COLLEGIAN THE CA M ERON U N I V ER SIT Y
Monday, September 22, 2008
News
Cameron students give back to the community. SEE PAGE 3
A&E
Theatre season looks to be in good “Shape.” SEE PAGE 7
Sports
Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926
Volume 83 Issue 4
Professor has ‘Freaky Friday’ By Jim Horinek
By Joshua Rouse
Collegian Staff
Collegian Staff
Recently, Assistant Professor of Public Relations Dr. Paul Crandon found out what it was like to switch places with someone. Dr. Crandon switched jobs for a day with the Vice President Market Manager Kim Dodds from Gap Broadcasting. Gap Broadcasting is the parent company of K-LAW 101, MY107 and Z94 radio stations. Dr. Crandon spends much of his time teaching classes and tending to his students. However, with the help of Graphics courtesy of Gap Broadcasting what has come to be called On the air: Assistant Professor of Public Freaky Friday, Dr. Crandon Relations Dr. Paul Crandon gets behind the was able to step into a mic. different line of work. Although the switch was an obvious change from his normal job, Dr. Crandon is not a stranger to the ways of radio. “I used to work in radio. I got started when I was working in the kitchen at a bar. When things got slow I would sneak out to the DJ booth and start mixing music,” Dr. Crandon said. With the help of his previous experience, Dr. Crandon went on the air several times throughout the Freaky Friday. After getting his start in the bar, Dr. Crandon eventually got a job at a local radio station. “I was working the DJ booth in the bar and a local DJ approached me,” Dr. Crandon said. “I came away with the number for a radio station in the area and was on the air a few days later.” Dr. Crandon continued to work in radio until 1995 when he began pursuing his doctoral degree. He explained that he really enjoyed working in the radio business and that he was excited to have another chance to be on the air. According to Dr. Crandon, there are a lot of similarities between the profession of public relations and radio.
For a Cameron University professor and Kim Dodds, Gap Broadcasting General Manager, Sept. 5 was indeed a Freaky Friday. Dr. Paul Crandon, an Assistant Professor of Public Relations, and Dodds got together during the summer and conceived of an idea where they could trade jobs for a day. “That was Dr. Crandon’s idea,” Dodds said. “He came up with the idea and we both saw it as a way to see how each other worked.” It took a while for the two to come together on how the day would work and when they would be able to do it. Two weeks after the initial idea, the plan was set and Dodds was ready to try her hand at leading a college course. “He kind of had me be the professional guest-in-residence for the day and share how my career in radio and broadcasting parallels with public relations,” she said. “My industry has changed greatly over the years with new technology and ways of communicating and I was able to share that with the students.” For the most part, Dodds Photos by Bennett Dewan did not teach In the class: Gap Broadcasting General either of Dr. Manager Kim Dodds takes on the role of a Crandon’s professor. courses. Instead, she took the opportunity to learn about some of the future faces in public relations. She spoke to the students about their aspirations and goals for life after college. “It was interesting to meet the students and talk about what their ultimate plans were,” she said. “We used the time as a discussion class and I was able to see what they were wanting to do.”
See DR. CRANDON Page 2
See DODDS Page 2
CU makes registering to vote a little easier By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff
Svajlen tees off at worldwide competition. SEE PAGE 6
Voices Photo by Jim Horinek
It’s your right: Sociology sophomore Christopher Thomas registers to vote. Cameron recently held a voter registration drive to help Cameron students prepare for the upcoming election.
Cameron University wants every Aggie to get out and vote in the upcoming election. “If you can get a young person engaged, they are more likely to be a lifetime voter,” said Jennifer Holland, Dean of Student Services. “It is important that this huge population of individuals get together and vote and make sure their voice is heard.” The 2008 Election Day is Nov. 4, but the deadline to register for the general election is Oct. 10. To help get the word out, Holland and Robin Martin, the head cheerleading coach, and the Director of Student Activities Zeak Naifeh passed out voter registration forms in the Student Union on Sept. 17 and 18. The drive was part of a competition, which was sponsored by the State
Oklahoma Campus Compact in conjunction with Constitution Day. “Part of Constitution Day is making sure that students understand their civic responsibilities,” Holland said. “We want to make a public movement to get people out to vote.” Many students stopped by the registration table throughout the morning. Christopher Thomas, a sociology sophomore, took time out of his day to register. It was his first time registering. “I was planning on going ahead and registering but hadn’t decided when I was going to do it,” he said. “But they helped me out here and I’m ready to go for the general election this November.”
See VOTING Page 2
Cameron Campus Ministy welcomes new director By Lauren Bennett Newswriting Student
Public figures deserve respect too. SEE PAGE 4
There is a familiar face back in the halls of Cameron Campus Ministry, which first opened its doors to students in 1968. Reverend Jenny Wynn, 30, first came to Cameron University on a PLUS Scholarship in the fall of 1996 and roomed with fellow freshman PLUS scholar and current Dean of Student Services Jennifer Holland. The Rev. Wynn came to CCM her first year of college and became very involved
in its activities during her four years, including working as a student intern. The Rev. Wynn graduated from Cameron in December of 2001 with a degree in Biology. She then received her Masters in Divinity at the Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in 2005. “I have a bachelors in biology, so the next obvious step was divinity school,” the Rev. Wynn said. She was ordained into Christian Ministry through the Oklahoma of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in January of 2006 at First
Christian Church in Lawton. She served at churches in Ft. Worth, Texas and Norman, Oklahoma before she took the opportunity to be the director of CCM. “I loved my experience at CCM as a student; it is where I found my calling into ministry. I always hoped I’d be able to work in campus ministry after seminary, so it made sense to come back,” Rev. Wynn said.
See CCM Page 2
News
2
September 22, 2008
VOTING continued from page 1 Registering to vote is an easy process and Holland said students should not be afraid to fill out the form, which only takes a couple of minutes. Students need a valid photo ID and Oklahoma address. “To vote in the state of Oklahoma, you need to be a Oklahoma resident and a U.S. citizen,” Holland said. Many Cameron students are registered to vote in other precincts across the state and country. As long as those students are Oklahoma residents, they can register to vote here. Otherwise, they can return to their precinct on Election Day or file for an absentee ballot. “If students have questions about voting or filing for absentee ballots,
they can contact Student Activities, myself or the Student Government Association,” Holland said. “We will be happy to answer any questions they might have. We would also be willing to mail the forms to the county election board.” After the registration forms are mailed to the county election board, students will receive their voter registration cards in the mail. With the upcoming presidential election being such a tight race, Holland said it is more important than ever for college-age students to vote. “A lot of the issues that are being determined or decided upon directly affect college students,” she said. “Over the past three elections, the
number of young people who vote has increased, but it is still very low.” While the registration drive was only for two days, the university will still encourage students to register and vote through Election Day. Holland said posters would be placed around the campus to direct interested students to the right areas. Holland also encouraged students to read up on the candidates and inform themselves on who they think will be better for the country. “We want to make sure they are informed voters because you want them to start the practice early so they’ll vote for a lifetime,” she said. “In the general election, you can vote for any candidate you want, despite their political affiliation or yours.”
“If you can get a young person engaged, they’re more likely to be a lifetime voter. It’s important that this huge population of individuals get together and vote and make sure their voice is heard.” — Jennifer Holland Dean of Student Services MCT Campus
CCM continued from page 1 Rev. Wynn is the fourth director Cameron Campus Ministry has had in its 40 years, and though she plans to keep many things the same, she is also looking forward to helping the ministry evolve and grow. “I hope to change our visibility on campus and to build relationships with other organizations and communities at Cameron,” she said. “As Cameron University grows and changes, we need to do so as well, so we can meet the needs of the students and the Cameron community.” As all of her new ideas start to take effect, the one thing she said that she is most excited about is working with college students. Rev. Wynn feels that campus
ministry is important because college students are at a pivotal point in the their lives, and their age group often slips through the cracks of churches’ programming. She said that campus ministries should help foster students’ growth and help connect them with one another and the faith community in a safe place. She said that the ministry is open for anyone to come and participate. CCM will provide counseling services along with its weekly programming, which includes: a contemporary worship, with a live band, on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. and a free lunch on Thursdays at noon. CCM is also planning its annual golf tournament on October 24, to help raise funds for all of the programming. Rev. Wynn encourages students to see what Cameron Campus Ministry has to offer. She said, “Don’t be afraid to cross the street and Photo by Jim Horinek come and see us.”
DR. CRANDON continued from page 1 “There are a lot of commonalities between radio and public relations. Both professions deal with the spoken word and we both consider ourselves wordsmiths,” Dr. Crandon said. “For those reasons the switch was a natural thing for both of us.” Despite the connections between the two fields of work, Dr. Crandon was still surprised to see how much the business of radio had changed since he left. “A lot has changed because everything has gone digital. I remember having to physically pull all of the tapes for each song that I was going to play during my shift,” Dr. Crandon said. “Now they are able to do all of that from a computer.” Dr. Crandon believes that he and Dodds, as well as his students, gained much from the Freaky Friday event. According to Dodds, she was able to use her time with Dr. Crandon’s students as a way to find out more about her audience. Accordingly, Dr. Crandon holds the belief that this situation was an invaluable learning experience for all those involved. In the end, both Dr. Crandon and Dodds say that they really enjoyed Freaky Friday. To top it off Dr. Crandon thinks he might take up radio as a side job. “I really enjoy being on the air and I have seriously been considering working a few hours a week as a DJ,” Dr. Crandon said.
DODDS continued from page 1
See page 5 for solutions.
While leading one of Dr. Crandon’s classes, Dodds surveyed the students about the Gap Broadcasting family of radio stations in the area. Gap Broadcasting is considering an assortment of changes for the Z94 station and she wanted to know what younger listeners would think about the changes. “I found that very helpful and got some on the spot research and information that I could use from a public relations perspective,” she said. Meanwhile, when Dodds was leading Dr. Crandon’s classes, he was working at Gap Broadcasting doing on-the-air work. Dodds said Dr. Crandon enjoyed his time at her job and he was able to relive some of his younger days. “He spent some time on the morning show live and then some time in our sales department with some of the directors,” she said. “When he was in college, I learned he used to work at a radio station. So he was able to get some of that experience again.” Dodds hopes the Freaky Friday exchange helped the students in Dr. Crandon’s classes. When she was attending Cameron, she said she learned the most when a professor brought in guests who worked in that particular field of study. “I found that very helpful when they would bring those real life experiences into the classroom. And from my perspective, that’s what I wanted to do,” Dodds said. “I thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was a great experience and I enjoyed meeting with all of the students. They were welcoming and it was great to share time with them.”
News
September 22, 2008
3
Cameron students show that they care
Time well spent: Several members of various CU athletic teams volunteered during the United Way Youth Day of Caring.
By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff Cameron University athletes took a break from practice to help out a good cause on Sept. 13. Players and coaches from the Lady Aggies softball team joined the men’s and women’s basketball teams and Cameron cheerleaders in volunteering for the Sixth Annual United Way LawtonFort Sill Youth Day of Caring. Craig Martin, the CU Sports
Information Director, helped organize the Cameron athletics’ participation in the event. “I had my first meeting about the Youth Day of Caring back in July,” Martin said. “We had two days of training and we went through this. We wanted to get as many of our Aggie teams out there as we could.” More than 175 volunteers from different agencies and groups across the Lawton-Fort Sill area arrived at the Great Plains Technology Center’s Worley Center for breakfast before receiving their assignments. Robin Martin, the head cheerleading coach, said the volunteers looked like they needed a wakeup call and she had the perfect solution. “We did a couple of cheers to wake everyone up because it was 7:45 in the morning and people were not quite awake,” she said. After breakfast, the groups were sent out across the area to volunteer at different locations. The women’s basketball team volunteered at the Boy Scouts of America Headquarters in Elmer Thomas Park. The players and coaches had a good time, despite
the hard work early on a Saturday morning. “We’ve trimmed a bunch of trees and hedged the bushes around the building,” said medical technology junior Amber Schroer. “We walked around the pond out there and cut down a bunch of the weeds that were growing.” Schroer, who is a post for the women’s basketball team, helped wash windows alongside her teammate, chemistry sophomore Whitney Null. The Lady Aggie guard said she enjoyed trading in a basketball for a washrag. “We’re doing things to help our community through the volunteering during the Youth Day,” she said. “We’re having a good time, and you can’t ask for more than that.” The team’s new head coach, Tom Webb, joined his players in cleaning the Boy Scout headquarters. Webb and his wife hauled boxes out of the building all morning and trimmed weeds. He said volunteering had benefits beyond simply cleaning up the community. “It’s a great experience for the kids, and it helps them work
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together as a team,” he said. them a lot when they start playing On the other side of the park, again,” she said. the men’s basketball team was Robin Martin and the doing its part for Youth Day of cheerleaders spent their morning Caring by helping cut grass and volunteering at the Hospice on trim limbs at the Helen Holiday Ferris Avenue. She said the whole House. Lead by head coach Wade squad was involved in making arts Alexander, and crafts the players gifts for the worked residents at throughout the center. the day “The gifts to clean we made for up the them will yard and last until clean out Christmas,” a cluttered she said. “We garage. made door Kathy hangers, Newcombe, we made Photos courtesy of Michael D. Pope a worker cards, bird at the houses and counseling center, said the work all those little fun arts and crafts was needed for a long time. treats that might make their day “They did a fantastic job of awesome and warm.” cleaning up the outside and For the cheerleaders, spending making things look so much a Saturday morning making better,” she said. “I appreciate all arts and crafts for less fortunate the help and hard work they’ve put people was a morning well spent. into it.” Robin Martin said cheerleaders A small building on the east and arts and crafts go well side of the center was used as a together and she was happy to storage area for some time. When donate her time for a wonderful the players started getting inside cause. and cleaning it out, Newcombe “It was a great team bonding said they found things she didn’t experience as well,” she said. “It know existed in there. made us very thankful for what “They pulled out a bunch we have and thankful for our of these old ceiling tiles and I families. When you think about couldn’t believe they had been where these treats are going, it in there and taken up so much makes you upset on the inside useless space.” because the situation they’re in is For the basketball team, very sad. But at the same time, we volunteering was all in a day’s were happy to do something nice work. The players laughed and for them.” joked with each other as they Craig Martin said it was cut down tree limbs that were inspiring to see so many Cameron in danger of crashing into the athletes volunteering during the building. Alexander ran a weed Youth Day of Caring. The softball eater and trimmed patches of team volunteered at the Marie grass that had sprouted up in Detty Youth Shelter and helped cracks in the driveway, and a few clean windows and do various players took a few minutes to sit activities in the area. Ultimately, down on lawn chairs in the back of the Youth Day of Caring was a the building and take a breather. success for the Lawton-Fort Sill Newcombe said it appeared the Area. volunteering would help the team “It was good to see so many on the court as much as off it. The Cameron Aggies out there team’s volunteering even inspired helping out in the community,” her as well. Craig Martin aid. “We definitely “They’ve worked together well made up a good portion of the out here, and I think it will help volunteers that day.”
Voices
4
September 22, 2008
Public figures are people too
Americans should look past fallacies of celebrities, politicians The personal lives of public figures almost always catch the attention of the general public and the media. It seems like now more than ever that public figures are being scrutinized more heavily than in past years. I find it somewhat hypocritical that we as a nation have more interest in the mistakes people make rather than their ability to do their jobs. Soon after John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate, all eyes were turned to Palin and her ability to properly raise her children. Palin has a 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant. Instead of finding out where Palin stood on the war or on health care the media began questioning her ability to run her own household. Shouldn’t the country be finding out exactly who she is and what she stands for? I don’t believe Palin or any other public figure should be frowned upon because of the mistakes they or their family members have made. It’s hypocritical to judge one’s ability to do their job based on their family background. Nobody is
perfect, and at some point in time we’re all bound to make some mistakes. For the most part of 2007, the media was focused on Britney Spears and her mental state; her sister, Jamie Lynn, being a teenage mom; Lindsay Lohan’s many trips in and out of rehabilitation centers and whether or not Paris Hilton was wearing underwear. The lives of celebrities have always been largely publicized whether it helped their careers or ruined them. These people at some point in time did have serious problems that needed to be addressed. It shouldn’t matter what the person is going through; if they need help it should be given to them. If there’s an addiction or a mental problem or some other condition it should be handled by the person and the appropriate facility. It shouldn’t be broadcast on eight different channels and magazines as if its a funny joke. Public figures do have a duty to present themselves professionally no matter what their position may be. If they can do their job correctly and to the best of their
Raven Weiss
ability, why should we be so focused on why they’re getting divorced or be outraged at the fact that they tried drugs as a teenager? As a country, I feel we would be better off if we accepted everyone for who and what they are. Who cares if you tried marijuana as a teenager, drank before you were of age or if you aren’t religious? If celebrities or other public figures have different values, opinions, beliefs or concerns than ourselves, why can’t we be open minded enough to hear them out? Public figures of any kind are naturally held to a higher standard than others. The general public has standards they’d like that public figure to adhere to which tends to vary depending on the region. Going back to Palin, if her family has accepted her daughter’s pregnancy, why does it matter what the country thinks? Aren’t we looking at McCain and Palin for the election, and not Palin’s daughter? Personally, I don’t know why the personal lives of these people should matter. It does have some importance when you think about how they will make an organization look, but when
Graphic by Joshua Rouse
it comes down to personal life issues, such as a teen pregnancy or a divorce, those things should be kept private. Just because a person has taken on such a public responsibility doesn’t mean what happens in privacy needs to be in the public as well. Public figure or not, if a person has different beliefs than you do in how they live their lives outside the work place, they should be free to do as they wish. I’m sure some of us have not-so-perfect backgrounds or ideas not everyone would agree with. I don’t believe that the general public or the media should have the right to judge one’s ability to work based on their personal life. The two factors coincide at some point, but they don’t always go hand in hand.
High-quality wrestling reality in Lawton again There’s a new show in Lawton that can captivate and amaze people every Saturday night. Impact Zone Wrestling debuted for the second time on Sept. 13. This time, instead of operating out of the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, the promotion had its own arena, the Impact Arena at the intersection of F Avenue and 11th Street. Walk into the arena around 7 p.m. on a Saturday night and you’ll be introduced to a whole new feeling. There’s something about walking into a wrestling venue just before the show’s about to begin. There’s an aura in the air as people are excited and are buzzing about what’s going to happen. Watching professional wrestling on television
is one thing. But seeing it live, even if it’s a small promotion, is still a completely different beast. There are no big names in IZW. You probably won’t recognize any of the wrestlers or names unless you know them outside the ring, but they will put on one of the best wrestling shows around. I’ve been a wrestling fan since I was 4 yearsold and the Sept. 13 debut was some of best wrestling I’ve seen in my life. The show opened with a five-man ladder match that featured some jaw-dropping spots. Tremaine, easily the most impressive wrestler on the IZW roster, did a springboard backflip off the ropes onto a group of wrestlers standing on the floor. If you don’t know what means, just look at it this way: a grown man took flight in a poetic display and knocked out all of his
Joshua Rouse
opponents. Johnny-Z, the promoter of the company, came out to the ring later and cut a brilliant promo filled with sharp wit and humor. Johnny-Z is now one-half of the IZW Tag Team Champions along with his Impact Inc. stable partner, Barry. Impact Inc. won the belts in amazing fashion during a tag-team cage match to close out the first show. Johnny-Z was the unwitting recipient of a superplex from the top of the cage but
Graphic courtesy of IZW
ultimately overcame the bump to win the match. While there won’t be cage matches and ladder matches each week, IZW still features solid wrestling in the regular matches. For the $5 price of the ticket, cheaper than a movie theater ticket, you can get at least two hours of entertainment. IZW doesn’t have the production values of the WWE or TNA, but who needs fancy pyrotechnics and special effects when the matches are solid? After all, isn’t that the reason people go to wrestling events? The wrestlers themselves aren’t the most impressive guys you’ll see in a ring. They’re not the muscle-bound guys who look like they spend every waking moment at the gym lifting weights and popping steroids, and if there is one drawback to IZW, it’s the physiques of some of the wrestlers. But their work in the ring is solid and they know how to put on a good show when they go out under the lights. Check out IZW some Saturday night when you have nothing to do. Tickets are only $5 and are available at the front gate at the night of the show. Don’t be fooled by the lack of superstar names; IZW features some great in-ring action that you could expect from the WWE.
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief - Joshua Rouse News Editor - Jim Horinek A&E Editor - Bira Vidal Sports Editor - Bennett Dewan Copy Editor - John Robertson
Newsroom Staff Ads Manager - Kerry Myers Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Alexis Del Ciello, Henry Evans, Valerie Pennington
Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Keller
Newswriting Students Brooke Adams, Aduke Adesida, Kathryn Batule, Brandy Belew, Lauren Bennett, Greg Boxell, Taylor Brunwald, Justin Cliburn, Jeramy Eidson, Monica Garner, Anna Hataway, Jennifer Knapp, Kyle Luetters, Diana Lujan, Megan Mefford, Solitaire Merrill, Mary Oliver, Kyndle Palmer, Nicole Roames, Chelsea Robertson, Melissa Rodgers, Saman Samii, Meagan Searcy, Rashmi Thapaliya, Raven Weiss, Brooke Whiteley, Nikki Yowell
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.
Sports
September 22, 2008
5
CU Gym sparkles with new additions By Kyle Luetters Collegian Staff For 51 years, the Aggie Gymnasium has been the home of champions. Everything from national championships to player MVP trophies are housed in the hallowed halls of the building. However, over a half a century’s worth of wear and tear has taken its toll on the building. Craig Martin, CU’s Sports Information Director, said in order to keep the Aggie Gym on the cutting edge, certain amenities need to be addressed, including a new floor, lights and a heating and air-conditioning system, which is a luxury previously absent from the old gym. A year ago, the administration approved the largest renovation plan in the history of the gym. Plans included the repainting of several sections of the building, new door frames and doors for the front of the gym, new lights, the installation of heating and cooling units, adding banners to commemorate championships and the biggest improvement, a brand new floor complete with Aggie logos. The renovations were needed to make Aggie Gym one of the elite facilities in the Lone Star Conference, Martin said. “We just wanted to bring Aggie Gym up to a level with some of the bigger arenas in the Lone Star Conference,” Martin said. One of the major problems with the gym was the lack of heating and air. “It’s a 50 year old, now 51 year old facility and it never had it,” said Martin referring to the lack of heat and air conditioning. Since volleyball season starts when summer temperatures are still the norm and basketball runs right through winter, fans in the arena were often treated to less than desirable conditions. Martin said that the addition of the heating and air conditioning elements was one of the bigger projects. It was also one of the first to be completed.
The other big project was the playing floor in the gym. The floor itself had never been replaced in the entire history of the facility. It had been just been refinished several times throughout the years. “Over time the floor had just gotten razor thin and it was wasn’t really good anymore,” Martin said. A new floor was put in along with a fresh coat of paint. New lanes under the goals and new logos were just part of the floor. Most of the other renovations were minor. Banners celebrating past sports triumphs now adorn the east wall of the gym. Newly painted steps guide fans to their row and seats up in the stands. A state of the art lighting system was installed over the playing floor that is five times brighter than the system it replaced. The lights over the seats are still the same brightness, however. New doors and door frames at the main entrance give the front of the gym an updated look as well. The siding on the top of the outside of the building was also repainted. All of the renovations are either completed or nearing completion. However, Martin says that the restoration is becoming more of an on going process. “It’s probably going to end up being one of those deals where once we finish something, we may find something else and just move on to that,” Martin said. “It’s really just going to be the little touch up things here and there.” Martin also believes that the improvements to the gym will also bring more people into the stands and on the court itself. “I think that it’ll bring in more recruits who want to play in a better gym so then when we have better recruits and a better facility we’ll have better attendance.” Martin’s theory on attendance will get put to the test when the Lady Aggies Volleyball team hosts Southwestern Oklahoma State in the Aggie Gym on September 18th. For video content over this story, go to YouTube and search “cuinternettv.”
Photo by Bennett Dewan
Lemony fresh: The Aggie Gym has become more modern after the most recent set of renovations. The three phase process involved new flooring, five times brighter lights and heating and cooling units. The new additions make the gym a better place to play for student athletes and for fans to support their Aggies.
Tennis ace finds perfect fit with CU By Saman Samii Newsriting Student With a great 2007-2008 tennis season behind him, Jeff Sasser is looking forward to another flawless season. Sasser, a sophomore and Psychology major, first attended Cameron University in the fall of 2007 to pursue his academic career on an athletic scholarship. Last season, the Aggie men’s tennis team finished as high as No. 7 in the nation and went undefeated in the Central Region. Sasser said that success was a
product of the hard work and the year with a winning record. At the age of eight, Sasser started dedication that he and his teammates to master the strokes and techniques showed throughout the season. “It is great to be a part of such a of tennis. He mostly played with good team, it motivates you to eat, his father, and after a few years of sleep and breathe tennis, and the perfecting his skills, Sasser won his first tennis tournament. variety of the team allows us to In his high school teach each other,” Sasser said. years, Sasser was a diamond in the Sasser, born and raised in Lawton, is ruff for the Lawton High Wolverines. from a “tennis family”. Both parents and Throughout older brothers played his high school years, Sasser competitive tennis in their showed tremendous college careers. Sasser hopes MCT Campus to follow in their footsteps domination. He while still making his own path at competed as the No. 1 Cameron. Sasser has already been a singles player on the LHS Wolverines part of a national championship, and tennis team, and was chosen to be as a young freshman he finished the the team captain to complete his
high school career. Before attending Cameron University, in 2007, Jeff won seven individual tournaments against some of the best players in the region. He also received the MVP award during all four years at Lawton High, and was named as one of the best players in the school’s history. Sasser is the only American representative on the Aggie men’s tennis team. The rest of his teammates are from various countries around the world including Sweden, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina. Playing against all of the different types of styles that the team brings only provides more of a challenge for Sasser to improve his skills. Learning to play against a variety of spins and strategies provides motivation for him, and he praised Coach Helvey for encouraging such diversity and pushing his students to their limits. “[He was] a big part in instructing our well thought out practices and work outs.” Sasser said. ”We practiced the right way, even though at times it was extremely difficult and taxing mentally and physically.” When Jeff is not spending his time on the tennis court, he enjoys playing many other sports. He loves football and said OU is his favorite collegiate team. The mental and challenge of golf also holds its appeal for the Lawton native. Most of his spare time is spent on the various golf courses around town and, after his tennis career, Sasser would like to compete in golf tournaments around the area. In addition, Sasser and his family enjoy hunting, and he is often found in the woods hunting deer when the season starts. The 2008-2009 season looks very promising for Sasser and his teammates. With four returning players and four new recruits, the Aggie men’s tennis team should maintain their status as a top ten team in the nation. Eager to begin the season, Sasser said that he was excited to see what the season brings. “I can’t wait for the season to start, we have a great team and we should be able to back up our results from last year,” Jeff said. “Our goal is always to be the best, but we have to continue to work hard and not to underestimate the other teams.”
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Sports
September 22, 2008
Aggie golf star takes on the world By Lauren Bennett Newswriting student
Photos courtest of Craig Martin
Getting in the swing of things: CU golfer Peter Svajlen practices his putting and mid-range game to keep his skills sharp. Svajlen was invited to represent his native Slovakia in the 2008 World University Golf Championship. The tournament was played at the Gary Player Golf Course in Sun City, South Africa. Players representing 18 different countries participated in the 4 day event.
The student body, faculty and staff of Cameron University are rooting for a Slovakian victory. CU Golf team standout Peter Svajlen, a 22 year old Business Management major, represented his native nation in the 12th World University Golf Championship. According to the International University Sports Federation’s web site, the tournament was held from Sept. 2-6 at the Gary Player Golf Course in Sun City, South Africa. 96 of the most competitive university-level golfers from schools across the world flew in to participate. Golfers in the competition represent 18 different nations from four continents. Svajlen was selected for this competition by his home country because he is the best male golfer in Slovakia. “I was voted ‘Player of the Year’ for the last two years,” Svailen said. “And I’m the only one who can prove himself in world competition.” Even though the news that he was chosen did not come as much of a shock, he was still happy to be chosen. “I was excited because I knew it was going to be a great tournament,” Svajlen said. “It was not a surprise that they picked me because there is almost no competition in Slovakia.” After three rounds of competition on the course, which was groomed to add difficulty, Svajlen was tied for 16th place going into the final round. On the first day of the tournament, Svajlen started with double bogeys on holes two and five but he quickly settled down and shot a 74 for the day. Day two saw Svajlen shoot a blistering 73 and move into 7th place. He birdied the 18th hole in order to better his previous day by a stroke. Consistency helped to propel Svajlen near the top of the leader board as other competitors struggled in the middle part of the round, especially with the eighth and ninth holes. The third day of competition slowed the scoring considerably. As the course began to play harder the scores reflected the change. Few competitors were able to withstand the conditions as the scores steadily rose. Svajlen started slowly and could not recover, falling slightly in the standings after shooting an 80 for the round. In the fourth and final round saw Svajlen improve his shooting and standing as he got a 77 for the last round, giving him a four-round score of 304 (74-73-80-77). Svajlen placed 15th in a three-way tie for the competition’s final standings. Even though he is one of the best golfers in Slovakia, Svailen credited Cameron’s golf program with refining his ability, “Cameron helped me a lot, and Coach Hrnciar made me the player I am right now. I give full credit to him for my improvement in the last few years,” Svajlen said. After placing in a tournament such as the WUC, the odds for a chance at playing professionally certainly increase and Svajlen some day hopes to do that. “I would definitely like to try it some time in my life. I still have MBA to do, and then I will decide where I will try to play.”
Tough test lays ahead for Aggie Volleyball By Jeremy Eidson
in the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament. Newswriting Student This monumental upset was later In 1982, the United States derailed by a loss to the second hockey team upset the heavily seeded Central Oklahoma squad, favored Soviets in the Olympic 3-0. Games. In 2004, the Boston Red On September 25 the Aggies Sox achieved a feat unheard of face a similar challenge as they in professional sports; down 0-3 square up against the Mustangs to the New York Yankees in the once again in conference play at 7 American League Championship p.m. in the Aggie Gym. Series, the Red Sox battled back New to the Aggie mix is Coach and won four straight games Brianne Smedley; a graduate to take the series 4-3. In 2008, from Mississippi State where she The New York Giants scored a played volleyball for four years as touchdown with seconds left to a Bulldog. Smedley is coaching put an end to the multi-record her first season at Cameron setting, juggernaut football team, after spending three years as the The New England Patriots’ head coach at Berry College perfect season, who in Mount Berry, finished the Georgia. season 16-0 At Berry, and won she posted their two an 82-37 overall previous record, playoff including games a 29-7 (18-0). conference What record. many During her people last season may not at Berry, her know is team received that last their first year’s Cameron national ranking Aggie Women’s in school history after MCT Campus Volleyball team made posting a 35-9 record. a similar upset. In Smedley has participated in the regular season of 2007, the many high stakes games as both a Aggies suffered a conference player and as a coach and knows defeat in the regular season that this game against MSU is against the Midwestern State crucial to their seeding in the University Mustangs of Wichita Lone Star Conference Playoffs. Falls, Texas, 3-1. She has not yet cracked open The Aggies finished the season the game film of MSU but she 14-16 with a conference record of knows her Aggies will have to 6-6 while The Mustangs finished bring their “A” game. strong with a record of 27-6 and a “Midwestern is returning six of 10-2 conference record. their seven key players,” Smedley The outcome was completely said. Luckily, Smedley will not different in mid-November; the have to rely on one player to help sixth seeded Aggies defeated her win. Her team, which is a the third seeded mustangs 3-1 well-balanced mix of players, is
a great group of girls and are all key players in her eyes. As many would suspect, this game is highly anticipated by the Aggies. “The team is always excited and anticipates playing Lone Star Conference opponents, but since they are ranked above us in the pre-season polls, there is a little extra excitement to beat them,” Smedley said. “They were ranked third in the pre-season polls while we were ranked seventh, so according to the conference we are the under-dog in this match.” Currently, MSU is 13-0, while Cameron is 5-5. The Aggies have three returning Seniors that were on the team last year: Whitney Long, Veronica Reeks and Haley Hatch. Smedley will rely on her veterans to set the tone for the younger players on the team in hopes it will fuel the fire to their game. The Aggie Women’s Volleyball team would like to see more fans at their games. According to Smedley, the fans play an important role in their success. “The more people that are there cheering, the more momentum we carry,” Smedley said. “ We always want to see as many fans in the stands as possible, whether we are playing a conference opponent or nonconference opponent. I think my players play hard no matter if we have one fan in the stands or hundreds, but you always feel more excited when a large crowd is cheering you on. As a team it is much easier to get excited when your home crowd is supporting you.” So anyone who is not busy on Thursday September 25, go to Aggie Gym at 7 p.m. and support your fellow Aggies in their conference game against MSU; it should be exciting.
Photos by Bennett Dewan
In the game: The Aggie Volleyball team gets it done on both ends of the court. The Aggies who improved to 6-5 overall and 1-0 in the Lone Star Conference will face stiff oposition in the MSU Mustangs.
A&E
September 22, 2008
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‘Shape of Things’ opens theatre curtains By Kerry Myers Collegian Staff Prepare yourself to be entertained—the Cameron University Theatre will begin performing on September 28 with Neil LaBute’s “The Shape of Things”. In “The Shape of Things”, a college student named Adam meets Evelyn, a graduate student at the art museum where he works. He is f lattered when Evelyn begins to show an interest in him, and he begins to take a liking to her. It doesn’t take Evelyn long to start suggesting that Adam do things that change his physical appearance such as working out regularly and ditching his glasses for contact lenses. The initial changes appear to be good, but later on Evelyn persuades Adam to seclude himself from his true friends, Jenny and Phillip. Evelyn reveals that she never was really attracted to Adam; she was simply using him for a class project. Evelyn was instructed to do “something that will change the world”, when instead she decided to try to change someone else’s world. She considers making Adam a more attractive person her academic work. Dr. Fennema, director and Theatre professor, said that one
Photo by Bennett Dewan
The shape of life: Adam (Bryan West) reads a book and receives some encouraging words from Phillip (Darren Howenstine). of the reasons that they chose this play was because of its fascinating script. “This particular production deals with characters who are college students just like the actors,” Fennema said. “It gives the students an opportunity to play a role that they can identify with.” “The Shape of Things” raises questions about what a person will do for love, and the nature of art and intimacy. Fennema said that the big question that the play poses is “what the most important element of a relationship is”. “She gives to him by improving
‘Red Dirt’ goes to Shawnee By Kyle Luetters Newswriting Student Bright lights and independent filmmakers took center stage in Shawnee, Oklahoma this past weekend as the Oklahoma Arts Council and the town of Shawnee hosted the second annual Southern Winds Film Festival during the weekend of September 11th through the 13th. The festival featured over 68 videos from several different filmmakers with awards in six categories being given out. Cameron University’s documentary from the summer of 2007, “North of Austin, West of Nashville: Red Dirt Music,” was invited to the festival. On Saturday, September 13th, a van carrying Dr. Matt Jenkins, students Cecillio Ramirez, Jenyann Riog, and PR Rep for the Documentary, Sharon Cheatwood, headed up to Shawnee to be present at the screening of the documentary The documentary was completed in the summer of 2007. It followed several different artists such as Johnny Cooper and Cross Canadian Ragweed. “My favorite memory was actually the premiere,” Dr. Jenkins said. “It was standing room only, over 400 people there.” Johnny Cooper, Kyle Hunt, and Casey Pilgreen also played a free concert at the premiere. Since it’s release, the documentary has appeared in three film festivals. According to lead editor, Cecillio Ramirez, one of the festivals was pretty prestigious. “We were at the Woody Guthrie film festival in Okemah which was a big honor because they were honoring Bob Childress and we got one of the last recordings of him before he passed,” Ramirez said. At the Southern Winds Festival, the documentary was up for the “Best Okie Feature” award. There were four other documentaries in the category. In all, there were eight categories ranging from feature length documentaries to short animation films. The pre-festival favorite appeared to be “Okie Noodling II”, a documentary about the subculture of barehanded cat-fishing. One of the stars of the documentary, Lee McFarlin, attended the screening and answered questions after the credits rolled. Both documentaries were some of the last to be screened. The festival began on Thursday with “The Importance of Being Russell.” Throughout the festival, films were screened at two locations in down town Shawnee and an out door theater. Films played Thursday night and all day Friday and Saturday. Saturday was the day that most of the featured films screened and also culminated in the festival awards ceremony. Awards were held at the Ritz Theater in downtown Shawnee. A guitarist entertained the crowd until the awards ceremony started at 10:00 pm. Ten categories were up for grabs as the announcements began. Dr. Jenkins and Ramirez anxiously waited to hear if the “Red Dirt Music” would take the award it was up for. When the announcement for “Best Okie Feature,” came, neither Jenkins and Ramirez nor McFarlin were celebrating. That honor went to the Stanton brothers for their feature, “The Stanton Family Grave Robbery.” While they were disappointed that their documentary couldn’t pull of the victory, both Ramirez and Dr. Jenkins looked to the future with confidence. “Next year’s documentary is going to be better than Red Dirt was,” Ramirez said. “I just think we have the right people in place to really make a great one.” “Kyle Luetters came to me with the idea of producing a documentary over dirt track racing in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas,” Dr. Jenkins said. “I already have some great students lined up to work on it and I think it’s going to be very exciting.” For video content about this story, go to YouTube and search “cuinternettv”.
his appearance,” Fennema said. “But he gives to her emotionally,
leaving the question of importance.” “The Shape of Things” first appeared in London’s Almeida Theatre with Paul Rudd acting as Adam and Rachel Weisz acting as Evelyn. Cameron University’s Theatre will now give its own rendition of the play with Bryan West playing the part of Adam and Mandi Bongiorno acting as Evelyn. Leah Mazur will be playing the part of Jenny, and Phillip will be portrayed by Darren D. Howenstine. There are four major roles in this play all acted out by theatre majors except for the actress playing the part of Jenny. Leah Mazur is a senior at Cache High School, and Dr. Fennema is hoping that she will become a student at Cameron next fall.
“She possesses a young, raw talent,” Fennema said. “I really enjoy working with her.” Cameron University faculty and students should be aware that this production contains adult subject matter. The play will be shown with no intermission and is expected to run about 90 minutes. “The Shape of Things” will begin showings on Sept. 25-27 at 7:30 p.m. at the University Theatre with a Sunday matinee on September 28 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for students are free; any student with a Cameron ID can stop by the Theatre Department Box Office and pick up their tickets. The Box Office can be reached at 580-581-2428. Tickets are $12 for adults, and $10 for seniors, military, and high school students.
Rabas presents poetry reading to CU students Missouri. His poetry follows its own flow and structure. Collegian Staff “He sent me a book,” Dr. Morris said. “He seems to write free verse. There are a number [of poets] that According to Kevin Rabas, struggle and strife are going back [to old poetry techniques], many do are just a common part of every day’s search for not, they write free verse.” life answers and, just as he states in one of his As part of his visitation to the CU campus, Rabas poems, “the answers are somehow above us, rising participated in the English class “Techniques of somewhere near the surface of the faces.” Poetry” and met with students from the English Kicking off the Lectures and Concerts Events honor society Sigma Tau Delta. series, Kevin Rabas came to Along the way he promoted his Cameron University on Sept. 19 poetry book, “Bird’s Horn”, which to do what he does best: present features poems about his life and his poetry to college students and passion for music. public interested in the flexibility The saxophone has been Rabas’ of free verses. instrument of choice since he realized Rabas discovered his poetry that poetry flows as smoothly as path in 2002 at the University music does. When intertwined, they of Kansas where he pursued his can present a unique combination as Bachelor degree in English. His described in some of Rabas’ poems. passion for poetry flourished when This is the “Bird’s Horn” his English background too him precedent. The poetry book takes into the education route. musical melodies and rhythms from According to Dr. John Morris, Jazz and saxophone and transforms a professor of English here at Photo courtesy of Kevin Rabas them into words and verses. As for CU, the selection of Kevin Rabas materialized from an idea from a Cameron professor students, Dr. Morris stated CU offers some courses that directly focus on poetry techniques and carry and the support of the Lectures and Concerts students into the different styles of poetry. committee. “A number of students are [interested in poetry]. “It was Professor Hensley [who helped bring As a matter of fact, I know that we offer three Rabas to CU]. She and I knew his work from courses in Creative Writing,” Dr. Morris said. Kansas State University, and thought Cameron “The enrollment in the class is pretty good, pretty students would benefit from his presence and work,” healthy.” Dr. Morris said. “[The Lectures and Concerts For future events, the English Department will committee] generously provided the money and we feature author Rilla Askew for Liberal Arts week, thank them.” which will take place on the first week of November. Since Rabas graduated from the University of Askew is an Oklahoman writer who has contributed Kansas, he has worked at different higher education to various literary magazines with short fiction institutions such as Johnson County Community pieces. College, Kansas State and the University of
By Bira Vidal
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Variety
September 22, 2008