Earthquakes, censored rappers, presidential primary elections; mere highlights of the news-filled 2015-2016 academic year. Check out this collection of stories from the academic year, compiled by The Daily's news desk editors, that caught both your attention and theirs.
Norman Police Department officer Kyle Canaan puts a donkey in his car Dec. 1, 2015. The call about the donkey came from the 8100 block of 120th Avenue NE.
Norman PD officer puts escaped donkey into squad car
Norman Police Department officer Kyle Canaan’s December started off interestingly when he responded to a call about a loose donkey wandering around a rural Norman area. Canaan thought that rather than letting the donkey wander, it would be safer to put it in the back of his squad car. And so he did.
President David Boren moderates a discussion with journalists Lim Lehrer and Bob Schieffer Sept. 24, 2015. Boren announced he wouldn't change "Sooner" until all alumni agree to change it.
OU President David Boren says changing the word ‘Sooner’ is unlikely
Boren said in a statement Sept. 28 that the only way OU would change the words “Boomer” and “Sooner” from its identity is if all of the university’s nearly 245,000 alumni agreed to it. The statement came after members of student advocacy group Indigenize OU called for the eradication of the word “Sooner” from the school’s identity. The members said the words offend Native students and make them feel unwelcome on campus.
A map of earthquakes in Oklahoma from 2013 to 2016.
Oklahoma reports surge in earthquakes during 2015
About 850 earthquakes with magnitudes 3.0 or greater hit Oklahoma in 2015 — 266 more than occurred of the same magnitudes in 2014 and 741 more than in 2013. The Oklahoma Geological Survey attributed the spike to the injection of water into the earth.
YG performs in Philadelphia August 31, 2014. YG will perform at Must Stay Weekend this weekend at McCasland Field House.
YG must omit n-word from songs during OU concert
Rapper YG played a show at OU in September and was required by contract to perform only radio-edited versions of his songs. The sixth paragraph stated that YG "will omit any racial epithets including but not limited to (the) word 'n*****' or any version thereof." He was paid a guaranteed $40,000 after the show.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has won the Oklahoma primary election.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to a crowd at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa Feb. 24. The New York Times is reporting that Sanders has won the Oklahoma primary election with 48 percent reporting.
Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders win Oklahoma presidential primaries
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won the March 1 Republican presidential primary, while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won the Democratic primary the same day. Both candidates made campaign stops in the state in the days leading up to the primary.
Reporters from various news outlets interview Shirley Phelps, a member of Westboro Baptist Church, who is being guarded by an OU police officer Thursday, Oct. 8. Members of Westboro protested against weather science and meteorology outside of the National Weather Center.
Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket National Weather Center
The Westboro Baptist Church made a visit to Norman in October “to remind (the National Weather Center) that only by God's mercy and power do you gather intelligence on His weather." At its picket, the church protested weather science and homosexuality. The church’s protest was also met with counter-protests that included OU students.
Representatives on the Undergraduate Student Congress vote against the passing of a resolution that included the words "Boomer Sooner" April 19. Some of those who opposed argued that the phrase is controversial while others worried that it would show favoritism to the athletic department.
‘Boomer Sooner’ causes controversy at OU Undergraduate Student Congress meeting
The OU Undergraduate Student Congress voted down a resolution in April that would have congratulated the university’s sports teams amid the resolution’s use of the phrase “Boomer Sooner.” A representative proposed a hostile amendment to strike the phrase due to the controversy surrounding it, but it was ultimately defeated by a hand vote. Others worried the resolution showed favoritism toward sports teams over other campus groups.
Bugs, mold found in OU-provided food today
Photos and a video showed bugs and mold inside of university-provided food in early December. As a result, OU student Ivey Dyson started an online petition proposing a change in the training of food handlers and a reassessment of food service facilities.
Co-founders stand in front of the First Pastafarian Church of Norman April 27. Some of the Pastafarians' Commandments are: don't litter, wear deodorant and always shower.
New believers bubble up at First Pastafarian Church of Norman
Don’t litter, wear deodorant, don’t be an asshole: these are just a few of the commandments of the First Pastafarian Church of Norman, located on Crawford Avenue. Members of the church worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster, believe humans evolved from pirates and believe heaven has a beer volcano and stripper factory.
The blue group at Soonerthon learns a dance March 5. The dance is a mashup of multiple songs.
Soonerthon raises over $721K for children’s hospitals, breaks record
The record for money raised in one Soonerthon cycle was shattered in March when it was announced the fundraiser raised $721,941.16 for children’s hospitals. This broke the record of $561,268.15 set the year before.
