The great expectation Tuesday, August 24, 2021
OSU changes mask vocabulary from ‘encouraged’ to ‘expected’
Ryan Novozinsky Staff Reporter Oklahoma State is tweaking its mask policy – kind of. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, OSU officials changed the vocabulary for on-campus mask wearing from “encouraged” to “expected.” Sources confirmed to The O’Colly this is not an on-campus mask mandate. Oklahoma Executive Order 2021-16 bars any state agencies from requiring masks. “Science continues to prove that mask wearing helps prevent the spread of COVID,” wrote Dr. Johnny Stephens, OSU’s Senior Vice President for Health Affairs, in a statement. “With evidence that the delta variant is more than twice as infectious and is leading to increased See Expectation on 2
Abby Cage
OSU’s New President Dr. Kayse Shrum
Could vaccination rates be competitive advantage in Big 12 this season?
Raymond Carlin III
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Gabriel Trevino Staff Reporter Fans and players don’t want to see another abbreviated season in 2021. The solution? Vaccination. The Big 12 conference, and the NCAA as a whole, have prioritized players and staff to get vaccinated
prior to the 2021 season. In the 2020 football season, the Big 12 canceled or postponed seven different games due to COVID-19 cases. In order to prevent more cancellations and postponements during the upcoming 2021 season, vaccination of players and staff is key. Since July 17th, the 7 day average of COVID-19 cases in the state of Oklahoma has drastically increased, from
561 cases, to 2,187 cases. Many teams have done an excellent job getting players vaccinated. As of August 18th, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Kansas State have approximately 80 percent of players vaccinated. Texas, TCU, Oklahoma, and Iowa State have over 90 percent of its players vaccinated. Even though 80 and 90 percent of players on a team
are vaccinated, that still means that on a team with over 100 players, 1020 players are still unvaccinated. The Big 12 announced if a team does not have enough players to play a game, that team will be forced to forfeit that game and will be given a loss on its record. See Vaccination on 5