Cameron Collegian Spring 2024 Issue

Cameron's

Brittney

The

Cameron’s Controller and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Amanda Koll said her job is to oversee the business office and Cameron’s financial operations as a whole.

“I report to the Vice-President for Business and Finance,” she said. “Student accounts is a separate office, but they’re under the business office. But, the Business Office, the Office of Financial Assistance, the Office of Student Accounts, we all work very closely together when it comes to students and general student accounts.”

Koll said that the Student Account Office can assist students with a variety of questions and issues, not just refunds.

“Student account payments, they can take payments there,” she said. “General student account questions, if students have questions about their bills, their account charges, payments on their accounts, students can also reach out to them for like 1098 tax information and just the form itself. Student ID cards, parking permits and lots of other things.”

secure and identical security protocols in place.”

Pacheco said, right before the refunds were about to be sent to BankMobile, BankMobile did an automatic installation of new protocols, which caused Cameron’s on-campus server to completely crash.

“Our IT department had to completely rebuild our server,” she said.

“Students have options to set up a checking account with BankMobile and get their refund that way, they can do direct deposit to their bank account … and then they can also choose to get a refund by check. So, it just allows a secure and more convenient way for students to get their refund.”

Pacheco said disbursements to student’s business accounts start after the last day to add and drop

Financial Assistance Director Caryn Pacheco said she oversees both the Financial Aid and the Veterans Affairs office. Recently, there was an issue with Bankmobile.

“Technology is wonderful when it works,” Pacheco said. “Sometimes, technology does not work the way we want it to. Basically, there is a … connection from BankMobile’s system to an oncampus server that runs different programs and just do to the nature of the high security that’s involved in transmitting funds to and from BankMobile and Cameron systems, there have to be, obviously, very

services by rebuilding the server from a previous backup. In order to still securely release the funds to BankMobile Monday morning instead of delaying, they had to find a workaround.

“This was a very unusual occurrence,” Koll said. “IT has put processes in place to hopefully prevent it from happening again.”

Pacheco said Cameron’s partnership with BankMobile started in 2008.

“We partner with them to allow more convenient options for students to get their refund,” she said.

“We disburse twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays,” she said. “For the first couple of months

She said that the Office of Financial Assistance disburses funds after the Student Accounts Office receives the funds, which can come in different forms such as tribal checks and scholarships.

“We work closely with the Business office on disbursement days,” Pacheco said. “Once we know that we have all the correct information passed on to the student accounts, we let Amanda know and then they start working on the files.”

Koll said that every student has a bill on their Business Office account, which is sometimes referred to as a student “It’s just where you have all the charges for the semester or anything owed to the university for prior semesters too,” she said. “That’s like housing, tuition and fees, books, if you’re charging through the bookstore.”

Koll said students should keep in mind that they may be due a disbursement, but not a refund.

“A refund is only generated for a student if their financial aid disbursements and total payments on their account are more than the applicable charges,” she said. Students can view their account information and financial award information in the my info tab in Aggie Access. For more information, contact the Student Accounts office at studentaccounts@cameron.edu or the Office of Financial assistance at financialaid@ cameron.edu

Photo by Brittney Payette

Courtesy Graphic

NCUR: Students to present scholarship

Hannah Owens News Editor

From April 8-10, two Cameron University English majors, juniors Ryn Swinson and Kaley Muse, will travel to present abstracts at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Long Beach, California.

The NCUR aims to promote undergraduate research, scholarship and creative endeavors across various fields of study by hosting an annual student conference.

Muse is a junior and submitted her work for the first time this year.

Muse’s paper is titled “The Role of Trauma and Love in Beloved by Toni

Morrison.”

“Beloved” is a haunting tale set in post-Civil War America, where a former slave, Sethe, grapples with the trauma of her past, including the ghostly presence of her deceased daughter.

Morrison explores themes of motherhood, identity and the enduring legacy of slavery in American society.

Muse fell in love with the way Morrison could craft the story of those who had considerable trauma as a result of being enslaved.

“I chose the topic because I wanted to showcase why books, like this one, that covers hard topics, are so needed in the world because it gives a voice to those who haven’t always had one,” Muse said.

Swinson also submitted work

for the first time. Swinson’s paper is titled “Gender Performance and Heteronormativity in Fried Green Tomatoes.”

“Fried Green Tomatoes” is a heartwarming story that intertwines the lives of two women from different generations, exploring friendship, empowerment, and the bonds of love amid the backdrop of a small Southern town. Swinson applies Judith Butler’s research on gender performance from her 1990 novel “Gender Trouble.”

Swinson found a special interest in queer history and gender studies.

“Being in a literary theory class, it was something we recently talked about and read about,” Swinson said. “I found that what many said resonated heavily with a lot of media I consumed, especially older media from a time when those ideas were newly occurring.”

NCUR hosts different colleges to promote their graduate programs and companies that are recruiting. Workshops are also offered for students to attend.

Swinson and Muse are looking forward to the opportunity to present their work and to see the beach.

Cameron University covers the trip for students accepted into NCUR.

Swinson highly recommends others to submit their work.

“I really do encourage people because it’s something you can put on resumes. It’s something that provides networking experience. It’s a trip that Cameron pays for,” Swinson said. “There’s a lot of benefits to it.”

Students of any major can submit their undergraduate research to NCUR. It is recommended to reach out to the chair of your department for more details.

Cameron University Art Gallery Student Showcase

“Migraine” Kanney Do

“Tiaye and Jaden” Jaden Pebeahsy

“Pushing Boundaries” Sage Girardot

Photos by Hannah Owens

By Amelia Lozano Voices Editor

With Valentine’s Day on the way, it’s time to settle in with a human-sized barrel of candy, a cheesy romance movie, and cry. Amidst the tears and chocolate, though, one might stop to wonder: what makes a romantic comedy so good? Why do we always come back to them?

I’ve determined that there are three key ingredients to romantic comedies that can make or break the entire film.

Number 1: The Leads

Terrible chemistry between romantic leads is perhaps the number one downfall of any film. Look at the recent “Anyone But You” (2023) starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney: theoretically these two young, talented, and conventionally attractive actors would be perfect for a rom com. Unfortunately, the casting director failed to remember that looks aren’t everything.

Actors who can believably depict the woes and wonders of a romance can salvage any plot. Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson might be experiencing what I would consider a nightmare in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (2003) – never mix work with romance, girlies! – but the natural chemistry and humor that they share more than makes up for the plot, holes and all.

Number 2: The Story

Romantic comedies are fun because they don’t take themselves too seriously. As I like to say: the greater the absurdity, the greater the film. (I lied. I’ve never said that.)

Films like “Love Rosie” (2014) and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001) are rife with corny tropes, but there’s fun in the spectacle. No matter how much a person thinks they hate drama, a little entertainment will always hook an audience.

Even rom coms with a more somber premise like “The Big Sick” (2017) take refuge in the comedic and over dramatic elements of the story.

Number 3: The Big Gesture

Finally, the big, climactic scene of the whole film. This is where we get the answer to the big question in the back of our minds: what was it all for?

The big gesture is the moment that ties the knot in the relationship. Whether that be running through an airport or overcoming death itself, this is where everything finally comes to fruition.

Now for an interesting, albeit somewhat unrelated, observation: many women in rom coms work as journalists. (Does that mean it’s my turn to be the main love interest? Unlikely. Will notify if updates occur.) If anyone would like to share their theory as

to why journalism is the preferred career for fictional women, I’d be happy to hear it. Maybe journalism is the secret ingredient to a good rom com, like apples in curry?

All that said, if you’re planning to write a romantic comedy anytime soon, keep the big three

in mind. (And maybe make your main character a journalist?) Oh, and while we’re here, I offer my picks for actors I’d like to see leading a rom com: Daniel Kaluuya, Ayo Edebiri, Dev Patel and John Cho. Casting directors, get to work!

Courtesy of IMDB

Jacob Doughty Staff Writer

The brand-new Marvel miniseries, “Echo”, follows the events established in Hawkeye (2021), delving into the journey of Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she struggles with the shadows of her past. Once the former leader of the “Tracksuit Mafia,” a group that worked under New York City’s notorious crime lord, Wilson Fisk, alias “Kingpin” (Vincent D’Onofrio), Maya embarks on a new mission to leave her past behind, hopeful for the chance to start a new path forward. Alongside the pursuit for redemption, she discovers the significance of family ties, undergoes personal growth, and learns more about her Native American heritage.

Echo’s main narrative diverges away from the city environment for some time and shifts its focus more on Oklahoma, specifically the Choctaw reservation, where Maya is given a chance to rekindle some relationships between her relatives and long-lost friendships. As the story unfolds, viewers are offered deeper insights into Maya’s past, particularly her relationship with her father, William Lopez, played by Zahn McClarnon. However, Maya’s attempts to distance herself from her former life and boss, Kingpin, are swiftly challenged when she discovers that his criminal empire extends even to her hometown.

As tensions escalate towards the series finale, Maya, driven by a determination to confront the pervasive influence of Kingpin, boldly sabotages one of the armed shipments. Anticipating the criminals’ response to the incident, Maya sparks a series of intense conflicts, harsh reprisals from Kingpin’s formidable henchmen. This decision to defy the criminal empire

and disrupt their operation not only puts Maya at the forefront of a perilous battle, but also exposes her family to an imminent threat.

Personally, while Echo marks Marvel’s first TVMA rated show, depicting a raw and gritty narrative centered around a former Native American assassin wanting to return to her former life and family, I find it lacking with its narrative coherence and potential.

MARVEL’S LATEST FLOP

Although the show offers a more grounded reality compared to other series and movies produced by Marvel, regardless of the strong use of CGI in some scenes, this show is still equipped with well-choreographed, actionpacked moments and characters that make believable decisions. Except for the main protagonist herself.

Overall, I found myself feeling confused with many moments throughout the episodes, considering the choices Maya made as a character. It appeared that Maya acted recklessly at times, disregarding the consequences for herself and her family. She seemed

to take her own actions lightly, having been a former assassin, and endangered herself and those close to her without acknowledging the risks. She continued to do this throughout the show while simultaneously seeking help from people without a proper explanation or showing even an ounce of appreciation. Additionally, Maya frequently sought out help from others without offering proper explanations or showing appreciation. It became evident that her choices often impacted those around her more than herself as each episode concluded.

THE LIGHTNING THIEF STRIKES AGAIN

Kemar Noel A&E Editor

This review may contain spoilers for the Percy Jackson TV and book series.

The offspring of the Greek God Poseidon, himself, has made big waves in the mainstream with weekly releases since Dec. 19, on Disney Plus. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a show adapting the story from the first book of the series Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. This is a long-running series written by Rick Riordan about the lives of half-bloods, the offspring of the gods, with Percy Jackson as the main character.

Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) is a 12-year-old boy with dyslexia in middle school, and his life leading up to this has been uneventful and filled with hardships that come with a learning deficiency and dealing with peers who don’t understand.

One day after being attacked by one of his teachers who turned out to be a monster in disguise, his mother and protector Grover (Aryan Simhadri)

decides to bring him to camp Half-Blood the one place he would be safe. On the way there they tell Percy the truth about his father and how he is the son of one of the Greek gods, but things take a turn for the worse when Percy’s mother is kidnapped by Hades.

Percy wakes up in camp later on and is given a crash course about his new life and what he is expected to learn as a half-blood. Percy is “unclaimed” which means whichever god parented him has yet to claim him to be their own. This is a significant problem covered later on in the books because of the number of unaware children of their second parent.

Percy spends a couple of days training and trying to discover his place in the camp as a young boy who is essentially an orphan. There are other problems at the camp too, like how people who aren’t affiliated with their parents are treated as less by some other campers, and the very visible hierarchy that comes with being claimed vs unclaimed. This isn’t a problem Percy had to deal with for too long, though.

Percy after sustaining some injuries

during a “friendly” game of capture the flag is healed by the sea water showing everyone at camp that not only is he one of the children of the big three, but he is also the only one to be claimed by the Poseidon. Not too long after being claimed and learning his father is the god of the sea, he is later given a quest to find and return the lightning bolt to Zeus so there won’t be a war.

While Percy initially had no interest in the bolt, he saw this quest as a golden opportunity to go to the underworld and save his mother. Percy, after hearing the oracle about the quest, chooses to bring his best friend and protector Grover and a person he just met days before, Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) the daughter of Athena. There are many trials and tribulations that they experience on this quest, like fighting Medusa or dealing with the antics of the other gods, but the trio manages to pull through and they are ultimately able to not only survive but finish both of his missions.

The show showcased what a good adaptation of a book into a show could look like, but there were some minor

faults with the general production. While the majority of the show is filled with welcomed changes, there are some things that fans will agree do more harm than good. Percy for one is way too knowledgeable about mythology and in the source material, his knowledge was limited to the bits of information he learned before the quest. In the shows, his mother taught him a lot more than she originally did to prepare him for the future, and while this makes sense to viewers it takes away some of the excitement in some scenes. The thing is that Percy not knowing exactly what he is going to get himself into but still going forward is one thing loved about the character.

All things considered, I enjoyed the first season of this series and wasn’t extremely disappointed with the direction Disney took when adapting the first book. While the acting wasn’t the best, there is only so much child actors are expected to be able to do and with this in mind, I will be giving the first season a solid 7/10.

It finished airing on Jan. 30, and is available to stream on DisneyPlus.

Courtesy

Open Mic Night: Community shares poetry, fiction and more

Ciera Terry Student Life

At 6 p.m., Feb. 2, in Nance Boyer room 2005, members of the Cameron University Writer’s Studio hosted Open Mic Night.

Open Mic Night is a recurring event where community writers meet and share their combined works of fiction, poetry and short stories every first Friday of the month.

Faculty adviser of the writer’s studio Leah Chaffins was one of the first to share.

“I read ‘Headwaters’ which is a poem, where I wanted to start with broadness, first with Gaza and then come into Lawton and finally in my house,” Chaffins said.

Chaffins shared two more poems, one named “Villanelle,” in which the poem follows a villanelle poetic form and her last poem, “When he first held my hand.”

CU senior Benetria “Benny” Cunningham shared her work as well. The Open Mic night was a first for Cunningham.

“I also just love poetry itself; any time I get the chance to hear poetry, I’m gonna go,” she said.

Cunningham read a poem about how much she loves music.

“It’s literally my soul,” she said.

Open Mic Night is a place for writers to connect with other writers in the community; however, sharing private work can be scary.

“It was very nerve-wracking,” Cunningham said.

Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable experience for her.

“Overall I would say, it was fun, and I would do it again,” she said.

Open Mic Night originated in 2018.

Chaffins said, although a similar event already took place off campus, “this open mic night actually started because of the students in The Writers’ Studio. They wanted a more accessible open mic night on campus.”

After the recurring Scissortail undergraduate contest, the Writer’s Studio became known as the “Cameron Mafia” because of how successful Cameron writers were in winning.

“Regardless, writers still wanted to improve their skills and

workshop their work,” Chaffins said.

The Writers’ Studio is a place where Cameron students could come together and get feedback on their writing, either with essays or novels. This gave students the opportunity to improve their writing skills.

“Their success became a badge of honor and was a recognition of the students’ hard work,” Chaffins said.

Because of the creation of The Writers Studio, events like Open Mic Night could come to fruition. The Writers Studio meets every Monday and Wednesday from 4-6 p.m.

For more information contact, Chaffins at lellis@cameron.edu.

Ask VA a question

From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 1 in North Shepler room 332 CU’s Office of Veterans Affairs (VA) hosted “Come Ask VA a Question.”

CU’s VA Coordinator Vickie Henson said this event is great because it allows the VA to have a day at the beginning of the semester dedicated to answering questions regarding things like eligibility and education benefits.

“We’ve people who’ve had debts from prior semesters where they had to withdraw from classes, so VA’s been able to assist them with mitigating circumstances,” she said. “We also have the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs with us today, and they’re helping with comp and pension issues with the Federal VA.”

Henson said the VA office at CU wanted to have this event on Feb. 1 because it was the day after the first pay period.

“If something isn’t working right,” she said, “I have a VA representative … that’s live and in-person that they can come see, and we can get that problem resolved before it becomes an issue.”

As part of the specialized services offered at this event, the VA also had two Veterans Claims Examiners available to process education claims and answer a variety of questions about benefits and payments.

At the event, people could sign in at the front desk of CU’s VA office and then the staff would sort through who was coming for what services.

information they need,” Henson said. “Whether it be education, rather it be comp and pension, rather it be our VetSuccess on Campus Counselor, you know, whatever information is needed we get them with the right person that can assist them.”

She said for those who needed to see multiple people, they would see one person and were then moved to the next station to be helped by another.

Cameron’s VA office hired a new VetSuccess on Campus Counselor (VSOC) named Ernest Swindle II.

“Ernest came to us in January,” Henson said. “We’re the only one in the state of Oklahoma that has a VetSuccess on campus … It’s a full-

time VA employee. What they (the VSOC) do is they can help with talking about VA educational benefits, and if they’re interested, they don’t have to be currently attending. If they’re interested in coming to Cameron, then they can provide counseling to them about what benefits are available.”

Henson said the VSOC can also help prospective students with job marketability and career counseling.

“They also can assist with personal counseling, financial counseling, and of course, referrals to the appropriate medical and health referrals that the veterans may need,” she said. “This is a program that covers all of our chapters of benefits, and so they can assist with those students with helping and guiding them through. We encourage students to reach out and they’ll be able to email Ernest at his VA email.”

Swindle’s email is ernest. swindle@va.gov.

Henson said this was essentially Swindle’s first event as CU’s VSOC. Henson said the goal of this event was to make a difference for CU students and the community.

“The VA outreach team goes to several different institutions in the state, but we’ve always had a great turnout at Cameron,” she said. Henson said that on April 1 and 2 the VA office will host VetFest, which will also include the Military Veterans Resource fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both of those days.

“It will be similar to what we’ve done in the past,” she said. “With the resource fair and with the VetFest.”

For more information, contact CU Veterans Affairs at va@cameron.edu or Swindle at ernest. swindle@va.gov.

Managing Editor

Photos by Brittney Payette

Ramona Villegas Sports Editor

Netherlands native, Anne De Jong, is a sophomore majoring in Psychology at Cameron University who is competing in indoor track for the second season.

De Jong started her journey of running track through playing soccer at four years old.

The running element was her favorite aspect of soccer.

From the time she turned five, she ran track and field while still having a soft spot for soccer. Her dad introduced her to soccer through his love for the sport.

“My dad is still a soccer player at our soccer club,” De Jong said.

De Jong grew up on the south side of the Netherlands near Germany, France and Belgium.

Since starting school, De Jong made many adjustments during her time in the United States.

“The biggest adjustment is probably the food,” De Jong said. “Sometimes it is hard to digest foods, especially dairy products. It’s so different.”

De Jong said the process of transitioning to the United States was long and strenuous due to complicated paperwork like high school transcripts.

“Our school system works a little differently than our grading system,” De Jong said. “It was really hard to transfer my grades.”

While in the Netherlands, De Jong studied French, German and English to fulfill language requirements. She found English reasonably easy to pick up compared to the other languages.

“English is pretty easy to learn; everything is in English, like songs and movies,” De Jong said. “We have a lot of refugees, too, so they usually speak English, and then we can communicate better.”

Since she has extensive knowledge of multiple languages, she feels more confident when she travels.

“I’ve been all over Europe; My favorite place so far is Rome, Italy. I’m going again in June,” De Jong said. “I studied Latin for six years, so I know everything about Rome like I studied Rome for six years even though I had never been there before.”

She plans to attend the track and field championships in Rome this June with her mom.

She misses the food from home and her friends and family who have helped nurture De Jong into the woman she is today.

Last summer, she went to Paris and could not see many attractions because of the preparations for this year’s Olympics.

“In France, my favorite foods are like the bakery-like things,” De Jong said. “I love a French croissant. My favorite is definitely crepes; they are so good over there, and you can get them sweet or salty.”

The opportunity to combine school and sports is one of the main reasons De Jong chose to attend college in the U.S. and join the track team.

In the Netherlands, students have to choose between academics and competitive athletics.

Even as a child, De Jong participated in club track and field rather than school sports since there are no school sports.

“I like that sport is combined with school here because back home it isn’t, so here you run for school,” De Jong said. “I’ve never done that, so it’s fun. You have a team. Back home for track, it is individual; you do not have a team at all. That’s what I like about it here.”

Though grateful to be in Oklahoma pursuing her passion for running, De Jong acknowledges the hectic schedule of balancing academics and athletics.

De Jong appreciates having the shared experience with her teammates through practices, meets, training, class and homework.

“We practice six days a week,” De Jong said.

“Two times a week, we have a double, and two times a week, we have weights.”

De Jong knows it is very important to show up for practice every day and give it her all to be the best she can be for her team.

“On the other side, even though it is a team sport, everyone runs individually, so like, if you want to be better, you have to show up anyways.” De Jong said.

One of the most significant factors that enable her to manage her time is that she has a job on campus at the Aggie Rec Center.

“I like working out too, so that’s also nice. I work

here (the Rec Center), so I can do it while I work and do the homework,” De Jong said. “I’m just glad to have this job.”

De Jong’s advice for aspiring runners would be to take it day by day and to trust the process.

“You’ll figure it out once you get here,” De Jong said.

For more information regarding the Track and Field team, go to the Cameron University Athletics website at https://cameronaggies.com/sports/wtrack

Photo by Ramona Villegas