Cameron Collegian Spring 2024 Issue #7

Francesca Morris:

CU's community resource coordinator

Brittney Payette Managing Editor

Cameron’s Community Resource Coordinator

Francesca Morris is part of the Student Enrichment Center (SEC.)

Morris said that the SEC helps with work, school, and life balance.

“All of those three things have to stay in balance for students to be able to comfortably stay in school and devote a hundred percent of themselves to their academics," she said. "If one of those things gets out of balance, then you can come to the student enrichment center for that.”

Morris can put students in touch with a variety of resources.

“I actually have right now probably over 150 different resources, programs, (and) things in the community that I can connect students with,” she said.

Morris said her overall goal is to support student’s journeys in pursuing and obtaining their degree.

“I can help with health care/insurance, food, mental health, if you need help with your pets, professional networking, just community support, clothing, rent and utility assistance, housing, childcare, transportation,” she said. “Basically, I’m the link between the students and literally whatever exists in the community.”

Morris said that there are other staff members in the SEC who can help out with other areas of student’s lives.

“The school one, if you need help with that, you would see one of our coaches, like the student success coaches or (an) academic coach,” she said. “If your work gets out of balance, you can see our work-learning experience person.”

SoonerCare Changes

Morris said there are a variety of changes coming to SoonerCare that she wants students who have SoonerCare to be aware of.

“Everyone on SoonerCare is going to be affected,” Morris said. “SoonerCare is becoming SoonerSelect, and it’s called SoonerSelect because you’re now going to be able to make selections with your care.”

She said SoonerSelect allows people to choose between three different health plans that offer different benefit packages.

“For example, one of them has like a monthly allowance for diapers,” Morris said. “But if you’re not planning on having children right now or whatever, maybe you don’t really care about that plan. Maybe you like the benefits of this other plan.”

She said there are amazing options that SoonerSelect offers.

“They’re (SoonerSelect enrollees) just going to be able to have more opportunities to get certain types of care, but also they will be able to … customize their care and choose what’s best for them.”

She said that if people currently enrolled in SoonerCare do not make a selection for SoonerSelect, they will be automatically sorted into one of three health plans.

She also said that she has two upcoming events related to the upcoming changes involved with SoonerCare

becoming SoonerSelect.

“What we are going to do is an informational session,” Morris said.

“At that informational session, they will be able to look at the three plans and kind of get ideas. They can ask the community health worker, like, for clarification ... so they can really understand the plan. ” The informational session will take place from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. on March 27 in the McCasland Ballroom in the MCC, and there will be a healthcare worker present to answer questions that students and their beneficiaries have about SoonerSelect.

walk-in basis.

A second follow-up event will take place from 37 p.m. on April 3 in the McCasland Ballroom in the MCC. This second event is a walk-in session where students can meet with a county health worker one-on-one to enroll in the benefits they want.

Moreover, Morris said Cameron students who are interested in joining SoonerSelect for the first time can also attend the event.

“They’ll be able to sit down right there and enroll, make their selections, you know, everything,” Morris said. “The county health care worker that will be there will have their own computer, and so the county health care worker will sit down with you and be like, ‘okay what plan do you think that you want and they’ll go in and do it right then.”

“Basically, I’m the link between the students and literally whatever exists in the community.”

“You have a week to kind of … go online, do some research, look at the handouts and everything,” she said. “And then, if the student feels comfortable going online and making the selections themselves, they totally can. They will be prepared to do that after this session.”

Francesca Morris Community Resource Coordinator

She said if the student is still confused after looking at the information after the initial informational session or if they have a complex case, they are able to meet one-on-one with a community health worker and receive help at the April 3 event, which is on a first come first serve

Morris said that the advantage of making the selection with a county health care worker is that they take effect immediately.

“The goal is to ensure that students are able to choose the benefits that they want,” Morris said. “And just making sure that the student takes advantage of that opportunity, but also the goal is to make sure that the students make their selections before the end of what’s called open enrollment.”

Open enrollment for SoonerSelect ends on April 30, which means that is the final day that people can make their selections for their health plan.

For more information about community resources contact Morris at fmorris@cameron.edu.

Photo by Brittney Payette

Courtesy Graphic

Student Veterans of America

Amanda Purcer Staff Writer

Cameron

The veteran community is also deeply entwined within businesses and

establishments around the Lawton area.

Because of this, Cameron University has a bustling veteran population.

The Student Veterans of America (SVA) is an organization dedicated to helping U.S. military veterans excel and network, as they complete their education.

Through a network of nearly 1,600 on-campus chapters, SVA ensures that student veterans and military-connected

students achieve their greatest potential.

The Cameron University chapter is headed by faculty advisor Christopher Sauer, who is a Computing and Mathematics instructor.

Sauer explained that the Cameron chapter had a strong following of active student involvement, prior to COVID. According to Sauer the restrictions and campus adjustments to comply with COVID

safety measures affected many organizations and SVA was no exception.

Sauer says that the SVA is currently trying to regrow their student members and find the best way to reach our student veterans and get them involved. The SVA does periodic events, such as the game night they hosted from 5:30-8 p.m., Feb. 29 in the Buddy Green room, upstairs in the MCC.

At the events, attendees had the opportunity to play a variety of board games, eat free pizza and, of course, network with others.

SVA events at Cameron are not limited to only veterans, they invite any students, service members, alumni, dependents and all other supporters to join in on the fun.

All students are encouraged to join,

especially veterans and active-duty service members, to attend and support events like the game night, hosted by SVA. They will be hosting a variety of events, both entertaining and informative, as the semester continues. The best way to get information is to pay attention to emails sent by Veteran Affairs Coordinator, Vicki Henson.

from sonnets to students

DR. JOHN MORRIS

Hannah Owens News Editor

Cameron University’s English department boasts many dedicated professors with captivating stories and unique personalities, such as Dr. John G. Morris. Morris has called Cameron University home for the last 36 years serving as an English professor.

He teaches classes such as English Composition I and II, a variety of American Literature courses, and creative writing and poetry classes.

On top of teaching, Morris is also the advisr to the campus Magic Lantern Film Society and the Black Student Association (BSA).

Morris holds a passion for the arts, resulting in a great love for classic films, poetry, art galleries, classical concerts and more. He originally pursued a journalism degree after being active in his high school’s newspaper, but switched to English around two years into the program.

Morris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He went on to Arizona State University to earn a Master of Arts with an emphasis in creative writing and then a Doctorate in English.

The Magic Lantern Film Society is a student organization that hosts screenings of different classic films absolutely free not only to the campus community, but also to the public. The organization has been active since the Spring 1982 with Morris serving as the faculty adviser since 1990.

He strongly encourages students to seize the opportunity of attending the free showings, expressing a wish that more would immerse themselves in Cameron’s rich arts scene.

“There’s just a wealth of things available for students when they are here, and I wish people would take more advantage,” Morris said. “There’s a lot of stuff to take part in and mostly free.”

Morris himself loves to attend the plays, concerts and art galleries hosted on campus and is a common face in the Aggie Rec Center.

The role of faculty adviser for the Black Student Association has been held by Morris since 1997. The Black Student Association aims to honor and advance African American culture, while creating an environment that supports the social, cultural and personal development of its members, fostering a

brighter future. Membership is inclusive and available to all.

Morris has a wealth of knowledge on a great variety of topics. Since graduating from college, he reflected that, given the chance to go back, he would have chosen to minor in history instead of journalism, considering he already possessed the necessary credits for a journalism minor. He knows a small amount of Spanish, German and old English and published a book of poetry in 2008. He said he is working on his next poetry book.

English major and Morris’s student Jessi Womack holds Morris in high regard, praising both his depth of knowledge and his engaging teaching style.

“I want to be a sponge in that classroom,” Womack said. “He is so smart, and every time he talks, I know I’m getting something out of it.”

Morris said the same thing about his students.

“That’s one of the things I love about my job,” Morris said. “That’s why I like to keep doing it … I get to meet people that I probably wouldn’t have a chance to meet otherwise.”

He shared a few of his favorite movies and directors, most from the classic era of Hollywood. Morris is partial to Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder movies. He also recommended a few foreign films, such as the French psychological thriller film series “Three Colours Trilogy” produced in the mid-90s.

Morris also mentioned two historical figures he finds inspiring.

“John Milton wrote the epic poem, Paradise Lost, when he was blind. How did he do that?” Morris said. “Beethoven wrote the Ninth Symphony when he was deaf. How did he do that?”

Morris stands as a pillar of inspiration and guidance within Cameron University’s English department, embodying a passion for literature, film and the arts.

His dedication to fostering his students’ talents are like no other and aims to make a long lasting impression on them after graduation.

Photo by Hannah Owens

Photo by Amanda Purser

Serenity Clark Staff Writer

This battle between legends has started fights among both strangers and dearest partners for the last sixty years – and it will likely continue to do so for another sixty, granted the Earth doesn’t melt before then.

It has been the topic of debate and discussion in a Taco Bell, outside a festival Port-A-Potty, between thrown fists, over a delicate tea party – and I’m here to tell you that the obvious winner is always going to be The Rolling Stones. There is a hard to ignore bias here, seeing as those British rockers have been in my life since I came out of the womb and are with me still to this day (my fourth most streamed artist of all time on Spotify–no big deal or anything).

My mother raised me on classic rock and metal; it was The Stones on the way to school and Metallica on the way home. If it didn’t hurt your ears at too high of a volume, my mother was not going to play it. She drove a green 1968 Mustang – what did you expect?

Even though I have nearly every Stones album on vinyl (thank you, Trolley Stop Record Shop) and have asked my boyfriend to play “Wild

Horses” at my funeral in case I die before him, there is no denying the outrageously huge influence The Beatles had on pop music and culture as a whole, as well as live performances in general. In fact, there would be no Stones if not for the Beatles.

The rivalry between the two provides us with conversation topics now, but historically, it mainly served as an incentive to each artist to continuously and repeatedly one up each other – they fed off each other, showed the other what to do and what to absolutely not do.

The Beatles were the world’s first boy band –and you can tell your grandpa I said so, too. They completely revolutionized live music and fan culture as a whole, and the only band or artist I can think of that has even come close to that same level of global popularity is One Direction (seriously, what is in that British water?).

Invasion and paved the start of the road for rockers everywhere, even the ones hiding in small towns in the far corners of the planet. They burned hard and bright for not even a whole decade and over half a century later still continue to influence and inspire artists, songwriters, filmmakers,

“Here

The Sun” on every “future child” playlist on Spotify – but “Honky Tonk

Women” is going to be on the oh so classy “songs that make you wanna shake booty”

There is where the difference lies – and that’s why I prefer one over the other, while also understanding why one is more popular

opposite of The Beatles, an absurdly bold move to make in the midst of the sunshine-and-rainbows 60s: rough and tough bad boys from the dirty streets of England, with shaggy hair and eyeliner and a lead singer that kind of looks like a girl from certain angles.

The Beatles ignited the British

I have a specific taste for loud, abrasive music (thanks Mom) whereas the whole world does not. The general public is almost always going to lean toward that happy medium: music with a catchy chorus that gets stuck in your head at the most inconvenient times, music that isn’t too scandalous to be played in Forever 21, music you could play for your great aunt when she asks what the kids are listening to these days.

The Beatles are that happy medium: clean cut gentlemen you’ll be dancing to on Sunday morning as opposed to taking shots on a Friday night. The Rolling Stones make music that made my grandma question how long it’s been since my mom had been to church.

They were marketed as the complete

The Stones fed into rebellion and androgyny, carrying that unforgiving spirit into the less than hopeful 70s. Mick Jagger was shameless, Keith Richards unapologetic – The Rolling Stones embody the word “rockstar,” and there is a good reason they are often referred to as “the greatest rock band of all time.” Seems a bit prideful, but hey, isn’t that what rock music is for?

REVIEW: PERSONA 3

Persona 3 Reload is the reimagining of the game that popularized the Persona series– Persona 3. It was released on Feb. 2 this year across multiple platforms, namely the Playstation 4 and 5, the Xbox series X and S, Windows, and more. As someone who played both the original and FES, I was very excited about the Reload announcement … so I bought it for Windows. A transfer student, the protagonist, is suddenly met with the Dark Hour – a freaky phenomenon that allows monsters called “shadows” to essentially feed on a human’s psyche which has negative effects outside of the Dark Hour. The protagonist discovers a new power within himself that’ll allow him to defeat these shadows and save the world; with some help, of course. The point of the game is to enter Tartarus, the game’s dungeon, at night while forging social links and living out the life of a high school student during the day.

As for the game itself, it received an ESRB rating “M” for mature, so you might not want to play with your family. However, it can be played on multiple platforms which makes it somewhat accessible. It isn’t

too large of a download either, and for me, it runs at a smooth rate of 60 frames per second on high graphics settings — though I’ve gotten occasional blurriness during cutscenes. The price is nothing to sneeze at, though; it cost around $70, so this is a game to invest in … but is it really worth the price tag?

As a whole, it’s a great game. It doesn’t deviate too far from the original while still having a brand new feeling. The new character portraits are downright gorgeous and the game looks great from an aesthetic standpoint. There’s also new additions for veteran players, like new social links and the removal of the “Tired” effect in Tartarus. It’s fun, and you can genuinely spend hours on the game without getting sick of it thanks to the sheer amount of content packed inside. Let’s not forget about that awesome soundtrack either!

However, it has its flaws. Maybe it’s because I played the OG, but I find that it lacks … like, a lot. It may as well be a remaster of the game since none of the changes are substantial enough to really differentiate it from the original. The biggest crime of all is that there’s no female protagonist; why take away a feature that was already there back in 2009?

loved to see her in Reload since she added so much to the social link system.

As one of the most beloved games in the series, it’s no surprise that Atlus and Sega decided to revisit it. After all, how many people talk about the first and second Persona games? Many could even argue that the game made Shin Megami Tensei look like a spinoff series to Persona instead of the other way around. Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES became a turning point for the series in terms of aesthetics and writing. With such big shoes to fill, does Persona 3 Reload live up to the original?

Well … it depends. If you’re new to the Persona series, then I’d say: absolutely! It plays well, it’s sleek, and it gives you almost everything that Persona 3 gave us back in 2008. However, if you have played Persona 3, Persona 3 Portable, or Persona 3 FES, it really isn’t worth it – especially for that price. It’s a faithful recreation to the old game, but perhaps it’s a little too faithful; you can just play the original Persona 3 again and check out the new social links online, I promise you aren’t missing out on much. I give this game an 8.5 out of 10 since it is still a very good game, but it leaves much to be desired for old

This review may contain spoilers for Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man.

Jonathan Hickman has once again proven to handle our friendly neighborhood web-slinger with the utmost care and respect. The art also remains beautifully drawn by artist Marco Checcheto. Although this issue has been as much of a treat as the last with my initial read through, I did find myself questioning some of the creative decisions made that I’m sure others won’t find as bothersome when I did a second read through.

For a total of twenty-seven pages, Hickman manages to hit every story point necessary for a second issue of a series. The action alone was a major selling point for this issue. Witnessing this version of Peter finally swinging through the streets of New York City was very enjoyable.

Checcheto’s eye-catching art and dynamic composition adds to these moments still giving off that cinematic feel as if you were watching this version of Spider-Man on the big screen. Hickman also makes it known to the reader that Peter is still an inexperienced super hero. One such page had Peter crash into a water tank during his swing through the city, showing that he’s still adjusting to his newfound powers. Moments like these are quite welcoming as it sets up more opportunities for Peter to eventually get better at becoming New York’s finest hero.

There were some very heartfelt moments as well such as the interaction between Peter and May Parker. Close to the end of the issue, May discovers that Peter is the

mysterious new hero and, as a result, we get to see a touching moment as Peter tells May that he will always be there for her whether as her father or as Spider-Man. With very little depiction of May in any Spider-Man related media, besides Sony Pictures Entertainment’s “Across the SpiderVerse,” Hickman manages to fill that void for a proper fatherly Peter. These were my thoughts on my first read through, but on my second I did have my nitpicks.

One such nitpick was not having more pages of Peter adjusting to his new status as a superhero. I wanted to see more of Peter learning how to wall-crawl or fighting some lowlevel criminals robbing a convenience store. Some scenes of him being

either praised or booed upon by the civilians of New York. Stuff like that would definitely strengthen this issue even more while also providing more content on Peter learning more and more about his newfound abilities.

Another nitpick I had was having Peter lose to the likes of Shocker so easily. I did state that this version of Peter was still inexperienced, but having him lose to the same trick by the same villain twice was very offputting for me.

Nonetheless, it was a pretty funny scene. I just didn’t enjoy the choice of going about it. The pacing also felt a bit rushed to where more could’ve been added to either set-up characters more or have more action implemented. Again, these are just

a few nitpicks that can either be overlooked or not as bothersome for others reading this issue.

In conclusion, issue 2 was a pleasant read that could’ve been improved upon in certain areas. I’m excited to see where the story goes next in issue 3, especially with hints of Kingpin taking the main stage as the big bad of the story.

Hopefully we get more of Wilson Fisk and at least an encounter between him and Spider-Man. On top of that, I hope to see Peter finally don the classic red and blue outfit rather than what he is currently wearing. This new Ultimate universe continues to be more and more promising as new installments continue to be made.

Ultimately I rate this issue a solid 6/10.

Skylar Teddington Staff Writer

James Jones Staff Writer

Courtesy Photo

Photo

Gamma Delta Pi: Keeping tradition alive

Ciera Terry Student Life Editor

Roxie Tenequer is the President of Gamma Delta Pi and a CU organizational leadership senior who is graduating in May.

Gamma Delta Pi was founded Aug. 22, 2001, at the University of Oklahoma.

“Gamma Delta Pi is a Native American sorority, but it’s open to anyone that is interested in joining,” Tenequer said.

Tenequer has special familial ties to the sorority.

“It’s super special to me because my first cousin was one of the five founding sisters,” she said.

Cameron is one of five colleges to have a Gamma Delta Pi chapter other than the University of Oklahoma.

Tenequer said it was a powerful thing for her cousin to be at OU, creating a sorority.

“In our culture, you wouldn’t think that Native women would be in a sorority, but they created it,” she said.

Tenequer said Gamma Delta Pi might be similar to a sorority-type of oganization, but their sisterhood emphasizes Native American culture.

“We want a life-long bond ... just keeping those traditions alive,” Tenequer said.

“Gamma Delta Pi has had over 16 people cross over into our organization here at Cameron, and there’ve been many individuals.

So I love that.

Gamma Delta Pi is for traditional, non-traditional students, Moms,” she said.

organization on the governance board and they have been helping us and kind-of encouraging us to keep going,” she said.

Gamma Delta Pi has five chairs in their organization, and they have a vacancy for their vice chairmen. After Tenequer graduates, there will only be two chairpeople.

“We’re encouraging our alumni to come and help us during our rush,” she said.

Gamma Delta Pi has hosted fundraisers in the past.

“In the last 4 years, we used to have a bake sale at least once a month or we’ve done different cultural events,” Tenequer said. “We usually host something during Native American Heritage Month which is in November. We actually set out a teepee behind the MCC and had a powwow two years ago. It was amazing,” she said.

Gamma Delta Pi also hosts a galla every year, near the end of November or early December.

“It’s a fashion show. We host it here at the MCC and we do a call for the community, if you want to be a model,” Tenequer said. “We ask for a five-dollar donation to get in, or sometimes, we do a food drive for entry. It’s young, little kids all the way to elders in the fashion show.”

“I want (members) to know that not only women alone, but also specifically native women, are stronger than what a person could ever imagine.”

When the University first showed interest in bringing Gamma Delta Pi to Cameron, Tenequer didn’t set out to be the president.

“I want to show the community and all of our fellow students, we are a great group of people, and we want everyone to have an opportunity to join something so they can feel a part of something here at the school. If you feel you want to be a part of something and you’re just unsure, just come in,” she said.

Gamma Delta Pi advocates for their members to get to know their culture.

Gamma Delta Pi is doing an informal rush this semester because there are only three active members. Members were unsure if they were going to continue as an organization without recruiting more members.

Roxie Tenequer

President of

Gamma Delta Pi

“I told our founding sister ‘I don’t want to be an officer; I’m a super busy mom, and I work full time and go to school full time,’” Tenequer said. “At the time, my kids were in high school getting ready to go to college, so I was super busy,” she said.

But once Tenequer got into it, she couldn’t resist getting more involved.

“I met with our governance board,” Tenequer said, “and they said that once you go inactive, it’s really hard to become active again. We have previously (recruited) new members every single semester, but ... there’s just three of us now.

“I spoke with the president of the Gamma Delta Pi at The University of Oklahoma, and they said ‘go for it.’ We have a sustainability person in our

“The amount of encouragement for these younger students, in helping them and guiding them just in life and being a good student, being a good woman, being a good sister — that was why I wanted to join and then once I did it, it just stuck with me,” Tenequer said. “This whole time, I was only a treasurer, and I kind of sat back and watched all the girls learn how to become a leader. I watched them, encouraged them and helped them, and I

“I want them (members) to know what it’s like to have someone that will be there for you, their entire life,” she said. “I want them to know that not only women alone, but also specifically Native women, are stronger than what a person could ever imagine. I want them to take that, and I want them to be there for whoever needs them,” she said.

Gamma Delta Pi is actively looking for new members.

“It’s just a great way to meet other people. All our founders have all graduated. I’m the last founder. That’s why we’re doing an informal rush this semester,” Tenequer said. “It’s kind of late in the game, but we still need to add some new members, you know? Because a lot of our people are graduates or just inactive,” she said.

Gamma Delta Pi hopes that incoming students who are interested in joining are excited.

individuals. It humbles me as an adult, as an older non-traditional student,” she said. “What I still go through, they still go through. I’ve never thought these girls were young. These girls have taught me so much. They are so caring, forgiving and understanding. It has molded me as an adult, and its taught me to not take things so seriously all the time. I don’t feel out of place, and over the last four years, I’ve felt like I am a Cameron student,” she said.

Treasurer and Rush Coordinator Lillie Hodgson joined Gamma Delta Pi in Spring 2022.

“It’s honestly been really positive,” she said, “I didn’t really know what to expect because I don’t really consider myself a typical sorority girl, but its been really nice getting to know people and to have the chance to know some women who are a little older and more mature than me. I get to learn from them and learn from their experiences,” she said.

Hodgson’s favorite memory of being in Gamma Delta Pi was her initiation night.

“I remember being nervous the whole day, and I just felt so loved that night, like getting to hang out with everybody,” she said.

For more information on Gamma Delta Pi contact cugammadeltapi@ hotmail.com.

Dr. Heflin announces retirement

after 66 years of service

Clark Staff Writer

Earlier this year, Associate Professor Dr. James L. Heflin of the Communication, English, & Foreign Languages department announced his retirement after serving Cameron University for a mighty 66 years.

Since August 1958, Heflin has been a pillar in the Communication department, seeing countless students from the beginning of their college careers to the end.

He was a part of the Executive Board for Oklahoma Speech Theatre Association for 30 years, served two terms on the National Board of Directors for The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, served as both Chair as well as Board of Directors for Cameron Campus Ministry, and presently serves as Cameron Faculty Senate Secretary.

Heflin was born and raised in Mississippi, and prior to teaching at Cameron, he taught at Mississippi State University as well as The University of Southern Mississippi–the latter of which is where he received his Ph.D. The aforementioned speech camp, led at the time by the late Tony Allison, is what Heflin said drew him out of his home state and kept him in Oklahoma.

At 82 years old, Heflin has seen and experienced many things, including being in the middle of teaching a lesson when his class was alerted that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.

“The biggest change is the diversity of students,” he said.

“And I enjoy that very much.”

This is the one thing that has changed more than anything else, and yet it seems to be–to have always been–Dr. Heflin’s favorite part of teaching, of living in Lawton, and of living in general.

“People are people,” he said.

“Students bring their people-ness with them to school.”

Heflin said that the path that brings students to Cameron is, “in itself, very interesting.” No matter a student’s background, no matter if they “have it easy” or “have it very hard,” he’s always most proud watching them come to class regardless of circumstance.

Heflin said his current source of pride comes from the simple fact that everyone in every single one of his classes managed to pass the first exam.

Not a single student failed – and while this is definitely an excellent accomplishment, Heflin’s entire track record at Cameron does more than speak for itself.

He spoke a great deal about how important communication is specifically, and how his favorite class to teach is Interpersonal Communication – person to person conversations. He stressed the importance of interpersonal relationships and getting to know someone based on two things: what they say and what they don’t say. There is much to be learned from Heflin’s teachings and even more to be learned from his wisdom.

“That’s the reason I love life,” he said, “life is ... creative and unpredictable in an exciting way. Anything you try – you have no idea whether it’s going to succeed or not, so it’s fun!”

With regard to retirement, Heflin cracked a joke about getting an office over in the library, so students can “go out there, watch me drink my Starbucks coffee and chit chat.”

In all seriousness, he explained how he looks forward to continuing to raise his youngest son with his wife, as well as spending time with his 21 grandchildren.

Photo by Ciera Terry

Serenity

Photo by Ciera Terry

Cameron ESPORTS

Sports Editor

Elijah Robertson is a dedicated and accomplished senior criminal justice major with a minor in psychology who will graduate in May. Throughout his academic journey, Elijah has displayed an unwavering commitment to excellence and a genuine passion for his chosen fields of study. In addition to his academic pursuits, Elijah is a pickaxe esports player specializing in the popular video game Overwatch 2. While he was born in Anadarko and raised in Cyril, a small town just 30 minutes away from Lawton, Elijah has always been a hardworking and ambitious individual striving to achieve his goals. With his impressive academic record and gaming skills, he will continue excelling in all his future endeavors.

He decided to attend Cameron because he wanted to stay close to his family, who lives in Elgin.

Two of Robertson’s favorite classes consist of Intro to CSI and Applied Psychology. He wanted to minor in psychology because he has always been curious about why people act as they do.

“It shows you how the brain works, and it actually works like that if you look deeper into it,” Robertson said. His love for esports started before he started physically playing games.

“When I was a teenager, I used to watch a lot of competitive gaming people like Shroud,” Roberson said, “I used to watch clips a lot. That got me interested in it.”

One of the many reasons, besides the fact that he has played Overwatch 2 since the first one came out in 2016, that he decided to join the esports teams is that he has always enjoyed the community of gaming and generally being around people who are interested in a few of the same things as him. That’s precisely what he’s found in esports - a community that shares his love for gaming and his determination to succeed and be the best version of himself.

“It’s a good way to make friends, find a nice little community to hang out with. Everyone on our team is chill and friendly, so we have no problem making friends on the team,” Robertson said.

He believes every team member is essential in achieving victory, so he always tries to be a reliable teammate.

“The team aspect, you can’t

just run a gun and win the game,” Robertson said, “You have to work as a team to win the game. When no one works as a team, you get steamrolled.”

In Overwatch, he has always considered himself a physical player ready to support his teammates. He takes pride in being a valuable team member and understands the importance of playing his role to the best of his abilities.

Robertson said, “I try to lift them up and how to get the best out of them.”

His physical character is Lucio, a DJ wearing roller skates and a shirt with a frog on it. His favorite part of Lucio is that his character is friendly and always hypes other characters up with his voice lines. Also, Lucio is a character who likes to support his team.

“I like his gameplay cause he is very fast-paced; he’s kinda like a fly if you get good at playing him,” Robertson said, “ you can annoy people real good.”

Robertson connects to Lucio because he likes music, and Lucio is a DJ.

“I’m not a DJ, but I just like music,” Robertson said, “I like a lot of music, rap, rock, metal, jazz, a lot of music; the only thing I don’t like is the new country. More of a Johnny Cash guy and Marty Robbins.”

He has been playing as Lucio since 2018, and that’s when Robertson started picking Lucio up. Robertson has yet to make plans to swap off his signature character anytime soon.

“Back then, no one used to play support characters. So, I bit the bullet and started playing them. Lucio was the one I had the most fun with, so I stuck with him,” Robertson said.

Although Robertson does not typically like to feed into the game’s

to dance around him because of his emote.

Robertson said, “I just watched it get away.”

He plans to go to the OKC petrol station after he graduates, eventually becoming a detective after getting experience as a police officer. If the Patrol does not work out, he has also considered pursuing a role as an FBI agent.

“I want to be a detective no matter what,” Robertson said.

“You can’t just run a gun and win the game. You have to work as a team to win the game. When no one works as a team, you get steamrolled.”

-Elijah Robertson Esports Overwatch player

greed and buy skins, he has bought one, Lucios, a Greek Hermes skin. Not only do new skins change the character’s physical appearance, but it also has new voice lines. One of the voice lines he likes from Hermes is going to Hades and back. Robertson said, “I like the Greek mythology, too.”

One of Robertson’s regrets is not purchasing Lucios Emote (stuff the character can do during the game), where he would start setting up his DJ stuff and playing, and the other characters would have the option

One aspect that he feels like most about law enforcement is the opportunity to help people and make a difference in their lives.

“Since I was young. I’ve always liked helping people,” Robertson said. “ I always thought this would be a good fit for me.”

The esports team is currently looking for more players to join.

Robertson wishes he had joined the esports team his first year.

Robertson said, “A friendly person who does not get mad when someone tries to help them out somebody’s that chill and willing to learn.”

For more information, email coach John Cunningham at Esports@ cameron.edu.

Ramona Villegas