LIFE & ARTS • PAGE 12
SPORTS • PAGE 7
Professor cuts locks for love Architecture professor Scott Williams (shown left) grew his hair out for three years before cutting it Monday and donating it to Locks of Love.
Sooners fall to Texas A&M Senior guard Danielle Robinson (shown right) scored 33 points in a losing effort Wednesday night as OU lost at home, 80-78.
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Thursday, January 27, 2011
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Regents bar reporter from meetings Course OU regent committee meetings not subject to Open Meeting Act, legal counsel says CHASE COOK The Oklahoma Daily
At Wednesday’s OU Board of Regents meeting OU legal counsel prohibited a Daily reporter from attending four committee meetings where public business regarding university building plans and fees were discussed.
Daily reporter Nicholas Harrison attempted to attend the audit and finance, Norman campus, Health Sciences Center campus and athletics committee meetings. OU regents legal counsel Anil Gollahalli said the meetings were not open to the public and would not allow Harrison past the door. Harrison said he showed Gollahalli the section of the act explaining that all committees and subcommittees are subject to public meetings. Gollahalli said the meetings consisted of three
members and did not meet quorum, which meant there were not enough members present to make decisions, and therefore the meeting was strictly informational. “[The regents] conduct informational subcommittee meetings to allow members of the board to more fully find facts relevant to items
SEE MEETING PAGE 2
ALCOHOL | SENATE TO HEAR RESOLUTION ABOUT WINE SALES
ASHLEY WEST/THE DAILY
Wine bottles adorn the shelves at 9 East Liquors. Students are hoping to find a wide selection in supermarkets soon.
Senate may allow wine in grocery stores Legislature considers joint resolution to overturn 50-year-old alcohol laws
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY WEST/THE DAILY
Music education junior Jessi Rodriguez shops for liquor in hopes of being able to purchase it in supermarket stores soon.
Current alcohol laws » Alcoholic beverages containing more than 3.2 percent alcohol can only be sold in licensed liquor stores » These beverages cannot be refrigerated » Low-point beer intended for consumption may not be sold between 2 and 6 a.m. » Sales are prohibited on Sunday, as well as other federal holidays — Source: Oklahoma Constitution and statutes
A LOOK AT WHAT’S ON Visit the news section to learn about the Outreach to Teach opportunity to improve underserved schools in Oklahoma
compete with that. It will probably happen eventually, but this would be the death of more small businesses.” Selling wine in grocery stores KATHLEEN EVANS The Oklahoma Daily might also make it harder for stores to regulate sales, Petrone The Oklahoma Senate will con- s a i d . In s ma l l l i q u o r s t o re s, sider changing state alcohol laws Petrone said they are better able to allow the sale of wine in grocery to watch out for who is purchasstores this legislative session. ing alcohol. Current Oklahoma alcohol law Thirty-five states allow for the states wine can only be sold in li- sale of wine in grocery stores, and quor stores and not convenience in those states there is no shortor grocery stores. age of successful liquor stores, Republican senator Clark Jolley Williams said. filed a resolution proposing defi“Liquor retailers will tell you it nitions of beer, wine and spir- will put them out of business, but its to the state constitution and in Texas there are over 350 liquor making it legal to sell wine in gro- stores just in Houston,” Williams cery stores. If the joint resolution, said. “It hasn’t had the conseSJR 35, is passed, it quences people fear would go on the balit will.” lot in the November In February 2010, “It will probably 2012 election. the Senate rejected a happen eventually, “The problem is resolution proposed but this would be that the laws are exby Democratic senthe death of more ator Andrew Rice attremely complex and small businesses.” tempting to change in the [Oklahoma] Constitution, they alcohol laws and h av e t o b e v o t e d allow wine in groAARON PETRONE, on by the public,” cery stores. OWNER OF CAMPUS said Roy Williams, Allowing wine in LIQUORS president of the grocery stores might Greater Oklahoma create more ecoCity Chamber. “The Legislature nomic development in the state can authorize a referendum, or because it would bring wholesalthe people can file an initiative ers that rely on the business, Rice petition.” said last year about his proposal. Though Williams has not read Though the Senate rejected the the proposed resolution, he said resolution last year in committee, he supports selling wine in gro- test polls show that Oklahomans cery stores because it would be would support changes to the alconvenient for consumers. cohol laws, Williams said. However, Aaron Petrone, owner “The current laws in Oklahoma of Campus Liquors at 800 W. are a result of laws that passed in Lindsey St., said this convenience the ’50s,” Williams said. “Our laws might negatively impact small- should be updated to match those er businesses that focus only on of our competitors.” liquor. This was Jolley’s reasoning beBecause Petrone’s store can hind filing the resolution. only sell alcohol and grocery “Oklahoma stands out as a state stores can also sell food, it would with archaic laws as it relates to put him and other store owners at legal alcohol based products,” a competitive disadvantage. he said in an e-mail statement. “Maybe it’s just the sad nature “These laws were a result of the of capitalism, but Norman used to mindset of Prohibition. As a rebe small grocery stores and small sult, we’ve basically created a moliquor stores,” Petrone said. “With nopoly, resulting in higher costs big retailers like Walmart, we can’t for the consumers.”
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fees now easier to read Fees kept revenue neutral due to possible tuition increase, Boren says NICHOLAS HARRISON The Oklahoma Daily
At their Wednesday meeting, the OU Regents voted to eliminate more than 1,800 coursespecific fees and establish consolidated course and program fees for each college. President David Boren said the action the Regents took action in response to concerns about the increase of coursespecific fees in recent years. “We have charged a laundry list in the past,” Boren said. “We are doing something else this year that has been a request of students, parents and virtually everyone.” Under the newly adopted system students in each college will pay a flat fee of $8 to $26 per credit hour for all courses taken. These fees are intended to cover speakers and symposia, conference and travel expenses, space renovation and other instructional and research equipment to support the college’s activities, according to the meeting agenda. Boren said he instructed his staff to review the numbers several times to ensure the consolidated fees did not constitute an increase for students. “This is not an increase,” Boren said. “It is revenue neutral.” This was important, Boren said, because a tuition increase is likely this year due to the state’s budgetary situation. “It’s probably going to be impossible to get through another year without some adjustment in mandatory fees and tuition,” Boren said. Boren said he hopes the adjustments only constitute a single-digit percentage increase, but it was too early to make any guarantees. The only fee increases allowed were 10 percent increases in college technology fees because they had been frozen for the past
SEE FEES PAGE 2
Fred Jones Museum to showcase new exhibit Friday A new, free exhibit titled “On The Loose” is opening this week at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. The exhibit will feature visiting Sante Fe artist Susan Contreras. Contreras will be present at the opening and will devote the first hour to lecturing and answering questions, said Michael Bendure, museum spokesman. Students should attend because it is a special opportunity to interact with the artist, he said. “The exhibit is a fun and playful display of original paintings,” Bendure said. “The exhibit creates surreal fun for all ages.” The lecture begins at 6 p.m. Friday and the opening reception is at 7 p.m. — Rachel Cervenka/The Daily
TODAY’S WEATHER
65°| 34° Tomorrow: Sunny, high of 71 degrees