The Cameron University Collegian: March 12 Edition

Monday, March 12, 2012

News

www.aggiecentral.com

Violence ensues in Syria

Volume 86 Issue 19

Sports

United Nations and NATO continue to plan intervention

Foreign Cuisine Sodexo brings in a Colombian chef to give Cameron students a new taste.

Page 2

Tennis Cameron Aggie tennis continue to play strong against regional schools.

Page 6

Crossroads

A&E

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

Benefit Dinner A local organization raises scholarship money for local colleges and schools.

Page 3

Sports

Sports Cameron University Aggie softball team continue games at home and on the road.

Page 7

Heros or Terrorists: Free Syrian Army fighters pose for a portrait at their headquarters in Idlib, north Syria, Sunday, March 4, 2012. These defected soldiers changed their allegiance during the Syrian uprising, being called a help by some and terrorists by the Syrian government.

Photo

by Matthew Berberea

by Colin DuRant Staff Writer

Violence continues in the Middle Eastern nation of Syria as largely-nonviolent rebel forces , engaged in a revolution described as an extension of the “Arab Spring” uprisings which began last year, struggle to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The al-Assad administration’s handling of the protests have faced condemnation from the United States, European Union and United Nations, condemnations that have sought to bring about a peaceful end to the conflict, but continued resistance from protestors have led to widespread violence from the Syrian military, culminating in a large-scale siege of the city of Homs, a rebel stronghold in the country.

Reports from Western reporters inside the country describe the violence there as less like a conflict and more like widespread carnage. Paul Conroy, a British photojournalist rescued out of Syrian military-sieged areas, described the violence in an interview with Sky News.

“It’s not a war, it’s a massacre,” he said, “It’s more

than a catastrophe.”

Violence in Homs has included extensive military shelling and occupation from Syrian military forces. In a daily press briefing for the State Department, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland spoke about the recent rout of revolutionaries in Homs.

“The situation in Homs is absolutely horrific,” she said. “There is no other way to describe what is going on there with the government shelling and moving into neighborhoods against innocents, cutting off water, cutting off food, cutting off medical supplies to people who are desperately in need.”

International consensus on how best to stop the violence has divided the United Nations Security Council and Western powers working the Arab League. United States Secretary of State Hilary Clinton spoke in an interview on Feb. 26 with National Public Radio’s Michele Kelemen about the United States’ strategy for handling the situation.

See SYRIA Page 2

Music Festival A world-class jazz trumpeter and the David Anderson Jazz Trio perform at CU. Page 5

Voices

Personhood Bill Collegian Intern Sarah Brewer writes about the controversy in Oklahoma.

Page 4

Romney continues primary lead CU seeks to create more parking

by Tiffany Martinez Staff Writer

by Colin DuRant Staff Writer

Republican party campaigning continues as each state’s primary election brings the candidates closer to the Aug. 27 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.

Four candidates remain in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

Oklahoma participated in the Super Tuesday primary on March 6, along with nine other states. In the Republican primary, according to still unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board, Rick Santorum won the largest percentages of voters with 33.80 percent.

For the Democratic primary, incumbent President Barack Obama secured the nomination with 57.09 percent of voters.

However, President Obama lost 15 counties in the state of Oklahoma, a fact that has drawn interest from several national press outlets, including the Washington Post and the Associated Press.

According to Oklahoma Republican Party published data by, Oklahoma’s delegates fall under a proportional distribution system rather than a non-binding, or winner-take-all, system that exists in some states.

Under this system, Rick Santorum received 14 of Oklahoma’s 43 delegates; Mitt Romney, who achieved 28.04 percent of the vote, will receive 13; Newt Gingrich, who achieved 27.48 percent, will receive 13 as well; and Ron Paul received 9.63 percent of the vote and one delegate.

An American Research Group poll released on March 1 put Santorum ahead of Romney by 11 percent. At a rally in Tulsa on March 4, Santorum dedicated Oklahoma as his home base for the Super Tuesday primaries.

Santorum said, “I don’t have my home state up on Tuesday like Congressman Gingrich or Governor Romney ... But I can tell you that if I feel like I have any home state up on Super Tuesday, it’s here in Oklahoma.”

The overall results of Super Tuesday and the primary elections held thus far place Mitt Romney far ahead of his competitors in overall delegate count. Current results, according to a Washington Post-published tracker, show Romney with 421 pledged delegates, Santorum with 181, Gingrich with 107 and Paul with 47. This count includes Republican National Committee delegates who previously revealed to the Associated Press which candidate they endorsed.

See PRIMARY Page 2

Cameron University is in the process of trying to create a new parking lot on the northeast corner of campus. The vacant lot is just north of 27th Street, between A Avenue and B Avenue.

Vice President of Business and Finance Glen Pinkston is confident that this change will benefit the CU students.

“If we follow through with our plan as it stands, we should get about 47 new parking spaces out of the new lot,” he said. “We wish we could get more than 47 spaces out of it, but it will be helpful nonetheless.”

Vice President Pinkston went on to explain the importance of working with the city of Lawton during the creation process.

“Twenty-Seventh Street is a city street so we have to work side by side with the city to design the best parking lot, and crosswalks, for the university and the community,” he said.

According to Vice President Pinkston, the art, band and communication students were kept in mind while proposing the idea to rezone the vacant lot, as a number of these students had been parking along A Avenue and B Avenue and walking across the 27th Street to their classes — often carrying heavy equipment or assignments.

“The safety of our students is our main concern, and the traffic along 27th Street has increased greatly since we closed University Drive,” he said.

“We received some comments from students— especially the art students carrying portfolios quite a distance— requesting a closer parking lot to the buildings around the Fine Arts Complex.”

Another reason why Vice President Pinkston believes this section of campus will be the perfect area for a new parking is the allure of the University Theatre.

“Big events at the theatre bring in the crowds,” he said. “More parking is needed.”

The limited parking on campus has been a concern of faculty as well as students.

“During the first couple weeks of school, parking is usually really tight,” Vice President Pinkston said. “The staff and the students are aware of it, so we’re taking all the steps necessary to have this new parking lot built by the time fall classes begin.”

There are more prerequisites to building a parking lot than one may think. In this case, the first three steps have been taken successfully: creating a binded plan for the new parking lot; having the plan approved by the Planning Commission for the City of Lawton; and requesting the approval of the City of Lawton Council for a “change of zoning” in the area.

Vice President Pinkston explained the monetary prerequisites that will be met once the parking lot is finished.

“By the time we put in sidewalks and address some of the city’s concerns about pedestrian crossing on 27th Street, it will probably cost us anywhere from $120,000.00 to $125,000.00,” he said.

“It’s not unusual for parking spaces — when you are building a bunch of them — to cost anywhere from $2,500.00 to $3,000.00 each.”

Vice President Pinkston also said the costliness of these parking spaces is credited to the expense of asphalt, curbs, drainage, lighting, and occasionally required fences. The price of the project can only be estimated as of now, but bidding will be widely advertised before it begins.

“We will meet all requirements before we build this parking lot,” he said. “On a project this size, several people from the University work on it. We do this to ensure that we can think of everything possible to make sure the project is carried out properly.”

2

News

March 12, 2012

www.aggiecentral.com

Sodexo brings Global Chef to CU

By Teewhy Dojutelegan News Editor

Cameron University dining services provider, Sodexo Food Services, facilitated the Global Chef program on campus. The event ran for two days, from March 5-6 at various venues around campus.

According to the Sodexo Global Chef Website, the program started in 2003 based on Sodexo’s commitment to providing customers with the highest quality of service using the company’s most valuable resources: its chefs.

The Global Chef Program brought Chef Joaquin Suarez, a Colombian native, to Cameron University. Chef Suarez is the culinary leader for Sodexo Colombia, Costa Rica and Central America.

Chef Suarez has been cooking for about 20 years and has been in the Global Chef Program for over six years. He said he draws his inspiration from his love for food.

“Food inspires me to cook,” he said. “Food unites people. It unites the things you do in the kitchen with the time you spend with your family.”

Chef Suarez hopes his country can be seen in positive light such as for the food rather than for negative issues.

“Coming from a country where you see a long list of negative things, I feel it is time to change the perspective of what people think of my culture and my country,” he said. “My country and my culture are wonderful, and that is something to share.”

There was a food-tasting event during lunchtime on March 5 in the McMahon Centennial Complex food court. The samples served included grilled guava chicken, mashed potatoes, tilapia and red beans.

For dinner that day, shrimp ceviche, salt crusted beef, passion fruit chicken and lemon temptation desert was served.

The next day marked the finale of the Global Chef program at CU, with grilled strip loin, whole tilapia, baby octopus ceviche, barbeque guava pork and Bandeja Paisa served for lunch in the cafeteria.

Chef Suarez will visit Friends University, Wichita, KS and Chapman University, Los Angeles, CA next during his travelling tour with the Global Chef program.

According to Daniel Ghrayyeb, General Manager of the Sodexo Food Service on campus, the Sodexo kitchen staff helped Chef Suarez in preparing the masterpiece meals.

Ghrayyeb said that one person that stood out was Chef Debbie Wilson.

“Chef Debbie has been with Sodexo over 30 years and was recently appointed the Executive Chef position,” he said. “She trained in Chicago with the chef a few weeks ago to be able to help cook the meals.”

Ghrayyeb said Chef Wilson is highly dedicated to serving CU students.

“Debbie has a huge commitment to the university and the students,” he said. “She works long hours to make sure everything is running smoothly and that the students are happy.”

According to Chef Wilson, she loves to cook. She started working for Sodexo in Plainview, Texas, where she put in 10 years.

She then transferred to CU, where she has been ever since.

Chef Wilson said she likes to see students happy. She has taken the role of “Mom on Campus” for many of the students.

“I like to see their [students] faces when they are happy,” she said. “I just like to be everybody’s mom away from home.”

World-class meals: CU dinning services Manager and Chefs hand out meal samples. The dining services just concluded the Global Chef Program that brought Colombia’s Chef Joaquin Suarez to CU.

Mom on campus: Chef Debbie Wilson sets dinner for students during a Food Service event. She is committed to CU and to the students she feeds daily.

CU offers on-campus job opportunities

By Tyler Boydston Staff Writer

Cameron University’s student workers have managed their courses while still working at

on-campus jobs meant to prepare them for work outside of school.

According to Student Employment Coordinator Debbie Kightlinger, student positions for on campus jobs range throughout

Work and Study: Junior Braveboy answers the phone at the transcripts office. He is one of CU’s several student workers.

Syria continued from page 1

“We are looking to set up and stage areas for getting humanitarian aid in; secondly, we continue to ratchet up the pressure,” Secretary Clinton said. “We push for a democratic transition by working with and trying to build up the opposition so they can be an alternative.”

Just how to build up the opposition, though, is a continuing debate. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon spoke to the UN General Assembly on Mar. 2 about strategies for resolving the conflict in a peaceable manner.

“Further militarization of the Syrian opposition is not the answer,” Secretary Ki-Moon said. “Continued violence on the ground risks a descent into full civil war and sectarian strife that could haunt the country for generations to come.”

Syrian ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja’afari spoke out in response to Secretary Ki-Moon’s remarks.

“The secretary is not duly informed,” Ja’afari said.

The Syrian government’s official stance on the violence continues to blame killings not on the Syrian military, but instead on “armed terrorist groups.”

According to White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, the US will continue to work with allies and other ‘Friends of Syria’ to rally the international community to take action to provide the Syrian people the peaceful and democratic future they desire and

all of the departments, giving students several choices of what to choose from.

“There is such a variety,” Kightlinger said. “Every department has student workers, ranging from the president’s office to the theater to the Fitness Center, and the library hires several students as well. Each department basically has some kind of work study program, whether it be federal, state or auxiliary funded.”

Students looking for on-campus jobs can find listings at aggieaccess. com.

“They can go to aggieaccess. com, and on the ‘my info’ tab they can find a listing of all the jobs that they can currently apply for, with descriptions and requirements for each position,” Kightlinger said.

The hiring process, according to Kightlinger, is very similar to jobs that can be found outside of CU. “We like to make it more like the outside, off-campus positions,” Kightlinger said. “They fill out an application, take it in and get called back for an interview, going through the hiring process. It’s a good experience and we try to place as many students as we possibly can.”

According to Kightlinger, the experience of a job on campus

deserve.

Opposition to direct intervention in Syria comes largely from Russia and China, who vetoed two previously UN Security Council drafted resolutions which would have opted for direct action, similar to that which occurred in Libya, as an option.

Secretary Carney in his Mar. 2 White House press briefing spoke about the United States’ position regarding Russia’s reluctance to support action in Syria.

“The fact of the matter is ... we profoundly disagree with the Russia’s decision to veto the United Nations Security Council resolution that supported the Arab League proposal for a transition in Syria,” Carney said.

As the United Nations and NATO struggle to reach a concurrence about how best to proceed in largescale intervention in the Syrian conflict, importance continues to be placed on increasing pressure to allow humanitarian aid to reach the most affected areas in Homs.

As a result of Syrian governmental intervention, the International Red Cross continues to struggle to gain access to areas in Homs. On Mar. 2, Syrian officials blocked a Red Cross-sanctioned convoy from accessing a central neighborhood in Homs, Baba Amr. Red Cross International Committee President Jakob Kellenberger said in a statement from the Red Cross’s headquarters in Geneva concerning Syria’s actions.

“It is unacceptable that people who have been in need of emergency assistance for have still not received any help,” President Kellenberger said.

trains students for their post-school careers.

“Students are able to get on-thejob training that can hopefully help them in the outside world and in life,” Kightlinger said. “They can build a portfolio of experience and references.”

Kightlinger said that despite other’s views on student workers, the jobs on campus are similar to jobs found off campus.

“Lots of people in general do not think that student employment is like a real job,” Kightlinger said.

“It is a real job, though. You are hired and you can be fired, too. It pays more than minimum wage — Right now it pays $7.50 an hour.”

According to Kightlinger, the pay system for CU student workers is through direct deposit, in which the workers can set up their own methods of payment.

“We’ve gone to direct deposit at Cameron,” Kightlinger said,” They have the choice of their pay going to the Aggie OneCard or to their checking or savings account.”

According to Kightlinger, students who take night classes can also arrange work hours either during the day or after hours.

“We have some students taking night classes who want to work during the day,” Kightlinger said.

“A lot of time could also be worked in the library or book store after hours. Hours must not overlap or interfere with class. Students work out their hours with their employers based on the classes they are taking.”

One student worker is undeclared freshman Donny Williams, who works the ITV feeds at the CU Duncan campus.

According to Williams, the on-campus job works with his class schedule and keeps him busy.

“The job works well around class,” Williams said. “I generally get at least 16 hours at work every week.”

Williams also said that the job offers other benefits.

“The people I work with make the job more fun,” Williams said.

Primary continued from

page 1

According to Associated Press staff reports, the Republican Party made changes designed to prevent one candidate from taking too large of a delegate lead before the majority of states conduct their primaries. This ensures that until, Mach. 24, no candidate will be able to definitively secure the nomination.

Currently, 759 total delegates have been awarded, with 1,527 still remaining. To secure the nomination, a candidate needs a total of 1,144 delegates.

With Romney’s six state wins on Super Tuesday, pundits and members of his election staff laid out the case for his opponents to drop out. Romney’s political director Rich Beeson wrote a memo to the press, in which he assessed the other candidate’s chances.

Beeson said, “Super Tuesday dramatically reduced the likelihood that any of Governor Romney’s opponents can obtain the Republican nomination.”

Josh Putnam, Davidson College professor and notable political blogger, commented on Santorum and Gingrich’s chances in an interview with the Washington Post.

“Delegate-wise, it’s virtually impossible for Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich to get to 1,144,” Putnam said.

Rick Santorum has not shown any signs of dropping out, however, and remains steadfast in his campaign. At a campaign stop in Kansas, which will have a primary on March 10, Santorum spoke about Romney’s efforts to get him out of the race.

Santorum said, “What won’t they resort to, to bully their way through the race?”

Likewise, Newt Gingrich also has pledged to not bow out because of Romney. Gingrich has repeatedly justified his decision to stay, despite a low delegate count.

“There’s a lot of bunny rabbits that run through,” Gingrich said. “I’m the tortoise.”

March 12, 2012

www.aggiecentral.com

3

Crossroads

JRDCS provides emergency refuge for abused children

by Dianne Riddles

when a donation from J. Roy Dunning — combined with Crossroads Editor donations from The Lawton The J. Roy Dunning Women’s Forum, the Kiwanis Children’s Shelter ( JRDCS) is Club, the Lawton Lions Club not a familiar place to some in and the community — funded the Lawton community. Some the building of the new do not realize that JRDCS is an children’s shelter. emergency shelter for abused, Live-in caregivers, known as abandoned and neglected “house parents,” operated the children. shelter from 1962 until 1989 According to Executive when a professional staff was Director Chearlene Gloverhired. According to Dr. GloverJohnson, Ph.D., the JRDCS is a Johnson, the staff is on-duty 24 non-profit 501c3 organization hours a day, with three rotating that receives funding support shifts to monitor the children from the United Way, grants in the shelter and to receive and donations from the Lawton new incoming children. community as well as through “Our childcare workers are fund raising events such as the very important to me because upcoming Ninth Annual Golf the shelter itself, its existence Tournament on June 15 at Fort would not be possible if not for Sill. the childcare workers that work The shelter’s mission is to within the shelter,” Dr. Gloverprovide temporary emergency Johnson said. “ These ladies, shelter and emergency foster along with our administrative care to abused, abandoned or staff, are phenomenal; they neglected children between the have some type of calling, some ages of newborn and 12 years type of gift; these women give in a safe and nurturing home so much of themselves.” environment.

Dr. Glover-Johnson Dr. Glover-Johnson said the JRDCS is the only explained that the JRDCS was emergency shelter in the state established in Lawton in 1962, of Oklahoma that caters to

Photo courtesy of J. Roy Dunning Children’s Shelter

J. Roy Dunning Children’s Shelter: One room in the shelter that provides a home atmosphere for children who need it. JRDCS has served Oklahoma for 50 years. children who are between the ages of newborn and 5 years.

For 50 years the JRDCS has provided its services 365 days a year, based on the belief that all children should be protected from traumatic and unstable circumstances beyond their control.

“I feel respectfully humbled to the fact that the children that we care for do not have a voice; they do not get a choice in what happens to them,” Dr. Glover-Johnson said. “What we do is take care of them so that in this traumatic transition, the child at least knows that when they are with us that they are safe in a nurturing warm environment.”

According to Dr. Johnson, the JRDCS has provided over 12,000 children with shelter totaling over 116,000 bed days of service since 1988. “ The childcare workers are the unknown heroes, the children are the very unknown and sometimes forgotten

victims and the shelter is the entity that brings them together and provides that protected environment that is so important,” Dr. GloverJohnson said. “Without the JRDCS, these children would have nowhere to go.”

Dr. Glover-Johnson said that because the shelter is a protected facility, the JRDCS cannot advertise where it is located and the public cannot visit the shelter; however, the shelter accepts donations of items that are consistently used for the children’s care through the United Way office and all donations are tax deductible.

Non-consumable items include paper products such as plates, bowls, cups, towels, Kleenex tissue, toilet tissue, diapers, wipes and pull-up diapers in various sizes for toddlers.

Additional items consist of all sizes of boys and girls new underwear, clothing, socks and shoes. Toiletries such as

toothpaste, toothbrushes, bar soap, body wash, shampoo/ conditioner, hair combs/ brushes and African American hair care products.

Cleaning products such as hand sanitizer, laundry detergent, Playtex gloves/ disposable gloves and dishwasher soap are welcome donations, as well as art and craft supplies, writing pens and disposable cameras.

The shelter also accepts consumable donations such as canned food, packaged food, bottled/canned fruit juice, baby food, baby formula, packaged snacks and packaged dried goods.

Monetary donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 2622, Lawton, OK, 73502. The United Way at 1116 SW A Ave. accepts donations of consumable or non-consumable items for the shelter.

For more information, call the United Way at 580.355.0218.

Lawton Business Women host benefit dinner

by Jessica Goodman

Lepien said. At meetings, members have a sense of togetherness and gain a wider view on topics.

Staff Writer “The organization gives a sense of camaraderie,” Lepien said. “We have speakers that talk at our A local organization held their annual spring meetings that broaden the horizons of many topics.” fundraiser in support of scholarships.

According to Helen McDonald, the current The Lawton Business Women’s annual spring Oklahoma Business Women’s president, her reason spaghetti dinner is one of two fundraisers for joining is like that of many women: to gain organized each year to help produce scholarships experience being part of the organization. for local colleges and vocational schools. The other “I was in Junior League,” McDonald said. “I was fundraiser, a style show held every fall, has been looking for a network of women. It is inspiring and happening for 53 years. motivating to be working with phenomenal women.”

This Lawton Business Women is the oldest This network, McDonald explained, knows from women’s organization in Oklahoma, having begun both experience and working with legislation that in 1926. Their mission is to empower women to women do not start economically at the same spot as achieve their full potential and to partner with others. employers to build a successful workplace.

“Women only make 78 cents to the dollar,” she According to Dr. Rose Lepien, current president said. of the Lawton Business Women, the organization As women are making less while working, many has served and continues to serve many purposes.

“We bring business women together,” Lepien said. women are trying to return to school and get an “We support equal rights for women and bring them education—looking for scholarships to help with the rising costs of attending school. a voice. We work with legislation on rights in the “We award four local and one statewide workplace. We give scholarships to local students scholarship,” McDonald said. “Even women who are who are planning to attend Cameron University or Great Planes Technology Center. We mentor young returning to school can apply for a scholarship. Age does not matter.” girls in etiquette and business matters. ” According to McDonald, Lawton will have the The organization does even more for its members,

Photo courtesy of Jessica Goodman

opportunity to hold the state conference for the first time in a quite a while. The guest speakers include Dr. Cindy Ross, State Representative Ann Coody; they have also invited Governor Mary Fallin.

“When I became president I asked what I had to do to get the conference back to Lawton,” McDonald said. “The board told me I was president and that I could have it wherever I wanted, so I told them it was coming back to Lawton.”

Many women from around the state attend this conference, McDonald explained, and it brings people to Lawton that would not normally make the trip.

“Miami is the one of the furthest places women came from to attend this conference,” McDonald said. “I asked the Miami women what it would take to get them to drive across the state to attend the conference; they said that they wanted to eat at Meer’s, so that is what they are getting to do.”

According to McDonald, the conferences let women meet with other women from throughout the state and expand their networks. “ I want to make the conference memorable and enticing,” McDonald said.

The Lawton Business Women meet at noon on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at the Lawton Country Club.

Photo courtesy of Jessica Goodman

Fundraising: Members of the Lawton Business Women prepare and serve spaghetti dinner is the organization’s annual spring fundraiser for scholarships to benefit local colleges and vocational schools. The Lawton Business Women was established in 1926, making it the oldest women’s organization in Oklahoma.

4

Voices

March 12, 2012

www.aggiecentral.com

Personhood Act fosters distorted views

by Sarah Brewer Staff Writer

THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna

Editorial Staff

Editor-in-Chief - Elijah Morlett Asst. Managing Editor - Aaron Gill News Editor - Teewhy Dojutelegan Crossroads Editor - Dianne Riddles A&E Editor - James Meeks Sports Editor - Matt Berberea Copy Editor - Alex Rosa-Figueroa Aggie Central Editors - Aaron Gill, Mitch Watson Archivist - Mitch Watson

Newsroom Staff

Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Megan Bell, Sarah Brewer, Tyler Boydston, Kelsey Carter, Fern Cepeda, Colin DuRant, Leah Ellis, Rachel Engel, Angela Goode, Jessica Goodman, Sarah Holloway, Tiffany Martinez, Lizzy Owoyemi, Miranda Raines Circulation Manager - Matt Thompson Advertising Manager - Elijah Morlett Photographer - Kelsey Carter

Reproductive rights have become the latest obsession of the 2012 presidential campaign, and conservative-led efforts to outlaw abortion and limit access to contraception have intensified, especially in Oklahoma.

The social issue became a point of contention during the campaign after the Obama administration added a provision to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on Feb. 15 that requires church-affiliated employers to cover birth control costs and other preventive services in their health insurance plans.

However, some congressional Republicans claim that the policy would force Catholics and members of other religious organizations to take positions contrary to their beliefs.

When the image of an allmale panel of witnesses seated during a hearing to discuss these issues surfaced online, I was disheartened.

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif) denied Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, the only female Democratcalled witness, from testifying during the hearing because, according to Issa, she was “not qualified.”

Fluke was not pleased with this dismissal.

“I felt insulted, not for myself, but for the women I wanted to represent, the women whose stories I wanted to convey to the committee and the women who

were silenced,” Fluke said.

Chairman Issa defended his decision on the basis of the hearing’s original intent.

“The hearing is not about reproductive rights and contraception, but instead about the Administration’s actions as they relate to freedom of religion and conscience,” Issa argued.

Had I been there, I would have walked out of the hearing with Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DDC) in protest, too.

To allege that this provision would not entangle both reproductive rights and religious freedom shows a failure in comprehending how sensitive this issue has become as of late.

Here in Oklahoma, the state where I have made my home for seven years, personal visions of morality may soon be enforced through legislation.

The Oklahoma Senate voted 34-8 on Feb 16 in favor of HB 1433, known also as the Personhood Act. The measure cites conception as the beginning of human life.

“The unborn child at every stage of development (has) all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of this state,” There lies the rub. Where does the Personhood of one citizen begin, and the Personhood of another end? Would these rights, privileges and immunities transfer from pregnant woman to child?

Do pregnant women become

citizens of another class when they involuntarily forgo their own liberties?

If passed, this bill would not only criminalize abortion, but also infertility treatments in which embryos are destroyed. In extreme cases, it could hold women liable for miscarriage.

Suppose the circumstances surrounding the conception were less than desirable. State Senator Constance Johnson submitted an amendment on Feb. 25 to protect victims of rape who were impregnated as a result of forced intercourse.

“In the spirit of shared responsibility in issues of reproduction, if a woman declares that she is pregnant nonconsensually, the sperm donor shall be required to undergo a statutorily mandated vasectomy, shall be fined Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00), and shall also be financially responsible for the offspring of such pregnancy until the age of twenty-one,” the amendment states.

This provision, both serious and satirical, creates an exception for rape victims. The amendment also means to show that, while men and women both participate when creating a human life, women would be held for responsible for the livelihood for their fetus and may be considered less than citizens under this law.

Lawmakers in other states, including Missouri and Virginia, have introduced similar laws, but

Oklahoma is closest to passing such a Personhood Act. A “Stop the Oklahoma Personhood Act” rally and march was slated for Feb. 28 in Oklahoma City to protest the Personhood Act before the bill goes to the Hose of Representatives. Organizers asked protestors to wear aprons and old shoes to represent the “barefoot and pregnant” ideal.

I was tempted to attend, but I reluctantly declined, as I had midterm exams scheduled for that day. I will say this, though: If this anti-women movement continues, I will pack my bags and move to another state in which women are invited to discuss legislation that impacts women directly.

School shootings show need for real solutions

Newswriting Students

Valera Ainsworth, Adrian Alexander, Amanda Goemmer

Faculty Adviser

Dr. Christopher Keller

About Us

The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Edmond Sun via the Duncan Banner. The first issue is provided free. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.

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The Collegian reserves the right to edit all letters for content and length.

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Letters can be sent by regular mail, by e-mail to collegian@cameron.edu or they may be dropped off at our office - Nance Boyer 2060 or at www. aggiecentral.com.

Our Views

The opinions expressed in The Collegian pages or personal columns are those of the signed author.

The unsigned editorial under the heading “Aggie 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.

by James Meeks A&E Editor

After the school shooting at Chardon High School, many of the comments in several of the news articles I read covering the shooting followed the same train of thought: “What have we as a society done wrong,” “Prayers to the victim,” “This is what we get for not paying attention,” et cetera.

Not paying attention is exactly what happened, though not in the way the comments would suggest.

Evan Erasmus, a student at Chardon, told Cleveland’s Channel 5 that he saw a fellow student’s tweet that T.J. Lane, the shooter, was going to bring a gun to school; however, Erasmus didn’t take the warning seriously.

There is also a “concerning” Facebook post on Lane’s account that news outlets are circulating that ends in “Die all of you,” a pointed ending that the outlets are latching onto and exclusively focusing. However, after reading the full post, one would hardly think it was a sign of him being troubled.

I see people posting deep and dark stuff on Facebook all the time, and the content is usually either poetry or short stories, not a sign of imminent murder. Lane’s post was not exactly uncommon to Facebook, and the media is just

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

A nationwide tragedy: Pallbearers carry the casket of Daniel Parmertor, a victim of the Chardon High School Shooting, for burial at All Soul’s Cemetery Saturday, March 3, 2012, in Chardon, Ohio. School shootings are spotlighting a serious issue that has not been solved. grasping at straws to perpetuate the notion that he was a “troubled teen.”

Does this mean we should now report that someone is troubled if they are posting a deep, artistic story on a social site? As far as I am concerned, no one would know if Lane was troubled just looking at his dramatic Facebook rants.

The only thing that society has done wrong is not pay attention to a threat. We did not fail at making sure the shooter did not carry out this crime or easing his pain (although if someone reached out him it could have probably been prevented). All society has failed in is not actually reporting a potential threat.

Lane may have had a rough home life, but is bringing a gun to school and shooting five of your peers the way to go about handling your problems? Is “wanting the world bow to your feet,” a good way of gaining respect? What he gained was not respect, but sadness and fear; the very fear that is prompting parents to question safety measures in schools.

The tragedy of Columbine High School increased the public’s awareness of the kind of threats troubled teens can pose. The fear-fueled response went so far that in one case, a seven-year-old girl was suspended for bringing a plastic knife to school. The knife was only in her bag because her mother thought she needed help cutting her lunch.

In response to shootings, schools have increased security, having city police patrol the hallways and installing metal detectors at the entrances.

Although it would appear that these measures made it more difficult to sneak weapons into school, not everyone got checked.

When I was in high school, students were selected to go through the metal detectors at random. One day, students wearing a green shirt would get checked, the next day, students with blonde hair would get

checked, and so on.

Police patrolling the school became familiar with the students, and were supposedly able to pick out the good students from the constant troublemakers.

Familiarity can be a great strength and security, but it can also be a glaring weakness. Vanguards simply cannot just allow their intuitive judgment of good or bad to decide who gets checked.

On the other hand, not every student can go through the metal detectors every day just to keep schools safe. The time it would take to inspect every student would keep students from class. Still, we must keep seeking effective ways of preventing school tragedies like Chardon.

In a world where social media is now stronger than ever, nothing is truly private now. If you post it on Facebook or Twitter, people will share it, and possibly take things out of context.

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March 12, 2012

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Jazz Festival features local and world talents

by Fern Cepeda Staff Writer

Music filled Cameron University’s Theatre on Friday, March 2, with a Jazz Festival.

The CU Jazz Festival featured Allen Vizzutti, world-class jazz trumpeter, and the David Anderson Jazz Trio. The festival also included the Iowa Park High School Jazz Ensemble with Mr. Ed Hefti, Director.

Dr. James Lambert, Department of Music Chair, gave a brief introduction to David Anderson, piano, Matthew Stringfellow, bass and Quinton Williams, drums.

Once the trio took the stage, Dr. Lambert gave Vizzutti an unusual introduction.

“Now, in your program you have the academic biography of Mr. Vizzutti, but I’m going to give you his favorite biography,” Dr. Lambert said.

“Allen Vizzutti has never been in prison and has never jumped out of a flying airplane. He has gone swimming with sharks in the south sea, which prepared him for later life in Hollywood.

Mr. Vizzutti is a Yamaha artist.

Please welcome Mr. Vizzutti.”

Vizzutti was greeted with uproarious laughter and applause. Vizzutti’s unusual biography made the audience want to get to know more about him. Vizzutti said a quick hello and started playing the trumpet.

Vizzutti interacted with the

photo by Fern Cepeda

World-Class Jazz Trumpeteer: Allen Vizzutti performs songs a song during the CU Jazz Festival. Vizzutti enjoys mixing the Jazz and Latin style while making his own music. audience and liked to tell jokes after each number. When a child started to cry, he immediately played a lullaby song with his trumpet with the piano on accompaniment. The audience laughed and clapped for the impromptu song. The parents of the child also laughed, but wanted to leave so they wouldn’t

distract the rest of the concert; however, Vizzutti reassured them it was okay for the child to stay.

“You can stay, it doesn’t bother me a bit,” he said. “I love having kids here.”

Vizzutti played a song of his own composition. He has made a few CD’s in the Jazz infusion

genre, as he said he enjoys mixing the jazz and Latin style with contemporary music.

“I wrote this a long time ago when I had a fusion band in Los Angeles, and this song has been recorded a couple of times,” he said. “It’s got a really unusual trumpet part, and it’s not something that I expect other

trumpet players would play.”

Before the first half of the concert was finished, Dr. Lambert came out and gave each one of the performers a Certificate of Appreciation from the Department of Music. They then played one more song, and the music enraptured everyone.

The performers swayed their heads to the beat, and even Vizzutti would dance when he wasn’t playing the trumpet.

Once he was finished, the audience gave him a standing ovation, and then the Iowa Park High School Jazz Ensemble took over the stage.

The Jazz Ensemble performed four songs for the audience and also had Vizzutti performing with them. Saxophones, trombone and trumpets carried each of the songs, which were all upbeat and lively. After the performance, people would clap and even whistle, but before they were finished, Dr. Lambert gave the school their own Certificates of Appreciation.

The audience once again gave a standing ovation, and even screamed for an encore, and Hefti obliged, performing one more song for the audience.

These two talents brought to Cameron were exceptional, and their songs didn’t need lyrics to capture the audience’s ear. It was the instruments and the rhythm, along with Vizzutti’s sense of humor, that made for a night of entertainment.

photo by Fern Cepeda

Creating Ambience: The Iowa Park High School Jazz Ensemble took the stage after Allen Vizzutti’s performance during the Jazz Festival on March 2.

Nigerian Students hold Night of Praise

by Sarah Brewer Staff Writer

Students of the Cameron University Nigerian Student Association (NSA) gathered for an evening of praise and worship at the Shepler Ballroom on March 2 at 6:30 to 9:30 pm. The group asked a simple question of attendees with the night’s theme: “Praise is what I do. What do you do?”

Throughout the evening, the CU chapter of NSA directed the event’s theme as an invitation to other students and members of the Lawton/ Fort Sill community to witness how Nigerian students express their faith.

Members from other local congregations including Pastors Roger and Velma Mitchel from Lawton’s Soldiers of Faith Family Church and Brother Steve from the Cameron Baptist Church participated, reading from the Bible and leading prayers.

NSA Vice President Yvette Unoarumh, a 22 year-old senior Biology major, explained that while the purpose of the bi-annual event may be one opportunity to worship God, the students of NSA believe that praise should not be limited to certain occasions.

“We are going to praise today, but praise should be an everyday thing,” Unoarumh said. “You can do it in your own way in your own time. You don’t have to praise God for two or three hours of day.

You just have to praise God.” Unoarumh described another characteristic of Nigerian worship higher levels of enthusiasm and reverence that may cause alarm among students unfamiliar with Nigerian traditions.

“We bring so much energy,” Unoarumh said.

“The whole place will be a sight. The whole place will be electrified. Instead of attributing their (the

students) dancing to a club song, they are truly praising God.” Entertainment added excitement throughout the evening, including contemporary praise songs and traditional hymns, stand-up comedy, demonstrations of dance, poetry recitation and a skit entitled, “Praise Gives More.” Students wore traditional Nigerian attire and performed in their own native dialects.

Dialects have specific purposes in praise, according to Adebola Fadipe, a 28 year-old graduate student currently earning a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Fadipe sang several solos throughout the evening, and explained how singing in her native dialect emphasized cultural differences during her performance.

“I sang it [the songs] in my dialect, and I added some English names of Jesus, Jehovah of Nicea and El Shaddai, King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” Fadipe said.

Fadipe also explained how substituting the name of God with more personal references within the same song allowed each listener in the audience to apply the lyrics to his or her own life.

“Sometimes I could hear the audience when I called God by a name that they could recognize or identify with,” Fadipe said. “If they’ve been in trouble and God helped you, then if I call him the Hand that Picks You Out of Trouble, that’s something they can relate to.”

For Fadipe, than performance was more of a declaration of her faith than a show put on for the audience.

“That’s why I closed my eyes. I was just envisioning God,” Fadipe said. “Sometimes you have to think really deep before you understand what God has done for you.”

photo by Sarah Brewer

Praise!: Adebola Fadipe, sings praise songs during the Nigerian Student Association (NSA) Night of Praise “Praise is what I do. What do you do.”

6

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March 12, 2012

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CU Tennis continues strong start

by Colin DuRant Staff Writer

Cameron Aggie tennis continued their early spring success this past week with the men picking up three victories at home and the women two on the road in Edmond, Oklahoma.

The men took on and secured a win against three different opponents at home, Colorado State-Pueblo and Southwest Baptist University on Friday, March 2, then former conference rival East Central on Saturday, March 3.

The Aggies defeated the Colorado State-Pueblo Thunderwolves in a 9-0 sweep to start the weekend. In doubles action, the No. 2 team of Nicolai Ferrigno and Angelo Lencioni and the No. 3 pair of Gonzalo Garzon and Jorge Gerosi defeated their opponents without losing a single game, taking the their matches 8-0.

The No. 1 doubles team for Cameron, Thomas Peixoto and Duje Janjic also secured a victory, 8-2.

In singles play against the Thunderwolves, the Aggies didn’t drop a single set as all six singles matches came up as victories. The undefeated freshman Ferrigno earned a particularly strong victory against Anthony Breitenbach 6-1, 6-1.

The men continued their play on Friday against the nationally ranked Southwest Baptist Bearcats of Bolivar, Missouri.

Cameron dropped two doubles matches against Southwest Baptist at both the No. 1 and 2 slots. Garzon and Gerosi at the No. 3 position picked up a win, 8-3, against Jorge Palacios and Tyler Welch.

Going into singles trailing 2-1, Cameron once again swept singles, picking up all six matches. At the No. 4 position, Garzon came back from a 1-6 defeat in the first set to achieve victory in the next two sets 6-3, 6-1. In a long, hard-fought match at the No. 1 position, Peixoto overcame nationally ranked Carrissmos in a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) win.

Photo by Matthew Berberea

Peixoto leads the way: Senior Thomas Peixoto slams a forehand against opponent Stefan Stein from ECU on March 3 at Streich-Henry Tennis Complex. Peixoto went undefeated in singles play and helped the Aggies to an undefeated weekend at home.

The men picked up their third win of the weekend on Saturday morning as they took on the East Central Tigers of Ada, Oklahoma.

The Aggies achieved a doubles sweep again with all three pairs earning victories, with Peixoto and Janjic winning 8-6 at No. 1, Ferrigno and Lencioni winning 8-6 at No. 2 and Garzon and Gerosi completing the trifecta at No. 3 with a score of 8-3.

For the third time, the Aggies won in all six singles spots completing the 9-0 rout of the Tigers.

The women continued their season on the road in Edmond, taking on University of Central Oklahoma and Southwest Baptist on Friday March 2, and East Central on Saturday March 3.

The Lady Aggies opened up against the University of Central Oklahoma Broncos at their home court in Edmond with a 6-3 victory.

In doubles play, the number 25 nationally ranked pair of Julia Puckhaber and Amanda Moberg defeated their opponents, 8-3, and Antonia Moberg and Elvira Sholles won 8-4 at the No. 3 position.

In singles, the women claimed victories at the No. 2, 3, 4, and 6 slots to secure the win. Amanda Moberg had a commanding win at No. 2, only dropping four games to win 6-2, 6-2.

For the next match on Friday against the Southwest Baptist Lady Bearcats, the women fell short 4-5 in what would be their only loss in the weekend and first loss of the season so far.

In doubles, only the team of Sara Londono and Florencia Tornero in the No. 2 position achieved victory against Adrienn Kovacs and Faiga Schmidt with a score of 8-2.

For singles play, Cameron continued to struggle, splitting 3-3 with Southern Baptist with Londono, Sholles, and Antonia Moberg achieving wins at the No. 3, 4, and 6 position respectively.

Head Coach James Helvey said he felt that his women would defeat Southwest Baptist in a rematch.

“If we get the chance to play them again, I think it’ll go our way,” Helvey said.

The women came back on Saturday to shutout the East Central Lady Tigers to bring their record for the weekend to 2-1, 4-1 on the season.

All three doubles teams achieved victory with both the No. 2 pair of Londono and Tornero and No. 3 pair of Moberg and Sholles not dropping and single game winning their sets 8-0.

In singles the women completed the sweep picking up all six matches with Amanda Moberg, Elvira Sholles and Antonia Moberg all achieving 6-0, 6-0 victories.

Coach Helvey said he was encouraged by the way his teams performed in the matches.

“I was very pleased,” Helvey said. “It was a great weekend.”

Looking towards the matches ahead, Coach Helvey said he likes the Aggie’s chances.

“We’ve got five matches in three days,” Helvey said, “it looks good.”

off of an error.

“Against those guys, you just need to try to get a run,” he said. “We couldn’t do it.

We had two errors that cost us three runs. He was already in third and cruised from there.”

The Aggies had a rough time trying to get hits, as the pitching staff for the Texans gave them a run for their money. According to Coach Holland, while the team faced some of the best pitching he had seen in some time, they still matched the hits allowed this season.

“They threw a guy ... he was the best pitcher I’ve seen last two years,” he said. “We matched the total hits he had allowed all year, just no timely hitting. “ The Aggies struggled with the remainder of the game, as the Texans went through two more of the Aggies pitchers

after James Rhodes replaced Wade Myatt, who was taken out in the fifth.

Day two of the tournament was a whole new ballgame for the Aggies, though.

The Aggies had six runs in the seventh inning to pull ahead for a 9-6 victory against the home field squad of Abilene Christian.

With ACU being one of the Aggies’ biggest rivals, Coach Holland said this game was a morale booster for the remainder of the tournament.

“The whole game today was to get motivated,” Holland said. “Abilene is one of our biggest rivalries. We (the coaches) warned the team of what to expect, and when we got down early we really pushed the guys to come back.”

The Aggies persevered through the game as ACU tried to hold them back as long

as they could and secure a win.

Needless to say, this was not the case, as Coach Holland explained the team’s victory.

“We played hard. Clay Vanderlann settled in and did a really good job (on the mound),” Holland said. “We also had some timely hits.”

The Aggies’ first day lack of hits was quickly forgotten; the bats were blazing on day two thanks in part, Coach Holland said, to student-assistant Joe Halley.

“Coach Halley did some 1-on-1 pointers with some batters,” he said. “He saw things on first base side I couldn’t see and got them going.”

The Aggies went into day three with their heads held high, searching for the second victory of the tournament.

The CU men pulled out a 15-9 victory over the Eastern

New Mexico University Greyhounds in a nine-inning game to end their tournament experience.

The Aggies were constantly trading runs back and forth with ENMU. Coach Holland said that the Aggies kept playing and never backed off.

“We came out and just swung the bats,” Holland said.

“We’d score; they’d score. We just kept responding, and we never went down; we just kept fighting and competing.”

The Aggies traded hits with the Greyhounds until the eighth inning, when the Aggies plated three runs to bring the score to 12-8.

Going into the ninth, CU kept the bats going as the men earned three more runs to bring the final score to 15-9 in favor of the Aggies.

Coach Holland said the weekend was an overall success for his Aggies, though future victories will need more precision.

“2-1 on the weekend isn’t bad,” he said. “There were some good things this weekend, but we have a long ways to go. I just hope our guys don’t think you can always win with four errors.”

The Aggies have started out well and look to continue strong as they head into conference play against West Texas A&M on March 16 in Canyon, Texas.

Aggies win two of three in Abilene

by Aaron Gill

Asst. Managing Editor The Cameron University men’s baseball team hit the road March 2, for a three-day Abilene Christian University tournament in Abilene.

The Aggies faced off against Tarleton State in day one of the tournament with a less than favorable outcome, losing 0-7 to the Texans.

Over a nine inning spread the Aggies failed to put anything on the board.

Cameron started off strong with some great defense, but Tarleton started to get the bats going in the third inning. The Texans plated three runs in the third to build a lead which they held through the rest of the game. Head Coach Todd Holland explained that two of the three runs in the inning were unearned, those coming

7

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March 12, 2012

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Diata, Garner are top in conference from CU Sports Information

Sabelle Diata, Milton Garner and Julie Paunovic won big at the Lone Star Conference’s annual Awards Banquet, as each picked up an individual award as well as AllConference honors.

Senegal-native Diata left the most decorated after picking up Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Conference. The senior is coming off a dominant season in which she is averaging 14.3 points per game and 9.7 rebounds. She is top 20 in the nation in double doubles with 11. This season, Diata broke Cameron’s single season block record with 135, while tying the single game mark with six blocks in one game.

Last season Diata was named 1st team all-conference as well as the Lone Star Conference Newcomer of the year.

Garner was named Player of the Year on the Men’s side, while also picking up 1st Team All-Conference. The Kansas City-native led the LSC in scoring with a 19.7 average, he also leads the conference in 3-pointers made, averaging 2.5 per game. This season, Garner joined CU’s 1,000-point club, and can crack the school’s top 10 in the play-offs. The senior is leading the Aggies in almost every offensive category.

Paunovic transferred to Cameron from Rutgers University and in doing so was made a huge impact. Tonight, her effort was rewarded with Newcomer of the Year and Honorable Mention AllConference.

The Australia-native is averaging 13.7 points per

Photos by Brandon Neris

Top of their class: Seniors Sabelle Diata and Milton Garner were named Player of the Year for the Lonestar Conference on the way to leading the men’s and women’s teams to the LSC tournament. They were also selected to the first and second all-region team respectively. game and 6.8 rebounds per game. She is top 10 in the Lone Star Conference in scoring, rebounding, 3-point percentage; 3-point field goals made, and blocked shots.

Paunovic was one of three players awarded Newcomer of the Year, sharing the award with, Tarleton’s Peyton Adamson and WT’s Devin Griffin The awards were announced Tuesday night at a pre-championship banquet in Allen, Texas, where the LSC Basketball

Championship tournament is set to begin on Wednesday.

Quarterfinal games will be played all day Thursday, with semifinal games slated for Saturday afternoon and the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Garner was acknowledged this week by receiving Daktronics All-South Central Region second team honors.

Daktronics, Inc. is among the world’s leaders in scoring, time and programming display systems for many sports at every level of competition. The

teams were voted on by the NCAA Division II members of the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Garner was named Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Year last week and led the Aggie team this season in almost every statistical category including total points, scoring average, made field goals, made 3-point field goals, free throw percentage, rebounds and steals.

Garner’s CU career came to an end last week when the squad fell in the semifinals of

the LSC Championships.

During his time at Cameron, the Kansas City native has shown his prowess as an explosive offensive threat who can score from anywhere on the court.

He has led the Black and Gold in scoring for each of his seasons as an Aggie and joined CU’s thousand point club earlier this year.

Sabelle Diata was also honored this week by being named to the Daktronics AllSouth Central Region first team. Diata is coming off the recent honor of being chosen as the Lone Star Conference Player of the Year as well as the LSC Defensive Player of the Year.

Diata has had an incredible season for the Aggies, as she led the team in points, scoring average, rebounds and blocks.

She averaged 2.9 blocks per game, 14th in NCAA, and led the LSC in this category.

Additionally, she was the fourth highest scorer and second highest rebounder in the LSC. Even more impressive, Diata ranks in the top 20 in the NCAA in doubledoubles with 13.

In her junior season, Diata was named LSC Newcomer of the Year and has twice received first team All-Conference honors.

She is the career block leader at Cameron and tied a regular season single-game record with six blocks. Diata also set a school single-game playoff record with five blocks.

Diata’s career with the Black and Gold came to an end last week when the Aggies fell to Angelo State in the first round of the Lonestar Conference Championships.

Aggies split at home, struggle on the road

by Miranda Raines Staff Writer

The Cameron University Aggie softball team returned to Cameron Field on March 5.

In the first home game of the season with a doubleheader against Truman State, Cameron (9-9, 0-3) lost game one 10-6, but picked up a 10-9 win in game two.

Junior, Cheyenne Brown (4-5) pitched the first game picking up the loss.

Sophomore, Kelsy Hebert (22) picked up her second victory of the season on a strikeout with the winning run at the plate during game two.

The Truman Bulldogs (6-9) pulled ahead early in game one, picking up ten runs by the end of the fifth inning, and picking up 14 hits in the game, three homeruns. The Bulldogs took advantage of three Aggie errors to pick up the majority of its runs.

In game two both teams battled until the end, although going in to the final inning the Aggies appeared to have the game under control with a 10-6 lead. But TSU was able to comeback with multiple hits on Hebert. The sophomore pitcher responded with big pitches that included a strikeout that ended the game.

According to Cameron softball head coach Beth Watson the Aggies batting has improved, but in other areas the team was a little off during the game against Truman.

“Our goal was to win both but battling back to at least secure the split was a positive,” Coach Watson said. “They hit the ball really well … our pitchers seemed to be a little off. And, it seemed every mistake we made, they took advantage of it.”

Juniors, Leslie Martini and Drew Wright stood out offensively. Martini was the offensive leader for Cameron during both games going 6-8 with nine RBI and scoring one run. Wright finished 6-8 with five RBI and scored three runs.

Although the team may have fallen behind in some areas, Coach Watson said she felt god about their willingness to keep playing hard.

“If there’s anything to take away from today, it was positive in that we kept after it,” Coach Watson said. “There have been some games where we relinquished the lead and didn’t have any fight in us. It was a great thing to see.”

The next day in Edmond, the Aggie team lost games, 14-6 and 4-3 against University of Central Oklahoma on

Photo by Matthew Berberea

Doing things the Wright way: Junior infielder Drew Wright drives in two runs on a single March 5 against Truman State at Cameron Field. The Aggies lost game one but fought back to win the second game of the double header with a final score of 10-9.

March 6.

Coach Watson said there were some similarities between the game against Truman State and Central Oklahoma.

“It was pretty well back and forth,” Coach Watson said, “it was a lot like Truman State.

They would score and we would come back. We spotted them a couple runs early, after committing an error in the first. You know, we got some key hits, just not enough to finish the game. It was really windy too, it was a factor for both teams.”

The Bronchos (15-3) got off to a quick start scoring half of their runs in game one on the long ball, hitting three homeruns off Cameron’s Brown for seven runs. Using

a five-run inning in the home half UCO pulled ahead 14-6, putting the run rule into effect.

The Aggies fought back the entire game, getting to within three with the score 9-6.

Heading into the bottom of the sixth junior Leah Trousdale scored her second homerun of the season with a two-run homerun.

In the second game lasting six innings, Hebert pitched and posted her strongest outing of the season so far Coach Watson said.

“We talked before the game about keeping the ball down and getting ground balls to let the defense work,” Coach Watson said. “Our defense as a whole was better in the second game. We had a chance

in the last two innings to tie or go ahead. We pushed one run across but left too many runners stranded.”

By the third inning junior, Claren Hulburt put CU on the board tying the game at 1-1.

However, the Bronchos struck back going up 4-1.

Heading into the final inning Hulburt brought the score 4-2 with CU trailing.

The Aggies pushed on, with Hulburt putting the pressure on the Bronchos by stealing third, and following a strikeout

by Dooley, Wright drove in her third RBI with a single.

It was too little too late as the Bronchos were able to strikeout the final two batters to claim a 4-3 victory over the Black and Gold.

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