March 2-8, 2020

W E E K LY E D I T I O N | M A R C H 2 - 8 , 2 0 2 0 | O U D A I LY. C O M

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CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Members of BERT leadership make an announcement on the first day of the Evans Hall sit-in on Feb. 26.

‘THIS IS A WIN FOR US’ After a three-day sit-in at Evans Hall, OU’s Black Emergency Response Team successfully negotiates major university reforms JORDAN MILLER @jordanrmillerr

Even after nearly 57 hours of the sit-in at Evans Hall, attendees of the Black Emergency Response Team’s sit-in did not leave immediately.

Instead, they stayed to clean up the remnants of the three-day stay in the administrative building. Attendees stacked blankets and hygiene products, carried out containers of snacks and water bottles and made sure their fellow students were OK. “The great thing about this food is that we are … taking all of this food, and we are going to make sure that it goes to people of color on this campus,” said Breanna Her vey, president of the Black Student Association.

“These will be snacks provided for students at (the multicultural center that was asked for), wherever that ends up being.”

The air, warm and somewhat stuffy in the old building, filled with pride as the students cleaned up. They had done what they came there to do — most demands from BERT were promised by university officials.

OU had committed to equity training for faculty, a course on diversity and the creation of a committee to analyze the feasibility of a new multicultural center, according to a statement from BERT. The university also agreed to an increase in student oversight to Kyle Harper’s position as provost.

Now, BERT member Destinee Dickson said her plan was to go home, eat and get some rest. “(I’m) tired, if I’m being honest,” Dickson said. “But I feel like progress has been made today, and we will continue to fight. We were able to end the sit-in and hunger strike, but at the end of the day we still have to keep our administration accountable … so that means all the Board of Regents need to show the rest of our community that they support the marginalized community and our bodies.”

Hervey said while she was relieved the protesters’ demands had been met, they all look forward to the administration following through with its promised changes.

“We’re going to relax (this weekend),” Her vey said.

“We’re happy that we have a community of people behind

“Together we sat and slept on hard floors until a change was made. As BERT, we find this more than inspiring. … We have made changes for a lifetime.”

-Black Emergency Response Team statement at the end of the sit-in

us, and we will be ready to come back if we need to, but we’re happy that we have each other.”

Administrators buzzed around the building all day wearing pantsuits and carrying briefcases, going from conference room to conference room to meet with hungry, exhausted students fighting for their demands, not knowing what would happen if the sit-in were to continue into the weekend.

Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Brynn Daves was one of those people. Daves is a part of CERT — the Campus Emergency Response Team, which was established in fall 2017 to “support student well-being and safety” during demonstrations and other events where there is potential for emotional triggers and responses.

Daves had been at Evans Hall since 8 a.m. Wednesday, when the sit-in first began, o n l y l e av i n g l a t e i n t h e evenings.

“O u r f o c u s i s t h e s t u dents,” Daves said. “When we’re here in a CERT capacity, we’re here to make sure they’re safe, that they’re being supported, that we can notice the signs of distress, to make sure that their needs are being met … and try to get the resources that we need in those moments here.”

Daves said CERT had a sign-up in place for shifts throughout the sit-in, with about 20 to 25 people coming in and out to help. Goddard Health Center also sent over three different counselors throughout the sit-in, with one specifically meeting with BERT and physicians to go over the hunger strike’s possible side effects.

The CERT administrators — easily identified by their

gold buttons — were a constant presence throughout the sit-in, opening doors for students and passing off items during the evenings when Evans was locked-in. “ It ’s ju st a w o n d e r f u l , proud moment to see students that we work with dayin and day-out being able to have their voices be heard, which was definitely happening throughout these conversations with administration,” Daves said. “All of the things that took place were crucial for both sides, and so we’re just excited that there was progress. And CERT was definitely just here to make sure that everybody (stayed safe throughout that).”

A f t e r a l l t h e p ro g re s s, meetings and agreements made during the three-day sit-in, BERT leaders said they aren’t done fighting even though the protest and hunger strike are over. There is one more hurdle left: the OU Board of Regents.

According to a statement from BERT, the group will meet with the regents during their next scheduled meeting March 10–11, where BERT will “present the work they have done with the administration over the past few days and years.”

Dickson said BERT had not met with the regents personally during the sit-in, but they were able to communicate through administrators like interim OU President Joseph Harroz, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students David Surratt, and Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Belinda Higgs Hyppolite.

“Most of what they offered and shared with us wasn’t about compromise,” Surratt said. “It was about the idea of coming together and moving the university forward

together. And that’s what I’m most excited about and most positive about right now.”

English literature and social justice senior Leanne Ho said they tweeted at the beginning of the sit-in they w e re “e m b a r ra s s e d a n d ashamed” to be graduating from an institution like OU, since the administration repeatedly fails marginalized students. Though they said they were proud to be part of a student body that cares about justice and equity, Ho does not have much faith in the Board of Regents.

“I’m hopeful but not optimistic,” Ho said. “There hasn’t been a lot of evidence to suggest that the university is going to make these big sweeping changes that we’re asking for, but I’m still hopeful that they will start to make those changes.”

After two nights of sleeping on any Evans Hall surface students could find, with members of BERT’s executive team not eating for the entire 57 hours of the strike, Evans was empty. The protest banners had come down, but the spirit of the sit-in still stirs in some.

“This is a win for us,” BERT leaders said in the statement.

“This is a win for the people.

But these are wins that we must continuously fight for.

We must consistently put pressure on the administration to make it clear that we will not stay silent as long as marginalized students, staff and faculty continue to be treated as less than human.”

Jordan Miller

jordan.r.miller-1@ou.edu

At its height, an estimated 200 people participated in the sit-in.

The protest lasted a total of 57 hours, from 8 a.m. Feb. 26 to 5 p.m. Feb. 28.

Six members of BERT’s leadership team participated in a hunger strike and did not eat the entire time.

2

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JORDAN MILLER/THE DAILY

The Seed Sower with a banner reading #HarperHasToGo on Feb. 27, the second day of the BERT sit -in.

Kyle Harper to remain provost OU agrees to increase student oversight of role JORDAN MILLER @jordanrmillerr

Red banners wrapped around statues were replaced by white chalk protesting Provost Kyle Harper across the North and South ovals on Feb. 28, and though the protest has since ended, the fading demands remained on campus sidewalks over the weekend.

Interim OU President Joseph Harroz refused the Black Emergency Response Team’s demand for Harper’s immediate resignation late Feb. 27, but the statements in chalk around campus made it clear: Many on campus still wanted Harper to go.

“Even though we’re not getting a resignation, we are making systematic change in keeping a checks and balances system happening at the University of Oklahoma — specifically within the offices of the president and the provost,” said BERT officer Destinee Dickson after Harroz’s announcement was made Thursday night.

On Feb. 28, a statement from BERT leadership announced that although Harper would not be removed, he would undergo a review — a 360 review process of executive leadership reporting to the president, which would begin with the provost.

OU will also form a committee of students that will advise Harper on his role and activities as provost.

“There will be a third party that’ll come in,” said BERT co-director Miles Francisco.

“The university is already familiar with this type of process, of 360 review, so more details will be coming out soon. Again, that’s getting done this semester, specifically on the provost’s office.”

BERT leadership met with Harper during the sit-in, and Dickson said the first thing Harper told the students during the meeting was he would not resign.

“I think we made Provost Harper realize a lot of things about his silence and inaction, and what it looks like at the university. Hopefully, he’ll make some changes,” Dickson said. “From that meeting, we told him not only how we feel, but about how students, faculty and staff feel, and I think we gave him an open dialogue, conversation, and hopefully

he uses this as he continues to be in this position as provost.”

Entering Feb. 28, hashtags like #TheHateYouHire and #HarperHasToGo were still popular on Twitter. Some students called views on women and gender studies that Harper held as an OU student in 1999 sexist, and many called out Harper’s personal inaction after racist incidents on campus — but Harroz remained assured of Harper’s effectiveness.

“I am confident in Provost Harper’s abilities and willingness to work constructively to advance the university,” Harroz said in the statement announcing the rejection of BERT’s demand, noting Harper had wanted to move back to faculty a year ago but stayed on as provost at Harroz’s request. “OU is a special place we all care deeply about. ... I look forward to working with our entire university community to make OU a place of true belonging.”

Chemistry sophomore Jasmine Omoile said Harper needs to go further than just addressing incidents when they happen and needs to work to fix the underlying issues that have led to these repeated incidents.

“Hopefully, he does change and things start to change, and he does the things that we want, especially since we have the whole sit-in and people are watching,” Omoile said. “It’s like, acknowledging ... a bottle on the floor. What, are you going to pick it up? Or what are you going to do?”

Professor Emeritus of English Alan Velie taught Harper when he was an undergraduate and has known him for more than 20 years.

Velie said he did not know why Harper did not respond to some of the recent issues immediately, but he pointed out that he did not defend either of the professors involved who recently used the slurs in their classrooms.

“I think he believes in diversity and inclusion,” Velie said.

“For one thing, the president (responded to the incidents), and other people, and perhaps he simply agreed with them and thought he’d leave it there.”

Harper did not respond to multiple requests for comment after the Feb. 11 incident when a Gaylord professor used a racial slur in comparison to the phrase “OK, boomer,” but he did respond to a request for comment after a history professor used the slur in class Feb. 24 when reading

from a historical document.

Velie pointed to Harper’s service on the leadership team for OU’s Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing, and said Harper has always considered the issues of inclusivity and fairness.

One of the banners hung on Thursday morning was on the statue of former OU President George Lynn Cross, who played a role in the desegregation of the university in 1948, when George McLaurin was admitted. Velie has taught at OU for over 50 years and joined the faculty just before Cross’ retirement, so he lived in Norman when it was a “sundown town” and black people could not live there.

Velie said in the ’60s, there were riots happening all across the country, and the Kent State massacre specifically caused very serious demonstrations on campus.

“I don’t think there was any violence, but there certainly was a threat of violence. So this is small potatoes compared to that,” Velie said. “The thing is, in a university of 22,000 or 23,000 people, you’re going to have incidents all the time. ... The question isn’t how you can bring it down to zero, the question is how the university responds to it.”

The incident was not “small potatoes” for many on campus last week, though — certainly not for the students who took over Evans Hall, nor for the top administrators whose week was consumed by talks with the protesters.

Late Feb. 27, after Harroz denied BERT’s demand for Harper’s immediate resignation, those inside Evans Hall went to sleep. As Thursday bled into Friday, those outside Evans Hall replaced the red banners with white chalk.

“We are simply tired of not being treated as human beings on this campus,” BERT co-director Miles Francisco said at a Tuesday press conference before the sit-in. “BERT will continue its efforts to disrupt oppression on this campus just as faculty continue to use offensive, harmful and traumatizing speech in the classroom for ‘educational purposes.’ We as BERT will continue to support and advocate for students of marginalized identities to have a place where they belong in the classrooms and on this campus.”

Jordan Miller

jordan.r.miller-1@ou.edu

NEWS

March 2-8, 2020 •

3

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Students and supporters sit on the first floor of Evans Hall on Feb. 28, the third day of the BERT sit-in.

Community lifts up protesters

Faculty, students provide resources, support on Twitter EMMA DAVIS

@emmarileydavis

Students spread out inside Evans Hall, many with their laptops in front of them, and sat in solidarity as they awaited the result of another day of the sit-in organized by OU’s Black Emergency Response Team.

For many outside of the building, life continued as usual. Yet support within the OU community grew beyond Evans Hall among the peers and professors of those involved in the sit-in.

Some individuals, both directly and indirectly affected by the events that led to the sit-in, expressed their support for the protest on Twitter and called upon community members to stand in solidarity with the students or send supplies.

On campus, the LGBTQ+ Program Advisory Board of the Gender + Equality Center and OU College Democrats also expressed support for the protesters.

Some faculty members recognized the actions of their students by extending academic accommodations for those participating at Evans Hall.

Members of the OU Faculty Senate released a statement encouraging faculty to “provide support

to our students and these efforts in multiple ways,” including through the addition of alternative classroom opportunities.

Isaac Kabrick, a student in OU political science associate professor Justin Wer t ’s Civil Rights and Civil Liberties class, said Wert canceled class “to accommodate those students who want to participate in the sit-in.”

OU history of science associate professor Kathleen C row t h e r, w h o tea ch e s HSCI 3023, said in an email she offered extended time on assignments and flexible deadlines for those involved in the sit-in.

“I think the students participating in the sit-in are doing vital work to make the university a better

place, and this is just my small way of offering them support,” Crowther said.

Another OU profess o r, w h o w i s h e d t o re main anonymous, held two classes in Evans Hall i n a d d i t i o n t o tu t o r i ng some students who stayed overnight.

The professor said OU faculty members need to learn from students about racial justice.

“Students should have the confidence that they can come into classroom space and not hear racial slurs and dehumanizing language, and right now we don’t have that confidence,” the professor said.

Students have been addressing issues at OU through efforts like these over the last few years, the

professor said.

“I think students right now are doing the work that faculty and staff, especially faculty, are being paid to do and are refusing to do — students are here doing that work,” the professor said.

The sit-in also drew support from OU alumna and f o r m e r O k l a h o ma S e n .

Anastasia Pittman, who returned to campus to stand with BERT officer Destinee Dickson and to help amplify the voices of students.

“We don’t want this scarlet mark on our legacy, and so if I need to come to the campus to support (the) voices of the students, I will do that because we have often heard that the voices of the faculty and staff are protected by the

(First) Amendment rights, (but) students have rights,” Pittman said.

Pittman said the students’ demands, which included the creation of a multicultural building and the resignation of Provost Kyle Harper, must be considered with the knowledge that these students are in college and this is what concerns them. “ The y have a r ight to say, this campus, this environment, this culture is uncomfortable,” Pittman said. “And we’re not going to just keep sweeping it under the rug, you know, so it’s about tolerance. It’s about equality.”

Emma Davis

emma.r.davis-1@ou.edu

Prospective students reflect on BERT sit-in Campus visitors see free speech in Evans Hall protest BETH WALLIS @walliswrites

When high school senior Maddie Nelson and her family decided to drive down from Nebraska to visit OU, she expected the usual: follow a guided tour group, check out the vocal performance program at Catlett Music Center and maybe catch a bite to eat at the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

When the Nelsons arrived, they found themselves witnessing a historic protest — spurred by two professors’ use of the N-word in their classrooms in February. The threeday sit-in, organized by OU’s Black Emergency Response Team, garnered national attention and sparked a debate on the merits of free speech and the persistent diversity and inclusion issues in higher education.

SCAN BARCODE TO WATCH BREAKDOWN VIDEO OF SIT-IN

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Students walk over chalk writing about the Evans Hall sit-in on the South Oval on Feb. 28.

Though the protest has since ended, The Daily had the opportunity to speak with some prospective students and their parents about their thoughts on visiting during the third day of the sit-in.

For Maddie, the controversy was not new — a teacher at her high school once used the N-word in class. She said the difference was at her predominantly white high school, students didn’t feel they could respond with protests or demonstrations.

“Nothing happened (after the incident),” Maddie said. “People were like, ‘Oh, no!’ and there was a bunch of drama, and then it just dropped.”

Maddie’s mom, Cheryl Nelson, stepped in to remind

her there was “educational sensitivity training” offered in the classrooms after the incident. But for Maddie, that wasn’t enough.

Maddie said she wished her school’s administration had done more in response to the incident. She wanted the ability to address the teacher herself and make him understand why his speech was offensive. “(Disciplinary action) didn’t happen,” Maddie said.

“No one followed through. I really wish (the school’s response) would’ve happened differently.”

Cheryl, a faculty member at the University of Nebraska, said universities have an obligation to their students not only to acknowledge grievances, but also to act.

“That’s our job,” Cheryl said.

“You have to be aware of what is appropriate and what is not.

If something like this happens, the university needs to take it very seriously and do what they need to do to support the students involved, and support the faculty by educating them further.”

As to whether the demonstration affected their feelings about attending OU, both Maddie and Cheryl agreed the organized student effort and the university’s response in conceding to some of BERT’s demands made OU a more attractive option.

“Freedom of speech is important,” Maddie said. “As long as (that freedom) is present, I’m happy that (OU) is a safe place to talk about those

things.”

Dee Pearce and her son, Seth, also came to campus to explore Gaylord College, where Seth hopes to study journalism or professional writing after graduating high school this spring. A Gaylord professor used the N-word in class Feb. 11, comparing it to the phrase “OK, boomer.”

Dee, an OU alumna, said while she respected the students’ right to protest, she thought the student response “focuses on the negative” rather than acknowledging what she considered to be positives.

“Instead of a sit-in saying, ‘We’re not going to have this,’ let’s go count the number of positive black authors in the library that totally counteract what (the document read by history professor Kathleen Brosnan) stands for,” Dee said.

“And look at how far things have come — we’re going to rejoice in that.”

Seth said he thinks it’s important to “respect boundaries and be sensitive” to those affected because it’s “definitely meaningful to them.”

“I like the positive aspects of spreading love, (but) I just think there’s a reason why people end up looking at the negative because of whatever they’ve had to deal with in their life — things that (white people) haven’t,” Seth said.

“There’s a lot more going on than there usually seems to be, and we shouldn’t ignore it.”

Dee said she trusted Brosnan’s judgment in reading from a historical document in class and considered the brief content warning before saying the N-word

sufficient.

“Even though it is offensive, you can go on YouTube right now, and you can hear it,” Dee said. “Kids’ songs have it in them. So to hone in on one person and say this voice from the past is speaking from her I’m sure is killing (Brosnan).”

Dee said as an alumna, she trusts the university never to hire someone with racist intent. Seth said he thinks the issue is more complicated.

“I think there should be equal treatment of people, whether they have a positive or negative mindset of things,” Seth said. “Diversity is very important. It’s important to have representation of any marginalized group, whether it’s African Americans, Asian Americans, LGBTQ, whatever. They should all have representation in this community, and they should get the experience of (representation) being a part of their normal life.”

Though Seth and his mother disagree on the philosophy behind BERT’s movement, they both said they agreed the university’s respect for the students’ right to demonstrate made them feel like attending OU next year would be a good choice for Seth.

“It’s absolutely a very good thing that’s going on here,” Seth said. “Having more representation of marginalized groups like that is a very good thing. (The demonstration) helps us all to move forward.”

Beth Wallis

bethwallis@ou.edu

4

NEWS

• March 2-8, 2020

Inside Day 1 of Evans Hall sit-in A look into start of BERT’s three-day protest for change NICK HAZELRIGG @nickhazelrigg

This story was written late Feb. 26, when protesters first spent the night in Evans Hall.

On Wednesday night, Evans Hall became unrecognizable.

For those who frequent the seat of OU’s administration, it’s a place for policy memos, press releases and power suits. It’s a building that has historically housed the office of the president and provost — two positions that for nearly 130 years at this predominantly white institution have been held by white men and white women.

But by 9 p.m. in the offices of the provost, dozens of students from a blend of backgrounds laughed, sang songs such as Kirk Franklin’s “Melodies from Heaven� and enjoyed one another’s company as they filled plates with Fuzzy’s chips and queso sent into the building by supporters. Steps away, in Room 103, other students prepared for a late-night showing of “Black Panther.�

Behind the fun and excitement, there was tension, anger and weariness. It was how the final hours of a historic day in the life of the university played out — after years

people on the steps when it began to nearly 200 people in Evans Hall at one point. Some demonstrators participated in a hunger strike as part of the protest. They had a list of demands: among them, the creation of a semester-long class focused on diversity, mandatory equity training for OU’s faculty and staff, the opening of a new multicultural center and — most prominently — the resignation of OU Provost Kyle Harper.

The university’s response began tumultuously, with the president out of the state and the provost out of the office.

Students hadn’t met with any officials until mid-morning, when the chief diversity officer and the dean of students appeared on the scene.

By 5:30 p.m. the university president had arrived, and leaders of BERT went into an office with OU administrators.

An hour and a half later, the students walked out to meet alone in a conference room.

Some unspecified demands — but not all — had been met.

The frustration on the faces of the leaders was clear. Looks of familiar fatigue spread to the other protesters, but the energy returned almost as quickly as it had gone. “We plan,� said BERT member Destinee Dickson, “to stay until all of our demands are addressed.�

Dickson had stood on the steps of the same building 399 days prior, helping to lead a different protest after a different failure while im-

“

I plan on staying until either I get taken out in handcuffs or if the administration meets our demands before then.

“

-Raul Davila, marketing junior

of body blows that have damaged its small-town psyche and national reputation, but more so the spirits of the students who bring it to life.

A protest that was announced at midnight and began at 8 a.m. Wednesday, planne d by O U ’s Black Emergency Response Team, had swelled from roughly 15

ploring students to rally for change by shouting “BETTER TOGETHER� until it seemed her voice might fail.

But it didn’t then, nor now.

Her announcement that negotiations were closer together, but still somewhat distant, did not dampen the mood. Just before the close of the business day, university

administrators announced that no one would be kicked out of Evans Hall for demonstrating into the night — with a caveat: Anyone not already in the building would not be allowed back in after 5 p.m.

As the day turned to night and students moved up and down the stairs of the three floors of Evans Hall and its basement, the mood turned from sit-in to lock-in. Each floor’s environment was different from the last.

In the basement, students worked on homework, prepared for midterms and napped in the most quiet space in the building.

The first floor was filled with energy as students laughed, sang, played music from speakers and told jokes. A pile of snacks, water bottles and a cookie cake sat on the speckled brown stairs for anyone to access.

On the second floor, which served as an overflow for the first, a buzz of conversation filled the space. Doors to most offices remained closed.

Instead, protesters shared the common areas — hallways, foyers and alcoves.

On the third floor, myriad groups of students sat discussing the reasons they were there. It had been five years since SAE. It had been one year since the blackface incidents. It had been two weeks since a professor used a racial slur in class. It had been two days since another professor had done it again. “This means that people are passionate about what we’re doing here,� said Hudia Jamshed, a third-year OU biology student. “This is a whole university, and if we’re going to talk about ‘our family’ or ‘our community’ then we all have to be here for each other, and we all have to be angry about things that are wrong.�

Another attendee echoed that. “I plan on staying until either I get taken out in handcuffs or if the administration meets our demands before then,� said marketing junior Raul Davila. “It’s important to me because I really believe in the cause. I believe that our professors and staff, even the higher-ups, don’t listen to our needs.�

That sentiment permeated the building. No matter how much homework was

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Interim OU President Joseph Harroz leaves Evans Hall at the end of the night as students continue to participate in a sit-in on Feb. 26.

discussed in the basement, no matter how many laughs were heard on the first floor, no matter how many soft-spoken conversations occurred on the second and third floors — it all came back to why the students were there: to make change.

Downstairs, in the southeast corner of the building that houses the president’s personal office, those potential changes were discussed behind a closed door. Inside, along with BERT members, three administrators considered how to address the issues, and they themselves represented a departure from the norm of Evans Hall, a building whose exterior is surrounded by statuettes of OU’s prior — and all white — presidents.

The people in that room were Joseph Harroz, current interim president and former law dean and university counsel; David Surratt, current vice president of student affairs and dean of students and former assistant vice chancellor and associate dean of students at the University of California, Berkeley; and Belinda Higgs Hyppolite, newly appointed vice president of diversity and inclusion and former assistant vice president at the University of Central Florida.

But the people in that room were also the son of immigrants from Lebanon, the son of an African-American Air

HOROSCOPE Nick Hazelrigg Jordan Miller Vic Reynolds Caitlyn Epes Will Conover

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MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2020 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Curiosity will take you in a new direction.

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SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- A change of heart will help you move TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- A in a fresh new direction. Embrace change in attitude will encourage the future and prepare to let personal growth, better relationyour imagination take you on an ships and an opportunity to get extraordinary journey that will lead involved in something that will influence what you pursue and the to satisfaction. way you learn.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Say no to people using emotional GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -Consider the validity of information tactics in an attempt to get you to do something. Look out for your being offered to you. Knowledge best interest and live within your is power, so do your research and avoid being caught in a compromis- means. ing position. Don’t make a decision CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) under pressure.

-- Look at all sides of a situation CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Keep before you make a decision. Unceryour feelings to yourself. Use your tainty should be an indicator to sit tight and wait to see what unfolds knowledge and skills in unique before you get involved. ways. Push yourself to be more physical and to make lifestyle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) changes that will improve your -- Work alone. Concentrate on health. home- and self-improvements that will help ease stress and make your LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Do what life more manageable. Personal you can to help others, but don’t let anyone take advantage of your gain and fitness should be your kindness or generosity. If you crave priorities. change, focus on self-improvement, not on trying to alter someone else.

Force serviceman and a South Korean immigrant, and the daughter of a civil rights-activist family from rural Missouri.

Despite having perspectives at the table that hadn’t been there before in OU’s administration, much of the day’s drama was focused on Harper: the white, male provost who, as a memo leaked during the day showed, faced questions at his hiring for a perceived potential lack of commitment to diversity on campus. The provost whom the protesters accused of sitting idly by while racism continued to permeate campus.

The provost who had not been seen or heard from at any point on Wednesday.

The protesters, in the building and in a hashtag campaign online, made their stance clear: OU can’t grow into the place it needs to be with Harper as its chief academic officer. Dickson, late in the afternoon, said productive conversations had occurred all day long regarding many of the students’ demands, but Harper hadn’t been in those conversations with administrators.

Among the other feelings that swelled in Evans Hall was one of anticipation.

Administrators and protest leaders were meeting, and one question was on everyone’s mind: “Will we find a resolution?�

This anticipation hung

heavy in the air by 10:45 p.m. when the university released a statement: “We join with OU’s concerned and hurt students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, and we echo the need for equal respect for everyone.

Our community has experienced incidents in the last two weeks that have certainly caused pain, but more importantly have been reminders of trauma caused by racism and structural issues both past and present.�

The full 190-word statement, signed by Harroz, Surratt and Higgs Hyppolite, called for continued dialogue and recognized the pain recent events had caused — but it did not announce new changes or acquiesce to any of the protesters’ demands.

Minutes later, Harroz walked out of the building.

The 25 to 30 remaining students settled into small groups and set up makeshift pallets with blankets and pillows.

Some talked in quiet tones, some returned to homework, and some went to sleep.

But it was clear to all who remained: They would still be at Evans Hall in the morning.

Jordan Miller, Scott Kirker and Emma Davis contributed to this report.

Nick Hazelrigg

nickhazelrigg@ou.edu

Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg March 2, 2020

ACROSS 1 High-five sound 5 O’Rourke of Texas 9 Hurled 14 Campaign barometer 15 Leave out 16 Get more mileage from 17 Opera highlight 18 Split in “th _ _ _ _ y� or “d _ _ _ _ ing�?

19 Bird on a quarter 20 High excitement about remodeling kitchen storage?

23 Left the stage 24 Utter rubbish 25 Network on the telly 28 String tie 31 Setting 33 Often-nasty review 37 Sway of a French impressionist?

39 Inbox filler 41 “Give ___ rest!�

42 Food fight sound 43 Rodents with miniature Revolutionary War weapons?

46 Requests

3/2

47 Bible book before James, alphabetically 48 Exam given in H.S. 50 No. that never starts with (911) 51 Pilotlicensing org.

53 Key on an old cash register 58 Small piano tuner?

61 One may be five-alarm 64 Think tank product 65 Annapolis initials 66 Outspoken 67 Flour producer 68 Tuition and others 69 Terse meeting request 70 Slippery swimmers 71 Taxi expense DOWN 1 Elbow room 2 Dr. Seuss’s environmentalist 3 Suspect’s defense 4 Braided hair 5 Feeling at a tedious lecture 6 Give off 7 Squabble 8 River mammal 9 Forest canopy 10 Get wind of

11 Snug bug’s “home�

12 Adult ed. course 13 Minuscule 21 Omaha’s state: Abbr.

22 Former plug-in Chevy 25 Sobs loudly 26 Cold and dreary 27 Certain breath mints 29 Thieves’ hideout 30 Ready to pour 32 NYC club in a Manilow hit 33 Send in payment 34 Bring a smile to 35 Marked by a twang 36 South Pacific carving 38 Vittles

40 A child may jump into one 44 Siamese, nowadays 45 Summer footwear 49 “___ Good at Goodbyes�

(Sam Smith song) 52 Crunchyroll cartoon genre 54 Shoe woe 55 Confused 56 Reclusive one 57 Hit the backspace key 58 Harshly criticize 59 Pop singer Brickell 60 Bluffer’s giveaway 61 Rite Aid rival 62 Tool for digging furrows 63 Rink surface

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3/1 2/24

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Alien Invasion by Billie Truitt

NEWS

March 2-8, 2020 •

Photos from 3 days of protest

DAY 1

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

A sign inside the provost’s office on Feb. 26.

A BERT leader informs protesters that Evans Hall will be closed overnight on Feb. 26.

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Protesters with signs outside of Evans Hall on Feb. 26.

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

EDWARD REALI/THE DAILY

Protesters inside Evans Hall during the first day of the sit-in on Feb. 26.

Protesters on the second floor of Evans Hall on Feb. 26.

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Protesters in the president’s office on Feb. 26.

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Protesters sleep on the floor of Evans Hall the night of Feb. 26.

5

6

NEWS

• March 2-8, 2020

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

OU faculty guard the doors to Evans Hall after 5 p.m. on Feb. 26.

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Protesters with signs outside of Evans Hall on Feb. 26.

Interim OU President Joe Harroz leaves a meeting with BERT on the night of Feb. 26.

DAY 2

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

A banner reads #HarperHasToGo on the George Lynn Cross statue outside of Evans Hall on Feb. 27.

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Students make signs in the Evans Hall lobby on Feb. 27.

DAY 3

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

A BERT leader leaves Evans Hall after the sit-in ended Feb. 28.

Students sleep in the basement of Evans Hall on the third day of the sit-in on Feb. 28.

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

BERT leaders read a statement and announce the end of the sit-in at the end of the day on Feb. 28.

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

OU Director of Media Relations Kesha Keith stands at the door of Evans Hall after the BERT sit-in ended on Feb. 28.