STAFF REPORTS

University officials have announced individual col-lege commencement and convocation ceremonies where graduates will be recognized.

OU’s Norman campus commencement ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. May 9 at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Unless otherwise noted, all convocations will be held Saturday, May 10. The schedule is as follows:

2 0 14 S I L V E R C R O W N W I N N E R

F R I D A Y , M A Y 2 , 2 0 14

� e University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916W W W . O U D A I L Y . C O M

Sports: Sooners have chance to snap streak (Page 5)

Opinion: Botched execution? More like botched transparency (Page 3)

L&A: Free Comic Book Day comes to Norman on Saturday (Page 6)

VOL. 99, NO. 150© 2014 OU Publications BoardFREE — Additional copies 25¢

WEATHER CONTACT US

Mainly sunny. High 76F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

INDEX

C a m p u s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

C l a s s i f i e d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

L i f e & A r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Op in ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 , 4

S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5@OUDaily theoklahomadaily OUDaily

APRIL SHOWERS

Sparse rainfall exacerbates droughtWith Oklahoma still in the midst of drought, a dry summer is predictedKELLY ROGERSCampus Reporter@KellyRogersOU

Drought conditions are intensifying across much of Oklahoma, and state climatologists report the lack of April showers could result in a lack of May flowers, at the least.

This April has been the 12th driest April Oklahoma has experienced since 1895, according to an Oklahoma Climatological Survey press release, associate state clima-tologist Gary McManus said.

Oklahoma has recently experienced hot and dry weath-er and windy conditions, which contribute to the lasting drought. Both have had long-term and short-term effects on the state.

These effects include wheat crop damage and increased fire danger, McManus said.

“We’re hoping there will be relief, but it’s almost impossi-ble to predict where the isolated storms are going to form in the springtime,” McManus said.

McManus said collected weather data from previous situ-ations can help climatologists make predictions for the up-coming seasons.

Because of this data, McManus said Oklahoma’s summer could be very hot and dry.

The lack of rain, however, did result in a lower tornado total, McManus said. This April, Oklahoma had four torna-does. Since 1950, Oklahoma’s average April tornado count has been 12.

Additionally, the eastern part of the state still has full water reservoirs, McManus said. But without widespread rainfall, they may not stay that way.

“It doesn’t have to be the same way every year, but in gen-eral, if you enter the summer season with drought in place, it’s more likely that the heat and dry conditions will intensi-fy,” McManus said.

Kelly Rogers, kelly.n.rogers-1@ou.edu

TAYLOR BOLTON/THE DAILY

Caesar and his handler Master Sergeant Greg Vollmer run through commands on Tuesday afternoon across from Adams Center. Caesar is a 3-year-old German Shepherd primarily trained in hazardous devices detection. He was trained entirely by OUPD officers and he was the first K-9 trained internally at the university. The two were OUPD’s Officers of the Year in 2012 and 2013.

K-9

Police dog Caesar’s skills on patrol and at major events a welcome addition to OUPDKATE BERGUMCampus Reporter@kateclaire_b

ot all police officers on campus wear a uniform. Take, for example, a young officer named Caesar. His attributes

include extensive training, certification, a mean sense of smell and a tail.

In sum, he is one cool canine.Caesar, a 3-year-old German Shepherd,

works with OU Police Department and Norman Police Hazardous Devices Unit and is one of the youngest officers on staff, even in dog years.

Caesar’s handler, Master Sgt. Greg Vollmer, said Caesar is certified by the National Tactical Police Dog Association and the International Police Work Dog Association for explosives detection.

“I always tell people I’m just his driver,” Vollmer said. “Instead of wearing a tuxedo, I wear a police uniform. I schedule his appear-ances and I’m kind of his manager, but he runs the show.”

Caesar has been a part of OUPD since he was 6 weeks old. He was selected by Master Officer Brian Nelson with one other dog and trained in a residency program as part of a joint effort between OUPD and the Athletic Department to prepare OUPD to train their own police dogs, Vollmer said.

Caesar came to Norman when he was 6 months old, and he has been working ever since.

COMMUNITY

A more practical capstone project

Colleges’ ceremony schedule released

GRADUATION

Commencement to take place May 9

Seniors assisted on real-life renovation plan for final classMIKE BRESTOVANSKYCampus Reporter@BrestovanskyM

Seven OU architecture and environmental design students will, like many other students, present their final capstone project next week — except their project aims to improve an entire community.

The students will present their plan to renovate the Woods County Courthouse’s outdoor stage to be more ac-cessible for future events. This plan will build on and improve upon a formal de-velopment plan formulat-ed by the Oklahoma Arts Council, said Ronald Frantz, a s s o c i a t e a r c h i t e c t u r e professor.

Frantz started as an ar-chitectural consultant for the arts council’s Cultural D i s t r i c t I n i t i a t i v e l a s t

SEE COMMUNITY PAGE 2

SEE K-9 PAGE 2 SEE GRADUATION PAGE 2

Vollmer said, in ad-dition to being trained for hazardous de-v i c e d e t e c -tion, Caesar works with him on pa-trol. They a l s o w o r k b e h i n d t h e scenes at many large events, such as football or bas-ke tb a l l ga m e s, Vollmer said.

“We try to keep eyes on everything whenever there’re large crowds,” Vollmer said.

One of Caesar’s big-gest roles on the po-lice force is reaching out to the community. He and Vollmer have sat in on floor meetings and faculty-in-residence events, Vollmer said.

“Not only do we do the day-to-day patrol functions and hazardous devices detection, but we’re really large into community policing — building bonds with kids and stuff like that so that they feel that the police officers here at the university are approachable,” Vollmer said.

Caesar has helped a great deal with projecting that approachable image, Vollmer said, which helps the police department complete its over-all goals.

“The better relationship we have with the students and everybody, the more effective we can be at protecting you and everybody else,” Vollmer said.

College of Allied Health convocation 3:30 p.m. T. Howard McCasland Field House, 151 W. Brooks St.

College of Architecture convocation 1:30 p.m. Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd St.

College of Arts and Sciences convocation 10 a.m. Lloyd Noble Center, 2900 S. Jenkins Ave.

College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences convocation 7 p.m. Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music Center

Michael F. Price College of Business convocation 7:30 p.m. Lloyd Noble Center

Aviation Undergraduate Programs Candidates will be recognized during the Michael F. Price College of Business convocation.

College of Dentistry commencement 2 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 131 NW 4th St., Oklahoma City

College of Dentistry Dental Hygiene convocation 10 a.m. First United Methodist Church, Oklahoma City

Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy convocation 10 a.m. T. Howard McCasland Field House

Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education convocation 6:30 p.m. T. Howard McCasland Field House

College of Engineering convocation 1:30 p.m.

Lloyd Noble Center

Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts convocation

10 a.m. Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music

Center

College of International Studies convocation

2 p.m. Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts

Center, 560 Parrington Oval

Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication convocation

12:30 p.m. T. Howard McCasland Field House

College of Law convocation 10:30 a.m.

Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker, Oklahoma City

College of Liberal Studies convocation 4 p.m.

Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, Catlett Music Center

College of Medicine commencement 10 a.m.

Saturday, May 31 Civic Center Music Hall, Oklahoma City

College of Nursing convocation 4:30 p.m.

Lloyd Noble Center

College of Pharmacy commencement 10 a.m.

Saturday, June 7 Civic Center Music Hall, Oklahoma City

College of Public Health convocation 2 p.m.

Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union

2100 24th Ave SE Norman, OK 73071(405) 360-7622

First full month 50% off!Reserve yours NOW!

http://www.tjoselfstorage.com

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

STUDY AT WAGNER

24/ 7In preparation for finals, Wagner Hall will be open

2 p.m. Sunday, April 27to 5 p.m. Friday, May 9

(For your safety, Wagner Hall will be staffed during these hours)

Wagner Hall services: quiet study rooms, equipped with whiteboards and available for reservation (call 405.325.2072) wireless service computer lab textbooks, laptops, and iPads available for hourly check-out from the Learning Center (Room 245) Writing Center Finals Week walk-in hours 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon. - Thurs. (Room 280)

GOOD LUCK ON FINALS!

Paighten Harkins, campus editor Alex Niblett, assistant editor

dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily

2 • Friday, May 2, 2014

CAmPusOUDaily.com ›› see how sooners deal with alcoholism in their lives in the last installment of our alcohol mini-series online.

The OU Class of 2014 will establish a scholarship for future Sooners as their of-ficial class gift to the university.

The scholarship will be awarded annual-ly to an incoming freshman based on aca-demics, leadership potential and their ap-titude for causing change at OU, according to a press release.

So far, the class has raised $7,000 for the fund. OU Alumni Association members will match the amount of money the class-es raise to create an annual scholarship, ac-cording to a press release.

The class chose a scholarship as their gift to offset the growing costs of educa-tion, said Tyler Campbell, senior class gift

committee representative, in the press release.

Seniors can donate to the scholarship fund via cash or check, or they can charge their bursar’s account. For information, contact Courtlyn Shoate, staff adviser to the OU Student Association, at 405-325-1710 or courtlyn@ou.edu.

P r e v i o u s c l a s s g i f t s i n c l u d e t h e Spoonholder, “The Guardian” sculpture, the clock between Adams and Walker tow-ers, a series of stained glass windows in Oklahoma Memorial Union and more, ac-cording to the press release.

Staff Reports

Graduation: All colleges to hold convocations on Saturday, May 10Continued from page 1

GO AND DO university of oklahoma 2014 convocations

summer. He surveyed buildings in Alva, Okla., and found their courthouse’s con-crete outdoor stage wasn’t sufficient, he said.

The arts council created the Cultural District Initiative, which is a project that designates areas to serve as districts that promote arts and culture to revitalize the surrounding communities, Frantz said.

After submitting an official renovation

Community: Stage to be rebuiltContinued from page 1

C a e s a r a l s o m a k e s off-campus visits to plac-es including daycares and middle schools. Children will crawl all over the dog and enjoy every bit of it, Vollmer said.

“It’s really a treat to be able to go out and see these

kids play with him and stuff, and he enjoys it as much as they do,” Vollmer said.

C a e s a r ’s l a i d - b a c k personality is relatively unique among police dogs, Vollmer said. Since he was a puppy, Caesar was social-ized so he would be com-fortable around groups of people.

Because he is so gentle, Caesar is ideal for tracking vulnerable people, such as missing children and el-derly Alzheimer’s patients who have wandered off, Vollmer said. More aggres-sive dogs might scare these people.

TAyLoR BoLToN/THE DAILy

The OU Chant Park sits empty on Thursday evening as regular classes draw to a close. A gift from the Class of 2003, the park is located on the west side of Dale Hall and has the OU Chant embedded in the sidewalk at the entrance.

Seniors raise $7,000 for new class gift scholarship fund

leGACy

k-9: Caesar has extensive trainingContinued from page 1

More online at OUDaily.com

plan, Frantz created a new capstone class for the College of Architecture. In the class, students provided design assistance and revisions to the official plan, Frantz said.

The seven students, three environmen-tal design majors and four architecture majors, will have their final presentation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 7 in Gould Hall’s Buskuhl Gallery.

Mike Brestovansky mcbrestov@gmail.com;

CONGRATULATIONS! to the following University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center faculty members who were honored April 28 at an awards ceremony.

A TRIBUTE TO THE FACULTY

GEORGE LYNN CROSS RESEARCH PROFESSORSHIP

Muna I. Naash, Professor of Cell Biology, College of Medicine

DAVID ROSS BOYD PROFESSORSHIPS

G. Fräns Currier, Professor and Chair of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry

Daniel L. O’Donoghue, Professor of Cell Biology, College of Medicine

REGENTS’ PROFESSORSHIPS

Gary E. Raskob, Dean of the College of Public Health; Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology,

College of Public Health; Professor of Medicine, College of Medicine

George B. Selby, Professor of Medicine, College of Medicine

REGENTS’ AWARDS

FOR SUPERIOR TEACHINGSinya Benyajati, Associate Professor of Physiology,

College of Medicine Nancy Halliday, Associate Professor of Cell Biology,

College of Medicine Steven E. Mattachione, Associate Professor of Health Administration and Policy, College of Public Health

REGENTS’ AWARD FOR SUPERIOR RESEARCH

AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY

College of Medicine

GOOD TEACHING AWARDDora DiGiacinto, Associate Professor of Medical

Imaging and Radiation Sciences, College of Allied Health

PROVOST’S RESEARCH AWARD

FOR SENIOR FACULTYJody A. Summers, Professor of Cell Biology,

College of Medicine

PROVOST’S RESEARCH AWARDFOR JUNIOR FACULTY

Aaron M. Wendelboe, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health

PRESIDENTIAL PROFESSORSHIPS

J. Neil Henderson, Professor of Health Promotion Sciences, College of Public Health

Edith Kinney Gaylord Presidential Professor

Mark L. Lang, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine

Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor

James F. McGinnis, Professor of Ophthalmology, Professor of Cell Biology, College of Medicine

Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor

William H. Meyer, Professor of Pediatrics, College of Medicine

Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor

FACULTY GOVERNANCE AWARDMuayyad R. Al-Ubaidi, Professor and Vice Chair

of Research, Department of Cell Biology, College of Medicine

PATENT AWARDSShanjana Awasthi, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical

Sciences, College of Pharmacy

Vibhudutta Awasthi, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy

Jimmy Ballard, Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine

Paul DeAngelis, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine

David Dyer, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine

H. Anne Pereira, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy

Rodney Tweten, George Lynn Cross Research Professor of Microbiology and Immunology,

College of Medicine

Paul Weigel, George Lynn Cross Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,

College of Medicine

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF INVENTORS AWARD

Paul DeAngelis, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo

Benyajati

TwetenO’DonoghueMcGinnis Naash Pereira Summers Selby Weigel RaskobMeyer Wendelboe

Lang Mattachione Henderson Dyer Currier DiGiacinto DeAngelis Ballard S. Awasthi Al-Ubaidi Halliday V. Awasthi

Kaitlyn Underwood, opinion editorRachael Montgomery, assistant editor

dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com/opinion • Twitter: @OUDailyOpinionOPINION

Friday, May 2, 2014 • 3

Editorial

Botched execution shows importance of transparency

John Clanton/the tulsa world

This Tuesday photo shows the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla. after Robert Patton stopped the execution of Clayton Lockett. Lockett died 43 minutes after his execution began Tuesday night, as Oklahoma used a new drug combination for the first time in the state. Autopsy results are pending, but state prison officials say Lockett apparently suffered a massive heart attack.

our View: Oklahoma wronged its people and did not uphold governmental transparency during the botched execution of Clayton Lockett on Tuesday.

Governmental transparency is crucial for a democracy to function fairly. Every U.S. citizen has a right to know what their government is doing and how they’re doing it, from death row inmates to college stu-dents working on a class project.

Even though he was sentenced to death for his crimes, we believe Clayton Lockett had a right to know how he was going to die. Oklahoma’s botched execution Tuesday night has made headlines all over the world and ignited debate over the use of the death penalty. However, we are more concerned with the fact that states are allowed to keep the source and contents of lethal injection drugs

secret — from everyone. We believe secrecy breeds suspi-

cion and worsens the bad behaviors taken to keep information private. The heinous execution of Lockett was a culmination of the desperate attempts of Oklahoma lawmakers to maintain the death penalty at all

costs rather than halting executions until new methods could be tested and codified. Is it really worth attempting to execute prisoners with untested drugs

from unknown origins over giving prisoners a little extra time in lockup until their ultimate punishment can be carried out humanely?

Oklahoma and other states with the death penalty no longer have easy access to traditional lethal in-jection drugs after the European

Union banned export of the drugs in 2011 due to the its opposition to the death penalty. Many U.S. manufac-turers are also refusing to produce the drugs because they don’t want to be associated with the death penalty.

Rather than halt all impending executions while new methods are explored, most states have chosen to move forward with the executions, adopting dangerous secrecy policies in the process.

Oklahoma adopted a secrecy law to avoid questions about the legality of the of the drugs by simply not shar-ing information about the sources of these drugs. Tuesday’s gruesome ep-isode in the execution chamber was a culmination of Oklahoma’s disre-gard for governmental transparency and human safety after running dry on typical lethal injection drugs.

Don’t get us wrong, we haven’t for-gotten that Lockett was sentenced to

die after being found guilty of mur-der. However, the Oklahoma justice system failed in its duty in carrying out Lockett’s execution.

The U.S. Constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment, a law that Oklahoma violated when prisoner officials injected Lockett with an un-tested mix of drugs and watched as he writhed on the gurney, conscious, for nearly an hour until he died from a heart attack.

We believe the worst part of the whole sickening episode is that it did not have to happen this way. Lawyers for Lockett and another Oklahoma death row inmate, Charles Warner, argued Oklahoma was violating state and federal laws by refusing to re-lease the sources of the drugs. The case caused war between Oklahoma courts, with a lower-court judge and the Oklahoma Supreme Court going

see editorial page 4

The Our View is the majority opinion of The Daily’s eight-member editorial board

1111

CLASSIFIEDS

PLACE A PAID AD

FREE AD WITH OU.EDU EMAIL ADDRESS

Phone: 405-325-2521E-mail: classifi eds@ou.edu

Fax: 405-325-7517Campus Address: COH 149A

Line Ad ..................................................................................3 days priorPlace line ad by 9:00 a.m. 3 business days prior to publication.

Display Ad ............................................................................3 days priorClassifi ed Display or Classifi ed Card AdPlace your display, classifi ed display or classifi ed card ads by 5:00 p.m. 3 business days prior to publication.

DEADLINES

Anyone with an ou.edu email address can place their ad in the Classified section of The Oklahoma Daily at no cost. Simply email your ad copy to classifieds@ou.edu, along with name, address and phone contact information. Maximum 5 lines and 10-issue run per listing.

HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2014, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014

Nothing will be too diffi cult for you to take on this year. Your courage and insight will carry you to the fi nish line, and you’ll be able to overcome many obstacles and achieve your goals. Don’t waste time when you should be taking action.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Get serious about your career goals. The position you desire is there for the taking. Get working to obtain whatever qualifi cations you need to pursue your dreams. Believe and achieve.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Things may not turn out as you expected. Avoid an emotional outburst by taking a step back from whatever situation you face, and look at the facts objectively.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Rumors and speculation could seriously hurt your reputation. Choose your confi dants carefully, or you could set yourself up for a real problem both personally and professionally.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Examine your motives before offering your leadership services. The situation should be of benefi t to all concerned, not just to you. Sharing and a willingness to take responsibility will be required.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You need to work on solitary projects today. Keep a low profi le. Confrontations are likely if you are trying to deal with friends, relatives or your peers.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- This will be an educational day for

you. Be prepared to listen to people with more experience. You could learn about valuable strategies that can improve your future and help you achieve your objectives.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Carefully deal with authority fi gures regarding legal or health issues. Ask questions and do your best to obtain the necessary information to effi ciently solve whatever problem you face.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Tensions will mount if your intentions are misunderstood. Be considerate toward others, but clear and concise about what you want and are willing to offer.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- A prospective career move should be put on hold for the moment. Your peers will be glad to give you a hand if you are willing to ask for help.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- It’s time for a little pampering. You will feel revived if you get together with someone you love. A change of scenery will do you a world of good.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- A current personal dilemma should be shared with a close friend. If a family situation has deteriorated, an outside perspective may shed some light on a solution.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Don’t hesitate to delve into unfamiliar territory. Keep your mind open to new experiences. Lucrative possibilities could be the result of an educational trip, excursion or conference.

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 Unspecified

philosophies 5 Where

Margaret Mead studied

10 Scholar of Islamic law

14 Certain hockey shot

15 Manhattan Project’s goal, briefly

16 Dunce-hat shape

17 Plumb crazy 18 Bit part for

a big-timer 19 Erupter

of 1971 20 Spirit of

a culture 22 Added

nutrients, e.g.

24 Medical resident

27 Good piece of farmland

28 Solo of sci-fi 30 Single stock

quantity 31 Eyed

impolitely 34 Suffix with

“cyan” 35 Mythical

queen of Carthage

36 Certain vertebrae

37 “___ as good a time as any”

39 Pass the buck

42 Castle barrier

43 Attractions 45 The “Say

Hey Kid” 47 “___ it or

lose it” 48 Oust from

office 50 Initials

of urgency 51 Springfield’s

Mr. Flanders 52 Queen of

Olympus 53 Partner

of “cease” 55 Its business

was pressing 58 Brief in

speech 61 Auto-service

job 62 Allowances

for waste 65 Singing

Simone 66 Architectural

annexes 67 Noted fable

author 68 Adriatic

and Aegean 69 Operatic

love scene 70 Curious to

a fault 71 Glimpse

from afarDOWN 1 Presque

or Capri 2 Casino cash

collector 3 Not taken

to the cleaners?

4 Cuddle 5 Cul-de-___ 6 Legal-eagle

org.

7 Bad time for a big decision

8 Sign observed by augurs

9 Away from one’s mouth

10 It could be found in a float

11 Places of ones’ births

12 “Green Gables” girl

13 Honey wine 21 Poker variety 23 Italian

desserts 25 “National

Velvet” author Bagnold

26 Six Flags attraction

28 A believer in karma

29 Bejewel, e.g. 32 Delete

33 Like most food items

38 Most sugary

40 “At ___, soldier!”

41 Scandina-vian rugs

44 Indian dress 46 Barbecue

item 49 Plaid

pattern 54 Perceive 55 Flew

the coop 56 “To Sir, With

Love” singer 57 Creme

cookie 59 Crackle

and Pop’s colleague

60 Hardly difficult

63 Familiar tapper

64 Infiltrator

Universal CrosswordEdited by Timothy E. Parker May 2, 2014

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2014 Universal Uclickwww.upuzzles.com

LADY OF THE HOUSE By Gary Cooper5/2

5/1

Come celebratewith us inour romanticatmosphere!

580 Ed Noble Parkway // In Front of Barnes & Noble405.579.5600 // misalofindia.com

today’s news fortoday’s college

student.

focused on

you.

oudaily.com is a product of Student Media, in OU’s division of Student Affairs.

back and forth between halting the executions and allowing them.

Ultimately, the amount of conflict about the ex-ecutions and rising nationwide inquiries into the legality of new lethal injection methods should have stayed the execution. Instead, Governor Mary Fallin issued a two-week stay of execution and then demanded the execution continue with the three-drug mixture as planned. She has since ordered an investigation into the botched execu-tion, but for us, that is too little too late.

And this isn’t even the first time a shocking ex-ecution has taken place in Oklahoma. In January, Oklahoma used execution drugs from an un-known source to kill Michael Lee Wilson who

reportedly said, “I feel my whole body burning,” before dying in apparent pain.

We believe it is absolutely unacceptable for states to keep the sources and obtainment meth-ods of lethal injection drugs secret. Oklahomans deserve full transparency of their government and were done an incredible disservice on Tuesday. We also believe it is vitally important to learn from Oklahoma’s botched execution. Other states also plan to experiment with secretly-ob-tained execution drugs, including Texas. Rather than allow more inmates to suffer violently on the gurney, the U.S. government should step in and require state transparency, so prisoners can be executed humanely and fairly if they must be.

Comment on this at oudaily.com

Kaitlyn Underwood, opinion editorRachel Montgomery, assistant editor

dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com/opinion • Twitter: @OUDailyOpinionOPINION

4 • Friday, May 2, 2014

EDITORIAL: Lack of transparency, unacceptableContinued from page 3

With summer just around the corner, students

are itching to toss their textbooks aside and put the pieces of their lives back together after finals. Take heart; there’s less than two weeks left!

With three months of unadulterated freedom — not counting those who are taking summer class-es — it’s easy to slip into a post-finals induced coma and only come back to consciousness right be-fore school starts again. However, as college stu-dents, now is the time to immerse ouselves in a con-tinual learning process that should not be put on hold just because it’s summer break. Don’t get me wrong — summer is the time to wind down and be stress- free — but that doesn’t mean you should com-pletely abandon all forms of academia.

Here is a list of activities

and resources that can help keep the old noggin from getting too dusty this summer:

•Read. With the amount of academic reading re-quired during the school year, most students would rather watch Netflix or cut off their own arm before picking up a book to read for pleasure. And since our generation is so prone to multitasking and reading is a solitary activity, it is often put at the bottom of the list of leisure activities. However, if your summer is one of study abroad, fre-quent poolside visits and easy living, then there’s really nothing more relax-ing than sprawling out in the sun and becoming en-grossed in a classic novel.

•Write. It doesn’t have to be academic, just get those creative juices flow-ing. Practice makes perfect. Even if you’re just jotting down stray thoughts or how you’re feeling, you’re making the basic pro-cess of writing become more familiar and natural. Furthermore, you don’t really know how good you are at something until you try it. Being able to express your thoughts clearly and honestly will not only help make you a more well rounded person, but will also make those writing

Rachael Montgomeryrachaeljmo94@gmail.com

ASSiStAnt OpiniOn EditOr

Use summer to learn about what you wantCOLumn

assignments for fall semes-ter classes go by faster.

•Learn. Try learning about something you actu-ally care about. Throughout the school year students are forced to learn about things they could care less about. However, during summer, you’re allotted a brief peri-od to focus on things that interest you. After gradu-ation, the amount of free time you’re used to will diminish exponentially, so there’s really no better time

to find out what you’re re-ally passionate about than during your college years and, more specifically, col-lege summers.

Good luck on finals, and as you embark on summer break, remember that sum-mer is not just a break, but an opportunity to discover, learn and grow.

Rachael Montgomery is a sophomore public relations major

Taylor BolTon/The Daily

Summer break is the time to read books you actually want to read, and you might as while enjoy the weather outside while you’re at it.

TransportationC

AUTO INSURANCE

Auto InsuranceQuotations AnytimeForeign Students Welcomed

JIM HOLMES INSURANCE, 321-4664

HELP WANTED

$5,500-$10,000PAID EGG DONORS. All Races needed.

Non-smokers, Ages 18-27,SAT>1100/ACT>24/GPA>3.00

Contact: info@eggdonorcenter.com

Family Ski Wear

Big selection, latest styles

Skiing for Spring Break?

Children to King Size

SAM’S Best Buys

2409 S Agnew Ave (405) 636-1486Monday to Saturday 9:00-5:45 & Sunday 1:00-4:45

ChChilildrdrenen t to o KiKinn

24240909 SS AAgngnewew AAveve (4(4

REAL BARGAINS!

UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE

MEMORIAL STADIUM

shopoubookstore.com | /OUBookstore

insta-Bring ALL your old textbooks to the bookstore for an Insta-Prize ticket foryour chance to win dozens of prizes.

Valid 4/15/14 – 5/31/14

�e Insta-GratificationBuyback Giveaway

You can opt out of SMS messages from bookstore at any time by texting STOP to TEXTBK (839825). Text HELP for help. Msg&Data Rates May Apply. Up to 4 msgs/week.

Supported Carriers: Alltel, AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cellcom, Cellular South, Cincinnati Bell, Nextel, nTelos, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless.

FOR BOOKSIN-STORE OR ONLINE AT BUYBACK.COMWE BUY BACK BOOKS EVERY DAY

GET BUCKS

text 0831 to TEXTBK & see what your books are worth!( 8 3 9 8 2 5 )

www.w e a r t h e p a r t y. c om

TThhe SSttrriinngg CChheeesssee Inciddeennttt** BBAAASSSSSNNNNNEEEECCCCTTTTAAAARRRThe Flammining g g LiLiLipps STSTS9* Umpmpm hrh eyey’s’s MMcGGeeee*** EEdwdwwara d d ShhShhararaa pepe aandnd tthehe MMagagagggnenetitic c ZeZeZerorosMichaeaell FFranntititi && Spearararheheadad JJohnhn BBututu leler rr TrTTrioi InInfefectctcteded MMMususushrhrhrhroooooom mm FUFUNGNGN USUSUSU AMMAMMONONOONGUUSSAdAdAdvev ntururee e CClClClC ubu RRususkoko Dr. DDogg Letettutucece XaXaXavivierer RRRudduddd dd WWWalalalala kkkk OfOfOfOff f f f ThThe EaEartrtrttrthhhhhhEOEOOOOOTTTOTOTTO ViViinntnttaage TrTrTrouououblblble e e 333LALAU U TThehe GGGrerereenen IrIratatioion n n CCClalalaududude ee VoVoVonSnSSnStrtrtrrtrokokokokoke e e e e WWWWWWooooooooookikikikikiefefefefefooooooooootttttPaPPaPaaPapapapapadodododossisisio o o TTTheheehe WWWWerererksksks ChChererubub* BBBoooooomBmBmBoxox* DDDJJ J J SnSnSnakakakke e e MiMiMiMinnnnnnnnesesese otototota a a a AAlvlvlvininin RisisskkkkheheRheRheReRoboobobuob st ss TheheheTh FlFlFlF oozoozoozo iesiesiesie *** TTTThe he he KnoKnoKnK ckscksk RoRoRooberberbb t Dt Dt DDeLoeLoeLoeLong ng ng g BlaBlaBlack ckck JoeJoeJoe LeLeLeLewiwwiswisw ReReReignignigngnwolwolwow ff f TTTTurnurnpikpikpikpike Te e e e Te rourouuuubadbadbabadbadourourourourours*s*sssJ RRRRRoddoddododo y Wy Wy Wy Wy alsalsalsalstontontontont anananand Td Td Td Thehe hhe BusBusBusinein ss** MuMuMuMuurderderrder Br By Dy Deateathh MMoonn TaTaT xi TheTheThehe MoMoMoM wgwglwgli'si'si' ThT e De Diririrtirtirtiir y Gy G GGGuvuv’nahs*Poooooooolslsilsilside de (ban(banananandnd sesetset ses & DJ & DJ DJ set)t))) ilill.Gl.G.GGateateatesss OOtt.t.t NiNiNiNiNickicckic BlBluhmhmhmuhm ananand td td thehhe he GraGraGr mblmbllersersers* NNNNNahkahkahkahko ao ao andnd MedMediciicine ne forfoforff ththhhthe Pe eople*e*St.St.St. PPaaul ul anand ThThThThThhee Be Brokroken ne BonBonnBo es*es*eses*e ThThThThe Pe Pe Pimpimpmpimpim s os os os of Jf Jf oytoyttimimeime ThThThe Re Revievivalvalalististtis s s BBBBBBreareareareareakkk Sk cieiencencncc ** OOOrgorgoone*ne*nee*ne* GGiGiGiG gamgamgamgamgam hhheshesh*****PhuPhuPhuPhuPhuhuhuturturturturturt epreprepreprepreprrimimiimiimiitivtivtivivtive e e e iiiill-llll esheshe a a WWick-it-it-ititit thththe Ie I IIe nstnstnstigaigaigaigaigatortortoror** PPPPeengengengguinuinuinuinuin PrPrPrPrisoisosoos nn n (DJ S(DJ S(DJ Set w/et w/et w/t wet w/w/ LiveLiveLiveLiveLivei VocaVocaVocaVV ls)ls) KeKeys ys ys yyyy N KN Kratratatates*es*esess AnAnAnAAndy dy dy dy dyy FraFraraaFraFrascoscoscoscoscosco**

The String Cheese Incident* BASSNECTARThe Flaming Lips STS9* Umphrey’s McGee* Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic ZerosMichael Franti & Spearhead John Butler Trio Infected Mushroom FUNGUSAMONGUSAdventure Club Rusko Dr. Dog Lettuce Xavier Rudd Walk Off The EarthEOTO Vintage Trouble 3LAU The Green Iration Claude VonStroke WookiefootPapadosio The Werks Cherub* BoomBox* DJ Snake Minnesota Alvin RiskheRobust The Floozies* The Knocks Robert DeLong Black Joe Lewis Reignwolf Turnpike Troubadours*J Roddy Walston and The Business* Murder By Death Moon Taxi The Mowgli's The Dirty Guv’nahs*Poolside (band set & DJ set) ill.Gates Ott. Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers* Nahko and Medicine for the People*St. Paul and The Broken Bones* The Pimps of Joytime The Revivalists Break Science* Orgone* Gigamesh*Phutureprimitive ill-esha Wick-it the Instigator* Penguin Prison (DJ Set w/ Live Vocals) Keys N Krates* Andy Frasco*

Mulberry Mountain :: Ozark, ArkansasJune 5 - 8 2014thth

* Indicates Multiple Performances | Visit Our Website To View The Full Lineup

NOTICE OF PUBLIC ACCESS During the

Regular Meeting Of

The University of OklahomaPUBLICATIONS BOARD

9:30 a.m. TODAYCopeland Hall, Room 146

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.

Julia Nelson, sports editorJoe Mussatto, assistant editor

dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySportsSPORTS

OUDaily.com ››The Sooner softball team faces Texas Tech this weekend in its final home Big 12 series. Check out our online preview to prepare for the games.

Friday, May 2, 2014 • 5

BaseBall

slumping sooners set to host BaylorTeam desperate for late-season wins

Joe Mussatto Assistant Sports Editor @joe_mussatto

The Oklahoma baseball team has forgotten what it feels like to win.

OU (25-21, 5-10 Big 12) is on a six-game losing streak, and coach Pete Hughes’ squad has just two wins in its last 13 tries.

“It’s all about wins and losses,” Hughes said. “I know community ser vice and bringing your family up in a college community is im-portant, but I’m in it for the wins.”

The coach said he and his players are worn out by the extended slump. The steady diet of losses has made the squad sick.

“When these guys are done playing and they get to their nine-to-five lives, they’ll never feel this crummy again,” Hughes said. “That’s

the raw emotion of athletics … I just want to get on the other side of the great part of athletics, and that’s winning.”

Oklahoma will get that chance this weekend as it hosts Baylor (20-26, 5-12 Big 12) in a three-game weekend series.

Along with Kansas State, the Sooners and Bears make up the bottom three teams in the conference standings. The last place team gets left out of the Big 12 Tournament, placing even more pressure on OU this weekend.

Missing the conference tournament is a mathemat-ical possibility for the young Sooner squad, but according to junior catcher Mac James, it’s not much of a probability.

“You don’t miss tourna-ments here at Oklahoma,” he said. “It’s not who we are.”

But before OU can think about its spot in the tourna-ment, the team has to win a game.

“We’ve got to play cleaner, we’ve got to play better and

we’ve got to get our guys feel-ing good about each other so we can get out of this funk,” Hughes said.

The Sooners rank next-to-last in fielding percent-age, and they have the sec-ond-worst team earned run average in the conference.

With Baylor coming to

Norman playing equally bad baseball, OU will have an op-portunity to stop the down-ward slide.

“We have a really talented team,” James said. “I think once we get one, it’ll be time to go.”

I f O k l a h o m a i s a b l e t o s e c u re a s p o t i n t h e

postseason, sophomore outfielder Craig Aikin said better-seeded teams won’t

want to face the Sooners. “Across the country, ev-erybody is looking at us and going, ‘Why? What’s the deal with them?’ They know how talented we are,” he said.

The slump has hurt the Sooners, but their coach has a solution to stop the streak.

“There’s only one remedy to it,” Hughes said. “You put your head down and keep working.”

Oklahoma and Baylor will begin the series at 6 p.m. to-night at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The teams will return to the diamond at 2 p.m. Saturday before the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Joe Mussatto jmussatto@ou.edu

Christopher miChie/the daily

Sophomore catcher Anthony Hermelyn is hit by a pitch during the April 22 game against Texas-Arligton at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Despite a late rally, the Sooners lost the game 6-5.

Family Ski Wear

Big selection, latest styles

Skiing for Spring Break?

Children to King Size

SAM’S Best Buys

2409 S Agnew Ave (405) 636-1486Monday to Saturday 9:00-5:45 & Sunday 1:00-4:45

ChChilildrdrenen t to o KiKinn

24240909 SS AAgngnewew AAveve (4(4

REAL BARGAINS!

6 • Friday, May 2, 2014

LIFE&ARTS Tony Beaulieu, life & arts editorLuke Reynolds, assistant editor

dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com/life&arts • Twitter: @OUDailyArts

Norman store gives away comics yearly

Andrew Wagnerandrew.w.wagner-1@ou.edu

Life & Arts coLumnist

Tony Ragle/The Daily

speeding Bullet comics special projects manager Dan nash and owner matthew Price prepare for free comic book day on saturday. the event is used to get people who otherwise wouldn’t be interested in comic books to check out what they have to offer.

Tony BeaulieuLife & Arts editor @tonybe787

BAM! BIFF! POW! The first Saturday in May is a special day in the hearts of many comic book readers. For 12 years, the American comic book industry has spon-sored the national event Free Comic Book Day to promote comic book readership at local, independently-owned comic book retailers.

Speeding Bullet Comics, on Porter Avenue in Norman, has participated in Free Comic Book Day every year since the beginning, and this Saturday will be no different, owner Matthew Price said.

“We always have a large crowd,” Price said. “It’s gen-erally our busiest day of the year, as far as people in the door.”

Price said he meets some-one at Free Comic Book Day each year who is picking up their first comic because of the event. Yet, the celebra-tion also attracts the usual comic book fans, Price said.

“If you are a regular read-er, it’s a way to get out of your comfort zone and try some-thing new, as well as getting to join in the communal as-pect of seeing and meeting other fans who are enjoying the hobby,” Price said.

Becasue Speeding Bullet has been participating in Free Comic Book Day since the beginning, Price said he sees readers, who were kids at the first event 12 years ago, return as college students.

“That’s really exciting for

me, to know we helped spur a love of reading in a young person,” Price said.

Price said the day is also an opportunity for local and regional comic book creators to get out in front of readers with special signings and

appearances.Oklahoma City writer and

artist Derreck Jackson has been creating comics for over 20 years. Jackson said he will be giving away cop-ies of his latest comic, “The Speeding Bullet,” Saturday at Speeding Bullet Comics.

But Jackson said the best part of Free Comic Book Day is getting to share a love of comics, which he has had since he was a kid.

“It’s a chance to not only promote the comics I love and the comics I create, it’s also a chance to inform and teach those who are curious about comics in general,” Jackson said.

O k l a h o m a a r t i s t a n d

writer S.A. McClung will also be signing and doing sketch-es at Speeding Bullet on Saturday.

“Creators are there to add a little something extra to the event,” McClung said. “We aren’t the main draw. We just add a bit of Comic-Con-ish flavor to it.”

McClung said Free Comic Book Day attracts new read-ers to the medium, especially children, which the industry needs to stay relevant.

Jackson said Free Comic Book Day is much more than just an event to give away free stuff. Most comic book stores sponsor special events like signings, games, costume contests and food.

Of all the holidays America has sto-len from other

cultures and commer-cialized into binge-drink-o-thons, Cinco de Mayo has got to be my favorite. However, this year, May 5 falls on the first day of exam week! How could they do this do us?

I don’t care that we’re one week of hard work away from three months of perpetual drinking. As an American of German and Danish descent, I de-mand a day off to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride!

It’s such a hard deci-sion. Should I study and my pass the classes I’m lucky enough to pay about $600 a piece for, or should I drink 11 margaritas? I wish I could ask the “Most Interesting Man in World” from the Dos Equis com-mercials what he would do.

He’d probably say some-thing along the lines of, “I don’t know, my real name is Jonathan Goldsmith.”

“It ’s l ike being at a m i n i - c o m i c c o n v e n -tion without the expense of purchasing tickets,” Jackson said.

Contemporary comic companies publish many more genres beyond the tried and true superhe-ro staples of Batman and Superman, Jackson said.

“There are so many dif-ferent art styles, stories and genres, it’s almost impossible not to love some type of comic in this vast universe of variety,” Jackson said.

Tony Beaulieu anthonybeaulieu78@gmail.com

Go AnD DoFree Comic Book DayWhen: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Speeding Bullet Comics, 614 N Porter Ave., Norman

Price: Free

Prepare for finals with these Cinco de Mayo tips

stuDy tips-y

More online at OUDaily.com

Local creators take part in national comic book eventBusiness