In March 2012, OU students rallied for gender-neutral housing — a type of housing that would allow members of different biological
sexes to live in the same residence hall room — for OU students. In fall 2012, OU compromised and offered 58 � rst-year students the option of living on a co-ed � oor, meaning members on the � oor must room with members of the same biological sex even though other members on the � oor are of a different biological sex. In fall 2013, the amount of space for freshman on the co-ed � oor more than tripled to 186.
Dave Brandon, University of Michigan Athletic Director, resigned on Oct. 31 amidst pressure from students after a Sept. 17
football game, wherein Michigan’s quarterback, Shane Morris, was allowed to stay in the game despite receiving a concussion during the game. Following the game, which Michigan lost 30-14, students held an on-campus rally—complete with signs and T-shirts — calling for Brandon’s removal.
After a year of pressure from Pride of Oklahoma members and alumni of the program, former Pride director Justin Stolarik
resigned from the position, and Brian Britt, the group’s previous director, returned to his old job. Stolarik’s resignation came days after an alumni-funded, student-written full-page ad appeared in three Oklahoma newspapers over homecoming weekend. Boren also abolished the group’s restrictive media policy, which was the subject of the ads, saying it violated Pride members’ First Amendment rights.
W W W . O U D A I L Y . C O M 2 0 1 3 P A C E M A K E R F I N A L I S T
T H U R S D A Y , N O V E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 14
� e University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
Sports: Follow Ross’ path to become a top kick returner (Page 5)
Opinion: The Daily spoke, and Boren listened. (Page 3)
L&A: “Little Women” adapted to make a big debut (Page 4)
WEATHER CONTACT USPartly cloudy today with a high of 36, low of 19.
INDEX
N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
C l a s s i f i e d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
L i f e & A r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
O p i n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5@OUDaily theoklahomadaily OUDailyFollow @AndrewGortonWX on Twitter for weather updates.
BOREN: PARKING TICKETS ARE OPEN RECORDS
Tremors felt over 150 miles from original source
MIKE BRESTOVANSKYAssistant News Editor@BrestovanskyM
The U.S. Geological Survey reported an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 originating approximate-ly 13 miles south of Conway Springs, Kansas.
The earthquake was re-ported to have been felt in Oklahoma City and Norman, despite the intervening dis-tance of over 150 miles.
Th e re have c u r re nt l y been no reports of damage or injury resulting from the earthquake.
Students can gear up for the giving season a nd c omp e te aga i nst OSU by giving blood this November.
The Oklahoma Blood Institute will hold the Bedlam Blood Battle from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 17 to 21 in the ROTC Armory, according to a press re-lease. Students can sign up for appointment times online.
The Oklahoma Blood Institute’s goal is to receive 800 units of blood from OU students, said Leslie Gamble, the community relations director. SEE COMPETITION PAGE 2
Strong quake shakes OKCGEOLOGY
OU takes on OSU in blood battleCOMPETITION
Oklahoma Blood Insitute drive to begin Monday
To meet this goal, about 1,000 students will need to sign up to donate because some potential donors inev-itably won’t be able to give blood because of sickness or other medical complications, Gamble said.
OU students will compete against OSU students during the drive for a trophy and pride, according to a press release from the institute.
OSU has won the past four fall blood drives, Gamble said.
Regardless of who wins the competition, every unit of blood donated can save three lives, Gamble said.
While other admirable charitable acts may help feed and clothe others, donat-ing blood may be the differ-ence between life and death, Gamble said.
“Someone is not going to be alive if they don’t get the blood they need,” Gamble said.
All the blood given at the drive will go directly to Oklahoma hospitals and could possibly help OU students or their families, Gamble said.
This drive is particularly important because it falls the week before Thanksgiving, Gamble said.
GO AND DOBedlam Blood BattleWhen: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 17 to 21
Where: OU ROTC Armory, North Armory Room
Info: Sign up online for a time to donate.
Boren’s statement follows on the heels of a front-page editorial about The Daily’s decision to join and support Stipek in his endeavor, cit-ing that open records are vitally important doc-uments not only for journalists, but for society as a whole.
In Boren’s statement that university spokes-man Corbin Wallace emailed to Daily editor in chief Blayklee Buchanan, Boren outlines his rea-soning for the orders:
“While there are differing interpretations of the federal law, I have personally and carefully con-sidered the issue, and I believe that this action does not violate the intent of the federal privacy law. In my opinion, the records in question are traffic violation records, and are not the kind of sensitive student records, which are covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. I have directed the General Counsel’s Office and other relevant university officials to take the ap-propriate steps to implement this decision. I have no reason to believe that there has been any im-propriety in the parking ticket program, but I be-lieve that the public has a right to know how it has
been implemented.”Stipek sued the university in May 2013 for
withholding records that he deemed to be public under the Oklahoma Open Records Act.
“I’m really in shock,” Stipek said. “I wasn’t ex-pecting this today, truthfully. I’m grateful for
president Boren being the kind of leader who lis-tens to students.”
This is the first open records-related lawsuit that Stipek’s attorney in the case, Nick Harrison, has handled that has followed through to the end, Harrison said.
“[Boren’s decision] is definitely a sign the uni-versity is moving in the right direction,” he said.
The only downfall of Boren’s decision is there will be no legal precedent set as the case will not go to court, but Harrison hopes it will set an in-formal precedent for other universities to follow.
There is no defined legal procedure that Boren must follow to make a decision like this, said Anil Gollahalli, OU Legal Counsel vice president.
The OU Open Records office said Boren’s or-ders are effective immediately, and the office will fulfill The Daily’s current request for parking tick-et information that was originally requested and denied two years ago.
OU President David Boren has released a statement ordering OU parking ticket information to be available to the public and the
media in response to a lawsuit against the university led by Daily staff member Joey Stipek.
PARIS BURRISNEWS REPORTER@PARISBURRIS
AT A GLANCEParking Tickets and FERPAIn 1997, the University of Maryland cited FERPA when it denied its student newspaper access to students’ parking tickets. The Maryland Court of Appeals sided with the newspaper and ruled the parking tickets were not protected under the act.
In 2010, when the University of North Carolina’s student newspaper was denied access to students’ parking tickets. The court sided with the newspaper, ruling the tickets were not educational records.
1. 2. 3.University off i-cials listened to
The Daily’s concerns Wednesday when OU President David Boren ordered parking tickets be made available to the media and the pub-lic. Here are some other instances of university officials listening to stu-dent concerns:
ILLUSTRATION BY CHELSEA BONNETT
3.1
4.12.93.4
3.53.0
2.92.8
2.82.8
9NOV
NOV
11NOV
12
Top 10 highest magnitude earthquakes in the area in the past seven days
come to
and
Paighten Harkins, digital managing [email protected] • phone: 405-325-3666
oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily
2 • Thursday, November 13, 2014
NEWSOUDaily.com ›› We’ve seen them on campus, but who’s job is it to clean them? We’re talking campus statues. Find out which statues students frequent most and who keeps them pristine.
NOV. 13 & 14TODAY Hummus Tasting — 2 to 3 p.m. in Hester Hall’s Lounge Students can sample hummus as part of OU’s International Education week.
IAS Career Prep and Networking Event — 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Hester Hall’s lounges The Department of International & Area Studies is holding a career preparation and networking event as part of the International Education Week festivities. All students interested in international career opportunities and tips are welcome to attend.
OU GIS Day Exposition — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom Celebrate geospatial science and technology and learn about current research and educational opportunities. Free pizza will be provided, and attendees will have a chance to win an iPad.
FRIDAY International Student Thunder Nights — 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center As part of International Education Week, students interested in going to see the Oklahoma City Thunder play the Detroit Pistons can travel to the game with fellow students. Tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis throughout the week for $50 from Kaydee Dyer in Hester Hall, Room 107. The tickets’ costs include transportation.
Gaming Through the Ages — 7 to 10 p.m. in Oklahoma Memorial Union’s food court Students can relive their childhoods with original Nintendo and Sega Genesis games or play games on newer platforms, like Playstation 4, for free.
Do you want to see your organization’s campus event here? Visit OUDaily.com/events/submit to add your entry.
JOURNALISM
Calling all beginning reporters
TONY RAGLE/THE DAILY
Join the OU Daily newsroom and learn to create a paper and maintain a news website.
MIKE BRESTOVANSKYAssistant News Editor @BrestovanskyM
Next semester, aspiring reporters can participate in News Academy, a semester-long training program for new employ-ees at The Oklahoma Daily.
The course, modeled after similar courses at Penn State, Georgia Southern and Eastern Carolina universities, will pro-vide 10 journalism classes over the entire semester. The class-es will cover topics ranging from ethics and privacy to practi-cal lessons about news reporting and editing.
While any full-time OU student in good academic stand-ing can apply for the program, OU Daily editors will select 20 participants based on interviews and a brief test. Participants who complete the program will receive paid staff positions in the Fall 2015 semester.
“[Currently,] we do start-of-semester training — two days for editors, two days for reporters,” said Judy Gibbs Robinson, Student Media assistant director and The Daily’s editorial ad-viser. “We try to cram an entire journalism and newspaper training course into a few days, and that’s a poor way to do it.”
Having a rushed training session means that students who aren’t familiar with working for a newspaper often leave the staff after only a few weeks, despite their talent, Robinson said.
“We’re trying to get a more knowledgeable class of journal-ists,” said Daily editor-in-chief Blayklee Buchanan. “We want people to leave the OU Daily ready for the real world. This new structure will allow reporters to do that.”
Buchanan said that the training would focus on news re-porting, but participants would also learn skills like copy ed-iting and feature writing.
Oklahoma hospitals need about 600 blood donors every day to stay stocked and meet their patients’ needs, Gamble said. During Thanksgiving, people be-come preoccupied with the
New course program will offer training for upcoming journalists for one semester
Students who apply must be able to write a news story based on a set of facts and answer questions based on current events.
Tryouts are conducted at the OU Daily newsroom in Copeland Hall, room 160 from now until Dec. 5, and again from Jan. 12 to 13. The names of applicants moving to the in-terview phase will be announced on Jan. 16.
Students can apply online at studentmedia.ou.edu/jobs.
COMPETITION: Blood battle provides during lullContinued from page 1 holiday and don’t typically
donate blood, Gamble said.The Bedlam Blood Battle
compensates for this lull of donations and ensures no hospitals experience blood emergencies, Gamble said.
In addition to feeling good about their donation, stu-dents who give blood will
receive a T-shirt, free food and a chance to win tick-ets to the Bedlam game, ac-cording to the press release. Three donors will win foot-balls signed by head football coach Bob Stoops, according to a press release from the institute.
The institute also needs
volunteers to help organize the events, Gamble said. Interested students can call 405-419-1328 or email [email protected] to sign up.
Students, staff, faculty and others in the community are invited to express their views concerning
The Oklahoma Daily or Sooner yearbook to the Publications Board.
The Oklahoma Daily is a public forum, the University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice and an entirely student-run publication.
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 2:30 p.m. Sunday and at 12:30 and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday in 160 Copeland Hall. Board meetings are open to the public.
Guest columns are accepted and printed at the editor’s discretion.
Columnists’ and cartoonists’ opinions are their own and not necessarily the views or opinions of The Oklahoma Daily Editorial Board.
To advertise in The Oklahoma Daily, contact advertising manager Jamison Short by calling 405-325-8964 or emailing [email protected].
One free copy of The Daily is available to members of the OU community. Additional copies may be purchased for 25 cents by contacting The Daily business office at 405-325-2522.
Blayklee Buchanan Editor in ChiefPaighten Harkins Digital Managing EditorMegan Deaton Print Managing EditorArianna Pickard Online EditorJoey Stipek Special Projects EditorKaitlyn Underwood Opinion Editor
Kelly Rogers Life & Arts EditorJoe Mussatto Sports EditorTony Ragle Visual EditorJamison Short Advertising ManagerJudy Gibbs Robinson Faculty Adviser
contact us 160 Copeland Hall, 860 Van Vleet OvalNorman, OK 73019-2052
oudaily.com/opinion • Twitter: @OUDailyOpinionOPINIONThursday, November 13, 2014 • 3
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Arts’ timing does not imply Nazi contact
Dear Bucky and Penny:
My roommate is considering taking out a payday loan. Is this a good idea?
-Kevin
ANSWER:Dear Kevin,Payday loans can
get you into serious financial trouble and come with a high price tag. Finance charges are from 15 to 30 percent of the amount being borrowed. Since it’s 15 to 30 percent on just a few weeks, it’s comparable to getting a loan with an annual percentage rate of nearly 800 percent.
Students then become trapped because they are ex-pected to pay the loan off in a short timeframe and still meet their other financial obligations. Typically, bor-rowers end up taking out several loans because they fall further and further behind on their other bills, and it becomes a vicious cycle. Your roommate is wasting money and he or she should take time to set up a bud-get plan that will help keep his or her finances under control. Learn how to create a budget at financialed.ou.edu. You will thank us later.
Sincerely,B & P
Our view: We are overjoyed by OU President David Boren’s decision to release OU parking ticket records in response to The Daily’s front-page editorial explaining why we joined a lawsuit to sue the university to release the records, but our quest for transparency is not over.
OU President David Boren put down his foot in favor of transparency on Wednesday and the ground shook. Earlier Wednesday, The Daily ran a front-page editorial explaining why we were joining a lawsuit led by Daily staffer Joey Stipek. We were suing the university to release OU parking ticket re-cords and we received a statement from Boren the same day stating that he had directed the General Counsel’s Office to release the records. An earth-quake felt across much of Oklahoma ironically oc-curred at about the same time Boren’s statement was released, and we couldn’t agree more with Mother Nature’s response.
We are happy Boren responded to students’ re-quest and that we will soon be able to review the parking records. Furthermore, we’re excited Boren affirmed our belief that the ticket records are pub-lic records under the Oklahoma Open Records Act that should be available to all.
Even though we succeeded in obtaining the parking ticket records, we will still struggle with fu-ture denied open records requests and conflicting interpretations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. FERPA is a federal law designed to
protect students’ academic records that OU used to defend not releasing the parking ticket records to Stipek. There is no national precedent defining FERPA, and it has been interpreted differently at universities across the country.
While we feel releasing the records is the appro-priate conclusion to this situation, it by no means signifies that the battle for transparency is over. By electing to release the records, Boren effective-ly ended the lawsuit against the university. That means the case will not go to court and the defini-tion of FERPA will remain maddeningly murky.
Our lawsuit’s out-of-court res-olution also means other uni-versities will not benefit from the possible favorable ruling we would’ve received in court. For example, Oklahoma State University’s newspaper, The O’Colly, made a similar request
for parking tickets records in 2013, and OSU denied their request by claiming that names on universi-ty-issued parking ticket records are protected by FERPA.
If Stipek and The Daily’s lawsuit had gone to court and won, The O’Colly would have been granted access to OSU’s parking ticket records as well. However, we will not see our day in court, making Boren’s announcement a bittersweet victo-ry in our pursuit of transparency.
Comment online at OUDaily.com
Dear Ms. Harkins, Ms. Buchanan and Ms. Robinson,I was both dismayed and saddened by the articles “OU
museum houses forty pieces with Nazi connections from WWII” in the November 6 print edition and “OU muse-um holds 40 pieces of art looted by Nazis during WWII” in the November 6 digital edition of The Oklahoma Daily. Both headlines and a portion of each the arti-cles are erroneous and misleading. The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art does not have “40 pieces of art with Nazi provenance” or “40 pieces of art with Nazi connections” as the articles suggest. As Ms. Harkins rightly states later in each article, the 40 works of art from the museum col-lection are listed on the Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal; however, neither the 40 from the FJJMA collection nor the over 29,000 works of art listed by other museums necessarily have any established connection to the Nazis and unlawful looting during WWII. The database is a catchall that is designed to include works of art that were created prior to 1946, that originated in Europe and that changed hands during a period of time from 1932-46. This does not imply that any of the works have Nazi con-nections or that any of the pieces were looted. The por-tal is a database where those questions of provenance can be explored and further researched and a means of investigating what was looted by the Nazis and what was not. The headline and the article conveyed a false impression.
In addition, a federal court in New York recently ruled in favor of the university’s position in regard to the case. The claimant has appealed to the circuit court.
As President Boren has previously indicated, the mu-seum will continue to work to appropriately honor both families in the labeling and cataloging of the painting. Several years ago, Yale University reached a solution re-lated to looted art, which can serve as a model. We con-tinue to reach out to the claimant in an effort to reach a morally appropriate solution.
We ask that you publish this letter in The Oklahoma Daily in the near future.
Sincerely,Mark White, Ph.D.Interim DirectorEugene B. Adkins Senior Curator
Payday loans grow until out of control
ASK BUCKY AND PENNY
OUR VIEW
CHRIS JAMES/THE DAILY
OU student journalist Joey Stipek and his attorney Nick Harrison pass attorney Shawnae Robey as they exit Judge Lori Walkley’s courtroom, Aug. 26 in the Cleveland County Courthouse. Robey was defense council in Stipek’s open records case against OU President David Boren and OU’s former Open Records Office Director for the withholding of parking citation records. On Wednesday, Boren decreed the parking citation records are not educational records and should be released.
The Our View is the majority opinion of The Daily’s nine-member editorial board
Release of records starts victory for transparency
4.25"
3.5"
small step no. 34
TAKE A SMALL STEP TO GET HEALTHY
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FETCH THIS PAPER YOURSELF
NOTE TO PUB: DO NOT PRINT INFO BELOW, FOR ID ONLY. NO ALTERING OF AD COUNCIL PSAs.Healthy Lifestyles and Disease Prevention- Newspaper - (4 1/4 x 3 1/2) B&W - HLDYR1-N-12037-N “Fetch this Paper” 85 line screen
digital files at Schawk: (212) 689-8585 Ref#: 211169
211169A01
1111
FIND A JOB
in the CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIEDS
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
ACROSS 1 Audio
cassettes, e.g.
6 Christmas tree topper
10 On tenterhooks
14 Plant used to make tequila
15 Super-duper 16 City in
New York 17 Conundrum 18 “Pro”
follower 19 Constrictor
snakes 20 Retail perk 23 It can be
inflated 25 Susan
of “The Partridge Family”
26 Sudden attack
27 Room under a gable
30 Batman and Robin, e.g.
31 Internet letters
32 “Don’t forget about me”
34 “No ifs, ___ ...”
38 Willing to do anything for success
41 Arborist’s concern
42 Affectedly creative
43 Artist Matisse
44 Cloak-and-dagger org.
45 Staggered drunkenly
46 Comedian Tracey
50 Asian language
52 Hot temper 53 Where to
get the best deals?
57 Tolkien creatures
58 Ballpark figures?
59 Boxing matches
62 Top guns, in the air
63 “Laura” director Preminger
64 Small fishing net
65 He and she 66 Astute 67 NonsensicalDOWN 1 Dancing
specialty 2 “Fourscore
and seven years ___ ...”
3 Country music?
4 “... happily __ after”
5 “Buona ___” (Italian greeting)
6 Draped dress (Var.)
7 Sycophant 8 Not for 9 Take on
again 10 Ann ___,
Mich. 11 See socially
(with “with”) 12 Certain Arab 13 “Beau ___” 21 Banned
bug killer
22 Whisper sweet nothings
23 Cast out 24 Xbox
enthusiast 28 Rub the
wrong way 29 Inventor
Whitney 30 Say it
ain’t so 32 Indian
tourist stop 33 On a lucky
streak 34 Between
ports 35 Not able to
be seen 36 Engraver
Albrecht 37 It has a
ladder on a playground
39 Soft, lightweight muslin
40 Ship per-sonification
44 One for the road
45 Certain frying pan
46 Depth charge target
47 “The Addams Family” butler
48 French high school
49 Like many kids’ rooms
50 Caffe ___ 51 Burning
crime 54 Remote
option 55 Tends
toward low tide
56 Spelling on screen
60 “Shop ___ you drop”
61 Like some grins
Universal CrosswordEdited by Timothy E. Parker November 13, 2014
Prepare to think fast and move with great speed this year. Be shrewd and rid yourself of whatever is holding you back. Your accuracy will be uncanny, and will win you the support you need to advance. If you implement your talents and ideas, they will mushroom into something terrifi c.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Loose lips may be undermining your reputation. Donʼt let others know your thoughts or what youʼre up to. For the time being, focus on what you are trying to accomplish.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Creative courses will raise your earning potential and lead to a successful enterprise. Donʼt go halfway; follow your ideas through to completion. Socialize with friends who can offer you mental stimulation.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You will attract romantic partners with your charismatic personality and energetic approach to life. Donʼt tell someone you love him or her if you arenʼt sure that itʼs so. Be certain of your feelings before you voice them aloud.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Friends or relatives may interfere with your personal objectives. If you need some advice, try to fi nd someone who is impartial and knows the ins and outs of your situation.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- This will not be the day to take chances. Lock your money up where itʼs safe. Stay out of stores where you might be enticed to purchase household items. Make sure that your legal affairs are in order.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Your home environment appears to be extremely active. Plan your day carefully if you wish to dodge any setbacks. Make a list of priorities.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Diffi culties with authority fi gures will surface. Be diplomatic so that you donʼt antagonize someone, but donʼt allow anyone to curtail your freedom, either.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Problems with groups may upset you. The only person you can really know and help is yourself. Put an effort into self-im-provement. You will be successful.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Put your effort into getting your own work done, and refrain from interacting with peers who are just wasting time. Stay focused if you want to please everyone around you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- You may fi nd that a special someone is feeling a little rejected. Unless the two of you start to communicate, there could be problems. Secret affairs could develop with someone at work.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Donʼt donate too much time or cash to organizations. You may fi nd that you are being taken advantage of. Added responsibilities or demands may be inevitable. Make sure your priorities are straight.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Ask for favors, but offer something in return. You can successfully start your own business or get involved in a partnership. This is an excellent time to turn your dreams into reality.
oudaily.com/life&arts • Twitter: @OUDailyArtsLIFE&ARTS4 • Thursday, November 13, 2014
THEATRE
Female leads carry production
PHOTO PROVIDED
OU students dress in costume for a performance of “Little Women.” “Little Women” performances are to run Nov. 14-23.
KEATON BELLLife & Arts Reporter @kildebell
The story of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” con-sidered a classic of American literature, will come to life on stage in the Helmerich School of Drama’s latest production.
Little Women tells the story of the four March sis-ters, Meg, Beth, Amy and Jo, as they transition from ad-olescence to adulthood in Massachusetts during the American Civil War. The show will premiere 8 p.m. to-morrow in the Weitzenhoffer Theatre.
Given the production’s emphasis on family and per-severing through person-al struggles, director Judith Pender knew going in to the production that the show’s success would lie in the four female leads.
“For this show, we had to have a believable family unit,” Pender, professor in the School of Drama, said. “I had many girls who were believ-able March sisters, but I had to select four girls, a father and a mother that could con-vince people that they were related.”
And with a cast and crew composed entirely of OU students, Pender was able to create an environment that operated as a sort of “stage family.”
“As cheesy as it sounds, re-hearsal has been like going home,” Vivian Grace, a drama sophomore portraying the el-dest March sister, said. “The cast has really bonded and, in a way, become a family.”
Coming into the produc-tion, many of the cast mem-bers were familiar with the characters and the timeless nature of the story. With the girls’ father away fighting in the war and under the guid-ance of their strong-willed mother, the March sisters struggle with figuring out their identities and deal-ing with their troublesome surroundings.
“It’s about growing up and
figuring out who you are, which is something I think everyone can identify with,” Grace said. “The transition from adolescence to adult-hood is a tricky one, and we search for a guide to help us on our journey. I think these characters transition with such grace, love and life that it’s hard not be captivated by their story.”
This was a story that defi-nitely piqued the interest of Pender. Already an accom-plished director of literature to stage adaptations such as “Great Expectations,” Pender immediately recognized the empowering nature of the characters and the way it resonates with modern audiences.
“I think that Jo March is one of the first feminists in American literature because she’s independent, free-spir-ited and free-thinking while pursuing the things that in-terest her and not growing up in a particularly tradition-al way,” Pender said. “I think that tapped into the spirit of young American women.”
It certainly did for Calley Luman, a junior acting major portraying the tender-heart-ed Beth.
“I think the relationships and personalities of the four sisters are so relatable, and the trifles they go through still incredibly relevant today,” Luman said.
With the play set to pre-miere right before the holi-days, Pender hopes her ad-aptation will set the mood for the family gatherings to come.
“ I w a nt au d i e n c e s t o be ready for the holidays,” Pender said. “I want them to leave this play saying, ‘Oh, we’re going to have a won-derful Thanksgiving!’ or ‘This is gonna be a great family time.’”
Pender’s infectious atti-tude seems to have rubbed off on her cast. When asked what she hopes audienc-es feel leaving their perfor-mances, Grace said “Pender is always encouraging us to ‘feed our souls.’ I want the au-dience to walk away feeling like their soul has been fed.”
GO AND DOLITTLE WOMEN When: premieres Friday, Nov. 14
Where: Weitzenhoffer Theatre
Price: Advance purchase: $25 Adult, $20 Discount* $15 Student plus processing fee. *discount: senior adult 60+, military, OU employee. At the door: $35 Adult, $20 Student. Cash only at the door.
Info: Presented by University Theatre and Helmerich School of Drama Rated G
“Little Women” play based on classic American novel
Tutor Needed for High School studentHomework Coordinator 8$ per hour. In Norman Contact at: 405-822-1600 or [email protected]
Housing RentalsJ
APTS. UNFURNISHED413 Elm Street, bills paid, efficiency apt., single person, $435.1010 Classen, pay all bills, one bedroom apt., one person, $435.206 South Flood Apt. A, pay electric, one bedroom apt., one person, $485.All rentals smoke free, no pets of any kind, lease runs to the end of June 2015 deposit is one month’s rent.Application with $25 fee returned if lease is signed. 405.447.7253
DUPLEXES UNFURNISHED$550/mo! Walk to OU! 2bd, 2 blocks from Sarkey’s Energy Center. Carpet, blinds, NEW CH/A, appliances, W/D: Call 203-3493
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This is the watch Stephen Hollingshead, Jr. was
wearing when he encountered a drunk driver.
Time of death 6:55pm.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.
Phot
o by
Mich
ael M
azze
o
www.forbetterlife.org
Eats flies. Dates a pig. Hollywood star. LIVE YOUR DREAMS Pass It On.
OUDaily.com ››The women’s basketball team opens its season Friday night in Norman. Check out our preview of the game against Washington.
Thursday, November 13, 2014 • 5
FOOTBALL
Ross finally catches his break
CHRIS MICHIE/THE DAILY
Running back Alex Ross charges down the field during OU’s homegame against Baylor Saturday. Ross may be one of the best kickoff returners in the coutnry after a rocky start.
Sophomore running back has no intention of slowing down soonCARSON WILLIAMSSports Assistant Editor @CarsonWilliams4
It hasn’t always been easy for Alex Ross.For the University of Oklahoma sophomore running back,
it may seem like things have gone as planned, but that’s not the case. Ross may be one of the best kickoff returners in the country, but his road hasn’t always been smooth.
Ross was a standout running back at Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma. In a preseason scrimmage his senior year, he suffered an ankle injury that altered the beginning of his season. Not long after returning from that injury, he broke his collarbone.
“It was horrible. I hated my senior year,” Ross said. “I was always trying to practice but limping around… Most of the injuries I had, I never had a chance to stay out as long as I needed to.”
Ross couldn’t catch a break.But in his first game after returning from his collarbone
injury, he rushed for 258 yards and had three touchdowns on 24 carries. He showed why, despite his two injuries, he was one of the most coveted recruits in the nation. But he had already committed to Bob Stoops’ Sooners.
Once Ross got to Oklahoma, he saw a different kind of ob-stacle that he wasn’t exactly used to.
In 2012, his freshman year in Norman, Ross was forced to redshirt as he sat behind veterans Roy Finch and Brennan Clay, who also returned kicks.
So Ross waited. That was all he could do.A year later, Clay slid into the starting role with Ross and
freshman Keith Ford as the backups. Ross got an opportu-nity early in the season but ruined it when slapped with an unnecessary roughness penalty for punching an opposing player.
Stoops was having none of that, especially for a player that hadn’t proved anything and one that was easily replaceable at the time. Ross only had three carries for 19 yards on the season and spent most of the year on special teams.
Now in his sophomore season, Ross has taken full advan-tage of the opportunities he’s been given.
Ford began the season as the starter but fractured his foot in the win against Tennessee Sept. 13. That left Ross and freshman Samaje Perine to carry the load.
Perine separated himself from Ross, who struggled to find any rhythm in the backfield. Now, with Ford healthy, carries have been even harder for Ross to come by.
Ross turned to the other place on the field where he was most comfortable: kickoff returns.
In the first game of the season, Ross exploded for an 80-yard kickoff return that set the scene for what was to come. In addition to his duties during kickoffs, Ross also totaled 11 carries in the season-opener, something he isn’t taking for granted due to his winding journey.
“It’s been a long time coming, so I had to make the most of those 11 carries,” he said.
The highlight of his season came against West Virginia in a hostile road environment.
Just before halftime and down 24-17, Ross received the kickoff at the goal-line, found his hole and pressed the turbo button. He exploded past the Mountaineer special teams defense and into the endzone for a touchdown.
“Usually, if a team gets a kickoff return on them, it usually kills them, their spirit,” Ross said after the game.
Three weeks later, in the Cotton Bowl against Texas, Ross did it again.
After Texas marched down the field and scored a field goal on the opening drive, Ross was back yet again, ready to take another kick to the house for a touchdown.
To most people’s surprise, the Longhorns actually kicked
to Ross. He made them pay for it. Ross returned the kick 91 yards, weaving through traffic and showing his blazing speed as he hit his hole and left the Longhorns in his dust.
“It’s not easy,” Stoops said of facing his electric kick re-turner. “Where are you going to kick it, out of bounds? Or are you going to kick it high and give it to us on the 40 or the 30? It’s just not that easy. You have to kick it somewhere.”
With that return, Ross became just the second Sooner in history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns. (The others being Demarco Murray in 2007 and Jerome Ledbetter in 1980.)
“I think it was an accident,” Ross said of Texas kicking to him. “They were kicking into the wind, and it fell into my hands. I was just looking for a hole, and that hole finally opened up. I ran through it and saw the kicker there and felt sorry for him.”
Ross’ 34.7 yards per return is second best in the nation, and he doesn’t plan on giving up that spot any time soon.
W h a t u n r a v e l e d l a s t Saturday in Norman wasn’t what anyone expected. But Oklahoma has a chance to redeem itself this Saturday when it takes on Texas Tech in Lubbock.
Last season against the Red Raiders, the Sooners narrowly escaped an un-beaten Texas Tech team on a rainy day in Norman. This year, both teams are down a little, especially Oklahoma who entered the season with high expectations.
After being knocked out and carted off the field in the loss against Baylor, it’s
uncertain whether sopho-more quarterback Trevor Knight will play. If he can’t, coaches have full confi-dence in redshirt freshman Cody Thomas.
“I think Cody is a real good, young talent,” co-of-fensive coordinator Jay Norvell said. “He just hasn’t had a chance to play very much. He’s done a great job in practice. He’s done an awfully good job in prepar-ing himself.”
Quarterback isn’t the only position uncertain for this weekend’s game. After missing the Baylor game w ith a groin injur y, ju-nior wide receiver Sterling Shepard’s status is also un-clear. Senior cornerback Julian Wilson is also ques-tionable after suffer ing a broken thumb against Baylor.
While Tech doesn’t pose the same threat as Baylor did, missing two starters —who also serve as team captains — would be a huge blow for the Sooners look-ing for a bounce back win.
“It’ll be a big challenge going down there … a team better than their record in-dicates,” coach Bob Stoops said. “We have to do our part to be better execut-ing the run game, throw-ing the ball, defense, being able to challenge and cover people.”
Sooners prepare to play Red Raiders
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