The Cameron University Collegian: February 15, 2010

COLLEGIAN Informing the Cameron Family Since 1926

T H E C A M E R O N U N I V E R S I T Y

Monday, February 15, 2010 Volume 84 Issue 14

News

A&E

Sports

Voices

McMahon Centennial ComplexMCC enters last phases of construction

By Rashmi Th apaliyaCollegian Staff

After the opening of the Business Building and Bentley Gardens, Cameron students have the opening of yet another new building to look forward to. Th e McMahon Centennial Complex, which will serve as the new student activities complex, is a two-story building under construction with a goal of opening March 22.

On the ground fl oor of the Centennial Complex is a game room, vending machines, bookstore, coff ee shop, food court, art gallery and One Stop Shop. Vice President of Business and Finance Glen Pinkston said that March 1 is the goal for the completion of substantial construction. Th e furniture will be moved in March 8, and Sodexo food services will start shifting to the new building on March 15. Th e MCC, as it is being called, is scheduled to be dedicated on April 8.

“Th e design of the McMahon Centennial Complex will house the things that are in the Student Union,” Pinkston said. “But it will be much more spacious with many additional facilities.”

Th e new food court will feature the same food service options as were in the Student Union. However, the Aggie Grill and Campus Brew will be moved to the MCC. As an added convenience for students, the Aggie Grill and Campus Brew will be separated from the food court so that they can hold longer hours than the rest of the food court. Another improvement will be a considerable increase in the dining space. Th is increase will allow many more students, faculty and staff to eat in the Mac at the same time.

Th e One Stop Shop, which is currently housed in Shepler, will also be moved to the new building, as will the bookstore and post offi ce. Pinkston said that the new area for the bookstore is about the same in comparison to the one currently in use. However, he added that it will be laid out and designed more functionally. Adding to the features of the fi rst fl oor, the area near the east entrance of the Mac will house an art gallery of student work.

Photos by Jim Horinek

End in sight: The exterior of the McMahon Centennial Complex stands in near completion and has for several weeks. Now, the interior is entering the fi nal leg of construction.

Insider view: The entryway of the east door of the MCC gets fi nishing touches.

Finish coat: A worker wipes excess wood stain from the wood beams on the ceiling of the ballroom.

See MAC Page 10

Enrollment at Cameron University for the spring 2010 semester continued the record growth experienced during the fall 2009 semester, when CU posted the largest enrollment increase of any university in Oklahoma. Preliminary information for the spring semester indicates an increase of more than 13 percent in the number of students enrolled when compared to spring 2009, demonstrating Cameron’s status as the “University of Choice” for Southwest Oklahoma, President Cindy Ross said.

“It is rewarding to see Cameron University’s enrollment growth continue,”

Enrollment continues to see record growthBy Rashmi Th apaliyaCollegian Staff

President Ross said. “Our goal is to provide students a top-quality education at an affordable cost, and the continuing enrollment increase is a sign that we are meeting that goal.”

The number of new freshmen has increased by about 14 percent and graduate student enrollment is up more than 13 percent as well. In addition, projections indicate that about 60 percent of the student body is enrolled full-time, which represents a significant increase in the number of full-time students than the university has historically experienced.

See ENROLLMENTPage 2

Student Services holds indoor marathon.

SEE PAGE 4

Graphic by Jim Horinek

Homecoming 2010: Cruise on Home

SEE PAGE 6

Cross country coach breaks 100-mile Guinness world record.

SEE PAGE 8

Religion should be left out of current military action.

SEE PAGE 5

At many universities it is common to fi nd professors who are dedicated to the educational process and go above and beyond their job description. However, returning the money earned from that job is not as common. Despite that fact, after teaching during the 2009 summer session, English professor Dr. John Morris did just that. Dr. Morris wrote a check for $7,500 and donated it to Cameron to start an endowed lectureship in professional writing.

“I want to make it possible to have enrichment experiences beyond the curriculum and that is really what I have in mind,” Dr. Morris said. “You know, I fi rst got the idea for this a few years ago. I did a similar thing when I taught for the summer, I donated my salary to begin a poetry prize.”

By Jim HorinekCollegian Staff

Morris donates summer salary for endowmentFurthering his gift to the university, Dr.

Morris will also be donating his summer salary from the 2011 summer term to add to the endowment. Th at will bring his total donation for the endowment to $12,500, which will then be matched by the McCasland Foundation. With these funds he intends for Cameron to bring in more guest lecturers and improve the educational experiences for students interested in writing.

Dr. Morris became acquainted with the impact that a guest lecturer can have during his time as an undergraduate student.

“I remember the fi rst creative writing course that I took, I was introduced to a lot of writers who I had never heard of before, but whose work I ended up loving.

Photo by Jim Horinek

See MORRISPage 2

Giving back: English Professor Dr. John Morris gave his summer teaching salary to fund a professional writing endowment.

News2 February 15, 2010

Solutions on page 6.

“We are delighted to see the growth in full-time student enrollment,” Ross said. “This, combined with the increase in the number of students living on campus, shows that students are choosing Cameron for a full collegiate experience.”

Associate Vice President

of Enrollment Management Jamie Glover said that Cameron University is continuing to be a university of choice for the students of Southwest Oklahoma and for quite a few students from Oklahoma City. Glover said that once the students enroll

at Cameron, the university has the obligation to see that the students continue their education at the institution.

“Once the students get enrolled in the university, they experience a personalized study environment with their professors.” Glover said. “We

are careful that, though the students’ enrollment goes up, we still maintain the small class size to provide a more personalized environment to the students.”

Nigerian student Chidi Ewelike is a Freshman majoring in Computer

Information Systems. He described his first college experience in the United States as new and interesting.

“The education system here is quite new to me,” Ewelike said. “Most of my general education classes are the size of about 30 students.”

Glover said that the university has added some sections in the general education classes to meet the demand of the incoming students. The sections are fuller than the past and there is an average of 19 students per professor, though the ratio may vary according to the nature of the classes, she said.

“We have a diverse class schedule because our university also has a significant number non-traditional students enrolled like adults, returning students, people who are unemployed and want to change their field and people with jobs,” Glover said. “We offer a variety of night and online classes to meet the need of a diverse group of students.

Another area of significant growth is visible in the number of military and military dependent students. More than 800 military, military dependent and National Guard students are enrolled this semester, an increase of about 38 percent.

The enrollment trend extends beyond Cameron’s Lawton campus. Enrollment at

Cameron University-Duncan continues to grow, with a projected student credit-hour growth of more than 30 percent and headcount growth of more than 20 percent. In addition, the number of student credit hours in online classes is up more than 30 percent for the spring 2010 semester.

President Ross attributes Cameron’s continuing enrollment growth to a number of factors.

“Cameron is the second-most affordable university in the state,” she said. “In addition, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual ‘Best Colleges’ edition, Cameron ranks second in the nation in students graduating with the lowest debt load. Not only did we avoid tuition increases this academic year, we significantly increased the amount of financial assistance available to our students. I’m proud to say that approximately 68 percent of Cameron students graduate with no debt at all. Cameron’s financial initiatives coupled with the quality of educational programs offered at Cameron are just a few of the factors that make Cameron University the ‘University of Choice’ in Southwest Oklahoma.”

ENROLLMENT continued from page 1

MORRIS continued from page 1

I remember that one of the things that was really important to me during that course was a book of poetry by Marge Piercy,” Dr. Morris said.

Coincidentally, Dr. Morris went to visit his sister, who was attending another school. and, on his arrival, he found that Piercy happened to be appearing on campus. He quickly jumped at the opportunity to meet the author. From that chance meeting, Dr. Morris came to understand the impact that a lecturer can have on students.

“Getting to meet someone who has written a work, and is still alive and writing, is sort of like being able to meet a rock star,” Dr. Morris said. “That is the kind of impact that it can have, especially at a school like Cameron because, when we bring someone in, we intend for the students to have a very large opportunity to have access to the guest.”

According to Dr. Morris, the guest lecturers that his endowment will bring

offer many things that are very valuable.“A lot of the benefits are intangible

and can be seen as the kind of intellectual excitement that is created by having someone who has written work on campus. It gives students an opportunity to meet and interact with writers,” Dr. Morris said. “If you are trying to figure out how to write a poem, short story or essay, meeting someone who has done it is invaluable and is an amazing thing.”

With his dedication to the students and Cameron it is understandable that Dr. Morris donates not only his time but also his money to improve the educational experience at CU. He considers this to be a small price to give for the job that he loves so dearly. Although, Dr. Morris, can often be heard saying that he does not yet know what he wants to be when he grows up; in truth he figured that out many years ago.

“I joke in my classes and say ‘I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up,’ but I actually do and I’m already doing it,” he said.

“I joke in my classes and say ‘I “I joke in my classes and say ‘I don’t know what I want to be don’t know what I want to be when I grow up,’ but I actually when I grow up,’ but I actually do and I’m already doing it.”do and I’m already doing it.”

— Dr. John MorrisEnglish Professor

News 3February 15, 2010

News4 February 15, 2010

Student Services holds February Marathon Challenge

Th e Student Service Counseling Center at Cameron University is sponsoring the February Marathon Challenge, which will be held starting at 6 p.m. Feb. 1 and ending at 5 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Fitness Center.

Th e fi tness center marathon will be open for students, faculty members and staff of the university. Deanice Shegog, Mental Health Counselor of Student Services, said that as a healthy mind and a healthy body go side by side, people should be physically sound for a good mental condition.

“I hope that this marathon

By Rashmi Th apaliyaCollegian Staff

challenge will help the people who want a healthy life,” Shegog said. “People will be able to develop a habit of working out each day through this.”

Participants can use the elliptical trainer, treadmill or inside track to complete 26 miles during the month of February. Th e challenge is open throughout the month of February. Participants are registered any day during the month.

If anyone wants to participate in the challenge, he or she should register in the Fitness Center and track his or her mileage and time on an index card located at the front desk. Th e participant who accumulates 26 miles in

the fastest time for their age and gender category is declared a winner while the participant who accumulates the most miles for their age and gender category will be declared a winner as well. Th ere is no limitation on the miles the competitors can cover, as the distance covered during the marathon can go over 26 miles.

Th e age categories for the competition are 17-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 and 60 and over.

Shegog said that since it is the month of February, it will be easier for people to take part in an indoor marathon rather than an outdoor activity.

“We are also coming up with

a surprise in April,” Shegog said. “Th e upcoming activity will be held outdoors.”

Shegog said that Oklahoma ranks terribly in health condition, as the rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease in the state rank higher than normal. She added that freshmen gain about ten pounds of weight during their fi rst year of college, and that is why the Student Service Counseling Center is trying to help students by organizing competitions like the marathon.

Anyone who wants to be a part of the challenge may go to the Fitness Center or contact Deanice Shegog at 581-2244 or North Shepler Room 324. MCT Campus

Voices 5February 15, 2010

Editorial BoardEditor-in-Chief - Joshua RouseNews Editor - Jim HorinekA&E Editor - Rachel Engel Sports Editor - Bennett DewanCopy Editor - Justin CliburnBack Page Editor - Monica GarnerDigital Editors - Kyle Luetters and Michael Faggett

Newsroom Staff Financial Offi cer - Susan HillStaff Writers - Rashmi Th apaliya, Amanda Finch, Alyssa Knerr, Tori Strecker, Tatiana Isis and Amanda Phillips.Circulation Manager - Matthew Penick

Faculty Adviser Dr. Christopher Keller

About UsTh e offi cial student newspaper of Cameron University, Th e Cameron Collegian is available each Monday during the year. It is printed by the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Letters PolicyLetters to the editor will be

printed in the order in which they are received and on a space available basis.

Th e 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 fi rst and last names, classifi cation and major. No nicknames will be used. Letters from people outside the Cameron community should include name, address and phone number for verifi cation.

Letters can be sent by regular mail or e-mail to [email protected], or they may be dropped off at our offi ce - Nance Boyer 2060.

Our Views Th e opinions expressed in Th e Collegian pages or personal columns are those of the signed author. Th e unsigned editorial under the heading “Our Voice” represents the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. Th e opinions expressed in Th e 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.

COLLEGIAN

Founded in 1926veritas sempiterna

THE CAMERON UNIVERSITY

“Kill ‘Em All” is the title of a Metallica album, not a legitimate mantra to build a twisted sense of morality on.

Th is statement seems like it would be obvious, and to do it in writing appears to be incredibly obtuse, but some recent interactions and one particular news story lead me to believe that this is not accepted by all.

It all started about three weeks ago. I was running/asthmatically wheezing on a treadmill when I noticed the person on the exercise bike in front of me wearing a graphic-tee that read, “Kill them all; let God sort them out.”

I then realized the shirt featured a unit name, deployment date and locations of deployment in Iraq. Dazed by the general ignorance of the shirt, I stopped running on a moving treadmill and stumbled off the speeding track onto the fl oor. To commemorate your deployment, a t-shirt is appropriate. So is a shirt that honors a fellow soldier, especially one who died in combat. Th at being said, is a t-shirt that openly states a

Religion has no place in current military actionsociopathic, racist and faith-based war against a group of people that are being hunted for being violent based on a fundamentalist religious belief system appropriate? I hope not.

Do the ends justify

the means? Should anyone be openly advocating for genocide? Freedom of speech may protect individuals, which is a right that I hope is not infringed upon, but that freedom does not apply to a governmental entity like the military. Th e separation of church and state is one of the foundations of this country. Th is was enacted because of the long history of European powers fi ghting seemingly endless religious wars where atrocities were committed in the name of the deity.

I was pretty wound up by the fi rst shirt, but I had just come to terms with the fact that this was an isolated incident of ignorance when I had another sighting.

Th is shirt read, “Th e only one who can forgive a terrorist is God; it’s our job to arrange the meeting.” Although shirt

no. 2 was an improvement over the fi rst one, mainly because it didn’t call for the eradication of all people speaking Arabic, it still called upon Western religious superiority.

Th e Judeo-Christian traditions have already fought a series of anti-Muslim wars; they were called the Crusades. One of the incantations of the “Holy Wars” involved use of child soldiers, and another turned into a slaughter of Christians by looting and pillaging other Christians. Clearly this is the type of imagery we should call upon when referencing modern foreign policy.

Th e sightings of these shirts could very well be considered isolated incidents, but the emergence of a story about a faith-based weapon paraphernalia manufacturer hiding references to Biblical scriptures on the sights sold to the U.S. Military makes it seem like this is a disturbing trend.

Trijicom, based in Michigan, is the exclusive gun-sight manufacturer and distributor for the U.S. Marines. Hidden within a visible inscription is letters and numbers corresponding to a book, chapter and verse in the Bible. One such inscription reads, “JN8:12” for John 8:12, “When Jesus spoke again to the people he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows

me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Th is certainly sounds like proselytizing, which is banned by the Geneva Convention’s International Law of Land Warfare. Th e situation also feels like a huge blow to U.S. relations with the Arab world. Islamic fundamentalists have claimed for years that the U.S. supports a religious culture war against Islamic nations, and now there seems to be some evidence that a few citizens want just that.

Anytime warfare becomes about moral, cultural or ideological superiority, nothing is gained but oppression. It is an obligation of all citizens to prevent this.

Joshua Rouse

‘Star Trek Online’ opens new world for long-time gamer

MCT Campus

Ever since “World of Warcraft” hit the stage six years ago, the video game industry has never been the same, for better or worse.

Th e idea of a game where, literally, millions of people are interacting with each other on a daily basis is strikingly ironic, considering the standard stereotype of a gamer is someone sitting alone in their parents’ basement playing all the time. Granted, it takes hundreds of hours to grind one’s way through the ranks of MMORPGs like “World of Warcraft,” but that’s beside the point. Th e genre has hit a completely new audience of gamers and has become a resounding success.

I, on the other hand, have tried to avoid this pitfall in every way possible. I’ve been gaming for more than 20 years, and I’ve never considered anything like “World of Warcraft” remotely fun, or engaging. At least, that’s what I always tried to tell myself. I’ve cut my teeth on everything from the Atari 2600, to the NES, all the way up to the modern console and PC games. If there’s a game out there, I can play it. But these MMOs were a strange new beast that I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with.

Th ere used to be more people like me — more people who played games for hours on end, looking for the secret to fi nally overcoming that tough encounter, or solving that last puzzle, or taking down the fi nal boss. We are fewer now than ever before, despite gaming taking on such a widespread appeal. So it would make sense for me to at least try something like “World of Warcraft.” To the contrary, I’ve watched many friends of mine get sucked into the game, to the point where they almost become the stereotypical person playing for hours on end. I didn’t want that to happen to me.

So I have succeeded over the past several years in avoiding MMOs. I admit; I was tempted. I love Robert E. Howard’s

“Conan” stories and almost jumped into Funcom’s “Age of Conan,” but I didn’t have a computer powerful enough to run it at the time. “EVE” always looked tempting, but it was complicated beyond belief. I have a dozen people pestering me to get on “World of Warcraft,” but I have avoided temptation. And then Cryptic had to come along and hit me where it hurt: “Star Trek.”

If there is one thing I absolutely love in this world, it’s “Star Trek.” I own every series and movie, have seen every episode and have many memorized. I actually scare myself at times — if only knowing “Trek” lore was worth anything. But when I discovered Cryptic was working on “Star Trek Online,” where one could captain his or her own Constitution-class cruiser, and visit some of the most iconic moments

in “Star Trek” like the City on the Edge of Forever, duel with the dreaded Doomsday Machine and fi ght armies of Gorn like the great Captain Kirk valiantly did, I was sold. In fact, it was one of the main reasons I invested in a gaming computer.

I now fi nd myself facing a conundrum. I have discovered the magic of MMOs, and now I can’t pull myself away from it. Granted, it took a heavy dose of “Star Trek” to get me involved, but that’s beside the point. I’m already a senior offi cer in one of the largest fl eets in the game. I invest way more hours than I should, and have found myself trying to battle it out against the last Klingon Warbird

instead of studying for that Biology test this week. I’ve lost more hours of sleep scanning planets and looking for alien artifacts than I have playing “Halo 2” multiplayer.

So what is it about MMOs that are so fascinating? I can’t even fi gure it out. Th ere’s nothing remotely spectacular about them. Th e combat isn’t that great. Th e graphics aren’t really that impressive, and the lag is horrible at times. But there’s something

about entering a starbase orbiting Earth and seeing hundreds of other people running around. Th ough, instead of each character being controlled by an AI process programmed into the game, there are actually real people in control of them. It’s fascinating at fi rst. I spent much of the fi rst night I was online in the “Star Trek Online” beta just running around and interacting with other people, even if that included kicking one of them in the back of the head with my level-4 Vulcan.

As a gamer of two decades, I didn’t think there would be much left that would amaze me. Th e Wii came and went with tacked on motion controls. “Crysis” still impresses me with its lifelike graphics, but they are only graphics. How many times can one play the same “Halo” game? But “Star Trek Online,” and MMOs in general, have truly opened a new gaming landscape for me, and I’m impressed. So I say sorry to all of you “World of Warcraft” fanatics that I’ve made fun of over the years. I may not have been WoW’d, but I’m close enough.

MCT Campus

Bennett Dewan

A&E6 February 15, 2010

Homecoming is an American tradition of inviting parents, students, donors and alumni to campus for a celebration highlighted by a sporting activity. Cameron University honors that tradition every year by holding events every day for a week leading up to Cameron’s crowning of a Homecoming King and Queen at halftime of the men’s basketball game.

This year, Cameron’s Homecoming theme will be “Cruising on Home.” The Programming Activities Council, also known as PAC, is already hard at work planning and organizing the event.

Amanda Harris is a junior and has been with PAC for three years. She will be chairing the Homecoming dance and is excited about the energy brought to the table.

“Homecoming is one of our big events, and it is something that we definitely want to celebrate,” Harris said. “Having it a week long lets us show our Aggie spirit, and, hopefully, we will keep it going throughout the year, not just for the week.”

Another PAC member is sophomore Jessica Kirk, who was making posters for Homecoming week. She is not chairing any of the events, but she plans on being present at

Homecoming activities set sailBy Alyssa KnerrCollegian Staff

each of them.“I usually try to make a

poster every time I come in,” Kirk said. “We make posters, hang up posters, really anything you have time to volunteer to do. I am not chairing any of the events but I definitely will be at them and helping out with whatever needs to be helped.”

This year, PAC has booked some new faces for Cameron to watch, such as comedian Roy Wood Jr. and a musical performance by Plastic Musik.

Jordan Scriber is a sophomore this year; however, this will be his first time helping PAC with Homecoming. Scriber will be taking pictures at each event and is excited about the performance of Plastic Musik so she can see how Cameron’s campus will handle their act.

“My favorite events are usually the two big events,” Scriber said. “In this instance it would be the comedian, Roy Wood Jr., and the music performance of Plastic Musik, mainly, because I went to Naca and saw them in person already. So, I do know how talented they are and how much fun everybody will have. I am really looking forward to seeing how Cameron is going to react.”

Before the King and Queen are announced, students will compete in the “#1 Aggie Fans Contest”, consisting of

three competitive events for homecoming nominees. The first is the “Window Painting Contest” where contestants are to use the theme, a cruise and display some art on a window. Students will be able to see each one at different places and judging will be held at 4 p.m. Feb. 16.

The next role for each King and Queen nominee will be the banner contest, where a banner will be painted, theme-related and judged. At the basketball game, people will get to see the efforts of all entrants, as they will be hung in the Aggie Gym for all to see.

The final event is a building decoration contest, where nominees will be assigned a hallway and are to decorate it using the theme. While the decorating at Cameron is going on, there will be other events students can attend for free.

Monday – Comedian Roy Wood Jr. will be seen at 9:00 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Shepler Ballroom, in between North and South Shepler. Kirk says it is a lot of fun and people get really excited about seeing the comedians.

“I really like when we have the comedians come on, and we usually have them every Homecoming week,” Kirk said.

Amanda Finch is one of the co-chairs of the PAC and oversees the entire week of Homecoming. Finch expressed excitement over the outcome

of last year’s attendance to the comedian.

“The last two comedians that we had, we had over 200 people trying to get into the Ballroom,” she said. “So, right when we open the doors at 9:00, they fill up and we shut them once we get to full capacity, since we can’t let anyone else in. So, we are predicting that it will be the same way for this comedian.”

Tuesday – The next day is when the Homecoming King and Queen candidates will be introduced to Cameron students. Later in the evening, the musical performance of Plastic Musik will open at 8:00 p.m. Feb. 16 at Cameron’s Fitness Center.

Finch says the musical performance will draw a greater number of people, but only because of the location.

“Plastic Musik, the band, will be Tuesday at the Fitness Center, so we will be able to hold a lot more people than the comedian event but we do predict that there will be about 200 to 250 people there,” Finch said.

Wednesday – From 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Feb. 17 at the Student Activities Building there will be free pizza for everyone. Voting for Homecoming King and Queen will occur from 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.; so, students can swing by the building, get free pizza and vote.

“We always have about 400 people come to the pizza lunch over the two hours,” Finch said. “For voting, I am not sure of the numbers but I am sure we will have a lot more people voting this year than last because we have so many more people on campus and more people living on campus.”

Thursday – Voting will continue from 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. as it will be the last day for students to choose their King and Queen. That evening, the Homecoming dance will be held at 9:00 p.m. Feb. 18 in the Ballroom. The title for the dance, “Club Aggie Oasis,” references the dances

and parties that take place on cruise ships.

Amanda Harris is excited mostly about the Homecoming dance. The events throughout Homecoming week differ every

year, but the homecoming dance remains, she said.

“I really like chairing the dance,” Harris said. “I am not a huge dancer myself, but I like to plan

the event and come

up with the themes, decorations

and center pieces. All of that type of stuff is fun to me.”

This year the attire is more of a night scene affair.“This year it is

more causal with a club scene theme, but we still predict that a lot of people will come,” Finch said. “Our dances are really fun and about 200 or 300 people.”

Friday – Near the end of the week, students go to a bonfire and pep rally at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in the South Village parking lot for the women and men’s basketball game the next day.

Saturday – A tailgate will begin at 12:00 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Bentley Gardens to start the most eventful day of Homecoming week, which Finch says is the whole reason for the week.

“My favorite events are the games and the tailgate before because everyone is so excited. Come out to the game, see who was crowned and see if we win,” Finch said. “So, the excitement is really high and plus all the other events of the week lead up to that event.”

The women’s game starts at 2:00 p.m. Then the men’s game starts at 4:00 p.m. but during halftime everyone gets to see the coronation and find out who are Cameron’s King and Queen.

Everyone who comes out to the game gets a free shirt supporting CU. If a person would like a shirt affiliated with Homecoming week, they are available in the Student Activities Building. The theme, “Cruising on Home,” is printed on the front and the itinerary of the full week is on the back.

MCT Campus

A&E 7February 15, 2010

Only halfway through her freshman year at Cameron University and freshman Nicole Diggs is already representing the university as the newly crowned Miss Black CU 2010.

Diggs was chosen out of fi ve contestants after being judged on business wear, evening wear, a question-and-answer portion, and a private interview at the pageant on Feb. 6

After the initial shock of winning the title wore off , the 19-year-old Early Childhood Education major was humbled by the honor.

“When I won, I was honestly in shock. It still amazes me everyday that I have been given the title of Miss Black CU,” Diggs said. “I feel like this title has given me more responsibility, but in a good way. Th e next step is the Miss Black Oklahoma pageant on Aug. 5.”

Preparation for the pageant began in the fall of 2009, starting with a tea put on by the Ebony Society.

“Before I realized it, we had been doing all this work since the beginning of October, and I was sitting at my table getting ready and said, ‘Oh my gosh guys, it’s almost over,’” Diggs said. “I was more upset about it being over than wondering who was going to win.”

Not being a native of Lawton, Diggs said she is hoping to make the university proud as

By Rachel EngelCollegian Staff

Diggs named Miss Black CUshe continues on the pageant circuit, and hopes to learn more about Cameron and Lawton in preparation for potential interview questions.

In addition to representing Cameron University in the Miss Black Oklahoma pageant this summer, Diggs also received a tuition waiver for up to 18 hours of classes a semester for the next three years for winning. After losing her father to colon cancer in October of 2008, the stability the scholarship brings her family in helping pay for her tuition was welcomed, Diggs said.

“Th e scholarship really helped my mother fi nancially because we lost my dad,” she said. “It really helped to be able to say, ’Hey, mom, you don’t have to worry about tuition for the next few years.’”

Diggs chose to run her pageant platform on the issue of speech and language pathology after seeing the diffi culties her one-year-old nephew had after being born with hearing loss.

“He was born with ninety percent hearing loss,” Diggs said. “At his young age it’s improving slowly, and it made us realize that he’s going to need more attention just being able to understand where he’s coming from and his feelings. “

Diggs said she began looking up information about hearing loss and diagnosis online and talking to friends who were required to take speech classes as children.

“Speech and language pathology is the study of speech

and hearing disorders and their diagnosis, and it’s a way to help those who have hearing and vocal loss communicate with others besides sign language,” Diggs said. “Sign language is a part of it, but it also helps people understand that they can use sounds to help learn their vowels where they can start pronouncing words and still learn to read. It helps them connect with friends, family and business partners on another level.”

Diggs plans on working with the Oklahoma Speech-Language-Hearing Association through volunteering for events and fundraisers, and wants to help

those who live with hearing or vocal loss.

“I hope to be able to work with students and people my age that have hearing and vocal disabilities,” Diggs said. “I want to make it known that all ages can help with hearing disorders and spread the word about speech and language pathology and how important it really is.”

Diggs is a native of Glenpool, a suburb outside Tulsa, and said she chose to attend Cameron for its aff ordable tuition and small-town charm.

“I kind of just fell in love with [Cameron],” Diggs said.

“Th e minute we got here I felt comfortable, and I turned and asked my mom what she thought. She said she could really see me being here. Th at was a big note for me, having mom’s approval.”

Looking back, Diggs feels the decision to compete in the pageant was the right choice.

“I would defi nitely recommend this pageant to other women on campus,” Diggs said, “because it is truly a great opportunity to meet others, form a sisterhood, learn about yourself, gain confi dence, knowledge and become a better person overall.”

Photo by Bennett Dewan

Crowning moment: Freshman Nicole Diggs is crowned the 2010 Miss Black Cameron University as other contestants rush to congratulate her on Feb. 6. Diggs, an Early Childhood Education major, ran on the platform of speech and language pathology.

Every year, February marks the remembrance of important people and events in the history of African Americans by recognizing and celebrating Black History Month.

Cameron University’s Offi ce of Student Development is a part of the Black History Month planning committee with Lawton-Fort Sill, which met throughout the fall semester to discuss and coordinate diff erent events that are scheduled to take place both on campus and in the community

Cameron, Lawton celebrate Black History MonthBy Amanda FinchCollegian Staff

this month. On Feb. 6, Cameron University

and the Ebony Society presented the 31st Annual Dr. Valree Wynn Miss Black CU Pageant in the Th eatre. On Feb. 5, Hannibal Johnson was on campus to speak about diversity issues. Student Development has hosted several speakers for Black History Month over the past few years, and this year the CU Library received grant money from the Oklahoma Humanities Council to bring Johnson to campus.

Director of Student Development Dr. Jennifer Pruchnicki says that for Cameron

events, the committee welcomes suggestions from the campus community and often works with multicultural organizations in planning events throughout the academic year.

“We were excited to partner with them for this presentation,” Dr. Pruchnicki said. “Providing multicultural events for the campus community is important because it keeps the fl ow of dialogue open about diversity issues. It provides opportunities to learn from each other, and as we learn and become more educated, we grow as individuals and hopefully become better citizens.”

In past Black History Month celebrations, Cameron has hosted guest speakers such as Th e Honorable David B. Lewis, Rep. T.W. Shannon and Dr. Marco Columbus. Th ey have each brought diff erent topics and perspectives to the table.

Th is year, the Black History Month planning committee is hosting events such as the NAACP Birthday Celebration, the Omega/Delta Valentine’s Ball, a citywide revival, African American Teen Conferences and more. Dr. Pruchnicki encourages students and campus organizations to get involved in

the celebration and events.“Student organizations

interested in planning cultural events should defi nitely work with their advisers and Student Development to coordinate,” Dr. Pruchnicki said. “Th e best ideas often come from our students. We like to present and help with events that students are excited about.”

For a complete list of Black History Month events, students can request the Black Heritage Month calendar by contacting Dr. Pruchnicki in Student Development at: [email protected].

‘Inferno’ adaptation tests decency boundariesRidiculous and video games

have always gone together well.By the basic values of games,

they have to be fun, and usually that involves playing as a character that’s, somehow, more powerful than most other things in his or her universe. So ridiculous things are bound to happen. But ridiculous hit a completely new level when Electronic Arts announced “Dante’s Inferno.”

No, the video game publishing giant didn’t decide to republish the book — they went beyond anything so ridiculous. Somehow, some way, EA and Visceral Games actually made an adaptation of one of the greatest works of literature ever written. Granted,

I’m somewhat ashamed to admit I have never completely read all the way through the 1/3 of “Th e Divine Comedy.” So when I fi rst heard about the game, I had my reservations, but fi gured it couldn’t be that bad. It’s about a man traveling through the nine circles of Hell. Th at sounds like most people’s daily lives, as well as some video games.

Th en, the game actually came out, and I played it. I still don’t know what I experienced. It is quite possibly one of the most ridiculous, insane, out of control, unnecessary and just plain odd games I have ever played in my 20 years as a gamer. I liken it to going through a carnival funhouse with demonic looking

clowns. Only, there are no clowns, so the game isn’t nearly as scary. But it’s just as messed up.

Of course, gamers play the role of Dante, a crusader under the command of Richard the Lion Heart, who invades Acre in an attempt to recover a priceless religious artifact. Dante, a seemingly skilled soldier (he would have to be since he slaughters 50 to 100 soldiers by himself just in the opening) gets stabbed in the back by a lone warrior. I was waiting for the guy to yell “oh my god, you n00b” after he stabbed him.

Death (yes, the Grim Reaper sporting his black cape and bone scythe) shows up to personally take Dante to hell. But obviously, Dante is no ordinary man. He literally kills Death — with his own weapon. I didn’t know Death could actually die. Isn’t that somewhat counter-productive?

Dante then returns home, fi nds his beloved Beatrice dead in all of her full-frontal nude glory. Th en her ghost, in all its full-frontal nude glory, is taken by Satan — who looks a lot like the “LOST” smoke

monster — to Hell. Obviously, Dante fi ghts through thousands of Hell’s minions just to get to the gates of Hell and save his beloved. And all of that is just the intro.

I spent half the game trying to wrap my mind around the

fact that this guy can slaughter thousands of enemies, take down bosses that are bigger than any Lawton building, can kill Death himself and yet gets killed by a lone soldier who stabbed him in the back. And it is only after that that Dante became this crazed warrior.

Nothing is explained in the game. It literally moves from one crazy moment to the next, as if Michael Bay had handled the editing — removing all of the story, but leaving the female exploitation and random action moments. Th ere’s no reasoning behind any of it. Dante just wants to get his woman back, and he’s going to travel through some of the most disturbing locales to be shown in a video game. It’s somewhat ironic that “Dante’s Inferno” has absolutely no story, considering it’s based on one of the most important literary works of all time.

However, if you can check your

brain at the door, the game is actually, somehow, fun. It plays almost exactly like “God of War,” with Dante using Death’s bone scythe to maim, dismember and kill anything that gets in his way. He uses the cross, — yes, the actual cross — as a ranged weapon that can shoot beams to kill anything they’re aimed at.

Visceral Games has never been a bastion of originality in the industry. Th e best game the development house ever released was 2008’s “Dead Space.” While it was extremely impressive, it liberally mimicked “Resident Evil 4” in many ways. But while “Dead Space” was an improvement over the games it mirrored, “Dante’s Inferno” doesn’t come as close. It’s a fun clone, but subpar when compared to “God of War.” And with the third entry into Sony Santa Monica’s series coming next month, a possible “Dante’s Inferno” purchase might be postponed until an inevitable price drop.

“Dante’s Inferno” is not necessarily a bad game. But it’s obvious the name was attached to a generic game for sales purposes only. I may have never read the literary work, but I doubt Dante has a duel with Death and cuts him in half with his own weapon. I thought the game was fairly enjoyable, except for the gratuitous full-frontal necro-nudity. But I draw the line at Katie Vick.MCT Campus

Joshua Rouse

Sports8 February 15, 2010

Glasgow puts in work to win at CUBy Tori StreckerCollegian Staff

came fairly easy, just as the came fairly easy, just as the motivation did, Glasgow said.motivation did, Glasgow said.

“Balancing “Balancing my school my school work and work and basketball basketball never posed never posed a threat to a threat to me,” Glasgow me,” Glasgow said. “I stayed said. “I stayed dedicated to dedicated to succeeding succeeding on and off on and off the court and the court and everything everything worked out worked out just fi ne in just fi ne in both areas.”both areas.”

According to Glasgow, he has According to Glasgow, he has enjoyed his years at CU and, even enjoyed his years at CU and, even though the team has encountered though the team has encountered a few unexpected roadblocks, a few unexpected roadblocks, he still has high hopes for the he still has high hopes for the remainder of the season.remainder of the season.

“If you look at our overall “If you look at our overall record this year, many people record this year, many people would say the season is going would say the season is going downhill,” Glasgow said. downhill,” Glasgow said. “However, I have personally “However, I have personally enjoyed the later part of our enjoyed the later part of our season just as much as last year season just as much as last year when we were making our run at when we were making our run at the conference tournament.”the conference tournament.”

“Th e team may not be winning “Th e team may not be winning conference games as desired, but conference games as desired, but we are continuing to work hard we are continuing to work hard and stay positive,” he said.and stay positive,” he said.

“Th is particular group of guys “Th is particular group of guys gives 100 percent at all times, gives 100 percent at all times, and as a leader you cannot ask for and as a leader you cannot ask for much more than that,” Glasgow much more than that,” Glasgow said. “Th is has allowed us to be said. “Th is has allowed us to be in every single game and give in every single game and give our fans an enjoyable basketball our fans an enjoyable basketball season so far.”season so far.”

According to Glasgow, he According to Glasgow, he

strives to bring more to the team strives to bring more to the team than just great numbers. Leading than just great numbers. Leading

by example is a by example is a personal quality personal quality he tries to he tries to portray on and portray on and off the court, he off the court, he said.said.

“Th rough “Th rough my hard work my hard work ethic, I try to ethic, I try to provide a good provide a good example for my example for my teammates to teammates to follow,” Glasgow follow,” Glasgow said. “No matter said. “No matter how practice or how practice or

a game is going, I always try to a game is going, I always try to work as hard as I possibly can work as hard as I possibly can and I hope the underclassmen and I hope the underclassmen notice this and continue to work notice this and continue to work hard as well. I also try to be vocal hard as well. I also try to be vocal and encourage my teammates to and encourage my teammates to get better.”get better.”

Good players, coaches and Good players, coaches and educators have surrounded educators have surrounded Glasgow during his time at Glasgow during his time at Cameron University, and it Cameron University, and it is that combination that has is that combination that has allowed him to fl ourish and allowed him to fl ourish and become the person he is today.become the person he is today.

“I feel privileged to still be “I feel privileged to still be playing basketball at this point playing basketball at this point in my life,” Glasgow said. “I feel in my life,” Glasgow said. “I feel that I am a good student who that I am a good student who has always been motivated by has always been motivated by competition, and Cameron has competition, and Cameron has given me the opportunity to given me the opportunity to succeed in ways I never thought succeed in ways I never thought possible.”possible.”

Glasgow plans to complete Glasgow plans to complete graduate school in May 2011 and graduate school in May 2011 and then pursue a career with the then pursue a career with the government as a budget analylist government as a budget analylist or teach high school math and or teach high school math and coach.coach.

As the 2009-2010 season is As the 2009-2010 season is winding down for the Cameron winding down for the Cameron University men’s basketball University men’s basketball team, so is the career of a long-team, so is the career of a long-time Aggie.time Aggie.

Kallan Glasgow is a 6’2” Kallan Glasgow is a 6’2” forward from Apache and has forward from Apache and has worn the Aggie uniform for worn the Aggie uniform for fi ve years. In May 2009, he fi ve years. In May 2009, he graduated with a bachelor’s graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and degree in Mathematics and is working towards a master’s is working towards a master’s degree in Educational degree in Educational Leadership. He will end his Leadership. He will end his collegiate basketball career this collegiate basketball career this season.season.

According to Glasgow, his According to Glasgow, his time at Cameron has been time at Cameron has been rewarding to say the least, but rewarding to say the least, but the path was not a part of his the path was not a part of his original plans.original plans.

“When I graduated from high “When I graduated from high school, I enrolled at Cameron school, I enrolled at Cameron University looking to pursue an University looking to pursue an academic career only,” Glasgow academic career only,” Glasgow said. “I did this because the said. “I did this because the school was close to home and school was close to home and very cost effi cient, but the very cost effi cient, but the thought of playing collegiate thought of playing collegiate basketball constantly stayed in basketball constantly stayed in my mind. I just didn’t know how my mind. I just didn’t know how to get the team interested in me.”to get the team interested in me.”

After attending Cameron for After attending Cameron for two years, Glasgow was fi nally two years, Glasgow was fi nally convinced to attend a try-out convinced to attend a try-out for the men’s basketball team. for the men’s basketball team. At that time, he was off ered a At that time, he was off ered a walk-on position, and, two years walk-on position, and, two years later, he earned a basketball later, he earned a basketball scholarship.scholarship.

Making the adjustment from Making the adjustment from full-time student to full-time full-time student to full-time student and basketball player student and basketball player

Photos by Bennett Dewan

Lucky 13: Guard/Forward Kallan Glasgow puts in a two- handed layup off of and inbounds steal in the Aggie Gym. Glasgow has worn the traditionally unlucky no. 13 for the last three seasons, with stellar results.

Boom-shaka-laka: Kallan Glasgow leaps for a throwdown against Southeastern in front of the home-town crowd. Glasgow leads the team in steals; his defense often results in quick transition baskets.

Aguero, friends run Guinness record 100 milesBy Amanda PhillipsCollegian Staff

For most people, New Year’s Eve conjures thoughts of partying with friends and family, sipping champagne and kissing someone special at midnight. However, Cross Country Coach Matt Aguero and team member Josh Stewart are not most people.

Aguero, Stewart and eight of their friends celebrated New Year’s Eve 2009 by breaking the Guinness world record for the fastest 100-mile relay. The 10 runners, all between the ages of 23 and 29, completed the run in 8:19:53, shattering the previous record by more than 17 minutes. Though the team battled freezing temperatures, each mile they ran averaged an impressive 4:59.

The event was held at the Ada High School track. Since all 10 men previously ran for East Central University in the past, Ada seemed to be the most natural location.

According to Aguero, the team’s original strategy was for each man to run 10 miles. However, when the team was faced with minor obstacles on the day of the race, some slight adjustments had to be made to the team’s approach, which Aguero admitted made him a little nervous.

“Everyone was supposed to run 10 miles, but we had some injuries, so everyone ended up running somewhere between

seven and 13 miles,” Aguero said. “Once some guys started getting injured, I started getting a little nervous, but it all turned out OK in the end.”

After the team finished the relay, they all celebrated on the track.

“We were all pretty excited when we finished. We all high-fived and had some sparkling grape juice to celebrate,” Aguero said. “We also had t-shirts made to celebrate the occasion.”

Aguero said that there was a lot more to setting the Guinness world record than just running some laps around a track. The team was required to have two skilled timers on hand at the event, along with two witnesses who had to sign off on each lap. The team also had to have the entire 100-mile run captured on video. Aguero was quick to acknowledge how critical the assistance was from those who helped.

“A lot of people helped us,” Aguero said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

The hard work did not stop once the relay was completed. After the group of men finished the run, they had to compile a highlight tape to send to the people at Guinness. Guiness is still in the process of reviewing the videotaped coverage of the relay and is keeping the team updated on their progress via email. Aguero said that he is not sure if his team’s record will make it into Guinness’s book once it is officially approved

because not all records do, but he is hopeful. After all, it was seeing the former record in the book that inspired him to break it.

“I was f lipping through the book at my friend’s house about five years ago, and I saw that record and thought, ‘Hey, I could break that,’” Aguero said.

Aguero also said that this was not his first time to break the world record.

“Some guys and I had actually broken the record before, but the videotapes were damaged, so we weren’t able to send them in,” Aguero said.

The previous record, which was held by a track club from London, stood only for a few years. Aguero said he does not know how long his record will stand, but that he has no plans to try to break his own record anytime soon.

“The relay was fun, but it was hard, and it’s hard to get 10 guys together who are all in shape at the same time,” Aguero said. “If our record is broken, then I might think about trying to break it again, but I don’t have any plans right now.”

Though Aguero said that it is pretty exciting to hold a world record, he still manages to remain pretty humble about the whole thing.

“It’s pretty cool to have a world record, especially a cool one and not something weird like the world record for the longest hair or toenails,” Aguero said.

Editor’s Note:A correction is in order

concerning the Feb. 8 issue. The story entitled, “Men’s Basketball looks to its leadership,” was credited to the wrong staff writer. The story was written by Amanda Phillips.

- Bennett Dewan Sports Editor Cameron Collegian

Fast and steady wins the race: Matt Aguero warms up outdoors during one of this winter’s many cold spells. Aguero and his team ran 100 miles averaging five-minute miles in near freezing temperatures.

Eye of the tiger: Cross Country Running Coach Matt Aguero keeps in peak physical shape by running around the areas neighboring CU. Aguero won the pedometer competition on campus for logging the most steps while training for his historic run.

Photos by Bennett Dewan

“Through my hard Through my hard work ethic, I try work ethic, I try to provide a good to provide a good example for my example for my teammates to followteammates to follow.”

— Kallan GlasgowMen’s Basketball

Sports 9February 15, 2010

New duo looks to net tennis titlesBy Amanda PhillipsCollegian Staff

Th e Cameron women’s tennis team has a new doubles pair playing at the #1 position for the spring season. Freshmen Amanda Moberg and Julia Puckhaber have gladly accepted the challenge of representing the Aggies at the top spot.

Swedish native Amanda Moberg made her fi rst appearance as an Aggie during the team’s fall season. Th e Swede is playing at the #1 position in singles, in addition to doubles, and she has racked up some impressive victories in her short time at Cameron.

Th e newcomer captured the Lone Star Conference title in singles and doubles and has a 7-1 record for the fall season. Her only loss came in the semi-fi nal match of the ITA regional tournament.

Moberg attributes some of her on-court success to the variety of her game.

“I like to slice and add in some drop shots. I like to do whatever I can to vary my game, and I always try to play my best because I hate losing,” Moberg said.

Women’s tennis coach James Helvey agreed with Moberg’s analysis of her game. Helvey said Moberg’s style of play encompasses many characteristics.

“Amanda is an all-court player. She’s mentally strong and uses a lot of strategy in her game,” Helvey said. “She likes to beat you with her mind.”

Moberg also said the competition she faces here is much diff erent than in Sweden.

“Th e competition here is a lot tougher,” Moberg said. “Th e girls I play against aren’t here to make friends.”

Julia Puckhaber, who hails from Bremen, Germany, makes up the other half of the doubles team. Th ough Puckhaber has only been at Cameron for just over a month, she feels right at home with her teammates and coaches.

“Everyone on the team is so nice and helpful. Th e coaches are really nice too,” Puckhaber said.

Puckhaber describes her style of play as aggressive and said she likes to infl ict damage with her forehand. Helvey values Puckhaber’s game and said she has many essential qualities that make her a critical member of the team.

“Julia is very consistent. She has good strokes and strikes the ball very well. Mentally, she appears to be very strong and mature,” Helvey said.

As a doubles pair, Moberg and Puckhaber share an on-court chemistry that fl atters each other’s strengths.

“We play really well together,” Moberg said. “Julia

has a strong serve and plays well from the baseline, and we’re both strong at the net, so we can poach a lot.”

Helvey agreed that the women are a good match and said he has high expectations for them this season.

“Amanda and Julia are a good complement, and it just gets better every time they play. Th ey are both very serious, and they both hit the ball very hard and have great anticipation,” Helvey said. “I see them doing very well this season. Th ey are very capable of winning every match they play in the region, and they have everything it takes to achieve being number one in the region.”

Th ough the pair has only been playing together for a short time, they said they had no problem adapting to each other on the court.

“It was easy getting used to playing with each other,” Puckhaber said. “Amanda pushed me, so that helped.”

Moberg and Puckhaber both said they are confi dent about the spring season.

“I feel really good about the season. We have a really good team, and I think we have a good chance to do well in conference,” Moberg said. “I’m just going to go out there and try to win as many matches as possible.”

Heart and soul: Amanda Moberg (left) and Julia Puckhaber (right) combine to make up the fi rst position for Cameron Women’s doubles.

Photo by Bennett Dewan

Helvey expects successBy Michael FaggettCollegian Staff

Men’s tennis has competed in the NCAA National Championships for the last 14 years. Head coach James Helvey plans to extend that streak to 15 with this semester’s team.

“Overall, we look good,” Helvey said. “We have lots of talent, and it looks to be an exciting season.”

National sources notice the talent Hevley talks about. Th e Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranked twentieth in the nation among division two schools.

Helvey returns four starters from last season. Seniors Diego Troiano and Carlos Viscarra, junior Jeff Sasser and sophomore Th omas Peixoto return for another semester after a solid fall season. Troiano, Viscarra and Sasser advanced to the Lone Star Conference fi nals last semester. Th e team also fared well at the ITA Regional Championships as well.

“We are here to win,” Helvey said.

Th e returners lead a team that features fi ve freshmen, two of which will start their college careers this semester. Manuel Barroetavena, Mateus Vasconcelos and Jorge Gerosi all played for Helvey last season. Newcomers Santiago Romero and Nicolas Clerc join the team this season.

“We knew what the troops looked like heading into battle,” Helvey said. “Th ese guys are talented.”

Helvey said he credits his team leaders for helping the freshmen adjust to college play.

“Th ose guys stepped up and helped our younger players,” Helvey said. “Th e seniors helped them understand the expectations we have as a team.”

Helvey said he also credits his leaders for helping the newcomers adjust to college life at Cameron. Four of the fi ve freshmen (Barroetavena, Romero, Gerosi

and Clerc) come from Argentina. Vasconcelos hails from Brazil.

“It has been an interesting transition for them,” Helvey said. “College life is an experience and they are handling it well.”

In addition to handling college life, the newcomers, as well as the overall team, will

handle early tests of tough competition. Th e team

begins its season on the road for all of the month of February. Th ey will compete against Dallas Baptist University,

UT-Arlington, SMU, Arkansas-Ft. Smith and

Oklahoma Baptist University before hosting Southwest Baptist University in March.

“We call it ‘creative scheduling’,” Hevley said. “We have to pace our schedule. Everybody is good now, so it gets

tougher every year.”With no

pre-season or exhibition matches available

to prepare the team,

Helvey said he schedules opponents like the aforementioned schools in order to prep the team for both conference play and a run at the NCAA Championships.

“Th e season gets tougher with each match,” Helvey said. “We do not have the luxury of a pre-

season or exhibition season.”Not having that luxury

forces the freshmen to play more aggressively earlier in the season than later.

According to Helvey, that is a lesson he attempts to teach to his new players on the team.

“It is super competitive with the teams we play, so it is very diffi cult to recover from losses,” Helvey said. “It is a wake up for some of them, but I tell them straight up, you have to compete.”

Given the talent and leadership on the team, Helvey said he believes this group will compete hard and post another winning season.

“For the 17 years I have been here, we have had a winning season 17 times,” Helvey said. “We do not plan on breaking that streak now.”

Th e Saints are Super Bowl champions, and deservedly so.

Th e team outplayed their competition on the football fi eld and should be applauded for it, but that is where the accolades should stop.

Th roughout the Super Bowl, and the two weeks leading up to it, the main theme associated with the New Orleans Saints was that the team had saved the city and the region from a post- Hurricane Katrina depression and single-handedly was the symbol for the city’s recovery.

Th is city saviors sentiment was echoed by sports broadcasters throughout the game and only intensifi ed after the Saints victory gave it a perfect angle for the front page of every major newspaper in America.

Th ere was just one simple issue: the Saints are not the soul of the city. Th e city survived in spite of the Saints and despite what the NFL wants the story to be. Th e Saints must be superior both on and off the fi eld, they even play in the Superdome.

During Katrina, 24,000 residents, most of whom were unable to fl ee the impending storm, were taken to the Superdome to ride out the natural disaster. As the levees broke and New Orleans found itself under water, the people taking refuge in the 72,000 seat stadium found themselves without food, water and proper sanitation for over fi ve days. Th is horrifi c treatment of some of the poorest people of the city led

many journalists including columnist David Zirin to call the temporary shelter the “terrordome.”

In the wake of one of the most destructive hurricanes in history, many of the city’s essential buildings, such as schools, nurseries, hospitals and grocery

stores, remained closed. While the people of New Orleans were trapped in a seemingly inescapable horror waiting for aid to arrive to the ciy’s nearly 300-year-old infrastructure, the Superdome was quietly repaired at a cost of just over $185 million, $94 million of which

came from FEMA.Worse yet, this reconstruction

was done before any repair of the failed levees that virtually destroyed the Ninth Ward.

All this was done to ensure that the Saints would not have to be displaced for longer than the 2005 season, which the team split between San Antonio’s Alamodome and LSU’s Tiger Stadium.

When the team did make their return to the Superdome, analysts lauded the team and the fans for embodying the re-emerging spirit of the “Big Easy.”

Th ere were, however, a few obvious fl aws to this reasoning then, just as there was on Super Bowl Sunday. Th e fans in the stands, and the franchise as a whole, are not good

MCT Campus

Saints super, not saintly representations of the city.

Th e game was preceded by a concert performed for ticket holders. Rather than drawing on the immense talent pool of New Orleans natives, or at least harkening back to the jazz/big band music the region helped create, the franchise chose to go a diff erent route and cater to a far more suburban audience.

Headlining the triumphant return of the Saints were Green Day, who were formed in Berkley Cal., and U2, from 4,350 miles east of “‘Nola.”

New Orleans’ population is currently over two-thirds African American, yet around 90 percent of the ticket holders are caucasion. By booking two rock bands, the organization clearly sent a message as to the demographic they and the NFL would like to appeal to.

Th e per capita income for the city before the hurricane was just over $17,000 a year. Katrina did not help the revenue fl ow either. Yet in light of this fact, the Saints have continued to raise ticket prices every season, eliminating the vast majority of the citizens who were most aff ected by the storm . . . and who the team is supposedly lifting. Th e cheapest tickets this past season were $300 per seat for a minimum of 10 games. Th at is not chump change for any of the million or so residents hovering near the poverty line due to the tremendous toll of the rising waters, which was not covered by home insurance policies.

Analysts are paid to entertain and give commentary to make the experience better for the audience. Th ey are not hired to openly exaggerate the merits of a franchise, much to the delight of the NFL, to the largest viewership of any event in history at the expense of truth.

Bennett Dewan

Variety10 February 15, 2010

A unique feature that will be housed in the new complex is a 50-year time capsule. The items to be placed within the capsule are still being collected.

The second f loor of the complex will house a 400 seat ballroom, catering preparation area for banquets, a boardroom area for luncheons and meetings, and offices for student organizations such as PAC and SGA. The balcony looking out over the Bentley Gardens gives a unique and beautiful setting for students, faculty, staff and special events.

Lots of small details and added facilities differentiate the building from its predecessor. The large ballroom has three partitions in it so that the room can be divided into up to three smaller rooms according to the nature of the program or banquet. Since the room can be divided into three rooms, there are three different projectors in the room to make it easier for a variety of programs to be conducted at the same time. There are three double doors in the room so that people can come and go conveniently. The balcony, which is just outside the ballroom, will also have a seating area so that banquet or event attendees can sit outdoors and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The balcony is fully powered to allow for outside events, such as live bands.

PAC and SGA have spacious offices and share a common workroom with other student organizations in the campus. The workroom contains lockers for all University clubs to store items. According to Pinkston, as evidence of the thought that went into the design of the MCC, there is an area in the organization workroom that is not carpeted to make cleaning easier. This area is intended to offer an area for clubs to create the many painted signs and f lyers that hang throughout the campus.

The design of the building’s architecture is in line with recent CU construction projects like CETES and the Business Building. Furthermore, the interior design is planned out so that there will be visual unity between the new campus facilities.

According to Pinkston, all the furniture in the building will be new and was chosen or designed for the spaces that they are to be placed. The interior accent colors, which include yellow, black and brown, give a unique identity to the interior. Overall, the entire interior is lavishly finished with things like granite f looring, bold wood beams and

molding and unique lighting systems. Since the MCC is supposed to be the new and improved Student Union, students are

curious about the progress and design of the building.Kristine Babes Lambino is a sophomore Nursing major and said that she is excited about

the MCC.“It is going to be fair for everyone as the building is located in the middle of the campus

and is going to be more spacious,” Lambino said. “I usually visit the Student Union to get my food and hope that the new food court will include more sections of food, including the international taste.”

Debria Schuler is a 57-year-old Education junior and non-traditional student. She said that she rarely hangs out in the current Student Union but sometimes goes there to get food.

“I am excited about the new Student Union and really hope that they have some soul food there,” Schuler said.

The goal of the McMahon Centennial Complex is for it to be a hub for student, faculty and staff members. The numerous features and facilities within the complex will make it a useful and welcomed addition to campus.

MCC continued from page 1

“It is going to be fair for everyone as the building is located in the middle of the campus and is going to be more spacious.”

— Kristine Babes Lambino

Nursing sophomore

Clear as glass: The west entrance to the MCC faces the Science Complex. Very soon, this entrance will be welcoming students, faculty and staff to the new complex.

Bookstop: This unfi nished section of the MCC will house the campus bookstore once the building is operational.

Have a ball: Large enough to seat 400 this room will be the ballroom. There are already several different community events scheduled to be held in the ballroom.

Making the cut: This worker makes cuts on a piece of wood that will be used to fi nish off the main stairway.

September ‘09: The exterior of the complex nears completion. Soon after this photo was taken, the major work on the interior began.

Groundbreaking:Groundbreaking: Old Kim helps to break ground Old Kim helps to break ground on the McMahon Centennial Complex in March of on the McMahon Centennial Complex in March of 2008. 2008.

Walled-in: With the foundation poured, work begins on the walls of the MCC. During this time, workers were also forming up the elevator shaft.

Framing: With all of the framing completed, workers begin sheeting the exterior of the building and installing roof.

Page design by Monica GarnerPhotos by Jim Horinek