the
Volume 118, Issue 24
VISTA “Our Words, Your Voice.”
vistanews1903 @thevista1903 @thevista1903 The Vista ucentralmedia.com Tuesday, April 20, 2021
UCO releases spring grad schedule
INSIDE
BronchoThon
How much was raised, the new execs, and more on BronchoThon! See Pg. 3
Myanmar Rally
People against the military coup in Myanmar gathered at the Capitol to show their support of Myanmar citizens.
See Pg.4
Debate Nationals
The UCO Debate team competed in the Cross-Examination Debate Association’s (CEDA) National Championship Tournament last week.
See Pg.5
Graduating students walk through the arch at Old North. The university recently announced the schedule for the spring 2021 commencement ceremonies, which will also include graduates that were not able to walk in fall 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Provided/University Communications)
Amanda Siew
@amandasiewyk Contributing Writer
The University of Central Oklahoma released new details Wednesday about the upcoming in-person commencement ceremonies for spring and summer 2021 graduates and 2020 alumni. In a campus-wide email, the university announced that the ceremonies will be held May 7 and 8 in Wantland
Parts of UCO campus affected by power outage Lyric Peterson Digital Media/Copy Editor
Around Campus
See what is happening on campus as the last few weeks of the semester begin to wrap up! Celebrate Earth Month with UCO Dining and more! See Pg. 2
Nigh University building and other portions of campus went dark at around 10:15 a.m. on Monday. The City of Edmond announced in a tweet that crews were responding to a power outage. “A large power outage is impacting just over 3,100 customers in central and south Edmond,” the City of Edmond stated. Continued on Pg. 7
Stadium. The ceremonies for the colleges of Education and Professional Studies and Fine Arts and Design will be held first on May 7 at 10 a.m. followed by the ceremonies for the Jackson College of Graduate Studies and the College of Business at 2 p.m. The colleges of Liberal Arts and Mathematics and Science will have their ceremonies on May 8 starting at 10 a.m. Graduates who are interested in attending the ceremonies must register
by May 6. If the ceremonies are canceled due to inclement weather, they will be rescheduled for May 8 and 9 if weather permits, the university said. Registered graduates will receive a link to download tickets for their four guests. Guests must be seated socially distanced in groups of four at the stadium. Continued on Pg. 5
UCO COVID-19 DASHBOARD Active UCO COVID-19 Cases:
Self-Reported COVID-19 Vaccinations:
8
1,561
Recoveries: 862 Total Cases: 870
Students: 851, Faculty: 320, Staff: 390
Statistics are based on information via the UCO online COVID-19 dashboard as of Monday, April 19. COVID-19 vaccinations can be self-reported following a community member’s final dose of the vaccine. Community members can also self-report intent to NOT receive a COVID-19 vaccination. All self-reports can be made via the UCO Vaccine Clinic webpage. COVID-19 infection reports can be made via the UCO COVID-19 self-reporting tool on the online dashboard.
2 | The Vista
April 20, 2021
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 Tuesday, April 20, 2021 Earth Day Lunch: From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ayers Kitchen will host a farmto-fork menu, highlighting Oklahoma's agriculture. A pop-up farmer's market will take place outside wih local produce and goods for sale. Ayers Kitchen accepts cash and credit/debit. Safety in the Workplace - How to Address Harassment: Hosted virtually and beginning at 1 p.m., the Venter for Counseling & Well-Being is partnering with the Career Development Center for a conversation about what harassment looks like in the workplace, how to be an active bystander, and support options. ISC - Pakistan Student Association Presents GupShup: From 7 to 9 p.m. in NUC 326, the ISC will host a networking event giving students exposure to Ramadan. UCO Chamber Orchestra - A Night of English Music: At 7:30 p.m. in Mitchell Hall Theatre, join the UCO Chamber Orchestra for A Night of English Music, under the direction of Dr. Hong Zhu. Admission is free.
Masculinity, Melanin, and Mother Nature: A Conversation on Intersectional Environmentalism: From 6 to 7:30 p.m., panelists from the College of Liberal Arts will discuss the relationship between identity and the environment. This event is virtual, and the link can be found at calendars.uco.edu. ISC - ASEAN Night: From 6 to 8 p.m. in the NUC Constitution Hall, the ISC will host a night of performances, games and food celebrating Southeast Asia. UCO Wind Ensembles: This We Believe: At 7:30 p.m. in Mitchell Hall Theatre, the Broncho Wind Ensemble and the Blue Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Ryan Sharp and Dr. Brian Lamb respectively, will present a collaborative concert experience. Thursday, April 22, 2021 MSBA Recruitment Chat: At 11 a.m., join the College of Business to learn more about the MSBA program at UCO. Find the registration link at calendar.uco.edu. DIY Series: Grow Your Own Kits:
Around Campus
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ayers Kitchen, Housing and Dining will celebrate Earth Month with DIY Grow Kits, or a "Plant it Forward" initiative. MBA Recruitment Chat: At 12 p.m., join the College of Business to learn more about the MBA program at UCO. Find the registration link at calendar.uco.edu. Three Minute Thesis Competition: The Jackson College of Graduate Studies invites campus members to be a virtual audience in the 2021 Three Minute Thesis research competition. The event begins at 4 p.m., and registration is required for Zoom access. Find the link at calendar.uco. edu. 'The Spaces Between' Closing Reception: From 5 to 7:30 p.m., Melton Gallery is hosting a closing reception for the final viewing of the photography of Eyakem Guililat. The short films will also be viewable for the last time on April 30 in Plunkett Park. UCO Wind Ensembles: THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE: A Remembrance in Music and Poetry: At 7:30 p.m. in Mitchell Hall Theatre, the Bronze Wind Ensemble under the
direction of Dr. Brian Lamb will perform. Friday, April 23, 2021 Lunch at the Lab: At 12:15, the UCO School of Music Department of Jazz Studies presents "Lunch at the Lab!" at the UCO Jazz Lab. UCO Jazz students will play a free outdoor concert, and tables will be socially distanced for viewers to bring their lunch and enjoy music. UCO Music: 2021 Spring Vocal Jazz Concert: At 7:30 p.m. at the Radke Fine Arts Theatre, the UCO Chamber Swingers will perform their spring concert featuring solo and ensemble songs by Jobim, Kitt, Mitchell and Alter, Rodgers and Hart, arrangements by Marsh, Meader, and more! Sunday, April 25, 2021 UCO School of Design: Senior Show 2021: From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Central Boathouse, senior design students will present their Senior Show Exhibition - SHIFT.
Front Pg. Teaser Photos, from top: Provided/BronchoThon Amanda Siew/The Vista Provided/Pixabay
To submit events for next week’s Around Campus, please email thevista@ucentralmedia.com. Include the title of your event, time and place, and a brief description. Descriptions are subject to editing.
the
VISTA
Staff
Jacob Silva Cory Bryce McKinnis Tanner Johnson Lyric Peterson Tanner Laws Lilli Meyers Amanda Siew Ty Wallace Cynthia Faulkner
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Sports Editor Digital Media/Copy Editor Photographer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Contributing Writer Adviser
Advertise with us! The Vista is published weekly during the spring, summer and fall semesters. In all issues, The Vista has opportunities for both digital, online and print ads. For information or questions contact: 405-974-5549 or thevista.ads@gmail.com
Provided/Vista Archives
UCO’s Student Voice Since 1903 The Vista is published as a newspaper and public forum by UCO students, weekly during the academic year, at the University of Central Oklahoma. The issue price is free for the first copy and $1 for each additional copy obtained.
EDITORIALS
Opinion columns, editorial cartoons, reviews and commentaries represent the views of the writer or artist and not necessarily the views of The Vista Editorial Board, the Department of Mass Communication, UCO or the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges. The Vista is not an official medium of expression for the Regents or UCO.
LETTERS
The Vista encourages letters to the
editor. Letters should address issues and ideas, not personalities. Letters must be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s printed name, major, classification and phone number. Phone numbers are included for contacting purposes only. Letters are subject to editing for libel, clarity and space, or to eliminate statements of questionable taste. The Vista reserves the right not to publish submitted letters.
ADDRESS LETTERS TO:
Editor, The Vista, 100 N. University Dr. Edmond, OK 73034-5209, or deliver in person to the editor in the Communications Building, Room 131. Letters can be emailed to thevista@ucentralmedia.com.
BronchoThon
April 20, 2021
The Vista | 3
UCO BronchoThon raises thousands
Lyric Peterson
Digital Media/Copy Editor
UCO BronchoThon raises thousands of dollars for Children’s Hospital Foundation. BronchoThon announced April 10 that they raised $65,448.21 for the yearly fundraising events. BronchoThon is a yearlong philanthropic organization that raises funds for Children’s Hospital Foundation through events like “GiveBack Night,” “30k in a Day,” “10k in a Day,” and “Blitz Hour.” The Children’s Hospital Foundation is a nonprofit that raises funds to assist in bringing the best researchers to Oklahoma to fight pediatric illnesses according to BronchoThon. 2020-21 Executive Director Brooklyn Bloomfield stated in a message to The Vista that the funds raised have impacted her in a personal way. “One of my cousins was born at 27 weeks and was treated near North Carolina. He was admitted to the NICU and was treated with breathing treatments, feeding tubes, and physical therapy for a couple months. He’s name is Jace, and he is a happy and healthy (almost) 3 year old” Bloomfield stated. “I was also treated at the Oklahoma City Children’s Hospital in middle and high school for a heart condition I was diagnosed with in 8th grade.” Pre-COVID, Bronchothon and the children’s families would all gather on campus for events. “This year was more difficult because of the pandemic, but we still had the opportunity to have zoom hangouts with families. A few [families] participated with teams for events, and some even came to the Finale in-person to share their stories!” Bloomfield stated. “Stronger Than Ever,” a hashtag BronchoThon used on social media, was their 2020-21 campaign theme. Jamie Hardison, BronchoThon Vice
BronchoThon participants hold up signs indicating how much money was raised at the 2021 event. The money raised at BronchoThon is donated to The Children’s Hospital Foundation. (Provided/BronchoThon)
President of Communications stated: “it means that no matter what outside forces try to throw us off our mission, we will not be budged and we will continue to fight for children of oklahoma.” BronchoThon kept tradition with
their end-of-the night reveal dance marathon, but it looked different. “This year, instead of the traditional 8 hour dance marathon, we held 2, 4 hour dance marathons so we could safely socially distance,” Bloomfield stated. “We also included squares on
the floor and required masks. We still had many of the traditional activities like a morale dance, on stage dares, and family stories. And of course at the end, we invited everyone back to wantland stadium for the end of year reveal!”
4 | The Vista
April 20, 2021
Coup Protest
OK Burmese community protests coup for third month
University of Central Oklahoma senior Han Seth Lu speaks at the “Solidarity with Myanmar” rally at the Oklahoma State Capitol April 17. Han has co-organized three rallies in the city to protest the ongoing military in his home country of Myanmar. (Amanda Siew/The Vista)
A supporter lays down a flower in front of a display that reads “Honoring Our Fallen Heroes.” According to the Associated Press, at least 701 anti-coup protestors and bystanders have been killed by security forces in Myanmar as of April 10. (Amanda Siew/The Vista)
A child holds up a paper sign that reads “A threat to democracy anywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere” at the “Solidarity with Myanmar” rally April 17. (Amanda Siew/The Vista)
A crowd of supporters sit on the steps of the Oklahoma State Capitol while listening to speeches from local Burmese community leaders. Over a hundred people gathered for the “Solidarity with Myanmar” rally April 17. (Amanda Siew/The Vista)
The Oklahoma City Burmese community stands on the Oklahoma State Capitol steps during the “Solidarity with Myanmar” rally April 17. The community has gathered at the Capitol monthly since the start of the Myanmar military coup in February. (Amanda SIew/The Vista)
Two supporters pose for the camera while holding up anti-coup signboards at the Oklahoma State Capitol. The supporter on the right is also holding up a three-finger salute, which is a popular symbol for solidarity and resistance in South East Asia. (Amanda Siew/The Vista)
Debate/Graduation
April 20, 2021
The Vista | 5
UCO Debate team places 2nd at nationals
Zachary Huffman, left, and Grant Colquitt of the UCO Speech & Debate team participated in the Cross-Examination Debate Associations National Championship Tournament last week, placing second. (Provided/UCO Speech & Debate)
Ty Wallace
@HALTexe Contributing Writer
The UCO Debate Team placed second in the Cross-Examination Debate Association’s (CEDA) National Championship Tournament last week, bringing their second-highest
placement since winning in 1990. The team lost to Texas with a 5-4 decision. UCO’s Debate Team consisted of senior Grant Colquitt and sophomore Zachary Huffman. The tournament saw Colquitt and Huffman defeat the top two speakers in the tournament, along with taking the No. 2 seed from Liberty University in a 4-1 decision.
Colquitt was placed as the 14th speaker at the tournament and the duo were named to the Cross-Examination Debate Association’s All-American team of 2021. The debate was held over Zoom and the finals lasted over three hours. The tournament had a total of 74 teams competing, including Harvard, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Texas at Austin, Emory University, the University of Michigan, Baylor, West Point, and the University of Kansas, according to UCO Centralities. The topic for debate was over Black and indigenous studies according to Colquitt. “We are a very tight-knit community and most of us have been doing debate for all of college as well as high school so we become pretty close. I think it was the 3rd time we debated that particular Texas team just this year and countless others in previous seasons. While not true for everyone at the tournament most people have at least a passing familiarity with their opponents.”
This is Colquitt’s last year in debate. The judges deliberated over their final 5-4 decision for 40 minutes and individually presented their finds after. Brian Rubaie, director of CEDA and director of debate at the University of Iowa, noted that throughout the finals, hundreds of messages in support had come in through the YouTube live stream comment section in support of both teams. At the end of the debate, Judge Jyleesa Hampton spoke to Colquitt, “You brought it, seniors brought it… Every debate I saw you debating it’s like woo, that human is good. Feel proud… As a black person judging these debates, I don’t get to judge as many debates as I would prefer where non-black people say things that are reasonable as *expletive.* And I appreciated it, it was great.” Colquitt responded through tears, “I can’t even respond right now... I will when I like gather myself, I’ll send you something but that means so much to me.”
UCO releases spring graduation schedule Continued from Pg. 1
Face masks are required for both guests and students. Students must wear flat-soled shoes at the ceremonies as “shoes with heels will damage the football turf,” said Adrienne Nobles, UCO vice president for communications and public affairs. The university also said that they will use metal detectors at the gates and are asking guests and students to minimize the number of items carried into the stadium. UCO announced that they will also be continuing the tradition of the Old North Walk this year, if weather permits. Graduates who are interested in this must gather at the north side of Plunkett Park an hour before their respective ceremonies begin. The university confirmed the dates and details for the commencement ceremonies less than a month before they were scheduled to begin. “It didn’t affect me much, but I would say that the graduation announcement was pretty rushed,” said Yana Son, a graduating marketing senior from Kazakhstan. “However, if my family planned a trip here, it would be definitely late since ticket prices are rising everyday.” However, professional media alumni Jake Harris messaged The Vista that he felt that the university did not
provide spring 2020 graduates with enough information in advance of this graduation update. “We didn’t receive any emails leading up to it,” Harris said. “There wasn’t a section or form for a past 2020 graduate, so we didn’t even know if we were getting anything.” Harris added that the university did not contact him or other 2020 graduates to ask for their availability or preferences for the ceremonies. However, Harris said he still chose to come back and walk in May because he “wants to continue his family legacy” as a third-generation Broncho, following in his grandparents and parents’ footsteps. “I’m thankful to at least have anything because I feel like we just got shunned in May,” Harris said. “I never heard anything about graduation; I got a Distinguished Service Award, and they contacted me about it. “We have had nothing for the most part. No communication; no apologies; no explanation; no nothing. Our semester ended at spring break and that was it. They really just forgot about us.” The university has held commencement ceremonies since 1897. They last held ceremonies at Wantland Stadium from 1963-1993 before moving it to Hamilton Field House, according to Nicole Willard, the assistant executive
Old North is located on the west side of campus. UCO graduates begin their walk to the graduation ceremony at Old North. (Provided/University Communications)
director of the UCO Chambers Library. Previous locations include the Old North auditorium, the now-demolished Old South auditorium, Mitchell Hall auditorium, and the Fine Arts amphitheater (which existed near the current music building). UCO had first released plans for in-person graduation Feb. 24 after a full year of virtual ceremonies in 2020. Due to concerns of COVID-19, the initial plan was to allow graduating students to attend in person at Hamilton Field House, but without guests and faculty members. The university then amended the plan to in-
clude guests and move the ceremonies to an outdoor location April 1, following discussions with the UCO Student Association and the significant response from a Change.org petition that petitioned for limited guests. In comparison, the initially planned Hamilton Field House has a capacity of 3,000 seats while Wantland Stadium has a capacity of 10,000 seats. Nobles said that the university “doesn’t anticipate that it will necessarily be more difficult to enforce [COVID-19] protocols at Wantland,” but campus police and volunteers will be prepared for it.
6 | The Vista
Basketball
April 20, 2021
Oklahoma coach Moser adds assistants, support staff Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Porter Moser has hired K.T. Turner as associate head coach and Emanuel Dildy as an assistant coach. They are among six members he has added to his coaching and support staffs. The school made the announcements in a news release on Friday. Matt Gordon is a special assistant to the head coach and director of scouting. Clayton Custer is director of video operations and player development. Mike Shepherd remains director of basketball operations and Bryce Daub still is director of strength and performance. University of Oklahoma’s new men’s NCAA college basketball coach Porter Moser gestures during his introductory press conference at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Wednesday, April 7, 2021. (Chris Landsberger/The Oklahoman via AP)
Turner spent one season as associate head coach on a Texas squad that captured the 2021 Big 12 tournament title. He spent the previous seven seasons at SMU. Dildy previously served on Moser’s staff for three seasons at Loyola Chicago and spent the last three seasons at Northwestern. Moser is expected to add another assistant in the coming weeks. Gordon and Custer join the Sooners after serving on Moser’s staff at Loyola. Custer was Missouri Valley Player of the Year at Loyola and a starting point guard on the 2018 Final Four squad. Gordon has been on staff with Moser every season since 2008, when he served as director of basketball operations for Saint Louis. He followed Moser to Loyola and spent three seasons as director of basketball operations and seven as an assistant coach. He was an assistant for Loyola’s 2018 Final Four squad and the 2021 Sweet 16 team. Shepherd is entering his 11th season at Oklahoma while Daub is heading into his seventh.
Oklahoma guards Harmon, Williams enter transfer portal Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma guards De’Vion Harmon and Alondes Williams entered the transfer portal on Thursday. The moves come shortly after the Sooners named Porter Moser the new coach, replacing the retired Lon Kruger. Harmon was Oklahoma’s No. 2 scorer this past season with 12.9 points per game. The 6-foot-2 sophomore missed the Sooners’ two NCAA Tour-
nament games after testing positive for COVID-19. He started 22 of his 31 games as a freshman the previous year and averaged 7.4 points per contest. Williams joined Oklahoma as a junior college transfer. He started 14 games this past season as a senior and averaged 6.7 points and 2.8 rebounds. He started 10 games as a junior. Austin Reaves -- Oklahoma’s all-Big 12 first-team guard and top scorer last season -- has announced his intention to enter the NBA draft pool. Brady Manek has entered the transfer portal as a graduate, forward Victor Iwuakor is leaving the Sooners
to play for UNLV, guard Trey Phipps is headed to Oral Roberts and backup center Kur Kuath has announced his intentions to go pro. Oklahoma got some good news on Wednesday when Moser got his first signee: guard Alston Mason of Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kan. Rivals and 247Sports list him as a three-star recruit. As a senior, he averaged 22.4 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 44% from 3-point range. He joins guards Bijan Cortes and CJ Noland in Oklahoma’s incoming freshman class.
Baranczyk: Oklahoma women’s hoops has championship potential Cliff Brunt
Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — New Oklahoma women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk believes the Sooner program is close to returning to elite status. The former Drake coach exuded energy and confidence as she addressed a group at the Lloyd Noble Center on Tuesday that included most of the players from last season’s team, which finished strong for now-retired coach Sherri Coale. That team struggled early but had quality wins over Iowa State, West Virginia and Texas in February to finish at 12-12. Baranczyk feels that between the talent and the existing culture, the Sooners can soon be among the best. History shows it can be done — Oklahoma reached the Final Four three times under Coale. “The potential to be able to fill this place and the potential to be able to compete for championships is absolutely what drew me here, and it is ab-
solutely what we want to be able to do here,” Baranczyk said. Her confidence is based on what she has seen from dominant Oklahoma programs such as men’s and women’s gymnastics, softball and football. She believes the commitment the school puts into those programs also exists for women’s basketball. “When you talk about wanting to be able to compete for conference championships and national championships, you can’t just throw that out there unless there’s people doing it, and there are a lot of programs here at Oklahoma that do that on a very consistent basis,” she said. Baranczyk is a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year who had a 192-96 overall record in nine seasons at Drake and led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Drake spent multiple weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 during the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons. Baylor stands in the way of Oklahoma’s potential return to greatness. The
Oklahoma women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk speaks during her introductory press conference inside Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Tuesday, April 13, 2021. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP)
Lady Bears have won 11 straight Big 12 regular-season titles. Baranczyk said there’s more to the job than knocking off Baylor.“I’m not going to go seek out playing Baylor, I’m going to go seek out playing in the Big 12,”
she said. “There’s a lot of great teams in the Big 12, and so you want to compete every single day. We’re not going to circle one opponent on our schedule. We want everybody to have to circle us on their schedule.”
Power/Vintage 405
April 20, 2021
The Vista | 7
UCO students create clothing Parts of UCO campus company with thrift in mind affected by power outage Continued from Pg. 1
The power outage, according to city officials, appeared to have been caused by an equipment failure at the Eastern substation located on Boulevard between 15th and 33rd streets. UCO Student Programming Board was preparing for their “Build-A-Broncho” event when they had to use flashlights to locate items. “It was more of trying to figure out what is in the box, but besides that it wasn’t really a problem,” Cassidy Caron, SPB programming director said. “The Wi-Fi still worked so we could email people if we needed to.” During the outage, the Nigh University food market was put on pause. Stephaine Grigg, Nigh Market supervisor said, “Everything went black. The only thing that was on was the security lights.” “We run on an independent internet, not the school’s Wi-Fi, so ours was out.” According to Grigg, they were offline for about 30 to 40 minutes. Katherine Koch, student engagement coordinator, said, “We were probably not working for about 35 to 40 minutes.” Koch said that workers in the student engagement office were able to use the school’s Wi-Fi if they had a laptop. Individuals working from the school’s desktop were not able to access the Wi-Fi because the desktops needed power. Koch said she did not know which specific buildings lost power but was told that there were eight buildings without power.
The map indicates in red where power outages were occuring on Monday morning and into early afternoon. The outage, attributed to an equipment failure, affected multiple buildings on campus including the Nigh University Center and the School of Music. (Screenshot/City of Edmond Twitter)
UCO students Paris Love and Casey Thompson utilize models and stylized photoshoots to advertise their vintage clothing store. (Provided/Vintage 405)
Lilli Meyers
Contributing Writer
Two UCO college students decided to start a vintage clothing company in 2018 marketed towards students who don’t want to spend a lot of money on clothes. Paris Love is a full-time student at UCO and is co-owner of a vintage clothing company called Vintage 405. Casey Thompson, a senior at UCO, is Love’s co-owner. “You can build a whole wardrobe of stuff with not a lot of money and still look really cool. When we realized we could do that and we could do that for other people is when we decided to go into the business side of things,” Love stated. The Urban Institute on working college students states: “Most students, including those who are
The owners of Vintage 405 advertise a vintage wedding dress via their Instagram page with stylized photographs..(Provided/Vintage 405)
enrolled full time, work while they are in college. Among full-time students, 41 percent worked part time and 16 percent worked 35 hours a week or more.” Oklahoma’s minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. The weekly minimum wage average is $290 per week. Minimum-wage.org states: “Many exemptions apply to student workers, both from high school and college. Certain employers, including retail or service stores, agriculture, or colleges and universities, are permitted to pay full-time students as little as 85% of the minimum wage as long as they are registered students (the business must get a certificate allowing them to do so from the Department of Labor under the “Full-Time Student Program”).” With many students struggling financially, Vintage 405 found a solid clientele of students to continue to market toward. Vintage 405 states: “Vintage 405 is an OKC based Vintage Retail. All of our pieces are hand-picked and authentic vintage to make you stand out from the crowd.” Through the clothing company, Love and her co-owner saw a need for a common place for local student creatives to gather and collaborate. The clothing company decided to start hosting an annual event called 405 Fest at the Farmer’s Marketaimed at student artists and performers to have a place to showcase their work. “Students are so creative. We know so many creative and awesome people. We got together some friends who would be willing to be vendors and performers and basically started from there,” Love stated. The goal of 405Fest is to give students a place to go to market themselves and gain exposure for their art. Vintage 405 states: “405 Fest is the first event of its kind, with the only prerogative being to bring young creators all over Oklahoma, together for a night of fun, positivity, networking, and collaboration.”
8 | The Vista
April 20, 2021
OKC Memorial
OKC recognizes 26th anniversary of bombing
Two ducks clean themselves in the Oklahoma City National Memorial Reflecting Pool. Oklahomans remember the bombing that occured here 26 years ago Monday. (Ashley Brown/ UCentralMedia)
Above: A large group of members of the media gather at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum in the Field of Empty Chairs for the 26th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing on Monday. (Ashley Brown/ UCentralMedia) Right: The eastern gate of the Gates of Time reads 9:01, representing the final moments of peace before the bombing. The western gate reads 9:03, representing the first moments of recovery following the chaos. (Ashley Brown/UCentralMedia)