COLLEGIAN THE CA M ERON U N I V ER SIT Y
Monday, April 17, 2006
News
Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926
Butts win: no-smoking legislation thwarted for now By Petulah Olibert Collegian Staff
Hundreds of youngsters descend on campus. SEE PAGE 4
A&E
Volume 79 Issue 25
On Kick Butts Day, April 5, motivational speaker and avid anti-smoking advocate Dave Goerlitz came to campus to lecture on the dangers of smoking. His talk was in keeping with the theme of Cameron University’s Festival VI, “CU in Good Health.” Goerlitz, a former Winston brand cigarette model, came to an abrupt standstill in his career when he decided to take a stand against the promotion and use of tobacco. Now a popular health and wellness advocate and author of a book entitled “Lifting the Smoke Screen,” Goerlitz tries to undo the damage caused by his smoking campaigns.
According to the Albany Herald, Goerlitz said marketing executives claimed, “smoking was for the young, the economically disadvantaged, minorities and less intelligent people.” Goerlitz’ speech came right on the heels of current Student Government Association legislation aiming to make Cameron a smokefree campus. According to Frank Myers, 2005-2006 SGA president, the piece of legislation, presented by Jeffery Luffman, was in no way connected to Goerlitz’ presence on campus, although quite timely. “Many student government members were supportive of Luffman’s idea, and I liked it too. I definitely think it is something we should consider,” Myers said, acknowledging that the rules governing smoking on campus were, for the most part, being ignored. “Right now the rules state that one can smoke on
campus, but no closer than 25 feet from a doorway. But these rules have not been enforced or heeded,” Myers said. “One of the things done to help this situation was to place the ash trays 25 feet away from doorways, but it still poses a problem for some non-smokers. What they fail to realize is that 25 feet is not very far away and if someone is smoking 25 feet from a doorway, chances are that someone will have to walk through that smoke to get into a building.” Despite the disregard for on-campus smoking regulations and the support garnered by members of the SGA, the legislation was eventually vetoed.
See NO-SMOKING, Page 4
Theatre Department Rx: A dose of Moliere. SEE PAGE 6
Sports
Photo By Rhyan McGuire
Listen up: Students rally around Dave Goerlitz, former Winston cigarette model, as he speaks to students about smoking. Goerlitz spoke to CU students after SGA passed legislation to make Cameron a smoke-free campus.
Collegian takes top honors at conference Collegian Staff
He’s in it to win. SEE PAGE 7
Voices
The Cameron Collegian has extended its tradition of excellence by another year. On April 7 members of the newspaper staff attended the Oklahoma Collegiate Press Association’s annual conference in Stillwater, where the staff was awarded top honors in three categories and individual honors in eight. Professional journalists from the Kansas Associated Collegiate Press served as judges for the 16 public and private schools entered in the competition. One judge commented that The Collegian was “a clean, readable and fun-to-lookat newspaper.” The Collegian won the Award of Excellence for overall newspaper in its category of four-year
Collegian Staff
SEE PAGE 3
Office: Nance Boyer 2060 Phone: 580•581•2261 E-mail us at : collegian@cameron.edu First Copy Free - $.25 for each additional copy Contents © The Collegian 2006
“I didn’t know I was going to compete until after my art had already been sent in.” Next year, Pruitt plans to compete at full force. “This experience has re-kindled my love for cartooning. Next year I want to work even harder on my weekly comic strip to make sure I have plenty of great material to send to competition,” he said. “Next year I’m gunning for first place.” Several staff members entered the writing categories. Placing in two different categories was December graduate and past A&E editor, Angela Sanders. Sanders earned second place in reviews and an honorable mention in column writing.
See OCPA, page 8
Active duty soldiers required to enroll online By Bira Vidal
A memorial meant to honor or to exploit?
public schools. Front-page design and interior page design garnered two more Awards of Excellence. The latter two categories were new this year. Credit for front and news page design goes to news editor Sarah Warren with assistance from Kareem Guiste. Kudos for the Voices page goes to managing editor Lisa Snider, while Josh Rouse is credited for A&E pages, and Aaron Gilbee for the sports pages submitted at the end of last semester. In individual non-writing categories, Thomas Pruitt placed second in cartoons, and Leah Hicks won third in display ads. This was Pruitt’s first year to enter the competition. “I was surprised I even placed at all,” he said.
Active duty soldiers at Cameron University who receive tuition assistance are now required to enroll online, or risk losing benefits. GoArmyEd is a new national process created to centralize the higher education procedure and assist active-duty soldiers earning a college degree. The new system is available to universities with a considerable Army community within the student body. Cameron University has implemented the system due to the significant number of students in the Army, according to Lance Janda, assistant vice president of academic affairs. Soldiers receiving tuition assistance must apply for admission, enroll in classes and fill out the graduation paperwork online at GoArmyEd, rather than on campus. The reason for the change is to make the process of granting financial aid more efficient for soldiers. “Students who go ahead and enroll on
campus themselves risk losing their tuition assistance,” Janda said, “so it is very important that they enroll through the GoArmyEd site first.” Although the new process requires students to enroll online, they still need to be advised on campus by Cameron’s staff and faculty. Staff and faculty are also making adjustments to the enrollment process to ensure that soldiers are not enrolling on campus, but online. Linda Phillips, registrar coordinator, said that their office receives enrollment data on a daily basis. “The Army computers transfer the information,” she said. “Through this system we are able to keep a record of students’ steps.”
Photo By Bira Vidal
Following effective protocol: Lance Janda, assistant vice president of academic affairs, evaluates courses for the upcoming Fall semester. To access the Web site, go to www.goarmyed.com. For more information, contact Linda Phillips
at the registrar’s office, 580.581.2231, or Gayle King at the Cameron University Fort Sill office, 580.355.8211.
News
2
April 17, 2006
Swelling, pain cause for concern
CU student’s son diagnosed with testicular cancer By Lisa Snider Collegian Staff
No mother rests easy when her child is sick. The fact that the child is grown doesn’t lessen her concern. But when the word cancer is in the picture, easy isn’t even a part of it. In March, CU English senior Robin St. Germaine got a call from her 22-year-old son. The OU petroleum-engineering senior told his mother he hadn’t been feeling well. She arranged for him to see his doctor, who prescribed a course of antibiotics. A month later he told his mother “something’s still not right.” Sensing the urgency in his tone, St. Germaine took him to Duncan Regional Hospital where he was seen by in the hospital’s new Fastrack service for urgent and after-hours care. What he hadn’t told his mother was that one of his testicles had swollen to the size of an egg. An ultrasound was scheduled for the next morning, a Tuesday, followed by surgical removal of the testicle that Friday. The tumor – the size of a walnut – contained two kinds of cancer. Considered the most common cancer in young men, according to the Food and Drug Administration, testicular cancer is the most often diagnosed cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 35. The National Cancer Institute reports that up to 8,000 are diagnosed with the disease, with approximately 390 of those dying each year. NCI at www.cancer.gov reports that most men find the cancers themselves and are encouraged to notify their doctor if they notice anything unusual. Symptoms to watch for include a painless lump or swelling in a testicle, pain or discomfort or any enlargement of a testicle or change in the way it feels. A dull heaviness in the scrotum or dull ache in the groin area, lower abdomen or back is also reason for concern. Studies have shown certain
risk factors increase the odds of developing the cancer. The risk is increased in those for whom a testicle did not descend properly before birth or for whom there is some abnormality of the testicles, penis or kidneys. Inguinal hernias also increase the risk. Men with a family history of the disease are at greater risk than those without. After the whirlwind of discovery, diagnosis and surgery, and while she waited to learn what her son’s treatment options were, St. Germaine tried to keep her mind on her studies. Cindy Meadows, admissions specialist at CU’s Duncan branch, noticed the change in St. Germaine’s demeanor and encouraged her to talk about what was bothering her. Meadows’ concern for St. Germaine prompted her to discuss the situation with Susan Camp, the branch’s director. Camp recommended Lance Armstrong’s 2000 book, “It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.” At age 25, record-breaking cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer. With symptoms of extreme swelling and tenderness of a testicle, fatigue and coughing up blood, Armstrong found himself being examined, diagnosed and operated on in fewer than 24 hours. His cancer was advanced and had metastasized to his lungs. What he would find out seven days later was that the cancer had also spread to his brain. Armstrong, who has since beaten the cancer – at least for now – begins his book by telling the reader, “A slow death is not for me. I don’t do anything slow, not even breathe.” Information
from the NCI Web site explains that diagnosis begins with an examination. If cancer is suspected, blood tests can be performed to measure markers commonly found in high amounts when cancer is present. Ultrasound is used to detect the presence and size of a mass in the testicle. Finally, a biopsy is performed on the removed testicle to look for cancer. The site explains further that if cancer is found, more tests are used to determine if the cancer has spread. Treatment may consist of any combination of surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Decisions about treatment are based on the type and stage of the cancer as well as the physical condition and other extenuating factors of each individual patient. In Armstrong’s case, he was lucky enough to find a facility with doctors who were aware of how much his livelihood depended on the condition of his lungs. They planned his treatment accordingly. Follow-up care is very important for men who have had testicular cancer. NCI warns that, as in the case of any cancer, this form can recur. In St. Germaine’s son’s case, his blood work following surgery showed improvement. He was given two choices: he could take a wait-and-see approach, an option
ACROSS 1 Roundabout 9 Savor 15 Day of wrath: Lat. 16 Sicilian code of silence 17 Bivouac 18 Sand trap 19 Long duration 20 Makes certain 22 __ Jose, CA 23 Like hens’ teeth? 25 For each 26 Play part 27 Trainer or dentist 31 Now and then 33 Cloy 34 Harvesters 35 Buddhist sect 36 “A Nightmare on __ Street” 37 Stockman
given because his was caught in an early stage and tests indicated no cancer presence, or he could play it safe and endure two to three sessions of chemotherapy. St. Germaine said he was told “he’ll feel like hell, be nauseated, his hair will fall out and he’ll be weak,” but the treatment would provide a 96 percent chance that the cancer would not return. Her son has decided to undergo chemotherapy at the end of the semester. In the meantime, she
41 Puts back in the box 46 Daughter of King Minos 47 Leak stopper 48 Delta deposit 49 Under the weather 51 Carrie in “Star Wars” 52 Male swan 53 Map volumes 57 Porker’s quarters 58 Degree holders 60 Sled dog 62 Roller-coaster again? 63 Respondent 64 Analyzes chemically 65 React to a heavy blow DOWN 1 Proofs of age 2 Falls for honeymooners 3 Black mark 4 AOL, e.g.
said, he’s “eating all the right stuff and drinking distilled water to prepare his body for chemotherapy.” St. Germaine’s concern was to make the information available to those who are at greatest risk: college-aged men. “At that age, you think nothing can hurt you,” she said, “and that’s not true.” She advises regular selfexams. “If you find something,” she said, “don’t wait.”
5 Project vertically 6 Moran or Gray 7 “Memory” musical 8 Prepare to drive a golf ball 9 U.S. Grant’s counterpart 10 Cassowary kin 11 Spy novelist Deighton 12 Vexing 13 Thief 14 Gain control over 21 Parents 24 Inventor Whitney 26 Grave letters? 28 Kicked back 29 Endless periods 30 “Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter” author 32 Home of the Devil Rays 37 Buckthorn 38 Baltimore pros 39 Shaw and Wright 40 Vocational identifier 42 What the winner takes 43 Pause in conversation 44 Intertwiner 45 Those that remain 50 Tibetan monks 53 Gibb or Garcia 54 Compos mentis 55 Apart from this 56 Carpenter’s tools 59 Farrow of “Rosemary’s Baby” 61 NYC opera house
Voices
April 17, 2006
3
Manipulation disrespects lives of OKC victims
O
n April 5, I attended a field trip with some of my fellow English majors to see Ted Kooser speak at Oklahoma City University. In an effort to add to the Kooser experience, we arrived at Oklahoma City well before the lecture so that we could visit the City Bombing David Bublitz Oklahoma Memorial. Although the trip to the memorial was not the highlight of our trek off campus, I found that it offered me a lot of insight into the American experience, at least in the wake of tragedy. I was about 11 years old when the bomb exploded and destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah federal building. In all honesty, I was kind-of oblivious to a lot of the details surrounding the bombing. I knew a little bit about Timothy McVeigh and his association with “The Turner Diaries,” but I was unaware of the mass chaos and despair that seemed to ripple through the country at that time. There are actually two parts to the memorial, the outside where the bombing took place, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. In the place where the federal building once stood sits a reflecting pool between two doorways. One of the doorways has the time “9:01” etched above it, and the other doorway has the time “9:03,” which is supposed to represent the minutes before and after the bombing took place. There are also a series of chairs on the memorial grounds, each representing one of the 168 people killed. When we arrived at the memorial, my group was introduced to a homely ranger who guided us through the memorial grounds and explained each symbol one by one. I actually found the ranger kind-of annoying, and I would have liked to interpret what I was seeing for myself, but he did provide me with some information that I otherwise may not have known. After we had explored the memorial itself, my group ventured into the museum. It was in these reliccovered walls where I got a good glimpse of what had happened on April 19, 1995. But then something started to bug me. The medialiterate Minister of Truth inside me began to claw his way to the surface of my thoughts. It didn’t take long before that little Minister of Truth had pulled me into media-combat mode. It started when the doors to the elevator leading up to the opening exhibit first opened. I was escorted into a room where they played a recording of a meeting that was occurring just across the street from the federal building, and on the recording you could hear the explosion. After that, we were led into a series of rooms that unfolded the moments following the bombing. Soon, I began to feel like I was being manipulated. I felt that some of the stuff in the museum really overplayed the event. I began to grow a little angry at how the images and tragic survivor stories seemed to have been almost commercialized for the museum “audience.” It really ticked me off, because I know what it is like to have a loved one in harm’s way, my father was a soldier in the military for 20 years and a veteran of both Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. If my father had died overseas, I wouldn’t want his death commercialized and put up on display. I have a great deal of respect for the survivors and victims of the OKC bombing. Do we honor those individuals by milking the tragedy for all it’s worth? I don’t think so. I think it is wrong for memorial officials to cheese up the situation and attempt to play American’s heartstrings with, not a pick, but a chainsaw. Some of the exhibits were quite morbid, one window showed a woman’s briefcase, cut and shredded from the blast. And the stuff about the kids who died in the bombing was ridiculously out of control. I think I would have been more comfortable with a smaller, less flashy exhibit where I could have taken things one step at a time. While I could move through the museum as it were at my own pace, everything still felt like it was in my face. I do have to admit that I found the reports from the different news stations around the world to be really interesting. But I think that may have been from a purely journalistic standpoint. It’s important for us to ask ourselves how far we are willing to let the media take us. Where do we draw the line when victims from a tragedy like the OKC bombing are taken into context? When is enough . . . enough? David is a creative writing senior and future managing editor of The Collegian who prefers to weigh what is presented to him and form his own opinions. And they’re usually valid.
Ask the
AGGIES
Are you going to meet the April 17 deadline for tax preparation?
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Jamie Crow, multimedia junior:
“I hope so; I’ve done my federal and I’m too cheap to pay for state.”
Editorial Board
Managing Editor - Lisa Snider News Editor - Sarah Warren Copy Editor - Kathleen Kelly Asst. Copy Editor - David Bublitz A&E Editor - Joshua Rouse Sports Editor - Christina Frye
Matt Johnson, accounting freshman:
“I did my taxes the first week of February and got them back the second week. It’s all gone now.”
Andrew Lavendusky, English senior:
Newsroom Staff
Bus. Manager - Kenny Scarle Layout assistant - Kareem Guiste Cartoonist - Thomas Pruitt Financial Officer - Susan Hill Photographer - Rhyan McGuire Webmaster - Sheldon Rogers Staff Writers - Petulah Olibert, Jessica Lane, Regan Frizzelle
Faculty Adviser
Christopher Keller
“Yeah, I will, although I did wait until the last minute.”
News Writing Students
James Norris, Blake Red Elk, Joan Hagy
About Us
Benjamin Stewart, romance languages junior:
“Thanks to my recent acquisition of my beautiful daughter, Olivia, I joyfully completed my taxes this year early.”
American Life in Poetry
P
oet Ruth L. Schwartz writes of the glimpse of possibility, of something sweeter than we already have that comes to us, grows in us. The unrealizable part of it causes bitterness; the other opens outward, the cycle complete. This is both a poem about a tangerine and about more than that.
Tangerine It was a flower once, it was one of a billion flowers whose perfume broke through closed car windows, forced a blessing on their drivers. Then what stayed behind grew swollen, as we do; grew juice instead of tears, and small hard sour seeds, each one bitter, as we are, and filled with possibility. Now a hole opens up in its skin, where it was torn from the branch; ripeness can’t stop itself, breathes out; we can’t stop it either. We breathe in.
The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Letters Policy
Letters to the editor will be printed in the order in which they are received and on a space available basis. The Collegian reserves the right to edit all letters for content and length. Letters should be no more than 250 words. Letters from individual authors will be published only once every four weeks. All letters from students should include first and last names, classification and major. No nicknames will be used. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verification. Letters can be sent by regular mail or email to collegian@cameron. edu, or they may be dropped off at our office - Nance Boyer 2060.
Our Views
Ted Kooser
From “Dear Good Naked Morning,” (c) 2005 by Ruth L. Schwartz. Reprinted by permission of the author and Autumn House Press. First printed in “Crab Orchard Review,” Vol. 8, No. 2. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The Library of Congress, and the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.
The opinions expressed in The Collegian pages or personal columns are those of the signed author. The unsigned editorial under the heading “Our Voice” represents the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. The opinions expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily represent those of Cameron University or the state of Oklahoma.
News
4 NO-SMOKING continued from Page 1 “After we sent the legislation in, we realized that no one really knew what the general consensus of the student body was,” Myers said. “The SGA members didn’t really ask anybody, and they have the responsibility to find out. There should have been more questions about it and there should have been debate on it.” Myers said he received a phone call from a smoker inquiring whether the legislation would actually go into effect. According to Myers, the caller said that he
only had a few hours left to earn toward his degree and he wanted to know whether he would be graduating from Cameron or from a different university. If the university became a non-smoking facility, then he would leave. But other students know only too well the dangers associated with smoking. “I fully support making this campus smoke free,” said Nadirah Rene, business sophomore. “It is uncomfortable for me to have to walk through clouds of smoke to get into Nance Boyer or the Library. “I usually hold my breath long before I approach any smoker until I’m comfortable that I’m clear of the smoke,” she said. “Second-hand smoke is even more deadly. My grandmother died of lung cancer caused by second-hand smoke while she was still young, and she never smoked a day in her life. It was my grandfather who smoked.” According to Myers, the nosmoking legislation may be rewritten and resubmitted next year, as this year’s deadline to submit legislation has Photo by Rhyan McGuire passed.
April 17, 2006
Cameron hosts gifted and talented workshop for kids By Joan Hagy
News Writing Student Cameron University’s communication department held a workshop on April 5 for area gifted and talented school children. Sixteen schools from Oklahoma and Texas participated, with 240 third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders in attendance. Four workshops were offered, hosted by department faculty who were assisted by students from the department. The workshops were debate, parliamentary procedure, public speaking and computer photo-graphics. According to Tony Alison, communication department chair and director of CU’s gifted and talented workshops, this is the 22nd year the department has hosted the three-hour workshops. He said the event is an opportunity for gifted and talented student to have hands-on experience in speech communications and computer graphic activities. “It was a great day – the kids were especially upbeat, and we always look forward to doing their workshops,” Alison said. “It gives us a chance to work with a different age group of kids.” Conducting the debate
Photos by Rhyan McGuire
workshop was speech and debate coach, Tyler Thornton. Two topics were presented: Resolved: That cats make better pets than dogs; and Resolved: That mandatory school uniforms would be beneficial. Thornton was assisted by speech and debate team members. Parliamentary procedure was presented by associate professor James Heflin. The gifted and talented students learned how to conduct business meetings, focusing on specific agendas and motions. Assistant professor Justin Walton conducted the public speaking workshop. Students from the department assisted Walton. Participants worked on stage presence, organizing ideas, speaking to an audience, introductions and
Photo by Rhyan McGuire
making announcements. Students were introduced to basic skills in photocomposition and editing during the computer photo-graphics workshop, taught by associate professor Gil Hernandez and assistant professor Christopher Keller in the Fine Arts Computer Lab.
A&E
April 17, 2006
5
National poet laureate visits Oklahoma By Lisa Snider Collegian Staff
Ted Kooser set himself apart from poets who previously were appointed to his position with the Library of Congress. “I was a different critter than some of those other poet laureates,” he said. “Conversations with Ted Kooser” was the program featured at the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English’s Writing and Teaching Celebration held Wednesday at Oklahoma City University. The Petree College of Arts & Sciences Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film & Literature, in conjunction with OCTE, sponsors the Thatcher Hoffman Smith speaker series. Kooser addressed an audience of 200 students, teachers and professors. He spoke of the transformation of poetry, explaining that up until the 1920s poetry had a tremendous audience and was so popular that newspapers regularly carried columns about, and including, poetry. That began to change, he said, with Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot, who embraced the idea that poetry should reflect the knowledge of all poetry, essentially leaving out scores of potential readers. The power of critics was born from this, he said. Poets began to write for the critics, “making poetry irrelevant to the American way of life.” Kooser said he preferred the ideology of William Carlos Williams, who “believed in writing poetry, as he said, dogs and cats could read.” A spiral-bound sketchpad is his tool of trade, and Kooser described his old-school method of cut and paste. He uses the notebook for
daily journaling and said that when he comes up with a line he particularly likes, he goes to the computer and types it out to see how it looks and where it breaks. Then, using scissors, he cuts it out and literally pastes it into the sketchpad and builds from there. “I write every day,” he said, “but I also fail every day.” Kooser’s theory is that if he shows up for work 30 days a month, even if 29 of those days produce nothing, at year-end he still has 10 to 12 good poems. Kooser’s informal, relaxed style included taking questions from the audience. One question he fielded had to do with where he thinks the line is drawn between hip-hop or rap and poetry. Using cowboy poetry as a comparison, he said, “Hip-hop doesn’t care about what cowboy poets are doing and vice versa. The only group that thinks everybody should be writing like they do is the literary group.” This drew laughter from the audience. One participant wanted to know about Kooser’s first published poems. He related a story about some of his friends submitting – without his knowledge – a poem about hot rods to the teenage publication “Big.” It was years before he had another piece published. That question led to others about how unpublished writers should go about getting published. The reading versus writing question followed when an audience member wanted to know how much reading she should do before she decides to “ just write.” Kooser reinforced what so many creative writing professors have told students: read. “You want to get to the part where you have so much in you, you can let some out,” he said. English senior Tammara Hoyt
attended the OCTE conference to present a paper and heard Kooser’s presentation as well. “I found it interesting that he quickly opened the floor to the audience,” she said. “Regardless of the simplicity or complexity of the question asked, he gave an honest opinion and personalized each answer with a story. It kept the interaction and lecture entertaining.” Later Photo by David Bublitz that evening, If only cats and dogs could read: Poet Laureate of the Library of Congress Ted Kooser held a Kooser takes a moment to contemplate the state of poetry in the nation today. Kooser poetry reading said that since the 1920s poets have written for the critics, a trend he finds lamentable. in the Petree Auditorium, have to hold a PhD in English lit to University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He attended by a group of CU writing enjoy and appreciate his work.” has been honored with two NEA students and professors Julie In an attempt to democratize fellowships in poetry, a Pushcart Hensley and Robert Johnson. poetry, Kooser sought and received Prize, the Stanley Kunitz Prize English student Wilma sponsorship from The Poetry from Columbia and the Boatwright Whittaker heard Kooser during the Foundation of Chicago, the Library Prize from Shenandoah. He also evening event and was impressed by of Congress and the University enjoys painting. his presence and the quality of his of Nebraska to build a Web site “No matter how badly you’re poetry. that promotes poetry. The result feeling,” he said, “you can feel “After 50 years of writing poetry, is americanlifeinpoetry.org, where better by smearing a lot of color on Ted Kooser’s still energetic about a free weekly column is offered to something.” his craft, and his enthusiasm and newspapers and online publications dedication really inspires me,” she that register with the site. said. “What I especially liked about For a sample of Kooser’s column Kooser is a professor in Kooser was how accessible his see Voices, Page 3. the English department at the poems are to everyone. You don’t
Sony Playstation 3 delay not expected to hurt sales put sale-ready PS3s in developers’ hands now to launch the console in late June, as originally announced. But specs for the copy-protection software that’s a big part of this Blu-Raylaser-based system were finalized just two weeks ago and will need their own debugging process. We also hear that some gaming companies haven’t received the full set of development tools needed to finish titles for PS3, though firstGraphic by Josh Rouse tier suppliers like The future of console gaming: Sony Entertainment CEO Ken Kutaragi Electronic Arts say boasts the PS3’s power as surpassing all next-gen consoles. Merrill Lynch cited a they have the necessary manufacturing cost of $800, but the retail price remains a mystery. goods. Truth is, there shouldn’ t be a rush to lag for months and don’ t think By Jonathan Takiff it should harm Sony too much get the job done, but a push to do it KRT News Wire in the long (or even short) run. right. Here’s why. Gamers should celebrate rather Recent news that the PlayStation Software developers need than complain about the extra five 3 game system won’t come out a minimum of three months months of breathing and nurturing until November was greeted with of serious playtime with the time Sony’s bestowed on PS3 game apparent surprise by some reporters consumer-ready version of a game developers. covering the gaming industry, and system to “debug” predictions that the delay would play a new game title. into Microsoft’s world domination That means Sony plans with the rival Xbox 360. would have had to Truth is, we’ve anticipated this
KRT Campus
Initially, it’s not really a question of how much money Sony will make with PS3 but how much the company will lose to maintain dominant market share. One industry analyst has put the materials cost for building one of these new multimedia players at $900, though it’s expected Sony will charge consumers about $500 for it - with retailers making nothing on the transaction. While that’s a mere $100 more than the Xbox 360, the PS3 will be more powerful and fully equipped out of the box, boasting the super-powerful new CELL microprocessor, the ability to play back movies in high-definition BluRay format, a built-in, 60-GB hard drive and two HDMI 1.3 digital outputs for achieving unmatched video and audio reproduction. Given a few extra months of production tweaking, it’s possible Sony will be able to lower the materials cost and thus not lose as much on each machine. (They’ll eventually make up the loss with game titles selling at $50 to $60 a pop.) Extra prep time also will
help achieve a projected, onemillion-players-a-month factoryproduction goal, still not enough to satisfy demand at PS3’s worldwide November launch. Oh, and in the interim, the consumer-electronics division of Sony will enjoy a more orderly introduction of its first stand-alone Blu-Ray video disc player, and maybe even sell some. The BPP-S1, it was announced this week, will arrive in July priced at $1,000. Executives on that side of the Sony business think early adopters will go for the “better-build quality” and traditional-component look of the dedicated high-def disc player. But I’ve seen a mock-up of the PS3 and find its curvaceous, Euro (Bang & Olufsen-like) lines very attractive. At half the price of the dedicated video player (and with several notable extras, including Internet connectivity and multimedia server applications), this early adopter would be tempted to buy one even if I never intended to wield that weird, boomerang-shaped game remote.
A&E Briefs
‘The Imaginary Invalid’ The last play of the 2005-2006 season will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. All Cameron students get in free with CU I.D. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for everyone else. For more information, call 581.2478. Jazz Ensemble Brown Bag Concert A Jazz Ensemble concert will be held at noon Tuesday in the Student Union courtyard. It will feature students of Professor James Lambert. For more information, contact the Music Department at 581.2432
A&E
6
April 17, 2006
Theatre department prepares last play of season By Jessica Lane
Collegian Staff
Photo by David Bublitz
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: The hypochondriac Argan stares at himself in a mirror in “Imaginary Invalid.” This is the last play of the 2005-2006 theatre season.
In keeping with the theme of Festival VI: “CU in Good Health,” the Theatre Department will be examining another facet of well-being: hypochondria. The classic farce, “Imaginary Invalid,” will be showing April 20-23 in the Cameron University Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The tickets will be free to CU students with ID, $10 for adults, and $8 for non-CU students, senior citizens, and military. Scott Richard Klein, chair of the theatre department, will be directing the play. He said the comedy is about a hypochondriac, Argan. Argan arranges for his daughter, Angelique, to marry a doctor so that his medical care will be covered for life. However, Angelique has fallen in love with Cleante, who is not a doctor. To complicate matters, Argan’s second wife, Beline, wants to get at his money. In the end, Argan discovers Beline’s scheming ways and how much his daughter actually loves him. He agrees to her marriage to Cleante, and becomes a doctor himself. “The play was written by the great French playwright, Moliere, in 1673. He actually played the title role. Ironically, he died after a performance of this play,” Klein said.
Klein said that the play was chosen for two reasons. “The first is that it fit the Festival Theme of ‘CU in Good Health.’ The second is that the play is considered a classic. We always try to have a classic as part of our season.” Joseph Roberts is cast as the lead character. The 21-year-old junior theatre major will play Argan, who is roughly 50. He said of his role, “It’s fun to build a character. It’s kind of a stretch for me because the character is old and I’m not.” Byron Phillips will be playing two roles, both physicians. “It definitely will be a fun play,” he said. He said they have a great cast that will bring out the comedy in the play. “It’s very stunning, I think,” he said. Tavaris Kelly, theatre junior, will play Cleante. He said that the play has a timeless appeal. “It’s fun. You have the old style and old jokes that still relate today,” he said. The all-student cast includes: Roberts, as Argan; Alicia Adams, as Toinette; Shawna Skinner, as Angelique; Brittany Thompson, as Monsieur Fleurant; Amanda Billings, as Beline; Francis Balliet, as Monsieur de Bonnefoi; Kelly, as Cleante; Phillips, as Monsieur Diaforius and Monsieur Purgon; Randy Corrales, as Thomas; Kathy Williams, as Louison; and Alyssa Hancock, as Baralde.
Editor opposes federal video game regulation
Josh Rouse
T
he video game industry has suffered another setback. Once again, games like “Grand Theft Auto” and “Mortal Kombat” are coming under fire for being too violent and corrupting America’s youth. Florida attorney and antigame activist Jack Thompson has struck another blow at gamers. Thompson is an attorney in an ongoing case against “Grand Theft Auto” developer Rockstar and parent company Take-Two. According to the Gamespot Web site, in 2003 carjacker Devin Moore killed a police officer and two other people with the officer’s own gun. Later, in custody, Moore admitted that he played video games, especially the ultra violent “Grand Theft Auto.” Moore told investigators, “Life is like a video game; everybody has to die sometime.” When the news broke that Moore had played “Grand Theft Auto,” the families of the victims put a class action lawsuit against Wal-Mart, Gamestop and Take-Two. The $600 million lawsuit alleges publishers and retailers knew the dangers that “GTA” posed and did nothing about it. On March 30, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal from the retailers to dismiss the lawsuit. The court did agree to hear claims that the Alabama court lacks power to hear the case, leaving the door open later for other delays and dismissals. The video game industry
is no stranger to lawsuits and allegations of corruption. In 1999, after the Columbine shootings, id Software came under fire from victims’ families who said that Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris played the popular shooter “Doom.” Their violent actions were supposedly traced back to hours of play on “Doom” and other violent video games. Oklahoma State Representative Fred Morgan is calling for legislation to be passed that would ban the sale of “violent and sexually explicit” video games to minors. He calls video games, “a problem that needs to be addressed.” The problem with the legislation is it takes the responsibility out of the parents’ hands and puts it into the hands of politicians. These same politicians probably have never played video games in their lives. Nobody can deny there is a dividing line in our society between the world the politicians live in and the world that the common working American lives in. So why should a politician be acting like a parent to America’s children? New York Senator Hillary Clinton recently introduced legislation in Congress that would regulate the sale of violent video games. The motivating factors were recent killings like the Devin Moore incident, when violent people have been known to play video games. Now, retailers
and developers are being held responsible for the actions of people who have bought their games. If somebody takes a Ford Explorer and kills somebody with it, should Ford be sued by the victim’s family? Should the car dealer be sued because they sold the car to the person? If K-Mart sells a baseball bat to a 16-year-old and he beats somebody to death with it, should K-Mart be sued for selling the bat to the teenager? Where do we draw the line? Video games do not kill people; people kill people. The video game industry has become the scapegoat for the nation’s problems. And instead of using education and knowledge to combat this “problem” as people like Thompson and Morgan call it, our elected officials introduce
legislation that takes away the freedom to decide for ourselves what is best for our children, and gives it to a handful of people who cannot solve more serious problems like the national debt or the war in Iraq. People have been killing people since the dawn of man. People will continue killing people after video games have run their course. Look back through history and the same pattern is repeated again and again through different
means of media. In the 1950s, rock and roll was considered the work of the devil. In Victorian Europe, certain types of dancing were considered grotesque. In colonial America, certain books were Courtesy Graphic considered obscene and profane. What new form of entertainment will be deemed “harmful to the youth” in 10 years or 20? Are we doomed to relive the sins of our fathers? Our technology may be evolving and advancing, but our mindset is no different than it was 200 years ago.
IGN
Sports
April 17, 2006
7
Hackerott, Lady Aggies shoot for winning season By James Norris
News Writing Student With the promotion of former assistant coach Maury Lietzke to the position of head coach just two weeks ago, Jackson turned to filling the women’s head basketball coaching job. The spot was left vacant after former coach Dick Halterman retired in March. On April 5, from a field of over 50 candidates, Jackson chose Pratt Community College Athletic Director and women’s head basketball coach, Kevin Hackerott. Jackson was the former Athletic Director at Pratt before taking the job at Cameron. He said that having had the experience of working with Hackerott at Pratt was one of the main reasons for hiring him here at Cameron. “I think there’s a comfort level; when I hired him at Pratt we became very successful,” Jackson said. “In knowing each other already, it takes away a lot of things you have to dwell on.” Hackerott guided Pratt to a 20-12 record and to an appearance in the quarterfinals of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. Jackson said these accomplishments indicate Hackerott’s ability to build a program and his passion for the game. “Kevin has a passion for his sport and a passion to be successful,” Jackson said, “and I know that when people in our community get to know him, they will be extremely pleased with the type of individual he is and the type of program he will run here at Cameron University.” Jackson said that this type of success could be beneficial to Cameron, which lost four seniors after last season. “I think we need to put his system into the
program. Building programs from the ground up is something which made Hackerott a great candidate for the head coaching job,” he said. “We lost the nucleus of our players, but we’ll look to set his foundation this year.” As assistant athletic director under Jackson from 2003-2005 at Pratt, Hackerott said the second time working with Jackson should be as good as the first. “This is my second go-around with Mr. Jackson and it was a great fit the first time, and I’m sure it will be a great fit this time,” he said. “One of the reasons I’m very excited to be here is because of his leadership, and where this athletic department is going. “Cameron has a lot of great things to offer, and I believe we can promote a very good product to young ladies who will want to come and play basketball here. We will be successful.” Despite taking over the position from a very successful coach in Dick Halterman, who led the Lady Aggies to a 15-12 record this past season, Hackerott says that now it is time for the ladies to look toward the future. “I’m not basing this on past performances of the team, but we do need to embrace the past,” Hackerott said. “It’s a new year and it’s time for us and the young ladies to start fresh. It will be difficult to start fresh, but also exciting.” In his first year as coach at Cameron, Hackerott is looking to put the best team he possibly can out on the court day-in-and-day-out. “It’s hard to say in wins and losses how we will do this season,” Hackerott said. “We’re just looking to put a good product on the f loor, and if you’re not in it to win championships, then I don’t understand why you’re coaching.”
Photo by James Norris
Man with a vision: Kevin Hackerott accepts his position as Lady Aggies basketball head coach.
Munich World Cup opening ceremony looms ahead Just less than for Germany 2006 in an 60 days left to unenviable position. the opening The situation was ceremony at further exacerbated by Munich, and the mass retirement from the teams in international duty of players Group G have such as Bixente Lizarazu, already started Claude Makelele, Lilian packing for Thuram and Zinadine Germany. France, ‘Zizu’ Zidane. Korea Republic, Since then, Zidane has Switzerland and returned and with the Kareem Guiste possible likes of Thierry Togo will no doubt create one Henry, the sensational of the finest competitions in this Arsenal Striker, Robert Pirez, group. Trezeque and Djibril Cisse, Staring at number eight on the France may be well on their way FIFA World Ranking, France, to set a blaze, silencing their commonly known as ‘Les Bleus,’ critics in Munich this year. intends to lay the ghost of World In July 1998 France was rated Cup 02 to rest. After being the most dynamic and wellkicked out during the first round structured football team of the by losing a significant match to World Cup. Senegal and losing to Greece in After being ignited by a the EURO Cup quarterfinals fire that burned Brazil in a in 2004, France’s fans were now memorable finals that ended 3-0, convinced that ‘Les Bleus’ golden in France’s favor, on home soil, period was over. ‘les Bleus’ are willing to fight even Put in charge of a France team harder to ignite that flame that in the throes of transition, coach caused the huge celebration at the Raymond Domenech embarked Champs Elysees in Paris. on the qualifying campaign Korea Republic is at number 31
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on the FIFA World Cup ranking chart. With the 2002 FIFA World Cup now a fond memory, Korea Republic faces a tall order in trying to emulate the achievement of reaching the semi-finals on home soil when they travel to Germany for their sixth successive finals appearance. Some unconvincing displays in qualifying – where they lost two and drew three of their 12 matches – should at least provide a note of caution for their highly expectant fans. Although there have been changes to the South Korean side since, the heroes of 2002 all retain key roles. Park Ji-Sung, now at Manchester United, provides a genuine attacking threat from midfield, while left-back Lee Young-Pyo is a key figure in a defense that operates in front of experienced goalkeeper Lee Woon-Jae. Coach Dick Advocaat – the third Dutchman at the South Korean helm, has many options for this new-look Korean team. Should he make the right
decisions and pull together the best of the best, Korea will be more than comfortable to push them through the vine in Group G. They failed to qualify for France 98’ and also failed to qualify for Korea/ Japan 2002, but Switzerland has made amends with their past and created a stable future. The team made it to the round of 16 on their last finals appearance at USA 1994, but fell 3-0 against Spain despite the presence of established stars such as Ciriaco Sforza and Stephane Chapuisat. The current youthful and ambitious crop will be hoping to achieve at least as much in their country’s eighth finals outing in Germany, and some observers believe they have the potential to emerge as the surprise package of the tournament. Switzerland is marshaled by skipper Johann Vogel and features a healthy blend of youth and experience. Veteran keeper Pascal Zuberbuhler barks out commands at the back, while Hamburg midfielder Raphael Wicky stamps his authority on
the midfield. Starlets such as Arsenal stopper Senderos and Bayer Leverkusen’s Barnetta unquestionably belong in the international game, while Alexander Frei from French first division outfit Stade Rennes has at times shown a killer instinct in front of goal. If they stay focused and make the necessary sacrifices to keep on performing, the team will have no fear going into the FIFA World Cup Finals this year. They may just create a doorstopper for the rivals in their group to the round of 16. Ending this week’s “A Look at the World Cup,” we now focus on Togo as we did on the other three teams in Group G. At number 58 on the FIFA ranking card, Togo has had its fair share of struggles, but has come a long way to defy the odds. Togo may have reached the CAF African Cup of Nations finals five times, but this is far and away their greatest foot balling achievement. It is evident that with enough strength and self-perseverance the team will perform with grace.
8
Broadcast students earn honors, scholarship at annual broadcasters competition Cameron University students received five awards at the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association’s annual conference. The statewide competition honors the best work by broadcasting students in Oklahoma. “The OBEA competition is a great opportunity for our students to compete against their counterparts from across the state,” said Assistant Professor of communications Steve Adams. “Cameron students continually prove themselves to be excellent competitors on the state level.” Four Cameron seniors won individual awards at this year’s event. Heather Nance, psychology senior from Hominy, won second place in the radio feature news story category, followed by Ron Lutsko, radio/television senior from Lawton, who took third place. Kenny Scarle, radio/television senior from Altus, won third place in the radio public service announcement category, and Tauren Thompson, radio/television senior from Arlington, Texas, took third place in sports coverage. “I was stunned and very happy to receive this award,” Lutsko said. “I submitted my work because of Professor Adams’ recommendation. I didn’t feel I was doing anything special; I just applied the things I had learned.” In addition to “The OBEA competition these individual awards, is a great opportunity for Cameron’s our students to compete summer against their counterparts documentary from across the state.” class placed third in the television documentary — Steve Adams class. Students Assistant Professor of in the class include: Communications Jillian Bassett, Chris Corral, Anthony Drella, Amber Garcia, Anthony Garcia, Jamie Guy, Alyssa Kneer, Terri Poahway, Marie Scott, and Megan Spray. The students received their awards as part of the annual Student Day, sponsored by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. As part of Student Day, students from the conference met with broadcasters from Oklahoma and heard a presentation by Roy Stewart, Senior Deputy Chief of the Media Bureau of the FCC. Justin Rielly, radio/television junior from Lawton, also received one of six scholarships offered by the OAB.
The Back Page
April 17, 2006
OCPA continued from page 1 “It was an honor to place in two different categories,” she criticize. We give credence to reader response, and every week we try to do it better than the week before.” said. “It was exciting to see our school newspaper take the top awards again.” Christopher Keller, the newspaper’s Others placing in the competition were: faculty adviser and assistant professor in “I am extremely proud December graduate Amanda Rundle, third the communication department attributes to be associated with place in feature writing; Christina Frye, The Collegian’s success to the determination such a determined and and passion of the student editors and staff current sports editor, honorable mention in sports writing; Kathleen Kelly, copy members. passionate group of editor, honorable mention in editorial “I am constantly amazed at the creativity, people and I cherish writing; and Snider, honorable mention in intelligence, craftsmanship and work ethic every moment I get news writing. of The Collegian staff,” Keller said. “These students begin each week with a blank Snider is appreciative of the positive to share working with feedback, but knows that there is always computer screen and have produced, by them.” room for improvement. week’s end, eight to 12 broadsheet pages of “I’ve been part of The Collegian staff solid, well-informed and carefully reported — Christopher Keller for four years now,” she said. “For each news information. I am extremely proud to of those years The Collegian has taken Assistant Professor and be associated with such a determined and top honors. We pay attention to what Collegian Adviser passionate group of people and I cherish every the judges compliment and to what they moment I get to share working with them.”