ARKA
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1923
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Opinion- constant cell phone usage. PAGE 2
THURSDAY,
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2018
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VOL.
Study Abroad: Nearing end, it is not all coming up roses Gabbi Calabrese Foreign Correspondent
A lot of people that I talk to in the U.S. seem to think that Europe is a magical place where problems go to die. That sentiment is very far from being true. Austria is just a country, where stress and bad days exist just as plentifully as they do anywhere else. With that said, I’d like to talk about the word “lucky” and how—excuse me if I sound a tad bitter here—I am apparently not allowed to have troubles because I am so “lucky” to be studying abroad. Don’t get me wrong; I know I am incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to be gallivanting around Europe. While life most certainly isn’t perfect—in fact, it’s quite challenging—I am so grateful to be in Graz, learning and experiencing more than I ever could have expected. However, to brush off my situa-
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Anthem protest and the righteous NFL Noah Delshaw Sports Writer
OPINION COLUMN
A handful of tulips from Amsterdam's lovely flower market. tion as “lucky” is downright offensive for many reasons. Yes, I have a lot of privilege and I’ve been given a lot of help throughout my life that allowed me to make it to Austria this semester, but there are a few other factors that made it possible, too: hard work, sacrifice and courage. I’m not saying any of this to toot my
own horn. In fact, I want everyone with an interest in studying abroad to realize that having the chance isn’t a product of luck. It’s not something that’s just going to happen to you. It’s an opportunity you can earn. It’s also a major adjustment that you have to be committed to. It’s time for hones-
The last dance
HANNAH COSTER
stressed about money a lot since arriving and I’ve tried to be smart with my purchases (though I am not always successful. Oops!). Living in Europe is expensive, especially if you actually want to go out and experience life and culture and other parts of the world. I also
In August of 2016, I did not think that Colin Kaepernick would still be talked about today in 2018, about the kneeling situation and what goes with that. Here we are April 2018, a few months short of two years later, and Colin Kaepernick is still looking for an NFL team while none will pick him up because he remains adamant in his position of kneeling during the National Anthem. Over this time, different protests have come about, and our president has said not too nice things to NFL players and owners. The
(ABROAD page 4)
(NFL page 8)
GABBI CALABRESE/THE ARKA TECH
ty hour. I come from a low-income family and received very little financial assistance from my family for this trip. Instead, I saved money, applied for scholarships and took out loans to help cover costs. In the sprit of complete candor, I have to admit that I am still in an economically precarious position. I’ve
Off-campus vandalism impacts on-campus life
Contributing Writer
ATU Dance Company is planning a new performance for Arkansas Tech students and Russellville residents. The performance will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 20 and 21, from 6-8 p.m. and from 7-9 p.m., respectively. Admission will be $1. The performance will feature a guest performance by Royal Diamonds Dance Company, led by ATU Dance Company’s co-founder, Alexandreia Nelson, a rehabilitation science major from Ashdown. The theme of this year’s performance, called Passion for the Stage, will be “sex appeal,” said co-founder, Jerry “Jay” Anderson, a psychology and speech communication major from Little Rock. “We will be displaying more choreography that is very sassy, very sexy, very classy,” Anderson
(DANCE page 3)
AMBER QUAID/THE ARKA TECH A view of the Techionery Theater during a performance in 2017.
One-act plays take over the Tech stage ASHLIN TRAHAN
Contributing Writer
Eight students in the Advanced Directing class, taught by Ardith Morris, have put together a selection of short plays, entitled Kaleidoscope, to be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 19 and Friday, April 20. Tickets are $5 and will be sold at Techionery Theater across from BazTech. There will be six oneact plays performed, each having their own director, with the exception of one play having three directors. The directors include: Holly Willmon, Alexa Carrington, Katie
Potts, Nathan Yzaguirre, Summer Dantzler, Taylor Paulk, Glen Poole, and Maegan Anderson. David Eshelman, director of the theatre program, said, that it gives the class a chance to direct a play on the regular stage. “The one-acts are very student focused,” said Eshelman. “It allows us to see what the next generation of theatre artists have on their minds.” For the auditions, directors spread out in different parts of the theater with a sample script for each person who wanted to try out. After two days
SUBMITTED
A Tech student had their car vandalized off campus but had to drive it on campus to figure out how to get the markings off of their car. TIFFINI JARVIS
(STAGE page 7)
Off-campus vandalism victimizing international students Arkansas Tech’s Student Government Association released a statement Monday regarding off-campus vandalism issues involving international students. SGA released a statement via Twitter in efforts to show
support to international students who have been the subject of several car vandalisms at apartment complexes across Russellville. “Some of the students in our international community, that live off-campus, have recently been seeing their cars get tagged with spray paint and other forms of vandalism,” said Matthew Smith, SGA president and agriculture business ma-
2016 to fall 2017. Abdelrahman was co-chair of the ATU campus master plan process, and he oversaw the development of the ATU Interdisciplinary Research Center. “We thank Dr. Abdelrahman for his efforts on behalf of our
students and our faculty, and we wish him the best in the future,” said Dr. Robin E. Bowen, ATU president. Dr. Phillip Bridgmon, associate vice president for academic affairs at ATU, will fulfill the duties of chief academic officer at Arkansas Tech
during the interim period. Bridgmon has been employed as associate vice president at ATU since Oct. 2, 2017. He was previously dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla., from 2012-17.
Contributing Writer
jor from Hermitage. According to the organization’s statement, “We oppose hate crimes regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability. We plan to continue looking into various ways to make sure you are supported by your fellow students by working with the Department of
(SGA page 3)
VP Abdelrahman accepts position at CSU-Pueblo SAM STRASNER
MARCOMM
Colorado State University-Pueblo has announced the hiring of Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman, vice president for academic affairs at Arkansas Tech University since 2016, as its provost and
executive vice president. Over the span of Abdelrahman’s tenure at ATU, the institution implemented eight new bachelor’s degrees and a Master of Business Administration degree while increasing its student retention rate by 2.73 percent from fall
Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman