The Cameron Collegian - April 17th, 2023

At 2 p.m. on April 6, Cameron University’s Politics Club held their first meeting in the Conwill Hall Conference Center. Instructor Justin Rose led the meeting and will serve as the club’s advisor.

The primary function of the meeting was to discuss the club’s possibilities.

Rose intends for the club to produce a political talk show, to be filmed in the Academic Commons’s television studio and to be aired as part of the Cameron University television (CUTV) lineup. He envisions the show to be a balanced look at politics.

Political Science senior Ja’Taia Burnett feels the club will be a perfect fit for Cameron.

“I feel like Cameron needs a politics club because there's so many issues going on right now that it's hard to not be engaged with what's going on outside of the campus,” Burnett said. “So many of our students are talking about these issues, but there's no outlet.”

Burnett finds the nationwide news to take up so much of the discussion that students often forget about the local issues.

“I find that we're so used to focusing on the national news that we don't really pay attention to what's going on around us,” Burnett said.

Rose said the show will not only focus on national issues, but also localize discussions in order to provide a context to community topics.

“I'm hoping to bring local politicians in for interviews,” Rose said. “So it allows students to talk with our elected officials to get closer to the government, but also kind of understand how the media works as well.”

Journalism & Media Production senior Neal Kirmer is a politically-minded person and looks forward to the possibility of being able to interact with local political officials.

“I think you should be introduced to the people who are making decisions that govern your life,” Kirmer said.

For students studying Political Science and/ or Journalism & Media Production, Rose sees

the club aligning with their strengths. Though he will oversee the production and content, students will be conducting the interviews and performing production duties.

“It allows them to have hands-on experience with a skill that they can take and actually maybe find a job with in the future,” Rose said. Kirmer has had a hand in the production of six different CUTV shows, but he has never worked on a political talk show.

“I've never been affiliated with anything like that,” Kirmer said. “I watch plenty of them. I listen to plenty of political podcasts and things of that nature, but I'm really excited to see what we have planned.”

Students should not be discouraged if they have no political or media production experience. Rose wants all interested students to join the club, regardless of their educational background.

He hopes students will have a good time and enjoy making something creative and informative together.

“To create a talk show, it’s going to be fun,” Rose said, “so hopefully [it] makes the camaraderie of being a Cameron student so much better for them.”

Rose is encouraging students of all political affiliations to participate.

“This is going to be a really bipartisan show,” Rose said. “It's not trying to lean left, lean right. Just kind of lay out the issues.”

Rose previously hosted his own political show during his time as a Cameron student. Before graduating in 2019, Rose was the host and producer of “For the Record.”

“For the Record” was part of the CUTV lineup from 2018-2019. Rose was the sole host of the show, and each week he covered a hot-button topic and gave his take on the matter.

Rose wants to take the basis of that show and evolve it to offer an all-encompassing look, which he believes to be exactly what the university needs.

“This club is here to support the students, but also to make Cameron better,” Rose said.

For more information about the Politics Club, contact Justin Rose at jrose@cameron.edu.

Student voices column: Recycling needs a greenlight

Neal Kirmer Staff Writer

When I was roughly 12 years old, my mother started a program in our community called Youth Pride. This organization was to be comprised of local youth who would participate in civic activities. We would clean up the ditches of a local highway, plant gardens and decorate for Christmas.

The one thing that this organization did that had a major impact on our community was to start a recycling program. One Saturday out of every month a semi-trailer containing large bins would be dropped off next to our local library.

It was then our job to sort through all the various boxes and bags that local residents would bring and put the materials in the corresponding bins.

What’s Inside

We would even drive to local businesses and community members homes who were unable to bring the recyclables themselves. The organization no longer exists but that trailer still shows up every month and the community still brings their boxes and bags.

This sparked a lifelong love of recycling. There is just one problem with that ... Lawton does not have a recycling center.

For that matter neither does Cameron University. This has frustrated me to no end.

Usually you can expect a place of higher education to have, at the very least, bins for recycling plastic bottles. You know, the blue ones that are usually located next to the regular trash bins. Not at Cameron. These containers are nowhere to be seen and have not been seen on campus for some

time. And forget about a drop off point for larger items like cardboard or cans.

Isn’t it the popular opinion that college campuses are bastions of progressive ideas, populated by liberals that hold walk outs every other week to bring light

to the plight of whatever endangered species looked cute on Instagram that morning? Yet a recent poll of Cameron University students revealed, that while 90% of those polled had a favorable view of recycling, only 80% would recycle if the opportunity was presented to them.

The red cord Human Trafficking Seminar

but can occur at much younger. Eighty-five percent of victims are female. Trafficking happens through the means of force, fraud, or coercion, Morin said.

On March 7, 2023, students and faculty met at the Shepler Ballroom for a seminar hosted by The Red Cord organization. The focus of the event was to bring awareness to the issue of Human Trafficking throughout the country and in particular, here in Southwest, Oklahoma.

The Red Cord was started in Lawton, Oklahoma, about eight years ago and is a Christian-based organization that derives its’ name from a biblical reference found in the book of Joshua, chapter 2. According to their mission statement, the Red Cord exists to join individuals and organizations within the community and surrounding communities of Lawton, OK with the end goal of wiping out the injustice of Human Trafficking.

During the presentation, Red Cord President Ahsha Morin gave an update on statistics as well as some interesting facts regarding Human Trafficking.

Morin said that Human Trafficking is the fastest growing industry in the world and equates to $151 billion dollars in revenue annually.

When comparing the revenue and profit to other industries, there is more profit in human trafficking than from Wal-Mart, Amazon and Apple combined, Morin said.

Trafficking affects every country in the world as well as every state and territory in the United States.

According to statistics, there are approximately 100,000 plus children currently being trafficked in the United States alone. While ages may vary, the average age of a trafficking victim is 13 years old,

Some victims are trafficked for labor, but most victims that are trafficked are made to perform sex acts.

Essentially, trafficked victims are made to perform nine to ten sex acts a day, 24/7, 365 days a year. It is estimated that each trafficked victim’s value is $250,000, Morin said.

One fact that was shared during the presentation was that trafficking victims are often sold by someone they know or worse, a relative. Morin gave an example of an instance that happened right here in Lawton.

“Back during COVID, we had a mother of six that had lost her job and had no way to pay her rent. Her landlord approached her and suggested she let him sleep with her daughter who was 14 at the time.” Morin said. “That was an actual case and happened right here in Lawton.”

Morin went on to say that she had seen victims as young as two years old.

When speaking of victims, traffickers and buyers, Morin spoke bluntly, shocking the audience with a statement.

“They are walking among us.” Morin said. “You probably know a victim, you know a trafficker and you definitely know a buyer.”

Morin also spoke about the misconception that links Human Trafficking with kidnapping.

“Yes, kidnapping happens, yes it’s a bad crime, but people who are kidnapped for the specific reason of being trafficked, either for sex or labor, is one percent.” Morin said.

Marshall Sadler is a student at Cameron and has participated in a previous training with The Red

Cord. He said he was very happy to have them on campus and hoped that the presentation would raise awareness to the issue of Human Trafficking. He said that he was surprised at how much information he had forgotten since his involvement with the past seminar.

“It’s always in the back of your mind, thinking about it, but to be reminded with the figures and the process, was a lot.” Sadler said. “Especially how the $150 billion has went up to $151 billion since I was here last.”

The Red Cord offers community wide training with specialized presentations and curriculum for students, teachers, law enforcement, hotel employees, healthcare professionals and community members. For more information about The Red Cord, visit their website at www.theredcord.org or phone at 405-294-2727.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, always call 911.

OKC Crisis Hotline

1-405-212-3377 or 855-674-4767

National Human Trafficking Hotline

1-888-373-7888

Oklahoma Attorney General Safeline

1-800-522-SAFE

Child Pornography & Cyber Tip Line

1-800-843-5678

Crime Stoppers SWOK 580-355-4636

Public Forum:

Challenging issues facing our youth

Brittney Payette Managing Editor

At 4 p.m. on April 13 in the Johnson Auditorium in Ross Hall, Dr. Syed Ahmed, director of Bill Burgess Jr. Research Center, hosted a public forum called “Challenging Issues Facing Our Youth.”

The keynote speaker was Daniel Pae, who is a representative in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Oklahoma voters elected Pae into office in 2018 to represent West Lawton, and he still serves in that position today. Pae joined the forum via Zoom.

He said that he is focused on public service and making a difference in his community.

“The more types of perspectives - ethnically, socioeconomically, and generationally - that are represented in government, the more we can effectively govern,” Pae said.

One student attendee was Freshman Accounting major Brianna Julian, who said the forum was informative.

“I believe the biggest

issues facing the youth are technology, motivation and not having good mentorship,” Julian said. “I learned that the older generation wants to help, but they have no idea how to communicate with the younger generation.”

Julian also said she enjoyed the forum.

“It opened up my eyes to the issues that the younger generation faces and how they don’t know how to speak up about what’s going on,” she said.

Ahmed said he talked with Pae about possible forum topics when Pae was on campus for a different event.

Then, Ahmed asked Pae to be the keynote speaker for this event.

Ahmed said there are a

multitude of issues the younger generations are facing.

“One is the challenges that are coming from all the social media,” Ahmed said. “Is it something productive (that is) helping them, or is it a distraction for them?”

Ahmed said other issues that are prevalent today are how stressed the younger genderations are about the job situation in the U.S. right now, worries about the drug epidemic going on and gun violence that has struck the

nation.

Ahmed said the forum raised some questions as well, such as: “Is society going in the right direction?”

Moreover, Ahmed said that because of this forum he learned that more students are opting for technical jobs and trades.

“Students can come for a couple of years to Cameron University to do their associate degree because they need a well-rounded education,” he said. “Then, they can go to a vocational (school.)”

Ahmed said he hopes that the forum benefited people by allowing people to talk about some of these issues and some possible solutions to help with some of them.

“We need to go to the community, different communities,” Ahmed said. “I think it would be a good idea for community leaders who are involved with education, or our legislative leaders who are involved with education (to,) once a year, visit all the schools.”

For more information, contact Ahmed at syeda@ cameron.edu

Scott Smith Voices Editor

Photo by Scott Smith

Photo by Brittney Payette

Find Your Relaxation

Nature photography brings peace of mind

Last minute assignments, final exams, assemblies, workshops, and graduation are just a few of the things that are keeping us busy and stressed out as we make our way through this semester at Cameron University. I must admit that it has been especially busy for me lately. Although assignments and work are keeping me busy, I have managed to find some time to relax and take in the beautiful Spring weather we are having to do some photography.

Photography is one of my favorite hobbies, but I rarely have time to go out to locations for pictures. I have had to adapt my hobby to include shooting photos at home. I have found a subject for my photos that is not only challenging, but also relaxing: Hummingbirds!

Every Spring, hummingbirds make their return to North America and Canada from as far away as Central America and Mexico. In their annual migration, they can travel over 3000 miles. That is a long way for a two-anda-half-inch long bird!

A good way to get the hummingbirds to visit you on their migration is by putting up a feeder. You can find

hummingbird feeders at any local feed or hardware store such as Tractor Supply. I usually put up a feeder around mid-March sometime after the last hard freeze, although I have sometimes seen the birds earlier.

Hummingbirds love sugar water and making your own nectar is super simple using just table sugar and warm water. The ratio for hummingbird feed is fourparts water to one-part table sugar. For example, four cups of water and one cup of sugar. Just dissolve the sugar in warm water and pour into the feeder. Also, making your own feed mixture ensures that other chemicals are not included in your nectar. Do not use red dye to color the water as it may not be good for the tiny visitors. Hang the feeder on a hook in your garden or on the corner of your house. It won’t take long until the little hummers find your nectar. Hummingbirds have an excellent memory and will return year after year, provided you keep the food source available. Be sure to clean your feeder weekly with vinegar and water to stop mold and fungus from forming.

Once the hummingbirds return, the challenge is getting a good picture. Those little birds are fast, so it takes a lot of patience and a fast shutter speed to actually get some good shots. I park a lawn chair at least eight

RECYCLE continued from page 1

Cameron has had a recycling program in the past. According to Bob Hanefield, Director of Physical Facilities, the university started a program around 2011 and ended the program sometime around 2017.

“From the outset of the program the custodial staff were finding non-

the recyclable materials,” Hanefield said. “As time went on, it became apparent no group was shepherding the educational part of recycling.”

The University has also started the “Go Green Committee.” You may have received a survey via email recently that was dispersed

to ten feet away from the feeder. If you sit long enough, they will get used to you being there and will not perceive you as a threat.

I recommend a camera that you can do a manual setting for shutter speed. I usually set my shutter speed at 1/3200 or 1/4000 and use a zoom lens if possible. Using this setting will be fast enough to stop the wings of the hummingbird and your picture will be less likely to blur. When shooting in the late evening, take note that the pictures can turn out dark due to the fast shutter speed.

The next thing is, just be patient. If you have seen hummingbirds at your feeder, they will be back. Sometimes, it takes 10-15 minutes in-between feedings for them to return, but they will return. Although they will feed throughout the day, I have found that early mornings and late afternoons are great times to catch the birds at the feeder.

If taking pictures isn’t your thing, just enjoy the hummingbirds for the beauty they provide.

As the semester draws to a close, try and find a way to relax. Whether it’s a hobby such as photography or something else entirely, finding time for yourself will not only make you feel better, it may even help you retain information when you return to your studies.

will be looking into potential green initiatives that can be implemented around campus. Chris Drew, Director of Student Housing and Residence Life, is chairperson of the committee.

“Hopefully our survey will lead to some recommendations,” Drew said. “It is going to take some work and

[to implement green initiatives].”

The United Nations calls climate change “The defining issue of our time.” We have known for decades that recycling was something that we needed to do in order to help our planet. Recycling is the most basic thing that an individual can do to help combat climate change, yet you cannot find an easily accessible location to take you recyclables.

Why can Cameron University not bring in a trailer like my tiny town of 750 residents did in the 1990s? How is it that one woman and a handful of preteens could start and manage a recycling program for years but a university full of educated adults can’t get together a few blue bins for plastic bottles?

For Cameron University to progress forward they need to adopt progressive ideas.

When potential students come to visit campus, I imagine most would be more impressed with the University if they could show some sort of progressive and forward-thinking initiatives. Cameron could be an example of how we should treat our planet instead of going with the status quo.

content

Scott Smith Voices Editor

Photos by Scott Smith

NEVER GONNA GIVE UP THIS INTERNET TREND

people sincerely smile and/or laugh.

it funny.

Way back in the year 2007, an internet prank began. “Rickrolling” quickly went from prank to internet phenomenon. That phenomenon continues to this day.

But how?

How did it become such a ubiquitous prank and how has it persisted for so long?

Rickrolling started, as apparently most things do, on 4Chan. One young airman wanted to create something that would get a lot of attention on the site. While idly searching the top songs for the year he was born, Sean Cotter stumbled across the song “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley (hence Rickrolling).

Cotter decided to create a link, title it something that people would click on (think “dog and cat best friends”), and once people followed the link they were directed not to their expected video, but to the music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

This harmless prank spread far and wide. There was a time when you feared that any link you clicked on would send you to the video. On April 1, 2008, YouTube Rickrolled the world by redirecting the featured videos on its homepage to “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Still to this day people know what it is to be Rickrolled.

One reason for the success of Rickrolling lies in its innocence. There is nothing harmful or spiteful about the prank.

Those who share it do so in good nature. Those who are on the receiving end don’t get mad, at least not genuine anger. The reaction is almost universally accompanied by a smile.

Watch any reaction video to someone being “Rickrolled” and you will see, in the vast majority,

‘THE LAST OF US’

LaShea DeSelle Staff Writer

The last episode of the show “The Last of Us” aired on HBO on March 12 with another jaw dropping episode.

The TV series is derived from a 2013 action-adventure survival horror game franchise created by Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. They released part one on PlayStation 3-5 and Windows for PC gamers.

Part two was released in

The artist himself plays a role in its popularity. Rick Astley is not the individual who you expected to see upon hearing his voice before seeing the man.

The voice we hear is of someone older, someone

Then there is the dancing. Astley, to put it simply, cannot dance. He shuffles back and forth in an awkward manner. In fact, the awkward manner of his dancing again adds to the joke and yet again not in a malicious way.

Astley will be the first to say that he could not dance.

“That’s why we had professional dancers,” Astley said.

The goofiness of the dancing seems to add even more to the joke. If he could move like Michael Jackson, something of the joke would be lost.

The song itself is the final piece of the puzzle as to why the joke succeeded and lasted. The song starts abruptly with a synthesized drum. If the song had started with a loud guitar chord or loud vocals the joke wouldn’t work.

The synthesized drum is yet another part of the joke. It is out of place, outdated and awkward.

It, along with the compounding awkwardness of the dancing, out of place vocals and out of place singer completes the joke.

It doesn’t hurt that the song is good, it did hit number one in 25 countries including the United States.

I do not think that you could find a better confluence of circumstances.

Perhaps that is part of the appeal

The randomness of someone looking up popular songs for the year they were born and just happening to land on this particular song is in and of itself weird, awkward and innocent.

who has seen the world. Juxtapose that with the image of Astley, a tall, skinny, pale, red headed young man from England.

The contradiction between what we hear and see lends itself to the joke. Not in a mean way, but in a “holy cow that is not what I expected” way. Like the intention of the prank, the unexpected is what makes

2020 exclusively for PlayStation 4.

The show and game are set in a postapocalyptic United States ravaged by cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated fungus in the genus cordyceps.

The two main characters are Joel, a weary protagonist, and Ellie, the 14-year-old girl Joel is hired to smuggle out of a military quarantine zone.

What starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal cross-country journey.

After the 2013 release of the successful game, PlayStation expanded the gaming experience in 2014 by delving deeper into the story of Ellie and her friendship with her best friend Riley in “The Last of Us: Left Behind.”

In a 2012 interview with Newshub. com, “The Last of Us” game designer Jacob Minkoff described the gameplay.

“It’s an extremely grounded, systems-driven game that has a ton of different player choices,” said Minkoff.

“A bond between Joel and Ellie build

The innocence and genuine awkwardness of the whole thing is what makes it work. The internet is full of terrible people and ideas.

The fact that we, as a society, seem to have held on to this one wholesome joke for so long speaks volumes. It tells the dark parts of this world that good still exists.

as they travel across the United States seeing all kinds of different iconic environments and meeting new characters.”

The TV series is an eerily similar adaptation of the game that immerses viewers completely into the story.

It is written and created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann who break down the events of each episode during the HBO original documentary “Making of The Last of Us.”

Appearances by lead actors Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) provide a peek into their experience on set and the effort it took to nail their roles for each episode.

Episode one, which was almost movie-length, dove into Joel’s way of survival in the post-apocalyptic United States and the incident with his daughter that changes his outlook on living, also introducing Ellie into the story.

Episode two continued with gutwrenching action as the plot thickened with intense scenes of violence while the characters navigate through Boston.

After two heavy episodes, Mazin wanted to shake things up with the characters Bill and Frank in episode three.

“I needed an episode to just take a breath,” Mazin said. “I started to think, naturally about how what

would happen next is that we would get to Bill. The way Neil had designed Bill’s character in the game, he becomes a partner to you, in gameplay. Some of what he was, was connected specifically to the needs of gameplay. But also, he was a dark omen of what Joel could become, if he didn’t open his heart back up to somebody else.”

During episode three, we can see the way love transcends through time and circumstances. This entire episode is dedicated to Bill’s survival separately from the rest of the living people with his partner Frank.

Mazin and Druckmann constructed some of the best scenes in cinematography by combining effects and live action scenes that required a budget of almost $100 million dollars, according to HBO.

Rotten Tomatoes scored season one with a whopping rating of 96%, matching gaming network Imagine Games Network (IGN) 9/10-star rating for part one of the game.

Fans are enthralled in the journey Ellie and Joel must face within the next season which is rumored to begin production during the spring of 2024.

For now, fans across the world will have to have patience for season two, but until then we are able to binge the best moments from this season.

Neal Kirmer Staff Writer

Tribune News Service

‘THE WHALE’

HEARTFELT AND POWERFUL

Alec Santos Staff Writer

“The Whale” is a powerful and thought-provoking film directed by modern cinema hero, Darren Aronofsky. Released in 2022, this film has made a significant impact on audiences worldwide with its unique storyline and incredible performances from a uniquely highpowered cast featuring star Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau and Ty Simpkins.

Based on Samuel D. Hunter’s play, “The Whale” follows the life of Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a 600-pound gay man who is confined to his apartment. His health is deteriorating rapidly, and he is trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink).

As Charlie’s physical and emotional pain increases, he turns to his online English class and friends for comfort.

Leading actor Fraser delivers an outstanding performance as Charlie, portraying his character’s vulnerability and emotional turmoil with sincerity.

He immerses himself in the role of a lonely and isolated individual, creating a connection with the

supporting cast is exceptionally amazing, with thespians like Sadie Sink, most notable for her role as Max in “Stranger Things,” Hong Chau from HBO’s “Watchmen,” and Ty Simpkins from the “Jurassic World” series.

Each performer contributes not only to the story’s emotional depth but also puts themselves out in the open as actors by playing roles that are new to their filmography.

The film’s themes are challenging, exploring issues of grief, loneliness and the complexities of human relationships. Through its exploration of Charlie’s struggles, the film draws attention to issues of body shaming and the challenges that overweight individuals face in society.

Often, the film explores those social issues in context of personal relationships. The film explores these themes through the connection between Charlie and his antagonistic daughter Ellie as he tries to reconcile with her by offering to complete her school work, just for a chance to get to know who she really is as a person before the clock stops ticking.

anything I had ever seen before or even attempted,” Fraser said. “Playing a character who has such a shroud of regret and he’s been living alone, he’s been harming himself by overeating, he desperately wants to reconnect with his daughter in the amount of time that he has left if he can.”

Aronofsky’s direction is subtle yet impactful, with the film’s visual elements enhancing the story’s emotional intensity.

The movie’s cinematography and score work together seamlessly to create a deeply immersive and emotional experience.

Overall, “The Whale” is a remarkable film that delivers a heartfelt and sincere exploration of human emotions and relationships.

With its exceptional performances and powerful storytelling, it is a must-see for anyone looking for a thought-provoking and emotional cinema experience.

Personally, growing up knowing people who very much resemble the character of Charlie, emotionally and physically, brought a different perspective for me onto the film, which also made the viewing a very hard watch, but

‘LOVE IS BLIND’ A TWIST ON REALITY TV

For fans of romantic reality tv shows, Netflix just dropped the fourth season of “Love is Blind” on Mar. 24.

Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, “Love is Blind” is a social experiment where a group of single men and women try to find love and get engaged all before meeting each other in person.

They basically go speed dating and talk for hours through a wall, in rooms that they call pods, until they find someone or someone’s they that feel a connection to. Then they develop

that connection and try and turn it into an engagement.

Only after they get engaged do they finally get to meet each other in person. After multiple couples get engaged, they are sent to a resort in Mexico where they get to know each other better and build their connection on a honeymoon of sorts.

What the couples in the first season didn’t know was that everybody was sent to the same resort and they get to meet the other people that they also had a connection with.

This creates drama in every season because for some people there is always that question of, what if I chose them over the

person I’m with now. That puts a strain on some of the couples. After the couples leave Mexico, they all go back to live in the same apartment complex until the wedding day.

Living in the same apartment complex has also caused some slight drama throughout the seasons for some couples, because of the close proximity and temptation to talk to the people they didn’t choose.

The couples spend all this time together, getting to know each other, meeting each other’s families, until it finally gets to the wedding day. This is the day where they make their decision on whether

or not they actually want to get married. I actually really like this show and the concept of falling in love with someone before having the bias of having seen them before. This show is all about proving love is blind and it has continuously proved that each season.

This show has presented couples who I didn’t think would work but are still married today and couples that I thought were perfect for each other but didn’t make it past the decision wedding day. It has also given me some of my favorite reality tv couples, like the Hamiltons from season one.

This show doesn’t get old to me. I love watching each new season and the personalities that they bring. This season is no different: the drama is already starting and someone has already said that they made the wrong decision, though I won’t spoil who that is. They’re also not the only one with doubts about who they chose this season.

If you like romantic reality TV drama, I recommend watching “Love is Blind.” I recommend starting from season one, though; that season is what got me to like the show in the first place.

Rating: 4 / 5

A Comeback Story: Brendan Fraser accepts his Academy Award for “The Whale.” He won Best Actor for his portrayal of Charlie in the latest Darren Aronofsky movie.

Jaci Hernandez Staff Writer

Tribune News Service

Tribune News Service

Aggie Q&A

What is your favorite part about being a Cameron University student?

“My favorite part about being a Cameron University student is seeing not only my interest in career paths grow and change, but also seeing those around me change. I love the opportunites that the departments have here. I really feel like I’ve learned more perspectives from Cameron that I never thought I would in college.”

“My favorite part about being a Cameron University student is how it helps me prepare for my future. All of the courses that I take that are required for my major help prepare me for what my career will look like in the field. Since it is such a small campus, I’m able to get more field experience and build relationships with more students that have the same majors as me and build relationships with professors.”

Howard

“Class sizes are convienent enough for my teachers to, not ‘cater to me’ so to speak, but they recognize me. They know how much work I put in specifically because the classes are small enough for them to pay attention to all their students individually. I can get help that caters to me specifically from my professors and not have to go to private tutoring or something.”

“I enjoy the smaller class sizes. I’m able to have a pretty good relationship with all of my professors and that’s really made a big difference for me. I’ve really enjoyed all of my professors and generally as long as I am able to communicate with them, like if my mental health kind of lacks or whatever, they’re generally pretty understanding about it because you can have that one-on-one relationship with them.”

“My favorite part about being a Cameron University student is the sense of community that we have on campus. I feel very well-connected with my peers and my teachers.”

Brown Information Technology (IT)

-Hannah Owens Strategic Communication

-Dylan Griggs Computer Science

Photos by Courtney McEunn

Snyder agrees to sell Commanders Group of buyers to include Magic Johnson

Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times

The Washington Commanders appear to be on the verge of changing hands.

Daniel Snyder, the NFL’s most widely reviled team owner, has reached an agreement in principle to sell the Commanders for $6 billion to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris, according to a Thursday report by Sportico.

The Harris group includes Lakers legend Magic Johnson.

The news comes on the heels of reports ear lier this week that a bid from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was not coming, even though that was anticipated by some.

Harris, who also owns the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, is estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $5.9 billion. His group also includes businessman Mitchell Rales, worth an estimated $5.6 billion.

Speculation about new owners has been percolating since November, when Daniel and Tanya Snyder announced they had hired Bank of America to begin the process of potentially selling part or all of the team.

The anticipated sale of the Commanders, which requires approval of three-quarters of the other 31 clubs, was a major topic at the annual league meetings. The Denver Broncos were the last NFL franchise to change hands, selling for a record $4.65 billion in August.

TIMBERWOLVES OFFENSE SHUT DOWN IN LOSS TO LAKERS LA advances to playoffs with big O.T. win

The Timberwolves began this postseason the way they ushered themselves out of the previous one — by relinquishing a double-digit lead in the second half thanks in part to absent late-game execution.

Even with a few different players on the floor from last season in Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, the Wolves couldn’t stop themselves from letting the Lakers back in the play-in game by shutting down on offense. They didn’t score any points in the final six minutes of regulation until Mike Conley hit three free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining.

Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns each looked like shells of themselves for different reasons. Towns admitted he played tentative because he had five fouls, but perhaps the Wolves would have been better off if Towns threw caution to the warm Los Angeles wind and risked picking up his sixth foul while maintaining aggression. Edwards looked both lost and injured, as he played through the fourth quarter

with tape on his left shoulder and had ice packs on his knees and right hand as he moved gingerly around the locker room after the game.

The Wolves have a lot to prove this postseason that they learned from last season’s colossal mistakes against Memphis, and they didn’t get off to a confidence-building start.

After the game, the Wolves and coach Chris Finch were quick to point out a 17-3 free-throw disparity between themselves and the Lakers in the second half. But getting whistles typically requires players to be attacking the basket. The Wolves’ late-game offense consisted of guys standing around the perimeter until someone tried to do something unsuccessfully in the final seconds of the shot clock.

“We got stagnant,” coach Chris Finch said. “We ran out of gas, we got tired, for sure. We kinda stopped cutting, the ball dried up, a lot of holding. The obvious things that you saw. And then that was basically it.”

The thing is, the Wolves might not have learned much from Tuesday’s game that they can apply Friday against

the Oklahoma City Thunder, who beat host New Orleans 123-118 in a play-in game on Wednesday night, and moving forward should they advance to play No. 1 seed Denver in the playoffs.

Rudy Gobert’s presence on the floor will change the dynamic of what the Wolves may do against the Thunder at Target Center. Perhaps they missed Gobert down the stretch Tuesday with his ability to set screens and get people open, especially Conley, with whom he has a solid pick-and-roll chemistry.

Conley said the Wolves are still trying to find a balance between their free-flowing offense — which worked just fine for three quarters on Tuesday night when the Wolves built a 15-point lead — and having more play calls and structure in the final minutes.

“I think the structure helps. Because I think it allows guys to then make the hard cut because they know they have space to cut. They know where the guys are on the weak side. You just have a set that feels comfortable,” Conley said. “We can get to that point. We just gotta use these next couple days to lock in on that and not worry about the three quarters of offense

where we run and push and guys are getting open and stuff like that, but really lock in on those last five, six minutes of switching.”

Conley said the Lakers’ switching scheme bothered the Wolves, and teams that are able to switch effectively against Minnesota have found success throughout the season. Conley said this was similar to an issue the Jazz had in Utah when he was there.

“We had to be two different teams,” Conley said. “When a switching team comes to us, we had to play with the pass more, we had to cut more, we had to slip screens more and play with a different pace than when they’re in different coverages. I think that’s what we have to learn. I think the next couple days I’ll get with coach. We always talk about stuff all the time.”

The Wolves have had players like Towns and now Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid injured, and Conley came to the team two months ago in a trade. These kind of situations could have helped the Wolves if they faced them with the same personnel earlier in the season. But they only have until Friday to figure some things out.

Chris Hine Star Tribune

Tribune News Service

Tribune News Service