COLLEGIAN THE CA M ERON U N I V ER SIT Y
Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926
Monday, September 15, 2008
News
Volume 83 Issue 3
CU Art student makes his mark “Graffiti progressed from vandalism into moneymaking,” — Dallas Morgandale Art senior
CU professor makes movies part of his life.
Photos by Kerry Myers
Colorful work: Senior Art major Dallas Morgandale paints a mural at Yogadotcalm, Lawton’s newest yoga studio. Morgandale’s art can be seen in many different locations in Lawton and Cameron University.
By Kerry Myers
SEE PAGE 4
Collegian Staff
A&E
Magic Lantern Film Society brings classic movies into focus. SEE PAGE 7
Sports
Tom Brady takes a big hit at the beginning of the NFL season. SEE PAGE 9
Photo by Dallas Morgandale
He makes it look easy. Dallas Morgandale, a senior majoring in art at Cameron, is not your typical artist, or your typical student for that matter. He is a student by day, and an artist by night. Morgandale was born with art running through his veins. At a very young age, Morgandale started to become more aware of his surroundings. At age five, he began to realize that he artistic talent. He spent his free time painting racecars and sketching on notebook paper to play “war” with his classmates. When Morgandale was 15 years old, he began getting into graffiti. Even though it was vandalism, he recognized that his newfound hobby showcased
By Alexis Del Ciello Collegian Staff If you have ever wondered what treated animal skin, iron gall ink, 39 men and 221 years have to do with Cameron University, you are about to find your questions answered. Iron gall was used to write and sign a defining document in U.S. history by 39 men on Sept. 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, and in celebration of this historic event CU will celebrate Constitution Day at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 with a panel discussion in the Shepler Ballroom. This is the first event in the CU Centennial Political Science Forum Series and will be co-sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. CU Assistant Professor of Political Science Dr. Tony Wohlers began planning CU’s Constitution Day in February. “It is law-mandated by the federal government that public institutions have some sort of event commemorating the signing of the Constitution,” Dr. Wohlers said. Citizenship Day officially became Constitution Day in 2004 as part of the U.S. Omnibus spending
bill. Constitution Day at CU will view the U.S. Constitution through the eyes of Native Americans. The keynote speaker is Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chad Smith. Panelists are President of Comanche Nation College, Dr. Kim Winkelman, OK District 62 Representative T.W. Shannon, OK District 27 Representative Shane Jett and Assistant Professor of Political Science, Dr. Aaron Mason from Northwestern Oklahoma State. The event will be moderated by CU Professor of Political Science, Dr. Melody Huckaby. “We are very happy to have the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chad Smith. He will give a general overview about Native Americans in relation to the U.S. Constitution,” Dr. Wohlers said. “Except for Aaron Mason, there is one thing that binds the panelists. They all have Native American backgrounds. Mason, as an academic, does research in the area of Native Americans.”
See CONSTITUTION Page 2
Graphic by Jim Horinek
SGA President has big plans for the year By Megan Mefford Newswriting Student
SEE PAGE 5
See ARTIST Page 2
Political Science to host Constitution Day
Voices
Dumbed down media offers insight into problems in America.
his extreme talents and he began to work on getting himself recognized. “Graffiti progressed from vandalism into moneymaking,” Morgandale said. Starting in 1996, Morgandale has painted many murals that can be seen on the sides of buildings in Lawton. The Downtown Coffee House, Kindercastle Day Care and Salon International are just a few that he has worked on. Mordandale recently performed touch-ups to the “Welcome to Lawton” sign on the west side of town, and his most recent project involved painting a lotus blossom on the wall of Yogadotcalm, Lawton’s newest yoga studio. Earlier this year Morgandale was featured in the Great Plains Museum Senior Exhibition where he presented a fragmented
art exhibition and shared much of his work in motion graphics. The fragmented art exhibit featured “tiles” that are individually painted and then strategically placed together to become an entire piece of artwork. Motion graphics is one of the more technological side of the art world because it uses video and animation to create the illusion of movement. “I really enjoy doing motion graphics,” Morgandale said. “I plan to make a career out of this.” Morgandale is already a profitable artist and has enormous experience in canvas paintings, concept development, portrait paintings, signs and advertisement. He is constantly on the go, moving from project to project. Watching Morgandale paint, particularly a large mural, it becomes obvious that he does his work with ease .
Photo by Megan Mefford
Call to order: SGA President Jessica Daoang hopes that she can make many positive changes to Cameron while she is in office.
Jessica Daoang, Cameron University’s Student Government Association President, has many plans for SGA this year. Daoang currently serves as the president for two organizations on Cameron’s campus: the Student Government Association and Alpha Phi, a sorority promoting sisterhood and lifelong friendships. Daoang is also a member of both the Law and Politics Club and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). Daoang, double majoring in Accounting and Marketing, is completing her last year at Cameron University. “I love Cameron. Faculty,
staff, everyone’s been great to me, and I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities that I think I would not have gotten at a larger school,” Daoang said. Daoang plans to pursue a Masters degree in Business Administration and then go on to law school where she is considering focusing on family practice. “I am very passionate about helping people,” she said. Daoang lives on a horse ranch east of Lawton with her family. Family is a very important piece of her life she said, and she loves spending time with them. Daoang also spends much of her time studying, which she stated she actually enjoys. Along with her studies, she has many other varied interests. Daoang said she has a passion for singing, helping
with her youth group at her church, traveling, going to the beach and the color pink. Daoang was elected SGA President for the 2008 and 2009 school year this past spring. She already has many plans for the organization and is ready and excited about the new year. With 63 interested attendees at the first meeting, Daoang said she is hopeful for a big turnout this semester. One of Daoang’s main goals for the year is to get more organizations on campus involved in student government. Each campus organization is allowed one representative.
See DAOANG Page 2
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September 15, 2008
ARTIST continued from page 1 The outcome of his projects is predictable — expect them to turn out just right. Morgandale is a bit of a perfectionist. “I believe everyone was born with some type of special talent,” Morgandale said. “It’s just about taking time out to seek your talents, you may be able to achieve something that you once thought was out of reach.” Morgandale has been attending Cameron University since 2002, and is anticipating graduation in December. After graduation, he plans to expand and keep learning
new types of art and forms of expression. “Tattooing is another art form that I would really like to explore,” Morgandale said. “It takes is a lot of practice and a need to express yourself creatively. I feel a strong desire to experiment with many types of art forms after graduation.” Morgandale is open for business, and for those interested in his work, he can be contacted at 512.1121. “I am constantly taking on new projects; it is what keeps me alive,” he said. Photo by Kerry Myers
DAOANG continued from page 1 However, Daoang said not every campus organization currently has one. Daoang also wants to increase individual student involvement to create a more diverse opinion and to gather more ideas on how to better CU. Cameron’s SGA attends the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature every year. Students learn about parliamentary procedure while they debate and vote on legislation brought by students at the conference. Daoang has plans for Cameron’s SGA to present legislation at this upcoming session at the Oklahoma capitol. “Cameron has so many ideas; our students have so many ideas,” she said. Daoang plans to add a few new positions to CU’s SGA this year. Daoang said she would like to add more than one Freshman Liaison and a Parliamentarian. The Freshman Liaisons would assist freshman SGA members with understanding the legislation being discussed and answer any questions about the legislative process. The
Parliamentarian would be available to the SGA body to answer any and all questions regarding parliamentary procedure. Other legislation ideas Daoang expects to see this year involve recycling, parking, building updates, a campus nurse and fitness center policies. Some past examples of changes on campus that CU SGA had a hand in are the Cameron Village, sidewalks and parking permits. Daoang encourages all students to be involved and voice their opinion. She suggests students should become a representative their organizations or run for senator for their academic school. If students who are not in SGA have ideas for legislation or questions, they can contact their representative, academic school senator or the SGA office located in the Student Activities Building. Daoang said that every CU student is welcome to attend SGA meetings at 5:15 p.m. on Mondays in the Science Complex, Room 100, to see what is going on in Student Government.
CONSTITUTION continued from page 1 Wohlers said Constitution Day is not only a time to showcase what CU does to reach out to the public and to the students, but also to emphasize that the U.S. Constitution is not something to take for granted. “If you think about this document, it is the oldest existing constitution,” Wohlers said. “From a German perspective I really appreciate such an accomplishment. In the last 200 years Germany has gone through different political systems. But here you have a country whose constitution is basically working to this day. It has been changed through the amendment process, but just looking at that is amazing to me. There are fundamental ideas in the U.S. Constitution we have to cherish. Given its flexibility, it is a document that has survived as other country’s political systems have come and gone. That is what makes it important.” It is of equal importance is that Americans understand the Constitution; if it is taken for granted, it is possible to not be able to see eye to eye with other points of view. For example, the views of Native Americans. “How Native Americans have been treated is something that this country must deal with more closely. What does it mean for the Native Americans to live under the U.S. Constitution?” Wohlers said. Continuing the program, the next CU Centennial Political Science Series Forum will analyze the 2008 local, state and national elections on November 6.
September 15, 2008
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September 15, 2008
Professor makes movies part of his life By Brooke Whiteley Newswriting Student Dr. Matt Jenkins has not only seen a great deal of success in the teaching field; he has also experienced success in movie making. Dr. Jenkins, a Professor of Communication here at Cameron University, really does teach from his own experiences. Before coming to Cameron 12 years ago, Dr. Jenkins worked at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. For Dr. Jenkins, making movies has always played a major role in his life. “Since I was a kid I wanted to make movies. I remember stealing my father’s movie camera and going around the neighborhood,” Dr. Jenkins said. Over the last 12 years, Dr. Jenkins has made about 19 movies. His movie “The Last Dive,” received several awards including best sci-fi/ thriller and best Oklahoman movie. Dr. Jenkins latest movie “Where’s Dookie Cannata,” is a movie that he made in the spring. Dr. Jenkins wrote it in an attempt to merge two of his favorite film styles. “I love movies like film noir and screwball comedies. This movie has a combination of the two,” Dr. Jenkins said.
People will have the opportunity to watch “Where’s Dookie Cannata” in the fall when it premieres at the Park Tavern in Medicine Park. The movie will be entered into film festivals around Oklahoma. For summer semesters Dr. Jenkins teaches a class called Producing the Documentary. In this class, students have the ability to create their own project. “Producing the Documentary gives Cameron students as close to a real world experience as possible in a non-news area,” Dr. Jenkins said. Students enrolled in the class have eight weeks to interview different people about the subject, shoot footage, edit and promote the documentary. For the months of June and July, students and Dr. Jenkins are on the road every weekend working on their documentary. When the documentary is finished, Dr. Jenkins enters it into film festivals. Not only do students gain knowledge of the movie making business from this class they also gain tough skin. “When you make a movie you have to experience your film being screened by other people. This is a good way for my students to experience audience’s good and bad reactions to the movie,” Dr. Jenkins
Photo by Jim Horinek
In the spotlight (Right to left): Associate professor of Communications Dr. Matt Jenkins, R/TV senior Melissa Laundre and R/TV junior Anna Hataway make preparations before filming. said. Between being a father, teaching classes, producing four Cameron University news productions and making his own movies, Dr. Jenkins lives a hectic life that he loves every minute of.
Dr. Jenkins does not plan to slow down anytime soon. He is already working on making another movie. He hopes to start production for his next movie in the fall of 2009., but
this time he wants to do something he has never done before. “I want to produce a feature length horror movie that I hope to get distributed,” Dr. Jenkins said.
At the helm: Communication Professor Dr. Matt Jenkins mans the controls in the CUTV studio. Dr. Jenkins teaches a variety of communication course and also produces his own movies in his spare time.
Image couresty of Dr. Jenkins
Correction: In the Sept. 8 issue of the Collegian, Dr. Matt Jenkins was incorrectly quoted to have said that the CUTV equipment was outdated. The quote should have read “We are constantly updating our equipment in order to stay up to date with technology. The University does a great job of making sure that the program is provided with the best equipment.” The Collegian staff regrets this error.
Voices
September 15, 2008
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Insulting entertainment is insulting
American pop culture standards hit new low
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dumbed down their messages in order to appeal to the largest possible consumer base. No doubt you’ve seen commercials for intellectual travesties such as “Disaster Movie,” and I only hope that you walked away from your television feeling slighted. The latest in a poor movie franchise, “Disaster Movie” is yet another addition to a long string of entertainment vehicles that cater to shock humor and punching subtlety in the jaw. I won’t lie. I didn’t see the movie. The commercials ran during every commercial break, drilling what will rank as one of mankind’s most awful crimes into my retinas. With poor acting, predictable plotlines, non-existent humor and a budget that only a high school theatre program would find admirable, movies like this one are dotting the market like putrid reminders of how we allow ourselves to be told what is worth watching. Seriously, you could gather that much information just from the commercials. Now, ask yourself how bad a movie has to be to come off as that transparent. Of course, the real travesty isn’t the movie, even though the mere existence of films like these should offend every single one of us. The true crime is that as bad as these films are, movie studios still find themselves MCT Campus
ith all of the great things that being an American brings, there are still a few downsides that come along with the package, and recently they’ve only been getting more prevalent, and none more so than the constant belittling of the American intelligence. Chances are you can watch television for a single commercial break and see examples of how our media have
turning a profit on an hour and a half long fart joke. With minimal talent and planning and a concise knowledge of how to make the American consumer bite onto their filthy hooks, movie studios continue to churn out the most terrible movies to grace the screen since “Howard the Duck” or “Battlefield: Earth.” Even sadder is that these movies are just the tip of the iceberg. Even advertisers are just giving up on putting effort into their campaigns. Life Water, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, recently started airing commercials that strain the limits of just how little effort you can put into something before you cause some sort of paradox and collapse our solar system into a singularity. Every time I see the commercials I like to imagine what their board meetings look like. They’ve spent all their money on CGI geckos and had to fire the writers, but they still have access to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and a good looking woman so they went with the least imaginative and poorly planned advertising campaign ever. I wonder sometimes if Life Water includes the vague taste of the advertising industry’s boot. I’ll bet it goes down smooth. Right about now, people are probably reading this column and silently stating the obvious to themselves. These are businesses.
John Robertson
They should be looking to make money. It’s what the industry is about. Of course, they’re right. These poor attempts at seducing the American public are definitely about making money and turning profit, but where does the consumer draw the line? Should we not be offended that these studios assume that these awful blights upon our screens are what the public wants? Doesn’t there come a time when people would rather be bored than go to a movie theatre and commit cerebral suicide by watching 2 hours of the most painfully unfunny bits of cinema to ever meander into the public consciousness? The answer is probably a resounding “no”, but not because Americans are actually stupid. It’s because we’re told we are, and there’s a difference. Right now, our biggest problem is that we’re so plugged into what we see and read from our media sources, that we don’t MCT Campus question what the industry shows us. We don’t question what information we ingest anymore. The media tells us what we like, they tell us what we are willing to accept and when they tell us that Americans are viewed as less than intelligent by the rest of the world or that 50 percent of us can’t name any of the Founding Fathers, we accept it and move on. We don’t question bias, we don’t ask if the findings could have been skewed; we simply assume that our news sources are right, and that’s the problem. This isn’t a call to revolution. If anything, this is an angry rant disguised as a well thought out
Restaurant says ‘arrivederci’ to old location Progression is very important in society today, but lately there have been some changes around Lawton that I think are unnecessary, and they make me wonder if change is actually a good thing. Many of you may have heard the buzz around town concerning the 2nd Street Renovation Project. From my understanding, within the next five years the private land owners are planning to sell many of the lots that run up and down 2nd Street to Central Mall to hopefully build a convention center, entertainment center, some shopping plazas and a couple of new restaurants. About two years ago, Rose Bianco, owner of Bianco’s Italian Restaurant, was told that she was going to have to leave the building that she had been operating her business out of for nearly 57 years. When she was first approached about the project, Bianco’s first thoughts were that she was going to have to find a place to
move her business to immediately. Bianco said that she thought about it for a couple of days and she decided that she wanted to stay here and fight. She had been here this long, and she was not leaving. Most of the regular customers at Bianco’s have been eating there for years. According to Rose, there are a few families that come in that have had four generations who have been raised on food from her restaurant. There are many people in this area that are attached to Bianco’s, and I hope that the general public can understand that Bianco’s is special in its own way, and has changed little since it first opened. If a new building
is built, Rose plans to keep the décor as close as possible to how it remains today. Bianco and her husband, John, came to the Lawton area in late 1949 from Amsterdam, New York. John Bianco was serving in the military and was stationed at Fort Sill for a short time prior to 1949, and after he was no longer in the military he decided that he loved the town so much that he wanted to stay and raise his family and start a business. Bianco’s officially opened for business on Feb. 2, 1952. Much like today, their menu consisted of basic Italian dishes such as spaghetti, lasagna, salads and other familiar dishes. According to Rose, business was not so good at start up. “We lost money,” Rose said. “Until we got our pizza oven. We ordered it from Vermont and it took months to get here. After that, people started coming in from all over just to try our pizza. We served the first pizza in Lawton.” Now, after nearly two years of trying to reach an agreement with the project leaders, they offered her a lease to a new building, but Bianco refused the offer. There is speculation about a new restaurant being built in the place of the current
Kerry Myers
one possibly within the next five years. If they do get the opportunity to rebuild, Bianco plans to keep the décor as close as possible to how it remains today. “The public wants it to stay the same, and I will try my hardest to keep it as close as possible,” Bianco said. I don’t know about you, but I love my pizza, and many say that John Bianco brought pizza to Lawton. I think that the family should get the respect that they deserve for being such a long and successful running business. Rose takes such pride that her business has been running for 56 years, and has become deeply attached to that building. Her whole family was raised in the restaurant. “I have become close friends with many of the regulars,” said Bianco. “Many of my customers have been coming in for all their lives.” Whether it has been 10 years or 10 days since your last visit, you should not notice little change at Bianco’s. I think that it speaks worlds of Bianco’s courage that she stood up to for her rights as a business owner and refused to leave. She held out long enough, and she got what she wanted. Rose is not just another ordinary woman bringing extraordinary joy into people’s lives, but she is also a savvy businesswoman. More importantly, she’s a person who is strong enough to stand up for her rights. There is one thing that we know as far as the near future is concerned — Bianco’s isn’t going anywhere. So fear not; your pizza and garlic dressing will remain a staple in Lawton’s history for many years to come.
criticism of what I see as flagrantly insulting trespasses on the intelligence of the average American, but perhaps I’m in the minority. It’s no more my place to tell people what to do or think than it is the advertising industry’s, and if you laughed yourself silly watching “Disaster Movie” while drinking a case of Life Water, then more power to you, but the next time you’re watching television, question what you see and question how it affects you. With the media pushing further and further into our lives, it’s important to start deeply criticizing what we’re told, and there’s no time like the present.
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief - Joshua Rouse News Editor - Jim Horinek A&E Editor - Bira Vidal Sports Editor - Bennett Dewan Copy Editor - John Robertson
Newsroom Staff Ads Manager - Kerry Myers Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Alexis Del Ciello, Taylor Brunwald
Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Keller
Newswriting Students Brooke Adams, Aduke Adesida, Kathryn Batule, Brandy Belew, Lauren Bennett, Greg Boxell, Taylor Brunwald, Justin Cliburn, Jeramy Eidson, Monica Garner, Anna Hataway, Jennifer Knapp, Kyle Luetters, Diana Lujan, Megan Mefford, Solitaire Merrill, Mary Oliver, Kyndle Palmer, Nicole Roames, Chelsea Robertson, Melissa Rodgers, Saman Samii, Meagan Searcy, Rashmi Thapaliya, Raven Weiss, Brooke Whiteley, Nikki Yowell
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 e-mail 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. 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.
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‘India Nite’ presents Indian culture to Southwest Oklahoma By Bira Vidal Collegian Staff Bollywood, the Taj Mahal and Hinduism are all well-known facets of Indian culture, but this week Cameron University students will experience the culture first hand with a special event hosted by the Cameron’s School of Business. At 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, the School of Business will host the annual “India Nite” at the CU Fitness Center. The event will bring India to CU for a fourth successful year. According to Dr. T. K. Bhattacharya, Business professor and event chair, “India Nite” is prepared to introduce Indian culture to both the Lawton and Cameron communities. The event will be a rich opportunity for attendees to experience some of the Indian cuisine, culture and traditions. “The goal of the [event] is to raise awareness of India among Cameron students and members of the Lawton/Fort Sill community,” Dr. Bhattacharya said. “India and the United States are the two largest democracies in the world and are of strategic importance to each other.” “India Nite” will also link the Centennial Celebration to the Indian culture. This year’s speaker and musicians are coming from different parts of the globe to give students and the community insight about the importance of India in the current world and to fill the night with traditional Indian music.
“We got a super stellar cast of people [to the event] because of the Centennial year,” Dr. Bhattacharya said. “The speaker is a brilliant, very eminent individual, [and] the musicians are highly ranked.” The event will feature Dr. Pradeep Yadav, University of Oklahoma’s Chair in Finance and Professor of Finance, as the main speaker. He plans to bring a message to the audience about the emerging role of
the Indian economy in the world. Dr. Yadav has contributed with personal research in some fields in Finance such as Market Infrastructure and Risk Management and has held positions as VicePresident (2003) and President (2004) of the European Finance Association. Dr. Yadav is originally from India. For the entertainment segment of the night, Ramesh Mishra and Ustad
Khan will perform classical Indian music. Mishra will play the sarangi, a unique instrument that requires both skill and dedication from the musician. He had previously received training from his father, a master of the sarangi. Khan will be presenting his musical talents while performing the table, a percussion instrument that he is world renowned for due to his special dexterity. The instrument is
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Monumental culture: The School of Business will share with the community aspects of the Indian culture, economy and politics through ‘India Nite.’ The event will happen at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
made of a pair of hand drums that are unequal in sizes and tones. Khan has performed in different countries and has become famous through showcasing his talent at concerts and festivals. “[Ramesh Mishra] is from India. Ustad is from Pakistan, but his roots go back to when India and Pakistan were a single country. [Just as] Bangladesh, Butan and Nepal are all from the Indian subcontinent,” Dr. Bhattacharya said. According to the “India Nite” schedule, performances will take place after dinner, authentic Indian cuisine, is served to the attendees. Oklahoma City’s Indian restaurant Ajanta Cuisine of India will be catering the dinner for the 200 guests. Cameron students will also have the special opportunity to know more about India’s past and future in today’s world. “Global awareness is an important part of student learning, [and “India Nite”] is a good international exposure. [It will provide possible] business opportunities in India and exposure to India’s rich culture,” Dr. Bhattacharya said. Tickets are for sale in the School of Business from the department secretary at North Shepler room 713 or through phone at 581.2267. Students and members of the Lawton community are encouraged to call, reserve tickets and pick them up. Tickets have sold out in previous years, and no tickets will be available at the gate.
‘World in flames’ brings out destructive personality in everyone By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff No doubt many of us have had the insatiable urge to blow something up. Don’t lie, you know it’s true. We’re college students after all. When you spend hours upon hours of studying for that horrific economics test coming up or pile the books on for the Biology final, calling in an airstrike and dropping a tactical nuke on an unsuspecting town sounds like a plan. Of course, you could never do this in real life. Imagine how hard it would be to get hold of a tactical nuke, let alone find the means to detonate it safetly. But fear not, EA Games has heard your call. And for the low price of $59.99 and an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, you can drop all the happy bombs you want to on those poor digital souls. “Mercenaries 2: World in Flames” is the epitome of sandbox gameplay in video games. You can go anywhere, do anything and blow up anything you want. See that capitol building in the background? Have a hankering to blow it up? Call in an airstrike from your drunk pilot and watch it crumble into a pile of rocks. If you’re really methodical, or just plain bored, you can tell your helicopter pilot to drop off a box of RPG ammunition and continue shooting the building until it blows up. Or, you can crash cars into it until it blows up. At its core, “Mercenaries 2” is just about blowing a bunch of stuff up and listening to the corny 80’s dialogue while you’re doing it. There is a story though, however thin it might be. You
have a choice of playing as one of three mercenaries: Mattias, a Swedish-born former biker with a love for destruction and 80s one-liners; Christopher, a jaded former Delta Force operative with a sound moral code; and Jennifer, a former MI6 operative who became a mercenary for the cash. The gameplay is standard for thirdperson sandbox games like “Grand Theft Auto.” You carry two weapons at a time with limited ammo. Your health is in the bottom left corner of the screen and is shown as a number. It starts off at 100 and lowers when you take damage. If you get hit too much, the screen goes red and you start hearing your heart beat. The game also does some kind of zoom in and out feature with the camera that can give you a headache if you’ve been playing very long. Luckily, your health regenerates fairly quickly; it’s something you’ll need when there are 20 or 30 soldiers shooting at you at the same time. You can hijack just about any vehicle in the game on land, sea or in the air. Most of the smaller vehicles like passenger cars or motorcycles can be stolen with the push of a button. The larger ones like tanks and helicopters have a QTE sequence that you have to go through before you can take possession of them. While the gameplay is fairly solid, it’s still lacking in a lot of areas. The melees are extremely overpowered and can kill with one hit. There’s no crouch button in the game. Instead, you have to push a button to zoom in on the gun, which then causes your character to crouch slightly. Jumping is extremely floaty. Either these mercs are former basketball players or they’re fighting for a Venezeulan country on the moon. There’s just no weight to
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the characters. Fall damage is another thing that seems to be buggy. Jump off the side of a mountain and land, you might not take any damage. Slide down a small hill and hit a rock and your health might fall 20 points. It’s completely random and untested. If you’re low on health, just hop in a vehicle. By the time you get out, you’ll be back to normal. If there is one feature that puts “Mercenaries 2” above similar games, it’s the destruction system. Anything and everything can be blown up and razed. Entire oil fields can be utterly destroyed with a simple artillery strike even if the unpolished framerate will drop to a snail’s pace crawl and you’ll miss the majesty. While blowing everything up can be fun for a while, it does get boring and monotnous after a while. That’s why you can bring a friend in to alleviate the boredom, if only for a while. When you sign into the game, it creates a server that anyone can search for and join at any time. The co-op feature is seemless and people can come and go without any hitches in the game, except the problems they cause. “Mercenaries 2” plays factions against each other in the game. You’ll work with the guerilla army as they attempt to overthrow the new regime, the United Petroleum company as they try to capitalize on the coup in the oil market, a group of pirates that just wants to cause chaos, western allies and the Chinese. It sounds like a fun setup. If only it were. Steal one tank of oil from United Petroleum and you’ll anger them to the point where they’ll hunt you down in their territory and try to kill you. That will also lock out any missions you still have left for them until you please them again by blowing up one of their targeted buildings or capture one of their fugitives. Blow up a pirate ship and the friendly waters of Venezeula won’t be so friendly. It doesn’t help that the majority of the missions pit you against another faction, and the smallest action will send them into a
rage. The characters are more like caricatures. Their personalities are over-exagerated to the point where they’re almost insultingly stupid. Mattias, the main character of the series, sports a ridiculous-looking mohawk and is voiced by the always over-the-top Peter Stormare. He says some of the dumbest things in the heat of battle like “oh, snipers...really bad snipers,” which sounds absolutely dumb when there’s no one sniping at you. The game’s developer, Pandemic, obviously didn’t play-test the dialogue during the Q&A process. Every time you leave the mansion in the game, you’re told over your communicator about the roads that travel all over the island and things that you can do while you’re out and about. While the information might be somewhat useful when you first start the game, hearing it when you’re leaving the mansion to go on your final mission is very annoying. It gets even worse when you enter another area of the island and are told the entire backstory of the guerilla army or the United Petroleum company. Even with the awful voice acting and dialogue, there are some profound sound effects throughout the game. Hook your Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 up to your digital stereo surround sound system and you can hear a war going on around you in 5.1 digital sound. After destroying a building, the entire room will shake as the structure crumbles and kicks up a cloud of dust. Sadly though, it seems as if Pandemic spent the majority of the three-year development period polishing the explosions. Graphically, the game is serviceable. It’s not ugly by any means, but it’s not as impressive looking as other sandbox games like “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Crackdown.” The graphical disappointment is countered by the amazing destruction system and immense size of the gameworld. The island is utterly huge and is
still undiscovered by the halfway point of the game. The only problem is the lack of things to do. You can hop in a car and drive around for a while or grapple a helicopter and kill some time, but the missions are sparse and repetitive. While the game is fun, there are some annoyingly bad design choices. Airstrikes and bombing runs are cool, but you have to get so close to the target to mark it that you’ll either get shot up really bad, or you’ll get caught up in your own blast. Either way, you could easily die, and even if you don’t you’ll probably get stuck in the rubble and have to spend five or 10 minutes squatting and crawling around until you’re lucky enough to find a hole. The A.I. is completely braindead. Many of the missions require you to escort someone who makes Forrest Gump look like Stephen Hawking. Try to get them into your jeep and they’ll just stand next to it or run into the hood continuously. Try to shield them from fire and they’ll run into the middle of the battlefield. There’s just no end to the stupidity. “Mercenaries 2: World in Flames” is a good game that had the potential to be great. There’s no doubt it will sell well and provide a lot of fun hours for owners, but the small things just hold it back from its potential. Annoying bugs and glitches like disappearing vehicles and non-existent mission objectives can make you pull your hair out, but if you can get past the problems you can probably find a good game buried in there somewhere. It’s a lot of fun in small doses. If you try for much more than that or look for something more than what is there, you’ll come off feeling disappointed and cheated. “Mercenaries 2: World in Flames” is available on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 as well as the Playstation 2 and PC.
A&E
September 15, 2008
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Magic Lantern gives classic films new screen By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff In its 27th year, the Magic Lantern Film Society is still showing Cameron students the wonder of classic films. The student-run organization, which is sponsored by Dr. John Morris, shows an assortment of older, critically appraised films throughout the fall and spring semesters. Just because a film is old does not mean contemporary audiences should not appreciate it, Morris said. “These movies are an important part of our culture,” he said. “And sometimes we show movies that have such a cult following despite them being so bad. We showed ‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’ and that’s considered one of the worst movies ever.” The movies are screened monthly in the Student Activities Building. Popcorn and refreshments are provided for a fun-filled evening. Dr. Morris said comfortable seating is provided so students can enjoy the movie and its preceding serial. “We want to replicate the feeling of the old theater, so we show these short serials in front of each screening,” he said. “The funny thing is how bad they really are. We showed ‘Jungle Girl’ last
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Batman begins: The Magic Lantern Society starts the year with the progressive screening of the 1943 “Batman” serial. The club is supported through donations and bring to students the old passion of films. year in front of our movies and it was possibly one of the worst things I have ever seen.” The serials are spread out over the course of the year’s showings. To get the full story, one has to attend every movie screening. Dr. Morris has heard students ask
others to take notes on the serial so they can get the full story. “I laugh and just say ‘guess what happens’ because they’re so predictable and corny,” he said. This year, Magic Lantern is showing the 1943 “Batman” serial, which stars Lewis Wilson
and Douglas Croft. The Magic Lantern film screenings are free to all Cameron students. However, Dr. Morris said the society does accept donations, which helps the showings to continue each year. “We are run off donations and
are non-profit,” he said. “People donating out of kindness is what brings us back every year.” If a student has a movie they would like screened at the Magic Lantern, Dr. Morris said the society is open to ideas from its viewers. The next year’s schedule is chosen at a meeting during the spring when they consider everyone’s suggestions. The suggested movie has to be at least 10 years-old and be critically acclaimed. “We show different genre films and usually a couple of foreignlanguage films,” he said. “We like to think of ourselves as easy-going and we’ll consider suggestions from people.” Each year, new faces show up to the Magic Lantern screenings. Dr. Morris said he is proud that new students come in and see movies that were made before many were born. Some times people do not appreciate older films and the Magic Lantern screenings help alleviate that problem. “We showed ‘Some Like it Hot’ a couple of years ago and this young man in the front row wanted to know if it was in color,” Dr. Morris said. “I told him it wasn’t and he kind of wrinkled his nose. But after he saw the movie, he couldn’t stop laughing.”
Fall TV season saves viewers from boredom By Bira Vidal Collegian Staff As the popular wisdom states, “after a storm, comes a calm.” But this age-old saying is getting a whole new meaning with this fall’s television return with producers chanting “after a strike, comes abundant entertainment.” The nation will never forget the strike that shut down most television studios in the famous and sunny LA last year. The Writers Guild of America strike lasted 100 days and brought not only angst to television producers, but also boredom to common people that prayed more than ever to bring television back to its course. But fear no more. Television shows are back this fall with the
full potential to take control of the entertainment industry, and critics are saying this season may be the best in years. Even television producers are optimistic about the fall and say that the strike gave the writers new inspiration to kick the season off with the right foot. Some networks opted to start their fall line-up in the early beginning of September. The CW network launched Monday’s “Gossip Girl” on Sept. 1 and Tuesday’s new fall hype “90210” on Sept. 2. CW producers and writers are giving
special care to these two shows due to the expectations, both of quality and high ratings, demanded of the new season. “Gossip Girl” came in the fall of 2007. The show ranked as the most talked about new show of the year. Why? Gather teen drinking, stylish lifestyle and sex (a lot of it) and the show is good to go. But ratings were still a little shaky, so
Graphic by Bira Vidal
producers did what they do best, reinvented. They brought in new characters and wrote a spicier plot. On the other hand, some networks decided to hold their content until they could build up the audience’s expectations. ABC posted their schedule online giving its returning shows an extended vacation. Most shows on ABC will premiere in the last weeks of September. “Grey’s Anatomy” will come back on Sept. 25 and “Desperate Housewives” on Sept. 28. NBC will have its fair share of good shows for the fall. The network has the most balanced schedule on TV primetime. Meshing drama with comedy, the network will bring back “Heroes” on Sept. 22, “Chuck” on Sept. 29 and “Life” on Sept. 29. A new show worth checking out is the remake of “Knight Rider” set to premiere on Sept. 24. This fall will not only bring returning shows but different options of new shows. Fox will be the home of “Fringe” on Sept. 9, a new show from J. J. Adams that deals with the power of science stacked against the human race. NBC will split personalities in “My Own Worst Enemy” on Oct. 13 and ABC will turn back time with “Life on Mars” on Oct. 9. But when comparing to last year’s fall line-up, the audience can perceive the networks decision to stick to shows that made through their first year. Last fall, 27 new shows opened
the season. After the writers’ strike shook things up in LA, only 11 out of those 27 shows survived. This year, networks have decided to stay below the 20line with the amount of new shows. Critics found the decision smart, especially because TV has encountered its safe ground with last year’s returning shows. The fall line-up is full of drama and comedy. However, every audience believes that men shall not live by drama and comedy alone, but by every reality show that comes out of the TV set. And after the strike, reality TV literally became a reality in every household. “Dancing with the Stars” will kick off ABC’s reality show set on Sept. 24 with hot routines and hotter stars. The CW already started its eleventh cycle of “America’s Next Top Model” on Sept. 3 with Tyra Banks and CBS premiered “Survivor” on Sept. 18, but will start “The Amazing Race” on Sept. 28. The writers’ strike served as a reality check to show television producers that they needed to drastically increase the quality of their shows. Some shows declined in the number of viewers because of poor writing and incoherence plotlines. But analyzing the fall season ahead, it’s looking as though TV will not disappoint.
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September 15, 2008
First home game is coming soon By Bennett Dewan Collegian Staff
Photo courtesy of Community Relations
Welcom to the goldmine: Aggie mascot Ole Kim sits waiting for the athletic season to start up again. The CU volleyball team will be returning to the Aggie Gym for their first home game this season at 7:00 on September, 18th.
Get ready to get loud. Dust off all of your Aggie attire and get prepared. The first home game of the 2008 volleyball season is almost upon us. Soon the Cameron University Aggies will be christening the Aggie Gym for yet another Lone Star Conference championship run. When the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Bulldogs enter the Aggie Gym on Thursday it will mark the opening game for LSC play and the first Cameron home stand after an eleven game road trip opened the season. The Bulldogs team was hit hard by the graduation of six seniors from the last season. Entering the season with few proven leaders, the Bulldogs dropped their first four games. As the lady Bulldogs begin to mesh as a team, their play has
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vastly improved, leading to a three match-winning streak. They have seemingly righted their sinking season after starting 2-5. Much of the accolades can be bestowed upon number four, Junior Setter Kristen Kaufman. She has 232 assists this season to lead the team. She is unquestionably the team leader on defense with a squad best 74 digs. The lady Bulldogs were ranked 10th in the LSC conference preseason coach’s poll. Recently the team moved in to sixth place in the standings after some impressive showings in their last few games. The Bulldogs and Aggies have played one common opponent in the early going of this season, the Pittsburg State University Gorillas. Although CU lost the match, they pushed the Division II number 17 ranked Gorillas to four hard fought games. The Aggies were the first team this season and one of two this year to a set against PSU. The four sets played out 2225, 25- 23, 21-25, and 16-25. The SWOSU Bulldogs did not fair as well against the powerhouse Gorillas. Overcome by the precise play of the PSU hitters, the set ended as 25-18, 25-15, 25-26. The Aggies will need to keep the Bulldogs and especially Kaufman out of an offensive rhythm to be effective. The Aggies began the season as the preseason 7th ranked team, but are entering their first home
game seeded 5th. The Aggies are in position to make a strong run towards the top of the LSC standings with three interconference games at home against strong opponents. The players that should have a huge impact on the upcoming games are the scoring threats of Middle Blocker Whitney Long, Right-Side Hitter Lindsay Paziuk and the assists of Setter Laura Ellerbrock. Then there are the defensive stalwarts, Liberos Veronika Reeks and Haley Hatch, who have been superb at stopping the attack of opposing teams. If these core players minimize their mistakes and they receive the same strong play from the rest of the team, the home stand could be the turning point of the season. The second game of the home stand is against the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos. The Bronchos, currently 3-6, have won 3 of their last 5 matches, but has played inconsistently throughout. The Bronchos bright spot is number 12, Sophomore OutsideHitter Kristen Wilson. She leads the team in successful kills, with 101. She is also second on the team in defense with 155 digs. Look for her to be a big factor in the game against CU. If the Aggies can neutralize Wilson’s offensive output they should be able to win handily. That’s where the Aggie fans come in. A loud and supportive gym creates a home court advantage and a fun environment for the players to play in. The Aggie Gym should be packed with students ready to cheer on their team. Whether or not someone has ever attended a volleyball game, or even know how the sport is played, show up and show your support. Help build Aggie pride and make other teams afraid of playing in our gym. So come out and support the Aggies as they try and muzzle the SWOSU lady Bulldogs and run rampant over the UCO Bronchos.
Sports
September 15, 2008
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Parity not parody will reign in the NFL By Bennett Dewan Collegian Staff The new NFL season is well underway, and there are already major news stories developing, but none of them look good for the perennial top dogs in football. The most shocking development of possibly the entire ‘08-‘09 campaign is the season-ending knee destruction suffered by reigning MVP Tom Brady. With Brady in the quarterback position, the New England Patriots went 18-1 last season. Despite losing the Super Bowl last year to the New York Giants in a very close game, the Patriots were preseason favorites to win it all. While the team still has a rejuvenated Randy Moss at Wide Receiver, the Patriots still need someone to throw the ball to him to be effective, but unfortunately they don’t have anyone with those qualifications on the roster. The team is still teeming with talent, just not where it matters. With the Brady injury, the Patriots aren’t good enough to make the playoffs, and they may be barely good enough to win another game. That makes the Giants and star quarterback Eli Manning the logical next pick to build a dynasty, right? Well, with the retirement of Pro Bowl Defensive End Michael Strahan and an injury to Defensive End Osi Umenyiora, the season outlook for the Giants seemed a little less promising. The first game of the new campaign also made once heralded Eli Manning look like a second string quarterback as he threw no touchdowns passes and one interception against the retooled Washington Redskins. The torch would then seemingly pass to 2007 Super Bowl Champions the Indianapolis Colts. Former NFL and Super Bowl MVP Peyton
Manning, older brother of Giant quarterback Eli, leads a talented roster of offensive threats, but in the Colts opening game they were thrashed 29-7 by the Chicago Bears; almost the exact same Bears team that went 7-9 last season. Adding insult to injury, the Bears quarterback Kyle Orton is about as effective on the football field as a pet rock. The loss is a giant red f lag for the Colts’ Super Bowl hopes. The Dallas Cowboys, an easy pre-season choice to win the NFC, managed to look unimpressive in a 28-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, the most forgotten team in the NFL. Although Tony Romo threw for 310 yards in the game, he could only muster one throwing touchdown. Many fans look at the lack of true contenders this early in the season as a testament to the boring season ahead. Edge of your seat upsets and underdog stories are what sports are all about. Last year college football was more exciting because it kicked off the season with a Division II team, Appalachian State, upsetting Michigan, a perennial powerhouse. It seems that the level of talent in football has begun to spread throughout college football ranks. Through the draft and free agency, the NFL has become talent-rich with superstar quality players on every team. The lower caliber teams don’t always play well together and are often missing talent at one or more key positions, but every so often the little-teamthat-could puts it all together and spoils the plans for the elite. Those are the games that keep even the most casual fan watching, and those are the games that can be expected from the ‘08-’09 campaign. The NFL season is just two weeks old and the competition is wide open, so just sit back, enjoy the upsets and watch the magic unfurl.
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Down for the count: Tom Brady, Quarterback for the New England Patriots and reigning NFL MVP is helped off the field after a hard tackle. MRI results revealed that his knee would require extensive season ending surgery. The injury puts the Super Bowl aspirations of Brady’s club into serious doubts just one year removed from falling one game short of a perfect season.
Two weeks down, 15 to go in chaotic season By Joshua Rouse Collegian Staff
The dynamic duo: Chad Johnson (above) and Terrell Owens (below) play in the inaugural Sunday of the new NFL season. Johnson and Owens are two of the most recognizable talents as Wide Recievers and most outspoken players in football. In a bizarre preseason move Johnson legally changed his last name to Ocho Cinco, Spanish for 85, his number, in order to force the NFL to place it on the back of his jersey.
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Are you ready for some football? It does sound cliché and cheesy, but it is the one question that is asked every year at this time when Sundays fi nally have a purpose other than sleeping. For the 17 weeks of the regular season, the three weeks of the playoffs and the ultimate game in February, Sunday is not a day that could be marked off the calendar and never heard from again. But after the gladiators of the gridiron have fought to the bitter end for the Vince Lombardi trophy, everyone goes back into hibernation until the April draft. Then it is back into hibernation again until July when training camp starts. We are ignoring the pre-season, which the NFL will hopefully truncate in favor of a longer regular season. There is nothing like waking up on Sunday morning and turning on the television to watch the pre-game shows that run throughout the morning, not to mention that you get to sleep in until 11 a.m. You grab your beer or whatever age-safe beverage you can drink, and you sit in front of the television for an afternoon of entertainment and excitement. This year appears to have a lot of interesting twists in store and we are only two weeks into the regular season. Tom Brady has gone down, pretty much ruining any chances the New England Patriots have of going to the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning looked more like his brother, Eli, during the Indianapolis Colts’ season-opener against the Chicago Bears. Manning reverted to his playoff style of choking during the big games. The biggest shocker of all, my Carolina Panthers not only went toe-to-toe with the armchair-quarterback favorite San Diego Chargers, but also beat them in championship fashion in their own stadium. Jake Delhomme is king of Carolina as far as I’m concerned.
The first week of the season reminded me of those NFL commercials that are run at the end of every season when people make their dumb season predictions. Who would have thought the Arizona Cardinals would actually have a team that looks like it could go to the playoffs behind a 40 year-old Kurt Warner? That is pretty much the end of USC alumni tearing up the NFL. Oh well, there is always Reggie Bush in New Orleans who still cannot decide whether he wants to be Brian Westbrook or LaDanian Thomlinson. If there is one thing this season of football has proven in its first two weeks it’s that all bets are off. The talking heads on ESPN and Fox Sports predicted the Dallas Cowboys against the Chargers or the Patriots. So far, only the Cowboys look like they have a chance to make it to the playoffs. Indeed, this Cowboys team could be the team that brings the championship trophy back to Big D. The team is decidedly different from “America’s Team” more than 15 years ago when Troy Aikman was at the helm with Emmit Smith in the backfield. Today, they have a popcorn-loving wide receiver, a cornerback who was in trouble with the NFL so much that he had to go to professional wrestling to earn a paycheck. And to top it off, a quarterback who flakes out during the big games. While former bad boy turned
star receiver Terrell Owens may not be the most talked about player in today’s league, at least he dropped the T.O. moniker for a more professional name. Perhaps that is the secret to a successful career. I am looking at you Chad Johnson. I’m sorry, Ocho Cinco. Brett Favre, on the other hand, is out to prove that publicity can still lead to a successful season, even when you have gray hair. The former Green Bay quarterback, who has been in the league since players were wearing leather helmets and the ball was actually made out of pigskin, stunned football fans over the summer when he came out of retirement. But we have all heard about that. Today, it is all about Aaron Rogers. Will he live up to the hype? When you have studied under someone like Favre for so long, it would be hard not to pick up a few pointers. There is still a long time to go before the playoff teams are determined and the winning team hoists the Vince Lombardi trophy. One thing is certain; this year’s team will fi nally be a new face in what was becoming a stagnant league. P.S. If any fantasy football players want to trade for Tom Brady, he is open and available right now. Don’t disappoint me Rogers.
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Variety
September 15, 2008