Collegian T he Cameron University
JUSTICE for all: www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, October 23, 2023
Volume 109 Issue 6
Featuring: Mark Woodward Brittney Payette Managing Editor
From 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 in the McCasland Ballroom in the McMahon Centennial Complex, the Department of Social Sciences hosted the Justice for All speaker Mark Woodward. Woodward is a public information and education officer and a legislative liaison. He talked about the nexus between organized crime and the marijuana industry. Senior Instructor Rick Lowe is one of the Criminal Justice instructors at Cameron. He said that this event was part of the Justice for All lectureship series that focuses on important criminal justice topics. "I am teaching organized crime class this semester," Lowe said. "And in many of my criminal justice classes when we talk about drug laws this hot topic of marijuana frequently comes up, and so we knew that … Oklahoma’s laws were different than many other states and we knew that there was a tie to organized crime at some level." Lowe said that people who attended this event became more knowledgeable about the topic. "The impact of organized crime is harming a lot (of people)," He said. "Not only just the tax payers but those legitimate marijuana businesses as well." Woodward said that he is a part of the Bureau of Narcotics. "Our agency focuses on the larger sources," Woodward said. "That’s one of the things that we do at the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN.) Now, this also includes the enforcement of the prescription drug laws, dealing with fentanyl, (and) meth labs have been a big thing for the past 25 years here in Oklahoma." He said that drugs are not the only issue the Bureau deals with. "We also receive human trafficking,” he said. "The same groups that are bringing drugs across the border now (have) realized in the last 10-15 years we can make a lot more money moving people because people do not run out." Woodward said the organized
crime industry keeps the Narcotics Bureau busy, especially in Oklahoma. "There is something unique that has happened here in Oklahoma that has not happened in these other 40 states (who have passed medical marijuana laws) that no other state has had to deal with," he said. "That’s why we are seeing issues that no other state has had to deal with." According to Woodward, there are 6,400 marijuana manufacturers in Oklahoma, which is down from 9,400 from last year. There are 2,200 dispensaries in Oklahoma. "We don’t have a problem if that number was 22 million," He said. "All we ask is that you follow the law. That is our one responsibility … Like any other business, whether you’re a marijuana business or you’re opening a snow cone stand, you have to follow city and state law." "The very narrow window that falls under our jurisdiction is guarding against theft and diversion," he said. Woodward also said that the Oklahoma marijuana law is simple. "Anything sold in Oklahoma has to be grown here," he said. "And, anything you grow here has to be sold here." Woodward said one of the reasons why there are so many dispensaries in Oklahoma is because of its cheap marijuana license and the amount of land available. He said that criminal organizations sometimes use what is referred to as a "ghost owner" structure wherein lawyers/ brokers find Oklahoma land for foreign investors to buy and also find Oklahoma residents to become the owners of a marijuana license for oversea criminal organizations who invest money into buying more land to produce more marijuana to sell illegally. He also said that there are three primary crimes associated with the marijuana laws in Oklahoma which include out of state product sold locally, unlicensed growers, and licensed but illegal growers. "If we don’t take this organization down," Woodward said, “which is the money coming in, using the lawyers and the
brokers to find a "ghost owner" (and) meanwhile buying the land, bringing in the workers who grow marijuana. They’re tied both to China and Mexico." Woodward said that the OBN just found a semi truck a couple of weeks ago that had over 7,000 pounds of marijuana in it, which he said is worth 28 million dollars. "That is one truck," he said. "And multiple trucks from that one warehouse are leaving everyday out of Oklahoma City from marijuana collected on these farms all over Oklahoma … The same people calling the shots about whether it’s homicides, moving guns, moving people, are calling the shots on these farms." He said that what some people do not understand is that there are bigger issues than the public can see.” He said that the OBN is cracking down on these criminal organizations. "We’re now putting every owner (and) every worker under a microscope," Woodward said. "We’re pulling back the layers on their paperwork and that’s how we’re tying these farms together." He said that he has no problem with people who grow and sell
marijuana legally in Oklahoma. "We’ve got a lot of good people in the marijuana industry who have done everything right," Woodward said. "And they’re getting punished because of these criminals who are just absolutely killing the legitimate industry." Lowe said that several of the OBN agents have come to Cameron before to visit classes. He said that future topic ideas for more the Justice for All series depends on the students and determining what some of the pressing issues at that time include. "If you look at the past," Lowe said. "We’ve dealt with officer involved shootings, we’ve dealt with human trafficking, elderly abuse, domestic violence, all those types of issues. We’ll be watching and researching to what our next topic will be." For more information regarding the Justice for All lectureship series, email Lowe at rlowe@cameron. edu. For more information about the OBN call (405) 521-2885.
Photos by Brittney Payette
In the weeds: The attendees learn about the nexus of organized crime and the marijuana industry in Oklahoma from Mark Woodward.
What’s Inside Dr. Little's musical journey
Taylor Swift's the Eras Tour movie
Making a run for it: Cross Country
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News
Dr. JD Little Staying in tune with CU music
October 23, 2023
www.aggiecentral.com
Photo by Hannah Owens
Hannah Owens Staff Writer
Dr. JD Little is a distinguished music professor at Cameron University who transcends his role as an educator and performer, leaving a lasting mark on the hearts and minds of his students and the local community. With his unwavering passion for music, an unquenchable thirst for excellence and a knack for fostering talent, Little is an accomplished educator and also the beloved director of the college’s jazz band. Little puts emphasis on his time with students and hopes he leaves a lasting impression on them. “I hope that they see that whatever they want to achieve, they can achieve,” Little said, “that anything is possible.” His background has left him more than prepared to
teach in higher education, which he considers one of his greatest accomplishments. Little has been playing instruments since sixth grade, starting in his small-town school’s band. He holds many degrees including a bachelor’s in music performance, a master’s in music performance with a related field in jazz studies and a doctorate in performance and pedagogy (DMA). In 2019 Little received an endowed lectureship in music to add to his many accomplishments. Little has dedicated six years to Cameron University as a professor, leading blossoming musicians through music theory, ear training courses and woodwind lessons. He has not only invested his time and energy into higher education but also dedicates a couple of evenings throughout the week to private lessons with high
school students off-campus. One of Little’s former students, Lillie Hodgson, described the most memorable feedback they have received under his guidance. “The most valuable feedback he’s given me has been encouragement,” Hodgson said. “This is a really hard degree, and there were several times early on where I wanted to quit but didn’t because of that.” Despite his busy schedule, Little makes time to nurture personal musical endeavors. He plays a variety of instruments including the piano, clarinet and flute with saxophone as his main focus. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he found a lot of time on his hands and began to focus on composing original music. Little became a oneman band and is striving to produce an album of his own music in the future.
“So I decided,” Little said, “well, I play these different instruments, so why not write music for that and try to also record myself overtop each other? I got really into recording music and writing music– it was a lot of fun. So I have three compositions now that are started but not finished yet.” While music education takes up most of his time, Little has a variety of passions. His passion for music has brought about opportunities to travel around the country and he thoroughly enjoys these experiences. He also loves being outdoors, just not during the height of Oklahoma heat. Collecting vinyl records is another passion of his. Little has been an advocate for sharing jazz music with the community, emphasizing its ability to bring people together. “I found that people,”
Little said, “even though maybe you didn’t grow up listening to this type of music, that when you take it out into the community– people really like it.” At 7:30 p.m., Nov. 7, in the University Theatre, the Country Jazz Fusion Concert will take place, serving as an opportune time for all members of the Cameron University and Lawton communities to experience jazz music. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time on the Cameron University website or at the box office day of. Cameron students, faculty, staff and alumni receive free admission. Senior citizens, non-CU students, and military personnel will be charged $7.34, while adults will be charged $9.17. For further information on future jazz concerts or interest in jazz ensemble please email jdlittle@ cameron.edu.
Naloxone vending machine unveiled at CU Austin Childers Staff Writer
Cameron University has partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) to provide a Naloxone vending maching on the CU campus. CU unveiled the the vending machine at 2 p.m., Oct. 17, on the south lawn of the McMahon Centennial Complex. The unveiling included training on how to use Naloxone, with ODMHSAS staff on-hand to answer questions and assist with training. The vending machine contains packages with two doses of Naloxone nasal spray and boxes of five Fentanyl test strips. CU is the first and only university in Oklahoma to host an on-campus Naloxone vending machine.
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Voices
October 23, 2023
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CHALLENGING JOURNEY
Sometimes different roads lead to the same destination Brittney Payette Managing Editor
I first started at Cameron in Fall 2019 as a concurrent student. I remember being so elated that I was accepted as a concurrent student and simultaneously really nervous about my first college classes - especially as a first generation college student. I was relieved when everyone was kind, and I ended up enjoying my classes. I took my first Psychology class when I was a concurrent student, and I fell in love with the subject. I decided to pursue a Psychology major’ and I am incredibly glad I did. For those of you who end up changing majors, that is absolutely fine. You may take a class that completely alters the trajectory of your career path because you were fascinated by it. You may start out in one major, take a few classes, and decide it is not the one for you. There is nothing wrong with that either. Be flexible and open-minded because you never know what opportunities or obstacles may come your way. I never anticipated the insanity that COVID-19 brought forth my senior year in high school in 2020. I had to learn to adapt to an uncertain future. I had to accept that things often associated with people’s senior year of high school like Prom, an in-person graduation, and even yearbook signings simply were not going to happen for me or my fellow peers. That was a tough pill to swallow because I had taken it for granted that I would be able to do all of the senior year activities during my senior year. I can assure you that I did not make the same mistake in college. As a first semester concurrent student, I had no idea how vastly different my spring semester would be because of the pandemic. Everything changed in what felt like the blink of an eye. I feel like my College experience
was largely shaped by COVID-19. It was in 2020 that I was awarded the Presidential Leaders and University Scholars (PLUS) scholarship. This scholarship made my college education attainable, and I learned so much about leadership from being in the program. I made indelible memories as a PLUS scholar, and I am grateful for the experiences I had in the program. I hope I have honored the PLUS program throughout my collegiate career and will continue to do so as a leader in the community. Another organization integral to my college journey is the Collegian. I joined the Collegian in Fall 2020. It was a peculiar time to join because everything was virtual, we had to social distance, and many events that usually took place did not happen. However, my Collegian advisor Professor Bublitz was phenomenal and went above and beyond to make sure we could still produce a newspaper. He prioritized our health and safety above everything else, and figured out how to still provide training and publish the newspaper even though we were unable to be there in person. I started out as the copy editor, and I knew from day one that I wanted to be the managing editor one day. (What can I say, I am an ambitious person.) I diligently worked my way up the ranks. I became the student life editor, then the news editor, then the co-managing editor (with Cambron Alsbrook, who was an amazing mentor) and finally the managing editor.
Courtesy Photo
I feel honored to serve as the managing editor for this fantastic newspaper. All the arduous work is worth the finished product. I do not think that many people realize the work that we put into the newspaper, or how much we learn from being a part of the Collegian. As the managing editor, I do a little bit of everything. I come up with story ideas, conduct interviews, take pictures, design layout, help my fellow Collegian members and more. I learned marketable skills from being in the Collegian that will help me in the future with my career, and I gained job experience. I love writing for the Collegian. I put a piece of myself into every story I write. Every time I hear someone say they enjoyed my stories, my pictures, or my layout designs, it makes me feel ecstatic and grateful. I recommend that you find what you are passionate about and pursue that passion. For me, that is learning to help people by hopefully becoming
a licensed therapist one day, and by continuing to write. So, take some interesting elective classes, join an organization and try new things. Some of them you may not be any good at and some you may detest. At least you will know and learn from the experience. Sometimes, it is during difficult times that we grow the most. College is an impeccable time to do a lot of self-exploration and to help cultivate your unique identity. Sure, it can be daunting to try new things, but to succeed in life it is imperative that you be resilient even in the face of failure. I hope you find what your passions are and figure out what makes you, you. I can spew out platitudes all day, but if you are not willing to put in the work, nothing will change. College seems to go by in a heartbeat, so make the most of it. Make sure you do not forget that everyone’s college experience is different, so try not to be discouraged if yours is not the same as other people’s. Your journey is just that - yours.
NAVIGATING THE MEDIA SPHERES
The dichotomy of the left and right Austin Childers Staff Writer
Something interesting we are all observing right now is the extreme dichotomy between the left and right leaning spaces in our media. From news to social media we see a major divide between two spheres of our informational ecosystem. This divide exists for a multitude of reasons, and has existed for as long as the news has. It’s an unfortunate fact that this divide exists in every form of news and no news source can remain truly unbiased. One of the biggest reasons that this divide exists is because like most things that require money to function, media is a business. Since media is a business one of its biggest priorities (even over remaining unbiased) is to turn as large of a profit as possible. Seeking profit is not an inherently bad thing, increased profits can mean increased funding to go into seeking truth or doing research. However, when looking for ways to generate clicks and attention two major things were found to generate attention more than anything else: Enraging your audience and or tailoring to an audience. These two strategies drum up a ton of attention from a target audience while keeping that About Us
The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available twenty Mondays 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.
audience coming back for more of that specific style of news. These strategies, while they make a lot of return visitors to a specific media, are unequivocally major contributors to the polarization of the right and left in media. A very interesting story that popped up onto some timelines recently was the case of a Seattle police officer named Daniel Auderer. Daniel Auderer was dispatched to the scene of a car crash where another officer had hit and killed a 23 year old grad student name Jaahnavi Kandula. The officer who hit and killed Kandula was reportedly speeding without his siren or lights on. What really made people angry about this story, however, was Auderer’s comments while on scene at the crash. In the released body cam footage Auderer can be heard laughing and saying stuff such as “just write a check” or “Yeah, $11,000, she was 26 anyway” and most enraging “She had limited value.” This story made waves in the left leaning side of the media. But most interestingly it was almost unseen on the right leaning side of the news. Just three days after this news story broke on CNN, FOX broke a very similar story. Two teenage drivers whose names have not been released due to their age were on a joy ride when they spotted retired police chief Andreas Probst. Probst was on his morning bike ride when the two
teens struck and killed him. Unlike the previous story where we saw the aftermath due to the release of the body cam footage, the footage from this hit and run was recorded by the passenger in the car who can be heard saying things like “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, hit his a--” and “oh s---, we need to get out of here.” The most interesting part of these stories is the fact that most people who have heard of either of these stories only heard one or the other. CNN only made front page news with the first one while FOX only made front page with the second. It brings up a lot of interesting questions about what the viewers and reporters of these two different media organizations are interested in. These two stories are nearly the same, the only difference between them is the roles being reversed. If you remove every bit of information about the perpetrators and the victims the story comes out to be the exact same. In a time defined by a polarizing division in media and information, now more than ever it is increasingly important to broaden your views and begin seeking as many diverse perspectives as possible. No single media or news organization can give you all the information you need to become as fully informed as possible. Seeking out information and truth is the only way to develop a comprehensive understanding of any issue. Letters Policy
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Staff
Managing Editor - Brittney Payette News Editor - Brittney Payette Voices Editor - Scott Smith A & E Editor - Kemar Noel Student Life Editor - Kaley Muse Sports Editor - Ramona Villegas Copy Editor - Ryn Swinson
Newsroom Staff
Staff Writers - Skylar Teddington, Austin Childers, Hannah Owens, Amelia Lozano Faculty Adviser - Prof. David Bublitz
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. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verification. Letters can be sent by mail, by e-mail to aggiecentral@ cameron.edu or they may be dropped off to the Academic Commons 101.
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A&E
October 23, 2023
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TAYLOR SWIFT hits the big screen
Courtesy Photo
Kemar Noel A&E Editor
On Oct. 13, Taylor Swift released her movie, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” to theatres. A country girl from Tennessee, Taylor Swift has been making her mark in the music industry since her late teens and has continued to break records consistently throughout her career. Swift’s new movie has had a big impact at the box office, amassing $92.8 million during its opening weekend, making it the highest-grossing concert film of all time. When talking about her ongoing tour, Swift faced the question of how she came to the decision to perform songs from each album. Swift answered this question both on her tour and in the movie: The Eras Tour came to be because of the pandemic setting the whole world back. Swift released four albums with tracks that hadn’t been performed on any tours, and she was left in a bind about what to choose for the new tour. Swift, being the pop star she is, decided to sing songs from all her albums and would call it “The Eras Tour.” “Eras” is a term that her fanbase has come up with when talking about a new album. Swift has ten studio albums currently, so her performing songs from every single album is
amazing in and of itself, but the fact she is singing for three hours a day multiple times a week is insane. Swift has been on tour since early 2023 and expects to continue into late 2024. Tour tickets are expensive and not many people can afford to buy them, so the Eras Tour movie is an affordable alternative that doesn’t disappoint. The movie starts with an introduction from Swift before she sings one of her hit songs “Cruel Summer.” From then on, she continues to sing songs from one album transitioning into the next. Each album has a different feel to it, so each album had a scenery change of sorts to help match the aesthetic in the film. The attention to detail and the costume design matched up well with whatever song she was singing. During the “Folklore” section of her performance, she was able to set the tone perfectly as she sang on stage alone. This part of the album also showed her amazing storytelling ability with her song “Betty.” When Swift performed “All Too Well” to end the “Red” era was my favorite part of the movie. “All Too Well” is one of the most ambitious that she has written, extending the original song to 10 minutes. Swift paints the scene perfectly in this song and can tell her story in a way where we can see exactly what she means.
Swift has a way of making people feel things in her music that they haven’t felt before with her lyricism and strong storytelling. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” was more of a concert than a movie. Swifties sang and danced to the music while enjoying themselves to the best of their abilities. Some AMC theatres also joined in on the fun and gave out not only posters but friendship bracelets to try and make it feel as much like a concert as one could. Overall, the movie was amazing and the experience people can have with others only adds to the amount of enjoyment someone could have during this movie. This is without considering the amazing audio and visual design taken throughout the movie. Each song and transition from one album to the next helped to build and connect itself throughout the film making another story in a way. Each of Swift’s songs tells a story from her life, experiences imagination and shares an overall story that pushes the concert along. While this concert movie differs greatly from how audiences watch and enjoy traditional movies, I still think it not only met its target audience but managed to make a foreign concept work exceptionally well. I rate this movie a solid 10/10 for the Swifties and think everyone who likes good music to give it a real shot.
Apple’s AirPod Pros 2 Amelia E. Lozano Staff Writer
The second-generation Apple AirPods Pro are the perfect accessory for college students on the go. Released in September 2022, the AirPods Pro 2 are an upgrade from their predecessor. The AirPods Pro have several features that set them apart from other wireless earbuds. With refined sound, four silicone tips to give the user a comfortable fit, and tracking improvements, the earbuds are a worthwhile investment. For years, I held off on buying AirPods because I was committed to traditional earbuds. However, after a chance to buy them at a discounted price ($199 rather than the original $249), I decided to finally give Apple’s product a try. The earbuds are renowned for their noise cancellation quality, and I agree that the feature is excellent. As a student, I can get distracted easily with
background noise, so the ability to mute or unmute the world is a great feeling. The music remains crisp and clear even with cancellation, and settings in the AirPods allow you to use noise cancellation while allowing nearby voices to come through. Noise cancellation is easily my favorite aspect of the AirPods. While I study, I can block out distractions with the simple press of a button. I can keep my focus without worrying about every little sound that could potentially disturb me. (I also find it oddly amusing when someone tries to speak to me while everything is muted.) Noise cancellation is easily my favorite aspect of the AirPods. While I study, I can block out distractions with the simple press of a button. I can keep my focus without worrying about every little sound that could potentially disturb me. (I also find it oddly amusing when someone tries to speak to me while everything is muted.) The second-generation AirPods Pro also comes with
touch control. The user can adjust the volume, switch between noise cancellation and pause playback. I love this feature because of the accessibility, especially when I’m in the middle of working on an assignment or walking across campus. It removes the extra step of looking down at my phone to change my settings, which is small, but can easily shake my focus. Holding the stem of the AirPods toggles the noise cancellation feature. Being able to effortlessly swap my settings has helped me countless times while speaking to other people, and I can go right back to muting when needed. The AirPods case has also been updated with miniature speakers. The case will alert the user when it begins charging or connecting to Bluetooth. Most importantly, however, this feature comes in handy if the user happens to lose track of their case. When paired with the Find My app, the user can send an alert to their AirPods case.
The case cannot play music from its speakers, but users who dislike the alert feature can easily turn the speaker off under the AirPod’s settings on the iPhone. Unfortunately, I can be a forgetful person. One day, I happened to lose track of my case while on campus, which obviously startled me. But thanks to the speakers, I was able to send an alert and track down my AirPods case with ease.. This saved me the time of tracking down the case all on my own. Another convenient detail about the AirPods Pro is their excellent battery life. A single charge without using the case will give the user six hours of listening time; while using the charging case, this rises to thirty hours of listening time. In my usage, I’ve found that these numbers are generally accurate. Of course, the actual listening time can depend on multiple factors, including the environment, settings and more. Personally, I have spent several hours at a time working on my college
assignments while listening to music without any issue. The advertised six hours of listening is quite accurate. The downside is that, more often than not, the AirPods will charge unevenly. One earbud may go out ten minutes before the other, which can be a headache. Still, the time it takes for the AirPods to charge is rather fast. Apple claims that five minutes of charge can provide roughly an hour of listening time – I’ve found that it’s closer to forty minutes, which isn’t so bad. What the AirPods lack in this respect is made up for in the relative ease and speed of charging. Despite minor grievances, I find the AirPods to be a worthy investment. As a college student, I have felt that these earbuds make my life just a little bit easier. I was willing to spend a couple hundred dollars for my AirPods, and I don’t regret my purchase; I doubt that anyone else who can spare the extra chunk of their paycheck will regret it either. I rate the Apple AirPods Pro 2 at 5/5 stars.
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Student Life
October 23, 2023
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Photos by Natasha Komoda
NEA BIG READ: ROSS GAY Kaley Muse
Student Life Editor At 6 p.m. on Oct. 17 in the Shepler Ballroom, Ross Gay, a nationally recognized poet, visited Cameron for the October National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read. An NEA Big Read is a nationally awarded grant that is given to different nonprofit organizations in a particular city that promotes the reading of a certain text over a certain period of time. Dr. William Carney, English professor, said that many groups in Lawton and the surronding areas are participating in this month’s NEA Big Read. “It’s almost like a giant book club where people will all meet,
read the same text and talk about the same text.” Cameron University partnered with the Lawton Arts Council and the McMahon Auditorium Authority to get Gay to come to campus. Carney said that it was very important to invite Gay to do a reading here. “We (Cameron University) bring a lot of very talented writers here to do readings, but I don’t know the last time we had anyone of Ross’s stature here.” Carney said. “(Gay is) an award winner, probably one of the country’s best selling poets. There are a lot of books of poetry published every year, but there are few of them that sell as well as
his.” This is the first time that an NEA Big Read visiting writer has been held on campus and Carney feels that these kinds of events are positive press for not just Cameron, but for the community as well. “(Ross Gay) is someone who already has a national reputation, and I think it gives a different flavor to the readings that we have,” Carney said. “I just feel the more good writers that we have present their work here the better off we are, the better off our student body is, and the better off the community is.” Gay is known for his four books of poetry: “Against Which”; “Bringing the Shovel Down”; “Be Holding”, and “Catalog of
Unabashed Gratitude” and three books of essays: “The Book of Delights”, “Inciting Joy”, “The Book of (More) Delights.” Gay is also an English professor at Indiana University Bloomington. Gay said that he likes doing readings like this one because it allows people to connect with each other. “I think there’s something important about being connected directly to folks who are making art at the moment,” Gay said. “It’s really important to be in rooms with other people witnessing things together, to be in gatherings. I feel like there’s a, part of the reason we want to read books or be exposed to art is to get close to other peoples
A Campus Delight! Ross Gay came to Cameron to share his work with students, faculty, and members of the community.
experiences. Readings are kind of exciting ways to do that and readings are so exciting to me, too, because it is different than reading books, because a reader, a performer, is a body in time and space and bodies in time in space do not last. So, this will probably be the last time I am ever here. This is the last time that his room will ever be filled with that group of people. There’s some magic about that.” For this reading, Gay read from only two of his books. One was a book of essays entitled, “The Book of (More) Delights” which begins and ends on Gay’s birthday. Everyday for a year, Gay wrote an essay about a delight that happened that day. The other was a book of poetry, “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” in which Gay points out the small, beautiful things about this life and things he has encountered in his hometown of Levittown, Pennsylvania, and throughout his travels. After Gay was finished reading, he conducted a small Q & A where members of the audience asked him questions. Questions about his writing process, why he used a certain basketball player as motif in one of his earlier collections of poetry, and how young Gay was when he began writing poetry. Attendees recieved free copies of Gay’s book, “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” and had the chance to get it signed by Gay before everyone left. Though this reading was special for many of the people who attended, this reading was extremely important for one Cameron student in particular.
Ryn Swinson, Junior English major, had the opportunity to introduce Gay. This was Swinson’s first time getting to do something like this, and she believes that opportunities like the one she has are important for college students. “I’m nervous, but I do think it’s good to give students these opportunities because student involvement is so important.” Swinson said. “By creating these opportunities and promoting these events, it gives students the idea of how important this could look later on in your career or in your academic life.” There will be more opportunities for students to get involved in the very near future. The Visiting Writers series kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 when renowned poets and authors, Rilla Askew and Paul Austin, come to campus for a double feature reading in the McCasland Ballroom in the McMahon Centennial Complex. A few weeks after that, Paul Juhasz, another renowned poet, will be on campus for a reading at 7 p.m. on Friday Nov. 10 in Nance Boyer 2005. For more information about the Visiting Writers series, email professor Leah Chaffins @lellis@cameron.edu or like the CU Writers Studio Facebook page. For more information on Ross Gay, visit his website www.rossgay. net. For more information on the NEA Big Reads or any events or information dealing with the Lawton Arts Council, visit their website swokarts.com or like their Facebook page Lawton Arts and Humanities.
Cross Country
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Sports
A hill of a sport Cameron University cross country continues to have a fierce season both on and off the grass. Thus far the women’s team placed 15th at the Cowboy Jamboree, ninth in the Dallas Baptist University (DBU) meet and second at their very own Aggie Duals. Junior Arian Spears stood the test of time as she’s been running cross country since her sophomore year and
track since her freshman year. “So far, my season has been going really well. I got a personal record (PR) like two weeks ago in Dallas, that was nice,” Spears said. Additionally, the men’s cross-country team placed 12th at the Cowboy Jamboree, 11th at Dallas Baptist University and second at Aggie Duals. Junior Sebastian Padron suffered a hamstring injury last season and is currently working on his comeback. Although Padron has not hit a new PR so far this season, he fully intends to set a new PR in the Lone Star Conference. “I’m feeling good,” Padron said. “The team Photos by Ramona Villegas
October 23, 2023
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By Ramona Villegas
is feeling good. The atmosphere is nice. Everyone is looking forward to this weekend.” The next stop for these runners is the athlete looks different than most, having to be at Lone Star Conference happening at 9 a.m., practice by 6:45 a.m. Oct. 21, in Portales, New Mexico. Workouts vary from one to two hours with Oklahoma and Texas teams will attend the Lone strength training on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Star conference. evenings. The two most important runs of the season are International student-athlete Adrian Alonso conference and regionals. The coach must select his Canales is celebrating a successful season thus far top 10 to attend the conference. as the first Cameron runner to finish the “Of course, OSU Jamboree and the runner with the we have team best time for the Aggies in the Dallas goals,” Johnson “What makes me keep Baptist University meet. said. “Usually, going during tough days is “What makes me keep going during it’s to be in the thinking about how much I have tough days is thinking about how much top three in I have worked and all the support people the Lone Star worked and all the support from here, and mostly back home, have Conference.” people from here, and mostly given me,” Canales said. “I just want to Johnson back home, have given me.” get something big for them and for me.” said there Athletics teams do struggle at times are 12 men’s Adrian Alonso Canales schools and CU Cross Country Athlete to keep all of their team injury-free, and this cross country team is no exception. 13 women’s Senior student-athlete Belle Vignes schools who is out with an injury despite precautions attend the conference, and most of the conference runners have she has taken in previous seasons to stay healthy. Although being proactive about injuries is good, set personal goals for themselves. injuries unfortunately still happen. Sophomore student-athlete Tamica Jooste said her “I will be out for six to eight weeks,” Vignes said. goal is to finish top 15. “I will be back.” “Other than that, I just want to go out there, do Freshman walk-on Santiago Rodriguez is my best, and try to get a PR in the 6k,” Jooste said. currently battling a foot injury. Spears said her main goal for the season is to run He came here with the intent to make a lasting a 5k in under 20 minutes. impression on Coach Johnson. With his current “Other than that,” she injury starting the first week of school, he has not gotten an opportunity to show his full potential, but said, “I mean just obviously he is optimistic about what the future has in store for him. have a good “I just stay positive all the way around, knowing GPA, and that it’s not the end of the world. It is saving me for overall as a a better time,” Rodriguez said. “I’m always looking team place forward.” well in Although there have been ups and downs, the conference Aggies have made huge improvements throughout and the season. regionals.” For more information, visit https://cameronaggies. A typical com or follow Cameron University Athletics on day for a cross-country Facebook.
Sports Editor