As a student, I am shocked and surprised at the treatment I sometimes receive on campus.

Faculty and staff are supposed to be here to assist me in making the most of my educational and career goals. Yet, many times, after finding out my degree field is journalism, the shutters go down and unhelpful becomes the mantra of the day.

My reception as student Buffie Brown is good. I can have questions answered quickly and in a kind manner.

Equality: It’s been an issue since the beginning of time. What it means, who decides it and most controversial, who deserves it, is currently being debated.

With all the hype surrounding the U.S Supreme Court’s hearing arguments over legalizing gay marriage, it seems many are more concerned with their own beliefs and concerns than the equal treatment of others.

I think it’s safe to say that many of the judgmental and unfair concerns against gay marriage and homosexuality are widely based on religious beliefs. Many argue the laws of God, according to the Holy Bible, should be upheld. Others argue that homosexuality is unnatural or untraditional.

While these concerns may be valid for one’s personal belief system or morals, that is not justified reasoning for the decision on whether two people — who, by the way, are no less human than anyone else on this Earth — should be legally able to celebrate their love and commitment to each other through marriage.

In November, America learned the well-loved and popular company Hostess Brand Inc. had filed bankruptcy. This has been the provider of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Wonder Bread and many other delicious treats for years. A virtual panic swept across the nation, causing store shelves to be emptied and many individuals being fearful of losing a big part of their childhood. With the successful company setting tradition for many children since their establishment in 1930, one can imagine that’s a lot of people. While it is a sad thought to lose these delicious and nostalgic treats, people are missing the big picture.

The real tragedy here is not the dissatisfaction of taste buds, but that more than 18,000 people are losing their jobs.

Hostess’s decision to file bankruptcy is partly due to its workers striking, according to Hostess CEO Greg Rayburn in an interview on the ABC News website.

To my fellow Okies: I heard that some of us want to secede from the United States mostly because of the fact we (read: they) re-elected Barack Hussein Obama as our (read: their) President. This seems like a pretty good idea because I think Oklahoma would fare pretty well on our own.

At the time of writing this, almost 17,000 people have signed a petition on www.petitions. whitehouse.gov to “Peacefully grant the State of Oklahoma to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.”

As I wonder what this means, I submit some ideas for our “new” government:

The elections are over. Obama is in again, and that’s that. But after hearing more of the same sophistry spouted off even after the elections have ended, I think it’s time to clarify something.

The purpose of the Constitution of the United States of America is to establish the function, workings, limitations, responsibilities, and powers of the federal and state governments. That’s it. It does nothing else.

In order for something to be unconstitutional, it must counteract some part of the constitution. That is the sum and the whole of the meaning of the word.

Oklahomans with handgun licenses may carry firearms in the open as of Nov. 1. Even with this new law in place, citizens may still be banned from carrying firearms into certain places.

According to www.newson6. com, firearms are banned in areas such as schools, federal buildings, courthouses and sports arenas. Private businesses have the option to ban or allow firearms.

Why do people feel it is so important to be allowed to carry a gun openly, visible for everyone to see?

Lately I have been examining the reactions to the recent suicide of 15-year-old Amanda Todd, and it has raised this question in my mind: Where do we draw the line on what we say about those who are deceased?

Death is a very touchy subject and should be taken seriously, but in this case, snide comments have been made online, questioning Todd’s past.

When I hear about a suicide like this, it breaks my heart. This was a very young girl who was intensively bullied.That, combined with other issues, led to the devastating loss of her life.

Musician Drake has been credited with the wildly popular “YOLO” phrase from his song “The Motto.”

YOLO is an acronym for “You Only Live Once” and has become common on brightly colored clothing and hashtags on Twitter. It is becoming a life motto for many young people out there today.

The motto, while true unless you believe in reincarnation, shouldn’t be a life motto. Youth shouldn’t use it as an excuse to act foolish, a crutch to spend the night drinking and partying, or a fallback for being an idiot.

With the NBA season about to start, the great and overused tradition of prediction games begin.

With many big moves this off season there is a lot of excitement going around the country. My only problem with that excitement is that some let that excitement cloud their judgment.

Unfortunately in sports, people seem to believe you can throw five talented players together and just go out there and win from day one.

Take your favorite LP out of its sleeve, place it on a turntable, set the needle in the groove and turn up your speakers. Or if you are listening to a 45, don’t forget your RPM adapter.

Most people under the age of 30 probably don’t know what this means, although this is slowly changing.

For decades, vinyl records were the primary form of listening to music. Since the invention of digital, however, most people have shoved those crates of albums onto the closest shelf to collect dust.