Collegian T he Cameron University
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Monday, February 24, 2014
Volume 90 Issue 5
2014 HOMECOMING COURT ANNOUNCEMENT INSIDE CU succeeds at campus health Kaylee Jones
Managing Editor Cameron University believes healthy living makes for better learning. On Feb. 7, the announcement was made that CU had earned a designation as a Certified Healthy Campus at the Excellence level for the third year in a row. The award is a combined effort by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Oklahoma Academy and the Oklahoma Turning Point Council. According to Oklahoma Turning Point Council’s website, “The Oklahoma Certified Healthy Campus status recognizes postsecondary public and private institutions of higher learning and career technology centers for their outstanding efforts and achievements in actively creating a safe and healthy environment for faculty, staff, students and visitors.” The Certified Healthy Campus designation is part of the “Shape Your Future” program by Certified Healthy Oklahoma, which extends such designations to businesses, restaurants, campuses and Oklahoma communities. University President, John McArthur, said he was pleased to receive the recognition and was proud of campus-wide health efforts by Vice President of Student Services, Jennifer Holland, along with many others. “Cameron faculty and staff provide our students an opportunity for a high quality education,” McArthur wrote. “It is important that our students also learn to maintain a sufficient health and energy to put that education to good use.” Jill Melrose, Director of Cameron’s Wellness Center, said students too often get so caught up that they forget to take care of themselves, so the burden falls to the university. “I think it is of utmost importance that Cameron takes care of students’ health and make that a priority by offering exercise, healthy foods, medical and mental health care right here on campus,” Melrose said. “We want to be part of making Oklahoma a healthier state. If a younger student can learn a healthy lifestyle now, it will ensure a healthier tomorrow for them.” There are eight sections to the certification application, which were crafted using the American College Health Association Standards for Practice for Health Promotion in Higher Education as a guideline: Integration health and wellness into the learning mission
Running with the Aggies Photo courtesy of Victori Alvarez
Damage control: Cameron student and Village resident Victori Alvarez wades through a flooded hallway of building A. Both A and B were evacuated at 6 a.m. on Feb. 7.
Students evacuate Cameron Village after pipe bursts Sadie Jones A&E Editor
Photo by Krista Pylant
of the campus; campus collaboration for health and wellness; cultural competence; a tobacco free campus- which fulfills standards four and five; campus drug, alcohol and mental health care; health, wellness, safety and professional development/continuing education. Melrose explained how Cameron meets these standards: “I think that Cameron does a great job at promoting holistic health and wellness. We do have a Tobacco Free policy that is enforced. Physical education and activities are a huge part of Cameron. We offer drug and alcohol education to all freshmen. We have underage drinking policies and an alcohol free campus.” Melrose went on to mention Cameron’s Aggie Rec Center, services offered by the Student Wellness Center, campus security and various
Maurice Buckner previews Cameron Cross Country page 7 health workshops, saying, “All of these things support the health and wellness of students, staff and faculty at Cameron.” Melrose admitted there is still more room for improvement. “I think some of the areas that we could improve include a more vigorous recycling program and even more programming geared toward all aspects of health and wellness,” Melrose said. “The Student Wellness Center is working on better assessments of overall health in medical screenings and mental health screenings. We plan on incorporating more trainings and groups in the future to include support for tobacco cessation, support for those in recovery from additions and sexual violence awareness trainings.”
At 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, Cameron University Village residents of building A and B rose before the sun to the blaring of fire alarms. Apartment rooms throughout building A were filled with standing water due to a burst pipe. Every student in building A and B evacuated soon after the housing staff realized the problem. Vice President of Student Services Jennifer Holland said a sprinkler pipe caused the f looding. “In room 304, the very northwest corner of A, a sprinkler pipe froze and burst,” Holland said. “A sprinkler pipe is full pressure water because it has to have enough water to sprinkle the entire building in the case of a fire.” The fire alarms continued to sound for over an hour while the housing staff tried their best to keep residents and their belongings safe. Holland said the water that f lowed from the third f loor ceiling seeped down to the second f loor and eventually the first f loor — f looding all three f loors, impacting 39 students and causing severe water damage in the process, primarily to the west side of the building.
See FLOOD page 2
Under the Coliseum: Jordan World Circus Casey Brown Copy Editor
Balancing act: A circus performer rides an elephant during “The Elephant Act.” Three elephants performed tricks throughout the act.
Inside this issue:
At 7 p.m. on Feb. 18, Lawton played host to the Jordan World Circus at the Great Plains Coliseum. Children and adults of all ages attended the event. The Jordan World Circus is a three-ring circus that includes several acts such as aerial performances, a daredevil motorcycle show and animals from around the globe. The crowd started gathering at 6 p.m. to enjoy the pre-show entertainment including pony rides, face painting and elephant rides. The show opened with a tiger act that featured seven Bengal tigers entertaining the crowd by jumping over each other as well as hoops that were lit on fire. After the tiger act, the crowd enjoyed a lively clown performance – one of three.
Bring me to the game Pages 4 and 5 contain an insert that is to be held up during the Homecoming game
Ten women in brightly colored costumes then took to the sky for the first aerial performance of the evening. The acrobats were in the air for over 10 minutes performing death-defying twirls and spins on silk ribbons and hoops. The crowd gasped with each pirouette and spin. One woman hung from the ceiling by her hair as she twirled fire and spun above ring one. In ring two, a woman twisted and balanced on a moon-shaped apparatus. Leo Garcia then took to the Wheel of Destiny where he somersaulted through the air while balancing in a metal wheel. Garcia’s wife, Getti, and the other women in the aerial performance executed a hula-hoop routine in which they each danced with as many hoops as possible.
See CIRCUS page 6
Photos by Casey Brown
The view from up here: An acrobat from the Jordan World Circus performs an aerial routine. Ten girls hung from thirty feet in the hair for stunts.
Women’s
4 p.m. in Aggie Gym
MSU
Men’s
6 p.m. in Aggie Gym
MSU
CU vs. MSU
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News
February 24, 2014
www.aggiecentral.com
Lawton supports CU community
Supporting students: CU’s Alumni Association is currently collecting donations toward constructing Veterans Grove. Jim Glover recently donated money to support the Cameron marketing club’s creativity in the Red River Best Chevy Dealer contest.
Photos by Kaley Patterson
strong supporter of the community. McGrail said that most alumni specify where they Staff Writer want their donations to go. Donations make up the cornerstone Alumni donations can go toward different of Cameron University. CU receives outlets such as scholarships, specific donations from alumni, foundations and departments, buildings and construction. the community to support scholarships, Currently the Alumni Association is construction and the advancement of working on raising additional funds for the education. CUAA Scholarships and the construction of Director of Alumni Relations Jennifer Veterans Grove. McGrail believes that alumni donations are Cameron also receives donations from important to Cameron University. foundations, corporations and donors “The growth that Cameron has interested in a specific area. experienced, especially when you look at all Vice President of University the new buildings on campus and the feel Advancement Albert Johnson, Jr. of campus, a lot of that was funded through said Cameron is always searching for donations from our alumni and community opportunities to support students through supporters,” McGrail said. “With those additional funding. donations we’re able to make the university a Donors can give online but what normally stronger, better place to be and without our happens is that donors will contact Johnson alumni and those donations we wouldn’t be and express their interest in giving to the able to make those things happen.” university. Johnson said that different McGrail said that alumni make donations departments have foundation accounts set for many reasons. Alumni may donate to up to receive donations and these donations a specific area they are interested in, or if are used for special projects to benefit the they want to give back to the university or specific department. even because they have children attending Johnson said that Cameron’s endowed Cameron and realize that the university is a scholarships are the stronger programs
Kaley Patterson
because they live in perpetuity. The programs are endowed scholarships which are a minimum of $10,000 and presidents distinguished scholarships which are a minimum of $25,000. Students can apply for these endowed scholarships by filling out the general scholarship application on the Cameron website. Johnson said endowed scholarships work by a donor giving $10,000 and then that $10,000 is applied to an account that grows interest and the interest the account grows is used for scholarships. Recently, the School of Business received a donation of $2,000 from Lawton’s Jim Glover Chevrolet dealership. The donation will go towards providing a foundation for the new student organization of the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) Collegiate Chapter at Cameron University. Assistant Professor of Marketing Dr. Theresa Billiot is the faculty supervisor to the chapter. Cameron’s AMA collegiate chapter will be the first in western Oklahoma. Billiot said that AMA is a worldwide professional association that connects students with professionals who work, teach or study the marketing field. Billiot said that Steve Barnes, co-owner
and operator of Jim Glover, applauded the creativity and tenacity of Cameron’s advertising students for their Red River Best Chevy Dealers’ campaign for the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado last fall semester. “These donations are extremely important because it builds student confidence and creates a deeper student appreciation toward their education because students see successful businesses recognizing their knowledge and skills,” Billiot said. “Furthermore, these financial donations provide opportunities for students to extend their educational and career development outside the classroom. Without these financial donations, student organizations would be extremely limited to advance their training outside the classroom.” Alumni can make donations by mailing a check or money order to the Cameron University Foundation. They can also make credit card payments online and reoccurring payments with their credit card by contacting the Office of University Advancement. If students are interested in finding more information or joining AMA, they may email Billiot at tbilliot@cameron.edu.
FLOOD continued from page 1 Although building A was the only building that flooded, residents in building B evacuated for safety precautions as well. “During the early morning hours — we weren’t sure what the impact of building B was going to be,” Holland said. “Because the buildings are connected, they share a lot of the same systems, so our first reaction was that the water needed to be turned off. Initially we feared both buildings were going to be impacted, but thankfully that didn’t happen.” Students who had to evacuate were moved to different rooms within the Village — some even moved to Shepler. Holland said Housing had to move students wherever there was open space. Not every resident was able to stay with his or her original roommates, but the housing staff tried their best to keep residents together. “In some situations, residents are happier where they ended up moving — but some are not,” Holland said. “Honestly, we did the best that we could do in the middle of an emergency. Since the incident, we have contacted those who moved to Shepler — notifying them of space now available in the
Village — all but six students have relocated back over to the apartments, and those students chose to stay in Shepler.” Holland said changes in residents’ housing payments are currently being evaluated and worked out with each individual student, based on where they are living now. The Cameron Village pipes have broken before, but unfortunately, the burst on Feb. 7 is recorded as the most damaging. Although the incident was a nuisance to students as well as the housing staff, Holland counts the emergency as a learning experience for everyone. “I think every homeowner would tell you that sometimes your pipes freeze,” Holland said. “It happens when you’re a home-owner, and it happens when you run an apartment complex. “We service our systems all the time; we check all of those things. But we have had an unseasonably cold winter, and now we have new ideas for what we can do, as far as additional insulation that may be needed in the attic as well as the need to look into how the pipes are being treated.” Holland said she was pleased with the rapid response from
2014 Homecoming Court
Kings
Queens
Cameron Buckner Jr. Accounting Major
Karin Clashing-O’Reilly Sr. Business Administration
Tyler Cox Sr. Sports Management Major
Ife Egbeyemi
Alpha Phi Sorority
HPER Club
Jacob Gelnar Sr. Animal Science Major
Aggie Club
Kristian Jimenez Jr. Biology Major
Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity
Lyndel Monrose Sr. Computer Information Systems Major SOCA
Finance Major SOCA
Sr. Biology Major Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Elizabeth Krause Jr. Ag Business Major
Aggie Club
Kaley Patterson Jr. Communication Major
Aggie Ambassadors
Rachel Thompkins Sr. Psychology Major BCM
the crews who came to help during the early morning hours and late into the day on Saturday. “Getting the water off is the primary thing because it minimizes damage,” Holland said. “The physical facility crews responded very quickly — they have taken ownership and leadership of the project which is so much appreciated because it’s kind of beyond the scope of what we know in Housing.” Preparations for renovations to building A are now under way. Holland said Housing is taking the time to accept bids before they begin the process. The majority of the repairs are needed on the west side of the building, and Holland said the renovations consist of clean up. “Sheetrock, ceiling tiles, technology equipment, fire suppression system and security cameras will have to be replaced,” Holland said. There is not a set date for when the renovations will be complete, but building A residents who moved to other rooms will not be expected to move back into their former homes. But, Holland said, it is an option for them if they choose to do so.
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Voices Debating evolution: February 24, 2014
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Christianity covers more than creation
The Bible is the foundation of the Christian faith. Doctrinal beliefs, one of which is the creation of the earth, tie Christians together. At 7 p.m. Feb. 5, evolutionist Bill Nye and creationist Ken Ham debated one another on this very topic — in hopes of providing an answer to the question and topic of discussion — “Is Creationism a Viable Model of Origins?” The debate was streamed live — for free — from the Creation Museum in Kentucky. I heard about the debate a few weeks prior and made a mental note to tune in. As a Christian and someone who looks at scripture as the direct account and word of God, therefore the ultimate truth, I believe as Ham does — that God created the earth in six literal days — just as it is recorded in Genesis chapter one. On the night of the discussion, I began watching with high expectations, curious to see how Ham would defend his belief in God and creation. Ham and Nye discussed genuine, well thought out points and questions, which made for an interesting scholarly debate — but when it concluded, I was somewhat
disappointed. In my opinion, Ham’s debate fell flat. The reason for my disappointment wasn’t because I thought Ham lacked the ability to effectively defend scripture on the biblical account of creation — I respect that he defended his position and agree with him when he talked about the need for young students
who are being taught evolution in school, to have the opportunity of hearing and evaluating both the options of origin. The reason for my disappointment was because, although one vital aspect of the Christian faith is that God created the world and everything in it, there are passages in scripture
that are not crystal clear in every aspect — leaving them open and susceptible to interpretation — and the account of creation seems to be one of them. Christians disagree with fellow Christians — even about the creation of the earth. There are creationists like Ken Ham, who believe God created the earth, but
claim it took longer than six literal days, even thousands of years. I say this to make the point that we don’t have to have all the answers — we can’t have all the answers. Whether or not God created the earth in six literal days or thousands of years (which God may see as six days), it is not vital to our growth as Christians or vital to our ability in understanding other key aspects of the Bible. I believe we’re called to seek to understand the information provided to us through God’s word however, just as there is debate in the scientific community concerning evolution — there is also debate among believers regarding God’s creation of the earth. For two hours and fortyfive minutes, Nye stated his belief in the theory of the big bang, providing with it, evidence based upon his research in which he believed disproved the creation of the universe by an all-powerful God. Ham challenged Nye’s perspective with biblical evidence, pointing out that evolution does not provide viable answers on how the world came to exist. Ham and Nye entered a debate — with no common
ground— other than their love for science and what Ham stated in an interview with CNN, “the understanding of what it [science] has brought to us, from cell phones to space shuttles,”— but that is where the commonalities end. I find it difficult to label the discussion between Nye and Ham as a debate. How can there be a debate when neither side has all the evidence to prove what they believe? The debate didn’t seem to accomplish much because there are so many grey areas in evolution as well as creation. So much emphasis is put upon the finite details, and it might tempt Christians to believe that they should understand every aspect of the Bible and Christianity completely — but that is simply not possible. The account of creation is not the basis of our faith. Creation is not what we cling to — it is not where we find our hope and our confidence. We find all of that through Christ because he conquered death, providing a way for us to do the same.
Sadie Jones A&E Editor
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Correlation between creativity and addiction Philip Seymour Hoffman was 46-years-old when he died on Feb. 2. Hoffman was a profoundly talented actor and director who was in over 60 movies and television shows. Hoffman died as a result of a heroine overdose. In an editorial for “Time Magazine,” Aaron Sorkin, “West Wing” creator and recovering addict, said “Phil Hoffman, this kind, decent, magnificent, thunderous actor, who was never outwardly ‘right’ for any role but who completely dominated the real estate upon which every one of his characters walked, did not die from an overdose of heroin — he died from heroin. We should stop implying that if he’d just taken the proper amount then everything would have been fine.” As a writer, I agree with Sorkin that the language we use, particularly in national conversations, should be chosen carefully. Not edited or censored, but attentively considered. The way we talk about people and the circumstances that they
Photo courtesy of MCT Campus
deal with is important and has an effect on people’s lives. Along the same vein of diction and national conversation, Hoffman’s death, along with the overdoses of countless other artist begs the question, “Is there a connection or correlation between creativity and addiction?” So many creative people struggle with the demons of addiction, which, by the way is a disease. Hopefully, that is something we can all agree on. Sorkin emphasizes
About Us 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 free of charge. 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.
this point (in the same editorial) by saying, “He didn’t die because he was partying too hard or because he was depressed — he died because he was an addict on a day of the week with a ‘y’ in it.” The way we talk about addiction – in relation to creativity or in any other context – is important because it affects the way we understand the disease and the way we treat people who struggle with similar demons to Hoffman. If we can get past quarreling over whether
or not to call it a disease, then perhaps we can get to the deeper conversation. We can get closer to truly understanding what these people are struggling with and then find an understanding that could lead to reform, change and progress. As for the connection between creativity and addiction, according to an article that appeared in “Scientific American” in 2011, neuroscientist David Linden of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said that there is not a link. However,
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he explained there is an overlap between some of the same traits and genes responsible for creativity and addiction. There might not be a direct scientific correlation between the two, but Linden went on to explain that some of the other behaviors of addicts might be responsible for creative success. “If you carry those variants, you are more likely to be more risktaking, novelty-seeking and compulsive. None of which are explicitly creative, but they are things that get to creativity,” he wrote. “So novelty-seeking might be a spur to creativity. Risktaking might lead you to go more out on a limb. If you’re compulsive, you might be more motivated to get your art, science idea or novel out into the world.” The counterargument to this claim seems to be in our own observations about the amount of celebrities who were creative geniuses and died of drug addiction. However, this could be a false connection between the two created by the
media’s tendency to report and comment on these high-profile deaths. We do not often hear about the addicts who died and were not famous for some form of genius or fame. We do not often talk about anything more than surface-level topics after the overdose of a celebrity. We might talk about how sad it is (and it is sad), or what we will miss from here on out with the loss of someone’s art (and we do miss out), but we are not digging any deeper into the creativity/addiction connection, if there is one. Sorkin and others are doing that this time around. Hopefully, there won’t be a next time, but there will be, and when there is, maybe we can continue the national conversation about addiction – make progress. Let’s face it; this problem deserves more attention and more careful rhetoric.
Casey Brown Copy Editor
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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.
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Go Aggies! CU vs. MSU
Break the Mustangs!
Homecoming 2014
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A&E
February 24, 2014
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Theater techniques revealed at CU Sadie Jones
Photos by Kali Robinson
A&E Editor
Cameron University’s Theatre Department offers several tools for its students in order to ensure they are prepared for their future careers. One of the classes offered is Makeup, in which students learn how to apply various types of make-up that actors and actresses use in the theatre. Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Eric Abbott teaches the make-up class. The class meets once a week from 11 a.m. -1:45 p.m. The course is offered every two years. Students who take the course are required to purchase a makeup kit in place of a textbook. Abbott has taught at Cameron for five years and said the makeup class he took while in high school introduced him to the idea of pursuing theatre. Abbott said a wide variety of students choose to take his course. It is not limited to theatre majors. “Theatre Makeup is one of two classes that can serve as a particular requirement for theatre majors,” Abbott said. “They can choose between the Makeup class and the sound class, but most will take make-up— partially because most students are performers. At least six or seven students — out of 20 — are not theatre majors.” Students practice by applying the makeup on themselves. Abbott said he demonstrates it on himself first and then lets them try. “We teach the basics of
Teaching mode: (Left) Assistant Professor Abbott shows students how to correctly achieve the aging look. (Right) CU senior Kaylee Jones examines the finished product.
theatrical makeup,” Abbott said. “We start with what is referred to as corrective,
which is evening out the skin tone and showing some basic illusions on shadows
and highlights and creating a natural color for each person.” After the basics are covered, the class transitions to more challenging assignments. Abbott said students begin with the aging makeup because it is the most simple — and then they move to extreme age. When students master that concept, they begin theatrical categories like fantasy, horror and gore and dimensional makeup such as false noses and beards. “Early on in the first two assignments, we only do half of the face, so they can hold up a piece of paper and see the difference,” Abbott said. “They get an idea of what
Sopranos Jordan Brickhouse, Jessica Copy Editor Fernandez, Alyson Hays Eight Cameron and Alyssa Yates and University Centennial tenors Peter Macias, Jose Singers were selected Rodriguez, Cole Hart and to participate in the Kirk Prucha auditioned 2014 Oklahoma Choral for the opportunity. The Directors Association choir consisted of students All-Colligate Honors from 20 universities across Chorus on Jan. 24 - 25 at Oklahoma including McFarlin Memorial United Cameron University, The Methodist Church. University of Oklahoma
and Oklahoma State University. Conductor of the Centennial Singers and Adjunct Professor of music Doris Lambert said her students had the honor to work with internationally known conductor and composer Dale Warland. “It was a very compact and concentrated amount of time,” Lambert said. “We
learned so much. When you work with a conductor that is so well known and so revered in his field, it is an amazing opportunity for the students to work with someone like that. “It’s like having the opportunity for a baseball pitcher to go work in the major leagues for a while. It is just incredible.” Lambert said her
Applying the concept: CU junior Charlene Belew begins the aging process for the Theatre MakeUp class.
it is supposed to look like because theatrical makeup up close does not look good. It’s made to be seen from a distance. The makeup is not just important for the character face, but also to opaque the skin since theatrical lights are so bright.” CU senior and Radio Television Major Sandra Hall-O’Brien said she has experienced the theatre world before and said she really enjoys the class. “I wanted to take the class because I thought it’d be really fun,” Hall-O’Brien said. “I used to be a member of the North Georgia Community Players, so I had worn the makeup before, but I thought it would be fun to learn how to apply it myself.” Although not quite halfway into the semester,
Hall-O’Brien said she already has a favorite makeup technique. “My favorite activity is the transition where we made ourselves look really old,” Hall said. “We only apply the make-up on half our face, so I can make my eyes look closer together or further apart — I think it’s really cool — and it’s a lot of fun.” Abbott said depending on how students progress throughout the class is how Abbott determines their grade. “The arts is a very individualized thing,” Abbott said. “Some people have a natural ability and do well, but the idea of this class is to get everyone to a point where they can do this well enough on stage to actually communicate what needs to be done.”
students have worked towards this event since the fall semester. “The conductor had chosen music back in the fall and sent it to us, and the students had to rehearse it and had to know it when they got there,” Lambert said. Because of hectic schedules, Lambert said her students only had 10 hours
of rehearsal as a group. However, the students did not let that hold them back. “It was fun to hear them talk about what they didn’t expect and to sing in such a big choir,” Lambert said. “They did all different kinds of styles of music and some very contemporary things they were asked to do with their voices, that they don’t normally do.”
Choir members attend honors chorus Kaitlyn Stockton
CIRCUS continued from page 1
Photos by Casey Brown
Family night: (Left) Circus member treats attendee to face art. (Middle) One of several tigers perform an act with their trainer. (Right) Acrobate performs for the audience. One performer added over 20 rings. The highlight of the show for many children, was the dog act led by Laura Herriott, which included five dogs performing tricks for the audience including walking upright on their hind legs and jumping through tall hoop. One dog – donning a superman cape – climbed a ladder that reached to the ceiling and jumped
down. The Garcias then returned to the ring to entertain the crowd. Their 12-year-old son, Maximus, joined them. The three rode motorcycles around the stage before entering the Globe of Death. After intermission, another motorcycle daredevil and two acrobats took to the sky on a tightrope. The acrobats performed various stunts while the daredevil rode his
motorcycle back and forth across the tightrope. Herriott took the stage again in ring two with a camel, Arabian horse, a llama and a Shetland pony. The four creatures ran circles around the ring and played tricks on one another. Three magnificent elephants made their way to center stage and performed a balancing and dance act. They captivated the crowd’s attention to entire time they
were on stage. Following the third clown act of the night, the Garcias took the stage again, so Leo Garcia could be shot from a canon. This was no ordinary canon, however, because it was built by Garcia himself, consisted of hydraulics and was made to look like a rocket. Ringmaster Tess Emerson said the Jordan World Circus has been to Lawton before. She said she
enjoys her life on the road with the circus. “It is a crazy lifestyle, but I love it,” Emerson said. “I have a hard time staying in one place. I really enjoy it, and I get to see the whole country.” Originally from Ohio, Emerson said she travels with the circus nine months out of the year. She joined the circus over five years ago. “I have a degree in musical theater
performance. I moved to New York City to be an actress. I saw a circus and I wanted to learn aerials, so I went to circus school, and like two years after that I joined the circus.” Of the show, Emerson said she most enjoyed seeing the joy of children. “My favorite part of the show is the kids that come here,” she said. “They really make it for me.”
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Sports
February 24, 2014
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Cross country trains for spring season
Photos by Krista Pylant
Maurice Buckner
Run with the Aggies: The cross country team has been training for their season opener that will take place on March 6 against Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.
regiment,” Kreger said. “So far it has shown great results, and we have been getting great feedback. Staff Writer “The spring semester is a chance for us to try new Cameron University’s Cross Country team is gearing things and experiment more as we have more flexibility up for the start of the spring season. and time compared to the fall season.” Last year, the Aggies finished in the top 10 at each Grades are another area coach Kreger saw need for event, to include nabbing a pair of third place improvement. finishes at the University of Central Oklahoma “A big goal for us this semester [is] to keep working and Oklahoma State University and set a hard in the classroom to boost our team GPA which is new school record in the 800-meter and our goal every semester,” he said. 1500-meter. The major challenges the Aggies face this season are The accolades continued with the Aggies cohesion and motivation. Because the runners will be ranking second in conference, three runners spending more time working on their individual events, being named Conference Runner of the Week, they will have less time to gel. one All Conference runner and finishing fourth “This semester our biggest challenge is to keep the at the conference meet. team focused and working together as a team, even Junior Thomas Toth, junior Steve Orwel though everybody is doing different workouts and and freshman Methuselah Lagart are seasoned training based on their respected distances they are runners who have returned to the start-line. racing,” Kreger said. “With our roster changes this Sophomore Grant Wignall and freshman spring, it has caused some of [the] guys to train more Raul Correa, who will be redshirting, will alone without training partner. accompany them. “As long as each athlete stays strong [and] focuses on This season comes with a new focus and [his] main goal, it should not hinder them.” high expectations. Coach Kreger said: “For this The rewards for doing well at a race are not given out spring exhibition season, we are focusing our during the spring like they are in the fall. attention on individual events that range from “The spring season is an exhibition season and not 800-meters to 10,000-meters. I am expecting a championship season like in the fall,” Kreger said. “It new school records in some of those events.” sometimes is not as motivating and not as satisfying as Though last year held much success, the fall as there is not as much recognition or an end Kreger said he is still able to find room for goal in site for the athletes other than just running a fast improvement. time. Other than that, we do not face any challenges.” “This semester we took a big step in our program The Cross Country team’s first race will take place at and changed some major components to our training Tarleton State University March 6.
Men’s golf prepares for season opener on March 3 Tyler Boydston
followed by the Mustang Classic in Wichita Falls two Staff Writer weeks later. The Aggie golfers are The Lone Star Conference gearing up for their spring Championship for the Aggie season, with their first golfers will begin on April 21 tournament set to take place in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. March 3 in Austin, Texas. The Aggie men’s golf team The team is currently ended their fall season on practicing for their upcoming Oct. 27 with a first place season through daily practice victory in The Colony, Texas, as well as a scrimmage that taking down rivals Incarnate took place Friday, Feb. 21 Word and Midwestern State. against SEOSU. According to head men’s The first tournament golf coach Jerry Hrnciar, the back will be the St. Edwards recent winter weather may Invitational on March 3, play a part in their upcoming
tournaments given their competition. “We’re a little behind and in our first tournament we’ll be playing California and Florida schools, so obviously they’re going to have a big advantage on us because of the weather,” Hrnciar said. The team’s fall season started with the golfers taking third place at the Martin Park Invitational in Wichita, Kan., with junior Dylan McClure tying for second place overall, one stroke away from the leader
of the pack. One week later, the team came in sixth place at the Ryan Palmer Invitational in Amarillo, with McClure yet again leading the team. During the Invitational, Ryan Palmer took 25th overall, with junior Corey Bounds just three spots behind. The Aggies then rose through the ranks as they place fifth in the Mustang Fall Classic two weeks later. McClure continued his lead into the Mustang Fall
Classic while junior Felipe Anzarut scored a career best of 220. The team went on to take fourth place in the Territory Classic on Oct. 15, where St. Edward’s University took first place. Bounds led the Aggie Varsity team to get ninth place overall, while Anzarut, playing for Cameron’s JV team, placed eighth overall. The final game of the season, the Classic at the Tribute in Commerce, Texas, saw the Aggies propel
themselves to a first place win with McClure and senior Michael Kelly tying for fourth place overall. According to Hrnciar, the team’s victory at the end of the semester was a joint victory as the individual players stepped up to bring the team to a first place finish. “We never met expectations until this,” Hrnciar said. “We had individuals who played well, but we came together as a team right there at the end.”
8
Sports
February 24, 2014
www.aggiecentral.com
Aggie baseball splits home opener
Photos by Krista Pylant
Home opener: On Feb. 14-15, the Aggie baseball team went head to head with Northwest Missouri State University. The Aggies finished the four-game series at .500.
Jacob Jardel
scored McElroy and Climpson. After a scoreless fourth, the Cameron Nine scored five runs in the bottom of the Staff Editor fifth to break a 4-4 tie. Blumer singled to the left, scoring Climpson. An error by the Aggie baseball played its first home games to a split against Northwest Missouri State Northwest Missouri shortstop allowed McElroy to come in as well. University during a weekend series on Feb. 14 and 15. Freshman catcher Cole Williams padded the lead when he drove Blumer in on a single. Ten days after the game against Southwestern Oklahoma State was cancelled due to Sanders brought in Cannon with a single before senior Dillon Leveille, pinch running weather, Cameron opened McCord Field to the new season with four games against the for Williams, scored on a wild pitch. Despite Bearcats. allowing two more The Aggies won the first game of the Friday doubleheader 5-0 behind a six-inning one- runs in the top of the hitter from senior starter Drew Reidt. sixth and seventh Head baseball coach Todd Holland was impressed with Reidt’s performance on the innings, junior pitcher mound, especially when comparing his recent success to last year’s campaign. Josh Nielson sealed “He was good last year,” Holland said of his pitcher, “but we just didn’t really have any the win for the Aggies. offense behind him. We’ve scored an average of six runs for him this year, and he’s done a Cameron was unable to finish the series good job.” on top, losing to the Bearcats 5-4 in nine Cameron started the scoring early in the bottom of the first when senior right fielder innings after Northwest Missouri scored the Tobin Mateychick scored on a passed ball from the Northwest Missouri State pitcher. deciding run in the top of the final inning. Mateychick returned the favor in the bottom of the second, driving in junior catcher After the Bearcats started with a 1-0 Graphic by Tyler Palmer and sophomore left fielder Jordan Climpson on a fielder’s choice and error heading into the bottom of the fifth, Charlene Belew by the Bearcats’ second baseman. Cameron tied the game when McElroy The Aggies brought in two runs in the bottom half. Climpson drove in senior first tripled to left center, bringing baseman Brad Blumer on a sacrifice f ly to start the scoring. Junior shortstop Codey Climpson in to score. McElroy McElroy scored the fifth and final run of the game on junior third baseman Garret would later score on a wild pitch. Schaede’s single to left field. Blumer would score later in The Black and Gold lost some of their momentum in the second game, losing 8-4 to the inning off of junior Matt a Northwest Missouri team that started off with six runs in the first four innings of the Nilmeyer’s single to right. nine-inning game. The score was tied in the After the Bearcats amounted a five-run lead, the Aggies put their first run on the board sixth when Climpson’s in the third inning when senior center fielder Brandon Raidy scored on senior second groundout to shortstop baseman Kas Sanders’ groundout to shortstop. broke the tie, bringing Cameron put a dent in Northwest Missouri’s 6-1 lead when they brought the score to Sanders home. However, 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth. Climpson singled to right field, scoring McElroy, and The Black and Gold allowed a run in the seventh and another in the ninth to finish off later scored on Schaede’s single to center. the four-game series at .500. The Bearcats scored two more runs in the top of the sixth before Cameron added Heading into the next series, Holland emphasized the need for the team to improve one last run to the board when Raidy scored on Mateychick’s groundout to shortstop. their hitting and to be able to string together wins. He did mention, however, the team’s However, Northwest Missouri held the Cameron Nine scoreless in the final two innings main goal would be “ just finding a good nucleus of guys who are going to get out there to seal a Bearcat victory. and take care of business.” Cameron started off the second day of games with a 9-6 win, despite allowing one run “We’ve got guys who want to just go out there and play,” Holland said, “but there’s in each of the last six innings. more to it than going out to play. You’ve got to have a mindset of what your role is on the The Black and Gold brought in the first run of the game when Blumer reached first on team.” a fielder’s choice, allowing Mateychick to score. The team’s next run did not come until The Aggies return to action with a doubleheader against McMurry University on Feb. junior designated hitter Harold Cannon’s three-run home run to left center which also 25 in Abilene, Texas.
Lady aggies lose streak to West Texas A&M Tyler Boydston Staff Writer
The Aggie women’s basketball team saw their two game winning streak cut down after a bout with West Texas A&M on Feb. 15.
On Feb. 8, the team went up against Tarleton State University in the Aggie Gym and won a close game by four points with a final score of 76-72. The Aggie women’s basketball went head to head
with Eastern New Mexico on Feb. 12 to take them down by 13 points with a score of 76-63. The Aggies were led by senior guard Ali Brown who scored 19 total points during the match.
Senior forward Christina Caddy trailed behind her with 15 points. Following their success against Tarleton State and Eastern New Mexico, the team fell to West Texas on Feb. 15. The game started out well
enough for the Aggies, leading the first quarter, but by the end of the first half, Cameron was behind 40-27. The end of the match saw Cameron behind 83-57. Junior guard Jade Herl led the Aggies with 13 points.
Photo Courtesy of CU Sports Information
Junior guard Jazzmine Robinson, Caddy and senior guard Chelsea Stamp each gathered 11 points during this game. The Aggies will play the last game of the season at 4 p.m. March 1 in the Aggie Gym.