ARKATECH THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1923
THE
ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY // THURSDAY, FEB. 9, 2017 • VOL. 93 NO. 13
Music fellowships cut
Department hopes to restore funding for fall
SAM HOISINGTON
Online Editor
A large number of students recently received word that they would see their music fellowship funding decrease by at least 20 percent for the spring semester. The cuts were made across the board and affected the funding that many students receive for participating in choir and band. Music department leadership said the department needed to make the cuts in order to stay within their fellowship budget following an over-commitment of funds to incoming freshmen. The department normally offers 10-15% more in fellowships to entering freshmen than what it can actually afford, Cynthia Hukill, department head and associate professor of music, said. The department has done so every year since the fellowship system was put in place in 2011 and has nev-
er had a situation like this one before, Hukill said. The offers, Hukill said, are made under the assumption that not all of them will be accepted. “Normally, we award over the budget, and we come out just fine, but this time we had a combination of an usually large freshmen class, a large continuing sophomore/junior/ senior class and then none of those freshmen left and, normally, they do,” Hukill said. Hukill said she could tell that there could be a problem with the fellowship funding by early fall, but by then, the funding was already committed. The funding is guaranteed only for the first semester of the offer and is re-awarded every semester based on ability of funds, Hukill said. Music majors had their funding cut by 20 percent, while non-music majors, who often receive some funding for their participation in the university’s band and choir programs,
saw their fellowships cut by “a little more,” Hukill said. The final decision to cut funding was announced Jan. 24, which was the day after the university’s cutoff date for adding or dropping courses. Hukill said the add-drop date and the date of the announcement were not coordinated and that the department was just trying to make the smallest cuts possible. “We did that because we needed to be a little bit in the semester to find out who was coming back and who was not, and the later we waited the more money we had for all the students and we were trying to make that percentage that we had to cut less,” Hukill said. Hukill said she has been counseling students on a one-on-one basis to ensure that they won’t have to drop any classes. At her disposal are funds
(MUSIC page 4)
PROFESSORS EXPRESS
GOLDENS SUNS 2ND IN GAC - PAGE 7
BOOK REVIEW: THOUGH READ BUT WORTH THE KNOWLEDGE - PAGE 6
News briefs THURSDAY
BRIANNA DAVIS/THE ARKA TECH Dr. Micah Dean Hicks read an excerpt from his novel Electricity and Other Dreams on January 27 at Dog Ear Books during the Triple Threat Author Reading.
Plans for Roush Hall to be demolished SAM HOISINGTON
Online Editor
University officials have shared that they plan to demolish Roush Hall, a residence hall that was closed in August following the discovery of mold while students were moving in. The University is holding off on demolishing the facility until they have exhausted all of the possibilities related to receiving an insurance payment on the building. “As soon as we get that cleared up the plan is then to ask permission from the Board of Trustees to raze that building and take it down,” Amy Pennington, interim vice president for Student Services and dean of students said. Pennington said she expected the insurance negotiations to take at least one more month. After the insurance matter is decided, university administration will have to ask the Board of Trustees to approve the demolition. Mold was discovered within the drawers of the some of the built-in cabinetry in Roush Hall rooms while students were moving into the facility. A university press release credited the mold as being the result of a “historically wet and humid August.” University officials deemed the building unsafe
SAM HOISINGTON/THE ARKA TECH Roush Hall has sat vacant since mold was discovered in the building in August. and moved students to space at Lake Point and South Hall. Pennington said student safety was the university’s “number one concern” when deciding to close down Roush Hall. Even though the mold was only present in a “few” rooms, the facility was closed because the university
(ROUSH page 4)
Financial Life After Graduate School - Need financial advice in the real world? Come to Baz Tech 203 at 3 p.m. to learn more. Mastering the Art of Organization and Time Management - Learn how to organize and manage your time in Baz Tech 202 at 4 p.m. The Golden Suns and Wonder Boys will be playing against Southern Arkansas at Tucker Coliseum at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Watch the theatre production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Techionery Theatre at 8 p.m.
FRIDAY
Lunch with a Leader Laura Harkreader Sink, administrator at Arkansas Pediatric Facility in North Little Rock, will be hosting Lunch with a Leader at noon in Williamson Dining Hall. Watch the theatre production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Techionery Theatre at 8 p.m.
SATURDAY
Watch the theatre production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Techionery Theatre at 8 p.m.
SUNDAY
Watch the matinee show-
ing of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Techionery Theatre at 2 p.m.
MONDAY
Sex in the Dark - Ask all of your sexual health questions in a confidential setting at 3 p.m. in Doc Bryan 242. The Golden Suns and Wonder Boys will be playing against Harding at Tucker Coliseum at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively. The ATU Jazz Ensemble will be holding a concert at 7:30 p.m. in Witherspoon Auditorium.
TUESDAY
Be Your Own Valentine Valentine or not, embrace the idea of loving yourself before others at Chambers Cafeteria from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Webinar Cybersecurity for Small Business Learn how to protect your small business at 10 a.m. in Rothwell Hall. Admission is free, but registration is required. QPR Suicide Gatekeeper Training - Learn how to help those with thoughts of suicide from 2-3:30 p.m. in Doc Bryan 242. Gold Medal Event Planning - Learn how to plan events well in Baz Tech 202 at 4 p.m. Sexual Health for the 21st Century - Learn more about STDs, STIs and more in Doc Bryan 242 at 7 p.m.
El Paso plans will be moving forward for fall of 2017 AMBER QUAID
Managing Editor
Arkansas Tech University has plans to make El Paso great again. In the last 14 years, Tech has purchased properties along El Paso Street, but nothing has really happened to help change Tech or Russellville. All that is about to change. The Pop Up El Paso event last fall, which
showed the Russellville community the possibilities of cultural and economic growth along El Paso Avenue, was “to help activate the public’s awareness of El Paso,” according to Jeff Mott, chief of staff at Tech. This awareness will continue with food trucks and other special events during football season. As for right now, El Paso Street is on hold. According to Mott, there are
some rezoning matters that need to be attended to with the city, and once they are addressed, the city council has to approve them. “We haven’t had any real conversations in a little while mostly because the campus master plan process,” Mott said. The Master Plan was submitted to the city council in August last year and “should complement the existing
campuses in Russellville and Ozark while addressing the complexities of a growing educational program, increased student population, spatial study, campus life, on-campus housing and recreation, Lake Point Conference Center, traffic circulation, access, utility distribution, parking and other university properties. This plan will provide a guide for future campus development and ex-
pansion during the next twenty years.” “I look forward to the development on El Paso to strengthen our community and to bridge our campus to downtown in a meaningful way,” Bernadette Hinkle, vice president for administration and finance, said. El Paso is still in the works but has to work in parallel to the Master Plan for the funds allocated to each to be used
in an effective and campus oriented way. “We don’t want to get out ahead of it and start doing something on El Paso and it’s not consistent with the campus Master Plan; we want to make sure they are working together,” Mott said. El Paso is still on track and, though the paperwork has slowed down the physical work to be done, the plans are still a go for the fall of this year.
PAGE 2 | Opinion
Not my executive order EZEKIEL MASCUILLI/THE ARKA TECH
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 28 halting refugee arrivals into the United States for 120 days and barring citizens of Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days. Although he is our president, we do not agree with his choices and their impact on the people of this nation. We do not agree because we are a nation founded on immigrants. We make allies of foreigners who then want to become part of the country they aided and the legality of the situation seems to defy our own laws. We are thankful to be on a campus that supports its international students, faculty and staff. We are a nation founded on immigrants. We should be celebrating this. We should be sharing our culture and history. We should be joyful to be in this mixing pot of people who want a better life for themselves and their family. Instead we are becoming a nation divided by a signature and a piece of paper.
Many Americans have shown their support and continued the conversation about immigrants and their rights. Hash tags such as #dreamers, #immigrantsmakeamericagreat and #backbone have showed their support and understanding of what it means to be an immigrant in the United States. Arkansas Tech University showed its support by sending out emails and social media messages to the campus to let international students know they are welcome here and that we are here for them. The Arka Tech is here for you too. We fully support our international friends, students and residents. The president is using the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which grants the president the authority to suspend visas from immigrants of certain countries when the U.S. is at war with those countries. Although there have been other Acts that have banned immigrants into the U.S., this executive order seems to border on the edge of being illegal.
Editorial: ed·i·to·ri·al
[ed-i-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] noun: An article that represents the official viewpoint of a newspaper on a topic of public interest. The executive order borders on illegal because it does not include all countries that we are at war with; it seems to be targeting a select few. By this definition, it is illegal, and many great minds are currently debating this issue. “When you have a president who comes out and says, ‘I’m going to throw this in the face of the courts,’ that ‘I get to do whatever I want,’ that’s a recipe for having the courts take a serious second look at the constitutional principle that the president is trying to use,” William Stock, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said. “There’s no constitutional issue here. There’s not even a federal statutory issue,” Hans van Spakovsky, an
immigration law expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said. “There’s just no way anybody could question that because they’ve got 100 percent authority over immigration. And they [Congress] gave to the president, they delegated the ability to suspend the entry of any alien into the country and that executive order falls fully within that statute.” So while the debate still continues, our verdict is clear: the executive order was unnecessary. We are a country founded on immigrants, helped and supported by immigrants and continue to thrive because of immigrants. We believe in all of you; no matter where you started, you’re finishing here and that makes you an American.
Bootlegging— a dark art with a bright side RYAN HARMON
Entertainment Writer I bet when you read the title of this article, you thought I was talking about liquor. I guess the same could apply to that, to an extent, but I’m talking about bootlegging music. If you’re unfamiliar with that, it’s very basic: unauthorized music releases, usually of live performances, are made available and the artist gets no money. The first thing you might ask is why the artists don’t simply file lawsuits to shut down bootleggers. If it was that simple, I wouldn’t be writing this article. I don’t believe it’s as much of a problem now as it might have been in the past, though. With the internet, you don’t really have to buy a bootleg. If you know where to look, you can probably get a free download. So while no money is technically
taken from the artist, they still have no control. Some bands, like Metallica, have begun offering official releases of live recordings, formerly on the bootleg circuit, through their websites. I’ve found that most fans will gladly pay for these recordings. They just want to get their hands on them. To be fair, some artists may not have much control over bootlegs, depending on what kind of contracts they might have with current or past record labels. And some artists may not have the means to release these recordings independently. Sometimes the artists just won’t do it, and other people have to step in. Companies like “Shout! Factory” have begun legally releasing many of these sought-after recordings. A great example of this is the long list of performances from the legendary 1983 “US Festi-
val,” held in San Bernardino, California. The festival featured a wide variety of acts, from Judas Priest to Waylon Jennings. For years, it was rumored that these recordings hadn’t been released due to financial and legal difficulties. Every now and then, something from the festival would appear on the bootleg circuit but not all of the full-length performances. Where bootlegging starts to get a bad reputation is illegal copies of official releases. Simply put, an artist releases an album, and then a bootlegger will make unauthorized copies of the album and sell them. Usually this is the case for albums that are hard to find, and the buyer may not know that it’s an illegal copy. Bobby Barth, vocalist and guitarist for iconic bands such as Axe and Blackfoot, once told me in an interview that he’s
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
had problems with people selling illegal copies of Axe albums, for which he’s received no payment. “It used to make me very angry...but that stuff wasn’t available for so long. I can’t get mad at the people for wanting it,” Barth said. To me, if something you’ve done is in high demand on the bootleg circuit, chances are it
would sell very well if you put it out as an official release, which would also mean you’d get the money. While it can be easily argued that it’s not my place to decide, I can just as easily argue that I should have at least some say in the matter because I’m a fan. I’m a paying customer, and the customer’s always right.
Campus | PAGE 3
MAN ON THE STREET How do you plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day?
“Watching movies in my bed—alone.” Kashia Hansberry Nursing Little Rock
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Emily Torrealba, left, founder of Women in STEM, joins other volunteers in front of the boys and girls club.
STEM— open to women, organization offers help AMBER QUAID
Managing Editor “I did a graphic design painting of my girlfriend and it’s going to be on the nightstand with some money to go buy an outfit, and then we will go out on a date that night.” Trey Tompkins Graphic Design North Little Rock
“I’m working. I’m an RA, but I told my friends they can come and hang out with me. We will eat ice cream and watch movies.”
Sixty men in a single room, one woman. This is what it is like for a female to be a STEM major in a classroom. STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics, majors are dominated by men; one group on campus is trying to change all that. In the Unites States, 12 percent of engineers are women, and the number of women in computing has fallen from 35 percent in 1990 to just 26 percent today, according to the American Association of University Women. Emily Torrealba, mechanical engineering major from Arlington, Texas, is trying to help women in STEM. She created a
registered campus organization, Women in STEM, in the fall of 2016. This organization is women oriented and aims to offer study groups, guest speakers and monthly meetings to “offer support without being a major time commitment.” Torrealba also wants this organization to be a way for women in STEM to network, have a person who understands being the only female in a room and a way to get scholarship information out to women. Torrealba believes that “getting the female perspective in there is very helpful for us as a nation.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up 47 percent of the total U.S. workforce, but are much less represented in particular science and engineering occupations.
They comprise 39 percent of chemists and material scientists, 28 percent of environmental scientists and geoscientists, 16 percent of chemical engineers and just 12 percent of civil engineers. “I’m excited about the Women in STEM organization at Arkansas Tech,” Dr. Johnette Moody, associate professor computer and information science and Women in STEM adviser, said. “This is an organization that will have a profound impact on the members as well as society.” The organization meets on Tuesday one time a month, with study groups being more frequent. The group does volunteer within the community and plans to continue to do so this semester. For more information email Torrealba at etorrealba@atu.edu.
Alexa Carrington Speech Education Fayetteville
“I plan to send my mom a bouquet of flowers.” Delwin Richard Undeclared Oklahoma City
“I’m going to buy myself something and say it’s from somebody else.” Hannah Davis Occupational Therapy Marianna
“I’ll probably be with my best friends cause I don’t have a girlfriend.” Jandt Weary Communication Dallas
ANSWERS FOR FEB.2
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
PAGE 4 | News
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Students and professors from the Tech Department of Agriculture attend a trade show at The International Production and Processing Expo. (left to right) Dr. Mack Rainey, head of the Department of Agriculture and professor of animal science, Reba Hunt, Paul Bennett, Paige Tipton, Dr. Willy Hoefler, professor of animal science.
Justin Graham
ATU Agriculture students attend national conference LINDSEY TRIPLETT
Contributing Writer
Player of the week • 37 points • 13 assists • .923 free throw pct • .688 field goal pct
Three students and two professors from the Arkansas Tech Department of Agriculture recently returned from a trip to Atlanta, GA, where they attended The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). IPPE brought together more than 1,200 exhibitors and 30,000 visitors, making it the largest annual trade show for the poultry, meat and feed industries. During the expo, students had the opportunity to learn more about the animal protein industry and interview for full time jobs and
ROUSH From Page 1 “didn’t want students living in that environment,” Pennington said. It wasn’t every room impacted in that facility that was a situation where we had mold growing, but because we saw it in just even in those few, we didn’t want students living in that environment,” Pennington said. Ultimately, university staff decided that the cost of repairs needed to return Roush to a state where it could be used again would
not be worth the expense. In addition to the repairs needed to remove the mold, other repairs and renovations needed to be made to make sure the residence hall, which was opened in 1962, was an attractive option for students going forward, Pennington said. “It wasn’t necessarily that the building needed to come down immediately, but when this happened and we started looking at how to renovate that, it was
just like an onion and the layers started peeling and we’re like, we need new facilities on campus,” Pennington said. The capacity of Roush Hall was 108 beds. To make up for the loss in space brought on by the closure, Pennington said Residence Life will contract for more space at Vista Place Apartments and add a third bed to some of the rooms in Nutt Hall, M Street Hall and South Hall.
MUSIC From Page 1 from the department as well as funds from university foundation accounts to help students who need it the most. “To make up for that, I have been meeting individually with students, and we are going to make up for a lot of that money, most of it, especially if anybody is in financial need cause for some kids, it’s extra money; they don’t need that much, and it’s extra money just for extras, but for some of these students, it really pays for their school, and sometimes it pays for their food, you know,” Hukill said. The department should be able to return music majors to their previous levels of funding in the fall 2017 semester, Hukill said. Affected students have a variety of thoughts on the matter. Kaleb Hatton, music major from Alma, found out via email Jan. 24 that his fellowship would be dropping from $1500 to $1200
this semester. Although surprised and disappointed by the cuts, Hatton said that he understood why the cuts were made. “It did feel more like a guarantee is what kinda took me more by surprise, but they only have so much money. If it’s not there, it’s not there. They can’t just give away money like they’d like to. I know if they could pay for all of our colleges, they would. I feel very appreciated there,” Hatton said. Nathan Stephens, electrical engineering major from Alma, said he received $1000 a semester for his participation in choir up until this semester when he found out it would be cut in half to $500. He said he didn’t think the funding would ever change. “It never occurred to me that they would have this problem because that’s something the university should have figured out,” Stephens said. “I think it’s ridiculous and that’s some-
thing that’s on the university.” However, Stephens said the decrease in funding in his case is manageable. “I’m not upset about it because I don’t depend on it, but I know there are others that do depend on that money,” Stephens said. Natosha Shirley is a nursing major from Dover. She was a music major before switching to the nursing program. Although she switched majors, she was still receiving the full $1500 that she received while she was a music major until this semester when her fellowship was cut to $500. Shirley said she dropped choir due to the decrease in funding. Balancing nursing coursework and choir activities was difficult, and Shirley concluded with the recent cuts that “just financially that was the best option for me.” “I’ve been in choir since third grade, so it was really hard for me,” Shirley said.
internships with potential employers. Dr. Mack Rainey, head of the department of agriculture at Tech, said he hopes the expo opened the eyes of students to the career possibilities in the field of agriculture. “The size and scope of the agribusiness industry and the relationship we have with other disciplines such as engineering and computer science is not always considered when thinking about agriculture,” he said. “I hope the networking experiences the students gained from IPPE is something they’ll take advantage of as they pursue careers in the future.”
Agricultural business animal science major Paul Bennett said he was able to explore new career possibilities and innovations in agriculture. “It was nice to see the latest technology that’s breaking through for farmers and professionals in ag,” he said. “I really enjoyed the time I was able to spend talking to industry specialists during our time at trade show.” The trip was partially funded through contributions to the Ag Foundation at Arkansas Tech. For more information about the Arkansas Tech Department of Agriculture, visit atu.edu/agriculture.
Theatre schedules musical comedy SAM STRASNER
MARCOMM
Arkansas Tech University Theatre will present four performances of the musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” during the month of February. Opening night is set for Feb. 9, at the Techionery Theatre, 1502 N. El Paso Ave. in Russellville. The performance will begin at 8 p.m., with subsequent performances at the same time on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11. The production will close with a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 12. Tickets ($12 adults/$8 student or with ATU identification card) will be available at the door and will not be sold in advance. Dr. Ardith Morris, professor of communication and theatre, will serve as director. “This ensemble show is like the ‘Island of Misfit Toys’ for spellers,” says Morris. “It is always nice to sing about something
fun before spring finally arrives.” Principal players in the production will include Jordan Cravens of Fort Smith, Gracie Folks of Harrison, Caroline Fredensborg of Roskilde, Denmark, Qassye Hall of Dardanelle, Jacob Smith of Little Rock, Robert Warner of Little Rock and Holly Willmon of Bauxite. Ben Stevens, an alumnus of the ATU music program, will also appear. “This experience is fun because I love to sing and it gives me something funny to sing about,” said Cravens, music education major. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” features music and lyrics by William Finn, with book by Rachel Sheinkin. It was originally directed on Broadway by James Lapine. The production at ATU is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre international. For more information contact the Department of Communication and Journalism at (479) 964-0890.
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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.
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Editor-in-Chief: CLAUDIA YOUNG Managing Editor/ Layout Editor: AMBER QUAID
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
ARKATECH ARKATECH
THE THE
GABBI CALABRESE
BRITTANY WALKER Faculty Advisor: TOMMY MUMERT
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 192
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ARKATECH
Features | PAGE 5
A passion surpassing time
CLAUDIA YOUNG
Although Barber has been teaching these classes for 15 years, she has not lost her passion. Dr. Deborah Barber selected a song “Music is all she thinks about,” Haron the classroom computer. She closed ris said. “Anytime you do a career for 30 her eyes and touched her hand to her years, it’s hard to not get burnt out. But chin. A soft smile spread across her face she never does the same thing from year as the cellos came in. She swayed from to year. She’s constantly thinking of difside to side with the beat and directed her ferent ways to present the same informahands upwards, imitating the violins. She tion.” raised her eyebrows and skyrocketed to “She makes sure that nothing she ever the tips of her toes at the climax of the teaches is boring, because she knows that song. Her body came back to earth as the doesn’t work,” Madeline Ashlock, vocal song faded out. music education major from Clarksville, “Isn’t that beautiful?” she asked her said. “One piece of advice she gave in students. class is to never teach something you Barber, associate professor of muthink is boring because the kids will know sic at Tech, closes her eyes to eliminate and think it’s boring too.” distractions. If she does not, there is too One of the most unique parts of Barmuch visual stimulation that will hinder ber’s introduction to music class is her her ability to feel the music deeply. It inlistening worksheets. Students can deterferes with her senses. scribe the songs played in class to help “How could you taste something wonidentify them on the test. derful if you had chewing gum in your “If you can draw a picture or write mouth?” she said, comparing the two. words that remind you of what you’re She described her closed eyes as her listening to, it’s going to make it easier,” universe where she goes to listen to muBarber said. “I wouldn’t want it to be sic. an obstacle and for you to hate music. Some of her students have adopted I’ve actually heard people say they hate her habit. She will look out into her class music. I don’t think they do. Hate and and see students closing their eyes to fomusic should never be in the same sencus on the music she is playing. tence.” Barber has taught at Tech for 15 years, Barber also believes in the potential of but she has been pursuing music since she every one of her students. was 15 years old after she bought her first “She believes wholeheartedly that guitar. She heard about a Japanese brand CLAUDIA YOUNG/THE ARKA TECH music is for everyone, and she teachthat was great, but she mistakenly bought es accordingly,” Walters said. “She also ABOVE: Dr. Deborah Barber, associate professor of music, teaches a variety of a Suzuki instead of a Yamaha. “It was a classes, including Introduction to Music and Guitar Ensemble. has such extensive experience as a prohorrible guitar; it wouldn’t stay in tune,” fessional and traveling musician that her she said, laughing. “I ended up painting BELOW: Barber has been playing guitar since she was 15 years old. stories and experiences are invaluable. flowers on it and hanging it on my wall.” She adds another side to music that isn’t When she attended Auburn Universiband or choir.” ty as an undergraduate, she had no interBarber said she knows she’s done est in teaching. She loved being around something right when “somebody would teachers, but she wanted to be a musician. just question other tastes of music.” Barber fulfilled that dream after she “What kind of world are we living in if graduated. Her husband, David Harris, we can’t question?” she said. performed in the Navy band, and so they Even on the hardest of days, Barber moved to Charleston, South Carolina. said that “looking at my students and Every night, Barber would sing in a club. knowing that I’ve got some of the finest At the time, she was not very good at music on the planet coming up” keeps her guitar. “But playing every night of the week, going. you just get better and better,” she said. “Music has a life of its own,” she said. A few years later, Barber and Harris “It doesn’t need me to bring it life, but I went on the road to perform music from get to enjoy it. I do have the best job beSouth Carolina all the way to Colorado. cause other people kind of have to listen Barber said her husband inspires her softly while they’re working. I’ve been to become a better musician. “He’s got a kicked out of buildings cause I play music box of 64 colors, and I have a little box too loud.” of eight,” she said. “He hears and I play.” Barber considers herself a good musiHarris said Barber had a beautiful cian, but she said she doesn’t compare to voice when she was younger. “For every her students. “My students have eclipsed person that came up and said something going to teach music education in Arkan- really does want to convey something to me in what they can do. If you want me about me, 50 came up and said they liked sas, Arkansas Tech is the place to be,” she the students; it’s more than just a pay- to cry, just talk about my students and I her singing,” Harris said. said. “I have found that to be absolutely check to her.” will get so proud,” she said. “I’m coming After being on the road for 10 years, true. It’s just an honor to teach here.” Barber eases those who listen to a lot towards the end of my career and it’s been Barber was offered a job at Auburn City Students notice her unique character of popular music into classical music. She wonderful. I look around and I see things Schools teaching middle school music. and teaching style. She is motherly and uses modern groups that play classical that my kids did, what they gave me and She said it was her dream job; it made her fun. Barber said she learned how to nur- music with a twist to show them that clas- I think about my kids all over the world enjoy teaching. ture from her mother, but that she has es- sical music is not boring. It opens doors doing things. There are wonderful other “The superintendent said, ‘We want pecially had a motherly instinct since she for them, Harris said. jobs, but I don’t think I was suited for music to be fun.’ I thought he meant for and her husband began fostering children “I was able to learn about great genres them.” me,” she said. during their third year of marriage. of music that I had never heard before,” Barber considers herself lucky, and Barber was able to develop her own “Some people say they could never be Wade Ivy, Tech graduate with a bache- her students feel the same. curriculum. She taught her students key- a foster parent because their heart is too lor’s degree in biomedical biology, said. “Dr. Barber is the kind of professor board, recordbig; it’s the oppo- “She did more than just make the class- that Arkansas Tech can be proud to have er, guitar and site because your es interesting and entertaining, she made on staff,” Ashlock said. “She is an amazdrums. They heart is not quite them infectious. I couldn’t help but love ing woman who has so much love to give wrote songs and big enough,” she music and love guitar to the greatest ca- to the world, and she gives it freely; all she soundtracks to said. “Those kids pacity when she was teaching it.” requires from the world is a smile.” pretend movies. will be put some“It was liwhere, and you -Dr. Deborah Barber cense to have know that if they’re fun and create,” with you, they’re she said. “Evgoing to have the erything I suggested, they said, ‘Yeah! best, the safest and happiest place they Let’s do that!’” could possibly be.” At the end of the year, the students These feelings have carried over into brought their parents in for a perfor- her teaching. She realized that “process mance. “I wanted the parents to see that is more important than product.” She their child could make music,” Barber said that though this primarily applies said. “This is not a pony show; they are to younger children, it carries into adultmaking music. It was not until I was a hood as well. Barber cares more about teacher for five or six years before I real- the progress her students are making than ized I was really making a difference. And anything else. it’s so humbling that something I shared “She has taught me that you have to made that person’s life better.” love the kids more than anything else,” While she was teaching, Barber and Emily Walters, Tech graduate with a Harris were going to adopt two children, bachelor’s degree in vocal music educabut it didn’t work out in the state they tion, said. “She is a wonderful example were living in. of reaching a person where they are and Barber was heartbroken. “I couldn’t enriching their life.” go back to school,” she said. “I couldn’t She is different than a lot of profesbe around children anymore.” sors, Harris said. She relishes teaching inShe was offered a graduate assistant- troduction courses to students that aren’t ship at Auburn University, and she re- music majors. ceived her Ph. D. “That’s her chance to heighten awareWhen a job opening became available ness and enjoyment and make people into at Tech, Barber did not hesitate to apply. better listeners,” Harris said. “She’s not “Everybody in Alabama said if you’re just doing it because she likes music, she
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“Music has a life of its own.”
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
PAGE 6 | Entertainment
Tracy Lawrence evolves classic songs RYAN HARMON
Entertainment Writer Country icon, Tracy Lawrence, is now a free man, in terms of the music industry. He’s started his own record label, and he’s begun doing things his way, which is good news for fans. Though he’s already released some great records since becoming independent, my favorite one is his album of re-recorded hits: “Greatest Hits: Evolution.” Re-records are historically hit or miss. Unfortunately, most of the ones I hear are either poor or lackluster. For those who don’t know, the reason these records are usually done is so the artist can have versions of these songs available for licensing opportunities, such as movies and commercials. The artist then has control of what their music is used for, and they get most, if not all of the money. The problem is most people want the original recordings, and re-records usually don’t sound similar enough to cut it. They usually reflect how the artist performs the songs at that time. This could mean that the songs are in different keys or tempos, the lyrics could be slightly different, or the arrangements could be different. Lawrence is one of the few to make an exception. The album opens with one of his biggest hits, “Time Marches On.” The first time I listened to it, I honestly thought it was the original recording. Lawrence and the band are that good at recreating these classics. My problem with this record is I can hear autotune being used on Lawrence’s vocals, when it’s not necessary. It’s not very noticeable, but it’s still there. Autotune is usually used to hide vocal flaws, but after watching several recent videos of Lawrence performing these songs live, it’s very clear that he doesn’t need autotune; his voice is just as good as it ever was. By far, my favorite song on the album is
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“Texas Tornado.” While I’ve always loved this song, this version is addicting. Out of all the songs on the album, this one highlights how good the production is. The sound is bigger and warmer, and the chorus hits you right between the eyes. All of Lawrence’s biggest hits are included, like “Alibis,” “If The World Had a Front Porch” and “Paint Me a Birmingham.” I wouldn’t normally review an album of
re-records, because there’s usually not much to it, but this album really left an impression on me. It’s probably the best album of re-records I’ve heard yet. Whether you’re a hardcore fan, or just somebody wanting to get ahold of these songs, I highly recommend “Greatest Hits: Evolution.” Time might keep marching on, but this music is timeless. For more information, visit www.tracylawrence.com.
'A Dog’s Purpose,' the moviegoers best friend GABBI CALABRESE
Staff Writer
I am a cat person through and through. I like dogs well enough, but I never thought I wanted to watch a movie from a dog’s perspective. The only reason I agreed to watch Lasse Hallström’s “A Dog’s Purpose” (based on W. Bruce Cameron’s book of the same name) is because my canine-loving friend was having a bad day. I didn’t want to enjoy the movie, and I certainly didn’t want to weep throughout seventy-five percent of it, but alas! My wants were irrelevant in that dark theater. Hallström presents a maelstrom of feelings with this one and, of course, adorable dogs. “A Dog’s Purpose” is about a dog, named Bailey, searching for his purpose in a large, confusing world. We get to see several of Bailey’s lives—which means we get to see several of his deaths as well—and follow along as he serves loyally at each owner’s side, with a delightful voice over to let us know what’s going on inside Bailey’s head. It seems like a simple story, and, in some ways, it is. I won’t deny that this film has cliché and predictable moments, but that doesn’t
mean it is without complexities. For a large portion of the film, Bailey grows up alongside Ethan, a little boy who saves him from dehydration in a hot vehicle. Bailey is Ethan’s best friend. As Ethan enters his teen years, his life becomes more complicated—with his family, girls and sports—but Bailey still loves him unconditionally. This is one of the most heart-warming friendships I’ve ever witnessed in film and I became more invested in it than I care to admit. When their time together came to an end, I lost any composure I was maintaining. I couldn’t collect myself, either. Each new death Bailey experienced tore me to pieces all over again. As much as I loved Bailey’s life with Ethan, I thoroughly enjoyed his other lives as well. We get to see a nice diverse cast of characters and lifestyles, from police drug dog to lonely girl’s comfort animal. It was precious to see the different ways this dog affects the people he loves. While it’s admittedly strange to go on a journey of self-discovery with a dog, Hallström manages to make it poignant and insightful. I think it would be quite challenging not to be charmed by this movie— trust me, I tried. If, for whatever
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reason, you need a good cry, this is probably the film you want to turn to. I experienced a lot of emotions
throughout, but I left the theater feeling genuinely joyful and satisfied.
Kehlani reveals her SweetSexySavage side BRITTANY WALKER
Staff Writer
If you have not already heard of or been following Kehlani Parrish from America’s Got Talent, she is an American R&B singer from Oakland, California making her mark in the music world with her own sound of love. Her debut album, “SweetSexySavage” is her first official album to be released under her own imprint “Tsunami Mob” with Atlantic Records. Back in July, singles like “Distraction” and “Undercover” were released to give us a tease of what the album will sound like. And it recieved a great response from her fans but the tough critiques
is what gave Kehlani to come back even harder with this album. She also scored a song on the track list for Suicide Squad, entitled “Gangsta” that didn’t seem to make it on the SweetSexySavage album. Kehlani’s personal struggles from earlier last year are what gave her wide attention in the media, but vocal ability and stage presence is what gave her credibility from big names in the business like Nas and P. Diddy, implying that Kehlani is in fact the future of R&B. Kehlani has given previous projects and singles/ remixes to her audience via SoundCloud but I can tell that as she grows as a person, her music grows with her. The album is en-
joyable because it shows her versatility in her pen and instrumentals. Her style spills all over this album starting off with an incredible spoken poem “Intro” by Reyna Biddy, giving the album a relaxed start right before emerging the sexy and savage. As the album continues with “Keep On” and “Distraction”, you can get a sense of the kind of sweet she is unvailing. Songs like “Personal” and “Not Used to It” you get that Savage side you have been waiting to hear. This side explains her inner beast by how she’s singing about someone loving her right and subjectively admitting her relationship flaws. One of my favorite tracks on the album is a
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song titled “Too Much” which sounds like an Aaliyah-2001-R&B feel and gives a sexy and vibrant tone to the project. She gives a centric feeling that has not been composed to that depth of soul before in her music. Towards the end of the
album, you can tell how grateful she is of the recognition she’s been receiving with tracks like “Thank You,” simply saying thank you to all the positive and negative. Overall, this album is a great balance between her kind mind and fierce persona.
I chose to review “Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance” by Barack Obama because I thought it was fitting since Obama recently finished his stint as president of the United States. That being said, this autobiography was published in 1995 as he started his campaign for the senate in Illinois. The story Obama recounts goes from the time his parents met, which he uses stories from his grandparents and mother to tell, up until he gets accepted into Harvard Law School. Throughout the story, Obama recounts memories from his fatherless childhood in Africa, talks about his life in college and then his experience visiting his family in Kenya after his father passed away. This last half of the book, when he is in Kenya, is exceptionally powerful and is by far the best part of the book. This is a raw and emotional book at times. Obama talks about his experiences with race and racial tensions during this time, and he offers astute observations about his experiences and that state of race relations. While this book is powerful and does offer some amazing observations, it can be difficult to read. Occasionally, especially when Obama is talking about his young childhood, the story gets slow, and it can be difficult to keep paying attention. However, I will say that the last part of the book is completely worth slogging through the rest to get to. Obama’s experiences with his family in Kenya make for wonderful stories that you almost can’t read fast enough. I wasn’t such a completely huge fan of this memoir because of the time it took to get through the first two thirds of the book. I would recommend that you read this book because I think the observations about racial relations, which are mostly scattered throughout the book, make it worth reading. Just don’t expect to be able to sit down and read it in an afternoon; after all, it is over 400 pages long.
Sports | PAGE 7
Golden Suns remain 2nd in GAC RICCI LOGAN
Staff Writer
The Arkansas Tech Golden Suns will face the Southern Arkansas Muleriders on Thursday, February 9, at 5:30 p.m. The Golden Suns are coming off a win against the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm last Thursday with a final of 74-62. D’Rae Tullock, from Middleton, Idaho, scored 16 points coming off the bench; while Kelsey McClure, from Muskogee, Oklahoma, also scored 16 points. The first five minutes of the game was a back and forth affair. A jumper by Anissa Pounds, from Kotka, Finland, at 7:54, started a 12-2 run that lasted the next six minutes to give the Golden Suns a nine-point lead. In the final minute of the first quarter, the Golden Suns took a 10-point lead, but the Crimson Storm cut the lead to eight points with free throws. In the second quarter, the Crimson Storm cut the lead to seven at 35-28, with 44 seconds to play before halftime. Taylor Ely, from Norman Oklahoma, hit a big jumper before halftime to give the Golden Suns a 10-point lead. Coming out at halftime the Golden Suns continued to stretch its lead by 14 points, making the score 42-28. The Crimson Storm did not go away easily; they trimmed the lead to single digits, ending the third quarter down by nine, 51-42. In the fourth quarter, the Crimson Storm managed to pull within six. Tullock came up big on two
RICCI LOGAN/THE ARKA TECH Anissa Pounds from Kotka, Finland looks to make a play in the first half. back to back with lay ups to stretch the Golden Suns’ lead back to double figures. The Golden Suns would hold on for the victory. The Golden Suns were back in action on Satur-
Gum goes deep twice in season openers
day at Tucker Coliseum facing the Oklahoma Baptist Bisons. The Golden Suns won with a final of 91-65. Pounds scored a team high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds with six assists.
MATTHEW EMERY
Sports Writer
The Arkansas Tech Golden Suns will head to Bentonville this weekend to partake in the Arkansas-Monticello Division II Softball Challenge. Their first matchup is against the Northwest Missouri Bearcats on Friday, February 11, at 11 a.m. The Golden Suns opened their 2017 season last week in Durant, Oklahoma, in the Southeastern Oklahoma Regional Tournament. The Golden Suns left the tournament with a winning record, winners of three out of four. The opening game of the season took place last Friday against the Central Missouri Mules and featured late-inning heroics by the Golden Suns to secure the victory, with a final of 2-1. The Golden Suns were blanked in the game until the final inning, when Megan Goodnight, from Cabot, tied the game at one on a solo home run. Cara Tolar, from San Antonio, Texas, made her presence immediately felt by the Golden Suns, as she hit an RBI-single to give the Golden Suns the lead. Morgan Vaughan, from Bella Vista, closed the door for the victory. The day was not over for
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The Golden Suns will compete in the Arkansas-Monticello II Softball Challenge this weekend. Vaughan, or the Golden Suns, as they took on the Emporia State Hornets shortly after the first game. Vaughan led the team to a 3-1 victory, throwing a complete game and striking out four. Jalissa Gum, from Red Rock, Oklahoma, picked up where she left off last season and notched her first home run of the season in the fourth inning, making the score 2-1. Sarah Coronado, from Frisco, Texas, helped manufacture a run for the Golden Suns in the fifth inning, pushing the score to 3-1, which would hold to be the final. The Golden Suns split the Saturday games, opening with a loss
against the St. Mary’s Rattlers, with a score of 7-3. Gum made it through the first six innings of the game without surrendering a run; however, the seventh and eighth innings were unkind, as she allowed 5 total runs in the two innings combined. However, Gum would make up for the poor outing, by going 3-4 with five RBIs in game two against the Midwestern State Mustangs, leading the Golden Suns to a 8-4 win. Tolar also had a nice game from behind the plate, going 2-3 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Vaughan picked up her second save of the season in the win.
Wonder Boys only able to take one from St. Mary’s
NOAH DELASHAW made his first career start on the mound and threw Contributing Writer four innings with five The Arkansas Tech strike outs. Wonder Boys will take Nate Rutherford, on the Missouri Western from Bryant, and Blake Griffons in a non-confer- Sullivan, from Fouke, ence matchup on Friday combined for two inat 6 p.m. nings of zero run baseball The Wonder Boys and three strike outs. come off a busy opening Branden Bohuslav, weekend against the St. from Mansfield, Texas, Mary’s Rattlers winning finished the final two one game in three game innings with four strikeseries. They rallied from outs. a 4-point deficit to a 10-6 In the second game of win in their first game of the weekend, the Wonder the season. Boys fell to the Rattlers in Zach Klockowski, a 17-7 loss. from Tinley Park, Illinois, Leading the offense started the comeback for the Wonder Boys in with a three-run home the losing effort was Kyle run in the sixth inning. Love, from Blanchard, Humberto Montiel, Oklahoma, who had two from Mexicali, Mexico, hits and two RBIs. Mar-
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The Wonder Boys will take on Missouri Western Griffons on Friday at 6 p.m. cus Wilson, from Bryant, pitched in with three runs. In the final game of the series, the Wonder Boys fell to the Rattlers in a 5-2 loss after three late-inning runs from the Rattlers secured the win for them. Klockowski had three
hits and the one RBI on the day. Jake Harvey, from Overland Park, Kansas, and Dylan McDearmon, from Greenbirer, combined for three hits. McDearmon got on base with two walks and came around to score once.
RICCI LOGAN/THE ARKA TECH Freddy Lee from Clarksville pushes the ball in transition.
Wonder Boys look to continue winning streak RICCI LOGAN
Staff Writer
The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys will face the Southern Arkansas Muleriders on Thursday, February 9, at Tucker Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. The Wonder Boys are coming off a win, defeating the Southern Nazarene Crimson last Thursday. Justin Graham, from San Antonio, Texas, led scoring 22 points; while Trevin Woods scored 19 points from the bench. Both teams came out hot at the beginning of the game. The Wonder Boys would tie the game at 23-23 with a pair of successful free throws by Graham. Later in the half, Montrell Williams, from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, hit a 3-pointer to give the Wonder Boys a 36-30 lead with 5:03 to play before halftime. The Wonder Boys stretched their lead to seven points, but the Crimson Storm scored six straight points to go down by one, with the score 40-39 at halftime. Both teams remained
hot coming out of halftime. The Wonder Boys quickly went up by six points to make it 48-42 at the 18:15 mark. The Crimson Storm answered back immediately and pulled within one, making it 50-49 at the 16:58 mark. Soon after they tied the game up, 54-54. Woods hit two back to back 3-pointers to give the Wonder Boys a 60-54 lead with 13:31 remaining. The Crimson Storm quickly closed the gap again claiming the lead at the 11:05 mark. Both teams traded runs through the rest of the half until the game was tied, 79-79, with 3:23 to play. At the 1:05 mark, Alex Brown, from Vernon, Florida, gave the Wonder Boys the lead, which they held onto for the remainder of the game. The Wonder Boys added another victory last week as they defeated the Oklahoma Baptist Bisons on Saturday with a final score of 92-72. Brown led in scoring with 21 points; while Williams and Graham had 15 points apiece.
This week in Tech sports THURSDAY 2/9/17 WBB vs Southern Arkansas. Tucker Coliseum. 5:30 p.m. MBB vs Southern Arkansas. Tucker Coliseum. 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY 2/10/17
SB vs Northwest Missouri. Bentonville. 11 a.m. SB vs Pittsburg State. Bentonville. 2 p.m. BB vs Missouri Western. Tech Field. 6 p.m.
SATURDAY 2/11/17 SB vs Missouri – St. Louis. Bentonville. 10 a.m. BB vs Missouri Western. Tech Field. Noon. SB vs Missouri Western. Bentonville. 1 p.m. WBB @ Ouachita Baptist. Arkadelphia. 1 p.m. MBB @ Ouachita Baptist. Arkadelphia. 3 p.m. BB vs Missouri Western. Tech Field. 4 p.m. WTEN vs Delta State. Arkadelphia. 5 p.m.
MONDAY 2/13/17
WBB vs Harding. Tucker Coliseum. 5:30 p.m. MBB vs Harding. Tucker Coliseum. 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY 2/14/17
BB @ Henderson State. Arkadelphia. 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
PAGE 8 | Community
Student Activity Board hosted a Gold Rush Bingo event Feb. 6 night. Prices included gift cards to area businesses and a bicycle.
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Aaron Offenbacker, senior information technology major from Benton, plays bingo. Offenbacker went on to win an Apple Watch later in the night.
Photos by Sam Hoisington
Glen Poole (right) offers bingo cards to and induces laughter in Marilyn Bantilan, graphic design major from Quitman, and Savanna Young, political science major from Cabot.
The event was so popular that it left people standing and sitting in various places due to lack of seating.
Devin Hannah, health and physical education major from Hot Springs, stands up as the bingo game becomes more intense.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Glen Poole, SAB co-president, helps draw bingo numbers.