Volume 120, Issue 4
CULTURE
SPOOKY SEASON
Find highly acclaimed horror movies and Halloween costumes to enjoy during the season. Pg. 3
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022
VISTA The
“OUR WORDS, YOUR VOICE.”
University faces racial discrimination lawsuit
vistanews1903 @thevista1903 @thevista1903 The Vista ucentralmedia.com
Volume 119, Issue 19
Quinn Daugherty Reporter
Director of Procurement Service and former President of the UCO African-American Faculty and Staff Association David Young filed a lawsuit against the University of Central Oklahoma on Aug.18 for unlawful discrimination and the creation of a hostile work environment. After serving in the military and working for the federal government, Young was hired as Director of Procurement Services on Oct. 20, 2014.
David Young filed a lawsuit against UCO. (Provided)
His immediate supervisor was Drew Duke, assistant vice president of Administrative Affairs. According to the lawsuit, Young warned Duke many times of incidents of bias and discrimination based on national origin, color, and gender, but neither Duke nor the university made any attempts to rectify the situation. “Therefore on May 27. 2021 Mr. Young filed an EEOC
David Holt attends a panel with other mayors to discuss non-partisan values. (Provided)
The plaintiff claims Drew Duke (above) ignored signs of discrimination. (Provided)
(Equal Employment Opportunities Commision) Formal Complaint Form with the UCO Office of People and Culture,” the lawsuit said. “Mr. Young presented evidence of discriminatory incidents that occured from 2015 to 2021 that he experienced at UCO.” UCO assigned the complaint to EEO Investigator Mary Deter-Billings, Director of Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition and Development. On Aug. 20, 2021 Young received a “closure letter” detailing the conclusion of the investigation. “While there is evidence of a pattern of circumventing your involvement, input, and authority as Director of Procurement,” the letter began. “The evidence does not support that these behaviors are occurring on the basis of race, color, and/or sex.” Less than a week later, Young sent a written response to UCO Continued on Pg. 4
Mayor David Holt attends White House Summit on political unity Matilda Harvey Reporter
Mayor David Holt of Oklahoma City visited the White House Sept. 15 to participate in the United We Stand summit. Holt, who was first elected mayor in 2018, has promoted “One OKC,” a message of unity and progress for the city’s people. He is the trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Under Holt’s mayorship, the City of Oklahoma City has embarked on a program called Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) 4, which is a public improvement project funded by a penny sales tax in Oklahoma City. There are 16 specific projects being undertaken by MAPS 4, with the top four funded being youth centers, parks, Paycom Center and transit. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a non-partisan organization for the mayors of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 14 cities in Oklahoma that meet the criteria, with OKC being the largest. Four mayors from this organization held a panel at the United We Stand Summit.
“I think the folks at the White House know that I’m pretty passionate about these issues,” Holt said when asked if he was invited by the White House or sent by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He mentioned the similarities between speaking at this summit and the annual statement he makes on the anniversary of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Buildling bombing. “When you see your fellow human beings as Republicans or Democrats, not as fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, then you have begun the process of dehumanization,” Holt said on April 19, 2022, during the 27th Annual Remembrance Ceremony at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. In addition to Holt, panelists included John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, Todd Gloria of San Diego, California, and Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The panel was moderated by former Atlanta mayor and current presidential advisor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Holt also presented a compact signed by 150 mayors Continued on Pg. 4
UCO ranks higher than before on U.S. News best colleges list
(The Vista/ Logan Gassett)
Allison Miller Contributing Writer
UCO ranked 60 for regional universities in the West in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges list. This is 11 places higher than the school’s ranking last year and the highest it has ever ranked on the list. UCO is tied for 60 with California
State University–Bakersfield, Rocky Mountain College and Western Colorado University. There are 117 rankings for regional colleges in the west in total. “Positive rankings are always welcome news,” said UCO President Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar. “What’s even more important is our collective dedication to providing our students quality transformative learning experi-
ences. Fulfilling that mission remains our top priority, and it’s rewarding when our efforts are recognized.” U.S. News uses three steps in their ranking process. First, the magazine sorts the schools into their proper categories. Then, they gather data on 17 different measurements to determine universities’ academic Continued on Pg. 4