Vol 94 issue 11

ARKA

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1923

THE

Editorial- ATU Mascot

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ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY // THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018 • VOL. 94 NO. 11

El Paso has its own 'Master Plan'

HANNAH BUTLER

Staff Writer

The city of Russellville has big plans for El Paso Avenue

by Arkansas Tech campus as a part of its downtown master plan.

El Paso Avenue could be a huge prospect and opportunity for both the city and the campus. It also became noticed by Arkansas Tech in order to promote the connection between students and the Russellville community. El Paso is partly owned by Arkansas Tech.

Part of what prompted the link between Arkansas Tech and the city was the groups working together on Tech’s own master plan and the city’s update of its master plan. “The city has a long and good relationship with Arkansas Tech.

We’ve been partners since they created the campus back in the early 1900’s,” said Kurt Jones, city engineer of Russellville.

The first part of this plan started with the bike lanes created down El Paso. “The city can invest in infrastructure improvements like streets and street lighting and drainage, walkways and so forth like

Super Bowl 52: What’s the catch Noah Delshaw Sports Writer

The stories told within each print get more in-depth the longer you look at it and each piece tells a piece of the story of the Bootlegger’s Ballad. This is the gallery showing of Neal Harrington.

“Every other year we do a faculty show to show the students not only are we teachers we’re practicing artists,”

Another end to the season of NFL as the Philidelphia Eagles do what I was hoping they would do. They took on the five-time Super Bowl winning New England Patriots and won in one of the best Super Bowl games I have watched in a long time, and could go down as one of the best Super Bowl games in history. The Eagles, led by Nick Foles, the Eagles backup Quarterback, entered that stadium with a mission to take home the trophy as Super Bowl Champions, and they did, beating the Patriots 41-33. The final score of the game came from a third down pass from Foles to Zack Erts with a little over two minutes to go to score the last touchdown and take the lead.

However, like in every sport that’s played on the biggest stage, there comes controversy of some kind.

With the NFL chances are good that when there is controversy, it comes from what exactly is considered a catch and what is ruled incomplete.

A quick history of the inconsistent rule that is the catch rule in the NFL. In 2014, the Dallas Cowboys were playing the Green Bay Packers in a Divisional round playoff game. In the final minutes of the game, Tony Romo threw the ball to Dez Bryant who caught the ball and went to the ground. As he hit the ground, the ball started to move after his arm hit the ground. This from the ref’s perspective was enough evidence to rule he did not have enough control of the ball and ruled it incomplete.

From this moment on the “Catch Rule” has continued to be somewhat controversial as inconsistencies began to surface as more and more calls were being made either way.

In Super Bowl 52, there was a big call specifically that is being labeled as controversial. The big call comes from the catch by Eagles rookie Corey Clement.

Clement hauled in a 22-yard

(BOOTLEGGERS page 7)

(NFL page 4)

THE ARKA TECH ARCHIVES

Most of the plan goes to the College Hill zoning area, which solely works in order to influence “an extended ATU experience and establishes significant student services presence and amenities provided by both ATU and private market investments.” that. This street department can’t invest in brick and mortar type development,” said Jones.

Therefore, the city must wait for private developers to come and see potential in El Paso before the city can move forward.

Zoning districts, which are particular areas that have certain property values, are a huge part of any city. In Russell-

Undergrads offered 'University Honors'

ville, the city decided to establish three new zoning districts, named College Hill, Prairie Creek and Downtown Crossing for El Paso. Downtown Crossing relates to the site with four corners at West Parkway Drive and El Paso Avenue. According to the “Experience El Paso: An Implementation Strategy,” Downtown Crossing includes

“reconfiguring the intersection, coupled with new buildings designed to create a gateway to both districts that will help produce a pedestrian street safe zone and a nexus for the Russellville experience.” Prairie Creek involves responding to the waterways and the areas

(EL PASO page 3)

HELPING OTHERS

SAM STRASNER

SUBMITTED

University Honors will offer a two-week application period for current ATU undergraduate students from Feb. 12-26, 2018.

For the first time in the history of the University Honors program at Arkansas Tech University, all qualified, current Tech students who are not already part of the program will have an opportunity to apply.

Applications have previously been restricted to entering freshmen.

Applications are available in Witherspoon Hall room 239B. Completed applications must be returned to Dr. Jan Jenkins, director of the University Honors program and professor of history, by noon on Monday, Feb. 26.

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements: • High school cumulative grade point average of 3.5 • Top 10 percent of high school graduating class or ACT score of 27 (or SAT equivalent) • College cumulative grade point average of 3.25 • Full-time ATU undergraduate student • For more information, visit www.atu.edu/ honors or send e-mail to ejenkins@atu.edu.

SUBMITTED

The Student Health Information Management Association collected hundreds of goods throughout the fall semester for the Battered Women’s Shelter, Russellville Animal Shelter and Main Street Mission. On hand for the distribution of the goods to Main Street Mission were (from left) student members Jessica Keeling, Deana Underwood and Traci Johnson, along with Raul Torres, director, pastor and volunteer coordinator for Main Street Mission.

Bootlegger's Ballad Series AMBER QUAID

Editor-in- chief

Snake Shakers Shack is the first print ever made in this series and it says volumes about the series as a whole.

You will not find sunsets and cocktail drinks or various colors. What you will find is gray tones, black ink wash and block wood prints.

Photography exhibit depicts modern music history SAM STRASNER

SUBMITTED

Images of many of the most famous rockand-roll, blues, country and folk musicians of the 20th century will be on display at the Arkansas Tech University Museum during an exhibit entitled “Showtime: Photographs of Music Legends

by Watt Casey Jr.” from Feb. 9-May 11.

The display will be open weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The museum, located at 1502 N. El Paso Ave. in Russellville, will have extended hours during the run of the exhibition from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on three select Saturdays: Feb. 10, March 10 and April 14.

An opening reception, including a scheduled appearance by the artist, is planned for 2-5

p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9.

Admission to the reception and the daily exhibit is free and open to the public.

Casey began capturing the images while serving as a roadie for a music touring company in 1974. He went on to photograph such artists as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell,

Jerry Garcia, Fleetwood Mac, Muddy Waters, BB King, Steve Miller, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

His photographs were compiled in “My Guitar Is a Camera,” a book published by the Texas A&M University Press and the Texas Book Consortium in 2017. The book will be available for purchase in the ATU Museum store for $35 per copy.

Casey is a professional photographer and cattleman from Albany, Texas.

His work is featured in the Grammy Museum’s touring exhibit “Pride and Joy: The Texas Blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan” and also appears in CDs, boxed sets, music books and other publications.

For more information about the exhibit, call the ATU Museum at (479) 964-0826.

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPH

He photographed such artists as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Eric Clapton.

2 Opinion arkatechnews.com

EZEKIEL MASCUILLI/THE ARKA TECH

Mascot: Stop confusing, start unifying

While a student attends Arkansas Tech University they may notice that we lack a mascot at our games. But wait. We do have icons that represent who we are: Wonder Boys, Golden Suns and Jerry the bulldog. The problem is that if you ask Tech students, Tech alumni and anyone who feels a connection to Arkansas Tech University the answers will vary.

College is about finding yourself, making connections and connecting to the school that helped put you on a “brighter path.” One way students find a connection is through their school mascot (it is why most schools and professional sports teams have one). Here at Tech we have that connection but it doesn’t connect the way it should, unless it is joking about the whole situation.

During a Tech leadership panel, some of the university staff and faculty asked student leaders about a possible mascot (one that is in the suit and shows up to games to rally support) since we don’t currently have one. A non-traditional student on the panel who came to Tech in the 70s, left for a bit and came back, identified as a Wonder Boy. A student athlete identified as a Golden Sun. Yet another said they identified with Jerry but understood he was not our mascot, we are not the bulldogs.

This is the issue. We believe we need a unifying mascot. One that still ties our alumni to Tech, they are im-

portant to our past and future. One that ties our current students to Tech, they are our present and future. One that ties people who aren’t sure where to go to the idea of Tech, they are the future.

Our solution: Pick nothing that is a current option; create something new that has ties to all three. Change is okay. Maybe “Jerry the Wonder Dog.” Silly, maybe, but we want alumni, staff, faculty and students to starts thinking outside the normal.

There is an argument to be said that we don’t need a mascot. We would like to point out that schools like Alabama, who are known as the Crimson Tide, still have a mascot, “Big Al” the elephant. Though the school unifies through one identifier, the Crimson Tide, it still has a mascot that shows and supports the school without tarnishing the identifier.

We believe that because we have three options, none that are declared our mascot, creates a separation and tarnishes any identification we have to our school. We love the history of this school, we love that the Wonder Boys were named so because of the wonder they created in 1920. That kind of mark is hard to replace and should be honored. We are glad the Golden Suns stepped into the light after the Wonder Girls (and Wonderettes) name was questioned. The courage of female athletes to step up and change a name should be honored. We even adore Jer-

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.

AMBER QUAID/THE ARKA TECH This is a concept of "Jerry the Wonder Dog" to help people see that we need to choose a mascot and make a change to unify us all. ry and his mission to be our campus ambassador. His fight to bring people here and create love of the campus should be honored too. But we need to pick one that honors us all.

We wish we had a more solid solution. We understand that this maybe the larger issue, what is the solution?

The best we can say is change is good,

hopefully alumni can see that the school is still worth supporting with a new mascot and hopefully current students can connect to something new.

We believe that with all this campus has to offer, to alumni and current students alike, that no one will give up on Tech if they choose a mascot. Choose a mascot.

Personal data willingly supplied by users of social media DALE QUAID

Staff Writer

Social media is everywhere, and chances are you have at least one account that you check regularly. In fact, according to Global Web Index, the average internet user clocked in at seven social media accounts, which is up from four accounts per user back in 2013. I personally only use two sites daily, Facebook and Reddit.

An internet search returns more than 60 popular social media sites, with a much higher number of more obscure or less used social networking platforms. Every single one of these sites is free for the end user. Yet sites like Facebook, who announced $4.7B in profit in 2017, are definitely in it for the money. But where does this money come from, and where does the user come into the equation?

Without the end user, you, social media could not exist. On the surface sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter offer the user something useful to their lives— social interactions with other people regardless of distance.

But what is the hidden cost that these ‘free’ sites use to make money? Data. We supply them with every bit of person-

BUSINESS-MANAGEMENT-DEGREE.NET

al data about ourselves that we may not otherwise share. In the age of the internet, data has become increasingly valuable. Fortunes have been made with the personal data willingly supplied

by users of social media sites.

Advertising companies use social media sites, like Pinterest, to target specifically tailored ads to its users, often without their knowledge. If a company wants

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

more traffic to a certain page on its website, they will often resort to paying a social media platform like Pinterest to divert more traffic their way. This works because the social media platform of choice already knows exactly what its users like to look at, as well as trends in the market. All of this useful data can be used by anyone willing to pay to have their post promoted. For pennies on the dollar per click through, a post can be promoted and stream additional targeted traffic to itself, this according to Pinterest ad services.

Billions of dollars per year is a massive amount of money, so how much is your information worth? The answer may surprise you. The average user’s information is worth a very measly $0.0005 for information such as age, gender and where you live, according to Financial Times.

Other variables can make your personal data worth more, for example if you’re shopping for a house or have a baby on the way.

Shopping information is the big seller, targeted ads work very well at coupling a potential customer and a product that they are likely to buy. Billions of daily users worldwide, while not worth much individually,

are worth billions of dollars annually. If you’re curious as to how much your personal data is worth, there are online calculators available for entertainment purposes.

I personally use Facebook, like many, to keep up with family and friends. However I limit the amount of information I post and also do not use Facebook to sign in to any other site.

This helps to keep as much information private as possible.

The information gathered via social media will only be used for advertising purposes which doesn’t bother me in the least.

I feel the services provided by social media sites outweighs the invasion of privacy at this time. The most important thing to remember is anything posted, even in private is still being saved to use as advertising against the user.

The next time you log in to Facebook, remember, everything you say, click on or share is used to send specific ads to your screen. This is the price of free. The only way to keep your information private is to not be involved with social media in the first place. However, with the relevance of social media in today’s world it is neigh impossible to outright ignore.

Campus/News 3 arkatechnews.com

MAN ON THE STREET • Who do you think is our school mascot?

• Should we have a school mascot?

“Jerry the bulldog.”

“Maybe, I like the idea. Jerry is a good thing to look to and something that represents us more.”

Dana Olvera Accounting Dover

“Jerry.”

“Yes, for school spirit.”

Daniel Loredo Wellness and fitness DeQueen

Meet the new Health and Wellness director HANNAH BUTLER

Staff Writer

The Health and Wellness Center located in Doc Bryan 119 has a new director of Health Services, Brandye Bisek. Bisek comes from Conway and graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a master’s degree in nursing.

She previously worked in the student health center at University of Central Arkansas and in the nurse practitioner program.

As soon as possible, Bisek is hoping to make the center more accessible to see more students. Bisek said that one of her top priorities is to “try to get students in the same day, and try to get students in when they’re sick and really need to be seen.”

As a start of being able to see more students, the center is looking to add a third nurse practitioner.

Bisek is also a part of the Health and Wellness committee, which is now looking at what students are truly in need of. The committee is in the process of creating a Student Needs Survey. The goal, according to Bisek, is to find out what students want to see in the clinic, what services could

HANNAH BUTLER/THE ARKA TECH New Director of Health Services, Brandye Bisek, hopes to carry on some of the programs and ideas that the last director implemented. be provided and if there are any educational needs.

Personally, Bisek is passionate about events coming up soon in February.

Starting Monday, Feb. 12, the Health and Wellness Center is taking on “Sexual Responsibility Week” in which each day of the week the center will spread awareness about prevention. Bisek will give a presentation on Monday as a part of the “Unplanned Pregnancy Workshop.” She mentions that she is passionate “to inform them and educate them on the options that we have here for taking care of it and to

prevent that.” The presentation will begin at 3 p.m.

The rest of the week includes chlamydia and gonorrhea testing, STD prevention and more. Bisek aspires to continue to work on these issues and really help spread awareness about prevention.

Bisek hopes to carry on some of the programs and ideas that the last director of Health Services, Rebecca Gray, implemented. She hopes to continue to work with nursing students and giving a few lectures. She also wants to continue working with athletes and educational activities. As

she gets settled within her new role, she hopes to add opportunities and change what is needed.

Students can visit the Health and Wellness Center between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments can be made by going online at https://atu.medicatconnect. com/ or by contacting the Health and Wellness office at 479-968-0329. The program schedule of the spring semester can be found at https://www.atu.edu/hwc/ program_schedule.php.

To schedule an appointment online: https://atu. medicatconnect.com/

“Wonder Boys.”

“Yes, we should have a mascot like the bulldogs because that's what everybody already thinks.”

Haley Page Elementary Education Oswego, Kansas

“Jerry the bulldog.”

“I don't know because I don't watch sports or anything.”

Daniel Parnell Biology Texarkana

AMBER QUAID/THE ARKA TECH The top five home states for students at ATU are: Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, and Tennessee, respectively.

Arkansas Tech, home away from home for out of state students Amanda Hampton

Contributing Writer

“Jerry the bulldog.” “definitely, everybody wants a mascot. we need something to say we are this.”

Lindsay Bingham Social Studies Education Morrilton

“I don't know.”

“Sure, everyone else has one” Joeseph Ghaffari IT Russellville

The majority of Arkansas Tech students, to no surprise, are from the state of Arkansas but 7.5 percent of the students attending ATU are from states other than Arkansas.

College in and of itself can be an intimidating path to take for many individuals, let alone supplementing that with the thought of leaving the comfort of their hometown to further their education. According to the Washington Post, only 11 percent of students travel over 500 miles from their hometown for college. Based on this statistic, it makes sense that the top five home states for students at ATU are Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana and Tennessee, respectively. Students are less inclined to venture out of their known world to start

a new chapter in their lives; however, doing so can be extremely rewarding.

“My favorite thing here is the environment and getting to live with my aunt. It’s a new town with new people and I can start over and learn new things about the town and people,” said Violet Carter, a marketing and management major from Gore, Oklahoma.

USA Today confirms that gaining a new start is one of the many benefits of traveling out of state for college, and is a big motivation among youth in America. Whether it be for sports, academics, scholarships or family, students from across the nation become a part of the ATU family each academic year.

“I was offered a football scholarship, and I was pointed in the direction of the Honors College,” said Mark Johnson, a nuclear physics ma-

jor from Shreveport, Louisiana.

Whatever individual motivations to attend ATU may be, it without a doubt has an atmosphere that is like a home away from home for many students. With more than 100 student organizations on campus for students to get involved in, there is room at every table for anyone who may feel out of place.

“Look forward to meeting some of your closest friends of your life, and also make sure to get involved with campus life,” said Stephen Knezevich, a wellness science major from Burbank, California.

Each Arkansas Tech student is valuable and contributes to the university in their own way. Without the diversity and individualization present in Tech culture that students bring, it would not be the known and loved university that it is.

EL PASO From Page 1 of H Street. These areas give hope for more urban-style developments, which includes malls, places for live events and parking lots.

However, the most plans go to the College Hill zoning area, which

solely works in order to influence “an extended ATU experience and establishes significant student services presence and amenities provided by both ATU and private market investments.”

The inspiration for El Paso is like that of Dickson Street in Fayetteville.

“The whole idea was to tie together downtown and Arkansas Tech, that’s the bottom line,” said Jones. For

more information, students can visit https:// www.russellvillearkansas.org/211/Planning-Zoning, and for a look at the future of El Paso Avenue, http:// www.experienceelpaso. com/.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

4 Sports (cont. pg. 8) arkatechnews.com

Bulldogs snap Suns win streak RICCI LOGAN

Staff Writer

RICCI LOGAN/THE ARKA TECH Cheyenne North, from Gallatin,Tennesse, recorded 16 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists.

The Golden Suns will return home on Thursday, Feb. 8, to face the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm.

Last weekend, the Golden Suns traveled to Weatherford, Oklahoma to play the number ten team—the Southwestern Oklahoma Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs came out on fire outscoring the Golden Suns 20-15 in the first quarter. The Golden Suns responded going down by five with a 15-2 run, taking the lead 32-26 the lead with 2:22 until halftime.

The Bulldogs would take the lead again, 3534, with 25 seconds left in the second quarter.

Kylie Ladd, from Ozark,

tied the game up with a free throw. Ladd scored seven points in this game.

The third quarter was close—it featured five ties and four lead changes. The Bulldogs hit a three-pointer with 1:06 left to play in the third.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs went on 7-1 run. Jacie Higgins, from Conway, hit two free throws to bring the Golden Suns within three, but the Bulldogs scored the final points of the contest to escape with a victory 74-62.

This loss snaps a seven game win streak for the Golden Suns.

Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field, but the Bulldogs netted 10 three-pointers, while Tech was limited to just three.

2018 GAC Women's Basketball Standings

Southwestern Oklahoma State

15-0

Arkansas Tech

12-3

Henderson State

11-4

Oklahoma Baptist

7-8

Ouachita

7-8

Southeastern Oklahoma State

7-8

Harding

6-9

East Central

6-9

Southern Arkansas

6-9

Northwestern Oklahoma State

5-10

Southern Nazarene

5-10

ArkansasMonticello

3-12

No.10 Bulldogs too much for Golden Suns NOAH DELASHAW

Sports Writer

The Golden Suns will host the Southern Nazarene Lady Crimson Storm at 5:30 p.m. tonight at Tucker Coliseum. Last weekend, the Golden Suns lost to the 10th ranked Southwestern Oklahoma Lady Bulldogs, 74-62.

The Golden Suns, 12-3 in Great American Conference play will be taking on the Lady Crimson Storm, 5-10 in GAC play. The Golden Suns remain second in the GAC behind the Lady Bulldogs, who have clinched a berth to the 2018 GAC Basketball Championship. The Lady Crimson Storm sits at 11th in the GAC after losing the last six of its games.

The Golden Suns took on their first nationally ranked team of the season. They took

THE ARKA TECH ARCHIVES

the loss 74-62 after battling it out well into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Bulldogs led at the end of the first quarter with a score of 20-15. After a 15-2 run from the Golden Suns and a trade of a few buckets,

they had the advantage with a 32-26-point lead with 2:22 left in the first half.

With 25 seconds left in the half, the Lady Bulldogs worked to take back the lead, which made it 35-34. A free-throw

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 facebook.com/arkatechnews/

@arkatechnews

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

CoEditor-in-Chiefs: AMBER APPLEBY AMBER QUAID Online Editor: BRUCE THOMAS Sports Photographer: RICCI LOGAN Editorial Cartoonist: EZEKIEL MASCUILLI Entertainment Writer: GABBI CALABRESE SportsWriter: NOAH DELSHAW Staff Writers: HANNAH BUTLER KIERRA HILDRETH DALE QUAID JORDAN CLARK Layout Editor: AMBER QUAID Comic Strip Artist: GEORGE CLARK Faculty Advisor: TOMMY MUMERT

from Kylie Ladd, from Ozark, tied it up going into halftime.

After many lead changes, the Lady Bulldogs bury a three with 1:06 left in the third quarter to make it 53-52.

The fourth quarter was

all the Lady Bulldogs as they opened the fourth quarter with a 7-1 run. The Golden Suns pulled back to within three after a pair of free-throws from Jacie Higgins, from Conway, but the Lady Bulldogs pulled away after scoring the last nine points of the game.

The Golden Suns shot for 40 percent from the field and hit only three 3-pointers all game. They were able to turn 13 offensive rebounds into 17 second chance points in the loss. Cheyenne North, from Gallatin, Tennesse, racked up 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks on the night. Jayana Sanders, from Pine Bluff, followed behind North with 12 points and Ladd adding seven more. Lyrik Williams, from Crystal, Minnesota, picked up a team high 13 rebounds in the game.

NFL From Page 1 pass from Foles, and in real time, it looks like an amazing catch. After the play, the refs go to review the play as they were not sure exactly if he had control of the ball.

After reviewing it and slowing it down according to previous calls made earlier in the season, many believed that they would change to saying that it was incomplete. To many people’s surprise, the call stood and they called it a catch.

Here is why there is controversy. Nobody can say exactly what a catch is. The call depends on each individual referee that sees the play. One ref can look at a catch and think that he had enough control of the ball, while another ref can look at the same play and think that he didn’t have full control of the ball. There is no official

statement of how much is enough for control. Without this level of accuracy, there will be problems.

The problem lies neither with the referees nor the players making the catch but the rule of what decides a catch. Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, came out earlier in the season and said that they plan to take a look into the rule of what a catch is. He said that they think there needs to be change and hopes that they can start from the bottom and work their way up. For me, the rule needs to be consistent. That is the biggest thing when it comes to sports and making the right call, you have to have consistency and with the rule in place it leaves a hole that time and time again has proven to be a problem.

Feature 5 arkatechnews.com

Radiating good vibes

HANNAH BUTLER AND AMBER QUAID/THE ARKA TECH Neal Harrington, professor of art, is as detailed in his words as he is in his artwork. Each of his pieces has a story to tell, much like the way Neal can effectively tell a story.

HANNAH BUTLER

Staff Writer

Radiating good vibes as he speaks, Neal Harrington, professor of art with a specialty in printmaking, shows his love for teaching and doing what he absolutely loves.

Neal was recently on sabbatical working on five extra works in his series, the “Bootlegger’s Ballad,” which is now on display at Norman Art Gallery. He is also the Gallery Director for Tech, which includes managing the budget, setting up and booking the artists. He is also the founding member of Arkansas Society of Printmakers, in which he and his wife support artists and printmakers around Arkansas.

Talking to Neal is easy, especially when it comes to his passions and where he draws inspiration from. Funnily enough, he gets ideas when he is in a busy state and cannot pursue any of the ideas that come to him.

He has a heart for teaching and helping students realize their capability and intelligence and putting that visually. He enjoys connecting with students over time and continues to keep up with them through social media.

As he describes his career plan, he

includes working at Tech as a professor until retirement. Neal considers it perfect that he and his wife are both able to absolutely do what they love within the same area. “It’s like seeing a leprechaun riding a unicorn on a flying saucer; it can be very rare.” Being able to create work while simultaneously being able to teach others how to create work is very rewarding for Neal. He sees creating art as a need, not a want.

Neal is as detailed in his words as he is in his artwork. Each of his pieces has a story to tell, much like the way Neal can effectively tell a story. He says of his history with art that he “never lost interest, in fact, I think I kept my interest because I wasn’t real great at drawing when I was a kid. I was okay, but I knew people that were amazing, and those people I know that were amazing don’t draw anything anymore, maybe because it was too easy. I had to work at it, and it’s just my passion.” For him, to keep going is what drives him to aspire to be a professor for so long.

Out of all the awards Harrington has won for his work, he is honored to receive two Delta awards, in the 57th and 55th exhibition, which is a prestigious award within the state. Recently, he won the Boston Printmakers award

Entries are now being accepted for the

2018 MISS TECH SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANT An official preliminary to the Miss America Pageant

FEBRUARY 16, 2018 Miss Tech 2018 will receive: Two semesters tuition scholarship to Arkansas Tech and more than $2000 in gift certificates from area businesses.

Entry forms are available at missarkansas.org

For more information, contact Dr. Jim Collins in Williamson 119 or call 479-970-1066.

Proudly sponsored by the Ladies of Delta Zeta

where only a few out of thousands fifty works in the book, for people to that enter receive the award. Despite just look through. Right now, the series these high honors has seventeen pieces, within the art scene, so the final product Harrington remains will take time. Howhumble, “I think any ever, Neal is positive, award is worth being “I’m at the age where proud of. I’ve been I don’t get scared.” fortunate to receive a Yet he encourages few awards.” students that want to Although, accordmake art but are deing to his’s website, bating whether or not it racks up more it is a promising field, than a few. It is clear that they have to love that after all of these it and be able to take awards, Neal is apcriticism for what it preciative about every is. single award received.

As a human being AMBER QUAID and as an artist, Neal “I always think it’s /THE ARKA TECH and his art are not too funny though that I’m in my forties, and "St. George and the Dragon" different. He is a proI still enter a show fessor that students and I might get a ribbon, but it’s the would want to have class with. He can intention of the ribbon.” He also gets tell the truth without being harsh about the chance to create art for musicians it and seems to relate well with anyone. and charities as well. Although, not ev- As an artist, his work is special because ery piece of his art is solely freelance. it tells a story. Each of his works are Currently, Neal sells his prints with M2 so extremely detailed that you would Gallery in Little Rock. want to stand for a minute and take Neal would like to create a book of it in, rather than stride through it. His every piece of the “Bootleggers Bal- work and information can be found at lad.” His goal is to have at least forty or his website, nealkharrington.com

All Majors & Internships FEB. 20 Young Ballroom 1-4PM

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Education Fair

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

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BRUCE THOMAS/THE ARKA TECH

Mackey’s food truck does not disappoint Hushpuppies, stars of the show AMBER APPLEBY

Editor-in-chief

I’ve been to Mackey’s food truck a few times.

When I used to be a barista at Hastings, Mrs. Mackey would come by to get coffee, and I decided to swing through one day after work. I’ve been a regular ever since. So when Bruce and I decided to do the food review together this time, we knew we wanted to go to Mackey’s because we hadn’t been in months.

It still doesn’t disappoint.

Mackey’s food truck is located in the parking lot of an auto garage on East Main Street; they also have a food truck in a shopping center parking lot on West Main, but we always go to the East Main location— it’s the OG, after all.

Normally, when I go to Mackey’s, I get catfish.

It feels like a given since the name is literally Mackey’s Catfish, but that day I was feeling chicken. I ordered the chicken and chips because I wanted to avoid coleslaw. Nothing personal. I just really dislike coleslaw. The chicken and chips comes with nug-

get-sized chicken, hushpuppies and French fries.

I also got some fried pickle chips because I consider myself a fried pickle connoisseur.

I started with hushpuppies because their hushpuppies are the best.

I haven’t ever loved hushpuppies. They’ve always been dry and mealy to me.

But Mackey’s hushpuppies, which are made with corn and onions, crumble nicely in your mouth without making you feel like you’re choking. The hushpuppies I usually experience are either too soft or super burnt. Mackey’s have a nice crunch without being burnt.

I moved on to the fries after that. Their fries are really just fries. They aren’t shoestring or steak fries; they’re somewhere in between super fat and super thin. They’re yummy, but they aren’t just outstanding, and they certainly aren’t the “star” of the dish—that’s the hushpuppies.

The chicken is a close second. I don’t like chicken strips because they’re too big, so I love that Mack-

Online Writer

Mackey’s Catfish is, well, are, food trucks, that are located on both sides of Russellville. There is a truck on East Main Street and another on West Main Street. Being a food truck, there was very little atmosphere to the environment, besides what nature had given us that day.

The staff of Mackey’s was super nice, and had the food prepared incredibly quickly.

I ordered the Fish Platter. This comes with fried catfish, fries, a cup of coleslaw and hushpuppies.

It also came with tartar sauce and ketchup.

The catfish was fried beautifully, leaving just enough crispy bits for it to be crunchy, but leaving the catfish juicy and delicious. The fries were good. They were sig-

‘American Gods’ has unforseen twists

AMBER APPLEBY

Editor-in-chief

AMBER APPLEBY/THE ARKA TECH The chicken and chips comes with nugget-sized chicken, hushpuppies and French fries. ey’s makes nuggets; they might be closer to popcorn chicken sized. The chicken is crispy and wonderful on the outside and perfectly moist on the inside. On some fried chicken, you can taste the grease, but you can’t on Mackey’s, which I adore. They also come with some dipping sauce, most of which are house made. I picked the honey mustard, and it was wonderful. Most honey mustard is either too sweet or too mustard-y. But this

sauce achieved a great balance and paired perfectly with the chicken.

Normally, I love fried pickles, and maybe I just overdid it on the fried that day (did I say maybe?

I meant totally), but the fried pickles just didn’t live up to my expectations.

They had too much breading and weren’t crispy enough. Plus, I could taste the grease in the breading, which I do not adore.

The pickle chips were $4, and the chicken and

9

/10

chips, which came with the hushpuppies, fries, chicken and sauce, was $10.

So overall, I paid $14 for the meal, which is slightly high, but the portions were huge. There were at least 15 chicken nuggets, four or five hushpuppies and good two handfuls of French fries.

I will definitely go back to Mackey’s, but fair warning, they do not accept credit cards—cash or check only. So hit up the ATM before you go.

Crispy catfish creates copacetic chunks of crunch BRUCE THOMAS

AMAZON.COM

nificantly better than anything you could find at a fast food restaurant.

I did not particularly care for the coleslaw. I thought that it was very runny. However, I do not generally care for coleslaw to begin with, so my review of the coleslaw may be slightly, or very, one-sided.

The thing I really want to rave about are the hush puppies. They were, without a doubt the best part of the meal. I would honestly go back just to order the hushpuppies. They were soft, moist and so delicious, that I couldn’t help but immediately devour them.

My meal came out to $12 plus tax. So about $13 total.

While everything was good, minus the coleslaw, in my opinion, the real reason to come to Mackey’s is, without a doubt, the hush puppies. I would definitely recommend everyone try Mackey’s at least one.

AMBER APPLEBY/THE ARKA TECH The catfish was fried beautifully, leaving just enough crispy bits for it to be crunchy, but leaving the catfish juicy and delicious. The fries were good.

9

/10

I only became aware of Neil Gaiman about a year ago because a fellow graduate assistant used an excerpt from one of his books on a handout she gave out to her students.

The excerpt was wonderful, but I didn’t think too much about it.

Until my friend started talking about “American Gods.” She talked about how wonderful it was and mentioned that she was starting the show on STARZ. If you’ve read my book reviews at all before, you know how I am about reading something before watching it, so I picked up the book.

And—spoiler alert—I really enjoyed it.

The protagonist in “American Gods” is named Shadow; at least, that’s what we know him by. Shadow is about to get out of jail, and he is extremely excited to see his wife. Then he’s released a few days early because his wife is killed in a car accident.

With no idea about what to do or really where to go, Shadow boards a flight home. And runs into a man who calls himself Wednesday. Wednesday offers him a job as a bodyguard. At first, Shadow refuses and gets off the plane at the next stop and heads to a bar.

Shadow gets a little freaked out when he heads to the bathroom and Wednesday is using the urinal next to him.

Through a twisted chain of events, Shadow ends up taking Wednesday offers, and then the fun begins.

Wednesday is gathering the old gods, like Kali and Bast, to help him fight the new gods, like Media and Technology. With people forget-

(GODS page 7)

'Finesse' brings back American culture classic hip hop JORDAN CLARK

Contributing Writer

This week’s music artist is Bruno Mars, an awe inspiring artist well known for plenty of hits such as: “Just the Way You Are,” “Locked Out of Heaven” and “That’s What I Like.”

However, Mars actually got his name in the music industry as a songwriter. In 2010, he became an artist with his song “Nothin’ on You” featuring B.O.B. Opening with a piano that plays a rhythmic tune, the song is about how Mars could get with any girl on the planet; however, they have nothing on the one he has now. He has a way with words that boys should be welcome to play out. Moreover, Mars does more than songs about girls and love; the artist also does songs that are simply fun to listeners. One of them being “The Lazy Song;” just as it implies, the song is about doing absolutely nothing.

Likewise, the artist’s songs do not always follow the good parts in life. Mars is also known for songs that will bring tears from any pair of eyes, such as “When I was Your Man,” which follows a man going through his memories. Mars is well known for putting a twist in his music nowadays, using tunes that were popular about a decade or two ago; however, he still shows off his talent to make music that anyone can dance to.

Mars’s latest song, “Finesse,” brings back American culture classic hip hop featuring the one and only Cardi B. The song is a couple coming together on the dance floor and doing it amazingly as Mars details in his lyrics. Bruno Mars is currently 32 and has won plenty of awards, such as the 2017 American Music Award for Artist of the Year and 2011 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Mars’s music has surely evolved throughout the years and keeps his fans wondering what he is going to do next.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

DEADENDHIPHOP.COM

Entertainment 7 arkatechnews.com

Disenchanted with 'La La Land' GABBI CALABRESE

Staff Writer

When Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” was first released in 2016, it seemed as if there was positive buzz surrounding it on all sides. I was mad at myself for waiting this long to watch it, because it sounded like exactly the kind of movie I would give my heart to. Unfortunately, I probably could have waited another year or ten to watch it and not be missing much.

This musical romance follows a struggling actress and a bitter pianist as they fall in love and try to figure out what they are doing with their lives. “La La Land” is a nod to Old Hollywood and smooth jazz in the twenty-first century, which others may have found charming but did not sit well with me. The

WWW.LALALAND.MOVIE

tone and the time period did not seem cohesive to me. Maybe it’s because I feel no particular connection to jazz or classic Hollywood, but the nostalgia the movie seemed to be reaching for never quite hit its mark where I’m concerned. Instead,

ting about the old gods, they are on the verge of extinction.

“American Gods” follows Wednesday and Shadow as they recruit the old gods and the war begins.

I was a little disappointed in myself for not figuring out the twist and who some of the characters were, but I guess that makes the book more interesting. I was just way too wrapped up in the story to focus on trying to figure out any twists.

in “La La Land,” half of the numbers didn’t seem to have a good transition and weren’t entirely interesting. They were well done in terms of the vocals and the music itself, but they were simple and I found myself very disengaged anytime the

BOOTLEGGERS From Page 1 Gaiman’s writing puts me in the mind of Stephen King or Richard Kadrey (who if you haven’t checked out, you totally should). He’s crass and a little vulgar at times, but he has an ability to set a scene so that his readers really feel like they’re there.

Overall, if you’re into fantasy or Stephen King, you would really enjoy “American Gods,” and don’t try to figure out the twist—it makes it better.

SIMPLY CASUAL

said Neal Harrington, director of the Norman Art Gallery. “We’re talking about experience here, we’re not just teaching, we’re doing it.”

The Bootlegger’s Ballad is the story of Harrington’s love of culture and a by-product of his sabbatical from Tech for the fall of 2017. This collection contains 17 wood printmaking pieces, three ink wash pieces and two ink wash folded paper books.

The ink wash pieces were inspired by an artist retreat where Harrington spent seven days learn-

ing from other artists. The retreat was during his sabbatical in which he “found his groove” and created seven of the wood printmaking pieces in the series.

This series as a whole is about Harrington’s love of mythology and southern culture. In this series ,you will find mermaids recused by cowboys and a guitar player dragging an alligator for eating his guitar, among other “fantastical things.”

“I’ve always been interested in mythology and southern culture and how all that comes together;

just a mythical series that explores the fantastical side of the southern culture,” said Harrington. “The first piece in this series is called Snake Shaker Shack. I had a huge response from that work, sold them all, won a couple of awards.

It really established my career with that one piece. I really hit my stride in 2013 with that piece.”

This series opened Jan. 8 and will run until Feb. 23. The next exhibit will be “Small Works on Paper,” which runs March 5 through 16 (opening reception at 2:30 p.m. on March 7).

GEORGE CLARK/THE ARKA TECH

ANSWERS from Feb.1

GODS From Page 6

I felt almost jerked around as the movie flip-flopped from the modern day to a thirties vibe.

I also felt the musical numbers, overall, to be jarring. I adore musicals and I am completely on board with the singing-out-of-nowhere trope, but

characters began to sing.

Now, the characters themselves were fairly well-developed and interesting. I was certainly hoping for their success as I watched. However, I wouldn’t describe them as especially memorable or unique. In fact, my biggest critique of this entire film is that it seems to be lacking the thing that makes it different and memorable. Maybe the musical numbers are supposed to serve that purpose, but I didn’t feel it. The story, the characters and even the romance—it was all stale and done many a times before. Admittedly, though, I am fond of the ending.

While I am sure many people disagree with me (proven by the number of awards this film won), “La La Land” had some ups and downs but was mostly bland for me. I do not necessarily regret watching it, but I’m not exactly glad I watched it either.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

8 Feature arkatechnews.com

2018 GAC Men's Basketball Standings Southern Nazarene

15-0

Northwestern Oklahoma State

10-5

Southeastern Oklahoma State

10-5

East Central

9-6

Arkansas Tech

8-7

ArkansasMonticello

8-7

Southern Arkansas

7-8

Ouachita

7-8

Henderson State

6-9

Oklahoma Baptist

6-9

Harding

3-12

Southwestern Oklahoma State

1-14

Defense gets the Wonder Boys a win RICCI LOGAN

Staff Writer

The Wonder Boys will be back to Tucker Coliseum to play Southern Nazarene Thursday, Feb. 8, at 7:30.

This past weekend the Wonder Boys battled the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs.

Montrell Williams, from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, set the tempo early, scoring on a fast break 13 seconds into the game. Williams scored 14 points in the game.

The first half featured three ties and five lead changes. Leonardo Edwards, from Detroit, hit a jumper with 5:17 left to play in the first to give the Wonder Boys the lead 39-35.

The Wonder Boys bench outscored the Bulldogs bench 10-2 in the first period. The Wonder Boys also held a 12-3 advantage on points off turnovers.

In the second half, the Wonder Boys held a lead of at least eight points throughout the final 20 minutes of play.

The Wonder Boys’ largest lead of 19 points came on three separate occasions.

Tech was outscored 41-40 in the second half, but the Wonder Boys held the Bulldogs to shoot just 38.2 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from behind the arc.

RJ Glasper, from Forrest City, led the charge with 30 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in their 90-81 win.

RICCI LOGAN/THE ARKA TECH Jerami Grace, from Dallas, Texas, goes for a layup.

ATU starts slow, finishes strong in Airhog Classic

NOAH DELASHAW

Sports Writer

The Wonder Boys will host the Missouri Western Griffons Friday at 6 p.m. here at Tech field.

The Wonder Boys come off of a four-game weekend where they played in the Division II Airhog Classic in Grand Prairie, Texas.

They lost the first game of the Classic to the Angelo State Rams but picked up three wins to finish out the tournament against the Central Oklahoma Broncos, the Emporia State Hornets and the Washburn Ichabods.

The Wonder Boys, 3-1 in overall play will take on the Griffons, 2-1 in overall play.

In the season opener, the Wonder Boys dropped their first game to the Rams, 6-2. Zack Kesterson, from New Hartford, New York, pitched for five innings allowing six runs and striking out four. He was relieved in the sixth inning by Jake Mattox, from Par-

THE ARKA TECH ARCHIVES

sons, Kansas, who pitched for the final four innings allowing no runs and striking out three. Riley Hickerson, from Cooter, Missouri, batted in the first run for the Wonder Boys. This gave him his first RBI-single as a Wonder Boy. They finished with six hits by the end of the game

The first win of the season came against the Broncos, with a 7-5 rally to pull out the win. Michael Mueller, from Mississauga, Ontario, pitched for the first five innings, allowing four runs and striking out nine. Jared Droll, from Bixby, Oklahoma, relieved Mueller in the sixth and pitched

two innings without a score and had one strike out. Dylan McDearmon, from Greenbrier, led the team with hits. He was 3-4 with two doubles and two RBIs in the game. Hickerson finished with two hits.

The Wonder Boys managed to take their momentum into the

third game against the Hornets beating them 13-7. Cody Wescott, from Phoenix, Arizona, had two home runs and also tacked on five RBIs in the win. Degan Harte, Phoenix, Arizona, had his first start and pitched for six innings allowing six runs and struck out eight. The Wonder Boys finished the game with four steals on five attempts.

In the last game of the weekend, the Wonder Boys pulled out another win against the Ichabods to finish the weekend 3-1. Hayes Cox, from Fayetteville, pitched for six innings in his first start, only allowing one run. Jake Harvey, from Overland Park, Kansas, was 2-3 with three RBIs. He also had a go-ahead single that led to two runs in the top of the seventh. Hickerson increased the lead to 4-1 with his first triple of the season. Nolan Withrow, from McKinney, Texas, pitched the final inning, striking out two of the last three batters.

This week in sports Thursday February 8, 2018 WBB vs Southern Nazarene 5:30 p.m.

Saturday February 10, 2018 Baseball vs Missouri Western 4 p.m.

Saturday February 10, 2018 MBB vs Oklahoma Baptist 3 p.m.

Thursday February 8, 2018 MBB vs Southern Nazarene 7:30 p.m.

Saturday February 10, 2018 Softball vs Northwest Missouri 10 a.m.

Sunday February 11, 2018 Baseball vs Missouri Western 12 p.m.

Friday February 9, 2018 Baseball vs Missouri Western 6 p.m.

Saturday February 10, 2018 Softball vs Emporia State 12 p.m.

Sunday February 11, 2018 Softball vs Central Missouri 10 a.m.

Saturday February 10, 2018 Baseball vs Missouri Western 1 p.m.

Saturday February 10, 2018 WBB vs Oklahoma Baptist 1 p.m.

Sunday February 11, 2018 Softball vs Missouri Western 12 p.m.

VOLUNTEER

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WRITERS

Player of the week • Cheyenne North, Senior from Gallatin, Tennesse • North recorded 16 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists • She also picked up six blocks on the defensive end to give her a season high for blocks Cheyenne

North THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018