Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Wednesday, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

END THE BACKLOG OSU STUDENTS RAISED AWARENESS ABOUT THE BACKLOG OF UNTESTED RAPEKITS.

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RAPE KIT BACKLOG

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OSU students bring awareness to rape kit backlog Ca i tlin Thom as staff reporter @ o c olly

Oklahoma State University students participated in a campaign to raise awareness about the backlog of rape kits in Oklahoma, ending in a two-day demonstration Monday and Tuesday on Library Lawn.

Students from OSU professor Evan Jordan’s psychology of law class sat on shelves filled with boxes marked “evidence.”

Other students from the class stood beside the sidewalk holding signs that read, “End the Backlog,” or that gave statistics on the number of rape kits untested in Oklahoma.

It’s an unusual class project, especially because it wasn’t originally planned on the syllabus.

“We found out about this through the documentary ‘I Am Evidence’ that is on HBO,” Jordan said. “It’s a very hardhitting documentary.

And my students became interested and wanted to get involved, so I canceled their final, and this is their final. Raising awareness.”

When someone is sexually assaulted, that person can choose to undergo a sexual assault forensic evidence exam, during which DNA evidence is collected and stored in a sexual assault evidence kit, commonly called a rape kit. The kit is then tested, and the evidence is used to convict the of-

fender or is entered into the national database for DNA. But sometimes, for various reasons, the kit is never tested. There are more than 7,000 untested rape kits in Oklahoma, according to a statewide audit completed this past summer. Although Gov. Mary Fallin created a task force in 2016 to research and present recommendations on the backlog issue, there are no laws regulating how and when a kit is tested, or requiring that it be done at all.

For Rhylie, a rape survivor who asked that her last name be withheld, the backlog and the lack of regulation send a message.

“Why bother?” Rhylie said. “Why go get tested after something happened to you? If still nobody’s going to care, it’s just kind of opening up your vulnerability and your heart a little more.

And I think that really is what this whole backlog, I think that’s what it depicts to these victims, is that it doesn’t matter how hard that you can try. If the government and the system that’s in place, if they’re not actually testing what they’re doing, then your part can only … It only helps so much.”

Donations raised through this awareness campaign will go to the End the Backlog Program, a policy and advocacy program of the

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

logan biggins/O’COLLY

Demonstrators sit on Library Lawn to raise awareness about the backlog of untested rape kits in the United States.

nonprofit Joyful Heart Foundation that seeks to help pass legislation to eliminate the backlog and prevent it from happening again.

Ilse Knecht, the policy and advocacy director, said the legislation the group is trying to pass has four parts.

“The donations that come to Joyful Heart Foundation are supporting our national campaign to end the backlog and to pass legislation in all 50 states that says you have to count every rape kit,” Knecht said. “You have to track it electronically, and you have to test it, and you have to do that in a timely manner.”

The Joyful Heart Foun-

dation works alongside advocates and legislators already working in each state and provides educational materials and model legislation for people in the state working for reform. Knecht said sometimes the foundation has to start at the beginning and convince legislators of the importance of testing every kit.

“I would tell them that each one of these kits holds evidence that could reveal a very dangerous serial offender that could be free on the streets because the evidence is sitting on the shelf right now,” Knecht said.

Despite of the magnitude of the problem, Knecht said she thinks

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change is possible, but it’s not going to come easy.

“I do think that there will be a time in the near future where every state will have mandatory rape kit testing, and that all of the backlog will be gone,” Knecht said. “I have no doubt that that’s going to happen. It’s just, you know, we can’t really put a time frame on it, but we’re working as hard as we can.”

Rhylie also voiced her hope for the future.

“I do think it’s possible,” Rhylie said. “I just think it’s going to take a lot more of us, and a lot more people doing things like this, and a lot more voices, to keep doing the

same thing that we’re doing right now, to be heard.”

Tuesday night, Jordan and her class boxed up their demonstration. They peeled up evidence tape, took down the boxes and disassembled the shelves.

Library Lawn is quiet again. Peaceful.

But as long as the backlog exists, Rhylie and others like her still feel as if they are there, with evidence boxes surrounding them, still sitting on the shelves.

Caitlin Thomas is a multimedia journalism sophomore from Edmond.

She can be reached at caitlin.thomas@okstate. edu.

PAGE 2

ADAM LUTHER/O’COLLY

OSU student Mikayla Tolliver sits on a shelf to represent an untested rape kit during the backlogged rape kits demonstration on OSU’s Library Lawn on Tuesday.

ADAM LUTHER/O’COLLY

Boxes representing rape kits sit on shelves during the backlogged rape kits demonstration on OSU’s Library Lawn on Tuesday.

PHOTOS: END THE BACKLOG

ADAM LUTHER/O’COLLY

An OSU student stands with a sign hanging around his neck during the backlogged rape kits demonstration on OSU’s Library Lawn on Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

ADAM LUTHER/O’COLLY

Two OSU students sit on a shelf to represent untested rape kits during the backlogged rape kits demonstration on OSU’s Library Lawn on Tuesday.

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PAGE 4

M EN TAL HEALTH

O PIN IO N

Column: Mental health education more important than ever R achael Sc h af er staff reporter @ o colly

Generation Z, 15 to 21, is more likely to report mental health issues, receiving treatment and feeling the symptoms of stress compared to older generations in the United States, according to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America Survey.

APA conducts the Stress in America Survey every year, and the 2018 survey was released Oct. 30. The Stress in America Survey is part of APA’s Mind/Body Health campaign, which educates the public on the connection between psychological and physical health.

This survey should be a wake-up call not only to Generation Z, but also to the generations before, such as millennials, Generation X and even baby boomers.

Mental health should be a priority to everyone; it should be as important as physical health.

Twenty-seven percent of Generation Z reports its mental health as fair or poor, compared to 15 percent of millennials and only 13 percent Generation X reporting the same state of its mental health, according to the survey.

Stress has caused 91 percent of Generation Z to experience physical or emotional symptoms such as feeling depressed, sad or lacking interest and motivation, and only 50 percent of people surveyed in Generation Z think they manage their stress well, according to APA.

What has caused this spike in mental health issues? Why is the youngest generation feeling more stressed than any other generation? What is different?

Samantha Wert, a Generation Z student at Oklahoma State University, said she thinks her generation is experiencing more mental health issues and higher amounts of stress because it is harder to live in this world, compared to the world older generations were living in.

“School demands every ounce from young people, and there is no guarantee of a job or support after college,” Wert said. “Everything is so expensive and our parents had it easier when they were younger.”

The APA reported issues such as sexual assault, mass shootings, separation and deportation of families, the political climate, the nation’s future and discrimination are causing stress among Generation Z. Rachel Remick, a Mental Health Counseling graduate student at OSU, said because of the rise of the unknown, people are still trying to learn what the repercussions and outcomes could be, and this could be why Generation Z is struggling.

“I think we are still learning boundaries and how things affect us,” Remick said. “There are so many unknowns that everyone is trying to figure out.”

Issues that are hard for young people to control or to understand are adding unnecessary stress. Current events in the United States

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

are leading young adults to worry and stress more than what is healthy.

“Generation Z was alive and aware when gay marriage was made legal, when Trump was president,” Remick said. “Generation Z is and was young when politics and government started changing.”

Fifteen to 21-year-olds should enjoy high school, getting excited about college or preparing to graduate, not freaking out about issues this country seems to be in constant argument over.

Wert said she and her friends stress more because of the things heard on the news or fear of sexual assault. She said though as a heterosexual white woman, she does not fear as much as someone in the minority, she does worry about the people in this country who are at a higher risk of discrimination.

“It’s hard to see people in your community who are white and unaffected care so little about the political climate because they just think in their own bubble with their own interest in mind,” Wert said. “It fuels my stress even more.”

The way people view mental health and how they take care of themselves as a young person will stick with them the rest of their lives. Generation Z should start caring about its mental health now before stress becomes too much.

“Mental health bleeds into every area of our lives,” Remick said. “If someone has great mental health, I think they are more resil-

Tim Gouw/Unsplash

The American Psychological Association conducts the Stress in America Survey every year, and the 2018 survey was released Oct. 30.

ient, have better relationships and are more satisfied with life.”

People should learn how to manage stress and mental health issues as soon as they feel the symptoms.

Wert said she struggles while dealing with stress and anxiety, but she writes down the things that are bothering her to manage.

“I think just calling attention to stress physically somewhere outside of my head instead of agonizing over it helps me think clearer,” Wert said.

People should not be ashamed of seeing a therapist, talking to a counselor or getting on medication.

Remick said talking about mental health and letting close ones know what is

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going on is a good step to take when struggling with a mental illness. Mental illness should be talked about more, and generations should be educated on how to fight it.

“I think older generations are more likely to deny mental illness, while Generation Z is more open about it,” Remick said. “Each generation is dealing with new things and learning, but this is one of the first times that people are opening up and advocating for it.”

Regardless of whether the generation’s stress is because of something it can or cannot control, managing stress can be learned.

The United States’ future is important, but it should not be causing this much

suffering among Generation Z. Older generations should be doing what they can to help change the rising tensions and help Generation Z feel at ease. Also, people in Generation Z can vote on pressing issues when they become of age. There are steps the country can take to help the United States and inevitably help the mental health of Generation Z. “Listen without judgment,” Remick said. “Be a safe person for others. Let them know that no matter how hard it is to believe, they are not alone.”

Rachel Schafer is a multimedia journalism senior from Tulsa. She can be reached at rcschaf@ okstate.edu.

PAGE 3

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APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR SPRING SEMESTER 2019 EDITOR‑IN‑CHIEF THE O’COLLY Applications for Spring Semester 201​9​ Editor‑in‑ Chief of The O’Colly will be accepted from ​now thru Friday, November 30, 2018 Applications are now available in the Paul Miller Journalism and Broadcasting Building, room 106. Applicants must return their completed applications to room 106 no later than 4:00 p.m.

Friday, November 30, 2018.

To be eligible for Editor‑In‑ Chief, the applicant must be a student on the Stillwater campus of Oklahoma State University, be in good academic standing (i.e., not on academic probation), have a grade point average of not less than 2.5, and have completed at least 60 hours toward a degree. Applicant must show evidence of having worked one semester in a​n ​editor position on The O’Colly. Students serving as an Editor‑in‑Chief may take up to 6 credit hours of independent study in consultation and approval of their major advisor.

An internship on a newspaper in a newsroom capacity may be substituted for one semester of service on The O’Colly. The internship must meet the requirements of the School of Media and Strategic Communications’ current internship course.

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Borders are also available for a flat rate of $2.

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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

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ACROSS 1 Mary Oliver, e.g.

5 Tweak 11 Obliterate in a flash 14 Prefix with sphere 15 Self-moving vacuum 16 “I __ you one” 17 High-tech classroom 19 Starchy grain 20 Bygone Persian rulers 21 Long-jawed fish 22 Present 23 Fighter at the Olympics 27 Man-horse hybrid 30 Synagogue reading 31 Country between Vietnam and Thailand 32 Quaint contraction 34 Type of coffee or whiskey 37 Congressional statute 38 Military IDs ... or what 17-, 23-, 51and 61-Across have 41 Life highlights, briefly 42 Moby-Dick, e.g.

44 Hula strings 45 Pungent quality 46 Rice dish 49 “The Shawshank Redemption” extras 51 Court long shot 54 __ hog 55 Org. whose returns were never sales 56 Get to 60 Trellis climber 61 Astute attorney 64 Golf peg, or where it’s used 65 Long cold spell 66 Image in a botanical print 67 Make a typo, say 68 Litter box visitor 69 Pre-Easter season DOWN 1 D.C. influence gps.

2 “However,” in tweets

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11/28/18

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3 “Handsome, clever, and rich” Jane Austen character 4 Headwear with tails 5 Works on walls 6 Stag’s mate 7 Longtime Univision news anchor Ramos 8 Two dots above a vowel 9 Pizza chain in many food courts 10 Bar bill 11 Madagascar!, in the Bronx 12 In the know 13 Pan in Neverland 18 Inst. with the fight song “On, Brave Old Army Team” 22 Frost 24 Jay-Z’s “D.O.A. (Death of __-Tune)” 25 H.S. subject that covers all the angles?

26 Jewish ritual 27 Jaguar’s weapon 28 Individually 29 “Fat chance!”

Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved

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33 “The Simpsons” disco devotee 35 Locale 36 Soil-clearing tools 38 Mark for omission 39 Related 40 Well-mannered man 43 Made up things 45 Reveal everything 47 Individually 48 Draw a blank 50 Nothing but

11/28/18

51 Done to death 52 Float in the air 53 Actor Oscar __ of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” 57 Pulitzer-winning author James 58 Close-knit group 59 Test by lifting 61 Backtalk 62 Alternative to JFK or EWR 63 Perfecta or trifecta PAGE 6

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Solution to Tuesday’s puzzle

11/28/18 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9.

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Today’s Birthday (11/28/18). Listen to your heart this year.

Maintain cash flow momentum with steady input. Discover insights into your work, purpose and health. A lucrative bonus this winter comes before an exploration shifts focus. A fat shared harvest this summer helps with a financial challenge.

Share thanks.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Talk about love and passion. Express your heart. Practice your arts and talents.

Action gets farther than anticipated. Listen and learn. Build strong foundations.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Family conversations lead to practical ideas for home upgrades. A renovation provides lasting value. Research options, and get outside perspectives. Try something new.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Monitor channels of communication. Listen, and provide someone a valuable service. The more supportive you are, the more you gain. Keep your end of a bargain.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Count your winnings. Your income rises with positive conditions. Take advantage of rising sales or business. Fix something before it breaks.

Quick action pays off.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Consider long-range personal plans. You’re getting stronger. Practice for a powerful performance. Get help with any heavy lifting. Share acknowledgment and gratitude.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Find an answer in a dream. Insight strikes unbidden. A stroke of genius reveals new options. An elder has great advice. Consider what worked before.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Talk with friends to advance a group project. Community efforts can take big ground. You’re especially persuasive. Work out a powerful plan.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Conversation can lead to a career opportunity. Put in extra effort, and continue earning respect. There’s more work available. Stick to the plan, and make your deadlines.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- An exploration takes flight. All your connections are coming together. Find ways to economize. Keep your eye on the road. Discover new tricks.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Take care of business with shared accounts. Keep your part of the bargain.

Complete a job early and under budget. Accept nice extra benefits.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is an 8 -- Together, you and a partner can advance beyond expectation. Avoid misunderstandings by staying in close communication. Follow rules rigorously. Things could get romantic.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Demand for your work is rising. Guard your physical energy. Restore it with exercise, good food and sleep. Slow down to avoid accidents.

Nurture physical health.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

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