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RAISING VOICES Protesters walk toward Evans Hall from the Unity Garden Tuesday. A meeting was scheduled with OU President David Boren for Wednesday.
CALEB JOURDEN/THE DAILY
Students protest rape culture on campus
F
or more than a week, a number of students have been upset about remarks made by OU President David Boren they say contribute to rape culture. After a protest Tuesday and a meeting between Boren and protesters the next day, Boren said he would not apologize for his remarks, saying the protesters misinterpreted the words. In an Oct. 3 story in The Daily, Boren said sexual assault cannot be eradicated “any more than we can eradicate human nature.” Boren said he would not apologize for his statement in an interview after the meeting with the protesters. “I can’t say that I can apologize for what I said when I didn’t say something,” he said. “I have never in my life said the victim of a sexual assault should be blamed. It’s contrary 100 percent to everything I believe, my core beliefs
DAISY CREAGER • @DAISYCREAGER
and my integrity as a person.” Shortly after the article’s release, sociology sophomore Kelsey Morris planned the protest on Facebook. Students gathered at the Unity Garden on the South Oval for the protest, where Morris presented a list of demands for Boren, including a “sincere and public apology” that contained the phrases “I believe you,” “It’s not your fault,” and “I’m sorry.” The other demands were a written commitment from Boren to fight rape culture at OU, the renaming of the One Sooner program to remove the word ‘Sooner,’ a seminar-style class about sexual assault for freshmen, a mandatory online sexual assault class for non-freshmen and implementing a strike system for fraternities whose members commit sexual assault. Morris said at the protest that she wanted Boren to resign if he
OCT. 3
Boren’s remarks published in The Daily’s story
did not comply with the demands. During the protest, students walked to Evans Hall, where they were met by administrators and faculty, including Jabar Shumate, the Vice President for the University Community, and Kathy Fahl, the director of the Gender + Equality Center.
“We all need to understand that we are fighting a culture that all too often puts the blame on victims of sexual violence instead of the perpetrator.” DAVID BOREN, OU PRESIDENT
The administrators distributed a letter from Boren, who was not on campus at the time. In the
OCT. 11
letter, Boren apologized for being out of the office, recognized the seriousness of the situation surrounding campus sexual assault and highlighted his efforts to help. He also acknowledged that there is more to do to combat the issue. The present administrators set up the meeting between Boren and the protesters for 10 a.m. Wednesday in Evans Hall. It was not open to the media. Both Boren and students who attended the meeting told The Daily that they thought it was productive. “I think we’ve sort of opened his eyes to a few angles he hadn’t thought about,” Morris said. In a written statement released after the meeting, Boren said he will work with the Gender + Equality Center, the Title IX Office and Student Affairs to implement the constructive suggestions made by the students. “We all need to understand that
Students protest Boren’s remarks
we are fighting a culture that all too often puts the blame on victims of sexual violence instead of the perpetrator,” Boren said in the written statement. “We must all work together to bring the right kind of culture change to our campus.” Morris said important steps were made in the meeting. “He agrees that victims are never to blame, which is a lot of what we wanted from him,” Morris said. “He’s agreed that we’re going to start looking at sexual assault as a cultural issue and a learned behavior rather than just an aspect of human nature, which is, I think, a really big step.” Andrew Clark contributed to this story. Daisy Creager
Daisy.C.Creager-1@ou.edu
OCT. 12
Boren meets with protesters
Concussions devastate players Short-term impacts from head injuries affect players of all ages SPENSER DAVIS @Davis_Spenser
Bodies collide, helmets crack and heads clang on every play from scrimmage in a football game, and at OU, players are beginning to pay the price at alarming rates.
Since Oklahoma’s 37-17 loss to Clemson in the 2015 Orange Bowl, at least eight Sooners have suffered a concussion: Running back Daniel Brooks, offensive lineman Jamal Danley, linebacker Tay Evans, quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Joe Mixon, defensive tackle Matt Romar, safety Ahmad Thomas and defensive end Charles Walker. Three of those eight — Brooks, Danley and Evans — have retired this season. For at least three others — Mayfield, Romar and Walker
— their most recent concussion wasn’t their first. According to Aljazeera America, only 12 players were forced to retire due to concussions across all FBS programs in 2015. In 2014, the number was nine. But for all the head injuries going on at Oklahoma this season, this isn’t an OU-specific problem. The Sooners aren’t the only ones adversely affected by bone-crushing hits to the head. Football’s concussion problem isn’t going away. Media coverage
on the crisis ranges from scientific studies and panels to a Will Smith movie. Those outlets cover the longterm impact of concussions. But what about the short term or in the intermediate? What are the challenges Romar — who missed nearly all of fall camp after suffering a non-contact concussion — faces on a dayto-day basis? “It was tough, especially knowing that everyone was counting on me and me not being able to be
out there,” said Romar, who had trouble keeping up with classwork because of a depleted memory. It took him two weeks of rest before he could even study film because his sensitivity to light was unbearable. As Romar continues his playing career, he could be dealing with more consequences — even extreme ones that have plagued one OU sophomore for the last five years. see CONCUSSIONS page 5