By Brittney Payette and Ashlin Penn
At 1 p.m. on Nov. 12 in the University Theatre Cameron had its Pickaxe Preview Day, which provided the opportunity for prospective students to learn more about what Cameron has to offer.
The prospective students could register at the event or online ahead of the event. Each person was assigned to a group color, which dictated which Aggie Ambassador they were paired with for the guided group tour. Aggie Ambassadors are Cameron Students that provide the Aggie Experience Tours given to students interested in enrolling.
The event started out with a game of Kahoot which was conducted by Cameron admission counselors Sydne Moore and Rachel Carlson. The Kahoot had questions such as “Hg is the chemical symbol of what” (mercury), “what do you call a group of unicorns” (a blessing), and “True or false, Ole Kim settled in the Wichita Mountains to herd buffalo” (false).
After Kahoot, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success Dr. Jerrett Phillips proceeded to welcome the participants to the Pickaxe Preview.
“We are very glad that you are here for the 2021 Pickaxe Preview,” Phillips said. “My name is Jerrett Phillips, I am very excited to be here at Cameron University, and I think you will be too.”
Next, the Aggie Spirit Squad took the stage to get the participants excited about the event. The team delivered a pep rally experience, and the participants were invited to sing along to the Aggie Fight song. Then, participants joined their distinct groups for the guided tour.
On the guided tour, the participants walked around campus to see some of what Cameron had to offer. They visited buildings such as Ross Hall and the McMahon Centennial (MC) Great Room. In the Great Room, Director of Student Housing and Residence Life Chris Drew spoke about the on-campus living options at Cameron which consists of the traditional style Shepler Dorms and the apartment style Cameron Village.
“We want to support you being successful,” Drew said. “Outside of the classroom we also very much want to focus on building a safe, inclusive, comfortable environment for you living on campus.”
Additionally, there was also a browsing fair that participants could go to after the tour. There were many Cameron organizations and departments there, handing out free items and information to participants of the Pickaxe Preview.
One of the organizations there was campus sorority, Omega Zeta Theta (OZT). OZT is one of three sorority organizations on Cameron’s campus, and the local chapter was founded in 2014. Senior Biology major and OZT member, Asia Houston, participated in the browsing fair with a few of her sisters.
“We’re really gonna try to get more new recruits for next semester,” Houston said. “We’re promoting lifelong friendships and helping sisters achieve their goals. So when new members do come in, they never feel alone because we have a home for them to join.”
Some of the other participating organizations were the Aggie Rec Center, the Animal Science Department and the Office of Campus Life.
For more information about getting a personalized campus tour or to chat with a Cameron admissions counselor, go to https://cameron.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Events.