U. of Oklahoma caves to student protesters who want ‘inclusive’ name for anti-rape program

President must tell alleged victims ‘I believe you,’ or resign

It’s not enough for the University of Oklahoma to require students to go through a sexual-assault prevention training program – the name of it has to be “inclusive.”

The Oklahoma Daily reports that the university will change the name of the One Sooner program “in the coming months” in response to demands issued last week by “rape culture” protesters:

Kathy Fahl, director of the [Gender + Equality Center], said the GEC and OU’s Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Offices have a student advisory committee to advise on the organizations’ sexual assault prevention efforts. On Oct. 14, the protest organizers were invited to join the committee’s meeting, Fahl said.

Fahl said the One Sooner name change was the main topic of discussion, but that the group did not come up with any definitive ideas for new names.

“We just went through some initial brainstorming,” Fahl said. “Really we’ll have some more concrete ideas after our November meeting.”

MORE: Hurry up and give us the bias response team you promised

OU’s One Sooner training will receive a name change in coming months after recent demands from student activists: https://t.co/4UpQeKzDcD pic.twitter.com/83fGGrBYv1

— OU Daily (@OUDaily) October 19, 2016

President David Boren will consider the name that the committee settles on in November:

Micah Stover, a human relations junior, protest organizer and attendee, said the name change was an important demand for the protestors because the name references a term that is a reminder of violence against indigenous peoples and is not a descriptive title for the program. …

“Definitely, it’s not an inclusive name for a program that really does need to be very inclusive to be very effective,” Stover said.

In their “immediate” demands last week, protesters told Boren he must resign if he doesn’t “commit himself to the issue of sexual violence” in writing; issue a “SINCERE and PUBLIC apology” for his comments (not specified) in an earlier story about administrators having not “acknowledged” sexual-assault research on campus; and include the phrases “I believe you,” “It’s not your fault” and “I’m sorry,” because “this is how apologies work.”

MORE: Boren praised by Obama for unilaterally expelling students for speech

Event organizer Kelsey Morris is reading her list of demands, saying they should be followed or Boren should resign pic.twitter.com/e4gFhECpnU

— Daisy Creager (@DaisyCreager) October 11, 2016

Boren refused to apologize for his remarks – apparently including “Don’t get yourself in a situation where you’re incapable of saying no” (incapacitation) and rape can’t be eradicated because it’s part of “human nature” – in a meeting with protesters, saying he wasn’t promoting victim-blaming.

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