The OU Weekly

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, or “OLLI" is a program available at OU for adults 50 years and older. From The Evolution of the Arab-Israeli Conflict to Hip Hop for Baby Boomers, the program offers more than 50 options and has something for just about everyone. Senior news reporter Ari Fife tells stories of lifelong learning at OU's OLLI in our season finale episode.

For some members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, the church has represented a spiritual haven; for others, the church has left deeply traumatic wounds. News managing editor Jillian Taylor tells the stories of how religious love and hate toward the queer community has impacted four Oklahomans and what remains to be done in creating affirming spiritual environments for all.NOTE: This episode contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you love is struggling, you can reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

November is National Native American Heritage Month, a month to celebrate Indigenous cultures and remember the long, complex history of Indigenous communities in the country. As current Indigenous students make their way through degrees at the university, several have found ways to celebrate and connect with their cultures, all while finding a sense of community in a state whose history has left many with generational trauma. News reporter Kaly Phan tells the story of how three Indigenous students are leaving their mark on the university.

Oklahoma's 6-year, self-imposed moratorium on execution ended this February when the state announced it would proceed with scheduling 7 executions. Julius Jones waits next in line for lethal injection — a process the state has botched multiple times — for a crime he maintains he didn't commit. News editor Jonathan Kyncl explains Oklahoma's history with capital punishment and breaks down the fights for the life of Julius Jones and justice for Paul Howell.

Norman's city council is no stranger to conflict. Now, a new controversy has surfaced: allegations of gerrymandering while redrawing ward boundary lines. Daily news reporter Peggy Dodd tells the story of how these accusations came to be and where the process is headed.

Queer people have always existed in Oklahoma, and they always will. Defying threats of anti-sodomy laws, McCarthyism during the Second Red Scare and an epidemic that disproportionately affected their communities, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals remain persistent in their fight for equality. In recognition of LGBTQ History month, culture editor Jazz Wolfe tells the story of the long road to progress for queer Oklahomans.

On the heels of Texas' abortion ban, Oklahoma is about to institute its own set of abortion bans and restrictions. As legal challenges to these and similar laws make their ways through courts across the country, news managing editor Ari Fife breaks down six of the state's bills and examines their impacts on the reproductive rights of Oklahomans.

Indigenous communities across the country have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, but these communities have also responded with the highest vaccination rate in the country. News reporter Taylor Jones interviewed voices from OU's Native American community about their thoughts on these vaccination efforts.

Mad Forest: The OU School of Drama is performing its newest 3-act play, Mad Forest, which explores the traumatic, bloody history of the 1989 Romanian Revolution. Culture reporter Gabby Brown brings us a behind-the-scenes look at how the cast and crew have handled portraying such an intense moment that most Americans know so little about.

Since the beginning, faculty, staff and students have been speaking out against the university's pandemic policies, and The Daily has covered it every step of the way. This episode, Editor-in-Chief Blake Douglas recaps on a year and a half of reporting on the OU administration's handling of COVID-19.

On the first episode of our second season, Daily senior news reporter Alexia Aston brings us this story on how students are struggling with a 12-session-per-academic-year cap to OU's primary mental health care resource: the University Counseling Center.

The final episode of our 100 Years series examines the fight for reparations for Tulsa Race Massacre victims, survivors and their descendants. Senior culture reporter Jacinda Hemeon spoke with OU professors Rilla Askew and Karlos Hill, along with Justice for Greenwood activist Jericka Handie about what constitutes reparations and the historical precedence for restitution.

In the fourth part of our 5-part series, we explore how the Tulsa Race Massacre was (and wasn't) taught in the past 100 years. Daily news editor Jillian Taylor walks us through her conversations with educators and education officials on how they are approaching this sensitive subject.

In the third part of our 5-part 100 Years series focusing on the Tulsa Race Massacre, we dive in to OU professor Karlos Hill's new book, "The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: A Photographic History." Daily assistant news managing editor Ari Fife brings us her conversations with Hill, other Tulsa Race Massacre scholars and a Greenwood community member on the importance of the photo collection in the fight for racial justice.

In the second part of our 5-part 100 Years series focusing on the Tulsa Race Massacre, we listen to Daily news managing editor Blake Douglas's conversations with Mayor GT Bynum, Kavin Ross, Scott Ellsworth and the OU team working to uncover mass grave sites in Tulsa. As the city is grappling with the last century of its racial history, it's still plagued by the economic, health and education disparities between North and South Tulsans.

For the next five weeks, The OU Weekly is dedicating our podcast to telling the stories of the Tulsa Race Massacre. This summer marks the 100-year anniversary of the horrific event in Tulsa's Greenwood District, and it is considered to be one of the nation's worst acts of racial violence. First, we talk to assistant culture editor Sam Tonkins about her article on 'I Dream of Greenwood,' a dance film about the massacre told through the perspectives of the children who experienced it.

Three OU women teamed up and founded OU WOAA: Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics, to address gender and racial disparities in the university's STEM programs and provide support for marginalized students. Daily reporter Taylor Jones spoke with the organization's founders, plus NASA pioneer engineer and OU alum Donna Shirley about navigating through this male-dominated field.

This week on the show, we look at the storied career of recently retired OU women's basketball coach Sherri Coale. Coale recently announced her retirement after leading the team for 25 years. Sports editor Mason Young wrote about Coale's impact not only on the sport, but also on the lives of the young women she coached.

In the second half of our two-part series, Born with two strikes, we hear from Norman Police Department officials and city councilors about what Norman police are doing to ensure equity and combat racial bias in policing. Contributing reporter Jana Hayes also talks to experts on policing history and reform about how examining history and context can better inform present-day policing tactics.

As the trial moves forward against Derek Chauvin, the police officer who killed George Floyd, cities around the country are examining how their local departments interact with communities of color. Daily contributing reporter Jana Hayes investigated the Norman Police Department's data and found substantial disparities in contacts, arrests, citations and use-of-force incidents between Black and white residents. In Part 1 of our two-part series, we hear from Norman residents and officials about their experiences with police.

This week on the show, we examine the impact of the historic sit-in at Evans Hall one year ago by the Black Emergency Response Team. Daily news managing editor Blake Douglas spoke with former and current BERT leaders, OU administrators and local civil rights activist Dr. George Henderson about what the university has gotten right — and what it hasn't.

This week on the show, we look beyond the hairspray and high heels and explore the world of drag. Daily culture reporter Jazz Wolfe spoke with students Justin Norris and Taylor Ratliff about their drag personas Blacc Cherry and Plasma LaRose, and navigating the tricky world of breaking gender barriers in Oklahoma.

While the last year has brought forward a multitude of challenges for educators and students, it's also presented opportunities for innovation and reflection. Daily assistant culture editor Sam Tonkins spoke with an OU music professor, a vocal performance student and an international studies professor about how they've adapted their teaching and learning to a new normal.

This week on the show, we're talking with Daily senior culture reporter Jacinda Hemeon about her story on Sterlin Harjo and his and Taika Waititi's upcoming FX series, Reservation Dogs, a dark comedy about growing up as a Native American in rural Oklahoma - with a supernatural twist. Sterlin attended the OU School of Film.

In this week's episode, we'll talk with OU Daily Editor-in-Chief Jordan Miller about her data piece comparing COVID-19 rates in college communities and looking at inconsistencies in university response policies.

OU Daily senior news reporter Jonathan Kyncl spoke with immunocompromised students about the effects of isolation on their mental health and the hope of a return to normalcy with the new COVID-19 vaccine.

Here's a short preview of our brand new podcast from The OU Daily. Listen in this Thursday for our first full episode.