Collegian T he Cameron University
www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, September 14, 2020
Volume 103 Issue 2 Photo by Lea Killian
I hope to learn the skills to help any child, no matter the situation — Brittany Farias
Sophomore Early Childhood Education Major
Lea Killian
Managing Editor At 6 p.m. on Sept. 16, the School of Graduate and Professional Studies will be hosting a Zoom session to discuss the Department of Education’s Special Education Boot Camp. Students participating will learn about the Special Education Boot Camp Pathway for becoming certified teachers and CU’s upcoming Boot Camp course beginning on Oct. 13. While the Boot Camp course is intended for graduate students who are interested in becoming certified Special Education teachers, CU offers students like Sophomore Early Childhood Education Major Brittany Farias a chance to begin their academic path to Special Education through its Early Childhood and Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree programs. In Aug. 2018, Farias began substitute teaching at Freedom Elementary School located at Fort Sill when, after only two months, the school offered her a full-time position. Since then, she has known she wanted to teach Special Education. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Farias spent her mornings helping her students learn about things like the weather and the days of the week before preparing them to go to their centers. There, the students would spend about 20 minutes at each center learning about math, science or reading.
Now that there are social-distancing guidelines, facemask requirements and stricter cleaning regiments, Farias may spend a bit more time making sure the students have hand sanitizer, but it certainly hasn’t dulled her dedication to providing each student the education they deserve. “My students deserve a shot just as much as any other student,” Farias said. “They deserve to have a normal life as much as we can give them, but you have to care – and that can’t be taught. “You have to want to watch these kids grow and become more independent, and watching them do so all year is such a magical experience. “Hearing a nonverbal student count or read for the first time or watching a student who has a hard time keeping themselves calm learn ways to cope with their anxiety is a feeling like no other.” Farias knew that continuing her education at CU would allow her to have a greater impact on more students, and is already enjoying many of her classes – especially her Children’s Literature class instructed by Associate Professor Lynda Robinson. “It has already taught me so many great things about how students learn to read and how the passion for reading begins with a teacher,” Farias said. Even though working full-time and attending college as a full-time student is a challenge for many young adults, Farias
understands the problems Special Education teachers and their students face, and works passionately to assist in any way she can. “There are still so many things wrong with the education system and the lack of resources we can provide for students with special needs,” Farias said. “There is always room for improvement. I hope the stigma around Special Education will stop being such a deterrent for potential educators. “Society is so quick to reject anything different, but to me, that is why we need to love our students even more. “We need to give them a chance to grow and learn like every other child, no matter how long it takes them.” For more information about the Special Education Boot Camp, students can find the link to register on CU’s website. For questions about the Zoom session, students may email the Graduate/Transfer Admissions Counselor, Tracy Price, at tprice@ cameron.edu, or contact her by phone at 580-581-6749. For more information about becoming a teacher, students may email cuteach@cameron.edu.
What’s Inside Humans of Cameron Page 5
Review: “The Lovebirds” Page 4
Brittany Farias
Studying special education, making a difference
Aggie Silent Auction Page 6
2
News
September 14, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
Tested: Trinity College women’s volleyball head coach Jen Bowman processes COVID-19 paperwork in Memorial Field House at Trinity College. Trinity coaches and athletic staffers are helping run the school’s COVID-19 testing center.
Heart injury after COVID-19 spurs call to screen college athletes Jason Gale and Angelica LaVito
Tribune News Service Doctors recommend cardiac screening tests for competitive athletes who have recovered from COVID-19 after a small study found heart damage in one in seven college sports competitors, including in those whose coronavirus infection caused no obvious symptoms. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging on 26 competitive college athletes who had either a mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection found four, or fifteen percent, with signs of inflammation of the heart muscle. These suspected myocarditis patients were males in their late teens and early 20s, including two who experienced no COVID-19 symptoms, doctors at Ohio State University in Columbus reported Friday in a research letter to the “Journal of the American Medical Association.” The finding adds to a growing body of evidence that the pneumonia-causing coronavirus is also resulting in damage to the heart, as well as other organs. While little is known about the longterm cardiac consequences, screening for heart complications may identify people at risk of further injury, the researchers said. “Myocarditis is a significant cause of sudden cardiac death in competitive athletes,” Saurabh Rajpal, an assistant professor of internal medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Cardiac magnetic
resonance imaging has the potential to identify a high-risk cohort for adverse outcomes and may, importantly, riskstratify athletes for safe participation.” Evidence of myocardial inflammation seen on cardiac MRI scans has been associated “with poor outcomes, including myocardial dysfunction and mortality,” the authors said. Athletes with probable myocarditis should be asked to rest for three months to recover, based on current guidelines, Rajpal said in an email. Additional research is needed to determine whether that can prevent further injury, he said. None of the athletes who were football, soccer, lacrosse, basketball and track competitors had known heart disease when they underwent postCOVID-19 testing. An additional eight athletes, or thirty-one percent, showed signs of prior heart-muscle insult which, Rajpal said, may also have been the result of athletic cardiac adaptation. Highly trained endurance athletes are 10 times more likely than non-athletes to have signs of heart stress, a cardiac MRI study last week found. The Ohio study wasn’t designed to identify the prevalence or risk of myocardial injury in athletes with a recent history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, Rajpal said. Further studies are planned in which athletes not affected by the coronavirus will also be assessed for comparison. More research is also needed to understand the long-term consequences of COVID-19 on the hearts of young athletes, he said.
Concerns about still unknown health effects caused two major collegiate athletic conferences in the U.S. to halt their upcoming sports seasons. Others have pressed forward. College football is already underway and professional football started its season Thursday night. The American College of Cardiology’s Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council in May developed guidelines for letting athletes return to play. They vary based on the severity of a person’s illness, recommending anyone who tests positive to rest for two weeks and those who experienced mild or severe symptoms to be evaluated by a medical professional. However, emerging knowledge and cardiovascular MRI observations “question this recommendation,” the Ohio researchers said. Though most cases of myocarditis result in “a good degree of recovery,” some patients will suffer scarring and potentially severe complications, said Garry Jennings, a cardiologist and executive director of Sydney Health Partners, an Australian medical research group. Longer-term problems include abnormal heart rhythms, chronic heart failure and even sudden death. Jennings recommends that athletes who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 without COVID-19 symptoms rest for two weeks then undergo a medical check-up before resuming training. “Depending on the level of exercise, they need to go slow and increase gradually and obviously report any
symptoms,” he said. “For people with more moderate or severe COVID, you need to be much more conservative than that.” Ideally, such athletes should undergo cardiac imaging, plus a blood test for troponin which may indicate heartmuscle damage to rule out ongoing myocardial damage that would predispose the heart to additional strain, Jennings said. Worries around heart inflammation and other possible side effects are dominating conversations with athletes, said Julia Iafrate, an assistant professor of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine and director of dance medicine at Columbia University in New York. Iafrate tries to remind people that they are seeing research unfold in real time and what is accurate today might not be accurate in a few months time, she said. A study in July of 100 recently recovered COVID-19 patients in Germany found that more than threequarters experienced some heart problems and sixty percent suffered ongoing myocardial inflammation, regardless of any preexisting conditions and the severity of their coronavirus infection. The risk may extend to infants, too. Doctors in Ankara reported direct SARS-CoV-2 damage last month in a fatal case of viral myocarditis in a 2-year-old otherwise healthy boy. Being young and healthy is not a reason to brush off the novel coronavirus, Iafrate said. “We know you’re better off not getting COVID,” she said.
Twitter polices premature election victory posts Tribune News Service Twitter announced a policy to remove or label tweets that claim victory in an election before election results have been officially verified. The announcement was part of slate of expanded policies announced on Thursday as the social media company seeks to more aggressively contain false or misleading information less than two months ahead of the presidential election. Twitter said they are seeking to “help stop the spread of harmful misinformation that could compromise the integrity
of an election or other civic process.” Concerns over disputed election results have risen as millions more voters are expected to vote by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic, which may delay a final election tally. Twitter has already fact-checked some of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tweets on mail-in voting, which were widely considered to be false. Facebook announced last week that it will flag any premature victory claims and will ban any new political ads in the week before the election.
Tribune News Service
On display: View of the logo on Twitter headquarters in Manhattan, New York on July 28, 2020. Twitter announced a policy to remove or label tweets that claim victory in an election before election results are officially verified.
3
Voices
September 14, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
taking the out of
art
Amanda King Voices Editor
In this glorious age of cancel culture, any step out of line can spell out the end of a career — whether it be the slightest slip of the tongue or a salacious scandal. Words, in particular, seem to be the most specific incrimination insofar as the court of public opinion is concerned. Oh, you tweeted an offensive joke fifteen years ago and didn’t think anyone would see it? Rest assured, we did. And now, just patiently await your social crucifixion. Justice experts on Twitter will end you within a couple hours on the trending page. Thus is the virtual world we live in — sins are timeless and unforgivable and he who has sinned shall, in fact, throw the first tweet. So really, it’s unsurprising that the controversial question of whether or not you should enjoy art without approving of an artist’s opinions is constantly ruminating — even if you’re unaware of it. Should you appreciate a song, a movie, a book or anything if the person who created it made some questionable choices or statements in the past? Recently, as any fellow Twihard would know, Stephenie Meyer released a new book in the multimillion dollar “Twilight” franchise. Quite immediately, reports surfaced from publications such as “PopCulture News” and “Showbiz Cheat Sheet” about why fans should boycott the novel. As per Catherine Hardwicke, director of the first film in the book-to-movie adaptation of the series, Meyer put up significant roadblocks in casting more diverse actors for the main characters.
artist
It didn’t seem to matter to many fans that Hardwicke further explained how Meyer resisted because she’d “really seen them in her mind,” and “knew who each character was representing in a way, a personal friend or a relative or something.” As several fans declared, Meyer was just “racist,” and demanded people not give her any more money. Should we boycott her books? And for another literary example, take a look at J.K. Rowling. The author — made a household name because of her Harry Potter empire — graced headlines earlier this year when she made a remark that many thought transphobic. Should we boycott the fantastical world of Harry Potter? Presumably not, because fan sites like MuggleNet still run smoothly — but have removed all references to the author. Even an essay explaining her statement wasn’t enough to save Rowling from the hammer of “cancellation,” and, as “Deseret News” points out, she will remain under fire until she backs down from her own opinion. Moving on to movies, how about Tom Cruise? The actor consistently appears negatively in the media for his devotion to the Church of Scientology. While controversial in its own right, Scientology is still an established religion — which to many, is despicable to support. Should we boycott his films? What about music? Kanye West constantly makes sacrilegious remarks and refers to himself as “Yeezus,” famously said
“slavery was a choice” and made a music video featuring several celebrities photo-shopped in the nude. Should we boycott his music? Is it right to support any of these celebrities at all? Where is the line drawn? Is there even a line to draw? When is it okay and when is it reprehensible to enjoy art from a controversial artist? There is only one answer to all of these questions: It is entirely up to you. You like what you like. You can enjoy any kind of art that you want to, regardless of whether you support the person who created it or not. You are under no obligation to pretend that you don’t like something, or force yourself not to enjoy something that you once did, just because the person who created it establishes an opinion that you or other people don’t agree with and faceless usernames online tell you to. Admittedly, it is true that by continuing to enjoy someone’s art, you do, in some regards, still support them. Your money does, in part, go to them. This is enough for most people — or at least anonymous Twitter users — to cut the cord. But truthfully, you probably have plenty of friends or relatives with different opinions than you. And you still support them, no? In fact, let’s take a walk down memory lane and think about history — history is littered with monarchs, authors and philosophers whose viewpoints would be horrifying by our standards now. How many people who shaped America held controversial
opinions? As per “USA Today,” 41 out of 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were slave owners. Should we just burn the document? Stop studying George Washington in history class? The truth is, we, as a society, are solely responsible for constructing this ideal of a “celebrity.” Celebrities are just as human as anyone else; they have no supreme authority or supernatural ability that forces the general public to put them on a pedestal and swallow everything they say. We do that on our own. Sure, celebrities might sometimes need to be held to a higher standard insofar as the age of their audiences are concerned — but they are just as righteous in expressing themselves and their own opinions as the rest of us. There is no reason that you should be ashamed of liking something simply because you or other people don’t like the person who created it. If you, or anyone else, can’t separate art from artist, or can’t escape seeing references to an artist’s opinions within the art, then it is your prerogative to support it or not. And supporting an art, doesn’t inherently mean you support the artist as well. It is quite possible to enjoy art, but disagree with the artist. And no one has the right to shame you for doing so. Other people have the same right to avoid it as you have to enjoy it. And in fact — insofar as tolerance for other opinions is concerned — I heartily encourage you to give art by controversial artists a try.
Photo courtesy of Tribune Content Agency Graphic by Amanda King
About Us
The official student newspaper of Cameron University, The Cameron Collegian is available twenty Mondays during the year. It is printed by the Lawton Constitution. The first issue is provided for free. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.
Our Views
The opinions expressed in The Collegian pages or personal columns are those of the signed author. The unsigned editorial under the heading “Voices” represents the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. The opinions expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily represent those of Cameron University or the state of Oklahoma. Our student media are designated public forums, and free from censorship and advance approval of content. Because content and funding are unrelated, and because the role of adviser does not include advance review of content, student media are free to develop editorial policies and news coverage with the understanding that students and student organizations speak only for themselves. Administrators, faculty, staff or other agents shall not consider the student media’s content when making decisions regarding the media’s funding or faculty adviser.
Letters Policy THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGIAN Founded in 1926 veritas sempiterna
Editorial Staff
Managing Editor - Lea Killian A&E Editor - Cam Alsbrook Voices Editor - Amanda King Asst. Editors - Lilleana Dupuy, Lousinda Dupuy Copy Editor - Brittney Payette
Newsroom Staff
Staff Writers - Alison Malawey Financial Officer - Susan Hill Faculty Adviser - Prof. David Bublitz
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
September 14, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
Photo Courtesy
On the run: (Left to right) Leilani (Issa Rae) and Jibran (Kumail Nanjiama) must uncover the truth behind a murder to clear their names while working through their crumbling relationship. “The Lovebirds” is one of the first to be a stream platform exclusive (Netflix) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Lovebirds” review good on a casual weekend Alison Malawey Staff Writer
Originally set to be released on April 3, 2020 in theaters, “The Lovebirds” was one of the first films to move to online streaming after theaters closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Paramount Pictures sold the rights of the film to Netflix who released the film on May 22, 2020, as a Netflix Original. Starring Kumail Nanjiani (“The Big Sick”) as Jibran and Issa Rae (HBO’s “Insecure”) as Leilani, the comedy follows the couple who, while driving and breaking up, hit a bicyclist with their SUV. The two rush to the aid of the bicyclist who appears frightened, refuses an ambulance and speeds off on his bicycle. Immediately after Jibran and Leilani return to their vehicle, a
man claiming to be the police runs up on foot and seizes their SUV with the two still inside. He chases the bicyclist down and runs him over again and again. After killing the bicyclist, the so-called policeman flees. Jibran and Leilani panic and, assuming the police will suspect them for the murder, go on the run. The duo decides the only way to clear their names is to solve the murder with clues found on the bicyclist’s cell phone, which Leilani picked up after the first accident. The couple discover the bicyclist was involved in large scale blackmail of a secret Illuminati-type society. Leilani and Jibran get themselves into several dangerous but humorous situations before getting caught by the police. Many of the most interesting parts of the
film are included in the trailer. The in-between bits are mostly dialogue which, depending on your type of comedy, can be funny or can slow the movie down. The filmmakers sloppily stitched each funny bit to the next with overly obvious, underlying hints that romance still exists between Jibran and Leilani. The trailer gives the impression that the film is about a couple on the run who are trying to clear their names, but it’s mostly about a failing four-year relationship between two people who go through a traumatic event and, through overcoming such event, learn to communicate with each other. New Orleans is the setting of the film, and the filmmakers shot the film in New Orleans but that fails to translate onto the screen.
If the characters didn’t talk about being in New Orleans so often, it would be difficult for the viewer to recognize. While being in New Orleans is not relevant to the plot, the filmmakers really missed a chance to use the amazing visuals that New Orleans has to offer. In an interview with Good Morning America, Rae mentioned that the filmmakers shot the movie during Mardi Gras and that parade floats were always in the streets. Perhaps that’s why hardly any of the city is shown. In the same interview, Nanjiani said that there were several times when production had to pause filming to wait for nearby parades to pass simply because the celebrations were too loud. Nanjiani and Rae brought chemistry to their characters,
particularly to the scenes in which the two bicker. In an interview for Netflix, Nanjiani and Rae gave details about a scene in which Nanjiani’s character, Jibran, gets kicked by a horse. In the scene, Jibran and Leilani are begging for their lives. Nanjiani said most of the dialogue was improvisation. He said a lot of the time with improvising, because the characters talk while facing each other, the actors need to pause acting, wait for production to reposition the camera, and re-enact the improvisation in order to get both actors’ reactions on film. However, in this scene, Leilani and Jibran are facing the same direction, so the improvisation happened more naturally because Nanjiani and Rae didn’t need pause for the camera to be
repositioned. The more natural the improvisation, the more the chemistry between Nanjiani and Rae shows on camera. I, for one, am dramatic when I watch movies. I jump and scream and laugh quite expressively when watching a film (as those close to me will tell anyone). This movie failed to elicit such an external response from me. It made me laugh on the inside. It was a fun movie to watch with witty, sarcastic comedy, but it’s also simple to enjoy this movie while doing other things. The film was enjoyable and watching it on a lazy, weekend afternoon wouldn’t be a waste of your time, but it’s not a crime against cinema if it never makes it into your playlist. I give this movie a 6.5 out of 10.
“Fahrenheit 451” showing at theater in October Brittney Payette Copy Editor
The show must go on for Cameron University’s Theatre department despite the current pandemic, and precautions are being taken to ensure that productions can continue to occur in a way that is safe — and entertaining. Auditions for Cameron’s production of “Fahrenheit 451” took place Aug. 18 through Aug. 20. The play is an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” a dystopian novel that takes place in an American city where books are illegal. The main character, Guy Montag, is a firefighter, but instead of putting out fires, he is told to start them. His job is to burn books; however, new people that he meets cause Montag to reconsider whether he should be burning books, and why they were outlawed in the first place. There were eight characters casted for the production: Montag, two paramedics, Beatty, Clarisse, Mildred, Mrs. Hudson, and Faber. The director of Cameron’s production of “Fahrenheit 451” is Deidre Onishi. They are still looking for people to help run the light and sound boards, and they can provide training to anyone interested.
Chair of the Theatre Department, Scott Richard Klein, said the department is taking extra precautions to keep people safe during the coronavirus pandemic. “We are very conscious of Covid-19,” Klein said. “Before each rehearsal everyone has their temperature taken. We are social distancing, and we plan on the cast wearing facial coverings for ‘Fahrenheit 451.’” In addition to these new safety measures, seating for the performances will also be limited. To make reservations, call the box office at (580) 581-2480, from 9 a.m-5 p.m, Monday through Friday. When attending a performance, it is asked that you wear a face covering, per campus policy in light of COVID-19. Performances for “Fahrenheit 451” will run from Oct. 1-4 in the University Theatre. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Cameron students receive one free admission. Admission is 12 dollars for adults and 10 dollars for everyone else. Aside from “Fahrenheit 451,” the Theatre Department is planning three other productions this semester.
Auditions for the Eight Reindeer Monologues are taking place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 5-6 in the University Theatre. Only one person will be on stage at a time for the monologues. The Eight Reindeer Monologues are monologues that are done by Santa’s Reindeer. This is considered to be a dark comedy and is not recommended for children. Auditions for “Waiting for Gadot” are Dec. 1-3 and the performance for “Waiting for Gadot” is Feb. 18- 21. Auditions for Disney’s “Freaky Friday: the Musical” are Feb. 6-7 and the performance is scheduled for April 15-18.
Photo by Lea Killian
For more information, please call the box office at (580) 581-2480 if you have any questions or wish to make reservations.
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Student Life
September 14, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
Student Housing
Moving in during the Coronavirus Brittney Payette Copy Editor
This year at Cameron University, move-in days were on Aug. 14 for new students, and Aug. 15 for returning students, with check-in times determined by last name. Move-in days looked different this year because of the coronavirus. Cameron took extra precautions around campus to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. For example, everyone who enters a Cameron facility — which includes campus housing — is required to wear a face covering. Also, hand sanitizer is available around campus. Cameron also limited students to two supporters who were allowed to help on move-in day. To further prevent Coronavirus from
spreading, no one in the dorms this semester has a roommate. Some rooms still have two twin beds in them, but there is only one person assigned to that room. Although many things were different in housing this year, one thing stayed the same: students still had paperwork to fill out. On move-in day, students filed into the Shepler Center to submit housing paperwork. Once students got their keys, they were able to go to their dorm rooms. On the desk in each dorm room, students received adjustable face masks with Cameron logos. Some students,
like freshman Biology major Adriana Anderson, were disappointed with move-in day changes. “I didn’t get the full experience of what move-in day was like,” Anderson said. “I was a little bit disappointed.” Senior Resident Assistant Anastasia Adamson sent out an email about some Cameron’s policies that people were violating. She said she checks the
“
video cameras every day, so she will know if someone violates the “no visitor” policy or is not wearing their mask. “You must wear your mask from your room to the bathroom, to the lounge, and of course down the halls to the elevators,” Adamson said. “This is to protect yourself and others.” Cameron University policy defines a visitor as any individual not assigned to a room on the specific floor.
As a result of the policy, some students have tried to get to know some of the other people on their floor. Each Shepler floor had its own theme, and residents decorates the halls to represent those themes. Some floors also had floor meetings after move-in day, where residents played games and ice-breakers to help students get to know each other a little better. During the meetings, residents also discussed dorm rules. These included new rules put into place because of COVID-19, such as face covering requirements and not allowing students to throw dorm trash into hall trash cans.
Instead, students are required to take their garbage to the trash can outside of the Shepler Cafeteria. Welcome Week also had to be altered in order to make events fun and safe for everyone. Programming Activities Council (PAC)hosted Welcome Week from Aug. 17-20 with events going on each day. Monday, there were free breakfast burritos. Tuesday, there were free snow cones and a build your own Zen Garden event. Wednesday, there were free snow cones and a trivia game show on Zoom. Thursday, free ice cream was available across campus. For more information about campus housing, contact Student Housing at 581-2392. For more information about PAC events, email pac@cameron. edu or call 581-2217.
Photo by Lea Killian
I see myself pursuing a new passion or occupation in four years. Throughout college, I’ve jumped from interest to interest with nothing really set in stone. I’m hoping I’ll find something that really grabs my attention, but if not, I’ll be on the hunt for it. My greatest struggle at the moment is trying to find out what I want to do for the rest of my life. There are a lot of different paths one can take in life. The world is a big place and is full of different opportunities and professions. I can see myself trying and exploring different things after college, and though I’m excited to see where I’ll end up, I currently struggle trying to find out where to start. I want to be someone who makes an impact in people’s lives. I’ve always been a lover of seeing people go through a powerful transformation, whether it be emotional, physical, emotional or spiritual. I think my purpose in life is to help people achieve a better and newer version of themselves.
Humans of Cameron:
“
— Savon Matthews
Photo by Lilleana Dupuy
6
Sports
September 14, 2020 www.aggiecentral.com
Jumpstarting
Cameron Athletics
Department hosts virtual silent auction
Placing bids: (Left) Item Number 19: A Bobby Jones autographed black and white golf magazine photo-page with Certificate of Authenticity. (Right) Item Number 29: A George Archer authographed, April 21, 1969, Sports Illustrated magazine with Certificate of Authenticity. Bids on items go to the programs that donated them.
Cam Alsbrook Sports Editor
From Sept. 8-25, the Cameron Athletics Department is hosting their first ever virtual silent auction session to fundraise for the Cameron Aggies. This auction features antiques collected by sports coaches in a straight-forward process — the items came from collections, coach contacts and more. Athletic Director Jim Jackson encouraged coaches to seek out items for the auction, said sports information director Kenton Means. “We wanted this to be different than most
silent auctions in the past as it was all outside memorabilia,” Means said, “nothing Cameronrelated.” Since the possibility of fundraisers and sports camps during the summer was essentially off the table, the goal for the fundraiser was to bring back some of the money that would usually come through during the summer. For any bids made, proceeds will go toward the donating program rather than a cash pool to be distributed evenly. Sports fans are able to donate to the Cameron Aggies directly through general donation or by being a part of the
Gold Club, which is the booster exclusive club which would normally give access to things such as special events or season tickets, if not for COVID-19. The more money people bid on items, the more monetary support the sports programs receive in the next sports season. The fundraiser includes items such as an official National Football League (NFL) ring, bearing the insignia and color scheme of the Green Bay Packers. Also included in the auction is the artist signed “Teach Me, Grandpa” print by Enoch Kelly Haney,
Signature items: (Left) Item Number 14: A commemorative Sports Illustrated issue featuring Syracuse as NCAA National Champions in 2003 and signed by Freshman Forward #15 Carmelo Anthony. (Right) Item Number 37: A Jerry Pate autographed 1970s Sportscaster card with Certificate of Authenticity. Collectibles came from donations and contacts.
which depicts a grandfather helping his granddaughter learn an instrument, as well as an autographed “Flaming Lips” album cover of their “Oczy Mlody” album. Kenton Means does not have any favorite items included in the auction, but recommended a few. “There are a collection of golf cards [“Champions of Golf, the Masters Collection 1934 - 1997” donated by PGA Professional Rick Goodwin] and magazine covers with some pretty legendary golfers that our head
volleyball coach Brandon Stephenson donated,” Means said, “that I think any golf aficionado would love to have in their collection.” In total there are 38 items included in the auction, and bidders have until Sept. 25 to bid on items. The silent auction’s description at cameronaggies.com advises potential bidders to keep checking back on their bids, as the bidders will not be notified if they are outbid at any point. To bid on a chosen item, a bidder simply needs to email Kenton
Means at kemeans@ cameron.edu or call the Athletics office at 580581-2303. At the end of the bidding period, the accumulated funds will go towards the individual sports program that donated the bid item. The silent auction has a varying starting bid on each item, so some items may be easier to get than others. For more information about the Silent Auction, or to inquire about the sports programs, information is available on cameronaggies.com, or call the Athletics office at 580-581-2303.
Photos Courtesy of Cameron Athletics Department