Friday, February 23, 2024
OSU student in custody for fatal on-campus hit-and-run After an incident occurs, police departments typically collect preliminary information such as the offense, date, time, general location and responding officer(s). Under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, law enforceBella Casey ment must make this information News and Lifestyle available for public inspection. OSUPD has yet to make it Assistant Editor available. In an email, OSUPD Capt. An OSU student is being Leon Jones said this informaheld on the charge of fleeing the tion could take “a few days to a scene of a fatality. week” to be ready. About 10 a.m. Thursday, According to the Oklaa truck hit OSU student Gabrihoma Open Records Act, law elle Claudia Long, 19, on the enforcement agencies shall make north side of campus at Monroe available for public inspection, Street and Cantwell Avenue. At if kept, “A chronological list of 3:27 p.m., OSU Campus Safety all incidents, including initial ofposted on Facebook that Long fense report information showing died. the offense, date, time, general Tyler Peters, 21, was taken location, officer and a brief suminto custody and is being held at mary of what occurred.” the Payne County Jail. “And that is an open record President Dr. Kayse Shrum under the (Oklahoma) Open shared a statement noting she is Records Act and should be made heartbroken by the loss of the readily available, regardless of student. any kind of ongoing investiga“On behalf of the Cowboy tion,” said Kurt Gwartney, execfamily, our thoughts and prayers utive director for FOI Oklahoma. are with the student’s family, “Sometimes, law enforcement friends, classmates and profeswill use the, ‘Well, this is under sors. If you need support follow- investigation.’ And not the only ing this tragic event, know that people who use that phrase, to OSU has many resources avail- try to keep records that, really, able to help you.” in most cases, should be open OSU Campus Safety has and available to the public, out posted no updates since, and of the public view.” Shannon Rigsby, a public inforPeters could face a misdemation officer, said in an email meanor or a felony and up to 10 the initial offense report is not years in prison if convicted. completed and therefor cannot be shared. news.ed@ocolly.com
Courtesy of Laura Arata The Washington School basketball team won the state championship in 1956. It was the first time an all-Black team competed with all-white teams.
Black history month
‘Against all odds’
1956 Washington School champions finally honored ington Bears basketball team back to Stillwater, John Reed Jr. sat in his sweaty uniform. His team traveled to and from Yale for three days as it kept winning in the district tournament. After every Kennedy Thomason game, the team would load up News & Lifestyle on the bus. Editor The Bears’ all-Black team wasn’t allowed to use Yale’s locker room. Riding on the school “We were allowed to bus that was taking the Washplay, but we were not wel-
come,” Reed Jr. said. Reed Jr., along with John Cook, James Reed and Chalres McGlory, are the four living members of the Booker T. Washington High School’s 1956 state champion basketball team. 1956 was the first year Black teams were allowed to play against white teams as integration was beginning across Oklahoma. See Honored on 7A
Mr. & Miss Black OSU to represent students, culture Grace Balducci Staff Reporter
Luisa Clausen OSU’s land use acknowledgment statement noted “OSU is committed to engaging in university and community efforts to represent and honor the proud cultural heritage and history of Native citizens throughout the state and nation, including our students, faculty, staff and alumni.”
OSU releases land use acknowledgment Luisa Clausen Editor-in-Chief After five years of discussion, OSU officially acknowledged this month it sits on land that once belonged to Native Americans. The university’s land ac-
What’s Inside
knowledgment statement, placed on a plaque Feb. 9 near the bison topiary on Hester Street, doesn’t note which tribe occupied this land. The statement noted that OSU is on “territorial lands currently inhabited and preserved by citizens of the 39 sovereign tribal governments within Oklahoma.” The effort to create a land acknowledgment statement for OSU began in 2019 with students from the Center of Sovereign Nations and the Native American Student Association. See Land on 6A
Beyonce Popular artists making genre shift to country
The Mr. & Miss Black OSU crowns are up for grabs. On Feb. 24 at 4 p.m., the African American Student Association will host the annual Mr. & Miss Black OSU 2024 pageant. It will take place in the Student Union Theatre. This year, Albony Bryles and Kennedy Dixon will be competing for Miss Black OSU. For Mr. Black OSU, Toni Purnell. The pageant will have a platform speech, cultural wear to define what Black culture means to the contestant, a talent portion, an evening gown segment and it will end with a question to the contestants. All contestants have been prepping since November, and the candidates have had weekly Tuesday practices since. Although she is a fresh-
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File photo All contestants for Mr. & Miss Black OSU have been preparing since November, and the candidates have had weekly Tuesday practices since. In the photo, contestants from last year perform their talent.
man, Bryles said running for Miss Black OSU important to her. “To me, the pageant represents someone who’s willing to advocate for the Black community here at OSU,” Bryles said. “We are a very small population, but
Reptiles Scales and slime at Stillwater Public Library
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being able to step into that role means you’re going to be planning, having meetings, talking to people about whatever could be a current occurrence or events we want to have or anything that pertains to the Black community.” See Contestants on 4A
New nametag Diversity office changes its name
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