& Surprise Endowment ASKINS Hon. Jari Farewell
took in the moment briefly before giving a final speech and thanking the attendees and those who showed up for her and continue to support her.
endowment, in her name.”
Askins stepped in to fill the role as interim president at Cameron University on July 22, 2024, following an appointment by the Board of Regents, after former President John McArthur retired.
With a vast career of public service to the State of Oklahoma, Askins, a Duncan native, felt more than prepared to assist in multiple capacities. She brought decades of experience from the Oklahoma Legislature, was a former Lieutenant Governor, served as the Democratic Minority Leader, was a Special Judge for Stephens County and was most recently an Administrative Director of the Courts.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma, as well as a Juris Doctorate from the OU College of Law, which has provided adequate credentials for her diverse careers.
Although she didn’t come into the President’s position with formal higher education training, Askins brought undeniable skills and professionalism to the transitional position.
higher education system was rebounding from years of reduction in funds that affected Cameron University's campus and education essentials.
“When I got here things were beginning to look a little better, but as a result of that there was a lot of deferred maintenance,” Askins said.
“The legislature had provided funds for that, and President McArthur and John Young, the Director of Physical Facilities, they had a list of what they were working on.”
Approaching the 2024 holidays last fall, Askins and other Cameron staff realized what a significant issue the outdated and overused wi-fi was becoming, and she made it a point to prioritize the upgrade of fiber optics across campus to support more reliable internet in every building. Funds were reallocated from lesser priority projects to address this important need on campus.
Exiting her positions and service at Cameron University, Askins wants students, staff and faculty to realize the opportunity they have here and to make the most of it.
At 3 p.m. on Sept. 30 in the McCasland Ballroom of the McMahon Centennial Complex, President Shane Hunt hosted a reception to bid farewell to a special member of the Aggie family, the Honorable Jari Askins.
Upon Hunt’s appointment as Cameron’s 18th President in July 2025, Askins relinquished her duty as interim president and transitioned into a position as the Special Advisor to the President.
The farewell reception brought in many distinguished guests: alumni, leaders and members of the Lawton community, Askins’ family and friends, and members of the Board of Regents for University of Oklahoma, Rogers State University and Cameron University.
Lawton Mayor Stan Booker gave a brief speech before presenting Askins with a framed plaque to commemorate her impact on the Lawton-Fort Sill community. Adding that Askins is leaving a “lasting legacy of integrity, service and inspiration.”
Hunt readdressed the crowd to give his final remarks and explain the special announcement that he teased leading up to the event.
Hunt said that Askins is a very important person who has provided extraordinary service to the State of Oklahoma.
“I would say that everyone that’s here today that wears the Cameron shirt — that’s part of the Cameron family — all of us are better today and forever, because of the leadership that Jari has,” Hunt said.
Hunt proudly announced that with the help of many supporters, donors and members of the Cameron community a lasting gesture will continue to honor Askins.
“I am honored to say that today and forever," Hunt said. "we have permanently endowed a President Jari Askins Leadership Scholarship.”
As the room roared with applause and cheers, Askins
Being a former graduate of Will Rogers Elementary, Askins ended her speech with a Rogers quote that she felt was appropriate for her last day of employment at Cameron University. The quote is, “Don’t let yesterday occupy too much of today.”
“Thank you, for all you have done, and all you’re getting ready to do,” Askins said. “I appreciate you all so much.”
Cameron Student Government
President Connor Holt felt the endowment was appropriate and a meaningful way to honor Askins and her legacy of service to the Sooner State.
“President Askins is the only person in the history of the State of Oklahoma, to have served in all three branches; the legislature, the executive and the judicial branch,” Holt said. "and she was our President of Cameron University. And now, in perpetuity, there will be a student getting a scholarship, an
“For me, it was important not to pretend to be something that I was not,” Askins said. “I’ve worked at the OU Health Sciences Center and operationally, I felt pretty comfortable that I would be able to step into the administrative role.”
Askins realized quickly that she was appreciating her new opportunity more than expected, and she was finding benefits and rewards each day from the Cameron campus and community.
“I think I was surprised that I was enjoying it even more than expected,” Askins said. "And I think that’s because faculty and staff gave me a lot of grace on what I didn’t know, and things that perhaps I didn’t respond to as quickly as maybe they were used to.”
During Askins short but impactful tenure as interim president, she was able to assist in overseeing facility maintenance and help budget for necessary upgrades that were long overdue. The entire State of Oklahoma’s
“My wish for Cameron is truly to realize how good it is,” Askins said. “I’m not sure that they’ve always been told — or believed — how good it is. I think that’s the exciting part; it’s more than just higher ed and Lawton, it (Cameron) is the magnet for economic development that’s going to happen, whether you’re talking Hollis to Duncan, or Frederick to up North of here.”
Askins said that being an Aggie is a special experience, and she is incredibly thankful for every lasting memory made across campus, and with each student, staff and faculty member she had the pleasure to serve with.
“To me, the best thing about being an Aggie is that its personal, and you have an opportunity for personal growth and an opportunity to impact others’ growth,” Askins said. “I just thank the Cameron Community for showing that to me — for being able to share that with me.”
What’s Inside
Amanda Purser Managaing Editor
Photos by Amanda Purser
David Bublitz’s ‘The Depend-Ant’ Children’s Book Reading
Serenity Clark Staff Writer
At 6 p.m. on Sept. 25 in the Buddy Green Room in the McMahon Centennial Complex (MCC), Communications, English and Foreign Languages (CEFL) Associate Professor and Student Media Advisor David Bublitz held a public reading for his debut children’s book, “The Depend-Ant.”
Bublitz has been writing since childhood, from poetry to comics, his creative works heavily inspired by growing up in a military household. Bublitz’s father has been to combat twice, sent overseas for Operation Desert Storm when Bublitz was just a child (1990), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003) when he was a bit older and more aware.
This experience birthed his first published work “Combat Pay”, a collection of poems released in 2020, and inspired his current project, another collection titled Sight Lines.
Being the eldest son in a military household taught Bublitz that he was “not a boy, but a man in training.” Upon his father’s first deployment, a young Bublitz was told that he would be in charge in his father’s absence, and Bublitz understood that should anything happen to his father, he would have no choice but to step into the role of head of household.
The memory of the intense pressure young Bublitz felt in the time of his father’s deployment is what inspired his newest publication, “The Depend-Ant.”
“The Depend-Ant” is a fully illustrated children’s book designed to present heavy topics such as war, military service and the potential death of a loved one to kids, in a way that their brains can comprehend.
“I didn’t have the language for what I was feeling at the time,” Bublitz said. “But now I think what I struggled most with was what his possible death could mean, the ripple effect it would have on my family and on me, probably for the rest of our lives.”
Bublitz’s mother helped him out in those early years: she took him to a public library and found a children’s
book that talked about similar issues her son was dealing with. This allowed her to open up a conversation and provide Bublitz with the language to understand and cope with those feelings and fears.
Bublitz knows how difficult it can be for service members to talk about their deployment, (if they talk about it at all); therefore, the message of this book is not by any means limited to children.
“I want The Depend-Ant to be a continuation of and an invitation to that dialogue,” Bublitz said.
Heavily inspired by personal experience, “The Depend-Ant” is loaded with first-hand accounts and word-for-word advice from both of Bublitz’s parents. The novel follows a young ant named Lor, who’s soldier-ant Auntie Cathay has gone off to combat. In her absence, Lor is riddled with anxiety as she questions where her Aunt has gone, if and when she will ever return home.
Bublitz does a wonderful job capturing the seriousness and confusion that comes with being an Army dependent. A loved one vanishing to the other side of the earth for reasons a child cannot comprehend, for an amount of time a child cannot understand, doing things, experiencing situations that a child has no concept of, can be scary.
The book does not hold back in its honesty: Auntie Cathay is changed when she returns, reserved and severely injured. Lor watches Cathay isolate herself and worries that it is her fault her Aunt is not improving.
The heart of the story lies in Auntie Cathay opening up to tell Lor the truth; in this, Lor is able to feel at ease knowing she’s not at fault and Cathay has a little weight off her chest. Great care is taken in the way the characters converse with one another, in order to convey a huge but specific message.
When the idea struck Bublitz last Spring, he stopped his work on “Sight Lines” to dedicate three straight days drafting this book. He wrote dialogue, doodled armies of ants and plotted the book’s creation. While not his first illustrated work, it is Bublitz’s first published illustrated work. Weeks of dedicated, heartfelt work went into making “The Depend-Ant” a reality.
It is thanks to Amanda Purser at Queensbriar Press that “The Depend-Ant” is now published and available to buy on Amazon. After writing her own series of crime fiction novels (“Cost of Closure” and “Cost of Progress”) and wanting a publication route, she felt secure in, Purser founded her independent publishing company, Queensbriar Press.
Bublitz’s book and others published by Queensbriar Press can be found on their website, www. queensbriarpress.com.
Bublitz also sells both of his published works directly, at readings and local author events. Purser and Bublitz will be featured at the 4th Annual Author Festival, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Lawton Farmer’s Market.
Cameron University’s
Minecraft server
Julian Ebacher Staff Writer
This spring, an official Cameron University Minecraft server, the brainchild of Zachary Porter, to some success; with the new school year, the server has exploded in popularity, tripling in size in only the first month of this semester.
He began working on the project in October 2024, and finally finished, ready for a public release, in January of this year, sending out a campus-wide email as advertising for the associated Discord server as the project went live.
The invite was a modest success, especially for something with no pre-existing base, with around twenty people, mostly IT/CS students, joining for various reasons—
some for actually using the Minecraft server, others just joining to be a part of the community that built around this, not even playing the game at all.
Porter said that he’s especially proud of the fact that the server continued to run over the summer, with people who weren’t even in Lawton playing with each other, talking to each other, engaging in community.
This is a project, one of the very few, just by nature of it being an online recreational activity, that manages to meaningfully connect the Duncan and Lawton campuses; in fact, one of the students active in the server, he said, lives over three hours away, yet still gets to consistently engage on a regular basis with Cameron University students.
This semester changed a lot. Porter said that he didn’t think a lot of students were going to show up, especially because the server itself hardly
changed a bit, but over the course of only three days, forty new students joined the server, entirely unexpected by Porter, the residents of the server, really just about anyone in general.
The server’s RAM capacities, at the beginning, couldn’t keep up the pace, and even with it being upgraded as more and more people joined, are still almost at their limits.
Even over the summer, with only twenty people, the server was capping out with five gigabytes of RAM, and the influx of new players meant that upgrading was almost a necessity. Porter talked about how this was run by Pebblehost, a third-party system for Minecraft serverhosting.
Rather than using the official “Minecraft Realms” system for hosting, which costs around $112 annually, they opted for Pebblehost, which was only $55.
More significantly, Pebblehost was tax-free, which meant that the cost could be covered by Cameron’s Events and Activities office.
Porter also added plug-ins to the server in order to allow
cross-platform play; originally, the only people who could join the server were those playing on PC, but adding these means that those playing on console, or even mobile, could join in as well (although, as he admits, not without some light-hearted bugs).
The server now runs at seven gigabytes of RAM, and Porter continues to attempt to take steps to accommodate the increased number of players.
Going forward, the server wants to get into the field of establishing inperson events; although, the aforementioned boon that was the interconnectivity of people otherwise geographically isolated provides a hurdle to that.
server is going to continue to grow, and he is already preparing to take the steps required in order to allow for that to go smoothly, with even the seven gigabytes scarcely covering the server’s capacity even now.
Server members have called for trivia nights, bingo nights, movie nights, all sorts of stuff that Porter is currently trying to bear into fruition.
He jokes that he’s going to be heading to all sorts of other clubs’ events, harassing them and trying to figure out how he can take their model and adapt it to his own server and the community that emerged from that.
He absolutely believes the
Everything is memified
Ciera Terry Voices Editor
Social media has cultivated so many great movements and a lot of online community work that has helped plenty of people in the world. It has also helped in regards to accessing information and communicating with one another and diverse groups. Something that has been created because of social media are memes. Memes thrives off of short form media that makes a person laugh.
But has anyone ever wondered what role those memes play in the long run? Especially memes that are about politics/social justice issues.
Social media is insanely profitable. That means that a lot of what society sees and what humans consume on social media, especially from big corporations is intentional.
The thing is memeifying everything does work. It’s just that, the minute memes are used in techniques in politics and/or just to gain traction and gain viewership, the original content of the meme now no longer means anything.
In short when it’s a meme—it’s original intention/goal becomes lackluster and is no longer effective in the
way it was originally supposed to. Memes are incredibly shortlived but powerful even though they only really last for a few months or weeks. It’s what happens after a meme loses traction that is important.
The moment that society makes everything a joke, either that being our human rights or trying to play on gender roles for kicks, we inherently give those movements less value, and our words start to mean a whole lot less.
I am no judge of character when it comes to laughing at a meme or making a joke, but we have to interact more critically with the media that is being consumed. This goes along with making an aesthetic out of everything as well; social media thrives off of trends and aesthetics. We simply can’t take meaning out of everything that we consume, but that’s what memes inherently do in the long run. It no longer becomes about seeing change and implementing change because we made it a meme, now it’s seen as cringe and as out of date. Memes are fine.
Memes are cool. Memes are funny. It’s just that not everything has to be a meme. At first, “woke” used to just be defined as being informed,
too ‘woke,’ but I think homeless people deserve a house” as if there is such a thing as “too woke” and as if being sensative to the needs of others is inherently bad.
been incorrectly recast because of social media and because of rightwing politicians, using the word to describe liberals or leftists.
Right-wing politicians and pundants say that if you are “woke,” somehow that means you were “dangerous” and “sensitive” — simply because you questioned America’s history of racial prejudice.
People confidently say things like “don’t be
questions and question the systems and establishments that are supposed to serve us.
I don’t think that is a bad thing.
But because of the meme of the word “woke,” people are too scared or too afraid to be seen as cringe or sensitive that they now want to redefine what “woke” meant in the first place.
This is just one example. Recently
people created pretend slurs for AI programs and robots calling robots things like “clanker.” One of the many influencers among this trend, Drewtude, depicted a comedy style video about conducting a job interview in 2046. The script for the video referred to AI as “mice chips” and adapted microaggressive rhetoric toward people of color to apply to robots. The video itself was concerning but the comments were horrifying. Some comments used deragatory language and referred to actual activists like Rosa Parks as “Rosa Sparks.”
How is it a joke?
When people raised caution against this kind of language, everyone responded by saying “you’re being sensitive,” but not soon after that, influencers were reenacting violent crimes against black Americans, but replacing black Americans with robots — and doing it without shame.
It was all just a joke.
Things can’t be “just a joke” forever.
Jokes have prices and those prices are on the heads of those who are oppressed. This is affecting our ability
to interact critically with social media and our ability to see each other’s perspectives when things aren’t right. We can’t just steal language and call it ours. We can’t just redefine what original things mean just because it’s “funny.” It is not well received. I think we have flown past “Oh, it’s just a joke” and are headed straight into complete conservatism and racism.
Social media is more than just an app on phones or Internet or Wi-Fi or consumerism. It’s an actual place where people are impacted, and people can see the things you’re posting. Anything we see online, how we interact with it, how we present ourselves on it — it all matters. It all has an impact on our collective psyche as society.
In general, how we interact with each other online is how we eventually will interact with people in real life. We simply have to track down the origins of where things began in order for us to understand why we should be more aware and more concerned about how we move forward in online spaces and our real life communities.
Selective empathy is not empathy
Makayla Flenoury News Editor
Selective empathy is defined as the tendency to feel compassion for some people or groups while neglecting or feeling indifferent to others. Selective empathy has become a powerful force in our society, and it has been evident in recent events.
Empathy is a skill that not everyone possesses. Some people are unable to fathom the idea because of their social views. Others just truly don’t understand. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that everyone deserves empathy, which can be seen as selective. But when it comes to social injustices that minorities have been experiencing on an extreme scale for years, there is an issue.
Charlie Kirk died Sept. 10, 2025, and his assassination was plastered all over the internet. Every social media platform, even news stations, is flooded with hate and outrage. MAGA and Republican groups blamed democrats, people of color, the LGBTQ community and anyone who did not share their beliefs or identify with them.
Twitter, TikTok and Instagram posts said things like “we’ve tolerated
far too much from those creatures” in reference to transgender people. Or preaching that “nobody should be killed for their beliefs.”
Yes! Nobody should be killed for their beliefs. Nobody should be killed or hated for their way of life or the color of their skin. People of color, democrats, LGBTQ and other communities have experienced violence and other hate crimes for centuries. Yet, their cries fall on deaf ears.
For example, on the same day of Kirk’s death, Evergreen High School in Colorado experienced a school shooter. Two students were injured and one killed, but the media pushed the story of Kirk’s death. Children fear gun violence every day when they should be focused on education.
Republican groups had nothing to say about the gun violence those children experienced or the gun violence that took the life of democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her family.
Just months ago, on June 14, 2025, Melissa Hortman, a democratic lawmaker, her husband, John Hortman, and her dog were all shot and killed in their own home by someone impersonating an officer.
Vance Boelter killed Hortman for
speaking out about her beliefs, just like Kirk. I didn’t even know about the tragedy until Kirk’s death. The media did not cover the assassination of Hortman, and Republican groups showed no empathy when it happened.
Conservatives held memorials for Kirk, especially here in Oklahoma.
Superintendent Ryan Walters forced a moment of silence for Kirk into the schools. Where were the memorials for Hortman? Why doesn’t she deserve the same treatment?
Republican groups experienced something minorities face every day and act as if this were the first time someone was murdered for their beliefs.
They realized they are not invincible and are in the same position as the minorities they loathe so much, so they resort to tearing down history.
Kirk’s death was compared to George Floyd, who was killed in May 2020 by police brutality. Floyd’s death was the result of systematic police violence and discrimination — a topic that is constantly pushed for change.
COLLEGIAN
Kirk himself was compared to Martin Luther King, and Republican groups said that there should be a “Kirk Day” just like MLK Day. King was a civil rights activist; Kirk was a political podcaster.
Republicans defend themselves by saying that Kirk was murdered for speaking up about what he believes, and they are just mourning the death of a human being. They feel sorry for him and his family.
When people know they are wrong or that an action is wrong, they tend to oversimplify and use generalities to make things seem justifiable. Death should not be so political, but since the societal state of the world is the way it is, many deaths are unfortunately political. Where is the respect and mourning for every other person who has died from gun violence, from hate crimes, from police brutality, from anything?
Why push more hate and division rather than understanding what the minorities have been facing for centuries?
Selective empathy is not empathy. One cannot preach justice for one, that they would not preach for another.
PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Psi Chi and Psychology Club
Angelica Martinez Student Life Editor
At 3 p.m., on Sept. 24, in the Academic Commons Room 126, Cameron University’s psychology honor society, Psi Chi, and the Psychology Club held a joint meeting featuring a guest speaker and a discussion of upcoming plans for both organizations.
Psychology Club Faculty Advisors Megan Culbert and Dr. Frye-Davies oversee both groups and do the joint monthly meeting since so many members overlap into both organizations.
Culbert is serving for her second year as a faculty advisor and considers the club, “an outlet for a lot of students where they can meet new people, and participate on campus and in the community.”
“Psychology club is a place for any major to connect with others and just share our fascination with the mind and behavior, which is a facet that covers any degree plan,” Culbert said.
She is looking forward to this fall semester for the club,
particularly with events and future guest speakers, such as a representative of the Lawton Police Department bringing information on homicide investigations.
“Other than that, we do a volunteer project opportunity every year,” Culbert said, “and this year we plan to volunteer at the Goodwill Adult Daycare and serve Thanksgiving lunch to participants there.”
During the meeting, Psi Chi and Psychology Club members discussed their upcoming event, “Milk, Murder, and Munchies,” scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 6 in Ross HallJohnson Auditorium 111. The event will provide a cozy environment with snacks and conversation centered around various famous crimes and murder cases. They promise a “killer discussion” and encourage everyone to attend.
President Chelsea Castro, Vice President Alexander Weaver and other officers introduced themselves to Psi Chi/Psychology Club.
Sophomore Psychology major and Family Science minor Elizabeth Bowen is the current Treasurer and this is
her second year in the club. She has applied for Psi Chi as well.
“I’ve always enjoyed participating in school activities and clubs, so being able to join one that also matched my major was a huge bonus,” Bowen said. “I feel as though by being an officer, I can put more effort, time and care into the club, whereas if I was a member I wouldn’t be able to achieve that as easily.”
Junior Psychology major Abigail Gleaves is participating for the first time this semester and currently working to become the Student Government Association (SGA) Representative for the organization.
“I think the scholarships and the ability to go to the conferences are great opportunities for students,” Gleaves said. “I enjoy psych club as it gives me more opportunities to meet other psych majors, outside of the classes I take, and gives a more relaxed environment to converse and share ideas.”
Guest speaker Cindy Savel, Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) presented information
on the services the organization provides.
Savel explained the nonprofit’s mission is to, “provide specially selected and trained community volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in foster care so they may find safe, loving and permanent homes.”
According to Savel, the local system currently faces a critical shortage of foster parents and resources, resulting in an urgent need for volunteers.
CASA trains volunteers to advocate for children in court, ensuring judges have the information they need to make decisions that best support the child’s well-being. Volunteers remain assigned to a case until it is resolved and may submit recommendations and concerns directly to the judge as part of their advocacy efforts.
To become a CASA volunteer, applicants must be at least 21 years old, pass a background check, complete an interview, complete 30 hours of pre-service training and observe court proceedings. Once certified, volunteers are able to handle a case that
UNITY 1918
The Cameron University Department of Art, Music, and Theatre Arts presented “Unity (1918)” by Kevin Kerr from Oct. 2 - 5. The play followed the small town of Unity, Saskatchewan, as World War I drew to a close. The town’s resilience is tested when
“Every show is different. Sometimes I’m surprised at the point of view that students will bring. I think a scene is going to go a certain way or a character is motivated by certain things, and then the students will bring a whole new perspective that I never thought of, and it makes me see the play in a whole new life.”
the long-awaited return of soldiers also brings the deadly Spanish flu.
With themes of love and many losses, “Unity 1918” brought audiences to an uncomfortably familiar pandemic setting.
Jean Tartiere, Instructor Director
is deemed a good fit for all parties involved. Volunteers must complete an additional 12 hours of training annually to remain in compliance.
CASA also offers an Ambassador Program for individuals aged 18 and older who wish to support the organization in other ways. Ambassadors assist with events and serve as representatives to promote CASA’s mission and recruit more advocates. For more information on volunteer opportunities with CASA, contact them at (580) 248-2272 or visit their Lawton Office at 1001 SW B Ave., Ste. 190. To join Psi Chi, students must be a psychology major or minor, have completed at least nine credit hours of psychology courses, rank in the top 35% of their class, and hold a minimum 3.0 GPA in psychology courses. Applications are due by Nov. 15, with the induction ceremony for new members planned for early December via Zoom. For more information on Psi Chi, please contact psichi@cameron.edu
Director’s Corner
“I think everyone has really brought up the dramaturgy of this show. It’s been really heavy in the process. I think we spent like at least two weeks just pouring over the script on the table and really getting into Canada and specifically Saskatchewan.”
Ryan Kaye, Junior Major: Theatre Performance Role: Rose | Assistant Director
Ask anActor
“This show, as well as our own pandemic, has given me a lot of time to reflect and to really understand what’s going on with today and what happened back then as well”
Mvnte July, Junior - Major: Theatre Performance | Role: Stan
“I learned a lot working on it ... it helped me get more comfortable with being on stage because this is the biggest role that I’ve had so far, and it was really exciting.”
Gabriella Aguilar-Freeman, Senior - Major: Theatre Perfomance | Role: Beatrice
“This has been one of the most celebrated productions that I’ve done. People here are very nice. There’s a lot of culture and background that goes into the show ... the dramaturgy of it all was incredible to be able to work on that and build on it.”
Shade Linville, High School Senior - Major: Undecided | Role: Mary
INFINITY CASTLE
On Sept. 12, the next installment in the “Demon Slayer” series hit theaters in the U.S.
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle” is just part one of a trilogy of feature-length films set to complete the final arcs of the “Demon Slayer” storyline.
If you aren’t a fan of the manga or anime, the story follows Tanjiro Kamado (voiced by Natsuki Hanae), a boy trying to cure his younger sister Nezuko (Akari Kito) from being
known as the Demon Slayer Corps to enact revenge against the demon that killed his family and turned his sister – the demon king and the most powerful of all, Muzan Kibutsuji (Toshihiko Seki).
“Infinity Castle” broke several box office records and beat out another film in the series – “Mugen Train” – as the highest grossing Japanese film worldwide.
The animation in “Infinity Castle” was beautiful, taking it a step above what audiences have already seen
Ufotable, just gets better and better with time.
Production on the film began over three years ago while episodes of the series were still airing, according to a booklet handed out with the film in Japan.
Shinobu Kocho’s storyline in the film is severely underbaked. Shinobu, one of two women in the main cast, is portrayed as physically weak, so she primarily uses poison as a weapon. This depiction is already problematic as it is, but it could almost be redeemed since the series
swift Demon Slayer despite her weakness. Unfortunately, the film does not nearly begin to do Shinobu justice. As someone who read the manga and is a huge fan of her character, it was disappointing to see the film adaptation cut her time so short. There are layers to her character arc that have yet to be seen – I expect that the next movie will emphasize this – but what has been revealed so far feels rushed and underwhelming.
I would have liked to see more of her storyline
would have liked to see Shinobu’s arc get a little more runtime.
I felt similarly towards the storyline depicted with Zenitsu and his former training partner-turned-demon. Like Shinobu’s subplot, Zenitsu’s corner of the tale, though exciting, felt like an afterthought that deserved to be fleshed out better.
The storyline over the Upper Third demon, Akaza, was quite the opposite from the aforementioned storylines – it was very, very drawn out, almost to the point of becoming far too repetitive. It makes sense why Akaza’s arc is so long – out of all the Upper Six demons, his storyline has the most packed into it given his tumultuous life and afterlife. However, his storyline unfortunately overshadowed the other subplots strung throughout the film, which made their overall impact on the plot feel less significant.
Akaza’s storyline. Out of all the demons, his former humanity is one of the most tragic.
I felt that the film did a great job of reminding us that all of the demons in the series were once people, too, who became misguided and led down bad paths. Still, this does not mean we can’t mourn the person they were or who they could have become under better circumstances.
The voice acting was very well done. I watched the film in both Japanese and in the English dub, and I think the acting was well done on all accounts. Some of my favorites were Saori Hayami and Erika Harlacher as Shinobu, as well as Hiro Shimono and Aleks Le as Zenitsu Agatsuma. Their performances were very emotional and fit the characters well, as they both experience a certain level of change and maturity in their character arcs.
I enjoyed “Infinity Castle” very much, and despite its flaws, I found it to be an accurate and compelling adaptation of the themes from the manga series. I rate it at five out of five stars.
Attention readers! This semester “The Collegian” is giving a “thank you” to a special reader. For your chance to win a FREE gift basket, play along! Solve the crossword puzzle below and write down the letter in the gold box. Collect all 8 gold letters from the next issue’s puzzles to spell a secret word. That word is your entry into the drawing at the end of the semester! Combine the letters together and submit the 8-letter word to aggiecentral@cameron.edu with your phone number included. Stay tuned for our drawing at the end of the Fall 2025 semester, and thanks for playing! Gift basket includes: Cameron swag, gift cards, snacks and essentials.
THEME: LITERATURE
ACROSS: 1. Ernest ___, “The Old Man and the Sea.”
Mark ___, American humorist and novelist.
Robert ___, Pulitzer-winning poet.
Maya ___, “Why The Caged Bird Sings.”
Charlotte ___, “Jane Eyre.”
DOWN: 1. Greek poet, “The Odyssey.”
Walt ___, poet; “O Captain, My Captain!”
William ___, Southern Gothic writer.
George ___, “Animal Farm.”
Jane ___, “Pride & Prejudice.”
Last name of a macabre poet; “The Raven.”
Amelia Lozano A&E Editor
Courtesy photos
9 a.m. - 2 p.m
Wednesday, October 29
McCasland Ballroom
Jake Thomas Assistant Editor
Coming up at
time the library has held annual event.
The Authors Festival promotes several authors and their books, having authors provide
readings. The books themselves vary across several genres and age groups, allowing for a nice variety and presentation of unique talent. Said authors include: Zoe Bell-
opportunity, you know?” Organ said, “We like to support local talent whenever we can so it’s good for us to be able to do that here.”
The authors come from mostly local areas but are welcome from anywhere, showcasing their first out-of-state author from Colorado, as
Each author will get a chance to introduce themselves to attendees, as well as present their book to new audiences. The event will have a few workshops for guests as well, catering to those who want to write something of their own.
Such workshops will include topics like photography, self publication, appreciation of poetry or haiku work and general tips about the writing
As good as the event is for customers, it also helps authors allow their work to be more seen. Organ said authors who have attended the event in previous years, have noticed an uptick in sales and publicity.
“For the authors, they just had an increase in their book sales last year,” she said. “I think that aspect, as far as the authors that are participating, obviously they want to talk about their book, and increase visibility, so that was a good way to keep them involved.”
For further information regarding the Author Festival, contact Tanya Organ at 580-581-3450, or email libraryevents@ lawtonok.gov.
the Lawton Farmers Market, the Lawton Public Library
Photo by Cambron Alsbrook