The Cameron University Collegian: October 26, 2009

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

Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926

Monday, October 26, 2009

Variety

Volume 84 Issue 8

Banquet showcases CU diversity

By Melissa Rodgers Collegian Staff

‘Uncharted 2: Among Thieves’ game review.

SEE PAGE 8

A&E

‘Where the Wild Things Are’ too wild for kids.

SEE PAGE 5

Sports

The Cameron University International Club presented the second Annual International Student Scholarship Banquet on Saturday night, Oct. 10 at the CU Fitness Center.

There are currently 268 international students representing 45 different countries on campus, according to the International Admissions Office. This event helps raise money for a $1,000 scholarship award for a student each year. This scholarship is very helpful to the winning student since international students in general cannot receive federal funding or work off-campus jobs.

Marcella Gustafson, International Student Admissions Coordinator, said that their long-term goal is to save a little each year so that an endowed scholarship fund can be eventually established.

With the banquet’s theme of “International Students Bringing the World to Cameron University,” guests were greeted with dinner prelude music by the CU Percussion Ensemble. The buffet style dinner consisted of entrees and desserts from regions such as the Caribbean, Germany, Nepal, China, India and Greece.

Neila Ettienne, Theatre major from Grenada, served throughout the evening as Mistress of Ceremonies.

The welcome introduction was given by Dr. John McArthur, CU Vice President of Academic Affairs. Guest speaker for the evening was Cameron graduate Jacqueline Williams from Grenada.

Entertainment for the 200 guests that attended included a variety of music and dance from CU’s international students. Javee Morris from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts kicked off the entertainment portion with her solo performance of a traditional Caribbean carnival dance. Other performances included a Nepalese folk song and guitar solo by

By Rashmi Thapaliya The Cameron University Forensics Team traveled Sept.

25-26 to Hutchinson, Kan., to participate in the third annual “Debates on a Plain” and Forensics Tournament sponsored by Hutchinson Community College and Sterling College. A total

SEE PAGE 6

Voices

Photo by Jim Horinek

Awards: Over the years the Forensics team has won numerous awards in many different events.

Newswriting Student

SEE PAGE 4

See BANQUET Page 2

of 21 colleges and universities participated in the tournament.

In individual events, CU racked up a ninth place finish and was the highest placing school from Oklahoma. CU sophomore Jordan Scribner of Jenks finished second in Persuasive Speaking and sixth in Dramatic Interpretation.

“Many of our team members tried one or more individual events for the first time, so the experience and the practice we gained from this tournament will be beneficial for us at future tournaments,” Scribner said.

Daniel Schabot, coach of the CU Speech and Debate team, said that the team did pretty well in the first tournament of the semester.

“I am satisfied with the performance of the team,” Schabot said. “But still, you always feel that you could have been more prepared for the tournament.”

Photo courtesy of CU Speech and Debate

Preparation: Forensics teams members Roxanne Christian, Felicia Manner, Tabitha Kautzman, Troy Flewellen and Sara Straub prepare for an event.

Schabot has been the coach of the CU Speech and Debate team since 2007. He said that the team started with only four members and now has 11. Most of the members of the team are freshmen or sophomores, he said.

In the Hutchinson tournament, Troy Flewellen of Tulsa and

Lamod McFadden of Lawton, both sophomores, finished as Parliamentary Debate quarterfinalists in the Varsity Division.

See FORENSICS Page 2

SGA starts year with new leadership, location

By Amanda Finch

Limbaugh’s failure to purchase NFL team says something about politics.

Rubin Ghimire from Nepal. An all-male trio from Nigeria, which included Bamidele Eleshin, Godsfavour Umoro and Oluwatobi Olaomoju, performed a song complete with their own talent on the drums and keyboard.

A Latin American dance was performed

by Caroline Vera Vera from Suriname and Nigel Brown.

Carnival dance: St. Kitts native Brown is actually from Florida but Javee Morris performs a traditional his parents are Caribbean carnival dance. from Trinidad, underscoring a point that was made during the night that any student, no matter if they are from another country or not, can join the International Club.

Cameron speech, Debate travels to Kansas for ‘Debates on a Plain,’ Forensics tournament Collegian Staff

Mens’ Basketball looks to have another winning year.

Photos by Melissa Rodgers

Guitar solo: Rubin Ghimire from Nepal performs a Nepalese folk song. During the banquet there were several different international student performers who showcased their culture on the stage.

The Student Government Association is starting the year off with new officers and a brand new location.

Senior Criminal Justice major Daniel Brown is in his fourth and final year in SGA and is currently serving as SGA President. He first got involved in the organization during his freshman year when he filed for Senator.

“Marcos Rivera and Ryan Alley, the President and Treasurer at the time, told me what SGA was all about and it seemed like an interesting organization to join,” Brown said.

Since joining SGA in fall of 2006, Brown has also served as Sergeant of Arms and Treasurer.

When he decided to run for president last spring, he ran unopposed.

“The reason I ran for office was because I wanted to get SGA back on track. I wanted it to once again become the voice of the student body. As president, I feel I can make the biggest impact on the organization and the campus to improve both,” Brown said.

As president, it is Brown’s responsibility to preside over SGA meetings and make sure everything runs smoothly in the organization. Being President of SGA also makes Brown a member of the Council of

Student Presidents, which is comprised of SGA Presidents from across the state.

“One of Photo courtesy of SGA the greatest Cabinet: SGA President Daniel Brown, Vice challenges President Julianne Moini and Treasurer Elijah of being the Morlett.

President is getting people informed about mechanism for positive change what we do in SGA and keeping on our growing campus,” Brown everyone interested. SGA has said. a large impact on campus that I don’t think many students realize. I want the students to be See SGA aware that we are a productive Page 2 organization and that we are a

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News

October 26, 2009

SGA continued from page 1 In place to help the president are the positions of vice president and treasurer. This year senior Organizational Leadership major Julianne Moini is serving as Vice President, and junior Public Relations major Elijah Morlett is serving as Treasurer.

This is Moini’s fourth year as a member of SGA. Previously, she served as a senator and the Secretary.

“As SGA Vice President, I want to be available to the senators and representatives at any time they need me. This includes during the meetings, when they are trying to figure out what is going on, or outside of meetings when they need help writing legislation or have questions. Last year I am not sure it was always easy to get in touch

with an officer. I hope that this year the senators and representatives will feel differently,” Moini said.

Like Brown, Moini ran for her office unopposed last spring. In contrast, Treasurer Elijah Morlett faced competition for his position. Because the office of Treasurer was the only position with several candidates in the running, he had to work a little harder campaigning.

“I talked to students at the end of my classes and passed out cards and talked to people around campus,”

Morlett said. “I had plenty of help from a few people which made campaigning much easier. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

This year is Morlett’s second year being involved in SGA. However, because he served as the Sergeant of Arms last year, he has experience.

“I decided to run for office last semester because I really wanted to

be more involved and play a bigger part in SGA. I believed that I could play a good part in making SGA an even better organization,” Morlett said.

As Treasurer, Morlett is responsible for keeping track of the SGA budget and chairing the Finance Committee.

“I plan on simplifying several tasks for the Financial Committee and all the documents behind this position. With new leadership and changing times, it’s always good to keep things up to date,” Morlett said. “I also really want to be active with Senators and Representatives for more than just money issues.

The task of Treasurer is a smaller, simpler task that includes money, budgets, distribution, presentations, and things like that.”

So far, the new executive officers have been off to a busy start. With the increase in enrollment, SGA is seeing more new members this semester than ever before.

“This year we have many new senators and representatives that are excited about SGA. That is always very exciting to me. They are learning the rules and getting very involved,” Moini said.

The organization is also meeting at a new place. Now, instead of meeting every Monday night in the Goodyear Room of the Science Complex, SGA meets in the new Business Building Auditorium.

“Meeting in the Business Building has been amazing so far and I am excited to see how much we can get accomplished on campus this year,” Brown said.

for the international students because their language and culture is very different.

If someone wants to be a member of the team, they can start by attending practice on Monday and Wednesday between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Schabot said that he will coach the students and keep them in the events, even if they have no background in speech and debate.

“I don’t turn anyone away who wants to learn,” Schabot said. “If you like to argue and defeat a person with words, then speech and debate is your thing.”

Cameron University offers a limited number of scholarships for the members of the forensics team.

When the team is out for competition, everything is paid for by the school. Schabot said that the support from Cameron University President Cindy Ross has been great, as she makes sure that the forensics team has a decent budget.

He said that the members of the team build good communications skills, which are helpful in every step of their life.

“The students who participate in forensics team have a better ability to communicate,” Schabot said. “They have knowledge of national and international issues, and they can make great lawyers and preachers.”

Tabetha Kautzman is a

sophomore majoring in English Education and a member of the CU forensics team.

“I really enjoy being a member of the team,” Kautzman said. “I was never good at sports and it gives me a place to talk, which I am always interested in.”

Schabot said that most of the forensics team members are active in PAC, student government and other activities on campus.

“Forensics is an academic way to keep the students interested in Campus activites,” Schabot said.

Cameron competes in several intercollegiate tournaments each year and is a member of Phi Kappa Delta.

Graphic by Jim Horinek

Forensics continued from page 1 Their tournament ended following a loss to Sterling College on a 3-0 decision.

Flewellen placed ninth in Top Speaker Points in the Parliamentary Debate Varsity Division.

In the Novice Division, junior Felicia Manners of Charlestown, St. Kitt’s & Nevis and Roxanne Christian of Salisbury, Dominica fi nished sixth after compiling a 3-2 winloss record. The team missed debating in the elimination portion due to a tiebreaker.

Christian placed 10th in Top Speaker Points in the Parliamentary Debate Novice Division.

The Cameron Forensics Team is participating in

the Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) tournament on Oct. 23 and 24. There will be around 1012 participants for Cameron University.

Schabot said that the students have been progressing a lot, as they have already competed in 6-7 individual events and are well-prepared.

“The participants are learning different ways to argue,” Schabot said. “I coach them on specific position, critique, individual speaking, watch them and guide them through their speeches and debates.”

There are three international students on the CU forensics team. Schabot said that being on the team is a hard transition

BANQUET continued from page 1 The final act of the evening was a “flirting” Nepalese folk dance. Performers from Nepal included: Sadiksha Bhandari; Amit Sharma,;Nirjwal Wast; Rashmi Thapaliya; Harjit Chopra,;Sweta Shrestha; Anjana Prasain and Yubaraj Pudasaini.

The money that was raised during the banquet came from ticket proceeds and a silent auction.

Students from the International Club met with local businesses, who donated several items. International students also donated items from their home countries.

“As a result of the banquet, over $2,300 was raised,” Gustafson said. “So many people made this banquet possible — from those that sold tickets, decorated and set up the fitness center, to the one that washed the last dish.”

I am grateful to our talented international students who made this a successful event,” Gustafson said.

Brad Henry International Scholar Program application period ends Nov. 5 The application deadline for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education’s Brad Henry International Scholar program is just around the corner. Students who have excellent academic qualifications, outstanding writing and communication skills and leadership qualities should submit their application soon. Cameron students wishing to apply for this study-abroad program for the Spring 2010 semester need to submit their application to the School of Liberal Arts no later than November 5. The Brad Henry International Scholar program includes a $10,000 stipend.

An information session for the Brad Henry International Scholar Program will be presented at 1 p.m on Tuesday, Oct. 27. in the Student Activities Building.

Students selected as Brad Henry International Scholars will spend the Spring 2010 semester in Wales, in either the Semester of Study Abroad Program as students at Swansea University in Swansea, Wales, or the National Assembly for Wales Internship, serving as research interns in Cardiff, Wales. The students will be awarded academic credit from Cameron for participating in these programs.

Information and application materials are available from the School of Liberal Arts at sla@cameron.edu or 581.2491.

Photos by Lauren Bennett

See page 7 for solutions.

CU in Wales: CU student Lauren Bennett was accepted into the Brad Henry International Scholar program last year.

Bennett traveled to Wales and studied at Swansea University.

October 26, 2009

News

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Voices

October 26, 2009

Failed Limbaugh purchase should open eyes about politics I guess you could say I’m a little behind the curve at the moment. It’s been two weeks since our last issue hit the stands, and there’s been something gnawing at me. I’m not talking about “balloon boy” or his ignorant father; I’m talking about Rush Limbaugh’s failed attempt to buy a minor ownership stake in the St. Louis Rams and the controversy that it caused.

While I lean politically conservative, I don’t pay much attention to Limbaugh’s talk show or his views. About the only time I hear anything he has to say is when the mainstream media covers something he’s done. But my ears perked up these past two weeks when he announced he was part of a group of buyers interested in acquiring the Rams. Limbaugh’s influence would be about as potent as the average person who owns some stock in Wal-Mart. But it was the

principal of it that irritated a lot of people and most of the NFL. Here is a man who is a rightwing conservative who doesn’t like President Obama and said Donovan McNabb was hyped because he was black. The only thing those two men have in common is they’re both black.

Limbaugh has made a career of complaining about presidents.

He complained about Bush and Clinton as well. Those were both rich white guys with matching hair color. Where was the controversy then? Look around: Obama isn’t the golden boy people thought he was going to be. He hasn’t changed anything, but the promises keep coming.

But let’s keep the honeymoon going. Giving the American people hope is about the one good thing Obama has done so far.

The comment on McNabb, on the other hand, was a little

MCT Campus

distasteful, though I don’t necessarily disagree with it.

Often, the Philadelphia Eagles have won despite McNabb’s play.

If anyone should be hyped to greatness on that team, it should be Brian Westbrook. McNabb is an overrated quarterback.

Whether it has to do with race or not is a different story. Though, Limbaugh did open his mouth and stuck his highpriced shoe in it.

But what does any of that have to do with owning a minor stake in a football team? I sure can’t figure it out. Granted, he once compared football to a gang war between the bloods and crips without weapons, but I’m sure it was in jest. If a person has enough money, and enough interest, what bearing should their political views have on the acquisition of a non-political entity? I could understand the rage if Limbaugh was trying to buy a left-wing newspaper or something along those lines.

But he’s one of many interested parties in one large group that’s interested in buying an NFL team. Yet, he’s the one that is singled out.

What I can’t understand is why was there so much controversy over this to begin with? The NFL is dealing with so many other things at the moment, including whether there’s even going to be a season in 2011. The owners can’t even agree amongst themselves about a salary cap, let alone the running of the entire organization. But one man is interested in buying a stock in a team and everyone drops what they’re doing, grabs pitchforks and starts marching on Limbaugh’s windmill.

I know many people who

are offended at the thought of Limbaugh or Glenn Beck and Fox News even operating. What does it matter? Limbaugh, Beck and Fox News all have audiences that they cater to. I don’t watch them, but I laugh at how people, who tout freedom of speech and freedom of expression, feel Fox News and the conservative mouthpieces should be shut up.

The White House has started its own campaign against Fox News.

Honestly, are there not more pressing concerns at the moment?

I find it more offensive that the government is trying to muzzle a news entity than what that news entity has to say. There’s a reason Fox News and the conservative mouthpieces exist: freedom of speech. We also have the freedom not to pay attention to the tripe they put out.

I’m not going to go to some guy on the street corner preaching the Bible and tell him to shut up because I don’t believe in it. It’s his right to talk.

It’s the right of Fox News to broadcast. It’s the right, and duty, of Americans to pay attention to what news and information they’re consuming and make their own informed decisions.

But I forgot, we’re the country that cares more about the divorce of Jon and Kate rather than the economy or our soldiers in Afghanistan. We don’t want to think anymore. We want to shut our brains off, sit in front of the television and ingest whatever they say. When they give information that we don’t agree with, we’d rather have them shut down then think for ourselves.

Limbaugh may be a racist; he may not be. I don’t know, and I don’t care. No one has to listen to him talk on his radio show. But I guess I’m the only

Joshua Rouse

R/TV student sees Cameron life through camera lens

By Jacob Russell Collegian Staff All too often, people f ly through college and leave paper trails in place of memories. It is a sad thought when these are the years that helped to mold us into educated members of society. Being a Radio/ Television major, I have had the unique opportunity to carry around a camera and tripod for a couple days a week, every semester, over the last three years. I have tapes of many my experiences here at Cameron dating back to my sophomore year; some I would highly recommend and some not so much.

I started going through my tapes over the break to look for any free space to begin shooting b-role for my next news package. What started out as what seemed like more school work on one of my breaks from school quickly became an entertaining afternoon of reminiscing after discovering a lot of old video that I assumed had been lost or recorded over.

The first tape I put on was of the first foam dance party that we had in the courtyard.

I had just started putting together packages and wasn’t too sure of what I was doing.

Nothing was really framed too well and everything was shaky — all things that Dr. Jenkins would never let f ly now, or at least not without letting you know that it is wrong. In every shot, I had a friend who either wanted to be on camera, or thought they were the first people ever to jump in front of a recording camera. No

one there really knew what to expect, so no one was prepared for how wet they got from the foam. It all made for the prefect cocktail of comedy to spend time watching.

Next, about six PAC movie nights later, I came across some random video of scenery around the campus. All shots of students walking to class or close ups of school-related things. The assignment was to make a PSA, or public service announcement, for Cameron.

It sounded easy enough, and was, but not without a creative twist. Cecilio Ramirez and I thought it would make for a funny shot to end on if I got on top of the horse in front of the theater. After some nifty climbing up the trashcan and on top of a horse statue that was not very stable, I eventually took my place sharing a seat

with the little man who still sits atop that horse. While I do not condone anyone else ever doing anything of that nature, it made for one afternoon on campus that I won’t forget, but, in case I do, I have video.

Lastly, I came across highlights from a basketball game here at Cameron. It was a game from last season against the East Central tigers when senior guard Dave Smith set Cameron’s single game record for 3-pointers in a game and with the same shot, broke Cameron’s record for team 3-pointers made in a game. The original record for 3-pointers in a game was 9, set

by Jeremy Amos in 2004, and the team record was set in 1995 against the UCO Bronchos. It was the final home game for six of the seniors and Cameron

came out shooting lights out.

There were buckets falling left and right, and the crowd was loud and into it. Cameron started out leading the game 30-7. It was the final game of a record-setting season for first year head coach Wade Alexander.

I know that these are all my memories, and I enjoyed reliving them once more, but the point is to have fun and make sure to make things memorable. Not everyone gets to carry around a camera, but there are ways to keep track of the experiences you have taken part in. Exciting things happen all the time around campus and a lot of times in places you don’t expect it. Go at things with a positive attitude and make the best out of your time here at Cameron; I know I have.

one who thinks it’s wrong that a person can be kept from buying something based on their political views. Politics and football have no bearing on one another. If liberals are so sure that Limbaugh, Beck, Fox News and all the other conservative mouthpieces are so crazy, insane and out of touch with the American people, why try to muzzle them? I say let them speak from the highest hilltops.

If they really are the raving idiots that most liberals think them to be, they’ll prove it to the American people soon enough. If Limbaugh wants to buy a football team, whether it’s outright or part of some minority ownership, let him buy it.

THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief - Joshua Rouse News Editor - Jim Horinek A&E Editor - Rachel Engel Sports Editor - Bennett Dewan Copy Editor - Justin Cliburn Back Page Editor - Monica Garner Digital Editor - Kyle Luetters Circulation Manager - Matthew Penick

Newsroom Staff Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Jeramy Edison, Saman Samii, Megan Carothers, Andrew Osbourne, Rashmi Thapaliya, Jacob Russell, Melissa Rogers.

Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Keller

Newswriting Students Brad Franks, Amanda Finch, Michael Faggett, Codye Watson, Rachel Engel, Amanda Phillips, Gabe Crawford, Alyssa Knerr, Anjana Prasain, Tammy Anderson, Hannah Muirhead, Tori Strecker, Taylor Thompson, Ifeoma Osanife, Anthony Foreman, Jessica Martinez, Jennifer Knapp, Tanesha Wilson, Stacy Hill, Aduke Adesida.

About Us The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, Texas.

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

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

Letters should be no more than 250 words. Letters from individual authors will be published only once every four weeks.

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

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

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

The unsigned editorial under the heading “Our Voice” represents the opinion of the majority of the editorial board.

The opinions expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily represent those of Cameron University or the state of Oklahoma.

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.

A&E

October 26, 2009

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Percussion Ensemble to perform CU Public Affairs The Cameron University Percussion Ensemble will be featured in concert at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29 in the Cameron University Theatre.

Now in its 34th year, the Cameron University Percussion Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Jim Lambert, Professor of Music and Chair of the CU Department of Music, is comprised of percussion majors and non-majors. Admission to the concert is $6 for adults and $4 for students. CU faculty, students and staff are admitted free with a campus ID. A reception hosted by Friends of Cameron Percussion will follow the concert.

Members of the Fall 2009 CU Percussion Ensemble are

Jason Dozier, Corey French, Erick Gonzalez, Grant Johnson, Leon Randle, Christopher Turner, Clint Williams and Lawrence Williams, all of Lawton; Kimberly Garza, Iowa Park, TX; Gareth Jester, Cache; Kyle Sevier, Duncan and Zach Wallace, Elgin.

The concert will feature a variety of percussion repertoire reflecting contemporary composers as well as a special set of music featuring the Cameron University Pan Express, CU’s steel drum ensemble.

The CU Percussion Ensemble will perform “Mercury Rising”

by Nathan Daughtrey, “Layers”

by Lynn Glassock and “Suite for Solo Drumset” by David Mancini, featuring both Jason Dozier and Lawrence Williams

on drum set. Also in the repertoire will be “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Tim Rice and Elton John, arranged by Rolando Morales-Matos. Guest performer Doris Lambert will be the featured soprano soloist on the lively Latin-style setting of the hit tune from “The Lion King.” Cameron percussionist Kimberly Garza will be featured as xylophone soloist on “Absent Minded Woman,” arranged by Nathan Daughtrey, and Cameron percussionist Grant Johnson will be featured as marimba soloist on Paul Smadbeck’s “Rhythm Song.”

The Cameron University Pan Express will be performing such steel drum favorites as Davila’s “Ritmo Suave,” “Brazil,” “Oye Como Va” and “Mo Java.”

Cameron percussionist Grant

Photo courtesy of Public Affairs

Down beat: The Cameron University Percussion Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. on Oct. 29 in the Cameron University Theatre.

Johnson will also be featured as an arranger and lead pan soloist on the Tom Jones’ classic entitled “It’s Not Unusual.”

Cameron percussion alumni and graduates are now either performing or teaching throughout the United States.

‘Where the Wild Things Are’ not suited for kids

By Rachel Engel Collegian Staff One would think that a movie adapted from a children’s book would evoke warm and fuzzy feelings, especially a movie based on such a beloved story as Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are;” unfortunately, Spike Jonze’s interpretation of “Where the Wild Things Are” was anything but warm and fuzzy.

In the book, Max, outfitted in a white wolf costume, complete with ears and a tail, is pictured running around his home making mischief and is sent to bed by his mother without dinner. In his room, Max travels to an imaginary world of monsters and is crowned their king. Eventually he decides to return home, where his supper is waiting for him, still hot.

In the movie, however, Max is shown not as a rambunctious youth, but a very emotional child, breaking into tears when his homemade igloo is crushed

by his sister’s friends and retaliating by trashing her room in a fit of rage. Instead of being sent to bed without supper, Max is instead provoked to run away after encountering his mother on a dinner date with a man, and he stumbles upon a boat, which takes him to the land of the wild things.

The special effects in this movie are its most redeeming qualities, as the monsters had a look about them that was right out of a dream, as well as right out of the pages of Sendak’s book. The similarities stop there, as their hostile personalities take away from their childlike feel. Upon encountering Max, the creatures come very close to eating him before Max convinces them he has the capabilities to destroy them all by exploding their heads, and, understandably with that kind of threat, the monsters back down and crown him their king.

It is at this point that the few short moments of actual laughter can be heard when

Max declares a “wild rumpus.”

The group engages in rough housing and wrestling before settling down for the night.

Sendak’s original story ends here with Max deciding to head back home; however, with a full-length feature film, there had to be something to fill the other 90 minutes of the movie, and this caused additional problems.

Jonze’s attempt to create something out of nothing in a book that has thrived on its simplicity takes away from the

original meaning of the story, as he creates additional conf lict where there wasn’t any to begin with.

Jonze pads the plot of the movie by having the creatures and Max build a fort, but when Max is accused of playing favorites, tension arises between the monsters. At one point, one of the creatures rips off one of the arms of another creature, and, in a twisted attempt at humor, it is replaced by a stick.

Jealousy, anger, hostility and awkwardness are central themes at the end of the movie, and Max decides to leave because he has created a worse MCT Campus

environment for the wild things.

The movie ends after Max returns home to a frantic mother, who feeds him his supper without saying a word.

Again, the simplicity of the original work is lost in the complicated relationships created between Max and the wild things. This film cannot be enjoyed as a children’s movie, as most of the meaning would be lost on kids, and there is not enough movement or feel-good moments to even classify it as a f lick directed towards youth.

It is disappointing that a book that has been a favorite of so many since it was published in 1963 was made into an overanalyzed and uncomfortable film not even suited for the originally intended audience.

Some books have plots that are easily adaptable to the big screen, but, as it turns out, “Where the Wild Things” is not one of those books and should have been left on the shelf as classic children’s literature.

Sigma Alpha Omega hosts fundraising yard sale

By Rachel Engel Collegian Staff On Oct. 10, Greek sorority Sigma Alpha Omega held the first annual “CU @ the Yard Sale,” a fundraising event open to all organizations on campus.

Organizations paid a $5 registration fee to participate in the yard sale and were allowed to set up to two booths in order to sell their items.

Junior Jessica Wolf, Sigma Alpha Omega Fundraising Chair, was in charge of the event.

“We initially wanted to hold a yard sale for just us,” Wolf said.

“Then Simone Graves suggested we open it up to all of the organizations because the bigger, the better.”

Due to the weather, only half of the organizations that had originally signed up came to participate the day of the event, Wolf said.

“I was not expecting it to be that cold,” she said. “If we do this again next year, we’ll try to make it on a warmer day.”

Many of the groups sold a combination of baked goods and

household items at their booths.

“There was a lot of different stuff,” Wolf said. “Some people were selling a television and a microwave, and we had our own chair, some rugs and even a headboard for a bed.

Sigma Tau Gamma came around 11 a.m. and sold hot dogs.”

Sigma Alpha Omega provided advertising for the event prior to the yard sale with money earned from the registration fees, although most of the advertising cost little to nothing, Wolf said.

“We were able to use the Student Activities Department to make banners, which didn’t cost anything,” Wolf said. “The only thing we paid for was an advertisement in the newspaper, and we were also able to get an advertisement on the radio for free.”

According to Wolf, Sigma Alpha Omega raised over $100

Photo courtesy of Daniel Billings

On sale: Shoppers browse the tables at the first annual CU @ the Yard Sale, hosted by sorority Sigma Alpha Omega on Oct. 10. from the event and plans to make a few changes to the event if it is held next year.

“I would want more organizations to be in it,” Wolf said.

“Next year, I think we should give more of an advance notice. Because the idea came up so fast this year, we only had two weeks to get everyone to sign up.”

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Sports

October 26, 2009

Men’s Basketball ready for repeat success

By Jacob Russell Collegian Staff Throughout this offseason, there has been a lot of hype building over the new recruits brought in by men’s head basketball coach Wade Alexander. Tuesday Oct. 20 in the Aggie Gym, the devoted fans finally got a chance to witness the athleticism of the revamped team.

Many schools use a “Midnight Madness” exhibition as a chance for the fans to see the line-ups of the men’s and women’s basketball teams for the upcoming season.

Cameron has its own version, “Aggie Madness.” Fans had the opportunity to see the men soar during the dunk contest and the ladies shoot lights out from behind the arc, all while receiving the chance to take home t-shirts, gift cards, shoes and electronics. As much as it is a time for the Aggie faithful to see the players, it is also an opportunity for Alexander to scout out the crowd.

“We want to go out there and see the crowds that we can potentially get and hopefully put on a show for them,” Alexander said. “We hope that our first home game will grow based off of this “Aggie Madness.”

Put on a show is exactly what Alexander’s players did.

The night started with the first round of the dunk contest.

The contest featured known Aggie studs Kallan Glasgow

Photos by Bennett Dewan

His Airness’ heir: Junior Forward Nathan Murray attempts an off-the-bounce betweenthe-legs dunk during the second annual Aggie Madness event held in the Aggie Gym. Murray, a junior college transfer from Ft. Worth, Texas, is one of the 12 new recruits that joined the Aggies. The team, under the guidance of Head Coach Wade Alexander is looking to repeat the success of last season’s playoff run. and Jamaar Burke but also gave a first look at newcomers Dernodo Eiland, Milton Garner, Nathan Murray, Trevor Smith and Vinicious Telo. Telo ended up winning in the final round when he landed a huge windmill and Murray failed on a self alley-oop, between the legs, slam.

In addition to the

participants of the dunk contest, Alexander added juniors Terry Dawson, Donovan Jones and Jaquez Williams and freshmen Nick Farnsworth, Bryce Geiger, Paul Jewell, Jonathan Patino, Nikola Vukadinovic and Kory Welch. Each of these players are very athletic and add their own style to the team.

In his first season as assistant

coach, Nathan Gamet had the opportunity to be a part of last season’s record-setting team.

Now in his second season, Gamet believes the players that were brought in have made the team better in many aspects of the game.

“We are much more athletic this season,” Gamet said. “We are a lot deeper in our top 12,

which will allow us to have a deeper rotation. Also, their tools are better, but we still have to come together as a team.”

The job of helping to come together as a team is one that Alexander said that Burke, Glasgow and Morgan have embraced.

“They’ve got everybody straightened out pretty good right now, and they are doing a great job of giving the guys advice,” Alexander said.

“They’ve been telling them about our conference and letting them know what to expect out there. Everybody is working really hard, and that’s pretty much all I ask.”

The increased athleticism did not change the philosophy for the Aggies on the court, but enhanced the opportunity for them to succeed with the current game plan, raising the expectations of Alexander.

“We will be able to do things we tried to do last year, but better,” Alexander said.

“Defensively, we should be able to get after people a lot better, and offensively I’m not too worried about our ability to score. Our goal is to lead the conference in rebounding, and I see no reason why we shouldn’t.”

The Aggies open up the season with an exhibition game in Denton, Texas, against the University of North Texas.

Their first home game will be on Nov. 27 as they host Tabor College in the City National Bank/Ft. Sill National Bank Cameron Classic.

Aggie tennis team collects hardware

By Saman Samii Collegian Staff Both Cameron Aggie tennis teams traveled Oct. 9-10 to Wichita Falls to participate in the Lone Star Conference Championship tournament hosted

by Midwestern State University (MSU). After a tough weekend of competition, the Aggies managed to come home with two LSC titles and a handful of runner-up awards.

“It was a good weekend of tennis,” Coach James Helvey said.

“I am extremely happy with how our women’s team performed. Our men played well against tough competition, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us to reach our potential.”

Play started early on Fri. Oct. 9 and first on the court was freshman Amanda Moberg.

Moberg has had an outstanding fall season so far, losing only one match, and this weekend’s

results were no different. In her opening match, Moberg faced Julia Shviadok of the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). After completely dominating the entire match, the talented CU freshman quickly finished her opponent and won the match by the score of 6-0, 6-1 to book a place in the final.

In her final match, Moberg kept momentum going and captured CU’s first LSC title of the weekend. Moberg defeated Tarleton State University’s Adriana Jaskova by the score of 7-6, 6-2 in a well-fought match.

“I am real proud of how well Amanda is playing,” Helvey said.

“She has been solid throughout the whole fall season, and I am excited to see how much damage she can cause in the spring season.”

Sophomore Shaneka Knight also played well. Knight started the tournament by winning her opening match against Nilisa Ramirez of East Central

University by the score of 6-4, 7-5. In her championship match, Knight fought well but could not finish off Monica Graf of MSU. Knight lost the match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.

In the women’s doubles draw, the duo of Moberg and Elle Sholles went on to claim yet another title for the Aggies.

After quickly winning their opening round, the team needed to bring their A-game to win their final match. Facing the team of Shviadok/Abramovic of UCO, Moberg/Sholles won the match by the score of 6-4, 3-6, 20-18 in an extremely well played match.

“I was really proud of Amanda and Elle,” Helvey said. “They showed some great commitment and that feeds on to the rest of the team. It was great to see.”

On the men’s side, three out of the six Aggie men participating placed themselves in the finals.

Carlos Viscarra, Diego Troiano and Jeff Sasser all started the tournament and won their matches in decisive fashion.

Unfortunately, the trio was not able to stay on the winning track and all failed to claim a title for the Aggies, as they all lost to MSU opponents in the final.

Viscarra lost to Daniel McMullan in straight sets. Jeff Sasser played well but could not convert at key points and lost to Octavian Dinuta, 6-3, 6-2. Senior Diego Troiano also played well

but could not keep the momentum from his earlier win and lost to Luke Joyce in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

“Like I said, we have some work to do on our men’s team,” Helvey said. “I feel that we have the best talent in the LSC, we just have to be able to get past that and win important matches for us. I am still happy with the way the guys represented us, but in the end the win is what matters.”

The LSC tournament was the closeout event for the Aggie tennis teams this fall. Both teams will now head into offseason training to get ready for the spring season, which starts in February of next year.

Photos by Bennett Dewan

1-2 punch: Elle Sholles (top) and Amanda Moberg (bottom) compete as a doubles team at the Cameron Tennis Complex.

The pair won the LSC team Championship and Moberg was able to capture the individual title.

Sports

October 26, 2009

7

Some teams, players plagued by curses

By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff Curses can’t be real, can they?

Archaeologists can’t die from opening up a lost Egyptian tomb.

Witch doctors can’t put hexes on entire families. But in the world of sports, there is some pretty convincing evidence that curses, at least sport curses, are very much real. Just ask any number of the NFL players who have been “honored” by being featured as the cover athlete on the “Madden NFL” video game series. Don’t forget the Curse of the Bambino, which has subsequently been broken. And who can forget the infamous curse of the billy goat that has plagued the Chicago Cubs for more than a half-century?

Sports is one of the most engaging past times for Americans that many often look for excuses to explain why their team continues to lose year after year. But there are some exceptions to this rule. The Chicago Cubs could very well be victims of the curse of the billy goat.

During the 1945 World Series, William Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Bar in Chicago, brought his pet goat to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play. During the seventh inning, Cubs owner Philip Wrigley personally had the man, and his goat, ejected from the game because the smell was disturbing the fans.

What Sianis said after being ejected has gone down in history as the beginning of the Cubs’ failures.

“Them Cubs, they aren’t gonna win no more,” Sianis told officials.

The Cubs lost the next three games, giving the Detroit Tigers the World Series. Shortly after, Sianis sent Wrigley a telegram saying, “Who smells now?” Since then, the Cubs have not won a World Series and have been the laughing stock of not only the MLB, but of sports in general.

Over the years, the Cubs have

tried to break the curse. Sam Sianis, Billy Sianis’ nephew, was brought out onto the field with a goat multiple times to break the curse. They often experienced success those years, but still never made it to the World Series.

In 2007, someone butchered a goat and hanged it from the Harry Caray statue. The Cubs would go on to win the NL Central Division title that year and in 2008, but they never made it close to the World Series. Someone tried a similar trick again two years later when a butchered goat head was mounted on the statue. That didn’t work either, as the Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs in their first series.

There is hope for Cubs fans — curses can be broken. The Boston Red Sox proved that, twice, when they won the World Series without the help of Babe Ruth. In 1920, the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, cementing an 83-year-long championship drought in which the Red Sox would get close, but could never pull off the big one. Before the trade, the Sox had won five World Series and the Yankees hadn’t won any. In the 83 years after the trade, the Yankees won 26 series, the Sox none.

The curse was broken by

extraordinary means in 2004 when the Sox rallied to beat their nemesis, the Yankees, after being down three games in the ALCS. They would go on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals and take the World Series. They continued their success in 2007, sweeping the Colorado Rockies.

While both curses have been etched in history, a new curse has arisen in the past several years. The “Madden NFL” series has been the highest-selling video game series of all time since it was introduced in 1989. For 10 years, the titular John Madden was featured in the cover in some very awkward poses. In 1999, San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst was featured on the “Madden NFL 2000” cover for games released outside the North America. This tradition migrated to the U.S. and Canada the following year when Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George was featured on the cover. The following year, he completed the worst year of his career, not even breaking 1,000 yards.

For the next two years, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper and St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk were featured on the cover. Both players saw production drops on the field following their dubious “honor.” Faulk would later go to commentate on the NFL Network, and Culpepper is playing with the Detroit Lions. Perhaps Culpepper got the worst end of the deal.

In 2004, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was the cover athlete. That same year, he broke his fibula in the preseason and had a steady decline in production ever since. He later financed a dog fighting ring, convicted and spent 18 months in prison. He now backs up injury prone and 2006 cover athlete Donovan McNabb, who tore his ACL and suffered a groin pull

following his depiction on the cover.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was the cover athlete in 2005, and was the first defensive player to be “honored.” The majesty didn’t last long, when he injured his hamstring.

In 2007, Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander made his run for history, coming just short of the all-time single season rushing yards total. He followed it up as cover athlete the next year and fractured his toe, which was only the beginning of a series of injuries. He signed an eight-year contract with the Seahawks but is now a free agent, because no one wants a cursed player.

Tennessee quarterback Vince Young was “honored” as cover athlete in 2008 and accepted because he obviously didn’t know any better. He’s still trying to shake the effects of the curse.

In fact, Brett Favre is the only person ever to have had a somewhat successful year as the cover athlete.

He was featured on the cover the year he retired to commemorate 20

years of “Madden NFL.” He came out of retirement to play for the New York Jets and actually played well, until the end of the season.

One could say the curse’s effect on him was nearly committing career suicide.

The “Madden NFL” curse has already struck this year as Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu went down with an injury during the opening game of the season. He and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald shared the cover — the first time in the history of “Madden NFL.” There are still several games left in the season, and Fitzgerald can still get injured.

It’s hard to say if curses are real, but the Cubs and the Red Sox have seen their fair share of bad luck due to “curses” and players might start avoiding “Madden NFL” like the plague, thanks to a constant string of horrible performances and bad injuries. Could these be mere coincidences, or are the sport gods punishing their mere peons for stepping out of line?

MCT Campus

Everything gets you cursed: Shaun Alexander (aboveleft) fell victim to the “Madden Curse” and was never the same after a series of injuries. The “Goat Curse” still looms large over Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs.

Cross Country runs against areas best

By Saman Samii Collegian Staff The Cameron Aggie Cross Country team traveled to Fayetteville, Ark., on Oct. 19 to participate in the University of Arkansas Chile Pepper Festival. At the tough race, the

Aggies finished 19th out of 29 teams, but CU was running in the University Division against some of the nation’s top Division I teams. The race was 10 kilometers in length.

“We ran well and to finish at 19th place in a race of this caliber is not bad,” Coach Matt Aguero said. “For the most part, everybody ran well, which was good to see.”

The Chile Pepper Festival is known for being one of the toughest 10K races in the country.

The majority of the teams participating are top-ranked NCAA

Chile Pepper was Cameron’s Division I teams. Sophomore first 10K race for the season and Colby Lowe of Oklahoma State sophomore Julius University won once again the individual “This was definitely Korir finished as CU’s title with a one of the toughest top runner. Korir top time of finished the race 29:30.90. The races we have in 34th place OSU Cowboy competed in this with a time of went on to help season; 90 percent 31:13.47. his team claim “Julius had the title as well. of the teams are a solid race and By finishing high-class Division stepped up big 19th, CU I teams, so I was finished ahead for us,” Aguero of elite teams pleased to see how said. “He has had a solid season such as Texas well we ran.” so far, and he Christian keeps running University, — Matt Aguero well. It is a little Louisiana State University and Cross Country Running different to run 10K races, but the University Coach in his performance of Wyoming. should help us The Aggies prepare for the were the only regional race in November.” members of the Lone Star Cameron’s other top 100 Conference in the meet. The finisher was senior Josh Stewart, who finished in 81st place, with a final time of 32:20.52. Junior Mohamed Khelalfa finished the race with a time of 33:50.36, well enough for 145th place.

“This was definitely one of the toughest races we have competed in this season; 90 percent of the teams are high-class Division I teams, so I was pleased to see how well we ran,” Aguero said.

CU senior Casey Kreger finished in 164th place with a time of 34:20.89, while junior Juan Ruiz finished in 173rd place with a time of 34:52.11.

Rounding out CU’s times was freshman Bhupendra Acharya, who finished in 194th with a time of 44:28.72.

The Aggies will continue their season on Nov. 7 when they travel to Abilene, Texas, to participate in the NCAA D-II Regional Championship Meet.

Photos by Bennett Dewan

Faster than lightning: Sophomore Julius Korir legs out the last few meters of the Aggie Showdown before hoisting the championship trophy.

8

Variety

Two years ago, the Playstation 3 was in serious need of a heavyhitter title that could wow gamers and move consoles.

Enter veteran developer Naughty Dog, most famous for creating the “Crash Bandicoot” and “Jak and Daxter” series. While their pedigree was in platforming games, the developer stepped out of their comfort zones and created one of the best games to be released this generation: “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.”

The game blended elements of “Tomb Raider” and “Indiana Jones” for a contemporary treasurehunting escapade that trotted all over the jungles of South America. The game’s protagonist, Nathan Drake, was a relatable everyday guy who was quick on his feet but quicker with his tongue. Outside of its spectacular graphics and solid gameplay, “Uncharted” featured spectacular writing and a film-worthy script.

Two years later, Naughty Dog was tasked with taking the original game, one of the first must-have titles on the Playstation 3, and topping it. It was a daunting task, but they have not only succeeded, but have

blown away all expectations.

“Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” takes everything the original game did and makes it better. After playing through “Uncharted 2,” there’s no reason to ever go back to the original, aside from the story.

Several years after searching for, and finding, the mythical treasure of El Dorado, Drake is on the hunt for Marco Polo’s lost f leet and the mythical land of Shangri-La, the location of a stone there that can grant its possessor imaginable power.

Much like “Indiana Jones,” part of the inspiration for the game, “Uncharted” is steeped in supernatural mythos. The first game had zombies and this one has giant yetis with the heads of mountain goats.

The story is intriguing with plenty of twists and turns to go around, but the characters are what really shine. Nathan is, of course, back along with his partner in crime, Sully.

Elena, the nosey reporter from the first game, also returns.

The most interesting character added to the second game is Chloe, a mysterious treasure hunter who may or may not be in love with Drake. The banter between the characters is entertainment in its own.

All of the voice actors turn in great performances and really bring a depth to the game that

is rarely seen.

The gameplay is an evolution of the original game’s. It’s based around stopand-pop gunplay, similar to “Gears of War.” Drake can also get up and close and unleash hard-hitting hand-to-hand combos. This time, enemies will counter Drake’s punches, forcing the player to counter their counters. Some fights look like they’re ripped from the “Bourne” series.

Drake can also scale walls and just about anything thing that has places to hold onto. The climbing has been improved over the first game but still feels a little too linear. I was hoping it would be more akin to “Assassin’s Creed,” where Drake could find his own path. But instead, everything is carefully designed for him to go a certain way.

“Uncharted 2” introduces a stealth element for the first time in the series. Often, the best way to take on an enemy encounter is to eliminate as many as possible by stealth kills, so that alarms are not raised. Drake is a normal man and doesn’t wear any armor, so he will die fast if he’s caught in the open and gets shot.

Puzzles are back and are vastly improved in “Uncharted 2.” Instead of having puzzles

October 26, 2009

that are so easy a caveman could do them, these actually require a little thought.

They’re still fairly simple to figure out and don’t break up the f low of the game too much.

If you’re stuck long enough, the game will give you a hint to direct you where to go.

For extra help, Drake can always pull out his trusty journal. In the first game, Drake used the journal of his ancestor, Frances Drake, to decipher clues. This time, he has his own journal that he’s been updating. You can f lip through the pages and find some interesting passages while trying to find the solution to the puzzle.

Often, clues will be on several different pages. It’s subtle, but it adds a nice little touch to the game.

The campaign is around 10 hours long and is very fast-paced. When Drake’s not shooting at things or getting shot, he’s scaling tall buildings and solving the world’s mysteries. “Uncharted 2” is one of the best single-player experiences this generation.

It’s a shame it had to end so early.

Thankfully, the fun doesn’t end when the credits roll.

You can go back through the campaign on several harder difficulties, search for missing

treasure pieces and even go online. Yes, “Uncharted 2” features a full multiplayer suite. There are several different gameplay modes with variants on “capture the f lag” and “deathmatch.”

What makes “Uncharted 2” unique is the vertical nature of the gameplay. All of the climbing skills from the campaign translate into the multiplayer. You can scale walls, structures or anything else on the map to get a better vantage point on the action or to escape an enemy. It brings a breath of fresh air to the stagnant multiplayer that has become popular as of late.

“Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” is the best kind of sequel. It takes everything the original game did and improves it. It’s bigger, it’s better and it’s more fun.

Even when the campaign is done, it’s so exciting that you’ll want to start a new playthrough immediately.

While it’s too early to say whether the multiplayer component will take off with gamers, it’s plenty of fun right now and is something that shouldn’t be missed.

“Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” is quite possibly the best game to be released this year.

Wise man: Nathan Drake and the intrepid reporter Elena speak to one of the surviving members of an expidition sent to find Shangri-La. Drake’s latest adventure in ‘Uncharted 2: Among Thieves’ finds him searching for Marco Polo’s lost fleet and a mythical stone hidden in Shangri-La that can endow the holder with unimaginable power.

In-game screenshots courtesy of ‘Uncharted 2: Among Thieves’ gamers

Kitty got wet: Up to 10 players can go online and battle in several multiplayer gamemodes including team deathmatch and capture the flag. A new co-op mode has also been added.

A face only a mother could love: International warlord Zoran Lazarević is hot on the trail of the Cintamani Stone and only Nathan Drake can stop him.

MCT Campus

Review by Joshua Rouse

Duck and cover: Enemies can now use riot shields for protection against gunfire in ‘Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.’

Riot shields are one of several new features in the sequel to one of the Playstation 3’s best games.