Friday, December 31, 2021
An update on requests Anna Pope News Editor The O’Colly ran this story earlier in the month. Since then, Oklahoma State has fulfilled The O’Colly’s request filed on Oct. 22. The O’Colly filed an Open Records request asking for a public record to Oklahoma State last semester. Although the Oklahoma Open Records Act does not have a specific timeline for a public body to fulfill a request, the entity is required to provide prompt and reasonable access to its records, according to the the act. Editors and writers from The O’Colly have reached out to university officials checking in on the request during it’s delay. The Open Records Act exists “to ensure and facilitate the public’s right of access to and review of government records so they may efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power,” § 24A.2. This includes certain school and university records. Blake Douglas, editor-in-chief at the OU Daily, the University of Oklahoma’s student newspaper, published a piece on the delays the OU Daily experienced earlier in the semester, along side a Twitter thread. See Requests on 5B
Many Oklahomans experienced a warm Christmas.
File photo
Summer and spring temperatures appear during fall and winter months
Anna Pope News Editor
Abby Cage Oklahoma State has fulfilled the Open Records request The O’Colly filed on Oct. 22.
Oklahoma State students share New Year’s resolutions
Oklahoma is experiencing warm temperatures around the holiday season but some parts of the state, including Stillwater, may have cold temperatures on New Years Day. Unseasonably warm temperatures in Oklahoma caused many people to have a warm Christmas, and reportingly, it was the warmest and driest December month on record. Although some places in the state experienced summer and springlike temperatures in December, warm and dry weather was an extended pattern in November, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet. The Mesonet is a network of stations that monitor the environment across the state. There are at least one station in each Oklahoma county, according to its website. Mesonet said in a statement, the Oklahoma’s average precipitation total from the month of November was 0.82 inches. This is 1.5 inches below normal, according to the network. Additionally in the statement, Mesonet said the statewide average temperature for November was 51 degrees and that this is 1.6 degrees above normal. Even though drought impacts like fire danger and soil moisture reduction increased in month there was still severe weather. On Nov. 10, hail, wind and tornados hit central and northeastern Oklahoma. “Four tornadoes touched down in northeastern Oklahoma that night, raising 2021’s preliminary total to 60. The annual average tornado total for Oklahoma is 57.2, based on data from 1950 to 2020,” according to the network.
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A common New Year’s resolution is more exercise.
ID-19 variants, he is optimistic that 2022 will be the end of COVID. “I don’t think any of us expected COVID to go on this long,” Webster said. “The vaccine made a lot of progress this year, which was Dru Norton good. I know coronavirus won’t ever just disappear, but I’m looking Lifestyle Editor forward to finally moving past it next year and living normally.” Every year, millions of AmerCelecia Price, hospitality and icans make New Year’s resolutions. tourism management sophomore, Some hope to lose weight, learn a said her resolutions are to read new skill or save money. more and have a healthy lifestyle. For accounting senior “I want to have a healthy Spencer Webster, his resolution mind and body, but not overly is simple: spend more time with obsessive over being healthy,” Price friends and family. said. “I also want to start reading “I think we all endured a more often, whether it’s random lot during COVID,” Webster said. books or the Bible. I just want to “I realized I took so many things start taking the time to read more and people for granted. This year, because I really enjoy it.” I want to spend more time with Price is also looking forward friends and family to make up for to a special event in 2022: her wedthat lost time.” ding day. Webster said although he is “I’m getting married to my concerned about the recent COVbest friend in June 2022,” Price
Danielle Cerullo
said. “I can’t wait, it’s all I can ever think about. Next year will definitely be exciting.” Mechanical engineering junior Chase Parker is following through with his New Year’s resolution of traveling more by visiting New York City in June 2022. “It will be my first time in New York, I’m so excited,” Parker said. “I’m going with friends and we’re staying in a hotel in Times Square. ” Parker said he knows one thing for sure: next year will be better. “I think we all should focus on living life to the fullest,” Parker said. “Take a chance on new experiences. If there is anything we have learned in the past two years with COVID, it’s that.”
Inside... Steering.................................................................3B The steering committee is chosen to make improvements to Oklahoma State’s system.
COVID...................................................................5B The O’Colly news section covered a large amount of content this year, but here are some news highlights.
Spider-Man...........................................................3B To Jaden Besteda, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” is Marvel’s best film.
Library.................................................................4B
Local legislatures will attend the “Meet Your Legislators” event.
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