The Cameron University Collegian: February 11, 2013

www.aggiecentral.comMonday, February 11, 2013 Volume 88 Issue 2

The Cameron UniversiTy

CollegianCameron recognizes exceptional alumni

The Cameron University Alumni Association recently announced the newest group of winners for the Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding Young Alumni and Faculty Hall of Fame Awards.

The awards are to be presented at 11 a.m. on Feb. 16 in the Shepler Ballroom as a part of the Aggie Family and Friends Awards Brunch.

Jennifer McGrail,

Director of Alumni Relations at CU said the Aggie Family and Friends Awards Brunch is a way to recognize those receiving the awards.

“The Aggie Family and Friends Awards Brunch is the alumni association’s accumulation of both our alumni awards and our recognition of our golden associate recipients,” McGrail said. “We give up to two of alumni awards in each of the categories, and this year is a full slate of six nominees. Also, we’ll be giving out

golden associate medallions to graduates of 50 years ago or more, and we have a class agent for the class of 1963.”

According to McGrail, the nominations for the awards are solicited from throughout the Cameron campus and Lawton community.

“We solicit nominations from all graduates of Cameron University as well as faculty, staff, students and the community,” McGrail said. “From there, nominations are due on Nov. 1 of every year. Then

the Alumni Association Board of Directors has two separate committees. One is our distinguished alumni and outstanding young alumni committees and the other is our faculty hall of fame committee, and those committees have the process of narrowing down the nomination pool and actually selecting the recipients of the awards. We have done a lot over the past years and this year was one of our larger years of nominees. We had about ten nominees in each

of our categories.”Winners of the

Distinguished Alumni Award this year include Norman A. Lamb of the class of 1955 as well as Dr. Ann Warn of the class of 2001.

Lamb retired from the United States Army after serving 33 years of active and reserve duty as a colonel. He also served as Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Dr. Ann Warn serves as vice chair for the Academy Council of the American

Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Warn is also the Vice President Elect of the Cameron University foundation.

Winners of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award include two previous students: Dr. Steve Miller of the 1995 graduating class and Dr. Kristi Lynn of the 2006 graduating class.

Tyler BoydstonAsst. Managing Editor

See CU ALUMNIPage 3

Miss Black CU2013 Queen crowned

Teewhy DojuteleganStaff Writer

Six women competed for the crown during the 34th annual Miss Black Cameron University Scholarship Pageant.

This year, Oluwakemi Olurotimi, Johnne Leake, Sonia Chukwudozie, Karin Clashing O’Reilly, Tynishia Manley and Ruth Okenye vied for not only the title but up to eight hours of tuition for six semesters on Feb. 4 at the CU Theatre. The CU Ebony Society hosted the event.

Recent CU graduate Emake Ugiomoh and Ebony Society President Brandi Goldsmith served as Master and Mistress of Ceremony, respectively. The Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” was sung directly before 2012 Miss Black CU, Jeremyra Cross, performed.

The first round of the pageant featured Fitness Wear, after which the judges were introduced. They included: Danielle Payne, the Miss Black Oklahoma USA, Jacquetta Haygood, Jackson Elementary School principal, Lisa Johnson of Comanche Home Center, Carla Dewberry, Miss Black CU 1996 and Jonathan Rozelle, KSWO reporter.

The event continued with the Ambassadorial Wear and Talent segments, then concluded with the Evening Wear and the Question and Answer segments.

At the end of the evening, 19-year-old Sonia Chukwudozie was crowned Miss Black CU 2013. She succeeds Jeremyra Cross and will commence her duties as queen immediately.

Karin Clashing O’Reilly and Ruth Okenye were first and second runner-ups, respectively. Okenye won the Business Woman Award for making the most advertising revenue. Johnne Leake won the Miss Congeniality Award for making the most impact on the contestants.

O’Reilly said this was the first pageant she took part in and was pleased that she participated.

“It was amazing. I had fun,” O’Reilly said.O’Reilly said she was proud of her accomplishment.“I worked hard,” she said. “I did everything I needed to

do, and it’s a proud moment for me.”Chukwudozie said she made several memories while

preparing for the pageant.“The best part was getting to know the girls. They

were wonderful and very helpful,” she said. “The worst part was getting into my dress because it was emotionally stressful.”

See MISS CUPage 2

AggiearmyStudents rally in

support of athleticsTyler Boydston

Asst. Managing Editor

The Aggie Army is recruiting spirited Cameron University students to its ranks.

Assembling this semester to bring attention to ongoing campus events, the Aggie Army intends to cheer for CU students athletes — but its presence is not limited to games.

According to Athletic Director Jim Jackson, the Aggie Army intends to raise school spirit at any CU function it attends.

“Well, the Aggie Army as I describe it is a group of students that is intended to support Cameron University, and in particular Cameron Athletics, though it doesn’t have to be athletics,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the organization started as a way to boost student attendance at games on campus.

“What we have been trying to do over the past few years is increase attendance of students at sporting events,” Jackson said. “We seem to get a good community crowd, but the students seem to be reluctant to come because there is a lot to do.”

See AGGIE ARMYPage 2

A tradition continued: Sonia Chukwodozie takes center stage after being named Miss Black CU. She competed against five other constestants to win the title.

Photo by Teewhy Dojutelegan

Lawton community leaders gather to advise students

Exploring the options: KCCU station manager Doug Cole mentors student Jereme Cobb at Take an Aggie to Work Day. Career Services organized the event for students.

Kaitlyn StocktonStaff Writer

See WORK DAYPage 3

Cameron University students will experience a day in the life of their chosen career on Take an Aggie to Work Day.

CU Career Services Co-ordinator Angie Best – who recently inherited respon-sibilities for the event along with the department she works in – said the Take an Aggie Work Day program provides an opportunity for students to work with a mentor in the field of their own choice.

“It is a great opportunity for Cameron students to explore career fields that they may be interested in,” Best said. “The program lets students work in a real life one-on-one environment with a mentor from the local area.”

The event is new for Best, but she said she wanted not only to continue the tradi-tion, but increase involve-ment as well.

“It has always been a well liked event, so we wanted to continue with it,” she said. “We wanted a more outreach this year. We were able to have the biggest Take an Ag-gie to Work Day yet.”

Best said the event occurs once a year during the spring semester. She said she likes the thought of lining the event up with Ground Hog’s day due to its symbolism.

“It usually occurs once a year, typically around Groundhog Day. When the ground hog sees his shadow, we think it is neat to have local mentors see their shad-ows as well,” she said.

Mentors will be chosen from the Lawton/Fort Sill community, and Best said

students will be able to expe-rience working in a variety of different fields.

“We have a huge range of careers. We have everything from doctors, pharmacists and dentists to physical therapy, public affairs and counseling,” Best said. “We even have a few sport profes-sionals.”

Best said this year’s Take an Aggie to Work Day event included such companies and businesses like The Salva-tion Army and The Lawton Constitution.

Overall, Best said she hopes all students involved will take something out of the event, whether they en-joyed their chosen career or learned that their interests lie elsewhere.

“I hope at the very least students gain a new perspec-tive whether on a career they are interested, learn some-

thing new about a career that interests them, and if anything else, being out and about in the area and broadening their horizons,” she said.

Although many students are still in the process of working out details of their mentoring day, Best said she thinks the event is off to a great start and hopes

students receive a chance to network for their future.

Photo by Kaitlyn Stockton

News2 February 11, 2013www.aggiecentral.com

Workshop focuses on extreme couponingStudents looking to save

money or earn extra Pickaxe Points attended the CU Succeed Workshop series presented a lecture entitled “Extreme Couponing” at 11 a.m. on Jan. 30 at the Centennial Room.

The lecture was the second installment of a 15 part series for the spring semester. The workshop featured Lisa Jones, Academic Advisor and Tutor Coordinator of Student Support Services, as its primary speaker.

Taylor Thompson, Coordinator of Student Affairs, led off the event with a brief introduction as Jones distributed a coupon closet shopping list.

As Jones ascended from the stage, she introduced herself, joking that she felt as if she were at a support group meeting. Jones shared the story of how she began couponing.

“A couple of years ago,” Jones began, “a girl I worked went to church with a woman who said, ‘Oh my goodness, I just bought 24 rolls of toilet paper for $3 at Walgreens.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t have time to do that.’ I have six kids.”

Jones said she eventually started listening to the woman and decided to try for her husband’s support.

She said her first trip was discouraging because she saved only two dollars. Since then, however, her biggest couponing success was acquiring $400 worth of groceries for $88.

Jones added that small successes are cause for celebration as well, as her measuring stick for money saved is gauged in Sonic’s happy hour drinks.

“Three dollars saved is equal to three days of Sonic happy hour drinks,” Jones said.

After a humorous mash-up of popular TV show

mentions of coupons, Jones began her lecture, answering questions such as: why to coupon, where to find coupons and how to organize them once a person has begun collecting.

Jones said couponing gives a person a sense of accomplishment while saving them money. She advised looking to the Sunday paper as well as various social media sites, such as Facebook, for coupons.

She explained the art of couponing through breaking down techniques such as “coupon stacking” and the “48 hour rule.”

Jones said she always keeps to her 48 hour rule; she cannot use her coupons until after 48 hours of finding them so that she avoids being wasteful.

Jones concluded her lecture by introducing her tutoring mentor, Tasha Viruet, a senior Sociology major at Cameron.

Viruet shared her

personal experience for becoming involved with couponing along with a couple of her techniques. She explained that it is not just the coupons that save money, but the skills learned while couponing.

“Couponing, I think, opens your eyes to so much more,” Viruet said. “I start looking for deals. When I first started college, I was just buying my books, and now they have rent-a-book. They have half.com. I get my books a lot cheaper. I’ve not spent over $200 on books in a semester.”

Jones opened the floor for discussion as students dispersed for free cookies and additional couponing advice.

Other topics included on the Spring 2013 calendar include: plagiarism prevention, dressing for success and making a good first impression. Refreshments and door prizes will be provided at each event.

Kaylee JonesA&E Editor

Extreme couponing: Tasha Viruet shows her coupon binder at the CU Succeed Workshop. The workshop was a part of a series and took place on Jan. 30.

Photo by Kali Robinson

Chukwudozie said she decided to audition for the pageant because she wanted a position that would give her the opportunity to empower young women.

“I decided to try out because it was something different, and I wanted a different experience,” she said. “Also, I want to be able to motivate black girls to let them know that they can be whoever they want to be regardless of whatever the situation they find themselves in.”

Chukwudozie will promote her platform, Conquering PHEAR — Physical and Emotional Abuse in Relationships — during her reign as Miss Black CU.

“People have to be aware that there are people getting abused in their relationships,” she said. “It has been ignored for so long, and I would like to make people aware of that.”

Chukwudozie said the Question and Answer segment challenged her the most.

“In the question and answer segment, I was scared because I didn’t know what I would be asked,” she said. “I stuttered a little, but I guess it still worked out.”

Chukwudozie encouraged young women thinking about participating in the pageant next year to audition.

“I advise that they go ahead. It [the pageant] is stressful, but when you get into it, you will enjoy the experience,” she said. “I think I would do it over again.”

MISS CU continued from page 1AGGIE ARMY continued from

Page 1According to Jackson,

the idea for the Aggie Army came from students who came to his office with a suggestion.

“All of a sudden, I had a couple of students walk into my office and say, ‘Why don’t we have a spirit club like you see on TV where all the students go?’ It evolved from that first inquiry,” Jackson said.

Jackson was receptive to their suggestion and started planning for the group they had envisioned.

“I told them it was great,” Jackson said. “The reality is the students don’t want the athletic director to lead their charge, they don’t want an instructor or administration, but they will follow each other. So I called a meeting with a group of students that I thought would be interested and also through the Pickaxe Pass we saw who was coming to volleyball games.

He continued: “So I explained to them what my vision is. I said, ‘This is your group, and I’m here to support you. Tell me what you need, and I’m here to supply it.’ They really took the ball and ran with it.”

Since the Aggie Army began this semester, it has yet to become an official on-campus club. However,

Jackson intends to change this status as soon as possible.

“I’m their supporter and what we plan on doing is applying to become a club in the spring for next year,” Jackson said. “Hopefully I can find someone to act as their sponsor. It’s a great bunch of people, and their intentions are good. They

love Cameron and they want to see Cameron better — and they love to support Cameron.”

Sophomore Criminal Justice major Dalton Matthews was one of the students who proposed the idea for the Aggie Army and has been leading since its inception.

According to Matthews,

the idea for the Aggie Army came from a recognized lack of interest from students regarding school events.

“I happened to notice a lot of apathy from the students toward athletics in general, and I wanted to try to make game day more of an experience. So rather than people going to watch the game, I wanted them

to take part in the game,” Matthews said.

Matthews said his idea for the group came from participating in similar groups in the past.

“I came from OU where I played rugby and went to football games. They have groups like this set up exclusively for students by students to try to raise game day spirit. I wanted to take the idea of a core group of students willing to put themselves out there for the athletics department to raise spirit and awareness in the student body through us.”

Members of the Aggie Army have been leading and fulfilling important duties at basketball games since the group was formed.

“At basketball games, we get to lead players out when they rush the court,” Matthews said. “We have a giant Cameron f lag that we carry when we lead the players out. We have a special place for us in the students’ section — front row on the half court lines.”

According to Mathews, the process to joining the Aggie Army requires applicants to have pride in their school.

“We made it a two-step process,” Matthews said. “First game you come, you sit with us, cheer with us. If you have the enthusiasm and the pride, then you come back next game. When we’re at the games, everybody knows where we’re at, and we wear t-shirts that have our organization’s name on them.”

Tailgating the game: Head Women’s Golf Coach Rick Goodwin prepares a hot dog for himself before the women’s basketball game Jan. 31. The pre-game tailgate event was set up by the Aggie Army, an on-campus group started this semester by students to raise awareness of events and games on campus.

Running and Walking program prepares for OKC run

Cameron University’s Rise and Shine Running and Walking Club is preparing for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in April.

The Rise and Shine Running and Walking Club currently meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. in the Aggie Rec Center.

According to the manager of the Aggie Rec Center, Lendi Clodfelter, the club is trying to get the members to be more active in local running events this semester.

“What we’re trying to do this semester is get the

participants as involved in the community,” Clodfelter said. “There are a lot of running events that are held in Comanche county and the surrounding communities. We try to promote those running events and fundraisers to our faculty, staff and students. We just want everyone to be active and moving.”

According to Clodfelter, the students in the group exercise on their days off in addition to their time in the Running and Walking Club.

“There’s a weekly running schedule that they follow,” Clodfelter said. “On the days that they meet, they’re running together as a group, and on the days that they don’t meet, normally that

is when they’re doing their cross training. They’re doing some type of biking or participating in what of our group exercise classes. They’re doing something other than running.”

Clodfelter said the way for students to join the Running and Walking Club is to arrive at the Rec Center in time to walk with the club.

“You just have to show up, bright and early at 6 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” Clodfelter said. “A majority of the time they’ll just meet up at the front desk, and depending on the weather, they like to go outside, because after running so many times around the track it gets kind

of boring. They go outside on the Aggie Mile; they will run on campus and sometimes they will run by the hospital and do some different routes.”

The club, which began in the fall semester, is lead by Group Fitness Instructor Susie Dodson.

According to Dodson, the Running and Walking Club began as a way to get those who were not used to running into the program.

“We started this class as the Couch Potato to 5K for people who had never really embraced running or done a 5k,” Dodson said. “We actually pulled up a program that was super on the schedule for us. It was walking one lap, running

one lap.”Currently, the club

is preparing for more local events, while also getting ready for the OKC Memorial Marathon, set to take place in April.

“Right now we are training for a 5k that is going to be at Cameron, but ultimately we’re training for the Oklahoma City memorial run in April,” Dodson said. “That will be a relay where someone does a 5k, someone does a 10k, someone does a 12k, so all of us are at different levels, but we’re all in it together.”

According to Dodson, the group prefers to run outside when they can, but it plans to work on the track on the second f loor of the Rec

Center when the weather calls for it.

“We’re lucky that we have an inside track so that, on cold mornings, we can train inside,” Dodson said. “But as soon as the weather gets nice, I would much prefer running outside as to inside because you’re going to be running outside anyways.”

Dodson said her theory on getting back into the habit of walking or running regularly takes place over the course of three weeks.

“It takes 21 days to break a habit and 21 days to adhere to a habit,” Dodson said. “I heard that once and it’s always stuck with me as far as people who are trying to get into working out and running [goes].”

Tyler BoydstonAsst. Managing Editor

Photo by Sarah Brewer

News 3February 11, 2013www.aggiecentral.com

Class offered for academic probationIn the spring of 2013,

Cameron University implemented a new class, titled Strategies for Academic Success (SAS). This course will be required for any student who has earned fewer than 45 credit hours and goes on academic probation or academic notice for the first time.

According to the course details for SAS, students who have been placed on academic probation, earning a GPA lower than retention standards — a GPA of 1.70 for up to 30 credit hours and a GPA of 2.00 for more than 31 credit hours — are required to take SAS to maintain enrollment in CU courses.

This class requires completion — any student who does not complete this class after being enrolled will be dropped from all other CU courses through administrative withdrawal.

Students who need to be returned to good academic standing are required to take this class to remain enrolled in current classes. Students will also need to complete this class to enroll in future courses.

The course details states

that the basis of SAS is to teach students about the basic college fundamentals: how to handle time management, how to manage study time, how to prepare for tests, how to identify academic strengths and how to plan a successful academic plan for the future.

CU SAS Instructor Gabriele Wethern is currently teaching two sections of Strategies for Academic Success, as well as Reading Fundamentals and College Reading and Study Strategies.

Wethern said that teaching SAS has been a positive

experience for her and for her students.

“Teaching this class for the first time has been a positive experience,” Wethern said. “We received a lot of support from above and from Mr. Larson in the Academic Advising Center. Most of the students who are enrolled in the class are very receptive to the concepts we are teaching.”

Wethern said that the course officially started on Jan 16, meeting twice a week. This course counts for one lecture credit hour.

“The other people who are teaching this course and I sat down together and decided what we wanted for our students as a foundation,” Wethern said. “My first class started on the 16th. Right now, because we are still early on in the course, we are only getting into time management. The ideal scenario would be the students taking these important concepts with them to be successful in their academic careers.”

Wethern said that the course will be regulated strictly, especially in class attendance. Students enrolled in the course are required to attend class or they will be administratively withdrawn from the course.

“We will be very strictly administering the class,” Wethern said. “However, I think the majority of the students are coming to class, turning in assignments, and participating in classroom activities, which are wonderful things. This is exactly what we want for them.”

The results from the newly added class will not be available immediately. Results will not be available for review until after the 2013 spring semester ends and final grades are posted and released.

“Ultimately, we will not see the results until the end of the semester to see if students’ GPAs have improved and if the class has made a difference.”

Charlene BelewStaff Writer

Taking note: Administrative Assistant for the Academic Advisement Center Shaelynn Haning answers the phone at work. The Academic Advisement Center is currently helping with the Strategies for Academic Success to help students with low GPAs.

Phi Sigma Iota holds Winter Food FestPhi Sigma Iota offered

international cuisine to students during its Winter Food Fest on Feb. 5.

Members of the organization raise money for scholarships that support the members of the international foreign language honor society.

Senior Romance Language Education major Vivian Arroyo said Phi Sigma Iota plans Food Fests throughout the year.

“We have at least a fall, winter and spring food fest,” Arroyo said.

The purpose of the

fundraisers is to raise money that will be used to provide scholarships for the Phi Sigma Iota members.

“All the money raised goes towards the Delta Rho Benke scholarship,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo is a former recipient of the scholarship and said applicants must be a member for a year and maintain a 3.5 GPA.

“We usually have one or two recipients,” Arroyo said. “It just depends on how many people apply and meet the requirements.”

Arroyo said the Food Fests raise money to fund these merit based scholarships.

“We usually raise about $200,” Arroyo said.

These seasonal Food Fests raise funds for the organization, but according to Arroyo, these events introduce the members of Phi Sigma Iota to Cameron students.

“Whenever we have a food fest, we have many different international selections of food that help represent our diverse membership,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo said incorporating the organization’s objectives into the group’s activities is one of her priorities as president.

“I think it is important to experience a culture that you might not be familiar with, and

this way we do it through food,” Arroyo said.

The CU chapter of Phi Sigma Iota is planning to holds its annual banquet on April 4, and according to Arroyo, the event will welcome new members to the honor society.

“We do a lot of things at the banquet,” Arroyo said. “At the banquet we will induct new members, award scholarships and announce new officers.”

Arroyo said that students can expect another Food Fest when the date of banquet draws closer.

“We will have spring food fest either right before or right after the banquet,” Arroyo said.

Philip HarringtonStaff Writer

CU ALUMNI continued fromPage 1

Food fest: Junior Jongduk Joung and senior Stephanie Sella work the table on Feb. 5. The food fest served as one of at least three that Phi Sigma Iota holds each year.

Photo by Charlene Belew

Photo by Philip Harrington

Miller earned his M.D. in 1999 and established, along with his wife Erin, the Ray-mond “Red” Miller Scholar-ship in Chemistry.

Lynn is currently re-searching ways to better treat breast cancer, and she received her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology in 2011.

According to Jennifer Mc-Grail, the difference between Outstanding Young Alumni and Distinguished Alumni

Awards is the age.“For the distinguished

alumni and outstanding young alumni the only dif-ference is the recipient’s age at the nomination due date,” McGrail said. “Outstanding Young Alumni have to be 39 or younger, as Distinguished Alumni are 40 and older. The criteria for both awards is the same. It’s a combina-tion of service to the commu-nity, to their profession or to

Cameron University.”Faculty Hall of Fame in-

ductees this year include Dr. Gary Buckley and Dr. Teresa Lubrano.

Buckley has been at CU for 29 years and has been a department chair, dean and vice president during his time.

Lubrano came to CU in 1987 and received the Hackler Award for Teaching Excellence in 2008.

Cameron student opens Amelia’s ClosetSenior Elementary

Education major Kayla Meckes combined her love of fashion with her love to help others, and as a result, now owns Amelia’s Closet, a boutique that sells clothing to women.

Meckes said she often talked with her mother, Carolina Perez, about opening a clothing boutique, and through these conversations, both mother and daughter developed the concept for their store. When Meckes moved forward with her plans, Perez joined her daughter and decided to serve as the financial officer for the store.

“Amelia’s Closet has always been in the conversation between me and my mother,” she said. “We wanted something new, fresh, exciting

and different for Lawton. That’s how we came up with Amelia’s Closet.”

The name of the boutique was chosen to honor her grandmother, a woman Meckes said was known for

her faith and prayer-based life.“Amelia is my

grandmother’s name. She was a woman known for being devoted to prayer and her faith in God,” she said. “My grandmother used to pray in

her closet and that’s where we came up with the name for the store.”

Meckes said she hopes to unite women who love fashion regardless of the different faiths they might practice.

“Amelia’s Closet is not here to bash religion and Christianity,” she said. “We are here to be an open door to a place where people can come in and be comfortable. We love fashion and hopefully, that gives us a common ground.”

Perez said she and her daughter hope to carry a range of sizes in their store.

“One of the things that Kayla and I are working toward is finding pieces of clothing for every woman, whether she’s a size 2 or a size 16,” she said. “We want women to give us a chance and come in here because we get new clothes consistently.”

Meckes said the styles in the store revolve around her personal preferences as well as the passing seasons.

“Our styles change based on each season and they are based on my style,” she said. “I have a very random style I like to call Urban Chic — a city style with a fresh, modest, comfortable and cute look for a woman.”

Despite running a business together, Meckes said that her relationship with her mother remains the same.

“Our relationship is the same just as any mother and daughter; we butt heads,” Meckes said. “I’ve grown up, so I’ve learned to shut my mouth up a little bit more and she has learned to kind of back away a little bit. Overall, we work well together.”

Meckes is expecting her first child with her husband, and she balances her classes

and business in such a way that does not interfere with her time with her family.

“I have always being a busy person, so it works out for me,” Meckes said. “I go to school in the morning, after which I have a little lunch break and then come here [to the store] and get focused on Amelia’s Closet, I go home and sometimes cook dinner. I do my homework at night and leave an hour to spend with my husband so each part of my life does not get in the way of another.”

According to Meckes, students thinking about starting a business should research each facet of the industry rather than blindly begin their ventures.

“It does not happen right away,” she said. “Success isn’t overnight; it is a time of patience and focusing on your future.”

Teewhy DojuteleganStaff Writer

On the job: Senior Kayla Meckes looks through the computer while at work at Amelia’s Closet. Meckes is the owner and operator of the boutique.

Photo by Paola Troche

“So far, it is going really well,” she said. “I think it will be a positive experience for everyone. It doesn’t hurt to spend a day learning what you can and making a good impression.”

Sophomore Jereme Cobb said he applied to the Take an Aggie to Work Day event to see what job opportunities the Lawton area held.

“I thought it would be good experience to kind of see what kind of jobs are available

in the Lawton area and to see what those jobs might have in store.”

Cobb said he chose such career paths as independent film making, radio production and television production due to his love for the fields.

“I have a passion for all of them,” he said.

After being paired with KCCU’s station manager Doug Cole, Cobb said he is excited to spend a day in the

professional radio production world.

“I am excited,” Cobb said. “I think I have a good idea of what the job will entail, but I think it will be good experience to see what exactly that particular role has as far as what you will be doing during the day and what responsibilities you will take care of.”

Although Cole told him that he wants Cobb to see the administrative side to the business, Cobb said he figures he will also have the chance to experience an air test.

“We will probably get into the studio and try an air test,” Cobb said.

WORK DAY continued fromPage 1

A&E4 February 11, 2013www.aggiecentral.com

Where everyone knows your name

Get a rhythm: Local musician Jon Henry performs an acoustic cover song at The Silver Spoon. Henry has been playing guitar for over 13 years and has been performing at The Silver Spoon since August 2011.

Ninety-nine bottles: Jan Kissick pours a drink in front of his portrait from the beginning days of The Silver Spoon. He has been bartending for 26 years.

Lovers of good music, great food and stimulating conversation will enjoy a visit to The Silver Spoon, one of Lawton’s local haunts.

The Spoon became USDA Black Angus Certified on Jan. 17 and will now offer Black Angus Certified prime rib, served alongside garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus with a hollandaise sauce.

Head Chefs Emaly Dube

and Ken Clonch said they are currently working on renovating the menu.

“We are in the process of revamping our dinner menu,” Clonch said. “We are transitioning towards a more southwestern cuisine.”

The menu currently features dinner entrees such as Tuscan style chicken and a salmon fillet, along with fried green beans and bacon-wrapped scallops for appetizers.

The Silver Spoon is located on 529 SW C Ave

in downtown Lawton and boasts of a full bar without any TVs to detract from the interpersonal environment.

The restaurant features live music Wednesday through Saturday evening, where every Wednesday and every other Friday, 25-year-old local musician Jon Henry can be found performing an acoustic set featuring cover songs by Ryan Adams, Fleetwood Mac and Mumford and Sons.

While Henry has been playing guitar for the last 13 years, he has only been

playing at the Silver Spoon since October 2012.

His performances begin at 7 p.m. and do not end until close.

In between sets, Henry nursed a glass of scotch and sat down to chat with regular guests at the bar top.

“Music is when people can share an emotion,” Henry said. “Whenever you share something, it feels more real — more defined.”

Across the bar, a portrait of a smiling, full faced man pouring a drink hangs on the

wall. The man is Jan Kissick, the Silver Spoon’s head bartender.

According to Kissick, the experience working at The Silver Spoon differs from most bars.

“While I may sell wine and spirits like any other bar in town, it is different here,” Kissick said. “Here I have people engaged in real conversation. A lot of bars in town, people are going there to forget things. I find that the people that come here want to remember the conversations that they have.”

Professor of Languages Donna Clopton and her husband said they consider The Silver Spoon their date night getaway.

“We walk in, and my

husband likes to sit at the bar, and Jan always says, ‘This place is reserved for you,’” Dr. Clopton said.

The building has a history for her husband — it used to house Johnson’s Ice cream, a place he visited when he was 14.

Around 10 p.m., the restaurant has emptied and the upstairs bar crowd has thinned.

Kissick wipes the bar, halting his work only to sing along as Henry finishes the last songs of his set.

Kissick wishes the final guests a good night, calling each of them by name.

“Place is made by the people in it,” Kissick says, “and if you seek them out, you will always find good people.”

LPO to say I doLove is in the air as

the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra prepares to present its latest production “I Do! I Do!” at 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 at the McMahon Memorial Auditorium.

The production will feature Jan Stratton and Tony Hamilton in the lead roles, along with Director and Conductor Maestro Jon Kalbf leisch and Cameron’s own Doris Lambert on piano.

Stratton returns for the second time to reprise her role as Agnes, a role she played at Fort Sill ’s Cabaret Dinner theatre in the 1970s.

“The Play is about marriage — 50 years of it—and although I was still relatively young when I played Agnes the first time, I was married with children and believed I knew everything there was to know about life. Not so!” Stratton said.

“My children are now grown and I’ve been married for decades,” Stratton continued, “so I honestly feel I know Agnes far better this time around.”

“The story of the whole musical tells the tale of this married couple through their life,” Lambert explained, “having the wedding, having their first honeymoon night together, their having children, the children getting old and getting married and them growing old together.”

Lambert is an adjunct Professor of Voice at CU. She has worked with the university for 30 years and currently teaches five classes for the Spring 2013 semester. She is also a member of the LPO and has been with the Orchestra since the 1980s.

Stratton expressed her

pleasure at having the opportunity to work with Lambert for the production, admitting she had to exert more effort for her vocals for the upcoming performance than she did 40 years ago.

“I didn’t worry about the singing back then, I just sang and it seemed to be fine,” Stratton said. “Today, I’ve had to work a lot harder on that and I have to thank Doris Lambert for working with me. She’s an outstanding vocal instructor.”

Accompanying Lambert on piano will be the LPO’s own Maestro Jon Kalbf leisch, who has been the conductor of the LPO for the past six seasons.

“He is an amazing musician,” Lambert said of Kalbf leisch. “It’s really fun to have everything pull together and know that whether he is conducting the Orchestra or whether he is accompanying someone, it’s just going to be an amazing, wonderful musical experience. He really pulls the best out of all the people he works with.”

The Orchestra will not be playing at the event, but the production is part of the LPO’s 2012/2013 season.

The Orchestra is offering a special advance purchase rate of $5 for students looking to attend either “I Do! I Do!” or any remaining orchestral concerts.

Students can call 580-531-5043, purchase a ticket and the ticket will be waiting for them at the “Will Call” window of the box office of the McMahon Memorial Auditorium the evening of the show.

The box office opens at 5 p.m. However, it is advised that students purchase in advance, as the day of the show tickets will range in price from $10 to $45.

Kaylee JonesA&E Editor

Cameron University Music Professor Dr. Hyunsoon Whang, McMahon Endowed Chair in Music, performed a piano recital Feb. 1 at the Simmons Center in Duncan.

The recital was preceded by the opening of the 2013 Student Art Exhibition and featured a program of music that included compositions by Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Achille-Claude Debussy and Frédéric François Chopin.

Dr. Whang said that piano recitals are a favorite part of the CU@SC series in Duncan. She splits opportunities to perform with her husband, CU Professor Thomas Labé.

While developing the set list for the program, Dr. Whang said she wanted to perform a variety of pieces from different musical periods in addition to music that would tie-in with the themes featured that evening.

Dr. Whang specifically chose to add Debussy’s “Estamapes” because the tune and title incorporates both art and music: the French term to mean “engravings” or “stamps” in English.

“Since this recital was going to coincide with an art exhibit,” Dr. Whang said, “I wanted to play a piece that had to do with pictures. The three parts of the piece focus on painting different pictures with sound.”

With a repertoire of music committed to memory, Professor Whang said her favorite composer is Chopin.

“For pianists, Chopin is such a pleasure to play because he was a fabulous pianist,” she said. “His work is so pianastically written and is always an audience pleaser. Even when I don’t play well, the audience still loves it. I think every piano recital should have at least one or two Chopin pieces.”

The audience instantly recognized one number —

Beethoven’s “Seven Variations on ‘God Save the King.’” Despite its origins as a British ceremonial song, Americans know the tune for “God Save the King” as “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.”

Dr. Von Underwood, Dean of the CU School of Liberal Arts, was also in attendance. He said he appreciated what the concert and exhibition do for relations between the art and music communities in Duncan and Lawton.

“It brings people together who love fine art in terms of painting, photography and graphic design with people who really love classical music,” Dean Underwood said.

According to Dean Underwood, attendance at the event rises every year due to increasing word of mouth publicity.

Dean Underwood also said he is especially pleased with the way Cameron students and faculty bring the Lawton and Duncan communities together.

“The event works really well because we have a chance to show all of this really wonderful, rich artwork by our art students while giving Dr. Whang and Dr. Labé a chance to put together some spectacular piano concerts,” Dean Underwood said. “Both the exhibition and the concert help to bring together a community that doesn’t exist in any other way.”

Dr. Whang added that she was happy to perform because it allows her to express her love of music with members of the audience. She said that such communication is an integral part of any concert since the the compositions are meant to connect with others.

“I truly believe that any art form should convey emotion and communicate with the audience,” Dr. Whang said. “The emotions change based on the composition, the composer and the performer, but I hope the event is always one of communication, so I hope the audience takes something away from the concert.

Photo by Kali Robinson

Painting pictures with piano keysCarson Stringham

Staff Writer

The Sound of Music: Dr. Hyunsoon Whang performs as part of the CU@SC series. Dr. Whang selected the pieces in conjunction with the evening’s art exhibit, using songs that painted pictures with sounds.

Photo by Carson Stringham

Kaylee JonesA&E Editor

Photo by: Kali Robinson

A&E 5February 11, 2013www.aggiecentral.com

Cameron University opened its annual student art exhibit on Feb. 1 at the Simmons Center in Duncan.

The exhibit featured artwork from CU students spanning a variety of mediums, such as painting, graphic design and sculpture.

The exhibit not only gave students the chance to have their work viewed, but students also had the option to list a price if the piece was for sale.

Freshman Art major Theresa Riemer did not have any pieces in this show, but she attended the exhibit to support her classmates.

“I really enjoy art,” Riemer said. “There are a lot of talented people who go to Cameron.”

The exhibit was the second show for artist Taylor Rich. The 20-year-old sophomore displayed some color theory pieces.

“Color theory is the study of color and how it can make something look a certain way,” Rich said.

Rich’s favorite of her paintings on display was entitled “Mirror Days.”

“This is a linear painting,” Rich said, “I really enjoyed making it because it’s similar to drawing.”

After earning a degree in Art, Rich plans to puursue a career that will allow her to utilize skills and knowledge.

“I would love to be a tattoo artist,” Rich said.

Senior Art major Zaeed

Kala displayed his oil on canvas painting, “Scar of Mother Gaia.”

Kala said the painting is one of a series that shows how nature is struggling to survive. He wants to use his art to reach people with a message.

“I want to spread a message of coexistence through my art,” Kala said. “I like to use professional fine arts and traditional methods to reach a mature audience and use conceptual arts and modern methods to

reach a younger audience.”Graduating this May,

Kala said he has enjoyed his time at Cameron.

“The Art department at Cameron is like a little family, it is really nice,” Kala said. “It’s good to be surrounded by people with the same work ethic. We are supportive of each other, and even the faculty is so supportive, they are always willing to stay after hours.”

Another senior Art major, Hailey Harris,

displayed a piece that was very special to her.

Harris said the piece was entitled “Tu’eres el luz de mi vida,” which means “you are the light of my life” and she expressed several reasons of why it is important to her.

“The concept for this piece is my boyfriend and myself,” Harris said. “It was a challenge creating it because of all the expressive lines I used. I used to only draw things exactly how I saw them.”

Harris also said the piece

reminds her of what she has gained from Cameron.

“I love the Cameron Art Department,” Harris said. “The teachers have inspired me to be better. This piece shows how much I’ve grown because of Cameron.”

Several self-portraits were also featured at the exhibit. Senior Art major, Katrina Thompson, displayed her self-portrait figure drawing.

“I used a combination of everything: charcoal, watercolor, colored pencil.”

Thompson said. “I really wanted to ref lect the colorful side of me.”

Nancy Alexander, a member of the Lawton community, attended the exhibit to support local artists.

The Tomlinson Middle School teacher was pleased to see a good turnout at the exhibit, which will stay open through Feb. 26.

“I love art, particularly the graphic art,” Alexander said. “It’s good to see this event has a nice crowd.”

CU art students exhibit their artistic sideKella Haire

Staff Writer

Look at me: Senior Art major Katrina Thompson shows a self-portrait to Konrad and Gabrielle Littau as they attend CU’s senior art exhibit in Duncan Friday evening. Thompson said she used a combination of charcoal, watercolor and colored pencil to create the piece.

Photo by Kella Haire

Voices6 February 11, 2013www.aggiecentral.com

Editorial StaffManaging Editor - Tiffany MartinezAssistant Managing Editor - Tyler BoydstonCrossroads Editor - Dianne RiddlesA&E Editor - Kaylee JonesSports Editor - Matthew BerbereaCopy Editor - Sarah BrewerAggie Central Editor- Mitch WatsonArchivist - Mitch Watson

Newsroom StaffFinancial Officer - Susan HillStaff Writers - Kaitlyn Stockton, Charlene Belew, Sadie Jones, Carson Stringham, James MeeksAdvertising Manager - Tiffany MartinezPhotographer - Kali Robinson

Newswriting StudentsPhilip Harrington, Kella Haire

Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Keller

About UsThe 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 free of charge. Each subsequent issue is $1.50.

Letters PolicyLetters 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 [email protected] or they may be dropped off at our office - Academic Commons 101 or at www.aggiecentral.com.

Our Views The opinions expressed in The Collegian pages or personal columns are those of the signed author. The unsigned editorial under the heading “Aggie 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.

COLLEGIANFounded in 1926

veritas sempiterna

THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

The reward of charitable service

Dianne RiddlesCrossroads Editor

A narrative of language, love and literature

Sarah BrewerCopy Editor

This semester is my third semester as the Crossroads Editor. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to develop the Crossroads page into a resource that provides information about the many opportunities for people to volunteer time, money and expertise to benefit the Lawton/Ft. Sill community.

In the process of providing this information, I have met some amazing people who are doing wonderful work that I knew nothing about before assuming my current position. Lawton is fortunate to have many kind and caring organizations and individuals that genuinely understand the meaning of community service and give much of their time and energy to assure that those in need have a resource available to them to help meet those needs.

Those who have personally volunteered time and energy to a community service organization know firsthand how community service benefits everyone involved. Obviously, those in need benefit the most by having their specific needs met. However, the less obvious reward is the feeling every volunteer feels when he or she has provided something that was needed to someone who received this act of kindness with a grateful heart. Giving back to the community also provides a rewarding sense of pride. Volunteers know they will not receive anything in return for their work, but they devote themselves to their work because they think it is the right thing to do. Community service builds character one

task at a time.The easiest thing about

volunteering is getting involved. Countless organizations and charities are always looking for an extra hand to help put a smile on someone’s face. With all the opportunities available in which to volunteer, a person can find his or her way into something that could change not only his or her life, but also the lives of others. With each act of kindness and help, we

as a community step toward a brighter future for all.

At Cameron University, students have with many opportunities to serve in the community and are aware that several prospective employers consider community service a positive aspect when listed on a resume. However, one should volunteer in the community — not because it looks good on an application or because it garners praise from others

— but because it is easy to forget about the needs of our neighbors during the routine of our daily lives. True aid comes from ordinary people creating a better future for others in need.

When I first decided that community service was what I wanted to feature on the Crossroads page, I was concerned that I would not find enough organizations and opportunities to feature, but that concern could not

have been farther from reality. In Lawton, many different organizations in different areas of expertise benefit from volunteer work. My hope is that everyone has the good fortune to find multiple opportunities to serve this community in a capacity that matches that person’s interests, abilities, talents and passion.

I have learned that when a person takes action and volunteers out of care and concern for another person, for a group of people or through pleasure in the work itself, without expectation of reward, that action becomes a labor of love. I am certain that anyone can find charitable work that interests him or her — something that could be a personal labor of love — by doing a little research.

There is one simple way for a person to experience a small degree of the rewarding feeling that comes with doing an act of kindness for a stranger while knowing that you will not receive anything in return for it. On your next visit to a fast food restaurant, when paying for your meal at the drive through window, ask how much the order is for the next car in line; if it is affordable, pay for it. This is an act of kindness that can be accomplished almost anytime or anywhere.

As John Bunyan once said, “You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”

One should not lose the sense of his or her humanity to prevent becoming poor in charity and compassion.

Courtesy of MCT Campus

Once upon a time, I was a strange, socially-awkward second-grade girl who chose reading alone in the library over recess outside on the playground with other classmates. But like most modern fairy tales, mine includes a metamorphosis of sorts.

My mother and my teachers made these arrangements for me to be away from my classmates who had abandoned me in favor of classmates who were more popular than I was, so I was content picking up a book and poring over its pages. I felt less lonely in library.

Being there felt more like a blessing than a curse because I could wander farther in the labyrinth-like library and find enchantment in another book as if it were waiting for me to behold.

My favorites to read were the American Girl chapter books because the girl in each volume was the star in her own coming-of-age story -- one that was also telling what life was like in various periods from American history. Of course, the company was producing a line of pretty porcelain dolls to coincide with the books, but I remember caring more about being the first one in school

to read the monthly magazine than collecting those dumb dolls.

I was either starting to become a feminist or beginning an appreciation for creative historical fiction, or perhaps developing a fondness for both during these formative years. But I digress.

One issue of the magazine included an interview with a best-selling young-adult author whose name escapes me now, but what she said about her craft is something that lingers with me still: Writing is akin to talking on paper.

Voicing my thoughts in a public setting continues to be something that gives me trouble, but back then, I was speaking for pages and pages at a time from the comfort of my own bedroom. My diary was hardcover notebook emblazoned with the Serenity Prayer on the front. This book held my own schmaltzy odes, trying-too-be-meaningful musings and lyrics from my favorite Jewel and Alanis Morissette albums. I was in love with writing about love, or at least a burgeoning concept of romance, but I knew someday my prince would come. However, it would be another 10 years before I would have enough credibility to write like Elizabeth Barrett Browning. How do I love thee? Well, I would rather explain how in a sonnet, but maybe someday, I will be brave enough to profess my feelings face-to-face.

Since I am being completely honest here, I also would like to take this opportunity to confess a closely-guarded secret: I was the one who took the annotated edition of Romeo & Juliet from the bookshelf

in the middle school study hall. That was my first-ever encounter with The Bard, and I would like to think that something good came from my first and only stint in detention for fighting with another girl who had been bullying me for what seemed like eons. Nobody bothered me after that incident, and I kept the book.

In class, when I was on my best behavior, I was also practicing joining tall, demure loops with a full, deep swoops to make my cursive capital S look perfect. Finishing class assignments in a hurry, however, turned my otherwise elegant script into messy scribbling. My high school AP U.S. History teacher, Ms. Wahlberg, once told me she could distinguish my work by glancing at the way the indigo ink was flowing from margin to margin.

Making my voice resonate within my typed essays for AP English Composition became an assignment that I relished completing each week, and to this day, almost 10 years later, my former

classmates still continue to single me out and claim that I was only one who ever really read the titles listed on our class syllabus.

College heralded the hope that I might finally fit in. I was quick to declare English as my major, but I would vacillate between other fields of study for the next six years. Rather than summarize the entire saga, I will flash forward to what was supposed to be the penultimate semester of my senior year. I was set to graduate with a BA in English literature. I was taking a course in photojournalism where Dianne, my classmate — someone who would later become a confidant and colleague — convinced me to join the staff of the Cameron University Collegian as an intern reporter one year ago as of this writing. We would be little more than acquaintances if I had avoided Dianne. Each Collegian staff writer and editor similarly took a chance by accepting me, a rookie reporter, and showing me exactly what it

is like to work among others who care about their craft. Through communicating, I fell down the rabbit hole and arrived where I never believed I would be, and yet somehow I have always known where I would belong.

Talking is like writing on paper, and I am doing much more of the former since working as staff writer and now as an editor. Contributing to weekly and monthly publications requires me to study other methods to the magic, but the transformation is worth the effort these endeavors require. I was at first lost somewhere in the shadowy hinterlands where separate style guides — first MLA and then AP — were both were both beckoning me, bedeviling me with rules and reigning what I write, but I had courage to learn how to write for this medium. The moment I felt comfortable expressing things worth expressing was the moment I began making connections, and since then I have been writing happily ever after.

Courtesy of MCT Campus

Sports 7February 11, 2013www.aggiecentral.com

Aggies double up against LSC foesAaron GillStaff Writer

The Cameron University Men’s Basketball team won two straight at home to close out the month of January and kick off February. The Aggies’ victories came over Texas A&M Kingsville and University of Incarnate Word.

The Aggies started their hunt to for 10 straight victories at home by defeating A&M Kingsville in double overtime. Throughout regulation the Aggies battled back and forth with the Javelinas, trading baskets and making defensive stops. Coming back from an 11 point deficit, the Aggies pulled together in the second overtime period for the win.

CU has been put into a career total of 10 double overtime situations but has not seen one since the 2010-11 season. Senior Andrew “Big Country” Thomas led the Aggies to victory scoring 18 points with one block and a steal. Junior Craig Foster scored 17 points after going scoreless throughout the first half.

The Aggies had their work cut out for them as Rashad Basey led the Javelinas with 27 points. The first half was back and forth as the Aggies traded

baskets with the Javelinas until late in the half when Kingsville went on an 11-2 run with 4:21 remaining in the half.

The Aggies retaliated around the two minute mark with a 5-0 run, shortening the gap to an eight point deficit before hitting the

locker room with a half time score of 37-29.

The second half was better for the Aggies defensively as there were no big leads established. The Javelinas held a steady two possession grip on CU until the clock hit 3:08 and Foster hit a mid range jumper, followed by a Thomas put-back to tie the game at 66-66 and force overtime.

The Aggies led through the first overtime period until the last 38 seconds when Javelina Reid Wallace was fouled at the 3-point line and went 3-3 from the charity stripe to tie the game back up 75-75.

The second overtime was taken over by the Javelinas early with Reid hitting a jumper for two followed by the Aggie retaliation from Thomas with the same.

Both teams traded buckets until the one minute mark when the Javelinas took the lead after Dytrel Bracey finger rolled one into the goal. Junior Jonathan Patino was sent to the line with 12 seconds to put the icing on the cake and close the game with a score of 82-79.

Head Coach Wade Alexander explained that it was a good game and he was proud of the Aggie’s resilience and composure.

“That was a great game,

Kingsville was where I used to work before here. So a lot of our stuff that we run and try to do defensively are things that I picked up while I was there,” Coach Alexander said. “So as far as a game, it is always a tough one for us. They know our plays and we know their plays, so we are pretty evenly matched in that area. It all comes down to players having to make some plays.”

To bring a happy ending to the first weekend in February, the Aggies pulled out their tenth straight win at home over Incarnate Word. Thomas recorded his career first double-double to help lead the Aggies to victory. Thomas tied his career best of 19 points and a career best 11 boards and one steal.

Coach Alexander said Thomas was an intricate part of the Aggies win.

“He’s playing really well right now and he’s shooting the ball really well and that’s helping us,” Coach Alexander said. “He had not been rebounding really well until that game and that helped us because we needed that out of him and hopefully he can improve with every game because we need him and that helps us play better as a team.”

The first half started with the Aggies down 7-0

after a quick run from UIW. CU pulled into the game with a three pointer from Junior Tim Johnson and a two from Thomas to bring the score to 7-5. The Aggies traded baskets and then pulled ahead just before half time off another three from Johnson leaving the Cardinals to go to the locker room trailing 32-29.

The second half was dominated by the Aggies for the first 10 minutes, where the gap was widened to 14 points (52-38). The game got close after a three and a couple of foul shots from the Cards, but ultimately Cameron came out on top by a score of 69-60.

Coach Alexander said that winning this many at home is not necessarily out of the ordinary but they just need to keep it up. “It’s good, Alexander said, it is something we have preached for a long time and we actually have a little over 75 percent winning average at home over the past five years and we have really taken care of business here. This is not an abnormal thing for us and we would like to continue that.”

Next for the Aggies is Angelo State in San Angelo followed by Abilene Christian Feb. 16 for Cameron’s homecoming week.

Driving the lane: Junior guard Kimric Dixon goes in for a layup earlier this season against Angelo State. Dixon scored 12 points with a career-high four 3-point-ers while adding eight boards Jan. 31 against Kingsville.

Women’s basketball continues conference slideAaron GillStaff Writer

Cameron Women’s Basketball had a rough start to the month team after losing to Texas A&M Kingsville at home on Jan. 31, followed with a second straight home loss Feb. 2 versus Incarnate Word.

Junior Alli Brown scored a career high of 17 in the game against Texas A&M Kingsville but the Aggies took a hard loss at the end of the night, 42-53. Kingsville took an early 5-0 lead over the Aggies and held that lead keeping CU scoreless through the first four minutes of the game. The Aggies made a quick comeback on a 6-0 run to put them down two points when the clock hit 9:52.

Neither the Aggies or Javelinas scored efficiently throughout the first half, as the Aggies went to the locker room down 23-18 after Brown hit two free throws with seven seconds remaining.

The second half had a new Aggie team come to play early in the half taking off on a 5-0 run and closing the gap by two points 27-25. The teams traded baskets throughout the half until Kingsville went on a 10-2 run with 10:33 left in the game. Although the Aggies went 10-11 from the free throw line, they also went a total of 6-20 from the field during the second half. The Javelinas carried the momentum to come out on top by a score of 42-53.

CU Women’s Head Coach Tom Webb said Kingsville was a game that needed to be won. However, the team simply struggled throughout the night, not hitting big shots and having a bad first half.

“Kingsville was a disappointment, for everyone,” Coach Webb said. “That was a game we needed, we needed that for the conference tournament. We needed that for

positioning and we just struggled the whole night.” The Aggies had a rough time shooting the ball

throughout the night, only making 26.2 percent of shots fired from the field. CU went 14.3 percent (2-14) from downtown and 78.3 percent (18-23) from the foul line. The Aggies committed 19 turnovers which Kingsville turned into 14 points on the night.

Coach Webb explained the Aggies had a tough night shooting and they needed to hit big shots in pressure situations. He commented that Kingsville was able to knock down some tough shots in key situations.

“They hit some big shots in shot clock situations and it was just an uphill battle the whole night,” Coach Webb said. “Everything just went kind of the other way and sometimes when you are having seasons like the one we are having right now, it just happens and it is not good and it is hard to prevent.”

Next the Aggies played Incarnate Word on Feb. 2 where the Aggies gave the Cardinals ample opportunities – 26 to be exact – to head to the free throw line helping the Cardinals pull out a 47-68 victory over the Aggies.

The Aggies were led by Junior Brittany Harris, who had 10 points on the night, and Junior Hannah Pollart, who had 12 rebounds and seven points for CU. Incarnate Word’s Rose Whitehead put up 19 points and Katie Novak had 11 points and six rebounds for the Cardinals.

Unlike the game against Kingsville, the Aggies shooting steadily improved throughout the game. CU came out in the first half shooting 31.8 percent (7-22) from the field and improved to 39 percent by the end of the game.

CU jumped to an early 7-2 lead over the Cardinals before going scoreless for almost five minutes after the 14:46 mark. Incarnate Word then went on a 14-0 run

leaving the Aggies behind with 4:43 left in the first half and later entered the locker room with 36-19 lead.

The second half, the Cards came out on an early 7-0 run leaving the Aggies in their wake and putting CU in a 28 point deficit at one point. CU cut down the gap within the final few minutes of the game but ultimately lost by a score of 68-47. The Aggies shot 47.4 percent (9-19) from the field in the second half, 40 percent (2-5) from beyond the arc and 66.7 percent from the line.

Coach Webb explained how the Aggies had a good game plan in the second half and just lacked a little in the execution. “I guess if you played halves, it would have been good, but you play games,” Webb said. “We executed a lot better that time in the second half than we did in the first half and now we just have to execute for 40 minutes.”

During regulation, the Aggies hit 39 percent of their total shots from the field, 30 percent (3-10) from three and 66.7 percent (12-18) from the foul line. With playoffs in March, Coach Webb said there are a couple of things the Aggies can do to clinch a spot but they are looking to win games well before thinking of playoffs.

“If we win all four road games, which are teams that we should have, or already have beaten, then we are probably in,” Coach Webb said. “Vice versa, if you can steal two or three on the road and take a couple at home, it is probably five wins or more, but we do not try to look at that, we just have to worry about taking care of business.”

The CU women will next travel to Angelo State Feb. 13 to face the Rambelles followed by the homecoming game Feb. 16 versus the Abilene Christian Wildcats at Aggie Gymnasium.

More information on all Cameron athletics can be found at www.cameronaggies.com.

Photo by Brandon Neris

Crossroads8 February 11, 2013www.aggiecentral.com

Lawtonians camped in front of the Great Plains Coliseum starting on the last day of January, waiting for the doors to open at 5 a.m. the following Friday and Saturday, to be the first patients admitted into a free two-day dental clinic, known as the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy (OkMOM) event.

Procedures including teeth cleanings, oral extractions, root canals and fillings were offered to the first 2,000 individuals that checked in.

Since 2010, OkMOM has treated 5,739 patients, equaling $3,048,935 in donated dental services (www.okmom.org). Oklahoma became the fifteenth state to coordinate the annual event during the same year.

Several individuals, organizations and businesses fund OkMOM through grants, contributions and

donations. OkMOM was made possible during the past four years by volunteers, dental students and professionals that provide their services for free.

Lawton dentist Dr. Todd Bridges serves as the Oklahoma Dental Association (ODA) president and 2013 OkMOM chair. He was in charge of organizing and setting up the free two-day clinic for the 2013 year. Dr. Bridges said that the purpose of the event is to provide relief to people suffering from dental problems, but could not afford to visit a dentist.

“Many Oklahomans prioritize their needs and simply are not able to budget for proper dental care,” Dr. Bridges said. “This event allows us to treat people who may otherwise continue to put off a dental appointment until a toothache becomes unbearable and results in infection or worse.”

According to a 2013

OkMOM press release, Oklahoma ranks lowest in the nation for adults who seek dental care from a dentist.

Lydia Miller, the director of Communications and Education for the ODA, helped organize and publicize the OkMOM event.

“It is so important that Oklahomans hear about and come to this event, because 83 percent of Oklahomans do not have dental insurance, so we need to meet that need,” Miller said. “We are going to travel around the state, [and] bring OkMOM to people all across the state to meet the need of the dental care that these people don’t have.”

Rachel Minnix, 21-year-old Art major, was one of the hundreds who spent the night at the coliseum to be seen by a dentist.

“I have been here since eight last night — I’m trying to save a little money here. I’m trying to get my

wisdom teeth taken out,” Minnix said. “I think this event is really cool. There are so many people in need of dental care that can’t afford it.”

Dental work was not the only service made available to attendees. The Health Department teamed up with the clinic to offer free immunizations for pneumonia, tetanus and the f lu to patients exiting the coliseum.

Meanwhile, Super Tooth, the mascot of the Delta Dental Association, gave toothbrushes, f loss and oral hygiene products to adults and children. An in-house pharmacy was set up for patients that needed at-home care following their dental work, and the last stop for patients was a survey area.

Emma Brito is an intern at the Oklahoma Dental Foundation and a student attending the University of Central Oklahoma. She has participated in three OkMOM events and has witnessed the impact

that these events have had on members of the community.

“It is just a breathtaking and heartwarming event,”

Brito said. “People come in here with toothaches and tooth pains and they leave happy. There’s nothing better than that.”

Tiffany MartinezManaging Editor

Dental professionals hold charitable clinic

Dental care supply table: Amanda Grimm works the supply table. Grimm distributed tools to surgeons, dentists and assistants throughout the day.

Animal Birth Control Clinic offers low-cost pet carePhilip Harrington

Staff WriterThe reception area of the Animal Birth Control (ABC)

Clinic is a cacophony of sound: Phones ring, doors jingle, the voices of busy employees and patrons overlap with the sounds of dogs and cats from unseen rooms.

The ABC Clinic has traveled a long and sometimes rough road. What began as a small group of concerned local citizens has grown into The National Organization to End Pet Overpopulation (NOPO), a national non-profit organization that advocates against pet overpopulation.

Linda Reinwand and Deloris Delluomo established the ABC Clinic when they noticed the pet problem in Lawton and the surrounding area nearly 30 years ago.

“Animals were just being dumped in the country in 1984,” Delluomo said.

They formed The Lawton United Volunteers for Animal Birth Control, the organization that would later become NOPO, to ensure all animals in the community were either spayed or neutered.

“At the time, the average cost for a spay in Lawton was $150 minimum,” Reinwand said.

Reinwand and Delluomo tried to work with area veterinarians to get a lower rate for a larger volume of animals, but none the local veterinarians were on board with them.

They felt obligated to open their own clinic.“I know my thinking in the beginning was that if we could

neuter or spay every animal in Lawton we could put an end to this,” Delluomo said. “We would have a city without animals roaming the streets or having animals dumped out in the country.”

In May of 1985, Reinwand and Delluomo opened the ABC clinic before moving to their current location at 85 NE 20th Street in East Lawton in 1988.

From the beginning, the ABC clinic has offered low or even no cost neuters and spays.

“No one has ever been turned away due to an inability to pay,” Delluomo said.

Reinwand and Delluomo attribute the lowered cost of surgeries to the volunteer labor and donations they have received.

The ABC Clinic was recently awarded a grant from a Californian foundation, and the funds enabled Reinwand and Delluomo to replace some of their surgical equipment, including a state-of-the-art heated surgery table.

Even though the clinic depends on volunteer labor they do have a small paid staff.

“We have two Veterinarians on staff as well as three full-time and one part-time veterinary assistants,” Reinwand said.

Though they remain vigilant in their mission to offer low-cost services, they realized early on that just spaying and neutering all of the pets in the area wasn’t going to be enough.

“The first problem we faced is Lawton being a military town with a transient population,” Delluomo said. “With Oklahoma being number two in the United States in puppy mills, we could neuter and spay until Jesus comes.”

They consider pet breeding the chief cause of pet

overpopulation.“Just stop the breeding until supply equals demand,”

Delluomo said. “You don’t produce more pogo sticks, or computers or cars than the market can bear, and with animals we are talking about living beings that now have to be destroyed at tax-payer expense.”

They want to inform consumers that might be unknowingly contributing to the problem.

“The message has to be to the consumer,” Delluomo said. “When you buy a puppy from a pet store, it most likely came from a puppy mill. By buying that pet, you are perpetuating the suffering for profit industry.”

According to Reinwand and Delluomo, breeding is a billion dollar industry in Oklahoma.

They intend to stay and operate the ABC Clinic until there is no longer a need for low-cost spays and neuters in southwest Oklahoma.

“It’s just plain old stick to it ness,” Delluomo said. Reinwand added, “You can’t do this like it’s a job. It has to

be a passion.”

Animal Birth Control Clinic: The ABC Clinic is located at 85 NE 20th Street. The ABC Clinic has been helping Lawton residents by offering low-cost spaying and neutering for Lawton pets for nearly 30 years.

Surgical prep area: Pascall Osborne, veterinary assistant, continually works to keep the surgical preparation area sanitized. Osborne has assisted with many spay and neuter surgeries at the ABC Clinic.

Photo by Philip Harrington

Photo by Philip Harrington

Photo by Kali Robinson

Photo by Kali Robinson