Public divided on drinking age issue

From bartenders to nurses, people are divided on the issue of lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18.  Though supporters argue that a lower drinking age would be safer, others say that the change would only cause more issues. 

Regardless of age, higher traffic accident and fatality rates are found during the first few years of legal drinking, according to Drinking Age ProCon.org. 

Goddard Health Center Assistant Director Maggie Pool cited a study in New Zealand that showed higher fatality rates when the drinking age was lowered to 18.

“Generally, what we see is that with the drinking age being 21 we see less alcohol-related fatalities,” said Poole. 

A study from the “Journal of Studies of Alcohol and Drugs” found that people who drink at a younger age are more likely to use other illicit drugs.

Bartender Marcus Mims said he is skeptical about lowering the drinking age.

“There are already 21-year-olds trying to sneak their younger friends into bars,” Mims said.  “If we lowered the age, we’d have 18-year-olds sneaking their high school friends in.”   

However, fellow bartender Nicole Cherry said she thinks underage individuals will find a way to get alcohol whether the drinking age is lowered or not. 

“I think it’s a lot safer for kids to be drinking in a public space, like a bar, than in the basement of some sketchy house,” Cherry said.  “That way if alcohol abuse does occur, there are people around who know what to do and how to help.” 

A Time Magazine article titled “Should the drinking age be lowered?” supported Cherry’s opinion, and said that the 21 and over drinking age encourages people under 21 to drink behind closed doors or in dangerous situations. 

However, the same article said that the data does not show that binge drinking has increased since the states increased the drinking age. 

Underage drinking comprises 17.5 percent of consumer spending on alcohol in the United States, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. 

For some, the issue is based more on convenience than safety.  Underage DJ Josh Durham said he has had some trouble expanding his business because it is difficult for him to schedule events at places that are 21 and over. 

“In my experience, being underage has made it hard to talk to bar owners because the person at the door won’t let me in,” Durham said.  “I would say the strict enforcing of 21 and over only has caused some problems for me as an artist.” 

University of Oklahoma pre-med student Courtney Wilson said that lowering the drinking age and raising the age required to get a driver’s license might eliminate some of the problems associated with drinking and driving. 

“I think you should be able to drink before you can drive so that you know your limitations when you start driving,” Wilson said. “In Germany, the drinking age is 16, but you can’t drive until you’re 18, so young people who drink have to take public transportation, which is a lot safer.”  
 [VIDEO 2:05]

Comedy Fight Night winner is addicted to laughter

For Comedy Fight Night winner Bilal Muzaffar, making people laugh is addicting.  The Microbiology and Psychology major does stand up in his spare time, and recently won the Union Programming Board event that allows up and coming comedians to display their talent. 

“Laughter takes both people outside of the general now framework of reality even for just seconds,” Muzaffar said.  “I’ve made friends with people thrice my age even just because I made them laugh once.”

Muzaffar’s self-deprecating humor was obvious in the way he joked about whether or not he should have another cupcake as he spoke about his experiences as a comedian. 

This year’s event was the senior’s third and final time to participate in the Comedy Fight Night, though he said he does not think it will be his last time to do stand up comedy. 

“For me the dream is just to get that 30 minute special,” Muzaffar said.  “I don’t need to get a movie. I don’t need the TV show.”

UPB Comedy Chair Jacob Oller said that Muzaffar’s professionalism on stage gave him an edge over the competitors.

“I think what Bilal had over the other comedians was how comfortable he seemed,” Oller said. “He had mentioned that he had performed before, which let him go onstage with more confidence in himself and his jokes.  Not to mention his jokes were hilarious.”

Oller, a management information systems junior, has participated in the event in the past, and said that many students use the Comedy Fight Night as a way to showcase their talents.

“My favorite part of the event is getting these awesome people the recognition they deserve and a stage that they might not get a chance at otherwise,” Oller said. 

Muzaffar said that he no longer feels as nervous as he did when he first started out. This was his third year to participate in the Comedy Fight Night.

“I think at the beginning of every show there’s always a flutter I guess but as soon as I get on stage, all I really remember is like getting on stage and then people clapping as I get off and I’m like, oh, I guess I’m done now,” Muzaffar said. 

No matter how much he rehearsed, Muzaffar said he found that spontaneity was the best advice.

“The problem with a lot of stand up comedy is that the worst thing to be doing is to talk at the audience,” Muzaffar said.  “You want to talk with somebody.”

Muzaffar said he originally planned to become an actor while at OU, but that his busy microbiology schedule kept him from being able to pursue acting full time. 

“I got stuck with characters who were like kind of those sillier characters, you know, comic relief,” Muzaffar said.

Muzaffar substituted stand up comedy as an alternative to acting, and did a web series with his friends that aired at a film festival in Czechoslovakia. 

Though Muzaffar said he does not think he has offended anyone with his jokes yet, he said that offending people is not one of his fears.

“Comedy is always funniest whenever it’s taking risks,” Muzaffar said.  “Nobody really laughs at a safe joke.”

For now, Muzaffar said he plans to continue pursuing stand up comedy in his spare time, though he also plays the ukulele.

“I’ll definitely always keep it open,” Muzaffar said.  “For now I’ll see if I can get into med school or something and maybe be a doctor comic.”

Professor explores the haunted campus

From professors to students, seemingly normal people are diving into paranormal investigations of the University of Oklahoma campus.  Freshman Programs professor Jeff Provine spends his days directing students, and some of his nights telling ghostly tales. 

After going on several ghost tours while studying abroad in Europe, Provine said that he was possessed by a case of “ghost jealousy.”  A suggestion from a friend led him to create OU’s very own campus ghost tour.

“At first I was like, nah, there’s not enough ghosts,” Provine said.  “But as it turns out, there’s more than enough.  In fact, we’ve even kind of had to scale down all of the ghost stories.” 

In his stark office in Wagner Hall, Provine has office hours and meetings with students like any other professor.  However, in his spare time Provine said he investigates OU’s paranormal past. 

“I’ve always loved the paranormal,” Provine said.  “ ‘Ghostbusters 2’ is a big influence on my life.”

On the tour, Provine, in his tweed jacket, guides the groups from Holmberg Hall to Walker Tower, stopping along the way at buildings like Ellison Hall and Cate Center.  Provine said he drew on external sources, like OU student David Burkhart’s film of the Cate basement ghost, to create his tour. 

“The tour is always changing,” Provine said.  “I’m always looking for more stuff, but it’s hard to decide what to include and what has to go for time’s sake.”

In 2010, The Daily Oklahoman ran a short feature on Provine’s ghost tour.  The article briefly described Provine’s interest in ghosts that led him to create a “Mysterious and Macabre Norman” tour. 

Though Provine runs the only ghost tour on campus, he said he is still a skeptic on the subject of ghosts. 

“I know that something is obviously going on that is supernatural,” Provine said.  “I’m just not quite sure what that is yet, but I’m going to find out.”

OU history and anthropology senior Sarah Nevling said she also uses her spare time to investigate otherworldly activities and is looking to start a paranormal club on campus.  Though she has not gone on Provine’s ghost tour, she said has heard of his tour and hopes to go on it soon. 

““I found a website of some investigators who explored the campus at night, and they got some compelling evidence that there’s definitely something here,” Nevling said.  “I would love to do an investigation of my own here on campus one day.”

Like Provine, Nevling said she does not know for certain whether ghosts are even real.

“When it comes to ghosts, I’m a complete skeptic,” Nevling said.  “Now if you were to say angels and demons, then yes, I absolutely believe in them.  I don’t know if the spirit of a person can actually stay here on Earth, but that’s what I’m interested in finding out.”

Other groups have shown an interest in OU’s paranormal aspects.  In 2011, group called Society of the Haunted investigated Ellison Hall, which used to be OU’s infirmary, according to the group’s website. 

The Society of the Haunted website includes audio that allegedly came from ghosts in Ellison Hall and blog posts from two of the investigators describing their paranormal experience there. 

With Halloween on the horizon, Provine said that interest in the paranormal is at a high point.  To accommodate for this demand, Provine will run two tours on October 31, both of which are already full.  The tours are free, but Provine said he will take up a voluntary donation, which he will give to the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Oklahoma.

(VIDEO 1:36)

International Bazaar brings culture to campus

The International Advisory Committee will soon allow local public school students to experience world culture without looking any further than the OU campus.  The South Oval will be filled with cultural displays as part of the IAC’s International Bazaar on Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“This year we’re trying to reach out to more public schools, and we want to get students to come as a field trip,” Cassi Toney, IAC president, said.

Toney emphasized the importance of involving the local community in this year’s bazaar.

“I think it’s really cool for the kids to see the cultural diversity on campus so close to their homes because I don’t think a lot of the Norman population realizes how many international students we have on campus,” Toney said.

Toney said the bazaar will cater to the young students with activities like a scavenger hunt and a name sheet, where the children can have their names signed in several different languages.

Aside from the changes involving the local public schools, Toney said the bazaar will follow the same format as in the past.  Different student organizations will set up booths to showcase or sell items from their countries.  The sale will serve as a fundraiser for the groups to raise money for their events throughout the year.

“A lot of the things are handmade by the student organizations or brought from their countries specifically for this purpose,” Toney said.  “Some booths sell services like henna art for your hands or writing your name in different languages.”

Above all, Toney said she hopes the International Bazaar will be an opportunity for younger students to gain cultural experience.

“It makes the kids just more aware that there are different people in the world and not everyone looks like you and not everyone speaks the same language as you,” Toney said.  “It makes them more aware which also makes them less afraid.”

Bangladeshi student learns to adapt

From Bangladesh to Oklahoma, Kaji Hasib Rahman has practiced Islam on opposite sides of the world.  The mechanical engineering graduate student said that the transition has not been too hard, but there are cultural differences.

“It’s not that strange because I got stories from people I knew from my college in Bangladesh that came here,” Rahman said.

Rahman came to Oklahoma in August 2010, and said his word to live by has been “adapt.”

“As a Muslim student, normally it’s really good or very favorable for any kind of religious people on campus,” Rahman said. “People are very kind of curious to get to know people from other religious backgrounds.”

Though he said the majority of the community has been accepting, Rahman said he has had a few experiences that were at the very least, “awkward.”

“When I first came to Oklahoma, the second or third day I was stopped by some people and they were preaching, I guess about Jesus and God and stuff like that,” Rahman said.  “I told them, OK, I can hear your story, but you have to hear my story too.  Then they just left.”

Professor of Religious Studies Charles Kimball said that some Muslim students he encounters have had a similar experience. 

“I know some Muslim students in the past who were sort of relentlessly evangelized by what they considered to be well-meaning Christian friends in dorms and I think that got a little old,” Kimball said.

In his cluttered office filled with binders and loose sheets of paper with John Mayer crooning in the background, Rahman seemed hard at work like any typical grad student.

“One thing is that for grad students you are not interacting with that many Americans or other people because in a professional way you are working on your masters and it’s not like you can interact with people much,” Rahman said.  “You have that problem with making friends and stuff like that.”

During his time at OU, Rahman said he has met many others like him from Bangladesh, and considers himself comfortable.  However, he said he does encounter issues with honoring religious festivals or dietary guidelines. 

“One thing is that the American culture doesn’t go the way the Muslim culture goes,” Rahman said.  “You get breaks at Christmas, but we don’t get breaks for Ramadan so we don’t get to execute or I would say we don’t get to enjoy religious festivals at that level.”

Kimball said that the same is true for many other religions.

“Whether it’s a Muslim or a Hindu or people in the Jewish community as well, I think they face some of the same kinds of challenges in a culture that kind of presupposes a Christian backdrop,” Kimball said.

Rahman’s situation is different from Muslims who have grown up in Oklahoma.  Kimball said that the issue of race or ethnic identity is often more challenging that religion.

“In a place like Oklahoma, or any of the southern states, the possibility of growing up in a context as a minority or as a person of color can be more alienating that maybe even just being a Muslim,” Kimball said. 

Rahman said he counts himself fortunate to be in a progressive college town like Norman, as opposed to a town in more rural Oklahoma.

“Because it’s a college town, people get used to seeing other people that aren’t like them, but if you just go to any other random town in Oklahoma, you might find people who have never seen a Muslim before who wasn’t on Fox News,” Rahman said. 

Despite cultural differences, Rahman said he plans to remain in the United States and find a job as long as he can get a visa to work here.  

Student discovers herself at OU

For a student who didn’t know what being gay meant before high school, Brianna Versteeg has come a long way.  As a member of the LGBTQ Advisory Board, Versteeg helps other students overcome their own fears of being gay in Oklahoma. 

Since coming to the University of Oklahoma to study psychology and pre-physical therapy, she has embarked on an ongoing journey to find out who she is.

“Before I went to high school I didn’t know there was such a thing as gay,” Versteeg, said.  “I didn’t know it was different because I was home schooled, and I never knew there was such a thing as being different like that.”

After “coming out” during her junior year of high school, Versteeg said she has overcome many of her reservations of sharing her sexual orientation with new people.

Versteeg said that even her mother has had difficulty understanding the change.

“She accepts it because it’s me, but I know that she’s not all that comfortable with it,” Versteeg said.”

With her role on the LGBTQ Advisory Board, Versteeg is a leader for other students.  Letters junior Tyler Tennant has been involved with the LGBTQ community and said he tries to follow Versteeg’s example.

“Brianna is always completely open and fearless,” Tennant said.  “It’s impossible to feel embarrassed or shameful around her because there’s not an ounce of shame in her.  She’s totally OK with who she is.” 

However, Versteeg admitted that the continual process of coming out could be daunting.

“It’s coming out over and over again because it’s not just a one time process,” Versteeg said.  “It’s literally like every time I meet a person I have to wait for them to find out that I’m gay or something like that.”

The road has not always been clear, as Versteeg said she has had to discover the full spectrum of the LGBTQ community.

“My journey has kind of gone from being like ‘Am I bisexual?’ to like, ‘What am I?’” Versteeg said.  “I consider myself pansexual because it just means loving people no matter what their gender is.  I still don’t think I have it pinned down to one spot.”

Currently, Versteeg is dating a woman, and said that her feminine appearance often confuses people about her sexual orientation.  In her pencil skirt and emerald green blouse, Versteeg certainly did not seem to fit the stereotypical image of a lesbian.

“I think it’s hard for people to understand because they want to see one flat dimension,” Versteeg said.  “Either you’re gay or you’re straight.  That’s how it is to them.  They don’t get the in between stuff.” 

Still, Versteeg and Tennant both agreed that the general attitude towards LGBTQ students at OU could be much worse.

“I haven’t really heard any bad stories about people being harassed or anything,” Tennant said.  “The community here is really supportive, and the people who don’t like us just mostly keep their mouths shut which is fine with me.”

Versteeg said she has had a similar experience.

“Sometimes I get hateful looks kind of like people will look at me like, oh, you’re gay, but I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone outright say anything,” Versteeg said.

OU is among the Oklahoma schools that have created policies to support LGBT members of the university community, according to a 2012 Higher Education Fairness Report by the TEN Institute.

“While 73 percent of Oklahoma colleges and universities have no policies in place to support and protect LGBT faculty, staff, and students, there has been a 9% gain in the number of LGBT-inclusive institutions since 2010,” according to the report. 

In addition to the LGBTQ group resources, OU also hosts a student life group called GLBTF.  Versteeg explained the difference between the two groups.

“LGBTQ is kind of the more serious side of GLBTF because GLBTF is more like bringing people together for fun and doing social events whereas we’re more into what we can do for advocacy and awareness of issues,” Versteeg said. 

Both groups are gearing up for this Thursday, which is National Coming Out Day.  Versteeg said she hopes people will take this day as an opportunity to educate themselves about the LGBTQ community.

“I just think that if I had known more about what being gay was when I was younger, then maybe I would have everything figured out by now,” Versteeg said.  “I’m trying to prevent that from happening to someone else.”  

Versteeg participates in the annual LGBTQ Candlelight Vigil, which works to raise awareness and honor the hardships of the LGBTQ community. 

Morning at the Duck Pond

Students divided on tobacco ban

Since OU enacted a tobacco-free policy this summer, students have been divided on the issues of students’ rights and public health.  Though the university now has designated smoking areas, many believe that tobacco use is a personal choice, and should not be prohibited by law. 

A tobacco-free campus is not a new concept.  The OU Health Sciences Center began setting up designated smoking huts long before the Norman campus enacted a tobacco-free rule. 

Junior industrial and systems engineering major Sarah Yung supports the tobacco ban.

“I love being able to walk around campus and not smell the smoke,” Yung said.  “I think the new policy has been a really positive change for everyone on campus.”

One major point against smoking is the risk of secondhand smoke. 

“Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 heart disease deaths every year in nonsmokers,” according to the Healthy Sooners website. 

However, some students view this as an irrelevant point supporting the tobacco ban, since smoking on campus does not usually take place in an enclosed area, according to an OU Daily article on the ban. 

Psychology senior Duke Lambert said he worries about the effect the tobacco ban will have on his professors. 

“After having paid the university money, I would like my professors to be able to teach at their full capacity rather than being angry or irritated just because they can’t walk outside, have a cigarette real quick and come back inside and give me a good lesson,” Lambert said. 

OU Health Services offers a variety of free services to help smokers with the transitions to a tobacco-free campus. 

“Tobacco kills more people a year than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, suicide, car accidents, fire, and AIDS combined,” according to the OU Health Services website.

Services include free tobacco cessation classes and kits including various types of medication to ease the process.

Chemical engineering junior Lauren Gilbert said she believes that the policy has made a difference on campus.

“I think the policy has been working so far,” Gilbert said.  “I’ve seen a few people smoking, but not nearly as many as I used to.”

As for the topic of student rights, Gilbert said she does not think that this issue falls within a violation of those rights.

“I don’t see it as a violation of student rights because there are lots of rights that students have in other places that they don’t have on the university, like the right to bear arms or to have alcohol,” Gilbert said. 

OU student Duke Lambert talks about his opinion on the tobacco ban.

Listening Exercise

I chose to sit and listen in the basement of the Bizzell Library.  Many of the graduate students study there and it is usually extremely quiet.  At first listen, it might not seem like the best place to do a listening exercise, but there were actually many sounds to experience.  For the first five minutes, I listened to the sounds in my immediate area.  A student not far from me rustled the pages of a textbook.  A professor in heels clacked by on the tile floor.  A fan for the air conditioning whirred above my head and sent cool air down, making me shiver.  Apart from this, it was almost eerily quiet.

When I expanded my awareness to a larger circumference, there was little change.  In an area where silence is emphasized, people go out of their way to make sure they don’t make noise.  However, when I began to really include the whole of my surroundings in my awareness, I picked up sounds I never noticed before.  If I listened extremely close, I could hear people walking on marble of the library lobby above me.  A phone rang in one of the offices deep inside the basement.  A student muttered frustrated whispers at his homework.  Another girl in heels struggled down the stairs to the basement.  Mostly, the sounds of turning pages accompanied by the scratching of pens on the wood tables dominated the scene.

           

If I was looking to frame a photo that would set the scene for all of these sounds, books would be the deciding factor.  In a library, books and studying are the most prominent things.  However, I would also want to include the long, almost spooky tile hallways leading back to the expository writing offices.  Although the sounds were important, I think the most encompassing feature of the environment of the library was the relative silence.  I would want to take a picture that incorporates this silence.  A student carefully turning pages or a woman in heels trying in vain to walk on her tiptoes down the hallway would demonstrate how important silence is to this particular environment.  In this case, the lack of noise is most important to portraying the scene.  

Ballroom dance groups create community

by Megan Deaton

Chris and Brianna practice their west coast swing at a Dancing in Dale meeting.

For people in the Oklahoma City area, the world of ballroom dance is opening new doors to self-expression.  Free ballroom dance classes on the OU campus provide a way for beginners to learn dance in a stress-free environment. 

The Dancing in Dale group meets every Friday night, starting with separate classes for beginner and intermediate students, and then joining together for one big dance party. 

Guest instructor Jason Donaldson owns his own dance company, but volunteers to teach ballroom dancing for groups such as Dancing in Dale.

“We’re trying to build a dance community for Oklahoma,” Donaldson said.  “There’s no real mainstream company that advertises that or promotes that.  Most people that own a dance company, studio or club don’t promote anyone but themselves and that’s not the point of dance.”

Though there are many types of ballroom dancing, Dancing in Dale focuses on West Coast Swing. 

“My favorite style of the moment is west coast swing,” Donaldson said.  “It’s kind of a complex dance so it makes people think but at the same time you’re able to interpret the music the way you want to.  As you learn the steps to the dance you can start to make those alterations.”

Donaldson said he views ballroom dancing as an invaluable activity.

“Dancing does a lot of things,” Donaldson said.  “The number one problem in America is obesity.  Dancing is fun.  It almost distracts them from the fact that they are exercising.”

OU photography senior Sarah Carone uses dancing as a solution to a health problem that prevents her from participating in other sports.

“I have genetic joint problems similar to arthritis, and this is one of the only physically demanding things I can engage in,” Carone said. “Dancing is like art for me. When I'm dancing, I'm a different person, and the stresses of being a full time student with a full time job just disappear.”

Carone is part of another dancing group on campus called The University of Oklahoma Ballroom Dance Theater.  The group is not an official campus club, but is an extension of the ballroom classes that can be taken for course credit. 

There is no fee to join, but members must also be enrolled in one of the course credit classes. 

“This group is really important if you want to become a part of the dancing community,” Carone said.  “There are not many levels of separation in the OKC dance community, and if you want to stay a part of it, it’s a very good place to be.”

Donaldson and Carone both said they encourage others to get involved, no matter how daunting joining a ballroom dancing group might seem. 

“I tell people right now in your mind learning how to dance is like climbing Mount Everest,” Donaldson said.  “I can get you to the top.”

Carone said that the support she receives from others makes the whole experience worthwhile.

“It may be a little taxing on your time, but when you get to perform and you overhear someone saying, ‘I want to learn to do that.’  There is no greater feeling,” Carone said.

Dancing in Dale meets Friday nights in Dale Hall, with a class for intermediate performers at 7 p.m. and a class for beginners at 8 p.m.  After classes, there is open dancing starting at 9 p.m.  The club usually focuses on a different type of dance each week and is completely free to anyone who wishes to participate. 

Those interested in Dancing in Dale should check the Facebook page each week for updates. 

International students gain American experience

The OU Cousins program is giving OU students a way to connect with the international community without ever leaving Norman.  At a Matching Party this Thursday, September 20, at 5 p.m., students will have a chance to match themselves to one of many international students who are looking for someone to give them the true American experience. 

President and Mrs. David Boren created the OU Cousins program in 1996 “as a way of developing understanding, friendship, and unity among U.S., International, and exchange students at the University of Oklahoma,” according to the OU Cousins website.

OU Cousins Student Director Ray Wolber explained that many international students have been disappointed with their stay at OU, because they did not feel like they gained a true insight into American life.

“The program is so important because we are providing those key friendships that allow the international exchange program to be a little more comfortable for those going abroad,” Wolber said. 

Wolber said he was pleased by the record-breaking number of students who showed interest in the program this year.  From under 100 students involved during its first year, to over 900 involved this year, the program has grown successfully since its beginning. 

“I wanted to get involved with the program because it is so unique to the University,” Wolber said.  “OU Cousins is one of the elite International and American pairing programs in the Big XII, so to have a leadership position in the program is an honor.”

Freshman Matt Beasley said he can’t wait to be paired up with his cousin.  He bounced with anticipation when he said he has already been thinking of the types of activities that he would like to do with his cousin. 

“I love coffee so I’d probably want to do coffee with them,” Beasley, who is a European studies major, said.  “I’d also want to take them to a real Texas barbecue.  I’m from Texas, and that seems like something that they wouldn’t have at home.” 

Beasley attended one of several informational sessions that prepared interested students for the responsibilities of having an international cousin.  Students are encouraged to spend time with their cousin, and attend group activities throughout the year, although the events are not mandatory.

The program will host an Annual Pumpkin Carve and Fall Festival in October, as well as events at Christmas and a ranch field trip in April. 

The Matching Party will be held at the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center, and will allow students to meet and match themselves with an international students.  Students who do not attend will be matched through a computer system, so all are encouraged to go to the party, Wolber said. 

“The best part about the program is the people that you have the opportunity to meet,” Wolber said.  “OU Cousins is so special in the sense that by getting involved in the program, you are placing yourself in a situation to interact with people from all over the world that you probably would not be able to otherwise.”

SOP

The "Pastoral Dreamer" lounges in front of the Reynolds Performing Arts Center on a cloudy day.

PWOP

Marie's closet door is littered with her mementos from studying and traveling abroad, including her summer spent in Cambodia doing mission work.