Collegian T he Cameron University
29 Hackler Award Recipient www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, November 9, 2015
C
ameron University Presents
Dr. Gary Buckley
th
Vicky Smith
Managing Editor
@pinkwritinglady
Volume 93 Issue 8
students on campus was that this was a pretty common practice for him.” One such student whom Buckley has helped is Alexander Rivas, a senior chemistry major with an emphasis in health professions.
At 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 in the McCasland Ballroom, President “There’s a certain sense of John McArthur presented the 29th Harold and Elizabeth Hackler Award for Teaching Excellence to Dr. Gary Buckley in the Department of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering. somebody actually graduates, and you go back, Buckley received a plaque, a $2,000 stipend and an additional $1,500 for professional development. and you think about when they were The awards reception began with dinner and a welcome from McArthur, who said the Hackler Award is Cameron’s highest faculty honor. Vanderslice welcomed Rivas “It was established in 1996 thanks to a financial gift from the - Dr. Gary Buckley to the stage next, where he Hacklers, the Halliburton Foundation, the McCasland Foundation Chemistry Professor introduced Buckley. and then finally from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher “I’m honored to represent all the Cameron students that have been Education to make the financial resources available,” McArthur said. He said this year was the first time for the awards ceremony to be inf luenced by Dr. Buckley,” Rivas said. “Dr. Buckley is always there when you need him, and he’s always there to give you great advice.” held in Lawton. Rivas said in the spring, he was offered an internship at the “The ceremony’s been held in Duncan so that they [Hacklers] National Institute of Health in Maryland, but he was could attend,” McArthur said. “We lost Harold Hackler scared to go because he did not know anyone. in the past year. … We will miss him greatly.” “Dr. Buckley brought me into his office,” According to McArthur, he learned two lessons Rivas said. “He sat me down, and he said, from the Hacklers. ‘You’d be crazy not to go.’ After two hours of “First, teaching and learning are something that conversation about how many opportunities I we do with our students and not to our students,” would be missing in Maryland, I decided McArthur said. “Second, we have to take care to go. and respect the full lives of our students.” “It was one of the best decisions I’ve Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. ever made in my life, and I’m always in Ronna Vanderslice took the podium to debt to you, Dr. Buckley, my mentor recognize past Hackler Award recipients who and my friend.” were present, as well as to thank Buckley for Buckley, who has been at Cameron tutoring her daughter. continuously since 1986, said he is “Most of us want only the best for our own honored to receive the Hackler Award. children,” Vanderslice said, “so this year, when “In my previous life, I actually was involved my daughter got behind in her classes due to a in the awards ceremony,” Buckley said. “I got family emergency, I called on one of the best to meet the Hacklers. … They put together I knew – tonight’s recipient. this award to recognize what they thought was “I’m so appreciative that he was able outstanding teaching at Cameron, and so I think it’s to tutor her for hours on Saturday important that we keep that focus.” afternoon in his office to Buckley said he can remember the first time he help her catch up. But, taught a class. what I found when “They said, ‘OK, you can teach this talking to other class,’ so I walked in,” Buckley said, “and I opened my mouth, and everybody started writing stuff down. I was terrified because I thought, ‘Uh oh. They’re going to be writing all of this stuff down all day long, and I don’t know what I’m going to say at this point.’” Although Buckley knows what he will say for each class period now, he said each semester and each day holds its own surprises. “The classes have personalities,” Buckley said. “What’s kind of fun is walking into the classroom for the first time and looking out there, realizing there’s a whole new crop. They’re going to be different than any class you had before.” While in the classroom, Buckley enjoys interacting with students, as well as teaching them about numbers. He said it is fun to watch and help students grow overtime. “Some of it’s an academic growth,” he said, “but some it’s personality growth and a maturity growth. … I think one of Cameron’s strengths is that we take students sometimes who don’t think they even belong in college that came and tried it out. By the time they get done, they’re competitive.” He said he feels a sense of satisfaction when he watches students graduate.
accomplishment or satisfaction if
first here and what they’ve done.”
See HACKLER Page 2
What’s inside Halloween fun with the Aggies Page 3
Bublitz writes poetry about social justice
Cameron takes two straight
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Student Life
November 9, 2015
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Cadets take third in Challenge Vicky Smith
same organization.” Treschl said Cameron Assistant Managing Editor students competed really @pinkwritinglady well, and the way they worked together surprised On Oct. 23-24, eleven him. Cameron ROTC students “They functioned as traveled to Fort Gruber, a team and not as eleven Okla., where they received individuals,” he said. “It was third place in the Ranger really eye-opening to me. … Challenge after competing against twelve other schools, It wasn’t [that] people just ran as fast as they could and including University of left their teammate behind. Arkansas, Oklahoma It was everybody helped University and Oklahoma everybody else.” State University. Junior Donovan Lieutenant Colonel Heintzman, a biology Treschl, a professor of major, competed in Ranger military science, said the Challenge and said it purpose of the Ranger consisted of several events. Challenge is to test cadets “There was an event both physically and called the one-rope bridge,” mentally. “[Schools] send their best he said. “It’s just one rope tied across this creek, and cadets to go and compete you have to get all of your in a challenge that takes personnel across that creek about 36 hours,” Treschl without touching the water said. “They’re competing or anything. with their friends … [It’s] “There was a causality a healthy competition lane; it’s called TCCC, between other schools, which is tactical combat but at the end of the day, they’re all wearing the same causality care, and they gave uniform. They’re part of the us a simulated gun-shot
wound to one of our team members, and we had to treat that effectively and call for a medevac.” Heintzman’s favorite activity of Ranger Challenge was the assembly and disassembly of weapons. “It was a struggle for me at first,” he said, “and then by the time competition came, I was able to do it in under a minute. … It was really motivating to me and rewarding to me to see all that practice hadn’t gone to waste. Our team actually posted the fastest times at the competition for the assembly and disassembly of the weapons.” According to Heintzman, he and his team prepared for the Ranger Challenge by doing physical training (PT) Monday through Friday, instead of just three times a week. “It was six weeks that we did [PT] every day,” Heintzman said. “We started at 5:30 a.m. and ended about 7 a.m.” “There was a lot of running and conditioning,” Heintzman said, “but as time drew near to the competition, we focused more on the events. “We would tie our onerope bridge to different trees, or we would work with mock hand grenades and practice throwing those at targets. We actually went to Fort Sill and worked with the weapons.” Heintzman said from competing in Ranger Challenge, he gained Photo courtesy of Kalista Castillo teamwork and leadership Wading it out: An ROTC cadet trudges through skills, just as Treschl had the waters during the Ranger Challenge. The recognized. representatives from Cameron came home from Fort “There were still times Gruber with a third-place finish in the competition. where it was important that
Photo courtesy of Kalista Castillo
On the line: A Cameron cadet makes their way across a creek on a wire during the Ranger Challenge on Oct. 23-24 in Fort Gruber, Okla. The group finished third out of twelve other schools from Oklahoma and surrounding states. someone else would take charge,” Heintzman said, “and you just have to be confident in your leadership abilities … so being able to identify our strengths and our weaknesses throughout the competition was essential to our success.” To Heintzman,
teamwork is a valuable skill even when a group of people are not participating in a competitive event. “I think my favorite part [of ROTC] is being a member of the team,” Heintzman said. “You grow together, … you go through the same struggles day in
and day out. They know what it’s like to have PT. They know what it’s like to not have any free time. “That’s definitely my favorite part about it – knowing that you have someone that is sharing your struggles, and you can talk to them about it.”
HACKLER continued from page 1 “I listen to names going across the stage,” Buckley said. “It’s neat to have had them in class a while back [and] realize you’re part of them getting graduated and going to the next step.” Buckley said he believes higher education is ultimately important because it enables students to think more broadly about topics. “There isn’t one [major] that’s better than the other,” he said. “No matter what you’re going to be, you’re going to get a little bit of math, science, English, sociology or psychology, humanities [and] diversity. “It gives you a broader background. It gives you a better sense of how other people might think about something and helps you carry out better conversations later.” Buckley said he plans to use part of the professional development funds to undergo training to improve his knowledge on materials to enhance classroom performance.
Photo by Vicky Smith
Sharing in excellence: (Top) Dr. Gary Buckley poses with his family after the Hackler Award ceremony. (Right) President Dr. John McArthur presents Dr. Buckley with his Hackler Award plaque.
Twenty years later, Festival still shines strong Derick Acheampong
throughout the year. The improvements include new Staff Writer trees, concrete pathways, The Festival of Light is a holiday remodeled bathhouse, tradition for Oklahomans, who since bridge repairs, 1992 have flocked to Shannon Springs bathroom renovations Park in Chickasha from across the and bathroom state. construction.” The 43-acre park which is 23 years Ashley Donald, old, is a place filled with Christmas one of the spirit with thousands of bulbs, four organizers of the miles of lighted walkways, a 25-foot event, spoke tall angel, state-of-art animation about the synchronized to holiday music. effect of the The festival, which will begin on festival to the Nov. 21 and will run through New community. Year’s Eve, will feature about 3.5 She said million twinkling lights. the event The Festival of Light attracts over appeals 300,000 visitors from all over the to state. Admission to the festival is free, but donations are accepted, and horsedrawn carriage rides cost $6 each. According to Waymarking.com, “funding of the festival comes from donations, tour fees, souvenirs and local sponsors. More than $280,000 in park improvements has been made since the Festival started and these improvements are enjoyed by residents
everyone and brings them all together. “The kids will enjoy having their photo made with Santa Claus,” she said, “and everyone will want to visit the gift shop and snack stand for hot cocoa, delicious cinnamon rolls, candied nuts and more.” With the number of visitors increasing from 250,000 to 300,000, Donald attributes the increase to the love people have for the event. “The Chickasha Festival of Light has been recognized as one of the top ten holiday light shows in the nation,” she said. “People seem to love coming to our event each year.” Donald said one challenge Graphic by Krista Pylant arose in the
process of putting the Festival of Light together “The biggest challenge that we face are people volunteering their time to install the lights,” she said. “We typically have about 10 volunteers each weekend to do the larger projects. The city this year added the lights to the top of the trees which was a big help.” Donald said one of her favorite things about the event is seeing how people see the lights as more than just decorations around a park. “I love to see people living in the moment while they are at the park,” she said. “Drive through Shannon Springs Park in your own car and gaze in wonder at more than a hundred dazzling light scenes, animated displays. Chickasha truly offers holiday spirit.” Donald concluded that this year there is an additional color, red, to the 172-foot animated tree. The centerpiece of the Chickasha Festival of Light is the iconic 172-foot Christmas tree that can be seen for miles around. When visiting the Chickasha
Festival of Light, one would find it is more than just a drive-through experience. “The big tree will now be animated with over 18,000 white and red LED lights,” she said. Kim Herrington, owner of an internet marketing company, wrote on her blog website about her experience with the lights. “It’s a good place to visit for a really spectacular Christmas light display,” she said. Herrington described her love of the designs and decorations of the festival, since she goes there every year. “There are tons of different Santa’s around the pond and all the Christmas songs you can think of,” she said. “The last few years my favorite 3D dinosaur display has been missing, but I still enjoy all the cut-out style lights.” Charity Harris, senior at Central High school, talked about seeing the lights at the festival. “It was really cool. I liked all the things and the lights that were Christ based,” she said. “I would like to go again.”
November 9, 2015
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Student Life
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Cameron hosts Sharing the Spirit Tyla Eakins
this year we have an endowed lectureship program and one of the Student Life Editor generous patrons of the university @tyla_eakins gave an endowed lectureship As tribute to Native American specifically to support American heritage month, The Lawton Arts Indian studies.” A day of recognition for Native and Humanities Council and American culture in 1915 received Cameron University cohosted a higher honors 75 years later when free event at 2 p.m. Nov. 1 in the President George H. W. Bush Cameron University Theatre. officially declared November as The event featured Native Native American Heritage month American dance troupe The in 1990. Oklahoma Fancy Dancers. The Oklahoma Fancy Dancer’s The dancers are enrolled tribal troupe leader Kevin Connywerdy members who represent various explained how the month tribes. In addition to dancing, resonated with him. the group also teaches their “November is Native American audience about the dances they heritage month,” Connywerdy are performing and gives cultural said, “so it feels good to start Nov. insight to each dance’s roots. 1 out with a performance.” The Lawton Art and Connywerdy joined drummer Humanities Council benefits and singer John Hamilton told Lawton Fort Sill by encouraging stories about each dance before and coordinating cultural members of the troupe illustrated endeavors and having activities them. Connywerdy began to promote knowledge and the the event by introducing the appreciation of the arts. instruments. Dean of Cameron’s School of “The creator – whatever term Liberal Arts, Von Underwood said you use for your god – he blessed the event was part of the Lawton us with these instruments that we Arts and Humanities Council use,” he said. “We have the drum, program called; Sharing the Spirit, we have rattles, we have the native which is in celebration of Native f lute and natives treat the drum American heritage month. “Every couple of years Cameron like it is a living thing, because at one time, it was.” has the privilege of getting to Leslie Deer was the first cohost the event and gets to to dance. She approached the share a celebration of culture,” Underwood said, “and in this case, audience in a women’s jingle
dress style which comes from the Ojibwe people of the Great Lakes and began to dance. Her dances told the story of a chief whose daughter is ill. She is only healed after the chief goes to a healer who gives the chief a dress to place on his daughter and tells the chief songs to sing to her. By the fourth song, his daughter is healed and spreads healing among the people around her with her eagle fan. Cricket RhoadesConnywerdy performed the women’s southern cloth dance next. Rhoades-Connywery, who was adorned in turquoise and gold, took center stage as Kevin Connywerdy explained her dress. “This dress,” Connywerdy said, “is modeled after the buckskin dresses, and the Kiowa people had sewing day every Wednesday. This was the day Final Dance: Oklahoma Fancy Dancer Zack Morris leads the rest the missionary people would come teach the Kiowa women of the troupe for a final dance at Cameron University Theatre as the troupe exits the stage. how to sew dresses. “Nobody had to teach them, tracks of an enemy. Morris dressed it because Cricket and I are both said Connywerdy, but they in garments that were common for dancers and so they’ve grown up [missionaries] wanted them to dancing, participating, so we have warrior societies to wear. make these pioneer dresses and in our powwow a time for young Connywerdy described Morris’s the Kiowa women said, ‘no, were people to dance.” outfit which featured brass bells going to make them our way,’ so Connywerdy performed the Around Morris’s calves. they modeled the cloth dresses attack dance by the Kiowa. A “There’s a story about these after the buckskin dresses that dance which he said is energetic bells,” Connywerdy said. “Traders they were used to wearing.” and gets more so throughout the would come across the plains … Rhoadesevening. He also performed a and you could hear them [the Connywerdy hoop dance which was comprised bells] as they came. danced to of dancing with five hoops and “These women brought these Hamilton’s making these hoops into shapes as buffalo hides, beer, beautiful, drumming which the dance went on. painted robes, and they traded was filled with “Just like our seasons every year cooking pots and things like that honor beats. our drums, our ceremonies are all but this young man’s mother These drum beats carried out in a circular fashion,” waited until the very last and she are hard and loud Connywerdy said, “so as the hoop got the finest deer robes that she andremind the dancer dances you might see Native Americans had and … she said ‘I want that to make a bowing metal that sings to put on my sons different images from nature.” The Oklahoma Fancy Dancers dance clothes.” motion while also included two social dances in Next Connywerdy’s two dancing to pay their performance where members young sons performed the shield respect to their of the audience were able to go on dance, a ritual handed down from ancestors. stage and participate in the dances generation to generation. Zack Morris with the other dancers. “As we grow up and we’re performed the For more information on the exposed to these dances,” he said. Photos by Tyla Eakins men’s straight Oklahoma Fancy Dancers, visit “We learn by being around it; we Sharing the Spirit: Kevin Connywerdy (Left) introduces the Oklahoma Fancy dance, a dance the Oklahoma Arts Council learn the stories from the older modeled after Dancers who have traveled around the globe performing traditional Native website at http://www.arts.ok.gov. dancers. My sons are born into searching for the American dances in award winning regalia.
Annual Halloween Carnival fun for all ages Collegian Staff Cameron University’s annual Children’s Halloween Carnival, which included over 20 student organizations, took place from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Aggie Recreational Center. Cameron’s Programming Activities Council hosted the event and introduced Trunk or Treat from 7-9 p.m. where participants chose treats from cars parked in the McMahon Centennial Complex parking lot. The event also included a bouncehouse and other games for children of all ages. The cost to get into the event was a dollar donation or a canned good. Cameron University Senior Thomas Lyles said he enjoyed taking his son to the carnival. “I’ve came here since my son was born, because it’s a lot of fun for him,” he said. Tamika Shugard whose daughter is a Sophomore at Cameron said she likes to bring her two younger children to the event. “The whole concept that they have inside here is great,” she said. “There’s not really anything I don’t like.” Th event provided the Lawton community as well as surrounding communities a safe environment for the Holiday. Judy Lavern, a grandmother who is new to the area brought her 6 year old daughter to the carnival. “We’re actually new to the area, so I don’t feel comfortable taking her trick or treating, that’s why I was so glad to be able to bring her here. The carnival costumes were Laverne’s favorite part of the event. “I love the costumes, there’s a lot of really cute and interesting costumes.”
Photos by Joel Frambes
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Voices
November 9, 2015
www.aggiecentral.com
When the game stands too tall October is one of the best months of the year for sports. So much goes on in one month that it gets hard to keep track of it all. Hockey and basketball both kick into full gear. Meanwhile, baseball’s elites are taking their final swings at the World Series title. All the while, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase is in its home stretch. Then there’s football. Before we go any further, let’s emphasize that this piece addresses American football – the one where people in pads and helmets hit each other and seldom use their feet. The other football, otherwise known as soccer, is another topic for another column. Now that that’s out of the way, American football is a great exhibition of sporting ability. There’s a lot of thinking and method to the on-field madness of crunching hits and exciting touchdown catches. It’s a great mix of the physical and the mental. What’s not to like? The answer to that question is “football season.” It seems contradictory to like football and not to like the season. But, to specify, the irksome part about football season is just how much hype it gets – especially in the media. Take the sports section of the Nov. 1 “Lawton Constitution” for example. At the bottom of the front page is the start of a story about the Oklahoma City Thunder’s young season. The top of the next page features a box score and two brief stories regarding Games 4 and 5 of the World Series. Other pages have features on hunting and flashbacks to Lawton-area sports of yore. Meanwhile, football gets nearly four and a half pages of coverage in the eight-page section, including the majority of the front page and two pages dedicated to the college football week in review and the NFL Sunday preview – both of which take up full-page spreads. Other newspapers throughout the nation – local or national – tend to have sports pages packed with football. The content may be different, but the point is just
incidents players seem to get themselves in. If you doubt this assertion, just look up Greg Hardy, Ben Roethlisberger or Michael Vick. These cases only bring more attention to a sport that racks in Super Bowl viewership numbers 600 percent higher than the NBA Finals and regular season viewership stats greater than the World Series. That Super Bowl in and of itself was rife with media saturation – not only because of the game itself but also because of the Deflategate controversy surrounding the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady. That media storm came to a relative cessation but a few weeks prior to the start of the regular season. Indeed, there is something to say about the media’s supposed love affair with football. Tribune News Service However, one other thing A shot at glory: Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (right, seated) fields questions from countless Leitch pointed out was the fact reporters during Super Bowl XLIX Media Day in Jan. 2015. This media frenzy is the zenith of endless year-round that baseball is a far superior coverage given to the National Football League, from the first-year draft to mundane front office operations. sport now than it was even forty years ago, especially when it the same: football is the king of things, while many networks regular season has dwarfed in opinion on what America’s involves the ease with which the sports page. are all about football for the comparison to the other three national pastime truly is. fans can follow the game. And that’s just print media. brief blocks in which they show sports since Wayne Gretzky’s An April 2015 poll from A look at the Kansas City During football season, games – a practice atypical retirement. Still, the Stanley “Bloomberg Politics” showed Royals’ recent ticker tape sports networks tend to compared to other Big Four Cup playoffs offer up enough that around two-thirds of parade shows how baseball fans ramp up the football coverage sports. buzz that, for up to seven people found football to be the still love the game. Thousands – particularly on ESPN. Baseball has its time to shine games, the sports world has to sport at the heart of the nation’s flocked the streets to celebrate Saturdays in fall feature the with 162 pay attention. culture. Fewer than thirty per the team’s first World Series spectacle that is “College regular season Despite all cent of those polled felt baseball win since 1985. GameDay,” the three-hour-long games, a these reasons still held the title, while five Even still, baseball does not preview show for all the day’s pretty lengthy for press, the percent were unsure. rake in the numbers football games, packed with features playoff season other three Big Bloomberg’s Will Leitch does. Leitch said that this lag is and game predictions. and spring Four sports said that these results were not any fault of baseball’s. Flip over to ESPN 2, and training. pale in media unsurprising. Leitch said “The minute people realized “SportsCenter” will provide Add in buzz comparison to that the biggest reason was how easy football was to a welcome reprieve until even surrounding football. the media’s constant push of follow on television – even more college football coverage the trade “NFL headlines surrounding NFLif it really tells you very little happens. Then, at noon Eastern deadline and Countdown” related news about concussions, of what’s going on – was the Time, the full day of college during winter and other domestic abuse and drug use. minute baseball stopped being football will commence. meetings, and similar shows As the old saying goes, if it America’s pastime,” he said. Take this amount of there’s some take up prime bleeds, it leads. So is it the media causing coverage, apply it to professional great coverage daytime slots in So maybe that could explain the rise in viewership? Or is football and add in a quick of baseball. ESPN’s lineup the inundation of football the viewership ramping up the show about fantasy football Basketball year-round – coverage in sports media. Jacob Jardel media coverage? – that’s what’s in store for also has its an anomaly Something is bound to happen Sports Editor The answer to that question Sundays. The only reason days in the among sportwhen some of the biggest and may remain nebulous, but it still @JJardel_Writing ESPN does not feature more limelight. specific shows. fastest athletes in the world are proves that there is something football on the main channel The playoffs are lengthier than Add on top of that seemingly colliding with each other in about football that keeps people is the lack of rights to airing baseball’s, and the NBA Finals endless NFL Draft projections nearly haphazard fashion. enthralled, whether positively NFL games outside of Monday offer a good alternative to the and the numerous follies and And, if something or negatively – all at the expense Night Football. dog days of an MLB summer. misfortunes of various players, unfortunate fails to happen of other sports trying to get These are just a few of the Plus, the NBA Draft draws and you have enough football on the field, the media and their time in the sun. examples of the oversaturation in good viewership as college coverage to provide A-Block the viewing public can get So what’s not to like about of football content on one their dose of Schadenfreude, players realize their pro dreams. material for sports outlets. football? The media fracas that network. Other channels vilification or similar feelings Maybe this media push Outside of the New Year’s comes with it. with the numerous off-field with a sports focus do similar Day Winter Classic, hockey’s has caused a shift in the public
108.7
17.7
17.4
Average sports audience (in millions of viewers) Source: The Atlantic
14.9 5.8
Tribune News Service
The royal treatment: A throng of Kansas City Royals fans swarms the gates during the World Series celebration parade. The turnout showed that love for baseball still stands strong, but viewership numbers show football reigns supreme. 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.
NFL Super Bowl
NBA Finals
THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Staff Managing Editor - Vicky Smith Asst. Managing Editor - Krista Pylant Sports Editor - Jacob Jardel, Krista Pylant Student Life Editor - Tyla Eakins Copy Editor - Joel Frambes Aggie Central Editor- Charlene Belew
Newsroom Staff Financial Officer - Susan Hill Circulation Managers - Krista Pylant, Vicky Smith Advertising Manager - Charlene Belew Faculty Adviser - Mr. David Bublitz
NFL Regular Season
MLB World Series
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Graphic by Jacob Jardel
Letters Policy
Letters to the editor will be printed in the order in which they are received and on a space available basis. The Collegian reserves the right to edit all letters for content and length. Letters should be no more than 250 words. Letters from individual authors will be published only once every four weeks. All letters from students should include first and last names, classification and major. No nicknames will be used. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verification. Letters can be sent by regular mail, by e-mail to aggiecentral@cameron. edu or they may be dropped off at our office - Academic Commons 101 or at www.aggiecentral.com.
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A&E
November 9, 2015
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Bublitz writes social justice poetry Vicky Smith
Managing Editor
@pinkwritinglady Just as students must balance their course work with their creative work, instructors must balance their work in the classroom with the work in their personal professional lives. Mr. David Bublitz is one such instructor. Before Bublitz became an employee of Cameron University, he was a student of Cameron University. He balanced class with work, holding on-campus job positions, such as a tutor at the Center for Writers and managing editor of the Cameron Collegian. Now, as a communication instructor and advisor of the Collegian, Bublitz commits himself to teaching students, as well as furthering his own education and creative work. Bublitz said when he started working as the Collegian advisor in fall 2013, he was still in the process of completing his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Writing from the Red Earth LowResidency MFA Program at Oklahoma City University (OCU). “It’s really about prioritizing time,” Bublitz said. “One of the things that Kerry Cohen in the Red Earth Program said during one of her lectures [is] … ‘If you’re going to be a writer, you have to prioritize your writing.’ “There were days when I would work in here [Collegian lab] or teach class and then immediately after that, I would have to start working on my writing even though I was tired … but that’s just one of those things you do to make the writing happen.” Bublitz said he focuses on his creative work, but the students remain his priority, for he is passionate about teaching from the perspective that it is a public service. “Students come first,” he said. “The fiscal pay that I get as a teacher is only one method of compensation. I get to interact with my students and be a part of their collegiate narratives – their stories, and I get to help them. That’s what I value the most.” Bublitz said as a student, he was also influenced by his professors, particularly by poet Quraysh Ali Lansana, who was his mentor in the MFA program. “My writing is specific to issues of social justice in context of the culture of the military,” Bublitz said. “Q’s writing is specific to issues of social justice in terms of issues of race, so he kind of helped me come to terms with my own circumstances through his pain and through the struggles he articulates in his writing and in his craft.” At his last July residency of the MFA program, Bublitz presented his thesis, which he said was a book-length collection of poems titled “Combat Pay.” “My book deals a lot with my relationship with my father, specifically,” Bublitz said, “and what it’s like to be a child – a young boy growing up to be a man and the things that I learned about myself and my identity.”
Review: Jacob Jardel Sports Editor
@JJardel_Writing Episodic video game “Life Is Strange” lives up to its moniker in the most poignant and well-done way. Developer Dontnod Entertainment and publisher Square Enix released “Chrysalis,” the first episode of the five-part series, on Jan. 30. The next four installments came out every other month until the fifth episode, “Polarized,” released on Oct. 30. With each coming episode, the player experiences a new set of dilemmas, choices and consequences – all of which compound into a gaming experience that teeters between gripping and emotionally heavy, depending on the player. From the drop, reviewers have given the game a variety of reviews, most of which were good. Steam users have given the game “overwhelmingly positive” reviews, with other websites giving individual episodes perfect or near perfect reviews. Venture Beat reviewer Evan Killham gave the final episode a 90 out of 100 rating, stating that the ending will break the player’s heart and brain – but in a good way. “Life Is Strange’s” conclusion is as effective and powerful an ending as we could hope for,” Killham said. “It’s been an emotional, haunting, and often ridiculous time following Max and her friends on their timey-wimey quest, and I’m going to miss them.” Indeed, the story was the hallmark of the video game. However, some reviewers have pointed out the drawbacks of this narrative focus. Steven Strom of Ars Technica said that, while the story-based ambience is spot on, the dialogue, constant self-reference and design choices do not always nail the mark. Overall, though, these flaws do not mar what is otherwise a superb gaming experience. For those who have yet to play the game or those who have yet to experience the final episode, potential spoilers lie
Photo by Vicky Smith
Working in the Cameron Collegian lab: Communication instructor and Collegian advisor David Bublitz reviews an issue of the Collegian with senior biology major Joel Frambes, who is the copy editor of the Collegian. According to Bublitz, another poet who influenced his poetry was Tony Medina. “Tony also addresses issues of social justice specific to race,” he said. “I’m very much a proponent of writing as activism – writing especially specific to issues of social justice.” In terms of craft, Bublitz said he believes poetry should be written in such a way that anybody can read through it and get something out of it. “When I put my book together,” he said, “one of the things I wanted to do was to make sure all of the writing was accessible, but at the same time, to implement elements of the work that were layered poetically.” Bublitz also said poetry that is written honestly can have a powerful impact on readers. “In his book The Things They Carried, [Tim ‘O Brien] talks a lot about the nature of truth,” Bublitz said, “especially in context of writing about war or combat … and how it’s difficult sometimes to articulate to people the reality because the reality seems unbelievable. I think that that’s true in a lot of ways.” Bublitz said right now, his next goal professionally in his creative work is to publish his book “Combat Pay.” “It’s been all about sending out individual poems and getting my name out there before I actually publish the complete collection,” he said. “I’m in
that stage right before book publication.” Over the last year, Bublitz has shared his work at public readings. In January 2015, he traveled to Chicago, where he was
“I’m very much a proponent of
writing as activism.” - Mr. David Bublitz Communication Instructor and Collegian Advisor
one of three featured poets for Waiting for the Bus reading series. According to Bublitz, he is grateful for those who have helped him with his creative work. Some of these people include Dr. Keller, Dr. Hall, Mr. Hooley, Dr. Jennetta Calhoun Mish, who is the director of the MFA program at OCU, and his parents. “I actually learned to read from my mom before I started public school,” Bublitz said. “They [parents] pushed me to do the things I wanted to do and explore the places I wanted to explore in creativity.” To read Bublitz’ published work, visit the following websites: http://thepoetsbillow.org/literary-art-gallary/2015-pangaeaprize/it-only-looks-like-leaving/ and http://o-dark-thirty. org/2014/12/03/vows/.
episodic video game player learn of Max’ ability to rewind time. Max takes advantage of this ability to save the girl, who turns out to be childhood best friend Chloe Price. Throughout the rest of the story, the player follows as Max and Chloe investigate the disappearance and various strange happenings around the town. All characters’ stories intertwine in some way, shape or form, which provides a compelling storyline that builds up until “Polarized.” However, the mechanic that provides the weight for much of the game’s gravity is
ahead. “Life Is Strange” focuses on player character Max, a senior photography student at Blackwell Academy, a prestigious art high school in Arcadia Bay, Ore. She wakes up from a vivid dream to find herself in the middle of a class lecture. As class dismisses, Max walks to the bathroom and observes various forms of foreshadowing alongside showcases of the game’s aesthetic. Hand-painted visuals give a certain life to the otherwise obviously polygonal characters, while the indie music soundtrack gives the school and the game a nearhipstery and youthful vibe. There is also an air of mystery and moroseness, as seen with the numerous posters for a missing young woman named Rachel Amber. However, the true crux of the story starts to unfold when Max photographs a blue butterfly that flutters into the restroom. A young man walks into the women’s restroom before a similar-aged girl walks in after him. After an altercation, he shoots her dead. Max reaches out as if to save her. The next thing she knows, Max is back in the classroom, reliving the class experience she just had. At this point, Graphic by Vicky Smith both Max and the
the decision engine. The choices the player makes will influence the path of the game. Some changes are minor, like determining whether to water a plant or meddling with a whiteboard. Other choices have far more major consequences. The game signifies those to the player in various ways, and the ramifications will change the course and context of the story. Regardless, the player will feel it when something goes right or wrong. This mechanic is the best part of the already-compelling story of “Life Is Strange.” While dialogue occasionally falls short or ramps up the cheese factor, the ever-twisting plot keeps players enthralled until the fallout of the final decision – arguably the biggest of the game. Outside of the story, the biggest plus of the series is the sound. Between ambient noise and the heavily-indie soundtrack, each scene and episode has great sound. Further, each voice actor provided a unique feel to each character, particularly Max and Chloe’s voice actresses. Conversely, the game does lack visually in some aspects. While the aesthetic is beautiful and admittedly perfect for the indie feel, some noticeable character model hiccups and mediocre lip matching gets distracting in close ups. Those are about the only flaws in the five-episode series, though. With a gripping story that puts weight into the game’s many important choices, “Life Is Strange” sets itself apart from other playable narrative-style games and from other episodic games. It may not be perfect, and it will drain players emotionally. But this game will definitely stick with players for a long time. – 7.5 out of 10 Polaroids.
6
Sports
November 9 2015
www.aggiecentral.com
Photo by Krista Pylant
Krista Pylant Sports Editor
@KristaPylant8 The Cameron volleyball team swept Midwestern State (25-17, 25-20, 25-13) in straight sets on Oct. 30, marking the first time since 2006 that the Aggies have defeated the Mustangs on the road. CU moved to 15-6 overall and 6-6 in Lone Star Conference action. Freshman Jenna Gillean had a perfect game with 17 kills and no errors and recorded 20 straight kills without an error in CU’s 2-0 week. Gillen’s performance earned her Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week after she recorded 35 kills in two matches, averaging 4.38 kills per set. Freshman Tori Luckenbill attained her ninth career double-double after contributing 31 assists and 12 digs for the Aggies. Overall, Cameron ended the match with 46 kills, a .319
attacking percentage and 61 digs, while MSU had 38 kills, a .157 hitting percentage, and 52 digs. The Aggies jumped to a 0-4 start to begin the first set. Cameron retained its lead, going on a seven point run late in the set to put it further out of reach, 21-12. The Black and Gold took set one, 17-25, paced by six kills from Gillean to total 14 CU kills. Cameron ended set one with a .250 attacking percentage compared to the Mustangs’ .150 hitting clip. The second set saw tightly contested action with eight ties and four lead changes. Cameron gained the advantage off a 2-2 tie and led early on, but MSU knotted the set at 15. The set tied four more times as both sides traded points until the score knotted for a final time at 20. Cameron scored five consecutive points to retire the set with a win, 25-20. Set three was all Cameron as the Aggies went on to win it, 25-13, propelled by 16 kills versus MSU’s nine. The Aggies also boasted a .342 hitting clip while holding the
Mustangs to a .026 attacking percentage. Meghan Bettis led Midwestern State (5-21) with 15 kills. Cameron will remain on the road for their next two matches as they will take on Texas Woman’s on Nov. 6 and Texas A&M-Commerce the following day on Nov. 7. The TWU game will be a revenge match for the Aggies, as the Pioneers tarnished Cameron’s 13-0 season opening record on Oct. 3, defeating the Aggies 3-1. Against Texas Woman’s the Aggies trail the series 25-28 and are 9-15 in Denton. The Aggies have dropped their last six matches in Denton with the last win occurring in 2006. The Pioneers currently sit in third place in LSC standings. In their last match-up with the Aggies on Oct. 2 Cameron swept Texas A&M-Commerce after errors plagued the Lions as they ended the match with a .090 attacking percentage compared to CU’s .270 hitting clip. The Aggies hold a slight edge over the Lions, leading the series 25-23 but are at an even 10-10 on the road.
Aggies snap skid, defeat West Texas A&M in five sets
Photo courtesy of Mike Mazzo
Krista Pylant Sports Editor
@KristaPylant8 The Cameron volleyball team snapped its six game losing streak with a 3-2 win over West Texas A&M (24-26, 25-18, 25-23, 25-27, 15-12) on Oct. 27. The win marked the first time since 1998 that the Aggies have defeated West Texas A&M with the last victory dating back to
with 18 on the match and sophomore Cristina Viera matched Luckenbill in digs with 26. Freshmen Kayla Allen and Paige Dixon led Cameron in blocks with eight and six respectively. Overall, Cameron ended the match with 65 kills, a .124 attacking percentage, and 117 digs, while West Texas A&M had 63 kills, a .136 hitting percentage, and 132 digs. Cameron led for the beginning of set one, but CU’s Lone Star Conference The Aggies had two WTAMU went on a fiveTournament title. players achieve a doublepoint run to come within Senior Kat Evans said double on the match. a point of the Aggies’ lead, toppling this particular Freshman Jordan 10-11. conference foe added an extra Williams put down 17 kills CU inched away, and the rush to the win. out of 76 attempts and added Lady Buffs went on another “I told the girls in the 18 digs to grab her fourth six point scoring chain to huddle that I want to go out career double-double. my senior year beating West Freshman Tori Luckenbill tie the set at 20. The Aggies pulled away again to reach set Texas,” Evans said. “They attained her eighth career point with WTAMU down have always been a good team double-double after by three. and this year they are not contributing 46 assists and However, the Lady Buffs as great as they have always 26 digs. remained strong and scored been, so it was really great to CU freshman Jenna take it to them this year.” Gillean led the Aggies in kills five consecutive points to win
the set, 24-26. With Cameron ahead 14-17 in the second set, the Aggies furthered their advantage with a six point run. Three CU errors and a Lady Buffs kill brought WTAMU closer, but Cameron scored two more to seal the second set victory, 25-18. West Texas A&M ended the second set with a .034 hitting clip while Cameron had a .075 attacking percentage. In the third set, Cameron came away with 18 kills and a .224 hitting clip compared to WTAMU’s 14 kills and .200 attacking percentage. The Lady Buffs had a one point advantage late in the set at 23-22, but two Lady Buff attack errors followed by a kill from Gillean brought CU the win, 25-23. WTAMU held a 24-19 edge in set four, but Cameron got five consecutive points off of four Lady Buff errors and
a CU kill to tie the set at 24. The set knotted once more at 25, but the WTAMU stayed alive by scoring two, taking the set 25-27. Cameron remained down at the start of set five but tied the match at seven and got the edge, 8-7. Both teams traded the lead as the set remained tight and tied for a final time at eleven until Cameron scored three straight points to lead, 14-12. The Lady Buffs got a kill in, but CU’s Gillean returned one back to bring the Aggies the victory, 15-12. Evans said avoiding the agony of another defeat kept the team striving for victory. “We wanted to finally break the losing streak we’ve been on,” Evans said. “We’ve been working really hard in practice on the last few points in games, so being down in the fifth set and coming back is really big and shows we’re not a team that gives up.”