Author: Jessica Zimmerman

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The Rufneks and the Red River Showdown!

It’s that time of year again – Texas Hate Week! The iconic Red River Showdown is just around the corner. Thousands of fans are preparing to make the journey to Dallas, Texas to cheer the Sooners to another victory against the Longhorns. 

It sort of feels like any other week, but campus is getting ready for the rivalry. Many professors have canceled classes for Friday. Just to the west of the library, a group of ten or so Rufneks and Lil’ Sis are standing guard over the freshly-painted list of all the years we have beat Texas. 

It’s a favorite tradition of the group.

“Sunday night before every OU/Texas since 1983…Rufneks paint it…then the Lil’ Sis come and fix it up Monday.”

It’s Monday afternoon, and the paint is already dry, but the group is still watching over their masterpiece. The chairs are not enough to protect it – this is the route some of the vending trucks take. One Rufnek told me about the year they had the battle with a Coca-Cola truck to keep it from driving over the sign before the game. 

Not all the Rufneks will be on the field on Saturday, but for the ones who are, it will be a highlight of their career. However, driving the schooner is not without responsibility. One of the guys told me it is both exciting and stressful. 

“The drivers get to sleep with the ponies,” they explained. “At the fairgrounds, they have this barn where they keep a bunch of animals…we keep Boomer and Sonner in a stable near them.”

The most important part, however, is standing guard all night to make sure the Texas fans don’t try anything. 

The University of Texas has its own version of the Rufneks called the Silver Spurs. They are the official caretakers of Bevo the longhorn. In keeping with the OU/Texas spirit, there is a long-standing rivalry between the Rufneks and the Spurs. 

“The presidents of each club have a bet going on. Whoever loses has to get their head shaved by the other team’s president. And they get $1500 to the charity of their choice.”

In the past, there have been other pranks as well. 

“Before any of us were here, twenty or thirty years ago, Rufneks would mess with the lock on Bevo’s trailer.”

The group talked over each other trying to recount the tale, but I got the just of the story.

“They would lock Beevo out of his own trailer.”

Another favorite Rufnek tradition is taking the home field advantage down to Dallas. Even though the stadium is halfway between Austin and Norman, it is still deep in the heart of Texas. In years when Texas wins, the site does not exactly feel neutral. To balance this out, the Rufneks like to bring some of Norman with them to the game.

“The home game before Texas, we take empty shotgun shells and put grass from our football field in them.” The Rufneks bring these shells to the Cotton Bowl to give the Sooners the “home field advantage”. 

The other important Sooner advantage comes from the fans. I asked the Rufneks what our team needs from fans this year.

“The good old classic Texas and Oklahoma rivalry support,” they replied. “OU fans to be themselves, long story short.”

Whether you’re watching from Norman or traveling to Dallas, cheer loud, be yourself, and get ready for some Sooner Magic!

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Boomer Biker

Kaylee Wimberly does not have to walk thirty minutes across campus as many freshmen do. Instead, she rides her bike. From bike lanes to bike lockers, Kaylee told me all about having a bike on campus.

Kaylee did not originally bring her bike to campus, but after a few twenty-five minute hikes in the hundred-degree weather, Kaylee had her mom bring one of her bikes down to Norman. Luckily she left the orange one at home. 

Since she had already been on campus for a couple of weeks, Kaylee was well aware of how often bike theft occurs on campus. 

“I was so stressed I literally talked to a police officer,” Kaylee recounted. 

When he told her she might as well take her bike back home, it did not reassure her very much. So far, though, Kaylee’s bike has stayed safe and sound.

“I got a bike locker, and it makes me feel more secure.” 

What exactly is a bike locker?

“Those green dingy looking things outside the residence halls. It does not feel secure, but this is better than having it out tied to a rack.”

When we made it over to the bike lockers, the dismantled bike on the rack nearby could attest to this. 

Before she could get her bike locker, Kaylee had to register her bike.

“I had to know so much info about my bike. Serial number, color, brand, model, size of the wheels…”

So there is a learning curve to having a bike on campus. Another example of this is when Kaylee could not find a bike rack for her class in Wagner Hall.

“I tied it to a tree a couple times. Then I realized that was illegal.”

Luckily, her bike did not get picked up by the police, and now she just ties it to the rack at the union. 

Kaylee has not had any dangerous incidents on her bike yet. When she first started riding around campus, she was scared of running over people. Now, she admits, she has become a little ruthless. People shouldn’t walk in the bike lane. Luckily, when it comes to the scooters and skateboards she shares the bike lane with, everyone is pretty respectful. 

However, the closest calls Kaylee has had on her bike have been with the infamous campus squirrels. They are even worse than confused freshmen when it comes to getting out of the way. 

“One time this squirrel actually got closer to me. I’m slowing down, and he just keeps coming.”

Kaylee brought her bike to campus for practical purposes, but biking has become a hobby as well. 

“In the evenings, if I’ve been out for a while, I could just ride straight back to the dorm, but no. It’s nice to just cruise around the south oval.”

All in all, Kaylee’s campus biking experience has been a good one. 

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Campus Tours with Jaci Walker

As a high schooler, I loved college tours. Everything about college seemed exciting, and I always enjoyed fantasizing about what it would be like. College has, indeed, lived up to my expectations so far (plus a little less sleep and a little more stress). When I walked into the union this morning, there was a big Scholars Day tour event going on. I smiled as I walked by with my backpack and coffee cup, feeling like a real college student.

Tours are not just about seeing campus, however. An important part of picturing yourself on campus is talking to students to hear what their campus life is like. Today I talked to Jaci Walker about what it’s like to be a tour guide here at OU.

Jaci is a sophomore, so this is her first semester as a tour guide. It’s also the most normal semester she has had at OU since last semester had many more pandemic restrictions. I asked her if this made it harder to be a tour guide. Many other sophomores I have talked to seem almost as lost on campus as I was my first week. Jaci, however, does not feel like the COVID year hindered her too much. 

“As a freshman, I was surprised by how normal it still felt,” she shared with me. “The university did a good job of providing that environment.”

The main factor that made a difference for Jaci was her involvement.

“Being in things like HSLC and PLC.”

These clubs, along with her sorority, gave her upperclassmen mentors who already knew the ropes of campus. Jaci explained that the people you are around are the most important resource on campus.

Thanks to these experiences, Jaci was able to pass the daunting tour guide test.

“It’s extensive. You just really have to know a lot of things about the university that would be applicable to students interested in the university. It’s mainly short-answer, fill in the blank…those are blanks you’re supposed to be filling in the tour. Some things there may not be one specific answer.”

This test, along with an interview over the summer, makes up the process of being a tour guide. It’s a paid position, and Jaci told me a little about how this makes it different from other campus activities.

“As a college student, a lot of your involvement is choice. But this is a job.” 

Being a tour guide has taught her about having balance. While she is spending time on campus with friends, it is a real job, which makes it a different kind of commitment than clubs or activities.

“The job itself is somewhat demanding, just in the sense of the events you help with on top of your regular tour shifts during the week.”

Working with people is another aspect of the job that has helped her grow. 

“It’s kind of the same as working in food service or working in retail. Working with people is huge. You’re going to get so many different types of parents, so many different types of students.”

With this, Jaci has learned to adjust her tour depending on her audience. However, across the board, her favorite part is reminiscing about life as a freshman. Jaci uses her experiences as a freshman to help visitors figure out what their time on campus could look like. 

It is also fun to connect with people about food.

“When we go to the Caf,” she told me, “if we haven’t sold [them] on anything else, we always say we have the only all-you-can-eat Chick Fil A and the biggest cereal bar in the Big 12.”

(Will we still be able to brag about our cereal bar when we join the SEC??)

As I remember from my campus tours, Jaci ends her tours with her “Why OU?”.

“It is simply for the fact that nowhere else I visited felt like home the way OU did…the size of it was perfect. Also, the people here truly invest in you, in your goals and your dreams and what you want to do.”

It may sound cliche. It may sound like something you would hear on a campus visit anywhere. In my short time on campus, though, I already see how true this is. 

The OU family is real, no matter how cliché it may seem. This is exactly what Jaci tells visitors. 

“Go where you feel at home, supported, and loved for who you are. Where you can be guided into who you want to be. I want you to know that this is what I have found here [at OU]. I want this for you.” 

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Dining at Cross

One of my friends likes to call the freshman housing at Cross Village “the downtown” of campus. At the bottom of a couple of the buildings, you can find restaurants, a coffee shop, and even a grocery store. The dining options in Cross are mostly staffed by students. I talked with my friend who works there, Mikayla Barabasz, to get an idea of what it is like to work for OU Housing and Food. 

Mikayla works eighteen hours a week at the restaurants in Cross. These include Credo Kitchen, Glow Kitchen, Milkflower Gelateria, The Hive, and Basic Knead. How often each of these is open depends on how many student staff members are available to work. 

“I don’t even know,” Mikayla said when I asked about the restaurants’ hours. “Credo is always open, and Glow…it’s whenever we have workers. It changes every time I go to work. Now I’m used to working at all the places.”

It sometimes gets annoying as a student never knowing what dining options will actually be open, but it seems like it would be worse as an employee. I asked Mikayla what she thought of it. 

“At the beginning, it was kind of weird,” she told me. She never knew where she was going to work on any given day. 

“But I made friends that way,” she explained. “The people I work with always just talk. There’s never a dull moment.”

Mikayla did not, however, have any experience in food service before coming to college. 

“My counselor sent out an email, so I applied for it.” 

It pays for her food and housing.

“[It’s] not bad,” she told me. It’s all about trying to balance a routine to make time for homework. Most college students can relate to this.  

Overall, Mikayla has had a good experience, and whenever I see her she is making the Cross restaurants a good experience for customers. She always has a smile on her face. She enjoys making others smile too. Milkflower gelato is her favorite place to work of all the restaurants. 

“People seem happier when they get gelato. It makes people’s days.”

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OU Days of Action – Protest at Evans Hall

Going back to school in person this year was a big deal for many people. This brought different emotions for different people – joy to spend more time with friends, relief at not having to attend zoom classes every day, and fear of the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus. In the time since we have been back on campus, over a month by now, it’s common to know someone who has gotten sick since move-in. 

We can’t wish the pandemic away. Students and faculty have been calling on the university to do more when it comes to protecting campus. This was emphasized with the OU Days of Action that took place on Monday and Tuesday. Some professors canceled classes or moved them online, and some students made the choice not to attend class in solidarity with the cause. 

The University of Oklahoma Chapter of the American Association of University Professors has an Open Letter detailing requests for changes in OU’s pandemic policy (1). These include mandatory vaccines for everyone on campus, a mask mandate for public indoor spaces, and standing up to the state legislation that prohibits these actions; further requests include greater options for working and learning remotely, as well as hazard pay for faculty (3).

Not everyone felt the widespread effect of the Days of Action. I only had one elective class canceled between the two days. I did, however, join my Informed Citizens Discussion Group in observing the protest held outside Evans Hall on Tuesday afternoon. 

There was a short speech going on when my group arrived. The speaker talked about the University’s responsibility to take a firm leadership stance on pandemic issues. 

“The governor has no say in what happens at OU sporting events or in OU classrooms,” he announced. He explained that these decisions fall instead to the university’s Board of Regents. 

“OU is tying its own hands.”

I am not sure what I expected from the protest, but the reality was a calm, respectful event with mostly adults, a handful of students, and a few small signs. The purpose seemed to be to give people the opportunity to participate in a discussion of their COVID-19 experiences. Organizers of the event encouraged everyone to step up and share these stories in letters to the OU Board of Regents.

Interestingly, the event brought out a few counter-protestors. One student had a sign that read “Vaccination passports are pro-segregation”. A reporter stepped up to interview him, and a  history professor came over to engage in a calm debate. 

There were also signs in support of the protest. Many professors held posters that read “our leadership fails us on workplace safety”. I also got to talk to two students, both named Emily, who had brought homemade signs. 

The Emilys and their signs

One of the Emilys explained to me that she came not only because she is a student, but because her mom is a professor. 

“The university isn’t doing anything to protect us, and that’s not fair,” she told me.

When I asked what they wanted the university to do differently, Emily said she would like to see an indoor mask mandate as well as a vaccine mandate, respecting medical exemptions.

The other Emily said that though she supported the cause, she had not walked out on any of her classes. She shared her belief that boycotting class “falls on faculty to cancel, even though it’s important to students, too.” Nevertheless, she took the time to be a part of the protest between classes.

The overall attitude of the protest was one of support and sincerity. It was held to make a statement and rally support. However, it also provided an opportunity for those struggling to come together to have their experiences validated. 

Whether or not you agree with the requests of the protestors, this attitude of support and genuine concern for others is vital to our community here at OU. If you have not already, take time to listen to what those around you are going through. Just as the university has stated in their COVID-19 policy, we are in this together. Hopefully, the efforts of the protestors will result in a greater attitude of compassion across all of campus. 

Sources:

The University of Oklahoma Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. “Open Letter to University Decision-Makers.” 11 Aug 2021.

The University of Oklahoma. “OU Together.” OU Together, www.ou.edu/together. Accessed 23 September 2021

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Coffee Shop Review with Aubrey

College students are known for being sleep deprived. Hence, the large number of coffee shops on and around campus. Starbucks is easy and reliable, but variety is the spice of life. Norman certainly has a variety of coffee shops.

Aubrey McNeil is well versed in the art of exploring coffee shops. She came to OU from the Tulsa area. Back home, trying new coffee shops was a weekly pastime.

“I have this friend named Ari. She was already a coffee addict, and I wasn’t yet. So that was our one thing to do every week.”

Here in Norman, Aubrey has already become a regular at several of the coffeehouses that surround OU.

“I came to campus hoping only to drink coffee once a week or twice a week. During Camp Crimson, we ended up staying up til one o’clock or two o’clock every day, and coffee was the only thing that could help me function the next day. Now I drink coffee once a day. I hope to never be more than once a day. If I’m desperate I get a double shot of espresso.”

We love caffeine.

Today Aubrey visited Not Your Average Joe for the first time, and she agreed to share her experience for this blog’s first Coffee Shop Review.

Though the coffee shop is not even a block away from the dorms, it’s tucked away just enough to feel like a hidden gem. From what she’d heard, Aubrey knew she could expect a great atmosphere – one of the most important parts of the coffee shop experience. She was not disappointed.

The kindness of the employees was one highlight of the experience.

“I came in here this morning, and we just started talking about random stuff.” Aubrey told me. It is important to her to find a spot that feels welcoming and comfortable.

“Since we’re not at home, it’s good to find any place that feels homey”

The music and the decor helped to make the experience, too. The quiet acoustic songs made it feel like a “feel good movie”. The walls, chairs, and light fixtures were all painted cheerful primary colors.

“i think the colors add to the energy. This is somewhere i might go when I’m really tired. It just seems like an energizing place.”

What more could you ask for?

Of course, the most important part of a coffee shop is the coffee.

“I got a Turtle Frappuccino,” Aubrey reported. Chocolate, caramel, and hazelnut syrups, an almond milk substitute, and homemade whipped cream on top. The perfect treat. To complete the perfection, the cup was decorated with a friendly doodle. Aubrey smiled as she showed it off.

“I love it when they write cute little notes on my cup. It makes my day.”

The menu includes all the classic drinks, as well as unique ones like an horchata latte made with rice milk and cinnamon. The “Drink that Must Not be Named” even contains magic, according to the menu. You can also order everything from smoothies to baked goods to sandwiches to ice cream.

Aubrey is certain she’ll be back.

“I’ll probably try a fall special…I love seasonal drinks.”

And there will certainly be more Coffee Shop Reviews to come!

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¡La Música es Medicina!

My Beginning Spanish class would not be the same without music. When I arrive in class, I expect to be welcomed by an upbeat tune sung in Spanish. On Fridays, we learn dance moves from other countries and translate lyrics.

Christina Audas, my professor, eagerly shares her love of music with us. However, I did not realize how big of a role music played in her life until I sat down to ask her about it. She told me all about Bolivian music, instruments, and culture; her performance experiences; and the power music has to transcend borders.

With a Bolivian mother and an American father, Profesora Audas grew up with a wide variety of musical influences. She lived in Michigan for the first ten years of her life but was surrounded by Bolivian culture.

“We spent a lot of summers with our Bolivian family. We’d have Bolivian friends come over. I heard a lot of Bolivian music.”

Profesora Audas recounted fond memories of dinners with family and friends that turned into dance parties that lasted late into the night. 

In addition to playing the guitar and singing, Profesora Audas plays several Bolivian instruments. The charango is a tiny ten-string guitar. She also plays a Bolivian flute called a siku.

“Such a Bolivian sound. A home feeling,” she said when describing the music.

Bolivian music is not the only kind she grew up with, though. 

“We heard a lot of bluegrass,” she told me. “My father is from Kentucky. Pop music, R&B, classical. We really had a lot of variety of music at home.”

Profesora Audas has had many opportunities to share this music throughout her life. 

“I’ve been performing since I was sixteen…at points professionally, at others semi-professionally. I performed a lot in California in the Bay area when I graduated. Everything from private parties to festivals to restaurants. We did it for the love of the music.”

She has also heard live music around the world. She lived in Guadalajara and Oaxaca, Mexico where she saw live music performed in Spanish. During her time living in Japan, she even got to see a weekend-long bluegrass festival of all Japanese musicians. 

Now, in Oklahoma, she continues to perform. She is part of the Oklahoma Arts Council, where she plays with other musicians and does educational performances for libraries. 

“We want them to understand the amazing diversity of Latin America,” she said as she told me about these outreach programs. “Music transcends borders.”

However, choosing a favorite type of music was too difficult a task.

“I really don’t have a favorite.”

One thing ties it all together, though.

“If it has soul in it, you can feel that,” she explained. “If you can just tell someone’s heart and soul is in it, that is everything.”

This “everything” that crosses all boundaries, languages, and cultures is exactly what Profesora Audas shares with her students. 

Photo credit: Rocio Salvatierra

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Media Convergence

As someone who grew up with the internet, I don’t stop to appreciate it very often. Ironically, when I sat down to write this post, the wifi cut out on me. The immediate annoyance I felt just goes to show how much I take access to media for granted.

 Media convergence has great effects on the media in our daily lives. This is the concept of different types of mass media content merging. Mobile media, the internet, and social platforms are just a few of the things that enable this. 

In college, it is easy to see some of the ways convergence affects our relationship with media and with the internet. 

First, there is almost no delay in our connection with media (as long as the wifi is working). On campus, this can be seen in the mass emails that tell about clubs and events. When my parents were in college, fliers were put up or sent to mailboxes. Now I get notifications on my phone the minute information is released.

Additionally, we have access to multiple types of media all at once. During football games, talk show commentary can be streamed from a mobile device or computer. Live scores are updated via apps and the internet. News about the game, the players, and the opposing team contributes to our engagement with the game itself. 

Lastly, convergence has changed the variety of media we are exposed to. Since I got to Norman, my media has been limited to things relating to college. My Instagram feed is filled up with campus accounts. I pay more attention to campus news than current events. Convergence has shifted power to the individual when it comes to choosing what kind of mass media one engages with.

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The First OU Football Game

Last Saturday, we had a surprise home game. It’s football time in Oklahoma! The student section was a completely different experience than attending games as a kid. Listening to the band, singing the alma mater, and cheering on the players made college finally seem real. I live here. I belong here. I am part of this.

For some of my friends, this was more than their first time in the student section. It was their first time attending a game in Gaylord Memorial Stadium.

I talked to Sam Flowers and Reese Pokluda to get an idea of how game day on a college campus compared to their previous football experiences.

Sam grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. Her high school did not even have a football team.

“I would go to the other school’s football games”, she explained, but that was the extent of her football exposure. Still, Sam had high expectations for Sooner football, and Saturday’s game did not disappoint.

For Reese, the game could not live up to expectations. Reese is from Texas. When we met up to talk about his first college football game, he was decked out in full Dallas Cowboys attire.

“I don’t care about college football,” he told me. “That’s just how it is. After you go to an NFL game, you’re just unimpressed by a college game.”

I have never been to an NFL game myself, so Reese explained the difference to me.

“The music is louder,” he said. “The atmosphere is very different. But also just watching, the game is so much better in the NFL.”

Reese is more into the sport itself than football traditions like singing along with the band, doing the cheers, or standing up in the student section for hours on end.

For Sam, though, The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band and the energy of the student section were the highlights of the day.

“Being a student here then going and sitting in the student section definitely felt like i was part of the game,” she said. “The heat was the worse part. The only reason why I left.”

The heat did not stop Reese from staying for the entire game. This is a matter of principle that I respect, though I will admit to leaving before the fourth quarter ended. Reese filled me in on what I missed.

“It did get exciting at the end, but it shouldn’t have.”

That was just the first game. We are ready for Saturday, even if Reese claims he is only coming back because he gets in free as a student athlete. The energy in Norman is building, and it is once again time to cheer on our Sooners. That leaves only one thing left to say…

Boomer!

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Media Interactions

Welcome to the first post! To start off my blog, I am looking into questions about media. What is it about media that sparks my interest? As I explained on my About page, this blog will focus on my interactions at the University of Oklahoma. Similarly, what intrigues me most about media is how it impacts a person’s interactions with culture and the other people around them.

Whether it is film, literature, social platforms, or news, the media we take in has a major impact on our world view.

Think about it. So many of our cultural references come from quotable movies. These quotes easily become a part of our daily lives. How much more do the values and messages from these films get incorporated into our mindsets?

The news we get shapes our opinions of current events, but it also shapes the lens we are used to looking through. Buzz words like “fake news” and “unprecedented times” affect how we understand what is happening around us. The kinds of questions we listen to in interviews become part of how we analyze our day-to-day interactions.

As I go through this blog, I hope to gain insight into how to successfully create media that has a positive effect on those who engage with it. Further, I hope my experience running this blog will answer my questions about how I personally interact with the media.

That’s all for today! Check back soon for a review of the FIRST HOME FOOTBALL GAME!