The Cameron University Collegian: September 14, 2009

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

Monday, September 14, 2009

Variety

Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926

Fall 2009: Record numbers

Housing residential totals increase 14 percent for new semester

By Megan Carothers Collegian Staff

More than 1,000 attend fourth annual Foam Dance.

SEE PAGE 8

A&E

Saving Abel, Hinder, prepare to rock Lawton-Fort Sill.

SEE PAGE 5

Sports

Volume 84 Issue 3

Enrollment up 13 percent from Fall 2008

By Rashmi Thapilaya

Cameron University’s student housing is fuller than it has been in more than four years, increasing approximately 14 percent since last fall.

With about 550 students living on Cameron’s campus, this year’s growth of on-campus living is the highest increase Cameron has seen in the last five years, said Director of Student Housing Casey Case. With the increase in on-campus residents, most of the on-campus housing options are completely full.

“We filled essentially everything we have,” Case said. “We filled Cameron Village back in May, with about 100 people on a waiting list. We filled the male side of Shepler with a waiting list there, and we have pretty much filled the girls’ side also.”

At one point this semester, all housing Village people: The Cameron Village was completely full, but Case said that is nearly completely full as it holds its there were some cancellations. Some share of the roughly 550 students living major changes were made to Cameron’s on campus. student housing options over the summer, and they have proven to be quite popular. will be able to see the same renovation “We changed the seventh f loor of done next summer, but he said that it was North Shepler,” Case said. “We changed not certain at this point whether or not it it into suites, which have been extremely will be done. popular.”

Case said that Student Housing strives Case said the suites filled up before to provide students living anything else in the on campus many activities Shepler dorms, and to participate in, and there “I think that having students seem to be are two main ways those really enjoying them. housing filled really activities are brainstormed.

The suites in Shepler are Student Housing shows that Cameron made up of two, three Association (SHA) is one of has a changing or four bedrooms along the ways that activities are with a common living culture.” invented, Case said. SHA is room area, Case said. made up of representatives — Casey Case from each student housing Case said that he hoped because of the Director of area. This organization success of the North Student Housing meets weekly and comes up Shepler suites that the with ideas for activities for girls in South Shepler students living on campus, Case said.

The other way activities are thought up is from the residential assistants (RA).

There are 14 RAs helping with Cameron housing and holding programs for other students.

“The RAs essentially do three programs a month, each one of them,” Case said. “So that’s a lot of programs going on for students.”

Case said that Student Housing averages about 70 programs an academic semester.

Cameron University also has a facultyin-residence living on campus, and he will have activities for students as well.

Collegian Staff

Enrollment for the fall semester is up more than 13 percent compared to the fall 2008 semester.

The additional students makes this the highest headcount at Cameron since 1994, and the secondhighest headcount in Cameron’s 101-year history. The increase in the number of the students resulted in an increase of 13.56 percent in the fulltime equivalent (FTE), an all time high for Cameron.

“As Cameron University enters its second century, it is a very positive sign that our enrollment is experiencing such a significant increase,” said Cameron President Cindy Ross. “This jump is evidence that Cameron is indeed the university of choice for Southwest Oklahoma and becoming the university of choice beyond Southwest Oklahoma.”

A significant amount of the growth is attributed to freshman students. More than 2,400 freshmen are roaming campus this fall, which represents an almost 24 percent increase from last year. Cameron’s branch campus in Duncan continues its record growth with 648 students enrolled and an increase in FTE of more than 30 percent from last fall.

Cameron University also continues the tradition of being a popular choice among international students. This year, 268 international students are attending Cameron from more than 45 countries.

Jamie Glover, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management, said that there is a sense of excitement among the freshmen and that it was evident during the ice cream socialization party for freshmen at President Ross’ house.

“Now we have a challenge to retain the students we have, which include all traditional, transfer and adult students,” Glover said.

Students from area high schools are increasingly choosing to attend Cameron University. In fact, more than 30 percent of the 2009 graduates from Lawton Public Schools are enrolled at Cameron this fall compared to roughly 21 percent in 2007 and 2008.

Photos by Jim Horinek

Lady Aggies volleyball hits the court running.

SEE PAGE 6

Voices

A return home after 15 years.

SEE PAGE 4

No vacancy: The Shepler towers have reached almost complete capacity due to the increase in demand for campus housing.

See HOUSING Page 2

See ENROLLMENT Page 2

Demand for parking gives rise to temporary lot

By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff

A line of cars circles one of the multitude of parking lots surrounding Cameron University. Each car plays follow-the-leader as students look for that elusive convenient parking spot before their next class starts.

Due, in part, to increased enrollment this semester, finding that favorite parking spot has not been easy. Glen Pinkston, Vice President of Business and Finance, has heard these concerns from students and said the administration is doing its best to address them as quickly as possible.

“The first day of class, we noticed parking was tight,” he said. “We then set plans forward to put a temporary lot where we were storing construction trailers and equipment for the new Business Building.”

The new gravel lot has enough room for about 40 vehicles to park.

Construction equipment is still sitting in the area, but Pinkston hopes it will be moved within the next two weeks. The additional space will be opened when construction is complete.

“After we can get the remaining trailers and equipment out of there, that lot should be able to hold between 50 and 60 vehicles,” he said. “That should help alleviate some of the problems that people are seeing.”

The temporary lot behind the Science Complex, near the Business Building, is the second temporary lot on campus. Last semester, the administration authorized a temporary lot to be built on the south side of the Cameron Village.

See PARKING Page 2

Photo by Jim Horinek

New spaces: Several students make use of the new temporary parking lot behind the Science Complex. As a result of the increase in enrollment and construction there became a need for this temporary lot.

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News PARKING continued from page 1

HOUSING continued from page 1 Case said that filling up on-campus housing says a lot about a university.

“I think that having housing filled really shows that Cameron has a changing culture,” Case said. “Cameron is having much more of a university feel. In the evening now, there are students all over the mezzanine hanging out, sitting and talking and just doing whatever. Where four years ago if you would have

September 14, 2009

walked through there, there was almost nothing. Now there is a lot of activity.”

Case said having the housing filled makes him feel like Cameron and Student Housing are on the right track.

“We feel like we must be doing something right,” Case said. “We have essentially gone from 220 students to 550 students living on campus in five years, which is more than double.”

Photo by Jim Horinek

Pinkston said many people wonder why the administration doesn’t use the area to build a new parking lot.

“We don’t have any specific plans yet,” Pinkston said.

“But, if we have to, we can use that land to expand the Village and add additional housing. It doesn’t make sense to use land we can put more housing on to make a parking lot.”

The temporary parking lots aren’t the only measures the administration is taking to improve the parking situation. One parking area on the west side of the Shepler towers was being used for carpool vehicles. In light of the parking problems students have been facing recently, Pinkston said a decision was made to turn that area into a standard parking lot, freeing up more than 20 spots. An additional third parking area is being expanded near the fitness center to allow for another 15 to 20 spots.

“By the time the construction is complete on the Business Building, we should have another 100 or so spots available for students to park in,” Pinkston said.

The administration has continued to monitor the parking situation since the beginning of the semester.

A shuttle service was offered to students during the first week of classes, but Pinkston said most students didn’t use it. Officers with the Office of Public Safety were deployed to several high-traffic areas on campus to direct students to open parking spots. Pinkston hopes as students get accustomed to Cameron’s parking

Photo courtesy of Cameron.edu

arrangements, things will become smoother.

“The first two weeks always have problems, and then something happens,” Pinkston said. “I think it’s because more people figure out where they can park. They give up on their favorite spot and figure out where it’s easiest to get a place.”

Pinkston said students arriving at campus for 8 a.m. classes probably aren’t going to notice a problem.

Likewise, students arriving in the afternoon won’t notice a problem either. The rush of classes starting around 9:30 a.m. is what’s causing the problems. Pinkston said the easiest way to avoid the rush, and find a good spot, is to plan ahead. But as the semester goes along, parking problems should ease.

“I think things will begin to settle down soon,” he said. “People are figuring out where and when to park.”

The administration is continuing to monitor the parking situation and will act accordingly.

Enrollment continued from page 1 Similar trends are visible at other schools in the area. Additionally, Cameron is experiencing growth from students outside its region.

There are 164 students enrolled at Cameron this fall that hail from Canadian, Cleveland, Grady, McClain and Oklahoma counties, up from a total of 103 from those counties last fall.

Glover said that there are a lot of reasons why the students choose Cameron University as their university of choice. Some of these include the quality of education Cameron provides at low cost, the small sizes of classrooms, the cooperative and helpful faculty and the economy.

“The economy is also affecting us.” Glover said. “Most of the people who are out of work are now free and want to pursue the higher education to get better opportunities.”

In addition, Cameron’s oncampus housing continues to experience significant growth, as this semester there are 543 students living on campus. This is a 13 percent increase from last fall and represents the most students living on campus since 1988. The Cameron Village is full and the dorms are almost full themselves.

“Cameron continues its commitment to provide students the highest quality education at an affordable price,” President Ross said. “The new initiatives we have recently launched to assist students financially, our focus to provide students a complete collegiate experience and our continuing efforts to help students succeed while at Cameron are contributing factors to this growth.”

Graduate programs are also in high demand, with 436 graduate students enrolled compared to 386 during this period last fall.

This nearly 13 percent increase in graduate student headcount represents the highest graduate enrollment in the past eight years.

Enrollment for the fall semester remains open, so final enrollment numbers will continue to shift until the end of the semester.

FTE is a standard used by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to more accurately compare enrollment at various colleges and universities. It is based on computing enrollment as if every one of a university’s students were enrolled full time. FTE plays an important role in determining the amount of funding public universities receive from the state.

Student Success Workshops

Time Management 9-21-09 7 p.m. in Centennial Room Contact: 581.2440 Basic Relaxation 9-22-09 5:30 p.m. in Centennial Room Contact: 581.2402 Personal Responsibility 9-28-09 2 p.m. in Centennial Room Contact: 581.2939 Every workshop is free and students are encouraged to attend.

See page 5 for solutions.

September 14, 2009

News

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Voices

September 14, 2009

Returning ‘home’ after 15 years away

They say there’s no place like home.

The statement originated from “The Wizard of Oz,” a movie that I have despised for most of my adult life; though, I loved it as a child.

Thinking about that, in my case, it’s ironic that Dorothy is from Kansas, especially considering that’s the only place I’ve ever felt like has been a home to me.

I lived in Wichita, Kan. for a good portion of my adolescent life, before moving to North Carolina for eight years, and then here to Southwest Oklahoma six years ago. Perhaps its nostalgia biting at my heels, or I’m looking back with rose-colored glasses, but the times that I remember as being the happiest in my life were always when I was still living in Wichita.

I think part of it has to be because there was always something to do there. Then again, it was the place I knew for so long.

It’s been nearly 15 years since I was last there. So, this past Labor Day, the only time I’ll have a two day weekend between the start of the semester and Fall Break, I decided to venture back to see if it was really what I remembered it to be. After all, 15 years is a long time to be gone. Anyone I remembered as a friend had probably moved on. Even if they hadn’t, there’s no way we’d recognize each other if we were introduced. The family I had there has long size. So I had no aspirations of trying to reconnect with old acquaintances.

I pulled in around 3 p.m.

Sunday afternoon and decided to drive around a little to see if I still remembered anything. My dad was with me and we felt our way around the area. So much of it has changed. But that’s to be expected,

considering it’s so long.

When we drove through our neighborhood, my heart sank like a rock. Pardon the cliche, but any misplaced anticipation I had was lost. I couldn’t believe how much had changed. The entire feeling, the identity of the neighborhood, was gone.

So many things that I remembered about where I grew up were wiped away.

This bowling alley, Fire Lanes, the place I had blown probably hundreds of dollars on arcades, was gone. The building was still there, which is even worse. Instead of being a bowling alley, it was a tienda. The burger shack we frequented is now a taco stand. It felt like something out of a bad memory.

After that, we decided to go by a house that we helped remodel with my dad’s then-girlfriend.

We spent years working on the house, remodeling the interior and exterior. We worked for what seemed like forever on the yard next to it, planting roses and trees and digging out a nice garden pond.

As if I couldn’t feel any worse, the house was in shambles. The yard was almost sickening. The rose bushes were dead, the weeds had grown up everywhere and there was a tricycle buried in the pond.

What’s the point of buying a house with such a wonderful yard if you’re not going to utilize it? There should be a crime against that.

There was one remnant of my childhood that was still, somewhat, untouched. We drove past the first school I went to, Arkansas Avenue, and it was still there. I was shocked, to say the least. Everything was like I remembered it. The building itself, while shutdown for the

Joshua Rouse

weekend, was hauntingly familiar. The tetherball poles where I spent a lot of my recess were still there.

The soccer nets that I spent hours playing with were still there. Even the house across the street that a friend of mine and I ran off to look at was still there.

The school has since been closed and turned into something else. But everything remained untouched. I could still remember my first day of school, walking through the open halls with the huge wooden doors to the clasrooms, all open with different elementary letters and designs on them.

Wichita was, and still is, a wonderful town. There’s still so much to see and do there that when Dad joked about how everyone had left because of the holiday, I mentioned I wouldn’t want to leave if I had that much stuff to do in one area. Hopefully, Lawton will one day stop spinning its wheels and begin to move forward.

There was one thing I learned while I was there though. Well, two things. One, it’s always great to go on a short vacation, even if it’s for a weekend. However, it’s hard, if not impossible, to return home to a place where you’ve been gone from for so long. You can’t expect things to be like you remember them.

And I think that was my mistake. I kept telling myself things wouldn’t

Photo by Joshua Rouse

be like when we left. But there was still a part of me that wanted to see my old hangouts still there, alive and well.

It was still nice to see everything, changed and unchanged. But it’s hard to say that’s home anymore.

It’s so different now that I would feel just as alien there as anywhere else. Home, at least what I thought of it as, is gone, but I had some great times while I was there.

Collegian Staff

Every fall, thousands of freshmen embark on a lifealtering journey that will undoubtedly shape their future.

Of course, I’m talking about college, but many students, for one reason or another, don’t sit back and take the time to enjoy the full entertainment that college has to offer. For those of you who are thinking that you really can’t get the full experience here in Lawton at Cameron University, I was once there. Truth is, you really can. From high-level athletics, to Greek life and everything in between, Cameron has stepped up a notch.

Cameron University’s Programming Activities

Council, or PAC, goes out of their way every year to bring quality performers to our campus to spark a buzz amongst our student body.

This year is no different, after a jam-packed welcome back week, PAC is continuing to bring fun to the campus with their annual foam dance party, followed by a movie night. The movie nights are monthly and a great way to get to know fellow students and take your mind off school while getting to see a recently released movie. PAC is located in the student activities building across the street from the student union. If you can’t make it to any of their night events, the doors are open to relax during the day. It houses two big screen TVs, computers and video game systems that

can all be checked out for your entertainment. The main goal of PAC is to get the study body involved.

If you are striving to be a part of Greek life, Cameron is home to six Greek affiliated groups. We have three fraternities (Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Lambda Chi and Sigma Tau Gamma) and three sororities (Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi and Sigma Alpha Omega.) These groups are a great way to develop lifetime friendships with students as well as network yourself throughout the school and community for future resources.

Greek facilities are located in the student union. Cameron also offers many other student organizations including: academic organizations;

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

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

Photo by Joshua Rouse

Stress not required for fun college experience

By Jacob Russell

THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

honor societies; religious organizations and special interests groups. If interested, the latest student organization brochure can be downloaded from Cameron’s website (www. cameron.edu/organizations).

As students, you will be surprised at how being involved with your school can really help you maintain your focus and help to shape your success during your collegiate years.

Finally, we have the Cameron athletics. Athletic Director Jim Jackson has added talented coaches over the last couple years to our already tenured and experienced coaching staff. Our teams have begun competing at a high level and really made a name for themselves in the Lone Star Conference. In the fall we have our men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The men are coming off of a record-setting season in wins under head coach Wade Alexander, and our women showed a lot of promise heading into this season under coach Tom Webb. Cameron boasts nationally-ranked teams in tennis, golf and volleyball. Our men’s tennis team is looking to extend their run to the NCAA national tournament to its 15th consecutive year.

No matter your grade level, age or anything else that might be stopping you, you need to get involved. It can create a whole new experience for you that you did not think was possible at a smaller institution. We have everything here that the big schools have to offer, so slow down, take it easy and remember that it is supposed to be fun. Involvement is instrumental in success.

Brad Franks, Amanda Finch, Michael Faggett, Codye Watson, Rachel Engel, Amanda Phillips, Gabe Crawford, Alyssa Knerr, Nicole Grzecki, Anjana Prasain, Tammy Anderson, Hannah Muirhead, Tori Strecker, Taylor Thompson, 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

September 14, 2009

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Professor shares love of music

By Rachel Engel Collegian Staff

A Julliard-educated musician recently serenaded the halls of the Cameron University Theatre with a piano recital.

“I always do faculty recitals,” said Dr. Hyunsoon Whang, McMahon-Endowed Chair and Professor of Music. “I think they expect it. We always have a nice turnout with many students, staff and community members attending.”

Dr. Whang began playing piano at the age of four and, at 16, traveled to the United States to continue her studies.

“My teacher in Korea recommended that I further my education here,” Dr. Whang said. “She had a very good friend who taught at the North Carolina School of the Arts, whom she talked to about me.

I was very serious about piano, and that was how I was able to come to the U.S.” After finishing high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Dr. Whang received her Bachelor’s degree from

the St. Louis Conservatory of Music, then went on to pursue her Master’s degree at The Julliard School, and eventually her Doctorate at Indiana University School of Music.

“It’s an amazing place because everyone there is so good,” Dr. Whang said of The Julliard School. “It’s a great place for performers because they have wonderful private teachers, but their academics are not so strong, which is why I’m so glad I went to Indiana University after that because that is where I learned all of the tools I needed to MCT Campus teach here.”

After finishing her degree at Indiana University, Dr. Whang followed her husband, Professor of Music Dr. Thomas Labe, to Oklahoma when he was offered a job at CU. “I came here with him, and then a few years later there was a full-time piano teaching opening, which I applied for, and pretty soon we both were teaching here,” Dr. Whang said.

Even though she was unsure what to expect when moving to Oklahoma, Dr. Whang has

enjoyed her time teaching at CU. “I love it here,” Dr. Whang said. “I love working with students, and I have also seen that the level of our students has gone up considerably. I have worked with students that could get into major music schools, and they choose to come here, which makes it enjoyable to teach.”

Teaching is a family trait of Dr. Whang’s, as her father was also a college professor, and she shares his love of students.

“My father was a clinical pathologist,” Dr. Whang said.

“I used to think he was crazy because he was so serious about his teaching; it was his life.

But now I think it runs in the family, and to be surrounded by young people, you just can’t beat that.”

Of the many pieces of music Dr. Whang plays, her favorites are Mozart and Chopin.

“Mozart is a very special composer to me,” Dr. Whang said. “No other composer’s music is as heavenly as his.

Chopin was also a phenomenal pianist; he wrote so beautifully for the instrument and it’s very satisfying to play.”

In addition to the faculty recitals performed at CU, Dr. Whang has played at over 500 venues nationwide, as well some

international concerts.

“My favorite performance was when a colleague and I performed together at this place in upstate New York,” Dr. Whang said. “It was a home for children who are mentally handicapped, and they ranged

from six-years-old all the way up to high school-aged. It was an amazing experience because of how excited they were over the music; I’ve never seen anything like it. They were so enthusiastic, and wouldn’t stop clapping.”

Photo courtesy of Dr. Hyunsoon Whang

Key Stroke: A faculty member since 1993, McMahon Endowed Chair and Professor of Music Dr. Hyunsoon Whang has performed at over 500 venues nationwide.

Saving Abel, Hinder to perform at Fort Sill

By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff

Lawtonians will soon get a chance to hear about the 18 days since they became addicted to a new tattoo.

The Mississippi-based Saving Abel will take the stage Sunday night at the Fort Sill Polo Field, along with Oklahoma’s own Hinder, in a concert that lead guitarist Scott Bartlett said will definitely be addicting.

The band’s success was due, in part, to the breakout popularity of their first release “Addicted.” The song, which expressed feelings about a band member’s ex-girlfriend, put the band on the map. Bartlett knew the song was going to be something special, but he never thought it would become as popular as it has.

“I think the first time we heard it, we knew we were onto something,” he said. “It shaped

our sound and continues to. It was the first single we released and no one knew who we were at the time. But the song just kept slowly crawling up the charts and just would not die.”

The song topped out at the second spot on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Charts.

Saving Abel quickly followed “Addicted” with a second single from their 2008 self-titled debut album. However, “18 Days” didn’t catch on as much as its predecessor. Bartlett said the band’s greatest success could be its greatest weakness.

“Our problem is now following up after how much success we had with the single,” Bartlett said. “We couldn’t understand why our next singles didn’t do the same thing as ‘Addicted.’”

While Saving Abel came out of nowhere and took the mainstream rock scene by storm, they weren’t an overnight sensation. Bartlett said the

MCT Campus

Vocal Chords: The members of the band Saving Abel, who will perform at the Fort Sill Polo Fields on Sept. 20.

band’s formation started in 2004 when lead vocalist Jared Weeks and guitarist Jason Null came together to create some acoustic singles in the small town of Corinth, Miss. Bartlett said the pair caught the ear of famed producer Skid Mills, who’s produced albums for ZZ Top, Saliva and other acclaimed groups. Mills wanted to create a full album, so Weeks and Null needed to come up with additional band members. “”[Drummer] Blake [Dixon] and [bass guitarist] Eric [Taylor] came in and they started playing,” Bartlett said.

“I had gotten a call about doing a session, and I really liked the stuff. At the time, I just needed to do a gig to keep the power on. I came in the next day to get my check and they were waiting there, asking me if I wanted to be in the band.”

At the time, Bartlett was involved with four other gigs.

When everyone began talking, Bartlett discovered he had done sound work for Weeks and Null the year before. Everyone had known each other at some point or another throughout their lives. The duo wanted him so much, Bartlett said, that they offered to take him on without paying him. It was on that day, Bartlett said, Saving Abel was born.

“I had some stuff for them before and it was interesting to remember that,” he said.

“It was eerie how it all came together. But here we are now, five years later, and this is amazing.”

Performing as a guitarist in a rock band was something Bartlett always saw himself doing when he got older. When he was younger, he said he would jam in his basement and would always tell himself he would eventually be a member of a band and play for millions of fans. But, as he got older, he began to see the dream fade and reality began to set in.

“I was always jamming out to classic rock, thinking this is what I’m going to do,” he said.

“But then you realize the music

MCT Campus

industry isn’t really what you thought it was. It can certainly diminish your hopes. But you just need to stay as positive as you can.”

The life of a rock star isn’t one of glamour, glitz and money. Every night, the band is in a different city, singing to a different crowd. Life on the road isn’t the dream that Bartlett once thought it would be. Looking back on his decision to join Saving Abel, Bartlett said he wouldn’t change it.

“We’ve all aged a little bit,” he said. “We’ve all lost hair in different places. It’s a tough lifestyle. It’s a double-edged sword. Be careful what you wish for, because it will affect your every-day life. But, if you’re serious about music, it’s not something you want to complain about; this is something you would want to do.”

Saving Abel has been on the road for two years straight, which hasn’t given the band much time to work on a followup to the 2008 album. Bartlett said all of the band members have taken every chance they can in between tours to write new material and plan what they’re going to do next.

“We don’t really ever go home,” Bartlett said. “So, in between tours, there’s a lot of pressure on us to put out that next record. We go to Nashville and Shreveport to write.”

Right now, Bartlett estimates there are five or six songs in the can, ready to be recorded in the studio. They don’t want to start work on the new album until they have an additional five or six songs ready to go.

But, Bartlett told fans to keep an ear out around the early part of 2010, because Saving Abel will be back and the wait will be worth it.

“I’m really looking forward to our next album. I think the public is really going to dig it.

From a lead guitar standpoint, I feel happy where we’re going.

We’re going to bring back some of the soaring lead guitar solos,” Bartlett said. “For me, I feel musically fulfilled when I get to do those. Again, our sound is constantly evolving.

We’re all very much a part of the songwriting process. I just hope everyone is ready for a kickass rock album. I can safely say fans can expect a new album sometime in early 2010. I just hope everyone is ready for a great new rock album.”

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Sports

September 14, 2009

Aggies win three of four in Abilene

By Saman Samii Collegian Staff

The Cameron Aggie volleyball team keeps playing well. This past weekend, the Aggies traveled to Abilene, Texas to participate in the Abilene Christian Wildcat Invitational tournament where the women captured three out of the four matches played.

The ladies currently stand on a 7-1 record. The Aggies opened up the tournament on Sept. 4, by taking on the Mustangs of Western New Mexico University. The ladies were on a role as they won the match by the score of 3-1. Head Coach Brianne Smedley said she was pleased to get a win in the opening match.

“First match of the tournament is always tough. We started a little sloppy, but we did a great job of executing and playing our type of volleyball towards the end,” Smedley said. “It was a good start to a great tournament for us.”

Later that same day, the Aggies took on Lubbock Christian University. Like many times already this season, the women showed tremendous commitment as they fought to win the match in the deciding fifth set.

The final score was 25-21, 28-30, 25-19, 21-24, 15-10. Smedley said this match was a battle.

“This was a tough match against a very tough team,” Smedley said. “Lubbock Christian has a great program, and I was pleased to see that we were the stronger team in that match.”

On Sept. 5, the Aggies opened up the day by taking on Western State College. The ladies were in total control throughout the match and won in three straight decisive sets.

Offensive standouts in this match were Lindsay Paziuk and Malyssa Acton, who both had 11 kills each. The defensive standout in this match was Niki Abbott, who not only punched in 10 kills, but had no defensive errors. Smedley said the girls played extremely well.

“We came out and stuck to the game plan,” Smedley said. “We got the job done and played well throughout the whole match.”

In the final match of the tournament, Cameron took on nationally ranked no. 17 Pittsburg State University. The match was close and went the distance, where the Aggies fell short and lost the match in the fifth and deciding set.

The Aggies were close to being eliminated in the fourth set but battled back to have the match be decided in the fifth.

Smedley said she was proud of how the girls came back and fought.

“We had a lot of ups and downs during that match,” Smedley said. “It was a very close match and I was pleased to see us battling back in the fourth, but they were the stronger team in the fifth.

We let up a little bit and they were more aggressive.”

Smedley said she was pleased with the weekend’s outcome and that she looks forward to next weekend’s competition.

“Overall, we had a great tournament this weekend,” she said.

“This upcoming tournament in Omaha is going to be the toughest one for sure. We are playing four solid teams, but if we work hard and play our type of volleyball, I am confident that we will have some great results.”

Photo by Bennett Dewan

Speed and power: Senior Right Outside Hitter Lindsay Paziuk goes up for a spike in a game from the 2008 season. Paziuk led the Aggies with 343 kills last season which was 92 more than the next highest teammate. With the Aggies off to a fast start at 7-1 this year, the leadership and consistent play of all the Seniors will be vital if the Aggies wish to still be playing in late November.

College football debut marred by punch

By Jeramy Eidson Collegian Staff

Football is a game that is played with emotion, one that requires much self-discipline and is a sport that can build one’s character.

Unfortunately, Oregon tailback LeGarrette Blount displayed all of these aspects in a negative manner in the Thursday night college football season opener on Sept. 3.

On national television, Blount sucker-punched Boise State linebacker Byron Hout at midfield during the post-game handshakes.

Only an hour after the game,

Blount apologized repeatedly for his actions.

Blount not only tarnished his own image, he spotlighted the Oregon sports program and the university in an extremely negative way.

His actions have not gone undisciplined. Oregon head coach Chip Kelly and athletic director Mike Bellotti have suspended Blount for the remainder of the season.

That punishment, however, is not nearly enough. Blount should be nothing less than expelled from the University of Oregon. Letting Blount attend class could result in another altercation between the suspended tailback and other students at the university.

Allowing him to continue to attend school is also a failure on the university’s part in controlling the

students’ safety within the school environment.

After watching the video several times, Hout mouthed something to Blount and was immediately grabbed by his coach for doing so. Blount then retaliated with a jab to the Boise State linebacker’s jaw, leaving him dazed.

Instead of letting it end there, Blount insisted on fighting other teammates, police officers, his coaches and even attempted to fight fans.

His barbaric behavior is unacceptable, and shame on the University of Oregon if they ever allow him to return.

Also, with the game being nationally televised, the possibility of children seeing his actions should be a big concern.

Blount was a primary weapon in the Oregon offense last season, and that may have led to him being a player closely followed by the eyes of America’s youngest athletes.

How did they perceive Blount’s actions? Do they now feel it is all right to punch opposing players after a loss?

After his expulsion, Blount should perform community service hours in the local school systems in an effort to prevent violence if he is to be considered for reinstatement.

Only then should he be allowed to return to the university.

Blount’s hopes for playing football ever again as a Duck, if reinstated by the university, should be minuscule.

Immense amounts of apologies and a probation period should be required of Blount.

After all is said and done, however, if the coach and his

teammates feel that they want Blount back, then so be it.

Before the 2009 season even began, Blount had already had disciplinary issues and had been previously suspended.

Now, after his actions, Blount will have a hard time making to in the NFL. Scouts will not recommend to draft a guy that has caused turmoil of the magnitude

that he has thus far for the University of Oregon.

Unless Oregon can somehow rally together after the ugly display of sportsmanship to win a bowl game or better, this season will always be remembered by LeGarrette Blount’s attack on an unsuspecting Byron Hout after losing 19-8 to the Boise State Broncos.

MCT Campus

I’ve seen better days: Oregon Running back Legarrette Blount (White) runs away from teammates during the annual inter-squad scrimmage. Blount began the season as a highly touted runner, but after striking a Boise State player following a loss, his stock plummeted quickly. The incident became a hot topic on sports networks as pundits debated what sort of punishment Blount deserved. Oregon silenced these discussions by throwing the embattled player off their squad.

September 14, 2009

Sports

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Variety

September 21, 2009