer
For the third time in 13 months the Golden Hurricane will take on the Iowa State Cyclones in a difficult match-up on Sept. 26. Last year TU lost to ISU 38–23 in their opening game, but had a chance to battle again in the Liberty Bowl, ending in a TU victory by a final score of 31–17. ISU, lead by coach Paul Rhoads, has graduated many of their key defense and offense players, bringing back only nine starters. The Cyclones will rely on seniors Washington and George to raise the rest of the defense’s game. Their defense is inexperienced and will need players to step up in order to stop powered offences. This season, Sam Richardson returns as ISU’s quarterback and hopes to lead a faster-paced offence to thwart TU’s defense. One key player in ISU’s success this year might not be a player at all. New offensive line coach Chris Klenakis has thorough knowledge of the pistol offense and will push for a competitive offensive drive through Richardson that could
lead to a successful season for ISU. The Hurricane defense is experienced with Richardson and we hope to neutralize his effect on our game, just like ISU is looking to neutralize players like TU running back Trey Watts. Trey Watts was the MVP of the Liberty Bowl last year and will prove to be a treat to ISU in the upcoming game. Last year Watts rushed 25 times for 149 yards, which included a 48-yard run for Tulsa’s fourth touchdown of the game. Watts caught four passes for 17 yards and four kick returns for 83 yards. This year Trey Watts was selected on the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s most outstanding player; the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile player; and, for the nation’s top running back, the Doak Walker Award. At the Liberty Bowl, Senior quarterback Cody Green led TU’s offense and rushed 10 times for 58 yards, and completed 11 of 23 passes for 93 yards. The Bowl game was a brutal defeat for the Cyclones. The Hurricane’s Dexter McCoil caught his fifth interception of the season with 3:55 left in the game to ruin ISU’s last attempts to catch up to TU’s 31–17 lead. This year players like Bundrage will be a thorn in the side of
TU’s defence and will be one of ISU’s go-to guys to get their offense going. So far this year, Tulsa head coach Bill Blankenship has lead Tulsa to one victory and two defeats, but TU has gained momentum through the season. TU’s last game against OU on Sept. 14 proved that TU has good offensive and defensive teams with players like Watts totaling 231 all-purpose yards with 60 yards rushing, 65 yards receiving, 77 punt return yards and 29 kick return yards; Jordan James catching six passes for 100 yards; and Cody Green completing 17 of 33 passes for 226 yards with only one interception. Green also had four carries for six yards. Senior linebacker Shawn Jackson had 15 tackles, and of those, three were tackles for loss. Momentum like this will continue to put TU in good standing to take on the Cyclones and increase our chances for a victorious season. The game will be broadcast live from H.A. Chapman Stadium on Fox Sports 1 starting at 6:30 p.m. FS1 can be found on Cox channel 67 and channel 652 on AT&T Uverse. Dish and DirecTV carry FS1 on channel 150 and channel 219, respectively.
Sports
the Collegian : 3
23 September 2013
“Redskins” team name needlessly offensive Teams using the name “Redskins” are unnecessarily offensive to Native Americans. Jordan Dunn Hoyt
Student Writer
Seahawks, Titans, Rams ... “Redskins”? National leaders in Washington as well as The National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell are asking the same question as the push to change the name of the NFL’s Washington Redskins heats up. The franchise has proudly worn the name for 82 years, but the sting of the name for many American Indians goes back centuries. In 2005, the NCAA enacted a policy that lead to the changing of all offensive mascots, but this particular name still lives in over 62 high schools across the country as well as in the NFL. The origins of the term “redskin” are generally not agreed upon, but one theory is starting in 1755 when bounties were first offered for the killings of Native Americans. To collect on such bounties, mercenaries removed
and took the scalps of their targets as trophies. Most believe it simply is for people of European descent to differentiate themselves from Native Americans using the color of skin as an identifier. Beyond just the term “redskin,” many symbols of Native American culture are appropriated and commercialized nearly every weekend in the name of football in an offensive way. At my alma mater, Union High School, before every football game the team would run out of a smoke filled teepee before cheering fans wearing feathers and doing “tomahawk chops.” For some American Indian tribes, the teepee is the home where their children were born, where their elders take their last breaths, and a holy ground for the worship of the creator. Spectators in Washington and Kansas City—where the football team is the “Chiefs”—sometimes show up to games with full native headdresses, unintentionally mocking a symbol that takes decades or even a lifetime to earn. Popular opinion is used to justify these disrespectful acts. Since an AP poll from this spring showed that 79% of Americans don’t want the Washington football team name changed and some polls even show a majority of Native Americans against a name
change, fans often claim that no one is truly being hurt. Problems with these polls arise when their sample is based off of “self-identified” Native Americans who may have very few native ancestors or may not live a traditional native lifestyle. These figures also neglect the fact that there are 562 federally recognized tribal governments which, as well as each individual, may have differing views. Even then, ethnic equality should not be a popularity issue, but an issue of right and wrong. Of course, in most cases, the name is not meant to be offensive. For more than a decade I proudly called myself a “redskin” so it was difficult for me to truly equate a name I adopted to be a slur against any group. If anything, I saw my school’s representation of the name as a tribute to Native Americans. But it is not up to me to decide how others should think and feel about a name that carries such a harsh history that spans much longer than my decade of being a “redskin,” or even 82 years of football. If we truly desire to show the world that a multitude of nationalities, ethnicities, religions, and races can peacefully and happily coexist in one country, the ethnic slur “redskin” needs to be removed from the list of sports mascots.
Crusaders no match for Hurricane Men’s soccer continues strong season with a victory over Valparaiso. Steven Buchele Staff Writer
This week the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane Men’s Soccer team played the Valparaiso Crusaders on their home field. Tulsa outplayed Valparaiso 4–0 in their first meeting on the men’s soccer pitch. Valparaiso had gone undefeated up to this point with a record of 2–0–3, but it was not enough to fend off 12th-ranked Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane set the pace of the game early by making several early attempts on the goal before Kyle Cummings picked up a pass by Akeil Barrett the only goal of the first half at 30:25. The Golden Hurricane kept up the pressure for most of the rest of the half.
Sept. 24
W. Golf
Marillnn Smith/ Sunflower Invitational
Manhattan, Kan.
All Day
Sept. 26 Football
W. Volleyball
vs. Iowa St.
H.A. Chapman Stadium
Sept. 27
vs. Italian U23
6:30 p.m.
Reynolds Center
5 p.m.
W. Soccer
vs. Louisiana Tech
Hurricane Stadium
7 p.m.
W. Tennis
10K Hilton Head
Hilton Head, S.C.
All Day
M. Tennis
ITA AllAmerican
Case Tennis Center
All Day
Sept. 28
Softball Softball M. Soccer M. Tennis W. Tennis W. Tennis Cross Country
Volleyball W. Soccer
vs. Central Arkansas
vs. Missouri State vs. Old Dominion ITA AllAmerican
10K Hilton Head
All American Championship Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree vs. UAB
Springfield, Mo.
3 p.m.
Springfield, Mo.
5 pm.
Hurricane Stadium
7 p.m.
Case Tennis Center
All Day
Hilton Head, S.C.
All Day
Palisades, Calif.
All Day
Stillwater, Okla.
All Day
Sept. 29
vs. Florida Atlantic
Birmingham, Ala.
12 p.m.
Hurricane Stadium
1 p.m.
Case Tennis Center
All Day
Hilton Head, S.C.
All Day
Palisades, Calif.
All Day
Throughout the game Tulsa’s goalkeeper, Jake McGuire, handled himself with amazing poise, shutting down several breakaway attempts on Tulsa’s goal with unmistakable calm. Together with Tulsa’s defense, Valparaiso was restricted to only a single shot on Tulsa’s goal late in the second half. It was not for lack of trying. Valaspairo’s shining moments were the ten minutes before and after the half when they managed to push the Tulsa onto defense and made use of several quick passes to make some credible threats. There were several tense moments when Valparaiso forwards managed to slip into the open space in front of Tulsa’s goal, only to have the ball plucked up by Tulsa’s composed goalkeeper. The game was truly over about halfway through the second half, when Tulsa scored two goals in less than two minutes, utterly demoralizing Valparaiso. The first
was a surprising but brilliant kick by Barrett at 26:48. Less than a minute later, Valparaiso drew a yellow card by taking down Barrett allowing Omar Mata a direct free kick on the goal, which he made with ease. Three points up, Tulsa began subbing in players, allowing Ray Saari a chance to show off his talent. He slipped past more than three defenders at least twice and made a shot or two on the goal, unfortunately to no success. With 11:45 left in the game, Valparaiso’s goalkeeper was drawn away from the goal to stop a well-coordinated TU attack. The ball settled in the feet of Christian Mata who took the opportunity to score an uncontested goal, Tulsa’s 4th for the night. The game was well attended both by Tulsa students and the community who were all energized to see their Golden Hurricane come out on top.
Fans use Lowe’s buckets as drums while cheering the men’s soccer team to a 4–0 victory over Valparaiso on Friday night.
though half the total must be paid in the first three years, and the rest paid over the next seventeen. A source told ESPN that the compensation program will be designed by the NFL to last for up to 60 years. This will allow any retired players who develop neurological illnesses in the future to apply and be eligible for compensation. This lawsuit has been a significant topic of conversation in previous weeks and has led to intense questioning about player safety in the NFL. The settlement in particular has also sparked inquiries into college football safety which culminated in a suit being filed against the NCAA on Sept. 4 by Chris Walker and Ben Martin, two former Tennessee players, and Dan Ahern, a former North Carolina State player. This suit alleges that the NCAA failed to educate players and disclose the risks of concussions which caused negligence when players dealt with head injuries. The players have also accused the NCAA of not doing enough when assessing, treating and endeavoring to prevent brain trauma following concussions. The plaintiffs are seeking an NCAA-funded medical monitoring program for former football players, and hope that their actions will help former players who have suffered from concussion-related injuries. News of the suit filed by Walker, Martin and Ahern came after news that the NCAA had rejected
claims in a suit filed in 2011 by former Eastern Illinois player, Adrian Anderson. Anderson, once the captain of his team, now lives off of disability checks and welfare while suffering from daily seizures and migraines. Attorneys suing the NCAA over its handling of head injuries on behalf of Anderson asked a federal judge on Sept. 6 to expand the lawsuit to include thousands of plaintiffs nationwide. People have begun to speculate that Anderson’s suit, as well as a suit filed against the NCAA on the lack of monetary compensation given to players from schools that profit from them, might cause more damage to the world of sports than the NFL suit, simply because there are far more retired college players than professional players. “Those that believe concussion litigation against the NFL is big … haven’t seen anything yet compared to the prospective action against the NCAA,” says Marc
Edelman continued that these suits and others like them represent an effort by former athletes to “overturn a college sports system in which college sports teams keep 100 percent of the revenues and the student-athletes are left, upon graduation, to incur all the physical risks that come with having played college sports”. Although the NCAA story remains in development, the NFL settlement has inspired a great deal of criticism, both from former NFL players and from those following the story. Scott Fujita, who played in the NFL for 11 years, argued “I imagine most NFL clubs jumped at the opportunity to settle for roughly $1.5 million a year for the next 20 years as it is fairly easy to cover that expense. Just pay 15 players $100,000 less each year in salary or raise in-stadium beer prices a few bucks.” He continued that the settlement, while a “worthwhile investment” by the
Edelman, an associate professor of law at the City University of New York and adjunct professor teaching sports law at Fordham. “In my mind, concussion litigation against the NCAA has a far greater likelihood of succeeding than concussion litigation against the NFL”.
NFL, leaves many questions unanswered: there are no skeletons revealed and no apologies made. Furthermore, many people like Fujita worry that the plaintiffs of the NFL case will never find out what was known by the NFL about head injuries. Was the NFL with-
M. Tennis W. Tennis W. Tennis
ITA AllAmerican
10K Hilton Head
All American Championship
Sept. 30
M. Golf M. Tennis W. Tennis
Shoal Creek Invitational ITA AllAmerican
All American Championship
Birmingham, Ala.
All Day
Case Tennis Center
All Day
Palisades, Calif.
All Day
David Kennedy / Collegian
NFL, players settle concussion lawsuit
The NFL’s settlement with players over concussionrelated injuries could set precedent in similar suits against the NCAA. Victoria McGouran Staff Writer
The NFL has reached a tentative $765 million settlement over concussion-related brain injuries among its 18,000 retired players, agreeing to compensate victims, pay for medical exams and underwrite further research. A federal judge announced the agreement on August 29 after months of court-ordered mediation. According to the settlement, $675 million of the $765 million settlement will be used to compensate former players and families of deceased players who suffered cognitive injuries. This would include families of players who committed suicide after suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The rest of the money will be used for baseline medical exams and to fund research and education about concussion-related brain injuries. One of the principal terms of the settlement is that the agreement “cannot be considered an admission by the NFL of liability, or an admission that plaintiffs’ injuries were caused by football.” The panel that will determine benefits from the settlement will be independent of the NFL and the NFL Players Association. The NFL will also have twenty years to pay the full amount of the settlement, al-
“Those that believe concussion litigation against the NFL is big haven’t seen anything yet”
holding treatment just to get players back onto the field? Players may never know. Also, because of the terms of the settlement, former players will never get to ask questions of Dr. Elliot Pellman, the longtime chairman of the league’s research committee on concussions who was discovered to have faked his credentials. It is unfair that former players will never get answers from Pellman, who will also never have to answer for his mistakes in the league. Additionally, investigation into the settlement reveals that there may not be enough money to go around and families of players who died before 2006 will never receive compensation. However, settlements like these always call for a dose of perspective. Players who recently retired and suffer from a variety of concussion-related maladies will be able to receive monetary compensation in less than five years and the NFL settlement has also opened the door into concussionrelated compensation in college sports, as well as other professional sport leagues. Whether or not the NFL will answer for their past negligence is not an easy question. The important outcome of this suit is that sports-related concussion injuries ware now a topic of fervent debate. Every sport league in America, whether professional or collegiate, will be forced to take proper measures in protecting their athletes, a measure that is long overdue.
23 SEPTEMBER 2013
NEWS
the Collegian : 4
History professor to speak at TU Dr. Ari Kelman of the University of California will discuss his new book on the Sand Creek Massacre. Witt Womack Staff Writer
September 23 will see the University of California’s Dr. Ari Kelman visit TU to deliver a lecture centered around the events of the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado Territory, 1864. Kelman earlier this year published a book on the subject, Misplaced Massacre: Struggling over the Memory of Sand Creek. Kelman said that the focus of his lec-
ture here will be “the way in which different groups of people have fought over the meaning and memory of the Sand Creek Massacre, from the immediate aftermath of the violence through the opening of the Sand Creek Massacre historic site … five years ago.” It was the development of this historic site that sparked Kelman’s initial research into the divisive perspectives of the event while he was living in Colorado. “I had a … longstanding interest in the experiences of Native American peoples during the Civil War, and it was my sense that Sand Creek actually was a significant part of the Civil War, but it wasn’t being re-
Culture abounds at Brady Arts District
membered that way,” Kelman said. “I began doing research,” Kelman continued, “and as I did that, I learned that the National Park service was trying to memorialize Sand Creek by creating a national historic site …. It was a fascinating story, so I kept up with it.” Though he’s visiting from California, Dr. Kelman is not unfamiliar with Oklahoma, having taught two years at Oklahoma University and visited the Gilcrease Museum a number of times. “Regionally there’s more of an awareness of Sand Creek in some parts of the country than in others. In Oklahoma, there’s a greater awareness of the history of Sand Creek, simply because the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma have their nations within the confines of the state.” Still, according to the professor, “most Americans don’t think about the Sand Creek Massacre very much at all.”
The few who do widely regard it as “one of the most horrible tragedies in the history of relations between Native Americans and the federal government,” or as the “flashpoint that started the Plains Indian Wars” which lasted until another calamity, Wounded Knee in 1890. “The big theme, again, is the way in which different groups have thought about and used Sand Creek for different purposes,” Kelman said. The lecture is open to all students and will be held in the Dean’s Conference Room of Chapman Hall at 3:30 pm. Attendees will hear of the struggle over whether to call Sand Creek a battle or a massacre, how it was memorialized in the early 20th century as a Civil War battle, how Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee portrayed it and how the National Historic Site continues to inform the public of the massacre.
Opportunities for recreation include museums, restaurants and musical venues in historic district. Olivia Blankenship Student Writer
The Brady Arts District, formerly known as The Warehouse District. It “is one of the oldest sections of Tulsa,” according to the district’s official website. The Brady District contains such cultural icons as the Cain’s Ballroom and the Brady Theatre. The buildings in the area that are still standing are primarily red brick and have been previously utilized as warehouses. Over the past few years, a lot has been done to revitalize the district, including the development of the brand new outdoor urban garden and performance center, the Guthrie Green. The Guthrie Green hosts outdoor concerts, festivals, “Movies on the Green” every Thursday, “Fitness on the Green” five times a week, “Food Truck Wednesdays,” Sunday markets and much more. Across Brady street from the Guthrie Green is the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa; the Woody Guthrie Center, a music and arts museum commemorating
The Collegian, believe it or not, has existed in some form for over 100 years. Just recently, we began the finishing touches on uploading these Collegians of yesteryear to an online database. While not yet open to the public, our browsing has led to a couple of noteworthy and novel finds. Here is one charming find, taken from the humor section, Jollity Jots—the following is a selection of jokes from February 1914. Olivia Blankenship / Collegian
Events appealing to a wide range of interests occur regularly within the Brady Arts District.
Oklahoma icon Woody Guthrie; 108 Contemporary, an art museum that features new local artists every month; and the Philbrook Museum’s downtown location.
See Brady page 11
Fish — “Say, Livingston, what is the race problem?” Livingston — “Picking winners.” Fresh. — “I threw a kiss to her the other day.” Senior — “What did she say?” Fresh. — “She said I wasn’t much of a business man if I could not establish a delivery system.” Dove — “Do you know, I think Pewee sings like a pirate.” Maude — “How’s that?” Dove — “Why, she’s so rough on the high seas.” Father — “Do you know what a solemn thing it is to be married?” Louise — “Oh, yes, father, but it is a good deal more solemn being single.” “Latin is a dead language As dead as can be. It killed off all the Romans, And now it’s killing me.”
“Advice to the contributors to this department: Write on one side of the paper only, for the Sophs cannot comprehend a two-sided joke.” Pewee — “A fashion note says that tan shoes are much worn.” Fred — “I must be right in style then; mine are.” “I never say all I think,” Mildred remarked. “Then,” Fred replied, being unwilling to miss the chance, “you must think an awful lot.” “Will those who write jokes for the Collegian please write them on tissue paper, so they can be seen through.” Knight was on his way to evening services met a rising young man of the place. Knight — “Do you attend a place of worship?” Young man — “Yes, indeed sir, I’m on my way to see her now.” L. Johnson — “Only fools are certain, Ham; wise men hesitate.” Ham — “Are you sure, Johnson?” Johnson — “Yes, certain of it.” “A school paper is a great invention; The staff gets all the fame, The printers get the money, The editor the blame.” What is the biggest joke in college? All — “The joke box.”
before contacting Security. Officers were unable to locate the suspicious male after learning of the description. The student was instructed to contact Security immediately if they encounter the suspicious male again in the future. September 17 September 13 7:45 An Officer on patrol discovered a damaged section of fence in the 8th & Harvard Lot. September 14 0:43 Officers conducted a party shutdown at a Mayo Village apartment. After conducting a welfare check of the apartment, 58 guests were asked to leave. September 15 1:00 At approximately 1:00 AM, residents of a US South apartment heard somebody urinating off the balcony of an apartment above them. At approximately 1:00 PM, they discovered the bean bag on their balcony was covered in urine. The investigation is pending. September 16 17:15 At approximately 5:15 PM, 16 September, a student reported an unknown male had been staring inappropriately while the student was studying in McFarlin Library from 3:00-4:45 PM, same day. The student returned to their residence
12:40 2 former students reported an unknown male had been intently staring at them, making them very uncomfortable, while they were eating lunch in ACAC at approximately 11:05 PM, same day. The students claimed the same male acted the same way on 10 September in ACAC but they did not report it then. Officers found and identified the individual in ACAC and determined he was a student, who claimed to just be watching girls. September 18 10:20 A student reported their wallet had been stolen in ACAC after paying for food. While taking the information for the report, an ACAC employee reported finding a wallet near an entrance to ACAC. The wallet was returned to the victim with all items except for the cash that was removed by the unknown suspect. 10:50 An Officer, on patrol in the McFarlin Lot, witnessed a student fall off their skateboard, suffering minor injuries to their head. The student did not wish to be transported to a hospital but sought treatment on campus. The Collegian does not produce or edit the Campus Crime Watch except for content and brevity.
NEWS
the Collegian : 5
Eye on the world:
Magdalena Sudibjo Staff Writer Pacific AUSTRALIA Tony Abbot was sworn in as Australia’s Prime Minister last Wednesday after winning the election eleven days prior. Abbot wasted no time enacting his platform promises of eliminating the carbon-tax and cracking down on the illegal immigration of asylum seekers who transit from Indonesia. “As soon as I return to Parlia-
ment House from the swearing-in ceremony, I will instruct the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to prepare the carbon tax repeal legislation,” said Abbott. Rather than a carbon tax, the Prime Minister supports more “direct action” policies, such as setting up a fund that would pay companies to increase their energy efficiency. Scott Morrison, the new immigration minister, has already started work on a temporary visa system for the thirty thousand asylum seekers already in Australia.
North America MEXICO Early last week, hurricane Ingrid and tropical storm Manuel devastated the southern coast of Mexico, stranding thousands of natives and tourists in Acapulco and claiming at least eighty lives. With the airport underwater, authorities have only been able to fly around six hundred people out of the resort city. Thousands remain trapped after landslides blocked off the exits. Several looters, meanwhile, have taken advantage of the chaos to clean out abandoned stores and luxury hotels. The storms also forced Pemex, the state oil company, to shut down three of its oil platforms, though the company announced that normal operations would soon resume. Europe SPAIN Shop owner Manuel Reija of Coruna, Spain, discovered a winning lottery ticket from June 30, 2012 in his lost-and found box worth the
23 SEPTEMBER 2013 equivalent of $6.3 million. “I couldn’t believe it the first time I checked the ticket so I checked it again just in case there was a computer error,” Reija told a Galician TV station. “I was standing up but I had to sit. I almost broke the chair.” The town hall’s official website is calling for the real winner to step forward and claim the prize. Reija will get to keep the winnings if no one is found. france The French Senate voted 196 to 146 in favor of banning beauty pageants for children under the age of sixteen to stop what Senator Chantal Jouanno, a strong supporter of the bill, calls the “hypersexualization” of children. “Let us not make our girls believe from a very young age that their worth is only judged by their appearance,” said Senator Jouanno. Opponents of the measure say the ban is misguided. “I wanted to organize a contest which respected the child,” Maud Chevalier, the founder of the Graines de Miss, said to the New York Times. In Chevalier’s pageant, wear-
ing heels over 1.4 inches, makeup, wigs, swimsuits and short dresses are prohibited. The National Assembly will now have to debate and vote for the bill before it can become law. Middle East IRAN Iranian authorities have released human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh along with ten other political prisoners just days before President Hassan Rouhani is set to visit the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly. The government arrested Sotoudeh in 2010 on charges of “acting against national security” by spreading propaganda and harming the state. Sotoudeh is wellknown for representing high-profile activists and journalists. While in prison, she went on a fifty-day hunger strike to protest the travel sanctions put on her family. The European Parliament granted her the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2012 for her well-known efforts to fight for human rights.
Students investigate trauma on Ghana trip Psychology professor hopes the educational trips will lead to partnership with Ghana schools, experience with underdeveloped countries. Kimberly Poff Staff Writer
This summer, associate professor of psychology Dr. Joanne Davis led a group of students to Ghana under the auspices of TITAN (Tulsa Institute of Trauma Abuse and Neglect). For twenty days, students attended class and lectures, visited historical sites and institutions, and conducted interviews with locals. The trip’s aim was to allow students to explore three sources of trauma: domestic violence, intercultural violence and historic violence. During the trip, students wrote research papers covering topics such as the role of religion and economic conditions on the status of women. Gabriella Pierce, a junior premed psychology major, lauded the ability of an international trip to allow research to be performed from a new perspective. “Studying the responses to trauma outside of our own context allowed us to understand the similarities and differences that are manifest through all people independent of culture,” said Pierce. This is the second trip of its kind. Dr. Lara Foley of the sociology department led a trip in conjunction with Davis during the 2011 summer. Kelsey Hancock, a first-year clinical psychology graduate student, went on both trips. “The
From Red on cover
popularity of Marxian-Socialist ideals with indebted citizens and poor agricultural workers. In order for the party to make their political arguments in language that would not confuse potential constituents, members linked socialism to popular political thought of the time. Oklahoman Socialism, they argued, was completely compatible with the Republican ideals set forth by the Founding Fathers, and rather than being a new way of engaging in politics, was instead an improved way. Party members also worked to present their message in a culturally digestible form that would not offend a predominantly Christian state, likening socialism to the idea of living in cooperation put forth in the Sermon on the Mount. Some even referred to Jesus as the “First Socialist.” The party’s ability to rally the common man and to present Marxism in terms that Oklahomans found reasonable led to remarkable success in the spread of Oklahoman socialism. In addition to the party’s support of agriculture, Oklahoman socialists opposed the disenfran-
first time I went, there was a lot of culture shock to deal with, and I didn’t see as much as I wanted to,” she explained. During the second trip, however, Hancock “even started to feel at home there,” an adjustment which “made the course material easier to remember.” “It even pushed me to think about ways that Ghanaians deal with problems,” Hancock said, “and how they could be applied in the US to inform clinical practice.” Because the program and the partnerships in Ghana are still new, these first two trips were primarily about exploring the culture of Ghana and establishing firm partnerships with groups already working there. Among African nations, Ghana has particularly progressive domestic violence legislation. These laws allow for the open establishment of domestic violence shelters for women, one of which students visited. Students also travelled to northern Ghana to visit the so-called witch camps, refugee camps of people exiled from their villages after accusations of practicing witchcraft. The villages are mostly kept afloat by the work of NGOs and have little means of sustaining themselves. Slave castles were another prominent feature of the trip. “For most students, the slave castles were the most profound experience on the trip,” said Davis. Students explored Elmina Castle, which is the oldest European building in the sub-Sahara and was one of the most important stops along the trans-Atlantic slave
trade. The domestic violence shelters, witch camps and slave castles exemplifies each of the three sources of trauma: domestic violence, intercultural violence and historic violence, respectively. Davis expressed a hope that the connections formed on these first two trips will allow for more direct study in the future. A third trip is already in the works for next summer. In the meantime, Davis will make an intervening trip to Ghana in February for a conference on service learning.
When asked about the future goals of the program, Davis expressed a two-fold dream. First, Davis plans to partner with a school that presently lacks physical infrastructure, such as walls or running water. She hopes to be able to help the school fundraise for necessary items. Talks are already in the works with potential corporate sponsors. The second goal is to offer psychology students the opportunity to get practical experience in a developing country. Formally trained clinical psychologists are in short supply in Ghana, and a practicum
program would allow for graduate students to gain experience while filling a need. Ideally, students would be able to help train others while they work in Ghana’s mental health hospitals. Both graduate and undergraduate students would stay in Ghana for three or four months to do research and practical work. All of the students expressed satisfaction with their experiences and would recommend it to other students. Dr. Davis was hopeful about the opportunities it could provide and the partnerships it could enable.
chisement of African-Americans, supported women’s suffrage and opposed American involvement in European wars. The Socialist opposition to America declaring war in 1917 caused a massive rift in political relations and led to the arrest of many party leaders during the war years. World War I hysteria, a subsequent post-war “Red Scare” and incidents like the Green Corn Rebellion in 1917 led to the rapid decline of Oklahoman socialism, which was basically dead by 1922. However, the socialist ideals embraced during the early 1900’s eventually led a new generation of Oklahomans to discover and adopt a form of political philosophy known as communism. The growth of Oklahoman communism began in the 1930’s when the Depression hit and the promises of communism led new members to the party. The party began to move from obvious recruiting tactics such as marches and speeches to a more nuanced approach. Members of the Oklahoma Communist Party were required to join unions and other civil organizations to work from within and direct those organizations towards
the goals and policies of communism. Around the state, many members of the party ran for elected office, such as a school board member or a county commissioner. Some even ran on the independent ticket. While party leaders in the 1930’s claimed that the Communist Party did not have control over any organizations—especially the Workers Alliance—key members of the Alliance were communist, which gave the party a major political asset. Despite attempts to grow the party further, by 1939 the Oklahoma branch of the Communist Party numbered only a little over five hundred registered members. While the party was small in number and only possessed marginal power, reactions by the government and citizens of Oklahoma to the existence of communists was so strong that it added legitimacy to the movement. William Murray, the governor of Oklahoma from 1931 to 1935, was suspicious of so-called “subversives” and sanctioned an investigation at the University of Oklahoma. Murray’s successor, Leon Phillips, crusaded against radicalism
throughout his term and warned all communists to leave the state. Like his predecessor, he suspected subversive activity at the University of Oklahoma and accused the college of harboring radicals on its faculty. Oklahoma’s government continued to pass laws that prohibited potentially communist activities, such as printing or circulating subversive material. The state government persecuted those who broke such laws without mercy. In 1941, the government attempted to purge the state of communists by trying many wellknown communist adherents. The purge caused many leaders aligned with communist politics to leave the state and move to America’s nucleus for radicalism—New York City. A few prominent Oklahomans, including Woody Guthrie, stayed and protested for unions and against fascism. Through the 1940’s and 50’s, the government continued to hold “Red Hunts” that were primarily aimed at Oklahoma’s most prominent universities. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the House Un-American Activities Committee investigated many prominent Oklahomans.
The communist-baiting of the Joseph McCarthy era and actions of groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the Oklahoma League Against Communism, Nazism, and Fascism combined to essentially eradicate communism from Oklahoma by the 1960’s. However, before the decline of the Socialist Party and then the Communist Party in Oklahoma, supporters had managed to successfully fill hundreds of seats in state and local legislatures and had implemented some of the most progressive land reforms in American history. They succeeded in efficiently mobilizing a vast array of citizens by combining Marxist thought with the Christian doctrine of the meek inheriting the earth. They essentially created a new brand of Marxism which became an enormous vehicle for social change. The legacy of these movements and what was accomplished is without parallel in Oklahoma’s political history—a history planted solidly in the red dirt of a state that has often been the reddest state in the Union.
Nikki Hager / Collegian
Students Rachel Micol and Tess Cain volunteer at Favour Predatory School in Accra, Ghana. The second annual Ghana trip also included visits to domestic violence shelters, witch camps and refugee camps.
23 SEPTEMBER 2013
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‘This land is our land’:
Bill tries to replace state motto
Multiple state legislative measures have, unsuccessfully, moved to adopt a new state motto. Zane Cawthorn Student Writer
Here in Oklahoma, hard work conquers all things. At least, that’s what the state motto says. The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma provides for the phrase “Labor Omnia Vincit” to be placed on the state seal. “There’s nothing official. There’s mottos or creeds mentioned on different seals ... but there’s not an official state motto,” said former Republican state senator Todd Lamb said in a TV interview in 2009. Todd Lamb introduced Senate Resolution 56 which would make “Oklahoma—In God We Trust!” the official state motto. The measure failed when the senate session ended with the
resolution left on the table. Lamb left the senate the next year when he successfully campaigned to become the state’s Lieutenant Governor, an office he still holds. During the 2012 regular session of the legislature, Democratic House Representative Danny Morgan took up the mantle of the new state motto cause when he introduced Concurrent Resolution 1024, practically a carbon copy of SR 56. The only two questions asked of the author came from Rep. Corey Holland. If the state already has a term that has generally been accepted as a motto, Holland asked, why not just use “Labor Omnia Vincit”? The motto was chosen by the state founders in 1907 and originates from Vergil’s “Georgics,” and was a call to the Romans to take up farming. “The rationale behind” changing the motto, Morgan answered, “is that I had several people from my district say that (‘In God We Trust’ is) obviously on the U.S.
coin and they thought that Oklahoma ought to adopt that as our official motto.” “Labor Omnia Vincit” has been associated with the socialist labor movement for a long time. Some might consider that an inappropriate motto for a state that is generally viewed as one of the most conservative in the union. The second question relayed Holland’s concerns that this would cost the state money to change signage, the state seal and other public uses of the state motto to match current policy. Morgan replied, “It is my hope, as the author of this bill, that nothing changes.” Morgan is no longer active in state politics, and neither his successor, Jason Smalley, nor Lt. Gov. Lamb responded to requests for comment. “If I had a number of constituents who felt strongly about a change I would certainly listen,” Representative Jeannie McDaniel, current state representative for
Knights of Liberty kidnap IWW members, torture, tar and feather victims On November 17, 1917, members of the Industrial Workers of the World union were whipped, tarred and feathered by a Tulsa mob. Fraser Kastner Student Writer
On November 7, 1917 a group affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan carried out an act of violence against members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) labor union who had been convicted of not purchasing war bonds, as well as several non-members who had testified on their behalf. Shortly after the men were pronounced guilty and fined, they were kidnapped by members of the “Knights of Liberty,” a farright group associated with the Klan. Bound and thrown into waiting vehicles, the men were driven to the western outskirts of Tulsa County. There they were whipped, tarred and feathered. Perhaps more shocking than the nature of the crime were the identities of the perpetrators. Mul-
tiple accounts of the event name W. Tate Brady as one of the robed assailants. Another identified attacker was Ed Lucas, at the time Tulsa’s Chief of Police. An anonymous survivor of the attacks later testified that after the victims had been tarred and feathered, their clothes and possessions were burned. “By the light of our earthly possessions, we were ordered to leave Tulsa, and leave running and never come back,” claimed the anonymous victim. An investigation was launched by the National Civil Liberties Bureau, an anti-war group and precursor to the American Civil Liberties Union. Investigator L.A. Brown wrote in a letter to the Director of the Bureau that “all made the same statement with emphasis that Tate Brady put on the tar and feathers.” The Tulsa World reported this as the first action of a “Modern Ku Klux Klan” on November 10, just three days after the event occurred. The paper goes on to say that victims were “halted on Boulder avenue, near Archer” by the knights. The attackers claimed they were motivated to act out of dedication
to the war effort. IWW members were tortured and humiliated “in the name of the women and children of Belgium,” according to one member of the Knights of Liberty later identified as W. Tate Brady. “The first step in the whipping of Germany is to strangle the I.W.W.’s. Kill them, just as you would kill any other kind of snake,” wrote Glenn Conlin, theneditor of the Tulsa World. Others have claimed that the attacks were carried out in retaliation for violence perpetuated by the IWW on oil fields. However, very little evidence of violence has been found supporting this claim. In February of the next year, the National Civil Liberties Bureau published a pamphlet titled “The ‘Knights of Liberty’ Mob and the IWW Prisoners at Tulsa, Okla.”, concluding that the IWW members were attacked because of private business interests in local government. “In Oklahoma, their influence over state officials … indicates a thoroughly finished job in the private ownership of the government,” said the pamphlet.
Okla. socialist groups live on Despite Oklahoma’s predominantly Republican political culture, there are currently several communist and socialist parties in Oklahoma. Kimberly Poff Staff Writer
Despite a state statute prohibiting the formation of communist parties, socialist and communist organizations have continuing presence on Oklahoma. Oklahoma City is home to a branch of the International Socialist Organization. The group recently held a panel discussion on war with Syria in a downtown OKC library. Their Facebook page presents various articles on injustice in America as well as plenty of online petitions to be signed. The ISO publishes the Socialist Worker, a weekly paper discussing current events and injustices. While it covers the typical subjects of unions, strikes and wars, it also boasts a music and book reviews. If you wanted your Facebook interest page to be a little more eye-catching, you could instead like either of two “Communist Party of Oklahoma” pages. The first is affiliated with the Communist Party USA (CPUSA)
and is the page of the “Communist Party of Oklahoma, CPUSA,” while the second belongs to the “Communist Party of Oklahoma” (CPOK) and claims affiliation with “Save the CPUSA.” According to members of CPOK, “Save the CPUSA” aims to “remove the current leaders of the CPUSA” who no longer “(promote) class consciousness” or “(educate) people on a Marxist analysis of the current economic situation.” Both pages are actively updated with related websites, pictures and articles, though neither has information about joining, or donating to, the cause. The first page, that associated with the CPUSA, is perhaps for the erstwhile communist. It toes the party line in advocating for equal rights and social justice. A jaunt over to the CPUSA site yields a blog, pamphlets, articles, and that classic measure of organizational health in a capitalist society: a place to give them money. There will be those who wish their Facebook interest pages to indicate their strong Marxist-Leninist leanings. These people can join 303 others in liking the Communist Party of Oklahoma. This Marxist-Leninist group described their split with the CPUSA. “We split from the cur-
rent CPUSA leadership,” CPOK members said, “to form a counter” to current CPUSA leaders who “stray from Communist ideas and into more bourgeois approaches.” “Our main focus is raising awareness and teaching people about Marxism and how it relates to our modern daily lives,” they said. CPOK also puts out a newsletter: the Workers Monthly, available on CPOK’s website. As opposed to the comparatively tame, though more robust, Socialist Worker, the Workers Monthly for September contains exactly two articles, one by a Canadian warning against action in Syria, and another entitled “Capitalism, Genocide, and the Necessity of Revolution” by Syphax Zykanthos, which gradually builds to answer the question “Why socialism?” Though the Workers Monthly is presently “a small endeavour,” CPOK members say their aim is for the publication to “grow and improve.” The Oklahoma City branch of the ISO and the CPUSA-affiliated CPOK did not respond to requests for comment. CPOK members said they’re “struggling just to get the party on its feet again,” but are eager to “participate in democracy as soon as we can get the mass membership to make that possible.”
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
The Oklahoma state seal contains the phrase “Labor Omnia Vincit” (Latin for “Labor Conquers All”) just inside the wreath. Many take this phrase to be the unofficial state motto of Oklahoma, which caused House Democrat Danny Morgan to introduce a bill offering “Oklahoma – In God We Trust!” as an alternate state motto. Tulsa County, said, “but when I knock on doors throughout the district I hear about the ‘work’ ethic of those who built a state with hard work and perseverance despite hard times of depression.” “Hard work,” McDaniel continued, “has been a common de-
nominator of how people... used their energy and creativity to be the backbone of statehood through today.” Just like its predecessor, HC 1024 passed the House, but failed to make it through the Senate.
Okla. statute bans Communist parties
In 1955, Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill declaring communists a “clear and present danger” to the state and outlawing all communist parties.
§21‑1266.1. Existence of communist conspiracy. Upon evidence and proof already presented before this legislature, congress, the courts of this state, and the courts of the United States, it is here now found and declared to be a fact that there exists an International Communist conspiracy which is committed to the overthrow of the government of the United States and of the several states, including that of the State of Oklahoma, by force or violence, such conspiracy including the Communist Party of the United States, its component or related parts and members, and that such conspiracy constitutes a clear and present danger to the government of the United States and of this state. §21‑1266.2. Communist Party of the United States and component parts as illegal. The Communist Party of the United States ... are hereby declared to be illegal … It shall be unlawful for such Party … to exist, function, or operate in the State of Oklahoma. Any organization which is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have violated any provisions of this section … shall be dissolved, and … all funds, records, and other property belonging to such Party … shall be seized by and forfeited to the State of Oklahoma.
Farmers march on Washintgon to end War In 1917 a group of Oklahomans came together to march on Washington D.C. and forcibly end U.S. involvement in WWI. Matthew Magerkurth Student Writer
In the 1910s, Oklahoma’s socialist movement took a violent turn as the state witnessed an attempt to forcibly end World War I. In 1916, the re-election of Woodrow Wilson and his suddenly pro-war administration sparked anger in Oklahoma’s sizable labor movement. The Selective Service Act of 1917, which stated that all able-bodied men would need to register for a military draft, infuriated poor Oklahomans who argued the conflict was a “rich man’s war” but a “poor man’s fight.” In this context, between 800 and 1000 Oklahoman socialists conspired to march to Washington to end the war. The rebels began their march through the state in Sasakwa, Oklahoma, burning bridges and cutting telephone wires as they went. They planned to survive on barbequed beef and roasted green corn, giving the rebellion its name. Their destruction was shortlived however. Only hours after their departure the group was halted by a company of local townspeople, resulting in a short
skirmish that left three dead and roughly 450 rebels in police custody. As historian Garin Burbank put in his 1976 book When Farmers Voted Red: The Gospel of Socialism in the Oklahoma Countryside, “Catching sight of the advancing townsmen, the country people fired a few desultory shots and fled in disorder. This was the pathetic end of their overt resistance to the incursions of outside political authority.” The Green Corn Rebellion turned the already-shaky public support for the socialist movement in America into resistance. Many citizens of Oklahoma, including socialists, were firmly opposed to the Rebellion and the event quickly became fuel for the Red Scare of the First World War. Despite the difficult conditions for the tenant farmers in the state, the Green Corn Rebels were largely an outlying group. As Bertha Hale Wright, assistant executive secretary of the American Socialist Party wrote in 1922, “The story of (the Green Corn rebels) of Oklahoma is one of the blind, desperate rebellion of a people driven to fury and despair by conditions which are incredible in this stage of our so-called civilization.” Their actions were disastrous for the cause of socialism in Oklahoma and the Rebellion is largely seen as the end of the prominence of the state’s socialist movement.
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23 SEPTEMBER 2013
Socialist roots of Okla.
Courtesy of American Routes
Walker Womack / Collegian
Local artist harbors leftist leanings While immortalized by his iconic song “This Land is Your Land,” legendary Oklahoma singer-songwriter Woodie Guthrie had anticapitalist leanings, a largely forgotten aspect of this artists long-standing legacy. Forrest Farjadian Staff Writer
Woodie Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma on July 14, 1912: a presidential election year in which Oklahoma gave Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs his second-best showing in the country. Two decades later, an oil bust would push Guthrie out of this state and into the Texas panhandle, where the Great Depression and suffocating clouds of dust soon forced another migration, west to
California. While thousands of other “Okies” sought work in the fields, Guthrie found it behind a microphone at radio station KFVD, owned by an ardent New Dealer and supporter of Upton Sinclair’s 1934 bid for governor of California on a Socialist platform. Guthrie’s first taste of fame came as he and his cousin Jack performed “old-time” and original songs on “The Oklahoma and Woody Show.” When Jack decided that he couldn’t make a living in showbusiness, Woody partnered with singer Maxine Crissman on a new show, “Woody and Lefty Lou,” and his music began to incorporate more pointed social commentary. He took to the airwaves to voice the discontent of his working-class and migrant listeners, his song “Pretty Boy Floyd” favorably
comparing the famous outlaw to bankers and foreclosure agents: “Some will rob you with a six-gun, / And some with a fountain pen … You won’t never seen an outlaw / Drive a family from their home.” Guthrie’s success on the radio brought him into contact with the publisher of the People’s World, a leftist newspaper based in San Francisco. Guthrie offered, unprompted, to write a column for the paper. “Woody Sez,” patterned after the writing of Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers, included Guthrie’s musings on current events, written with an affected folksiness and often accompanied by Guthrie’s own charmingly crude drawings. Guthrie lost his job at KFVD in 1939 when, even after the NaziSoviet nonaggression pact was signed, he sang Stalin’s praises on air.
GOP success in OK recent historical development In the 2012 presidential election, the GOP swept every office. Republican dominance, however, is a relatively new phenomenon. How did Oklahoma become the reddest state? Nikki Hager Staff Writer
In 2012, the Republican Party swept Oklahoma elections. Every national office, including all presidential electoral votes and all senate and house seats, went to Republicans, along with the governor and a majority of seats in the Oklahoma state legislature. While Oklahoma is known for being extremely conservative, 2012 was the first election in which the GOP swept every major office. The 2012 election outcome was a product of the systematic decline of the Democratic Party in Oklahoma over the course of the second half of the 20th century. Until recently, Democrats had a significant influence on Oklahoma politics. In 2002, the Democratic
Party had a majority in the state legislature. Ten years prior, in 1992, they had a majority congressional delegation. Another fourteen years former, Democrats secured open US senate seats. There was never a GOP takeover, the party rose slowly over 50 years. “To me the question isn’t why we’re so Republican now. It’s, ‘Why were we so Democrat before?’” said political consultant Pat McFerron during a recent panel discussion at the Summer Policy Institute, sponsored by the Oklahoma Policy Institute, a nonpartisan local think tank. There is no easy answer to that question. Oklahoma’s shift from swing state to entirely Republican state traces back to the state’s founding. Situated between two geographical regions, the Great Plains and the South, Oklahoma gained statehood in 1907, significantly later than any of its neighbors in those regions. Rural ideals and emphasis on the family farm shaped the state’s original institutions. Political parties did not have as much influence in Oklahoma. Elections were
run on personality, not party platforms. In rural communities where everybody knew everybody else, candidates running for office often used personal ties and favors to secure office. Early Oklahoma Democrats were not Democrats in the way that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are. They emphasized populism and the importance of labor rather than the modern liberal issues the party is associated with today. The Democrats’ grip on the state began to loosen in the mid-1960’s. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win Oklahoma was Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1964. Part of the change can be explained by the political transformation of the South at the time. Democrats in the south transformed with the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Previously-disenfranchised African Americans were now able to enter the political sphere. As black mobilization increased, so did threats on white conservatism. The two-party system became increasingly divided along party lines.
Oklahoma icon Woody Guthrie, who famously labeled his guitar “this machine kills Fascists” (left), also had some communist leanings. In two often forgotten verses of his famous “This Land Is Your Land,” Guthrie attacks “Private Property” and America’s inability to feed its people (original draft pictured above). Guthrie later revised the chorus to read “This land was made for you and me” rather than “God blessed America for me”.
After several months of restlessness, including a brief stint in the Pacific Northwest writing songs for the WPA, Guthrie fell in with an active community of leftist folk musicians in New York City. He joined Pete Seeger and the Almanac Singers, with whom he would write some of his most popular and explicitly political songs, championing organized labor and denouncing European fascism. It was in New York that Guth-
rie made his greatest contribution to the American songbook, “This Land Is Your Land.” The popular version of the song, full of idealistic optimism and love of country, is a staple of elementary school concerts, but it omits two verses which are included in the original manuscript. (See the box entitled “This Land is Your Land.”) These sharply anti-capitalist
See Guthrie page 11
“This Land Is Your Land” Three potentially contentious verses in their final form:
As I went walking I saw a sign there And on the sign it said “No Trespassing.” But on the other side it didn’t say nothing, That side was made for you and me. Nobody living can ever stop me, As I go walking that freedom highway; Nobody living can ever make me turn back This land was made for you and me. In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple; By the relief office, I’d seen my people. As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking, Is this land made for you and me?
Graphic by Jill Graves
The 1964 presidential election (top) was the last time that Oklahoma elected a Democratic president, Lyndon B. Johnson. Like many Southern states, Oklahoma became red after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act hardened party lines. The 2012 presidential election (bottom) demonstrates Oklahoma’s newfound Republican sympathies.
variety
23 september 2013
“Total War: Rome II,” unpolished, unfinished
The latest installment in Creative Assembly’s “Total War” series fails to stand up to its predecessor; the computer strategy game “Total War: Rome II” contains countless bugs rendering it nearly unplayable. Elliot Bauman Staff Writer
The “Total War” franchise is known for creating some of the best strategy games on the market. Drawing from historical periods ranging from ancient antiquity to feudal Japan, the series allows players to rule factions and vie for power through conquest, diplomacy and espionage. “Total War” also features a unique gameplay style: players alternate between an overall turnbased campaign map, where they can manage cities, politics and armies, and a real-time tactical battle map, where military engagements between multiple factions are carried out in a generally realistic form. In 2004, developer Creative Assembly delivered “Rome: Total War” to critical acclaim. Many fans and critics still consider “Rome: Total War” to be one of the best strategy games of all time. In terms of standing up to its predecessor, “Rome II” falls woefully short. On Sept. 3, Creative Assembly and Sega released “Total War: Rome II,” following an intense marketing campaign. The title, in theory, allows users to assume control of a historical faction from the ancient Roman world, such as the Roman Republic, the Republic of Carthage or the Kingdom of Parthia. Unfortunately for the
players, to say that “Rome II” falls short is a drastic understatement; the game is a broken, glitchy, unpolished beta test. In its current state, there are a multitude of issues that render the game mostly unplayable. The most serious offender is currently the AI, or intelligence of the computer players. It was as though Creative Assembly hired an unpaid intern to do the programming; the AI in “Rome II” is completely brain-dead. On the tactical battle map, the computer will do pretty much anything except logically attack your forces. Sometimes, it has its army run in a massive circle; at other times it moves some units into a huge moshpit, while others aimlessly wander around the map. At its worst, the computer will simply show up and stand and stare at the player army, allowing its units to be slaughtered without a fight. The campaign map AI is similarly incompetent. With regards to politics and diplomacy, computer factions are extremely uninvolved. They will rarely negotiate and mostly just reject all deals. In times of war, rather than invading player territories with organized, consolidated, armies, the computer will endlessly send tiny groups of soldiers to attack garrisons and armies 20 times their size. This results in numerous, annoying, hugely one-sided battles that offer no challenge to the player and are a complete waste of time. Unfortunately, the AI is not the only unfinished component of “Rome II.” There is a horde of accompanying glitches and bugs ranging from minor to severe. Some of the smaller mishaps include textures not rendering properly and other graphical issues. The most catastrophic cases involve bizarre occurrences, such as your units flying off of siege towers and ladders to be lost forever during city assaults, or having ships in your navy start uncontrollably “sailing” through land and instantly vanishing. Additionally, naval battles as a
whole on the tactical map are completely bugged. Frequently, player units will disregard orders or jump off their ships and drown. To make matters even worse, a number of users are not able to even play the game due to launch failures or inevitable crashes. Despite the current state of “Rome II,” Creative Assembly and Sega are struggling to sell DLCs (downloadable content) for the title. The Greek States Culture pack allows gamers to control some of the most anticipated factions, such as Sparta and Athens, for a staggering price of $8. Ultimately, this DLC comes as a huge slap in the face to players, as these fanfavorite factions were originally intended to be included the main game, but were eventually cut to be sold as downloadable content. However, on a positive note, the user interface on the campaign map is dramatically improved over previous “Total War” installments. In addition, the city building and development system for “Rome II” is very detailed and interesting. Players now have the ability to control virtually all aspects of settlement planning and construction, as well as being able to easily see which factors are positively and negatively affecting their cities. In the end, however, “Total War: Rome II” is a huge step backwards for the franchise. From the incompetent AI to the absurd number of bugs and glitches, the game is clearly unfinished and was likely a rushed release. While many of the game’s issues can be corrected through subsequent developer patches and support—which Creative Assembly has promised—the title was still released as a mostly defective product. For the blatantly unpolished and unfinished nature of the game, “Total War: Rome 2” receives a disastrous 5.5/10. As a side note, it is worth noting that a number of major, professional game reviewers rated this title highly, suggesting a lack of research on their end, or willing distortion in favor of Creative Assembly and Sega.
Red Velvet, refreshingly delightful
wine
review
Paired with cheese, dessert or even dinner, the light berry flavors and mild sweetness in Cupcake Vineyards’ Red Velvet are certain to captivate even the most amateur of palates.
The Koko Blues creative
writing Alex White Student Writer
The debonair, suede clad hipsters of London have colored hair and colored souls that love me. Their belligerent brothers ravers garbed in neon and sweat shrug with indifference
Staff Writer
Kimberly Poff Staff Writer
Things You Knew Were Bad Ideas... And Then Did Anyways 1. You received an aggressively yellow TU bike. They told you to lock it, but you didn’t. Who’d want to steal a lousy bike with a rusted chain and dubious brakes? Now, you find yourself squinting at every bike that whizzes past you, desperately searching for the aptly named 666. 2. The first week of school you and your roommate both agreed that you were “cool party people.” Now there are people you don’t know walking into your bedroom at two in the morning on weekdays and someone has eaten all your Cheez-Its.
4. 18 credit hours. It’s not a big deal, right? You’re a sparkling creature of genius! That’s what your AP teacher told you. And now, it’s too late to drop classes without a big, fat W on your transcript. You have no life. Kimberly Poff / Collegian
Although Red Velvet is commonly regarded as a dessert wine, the complex flavors that embody this red are not quite sweet enough to deserve that title. Instead, the refreshing berry flavors and mild sweetness are the perfect pairing with the full flavors of cheese.
with a touch of honey on slices of baguette caramelizes the top of the cheese and makes a lovely afternoon snack or breakfast, when paired with the wine. A second excellent pairing for the impoverished cheese and wine aficionado is the garlic and herb chèvre, also by Capra. The garlic and herb is a full-flavored cheese, yet does not overwhelm the taste of the wine. Rather, the two contrasting tastes complement and enhance each other, as when salt and dark chocolate are mixed together. French bread would be preferable to accompany the cheese, but in a pinch Wheat Thins or pretzels are much the same to the indiscriminate taste buds.
As a rank amateur of wine tasting, I can safely claim that Red Velvet is my second favorite wine of the two dozen or so that I have tried. The wine is a great choice for amateurs as the bouquet and the taste are not overwhelming. As you sip, the wine eases its way over your taste buds and down your palate. The aftertaste is sudden and bitter, but it does not linger long. In Summation: If cheap cheese and wine you seek, Red Velvet will suit you, I think. Pair it with some chèvre; Your palate will rev! Enjoy it each day of the week.
but show up anyway. A lonely American with concierge directions written on the back of his hand is hopeful. All stumble in guzzling five pound pints decade after decade. They wait for the purple glow that hangs about me to rub off seep into veins and teach them to dance like I do— like the raging Koko blues.
By Helen Patterson
3. You showed up exactly on time for all the events with free food only to discover that the entire state of Oklahoma was in line ahead of you. Oh, you poor fool. Next time you will know to show up at least twenty minutes early.
Helen Patterson
It is generally frowned upon to drink wine for breakfast, but who is to say the light berry flavors in Cupcake Vineyards’ Red Velvet are really all that different from a healthy berry smoothie? The smooth-silky texture that greets the tongue at first sip is not so different than the soy milk in a skinny latte. The finish, a fancy word for aftertaste, is short—like that of a quickly-brewed cup of coffee. And the best part is that it is only around $10 a bottle, making each glass less expensive than either a latte or a smoothie. Aside from having a delicious flavor fit for any breakfast, Red Velvet commonly accompanies dessert. However, while the delicately-fun white and blue label might look great on a dessert board, I would hesitate to call this a dessert wine. It is not quite sweet enough to deserve that title. Red Velvet is more of a cheese wine; it is light and semi-sweet, but still possesses the body to accompany the full flavors of cheese. The cheese I chose to pair with the wine was a honey chèvre from Capra, available at Reasors for about $5. The creaminess of this cheese matches the wine brilliantly, and the honey compliments its fruitier notes. Broiling the chèvre
the Collegian : 8
5. College is great because you have a very free schedule. After your morning classes, you decided to take naps in the middle of the day. Now, your body has no idea what time it is. Yesterday, you had to check your phone to see if it was sunrise or sunset. 6. So you were a little bit slow on signing up for hours at one of TU’s easiest jobs: desk jockey. No big deal, right? Except now you’re stuck working in the desk in the John from one to
four in the morning every Saturday night. You return from your shift smelling like feet and beer. 7. In high school, you were the boss at last minute assignments. Paper due tomorrow? Lab report? Final? No problem. You figured college would be a snap. But starting papers at four in the morning? Not so much. You can only hope that your professors know how to interpret the quasi-English language produced by panic and Monster drinks. 8. When you came to college, you really could not believe that no one else wanted to be president of all these fantastic student organizations. After all, isn’t it an awesome resume builder? So, now you are president. Of all of them. You don’t even have time for quiet mental breakdowns in the corner. At the same time, you are starting to suspect that employers don’t care how many pizza parties and game nights you organize. 9. The unlimited meal plan. It’s like your parents came with you to college and continued to provide food. Now, you are free to devote your time to important things. Like Facebook, Twitter and your poetry. But you realize that you have eaten fried chicken at least twenty times in the last month, and your sweatpants are tight. 10. You chose to follow your heart and study the humanities. Now the people at the business job fair didn’t even pretend to look at your resume. You begin to suspect you may be eating Ramen into your thirties.
opinion
the Collegian : 9
23 September 2013
Socialism not incompatible with US values stroyed relations with places like Guatemala and Cuba. In Oklahoma, socialists opposed to World War I faced lynching and flogging. Nevertheless, Oklahoma’s Communist Party has survived. Its website references Oklahoma’s Giselle state motto, Labor Omnia Vincit, Willis which means Labor Conquers All, Student Writer to describe how Oklahomans used to fly “the red banner,” and are doing so again because of “senseless wars, corporate swindles and the sell-out of government.” When glancing over this edition The website also captures feelof The Collegian, one might scowl ings of class consciousness and and mutter, “No way, this is Amerclass-based resentment, such as ica.” But here the truth is confrontdescriptions of a working class ed: even Oklahoma had and has a “tired of living a poor man’s life in Communist Party. a rich man’s world”—highly remiIt’s time that we moved beyond niscent of the 2011 Occupy Wall a Cold War mindset and underStreet movement. stood that while communism and Certainly, this is echoed in socialism, the economic system the “99 percent” demonstrating associated with it, may have flaws, against the richer “1 percent” on so does capitalism. Wall Street. It’s also always good to stay Communist philosophy has not open to other ideas. After all, lost all of its charm among some Skeptical Inquirer writer Howard and could probably even reach a Gabennesch states that the bad greater following if it did not carry idea of an individual doesn’t harm such an anti-patriotic and somesociety, noting that “the real danwhat ridiculous connotation here ger occurs when it is accepted by in the United States. the gullible and condoned by the For example, the National sincere.” Council of Communists USA webHis description eerily brings to site criticizes the United States for mind the Red Scare of the 1950s, “forcing” itself on “smaller naand the ensuing paranoia that detions in pursuit of raw materials
Socialism’s tenants still have relevance today, and it is vital that we do not dismiss it as evil nonsense.
and strategic locations to establish military bases to consolidate imperialist military power.” This describes exactly what was happening in the recent Syria crisis, and it would be wrong to discredit this statement simply because it came from a communist website. This website also says “the capitalists of our own nation (in this case the United States) are our sworn enemies.” Statements like these can be alarming, but there is more to it. The writers, Jackson Flynn and Earl Clark, state that “capitalists exploit workers as parasites
of Oklahoma Workers’ Monthly condemned action in Syria, just like the National Council of Communists USA foretold, and reprimanded capitalism for “economically (enslaving) us at an early age” by “overworking” and “treating (youth) like second-class citizens by only granting us low wage jobs.” I think many college graduates can agree that entry-level positions for corporations generally mean an overworked life for low pay. Finally, many people forget the differences between communism and socialism, although the former
“Communist philosophy could probably reach a greater following if it did not carry such an anti-patriotic connotation” exploit their host” and that “the working class loses its power to control its own destiny.” It’s easy to laugh at the metaphor about parasites, but city employees at a Tulsa city council meeting in 2012 were not laughing when they tried to talk about how a “Collaboration Budget” had reduced them to seeking food stamps, causing Mayor Bartlett to walk out in response. The September 2013 edition
is a political system and the latter is an economic system. Communism gives “to each according to his needs,” while socialism gives “to each according to his contribution” which seems like something Americans could embrace within the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” ideal. Within communism, wealth is “redistributed so that everyone in society is given equal shares of the benefits derived from labor,” while
socialism provides “people can earn more if they work harder,” with socialism again seeming like a more viable option for individualistic Americans. In fact, since socialism is an economic system, it’s possible to have a socialist democracy, and in some ways, America already is one. Confused people confusing socialism with communism sometimes claim that the Obamacare gives individual property to the government. For example, Republican Representative from Texas Louie Gohmert said that “individual liberty is gone as soon as this bill is held constitutional,” according to reporter Michael McAuliff. In Washington, Oklahoma’s very own Jim Bridenstine voted to “cripple” the Affordable Care Act and said that this would keep “Obamacare from being imposed on the American People.” According to Bruce Watson at dailyfinance.com, Obamacare can be considered socialist in that it has the wealthy in a “rich man’s world” paying an extra 0.9 percent tax to fund healthcare for everyone. People complain about paying taxes for others, but if these same people were chronically ill or unemployed, they would appreciate the values of this different system.
Parking must expand with the university ways secure them a physical place to park. When forced to park away from their assigned lots, the university strikes again with a $50 ticket. There are no exceptions to the ticketing policy. Freshmen in the middle of having their lives upAlex rooted and replanted have to worWhite ry about whether or not they are Student Writer parking in the right lot as soon as the first week of orientation. Even parents are not exempt. Students should have at least a week of free passes or at least Parking is always a struggle at TU. warnings before having to even While the university puts its best think about dealing with tickets. foot forward during campus visits Some easy solutions would be by making plenty of parking space to limit parking permits to upavailable for prospective students perclassmen or wait for the city and parents, once students are ento invest in public transit - but in rolled, it is an entirely different the absence of any comprehensive ordeal. plan for transportation reform in With the incoming freshman the city of Tulsa, these are unrealclass at its largest size ever, parkistic solutions in the short term. ing is tight. Tulsa is a city steeped in car The university requires students culture. The majority of the poputo buy permits for lots close to lation lives in the mass of suburtheir residences, then oversells the ban sprawl around the city center, lots so that there are more permits making cars more of a necessity than there are spaces. for students – even freshman – Left with few options, students than they are in larger more comoften must choose between stompact cities. aching a ticket or parking in an The largest demographic of overflow lot and walking the extra university students from Tulsa are distance. from these suburbs, making public It is not hard to see that there transportation even less practiis a common thread of motivation cal as a solution for students who behind the university’s policy recommute or have reasons to go garding parking. home during the weekends. They corner students into payWith land in midtown being so ing for a permit that does not al-
The University of Tulsa has a duty to provde more parking options to its students as enrollment grows.
scarce, one possible solution is to build up rather than out. The West Residential lot is used by students in the Fisher West, Fisher South, and Lottie Jane residence halls, but has only 70 parking places in the lot east of Delaware. A parking garage would be the most efficient way to create more spaces closer to students’ dorms. Although this is not a permanent solution to the situation it would mitigate the current problems significantly if immediate action was taken. If other institutions like the OSU Med Center have the resources to provide a parking garage for their students and faculty then so
should the University of Tulsa. While parking presently continues to be a nuisance and a consumer of precious time for students, the best thing to do if you get a ticket is attempt to appeal it at the
parking office. To the University: a parking garage or additional lots would be a welcome change and reduce wasted time in the days of all students.
Graphic by Steven Buchele
——Communism ... legalize it!—— The fact that Oklahoma laws illegalizing communism are still in effect is an artifact of a bygone era in U.S. history.
J.Christopher Proctor Editor-in-Chief
America was a very different country in early 1950s. The war was won, a golden age dawning and a Red Scare quickly descending upon the land of the free. Joe McCarthy was making lists and calling hearings, and the phrase “I am not now nor have I ever been” was on the tips of everyone’s tongues. It was in this climate in 1955 that Oklahoma passed two rather
odd statutes, one proclaiming the “Existence of communist conspiracy” and the other declaring the “Communist Party of the United States and component parts as illegal.” (Much of the text of these acts is republished on page six, but for fellow political nerds wanting to see the full laws it’s Title 21, Chapter 52, Sections 1266.1 and 1266.2) I don’t want to judge the lawmakers that created these statutes over 50 years ago. The times were very different, and while it now sounds comical to officially codify into law that “it is …declared to be a fact that there exists an International Communist conspiracy which is committed to the overthrow of the government of the United States and of the several states, including that of the State of Oklahoma”, at the time these were legitimate worries. What I will judge is the fact that in 2013 these outdated laws—es-
pecially the law prohibiting the formation of communist parties— are still on the books. The Bill of Rights is pretty clear about our freedom of assembly, and while political parties take— and probably deserve—a good deal of flack, the rights of citizens to form political parties to express their views and lobby for their interests is a foundational part of American democracy. When it comes to the legality of political parties that openly and
unequivocally call for the violent overthrow of the government, I will acknowledge that there is room for discussion and debate. But the current law is not this type of narrowly pointed, public safety oriented measure. It is broad and sweeping, declaring anything that looks remotely like communism—“no matter under what name known”— illegal, and giving the govern- ment the power to seize “all funds, records, and other property belonging to such Party” and demanding that “all books, records, and files of any such organizations shall be turned over to the
Attorney General”. Our state is better than this archaic law, and in 2013 it is time for it to finally be overturned. I see no reason for this to be a partisan issue. The Republicans love their freedoms and the Democrats love their liberties, and while neither is particularly cozy with communists, both should be able to see this law as an unnecessary and improper violation of the First Amendment. I am hopeful that its current presence on the State’s books is due to neglect and not to obstinance. This law, in its current form, is unjustifiable, unconstitutional and dare I say un-American. It should be done away with once and for all. The author is not now nor has he ever been a member of the Communist Party.
Opinion
23 September 2013
the Collegian : 10
Civil assets forfeiture encourages corruption
Haley Stritzel
Staff Writer
Asset forfeiture refers to the government’s seizure of private property connected to illegal activity. The government can seize three types of property: contraband, or items possession of which constitutes illegal activity, such as guns and drugs; profits resulting from illegal activity, such as money from drug sales; and property used to commit a crime, such as a car used for drug trafficking. Criminal asset forfeiture is a form of punishment for a convicted offender, usually in addition to a prison sentence. Civil asset forfeiture, in contrast to criminal asset forfeiture, is legal action not brought against a person, but against an object, although the owner, of course, is the one that suffers the consequences. This legal technicality results in bizarre case names like United States v. One Pearl Necklace and United States v. Approximately 64,695 Pounds of Shark Fins. However, this has far more serious ramifications than strange case names. Constitutionally-guaranteed rights involving property and legal representation don’t apply because the case is not technically against him or her, but against
their property. Furthermore, in a case of civil asset forfeiture, the government does not need a criminal charge or conviction to seize a person’s property. Because the case is brought against the property itself, the innocence or guilt of the owner is irrelevant. The owner must prove that the property had no connection to a crime or that they had no knowledge of the property’s connection. The owner has no right to an attorney, and the cost of hiring a lawyer often exceeds the value of the property in question, resulting in very few challenges to civil forfeiture cases. Modern civil asset forfeiture laws expanded in the 1980s in response to the growing War on Drugs. In 1984, Congress amended parts of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Prevention Act of 1970 to create the Assets Forfeiture Fund. The Attorney General deposits all profits from government-seized property into this fund for use by the Department of Justice and other federal law enforcement agencies. Most states followed the federal government’s example and revised their civil forfeiture laws to give local law enforcement at least part of the proceeds from seized property. Even in states with stricter civil forfeiture laws, through the so-called “equitable sharing” program, local law enforcement can evade these restrictions and operate under the much looser federal laws while still getting a share of the profits. Oklahoma has particularly egregious civil asset forfeiture laws, receiving a “D-” grade from the Institute of Justice. Our law enforcement agencies retain 100 percent of proceeds from forfeitures, and
our courts require one of the lower standards of proof for property to qualify as subject to seizure. Oklahoma has also taken the unique step of outsourcing roadside stops and searches to a private company, Desert Snow, in order to increase forfeiture profits. In some cases, Desert Snow officers would not find drugs in a car, but seized cash from citizens anyway because drug-sniffing dogs became excited. These laws have created a situation in which law enforcement agencies have a direct financial interest in seizing property, what the Institute for Justice calls “policing for profit.” There could hardly be a more clearly defined example of a conflict of interest. There are few restrictions on how law enforcement agencies can use the proceeds from seized property. Most often these profits go towards the agency’s own budgets in the form of better equipment, pay
and training. Civil asset forfeiture laws also further exacerbate racial inequities in wealth. According to the ACLU, civil asset seizures occur within with the well-documented practice of racial profiling. Because people of color are disproportionately pulled over or stopped, their money and other property is also disproportionately seized. Policy analyst Kate Richey at Oklahoma Policy Institute agrees. Although statistics regarding civil asset forfeitures cases are notoriously absent, she notes that “anecdotal evidence from the ground points to the profiling of people of color.” In a stunning inversion of the popular fear that citizens will become financially dependent on their government, our government has become dependent on citizenowned private property as a necessary component of its budget.
In one study that surveyed nearly 800 law enforcement agencies, researchers found that almost 40 percent of agencies reported that profits from civil asset forfeitures were a “necessary budget supplement.” The Institute of Justice studied a random sample of 52 law enforcement agencies in Texas and found that these proceeds represented an average of 14 percent of their budgets. This dependency continued at the federal level as well: the Department of Justice has encouraged its lawyers to increase their civil forfeiture efforts in order to meet its annual budget goals. The direct financial stake law enforcement has in civil asset forfeiture laws calls into question their motives: Are these laws really about getting “tough on crime?” Or is it a convenient way for the state to profit at the expense of its citizens?
Reports of Civil Asset Forfeitures in Oklahoma $8,000,000 $7,000,000 $6,000,000 Value of Property Seized
If police budgets depend on the acquisition of civilians’ assets, officers are encouraged to confiscate non-criminal goods.
$5,000,000 $4,000,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $0 FY 2000
Graphic by Haley Stritzel
FY 2001
FY 2002
FY 2003
FY 2004
FY 2005
FY 2006
FY 2007
Displayed is data gathered by the Institute for Justice. The graph depicts the value of goods and currency seized by law enforcement officials in fiscal years ranging from 2000 to 2007 in the state of Oklahoma.
Climate research ought be done by govt.
Research concerning global warming should be done by the government because few other bodies are capable of the job. Steven Buchele
Staff Writer
Recently, Tulsa’s congressional representative Jim Bridenstine has been spearheading a bill in Congress to redistribute the funding that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration receives. While the text of the bill itself never explicitly uses the word ‘climate,’ the effect of the bill would be to take money from the NOAA’s climate research and focus the organization almost exclusively on weather forecasting. If red flags are not going up, they should be. The NOAA is indeed known for its weather forecasts and warning that save lives, but saying that NOAA, the organization tasked with understanding the air, water, sea and sky of the planet, should only forecast and predict weather is kind of like saying that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should be restricted to just sending up telescopes. The true value of organizations like NOAA and NASA are in their
capability for scientific discovery. Increasing our understanding about the world we live on is not only a noble endeavor, but possibly just as life-saving as the tornado warnings that NOAA issues. There are more than 7 billion people on the planet Earth right now. Regardless of whether you believe that humans are having a detrimental effect on the climate of our planet, one has to admit that there is that possibility. Because
humanity is now actually capable of moving mountains and making islands, it is imperative for our own health and well-being that we understand how our influence is effecting the air and water of this planet. Defunding the climate research portion of NOAA, right after similar measures were taken against NASA, will seriously cripple our ability to understand what influence humans are having on our planet.
And there is no one to pick up the slack. There is no reason for the private-sector to engage in large scale climate research. Any company capable of doing the scale of vital research that NOAA can obviously has an agenda. Results that come from company funded research should, while perhaps not be thrown out, at least be closely scrutinized for bias. I am not saying that research performed by NOAA can’t be
Graphic by Witt Womack
Rep. Jim Bridenstine has made moves to reduce climate change research by the NOAA in favor of giving more money to fund advances in weather forecasting.
The Collegian is the independent 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 basis of personal status or group characteristics including but not limited to the classes protected under federal and state law in its programs, services, aids, or benefits. 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 accommodation of disabilities may be addressed to the University’s 504 Coordinator, Dr. Tawny Taylor, 918-631-3814. To ensure availability of an interpreter, five to seven days notice is needed; 48 hours is recommended for all other accommodations. 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 collegian@utulsa.edu or elizabeth-cohen@utulsa.edu. The deadline for advertising is 12 p.m. on the Friday prior to the publication. Editing Policy: The Collegian reserves the right to edit all copy submitted by all writers. This editing may 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 entire Collegian staff, the administrative policies of the University of Tulsa, the views of the student body or our advertisers. Letter Policy: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words. While we do not require it, letters sent via e-mail to the Collegian are encouraged. 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 Saturday prior to publication.
skewed one way or the other, but I am saying that the likelihood of being purposefully and maliciously skewed is lower than with private companies. Smaller non-profit organizations might not be quite as susceptible to influence as big companies, though, by no means are they exempt from it either, but the scale and qualities of their studies will probably not reach the standard set by these national organizations. I personally believe that the duty of the U.S. government, as it has evolved by the constant influence of the will of the American people, is to do what is for the common interest that the private sector either cannot or will not. Large-scale research into humans influence on the climate of our only planet is one of those things. The benefits from climate research aren’t simply for the “hippie green people”; the data collected by research rage from atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, to air and sea currents, to weather patterns will actually be of great assistance to those who forecast the weather. By looking at the big picture of the climate, we can begin to understand more about what causes the smaller daily bits of weather that we experience. I will not deny that it is useful to know that there is a tornado somewhere in your area, but I also think that knowing the likelihood of dangerous storms increasing can save just as many lives. Cliché, though it is, understanding is half the battle.
editor-in-chief—J.Christopher Proctor managing editor—Kyle Walker news editor—Conor Fellin sports editor—Will Bramlett variety editor—Stephanie Hice opinion editor—Patrick Creedon satire editor—Anna Bennett photo & graphics editor—Jill Graves copy editors—Carly Putnam business & advertising manager—Liz Cohen distribution manager—Walker Womack web editor—Mary Carol Franko
the Collegian : 11
NEWS
23 SEPTEMBER 2013
University plans for further expansion
At convocation, Steadman Upham detailed Tulsa’s drop in rankings, the increase in enrollment and plans for more dorms and facilities. Magdalena Sudibjo Staff Writer
At last Tuesday’s Convocation in the Lorton Performance Center, President Steadman Upham gave a report of the University of Tulsa’s current standings and its future goals. Though TU’s US News rankings for student selectivity; faculty resources; alumni giving and financial resources all increased, the university’s overall ranking as a national doctoral university dropped from 83rd place
to 86th place. Peer assessment ratings, or how other universities see TU; the university’s 46 percent graduation rate; and student retention were the university’s biggest problem areas. President Upham emphasized the student retention rate of the freshmen class, which currently stands at a fair 87 percent, as an answer to the university’s low graduation performance. President Upham also discussed the progress of TU’s long-term enrollment plan of increasing the undergraduate and the graduate student size from around three thousand to about four thousand students. Due to the economic downturn in 20078, this gradual but already very visible increase to the campus population has outpaced the university’s similarly long-term
construction plans. Within the coming few years, TU intends to build a dormitory west of Allen Chapman Activity Center where the Holmes Student Center currently stands to deal with overcrowding in housing. The new building will be able to house an extra three hundred students. The university also plans to renovate and update major parts of Keplinger Hall, the most used building on campus, to deal with overcrowding in the classrooms. In fact, even with the newly constructed Stephenson and Razor Halls, the growth in the number of students in the Engineering and Natural Arts college, 1,400 last year to over 1,600 this year, is pressing the need for more classroom space for the college. With regards to athletics, TU has recently
resurfaced the tennis courts and added new practice gym floors, volleyball courts, and a state-of-the art turf for the football field, which keeps cooler than the old turf by several degrees. The university will also be joining the American Athletic Conference next year. In other achievements, the university’s total recorded community service hours reached well over 55 thousand, a more than fifty percent increase from the previous school year. According to Upham, TU, along with other groups, has significantly helped restore the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood west of campus. The university plans to continue its restoration efforts, with reading programs, mentor groups and other programs, to improve the nearby communities.
Courtesy of University of Tulsa
The proposed dorm will be placed on the current location of Holmes Student Center and the Allen Chapman Activities Center parking lot (above) and will include a massive archway through which students can reach ACAC (left).
Arturo Herrera, TU alum and artist, speaks at Philbrook TU alumnus and internationally renowned artist Arturo Herrera gave a talk at the Philbrook Art Museum this Sunday. Haley Stritzel Staff Writer
This past Sunday, the TU School of Art and the Philbrook Museum partnered to present a lecture by internationally renowned artist Arturo Herrera, who earned his Bachelor of Arts at TU. Venezuelan-born Herrera has exhibited his works extensively worldwide, including in such prestigious institutions as the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. Dr. Kirsten Olds, Professor of Art History at TU, introduced Herrera as “one of the best students” his professors had taught, who displayed “superb drawing talents” during his time at TU. After earning his MFA at the University
of Illinois at Chicago, he is now “blazing a trail in the international art world,” in the words of Philbrook museum educator Susan Green. Herrera led the audience through a loosely chronological account of his extensive oeuvre. His use of media cannot be easily categorized: he ranges from large-scale wall paintings to sculptures that are only inches tall. Never one to stick to conventional artistic media, Herrera has incorporated denim, coffee and tea stains, and even “extruded rubber erasers” into his work. Despite his variety in media and scale, a couple thematic threads run through Herrera’s work: a love for collage and an interest in popular culture. Drawing on the legacy of Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, the originators of the collage form, Herrera explained that he wanted to “pursue what collage could do” and show that “there were still some things to say about collage.”
Even in his metal and fabric sculptures, he utilizes cleanly-defined lines that evoke the sharp edges of cut paper. In more recent collages, he creates dense webs of paint splatters and appropriated images from coloring books, newspapers, and magazines. Herrera aims to “obliterate the space with image and color” with busy, crowded compositions that warrant more than just a quick glance. Throughout his career, Herrera has drawn on popular images, particularly Disney characters, to incorporate in his works. In some of his collages, the way he deconstructs and reassembles childhood images create an unsettling, disturbing finished product.
Herrera utilizes this “fragmentation of popular culture” as a vehicle to explore the limits of memory: how much of a familiar image does a viewer need to see before they can recognize it? After taking the audience through his colorful and varied body of work, Herrera left with an encouraging message, especially for aspiring artists. He reminded aspiring artists that “all artists make a lot of mistakes” and that we should not fear taking risks. For Herrera, failure is a necessary component of growing as an artist. “It’s good to fail,” Herrera said. “Mistakes are really good. Don’t be afraid of them.”
From Brady page 4
is home to the famous Cain’s Ballroom, founded by Tulsa entrepreneur Tate Brady in 1924. Cain’s Ballroom has hosted several different musicians and bands, such as the Sex Pistols, The Black Keys, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Sounds, Kings of Leon, The Avett Brothers, Hanson and many more. The Brady Theatre, completed in 1914, was originally designed as an urban auditorium and convention hall. Now, it is a historic theatre where some the greatest names in show business have played, including the Cars, Chicago, Roy Clark, Rosemary Clooney, Phil Collins, Bill Cosby, Devo, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Al Green, Buddy Holly, Tom Jones, Journey, Cyndi Lauper, Styx, Survivor and U2.
The Brady District also has a wide variety of local restaurants and coffee shops. Hey Mambo serves gourmet pizza and Italian food. Laffa serves Mediterranean food as well as takeaway falafel from a sidewalk window. Anyone looking for a classy take on a modern day pub can head down to the Tavern on Brady. Meat lovers can check out Caz’s Chowhouse, advertised as “Upscale, Down-home cooking.” If you want to sit down, relax and enjoy a cup of coffee, the Gypsy Coffee House has a wide variety of coffee drinks and desserts. For entertainment, the Brady District
From Guthrie page 4
Haley Stritzel / Collegian
The TU alumnus presented his work at the Philbrook on Sunday. Herrera’s art incorporates a wide variety of media, both conventional and unconventional.
verses express a side of Guthrie which, though it is central to his biography, has been suppressed and forgotten. Was Woody Guthrie a communist? His daughter Nora denies that he can be stuffed into “the straightjacket of a party,” and certainly his political conscience was shaped more by his experience than by any tract or treatise. In his copy of Lenin’s Theory of the Agrarian Question he wrote, “I wish I knew what I could do to make all the thoughts of Marx and Engels and Lenin and Stalin and Wilkie and Roosevelt and Earl Browder fly down and roost in my brain.” Retired TU professor and Guthrie scholar Guy Logsden sums up Guthrie’s politics with a fitting simplicity: “Woody believed that greed was the world’s greatest enemy, and that was what he devoted his life to fighting—greed and the evil it can produce.”
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The State Run Media
23 september 2013
the
STATE-RUN media you have our (communist) sympathies.
Graphic by Anna Bennett
TU’s Communist hopefuls are eager to give their party a fresh reputation. Pictured here (from left to right): Joseph Fellin, Patrickel Castreedon, Vlad Walker, Chairman Bennett, and J. Christopher Perestroikowitz. Says Castreedon on the Party’s new image: “Let’s get hammered and sickled!”
Idealistic TU student restarts the Party Despite historical failures, students are set on painting the campus red. Jared Starkweather The Red Herring
It looks like red may soon become more than just an accent color on the TU campus. On Wednesday, University of Tulsa student J. Christopher Perestroikowitz told reporters that he is looking to revive the school’s Communist Club. “It’s high time that we establish a club that re-brands the Communist party to make it more relevant
to today’s young people,” Perestroikowitz said in an interview on Thursday. He went on to refer to the current way that things are run on campus, suggesting things could use use a little Communist Touch. Perestroikowitz looks to gain official approval and funding from SA by the start of the Spring semester. Pro-communist clubs have had a rough history on the University of Tulsa campus, having been both started and shut down twice, each incarnation brought down by unrealistic policy and the slow decline of their leaders into a power hun-
gry, paranoid, and dictatorial state. The first Communist club, the Marxist Club, was started by Jebediah Bolshemmond in 1917, in the university’s infancy. Bolshemmond and his followers seized control of the student government and enacted sweeping policy reform. According to State-Run Media articles from the year, school supplies were divided up and distributed evenly to the students, proCommunist Club propaganda was circulated, and a large wall was planned to be constructed around the perimeter of the campus. The University’s board, grow-
ing tired of humoring the student body’s left-wing shenanigans, shut the club down just twenty days after it was started. The second red-leaning club, The Socialist Association (or SA for short), was started more recently in 1972 by sophomore Rick Maoski. Bill Williams, who graduated in 1973, recounted to StateRun reporters what the club and its members were like. “The cafeteria’s food quality has never recovered from the club’s reign,” Williams said. “The club seemed to have the happiest members, but that was because anyone who complained about
it was sent to the gulags in the basement of Keplinger Hall. And the club had the worst intramural teams because no one was allowed to be better than anyone else.” Despite the 100 percent failure rate of pro-communist clubs on campus, Perestroikowitz is still optimistic about his efforts. He insists that new face of Communism will be far kinder and less revolutionary than past incarnations. “Our first club event is going to be a Communist Potluck, which is a gathering where everybody brings a dish to share with everyone else. It’s a really radical concept, but we think it might catch on.”
Which Communist leader are you? Uncontested SA Have you ever found yourself lost in thought, wondering who your Communist Doppelganger might be? Instead of wasting time wondering, waste some time taking this quiz! Where is your ideal Communist utopia? A. On a tropical island with a Cuba Libre melting in my hand. B. From sea to shining sea C. Chinese Taipei and Tibet D. SIBERIA. E. The significance of criticalutopian socialism and communism bears an inverse relation to historical development. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? A. Eternal life. B. Control of the House of Representatives. C. Ability to make Great Leaps. D. The USSR: the only true superpower. E. Religion is the opiate of the masses.
What’s your favorite color? A. Red B. Red (white and blue) C. Red D. Red E. Abolish all private property. How do you prefer to spend your Friday nights? A. Dodging assassination attempts B. Watching basketball with my good friends Hillary, Nancy, Karl, Joey and Vlad. C. Reading my Little Red Book. D. Planning out my next five years. E. Landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed. How do your friends describe your brand of Communism? A. My friends were killed by the CIA B. Democratic C. Cultural and Revolutionary D. Friends? E. Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains. Count up your answers!
Answer Guide If you got MOSTLY As, you are Fidel Castro, the loveable but misunderstood former dictator of Cuba! You’ve got a cult of personality behind you, but be warned; your popularity may not last! Console yourself with a cigar. If you got MOSTLY Bs, you are President Barack Obama, America’s current dear leader! You are good looking and just too charming to be real. Be careful—the Right Wing is starting to catch wind of your Communist leanings! If you got MOSTLY Cs, you are Chairman Mao, founding father of the People’s Republic of China! You are thoroughly modern and forward thinking, and some people just can’t handle it. What are a few human rights violations between friends? If you got MOSTLY Ds, you are Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union. Your ambitions are atomically large and your facial hair is impeccable. People may occasionally be Cold towards you, but you can name things after yourself to feel better. If you got MOSTLY Es, you are Karl Marx, co-author of the Communist Manifesto and owner of an impressive beard. The things you say will often be misinterpreted, but hey, at least people will talk about you.
race heats up
Controversial campaign tactics emerge as student battles self for senate seat. Steven Buchele
Political Correspondent Many fierce contests came to a conclusion this week with the Student Association Senate Elections. However, the most heated battle went largely unreported. Senator-Elect George Matthew—a freshman business major known to his friends as “the guy with two first names”— has been entrenched in one of the ugliest mudslinging contests that the University of Tulsa has ever seen. Matthew won his uncontested seat because surprise write-in contenders Mickey Mouse, Idont Care, and Blank were all disqualified for being ineligible candidates. “I was surprised by how low my opponents sank during the campaign,” said Matthew. Critics of the now-senator repeatedly asked for documents proving he was a University of Tulsa student. “I saw most of them (my critics) in class! How could I not be a student? Why should I have to prove my
status with tests and copies of my homework? It’s insulting.” Even worse than the demands for proof of enrollment were the attack ads run by the Communist Alliance Party of the University of Tulsa (C.A.P.U.T) that were plastered on every hall in the bottom of Zink Hall, underneath most water fountains on campus and the inside of Matthew’s door. These defaming posters depicted Matthew riding a unicorn sidesaddle, flying over a rainbow with the benevolent face of Ron Paul smiling down upon him. The tagline of the counter-campaign reads “All your wildest dreams will come true.” Matthew denies allegations that he put those signs up and calls the security camera footage suggesting he did, “obviously doctored.” He goes on to claim that if he had been responsible, the posters would have been “a lot less derivative.” Only time will tell if Matthew can meet the mandate of the student body or how SA will respond to the deep apathetic divide this uncontested election has revealed.