The host of “NOVA Science Now” will speak as part of the College of Education’s Cathey Simmons Humphreys Lecture Series on Feb. 20.

David Pogue will dis-cuss Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, Education, said Christine Frank, director of communications and events coordinator for the College of Education.

“STEM education is important for the U.S. in order to improve economic prosperity and remain com-petitive in world markets,” Frank said.

The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. in Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Meacham Auditorium, according to the press release.

Pogue covers consumer technology for Yahoo and is also a technology correspondent on CBS on Sunday Morning. He also wrote for the New York Times as well as for the Scienti� c American, accord-ing to a press release.

Caitlin Schachter,Campus Reporter

W W W . O U D A I L Y . C O M 2 0 1 3 P A C E M A K E R F I N A L I S T

T H U R S D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 6 , 2 0 14

� e University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

ESCAPE: Learn how to make a beautiful piece of artwork by picking up this week’s edition. (Inside)

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INSIDE TODAYCampus......................2

Classi f ieds................3

L i fe&Ar ts.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Opinion.....................4

Spor ts.......................3

Opinion: Gov. Mary Fallin needs to devote state funding to higher education. (Page 4)

L&A: Short attention span? Check out these 30-second plays written and performed by OU students. (Online)

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

SGA president resignsATHLETICS

Sooner Nation welcomes new recruits to OU

JOE MUSSATTOAssistant Sports Editor

The college football recruiting whirlwind suddenly stopped swirling with rumors on Wednesday as the top high school prospects from around the country signed their national letters of intent.

Feelings of relief and satisfaction radiated from the Oklahoma coaching staff as it addressed the media fol-lowing the busy morning. Barring any unforeseen late signees, the Sooners will add 26 newcomers to next year’s roster.

The class features several top-10 nationally ranked prospects: No. 1 running back Joe Mixon, No. 4 wide re-ceiver Michiah Quick, No. 5 safety Steven Parker and No. 6 quarterback Justice Hansen, according to Rivals.com.

“I believe it’s one of the better recruiting classes we’ve had through the years,” Stoops said. “It’s hard to compare when you’re looking at 15 years of doing it, but I feel this ranks up there with any of them.”

Stoops stressed the national presence the OU program has within the college football landscape and the oppor-tunity it allows himself and his staff to widen their recruit-ing trails.

The incoming freshman and junior college athletes come from across the nation, representing 11 states.

With five signees from California, including Mixon and Quick, the staff continues to have a foothold in the West that began with coach Barry Switzer.

“When you look at the success the players from California have had here, I think it makes a difference,” Stoops said. “Players recognize that and recognize the op-portunity as a positive one.”

Stoops said recruiting is all about connecting with players, and as tactics constantly change, running backs coach and director of recruiting Cale Gundy said the staff is concentrating much harder on social media.

With each commitment the Sooners received during the process, Stoops tweeted “BOOM” followed by the prospect’s area code.

“Times have changed, and if you are not willing to adapt, you will get left behind,” Gundy said. “We’ve all

MIKE BRESTOVANSKYCampus Reporter

Student-athletes are performing better in the class-room than they have in the past, achieving an average fall GPA above 3.0 for the first time ever.

To be eligible to compete, athletes must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher. For fall 2013, the average GPA among all stu-dent-athletes was 3.01, OU President David Boren said at the OU Board of Regents meeting Wednesday.

The new GPA is up from 2.98 in fall 2011, according to The Daily’s archives.

Additionally, 318 of the current 542 athletes earned the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, meaning they achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher, said Pete Moris, assistant athletics director of communication.

“These recent statistics help illustrate the achievements of our student-athletes in the classroom,” Moris said. “No doubt, their hard work and their ability to utilize the many resources available to them are the principle reasons for these record-setting numbers.”

Moris added that while the term GPA is a record high,

26 athletes from 11 states sign national letters of intent to join next years roster

Athletes set new records, standardsIncrease in classroom performance leads to higher grade point averages

ALEX NIBLETTAssistant Campus Editor

Student Government Association President Ernest Ezeugo resigned from his 2013-2014 presidential term Wednesday, citing unforeseen person-al circumstances.

Ezeugo and his vice president, Madeline Grunewald, came into of-fice with a mission to unite the student body in the fight against increased costs of higher education and increase the responsiveness and transparen-cy of the student government, things

Ezeugo said he’s proud to have seen accomplished during his term.

“My biggest goal was to, in some way, shape or form, increase scholarship revenue, whether it was creating a scholarship or adding money into a scholar-ship that wouldn’t have normally been there,” Ezeugo said.

One of his proudest moments while pres-ident was when SGA added $500,000 to the student government fund, allowing more scholarship opportunities for students.

“I’m definitely very sad that this is how my official journey with SGA will have to end, but I’m grateful that I had this opportunity for myself and those around me,” Ezeugo said.

Ezeugo is confident Grunewald will be a successful president and believes the SGA will continue serving the stu-dent body to the best of its ability. He said he does not plan to run for the SGA presidency in the future, but he is thankful for the experience.

“We respect Ernest’s decision and I appreciate the positive leadership he has provided during his service as SGA president,” OU President David Boren

WRESTLING

JACQUELINE EBY/THE DAILY

Senior Kendric Maple takes his opponent from Missouri to the mat Thursday night at McCastland Field House. The Sooners fell to the Tigers 18-15. (See page 3 for a wrestling preview)

OU looks to rebound against West Virginia

Prominent writer, host to speak at the College of Education’s lecture series

SPEAKER

SEE SIGNING PAGE 2

SEE GPA PAGE 2

Vice president confirmed as new president until May

ERNEST EZEUGO

PHOTO PROVIDED

David Pogue, the host of NOVA Science Now poses for a photo. Pogue will speak as part of the College of Education’s Cathey Simmons Humphreys Lecture Series on Feb. 20.

SEE SGA PAGE 2

the average of all student athletes’ cu-mulative GPAs was also at its highest, 3.06. This marks a .05 increase from the cumulative GPA for 2013’s spring semester.

The Athletic Department’s class at-tendance policy, as well as coaches

holding students accountable, con-tributed to the higher GPAs, Moris said.

Based on the new numbers, Boren said OU is becoming a leader in aca-demics and athletics, similar to Duke University and Stanford University.

“I want us to be number one in aca-demics and athletics both,” Boren said.

Mike Brestovansky, mcbrestov@gmail.com

Well, I really felt strongly that God wanted me to make this album and that’s why I did it. Of course I had my own rea-sons, you know I liked doing it and all

that, but I really felt strongly about that. It’s taken me about two years to do, and I did it at a number of different places because the money and time and availability. I’ve been a full-time student and work-ing while I’ve been doing this. So it’s taken me quite a while to actually get it all together.

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� e Oklahoma Daily is a product of OU Student Media. Student Media is a department within OU’s division of Student A� airs. � e University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

Lovelines are back!

The Oklahoma Daily is a product of OU Student Media. OU Student Media is a department within OU’s division of Student Affairs. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

Send a message to your sweetheart (or friend)

Email your FREE message(s) by midnight, February 7, to

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See them inside The Oklahoma Daily on February 12!

Paighten Harkins, campus editor Alex Niblett, assistant editor

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

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

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

Social work senior and musician Jeffrey Rothman has just finished a two-year long project to record his debut album “The Testimonium.” Life & Arts

reporter Sarah Pitts sat down with Rothman to talk about his music, the album, and Rothman’s unique religious philosophy.

About three years ago. I was just inter-ested in learning music generally, and I started taking guitar lessons at that time. I had several dreams, which turned me in

the direction of songwriting.

My guitar teacher here in Norman, and a lot of my friends have helped me out on other instruments, and the album as a whole was mixed and mastered here

in Norman by Chris Harris at Hook Echo studios. Chris brought it all together and made into one co-hesive work of art.

I came here freshman year, then I lived in a Zen monastery for six months. I went to a community college then came back. So I took about a year off. That had a re-

ally profound effect on my life and my views on re-ligion and spirituality.

This album is pretty much a spiritual album. The whole album is an artistic expression of my experiences of com-muning with God.

I’ll be opening for Buffalo Rider at Second Wind on Feb. 7 and I’ll be play-ing at Grey Owl Feb. 8 at 9 p.m.

Well, I would say, you can get them on my website jeffreyrothman.band-camp.com and also on iTunes. If some-one wants a physical copy they can con-

tact me through my website jeffreyrothman.net by using the contact link.

How has your religious philosophy influenced your music?

Have you always been at OU?

Do you have any upcoming shows?

When did you first start experimenting with music?

What led you to record and release your own album?

Who has helped you the most?

How can people buy your album?

Q:Q:

Q:

Q:

Q: Q:Q:

a:

q&A

Local musician gives us ‘the skinny’

a:

a:

a:

a: a:a:

Photo Provided

Jeff Rothman, social work senior and musician, just released his debut album “The Testimonium.” Rothman said the whole album is an artistic expression of his experiences of communing with God.

Sarah PittS • L&a rePorter

really jumped in and went full speed ahead with so-cial media, and you just have to do it. It’s how you communicate.”

Following Oklahoma’s 45-31 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, the program enjoyed a significant spike of interest from prospects around the nation. Mixon committed two days after the game and immediate-ly began his own recruiting duties.

The five-star running back reached out on Twitter to several other OU targets, try-ing to round up as many to

Norman as possible.T h e p o s t s e a s o n w i n

and the shift toward pros-pects committing later and later in the process helped Oklahoma bolster its class in last-minute fashion.

“Part of that is that we’re a little more national than some schools,” co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said. “We closed this year ex-tremely well and that’s a trib-ute to the coaches that have been recruiting those guys.”

According to Rivals.com, the Sooners earned the No. 1 class in the Big 12 and will likely finish among the na-tion’s top 15.

Joe Mussatto jmussatto@ou.edu

Jacqueline eby/the daily

Head Football coach Bob Stoops addresses the media during press conference announcing the newest football recruits to the Sooner football team Wednesday afternoon in the Barry Switzer Center’s Adrian Peterson Room.

Signing: Success attributed to social mediaContinued from page 1

said.Grunewald has assumed the presidency in accordance

with the SGA Code Annotated and will be the SGA pres-ident for the remainder of the term that concludes at the end of April, when a new president and vice president will take office for the 2014-2015 year.

Grunewald said even though Ezeugo’s resignation was surprising and saddening, she is grateful to have worked with him.

“The things that he has done and the people that he has inspired will carry on what he started and I have no doubt we’ll prevail,” Grunewald said.

Grunewald said she is fully dedicated to improving the student experience and advocating for the students to the best of her ability and she looks forward to becoming the new SGA president.

“The time for being afraid of wanting to do something big, the time of being worried about failure and stuff… that time has passed, and I hope that’s the legacy that Madeline and the SGA will continue,” Ezeugo said. “We don’t get elected to be worried about what is possible — we get elected to do what we can.”

The vacant vice president position needs to be filled. Applications for the vice presidency will be available from Friday, Feb. 7, through Thursday, Feb. 13. Any OU student, part-time or full-time, can apply.

Alex Niblett, alexandra.g.niblett@ou.edu

SgA: Vice president applications out Friday, due Feb. 13Continued from page 1

gPA: Attendance policy, accountability factorsContinued from page 1

BY THE NUMBERSAthletes’ gPAs

3.01 The overall fall 2013 GPA of athletes

56 of 516 student-athletes with 4.0 GPAs

Source: Documents obtained by The Daily

2 • Thursday, February 6, 2014

1111

www.forbetterlife.org

Eats flies. Dates a pig. Hollywood star. LIVE YOUR DREAMS Pass It On.

™ &

© 2

003

The

Jim

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CLASSIFIEDS

PLACE AN ADPhone: 405-325-2521E-mail: classifi eds@ou.edu

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

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DEADLINES

HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2012, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014

Size up your situation and fi gure out what you want. Do not slow down until you reach your goal. Use your desire and determination to get started, and the rest will fall into place. Stay focused and strive for the success you’ve been searching for.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Investments will pay off. Fixing up something you want to sell will add to its value and give you a seller’s advantage. Don’t worry about pleasing everyone. Do what’s best for you.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Participate in community events to develop new friendships. A journey that takes you somewhere mentally, spiritually or physically will be enlightening. Strive for perfection.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Discuss your plans with someone you respect or trust and you will fi nd a way to make your dreams come true. Concentrate on what’s important; taking on too much will deter progress.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Review your personal situation and consider how you can make an important relationship better. Special plans will help bring you closer to the one you love.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Look for ways to get ahead and come up with a plan. Lady Luck is in your corner so take advantage of a moneymaking endeavor. A contribution will raise your profi le.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Participate in something in order to

make interesting connections. Trips will prove eye-opening and adventurous. Friends will help bring greater clarity to a situation that you’ve been questioning.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Don’t make unrealistic gestures. Think twice before you retaliate. Make sure you have the correct facts. Focus on what’s important and what will help you get ahead.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Mixing and mingling will bring you satisfaction and greater confi dence. Your social attributes will put you in a good position, resulting in popularity. Take advantage of an opportunity.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Invest in your skills, talent and knowledge, and you will raise your profi le. Instigate a move and make decisions that will allow you greater freedom to explore avenues of interest.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Emotions will escalate if you have ignored a situation that can affect your personal life. Don’t overreact when stability is required. Put your energy into physical rather than mental encounters.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Throw a creative slant into the mix when it comes to your work, and you will outshine any competition you encounter. Make a purchase that will grow in value. Invest in yourself.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Social events should also broaden your outlook and bring you in contact with interesting people. You will gain popularity through your ability to please others. Love is highlighted and romance encouraged.

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 Company

supplying Mr. Coyote

5 Camp body of water

9 Where Minos reigned

14 Violin holder 15 Distinctive

flair 16 “Correct-a-

mundo!” 17 Marching

orders 20 Scratchy

board 21 “Don’t be

ridiculous!” 22 Most nimble 25 Droid cousin 26 Charles is

its prince 28 Formal legal

document 32 Sinister,

manipulative type

37 Fancy mayo 38 Trek to

a lofty lookout point

41 Turn away 42 Happy

occasion? 43 Carpenter’s

groove 44 Lambaste 46 “___ guy

walks into ...” (joke start)

47 Mexican peninsula

53 Home of Stanford University

58 Spoken thought, onstage

59 Critters with powerful jaws

62 Throat affliction

63 Wing-shaped

64 Budget item, often

65 Rough Rider Roosevelt

66 Philadelphia founder

67 Doggie bag morsels

DOWN 1 ___ and

pains 2 Fall guy 3 Top of the

Catholic Church?

4 Jotting in a journal

5 Zodiac lion 6 Computer

key 7 Actress

Madeline 8 Get dressed

for choir 9 Wave top 10 Rampant 11 Harold’s role

in “Ghost-busters”

12 Conse-quently

13 French 101 word

18 Forked letter 19 Adam’s

grandson 23 Cashless

transaction 24 Coin of

Samoa 27 Neither-

here-nor-there state

28 ___ all due respect

29 Place for a pothole

30 Trojan princess of a Mozart opera

31 Minuscule 32 Herringlike

food fish 33 “___ Las

Vegas” (1964 Elvis movie)

34 ___ out a living (barely got by)

35 Seneca tutored him

36 Type of reaction

37 Wee colonial 39 Like

mechanics’ hands

40 Language in Pakistan

44 One-man band perfor-mances

45 Short siesta 46 Overly

sentimental 48 It’s tired? 49 Texan with

a glove 50 Wall worker 51 Make ___ in

(show some headway)

52 Tree houses 53 Sibilant

attention getter

54 Poker dealer’s demand

55 Edible fat 56 Newspaper

section 57 Gaze

wantonly 60 Process

leather 61 Mantel

pitcher

Universal CrosswordEdited by Timothy E. Parker February 6, 2014

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2014 Universal Uclickwww.upuzzles.com

MANNING THE OFFENSE By Mary Jersey2/6

2/5

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

UNIVERSITY THEATREHELMERICH SCHOOL OF DRAMA

8 pm Feb. 5-83 pm Feb. 9

Weitzenhoffer Theatre, Rated RFine Arts Box Office (405) 325-4101

CLYBOURNEPA K

by

Bruce Norris

2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy

R

NOTICE OF PUBLIC ACCESS During the

Regular Meeting Of

The University of OklahomaPUBLICATIONS BOARD

9:30 a.m. Friday Copeland 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.

SpenSer DaviSWrestling Beat Reporter

The Oklahoma wrestling team is headed to Morgantown to battle the West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday night, a dual they desperately need to win.

West Virginia is unranked on the season and will be a heavy underdog going into the match, as they have suf-fered losses to Virginia, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Pittsburg. Their defeats to the Cowboys and the Panthers have been especially lopsided, losing by a combined score of 66-12 in those bouts.

Oklahoma is coming off of a heartbreaking loss at the hands of the Missouri Tigers on their home mat, a dual that saw them waste a three point lead with two matches remaining. The Sooners are likely to come out with a bit of anger after losing on senior night to a former conference foe.

For Oklahoma, this will be the last dual before Bedlam on Feb. 9th. After that, the Sooners will have nation-al duals in Columbus, Ohio and the Big 12 Championship in Norman to get prepared for the NCAA Championship in Oklahoma City.

Seniors Nick Lester, Travis Rutt and Kendric Maple will be especially eager to rebound for the Sooners, as they all dropped their dual last Thursday against the Tigers. Another senior, Jarrod Patterson, missed the bout with Missouri with an injury and it is unclear whether he’ll par-ticipate against the Mountaineers. However, Patterson has been practicing and is expected back at some point this season.

Two bright spots for Oklahoma were senior Andrew Howe and sophomore Cody Brewer. The Sooners will need both to shine again in order to get back in the win column at West Virginia.

Howe will also be wrestling as an official finalist for the Hodge trophy, given to the most outstanding college wres-tler each year. The winner will be announced in the week following the NCAA championship, slated for March 20-22.

Oklahoma’s dual against West Virginia is set to start at 6 p.m. on Feb. 6.

Spenser Davis davis.spenser@yahoo.com

Wrestling

Oklahoma prepares to take on underdog WVU After a close loss against Missouri, this is a must-win dual for Sooners

PLAYER PROFILEKendric MapleYear: Senior

Statistics: 14 tech falls, 27 major decisions, 25 pins

Jacqueline ebY/the dailY

Junior Justin DeAngelis moves to attack his opponet from Missouri to the mat Thursday night at McCasland Field House. The Sooners fell to the Tigers 18-15, and are hoping to rebound against WVU.

Julia Nelson, sports editorJoe Mussatto, assistant editor

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

Thursday, February 6, 2013 • 3

Sell Your Carin the CLASSIFIEDS

For Sale

MISC. FOR SALEPearl Brand Xylophone with carry case, shoulder strap, stand, and 2 pr. sticks. Used. Will take $50. jrouse@ou.edu. phone: 405-535-2568.

TransportationC

AUTO INSURANCE

Auto InsuranceQuotations AnytimeForeign Students Welcomed

JIM HOLMES INSURANCE, 321-4664

Services

MISC. SERVICESRetired business/IT instructor will type resumes, research papers, thesis/disser-tations, etc. for spring semester. $6/page. Please email cerskip1@pldi.net or call 664-4179.

HELP WANTEDBusy law firm needing dependable part-time person for phones, filing, scanning and more. Email resume to ssieber@hall-manlawoffice.com

$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

Housing RentalsJ

DUPLEXES UNFURNISHED$540/mo! Walk to OU! 2bd, 2 blocks from Sarkey’s Energy Center. Carpet, blinds, NEW CH/A, appliances, W/D: Call 203-3493

Feb. 6 - 9

This University in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment,

fi nancial aid and educational services. For accommodations on the basis of disability, please contact the sponsoring department of any program or event.

Friday, Feb. 7

Intramural 4v4 Volleyball | Huston Huffman Center. Volleyball matches will begin, but it is not too late to sign up a team. Late entries are taken, just contact dewhirst@ou.edu.

FREE Movie: ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ | 7 & 10 p.m. in Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Though Katniss and Peta have safely returned home from the 74th annual hunger games, they must not get too comfortable because the The Quarter Quell is approaching quickly. Watch the FREE screenings at 7 & 10 p.m. before this movie is available on Blu-Ray/DVD. Presented by Campus Activities Council and The Union Programming Board.

UPB’s Soda Pop Shoppe | 7 p.m. in the Will Rogers Food Court, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Come enjoy a night of engaging trivia, great prizes, and of course the best (FREE) Coke floats in Norman. Presented by the Union Programming Board, upb.ou.edu.

Thursday, Feb. 6

Intramural Update: Racquetball Entries | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Huston Huffman Center Front Desk. $1/participant, FREE if living in university housing. Event date is February 7-9. Contact Jonathan Dewhirst, (405) 325-6755, for more information.

FREE Coke Floats | 11:30 a.m. First Floor Lobby, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Stop by the first floor lobby to enjoy a FREE Coke Float, courtesy of the Union Programming Board. Supplies are limited.

Sutton Lecture Series: “Humanizing Science: Lessons learned from artists” by Jamie Gillooly | 7 p.m. at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. Gillooly shares his experiences as a scientist during his year in an art department, and discusses the many things he has learned about science from this experience. Listen as Gillooly delves into successful collaborations among artists and scientists in the laboratory, studio, and classroom. Reception to follow lecture. Complimentary admission. www.SamNobleMuseum.org

Clybourne Park | 8 p.m. in the Weitzenhoffer Theatre. University Theatre presents CLYBOURNE PARK. This wickedly funny and fiercely provocative play about race, real estate and the volatile values of each won nearly every honor the theatre has to give, including the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play, 2011 Olivier Award and the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A must-see production! Rated R. Additional showings held Feb. 7 & 8. For more information, please contact Fine Arts Box Office, sbent@ou.edu 405-325-4101.

Saturday, Feb. 8

Opening Reception: Ramp it Up! Skateboard Culture in Native America | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. The opening of this exhibit will include a public opening reception in partnership with the Jacobson House Native Art Center which will include family-friendly activities, a live paint by three Native artists and a silent auction. The museum will provide complimentary admission Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9. Sponsored by Love’s. www.SamNobleMuseum.org

Women’s Tennis vs Illinois | 11 a.m. at Greg Wadley Indoor Tennis Center. FREE admission. No matter the weather come and watch the OU Women’s Tennis team play a ranked Illinois team indoors!

Men’s Gymnastics vs Stanford | 5 p.m. at McCasland Field House. This is a HUGE home meet for the #1 Sooners as they host #3 Stanford. They need all the support they can get, so come out, get loud, and cheer them on to victory!

Men’s Basketball vs Baylor | 6 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center. The high-octane Sooner Men’s Basketball team hosts a Baylor team that is out for revenge after the Sooners won in Waco earlier this season. Help the Sooners sweep the season series here at home!

FREE Movie: ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ | 7 & 10 p.m. in Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Though Katniss and Peta have safely returned home from the 74th annual hunger games, they must not get too comfortable, because the The Quarter Quell is approaching quickly. Watch the FREE screenings at 7 & 10 p.m. before this movie is available on Blu-Ray/DVD. Presented by Campus Activities Council and The Union Programming Board.

Pink & Black Ball | 8 p.m. – midnight in the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom, Oklahoma Memorial Union. The Pink & Black Ball is an alcohol-free semi-formal benefit to raise money for breast health awareness programming at The University of Oklahoma. This event aims to raise campus awareness of breast cancer while gathering students, faculty, and staff at a fun community event. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door; all proceeds go to the Women’s Outreach Center’s breast health education programs. There will also be raffles for prizes including a Bob Stoops signed OU football, personal training sessions at Huston Huffman, restaurant gift certificates, and a spa day. Contact the Women’s Outreach Center for more info, 405-325-4929.

Sunday, Feb. 9

Women’s Gymnastics vs LSU | 1:45 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center. Both gymnastics teams are hosting a Top 5 opponent this weekend, and Sunday is the Ladies turn as they host LSU! They love it loud in the Lloyd Noble Center, and this meet is a chance to put a statement on our season!

OU Symphony Orchestra | 3 p.m. at Sharp Concert Hall.

Matinee Showing: Clybourne Park | 3 p.m. in the Weitzenhoffer Theatre. For more information, please contact Fine Arts Box Office, sbent@ou.edu 405-325-4101.

The Other Film Club – “Troll 2” and “Best Worst Movie” | 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 pm in Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Come to a FREE screening of one of the “worst films ever made” and the documentary about making that film. For questions about the event or The Other Film Club, contact Julie LaBar at labar@ou.edu.

HuffmanSa

hursd

Intramu

Thu

each Center for

Kaitlyn Underwood, opinion editorRachel Montgomery, assistant editor

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

4 • Thursday, February 6, 2014

editorial

Our view: Gov. Mary Fallin needs to invest in higher education rather than short term projects.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin delivered her State of the State address Monday and released her 2014 execu-tive budget, and, unsurprisingly, some of her proposals have left us shaking

our heads in disbelief. The budget doesn’t

mention higher ed-ucation funding and calls for reducing the top individual income tax rate even further. The state will lose an

estimated $40.7 million this year be-cause of the tax cut, according to the budget. We don’t quite see the logic behind voluntarily foregoing tax dol-lars when Oklahoma already has low income tax rates; the highest income tax rate for Oklahomans was a mere 5.25 percent in 2012.

The national average income tax rate for all taxpayers was about 11 percent in 2009, according to the Tax Foundation’s website.

But don’t worry; a staggering $10 million will be allocated to make sure the Capitol is renovated. So in Fallin’s

budget, she refused to mention high-er education funding, is lobbying to reduce the size of the overall budget through tax cuts, yet still wants to throw state money at a pet project.

Over and over, Fallin has made outlandish decisions that show her priorities lay somewhere other than enhancing the wellbeing of Oklahomans. Her recent executive order banning electronic cigarettes on state property and refusal to back common-sense legislation to construct storm shelters in public schools come to mind.

Unfortunately, Fallin’s disregard for higher education funding is not unique. Oklahoma’s government has developed a dangerous trend of slashing education funding every year. In 1988, about 74 percent of higher ed-ucation’s budget came from state ap-propriations in 1988, a number which has dropped to 38.7 percent this year, according to a Tulsa World graphic

Fallin’s failure to mention higher education funding in the executive budget is ironic because in her accom-panying speech, she spoke of the need to produce more Oklahoma college graduates, especially in math and sci-ence related fields.

However, her decision to ignore higher education funding means Oklahoma colleges will be forced to rely even more on tuition, probably by raising the cost for students. That means many Oklahoma students may not be able to afford to go to college in their own state.

OU President David Boren also dis-agrees with Fallin’s lack of focus on higher education funding. “Failure to adequately support higher edu-cation and all of education will dis-courage the creation of new jobs and

investments in our state. Investors are looking for a highly educated and trained work force. It is a tragic mistake to invest less per student in education than is being invested in surrounding states,” Boren said.

Shutting the door to students be-cause you’d rather have a shiny re-decorated Capitol than fund higher education is not the sort of governance Oklahoma deserves.

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Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin greets legislators as she enters the Oklahoma House to present her State of the State address in Oklahoma City, on Monday. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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Fallin needs to re-evaluate priorities