The Oklahoma Daily

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MONDAY APRIL 27, 2009

THE UNIVERSITY NIVEERSIT Y OF OKLAHOMA’S INDEPENDENT I STUDENT VOICE

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Honors College petition dies

DANCING IN THE STREETS

Boren says political views of donor has no effect on curriculum, hiring RICKY MARANON The Oklahoma Daily

DOCUMENT Read the statements talked about online for the McClendon story.

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ELI HULL

Kevin Barnes, of Montreal front man, performs during the band’s set during the Norman Music Festival Saturday on Main Street. The festival attracted an estimated 25,000 attendants, 10,000 more than last year’s festival. The psychedelic and elaborately-costumed of Montreal headlined the festival, which also featured bands like Man Man, Tea Leaf Green, Other Lives and The Starlight Mints. Performances took place on 12 different stages located along Main Street, a significant increase from last year’s three stages. Local businesses, like Coach’s Brewhouse, the Red Room and The Opolis, took part in the festival by incorporating stages into their buildings. Last year’s festival featured 30 bands and attracted 13,000 people.

Students rally for Invisible Children The event was a precursor for the group’s letter-delivering campaign to Congress in June JARED RADER The Oklahoma Daily

Hundreds of students gathered at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Saturday and symbolically “abducted” themselves to draw attention to the hundreds of thousands of Ugandan children kidnapped and forced into military service. T h e “ab d u c t e d” s t u d e nt s t h e n marched in groups to the State Capitol, awaiting “rescue” in the form of support from either a powerful media figure or influential politician. Saturday, that “rescue” came from Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City, who pledged to relay the group’s message to Congress when she returned to Washington Monday. “Joseph [Kony], I hope you can hear me here in Oklahoma,” Fallin said. “We’re not going to stand for you. And I’m going to take the message back to the United States Congress that the students in Oklahoma, we are standing for something important tonight.” Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, is known for organizing the genocide in the region and is wanted for several crimes by the International Criminal Court. The Oklahoma City rally was one of a hundred “Rescue of Joseph Kony Child Soldiers” events in 10 countries put on by Invisible Children, Inc. Invisible Children is a non-profit organization that strives to spread awareness about the plight of Uganda’s people, especially its children. Three students from California founded Invisible Children in 2005 after filming

a 2003 documentary about the war raging between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army. In addition to drawing attention to war-torn Uganda, Invisible Children will attempt to organize events and pressure the international community until Kony is apprehended, according to their Web site. Student leaders of OU’s Facilitating African Rehabilitation program, Mark Nehrenz, journalism senior and former Daily employee, and Michelle Richards, political science senior, worked in coordination with Invisible Children workers to organize Saturday’s event. Students from several Oklahoma universities who either saw the film or heard about the event composed the majority of Saturday’s crowd. Aubrey Delafield, University College freshman, said she saw the documentary in high school and has been involved since. “It really just broke my heart and I really wanted to do anything I could for these kids,” Delafield said. She said publicists from Invisible Children came to OU a few months ago to promote the event and get students involved. Sergio Lopez, University College freshman, said people should feel they have a personal responsibility to aid worldwide events like The Rescue. “Things don’t just happen here in the United States,” Lopez said. “We can’t fix all of the problems, but we can always do something about it.” Most attendees brought sleeping bags and food for the night and camped in front of the Capitol. Volunteers encouraged participants to write letters to Sens. Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn. Students also passed time creating art, playing Frisbee, praying with others and dancing. But students also understood the serious tone of the rally.

JARED RADER/THE DAILY

Protesters converge on the steps of the Capitol building for “The Rescue of Joseph Kony Child Soldiers” event. The Rescue intended to raise awareness for child soldiers and slavery in Uganda. “We want to remember what we’re really here for,” Nehrenz said while addressing the crowd. “Keep in mind why you’re meeting all these people. We can continue to have fun in an attitude of understanding that this is serious stuff we are here for.” The atmosphere increased when the crowd heard Fallin was on her way from Tulsa to “rescue” the students. When Fallin took the stage amid the cheering crowd to make a statement, she gave the students what they wanted. “The murdering and kidnapping of the children is wrong and we’re not going to stand for that,” she said. “The war must stop.” Fallin said Inhofe called her to visit the rally because he had visited Uganda and CHILDREN CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

NUNLEY WITHDRAWS FROM CAC ELECTION Kely Van Eaton is running unopposed for Campus Activities Council Chairman. Tyler Nunley withdrew from the election Sunday evening. John Jennings, Student Congress Chairman, said the Graduate Senate passed a bill Sunday evening approving an alternate CAC Election for May 6 and 7. But, since Nunley withdrew from the election, Van Eaton is now running unopposed for the position. The bill will go to Student Congress Tuesday evening and if it passes will go to UOSA President Katie Fox Wednesday morning for her signature. Van Eaton will become CAC Chairman if the bill is signed. Nunley called Van Eaton Sunday evening to inform him of his resignation, Van Eaton said.

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“I respect him and his decision,” Van Eaton said. Nunley released a statement officially announcing his decision to drop out of the race and stated that he ran a campaign he is proud of. “I am not leaving this race because of foul play. I ran a fair campaign, by the rules set forth in the Student Code. I am leaving because I do not have it in my heart to fight a fight that I believe will negatively impact this organization I care so deeply about,” Nunley stated in his resignation letter. Jennings said UOSA General Council began to work to find a way to hold an election before the school year is over after the UOSA Student Superior Court released their decision last Thursday. — Cadie Thompson / The Daily

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Members of a student activist group at OU have backed away from a controversial petition as OU officials have disputed the petition’s allegations and the group’s president has resigned. Last week, members of Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society circulated a petition to remove the McClendon family name from the Joe C. and Carole Kerr McClendon Honors College. The college was renamed in 2008 after Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon donated $5.5 million to Honors College faculty and programs. The petition stated “the University administration and the Honors College refuse to answer our questions regarding how the $5.5 million for new academic projects will be spent and offer us no assurance that McClendon’s personal beliefs and politics will not influence the creation and direction of AUBREY these new projects.” MCCLENDON In the days following the petition’s circulation, Honors College Dean RC DavisUndiano, OU President David Boren and Aubrey McClendon denied that McClendon’s political views would affect the curriculum or faculty of the Honors College. “The university has donors of differing political perspectives,” Boren wrote in a letter to The Daily. “Donors are never allowed to select faculty or staff members. All are chosen through an independent process through faculty governance based on capability and not on political viewpoints.” Boren also said the idea of establishing an institute for the study of American political history, which was a point of contention mentioned in the OSDS petition, was his idea, not McClendon’s. “Mr. McClendon has never tried to use his generosity to tell the university what to do,” Boren said. “If any donor attempted to attach improper strings in conditions for a gift, it would not be accepted.” McClendon said his political views are less partisan than implied by the petition in an e-mail sent Thursday. “For the record, I was born a Democrat, became a Republican and am now a registered Independent,” he wrote. “In the last election, I voted for candidates of both parties. I pitch a big political tent and hope that others will as well.” McClendon said his donation was not an attempt to improperly influence academics at OU. “My gift to the University of Oklahoma’s Honors College comes with no strings attached,” he said. “I have great respect for President Boren and I agree with his position on the importance of protecting intellectual freedom.” In a statement released Sunday, OSDS officers said a desire for transparency and dialogue about intellectual issues motivated last week’s petition. After months of asking Honors College faculty and administrators for information about the McClendon donation, OSDS had yet to hear any definitive answers about how the money would be used. “After many months of frustration, we decided to launch our petition to remove the McClendon name from the Honors College in order to break the silence surrounding the donation and spur an informed public debate,” they wrote. They believe more people outside the administration should have an influence on how the money is spent. “Given that this donation has the potential to dramatically reshape the Honors College curriculum and mission, we believe that OU faculty, staff, and students should not only have access to information regarding the proposed additions, but a voice in deciding how this money can be most productively put to use,” they said. They said they are no longer pursuing the removal of the McClendon name from the Honors College, but they will continue to push for university accountability in relation to donations.

VOL. 94, NO. 141


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