Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022
MOVIES The return of the highest-grossing film, Avatar, shows new advancements in film and technology. Pg. 6
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022
Volume 120, Issue 6
VISTA The
“OUR WORDS, YOUR VOICE.”
Volume 119, Issue 19
‘They just want freedom of choice’
Iranian UCO students unable to reach family during protests Matilda Harvey Reporter
Every province of Iran has seen protests following the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. The Iranian “morality police” arrested Amini on Sept. 16, when she was in Tehran with her family, for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. She died that evening after falling into a coma. The Iranian government asserts that Amini died of a heart attack, while her family insists that she was healthy and had no heart problems. The protests, which originated in Amini’s Kurdish hometown of Saqez, have led to violent clashes between protesters and armed forces. Women are burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in public areas. The Iranian government has not confirmed any civilian deaths from the protests, but Amnesty Provided hijab. International puts the current number at 52. Iranian women begin wearing hijab at an Two members of UCO’s Iranian Student early age; Nasihatkon began covering her hair in Association are speaking out about the protests middle school around age 12. Schools, which are and what it means for Iranian women. Golrokh segregated by sex, mandate girls as young as 7 to Nasihatkon, who was born in Iran, moved to the wear hijabs. United States at 16 with her parents and young“Why do we have to wear [hijab] if they er brother on an asylum visa. Another student, have a choice?” Nasihatkon recalled saying when whose entire family remains in Iran, has chosen to remain anonymous for safety, and will be iden- she visited Malaysia with her family around age 9. tified as AS. Nasihatkon chose not to wear a hijab She shared that she was stopped by the morality police once because she was with a female friend, when she first immigrated and has since converted to Christianity, while AS prefers not to wear a and her friend’s brother was with them.
Additionally, both Nasihatkon and AS expressed being warned at the airport of their attire. “I think [the protestors] are really brave, because, during the protests, a lot of people are getting killed,” AS said. “You might get killed, you might get arrested, it’s going to look bad on your record, you might go to the jail for God knows how long, but they’re still doing it.” Internet access in Iran has been restricted in response to the protests, reported NPR. This has affected people outside of Iran due to an inability to communicate with those still in the country. AS said she has not been able to speak to her family for two weeks. Nasihatkon echoed this, saying she can’t speak to her friends or her grandmother. “I deactivated all of my social media because it was mentally and emotionally very exhausting for me,” Nasihatkon said. Individuals have been posting images and videos from the protests on Twitter and Instagram to spread awareness. “[Iranian women] aren’t disrespecting religion, they just want freedom of choice,” Nasihatkon said. Both students stressed that the current protests have nothing to do with religion, but rather government control. “[People] think Iranian women are opposing hijab, which is absolutely not true, they’re just opposing the fact that it was forced on them,” Nasihatkon said.
Title IX lawsuit claims ‘unequal treatment’ of female athletes
Jocelyn Schifferdecker Contributing Writer
The head counsel representing the three female athletes who have filed a Title IX lawsuit against the University of Central Oklahoma said it is one of the most extreme cases of sex discrimination and retaliation he has seen. Arthur Bryant, a partner at Bailey Glasser LLP, has reportedly represented more female and male athletes in Title IX cases against schools and universities than anyone else in the country. “I have never seen a case with such extreme unequal treatment and retaliation,” said Bryant. The female track and cross country teams do not have locker rooms or an on-campus track to practice on. In contrast, the men’s football and wrestling teams have top of the line locker rooms with customized name plates, lounging areas, and vending machines with free snacks and sport drinks. The men’s teams also receive better travel accommodations, medical and training services, more publicity, and more funding for recruiting, among other things, according to the legal complaint filed by the plaintiffs. “UCO can offer its student athletes whatever kind of program it wants to. But whatever the program is, it has to offer equal treatment and equal opportunities to the men and women on campus,” Bryant said. The lawsuit was the athletes’ last resort, said Bryant. According to the complaint, they tried to communicate to the university the unequal treatment female athletes at UCO received compared to male athletes and asked for the issue to be fixed in February
2022.
In response, UCO athletic director Stan Wagnon told them the only reason their team was reinstated in 2010
(The Vista/ Logan Gassett)
Know the symptoms:
Arthur Bryant, a partner at Bailey Glasser LLP, is representing the three female athletes who have filed a Title IX lawsuit against UCO. (Provided)
after being cut in 2000 was to comply with Title IX standards when they “weren’t really wanted,” according to the lawsuit. In addition, Wagnon allegedly told the female athletes he would have someone access the program and develop a plan to fix it by May, but the women heard nothing. On May 16, Bryant emailed a letter to UCO president Patti Neuhold Ravikumar informing her of the Title IX violations. Three days later, UCO’s counsel responded saying an investigation had begun. One month later, UCO emailed the plaintiffs’ counsel, saying the university was not breaking any Title IX rules. Following this, the director and head coach of the women’s cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field teams, Martha Brennan, was fired. In a Zoom meeting, Wagnon told the athletes she Continued on Pg. 4
ADHD Awareness Month this October Allison Miller Contributing Writer October is ADHD Awareness Month. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects people of all ages and, according to Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (CHADD), it is estimated that 2% to 8% of college students have ADHD. There are three types of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive, and combined. The inattentive type is where it is hard to pay attention, concentrate, be organized, and keep track of things and conversations. The hyperactive type is where you are moving around a lot, talking a lot, and saying and doing things without thinking them through. The combined type is where a person meets the criteria for both the inattentive and hyperactive type, said Amber Miller, testing coordinator at Advanced Therapy Associates. ADHD is not what someone does, it’s how their brain works. If they are not interested in something, then their brains have a hard time focusing on it, said Miller. One of the biggest problems students with ADHD face is starting assignments, said Miller. Other problems include not being able to organize, not remembering things they need to do, not making it to class on time, not being able to keep track of what they are doing, and not being able to pay attention in class. Students who suspect they have ADHD should reach out to the Center of Counseling and Well-Being or, if they already have one, their own
counselor, said Thy Nguyen, graduate assistant case manager for the Center of Counseling and Well-Being. The Center of Counseling and Well-Being will do an evaluation for ADHD for students who get distracted easily. This is not an official psychiatric evaluation. However, it does allow the center to see if a student meets the symptom criteria, and then they can refer them to a psychiatrist, said Nguyen. There are three things that college students with ADHD can do to help them get through school: medication, accomodations, and counseling. Medication can help a student focus and organize better, accommodations can help since people with ADHD tend to lose focus, and counseling can help get the anxiety under control that many people with ADHD have, said Miller. UCO students with ADHD can receive accommodations by going to UCO’s Disability Support Services and filling out the forum on the website, said Ngyuen. According to DSS’s document guidelines, one of their requirements for getting accommodations for ADHD includes “A diagnosis by a licensed diagnostician who has been trained in the assessment of ADD/ADHD and is experienced in assessing the needs of the adult learner.” The document guidelines state this diagnosis must use adult testing measures and be less than 5 years old. The diagnosis also has to be based on the DSM-5 Criteria. A Disability Verification Form can be filled out by the student’s treating provider if an evaluation is not available.