COLLEGIAN THE CA M ERON U N I V ER SIT Y
Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926
Monday, March 8, 2010
News
Volume 84 Issue 17
Special Studies: Mammoth
Discovery of fossil brings unique learning opportunities By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff
CU and Great Plains Tech Center join forces to offer radiology program.
When a Grandfield resident stumbled across a large mass in a drainage ditch near his Tillman County home, he never thought it would be the discovery of a lifetime for a group of Cameron students and their professor. “This guy was walking back from fishing with his grandson and saw something in a roadside ditch making a dam,” said Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Michael Dunn, . “He called us, and I went out there with the Biology Club and collected everything that we thought would be washed out down the creek and lost forever. We then covered everything else up.” Dr. Dunn contacted the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History in Norman. The museum representatives told him they already had mammoth specimens, so this find was his to do with as he pleased. Dr. Dunn, self-admittedly not a mammoth
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A&E
expert, and a lack of interest in the find lead to the remains being undisturbed at the same spot for more than three years. “Originally, the club went out there and really worked hard,” Dr. Dunn said. “It was a February day with a clipper blasting through. But they worked hard. After that, there just wasn’t the student interest. You think of a football team that changes every year when they graduate. That’s what happened here. They came and went.” Interest peaked last year when Dr. Dunn spoke to a friend of his with ties to the Museum of the Great Plains, creating an opportunity to turn the mammoth into an educational tool for not only Cameron students, but all Southwest Oklahoma residents. “This past fall, I was talking to my neighbor, who is on the board of directors for the Museum of the Great Plains,” Dr. Dunn said. “He was talking about things the museum could get involved in. Once I told him about the mammoth, he was gungho.” Dr. Dunn and a rotating group of volunteers spent five weekends over the fall excavating the find. Most of the remains that can be removed from the site have been brought to Cameron. Dr. Dunn believes there might be some pieces underneath the road, but he’s not sure how, or if, anyone would be able to get to them. In the meantime, Dr. Dunn has formed a class to study the mammoth and learn anything they can from the find.
Trained eye: Dr. Michael Dunn examines a fragment that was unearthed during the excavation of the mammoth fossil.
3-D films bandwagon gets many new riders.
See MAMMOTH Page 2
Sports
Photo by Jim Horinek
Founding members: Public relations majors Tori Strecker, Amanda Harris, Tammy Anderson and Jennifer Knapp are the current officers of the newly chartered PRSSA Cameron chapter.
By Rachel Engel Collegian Staff
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Voices
A chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, a student version of the Public Relations Society of
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America, has been established at Cameron University, making CU the sixth college in the state with a national affiliation. Previously known as the Public Relations Student Society, members of PRSSA are now
eligible to apply for scholarships available only to national chapters, participate in the elections of the national officers and will be attending the PRSSA National Assembly in Austin over spring break. Assistant Professor of Communications Dr. Paul Crandon is the faculty adviser for PRSSA and says he is encouraged by the opportunities the national affiliation carries. “It’s a major step forward for the Public Relations concentration,” Dr. Crandon said. “When I first arrived at Cameron in the fall of 2007, there was no student group for PR. Students feel plugged into the profession now.” Because of the association, the student chapter now has access to other professional chapters, and members of the PRSSA are able to utilize all the national affiliation has to offer, Dr. Crandon said. “What it does is give the
students the opportunity to gain information as a professional,” Dr. Crandon said. “Mingling with other professionals, picking up on the lingo; it’s there for anyone and everyone to take advantage of.” The CU chapter of PRSSA works closely with their parent PRSA organization in Oklahoma City by attending luncheons and conferences twice a semester that relationship was integral to the application process. “Throughout the process of working with our parent chapter, I told them there is always going to be the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University,” Dr. Crandon said. “But I told them that after they throw OU and OSU on the table, I want Cameron to be the next name mentioned.
See PRSSA Page 2
SGA addresses student pay, fitness center options By Amanda Finch Collegian Staff
It’s hard to make use of a book when it is in the trash.
Photos by Jim Horinek
Cameron PRSS organization gains PRSSA charter
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Women’s golfers tee off season.
MCT Campus
The Student Government Association is hard at work to ensure that this semester is a successful one for the organization. Since January, there have been several pieces of legislation passed from the senators and representatives, including a piece asking for a direct deposit option for student workers and a piece requesting the fitness center to make tennis equipment available for students to check out.
As the semester progresses, the executive council officers ref lect on their year in office and look forward to elections for next year’s officers. SGA President Daniel Brown is a senior graduating in May and is excited to see what students emerge to run for the office
of President. Brown says it will be interesting to see how a new candidate plans to handle the responsibilities of running meetings and the duties that come along with the office. “There is a lot of behindthe-scenes work that goes into getting ready for weekly SGA meetings and trying to get senators and representatives motivated to write legislation,” Brown said. Brown spends 12 to 15 hours working in the SGA office while balancing an 18-course load and two part-time jobs. The SGA president also has to be present at many university functions, such as donor events and gift announcements, and often meets with
important guests visiting campus such as state representatives, senators and regents. “As the president, I am often asked to speak on behalf of students at many events,” Brown said. Brown believes a good candidate for SGA president should be able to delegate duties and responsibilities and stay well organized. “Being organized and able to delegate is the key to being a good Vice President. You need to be supportive and helpful to the president and remember that you are there to help make decisions,” Moini said.
See SGA Page 2
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March 8, 2010
MAMMOTH continued from page 1 “I’ve built a class around it with four students,” he said. “They are learning how to prepare the specimens and are learning how to prepare them for a presentation.” Not much is currently known about the mammoth, except that it was very large and it didn’t die of an attack by another animal. Dr. Dunn believes the mammoth somehow floated down the creek. The position of the remains stumped him and his students, but he doesn’t believe it was scavenged. “It was certainly larger than an Asian elephant,” Dr. Dunn said. “There are no teeth marks, or any evidence that it was attacked. We believe it somehow was carried down here by the creek.” Each of the four students in the class are conducting side projects to help better understand the mammoth and the time in which it lived. Dr. Dunn hopes to learn if it was a Colombian mammoth or Imperial mammoth, what sex it was, what it was eating and other things in its habitat, like the humans that were living during the time. Heather Young, a Biology Senior, said studying the mammoth has been a wonderful educational experience. “I’m learning a lot of different things in relation to this that don’t necessarily have anything to do with the mammoth, like setting up for a museum
presentation,” she said. “This has been a great thing. There are far and few in between undergrad programs that give you the chance to work with a mammoth.” Young became a Biology major two years ago, and the mammoth was something that certainly piqued her interest. She plans to graduate in May and barely squeezed in the time to work on the mammoth, but she never thought she’d get the chance to do so. “We heard about this several years ago, and there just wasn’t the interest,” she said. “But we finally got the students together who wanted to do it, and we got the resources, and here we are. It’s been a fun experience” Starting in April, the class findings will be on display at the Museum of the Great Plains. Part of the objective of the class was not only to study the mammoth, but to put together an exhibit for the museum along with a presentation that will be held in late April. “We’re going to present our results in a presentation at the museum on April 24,” Dr. Dunn said. “We hope the public will come and join us. This has been a pleasant learning experience, and the class has really been an interesting study for us. We’re just glad we get to share it with everyone else.”
Photo by Jim Horinek
Foam fossil: In order to remove the fossilized portions of the mammoth, one technique used involves coating the fossil in expanding foam insulation.
PRSSA continued from page 1
Photo by Jim Horinek
Guest speaker: Dr. Von Underwood spoke of the importance of organizations such as PRSSA during the charter ceremony.
As I am telling them this, they’re nodding. In the eyes of these professionals, they agree. It was a really special moment there.” For senior Communications major and president of PRSSA Jennifer Knapp, establishing a campus organization allowed students with a concentration in PR to interact and get to know each other. “We found that all other majors had a specific organization that members could be a part of, such as Chemistry majors have the Chemistry Club where students could get together and network,” Knapps aid. “At first it was just going to be a Cameron organization, but then, as we started to set it up, we found that there was a national affiliation and we wanted to obtain that at Cameron.” Knapp also appreciates the connection
establishing a chapter brings their members. “Before, we were like a private entity,” she said. “Now we have more resources and more cooperation available to us from the national association.” Before establishing themselves as a chapter, the PRSS organization created a student run PR firm, called Aggie Impressions, and, last year, worked with the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry basketball team as well as the Museum of the Great Plains. “Sure, you can define Public Relations out of a book, but unless you get your hands in and actually get a feel for it, you won’t know what it’s really like,” Knapp said. “You get a whole new level of understanding when you’re able to work on it. It’s still in progress and we’re still fine-tuning it, but it’s able to give students a hands-on tool to be able to fine-tune their skills.”
SGA continued from page 1 Moini is also a senior who will be graduating in May. She said she has enjoyed working with the executive council and spending time in the office with the other officers and that she is excited to see who will be running to take her place as Vice President. “I am excited to pass down a little leadership to the new Vice President,” Moini said. “I was prepared to serve because I have had past experience as the Secretary in the office, and the next person should be experienced and prepared to work many hours in the office outside of weekly meetings.” Treasurer Elijah Morlett is a junior executive council officer who is thinking about running for executive council again and plans to be involved in SGA next year. “We have a lot of students who would make qualified candidates for executive council, so hopefully there will be a lot of campaigning and more students will be interested in our organization,” Morlett said. Morlett believes that students interested in running should be responsible and aware of what holding an executive council position means. “As the Treasurer, I am elected to work for and be the voice of students. Students count on me to be fair while dealing with finances and money that is meant to be distributed to student organizations,” Morlett said. All three officers agree that being a member of the executive council is a great experience and an opportunity to see the interworking facets of the university while serving in an important role as a student leader. Filing for Student Government positions takes place March 9-31 and elections will be held April 6-7. In the meantime, Vice President Moini encourages students and organizations to write legislation for SGA. “Writing legislation is a great way to come up with ideas to improve the university, and I am excited to see what legislation is brought up in the coming weeks,” Moini said. SUMMER EMPLOYMENT FUN VALLEY FAMILY RESORT SOUTH FORK COLORADO Needs students for all types of jobs: kitchen, dining room, housekeeping, stores, maintenance, horse wrangler, office & other. Salary/ room & board/bonus. For information & application write to:
See page 4 for solutions.
Student Personnel Director 6315 Westover Drive Granbury TX 76049 or Call 1.800.548.1684 or e-mail: rafain@sbcglobal.net
March 8, 2010
News
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March 8, 2010
CU, Great Plains Technology Center team up By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff Cameron University and the Great Plains Technology Center (GPTC) have teamed up to offer students a jumpstart on an Associates Degree in Radiology. Radiology is nothing new to GPTC. Carrie Baxter, the program director, said the school has offered it since 1988. But with new federal regulations going into effect over the next three years requiring students to complete up to 28 hours of general education classes, Baxter said an opportunity presented itself. “Debbie Crossland and I have been working together for some time, getting these general education requirements out of the way for health students at Cameron,” Baxter said. Crossland, the Nursing and Interdisciplinary Studies adviser at Cameron, is helping students who are interested in this new radiology degree get started in the right direction. Students can take their general education classes at Cameron, and then transfer to GPTC to complete the radiology program. The final Associates Degree will be issued by Western Oklahoma State College because Cameron doesn’t have a Radiology program. “The only studies Cameron has in the medical field are the Nursing program and Pre-Med,” Baxter said. “That’s why WOSC will give out the degree. But the students can still complete their credit hours at Cameron, do their
work here at GPTC and never step foot on campus in Altus.” Requiring general education classes like English and college-level math is something new for the program. But Baxter said that, while there might be more work involved now, students will have the benefit of ultimately achieving an Associates Degree where they wouldn’t have been able to before. With the advent of online classes, it’s now easier than ever for students to complete their general education requirements. “Students can now still work and do other things they have to do,” Baxter said. “They can do all these classes and never have to actually go to the campus. It’s a lot more convenient to complete these classes now.” The application deadline for this year’s radiology program is April 19. Baxter recommends that anyone interested in applying for the program take a look at its Web site. There they will find all the information about the program and the application process. “I decide the applicants based on a points system,” Baxter said. “All of that information is on the Web site. A lot of it has to do
with their completion of the general education classes. But if they’re close, like only six hours away from completing the 18 hours required MCT Campus right now, I would advise them to go ahead and apply.” Around 15 applicants will be selected for this year’s program. Baxter said the program takes about two years to complete between classes and interning in the field. Students attending Cameron who aren’t sure about what career field they’d like to enter can certainly apply if they have a desire to work in Radiology. But Baxter said it’s going to require a full-time commitment. “On most days, they’ll come in at 8:30 a.m. and work until 3:30 p.m.,” she said. “On some days, if they’re out working in the field, they might have to be there at 7:30 a.m. and work until the same time. This is a full time program that requires a lot of work.” But Baxter emphasized that career options are nearly limitless for someone graduating with the Radiology Associates Degree. They might work at a hospital or other medical care facility by operating CT scan machines,
doing X-Rays or any number of other jobs. Baxter said there is also a human element to the job as well. “A lot of people don’t know it, but radiologists are often working with the patients,” she said. “A lot of times, if the patient needs something while they’re in Radiology, the person working there will meet their needs, rather than the nurse or doctor. They have a lot of one-on-one time with the patient. It’s more than just pushing buttons and looking at a screen all day long.” The benefits of the job are also enticing, Baxter said. Entry level position wages can start out around $16 to $17.50 an hour. Baxter has heard of some of her students getting jobs right out of school with wages between $20 and $25 an hour. However, the best part about entering the Radiology field is the job security, Baxter said. “There is always going to be a need for positions in the medical field,” she said. “The opportunities are limitless. Students that have graduated from our program have 100 percent placement. They may not have found careers in Oklahoma, but they have found positions all over the region and country.” For more information on the Radiology program offered by GPTC, visit the program’s Web site at www.learn.gpetch.org/rad. Application forms are posted on the site in PDF format and can be downloaded and printed for submittal.
‘Take an Aggie to Work’ program helps student land job By Rashmi Thapaliya Collegian Staff Groundhog Day was not more of the same for one group of Cameron students. Senior Public Relations major Tanesha Wilson was one of 24 participants in the job-shadowing program “Take an Aggie to Work” held on Feb. 2. She has since been hired as a student worker for the Department of Human Resources. Student Development Specialist Chase Massie said that the job shadow program provided students with the opportunity to learn more about their careers of interest. Through the job shadow experience, students had the opportunity to spend a half-day in a relevant work setting in order to observe and ask questions. As a “shadow,” students learned about job requirements, employer expectations and professionalism. In turn, the program gave job shadow sponsors an opportunity to meet and mentor students. Maurissa Bunchwald, Director of Human Resources, said that Massie contacted her and asked if the department was
interested in hosting a student who wanted to work at there for the day. The department was actually in need of some student workers at the front desk, she said. “We did not tell the students we were shadowing that we actually were hiring people then,” Bunchwald said. “On that day, Tanesha came in with no books, professionally dressed and eager to learn the work, which was quite impressive.” Lynn Lackey, Benefits Administrator of the department, said that Wilson was very eager to learn and had many in-depth questions, which was refreshing. “I went over my jobs in the department, the projects and the volume of works and accomplishments of the department in the past nine months,” Lackey said. “After seeing her enthusiasm for the work, we decided to hire her.” Wilson said that it was an excellent experience for her, and she learned exactly what she wanted to know. “It was everything that I hoped and imagined it would be like,” Wilson said. “This
department is the heartbeat of the campus because we take care of the students, faculty and staff.” Bunchwald said that they gave Wilson a full overview of the department and its work during the half-day shadowing program. She said that since the department has gone through a lot of changes in last nine months, they wanted her to know about the changes made. She added that job shadowing programs like this help students to get the feel of what they will be doing with their degrees in the future. “We will definitely be interested in shadowing students in the future because students are most important for us,” Bunchwald said. “We want to give them the opportunity from our side to help them find their careers.” Lackey said that, through a program like this, students will prepare for real world jobs, which is different from the academic experience. She said that she is very happy with Wilson’s creativity and participation, and that Wilsn is doin more than just manning a desk. “Tanesha helped me during
the Cameron job fair with her great ideas on making flyers and putting the program together,” Lackey said. “She is extremely hard-working and shows a lot of initiative.” Wilson is also taking senior level courses and is getting ready to graduate in May. She said that her area of studies and job in the department go hand in hand because her degree is in Public Relations. Being a Public Relations major, she can work
in Human Resources and still practice her skills communicating with the public. Her work schedule is flexible so that she can concentrate on her studies without being under pressure, she said. “I suggest that students take advantage of opportunities like this,” Wilson said. “If you have the idea, then do not hesitate to fill the application and go for what you want.”
Voices
March 8, 2010
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Books should be preserved, not cast aside U
niversities are supposed to be bastions of learning; cradles of knowledge that challenge the very cores of the students that attend. A university library should be the storehouse of all of the information deemed vital to a truly well rounded education. Librarians are charged with the care and organization of an entire system of integral study tools. They are supposed to cherish the fact that books contain intellectual value far superior to any currency. Apparently not everyone shares this sentiment, as the library at Cameron University has been actively purging itself of its texts for some time now. There was no creation of a gigantic fire and the roasting of marshmallows over a pile of burning Kurt Vonnegut books, because his texts did not garner enough reads over the past years to keep them on the racks. Instead,
books were unceremoniously thrown into bins to be hauled away to a recycling center where they sit in piles to rot. The ideas contained inside even “outdated” books can be saved as relevant material. As new ideas and technologies become accepted, these outdated texts provide a snapshot of the time in which they were written. They show the ideas, theories and logic that were the foundation of, or a step toward, the understandings and practices of today. Students can use these texts to reference the prevailing feelings of a time period. That sounds like pretty solid research for anyone taking classes at Cameron that require any form of critical thought. It would be less outrageous if the books deemed outdated or old were being removed to make room for new books. It would be even less of a farce if the outgoing books were being donated to the professors that wanted them, but these educators have had to go to the recycling center, on their own time, to track down these valued texts. So what is all this purging for? The room will be used to create more study areas and new rows of computers for student use. Demand seems to be high for computers and library administrators are reacting
in a way that they construe as being in the best interest of the student body. At the same point, no collegiate library should be remodelled to look like a Starbucks while the last pieces of literature are carted out of the building. While much of the information needed to function as a center for learning is now online in searchable digital archives, the physical texts can lead a researcher to new and better possibilities. Educators will often tell their students to look on either side of the book that they think they need on the racks to see if any of the texts in the same genre may be more suited to his or her topic. Often the student will find something useful there. The texts books being removed from the library are vital pieces of intellectual property, many of which have gone out of print. That means the voices of these authors should be more closely guarded, not cast aside. The destruction of physical text is a form of censorship, just not in the traditional sense; it is censorship through apathy, the snuffing out of ideas without the forethought to see it as such. This dumping of innovative ideas creatively poured out onto each page to make room for technology is a recreation of Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel “Fahrenheit 451.”
Bennett Dewan
Whale trainer death should open eyes Should anyone be surprised by the death of the SeaWorld whale trainer? It’s not a trick question. I cannot understand how someone can be shocked that a massive animal, which weighs more than three tons on average, can kill a human. It’s sad that the trainer died, but it should truly open people’s eyes that these whales are not dogs or cats that we can train to do a simple trick and give a treat to. There’s always talk about how we’re learning more and more about the world around us, and that some of these animals, like whales and dolphins, are actually much smarter
than we originally gave them credit for. We’ve discovered that dolphins actually have their own language and can talk to each other. We know these sea mammals have more intelligence than the average animal. So why do we continue to attempt to domesticate them? A friend of mine told me recently that he believes if whales, dolphins and other animals are actually as smart as we think they are, then they’re bound to have a criminal class amongst them. This is an interesting notion, especially in the case of Tilikum, which has killed three different people now. If a dog had killed that many people, it’d be put down. If it were a bear, lion or any other wild animal, it’d probably be hunted down and killed. But this whale kills three people over the course of 10 years, and it’s still
Joshua Rouse
performing parlor tricks for fish. Tilikum needs to be removed from SeaWorld in some form or fashion. If he’s become too acclimated to humans feeding him, don’t release him into the ocean, but keep him somewhere where he’s away from humans, but can still have more of an area to be himself rather than a small concrete pool. Surely there are resorts for sea mammals and other underwater wildlife. The American Family Association wants Tilikum put down for murdering Brancheau. But instead of just euthanizing it, or shooting it, they want it stoned to death. Honestly, does this make any sense? I may be the only person that wasn’t truly saddened by the news of Dawn Brancheau being killed by the whale. I heard about it and thought to myself, “why hasn’t this happened more?” A killer whale is called a killer whale for a reason. It has evolved to be one of the fiercest and efficient killing machines on the
planet. It will literally beach itself to get prey if it’s hungry enough. And you can see several of these by visiting your area SeaWorld amusement park. Exploiting vicious animals for entertainment has been going on for centuries. Siegfried and Roy made a career out of it, until one of their tigers nearly tore Roy’s jugular out. Circuses all over the world make elephants stand on two feet. Trainers stick their heads in tigers’ mouths. Even the cute chimpanzee is often glorified as a non-violent animal, until it rips the face off some poor woman. I don’t think these animals should be removed from these shows. There is a certain edge to the show that brings people in. We inherently love the danger involved with these tricks, as long as it’s not us that are out there sticking our heads in a lion’s mouth. But should we really be surprised when one of these animals actually kills someone? And should we really be outraged?
There is a warning contained within that text about how quickly societies are willing to give up on their intellectual freedoms. “Somewhere the saving and putting away had to begin again and someone had to do the saving ... in books, in records, in people’s heads, any way at all so long as it was safe, free from moths, silverfish, rust and dry-rot, and men with matches,” Bradbury wrote. Bradbury remembered to list all of the enemies of books except Dumpsters. Apparently there is nothing to be gained from a book published over 50 years ago; maybe because the book is at the bottom of a trash can.
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief - Joshua Rouse News Editor - Jim Horinek A&E Editor - Rachel Engel Sports Editor - Bennett Dewan Copy Editor - Justin Cliburn Back Page Editor - Monica Garner Digital Editors - Kyle Luetters and Michael Faggett
Newsroom Staff Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Rashmi Thapaliya, Amanda Finch, Alyssa Knerr, Tori Strecker, Tatiana Isis and Amanda Phillips. Circulation Manager - Matthew Penick
Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Keller
About Us 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 e-mail to collegian@cameron.edu, or they may be dropped off at our office - Nance Boyer 2060.
Our Views 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. Our student media are designated public forums, and free from censorship and advance approval of content. Because content and funding are unrelated, and because the role of adviser does not include advance review of content, student media are free to develop editorial policies and news coverage with the understanding that students and student organizations speak only for themselves. Administrators, faculty, staff or other agents shall not consider the student media’s content when making decisions regarding the media’s funding or faculty adviser.
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March 8, 2010
Tennis squads open up in spring season By Amanda Phillips Collegian Staff
Photos by Bennett Dewan
Power of three: Carlos Viscarra, Elvira Sholles and Thomas Peixoto all return serves at the Aggie Tennis Complex.
Cameron’s tennis season is officially underway and both the men’s and women’s teams have had strong starts to the year. Both teams fought through freezing temperatures in their final match of February to reach notable victories over the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU). The men defeated OBU in thrilling fashion on the Bison’s home courts in Shawnee and posted a final score of 5-4. Cameron picked up an outstanding win at the no. 2 doubles position, with Thomas Peixoto and Manuel Barroetavena defeating OBU’s Sergej Babic and Marko Stanic 8-3. However, the Aggies would go on to drop their doubles matches at the no. 1 and 3 spots. Since the men were going into the singles matches down 1-2, the Aggies felt mounting pressure to have strong individual performances. Singles play started out well for Cameron, with freshman Jorge Gerosi outplaying Scott Milner at the no. 4 position. Gerosi won the first set 6-4 and left no doubt that he was the superior player after bageling Milner in the second set. However, the Bison would take the matches at the no. 2 and 3 spots, which gave OBU a 4-2 lead, making the three remaining matches must-wins for the Aggies. Senior Diego Troiano was the first of the three to claim victory for Cameron. Troiano outlasted Babic at the no. 1 spot, recording a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win. Barroetavena and Jeff Sasser then grinded out the needed wins for the Aggies at the no. 5 and 6 positions, winning 6-2, 6-2 and 6-2, 6-3 respectively. Tennis coach James Helvey
said he was pleased with his 6-2. Because the Cameron women team’s victory over the Bison, had already clinched the win, the especially considering the match at the no. 6 spot was not weather conditions on the day played due to the harsh weather of the match up, but he also conditions. acknowledged the strength of the Helvey was satisfied with OBU team. the team’s performance and was “The weather conditions were delighted that the women were tough. It was really cold outside. able to get a match in after all OBU played really well though, the rescheduling that weather and I’m not going to take that conditions have caused the team away from them,” Helvey said. to face. The women also had an “The women played really impressive well, but just win over being able to OBU. The play is really “The younger players Aggies important for are getting better with defeated the team right every match, and the the Bison now,” Helvey convincingly, returning players have said. winning 6-2. really stepped up.” Helvey Cameron said he is — James Helvey happy with had a solid start to the Tennis Coach the level of day, taking play both all three of teams have the doubles produced so matches. far this season The much-talked about no. and is pleased with what the new 1 doubles pair of Amanda players and returning players Moberg and Julia Puckhaber bring to the team. did not disappoint. The duo “The younger players are overpowered OBU’s Paola Costa getting better with every match, and Lillian Ferriera 8-6. Moberg’s and the returning players have momentum carried into her really stepped up and are doing singles match, where she once what they’re supposed to do,” again dispatched Costa at the no. Helvey said. “Everyone is working 1 position with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. really hard.” Freshman Elvira Sholles, Though Helvey acknowledged who was unable to play in the there are some areas of women’s previous match just days improvement that each team can earlier due to illness, showed work on, he said the best way to she had made a full recovery address those issues is to get in when she took it to OBU’s no. 3 more match play. player Camber Robinett. Sholles “Getting match tough is really handled the match with ease and important, and match play just defeated Robinett 6-2, 6-1. can’t be recreated in practice,” Cameron’s Sara Flores, who Helvey said. played at the no. 4 spot, produced The Aggie men will next the team’s final singles victory. be in action on March 10 in The Aggie senior edged out Emporia, Kansas when they take Mariana Rosa 6-1, 7-5. on Emporia State University. The Aggies dropped their The women can be seen battling matches at the no. 2 and 5 Tarleton State University on positions but still led the Bison March 9 on the CU tennis courts.
Baseball team survives rough patch
Photos by Bennett Dewan
By Michael Faggett Collegian Staff To some, the baseball team’s new roster and a .500 start to the season signaled a reason to be concerned, but Head Coach Todd Holland sees it from a different perspective. “We are still in the same spot that we werein this time last year,” Holland said. “So, there is no need to hit the panic button.” The team has seen mixed results in its first few games of the season. In the season opening series against nationally ranked Angelo State, the Aggies won three of the four games and saw its offense come to life. The offense averaged nearly 14 runs per game during the series. “I believe a part of that was excitement about seeing the field for the first time of the season,” Holland said. After a successful opening series, the team split two of four games against Eastern New Mexico, relying more on defense and pitching. Traveling to Durant to play Southeastern, the team lost
three of four games, which marked the first time in over a year the Aggies lost a series. “We got off to slow starts and played catch-up for most of the series,” Holland said. Given the mixed results from the aforementioned games, the team is in a precarous position. “We are one hit away from being good,” Holland said. “We have been in games, so hopefully we can get on a winning streak.” Senior outfielders Alex Lyons and Codi Harshman have provided the team with solid hitting early this season. Twelve games into the season, Lyons is batting .409 with two home runs and 18 runs batted in. He earned recognition as the Lone Star Conference hitter of the week for his play during the Angelo State series. Through the first 12 games of the season, Harshman leads the team in hits with 20 and also bats .400. As a team, the Aggies are batting .330. While the offense has played well early in the season,
the team’s pitching is still looking to find its groove. The pitching staff collectively has a 7.60 earned run average. Holland said he tries to encourage the pitchers to take it one pitch at a time. “I try to encourage them to get the first out first and not worry about three or four outs down the road,” Holland said. In addition to the pitching, the team has faced numerous schedule changes this season. The squad postponed three series due to inclement weather, which, according to Holland, has been somewhat frustrating. “We have improved our skills on moving the tarp,”
Holland jokingly said in reference to the schedule changes and bad weather. Heading into the bulk of the conference schedule, Holland said he looks for the team, both returners and newcomers, to grow accustomed to one another and continue to improve play. “We’ve got time,” Holland said. “Our four returners are getting adjusted to the newcomers, and I believe they can get it done.” While adjusting to each other, Holland said he encourages players to take care of themselves as individual players. Holland believes the team will benefit in doing so.
“If they take care of themselves, the team will be better off,” Holland said. Holland also said he expects a leader to emerge as the season progresses. “Somebody has to step up, whether it is a verbal leader or non-verbal leader,” Holland said. With more than half of the schedule left to play, Holland believes the team has time to make those adjustments in order to compete for a bid to the conference playoffs. “We have a good team,” Holland said. “I do not want to sound like a broken record, but it will come. They can get it done.”
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March 8, 2010
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Women’s golf team bolsters solid roster By Tatiana Isis Collegian Staff The golf season has just begun and coach Rick Goodwin and his team of eight ladies are ready for the challenges to come. The members include freshman Bethany Heinen, Johnna Holden and Kylee Johnson; juniors Tori McCollom, Blaze Petty and Megan Whan and seniors Kass McGrath and Marrik Wooten. While the team plays for two seasons a year, spring and fall, spring is considered their championship season. The first game of the season took place on Monday, March 1 in Austin, Texas at the St. Edward’s Invitational. The rainy weather and poor course conditions took its toll on the team who placed 14 out of the 17 schools participating in the tournament, finishing with a score of 351. “We didn’t play as well,” Goodwin said. “The weather is pretty bad. Now that the weather’s getting a little better, we’ll be able to practice more.” Freshman Kylee Johnson led the team with a score of 83. The team scored 340 points in the second round of the tournament and jumped from 14th to 12th place, finishing out the two rounds with a cumulative score of 691. Goodwin, a golf professional himself with 24 years of experience as a teaching professional, was the Aggie men’s golf assistant coach before
becoming CU’s first women’s golf coach in 2005. “I like it a lot better,” Goodwin said. “They take instruction better and are more curious.” Goodwin says having a daughter who plays golf is what has helped him become a good coach for women’s golf. Goodwin, who also previously served as an Assistant Golf Professional at Lawton Country Club, is a two-time attendee of the PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit. His average golf score is a “74-76,” he said. The team will welcome two new players for the 2010-2011 season, Lindsey Alexander from Southlake, Texas and Aleesha Holden from Fletcher. Alexander is a three-year letter winner at Southlake Carroll High School. She helped lead her high school team to consecutive Texas 5A state championships. She was also named the 2008 and 2009 West Texas Junior Champions Tour Player of the Year. Holden, who is the younger sister of Johnna Holden, earned her Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour status after winning third place at the Tour Championship with a score of 153. She finished the 2008 season with a stroke average of 83. The Aggies will be playing at the Tanglewood Resort in the Texas A&M-Commerce Lion Invite on March 14-16. “We need to start working to prepare,” Goodwin said. It’s a learning process and the ladies will “practice every day” to prepare for the next game in two weeks, he said.
Photo by Bennett Dewan
Softball team gets game experience By Tori Strecker Collegian Staff This time of year is known for bringing undesirable weather conditions, and unfortunately for the Cameron Lady Aggie softball team these past few months have been no exception. The 2010 softball season is now underway, but not without some minor roadblocks. Despite playing a handful of games as scheduled, head coach Beth Watson was forced to take other measures in order to get her team some more game-time experience. “Once again, our schedule got messed up because of bad weather, so we felt it necessary to schedule some additional games,” Watson said. The Lady Aggies traveled to Canyon, Texas where they participated in a three game series with nationally
ranked no. 22 West Texas A&M. Despite ending the weekend 1-3, Watson’s squad is progressing well, she said. “Overall, I have been pleased with the team’s performances,” Watson said. “We seem to be doing a lot of good things offensively; however, we do tend to have breakdowns on the defensive end. At times we make silly mistakes that do not always register as errors per se, but they are all important details of the game, and we need to be doing them correctly.” So far this season, offense has proven to be a strength for the Lady Aggies thanks, in part, to Watson’s recruiting class. “It is really quite amazing that the freshmen have done this well so quickly,” Watson said. “They all came in with really good fundamentals hitting wise, but this is a
different level of pitching than they are use to. I was not expecting this so early in the season, and I have been really pleased by it.” Freshman outfielder Amanda Karth has demonstrated her skills at the plate, putting up big numbers for the Lady Aggies thus far. “Offense has always been my strength, and the team really motivates me to perform,” Karth said. “Cameron’s softball program made it really easy to transition from high school ball to college ball, and I think things will continue to get better as the season progresses.” After having a number of games in the books, Watson
has finally been able to pin down her starting nine players. “We have pretty much locked down all positions,” Watson said. “They know who is going to be beside them on the field and who is surrounding them in the lineup, and overall I think they are pretty comfortable with one another. This not only helps our defense and offense, but it is also a good thing MCT Campus for the team’s chemistry as a whole.” Senior pitcher Ashton McBride feels that even though the team is young, they are meshing together nicely. “This season is different in that we only have five returning players,” McBride said. “At
first we were a bit shaky, but the tough games have really brought us together and opened our eyes to what we need to do to win, and we are a much stronger team because of it.” Watson strategically designed a top-heavy schedule for the Lady Aggies, all with the mindset of preparing her team for the first conference matchup, she said. “We have been fairly successful against several ranked teams,” Watson said. “We may not be winning every game, but we are playing pretty well the majority of the time. This preparation will lead us up to the most important thing, and that is conference.” The Lady Aggies will see their first conference opponent on March 18 when they host Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The day will consist of a doubleheader with games at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.
NHL possibilities for popularity converge By Tim Cowlishaw MCT Campus
MCT Campus
The NHL resumed play after a two-week layoff a week-ago Monday night. How many people in this hockey-mad country of ours even noticed? This next sentence seems crazy even to type, but I will give it my best shot. The Canada-U.S. gold medal hockey game drew a 17.6 overnight rating on NBC Sunday afternoon. Crazy? I had set the over/under at 10 and thought I was being overly generous. The game between the two teams earned a 4.3 on MSNBC the week before. I figured moving to the network and having the medal at stake would double the audience. If you’re not big on ratings, consider this. The highest rating for any World Series game played the last five years was a 13.5 for Yankees-Phillies Game 4 last fall. The magical rematch of CelticsLakers in the NBA Finals two years ago earned ABC a 9.3 rating. So the question for the NHL isn’t how it maintains the audience that found hockey on a Sunday afternoon in February. It’s how the NHL gets, oh, maybe 20-30 percent of these fans to stick with the game. Columnists and critics already are pointing fingers at NHL
commissioner Gary Bettman, suggesting that if he can’t capitalize on this sudden interest in hockey, he should be replaced. There are many valid criticisms of Bettman and his stewardship of the league. But exactly how does the NHL duplicate the one-gameonly, flag-waving, U.S. vs. Canada experience that only the Olympics can create? How do you even attempt to market what the U.S. accomplished in nearly upsetting the superstar-driven Canadian team? When the Sabres come to Dallas once every two years, do the Stars promote: “Come See Olympics MVP Ryan Miller Stop the Puck”? Does that sell 100 tickets? Does it sell 10? There is only one answer, and it’s long term, not short term. Olympic hockey is great, not because of the absence of fights (there aren’t that many in the NHL these days, anyway) but because the superstars of the game are compressed onto a few rosters. Overexpansion has been one of Bettman’s greatest mistakes. There is no need for 30 NHL teams. We can’t go back to the ‘60s when there were six, but let’s just say in the next few years, we can accept economic realities and cut the league back to 24 teams. Fewer teams means more stars
per team. It means more visits from star players per season. It’s good in every conceivable way. Here are your four divisions going forward, as the NHL becomes the star-driven, marketing monster that puts fear back into the messed up, expiringcontract world of the NBA. Gretzky Division —Los Angeles, San Jose, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg (yes, the Phoenix Coyotes have come home to roost). Modano Division (hang on, there’s an explanation coming for this homer call) —Colorado, Dallas, St. Louis, Minnesota, Ottawa, Hamilton (you wanted Coyotes, you got Thrashers!). Lemieux Division —Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia, Buffalo, New Jersey, NY Islanders. Orr Division —Boston, Chicago, Detroit, NY Rangers, Montreal, Toronto. Yes, the Original Six is back! They even get a Saturday Night Game of the Week on our new (yet to be named, but it will sure beat Versus) network. If you want to discuss the merits of Anaheim, Tampa Bay or Carolina (they have won Stanley Cups) or Florida, Nashville, Columbus, Phoenix or Atlanta, feel free. The Islanders nervously
await your arguments. If some of you are thinking one of the names on this new Rushmore of hockey doesn’t belong, well, you are correct. Orr was a defenseman, the others were centers. Seriously, while our new league expands the Canadian field to eight teams, we are still trying to sell the game in this country. The all-time leading scorer among U.S.-born players gets a division named in his honor. When someone passes Modano, change the name. It’s not that difficult. Players have to accept the loss of 150 jobs. Owners have to accept a 72-game season that gives the fans a small break on season tickets and in which the Stanley Cup is awarded by May 21, not mid-June. You can argue about Olympic rules and styles of play, but until the NHL becomes a league in which all of the stars play in every rink every year, you’re just kidding about learning anything from the Olympic experience. There are millions of sports fans in this country more than happy to watch hockey on a Sunday afternoon. The NHL can’t keep them glued to the set every week. But the league can at least recognize that spreading its elite players across too many teams has been a disaster.
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March 8, 2010
Community band, choir performs By Alyssa Knerr Collegian Staff The theatre at Cameron University recently filled with veterans, students and other members of the Lawton community to hear the varying styles of the Lawton Community Band and Choir. Cameron students, faculty and staff performed with the ensemble during a spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28 at the Cameron University Theatre. Starting off the concert, CU choir students and alumni joined new voices with the Lawton Community Choir as they were accompanied by an array of instruments by fellow Cameron musicians and the Lawton Community Band. Conductor of the Cameron University/Lawton Community Choir Doris Lambert is also an Adjunct Professor of Music at CU. The choir sang selected excerpts from “The Creation” by F.J. Haydn. Doris says the main reason for choosing the piece was to honor Haydn’s memory, thought they were a little behind on the celebration of his life. “Last year, 2009, was the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death,” she said. “So, all across
the world actually, there were concerts of his symphonies, his chamber music works and his choral works celebrating his life and his music. Even though we did not make 2009, we decided to perform this in the spring.” The interaction between both Cameron students and Lawton’s community worked very well, Doris said. The relationship between the two choirs became a building block for each person to recognize and become a part of a bigger whole. “A lot of times, the community people get to know some of the Cameron students and then they will come to Cameron events to support the students and vice versa,” she said. “The Cameron students will hear of the things the community is doing so it really builds relationships between the community and Cameron. It really tightens it up and adds support.” After the CU/Lawton Community Choir sang, the band came on stage and started out with “George Washington Bicentennial March” which was more of a battle march to display the patriotic side that the band also ends with. Then the “Suite for Winds
Dr. Lambert said. “We live in and Percussion” was played, type. The last component is a a military community so it is followed by “Quatre Fantasie”. patriot tune.” a tradition for this group to Music Department Chair While the band played the honor our armed forces.” and Conductor of the CU/ “Armed Forces Salute,” Dr. This concert was to Lawton Community Band Dr. Lambert turned to the crowd recognize the talents of each Jim Lambert says he selects asking for Army veterans band and choir person. The particular music based on the to stand, then the Marine Cameron/Lawton Community style and age of each piece. veterans to stand, then the Band and the Cameron/ “I am a reviewer of new Navy veterans, the Air Force Lawton Community Choir music for an instrumental veterans and anyone who had was a part of bringing the magazine,” Jim said. “I write served in any armed forces. community and Cameron’s the reviews of new music and “The patriotic piece is three of the pieces were brand obviously for the armed forces,” campus together. new pieces that have not been performed in Lawton before. They are the ‘Suite for Winds and Percussion,’ ‘Quatre Fantasie’ and ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic.’ I break down the concert essentially into three components. The first part is so-called Photo by Alyssa Knerr serious music with the Coming together: The CU/Lawton Community band performed on Feb. 28 second one in the University Theatre for students, faculty, staff, and other members of the being a pop community. band music
Film makers hop on 3-D movie bandwagon even more offensive, fad that is taking Hollywood by storm: Collegian Staff 3-D. The movie industry has Am I the only one who always been based around a honestly doesn’t see the appeal f lavor-of-the-week creative in it? It’s not like this is philosophy. If something is big, something new either. “House then it’s copied until the idea of Wax” was 3-D more than 50 is run into the ground, beaten years ago. “The Blob” was 3-D with a stick and the horse has as well around the same time. died. Then, it moves on like a Obviously, the technology has locust plague to improved over the past halfthe next idea. century, but is it necessary? An “Avatar” was supposed to average be the movie that was going “Spiderto show how well 3-D Man” could be implemented adaptation in movies. I must say, comes out, from a technological makes a lot perspective, the movie of money was very impressive. But I and then found myself more enamored every by the living, breathing world comic book of Pandora, rather than the and graphic minimalist 3-D effects used. novel around is James Cameron wanted to get adapted into a away from the gimmicks film. “Batman used in Robert Zemeckis’ and Robin” and other 3-D films where was things are always f lying at horrible, the screen. But so the 3-D in Warner “Avatar” Bros. did reboots it nothing and “Batman more Begins” than add becomes a depth perception tremendous to the film and give me success. a headache. Granted, I was Coupled watching it at 10:30 p.m. in with the Oklahoma City, so that might subsequent have had something to do with reboot of it. But when I watched it again “James Bond,” in standard 2-D, I enjoyed Hollywood the movie just as much, if has gone into not more. The gimmicks a frenzy over were stripped away, and the reboots where movie stood on its own merits. MCT Campus movies made no Now since “Avatar” more than five years ago are has surpassed everyone’s already being rebooted for a expectations and gone on to be new audience. But there is one, the highest-grossing movie of
By Joshua Rouse
MCT Campus
Another world: James Cameron’s “Avatar” surpassed Titanic, also directed by Cameron, as the highest grossing movie of all time after making its debut at the box office on Dec. 18, 2009. all time, we’re now faced with in the series by $12 million, a “renaissance” in Hollywood, mostly thanks to higher ticket where every movie with a prices. But it also had the budget over $50 million is worst word of mouth, and given the 3-D treatment. critics absolutely hated it. The “Clash of the Titans” was set 3-D was used as a gimmick for to be released a shallow at the end of in a “If something is big, then film March, but franchise it’s copied until the idea that had run was pushed back a week its course is run into the ground, so that 3-D by the third beaten with a stick and effects could film. be shoehorned the horse has died.” I’m into it. Is this probably really going going to to bring in that much more avoid “Clash of the Titans” money? Sure, it’s an extra because it’s in 3-D. I don’t see $2 to go see a 3-D film at the appeal of it. If I want to the local Carmike Theater, watch a spectacle, I’ll go to an but how many people will amusement park. I go to the the movie studios lose by theater to enjoy a quality film jacking these prices up? It or at least check my brain at seems counterproductive to the door for some impressive raise prices for recreation action. Directors are now during a time when people are going to shoehorn 3-D into losing jobs constantly. Movies their movies, at the sacrifice of used to be considered cheap quality, just so the movie can entertainment, but for $5 more sell big. than one person’s ticket, I can The thing that sets “Avatar” get the movie a couple months apart from other films is the later on Blu-Ray and watch it care that was obviously put as many times as I want. That into its doesn’t seem like a good value production. to me. Cameron Even with the exaggerated worked ticket prices, would these on the film movies really be that for the better successful? There was a fourth part of five “Final Destination” film fastyears. He worked tracked by Warner Bros. so meticulously, up that it could be made in 3-D. It until weeks before only outgrossed the third film the film came out, to
make sure everything was as he wanted it. That’s a far cry from delaying a film a week to slap some fancy effects on in postproduction. Normally, this wouldn’t bother me. I would just avoid the movie until it comes out on Blu-Ray, and I’d buy it and watch it at home. But when there is talk of some of my favorite franchises like “James Bond,” “Transformers” and “Superman” being in 3-D, it’s going to come down to a decision of sitting through two hours of nauseating halfhearted filmmaking, or seeing the same thing four months later with less nausea. Hopefully, Hollywood will get the picture soon and will jump off this bandwagon before it f lies off a cliff “Thelma and Louise” style. Until then, how long do we have to wait for “Saw 3-D?” You know it’s coming. It looks like “Back to the Future” had it right all along. Now we just need “Jaws 19” in 3-D.
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A&E
March 8, 2010
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‘Anatolia’ focuses on real world Author avoids postmodern writing techniques By Bennett Dewan Collegian Staff For most of the history of the modern American publishing industry, the large corporate print companies have dictated standards in content. Without fear of one f lop folding the company, Penguin, HoughtonMiff lin, Scholastic and other media leaders have offered large contracts to rising writers and people of interest in order to consolidate talented authors. While the corporate giants still produce the majority of the million-seller books, it is no longer due to the superior nature of the product, as smaller publishers have been able to carve out a piece of the market with consistent, quality publications. The reputations of some of these mid-major publications have grown, as they have been willing to greenlight projects that directly subvert the corporate genres of today.
Black Lawrence Press did just this when they signed on to publish book critic, economist and freelance journalist Anis Shivani’s first collection of short stories “Anatolia.” Bucking postmodern trends, Shivani uses narrative, exposition and dialogue to present stories about everyday people under differing forms of globalization. His stories and characters come to embody the economic, cultural and ideological effects of the expansion of capitalism and Western zeal. The opening short “Dubai” garnered Special Mention for the Pushcart Prize. The story revolves around the struggles of Ram Pillai, a guest worker in the United Arab Emirates, who after 35 years of labor has decided to leave the nation due to his inability to ever be granted citizenship. The story stands alone as an interesting exploration of political and economic exploitation, yet it is also a timely representation
can feel wordy, but it would be of the inhumanity of guest that provides a snapshot of worker policies as they are inequity in legal and intellectual nearly impossible to keep up with the standards set by the being considered in the United genres. His detailing of the standout selections. This can be States. Rather than falling emotional stiltedness of blueexpected from any publication, into the trappings of most collar laborers, as a result of as certain readers will identify modern fiction that addresses the systems they come from, and respond to different political issues, Shivani crafted is as responsive and life-like material. What is unexpected a narrative that does not feature as early Tolstoy. Shivani, in are the heights to which the obtusely aggressive punditry, another story, expertly creates truly successful stories do reach but delicately points the reader fictitious diary entries from in an author’s first publication. towards a new understanding. a well-established Japanese While many writers use their The collection delves into businessman during his first major-market publication both the historical and modern, internment in the 1940s that as a learning experience, across generations, genders could easily pass for credible Shivani has crafted a collection and cultures. “Anatolia” never historical documentation. that has the polish of a seasoned feels like scattered musings, but “Anatolia” is not without author and the international parts that encompass a whole. faults; some of the stories do consciousness of a citizen of the Shivani seeks to capture the not resonate as much as the existence of real worldly citizens truly standout ones and at times world. in the working classes with amazing clarity and breadth. His characters do not win the lottery, strike oil or rapidly rise to power to a position of great privilege; they live their lives struggling within a system they have little to no power to change. Shivani shows an MCT Campus adept hand at the creation Overseas: The first short story in ‘Anatolia’ takes place in Dubai, one of the of characters seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates.
Original composition wins housing talent show By Rashmi Thapaliya Collegian Staff Students at Cameron University showed their talents in the CU Talent Show hosted by Student Housing on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Shepler Ballroom. The talent show featured diverse acts including singing, poetry, monologues and skits. The majority of the participants showed off their singing talent in the show, and a large audience cheered for their friends participating in the competition. The show started with a rap song “Hands Up” by Donovan Townes and Marques Smith and ended with a slideshow, “Lorraine Goes to the Dentist,”
by Brittany Kaywaykla and Margarita Moreno. Michael Faggett, a Radio and Television Broadcasting major, was the host for the evening. Brian Phillips, a freshman Physical Education major, was announced the winner of the talent show by the judges. He sang the rap song “I’m An Aggie,” which he wrote himself. The song was written about the Aggie spirit, and he performed it while wearing an Aggie shirt. He requested that the audience stand up and sing with him, and they obliged. “I am honored, and it is a privilege to be the winner,” Phillips said. “I am just blessed.” The second place winner was Jordan Scribner, a sophomore
Speech Communications major. practice the accent.” Third place went to Troy She performed the monologue “The Bridge,” a piece discussing Flewellan, a sophomore Communications domestic He violence “I was a little nervous in major. in Russia, recited poetry the beginning trying to about the winter and she spoke as adjust to the scene, but, break and love. said that a Russian once you get into it, you He two-thirds of his woman are comfortable. I am who is piece was poetry victim of quite happy to be one of and one-third was freestyle for domestic the winners.” violence the show. “I was a little herself. “I am — Troy Flewellan nervous in the trying pretty Third place winner beginning to adjust to excited to come in the scene, but, once you get into it you are second place,” Scribner said. “I comfortable,” Flewellan said. “I went to the theater for practice and listened to some Russian am quite happy to be one of the winners.” tapes which helped me to
The judges for the show were Kara Morris, Cameron Admissions Counselor; Dr. Justin D. Walton, Communications Professor and Faculty-in-Residence; Ashley Elizabeth Miller, President of Alpha Phi; Elijah Morlett, Treasurer of the Student Body; Anna Marie Pollard, Aggie Ambassador; and Taylor Brunwald, President of PRIDE. Dr. Walton, one of the judges, said that he was amazed with the range of talent that existed within the students of Cameron University. “Brian Phillips deserved first place because it was an original piece,” Dr. Walton said. “He really got the audience involved and was able to capture the audience’s attention.”
‘My Life As Liz’ far from reality, truth fictionalized MTV has recently dropped “Music Television” from its logo, and it is not surprising, considering the lack of musicfocused programming the network runs. But while the network may be trying to change its marketing technique, the programs it currently runs leave something to be desired: namely, “My Life as Liz.” Liz Lee, a former popular-girl-goneemo, is the star of the show, lamenting every day of her senior year that she lives in Burleson, a small, “backwoods Texas town.” And to get the point across, a picture montage of churches, cows and twostepping cowboys f lash across the screen during the opening credits.
If you watch this show off-the-cuff, you might think it’s just another quasi-reality show using the same tired-out premise of the outcast versus the popular group that can be seen in every high school television show or movie since the dawn of time. How many times can an audience watch a bucket of pig blood fall on someone’s head? There is no limit, apparently. As a native of Burleson, though, I can tell you that most of what you see on the screen is entirely fictional. That’s not hard to swallow, as most reality shows are void of truth. And Liz even states somewhat of a disclaimer in the beginning of each show, claiming “the people, places and stories you are about to see are all real . . .
Rachel Engel
at least the way I see it.” Perhaps it is my pride rising up in defense of my hometown and my high school alma mater, but even with hidden admission from MTV that the show is fictional reality, it burns me up to see Liz bad-mouthing my favorite place on Earth. She states in the show that we have more churches than cows; well, yes, Burleson is located in the Bible belt. And there may be cows, but only on the outskirts of town; I promise you won’t be able to hear mooing in 90 percent of Burleson’s city limits. Liz can also be seen hanging out at the Malt Shop on numerous occasions, and even lying on the hood of her car watching the train go by in downtown Burleson. It may have been five years since I was a student at Burleson High School, but I never heard of anyone hanging out at the Malt Shop. It just seems like more propaganda to make Burleson seem as hick as possible, when in fact we are just on the outskirts of the fifth largest
metropolitan area in the United States. While I wish I could avoid watching this show all together, or at least have the courage to use the mute button while it is playing, I have a morbid fascination with seeing my hometown on television. I want to boycott the show, I do, but it’s that train-wreck effect. I’m breaking my neck at this point to see the casualty — which in this case happens to be the respect of the town I grew up in. What were the leaders of our town thinking? I remember the controversy when MTV first approached them and asked permission to film. The
MCT Campus
school board was concerned about the light it would shed on our students; they wanted to make sure it showed Burleson in a positive way. Well? Mission failure. Tonight is the season finale of My Life As Liz, and while I don’t particularly care about the outcome, I will watch it regardless, bidding adieu to my high school’s fifteen minutes of fame forever. And, goodbye, Liz Lee; sorry you hated our town.
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March 8, 2010
Photos by Bennett Dewan Page Design by Monica Garner