One thing that will simplify it is to visit the bike store(s) in town and see what they carry. For example, Jamis was on the list of bikes I was looking at, I visited the nearest dealer here in the Dallas area, and they did not have a single Jamis bike in stock that I saw. So unless you want to order it sight unseen off the internet or visit Oklahoma City or Tulsa, you need to see what is available locally.
Something else I will point out is that most of the bikes I see on college campuses are crappy bikes that serious cyclists wouldn't ride. The theory is that they're less likely to be stolen, and less of a loss if they are stolen. So you can ask for advice here, but we'll all recommend $1,000 bikes that you won't see often on a campus. A bike may have marginal brakes and gears that don't work right and still be good for riding a mile or two to campus and back.
It seems to me that older bikes tend to be under-valued in Oklahoma as compared to the Dallas area, if that helps any. They're viewed more as "old bikes" rather than "vintage bikes".
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"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."