Second Wind Coffee House on Campus Corner draws students out of the cold and into its warm depths, offering both a unique experience and a sense of belonging.

Tired of eating ramen noodles and Hot Pockets? Online Editor Caitlin Ruemping conjured up a barbecue chicken recipe that is made entirely in the microwave. Add her potato chips and you've got a new late night favorite.

In honor of the 98th Annual Student Art Exhibit's opening in the Sandy Bell Gallery of the Fred Jones, Jr. Museum of Art on Monday, Sooner staffer Nick Powers investigates how art impacts selected artist's lives.

While many choose to keep others in the dark, four students let Sooner in on their secrets.

With Martin Luther King, Jr. Day coming to a close, Caitlin Ruemping contemplates the difference between her selfish dreams and those of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Warning: Self reflections may be distorted by socially constructed ideas of beauty. “I’ve been called a fat girl since I can remember,” recalls Ashlea Ramirez, a freshman from Houston. Ramirez has been struggling with an eating disorder called Not Otherwise Specified, NOS, since the sixth grade. NOS is an eating disorder that has behaviors similar to that of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Newly identified cases of anorexia have been identified in 40 percent of girls ages 15-19. There are 10 million females and 1 millions males who are fighting battles with eating disorders in the United States, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. For Ramirez, these behaviors heightened when she began wrestling in the eighth grade. She says she did anything and everything to make her weight class for wrestling. She would throw up, not eat for days and use fat wraps, laxatives and water pills to lose weight. Even when wrestling was over, the behaviors continued to intensify.

There are dancers and prancers, bartenders and vixens . . . sparkles and Santa and men with captivating nether regions. That’s right. It’s Christmas time at the Copa, a popular bar and dance club frequented by gay individuals in the city that is rocking in Christmas stockings. And the gay bar is not just for gays anymore. Copa has become a popular Oklahoma City destination for OU students of all flavors.

The amount of diversity on OU’s campus creates opportunities for students to engage in interracial relationships. One student on campus has a particular reason for his choice to date a woman of another race. “I find non-Caucasion women are more attractive,” says Arthur Dixon, a freshman from Ardmore. “You grow up with some women in your life - your mom and maybe a sister - and romantically you want something different from them.” Despite minor problems, interracial relationships have become more widely accepted. Due to increased numbers of multiracial residents in the U.S., the U.S. Census Bureau modified its form so that multiracial people, like Kelsey Brown, Dixon’s girlfriend, can fill in more than one race and be counted accurately with the rest of the public.

Not everyone believes in the holiday traditions of Christmas trees, Santa Claus and Jesus’ birthday celebrations. Those who celebrate different holiday traditions may face issues having their traditions stand out next to the popularized tradition of Christmas.

The holidays are upon us and with them come incredibly awkward moments. Kate McPherson loves the holiday season but she usually finds herself trying to find the right words to get out of uncomfortable situations. McPherson has become a pro at faking her way through the holidays and passes her tips on to you.