Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism

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2022 Archive - page 2

No more ‘packed rooms’: Norman businesses return to form after pandemic

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Before opening, one of the employees at New York Pizza and Pasta dresses up the pizzas before putting them in the oven.

By: Madisson Cameron, Mustang High School Local businesses were impacted in many different ways by COVID-19. Even though things are returning to normal, the effects of the pandemic are still impacting Norman businesses. A local deli that has served its community for almost a century has managed to thrive while the severity of COVID-19 has diminished.  Bob Thompson, the owner of Midway Deli since 1985, said that the initial shutdown made him question whether he wanted to keep the shop open. “Well, first we thought we were going to be shut down completely,” Thompson said. “We could put a key in the…

Video games, in and beyond esports programs, bridge cultures across world

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Images on this post are screengrabs from games Minecraft, Dota 2 and MMO Revelation.

By Kate Kitova, Southwestern Oklahoma State University Video games are becoming more and more popular, and not just among young people. Although some may say this could be a problem, others have created programs to help change that narrative.  Michael Aguilar, the director of eSport & co-curricular innovation at the University of Oklahoma, has been with the program since 2016. Back then, fewer than 25 universities in North America had eSport programs. Now, more than 400 that offer eSports.  Jody Farmer, the assistant director of intercollegiate eSports, said OU has the largest student organization on campus at 2,800 members. The…

Indigenous artwork: Cultural revival through creativity

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This image is an example of how native symbols are depicted, showcased by a spiral design.

By Kylee Crisswell, Yukon High School  Bright colors, bold patterns and intricate detailing. These are all ways that members of Native American tribes across Oklahoma are preserving their culture and history through artwork.  In today’s world, Native communities are attempting to prevent cultural erasure through art. There are a number of different art forms used in Native culture. Sarah Adams-Cornell, a member of the Choctaw Nation, is most familiar with using beadwork as a form of cultural representation. “I use my art in a way that helps Indigenous people express their indigeneity out in the world so that people see,”…

School Safety and Security

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Photo by, Katie Godowski: https://www.pexels.com/photo/end-gun-violence-12255889/

By Andi Anthony, Putnam City High School Parents send their kids to school every day with the assumption they’ll safely learn while they are there, but for the past several years that assumption has started to fade.  According to data from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, there have been more than 2,000 school shootings in the United States since 1970. The center is the Naval Postgraduate School sponsored by FEMA. In this era of school shootings, some people have questioned whether teachers should be able to protect themselves and their students with guns in school.  Some states, including Oklahoma…

OU freshman QB already making an impact in his community

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Photo courtesy of Shevaun Williams and Associates/OU Athletics

By Nora Neville, Vandegrift High School, Austin, Texas  Nick Evers, a freshman quarterback on the University of Oklahoma football team, is by all accounts an incredible athlete. He is the former quarterback of Flower Mound High School and was invited to the Elite 11 finals before the start of his senior year. Even though Evers hasn’t yet played a regular season game as a Sooner, he is already making an impact in the community around him. Evers has agreed to donate 100% of his earnings from his first NIL (name image and likeness)  deal to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He plans to…

Why I think 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote

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By Claire Ash, Edmond Santa Fe High School Should people under the age of 18 be allowed to vote? That question rose in my mind this spring in connection to an election in my hometown of Edmond in which a position on the local school board was in voters’ hands.  Two candidates were running for District 2, Cheryl Williams and Courtney Hobgood. Williams campaigned against diversity in schools.  “The political indoctrination in the classroom has to stop,” she said on camera in a Feb. 8 school board meeting. “We have seen LGBT flags, paraphernalia and stuff in a classroom, that…

Supreme Court decision’s impact on tribal sovereignty draws particular scrutiny in Oklahoma

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By Cate Slabotsky, Bethany High School With its recent landmark rulings, the Supreme Court is a hot topic of discussion. One ruling in particular sparking controversy in Oklahoma is the court’s 5-4 ruling on Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma. This decision by the conservative majority grants greater power to state governments by allowing them to prosecute non-Native Americans for crimes committed on tribal land.  Described by The Nation as “a bizarre and horrifying decision,” some view this ruling as a step in the wrong direction. To many it comes off as a power grab, one of possibly multiple rulings that target tribal autonomy. But…

A Q&A with Ukrainian student Karolina Yaschenko

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Karolina Yaschenko

By Karolina Yaschenko, Ukrainian Academy of Leadership For the second consecutive year, OIDJ virtually hosted international students as participants. Despite a time difference that kept them working late into the night, these students learned from the OIDJ instructors, connected with the Oklahoma students and produced media work for the website. In this Q&A, Karolina Yaschenko answers a series of questions.  Q: Where were you born? A: I was born in the city of Chudniv, Zhytomyr region Q: Do you have brothers or sisters? If so, are they older or younger than you? A: I have a younger sister who is 10 years…

The future of esports at OU is bright, growing

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Mike “Moog” Aguilar gives a Ted Talk in 2019 about leveraging the innovation of higher education with esports as a focus of development. Screengrab from YouTube.

By Bohdan James, Norman High School Esports at the University of Oklahoma continues to evolve, with the creation of a new facility in Couch Towers and the expansion of scholarships and games.  It’s all part of a large vision Michael “Moog” Aguilar, the director of Esports and co-curricular innovation, has for the OU Esports organization.  “The next chapter, which is this school year, we’ll see the birth of physical space on campus which is a separate facility,” he said. Aguilar said the facility will have a space for all six pillars, or branches, of OU Esports, which are community, leadership,…

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