W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | J A N U A R Y 16 -17, 2 0 18 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M
OU DAILY CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Biology senior Skylar Thomas, human relations sophomore Noah Crutison and psychology senior Myria Davis lead members of the Black Campus Ministries chapter of InterVarsity down the South Oval Jan. 15. The group also joined together in prayer to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
MARCH FOR PEACE OU's InterVarsity Black Campus Ministries hosts MLK walk to call awareness to racial division, pray for semester OLAN FIELD • @FIELD_OLAN
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espite frigid temperatures, Martin Luther K i n g J r. D ay s aw a crowd of 40 to 50 marchers assembled under the statue of William Bizzell to sing hymns and pray. O U ’s I n t e r Va r s i t y B l a c k Campus Ministries hosted its 2018 MLK Prayer March on Jan. 15 to pray for the upcoming semester. The group is a “multiethnic, interdenominational, student-led campus ministry,” according to its website.
BCM leaders welcomed attendees and reminded them that the march was a time of prayer, instructing attendees to pray as they wished and be comfortable in the moment together as they marched “for racial reconciliation and for God’s presence to be known on our campus and in our world,” according to BCM’s Facebook event. Shortly following opening prayers from Noah Crutison, human relations sophomore, and Jaiden Ademiluyi,
psychology freshman, the group of marchers began to form a procession. Led by Crutison and other BCM leaders, who held a red banner reading “InterVarsity Black Campus Ministries,” the group marched down the South Oval toward Lindsey Street. As the procession filed down the oval in groups of two to four, everyone took turns praying for what they felt needed attention. While the rest of the oval was silent, prayers for marchers’ families, friends and loved ones were
audible. Other attendees prayed for problems they witness in society today, like racism and discrimination based on skin color or gender. Following the march, attendees sang two hymns: “Ride on King Jesus,” led by the members of the OU Gospel Choir 2.0, and “Here I am to Worship,” led by Sheila Wright, a member of nearby Bethel Baptist Church. The march officially ended with a closing prayer from Crutison. With a recent rise in conflict
in American society, Ademiluyi said she wanted the march to lead to some form of change and bring light to the division. “This (march) is for people to notice that this is still happening, and we are trying to fight it,” Ademiluyi said. “Our p ray e r s w i l l b e a n s w e re d .” Olan Field
Olan.F@ou.edu
OU connection helps local business Donut King survives despite construction on Lindsey Street GEORGE STOIA @georgestoia
On July 5, 2016, the City of Norman began construction on the Imhoff Creek Bridge on Lindsey Street, roughly 1,056 feet from local-favorite doughnut shop, Donut King. Twentyeight days earlier, the owner of Donut King, Sanjay Patel, died. Patel had been in a coma for nearly five years after suffering a stroke in 2011. He left his beloved doughnut shop to his wife, Dipti, and sister, Jasi, who had been part-time owners since Patel bought the store 23 years ago. Today, Dipti and Jasi Patel are just two of many business owners on Lindsey Street who struggled to keep their store afloat during construction. But with the help of the University of Oklahoma, Dipti and Jasi have survived the construction that sits just feet from their front door. “It will continue to do good because we have a very good reputation, and we have very good quality,” Dipti Patel said. “... Thank God we have our university contract, otherwise we could not survive. It’s that bad.”
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Sanjay Patel attended OU in the early ‘90s, and his love for the university continued long after he graduated. His relationship with his former college only grew stronger when he signed a contract with OU almost 20 years ago, making Donut King the official university doughnut provider, a status which it still holds today. After Patel suffered his stroke in 2011, Donut King failed to renew the contract due to a miscommunication when the Patels switched emails. Dipti Patel called OU director of food services Frank Henry weekly, trying to find a way to regain the contract once the miscommunication was realized. “It tore me up when I found out about Sanjay,” Henry, who has been working at OU for over 30 years, said. “He’s the one I dealt with when he first started 20-some years ago, and when they lost that contract, it tore (Dipti) up.” That contract had been the driving force behind Donut King keeping its doors open. “A lot of our revenue comes from the university,” Dipti said. Luckily, the Patels were able to regain the contract in 2016 before construction on Lindsey began. Since the beginning of construction, Dipti said Donut King has lost half of its revenue, and with a new median in the street, i t ’s b e c o m e i m p o s s i b l e f o r
customers to even turn left into their shop. “It’s hurting so bad, so bad — it’s frustrating,” Jasi Patel said. “We are trying our best.”
... W h e n D i p t i l e f t In d i a f o r Oklahoma in 1990, she had no idea that Norman would become her permanent home. She followed her arranged husband, Sanjay, who was attending OU at the time, hoping for a better life and a successful future. Sanjay and Dipti Patel began working at the local Dunkin’ Donuts in 1991, hoping to settle down in the Oklahoma town. In 1994, when the previous owner became seriously ill, he decided to sell the store to his most loyal employee — Sanjay. Five years later, Sanjay and Dipti separated from Dunkin’ Donuts, buying the land and renaming the shop Donut King. They eventually bought two more doughnut shops — one located on 12th Avenue in Norman and the other 24 minutes west in the city of Blanchard, Oklahoma. “When I started here, it was not a great business,” Dipti said. “After two or three years, my husband and I worked 12 to 16 hours a day because we had to pay all the money to relatives and everybody, so we worked very, very hard.” Now, Donut King has turned
into a well-oiled machine, staying open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. College students love it for the proximity, while locals enjoy it for the relatability. Having variety and low prices is what separates it from local competitors and keeps it in business. Despite the many recent hardships the Patels have faced, they continue to do what they know best — work. The construction on Lindsey finished just last month, which the Patels hope will bring back Donut King’s lost business. For now, you can find the family’s doughnuts not only
on Lindsey but also anywhere from Crossroads in Oklahoma Memorial Union to Couch cafeteria. “Any place that has donuts, it’s their donut,” Henry said. “It’s all about knowing the business. They know where we are, what we do. They know they might get a call tonight from catering that they need five dozen donuts. They do everything they can to get that stuff to us.” “I don’t think they’ve ever said, ‘No, we can’t do that.’” George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Donut King is located on Lindsey Street near the Imhoff Creek Bridge.