april 25, 2014 print edition

Oral Roberts University · April 25, 2014 Tulsa, Okla. · Vol 48, No. 13

www.oruoracle.com

ORU knocks off fourth Big 12 team of the season.PAGE 12

GRAND SLAM

NEWSORU welcomes new board chairPg. 4

FEATURESORU Class of 2014readies to graduate May 3Pgs. 10-11

UPDATEFood waste post-test results are revealedPg. 9

Photo by Austin St. John

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PAGE 5KORU station manager departs

NEWS

Student Media, staff earn awards Oral Roberts University’s Student Media recently earned multiple state, regional and national nods for its Oracle and Perihelion yearbook publications and the Oracle’s online website. Also some award com-petitions announced “fi nalists” with award winners to be named this summer. Th e Society of Professional Journalists named the Oracle best non-daily student newspaper in Okla. and Texas. SPJ also awarded Editor-in-chief Hannah Covington fi rst place in general news reporting for her series on Oklahoma City’s Hispanic community, published in Th e Oklahoman. Th e Perihelion also won a national fi rst-place award for yearbook from the American Scholastic Press Association.

ORACLE AWARDS Great Plains Journalism (Eight-state) Finalist:Hannah Covington; Bruce Dixon, designer of the year; Meghan Drake, student news website of the year; Austin St. John, photographer of the year;Oracle staff , newspaper of the year.

SPJ, Oklahoma Chapter: Hannah Covington and Austin St. John, fi nalists.

Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association: First place, interior page design; second place, overall newspaper; third place, front page design; second place, website; Destinee Th ames, fi rst and second

place advertising display; Samantha Magnaye, third place advertising display; Greg Brown, second place column writing; Billy Burke, fi rst place sports report-ing; Madison McDaniel, third place reviews; Nathan Porter, fi rst place column writing; Ryan Woods, hon-orable mention sports reporting; McKenzie Garber and Kristy Sturgill, second place team investigative reporting; Hannah Covington, third place editorial writing; fi rst place feature writing; fi rst place inves-tigative reporting; third place general newswriting; fi rst place general newswriting; fi rst place reporting portfolio; Austin St. John, fi rst place news photogra-phy; second place photography portfolio and second place sports photography

Oklahoma Press Association: First place news content; advertising, sales promotion, newswriting, feature writing, sports coverage, photography and community leadership, second to fourth place awards

PERIHELION AWARDSOklahoma Collegiate Media Association: Ashton Loehr, fi rst place sports writing; Lauren Percival, second place sports writing; Garett Pier-son, fi rst, second and third place feature writing; Chandler Branzell, fi rst and second place feature photography; Chelsey Butler, second place feature photography; Jeanette DeRubeis, honorable mention feature photography; Camille Orgel, honorable men-tion sports photography.

Faculty Advisers

Section EditorsMeghan Drake Online EditorChrista Cervantes Copy EditorJosh Ellison Copy EditorMadison McDaniel NewsRyan Woods Sports PrintDavid Sauer Sports ProductionDominique Johnson FeaturesMcKensie Garber SceneGreg Brown Muse

Hannah Covington [email protected]

Jonathan Cyprowski Director of Student Media [email protected] Cristi Eschler-Freudenrich Business Services [email protected]

Editorial

Graphics & ArtRebecca Glenn Print Production Mgr.Matthew Dean Graphic DesignerMichelle Karjadi Graphic DesignerSarthak Nigam WebmasterJulie Gonzalez Photography EditorAustin St. John Senior PhotographerViolet Mawanza PhotographerAudrey Grey PhotographerCourtney Dilley PhotographerNick Conroy PhotographerJoshua Smith PhotographerReporters

Kristy Sturgill Sta� WriterParrish Purnell Jr. Sta� WriterVictoria Atterberry Sta� WriterValeria Hernandez Sta� WriterJonathan DeFriess Sta� WriterEllie Cogles Sta� WriterRussell Dorsey Sta� WriterMegan Esposito Sta� WriterBrooke Thomas Sta� Writer

AdvertisingJennifer Jost Business Mgr.Danielle Coy Sales Mgr.River Freudenrich Ad DesignerKalista Balagia Sales Rep.Crystal Block Sales Rep.Deliza Elizee Sales Rep.D.J. Jackson Sales Rep.Isaiah Liston Sales Rep.Jack Lucido Sales Rep.Ryan Trujillo Sales Rep.Aaron Whitehurst Sales Rep.

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ApplicationsWant to work for the Oracle? Stop by LR 175 and fi ll out an application. Positions include photography, graphic design, and reporting.

McKensie Garber Managing [email protected]

2014: Best Non-daily Campus Newspaper by the Society of Professional Journalists, Region 8 (Okla. and Texas)

NEWS

THE ORACLE • Friday, April 25, 2014 • 3

Bachmann to give commencement address

Student graduation speaker announced

By Kristy Sturgill Congresswoman Michelle Bach-mann will deliver the ORU com-mencement address May 3 at the ORU Mabee Center. “I am thrilled to have the oppor-tunity to rejoin with the Oral Roberts family to celebrate the 2014 graduating class, recognize their positive accom-plishments and share with them my hopes for their future,” said Bachmann. Bachmann graduated from ORU with a J.D. from the O.W. Coburn School of Law. The law school at ORU closed in 1985. John Eidsmoe, a law professor at ORU during Bachmann’s studies, had great influence on her, she told spec-tators at the 2011 Rediscover God Conference in Iowa. Bachmann and Eidsmoe worked together on home-school legislation; afterwards, he asked her to be a research assistant on his book “Christianity and Constitution.”

Bachmann recently spoke at Liberty University’s Convocation, encouraging thousands of students to become strong servants before entering politics. Time Magazine listed Bachmann as one of the “100 most influential people”

of 2011. She was the first Republican woman elected to the Minnesota U.S. House of Representatives in 2006. In June 2011, she announced her candidacy for President in her hometown of Water-

loo, Iowa. She was also the first woman to win the Iowa Straw Poll. Prior to serving in the U.S. Con-gress, Bachmann served in the Minne-sota State Senate from 2000-2006. Bachmann worked on hundreds of civil and criminal cases as a federal tax litigation attorney before holding elected office. Michelle and Marcus Bachmann have been married over 30 years, have five biological children and cared for 23 foster children during their marriage. Her personal experiences inspired Bachmann’s tireless efforts in Con-gress on behalf of America’s foster and adopted children, a role that has earned her bipartisan praise. The ORU commencement ceremony can be viewed on GEB America, on DirecTV Channel 363, Tulsa TV-53, KUGB TV 28.1 Houston and www. gebamerica.com.

By Brooke Thomas Brian Nhira will be the student speaker at the 2014 ORU commencement ceremony. Nhira is a communi-cation major, and often leads worship during campus chapel services. “I was honored and excited. One step closer to the opportunity of a lifetime…I just think it’s going to be an amazing opportunity and experience. I’m hoping that more than gaining something from the experi-ence, I can serve my class through this experience,” said Nhira. One graduating student is selected every year to represent the ORU student body as a speaker at the commencement ceremony. The opportunity to speak on behalf of and in front of peers, friends and family at graduation is highly competitive. Those who wish to participate must go through a rigorous preliminary process. Five students are select-ed as finalists, and those finalists deliver their speeches to a panel of judges consisting of faculty and student leaders. “There are so many incredible speakers, communi-cators and personalities in the class of 2014. I listened to the other four speeches and was so impressed,” said Nhira.

After having about a month to prepare, Nhira claims he wrote his speech the night before it was due. “I had known what I wanted to write about for about a month. The topic of the speech was constantly on my mind and I would spend a lot of time ponder-ing the way I could frame the speech and what word-ing I could use, so when it came time to write it was very easy,” said Nhira. Nhira believes that although he may not neces-sarily be “qualified,” he does have something to say. He is proud of his class and the obstacles they have overcome during their time at ORU. Nhira hopes the message he has to share will touch the lives of his peers. “The prevailing reason for me wanting to be con-sidered as the response speaker was because I have something to say, a message that’s strong on my heart that I want to leave with my class,” said Nhira. This year’s speech should be one to look forward to. Without showing all of his cards, Nhira hinted that his speech may have a few surprises in store. “I have invited three special guests to graduation,” said Nhira. Nhira will keep his guests a mystery until May 3 at the Mabee Center.

ORU yearbook photo from 1986. Internet photo

Former ORU Law student and U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann will give the 2014 commencement speech on May 3.

Brian Nhira serves as part of ORU’s worship team.Photo by Austin St. John

4 • Friday, April 25, 2014 • THE ORACLE

By Dominique Johnson Reverend Rob Hoskins has assumed the role as chair of the ORU Board of Trustees. He previously served as vice chair. After Mart Green stepped down as board chair, Hoskins was tapped to take his place. Hoskins was approached about the prospect of becoming board chair last December. “After thinking and praying, it was an easy decision,” Hoskins said. “At the last board meeting. I thought I was ready emotionally, because I thought long and hard about it. But the weight and gravity of it hit me emotionally. I’ll be honest, I cried like a baby.” The formal transition happened at the last board meeting. Green handed Hoskins a “really big gavel,” representing the weight of the new responsibility. “At my installation service, I quoted Mother Theresa saying, “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much,’” Hoskins said. “That’s the way I felt. It’s an important office and it’s something that you shouldn’t take lightly. I was really humbled.” Hoskins and his wife Kim grew up with missionary parents. Now they both run OneHope, a global ministry that provides Biblical scripture to children

all over the world. The organization operates in about 140 countries. This year, they distributed their one-billionth copy of the Bible to a child. Hoskins got involved with ORU six years ago. “I was preaching in Lakeland, Fla. and I got up that morning and prayed Ephesians [chapter] one; a chapter about having a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and it was just like the Lord spoke to me very clearly and said ‘you’re going to be involved in higher education.’” Eight days later, his friend Mart Green called him. “[Green] said ‘I don’t know if you’re sitting down. You better sit down. Do you know what’s going on at ORU?’” Green spoke about the threat of ORU closing down and how he and his family wanted to get involved in a “major way.” He asked if Hoskins also wanted to get involved. “From that point I said ‘Mart, I’m here to serve you and go on this journey with you,’” Hoskins said. “I’d never been on the ORU campus. Two months later I found myself as one of the new members of their Board of Trustees.” Hoskins said the university basically started over when Green came on board. “This has been a miraculous journey for the last six years,” Hoskins said.

“This is not like stepping into a normal board. This was unusual. Six years ago, there was no Board of Trustees. There was a Board of Regents. This was the first time the university has ever had a Board of Trustees.” Around that time, the board hired an outside agency to do an in-depth research study of ORU’s constituents. The agency conducted interviews, focus groups and qualitative and quantitative research. “It gave us a clear picture of what’s important to our constituency,” Hoskins said. “Looking through that data, the Lord began to birth an exciting vision in my heart. So I wrote a paper called ‘The Potentiality of ORU.’” Out of that paper, Board Chair Green and Vice Chair Dr. William Wilson looked at the research and flew to Florida to spend two days in prayer with Hoskins. During that time of prayer, Empower21 was birthed. That journey marked the beginning of Wilson’s and Hoskins’ working relationship. “[Wilson and I] have a real tight vision and harmony around the mission of ORU,” Hoskins said. “I think for the next three years, we will work really well together, because we’ve already been working together really closely for the last couple of years.”

In the beginning, the trustees had to face the task of stabilizing the university in the areas of finance, leadership and governance. Since Green’s four dragons of debt, deferred maintenance, declining enrollment and deficit have been slayed, the board is now entering a new stage of stimulation and growth. “We’re entering the dream stage,” Hoskins said. “My next years [will focus on working] to stimulate the university,” said Hoskins. Hoskins said Green’s legacy was characterized by humility. “Being handed a gavel by a man like Mart Green is a massive challenge. I’m not Mart. We’re very different. I do think we share a lot of the same spiritual DNA. He’s been my friend and prayer partner for 14 years.” Hoskins wants to continue Green’s legacy of humility. “That’s my prayer, that I could continue that legacy as the ORU chair to not make it a position of human power, but to make it a position of spiritual power,” Hoskins said. “And the only way any of us have spiritual power is through humility. I would ask the students who read this, would you pray for me? If there’s any prayer that I need, it’s that God will keep my heart humble.”

New board chair tapped to lead next phase

New Board of Trustees Chair Robert Hoskins speaks with ORU Executive Vice President of University Advancement Ossie Mills.

Courtesy Photo


KORU loses Spanish station manager By Jazlin Asencio KORU, ORU’s streaming radio station, will lose its Spanish station manager, effective immediately. Nany Lizette Ramirez Nava, native of Mexico City, has been involved with KORU since 2009. She also works full-time in the ORU Hispanic Center. Ramirez recently decided not to renew her green card. President Obama promised in his reelection year that it would be easier for international students to study in the U.S., and cheaper to stay and work after graduation. Ramirez has not seen the changes come through. “It is so easy for an internationals to come study here, because we are giving money to the country and to the school. Then, to get a job in the country they are studying in is hard and it shouldn’t be that way.” In 2009, Ramirez took the KORU workshop where she learned how to operate a terrestrial radio station. She, along with other students, proposed to make KORU online, with the addition of a Spanish-language stream. “We did research and no other university has had a Spanish stream together with English,” said Ramirez. Ramirez proposed this idea because she knew it would reach students as well as listeners unfamiliar with ORU, and could be accessed anywhere online. “I graduated in 2010, and it was still in proposal,” said Ramirez. “I started working in the Hispanic

Center, but I still helped as a manager for the KORU radio station and then it became alive and there was actually money to have a whole staff.” Not only was Ramirez working full-time in the Hispanic Center, but she also volunteered to help and teach the students the different roles in KORU all while she was in charge of programming the music. The team’s hard work paid off as the first Spanish radio stream went online Sept. 11, 2010. Now, KORU has over 30,000 listeners across the world. “My heart has always been for radio, TV, film,” said Ramirez, “but right now, I’m leaving ORU and I feel like my season is over. “ Ramirez will travel back home to Mexico City. “There is so much need for media schools to raise up in a Christian level,” said Ramirez. KORU will continue to be led by students trained by Ramirez. New leaders have not been announced. “It has been great to work in the Hispanic Center and serve all Hispanic students and internationals,” said Ramirez. “I’m leaving ORU, but I’m carrying it with me wherever God is taking me.” Students wanting to get involved with KORU should contact Assistant Professor Mark Labash, [email protected]. Scholarships for KORU work positions are also available. Links to both the KORU English and Spanish streams are found on ORU’s homepage, oru.edu.

Internet photo

Nancy Ramirez, former station manager for Spanish KORU, left her position this week.

New CIO advocates for student technologyFocuses on mobile platform with Banner, D2L instant accessBy Kristy Sturgill New Chief Information Officer Michael Mathews plans to facilitate ORU’s leadership in the use of technology in higher education. “When you start as a freshman the biggest fear is you are not going to make it,” said Mathews. Mathews wants to eliminate that fear by allowing students to access their personal data, track their progress and develop goals and plans based on their current path. “In today’s digital age of smart electronics, students can navigate their past, present and future in their hands,” said Mathews. Mathews has high hopes for students and dreams of their potential in creating innovative technology that

would greatly impact the world. “I think students are just playing with the Internet right now, but my desire is to see them get creative with the Internet for great purposes,” said Mathews. Mathews hopes to facilitate an environment in which students and IT can partner on creative projects. Mathews said that in his lifetime he will witness two miracles. One he has already experienced. He began his career working on super computers that filled entire rooms, and now he can hold one in his hand. The second will be when students can carry their own Banner and D2L equivalent in their hands. A student will have immediate access to transcripts, classes, job history, scholarships and past and future goals.

“Technology is becoming personalized and more engaging, but it connects us to every person’s world,” said Mathews. He envisions that in the near future students from around the globe can take entire degree programs via their mobile devices from a leading global university like ORU. Mathews invented the first education and career positioning system (EPS4.me). It won the 2013 Campus Technology Innovator of the Year Award and the 2012 U.S. Department of Education Start-up for all U.S. colleges and universities. He has authored three books: “Heaven 3.0: Seeing and Believing,” “And God Chose Dreams” and “What in Heaven and Hell is Happening.”

Photo by Julianne Gonzalez

CIO Michael Mathews plans for student-accessible educational data, progress and goals through the Internet and new technology.


FEATURES

MMI students travel to LA and VegasBy McKensie Garber Each year, the MultiMedia Institute (MMI) stu-dents travel to Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show. The NAB trade show is the largest electronic media show, featuring corpora-tions like Sony and Panasonic. This year, they amped the trip up a notch by spend-ing four days in Los Angeles before their three days in Vegas. The MMI students spent their time in Holly-wood networking with Christians in the industry. MMI junior, Chandler Branzell originally suggested the LA adventure. His mother, Kathy Branzell helped coordinate many of the events with her friend Karen Covell, head of the Hollywood Prayer Network. While in LA, the 12 MMI students had a stacked itinerary meeting industry professionals like actors, directors, producers, music composers and anima-tors. They met Sony Pictures Vice-President Devon Franklin and attended an industry seminar at the CBS Studio lot. The students were able to connect with and pray for ORU alumni ministering in the industry during a panel discussion. Alumni and panelists Phil and Kath-leen Cooke spoke about their experiences as owners

and founders of Phil Cooke Pictures, Inc., a television and motion picture production company. “I learned a lot from Phil Cooke. He had a lot of information about breaking into the industry and creating a personal brand,” said MMI senior Kimberly Russell. “It was super inspirational to speak to an alum who is out in LA.” During their days in sunny Cali, the MMIers vis-ited four classmates studying at the LA Film Studies Center. Other activities included visiting the Santa Monica Pier, watching “Noah” at the Hollywood Ar-clight Dome Theatre and touring the set of “Jeopardy” on the Sony lot to watch ORU alumnus, Clay Jacob-son work in the control room. For Chandler Branzell, a definite highlight was watching the Disney sitcom filming of “Jessie” and meeting its star, Debby Ryan who played Bailey in “The Suite Life on Deck.” “Meeting Debby and her mom was very insightful. They were extremely friendly,” Branzell said. “After growing up watching her on the Disney Channel, it was so cool to see everything that goes on behind the scenes and how much work goes into making the show happen.”

Assistant Professor Rafael Barreiro and Adjunct Professor Roger Bush began planning this trip in the fall and accompanied the students. “The goal of this trip was for students to get a sense of how to pray for Hollywood,” Barreiro said, “because if they are in the industry, they are going to be related somehow to Hollywood.” The students had the opportunity to pray for the city when they went to the Griffith Observatory that overlooks the Los Angeles Basin and Hollywood sign. They also attended Reality LA, a church of believers who work in the industry. Their final night in LA, the students watched the matinee of “Lend Me a Tenor” by the Actor’s Co-op, a Christian-based acting company. The play has received critical acclaim. Many of the students feel that this trip has made their dreams seem more realistic. For MMI junior Ian Harrup, this was his first time to LA. “It was amazing to see what it’s like to be there where all the films are made and to discover that this is the place that I want to go to pursue my career and make films in the most professional place possible,” Harrup said.

Photos by Austin St. John

MMI juniors Chris Holmes and Camille Orgel were two of 13 students to travel to Los Angeles and Las Vegas for seven days to network with industry professionals.


Cavetime: ‘Kindling a fire in the hearts of men’By Dominique Johnson Deep breaths. Jeff Voth, adjunct the-ology professor at ORU, tried to push back the panic attack while his anxiety mounted. As he rushed to the hospital, he thought about how “together” his life was. Great job, great church, great fam-ily. But something was wrong. “I went through a dark period in my life,” said Voth. “I became depressed and suffered with some panic attacks. The weird thing was that I worked at a really large church, and things were going really well. I realized that I was kind of addicted to performance, trying to perform well for God and for those around me. That kind of crushed me.” The pressure to succeed led Voth to read the Bible differently. “I read the story of [David and] Goliath and what happened after David kills Goliath,” Voth said. “He becomes a rock star. But then his life fell apart and he gets depressed. He panics and runs to a cave. I realize that although I might have not been a king like David, the same attacks were leveled against me. And I found [they] are leveled against every man.” After Voth’s new revelation of scrip-ture, Cavetime was born. Cavetime is a “movement that exists to kindle a fire in the hearts of men.”

“[David’s] masculine persona, his marriage, his friends, his spiritual men-tors and his dignity—he had all those things assaulted. They were taken from him,” Voth said. “He ran to the cave. When he did that, I realized I need to find a cave. A safe place to hide and be away from the assaults.” Voth identified five things David and his men did while in the cave: they showed up, worshipped, prayed, inter-acted with the word of God and built community. These five ideas make up what Voth calls “the five stones of Cavetime,” a reference to the five stones David used to slay Goliath. Voth made the “stones” the core of his doctoral study in graduate school. He studied what would happen if mod-ern-day men practiced these principles. “Would they be mighty men? You find in 1 Samuel: 22-25, that [Da-vid and his men] did these things,” Voth said. “And after they came out, they were a wall to their people. They changed from being in ‘distress, debt, and discontent’ to being a wall to their people. My question was, ‘if guys did this, would they too be a wall to their people?’” Voth and his advisor psychologically tested a group of men before and after

they practiced the five stones of Cave-time for four months. “But it did work,” Voth said. “When guys engaged with the five stones of Cavetime, they felt a lot better about themselves as men. They knew how to hear God’s voice. They felt better about themselves as fathers. They pray better. All those stones of Cavetime worked.” Voth published “Cavetime,” a book detailing the five stones, his journey and more aspects of Cavetime. “People asked how long it took me to write it and I tell them 17 years, because I had to live it before I could write it,” Voth said. “I wrote it poorly once, then wrote it again seriously and went through the whole publishing process and editing and rewriting. I probably wrote it four times. It started in my mid-30s. I’m 51 now.” The book is carried in hundreds of bookstores nationwide and on Amazon. Other aspects of Cavetime include a website and an album produced by Grammy Award-winning artists David and Michael Gungor. Voth frequently travels the country, going on Cavetime retreats. At the retreats, Voth talks about the assault on men’s lives and shows men how to partake in Cavetime. Voth recently hosted a Tulsa retreat

and many ORU students attended. “The retreats are great,” ORU student Matthew Price said. “They’re a great place for men, regardless of back-ground, to get together and fellowship. If you’re a guy, you should go.” The retreats typically consist of men ages13 and older. “Next year, we’ll have Cavetime USA,” Voth said. “We’re inviting 400 to 500 giant-slayers across the country to slay the giants of lust, porn and sex trafficking.” Voth said men are facing a major attack on their sexuality. “Especially when we have a nation that’s trying to redefine marriage,” Voth said. “That’s an assault on masculine sexuality in my opinion. We need to help guys understand what it is to be a man, and help them realize some of the major assaults against that: lust, porn and sex trafficking. Those are three of the giants we feel God is trying to slay.” While slaying giants such as lust and pornography may be a large feat, Voth starts with men on a personal level. “Cavetime kindled my relationship with God,” Price said. “It’s replaced my quiet time in a way that I thought I lost after I left high school. Instead of it being something I felt I needed to do, it became something that I wanted to do.”

Photos by Julianne Gonzalez

Left: Professor Jeff Voth lectures during class. Voth teaches humanities classes, pastors Cornerstone Family Church in Tul-sa and founded Cavetime. Above: “Show Up” is the first stone of Cavetime. Voth identified five principles, or stones, vital to a man’s spiritual growth and detailed in his book, “Cavetime.”


Decoding Campus SymbolsBy Morgan Reeves Visitors to Oral Roberts Uni-versity quickly notice the unique architecture on campus, but may not know the designs contain spiritual symbolism. Architect Frank Wallace assisted Oral Roberts in designing the “fu-turistic” campus in 1963.

Jernigan said Howard Auditorium looks a little out

of place compared to the rest of the architecture on campus. The golden geodesic-dome is reminiscent of the Epcot building in Disney World. Jernigan was unaware of any kind of connection.

When walking on campus, it can sometimes feel like a maze. It

doesn’t take long to notice that there are few 90-degree angles in the sidewalks. “I think that was just a quirk of Oral and Frank Wallace’s,” said Jernigan.

Associate Professor and Dean of Learn-ing Resources, Dr. William Jernigan, has been at ORU for almost 50 years. He worked with Chancellor Roberts and knew him well. Jernigan agrees there is a great amount of symbolism.

Prayer Tower Rising 200 feet, the Prayer Tower stands at the center of campus. It is in

the shape of a cross with the observation deck resembling the crown of thorns. It can be seen from relatively anywhere on campus.

When asked about the reflective gold on the outside of the tower Dr. Jernigan replied, “He [Oral Roberts] liked gold and anodized alumi-

num, it doesn’t show wear as much.”

Flames Three “Eternal

Flames” can be seen on campus. One burns atop the

Prayer Tower. The other two burn at each end of the GC/LRC

build-ings. They

represent the constant pres-

ence of the Holy Spirit.

LRC/GC The triangle shape of the

Learning Resource Center [LRC] represents the trin-

ity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Many buildings on campus are in the

shape of a shield, includ-ing the chapel and Graduate

Center [GC]. This is in reference to Ephesians 6:16, which talks about

taking up the shield of faith. The LRC has more symbolism than the GC, due to

its later renovations. “All the stairs in the LRC have 12 steps,” said

Jernigan. “It represents the Twelve Disciples.” Outside the GC there is a fountain. Water falls from

12 openings, also representing the Twelve Apostles.

Christ’s ChapelChrist’s Chapel’s main sanc-

tuary seats 3,500 people. It also represents the

Christian shield of faith with its shape, and its

white-pointed arches indicate hands

joined in prayer.

Graphic by Michelle Karjadi

Campaign cuts student food waste on campusBy Hannah Covington Students eating in the university cafeteria slashed food waste by 492 pounds over nine days, weighing in 15 percent less dining refuse in early April than similar data in March. Measurements came from a follow-up study conducted by the Oracle after launching its campus-wide “Eat Smart” campaign. The campaign challenged students to reduce waste by an ounce per meal. During both the pre-test and post-test, the Oracle weighed the dining hall’s 32-gallon trashcans at breakfast, lunch and dinner to log daily food waste

weights. The study also totaled the number of stu-dents eating in Saga, keeping track of the per capita student count. Each student reduced his or her food waste by .8 ounces per meal, just short of the one-ounce goal. Though 15 percent less waste may seem like a small figure, it is statistically significant and could amount to major savings, said Tim Philley, executive vice president and chief operations officer. But to continue at this rate, Philley stressed that a change in food stewardship culture would be necessary. Keeping in mind that $625,000 in annual food

waste represents about $2,800 a day, he encouraged students to consider the following scenario: “Imagine another $2,800 a day spent on food. That’s $19,600 per week or $10.31 per student on a meal plan per week,” Philley said. “This may not sound like a ton per student, but it would afford a weekly steak night or a gourmet entrée once per week.” He hopes students will pass this message along to incoming freshmen. “It’s your food program,” Philley said. “You can choose to either waste it or have better options.”

Graphic by Ashley Smith


SENIORS STEP INTO LIFE AFTER COLLEGEBy Madison McDaniel

Come May 3, the graduating class of 2014 will step onto the stage at

the Mabee Center, and step o� into the future they’ve worked up to for the past four years. � e ques-tion is whether or not they know exactly where they will be going. Some seniors have intricately planned out their next big step, while others are still testing the waters. Senior Modern Foreign Language Education Major Noelle Smits will take her degree to Strasbourg, France, to teach English abroad for one year. “I would eventually like to teach English in a third-world, French-speaking country, using my language skills to create literacy programs and minister to chil-dren and families who are disadvantaged,” Smits said. � rough teaching abroad, Smits says that she “hopes to create an environment of international edu-cation and ‘pay forward’ what incredible opportunities [she has] been given in [her] life.” “One of my greatest desires is to integrate my pas-sion for modern languages and international education with ministering, worship and teaching the Word of God,” Smits said. “I am excited to see how the Lord’s plans for my life come to pass.” While some students still aren’t sure what to pursue after graduation, other students like Holly Davidson, an elementary education major, have know for years. “My mom was a teacher and I watched how she was with her students and I watched her really change lives, and I decided I wanted to do that,” said David-son. “I want to stick around Tulsa, and teach here.” Fellow senior Michael O’Brien will be using his engineering degree in the Lone Star State working with Texas Instruments (TI). His previous internship with TI back in his Texan hometown will allow him to pick back up where he left o� last summer. Only this time, O’Brien will be a hired engineer. “I always liked building and destroying and that’s basically engineering, and I am excited because I won’t have homework and paychecks are nice,” O’Brien said. Within the last year, O’Brien has stepped into the new role as a husband and a soon-to-be father. “A lot of things are changing very quickly,” O’Brien

said. “But long term, I’m probably just going to con-tinue on creating things and eventually be running my own company or making my own apps, and taking care of my new family.” While some students have already � gured out what they will be doing once they graduate, seniors such as Amber Vanderburg are still trying to put their careers into place. Although her exact plans are unknown at the mo-ment, in the mean time, Vanderburg plans to work full time in human resources with the Saint Francis Health Systems with her degree in organizational interpersonal communications. � rough networking and experience, Vanderburg won a local Saint Francis scholarship and met the director of human resources at Saint Francis at an awards ceremony. “Saint Francis took a chance on me, and hired me on for a three month internship in the human resourc-es department. Over a year later, I am still with Saint Francis, working full time post-graduation,” Vander-burg said. “God is good.” As her peers begin to cross their T’s and dot their I’s in securing jobs, Vanderburg continues to push through, seeing failures as a winding avenue to success. “� e biggest advice I could give is to persevere, network and be � exible,” Vanderburg said. Her current position at Saint Francis has provided Vanderburg with the means to secure a short term job. “� is position is a great stepping stone in launch-ing my career,” Vanderburg said. “I have learned a lot about business and communications that will be help-ful in my future aspirations.” Whether or not the class of 2014 knows exactly what they will be doing once they approach the stage, shake hands and grab their diplomas, they leave with an education that is di� cult to � nd anywhere else. “ORU has prepared me in a way that no other university could,” Vanderburg said. “ORU instills in its students a sense of purpose and mission. Being sur-rounded by supportive and caring people who are pas-sionate followers of Christ certainly makes an impact on the decisions that I make in post-grad life.”

College of Arts & Cultural Studies

College of Business

College of Education

College of Nursing

College of Science & Engineering

College of Theology & Ministry

Honors Program

English & Modern Languages

Communication, Arts & Media

History/Humanities/Gov.

Music

UG Business

GR Business

UG Education

GR Education

HPER

Behavioral Sciences

Biology & Chemistry

May 1

May 2

Hooding ceremony times and locations

7 p.m. -Holy Spirit Room

2 p.m. -Zoppelt Auditorium

7:30 p.m. -Howard Auditorium

10 a.m. -Zoppelt Auditorium

3 p.m. -Timko Barton Hall

8 p.m. -Christ’s Chapel

5 p.m. -Trustees Dining Room

4 p.m. -CityPlex Towers 60th � oor

4 p.m. -CityPlex Towers 60th � oor

2:30 p.m. -Mabee Center

7:30 p.m. -Fellowship Lutheran Church

7:30 p.m. -Howard Auditorium

2 p.m. -LRC 236/237

3 p.m. -Central Church

3 p.m. -Christ’s Chapel

1 p.m. -Victory Christian Center

Engineering/ComputerScience/Physics/Math

UG Theology

Theology

Photo by Rebecca Glenn

Senior Holly Davidson will graduate with a degree in elementary education.


@oruoraclesportsSPORTS

Tyler Boss takes off for first base during ORU’s win over OSU.

By Russell Dorsey The ORU bats led the way in a 15-8 upset over ninth ranked Oklahoma State Tuesday night. It is the team’s first win over a top 10 opponent since they beat Baylor on June 1, 2012. The Golden Eagles scored one run in the first, five in the second, five in the fifth and four in the seventh. ORU first baseman Anthony Sequeira said the of-fense is picking up their play. “We started off slow this year, and now we’re able to help the pitching out. We’re all getting rolling,” said Sequeira. The Golden Eagles quickly jumped to a 6-1 lead after two innings, but the Cowboys caught up and took an 8-6 lead in the top of the fifth inning. ORU responded by scoring five runs in the fifth and taking a lead that they would not relinquish. With runners on second and third, Austen Colt knocked in a run and Logan Domenico followed with a two run double, giving the Golden Eagles the 9-8 lead. RBI singles from Jose Trevino and Matt Brandy upped ORU’s lead to 11-8. Singles from Tyler Boss, Brandy and Sequeira brought a combined four runs in the seventh inning, lifting the score to 15-8. Oklahoma State’s offense played well, scoring eight runs on 11 hits, but their pitching staff just didn’t get it done.

Miscues hurt the Cowboys as well. They commit-ted four errors that led to an important five unearned runs for the Golden Eagles. ORU head coach Ryan Folmar said he was happy with his team’s resilience. “The key to the game tonight for me was the way we responded. We jumped out to an early lead, we give up the lead [and] we actually go in the hole a couple runs, but we were able to respond,” said Fulmer. Folmar also talked about how much winning against a ranked opponent means to the team. “I think it adds confidence and validity to what you’re doing on a regular basis,” he said. “We’re taking it game by game, but I’m proud of the way we’re get-ting better.” ORU infielder Jose Trevino had three hits in the game, giving him a team leading 49 for the season. Brandy and Boss led the team with three RBIs each. Tuesday marked ORU’s third win over a ranked opponent this season. The Golden Eagles defeated No. 28 Oklahoma twice. ORU is on the road this weekend for a three game series against Southland Conference opponent Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The next home game for the Golden Eagles will be Tuesday, April 29 at J.L. Johnson Stadium, when they take on No. 23 Texas Tech.

Photo by Austin St.John

Big 12 Killers

ORU stuns No. 9 Oklahoma StatePhoto by Austin St. John

Jose Trevino legs out an extra-base hit.


According to the rule, “Th e renewal of institutional fi nancial aid based in any degree on athletics ability shall be made on or before July 1 prior to the aca-demic year in which it is to be eff ective. Th e institu-tion shall promptly notify in writing each student-athlete… whether the grant has been renewed or not

renewed for the ensuing academic year.” Jackson started 35 games over his two-year career at ORU. He averaged almost 28 minutes per game as a freshman. During his sophomore year, Jackson was averaging over 31 minutes per game before missing two

games with a leg injury. After returning to the team, Jackson averaged 17 minutes per game. Jackson isn’t the only player leav-ing the men’s basketball team. Jorden Kaufman and Corbin Byford will be playing elsewhere next season. Kaufman has visited teams but hasn’t decided where he will transfer. Byford said via Twitter he will transfer to the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. Byford tweeted April 14, “Proud to now be a part of the @ucoathletics fam-

ily and UCO basketball family!” Scott Sutton, head coach of the men’s basketball team, released a statement thanking the players for their time

at ORU. “We appreciate all three of these guys

and the contributions they made to our pro-gram during their time at ORU. We certainly

wish them the best of luck in their careers.”















Jackson cut, Byford and Kaufman transfer

Photo by Joshua Smith

Two-year starting point guard and senior media student DJ Jackson will leave ORU af-ter this semester. Jackson now courts off ers from other basketball programs.

“I loved my stay at ORU, my teammates,

faculty and fans. � ey will all be missed.”

By David Sauer DJ Jackson was cut from the ORU men’s basket-ball team on March 25 after playing two seasons as the starting point guard. ORU Athletics announced that Jackson would not be returning on April 15. Jackson said he didn’t want to leave ORU, but the choice wasn’t up to him. “I love Oral Roberts [University]. If it was my choice I would stay [at ORU],” Jackson said. “How-ever, I met with Coach Sutton after the season and he informed me that he didn’t think I was a good fi t for the upcoming season and he wanted to go in a diff er-ent direction. I loved my stay at ORU, my teammates, faculty and fans. Th ey will all be missed.” Jackson also said he plans to continue playing basketball and has multiple opportunities open to him. “Now I’m exploring my options to further my education and athletic endeavors,” Jackson said. “I have already been contacted by several schools.” He visited the University of Central Missouri on April 18 and has other visits scheduled. “Great visit with the Mules, want to thank their coaches and players for showing me a good time,” Jackson tweeted on April 18 after his visit to UCM. Central Missouri won the NCAA Division II championship this season with an 84-77 win over West Liberty in Evansville, Ind. Jackson has become a casualty of the NCAA rule preventing scholarships being signed for more than one year. “Under current guidelines it’s a one year renewable scholarship so they can cut a player at any time,” said ORU NCAA Faculty Representative Terry Unruh. Th is directly connects to the Northwestern labor union debate. One of the benefi ts that the North-western players are looking for is guaranteed four-year scholarships. Th e NCAA has strict rules governing how the process of cutting a player is to be handled. In the 2013-2014 NCAA Division I manual, it states play-ers have to be notifi ed of their fi nancial aid status before July 1.


By Jonathan DeFriess Both the men and women’s basketball teams at ORU have added a new player to their roster for next year. Aaron Young signed to play for the ORU men’s basketball team after one year at Eastern Oklahoma State College. While there, Young averaged 12 points and four assists per game. “We are excited about Aaron joining our program,” said Coach Scott Sut-ton. “He’s a great young man who is a tremendous leader and has a very high basketball IQ.” Sutton also said Young will be a factor for the team quickly. “He has played for great programs and coaches at both the high school and junior college level,” Sutton said. “He’ll come in right away and compete for play-ing time at the point guard position.” Young comes from Edmond Memo-rial High School. He helped lead the team to two state championships along with a state championship runner-up. Young was named the 2013 Bruce Gray

Invitational MVP and received OBCA All-Star honors. Th e ORU women’s basketball team also landed a local recruit, Faith Ihim from Tulsa Memorial High School. Ihim is a highly decorated player, and set records at Tulsa Memorial for scoring and rebounding. She has been an OCA All-State honoree twice and was chosen to play in the 2014 OG-BCA All-State Game. Coach Misti Cussen is excited to see Ihim at ORU. “Being a local player, we’ve had our eye on Faith for several years, and we’re thrilled to bring her into the Golden Eagle program,” Cussen said. “She pos-sesses an elite level of athleticism and has a very high ceiling. She’ll be a great fi t for us, on and off the court.” Ihim is one of fi ve new recruits joining the Golden Eagles women’s basketball team for the 2014-2015 season. Th ose coming in alongside Ihim are Jasauen Beard, Jordan Doyle, Jordan Gilbert and Jayden Oliver.

New faces coming to men’s, women’s basketball

By Russell Dorsey Th e NFL Draft is just around the corner and excitement is high as teams look to draft the next big stars. Every year there is one player who stands out as the draft’s number one overall pick. But in 2014, there is no clearly defi ned leader of the pack. Th ere are a number of players who are worthy of the draft’s top spot, but no one stands clearly above the others. Th e Houston Texans and new head coach Bill O’ Brian have a tough two weeks ahead of them as they try to fi gure out who to select with the fi rst pick. Jadeveon Clowney is the one people think of when talking about the fi rst player to be selected. Th e former South Carolina Gamecock is the best athlete in the draft and has drawn comparisons to a young Julius Peppers. Scouts have questioned Clowney’s work ethic and wonder if he will give 100 percent eff ort at the next level. Regardless of how teams view his work ethic, the chance that he falls past the third pick in the draft is very slim.

Th e second player get-ting a lot of pre-draft buzz is former University of Central

Florida quarterback Blake Bortles. Bortles’ draft stock has risen more than any other draft

prospect. Bortles is seen as the most NFL ready of this year’s quarterback prospects.

After a very good 2013 junior season at UCF, Bortles showed that season was not just a fl uke as he helped lead UCF to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Baylor. Look for Bortles to

be selected in the top ten picks. Last, but certainly not least, is Johnny Manziel. Manziel is the most talked about player in the 2014 draft class and sports in general. Johnny

Football is always in the spotlight whether it’s good or bad. Th e former Heisman trophy winner is known for his lavish lifestyle and hanging with Lebron and Drake. Manziel did a good job trying to reshape his image this past season and focused more on football. He had another outstanding season throwing 37 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions. Manziel is undoubtedly the most exciting player in this year’s draft with his ability to make ridiculous throws while dodging defenders like a running back. Manziel is listed at 6’1” tall but he is closer to 5’10”. Th e question will be if teams will look at Manziel’s top fi ve talent. or his height that otherwise wouldn’t get an opportunity in the NFL. Th is year’s draft is going to be a very exciting one. It is one of the deepest drafts in years. No matter where teams are picking, there will be several players who can help them get better. Th e draft will be May 8-10 and can be watched on ESPN and NFL Network.

Transfer student Aaron Young will play point guard next season.

Coveted local recruit Faith Ihim commited to play for ORU in 2014.

Courtesy photos

• THE ORACLE

Th e NFL Draft is just around the corner and excitement is high as teams look to draft

Every year there is one player who stands out as the draft’s number one overall pick. But in 2014, there is no clearly defi ned leader of the pack. Th ere are a number of players who are worthy of the draft’s top spot, but no one stands

Th e Houston Texans and new head coach Bill O’ Brian have a tough two weeks ahead of them as they try to fi gure out who to select with the fi rst pick. Jadeveon Clowney is the one people think of when talking about the fi rst player to be

Th e former South Carolina Gamecock is the best athlete in the draft and has drawn comparisons to a young Julius Peppers. Scouts have questioned Clowney’s work ethic and wonder if he will give 100 percent eff ort at the next level. Regardless of how teams view his work ethic, the chance that he falls past the third pick in the draft is

Th e second player get-ting a lot of pre-draft buzz is former University of Central

Florida quarterback Blake Bortles. Bortles’ draft stock has risen more than any other draft

prospect. Bortles is seen as the most NFL ready of this year’s quarterback prospects.

After a very good 2013 junior season at UCF, Bortles showed that season was not just a fl uke as he helped lead UCF to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Baylor. Look for Bortles to

be selected in the top ten picks. Last, but certainly not least, is Johnny Manziel. Manziel is the most talked about player in the 2014 draft class and sports in general. Johnny

Internet photo

NFL draft is anyone’s call


Michael Phelps ends retirementHopes to compete in 2016 Rio Games

NBA draft: The top three prospects

By Parrish Purnell Jr. Michael Phelps, arguably the greatest Olympian of all-time, has decided to return to competitive swim-ming after a two year retirement. Phelps retired after the 2012 London Olympics after he won his eighteenth gold medal; amassing 22 total medals in his career. “I am getting older and it takes my body longer to recover after events,” said Phelps after his last race. Phelps has decided to return to the water hoping to compete in the 2016 Rio Games at the age of 28. Phelps has yet to come out with any statements of his own, but his camp has kept the public informed about the motivation behind his return. “I think he’s just going to test the waters a little bit and see how it goes,” said Bob Bowman, Phelps’ longtime swim coach. Phelps will compete in the 50 and 100 meter free-styles, and the 100 meter butterfl y. Phelps also entered the U.S. drug testing program and has completed the six-month waiting period to be able to compete. He began training in the fall. “He’s gotten back into pretty good shape since

September,” Bowman said. “He’s in good enough shape to swim competitively, but pretty far from top shape.” Despite being the most decorated athlete in Olym-pic history, some spectators don’t think he can be the competitor he was two summers ago. “I don’t think he’ll get like fi ve medals this time around, and I even think he knows that,” said Gar-rett Jacobs, a former Ohio State University swimming recruit and current ORU freshman. Bowman shares the same sentiment. “If he comes back and doesn’t win, I don’t think it’ll tarnish his reputation; his legacy is sealed,” Bow-man said. Phelps’ presence in the water provides potential en-dorsements and better ratings for USA swimming. “Anytime you can have the most-decorated Olym-pian in history in the pool, it’s a fantastic thing for swimming,” said Chuck Wielgus, executive director of USA Swimming. “USA Swimming and Michael share the goal of growing the sport, and his return to competition will surely inspire even more kids to give swimming a try.”

By Ryan WoodsAndrew Wiggins Th e best athlete in the 2014 NBA Draft is the talented freshman from Kansas, Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins en-tered his freshman campaign with Kan-sas as the most hyped NBA prospect since this guy from Akron, Ohio named LeBron James. While he hasn’t shown any signs that he’ll be the next King James, the 19-year-old has as much potential as any player in the draft. At 6’8” and 200 pounds, his raw tal-ent and athleticism will make it diffi cult for the team with the top selection to pass him up. Wiggins didn’t put up earth-shatter-ing statistics this season, but he scored 17.1 points per game in an off ense that wasn’t centered around him. He pulled down 5.9 rebounds per game on a No. 2 seeded team in the NCAA Tourna-ment. Perhaps the biggest concern for the Ontario, Canada native will be his abil-ity to be an elite scorer against pro-level size and speed.

What elevates Wiggins to the top of this class however, is his ability to defend on the perimeter. Teams are looking for players who can hold their own against scorers like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and James Harden. Wiggins looks to be the only player in this class who could present a decent challenge from day one.

Joel Embiid Few collegiate centers in recent years have been as impressive as Embiid. While many expect his teammate to be the clear No. 1 draft pick, the seven-footer will give Wiggins a challenge at the top of the fi rst round. Embiid scored 11.2 points per game with nearly 63 percent shooting. He had a major impact while playing just 23.1 minutes a night, and showcased an array of post moves. Embiid was a force in the paint on the defensive end, aver-aging 2.6 blocks and nearly a steal per game. Not bad for someone who’s only played organized ball for three years. If Embiid doesn’t go No. 1, it may

be over health concerns. Th e freshman missed the last six games of the season with back and knee injuries. While the saying ‘You can’t teach size’ is very true, general managers have a similar scenario fresh on their minds. In 2007 the Portland Trailblazers held the top pick in the draft and faced choosing between the skilled 7 footer, Greg Oden, or the talented wing-scorer, Kevin Durant. After months of evalua-tion Oden, dubbed by many as the next Bill Russell, was taken fi rst. Since then Oden has had fi ve knee surgeries and has logged a total of 2,014 NBA minutes. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant has logged 20,672 minutes, an average of 2,953 per season over his 7-year career. Durant is days away from being named the 2014 NBA MVP. Jabari Parker Th e Duke freshman made it offi -cial on April 17 that he will forego his sophomore season with the Blue Devils, and make the leap to the NBA. It’s hard to imagine Parker not being

taken in the top three, and it’s possible that he could be taken fi rst. Embiid and Wiggins might have higher ceilings, but Parker could be the most NBA-ready player in the 2014 draft class. At just 18 years old, Parker was a dominant off ensive player, aver-aging 19.1 points per game and 47.3 percent shooting from the fl oor. At 6’8” and 235 pounds, he’s got the physical tools to compete at the next level. Parker’s questionable defense might concern some, but that won’t keep him from hearing his name early on draft day. Based on the stats, team needs, and the idea that history often repeats itself Andrew Wiggins should hear his name called fi rst on June 26 in New York.

For the latest ORU sports, scores and reports, log on to

www.oruoracle.com.


SCENE‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ dominates box offi ceBy Victoria Atterberry Marvel continued its saga of superhero movies with the recent production of “Captain America: the Winter Soldier.” Th e movie continues the story of Steve Rodgers, the superhuman soldier Captain America. With an all-star cast of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, “Captain America: Th e Winter Soldier” is more than just the typical superhero movie. Steve Rogers is back and ready to fi ght for what he holds dear in this action packed fi lm. A series of tragic events forces Rodgers to fi ght with his allies against an evil superpower. As he enters this intense battle for justice, Captain America is met with a new opponent who makes his quest much harder than he anticipated. Bonds will be lost and loyalties tested as this mys-terious new opponent threatens everything Rodgers stands for. Th e movie has a strong story line. It was well produced, taking the audience through an epic story

of bravery, betrayal and sacrifi ce. Th e action scenes were exciting and thrilling elements that added to the movie’s strong story line. Th e producers cleverly incorporated a great ele-ment of suspense and surprise. Th e twists and turns will most defi nitely keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Nothing is as it seems in this movie. New characters were introduced and beloved classics returned, producing a well-rounded cast. “Captain America: Th e Winter Soldier” hit the mark. Th e movie has been the top grossing movie in the box offi ce for three weeks in a row. Critics are raving about its originality and surpris-ingly well produced story line. Th ere is not much room for improvement for this movie. Any faults are too minor to mention. Th is movie captured just what the audience wanted, especially for Marvel fans. Moviegoers who anxiously awaited the movie’s release won’t be disap-pointed. Th is is a must-see. Five stars for this enter-taining, action-packed “Captain America.”

Internet photo

Lydia Cressman practices for the upcoming dance showcase “Light in the Uttermost.” Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. on April 25-26.

Photo by Joshua Smith

“Light in the Uttermost” to show off dance stylesBy Solomon Williams At the end of every semester the ORU dance program puts on a show-case, allowing students to display their talent and hard work. Th is year’s spring semester fi nale, entitled “Light in the Uttermost,” will be one centered around a freedom of artistic expression, primar-ily from ORU seniors. Amy McIntosh, the director of dance at ORU, believes this show will be a very special one. “Th is concert is special because all of our seniors have pieces in it as well as several faculty pieces,” McIntosh said. Th e show is fi lled with a variety of dance styles. McIntosh said that seniors spent the entire year working on their pieces for this show, and now have the opportu-nity to highlight what they have worked on. Whether hip hop, modern, or clas-sical dance, the seniors will go out with a bang performing their preferred dance styles. One of those seniors is Krystle Agu-ilera, who entered a fi lm piece in the

show, and wants to give the audience a glimpse into her own spiritual life. Aguilera, a Miami native, transferred to ORU shortly after accepting Christ two years ago. “I want integrating my faith with dance to be able to connect with all

types of people whether they are believ-ers or non-believers,” said Aguilera. Gabriel Garcia, a senior, is one of the few seniors involved in the concert but is not a dance major. Garcia said he and his brother just love to dance, espe-cially break dancing, and that is why he

joined the program three years ago. For Garcia, preparation for his fi nal show has been the biggest learning experi-ence in the dance program at ORU. “Th is is probably the most antici-pated show and the one I have been the most excited about,” Garcia said. “I’ve gotten the chance to incorporate a lot of my style into it.” Because of the variety of styles and ideas this spring, junior Sierra Brewing-ton is very pleased with the leadership and unity the seniors are experiencing. She is a part of eight diff erent dance pieces during the showcase and none of them are her own. Brewington is hon-ored to be a part of such a bond. “It’s been a privilege that all of us are so close. All of us are integrated with one another,” Brewington said. “It is one big community. Th ey are seniors but act no diff erent than anyone else.” “Light in the Uttermost” will be showcased in Howard Auditorium at 7:30 p.m., April 25-26.

MUSESuppositions: On Parallels and ConnectivityBy Peter Wesley Odom

It is hard to go through life without hearing from time to time—whether in jest or sincer-ity—the old adage that ‘all things are connected.’

But how often have you ever given the notion some serious consideration? As a student of engineering and phys-ics, my view on the issue may be rather odd. Naturally, because everyone wants a brief lesson in geometry, this is where we begin. About twenty-three hundred years ago, Euclid put forth a series of theorems and postulates related to ge-ometry. His fi fth postulate, and possibly his most interesting, was the parallel postulate. Roughly speaking, it states that two lines that are the same distance from each other at more than two points will remain the same distance from each other forever. Simple enough, right? Surprisingly, more than 2000 years later, this remains the only postulate of Euclid’s which still hasn’t been proven. Th e idea of parallelism was eventu-ally adopted to describe a large variety of concepts. In literature alone, one fi nds al-legory, allusion, analogy, parable, fable, exemplum, simile, symbolism and parallel structure. Since most of the terms denote methods that can be used to describe one thing with another, their use is often found in any setting that involves learning and explanation. Th e most common way to teach something to someone is to explain it through something else that is similar. Th is is a form of parallelism. It seems to me that God may have designed our physical existence spe-cifi cally to foster innumerable parallel

relationships. Th is could be for the very purpose of our gaining better under-standing about the deeper realities of His nature. Aristotle seemed to recognize the importance of parallel similarities early on. He created a list of the best ways to learn, highlighting relationships with great import. It has been suggested by other phi-losophers, mathematicians, physicists and sociologists that relationship and association are the primary means by which we can know anything at all. Another way to look at parallelism is to consider action and reaction. If the same action is applied to two diff er-ent systems over and over, despite the likelihood that they will often diverge in appearance, they still remain parallel in the nature of their cause and progress over time. Th e Constructal Th eory of physics suggests that the action being applied to all systems is the continual distribu-tion of imperfections. Since all changing systems have this action in common, they will all remain parallel in nature. Because everything, from dust and bacteria to planets and stars, is a system that changes over time, this means that essentially all things could be consid-ered to be—in a sense—parallel to one another. Th is exhibits the striking weight that the concept of parallelism possesses, and supports notions that all things are actually connected in some way. It just depends on your perspective. However, putting aside geometry, physics and mathematics, the bottom line is that God—being the prime instigator and sustainer, the initial and continual cause of all things—inher-ently necessitates the connectivity of all things created.

The Syndicated Cynic:Goodbye and good luckBy Greg America Brown

So. Th is is it. Th is is the end of the semester. Congratu-lations, you have had another successful year. Maybe not, but I’m pretending that you did, regardless.

I’ll sleep better that way. If you’re graduating, there’s a great big world out there. It may be your mo-ment to step out of the “bubble” (you know exactly what I’m talking about) and experience the world at large. I hope you enjoy it. I really do. You’ll be able to go eat hamburgers at 4 a.m. all year round, and I envy that. Anyhow, I’m sure you’ve noticed the string of fi lms recently released with biblical themes and foundations. Mov-ies like “Noah,” “G-d’s Not Dead” and “Heaven is For Real” have been creating a buzz among Christians and non-Christians alike; that’s a good thing. Now, I’m not saying that I think any of these three movies are artistically exceptional or anything, and, in fact, I haven’t had the time or money to watch any of them. I’ve been busy reading books and stuff . It’s weird, I know. What I am trying to say is that a bunch of people are thinking and form-ing opinions on these types of fi lms, and it’s a great time to have real conver-sations about what’s being portrayed. I have Christian friends that are livid about “Noah” because it doesn’t show the fl ood event in a way that they see as “appropriately biblical.” We have conversations about it. I have non-Christian friends that see “Heaven is For Real” as a way to exploit a young child for profi t. We have conversations about it. In either case, it’s a chance to bridge the dichotomy between two diff erent viewpoints on the church, the Bible, human spirituality, so on and so forth.

Th at’s important. Regardless of your personal opinions on these sorts of mat-ters, talking about these movies might just create a chance for real, human connection. For understanding. Th e conversations that we’re hav-ing with one another mean something, in that we’re taking important steps to understanding our diff erences as people. I’m not sure that we should be try-ing to convince each other to believe this or that about these fi lms, but I think that opening a dialogue between two diff erent worlds that don’t see eye to eye is one of the best things that Christians can do. It’s showing the world that we are willing to converse, to climb down from the proverbial horse that sits so high, to admit that we’re human beings and, most importantly, to listen to other hu-man beings. See, Christians are often seen as bel-ligerent people. Th ere is a great number of us, as there are in any subculture, which are outspoken to the point of perceived hatefulness. I think that it’s given us a negative reputation with the secular world. It’s dangerous to be perceived in a fashion like this. Th ough it may not be any of our individual faults, we have to deal with the aftermath. We have to repair the rift between Christianity and society, because Christ said some stuff about loving people, and this rift prevents that. I know some people think diff erently, but the attitudes that my non-Christian friends possess support my thesis. So, come on, talk about these things with people, but let’s take a step back to listen. In listening, we can learn so much more about the world around us. Well, I hope you have a great sum-mer, morons. Goodbye and good luck.


THANKSFORREADING

-THEORACLESTAFF2013-2014

Letter from the editor: An Oracle farewellBy Hannah Covington I have lived for nine months in a windowless world. Looking back, it still surprises me that I chose to do so. Actually, let’s be Christian honest. I never intended or wanted to be editor-in-chief of the Oracle during my senior year. I’m a writer more than an editor, and so much was stacked against me. First, Miss Becky — the benevolent overlord of student publications — keeps it consistently freezing in the of-fice. As someone who wears a coat even when it’s warm outside, I only survived the winter with a space heater. Second, the Oracle office is buried in the basement of the LRC. There’s no cell phone reception — one of the greatest ironies of ORU’s newspaper office — and I am no science major. I’m not supposed to be down here. I hail from the natural-light infused, fifth floor English Department, where there are windows — more specifically, one window in Dr. Epperson’s office — and it stays warm. I think even Miss Becky, our resident optimist, had her doubts I could survive.

In August, I met the staff. Some of them are pictured on the bottom half of this page. See those loonies? They somehow became like my family. More than anyone, this letter is for them. Somewhere between long produc-tion nights, low pay and a challenging editorial process, we became a motley crew of journalists. There’s something about cheap Wal-Mart snacks and deadlines that really forges community. And we’ve had plenty to bond over as we race curfew to get the paper done. With more than 20,000 words of copy each edition, we haven’t caught all the typos. A special apology to Vic-toria, our wonderful film critic, whose last name is most certainly not “Wut-serfayse.” Sound it out. Yeah, we can’t believe we missed that, either. All the other Oracle writers and columnists deserve a big shout-out as well. You fill our pages with interest-ing content and are one of the reasons the Oracle was recently named the best non-daily student newspaper in Oklahoma and Texas by the Society of Professional Journalists.

To the copy editors, designers and photographers, thank you for making the finished product happen and for mak-ing it look so pretty. I can’t tell you how much that means, especially knowing that most people only thumb through the Oracle every other week to look at the pictures and pause at the graphics before dropping it in a GC trashcan. Yes, I know not everyone reads the newspaper. I even remember a time when a smiling student popped his head in the Oracle office door just to let us know he’d emptied the LRC newspaper bins to use the Oracle as kindling for an upcoming floor retreat. Cute. Thanks for letting us know that you’re burning the Oracle. #notstillangry In so many ways, this campus newspaper has served a classroom, both academically and professionally. We learn from the best: AP Style, Adobe Creative Suite and our sterling advisers. Thanks to you both, Mr. Cyprowski and Professor Freudenrich, for sacrificing even more sleep than we do to make this magic happen every other week. Also, who knew Mr. C liked both Ja

Rule and Frank Sinatra? The things you find out about people at 1 a.m. It still amazes me how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learned. From all the stories we’ve printed to the ones we didn’t, we somehow found some semblance of confidence in what we were doing and in the function we served as a newspaper. Student Media is such an invaluable part of student voice. This university, and every university, needs that voice for pushback, suggestions and concerns. Journalism is both a watchdog and, in Christian terminology, a praise report. Both roles are necessary. On some days, this school breaks my heart, but I’m glad I came. Our work at the Oracle is one reason why. My ORU experience is unimagi-nable without the Oracle. As I ready myself for graduation, I can’t help but think about what my staff and my tenure as editor-in-chief have taught me. So many of these lessons involve the inexplicable power of sharing and listening to stories. This is a leadership role I never expect-ed, but it’s also one I’ll never regret taking.


april 25, 2014 print edition

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