A new student organization focused on propelling awareness and decreasing stigmatization of mental health on campus has decided to change its name amidst controversy.
Sooner Mental Health will drop the term “Sooner” from its name in an effort to be more inclusive, JD Baker, Sooner Mental Health co-founder, said.
Baker said that the group has contemplated whether to keep “Sooner” in its name for week and that it recently decided to remove it. The group will vote on a new name at its general meeting next week.
The term “Sooner” has negative connotations for many Native American students who suffer transgenerational trauma from displacement of Native peoples following the Oklahoma land rush, Indigenize OU member Sydne Gray said.
Sooner Mental Health is one of many groups that have removed "Sooner" from its names, including LGBTQ Ally and OU Students for Social Justice.
Baker said the issue the group is focused on is not about Native American students or the term “Sooner” but rather mental health.
“That’s why we removed the term — to be inclusive, but the term 'Sooner' and the controversy around it and how it offends Native American students is a distraction from our real focus,” Baker said. “Mental health is the focus, and it affects all of us: Native American students, African American students, Asian American students, LGBTQ students, graduate students, undergraduate students, veteran students, old students, young students."
Mental health is a universal cause and something the organization wants to be as inclusive about as possible when raising awareness, Baker said.
“Though our intentions weren’t to offend, sometimes it’s not about the intentions but the impact,” Baker said.
Baker said that keeping the original name of the group would hinder the positive message it are working to convey, which is raising awareness of mental health issues.
Baker said he is excited about the new name possibility and has already gotten several suggestions from the group’s members.
