LETTERS: On OU fans, making your vote count, Native American education programs

Disappointed in OU fans

My wife and I attended the OU/Temple football game and were disappointed that some of our fans booed the Temple Owls when they came onto the field. You would have thought we were getting ready to play Texas.

Temple University was founded in 1884 by Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation of Grace Baptist church of Philadelphia, then called Baptist Temple. These two teams will meet again on 9/13/25 in Philadelphia and let's hope the visiting team receives a warmer welcome before this game

― Stephen C. Hall, Piedmont

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No matter what anyone says, your vote counts

The Republican machine is hard at work trying to disenfranchise voters again ahead of the general election.

Pat McFerron, of CMA Strategies, which does regular polling for businesses and political candidates, was interviewed by the Oklahoman on 8/28/2024 . His job is to analyze polling data. So why is he so active in suppressing and disenfranchising voters?

He is a Republican operative, plain and simple.

The Oklahoma State Election Board has released its annual voter registration report showing 2,301,188 registered voters in Oklahoma.

However, only 1,153,284 voted in the last general election. 1,147,904 people did not vote. That nonvoter block of people, roughly half of all registered voters, can have huge impacts on the outcome of Oklahoma elections.

People must stop listening to anybody who is trying to tell you that your vote doesn't count. Only when you vote can you have a voice in changing the outcomes.

Vote like your life depends on it. Vote like democracy is on the line. Vote for women's rights. Vote for improving Oklahoma's public education. Vote for Oklahoma jobs.

Clearly, Republicans are failing Oklahoma. Oklahoma's cumulative GDP growth from 2012-2022 is 37.55%, which puts Oklahoma in 44th place. Oklahoma's non-farm employment growth, 2012-2022 is 5.35%, which ranks Oklahoma in 39th place.

Oklahoma is ranked: 50th in education, 49th in health care, 38th in natural environment, 36th in crime & corrections, 26th in fiscal stability, 26th in opportunity, 23rd in economy and 17th in infrastructure.

Not one single major matrix places Oklahoma in the top 10, and that is the legacy of the Republican super majority in Oklahoma. Oklahoma had great jobs, a great economy, and great schools with Democratic leadership at the Capitol. We can do it again.

Let me be clear to my Republican and independent friends. If you place your vote next to a Democrat in 2024, you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot. You're not voting for a Democrat; you're voting for democracy, and you're voting for Oklahoma's future.

― Kevin Dawson, Norman

Education criteria updated for Native American students

With so many of our students desperately seeking a place to belong and an understanding of their identity, our local school districts' Indian Education programs can provide GRIT (Gained Real Identity Truth) for Native American descendants with regard to culture and ways of being.

Jackie White , program director of American Indian Education Teaching and Learning at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, released updated criteria for the state of Oklahoma provided by the Bureau of Indian Education for participation, which will provide more opportunity to include more students this school year. Because the Native American student exists in dual contexts ― the traditional tribal community and the non-Native American world. The Johnson O'Malley program (JOM), which offers a range of services, including culture, language, academics and dropout prevention, provides supportive educational space to enable our students to thrive academically. This program is a space of belonging for our Native American students who not only identify but are indeed descendants of Native American tribes, whose educational path is protected and secured by treaty rights.

The new criteria clarify parameters for Native American and Alaskan students, expanding the definition of Native American descendants by allowing the grandchildren of enrolled federal tribal members/tribal nation citizens to participate in JOM Indian Education programs .

With state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters' recent reorganization of the Education Department, Oklahoma now has a fully staffed Office of American Indian Education, which provides support for every district in our state. If your student is a descendant of an enrolled member or citizen of a federally recognized tribe and wishes to learn about their culture, reach out to the Education Department. Parents may send an email to oaie@officemgmtentserv.onmicrosoft.com .

― Theresa Hinman, a member of the Ponca Nation

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: LETTERS: On OU fans, making your vote count, Native American education programs