Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Page 1

Learn how to rock a bow tie the Clarke Stroud way (Page 7) The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

W W W.O U DA I LY.C O M

2 011 G OL D C ROW N F I N A L I S T

T U E S DAY, M A R C H 6 , 2 012

GENDER-NEUTRAL HOUSING

Plan to be taken to President Boren Sooners request intersexed housing option at Oklahoma SARAH MARTIN Campus Reporter

Students are requesting all OU residence halls have a gender-neutral housing option and have outlined the logistics in a proposal. The Students for a

Democratic Society and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Friends will take their proposal for gender-neutral housing to OU President David Boren’s office Wednesday after a rally. The student groups collaborated on the proposal for three years, said Monique Rodriguez, University College freshman and member of Students for a Democratic

OUDaily.com Read more stories about gender-neutral housing. oudaily.com/news

Society. The current proposal requests the university designate specific floors in all residence areas as genderneutral and give all students,

including freshmen, the option to live in theses areas. If students did not ask to be in gender-neutral housing, they would be placed in same-sex housing, according to the proposal. Writers designed the policy to account for students who do not identify with their sex, Rodriguez said. If administrators implement the policy as the group

requests, housing applications would include intersexed as a housing option — along with female and male — and would ask students for their gender identity not just sex. Students would preference their roommate to be male, female, no preference or other gender identity, according to the proposal.

GO AND DO Gender-neutral housing march WHEN: Noon Wednesday WHERE: Unity Garden on the South Oval to President David Boren’s office in Evans Hall

SEE POLICY PAGE 3

MONEY

Student funds cut by accident

ELECTIONS

Voters to cast ballot in primaries Super Tuesday elections critical for Republican candidates MARK SIMPSON Campus Reporter

Clerical errror leads to $3,732.88 in misplaced fees

Voters across Oklahoma head to the polls today to cast critical votes in the Super Tuesday 2012 presidential primaries. Today’s Super Tuesday elections in 10 states, including Oklahoma, are crucial for the four candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination because more than 400 delegates are up for grabs in the seven primary elections and three caucus votes. Republican nominee candidates New Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are vying for Oklahoma’s 43 delegates. Candidates need 1,144 delegates total to win the nomation, according to the New Statesman. Romney is currently in the lead with 203 delegates, followed by Santorum with 92. Though the state rarely makes a large impact on presidential elections, the traditionally conservative, religious vote of Oklahoma could make or break the campaigns

CHASE COOK Managing Editor

A miscalculation resulted in $3,732.88 less in student activity fee funds for OU departments. The Student Activity Fee Committee met Friday and inadvertently cut $9,765.76 from its budget rather than $6,032.88 due to a miscalculation, said Clarke Stroud, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students. The University Counseling Center, Dean of Students and Women’s Outreach Center requested increases exceeding $131,744, which was the projected increase of student activity fees, their amounts were cut because the miscalculation. The counseling center received the highest cut from its requested increase of $28,875 to $20,419, a 29.3 percent decrease. The center still is pleased with any funding increase f ro m t h e c o m m i t t e e, Associate Director Scott Miller said in an email. Even with the 29.3 percent decrease, the center can hire a new psychology SEE FEES PAGE 3

SEE POLITICS PAGE 2

OUDaily.com KINGSLEY BURNS/THE DAILY

Lynndi Gibbons, education senior, feeds her ballot into an electronic polling station at the Cleveland County Election Board on Monday. Election board secretary Jim Williams said an estimated 700 people applied for early voting this year, down from around 1,200 last year.

oudaily.com/news

PRIVACY

Students’ info open for business

AT A GLANCE Departments or bonds receiving more funding

Businesses may request directory information by law

• University Counseling Center — $20,419 • Dean of Students — $22,000 • Reserve fund — $2,634 • Student Life — $30,500 • Union bond — $1,098 • Women’s Outreach Center — $51,359.24

Private businesses and individuals are able to obtain student directory information under the protection of two laws. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Oklahoma Freedom of Information Act both guarantee citizens the rights to access some public

SAM HIGGINS Campus Reporter

Source: Student activity fee document

See more voting locations in the Norman area.

information, such as directory information of students at public institutions. Each year, the OU Open Records Office receives between 20 and 30 requests for student directory information, Director Rachel McCombs said. Honor socities, the military, other colleges or educational programs, employers, graduation services and local businesses, such as apartment complexes and bookstores, primarily request this information, she said.

Companies can get this information for free and only have to pay for the cost of printing and research, McCombs said. “ The university is required under the Oklahoma Open Records Act to release directory information when requested to do so,” McCombs said. “Oklahoma Open Records Act prohibits the university from charging more than the direct cost of reproduction and the cost of any research required to

TY JOHNSON/THE DAILY

SEE ACT PAGE 3

Apartment complexes and other corporations can access OU student directory information to send unsolicited advertisements.

CAMPUS VOL. 97, NO. 115 © 2012 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25 cents

The Daily’s open record requests

New education center opens at OU HSC

Requested document and purpose

Date requested

The 40,000-square foot building comprises meeting rooms, boardrooms and an auditorium. (Page 2)

Contracts between OU and all those registered in 2011 as lobbyists for OU and OU Medical Center — To gather more information about the terms and conditions of those contracts and the fees OU pays to have lobbyists.

Feb. 29

NOW ONLINE AT

EDITORIAL

Friday

Having trouble learing how to tie a bow tie?

Oklahoma’s votes matter this GOP primary season

Dorm costs for single and double rooms for the last ten years — To compare the price of living at OU during the span of a decade. Reports filed by the OU Police Department for sexual assaults since 1980 — To learn more about the number of sex-related crimes reported in the past and how they were handled by OUPD.

Friday

Campus ........................ Classifieds .................. Life & Arts ................... Opinion ...................... Sports .........................

2 6 7 4 5

The Daily’s Maya Sykes demonstrates the proper way to wear this classic look with a modern-day spin. (Multimedia)

Republicans should support Romney, and Democrats should vote for Obama to show support. (Page 4)

MELODIE LETTKEMAN/THE DAILY

Junior Whitney Hand dribbles down the court during a March 4 home contest with Kansas. Hand is one of five returning starters that will be on the court for the Sooners during the 2012-13 season (Page 5)


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