Collegian T he Cameron University
www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, November 7, 2022
Volume 107 Issue 7
Photos and graphics by Brittney Payette
Brittney Payette Managing Editor
At 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 in the McCasland Ballroom in the MCC, the Office of Campus Life hosted a Halloween Carnival. The carnival was free for everyone to attend and had lots of candy, games, and treats were available for the attendees. People could participate by throwing rings in a ring toss, knocking down bottles, coloring Halloween-themed pages, and more. Junior Strategic Communication major Viaja Dewberry-Fulner was one member of Alpha Phi who participated at the carnival and helped put their game together and hand out candy. “We wanted to do like an old kind of carnival game,”
Dewberry-Fulner said. “Like the bobbing for the ducks or bobbing for the apples. So, we looked on Amazon and found some Halloween-themed ducks and thought that would be perfect, and so we put numbers on the bottom so they could bob for them.” Dewberry-Fulner said she really enjoyed the carnival. “I liked all of the organizations that got to come out and help with the community by giving them the opportunity to trick-or-treat in a different way,” she said. “The best part was probably seeing all of everyone’s little costumes and seeing all the different games.” Dewberry-Fulner said she was impressed by the different games people came up with. “There was no single game that was duplicated,” DewberryFulner said. “There was so many different original, creative games.” Senior Sports Education major Wyatt Johnson represented the Health Professions Society, a new organization at Cameron. “We just recently started,” Johnson said. “We started the organization about a month ago, and the officer team got
together and started looking around on Pinterest and stuff like that and talking. We saw one that we really enjoyed, which was pumpkin chunking. We figured kids would really like it.” Johnson said he really liked that there were so many children who came to the Halloween carnival. “Everyone’s having a fun time,” Johnson said. “It was a friendly environment. It’s pretty loud in there, so everyone’s talking and having a good time. It’s a blast. It really was better than I thought it was going to be.” Johnson also said he would love to be able to participate in similar events on campus.
“Definitely involving the kids,” Johnson said. “Getting kids around the campus more and having them enjoy things. It would be awesome.”
Johnson said he hopes to attract more members for the Health Professions Society. “We’re just trying to get some new members,” Johnson said. “We’re really interested in getting things rolling. Events like this are great for getting our name out there.”
Senior Accounting major Shalei Okamura said she thought the Halloween carnival was a blast. “I loved getting to see all the costumes and trying out the different games,” Okamura said. “My favorite part was definitely seeing all the fun costumes.” Okamura was at the carnival to represent the accounting club. “We thought it was never too early to instill the importance of investing,” Okamura said. “We’d give out a few fake bills and ask if they wanted to spend it immediately or invest it. If they spent their money they got two candies, but if they invested it they got more.” For more information about future events, contact the Office of Campus Life at campuslife@ cameron.edu.
What’s Inside Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse!
Black Adam Movie Review
Treats are a ghoul’s best friend
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News
November 7, 2022
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It’s showtime -
A beetlejuice-themed open house LaShea DeSelle Staff Writer
From 1-4 p.m. on Oct. 26, the Department of Human Services hosted an open house for the Student Enrichment Center (SEC) in Nance Boyer room 2075. The Student Enrichment Centers’ mission is to increase at-risk student persistence and completion by identifying at-risk students and providing access to personalized support and assistance to promote academic success. The SEC’s main office held the spooky, Halloweenthemed event to introduce themselves to Cameron students as well as allow students to familiarize themselves with the layout of the SEC so they are comfortable to come back whenever they need assistance. Upon arriving, the students found the center filled with welcoming and friendly faces who decorated the area with Beetlejuice-themed decor. There was a beetlejuice crossword for attendees to fill out and lots of treats to enjoy. The event launched with tables that SEC staff arranged with enough snacks and refreshments for everyone as well as a chance to win a door prize. Financial resource specialist Jeremy Toombs was in attendance and provided information regarding scheduling and services. “The best way to contact us is by email, although we offer appointments over zoom and accept walk-ins, so we’re very flexible,” Toombs said. “We offer zoom appointments for students that are sick or attend the Duncan campus because our resources are for students needing support in various areas of their academic journey.” Toombs specializes in services that will ease their financial burden of higher education, he works with students like Sophomore and Business major, Aubrey Hewitt who is attending Cameron to receive an Associates degree to prepare her to further her career in fashion design. “This is the first year I’ve attended the Lawton campus,” Hewitt began taking classes at Cameron Duncan
Campus, and decided that Photos by LaShea DeSelle the transition would be especially while taking in person courses. By attending the Open House, Hewitt grew her support network while enlightening herself to the resources that our campus offers. The Student Enrichment Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MondayFriday and are best reached by email: SEC@ cameron.edu or by phone 580-581-5908. The Work-based Learning Experiences Coordinator, Isabella Myers is partnering with the Academic Success Coordinator, Rachel Mozingo to offer mock interviews on Tuesday, Nov. 15 and Wednesday, Nov. 16. Provided by the Office of Teaching and Learning, these student employee mock interviews will help to improve CU students interview skills and help them feel more confident.
Mock interviews emulate a job interview and provides individuals with constructive feedback in a low-stress environment that prepares them promptly and effectively. A signup sheet as well as an appointment sheet will need to be filled out and returned online. Students are encouraged to contact Isabella and Rachel by email at imyers@cameron.edu and mozingo@cameron.edu.
Food for thought Cameron’s Dining Committee Lindsey Edwards Staff Writer
Once a month, during both fall and spring semesters, Sodexo along with Student Housing and Residence Life holds Dining Committee meetings to get feedback about the dining options on campus. Sodexo General Manager Joseph D. Worrell said a variety of topics are discussed at the meetings. “The Dining Committee is really designed for us to gather as much feedback on any of the dining facilities on campus whether it be the Shepler Dining Hall, McMahon Centennial Complex Food Court, or the New Books and Brews in the Library,” Worrell said. “Even our Catering Services because a lot
of students are able to get different things from us through a catering event, they have attended in which we have catered.” The dining commitee keeps in
mind past feedback as well. “We recap the notes from previous meetings in regard to things they requested or things they have had complaints about,” Worrell said.
The meetings also give students a chance to find out about the different events that Sodexo, Student Housing and Residence Life hosts during the year. “That way individuals can plan accordingly for those events,” Worrell said. The next and final Dining Committee Meeting for the fall semester is at 4 p.m. on Nov. 3 in the Shepler Dining Hall. All the on-campus residents/ students who attend the meeting are given coupons for a free meal at the Shepler Dining Hall. For more information about the Dining Committee Meetings, contact Worrell or any of the Sodexo team by calling 580-5812388.
Voices
November 07, 2022
www.aggiecentral.com
President Biden announces
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Student Loan forgiveness Nakisha Horne Staff Writer
There are a lot of people who are met with the struggle to pay for an education. Many adolescents and adults struggle financially and apply for student loans. This allows them to receive an education, but the loans still must be repaid, eventually. As a result, every student who takes a loan for education will be in debt until all loans have been paid off. President Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to reduce student loan debt. His administration is making good on that promise and giving families relief by taking the initial steps towards launching his loan forgiveness program, under which eligible borrowers will be granted a debt Tribune News Service forgiveness package of up to $20,000. An analysis conducted by the United States Department of Education found that the typical undergraduate borrower graduates has over $25,000 worth of debt. Thus, many students will have their loans forgiven almost in full thanks to this
initiative. While Biden’s plan to cancel student debts will free people from much of their student debt and allow them to use more of their income toward their lifestyle, the program does not include private loan borrowers. Students who have borrowed from private loan companies will not qualify for the forgiveness program. To qualify, go to studentaid.gov and in the section on student loan debt
documentation about your income or your student loans. Next, review the eligibility rules and confirm that you’re a match. For most people, that means attesting that they make less than $125,000 a year or that their household makes less than $250,000 a year. If you meet the eligibility rules, click the box confirming that everything you provided is true. Then click “Submit.” After the form is submitted, the
relief, click “Apply Now.” Be prepared to enter some basic personal information. The form asks for: name, Social Security number, date of birth, phone number and email address. It does not require
Biden administration says it should take four to six weeks to process. The Education Department will use its existing records to make sure your loans are eligible and to look for applicants who might exceed the
income limits. Some will be asked to provide additional documentation to prove their incomes. The Education Department estimates that the verification application will take about half an hour, including time to review and upload tax documents. Student loan debt affects billions of people, and it is impossible to not realize the harm that it has done. Awareness could be raised and colleges should consider reducing tuition rather than eliminate it would help improve our nation. An education must serve to inspire and motivate creativity in as many work fields as possible. A society that is excellent is one that has opportunities for each and every person. As a reminder: Be sure to file your 2022-2023 FAFSA as soon as possible. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) is online for the 2022-2023 year. This is generally the quickest way to verify your income information. The application for the 2023-2024 year opened on October 1, 2022. Early applicants will receive priority for several grants and other programs that have limited funding. For more information, go to https:// www.cameron.edu/financial_aid
Preventing a break-in Nakisha Horne Staff Writer
At 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 9, an attempted break-in occurred at my home. We have all seen movies with traumatic break-ins that filled us with fear. For many, the idea of someone coming into your home while you’re there is our worst nightmare. It’s pretty terrifying, though, to wake up in the middle of the night and realize someone is trying to get inside your home — and one can’t exactly read a burglar’s mind to know his or her intentions. I had no idea who the man was outside of my home and running back and forth between me and my neighbors’ home. While I was on the phone with the dispatcher, she asked questions like what is my name? What is my address? What is my phone number? What is the state of my emergency? I calmly answered, but my thought was to get out of the house and run. As I went back to grab my keys, the dispatcher asked if I could give her a description of the suspect. So, I started to walk back up to the front door, look out the peep hole and gave her the information from what he looked like to what he was wearing. In just a matter of seconds he walked back up the stairs and he started to kick in my front door. The only thing I could do at that moment was to lean my body into the door and hope the police show up. I remember yelling “STOP”, and he just kept going until he ran out of breath. The police arrived just in time as he still stood outside in front of my home. Little did I know this could have been prevented, 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
because my neighbors watched the entire time and never thought to call the police. Remember if you see something strange, say something and call 911. I learned that prevention is key, such as installing a home security system with monitoring if you can. That said, there are simple steps you can take to prepare for the worst in the event you find yourself home while someone is attempting to break into an
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home. For me, the right choice was one that involved cameras; that way, I could keep an eye on all my doors and windows throughout my home. I bought two twenty dollar cameras off Amazon to go inside the front and back windows and I also have ADT for an alarm system. It was enough to make me feel secure and allowed me to check-in on things when I was away. It also allows me to look at who is there, even if I’m not home with a free downloadable app right on my phone. It’s an added comfort that I didn’t expect would come in so handy, but it has. Before a break-in occurs, have a plan. How will you get out? If you can’t get out, then where is your safe place? Check to see does everyone’s bedroom door lock from the inside. Consider also putting a lock on the inside of a closet, such as a deadbolt. Charge your cell phone and make sure it’s either close to your bed or in the closet with the deadbolt on it. Keep your car keys handy. During a break-in, remain calm and don’t make a sound. Call 911 immediately. The dispatcher will stay on the phone with you until the police arrive, but always remember to stay calm. When you have a break-in or attempted break-in, you’re left with an invasion of privacy feeling. It can really feel like you aren’t safe or able to be safe in your own home. Just like, with all things, time will heal this feeling. It helps to step up your security game, but the best thing you can do is accept that it happened and do everything you can to fix any issues and then keep going. Don’t let it stop you from living your life. Letters Policy
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Staff
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.
Managing Editor - Brittney Payette Voices Editor - Tereasa Neeley A & E Editor - Blake Moren Student Life Editor - Courtney McEunn Sports Editor - Jimm Alley Copy Editor - Tiffany Estes-Morrow, Jasmine Cox-Phelps
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.
Staff Writers - Lashea DeSelle, Lindsey Edwards, Nakisha Home, Kemar Noel, Rylan Stiles Photographers - Jaci Hernandez Financial Officer - Susan Hill Faculty Adviser - Prof. David Bublitz
Newsroom Staff
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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A&E
November 7, 2022
www.aggiecentral.com Tribune News Service
BLACK ADAM
A MEDIOCRE BUT FUN AND ACTION-PACKED FILM By Blake Moren A&E Page Editor
This review contains spoilers. “Black Adam” is a film based on the DC character of the same name. It is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.and stars Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui and Pierce Brosnan. Upon seeing the trailer, I was both excited but cautiously optimistic about this film. My prediction for the Rotten Tomatoes score after seeing the first trailer was around 60-70%. That turned out to be completely incorrect. The Rotten Tomatoes score ended up being around 41%. This worried me a bit. This also lowered my expectation level considerably, thinking: “how a superhero film starring Dwayne Johnson could have such a low RT score?” Well…after seeing “Black Adam”, I am a bit concerned for the future of DC films. Even though the mid-credits cutscene promises a bright future, I am still highly skeptical. I say this because “Black Adam” is a very mediocre film. I say this without hesitation: “Thor: Love and Thunder” is a much better film than “Black Adam.” While I don’t necessarily hate it, I think “Love and Thunder” is the worst Marvel Cinematic Universe film I have ever seen, in my opinion, but it’s far superior to “Black Adam.” Firstly, the story is convoluted, confusing and an absolute mess. I had a hard time following the story. What makes the story even worse is that it feels dated, like we’ve seen the same story elements before in far better
Marvel and DC films. This is one of the most predictable films I’ve ever seen. There were times that I rolled my eyes at how cringeworthy this film is. The film itself barely makes any sense at times, and some of the characters are outright irritating. From a technical viewpoint, this film is actually okay. The musical score by Lorne Balfe is pretty good, even if it’s cliché and over-the-top. The action scenes are actually pretty cool and pretty awesome in some cases. However, the quality of the slowmotion action sequences is uneven. As much as I love Zack Snyder’s DC films, they also had slow motion action sequences that seemed to be a bit excessive at times. The difference is that Snyder’s slow-motion action sequences were much better executed. Here, they just feel lazy. Additionally, the quality of the editing and camera angles varies from scene to scene. It’s also littered with constant exposition that got on my nerves a few times. The quality of CGI in this film is inconsistent, with some of it looking great, and other times it looks unfinished. For example, Hawkman and his wings are awesome-looking; while all of the demons in this film look unfinished. The opening narration was completely awful. It was delivered in a very boring, monotone way, and the audio quality of this narration was so terrible that I was shocked that it ended up being in the final cut of this film. The acting in this film is actually one of its greatest aspects. Most of the actors do a great job in this film, but a
few others do not. Dwayne Johnson portrays Black Adam, the main character of the film who shares the same abilities as Shazam. Despite the awful script, Johnson does the best he can with what he’s been given. Sarah Shahi, who portrays Adrianna Tomaz, a university professor, is one of the best actors in the film. However, Amon Tomaz, who is Adrianna’s son, is the most irritating character in the entire film. Bodhi Sabongui, who portrays Amon, is the worst actor in “Black Adam.” Tomaz’s delivery of his lines is terrible. However, the rest of the cast does a great job. Pierce Brosnan portrays Doctor Fate, and he does an amazing job. He is my favorite character. Aldis Hodge is another highlight. Hodge portrays Hawkman, my second favorite character. Hodge and Pierce are arguably the best actors in the film. The rest of the Justice Society is also great. Both Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell do a great job of portraying Atom Smasher and Cyclone. Honestly, the Justice Society is the best part of this film. There were genuinely funny and powerful moments in their interactions. Marwan Kenzari, who portrays the main villains Ishmael Gregor and Sabbac, is another good actor hindered by a terrible script. These villains are so boring, generic and terribly written that I just didn’t care about them. This is the main problem with the film. Many of the ideas regarding its story are promising, but executed terribly. The same could be said for most of the characters and their motivations.
The story and most of the characters are just not as fleshed-out as they should be. But then again, this is just a dumb superhero movie, right? Well, I’ll just say this: “Black Adam” is slightly better than “Batman & Robin”, a film that’s considered to be among the worst films in history. Another problem is the continuity of this film. While it would make sense that Amanda Waller, portrayed again by Viola Davis, would appear in this film because she appeared in previous DC films, the Justice Society have not. While it’s fine to introduce new characters to a film franchise, the way the filmmakers approached this was incredibly lazy. The Justice Society has never appeared in any of the previous films, but the film acts like they’ve been around for a while, even though they didn’t stop General Zod, Doomsday, the Enchantress, Steppenwolf, King Orm or even Dr. Sivana. That doesn’t make any sense, but then again, the continuity of the DC Extended Universe is inconsistent and is always changing, with Snyder’s films kind of being the only exception to this rule. To be fair, this criticism could also be applied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In conclusion, this is an uneven, mediocre and terribly executed film. But, it has a lot of fun, action-packed moments and some likeable characters. With a better director, script, story and characters, this film could have been pretty good, but unfortunately, this is not the case with “Black Adam.” Rating: 3.5 / 10
A Wicked Review of ‘Hocus Pocus 2’
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Well, fancy! (left to right) Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy star as the Sanderson sisters in “Hocus Pocus 2.”
By Kemar Noel Staff Writer
This review contains spoilers for the movie “Hocus Pocus” and “Hocus Pocus 2.” The first “Hocus Pocus” movie was released almost three decades ago. To be completely honest, I have never watched the first movie in its entirety, so I watched both of them in order to properly understand what made “Hocus Pocus” such a beloved movie during Halloween. The Sanderson sisters and the zombie Billy Butcherson return from the first movie with
the same actors that portrayed them in the first film. This makes the second movie feel more familiar to people who have seen the first movie. Both movies take place on the night of Halloween when legends say that the Sanderson sisters would make their return to get their revenge on Salem. The Sanderson sisters Winifred, Sarah, and Mary were three sisters who were hanged after killing a child on All Hallows’ Eve, also known as Halloween. In “Hocus Pocus 2”, we got to see a flashback to before they were witches and it shows how they were treated
before they turned to witchcraft. The second movie gives us more of a reasoning as to why the Sanderson sisters are evil by showing the audience, rather than simply labeling them the sisters are evil and expecting the audience to follow along. “Hocus Pocus 2” follows the same formula made by the first movie, but adds a modern-day twist. The protagonist of the second movie is Becca, who is a witch but she doesn’t know it yet. There are weird occurrences throughout the movie that foreshadow her being a witch from early on. This is very different
from the first movie in which the protagonists were three ordinary kids caught up in a bad situation. In the first movie, the kids knew exactly what they were doing but thought nothing of it, and as a consequence, they brought the Sanderson sisters back. In the second movie, the kids were tricked by someone who was present when the Sanderson sisters arrived decades ago. Conflict in the second movie is not solved as easily, simply because the kids aren’t as knowledgeable as the cast of children from the first movie. This was made apparent through each interaction the children have with each of the sisters in the second movie. In the first movie, the kids meet every situation head-on with minimal planning. The protagonists of the second movie have well-thoughtout plans for every confrontation they plan to have with the sisters. There is also a lot of plot convenience happening throughout the movie that is cleverly crafted with comedy and witty humor. The movie is predictable and far less grim than the first, but I don’t think
that was the intention of this movie. In this movie, it was apparent that the writers took liberties to have more fun with the plot. If you are going into this movie expecting to be scared, you are going to be very disappointed. “Hocus Pocus 2” is not meant to be a horror film, however, it excels in other areas, especially comedy. The movie is labeled as a comedy in contrast to its predecessor being labeled as a fantasy / horror. There was one scene in particular when a Roomba machine finds the witches and cleans the salt trapping them so they can escape. The witches are not familiar with the new technology as modern-day machinery is foreign to them. Playing into this adds to the overall humor. There are many instances of this in “Hocus Pocus 2” which adds something to the film that the first film didn’t have because of technological advances from the past three decades. The ending could have been handled better but it was not that bad. The antagonist lost everything she held dear and turned to her enemies for help. While I wouldn’t expect Becca, the main protagonist to
bring the sisters back, I think giving Winifred the chance to choose her sisters instead of her powers would have been better choice. Instead, Becca simply failed to mention that she would be evaporated as well. The storyline, while not as strong as the first film, was still good and further explored the story and characters introduced in the first. I personally wish that the sisters could have been a bit more evil in the second movie, similar to the way that they were portrayed at the beginning of the first movie. However, I can appreciate the direction they were taking with the second film. There could definitely be a sequel that explores not only the new witches in Salem, but mother witches, as well; However, even if there is not a sequel, this movie would be a good ending to the “Hocus Pocus” franchise. I would recommend the movie to people looking to watch a Halloween movie that isn’t too scary. This is a very kid-friendly movie with some adult jokes sprinkled in the mix. Rating: 6 / 10. Both movies are available on Disney+.
November 7, 2022
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Student Life
SEC Trunk or Treat
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Courtney McEunn Student Life Editor
From 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 in the Howell Hall parking lot, the Cameron University Student Enrichment Center (SEC) hosted a Trunk-or-Treat event. The event was open to all students, their families and people in the Lawton community to come out and enjoy a night of getting candy and seeing all the creative trunks that participated in the event. The SEC invited student organizations and members of the community to sign up and decorate their car and pass out candy for the people who came to the event. Participants and attendees were also encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costumes. There were thirty-two organizations signed up to decorate their cars and hand out candy including CU student organizations as well as community involvement like the Comanche County Memorial Hospital and the Lawton Food Bank. CU SEC partnered with Marie Detty Youth and Family services for Domestic Violence Awareness month for the Trunk-or-Treat event. Coordinator of student success at the Student Enrichment Center, Billie Whipp, was in charge of putting the event together and made sure it ran smoothly. Whipp wanted to ensure that the community and CU students were made aware of their cause for domestic violence awareness as well as had a great time at the event. “We wanted to have our community come on campus,” Whipp said, “and be part of that college experience of just getting to meet people and be here. We
had different organizations register to participate, and we’ve just had a great crowd come out this evening and have fun together.” The student organizations that participated in the event enjoyed the opportunity to make themselves known to the community and to benefit the community outside of those at their own campus. Junior and president of the Student Government Association (SGA), Marlon Banner, enjoyed seeing all the families dress up and attend the event. “Student government is out here handing out candy like other organizations,” Banner said. “We’re really just letting people in the community know that there is an active student government
presence here on campus and we’re really just here to support the community and have a good time.” It is really important for student organizations to be involved in events, outside of campus among the community. The Trunk-or-Treat was a great way to give back to the people outside of campus and a way to interact with families in Lawton. For more information on the Marie Detty Youth and Family Services help with domestic violence situations, you can visit their website at https://marie-detty.org/ and for more information on CU SEC you can email them at sec@cameron.edu.
Photos by Courtney McEunn
Be Wild! Members of the Sigma Tau Delta English honor society, Scotlyn Koehley and Makenna Hill, design their trunk with a “Jurrasic Park” theme.
Horror Movie Night Competition Courtney McEunn Student Life Editor
Dr. Matt Jenkins, professor of journalism and media production (JRMP) at Cameron University hosted a movie night competition at 9:00 p.m on Oct. 25 at the Vaska Theater in Lawton. Dr. Jenkins started this competition as a way to showcase student films in a friendly rivalry. This fall semester is the second movie night that is set up as a competition. Before last spring semester, movie night was about showing the advanced student’s films that were made in the JRMP Corporate Video class, but because the class has not been offered every semester, Dr. Jenkins modified movie night to be an open competition for student productions. “We started this semester by having a JRMP student competition,” Jenkins said. “They can produce Photos by Courtney McEunn
On the big screen! Alec Santos and actress DaLynna Wood take home fourth place for Santos’s short film, “Don’t.”
a minute to five-minute movie with something to do said. “You have so many people around you and you with horror. They had a certain amount of time to feel like you’re being judged in front of this big crowd, make their little movie and then we and you show them at what we call ‘Movie just want Night’ held at the Vaska Theater and everyone we have trophies and awards, and we that’s have judges that come and judge them.” watching to This semester, the theme of the films like it and was “horror” to get into the Halloween you kind of spirit. There were five film entries: worry about “Get Some Sleep” by Jimm Sosa whether or “The Axe Murder” by Kalen Haynes not they “Dead End” by Jacob Carpenter will. In the “Don’t” by Alec Santos end, it’s a “2” by Gracie Norbury really fun The films were judged by three CU experience graduates, including CU associate getting to professor and student media adviser see people David Bublitz, on-air personality for watch my Magic 95 and country music performer movie.” Dani Carson and station manager for Dr. KCCU Cynthia Sosa. Jenkins The judges made their decision for started the films after the showing of each Movie one. In fifth place was Gracie Norbury, Night as a fourth place was Alec Santos, third way for his 1st Place: Jimm Sosa takes home the first place was Jacob Carpenter, second students place trophy for his short horror film: “Get Some place was Kalen Haynes and the firstto show Sleep.” place trophy was awarded to Jimm off their Sosa. advanced films in a theater for a more realistic setting. Dr. Jenkins also gave the “Dan Perrin: I am a It was also a way for him to invite directors of other Thespian” award to the student who picked as the best independent films to show their productions as well as actor presented in the films. This semester, the award have Q & A’s with the students and directors. Jenkins went to Joshua Brown (junior), who appeared in both then decided to make Movie Night better by coming “Don’t” and “The Axe Murder.” up with a fun competition for the JRMP students. Sosa has won first place in the movie night The next JRMP movie night will be at 7:00 p.m. competition two semesters in a row. In spring 2022 Nov. 21 at the Vaska Theater located at 1902 NW semester, Sosa won the comedy-themed movie night Ferris Ave. Admission is free for students and the competition with his film, “Pass the Ketchup”. Sosa public. They will be showing the advanced student said it was a fun the experience is to have so many films from the Corporate Video class. students and people in the community come to the For more information about the movie night theater and watch something that he produced. competitions, contact Dr. Matt Jenkins via email at “It’s definitely a nerve-wracking experience,” Sosa mattj@cameron.edu.
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Sports
November 7, 2022
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AGGIE BASKETBALL: New look brings new hope for CU Men’s team
Photo courtesy of Coach Kevin O’Connor
Change the culture: New Aggie Head Coach Kevin O’ Connor will look for a repeat of some of the success he experienced at Murray State College as he attempts to turn around a struggling Men’s team. O’Connor will be bringing in a totally new offensive strategy and has brought some exciting new recruits and transfers along with him, some of which include players who folllowed him over from last year’s Murray State team.
Rylan Stiles Staff Writer
The Cameron Aggies start a new season with a new head coach; what will the Black and Gold offense look like during the Kevin O’Connor era? The Aggies have seen five straight losing seasons, which saw Cameron only compile 36 wins in that span, including an uncompetitive 7-33 record in the last two seasons to end Andrew
Brown’s tenure as the Aggie’s bench boss. Cameron Athletic Director In March of 2022 Jim Jackson named O’Connor as the 32nd head coach in Men’s Basketball history, after a great stint at Murray State College. O’Connor comes to the Aggies with a successful track record winning 25 games at Murray State College in his first season during the 2021-22 campaign at the NAIA level. He spent time on Bruce Weber’s staff, the 2005
NCAA coach of the year who made a Final Four birth that season coaching Illinois earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors before doing the same in the Big 12 conference with Kansas State. Despite his age, Kevin O’Connor has been around a lot of successful programs and both he and the Aggies believe he is the right head coach to get the program back on track. One of the main areas of improvement needed for the Black and Gold is an offensive overhaul from the clunky operation CU has seen in recent years. When asked how he approaches his offensive strategy Kevin O’Connor said “We Emphasize playing together all the time. Giving up good shots in favor of great shots. The more assisted Field Goals we attempt the better.” This new offensiv playcalling is a big change from the isolation-heavy offense Cameron has been used to. O’Connor calls it a “team first mentality,” adding the Cameron Aggies are going to be “fun to watch” this season. That has already rang true in Exhibition play when Cameron went down to play Division I Texas State and nailed 10 three-pointers on 25 attempts. Five Aggies had five or more points, while DeSean Munson led the way with 17. Last Year, O’Connor’s Murray State College squad ranked in the 89th percentile of half-court offense, with a lot of success found on cuts, scoring ten points per game off the cut ranked them in the 86th percentile for NAIA. With the passing style O’Connor described, it was evident in his team generating 24.7 spot-up shots per game last season. That is where Colt Savage sees himself coming into play. Savage said he is excited about the upcoming season under O’Connor, and for good reason. The UCO transfer shot 42 percent
from three-point land last year en route to 15 points per game. Savage is one of just four returners from last year’s Black and Gold squad. O’Connor said he expects that the Aggies will “fulfill our potential, come together as a team, and be the best we can be.” While he understands the Lone Star Conference is an “amazingly tough league” he believes Cameron is set to “surprise some people” with their competitive play on the floor this season. The Aggies were picked dead last (16th) in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Men’s Basketball poll: CU only earned 68 points in the poll as Eastern New Mexico, who finished 15th, garnered 95 points. While you can not blame the voters for overlooking a team that labored to win three games a year ago, many around the program believe this team is better than they are given credit for with newcomers like DeSean Munson, Thai Elder, and Jaden Okon set to make an immediate impact for the Black and Gold. The Cameron Aggies will get their season started on Nov. 11 as part of the Lone Star Conference and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference crossover event, playing a pair of games in Colorado with UC Colorado Springs first up, and Colorado StatePueblo the following day. The first home game for the new look Aggies comes on Nov. 19 against Rogers State in the Aggie Gym. O’Connor said the Aggies’ nonconference slate is full of “quality Division II opponents” who are “extremely well coached, and have great players so we will need to play well.” That non-conference slate will prepare Cameron for the grueling Lone Star Conference gauntlet which gets underway Nov. 30 in Tyler, Texas against UT-Tyler.
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Photos by Jimm Alley