The Cameron University Collegian: April 5, 2010

COLLEGIAN THE CA M ERON U N I V ER SIT Y

Monday, April 5, 2010

Variety

www.aggiecentral.com

Volume 84 Issue 20

Cleo L. Craig Foundation

MCC balcony named after Craig foundation

PAC hosts annual Easter Egg Hunt.

Photos by Jim Horinek

SEE PAGE 8

Great view: The Cleo L. Craig Foundation Balcony offers a sweeping view of the newly completed Bentley Gardens.

A&E

Generous gift: The Cleo L. Craig Foundation Balcony is located on the south side of the MCC. The balcony is named after the Cleo L. Craig Foundation which helped in the construction of the MCC by donating $200,000.

By Rashmi Thapaliya

Klezmer band entertains on campus.

SEE PAGE 7

Collegian Staff President Ross announced a gift of $200,000 from The Cleo L. Craig Foundation during a special ceremony in early March.

President Ross was joined by C.L. Craig, Jr., second-generation Cameron alumnus and chairman

of The Cleo L. Craig Foundation, and his wife, Helen, a foundation trustee and former Cameron student. The funds will be applied to construction of the McMahon Centennial Complex (MCC), the state-of-the-art student activities complex that opened last week.

“We are deeply grateful to the board of The Cleo L. Craig

Foundation for its support,” President Ross said. “This generous gift will play a key role in Cameron’s ability to provide a complete collegiate experience for our students. It is particularly gratifying to learn of the significant role that Cameron played in the Craigs’ lives and the recognition of that role that this momentous gift signifies.”

Craig explained the impact that Cameron has had on his family.

“Education has always been a priority for The Cleo L. Craig Foundation, and we are pleased to support Cameron University with this gift,” Craig said. “My parents attended Cameron when the institution was in its infancy. They would have never imagined that the high school and college they knew would grow to become a university of such stature. The transformation of this campus is something to behold. Today’s Cameron students are benefiting from everything Cameron has to offer.”

Vice President for University

Advancement Albert Johnson, Jr. said that the university applied for the funds in October, and it is great that the Craig foundation helped the construction process so much.

He added that the relationship of Cameron University with the Craig foundation helped it to find the grant.

“I do not want people to have the wrong idea that we applied for the grant at the last minute when we were out of funds,” Johnson said. “With a project of the status of the McMahon Center, the additional funds allow us to do all that we want to do enhancing the complex itself.”

After receiving approval from the board of regents CU officially named the balcony of the MCC, which overlooks the Bentley Gardens, after The Cleo L. Craig Foundation.

See BALCONY Page 2

Sports

McMahon Centennial Complex opens doors Grand Opening ceremony to be held Thursday at noon

Cramer stands out as workhorse pitcher.

SEE PAGE 5 Photos by Jim Horinek

Voices

Have a Ball: The MCC features a 400 seat ballroom on the second floor. The ballroom is named after the McCasland Foundation in recognition of their $600,000 donation to the MCC project.

High class dining: One of the features of the MCC is a well equipped food court and seating area. The area offers plenty of space for large numbers of students to eat, study or just hang out.

CU mathletes compete in regional mathematics competition CU did not make it to the second round, as they came in the third position. Among four teams in Collegian Staff the second round, Cameron University and the University of Tulsa were competing in the final Several CU students participated at the jeopardy. The winner was TU followed by CU on regional Mathematical Association of America the second place. There were 19 teams competing (MAA) competition on March 25 held in altogether. Five participants from Cameron also Arkansas. The team of William Fleshman, took part in the integration Nitesh Verma and Ryan bee, which is similar to a Bao from Cameron were spelling bee but with questions announced the first “It was a good experience related to mathematics. runner up following the Nitesh Verma and Isiah in the conference, where winner, the University made it to the second of Tulsa (TU). There we made it until the final.” Munir round of the integration bee were two teams from — Nitesh Verma where Verma won the second Cameron University; position among 40 students. A the other team members CU Mathlete student from the University of were Jingshu Zhao Oklahoma was the winner. and Isiah Munir. The two teams were in the same group in the first round with seven other competing teams. Fleshman’s team was able to See MATH make it to the second round after coming in the Page 2 top two out of nine teams. The second team from

By Rashmi Thapaliya

Online Course Catalog: Too early to go completely paperless.

SEE PAGE 4

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News

April 5, 2010

MATH continued from page 1 “It was a good experience in the conference where we made it until the final,” Verma said. “We are looking forward for better performances in the future.”

The MAA Conference lasted for three days, starting Thursday, March 25. The first day featured the competition with the presentations reserved for the second day, when Jingshu Zhao, president of the Math Club represented Cameron University. On

the third day, the universities took part in a workshop where they made a stellated octahedron, a geometric shaped object.

Dr. Dragan Jankovic, Professor of Mathematics, was the supervisor of CU students at the conference. MAA is the

regional conference among the universities of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Cameron was also the first runner up among six competitors in the annual competition held during the Texas Oklahoma Research Undergraduate Symposium

(TORUS). The TORUS team was made up of the same students that participated in the regional MAA competition.

After the students returned from the annual TORUS competition, Dr. Karla Oty, Chair of the Mathematics

Department, said that she was happy with the performance of the team and was looking forward to the regional competition.

After returning from TORUS, Fleshman, captain of the CU team, said that they worked out well together.

“We are all tutors in the math lab and are together in most of the classes, which have made us friends,” Fleshman said.

The winner of the TORUS competition was Abilene Christian University.

Balcony continued from page 1

Photo by Jim Horinek

Ballroom to Balcony: The McCasland Ballroom in the MCC opens directly onto the Cleo L. Craig Balcony, which overlooks the Bentley Gardens.

The Foundation, established in 1997, provides funding and support to education and human services entities.

The MCC is a multi-use, multi-purpose facility located at the heart of the Cameron University campus. It houses a variety of student activities, food services and community spaces. These include a student dining area, student activity areas, game room, meeting rooms, bookstore, a 400-seat ballroom and a balcony overlooking the Bentley Gardens.

The complex is currently undergoing final preparations before the grand opening ceremony that will be held at noon on Thursday.

Cameron’s New Convergent News Media Site Catch up on: News Sports Editorials A&E As well as the latest CUTV episodes and more.

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April 5, 2010

News

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Voices

April 5, 2010

Too early to forsake the book for the Internet Keep paper schedules around for little while longer There once was a time when the Monday after fall and spring break meant stacks upon stacks of brightly colored books filled with new course offerings. This was a much-anticipated event during the semester. Students usually mired in the middle of classes for the current semester eagerly looked forward to new classes they could enroll in. It was a part of the long road to graduation, the day all college students look forward to (as well as some of our professors.) So the news that Cameron was moving to an online only class offerings schedule threw me for a bit of a loop.

After six attempts, I was finally getting pretty good at enrolling through the book. The logic baffled me a bit.

Why would we go ahead and change a system that seemed to be working so well? You obtained a book from one of the many locations around campus and spent time scouring the book, trying to find the

courses you needed. Once you were done working on a degree check in your mind, you wrote everything out on the course schedule sheet in the back of the book. You tore out the course schedule, took it to an adviser and ten minutes later, you were usually enrolled no problem. Sure there was the occasional last minute penciling in because of a time conflict or something, but, for the most part, the process was painless.

For the benefit of the doubt, I gave the new system the good ole’ college try (no pun intended) and sat down with a pen and pad of paper to plan out my final semester at Cameron. I

Kyle Luetters

had a pretty good idea of where I was sitting credit wise from my adviser and started with the summer schedule. I was planning on taking seven hours in order to meet my goal of graduating in December. The menu system was a bit confusing with so many buttons and options but, after a few tries, I was able to comfortably navigate the site. It bears great resemblance to the MyCU system we use to have for checking grades and more.

I found all of the numbers, prefixes and course times that I needed, wrote them down and then progressed onto the fall schedule. However, when I clicked on the link, I received an error message that said, “ The Page You Requested Cannot Be Found.” This was perplexing.

I couldn’t get to the course offerings? How long had this been a problem? After a few more attempts, I gave up for the night and went to bed. The next day, I tried again and the schedule connected. I wrote down the info I needed and went on about my day. When I realized that I had forgotten a class, I tried to re-access the fall schedule but received the same error message I had the night before.

My adviser eventually enrolled me over the following days. He had printed out the schedule, so I was able to correct my mistakes that way. I understand the potential benefits of having the schedule available online. The schedule can be accessed by anyone, anywhere so long as they have Internet access. There’s also a large savings in printing costs.

Lets face it: some of the old books were used for what they were intended and sometimes they were used as napkins, scratch paper and a number of other things. In these cases I can see the need to move the schedule online.

However, would a semester with both have been a good idea? Having both the book and the Internet would have offered more of a transitional phase then dropping one and going with

Political views spur social Web site drama I’ve been wrestling with a decision for a few weeks now and have finally come to a conclusion: I will no longer use my Facebook to display my political feelings of the day, no matter how much I am provoked by my “friends.”

As an aspiring journalist, I am constantly reading and digesting news articles throughout the day.

I read Google News as I blow-dry my hair in the mornings, browse the New York Times articles via the application on my iPhone between classes and enjoy the commentary of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in the evenings.

Needless to say, information is a crucial part of my life.

And, what is Facebook? Isn’t Facebook just the culmination of your thoughts through a status update; a display of your life through tagged photographs and albums? For most people, Facebook is the online equivalent of their life.

However, despite the fact that news and information are a major part of my everyday life, Facebook is not the place to take a political stand.

Having graduated from

a Texas high school, the majority of my 340 friends are conservatives or at least lean to the right for the most part. As a registered Democrat, my views are consistently different and controversial. On the night of the 2008 presidential election, my Facebook wall was filled with negative comments galore blasting the outcome and denying the facts.

When I dared display any enthusiasm for the results, I was immediately inundated with comments asking how I could possibly vote for a “socialist.” An innocent expression of my feelings turned into an all-out debate over politics and right versus wrong.

Not my intention, but I don’t back away from political debates of any kind.

A similar occurrence happened recently after healthcare reform

was passed on March 21. After spending the entire day glued to C-SPAN, I used Facebook as an outlet for my excitement in its passage. Once again, the critics came in droves to point out exactly why I was wrong for celebrating.

Even though I hate to censor myself in this way, as I feel it is my site and I can choose to publish on it what I please, I understand that it’s also a public forum. Every single one of my friends can see my updates and have the right to comment on them. I should know that when I publish something that might incite others to vehemently disagree, there will be negative consequences.

I will not stop writing about

Rachel Engel

and making commentary on politics; I will just have to find a different platform: one that is more literary in its use, as opposed to social. My dad pointed out that I am the only one of his Facebook friends — though when you only have 20 friends, the same people tend to show up more often — that posts political commentary consistently, and if I weren’t his daughter he would have hidden my updates so he wouldn’t have to read them.

That drove the point home for me, especially knowing that we share the same views. If someone who agreed with me didn’t want to read my updates, how many people who don’t agree have already hidden me from view on their Facebook wall?

Overall, I think it’s a good decision, though I’ve already noticed a downturn in my Facebook use, which is still good news.

Maybe I can go back to Myspace and post political comments. I doubt Tom will have an objection, as he is pretty much the only one using Myspace these days.

the other. I think the idea will prove to be a smart one as time goes by. We are moving towards a more digital world at a rapid pace. Our classes, assignments and more are moving online.

The Cameron Collegian and CUTV recently launched a joint venture on the Internet called Aggie Central. With all of this content being online and readily available at the touch of a button, what will we do if this intricate system crashes? Call me resistant to change if you will, but maybe having everything online isn’t such a good idea.

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.

Sports

April 5, 2010

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Aggie golf teams focus on fundamentals

Photos by Bennett Dewan

Ruling with an iron club: Senior Kass McGrath (above) hits her approach shot on the back nine at The Territory Country Club. Junior Clint Wilson chips onto the green from a difficult lie on the decline of a steep ridge.

By Amanda Phillips Collegian Staff Cameron men’s and women’s golf teams have had respectable fi nishes in their tournaments this season. The men’s team recently placed sixth at the Midwestern State Mustang Invitational, while the women fi nished in the top 10 at the tournament after coming off a fourth place fi nish at the Texas A&M-Commerce Lion Invitational.

Senior Robbie Trout was critical in helping the men

secure their solid fi nish. Trout tied for fourth place in the tournament and had a score of 217 (71-71-75).

Men’s golf coach Jerry Hrnciar was very pleased with Trout’s showing.

“Robbie had a very good performance. He had three good rounds,” Hrnciar said.

“He pretty much carried us this tournament.”

Hrnciar was also pleased with how well Garrett Smith played. Smith, a sophomore, shot 226 (76-74-76) and tied for 19th place.

“Garrett played pretty well.

He was very steady,” Hrnciar said.

CU fi nished the tournament with a total score of 907 (301297-309), and though Hrnciar was happy his team fi nished sixth, he believes the team has yet to reach their full potential.

“I hoped to fi nish higher and solidify the rankings a bit better,” Hrnciar said. “We haven’t come close to playing at our best, but we did improve from our last tournament, and we moved to seventh place in the rankings.”

Hrnciar acknowledged there are areas of improvement the team needs to work on.

“Our short game needs improvement, but we don’t really have any greens we can practice on to work on our short game, so it is a challenge,” Hrnciar said.

Perhaps the most challenging area of improvement the team faces is the difficulty of all of the team members peaking at the same time.

“We have to get everybody contributing and get everyone steady. Our strength is in our depth, but that hasn’t really shown yet,” Hrnciar said.

Hrnciar said his players are enjoying the season and are excited to show off their talent during the remainder of the year.

“The players know they have the talent and experience,” Hrnciar said. “They’re just anxious to put it together.”

On the women’s side, senior Merrick Wooten had the team’s strongest showing at the Mustang Invitational, fi nishing in 22nd place.

Women’s golf coach Rick Goodwin was pleased with Wooten’s performance.

“Merrick played pretty well. That was a plus for us,” Goodwin said.

Overall, the Aggies fi nished 10th in the tournament.

Goodwin was not satisfied with the women’s level of play, especially considering their fourth place fi nish at the previous tournament they played.

“We didn’t play well at all. It was pretty windy, and we didn’t handle it well,” Goodwin said.

CU’s Kass McGrath, a senior, was unable to play because of a family obligation, and freshman Kylee Johnson battled illness throughout the tournament. These factors may have contributed to Cameron’s performance.

“Kass’s absence may have hurt our results, and Kylee didn’t play to her full capabilities,” Goodwin said.

Like the men’s team, Goodwin said his players need to work on their short game.

“We need to improve our short game and scoring,” Goodwin said. “We just have to get better at those things.”

Goodwin said his team also needs to improve their mental strength.

“All the ladies can hit well.

They just need to remember that every shot counts because if a player loses focus and starts missing a few shots, she can quickly go from the top fi nish to the bottom,” Goodwin said.

The women’s coach remains confident about the rest of the season and is excited about what his team has to offer.

“I want the team to fi nish at least in the top half of the conference, and I think that’s a realistic goal,” Goodwin said. “I try not to put too much pressure on them though. I really just want them to have fun and do the best they can do.”

Cramer proves to be CU staff ace

By Michael Faggett Collegian Staff Most baseball teams expect their pitchers to be workhorses: pitch well for six plus innings and hold opponents to low scores.

For Cameron’s baseball squad, one of those workhorses is pitcher Ricky Cramer.

“He’s a bulldog out there,”

baseball head coach Todd Holland said. “He has that mentality to work hard.”

Cramer, a native from Ripley, Okla., came to Cameron from Redlands Community College.

Cramer did not pitch last season.

He, along with transfer Clay Vanderlaan, are two new faces to Cameron’s pitching staff.

Heading into this season with

a new team and rotation, Cramer, according to Holland, has had to adjust to getting back on the mound and pitching for multiple innings.

“He hasn’t pitched in over a year,” Holland said. “So this season, he’s adjusted to hitters and had to get back into game day shape.”

Those adjustments resulted in a solid season for Cramer thus far.

He leads the team in games played as a pitcher, complete games, total innings pitched and strikeouts.

Cramer is also second in wins and has the second fewest walks among the team’s starting pitchers.

“He’s adjusted well,” Holland said. “He’s just a hard worker.”

Cramer’s hard work on the mound has helped the Aggies move up to third place in the Lone Star Conference and post a 19-11 record overall with an 18-8 record in conference.

Some of Cramer’s best performances have been against conference opponents.

In a March 14 game against UCO, Cramer threw a complete game in a 9-1 victory over the Bronchos. He pitched nine innings, gave up one earned run and struck out six batters.

On March 19 against East Central, Cramer pitched seven innings, gave up three earned runs and struck out seven batters, leading the Aggies to an 8-3 win over the Tigers.

Holland said Cramer’s consistency on the mound in addition to his readiness to pitch helps the pitching staff and the team as a whole.

“We feel confident when he goes out there,” Holland said. “It makes it easier when you know you’re getting a good outing from him.”

Cramer’s solid outings have led Holland to pitch him more during

Photo by Bennett Dewan

Speed and movement: Senior Ricky Cramer delivers a pitch to a UCO batter at McCord Field. the season. Cramer has pitched in eight of the first 30 games, starting seven of those eight. With his consistency, Holland said he can use Cramer in different game situations.

“You can pitch him whenever,” Holland said. “He’s always ready to go.”

Holland also said Cramer’s preparation to pitch somewhat serves as a check for the other pitchers.

“It’s kind of a self-check,” Holland said. “It keeps the pitchers aware of what they need to do to be prepared.”

Holland said Cramer is not a vocal leader. Cramer’s readiness, according to Holland, is Cramer’s form of leadership on the team.

“He’s not going to say ‘do this’ or ‘this is what you should do,’” Holland said.

Holland also said Cramer shows

a willingness to help his fellow pitchers and teammates.

“He’s just Ricky,” Holland said.

“He just does what he has to do, but when it comes to helping out, he’s the first one to help.”

Heading down the stretch towards the playoffs, Holland said Cramer’s pitching will be key to making another run for a conference championship.

“Now we’re pitching him at game one,” Holland said. “It’s good to know when he’s going out there because he pitches well for us.”

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Sports

April 5, 2010

Tennis teams both full of talent

By Amanda Phillips Collegian Staff With both teams boasting winning records for the year, the men’s and women’s tennis teams have had satisfyingly solid seasons so far. Both teams have been faced with matches being cancelled and rescheduled throughout the season due to a variety of reasons, but particularly poor weather conditions.

These postponements have prevented the teams from getting as much match play experience as they usually have at this point in the season, but men’s and women’s tennis coach James Helvey is unsure of the level of significance these setbacks will have for the teams.

“Some of the matches we play in the beginning of the season are played for confidence building and to give the players more experience, so missing those matches has been tough, but you really don’t know how it affects you until later in the year,” Helvey said.

Despite the scheduling misfortunes, the teams have put on impressive performances this season and have captured some important wins.

“The men beating Washburn University was very significant, and their victory over Southwest Baptist was a strong win as well,” Helvey said.

On the women’s side, Helvey indicated that there have not been many surprises in the outcomes of

their matches.

“With the women, everything has happened as expected, and they have lots of opportunities to impress me in the future,” Helvey said.

Though both teams have winning records so far, Helvey acknowledged that the teams are working on improving certain aspects of their games.

“There are always areas that could use improvement, but right now we need to work on improving our first serve percentage and reducing our errors,” Helvey said.

Two team members were recently named Lone Star Conference Tennis Players of the Week by the conference offices.

Freshman Manuel Barroetavena, a native of Buenos Aires, was named player of the week for his outstanding level of play during the March 5 and 6 matches at the CU Tennis Complex, in which the Aggies swept all three matches they played. Barroetavena had a near perfect record for that weekend and was critical in helping CU capture the sweep.

Helvey was delighted that Barroetavena received such attention from conference officials.

“It’s good for Manuel to receive the recognition,” Helvey said.

“He came up big on some big matches, and he deserves it.”

CU’s no. 1 singles and

doubles player Amanda Moberg was the other Aggie to be named player of the week. Moberg was named after taking all of her matches against Metro State and Colorado Christian during the week of spring break.

“Amanda being named player of the week is most certainly deserved.

She’s a quality player,” Helvey said.

One instrumental and sometimes overlooked component of the tennis teams is the assistant coaches.

Graduate students and former Aggie standouts Agustin Criado and Ignacio Murgier have served as assistant coaches for nearly two years, and Helvey said the role they play is vital.

“The assistant coaches are very important. They shoulder a lot of the load,” Helvey said. “They’re outstanding and very active in practice, which helps make coaching two teams possible.”

As for what the rest of the season has in store, Helvey is confident in his teams’ capabilities and looks forward to what is still to come.

“The rest of the season is tough.

We have some big matches coming up, but I’m upbeat and positive,” Helvey said.

“I like what I’ve seen so far.”

Photos by Bennett Dewan

Serve, volley, smash, repeat: Members of the Aggie Men’s and Women’s Tennis programs (clockwise from top) Diego Troiano, Jeff Sasser, Sara Flores and Manuel Barroetavena play at their home court, the Aggie Tennis Complex.

Softball pitchers take command

By Tori Strecker Collegian Staff The Cameron softball team is entering the latter part of the 2010 season, moving them one step closer to the conference tournament.

Head coach Beth Watson and her team have seen over 30 games thus far, and, as they transition into the most important part of the season, their main focus is putting all the pieces together.

“We are trying to work on playing complete games,” Watson said. “We need to put together timely hitting, good pitching and good defense, which is something we really have not done yet.”

The Aggies have been playing well, but their performances are not quite error-free. There are still some occasional bad innings, and they seem to occur at inopportune times, Watson said.

“This conference has such good hitters that when we do have a defensive lapse, the other teams take full advantage of it,” Watson said. “Once this happens, the flood gates just open up, and we cannot seem to stop them. Now, more than ever, we need to figure out a way to limit our mistakes.”

With more conference matchups quickly approaching, it is vital for Watson’s squad to continue

Photos by Bennett Dewan

Serious firepower: Ashton McBride (left) and Carrie Harvey (right) throw pitches to left handed batters at Cameron Field. Sherry Tetreault (center) starts her wind up during practice.

The three pitchers are always ready to go into a game at a moment’s notice. to tweak their game. Equally important is making sure the team is ready when they step onto the field. According to Watson, this

specifically means the pitchers.

“Our philosophy is that the game always starts in the circle,” Watson said. “If my pitchers are not ready to go, then the team can tell right off the bat.”

The Aggies’ main pitching staff consists of seniors Ashton McBride and sophomore Carrie Harvey.

Both of these players have seen quality time in the circle and carry a heavy load on their backs each time they step onto the mound, Watson said.

Pitching is an important aspect of the game and there are a number of things to worry about, but Harvey said she tries to put

her confidence in the defense that stands behind her.

“I try to focus on not giving up home runs,” Harvey said. “I work towards keeping the ball inside the park and letting my defense work for me, which is something I have not been real good at this year.”

For McBride, her pressures extend beyond what she feels on the mound, as she contributes to the team in other areas as well. She also holds the two-hole in Watson’s batting lineup.

“Ashton does a good job for us on the mound and at the plate,” Watson said. “She knows how to handle the bat and has been hitting

the ball very well, which is a big plus for us.”

According to McBride, she feels that this role give her an advantage over the other teams.

“I think like a pitcher would when I am batting.” McBride said.

“Because of this, I usually know what to look for.”

While both McBride and Harvey both equally see playing time, they each have their own unique pitching style. Watson said she tries to use this to the team’s advantage.

“Ashton really works inside and outside the plate, while Carrie changes plans up and down,” Watson said. “By starting with one pitcher and then bringing in the other, it gives the teams a different look and keeps the hitters off balance. This is going to be our approach for this conference.”

Senior Sherry Tetreault has also spent some time on the mound for the Aggies. She is very effective in that her pitches have good movement. According to Watson, this is another way to keep their opponents on their toes.

“When Sherry starts or enters a game, you can tell it takes the offense an at bat or two to adjust to what she can throw,” Watson said.

“Once they get through the lineup, we then make the switch to Ashton or Carrie, giving them a whole different look.”

The Aggies have their sights set high for this season, and under the leadership of McBride, Harvey and Tetreault, Watson believes their goals can be easily achieved.

“The most important part of our season is in front of us,” Watson said. “It does not matter what happened yesterday. We just need to take what was good and build on it, focus on what is ahead and try to make that conference tournament.”

A&E

April 5, 2010

7

Yiddish band performs medley

By Alyssa Knerr Collegian Staff Instead of students reading history books to get a feel for old world music, Cameron University presented The Best Little Klezmer Band in Texas, which brought back Yiddish music from its old country and folk music roots. The band performed Jewish folk songs, haunting lyric melodies of East European Jews with some Gypsy music intertwined and the musical theme of “Schindler’s List” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 26 in the CU Theatre.

The bandleader is Marcia Sterling, who also plays the violin and is the vocalist for the band. Dan Sturba is the pianist and Sterling’s husband. He once had an opportunity to play with the Houston Symphony as a violist; however, after the news of the job opening the couple decided instead to revive their musical roots together and started a Klezmer band in Houston.

“We started a Klezmer band in Houston because we just could not bare to not continue tradition,” Sterling said. “So, we found other crazies [to join us] like Sasha Potiomkin, who plays the clarinet.”

Potiomkin, who is Russian, said “Schindler’s List” is a very special piece in his eyes.

“Actually I played . . . in Israel and this was a very special moment for me in 1992 or 1993 when the movie just came out,” Potiomkin said. “The famous violist actually played this in an encore. That particular experience, every time I hear that tune which I don’t play it very often, I would say is sort of a special occasion that definitely has a very special meaning to it. I am sure people can relate to that movie.”

Even though it is not a Klezmer song, Sturba’s favorite piece is also the “Schindler’s List” theme song. As for the other band members, each song has specific pieces that feature each instrument. Glen Renfro is the band’s percussionist and also plays a washboard during one song.

“I think [my favorite] is either ‘Hava N’gila’ [a Jewish Celebration Dance] or ‘Mazl Tov,’” Renfro said. “I love the first song ‘Mazl Tov: Let’s Dance, it’s a wedding.’ We’re going to actually be playing that in sync with some video footage that Dan and Marcia used. Those are my favorites. I do like the washboard because it is an

audience interaction piece. It is a novelty piece, but, as far as the heart and meat of the Klezmer music, I really love ‘Mazl Tov.’” The band was very impressed with Cameron’s facility, the professionalism of its students and the kindness of the whole community, Sterling said. Surba agreed.

“We have been having a great time here,” Sturba said.

“The staff and everything . . . all the tech people here are just fantastic.”

The Klezmer band played 13 pieces. Only five members from the band were able to come to Cameron, but Cameron’s band made all of their instruments available to the guests, Sterling said.

“Everybody has bent over backwards,” Sterling said.

“Thank you to [Assistant Professor of Music] Kirsten [Underwood]. She has been amazing and every request has just been granted without question, anything we needed.

They had all the instruments for us because obviously we could not bring drums, bass and all of that on the plane. So, if they would not have been able to do that, we would have not been able to come or would have had to try and figure out how to drive it, so

Photo by Alyssa Knerr

Old Country: The Best Little Klezmer Band in Texas, a Yiddish band based out of Houston, performed a medley of Old Country and folk music on March 26 in the Cameron University Theatre. we are just thrilled. The theatre is beautiful, and the response has just been great.”

The band played music and used a movie screen behind them to broadcast pictures related to each song, including Holocaust victims, landscapes and wedding and celebratory photos of people. There was a brief movie shown during the middle of the performance that focused on the history of events leading up to and during the Holocaust.

Later, the band got the crowd involved in song and dance. For much of the concert, the band encouraged those in attendance to sing along, but, ultimately, the band asked for more from their audience. During one of the last performances, Sterling wove through the audience clasping audience members’ hands to keep the weaving line of arms and joy going. Through their music and the concert, the band evoked the history of the Jewish experience.

Student, faculty artwork chosen for national exhibit

By Tatiana Isis Collegian Staff Three of Cameron’s students and faculty members have been chosen to display their works of art at the 44th Annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Exhibition. The exhibition, which is hosted by Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, attracts works by contemporary artists across the country. An opening reception will be held from 7-9 p.m. on April 9. The artwork will be displayed until May 7 in the Joseph A. Cain Memorial Gallery on the Del Mar College Campus.

Rebecca Dierickx-Taylor, Professor of Art Dr. Katherine Liontas-Warren and Assistant Professor of Art Monika Linehan were chosen to have their work displayed. Dr. Liontas-Warren and Professor Linehan are both instructors in the Department of Art, and Dierickx-Taylor is a student who is pursuing her BFA in Studio Art. She is a junior and

plans to graduate in spring 2011.

This will be DierickxTaylor’s second Bachelor’s degree, with her first being a Bachelor of Science in Nursing that she earned in 1993. She moved to Lawton when her husband, an anesthetist in the U.S. Army was stationed here. Her husband suggested she take some art classes at Cameron to help pass the time, and one art class soon turned Dierickx-Taylor into a full time art student.

Dierickx-Taylor decided to send in one of her drawings entitled “Birth of a Maelstrom,” a stone litho, to the art exhibit.

“The image depicts a nest with eggs representing my family,” DierickxTaylor said. “The

nest turns into a tornado as it travels down the bottom of the drawing. Last summer, I did a series of linoleum cut prints with tornadoes depicting chaos in my life and family since I

decided to go back to school and with my husband, John, being deployed in Iraq.”

Dierickx-Taylor has always been drawing and painting as a hobby, but says it’s only in the last three years that she really immersed herself in it. She delves into all aspects of art (drawing, painting and sculpture), and took up watercolor painting when she lived in San Antonio in 2004 “ just to have an outlet for my creative side,” she said.

Dierickx-Taylor said she was extremely excited that her art was chosen to be displayed.

“This is an older show, and the older the show, the larger it is – as in the more entries.

That I was selected out of all them is extremely exciting. Especially since I am a student Courtesy photo and many of the artists

selected are faculty members and have been producing art for years. I am still new,” DierickxTaylor said.

Dierickx-Taylor said she unfortunately will not be able to attend the exhibit opening night since it’s so far away and she has a 10 a.m. class the next morning.

“If I were able to attend, I would take my husband and some of my friends and relatives,” she said.

Dr. Liontas-Warren’s selected artwork is a stone lithograph entitled “Anticipation.”

Linehan’s work is a mixed media composition titled “High Tides and the Dark One Comes.”

This year’s exhibit will be judged by guest juror Ron Koehler, who teaches threedimensional design, sculpture and printmaking at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. His works are in public collections including a permanent installation at the Smithsonian National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

Student Housing Association hosts campus lock-in

By Amanda Finch Collegian Staff The recent Student Housing Association lock-in turned out to be a successful and enjoyable event for both the organization and the students who attended.

The lock-in was held on March 26 in the Fitness Center and had over 70 students in attendance.

SHA adviser Krystle McCorgary is happy with the way the event turned out.

“We didn’t know how many people to expect because it was the first time a student organization ever hosted an overnight lock-in, but it turned out to be an awesome program,” McCorgary said.

McCorgary is the Women’s Hall Director on campus and is currently serving her second year as the SHA adviser. The lock-in started at 10 p.m. with the breaking of a piñata and allowed Cameron students to enter the building until 12 a.m. Students could leave when they wished but were not allowed to re-enter the event after they left.

The lock-in provided students with plenty of activities including karaoke, board games, sumo

wrestling, coloring, movies and even a dodgeball and basketball tournament.

“We wanted to make sure we had something for everyone, so we had athletic activities, such as the tournaments, and leisure activities such as coloring and movies.

Many students really got into the karaoke,” McCorgary said.

The event also provided music, pizza, snacks and drinks to get students through the night and breakfast foods were available in the morning.

“By 4:30 in the morning we still had about 25students there having a good time,” McCorgary said, “We had seven people last the entire night.”

As an adviser, McCorgary helps the students in SHA plan monthly events. Students on the lock-in planning committee worked to make sure the event was a successful one. Responsibilities included planning the itinerary of activities, advertising and setting up for the event. Freshman Interdisciplinary Studies major and SHA member Jacob Wolfe was a big part of the lock-in planning committee.

“As a part of the planning

process I went shopping for supplies and food and worked with other committee members to advertise the event on campus by chalking, making posters and sending mass texts and messages on Facebook,” Wolfe said.

The students on the planning committee were also responsible for working during the event to check student IDs, issue wristbands and run activities. McCorgary says issuing Student Housing wristbands was an effective way to keep track of people.

“We wanted to make sure that we knew who was coming in and that if someone left they would not be able to get back in,” McCorgary said. “We didn’t want anyone bringing in any illegal items or making trouble that would ruin the night for others.”

“Everyone on the committee worked hard and worked well together to pull off a successful event, and we had fun while doing it,” Wolfe said.

“I’m proud of the SHA members for working so hard, McCorgary said. “We would definitely do this kind of program again.”

McCorgary hopes to make

future lock-ins even bigger with more activities available to students.

“The Fitness Center was the perfect location because there was so much room for students to do different things. I am interested in seeing if in the future we can open up the pool or the upstairs area to offer students even more,” McCorgary said.

SHA hopes to host several more programs for students before the end of the school year. The Student Housing Association is currently working with the Program Activities Council to host the CU Student Formal, which will take place in the McMahon Centennial Ballroom on April 15.

Courtesy photo

Bring it on: Students Adam Spencer and Briar Bohach particpate in the Sumo wrestling portion of the first annual Student Housing Assocation lock-in on March 26, which featured a dodge-ball tournament, karaoke and movies.

8

Variety

PAC hosted another installment of the annual Easter Egg Hunt on Thursday, April 1. The hunt, which is geared toward the children of Cameron students, took place for the first time in the recently completed Bentley Gardens.

According to PAC co-chair Amanda Finch. roughly 150 children attended this year’s hunt, which featured enough eggs to fill the baskets of even the most optimistic children.

In order to maintain safety and fairness, the hunt area was divided into three different sections based upon age.

“We divided the area up so that the individual children within each age group would be safe and have a fair chance at filling their baskets,” Finch said.

Also on the scene was the Easter Bunny, skillfully played

by CU student Cody Gardner. Finch said that the new location for the hunt offered a much more picture-perfect setting for the event as well as the traditional photos with the Easter Bunny.

“When we used to have the hunt outside the old Student Activities Building, we would have to make a paper background for the Easter Bunny photos,” Finch said.

Because the Bentley Gardens are so picturesque, there was no need for a backdrop this year, Finch said.

Mystery Bunny: As part of the tradition a dedicated student dressed up in an Easter Bunny outfit and posed for photographs with the children.

Page design by Monica Garner Photos courtesy of Daniel Brown

Children of all ages: The egg hunt area was divided into three different sections in order to accommodate children of all ages.

April 5, 2010

Here an egg, there an egg: The PAC students came together prior to the event and hid several hundred Easter Eggs.