Collegian T he Cameron University
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Monday, April 22, 2019
Volume 100 Issue 10
University Awards Annual campus recognition Drue Watkins
website. Director of Campus Life and main Managing Editor organizer of the ceremony Leslie Cothren said Cameron began planning the From 5:30 – 7 p.m. on April 16, the Awards Ceremony in the Fall semester Cameron University Office of Campus by soliciting nominations for the various Life held its annual University Awards Ceremony in the McCasland Ballroom of awards, and then continuing into the Spring semester by evaluating the the McMahon Centennial Complex. submitted nominees and selecting the The ceremony is based around presenting accomplishments, honors and award winners. Cothren also said she believes the awards to faculty, staff and students who ceremony is an important standard for are from Cameron. the university, and that it’s a strong way This year’s honors include: Who’s to highlight high-accomplishing staff, Who Among College Students; Top faculty and student members. 20 Outstanding Students and Top “Our students work really hard and 10 non-traditional students; Student juggle a lot of different things,” she said. Leadership and Programming Awards; “I think it’s important to acknowledge all Outstanding Student Organizations; their hard work. Advisor, Professor, Staff Member and “Additionally, the student recognition Program of the Year; and the installation process begins by asking faculty and of the 2019-2020 Student Government staff for student nominations—this Association Officers. allows students to be recognized for Any member of the campus community may submit a nomination for their work both inside and outside of the each award, with the submissions then classroom.” Twenty Cameron students won the being reviewed and decided upon Who’s Who award—an accomplishment by the awards committee. A that recognizes student involvement on list of past award winners campus, as well as high-performance in may be found on the classroom. the University Following the Who’s Who Awards announcements, 11 different CU section of organizations earned the 5-Star rating. Cameron’s The purpose of the 5-Star rating is to recognize student organizations that act to make a positive
impact on both Cameron and the Lawton/Fort-Sill community. Cothren said she hopes award winners gain positive experiences from the ceremony. “I want them [winners] to know that others acknowledge all their hard work and the sacrifices they made,” she said. “I really enjoy the surprise awards. The ones where the winners don’t know before the ceremony that they are winning them. “From my vantage point during the ceremony, I could usually see where they were sitting, and I liked seeing the look on their face when they realized they are winners.” To end the ceremony, event organizers announced the last major award winners. Cothren said that while she loved the actual event, she loved seeing the response afterward more. “Award winners and their supporters hung around after the ceremony to take photos and celebrate with each other,” she said. “Those award winners are truly proud of their accomplishments, and they should be.” Immediately following the ceremony, organizers held a reception for attendees to talk with and congratulate all award winners and their family members. For more information on the awards ceremony, contact the Office of Campus Life at 580-581-2217 or Leslie Cothren at lcothren@cameron.edu. Photo by Drue Watkins
What’s inside PAC Easter Egg Hunt
Social media problems
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‘The Little Mermaid’ Page 5
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News
March 22, 2019
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Student Government Association
Final report Spring 2019 to 2. Incumbent SGA President Luis Jaquez Derek Snow presented a resolution for the addition of hammocks Staff Writer to Cameron University, This semester’s citing increased outdoor Student Government engagement. If it passes, Association (SGA) the proposal requests session comes to a poles be placed around close on, April 22. The campus and a check-out presidential election system be implemented results will be sent to for hammocks. The every voter’s student locations of poles, amount email. The SGA passed of hammocks purchased a final piece of legislation by the university, and and met with the Vice location of check-out President for Business is to be decided by the and Finance to go over the university. budget and discuss a new Vice President for bookstore company. Business and Finance In the final meetings Ninette Carter also of SGA, one last met with SGA to legislation passed 29
discuss the budget and its finalization. Carter confirmed to SGA that the Academic Services fee and the student housing prices will be remaining the same. Carter told members that it is still unknown whether or not the price per credit hour will rise, due to Oklahoma State legislature still deciding on higher education’s funding. Vice President Carter also discussed the results of the Bookstore Committee. The contract with Cameron University’s current bookstore provider,
Follett, ends in the summer. The committee, which held six current students, proposed that a new company take over Cameron’s bookstore to the OU Regents. The committee decided on Texas Book Company.
Writer’s Note:
Cameron University’s Student Government Association has grown over the past year. Over a semester of coverage, it is clear what SGA can do. To make more happen, however, SGA needs way more of one thing: engagement. The indication of whether
PAC
SGA will succeed or fail is in its name. It thrives when students care. When students are passionate about change. When students work with others to bring that change to life. SGA’s core is the students who make it up. I highly encourage that in the 2019-2020 school year Cameron’s SGA work their utmost to increase their core idea of bringing student’s passion into it by working on more resolutions, more change, and more engagement, which will make Cameron University a truly exciting place.
Community Easter egg hunt
Photos by Madison Lyda
Student Life
April 22, 2019
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Theatre students recieve regional awards Celeste Powell
Student Life Editor On Feb. 25, students Dakota Barbee, Joy Christie, Jacob Parkhurst, Ciara Renee, MacEwan Sanders, Emily Whatley and Payton Williams attended the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). KCACTF is a national theatre program involving 18,000 students from over 600 colleges and universities across the United States. According to their website, some of their goals are to “improve the quality of college and university theater in America” and to “encourage colleges and universities to give distinguished productions of new plays, especially those written by students; the classics, revitalized or newly conceived; and experimental works.” Cameron’s production of “4.48 Psychosis” was considered for national awards recognizing achievement in production, design, direction and performance. Of the seven students who attended KCACTF, two received awards. Barbee received the Region 6 Excellence in Properties Design and the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award for Excellence in Technology and Design for “4.48 Psychosis”. She also received a scholarship to the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas. Whatley received the Student Choice Award for Design also for the production of “4.48 Psychosis.” Written by Sarah Kane, “4.48 Psychosis” is a depiction of a person with clinical depression—the last work by Kane before she committed suicide. There are no specific number of characters, setting or explicit stage direction. Because of the non-specific elements, stage productions vary greatly. Dr. Deidre Onishi directed Cameron’s productioin of “4.48 Psychosis.” In her director’s note, Onishi describes her production as placing “the action in the mind of A1 (Abbey Rinestine) who escapes the confusion only when consulting with the doctor (David Kowalke). A2 (Ciara Renee) is an avatar enveloped in deep love and continuing anguish. A3 (Lance Johnston) presents the darkest elements of A1’s mind while still yearning for compassion. B
Photo by Celeste Powell
(MacEwan Sanders and Payton Williams) is the conglomerate of society who remains stunned in the face of psychosis yet, ironically falls into depression themselves.” Onishi interpreted Kane’s play as a “tortured walk through the labyrinth of a tortured mind...No suicide wants to be a suicide; they are bludgeoned into it by erratic thoughts and debilitating emotions.” Scenic Designer Whatley said her design for the play had a personal connection to her. “I found connection to the design by incorporating mental illness symptoms that I have experienced and that she also experienced,” she said. “I put those symptoms into a physical form in different aspects so it was a very personal set.” Property Designer, Barbee, said also had a connection to “4.48 Psychosis.” “‘4.48 Psychosis’ was all about mental illness,” she said. “Whether it’s you or your friends, there are a lot of people that struggle with mental illness, so I think it’s important to understand.” Cameron’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Theatre Arts allows a choice in concentration of performance or
technical. Performance theatre requires unique classes from the other concentration including: Voice and Diction, Stage Movement and Acting III: Period Styles. Technical theatre requires Stagecraft, Costume Techniques and either Scenic, Costume or Lighting Design. “I want more students to know about Cameron’s theatre program,” Barbee said. “We do unique stuff here and all of our productions are free for students.” After graduation, Barbee plans to move to Austin, Texas to work with a production company. This summer, Whatley will be working as a professional painter at the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. After graduation she will be attending Texas Tech University for a Master’s of Fine Arts in Design. For more information on the B.A. of Theatre Arts or university auditions contact the Department of Art, Music and Theatre Arts at 580-581-2346 or email department chair Scott Richard Klein at scottk@cameron.edu. Auditions are open to everyone. Tribune News Service
‘He’s not crazy. He’s hurting.’
Rapper uses platform to create awareness Cassandra Jaramillo
the last 10 years, a Dallas Morning News analysis of federal Centers for Disease The Dallas Morning News Control and Prevention data found. Among black males 24 and younger, Hip-hop is therapy for Tye Harris. there were 9.2 suicides per 100,000 people Tonight’s session is at the Granada in 2017, the most recent data available, Theater. He takes the stage in his red compared with a rate of 3.7 suicides in Adidas joggers and a jean jacket. He’s 2007. It was the most dramatic increase nervous, but he pulls the mic close to him. It’s time to channel T.Y.E, his alter ego and among demographic groups, with the suicide rate more than doubling. more confident side. For young Hispanic males, the suicide The lights dim and his hip-hopera rate increased about 55 percent to 7.6 begins: suicides per 100,000 over the past decade. “Something is unusual, with me Suicides by young white males increased by “I feel a little off balanced. I feel a little 43 percent to a rate of 15 per 100,000. bit strange. Suicide was the third-leading cause of “Some people call me peculiar. Some death for black and Latino males under people call me deranged.” 24 in Texas, after accidents and homicide, His rap unfolds his mental health according to CDC data. struggles dating to his childhood in Dallas. Black and Latino male high school The 24-year-old lays bare his experience students also have shown increased suicidal to the audience, including two suicide thoughts, according to youth survey data attempts. from the CDC. Now, he’s trying to help other people While mental health problems affect with his music. every demographic, these young men are For communities of color in Texas, suicide rates are on the rise for young men, more likely to live in poverty, experience trauma or be exposed to violence. And as are reported thoughts of suicide. they are less likely than whites to seek While the numbers still trail those of whites, the suicide rate has grown faster for help, experts say. The cost of mental health young black and Latino males in Texas over treatment adds another barrier to care.
When boys struggle with their emotions, they often don’t talk about it, said Dr. Brian Dixon, a Fort Worth, Texasbased psychiatrist. Dixon said negative childhood experiences like abuse, parental separation or family incarceration can lead to trauma and mental health disorders in children. Boys who haven’t had behavioral treatment or learned coping skills can become “actor-outers,” Dixon said. It’s a contrast to girls, he said, who are often “actor-inners” and become withdrawn. With boys, “you get the signs and symptoms of dealing with trauma: They scream, cuss. Some will use drugs to selfmedicate, or they fight,” Dixon said. It’s a spiral that rapper Harris knows well. Now he wants to share what he’s learned about mental health as he works to cope with anxiety and trauma. “All of my music is first to teach, second to relate and third is to entertain,” Harris said. “That’s my goal. And, hopefully, trying to get somebody to get out of killing themselves.” Since Harris started rapping more than four years ago, people have told him that his music changed their perspective on mental health. Many of them are black
men. Every day is still a challenge for him. He’s scared of going back to therapy. He doesn’t want to take prescribed medication, because the meds dull his senses. But he says he’s learning to cope better with how his mind works. He’s found journaling his emotions during episodes helps. Sometimes, that process inspires more songs. Harris, who describes himself as deeply Christian, wrote a rap called “Eternity,” inspired by a song his music professor taught him. “[The professor] explained it as a gradual arrival to heaven, and it resonated with me,” Harris said. “When I made the song, I was coming out of the hospital. I was coming out of depression. And only God knows. It’s in his control. Only in his control. I saw Eternity. Heaven is currently.” Every time he performs, he pauses the music to speak about mental health and explain the backstory to his songs. When he speaks about his suicide attempts, there’s always a mixed reaction from the crowd, with some clapping in support and others unsure how to respond. “I just hope they’re listening,” he said.
Voices
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April 22, 2019
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The bottomless pit of social media Drue Watkins
Courtesy photo
It created a massive sense of anxiety. out in person or wandered around with “Would I even realize what is going on their friends, building real, tangible social Managing Editor in the world without this?” I wondered, circles. Yeah, it may have looked like a lot of In 2015, I unceremoniously quit all my absentmindedly glazing over the hundreds of updates my “friends” posted onto aimless wandering, but it was teenagers social media. Facebook. growing up: trying out social skills, I didn’t give out any warnings to my It was in that moment, though, that experimenting with ideas, succeeding and friends and family—I just did it. I came to two solid conclusions: I don’t failing in real-world circumstances that so My main motivation was getting away care what these people are going through many younger people today miss out on. from all the nonsense: the silly updates, or what they’re doing, and—something When friendships and relationships are the mindless interaction, the need to that still holds true for me today—that built online through instant messaging, check my feed every second in case I miss people are doing this in a context torn away something—it was a life-dominating thing, humanity isn’t ready nor mature enough for the overbearing nature of social media. from the intimidating and fulfilling aspects sucking out my happiness and forcing We as a species weren’t mentally of face-to-face communication. myself to judge my being based on the prepared at the beginning of social media’s After all, it’s much simpler to keep your amount of likes I gained. emergence, and we aren’t now years guard up while texting, so less is at stake— It took me a while to figure all these down the line; those adversely affected there is no instant-hearing or seeing the detrimental effects out, but once I did, I particularly being children, teenagers and effect your words have on another human could never un-see them. It took me years being. of wading through the self-doubt of seeing young adults. In fact, according to a survey conducted It isn’t in real-time; there are long lives better than mine splashed across fake by the Royal periods for response. over-saturated photos; the social anxiety of For modern personal achievement comparison between Society for Public Health kids and teens, the myself and people who irrelevantly lived “It’s a narcissistic over individuals main amount of thousands of miles away; the intrinsically from the ages of communication addictive nature of scrolling through world that relies on 14-24 (in the UK), vitriolic “debates,” immature insults, being relevant online. revolves around getting home, sitting those studied nonsensical drama and group-thinking An online world that in a room and reported feeling echo-chambers. looking at a screen, that the platforms Most of all, though, I realized that eats itself.” not another person. Snapchat, social media was creating an alternative For so many Facebook, Twitter version of myself—a fake persona I — Drue Watkins now, even a phone and Instagram all adopted specifically for social media led to increased profiles. “This person isn’t me,” I thought, Managing Editor call is considered “too intense”— feelings of cringing at an awkwardly smiling photo of the requirement myself I just posted onto Instagram. “This depression, for direct anxiety, poor body isn’t me.” communication may come across as scary. image and loneliness—couple this with It’s not that I couldn’t handle those How are things coming to this? Is this 91% of this age bracket using the internet things—it’s that I was exposed to them every second of every day, even when I tried for social networking and the rapid rise of not the epitome of disturbing? Clinical Psychologist and author of anxiety and depression in young people to get away from it. Deletion became the “The Big Disconnect” Dr. Catherine over the past 25 years (an increase of 70%), only respite. It was a shocking move then, as—much and you have a serious mental health crisis. Steiner-Adair said that as a species, When I was using social media, I think humanity is highly attuned to reading as many others believe—I thought my life I understood some of these things—in the social cues—and screen-based indirect would become much the duller. communication creates a barrier to clarity I believed I would begin missing out on very back of my head, at least. and empathy. I pushed it away because, after all, it every important factor that played a part “There’s no question kids are missing made me uncomfortable to be some sort in all my relationships’ lives—that I would out on very critical social skills,” she of “victim” within the system—I despised be sucked into the dark abyss of social said. “In a way, texting and online that very notion but knew that I had to ignorance. communicating—it’s not like it creates a face the reality. nonverbal learning disability, but it puts Social everybody in a nonverbal disabled context, media has, in where body language, facial expression and lots of ways, even the smallest kinds of vocal reactions ruined direct are rendered invisible. communication “Part of healthy self-esteem is knowing and the way how to say what you think and feel even of truly facing when you’re in disagreement with other difficult ideas. people or it feels emotionally risky.” Before This over-reliance on hiding and Instagram needing screen access for effective accounts communication is a scary thought— went viral, for particularly when social media allows example, many Courtesy photo for large groups of people to “congregate” teens hung About Us
The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Lawton Constitution. The first issue is provided for free. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.
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The opinions expressed in The Collegian pages or personal columns are those of the signed author. The unsigned editorial under the heading “Voices” represents the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. The opinions expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily represent those of Cameron University or the state of Oklahoma. Our student media are designated public forums, and free from censorship and advance approval of content. Because content and funding are unrelated, and because the role of adviser does not include advance review of content, student media are free to develop editorial policies and news coverage with the understanding that students and student organizations speak only for themselves. Administrators, faculty, staff or other agents shall not consider the student media’s content when making decisions regarding the media’s funding or faculty adviser.
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online and continuously express the same feelings and opinions over-and-over— creating a bubble of group-think that reinforces this sort of anti-social behavior, making people feel like they’re okay even when they’re not. It’s a narcissistic world that relies on being relevant online. An online world that eats itself. Even look at the concept of bullying. Before social media made its striking appearance on the world stage, bullies who picked on kids kept it at school, and their victims would find a safe haven at home. Now, however, the rapid rise of cyberbullying has left victims even more mentally depressed and anxious. Social media creates an inescapable fantasy world. So, what’s the solution? Is there one? It would be ignorant and naïve to deny the positives of social media—in fact, the ability to communicate with people across a wide, global spectrum is nothing short of amazing. We live in a lucky era that allows for this. It’s the over-reliance, though, that plays that critically negative role. It’s the addictive sounds, colors and movements that prey upon the susceptible—the little pops of liking a photo; the need to just keep on scrolling; that amazing dopamine boost when you get an obscene amount of likes that are “validating” your existence. To combat this, we could tout personal responsibility, yes—and as a huge advocate for this measure of thought in general, I would usually agree with the sentiment. But is social media a safe, secure and non-damaging experiment for growing people? Or does it establish an intrinsic need for the product—an insatiable hunger for more presence online? Is this healthy for younger people, who are so much more susceptible to social dictations and the need to fit in for social establishment as they grow into adulthood? “All things in moderation.” It’s a long-lasting saying for a reason. In doses, social media may not be damaging—it could even be beneficial. However, the easy ability to slip down into the hole is always there. The bridge must be made out of stone or metal—not sticks. An entire generation is growing into a world that has full access to these things— children who don’t know a world without it. When entire lives revolve around a speck of online existence, it may be the death of real, human interaction—and it could be traumatic for the future. Letters Policy
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Letters to the editor will be printed in the order in which they are received and on a space available basis.
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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.
Managing Editor - Drue Watkins Managing Editor - Madison Lyda A&E Editor - Sarae Ticeahkie Sports Editor - Mason Orso Student Life Editor - Celeste Powell Voices Editor - Payton Williams Copy Editor - Kimb Frey Aggie Central Editor - David Bublitz Social Media Editor - Abby Gonzalez
Newsroom Staff
Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Derek Snow, David Perkins, Lindsey Edwards, Lea Killian, Dontaye Abram, Amanda King, Cambron Alsbrook Circulation Manager - Drue Watkins and Madison Lyda Faculty Adviser - Mr. David Bublitz
All letters from students should include first and last names, classification and major. No nicknames will be used. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verification. Letters can be sent by regular mail, by e-mail to aggiecentral@ cameron.edu or they may be dropped off at our office - Academic Commons 101 or at www.aggiecentral.com.
April 22, 2019
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A&E
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CU Theatre presents: ‘The Little Mermaid’ Photos by Judd Vermillion
(Left) from left to right: Grimsby (Byron Phillips), Maids (Abigail Rinestine, Aaliyah Climes, Kasey Phillips and Elaina Nicolette) and Ariel (Joy Christie.) (Below) from left to right: Ursela (Reagan Williams), Eels (Abigail Rinestine and Sidni Blalock), Triton (Eric Malloy), Ariel and Eric (Khalil CabreraTosado) perform scenes from their rendition of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” Under the sea: The Cameron University Department of Art, Music and Theatre Arts ended their season with the muscial at 7:30 p.m., April 11-13 and at 2 p.m., on April 14.
‘Game of Thrones’: The final season Lea Killian Staff Writer
Spoiler alert: On April 14, the final season of Game of Thrones premiered on HBO. After seven seasons spanning eight years of truly epic and unparalleled television, Winter is here. For the three or four people who have not yet watched this groundbreaking show, it stands to reason that they are missing out on perhaps the biggest cultural phenomenon of our time. The story begins in Winterfell, home to the Stark family, as King Robert Baratheon with his family and army make their way to the castle gates. The King has come to ask Ned Stark to leave his home, travel to King’s Landing and serve as The Hand of the king. What unfolds because of this single event spirals the seven kingdoms of Westeros into chaos. Without ruining the plot, it may not sound like much, but there is a reason for its enormous popularity. Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), feels that there is much more to his character and to this particular realm of fantasy than meets the eye. “I like to portray real people,” Dinklage said, “and sometimes in the world of fantasy, that gets lost. This [is] the opposite because of the relationships between these characters, because of who Tyrion is, how flesh-and-blood he is.
Courtesy photo
“It’s the most realistic show that I’ve ever done that also happens to have dragons and dead people walking around in it. “I think a lot of fantasy is heavy on the dragon and light on the character. We’re the opposite.” Because of the incredible writing that this show displays in each episode, some of the actors—Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) —feel that the characters they portray help them in their own lives. “The journey that I’ve been on with Daenerys,” Clarke said, “[has sharpened] me as an actor. Because of the heights that she goes to, it’s forced me to find them
within myself… Daenerys is a tapestry of my entire adult life.” Not only does Game of Thrones bring strong-willed and ever-developing characters along with intricate plots to the forefront of the program, but their team of visual effects artists are not to be ignored. Episodes like “The Battle of the Bastards” and “The Spoils of War” will leave viewers feeling like they just left the IMAX. In the final five episodes, viewers can hopefully expect some answers to the questions they have had for the last two years. While it remains entirely unclear who
will sit on the Iron Throne, there appears to be far more pressing matters. With an army of the dead marching on Westeros, nearly the entire cast has found themselves back where it all started: inside the gates of Winterfell. With an army of dragons, Unsullied soldiers, Dothraki, and Northman at their backs, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are perhaps the most capable leaders in Westeros… but will it be enough to save the seven kingdoms? New episodes of Game of Thrones premieres at 8 p.m., Sundays on HBO. The final episode will air on May 19.
Sports
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April 22, 2019
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The Aggies prevail over UT Permian Basin the sixth inning by hitting a single and stealing second base. Sports Editor Warren stepped up to the At 6 p.m., April 19, the plate and also hit a single right Aggie softball team beat out down the middle of the field the UT Permian Basin Falcons bringing Edwards home. 5-0. French brings Warren in Freshman pitcher Breley hitting a double to left center Webb started on the mound field. and pitched every inning of the Warren takes the top by game. going 2-3 with two runs scored Both teams struggled to followed by Busby and Edwards bring runners to home plate going 1-3 scoring a run. during the first inning. The Aggies bump up their The Aggies scored a run in record 30-12 for the season the second inning by making and 17-8 in the Lone Star contact with the ball, which Conference causing UTPB to caused the Falcons to make an drop 10-34 for the season. error. At 1-3 p.m. on April 19, Junior catcher Callie Busby the Aggies will battle it out hit a single into left field but with UT Permian Basin at the was thrown out at second base. McMahon Field and Athletics Senior utility Abbey center to end the three game Warren came around to score series. when freshman third base The Aggies are currently Kylie French grounded a ball ranked fourth in the Lone into outfield. Star Conference; the Falcons, During the third inning, however, sit in last place. Webb hammered a homerun to There are five games left bring junior shortstop Brenna until conference championship. Busby back to home plate. For more information about Freshman second base Cameron University’s softball Khmaria Edwards opened up team visit cameronaggies.com.
Mason Orso
Photos by Mason Orso
NHL: Lightning, Penguins swept in first round of playoffs Jeff Gordon
on to build a 2-1 series lead over the higher-seeded Bruins. “When they say the playoffs This NHL postseason has become a free-for-all, just as are a new season, you have to Blues general manager Doug Armstrong suspected it might. respect that,” venerable Bruins “I think if you get in, you have a chance to win,” captain Zdeno Chara told Armstrong noted before the Blues opened their first-round reporters. “Everything that series against the Winnipeg Jets. you’ve accomplished during the Not much separates the 16 teams in the bracket. Higher regular season has been wiped seeding and the home-ice advantage hasn’t meant much off the table. Everybody starts during this postseason. with a zero. All the stats start The Blues won their first two games at Winnipeg, then with zero. I think that’s one the Jets flew to St. Louis and took two games at Enterprise thing people like to talk about, Center. having always one team being the The Tampa Bay Lightning looked to be the one sure favorite, the other team being the thing entering these playoffs, since they earned 128 points underdog, but there is no such a during the regular season and won the Presidents’ Trophy. thing. “I quite honestly remove Tampa from that parity this year,” “You can be talking about Armstrong said. “They were head and shoulders above of teams that have this skill, that everybody else.” type of player, but if you do that Or at least they were. The Columbus Blue Jackets swept you only bring motivation for the them out of the postseason, capped by their 7-3 victory other team to do their best and Tuesday night. bring their best and they usually After winning 62 games in the regular season, the do.” Lightning won zero games in the postseason. That’s the In hockey, more so than in basketball, concerted effort by NHL for you. one team can negate the skill advantage of another. Hence “You have a historic regular season doing what we did and the potential for upsets. have basically a historic playoff in defeat,” Lightning coach “In the series, there are matchups,” Maple Leafs coach Jon Cooper said during his postgame news conference. “Six Mike Babcock said. “You’re going to play the majority of days in April, Columbus played better.” your shifts against a certain matchup, a certain set of D. The upstart New York Islanders swept the Pittsburgh You’ve got to out-will them. That’s just it. Skill is a wonderful Penguins, the perennial Stanley Cup contenders led by thing; will is more important at this time of year and Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. “They deserve it,” Malkin determination.” said after the Islanders closed out the Penguins with a 3-1 These playoff teams all have the potential to take a team victory Tuesday night. “They have a great team.” run. But only some of them figure out how to realize that Elsewhere, the Dallas Stars won a game at Nashville potential. Once they do, they have a chance to become and the Predators returned the favor by winning Game 3 special. in the Big D. The Colorado Avalanche won once at Calgary “Once you’ve had success at playoff time, and you’ve while taking a 2-1 series lead over the Flames, the Western disarmed the bomb or found the key to the safe and you Conference’s top seed. figure out what happened, you just think you know how to Similarly, the Vegas Golden Knights won once at San make it happen,” Babcock said. “Until you find that, though, Jose while racing to a 3-1 series lead over the Sharks. The you’re in the same process as everybody else.” Toronto Maple Leafs won their opener at Boston and went The old-time NHL had dynasties, most notably the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Tribune News Service
Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens during the “Original Six” days. The Islanders, then the Edmonton Oilers ruled the 1980s. Hockey’s wealth has been more evenly distributed the last three decades, particularly during the modern salary cap era. During the last 19 seasons, 12 franchises have won the Cup and another 10 different franchises have played for it. The Penguins are the only team to repeat as champions during that 20-year stretch, although the Chicago Blackhawks (three Cups in five years) and Los Angeles Kings (two in three years) enjoyed mini-dynasties. On the other hand, the Carolina Hurricanes won a Cup. So did the Lightning, long before it built this offensive juggernaut. The Sharks, Predators and Golden Knights played for the Cup the previous three seasons. Neither the Blues nor Jets (nor their predecessors, the Atlanta Thrashers) have played for the Cup during that span. But Winnipeg reached the Western Conference Finals last season and the Blues got to the Final Four in 2016. Any franchise can rise up and have success. Earn a berth in the playoffs and anything goes.
April 22, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
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We weep for you, Our Lady Christine M. Flowers Philadelphia Daily News
The first time I saw it, I could barely breathe. It was so beautiful against the cerulean sky. Our Lady of Paris. It looked like a mass of lace, draped over scaffolding, with giant crystal kaleidoscope windows. I fell in love with a building that was the heart of a country. Notre Dame de Paris was never just stone and glass, an inanimate observer of history. It seemed to have a beating heart that pulsed with the generations of people who prayed under her vaulted
ceilings, knelt on her cold stone floor, blessed themselves before statues in dark alcoves or simply walked along the Seine and gazed at its solemn, eternal beauty. Even an agnostic could not turn away from the radiance. I spent a year living in Paris, and visited the church every day. It wasn’t devotion to faith. It was an obsession with this place that rose above the kitschy nature of the outside pavilion with tourists buying plastic keychains and gaudy rosaries and bad reproductions of saints on pillows. Notre Dame did not care
about the world that passed beneath her stone facade, didn’t take notice of the changing demographic that swirled around her. It was the same when Victor Hugo imagined the bell ringer Quasimodo, swinging from the tower. It was the same when the Revolutionaries attacked the church for its close affiliation with the monarchy. It was the same when, during the two world wars, bombs and hellfire rained down upon it, but miraculously did little damage. It was the same when I first visited in 1979, a wide-eyed
senior in high school, and then returned two years later for my junior year of college. It was the same two decades later when I brought my mother for the first and last time to see Our Lady, one of the things she remembered with the greatest joy in the last days of her life. It was the same until Monday, when flames ripped through the innards of the world’s most hauntingly beautiful cathedral. I know people who were baptized there, and one couple who was married by candlelight. I can still see the watercolor of Notre Dame surrounded by flowers, which I bought with my last five francs, a present for my father who was dying at home in Philadelphia. It was buried with him in 1982. It may seem strange to be so overcome with grief
over the burning of a building, but the loss of this church, the amputation of the spire that reached toward heaven, the charring of the belly and the likely isolation while they attempt to put it back together are too much to bear. For decades, I have carried Notre Dame de Paris in my heart, and I am part of a family of millions of mourning children. When the planes crashed into the Twin Towers, it was the lives we mourned, and rightly so. The buildings were but the symbol of the flesh and blood and spirit that we lost. But the damage to this building, to this church, is itself the thing we mourn. And pray: Sainte Mere de Jesus, mon ange gardien, protegez moi durant cette nuit. Blessed Mother of Jesus, my guardian angel, protect me during this night.
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representation. Being able to report these things and spread the good news is a university service—a service I am proud to have been a part of. There is something so intrinsically satisfying about people brightening up when told they are going to be in the paper. There is something so enlightening about seeing the world through an objective, journalistic lens. It’s the best experience Cameron had to offer to me, and I’m beyond glad to have participated in it. For any future student journalist who may read this, remember these things: be professional, be responsible, be respectful and, most of all, be objective. Learn how to appreciate what you have— don’t squander opportunities and keep hold of the good memories. If there’s one thing I’ll miss most about my career at the Collegian, it’s the relationships I’ve built. The fellow editors I visit with daily. The fun conversations on writing and editing with our adviser Mr. Bublitz. The hilarity of our Thursday night editorial meetings. The importance of a local, independently ran college newspaper cannot be understated. It gives all students a voice; it gives all contributors an outlet for creativity. It gives Cameron a bright future. Now, I graduate and head off into my career.
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I am graduating this spring, and the feeling I am getting is bittersweet. I am going to miss my experiences from working on the Collegian—of interacting with some of the best people I have ever known. The memories I have gained from late Thursday nights working on page layouts, to the lastminute scramble to upload content to the publisher on Friday afternoons, will never be forgotten. It turned my college career completely around. I have become more confident, more outgoing, more organized, more collected and, most of all, more competent in all aspects of education. Oh, and there’s nothing quite like the rush of putting an issue of the paper to bed. I can’t forget about that. Five years ago, I started my career at Cameron University as a concurrently enrolled senior in high school; all I knew I wanted to do was write. I wasn’t sure to Drue Watkins what capacity, Cameron Collegian Managing Editor or even to Spring 2019 what subject, but just that I wanted to. It was my strength—my source of of Communication (Dr. pride. I always looked forward Christopher Keller) and told to putting my thoughts and him that I wanted to change my experiences onto paper, major to Journalism. watching as others read over It happened right away—I something I worked so very knew that sometimes, you must hard on. take a leap and find out what Starting fresh at Cameron was a revitalizing experience for the hell is waiting on the other side. I’ve never been one for me—it was new, exciting and hesitation. full of a variety of interesting I didn’t know what to expect, people from all walks of life. walking in. It was a completely When it came down to different building with deciding what I wished to completely different people study, as a 17-year-old, all I who had completely different knew was that it had to involve mindsets. Would I fit in with reading and writing. Strangely this band of people? enough, my gut instinct was I felt like a foreigner walking not toward English, nor even into a different country. toward Journalism. That feeling didn’t last long, It was history. though. As someone who I always had a knack for doesn’t shy away from getting history, and it included all the involved in whatever I can, things I loved to do. Being I jumped right into the fray, able to study ancient timelines snatching an application to the that dictated and unrolled the future was a fascinating subject Collegian from a professor’s door—some Mr. David for me—I loved learning Bublitz. about the intricacies of social, I filled it out, turned it in cultural, technological and and found myself showing up human evolution. From the to a staff meeting on a Friday humble beginnings of tribes, morning, not knowing what to to the dominating realm of do, where to stand or who to nations. speak to. There was something But none of that mattered. I missing, though. As much felt right at home. fun as I was having, I needed There was a buzz of something more—something excitement in the air. People more flexible, yet just as were smiling, joking and intellectually challenging. It laughing. There were computers didn’t take me long to start writing creatively—formulating everywhere, with a map of the world painted on the wall. plots, worlds, characters and Clocks ticked, each dedicated the like. to a different time zone across And so, halfway through the planet. my freshman year of college, I It felt like the center of the changed my major to Englishworld—a world I never knew Creative Writing, taking on existed. History as my one and only Over the past two years, minor. the newsroom has become a I spent three years doing second home for me. Working this—writing non-stop, having my way up from staff writer, group peer edits, filling entire copy editor, sports editor and notebooks with hundreds and hundreds of ideas. This isn’t old then managing editor was a rewarding experience—and news, either—I’m still doing every step of the way involved this today. sitting in the newsroom, joking Again, though, I felt with my fellow editors, working something missing. on designs, tapping away on I wasn’t going out enough. I stories and, yes, even cursing found myself being shut up in in anger when something goes my room for hours at a time,
wrong (which things do in a newsroom, all the time). That’s when ctrl+z comes in handy. Never forget it. But you take the adversity— face it head on—with your colleagues. You tackle projects as an efficient team. If one person is struggling, you don’t put them down—you help them overcome. It’s part of that Collegian respect. And, as an editor on the paper, I have never felt like an unwanted, unappreciated outsider—it just feels like an extension of my family. That’s what makes it special. I have never experienced this level of friendship or fun at any other organization—on or off campus—in all my wonderful 22 years of living. It’s a binding thing, being on the Collegian. I have been able to write every type of story under the sun—things that made me realize what a wonderful, caring community there is on Cameron’s campus. It opens the eyes, being a student journalist, to all the great things people have achieved. I have learned how to see multiple perspectives— and how to appreciate the luxuries of free speech, open discourse and equal human
eron T he Cam
Cameron Collegian: Capturing Memories
Managing Editor
ripping my hair out over draft after draft, forcing myself to write endlessly over things I needed to take my time on. It almost killed my creativity. I found that I needed a break. Not a break from writing, mind you, but a break from the feeling of being forced to write. I realized that creative writing should not be a job for me—rather, it should be my happy-past time. And it is now. I needed to re-discover some joy in social institutions, the wonderful act of sharing experiences with others and relaying those experiences to even more. So, yet again, I changed my major. I didn’t mess around, either—it was a near instantaneous change. I woke up one day in summer 2017, emailed the Department Chair
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