Collegian T he Cameron University
www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, November 25, 2019
Volume 101 Issue 9
Campaigning in unexpected places: Senator Bernie Sanders stands with members of his family onstage at a campaign event. The presidential candidate has been expanding his campaign to more rural areas of Oklahoma, including Lawton.
The Sanders Campaign:
New office coming to Lawton
Payton Williams Managing Editor @YoureSoVanya
On Sept. 22, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders made two campaign stops in Oklahoma, one in Norman, and one in Lawton at the 28th Annual Comanche Nation Powwow. At the rally at Reaves Park in Norman, Oklahoma Coordinator for the Sanders campaign Josh Vinslaw spoke before Sanders and made an announcement. “We are going to be in Lawton,” Vinslaw said. As it turns out, this announcement from the campaign referred to more than making a brief stop at the Comanche Nation Powwow. The Sanders campaign is currently planning to have a campaign office in Lawton, Oklahoma, which will function as a headquarters for volunteers to organize, canvass for the candidate and plan campaign events. This announcement comes at a time of increased Democratic party activity and general engagement in Lawton and the greater Comanche County area. According to Kaysa Williams, campaign manager for local Democratic candidate Kyle Meraz, this influx of energy for the local Democratic part is largely a reaction to the 2016 election of President Donald Trump. “In my opinion, last election cycle, we saw a lot of people who were disassociating from politics,” Williams said. “And now it feels like both sides are so comfortable in where they are,
and they’re so passionate about the fight that they’re fighting, and we’re seeing a lot more young people who are actually wanting to have real political conversations.” Whether or not Trump is the driving factor for the strength of Democratic organization in the state this election cycle, Sanders’ Oklahoma campaign officials are confident in saying that volunteer numbers have been strong for the Sanders campaign in Oklahoma, specifically. Oklahoma Political Director for the Sanders campaign Jess Mazour spoke about the particular fervor Oklahomans have shown for Sanders. “We get a lot of people who aren’t officially involved with any of our offices volunteering time to support the campaign by themselves,” Mazour said. One possible reason for Oklahoman interest in the Sanders campaign may be the amount of official activity the campaign has in Oklahoma as a whole, and in more rural parts of the state, such as Lawton in particular. As of the writing of this article, and according to the Comanche County Democratic Party, the Sanders campaign is the only national campaign for the presidency, Republican or Democrat, to put forth an effort to establish a headquarters in Oklahoma outside of the Tulsa or Oklahoma City areas. A Sanders campaign office in Lawton would mark the second such rural office in Oklahoma, with another established office in Stillwater, Oklahoma, affiliated largely with the Oklahoma State University campus.
Apart from established offices, the campaign also has many volunteer events scheduled for several parts of Oklahoma rarely touched upon by national campaigns, including a workshop in Elgin and an organizing event in Ponca City. The new campaign office is not the only thing the Sanders campaign has planned for Lawton in the immediate future. The campaign is holding a planned organizing meeting at 6:30 p.m., on
Sanders has also made agriculture, and challenging current agricultural business standards, a stated priority of his 2020 campaign, an issue that is very important in Oklahoma. “One in six American children still live in food-insecure homes,” The Official Bernie Sanders campaign website said. “Industrial agriculture has taken a toll on the environment, and our rural communities have been left in a chronic state of economic decline and decay.” If Bernie Sanders plans “One in six American children to make rural still live in food-insecure homes, poverty, food insecurity Industrial agriculture has taken a and the toll on the environment, and our rural environmental communities have been left in a chronic impact of Agribusiness state of economic decline and central issues for decay.” his campaign, —Bernie Sanders campaign website being a very visible candidate in the state of Oklahoma might Dec. 3, at the Lawton Public Library. be his way of showing his seriousness Vinslaw and other state organizers on that issue. will attend the meeting. Sanders has also expressed interest It should be noted that in the 2016 in Native American causes, and, as presidential election cycle, Sanders won Lawton is a center for several Native the Oklahoma Democratic Primary by a American tribes, it helps establish his substantial margin. seriousness on those issues as well. Sanders beat Hillary Clinton in every For more information on the Bernie county in the state for the Democratic Sanders campaign in Lawton, and the presidential nomination. Democratic party in the Lawton area in This fact is an indicator of Oklahoma general, contact the Comanche County Democrats’ support of Sanders and Democrats office directly at (580) is likely a big reason for increased 699-7010. campaign involvement in Oklahoma this election cycle.
What’s Inside Writing Club Fundraiser
E-Sports Roster
Page 2
Page 4
Spencer Brown Profile Page 6
2
News
November 25, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
Photo by Cam Alsbrook
Going by the book: English Education Major Jerrica Baker (Left) and Creative Writing Major Ashley Arredondo (Right) run the table for the CU Writing Club Fundraising Sale. People who donated could pick from various desserts and claim a mystery book.
Writing Club fundraising: Turning the page to success Cam Alsbrook
Michael Inman. “We are a club open to all Assistant Editor students of Cameron and also From 11 – 2 p.m., on Nov. try to attend as many literary 19, the Cameron University events as possible as a club,” Writing Club hosted a bake Inman said. “It started because sale inside the Nance Boyer we feel students should have a building. place to have a creative outlook Officers of the club provided and a voice.” students and faculty slices of Students read their work pumpkin pie, donuts, pumpkin out loud at club meetings, said cupcakes and a book — for the Senior English Education major price of a donation determined Jerrica Baker, a member of the by the donator. club. Alongside the desserts were “I wasn’t a part of the club wrapped books for students to when it first started, but I joined enjoy as surprise books that because I have a passion for they may not have chosen on writing,” Baker said. “The more their own, a concept conceived I read my work in front of the by both the Writing Club and Writing Club, the more I notice Sigma Tau Delta. that I become more confident People were able to donate in what I am reading, which their own books to either I think is beneficial for me as club by talking to officers in future educator.” either organization for more SGA representative and information. Senior Creative Writing The club’s goal is to listen major Ashley Arredondo said and read the writing of speaking helps writers in the Cameron students according to club with confidence. Junior Creative Writing major “Writing club is the perfect
opportunity for students to share their work with others to receive feedback,” Arredondo said. “Confidence in not only their work, but also their ability to speak in front of others.” The club focuses on offering a writing community on campus for writers, according to senior creative writing major and club president Katherine Book. “I relate to the Writing Club’s focus because I believe very strongly that as writers we need to be a supportive and safe community, as opposed to seeing each other as competition,” Book said. “Fellow writers need helpful critiques in order to produce a masterpiece.” Members of the club all have differing relationships and goals to their writing, and for Book, writing provides a method of understanding the world around her. “My relationship with writing is that it is my core,” Book said. “Writing helps me
process the world around me, writing also helps me through whatever hardships life throws in my way. My main goal is to write until not writing makes me anxious, and if all goes according to plan, that will pay off.” The club started as an idea of Creative Writing Professor Leah Chaffins and her class as a way to help creative writing majors on their path toward submitting work to contests such as the Chikaskia Literary Festival. As a result of the club, Book was able to accomplish some literary goals — being published is one of them. “My writing wouldn’t be on the level it is now if not for the beta readers, fellow writers and critiques I have received over the years,” Book said. “After going through three beta readers, my piece ‘Whatever It Takes’ made finalist in the 13th annual Scissor Tail Creative Writing Festival. My poems would not
have been published in the Woody Guthrie Anthology without the help of Cameron professors like Dr. [John] Morris and Dr. [Sue] Tyrell.” Book said the Writing Club helps members develop practical writing skills. “The Writing Club not only allows me and anyone else to read their work out loud to listen for mistakes, but each member is a beta reader with suggestions and ideas to help the piece succeed.” The Writing Club’s bake sale sold out before 2 p.m., at which point the officers sold remaining books to the passing students before splitting ways to get to class. The CU Writing Club meets at 3:30 p.m., on Mondays, in Nance Boyer, room 3010, to offer critique and inspiration to creative writers. For more information about the CU Writing Club and events, contact Chaffins at 5812545.
Down to Business with Dr. Krystal Brue
Photos by Stacie Larsen
Down to Business: On Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m., Dr. Krystal Brue gave information about the Masters in Business Administration program. Information included cost, courses and awards the program received.
Voices
November 25, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
3
Biting the Bullet —
Americans grapple on, but still can’t see gun to gun Amanda King Voices Editor @the_amandaking
The great gun debate has been raging in the United States for decades now, with no end in sight. But since the new “permitless” gun law has recently taken effect in Oklahoma, the weapon controversy seems to be an unavoidable part of casual conversation. This new law is pretty self-explanatory — but in case you’ve somehow managed not to hear about it, the change makes it now legal for any persons 18 and over (and military service members/veterans 21 and over) to open-carry a gun without a permit, as per nraila.org. This law went into effect on Nov. 1, and exactly 17 days later, on Nov. 18, there was a shooting at Walmart in Duncan, Oklahoma, wherein a man shot and killed his wife and her boyfriend, then himself. Whether this was caused by — or even related to — the policy change is disputable, but both the new law and this shooting tie into a bigger problem in America: the ridiculous amount of gunrelated deaths per year. According to BBC News, 73 percent of all homicides committed in the U.S. during 2017 were caused by guns. This number might seem pretty high, but it’s even higher when you compare it to England and Wales, who had a total of 3 percent for 2017 and 2018, combined. The big question is “why?” Why are there more gun-deaths, mass shootings and even guns themselves in America than there is anywhere else? The potential answers are insanely skewed; everyone attributes the overwhelming problem of gun violence to different influences. But one thing is certain: none of these supposed instigators can solely be
“
blamed. The most common argument you’re likely to hear is lack of education. It must be because kids aren’t raised learning about guns; kids aren’t taught to respect them, and how to use them properly. I mean, at least a fraction of the gun death statistics are accidental, right? It must have been the lack of education that caused Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to massacre students at Columbine High School, right? If they had been taught younger how to use weapons, they wouldn’t have killed 13 innocent people and wounded 24, right? Someone has to have
Why are there more gun-deaths, mass shootings and even guns themselves in America than there are anywhere else?
realized by now that “lack of education” isn’t a possible answer. Knowing how to use a weapon does not make it safe in someone’s hand. Knowing the harm a gun can pose if used does not make it unusable. In fact, understanding how to use a gun can be even more deadly if someone is that intent to commit a violent act. This brings me to the
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.
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.
next rational conclusion people seem to draw from the increasing amount of gun violence in America: inadequate treatment for mental health. It’s not news to anyone that attitudes toward mental health issues have a brutal history, especially in the U.S. — and if one is so willing to take a weapon and use it to harm someone, or several someones, it should be easy to conclude that there are some sort of mental health problems to be factored in. But other countries have populations with mental problems, too. Why are American’s so prone to using guns when suffering these problems? Possibly because mental health issues aren’t treated correctly or simply aren’t diagnosed — but surely this happens in other countries as well. And America is known to overdiagnose mental problems to the point where common issues, such as depression and anxiety, are almost trendy. So again, is mental health unawareness to blame? Maybe it’s a factor, but it still isn’t the only culprit. On to the next popular villain: violent media. We let kids and teenagers play violent video games and listen to violent music and watch violent movies, so obviously they are taught to be violent! That’s the problem! Because is it the baby boomers shooting up public places? No. It’s all the angsty
”
teens who have mental problems and access to guns. But wait — wasn’t Stephen Paddock, the man responsible for murdering 58 people in Las Vegas 64 years old? Does everyone think he was playing violent shooter games and listening to angry rock growing up in the 70s, and that’s why he decided to commit the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in U.S. history? And don’t other countries have violent media? What makes America so special? Perhaps it’s merely the fact that potential wrongdoers now know notoriety will follow such brutality. Finally a way to get noticed, for all those society left behind. These are just a couple conclusions that people seem to come to, and the real answer might lie in a combination of all of them. But what I genuinely cannot understand, is why a law that eliminates yet another barrier between guns and potential attackers can, in any conceivable way, help stop the vicious cycle of death? Maybe stopping this gun violence epidemic wasn’t the intention when the law was passed — couldn’t possibly have been, considering there is literally no way that taking away the necessity of a permit to open-carry a weapon in Oklahoma could ever be a step toward ending the violence. But to be clear: this should always be the goal. Truthfully, there is no point in arguing about guns anymore.
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN
Everyone has their own opinion about their necessity — or lack thereof — and are so staunch in their own beliefs that they can’t even calmly discuss a different opinion — not unlike other social issues, unironically. We, as Americans, are so quick to give everyone a gun because it’s our Second Amendment right — which is all well and good until someone takes that gun and shoots up a school. Then suddenly, half the population wants to take all the guns away — while the other half now needs those guns to protect themselves and their families, and the cycle goes on and on and on. It’s a circular argument that will never have an answer, and Americans are fooling themselves if they think that having a different person in charge of the country is suddenly going to spell out a solution. Regardless, something has to change if we are ever going to stop the bloodshed. Though somehow, I don’t think this new law is the solution we’ve been searching for.
Graphic by Amanda King
Letters Policy
Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Letters to the editor will be printed in the order in which they are received and on a space available basis.
Editorial Staff
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 - Payton Williams A&E Editor - Lea Killian Sports Editor - David Perkins Voices Editor - Amanda King Copy Editor - Kim Frey Assistant Editors - Cambron Alsbrook, Adrianna Finch Social Media Editor - Abby Gonzalez Photographers - Katie Hall, Stacie Larsen, Cierra Walters
Newsroom Staff
Financial Officer - Susan Hill Staff Writers - Bryan Araujo, Katie Hall, Isaiah Hernandez, Haylee Key, Xavier McClure, Isabel Rosales-Aparicio Circulation Manager - Payton Williams Faculty Adviser - Prof. 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.
4
Sports
Cameron University
E-Sports r o s t e r
COMPLETE David Perkins
developer,” Cunningham said. “This job is the right fit for Sports Editor me. I’m super happy and super stoked to be doing this.” As the fall semester comes However, the process took to a close, so does the process a little longer than he expected of completing the roster for simply because it was initiated Cameron’s new E-Sports at the very beginning of the program. semester. This fall marks the first “I thought it’d take about semester for Cameron’s a month to select our roster, foray in the now-booming but it took about two months world of collegiate E-Sports because of the scheduling,” competition. Cunningham said. Team members have been The process of selecting the selected and jerseys have now roster has been hindered by the been ordered. schedules of the student players Cameron used various because, by the time of tryouts, outlets to get the word out for their semester was already well the program on short notice, underway. which included small flyers, “Everybody’s schedules large posters, as well as stories are everywhere right now,” in newspapers and television Cunningham said. “When news. this whole thing started up, Cameron’s digital media everybody was already enrolled manager and E-Sports coach John Cunningham said he feels in their classes ... So for me as fortunate to have got in on the a coach trying to get them all in here on the same day has ground floor of the program. been the biggest struggle.” “I’ve been a gamer most With the beginning of a of my life. Been a web
new E-Sports program, comes a fresh process of hard work developing the players as members of a team. “I haven’t been able to get the team together the way I wanted to and needed to,” Cunningham said. “I still have players that I’d still like to see how well they can play together, which is very important in playing in a league.” Tryouts for the teams began near the beginning of the semester with ninety potential players. After two months, that number had been cut in half. Recently
November 25, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
there was one student who had to leave the team. “They had some things come up,” Cunningham said. “Life happens. They had to drop some classes, so they’re going to have to take a break from the team. So we’re going to lose one.” The roster will be competing in four different games: League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Now at the end of the selection process, Cunningham has fifteen players competing in League of Legends, twelve players competing in Overwatch, eight players competing in Rocket League and nine players competing in Super Smash Bros. With the selection of the roster comes a new direction and focus for the coach and for the team. As the semester comes to a close and a new one approaches, everybody is in
the process of developing from individual students on a roster to working together as a team. “Right now, I just got my guys and girls practicing together, so they can get used to each other’s game play,” Cunningham said, “so they can learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses and build off of that.” Cunningham believes that will be the key to competing well. “I want to build a family. When you play with your friends, you play better. It’ll just take a little time. “It is just like any other sport that relies on teamwork.” As the new season begins, people will be able to spectate Cameron E-Sports events on the team’s Twitch channel, which will be linked to AggieCentral.com
Photos by by David David Perkins Perkins Photos
Photo by Payton Williams
November 25, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
5
A&E
THE WALKING DEAD:
coming alive in season ten
Lea Killian
Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Melissa A&E Editor McBride readied themselves to begin @talkingLea a new chapter in “The Walking On Oct. 6, AMC premiered the Dead” universe. tenth season of “The Walking Dead.” After a six-year time jump in Viewers might expect that in the season 9, audiences have grown tenth season, the grit and hysteria accustomed to a more advanced way of an apocalyptic zombie show that of life for the survivors. once drew the largest audience in With farmland, walls, cable television would have died out communication between the long ago. communities and even an established While it is true that the show treaty between them all, a world suffered a drop in ratings throughout nearly forgotten has once again seasons 7 and 8, and even said started to thrive. goodbye to the main character of 9 In this world, the threat of death years, Rick Grimes, the “Walking always looms. In season 10, however, Dead” is far from meeting its it wears a new face. demise. The Whisperers have returned. In an interview with Yvette Nicole Adorned with masks of the faces Brown for AMC’s “Talking Dead,” of the dead, they walk among them Rick Grimes himself, Andrew through the forests surrounding the Lincoln, discussed the show’s communities, chanting their mantra: possibilities in the absence of his “We walk in darkness. We are character. free. We bathe in blood. We are “It’s the story of Michonne, Daryl free. We love nothing. We are free. and all of those beloved people,” We fear nothing. We are free. We he said. “By taking Rick out of the need no words. We are free. We narrative, you free space on this embrace all death. We are free. This show in a way we have never done is the end of the world. Now is the before. To be able to have all these end of the world. We are the end of extraordinary actors leading the the world.” show in their own ways, spinning To teach the communities off stories with Angela [Kang] at the a lesson at the end of season helm, I feel like I’ve left this show in 9, Alpha (Samantha Morton), a better place than I found it.” the leader of the Whisperers, Even with substantial shoes to murders ten of their own and fill (cowboy boots, specifically), the establishes boundaries, forbidding remaining cast members, including the communities to cross over onto
their lands. In fear of another attack, they obey. This is where audiences find their characters at the beginning of season 10. Now at the mid-season finale, “The Walking Dead” has done just what Lincoln hoped it would. In the exit of Rick Grimes, the show has created space to tell stories of PTSD, drug addiction and grief. “The Walking Dead” has even introduced deaf and hard of hearing characters, Connie and Kelly, played by Lauren Ridloff and Angel Theory. Dedicating scenes and storylines to convey conversation in American Sign Language, “The Walking Dead” has portrayed what many perceive as a disability, as a superpower — even in a zombie apocalypse.
Not only is “The Walking Dead” continually celebrating one of its many inspirations, George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) by telling the stories of minorities, the show has even reconnected with its horror roots that were so prevalent in the beginning. Between the efforts of Angela Kang, now in her second consecutive season as showrunner, and the dedication of the cast and crew, “The Walking Dead” has proven that even in a show’s tenth season, it can be better than ever before. “The Walking Dead” airs on AMC Sunday nights at 8 p.m. and will return from its midseason break in February.
Disney+ Adrianna Finch
dove cameron Lea Killian
Mia!” as Sophie in 2017 and “Clueless, the Musical” as Cher Horowitz in 2018. A&E Editor During that time, she even released @talkingLea an album, “Negatives” with her former partner, Ryan McCartan, under the name, On July 19, 2013, Disney Channel aired “The Girl and the Dreamcatcher.” the first episode of “Liv and Maddie” By this time, Cameron had proven her starring Dove Cameron, launching the versatility as a performer, but had yet to young actor into the spotlight. release any music of her own. During the show’s run, Cameron also On Sept. 27, Cameron finally released took her place in Disney’s “Descendants,” two original songs, “Bloodshot” and playing the role of Mal, the daughter and “Waste.” only child of Maleficent and Hades. Shortly after, she released a third song, The film expanded into a trilogy and titled, “So Good.” continued to solidify Cameron’s role as Cameron has yet to release any another one of Disney Channel’s success information on an upcoming debut album, stories. but if the rest of her music is anything like After her run on Disney, Cameron took what she has already released, she will the stage, performing in “Hairspray Live!” be taking her place on the charts any day as Amber Von Tussle in 2016, “Mamma now.
with unlimited downloads. Subscribers can stream Disney Assistant Editor Plus on up to four devices at a On Nov. 12, The Walt Disney time. Company released the much Disney Plus has thousands anticipated streaming service of Disney owned movies and Disney Plus in the United States, television series from Disney, Canada and the Netherlands. Marvel, 20th Century Fox, Disney Plus is a new streaming Star Wars, Pixar and National service that has joined many Geographic for subscribers to other steaming services like Hulu, view. Amazon Prime and Netflix. Among these movies are Disney Disney Plus is an ad-free, onChannel Originals from the early demand streaming service created to late 2000’s The Cheetah Girls, by The Walt Disney Company. High School Musical series, Camp Disney Plus costs subscribers Rock and others. $6.99 per month or $69.99 per Disney Plus has the classic year. This cost includes unlimited original animated movies like hours on streaming Disney owned Cinderella, Mulan, The Lion King content. Disney Plus also has and The Little Mermaid. As for bundle package that includes Hulu T.V. shows the steaming service and ESPN+ that costs $12.99 per has shows from the 90’s to today’s month. current shows. Subscribers can use Disney The Marvel, Pixar Star Wars Plus on most of their devices and National Geographic section (phones, tablets, smart TVs, run this way as well. laptops and gaming consoles). To subscribe and for more This service allows subscribers information about Disney Plus to take Disney anywhere they go visit disneyplus.com
Student Life
6
November 25, 2019
www.aggiecentral.com
Reaching for home
Brown combats homelessness Bryan Araujo Staff Writer
Business Administration Sophomore Spencer Brown is a Presidential Leaders and University Scholars (PLUS) student and a Cameron University baseball player who started a program to help the homeless named “Sanctuary 212” or “S212” while still attending Eisenhower High School. Brown said S212’s purpose was to shelter homeless high school students in Lawton. “We want to focus on kids around 14 to 18, so freshman to seniors in high school who are homeless and need a long-term shelter,” Brown said. Brown said that the last he checked, there were 826 homeless students enrolled in Lawton Public Schools. He said he knew there was some students likely to face this issue but initially had no idea the number was so high. Brown said his journey began when he was trying to enroll in his second semester of senior year with his counselor. “She had a pamphlet on her desk about homelessness in Lawton Public Schools,” Brown said. “It literally caught my eyes completely by chance. I picked it up and started reading it, and I was talking to her about it, and I was like ‘we have to do something about that because that’s unacceptable.’” He said his own father also influenced him by always making time for charitable projects and bettering the community, while also serving as a city councilman and mayor pro tempore. Prior to S212, Brown had participated in a philanthropy week through his high school, where he raised money for The Marie Detty Youth and Family services’ New Directions Women’s shelter. He said there was a specific meaning behind the name of his project. “Sanctuary 212 is the boiling point of water,’’ Brown said. “If water is at 211 degrees, it’s just hot, but you give it one extra degree, it starts to boil. We want to provide kids with that extra degree of being able to walk into a sanctuary and feel safe, have that extra degree. Giving them a pedestal for success at a higher chance then whether they were sleeping on their cousin’s couch or sleeping on trampolines in people’s backyards or sleeping on playground slides.” The McKinney-Vento Act of 1987 is a federal law that ensures the right of students to go to school even when they are homeless or don’t have a permanent address. The Act aims to
reduce barriers that have prevented many homeless youth from enrolling, attending and succeeding in school. One day, he sought out the Mckinney-Vento liaison for Lawton Public Schools to ask questions. He wanted to know what the liaison did for the kids, but also, what the Act’s provisions don’t cover that someone else could. The liaison told him they could raise funds and get them school supplies, but made it clear that the biggest need was a long term place for the kids to stay. Sometimes, students are able to find something for a week or two, maybe at a relative’s home but that there were no shelters available for kids under the age of 18 to stay long-term. Once Brown heard that, he knew what he could do to help. “In my mind’s eye, my mom and dad put a roof over my head,” Brown said. Photo by Bryan Araujo “I go to college; I have food on my plate, and these Quality start: Business Administration Sophomore Spencer Brown lives by the moto “Find the Good.” Brown established Sanctuary 212, a program to find homes kids don’t have a bed to for homless high school students in Lawton. sleep on.” and PLUS scholar Matti Clemmer said year. He presented his project to the Brown’s an amazing guy who’s always Once they figure out the fundraising Lawton Support Services Board. willing to help. side of things and have enough yearly S212 now a falls under them. Lawton “He cares about others more than to sustain the project, the next step Support Services already ran other homelessness projects, and S212 himself, and I’m lucky to have him as is going to focus on acquiring more housing locations. Brown has already couldn’t raise charitable funds without a friend,” Clemmer said. “I think it’s awesome that he’s starting this. I’m not been looking and asking around. a 501c3 — a tax-exemption for nonfrom Lawton, so when he brought this Brown said that the motivation profit organizations. idea to our PLUS class, I was shocked. behind his need to help the community Brown said one of S212’s past projects assisted a friend of his father’s, I had no idea that there were that many started after an illness in his freshmen homeless children in Lawton. I think year of high school. a teacher at Lawton High School he’s going to go far.” “I contracted Meningoencephalitis,” who was taking home her homeless Brown said that S212, with the help Brown said. “Eighty percent of people students’ clothes to wash them. of Lawton Support Services, already who contract that die or end up with “They would come to school and people would make fun of them has a house lined-up that would house neurological hindrances. I was in a four boys and four girls. coma for two months and kind of had because they stink,” Brown said. “So “As of now, we’re only raising a spiritual moment in my mind’s eye, we got in contact with her and figured kind of a change of character, so I felt out what to do so these kids could have $10,000 here or there,” Brown said. He said that S212’s projected annual like it would be better for me to come access to washing their own clothes instead of having to rely on her.” budget is going to be 350k to be able to here and try and help my dad with what he had going on community-wise. I After taking a few steps, they got the run the shelter every year. “Technically, we could bring in some think that’s where it comes from. It approval and placed a washer and dryer motivates me a lot. in the school, which were available for kids,” Brown said, “but ... We have to figure out how to have a sustainable “There’s a reason why I’m still here anyone to use. S212 has also been a beneficiary flow of fundraising money.” and my parents tell me that every day. As of now, S212’s primary goal is So I kind of use that as motivation. of the Lawton Classic Chevrolet golf to find the funds to keep their program Who else is going to do it? I’ll be the tournament for the past two years, sustainable and able to house kids for a catalyst if I have to. I’ll start it, I’ll do receiving upwards of $20,000 in long term basis — to be able to house a the work. You all come help me. That’s donations. Allied Health Sciences Sophomore freshman all the way through his senior why.”
CU at the Exercise Physiology Lab Kimb Frey
Lab in South Shepler 302. Lab equipment and personnel serve as assessment tools for students, faculty, staff and members of the Lawton community throughout the week: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. on
Monday through Thursday; 2 – 3 p.m. on Monday and Copy Editor Wednesday; 1 – 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Anyone who reads the The Exercise Physiology weekly Aggie Update Lab (EPL) opened in email will have likely 2014, but only Sports and noticed a new staple — the Exercise Science (SES) Exercise Physiology Open students have gotten any use out of its equipment. SES Instructor and EPL Supervisor Randa Hollandsworth said that when she took over the lab two years ago, nobody really knew it even existed. “We were offering assessments, but no one was coming to get them because they didn’t know about it,” Hollandsworth said. “So that’s where I came in and was like, we need to advertise this more Photo by Kimb Frey and get it out there.” Fitmate: Exercise Physiology Lab staff measure The EPL staff metabolic rate to establish a caloric baseline. offers two separate
assessments: the BodPod and the Fitmate Pro. The BodPod is an egg-looking contraption someone sits in that uses displaced air to determine body composition — a person’s fat and fat-free mass. The Fitmate Pro measures metabolic rate — how many calories a person burns during rest or activity. Hollandsworth said the lab just started offering the resting metabolic rate (RMR) assessment. “The Fitmate runs oxygen consumption and assesses how many calories your body burns at rest,” she said. Hollandsworth said these assessments give a rounded idea of what a person’s body does. “So now you know your body fat percentage, your muscle mass and all that,” Hollandsworth said. “You know the amount of calories it takes for your body just to run on a normal day without activity
included. So then you can kind of assess, if I do want to lose some of that fat that the BodPod told me about, then I need to eat at least this much because that is what my resting metabolic rate is, and I never want to go below that.” Hollandsworth said she wanted to offer the RMR assessment partly to give people a clearer picture of what their caloric goals should be for fat loss. “Because that’s a really big issue that we have now,” she said. “Especially in diet culture today, where people are eating too little.” SES Senior and Lab Technician Mimi Claflin said that some websites tell people to eat 1,200 calories a day. “Which makes no sense when the average meal plan is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet, and you have to think that is the average,” Claflin said. “Yours is 1,800, mine’s 1,300, so if we’re eating nowhere near that, of course we’re not going to
function right. Our body has to have energy just to work our brain. We’re not going to learn what we need to if our brain is not getting the nutrition and the oxygen that it needs, and that’s simply from not eating enough.” Hollandsworth stressed that the lab doesn’t offer nutritional counseling or specific meal planning. “So the person that you really should discuss any major diet changes would be a dietician or your general physician,” Hollandsworth said. “We’ll just give you all the numbers that will help you get set up that a lot of times you can’t get at the physician’s office.” Cameron University ID holders pay $25 for the BodPod and $50 for the combined BodPod and RMR assessment. The public pays $35 and $60. For more information or to set up an assessment appointment, email CameronBodPod@gmail. com.