ANYTIME ATTHE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICEYEAR IN REVIEW 2009–2010

Boren calls for reinforcement for alco-hol policy, UOSA proposes drug policy to student code.

DANIELA MCCORMICKDaily Staff Writer

This year, OU President David Boren re-flected on the fourth year of OU’s alcohol policy.

In 2005, President Boren proposed a new alcohol policy that would make OU a dry campus. The proposal was sparked by the alcohol-induced death of freshman Blake Adam Hammontree.

The proposal is what students know as the three-strikes policy: first strike, the stu-dent’s parents will be notified and the stu-dent will undergo alcohol education.

The second strike will result in the noti-fication of parents and additional punish-ment such as community service.

The third strike is automatic suspension for a semester from OU. President Boren proposed new rules to cut down on alco-hol abuse. Last semester, Boren shared his thoughts on the effectiveness of the policy.

According to Daily archives, in 2008, OU received 261 reports from law-en-forcement agencies about OU students charged with driving under the influence. The article said that this is 53 more reports than what OU has received in any of the previous three years of the three-strikes

policy. Boren said two factors contribute to the increasing number: increased en-forcement of drunken driving laws both by OUPD and Norman police, and students no longer remember or don’t know about Hammontree.

“You could probably contact 100 stu-dents at random and say, ‘Have you ever heard of Blake Hammontree?’ And I would imagine a majority of them [would] say

‘Who?’” Boren said last semester. Also, last semester, Boren said he be-

lieves the policy is making a difference de-spite the fading memory of Hammontree. He said it just needs some reinforcing.

Although there have not been any changes to the three-strikes alcohol policy, UOSA proposed last April to add a three-strikes drug policy to OU Student Code.

Director of Student Conduct Andrea

Kulsrud said before the student code can be amended, the proposal must be sent to the Student Code Revision Committee for consideration.

She said posit ions l ike the UOSA President, the Chair of Graduate Student Senate and the Chair of Undergraduate Student Congress that serve on the com-mittee must filled first too.

“The committee meets and either sends the original or revised version of the rec-ommended change back to the legisla-tive bodies for final approval or submits a dissenting opinion and/or alternative recommendations to the legislative bod-ies,” Kulsrud said by e-mail. “If the change goes forward to the legislative bodies and they accept the final recommendation of the Committee, the change is forwarded to the President who then presents it to the Regents with his recommendations.”

Caitlin Harrison, managing editordailynews@ou.edu • phone: 325-3666 • fax: 325-6051

2A Year in Review 2009–2010

Boren: reinforcement needed for OU alcohol policy

ARCHIVE PHOTOS

Four OU students are charged with felony counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor in relation to Blake Hammontree’s death.

THREE-STRIKES POLICY

» The student will get an automatic suspension for a semester from OU.

» Additional punishment such as community service will be given.

» The student’s parents will be noti! ed, and student will undergo alcohol education.

SOURCE: OU ALCOHOL POLICY

Jamie Hughes Editor-in-ChiefCaitlin Harrison Managing EditorRicky Maranon Assignment EditorLauren Harned Design ChiefChris Lusk Copy ChiefMichelle Gray Photo EditorMarcin Rutkowski Assistant Photo Editor

Reneé Selanders, Amanada Turner News EditorsJames Lovett Online EditorMark Potts Multimedia EditorAaron Colen Sports EditorJoshua Boydston Life & Arts EditorJudy Gibbs Robinson Editorial AdviserThad Baker Advertising Manager

The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum and OU’s independent student voice.Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and should be fewer than 250 words, typed, double spaced and signed by the author(s). Letters will be cut to fit. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. All letters must include a daytime phone number. Authors submitting letters in person must present photo identification. Submit letters Sunday through

Thursday, in 160 Copeland Hall. Letters can also be submitted via e-mail to dailyopinion@ou.edu.Guest columns are accepted at editor’s discretion.’Our View’ is the voice of The Oklahoma Daily. Editorial Board members are The Daily’s editorial staff. The board meets Sunday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in 160 Copeland Hall. Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are not necessarily the opinions of The Daily Editorial Board.160 Copeland Hall, 860 Van Vleet Oval

Norman, OK 73019-0270 phone:405-325-3666

e-mail:dailynews@ou.edu

contact us

T O D Year In Review Section Editors Sarah Cavanah John S. Kunze Will Holland Qifeng Huang

Oklahoma Department of Transportation spent $9 million to clean excess snowfalls in the state, while one OU student started collecting snow photos from all 50 states

CASEY WILSONDaily Staff Writer

For a few days earlier this year,

Oklahoma found itself under a layer of snow, creating an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for one OU student and reminding Oklahomans of the unpredictable nature of weather.

Oklahoma’s snowfall totals this year were above normal, said Frederick H. Carr, OU School of Meteorology director.

Carr said 29 inches of snow fell in Guymon this winter, setting the season’s record. Oklahoma City found itself beneath a little more than 23 inches, just off the record

of 25 inches, he said.“Even southeastern Oklahoma

got into the act with a half of a foot to a foot of snow falling across that area,” he said.

Carr said he thinks the excess of snowfall taught meteorologists just how difficult it is to predict how all the different factors of the atmo-sphere and ocean will interact with each other to bring the state vari-able weather.

For example, he said meteo-rologists did not expect El Nino to become as strong as it did, nor did they see the Arctic Oscillation anomaly becoming particularly strong as well.

So if those factors were not well forecasted, then the interaction of the two, which resulted in the cold and snowy weather across the east-ern half of the country, was defi-nitely not seen in advance, he said.

However, all this snow gave Patrick Marsh, meteorology grad-uate student, the opportunity to

collect photographs showing snow on the ground in all 50 states.

Marsh said he posted a mes-sage Feb. 11 on Twitter that said if it snowed in Florida on Friday, Feb. 12, then there would be snow on the ground in all 50 states at the same time.

A friend replied to that post to suggest Marsh gather snow pho-tos from all 50 states.

He would do so, taking on a project to take “a snow shot of America.”

I t t u r n s o u t s o m e o n e i n Arkansas who saw that tweet, called the Associated Press bu-reau chief in Oklahoma City, Marsh said.

“The AP tracked me down and interviewed me about it,” Marsh said. “I told them about my snow project as well.”

When AP ran that story, Marsh said News 9 called him, and then wrote a news piece about the project.

“The Drudge Report picked up the story, and it was off to the races,” he said. “I spent all day Friday doing media interviews about the project for newspapers, radio and television.”

That Saturday night, Marsh got an e-mail from an astronomer working on Mount Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The e-mail contained a photo confirming what he had been waiting for: there was snow in Hawaii.

Marsh said, in all honesty, the project did not really teach meteorologists anything really meteorological.

“However,” he said, “a lot of people learned that Hawaii has snow on top of some of the volcanoes.”

But clearing all that snow from the streets in Oklahoma cost state and local authorities time and money.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation had already

has spent $9 million by February removing snow and ice from roads, said David Meuser, ODOT spokesman. ODOT spent only $7.7 million last winter on snow and ice removal, he said.

ODOT has an overall budget of $140 million. The normal cost for keeping roads safe each winter is $7 to $8 million, he said.

For next winter, Carr said it is very difficult to predict if the winter weather will be as it was this year.

The latest oceanic forecast models indicate the possible de-velopment of La Nina conditions, which can influence our weather, he said.

A n d L a N i n a s o m e t i m e s means drier and warmer winters for our part of the country, so meteorologists will have to wait and see what develops, he said. “However, the natural variability of the climate says we should be prepared for just about anything,” he said.

Year in Review 2009–2010 3A

Remarkable snowfall this year brought cost, opportunity

Marcin Rutkowski/ The DailyIcycles line a bench on campus after an ice storm passed through Norman. The University of Oklahoma was closed for 2 days due to the severe weather.

Marcin Rutkowski/The DailyStudents walk along the Michael Price walk. Winter weather came back to Norman with a wet snowfall.

WHAT TO KNOW

» Guymon had 29 inches of snow this year, setting the season’ s record.» Oklahoma city has a little more than 23 inches of snow.» ODOT spent only $7.7 million last winter on snow and ice removal.» This year, ODOT already has spent $9 million by February on snow removal.» The normal cost for keeping roads safe each winter is $7 to 8 million.

Source:Oklahoma department of transportation

6A Year in review 2009-2010

OU law school to welcome new dean in JulyJoe Harroz will step in as the new dean for the OU College of Law; outgoing dean will help on transition

Charles Ward

Daily Staff Writer

A new dean will be in charge of the College of Law for the first time in 14 years when classes begin in the fall.

Joe Harroz will take the reigns of the col-lege July 1, stepping in for Andy Coats, who will retire and take dean emeritus status.

Harroz spent 12 years as OU’s general counsel before leaving in 2008 to serve as president of Graymark Healthcare Inc. in Oklahoma City.

According to Daily archives, Harroz said two things mattered to him when deciding to accept the position: the kind of legacy he wanted to leave and how frequently an op-portunity like this would be available.

“The last time this was available was 14 years ago,” he said following the March 25 meeting of the OU Board of Regents, where he was officially selected for the position. “For me, I thought about it, and to me the answer was, you can have a chance to be in-volved with students, and I can do something

I am passion-a t e a b o u t , which is the law.”

A t t h a t meeting, OU P r e s i d e n t David Boren said the law faculty “over-whelmingly” a p p r o v e d H a r r o z ’ appointment.

Harroz earned an undergraduate degree in economics from OU before receiving a law degree from Georgetown University.

Harroz and Coats’ professional paths have crossed before. Harroz said he was an associate attorney at Oklahoma City law firm Crowe and Dunlevy when Coats served as the firm’s president. When he served as asso-ciate counsel for OU, Harroz was also one of the people who asked Coats to apply for the position of dean of the law school, he said.

“Following him, I think, he has big shoes to fill,” Harroz said. “[The building that hous-es the college is] named Coats Hall. I think there’s an obligation to work hard every day to meet the standards that have been set by him and by the faculty and by the students.”

Coats will remain a part of the law school faculty, taking the title of dean emeritus. He also plans to help Harroz transition into the dean’s suite, Coats said.

“Joe Harroz is a very talented and capable guy, but he doesn’t know the alumni as well as I do ... so my hope is to help him get ac-quainted with our various constituencies, the bench, the bar and our alums,” Coats said. “And to help him find his way in terms of fundraising a little bit.”

Coats said he is most proud of the reno-vations of the College of Law building he oversaw, along with reducing student num-bers. The college’s largest graduating class in history was in 1988, when it hooded 227 students, and in 1995, 218 Sooners received

J.D.s. In 2009, the college graduated 165 students.

“By shrinking the size of the classes, we can do better in terms of providing a more hands on sort of teaching and instruction, and I think that’s been helpful,” he said.

Harroz said he wants to increase OU’s international profile through teacher and student exchanges. However, he said he will work with students and teachers to lay out plans for the college’s future.

“To be successful, there has to be a con-versation with the faculty and the students, where you agree upon the goals,” he said. “No one can walk in there and say, ‘I’m the dean, I’m going to mandate these sorts of things.’”

WHO’S JOE HARROZ

» 2008 President of Graymark Healthcare, Inc. » 1996-2008 Vice President of the University of Oklahoma General Counsel to the Board of

Regents of OU» 1997 Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at the University of Oklahoma College of law» 1994-1996 Vice President for Executive Affairs in OU» Prior to coming to the University of Oklahoma, he was an attorney with the Oklahoma

law ! rm of Crowe & Dunlevy.» Mr. Harroz was awarded his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.» He received his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of

Oklahoma.

Construction projects on campus help ful! ll student needs for technology, spaceAnna Marie Stone

Contributing Writer

Current construction projects across the OU campus during the 2009-10 academic year help fulfill student technology needs and the need for more classroom space. Two projects were completed during the current academic year and four more are still under construction.

DEVON ENERGY HALL This 103,000-square-foot, $30

million building features team rooms with marker walls, research spaces, study lounge spaces and labs, according to OU’s Public Affairs press release. Students at Devon Hall believe that the build-ing is the best on campus because of the technology and the natural light the new building brings in.

“I think it’s the best building on campus,” Tri Noensie, computer

science junior said. “The biggest thing is the natural light to study; it is a big psychological factor.”

EXXONMOBIL LAWRENCE G. RAWL PRACTICE FACILITY

The 41,000 square-foot com-panion building to Devon Hall is the ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Practice Facility, according to the college’s website.

Tracy Cline, receptionist for the building and chemical engineering senior, said the building has prac-tice bays to allow OU engineering students the space to apply what they learn in the classroom and space for constructing projects for competitions. The building also has an observation deck that Cline shows to visitors and tour groups.

“I like showing off the building to mid-high and high school stu-dents and they get excited about engineering,” Cline said. “It [the experience] crystallizes in their minds”.

JEANNINE RAINBOLT COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

The renovation of Collings Hall will include 15,000 additional square feet of space for student use, and will feature new classrooms, new technology center, study spac-es, student services, courtyard and a working school bell, according to a statement from the Director of Communications for the Rainbolt College, Bill Moakley.

Moakley stated in an e-mail that the new donated bell tower, currently under construction, will be located at the new entrance of the college, with a working bell to be used for certain events.

Amanda Hearn, OU Facilities Management spokesperson, said the improvements to the Collings Hall, OU’s education building, should be ready for students in the fall. Hearn said Facilities Management is working to refur-bish the carpet, ceiling and paint

in the building, while Architectural and Engineering Services are in charge of the building’s addition.

GOULD HALLGould Hall for the College of

Architecture is undergoing ex-tensive renovation and will in-clude 107,000 square feet, two courtyards, student gallery, com-mons area, team room and study rooms, according to the College of Architecture website.

“We, our class, toured it [the new building],” Temple Hull, first year interior design student said as she left the temporary location of the College of Architecture on Main Street. “We saw the classrooms, the lighting studio, and the specialty rooms. It was awesome!”

Construction on Gould Hall should be completed in early 2011, Kathy Sandefer, assistant to the director of Architectural and Engineering Services, stated in an e-mail.

ANNE AND HENRY ZARROW SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

A new building under con-struction began with moving the contents of the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center to a new home at another campus location in order to prepare for the demo-lition of the building this spring, according to a press release from OU’s Public Affairs.

The current construction time-line has the completion date scheduled for fall semester 2011, as confirmed by Jay Doyle, the Press Secretary and Special Assistant to the President.

As students return to campus next fall, the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education should be completed. Students can look for-ward to seeing the rest of the con-struction projects progress toward completion as the new 2010-11 academic year unfolds.

– Audrey Harris contributed to this report.

PHOTO PROVIDED

LESS PAY = MORE PLAYLESS PAY = MORE PLAY

405.292.4044 • 2900 OAK TREE AVE.NORMANSTUDENTHOUSING.COM

great location to campus + fully furnished units

+ private bedrooms + private

+ upgraded amenitiesupgraded a

+ individual leasesThis year has been a difficult one for

many student organizations on campus, The Daily included.

We’ve offended various groups on campus through cartoons and columns and have had our own internal struggles as well.

I want to take this opportunity to take complete responsibil-ity for what has gone wrong this year. I don’t believe in making ex-cuses, and that is not what I seek to do. Rather, I want to give a few short explanations for why things weren’t up to par this year.

First, I had no idea what I was doing when I took this job. I had seen The Daily run like a well-oiled machine under its previous edi-tor, Meredith Simons, and wasn’t aware of how much oversight and constant hands-on control it took to make what she did happen.

Unfortunately, my biggest problem affected everyone on my staff. We had lost a lot of experienced staff members to graduation and internships last May, and while I had full confidence in my staff, the majority of them were as inex-perienced at their new jobs as I was.

I’m not saying this to put the blame on them, however. I should have been ha rd e r o n t h e m at t h e b e g i n n i n g . I should have had a more clear-cut and defined vision for how they would per-form. I should have known more about management and leadership so I could pass it on to them.

I should have done a lot of things dif-ferently and in the past few months, those thoughts have kept me up more

nights than I can count. I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive myself for not living up to the expectations of the OU com-munity. And I don’t expect anyone else

to forgive me. Somehow I’ve still managed

to make it out of this school year with my optimism intact. And if there’s one thing I truly believe, it’s that no matter how bad an experience is, you can make it good if you learn from it.

This year’s staff at The Daily, including myself, has definitely l e a r n e d f ro m e v e r y p ro b l e m we’ve encountered this year. Many of the editors from this fall and spring’s editorial boards are

working as editors next year. I have com-plete confidence they will do an amazing job, and I know a part of that is because of the problems they’ve seen this year.

I know they will be prepared to handle almost any challenge that comes their way, and I know they’ll be more proac-tive in keeping those problems at bay, leaving more time to focus on how they can best serve the OU community.

I will not ask anyone to excuse me of my failures this year. I simply ask you to not hold it against The Daily in the future, because as I said earlier, I have faith that next year’s staff will live up to the expectations this year’s couldn’t al-ways meet.

Jamie Hughes is the outgoing editor-in-chief of The Oklahoma Daily and is a political science junior.

Annelise Russell, opinion editordailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

Year in Review 2009-2010 7A

JAMIE HUGHES

STAFF COLUMN

Daily editor reflects on year at the helm

Year in Review 2009–2010 1B

Joshua Boydston, L&A editordailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051

LARON CHAPMANDaily Staff Writer

In recognition of two pres-tigious awards and in attempt to bring awareness to differ-ent cultures, the University of Oklahoma held the Neustadt Festival of International Literature and Culture last October. During the two-day event, OU’s office of World Literature Today honored author Vera B. Williams (“A Chair for My Mother”) as the 2009 recipient of the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature. Also, poet Li Shizheng (better known as “Duo Duo”) became the first Chinese author to win the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, an award sec-ond only to the Nobel Prize in Literature. Shizheng will return to OU to accept the award in the fall.

While Williams and Shizheng were the central subjects of the occasion, the festival also displayed the talents of a vari-ety of poets, musicians, film-makers and authors from all around the world.

Aside from the award ceremonies, the first eve-ning of the festival show-cased “An Evening of Music, Film, Theater, and Poetry,” which included a screen-ing of the heartfelt Hebrew film “Jellyfish” (Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret). The film portrays an intimate look at modern Israeli life as seen through the eyes of three female natives. This segment of the festival also presented poetry and music in perfor-mance by Neustadt juror Pireeni Sundaralingam and her husband, composer Colm Ó Riain, as well as a theatri-cal performance by Neustadt juror Niloufar Talebi and Bobak Salehi.

On the final day of the fes-tival, Neustadt jurors of the 2010 Neustadt International Prize for Literature performed readings of their works during the “Festival Symposium.” The readings were followed with a lecture from NSK Prize winner Williams. The event concluded with a festival book signing and reception, which gave stu-dents the opportunity to meet, speak with and get autographs from all the attending writers. It also gave students a chance to discuss their own work with a variety of experienced authors.

It was a rare occurrence to have so many talented and influential figures in one place at the same time. The festival gave those who attended exposure to a vari-ety of different writers and cultures, increasing aware-ness and appreciation of the world we live in. Those who enjoyed the event can look forward to participating in the next festival, scheduled for the fall at OU.

JOSHUA BOYDSTONDaily Staff Writer

It was a good year for music around the state, and it was just as good a year for music on campus. If you wanted good, free entertain-ment, campus was the place to be.

The school year started off on a high note. Fresh off the success of their hit single “Daylight,” Matt and Kim performed with Norman’s Early Beat the first day of school in the Union. Playing to a capacity crowd at Meacham Auditorium, the band turned the place into a loud, sweaty dance party with its raucous electro-tunes.

In October, campus would be treated to another pair of high-

profile performers.First came indie-stalwarts The

Walkmen — best known for their hit single “The Rat” — who per-formed songs from their critical-ly-acclaimed albums “Bows and Arrows” and “You & Me” along with Oklahoma’s own indie-heavyweight Student Film in early October.

Next were folk darlings Great Lake Swimmers, who performed singles, including “Pulling On a Line,” just a week later in Meacham Auditorium with Andrew Kenny’s band The Wooden Birds for a gor-geous night of acoustic melodies.

On the first day of November, the campus received its biggest and most talked about concert of the year — other than U2, of course.

Owl City was arguably at the peak of its popularity as it came to campus. Owl City’s smash single “Fireflies” was topping the pop charts, and its album was doing some damage as well. When word got out that Owl City would be playing on campus, students were definitely abuzz. Originally sched-uled for the Will Rogers Room, the show was moved to the much larg-er McCasland Fieldhouse. Even then, officials were forced to turn away people at the door as fans filled the place to capacity. The night went off without a hitch, and fans got their “Fireflies” in its final encore.

In Apr i l , Camera Obscura and Kevin Devine made their appearances.

S c o t t i s h g r o u p C a m e r a Obscura has long been an indie darling, and fans showed up in droves to see them in Oklahoma. Nearly stealing the show, though, was Princeton, an afropop band from L.A., whose lively set kept the energy buzzing until Camera Obscura took the stage.

The final campus concert was when Kevin Devine performed with Norman’s resident pop star Jacob Abello just days later in the Will Rogers Room, playing hits like “Longer That I’m Out Here” and “I Could Be With Anyone.”

All in all, it was a great year for free, eclectic campus concerts. Add in the Norman Music Festival, and the life of a college music fan was a pretty nice one this year.

Authors celebrate culture

Campus concerts keep music fans entertained

JEREMY DICKIE/THE DAILY

Adam Young, the only member of Owl City, performs Nov. 1 in McCasland Field House. The band’s single “Fireflies” peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 twice in November.

1.800.2 JOIN IN | www.droiddoes.com/incredible

Activation fee/line: $35 ($25 for secondary Family SharePlan® lines w/ 2-yr. Agmts).IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Subject to Cust Agmt, Calling Plan, rebate form & credit approval. Up to $350 early termination fee & other charges. Device capabilities: Add’l charges & conditions apply. Offers & coverage, varying by svc, not available everywhere. Network details & coverage maps at vzw.com. Rebate debit card takes up to 6 wks & expires in 12 months. While supplies last. Shipping charges may apply. All company names, trademarks, logos and copyrights not the property of Verizon Wireless are the property of their respective owners. DROID is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related companies. Used under license. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google, Inc. Incredible by HTC is a trademark of HTC Corporation. © 2010 Verizon Wireless. INCR1

LEAN, MEAN APP MACHINES.Get an impressive deal on our most powerful, app-friendly smartphones.

$299.99 2-yr. price – $100 mail-in rebate debit card. Requires new 2-yr. activation on

a voice plan with data pak $29.99 or higher.

· Android™ 2.1 and HTC Sense 2.0· 1 GHz Snapdragon™ processor

· Professional 8 MP camera with auto-focus

100 maiil in rebate

withh a auto-fofocuuswith auto focus$19999

NEW!

by HTC

A d id™ 2 1 d HTC S 2 0

by HTCIntroducing the next chapter

in the Droid saga

$299.99 2-yr. price – $100 mail-in rebate debit card. Add’l phone: $100 2-yr. price – $100 mail-in rebate debit card. Requires new 2-yr. activation on a voice plan with data pak $29.99 or higher per phone.

· 16 GB microSD™ card pre-installed· Brilliant 3.7" touch screen with full

slide-out keyboard· Android™ OS with Google™ Experience

16 GB i SD™ d pre installedby Motorola

· Android™d OS BUY 1 GET 1

$299 99 2 yr pr

BUBUBUUYYY 111 GEGEGETTT 111BUY 1 GET 1

FREEice $1$100 mail in rer

$19999

wiOS 11111

EEEi

$$$$

Verizon Wireless o!ers a 10% discount to all University of Oklahoma students.Discount on calling plans $39.99 monthly access or higher with a one or two year agreement.

MATT CARNEYDaily Staff Writer

Dirty Projectors’ 9:30 p.m. headlining set April 25 at the third-annual Norman Music Festival was bitter-sweet for the thousands in attendance. Sweet were the Brooklyn sextet’s oth-erworldly vocal harmo-nies and frontman Dave Longstreth’s unique abil-ity to recreate them with his guitar. Bitter was many fans’ realization that their party was near its end.

NMF v3.0 outdid the two previous by attracting more fans with more bands for the same price — zilch, nothing, zero, nada. That’s right, festival organizers (kudos to the non-profit Norman Arts Council) were able to expand this year’s format to two full days of music without charging your Joe Blow concertgoer a single dime. And what did the council get for its ef-forts? An estimated 30,000 on Main Street created an atmosphere fundraising chair Jonathan Fowler de-scribed as that of an OU game day.

“As a free festival with no click-tracks and no click-ing and no ticket sales, all you can do is guess. But my guess was 8,000 for last night,” festival committee chair Quentin Bomgardner said of NMF’s first-ever Saturday attendance.

“I don’t think everybody g o t t h e m e s s a g e re a l l y that the closed street was on Sunday, I think a lot of people thought it was on Saturday,” Fowler said while giving his personal estimate of 10,000 to 12,000 Saturday attendees.

All that garble about community-building and non-profit organizations is well and good, but what about the music, man?

More than 150 acts en-tertained on 15 different stages. These included jazz acts, instrumental bands, singer-songwriters and co-medians. Other acts were more than just your typical bar room locals. (Though there were plenty of those too.) Grupo Fantasma, an 11-person Latin funk act, played on the main stage Sunday, as did Boston rap-per Edan (assisted by his good rapper friend Dagha) and local indie acts Mayola and Gentle Ghost.

Blackwatch Studios and Guestroom Records both opened their backdoors to host stages, featuring a ton of most excellent local tal-ent. The Boom Bang lived up to their name by lighting smoke bombs that guitar-ist Tommy McKenzie stuck in his mouth while still playing, Shitty/Awesome made fools of themselves and Beau Jennings sang his love for “The Opolis,” the stage that also played host to blistering sets from Hush Hu s h C o m m o t i o n a n d Colourmusic before being cleared out for a fire code violation.

Jacob Abello opened his 45-minute set at Sooner Theater by singing from the balcony, only to shed his stylish black shirt and jacket for a big finish that featured backing dancers hoisting him, Madonna-like, into the air, his arms stretched out in a cross. The Non followed Abello, clos-ing out the theater stage with help from the Cloud Collision Orchestra and a guest appearance by none other than the patron saint of Oklahoma rock himself, Wayne Coyne. Tracks like “Pigeon Force” and “Tofu Fire” received enormous benefit from the backing violins, accentuated to perfection by the beautiful venue.

And to the headliners: The Sword trampled north from Austin with mustaches and heavy metal in tow. Electric Six induced dancing while singer Dick Valentine asked if anybody was smoking weed between songs. And then there were the Dirty Projectors. Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle harmonized beautifully all evening while drummer Brian McOmber conjured up a thunderstorm behind Dave Longstreth’s eclectic barrage of guitar-fiddling. “Remade Horizons” and “ Useful Chamber ” ended the festival the way a festival ought to end -- plenty of booms and bangs, all still framing the beauty of the melodies.

It’d be an understate-ment of the greatest caliber to call the expanded festi-val, which organizers want to augment further in the future, a success. It was a triumph resulting in a col-lective Norman hangover that won’t be cured until the beginning of the foot-ball season.

COURTNEY SILVA AND RYAN QUERBACHDaily Staff Writers

Have you ever wondered where you can find deadly weapons and funnel cakes within an arm’s reach of one another? This year’s annual Medieval Fair of Norman provided that and so much more.

The fair took place the last weekend of March at Reaves Park. While providing us with our annual dosage of weird, the Medieval Fair managed to entertain us all.

Ever y which way you turned, costumed partici-pants fiercely committed to the cause of medieval reenactment were about. Whether they were jug-gling knives or bereaving your lack of medieval spirit, they made sure to stay in character.

However, Linda Linn, Medieval Fair Coordinator, said people don’t have to be fanatics of the Middle Ages to enjoy the fair and all that it has to offer.

“This event is enjoyable for everyone,” Linn said.

“There are over 200 artisan booths selling pottery, jew-elry and other crafts. You don’t have to like the Middle Ages to like shopping.”

There was no shortage of animal attractions. Fair goers had the chance to ride elephants and camels. There were plenty of dogs in fairy wings and other guises. However, when we got our hopes up after see-ing signs advertising drag-ons, we were disappointed to find that they were actu-ally hermit crabs.

Other highlights of the fair included jousting tour-naments with knights rid-ing horseback, a human chess tournament and two wedding ceremonies open to the public using the tra-ditional customs of the Middle Ages.

The average attendance each year for the Medieval Fair is 300,000 people, mak-ing it the third largest event in Oklahoma annually.

So if you’re ferreting for a fortune telling, get a hold of yourself and come to next year’s Medieval Fair.

Knights visit Norman

MUSICIANS ROCK DOWNTOWN

JOSHUA BOYDSTON/THE DAILY

Dave Longstreth, Dirty Projectors frontman, performs April 25 in downtown Norman.

2B Year in Review 2009–2010

MATT CARNEYDaily Staff Writer

Oklahoma’s favorite rocking sons were especially busy and inspired this academic year, releasing two excellent albums, one original and critically lauded, the other a classic cov-ered, which prompted mixed reviews.

“Embyronic,” a double album showcasing the band at its most unsettling and crazed, dropped hefty, squirming and pulsat-ing into fans’ laps on Oct. 13. Buried deep under frenetic lay-ers of sonic chaos and beauty are the Lips’ most ambitious and soul-scathing lyrics yet. There’s little in “Embryonic” for sunny-day fans of the lush, orchestral melodies and silly topicality in “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.” Instead, the album features fuzzy ballads

of madness and regret (“See the Leaves,” “Evil”) and stuff that can only be described as a full-fledged freakout (“Worm Mountain,” which features heirs to Wayne Coyne’s weirdo crown, MGMT).

Critics immediately rec-ognized “Embryonic” as the Flaming Lips’ best work since their 1999 release, “The Soft Bulletin.” British music rag NME dubbed it “brilliantly unhinged” and decided it was worthy of their highest rating. Stuart Berman of Pitchfork gave it a 9.0 out of 10, claiming the record caught the band “at their most sprawling and am-bitious, boldly pushing them-selves toward more adventur-ous horizons.”

C o y n e a n d c o m p a n y played a few selections from “Embryonic” at their New Year’s Eve Freakout this year, the event that sparked the recording of

their live album, “The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon,” which is exactly what it sounds like. 2010 began, and the Lips welcomed it with a live performance of one of history’s greatest, best-selling albums.

“The Dark Side of the Moon” wasn’t any kind of statement of superiority or conceit. Coyne defended the album, saying it was something he thought the band’s fans would enjoy hearing live, and enjoy we all did. Nobody’s versions of “The Great Gig in the Sky” or “On the Run” will ever stand up to the paranoia of Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, but that doesn’t make it less fun to hear earnest contem-poraries play them live. The Lips have announced their intention to play through the album dur-ing their headline spot at this year’s Bonnaroo Festival.

FLAMING LIPS SPEAK TO FANS WITH RECENT WORK

PHOTO PROVIDED

Album art from the Flaming Lips’ “Embryonic”

Year in Review 2009–2010 3B

On behalf of the Joe C. and Carole Kerr McClendon Honors College, Dean David Ray, Associate Dean Rich Hamerla and Melanie Wright, Director of Honors Curriculum, wish to thank the following for their help serving on national scholarship selection committees, practice interview panels, scholarship information meetings, and as chairs for Undergraduate Research Day during 2009-2010. We also thank the countless professors who assist our students with their Honors thesis and those who sponsor students in the Research Assistantship Program and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. We appreciate your dedication to our students.

M. Cengiz Altan, Aerospace and Mechanical EngineeringJe! rey Callard, Petroleum and Geological EngineeringAmy Cerato, Civil Engineering and Environmental Science Marcia Chatelain, Honors College" omas J. Cline, Jr., ArchitectureMarie Dallam, Honors CollegeCynthia Gordon, ZoologyKevin Grier, EconomicsRobin Grier, School of International and Area StudiesGlen Krutz, Carl Albert CenterMarcia Haag, Modern Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsRonald Halterman, Chemistry/Biochemistry Mariëlle Hoefnagels, Botany/MicrobiologyLex Holmes, EconomicsBrian Johnson, Honors CollegeCharles Kenney, Political ScienceHeather Ketchum, Zoology

Joshua Landis, School of International and Area StudiesCindy Lopez, J.C. Penney Leadership CenterZach Messitte, International Program CenterAmanda Minks, Honors CollegeAparna Mitra, EconomicsCatherine Tyler Mooney, EconomicsCarolyn Morgan, Honors CollegeDavid Nagle, Botany/MicrobiologyKarl Rambo, AnthropologyRon Peters, Carl Albert CenterSimin Pulat, Industrial EngineeringMary K. Sallee, Norman Rotary ClubHolly Schmidt, School of DanceSusan Schroeder, Chemistry/Biochemistry Jerry Straka, MeteorologyJames N. " ompson, Jr., Zoology

JOSHUA BOYDSTONDaily Staff Writer

Who would have thought that the biggest event of the year held in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium would not be a football game?

On the weekend of the Red River Rivalry game in Texas, U2 made Sooner fans forget the hurt of another loss when the group performed October 18 on campus with superstar pop group the Black Eyed Peas.

The U2 360˚ Tour was the biggest touring event of 2009 — and will continue on until late 2010 — with a cast of opening acts (Interpol, Lenny Kravitz, Muse) that could sell out arenas in their own rights. Opting out of the traditional indoor arena route, the 360˚ Tour was held solely in outdoor stadiums and arenas — enter OU.

And only stadiums could hold the massive, rotat-ing stage, one that took a fleet of dozens of trucks and three days to set up and tear down. Revenue from the concert went to-ward The OU Athletics Department. The concert also marked one of the few occasions where the sale of alcohol was allowed in the stadium, with the OU Athletics Department re-ceiving a portion of those sales as well.

But more than anything, OU students and Norman citizens were just excited to see one of the biggest bands in the world play in their hometown.

“ I’ m t o t a l l y p u m p e d about the concert and even more excited that it will be within walking distance of my room,” said Kur t Cockran, political science and religious studies soph-omore. “Seeing the semi-

trucks transport parts of the stage down the Van Vleet Oval just gives me chills.”

Madeline Dilner, math-ematics sophomore, was another student excited about the opportunity.

“I’ve been a huge fan of U2 for about six years n o w ,” D i l n e r s a i d . “ I bought their ‘Best of ’80s and ’90s’ CD back in high school and fell in love. I h a v e n ’ t b e e n t o m a n y c o n -c e r t s , r e -ally, so I’m psyched to see U2.”

For some older fans, the 360˚ Tour is a reminder of how much t h i n g s h a v e changed for U2 over the years.

“ I ’ m a b i g fan of U2 up to and including ‘Achtung Baby,’ but ever ything a b o u t t h e m t h e s e d a y s i s r i d i c u l o u s l y b l o ate d ,” s a i d Chris Harris, a m u s i c i a n a n d producer based in Nor man. “I still think that they’re a great r o c k b a n d , though.”

T h e s h o w p ro v e d t o b e a re s o u n d i n g success. Though short of selling out the en-tire stadium, attendance at the show was high, and fans were pleased with the performance.

Bono, of course, was the star of the show, entertain-ing the crowd with his usual stage antics and stunts.

“Bono is nothing if not a com-m i t t e d showman,

w h i c h i s half the fun

of seeing U2 live,” the Daily’s

Dusty Somers said of Bono’s stage presence in an Oct. 19 review. “Being outfitted in a laser suit and swinging from an illuminated micro-phone is the kind of stuff he probably lives for, and with that superbly talented band behind him, it’s the kind of

stuff that makes endur-ing the often impersonal nature of a stadium show worth it.”

With things looking up for the Sooner football team next year, and little pros-pect of another band as big as U2 trekking through sta-diums across the U.S., it’s doubtful that the commu-nity will be treated to an-other performance of this caliber on campus. But as big as the U2 concert was, we won’t likely forget this show anytime soon.

U2 heats up OU with 360 º tour

superstar pop group theBlack Eyed Peas.

The U2 360˚ Tour wasthe biggest touring event of 2009 — and will continue onuntil late 2010 — with a castof opening acts (Interpol,Lenny Kravitz, Muse) thatcould sell out arenas in theirown rights. Opting out of the traditional indoor arenaroute, the 360˚ Tour was heldsolely in outdoor stadiumsand arenas — enter OU.

And only stadiums couldhold the massive, rotat-ing stage, one that took afleet of dozens of trucksand three days to set upand tear down. Revenuefrom the concert went to-ward The OU AthleticsDepartment. The concertalso marked one of the few occasions where the saleof alcohol was allowed inthe stadium, with the OUAthletics Department re-ceiving a portion of thosesales as well.

But more than anything,OU students and Norman

m a n y c o n -c e r t s , r e -ally, so I’mpsyched tosee U2.”

For some older fans, the 360˚ Touris a reminderof how mucht h i n g s h a v e changed d for U2over the years.

“ I ’ m a b i g fan of U2 up toand including ‘Achtung Baby,’but ever ything a b o u t t h e m t h e s e d a y s i s r i d i c u l o u s l y b l o ate d,” s a i d Chris Harris, a m u s i c i a n a n d producer based in Nor man. “I still think that they’re a great r o c k b a n d , though.”

T h e s h o w p ro v e d t o b e

no is ng if om-e d

maan,n, h i si s

half the funun of seeing U2

live,” the Daily’s mers said of Bono’s esence in an Oct.

w. “Being outfitted r suit and swinging illuminated micro-the kind of stuff he

y lives for, and with erbly talented band him, it’s the kind of

stuff that makes endur-ing the often impersonal nature of a stadium show worth it.”

WiWithth t thihingngss lolookkiing upup for the Sooner football team next year, and little pros-pepectct o of f ananototheher band as big as U2 trekkingg t thrhrough sta-diums across thehe U U.S., it’sdoubtful that the coommmu-nity will be treated tto o ana -other performance of tthihiscaliber on campus. But aassbig as the U2 concert waas,s, we won’t likely forget tthihissshow anytime soon.

“Bonnothinnot a com i t tshowm

w h i c hhah lf the

MARCIN RUTKOWSKI/THE DAILY

Above: U2 frontman Bono. Right: U2 guitarist The Edge. Left: Black Eyed Peas vocalist Fergie.

4B Year in Review 2009–2010

Projections about Bradford’s future as a St. Louis Ram

Former OU quarterback Sam Bradford was selected No. 1 overall by the St. Louis Rams in last month’s NFL Draft, and since then there has been some speculation on exactly what the 2010 NFL season would hold for the Heisman Trophy winner.

Making Bradford the top pick was a no-brainer for the Rams. They have been trying to rebuild for the past couple sea-sons to try to reclaim the title of “Greatest Show on Turf,” and one of the biggest missing pieces was a new, younger quar-terback.

Former Rams quarterback Marc Bulger tried to fill the void former NFL quarter-back Kurt Warner left when the team released him in 2004, but the experiment didn’t work.

With Bulger at quarter-back, the Rams went from being a playoff team to the cellar of the NFC West, and eventually the NFL, and Bulger suffered mul-tiple injuries that severely impacted his on-field per-formances.

The Rams were feeling pressure to make a change at quarterback, and they had their opportunity to make the move with Bradford leaving college to pursue his career in the pros.

So St. Louis released Bulger April 5, leaving little doubt Bradford would be taken first overall.

Now that Bradford is a Ram, there are some questions that need to be answered so he doesn’t have the same fate as former first round quarterback Ryan Leaf.

First, will his shoulder hold up after two injuries during the 2009 season?

It is hard to tell exactly how strong his shoulder is at this point since the only drills anyone has seen Bradford perform have been non-contact drills. His shoulder in terms of arm strength looks to be fine, and his shoulder has healed to the point where it’s stronger than before the first injury suffered Sept. 5, Bradford said.

Still, there are questions about whether his shoulder can sustain a hit from players who are much bigger than the ones who injured him.

Also, some analysts think he could have the same bad luck as former Houston Texans quarterback David Carr by being drafted by a team with a bad offensive line.

The Rams allowed 44 sacks in 2009 and have not given up less than 40 sacks in each of the past 10 seasons – most of those seasons St. Louis had the services of Pro Bowl offensive lineman Orlando Pace.

Bradford is not going into the best offensive line situation, and the strength of his shoulder is still in doubt, but those things don’t exactly mean he’ll be a bust.

Secondly, when will the Rams start Bradford?

Bradford impressed coaches during the team’s first minicamp of 2010, but he hasn’t been named the No. 1 quarter-back on St. Louis’ depth chart. The Rams have three other quarterbacks on their roster, and quarterback A.J. Feeley has the most NFL experience out of the group.

There have been some reports that if Bradford doesn’t start the first game of the season, then the Rams may go a similar route to the one the Tennessee Titans took with quarterback Vince Young during his 2006 sea-son, when they waited a few games before they started

him.This could work for Bradford, who will

need some time to learn the playbook and adjust to defensive schemes in the NFL, but he is a smart enough player that it won’t take too long before he has all of that down.

Plus, he can’t get the full learning expe-rience without playing in a regular season game, so if he doesn’t start the first game, then the Rams would be smart to not wait too long before they bring him into a game.

Bradford has the makeup and a situa-tion where he could succeed within the first few years even if he struggles during his rookie season.

Remember, Indianapolis Colts quarter-back Peyton Manning wasn’t that amaz-ing of a quarterback during his rookie season even though he showed signs of potential.

Give Bradford some time before you judge him as a good pro player or a bust, but all signs point to him avoiding being remembered as only a good college quar-terback.

Reflections on Heisman-winner Sam Bradford’s legacy at OU

This was not the year anyone wanted for Heisman-winning quarterback Sam Bradford, especially with how high the expectations were coming into the season.

The Sooners were destined to make another run for the national champion-ship, but that destiny quickly evaporated when Bradford was driven awkwardly on his throwing shoulder near the end of the first half of a 14-13 season-opening loss to Brigham Young on Sept. 5 in Arlington, Texas.

Bradford, who threw for 50 touchdowns in a historic 2008 season, suffered a second-degree AC-joint sprain in his shoulder, and opted to wait a few weeks to try to have his shoulder heal.

Within a couple weeks he was able to throw short passes, and returned to the playing field Oct. 10 against Baylor at home, a game in which he completed 27 of 49 passes for 389 yards and a touchdown in a 33-7 victory.

But that was the last complete game Sooner Nation got from its hometown hero.

Just seven plays into his next game, which was a highly touted match up against the Texas Longhorns, Bradford aggravated his shoulder injury. The fall was his first hard one since returning to action.

At the time the shoulder felt the same as it did when Bradford originally injured it, he said, but this time he decided the best thing to do was to have surgery and to enter the NFL draft.

He had a successful 35-minute surgery performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Oct. 28 in Birmingham, Ala.

And that was the last thing Sooner fans saw from Bradford for a while that did not involve wearing a sling. During the rest of the season, he roamed OU’s sideline acting as a supporter for his teammates and coach for redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones.

The Sooners ended the 2009 season 8-5 and with a victory in the Sun Bowl, but they failed to do what they did during both of Bradford’s full seasons: win the Big 12 and make a BCS game.

Bradford reappeared on the national scene March 29 when he held his pro day at Everest Training Facility in front of many NFL scouts, general managers, coaches and analysts. Some of the people in attendance included Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary.

Bradford threw 63 passes – 13 warm up and 50 scripted – and impressed everyone watching by completing all but one attempt, and that one was dropped.

His pro day was the best individual quar-terback workout since Troy Aikman’s before he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, said Gil Brandt, former vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys and current NFL.com writer.

Bradford leaves OU holding program records for career yards (8,403), yards in a single season (4,720), career touchdown passes (88) and touchdown passes in a single season (50).

“I’ve been extremely blessed to be here,” Bradford said in his press conference announcing his decision to leave OU on Oct. 27. “The past three-and-a-half years have been three-and-a-half of the best years of my life. I wouldn’t trade a day of it.”

MEET HIM INST. LOUIS

BY JONO GRECO

DAILY STAFF WRITER

BRADFORD’S CAREER STATISTICS

Seasons ................................................................................................................................... 3

Games ................................................................................................................................... 31

Completions ......................................................................................................................... 604

Attempts .............................................................................................................................. 893

Completion percentage ....................................................................................................... .676

Yards ................................................................................................................................ 8,403

Touchdowns ........................................................................................................................... 88

Source: soonersports.com

OU’S FIRST ROUND DRAFTEES

Sam Bradford, No. 1, St. Louis Rams

Gerald McCoy, No. 3, Tama Bay Buccaneers

Trent Williams, No. 4, Washington Redskins

Jermaine Gresham, No. 21, Cincinatti Bengals

Aaron Colen, sports editordailysports@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051

Year in Review 2009–2010 5B

AP Photo

BaseballAs of press time,

33-12 and 10-9 in Big 12 play

RowingFinished 2nd at the Big 12

Championship

Soccer7-10-2 and 2-7-1 in

Big 12 play

Cross countryMen ! nished 12th in the NCAA, and women ! nished

12th in the Big 12

SoftballAs of press time,

40-10 and 13-3 in Big 12 play

Women’s basketball

27-11, appeared in the NCAA Final Four

Men’s basketball13-18 and 4-12 in

Big 12 play

Women’s golfFinished 11th in the Big 12

Championship

Track & FieldAs of May 4, both

the men and women were ranked in the

national top 10

Men’s golfTied for 7th in the Big 12

Championship

Women’s tennis18-6 and 8-5 in Big

12 play

Football8-5 record with a

win in the Brut Sun Bowl

Men’s tennisAs of press time,

16-7

Sources: soonersports.com, big12sports.com

Women’s gymnasticsFinished 2nd in the NCAA

Championships

WrestlingFinished 3rd at the NCAA

Championships

Men’s gymnasticsFinished 3rd in the NCAA

Championships

Volleyball18-12 and 11-9 in

Big 12 play

! e results: a brief look at how all of OU’s 17 sports faired (or are fairing) this year

On behalf of the Joe C. and Carole Kerr McClendon Honors College, Dean David Ray, Associate Dean Rich Hamerla, and Melanie Wright, Director of Honors Curriculum, wish to acknowledge the accomplishments of the following students who won or were named fi nalists for nationally competitive scholarships in 2009-2010. We congratulate them on their outstanding achievements.

Dennis ArdisMarshall Scholar Finalist

Melissa CaddellFulbright English Teaching

Assistantship

Bryan CrableFulbright Scholar

McKinzie CrewsFulbright Scholar

Amy DaleckiFulbright Scholar

John ErneFulbright Scholar

Caleb GayleTruman Scholar

Andrew HeatonRotary Ambassadorial

Scholar

Elizabeth (Elise) KnowltonGoldwater Scholar

Logan MaingiGoldwater Scholar

Sarah McGuff eeFulbright English Teaching

Assistantship

Amanda MullinsRotary Ambassadorial

Scholar

Mark NehrenzFulbright Scholar

Amanda PlewesLuce Scholar Finalist

Daniel ReckRhodes Scholar Finalist

Brittany RyanRotary Ambassadorial

Scholar

Chris SchroederGoldwater Honorable

Mention

Austin SlaymakerTruman Scholar

6B Year in Review 2009–2010

There’s been much ado about sports this year. Although I suppose that’s the case every year when you’re in Norman and especially on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

The difference between this year and last year, however, is that the talk wasn’t about national championship losses or NCAA tournament

runs; much of it centered on a common theme: disappointment.

The football team went from playing in the BCS National Championship game against Florida to a five-loss season and the Sun Bowl.

The men’s basketball team went from an Elite Eight berth to a losing record and a season that ended after the conference tournament, not to men-tion the postseason roster turnover and allegations of misconduct.

But it would be unfair to dwell on those things, at least in this particular column. There will be plenty of articles in the future rehashing the details of those

two relative failures.So, what else is there to talk about? Plenty. First, the women’s basketball team made it to the Final Four for the

second straight year, despite the graduation of Courtney and Ashley Paris and the loss of star guard Whitney Hand for a majority of the season.

The women’s gymnastics team had an undefeated regular season and took the programs to new heights. The Sooner women’s gym-nasts beat their first-ever No. 1 opponent, Alabama, in front of a record crowd. They also reached the program’s first Super Six, and recorded a best-ever second-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Men’s gymnastics finished third in the nation. The indoor track team won the Big 12 title. And the baseball and softball teams still have a chance to make waves this season and in the postseason.

With that said, I’m hoping to let the past be the past. The beauty of sports is that there is always next year. A new season, a fresh start, a new opportunity.

As far as the football team goes, the Sooners brought in the No. 7-ranked recruiting class, according to Rivals.com. Not to mention Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy and Trent Williams were the 1, 3 and 4 picks in the NFL Draft, respectively.

The men’s basketball team has cleaned house, so to speak. Willie Warren, Tommy Mason-Griffin, Tiny Gallon, Ray Willis and Orlando Allen all left the team for various reasons. Tony Crocker, Ryan Wright and Beau Gerber graduated. We’ll be seeing a dramatically different men’s basketball team next season.

There has been so much written about the bad of this past year, and that’s understandable. As journalists, we often focus on the negative aspect of things (sometimes to a fault). But now, I believe it’s time to put that to rest.

It’s time to remember that last year is done and next year is ahead. As bad as a previous season might be, there is no limit to how good things can be when you look forward to the next. Aaron Colen is a journalism senior.

AARONCOLEN

Despite disappointments, Sooner fans have plenty of reasons to be proud

STAFF COLUMN

Team accomplishes several ! rsts in memorable year

AARON COLENDaily Staff Writer

The OU women’s gymnastics team had a historic season, which saw the program reach new heights under head coach K.J. Kindler.

Starting the season ranked No. 9, the Sooners wasted no time in climbing the rankings, opening the season with an upset win over then-No. 4-ranked Florida at home.

OU won its first 11 meets of the season leading up to a much-antic-ipated match-up against then-No. 1 Alabama. The two teams had been alternating between the No. 1 and No. 2 rankings for several weeks beforehand.

The meet, which was held in the Lloyd Noble Center, brought in the largest crowd ever to watch a gym-nastics meet in OU history. The

Sooners did not disappoint, post-ing the highest score in program history in the historic upset of the top-ranked team in the nation, also a program first.

There was no letdown after the upset for OU. The Sooners contin-ued through the remainder of the regular season undefeated.

OU won its third-straight Big 12 Championship, posting its highest score in the conference champion-ship since 2001.

While the Sooners were having an exceptional season by any stan-dard, they still hadn’t done what they set out to do.

The conference championship had been won before. But OU had never advanced to the NCAA Super Six.

Continuing what seemed to be a season of first-time accomplish-ments, the Sooners finished third in their session on the first day of the NCAA Championships to advance to the team’s first-ever Super Six

team final.OU ended up finishing second

in the NCAA Championships, the team’s best showing in program history.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my squad,” Kindler said. “It’s a testa-ment to the vision, determination and will of this squad.”

To top it off, senior Hollie Vise placed second in the individual championship on bars and on floor.

“My teammates are my best friends and my coaches have helped me so much inside and out-side of the gym during my time at Oklahoma,” Vise said. “Competing in college has made me love the sport all over again.”

Vise and fellow seniors Jackie Flanery, Julie Kramer, Mary Mantle and Kristin Smith will be depart-ing from the program, but the class, which came in the same year Kindler did, has laid a foundation for future success.

Women’s gymnastics team finishes second in the nation

AP PHOTO

Hollie Vise, senior, performs in the floor exercise during the NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Fla.

CASH BOOKSCASH BOOKS

Get the Most

Powered by efollett.com

831/833_SBB10

Rent your books! Fall 2010www.rent-a-text.comon-the-spot for

TRENDY clothing!

Moore (793.2278)NWOKC (720.2274)

CASH -

www.daisyexchange.com

Year in Revew 2009–2010 7B

ZACK HEDRICKDaily Staff Writer

When you think of OU, almost all of the time, you’re thinking football.

Undoubtedly, the football and basketball programs had frustrating seasons. However, with the standards and expectations associ-ated with the football team, many would say that the football program’s season was a big-ger disappointment.

Yet, both programs have opportunities for big rebounds next year. But football will have the bigger bounce.

Stoops stated at the start of the spring foot-ball conference in March, “We have to im-prove in all areas.” Those improvements are already evident at the end of spring practice and the closing of the 2009-2010 academic year.

THE FRONT LINEAt the annual Red/White spring game, the

offensive line showed vast improvements from last year. Now with players playing in the same positions on a consistent basis, the

line became a cohesive unit during the spring practices.

“We’re taking care of the small things first to build on the big things. Once we build on the little things, everything is just going to keep flowing. We’re cutting down on the pen-alties. That’s a big goal for us,” sophomore of-fensive guard Tyler Evans said.

Having sophomore quarterback Landry Jones in the spring huddle from the begin-ning has also helped the offense run together like a machine.

“We all have the mental process down. We’re thinking on the same level and also moving on the same level,” Evans said.

RECEIVERS IMPROVINGThe receiving corps is also coming togeth-

er as a group. When asked if the spring snaps with Jones as the signal caller benefited the receiver group, Broyles replied, “Definitely. Not just with me, but with the receiving corps in general. I feel like we’re putting things to-gether and we’re having more confidence in each other. The more options that we have, the better offense we’ll be.”

Jones also commented on his receiving group, stating, “Guys are stepping up. Guys are coming together. You can tell [now] that everybody’s got some game experience.”

THE ‘STACHEJones is in control of the offense and has

gained even more confidence since the Sun Bowl, exhibited by his performance at the spring game. Jones completed 17 of 34 passes for 211 yards and two touchdown passes. The improved offensive line gave him extended time in the pocket to find his receivers.

“The offensive line just as a whole unit has really improved. You can tell that they gained game experience. Our tackles, they’ve been doing a great job. Our offensive line has been really stepping up,” Jones said.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson has liked what he’s seen throughout the spring and thinks that last season served as a learn-ing process for many players to gain invalu-able game experience.

“A lot of these guys played … all those young linemen played, the tight ends had to play, the quarterback had to play,” Wilson

said.Personally, I look for the Sooners to over-

come their struggles from 2009 and regain their usual swagger and confidence. I think they will get back into the national champi-onship picture.

The schedule is favorable for the Sooners next year. The first three games are in Norman versus Utah State, Florida State and Air Force. With the opportunity to achieve the program’s 800th win, break a milestone with the all-time consecutive sellout and the 2010 athletics season being dubbed “The Year of the Fan,” the Sooners will pick up a lot of steam over the span of those first three home games.

After a road game at Cincinnati, the Sooners will face rival Texas to open Big 12 play. Conference games at home will include Iowa State, Colorado and Texas Tech. The team will visit Missouri, Texas A&M, Baylor and in-state rival Oklahoma State to conclude conference play. The Big 12 Championship is set for Dec. 4.

The drive for National Championship No. 8 has already begun.

Football team faltered in ’09, but may rebound next season

ANNELISE RUSSELLDaily Staff Writer

This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the OU women’s basketball team.

Sherri Coale’s squad lost seniors Courtney and Ashley Paris and saw its three-point threat and leader go down when Whitney Hand tore her ACL. Niether recruit coming in this year was highly touted.

It looked like a rebuilding year for Sooner women’s basketball.

Boy, were the critics ever wrong about that one.

OU surpassed all expectations this year to reach an unprecedented consecutive Final Four behind the will and determination of the Sooner leaders.

This season, the biggest story had to be the break-out performance of senior forward Amanda Thompson.

She averaged 6.8 points per contest in the 2008-2009 season, but was streaky and never seemed to put it all together game-in and game-out.

Fast forward to this year and it was almost a completely different player. Was it maturity, confidence, necessity? Whatever the reason the senior forward was putting up 13.1 points per game.

The most impressive fact is that at only 6-1 she led the Big 12 in rebounding with an aver-age of 10.5 rebounds per game.

The lost art of the jump shot was not lost on Amanda Thompson this season, and nei-ther was it forgotten by the floor leader, junior guard Danielle Robinson.

Robinson may have been only a junior, but she rallied her team like a senior leader.

The All-American averaged 16.8 points per game this season, but most of the work she put in was not reflected on the stat sheet. With her on the floor, she gave a calming presence to the Sooner offense and led them to a Final Four berth.

Her most impressive performance of the season was arguably a 36-point performance against Bedlam rival Oklahoma State.

When Hand went down in the fall before

the Notre Dame match-up it looked like the Sooner’s lofty goals were in real jeopardy.

Enter senior guard Nyeshia Stevenson. Stevenson played the role of the 6th man last season, coming in to provide a momentum swing, fresh legs or knock down a three point shot.

She was a role player, but this season that role got a whole lot bigger. She entered the starting line-up and picked up the slack left over in Hand’s absence. Stevenson posted 14.6 points per game.

Her break out performance this year was in the regional championships at the NCAA tour-nament. As the tournament’s MVP, she drilled Kentucky for 31 points and knocked down the winning three against Notre Dame to send the Sooners to the Elite Eight.

These three players combined with an im-proved supporting cast to defy this season’s expectations.

The Sooners were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 Conference, but they ended up no lower than fourth in the nation.

Women’s hoops surprises in ‘rebuilding year’

MARCIN RUTKOWSKI/THE DAILY

Danielle Robinson, junior, drives to the bas-ket in an OU win over Arkansas-Little Rock.

!"#$%&'()

*#+,-!#.,

'/-01)&(,))

BEFORE BREAK

Fill a 4 Bed 2 Bath apartment, Get a Flat Screen TVWaive $150 in Move-in Fees

Offer expires May 15, 2010

ACT FAST. SOME FLOORPLANS SOLD OUT!

LIVE LIKE A CHAMPIONcrimsonpark.com | 405.253.8000 | 2657 Classen Boulevard