The Cameron University Collegian: October 17, 2011

Volume 86 Issue 6

Monday, October 17, 2011

CU hosts Disability Awareness Day Amber Lindsay Staff Writer

Cameron University students, faculty and staff had the chance to learn about various disabilities and enjoy a free lunch on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the 4th annual Disability Awareness Event.

According to Director of Student Development Dr. Jennifer Pruchnicki, the event focused on informing people about the different resources provided by Cameron and the Lawton and Fort Sill communities for those with disabilities.

Dr. Pruchnicki noted that she is part of the Oklahoma Association on Higher Education and Disabilities, and that one of the institutions held a similar event on their campus. The event was so successful that they decided to try it at Cameron.

“I am part of a state organization called OK-AHEAD. During one of the conferences, the institution where the conference was hosted held a similar event on their campus, and we all had a chance to participate in the activities,” she said. “It was such a successful event, so I researched ways we could incorporate it on our campus.”

Dr. Pruchnicki said they invited different agencies, such as the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, to the event to share what they could about their services to those with disabilities.

She said they also invited the various departments on campus to set up a booth and offer what they could.

Dr. Pruchnicki said that the Student Wellness Center offered free depression and anxiety screenings, and the Library set up a display of different books about disabilities.

Academic Counselor and Mentor Coordinator for Student Support Services Kay Love, who is visually impaired, said that she got involved by having a booth representing the Leader Dog School for the Blind, which focused on educating people about leader dogs and the visually impaired. Accompanied by her leader dog, Lightening, Love handed out brochures that taught people how they should approach a working dog.

Dr. Pruchnicki said that Nick Jungheim, who is deaf, and his wife Lisa Jungheim, who is an interpreter, represented the American Sign Language table, which received a lot of positive feedback.

She said that they helped one man better understand what his daughter, a toddler recently diagnosed with a hearing disability, was going through by providing more information about the disability and resources available to them.

According to Dr. Pruchnicki, the Disability Awareness Event also offered interactive tables that allowed people to get an idea of what those with disabilities went through on a daily basis.

Dr. Pruchnicki said that the interactive tables were a great way to teach people about various disabilities and why CU and other institutions offer accommodations for them.

“We also had interactive stations where participants could learn

Informing Cameron Since 1926 Aggie News Hillbilly Handfishin’

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Aggie A&E Rolling with the Aggies

Courtesy CU Public Affairs Office

Informing the public: Junior Amber Lindsay learns about the services offered to persons with disabilities on campus.

The awareness event is held once every year.

more about different disabilities and why students may receive accommodations in the learning environment,” she said. “I think people are often hesitant to try them out, but we got really positive feedback about how these have helped increase their understanding of what a student with a disability could encounter in class.”

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Aggie Sports Women’s Volleyball

Graduate Studies Preview Night

Cameron helps senior students prepare for academic future Elijah Morlett

Assistant Managing Editor On Oct. 6, Cameron University’s Admissions Office hosted a Graduate Studies Preview Night, an event highlighting various details about the university’s postbaccalaureate programs including degree plans, enrollment and financial aid.

Associate Director of Enrollment Management Frank Myers said that the event was one of several used to spread information about graduate school at Cameron.

“We try to reach out to people with bachelor’s degrees,” Myers said. “We host a few events on campus with the graduate preview night being one of those.

It is our way to reach out into the community as well as to our current students.”

Along with on-campus events, Myers said that recruitment efforts go to businesses and career fairs.

Graduate preview nights normally open with a large session and end with attendees going into a breakout session of their choice. Each breakout room covers a different degree plan offered at Cameron.

The university offers master’s degrees in Business Administration, Education, Education in Reading, Educational Leadership, Behavioral Sciences and Organizational Leadership.

The graduate program has grown in recent years. According to Myers, the enrollment of students in graduate school went up 41% since 2008.

“This year we have 537 students enrolled in graduate

Photo by Elijah Morlett

Academic advice: Senior Elementary Education major Sarah Walker talks with an adviser about post-graduate educational programs.

Cameron offers Master’s degrees in six various areas of study.

Photo by Elijah Morlett

General meeting: Attendees are welcomed by Associate VP of Enrollment Management Jamie Glover. Preview Night began with a large session where the future graduates were greeted together before branching off into specialized smaller groups.

school,” Myers said. “In three years we have gone up by 158 people.”

Cameron has continued to expand the graduate program.

The Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program just began this semester.

Myers said that the need of

the community addressed the university’s view that the MSOL program would be the next program to be added.

“With the military population, MSOL became a good program choice,” Myers said. “Because the program exists in the undergraduate side, it makes for an easier transition to the graduate side.”

Myers added that MSOL is a well-rounded program that is general enough to apply to both private and public businesses.

“It is a program that is applicable to an economy that is struggling and where it is harder to get a job and keep a job,” Myers said.

Myers said that the MBA program has been a popular option for students. Students can earn an MBA by taking a class in person or completely online.

“We want to make education as viable, easily accessible and as convenient as possible,” Myers said. “We will never do this at the expense of the quality of the program. We will not water down a program for convenience.”

According to Myers, no other programs would be added in the near future because the university just added the MSOL program.

“Since we just added the degree, we have a certain period of time to get a program up and running,” Myers said. “We want to make sure MSOL meets all of the Board of Regent’s requirements before another program is added.”

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CrossRoads Tattoo shop gives back

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Aggie Voices She is Here: Now what?

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Aggie News

October 17, 2011

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NEW STUDENT EMAIL

CU Switches from Microsoft Exchange to Gmail

By James Meeks Staff Writer

This semester, the Cameron University e-mail has changed from Microsoft Exchange to Google e-mail (G-mail).

Greg Duncan, a UNIX system administrator for CU’s Information Technology Services (ITS), suggested the idea to switch to G-mail.

The idea for the switch began during the summer 2010 when Duncan discussed the idea with the programming staff, UNIX system administrator Scott Putney, Windows system administrator Chase Bailey and Debbie Goode, director of ITS. After Goode approved the idea, the Implementation Learning Team (ILT) received the idea for approval.

“We took the idea up to ILT, a committee of all the VPs on campus, and they approved it, and it went live after the approval during this summer,” Duncan said.

According to Duncan, he then created a PHP script that automatically made G-mail accounts for all enrolled and incoming students.

By making the switch, Google provided students with access to everything that Google has to offer. This change has proven beneficial in other

ways such as conserving space, lowering cost and making mobile access easier.

“It was taking too much space on our Microsoft Exchange server and the cost kept going up,” Duncan said.

“With Google there is no cost and their space keeps going up also, but at no cost.”

Duncan said that the change has allowed other university needs to be addressed with the money that had been used to maintain Microsoft Exchange.

According to Duncan, with the Exchange server, students had to sign into a mobile device through CU and then sign in through Exchange. Now students can just sign into a mobile device and pull up the Google app without being required to sign in through the CU website.

Julie Duncan, Information Designer for ITS, explained a number of the functions that are available for students including Google Groups.

“It’s not just email, you’re getting access to all of the Google apps,” Julie Duncan said. “If you got documents and you have a group project for class. You can get together with your classmates online at home and work on the same document.”

Julie Duncan explained that this could also work with note taking in class when a classmate is absent.

Students could add to the document and by the end of class, the absent student could have a full set of upto-date lecture notes.

The features of Google go beyond the classroom; campus organizations can also benefit from the use of Google.

“Organizations have access to Google sites, so they can create a website for their organization as well as a calendar for that organization,” Julie Duncan said.

With the innovations and great tools that Google provides, Julie Duncan said that there are

Photo By Ishia Saltibus

some Google functions that can be innovated to Blackboard.

“There are a lot of strengths that Google has, but it’s not really designed for e-learning,” Julie Duncan said. “It could be incorporated into e-learning, but I don’t think it could replace

it, at least not yet.”

Students who have an existing personal g-mail account may merge that account with the new student email account, which would allow delivery of all e-mail to one account.

AWARENESS continued from page 1

Crosswords

Across

1 Party leader 5 ___ Sea, off Siberia 9 Short-necked European fruit 14 Neutralizer of a sort 16 Theater name 17 Ben Franklin, e.g.

18 City on the Aar 19 Solutions for unfair situations?

20 Not so tough 21 Modern address 22 “1-2-3” singer Barry 23 Tracker or Canyon 24 Fifth-century date 25 Haberdashery item 27 Brand for which Garfield was once spokescat 28 Patricia Neal’s Oscar film 29 Fountain output 30 They fall in war films 33 One may go over your head 35 Space-saving display 38 Brothers 42 Lucy of “Kill Bill” 43 Body protector 44 Worn out 46 Gives a thumbs-up 47 Antiquity, quaintly 48 Old televangelism letters 49 Burden 50 Adjust at the garage, perhaps 52 Composer for whom an annual violin competition is named 54 Nonreactive 55 Deadpan features 56 Suit material 57 Woman in a tree?

58 Suit material 59 Give away 60 Tablets from docs

Down

1 Shows nerve 2 London’s setting 3 Conked out 4 One of the Jacksons 5 Carnegie Deli offering 6 Dismissive sorts?

7 Narrow inlets 8 “Barbara __”: Beach Boys hit 9 White meat source 10 Rejections 11 Bible’s City of Palm Trees 12 Confessed 13 They get you in 15 Magnetic induction unit 20 Hockey game clincher 23 Driving problem 26 Currency with King Mongkut on the fifty 27 “As You Like It” forest 31 Secret rival 32 “O Fortuna” composer 34 Agreed 35 Wedding arranger?

36 Perfectly restored

37 Stark 39 Attendants 40 Done 41 Many Suffragette opponents 45 Half a legendary bluegrass duo

Director of Alumni Relations Jennifer Bowen helped at a table designed to teach people about how difficult life might be for a person with a hearing disability. Director Bowen said that students sat down and she read different sentences that they would need to navigate college, but did not put any audio behind it.

Bowen said that the activity helped to teach students more about the challenges and opportunities that students with disabilities face, and was excited to note that a student who had a hearing disability sat down to do the challenge.

“What was really neat was that I actually had someone who did have a hearing disability sit down and participate in the challenge, so they were able to give me some more information to explain to the students,” Bowen said. “I think it made everyone a little more aware of the challenges and opportunities that our students with hearing disabilities face.”

Other interactive booths included a hand and eye coordination table, which senior Accounting major Dani Blackburn said made students draw circles with their feet and draw a star between two lines while looking only in a mirror, and a celebrity matching game, which senior Administration major Angela Best said had students matching celebrities to their disabilities.

Dr. Pruchnicki said that there were 13 booths, both educational and interactive, at the Disability Awareness Event and that the event was very successful.

Dr. Pruchnicki encourages anyone who wants to learn more about disabilities or anyone who may have ideas about possible events to increase understanding and awareness about disabilities to contact the CU Student Development office at 580.581.2209 or by email to student_develpment@ cameron.edu.

PREVIEW continued from page 1

The graduate program has many nontraditional students. Myers said that the programs are currently designed for students returning to college, resulting in more night and online courses.

As more students that are traditional begin to attend graduate school at Cameron, the shift in class times may eventually change.

More information on the graduate programs, including contact information, can be found at www.cameron.edu/graduate.

Correction 48 Advisory group 51 Press 52 Minute opening 53 First name in linguistics 55 Co. heads

Solution on Page 8

In Issue 4 of the Collegian, we incorrectly spelled the donor of the C.P. Mercandante scholarship donor.

We apologize for this mistake and appreciate it being brought to our attention.

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October 17, 2011

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‘HILLBILLY HANDFISHIN’

Reality host speaks to CU students

By Tiffany Martinez Staff Writer

Skipper Bivins, host and narrator of the reality television show, “Hillbilly Handfishin’,” visited the Cameron University campus on Oct. 6.

“Hillbilly Handfishin’” is about teaching people to fish with their hands and feet, which is also known as noodling.

Noodling is done in streams,

creeks, and rivers throughout the Southwest United States. Bivins, who hails from Temple, Okla., said that noodling has become a popular hobby.

Aside from concentrating on catching fish, the person noodling has to watch out for turtles, beavers, and snakes.

“Noodling is as fun as it

is intense,” Bivins said. “It definitely isn’t a sport for the faint of heart.”

“Hillbilly Handfishin’” first premiered on Animal Planet in September 2010 and according to Bivins, viewer membership has increased exponentially since then.

“More and more people have begun to recognize me in my travels,” Bivins said.

Photo by Kelsey Carter

Handfishin: Reality Host Skippy Bivins shares stories about his show to Cameron students.

Bivins is a native of Oklahoma and noodling has become his hobby.

In the past four months, Bivins has guest starred on late night talk shows such as “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, and “The Late Show” with David Letterman.

Around 35 students majoring in Communication gathered for approximately 60 minutes to hear Bivins speak. He educated students on the production aspects of the show initially, and then moved onto advice and words of encouragement for those who wish to advance in the television side of the media industry.

“I will give you a good recipe for success: Try, fail, try again, and you will attain,” Bivins said.

He said that he never lost focus even after the long process it took to have his show picked up and recognized.

“Don’t ever be afraid to tell your goals to someone else.

Verbalize your goals, because it is then that your dreams and aspirations become reality,” Bivins said.

Victoria Cousins, a 19-yearold Radio/Television major attended as Bivins shared stories and behind-the-scenes action from his show.

“I didn’t expect him to be so open,” Cousins said. “He was really easygoing, and seemed extremely knowledgeable about the business he is involved in.”

Bivins shares special connections to CU on both a professional and personal level. Dr. Matt Jenkins, of the Department of Communication, and Steve Adams, Assistant Professor of the Department of Communication, have given

audio support to “Hillbilly Handfishin’” for the past year by recording and producing voiceovers by Bivins. Bivins also said that his daughter is a student at Cameron University this fall.

Near the end of Bivins’ visit, the floor was opened to students who had questions. When the subject of the name of his show was approached, and inquiries to whether or not he considered it offensive, Bivins gave a short and honest answer.

“I am not ashamed to say I was raised in a small, redneck town,” Bivins said. “There are country people out there.

There are hardworking, good, American people out there. If people want to refer to those kind of people as ‘hillbillies’ I really can’t take any offense to it.”

“Hillbilly Handfishin’” is currently in its first season and airs once a week on Animal Planet. Bivins said anyone is welcome to request to be on the show. The most recent and interesting request was from the OU Women’s Gymnastics team.

wecatchbigfish.com

CU to premiere Red Bull Film “The Art of Flight”

By Aaron Gill

Ghrayyeb said that Sodexo would cater the event with some help from Red Bull by providing Sports Editor some of their products as well.

In November, Sodexo and Red Bull will be “We are known for always having food at our bringing Cameron University’s action sports fans an events,” Ghrayyeb said, “there will be all kinds of experience like never before. refreshments and snacks at the event.”

A film titled “The Art of Flight” will be Ghrayyeb said that he is excited about the event premiered on campus after making its debut in because CU will be presenting it shortly after the Colorado. According to Red Bull, the Curt Morgan November premier. film is about one of the most exciting action “The official premier is in November,” Ghrayyeb sports today. Snowboarders for the Red Bull team said. “From there we are going to try to get it in as collaborate in a variety of different situations to quickly as possible.” make the film look as amazing as possible.

Red Bull has made multiple movies over the past Daniel Ghrayyeb, CU Food Service Director for few years, such as, “Human Flight: 3D,” “That’s it, artofflight.com Sodexo, is responsible for putting on the premier of Let it snow: Bulletin Magazine features “The Art of Flight” film on the front That’s All,” and “Turn it Loose.” page. The movie premiere tour is scheduled to be completed on Nov. 3. the film.

Ghrayyeb said that he is excited to see how Ghrayyeb people react to being able to see said he is one of the bigger movies Red excited to see Bull has produced.

“We are hoping that this event will how many “We are excited to let people reach students that do not live on students attend experience one of the bigger campus and get them to stay around movies of the year from Red the premier.

“We do not and enjoy something fun.”

Bull,” Ghrayyeb said. get to do a lot According to Red Bull,

of premiers like “The Art of Flight” gives iconic

Daniel Ghrayyeb other colleges snowboarder Travis Rice and do because we

CU Food Service Director friends the opportunity to do not have the redefine what is possible in the avenue for it,” mountains.

Ghrayyeb said.

Students can contact Ghrayyeb through artofflight.com Sodexo has multiple events throughout the year Snowboarding: A scene from the film shows five snowboarders Sodexo online or through their offices in either about to decend a snow-covered hill. The actors in the film perform in collaboration with other departments on campus; North Shepler or the MCC for more information various skilled snowboarding stunts. however, Sodexo will be hosting this event. regarding the film or food service needs.

Ghrayyeb hopes that this will encourage students to stay on campus after their classes are over and experience something they usually would not.

“We are hoping that this will reach student that do not live on campus and get them to stay around and enjoy something fun,” Ghrayyeb said.

Red Bull is a big name and a highly sold product that Sodexo carries and Ghrayyeb is anxious to see what students will think of the film.

“When people see Red Bull and know it is a film, they know that it is going be some kind of action sports or something completely off the wall,” Ghrayyeb said.

Earlier this semester Sodexo offered multiple products in drawings that took place in the McMahon Centennial Complex.

Ghrayyeb said that there would probably be another product give away as well.

“I am sure we will come up with something to redbull.com give away, we always do,” Ghrayyeb said. “We will “The Art of Flight”: Snowboarding legend Travis Rice and Director Curt Morgan are interviewd about their definitely give away some Red Bull and see if we can new film for Red Bull. This is the second time that Rice and Morgan have collaborated to create an action film. find some more memorabilia to give away.”

4

Aggie Voices

October 17, 2011

www.aggiecentral.com

She is here: What do I do now?

Rachel Engel Staff Writer THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna

Editorial Staff

Managing Editor - Megan Bristow Asst. Managing Editor - Elijah Morlett News Editors - Tahira Carter, Ishia Saltibus Crossroads Editor - Ashleigh Fletcher A&E Editor - Rashmi Thapaliya Sports Editor - Aaron Gill Copy Editor - Dianne Riddles Aggie Central Editors - Elijah Morlett, Mitch Watson,

Newsroom Staff

Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Tiffany Martinez, Teewhy Dojutelegan, Sarah Szabo, James Meeks, Amber Spurlin, Brandon Thompson, Brenna Welch Circulation Manager - Matt Thompson Advertising Manager - Megan Bristow Photographer - Kelsey Carter

Newswriting Students

James Meeks, Aaron Gill, Nicole Bucher, Cody Gardner, Scott Haney, Kelsey Carter, Teewhy Dojutelegan, Adrian Alexander, Megan Bell, Tyler Boydston, Leah Ellis, Troy Flewellen, Angela Goode, Simone Graves, Jack A. McGuire, Cassidy Morgan, Markita Nash, Lizzie Owoyemi, Miranda Raines, Dianne Riddles, Alexander Rosa-Figueroa, Thomas Smith, Lindsey Yeahquo

Something crazy happened a few weeks ago, something very strange. I went to the hospital, and after two days, I left with a baby. A real, live, honest-togoodness child, and the oddest part is that they actually expect me to know what to do with it.

Don’t get me wrong, she’s cute. She coos, and makes the sweetest little faces, and can make your heart melt with her big (currently) blue eyes. Don’t let her fool you; she’s sucking you in. It happens overnight, when I’m desperately trying to sleep, and she has the complete opposite idea. I do everything I can think of to please her, but sometimes the effort is fruitless.

If only she spoke English and could tell me what her heart desired, so I could run right out and get it for her, and finally get some sleep.

Unfortunately, true speech won’t be making its appearance any time in the near future, so for now, it’s a guessing game, and one that I am very, very bad at.

What’s worse is when you ask other experienced parents for their wisdom and guidance on what she could possibly need other than to be fed and clean, and they come back at you with, “Sometimes babies just cry.”

Really? For no reason? Well, that doesn’t seem fair. Surely, she wants something.

Maybe she’s unhappy with my choice of television programs during her late night escapades — perhaps while I’m watching Conan O’Brien, she’s screaming her head off because she prefers Jay Leno.

It’s not just the seemingly unprovoked cry-fests; there are also all the other unknowns that come with tiny little people who don’t even have enough strength to hold their heads up. Such as, how often should you give them a bath? Will she explode if she doesn’t burp after every feeding?

About Us

The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Edmond Sun via the Duncan Banner.

Letters Policy

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

The unsigned editorial under the heading “Aggie 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.

sister and I were newborns, as it has been over 20 years since we were babies, and the little bit of information she does remember has changed.

Thank goodness for Google, because if I had listened to her, I would have let my baby sleep on her stomach, which is what was recommended for babies in the late 1980s to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Today, it is recommended babies sleep on their backs to prevent

A need for married campus residences

Dr. Christopher Keller

Our Views

Does she get colder than I do, and how many layers should I dress her in?

I am pretty sure the hospital forgot to issue my manual on how to handle all of these questions, because obviously, most new moms won’t have a clue how to answer them.

And my own mother, while she has been a blessing to be around since giving birth, unfortunately does not remember what she did when my

Without options:

Faculty Adviser

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 collegian@cameron.edu or they may be dropped off at our office - Nance Boyer 2060 or at www. aggiecentral.com.

Photo courtesy of Rachel Engel

A little help: Like most new mothers, Engel may not know what the best decision is every time baby Sydney screams.

However, she is learning through a variety of sources how babies should sleep, how many layers to clothe her with, and the other details that come with motherhood.

SIDS; it’s a wonder anyone has ever survived infancy.

Yes, Google and I have grown very close over the last few weeks, as I type multiple questions in to the search box daily. Some of them are silly, but all required an answer in order to give me peace of mind. Google Images has also been a big help, because without it, I would never have known that her belly button was supposed to look that way; saved me a trip to the Emergency Room.

No, unfortunately, there is no manual, and there is no way of knowing everything there is to know about babies and how to care for them. I have to rely on Google, a few experienced friends, and my own motherly intuition, which I am still trying to hone. It’s hard to make decisions for someone else, especially when they can’t provide their own input, and are relying totally on your ability to provide for them.

When my husband deployed I was still six months pregnant, and he left me a note in big letters on our refrigerator, reminding me to please feed our dog. Then, after I gave birth, he asked me over the phone to please remember to feed our kid. He thought that was quite humorous; I, however, did not.

The truth is, though, I do worry about forgetting to do the most basic things, just because it’s such an odd feeling being fully in charge of another human being; something I’m not used to. When my dog is hungry, he pushes around his food bowl with his nose, trying to make as much sound as possible so that I look in his direction. Sydney can’t exactly push around her bottle with her nose… but wouldn’t that be a sight!

I suppose I’ll get the hang of the whole mothering/parenting thing, eventually. Maybe by the second kid?

Amber Spurlin Staff Writer When Jordan and I decided to get married, one of the first things we thought about was where we should live. We were both longtime CU residents, having lived in the village or dorms since we started school and we were not excited to leave.

Living on campus was not only less expensive for us due to the room waivers that we received, but also provided a sense of community and security that we knew we would have a hard time finding elsewhere.

Leaving campus would have been like leaving home: new, uncomfortable and scary.

Then a thought hit me. Did CU, in its plans to build a new Village to meet the demands of more housing and to focus on “every student” and “every story,” think to include married students?

From what I could tell, the answer was no. CU has grown tremendously over the last several years in an effort to further the education and experience of its students. It struck me as odd that, in all its development and improvement, Cameron hadn’t thought to

provide housing for married couples attending college as many other universities, such as OU’s Kraettli Apartments that actually provide single and family living, have done. It was especially weird since so many non-traditional students, who are married and have families, attend CU. Why shouldn’t we still have the option of living on campus and utilizing our room waivers just because we are married?

However, instead of fighting the inevitable, we began the tedious process of finding a place to live off campus, raising our budget from $450 — what we paid collectively in the village — to $550 or more when we realized that every place available with that cheap of a price tag was in an unsavory neighborhood.

We were able to find several places around $550. The problem: all of the houses were three bedrooms, two baths and the two apartments, though better, were smaller than the Village apartments, which believe me, are crammed for a four-bedroom apartment.

In addition, one smelled like cigarette smoke and gunfire rang through the night at another.

We finally settled on the St. James Apartments, on the west side of 82nd Street, a gated apartment complex that was a good 20-minute drive from campus and rented for a whopping $760 a month.

The idea of a 20-minute drive to school still makes me cringe since I had been able to leave my apartment 10 minutes early and I hardly ever drove anywhere off campus. Just a year ago, it would likely have taken me a month to realize there was any

Photo by Megan Bristow

For singles only: The Shepler Towers and the recently added Village are the residence options for students.

CU currently has no options for married housing. construction on Gore Blvd., and the only reason I would have found out would have been because of my need for Starbucks. Now, I have to drive right through it.

The undeniable fact is I miss living on campus. Although I love living with Jordan and our new apartment is very roomy and comfortable, I miss the sense of community, I miss knowing my neighbors, and, as bad as the food was, I miss eating dinner in the MCC and visiting with other residents who couldn’t afford to eat off campus.

Before, if someone wanted to go for a walk or hang out, it was a simple matter of walking across the hall or down the stairs. Now, if I have already returned to my apartment, good luck getting me to make the 20-minute trip back to campus.

Despite not having room availability for those who are married, and being a bit crowded, the Village and Shepler dorms were a great place

to learn to live independently while still being protected and being part of a community. I am glad that that environment was available to me as a freshman because it has prepared me for truly living on my own; however, I still yearn for all of the benefits of living on campus and I wish that I hadn’t had to leave simply because I decided to get married.

At the time, I didn’t bother asking why, nor did I try to write legislation over it while I was still a member of SGA, — part of my whole procrastination thing — but I still wonder if anyone has thought to or would be willing to provide that option at the new Village. Provide at least one floor set aside for married couples, if not a whole building for small families. I’m sure there are many people who prefer to live off campus, but the opportunity for married couples to remain residents on campus should be available until they graduate.

October 17, 2011

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5

Aggie A&E

Rolling with the Aggies

CU students cheer for their team

By Teewhy Dojutelegan Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Oct. 4, several Cameron University students traveled to Midwestern State University (MSU) to support CU’s volleyball team in a program called “Rolling with the Aggies.”

Rolling with the Aggies is a program that is co-sponsored by the Programming Activities Council (PAC) and the Student Activities Office.

Zeak Naifeh, the director of the Students Activities Office and the PAC co-chairs, senior Accounting major, Barkley Kirk and senior Psychology major, Melissa Flores are in charge of organizing the program.

According to Naifeh, Rolling with the Aggies started in the fall 2006 semester to encourage students to show support for CU student athletes.

“We started the program in fall of 2006 as a way to encourage students to attend athletic events and, more specifically, away athletic events,” Naifeh said. “The program seeks to allow CU students to show their support for both the student athletes and the university.”

According to Kirk, the program took students to some schools in Oklahoma, including East-Central University in Ada, the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond and others.

In addition, Kirk said that the program was not as organized this year because other participating colleges changed their conferences.

“We are not doing it as much this year since we voted to stay in the conference while all the other Oklahoma schools left,” Kirk said. “All the other schools, apart form Midwestern, are about four and half hours away.”

According to Kirk, the criteria for a student wanting to participate in the program are simple: be a Cameron student, sign up to go and have personal emergency contact information available.

Photo by Teewhy Dojutelegan

Ready to roll: CU students pose for a group picture before the game at Midwestern State University(MSU). Rolling with the Aggies was started in fall 2006 to encourage students to show their support for CU student athletes.

On the last trip to MSU, students gathered in front of the McMahon Centennial Complex at 5:30 p.m., and departed the campus at 5:40 p.m., with about 20 students. Food was provided on the bus.

At the game, students cheered and showed support for the athletes. Although the Cameron Volleyball team lost, Coach Doug Tabbert was grateful for the support and thanked the students for coming.

Senior Business Administration major Ryan Sawyers, who joined the group for the trip, said that the presence and support of fellow students always makes a difference.

“With my sports past, going into a hostile environment like MSU, it always helps to have a group of your students there to cheer you.” Sawyers said.

Kirk said he would like to have many people involved but that the number of people who can go depends on the number of available seats in the vehicle.

“We really only have capacity to take about 30,” Kirk said.

“But we want to take as many as we can.”

Naifeh said that distance traveled and increased cost of transportation are the two main challenges the program face.

“With Cameron being the almost most Northern school in the conference, many of the schools take some time to get to the school,” Naifeh said. “The cost per mileage on the vehicle,

ticket prices and food go up each year making the cost of the trip greater.”

Naifeh hopes that the program helps students develop a better sense of pride in CU. “We hope that students feel a greater sense of pride in Cameron, increased participation in athletic events

and of course a fun evening with their fellow Aggies.” Naifeh said.

Interested students are encouraged to go to the Students Activities Office on the second floor of the MCC to inquire about or to sign up for the next Rolling with the Aggies.

Photo by Teewhy Dojutelegan

Aggies in action: CU Women’s Volleyball team compete against MSU. About 20 CU students went to MSU to show their support for the athletes.

CU staff wins International Festival poster contest

By Rashmi Thapaliya A&E Editor

Graphic Courtesy of Carlyn Finke

The winner: The poster designed by CU staff Carlyn Finke, won the overall poster contest in the International Festival poster contest. The design was featured on the International Festival promotional materials, including posters, brochures and t-shirts.

Carlyn Finke, Writer/ Researcher for the Cameron University Office of the President, was the overall winner of the poster contest for Lawton’s International Festival, which took place from Sept. 23 to 25 in Elmer Thomas Park.

Her winning design was featured on the International Festival promotional materials, including posters, brochures and t-shirts. She said that she used acrylic paint on a stretched canvas for her artwork.

Finke said that she researched the previous poster winners for inspiration.

“In my research I found that many designers had used flags, continents, earth and people holding hands together around the earth,” Finke said. “I really liked the idea of flags and wanted to do something that had not been done before so I chose a face.”

Finke said that she used a face as a blank canvas to paint flags that represent different groups of people in Lawton.

“I chose a face because it is universally recognized, Finke said. “ I chose blue as the dominant color to represent different cultures and races equally.”

According to Finke, it took her about four days to finish the painting and she continued to do touch-ups until the end.

“I didn’t find out about the competition until a few days

before the due date,” Finke said.

“I did the painting after I got home from work.”

Finke said that she went to the International Festival on the last day, at which time the winners of different competitions were announced and honored.

“It felt good to see that someone appreciated what I did and thought it was good enough to be represented in the International Festival,” Finke said. “I would like to participate in competitions in the future because it is a great way to show your work to people.”

Finke said that she submitted her original work for the competition and that she does not own it now.

“The organizers have told me that the original painting is going to be displayed in the Museum of the Great Plains,” Finke said.

Finke said that her grandmother, who is also an artist, inspired her and acted as her mentor. She said that in the past, her grandmother would see her paintings and give her

suggestions.

“She taught me different techniques and encouraged me to continue creating,” Finke said.

“I didn’t realize that grandma was a great artist until I was a teenager.”

Finke graduated from Cameron in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Marketing. She said that though she does not have a degree in Art she loves painting as much as she loves writing.

“I don’t know if I am going to get any formal education in Art but I will continue painting during weekends and my free time,” Finke said. “It’s always great to continue learning because practice makes one perfect.”

Finke said that she loves writing and would continue for now. She said that she does commission pieces for people when they ask her.

“I don’t advertise myself,” Finke said. “I have a blog and sometimes people who find out about me thorough the blog ask me to do pieces for them.”

6

Aggie Sports

October 17, 2011

www.aggiecentral.com

Men’s golf has two strong finishes this month

By Brandon Thompson Staff Writer

The Aggie men’s golf team recently hosted the Dornick Hills Classic and played in the Texhoma Championship.

The Aggies finished fifth in the Dornick Hills Classic and second in the Texhoma Championship.

Head coach Jerry Hrnciar said that he was pleased with the Aggies performance in

both tournaments, but thought the men could have placed better in the Dornick Hills Classic.

“We finished fifth in that tournament,” Hrnciar said. “I thought we had a shot at third

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

This one’s for birdie: Sophomore Michael Kelly shoots for the green in a recent tournament.

The Aggie men placed fifth and second in two seperate tournaments earlier this month.

if we played a little better in the first round.”

According to Hrnciar, the later rounds showed much improvement from the first two rounds of the tournament.

The last two rounds of success continued into the following Texhoma Championship for the Aggies.

The Aggies, finishing in second behind top-ranked Oklahoma Christian, had a good showing in the tournament, despite some mistakes.

“We played fair,” Hrnciar said. “We didn’t play really good.”

Hrnciar said that the team made a few critical mistakes around the green and wasted a few shots.

“I am concerned that we wasted some shots in some areas,” Hrnciar said.

“I am hoping we get over it, especially around the greens.”

Hrnciar said that he thought the weather had played a major role in the success of his team so far this season. He said that the Aggies are having problems simulating tournament-like conditions in the courses near home.

Hrnciar said that the lack of rain in the region had really hurt his team’s development around the greens.

“With the weather like it has been this summer and courses having problems we have no place to practice,” Hrnciar said. “We are not accomplishing everything I thought we would because of the practice situation.”

Despite the weather not cooperating, the Aggies have shown great depth and balance in their roster boosting three different best round players in all three tournaments so far this year.

Austin Weaver, a junior from Texas, had the best round at the Texhoma Championship for the Aggies.

According to Hrnciar, Weaver is one of the players that needed to start playing better if the Aggies were going to move up the rankings.

“Austin was struggling,” Hrnciar said, “but he played better this last tournament.”

Every tournament the Aggies play counts toward the final ranking that will determine the Regional Championship Tournament placement for the team.

Hrnciar said that he is depending on his younger players to step up as they head into the spring season.

“I think the younger players can get better as we head towards the spring,” Hrnciar said. “We are going to have to count on one or two of them to play well.”

Hrnciar said that the returning players need to get back to playing solid golf before they can compete at the level at which he expects the Aggies to compete.

“Right now, it’s just getting the returners to play at the level they need to play at and the younger players developed,” Hrnciar said. “If we do all those things, it will fall into place.”

Jacob Russell named Sports Information Director

By Aaron Gill Sports Editor

In the Cameron University Athletic Department, there is one man who is doing anything and everything to make sure that Aggie Athletics gets the national recognition it deserves.

Jacob Russell, a 2009 CU graduate, is the new Sports Information Director for the 2011-2012 season. Russell has been writing throughout his collegiate life and has now found something he enjoys doing.

“It feels good to be doing something I enjoy doing,” Russell said, “not that I didn’t like writing for The Constitution, but this is sports.”

Jacob Russell has found a position that serves his background very well. While he attended CU, Russell hosted a sports show called “In the Huddle,” and he wrote sports columns for The Collegian. Russell now has a position that he feels he made a great choice in taking.

“Even on my worst day I can sit back and consider myself lucky,” Russell said.

The Athletic Department relies on Russell to keep statistics and report them both for students and the NCAA. “A major responsibility is being the official statistician,” Russell said. “My office is

responsible for keeping stats at every home game and reporting them to the NCAA before a set deadline.”

Russell does not just do this for the job however, he does it because it is something he loves and there are some unique perks.

“I get a great seat to great games,” Russell said.

Russell has been hard at work this season at every home volleyball game, making sure he is ready to catch the action.

“I go a couple hours early and set up equipment for live stats.” Russell said, “Two cameras to record the game and prepare game day sheets for the media and fans.”

Russell has more responsibility than just keeping game statistics. He is the main branch to go through before anyone can speak with coaches, and he keeps the Athletic Department’s website running smoothly.

“As the Sports Information Director I am responsible for all media content,” Russell said. “This includes press releases, website updates and scheduling interviews.”

Not only does Russell go to the games as a professional in the sports field, he is also a big fan of Cameron Athletics and is looking forward to seeing how all the Aggies do this year.

“Every program had great years last year and a lot of athletes are returning,” Russell

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

There’s a new SID in town: Jacob Russell poses as the new Sports Information Director for 2011-2012. Russell graduated from Cameron University in 2009 and worked on campus with the collegian during his time as an undergraduate as well as the Lawton Constitution. said. “I’m really enjoying the fall sports, but am also looking forward to basketball, men and women, and baseball and softball.”

With a new CU Athletics website that started last year, Russell has a lot on his plate in terms of keeping everything updated correctly. So far this season there have been almost instantaneous updates online about sporting events by Russell and his staff.

“This job is my biggest accomplishment,” Russell said.

“I’m just happy to be here.”

Anyone interested in

information about the Athletic department or Jacob Russell

and his staff can visit www.

Cameronaggies.com.

Aggie Sports

October 17, 2011

www.aggiecentral.com

7

Volleyball has two rough matches at home

By Aaron Gill Sports Editor

The Cameron University lady Aggie volleyball team hit a snag in their schedule earlier this month when they found themselves 0-2 at home.

The Aggies played the nationally ranked Angelo State University Belles on Oct. 6, in Aggie Gym where they fell to the Belles 0-3. According to Head coach, Doug Tabbert, the Aggies fought hard but just came up short in the long run.

“We hung in with them pretty well,” Tabbert said. “They are a solid team and we hung in with them pretty well.”

The Aggies had two hard losses to start out the night, but the third game showed to be somewhat of a momentum shift just until the end.

“We had a lot of success in game three until the end,” Tabbert said. “We went toe-to-toe with them pretty well.”

The lady Aggies battled back and forth with the Belles all three games but the Belles proved to be the better team in the end.

A mere two days later, the Aggies took the court once again against the Abilene Christian Wildcats. The lady Aggies had a hard time once again in the first two games, where Coach Tabbert was not very impressed with how his Aggies played.

“I do not feel like we played very well in those first two games,” Tabbert said.

The Aggies went on to win the third game by a score of 25-19. Coach Tabbert was happy about the win but still did not think that his team was playing the way they could.

“We played better in game three and took advantage of some of the errors that they (Abilene Christian) were making,” Tabbert said.

The Aggies had the momentum swing in their favor as they went into game four. However, the lady Aggies fell just short of taking the match to a five game set.

“I do not feel like we really had enough energy in the game to really just get it going,” Tabbert said. “It was disappointing because we just did not handle it as well as we needed to.”

One of the problems for the Aggies in the match was that they could not hold the Belles from scoring.

“Our biggest issue was that we just could not hold them off the net,” Tabbert said. “We really struggled to get touches against them and they did pretty much what they wanted to offensively.”

According to Tabbert, the Aggies had points in the game where they had some good plays and could start to build some momentum but just could not follow through with it.

“It seemed like every time we got some kind of momentum going, we would make an error and just give it away,” Tabbert said.

Even though the lady Aggies lost two at home they are still in the hunt to make it to playoffs. In the Lonestar Conference, the top eight teams go, and the Aggies still have a chance to get back into that top eight group.

Coach Tabbert is still looking forward to seeing how the season turns out and with a 10-8 record overall and 4-6 conference record, his lady Aggies have already surpassed last years wins for the season.

“To me it is a sign of progress but I am more focused on, are we getting better and are we competing?” Tabbert said.

The lady Aggies next home game will be on Thursday, Oct. 20, against Texas A&M Kingsville. The Aggies are looking to better their last performance from their last showing against the Javelinas where they lost three straight games to end the match.

The Aggies have four home games left including the Texas A&M Kingsville game and would enjoy the support of their fellow students and the community to help them pull their conference record to make it to the playoffs.

Photo by Kelsey Carter

Let’s go Aggies: Seniors Malyssa Acton (right), Sarah Corbett (middle) and sophomore Jenna Risoli (left) prepare for a defensive attack from an opposing set in a recent match. The Lady Aggies had a hard time earlier this month when they lost to Angelo State and Abilene Christian in Aggie Gymnasium.

Aggie Madness to take place tonight in Aggie Gym

By Brandon Thompson Staff Writer

Basketball season is right around the corner for the Aggies and CU is tippingoff the season with Aggie Madness.

Aggie Madness will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17, at the Aggie Gym. This event is designed to introduce the men and women’s basketball teams to the student body and CU athletic supporters.

The men’s head basketball coach Wade Alexander said that Aggie Madness is a great time for fans to get introduced to the basketball squads.

“It is an opportunity to see them in a different light other than just playing in games,” Alexander said.

According to Alexander, the event will have plenty of free drinks and pizza for everyone attending. He also said that there would be drawings for door prizes that fans can sign up for as they enter the gym.

Alexander said that Aggie Madness was one of the most popular events on campus and that it has continued to grow in popularity every year.

“Other than the foam party, we think it is the best thing on campus,” Alexander said.

Aggie Madness marks the beginning of another exciting CU basketball season.

Alexander said that the event

is a fun way to build support going into another season.

The Aggie men, coming off an appearance in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, hope to build on last year’s success as they enter the 2011-2012 season.

Coach Alexander said that he thought the Aggies had the opportunity to play well early, but much of their success hinges on the ability of the new players to figure out his system.

“It depends on how early the new guys figure it out,” Alexander said. “We need them to figure it out in a few weeks instead of a couple of months.”

The Lone Star Conference will have some new faces this season and the addition of the new schools means a different conference schedule.

Alexander said that Cameron would begin conference play in November instead of January, which is why it is so vital that the new players progress quickly.

“The new players are going to have to step in and help out immediately,” Alexander said. “With all the changes in the conference, it is tough to know exactly what we are up against.”

Although the men have several new players this year, Alexander is also depending on his return players to

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Aggies drive into the paint: Graduate student Nathan Murray soars into the air during the dunk contest portion of a previous Aggie Madness. The Cameron University Athletic department has been working to prepare for the event that will take place tonight in Aggie Gymnasium. display the leadership qualities necessary for the Aggies to experience immediate success.

Vinicius Telo, a junior from Brazil, and Thomas Razor, a senior from Lawton, are two of the key components to early success according to Alexander.

“Vinicius Telo can help us in every aspect of the game,” Alexander said, “and Thomas Razor has the leadership qualities we need early in the season.”

The Aggies are also returning with last season’s LSC Freshman Player of the Year, Desmond Henry.

Alexander said that Henry has come out with a different work ethic this year and can

be a leader on the court for the team.

As the Aggies look ahead to the upcoming season, Alexander said that he encourages everyone to come

out to Aggie Madness and meet the team.

“Worst case scenario you get free food and drinks,” Alexander, “and you never know you might win a prize.”

8

CROSSROADS

October 17, 2011

www.aggiecentral.com

Local tattoo shop hopes to bust bad stigmas and give back to the Lawton community

By Kelsey Carter

Newswriting Student One of Lawton’s tattoo shops, Shine On Tattoo, is offering the community more than permanent body art.

Shine On and the Lawton Food Bank were cohorts on the weekend of Sept. 30, as Shine On hosted The Good, Clean Fun Art Revival at the tattoo shop. The show was about art and a good cause -- donations for people in need. Canned food and cash donations were given to the Lawton Food Bank while the art that was sold benefited the artists.

Anthony Fontaine, the shop manager at Shine On Tattoo, said that he enjoyed putting on the show and that the cause was very important.

“The Lawton Food Bank is in dire need of donations and we want to show people that tattoo shops, even though they have a bad stigma around this area, can do something nice for the community,” Fontaine said.

The artists in the shop made prints and paintings and framed their work for display around the shop. On Friday, the opening day of the revival, attendees could enter to win a free tattoo or painting by donating four cans of food.

According to Fontaine, the turn out during the four days of the art show was phenomenal.

He said that it was a great opportunity for the tattooists to show off their work and talents as artists.

“A lot of tattoo artists do not get into things like the Arts for All Festival or other art showcases because the art has to be reviewed and approved. Our goal was to show the underground side of art – paintings, drawings and tattooing as an art form,” Fontaine said.

Rodney Schneider, co-owner of Shine on Tattoo with Tom Paras, said that tattooing, as an art form is important for everyone.

“It [tattooing] has been around forever. It is not just for sailors anymore. The whole thing is phenomenal really,” said Schneider. “There are artists blowing it out of the water. Tattooing is all over the place and it is for everyone. The art show is for tattooist and artists alike, we just love art,” Schneider said.

According to Schneider, reaching out to artists and people that were just interested in viewing the artwork was the main goal, until the opportunity to assist others arose.

“My wife had talked to a lady about a month ago who was having a difficult time. My wife and I bought the family about $200 of food, to try to help even a little. Indie, from Magic 95, then suggested that we turn the art show into an event to help the community. The shop saw this as a great cause to give back and we wanted to help

Photo by Kelsey Carter

Inked Out: A Lawton man tries to relax while getting tattooed during the Shine On Tattoo art revival.

During the art revival a food drive was held and anyone who donated four cans of food could enter to win a free tatoo or painting. as much as we could,” Schneider said. “We took cash and food donations, all going to the Lawton Food Bank. Some people really do not have it as well as us and I do not have a need or want for anything, so I want to help,” Schneider said.

Fontaine and Schneider both agreed that the art show was a major success saying that they did what they could to help the community and that all the artists had the chance to sell artwork and talk with people who had never entered a tattoo shop before.

Shine On Tattoo plans to continue hosting art shows as well as donating to the Lawton Food Bank.

“Hopefully we will have an art show every three months, making it a quarterly event. The showcases will be for local artists too, not just the tattooist at the shop,” Schneider said. “I have always wanted to do something like this for artists and now we have the chance to.”

Shine On Tattoo is open seven days a week, from noon to 9 p.m. and is located at 6516 Cache Rd. Suite B. People interested in viewing the art or donating can stop by during business hours through Oct. 31.

According to the shop manager and The Good, Clean Fun Art Revival flyer, the slogan is “No cover, it’s going to be awesome.”

Anyone seeking information about upcoming art shows, events or donations at Shine On Tattoo may visit facebook.com/shineontattoo.

Photo by Kelsey Carter

Donation Station: A trash can overflows with donations at Shine On Tatoo. The Shine On team hopes to break through the bad stigma given to tatoo shops by giving back to the community.

Non-traditional students

Older students becoming a Cameron University tradition

By Dianne Riddles Copy Editor

The Cameron University student body has had a history of being diverse in more than one respect. One example of CU’s diversity is the significant, although inconspicuous, nontraditional students.

According to Director of Student Support Services Doreen Thomas, a nontraditional student is a student who is 24 years of age or older upon entering college.

Thomas said that the nontraditional student of the past is becoming the traditional student of today, in increasing numbers.

“The face of the traditional college age student is changing,” Thomas said.

Thomas said that the traditional and non-traditional students have a tendency to view and value education differently.

“Non-traditional students come to college with a clear goal whereas traditional students come to college as more of a continuation of high school,” Thomas said.

Thomas said that nontraditional students have advantages as well as disadvantages when compared to the traditional college student.

“Non-traditional students as a whole are more goal focused and take education more seriously than do

MCT Campus

traditional students,” she said. “Disadvantages of nontraditional students include the feeling of being too old, feeling out of place and feeling overwhelmed when entering college,” Thomas said.

According to Thomas, many non-traditional students do not feel a sense of belonging on campus.

“Many non-traditional students don’t attend events because the events are geared more toward traditional students, which causes a lack of a sense of belonging,” Thomas said.

According to Associate Director of Enrollment Management Frank Myers III, the annual Cameron University Fact Book reflects an accurate representation of enrollment

statistics at CU. The spring 2011 statistics showed that the percentage of enrolled undergraduate students over age 25 was 45.6 percent. Additionally, during the same semester, 91.6 percent of enrolled graduate students over age 25. The statistics as found in the Cameron University Fact Book show that the average age of all enrolled CU students combined is 28 years.

Myers said that one advantage of entering college as a non-traditional student is the tendency of the person to be more realistically grounded because many non-traditional students have spent more time in the work field than traditional students have.

On the other hand, Myers

said that many non-traditional students enter college with an initial hesitancy that they soon overcome.

“Once they take that initial leap of faith, non-traditional students generally overcome that perception,” Myers said.

Ann Rollf is a nontraditional student who is a CU sophomore majoring in Psychology. She began her college career at 34 in the fall of 2009. She is the mother of three children: Emily, 16; Jacob, 13; and Levi, 10-years-old.

Although many students would agree that being a non-traditional student with children would be a difficult road to travel, Rollf said that her children motivate her

to keep working toward her educational goals when life gets difficult.

“My daughter is my own personal fan club. When I am stressed out, she reminds me why I began this journey in the first place,” Rollf said. “When my boys look at me with pride in their eyes, I know I am doing good.”

Whether students are traditional or not, many would agree that all are here for the same purpose.

“Every student, every story.

That can be said for nontraditional students because they are just as much a part of the story as traditional students are,” Myers said.