COLLEGIAN THE CA M ERON U N I V ER SIT Y
Monday, February 27, 2006
Artist finds life in religion and art By Petulah Olibert Collegian Staff
Graduation is just around the corner; are you prepared to walk? SEE PAGE 2
A&E
Triumph over tragedy. SEE PAGE 6
The screech of tires, the crash of metal, searing pain, unconsciousness. Upon awakening, the paralyzing fear that he would never paint again. That is the story of the end of Brian Narcomey’s life as he knew it, and the beginning of another. A few years ago, Narcomey’s vehicle collided with a truck. His right arm was severed and he sustained terrible injuries. By his account, he should have been dead. “After the accident, I sank into a very depressive period because I didn’t know what the end result of my accident would be,” Narcomey said. “I was concerned about how I would make a living because I had worked in construction. But even more so, I realized that my love, my art, was gone. I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to walk again. It was a really sad time for me and I had laid my paints and brushes down for a full month.” Although his right hand remains paralyzed, Narcomey learned to paint with his left hand. His was a “God-given talent,” he said, which, though taken away in his right hand, was lovingly restored in his left.
Narcomey said his accident caused him to change his life, a change, he thinks, is responsible for his success today. Today, Narcomey is a computer graphics junior at and a recognized artist. “I was saved with Christ,” he said. “I surrendered to him and my walk with him has brought me where I am today – being a college student, an artist and a traditional dancer. I have been able to accomplish many goals through my relation with him.” For as long as he can remember he has loved art, putting lead to paper and creating amazing images. In 1983 he tried his hand with paint, and he has never looked back. “I used to draw at first, and a friend of mine suggested that if I was able to add color to my drawings, how much more effective they would be,” Narcomey said. Narcomey took up painting and was amazed with the detail he could conjure with color. “I’m a detailed artist. I like a lot of detail, so I have to work with very small paintbrushes. I had no idea that they even made paint brushes that were so small.”
Photo by Rhyan McGuire
“What I really want to do, especially with the proceeds from my show, is to donate them to charities – children’s shelters.”
See NARCOMEY, Page 5
The dirt on Phil Schroeder By Jessica Lane Collegian Staff
Photo by Jessica Lane
SEE PAGE 7
Voices
“To be a soil scientist you have to be a biologist, a physicist and a chemist.” — Phil Schroeder
Assistant agriculture professor
SEE PAGE 3
Office: Nance Boyer 2060 Phone: 580•581•2261 E-mail us at : collegian@cameron.edu First Copy Free - $.25 for each additional copy Contents © The Collegian 2006
According to assistant agriculture professor Phil Schroeder, soil science is an intricate discipline that involves many areas of study. “To be a soil scientist you have to be a biologist, a physicist, and a chemist. There are things living in it [soil], there are chemicals that are reacting and there are physical properties going on,” he said. Schroeder first became interested in soil as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in soil science. He went on to obtain his Ph.D. in soil physics at the University of Georgia. Schroeder began his first teaching post at Cameron during the fall 2004 semester. He said
he came to Cameron because he was drawn to the instructing aspect of teaching. “In my field the larger universities are geared toward research and you don’t get that much opportunity to teach,” he said. Chairman of the agriculture department Jerry Dodd said that Schroeder has been well received by faculty and students alike. “I’m really happy to have him here,” Dodd said. “He relates to students well.” Schroeder teaches a number of agriculture courses that work together to form the whole soil science curriculum. Among them, he teaches a general soil course that introduces students to the chemical and physical properties of soil, as well as a soil fertility course that examines how nutrients are drawn from it, soil morphology, water resources, soil physics and precision agriculture.
See SCHROEDER, Page 5
Work hard, win big, then do it all again By Joan Hagy
News Writing Student
You think it’s cold here?
— Brian Narcomy Computer Graphics Junior
‘Soil is a continuous universe’
Sports
Lady Aggies continue solid play.
Volume 79 Issue 19
Never debate a debater, especially if that debater is a member of the Cameron University speech and debate team. On Feb. 10, the team traveled to the University of Oklahoma to compete in the Sweetheart Debate Invitational Tournament. Beating out the University of Arkansas and Texas State University at San Marcos, among others, Cameron successfully swept the first place Debate Sweepstakes. Zach Fort and Sarah Collins, speech communications seniors and varsity team members, took first place in the parliamentary debate with a perfect preliminary score of 6–0. Also competing and adding to the sweepstakes win was Malinda Rust, speech communications junior. Rust ranked sixth place in a field of 30 in the debate speaking category. Bethany Beck, speech communications sophomore, Cathryn Good, speech communications freshman, and Lauren Barbour, history freshman contributed to the sweepstakes award. Keeping pace with their busy competition schedule, the team participated in the state tournament in Norman on Feb. 17-18. Placing
first in extemporaneous speaking was Collins, third went to Beck and Fort brought home fourth. In March the team will hold a showcase at 7 p.m. in the Shepler Mezzanine. The event is free of charge. “The showcase gives us a chance to present our progress in poetry reading, after dinner speaking and acting skills,” said Jonathan Hooks, speech communication sophomore. According to Tyler Thornton, CU’s speech and debate coach, the team works hard and that is why they are successful at competitions. “These students are very well supported by the administration and President Ross,” said Thornton. “Because they are supported so strongly, they are able to train well, compete and win.” Upcoming
competitions and tournaments will keep the team busy. Plans are in the works to attend the Pi Kappa Delta nationals in Gatlinburg, Tenn. in late March. They will also attend the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Championship in Gainesville, Fla. and the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Championship at Oregon State University.
Photo by Joan Hagy
News
Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926
News
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February 27, 2006
Mathematics: an essential factor in daily life By Eric Hand
KRT News Wire ST. LOUIS – Two Washington University mathematicians are spending their Friday morning in a windowless basement room, discussing the twisted doughnut shape they’ve drawn on a whiteboard. “Is this a knot or an unknot?” asks shaggy-haired Aaron Wiechmann, a low-dimensional topologist dressed in jeans and a brown hooded sweatshirt. Brad Henry, in a gray hoodie, leans back in a chair and ponders the scribbled symbols. The smell of dry-erase markers hangs in the air. Math is tough. But as evidenced by the explosion of references in movies and on TV, math is also quite hot. Whether mathematicians are now cool is another question. “We’re actually very good, socially,” Henry said. Changing the public perception of mathematics was one of the topics at a conference over the weekend hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest
general science society. The group’s annual meeting brought about 9,000 scientists, policy makers, educators and others to St. Louis. Washington University professor Steven Krantz says perceptions have already changed. “It’s partly because so many aspects of life demand math,” he said. On Friday, he took a break from a theorem involving a fourdimensional space called the “worm domain.” He left a mostly empty room – chairs, chalk, chalkboard – and returned to his playfully cluttered office. He says it’s easy to see evidence of other scientists’ work: beakers and petri dishes, circuit boards and computer programs. But many mathematicians still use pen and paper. Most of Krantz’s best work goes on in his mind, while on walks through Forest Park, while
watching animals at the Zoo. That is changing, says Krantz. More is done on the computer. More is done in collaboration. And theorems once bound in dusty journals are finding realworld application in business and government. Popular culture has noticed. John Nash, the protagonist in
the movie “A Beautiful Mind,” invents game theory. A math genius in the movie “Pi” uses chaos theory to figure out the forces guiding the stock market. The TV show “NUMB3RS” is in its second season. The main character, a mathematician played by actor David Krumholtz, helps his older brother solve crimes for the FBI. Show creator Cheryl Heuton recalled a phone call from
executives after the series began: “They said, `We here at CBS have reached the consensus that David Krumholtz is sexy.’” Ravindra Girivaru, at Washington University, isn’t quite sure if “sexy” always applies. His long hair ran into the open neck of his untucked short-sleeved shirt. He wore New Balance sneakers, a favorite among
hipsters. “Are we better dressed now than before? I don’t know about that,” he said. “But people are probably getting better paid.” Wall Street has wanted mathematicians for decades, ever since a single formula, discovered in 1970, revolutionized options pricing and the derivatives market. Google recruits mathematicians with billboard teasers that read “(First 10-digit prime found in consecutive digits of e).com.”
Similar to pi, e is an irrational number that begins with 2.718 and goes on forever. Krantz says he made $15,000 consulting for Natoli Engineering, a St. Charles, Mo., company that makes molds for drug companies’ pills. He calculated precise volumes for unusual pill shapes. Companies paid people with doctorates in math a median salary of $81,700 in 2004, 53 percent more than the median 1975 salary of $53,300 (in 2004 dollars), according to the American Mathematical Society annual survey. Businesses want math majors, not necessarily for their specific research but because they see people that can solve hard problems, Wiechmann said. After he finishes his Ph.D., Wiechmann wants a job at the FBI. He has already interned with the National Security Agency, which needs mathematicians to encrypt and decrypt data. In the basement room, Wiechmann leaned on a desk as talk drifted to a party planned for Saturday night. “Are we getting a keg?” Henry asked.
Graduation requirements, a brief view on the task at hand By Blake Red Elk
News Writing Student For many, “commencement” is defined as the end to many years of hard work toward a degree. If you were to look up the term “commencement,” you would find it means a place to start. But that is just what many students across campus have a hard time doing: starting. CU seniors find themselves in the dark when it comes to starting the graduation process. Teri Knox, public relations senior, agreed. “I probably should have been
more prepared for this year but everything kind of piled up on me,” she said. “I don’t know how to even get it all started on top of the 21 hours I’m taking this semester.” Knox is not alone. Department secretary Stacie Bain works in the registrar’s office. “We don’t have nearly as many applications in as I thought we would for this time of year,” she said. But she was quick provide reassurance that it is not too late. “Don’t worry if you haven’t
turned everything in,” she said. “The deadline is still a little way away.” The application procedure, which consists of an official check sheet from your advisor and a $15 fee, should be turned in to the registrar office on the second f loor of North Shepler by April 3. Bain explained, “We have to have all the names in by April 3 so we can make sure to order diplomas and to make sure everyone’s names are in the commencement program.” Bain also explained that
anyone who has completed degree requirements from December 2005 to December 2006 is eligible to walk in the May 2006 commencement ceremony. Assistant registrar Renee Roach has worked with many seniors who have questions about the big day in May. “I get students all the time with questions about where to go and what to do to graduate,” she said. “This year, in addition to sending out the Grad Times Newsletter though the mail, we will be sending an email to all
students though their campus email accounts to answer all questions students many have.” One question Roach gets frequently is about the cap and gown. “The registrar’s office doesn’t handle the cap and gown; that is the bookstore,” she said. “They can help you with any questions you might have.” This year’s commencement ceremony will be held on May 6, at 10 a.m. at Cameron Stadium. For more information, call the registrar’s office at 581.2238.
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Interested in placing a classified ad? Contact the Collegian by email at collegian@cameron.edu or by phone at 581.2261.
ACROSS 1 Throw 5 Docile 9 Elements of the whole 14 Hydrox rival 15 Spacewalks, in NASAspeak 16 Online trade? 17 Ray 18 Pravda source 19 __ Claus 20 Cost-cutting singing group? 23 Cicero’s lang. 24 Pugilistic poet 25 Oxidized 29 Relieve 31 Lith. or Azer., once 34 John or Sean 35 Berne’s river 36 James of R&B 37 Cost-cutting singing group? 40 Big rig 41 Raw minerals
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Sibling of one’s mere or pere 43 Hosp. areas 44 Kind of thermometer 45 Quenches 46 Cleanup hitter’s stats 47 Gasteyer of SNL 48 Cost-cutting singing group? 56 Papal vestment 57 Rival rival 58 Singer Guthrie 59 Greek column type 60 Ooze 61 Turner of Hollywood 62 Authoritative decree 63 Coop layers 64 Comic Carolla DOWN 1 Actor Lee J. 2 Carpet calculation 3 Burn slightly 4 Mausoleum 5 Set of four
Hold it, sailor! Alda sitcom Exxon, once Mashing tool Video-game name Raja’s wife Yugoslavian leader P. Hearst’s kidnappers 1985 Malkovich film VW model Dustin in “Midnight Cowboy” 26 Wedding-party member 27 Plant parts 28 Heyerdahl’s “Kon-__” 29 Studio stand 30 __ and crafts 31 Mired 32 Inscribed stone pillar 33 Costs per unit 35 Taj Mahal location 36 Novelist Ferber 38 Water wheel 39 Fastballer Ryan 44 Thing 45 Uses too much nose 46 Old treasure 47 Colorado resort 48 Walked heavily 49 Spy Mata 50 “Ring of Fire” singer 51 Swiss artist 52 FDR’s dog 53 Toward the mouth 54 Forearm bone 55 Wander 56 Poetic tribute
Voices
February 27, 2006
Winter wonderland of Torino, Italy
W
ith my first winter in the United States, I was hoping for some ice and cold weather through the whole season, but it did not happen. Instead, December and January were nice months – cold mornings and warm afternoons. Even the Weather Channel reported enjoyable weather from Feb. 1 all the way to last week. It seems that the temperature since Feb. 17 has dramatically dropped from a perfect 76o F to a freezing 37o F and lower. I had to get that old winter jacket , unused since December, to go to my classes because the wind was not cooperating with my will to move from one building to another. Even the streets were pretty bad. If you did not watch, you would fall on the ice or have your Bira vehicle going “car skating” on the road. I’m not complaining about the weather, but it is a little hard to breathe in the icy wind if you are a Brazilian. Even international students from the tropics would agree with me, and maybe some from the United States, too. However, without the cold and ice I would not be able to enjoy the one thing I enjoy about winter: the Winter Olympics, held this year in Torino, Italy. I think some of the games are much better than the regular Olympic games. Sports like figure skating, luge, alpine skiing, biathlon and so many others just make me think about the amount of time those people spend on the ice, and live peacefully with it. Because, to be honest,
this winter in Lawton, when compared to the daily training of those ice athletes, is absolutely nothing. Let’s take, for example, the sport of figure skating. It’s enjoyable to watch, but the schedule of the athletes is not that nice. They wake up early in the morning to skate. They fall, but skate. They get sore, but skate. Also take bobsledding into consideration. Four people get into this sled and race down a road or hill. If they do not work in harmony someone can get seriously hurt. It is all about team work and timing. I did not know that it would take that much to work in a group, in the cold, going fast downhill and hoping for the best to happen. It is indeed a dangerous, but Vidal exciting sport. And we are still complaining. What a shame. If bad things happen in an ice hockey game, a person can be smacked on the wall and covered in ice. And skiing, oh man, I do not even want to picture what the scene would be. The winter may be back and the cold weather with it, but at least we have the winter Olympics, which will be held again in Vancouver, Canada in 2010. Until then, we can be satisfied with Lawton’s winter. If you are interested in the Winter Olympics you can visit www.torino2006.org or www. olympic.org.
Our Voice Press freedom limitations stand The First Amendment took another hit last week. The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday that it would not hear an appeal in the case of a ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling gives university administrators the right to censor the content of university newspapers in three midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. The Court did not issue a written opinion explaining its decision. In January 2001, Governors State University student journalists sued Dean Patricia Carter after Carter told the paper’s printer that, prior to printing the student paper, school officials would review the content for final approval. This action came on the heels of the publication of articles and letters to the editor critical of the school’s administration. Refusing to comply, editors ceased producing The Innovator. The case received national attention because of the controversial argument made by the state attorney general. The defense asked the appeals court to expand the scope of a decision by the Supreme Court in the 1988 case of Hazelwood School
District v. Kuhlmeier. That decision limited First Amendment protections for public school students from kindergarten through high school. In April 2003, the court found in favor of the students. However, that decision was reversed in June 2005. The majority of the court deemed the Hazelwood decision to be applicable at the university level, and further, that Carter, in censoring the publication, could not have reasonably known the limitations of the Hazelwood decision. Former journalism students, including the former managing editor of The Innovator, Margaret Hosty, filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. According to the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), “a group of 15 national student and professional news media organizations led by the SPLC filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the students.” The brief asked the Supreme Court to hear the case and warned that the previous decision posed a threat to free speech on university campuses. Others filed similar briefs on behalf of the students. Monday’s decision only limits
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Board
Newsroom Staff
Bus. Manager - Kenny Scarle Layout assistant - Kareem Guiste Cartoonist - Thomas Pruitt Financial Officer - Susan Hill Photographer - Rhyan McGuire Webmaster - Sheldon Rogers Staff Writers - Petulah Olibert, Jessica Lane, Regan Frizzelle
Faculty Adviser
Christopher Keller
FEMA abandons trailers, flood victims
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free expression in three states, but poses a threat to the collegiate press in rest of the nation. If reasons can be found to support censorship of college newspapers, what entity might be next? The SPLC suggests that student-selected speakers, films, theater and student government could be subject to prior restraint. The decision not to hear the appeal sends the message that the Hosty ruling does not violate freedom of the press on college campuses, and that administrators have the final say in determining what information will, or will not, be disseminated. It guarantees that other student journalists will suffer the same fate as Hosty. While this particular battle may be lost, the war is not yet over.
Managing Editor - Lisa Snider News Editor - Sarah Warren Copy Editor - Kathleen Kelly Asst. Copy Editor - David Bublitz A&E Editor - Joshua Rouse Sports Editor - Christina Frye
Bira is a journalism freshman from Brazil and a staff writer for The Collegian. In spite of the unpredictable weather, he is enjoying his first Lawton winter.
ake a trip to Hope, Ark., childhood home of former President Clinton, and you will see 10,770 empty trailer homes sitting in a lot, abandoned. Each trailer is fully furnished and ready to ship to Louisiana providing victims a temporary home while they rebuild. Somewhere along the lines of bureaucratic red tape and FEMA failures, the trailers have been abandoned and so have the people. Ten thousand, seven hundred and seventy trailers could house a lot of people that otherwise would not have someplace to live. So why has FEMA taken its time moving the trailers to where they’re needed? FEMA said it paid $431 million for the trailers. And it will cost another $6 million to lay down gravel to keep the trailers from sinking. But to do that, the trailers must be moved. So why not just get a bunch of trucks together and haul them out? I’m sure there are plenty of out-of-work truckers around the area who would be more than happy to get some paying work. The trailers were originally going to be moved into flood plains
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temporarily, but that is illegal. It has always been illegal to build in a f lood plain. So why would the government intentionally plan a shelter on a f lood plain unless they had no intention of ever doing it in the first place? FEMA spokeswoman Nicol Andrews said the people in Louisiana do not want the trailers. These people endured two hurricanes, f looding, looting, chaos and anarchy. Are you honestly going to tell the American public that people who went Joshua Rouse through that are too proud to live in trailer? Go and ask any one of the hurricane victims living in hotels right now and see what they say. Go ask somebody who was in the Superdome for days waiting for the f loodwaters to recede. Let’s hear from the people themselves instead of a government public relations stooge. The government has managed to shatter a once great city. People have been shipped from their homes to every point of the country. We have transplanted them to strange places with little or no money, no food and nothing more than a good luck wish. And we have an opportunity to help people out and give them shelter. Instead, the government mulls over what is going on in Palestine. FEMA took this major problem and swept it under the rug and covered that rug with a pile of dirt. The trailers are sitting in mud right now. Many are beginning to sink. If they sink too far, the supports will warp and eventually snap. Then what will FEMA do? Sell them to a real estate broker to be cleaned up and sell them and re-sold? I am sure it will draw a pretty hefty profit. But tell that to the people who are living on the street because the government did not do all that it could to help. Josh is a journalism sophomore from Duncan and is the A&E editor for The Collegian.
News Writing Students
Danielle Murphree, James Norris, Blake Red Elk, Joan Hagy
About Us
The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Letters Policy
Letters to the editor will be printed in the order in which they are received and on a space available basis. The Collegian reserves the right to edit all letters for content and length. Letters should be no more than 250 words. Letters from individual authors will be published only once every four weeks. All letters from students should include first and last names, classification and major. No nicknames will be used. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verification. Letters can be sent by regular mail or email to collegian@cameron. edu, or they may be dropped off at our office - Nance Boyer 2060.
Our Views
The opinions expressed in The Collegian pages or personal columns are those of the signed author. The unsigned editorial under the heading “Our Voice” 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.
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February 27, 2006
How stay motivated to exercise
By Doug Worgul KRT Newswire
At the end of a good workout it’s one thing to feel the burn. It’s another thing altogether to feel burned out. By now many of those who made New Year’s resolutions are feeling somewhat less enthused about exercise than they did, say, on Jan. 2. What to do? Recharge your energy and interest by first restating your goals, says Bobbi Dunn, fitness
specialist at St. Luke’s Hospital’s Center for Health Enhancement. “Many people become discouraged with a new exercise regimen because they feel like they’re not making enough progress toward their goals,” she said, “when, in fact, they’ve actually set their goals unrealistically high. It’s better to set more modest shortterm
goals that can be achieved than to set an ambitious long-term goal that seems to take forever to reach.” Dunn has these suggestions for revving up your commitment to your fitness program: Make sure your goals are your goals. “Lots of people start exercising because a spouse or other person has told them they need to lose weight,” Dunn said. “But you’ll only stick with it if it’s your own goal, if it’s something you’re committed to.” Set specific shortterm goals. “It’s better to say, `I’m going to go to the gym three days a week for the next three weeks,’ than to say `I’m going to lose 30 pounds in the next three months,’” she said. “It’s easier to see progress toward a short-term goal, and it’s not as
Compilied by Sarah Warren
intimidating.” Dunn recommends stating your goals in specific language. For example: “Lose 2 pounds in two weeks.” This helps you keep track of your progress. “It may also help keep you motivated to set your sights on specific training challenges,” Dunn said. “For example, you may want to train for an upcoming 5K race or other athletic event.” Keep an exercise log. By recording your exercise, you can see yourself becoming more fit, Dunn said. “Even if you haven’t lost as much weight as you’d like at the end of, say, six weeks, if you’ve been recording your workout information you might see that when you started you could only do two sets with 10 pounds,” she said, “but now you’re doing three sets with 15 pounds. Or maybe you’ll see that you’re walking three miles at 15 minutes per mile, where you started at two miles at 20 minutes per mile. That’s success. And that’ll keep you motivated.” Don’t give in to the “all or nothing” mentality. “Some people will miss a day or two at the gym, and then just skip the rest of the week because they’ve told themselves `Well, this week is a bust anyway.’ But then it’s even harder to get back on track,” Dunn
said. “If you miss a day or two, start making plans right away for getting back to your routine on a specific day.” Mix it up. “If you’ve been getting your aerobic workout by running, consider changing to an elliptical trainer for a while,” Dunn said. “If you’ve been doing a specific weightlifting routine, change the exercises in the routine. If you’ve been working out indoors, try it outside for a while. If you’ve been exercising alone, join a group. “Even more fun is to try something way out of the ordinary, like taking a rock climbing class or signing up for a team sport. These will help you achieve your fitness goals, too. But for some people these are a lot more fun.” Buy some toys. Dunn said that adding exercise accessories can sometimes spice up a dull routine. These might include an MP3 player, a pedometer, a heart monitor/watch or a new pair of shoes. Reward yourself. “It’s important to acknowledge progress toward your goals,” Dunn said. “For example, tell yourself that if you go to the gym 12 times in the next three weeks you’ll treat yourself to a massage. Just make sure the reward is something like a massage and not a milkshake.”
Deep sleep secrets By Tina Hesman KRT News Wire
Hummingbirds do it. Bears do it. Even whistle pigs do it. So why don’t we do it? That’s the question scientists who study hibernation are asking. If humans could hibernate, or at least harness the power of torpor (as scientists call the dormant drowse), conditions such as SIDS, obesity and diabetes might be a thing of the past. Researchers hope that studies of hibernators also may aid trauma victims, help preserve transplant organs, lead to safer weight-loss treatments and bloodthinning agents and shed light on some of the most basic, but still mysterious processes in the body. On Feb. 2, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil awakened from his long winter’s sleep, saw his shadow, and predicted six more weeks of winter. (NOTE: The calendar agrees with Phil. The official start of spring, March 21, is always a little more than six weeks away from Groundhog Day.) It’s not Phil’s powers of meteorological prognostication that interest scientists. Physiologists are far more concerned with the furry weatherman’s sleep habits. Hibernation is an amazing feat of body regulation. Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks and whistle pigs, and their brethren in the squirrel family, are among the “true hibernators.” The family includes groundhogs, their cousins the marmots, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and chipmunks. Most members hibernate or go into torpor, a suppressed metabolic state just shy of deep hibernation. The animals bulk up in the summer – often doubling their weight – and then go dormant through the winter. During the down time, the hibernators stop eating and switch their metabolisms to burn fat instead of carbohydrates and protein. Their hearts slow, their breathing is altered, and their body temperature drops
to a degree or two above outside temperatures. Some ground squirrels can regulate their thermostats down to minus three degrees Celsius, said Steve Swoap, a physiologist at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. “Most hibernators don’t dip that far,” Swoap said. The way marmots monitor their fat stores could hold lessons for human dieters. Marmots “are the ultimate yo-yo dieters,” said Greg Florant, a biology professor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Yellow-bellied marmots may enter their burrows in the fall carrying 30 percent to 40 percent of their body weight in fat. They emerge in the spring svelte with near zero body fat, he said. People who undergo such massive weight changes may suffer severe health problems, but hibernators show no ill effects. Fat is probably the key to triggering hibernation, Florant and Swoap say. Both have evidence that an appetite-suppressing hormone called leptin is involved. Fat makes leptin. Florant thinks insulin also may help hibernators watch their weight. Humans probably also have what it takes to regulate body fat the way marmots do, he said. “We’re mammals just like the marmots, so we must have the
same genes,” Florant said. Very young humans may have the most in common with hibernators, said Bill Milsom, a zoologist and comparative physiologist at the University of British Columbia. Hibernators can stop breathing for long periods when cold. Golden-mantled ground squirrels may stop breathing for up to 45 minutes at a time. The animals then take a rapid series of 20 or more breaths before they halt breathing again. Young human and rat babies cooled to super low temperatures also stop breathing for a long time and enter a state similar to hibernation. The infants can recover fully once warm, Milsom said. But adult humans have long since lost that ability. If adults get too cold, they not only stop breathing, their hearts stop. Rewarming doesn’t help either. “They go from being cold and dead to being warm and dead,” Milsom said. Learning how hibernators control their breathing could someday lead to a better understanding of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Milsom hopes. SIDS may happen at the transition point when humans lose the ability to hibernate. When hibernators get cold, they get tough, researchers led
Courtesy Photo
Wake up: Punxsutawney Phil wakes up after his hibernation on Groundhog’s Day. Some scientists believe that hibernation could help people with some of the more common health problems.
by Hannah V. Carey at the University of Wisconsin have discovered. Because their hearts slow, hibernators don’t send as much blood to their tissues. That can damage organs. Hibernating 13-lined ground squirrels have no trouble protecting their intestines when the blood supply is clamped off, Carey found. But the same
animals in summer mode suffered almost as much intestinal damage as rats when blood supply to the intestines was cut off. Carey said that determining how ground squirrels protect their intestines during hibernation could lead to drugs that could enable accident victims to survive similar injuries or help preserve organs for transplant longer.
February 27, 2006
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NARCOMY continued from page 1
Student Government Association meets The Student Government Association will meet at 5 p.m. Monday in room 100, Sciences Complex.
PAC Meeting The Programming Activities Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Student Activities Building.
Movie Night The Ebony Society and Student Development will sponsor a movie to conclude activities for Black History Month at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Student Activities Building. Call Student Development at 581.2207 for more information.
Debate team showcase The CU debate team will showcase their talents at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Shepler Mezzanine.
SCHROEDER continued from page 1 Through each course, Schroeder prepares his students for a variety of positions in the agriculture field. They may go on to be agronomists, work for Co-op, be county agents or consultants for farmers. Or they might work for environmental consulting firms. Schroeder said that soil science is an environmental issue. “We dispose of things in the soil. We make a landfill, which usually sits on the surface of the soil. We apply chemicals. We spill things that are not nice for humans or animals to drink. All that water we get from the ground has to go through the soil,” Schroeder said. Soil morphology is an important course because it defines the language of soil scientists. “If you dig a hole and you look at that face of the soil, it’s layers, and it’s very different as you go around different places,” he said. “Soil morphology [questions] ‘how did it get that way?’ and ‘how do I describe it?’ If I want to tell another person what the soil was like, there is a lingo.” This also applies to soil surveys, which include aerial maps of different soil types and tables that describe the limitations and different uses of the soil. “Somebody had to map those so they had to learn how to describe them and write all that up,” Schroeder said. The National Resources Conservation Service employs soil scientists to map soils and also to do soil conservation work. Precision agriculture also highlights the different technologies that have made agriculture more efficient. For instance, tractors can now be run by computers and satellites. Schroeder said this helps to conserve both chemicals and soil. He said that places where yield was used to measure an entire field may now be measured per square foot. Soil science also has an impact on another basic need, housing. Schroeder said that the predominance of clay in the local soil affects what can and cannot be built. “If you build up something with a foundation, it can actually break concrete. That’s why we don’t have basements here,” he said. “They have to be very strong to withstand the shrink and swell of the clay.” Problem solving is an important aspect of soil science. Schroeder incorporates this into his teaching method. “My students would tell you I use the Socratic method, which is, I never answer a question. I always ask another question,” he said. ‘The whole idea is to get people to think about what they’re doing, and to come up with answers on their own. You can tell someone how to fish or you can teach them how to fish.”
Narcomey is inclined toward Indian art. “Spiritual stuff,” he said. “I’ve been inspired by biblical themes, but an Indian version. Right now I’m working on a version of The Last Supper.” In Narcomey’s version, the apostles are replaced by various tribal members, while the table becomes, instead, buffalo hide and the cup, a buffalo horn. His first art show was among CU’s Native American students. He then entered the Heritage Day art show and later, the Comanche Nation art show. His very first solo showing at the Museum of the Great Plains ended yesterday. Narcomey says he has been receiving quite a few favorable reviews. “My work has been well accepted,” he said. “I once donated one of my paintings to my neighbor’s art show and he reported to me that the man who bought the picture commented that my work reminds him of Doc Tate Nevaquaya’s.” Despite his success, Narcomey insists that fame and fortune are far from his mind. What he wants is to share his life story and make a difference. “What I really want to do, especially with the proceeds from my show, is to donate them to charities
– children’s shelters,” Narcomey said. “Although my career path is that of a graphics artist, I’m not quite sure where my life will lead,” he said. “In addition to my art showings, I have been asked to preach many times about the changes the presence of God has made in my life. I’m set to preach at Anadarko in the near future. “Who knows, the Lord may have me go to seminary school because I enjoy working with the ministry,” he said. “Some of my friends and I even started a Bible study at the Baptist Student Union. I like helping others and sharing my story and my past, letting people know that it is never hopeless, that their dreams can come true.”
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February 27, 2006
Hard-hitting ‘Munich’ shows human brutality By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff
“All nine hostages are safe.” Those words were echoed across the world on Sept. 6, 1972, when German forces stormed the Munich airport in an attempt to stop a group of terrorists. When the smoke cleared ABC announcer Jim McKay summed up the situation: “They’re all gone.” Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg (“Schindler’s List”) brings the horrific events of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and the events that followed to the silver screen with his latest film “Munich.” At the time of the Munich games, the German people wanted to shake the image from the 1936 games when Hitler hoped to show off the superiority of the Aryan race. But on the morning of Sept. 5, 1972 eight armed Palestinian terrorists invaded the Olympic village and took nine Israeli athletes hostage. They killed two others in the struggle. After 24 hours of failed negotiations, the terrorists took the athletes to the Munich airport where a bloodbath ensued, ending the lives of the nine hostages, three of the terrorists and a policeman. “Munich” shows the brutal hostage taking and the events that followed, and features an all-star cast including Eric Bana (“Troy”) and Daniel Craig (“Casino Royale”). After the athletes were laid to rest in Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir authorized a top-secret death squad to hunt down the 11 Palestinians suspected to have masterminded the attack. The mission of this squad was to eliminate each terrorist using any means necessary. Avner (Bana), the former bodyguard to the prime minister, was chosen as the leader of the
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Plotting the beginning of the end: Avner (Erik Bana) and Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush) discuss the specifics of the Israeli death squad. Ephraim was the only contact Avner had before he and the squad left Israel for Europe. squad and was sent to Europe where the terrorists were believed to be hiding. He was cut off from his family and friends. The film focuses on the effects that the hunt has on his conscience. Bana plays the role to perfection, as no other actor could possibly do. Avner is joined by four teammates: Carl, who cleans up the scene after every death; Steve, the triggerman: Robert, a bomb expert; and Hans who forges letters and documents. Their existence is denied by the government. Paid off the record, they are deemed “officially unofficial.” The squad travels from capital
to capital throughout Europe, individually killing each terrorist. The movie shows in great detail how the squad planted their bombs and the many intricate ways they eliminated the terrorists. The most tension filled part of the film is when the squad waits to trigger a bomb in an apartment where a little girl lives. They fail to see her enter the building and when the group calls the apartment’s phone to blow the bomb, the girl answers. This takes an especially heavy toll on Avner who begins to question why they are doing what they are doing. Spielberg walks a tight line
with the film, showing the desperation and horror of both sides of the conflict. “Jews don’t do wrong because our enemies do wrong,” Avner says in the movie. “If these people have committed crimes, we should arrest them.” The movie is well deserving of its R rating for many explicit scenes of graphic violence including a man getting stabbed in the head with a kitchen knife. The brutal violence adds more realism and humanity to the movie, rather than shock value. Spielberg always said he would never make a movie R-rated unless it was a historical film. “Munich”
looked like some of the violent scenes were removed to keep from making the MPAA’s NC-17 rating. Many people were surprised by the Best Motion Picture nod from the Academy this year; in fact, “Munich” is the best movie of 2005. “Brokeback Mountain” will win the Oscar for Best Motion Picture, but “Munich” deserves it. It takes a traumatizing and tragic event and shows it in a manner that takes no side and puts the blame on both parties involved. “Munich” is Spielberg’s best film since “Schindler’s List,” hands down.
New museum in Oklahoma City offers dark history exhibits Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum For most Americans today, terror first came in the instant on April 19, 1995, when a truck bomb exploded in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring hundreds more. The Enemy Within: Terror in America -1776 to Today, on display at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Feb. 19 to Aug. 6, 2006, shows visitors that since the founding of this nation, we have been under attack from forces Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma City National Memorial within. The history of the U.S., Part 1: German sabotage was to blame for countless The journey through this attacks on U.S. munitions plants and cargo ships carrying munitions to Europe and powerful exhibit is as real as history was designed to prevent the United States from entering World War I. Explore this gets. Visitors explore over 230 years and other acts of terror on U.S. soil and how America reacted in The Enemy Within: of hatred and terror this country Terror in America – 1776 to today. has encountered on its own soil. They will learn about attempts at revolution, sabotage, radicalism, hate, anarchy, and will emerge with pride in a nation that has stood her ground and proven time and time again she will not be The Magic Lantern Film Society Presents defeated. Henry Fonda, Larry Hagman and Walter Matthau star “This exhibit is a powerful example of the in “Fail-Safe,” directed by Sidney Lumet. The film will resilience and tenacity of the American people,” said be screened at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Student Activities Kari Watkins, Oklahoma City National Memorial Building. There is no charge for admission. executive director. “The ability to see what motivates and drives others to violent acts and experiencing the determination of this country to overcome all Senior Art Show obstacles shows visitors the impact of violence and The works of 16 graduating seniors will be showcased at what each person can do to help prevent future acts of the Senior Art Show at the Museum of Great Plains. The terror in America.” opening ceremony will be Saturday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Enemy Within reveals nine major events The exhibit will run until April 2. and periods in U.S. history when Americans were threatened by enemies within its borders. With each Senior Recital major event, guests track the terror as it happened, The Billy Spannagel Senior Recital will be held at 8 p.m. witness how the government and public responded, Friday in the McCutcheon Recital Hall. The music will and examine the challenge of securing the nation feature the works of Bach, Beethoven, Liszt and Ginastera. without compromising the civil liberties upon which it was founded. The questions were developed There is no charge for admission. in consultation with The Gallup Organization. Additional historical questions enable visitors to see
A&E Briefs
how Americans responded to similar questions posed by The Gallup Poll at that time in history. “As Americans, it is important for us to understand why certain people turn to violence as a means to effect change in government,” Watkins said. “We owe it to ourselves and to this country to learn why this happens and to find the means to prevent it in the future. This exhibit is a good step in providing a clearer understanding of these incidents and the reaction of this nation to these threats.” The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum is commemorating the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Memorial Museum by hosting The Enemy Within. It is the first in a series of three national exhibits the museum will display in the coming months. Admission to this special exhibit is free with general Memorial Museum admission. Admission to the Memorial Museum is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $6 for students. Special rates and programs are available for school groups of 10 or more students and adult groups of 20 or more. Memorial Museum hours are Monday - Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket sales end daily at 5 p.m. The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor “those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever” by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected. For more information on the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, call 888.542.HOPE or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.
Planning an event? Let us hear about it at collegian@cameron.edu
Sports
February 27, 2006
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Lady Aggies sweep Panhandle State CU Sports Information
Timely hits and solid pitching produced a pair of victories for the Cameron softball team on Tuesday. Coach Brent Shaw’s squad posted victories of 8-0 and 8-4 over Oklahoma Panhandle State to move to 8-3 over its last 11 games while improving to 8-10 overall. Tuesday’s wins were highlighted by four Lady Aggie homers, including two over the final two innings of the run-rule shortened first game. Shelby Davis led the Cameron hitting attack, finishing the day 5-for-6 with four RBIs, a double, triple and home run. Davis’ leadoff homer in the bottom of the fifth inning of Tuesday’s first contest ignited a five-run inning for the Lady Aggies that led to the game being called by run-rule. In the second game, Davis had a single, double and triple to finish 3-for-3 at the plate while improving her team-leading batting average to .410 this season.
Playing under miserably cold conditions, both teams started out slow. Cameron broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth of Game 1, when Stephanie Bour led the inning off with a home run to left-center and Davis followed a Bethany Stefinsky double with an RBI single up the middle to give the Lady Aggies a 2-0 lead. Cameron broke the game open, however, an inning later. Davis started and finished the inning, leading off with a homer and drilling a bases-loaded single that would have been a bases-clearing triple had Bridgett Davis not represented the winning run at third on the play. Jessica Hutton continued her solid mound work in the opener, improving to 4-6 with the complete-game shutout. Hutton scattered just four hits while striking out seven. In the nightcap, Cameron got on top with a run on a Melinda Farrow’s RBI single. But Jacqueline Cornish led off the top of the third with a triple to the gap and scored
Volleyball all-nighter CU Sports Information/Collegian Staff Coach Dominic Yoder and the CU volleyball team are hosting an all-nighter from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. March 4 at the Cameron Fitness Center. The volleyball players and staff will offer children from grades 2-5 a night full of games, food and fun. Children will be able to swim, participate in different sports-related activities, watch G-rated movies and eat pizza for dinner and doughnuts for breakfast. Other food and beverages will be offered as concessions throughout the evening. Children are should bring a swimsuit and towel, their own sleeping bag and a pillow. This is a fundraising event. There will be a $25 registration fee required for students who register before the date of the event, and it will cost $30 for same-day registration. For registration information, contact Cameron assistant volleyball coach Molly Culhane at 591.8029. Registration forms are available online at www.goaggies.cameron.edu.
on Cathy Daza’s sacrifice bunt to knot the score. The Lady Aggies responded with three runs in the bottom of the third on a three-run homer by Stefinsky, only to see OPSU close the gap to 4-3 on Rachel Hughes’ two-run blast a half-inning later. But Davis doubled in a run in the fourth and Farrow rapped a solo homer in the fifth before Davis and Stefinsky collected their final RBIs of the day in the sixth to give the Lady Aggies a comfortable lead. Panhandle State scored once in the top of the seventh, capitalizing on two Cameron errors, but never threatened as Stefinsky picked up the complete-game victory with six strikeouts and just three earned runs. Cameron returns to action later this week at the annual Lone Star Conference First Pitch Invitational in Irving, Texas. The Lady Aggies will string four games over two days for the event, which begins at 10 a.m. March 24, with the first bought against West Texas A&M.
Photo Courtesy of CU Sports Information
STRIKE: Senior pitcher Jessica Hutton hurls one in to the catcher and adds a strike to the count.
Runners Fun Run/Walk
Upcoming Events Tennis:
Women - 3 p.m., March 1, CU Tennis Complex vs. Oklahoma Baptist University Men - 9 a.m., March 3, CU Tennis Complex vs. Soutwest Baptist University
Baseball:
4 p.m., 2 p.m., March 3 - 4, Stephenville, Texas vs. Tarleton State University
Photo by Nicholas Ackenback
Don’t forget: 9 a.m., March 4, behind McCord field, Cross Country 5 km/1 mi run/walk. CU Cross Country team leads the way for the community to join in their Fun Run/Walk.
Softball:
2 p.m., March 6, Cameron Field, vs. St. Edward’s University
Golf:
March 6 - 7, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., vs. Southern California Intercollegiate
Accomplished dreams prevail at Winter Olympics There is one thing to be said: If you seek to fulfill a dream, and you work hard to make that dream come true, you will prevail. Whether it started out as a joke, or an unspoken aspiration, on March 18 in Turin, Italy, Shani Davis fulfilled his dream. In an article written by George Diaz, KRT Newswire, Davis said, “Ever since I was a kid, I used to joke around with my friend and say, ‘Man one day I want to win the meters.’ I had an Christina Frye 1,000 opportunity to chase that dream (today).” No other person in the world can claim his most recent accomplishment, and that was to become the first black American man to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympic games. As a young man who grew up in Chicago, Davis overcame many hurdles to achieve his dream. Encouraged by his mother, Cherie Davis, he began running at the age of six to begin strengthening his body, in preparation for the sport of speed skating. According to Dave Hyde, KRT Newswire, Shani’s hard work paid off and Shani encouraged children to seek out their own dreams. “It (winning the gold) showed that all the hard work and all the sacrifice paid off. Kids in general, if you put your mind to it and you believe it, you can achieve it,” Shani said. This story of honor and class touches the heart of every American who has a dream, and who plans to accomplish something in his or her life. Christina is a mathematics/journalism senior and is the sports editor for The Collegian. She didn’t make the Olympic team, but she can always dream.
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Dreams do come true: USA speed skater Shani Davis won the gold in the 1,000 meter speed skating event Feb. 18.
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The Back Page
February 27, 2006
Photos by Sarah Warren