The Cameron University Collegian: November 19, 2012

Collegian T he Cameron University

www.aggiecentral.com

Monday, November 19, 2012

Volume 87 Issue 8

Inside Sports

Basketball:

CU Men battle Knights at Aggie Gym Nov. 11.

Page 6 Volleyball:

Aggies finish season and take home LSC honors.

Page 6

A&E

Photo courtesy of CU Public Affairs

Posting the Colors: Veterans and attendees stand and honor the American Flag during the Presentation of the Colors at the Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 12. The event paid tribute to veterans and dedicated the latest edition to campus, Veterans Grove.

Aggies pay tribute to veterans Tiffany Martinez News Editor

Alpha Phi: Men battle it out to win bragging rights and title of Alpha Male.

Page 3

Crossroads

Pancake days: AMBUCS flips pancakes to raise money for 57th straight year.

Page 5

News

Student art: Zaeed Kala travels to Houston for art exhibition.

Page 2 Political Science: Roundtable discusses post election politics in America.

Page 2

Cameron University observed Veterans Day this past week in several ways, beginning with covering the Bentley Gardens in American f lags and ending in the dedication of Veterans Grove.

Vice President of Student Services Jennifer Holland, along with the Administrative Assistant

of Student Services, Sharon Greene, oversaw the distribution of small American f lags throughout the heart of campus, the Bentley Gardens, on Thursday, Nov. 8.

Students volunteered their services and drove 6,600 f lags into the soil of the gardens.

According to Vice President Holland, this is the second year that CU has observed Veterans Day in

this fashion.

“The baseball team came out, as well as the softball team,” Vice President Holland said. “We also had some smaller groups of volunteers come out to help us.”

Though placing the f lags in the ground took several hours, the volunteers expressed pride in doing so.

“This provides us a way to recognize Veterans,” Vice President Holland said.

“Our campus has a lot of veterans — faculty, staff and students. This is a special time to honor them.”

The display of f lags allowed the CU campus to offer tribute to deceased veterans as well, as each f lag planted was meant to represent a fallen American soldier.

“There is a lot of emotion in these f lags,” Vice President Holland said, “because each f lag

represents someone who gave their life for our country.”

On Monday, Nov. 12, leaders of the CU, Lawton and Fort Sill community came together and held a Veterans Day ceremony.

The latest addition to campus, Veterans Grove, located north of Howell Hall, was also dedicated.

See VETERANS Page 2

CU Succeed Series Exploring Majors workshop focuses on Criminal Justice Jaime O’Bannon Newswriting Student

The CU Succeed series’ “Exploring Majors” workshop, showcasing the Criminal Justice department, took place at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, in the Centennial Room in North Shepler.

The guest speaker of the workshop was Dr. Jonathan Odo, Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, who discussed the benefits of pursuing higher education in the field of Criminal Justice.

Dr. Odo said that Cameron University offers two different routes for Criminal Justice majors: a two-year associates program and four-year bachelors program.

The Associate in Applied Science in Criminal Justice is a 64 credit program that specializes in the two areas of law enforcement and corrections. This two-year associate’s degree, Dr. Odo said, is geared toward those who want to become practitioners of law and current practitioners who want to strengthen their career opportunities.

The Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice is a 128 credit hour program aimed at those who want to pursue leadership roles in law enforcement, become researchers or teach Criminal Justice at a university level.

Dr. Odo explained that both programs give CU students a high level of expertise in preparation to enter any career field revolving around Criminal Justice.

“The curriculum is structured in such a way at the bachelor’s degree level to give you sound foundational knowledge in our discipline,” Dr. Odo said.

Though Cameron students with a degree in Criminal Justice have the ability to venture into a vast array of career fields after graduation, Dr. Odo said that sometimes choosing what field to pursue is the toughest part.

“Students could work at county level, work at state level, even work at federal and corporate levels,” Dr. Odo said.

According to Dr. Odo, internships play an essential role in the process of learning; with the extensive scope of career choices that students have to choose from, internships help CU students narrow down their fields of curiosity.

“Internships allow you to test your interests before you graduate, so you see the relationship between theory and practice,” Dr. Odo said.

See MAJORS Page 2

Photo courtesy of CU Public Affairs

And the winners are: From left to right: CU President Dr. Cindy Ross, Elizabeth Hackler, Dr. Ramona Hall, Dr. Joanni Sailor and Harold Hackler. The Harold and Elizabeth Hackler Teaching Excellence Awards were presented Nov. 13.

Cameron professors awarded Kaylee Jones

Hackler were present for the ceremony, as well as CU Staff Writer President Cindy Ross and Provost John McArthur.

Cameron University Two Cameron graduate honored the 2012 recipients of the Harold and Elizabeth students were selected to Hackler Teaching Excellence introduce the recipients.

Award on Tuesday, Nov. 13, Matt Keenan, currently pursuing a Master at the CU-Duncan campus. of Education with a Dr. Ramona Hall, concentration in special Associate Professor of education, introduced Education, and Dr. Joanni Dr. Hall. Jennifer Baker, Sailor, Assistant Professor presently working toward a of Psychology, became the two most recent members of Master of Science degree in CU’s faculty to be recognized behavioral sciences with a concentration in psychology, for their outstanding introduced Dr. Sailor. contributions in the lives of Keenan was one of Cameron students.

The Hackler Lectureship two students to submit a recommendation letter in Teaching Excellence nominating Dr. Hall for the was established in 1996 by Cameron alumni Harold and award, writing, “Dr. Hall embodies the core values that Elizabeth Hackler. After Cameron University requires Tuesday’s reception, 24 CU all teachers to embrace and is faculty members have been a shining example of a caring, recipients of the award. competent and committed Both Mr. and Mrs.

professional educator.”

Recipients of the Harold and Elizabeth Hackler Teaching Excellence Award are nominated by faculty and students and must have served as regular full-time members of the CU faculty for at least three years.

Nominees that hold an appointment as an assistant professor or higher are eligible for consideration.

The nominee’s primary assignment must be teaching.

Dr. Sailor said the award was a proud moment in her career.

“I was very honored to be awarded Cameron University’s highest honor in teaching excellence,” Dr. Sailor said. “It was the highlight of my educational teaching career.”

See HACKLER Page 2

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News

November 19, 2012 www.aggiecentral.com

CU student wins art exhibition Matt Thompson

Newswriting Student

Zaeed Kala, a 23-yearold Senior majoring in Painting at CU, has gained recognition for his artistic ability outside of the CU Art Department.

Over the last year, Kala’s work has been accepted into five professional art exhibitions. One of his oil paintings won the first place prize of $1,000 in the “29th Visual Art Alliance’s Juried Exhibition” in Houston.

Kala said he began entering nearby art shows to fulfill the requirements for his senior portfolio, but after his success in the first few show, he now enters his work into any professional exhibition he can.

“The first show I entered was the ‘Oklahoma Friendly’ art show in Oklahoma City,” he said.

“Being accepted into the first show that I ever entered really boosted my self-confidence as an artist.”

The second show he entered was the VAA show in Houston.

According to Kala, the VAA show had over 700 applicants and winning a show like that was a motivation for him to try even harder to enter his

Photo courtesy of Zaeed Kala

Artistic prowess: Zaeed Kala’s oil painting, “Guardians of Olympus,” won first place in the 29th Visual Art Alliance’s Juried Exhibition in Houston. work into more shows.

The third show he was accepted into was “The National Oil and

Acrylic Painter’s Society Exhibition” in Missouri.

The fourth show to accept Kala’s painting was

VETERANS continued from Page 1

a professional art show at the Leslie Powell Gallery in Lawton.

The fifth show

Discusses fostering post-election dialogue Staff Writer

Cameron University hosted the Oklahoma Political Science Association’s annual meeting on Nov. 8 and 9 in the CETES Conference Center.

The theme of the conference was “The 2012 Election: Revisiting the State of the Republic.” The OPSA’s aim for the annual conference is to strive to foster dialogue about politics among faculty, practitioners and students Photo courtesy of CU Public Affairs while encouraging rigorous In honor of valor: Retired Chief Warrant Officer four Richard Wilkinson attends research, insightful teaching and collegiality in political the Veterans Day celebration. CU dedicated the Veterans Grove at the event. science.

Attendees were seen wiping tears from their eyes as the observance seemed to touch many The conference began members of the audience. Maj. Gen. Mark McDonald, Commanding General of Fort Sill and at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday the Fires Center of Excellence, and President Cindy Ross brought the event to a close. in the CETES lobby with Maj. Gen. McDonald addressed the audience first. a registration, after which “Thank you for choosing to honor those who have served our country,” Maj. Gen. OPSA President John Wood McDonald said. “As Americans, we are very privileged to live in a wonderful country, a country and Dr. Tony Wohlers, that is free, a country that has all the rights and privileges that anyone could ever want — but OPSA’s program chair at we all know that that didn’t come inexpensively.”

CU, gave a welcome speech.

A focal point of the ceremony was remembering those who had recently lost their lives in The conference officially the Middle East, but Maj. Gen. McDonald commended the endurance and strength of veterans kicked off at 10:30 with the throughout the entire history of the United States. first Roundtable discussion, “We have a lot to pay tribute for,” Maj. Gen. McDonald said. entitled “Oklahoma President Ross followed Maj. Gen. McDonald’s speech, acknowledging the strong ties Government and Politics between CU and the armed forces, as well as introducing Veterans Grove.

Celebrates Nearly 15 Years In “While we recognize that there is no place, no memorial, no tribute that can ever match the Print.” enormity of our veterans service and sacrifice, Veterans Grove will be a reminder — to each of The nine panelists present us and to those that come after us — of the selfless contribution of our soldiers, our veterans represented the University of and their families,” President Ross said.

Central Oklahoma, Connors State University, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Oklahoma

Page 1

The faculty in the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology make it their objective to get CU graduates a foothold in the work force. The faculty keeps an eye on the progress of Criminal Justice majors and the available job opportunities in the market.

“We try to help our graduates get jobs,” Dr. Odo said. “By the time you become a senior, we start paying close attention to you. We have a list of state, county and federal agencies, and we try and establish close relationships with them.”

Criminal Justice degrees, especially bachelor’s degrees, are highly sought after. Dr. Odo said that most law enforcement careers require either an associates or a bachelor’s degree in the field.

Many of the local, state and federal agencies approach Cameron University in search of Criminal Justice students to apply for internship and career opportunities. The internships can be paid or unpaid, and last a semester up to a year. Dr. Odo said that many students are hired upon graduation after

working an internship.

For more information about degree programs the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology offers, students can visit http://www.cameron.edu/ cj_sociology and view the specific course requirements.

Dr. Odo welcomed students to stop by the office for any inquiries about the Criminal Justice programs.

“If you need more information about our discipline, please feel free to come to our office which is in Nance Boyer room 2075,” Dr. Odo said.

said, “but I am going keep it for a while, and try to enter it into more shows. Awardwinning pieces have a better chance of winning other competitions.”

Although Kala has been accepted into five shows, he has also received rejection letters. His work was rejected by two exhibitions - in New York City and Santa Fe. He said that rejections are a part of the process of becoming a professional artist. He also said that he refuses to let that rejections discourage him from trying to enter future shows.

Kala said he hopes that he can be an example to younger students.

“I started entering shows as a senior,” Kala said. “I would like to encourage younger students to start entering shows earlier than I did. If I would have known how easy it is I would have started a lot earlier.”

According to Associate Professor Monika Linehan – Kala’s advanced painting professor, “Zaeed’s success has been a great inspiration to other students. It has encouraged them to at least consider entering professional art exhibitions.”

CU hosts political science meeting Kaylee Jones

MAJORS continued from

Kala was accepted in was by invitation. After winning first place in the VAA exhibition, Wade Wilson, the juror of that competition, invited Kala to an exhibition at his own gallery in New Mexico.

According to Kala, having his work in invitational shows is an honor because he was invited personally. He did not have to apply and wait for a response.

Kala’s award winning piece was an oil painting called “Guardians of Olympus”.

“I painted my awardwinning piece last fall in my first advanced painting class,” Kala said. “It was kind of an experiment.”

The piece ‘Guardians of Olympus’ is centered on Greek mythology, but features a theme of ethnic diversity.

“The juror told me he liked my piece because of the racial diversity of the figures,” Kala said.

He has received three offers of over $2,000 from people who were interested in purchasing his prizewinning piece. He, however, has not accepted any offer in hopes to enter his piece into more art competitions.

“I have received a few offers on my painting” Kala

City Community College and Cameron University.

Seven panels were held across the span of two days, covering topics such as Legislative Processes and Reforms to Compliance and Human Nature, Political Processes and Institutions to International Politics and The Return to Oklahoma.

Awards for the best graduate and undergraduate papers were presented along with the appointment of both a teacher and scholar of the year, and other prestigious honors, such as the Bob Darcy Lifetime Achievement and Saundra Mace Service award.

Two keynote speakers presented at the Conference: Dr. David Blatt, Director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute and Dr. William Howell, Sydney Stein Professor in American Politics at the University of Chicago’s Harris School.

Dr. William Howell, who received his Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University, spoke on Thursday night regarding “An Argument on Behalf of a Stronger U.S. Presidency.”

“Right now, Presidents can’t propose legislation,” Dr. Howell said: “they can’t even introduce it. For that,

they have to rely on someone within of Congress. But if they introduce it, members of Congress can kill the proposal, not by voting it down but by simply not considering it.”

Dr. Howell’s argument was a proposal: the President should be able to directly propose legislation on which the House and Senate must vote, and if they fail to do so, it automatically becomes law.

Dr. William Platt presented Friday afternoon over “The Great Tax and Budget Debates of 2012.”

Two international students also joined the Conference.

Ira Islani, an Albanian political science major studying at East Central University, received the honor of best undergraduate paper for her work over the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I like being involved,” Islani said, “I’ve done research before, and I’ll do it again in the spring. I think it’s a good opportunity.”

If any CU students are interested in registering for the 2013 conference or have a proposal for a paper, panel or roundtable discussion, they can contact Dr. Tony Wohlers at awohlers@ cameron.edu.

HACKLER continued from Page 1

Dr. Hall expressed a similar sentiment: “I was so very honored. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, when you think about the list of previous recipients, they’re amazing individuals. I was so honored and humbled and grateful.”

Dr. Hall, nominated

by Dr. Jennifer Dennis, Chair of the Department of Education, currently teaches three classes at CU. She has been a member of Cameron’s faculty since 2003 as a teacher as well as serving as

the Director of Assessment.

Dr. Mary Dzindolet, Chair of the Department of Psychology, nominated Dr. Sailor for the award, referring to her as a “superb teacher.”

Dr. Sailor joined Cameron’s faculty in 2009.

She currently teaches six classes at CU. Both award winners will receive a stipend and grant for professional development through the Hackler endowment.

Dr. Hall said she is uncertain as to how she will

allocate the grant.

Dr. Sailor said she plans to use the funds from the award for student travel.

In addition, she said she would like to take students to professional state and national conferences.

“Finding ways to spend funds on students is unlimited,” Dr. Sailor said.

In addition to receiving the stipend and grant, Dr. Hall and Dr. Sailor’s names will be added to the Hackler Award honor roll that is on display at the CU-Duncan campus.

3

A&E

November 19, 2012 www.aggiecentral.com

Alpha Phi names Myers Alpha Male James Meeks

Photo by James Meeks

And the winner is: Contestants Frank Myers and Steve Sassaman man-hug it out moments before CU sorority Alpha Phi announced the winner of the third annual Alpha Male competition. Both contestants battled it out in areas including brains, brawn and beauty to win, but Myers won the bragging rights that go along with the title.

2009 in which people lay flat in unusual locations.

Staff Writer Third contestant Frank Cameron University’s Myers dressed in sports fan Alpha Phi held their wear, showing off his calves. third annual Alpha Male His special talent was doing competition on Nov. 8 in the a spoken-word interpretation MCC Ballroom. of Sir-Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Five males from various CU Got Back,” which inspired in organizations battled it out on laughter among the crowd. stage in areas of sportswear, Colton Rancoure was the talent, formal wear and fourth contestant, and he came interview questions. in geek wear. His special talent Niki Streussnig, member was being able to juggle a golf of the sorority and master of ball with a golf club. ceremonies for the competition The final contestant was said that although bragging Steve Sassaman. His sports rights were on the line, there choice was wearing a cyclist was a more worthy charitable outfit similar to those in the goal the girls of sorority had Tour de France race. His their eye on. She explained special talent was singing, and that all the funds specifically he sang “Great Big Stuff” from from the competition would the 1988 Steve Martin comedy, go toward the fund to help out “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” their sorority sisters.

Sassaman encouraged the “The current crisis the fund crowd to sing along with him is helping out right now is our during his performance. sisters who lost everything in After showing off their Hurricane Sandy,” Streussnig sportswear and talent, the said. contestants wore formal Proceeds from the evening wear and answered interview also went toward advancing questions. Each contestant leadership development, answered their questions with encouraging academic confidence and pride excellence, improving women’s The contestants went to heart health and helping other the members of the audience sorority members. to convince them to donate Scoring depended on both money into buckets with their votes from judges and input name on it after answering a from the audience. series of interview questions.

“For their favorite This segment not only helped contestant, they will put a the Alpha Phi members with dollar in their bucket which their goals, but also gave will count towards the overall participants one last chance to score — one dollar equals one obtain points. point,” Streussnig said.

The winner of the The first contestant was Jay competition was Frank Myers, Gatliff. Gatliff was dressed in a and Sassaman was named the soccer uniform. His talent was first runner-up. Alpha Phi doing ball balance tricks and raised a total of $810.08 from balancing the ball on his back all the donations and monetary while taking off his jersey. votes gathered during the Second contestant Juan event.

Martinez dressed in sports fan All Alpha Male contestants wear. His special talent was will also be featured in the planking, a fad that took off in Alpha Male 2013 calendar.

Woodwind Night unites flute, clarinet and saxophone players Carson Stringham Newswriting Student

The Cameron Music Department highlighted its three woodwind ensembles during its “Woodwind Night” concert that took place at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 in the McCutcheon Recital Hall.

Temporary Assistant Professor Dr. Michael Compton said the concert was something that he thought up as a way for the groups to test their new material on a live audience, and the music featured during “Woodwind Night” ranged from classical compositions by Bach and Mozart to more contemporary pieces by Jan Freidlin and Daniel Dorff.

According to Dr. Compton,

the flute ensemble only consisted of three students until a few weeks ago when a student decided to get back into playing music and join the group.

Dr. Compton said the only prerequisite to becoming a member of any of the ensembles is being able to play proficiently.

Each ensemble is offered as a class on campus; however, each individual member takes the class at a different time, thus the groups only get to rehearse together as a whole one day a week. Dr. Compton said that for the concert, a rehearsal was held with only an hour to spare before the performance began.

The concert took two months to put together; but, with that now behind him, Dr. Compton says that he has some ideas for performances for the

Photo by Colton Rowe

All together now: Student woodwind instrumentalists come together to rehearse for a recent concert.

Members of the ensembles spend time rehearsing one day a week for two months before playing for audiences. holidays.

He said, “I’ve got some arrangements of Christmas tunes, so we are going to start

working on those; maybe we will decide to stroll around campus and play or set up a performance at the mall.”

Dr. Compton said he hopes to have more students join the ensembles in the future.

“If you play an instrument,

come on out,” he said. “If you played in a chamber group in high school and enjoyed it, come on out; that’s what we do.”

Ebony Society invites students to Show Off Sarah Brewer

to have spirit and be an athlete. It takes confidence to do pretty much anything.”

A&E Editor Rapper and junior Sports Fitness Management major Brian Booming bass and a platform stage gave Cameron Phillips, also known as BP in the local music scene, shows University students a venue for entertaining and dancing when confidence while performing. the CU Ebony Society hosted its CU Show-Off Showcase Phillips said he took to the stage to show off his prowess talent show party on the night of Nov. 10 at the Aggie Rec for free-styling verses and his preference for supporting others Center. with his music.

The CU Ebony Society organized the event to encourage “I want to inspire, motivate, and encourage people,” Phillips students to feel comfortable expressing who they are and shine said, “but I want to be real with people most of all. I think in their own style. things in society are sugar-coated, and I think the rap and hipDerek Smith, who currently serves as President of the CU hop music that is out now is just gimmicks; it is just a joke.”

Ebony Society, came up with the concept that would feature Some of his music contains explicit language, but Phillips performances by members of other student organizations, said his message directs others to do better in their lives. For including the Students of the Caribbean Alliance. example, Phillips raps about letting go of toxic relationships “We wanted to invite as many students and organizations while performing “Without You.” to come out and show with fashion, dance, and performance,” “When I curse or say something explicit, it is for a reason,” Smith said.

Phillips said. “I do not encourage people to curse; people Smith went on to emphasize how finding confidence from know I am a positive dude. When I make a point, I do it with within and flaunting it with flair can be the key to success. passion.”

“We promoted this as a showcase and a party put together, Phillips tailors his performances according to his audiences, but I want student to show off whatever it is they do best. It but prefers to take a more vehement approach when possible takes confidence to make good grades, to lead organizations, — especially when communicating to college students.

“I feel like you have to be a real as possible with young adults,” Phillips said. “In college you find yourself, and friends people make in college can last forever and the same decisions, influences and peer pressures can carry on until people decide to change.”

According to Phillips, injecting more passion into his lyrics has helped him reach more listeners and feel more at ease on stage.

“I got hype and saw and all my friends here and felt comfortable. I thought the CU Show-Off Showcase was the perfect time to speak people,” Phillips said.

4

Voices

November 19, 2012 www.aggiecentral.com

Ignorance is bliss, except in voting

Kaylee Jones Staff Writer THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna

Editorial Staff

Editor-in-Chief - Matthew Berberea News Editors - Teewhy Dojutelegan, Tiffany Martinez Crossroads Editor - Dianne Riddles A&E Editor - Sarah Brewer Sports Editor - Tyler Boydston Copy Editor - Alex Rosa-Figueroa Aggie Central Editor- Mitch Watson Archivist - Mitch Watson

Newsroom Staff

Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Amanda Goemmer, Lizzy Owoyemi, James Meeks, Kaylee Jones Circulation Manager - Matt Thompson Advertising Manager - Matthew Berberea Photographers - Kali Robinson, Misty Neal

Newswriting Students

Charlene J. Belew, Jordan K. Godlewski, Terry I. Gonzalez, Mei Ling Grooms, Michaela D. Haire, Philip D. Harrington, Eloise A. Herbert, Dena N. Jennings, Kaylee M. Jones, Sadie L. Jones, Whitney N. Mefford, Jaime R. O’Bannon, Melissa C. Solis, Shelby M. Stancil, Kaitlyn M. Stockton, Carson B. Stringham, Matthew L. Thompson, Cindy A. Walter, Skylar D. Williams

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 Lawton Constitution The first issue is provided free of charge. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.

The election is over.

Unsurprisingly, Oklahoma did not disappoint, as each of the 77 counties voted red, consistent with the last 50 years of voting history.

Another non-surprise was the backlash I have received over my rather public decision not to vote in the 2012 presidential election. After all, if people like myself had rallied at the polls believing that our votes would not be cast in vain, perhaps a spot of blue might have made its way into Oklahoma’s sea of red for once.

As I touted my rights as my reason for not voting, I was accused of shirking my responsibilities. I began to search for the line bordering between rights and privileges, as it has not been universally decided what voting is: a right, a privilege or a responsibility.

Regardless as to what role voting plays, and though I believe it can act as all three, I have reached the conclusion that voting is primarily a privilege.

Accordingly, I believe there should be higher standards for voter registration.

In simpler terms, people should have to know stuff before they are allowed to decide stuff.

Groundbreaking, right?

All sarcasm aside, I have a proposal, and this time it does not involve “sitting this one out:” I propose that individuals should have to have a license to vote.

We have to have a license to drive, to hunt and to marry. Why shouldn’t we have to demonstrate a knowledge about that which we are voting before we are allowed to do so?

In a day where the civics portion of naturalization tests — tests that contain basic questions about American government and

politics — is failed by 38 percent of Americans, it is important to raise the question of whether or not these people should be allowed to have a voice.

As I attended the Oklahoma Political Science Association’s 2012 annual convention, I spoke with Dr. William Howell, a keynote speaker for the Convention

with a Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University. I was relieved to find my opinion was not one entirely rejected by the community.

“There’s a logic to not voting,” Dr. Howell said. “If you’re not educated on the issues especially, not voting is in the public interest.”

The woman that

accused President Obama of being a communist was a terrifyingly accurate caricature of my opinion of the American voter today.

She substituted fact with uneducated rants for the interviewer to “study it out.”

President Obama was a communist in her mind, an opinion she was free to hold; however, she simply had no reason for why she felt this way.

Take heed, she is one of many who are “deciding our future.”

The trouble is not that all voters are like this woman, but that individuals such as these are free to vote at all.

Voting should not be treated as a right that any coming-of-age American citizen with a clean record can exercise; rather, it should be viewed as a privilege Such a proposal brings to attention the troubling matter of voting participation altogether.

Would requiring more from voters deter them from bothering?

I may have oversimplified the matter by quelling it with a quality-over-quantity justification. Regardless, it is a risk I am willing to take.

Having a license to decide with whom you will be spending the rest of your life is not out of the question, but requiring a license to vote on the issues that will steer our nation and its individual members — that’s simply certifiable.

Reality TV storming the nation

Letters Policy

Letters to the editor will be printed in the order in which they are received and on a space available basis.

The Collegian reserves the right to edit all letters for content and length. Letters should be no more than 250 words. Letters from individual authors will be published only once every four weeks.

All letters from students should include first and last names, classification and major. No nicknames will be used. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verification.

Letters can be sent by regular mail, by e-mail to aggiecentral@ cameron.edu or they may be dropped off at our office - Academic Commons 101 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.

Lizzy Owoyemi Staff Writer

People now see reality TV as the most recent and fresh trend to come out of television. People have become addicted to reality TV, because it often deals with things happening around them. Most reality television shows deal with the everyday lives or love lives of celebrities.

Many people who watch reality television often fantasize about gaining status through automatic fame.

I believe there are various reasons people are addicted to reality television. Some of these reasons include getting information about celebrities, seeing the hidden talents in people, a desire for good entertainment and keeping people together.

Over the years, people have watched as celebrity couples have come together and grown apart. I have noticed that reality television has become part of the American culture’s need to get informed of what almost every celebrity icon is doing; in that regard, reality television plays an important role in people’s everyday life.

Most young people I have met get latest information about celebrities through reality shows. Most reality shows are celebrity-produced,

and it is always about their everyday lives. Shows like “For the Love of Ray-J,” “Runs House,” “The Family Crews” and many more deal with how celebrities handle daily routine. These shows give audiences more information about celebrities, their families and their love life. Not everyone loves watching news, so people prefer to watch reality television shows to get information about latest happenings in the entertainment industry.

Reality television also brings out the hidden talent in people. There are people who are always scared of exploring their talents. If not for some of these reality TV shows, most talents would be wasted. Shows

like “American Idol” and “Top Chef ” have produced talented people and made them popular. Most of the contestants on these shows did not know what they had inside until they participated.

Every year, “American Idol” provides new stars for the music industry. For example, Jennifer Hudson was one of the contestants on “Idol”.

Even though she did not win, she won an Oscar award as an actress. She might not have noticed her musical and acting skills if not for reality shows.

Reality television has become a form of entertainment. Every day, people get back after a stressful day, take a cold or hot shower, get something to eat and

switch on the television to see what is happening on the next episode of the “The Housewives of New Jersey.” Reality television has become a way of relaxing the mind. People watch reality television shows to get entertained in the face of a bad economy. Reality TV involves cultural issues such as class, sex, and race; by contrast, most “respectable television,” like CNN, CBS Evening News and many more do not deal with cultural issues properly. The competition, apprentice and elimination shows are what make reality TV a unique form of entertainment.

Reality television has a way of bringing people together. The genre has become increasingly difficult

to avoid contact with, and in places like offices, salons, health clubs, restaurants and bars, people can be found discussing what happened the night before on “The Bachelors.”

Whether we like it or not, things are gradually changing. People used to get their information from newspapers and magazines, but nowadays most people do not have the patience or urge to grab a paper to read anymore. Because the way we get information is changing, reality shows are growing faster than we can imagine. Reality TV shows have become one of the biggest revenue makers for television channels, and is one of the most popular genres of television media.

November 19, 2012 www.aggiecentral.com

5

Crossroads

Photo by Sarah Brewer

AMBUCS 57th Annual Pancake Day Dianne Riddles

high school, which really speaks volumes about our Crossroads Editor teenagers. They are really The Lawton Chapter great kids,” he said. “The of AMBUCS held its Lawton AMBUCS is one 57th Annual Pancake of the oldest in Oklahoma, Day on Monday, Nov. 5, with a membership that is a at the Comanche County good mix of young and older Fairgrounds Arena. businessmen and retirees.”

AMBUCS is a non-profit A part of what keeps service organization with the organization strong, a membership of men and Holcomb said, is the active women who are dedicated participation of its many to creating mobility and members combined with independence for people support from the Lawton with disabilities. community.

Local businessman “We’ve been very and past president of the fortunate with 110 Lawton AMBUCS Larry members and growing; Holcomb said that this both of the other clubs have event is the club’s biggest memberships somewhere fundraiser of the year. between 50 and 100,” he “We are the only said. “Three AMBUCS AMBUCS chapter in chapters in a town of this Lawton that does a Pancake size and all three are very Day, and it is our major active – that is impressive. fundraiser. We do it once In a time when most a year, and it is a one day volunteer organizations event,” Holcomb said. “We are losing members it is have it on the first Monday impressive that Lawton in November every year. can support all of these We start serving at 6:30 chapters and it just proves a.m., and we serve sausage, that Lawton is a great place bacon, eggs and pancakes to live. continuously until 8 p.m.”

“We’ve been so blessed Holcomb explained the that we can get by with division of AMBUCS in one fundraiser a year, Lawton, and what function and the community really each chapter plays. supports us – we could not “There are three survive without their help.

AMBUCS chapters in Today, we will probably Lawton – the Lawton serve around 5,000 people.

AMBUCS, the Mountain Lots of people just buy the Metro AMBUCS and the tickets and don’t ever use Great Plains AMBUCS. them – they just purchase We also have a Junior them as a donation.”

AMBUCS, which is made According to Holcomb, up of kids that are in the Lawton/Ft. Sill

Photo by Dianne Riddles

Pancakes for breakfast, lunch or dinner on Pancake Day: Odell Gunter and Eula Newton have pancakes for breakfast after casting their early votes in the presidential election. They said that they were very happy to contribute to an organization that does so much good for people in need in the community. community also gives manpower in support of the organization.

“We are fortunate to get help from several groups in Lawton. Our Co-op partner, the 2-2 FA, contributes manpower and assistance any time we need them, and they are vital in helping us put on this event,” he said. “We also receive a great amount of help from the athletic department at Cameron University. There is no way we could put on this event without all of their assistance.”

Holcomb said that AMBUCS provides AmTrykes, a therapeutic tricycle, to individuals who are unable to operate

a traditional bike due to disabilities; however, their therapist first must recommend the individual by stating that the AmTryke would help that person in their therapy.

“When we experience the joy of watching a child perhaps riding their new bike for the first time, and sometimes watching his parents experience that same excitement, those emotions are a big part of why we do what we do,” he said. “This can be the first time that this child feels like they can play and do things they have never done before.”

Holcomb said that there have been some developments in the engineering of the AmTrykes that allows older children and adults the ability to use and benefit from the device.

“At our national convention last year in Oklahoma City we gave away 110 AmTrykes, half of which were given to very deserving children; however, we found that the VA has not signed off on the AmTryke as a therapeutic device for wounded veterans and they will not cover the costs,” he said. “We then worked with the VA center in Oklahoma City. With the help of the therapists for these veterans, we were able to present 55 wounded veterans with a specially built AmTryke made just for each one’s special needs.”

“Besides giving away the AmTrykes, we provide scholarships for graduate students who are going into any therapy field such as speech, occupational or Photo by Sarah Brewer physical therapy,” Holcomb Cameron University student volunteers: Brittany Harris, junior Interdisciplinary said.

“We also get lots of calls Studies major and Markita Zeigler, freshman Criminal Justice major prepare pancake mix. from many people around Harris and Zeigler were continuously busy during the early evening hours of the event.

town who are disabled and cannot afford a wheelchair ramp on their house.

They contact one of the AMBUCS clubs and then we go out and build them a wheelchair ramp,” Holcomb said. “This is something we do on weekends and on our days off but the rewards are great when we see someone who has been homebound because they could not get off their porch come down that ramp.”

According to Holcomb, AMBUCS sometimes join forces with other organizations in order to provide aid and raise funds.

“Back in 1990, when there was a major tornado in Oklahoma City, we wanted to do something spur of the moment to help. Our club and the local Kiwanis Club, which also has an annual pancake day, pooled our resources, abilities and people, and we just threw together a pancake day in a matter of a week or two; we raised about $10,000 that we sent to Habitat for Humanity.”

Holcomb expressed his gratitude for the community’s support.

“We really appreciate the support of the community, and not just with Pancake Day, but also with everything we do – we couldn’t do it without the help of everybody in Lawton,” he said.

Holcomb offered several ways in which an interested person could get involved.

“Monetary donations are always great. If a person is a contractor and would like to help out, a lot of times we just take our Saturdays and go build wheelchair ramps, but if somebody wanted to bring their expertise, or equipment or whatever, that could come in handy too,” he said. “Or if someone is interested in just joining AMBUCS, it’s not an expensive deal. We meet once a week and it doesn’t cost much more than the cost of your meal.”

Additional information about the Lawton AMBUCS or membership is available at www. lawtonambucs.org. Specific questions can be directed to any AMBUCS member, by emailing Rick Kerr at office@playcare.com or by calling 580.355.0814.

Photo by Sarah Brewer

6

Sports

November 19, 2012 www.aggiecentral.com

Aggies take on Knights in season opener Tyler Boydston Sports Editor

Cameron University’s men’s basketball team started off their season at 3 p.m. on Nov. 11 against Southwestern Adventist, playing at home in the Aggie Gym. The Aggies defeated the Southwestern Adventist Knights in the game with a final score of 77 to 49.

Senior Andrew Thomas led the men’s basketball team during the game, scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds throughout, while junior Asaad Robinson scored 15 points during his 26 minutes against Southwestern Adventist.

Junior Aaron Thompson ended the match with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while junior Jonathan Patino had 10 points within his 24 minutes of play.

According to Men’s Head Basketball Coach Wade Alexander, despite the team’s win against the Knights, they still have room to improve over the course of their season.

“We really rebounded the ball and took care of it well,” coach Alexander said. “Shot selection was not as good as we would have liked, but not terrible. Defensively, we could have done a whole lot better. We just lost focus for three or four minutes, and they were able to get 10

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Slam dunk: Junior Asaad Robinson dunks against Southwestern Adventist during the game Nov. 11. The Aggies won the match 77 to 49. Their next home game will be against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Nov. 20. or 12 shots.”

The day before their season opener, the current men’s basketball team played against past members of the team in an alumni match. At the end of the first half, the current team found themselves ahead 39 to 34, but managed to further their lead by the end

of the game when they won 82 to 65.

Head coach Alexander said the alumni game managed to help the Aggies prepare for their season by making the team explore options they normally would not resort to in their games.

“It got those first-game

jitters out of their system,” coach Alexander said.

“With the alumni, some of them knew our plays so when we called one out, they knew how to attack it and made us use our other options.”

According to coach Alexander, the amount of time the team has to

practice has increased by 12 hours once their season began.

“Oct. 15 was the first official day of practice,” coach Alexander said.

“We can have pre-season practice, but you only have eight hours a week with the players. During the season we have 20 hours a week.”

With the season now in session, coach Alexander said the team is focusing on being prepared for what other teams can bring to the table, as well as the individual focus.

“Early in the year you have to worry about yourself,” coach Alexander said, “so you have to get yourself ready, execute your offense, be ready for anything they may throw at you and trust that you’re going to outperform the other team.”

According to Alexander, the new players to the team are still in the process of enhancing their game.

“We’re still trying to implement some of our stuff with the new guys and get a little sharper at what we are supposed to do both defensively and with some of our plays,” he said. “We still have a lot of things that we can work on every day, and it probably gets boring to them, but it’s pretty much the same thing every day for right now.”

Coach Alexander said that with the season now begun, the team is trying to work together more.

“Everyone is competing for spots right now, and at the same time we are trying to gel as a team,” he said.

The men’s basketball team is next set to play against Oklahoma Panhandle State at 8 p.m. on Nov. 20.

Volleyball ends fall season against Abilene Christian CU Sports Information

out back and forth and the Aggies were able to put the lead at 10-6. They kept the lead through the rest of the For the last time set until Abilene Christian this season the Aggie University had a five point volleyball team took the rally to give them the lead court at the Aggie Gym 23-21. After an Aggie kill to go against the Abilene Christian Wildcats Nov. 9. by freshman Shannon Unfortunately the Cameron Dulaney, the Wildcats seniors did not go out with were able to score two more a win as the team lost three points to win the set 25sets to one to the Wildcats. 22.

Cameron took revenge in Cameron was able set two and started out with to honor its two senior a 10-4 run. After that they volleyball players, Joanie Dubberly and Julisa Ocasio, never gave up the lead or let the Wildcats tie it up in the Nov. 9 at the beginning of rest of the set. CU won set the match. Dubberly has two 25-23. been at Cameron all four Sets three and four were years of her college career very similar. A barrage of and has been the ultimate team player for the Aggies. ACU attacks and multiple Ocasio has been one of the Cameron errors gave Abilene Christian multiple best in the conference at rallies in each set. Cameron digging at balls as she has was able to get within two over 1,000 in her career points in the third set but at Cameron and holds the record for digs in a game at for every CU point there would be multiple ACU CU. points. Cameron lost set The first set started

three 18-25 and set four 15-25.

The Aggie attack was able to stay balanced but costly errors hurt them down the stretch.

Freshmen Kathryn Evans and Shannon Dulaney both had 13 kills and fellow freshman Annelise Carpenter had 11 kills.

Junior Jenna Risoli was able to end the season with a good game as she put up her 15th double double of the season with 39 assists and 14 digs. Ocasio also ended the season in her own style by racking up a 26 dig game.

With this loss the Aggies end the season with a 10-22 overall record and a 4-16 record against Lone Star Conference opponents.

The Cameron University volleyball team later earned two all-conference awards at the Lone Star Conference Awards Banquet held in San Angelo Nov. 14.

Ocasio was named Second Team AllConference. She recorded 505 digs in 76 sets played, averaging 6.64 per set.

She also broke the alltime program high for digs in a match with 44 on Nov. 3 against Eastern New Mexico. The 44 digs were the second highest total recorded in NCAA Division II this season and the highest in the LSC. Meanwhile, Kathryn Evans was given Honorable Mention by the LSC for her performance in the 2012 season. Evans led the LSC with 437 total kills and was fourth in average kills per set (3.67). On Sept.

29 against St. Mary’s, she recorded a career high 24 kills.

Photo by Matthew Berberea Both Ocasio and Evans earned Lone Star Over the net: Sophomore Rebecca Green fights Conference Player of the against Southeastern Oklahoma State during their Week Awards during the match Oct. 30. The volleyball team’s final match of the fall 2012 season. season took place against Abilene Christian Nov. 9.