Collegian T he Cameron University
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Monday, September 21, 2020
Volume 103 Issue 3
NO MORE WASTED KISSES Dr. Matt Jenkins premieres new thriller starring CU students Lea Killian
Managing Editor At 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 15, the Vaska movie theater hosted a drive-in movie night to show Professor of Journalism and Media Production Dr. Matt Jenkins’ newest film, “No More Wasted Kisses.” With the implications of COVID-19 still bearing down on the Lawton-Fort Sill community, Jenkins met with the Dr. Christopher Keller, the Chair for the Department of Communication, English and Foreign Languages, and Justin Hackney, the owner of the Vaska, to ensure attendees’ comfort and safety remained a top priority. To Jenkins, continuing to have movie nights during these difficult times is more important than some may realize. “People need diversions from the pandemic,” Jenkins said. “If it’s safe, it provides a muchneeded relief from the new normal everyone now faces. “Also, it is extremely important to provide the people who worked on and invested their time and effort into this movie to see it and to celebrate their efforts,” Jenkins said. “A screening at the Vaska is a terrific way to do this.” Displayed on a movie screen draped over a newly painted mural by Hackney, the film drew in a parking lot full of people well before the sun went down. “No More Wasted Kisses” stars Senior Journalism and Media Production Major Luis Ramirez de Arellano as the main character, Thomas, a young man in a toxic relationship, struggling to afford his college tuition. His girlfriend, Sarah (Ashley Buhl), dictates Thomas’ every move. She doesn’t want him to go to college or work long hours.
She even refuses to let him choose what they do during date nights. Thomas’ sister, Rose (Kasey Phillips), doesn’t shy away from letting him know how she feels about Sarah’s controlling demeanor, and the siblings often clash throughout the film as she attempts to convince Thomas to focus more on school instead of his unhealthy relationship. When Sarah believes Thomas has been flirting with a girl from the club, Constance, (Heather Gilbert) she loses her temper and accuses him of cheating. The film changes pace when Thomas learns that Constance has been murdered, triggering a cascade of unusual events to take place in their small town. Ramirez has worked on many productions including Jenkins’ last film, “Skinny Atlas,” and has even produced his own work with the help of other Journalism and Media Production students. Jenkins describes his films as “thousand-dollar movies shot in four days,” and for the filming of “No More Wasted Kisses,” Ramirez came to understand Jenkins’ creative process and the reasoning behind such a tight film schedule. Ramirez said that he learned more about how to utilize time during a production and how to adapt to filming
complications, noting that there were situations in which Jenkins had to conduct rewrites of the script on the spot. Overall, Ramirez valued his time on set. “It was exciting – and exhausting,” Ramirez said. “We were working with the same group of people in these tight spaces for 10 to 12 hours, and you really build bonds.” As for his favorite scene to film, Ramirez said that the ending of the movie presented interesting challenges. “Shooting that scene was dope,” Ramirez said. “I was on the ground for an hour without getting up in order to get the shots we needed. “It started to rain, so when we did the shots of me being thrown into the mud, it was a lot of fun. “There was a real energy on set when we were shooting those scenes.” In order to make these films and bring the production together, Jenkins relies on his experience in the industry and the group of people he has surrounded himself with in the community and at CU, noting the joy it brings him to have current and former students assist in his productions. “The best part is getting to work with a great group of people,” Jenkins said, “including Charles Stanley who served as the director, Dan Perrin who produced and starred in the film, Tiffany Burns who did a phenomenal job with continuity, and even my own daughter, Tori Jenkins, who served as location photographer. “It’s so gratifying to see the students who come to work with us and former students who will return to participate in the production. “We are together for 24 hours a day for four days in a high pressure situation. It’s a fantastic time, and the end result is a feature-length movie.” “No More Wasted Kisses” keeps viewers in anticipation throughout the film, wondering how the story will unfold with some scenes even containing “gasp-worthy” moments. The constraints that low-budget films have to operate within can involve scheduling conflicts, travel expenses and a myriad of other challenges, but those things didn’t stop the cast and crew from pulling together to make a truly memorable film.
Photo by Lea Killian
What’s Inside Lightner shines bright on campus
Theatre brings the heat
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Gutierrez passes limits Page 5
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News
September 21, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
From a national park to a college campus Lea Killian Managing Editor On Aug. 17, Freshman Communication Major Shane Lightner began his academic journey at CU. After spending over six months working in Yellowstone National Park as a bartender at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Lighter made the decision to return home to the Lawton-Fort Sill community in hopes of obtaining his degree. Living and working in America’s first national park is an experience many would deem unattainable, but Lightner made the decision to move at a moment’s notice when Xanterra Travel Collection offered him a job. Xanterra Travel Collection began in 1876 when Fred Harvey made a deal with the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad to open restaurants at rail stops for people traveling westward. Since then, Xanterra Travel Collection has placed hotels, gift shops, museums and restaurants in parks all over the country, including Zion, the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon and Glacier National Park. In addition to the jobs the company provides, since most parks are isolated from bigger cities, Xanterra also offers employee housing in dormitory-style rooms, meal plans and even recreational facilities for things like sports, club meetings and exercise. When Lightner accepted the position, he only brought two bags of clothing with him and traveled from Lawton, Oklahoma to Gardiner, Montana by Greyhound bus. The trip took him over 30 hours, and when he finally arrived at
the north entry of the park, he realized Photo by Lea Killian how much he still had to do. “I spent the first few days getting used to Mammoth, going on hikes and visiting the hot springs,” Lightner said. “After I got moved into the dorms, I met all the other employees who had just gotten there, too. There were people who had traveled from all over the world to do what I was doing, and that was incredible to me.” Lightner spent seven months in Yellowstone National Park working, but his fondest memories are that of hiking through the mountains surrounding Mammoth, visiting Old Faithful, watching for wildlife in Lamar Valley, spending time with his friends in the dorms and making monthly trips to Bozeman, Montana. During his time there, Lightner also visited Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Salt Lake City. After moving back home in November 2019, he started waiting tables again. This time, however, something seemed to be missing from his life. Even though Lightner is experiencing his first semester of college during a pandemic, he has found that the freedom to focus on his goals is exactly what he needed. When Lightner isn’t studying for his exams and attending Zoom classes, he works as a lifeguard at the Aggie Rec Center. “I traveled so much that I really just wanted some place that I could take root and spend some time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and Life on campus: Freshman Communication Major Shane Lightner Cameron seemed like the perfect place for that.” poses in front of the Academic Commons building.
Resilient Together: The Human Resources Department hosted a Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 16 in the OBI Bloodmobile parked at the north end of the Howell Hall parking lot.
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So there’s this app. It’s called TikTok — you’ve probably heard of it. Created by Beijing-based company, ByteDance, the social media service allows you to post short videos in combination with audio tracks — and usually involves a comedic message. Despite launching in the Chinese market four years ago, TikTok only became available worldwide two years ago, after merging with another popular video-sharing platform, Musical.ly. Before TikTok, however, the American-made Vine app was the destination for video-sharing — and in fact, functioned exactly the same as TikTok, before Twitter bought it out and shut it down. And since many now well-known influencers made their names on Vine, they’ve immediately flocked to TikTok for more funny shenanigans. So unsurprisingly, the app has exploded in terms of popularity. Not only was TikTok the most downloaded app in the first quarter of 2019 — it’s also “Gen Z’s favorite app,” as reported by market research and consulting firm, Zebra IQ. However, recently, President Trump has made several moves aiming to shut the platform down, citing threats to “national security, foreign policy and the economy of the United States” — as said in an Aug. 6 executive order. As you would expect, TikTok users did not take kindly to this “gross abuse of power,” as claimed by “The Verge,” and have launched several social media campaigns to prevent this action — with many penning emotional farewells on the app. Ignoring the idiocy of such an intense, passionate attachment to an app, let’s instead focus on how this addiction began. Perhaps the most influencing reason that this extreme obsession with TikTok has engulfed American teenagers is the viral “trends” that circulate among users. “Trends” on TikTok, according to StayHipp.com, are generally unique to the app and employ memes in song, dance or challengebased videos. For example, the “#ShoeFlipChallenge” involves sitting in a chair, throwing a shoe up into the air and editing the video to show the user in a new outfit once the shoe lands on their foot. Harmless, right? Kind of cool, sometimes funny? Sure. But while some “trends” on the
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Voices
September 21, 2020
- ALYPSE
app are just goofy — or at the very least not wickedly harmful — there are more than a few pushing users to try more offensive and often dangerous stunts. And while most social media apps definitely need to make healthy changes, TikTok most certainly has the greatest need for reform. Let’s take a look at the “#NewTeacherChallenge,” that began trending around the incoming school year. These videos see parents pretending to FaceTime their children’s “new teacher,” just to film and laugh at their terrified reactions. The pictures used for this trend range anywhere from mugshots to images of physically disabled people. One victim of this trend is Lizzie Velasquez, a motivational speaker who was born with a rare genetic disorder that causes an aged appearance. After seeing herself in multiple iterations of this challenge, Velasquez begged TikTok managers to take such videos down from the app. But following TikTok’s complete dismissal of her pleas, she spoke to several news outlets such as “People Magazine,” “Fox News” and “Insider” to bring more awareness to the issue. It’s genuinely baffling that this was necessary — that TikTok managers couldn’t see how despite not technically violating any of the rules, this trend is utterly inappropriate and unacceptable. Even more than that, why would any parent purposely scare their child just to laugh at them? And above all else, how could any parent instill in their child this idea that people who don’t look like them are scary? That children should be afraid of people with disabilities? Not to mention that these parents use pictures of actual people, and see no qualm with the fact that these actual people have actual feelings. Velasquez said it best: “This is not okay, this is a trend that needs to stop.” Why is it that newer generations have made so much progress in halting online body-shaming, but still find it completely normal to shame physical disabilities? It’s disgusting. Still not convinced TikTok needs to change? Let’s pivot to the more dangerous side. How about the trend where people lick an airplane toilet seat? As if the practice of traveling isn’t daunting enough during an international
pandemic, now you can gain a ton more followers if you just record yourself licking a toilet seat. Good trade off, am I right? Or maybe the one where you’re supposed to overdose on Benadryl so you can hallucinate? Crazy how TikTok didn’t tell you, but taking over a dozen Benadryl pills can also cause seizures and cardiac arrhythmia — which three teens in Texas found out the hard way, after they were rushed to the emergency room. There’s also that lovely “#SkullbreakerChallenge,” and if the name doesn’t give you a good enough idea of what it entails, picture someone jumping into the air while bystanders kick their legs forward as they come down. As you can imagine, the trend has inspired head, neck and back injuries galore. These are just a few of the disturbing cases that online watchdog Parentology highlights in an attempt to warn parents about some of the dangerous trends TikTok encourages. But rest assured — there are many more to watch out for. The glorious “#PassOutChallenge,” the wonderful “#HotWaterChallenge” and of course, the “#FireChallenge,” are all extreme accidents in the making, and numerous teens have been hospitalized for trying. And they get so much worse. As reported by “The Sun,” there are now over 41 deaths linked to TikTok challenges, including many live-streamed suicides. Here’s the thing, I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade or take on the role of “fun police,” but there is an absolute need for TikTok to reform. Just like any other social media app, it is vital to watch what you post. But as these challenges show, it is even more important to be careful when posting on TikTok. There is no way to know which users are watching and might actually attempt to try these dangerous trends. And even if there was a way, why — why — encourage people to take these horrifying risks just for a couple of laughs or a handful of followers? Social media has always had a dark side, but no platform has so wholeheartedly embraced the idea of risking your life for views as TikTok does. There is a problem here. So while I might agree that banning the app altogether seems drastic, I certainly don’t think it would be a bad thing.
@Amanda King
Voices Editor
Graphic by Amanda King
About Us
The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available twenty Mondays during the year. It is printed by the Lawton Constitution. The first issue is provided for free. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.
Our Views
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.
Letters Policy THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Staff
Managing Editor - Lea Killian A&E Editors - Cam Alsbrook Voices Editor - Amanda King Copy Editor - Brittney Payette
Newsroom Staff
Staff Writers - Alison Malawey Photographers - Stacie Larsen Financial Officer - Susan Hill Faculty Adviser - Prof. David Bublitz
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. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verification. Letters can be sent by mail, by e-mail to aggiecentral@ cameron.edu or they may be dropped off to the Academic Commons 101.
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A&E
September 21, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
Photos courtesy of Innersloth
Deception check: Innersloth’s “Among Us” is a team based game about completing a tasklist while solving murders with the help of fellow crewmates on board. Meanwhile, Imposters are tasked with a simple goal: kill the crewmates before being voted for ejection from the ship. The game features a customizable ruleset, three playable fields, and a lot of aesthetically charming character customization.
A review is “Among Us” Cam Alsbrook A&E Editor
Innersloth’s “Among Us” is a deception game based on “crewmates” trying to fend off “imposters” until they perform all the tasks available on the playing field, or eject all the imposters. At the start of a round, up to ten people are divided into a player-controlled ratio of innocent crewmates or murderous imposters, who either work to fill up a task completion bar, or ensure that the crewmates fail, respectively. The game is difficult due to each player not knowing who is innocent — players must participate in meetings and discuss which party seems most suspicious. “Among Us” released on the Steam digital
game store on Nov. 16, voice call with living 2018, but rose to extreme players. popularity during the Though, when a COVID-19 pandemic as crewmate dies, they a hilarious way to play become a ghost with friends online. able to resume This game is doing their either a good tasks to teambuilding complete exercise, or their a surefire unfinished way to test business friendships and talk — there is to other not an inghosts for between when fun. GFX by Cam Alsbrook playing with As the friends. ghost of an imposter, the “Among Us” features goal is to sabotage the a random matchmaking crewmates by setting off option, but this review dangerous scenarios such will focus more as reactor meltdowns or on the friend oxygen removal. to friend A cute thing to note relationship is that pets such as dogs of the game’s and hamsters follow multiplayer, the player around — as in my own unfortunately this makes experience the player easier to pick it does not out. have the same It is very important charm playing to have clear direction with strangers as of strategy between the it does with friends. crewmates, as they can Generally, my player only generally speak group stuck with the rule during called meetings that if you die, you can in a voice call or the inno longer speak in the game text function.
Download-able chaos: Innersloth released DLC over the two-year lifespan of “Among Us” that included maps, pets and clothing options. “Mira HQ (pictured)” is one of the two maps that released as DLC, featuring new tasks for players to struggle with and tactics for imposters to employ.
Those who have played “Town of Salem” or “Jackbox Party Games” will see that “Among Us” share’s the voting system as it’s way of disposing it’s players. Voting works during meetings in two ways: either a player reports a found body, or a player pushes the emergency button located generally in the center of the traversable overworld. I enjoyed this game due to the chaotic nature that players generally behave in, attempting individual approaches at finding out the imposters or killing crewmates. The joy of this game lies with the people you play with — how they play matters a lot for the atmosphere of the game. I recommend this game to be played with a player group between 7-10 people, as any less will make the rounds feel
too short. The controls of the game — and the tasks players have to do — are all simple and easy to understand. The other cool aspect of the game is the multiplatform functionality; it works with iPhone, Android and computers. All prospective players need to do for the game is either purchase the computer version for $4.99, on the Steam game store, or download it for free on their phones, afterwards they can begin playing with friends or people across the world. I recommend using a computer, as the game is definitely worth the five dollars, and the controls are more optimized for computer anyhow.
The mobile experience is good, but of course being on a phone might become tiresome — it is easier to do tasks and commands with a mouse and keyboard, after all. “Among Us” added companions and maps as downloadable content over the past couple years of it’s lifespan. This included hats, shirts, pants, pets and free play fields to spice the game up for players. Innersloth has made a public statement about a sequel to “Among Us”, but has no release date in mind — there has not been a start on production for the title yet. I would put Among Us at a solid 8 – 9.5 / 10, depending on who I play with. I recommend this game for players who want to torture their friends virtually.
September 21, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
Student Life
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Photos by Brittney Payette
Showtimes: The Cameron University Department of Art, Music and Theatre Arts will host a production of “Fahrenheit 451” at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 1-3, and at 2 p.m., Oct. 4, in the University Theatre. Students get one free ticket. Admission for adults is $12, and for children it’s $10.
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Sports
September 21, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
Aggie Feature Q & A
Eduardo Gutierrez Photo by Cam Alsbrook
Crossing past limits: Senior molecular biology major Eduardo Gutierrez has taken part in Lone Star Conference events each year of his collegiate career. He competes in both the cross country and track and field teams of the Aggie men’s division. He finished third at the MSU Stampede as a junior.
Cam Alsbrook
we maintain about six feet apart with face masks when meeting.
A&E Editor
Senior biology major Eduardo Gutierrez is a part of the Men’s Cross Country, and Men’s Track and Field Division of the Aggies and has numerous acheivements under his belt from his 2017 freshman year up to his senior year. In a Q&A, Gutierrez spoke about his life and relation to sports before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How has social distancing affected practice? Our Cross Country/Track program has set up precautions during this pandemic and I think that it has been handled well. All the athletes have to submit a “Symptom Check” at least ten minutes prior to the practice session, and
How do you feel about how sports programs are navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic?
However, the sport of running was different to me. It started as a punishment in the seventh grade because I would act up in class. The teacher got a hold of my basketball coach, and he forced me to run the 3200m (2 mile) and 1600m (1 mile) in track. I have not looked back since.
What advice has meant the most to you?
I believe that the route that most athletic departments are taking through the COVID-19 Pandemic is intelligent. I feel that they are making the right choice and by doing so, it shows that they care for their athletes’ safety and well-being.
The advice that means the most to me is from my grandfather. He told me to never doubt myself and to always lead with my heart and mind, and the body will follow.
How did you become interested in sports?
What does your involvement in sports mean to you?
It did not take long for me to be invested in sports. I watched Super Bowl 38 with my father when I was four years old and was hooked on sports ever since.
Being involved in sports means everything to me. I love the sense of urgency and motivation to better myself everyday.
UNC vs. Charlotte cancellation: College football can’t hide from coronavirus Luke DeCock
Tribune News Service The rush to college football normalcy — the screeching of tires as the Big Ten reversed course on Wednesday — is cloaked in hopeful sentiments and good wishes, but as events made clear a day later, there is no getting around the reality that merely getting these games played amid a pandemic, whether it’s a good idea or not, is going to be an uphill battle. Less than 24 hours after the Big Ten decided it would play football this fall after all, and the Pac-12 and Mountain West quickly started scrambling to follow suit, Charlotte had to cancel Saturday’s game at North Carolina because it had too many offensive linemen in quarantine, a sentence that could only be written in 2020. North Carolina woke up Thursday morning preparing for its second game and by lunchtime the Tar Heels had the weekend off. Will UNC play next week? The Tar Heels want to fill the open date after the Charlotte game was canceled. Just like that. This after N.C. State and Virginia Tech had to push their game back because of the Wolfpack’s inability to practice, and Virginia and Virginia Tech had to push their game back because of the Hokies’ inability to practice. There seems to be a presumption that the hard part is making the decision to play or not to play football (and other sports), the agonizing weighing and balancing of player health and community consequences.
Turns out, as the Pac-12 lobbies local officials to lift practice restrictions as the conference summarily overrules the medical advice it found so convincing in August, it’s not that hard after all. The push to play football, regardless of the circumstances, is nigh unstoppable, right or wrong. In the end, whether that was the intention right from the start or it came in the face of relentless public pressure, that’s the easy part. The hard part is actually playing the games. “We knew when we decided to play football in this environment that cancellations would be a possibility,” UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. Even in a conference like the ACC that has had generally good success keeping the coronavirus away from its players after the initial wave of positive tests on several campuses, the schedule is a precarious thing. Nationally, more than a dozen games have been canceled or rescheduled already, to the point where Army’s athletic director found himself desperately soliciting a last-minute opponent on Twitter. Charlotte’s example shows how quickly and suddenly that number can grow, and North Carolina is now scrambling to see if it can find a new opponent — that meets ACC testing protocols — for its open date next weekend. And we’re still a week away from the SEC even trying to play, a conference where several campuses are in mid-outbreak and LSU coach Ed Orgeron said this week that most of his team has tested positive at some point.
Tribune News Service
Change of plans: Head coach Will Healy of the Charlotte 49ers walks on the sideline during the third quarter of the game against the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers on Oct. 19, 2019 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images/TNS) Then again, that hasn’t stopped Clemson yet. At least the SEC, like the ACC and Big 12, has some wiggle room built into its schedule. The SEC and Big 12 are shooting for 10 games over a 12-week period, while the ACC is trying to play 11 games in 13 weeks. “Try” being the operative word: UNC’s already behind the curve. So are TCU and Baylor, both of which lost their plus-one nonconference games. But in its ex post facto attempt to play catch-up, the Big Ten is going to try to play nine games in nine weeks, with eight conference games and a ninth game for every team, playing its standings counterpart in the opposite
division, on championship day. There’s no margin for error whatsoever. The Big Ten also said it will use its change of heart as an opportunity to monitor cardiac health implications in its football players, making them unwitting lab rabbits the same way they’re used as crash-test dummies for concussion research. That hasn’t changed. The conferences that have the resources to fund the robust testing regimes that make the attempt to play college football possible have clearly resolved to try — even if they had previously resolved not to try. Whether they can actually finish the season is another question entirely.