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NEWS
• April 5-11, 2022
Gov. Stitt appoints new regent OU alumnus to join board, pending Senate approval KALY PHAN kaly.n.phan-1@ou.edu
Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed OU alumnus Robert Ross to the OU Board of Regents in a press release Wednesday. Ross is the Inasmuch
Foundation chairman and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation president and CEO, both of which were founded by Edith Kinney Gaylord. He was also an attorney with McAfee & Taft before joining the Inasmuch Foundation, according to the release. In the press release, Stitt said Ross is the “epitome” of an Oklahoman and has a long history of serving the community.
“He is passionate about making our state the best it can possibly be, loves the University of Oklahoma and will make sure our ROBERT Oklahoma ROSS values are well represented in this new role,” Stitt said in the release.
OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said Ross is an “exceptional choice,” and Secretary of Public Safety Tricia Everest said Ross’ decades of leadership and service have prepared him for this role. A c c o rd i n g t o t h e re lease, Ross has served on the board of directors of the Acorn Growth Companies Advisory Board, Colorado College, Freedom Center of Oklahoma City, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of
Commerce, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Oklahoma Public School Resource Center and the Oklahoma State Fair. In the release, Ross said he is thankful to Stitt and is dedicated to helping the university produce the next generations of leaders in Oklahoma. “As a fourth-generation Oklahoman, I have a deep commitment to our state and to the university,” Ross said
in the release. “I look forward to working with President Harroz and my fellow regents to position OU to excel amidst the changes in higher education and our economy.” If confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate, Ross will replace Michael Cawley, who requested to not be reappointed to spend more time with his family, and serve a seven-year term expiring March 21, 2029.
OU opens expanded Starbucks location Students pleased with improved space, offerings KAROLINE LEONARD karolineleonard@ou.edu
The new and improved Starbucks opened this week in OU’s Oklahoma Memorial Union, replacing the ThinkTank study space across from the Union Market. OU announced plans to expand Starbucks in January of 2020, and former Director of Media Relations Kesha Keith told The Daily at the time that the new location would offer an expanded drink menu and keep students in mind.
The new location includes expanded seating options and tables for studying and dining. Students in the cafe agreed they appreciated the extra room, especially since the previous Starbucks had limited space to stand and sit. “It feels like a real coffee shop here,” environmental geology sophomore Jaylah Spence said. “We don’t have to get in and get out or fight for a spot in line or to stand.” Nick Armstrong, a freshman at OU, agreed, saying the original Starbucks did not have any room to sit after getting your food and drinks. Fi n e a r t s s o p h o m o re Isabella Elliott said she especially enjoyed the couches and
tables because it allows her to do work with her classmates. Sisters nursing freshman Alyssa Gainer and psychology senior Maddy Gainer said they had been to the location almost every day since it opened, and they felt the service and aesthetic of the new cafe made it better than the original. “It was hard to cram in that small space, especially when they had really long lines,” Gainer said. “All the places to sit really add to the (location) and make it better.” The new Starbucks is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout the week.
KAROLINE LEONARD/THE DAILY
Students wait in line at the new Starbucks location in the Oklahoma Memorial Union on April 1.
Students decry Senate Bill 2 as transphobic
KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY
A transgender flag near the OU Gender + Equality Center Oct. 22, 2018.
Organization voices opposition to legislation TAYLOR JONES taylor.p.jones-1@ou.edu
The “disheartened and exhausted” OU LGBTQ+ Student Alliance released an official statement Wednesday regarding the signing of Oklahoma Senate Bill 2, which it said was created to “stifle the livelihoods” of 2SLGBTQ+ people. Dubbed the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” the bill signed into law Wednesday morning requires athletic teams at K-12 schools and universities in the state to designate players based on “biological sex,” or assigned sex at birth. Formerly the Gay Activist Alliance at OU, the LGBTQ+
Student Alliance describes the bill as part of a “slew of discriminatory bills and actions” that affect the 2SLGBTQ+ community, especially trans girls. “Trans women are women,” the statement read. “Trans athletes deserve to compete. Trans students are students. Trans children are children.” Since its inception in 1973, LGBTQ+ Student Alliance wrote they have fought with the Oklahoma State government for the right to be recognized as a registered student organization at OU, funded by the OU Student Government Association, and against “the opinions of bigoted and ill-informed people at the university, local and state levels.” “This bill, and its many recent anti-trans counterparts, are cruel,” the statement read. “Their goal is not to protect sports or children
or families, but to harm trans and LGBTQ+ individuals in our state, and gain traction in a political landscape that has no concern for the damage it causes our communities.” Members of the LGBTQ+ Student Alliance wrote they pledge to stand up for their rights as students and continue to fight the legislation that hurts the LGBTQ+ community. “The LGBTQ+ Student Alliance stands firmly with our community and encourages our allies to stand with us as we weather the great storm that is a state and legislative scene that has no regard for our status as human beings,” the statement read. “We will continue to advocate and fight for the participation and safety of our students, and encourage our peers to do the same.”