Friday, September 25, 2020
Getting the Willies
Stillwater bars play fast and loose with COVID rules
Jenny Maupin Two Oklahoma State students walked into Willies Saloon, where stale cigarette smoke hung in the air, equipped with face coverings and social distancing in mind. It was 6 p.m. on a Wednesday, not a busy hour. They approached the bar for a celebratory birthday drink. The unmasked bartender told the students: “By the way, you all don’t have to wear your masks in here.” Willies Saloon is on Washington Street, alongside most of Stillwater’s bars. The street got national attention after a series of videos revealed a lack of social distancing and masks at the bars. Willies took advan-
Vasily Koloda OSU graduation will be virtual for the fall 2020 semester because of COVID-19. Claire Boomer Willies Saloon on Washington Street has lax restrictions amid COVID-19, even telling customers, "You all don’t have to wear your masks in here.”
tage of the outdoor seating option given by the city and has a fence blocking off the outdoor seating. Bella Beffer, a marketing and graphic design major, said she is trying to get the most out of her senior year, but the lack of consistency in the way bars are handling the mandate makes it difficult to know which bars are safe. “It was a little unsettling to hear,” Beffer said about the
bartenders comment. “We are trying to be safe if we go out, but obviously we can’t control anyone else.” Stillwater’s Aug. 18 “State of Emergency” declaration said, “Employees and all other persons involved in the operation of the bar, shall wear face coverings at all times while on the bar premises.” See Willies on page 2
Spit take Where OADDL is going By Sheyenne Mitchell Think 23andMe: a tube is sent, it’s spit in, then sent away for results. This could be the same process for a Covid-19 test. Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory made national headlines in May with its ability to handle more testing than any other lab in Oklahoma and they haven’t stopped progressing. Dr. Kenneth Sewell, vice president of research at Oklahoma State University, has been instrumental since the beginning and spoke about the promising improvements the lab is working toward. The big ticket item being saliva specimen testing. Saliva testing would open doors
toward a mail transport system, Sewell said. The lab works with mostly swab tests transported via a courier system. Saliva would allow anyone to mail in their nonintrusive test either from home, their company, or various medical locations directly to the lab. Since August, this mail-in system is awaiting FDA approval. OADDL developed a validated test for saliva specimens, but they wouldn’t be able to perform in the needed capacity as they are now. They need new automation and uniform testing equipment used across the state. The most needed equipment is specimen tubes. See Spit on page 2
OSU's OADLL evolved from a pet hospital to one of the premier COVID-19 labs in the state.
Claire Boomer
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Digital diplomas OSU moves fall 2020 graduation online citing COVID-19 concerns
Marcus Trevino Oklahoma State seniors will end the college chapter of their lives not in Gallagher-Iba Arena surrounded by close friends and family, but alone in their bedrooms. This is not how the 2020 graduating class expected to celebrate its once in a lifetime accomplishment. Then again, so little of college turned out as expected. It must feel like a lifetime ago when these graduates first stepped foot on OSU campus. The first time they shuffled through the crowds of the student union or the first time school was canceled because of snow and they got a chance to gaze upon a frozen Theta Pond, reminding themselves to enjoy the little things along the way of their college journey. Those freshman didn’t yet know how each setback would force them to grow or how warm each achievement would feel. They surely didn’t know that their college experience would end with an email. That they would have to pack everything up and return home to finish senior year in front of a webcam. That amidst a worldwide pandemic, they wouldn’t get the chance to walk the stage, receive their degree and throw their caps in the air as one final goodbye to the OSU community. When OSU President Burns Hargis announced that the 2020 spring, summer and fall commencement ceremonies would be held virtually, Alexia Benson, a first generation college student, was profoundly disappointed. “While I’m aware that these times look a lot different for many, OSU continues to pride themselves in sports rather than academics,” Benson said. “I have worked so hard for three and a half years to graduate early. My parents have worked hard, mentally
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and physically, to give me this opportunity and they won’t even be able to witness me finish what I started.” The idea of sports taking precedence over academic achievements isn’t solely Benson’s. Many upcoming graduates, including Isaac Walden have echoed this sentiment. “It’s a double standard to keep football and continue to have classes held in-person if we can’t have graduation,” Walden said. In his statement, President Hargis said holding an in-person ceremony with social distancing and other safety protocols is “not feasible.” “Our commencements draw large crowds inside Gallagher-Iba Arena and to move outside that time of year is not practical,” Hargis said. Robyn Hearn didn’t care what her graduation looked like, whether it required masks or was divided into several days to accommodate for social distancing. All she cared about was being able to walk the stage. “I started a job in New York, 1,500 miles away from my hometown. I was looking forward to getting to see my OSU friends one last time,” Hearn said. “I even put in for my vacation days as soon as I could. Nothing was going to stop me from getting to my graduation.” Oklahoma State has been the home of generations of students. For the past four years, it has been theirs. In a world of uncertainty, many of them won’t know what’s in store for them when they log off of their commencement, tassel on the left and degree in the mailbox. But they did something very few people ever will and the OSU community is proud of them for it. news.ed@ocolly.com