STILLWATER – Late Sunday afternoon Oklahoma State University President Dr. Kayse Shrum took to Twitter again, but this time it was not a bashing of departing Big 12 member Oklahoma. Shrum was kind of giving fans an update, saying thank you for the support that she and her team have felt this past week to 10 days, and giving Oklahoma State supporters a pep talk that honestly was badly needed. On radio, and here on this site, there have been fans stuck in a negative mode.
Shrum started her Twitter series with a thank you to people who have reached out or have been optimistic on social media.
From there the new President that has now been on the job for an extremely eventful month and has managed to stay ahead of the news, even the news that Texas and Oklahoma were breaking from the Big 12 Conference to join the Southeastern Conference, she went into the positives on Oklahoma State football and athletics as a whole.
Zachary Lancaster - Pokes Report
Dr. Shrum at 2021 Big 12 Football Media Days.
“Our athletic program is strong across the board, and I have great respect for the dedication and hard work of our student-athletes in the classroom and their sports,” Shrum posted. “Be assured we will move ahead with purpose, always honoring the principles we live by in the Cowboy Code and doing what is right -- even when it’s hard. Go Pokes!”
There was another tweet that was taken down that said while Oklahoma wished to continue Bedlam it was too early for Oklahoma State to evaluate the long-term commitment of playing Bedlam. Oklahoma State is still dealing with the uncertainty of where it will be calling its’ conference home.
Then this on the Bedlam series.
That tweet and the series was getting supportive responses, but also, as is common in our society and in this rivalry, there were way too many responses from OU fans that were showing their “classy” side.
This has been a long week and Dr. Shrum, her staff including senior vice-president Kyle Wray, athletic director Chad Weiberg, deputy athletic director Reid Sigmon, and senior associate athletic director Kevin Klintworth among others have been at Whitehurst Hall and working nonstop on the process. There were several meetings with the remaining Big 12 schools and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.
The news is no different according to our sources. No avenues are closed, and no invitations have been issued as the remaining Big 12 schools consider staying together versus the opportunities any of them might have. Oklahoma State is a consensus as the most attractive of the remaining schools.
The factors are strength of football program, consistency of that strength, and the attraction television viewers have for Cowboys football, which the numbers show is higher than any other remaining Big 12 team.
Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer
Oklahoma State football is one of the top 15 programs in the country and the fans need to treat it that way.
This week Dr. Shrum and her staff will be back at it, but the timeline really depends on the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 and how fast they want to move and what they decided they want to move on.
What can Oklahoma State fans do to help. They can continue buying 2021 season football tickets and completely sell out Boone Pickens Stadium. They can stay positive and especially show that positivity on social media and everywhere they go. This is a process of facts and numbers, but also some perception. Oklahoma State needs to create and maintain that positive perception.
