Collegian T he Cameron University
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Monday, April 25, 2022
Volume 106 Issue 5
Photos by Ka’Tavia West
STEMming from greatness: The Cameron Engineering Club hosted the “CU Women in Leadership and STEM Conference” at 5 p.m. on April 6. Attendees received tips on how to be better in leadership positions, and students were given tickets upon entry and entered a gift card raffle.
CU Engineering Club
Women in Leadership and STEM
Brittney Payette Managing Editor
At 5 p.m., on April 6, in the Shepler Ballroom and via Zoom, the CU Engineering Club held CU Women in Leadership and STEM Conference, and sponsored by CU Lectures and Concerts and the CU Home Savings Bank Endowed Lectureship in Organizational Leadership. Attendees got a tote bag and other free items before entering the Shepler Ballroom, attendees could have food alongside tea, water, and coffee. The Walters High School Varsity Choir performed the National Anthem, and then Dr. Sheila Youngblood introduced the keynote speakers. The keynote speakers Dr. Kari Henry Hulett and Dr. Maria Gray gave a presentation called “Lead Where You’re Planted: Discovering your transformational Leadership strengths and applying them now.” Hulett is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Gray is an Associate Professor of Leadership, both at Northeastern University. Hulett and Gray spoke about transformational leadership, starting by asking the audience the question: what is your leadership role? “We kind of look at leadership from a different perspective based on
personality,” Gray said. “We all can lead regardless of where we are planted.” Gray said that it is not necessary for someone to have a title in order to be a leader. “Anyone can accomplish those goals,” Gray said. “Anyone can mentor other people. Anyone can lead where they are planted.” Hulett said that a key part of being a transformational leaders is trying to change things. “They’re social architects that can really build a new way of looking at things,” Hulett said. Each one of us is a change agent.” Speakers that people who want to be better leaders can focus on these characteristics: being caring, taking risks, dreaming and having higher expectations.
was a panel discussion. There were five panelist present, including the two keynote speakers. Also present for the panel discussion was Kaitlan Brown, Kimberly Jones, and Terri Kinder. Brown is an E-commerce Director in NYC for Frances Valentine, a fashion company. Jones is a high school science department chair who has founded several programs such as Attire to Aspire, the Red Tulip Project, and Team Work Makes the Dream Work. Kinder is the Southwest Regional Family Support Partner and -Dr. Kari Henry Hulett Western Oklahoma Coordinator for the Oklahoma Family Attendees took a Network. Kinder also is the transformational leadership director for a charity called survey of 18 statements Rockin’ T Cure for Kids. that attendees rate from Johnson said that she one (rarely) to four (almost learned determination, always). Then, people broke especially in education, up into groups to discuss their because of some of her early survey results. childhood struggles. After the keynote, there “Sometimes you have
““What I’m learning is that I can gain motivation and strength through even the smallest success.”
to override tradition to get to your dreams,” Johnson said. “I think sometimes determination overrides so much. We all have it. Sometimes we have to strengthen it in some areas, but I think that’s my overriding thing for me.” Hulett said that her challenges have helped her build her strengths. “What I’m learning is that I can gain motivation and strength through even the smallest success.” Brown said that she likes to make lists because it helps her create a roadmap. “Even if it feels like everything has to be done today, not everything has to be done today,” Brown said. Cole Pretorius and Brody Beavers both attended the event, and they also both won a fifty dollar gift card to Amazon.
Beavers said that he thought there were a lot of good discussions at the conference, and that he hopes that even more people will come to it next year. He said he learned more about leadership. “Nobody is too big or strong to step into a leadership role,” Beavers said. I think it’s important to step up, taking that leadership position.” “I thought it was really good,” Pretorius said. “I thought it was really good, some good types of information. I think it was good as a start for the future. You kind of just have to own your own future, so just take a step, and from there, just keep rolling with it.” For more information about the engineering club, contact Sheila Youngblood at (580) 581-8005.
What’s Inside Nostalgia with Tiffany Estes
Low Brass Choir Concert
Heart Health with Alpha Phi
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News
April 25, 2022
www.aggiecentral.com
English awards and
Sigma Tau Delta reception
Photo by Susan Hill
Cam Alsbrook Managing Editor
At 4 p.m. on April 8, the English Awards and Sigma Tau Delta reception took place in the McMahon Centennial Complex’ Buddy Green Room. The English department and its faculty had their award ceremony to honor award-winning creative writers, as well as inducting new members into the Beta Omicron chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. The reception began with a welcome by Dr. Christopher Keller, who spoke about his experience with the university and gave thanks to the faculty and students in attendance. Next, Dr. William Carney led the induction of the new honor society members into Sigma Tau Delta, members of the honor society in attendance stood in solidarity with the new members. Carney said he was happy with the new initiates, and he thinks they will plan fun things soon. “Sigma Tau Delta has historically been one of the more active honor societies on campus,” Carney said. “In ‘pre-pandemic’ times, you could count on them for activities that other campus constituencies could participate in – I think they are a model for other Cameron honor societies.” Afterward, Dr. John Morris presented awards for both the “Leigh Holmes Prize for Creative Nonfiction” and the “John G. Morris Poetry Prize” to winning Cameron students. The winner for the Leigh Holmes prize was Mitchell Dufrin, and the honorable mention was tied between Baily Boydston, Taylor Jones and Ryan Shows. Winners for the Morris Poetry Prize include Kayla Russel for first place, Elizabeth McMains for second, and Stacy Pifer for third. Morris said he is always pleased about student
works being recognized in poetry contests, regardless of winners being prior students or not. “This year, first and second place, and the first honorable mention poems were written by students in my Creative Writing – Poetry class this semester,” Morris said. “Both Kayla Russel – who won first place – and Elizabeth McMains – who won second – told me that they are first-time poets [who] had never written poetry before, so I’m pleased that their early efforts have been recognized by judge Katherine Hoerth.” Morris said that first and third honorable mentions for the Morris Poetry Prize, Thomas Juarez and Wyn Jessie respectively, enrolled in his Techniques of Poetry class in the Fall 2021 semester, where Juarez returned to doing Poetry writing. Morris also said Ryan Shows – who ended up as a double honorable mention for both the Morris Poetry Prize and the Leigh Holmes Prize is a versatile and talented writer. Finally, Morris said he was happy with the recognition for Cameron Student Stacy Pifer, who won third place for the Morris prize. After, Professor Leah Chaffins presented the “Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ awards to the Cameron nominees – Tereasa Neeley for Fiction, Mitchell Dufrin for Nonfiction and Kayla Russel for Poetry. Next, Dr. John Hodgson presented Sigma Tau Delta officer Shelbey Boswell the Lawton Shakespeare Club award. Continuing awards, Dr. Suz Tyrrell awarded Kyndall Erricson with the Geraldine Burns Award. Senior English Major Kyndall Erricson said that she grew up with a strong strong awareness of the importance of education, and that she is excited to start her career after graduating from Cameron.
“As a fourth generation teacher in my family, I felt very honored to receive this award,” Erricson said. “I am looking forward to starting my English career this fall teaching English at Wakeland High School in Frisco, Texas.” Tyrrell said she is proud of all of the award winners – and has helped three of the four English education students (Baily Boydston, Shelbey Boswell, Sarah Lindsey) who won awards join the program, and teaching the fourth who had enrolled in the program already (Kyndall Erricson). Tyrrell said, for Boydston, she was most proud of her second-place tie for the Leigh Holmes Nonfiction award – of which her piece was based on her family’s journey through foster care and adoption. “I cried when her family came in the room because I had read the essay, and it touched me so much,” Tyrrell said. “Sarah won a scholarship, which is fitting of her academic work and success. Shelbey won the Shakespeare award – only ask her about ‘Ole Willie’ if you have an hour – and Kyndall won the Geraldine Burns award for Excellence in English Studies, which an outstanding teaching student in English receives,” Tyrrell said. Tyrrell said that overall, she feels very proud of the advancements and accomplishments of the students she has worked with. “I am proud of each one of these women who are about to be exceptional teachers, who will not fill young minds with repetitious worksheets, but with critical thinking and true knowledge – helping them actually think for themselves,” Tyrrell said. “I hope they will always remember my own silly but important class mantra: ‘Yay, Thinking!’” Since this is Tyrrell’s last semester at Cameron, she said that while conditions here were untenable due to both the economic and political climate – her colleagues are why she chose to be here rather than another position offered to her nine years ago. “The best part, of course, has been the students,” Tyrrell said. “From comp to comm to young adult literature to English education courses, I have really loved teaching at Cameron. The students are what make or break a teaching job – Cameron students have made the job a delight. My classes have seen babies be born and grow up, and puppies have their own seats. I will miss Cameron; fortunately, I won’t be too far. I’ll visit!” The ceremony continued with Dr. Carie Schneider giving the First Year 2022 Scholarships and Tuition Waivers to recipients. Cameron student Sarah Lindsey won the Lawton Shakespeare Club English scholarship, and students Bailly Boydston, Madeline Cox, Tiffany Estes and Richard Lawton received the Tuition waivers. All in attendance stood for Scissortail Writing Festival Attendees Thomas Juarez, Alison Malaway, Kaley Muse, Tereasa Neeley and Ryn Swinson. In closure, Keller congratulated all of the graduating English majors, wishing them well for future endeavors. After the ceremony concluded, groups took photos together and enjoyed snacks as well. For more information about the Cameron English Department, call 581-2272.
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Voices
April 25, 2022
Ride, Sally, ride! www.aggiecentral.com
Tiffany Estes
Guest Columnist I have always loved old cars. Vintage cars, slightly rusty with that old car smell are the best. It is a musty and intoxicating aroma; a mixture of old leather, paint, Pennzoil, and gasoline. Vintage cars smell nostalgic, like old metal, old age, wisdom, and defiance. It is a chemically diverse potpourri of carcinogens, guaranteed to stimulate your senses. Next time you are at a car show, stick your head inside of a 1968 Mustang or a 1957 Chevy Bel-Air and sniff. Since I was 14 years old, I have long dreamed of owning a vintage Mustang and favor the body style of the 19651968 models. I remember saving my money earned from babysitting, mowing lawns or helping my dad around the garage in hopes that I could save enough to own such a car. I never did get that old Mustang I longed for. Recently, my husband surprised me and found a fantastic deal on a 1966 Mustang. She is red (yes, the car is “she”), and “she” has a few rust spots. The interior is fully restored and in excellent condition with the classic bucket seats made of black leather and matching black carpet throughout. She is in very good shape for a 56-year-old car. I call her Sally… Mustang Sally. She did not run when we got her, and she came to us towed on a trailer. Sally had been sitting outside for a number of years. The seller could never seem to get her engine running. They did
give her some cosmetic restoration. And she has that smell. Oh, how I love that vintage car smell! My husband and I tinkered around with her for a couple of weeks, trying to get her to start. Sally spit, groaned, and sputtered in protest as we attempted to wake her from an extended slumber. We gave Sally a new battery, and my husband taught me how to put in new spark plugs with a big, clumsy tool. The engine is what they call an inline 6. It is simple construction and easy enough for my very non-mechanicallyinclined mind to grasp the ins and outs of basic car maintenance. This is a necessary skill if you plan on driving a fifty-plusyear-old car around. We experienced trials and tribulations. Due to the many failed attempts to make her start, we wore out three solenoids, two starters, a set of spark plugs and the ignition switch. My husband coached me through the whole thing in calm, assuring tones. The love and patience in his voice guided me throughout the mechanical process. I have to give him most of the credit though; he did all the hard stuff, but still let me get my hands dirty, a little. One day while working on Sally, after much resistance, she finally started up! She fired right up and purred like a box of kittens. I couldn’t believe it! The problem was that we couldn’t get her to stop running. Oh well, I shrugged my shoulders. Beaming proudly, I said, “Let’s take her for a spin!” I couldn’t stop smiling.
Photos Courtesy of Tiffany Estes
Totally un-wheel: Senior English major Tiffany Estes enjoys a drive by the lake with her English bulldog in her restored 1966 Ford Mustang. She recently received the vintage car as a gift from her husband. That was a special day. I carefully slipped in behind the wheel of Sally. The black leather seats, warmed by the sun, sent a surge of excitement coursing through me that matched the warmth in my heart for this old car. My son hopped in the backseat along with our English bulldog, and my husband sat next to me in the passenger seat. He knew how long I had wanted to drive a car like this, and he had made this special moment happen. I had never even driven a classic Mustang before that day. There is no air conditioning or power steering. In fact, there is no automatic anything with the exception of the transmission. There are no fancy safety features. The seat belts are lap belts only, and they don’t “beep” at you when you fail to use them.
Horse power: Senior English major, Tiffany Estes, has named her vintage car Mustang Sally. She lives out by Medicine Park and likes to take leisurely drives of the area with her English bulldog. About Us
The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available twenty Mondays during the year. It is printed by the Lawton Constitution. The first issue is provided for free. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.
Our Views
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.
I eased Sally’s transmission into reverse and slowly backed out of the driveway. The steering wheel is big and bulky, but it’s not too hard to turn the car, possibly due to her short wheelbase. Once Sally was on the road, I put her into ‘Drive’ and we were off. Being how she is a Mustang, naturally, Sally wanted to run. So, we ran! She was slow to start. Once she started to pick up momentum, she was gliding down the highway like a luxury yacht. I kept Sally between the white lines and inhaled her lovely antique smell. Together, we headed off on a little adventure. The sun was shining on that lovely spring day and the weather was gorgeous. We drove into nearby Medicine Park. Everyone seemed to be out and about that day. We drove Mustang Sally across the old, wooden bridge which crosses over Medicine Creek and enters the downtown area. As Sally slowly crept across the bridge, the old wooden planks of the bridge creaked and groaned beneath her weight. This sent a little shiver of excitement up my spine. My old bulldog had his big head hanging out the window, which was a humorous sight to see. His tongue dangled wildly, flapping in the wind as he grinned at everyone we passed by. The sidewalks and streets were packed with people. We saw a few other vintage cars driving
along the roadway with us. Sally crept behind bikers with their Harley Davidsons and choppers. People were pointing and smiling and so were we. We crept slowly down the main street, did a U-turn at the dam, and we made another lap back through downtown. All the while I inhaled her lovely, organic antique car smell. That nostalgic smell takes me back to days gone by. As the saying goes, “The old school was the good school.” When we finally made it home, we had to disconnect the car battery. Ironically, she would not start back up again after that glorious ride. It was like she was toying with us to see if we were going to make it worth her while for waking from her comatose state. She definitely had at least one good ride left in her, but I believed that there were many more joy rides left to be had with this old girl. We spent a painstaking couple of weekends troubleshooting and rewiring the old Mustang, and finally, we located the problem. There was one loose wire behind the dash that had become disconnected. Once that lone wire was reconnected, Sally fired right up every time with the key and switched off just as she was supposed to. Sally and her owner share a lot of the same qualities. She is quirky, yet classic. Sally looks good from a distance, but when you get up close
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COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
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to her you can see her imperfections… and that’s okay! Sally is not perfect, but she is perfect for me. Like most of us, she just needs a little TLC from time to time. She enjoys taking us for drives and making her rounds through the wildlife refuge, around the mountains, lakes, and through historic Medicine Park. She has awoken to a new life of retirement where she can be pampered and enjoyed for what she is. A sweet, little, classic car. Driving Mustang Sally reminds me that nostalgia has a smell, and those smells are linked to emotional memories. Nostalgia can come from filling your home with the smell of freshbaked bread or cookies. One whiff of a mustyold canvas tent or an autumn bonfire can cause one to reminisce about camping with the family as a kid. The smell of chlorinated water can elicit memories of spending endless summers in a swimming pool. For me, the smell of that old Mustang reminds me of long hours working on old cars with my dad when I was a little girl. My husband talks to me in the same gentle and patient way my dad used to do while teaching me how to work on old cars. That is a very comforting experience. For me, nostalgia came in the form of a ‘66 Ford Mustang.
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. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verification. Letters can be sent by mail, by e-mail to aggiecentral@ cameron.edu or they may be dropped off to the Academic Commons 101.
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Voices
April 25, 2022
www.aggiecentral.com
Ban book banning Brittney Payette Managing Editor
In the land of the free, there are often disagreements about what freedom includes and how much liberty people are permitted to have. Part of that liberty consists of the freedom of speech, which raises questions about how much freedom of speech Americans have. How much can we and should we censor, and where should censorship be allowed? Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information and is something that has occurred worldwide, including in the United States. Banning books impedes freedom of thought by restricting what people are allowed to read and is therefore a form of censorship. Proponents of banning books argue that they are trying to protect innocent minds (especially children) from vulgar and obscene works. I am not arguing that parents should never be able to regulate what a child is exposed to, but I would argue that one parent’s opinion of what their child can read should not restrict what other people have available to them. Parents often feel the need to protect their children from certain information, but in the age of the internet, this can be an exceedingly difficult thing to do. Perhaps instead of desperately trying to maintain children’s ignorance, we should encourage open communication with children to ensure they are understanding what they seek out themselves. This way, when they feel the need to go behind the backs of parents and guardians to explore their questions about the world they have a place to ask questions about what they find. We should strive to raise children who will grow up and become more informed adults who can better determine what they think is right or wrong. In many schools, parents can request that their child not be allowed to read a specific book. That is not an issue, in my opinion. The issue arises when a parent tries to get a book removed because they do not think the book should be available for others to read either, which restricts
other people’s rights. In the court case Board of Education v. Pico, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun said that “school officials may not remove books from school libraries for the purpose of restricting access to the political ideas or social perspectives discussed in the books when that action
information is a crucial part of exercising one’s freedom. Additionally, the Tinker v. Des Moines School Dist. court case determined that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” Therefore, the freedom of speech is
Tribune News Service
There’s bound to be a problem: A school board in Tennessee has added to a surge in book bans by conservatives with an order to remove the award-winning 1986 graphic novel on the Holocaust, “Maus,” from local student libraries. If we keep our children from learning about mistakes of the past, it only sets them up to make the same mistakes. is motivated simply by the officials’ disapproval of the ideas involved.” This means that officials, such as Boards of Education, cannot prohibit and remove books just because they do not agree with what they say. Furthermore, in the Board of Education v. Pico case, it was determined by the Supreme Court that “the right to receive ideas is a necessary predicate to the recipient’s meaningful exercise of his own rights of speech, press, and political freedom.” Therefore, banning books to limit the ideas which someone is able to receive would be a violation of the United States Constitution. The freedom of speech includes the fundamental right to receive information and the right to obtain
still a constitutional right that students maintain even when entering the school building. One prominent issue with banning books is that it prevents people from getting other perspectives about people who are different from themselves. Books allow people to contemplate different ideas based on their own experiences and the information they receive. People should be allowed to receive the information and decide what they personally believe. Some of the books that have been banned in schools include classics such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain and “Of Mice and Men”
by John Steinbeck. Books are sometimes banned because they are thought to contain information about topics such as sex, race and gender. Censoring information is nothing new and has happened throughout history worldwide. In 1933, Nazi student groups started burning books to “purify” Germany. The Nazis also raided libraries and bookstores to take the books they thought were “un-German.” Currently, Russia has enacted new censorship laws that prohibit free speech to control Russians through propaganda, especially when it comes to information about the war in Ukraine. People in Russia are not supposed to call the attack on Ukraine a war or an invasion, but a “special military operation”. Those who don’t follow these rules get punished. While a fellow journalist was reporting on air, Marina Ovsyannikova, a Russian journalist, appeared behind them holding a sign that said, “No war, stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here.” She was detained and fined for her actions on live TV as well as for having recorded a video in which she said she was ashamed for having disseminated Kremlin propaganda. The true purpose of book bans is not to protect people, but to control people and the information they receive. We are also experiencing book bans across the United States, including in Oklahoma. How can someone learn to think for themselves if the information they are provided with and allowed to read is severely limited based upon someone else’s subjective and biased ideas? What right does one group, whether it is the majority or the minority, have to dictate what everyone else is allowed to read and learn? Our freedom of speech is severely limited when free information is taken away from its citizens. Since the freedom of speech is a protected right for United States citizens, I encourage you, the people, to speak up for your right to choose what you read. Read those banned books and become an informed citizen, as you should be.
RECYCLING 101 Alison Malawey Voices Editor
In 2018, China enacted a new policy, the “National Sword” policy, which banned the import of most plastics and other materials. Before 2018, many countries around the world, including the United States, shipped their waste to China for it to be recycled. China dealt with nearly half of the world’s recyclable waste for the past quarter century. The country decided on the ban because they continually received unrecyclable materials mixed in with the recyclable which overwhelmed their recycling centers and created environmental issues that were not their doing. The rest of the world never created the infrastructure to be able to recycle their own waste, and the recycling industry, particularly when it comes to plastics, has come to a standstill. According to the Product Stewardship Institute, only 9% of plastics get recycled, but big companies continue to make single-use plastics and mark them as “recyclable.” This puts the majority of the responsibility onto the consumer. Greenwashing is when a company or organization shows superficial or insincere displays of concern for the environment with claims on their products or services being eco-friendly without having anything to really back it up. When soda companies redesign their soda bottles to be more “recyclable,” they are really just putting the weight of the ecological impact of their product onto the consumer. It then comes down to
the consumer to recycle the product. However, as previously stated, there’s not a lot of infrastructure for recycling in the US so even if a consumer does recycle, there’s still a large chance that a lot of their recyclables end up in landfills. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and their trash bins have a hole for trash and a hole for recyclables? Most recyclables need to be relatively clean and things like plastic straws are not recyclable. In spite of the customer putting something in the recycling bin, there’s a large chance the restaurant is just throwing it in the dumpster with the rest of the trash. Several places don’t even bother having two different trash bins and will have one large bin in a cabinet with two holes, one for recycling and one for waste. Companies have started greenwashing in an effort to appear more appealing to consumers. In the 1960s, hotels used to advertise themselves as being conscientious of the water usage by suggesting customers reuse their towels. They argued that if the consumers reused their towels, the hotel would be able to conserve water by not having to wash it. However, in his essay from 1986, environmentalist Jay Westerveld revealed that hotels were just trying to save money on their laundry, and he had found that many of them were making no other efforts to be sustainable when it came to water. Greenwashing is not only misleading but dangerous especially the last example. There are quality recycling resources. People think they are recycling, but companies mislead them to make a profit. In early June 2021, the city of Lawton started
to “offer” recycling services. However, the offer includes citizens of the city signing up for a subscription service through a third-party company called Recyclops (fee $15 per month/ $144 annually for pickup every two weeks as well as a $10 set up) on top of the waste services they pay for through the water department. Recyclops requires that at least 100 people sign up in order to start services in any location which was obtained for Lawton in mid July 2021. Recyclops touts that with their services you can recycle “at home plastic, aluminum, paper, & cardboard” with an option to add glass recycling for an additional $7 a month. The subscriber bags their recyclables in Recyclops provided bags which are pick up on scheduled days. After your bags are picked up, they are taken to a nearby recycling facility where they are emptied, sorted, and processed. Lawton’s recycling facility is listed as Republic Paperboard which only takes Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) which is also known as “cardboard”. If you are looking for a better recycling facility in Lawton, Fort Sill has a recycling center that accepts aluminum and steel cans, corrugated cardboard, detergent bottles, magazines, office wastepaper, old newspapers, plastic milk jugs, shredded paper and soda bottles. The bins on post are open 24/7, including holidays. The center has reopened bins located on the corner of Sheridan and Mow-Way Roads. The staff for those bins is limited on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Please contact (580) 442-5712 for more questions regarding this recycling center.
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A&E
April 25, 2022
www.aggiecentral.com
Tribune News Service
‘SONIC’ SEQUEL EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS Blake Moren Staff Writer
This review contains spoilers. “Sonic the Hedgehog” was the first video game franchise I fell in love with. I loved the bright colors, the fast-paced gameplay, the near-perfect level design, and the fantastic music. The first “Sonic” game was one of the first video games that I ever played, and since then, I have become obsessed with the franchise. I still love “Sonic” games, but not as much as I used to. The quality of some of the more recent games was extremely lackluster and disappointing, with the exceptions of “Sonic Colors,” “Sonic Generations,” and “Sonic Mania.” But to be honest, I still get excited when a new “Sonic” game is announced. However, this excitement is now cautious optimism. Upon hearing about a liveaction “Sonic” movie, I was excited, but I retained that cautious optimism that I had for the “Sonic” games. I remember seeing the first trailer that featured the filmmakers’ original design for Sonic. The trailer looked mediocre, and Sonic looked terrible. The widespread reaction to the design was similar to my own: it looked creepy and unsettling. Fortunately, the filmmakers decided to redesign Sonic completely, and the film was delayed to the following year. The redesign revealed in the next trailer was a colossal
improvement, and the trailer itself was incredible. My excitement level was now sky-high. When I saw the first “Sonic” film, I absolutely adored it, even if it wasn’t a perfect film. This film was everything I wanted it to be, and I couldn’t wait for the sequel. When the first trailer and poster appeared on social media, I was super-excited. As I watched the first trailer, I said: “This is the film I’ve been waiting for most of my life for.” Now that I’ve seen it, I can honestly say that “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is arguably the best live-action video game film ever made. I know that the bar for video game movies is extremely low, with most of them being terrible, mediocre or just flat-out weird. But honestly, I have a nostalgic soft spot for the 1993 “Super Mario Bros.” movie, even if it’s not that great or even good. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” was an absolute joy to watch. I loved almost everything about this film. There are so many aspects of this film that work flawlessly, even if some other things about the film are not so flawless. As with every film ever made, there are quite a few flaws. Since this is a kids’ movie, some of the humor is a bit childish, but I honestly didn’t mind it that much. Some of the humor just doesn’t really work in some scenes. Some of these jokes made me cringe, or they were just not that funny.
However, this film does have a lot of great jokes that were particularly hilarious. The human aspect of the story is where I have a lot of criticisms. It felt completely unnecessary to include a wedding scene in this film for the most part. It had barely anything to do with the main story, and if the filmmakers edited down these scenes down a bit or just completely cut half of them out, it wouldn’t have hurt the film in any way. Another scene that just feels completely out of place and should have either completely cut out or edited down was a volleyball scene. There is also an extremely weird dance-off that feels out of place, but it’s so weird and hilarious that I don’t mind it being in the movie. The scenes that do work are the scenes that are pertinent to the main story. Some of these scenes are taken straight from the video games. The film succeeds when the humans, excluding Robotnik, are not present, but there are some exceptions. The scenes with humans that take place before and after the wedding are among my favorite scenes in the film. The acting and voice acting are absolutely phenomenal in this film. Ben Schwartz is one of the best Sonic voices that the blue hedgehog has ever had, and there have been many of them, including (Steve Urkel, himself) Jaleel White voicing him in all three nineties “Sonic” cartoons. Schwartz’s performance is not just hilarious but fitting,
considering that Sonic is still kind-of a kid in this film. As with the previous film, Schwartz does a fantastic job as Sonic, giving us some of the funniest scenes and also some of the more emotional and compelling scenes. Colleen O’Shaughnessy, who has voiced Tails in the “Sonic” video games since 2014, returns to voice Tails in this film, and man, does she do an amazing job in this film. Thanks to her performance, Tails is the most endearing and sweetest character in the movie. Now, let’s talk about the echidna himself: Knuckles. This portrayal of the character is so perfect that it puts the character among the film’s biggest highlights. Idris Elba’s performance is powerful and perfect, as well as extremely funny. While there are a few similarities to Drax from the “Marvel” films, Knuckles is almost identical to his video game counterpart, and the same could be said for Sonic and Tails. Jim Carrey is among the funniest actors alive, and like in the previous film, his performance as Dr. Robotnik is absolutely amazing. He perfectly recaptures the overthe-top, maniacal, campy, and arrogant Robotnik from the video games. He was very entertaining to watch. If this is indeed his last film before his retirement, I’m glad to see that his last film contains one of his best performances to date. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter are very charming and funny in this film. Maddie’s sister Rachel, portrayed by Natasha Rothwell, is also pretty funny. The story itself is pretty
Second Annual Low Brass Choir Concert By Ashlin Penn A&E Editor
Cameron University’s Music Department is proudly presenting their second annual Brass Choir Concert directed by Dr. Lucas Kaspar. It will feature Cameron Students, Advanced High School Band students, as well as other hobby musicians in the community. This ensemble has about 25 members who play a range of instruments in the Brass Family and will include trombones, trumpets and tubas. While the concert will be primarily focused on the Brass instruments, there will also be some accompanying percussion instruments.
Assistant Professor of Music, Dr. Lucas Kaspar is the director and creator of this ensemble, which debuted in Spring of 2021. Kaspar’s Masters and Doctoral Degree are both in trombone performance, and his passion for music is evident. This is his second year at Cameron teaching band and low brass. He spoke about the content of the concert and what audiences can expect to hear. “The concert will just really feature music that sounds good for brass instruments,” he said. “There’s no theme to the concert, we’re playing music all the way back from the 1700’s, opera music, all the way to movie scores.” Audiences can look forward to a
good, aside from most of the human scenes. This is among the most faithful video game adaptations to date, which makes the film super-special for me. The film contains so many references to the games that made me love the film even more. The musical score by Tom Holkenborg is also amazing. The CGI is absolutely breathtaking and is a remarkable improvement over its predecessor. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles look absolutely perfect in this film. Seeing these three work together to take down Robotnik and his giant robot, a robot similar to the final bosses in “Sonic 2” and “Sonic & Knuckles,” was a very epic and nostalgic experience. The action scenes were fantastic, and some were super nostalgic to watch since some are taken directly from the games, most notably “Sonic 2”, “Sonic 3”, “Sonic & Knuckles,” and “Sonic Adventure.” It reminded me a little bit of “Sonic Heroes” as well. As for the final battle with the giant Eggman robot and seeing Super Sonic on the big screen gave me chills. It was so epic to see Super Sonic destroy the Robotnik robot. That mid-credits scene, man. If you’re a “Sonic” fan, you’ll absolutely love this mid-credits scene. I know I did. It contains a character that has been my absolute favorite character in the “Sonic” series. A dark and serious character and that’s all I will say about that midcredits scene. Overall, this is probably the best video game movie ever made, but it’s not without its flaws. My Rating: 4.1 / 5 Photo by Ashlin Penn
wide range of music, and Dr. Kaspar wants to use the concert as a learning experience for the community. Each piece will feature a different brass instrument, and an ensemble member will introduce each of the primary instruments and its capabilities and origins. Kaspar is looking forward to performing the music and paying respect to each composer being featured. He also looks forward to continuing to grow and expand the group. He encourages people to attend the
concert as there will be something to enjoy for everyone. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. on April 30 in the University Theatre. Tickets are $10 for Adults, $8 for Senior Citizens/Military Members/Non-CU Students and free admission for CU Students/Faculty/ Staff who present their CU I.D. For more information about the event, or if you are interested in auditioning for the group, you can send an email to Dr. Lucas Kaspar at LKaspar@cameron.edu or call him at (580) 581- 2802.
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Student Life
April 25, 2022
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MAC N’ PHI’S
Philanthropy for Women’s Heart Health Jashua Orndorff Staff Writer
On Mar. 24, Alpha Phi hosted its first Mac n’ Phi’s fundraiser. The charity event centered around a mac and cheese-oriented buffet hosted for their philanthropy, Women’s Heart Health. Individuals dug into a wide selection of macaroni dishes cooked by sorority members. Sorority members sold tickets for the event across campus for $5 a piece prior to the scheduled time. Attendees of Mac n’ Phi’s had the chance to indulge in an unlimited amount of mac n’ cheese and were encouraged to eat to their heart’s content. All proceeds from the event went toward the Alpha Phi Foundation, where they are divided and donated to cardiac-related research. Students and others from across campus enjoyed an evening filled with a variety of cheese and pasta while they relaxed as the sorority raised funds for their cause. The sorority established and held the event within the Shepler Ballroom. Many gathered to partake in the comfort food and have a great time. Alpha Phi member Karissa Debartolo commented on the event and overall fundraiser goals. “Mac n’ Phi’s is a fundraising event we’re hosting for our philanthropy,” she said. “We’re raising money and gathering donations for things like cardiac care and research.” Debartolo noted the history of their philanthropy fundraisers as a whole and the event’s similarity to previous fundraisers. “In the past, they’ve had events similar to Mac n’ Phi’s,” she said. “It’s kind of like our traditional events to raise money.” Mac n’ Phi’s is one of a few fundraising events held by Alpha Phi that benefits the group’s philanthropy. Some of the sorority’s
Photos by Jimm Alley
main objectives aim to benefit groups such as Women’s heart health and other fundraising groups by creating fun charitable events focused on individual causes. Organization President McKenzie Choate discussed goals for future fundraiser events. “Our main goal for this semester
and next semester is to raise more money for our philanthropy,” she said. “Last year, we were able to raise twice as much as we have done in the past five years, so we’re just trying to double that.” Choate also talked about the potential growth garnered from events such as Mac n’ Phi’s and expressed
her hopes for the organization’s future. “We’re trying to host bigger events like this campus-wide. We’re also trying to reach more students not only to raise money but for recruitment as well,” she said. “Kinda wanting to get our name out there a little more and get some more girls interested.”
Senior Spotlight: ConGRADulations!
What are you most excited for after graduation? “I am excited to start my new job in OKC! It feels like one of those cliche teen movies where a — Asante Hardin young man leaves for the big city.” JRMP Major
“I am excited to move to Waco and start my graduate studies at Baylor univerity. I will be working toward my Ph.D making new — Colin To friends along the way!” Chemistry Major
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Sports
April 25, 2022
www.aggiecentral.com
with
Aggie Coach Spotlight
Brandon Stephenson
Photo by Kenton Means
Rylan Stiles Staff Writer
The Cameron Aggies volleyball team is attempting to rebound from a 2-27 season in 2021, what will change in head coach Brandon Stephenson’s fourth season at the helm of the Aggies, and how did the program get here? The last time the Aggies cracked double-digit wins on the volleyball court was in 2015 when the Black and Gold turned in a 17-10 record, going 7-9 in the Lone Star Conference (LSC). That team reached the second round of the LSC post-season tournament; however, the team is three head coaches removed from that squad, and has not reached the postseason since. While last year’s two-win season was the second in two years, it certainly looked different. The team was more competitive on the floor – despite it not translating to wins – as they gained more continuity and chemistry in Stephenson’s system:
an era that has had anything but consistency. When Brandon Stephenson came to Lawton from Barton Community College, he was not hired until July 2019, giving the team little time to prepare before turning in a six-win season. The six-win season was a two game improvement on the 2018 year, and things were certainly trending upward, giving Stephenson his first successful spring season with the Aggies. The spring season is incredibly important in building a program, and the system of learning has to be simplified, Stephenson said. “Rather than coming in and having to teach 15 new players your system, now you are looking at maybe five players you are having to get proved into what is going on,” Stephenson said. “and those returners are able to have one-on-one sessions with new players on how we do things and run our system.” Many believed the team would take a step in 2020; however – the
COVID-19 pandemic forced studentathletes into isolation, and barred the team from practicing during much of the pandemic timeline. The 2020 campaign was pushed back to spring 2021, causing volleyball student-athletes to play two seasons in the calendar year as the 2021 fall campaign returned as scheduled. Now, in 2022 the team is working hard on the practice floor to make up for lost time. Stephenson said he is excited to have players who see the vision he sees, as well as seeing the growth of the veteran players, and also that the team has more chemistry as a whole. “Practices are fun; we want to continue that into the fall,” Stephenson said. “With us having additional time to work with them [new players] this year, I think that will be good for us.” This will be a critical season for the Aggies, who have their sight set on the Lone Star Conference post-season tournament. That is a feat they have not accomplished since 2015, and would
be a historic turnaround as a program on the heels of a two win season. Stephenson said the number one reason to believe in the team the Fall season is because the players have their passion back after two seasons filled with obstacles. One advantage the Aggies have is the Aggie Gym, despite the court having some entities not common on larger courts such as basketball hoops. “With every gym there are issues you have to deal with, playing in a smaller gym like the Aggie gym it allows us to get our tempo better,” Stephenson said. “We have to know if a ball gets shanked a certain way [that] we cannot all flow to that direction, because it might hit a speaker… with our fans, it is special – the student body is right up against the railing, it has to be intimidating at times.” Between a new look offense that will feature more tempo, another solid recruiting class and more time to prepare than ever before, there are plenty of reasons for hope in the Stephenson era of Aggie Volleyball.
Aggie Athletics Feature: with pitcher Michael Womack
Rylan Stiles Staff Writer
In the Spring 2022 season with a score of 11-23, the Cameron Aggies Baseball program has surpassed their win total from last season. Michael Womack is in a new role for his final season. How is the Lawton native adapting to change? Michael Womack said this season is the second most successful run he has seen at the college level, rivaling his first year at Cameron with the Team’s score of 23-29 – qualifying into the Lone Star Conference Tournament and making it into the LSC Championship game. The streak included upsetting the first-ranked Angelo State Rams, including MLB Draft pick Josh Elvir. However, the Aggies lost the title game to West Texas A&M, and promptly made a coaching change – promoting top assistant coach Kyle Williams to the head coach position. As a result, change has been the only constant in Womack’s coaching career. After an illustrious career at Lawton’s Eisenhower High School, Womack was a prized baseball recruit, and went to work at Colorado Northwestern. After a season in Colorado, however, Womack decided to return to Lawton. “It just felt right to come back to Lawton,” Womack said. Unfortunately, the pandemic happened in the midst of his second season – of which he was seeing great success. Womack said he was placed in the dream rotation, starting five games for the Aggies in the shortened 2020 season; he also came back for two more appearances. He struck out 29 batters over the course of 28 innings, and even flirted with a no-hitter into the seventh inning against UT Tyler. “The Pandemic obviously changed things,” Womack said. “There was so much uncertainty – the season just
ended, and no one knew what was going to happen,” Womack said. “I just got back to work, practicing on my own, preparing for what I thought would be my last season.” That was until the NCAA passed a new amendment granting an additional year of eligibility to those student-athletes impacted by the shortened 2020 season. “I did not take it for granted, it was a chance to continue to play the game I love here at Cameron,” Womack said. Following the 2021 season, Kyle Williams elected to bring Womack out of the bullpen for the 2022 campaign. “It is different,” Womack said. “As a reliever, you never know when you will be called on – you have to stay ready. As a starter, you are told ahead of time when it is your day so you can set everything up for your routine. In the Bullpen, we never know when a situation will come up where we are needed. It is a fun challenge.” With the fun came other challenges for Womack, who dealt with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first two series of the 2022 year. His first relief outing for the Aggies came in February against Eastern New Mexico, where he struck out three batters during his one inning of work. Against Permian Basin for his second outing, Womack was allowed to go longer into the game, pitching one and two-thirds innings with three strikeouts with no runs, no walks or hits allowed. The following weekend against UT Tyler, Womack gave up his first hit still striking out two batters in his single frame of work, but the run did come across to score. Four of Womack’s seven appearances during the 2022 season have seen him allow one run or less, never allowing more than two in any opportunity.
Photo by Kenton Means
Despite not earning bulk innings as a starter anymore, Womack still has 12 strikeouts on the year, which is good enough for sixth-highest on the Cameron Aggies pitching staff without reaching double-digit innings yet. Womack said in his free-time he teaches baseball in Lawton. “It is so rewarding, getting to teach and share the game I love, and improve players’ games,” Womack said. This has led to his career after college as a high school baseball coach. However, coaching can wait, as Womack still has 16 collegiate games left, and the Aggies are hoping to right their season. “We know we have the talent,” Womack said. “We want to win games down the stretch and make the Lone Star Conference Tournament. We know if we can do that, anything can happen…Look at 2019.” Womack said he hopes he can be part of the turnaround for the Aggies as they finish their season with four straight Lone Star Conference attendances.
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April 25, 2022
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