The Vista Nov. 7, 2016

#Repealthe19th Editorial Page 7 Volume 113, Issue 24

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VISTA “The Student Voice Since 1903”

Follow the Vista: UCentralMedia.com vistanews1903 @TheVista1903 thevista1903 The Vista Monday, Nov. 7, 2016

New Program to Help You Get a Job Queila Omena @queilaomena Reporter

Students at the University of Central Oklahoma who will soon be entering the workforce have the option of attending the Workforce Advantage Program, starting on Nov. 10 on campus. Photo provided by Pexels.com

Students at the University of Central Oklahoma who soon will be looking for jobs can get help through a new program on campus starting Nov. 10.

The Workforce Advantage Program from UCO’s Customized Education is designed to help students build stronger ‘soft skills.’

The new program will allow employees learn about business etiquette, reputation management and professional communication, said Karen Youngblood, executive director for Customized Education.

See ‘Soft Skills’ on 5

Central Tech Store Offering Classes Elisabeth Slay @Eslayslay Reporter

The new Central Tech Store on the second floor of the Nigh University Center is holding classes and events educating students on certain aspects of technology.

According to Central Tech Store Manager, David Krone, students have had the opportunity to learn about computers in the store since October.

“We kind of choose a subject to go over in the month, and we… choose the Apple side of that subject, and we correlate that with the Windows side of that subject. So for the month of October, we wanted to just start with the basics,” Krone said.

Krone said the classes are for people who need to learn the overall foundation and basics of the technology they decide to use.

See Tech Store on 5

The new Central Tech Store was completed earlier this semester, and it offers a much wider range of products than the old Apple Store in the Nigh Center. The Central Tech Store has been offering classes and events regarding technology use to students.

Photo by Jessi Sanchez, The Vista.

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CONTENTS

2

Colton Ford, sophomore, adjusts his controls on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016 at the EDM@UCO concert promotion under the Blue Tent by Broncho Lake. Other members of EDM@UCO were handing out flyers for their upcoming concert on Nov. 17, “The Drop”, which will be held at Central Plaza. Photo by Cara Johnson, The Vista.

CONTENTS

Student Voters................................................3

Bucking Broncho...........................................6

Around Campus.............................................4

Editorial..........................................................7

Soft Skills/ Tech Store....................................5

Public Safety...................................................8

STAFF NAME AND POSITION

Kateleigh Mills Alex Brown A . Suave Francisco Cara Johnson Ta y l o r M i c h a u d Elisabeth Slay Elizabeth Spence Megan Prather Queila Omena Peter Agnitsch Ike Wilcots Ryan Naeve Te d d y B u r c h

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor Re p o r t e r Re p o r t e r Re p o r t e r Re p o r t e r S p o r t s Re p o r t e r S p o r t s Re p o r t e r Photographer Advisor

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STUDENT VOTERS

3

UCO Student Association President Cash Deitz wears a T-shirt that will be given to UCO students who vote in the election on Tuesday. Students who present an “I voted” sticker, an absentee ballot envelope, or a selfie with their absentee ballot envelope will recieve a shirt. Photo by Ryan Naeve, The Vista.

UCOSA Gives T-shirts to Encourage Voting Lacey Williams

@lwilliams05 Contributing Writer

Members of University of Central Oklahoma Student Association are hoping to encourage students to vote in the November election by handing out free T-shirts to those who vote.

Students who wish to receive a free shirt on Tuesday must present proof of voting, either with a sticker from the polling place or a selfie with their absentee ballot envelope.

Believing that the incentive will increase the number of students who vote, UCOSA's Student Congress Chair, Caleb Shaw, said he was excited for the upcoming election.

“Some might think that you shouldn't need an incentive to vote, but we feel this is just a way to show our appreciation for our students that are helping give UCO a voice in both national and local politics,” said UCOSA’s Vice Chair of Student Congress, Stockton Duvall.

Other organizations are also hoping for increased voter turnout among students, who are repeatedly some of the lowest when it comes to the number of participants.

“Our age has one of the lowest voter turnouts because a lot of people don’t think their vote matters,” Shaw said.

Voter turnout rates from the millennial generation in past presidential elections are the lowest among any age group, according to the Pew Research Center.

On election day, 500 shirts will be given out at the clock tower at Bron-

cho lake. The shirts have the design of the Broncho horse with UCOSA's logo below it.

“We compensated through the UCO promotional office … We had a good designer that came in, and he made that design,” Shaw said.

Members of the student government organization will also be at the event, including Austin Heitzinger, public relations chair. They will be promoting their student-run government, which acts as a representative for the collective student body.

According to Duvall, the association’s main areas of focus include funding for campus organizations and bringing a light to student concerns.

The government organization is a reflection of the national government and includes an executive, judicial and legislative branch. The association also funds campus organizations, handling over $700,000 in student fee dollars, according to the university budget.

The organization hopes to create diversity among its members, who have to meet qualifications for diversity, said Duvall.

Many of the active members within the association have leadership positions in other organizations on campus.

These groups include Leaders of Tomorrow, the Hispanic American Student Association (HASA), Student Programming Board (SPB) and many others. These members are able to represent their individual groups by being active in a committee.

Each committee has an elected

chair that leads discussions and keeps the group focused on their goals.

Throughout the semester, the com-

mittees work to pass legislature and host events.

MY MEATS ATE

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4

AROUND CAMPUS

AROUND THE CAMPUS Monday, Nov. 7, 2016 NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT SUPPORT GROUP: From 11-12 p.m., UCO’s

Center for Counseling and Well-Being will host a support group for nontraditional students in NUC 415 who struggle to find a balance between school, work and family.

UCOSA: From 1-2 p.m. the University of Cen-

tral Oklahoma’s Student Association will meet for their weekly congress meeting in the Will Rogers Room located on the fourth floor of the Nigh University Center.

THIS MONTH WITH SPB: Members of the Student Programming Board will be in the Nigh University Center by the food court from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. to discuss their upcoming events for November.

ROCK FOR A REMINDER: Men’s Programming Board will be in the Nigh University Center near the food courts from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. to pass out rocks for students to paint and keep as a reminder of being more conscious about men’s health.

ISC GENERAL MEETING: The Interna-

tional Student Council will host a budget meeting, followed by a general meeting from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Nigh University Center to discuss events and updates, as well as other necessary information.

LIFE SKILLS AROUND EATING: At 3:30 p.m. in NUC Room 402, the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will be holding a free and confidential support group for those who suffer from eating disorders and symptoms that suggest eating disorders.

FRYBREAD SOCIAL: From 6 - 8 p.m. the Native American Student Association will be at the International House making dessert frybreads for people to enjoy.

MISS ASIAN UCO SCHOLARSHIP REHEARSAL: From 6-10 p.m. there will be rehearsals for Miss Asian UCO Scholarship Pageant.

More information can be found on OrgSync.com on the UCO events calendar.

Tuesday Nov. 8, 2016 LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP SEMINAR:

In Constitution Hall, from 9:30- 10:45 a.m., students will be able to hear from local business owners and leaders on their leadership experiences.

UCOSA: From 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. members of the

UCO Student Association will be by the clocktower to pass out free shirts for those who show their “I Voted” sticker or an envelope from their absentee or a selfie with their absentee ballot. A picture of the shirt is on the UCOSA Twitter page: @UCOSANews.

ARTWORK FROM THE MELTON LEGACY COLLECTION: From 11 a.m. - 4

p.m. the Melton Gallery will be exhibiting artwork from the U.S., Great Britain, France, Norway, Spain, Holland, and other countries originating in the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries.

EMOTIONAL FITNESS: From 10:3011:30 a.m. in NUC Room 402, the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will have a free and confidential support group offering tools to be more mindful and regulate emotions.

SMART RECOVERY: At 12 p.m. in NUC Room 402, the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will host a meeting for those in recovery to learn skills to stay balanced and motivated in staying healthy.

ANGER TAMERS: The Center for Counseling and Well-Being will give a confidential and free support from for those who struggle with controlling anger from 1- 2 p.m. in NUC Room 402.

MINDSTRENGTH: Beginning at noon, the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will be in the Quad in Room W112 for a workshop that helps individuals deal with anxiety and are intended to help improve sleep as well as the ability to stay calm.

SAFE ELECTION WATCH PARTY:

Beginning at 7 p.m. the Student Alliance for Equality will be in the Carl Albert Room in the Nigh University Center for an election watch party. The event is also co-sponsored by the Black Student Association, the Native American Student Association, the Asian American Student Association, and the UCO Chapter of NAACP. The event is open to everyone.

SPB ELECTION WATCH PARTY:

Beginning at 7 p.m. the Student Programming Board will be in the Nigh University Center’s Will Rogers Room on the fourth floor to watch as the results from the national election begin to be reported.

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016 FINANCE CENTRAL: Starting at 10-11

a.m. and then 1-2 p.m. in Constitution Hall, Colin Ryan, a financial comedian, will provide information on managing money. Financial Central is a Health and Wellness tenet of the Student Transformative Learning Record. The event host will be Chez Redmond.

BGLTQ+ SUPPORT: The Center for Counseling and Well-Being will be in the NUC Room 402 at 12 p.m. for individuals thinking about coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or for people who have recently come out and are seeking support. These groups are free and confidential.

SEEKING STRENGTH: Beginning at 1

p.m. in the NUC Room 402, the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will have a workshop to reduce trauma and substance abuse symptoms, as well as including boundaries in relationships and other topics. The workshop is both free and confidential.

“ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT” PHO NIGHT:

From 6-8 p.m. the Asian American Student Association will be at Pho Ben for their annual Pho Night. Tickets can be sold on OrgSync or Pho Ben is located at 302 S. Kelly Avenue Edmond, OK 73003.

DESIGN MOVIE NIGHT: VISUAL ACOUSTICS: From 7-9 p.m. in the

Radke Fine Arts Theatre, there will be a Student Transformative Learning Record event hosted by the design department. The movie will be a free design related documentary film. The films are geared towards graphic and interior design students, but can also serve as inspiration for others.

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 STRESS PAWS: In NUC Room 402 from 3- 5 p.m., the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will have therapy dogs to help students relieve stress.

SMART RECOVERY: At 5:30 p.m. at the International House, the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will host a meeting for those in recovery to learn skills to stay balanced and motivated in staying healthy.

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS: In NUC Ballrooms beginning at 6 p.m., the Hispanic American Student Association is hosting Dia de los Meurtos, an event to celebrate loved ones who have passed.

The event will have arts and crafts as well entertainment and free snacks.

SPB PRESENTS ELIZABETH ACEVEDO: Beginning at 7 p.m. in the Radke

Fine Arts Theatre, the Student Programming Board will present slam poet, Elizabeth Acevedo. Acevedo will perform an hour set of slam poetry about important topics in today’s world.

Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 ANGER TAMERS: The Center for Counseling and Well-Being will give a confidential and free support from for those who struggle with controlling anger from 9- 10 a.m. in NUC Room 402.

2016 UCO VETERANS DAY: From 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. in the NUC Ballroom A, an event dedicated to “highlight the heroism and selfless services” of veterans will be open to all students to learn about the importance of military service members. A reception following the event will be in the Heritage Room.

5

SOFT SKILLS/TECH STORE

Soft Skills Queila Omena @queilaomena Reporter

(Continued from cover) The Workforce Advantage Program will address information on generational differences, dressing professionally, entitlements, punctuality and honoring hierarchy. The program will also discuss texting and social media in the workplace.

UCO’s Customized Education partnered with the State Chamber of Oklahoma to provide innovative instructions to keep learners engaged with real-world scenarios.

Youngblood said the idea for the program started a year ago when she attended Gov. Mary Fallin’s Oklahoma Work Summit.

At the summit Youngblood heard from organizations, associations, non-profits and businesses that there was a need to improve soft skills to get employees boardroom-ready.

“All of [the employers] were saying the same thing. They were saying our young employees coming out of college don’t have soft skills. They have good talent; they have good

technical skills; but they don’t have the soft skills,” Youngblood said.

According to Youngblood, soft skills are basic skills needed in the workplace including how to properly handshake, look somebody in the eye, use silverware, write a professional email, along with other traits.

The program is opened to anyone but is designed for new or advancing professionals, typically someone that is new to a company or has received a new position.

“We are not going to teach rocket science, but we are going to teach the business perspective and expectations that people don’t tell when you go in ... We are trying to bridge that gap so that employees are even more valuable to employers,” Youngblood said.

The new program is intended to help employees convey a positive image and serve in the upper-level management of the organization.

Professionalism, customer service and collaboration will also be studied throughout the program.

There’s no age requirement for the Workforce Advantage Program.

Students that finished high school, received a bachelor’s degree, or even a master’s degree are all welcomed to take these valuable classes.

The program is designed to be a

The University of Central Oklahoma’s Workforce Advantage Program aims to help students learn business etiquette skills such as dressing professionally, punctuality, and honoring a hierarchy. Photo by Ryan Naeve, The Vista.

90-day session, with three Thursdays and three Fridays over a period of three months. Classes will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday.

Classes will cost $1299, and discounts may be applied.

Research shows that employees that want to stand out will need to polish soft skills and be able to leave a strong impression. After three months of classes, students will receive a professional certificate as a way to stand out from the crowd, said

Youngblood.

The Workforce Advantage Program has a lifetime guarantee, where employees are able to retake classes again without any cost. Companies also may offer to pay for the training, as research has proven the long-term profits.

“Our goal is really to make sure the employee has that additional edge, that additional standout, that additional boardroom-ready functionality so they stand out among other peers,” Youngblood said.

Tech Store Elisabeth Slay @Eslayslay Reporter

(Continued from cover) “We had a Mac basics class and a Windows basics class. It kind of is just to go over just starting as if you’ve never used a Windows before or you’ve never used a Mac,” Krone said.

Krone said during first month of operation the Tech Store did not have a lot of attendance in their classes.

“We’re advertising it the best we can, but since it’s still so new, I think a lot of students don’t really know where it’s at yet, and so we’re kind of still working on getting that message out,” Krone said.

The store decided to have these classes as a way to demonstrate to students at the University of Central Oklahoma the types of services they could utilize.

“I think it just falls back onto that we’re actually a UCO entity, you know; we’re run by the UCO Information of Technology—kind of our number one goal is to be that student service,” Krone said.

In the coming weeks, Krone said the store is going to have more classes regarding Apple and Windows cell phones.

“For this month we are actually going to dive more into the mobile, so we’ll have like the IOS [and] iPads ... We’ve got a lot of basic trouble shooting in here, so we’re going to educate people on how to get through that basic troubleshooting,” Krone said.

In addition to these classes, the new Central

Two Central Tech Store employees talk in the back of the store. The Central Tech Store has been offering classes and events concerning technological education this semester. Photo by Jessi Sanchez, The Vista.

Tech store has partnered up with various student organizations.

“We’ve always had great partnerships with different departments on campus and different offices, but one thing I have been excited about since opening up has been our partnership with student organizations,” Krone said.

The store has been in alliance with numerous student-run organizations, including the Student Programming Board and Student Freshmen Programming Board.

“We’ve also got some events planned where student organizations are going to be able to come into the store and use our displays to kind of host their events and have fun with that,” Krone said.

According to Halen Grounds, a Central Tech Store student worker, since the store’s opening the customer and profit flow have been relatively positive.

“We have seen high [customer] traffic, and sales have gone through the roof. Now we’re on track and keeping up with other big college stores,” Grounds said.

According to Grounds, students have enjoyed the atmosphere of the store because it is larger and has more space for certain amenities.

“We’re more open, and we have those chairs at the front of the store. We hope it’ll be more like a hang-out rather than a place to walk in and buy a computer,” Grounds said.

5

SOFT SKILLS/TECH STORE

Soft Skills Queila Omena @queilaomena Reporter

(Continued from cover) The Workforce Advantage Program will address information on generational differences, dressing professionally, entitlements, punctuality and honoring hierarchy. The program will also discuss texting and social media in the workplace.

UCO’s Customized Education partnered with the State Chamber of Oklahoma to provide innovative instructions to keep learners engaged with real-world scenarios.

Youngblood said the idea for the program started a year ago when she attended Gov. Mary Fallin’s Oklahoma Work Summit.

At the summit Youngblood heard from organizations, associations, non-profits and businesses that there was a need to improve soft skills to get employees boardroom-ready.

“All of [the employers] were saying the same thing. They were saying our young employees coming out of college don’t have soft skills. They have good talent; they have good

technical skills; but they don’t have the soft skills,” Youngblood said.

According to Youngblood, soft skills are basic skills needed in the workplace including how to properly handshake, look somebody in the eye, use silverware, write a professional email, along with other traits.

The program is opened to anyone but is designed for new or advancing professionals, typically someone that is new to a company or has received a new position.

“We are not going to teach rocket science, but we are going to teach the business perspective and expectations that people don’t tell when you go in ... We are trying to bridge that gap so that employees are even more valuable to employers,” Youngblood said.

The new program is intended to help employees convey a positive image and serve in the upper-level management of the organization.

Professionalism, customer service and collaboration will also be studied throughout the program.

There’s no age requirement for the Workforce Advantage Program.

Students that finished high school, received a bachelor’s degree, or even a master’s degree are all welcomed to take these valuable classes.

The program is designed to be a

The University of Central Oklahoma’s Workforce Advantage Program aims to help students learn business etiquette skills such as dressing professionally, punctuality, and honoring a hierarchy. Photo by Ryan Naeve, The Vista.

90-day session, with three Thursdays and three Fridays over a period of three months. Classes will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday.

Classes will cost $1299, and discounts may be applied.

Research shows that employees that want to stand out will need to polish soft skills and be able to leave a strong impression. After three months of classes, students will receive a professional certificate as a way to stand out from the crowd, said

Youngblood.

The Workforce Advantage Program has a lifetime guarantee, where employees are able to retake classes again without any cost. Companies also may offer to pay for the training, as research has proven the long-term profits.

“Our goal is really to make sure the employee has that additional edge, that additional standout, that additional boardroom-ready functionality so they stand out among other peers,” Youngblood said.

Tech Store Elisabeth Slay @Eslayslay Reporter

(Continued from cover) “We had a Mac basics class and a Windows basics class. It kind of is just to go over just starting as if you’ve never used a Windows before or you’ve never used a Mac,” Krone said.

Krone said during first month of operation the Tech Store did not have a lot of attendance in their classes.

“We’re advertising it the best we can, but since it’s still so new, I think a lot of students don’t really know where it’s at yet, and so we’re kind of still working on getting that message out,” Krone said.

The store decided to have these classes as a way to demonstrate to students at the University of Central Oklahoma the types of services they could utilize.

“I think it just falls back onto that we’re actually a UCO entity, you know; we’re run by the UCO Information of Technology—kind of our number one goal is to be that student service,” Krone said.

In the coming weeks, Krone said the store is going to have more classes regarding Apple and Windows cell phones.

“For this month we are actually going to dive more into the mobile, so we’ll have like the IOS [and] iPads ... We’ve got a lot of basic trouble shooting in here, so we’re going to educate people on how to get through that basic troubleshooting,” Krone said.

In addition to these classes, the new Central

Two Central Tech Store employees talk in the back of the store. The Central Tech Store has been offering classes and events concerning technological education this semester. Photo by Jessi Sanchez, The Vista.

Tech store has partnered up with various student organizations.

“We’ve always had great partnerships with different departments on campus and different offices, but one thing I have been excited about since opening up has been our partnership with student organizations,” Krone said.

The store has been in alliance with numerous student-run organizations, including the Student Programming Board and Student Freshmen Programming Board.

“We’ve also got some events planned where student organizations are going to be able to come into the store and use our displays to kind of host their events and have fun with that,” Krone said.

According to Halen Grounds, a Central Tech Store student worker, since the store’s opening the customer and profit flow have been relatively positive.

“We have seen high [customer] traffic, and sales have gone through the roof. Now we’re on track and keeping up with other big college stores,” Grounds said.

According to Grounds, students have enjoyed the atmosphere of the store because it is larger and has more space for certain amenities.

“We’re more open, and we have those chairs at the front of the store. We hope it’ll be more like a hang-out rather than a place to walk in and buy a computer,” Grounds said.

BUCKING BRONCHO

6

The Bucking Broncho:

OKC is Doing Better Than Expected

A. Suave Francisco @SuaveFrancisco_ Sports Editor

Five games into the season, and I can say that this Thunder team has overachieved. Sitting at (4-1), they were the second to last team to lose their first game, and at this point we know their strengths and their weaknesses.

This Thunder team is very defensively sound.

Despite the Golden State game where they gave up 122 points, they’ve been persistent on stopping the ball and not allowing teams to get open shots or an easy stroll through the lane. For the first time in a long time, this team is taking defense seriously, every play. The addition of Victor Oladipo has pushed Russell to his full potential defensively, while Russell encourages Victor to step up his offensive game.

Most of this team was built around Kevin Durant, not Russell. With Durant gone, there’s a lot of uncertainty regarding this team’s fate. The fact is that it may take some time to see the Thunder performing at the high level they’ve performed at

in the past—simply because Sam Presti and Billy Donovan haven’t had the time to re-build the team around Russell. However, OKC will overachieve this season all because of their defensive play and their grit. They are going to put up a fight no matter what the score is, and they won’t settle for anything less than their best. That’s a recipe for a scrappy reputation, which will win more games than it will lose.

Russell, through the past five games, averages 37.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.0 assists.

He leads the league in scoring, and he’s 15th in rebounds and third in assists. There’s never a question of how good he is—we know. The question is: who other than Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo will help out on a consistent basis? Enes Kanter needs to be productive every game, not just 75 percent of the time. Kyle Singler probably doesn’t need as much playing time, and Anthony Morrow needs those minutes. Time will only

Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant, right, celebrates in front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

tell with newly acquired forward Jerami Grant, since he has only played two games thus far, but from what I’ve seen, he’s pretty good and can get better, especially in Oklahoma City’s system. He’s wearing Serge Ibaka’s old number and plays a lot like him. He has a great defensive game, but he’s under-developed offensively.

You can see where rookies Domantas Sabonis and Alex Abrines will be good; they just currently lack the experience. The game seems to be shockingly fast for the both of them, but they’ll adjust as the season progresses.

Oklahoma City may not make it as far in this year’s playoffs, but this team will learn a lot and will get better for the future. With that being said, and with all things considered, OKC will have a successful season by going 47-35. That will secure them a playoff spot for sure and probably a top-five seed.

7

EDITORIAL

#WhyNotRepealTheBillofRights?

Alex Brown

@aymae_baybay Managing Editor

Some thought it was just a joke, but the Twitter community was unfortunately mistaken; the hashtag #Repealthe19th or #Repealthe19thAmendment has been making its rounds on the social media site, and it has incited anger from a large portion of users.

The hashtag is in reference to the original photos shared by Nate Silver, chief editor at FiveThirtyEight, that were posted on Twitter, depicting the divide of voters in the presidential election based off of the voters’ gender. The photos showed the United States being mostly blue if only women voted, and mostly red if only men voted.

The hashtag started trending when a select few of Trump’s supporters used this as a reason why women shouldn’t vote, so that the “right” candidate would win.

The photo below was posted later, further dividing US voters by certain demographics pertaining to race and education, as well as gender.

Now, as a journalist, I wanted to

know the source of all of this information. Surely there was some kind of official poll or something of the sort; surely this wasn’t just made up.

After a quick Google search, one would find out that Nathanael Strickland, the poster of the larger demographically divided map, is the chief editor to a blog that describes its contents as “coming from Christian traditionalists’ perspectives.”

If you peruse the site and its contents, you may find some disturbing content relating to religion and race.

Now, this isn’t indicative of Christianity as a whole, but this site did have some disturbing undercurrents of racism, and it describes itself as “Occidental Christianity for Preserving Western Culture and People.”

Considering this, it would make sense, as Strickland’s tweet not only included the hashtag #Repealthe19th, which refers to the 19th Amendment that gives women the right to vote.

His post also included the hashtag #Repealthe15th, which was the amendment to the Constitution that granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the

“right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

That aside, through research it was discovered Strickland’s post included no sources whatsoever. That’s right folks, something we found on the internet wasn’t true or backed up by factual information.

For all we know, Strickland may have found the rest of his voters in Microsoft Paint for the “People of Color” votes to the “College-Educated Whites.”

There are people out there that are accepting “polls” such as this at face value, and it is further dividing our citizens from each other.

There are tweets under the hashtag #Repealthe19th that are hateful and discriminatory. Fortunately, there are some users who have stepped up and supported women, as well as other citizens of the minority, and have stated there needs to be a cultural change in our society.

Chair of the Mass Communication Department and professor, Mary

A tweet by a Twitter user promoting #Repealthe19th. The two maps in the upper right corner originated from FiveThirtyEight’s polls, and the sources for the other six maps have no sources or attribution to the origins of the polling numbers.

Carver, Ph.D., has stated that this is a social issue that women have been fighting against since before the Civil War. “Certainly we’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go, and I think that the women’s rights advocates from the first wave would be appalled that we’re still working for some of the things that we’re working for,” Carver said. “We can legislate all we want but if, socially, we don’t have equal respect where people can come along and call us names, and say we don’t deserve better, that we’re not going to be protected if we’re sexually assaulted, if we’re still getting killed on a daily basis by our partners in the home and not have full protection there, then there is a cultural shift that needs to be made.”

While speaking with Carver, who did her master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation over early women’s rights, she touched on how this election has brought out parts of people you may not have seen otherwise.

“It’s very revealing as to what’s going on in this election and the way [Hillary Clinton has] been talked about, that it kind of has shown our true colors as a culture and the way that we really think about women.

The way they’re supposed to act, their true place . . . People’s true feelings have come out this election,” Carver said.

While discussing the discriminatory tweets, it came to light that some of the users promoting #Repealthe19th were also women. Carver said that this fact wasn’t that surprising and brings to mind when women were trying to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

“Women are the only group of people in this country that have worked to prevent themselves from having more rights... A woman named Phyllis Schlafly got on a bandwagon to prevent us from having the Equal Rights Amendment. The force working to oppose the amendment was led by a female, and other females got on board,” Carver said.

To this day, The Equal Rights Amendment, a proposed amendment to the US Constitution stating that civil rights may not be denied on the basis of one’s sex, has not been ratified.

Though the hashtags #Repealthe19th and #Repealthe15th are disturbing, there has been an outpouring of users who have been posting it to empower others. Also, to the people claiming that these people on the internet are just “trolling,” and the hashtag is just a joke— it’s not funny.

8

PUBLIC SAFETY

AK-47 Allegations Circulate on Campus Elizabeth Spence @lizzlynn Reporter

There were several false allegations floating around the University of Central Oklahoma campus about a student threatening a teacher with an AK-47 during a night class on Oct. 25.

The rumored event actually occurred the evening of Monday, Oct. 24, not Tuesday, when a student made a comment outside of his classroom stating that he was going to “go home and get his AK.” This comment was made after poor discourse between the student and his professor.

“He made that statement outside the class. He was having a dialogue with an instructor in front of other students— he was basically frustrated with the class situation,” said Chief of UCO police, Jeff Harp. “Then that frustration made this statement in passing. [It was] simply a way to communicate to others his frustrations … He didn’t have any intention behind it.”

Assistant Vice President for University Communications, Adrienne Nobles, along with UCO President, Don Betz and Jeff Harp are responsible when it comes to sending the campus a timely warning in the event of an emergency.

There were concerns from teachers about a timely warning not being sent out to the campus community because of the rumors they heard about someone making gun threats on campus.

“If there ever [was] any threat to this community, we would take every step and action necessary to address

that threat and make sure that our campus community was informed in the most rapid way possible,” Nobles said. “Our police department [and] the administration here takes this very seriously, and if we need to take that action, we are not going to hesitate to do so.”

After the comment by the student was made about the weapon specified, the UCO police were called and showed up immediately after and assessed the situation with the student. Harp said that the student was apologetic and complied with everything the police officers asked.

“We talked to him at length,” Harp said. “He did not have an AK in his car.”

However, the student who made the comment told UCO police that he did have his conceal carry license and did have a handgun in his vehicle. His car was then checked by the officers, and the weapon and license were inspected, and everything was legally in order.

“This student has done nothing but cooperate with us.

He met with the student affairs division the following day to talk about what happened. We have no concerns, and as a result of our interview with him, we didn’t issue a timely warning because there wasn’t a need to.”

Harp said. “Of course we communicated pretty clearly that you don’t say things like that … People take that seriously, as they should have, and that’s what generated the call to us.”

The reason that no timely warning was sent to anyone on campus was because there was no threat to campus or anyone present at the time the incident occurred.

“If we were to send [a timely warning] out all the

time just for a rumor, it wouldn’t have that same effect, because people would look at it as kind of like white noise,” Nobles said. “It’s a big deal, and you can bet when you receive that notification that you need to take action on it.”

The rumor that was passed around campus was that the student had an AK-47 on campus making gun threats to a teacher and that Edmond Police Department and UCO Police Department were involved, ending in the suspect being arrested on campus.

“That is inaccurate,” Nobles said. “None of that happened.”

According to Harp, the faculty could have felt differently about the entire situation, but they are not the ones that dealt with the student or the situation at hand.

“That doesn’t mean that the faculty didn’t feel differently, but the faculty [members] are also not the ones that are standing there talking to this student, getting him to explain exactly why he would make such a statement and piecing together all the different parts of [the situation],” Harp said.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to contact the UCO Police Department or University Communications if they hear anything that is of concern to them, but they should not spread allegations.

“Any time you have a question, rather than feeding the rumor mill, ask us,” Nobles said. “Give the police a call. You can call university communications as well, and we would be happy to look into it and to address your concerns.”

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