Collegian BakariK e ySellers note Speaker T he Cameron University
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An MLK Day discussion
Monday, February 4, 2019
Drue Watkins Managing Editor
From 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., Jan. 21, in the CETES Conference Center, Cameron University celebrated Martin Luther King (MLK) Day by hosting a Panel Discussion featuring American attorney—and CNN political analyst—Bakari Sellers as the Keynote Speaker. Sellers represented South Carolina’s 90th district in the lower house of the state legislature from 2006 to 2014, becoming the youngest African-American politician in the United States at age 22. The panel—alongside Sellers— consisted of representatives from both Lawton Public Schools (LPS) and Cameron University, with the general discussions revolving around race relations in the country, the state of education in
Volume 100 Issue 2
the Education complex beyond what most people Department, figure, especially over the topic of I notice I’m teachers’ pay, which she agreed was often the only too low. person of “It’s easy enough to say fire color in there,” individuals up at the top and help she said. “It’s disperse that income for the other good of us to educators in the state,” she said, continue to get “but it’s so much more intricate more word out than all that. Every piece has a there about the purpose—an important purpose— opportunities and we can’t forgo one thing to try available. We and benefit another. can see things “We have great teachers here, changing for even if funding is a lower priority. the better, and We will need to work on getting we have to keep more teachers to want to come moving in that here, and to stay here after they direction.” graduate.” Assistant Midway through the discussion, Superintendent the talk shifted toward the of Educational importance of MLK Day and what Services Dr. it means to the country. Jamie Polk Jones said the day is a reminder. Lawton and Oklahoma, improving represented “The reason this day is still children’s lives through active the LPS viewpoint during the around and is still recognized is so parenting, the American justice discussion and said she admired the events that caused it are never system and the importance of MLK Jones’ spirit. forgotten,” she said. “It’s so we never Day. “This is an extremely bright repeat it, and so we understand Free and open to the public, young woman,” she said. “I just the sacrifices of those who gave the organizers of the event want to hire you [Jones] right now.” everything for it.” encouraged attendees to write down Continuing off the topic of Sellers arrived during this questions prior to the start of the Cameron’s diversity, Polk said the talking-point and said MLK Day discussion—questions that would role of parenting is crucial for the is a great holiday and a point of be answered all throughout the development of young students— progress, but there is still much hour-long discourse. all the way to college life. further to go for the country. Junior English Education major “Parents managing an active and “It’s easy enough for people to Djimon Jones sat with the panel, responsible level of involvement come out and praise Dr. King on bringing a student’s perspective to in the lives of their children can this one day,” he said, “but what the questions asked. healthily impact their success for about all the other days in the year? During the dialogue on the future,” she said. “The state of This shouldn’t be the one day that how Cameron approaches education rests not just with the matters. There are a lifetime of representation, Jones spoke schools and funding, but with the problems in the country, and one about the importance of diversity sort of young minds who come into day cannot solve them all.” on campus and said that it’s those doors. A lot of work and encouraging to see the direction responsibility is built at home, the university is taking toward far before kids arrive at school.” See BAKARI SELLERS accomplishing its goal of inclusion. Polk also said the state of Page 2 “When I enter my classes in education in Oklahoma is
Photos by Drue Watkins
Sharing thoughts: (Left to right) Dr. Jamie Polk, Junior Djimon Jones, Dr. Jennifer Dennis and Keynote speaker Bakari Sellers talk about the different social aspects affecting the United States, as well as the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The panel discussion lasted for one hour, tackling topics such as race relations, education, parenting and the justice system.
What’s inside CU online MBA makes 2019 top list
Plan Your Planner and SGA
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580 Roller Derby girls takeover Page 6
News
February 4, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com Photo and graphics by Madison Lyda
- CAMERON MBA MAKES 2019 LIST -
Faculty Credentials and Training
The Cameron University Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program is recognized in this years U.S. Weekly and World Reports 2019 list of Best Online MBA Programs. U.S. Weekly and World Reports also recognized Cameron in their 2015 list of the Top 10 Most Affordable Online MBA Programs. Cameron placed #175 on a list competing against almost five hundred colleges and universities from around the nation, beating out large-state universities such as Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Bentley University. With over twenty Oklahoma regional universities put into consideration, Cameron is one of only four Oklahoma universities to be recognized on the list, placing second after Oklahoma State University. U.S. Weekly and World Reports weights submissions for the MBA list on five major categories: Engagement, Student Excellence, Expert Opinion, faculty Credentials and Training and Student Services and Technologies. Cameron has additionally received recognition for being the top-ranked regional Oklahoma university on the list, ranked on a scale that factored in affordability, engagement and academics. Cameron University Dean for the School of Graduate and professional Studies Jennifer Dennis believes that this accomplishment will help gain the program recognition and increase future enrollment. “This is a very prestigious
forward to meeting prospective or current students interested in recieving further information on the department. Students can reach them by calling the office at 580-581-2267 or emailing business@ cameron.edu.
Student Excellence
@maddilinee
the program are knowledgeable about all corners of business and offer strong marketability to their economies. Dennis spoke about her gratitude for the program and how she believes it has become so successful. “The affordability, it really is a huge factor compared to nationwide and private university costs per program. That’s how we get so many people who have never even stepped foot in Oklahoma before, it’s incredible. We are so fortunate to have a quality program here on our small campus that provide facets that encourage student creativity.” The faculty of the Department of Business looks
Expert Opinion
Managing Editor
recognition,” Dennis said. “It allows our name to be seen for those who might not know of Cameron, the people who live in other countries or states, they look at that list and that’s how they get college names. It’s really great publicity for us.” Uncommon from other degree programs, the entire Cameron Masters of Business Administration is taught by a full staff of individuals who hold a PhD in their prospective fields. All of these professors hold over twenty years of higher education skills and teaching inside and outside the Cameron campus. “The fact that we have full time faculty with PhDs for every single course in the program, which is really uncommon, I believe is what really sets us apart from the rest of the programs on that list,” Dennis said. In the program, students are faced with a wide and difficult variety of topics to discuss and strategically solve. Students who graduate from
Engagement
Madison Lyda
Student Services and Technologies
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BAKARI SELLERS continued from page 1 Sellers also led the talk on the current state of race relations in the United States, along with a reflection over the level of imprisonment in the country, particularly in the state of Oklahoma. He said systemic racism is a priority to address. “It’s not complicated when you look at the incarceration rates,” he said. “There’s a major problem with those statistics, especially compared to other countries—and how it affects the African-American
population. It’s hard to tell a black kid he can grow up to be a police chief when he sees no black police chiefs.” Sellers went more into detail about the current state of social change in the country and said the way that change is solved is through recognition. “I can’t sit here and say I haven’t been through things other people haven’t experienced due to their race,” he said. “I have been through those things.
I don’t let that hold me down, though, as my skin color isn’t me as an individual. “The only way to remedy this is through recognizing what others go through.” Cameron Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies Dr. Jennifer Dennis represented the university faculty on the panel. She said race relations in the country and on campus are readily improving. “I agree with a lot of the
thoughts expressed by the others [panel members],” she said, “in that how things are improving. It’s encouraging to see how so many things have changed. “When it comes to Cameron, we do our best to reach out to everyone.” Following the Panel Discussion, Sellers hosted a meet-and-greet with attendees that included a photo-taking and autograph signing, before then attending a press conference with local media that
included KSWO, The Lawton Constitution, KCCU, CUTV and the Cameron Collegian. Sellers said he loved coming down to Cameron University and involving himself with the Lawton, Oklahoma community. “Change doesn’t always come from big universities and cities,” he said. “This is where those changes can count even more. Not one place—especially socially—is more valued than another. It’s important to recognize that and act on that.”
February 4, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
Student Life
3
SGA: why it matters
Derek Snow Staff Writer
At 5:15 p.m., every Monday, in Ross Hall 101, the Cameron University Student Government Association (CUSGA or SGA) meets to discuss university issues. CUSGA’s is entirely student-run and establishes direct contact between faculty and students. Student-body President Luis Jaquez said student government is important to
every student and to campus life. “Cameron’s Student Government Association equips students with the ability to broadcast their voice throughout campus,” he said. “[SGA] provides them the power to bring things to campus or correct the problems they may see in their day-to-day lives.” Senator of Arts and Sciences Kaysa Lyn said she highly values SGA’s role on Campus. “Everything that happens in SGA somehow affects every student on
campus,” she said. Cameron’s student government writes and passes resolutions affecting not only the university’s students but also the organization as a whole. Jaquez said the SGA is responsible for numerous projects at Cameron University. “Our latest contributions have aided in ensuring that the campus is Photo by Derek Snow well lit at night for students,” he said, “and that improvements in Cameron’s website and technology capabilities match student needs.” The Student Senate is comprised of representatives from different clubs on campus. The Faculty Senate consists of members of Cameron’s faculty. Jaquez said legislation that passes through the Student Senate is then sent to the Faculty Senate. “[SGA] allows students a vital position in shared governance to speak
with President McArthur and other faculty and staff members,” he said, “and it gives them room to determine and shape Cameron policies that will impact their lives throughout their time at university.” Organizations can receive funding from the CUSGA’s budget for university events. CUSGA representation is required for organizations to obtain 5-Star or Platinum status, meaning the organization is labeled as top-tier. Kaysa said getting involved with CUSGA not only helps the Cameron community but also encourages personal growth. “SGA is such a hotbed for information,” she said. “I don’t feel like I’m uncomfortable going to a situation that’s unfamiliar.” Jaquez said SGA builds leaders who can potentially go on outside of university and take the tools they learned to utilize in SGA to shape the society in which they live. According to Cameron University’s website, SGA wants to hear the student body’s concerns and maintain a presence through Facebook, email and phone. Kaysa said students are encouraged not only to reach out to the SGA officer team, organizational representatives or elected senators, but to also participate in senator and officer elections as well. “I think that at the end of the day, SGA is as much as students put into it,” she said. “You can literally do anything with SGA. The only thing I would encourage people to do is something.”
Plan Your Planner Center for Academic Success combats procrastination Celeste Powell
things out,” he said. “When you plan-out an entire month’s worth of stuff, it looks like Student Life Editor a scary monster until you break it up into pieces.” The Center for Academic Success hosted a Plan Your Estep said the Center for Academic Planner event at the beginning of the semester to help Success offers students assistance year-round prepare students for their workload. in developing skills To attend the event, students such as timebrought schedules and syllabi “When you plan-out an management, study from each of their classes along entire month’s worth of habits and basic with a planner or calendar. computer literacy. The Center for Academic stuff, it looks like a scary She also said Success is located on the first floor monster until you break it they offer tutoring of Nance-Boyer in room 1008. up into pieces” in the subjects of Center for Academic Success director Leisha Estep said the -Kelly Douglas business, accounting, goal for the event was to supply Academic Success Tutor government, biology and chemistry. students with a foundation of Estep said the success. Center is available to all students, no matter “At the beginning of the semester when we’re not the circumstance, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday doing as much one-on-one tutoring yet; we wanted to do through Thursday and 8 a.m. – 3 p.m on something that supports Cameron students,” she said. In hosting this event, Estep said she hoped to encourage Friday. “A lot of what people talked about was time management and eliminate a fleeing response to that we were a hidden gem,” she said. “We difficult assignments. don’t want to be hidden. We offer a lot in a “A lot of the times procrastination is a secondary little space, but it’s centrally located and we action,” she said. “Usually because you’re overwhelmed hope that students come in and use it.” or unsure of the steps you need to take to complete For students needing assistance something.” Center for Academic Success business and accounting in a specific subject at a desired time, appointments are available by calling 580tutor Kelly Douglas said there are several solutions to 581-5911. Walk-in appointments are also procrastination. “Take your daily list and put check marks as you knock encouraged.
Photos by Celeste Powell
Voices
4
February 4, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com Tribune News Service
Walled Off: President Donald Trump stands in front of a prototype for the planned border wall in San Diego. The wall has proved to be an extremely divisive topic among Americans, and a key issue of the Trump presidency.
What the wall really means Payton Williams
going to be, how affordable, and how useful. Voices Editor But what they can’t say is why they @YoureSoVanya want it in the first place, because that Over the last year, no one issue has would require some measure of honesty. defined President Donald Trump’s time Because if Trump’s supporters were in office quite like his planned border wall being honest, they would talk about the with Mexico. wall as a literal representation of bigotry, Why is this issue so important to him xenophobia and most importantly, fear. and his supporters? Why does it inspire Trump wants the wall because of what so much passion? it represents to his supporters, and his In my opinion, it is not because supporters want it because they believe the border wall has any significance that it is a solution to the problems in this whatsoever as an actual, physical barrier country. to illegal immigration. But isn’t it telling that, to these people, It isn’t meant as a real deterrent, and it the most pressing problem in this country never was. is that people from Mexico specifically It is meant as a symbol. aren’t more thoroughly and emphatically Trump and his supporters can say excluded from entering the U.S.? what they want about the wall. They can We live in a country where our prisons say how effective it is, how beautiful it’s are overflowing, and prisoners are forced
to make consumer products for little or no money. We live in a country that is largely unwilling to invest in education and is more interested in silencing teachers who speak out against our broken education system than actually giving them the money they’re due. We live in a country where politicians refuse to acknowledge climate change and, perhaps even more bafflingly, have apparently refused to learn any science at all. We live in a country with a massively broken healthcare system, and in the contiguous U.S., 25 percent of adults are obese due to an equally broken food market and a media that is obsessed with immediate satisfaction over fulfilment. We live in a society where disinterest and unmitigated rage without nuance
is the new Punk Rock and where even rebellion has been monetized and commercialized. Our society is full of problems, and Trump’s supporters, when faced with all of them, have decided to put most of their effort into building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. They’re so passionate about it, they’re willing to shut down the government indefinitely to make it happen. Trump’s supporters are more interested in taking a stand against minorities than they are solving problems because, for Trump supporters, minorities are all of their problems. After all, all these problems couldn’t possibly be caused by Trump supporters, and by their own lack of interest in the issues. Right?
Breaking down the ‘meme ban’ Cambron Alsbrook
in the U.S. called the “Fair Use” act -which allows the U.S. freedom to upload Staff Writer unlicensed content, or copyrighted content if the use of said content fits As an informed individual who has scoured for information regarding Article within fair use consideration (News, 13, I would like to introduce you to what criticism, education, reporting, and is often referred to as the “meme ban” of parody). An example of what does not qualify the internet. as fair use would be uploading the entire It is an article included in the EU Emoji Movie to YouTube. The company native bill known by the mouthful of (in this case, Illumination) is then able a title, “[The] Proposal for a Directive to claim copyright on the movie, which of the European Parliament and of the results in the offending content being Council on copyright in the Digital removed by the platform the content was Single Market.” present on. This Article 13, alongside article The EU has a similar stipulation 11, which essentially forces companies called “Permitted Use.” to pay to feature news stories on their This essentially translates to a stricter domains, threatens a way of life for Fair Use act by method of requiring all kinds of online content creators, that all EU native users have permission including streamers on Facebook and Twitch, artists on Twitter and Instagram, to upload the copyrighted content, either by word of mouth or contractual creators on YouTube, you name it. It also endangers the existence of user- permission. SafeHarbor is a program that ties the generated content as we know it. common platforms on which you view How it affects content creators in creators to a safety rope—lifting their the EU relates to a certain act we have About Us
The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Lawton Constitution. The first issue is provided for free. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.
Our Views
The opinions expressed in The Collegian pages or personal columns are those of the signed author. The unsigned editorial under the heading “Voices” 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.
liability of copyrighted content on their platforms. This means that, as a platform, they are only responsible for upholding copyright claims made against alleged non-fair use content, and removing it. With the removal of SafeHarbor from the EU, the safety rope is cut loose and platforms are made responsible for the offending content instead of us - the users. As you may expect, this would cause chaos across platforms where people create any sort of content due to copyright claims and ruin the careers of people who create content for a living. All this chaos thanks to the winning teams of the big industries who own the rights to most of the images, songs, videos and articles we take for granted. In terms of recent progressions of the bill itself, on Jan. 21 of this year, the meeting to finalize details regarding its wording stalled due to the European council and parliament not agreeing on their positions.
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN
Eleven European countries voted against the bill because both of these articles infringe upon internet freedom. The eleven countries are as follows: Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden, with the remaining 17 states still in favor of it. For this, we can thank the public outcry, as well as numerous movie/music companies relinquishing their support of the deal for the hefty amount of stance changes —this is a huge step up from September of last year, when only three states were against it. Although the bill itself has been stalled, the EU is more than likely going to attempt action to finalize the bill before state elections in May. Knowing this—we need to continue our vocal outcry and support the companies that are against articles 11 and 13 for the sake of preserving the pressure we already possess against the bill’s vague wording. Letters Policy
Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Letters to the editor will be printed in the order in which they are received and on a space available basis.
Editorial Staff
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.
Managing Editor - Drue Watkins Managing Editor - Madison Lyda A&E Editor - Sarae Ticeahkie Sports Editor - Mason Orso Student Life Editor - Celeste Powell Voices Editor - Payton Williams Copy Editor - Kim Frey Aggie Central Editor - David Bublitz Social Media Editor - Abby Gonzalez
Newsroom Staff
Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Derek Snow, David Perkins, Lindsey Edwards, Lea Killian, Dontaye Abram, Amanda King, Cambron Alsbrook Circulation Manager - Drue Watkins and Madison Lyda Faculty Adviser - Mr. David Bublitz
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, by e-mail to aggiecentral@ cameron.edu or they may be dropped off at our office - Academic Commons 101 or at www.aggiecentral.com.
A&E
February 4, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
5
Courtesy photo
Movie review:
Swift sets a new standard in music Lea Killian
The film begins with the sound of a cheering crowd, Staff Writer layered with the voices of dozens of reporters and talk show hosts criticizing Swift for On Dec. 31, Taylor Swift’s various things. “Reputation Stadium Tour” They spoke about her concert movie premiered on privacy in her relationship, Netf lix, attracting new and feuds between other prominent returning fans. artists, her recently revealed This era of Swift’s political stance and even professional life is arguably charitable donations she has her most successful, with the contributed. “Reputation” album winning Swift lives an incredibly an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Album and private life, especially compared too many artists of her a Billboard Music Award for particular stature. Top Selling Album. She immediately hints at The tour itself won a People’s how those criticisms shaped and Choice Award for Favorite drastically changed the image Tour, and grossed over $180 she has of herself and the world million in ticket sales within around her. the first four days. Already, viewers may feel The “Reputation Stadium Tour” has set a new standard in they are about to see more than just a concert, but perhaps they the music industry, and upon will also experience a deeply watching this Netf lix special, personal and vivid tale of the viewers will understand why.
last three years of Swift’s life. Working her way through twenty-four songs, eight costume changes and surrounded by dozens of dancers and back up vocalists, Swift does not slow down once, not even during her acoustic set halfway through the show. She primarily performs songs from “Reputation,” including “Getaway Car,” “I Did Something Bad” and “Call It What You Want.” She also offers plenty of nostalgia for fans who have been on the journey since the beginning, playing mash ups of songs from her previous five albums that span from her selftitled album in 2006 to “1989” in 2014. Swift also takes the time between songs to connect with her fans on a personal level, as if the lights, dancers, visual effects and confetti are not
enough. Before performing her song “Delicate,” Swift explains the meaning behind her latest album by saying, “I think the things that can scare us the most in life are the things we think could threaten the prospect of something real,” she said. “Having a bad reputation, in our mind, could get in the way of finding real friendship, real love and real acceptance.” That speech put the “Reputation” era into perspective for many fans. It was never about changing her image or writing about a bad break-up. As a Swift fan, I would say that the “Reputation” era is about finding acceptance during a time in a person’s life when they feel like everyone is against them. This, above all else, is what makes Taylor Swift the
performer that she is. Her ability to connect with her fans through her work is boundless and is effortlessly displayed throughout every part of the “Reputation Stadium Tour.” Perhaps the most poignant moments throughout the show are when she stops playing and gazes into the crowd. The audience erupts around her and she smiles. The camera lingers there, and viewers know they are witnessing something special, something intimate between Swift and her fans. In her song, “New Romantics,” Swift sings, “I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me.” If this lyric from her “1989” album still holds true, then the “Reputation” era is the castle she built from those bricks. I rate this film 10/10.
25th annual Screen Actors Guild awards Sarae Ticeahkie A&E Editor
@SylviaSeeks At 8 p.m., on Feb. 27, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artist (SAGAFTRA) presented the 25th annual screen actors guild awards (SAG) live on both TBS and TNT. The SAG awards honored the outstanding performances from both motion picture film and primetime television for the year of 2018. SAG-AFTRA presented 13 awards during the ceremony based on individual works and entire ensembles of comedy and drama series, and cast of a motion picture.
Cast in a Motion Picture Black Panther
Ensemble in a Drama Series This Is Us
Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Male Actor in a Supporting Role Mahershala Ali in Green Book
Male Actor in a Leading Role
Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series GLOW
Female Actor in a Supporting Role Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place
Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture Black Panther
Male Actor in a Comedy Series Tony Shalhoub in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Female Actor in a Drama Series Sandra Oh in Killing Eve
Male Actor in a Drama Series Jason Bateman in Ozark
Life Achievement Award Alan Alda
Male Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie Darren Crisis in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Female Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody
Patricia Arquette in Escape at Dannemora
Female Actor in a Leading Role
Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Glenn Close in The Wife
Rachel Brisnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tribune News Service
And the award goes to: (Above) The cast of “Black Panther” are accepting the award for cast in a motion picture in “Black Panther.” (Below) Rami Malek is presenting a speech after recieving the award for male actor in a leading role in “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Sports
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February 4, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
Derby: 580 Rollergirls
Photos by Ellen Lechel
580 Jammer: The 580 Rollergirls prepare for their new season and their first game in March. The team operates under the non-profit sanctioning body of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.
David Perkins
foster community spirit.” Team leader and Cameron alumni Staff Writer Molly-Meet-Your-Maker said “It’s like Girl Scouts meets football on skates.” The new year is well underway, and Roller derby is a full-contact sport for Lawton’s 580 Rollergirls, a new that stays on the move and requires season of roller derby comes with it. skill. Practice for the roller derby season Anyone interested in jumping into has officially begun as members of the the fray of roller derby without 580 Rollergirls (tallying at roughly being ran over or churned into twenty players) practice at Laugh Out a pulp will need some skating Loud roller-skate rink. skills. Their first game is in March. Team leader and alumni of Roller derby gives its members Cameron Viking Barbie said that the opportunity to create their own skill required for roller derby is identities with names like Molly MeetYour-Maker, Half Pint, Viking Barbie, obtained through practice. “We do skills testing,” she Hell’an Agony, Merideath, and Cali said. “You have to be able to Skum. demonstrate that you can skate It exists locally in the Lawton area and do different things like jump in the form of the 580 Rollergirls. and hit before you can actually They operate under the non-profit play in a game.” sanctioning body of the Women’s Flat “Some girls who are naturals Track Derby Association (WFTBA). Even though the team is not officially on their skates like Cali, who linked with Cameron University, it does just joined but was a roller blader seem to be a natural outlet or extension before; she just blasted through it, and she was ready in three for current and prior students. months.” Cali Skum is a current Cameron People who join with less student and like some of her teammates, experience can look to Barbie she is a military veteran. for a good example of what hard The mission statement of the 580 Rollergirls is “To roller-skate, empower work can accomplish. “Those who join with less women, and create a league that helps
experience like me, I’ve never skated before, and it took me a year before I could actually be eligible to play in games,” she said, “and a lot of people just don’t stick it out through the year you know? Because it is a time commitment.” As is the case with most sports, the
time committed by the players doesn’t stop at the game itself. It extends into their own community through service. As Molly Meet-Your-Maker says, “our mission is to empower women through the sport of roller derby and we give back to other areas in our community.”
Eduardo Gutierrez
Amanda King
- student athlete -
Owl’s track team could transcend the high school theater. Eventually, this led him Staff Writer north to Lawton, Oklahoma. Although he received offers from Cameron University’s first-ever official other schools, Gutierrez ultimately chose men’s track and field season has finally launched, and for Eduardo Gutierrez, the Cameron University — primarily for season of teamwork and competition could financial reasons. “Honestly, it was the money, the not start soon enough. scholarship,” he said. “It was a good offer Born and raised in the small Texas that I couldn’t let go by.” town of Hondo, Eduardo “Eddie” Up until this spring semester, however, Gutierrez always enjoyed participating in Gutierrez was only competing in collegiate sports. Basketball, football and track and field cross country events. This was because previously, Cameron are just a few of the exercises in teamwork University did not have an official track and athleticism that set Gutierrez on his path toward to the Cameron cross country and field team. Regardless of the lack of a track and and track and field teams. field program previously, Head Cross Stumbling upon the sport of running, Country and Track Coach Zach Johnson though, was a complete accident. would let his runners participate in nearby “It started off as a punishment in track events in the offseason, albeit in a seventh grade,” Gutierrez said, “because non-competitive capacity. I got in trouble in my math class. I was a Johnson scouted Gutierrez during troublemaker.” Gutierrez’s senior year of high school, Gutierrez credits his basketball and and Johnson remains proud of Gutierrez’s football coaches with cultivating his love of running. They did this by forcing him to recruitment. “He’s a hard worker, a good student.” compete in the two-mile race when track Johnson said, “the type of guy you want on season came. your team.” “He put me in there … and they According to Gutierrez, the addition realized I was really good at it,” Gutierrez of a track and field team for both men said. and women, as well as a women’s cross Gutierrez began considering country team, made the composition of all scholarship opportunities upon realizing four teams extremely diverse. He proudly that his accomplishments on the Hondo
competes in both the cross country and his bachelor’s degree. track and field circuits, and is more than For more information about upcoming happy about the increased population of races and individual scores and to follow athletes. Cameron University’s first-ever track and “It’s good to have teammates and stuff,” field season, visit cameronaggies.com. Gutierrez said. “Who wants to run at 5:30 a.m. for 10 miles alone? You’d rather endure the pain together.” Thankfully, he said, all of his fellow runners get along well with each other and everyone enjoys having bigger teams. “More friends, more diversity, less boring,” Gutierrez said. Gutierrez continues to champion his choice to become an Aggie, citing his teammates and the campus, itself, as motivations for his enduring success. Now well into his sophomore year, Gutierrez strives to keep pushing himself Photo by Amanda King athletically as well as Keeping Track : Eddie Gutierrez started academically, with running as a result of punishment, but his high hopes of shortening his race times and earning school coaches helped cultivate his love for it.
February 4, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
Trending
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Super Bowl Sunday Top-five greatest Super Bowl commercials of modern times Steve Johnson Chicago Tribune
1. Monster.com, “When I Grow Up.” In 1999, Monster.com, an internet job-search site, left an indelible impression and probably inspired the following year’s “Dot-Com Bowl,” where internet startups seemingly blew all their VC money in one, failed shot. The Monster spot, though, was the exception before the rule of bad web ads could be proven. In it, a succession of children deliver their vocational
Graphic courtesy of Tribune News Service
It’s been more than two decades that I’ve been reviewing Super Bowl commercials for the Chicago Tribune, I was a little surprised to realize the other day. That’s a whole lot of seeing guys getting hit in the crotch to sell snack chips. That’s many minutes of women first being paraded in swimsuits and, more recently, told they have the power to change the world. That’s a lot of shiny new sedans rolling down suburban streets and past amber fields filled with shimmering waves of grain. Don’t even get me started on the endless parade of Clydesdales, Budweiser’s corporate mascot came to my mind, something of a dullard in the equine world. And the dogs! Give an advertiser a big budget, a blank space in the Super Bowl telecast to fill and not a single creative thought, and inevitably it will plug those voids with a canine. So there’s been plenty to observe and to grumble about as these pure expressions of the American impulse to sell have flickered by. But which commercials have truly stood out from the mostly mundane horde. Which have etched themselves into my memory? These are my five favorites from two decades of watching the ads more than the game (and if the number were six, I’d have included last year’s brilliant “It’s a Tide ad” series):
A fight for the Lombardi Trophy: At 5:30 p.m., Feb. 3, the Los Angeles Rams took on the New England Patriots during Super Bowl 53. This marked the largest age difference between head coaches (HC) in Super Bowl history, with Rams HC Sean McVay at age 33 and Patriots HC Bill Belichick at age 65. aspirations, deadpan, in black and white, to the camera: “When I grow up, I want to claw my way into middle management,” “I want to be a yes man,” “Anything for a raise, sir” and the like. It is funny and poignant and strongly suggests you should use the website if you desire something better than “Office Space”-style drudgery.
(thanks to dad’s pressing the remote from the kitchen). This is superb, wordless storytelling that builds dramatic tension using a well-cast kid in an amusing and recognizable pop-culture scenario. The payoff completes the story and manages to showcase both the looks and an attribute (technological advancement) of the vehicle.
2. Volkswagen, “The Force.” In 2011, VW delivered what remains the best car ad of this century. A little kid in a full Darth Vader costume tries to use the Force on household objects. He has no luck, alas, and grows despondent _ until the family VW miraculously starts up at his gesture
3. EDS, “Cat Herders” If people knew the data-management company at all, it was because 1992 independent presidential candidate Ross Perot was behind it. But that number was small and in 2000, as Internet upstarts gained fame, this long-standing firm decided to explain itself a bit. Its agency hit on the sparkling idea of illustrating a metaphor: What EDS does is like the old saying about trying to herd cats. So they filmed a bunch of leathered cowboy types talking about how hard and rewarding it is to keep those critters together on the dusty trail. “It ain’t an easy job,” says one cowpoke, “but when you bring a herd into town, and you ain’t lost a-one of ‘em ... “ The execution is note-perfect, and, unlike so many Super Bowl commercials, the humor exists in service to an actual commercial message. 4. Chrysler, “Imported from Detroit.” Another 2011 car ad jolted viewers with a patriotic message from a surprising source and inspired, for better and mostly worse, a spate of subsequent car-company “manifesto” ads. This one, though, delivered at the perfect historical moment messages of grit and pride: It was a bold, two-minute, industrial-chic-beautiful film statement on behalf of hard-times Detroit, and it came just as U.S. carmakers were tentatively recovering from near collapse in the previous decade’s economic meltdown. Damaged Detroit became a metaphor for a damaged industry and, indeed, nation. “Now we’re from America. But this isn’t New York City. Or the Windy City,” the narrator says. “And we’re certainly no one’s Emerald City.” Midway through, the pulse of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself ” starts playing in the background. The last shot is the Detroit rapper himself walking onstage at the Fox Theatre and stirring middle America with the words, “This is the Motor City. And this is what we do.” 5. Heinz, “Wiener Stampede” Would there be a condiment commercial in this compilation, you’ve probably been wondering? Oh, yes, there is a condiment commercial. In 2016, ketchup giant Heinz turned Harry Nilsson’s “Without You” on and delivered a deceptively simple, appealingly goofy, disarmingly elegant and strangely emotional delight. As this perfect-for-the-moment song plays, a horde of dachshunds in hot dog buns (“wiener dogs,” right?) runs through a field, toward... grown humans wearing Heinz condiment costumes. The type you might put on to drum up store sales in picnic season. The ketchup people display surprise and ecstasy as they realize what is coming their way. That the best spot of a Super Bowl could be made so simply (and so inexpensively) had to have other advertisers tearing their storyboards into little pieces. No celebrities. No massive, befuddling production that looks lifted from an action movie. Just the courage to go all-in on an offbeat high concept. For that this Chicagoan is even willing to accept the implication that ketchup on a hot dog is acceptable. It’s only a shame that Heinz didn’t spring to air the full, 60-second version of the ad.
Retrospective
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The graphic is a product of “The Cameron Collegian,” published in Volume IX, Issue 5 on Nov. 6, 1935. Graphic by Madison Lyda
February 4, 2019
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“The Cameron Collegian” would like to thank the members of the Library and Archive staff for their patience and help with bringing the history of the paper back to life.
- The Editors