Friday, March 29, 2024
Former Marine, business owner pursues doctorate Gannon Blankenship O’Colly Contributor At 18 and living on his own, Tony Montgomery had nothing to look forward to in his career. As a recent high school graduate living by himself and sitting in his apartment alone, Montgomery was lost in life. With no school, job or future endeavors to look forward to, Montgomery had to make a choice. He decided to join the Marine Corps, hoping for a change. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I didn’t know what to do,” Montgomery said. “And I thought, you know, serving my country and being able to go overseas and go to war and all that stuff would give me a different perspective and force me to grow up faster. That’s exactly what it did, and it gave me a different perspective on life.” He served four years in the Marine Corps, with part of that time stationed in Iraq. After his service, Montgomery spent some years in the business world before settling in as a graduate assistant and doctorate student at OSU. After owning two gyms, founding a sports supplement company and being a highly competitive powerlifter, Montgomery
wanted to become a teacher to impact others. He said the research and business side of things wasn’t appealing anymore, and he wanted to make a difference in a different way. Montgomery now has the chance to learn how the profession of exercise science works in a college setting with an entry-level class called “Theory and Practice of Coaching.” With previous business experience, Montgomery has knowledge some doctorate students do not. “It’s really nice, actually, to have someone with that experience because he comes back with a background that I don’t know a lot about, and that’s business,” said Coleman Honea, a graduate student. Montgomery’s drive and passion as a doctorate student come from his time spent in the military. “When you go overseas, and you fight in combat, you see things a lot differently,” Montgomery said. “It gives you this idea that life is very short, and you got to make the most of it, and I think that helped me really hone in on my goals and what I wanted to achieve in life. Still to this day, it gives me that internal drive to continue to be better and put my foot forward in a way that represents the Marine Corps and that represents my friends that are no longer with me.” See Doctorate on 6A
Bryson Thadhani
Wings of Hope Family Crisis Services serves victims of domestic violence, abuse, sexual assault and stalking to five counties. It combats Oklahoma’s high levels of domestic violence through its services.
Women’s history month
Oklahoma ranked worst state for women, domestic violence in play
Kennedy Thomason News & Lifestyle Editor
Courtesy of Tony Montgomery
Tony Montgomery served in the Marine Corps for four years before returning to school. He is currently a Ph.D. student at OSU.
Women in Oklahoma face almost unmatched violence. It’s been that way since 1996. In March, WalletHub, a
finance company, released a study that ranked Oklahoma as the worst state for women. The study found that for women’s economic and social wellbeing, Oklahoma ranked 50. In women’s health care and safety, the state ranked 51. Washington, D.C., was included with the 50 states. Lindsey Smith, the president of Oklahoma College Democrats and a student, grew up in Oklahoma. She watched the state, year after year, continue to rank in the top 10 for women
murdered by men in single/victim, single/offender incidents. As a college student, these statistics can be rattling. “For me personally, that is my current scare, is being in college and being exposed to dangerous traditions of drinking and drug abuse in college,” Smith said. “And the normalization that we have around sexual violence here and how a lot of it gets swept under the rug; that scared me because that shouldn’t be the norm.” See State on 4A
OSU food pantries ask for donations “There is a little bit of a lull after Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Brian Blevins, basic needs coordinator for OSU. “We haven’t really received any large donations.” Hayden Alexander Blevins assists with Staff Reporter Pete’s Pantry, OSU’s on campus food bank. He says that most of their Donations and char- donations are from outity are bountiful on and off side partners and previous campus during the holifundraisers. days, but even as the last “Right now, the maof the cold weather fades jority of our Pete’s Pantry away, the need doesn’t inventory comes from Our stop. Daily Bread, the items that The holidays bring OSU purchases and we in some significant donaalso have harvest carnival tions for the food pantries donations we’re still going at OSU. After the holidays, through as well,” Blevins the donations lessen, trick- said. ling in slowly. Without donations,
What’s Inside
Sister Cindy
Pete’s Pantry and other food resources on campus are stretching their budgets for the end of the year. “When we’re not getting donations, that means we’re having to spend our budget to cover those,” Blevins said. Pete’s Pantry is always looking for donations, but the best donations are monetary. The pantries across campus know what they need, and a little bit of money goes a long way. “Sometimes, monetary donations actually stretch farther because we can go in and purchase the items needed,” Blevins Myah Shoemake said. Pete’s Pantry, located in the basement of the Student Union, provides food to See Donations on 7A students in need.
Visits OSU in string of campus apperances
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New EP shares fresh sounds
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