Vol 92 iss 08

ARKATECH Driving drunk THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1923

THE

A R K A N S A S T E C H U N I V E R S I T Y / / T H U R S D A Y, O C T. 2 9 , 2 0 1 5 • V O L . 9 2 N O . 0 8

Student Activities Board brings awareness AMBER QUAID

Managing Editor

Getting behind the wheel drunk and trying to drive is a dangerous and sometimes lifealtering experience. The Student Activities Board (SAB), along with Delta Zeta, had a fullsized Nascar drunken driving simulator at the Hindsman Quad on October 22 to give students an opportunity to “drive drunk”.

“The goggles make it so it simulates drunk driving,” said Hunter Brown, junior broadcast major from Cove. “It looks like it crosses your vision. You have to drive through the cones and see if you can make it through.

I did fine; I bumped into one [cone]. I can’t imagine being drunk and driving.”

The types of goggles used are known as Fatal Vision Impairment Goggles, which use a special lens technology that allows the wearer to experience a realistic simulation of impairment. Participants

(see SAB page 4)

SIERRA MURPHY/THE ARKA TECH Hannah Simmons, freshman secondary english ed. major from Paris, accompanied by Officer Ashley Phillips, takes a turn at "driving drunk" and soon discovers the difficulty in manuvering around the cones.

Tech’s homeraised cuisine ASHLEY PEARSON Staff Writer

In celebration of National Food Day, Arkansas Tech University invited the community for a meal straight from the farm.

LIZ CHRISMAN/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

ATU-Ozark Campus continues to expand ELON KIERRE

Contributing Writer Editor’s note: This is the first in a periodic series of stories about Arkansas Tech-Ozark.

In the summer of 2003 a new campus, and a plethora of new programs, were added to Arkansas Tech University; Arkansas Valley Technical Institute in Ozark merged with Arkansas Tech, creating Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus.

According to Dr. Jack Hamm, vice president of academic affairs at the time, the addition of the Ozark school was to provide students in the region with a chance to obtain technical and career education. It was also an opportunity to provide students a better and easier path for achieving an associate’s degree and then transitioning to a bachelor’s degree, he explained.

Hamm recalled that there was a movement in the state at that time for technical schools and traditional colleges and universities to merge into one.

Doing so would expand the offerings of both institutions.

The merger of AVTI and Tech, he said, “did very, very good things for both institutions.”

The campus has only grown since merging with Tech. Arkansas Tech-Ozark currently has more than 2,000 students, which is a growth of more than 500 percent compared to the enrollment at the time of the merger, which was around 300 students. It now offers more than 25 different programs, all varying in some type of technical or career focused education The different programs include certificates of proficiency,

(see OZARK page 4)

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Hospitality Administration invited members of the Tech community to a fivecourse meal in Williamson Dining Hall Thursday. The event was co-sponsored by the Anthropology Club.

Guest speakers for the event were Liz and Mike Preston.

Liz is a former molecular biologist and environmental regulations specialist, and her husband Mike is trainer and chemist at Nuclear One. Three years ago the Preston’s

started Prestonerose Farm and Brewing Company in Subiaco. One of the key reasons, Mike said, was quite simple: “We know what a good tomato looks like.”

The couple wanted better-tasting, better-quality food.

The couple grows organic goods such as peanuts, cotton, six types of squash, five types of watermelon and pumpkins along with other fruits and vegetables.

Mike said egg chickens, meat chickens, cows and pigs would eventually be added to the farm.

Former professor in the Tech hospitality program, Chef Craig Alderson, helped prepare the meal alongside Liz. Alderson is the owner of The Bistro in Paris, Arkansas.

(see FARM page 4)

News briefs

The ninth-annual Tech Juried Student Competitive opens all day Monday in Norman Hall Art Gallery.

Diversity and Inclusion Week begins Monday in Baz-Tech. Students and community members are encouraged to participate. For more info visit www.atu.edu/diversity.

Alumni and members of Kappa Kappa Psi will be performing 7:308:30 p.m. on Monday in Witherspoon Auditorium.

The Wonder Boys will play Northwestern Oklahoma on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Thone Stadium.

The Golden Suns Volleyball team will play against Southern Arkansas at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, in Tucker Coliseum.

Tech alumna Brooke Johnson will return to Tech campus to read from her novel, “The Brass Giant,” at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, in Witherspoon Room 126.

PAGE 2 | Opinion

Review of Oxford American’s summer 2015 fiction issue RYAN SMITH Editor-in-Chief

platitudes that characterize the shipwreck genre.

"I can’t live in water and you can’t live on land, but we can stay here at the edges.”

Just pages and worlds away, in Micah Stack’s “The G.RI.E.F.,” Mr. Stillz—whose rise and snaky decline from mainstream gangsta rap stardom echo New Orleans rapper Lil’ Wayne’s career—fights his desire to have a homoerotic relationship with his adoptive father and music producer Tyrone.

Because when you’ve been shipwrecked—all vestiges of your past washed away in that briny, half-frozen omnipresence—and you inhabit an island with a onearmed widower, an incestuous captain, and an aged mermaid with whom you’ve fallen madly in love, what else is there to do but compromise.

Ramona Ausubel’s story “Do Not Save the Ferocious, Save the Tender,” in the Oxford American’s summer 2015 fiction issue is a totem to the magazine’s balancing act between past and future. The act’s performed, not without prodigious struggle, by an ensemble of characters, replete with visceral life experience.

Damaged individuals wander about each of the edition’s 10 short stories seeking whatever, often finding something else.

The analogue is palpable. Esa is a castaway, the land over his shoulder representative of a past he can hardly place himself in, and his future billowing before him in waves of discontented death. Yet on the shore, where the past and present meet, the mermaid offers him something: respite, comfort, or perhaps a moment of truth and solace.

Readers will find themselves rooting for the mermaid to love back, for this miraculous present to envelope a soul forgotten by man and heaven alike. Ausubel’s prose is deft, viciously cutting through

This issue has something for both ends of the spectrum, and all of the beautifully corrupt points in between.

Mr. Stillz lingers in his past, unable to escape the blunts, sizzurp, and homophobia that slowly choke the life force from him. After a picture surfaces of Tyrone and him kissing, he goes off the handle, dissing publicly the man he over and over again embraced in private love. And all to affirm his straightness and a future that dismisses the exploding throb of every instant they shared.

Societal expectations hold Stack’s rapping wunderkind in a perpetually suspended past, a single flame lost to the world’s monomaniacal consciousness.

Unable to find his mermaid, we watch as Mr. Stillz becomes an embodiment of his moniker, G.R.I.E.F. We could reach to console him, but the man Stack’s has created would only shrug you off, quickly “throw[ing] in that ‘no homo’ so you know that I ain’t gay…”

Antonya Nelson’s “Making Love” gives us an equally conflicted battleground in the form of Angela. We bounce around inside the relapsed alcoholic’s head, her

thoughts bordering on the withering contempt of a boozer who’s seen it all and the softness of one rediscovering affection.

She lies in bed with a one-nightstander in the decrepit house she grew up in, her life in shambles much like this former grand estate, “languishing in a neighborhood that would raze it when the time came.”

Nelson constructs a past of monumental self-hate and organically lends Angela the opportunity to pull herself from destruction. The decision for a

future though, as always, must be made in the present.

The magazine also includes works

by National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist Christine Schutt, as well as a memorable introduction by guest editor Jamie Quatro on the exchange of details between writer and reader.

Pick up the Oxford American’s latest fiction issue if you have a hankering for some great stories that test characters’ ability to cut out a present from their disappointments and dreams and “come upon something real.”

The 'Magic' of Bruce Springsteen RYAN HARMON Entertainment Writer

Every now and then, I’ll stumble upon an older album I haven’t given a chance. Sometimes I have good reason for not listening, and sometimes I just simply overlook it.

Oddly, this case is neither.

In 2007, “The Boss” a.k.a.

Bruce Springsteen, brought his “Legendary E Street Band” back together for “Magic,” its first collaboration since 2002’s “The Rising".

While a couple of tours with the E Street Band took place between 2002 and 2007, Springsteen went solo for his “Devils & Dust” tour in 2005, following the success of the album.

I remember when “Magic” came out, there was quite a bit of press for it. At the time, I wasn’t very familiar with Springsteen’s catalogue. I knew some of the hits like “Born In The U.S.A.,” but I wasn’t aware of how important he was to music history.

“Radio Nowhere” was the only song I remember hearing on the radio, which was a big deal in itself because classic rock radio almost never plays new material from older artists.

Although I was a fan of that song,

and I would eventually become a Springsteen fan, I still managed to avoid “Magic” for all these years.

If ever there was an artist with an inconsistent catalogue as far as hit radio-friendly records, it’s Springsteen.

Even now, with programs like Spotify that make it easy to discover music, I’m cautious with Springsteen. I have so much respect for him as an artist that I’m afraid of hearing something I don’t like from him. I don’t do that with any other artist.

When I saw a used copy of “Magic” in a store for $1.99, I couldn’t justify leaving it there.

I knew if I liked one song on it, chances are there would be a couple more I could get into.

Little did I know how right I was.

“Magic” is classic Springsteen, and in my opinion, is very similar to the “Born To Run” album.

“Radio Nowhere” reminds me of the song “Born To Run,” though it has its own unique feel. There have been rumors the song is about satellite radio, which gained huge popularity after the signing of Howard Stern to Sirius.

Without a doubt, my favorite song on the album, and possibly my overall favorite of Springsteen’s, is “Living In The Future". Going

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

www.myplaydirect.com back to the “Born To Run” album, this song is very reminiscent of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” a staple of Springsteen’s live performances.

While some complain about the production quality of “Magic,” I don’t mind it. To me, it gives off a

live energy. It doesn’t sound like a record. It feels like a concert.

I’m not one to admit wrongdoing, but I can comfortably say I was wrong for avoiding this album. It’s given me a new view on Springsteen.

Opinion | PAGE 3

MAN ON THE STREET What are your plans for Halloween?

Halloween on a budget

SKYE GORENA Contributing Writer

The days are counting down, people. Halloween is just days away. It’s time to stock up on sweet treats, your favorite scary movies and, more importantly, to get your costume together. If you need some help on ideas for the perfect, clever and cheapest costume, keep on reading.

First off ladies, there’s nothing better than being clever and cute on Halloween.

"For Halloween, I'll just be raiding WalMart for candy."

Brandi Girley Freshman Secondary Ed. Greenbrier

Get a couple of your best girlfriends and wear all black or all grey. Put on your favorite shades and some mouse ears and go as the three blind mice.

Pick out your favorite movie and make those characters come to life. If the movie is “Mean Girls,” you’ll only need a few basic items.

Get a white tank top and cut

"I'll be dressing up as the Joker and going to a Halloween party."

Michael Sykes Senior

Clinton

""I won't be dressing up and will probably be going home."

Freshman Secondary Ed. Springdale

"I'm going to be working at Baz-Tech because there's going to be a party there."

Maria Carrillo Freshman Elementary Ed. Clarksville

"I'm going on a men's retreat with the Church of Christ Student Center."

William Axsom Senior Early Childhood Ed. Sherwood

"I'm going to a Halloween party, and I'm dressing up as a circus ringmaster."

For the guys out there, it doesn’t take time or effort to have an awesome costume. Stop by dollar tree and buy 10 or more ‘Hello My Name Is:’ tags. Pin them on a solid-colored shirt and go as an identity thief.

You can’t fail by wearing khakis and writing the phrase “It’s Jake…From State Farm” on a red shirt. Go to Wal-Mart and get the free color samples in every shade of grey they have.

Make it 50 shades of grey, to be exact.

For all those festive couples out there, here are some fun, cute and cheap ideas to make your

Halloween a night to remember.

Guys, put on your deer hunting gear. Your girl can put on some face paint and a few twigs underneath a flower headband to go as a deer.

Wear a brown shirt and cut out the letters “OH” and pin them on your outfit. Guys get a white shirt and paint some black spots on. Make a makeshift halo from tinfoil, and you guys can be “Oh dear” and “Holy cow”. It’s clever and cheap.

If you already have the stuff, then wear black pants and a black and white striped shirt.

Buy felt for $.25, cut out a dollar sign and pin it to your Halloween bag. You guys can be robbers.

You don’t have to spend a ton of money to make this year’s Halloween a night to remember.

These looks are simple and easy to throw together.

The problem with most modern horror films

Speech Comm./ History

Hannah Capper

two holes in the top. Wear a purple tank top underneath and bam! You’re Regina George. Or buy some body jewels and make a backwards ‘K’ on your chest.

Add some cheap mouse ears or make some and wham! You’re Karen.

MATTHEW EMERY Sports Writer Halloween is only a few days away, and for me, that means a proper return to some of my favorite movies. However, as much as I love horror, I hate it.

I’m an extreme horror movie snob.

I can enjoy movies like “Jurassic World,” or “The Avengers,” for what they are, big dumb action movies, but I tend to be much more critical when viewing horror movies.

I find it incredibly fascinating that horror can cause a viewer to feel so unsettled and disturbed. For me, that’s the point in watching movies, playing video games or reading—to feel something.

It sounds twisted, but the fact that horror movies can stick with a person and cause fear is something special.

Think of it from the filmmaker’s perspective. They want to create something that you will never forget.

Evocation of a fear is the filmmaker doing his job at the highest possible standard.

This is where most modern horror films have begun to irk me. They don’t bother to

instill fear into the audience.

the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Instead, concepts like atmosphere and suspense have been replaced with jump scares. Jump scares are when the big bad character comes from off screen unexpectedly in hopes of making the audience jump.

Where this differs is the slasher films essentially had mascots. Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger and so on.

Jump scares have been around for a long time in horror, but from my observation, they really became standard after the success of “The Grudge.”

Oddly enough, “The Grudge” does not bother me that much. For me, it was a fresh concept at the time, and it was used cleverly.

Whereas “The Grudge” used jump scares cleverly, ten films would follow using jump scares as an excuse not to build tension. Jump scares became the crutch for lazy filmmakers.

I believe laziness is the biggest problem with most modern horror movies.

Those unique characters made the films distinguishable from each other. In today’s haunting movies, we don’t get a mascot, we get a shadow or silhouette at best.

Don’t get me wrong, there are modern horror films out there that get it right. Movies like “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and “It Follows” are newer releases I highly recommend watching if you are looking for a proper horror film to watch this Halloween.

“It Follows” is the best horror movie I’ve seen in at least ten years. It strays away from the modern conventions of horror movies and does something that is actually unique and refreshing.

Ghosts, demons and haunted houses are scary: “Amityville” and “Poltergeist” established this 30 years ago.

“It Follows” might not make you jump throughout, but after I watched it, I would always find the idea it offers sliding into my mind when I was in bed with all the lights turned out. To me, that’s a special achievement in connecting with an audience.

“Insidious,” “Paranormal Activity” and the hordes of movies in between beat these themes into the ground to the point to where they all run together and are generally forgettable.

Smaller budget indie films are the best way to get a reliable horror movie. This applies to many genres beyond horror, indie filmmakers aren’t afraid to go out on a limb and try something different.

I know running with a good idea until it’s stale is not a new thing in horror, for instance, the slasher films of

The results can be a mixed bag, but for me, the intrigue only gives me more than most modern horror films.

The jump scare tactic is a big proprietor of lassitude, but another horror fad has been the haunting storyline.

Diana Morris Sophomore Theatre/Sociology Dover

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

PAGE 4 | News

Solomon's service hour initiative SIERRA MURPHY

News Writer

Arkansas Tech University continues to grow, adding a 60,000 service hour initiative to its list of future goals.

“I just wanted to have a program in place that provides an avenue for this service to be recognized and counted as a whole,” said Kevin Solomon, associate dean of campus life, in an email. “The campus, community and state needs to be aware of all the great service that is occurring.”

Such service includes Campus Life hosting action days and food drives.

On-campus organizations have begun to participate in the service initiative as well.

“The athletic department has a long standing tradition of heavy involvement in the community,” Solomon said. “The Greek organizations alone will typically give over 8,000 hours of service per semester. Add in groups like Because We Can, Enactus, Alpha Phi Omega, African American Student Association, Society of Professional Journalist, Spirit Squads, Student Government Association and campus

Web Master

Arkansas Tech University receives less funding per student than any other public university in Arkansas, according to materials distributed by President Robin Bowen at a recent meeting with members of the Student Government Association (SGA).

The meeting was held to discuss the funding Tech receives from the state government. Tech will receive an average of $2,657 per student during this fiscal year. Comparatively, the highest funding per student is received by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff at $9,416 per student.

experience how alcohol impairs a person’s balance, vision, reaction time and judgment.

“The Drunk Driving Simulator that SAB hosts every year [is meant] to bring a fun and From move-in day on Aug. 22 to Oct. 16, Tech students have logged engaging activity that also educates our campus on alcohol awareness, 1,478 hours of service. since October is National Alcohol “theLINK also tells us the monetary Awareness Month,” SAB president impact it has in our community, as Suede Graham said. “I feel that far as minimum wage and what that this event gives students the would take for an employee of an chance to learn about an issue that organization,” said Emily Bradley, is really relevant in our society coordinator of leadership and today.” service. “And that is $32,525.90 of According to the National monetary impact.”

Highway Traffic Safety Any Tech student who volunteers Administration, 123 drunken within the River Valley is urged to driving fatalities occurred last log their service hours to not only year in Arkansas, which was 25.5 reach the 60,000 hours goal, but to percent of all traffic deaths for be recognized for giving back to the that year.

River Valley.

Of those 123 driving fatalities, 16 “It’s [all done] through theLink,” were from people under the legal Bradley said. “I didn’t want the drinking age, 95 were drivers with students to keep up with another a blood-alcohol content of .15 system. To me, it was easier if we or higher (.08 declares a person already have a system in place that legally drunk) and 93.3 percent we try to have our students use that were repeat offenders. The rate can record those service hours.” of drunken driving is the highest ministries—that is a ton of hours!”

Those unfamiliar with how to log service hours are encouraged to visit the involvement tab of their theLink account.

“We [Campus Life] have handouts that go step by step of how to log your service hours on theLink,” Bradley said.

Tech receives less funding from state SAM HOISINGTON

(SAB from page 1 )

Evan Gray, SGA secretary of public relations, said SGA will be taking an active role in helping Bowen lobby the legislature.

“We’re all on board, like yes, let us do whatever we need to do,” he said. “Let us write as many letters as we need to, make as many phone calls as we need to. We in student government want to make the most for our students, so knowing that we don’t get funded like we should is really hard."

SGA meetings are held on Wednesdays at 12:15 p.m. in the Senate Room on the second floor of Doc Bryan. The general student body is invited to attend SGA meetings.

(FARM from page 1 ) Liz came up with the menu.

The five course meal consisted of ravioli with parmesan sauce, a winter squash bisque soup, warm mushroom salad, Ozark cream stout braised beef short ribs and Ozark tiramisu.

The goods used to prepare

(OZARK from page 1 ) technical certificates and associate of applied science degrees and an associate of general studies, all with different industry specific options and general education coursework.

Completion standards range from 15 hours to 60+ hours, depending on the program.

Arkansas Tech-Ozark also heads the Arkansas Tech Career Center (ATCC) in Russellville, the second largest secondary career and technical center in Arkansas and serves students in Pope, Johnson and Yell counties. ATCC is the area’s center for career and technical education for high school students who are interested in going into the workforce after high school or continuing their education at Arkansas TechOzark. ATCC this year expanded its offerings to satellite locations

among 21 to 25 year olds—23.4 percent.

Although there were 8,628 drunken driving arrests last year, this is a 14.6 percent decrease from the previous year. Since 2006, the number of drunken driving fatalities has been decreasing every year at a steady pace, from 13,491 in 2006 to 10,076 in 2013. Even with the decrease in fatalities, 28 people still die as a result of drunken driving accidents each day.

“We hope that this event is engaging to students but also makes them think about the repercussions of alcohol, and if they do decide [to] drink, then they should do so in a responsible manner,” Graham said. “We had about 200 students show up and participate in the event.”

SAB holds this event annually to help educate Tech students on the dangers involved with drunken driving. For more information on SAB, go online to www.atu. edu/sab or contact Jenny Butler, assistant director of Campus Life, at 479-968-0235. the meal came from places like Fayetteville and Dover.

“Everything you need to do a dinner like this is here in Arkansas,” she said.

The Prestons’ hope to bring other rural producers together, educate people on how to get local produce and prepare it for their table. Their other goal is to assist local food banks and neighbors. in Clarksville and Paris, adding Logan County and now serving a combined total of 16 high schools within the region.

The campus also oversees adult education in Franklin, Logan and Johnson counties. The goal is to provide members of the community who are not high school graduates to earn their General Education Development (GED) credentials. The program is completely free to any student who would like to participate.

Additionally, the adult education centers teach English as a second language (ESL) and workplace classes, as well as basic skills reviews for those in need of upgrading skills to enter higher education, the military or workforce.

For more information visit: www. atu.edu/ozark/

The Arka Tech GENERAL POLICY

News stories printed in The Arka Tech must be accurate, fair and as unbiased as possible. Any mistakes in fact found in an issue of The Arka Tech will be corrected in the first possible issue.

Opinions expressed in The Arka Tech are not necessarily the opinions of Arkansas Tech University or its students. Individual copies of The Arka Tech are free to members of the Tech community. Contact the adviser for pricing of multiple copies.

CONTACT US Office: Energy Center 138 General email: arkatech@atu.edu Ads email: arkatech.ads@atu.edu Faculty Advisor: TOMMY MUMERT

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Editor-in-Chief: RYAN SMITH

Managing Editors: JENN TERRELL CLAUDIA HALL AMBER QUAID News Writer: SIERRA MURPHY Staff Writer: ASHLEY PEARSON Entertainment Writer: RYAN HARMON Web Master: SAM HOISINGTON Sports Writer: MATTHEW EMERY Advertising Manager: MICHAEL HARRIS

THE

ARKATECH

Campus | PAGE 5

JERRY DAY Arkansas Tech University marked the second anniversary of the establishment of its campus ambassador program with Jerry Day 2015 on Friday, Oct. 23.

Jerry Day celebrates the anniversary of the unanimous vote cast by Arkansas Tech Student Government Association to install Jerry the Bulldog as campus ambassador on Oct. 23, 2013.

It marked the return of an Arkansas Tech tradition that had been lost for 76 years.

As part of Jerry Day 2015, 250 students received a commemorative cup. Those cups may be refilled at Baswell Techionery and Doc’s Place for the remainder of the fall 2015 semester for 99 cents.

Students also had an opportunity to have their photograph made with the first modern Jerry — Jerry Charles Young I. Learn more about the campus ambassador program at www.atu.edu/jerry.

TOP: Jerry observes the students gathered to partake in the Jerry Day photograph session.

Mini Pictures: The different poses Jerry chose throughout Jerry Day to show that his personality has many sides.

RIGHT: Cortnie Been takes a selfie with Jerry.

LEFT: Cortnie Been, Becca Mosler, Hannah Coffee and K.J. Thompson pose with Jerry.

BELOW: Rochelle Laumer enjoys Jerry Day and captures the moment with a photo.

Photos By: Sam Strasner

Thank You For Your Continued Support Of The Arka Tech Contact us: arkatech@atu.edu Find us online: arkatechnews.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

PAGE 6 | Features

Morris still passionate about career after 43 years

Gary Morris has been director of choirs at Tech for fourteen years.

CLAUDIA HALL Managing Editor Few of us are fortunate enough to truly know what career we want to pursue from a young age.

Gary Morris, director of choirs at Tech, was one of the few.

“I was raised around [music] in the church and school as well, but I really decided that I wanted to teach when I was in ninth-grade choir,” Morris said. “Then I got involved in All State and other things like that, and I knew that's what I wanted to do. I just loved the choral music so much.”

Morris is known around Arkansas, the United States and even the world for his accomplishments.

He has been in the business for forty-three years and has taught a multitude of choirs.

Morris started his degree at Arkansas State University and continued on to Vandercook College of Music and Westminster Choir College.

He has had the opportunity to study under many successful teachers throughout his career, but his main mentor was Alfred Skoog at Arkansas State University.

“Early on in my career, kind of like Forrest Gump, I was just in the right place at the right time,” Morris said.

Music education is not for the faint of heart. A large percentage of music students drop out after their first or second year. Students are tested and trained rigorously in music theory, ear training and piano for four semesters, which weeds out the unsure.

Morris himself struggled through it, but his passion kept him going.

“You have to love people, and you have to love music,” Morris said. “You have to love getting people to make music, but even more so, getting music to make people.”

Morris picks songs with meaning and shows his students how to connect with the music. If students need help connecting, he will sit the choir down during class and tell the back story and his experience with it. His passion for music is evident.

Morris refused the opportunity to apply for tenure, partially because of his age, but also because he

CLAUDIA HALL/THE ARKA TECH

“You have to love people, and you have to love music” -Gary Morris cares for his choirs.

“Arkansas Tech became a reality, and I came here to help for a few years, and now I’m on number fourteen; I’m lucky,” Morris said. “I have always felt that if I wasn’t doing the job the university wanted, they should be free to replace me.”

Becoming a choir director is hard work, and Morris doesn’t hide that fact.

“You’ve got to really want to do it because it’s time consuming,” he said. “It’s tough, but it’s very, very rewarding. But if you don’t have that love to begin with—I just can’t imagine going to work somewhere where I didn’t love what I was doing.”

Solutions to this week's puzzles will be featured in the next issue of The Arka Tech.

Thank You For Your Continued Support Of The Arka Tech THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

Sports | PAGE 7

Wonder Boys stay tied for second with win

The Wonder Boys travel to Alva, Oklahoma, this Saturday to play at 2 pm.

MATTHEW EMERY Sports Writer The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (62) were able to outlast Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday, with a final of 57-37.

Freshman running back Kristian Thompson set a couple of career highs.

His 105 yards on the ground are the most he has rushed for this season. His 4 touchdowns are by far the most he has scored this season, and the most by a Wonder Boy this season since senior quarterback Arsenio Favor reached that number in a Sept. 26 matchup against Southern Arkansas.

Favor completed 12 of 18 passes, threw for 179 yards and had both a rushing and passing touchdown.

The Wonder Boys set the pace early in the first quarter after sophomore defensive back Jarrett Clayton blocked an extra point attempt and freshman Cua’ Rose returned it 98 yards for a defensive score that gave Tech a 9-6 lead.

After a 58-yard touchdown pass from Favor to sophomore Chris Eastburn and a 15-yard rushing touchdown from freshman running back Bryan Allen, the Wonder Boys found themselves up 29-6 with 13:29 left in the second

MATTHEW EMERY/THE ARKA TECH quarter.

Tech record.

However, after an error from Favor that resulted in a pick six, Southeastern Oklahoma was able to close the gap, making it 29-20 with 9:28 left in the second.

Along with his defensive PAT return, Rose also had seven tackles and an interception.

Tech would quickly answer back with two touchdowns before halftime, including one 77-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown

by Thompson.

The GAC leading Wonder Boys defense had a rough day, but that didn’t stop senior linebacker Logan Genz from adding 18 more tackles to his

Saturday’s win against Southeastern Oklahoma keeps Tech tied for second with Harding behind Henderson State in the GAC. The Wonder Boys season is coming down to the wire, as they hit the road for the final time this regular season on Saturday when they travel to Alva, Oklahoma, for a contest against Southwestern Oklahoma. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.

Suns gain two-game lead in conference KRISTINA EDEN Contributing Writer

The Golden Suns (18-5, 10-0 GAC) brought in two more Great American Conference wins against Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene last week.

Grabbing a marathon first set and riding that momentum the rest of the way, the Arkansas Tech women’s volleyball team swept secondplace Oklahoma Baptist to remain undefeated in Great American Conference play and earn head coach Kristy Bayer her 300th career victory.

“We played unbelievable defense tonight,” Bayer said. “Oklahoma Baptist is one of the most defensive teams we have played all year. They came out digging everything we gave them.”

Tech held OBU to a .120 hitting percentage and picked up 90 digs in an excellent defensive performance.

Sophomore Madison Nagel led the way with 24 digs, while freshmen Sarita Stegall and Hunter Eshnaur provided 17 and 15, respectively.

The Golden Suns completed their tough two-day swing through Oklahoma Friday, heading to Bethany for a matchup with thirdplace Southern Nazarene.

The Golden Suns turned back the Crimson Storm (11-13, 7-3 GAC) to earn their 13th consecutive victory this season and run their conference winning streak to 24 straight matches dating back to last season.

In the process, they have opened up a two-game lead on the rest of the league. It was the third straight meeting between the two teams to go five sets, with SNU earning a win after shutting down a comeback attempt last regular season, and Tech charging back to win the final two sets in the GAC title match eight weeks later.

MATTHEW EMERY/THE ARKA TECH The Golden Suns prepare to play again here Tuesday.

“Even though we didn’t play outstanding, we were still able to fight through it and come away with the win,” Bayer said. “SNU is a tough-serving, aggressive team who went at us hard. We got out of our offensive rhythm a bit, but in the

end, we were able to persevere.”

The Golden Suns return home to host Williams Baptist and Bacone in a tri-match Tuesday before welcoming Henderson State to Tucker Coliseum on Thursday to start the final third of the GAC season.

Fans start predicting contenders for Super Bowl

MELISSA KELLY Contributing Writer

As we enter week seven in the NFL, many commentators and analysts alike will start talking Super Bowl contenders.

Fans start predicting contenders before the season even gets here. Sports figures usually wait until a team’s bye week to start talking about playoff spots and championship contention.

With three of the five remaining undefeated teams having a bye this week, let the championship debates begin.

The two favored teams picked to be this year’s champs are the Packers and the Patriots. There is more talk of these two teams than any other undefeated team.

After all the scandal surrounding last year’s Super Bowl win, the Patriots

are looking to rectify themselves in the public light. They need another championship without scandal and rumor circulating in order to salvage pieces of the legacies of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Aaron Rodgers is preparing to avenge the loss to Seattle in last year’s NFC championship game. Rodgers has been in the talk of elite quarterbacks since he replaced Favre in 2008.

Rodgers has one ring, and one ring just really isn’t enough to build a dynasty around, but the internal drive of Rodgers pumps the entire team. If we see Green Bay in the Super Bowl, I suspect the Packers come out on top.

Denver gets some talk because many analysts are concerned with how many more seasons Peyton Manning has in him. This year could be his last chance at another ring. I believe Manning has two more decent seasons left in him.

He has gained the respect of commentators around the league with his impressive career this far. Manning has shown how far strong leadership skills will take teams in the NFL. Indianapolis was a powerhouse team with Manning leading the way.

Now, with Manning calling the shots, Denver is in its second season starting out undefeated. The turnaround of these franchises in the NFL because of Peyton has many commentators putting him in Super Bowl talks early on every season. He’s a veteran quarterback with a point to prove and not much time left to prove it.

The last two undefeated teams will get all the “here’s what they need to do to prove to us they are for real” talk.

Cincinnati and Carolina both have come from horrendous schedules and records.

Both Andy Dalton and Cam Newton

were drafted in 2011. Since they’ve been starting quarterbacks with their franchises, their records many times have fallen short of .500.

Each has made the playoffs as wildcards with little post-season success. These teams will have more to prove than the aforementioned because of the level of experience for many players.

I never saw the sense in making playoff predictions until mid-November.

Many factors play in to the success of a football team. Injuries, poor conduct, penalties and more can interfere with the chances of advancing to the post season.

If I had to make a prediction as of the standings now, I would take Green Bay and New England in a duel over the title of champion.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

PAGE 8 | Campus

Think Pink Week

MATTHEW EMERY/THE ARKA TECH

Each fall, Zeta Tau Alpha dedicates one week to raising money and awareness for breast cancer. This year's Think Pink Week was October 19-24.

SIERRA MURPHY/THE ARKA TECH ABOVE: Shelby Holliday and Brayden Jimerson participate in a relay race where they had to find bubble gum in a whipped cream pie to move forward.

LEFT: Grant Geisbauer gets a kiss from Lindsey Triplett at the kissing booth.

MATTHEW EMERY/THE ARKA TECH

MATTHEW EMERY/THE ARKA TECH

Makenzie Martin and Bailey Harris collect votes for the "Penny War" for the King of the Crown.

SIERRA MURPHY/THE ARKA TECH Wyatt Blanchard holds Danny Gomez's feet as they race to finish one section of the relay race.

Thank You For Your Continued Support Of The Arka Tech

MATTHEW EMERY/THE ARKA TECH Members of Zeta Tau Alpha stand in front of the kissing booth.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015

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