Tuesday, November 3, 2020
ENGAGED VOTERS
Survey reveals most OSU students registered to vote By Adam Morey
Eighty percent of respondents to a survey conducted by multimedia journalism students at OSU are registered to vote. Eighty-eight percent of them will be voting in the 2020 presidential election. Voting gives a voice to the American people. But voter disinterest is a common issue in American elections. In the 2016 presidential election, only 58.6% of eligible voters cast a ballot, according to Penn State University. Eighty percent of participants in a poll conducted by MMJ majors at OSU said they were registered to vote and 70% said they were planning on voting in the upcoming presidential election. According to the poll, 37% of voters will be voting for Biden, 43% will vote for Trump, and the remaining 20% are either undecided, or are voting 3rd party. This election cycle has been particularly contentious, as both sides claim the other will bring about the downfall of America. Nearly everyone has an opinion about the president, but
that isn’t always enough to drive voters to polling places. For Emily Singleton, the options for president are not good. She said Biden is too weak on most of her voting issues, and she doesn’t agree with Trump at all. Singleton said she will be voting on Nov. 3, but intends to leave the presidential ballot blank. “It doesn’t make much of a difference in Oklahoma,” she said. “Even if I was in Texas, I’d vote since they’ve been seeing a blue wave. But here, it’s going to go to Trump no matter what.” Singleton said she believes by voting in the other elections, but not voting for a presidential candidate, she is using her voice. She said there is no way she will vote for Trump, but Biden can secure her vote by firming up his education plan. She says she believes that all the other issues will follow if America can fix its education system. For some voters though, voting is a given. Jordyn Walls said she believes that those who don’t vote are doomed to live with other people’s decisions. “Voting is important in every single election is important,” she said. “Even the local offices can make a big change
on a system.” Walls says she will be voting for Biden, because she “doesn’t want to finish college, and live in the adult world” under another term of Trump’s Presidency.
Claire Boomer Stillwater residents line up at the Stillwater Community Center to vote on the first day of early voting in Oklahoma on October 29, 2020 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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COVID causes struggle for international students, faculty and staff. By Samantha Sanchez About 91 countries around the world provide cultural enrichment for Oklahoma State University, but this year, diversity has faced some challenges because of Covid-19. The Dean of the Social Studies department, Dr. Randy Kluver, spoke on the impact of the 25% drop in the number of international students coming to OSU, as well as the vital role they play on campus. “We think that the international students are an incredibly important part of the university because they bring talent, they bring new perspectives, they bring new ways of looking at issues, they allow our students to interact with somebody from a very different cultural background,” Kluver said. “So, we are not happy, what can I say.” The process of an international student to enroll at Oklahoma State University alone is intricate and rather extensive and adding a global pandemic to the mix has only complicated the
process further. “Just getting their documents issued, getting an embassy open, getting a Visa, having to go through adminis-
OSU students not only have the opportunity to learn from other cultures and traditions through their peers, but professors get
Wes Watkins Center on Thursday, February 27, 2020.
trative reviews, travel bans to the United States, country travel bans even, even faculty that are part of the travel ban haven’t been able to enter the country yet,” Regina Henry, Coordinator of Immigration, said.
to include their own experiences from their native country into their teaching material and style, making a more exclusive learning experience. Kluver expands on how Covid-19 disrupted diversity through faculty.
“We have a faculty member, for example, in our school upstairs, the school of global studies, who had to go home to Ghana
Adam Luther
over the summer to work on his Visa issues. Well, guess what, the US embassy in Ghana is closed. He can’t get back. And he is a faculty member,” Kluver said. International students and faculty
members not only uplift Oklahoma State University academically, but international staff enriches the quality of the services provided by departments like Dinning Services in various unique ways. “They bring a lot of their knowledge with them because they are already in this major, so they have the idea of food sanitation, they have the idea of food production, so that really helps our campus, our Dining Services to provide better service for our students,” Vedda Hsu, Director of University Dining Services, said. From the student body, to faculty, to staff, Covid-19 has not only forced physical distance, but it has separated us from differences that allow us to see the world from another perspective: diversity. All areas say they hope Covid-19 subsides so they can resume the enriching relationships and experiences brought by international students.
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