Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Volume 121, Issue 20
VISTA The
Eclipse coverage page 5
“OUR WORDS, YOUR VOICE.”
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022
Volume 119, Issue 19
UCOSA and Faculty Senate partner to pass separate legislation Jake Ramsey Managing Editor
University of Central Oklahoma Faculty Senate passed legislation which proposes the placement of an Overdose Prevention Vending Machine in the Max Chambers Library after 7.1% of students reported having ever used non-medical prescription opioids. Alongside the legislation seeking to get Narcan vending machines on campus, the UCO Student Association (UCOSA) passed legislation which seeks to pressure administration to release a statement regarding President Lamb’s office located in Old North. (JAKE RAMSEY/THE VISTA) DEI and Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Ex“We just want to be commedications is a public health, ecutive Order 2023-31. prehensive in the way that and public safety concern,” said Directed towards the office we approach these issues, and Provencio. of the president of UCO, Todd understanding that these don’t Alongside the legislation Lamb, the Faculty Senate occur in isolation,” said Alyssa passed by Faculty Senate, the legislation states, “We propose Provencio, president of Faculty UCO Student Association the University administration Senate and professor of political (UCOSA) has been authoring proceed with the placement of science at UCO, when discusstheir own legislation in order an Oklahoma Department of ing why Faculty Senate chose to to seek getting Narcan vending Mental Health and Substance approach the issue of getting an machines on campus. Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) Overdose Prevention Vending When discussing the partprovided Overdose Prevention Machine on campus. nership with the Faculty Senate, Vending Machine in the Univer“We believe that having and why they share similar goals, sity of Central Oklahoma (UCO) access to overdose prevention UCOSA Chair of Congress Izzi Chambers Library building.”
Barry said, “This is actually something that I think is incredibly important to the democratic process of our university’s bodies of government, and representation among the student body, faculty and staff.” “It’s an opportunity to work together and collaborate, and it’s also a united front,” said Barry. As stated in the legislation authored by members of the Faculty Senate, UCO participated in a National College Health Assessment (NCHA) survey in 2021 and 2023. A total of 654 students responded in 2021. 6.3% reported having ever used prescription opioids for non-medical use. 1.8% of the 654 who participated reported having used prescription opioids for non-medical use within the last three months. Comparatively, in 2023, 552 students responded to the survey, with 7.1% reporting the use of non-medical prescription opioids, and 2.2% reporting the use of opioids within three months. Cont on page 3
108-year-old Guthrie resident recounts her time as a UCO student in the 1930s Sam Kozlowski Digital Editor
On New Year’s Day 1916, World War I raged on and the British Royal Army had successfully carried out the first ever blood transfusion, using blood previously stored and cooled. On the same day nearly 5,000 miles away, a baby girl was born in Uncas, Oklahoma. Today, 108-year-old Vangie Clendenin lives at the Golden Age Nursing Facility in Guthrie. Nicknamed “Vange” by her caretakers in the nursing home, Clendenin spends her days relaxing in her big chair, eating prepared food and visiting her son Robert Clendenin. She remains sharp and retold her life story, but also said, “I believe everyone has incredible stories.” Some time after Vangie Clendenin (previously Keele) was born, a flood struck Uncas. Then, the government replaced Uncas with Kaw Lake in 1972. The small town was demolished in order to prevent future floods
Vangie Clendenin in her nursing home. (SAM KOZLOWSKI/THE VISTA)
from the nearby Arkansas River. Back in the early 1920s, her parents Jess and Hattie Keele moved the family to Perry, Oklahoma because Jess Keele began working for the Santa Fe
railroad. Vangie recalled her mother Hattie being a great cook and her childhood favorites were fried okra and butter beans, which are like lima beans. Her two brothers would put butter on
bread and sugar, quite a dessert for kids living during the Great Depression. From the floods that reshaped Uncas to the frequent relocation of her family, Vangie’s early years demonstrated adaptability and resilience. Growing up in Perry in the 1920s, Vangie and her sister Lorraine, who was two years older, stumbled upon two kittens and took care of them, named “Bebe” and “Bobby.” The sisters would dress the kittens in baby clothes and stroll them around town in a wicker carriage. One day though, the cats grew tired of this and jumped out of the buggy while dressed up and ran away, never to be seen again. Once Jess became a railway manager, the Keele family moved to cities all over the state, like Chickasha, Noble and eventually Red Rock. After graduating from Red Rock high school, Vangie attended the Oklahoma Normal School in the 1930s, known today as the University of Central Oklahoma. Cont on page 3
Glamazon event serves up fierce drag on campus Kelly Clayton Contributing Writer
Glamazon, an annual drag show hosted by the UCO Student Programming Board, paraded through one of the Nigh Center Ballrooms March 28 as part of UCO’s I Heart Central week. The celebration featured large “GLAMAZON” marquee letters for photo ops, a mocktail bar offering nonalcoholic spirits, and of course, a dazzling group of drag performers looking to exhibit their art. “We have 10 local queens to represent 10 years that Glamazon has been alive,” said executive director for the student programming board and show coordinator, Riley Hall, referring to this year’s celebration being the 10th anniversary of the event. “Each and every one of them are unique and bring something different to the table. We’re
so lucky to have such a diverse cast of performers,” said Hall, explaining the gala’s assemblage of executants. Gizele Monáe, who has been flaunting the glamourous skills of drag for 14 years, was one of the queens looking to thrill those in attendance by singing a Beyoncé medley and closing with a Céline Dion number, distinguishing amongst the other performers as being the only live singer of the evening’s ensemble. “Glamazon is the time for us to show liberation to students on the campus. It’s hard to get in on campuses, and being able to showcase amongst students is a blessing itself,” Moná said about the uniqueness of UCO to provide amenities to facilitate the event.
Gizele Monae is a drag artist in Oklahoma (PROVIDED)
Cont on page 3