September 4, 2015 Print Edition

David Burkus Assistant professor will speak at TEDx in 2016.

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#twapel talksWhat happens in chapel doesn’t stay in chapel.

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Swindal’s DepartureWorship director makes move to Colorado.

PAGES 10-11

Oral Roberts University · Sept. 4, 2015 Tulsa, Oklahoma · Vol 50, No. 2

www.oruoracle.com @oruoracle @oruoraclesports

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Samuel Prithiv, Ama Aniekwu and Emmanuel Bampende speak out on home and U.S. fashions. PAGE 16 Photo by Wyatt Bullard

CONNECTING CULTURES

2 • THE ORACLE • Friday, Sept. 4, 2015

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STUDENT STYLE

Page 16

THE REAL PSL COMING SOON

PAGE 15

THE ORACLE • Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 • 3

“I am excited to have a home field advan-

tage and somewhere to call our own,” Coach Joe Dial said. The track is expected to break

ground next year.

The three-year faceliftSYDNEY ILGEditor-In-Chief

Courtesy Photos

NEWS

The Global Learning Center will be completed in the spring of 2016 with seven classrooms and a per-

formance studio.

ORU is mandating $14 million to the enhancement of its physical campus throughout the next three years. Updates will include ORU’s first outdoor track and field facility, the new Global Learning Center and a new dorm. “This is like a miracle unfolding right before our eyes,” Coach Joe Dial said. “I was told for years we couldn’t build a track, so I got the team togeth-er, and we prayed to believe it could happen. Not two weeks later I got a call there was a possibility of getting one.”

The ORU track team has been practicing at the Jenks High School outdoor track. The new ORU facility will encompass an eight-lane track, pole vault pits, high jump, an area for javelin, shot put and discus. “It feels great to know that now we will have a facility to use that we won’t have to travel off campus to get to,” track athlete Gabby Garza said. Other campus enhancements include replacing existing tennis courts with a state-of-the-art tennis complex, building on-campus, apartment-style

residences and revamping the Baby Mabee into a Global Learning Center equipped with advanced technology. The Global Learning Center is expect-ed to open in spring 2016. The univer-sity is raising $500,000 to name the tennis complex after ORU’s first tennis coach, Bernis Duke, to honor his 50 years of service to ORU. This plan is known as the 50th An-niversary Comprehensive Campaign, “To the Uttermost Bounds of the Earth.” The success of the campaign hinges on $50 million being raised over

the next three years. “This $50 million campaign will help us start moving forward with the global strategy God has given us for the future,” President William M. Wilson said. To date, the school has already raised over $40 million of its goal. “There are a lot of good colleges,” Wilson said. “We are an exceptional college with a great future.” To follow the campus projects, visit 50.oru.edu.


5K replaces extra-credit Fun Run

There is no Fun Run scheduled for the 2015 fall semester. Instead, students will have the opportunity to partake in the Ultimate 5K Arena Challenge. The Ultimate 5K Arena Challenge is part of the 50th anniversary celebration, slated for Oct. 24. “The Health, Leisure and Sports Sciences depart-ment was asked to join the Ultimate 5K Arena Chal-lenge for the fall Fun Run,” Fritz Huber said. Huber serves as chair of the HLSS department. This year’s 5K run/walk event will be open to the public, with ORU students racing alongside others invited to participate.

ORU Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Ossie Mills assumed the new role of vice president of Communications and Marketing on Monday. This change came after Jeremy Burton’s resignation as executive director of University Relations and Communications, a position he held for 12 years. “I always say congratulations really should come after a year,” Mills said. “I step into [the position] with a sense of awe and a sense of honor.” Burton accepted a communications role with the Museum of the Bible. The Museum of the Bible focuses on engaging with the Bible through research, traveling tours, education and the museum, which is set to open in Washington, D.C. in 2017. According to the Tulsa World, the eight-story museum, backed by the Green family, will house their 40,000-piece personal biblical artifact collection along with other items. Mills said Burton is helping him “watch out for landmines” as the transition takes place. Mills will continue to serve as president of GEB America, as well as executive director of Empowered21. “[This new job is] the marketing and communications voice for the university, so I will be monitoring all of our activities and creating message maps and message plans and marketing agendas,” Mills said. The 1983 ORU alumnus takes the position in the middle of ORU’s three-year 50th Anniversary campaign. Mills noted that the foundation for the celebration activities and fundraising efforts has already been laid. He will assist in the execution of the event’s high point, “Golden Week,” in October.

ALYSSA LACOURSENews Editor

Courtesy Photos

Burton resigns: Mills accepts new role JJ JOHNSON

Senior Staff Writer

(Left) Executive Director of University Relations and Communications Jeremy Burton resigned from his office this week to accept a position as Director of Communications for the Museum of the Bible. Ossie Mills will take on a new role as Vice President of Communications and Marketing.

The 5K course will begin at 8 a.m. in the Mabee Center parking lot. The run will finish in the arena where the participants will be greeted by spotlights and music. The event is open to the public, and there will be a live-feed of portions of the race on the jum-bo Mabee Vision screen. “Students will still receive extra credit for partici-pating in the 5K run,” Huber said. Registration is $10 per person and will open closer to the event. According to Huber, there will be a spring semes-ter Fun Run as usual. More information regarding the Ultimate 5K Are-na Challenge will be released online in the near future through MabeeCenter.com.

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Fires plague West Coast

Burkus to speak at Nevada TEDx

Multiple wildfires continue to plague four states on the West Coast causing devastating loss. California, Washington, Idaho and Oregon are expending all resources to control the fires in their states. Dry air, strong winds, scorching temperatures and lightning strikes have led to the massive fires. ORU student Sara Oord has family in Moses Lake, Washington, and a brother currently serving as a volunteer firefighter. “It is rough being in [Tulsa]. The only way I can keep up on what’s happening is if my mom sends me something or if I see it on the news,” Oord said.“It’s actually really scary to look up in Saga and see my state on national news.” “We have over 9,000 firefighters battling 16 wildfires,” said Richard Cordova, the California fire captain, in a phone interview with the Oracle. Since Jan. 1 of this year, California has had 4,890 fires and 128,714 acres burned, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. California Gov. Jerry Brown has increased firefighters and resources this year, giving the state ample tools to fight the fire. “We’re actually doing a good job right now due to good weather,” said Cordova. Late in the summer, several fires broke out in Okanogan County, Washington. The fires continually grew, leading to the largest fire in state history with fires covering around 300,000 acres. According to inciweb.nwcg.gov, more than 1,244 fire personnel are fighting the Okanogan Complex fire. The fire is currently about 40 percent contained. Three Washington firefighters lost their lives when their vehicle was overtaken by the fast-approaching flames. On Aug. 22, President Obama declared an emergency in the state of Washington, allowing the government to assist the state in its efforts to fight the fires. Several residents have been evacuated to safe areas. USA Today reported firefighters from New Zealand and Australia arrived to help. Many volunteers are lending a hand as well, and many more are willing to help.

In 2016, David Burkus, assistant professor of management, will speak at TEDx University of Nevada with great minds like Jon Foreman, the lead singer of Switchfoot, Lacey Strum, lead singer of Firefly, award-winning psychologist Steven Hayes and many others. Burkus will speak on a chapter from his upcoming book about the positive effects of all employee salaries being open for the public to know. This is not his first time speaking at a TEDx conference. Burkus spoke at the 2013 TEDxOU conference on a chapter from his book “The Myths of Creativity: Why Great Ideas Get Rejected.” TEDxOU connected him to new speaking opportunities all over the world. This experience gave him deeper aspirations for speaking at future TED conferences. “I have always had it as a goal to talk on a TED main event,” said Burkus. TED began in 1984 with topics on technology, entertainment and design, but has quickly progressed to a vast variety of topics aimed at inspiring professionals and masses alike.

VICTORIA ATTERBERRYScene Editor

AUDREY GRAYContributing Writer

Assistant Professor David Burkus, who teaches management and organizational behavior in the ORU College of Business, prepares for TEDx at the University of Nevada in Reno. He previously shared at a TEDxOU about his book “The Myths of Creativity.”

Photo by Audrey Gray

“I love the reaction of the people that attend the event,” said Brett Simmons, producer of TEDx University of Nevada. “They are usually overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of big ideas they are exposed to in a single day.” TED talks and Burkus both have a common goal to inspire people to continue to learn and enjoy learning. Constantly keeping up to date is what inspired him to write another book and what connects him with TED talks. “It does not matter how busy you are. You always have time to learn,” Burkus said. Burkus explains that even with two newborn children, a full time job and writing a book, he still makes time to keep up to date and learn. Burkus points out that we do not always need an allotted time in the day to sit down and learn but we can learn during every day tasks, such as waiting in line at the dining hall. “All of us have a lot of down time in our business,” Burkus said. “How much time do you spend standing in line? That’s time you could be scanning through articles or watching a TED talk.”

“How much time do you spend standing in line? That’s time you could be scanning through articles or watching a TED talk.”

-David Burkus


Grad dreams big, opens Haiti orphanage

Flashback: ORU enrollment tops 3,500

Features

EMERALD DEANContributing Writer

CAPTION REPRINTED FROM THE ORACLE VOL. 11, NO. 2 PRINTED: SEPT. 12, 1975 - ORU opened its doors on Sept. 13, 1965 to 300 college students. Presi-dent Oral Roberts said, “People looked at us and asked, with justification, ‘Who are you?’ No one asks us that question today. Now, people look at us and say, ‘What are you doing next?’” Today, ORU has a student enrollment of more than 3,500, with nearly 6,000 students applying for admission to ORU each year. ORU’s masters-level graduate programs in business and theology opened this year.

Full-time student enrollment topped 2,700 this fall, according to Chuck Ramsay, director of Admis-sions. This number reflects the addition of nearly 900 new students, both freshmen and transfers. Part-time and evening students bring the student body total to over 3,500.

The large enrollment has caused some crowding in the dorms as approximately 100 girls [women] are three-in-a-room. A large number of applicants were not admitted to ORU, and over 1,000 qualified students were sent letters inviting them to reapply in the future because of the present lack of dorm space.

The student body is nearly equally composed of male and female students; 15 more women than men. Approximately 74 percent of the students are from out of state, and all 50 states are represented.

A larger enrollment is foreseen next fall with the completion of the new 12-story dormitories. The television ministry has brought thousands of inqui-ries from prospective students. The Admissions office receives more than 300 letters each day requesting student information and applications to ORU. Editor’s Note: The Towers Dorms were not completed until 1976, a year after this article’s original publication.

On June 28, graduate Kristie Chute fulfilled her God-given dream by opening Kingdom Kids Home in Haiti. Now 16 children are off the streets living in their own home. Chute plans on returning to Haiti Dec. 14 to give the children their first Christmas. ORU students are invited to join the team.

“The whole point is to bring these kids into the kingdom of God, get them saved and show them who Jesus is,” she said. “Then when they are older, they can go out and bring other people into the kingdom of God by

sharing their testimony. We want to train them to be the next generation of leaders, so they have the potential to change their nation.” Chute, president and founder of Kingdom Kids Home, knew at six years old she wanted to be a mission-ary. God told her to go around the world and teach people about Him. It wasn’t until her freshman year at ORU she knew what that dream looked like. That summer, Chute visited Haiti and prayed God would give her a sign.

“God told me He wanted me to open an orphanage,” Chute said. “But while I was still young and in college I said, ‘No way, that’s not possible.’”

During her sophomore and junior years, she planned the name of the orphanage and mission statement. Kingdom Kids Home name comes from Mark 10:14 and their mission statement is “rescuing orphans and abandoned children—ushering them into the kingdom of God.” With limited funding and only a dream and God’s word, Chute pursued the opening of the orphanage. Within months, the Lord provided funding for Kingdom Kids Home. “It’s just crazy. When you say, ‘Yes,’ to God, He just takes that and runs with it and provides everything,” Chute

said. “My favorite life verse is 1 Tim. 4:12. I put the verse on the wall for [the kids] to see. I want them to go after their dream. Yes, there will be people who tell you no; it will be hard but it’s not about you. It’s about God. Work hard, make God the center of your life and [have] faith,” Chute said. In preparation for her return to Haiti, Chute is looking for people to help minister to the children. Infor-mation for the trip can be found on http://www.KingdomKidsHomes.org/join-the-team/.

REPRINTED FROM THE ORACLE VOL. 11, NO. 2

PRINTED: SEPT. 12, 1975


Download the Aurasma app for an in-depth look at Isabelle Rob-inson and Joe Cho’s first 25 days at ORU. Here’s how to access the video on the Aurasma app. 1. Go to the app store on your smart device (available for Android and iOS operating systems for iP-hone/iPad). 2. Search and download the FREE Arasma app. 3. Open Arasma, and follow at “oruoracle.” 4. Place smart device over image of Robinson and Cho. 5. When the dots begin moving wait for additional videos to play on the phone screen.

MADISON MCDANIELFeatures Editor

Freshman first 50 days: Day 25

Isabelle Robinson and Joe Cho continue their freshman first 50 days with new friendships, adventures and life.Photo by Wyatt Bullard

Jordan Wilson is back in chapel with a new part-ner, junior theology major Geoffrey Graff. Students roared in applause as soon as the drama, television and film major and his associate walked on the chapel stage for their first sketch of the year last week. “My favorite thing is probably the audience,” Wil-son said. “I didn’t expect last semester to be so well received... It’s like I walked out on stage and immedi-ately got applauded, and it was incredible.” This year, the duo promises an exciting array of skits and videos for the chapel audience. Graff and Wilson have what appears to be an instant friendship with similar comedic style, a love of improvisation and a shared part of Grandpa Joe in their school pro-ductions of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” “To me I think the biggest thing is chemistry,” said Wilson. “It was just easy to work with Geoff. As long as there’s some good chemistry on stage people will find it funny, or people will find it entertaining.” “It’s all going to be funny,” said Wilson. “It’s going to be mostly funny and maybe some dramatic depending on what President Wilson is speaking on. I want to write a little bit smarter this year. I want to have some fun with it where people watch it and laugh but also find it interesting.” Graff looks forward most to expressing himself creatively and collaborating with his partner. “Arvin and Jordan, I was very blessed to work

Chapel Creative promises laughs

with them and blessed now to work with Jordan,” said Graff. “They’re really talented, and I have a lot to learn.”

Using a Scottish accent, Jordan Wilson sports a kilt during his first chapel sketch with Geoffrey Graff.

ERICA LUDWIGStaff Writer

Wilson writes all his material including video shorts. He plans to choose a successor from the the-ater department before he graduates in the spring.

Photo by Wyatt Bullard


The audience smiles and sings along to childhood Disney favorites.

Students pick up mics in Disney karaoke

Wednesday night proved magi-cal for students as they gathered in the Hammer Center to sing Disney classics during karaoke night. Over 50 students signed up to belt their hearts out to the Disney melodies they grew up singing. Participants were encouraged to sing solos, duets and group karaoke numbers. Crowd favorites includ-ed “Let it Go,” “Akuna Matata” and “Colors of the Wind.” Sarah Triplett belted out “Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahontas.” Students were cheering her on and recording her on their cell phones. “Could you not see my hands shaking?” Triplett said. “I wanted to sing ‘Let It Go,’ but everyone else wanted a different song since some-one else already sang it. So I went with ‘Colors of the Wind.’ It was a great substitute.” Triplett’s vocal talent inspired Jeremy Hunt to introduce himself and sing a duet with her. “I met her a few minutes ago, af-ter she sang the ‘Colors of the Wind’ and congratulated her,” Hunt said. “Then we decided to sing together.” In total Hunt performed four times for the student body with duets, solos and groups. His favorite performance was “A Whole New World” with Triplett. There were a few students re-luctant to grab the microphone for various reasons. Matt Foster would have sung “Strangers Like Me” from “Tarzan,” but couldn’t find a partner to sing with. He backed out, but oth-ers didn’t feel they had the talent. “I just don’t want people to hear me sing,” said Isaac Sandoval. He watched instead. “So far, I liked the ‘Toy Story’ one the most, because it’s my favor-ite movie,” Sandoval said.

Yet others faced their fears and signed up to sing with their friends. A group of six students sang “Un-der the Sea.” They danced along to the music and interacted well with each other as they passed the microphone around. Christy Kaneta didn’t have the energy for nerves. “I’m half awake, so I wasn’t able to be nervous,” said Kaneta, one of the six performers. The night proved a success to those avid Disney fans. “I love this because I’m obsessed with Disney, so this is my kind of event,” said Miranda Bullard.

RACHEL ANDERSONManaging Editor

Photos by Audrey Gray

Above: Auralynn Kenyan, Kendra Hanohano, Christy Kaneta, Will Yates, Ana Avila and Kevin Goodman share the microphone during a performance. Below left: Christine Howrey chuckles as students perform beloved Disney classics in the Hammer Center. Below right: Sarah Triplett sang the Disney favorite “Colors of the Wind.”


woodlake Young Adults I @wcyoungadults I woodlakeag.org/youngadultsAfter 11am service. 7100 E. 31st St. Tulsa.

Woodlake churchWoodlake churchAfter Party

I LOVE the12:30-2pm

Sempteber 13


Students fill the chapel with arms stretched wide and hearts open. Some kneel reverently while others bow their heads, their lips slowly moving to the melodic words of the song be-ing played. “I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God,” the worship team sings. Absolute. Resolute. This is a declaration of the heart. An hour past chapel dismissal, Jonathan Swindal walks through the door, focused and ready to interview. He’s tall, polite and apologetic about the interview delay. “I’m honored this is even a story, honestly,” he admited, sitting back in his chair. “I just sing songs, man, and I get to love on kids.” Swindal joined the ORU Worship Center as assistant

ERICA LUDWIGSenior Staff Writer

Worship director bids farewell

worship director in 2009. After two years of helping lead students, faculty and staff in worship he was promoted to worship direc-tor. Since then, Swindal has earned a master’s degree, produced two albums, taken part in six series of missions ropes training and been

to nearly 20 countries. “I had plans and

dreams when I came,” said Swindal, “and looking back they were nothing like what has actually

happened and I’m grateful for that.” He said pausing for a

moment. “The one thing I did

plan on that hap-pened was I found

my wife here. That’s one thing

I wouldn’t

change and I’m glad [God] didn’t change.” Swindal and his wife experienced this personally when they buried their son, Oliver Jude Swindal this past July, just 20 days after he was born. Yet Swindal still firmly believes God has a roundabout way of transforming bad into good with everyone. “This is the most difficult thing Bonnie and I have ever gone through, but we decided long ago that he was first a child to God and that our worship will always belong to God,” Swindal wrote on his Facebook page. The couple’s reverence for God remains in this new season. This month they move to Colorado Springs, Colorado to work with Pastor Jay Duncan at Antioch Church. Swin-dal will serve as the church’s worship pastor. “A year ago we started feeling an itch toward transition, but I knew it would be later than sooner,” Swindal said. “It was before our son passed that we decided we were going to move on. And of course that did cause ques-tions and concerns: ‘Does this change any-thing?’ So we had to stop and evaluate, and we felt like the same thing, that it was time to move on. And there was nothing at all nega-tive. It’s not a reactionary negative thing at all

in any shape or form.” A new worship director has not

been chosen for ORU Live. Swindal

Jonathan Swindal will lead worship for the last time next Friday.

Photo by Wyatt Bullard


“It’s just so valuable to give your

best, to try hard and do everything that is within your

control to do... let the Lord form you through it instead of

fighting it.”

Swindal married his wife Bonnie in Decem-ber of 2011. The couple met at ORU.

ORU Live released its second album “Come Like a Flood” in August of 2011 and is available through iTunes.

The ORU Worship Center’s mission is to “raise up worship-ers to hear God’s voice, go where HIs light is seen dim and express what He is saying through their music.” Campus worship was a monthly opportunity for students to rest in the Lord and express themselves through song.

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Swindal

has full confidence in the selection process. The current staff has started alternating mu-sicians in each position on stage to get more people involved each chapel. “Daniel [Tsubota], the assistant director, is staying and at least in the interim he’s heading this up,” he laughed as Tsubota pops his head in and smiles upon hearing his name. “Who knows what might happen?” Swin-dal said. “He’s holding down the fort for sure.” Swindal has served as an educator and mentor for numerous students over the years. He encourages everyone, especially young adults, to trust the Lord in every process of life no matter how difficult it seems. “I see kids all the time fighting the process and trying to make circumstances change to fit how they feel, what they’re supposed to do or what they’re supposed to get out of ORU,” Swindal said. Swindal confesses one of the hardest yet most valuable lessons to learn on earth is trust in God.

“I think it’s just so valuable to give your best, to try hard and do everything that is within your control to do, but with whatever cards you’re dealt to take it, and let the Lord form you through it instead of fighting it.” The piano man plays his final song in chapel next Friday.

Swindal will transition to Antioch Church in Colo-rado Springs, Colorado to become lead worship pastor.


Men’s soccer assistant coach Chris Taylor has seen the highs and lows of the ORU mens’s soccer. While Taylor was enjoying conference championships at the University of Tulsa from 2008-2011, a dark cloud was forming over the Golden Eagles’ soccer program. Taylor went from a career sophomore year, to being drafted 22nd overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the Portland Timbers in 2011. For the Golden Eagles, the 2015 spring and summer offseasons was built around the buzz word within the program, “culture.” From exhibition matches against high-level teams and even ORU’s Perry Brooks receiving an invitation to play with the Bahamas National team, the Golden Eagles have built momentum towards the success the program desires to see. Men’s soccer Head Coach Ryan Bush is adamant about establishing a culture that breeds players for the highest level. “Playing pro, talent is a big deal, and we are going to continue that. It’s going to help us to continue to produce professionals and get guys to the next level,” Bush said. In July, the next phase of the men’s soccer rebuild continued when Bush announced the hiring of Taylor as his assistant. As a program working to establish a professional culture, the excitement surrounding Taylor is apparent. “He has proven himself at every level from competing for the U.S. U-20 National Team to making four national tournament appearances during his college career,” Bush said. Now as an assistant coach, the program that was once Taylor’s cross-town rival is now his new home. He seems to be on the same page as Bush, aiming to make professionalism the ear-mark of men’s soccer. “When I was playing soccer at TU the [ORU]program was not where the University wanted it to be. Ryan, over the last two years, has put a lot into establishing a culture of hard work and serving others,” Taylor said. The ORU program had its best record in eight seasons in 2014, finishing 8-8-2 in Bush’s second year at the men’s soccer helm. The three-time all-Conference USA player and four-time NCAA tournament competitor hopes to help ORU continue improving to the point of national success. “I want these student athletes to realize we are

SOLOMON WILLIAMSStaff Writer

President William M. Wilson stands with new as-sistant soccer coach Chris Taylor while he sports Golden Eagle soccer attire.

Chris Taylor gives instructions during practice.

Photo by Nikolai Stophel

SPORTSTaylor helps coaches rebuild program

going to treat them as professionals,” said Taylor. “We want them to graduate and hopefully graduate early and go on to play professionally.” Taylor has no shame raising the stakes for what he and Bush will be expecting. “Ryan has done a fantastic job over the last two years at establishing what we see as a top-25 program here in the next few years,” said Bush. “You’ve got to always look at what can you do to make the program more professional and make these kids’ lives more professional, and those are the steps we are willing to take.” In his first season with the Golden Eagles, Taylor has joined lockstep with Bush in the pursuit of success within the program. “It takes a vision and commitment to excellence,” Taylor said. “We’ve got the goal at the top; now, we have to put together the sub goals to reach that.”

2015 Men’s Soccer Home Schedule

Septembervs. Incarnate Word-Friday, 4vs. UC Irvine-Thursday, 17

Octobervs. West. Illinois-Saturday, 3

vs. Denver-Saturday, 10vs.Central Ark.-Tuesday, 27

vs. IPFW-Saturday, 31

Novembervs. Missouri St.-Monday, 2

Courtesy Photo


MLB’s second wild card adding excitement RUSSELL DORSEY

Sports Editorhave moved from wild card contenders to AL East division leaders. While the second wild card spot has been a blessing for many AL teams this season, it has been a burden for the NL. The Pittsburgh Pirates (79-51) and the Chicago Cubs (75-57) have the third and fourth best records in baseball respectively, but both are fighting for the top two wild-card spots. If the season ended today, the Cubs and Pirates would play each other in a winner-take-all game deciding who goes on to the National League Division Series. Is this fair for the Cubs, Pirates or teams that may have this problem in the future? Does a one-game, winner-take-all format really tell who the best wild-card team is? The answer is no. One game doesn’t tell who the better team is. The league can mix old concepts with new ideas. The two-team wild-card format put in place three years ago by MLB was a step in the right direction for baseball and has given it more excitement. The next step would be making the single-elimination playoff game into a short three-game series like the playoffs prior to the 2012 season. This allows teams the opportunity to show why they should go to the next round.

Baseball is taking the right steps to make the playoff chase in September more interesting. Now,

they must continue to improve on these steps so that America’s pastime continues to thrive.

The 2015 MLB season is entering the home stretch, and fans are in for an exciting finish. Much of the excitement comes from the addition of the second wild-card spot. Last season, the San Francisco Giants won the second wild-card spot in the National League and went on to win the World Series. This season in the American League, the Twins, Angels, Orioles, Rays, Indians, White Sox, Mariners and Tigers are all fewer than eight games back of the second wild-card spot with a month to go. Before the addition of the second wild-card spot, these teams would have been out of the playoff hunt. Teams now have a realistic chance at making the playoffs even though they are a few games back. A six- or seven-game winning streak can turn a team on the brink of elimination into a playoff team in a heartbeat. The addition of the second wild card has dramatically changed how teams look at the trade deadline. Teams who were sellers in years past, are now buyers at the deadline and look to bolster their team for a playoff push. The Toronto Blue Jays sat three games back of the second wild card on July 28 before they traded for all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and Cy Young winner David Price. The moves were a shot in the arm for the Blue Jays, who are 25-7 since Tulowitzki and Price were acquired and

The Golden Eagle volleyball team finished the final day of the Magnolia Invitational on Aug. 28-29 with 3-1 and 3-0 wins over Northwestern State and Tennessee State. ORU finished the tournament with a 2-1 record overall after falling behind and suffering a 3-0 loss to Ole Miss on Friday. “On the first day everybody was excited,” said Head Coach Sheera Sirola. “The SEC have their own network so they were on TV, there were lots of cameras all over, and there were lots of people. For a first match and

being in such a big school, playing at their place, I think there was a mix of being nervous and trying to show off. The second set [against Ole Miss] was great. I think if we had won that set, the game could’ve gone either way, but I think they did great. The second day, we did changes in our lineup, moved some people into different places, and it was a perfect fit.” This is the second year in a row the Golden Eagles rebounded from a loss in the season opener to sweep the final day of competition. The offense showed its strength by hitting over .320 percent in each match. 2014 Summit League Freshman of

the Year Laura Milos recorded 56 kills over the tournament. She logged a high of 23 against Northwestern State. Lucija Bojanjac, a sophomore from Croatia, finished with 31, 42 and 36 assists over the two-day tournament. She also recorded 13 digs against Northwestern State giving her the first double-double on the season. “I think I did really good,” said Bojanjac. “I’m satisfied with what I showed on the court, and I’m looking forward to doing better in future games.” Shelby Cox had a hitting percentage of .611 in match one against Northwestern State and Nika

Mostahinic with .538 in match two against Tennessee State. The Golden Eagles will travel to Springfield, Missouri to the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational where they will face Marquette today and Missouri State and Miami tomorrow. “This is going to be a really tough tournament,” Sirola said. “All the teams are in the top 80 teams in the nation. Marquette in the last couple years has had a lot of success, and the University of Miami has always been in the top 80 or top 50. So this weekend is really going to let us know where we are at.”

JADYN WATSON-FISHERStaff Writer

Volleyball starts season with a 2-1 road tripInternet Photo


NFL 2015 StorylinesReligion News Service

Football practice baptism investigated by school

Where’s Romo?

To kick or not kick?

SOLOMON WILLIAMSStaff Writer

RUSSELL DORSEYSports Editor

Remember, those chip-shot field goals you took for granted all these years after your favorite team scored a touchdown? You may want to pay closer attention to them this season. The NFL owners agreed to move the spot of the extra point to the 15-yard line, the equivalent of a 33-yard field goal. Kickers

“He will have all day to throw.” “Anyone can run behind that line.” Is this a recording? Cowboy fans seem to think their offensive line is somehow part two of the Immaculate Conception. 2014 was undoubtedly the best year of Romo’s career. He threw less than 10 interceptions for the first time in four seasons and his 113.2 passer rating was a career high. In 2015, expect Tony Romo

made 99.9 percent of extra points from the two-yard line last season. This preseason, kickers have made only 96 percent of extra points attempted from the 15-yard line. How will this affect the game? Teams will now have to decide whether the risk of missing the kick from the 15-yard line is greater than the risk of going for two-point conversions from the two-yard line, adding more strategy to the game. Although a majority of teams will elect to kick for the extra point, there will undoubtedly be an increase in two-point conversion attempts in 2015. Whatever teams decide, it’s something football fans can be excited about.

VILLA RICA, Ga. — A Georgia school district is investigating after video of a mass baptism was posted on YouTube. The video, posted by First Baptist Villa Rica, was shot on school grounds just before football practice. “We had the privilege of baptizing a bunch of football players and a coach on the field of Villa Rica High School! We did this right before practice! Take a look and see how God is STILL in our schools!” the caption with the video reads. WXIA-TV reached out to church officials for comment, but were told the pastor was not available. The video on YouTube was removed by the user by Tuesday evening. The Carroll County School District said in a released statement that it was “looking into the specifics of this situation and will take appropriate steps to ensure all state and federal laws are followed.” The Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a letter to the

to come back down to earth. The unsung hero to Dallas’ success walked out the door and across the division to Philly in the offseason. Expect the Cowboys, especially Romo, to feel the brunt of it. Without the fear of leading rusher Demarco Murray taking one to the house, every play action and draw just became a lot less scary. Defenses will lick their chops at the opportunity to blitz Romo and bait him into the poor throws we’ve seen in times past. A career year by Murray benefited Romo and the Dallas offense in historical ways. 2014 was a one-year wonder for all parties involved. Expect reality to set in and the love-hate relationship with Romo to resume after a brief sabbatical.

district Tuesday asking it to “immediately investigate and take action to ensure there will be no further illegal religious events.” In the letter, the Religion Foundation mentioned its lawsuit against Emanuel County School District for similar practices. The group is seeking punitive and personal liability damages in the Emanuel County case. “We prefer to settle these matters cooperatively,” the letter reads before ending with a request to detail the steps the school district is taking to comply with the First Amendment,” said Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation. “I can’t remember another case like this,” said Gaylor. “It’s really misusing the authority of the coach to promote his personal religious agenda.” Those involved with the baptism have not hidden from it. The Villa Rica Touchdown Club posted the video to its Facebook page with the caption, “Share this with everyone! This should go viral!”

A video, posted by First Baptist Villa Rica, Georgia has spurred controversy after reports a coach and players were baptized on the field.

Photo Courtesy Religion News Service


ALYSSA LACOURSENews Editor

SYDNEY ILGEditor-in-chief

Autumn begins Sept. 8 when fans of Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte will get a new taste on fall: a pumpkin spice latte made with real pumpkin flavor and without caramel coloring. “After hearing from customers and partners about ingredients, we took another look at this beverage and why we created it so many years ago,” said Peter Dukes, director of Espresso and Brewed Coffee for Starbucks. “It was simple – espresso, perfectly steamed milk, warm fall spices with delicious flavor of pumpkin pie that reminds you of the cool, crisp days of autumn,” Dukes said. “It’s the pumpkin spice latte our customers have loved all along.” The beverage, which debuted in 2003, hit the market when pumpkin flavors were unpopular. “We first surveyed our customers [when] pumpkin scored right in the

middle of the pack,” Dukes said. “But the uniqueness of the [pumpkin] bev-erage was very high, and it caught our attention.” The pumpkin spice latte will be first available in U.S. and Canadian stores and will expand to more than 50 countries later this fall. Starbucks en-courages customers to follow the drink on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram for “TheRealPSL” to stay updated and provide feedback. Other drinks are seeing changes along with the revamped pumpkin spice latte. Canadian customers will have the option of substituting coco-nut milk for other dairy products in drinks. The changes come at the request of customers through MyStarbuck-sIdea.com. Innovations found through MyStarbucksIdea.com helped create over 170,000 ways to customize Star-bucks beverages. “We love to innovate and co-cre-ate with our partners and customers,” said Kevin Reid, director of Food and

Beverage at Starbucks Canada. “Our customers told us they want to be able to customize their Starbucks beverages with alternatives to dairy and soy milk,” Reid said. “In fact it is the second-most popular request of all time on MyStarbucksIdea.com.” Starbucks has stores in 63 countries, with more than 11,500 stores in the U.S. alone. Tulsa boasts more than a dozen of those locations with the newest addition in the Tulsa Central Library coming in the summer of 2016. Tulsa Central Library will be the first public library in the world to house a Starbucks. “Our customers have incredible ideas that we can bring to life in stores worldwide. We don’t know what the next big idea from our customers may be, but we’re thrilled to [keep] listening, engaging and making adjustments to improve the Starbucks experience for fans everywhere,” said Alex Wheeler, vice president of global digital market-ing for Starbucks.

Courtesy Photo

SCENE

Tiny budget travel tips

When you come to college, textbook rentals are expected and all-nighters are almost planned. But traveling on a college budget is a new, generally un-expected challenge. Rest assured, these small-budget trips can be exciting. Whether you’re driving, back-packing or flying, follow these essential tips and your $5-a-day budget can never go wrong.

SKIP THE HOTEL: BRING A TENT For new campers, this can be slightly terrifying. But a hotel stay of $100-plus versus an overnight camping stay of $13 is a no-brainer. If backwoods camping doesn’t sound ideal, many campsites have bathrooms and showers. Websites like FreeCampsites.net and KOA.com can help reduce costs associated with lodging and guide travelers to nearby sights.

BROWN BAG IT Americans spend an average of $12.75 per meal

Pumpkin spice latte recipe rewritten

eating out. By planning ahead, packing a cooler and cooking over a campfire, $8.75 of that total could be saved for more exciting endeavors, like bungee jump-ing or touring the Corvette factory.

PLAN AHEAD… A LITTLE Contrary to popular belief, cellphones don’t have a data connection all the time, especially when trips venture off the beaten path. Routing the road map and printing directions could save a horrible run-in with the middle-of-nowhere and an empty tank of gas. Sites like Roadtrippers.com list step-by-step directions and estimate the cost of fuel for trips while highlighting points of interest along the way.

LOVE YOUR VEHICLE Before a grand adventure, take the car to a mechanic for a general inspection including an oil change, tire pressure check and fluid check. A little love before will spare a run-in with AAA.

Illustration by Quentin Harrup


The concrete runwayRACHEL ANDERSON

Managing Editor

Clockwise from top right: Kaitlin Herlacher, Jaden Rodgers, Lauren Marie Wood and Caleb Carter show off their Friday chapel best.

Representing personal style wherever you go

A sidewalk is more than a path-way to get from point A to point B. Here at ORU, the sidewalk is your own personal runway. Every week the Oracle will feature looks seen on our very own concrete runways to com-memorate personal style and catalog the well-dressed people of ORU.

Cultural style on campus has significant and raw meaning hardly explained by just a glance. To further explore the styles sported by the 70-plus nations at ORU, stu-dents were given a chance to explain how it impacts their daily lives. “The culture pieces I wear are from the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said Emmanuel Bampende. “I wear them because they’re comfortable and remind me of where I’m from. It means a lot to me because I haven’t been there since I left all those years ago. Wearing my clothes brings me memories of my home country. To me American style is something [that] is whatever is popular at the time...and what’s in the media,” said Bampende. Students typically wear these styles to Chapel and Saga where students can see them. The con-trasting styles shown in Saga can cause quite a stir form the usual dress pants and jeans with collared shirts to Indian kurtas and African

Connecting CulturesSARAH YEARY

Contributing Writer

shirts with tribal elements. Bright colors usually depict the innate prints, and are complimented by different sheens or matte established cottons. “I like to wear my native material made into anything like pants, or dresses or skirts,” said Ama Aniekwu. “It is my culture and I am proud of it. Most of the pieces are colorful and have unique colors and textures. I like mixing the two, American and Nigerian style together. It has a nice effect. I feel like this is my heritage,” said Aniekwu. Jewelry is a prominent theme with bracelets from native countries lining wrists and adorning necks strapped with symbolic pieces. Indian sashes complement as accessories. “I wear [my kurta] when I run out of laundry, and [because it is] comfy,” said Samuel Prithiv. “It represents a people group from my country. It reminds [me] of friends, family, school and memories. American style is loud,” said Prithiv. Foreign students can enjoy making a lasting impression upon the student body by allowing their fashion pieces to tell a story about their homeland.

Photo by Wyatt BullardSamuel Prithiv dons traditional Indian clothing.

Photos by Choyce Hays


women wore suits. There were even notes available to the audience discussing the androgynity of the hula skirt, which was worn on both male and female models. Not all designers with mixed-gender elements claim an androgynous title. Michael Yip, designer of the men’s brand K’Yan Yip, blends the masculinity and strength of men with the romantic and sensual attributes of women. The collection centers around a black and grey theme with sheer fabrics and flared lines. Jonathan Anderson followed the same trend in his new collection Loewe, which is specifically designed for men. Loewe incorporates ideas taken from women’s clothing in regards to patterns and traditionally feminine silhouettes, but the main architecture is masculine. Alexandre Plokhov, a designer who creates pieces for both genders, also stresses his clothes are not unisex. Elements overlap in regards to the dark mood and fabrics, but the gender of the silhouettes remains distinguishable. Women have been stealing from the closets of men for decades. It’s not unusual to see women wearing pantsuits or shirtdresses with combat shoes and oversized sweaters. Katharine Hepburn shopped at a girls-only counter hidden in the back of New York City’s Brooks Brothers. In Jo Paoletti’s book,“Sex and Unisex: Fashion, Feminism, and the Sexual Revolution,” Paoletti said, “The difference between avant-garde unisex and the later version is the distinction between boundary-defying designs, often modeled by androgynous-looking models, and a less threatening variation, worn by attractive heterosexual couples.” It was frowned upon for women

to wear anything masculine in the early 20th century. It wasn’t until the start of World War I in 1914 when women adopted their husband’s trousers as work uniforms, taking on the intensive jobs their men left behind. It took another 15 years for women to wear pants in public as a stylistic choice.

Top left: Baja East presents clothes with ambiougous silhouettes chan-neling masculinity and feminity. Left: Threesafour uses the color indigo as a complimentary, gender-neutral hue in its fall en-semble for both men and women. Top: Alexandre Plokhov shows off his fall 2015 collection in a piece similar to a space-age jumpsuit.Above: The K’Yan Yip fall 2015 men’s collection keeps the tradi-tional masculinity of men’s clothes while adding feminine attributes.

Internet Photos

“Is that a woman? Nope, it’s a man in a tunic shirt wearing skinny jeans.” This scenario is becoming an increasing reality each passing day in society due to the uprising of gender-neutral clothing. Designers all over the world jumped onto the unisex bandwagon and produced enough gender-fluid labels to make an impact on both the cat walk and high streets of New York. This fall will be filled with gender-neutral designs taking shape in Christian Dior’s astronaut jumpsuits, Gucci’s menswear silk, satin shirts with scarfs and in Schaparelli’s three-piece suits for women. “Against a backdrop of increasing gender fluidity, we are seeing a rise in a unisex or co-ed mode of dress,” said Judd Crane, director of women’s wear and accessories at Selfridges, in an interview with Vogue. “Clothes are becoming trans-seasonal and lines are rapidly starting to blur.” Designers Vetements, Maison Margiela and Michael Kors sewed elements of unisex into their fall and spring collections as well. Still other designers took an even broader leap and designed entire collections around gender-neutral garments modeled by both men and women. One such brand was Baja East, a brand who doesn’t bother with gender distinction in its designs. Baja East is less than two years old, but has become successful enough to make it onto the Resort 2016 watch list. Oak, designed by Louis Terline and Jeff Madalena, features edgier looks than Baja East and focuses on looser fits, longer lines and a classic, romantic look for men and women. Designer Vivienne Westwood titled her fall 2015 collection “Unisex.” Men wore dresses, and

Gender neutral clothes storm the runwayRACHEL ANDERSON

Managing Editor


Honor Code Chapel always receives mixed reviews. Some students find it archaeic and stifling, while others respect and admire the higher standard they are held to by the Honor Code. The university has made many changes to accommodate grumbling students, but the Honor Code holds us to a higher standard than our peers and asks that we live lives of discipline.

#twapel talks

MUSE

The truly unfiltered voice of ORU lies within one of the world’s most popular social media sites. Started a few years ago, the #twapel hashtag has become synon-ymous with chapel services as students use it to com-municate their feelings on messages, school policies and the services themselves. Since its founding, #twapel has received thousands of tweets and became a trending

SYDNEY ILGEditor-in-Chief

topic on Twitter. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes scalding and always honest, #twapel is the unadultered view of the student body. Throughout the year, the Oracle will be scrolling through #twapel to find the true feelings of the student body, researching those feelings and attempting to produce solutions. Happy tweeting.

The new freshman curfew has brought a slew of new circumstances to campus. RAs are expected to perform freshman check-in every night at 1:00 a.m., and commuters are not allowed to enter campus or stay in the dorms past 1:00 a.m.

#twapel views of Shaneen Clarke were generally favorable. Students seemed to value her blunt honesty and humor.

The lack of school spirit at sporting events has long been discussed among students. Per-haps greater recognition and encouragement from the pulpit and chants during chapel will help make passionate school spirit a reality.

Cover illustration by Quentin Harrup and Wyatt Bullard


Gender roles don’t equal gender stereotypesRACHEL FRAZERContributing Writer

Target’s headquarters announced earlier this month it will eliminate gender-based signs and wallpaper from its stores. The decision gained attention from national news outlets and influ-ential family bloggers, raising issues which affect parents and, ultimately, the nation’s societal and political future. Target’s changes mostly affect its children’s departments. While boys’ and girls’ clothing sections will not see any changes, childrens’ toy and home goods aisles will look different in the coming year. Pink and blue wallpapers backing toy aisles will disappear, and bedding will no longer fall under “boys” and “girls” signs. A handful of parents publicly ex-pressed happiness their children would no longer face stereotypes while shop-ping. One mother tweeted an image of a sign advertising building sets—and another of “girls” building sets, claim-

ing the signs told her children “boys are normative, and girls are other.” Mean-while, more parents voiced their disap-pointment in Target and felt concerned their children would face confusion as they grow into their natural, biological role as a woman or man. One father blogged, “Boys and girls are different and distinct from one another in com-plex, concrete and important ways.” So who’s right? There is a vague, yet crucial, differ-ence between a gender role and gender stereotype. A gender role is the identity God naturally gives a person when they are created; their chemical makeup, instincts and spiritual callings point to this. Naturally, girls feel more empa-thetic and nurturing, while boys feel more logical and protective. A gender stereotype is a societal idea where a generalization must fit all parties of a collective group. Gender roles are the reason young

girls frequently prefer playing with dolls and toy kitchens, while young boys typically prefer building blocks and superheroes. Gender stereotypes imply young girls should not play with blocks, and young boys should not learn to cook, since it is not their gender role. Gender roles are crucial for healthy child-hood development. Gender identity typically begins to develop by age two, when young children notice key traits including the way they are dressed, the toys they are given and the books they read. As they grow older, they learn to express gender on their own. They want to dress themselves, be responsible for their social behavior and initiate their own relationships. Children will eventually begin to

adopt more specific elements of their identities and choose a career. These choices are inspired, in some part, by gender identity. For this reason, parents should carefully inspect the behaviors and ideas to which their young children are exposed. Changes in societal structures have lasting impact on the nation.

As a Member College, ORU Students receive free admission with your valid student ID every day at both Philbrook locations.

philbrook.orgPhilbrook2727 South Rockford RoadTulsa, OK 74114

Philbrook Downtown116 E. M.B. Brady St. Tulsa, OK 74103







Illustration by Gerald Brown


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