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BEDLAM BATTLE: PART III

OU basketball will take on OSU in Kansas City tonight (Page 7) The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

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Diverse discussion Students speak out about race issues at Price Town Hall Meeting ERIN DONNELLY Staff Writer

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Students, faculty and staff gathered at the Michael F. Price College of Business for a Diversity Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday night to discuss diversity issues in the college. OU’s Unheard organized the event to give students in Price College a voice on OU’s campus. Daniel Pullin, dean of Price College, said though the meeting was scheduled to be from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., it would last until everyone at the meeting felt they were heard. The dean’s statement set the tone for the discussion, as students and faculty of various races shared their stories and voices well past 10 p.m. The testimonies that came from people with a wide range of backgrounds all had one thing in common: Change is necessary. For more information from Wednesday’s Town Hall Meeting, go to OUDaily.com.

Accounting junior Naome Kadira asks a question at Price College during a town hall meeting Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Kadira wanted to know what Price College was doing to increase racial diversity among faculty and students. .

Duct-taped statues help increase awareness Notes on statuary push the social movement forward EMILY SHARP

Life & Arts Editor @esharp13

Students walking to class this morning will notice many statues on campus with their mouths taped over with duct tape. Many of the statues have “Unheard” written on the duct tape covering their mouth. At 1 a. m. We d n e s d ay morning, journalism and international studies senior Bijan Hosseini tweeted that

the Seed Sower had been decorated by “PE-ET,” OU’s top ten senior honor society. A picture was attached showing a sign on the seed sower as well duct tape over his mouth. At 2 a.m. The Daily received a picture of the Barry Sw it zer statue’s mouth being taped. A student who witnessed Switzer’s mouth being taped said as her roommate came home she saw a truck with a ladder in the back with four or five guys. The guys hopped out of the back of the truck with the ladder and went to the Sw itzer statue where it

appears they met 10 other people. Driving by an hour and a half later she noticed that the statue had tape over its mouth. Although the Seed Sower and Switzer statue had tape as early as 1 and 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, the other campus statues did have duct tape appear over they mouths until around 7 a.m. this morning. Emily Sharp esharp13@ou.edu JJ/THE DAILY

Duct tape with Unheard written across is placed on Barry Switzer’s statue early Wednesday Morning.

Sooners rally outside Dale Hall Henderson talks with Hillel on social justice

Students gather to openly discuss social controversy JON HOOVER Staff Reporter

Students rapped, recited and spoke their minds to open a discussion about justice and equality on Wednesday afternoon outside of Dale Hall. The demonstration, put on by Sooners for Social Justice, gave students a platform to share their voices as they gave speeches and performed pieces ranging from excerpts of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” to their own slam poetry. No u m a n e R a h o u t i , a graduate student in education, spoke about the theory behind the fight for liberation, and how he wanted to set back the rules of true emancipation and fight for justice instead of power. “What would be ideal is to unite each group for the same thing,” Rahouti said, “Not for your justice, but justice for all.” Political science junior BerThaddaeus Bailey recited a long excerpt from Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech — something he has

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Civil rights activist discusses diversity efforts DAISY CREAGER News Reporter @daisycreager

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A group of students bowed their heads in prayer during a rally held in front of Dale Hall on the South Oval on Wednesday afternoon. The rally was put on by Sooners for Social Justice.

had memorized since 6th grade. The crowd responded to Bailey’s performance with a great applause. “I’m the last of eleven siblings, and all of us know the “I Have a Dream “ speech,” Bailey said after his performance. “We’re dreaming of a better America, we’re dreaming of a better university, and we’re striving to be a better university,” he said. One of the last

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speakers was Jesse Robbins, a Choctaw Native American studies senior, who performed a rap about his feelings about recent events from a Native American perspective. “I didn’t know I was talking when I got here, but I didn’t see a Native voice so I had to say something,” Robbins said afterwards. In his rap, Robbins addressed the fact that the term “Sooners” refers to a

group of people who took land from Native Americans. Robbins also talked about how the community needs to acknowledge ugly historical events, including how Americans forced Native Americans off their land and enslaved Africans, instead of ignoring them. Andrew Clark contributed to this story. Jon Hoover hoov24@ou.edu

OU DAILY OUDaily.com

When professor George Henderson began working at OU in 1967, racial tension was a serious problem. “This was not one campus, it was two: a black campus and a white campus,” Henderson said. On Wednesday night, Henderson met with students of Hillel, a center for Jewish Campus life, and talked to them about the involvement of the Jewish Community in leading social justice movements. Th e t h i rd f u l l - t i m e African American facu l t y m e m b e r a t O U, Henderson is a human relations professor who has won multiple awards in his time at the university. Henderson told Hillel students about his

involvement with the civil rights movement as well as gaining greater equality on campus. “The Civil War was being f o u g h t a l l ov e r a g a i n ,” Henderson said. He also talked about moments in his life where he learned to be more compassionate to people of other races, such as when he voted to de-segregate schools in Detroit. He encouraged students to be open to other cultures and ideas, and overcome prejudices. “Non-truth does not exist, so truth will always win,” Henderson said. “There is nothing logical or rational about hatred. Nothing.” Henderson’s speech was part of the Passion Project, an initiative of Hillel to relate leadership and social justice to Jewish culture, said Sasha Joseph, a human relations grad student. SEE HENDERSON PAGE 2

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