Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023
Volume 121, Issue 3
VISTA The
Volleyball Feature Page 6
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022
“OUR WORDS, YOUR VOICE.”
Volume 119, Issue 19
Appointing a university president not an entirely ‘transparent’ process
A window is transparent, but not so when obscured. (THE VISTA/TESS PETERS)
Sam Royka Editor-In-Chief
At the university level, the free sharing of ideas is foundational while functional democratic transparency is “complex.” The Regional University System of Oklahoma’s process for choosing university presidents in privacy is more translucent than transparent. RUSO policy states “that the Board exercises its control over the universities through the President of each university.” As for the board, eight of nine members are appointed by the governor. In choosing a president, committee members are appointed by RUSO. There is no political component except for the regent who is also the state superintendent of public instruction, Ryan Walters. In a question of whether a system like this was democratic, UCO Dean of Education and Professional Studies Bryan Duke said, “I think specific approaches may not be inclusive of everything that is part of the system of that. So I can see where particular pieces of the system have processes that, when you pull out the lens, may not
look so. But you really have to take a bigger picture of the whole. So I think there are almost case studies where you have to really look at, again, what the system allows for all of that process.” “Bryan Duke has been a big help and advisor to me already,” said UCO President Todd Lamb. “Integrity is critical,” Duke said. The free sharing of ideas and construction of knowledge “are essential. I mean, those are principles that should be foundational to a university.” “Democracy is such a complex thing,” Duke said. “I think we can be realistic about the challenges inherent. And so you know, I think the university should reflect a democracy, it should promote these ideas and principles that allow us to have conversations again, to be uncomfortable to learn and grow. But always safe, and safe physically, safe psychologically. So that there are boundaries that are non-negotiables, that within this environment, while we have all of these rights and responsibilities, that we are kept from doing harm.” When Lamb was asked about transparency, he said “sometimes
you can’t give 100 percent full disclosure for really good reasons.” The Process Earlier this year, according to sources familiar with the events, the first committee meeting to select a new UCO president was a “process” meeting, going over how to be an advisory committee and what the process was going to be moving forward. Deliberation on candidates with the committee was not at the first meeting, only the second. All other deliberation was private among the board after that. At the second meeting, committee members brought ranked lists of the candidates. They had a chance to advocate for their picks. The UCOSA member, representative of the student body, was not able to attend this meeting due to illness, but other committee members advocated for his point of view. In a system of governance like RUSO, leaders are chosen by a board in private conversations after brief meetings with committees of chosen representatives. Board member Susan Winchester’s past connection to Lamb, as chief of staff during his time
serving as lieutenant governor, was not a conflict of interest as written in RUSO’s policy. While policy states “Employees of RUSO and its universities should seek to avoid conflicts of interest at all times,” it goes on to state that “a conflict of interest arises whenever the employee has the opportunity to influence university operations or business decisions in ways that could result in a personal financial benefit to the employee or a member of an employee’s family (“family” shall be construed to be relatives by affinity or consanguinity within the first degree).” Policy also states that “employees shall have a duty to disclose on an ongoing basis any current, proposed, or pending situations that may constitute a conflict of interest and should disclose the material facts relating to any conflict of interest as soon as the existence of a possible conflict of interest is known.” Under these terms, Winchester and Lamb’s past does not constitute a conflict of interest because they are not related by blood in the first degree.
Morocco, Libya disaster affects students’ families Matilda Harvey and Sam Kozlowksi Copy Editor and Reporter
Massive floods and earthquakes in northern Africa have sent shockwaves back to Edmond as Moroccan and Libyan students from the University of Central Oklahoma recall the moment they heard about the disasters. Storm Daniel is the deadliest storm in Africa since 1900, with over 11,000 people dead, according to EM-DAT, the international disaster database. Despite the current death toll nearly quadrupling the previous most-deadly African storm, Algeria’s November 1927 floods, more than 10,000 people are still missing in Libya. After a week, emergency response teams are still hard at work, digging for bodies under the rubble of cars, homes and businesses. The World Health Organization dropped off care packages Saturday, enough for about 250,000 people, but with hospitals and medical
facilities completely destroyed, dena, were built in the 1970s on Wadi hydration, hunger and water-borne Derna, the river that bisects Derna, diseases are affecting thousands of to protect the city from flash floods. local residents. During the storm, these dams failed, Marwa Elgreghi is a sophomore rushing water into the city. In 2022, at UCO majoring in energy manAbdelwanees A. R. Ashoor of agement and minoring in pre-law. Libya’s Omar Al-Mukhtar UniverShe is from Tripoli, the capital city sity wrote an academic paper on of Libya in the dangers of the western the failing dam part of the system in Derna. country. The description Her parents’ reads, “the results families demonstrated are from that the study Tripoli, area has a high with some potential for flood The flag of Libya was introduced in 1951 (Provided) family in risk. Therefore, the eastern dams of Wadi city of Derna. Elgreghi has family Derna basin [need] periodic mainfriends who have been affected and tenance.” even killed by the flooding. “Each building usually has a “Libya is not built for natural bunch of families in it. It’d be just disasters,” Elgreghi said, noting the like grandparents, uncles, aunts, government’s neglect of Derna’s cousins, you know, the moms dam system. The city of Derna was and dads and all the kids. So, the the most affected by Storm Daniel. lineage of a family was just swept Two dams, Abu Mansour and Der- away. They were all killed by that.”
Multiple-century-old houses made from dried mud help regulate the scorching African heat, but their lack of reinforcement made the buildings susceptible to crumbling. Libyan state media said 891 buildings were completely destroyed by the flooding, with 211 buildings partially damaged and 398 buildings submerged in mud. “We’ve been silenced since day one, since the war that happened in 2011,” Elgreghi said, expressing frustration at a lack of recognition for the people affected by this disaster. Libya experienced a civil war in 2011, something Elgreghi worries is the only piece of information people know about her home country. The Muslim Student Association of UCO in collaboration with the Arab Student Association is holding a bake sale on Tuesday, Sept. 19, and Thursday, Sept 21. The money raised will go to relief efforts in Morocco and Libya.