Gazette VOL. 83, NO. 4 - Langston ...
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the
Gazette
VOL. 83, NO. 4
STUDENT VOICE OF LANGSTON UNIVERSITY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021
2 The Gazette | February 23, 2021 Voices
When the good outweighs the bad
The Gazette is produced
Student discusses pros, cons of social media
within the Department Many people have debated book where he flashed gang hoodwinked by a catfish and
of Communication at if social networking is more signs. He also published more investigates if the other partner
Langston University. beneficial than harmful. Does self-incriminating posts, which in the virtual relationship, the
It serves as a teaching tool. the good outweigh the bad? In only his friends could see, ref- catfish, is legit or not. Some of
The newspaper is today’s society, we are living in erencing threats against others these virtual relationships span
published biweekly and is a world with endless possibili- and past brutal crimes. from months to years without
dispersed across campus ties. Sadly, for Colon, one of his face-to-face contact.
every other Tuesday, We have access to commu- Facebook friends gave the In each episode, Nev and Ka-
except during nicate with anyone around the authorities access to Colon’s mie come to the rescue of these
examinations, holidays and world at our fingertips. It is “private” posts. Soon after, hopeless romantics, traveling
extended school breaks. known to be true that the in- a judge ruled that Colon lost to wherever they live to gain
ternet tracks your every move, Goodman all claims to privacy when he information about the person
and nothing is ever deleted shared those posts with friends they suspect is a catfish. Nev
from the World Wide Web. The challenge involved on social media, which gave his and Kamie then use informa-
Of course, this can be a deal- dumping a bucket of ice water friend the right to use the in- tion such as phone numbers
breaker for those who want to on someone's head to promote formation how they wanted to, and pictures to solve the mys-
join social media networks. awareness of the disease Amy- even if it meant sharing it with tery of the catfish’s true identi-
Cover Designer No one wants to be secretly otrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) the government. ty to track them down to have a
Na'Tianna Stocker watched or documented 24/7. and encourage donations to Leveraging Facebook and face-to-face conversation to ex-
This issue is concerning, and research. Once one person other social networks is just one plain themselves and why they
the public believes that social did the challenge, that person of many ways law enforcement trick people over the internet.
Staff Writers media does more harm than nominated other participants officials discover evidence from While there are still social
Jonah Fabian good because of cyberbullying, to do the same within a 24-hour social media to solve crimes. networks that have impeded
Keitoria Jefferson impersonation, fraud and the window. Langston University Social networks have helped us us, such as hindering work
Kaila Lessier
fact that newer generations are President Kent Smith Jr. even connect and weed out the dan- productivity, creating social
MacKenzie McQuarters
Paris Taylor-Mahone becoming introverts. took to social media to spread gerous people who manipulate isolation or even having your
But social networks have had awareness, along with millions innocent people for fun or fi- personal information leaked to
a positive outcome in society. of other people who flooded nancial support. strangers, I think the good al-
Contributing Writer Social media enables every- social media as a tribute to the Many people know of MTV’s ways outweighs the bad.
Mar'Quan Goodman one to connect, opening doors cause. reality show “Catfish.” Catfish Social networks are imple-
of opportunity for interaction However, although many is common term used for peo- mented into education, data
with others near and far, allow- people think social networks ple who make fake profiles on collecting and countless other
Adviser ing us to make new connections invite the world into your per- social media using other peo- aspects of our society. I truly
Nicole Turner and reconnect with friends and sonal space, having a lack of ple’s photos, wrong locations believe social media creates
family. privacy, I believe that while and additional information, new social connections and
Social networks have become you should always monitor pretending to be anyone on- old ones. You can easily stay in
a hub to spread awareness and what you post, social networks line but themselves. A “catfish” contact with your relatives and
publicize organizations as well. can pinpoint those who com- tricks a person, who is usually friends. You can stay on top of
The Gazette Office In 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket mit crimes and fraudulent acts. very naïve, into falling in love current events. And it's an ex-
Langston University Challenge took the internet by CNN reporter Heather Kelly with him or her. cellent way for people's voices
Sanford Hall, Room 318 storm, and hundreds of videos told Melvin Colon’s story of Throughout each episode to be heard.
405-466-3245 were uploaded to YouTube, facing murder, weapons and of “Catfish,” the creator of the
Facebook and Twitter to sup- narcotics-related crimes. Colon show Nev and co-host Kamie Mar’Quan Goodman is a senior
port the disease’s awareness. posted public photos on Face- help someone who has been broadcast journalism major.
Do you have an opinion you'd like to express
Send story ideas, comments
and calendar events to
nkturner@langston.edu.
Opinions expressed in
regarding life, politics, entertainment
Voices are those of the
writers whose names
appear with the articles.
or other various topics?
Letters to the editor should be
emailed to nkturner@langs-
ton.edu. Please include your
Then this section of The Gazette is for YOU!
name and telephone number.
The newspaper retains the
right to edit, accept and/or
reject items deemed to be con-
Only two issues remain for the semester, so
trary to the best interest of the
publication, Langston
University and/or any of its
please share those ideas!
governing bodies.
Submit your ideas to nkturner@langston.edu
News February 23, 2021 | The Gazette 3
Langston receives grant
to research weird weather
By Paris Taylor-Mahone
“
explained wicked problems whom they think are neces-
Staff Writer as “characterized by widely sary in shaping technical so-
We will interview 2,500 Oklahomans with hailed in polarizing narra- lutions for any long-term in-
In the summer of 2020, the the questionnaire, gauging their under- tives” on complex issues with frastructural improvements.
”
National Science Foundation limited or fragmentary knowl- According to the National
awarded Oklahoma’s lead- standing of weird weather risk. edge, entrenched opinion Public Radio website (NPR.
ing research institutions $20 leaders and a public on issues com) and the Bryant Park
million to conduct a five-year — Dr. Charles Spurlock, that are interwoven and com- Project, weird weather is ex-
research in development to re- assistant professor of sociology plex with differently vested plained as bizarre conditions
spond to weird weather – one stakeholders. Essentially, the from heat deaths to enormous
of these universities is yours social dynamics team strives blizzards.
truly, Langston University. to find middle ground. Spurlock, in conjunction
The project sees STEM (sci- this research funding include Dr. Hank Jenkins-Smith and In a nutshell, the team will with Dr. Jenkin-Smith and
ence, technology, engineering the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Carol Silva. They are the gather information and data Dr. Silva, are seeking students
and math) fields that will de- University of Tulsa and Okla- representatives of the social for their research through in- who are interested in partici-
velop measurement systems homa State University. In this dynamics team to the larger terviews, focus groups and pating in this research. There
and civil ecological engineer- program, the social dynam- scientific community they are questionnaires. is no specific major required
ing to solve the problems trig- ics team gathers information working with, which includes “We will interview 2,500 or prior experience, just the in-
gered by seasonal weather ex- on opinions and attitudes opinion leaders comprised of Oklahomans with the ques- terest in research. If you aspire
tremes. through conducting question- scientists and other leaders in tionnaire, gauging their un- to change research dynamics
Dr. Charles Spurlock, LU naires among Oklahomans. finance, government and in- derstanding of weird weather toward the communities, this
sociology professor, explained The social dynamics team’s dustry. risk,” Spurlock said. “We also is a great opportunity.
seasonal weather extremes as mission measures Oklaho- Dr. Spurlock is one of those delve into the persons at stake Students who are interested
“multiple days with higher- man’s assessment of risk from scientific leaders who works wanting to know how their can work in the workshops,
than-normal precipitation or seasonal weather change and with the social dynamics team. worldview orders their will- help retrieve data or go to
multiple days of no precipita- their changing position on risk “We define our research as ingness to solve wicked prob- mini camps where they pres-
tion with high heat.” related to weird weather. The finding socially sustainable lems, now and in the future.” ent to the public. Dr. Spurlock
In addition to Langston, social dynamics team consists solutions to wicked prob- The focus groups will draw can be reached through his
other schools that received of two principle investigators, lems,” Spurlock said. Spurlock upon 200 opinion leaders email at cjspurl@langston.edu.
LU students express frustrations Your on-campus
with meal service during COVID Ad could go
By Kaila Lessier
Staff Writer
would be no one on campus because we make
the schools what they are," Florence said. somewhere in
While students are back on campus, strict CO-
VID-19 restrictions are still in place, such as the
An article from Truthout.org, an independent
news website, states that when university presi-
dents were surveyed in spring 2020 about what
this publication!
cafeteria's order of operation. they felt were the most pressing concerns of CO-
Because students cannot eat regularly in the VID-19, college students going hungry didn't
cafe due to social distancing guidelines, most rank very high.
schools prepare meals beforehand to give stu- According to the article, "When students don't
dents when it is time to eat. know if they'll get enough to eat, it can lead to a
According to the Langston University website,
a student meal plan used to cost $1,594.31 per
semester, but now it costs $1,384.15 due to CO-
series of problems that make it harder to stay in
school.”
Larry Harrington is a 23-year-old student-ath-
Email
VID-19 restrictions and limited food choices. lete at Langston who said although the cafe food
However, Cornelious Florence, sophomore is not that good, it is convenient for him and his nkturner@langston.edu
public health major, still thinks Langston should tight schedule.
provide more food options.
"Although we always had to eat what they put
out there [before the pandemic], it was just the
But, he said, “There should be more options to
accommodate different people.”
Harrington also said he thinks students
for more
fact that there were more options. So, if you did
not want what was out of the main lines, you can
always go get a salad or dessert," Florence said.
should have more of a say in the food choices
that are being made and believes that the cafe
price should be reduced even further, especially
information
He also said the student body should have under these conditions.
more of a say in how the cafe is being operated "I believe that the school picks something, and
and the food is being served. they go with it," Harrington said, regarding LU’s
"In reality, if there were no students, there cafeteria operations and meal plans.
4 The Gazette | February 23, 2021 Features
Snowklahoma
2021
Photo by MacKenzie McQuarters
Above:
During the recent snow storm of 2021, students set out to capture
different areas on campus affected the most by the winter weather.
Pictured above is one of the Langston University ponds, located
near Scholar's Inn.
Right:
Some students decided to celebrate spring break early... in
February! Tory Lewis, senior agriculture major, made the most of the
snow storm. He set outside in his lawn chair at different spots on
campus and in Langston city to capture some rare photo
opportunities in the snow. Photos by Matthew Blue
Features February 23, 2021 | The Gazette 5
Aspiring filmmaker on the rise at LU
By Mar'Quan Goodman ney.
Contributing Writer “I faced a lot of funding and collaboration
hardships," he explained.
A young entrepreneur and Langston student While Hannah mentioned how difficult start-
is set to shoot a short film on campus. ing his company was, he still encouraged other
Jayden Hannah, a senior broadcast journal- hardworking filmmakers to do the same.
ism major, plans to film a sequel short film, “It was tough to get others to believe in me. I
“Don’t Rush 2,” on campus as soon as the would tell others to have a heavy belief in them-
weather permits. selves," he said. "It will feel like you’re alone in
The sequel is a follow-up to his previous the beginning, but it will all pay out in the end."
short horror film, “Don’t Rush,” which also was Before starting his own company, Hannah
filmed on campus. spent most of his time perfecting his craft as
Since Hannah has started his own film com- a videographer, making YouTube content and
pany, Alan Rouge Productions, he has taken his lending a helping hand to other small, Black
film directing career very seriously. Not only film production companies. Hannah thanked
does Hannah yearn to make films, but he also his supporters for all their love and encourage-
prides himself on making stories that reach be- ment and for helping him excel.
yond himself. “This sequel only exists because the fans
“My dream is to help and inspire others with thought the story should continue,” Hannah
my films,” said Alan. said.
The driving force for the inception of Han- Hannah and his film crew are currently in
nah's production company was simply his love preproduction and are expected to shoot the
of film, but it was not a straightforward jour- film by the end of February 2021. Jayden Hannah
C ampus How do you feel about
transitioning back to
Q
in-person classes?
uestion Compiled by Khalil Griffin
Rosslyn Carroll Destiny Randolph Kurtis Ross MaNazio Bowen
Senior Junior Freshman Freshman
Psychology Major Health Administration Major Agriculture Major HPER Major
"As a senior, I'm glad I have "I personally feel that "I feel like now that the university is "I feel it's gonna be hard at first
an opportunity to see my transitioning back to in-person trying to do more in-person classes (for because we were getting so used
professors in person. classes [could] put us all back at some), it is a very good thing because you to this virtual class, but I feel like
Knowing safety procedures risk once again. I also think that now have the chance to have the one- everything is gonna go back to
are being done, I am most students here at Langston on-one with your professor. You can get normal eventually."
comfortable going to class University [are] not too fond of full clarification on assignments, and it’ll
physically. I tend to learn the transition because we are lowkey be a good stress reliever. We all
more efficiently when class now used to Zoom calls and know that last semester everybody was
is in person." might [have] developed a case posted up in their dorms ALL day; now
of laziness, so that would lead to that we’re making that minor transition,
not that many students showing people can be more on-the-go around
up to classes." campus."
6 The Gazette | February 23, 2021 News Features
LU Marching Pride performs
for third time at NBA game
By MacKenzie McQuarters the band was more eager than ever to guidelines for preparation for this Purvey said.
Staff Writer play and perform. But, also because of event.” The band is currently practicing for
COVID-19, the performance was con- Having no performances during other games as well, such as future
The Langston University Marching ducted a little differently. COVID-19 made it hard for the LUMP home football and basketball games
Pride Band once again had the op- Jonathan Allen, assistant director of to showcase its name. When asked later this semester. However, as a full
portunity to perform at the Oklahoma bands, explained that the band actu- if this performance was good for ex- band, the practices may be challeng-
City Thunder game Feb. 17. ally conducted “a pre-recorded half- ploiting the band, head drum major ing along the way.
This was the third time the band time performance for the OKC Thun- Torrey Purvey affirmed it is. Zaire Bey, band member, said they
has performed during half time of a der game” this year. He added that “Any performances we can do out- are not able to practice together and
game. Of course, with this being the “many accommodations have been side of campus, even on campus, will hear their full sound from all their in-
first performance since COVID-19, made in response to national CDC be great publicity for the LUMP,” struments.
School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
offers two student programs for its majors
By Keitoria Jefferson They also assist in recruitment with a member of the faculty search engagement and gradu- years. The school’s viability
Staff Writer and retention during the aca- who will serve as a mentor and ation with strong knowledge and sustainability is dependent
demic school year. will guide, support and help and skills for successful ca- on high levels of enrollment
The School of Agriculture The other is the mentoring navigate students through all reers. and student retention.
and Applied Sciences has two program. According to the LU aspects of their college life. According to the Langston For more information about
different programs for students website, the program’s goal is Chairperson and professor website, the LU SAAS is com- either of these programs,
to join. to assist and mentor each in- Dr. Steve Zeng is one of the mitted to tripling the student please contact Dr. Zeng at
One of the programs is the coming freshman throughout mentors in the program. Zeng population in the next five steve.zeng@langston.edu.
Students Ambassador Pro- his/her entire academic journey said the mentoring program is
gram. According to the Langs- at Langston on an individual designed to increase student
ton University website, the basis with staff and adminis- retention, many of whom may
program is for the high-per- trators. Some special assistance be the first person in their fam-
forming students who are se- is included as well as intern- ily attending college. Reten-
lected at the beginning of each ships and work-study to help tion is also increased through
academic year to serve as role students succeed. For the first program quality, interactive
models for their fellow peers. year, each student is paired instruction and learning, re-
Other News February 23, 2021 | The Gazette 7
TBS offering $25,000
to three HBCU grads
LOS ANGELES – February 8, 2021 – 1964 with the principal mission to edu-
Historically Black Colleges and Universi- cate Black Americans, applicants may
ties are where dreams are made, and this enter by following a two-step process:
Black History Month, TBS wants to kick 1) Log onto www.tbshbcucashout.com
off the aspirations of three lucky HBCU to submit their information and read
alumni by paying their student loans in the official contest rules.
the network’s first-ever TBS HBCU Cash 2) Submit a video (60 seconds or less)
Out™. via Instagram, Twitter or YouTube us-
Collaborating with HBCU alumni ing the hashtag #HBCUCashOutCon-
Lance Gross and Keshia Knight Pulliam, test and tagging @tbsnetwork (Insta-
the interactive social media contest, from gram and Twitter) or @tbs (YouTube).
Feb. 8 to March 8, will award a grand
prize of $25,000 to three different win- Eligible entrants must have graduated
ners who creatively share how attending from an HBCU recognized by the U.S.
an HBCU is helping them achieve their Department of Education on or after De-
goals. cember 1, 2015. For more information on
Acknowledging the vital role of HB- TBS HBCU Cash Out™, visit www.tbsh-
CUs, which were established prior to bcucashout.com.
Black nurses launch first
Black wellness magazine
'Where wellness is not determined by zip code'
viduals live, learn, work, and age, in addition to
Michelle Greene Rhodes, Founder of Michelle socioeconomic status and race. These Social de-
Rhodes Media LLC in Tampa, Florida, has cre- terminants of health have gotten a lot of attention
ated a place for Nurses to share their wellness in recently, as research continues to show a per-
expertise while helping the vulnerable communi- son's health can depend heavily on their zip code
ties in which they serve. According to American- and circumstances in life.
actionforum.org, recent estimates attribute 10 to
20 percent of health outcomes to medical care, 30
We are ecstatic to elevate black nurses as they
bring wellness education, to help our corporate Required Testing
for Residential
percent to genetics, 40 to 50 percent to behavior, partners disseminate cultured wellness informa-
and 20 percent to the social and physical environ- tion, to elevate some and give to give hope to oth-
ment. ers within every zip code.
Students
That means most of the work in terms of well- The Color of Wellness Magazine launched Jan.
ness happens outside of the hospital by social 20, and has raised almost $10,000 in presales.
determinants (non-medical factors). These social Follow our launch at www.Facebook.com/Col-
determinants include factors such as where indi- orWellnessMagazine
The health and safety of our community is of the
highest priority. In an effort to minimize risk for
spread of COVID-19, the university will continue
its layered approach to mitigation by conducting
required COVID-19 testing for all on-campus resi-
dents on Thursday, Feb. 25, and Friday, Feb. 26.
Testing will be held in the Multipurpose Gym,
located on the Langston campus. Additional de-
tails concerning testing protocols and appoint-
ment times will be shared prior to testing.
Please contact the LU Emergency Leadership
Team via email at luelt@langston.edu if you have
any questions.
8 The Gazette | February 23, 2021 Sports
Langston sports are back!
By Jonah Fabian Langston is known our Lions while being safe in
“
Staff Writer throughout the SAC as al- the process. Unfortunately,
There is a certain energy that is missing ways delivering an HBCU with the uncertainties that
For the first time in nearly from the game day experience without the “welcome” for opposing come with COVID-19, plans
”
10 months, Langston sports teams. to allow fans into games are
are back in action, but what fans. “Langston University is not set or allowed to be dis-
does that mean for fans look- one of the toughest gyms for cussed outside of higher ad-
ing to attend the games?
— Donnita Rogers, opposing teams to play in, ministration.
While a future possibility, director of athletics and we are known for hav- “I want Lion Nation to
fans are going to be out of ing one of the greatest game know that we are doing ev-
luck trying to support their day experiences in the Soon- erything possible to phase in
Lions in person, at least for many strict rules were set sports information, agreed. er Athletic Conference. Our a student game day experi-
now. to safely host an event. Ac- “You lose a certain amount fans bring so much energy to ence on a limited capacity as
In spring 2020, Langston cording to the basketball of ambiance in C.F. Gayles our players,” Rogers said. soon as the COVID-19 num-
University announced that game operations manual, when you have no fans in the While fans are not allowed bers in our county and state
all athletics were canceled all required personnel to building,” Taylor said. in the games to cheer Langs- warrant this opportunity,”
due to the uprising of COV- host a home basketball game There is no telling when ton on, fortunately, the play- Rogers assured. “I can't wait
ID-19. This cancelation led to should be divided into three any changes in fan atten- ers are not left in complete to have our student body,
the postponement of all fall tiers, none of which includes dance will happen in the silence. As well as cleared fans and auxiliary groups
2020 athletic seasons. spectators. near future. This is seen by administrators and coaches, back in the gym.”
After much debate within While players and admin- many as a disadvantage to the cheer team is allowed to While students and fans
the Sooner Athletic Confer- istration are excited to host not only the fans but the bring their spirit to all home wait to return to games
ence, a plan was set to play sports again, the atmosphere players as well. games. in person, there is a live
in spring 2021. With the does not seem to be the same. “Our arena is unique; we “If it weren’t for Coach stream option on the Langs-
tipoff of the Lady Lions bas- “There is a certain ener- have tremendous support [Deonne] King and our tal- ton Sports Facebook page.
ketball team Jan. 14, Langs- gy that is missing from the from our student population ented cheer team, we truly To stay updated on future
ton sports were finally back game day experience with- that makes it difficult for would have a dead atmo- games and plans of return,
at it. out fans,” said Donnita Rog- opposing teams to come in sphere,” Rogers said. follow Langston Sports on
Basketball and track were ers, director of athletics. here to play and win,” Tay- The ultimate plan is to social media or check out
the first sports to begin, but Kyle Taylor, director of lor said. have as many fans cheer on Langstonsports.com.
Photos by Na'Tianna Stocker
Above:
No. 3 Asheika Alexander, senior forward, makes a steal and brings the ball down the
court during a 2021 home game. The Lady Lions defeated Central Christian College,
82-60, on Jan. 26.
Right:
No. 2 Elloheim Clark, junior guard, holds off an offender while handling the ball. The
Lions lost to Central Christian College on Jan. 26, 68-80.
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