the
Volume 118, Issue 3
VISTA “Our Words, Your Voice.”
vistanews1903 @thevista1903 @thevista1903 The Vista ucentralmedia.com Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Students petition for refunds
INSIDE
UCOSA holds first meeting of semester New members of UCO’s student association were sworn in last week. See Pg. 3
Students walk through the UCO campus as the fall semester continues. A mask mandate has been enacted for everyone at the university. All students were sent home in the spring, and all classes were moved to an online structure. Some students are wondering if they will be refunded for on-campus experiences that they paid for with their annual tuition costs. (Alex Fischer/The Vista)
Esports, Mass Comm align to form minor UCO faculty shed light on the developments in Esports and academics on campus. See Pg. 6
Brianna Garcia Contributing Writer
A petition calling for the University of Central Oklahoma to partially refund students for the Spring semester has collected nearly 6,000 signatures online. Senior Natalie Marshall, in forensic science and criminal justice, launched the petition on change.org that seeks to partially refund students for campus services that were suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“When we pay to attend UCO, we are paying for the use of the campus and all the on-campus amenities. We no longer have access to that and we didn’t pay for ⅓ of the semester,” Marshall said in the petition. Many supporters of the petition commented that students are entitled to a partial refund because of the campus closure and the difference in online and in-class experience. The university’s tuition includes mandatory fees such as enhancement
fees, parking decal fees, university fees, and other campus services, which became unavailable once the campus closed down amid the coronavirus pandemic. UCO students who choose to enroll in online classes pay an additional fee per credit hour. Students were not charged any additional fees after classes transition to remote-only instruction last semester. Douglas Miller, Assistant Director of the Center for eLearning and Continued on Pg. 4
Oklahoma falls behind 2020 census reporting The census deadline is on the horizon, and Oklahoma will need to catch up to the curve. See Pg. 7
Around Campus
Events are happening all around campus! Several events this week will focus on honoring the lives lost on 9/11 as its anniversary approaches. See Pg. 2
Op-Ed: Oklahoma schools need to look into cultural appropriation Jacob Silva
JaNae Williams
Sports Editor
In the middle of august, the Kansas City Chiefs released a statement banning “ceremonial headdresses and American Indian-themed face paint” in their stadium. This decision came after the football team held discussions with Native American leaders and educated themselves on the issue of cultural ap-
OK County residents denied CARES Act funding Copy Editor
propriation surrounding their traditions and way of life. The Chiefs went on to say “our goal was to gain a better understanding of the issues facing American Indian communities in our region and explore opportunities to both raise awareness of American Indian cultures and celebrate the rich traditions of tribes Continued on Pg. 3
In a 2-0 vote on Aug. 19, the Oklahoma County Commissioners opted to direct the county’s remaining $34 million of CARES Act funding to the Oklahoma County Detention Center instead of finding ways to aid more citizens through its utilization. Commissioners Kevin Calvey and Brian Maughan
voted to transfer the county’s CARES Act funding, while Commissioner Carrie Blumert was left out of the vote. The meeting began, The meeting began, skipping the standard prayer and reciting of the pledge of allegiance. The CARES Act funding vote was item 22 on the meeting agenda. All agenda items one Continued on Pg. 5
2 | The Vista
Tuesday, September 8, 2020 It's Okay to Not Be Okay: See the Red Flags - Athletics Suicide Prevention: From 12-1:30 p.m., in the Nigh University Center Food Court, the Center for Counseling and Well-Being will host a workshop on spotting common signs of suicide and aiding prevention among the student-athlete population. SAFE Equality Zone Forum: The Student Alliance for Equality will host a virtual forum at 6 p.m., via Zoom. Discussion will include the state of legislation impacting the LGBTQ+ community. Allie Shinn, Executive Director of Freedom Oklahoma will be a special guest participant. The Zoom link will be available via SAFE's social media (@ucosafe). Wednesday, September 9, 2020
September 8, 2020
versity Center Cherokee Room(213), students will participate in suicide prevention training. Kognito is a virtual simulation tool that uses role-play to encourage real-life conversations that change lives. Bring your laptop. Space is limited, register at ucore.uco. edu/events. 9/11 Gift Basket Decorating: From 5-7 p.m. join Community Engagement in the Nigh University Center, Room 141 to decorate baskets to fill with thank you cards and goodies for Edmond area first responders. Thursday, September 10, 2020 9/11 Thank You Card Writing: From 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. join Community Engagement at the Clocktower by Broncho Lake to write thank you cards that will go into gift baskets for Edmond area first responders in remembrance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
9/11 Flag Planting: From 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. join Community Engagement at Broncho Lake as they plant flags honoring the 2,977 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Career Doctor: Creating a Knockout Resume: From 4-5 p.m. join the UCO Student Success Center via Zoom for a virtual session on building a quality resume to catch the attention of employers. Find Zoom links at uco.edu/ business/about/events.
It’s Okay to Not be Okay: Kognito Day: From 1-2 p.m. in the Nigh Uni-
FTK Obstacle Course: From 6-8
Around Campus
p.m. teams can show off their skils and their FTK smarts in an obstacle course designed to work both brain and body.
ries. Website and coupon information are coming soon. Contact the Career Development Center at 405-974-3346 for more info.
Friday, September 11, 2020
Monday, September 14, 2020
9/11 Remembrance Ceremony: At 9 a.m. Community Engagement invites the campus community to a virtual remembrance ceremony honoring the victims and first responders of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks. Follow Community Engagement on Instagram (@uco_ce) and check your UCO email for more information. 9/11 Lunch and Learn: From 11:30 a.m - 1 p.m. join Community Engagement and Leadership Central for the 2nd annual 9/11 Lunch & Learn.Discuss how to build long-term community and how historic events influence society's core values. Boxed lunches from Chartwell's will be provided. Register at ucore.uco.edu/events.
Resumania: Employer Resume Critiques: Monday through Friday, from 1-4 p.m. Employers will be available virtually to assist students with resumes and tips to prepare for the Virtual Fall Career and Internship Fair. Register for employer sessions on Handshake. Different employers will host different days. Select the one-onone time you are available to meet with your preferred employer. Grow Through It with Breaking BarrierZ: From 6:30-7:30 p.m. join UCO Breaking BarrierZ for a chance to focus on and discuss the stuggles in life we have faced that helped us grow. Contact Breaking BarrierZ via instagram (@breakingbarrierz) for more information.
Sunday, September 13, 2020 Fall Suit Up Event: Join the UCO Success Center for a virtual version of their Suit Up event with JCPenney. From 6:30-9:30 p.m. students can shop online and receive an additional 30% off select men’s and women’s career dress apparel, shoes, and accesso-
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
Sarah Hite CiCi Simon JaNae Williams Jacob Silva Tanner Johnson Cynthia Faulkner
Editor-in-Chief Photo Editor Copy Editor Sports Editor Sports Reporter 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
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.
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, EDITORIALS clarity and space, or to eliminate Opinion columns, editorial cartoons, statements of questionable taste. reviews and commentaries represent The Vista reserves the right not to the views of the writer or artist and publish submitted letters. not necessarily the views of The Vista Editorial Board, the Department ADDRESS LETTERS TO: of Mass Communication, UCO or Editor, The Vista, the Board of Regents of Oklahoma 100 N. University Dr. Colleges. The Vista is not an official Edmond, OK 73034-5209, medium of expression for the or deliver in person to the editor in the Communications Building, Room 131. Regents or UCO.
LETTERS
The Vista encourages letters to the
Letters can be emailed to thevista@ucentralmedia.com.
Appropriation/UCOSA
September 8, 2020
The Washington Warriors basketball court with the school logo featuring a Native-American arrow design, along with the initials of the school. Team mascots and imagery are being questioned for their sensitivity. Many schools in Oklahoma have Native American mascots, but have predominatly non-Native American student populations. (Tanner Laws/The Vista)
Op-Ed: Oklahoma schools need to look into cultural appropriation Continued from pg. 1
with a historic connection to the Kansas City area.” The Washington Redskins recently dropped their “Redskins” name after decades of backlash from the Native American community, as the name “redskin” is recognized as a racial slur. For the 20/21 season, the team will go by the “Washington Football Team” as their rebrand continues to develop. Popular fan-made options for the new name include the “Washington Redtails”, which honors the Tuskegee Airmen, or the “Washington Warriors”.
Other professional sports teams that have Native American mascots include the Cleveland Indians, the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Cleveland Indians have been criticized most often because of their egregious depiction of an American Indian man as their mascot, and they’ve taken steps to separate themselves from it. They no longer use their old mascot, Chief Wahoo. In addition, the team is less frequently using uniforms that display “Indians” on the front, and instead display “Cleveland”. Professional sports are leading the charge in moving away from appro-
priating other cultures. As an Oklahoman, I’m aware of the deep ties this state has to Native American culture. I’ve also become more aware of how much appropriation happens here, especially when it comes to mascots at the local level. Over the summer I visited Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The mascot is a “Savage”, and the students are the “Broken Bow Savages”. Their logo can be seen as an arrowhead with a Native American man in a full headdress inside. This caught my eye, and made me wonder how many other schools in Oklahoma had similarly offensive
The Vista | 3 names. There are actually 59 different schools in Oklahoma that have a name with Native American influence. Braves, Chiefs, Chieftains, Indians, Redskins, Savages, and Warriors are all used and feature Native American imagery in their branding. Some of these schools have a majority Native American population, but unfortunately most do not. No indication has been given by these schools that a name change is on the horizon, and often those in charge of that decision-making process explain that they are honoring American Indians rather than disrespecting their heritage. If colonizers called Native Americans “savages” or “redskins” before they killed them and took their land, what does depicting your mascot as that do besides glorify the history of the colonizers that killed them? America tends to write history books as though they were the underdog that picked themselves up from nothing and worked hard to get where we are now. Although they were those things, they also gave smallpox blankets to Native tribes and committed a near genocide of their population to make room for themselves. History cannot be erased, and to see white teenagers put on Native face paint and garb now and call themselves “savages” cannot be seen in a positive light to me. It spits on the beautiful traditions that tribes once had to themselves. With NFL teams taking a stand to educate themselves on what appropriating does to a group of people who have suffered throughout our history, when will smaller entities begin to realize they are committing the same offense? To me, that time is far past due.
New UCOSA members hold first meeting of semester Adrian Mack
Contributing Writer
UCOSA held its first meeting of the fall semester last week. The meeting featured a swearing in as Cole Stanley, vice president of student affairs, began the meeting by swearing in newly elected Student Body President James Limbaugh and Vice President Christain Coleman. The Chair of Congress De Shannon and the newly elected UCOSA Senators were also sworn in. Stanley then invited university President Patti Nuehold-Ravikumar and Vice President Of Enrollment and Success Christopher Lynch to speak. Neuhold-Ravikumar gave words of encouragement as she opened with a sense of pride and great accomplishment toward swearing in the new 2020 UCOSA student government. One which she believes “is a process that will help shape the future of
students on campus and outside the University.” Nuehold-Ravikumar, along with Lynch, expressed passion and belief for working with students and plans to hold UCOSA to the same high standards. “Stop around campus and ask students what you can do for them. How can you make their experience at UCO better? Leave a legacy,” Nuehold-Ravikumar said. Limbaugh gave a similarly impassioned speech and showed enthusiasm for the future of the organization as he believes the best is only yet to come. While acknowledging there may be a tough road, he thinks it is the best time to be a leader in the eye of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The campus is going through a challenging time that will require a strong leader to get through it,” Limbaugh said.
James Limbaugh, front, shown at UCOSA meeting in 2019 is the new student body president. The former Ways and Means Committee, Jordan Medaris, former congressional vice chair, Tate Atkinson, former chair, and Emily Grim, former secretary and elected Liberal Arts senator during UCOSA meeting. (Lauren Morris/The Vista)
He said he believes the UCOSA government has the means to get through it together and better than ever. The Vista spoke to Limbaugh about his goals during his presidency. He said he intended to operate under total transparency and with a continued
effort to truly support the needs of the student body. “I don’t want to be a part of any kind of student government that isn’t in touch with what the students want and is out of touch with the student concerns,” Limbaugh said.
4 | The Vista
September 8, 2020
Petition/NBA
Students petition for refunds Continued from pg. 1
Connected Environments said the additional fees associated with online courses are used to support additional IT staff, equipment and accessibility cost. “While there are some savings from not physically hosting students they are minimal,” said Miller. “Most of the costs for the buildings are sunk cost: construction, installation of equipment, etc. that won’t be received by leaving the classrooms absent for a semester.” The outbreak of the coronavirus has impacted many colleges and universities across the country, with institutions moving from in-person classes to extended, or an online-only instruction. Several colleges and universities are being faced with class-action lawsuits by students seeking reimbursements for tuition and other fees due to the pandemic-related campus closures. A parent at the University of Oklahoma has filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, which names UCO and 24 other state institutions. “Oklahoma Regents has refused to refund students and their families the unused portions of the fees that they paid to cover the cost of the services and activities, which are no longer available to students,” the class-action petition read. UCO says it is unable to offer comment on the matter due to pending litigation. Many universities, including UCO, have issued prorated refunds to students who were forced to leave campus in mid-March. Transportation and Parking Services offered students a prorated parking credit for the remainder of the academic year. Brittany Platt, Administrative Coordinator for Transportation and Parking, said students will receive another automatic credit this semester when classes transition to online instruction only after Thanksgiving break. The university offers emergency relief resources to assist students in need of additional financial assistance during this time. Currently, enrolled students can apply for assistance online. This is a developing story. The Vista will continue to monitor and bring you updates as they become available.
From left, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, NYC Council Majority Leader, Laurie Cumbo, John Abbamondi, CEO of BSE Global, and Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the NYC Board of Elections, announce that the Barclays Center will be an early voting site, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Early voting will be held at the sports and entertainment venue Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
NBA working to convert some arenas to polling locations Preston Poole
Contributing Writer
The majority of the sports world came to a screeching halt for the second time in 2020 last week. Similar to the days after March 11, when Utah Jazz all-star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, no NBA games were played. This time in protest after another officer involved shooting. 29-yearold Jacob Blake was shot seven times in his back during an altercation with the Kenosha, Wisconsin Police Department. In reaction to the shooting, players for the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play their playoff game against the Orlando Magic. Eventually leading to the rest of the NBA playoff teams to boycott their games as well. Less than 48 hours after the protesting of games began, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association released a joint statement revealing they are working with the team governors to turn all NBA arenas into voting sites during the elections on Nov. 3. Cities whose teams own the arenas are partnering with the NBA to bring this initiative to arenas across the league. Other teams, like the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose arena is owned by the city, are working with the local government to use Chesapeake Energy Arena as a voter registration location. According to the team’s press release, they will be using the arena downtown for voter registration every Saturday starting Sept. 14 through the
deadline to register to vote, Oct. 9, for this year’s presidential election. The arena will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday’s, and will have computers, printers, postage, and voter tools. Currently at UCO students and staff cannot vote on campus, however according to Laura Butler, UCO’s Legislative Liaison, they have reached out to the state to be a polling location, but have never been selected by the Oklahoma State Election Board. Students who register to vote using their on campus address will go to the polling site the State Election Board has designated for this area said But-
ler. All UCO currently offers are resources to aid absentee voters such as notary. All of the resources can be found on the UCO Public Affairs website. While students are hopeful UCO will take the NBA’s stance and allow students to vote on campus, as of right the only options are absentee ballots, or visiting the polling location designated to you by the Oklahoma State Election Board. TheVista will continue to follow this story and bring you updates as it develops.
In this Aug. 1, 2020, file photo, from left to right, Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Quinn Cook kneel before an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. With every get-out-the-vote campaign, every shutdown of a major sport, every detailed list of actions athletes are demanding to combat America’s racial inequities, it becomes clearer: The days of “shut up and play” are winding down. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool, File)
CARES Act
September 8, 2020
The Vista | 5
OK County residents denied CARES Act funding Continued from pg. 1
through 21 were also skipped and Calvey immediately moved to vote on item 22. Maughan seconded and the vote began. By the time Blumert arrived around 9:01 a.m. to the meeting, which began at 9 a.m., the vote had already concluded. Blumert had a representative present who attempted to vocalize a question, but was dismissed. The failure to follow the traditional Board of County Commissioners meeting protocol has been criticized by citizens, groups including Freedom of Information Oklahoma, other members of county government offices and candidates for county office. According to Spencer Hicks, Maughan’s opponent in the Nov. 3 election for Oklahoma County Commissioner, District 2, the way
Only 3 localities within the state of Oklahoma qualified individually for CARES Act funding. The CARES Act allows money to be used on expenses, not including revenue losses, incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic wand any money not dispersed by Dec. 30, 2020 must be returned to the United States Department of Treasury. (Source: US Department of Treasury)
the meeting panned out was merely a follow-up to prior actions taken during a meeting of the county Budget Evaluation Team on Aug. 11.
The distribution of Tulsa County's CARES Act money based on numbers on the county website as of Sept. 4. Tulsa County has invested over half of its CARES Act funding into various community initiatives, including disbursements to individual cities. Oklahoma County's use of funds is under question. (Source: Tulsacountycares.org)
“All of it just doesn’t make sense, and the way it went down as well,” Hicks said. “That’s just, that’s dirty. It’s dirty.” Maughan and Calvey were contacted multiple times for comment but did not respond. There are additional questions regarding the legality of the allocation of the CARES Act funds to the jail. There are specific guidelines pertaining to what money can be used for. “Certainly it was the easy way out, required zero thought,” Hicks said. “Not to mention maybe it’s not legal and if that’s the case, then Oklahoma County is on the hook to pay back that money.” Even those critical of the approach, like Hicks, agree that the jail and jail trust should have received some of the CARES Act funding. The issue raised is with the decision to send a total that represented over 85% of the county’s funds to the jail. Both Tommie Johnson III and Wayland Cubit, the candidates for Oklahoma County Sheriff, said that while the jail undoubtedly needed some money, there was more conversation that could have taken place. “We haven’t been able to ask how they arrived at that figure,” Cubit said. “Just like in math class, my teacher said ‘That’s a good answer, but show me your work,’ I want to see how we arrived to the answer.” CARES Act funds were distributed by the federal government to counties, municipalities, states and tribal governments throughout the country. In order to qualify for funding a county or city was required to have a population of more than 500,000. Both Oklahoma County and
Oklahoma City qualified independently for funding. In comparison, Tulsa county qualified for funding, but the City of Tulsa, which has a population of only 401,190, did not qualify for individual funding. “It feels like a dereliction of duty to see all the towns in the county, all the people who reside in this county, who are not in Oklahoma City proper and give them no recourse for help during a global pandemic,” Hicks said. “If we can’t help citizens, help small businesses, during a pandemic, during cleaning up after a tornado or an ice storm, then what’s the point?” One of Calvey’s arguments for transferring funds to the jail was that other entities have already taken care of citizen’s needs. Hicks said this ignores the numerous cities and towns, including Edmond, and their residents, within Oklahoma County that did not receive individual funding due to size limitations. “You look at Spencer, Jones, Choctaw, Harrah, Bethany, there’s a myriad of towns that didn't qualify to get that money,” Hicks said. “It’s kind of the county’s duty to help those out.” Tulsa County dispersed funding to its municipalities and also established programs to help individuals, including rent assistance and forgivable small business loan options. It also operates a transparency website to account for where dollars are spent. “Just looking at the way [Tulsa County] spent their money and the way Oklahoma County spent their money, we should be embarrassed,” Hicks said.
6 | The Vista
September 8, 2020
Esports/Covid Self Report
Esports growth results in establishment of minor Steven Reese
Contributing Writer
Students at the University of Central Oklahoma may soon have the opportunity to minor in Esports. There is a coordination between programs across campus, including Mass Communication. David Hanan, UCO Adviser for the Esports student organization, is currently working on a minor for students who love gaming. Dr. Mary Carver, who is the dean of the Mass Communication department at UCO, spoke about the progress of the Esports minor. “The minor is making progress,” Carver said. “It will be reviewed by the university curriculum committee in the coming months.” This is also the first year for Matt Knutson to be a professor for the Esports classes. During his campus visit in February, Knutson instantly liked what he saw. “I was impressed by the university’s commitment into Esports as a way to bring students into the university and to meet the needs of students already here who were invested in the organization,” Knutson said. Knutson praises Hanan for his dedication to the Esports organization
and community. “I give credit to Dr. David Hanan for being a facilitator for the Esports organization and nurturing the program,” Knutson said. Knutson also teaches both of the Esports classes that are currently offered at the university. Those classes are “Introduction to Esports” and “Esports and Media”. Tyler Wallace, who is the president of the Esports student organization, is excited to see the progress academically. “I don’t think you get to hear many student organizations be able to say we have a building on campus, two Esports classes made, a minor getting put together, and a major down the road,” Wallace said. “These are all getting put together because of the existence of the student organization. It’s really cool that I was able to even be a part of a student organization, create a minor at the school I go to, and then go for that minor,” Wallace said. When the organization was started by two students, Wallace said he was known as “the guy who streams”. As a result, he was immediately offered a role as a stream captain but it did not stop there. “Around a year later, we started tell-
The CO-OP esports arena portion of the facility (pictured) features a competition viewing display wall and team gaming stations. UCO is in the process of potentially adding Esports as a minor to the university’s list of programs for students who love gaming. (Provided by UCO Esports CO-OP)
ing people we were the second largest student organization on campus behind the student football organization,” Wallace said. “I ran for vice president and I got that. I started as the president this fall.” Wallace had a vision for this organization and did not expect it to grow the way it did. “Sometimes, people maybe don’t have the physical capabilities to play sports,” Wallace said. “Those people ended up going to gaming. It’s just really nice to show people that this is
another place you can put your ambition towards.” The Esports student organization has not finalized a date of the establishment of an Esports minor, but it is possible that it could be next year. “We are still hopeful that it will be in next year’s catalog,” Carver said. “Some new courses that will be a part of the Esports minor include: Introduction to Esports, Esports and Media, Esports Shoutcasting, Esports Media Participation, and Esports Media Management.”
Campus gains access to COVID-19 reporting tool Sarah Hite and Daniela Arvizo Editor-in-Chief/Contributing Writer
Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Central Oklahoma now have access to an online form to report COVID-19 cases and exposure. It is required if you have tested positive. If you or someone you know has tested positive, experienced symptoms, or has been directly exposed and has been on campus, you should file a report using the form. Completed forms go to the UCO Department of Public Safety for follow-up and contact tracing. Due to HIPPA laws, any information submitted will be kept private. There is free COVID-19 testing on campus on Mondays and Thursdays. UCO students, employees, and anyone in the community can test. The testing site is also set up for drive-thru testing. To schedule an appointment or more information, contact IMMY Labs at their website https://portal. immylabs.com/ The testing site is located at 325 E. First St., on the corner of University and First Street. The Associated Press explains, “The
A screen shot of the UCO COVID-19 self-reporting form available for use by the campus community. Self-reporting allows the university to begin the process of contact tracing when someone has tested positive for COVID-19. (Provided/uco.edu)
goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus, and prevent them from spreading it to others.” Much of the content in UCO’s reopening plan emphasizes this. In an interview with The Vista, Adrienne Nobles explained the procedure process of the response team.
Once the team is notified of a positive case on campus, a sterilization protocol is initiated. For example, the whole class will be notified of possible exposure and classmates will be referred to testing sites and contract tracing is recorded. “The room is then disinfected and quarantined for the recommended 24
hours before the class may resume. In order to return to in-person classe, the student who tested positive may return after receiving a negative test result, if they have not had a fever for 3 consecutive days, or if no symptoms develop within 14 days of prolonged exposure to a positive case,” Nobles said. The American Heart Association reported, “Testing also is important in the bigger public health picture on mitigation efforts, helping investigators characterize the prevalence, spread and contagiousness of the disease.” According to Centralities, there are 24 new positive cases, all students and three from university housing. There have been 76 total number of cases reported since June 1, and have been confirmed by the COVID-19 Response Team. For concerns or questions you can contact DPS at covid19response@ uco.edu or call 405-974-2345 Centralities notes that students who live in university housing and choose not to isolate off campus are moved to designated isolation rooms with delivered meals and regular check-ins.
Census
September 8, 2020
The Vista | 7
Making sense of how the Census impacts UCO
People walk past posters encouraging participation in the 2020 Census in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood in April 2020. The U.S. Census Bureau has spent much of the past year defending itself against allegations that its duties have been overtaken by politics. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
David Swank and Sarah Hite Contributing Writer/ Editor-in-Chief
With the census collection deadline of Sept. 30 fast approaching, Oklahoma is at least 3% behind the self reporting rate of 2010. In a tweet, Gov. Kevin Stitt stated, “Oklahoma currently has a 59.3% response rate for the #2020Census. With the deadline coming up, we can and must do better to ensure communities get the critical resources they need for the next decade.” The federal government uses census data to determine local factors such as tax funding and representation in Congress. Each household that doesn’t complete the census survey costs its community about $1,675 in local federal funding per person, per year, for 10 years, according to the Oklahoma Census website. On campus Greg Mitchell, a history education major, said his household had completed the census. “The census is necessary,” Mitchell said. The self response rates in 2000 were 64% according to the Census Bureau. Many other students when asked said that they live with their parents and had no real opinion on the census. Slayde Adams, a forensic science and psychology double major, said his parents had filed. “COVID has hit everyone’s morale,” Adams said, further describing it as “sensory overload.” The Government Accountability Office did note in a recent report that “continuing challenges such as
COVID-19 could escalate census costs and undermine the overall quality of the count.” COVID-19 was also pointed as the likely cause of the lower response rates by Trey Harris, a psychology major, who said he lives with his parents who filed the census. “If we can sit on our phones for hours, 10 minutes isn’t going to hurt.” According to the census bureau website, “to help the Census Bureau continue to adapt to the pandemic, the White House Office of Management and Budget recently submitted a supplemental request of $1 billion for
the 2020 Census.” The bureau will end field data collection at the end of the month. Self-response options will also close at that time to permit data processing. You should count yourself at the place where you live and sleep most of the time as of April 1, Census Day. The bureau adds you should count everyone who is living in a household. This includes anyone, related or unrelated to you, who lives and sleeps at your home most of the time. “Count roommates, young children, newborns, and anyone who is renting a space in your home. If someone is
staying in your home on April 1 and has no usual home elsewhere, you should count them in your response to the 2020 Census.” An accurate count helps inform funding for hospitals, fire departments, schools, and roads for the next 10 years. College students are an important factor to an accurate count for Oklahoma. Considering Edmond is a college town, students at UCO play a key role in obtaining community funding. If you have not completed the census, you can do so online at www.2020census.gov.