The Cameron Collegian - November 5, 2018

Collegian T he Cameron University

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Monday, November 5, 2018

Volume 99 Issue 7

Halloween Carnival Drue Watkins Managing Editor

From 6 – 8 p.m. on Oct. 30, the Programing and Activities Council (PAC) hosted Cameron University’s Annual Halloween Carnival at the Aggie Rec Center.

The Halloween Carnival featured a variety of free games, refreshments and activities for CU students, staff, faculty and families of the Cameron community.

PAC sponsored the event, but over 20 different student organizations also pitched in, along with several vendors who showcased Halloween-themed goods— trick or treating included.

PAC President Aalia Oloyede said the Halloween Carnival is just another way to show how Cameron is the best university around.

“It means a lot for Cameron and the local community in the sense that it provides an entertaining place,” she said.

“PAC is always doing exciting events for the students and it’s a fun way to give back to the Lawton community.

“I am always excited about seeing what kind of costumes people come in. Everyone always puts on their most innovative and exciting costumes—it’s a fun experience.”

Many of the sponsors at the event— already dressed in costumes—encouraged attendees to also dress up and show-off their creativity, leading to many different characters and creatures wandering around the Rec Center.

To add to the costume-based fun, face painting also made an appearance, allowing attendees to spice up their costumes even further.

Oloyede said they designed the Carnival to be a safe, secure place for those who wished to play games and trick or treat without any fear or hazards.

Each student organization at the Carnival held their own games for the CU community, and many included prizes for those who won.

Along with the games, each booth included crafting activities that allowed children to express themselves through things like painting and drawing.

Organization members set up their booths in a rectagular pattern on the basketball court to allow attendees to walk from table to table.

Coordinator of Campus Life Daniel McFadden said the Halloween Carnival does so much for campus and the surrounding Lawton Fort Sill community.

“The Halloween Carnival is extremely important for Cameron University because it is a wonderful time for the entire Cameron community to come together and celebrate this joyful event,” he said. “It is always nice to see students, faculty and staff come together, especially during this busy time of the year.

“The overall focus is to give the students and children a place to do some trick or treating in a safe environment. In addition, it allows our student organizations to showcase their organizations and activities they came up with for the Carnival.”

McFadden also said the overall emphasis of the Halloween Carnival is to get the Cameron family active and involved—for more students to interact with each other and branch out to different organizations, making new friends and discovering new passions.

As an annual event, Oloyede said the Halloween Carnival is one of PAC’s largest celebrations, consistently drawing in hundreds. It is also one of the biggest ways for CU organizations to recruit new members.

McFadden said it is influential for all segments of the CU community, and in turn, generates a strong foundation moving forward for the rest of the semester.

“I think it is a big deal for PAC to be hosting events such as the Halloween Carnival because it truly brings the campus together as one,” he said. “It is a pleasure to see PAC host these large events and for student organizations to come out and support it—it allows the community on Cameron to continue growing together.

“It also allows children to have a wonderful, safe time doing the activities and getting some candy. I just hope everyone had a fun time and enjoyed themselves.”

For more information on PAC, or for how to volunteer a student organization for next year’s Halloween Carnival, contact PAC at pac@ cameron.edu.

Photos and graphics by Drue Watkins

What’s inside Zombiefilled night of fun chaos

‘Walk Among Us’ review

Page 2

Page 3

Smashin’ Pumpkins with students Page 5

News

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November 5, 2018

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CU haunted house Stacie Larsen

Managing Editor From 8 - 10 p.m., on Oct. 30, in building C of the Cameron Village, Cameron’s Program Activities Council (PAC) and Student Housing department hosted their second annual haunted house, open to the community.

The haunted house took place on two floors and featured interactive games

involving laser tag, capture the flag and zombies, portrayed by Student Housing Resident Assistants (R.A.s) and members of PAC. As participants arrived to each floor, an informant provided them with instructions and laser guns, encouraging them to “kill” the zombies to find the hidden flag and return it back to the informant.

Student Housing Hall Director Alexandria Knight said, despite the

PPhotos by Stacie Larsen

other organizations on campus that host events, she thinks it’s important for Student Housing to get exposure, not only for current students, but also potential students as well.

“It would be easy to say, ‘Hey, we’ll just depend on everybody else to help people have fun,’” she said, “but I think the whole point is to build relationships.

“It’s not necessarily exposure to housing because community members don’t come and say, ‘Oh, Student Housing is hosting.’

They just see that ‘Oh, there’s a haunted house at Cameron,’ and that’s fine; at least they are getting exposure.”

Knight wants campus residents to feel deeper about student housing than it just being a place to stay—more than “I’m here; I live here.”

“For me, I like to understand it as a way of creating a college experience,” she said. “At what point would we build relationships if we are not hosting events and getting that social aspect in there?”

Knight said the purpose of having R.A.s on campus goes beyond the need for supervised hallways or enforced residential policies and guidelines.

“They’re there to build relationships as well,” Knight said.

In addition to events and socials, she said the R.A.s host educational programs throughout the semester.

“Those topics range from sexual health, alcohol and drugs, healthy eating, [and] life skills.”

Knight also said the R.A.s benefit from hosting events.

“Teamwork is the biggest thing they gain, but definitely that leadership experience of not having someone to plan things for them,” she said.

“I think that helps with growth as a college student but also as a future adult who is going to be on their own. “ Junior Resident Assistant and Accounting major Darius Morris said he’s

going into his third year as an R.A., which is a result from the influence that one of his R.A.s had on him during his freshman year.

“It pushed me to want to be one,” Morris said. “I love the idea of networking and talking with a lot of different people.”

He said that he wanted to take an active role in helping others students have the best college experience possible by being a positive role model like his R.A. He also said that his desire to help others has had a profound impact in his growth as a student and member of the community.

“Personally, I think that it has affected me, and I know it sounds cliché, in every way possible,” he said. “I think me being an R.A. has molded me into who I am today.”

He also said he thinks it’s important to host fun events like the Haunted House.

“Looking at the demographics of Cameron University specifically, we know that every student is not a traditional student,” Morris said, “so we try to tailor the event to be as vast and as easy for many people to enjoy.”

Freshman Political Science major Greyson Basham said he attended the Haunted House for the first time with friends.

“It was super fun,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be as interactive as it was.

“It’s been a rough semester, so it was nice to let go for a bit [and] shoot some zombies—shoot some zombies that were played by my friends.”

With the stress caused by deadlines and homework, Basham said he appreciates opportunities to de-stress and relax.

“It’s really nice to go to campus events and just sit and watch a movie, get some free popcorn, or play laser tag with your friends,” he said.

For more information about Student Housing events, visit the housing office located in the Cameron Village.

A&E

November 5, 2018

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A week in album reviews

The beauty of Jackson Miller Staff Writer

During the Halloween season, I sometimes find myself trying to find songs that will give me a sense of fear that is in line with the spirit of Halloween.

As people watch scary movies and go to haunted houses in the hopes of getting their annual dose of adrenaline, music is an experience that often gets overlooked.

Just as haunted houses and horror films are a part of the Halloween experience, it would only make sense that music should be as well.

Two well-known examples of songs played during Halloween are “Monster Mash” by Bobby Picket and “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.

These two songs are definitely classics; however, since Halloween is meant to be scary, it would only make sense for the music to be scary as well.

There is nothing in these two songs that really make you feel even slightly frightened, either in the vocals or the rhythm.

If one wishes to escape from this type of music and find some spooky relief for Halloween, there is one genre of music that can fill this empty hole: metal.

As someone who is not really fond of metal, I can see why this type of music would seem offputting for some.

For the most part, a lot of metal songs are sometimes

‘Sehnsucht’ by Rammstein

incoherent, and usually sound like a bunch of demons with a nasty cold performing at an open mic night.

Despite this, there is one band that I have really grown to appreciate, and that is the German metal band, Rammstein.

Rammstein is one of the very few foreign music groups that have had significant success in the United States.

My favorite album of theirs would have to be “Sehnsucht,” released in August 1997 and was the first German album to go platinum in the United States according to Helnwein Music.

Rammstein is unique in the band’s ability to produce sinister-sounding music that is replayable, even to an audience that may not understand what the vocalists are saying.

One example of this is in their song “Engel” which is also on the Sehnsucht album.

What makes “Engel” so eerie is that it starts of with some ambient whistling followed by a repeated heavy guitar solo which leads into the coarse lyrics sang by the vocalists.

Although some people listen to music just for the lyrics, this is not the case for me simply because German is not my native language.

However, like other metal songs, one thing to look for is how the vocals accompany the rhythm.

Mason Orso

Metal

In the case of the entire “Sehnsucht” album, the main thing to observe here is how the guitar rifts, beats of the drums and the vocals blend together to produce an enjoyable form of music that can be enjoyed by people of all nations.

So why does this make a great

album for Halloween? The simple answer here is that Rammstein has produced a horror-filled album filled with eerie sounds and heavy vocals that will make any listener feel uneasy, yet, appreciative of the dark art form that is this album.

Also, the fact that many

people cannot distinguish what the vocalists are saying from the rhythm adds more mystery and ambiance to how people listen to the album.

That is what makes “Sehnsucht” and other albums of the same genre the perfect songs for Halloween listening.

Courtesy photo

‘Walk Among Us’ by Misfits

Staff Writer

“Walk Among Us” is the first full-length album released by the Misfits of Ruby and Slash Records in March 1982.

The Misfits are accepted by some as ancestors to the punk music genre.

They get inspiration from various movies such as the

“Astro Zombies”, “Blood Feast” and “The Brain Eaters.”

In addition to the influence of films, the Misfits are no strangers to horror comics.

Horror films and comics are combined with catchy punk tunes giving birth to the horror punk scene.

“Walk Among Us” 24 minutes of rapid instrumentality with content suitable for the Halloween spirit.

Glenn Danzig and the rest of the band steer away from politics, a commonality in the punk scene, and embrace Courtesy photo

the terrors of Martians, zombies and lady vampires referred to as “vampira.”

The album begins with Danzig wailing “20 eyes in my head, 20 eyes in my head, 20 eyes in my head, they’re all the same, they’re all the same,” which suggests the familiarity of being stuck inside his own head and being leered at by a set of eyes.

With thoughts racing as fast as the strumming patterns of the guitar, “20 eyes” is a manifestation of an anxious mind.

The tale of the album continues further with the haunting experience of transforming into a Martian with an urge to kill, lacking humane qualities of being able to recall its own name.

Accompanied by the urgency of the bass drum, this other worldly creature walks among humans ready to terrorize.

“I walk down the city streets on an unsuspecting human world, in human in your midst, the world is mine to own.”

Minor power chords and heavy bass riffs begin to take over the mind, while the whole world starts to break loose and the vampira wearing a black dress enters trembling.

Still early into the album, “Nike-a-Go-go” invades your brain introducing the first guitar solo of “Walk Among Us.” The second guitar solo repetitively played on two notes, appears in “Hate breeders” track number six.

The instrumentation at this point is wildly rapid with the aggression building when Danzig is growling in “Mommy, Can I Go out and Kill tonight?”

The music has no tempo cool down in sight when the hungry zombies are born and start to stumble around.

Danzig starts howling “I want your skulls, I need your skulls.”

Inspired by “Astro Zombies”, a cult horror film produced in 1968, the Misfits ghoulishly create a song about zombies that are sent to the land with the intention of exterminating the entire human race.

By the end of the album, there’s a calmness in the instrumentation and the zombies at this point are tired of feasting on brains and request guts instead.

Walk Among Us is an excellent introduction into the horror punk scene.

The album stays energetic and sets a standard for what fans of the Misfits can come to expect.

This album shouldn’t be slept on and would make a great addition to your Halloween play list.

Voices

4

November 5, 2018

www.aggiecentral.com Tribune News Service

What’s at stake: An Oklahoma teacher wears a sticker in support of Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Drew Edmondson.

Over the last year, education has become a key issue for Oklahoma voters, and one that could swing the election, if voter turnout continues to be as strong as it was in the primaries.

This is one of the many issues for which stronger voter turnout is essential, and without young voters, education in the state of Oklahoma will likely continue to suffer.

Your vote matters

— if you let it

Payton Williams

as it does to me, that despite being one of the most vocal demographics on political Voices Editor issues, early college age voters have the @YoureSoVanya lowest turnout during elections.

We are the people in this country who What is really important to us? talk most often about change, and the In all of the five years I’ve been people who are least willing to put forth attending Cameron University, there the effort to affect it. has never been a shortage of political This position, as I’m sure I shouldn’t conversations. have to tell anyone, is a bad one to be Everyone has an opinion, and all of in, and one that people in my age group those opinions are ostensibly important should be absolutely ashamed of. to the people who hold them. Some How can we expect to lead this people scream their opinions at you, some country to change and growth in the people tell you calmly and emphatically coming years when we begin our political about them, but everyone wants you to lives so readily with apathy and passive know about them. complaint?

But for most people, apparently, it’s When I talk with my friends about just for show. why they don’t vote, most of them say At least, according to the polls, it is.

In the 2016 elections, according to the they’re too busy, or the process is too U.S. Census Bureau, about 42 percent of hard, or they’re just not interested in the process for some reason or another. people aged 18-24 cast a ballot.

The “too busy” argument is the easiest It must seem strange to most readers,

to dispute.

As American citizens, it is impossible for anyone to interfere with our right to vote, and that includes employers and professors.

If you need to take off of something for an hour to vote on election day, you cannot be kept from doing so.

For those who say the process is too hard, they mostly tell me that they don’t understand politics, to which I would offer this counter argument: does anyone?

The religious right, by and large, doesn’t have a lot of interest in or understanding of politics in this country, but that’s never stopped them from turning out in droves to inundate us with their candidates.

If their voice is so important, why isn’t yours?

And now we arrive at my favorite reason people give for why they don’t vote: They’re not interested in the process,

or they don’t think their vote matters.

I meet people in my age group who say this constantly, and I have one simple thing to say to them: If your voice doesn’t matter, then why are you constantly talking about politics?

Almost everyone I meet talks about politics. Some less than others, but just about everyone does it.

And most of these people are the very same people who don’t vote, because they think their voice will count.

So, if someone wants to use that argument as their excuse for not going out and trying to make a difference, that’s fine.

But then perhaps they should also forfeit their right to speak on the subject, because as it stands, we have far too many people who are all for change, so long as it doesn’t interfere with their lunch.

Don’t be one of those people. The election is tomorrow. Vote.

Why religion and politics don’t mix Justin Rose Staff Writer

On a Sunday morning, a friend of mine was flipping through the TV channels when he landed on the airing of a local church service on the ABC affiliate.

I looked up from the book I was reading to see churchgoers on the screen pledging their allegiance to the bible and Christian flag.

I watched this unfold as I was reading a biography about an American patriot, Thomas Jefferson, who wrote many letters, articles and documents that shaped our country.

In the year 1777, Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom. The Virginia General Assembly later passed the bill in 1786.

This document served as a model for the first amendment, and it established a clear separation of church and state, which meant that the government could not establish a religion for our country, force anybody to worship or punish anybody for worshiping a specific religion.

“Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions,” Jefferson wrote.

“Any more than our opinions on physics and geometry.”

Jefferson’s personal religious beliefs are up for debate. Some say he was an Atheist while others say he was a Deist.

What we do know is that he was a strict secularist. He believed that religion and government needed to be separated at all costs.

In no way am I suggesting that religious people should not hold political office.

But when I watched those church goers say the Christian pledge of allegiance, it raised a couple of questions in my head.

Can citizens that think of themselves as a Christian first and an American second be able to hold public office without letting their religious beliefs get in their way of upholding that wall of separation?

Would they even be able to push their religious beliefs to the side and protect civil rights for gay and lesbian couples who want to get married?

Time and time again, we see individuals in office who can’t seem to be able to do just that.

Three years ago, a Kentucky clerk, Kim Davis, refused to issue same sex marriage licenses.

She said that for her to issue such licenses would violate her conscience and go against her religious beliefs. The court later jailed her for contempt.

About Us

At that time, two presidential hopefuls went to Kentucky to meet with Davis who was getting ready to be released from jail.

One of the two was former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee. In a rally celebrating Davis’ decisions and her release from jail, Huckabee spoke directly to the judge that sent her to jail.

“Lock me up if you think that’s how freedom is best served,” Huckabee said. “I want you to know I’m willing to spend the next eight years in jail, but I’m not willing to spend the next years in tyranny under people who think they can take our freedom and conscience away.”

The second presidential hopeful that went to meet with Davis was Texas Senator, Ted Cruz.

Cruz is a staunch evangelical. He has said many quotes over the years that have caused a lot of people to dislike him.

One quote in particular caught my eye: “I’m a Christian first, American second, conservative third and Republican fourth.”

Cruz is essentially saying that his loyalty first goes to his religion, then to the country that he is currently serving.

Learning that a sitting U.S. Senator actually thinks in this manner is frightening.

I truly believe that this is not what the founding fathers had in mind.

THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year.

It is printed by the Lawton Constitution. The first issue is provided for free. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.

COLLEGIAN

Our Views

Managing Editor - Stacie Larsen Managing Editor - Drue Watkins A&E Editor - Sarae Ticeahkie Sports Editor - Katie Livingston Student Life Editor - Maddie Lyda Voices Editor - Payton Williams Copy Editor - Destiny Garcia Aggie Central Editor - Jeff Larson Social Media Editor - Abby Gonzalez

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

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

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

Our student media are designated public forums, and free from censorship and advance approval of content. Because content and funding are unrelated, and because the role of adviser does not include advance review of content, student media are free to develop editorial policies and news coverage with the understanding that students and student organizations speak only for themselves. Administrators, faculty, staff or other agents shall not consider the student media’s content when making decisions regarding the media’s funding or faculty adviser.

Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna

Editorial Staff

Newsroom Staff

Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Celeste Powell, Jackson Miller, Mason Orso, Samuel Brewer, Justin Rose, David Perkins, Lea Killian, Bryan Arauje Photographers - Dontaye Abram, Lauren Johnson Advertising Manager - Hannah Spoon Faculty Adviser - Mr. David Bublitz

If a person actually believes that his or her religious views are the be all end all for morality, then why wouldn’t that person pass laws that are supportive of their religious beliefs regardless if it helps his or her constituents?

It wasn’t until 1995 that Ireland finally removed the ban on divorce. It took them so long because the Catholic church had such an influence on the government and the population.

Think of all the women who were left in abusive relationships simply because the government of Ireland thought that it was morally wrong to get a divorce because of their religious beliefs.

I can’t wrap my head around their line of reasoning. Simply allowing people to get a divorce doesn’t mean that you are obligated to get a divorce yourself.

The religious people of your country are still able to follow their beliefs. Stop trying to control people that think differently.

I would hate for any religious beliefs to be thrust upon me and the people I love, by my government.

If our government were to act in that manner, then they would be going against the same things they claim to love, our founding fathers and the documents they created.

Letters Policy

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

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

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

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

November 5, 2018

Sports

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Pumpkin Smash

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Photos by Stacie Larsen

AGGIES The great pumpkin smash: On Oct. 10, Diversity Diplomats hosted a Pumpkin Smash fundraising event. Cameron University students smashed rotten pumpkins with baseball bats and picked out candy prizes.

TAKE

MSU

Photo by David Perkins Graphic by Katie Livingston

Katie Livingston Sports Editor

On Oct. 30, the Cameron women’s volleyball team took their final home match of the season at 3-1 against rival school Midwestern State University (MSU).

After suffering a 3-1 loss against MSU on Oct. 2, the Aggies came into the match with the intention to dominate.

According to senior libero Brittnee Altic, the Aggies came into the game prepared for a fight.

“We just wanted it more,” Altic said. “You could just tell we came here knowing were ready. We were prepared.”

MSU started the match off strong with a 10-2 run in the first set.

Cameron began to pull ahead, taking a four-point rally that brought them just

behind MSU at 23-18.

MSU battled back, taking two more points and the first set at 25-18.

Both teams fought hard in the second set, scoring back and forth until the Aggies gained their footing and took an 11-1 stretch, putting them in the lead at 17-9.

MSU refused to relent and, after an attack error by the Aggies, were able to come up just behind Cameron at 21-19. The Aggies then lengthened their lead with 5-1 stretch, taking the set at 25-20 and tying the match.

Set three was back and forth with neither team being able to take the lead. The Aggies landed the first point, thanks to a kill from senior middle blocker Brandy Carr.

MSU responded by taking two

straight. The teams were neck and neck until a pair of errors from MSU allowed Cameron to pull ahead. Cameron took the set at 26-24, taking the lead in the match at 2-1.

The final set started off with another battle, with neither team allowing the other to gain substantial footing.

The Aggies then landed a four point rally, allowing them to take a 13-7 lead.

Cameron was able to hold that lead through the rest of the match with help from sophomore outside hitter Amarachi Iwunze and Carr who each landed a kill. Cameron took the set at 25-17 and won the match at 3-1, scoring a victory against rival MSU. Head Volleyball Coach Tatiana Booth attributes the win to the spirit her players brought to the court.

“The biggest thing is, I think, we were a little bit more aggressive,” Booth said. “We didn’t make as many errors as they did. We definitely challenged them.”

Cameron now sits at 4-25 in the season and 2-17 in the Lone Star Conference, while MSU falls 5-22 in the season and 3-16 in Lone Star Conference play.

For more infomation contact sports information at kmeans@cameron.edu.

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News

November 5, 2018

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