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W W W . O U D A I L Y . C O M 2 0 1 2 S I L V E R C R O W N W I N N E R
T H U R S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 3
� e University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
Sports: Running back Brennan Clay shines this season in absence of a stable passing attack (Page 6)
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VOL. 99, NO. 18© 2013 OU Publications BoardFREE — Additional copies 25¢
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INSIDE TODAYCampus......................2
Classi f ieds................4
L i fe&Ar ts... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Opinion.....................3
Spor ts........................6
L&A: Why go to a concert just to stand there? Our columnist explains why enthusiasm is important. (Page 5)
Opinion: Former first lady Barbara Bush tells girls in Moore to ‘marry well.’ Why we oppose her statement (Page 3)
FRESHMAN EXPERIENCE
Four freshmen in their first weeks at OU
Melanie Purdy
Melanie Purdy thanked God out loud for the healing she hoped would come.
The next day, God delivered, she said.Purdy was at an InterVarsity Christian
Fellowship Bible study when she was asked to voice her prayers. Like she does frequent-ly, she prayed for her dad who was diagnosed in February with stage four liver cancer.
Her dad called the next day with good news — his doc-tor had CT Scan results and said the tumors had shrunk by about eight centimeters.
“Our hope is really renewed right now,” Purdy said. “This is just the encouragement we both need and that my dad needs to go forward,”
Duane Purdy was told his cancer was inoperable and that even with chemotherapy treatments, he had no more than five years to live. He went to treatment sparse-ly and skipped more and more often because of the bleak
prognosis and the painful chemotherapy. The family sup-ported this decision, she said.
“It seems like more possibilities are open and maybe for him, doing the chemo isn’t pointless,” Purdy said in a choked voice. “It isn’t just causing him pain when, ulti-mately, he’s not going to make it.”
While Purdy was rejoicing over good news, other freshmen were going to first football games, going
This story is a part of the The Oklahoma Daily’s multimedia Freshman Experience project following five new Sooners through their first year of college.
CARMEN FORMAN • SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR
SEE FRESHMEN PAGE 2
NEVER FORGET
CHRIS JAMES/ THE DAILY
MAX JANERKACampus Reporter
A conference spotlighting transnationalism and minority cultures will be held Sept. 26 through Sept. 28 on campus.
The event will include two keynote lecturers Jonathan Holloway, an African American studies professor at Yale University, and Shari Huhndorf, an ethnic studies professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said Janet Ward, conference organizer and OU history professor.
Holloway, who also teaches history and American studies, will discuss diaspora using his new book “Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and
Identity in Black America Since 1940” as a refer-ence in his lecture, Ward said.
Huhndorf, Native American Studies director at Berkeley, will lecture about gender and transna-tionalism based on her new book, “Indigeneity and the Politics of Space: The Gendered Geographies of Native Women’s Culture,” Ward said.
While the event is part of the Mid-America histo-ry conference consortium, its focus is more inter-disciplinary, Ward said.
There will be almost one hundred participants from many disciplines and universities, Ward said.
The conference will include workshops or-ganized by archivists and curators at the OU History of Science Collections, Western History Collections and art museum highlighting transna-tional and minority materials, she said.
Lectures and workshops will highlight transnationalism
Students took a moment to remember 9/11 by placing � ags in the ground on the South Oval Wednesday morning.
Members of Sigma Alpha Lambda provided 100 � ags for students passing by to stick in the grass south of Bizzell Memorial Library, said accounting and prelaw junior John Farley. Within 30 minutes, all the � ags were in the ground.
“Even a small gesture like placing a few � ags on campus can have a signi� cant impact,” Farley said. “We felt this was a very good way to show our appreciation for people who lost their lives.”
Farley said he saw several stu-dents walking by stand still for a moment to look at the � ags and re� ect.
“I think we should all take a moment to re� ect,” he said.
Arianna Pickard,Campus Editor
Sooners remember those who lost their lives
DISCUSSION
Panel speaks about SyriaConference to explain conflict
BENNETT HALLCampus Reporter
In an attempt to bring Syrian conflict to the fore-front of students’ minds, O U ’s e x p e r t s o n t h e Middle East are holding a panel discussion at 8 p.m. Thursday in Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The panelists will dis-cuss developments lead-ing to the present state o f p o l i t i ca l u n re st i n Syria internally and with other countr ies, said Mike Boettcher, journal-ism professor and corre-spondent-in-residence at Gaylord College.
“ This is an effort to bring students in touch with world events,” said Boettcher, who is one of the panelists.
Several OU faculty and administrators felt that OU students weren’t very concerned with the issue of chemical weapons and how the U.S. should re-spond to them, Boettcher said.
Boettcher said he can remember a period in the 1970s when college stu-dents like himself were highly informed about the events of the decade, par-ticularly the Vietnam War, because the possibilities of the military draft were an immediate concern to their lifestyles.
“These days, the issues of going or not going to war resonate less with students
MID-AMERICA CONFERENCE
Upcoming event to discuss minority culture
SEE SYRIA PAGE 2
AT A GLANCELecture scheduleJonathan Holloway: 7 p.m. Sept. 26 in OU Outreach College of Continuing Education’s B Wing, located at 1700 Asp Ave
Shari Huhndorf: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art’s auditorium
REGISTRATION
Admission is free and required registration can be completed at the conference website.
Source: Janet Ward, conference organizer and OU history professor
MELANIE PURDY
2
Sep. 12-15
This University in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment,
fi nancial aid and educational services. For accommodations on the basis of disability, please contact the sponsoring department of any program or event.
Thursday, Sep. 12Intramural Update: Tennis Entries | 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Huston Huffman Center front desk. Sign-up for Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles, $1/participant and FREE if living in OU housing). Contact Jonathan Dewhirst, (405) 325-6755, for more information. Student Success Series: Improving Reading Speed | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. in Wagner Hall 245. Learn some great tips for improving your reading speed with Kristine Akey, of OU’s Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum offi ce. This workshop free and no registration is required.The Zhang Sister’s Exhibition Opening Reception | 6 p.m. at the Lightwell Gallery School of Art and Art History. Exhibit is FREE and open to the public.Sooner Safety Fair | 6-8 pm on the Walker-Adams Mall (Rain Location = Couch Restaurants). Learn about the different departments and what they do in regards to keeping people safe on campus. Featuring OUPD, Norman Fire Dept., Norman PD, EMSTAT, and the National Weather Center. FREE Sno Cones to the 1st 200 people!Walker & Adams RSA Toga Party | 6:30 p.m. Cate Rock Garden. Come enjoy refreshments and hummus while sporting your fi nest toga! There will be music, a dance performance, and best of all it’s FREE. facebook.com/walkerRSA [email protected]. Presented by the Walker & Adams Resident Student Association.
Comedy Fight Night Auditions | 7 – 8:30 p.m. Traditions Room, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Got a good joke? Are you the funny one of your friends? Come audition for UPB’s “Comedy Fight Night” - a stand-up comedy competition that awards prize money to the winning students. There’s ALWAYS SOMETHING at the Union, upb.ou.edu.UPB’s Sound Lounge “Rock n Road” | 8 p.m. in Beaird Lounge, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Come and check out the FREE mellow/chill concert series featuring local and student artists. This month “Oklahoma Cloud Factory” will be performing. A FREE ice cream bar will be provided, and there will be a chance to win a guitar set. There’s ALWAYS SOMETHING at the Union, upb.ou.edu. Sunday, Sept. 15
Sooner Soccer vs North Texas | 12 p.m. at OU Soccer Complex. Students get in FREE with ID. The OU Soccer team plays their 2nd home game of the weekend, this one vs defending Conference USA champion North Texas. Exhibit Closing: Hopituy: Kachinas form the Permanent Collections | Fred Jones Museum of Art. Enjoy the fi nal day of the exhibit featuring six types of Hopi kachina fi gures as depicted in more than 175 objects from woodcarving, basketry and painting. For more information, please contact Michael Bendure, [email protected].
Friday, Sep. 13 (cont’d)Sooner Soccer vs Oral Roberts | 7 p.m. at OU Soccer Complex. Students get in FREE with ID. Come out and support the OU Women’s Soccer team as they look to continue a strong start to the home soccer season! Plus FREE Raising Cane’s for students!Dye Hard | 6 – 8 p.m. East Lawn, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Enjoy this tie dye event where you can die shirts, pillow cases, etc., and participate in balloon dart painting. FREE Food will be provided and FREE white shirts for the fi rst 120 students. There’s ALWAYS SOMETHING at the union, www.upb.ou.edu.FREE Movie: ‘Iron Man 3’ | 6, 9 p.m. & midnight in Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union. If you love Marvel and Iron Man, then you better not miss our showings of Iron Man 3 before its available on Blu-Ray/DVD! Presented by the Union Programming Board and Campus Activities Council.
Saturday, Sep. 14Sooner Football vs Tulsa | 11 a.m. at Gaylord Memorial Stadium. Gates open for students at 9am. Come check out OU football in their 3rd straight home game to start the season. They welcome in-state foe Tulsa and look to improve Coach Stoops record to 7-0 all-time vs Tulsa. Go to www.soonersports.com for more info!Movie Matinee: ‘Iron Man 3’ | 4 p.m. in Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Catch the matinee of the Marvel hit, Iron Man 3. Presented by the Union Programming Board and Campus Activities Council.
ThhT ii UU ii itit ii llii iithth llll lili blbl ff dd ll dd tt tt ll dd ll ttii ddThT is Universit in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations doesThThT ii UU ii itit ii llii iithth llll lili blbl ff dd ll dd tt tt ll dd ll ttii ddThT is University in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations doess n
Friday, Sep. 13Intramural Update: Tennis Entries | 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Huston Huffman Center front desk. Sign-up for Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles, $1/participant and FREE if living in OU housing). Contact Jonathan Dewhirst, (405) 325-6755, for more information. Opening Lecture and Reception | 6 p.m. at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Dark Light: The Ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse is the fi rst traveling exhibition by the Navajo artist. McHorse is considered to be one of the most innovative forces in Indian pottery today and will be speaking about her career, inspirations and the creation of Dark Light.
Arianna Pickard, campus editor Paighten Harkins and Molly Evans, assistant editors
[email protected] • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
2 • � ursday, September 12, 2013
CAMPUS
TODAY AROUND CAMPUSA free workshop to improve reading speed will take place from 4:30 to 5:30p.m. in Lissa and Cy Wagner Hall, Room 245.
An exhibition opening reception will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the School of Art & Art History’s Lightwell Gallery. The exhibit will showcase the work from the Zhang Sisters until Oct. 8.
Do you want to see your organization’s campus event here? Visit OUDaily.com/events/submit to add your entry.
CORRECTIONSIn a p. 5 story in Wednesday’s edition of The Daily, golfer Charlie Saxon’s name was misspelled.
In a p. 1 story in Wednesday’s edition of The Daily about a former Pride director, a description of complaints from OU donors was unclear. Donors said they would stop donating money if the band’s traditions were not restored.
In a p. 5 cutline in Monday’s edition of The Daily, ESCAPE Editor Evin Morrison was not credited as the photojournalist for one of the photos.
The Oklahoma Daily is committed to serving readers with accurate coverage and welcomes your comments about information that may require correction or clari� cation. To contact us with corrections, email us at [email protected].
Visit OUDaily.com/corrections for an archive of our corrections
t o c l a s s a n d a d j u s t i n g t o O U during their first weeks of school.
Spencer Smith
Spencer Smith spent his first home football game day and the subse-quent game day breathing Oklahoma pride. Smith plays snare in the Pride of Oklahoma’s drumline.
“I get great seats,” Smith said. “I have great people around me.”
S m i t h s p e n t f ro m noon Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday either prepar-ing or performing, he said. He went from a two-hour rehearsal, to loading a trailer with gear, to playing in front o f a s t a d i u m f u l l o f
people.Smith had been eagerly anticipating
that moment since he tried out for the Pride in the spring. Even the 103-de-gree heat of the first game couldn’t squelch Smith’s excitement.
“It was the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “To hear 84,000 people screaming because of you is the cool-est thing ever. Words can’t describe how cool it was.”
Once the game was over, all Smith could think about was that he gets to do it all over again Saturday.
Jessica Graro
Jessica Graro was in the stands when Smith was performing. After
tailgating and going to about half of the game, Graro headed home to Edmond. She spent the rest of the weekend with her parents, boy-friend and snuggling with her cats.
“I just love that it’s not the hectic environ-ment of college all the time,” she said.
Audra Brulc
Audra Brulc had to get her taste of home from afar in the form of a phone call from a close friend in Tulsa.
“I was like, ‘I’m not going to get homesick; I’m not going to cry; I’m not going to get frustrated’,’” she said. “I definitely cried.” During the call, Brulc went off on a crying stint until she realized most of the things stress-ing her out about college are out of her control.
Setting up a new life in Norman means I feel like I’m losing touch with my home and my friends there, she said.
Even though the adjustment into college life takes its toll at times, she said she still trying to experience new things, includ-ing clumsily making it through her first Zumba class with friends at the Huston Huffman Fitness Center.
“If I have the oppor-tunity to do something and it’s not necessari-
ly going to cost me anything, I might as well go for it,” Brulc said. “That is a mindset I never ever had back home in Tulsa.”
SPENCER SMITH
JESSICA GRARO
AUDRA BRULC
because they don’t have that hanging over them,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean that as a young person you shouldn’t be interested, be-cause wars involve a lot of people.”
Boettcher said the orga-nizers encourage students to attend the panel to learn about this major issue facing not just the country and the people of Syria, but the U.S. as well.
FRESHMEN: Four Sooners retell first few weeksContinued from page 1
SYRIA: Panelists hope to engage students in current world issuesContinued from page 1
Joshua Landis: international and area studies professor and director of OU’s Center for Middle East Studies
David Craig: associate dean of Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Samer Shehata: Middle East studies associate professor and program coordinator
Mike Boettcher: journalism professor and correspondent-in-residence at Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
AT A GLANCE Discussion Panelists
STUDENTSTUDENTSTUDENTSTUDENTSTUDENTMEDIAMEDIAMEDIAMEDIAMEDIAOUOUOUstudentmedia.ou.edustudentmedia.ou.edustudentmedia.ou.eduCopeland Hall 149ACopeland Hall 149ACopeland Hall 149A
Student Media is a department within OU’s division of Student Affairs. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.
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Alex Niblett, opinion [email protected] • phone: 405-325-3666
oudaily.com/opinion • Twitter: @OUDailyOpinionOPINION3 • Thursday, September 12, 2013
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Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and must be fewer than 250 words, typed and signed by the author(s). Letters will be edited for accuracy, space and style. Students must list their major and classification. To submit letters, email [email protected].
Our View is the voice of the Editorial Board, which consists of nine student editors. The board meets at 5 p.m. Sunday to Thursday in 160 Copeland Hall. Board meetings are open to the public.
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The turn of events in the “Baby Veronica” case has been heard
in the U.S. Supreme Court and the Supreme courts of Oklahoma, South Carolina and the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. It ought to fright-en any parent in the U.S., whether they are American Indians and depending upon the protections of the Indian Child Welfare (ICWA) act or not.
The basic facts of the case itself are confus-ing and hard to keep up with at times, but the consensus seems to be that prior to being deployed to Iraq, Dusten Brown had been in a relationship with the biological mother of ‘Baby Veronica,’ whose name has yet to be publicized. Brown had been told that the mother was pregnant before being de-ployed and had proposed marriage. He was turned down and the relationship termi-nated. While serving in Iraq, Brown learned that his child had been put up for adoption, ultimately ending up with Melanie and matt Capobianco of South Carolina. Upon learning this, Brown swung into action and has done everything in his power, includ-ing invoking ICWA, in order to regain and maintain custody of his biological daughter, Veronica.
The ICWA was put in place in order to help Tribes maintain cultural continuity and as a counter balance to the effects of colonial-ism and the ongoing breakdown of Native American families and cultures brought on by it. It was designed to prevent situations just like the one with baby Veronica, where Native American children are opportunis-tically whisked away from their Indian rel-atives and placed in situations where their cultural heritage is most often downplayed or ignored, thus contributing to the once clearly stated aims of the U.S. federal gov-ernment to completely assimilate the Native American or the “kill the Indian and save the man” program of one Richard Henry Pratt, founder and longstanding superintendent of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School at Carlisle, Pa.
The case has garnered national attention and involved governors Mary Fallin of Okla. and Nikki Haley of S.C. It is my firm belief that there is some “conservative” ideology behind how both governors have handled this case, particularly Fallin.
Dating back to the days of the venerated Ronald Reagan, certain elements of the Republican Party and of conservative ideology have held that the U.S. federal government’s relationship with Native American tribes is tantamount to socialism and is the major contrib-uting factor for ongoing poverty and other sagging
measurements of well-being for American Indians. Their basic philosophy is that Indians have not prospered because the U.S. has given them too much —of course hav-ing nothing to do with an ongoing legacy of dehumanization and treaties broken or ig-nored by the U.S.
The U.S. and individual states, especially Oklahoma, have found itself at odds with Indian tribes again and again over things like water rights, mineral and/or gas and oil rights, taxes, tobacco compacts, gambling, land holding, etc. The state of Oklahoma, despite advertising itself as “Native America” for purposes of promoting tourism, rarely misses an opportunity to take countermea-sures against Native American sovereignty and try to set court-related precedents that will prevent its spread while reinforcing State power. They often do this under the guise of talking points like “equality for all and special treatment for none” in order to further erode the treaty rights or sovereignty of Oklahoma’s thirty nine recognized Indian tribes.
I believe this is exactly why Fallin signed the extradition papers for Dusten Brown.
Regardless of the sociopolitical back-ground or the ICWA, no parent should have to endure what Brown has, because of the unscrupulous actions of Veronica’s biological mother who allegedly falsified documents in order to hide Veronica and her father’s ties to the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma and thus prevent him ever gain-ing custody of his child or the ideology of State leaders like Fallin.
If you are an Indian or just one who be-lieves in parental rights, make sure you make your voice heard on election day when Fallin is running for re-election and vote for some-one else besides her for governor.
Scott Starr is a Native American studies senior.
Our View: While we respect former first lady Barbara Bush, we do not believe her statement was relevant for society today.
On Monday, former first lady Barbara Bush spoke via Skype to elementary and high school students about the significance of reading and writing skills in lieu of her mission to recog-nize International Literacy Day, which was Sunday. However, during her speech in Moore’s Briarwood Elementary auditorium, she encour-aged more than education progression. She pitched an antiquated statement regarding mar-ital views.
While answering a student’s question, she noted the opportunities she’s been fortunate enough to have in the past along with how she got them.
“I had a wonderful opportunity to do good things just because my husband was president,” Bush said. “And I still can — that’s the wonderful part. I can still go up to the hospital here or go to a library here, read to children here and people care, just because I married well.”
Bush concluded her response on the matter saying, “So girls, marry well.”
As a public figure who isn’t new to the lime-light, we were surprised by her blunt, outdated statement.
We appreciate her interest in speaking to the students about how important it is for them to have reading and writing skills, but her “marry well” statement wasn’t appropriate.
By stating that these young girls should “marry well” following her personal testimony noting how beneficial it is to marry a president, she is indiscreetly suggesting marrying someone of political status and connections will get you somewhere in life.
The children should not have to listen to a message like this, for it might skew their idea of what qualities they should look for in a future spouse.
Only you have the power to control your life, not your spouse. You don’t need someone in a high social class to make your life meaningful.
Another flaw in her speech was when she claimed people only cared about her charitable nature because she was mar-ried to a president.
This message could plant the idea into children’s minds that their willingness to lend a helping hand to others in society won’t be noticed, cared about or greatly
appreciated unless they’re affiliated with some-one of a certain social stature. That’s false, but her statement is laced with that ideology.
The most unsettling thing about the speech was that she never seemed to address the boys, only the girls.
We feel as though Bush’s statement lacked the accuracy it may have once had regarding wom-en’s status in society when she became first lady, but times have changed.
Whether intentional or not, her words imply that women are expected to marry in general and that, to live in a way that allows you access
to certain opportunities, you need to marry someone who can take care of you. Such views aren’t as prevalent in society anymore, and Bush should have worded her statement differently.
As those kids grow up, it’s important they’re taught the fundamental ideas and attitudes of today’s society, not the previous generation’s view of women as less equal or inadequate com-pared to their spouses. For all we know, the girls Bush spoke to may grow up to become president someday, providing their husbands the oppor-tunities Bush had as first lady.
However, we’re willing to give Bush the bene-fit of the doubt. Perhaps during her speech, she didn’t actually mean anything more than marry someone who you’ll love forever, someone who will respect you and help you do what you enjoy doing. After all, she and former President George H. W. Bush have been married for 68 years. That’s the mindset we would like to be-lieve she meant, but given her age, it is likely her idea of “marrying well” is different than what most of us would feel marrying well is today.
In the end, no matter what the intentions or thoughts behind her statements were, they came across as a stale principle of what once was. We want our kids to know they can grow up to be whatever they want and love whoever they want to love, regardless of social or political status.
Comment on this at OUDaily.com
The Our View is the majority opinion of The Daily’s nine-member editorial board
EdiTOriAL
Former first lady’s advice a stale principle
Nearly fifty years after Martin Luther King Jr.
made his “I Have a Dream” speech, the Department of Justice made a legal move which, contrary to their stat-ed goal, would confine poor, black students to failing and underperforming schools. The DOJ, under the guise of racial desegregation, seeks to block Louisiana’s voucher program for students in floundering schools.
Has King’s dream of racial equality been shattered? If you look at the department of Justice’s recent action in Louisiana, the an-swer is a resounding yes.
The department justifies this piece of fed-eral overregulation by citing Brumfield v. Dodd, a nearly 38-year-old court case that prohibits the state of Louisiana from pro-viding private schools with funding until those schools comply with a list of anti-dis-criminatory requirements. Private schools currently participating in Louisiana’s voucher program, however, are already re-quired by the state to follow federal deseg-regation orders.
Nine out of 10 recipients of the vouchers are black, a fact that the DOJ seems to gloss over. The department claims, “the loss of students through the voucher program re-versed much of the progress made toward integration.” If keeping black students in pitiable conditions is truly the DOJ’s idea of “integration,” then their views on racial equality share few, if any, commonalities with those of King’s.
The DOJ’s perversion of what the civil rights movement stood for does not, how-ever, come from the belief that blacks are inherently inferior to whites. The most like-ly cause of their recent suit against the state of Louisiana is a desire to appease teachers unions. Members of the DOJ who support the upcoming suit want to avoid a repeat of recent reforms in D.C. In 2007, then-chan-cellor of District of Columbia public schools, Michelle Rhee, began spearhead-ing efforts to improve students’ scholastic success. By expanding school choice, firing hundreds of “ineffective” teachers and con-necting instructors’ bonus pay with student performance, DCPS was able to greatly im-prove math and reading test scores.
Although these reforms are controver-sial, they have found proponents from
both parties. Bill Clinton, Mitch Daniels and John Hickenlooper have all stated their support for more performance-based incentives for teachers. Despite the apparent bipartisan support for education reform, pol-icy changes have come under fire from both parents and teachers.
Protests sprung up in Philadelphia after a “doomsday” budget was approved by the Philadelphia school district, resulting in drastic cuts to arts and physical edu-cation programs, among other things. Similar demonstrations occurred in Chicago, Seattle and New York City.
Those members of the DOJ who support the case against Louisiana are seeking to undermine a nascent move-ment that would give greater freedom to parents in directing their children’s aca-demic future. As a result, it will steadily dissolve the influence of both the feder-al government and teachers unions in schools nationwide. The federal bureau-crats believe the establishment of an ed-ucation system where teachers are given disproportionate influence over their own salary and job security is more im-portant than the success of our nation’s children.
The Louisiana public school system is just a theatre in the conflict between proponents of government account-ability and supporters of school systems increasingly insulated from the fiscal and educational demands of society. Given the influence that the education sector has on all facets of American life, a national dialogue concerning methods regarding how to improve the education of our young people should be welcome with open arms. We must give parents and their children expanded school choices and provide the latter group with teachers who will exceed educational standards. We must decide the academ-ic futures of students not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their re-port card.
Corbin Brown is a University College freshman.
Scott [email protected]
OPiNiON COLUMNiST
Corbin [email protected]
OPiNiON COLUMNiST
Students’ futures must be decided by grades, not race
COLuMn
The fight for Baby Veronica presses on in Supreme Court
COLuMn
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Instructions:Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.
Previous Solution
Monday- Very EasyTuesday-EasyWednesday- EasyThursday- MediumFriday - Hard
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breckenridge
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Vail • Beaver Creek • Keystone • Arapahoe Basin
20 Mountains. 5 Resorts. 1 Price.FROMONLY
ACROSS 1 Smeltery
refuse 5 Rum-soaked
pastry 9 Respects the
red light 14 Game
divided into chukkers
15 Jannings or Zatopek
16 Edible ushroom
17 A tablet maker
18 Haughty attitudes
19 Banquet host
20 The Stones, for one
23 Tropical wading bird
24 It is shortened?
25 Little League purchase
28 Election data 31 On the ___
(furtively) 34 Honolulu
howdy 36 Wood ash
product 37 Neil
Armstrong’s home state
38 Sandstone, e.g.
42 First reader canine
43 Word in the Postal Service creed
44 Unsettling 45 Replies of
comprehen-sion
46 Rummy variety
49 Final amt. 50 ___ fly
(run-scoring out)
51 Half of a matching set
53 Profession requiring advanced math skills
61 Pigmented parts of eyes
62 “This ___ take long”
63 Proper function
64 Mathematical symbol
65 Sheltered, nautically
66 Bluesman Redding
67 Add to a database
68 Henry VIII’s Catherine
69 ___ down (frisks)
DOWN 1 Have heated
words 2 Crazy in
Cancun 3 Guinness in
movies 4 Berlin’s
Maxim ___ Theater
5 Jughead’s topper
6 Among 7 100 Ethiopian
cents 8 Furthermore 9 Does
foundry work 10 The
pyramids, essentially
11 Two-colored whale
12 Ball-shaped hammer part
13 Klondike vehicle
21 James ___ Garfield (20th U.S. president)
22 Eyelid application
25 Deep voice at the opera
26 Alphabet opener, in Israel
27 Disorderly outbursts
29 Sonic start? 30 Rich-textured
Norwegian rug
31 Wiring problem
32 Legitimate or legal
33 Fellow in the sticks
35 Miss alternative
37 It’s found in a lode-bearing wall
39 Carry through legislatively
40 Start for
“profit” or “starter”
41 Be lovesick 46 Augustus
succeeded him
47 Eye shadow?
48 Half a playground unit?
50 Glider on the ice
52 Sharpening belt
53 Disrespectful 54 Microwave
device 55 Old English
inhabitant? 56 Bartering
result 57 Vending
machine choice
58 Microscopic amount
59 Narrow cut 60 “Guarding
___” (MacLaine movie)
Universal CrosswordEdited by Timothy E. Parker September 12, 2013
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
© 2013 Universal Uclickwww.upuzzles.com
HARD MUSIC - PART 1 By Gary Cooper9/12
9/11
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
In the year ahead, keep your eye on what’s important and don’t deviate from your goals to please others. Believe in what you have to offer and present yourself with precision and passion. Give your imagination free rein.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Learn from past experience when dealing with personal matters. Communicate openly and honestly and you will avoid a situation that has the potential to be taxing. Make positive changes at home.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Interesting changes to relationships with colleagues, friends and loved ones will develop. Someone is likely to withhold information pertinent to a decision you must make. Ask direct questions before you proceed.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Spend time with someone you love and share your plans for the future. Make a promise and ask for one in return. Much can be accomplished if you go through the proper channels.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Induce changes at home that will alter the way things are done, allowing you to save more, spend less and use your space effi ciently. Your innovative lifestyle will inspire others.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Someone will unexpectedly make changes behind your back. Don’t let curiosity ruin a surprise. Adapt to shifting conditions and plan a little something of your own.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Question what someone is offering you before you agree to their terms. You will need to make adjustments if you decide to get involved. You will have great insight and plenty to contribute.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Use your imagination and you will come up with profi table ways to employ your skills. Don’t let someone’s lack of vision stop you from following the path that interests you.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Get involved in activities that challenge you physically and take on an emotional situation that entices you. Information that will help you make the right decision can be found through unusual channels.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Don’t let jealousy or uncertainty cause you to show vulnerability. If you maintain a playful attitude and show what you have to offer, you will attract positive attention.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Speak up, but listen to alternatives as well. Share your emotions and adapt to the needs of people you want to work or spend time with.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Travel to places that inspire you, whether they’re nearby or far away. Find out what you need to achieve your dreams, and approach people who can help you do so.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You’ll face opposition from friends or family. Step outside your immediate viewpoint and you will fi nd acceptable solutions. Nurture important relationships above all.
HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol
Copyright 2012, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
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When I attend a concert, the goal is to have
an excellent, carefree time and dance like a five-year-old who just had a six-pack of Red Bull. Yet, what I have recently noticed both in person and in videos is that a lot of spectators are com-pletely stagnant. This isn’t just a hipster problem — it can happen at any type of concert. Whether it is a Drake or a Kid Rock show, I hate to see a crowd obviously miserable at no fault on the part of the performer.
The main reason this is occurring is because of group mentality. When watching live music, it’s either everybody is going wild and enjoying themselves, or everybody is standing there with their arms folded — as if it is a burden for them to be there even though they chose that fate.
I get it. If a band is bombing, and you totally regret being there, go ahead and be upset you aren’t getting the perfor-mance you paid for. But 99 percent of the time, the musi-cians on stage are putting out noises worth appreciating.
I encourage people to let go of any worries of embar-rassing themselves and be the spark that intiates these un-tamed fires of audience participation. If somebody starts dancing like nobody is watching, I promise you, somebody else will notice. Remember, it’s fun to enjoy music in public like you would in your own home singing with your friends.
Being a musician and a total fan of music in general, I can only hope people continue to join together at these concerts to have an exciting time with one another. When you attend these events, the performers are putting them-selves out there to ensure you have a good time. It’s only fair to get out there in the crowd and feel the glory of jam-ming out for the sake of not only music, but also mankind.
Frank Lawler is an environmental sustainability sophomore.
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OUDaily.com ››� e Union Programming Board will host a “Sound Lounge” at 8 p.m. tonight featuring folk rock band Oklahoma Cloud Factory. LIFE&ARTS
� ursday, September 12, 2013 • 5
Megan Deaton, life & arts editorTony Beaulieu, assistant editor
[email protected] • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com/life&arts • Twitter: @OUDailyArts
ART
Exhibit comes to OU from BeijingTONY RAGLE/THE DAILY
Left: The Zhang Sisters: Works on Paper Take a Journey from Beijing is visiting the OU School of Art and Art History’s LIghtwell Gallery. The exhibit combines multiple mediums to create on cohesive exhibit.
KELLY ROGERS/THE DAILY
Below: Ling Yan Zhang stands next to the title of the exhibit she contributed to. Zhang and her sisters created the works for the exhibit, drawing inspiration from their own experiences, as well as from their parents.
KELLY ROGERSLife & Arts Reporter
An art exhibit traveled from the cherry-blossomed city of Beijing to give OU stu-dents a glimpse of Chinese culture.
The Zhang Sisters: Works on Paper Take a Journey from Beij ing, wil l open 6 p. m. Thu r s d ay i n t h e Lightwell Gallery of OU’s School of Art and Art History with a free public reception.
The Zhang Sisters, Ling, Bo and Hong, were born in Northeast China and raised in a family with deep roots in cups of watercolor and aes-thetic talent.
T h i s e x h i b i t f e at u re s works of art across all me-diums, including paint-ings, prints and charcoal drawings.
Ling Yan Zhang, the el-dest of the three sisters, said she hopes their works will give students a taste of the sisters ‘Chinese culture and inspirations.
“Between all of our works, inspiration has been drawn from where we live now and where we grew up,” Zhang said. “Through these works, I want to communicate with students the life changes we have been inspired by and
the combining of cultures through art.”
Curtis Jones, associate professor of printmaking, said he was worked with the school of art for the past nine years. This particu-lar exhibit has been on his mind to share with OU for the past two years, when he first saw it at the University of Alabama, he said.
“The goal for bringing in any outside artists to feature for the students is always to inform and inspire through talented pieces of art,” Jones said.
The sisters have been ex-hibiting their work since 2004, drawing inspiration from their parents, fine arts professors from the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts in Shenyang, China, Zhang said.
Some of Zhang’s works
combine ink painting, rice paper and canvas, bring-ing Western art culture and traditional Chinese art together.
As a grad student, Zhang said she was inspired by Tibetan culture after spend-ing months at a time sub-mersed in Tibetan provinc-es all across China. This in-spiration presents itself in the illustrations of Tibetan monks and rocks in Zhang’s
Audiences need to be more enthusiastic
MUSIC
Frank [email protected]
LIFE & ARTS COLUMNIST
Frank Lawler is an environmental sustainability sophomore.
Works created by three Chinese sisters on display
GO AND DOZhang Sisters: Art PreviewWhen: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: OU School of Art and Art History’s Lightwell Gallery (second � oor)
Gallery hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
“The goal for bringing in any outside artists to feature for the students is always to inform and inspire through
talented pieces of art.”LING YAN ZHANG,
CONTRIBUTING ARTIST
art.“We have this life experi-
ence and inspiration from the environments we’ve lived in that is reflected in our art,” Zhang said. “It’s not forced, but a subconscious mixing of cultures that hap-pens to create our pieces.”
This mixing of cultures is imperative to students learning and exposure to different art forms and in-spirations, Jessica Upson,
Public Relations and Event Coordinator for the school of art, said.
“The School of Art and Art History aims to bring in na-tionally and internationally exhibiting artists through-out the year to enhance our students’ educational expe-rience,” Upson said.
From water-colored rice paper to sheets shaded with charcoal, the Zhang sis-ters’ works of art combine
personal Chinese culture and western art styles to present their audience with art rich in culture.
The exhibit will be on dis-play from Sept.12 through Oct. 8. For more information on current and upcoming exhibits, visit the School of Art & Art History’s website.
Kelly [email protected]
This OSU scandal is crazy, you guys.
What Sports Illustrated is accusing their football program is serious business. They had to be completely confident in what they’re reporting to run it.
People everywhere are poking holes in the story. I don’t even know what to think about this whole situation, but for argument’s sake, let’s just pretend it’s all true.
Things are about to get real for a minute, so bear with me.
If you don’t think what happened at OSU isn’t happen-ing all over the country, you are very mistaken.
Ohio State. Auburn. USC. And these are just the major scandals and violations we’ve heard of in recent years.
Let’s not forget about SMU, the first and only team to ever receive the NCAA “death penalty.”
Whether it’s as extreme as paying players and giving passing grades to those who deserved to fail or as simple as guiding them into easier majors and classes, for every recruiting scandal and NCAA violation reported and rep-rimanded, there are teams bending, but not breaking, the rules.
So for every Sooner fan pointing at the Pokes and laughing at their possible wrong doing, stop. Right now. You have no idea what’s going on in athletic departments across the country.
There’s one thing Sooners are forgetting, though — Oklahoma narrowly avoided serious NCAA consequenc-es in the recent past.
Does Rhett Bomar ring a bell for anyone?The former Sooner quarterback was dismissed from the
team in 2006 for getting paid for hours he didn’t work at the Big Red Sports/Imports car dealership in Norman.
Among other things, a similar system was in place for the Cowboys, Sports Illustrated reports.
To go back even further, the OU football program was in some serious hot water in 1988. Recruiting violations paired with quarterback Charles Thompson’s arrest for selling cocaine to an undercover FBI agent culminated in the resignation of coach Barry Switzer and a two-year TV and bowl ban in conjuction with a scholarship reduction.
Oklahoma got off lucky in 2006. After dismissing Bomar from the team, it received no major punishments from the NCAA. 1988 is a completely different animal.
I don’t know the inner workings of the Oklahoma ath-letics program well enough to suspect any wrong doing, but college football as a whole has taken a turn for the worse, and teams are fighting to stay current.
It starts with one team offering benefits to players and then suddenly, others need to do the same to keep up. It’s a shame really.
Maybe these teams blatantly breaking football law are in the minority. I hope so, but I highly doubt it.
Julia Nelson in a journalism senior.
11
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6 • Thursday, September 12, 2013
SPORTS
sports columnist
evin morrison/the daily
ou senior running back Brennan clay hurdles mountaineer and sooner alike on as he avoids being tackled saturday. clay has provided a spark for the sooner run game this season in the absence of a stable passing attack.
There’s no doubt OU has struggled of-fensively in its first
two games this season, and it has mainly been the pass-ing game that has shown inconsistency.
Coming into a season with a quarterback contro-versy is not always the best situation, especially when the winner of the job has not proven much of any-thing and just went down with a knee injury.
However, there has been a bright spot in the Sooners’ offense that has carried the load through the first two home games this sea-son. The running game has dominated, particularly thanks to senior running back Brennan Clay.
Clay has steadily im-proved throughout his ca-reer and is now finally ready to lead the offensive attack as a senior.
Clay’s production and ef-ficiency has put pressure on coach Bob Stoops to make a decision. Who will Stoops start at running back?
Granted, I know the de-cision Stoops makes here is less important than who starts at quarterback, but it’s still an important choice.
The decision of who to start at running back is dif-ferent than who starts at quarterback for one reason: offensive rhythm. If both running backs perform and do extremely well, as is the case so far this year, then it is easy to share carries while still maintaining an offen-sive rhythm.
Yet, if one quarterback out-performs another quarterback, then it can shake up the flow of the offense and cause incon-sistency from possession to possession.
In week one, senior run-ning back Damien Williams started for the Sooners, and Clay received half the touches Williams received. However, in week two, there was a more balanced ap-proach, and Clay not only started the game, but also ran it one more time than Williams.
This balanced approach only seemed to help Clay. The more touches he got, the more explosive he looked down the stretch.
It also doesn’t hurt when half the time Clay was resting on the sidelines while the Sooners were on offense, the 211-pound Williams was wearing down the defense methodically.
Still, Clay is beginning to prove himself as more than just a kick returner and a backup running back.
It appears coach Bob Stoops has noticed, too.
Clay has blossomed so far this year as a reliable running back and has the numbers to prove he is
column
Clay saves Sooner offense with improved run game
a legitimate threat in the backfield.
Clay is OU’s leading rusher with 230 yards on 30 carries this season. Clay also boasts a staggering 7.7 yards every time he touches the ball.
Now, I’m not saying Clay should be the starter,
because, honestly, I don’t know if he should be. All I’m saying is his increased production can only help the Sooners win games this year.
Clay has grown as a run-ner each season, but this season is shaking out dif-ferently. Clay is on pace for over one thousand yards rushing as a running back that is sharing time. That can only be a positive for the Sooners.
So instead of looking at the Sooners as a team that is struggling at quarterback and cannot pass, it’s time to view them as a team that can run, and run well.
Sam Hoffman is a journalism junior.
plAYEr proFilEBrennan clayyear: Senior
Position: Running Back
statistics: 213 yards on 30 attempts, 1 TD this season.
column
Oklahoma State scandal is just tip of the iceberg
Julia [email protected]
sports Editor
