Sports: Spring football means back to basics (Page 4)
L&A: Comedian Zach Smith releases new album today (Online)
Opinion: Appreciate other cultures, don’t misuse them (Page 2)
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LECTURE
2,500 attend Civil War Teach-In Boren says history ed. makes for a strong nation, puts current events in perspective AMBER FRIEND Campus Reporter @amberthefriend
Sharp Concert Hall was packed with 2,500 listeners Monday during the third annual Teach-In, an all-day conference at which published historians spoke about the American Civil War. This year the event, which is held by the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage at Catlett Music Center, had six speakers and an open panel about the American Civil War. During the panel — which was led by the institute’s director, Kyle Harper — speakers and selected audience members discussed some of the earlier presented topics as well as entirely new subjects. Audience members asked questions about art history’s relevance in telling American history and the story of the Civil War and eventually the topic turned to the effectiveness, benefits and drawbacks of online education. The Teach-In is in its third year and becoming more popular. This year’s Teach-In brought in the largest combination
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of students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the public, OU President David Boren said. Boren said there is a connection between history-aware citizens and a strong nation, saying history gives people the ability to put current events into perspective. “I don’t think we can remain a great country if we don’t know how we became great in the first place … It all rests with the educated, informed, active citizens and that’s what we should all become no matter what our views might be,” Boren said. OU alumnus John Geurkink used the Teach-In to continue learning, even while retired. “When I went to college here, I studied the classes I had to take. Now I can study things I like,” Geurkink said. “I find it very rewarding.” After the open discussion panel, the audience moved to the Oklahoma Memorial Union to eat dinner and hear the sixth and final speaker, Ed Ayers, president of Richmond University, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of ten books. Speaking to an audience that filled both the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom and the Beaird Memorial Lounge, Ayers highlighted the complex reality of the years leading up to the Civil War and explained the intertwining nature of history. Ayers closed his speech by telling the audience to take charge of the history forming around them.
BENNETT HALL/THE DAILY
UCLA Professor of history Joan Waugh delivers a lecture, “U.S. Grant at the Civil War Sesquicentennial” at the OU Teach-In conference yesterday.
“Pay attention and realize that everyone can change history, including us,” Ayers said. Amber Friend, ambermfriend@ou.edu
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
DIVERSITY
Photos depict race on campus
In a country built upon representative democracy, it’s really important to have different perspectives, different ideas come to the table.
#BBOC to bring about racial awareness AMBER FRIEND Campus Reporter @amberthefriend
“I’ve learned so much in my ‘night job’ at City Hall that I can bring into the classroom to illustrate,” Rosenthal said. Rosenthal said her interest in politics began when she reported on county government for a publication in California. She moved on to work with To raise awareness for groups that worked with and consulted women on OU’s campus during Women’s History legislators. Month, The Daily is Working within the political system running a series of during the ’80s, Rosenthal said she weekly profiles on various began to see the underrepresentation OU women throughout of women in politics. March. We also will be When she star ted work at OU, running stories about Rosenthal helped establish National women’s issues in maleEducation for Women’s Leadership, dominated fields, such as an initiative that encourages women to engineering and politics. take an active role in public service. “In a country built upon representative democracy, it’s really important to have different perspectives, different ideas come to the table,” Rosenthal said. Today, women are generally as successful as men when they run for
Inspired by recent hate crimes, campus programs and personal experience with racism, an OU junior has started a photographer project to show what it means to be black on college campuses. Entrepreneurship junior Carey Flack’s project, titled “Being Black On Campus” or #BBOC, is based on a style of photojournalism similar to that used in the blog “Humans of New York.” Flack plans to take photos of interested students and then ask them questions about diversity and what it means to be black on their campus. Flack hopes to document a range of opinions from different students to spark the discussion of race on campus in an unbiased, candid and meaningful manner, as well as demonstrate the similarities among campuses nationwide. “I want to create racial awareness so people see that there are other races on campus, and we do feel ignored and we do want a voice,” Flack said. The project will include interviews mainly from black students who are male, female, student athletes, in predominantly white groups or majors — such as pre-med, engineering and National PanHellenic Conference organizations — and in predominantly black groups and majors — such as African and African American Studies, Black Student Association and National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations.
SEE MAYOR PAGE 2
SEE DIVERSITY PAGE 2
CINDY ROSENTHAL MAYOR OF NORMAN
JESSIE BLACKWELL/THE DAILY
Mayor Cindy Rosenthal discusses this year’s applications for National Education for Women’s Leadership with Lauren Shueler, assistant director of the program, on Friday afternoon. Rosenthal has been elected mayor of Norman three times. She also serves as director of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center.
Mayor balances education, politics Cindy Rosenthal continually encourages women to take active role in public service
women’s history month
KATE BERGUM
Campus Reporter @kateclaire_b
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bout 20 months into her career as a professional journalist, Cindy Simon Rosenthal decided she wanted to take a more active role in politics and public service. Now as a professor of political science, the director of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center and the mayor of Norman, Rosenthal seems to have accomplished that goal. Rosenthal, who has been elected mayor three times, said it can be difficult to juggle her roles as mayor and professor, but people working at OU and Norman City Hall offer their help. Councilman Stephen Holman, who serves with the mayor, said Rosenthal’s ability to balance the two jobs is impressive. “I really don’t know how there’s enough hours in the day for (Rosenthal),” Holman said. Though finding balance can be challenging, Rosenthal said her two jobs are complementary. While her knowledge of the political system helps her serve as mayor, her practical experience with government helps her teach. WEATHER
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