Jury Finds Oakman Not Guilty of Sexual Assault
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Lariat Alive! App The Baylor Lariat @bulariat @baylorlariat Baylor Lariat WE’RE THERE WHEN YOU CAN’T BE MARCH 1, 2019 FRIDAY BAYLORLARIAT.COM Opinion | 2 Arts & Life | 6 Sports |8 More free food Take a final bow Parrish in HOF Baylor can do more Theater students spend Professor inducted to combat on-campus hours working on shows into hall of fame for food insecurity. but pack up in minutes. college sports info. BU admits tour guides removed newspapers Josh Aguirre | Multimedia Editor NOT GUILTY Shawn Oakman hugs his uncle Kenneth Rogers on Thursday afternoon after receiving a verdict of not guilty in his sexual assault trial. Testimonies lasted a day and half, and the jury deliberated for over two hours. Jury finds Oakman not Shae Koharski | Multimedia Journalist guilty of sexual assault REMOVED PAPERS Campus tour guides removed the Feb. 8 edition of the Lariat from Penland Crossroads and the Foster Campus for Business due to front page headlines. MORGAN HARLAN AND A friend of the victim started crying Jessi Freud, one of the defense SARAH ASINOF during her testimony. “It’s very hard to attorneys, answered the state’s charges. Staff Writer and News Editor see your best friend go from completely She told the jury to look at the evidence CAMERON STUART see.” happy to not wanting to live anymore,” and not to assume any guilt when Radio Reporter Dallas senior Hunter she said. deciding their verdict. Meroney was also eating A McLennan County jury found Oakman’s trial had been pending Freud said Moody was trying to Baylor student tour lunch with Christie when they former Baylor football player Shawn for over two and half years after he was guilt the jurors into a decision. Freud guides removed issues of the saw the newspapers being Oakman not guilty Thursday afternoon charged with sexual assault. wrote out the six names of the witnesses Baylor Lariat newspaper on removed from their stands. of sexual assault. Robert Moody, one of the who testified on the whiteboard in the Feb. 9 from newsstands at “A female tour guide came The jury deliberated for about prosecuting attorneys, in his closing courtroom, and said all of them testified Penland Crossroads and the up and grabbed my friend’s two hours after listening to 10 state statements asked the jury why the the victim was not drunk enough to Foster Campus for Business newspaper, I imagine to hide witnesses, including testimony victim would go through the process have any memory impairment. and Innovation, according it from guests,” Meroney said. from law enforcement, medical and of a trial, physical examinations and Freud also focused on the semen to eyewitness accounts that “After that, we saw her take the psychological examiners, the alleged interviews if the claim wasn’t true. found orally on the victim. She said have been confirmed by the rest of the newspapers off the victim and of her friends. The defense To demonstrate how the woman the prosecution didn’t want the jurors university. stands at Penland [Crossroads] called six witnesses to support their was penetrated by Oakman, Moody to know about that because it doesn’t Wexford, Pa., senior Ben and throw them away.” claim that Oakman and the woman had approached the jury box and hit the side align with forced sexual conduct. Freud Christie was eating lunch with Jason Cook, Baylor’s vice consensual sex. They included three of a table three times, saying that was also said the victim’s texts to her friends friends at Penland Crossroads president for marketing and friends the football player who saw him how the woman was violated. Moody proved that it was a consensual act on Feb. 9 when a student tour communications, explained in and the victim that night. The two and a highlighted the large physical size of because she told her friends, who were guide took their copy of the a statement that the removal half days of testimony included graphic Oakman and his ability to physically at a nearby bar, to go home while she Feb. 8 issue of the Lariat with of the newspapers was a images and text message logs. harm and threaten others. He also was at Oakman’s residence. a front page story titled “Fifth miscommunication. He said The alleged victim testified during told the jury they should show the “Do not let them guilt you,” Freud alleged rape reported.” the incident was an isolated the trial on Wednesday, but Oakman did community that this act is not tolerated. told jurors. “The girl who took the one, vowing to never let it not take the stand. According to Hilary “She gets to carry that through her Waco police officer Danny Pilgrim newspaper from our table, she happen again. LaBorde, a prosecuting attorney on the life because of you,” said Moody as he who was a state witness, responded told us her boss had told her “Campus Visits has never case, the alleged victim did not make pointed at Oakman towards the end of to the incident when it allegedly took to do it,” Christie said. “Then eye contact with Oakman during her his closing statement. they said it was something REMOVED PAPERS testimony. NOT GUILTY >> Page 5 they didn’t want students to >> Page 5 Professors offer guidance to students in Sing MADALYN WATSON bothered her because it puts things to different people,” Staff Writer the student in a place where Talbert said. “I think there’s they have to choose between something real about that.” As the second week of their organization and their Talbert said the overall Sing comes to a close, several academics. Baylor experience is more Baylor professors share “I think they have to than a major or a degree plan. how they help their students remember that sometimes they School traditions and events, involved in All-University have to say no to someone in like Sing and Pigskin, are part Sing balance their academic to an organization, if it’s going of a Baylor degree. workload with their rigorous to severely, negatively impact “If I believe that my class rehearsal and performance them in their academics,” isn’t the end all be all, and that schedules. Gripp said. my degree plan isn’t the end Sharon Gripp, a senior Although a social life is all be all, that Sing experience lecturer as well as the an aspect of students’ overall is something that I’m going to undergraduate program college experience, their integrate into the schedule,” director for journalism, public academics are still their reason Talbert said. relations and new media, for being at Baylor, Gripp said. Although Talbert believes asked her students if they Dr. Tony Talbert, professor that these social commitments felt conflicted between their and associate dean of strategic enhance a college education, obligation to their academics initiatives for the School of he understands that too many and their obligation to Sing. Education, previously taught commitments, social and “Many of them said, yes. undergraduate courses such academic, can cause problems. One of the things that I have as Social Issues in Education, “I think it’s very important recently discovered was that where he taught students how for people to be as involved some sororities and fraternities to balance Sing and their as they can, from a time Josh Aguirre | Multimedia Editor require you to participate, you academics. management standpoint. I also BALANCING SING Sharon Gripp, senior lecturer of journalism new media and public relations don’t have a choice,” Gripp “We talk about the Baylor and other Baylor professors are willing to work with students that participate in Sing so they don’t said. experience, whatever that BALANCING SING feel like they are choosing between their Gripp said that this means. It means different >> Page 5 Vol.118 No. 41 © 2019 Baylor University Friday, March 1, 2019 2 The Baylor Lariat opinionbaylorlariat.com GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? We want to hear it. Send us your thoughts: [email protected] EDITORIAL COLUMN Take study breaks with time outside DARBY GOOD Page One Editor As midterms are approaching, students need to make sure to take care of themselves while preparing for their tests by taking time to get unplugged and outside. Students will often lock themselves indoors to focus on their studies for long periods of time, which can actually end up being counterproductive. A study at the University of Michigan showed that a group of people who took a walk through a wooded area had 20 percent better short- term memory than those who took in city-scape sights. In Waco, there are so many opportunities that students can take advantage of during their study breaks before midterms arrive. One obvious choice is Cameron Park, one of the largest municipal Rewon Shimray | Cartoonist parks in Texas. It offers a little bit of everything for different interests. This includes various hiking and biking trails throughout the park, as well as other trails for people who either want to run or just take a relaxing walk. More free food Another resource than can be really fun is playing outdoor games on Fountain Mall. Students can be commonly found playing Spikeball, Frisbee or fetch with Baylor could do more to fight food insecurity their dogs on that stretch of land. Activities like these are much more enjoyable because they are group events that can be done as a part of a study group. It combines fun Approximately half of the country’s college students are food used to transport the meals or even just adjust the amount of and spending time taking in fresh air, while also being insecure, according to a 2017 study published in the Educational food served to reflect the amount of food wasted.