C OLLEGIAN Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926 THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY Monday, March 31, 2008 Monday, March 31, 2008 Volume 82 Issue 9 News A&E Sports Voices The sound of music fills the air this week. SEE PAGE 6 Tennis star steps up to the net for last season. SEE PAGE 8 Student Government Association election draws near. SEE PAGE 2 ‘Changing Lives’ campaign surpasses original goal ‘Changing Lives’ campaign surpasses original goal After breaking records and turning heads, After breaking records and turning heads, Cameron University’s Centennial Campaign, Cameron University’s Centennial Campaign, “Cameron University: Changing Lives for 100 “Cameron University: Changing Lives for 100 Years, 1908-2008,” has drawn to a close after Years, 1908-2008,” has drawn to a close after hitting its $10 million goal. hitting its $10 million goal. Originally set into motion in 2006, the Originally set into motion in 2006, the fundraiser, the largest ever launched by a fundraiser, the largest ever launched by a regional university in Oklahoma and the regional university in Oklahoma and the first comprehensive campaign in Cameron’s first comprehensive campaign in Cameron’s history, had a goal of $8.5 million, but that history, had a goal of $8.5 million, but that mark was reached within the first two years mark was reached within the first two years of the three-year campaign. Although the of the three-year campaign. Although the progress was monumental, certain areas of the progress was monumental, certain areas of the campaign still needed additional funding. campaign still needed additional funding. “When we’d surpassed our original goal, “When we’d surpassed our original goal, we hadn’t quite reached the specific goals we hadn’t quite reached the specific goals for the Bentley Gardens project or the new for the Bentley Gardens project or the new Student Activities Complex,” reported CU’s Student Activities Complex,” reported CU’s Office of Community Relations. Office of Community Relations. In July of 2007, the decision was made to In July of 2007, the decision was made to ask more of the community, and the “Dig ask more of the community, and the “Dig Deeper Challenge” was launched, raising the Deeper Challenge” was launched, raising the final goal of the campaign to a staggering $10 final goal of the campaign to a staggering $10 million. million. In March of 2008, President Cindy Ross In March of 2008, President Cindy Ross announced that the goal had not only been announced that the goal had not only been reached, but surpassed by an additional reached, but surpassed by an additional $1.5 million thanks to the contributions of $1.5 million thanks to the contributions of regional businesses, foundations and CU’s regional businesses, foundations and CU’s own faculty. own faculty. “The unprecedented success of the “The unprecedented success of the campaign reflects the tremendous generosity campaign reflects the tremendous generosity and leadership of the community,” President and leadership of the community,” President Ross said. “The overwhelming support of Ross said. “The overwhelming support of the community is particularly meaningful the community is particularly meaningful as we stand on the brink of celebrating the as we stand on the brink of celebrating the Centennial Year.” Centennial Year.” The fundraiser itself was designed to The fundraiser itself was designed to address specific areas of the CU campus. In address specific areas of the CU campus. In order to maintain CU’s status as one of the order to maintain CU’s status as one of the most affordable universities in the state, $1.3 most affordable universities in the state, $1.3 million will be added to CU’s already strong million will be added to CU’s already strong scholarship program. scholarship program. In addition, endowed faculty positions, In addition, endowed faculty positions, which support internships, student and which support internships, student and faculty research and travel opportunities, faculty research and travel opportunities, will see a $2.3 million increase in funding will see a $2.3 million increase in funding and $490,000 will be applied to helping and $490,000 will be applied to helping CU continue the phenomenal growth seen CU continue the phenomenal growth seen in recent years by providing funding for in recent years by providing funding for University Advancement. University Advancement. The biggest part of the campaign, is the The biggest part of the campaign, is the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED MISSION ACCOMPLISHED By John Robertson Collegian Staff addition of addition of a brand new a brand new and state- and state- of-the-art of-the-art Student Student Activities Activities Complex. Complex. Located at Located at the center of the center of campus, the campus, the $6.5 million $6.5 million complex complex will house will house a student a student union, union, student student activity areas, activity areas, meeting meeting rooms, an rooms, an art gallery, art gallery, dining areas, dining areas, and even a and even a ballroom ballroom on the on the second floor second floor overlooking overlooking the Bentley the Bentley Gardens, a Gardens, a landscaping landscaping project project intended to intended to enhance the enhance the beauty of the beauty of the CU campus CU campus by providing by providing a lush scenic a lush scenic area for staff, area for staff, students, and students, and visitors to visitors to enjoy. enjoy. As the As the centerpiece of centerpiece of the campaign, the campaign, the Student the Student Activities Activities Complex is Complex is designed to designed to serve the needs of students as well as reach out serve the needs of students as well as reach out to the community that helped make the project to the community that helped make the project possible. possible. “The construction of a new Student “The construction of a new Student Activities Complex continues our commitment Activities Complex continues our commitment to provide a complete collegiate experience to provide a complete collegiate experience for our students, offering a learning and for our students, offering a learning and recreational space unmatched by other regional recreational space unmatched by other regional universities,” President Ross said. “In universities,” President Ross said. “In addition to serving students, we hope the addition to serving students, we hope the gardens and the new complex will be equally gardens and the new complex will be equally popular locations for the community.” popular locations for the community.” See FUNDRAISER Page 3 Bill could bring guns to campus By Jim Horinek Collegian Staff Books, pens, pencils, paper and guns. With the passage of HB 2513 this could be a common assortment of items that college students bring to campus. HB 2513 has been passed through the House and is currently in the senate. The bill will modify current state statutes that prohibit concealed weapons on college campuses. When the bill was first introduced it actually provided that all college students who posses a concealed weapon permit could legally carry a handgun on campus. After being amended HB 2513 only allows for CLEET certified or honorably discharged military personnel, who have a concealed handgun permit, to bring handguns on college campuses. Although he does not support this legislation John DeBoard, Director of the Office of Public Safety, believes that the creation of this bill may have been influenced by the recent acts of violence on college campuses throughout the nation. DeBoard is not the only person on campus who has voiced a concern about HB 2513. All of the presidents from the 25 public colleges and universities have also expressed great concern over the implications of this bill. This group includes President Ross. “The solution is not more guns. Allowing the presence of concealed weapons on college campuses will be a severe detriment to efforts made to simultaneously prepare for and prevent such crisis situations,” President Ross said. Further disapproval of the bill has come from members of the Cameron University Student Government Association. President Ross went over several of the concerns that are associated with the passage of HB 2513. “There could be a misfiring of a weapon. There is the issue of theft. If someone is carrying a concealed weapon in his or her purse or backpack it could be stolen. There is also the issue, which I think is very real, if a concealed weapon is accidentally exposed in a class the students and the faculty member will rightfully be concerned,” President Ross said. President Ross went on to explain that even if there is no instance of the gun actually being fired there would be a great amount of resources that would be required to investigate simple misunderstandings as a result of a concealed weapon. MCT Campus See GUN CONTROL Page 3 Long-time gamer harkens back to a simpler time. SEE PAGE 5 MCT Campus
Transcript
COLLEGIAN Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926
T H E C A M E R O N U N I V E R S I T Y
Monday, March 31, 2008Monday, March 31, 2008 Volume 82 Issue 9
News
A&E
Sports
Voices
The sound of music fi lls the air this week.
SEE PAGE 6
Tennis star steps up to the net for last season.
SEE PAGE 8
Student Government Association election draws near.
SEE PAGE 2
‘Changing Lives’ campaign surpasses original goal‘Changing Lives’ campaign surpasses original goal
After breaking records and turning heads, After breaking records and turning heads, Cameron University’s Centennial Campaign, Cameron University’s Centennial Campaign, “Cameron University: Changing Lives for 100 “Cameron University: Changing Lives for 100 Years, 1908-2008,” has drawn to a close after Years, 1908-2008,” has drawn to a close after hitting its $10 million goal.hitting its $10 million goal.
Originally set into motion in 2006, the Originally set into motion in 2006, the fundraiser, the largest ever launched by a fundraiser, the largest ever launched by a regional university in Oklahoma and the regional university in Oklahoma and the first comprehensive campaign in Cameron’s first comprehensive campaign in Cameron’s history, had a goal of $8.5 million, but that history, had a goal of $8.5 million, but that mark was reached within the first two years mark was reached within the first two years of the three-year campaign. Although the of the three-year campaign. Although the progress was monumental, certain areas of the progress was monumental, certain areas of the campaign still needed additional funding.campaign still needed additional funding.
“When we’d surpassed our original goal, “When we’d surpassed our original goal, we hadn’t quite reached the specific goals we hadn’t quite reached the specific goals for the Bentley Gardens project or the new for the Bentley Gardens project or the new Student Activities Complex,” reported CU’s Student Activities Complex,” reported CU’s Office of Community Relations.Office of Community Relations.
In July of 2007, the decision was made to In July of 2007, the decision was made to ask more of the community, and the “Dig ask more of the community, and the “Dig Deeper Challenge” was launched, raising the Deeper Challenge” was launched, raising the final goal of the campaign to a staggering $10 final goal of the campaign to a staggering $10 million. million.
In March of 2008, President Cindy Ross In March of 2008, President Cindy Ross announced that the goal had not only been announced that the goal had not only been reached, but surpassed by an additional reached, but surpassed by an additional $1.5 million thanks to the contributions of $1.5 million thanks to the contributions of regional businesses, foundations and CU’s regional businesses, foundations and CU’s own faculty.own faculty.
“The unprecedented success of the “The unprecedented success of the campaign ref lects the tremendous generosity campaign ref lects the tremendous generosity and leadership of the community,” President and leadership of the community,” President Ross said. “The overwhelming support of Ross said. “The overwhelming support of the community is particularly meaningful the community is particularly meaningful as we stand on the brink of celebrating the as we stand on the brink of celebrating the Centennial Year.”Centennial Year.”
The fundraiser itself was designed to The fundraiser itself was designed to address specific areas of the CU campus. In address specific areas of the CU campus. In order to maintain CU’s status as one of the order to maintain CU’s status as one of the most affordable universities in the state, $1.3 most affordable universities in the state, $1.3 million will be added to CU’s already strong million will be added to CU’s already strong scholarship program. scholarship program.
In addition, endowed faculty positions, In addition, endowed faculty positions, which support internships, student and which support internships, student and faculty research and travel opportunities, faculty research and travel opportunities, will see a $2.3 million increase in funding will see a $2.3 million increase in funding and $490,000 will be applied to helping and $490,000 will be applied to helping CU continue the phenomenal growth seen CU continue the phenomenal growth seen in recent years by providing funding for in recent years by providing funding for University Advancement.University Advancement.
The biggest part of the campaign, is the The biggest part of the campaign, is the
MISSION ACCOMPLISHEDMISSION ACCOMPLISHED
By John RobertsonCollegian Staff
addition of addition of a brand new a brand new and state-and state-of-the-art of-the-art Student Student Activities Activities Complex. Complex.
Located at Located at the center of the center of campus, the campus, the $6.5 million $6.5 million complex complex will house will house a student a student union, union, student student activity areas, activity areas, meeting meeting rooms, an rooms, an art gallery, art gallery, dining areas, dining areas, and even a and even a ballroom ballroom on the on the second f loor second f loor overlooking overlooking the Bentley the Bentley Gardens, a Gardens, a landscaping landscaping project project intended to intended to enhance the enhance the beauty of the beauty of the CU campus CU campus by providing by providing a lush scenic a lush scenic area for staff, area for staff, students, and students, and visitors to visitors to enjoy.enjoy.
As the As the centerpiece of centerpiece of the campaign, the campaign, the Student the Student Activities Activities Complex is Complex is designed to designed to serve the needs of students as well as reach out serve the needs of students as well as reach out to the community that helped make the project to the community that helped make the project possible.possible.
“The construction of a new Student “The construction of a new Student Activities Complex continues our commitment Activities Complex continues our commitment to provide a complete collegiate experience to provide a complete collegiate experience for our students, offering a learning and for our students, offering a learning and recreational space unmatched by other regional recreational space unmatched by other regional
universities,” President Ross said. “In universities,” President Ross said. “In addition to serving students, we hope the addition to serving students, we hope the gardens and the new complex will be equally gardens and the new complex will be equally popular locations for the community.”popular locations for the community.”
See FUNDRAISERPage 3
Bill could bring guns to campusBy Jim HorinekCollegian Staff
Books, pens, pencils, paper and guns. With the passage of HB 2513 this could be a common assortment of items that college students bring to campus.
HB 2513 has been passed through the House and is currently in the senate. The bill will modify current state statutes that prohibit concealed weapons on college campuses.
When the bill was first introduced it actually provided that all college students who posses a concealed weapon permit could legally carry a handgun on campus. After being amended HB 2513 only allows for CLEET certified or honorably discharged military personnel, who have a concealed handgun permit, to bring handguns on college campuses.
Although he does not support this legislation John DeBoard, Director of the Office of Public Safety, believes that the creation of this bill may have been inf luenced by the recent acts of violence on college campuses throughout the nation.
DeBoard is not the only person on campus who has
voiced a concern about HB 2513. All of the presidents from the 25 public colleges and universities have also expressed great concern over the implications of this bill. This group includes President Ross.
“The solution is not more guns. Allowing the presence of concealed weapons on college campuses will be a severe detriment to efforts made to simultaneously prepare for and prevent such crisis situations,” President Ross said.
Further disapproval of the bill has come from members of the Cameron University Student Government Association.
President Ross went over several of the concerns that are associated with the passage of HB 2513.
“There could be a misfiring of a weapon. There is
the issue of theft. If someone is carrying a concealed weapon in his or her purse or backpack it could be stolen. There
is also the issue, which I think is very real, if a concealed weapon is accidentally
exposed in a class the students and the faculty member will rightfully be concerned,” President Ross said.
President Ross went on to explain that
even if there is no instance of the gun actually being fired there would be a great amount of resources that would be required to investigate simple misunderstandings as a result of a concealed weapon.
MCT Campus
See GUN CONTROL Page 3
Long-time gamer harkens back to a simpler time.
SEE PAGE 5
MCT Campus
News2 March 31, 2008
The University of Oklahoma, Cameron University, and Rogers State University Board of Regents officially approved a recommendation from CU President Cindy Ross to name Cameron’s new student activities complex the McMahon Centennial Complex in honor of The McMahon Foundation’s $4 million contribution.
The McMahon Foundation’s $4 million gift for the construction of the complex surpasses its own record as the largest, one-time donation in Cameron University history. In 2004, the foundation gave $1.25 million for the Cameron Village McMahon Center. Since 1963, The McMahon Foundation has contributed approximately $13.4 million to Cameron University, enabling the university to carry out its mission of changing students’ lives.
“The McMahon Foundation has stepped forward time and time again to invest in Southwest Oklahoma and in Cameron University. From any vantage point on campus, one can see the evidence of the foundation’s support from scholarships to endowed faculty positions to the construction of the McMahon Learning Center at the heart of Cameron Village,” President Ross said. “The trustees of The McMahon Foundation are a group of gentlemen who understand the magic and power of education to transform individual lives and entire communities.”
The McMahon Centennial Complex, a state-of-the-art student activities center, will include an art gallery, an attractive food court; a multi-use recreation room; student activity areas; selected student services; and a large, divisible multi-use ballroom, available to the community, which can seat 400 people for meals, meetings and conferences and expands onto a balcony which will overlook the lush Bentley Gardens. The original fundraising goal for the McMahon Centennial Complex was $6.5 million, and to date, over $6.6 million have been raised. The overall Centennial Changing Lives Campaign has raised an astonishing $11.5 million since its launch in January 2006.
“The Changing Lives Campaign set ambitious goals for Cameron University,” President Ross said. “The individuals who first grasped this new vision and the promise of this aggressive agenda are the trustees of The McMahon Foundation.”
Future student activities complex offi cially namedOffi ce of Government and Community Relations
As the nation focuses on the presidential race, the Student Government Association (SGA) elections will be the focus for Cameron students next week. Students are able to choose which of the two tickets fi led for the positions of Student Government Executive Offi cers for the next 2008-2009 academic year will prevail.
Filing for SGA offi cers and senators ended on Mar. 26. Students from diff erent academic schools and organizations received encouragement from Student Activities to fi le for the senate that will ultimately interpret legislation and adjudicate traffi c violations.
According to current Student Government President Jeff Wozencraft, this year’s election will be diff erent and more exciting than last
Cameron students prepare to head to the polls for SGA electionsBy Bira VidalCollegian Staff
year’s election.“Obviously it’s going to be diff erent.
Two tickets are running against each other; it’s gonna be like the other year [2006],” Wozencraft said. “It’s going to be a heated election.”
Each team of three candidates is called a ticket. Th e ticket has a president, vice-president and treasurer candidates running together. Cameron students are allowed to vote for individual candidates instead of the complete ticket.
Th e fi rst ticket is composed of current SGA Treasurer Jessica Daoang, current Vice President Tobias Kuhn and Tammy Anderson. Each one is lined up for president, vice-president and treasurer respectively. Treasurer Daoang explains the election will give the ticket an extra opportunity to serve Cameron students.
“Th e basis [of our campaign] is that we want to be here for the students,
because we represent them,” Daoang said. “I like helping people and helping all other organizations to know that Student Government is important.”
Just as Daoang plans to help students through SGA, she wants to assist students who are not currently involved with the Cameron government life, giving them a chance to express their thoughts.
“Everyone should have an opportunity to voice his or her opinion. Th e important thing is, if you’re not involved, how can your voice be heard?” Daoang said. “We do want to recruit more, not only in the departments, but also in all organizations on campus.”
Th e second ticket is composed of current School of Education & Behavioral Sciences senator and chair of the Legislative committee Robert Sharp, Megan Meff ord and current sergeant at arms Daniel Brown. Th ey are running for president, vice-
president and treasurer respectively.Senator Sharp states it is his wish
to have other a ticket that includes candidates with previous SGA experience. Th e combination of experience and genuine interest in student government
“I thought I could do good things for the University as SGA president. I’ve been in SGA for two years as a senator,” Sharp said. “I knew Megan through the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature and we thought it’d be good to run as a ticket.”
Some modifi cations in current SGA procedures will be a priority for Sharp. He stated that a greater participation and involvement of freshmen students is fundamental for the success of the organization.
“We’d choose leaders for freshmen in SGA, to help them,” Sharp said. “We’d also have a retreat for freshmen to break down the parliamentary procedure before the semester begins.”
Even with diff erent point of views, both presidential candidates believe that the participation of Cameron students in the government process should be encouraged and reinforced.
“We’d have a Public Relations person from the beginning,” Daoang said. “We’d encourage SGA to be more involved on campus, using Student Activities, CUTV, Th e Collegian, bulletin boards and e-mail.”
“We’re doing legislation that really aff ects people, and we’re trying to get more out there,” Sharp said. “We want to make more students aware that we have an SGA. Th is is real stuff that is happening and if you wanna be a part of it, you should go out and vote.”
Elections for executive offi cers and senators will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Reading Room in the Student Union on April 1-2. Cameron students are strongly encouraged to support their candidates and exercise their right to vote.
In this corner: (Right to left) Tobias Kuhn, Jessica Daoang and Tammy Anderson. The three will be running on the same ticket in the upcoming SGA elections.
And in this corner: (Right to left) Robert Sharp, Megan Mefford and Daniel Brown. The group will be running against Kuhn, Daoang and Anderson in the SGA elections.
News 3March 31, 2008
On March 17, members of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) went to Dallas to present their community outreach projects to a panel of judges at the annual spring competition.
CU students involved in the SIFE organization are given the chance to advance in the business world through entrepreneurial outreach projects.
The organization creates opportunities for students to take what they have learned inside the classroom, think outside the box and apply those ideas to real world situations.
Students are challenged with business projects that they work on throughout the school year and present at National Competitions.
While SIFE is popular among Cameron students, it is just a branch of a much larger national organization. SIFE is currently active within 47 countries, at more than 1,500 universities with a membership of nearly 39,000 students.
The Dallas competition showcased projects that students from universities throughout the southwest region had prepared for the two-day event.
Cameron students gave presentations applying five educational criteria and discussed the impact made within their community. The students presented on financial leaders, market economy, entrepreneurship, business ethics and personal success skills.
According to the SIFE Web site, students were required to write an annual report and show a live, audio-visual presentation as part of their proposal to top business leaders.
CU senior and Finance major, Sonila Abdulla has been a member of SIFE for two years and attended the competition in Dallas to present her project encompassing her work in the field of finance.
Abdulla said, “We are each
‘Free Enterprise’ students present community outreach projects at Dallas competitionBy Brandi O’DanielCollegian Staff
assigned different projects, but I usually work with the financial leaders topic.”
Abdulla added that the CU group competed against other universities in all five areas in the two-day competition.
“The competition is a league with five to six teams in each group,” Abdulla said. “Throughout the day we presented our topics and competed with the other teams in our separate groups.”
SIFE members not only presented on their individual projects, but also on a particular business venture that one CU student conceived for the Governor’s Cup.
According to Abdulla, the Governor’s Cup is an annual competition that gives students the opportunity to invent their own business plan and come up with a full layout on ways to make their business idea a successful, beneficial business enterprise.
The business idea that receives the highest marks and meets all the required criteria is given money to carry out the project if they so choose.
This year’s presenter for the Governor’s Cup was CU student Pierre Libure. Libure presented Modonis, a web-based social community that is dedicated to connecting unknown artists with music lovers.
The Web site is designed to create an environment for artists to get coverage and develop a network that gives them more exposure among the music community.
After all the business projects and proposals were presented and judged, CU came in second among the other universities with their presentations, but did not receive funding for their Modonis Web site marketing plan.
Students interested in developing their own business plans and formulating proposals can join the SIFE organization at Cameron.
While SIFE is most popular among business students, the
organization is includes students across the campus and around the world.
The CU organization currently has 17 members and has students participating from as far away as the Baltic’s in Cameron’s online MBA program.
For more information go to www.cameron.edu/business/cusife or call SIFE advisor Shawn Carraher at 581.2367.
The Right Stuff?
From earth to the moon: From earth to the moon: Mike Sesland and many of the Mike Sesland and many of the Electronic Design Technology students are headed to Alabama this Electronic Design Technology students are headed to Alabama this week to enter their hand-built moonbuggy in NASA’s annual Great week to enter their hand-built moonbuggy in NASA’s annual Great Moonbuggy Race. The team fi nished 11th last year, but hopes to Moonbuggy Race. The team fi nished 11th last year, but hopes to place in the top 10 with this year’s entry.place in the top 10 with this year’s entry.
Photo by Jim Horinek
GUN CONTROL continued from page 1
President Ross related that the campaign’s success is a testament to the trust that the community has in Cameron and a sign that the community wants to see Cameron grow.
Without the generous contributions of the community, none of this would have been possible. With their continued support, Cameron’s future as an increasingly valuable asset to Southwest Oklahoma looks bright.
“I am proud of the enormous success of this ambitious campaign,” President Ross said. “Cameron has been changing lives for 100 years, and the people of Southwest Oklahoma recognize the value of Cameron and have stepped forward to elevate Cameron to new and greater heights.”
FUNDRAISER continued from page 1
DeBoard also cited the possibility of collateral damage during a campus shooting situation as a cause for concern.
“In many of these situations for the fi rst few seconds even someone armed in the room could not take out the shooter because there was so many people between them and the active shooter. It is a scary thought that you would have someone in that room with a concealed weapon My fear is that more people are going to be injured than the shooter had originally
intended on shooting,” DeBoard said. According to DeBoard he has
spoken with several students on campus, who have a concealed handgun license, about HB 2513.
“Th ey have no desire to bring their weapon on campus knowing that no one else is going to be carrying a weapon on campus. Th ey do not see that this is going to help,” DeBoard said. “Th ey said ‘we are here for the sanctity of the academic atmosphere, we do not want to be wearing our gun, we want to feel safe here’,” DeBoard
said.Although the outcome of HB 2513
remains to be seen it can be said that much of the collegiate community is in opposition to its passage.
“We are the people who work and go to class and study and teach and every group has spoken, including the professionals in public safety. It is a unanimous voice and it is a loud voice that says ‘we are gravely concerned about this bill’s unintended consequences’,” President Ross said.
Voices4 March 31, 2008
Th e answer to a problem is not more problems. Th is logic is being ignored in the issue of whether or not concealed weapons should be allowed on college campuses for those with a concealed weapons permit.
Th e setting of a typical classroom itself presents potential for disaster. Th ere is a greater risk for a fatality with more people around. It may be argued that those with concealed weapons are trained individuals who follow specifi c safety procedures, thus preventing the danger.
However, training is also required to obtain a drivers license. Th is doesn’t prevent the numerous of deaths resulting from car accidents each year in the United States. Th e more cars around, the greater the danger. Th e same is true of guns.
As with all issues, there is disinformation on both sides. However, a healthy fear of guns, or even an acute fear, poses less risk to the lives of students, faculty and everyone involved in the Cameron campus community.
One of the arguments for concealed weapons on campus is that guns will be in the hands of the good guys with permits instead of just the bad guys.
While having a concealed weapon is not indicative of violent behavior, it isn’t a guarantee of a clean bill of mental health. Not everyone with a mental illness seeks the help of a professional. Th is means that a
background check will not pick up on someone with anger issues or poor impulse control issues. Having no history of mental illness or violence does not mean the individual is stable, only that they haven’t fallen under the radar. Th is is not to say that citizens with permits are lunatics, but that the system is not fl awless.
It is also argued that those with concealed weapons permits must have a clean criminal record and thus they are law-abiding citizens. First of all, having a clean criminal record is not necessarily indicative of a law-abiding individual. Like the mental
health issue, it only means they have never been arrested or convicted for
criminal activity. Again, this is not
an argument against concealed weapons, but
against concealed weapons on campus. Students and faculty with a concealed weapons
permit, or those who support the possession of concealed weapons permits have a greater responsibility
in saying no to guns on campus. While it may seem that the
arguments against guns on campus are a series of “what-if ”
situations, it is impossible that more guns on campus would be free of fatal consequences. Th is could put the entire issue of having a concealed weapons permit under scrutiny. For instance: “If fatal shootings happen on campus by permit holders, where else might they get trigger-happy?” Th e media does jump to conclusions and those who value their right to
bear arms should consider this. While Cameron is a relatively low-
crime university, thefts do happen on nearly every college campus. Someone who only wanted to steal another student’s iPod or laptop could get more than they bargained for. Th is works two ways. Th e thief could be getting a gun in addition to the laptop or a concealed weapons permit carrier may pull out a gun. People do not always think clearly in stressful situations. All the training in the world doesn’t prepare an individual for real-life violence. Th e fear and adrenaline that accompanies a life-threatening situation is likely to shake anyone’s expert aim.
Concealed weapons on campus,
even only in the hands of the good guys with permits, present a myriad of problems for campus police. How is the offi cer supposed to tell who was originally doing the shooting and who is only defending themselves and others? An already confusing and frightening situation is made more bewildering for the police, who are there to protect. Taking down the wrong gunman or gunmen, and its mere possibility, would also increase the anxiety of the men and women who try to keep Cameron University a safe place. If the police have trouble distinguishing between the original shooter and the law-abiding citizen, how accurate is the judgment of someone with far less training?
Moreover, there are many students and faculty who would feel uneasy in class knowing there were more guns around. Th is creates a level of fear that is not conducive to the educational environment. Will bulletproof backpacks complete with matching holster become as common as backpacks and purses with a cell phone compartment?
Th e appropriate response to the school-shooting predicament is not more guns because guns are not the basis of the original problem. However, throwing more guns in the mix, along with a heavy load of anxiety for all concerned can only create more problems.
ARe guns the answer to on-campus violence?
MCT C
ampus
MCT C
ampus
MCT Campus
Ask the Aggies:Photos by Katie Batule
Should students and faculty with concealed
weapons permits be allowed to carry their
guns on campus? Bobby WetzelBusiness Freshman
“ It’s dumb. You are trying to up the security. Bringing
guns on campus doesn’t make sense.”
John GarveyHuman Ecology Junior
“I’m undecided. If you have a permit and you go through the proper channels, it’s okay to a certain extent. I believe every
couple of months you should be tested to make sure you’re not
abusing the privilege.”
Wayne WhiteCommunications Freshman
“It’s stupid. If you don’t want a school shooting to
happen, why are you going to give students weapons?”
Krystal ChiddixPublic Relations Freshman
“I don’t think that would be very wise because you always have a few who aren’t very
careful and there could be an accident. That’s why we have
campus security.”
Kaetlyn BrennanElementary Education Freshman
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. The wrong people may get a
permit. They may use it to their advantage. They may use it for
the wrong reasons.”
Voices 5March 31, 2008
Editorial BoardEditor-in-Chief - Jessica LaneNews Editor - Josh RouseAssistant News Editor - Jim HorinekA&E Editor - Amanda HerreraSports Editor - Kareem GuisteVariety Editor - Bira VidalAssistant Editor - David R. BublitzCopy Editor - Laura Batule
Newsroom Staff Ads Manager - Kelley BurtCartoonist - Th omas PruittFinancial Offi cer - Susan HillStaff Writers - Chris Allison, John Robertson, Alexis DelCiello, Kerry Meyers, Brandi O’Daniel, Ashley Wilkerson
Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Keller
Newswriting StudentsJenifer Biles, Donnale Mann
About UsTh e offi cial student newspaper of Cameron University, Th e Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Letters PolicyLetters to the editor will be printed in
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COLLEGIANFounded in 1926
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THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
It overtook me during Spring Break.
Something from before.Something on the cusp of
memory.Something nostalgic.A transition happened a
couple of years ago, without my knowledge. Where once I was all about Nintendo, Sega and Sony, I had converted to PC games. Whether this was due to
Spring break brings console nostaliafi nances (to fully outfi t a console these days costs about as much as it would to buy a nice computer) or whether it was due to game selection, I found a kind of solace in computer gaming.
Since the release of and my introduction to Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing
Games (MMORPGs), my gaming career has been all about honing my
skills as a rogue (Myst) on World of Warcraft. Aside from
the ability to network, communicate
and conquer with my friends, I have
come to appreciate and cherish the quiet grace with which Myst
utterly destroyed her foes with a classic
Shadowstep-Ambush-Blind-Vanish-Ambush
combo. In many ways Myst has even become
a kind of release for me. After a hard day of work
and classes, nothing beats going into a lower-
level zone and massacring swarms of level 35 horde on an epiced-out level 70. It defi nitely makes depressurizing more of a kid-with-a-magnifying-glass-and-an-ant-hill kind of experience.
Th en during Spring Break, a friend of mine showed up on my doorstep.
With a copy of Super Smash Brothers: Brawl for the Nintendo Wii in one hand, my friend said, “it is time.”
Th e re-introduction of a console game in my life came with a feeling nothing short of fi rst-date jitters. Would I know how to compose myself? Would I know when to address certain problems or situations at the right time? How will I relate to my fellow players?
What about the Wii controller?Do I know how to perform a
Smash Move anymore?Operate a D pad?Program button combinations?At the character selection
screen, I fumbled aimlessly from
one character to another without form, balance, or the confi dence to make a decision.
And then, he was there.
Pit, from my old, favorite, original Nintendo game, “Kid Icarus.” He was plated in gold, wielding a newly fashioned long bow, a weapon that could split into a pair of sun-lit short swords – should the need for close combat arise.
Transformation came over me in a rush, a hubristic and familiar amalgamation of time, space, and 8-bit glory.
I became the same little console loon I had been in my elementary and junior high school days, that short, annoyingly blonde, barely-teenage David grown arrogant of his gaming prowess from mindless hours of A, B, A, B, Left, Left, A, B, A, B . . .
Two Meximelts, about a gallon of Mountain Dew Baja Blast, and 12 hours later, there was nothing
left of Super Smash Brothers: Brawl to beat.
I left my friend’s house at around 10 a.m. the morning following the night I left home.
Groggy, over-sugared and suff ering the eff ects of poor blood circulation to my legs from sitting too long, I thought “perhaps there is a better way to spend a weekend than in front of the television playing Nintendo.”
Th en again, who else is going to restore Nindendo Land to its former glory?
Has anyone noticed their pockets have been empty since last Halloween? They have been in my case. I believe that holidays have become far too overrated. I first noticed this right after Thanksgiving when I visited a local Wal-Mart and was bombarded with fiber optic Christmas trees and gigantic blowing snow globes.
Is spending all of this money on holidays really necessary to celebrate and have a good time with your family and friends? I don’t think so. As soon as
Christmas is over, it’s time for New Years, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick ’s Day and then Easter.
Will it ever end? So who is to
blame for this holiday money spending fiasco? Do we blame the retailers for making these products so readily available to us? Not only do they make them “readily available,” they make sure that holiday decorations are the first thing that
you see when you enter the store. I am not picking on Wal-Mart, most discount stores like K-Mart and Target also have unavoidable
holiday displays at the entrance.
According to www.unitymarketingonline.com, American’s spent a total of $2,643 on gift purchases in 2006. This Web site conducted a poll titled, “The Gift Giving Report.” This poll was presented to an equal amount of men and women with an average income of $63,000 a year, and the average age ranging from 40-45 years. The survey also revealed that the retailers are partly to blame—Wal-Mart was a favorite among shoppers with 42 percent of consumers purchasing
seasonal items from the retail giant. Target finished a close second with 31 percent.
I can’t put all of the blame on the retailers. Consumers certainly seem to enjoy it. I had a neighbor down the road who decorated their house for Easter like it was Christmas, with a six-foot tall bunny rabbit in their front yard. I am all about getting into the holiday spirit, but where do you draw the line?
Some economists would argue that all of this spending is good for the economy, when in reality, every major holiday is pushing Americans further into debt. The advertising industry and retailers “trick” us into thinking that it is necessary to spend all of this money.
I am not proud to say that I am guilty of being an “over-doer” during the holidays, but it has been known to happen. It is a very easy trap to fall into. Recently, I made a trip to Wal-Mart to purchase a bag of plastic eggs and candy, and ended up coming out with much more. My cousin and I prepared a feast for Easter dinner, colored two dozen eggs, and filled 48 plastic ones full of candy, all this for three small children.
I am making a
commitment to myself to not “over-do it” on future holidays. The purpose of these family gatherings and holidays should be to spend time with friends and family, not spending all of my money. There is no reason to get in debt after every major holiday. Memorial Day…here I come.
Heavy celebrating lightens wallets
Reuniting with an old friend:
Kerry Myers
MCT CampusMCT CampusMCT Campus
MCT Campus
David R. Bublitz
Graphic by David R. Bublitz
A&E6 March 31, 2008
Percussion Ensemble hosting festival on campus
Photo courtesy of the Music Department
Drumming around: The 2007-2008 Cameron University Percussion Ensemble show their silly side. The ensemble is hosting this year’s OK Percussion Festival on CU Campus.
The beat goes on as the Cameron University Percussion Ensemble will be hosting the 2008 Oklahoma Percussion Festival on April 4-5 in the Cameron University Theatre. The two-day festival will include performances from seven high schools and seven colleges in the region. The festival includes the CU Percussion Ensemble’s Spring Concert, which takes place at 8 p.m. on April 4.
The guest artists include Mark Ford, percussion professor at the University of North Texas and John Simon.
Dr. Jim Lambert, CU Music professor, explained some of the unique compositions that will be featured . He said that while there is not a specified theme,
the upcoming performance could be described as “new music for percussion.”
Ford will be playing some of his own compositions as well al others such as “Pontis,” composed by Da Jeong Choi.
A composition by Ford, aptly titled, “Head Talk,” demonstrates the potent communication skills of music. In this piece, five students sit in a semicircle and pretend to interact and speak to each other by beating on their drumheads. Dr. Lambert said this composition is unique in that it only utilizes percussion of the drumheads.
“There is a lot of humor and theatre in it,” he said, “It’s become a standard in the percussion ensemble repertoire.”
A second composition by Ford is titled, “Afta-Stuba.” This composition involves three
performers with Ford being the featured performer, on one marimba. The music has to be performed from memory. Dr. Lambert said that the performers use not only the bars of the marimba, but the sides and the resonators.
“It’s very specific in its instructions. It’s a whimsical composition, Dr. Lambert said.”
Also featured, will be CU alumnus, Simon who is currently a Xerox executive and a freelance drum set performer. He will be performing three concerti for drumset with the ensemble. They are titled: “Concerto for Drumset” by John Beck, “Solar Eclipse” by Tom Morgan and “With Joy in His Heart” by David Mancini.
The CU Percussion Ensemble will also feature compositions arranged by former CU students.
“Bachianas Brasilieras” is a vocal piece originally accompanied by six celli, but CU alumnus, Stacy Loggins has scored the piece to be accompanied by four marimbas, synthesized percussion and a vibraphone. Guest soprano, Doris Lambert, will sing the vocals in Portuguese.
“It’s very haunting,” Dr. Lambert said. “She hums the melody at the end. Her humming projects above the soothing marimbas.”
Practicing since January, Dr. Lambert says he is proud of the dedicated, hard working CU Percussion Ensemble. They have trained during spring break and on Saturdays.
“They initiate a lot rehearsals on their own and I admire that,” Dr. Lambert said.
Tony Bertram, senior Music
major, said that percussion students learn to play many different kinds of instruments.
“That’s what makes percussion students stand out, we have a large family of instruments,” Bertram said.
Clint Williams, junior Music major, said he looks most forward to playing the steel drums.
Dr. Lambert said the festival is designed to share information through the performance of new music.
All of the performances at the festival are free.
The percussion festival has been made possible through funding by the CU Lectures and Concerts Series as well as the Oklahoma Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.
By Jessica LaneCollegian Staff
Latest bloody-good Marshal fi lm provides homages, dancing men in kiltsBy Joshua RouseCollegian Staff
If you’re hungry, try a piece of your friend.
“Doomsday” is the latest cinematic offering from Neil Marshal, director of the often underrated “Dog Soldiers” and “The Descent.” It certainly doesn’t do anything new with the science-fiction genre. Instead, “Doomsday” feels like it’s paying homage to some of the greatest post-apocalyptic movies of the 1980s.
The movie starts out in modern-day Scotland where the Reaper virus, a deadly infection that spreads like the common cold, has completely devastated the country. The British government decides to rebuild Hadrian’s Wall to isolate the country and let the virus run its course.
More than 30 years later, the virus returns. In the midst of political chess and backstabbing, a team is sent back through the wall to find survivors and a cure. They run into rejects that appear as if they have watched too many “Mad Max” movies. They also have a taste for human f lesh and love to burn people alive.
From the time the insertion team crosses the wall until the final credits roll, the whole movie does nothing but shock and amaze. Never has a movie combined so many genres and ideas from other movies to make something that actually appears competent and entertains.
Any film buff can see inspirations from “Escape From New York” and “The Road Warrior” as well as some other subtle shout-outs to the greats of the 80s. Even though there’s nothing particularly new, “Doomsday” doesn’t disappoint. It’s a bloody mess and the body count rises considerably as the 90 minutes blow by.
Many of the sub-plots are underdeveloped and leave you wondering: “what just happened?” But who watches a movie like this, especially a Marshal movie, for the plot? Some of the decisions made by the characters leave a lot to be desired, but it doesn’t detract from the sheer amount of brutal violence that you see on-screen.
Make no mistake; this is not a movie for the faint of heart. There are people burned alive, heads run over with a faint sound of squishiness and crunching and
even a line of fat men in kilts, dancing the can-can (possibly the most scarring moment of a movie you’ll ever see in your life).
Malcolm McDowell, best known as a villain in just about any movie you’ve ever seen, plays an out-of-his-mind scientist who believes the world has reverted back to the Dark Ages. Let’s face it, who doesn’t love McDowell in these kinds of roles? His narration opens the movie and lays the ground for a very intense atmosphere.
MCT CampusHighway to nowhere: A helicopter carrying the last remnants of the British government arrives to attain a cure for the deadly Reaper virus in ‘Doomsday.’ The movie does nothing new with the genre, but provides enough excitement to keep it entertaining.
The centerpiece of the movie is a nearly 20-minute car chase with shameless brand advertising. If you can look past that, you’ll see one of the best car chases since “The Road Warrior.” Heads will roll and a man with spiked hair will ride on top of a car screaming bloody murder.
In fact, the absurdity is what makes “Doomsday” so enjoyable. It’s a movie that doesn’t take itself seriously. “Doomsday” is like the 21st century version of “Evil Dead.” There is so much violence
on screen that you can’t help but laugh at everything that’s going on. And it succeeds. My mouth was hanging open the entire movie and I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen until it was over.
“Doomsday” is definitely one of those movies that must be seen to truly appreciate its brilliance. It may be a knock-off of every previous science-fiction idea, but it does such a great job of injecting so much win into the formula that it sets itself apart from other movies.
A&E 7March 31, 2008
Spring and music are in the air.Th e Cameron University Concert
Band has scheduled its spring concert for 7:30 p.m. on April 1 at the University Th eatre.
Th e performance is under the direction of Dr. Daniel Sheridan, who is in his fourth year as Director of Bands. For this concert, Sheridan has chosen British and American themes, and the concert relies heavily on underlying themes from folk tunes.
Sheridan has made it his goal to increase the level of diffi culty both technically and musically each year.
“Th e repertoire is certainly more demanding,” Sheridan said. “Th e piece the concert is closing with is probably the most diffi cult that we’ve performed since I’ve been here. We’re gradually upping our game for each
and every concert. I would say the level of sophistication in the music is at a much higher level than has been previously performed.”
Among the numerous soloists featured during the evening will be John Moots, music professor and conductor of Cameron’s Jazz Band. An accomplished trumpet player, Moots will solo for Alan Hovhaness’ “Prayer of St. Gregory,” a piece written for an ensemble solo instrument.
Hovhaness is an American composer of Armenian and Scottish descent. Th e “Prayer of St. Gregory,” taken from a religious opera, honors the saint who brought Christianity to Armenia around 300 A.D.
Th e evening will open with Australian born composer Percy Grainger’s “Handel in the Strand.” Grainger served as an American army bandsman during World War I. During his stay in England he
collected and arranged folk songs and country dances. Th e title of this piece refers to Th e Strand, a street in London that is home to London’s musical comedy. Th e music refl ects both Handel’s work and English musical comedy.
American composer, David Gillingham draws his piece from an Irish hymn, “Be Th ou My Vision.” Th e melody is based on an Irish folk song, “Slane,” which tells how St. Patrick defi ed Ireland’s pagan king by lighting candles on Slane Hill on Easter Eve in 433 A.D.
Gustav Holst was commander of all English Army Bands during World War I. He wove numerous English folk songs into the melodies of “Second Suite for Military Band.”
No concert featuring American and British music would be complete without a John Philip Sousa march. In addition to smaller works, Sousa
composed 136 marches, 15 operettas, 70 songs and 11 waltzes. Sousa’s “Th e Stars and Stripes Forever” is the offi cial march of the United States.
For the spring concert, Sheridan has chosen “Manhattan Beach March.” Th is piece imitates sounds of a stroll along the beach, such as the crashing surf and the strains of a band in the distance growing louder and then fi nally fading away.
“Cajun Folk Songs” by Frank Ticheli consists of two movements both based on Cajun folk songs.
Th e fi nal piece, referred to earlier by Sheridan as “very complex,” is William Schuman’s “Chester.” Th e tune of this composition is taken from music sung by troops during the American Revolution. “Chester” is the third movement of the “New England Triptych.”
In addition to teaching Concert Band, Dr. Sheridan also teaches
Single Reeds, which is clarinet, saxophone, and music education courses. He has held positions at Th e University of Akron, Th e College of Wooster and Th e State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Dr. Sheridan has specifi c expectations for the April concert.
“I hope they’ll enjoy the music just for the music’s sake,” Sheridan said. “I think people who have come to our concerts consistently will recognize how far the group has come over the past several years. Th ose are two things that I hope the audience might come away with.”
Th e concert is free for CU students who present a Cameron ID. General admission tickets are $6 and $4 for senior citizens, military and students. For more information, contact the Music Department at 581.2440 or visit their Web site at www.cameron.edu/music.
CU Concert Band to give spring showBy Chris AllisonCollegian Staff
Photo courtesy of the Music Department
Tuning up: The Cameron University Concert Band is preparing to give their annual spring concert. The performance will b at 7:30 p.m. on April 1 in the University Theatre.
It’s a new day at HBO, and right now nobody is more aware of that than Harry Th omason and Linda Bloodworth. Th e Bloodworth-Th omasons were the go-to couple for CBS in the early 1990s, producing sitcom hits such as “Designing Women” and “Evening Shade.”
But lately, these BFFs of Bill and Hillary Clinton have been having as much success as ... well, Bill and Hillary Clinton.
So you can imagine their excitement when HBO decided to develop a one-hour comedy of theirs, “12 Miles of Bad Road,” starring Lily Tomlin as a tart-tongued, high-powered real estate broker to the rich and spoiled of Texas.
According to Th omason, HBO poured $25 million into the project, and several episodes were made. Th en HBO’s longtime chief Chris Albrecht left last year, after an altercation with his girlfriend in Las Vegas made the news. And earlier this month, a stack of DVDs showed up in my mailbox, with a note from Harry.
“We feel the current regime (at HBO) has been and remains uncomfortable with this new, inherited terrain,” Th omason wrote. “We are hoping that some critical reassurance might prompt them to reconsider their decision or at least help us move the show to a more receptive environment.”
Translation: Our show is toast at HBO.
Now, nobody knows for sure if “12 Miles of Bad Road” ever belonged on the same channel as “Th e Sopranos” and “Th e Wire,” but the recent string of series green lighted by HBO have not exactly inspired confi dence that the folks over there know where Albrecht kept the recipe to the special sauce.
HBO’s entertainment chief Carolyn Strauss, who has been with the company 22 years, just left, which is being widely seen as a sign that times are changing over at the No. 1 pay cable channel, though the troubles started long before her departure. David Milch was allowed to stop doing “Deadwood” for no good reason and squander his talent on the bizarre surfer drama “John From Cincinnati.” David Chase was bribed to keep churning out new episodes of “Th e Sopranos,” even though it was clear by Season 5 that he was creatively tapped out.
Two comedy programs I enjoyed, “Lucky Louie” and “Assume the Position,” were abandoned because they didn’t generate the kind of buzz among New York TV critics that HBO lives for. Meanwhile, the dreadful soft-porn drama “Tell Me You Love Me” was renewed for a second season, I suspect because it reminded these same Manhattanites of their own relationships.
Perhaps nothing speaks more to these dual problems _ creative stagnation and obeisance to critics on the coasts _ than the news that HBO had renewed its over-the-hill, Hollywood-cameo-studded comedy “Entourage” ... for two years.
In fairness, HBO has a new management team that was thrust into place rather abruptly. And there are a lot of basic-cable channels now willing to take on the kind of high-end series that only HBO was taking a chance on 10 years ago. But that doesn’t give HBO a free pass, nor does the fact that Time Warner is squeezing budgets company wide, including HBO’s, despite the fact that it generates $1 billion in annual profi t for the mother ship.
So, until the Next Big Th ing comes along, HBO will try to generate short-run buzz by using Sunday nights to showcase events
produced by its fi lms division. “John Adams” is currently playing, followed by “Recount” in May (about the Florida election in 2000, starring Kevin Spacey) and “Generation Kill” in July (an Iraq war miniseries from the creators of “Th e Wire”).
I’m not objecting. I’ve felt for some time that HBO Films is unjustly overlooked by critics. But then, not everyone shares my view.
“Boring” is a word I’m hearing tossed around a lot about “John
Adams.” Just the other day I was talking with a colleague of mine. I was describing some of the wonderful little stabs at authenticity throughout “John Adams”: the hideous tar-and-feather scene, or the doctor inoculating Abigail and her children from smallpox with pus from the boil of a sick patient, or Adams at Philadelphia, about to launch into an impassioned argument when he suddenly realizes he doesn’t have his wig on ... great stuff .
Unimpressed, my colleague said, “Th at’s what HBO has become these days. Edgy PBS.”
Oooh. Harsh but, I’ve got to admit, true. Th e fi lms and the documentaries, like this week’s “Autism: Th e Musical,” are what I love most about HBO. But that’s kind of what they make HBO ... an edgy PBS.
Actually, they’re PBS if PBS made money. Lots of money. Twenty-fi ve-million-to-blow-on-a-Harry-and-Linda-pilot money.
Premium movie channel becoming new PBSBy Aaron BarnhartMCT Campus
Sports8 March 31, 2008
Mullor serves in his last seasonLike many Cameron students
who hit the open road to celebrate Spring Break, the Aggie Men’s Tennis team traveled to Florida to take part in the week long West Florida University Invitational. Elite teams from NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as the NAIA battled the Aggies all week long. When the chalk dust had settled, the Aggie men had tallied up an impressive 4-1 record over the week. After departing Florida, Cameron made a pit-stop in Alabama to take on the University of West Alabama. Th e Aggie men’s team once again took care of business and ended the trip on a great note.
“Wins like these will really help us going into the second half of the season after spring break,” Coach Helvey said. “I’m seeing a high, high level of confi dence from our players and hopefully that continues. It puts a diff erent perspective on things when you come back and have knocked off national teams; you’re starting to feel pretty good about yourself.”
Part of the team’s success is due to senior Jordi Mullor who is from Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. While in Florida, Mullor teamed up with Daniel Pazos, a junior Business Management major to win the doubles championship. As a senior, Mullor thinks about the outcome of the season and the possibility of stepping up to a new level in this year’s competition.
“It has been an amazing experience playing college tennis in the United States, especially at Cameron University. I have met a lot of people here and it has been a very rewarding season, but it is not over yet, I still want to achieve more.” said Mullor.
Mullor came to Cameron in 2004, and will graduate in May with a double major in Finance and Economics. Mullor says that after graduation, he would like to fi nd
a job in the United States. As for his future and tennis, he wants to succeed in the professional world and realizes that his focus on tennis will more than likely be put on the back burner.
Mullor said: “Th ere is a lot of competition out there where professional tennis is concerned, so I am actually focusing on my career. I want to excel, but I realize tennis will be a very good hobby for me. I have played it for a lot of years. So far this season, a lot of strength has been added to the team with new players. Last year we fell short at nationals, but this year we are here again and we are expecting better things.”
Mullor feels this year the men’s team started the season off strong and will fi nish strong as well. “We have a lot of players that often fall short of the fi nal match, but we are real excited about nationals and conference, we are a strong team.” said Mullor. “We have a lot of experience that can give us the edge that we want.”
Th e time required for student athletes to train, compete in home games and travel to away games can become a full time job. Mullor says the most diffi cult challenge at Cameron has been learning how manage his time between athletics and a busy school schedule.
“It becomes real important to put your priorities in order, of course school comes fi rst, we are students too, not just athletes,” said Mullor.
He hopes that the educational departments will aide the athletes when they are not able to attend class due to an athletic function and help them iron out any confl icts that may result
Th e Aggie roster is full of talent. Th e men’s team is currently ranked 11th and Coach Helvey expects the men to move into the top eight.
Th e updated national tennis team rankings are scheduled to come out sometime around April 1-2.
By Ashley WilkersonCollegian Staff
Photo by Bennet Dewan
CU softball maintains winning streak
Make it eight wins in a row for the Cameron Aggie softball team (20-18, 3-5 LSC-North), who today swept the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State (11-7, 0-0 MIAA) at Cameron Field. The Aggies have now won nine of their last ten games and appear headed for the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament. Today CU won the first game in a run-rule, 10-1, and the second game 9-8 in the bottom of the final inning.
“Good teams find ways to win, and today we showed we can be that team,” Head Coach Richie Nye said. “We are feeling pretty confident right now. The key is that we aren’t walking as many and we aren’t making as many errors. When we combine those two together with our hitting we have a chance to win. Our pitchers are doing much better.”
The Aggies did a great job in nearly every facet of the game this afternoon. Cameron only committed 2 errors on the day and recorded an impressive 24 hits. The team also was able to rely on steady pitching throughout the double-header.
In the afternoon’s opening game, Cameron got on the board early and put up a 5-0 lead after the first two innings. A grand-slam homerun by junior Jenna Boren broke the game wide open for CU, who went on to put up another five runs in the final three innings. The Bearcats put up a
By Craig MartinSports Information Director
single run in the top of the sixth and final inning, but did not score enough to avoid a run-ruling. CU won the game 10-1 in only six innings.
Boren, who played at first base, finished with a phenomenal 6 RBI to lead both teams. She went 2-3 from the plate with her aforementioned homerun and a single. She was also walked once.
Sophomore pitcher Ashton McBride pitched a gem on the mound, going the distance for a complete game victory. She went all 6.0 innings and allowed only 1 run on a mere 4 hits. McBride faced a total of 22 batters and recorded 1 strikeout.
Cameron continued the offensive onslaught in the afternoon’s nightcap, but Northwest Missouri State did everything they could to counter CU’s runs. The Bearcats opened up a 6-0 lead after their at-bats in the second inning, but Cameron scored 7 runs over the next two innings to go up 7-6. NWMSU regained the lead with a two-spot in the fifth, and held the advantage until the seventh and final inning.
The Aggies were able to manufacture enough runs in the bottom of the seventh to win the game 9-8. With two runners in scoring position and two outs gone in the final frame, senior Whitney Richardson doubled to leftfield to tie the game at 8. On the next at-bat, sophomore Courtney Clifford singled to right field scoring the winning run and giving CU the victory.
“Offensively the team is showing a lot of character,” Coach Nye said. “It was good to see our team didn’t lie down and quit; they fought back. That is a credit to the girls and our good off-season training program.”
Junior infielder Chelsey Jordan had a big day at the plate going 2-4 with a game-high 4 RBI. She hit an amazing 2 homeruns in the game and also scored 2 runs.
Richardson had the most successful day at the plate after recording a hit in 3 of her 4 at-bats for a team-high .750 batting average. She led the game with 2 doubles and also recorded a single RBI
McBride got her second win of the day to move to 14-11 on the season. She pitched the final 3.0 innings of the game and faced 15 batters. She allowed only
1
run on 6
hits and recorded
1 walk. “Ashton
is doing better,” Coach Nye said. “One walk in nine innings is big time. She is
keeping the ball down and getting a lot of ground
balls. The key to winning is pitching and defensive
improvements. Today we let
our defense play and made big plays
behind our pitchers.” The Cameron softball team
takes part in the Lone Star
Conference
Crossover tournament in Durant , Oklahoma , this weekend. The Aggies will play 7 LSC South Division teams in 3 days. The softball action can be followed via the Lone Star Conference website (lonestarconference.org). The live action can also be accessed by clicking on the link on the softball page of the Cameron Athletics website (goaggies.cameron.edu).
“We’ve got a good win streak heading into the crossover tournament,” Coach Nye said. “That will be one huge test, and hopefully we keep on playing at this level.”
In other Cameron softball news, junior outfielder Shareena Pulse was named the Lone Star Conference Hitter of the Week today after her impressive play last week. Pulse had an absolutely phenomenal week offensively as she averaged a homerun in every 3.83 at bats this week and averaged at least a homerun every game. Her 13 RBI were also very inf luential, as was her walk-off, game-winning homerun versus Northeastern State .
“Shareena really deserves the recognition,” Coach Nye said. “She hit really well and is a very good hitter. She sure put it together and seemed to win the games for us by herself.”
In his element: Cameron aggie tennis senior Jordi Mullor trains at the CU Tennis Center ahead of the team’s spring break Florida schedule. The team is on a winning streak so far, and has conference in sight.
Sports 9March 31, 2008
CU coach qualifi es for Boston Marathon
Head Coach Matt Aguero qualifi ed for the Boston Marathon by fi nishing the Fort Worth 26.2 mile race in 2 hours, 37 minutes, 0 seconds.
“Yeah, I ran 2:37:0,” Aguero said, “I can run faster, but this was a pretty tough course. But 2:37:0 is not bad, that’s about a six minute [per mile] pace.”
Not everyone can run in the Boston Marathon, runners have to qualify for it Aguero explained.
“Th e Boston Marathon is one of the only marathons that you have to qualify for and it’s diff erent times for diff erent age groups,” he said. “[In] my age group, you had to run under 3:10:0 to qualify.”
Aguero added that it takes a lot of preparation to train for a marathon. His regimen consists of varying degrees of diffi culty.
“Well as far as my training, basically it’s broken down to hard days and easy days,” Aguero said. “My weekly mileage would be
Donnale MannCollegian Staff
anywhere between 100 to 115 miles a week. Usually, I like 16 weeks of solid training before a marathon.”
Aguero pointed out that he ran his fi rst of 11 marathons when he was a junior in high school. He holds the East Central University marathon record and was a three-time qualifi er for the National Track and Field Championships. He also has received an esteemed award from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
“Th is is actually an NAIA national championship ring in cross-country,” Aguero said. “When I was an assistant in Virginia, at a small school called Virginia Intermont College we won nationals in cross-country, in 2004.”
Aguero became the CU men’s cross-country coach in 2005. His team has produced one All Region-All Conference runner and he believes they have the potential to have a very successful season.
“Th is is my third year; I started the program in 2005,” he said. “In the past two years we’ve had one all
region all conference guy and we have added a couple of new guys. I think that we have a good shot at qualifying for nationals, which would be pretty amazing for only our fourth year.”
Recruiting is a key element in the continued success of college athletic programs and Aguero believes this year’s additions were some of the best in the country.
“Th ey don’t rank recruiting classes in cross-country like they do in football, but if they did this one would be right at the top,” Aguero said. “All of these guys can come in and make a huge impact and will push the guys we have already.”
Th e Cameron University’s Men’s Cross-Country team has 13 runners and although their offi cial season begins in the late summer and ends in November, these self-disciplined, self-motivated athletes run and train all year.
“Cross-Country season starts in the fall and it’s our main season. It runs from August to November,” Aguero said. “But for a cross-country runner you never really
have an off season, you train year round.”
Aguero stated that cross-country is not like track and fi eld. Cross-country does not have a lot of individual events it consist of one event that is 10 or 8-kilometers. Eight kilometers is about fi ve miles while a 10K is about six miles.
“Well a lot of times people get cross-country confused with track. If you go to a track meet they will have a 100-meter, 10,000-meter or mile event,” He explained, “a cross-country meet is just one race and everybody jumps in.”
Aguero noted that he really loves helping people get in shape and meet their goals. He said that if someone was interested in running they should start with a 5K run.
“I love helping people get in shape and meet their goals,” Aguero said, “running is probably the best way to burn calories. I would challenge someone if they are interested in running to run a 5K. And they have those all over the place, 5K road races.”
Aguero pointed out that if
you can run, then you can run a marathon.
“Anybody that is capable of putting one foot in front of the other can run and even run a marathon,” He said, “if they train for it and you give someone enough time to prepare for it they can do it.”
Aguero added that the best way for new runners to get started is to run until they get tired.
“If I was coaching someone who was just starting, I would say go out and run until you get tired and then when you get tired stop,” Aguero said, “then on the next day I would say go out and run until you get tired again, that is the best way to get started.”
When asked if Cameron had a summer running camp to assist aspiring runners. Aguero commented that in the future he would like to have one.
“I would love to have a camp and kind of gear it towards who ever wanted to show up,” he said, “we don’t have one but it is something I have been thinking about having in the future.”
CU men’s golf fi nishes 4th at UCOWith only one tournament to
go before postseason play begins, the Aggie men’s golf team this week traveled northeast to take part in the KickingBird Classic tournament in Edmond, Oklahoma. After three rounds in two days, the Aggies took 4th place overall ahead of a number of fellow Lone Star Conference programs.
“We played pretty good, and better than what it looks like,” Head Coach Jerry Hrnciar said. “I was pretty pleased with how after we fi nished strong after starting out struggling. It was good to see that. Everybody played pretty good golf, especially considering the greens, the wind, and the morning cold.”
Th e event was hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma and was played at the KickingBird Golf Club (Par 70; 6,722 yards). A total of fi fteen teams and eighty-four players participated in the tournament.
Th e Aggies fi nished with a total team score of 883 (292-300-291). Th e host Bronchos of Central Oklahoma won the team title after winning a two-team playoff with the
Craig MartinSports Information Director
Midwestern State Mustangs. Both UCO and MSU fi nished the event with a team score of 870. UCO’s Colby Shrum won the individual title with a three-round score of 870 (297-285-288).
Cameron was in 4th place after Monday’s fi rst two rounds, and wanted to avoid a third round letdown similar to what the team had experienced in the last few tournaments. Th is time the Aggies actually recorded their best round of the tournament in the third and fi nal round, much to the delight of Coach Hrnciar.
“Th e big thing was that we had our best round the last round, which
is so important,” Coach Hrnciar said. “We have been stumbling in the last round for quite a while, and it was good to get this one under our
belt.” On another
positive note, the Aggies held their ground regionally with victories over Southwestern Oklahoma State and Southeastern Oklahoma State .
A win over Midwestern State would have completed the three-team regional sweep for CU.
“I’m not happy we didn’t fi nish higher. Th ere were
still some obstacles we couldn’t overcome,” Coach Hrnciar said. “We are on a road now to improving and that gives us a little bit of breathing room. Now when we go to our next tournament it won’t be
such a life and death deal to win.” Junior Peter Svajlen had a great
tournament and was the only Aggie to fi nish in the top ten. Svajlen, who won the last tournament Cameron competed in (Red River Intercollegiate), ended the event tied for 10th place overall with a fi nal score of 218 (72-76-70). Svajlen also recorded the third-most eagles with 1, and the fourth-best par fi ve scoring average (4.33, -6).
Like Svajlen, sophomore Michael Lee also took off six strokes from his day one score on day two, and fi nished the tournament in a tie for 17th place overall.
His three-round score was 220 (72-77-71). In the event Lee recorded the fourth-best par four scoring average (4.23, +7).
Sophomore Brett Leavell, who led the Cameron men after the fi rst two rounds, and senior Cane Shumaker both fi nished in the top 50 golfers overall.
Leavell fi nished in a tie for 26th place with a two-day score of 223 (72-75-76). Shumaker ended in a tie for 35th place overall with an overall score of 225 (76-72-77).
Another Aggie sophomore, Robbe Trout, fi nished the KickingBird Classic in a tie for 67th
place overall with a three-round score of 236 (83-79-74).
A pair of Aggie men’s golfers competed as individual medalists in the tournament and put together very solid performances. Junior Cade Lewis and freshman Dave Young competed individually and fi nished in a tie for 57th place and 67th place, respectively.
Lewis recorded a fi nal score of 233 (74-81-78), while Young recorded a 236 (80-81-75). Lewis also recorded the second-most pars in the event with 34.
Th e Aggie men’s golf team next travels to Pensacola , Florida , to participate in the Argonaut Invitational. Th e event is hosted by #1 West Florida University and will be played from April 7-8 at the Tiger Point Golf and Country Club. Some of the top teams in the nation will be competing in the tournament including Valdosta State , Delta State , and North Alabama .
“Th ere will be a lot of elite competition in that tournament,” Coach Hrnciar said. “If we can be competitive with the top teams it will give us a good indication of where we are and where we need to be. It will be like a mini regional tournament.”
Cade Lewis
Smedley heads volleyball squadOn March 8, Cameron
University welcomed new head women’s volleyball coach, Brianne Smedley to its staff. Smedley quickly put rubber to the road the first four days on the job when she met with CU volleyball players and helped coordinate a junior’s volleyball tournament.
“It has been a whirlwind of meetings and signing papers,” Smedley said. “My first five minutes on campus I met the team and we had to work a junior’s tournament. It definitely started off running.”
Though there was little opportunity to get acquainted, Smedley wasted no time learning about her players and began practices for the upcoming spring tournaments.
“I feel I have gotten to know the girls, I don’t want to say well at this point, because there is so much to learn about them and for them to learn about me,” Smedley said. “Immediately starting with
practices has allowed us to start learning about each other pretty fast.”
Smedley may be the new kid on the block in southwest Oklahoma, but she certainly is not new to the game. Before beginning her head coach position at CU, Smedley coached in Georgia, Louisiana and Florida.
“I was at Berry College as a head coach for three years and before that I was an assistant coach at Centenary College in Louisiana for one year and assistant coach at St. Leo University in Florida.”
The first task Smedley hopes to accomplish at CU is providing stability to a program that has seen multiple changes in past years.
“The first thing I want to establish with this team is some consistency. I will be the fourth head coach in four years,” Smedley said. “My seniors have seen a different coach every year, have heard different ways to play the game and heard different ways to do skills.”
Most would shy away from accomplishing such a task—consistency, but Smedley plans to provide that stability and “go get ‘em” attitude by way of her love for the game and the women she coaches.
“To establish that sort of intensity from your players is going to come from the way practices are structured and them knowing exactly what we expect. As long as we keep it consistent from our end - coaching, the players will be able to translate that into practices and then into matches,” Smedley said. “I want my program and my players to love it as much as I do. I never want to create a situation with my program when my players are dreading coming to practice and having to work hard. I want volleyball to be the best part of their day.”
Putting aside the benefit of living closer to home, and moving into Division II volleyball, Smedley sees other advantages to coaching at Cameron University.
“When I visited CU everyone
was very nice and had really positive things to say about the school, in the different projects they said had just been completed, and are in the works for the next few years, I can really tell the school is committed to making improvements and supporting the athletic department,” Smedley said.
Though changes have become the norm in the CU program in recent years, Smedley does not see this as an excuse to put success on the back burner.
Smedley said, producing a winning season, doing well in conference, making it to the conference tournament and to the regional tournament are all goals that she and the players see within reach this season.
“The athletes here are passionate about the program. I am ready to work hard and
Alexis Del CeiloCollegian Staff
absolutely love coaching the sport,” Smedley said. “As long as the girls are ready to work hard on the court, I think we are going to accomplish a lot.”
Photo by Kareem Guiste
Unifi ed: The volleyball squad will vie for supremacy this year.
Variety10 March 31, 2008
Photos by Bira VidalPhotos by Bira VidalPhoto Collage by Bira VidalPhoto Collage by Bira Vidal
Easter bunny hops into PAC’s annualEaster Egg Hunt
Spring is a time for fl owers to Spring is a time for fl owers to bloom and animals to wake up from bloom and animals to wake up from hibernation. One of these animals is hibernation. One of these animals is the Easter bunny that also decided the Easter bunny that also decided to show up at Cameron University to show up at Cameron University for the seventh annual Easter Egg for the seventh annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by Programming Hunt sponsored by Programming Activities Council.Activities Council.
Th e hunt occurred at 5 p.m. Th e hunt occurred at 5 p.m. on Mar. 25 at the lawn south of on Mar. 25 at the lawn south of the Student Activities Building. the Student Activities Building. According to Laura Hidalgo, According to Laura Hidalgo, marketing senior and event chair, marketing senior and event chair, children had a diff erent range of children had a diff erent range of activities related to their age group.activities related to their age group.
“[Th e kids had] games, coloring “[Th e kids had] games, coloring books, food, pictures with the books, food, pictures with the Easter bunny and the Easter egg Easter bunny and the Easter egg hunt,” Hidalgo said.hunt,” Hidalgo said.
Th e Criminal Justice and Th e Criminal Justice and Sociology department helped Sociology department helped PAC by providing special gifts for PAC by providing special gifts for
drawings. Some of the items for the drawings. Some of the items for the drawing were an Easter blanket, drawing were an Easter blanket, candy baskets and games.candy baskets and games.
Children also had the chance Children also had the chance to take a picture with the Easter to take a picture with the Easter bunny. PAC members then bunny. PAC members then distributed the pictures to the distributed the pictures to the children.children.
Th e egg hunt happened right Th e egg hunt happened right after the pictures. Children were after the pictures. Children were divided in three age groups, zero divided in three age groups, zero to three, four to eight and nine to to three, four to eight and nine to 12. Parents assisted the small kids 12. Parents assisted the small kids while the big ones hunted away.while the big ones hunted away.
Tanna Vu, a Cameron alumna, Tanna Vu, a Cameron alumna, brought her 4-year-old son, Tai Vu, brought her 4-year-old son, Tai Vu, to the Easter Egg Hunt. To her, the to the Easter Egg Hunt. To her, the hunt is a way of still being involved hunt is a way of still being involved at Cameron.at Cameron.
“Th is is our second year. He “Th is is our second year. He came with his little friend from came with his little friend from school,” Vu said. “It’s a way to school,” Vu said. “It’s a way to support Cameron as an alumna.”support Cameron as an alumna.”
Following the premise of the Following the premise of the
Ready, set, hunt: Children of different age groups get ready for the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by PAC.
Parents and relatives help children collect the eggs put by PAC members on the lawn next to the Parents and relatives help children collect the eggs put by PAC members on the lawn next to the Student Activities Building. The annual egg hunt reached its seventh year.Student Activities Building. The annual egg hunt reached its seventh year.
Hopping around:Hopping around: The Easter bunny shows up at The Easter bunny shows up at the hunt and takes pictures with children. The Easter the hunt and takes pictures with children. The Easter bunny was one of the main attractions.bunny was one of the main attractions.
Mother and son:Mother and son: Tai Vu and his mom, Tanna Vu, Tai Vu and his mom, Tanna Vu, show his bucket full of eggs. Students, faculty and show his bucket full of eggs. Students, faculty and alumni brought their children for the egg hunt.alumni brought their children for the egg hunt.
By Bira VidalBy Bira VidalCollegian Staff Collegian Staff
Halloween Carnival, the Easter Egg Hunt Halloween Carnival, the Easter Egg Hunt was a safe environment for children.was a safe environment for children.
“Students that are parents usually have “Students that are parents usually have no time, so they come and attend the event no time, so they come and attend the event on campus,” Hidalgo said. “It gives the on campus,” Hidalgo said. “It gives the opportunity to them because they can feel opportunity to them because they can feel good it’s a school event, and they know good it’s a school event, and they know their kids will be safe coming here.”their kids will be safe coming here.”
