The Cameron University Collegian: February 4, 2008

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

Monday, February 4, 2008

News

Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926

TAXES: Filing is highest priority

By Kelley Burt Collegian Staff “College students are notoriously strapped for cash. Whether a student is 19 or 49, the best advice I could give to anyone about their taxes is to just fi le a return,”

Alumni Relations gets a new director.

SEE PAGE 3

A&E

MCT Campus

The academy denies ‘Beowulf’ its due credit SEE PAGE 5

Sports

Volume 82 Issue 2

General Manager for Liberty Tax Service in student has fi led or will fi le their tax return for Lawton, Chris Vajgrt said. “Many young people the previous year. If a student has not fi led a don’t realize they can fi le a return if return, the financial aid their parents claim them as dependents. report will be slowed Others think they don’t have to because because the processor “Many people don’t they didn’t make enough money.” will question why they think they need to, The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) haven’t fi led.” A delay but if you don’t file, Web site reported that billions of in reports may then dollars in federal tax refunds go you can’t get anything delay financial aid unclaimed each year. In the disbursement to include back.” cases where returns are not student loans and some fi led, the law provides scholarships.

—Carol Claiborne most taxpayers In addition to fi ling a three-year federal income tax Interim Director window of returns, Vajgert urges of Finacial Assistance opportunity students to complete to fi le for their state returns as a refund. After well. three years, “If the new economic stimulus package is if no return is passed by Congress, qualifying taxpayers will fi led to claim the receive checks from the federal government in refund, the money June. Individuals will receive $600 and couples becomes property who fi led jointly will receive $1,200. The only of the U.S. Treasury. way someone can qualify to receive the money is This is money that to fi le a tax return.” many students could have had in their pockets.

See TAX Carol Claiborne, Interim Director of Financial Assistance at Cameron, Page 2 doesn’t understand why anybody wouldn’t want to fi le a tax return.

“Many people don’t think they need to, but if you don’t fi le, you can’t get anything back. If you don’t get anything back, then you may owe the IRS money and that could get someone in serious trouble.”

In addition to the potential for a tax refund, Claiborne said income tax fi ling has a bearing on the financial aid process.

“On the FAFSA paperwork there is a section that asks whether or not a qualifying MCT Campus

CU students compete in database design

By Alexis Del Ciello Collegian Staff With hotel reservations lost and a computer system crashing in the middle of competition, two Cameron University students persevered and still came out on top.

Department of Technology seniors and computer information majors, Christi Cummings and Paulo Garza represented CU in the Database Design Competition at the annual Region 3 Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) Conference at the Texas State University—San Marcos in

late October, both receiving honorable mention awards in database design.

Cummings and Garza reported with 24 other teams to participate in the Database and Design competition. Overall, more than 140 college students competed during the Region 3 conference.

Cummings said: “Paul and I reported to the room for our competition at 1 p.m. We had four hours to complete the assigned task. The first was to build an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) for a database.

[According to about.com, an ERD “is a specialized graphic that illustrates the

interrelationships between entities in a database.”] Two hours into it, the program we were using crashed and we lost all of our work. When we got the computer back up and running we quickly reassembled our ERD and sent it in.”

See DATABASE Page 2

Football, sidewalks on agenda for first spring SGA meeting

Aggie basketball outplays Northeastern By Bira Vidal Collegian Staff State.

SEE PAGE 7

Voices

CU alumni takes steps toward furthering his education.

SEE PAGE 4

Members of the Student Government Association resumed their activities last week with the first meeting of the spring semester.

Students targeted the football poll and the new legislation concerning the construction of sidewalks on certain areas on campus.

SGA President Jeff Wozencraft presented the results of the football poll that occurred in the end of the fall semester. The poll voiced students’ opinions about reinstating varsity football at Cameron. The results showed that students are willing to bring football back, but do not agree with the increase in the fees to support the sport.

Also, the margin of error for the poll and the differences in the gathering of the results brought up possible questions about the accuracy of the outcome. According to President Wozencraft, specific parts of the poll still raise some problems.

“There’s a lot of errors within the poll results,” Wozencraft said. “It looks like they want football, but they don’t want to sacrifice for it.”

The poll results made clear students are not in favor of raising the current fees. Eight

percent of those who some of the buildings and do participated agreed to not lead all buildings to the “There’s a lot of errors pay up to sixteen dollars parking north of the Village. more per credit hour to The lack of sidewalks forces within the poll results. support football. On students to walk in the grass if It looks like they want the other hand, twenty their vehicle in parked there. football, but they don’t want percent stated that The legislation also states to sacrifi ce for it.” students should incur no that in case of rain, students increase in fees. have to walk a long distance Eighty-three percent — Jeff Wozencraft along existing sidewalks of the participants stated and streets to reach their SGA President classrooms. Those who do they want football to come back to Cameron. not walk the long way have Only eight percent to plod through the wet grass were against reinstating and mud. Sidewalks would football. facilitate village residents’ access to the north The legislation will be tabled until the end of parking lot and to other buildings. the semester. Adam Gutierrez, representative Students asked Senator Emert if the from Mu Phi Epsilon, wrote the football poll legislation would apply to all the areas on legislation in the fall semester. Gutierrez will campus lacking sidewalks, such as south of the present a legislation proposing reinstating Student Activities Building next to the parking football on April 14. He will write the lot. Senator Emert responded the original legislation based on the results of the poll. legislation does not consider all the areas on After discussing the results of the poll, campus due to the budget implications. students started the first legislation of the semester. School of Liberal Arts Senator Bonnie Emert wrote the legislation that targets the lack of sidewalks in the Cameron Village.

See SGA Currently, sidewalks at the Village only connect Page 2

News

2

February 4, 2008

Candidate mask sales could predict next president

By Doris Hajewski MCT Campus A New Berlin, Wis., costume retailer is aiming to unmask the identity of the next president ahead of the election, based on its sales of likenesses the candidates’ faces.

Buycostumes.com, the largest online costume retailer in the U.S., has predicted accurately the outcomes of the 2000 and 2004 elections by tracking sales of masks of the candidates, founder Jalem Getz said.

This year, Getz saw an opportunity

to generate publicity and sales early by selling 99-cent likenesses of eight primary candidates and reporting on the sales volume every week, from now until the general election in November.

“The more popular the mask, the more likely the candidate would win,” Getz said.

The company on Tuesday started selling paper facemasks of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul. The first popularity rankings will be released

in seven days. (Edwards and Giuliani have since dropped out of the race.)

Getz is promoting the masks with news releases and emails to people who have shopped with Buycostumes. com. In addition, he’s contacting the campaigns in hopes of selling the inexpensive masks to supporters

of the candidates.

“We think this is a new form of bumper sticker,” Getz said.

In the two previous presidential election years, his company’s sales of the candidate masks were small.

Those masks were made of more lifelike MCT Campus vinyl and were priced in the $15 to $20 range.

Buycostumes still offers vinyl masks

of Hillary Clinton and President Bush.

Getz expects to sell a lot more of the cheaper, 99-cent paper masks.

Political junkies will be able to upload a widget from the Buycostumes.com site to any other Web site or blog. The widget will track sales of the masks in real time, collectively or by state.

Buycostumes.com has been a division of Liberty Media, a publicly traded company based in Englewood, Colo., since 2006. The company has about 100 year-round employees.

DATABASE continued from page 1 After reviving the crashed computer and reassembling their ERD, Cummings and Garza were not finished.

Cummings said: “Once the [ERD] was in, they handed us an [additional] ERD that we had to code in SQL to create tables in a database software.” (According to the online “Glossary of GIS Terms, SQL is “Structured Query Language. A syntax for defining and manipulating data from a relational database.”) “Then we had

to create queries. A query is a way of manipulating the data in order to only see information requested [by the user].”

Attending an AITP competition gives students an opportunity to use the skills learned in the classroom, see new technology and meet potential employers. Garza said it also presents job opportunities for technology students attending competition and creates “more exposure for Cameron’s

Technology Department.”

The light on the monitor shined brighter when Cummings came across a company with job opportunities.

Aside from many events there were also conferences taking place.

“Some of the conferences were Security, Microsoft and Vista,” Cummings said. “In conjunction with the conferences they have tables set up for companies that are recruiting and vendors with their latest product.” One of those

companies was ARGO Data.

“They were recruiting so I handed them my resumé and had an onthe-spot interview with them. That interview led to a second interview which led to a job with them when I graduate this year.”

Cummings will create user interfaces for banks and lending institutions.

Not only did Cummings establish future employment, but she now knows this is what she is supposed to be doing upon

completing her degree.

“It is a great thing being my first time placing. It just solidifies the education I am receiving. I can apply it (knowledge learned) in the real world,” Cummings said.

With the success of Cummings and Garza, both are waiting for funding and approval to attend nationals in Memphis, TN March 27-29.

ARGO Data will be at CU on April 1 to recruit students for employment.

591.8019 or stop by her office at 15 N. Shepler.

For non-international students, the IRS Web site, www.irs.gov, provides information on how and where people can file. Local tax service offices are also available for assistance.

Vajgrt said: “The best way to make sure someone is getting back everything they are entitled to is to talk to a professional.

Liberty Tax Service offers free estimates for preparation fees and encourages anyone with questions about their taxes to call them at

581.1040.

Leigh Shelton, Criminal Justice Sophomore, is really looking forward to filing her taxes this year.

“I can’t wait to get my refund back. I went to a tax preparation service last year and they were very friendly and quick. My return was e-filed and the money was directly deposited into my bank account. This year I’m going to use my refund for spring break.”

This is the second year Shelton will be filing. She advises students to make sure they take their time to fill out their return correctly.

“A refund can also help with buying books for summer classes or paying back student loans,” she said.

TAX continued from page 1 Though Cameron does not currently offer income tax filing assistance to the general student population, some help is available for international students.

For more information contact Marcella Gustafson, International Student Advisor Coordinator, at

News

February 4, 2008

3

New director of Alumni Relations receives warm welcome

By Bira Vidal Collegian Staff The Office of Alumni Relations opened its doors to a new director in the fall of 2007. Cameron University chose Jennifer Bowen as the new Director of Alumni Relations on Nov. 12.

The addition brought a fresh point of view and new experiences to the office of Alumni Relations according to Vice President for University Advancement Albert Johnson.

“We are proud to welcome Jennifer Bowen to Cameron University and excited about the experience and enthusiasm she brings to the Office of Alumni Relations,” Johnson said.

Bowen was extremely involved in the community before coming to CU. She worked for the American Cancer Society as a community specialist and for the Wichita

Mountains March of Dimes as the Lawton Division Director.

As for volunteer activities in the community, Bowen has assisted the Junior League of Lawton, the Citizens for Progress Committee, Lawton Public Schools Bond Steering Committee and the Lawton Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet Committee.

The experience gained in those non-profit organizations helped guide Bowen when choosing Cameron’s Alumni office as the next step in her career path. She explained her work has been constantly related to people and helping them.

“I am excited to join the Cameron staff,” Bowen said. “The foundation for an excellent alumni relations program is in place, and I look forward to working with the alumni to develop new programs and partnerships within the university and the community.”

Bowen revealed the best aspects

of working as the Director of Alumni Relations are related to the timing of her arrival on campus with the Centennial Celebration.

“The best [characteristic of Cameron] is the solid foundation that is already in place. The second thing would be the excitement of Cameron. It’s been an exciting time to be part of the university,” Bowen said.

Photo by Bira Vidal Bowen will Looking at the past: Jennifer Bowen displays pictures in the Alumni Relations play a significant office. role in the upcoming Centennial Celebration.

The donations that come to the She will be investing a great deal of Alumni Relations office are used time collecting historical records, for different purposes. Bowen says photographs and data from the the contribution from Cameron’s current University archives and Alumni help support a variety of maintaining that archive for years projects. to come.

“The money is used to recruit “It is my goal to provide new members, provide scholarship opportunities for all Cameron for students, [produce] the University alumni, students and Cameron magazine and alumni friends to remain connected to merchandise,” Bowen said. “We Cameron throughout their lives,” donated $15,000 for the new Bowen said.

Student Activities Complex.”

The support from those recently As a new director, Bowen graduated is fundamental to already perceives the needs of the the Alumni program according University relating to Alumni to Bowen. She says the Alumni interaction. Her goal as Alumni Office currently faces two minor Coordinator is to bring the Alumni challenges.

Association members close home at “Keeping the momentum of all CU and make the foundation of the the office has done and engaging those newly graduated to work with University’s Alumni Relations even more solid.

[Cameron’s] Alumni,” Bowen said.

“The stronger the University, the “[That’s] one of the things we do; stronger the value of the degree is. we are trying to work on capturing [It makes] your degree become even them, working with ‘How can we help you further your career?’” more valuable,” Bowen said.

Voices

4

February 4, 2008

Continue making long term goals When I graduated from Cameron’s English department in December 2006, I found my mind clouded by indecision.

For many years, my single goal has been to complete my Bachelor’s degree. Having accomplished that task, I found I was once again at a crossroads. Where do I go? What do I do? Life after undergraduate school seemed so far away. Being in the midst of papers, portfolios, and exams, it also seemed very elusive.

Near the end of my senior year, I had taken steps to ensure that I would have some options after my time at Cameron. But to be honest, I didn’t feel like I was done learning. I wanted to pull a little bit more out of myself before I stepped

outside the academic world, out “there.”

It was at about that time when I spoke with Julie Hensley, the Director of the Cameron Creative Writing Department, and she asked me if I had considered graduate school.

Graduate college had been in the back of my mind prior to my conversation with Julie. As a matter of fact, I had even done a paper for Capstone researching different graduate colleges around the United States, but for some reason, I hadn’t, until then, truly explored graduate school as a real option.

I think this was mainly due to a sense of atrophy that had taken grip during my senior year. Most college students jokingly dub this “senioritis,” but I think it bears noting that such an affl iction is very real and ubiquitous.

Something about closing another chapter of one’s life and striking out into not so familiar, new territory can freeze people in

place. My father, in his military way, referred to this as a “failure to launch” and that’s not far from the truth.

I think that the only way to really break through this petrified state is to once again develop a long-term goal. I know that many of us keep consistent long-term goals in mind. And I did know that I was in pursuit of success, but the fact is, that the future is uncertain and goals evolve over time.

It’s not a bad idea to stop moving forward from time to time and look around and make sure you’re going in the direction you want to go.

After speaking with my peers, professors and family (and after much quiet contemplation) I ultimately decided to pursue a career teaching creative writing to college students. What that is going to mean is several more years in school (a definite plus), and I knew I had to get started on applying right away.

I’ve learned a lot of things in the past year about pursuing education after undergraduate school. For those of you who plan to get a graduate degree, I issue this warning: Be prepared to work hard and spend money.

Applying, in itself, is no small thing. Although not every program is going to require the same things, most of the schools I applied to required an application, application fee (usually around 30 to 50 dollars), a creative portfolio consisting of 30 to 50 pages of creative work, a slew of financial aid paperwork, GRE test scores, letters of David R. recommendation, a resume, and a personal reflection or statement of purpose.

It takes time to get all these materials together. Traditional graduate schools only accept applications once a year, so it is wise to start getting the materials together as quickly as possible.

Start early, preferably while you’re still a junior; you’ll be thankful you did.

Probably the most challenging aspect of applying to graduate school is the waiting. I try to keep myself busy (I’ve been pursuing

a second Bachelor’s in the mean time), but ultimately I can’t help feeling anxious. It’s almost a foxhole feeling – small and completely aware that my destiny is in the hands of those members of a graduate school admissions committee. And to rationalize, I almost have to say, “What will be, will be.” I guess it’s like that with life sometimes. You Bublitz have to grip your rifle, chamber a round and embrace life in the queue – life in the in-between spots – and, when the incoming pours down, hope you’ve prepared yourself adequately enough to weather it and push forward.

THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna

Take responsibility

Attribution isn’t just for the humble A few days ago the Country Music Television (CMT) network aired clips from last year’s Country Music Awards (CMA) show. I was prompted

by Carrie Underwood’s thank you speech to think about the concept of responsibility.

She was only one recipient out of dozens of artists who took home awards that evening.

Each recipient followed the one before in the trend of thanking everyone who helped make him or her the winner of their given category.

I believe that Underwood, however, was the most sincere.

She made me feel she honestly was not responsible for her accomplishments as a singer.

Many people would say this display was a true act of humility and would respect her for it. I think it’s just another example of how too many people don’t take responsibility for their own actions. The rub, however, is that if she did thank herself for her own hard work she might have been booed offstage and surely would have hurt her career.

The trend to thank other people in our lives for helping us accomplish personal goals, in

addition to professional ones, is well received and commonly displayed.

Similarly, when someone does something bad or falls through on a goal, responsibility is again often attributed to someone or something other than the person who committed the act.

My 19-year-old brother was arrested a couple of weeks ago on drug charges and will likely not be released from jail for several years. This was a horrible shock to my family and me.

What was even more shocking to me though, was how my family reacted to his arrest.

At first, my mother refused to believe he could have committed the crimes for which he was being charged.

Then, she blamed my dad for not disciplining him enough as a child, his schools for not trying harder to teach him the right way to behave, his friends for their bad inf luence and then the police for arresting her son.

My dad blames my mother, my

Kelley Burt

grandparents blame both my parents and my brother blames anyone he can think of to blame, excluding himself.

No one seems to see things from my point of view. What my brother did, he did to himself.

His choices created the situation he is in today and now he has to pay the consequences. I know that he is young and everyone makes mistakes. It’s not the fact that what he has done is a mistake, it’s that no one I’ve talked to about the situation has held him responsible for his actions.

My inner conf lict is revealed, however, when I think about the other side of the argument.

Carry Underwood surely could not have made herself a hit singer if she didn’t have all the writers, producers, managers, fans, etc. contributing to her success. Would my little brother

be in a better place now if other people could have inf luenced him differently?

I don’t really know where the thin, grey line lies when it comes to responsibility. Murderers may possibly get out of a life sentence if their lawyer can convince a jury the person is not guilty because of mental defect. “My client is not responsible for killing that man because she has Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder,” one lawyer could say.

“The movie could never have been a hit without all the writers on the show,” one actor might express.

I think that every act someone commits has been inf luenced by something or someone else at sometime. The main responsibility, however, belongs solely to the individual who committed it.

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief - Jessica Lane News Editor - Josh Rouse Assistant News Editor: Jim Horinek Copy Editor - Laura Batule A&E Editor - Amanda Herrera Sports Editor - Kareem Guiste Variety Editor - Bira Vidal Assistant Editor - David R. Bublitz

Newsroom Staff Ads Manager - Kelley Burt Cartoonist - Thomas Pruitt Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - David L. Bublitz, Chris Allison, Alexis Del Ciello, Erik Hurley, John Robertson, Jacob Russell, Jenifer Biles, Donnale Mann

Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Keller

Newswriting Students Jenifer Biles and Donnale Mann

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.

A&E

February 4, 2008

5

CUTV rolls on new sets, future content from a film review writer from the be a graduate assistant before they can semester with two new shows.

Lawton Constitution and Carmike work on the show.

“We are also producing two new Collegian Staff Theaters.

Here at Cameron, I was down shows this year to be broadcast “CU in the Kitchen” will CUTV is getting a new look exclusively on YouTube,” Dr. Jenkins in the studio running cameras and be a cooking show hosted by and adding two new programs in pulling tapes and stuff like that on said. “One is called “Film Geek” and communications student Holley an extreme makeover this semester their shows as a freshman. What the other is “CU in the Kitchen.” for the station. According to Dr. “Film Geek” will be produced once Wood. It will feature Cameron faculty we want to try to show prospective as guests who come on, talk about and students is they will not have to sit Matt Jenkins, Associate Professor a week on Monday afternoons and in Cameron’s Communication “CU in the Kitchen” will be produced prepare their favorite dish. According and wait in a classroom for four to Dr. Jenkins, “CU in the Kitchen” Department and faculty advisor for years before they get to touch the all at once. For “CU in the Kitchen,” is really designed to learn about CUTV, the set makeover was over equipment. Here, the faculty just we are going to work with Cameron’s Cameron University professors. due. tosses you right in right away.”

Theater Department to build a “We know that You Tube is very “We have not had a new set for The first episode of “Film Geek” kitchen set which we will use to shoot 12 years, since before I came to all the shows at once over one day. We popular for younger people, so we will be available on YouTube in midwant to use that to promote our Cameron,” Dr. Jenkins said. “Our February and “CU in the Kitchen” will then put one episode a week on university program,” Jenkins said. old set was donated to CUTV from will air beginning in late March this YouTube.”

Luetters believes that the KSWO, here in Lawton, and we felt semester. Jenkins is also working with The idea behind broadcasting Communications Department it was time to get a new set. We were the 2 new CUTV programs on You the faculty adviser for the “Cameron at Cameron provides a superior fortunate to hire a private contractor, Tube was the brainchild of Jenkins Collegian,” Dr. Christopher Keller, named Scott Hoffman, to build us the to provide a link to both shows on and communications sophomore Kyle education for broadcasting students than larger universities do because beautiful new set that is now under the university newspaper’s upcoming Luetters.

Cameron students immediately construction.”

“Last semester my friends and I convergent media project. receive hands-on experience with all The new set will include a large Complete information about got started putting together some aspects of the broadcasting career news desk with a glass block and Cameron’s communication shows that we wanted to put onto the field. stone front, a new curtain back drop department and CUTV can be found Internet,” Luetters said. “After we “While large universities like OU and new carpeting. According to Dr. on Cameron’s Internet web site which started doing that, we showed some of or Kansas State do have amazing Jenkins, the set will be used for more them to Dr. Jenkins, which is where provides current contact information facilities, their students do not get to for all academic departments and he got the idea to put CUTV touch a piece of equipment until they shows onto YouTube.” links to all department project, faculty and staff Web sites.

According to Dr. Jenkins, are at least a senior,” Luetters said.

Luetters will be instrumental “And even then, they probably have to in the success of CUTV’s Internet television project since he is going to be responsible for making sure the shows get produced and posted on YouTube. Luetters will register a new YouTube account called “CU Internet Television” and upload the 2 shows onto that site.

“Film Geek” will be a 5minute movie review show hosted by Luetters that will present commentary

By Brandi O’ Daniel and ratings of movies that are Collegian Staff Photo by David L. Bublitz popular with Cameron students. It MCT Campus will feature a unique rating scale and And then there was light: Public relations sophomore Amanda be produced Finch hangs lighting up on one of the CUTV sets. CUTV received a On Friday, Feb. 8, Cameron students can join the International Club celebrating the with assistance new set and is rolling out new programming to complement it.

Chinese New Year and ringing in the Year of the Rat. The Asian Club and International Club are co-hosting the event at 7 p.m. in the Baptist Student Union to introduce a form of the Asian culture that may be unfamiliar to many CU students.

Jingshu Zhao, Computer Science major and junior, helped organized the event with several other members of the International and Asian Clubs. She said the event will be very interesting and informative for Cameron students and allow them to experience an entirely new culture while having fun and getting to know other students.

Zhao said, “This event can give students a clear picture of what the Chinese New Year is, what they do and how they celebrate the New Year.”

For the past three years the International Club has helped sponsor the celebration, which was created by one of Cameron’s Fullbright Scholars, April He, who taught Mandarin at Cameron.

This year’s event will include games, prizes, performances and food to allow students the experience of the Chinese culture. Zhao said that all the games will be related to the Chinese culture in some fashion.

“I planned to have some interesting games and performances to show the Chinese culture,” Zhao said. “In the games, students have to use chopsticks and Chinese brush pens

By Chris Allison to finish the task.”

Collegian Staff The New Year’s celebration will combine some of the elements similar to those in China and show the diversity and cultural importance of the Chinese holiday.

After seeing Robert Zemickis’s motion-capture animation epic “Beowulf,” I have one The Chinese tradition is celebrated throughout the Asian community including China’s accolade to bestow upon it: Oscar winner. neighboring countries Korea, Nepal, Japan and Vietnam among many others. Events for the This is a ground-breaking film that shows to what extent motion-capture technology can be holiday consist of visiting friends and families also known as “new-year visits”, adorning new taken. Based on one of the oldest poems ever told, “Beowulf ” is about the epic battle between clothes and giving red packets to young children to symbolize good luck. the warrior Beowulf and the monster Grendel and his mother.

Much like the New Year students are most familiar with, the Chinese New Year is Grendel, a highly deformed Crispin Glover, terrorizes the royal mead hall of a Danish king. celebrated with festivities such as entertainers and fireworks that help to usher in the New King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) offers half his riches to anyone who can slay Grendel. Enter Year.

Beowulf (Ray Winstone), a Geat (people from Sweden), who has become a legend around the Zhao and the other members of the International Club hope that students will come known world. to know and appreciate one of the most celebrated and well know holidays of the Chinese Beowulf offers to slay Grendel without any armor or weapons, the logic being that since no community. sword can penetrate Grendel, and Grendel wears no clothes, then Beowulf should fight him on Marcella Gustafson, International Students Admissions Counselor and Adviser to the equal ground. This invokes some funny Austin Powers-esque sight gags during his fight, where International Club, said that events such as these gives students the chance to understand objects in the foreground hide Beowulf ’s groin area. each other and their cultures.

The epic battle is over about 30 to 45 minutes into the movie. In actuality, this sets up the Gustafson said: “China is a huge country and very populated. By understanding a little decades-long psychological warfare raging between Beowulf and Grendel’s angry and seductive more about their culture and celebrations, we can learn more about the people. We learn to mother (closely resembling Angelina Jolie). Then the story takes a 180 turn and transforms into build friendships. When these students go back to their country, hopefully, we can continue a tale of lust, the lust for power, fame and sex. our friendships. They will also share what they have learned about American culture when This departure from the poem is a very unique twist to the tale, although many would say they return. In a sense, it brings China and its traditions to Cameron.” the original poem is better. This movie provides a deep narrative that stays long after the credits While the Chinese New Year celebration is one of the club’s biggest events, student can roll. It also has the best dragon fight ever caught on film, which is easy, considering how terrible also become involved with the clubs other events. other movies with dragons are (minus the “Harry Potter” films of course). This dragon battle Finance major and senior, Sonila Abdula, joined the club in the fall of 2006 and is now sets a high bar for “The Hobbit” to reach, when that movie is hopefully made. the club’s SGA representative. She said that the International Club participates in many While the “Beowulf ” animation is impressive, some of the animated characters look similar events throughout the year to involve national and international students. to “Shrek” characters. As I said before, Angelina Jolie’s animated character looks the closest to “We participate in welcoming the international students, Diversity Day and through the real-life person, while Ray Winstone’s Beowulf is farthest from his real-life counterpart. the year we have games and presentations on different countries like Algeria, Albania and They used a body double for the obese British actor.

Canada,” Abdula said.

This film is also ground-breaking in the 3-D department. This is the first time I have been to Aside from its Cameron involvement, the club also works within the Lawton community a 3-D movie where the 3-D does not get in the way of the film. The main problem with this film to reach out to them and teach them about the culture and lifestyle of other countries. is that future viewing on DVD will be without the benefit of 3-D. After my experience of seeing Gustafson said, “In the past, club members have helped with Habitat for Humanity and it in 3-D, I do not think it will have the same impression in just plain 2-D. sent students to schools and club meetings to talk about their country.

Unfortunately, the Academy criminally chose to ignore this movie and “The Simpsons All CU students are encouraged to participate in the International Club’s events and are Movie” in favor of yet another penguin movie (“Surf ’s Up”). A similar movie, “300” was also welcome to join. Any interested students who would like to join the club may contact the shut out, yet Razzie nominee “Norbit” managed to sneak away with an Oscar nomination.

International Office or attend one of their meetings posted around campus. Dues for the If you are ever near an IMAX 3-D movie house, I suggest that you ignore the snub by the club are $5 each semester and all events are free for students.

Academy Awards, and go see “Beowulf.” It’s easily one of the best films of 2007.

To learn more about the club and their activities please contact the International Office or Marcella Gustafson at 581.8019.

Reporter rating: 4 out of 4 points

By David L. Bublitz

than news settings.

“We asked that it be so designed that it would have a high level of versatility to it so we could use it for other things,” he said. “The desk is on wheels so we can pull the desk away to create an interview set without too much trouble. The idea is to be able to provide a variety of shows with this one set including “This Week in Student Government” which is our show covering the SGA, a Thursday morning newscast called “Top of the Hour,” and our Friday afternoon news show called “CUTV News.”

All current CUTV shows are designed, produced, crewed, anchored and edited by Cameron students.

CUTV is a closed circuit television channel which broadcasts exclusively to television monitors on Cameron on Channel 11.

To go along with the set makeover, CUTV is expanding its programming and its media vehicle to the Internet this

Cameron students to celebrate Chinese New Year

Oscar Corner:

‘Beowulf ’ receives undeserving snub

by Academy

6

A&E

WGA battle: Writers struggle to find a happy ending to strike Tuesday will mark the third month of the “Hollywood Hissy Fit.” You probably know it better as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.

“Lost” only has eight episodes before a serious cliff hanger.

“24” was completely canceled for the year. “Moonlight” is facing cancellation and the striking parties are still at an impasse: writers want more money; studios don’t want to give it to them.

There’s a lot of technical language to wade through when reading about the strike. The writers want revenue from Internet and DVD releases and the studios claim those revenues can’t be determined right now.

Let’s dissect the current Hollywood mantra.

Joshua Rouse “You can’t have a great show without the writers.” I guess that would be true, except, the best show of the year is working without writers. “American Gladiators” came back onto the scene after more than a decade and immediately became the must-watch show.

How do you explain that WGA? “You can’t have a good show without a director.” Yet, the Director’s Guild easily worked out a deal.

“You can’t have a good show without performers.” “American Gladiators” has a director and performers, but it doesn’t need writers.

You see, that’s where the WGA got into trouble. The guild thought it could go on strike and the studios and public would immediately bend to its will and all demands would be met.

Check again.

The WGA is still playing the role of a screaming child outside every major studio while the ratings for “American Gladiators” soar and proven favorites like “Survivor” and “The Biggest Loser” enjoy the highest ratings they’ve had in years.

So where does that leave the writers?

Well, I still love my “Lost” and I’ll watch the first eight episodes. But who’s to blame when that show goes off the air?

You could say the studios are to blame for not giving the writers what they “deserve.” Or, you can say the writers are to blame for going on strike. I personally lean toward the latter.

The Director’s Guild had similar demands and agreed upon a contract six days after negotiations began. The writers’ strike is at three months and counting.

A lot of great television has been lost throughout this strike. But let’s face it, when do most of us have time to watch television? I am going to classes or working. If anything, it’s helping a lot of us catch up on television shows and movies we’ve wanted to watch for months.

I have over 30 hours worth of programming on my DVR. And that’s after the antiquated piece of technological equipment went “Skynet” on me and developed a mind of its own and deleted a bunch of stuff.

The only thing that will really irritate me about this strike is the premature “Lost” cliff hanger. But, I have “American Gladiators” to watch. Trust me, if you haven’t seen it, watch it. You get to see trash-talking contestants go up against muscle-bound freak shows. It’s kind of like World Wrestling Entertainment, except it’s not scripted. You even get Hulk Hogan thrown in there for good measure. And besides, there’s always Crush to look forward to. For you ladies, there’s the hairy, smelly Wolf, if you like that sort of thing.

I remember the first episode of WWE Raw that took place after the writer’s strike started.

D-Generation X, Triple H and Shawn Michaels, come out to the ring making jokes and Michaels said, “Who writes this stuff?” Triple H replies, “Who knows, they’re all on strike.”

It’s sad when you have professional wrestlers making jokes about the writer’s strike. But that’s all this has become: one big joke. It should have ended a long time ago. Right now, both sides are acting like those two kids you see in kindergarten saying “mine!” and tugging on a toy.

The strike has gone beyond money. The WGA has already lost more money than it would have gained if all of its demands were met. Now, it’s all about pride. And pride could very well be the end of it.

So where does that leave the struggling writers whose faces you won’t see on the six o’clock news? I look on CNN and Hollywood Reporter and see Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Kirsten Bell and other big stars. I know a respectable writer named Gary Whitta who belongs to the WGA. Were it not for pictures of him and his friends striking, I never would have seen him anywhere.

These are the people who are hurting the most from this. The WGA’s pride is hurting them the most.

Until it’s over, there’s plenty of reality television to watch. And that’s going to be the ultimate winner of this strike. Reality television was on the brink of dying, and now it’s been resurrected like Bill Clinton’s standings in the public opinion polls.

If nothing else, stick it to the writers and buy the DVD sets of your favorite shows. I know I will. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” here I come.

February 4, 2008

Sports

February 4, 2008

7

CU Aggies pull back one with late free throws

By Craig Martin Sports Information Officer A late free throw gave the Aggie men’s basketball team (3-15, 1-2 LSC North) the point they needed to knock off the Northeastern State RiverHawks (8-10, 2-2) for their first conference win of the season. The teams battled back and forth in a game that was extremely suspenseful. The Aggies took the lead for the fi nal time with only a second left on the clock and won the game 78-77.

“Obviously it’s great to win,” Head Coach Maurice Leitzke said.

“We have been in 10 games that have been so close. In those games we only lost by an average of five points so it’s great to win one of these close ones. Our kids never gave up and they played every possession all the way through.”

Cameron went into halftime with a 40-36 lead but was outscored in the second half 41-38.

The Aggies were down by 2 points with 22 seconds left in the game, but a key lay-up by sophomore guard Greg Morgan tied the game at 76. Morgan was called for a foul with 5 seconds left sending NSU’s Steve Neal to the foul line. Neal hit only one of his free throws, but it looked as if the RiverHawks would win it 77-76.

On the next possession, Morgan attempted to win the game with a buzzer-beater but was fouled by Neal. That put Morgan at the charity stripe with just one second left on the clock. Morgan came up huge in the clutch as he hit both of his free throws giving Cameron the lead, and eventually the win, 78-77. NSU was not able to get a shot off and lost their tenth game of the season.

“Morgan hit two huge free throws, and he made the play before that to tie it up,” Coach Leitzke said. “He had a very impressive game and made our last

four points.”

Both teams shot very well from the field with Cameron fi nishing with an impressive 50.8 percent shooting percentage and Northeastern State a 48.5 percent.

CU was out-rebounded 32-28 but was able to out-shoot NSU 59-56. Additionally, the Aggies turned the ball over 8 times and committed only 13 personal fouls, while the RiverHawks recorded 9 turnovers and were whistled for 14 fouls.

“It’s huge to win on the road in conference play,” Coach Leitzke said. “It is just a great win. It really shows the character of our kids to battle and hang in there throughout.”

Morgan fi nished the game with 18 points on 7-14 shooting.

He also recorded 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and a team-high 7 assists.

Morgan never left the court during the game as he played in all 40 minutes.

Junior guard Dave Smith also fi nished the game with 18 points, scoring them on 6-11 shooting including 3-4 from three-point range. He also recorded a steal and 6 assists in 38 minutes of play.

“Morgan was extremely solid and had a very good game. He was a good catalyst for us,” Coach Leitzke said. “Dave Smith had a really outstanding game too.

All nine guys played tonight and each had very important minutes.

Leslie (Malone) also had another good game, but the minutes by all nine guys were extremely valuable.”

Malone recorded 14 points in the game on 6-14 shooting. He also recorded 2 assists, 2 blocks, and a team-high 6 rebounds.

Malone played in 26 minutes against NSU. Cameron’s next game is at home in Aggie Gym this Wednesday, feb. 4 at 8:00pm. The Aggies will host Texas A&M Commerce on

Photo courtesy of CU Online

Star player: Sophomore guard Greg Morgan scored the last four points in that victory against Northeastern State. that day. The team will continue to try their best to give more than a good performance in order to get a pick in the Lone Star Conference cut.

Being perfect during extended period is stressful

MCT Campus

Patriotic: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) jokes around with teammates Logan Mankins (70) and Dan Koppen (67) after answering questions during Super Bowl Media Day for Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Tuesday, January 29, 2008.

By Alan Schmadtke MCT Campus Perfection, if performed in one-of-a-kind, lightning-strike fashion, can be relaxing and fun. It is, some say, almost an out-of-body experience.

During the long haul _ for the course of a season _ perfection is not nearly as easy as it might look.

Especially for those sitting in the director’s chair.

“It’s nerve-wracking,” Anson Dorrance says.

Dorrance is the women’s soccer coach at the University of North Carolina and a former coach of the U.S. women’s national team.

At UNC, he heads a program that has 19 national championships and, among them, five teams that didn’t lose or tie a game en route to a title.

Ever stressed yet rarely attained, being perfect always ought to be embraced, Dorrance said. In fact, in his mind, being near-perfect ought to be celebrated as well.

That’s where anxiety comes in.

“The reason it’s nerve-wracking is because athletics are fraught with all sorts of peril, and in athletics the best team doesn’t always win,” he said. “You’re afraid of bad luck; you’re afraid of the other team’s good luck. There are so many uncontrollable factors.”

For these reasons and others, Dorrance is pulling for the New England Patriots, who are a victory in Sunday’s Super Bowl XLII during the New York Giants from becoming the NFL’s first perfect team in 35 years.

A win Sunday by the Patriots in Glendale, Ariz., would allow them to be the only team to run the table under the league’s current 16-game schedule and playoff format. The 1972 Miami Dolphins finished 17-0 after beating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. Ever respectful and often boring, at least when it comes to addressing publicly the next task

at hand, the Patriots probably are wrestling with an array of emotions behind the scenes, Dorrance suspects.

“When you go undefeated this long (in a season), there’s this internal fear that you’re going to be judged on this last game, which very well could be a loss,” he said.

“So you go into that last game with a certain amount of trepidation.

You’re very excited about the potential for a great legacy for a wonderful team, but you’re also very cognizant of the very real possibility of being beaten.”

Perfection comes in many forms, from an aria to a play to the latest work from a plastic surgeon.

The difference for sports, though, is the score. It’s kept. So is a record. And those are how athletes are measured: Don Larsen throwing a perfect game for the Yankees in the 1956 World Series. Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci scoring a perfect 10 in the 1976 Summer Games.

Warren Morris of Orlando and John Napoli stroking the only perfect scores —18s— in professional Putt-Putt.

During the course of his two decades on the PBA Tour, Norm Duke has rung up 57 300 games.

He also holds the tour’s record for consecutive perfect games (three).

In 1996, he threw 36 strikes in a row one day in New Brunswick, N.J., the only time that has ever been done on tour.

“I think what most athletes are proud of is playing the game

mentally better than most,” said Duke, 43, a Clermont, Fla., resident who has 24 tour titles and is fourth in career earnings.

“When in a game at that level and you’re winning, what most of us are doing is playing mentally.

We’re trying to get around without a bad game, trying to eliminate disaster. And to really capture the moment when we’re on a roll. You want to get it going, and when you’ve got it going you try to keep it going.”

For Jason Oglesby, perfection came one spring day in 1996.

Never before and never since, at least on a baseball diamond, but once was enough to give him something for his resume.

“It was a lifetime highlight,” he said. “It was the highlight of my high school career.”

Oglesby, a left-handed pitcher for Deltona High, Fla., beat 10thranked Jacksonville Sandalwood 2-0 by throwing a perfect game.

Seven innings, 21 up, 21 down.

Oglesby struck out 15 hitters and got six other outs on ground balls.

No Sandalwood batter hit a ball to the outfield.

“I didn’t feel any pressure,” said Oglesby, 29, now a DeLand firefighter. “How can I describe it? It was a weird feeling. You hear athletes talk about being in `the zone,’ and that’s what it was for me. It was me and the catcher, that’s all I was seeing. The hitter was up there, but he wasn’t a factor. That’s what kind of game I was having.

“I hit all my spots. My curveball was breaking better than it ever did before. My change-up was perfect. It was just one of those days.”

In fact, for most of the day, Oglesby, then a junior, didn’t even realize what he was in the middle of. After five innings, though, he went back to the dugout and teammates “started acting a little funny,” he said. “Then I realized, holy cow, I’ve got a perfect game going.”

Even then he experienced no anxiety, despite having parents and cousins in the stands in Jacksonville. He said he had faith in his ability and his teammates to help him out.

And the next time he took the mound?

“It’s still in your mind,” he said.

“You think, `Wow, I’m coming off this perfect game.’ But then you just go out and pitch your game.

Try to get another win.”

To some, such as Dorrance, Sunday’s Super Bowl sets up as a classic tragedy-in-waiting. That’s not the ending he wants to see, however.

He wants the Patriots to join the fraternity.

“They only are glorified if they win,” he said. “But even if they lose, what they’ve done is extraordinary, an amazing achievement. Which is why people like me who have been there always root for teams like the Patriots. I want to see them finish the task, but I also want them to be rewarded for their excellence.”

Variety

8

February 4, 2008

Cameron University: Changing Lives for

100 Years The Past

Old Administr ation Building

The Present

Cameron Village

The Future

King Hall

Whitehurst Hall

Center for Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurial Studies

The Bentley Gardens

Center for Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurial Studies Phase II

New School of Business

Photos by Bira Vidal Photo courtesy of Library Archives Photo Collage by Bira Vidal