Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism

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OIDJ Editor has 297 articles published.

Students weigh in on loan forgiveness refusal

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By Jeremiah McBurrows, Heritage High School, Frisco, Texas In light of the recent Supreme Court decision to strike down President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, college students and graduates across the nation were stripped of a chance to be relieved of a major financial roadblock in their lives.  Gigi Robertson, a recent graduate from the University of Oklahoma, describes her thoughts on the matter.  “There was an opportunity for me to pay off my debt. I think anyone would be upset if they had the chance to do it and it was taken away,” Robertson said. According to US News, the…

The Service Station no longer in service

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By Zyer Henry, Lawton MacArthur High School After 44 years, the Service Station is running out of gas. The Service Station is a gas station-themed restaurant just north of the University of Oklahoma’s Campus Corner where you can grab food such as fried chicken and burgers. On top of that, they also have a full bar for adults to lounge with friends.  The restaurant announced on July 4 it’ll cease operations at the end of the month, generating a flood of nostalgia and flurry of last visits by locals.  The restaurant originally opened Nov. 18, 1978. Before owning the Service…

In banning books, questions of learnings lost vs. values protected?

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By Santos Castaneda, Bartlesville High School As kids are preparing to head back to school this fall, some students may find several book titles either restricted or banned from their school’s library shelves. Book bans are not a new topic to the U.S., with the first book ban in what’s now the U.S. dating to the Puritan era in 1637. However, in recent years more and more books have been removed from the public school library shelves and from students’ grasp.  In Oklahoma, there is a change being put upon all public schools due to a new law. On March…

NIL changing game — for colleges and for players

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By Jaxon McElwee, Bixby High School Name, image and likeness has a major effect on their current and future athletes, especially so at schools like the University of Oklahoma where sports has greater prominence relative to many universities.  On June 19, Sports Illustrated ranked college sports programs based on revenue, listing OU was in its top 10. NIL allows student athletes to capitalize on their publicity in ways the NCAA didn’t previously allow. Toby Baldwin is the OU executive associate athletic director responsible for NIL as well as operational advancement. He worked his way up through the program, and was…

The lives of underpaid teachers

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By Eboni Montgomery, Crowley (Texas) High School On average, teachers work 53.3 hours a week teaching and doing school-related work, according to a job recruitment website Zippia. That doesn’t even include the work they might have to do at home like grading papers and creating lesson plans because they don’t have time at school. Hillary Cowen experienced this first hand to the extent that she quit the career she loved. Cowen taught middle school Spanish at a public charter school for 16 years. She quit teaching last January and is now working as a banker. She has a bachelor’s degree in…

Closing the gap between mental health and service

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By Madisson Cameron, Mustang High School With the pandemic forcing a reckoning with mental health, support systems have become more accessible to in-need communities. But gaps still exist, particularly in the same places that serve these communities.  It poses the question, who provides mental health care for the mental health providers? Mary Abbott Children’s House has been helping families and children in foster care since 1996. The house offers several services, almost all of which start with a family advocate. Brittany Akre, who is one of two advocates, said her main goal is being the support system of any incoming families.…

From drowning to drought: What will climate change bring for Oklahoma?

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By: Kate Menz, Bishop McGuinness High School Oklahoma’s weather is already extreme, and it’s only going to get worse.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, climate change will cause Oklahoma’s weather to become warmer; droughts and floods are going to become more severe. “People have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by 40 percent since the late 1700s,” a 2016 report from the EPA said. “These gasses have warmed the surface and lower atmosphere of our planet about one degree during the last 50 years.” Because of this increase in heat, water evaporates more quickly and droughts…

‘We’re failing our kids’- teachers’ look on declining education in Oklahoma

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By Becca Jolly, Harding Charter Preparatory, Oklahoma City As of 2023, Oklahoma ranks 49th in education. The year before, the state ranked 45th.  After the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, schools across the state have been experiencing decreases in grades and test scores. Reports from the State Department of Education have shown slight improvements with 2022’s Oklahoma State Testing Program scores. Even with the improvement most students are ranking basic or below level in subjects such as reading, science and math.  According to The Oklahoman, more than 38% of high school juniors were proficient or advanced in reading. Since 2021 they…

A picture of a sky opens a window into providing hope

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By Santos Castaneda, Bartlesville High School Zyer Henry believes in brief moments of beauty.  He wants to share that with the world. He discovered his interest in photography in high school. He was with his best friend, Seth, outside after a basketball game. Zyer was looking at the sky, commenting on how he wished he could share this moment with other people. His friend suggested that Zyer should take a photo and post it on Instagram. The post then received 10,000 likes, which fueled him to further pursue his new-found interest in photography.  “I can like turn this into something,” Zyer…

Thalia Henry finds comfort in sharing faith with others

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By Kate Menz, Bishop McGuinness High School, Oklahoma City Thalia Henry is not most people’s idea of a typical 17-year old girl.  The high school senior devotes much of her time to her faith, as well as helping others around her, which is what she learned to do growing up going to The Church in Lawton.  “Personally, I hadn’t had that connection with God up until about two years ago,” Thalia said.        Instead of sleeping in on weekends, she wakes up early to teach a four-hour Sunday school class to kindergarteners, which is her way of sharing her connection to…

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