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Sports: Check out our gymnastics guide for dummies so you won’t be left behind at the next meet. (Page 6) W W W.O U DA I LY.C O M

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GLBT RIGHTS

Equality could come to Oklahoma OU alumna’s case rules Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional PAIGHTEN HARKINS Campus Editor @PaightenHarkins

An OU alumna and her partner won a battle Tuesday when a federal district judge ruled Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Alumna Sharon Baldwin, class of 1992, and Mary Bishop have been fighting alongside Gay Phillips and Susan Barton to end the ban for almost 10 years, since November 2004. Judge Terence Kern ruled on the ban Tuesday afternoon. His ruling is stayed pending appeal, meaning couples still

can’t get married, Baldwin said. Kern concluded the band is unconstitutional because it denies a class of citizens equal rights, according to court documents. “Equal protection is at the very heart of our legal system and central to our consent to be governed. It is not a scarce commodity to be meted out begrudgingly or in short portions,” Kern said in the ruling. Kern’s ruling comes almost a month after a federal judge ruled Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, and Kern mentions the case in his ruling, according to court documents. Kasey Catlett, LGBTQ Programs graduate assistant for the Women’s Outreach Center, said he is surprised the ruling came so quickly.

“I was aware of the case, but I never thought it would happen so quickly. From a federal ruling perspective, I’m not surprised by the ruling,” he said. “From an Oklahoman perspective, I’m thrilled to see it moving forward.” Baldwin and Bishop filed their case so they could get married. “That’s the bottom line,” Baldwin said. Baldwin and Bishop wanted to get married and fight the ban on same-sex marriage not only so they could reap marriage benefits but so other same-sex couples could as well. Baldwin said she and Bishop weren’t fighting for a religious issue. Instead, they were fighting for a civil issue because the government issues marriage licenses. SEE RIGHTS PAGE 2

RESIDENCE LIFE

WINTER MIX

Two tons of snow help welcome semester

New breakfast option to open in Headington Main entrance to accommodate residents, non-residents students CAITLIN SCHACHTER Campus Reporter

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MORE INSIDE Check out our coverage of Winter Welcome Week’s Tuesday snowball fight. PAGE 2 JESSICA WOODS/THE DAILY

University College freshman Ali Kinder makes a snow angel in a pile of fresh snow on Tuesday on the Walker-Adams Mall. The snowball fight, sponsored by the Campus Activites Council, was a much anticipated event of OU’s Winter Welcome Week.

LOVE

Sooners go against the grain, get married More students deciding to marry before graduation MADELINE STEBBINS For The Daily

Molly Allen is packing. She takes posters off the walls of her Adams Center dorm room while her fiancé, Tyler Dettmann, sits on her sofa. Mid-November is an unusual time to be moving, but Allen is getting ready for the biggest change of her life so far: marriage. She and Dettmann got married Dec. 13, just 10 days after their one-year anniversary. Allen, now Dettmann, 22, and Tyler Dettmann, 23, went against the grain by marrying while she’s still in school — a move some couples make despite

pressure from parents and friends to wait until after graduation. Young people just aren’t getting married like they used to. According to a 2011 study by the Pew Research Center, marriages among people from 18 to 24 dropped 13 percent in just one year, from 2009 to 2010. This student-aged group had the largest decrease of all adults, according to the study. It’s not just students, though, marriage is declining in the U.S. across all age groups. In 1960, 59 percent of adults from 18 to 29 were married; today, it’s just 20 percent, according to the study. Compare that to adults of all ages. In 1960, 72 percent were married. Today, that number is down to 51 percent. The study attributes part of this decline to the rise in other living arrangements,

L&A: Find out how right those preachers on the South Oval are by exploring OU’s seven deadly sins. (Page 5)

such as cohabitation and single parenthood. Justin Westmoreland is the campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship and often works with young couples. He said some parents worry their children won’t focus on school if they marry before graduation. “They want to make sure you’re not going to quit,” Westmoreland said. “They want you to get the degree.” Westmoreland sees three options in college relationships. “I think it’s popular to just wait. Get out of school, go be single, go do something. Your second option, the ideal one, you finish college then you get married,” Westmoreland said. “The third, and I think least desirable, thing is getting married in college. It’s just not a SEE I DO PAGE 2

instein Bros. Bagels will open for business in Headington Hall on Feb. 3. The restaurant was confirmed in late September to move into one of the retail spaces at the bottom of Headington Hall, according to Daily archives. Headington Hall residents can use meal points at the new restaurant in addition to cash and credit cards, but not meal exchanges, to purchase meals, said Pete Moris, administrator of the Athletic Department. Non-resident students can use meal points, meal exchanges and cash or credit card to purchase meals, Moris said. Like the OU bookstore in Headington Hall, Einstein Bros. Bagels will have a main entrance facing Jenkins Avenue to accommodate Headington Hall residents and non-residents, Moris said. University College freshman Amber Davis is one OU student who is anticipating Einstein Bros. Bagels opening in February. “I think it’ll be awesome since it will be relatively close to the other dorms,” Davis said. “The closer it is, the better.” University College freshman Zac Meyer is excited to have more food options on campus. “I feel like it’ll be nice having an extra place to choose from where to eat at,” Meyer said. Einstein Bros. Bagels will serve coffee, muffins, sandwiches and bagels, according to requested documents. Caitlin Schachter caitlinschachter@yahoo.com

CALEB SMUTZER/THE DAILY

Einstein Bros. Bagels cafe sits vacant while construction is under way. The cafe will open Feb. 3 in Headington Hall.

Opinion: Using existing resources is a better traffic fix than expanding Lindsey Street. (Page 3)

VOL. 99, NO. 80 © 2014 OU Publications Board FREE — Additional copies 25¢

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