Arkansas 1 10 proof2

January 16, 2014 | Volume 3, Issue 14 | Fayetteville, AR

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NEW RESOLUTIONS? page 2

THIS IS HOME? page 4 THE MRS EFFECT page 7 HOW TO DO VEGAS RIGHT page 10

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editor’s note

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NEW RESOLUTIONS? Another year has begun and another chance to make and break a New Years resolution.

Hopefully, this year, you learned from past years and made a small or reasonable resolution. But by the time you are reading this, you have already given up on that pipe dream of learning a new language or running every day. It not that you are a bad person or cannot follow through on your goals. Mostly, it comes down science and statistics. Here are a few MCCREADY statistics, from a 2013 Pi Kappa Alpha study by the investment Editor-in-Chief firm, Betterment.com: Ryan is a senior studying international business. You may 45 percent of Americans contact him at decide to make New rmccread@uark.edu.

Years resolutions. Eight percent are successful.

25 percent do not make it past the first week. Mull theses over while you contemplate how many times you have used that new gym membership.

RYAN

As you can see a stagering number of people do not achive their resolutions, so don’t feel bad. According to Policymic.com, some of the most common resolutions include: eat healthy or exercise; drink less; read more; volunteer and get organized.

Most of these lofty goals that people make are made because they are vague and not quantitative. When people say more or less, they are not setting a measurable goal and it

gets in the way of achieving it. A better way to achieve a goal would be to say, “I would like to exercise one more day a week,” or “read 10 books this year.” Daily or weekly goals are the easiest way to put a big goal in perspective and keep it attainable. Accountability to a partner or a schedule will also help.

Overestimating our time and ability is another reason that resolutions get tossed by the wayside. We also overestimate our willpower after a long day of classes or work. That is the reason why most of the people whom I know have broken their resolutions so easily.

Finally, the main reason we break our resolutions is that accomplishing them in future looks so much easier when looking at it from the present. My behavioral economics teacher, Salar Jahedi, said this is because there are usually two kinds of people when looking at self-control: naïve and sophisticated. Naïve people are not aware of their procrastination or putting tasks off until tomorrow. They will continue to do it until the cost of doing it outweighs the supposed benefits. This is the most common when it comes to reading, getting organized or working out. The sophisticated people know that they have selfcontrol problems and will attempt to get to the gym, eat healthy food or get organized as soon as possible. This sounds a lot better, but there is a major flaw with this mindset when looking at resolutions. When people are aware of their self control problems, they may just say screw it and drop it as soon as they can because they know they will end up breaking it.

Hopefully, I didn’t lose you in that last paragraph, but I don’t get to geek out about economics very often.The main reason I included that was to get people thinking about who they are and how that affects the goals or resolutions they set. After I realized what kind of person I was, regarding self control, it was a lot easier to set and keep my goals.

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travel & adventure

PREPARING TO STUDY ABROAD Studying abroad as a student of the University of Arkansas is easier than it seems. It only took me a few steps and some dedication to fulfill my dream of living in Italy.

The first and most important step is to build a relationship with the Office of Study Abroad at the U of A. It’s located on Maple Street next to the Alpha Omicron Pi house. The entire staff is knowledgeable and eager to help.

Kappa Delta If your field of study isn’t L a c y i s a s o p h o m o r e a big issue, then the desired studying journalism and designation is where to start art. You may contact her at planning. I already knew Lmgraham@uark.edu.

I wanted to go to Europe because I’ve never been to that side of the world. I chose Italy because I’m part Italian, so I feel like I already have a connection to the country. It was tough to decide from all the beautiful places there to study, but I chose Florence because it’s known as a center for the arts.

The Office of Study Abroad can help you decide where exactly you want to study. They have tons of in-depth information about most of the places and schools to choose from. I also recommend looking online. Our university obviously doesn’t have information about every program out there, and this allows you to make sure that you find one that offers exactly what you want. I found a few I really liked by looking online, then narrowed them down with the help of my study abroad advisor.

The generic websites I found helpful are studyabroad.uark.edu and studyabroad.com.

Once you decide a country, the search gets easier.

LACY GRAHAM

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It also helps to know what you want to focus on studying or if you even have a main subject to study. I decided I wanted to focus on art.

My main reason for studying abroad is to strengthen my photography skills and more specifically strengthen my skills as a photojournalist. I hope to be able to travel the world and tell stories with my photos some day. As the photographer for the Odyssey, I’ve been able to practice capturing people in their element-- sort of like documenting a completely raw split second.

After you’ve finally picked a program that is absolutely perfect for you (yes, there is one), then the rest of the process is all downhill. Little details are different for every program, but be prepared for a decent amount of paperwork regardless. All classes must be approved by the head of department for the class in order for the credit to transfer back. If you’re going for a semester or more, you have to apply for a visa.

There’s lots of small tedious tasks to accomplish once you’ve been accepted, but the worst is over at this point.

Scholarships are another aspect to think about. While most scholarships that U of A students already have will transfer, there’s even more for students studying abroad to apply for. The people in the Office of Study Abroad can help with this.

Once all of these things are out of the way, it’s going to be almost time to actually begin the adventure. This is where I am now.

The most important thing I’m doing to prepare is making sure to spend a lot of quality time with family and friends. Something fun I thought of doing is bringing a disposable camera with me everywhere I go. I’m planning on getting it developed it right before I leave. This way, I’ll have hard copies of the people and things I care about most.

Although I’ll miss home, I know this is an opportunity that should not be passed up.

Considering the scholarships possible and the helpfulness of the Office of Study abroad, I decided I could not pass up this adventure of a lifetime.

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travel & adventure

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THIS IS HOME?

This past June, my parents moved for the tenth time in my life. They are now 1,059 miles away from the place I consider my childhood home – Little Rock, Ark. Now, when I go “home,” I fly to New Jersey, to a city about 30 minutes from New York City. Some of you may think it is awesome that I am so close to “the City,” and, yes, it totally is, but there are some downsides.

I am 1,059 miles away from any of my high school friends, jobs and the life I grew up in. I am completely dependent on my parents for things like the nearest/ best pizza place, the closest movie theater with cheap popcorn, money and – once my brother went back to school – pretty much all human connection. Those Pi Beta Phi Katie is a sophomore studying three weeks were a bit of a creative writing. You may contact roller coaster.

KATIE KORTEBEIN

her at dpenn@uo.edu.

Obviously, I love my family, but it can be a strain on the relationships you have with them when you are as dependent as I had to be over the break. If I had been in Little Rock, I would have been able to hang out with people I knew, even if they were friends I hadn’t talked to since we graduated. At least I would be talking to people my own age. Over break, the only other people I spent time with were friends of my parents. There’s a little bit of a generation gap between the over 45s and our age group, in case some of you haven’t noticed.

Had I been home, I could have been babysitting for all the families I used to sit for and stepped in at the veterinary clinic where I worked. In New Jersey, I was reduced to typing up all my mom’s friends’ and families’ addresses for twenty bucks. It was slightly degrading.

Worst of all, my parents both work and constantly need their cars, so if I ever wanted to go anywhere I had to wait to be driven by one of them and be carted around on various errands.

Basically, when I go home, all my newfound and much loved college independence is stripped away and I’m reduced to a bored and friendless 15 year-old. Needless to say, Netflix and I became a lot closer these last three weeks.

We take the independence we have at school for granted a lot more than most of us probably realize. Yes, I would have loved to be out on Dickson countless times over the break and I spent New Year’s eve with my brother who doesn’t drink, but it’s not just about going out or drinking. I honestly couldn’t wait for school to start just so I could go back to work and start earning money again. Not to mention, how much I missed the pointless drives where I blast my music and sing at the top of my lungs.

It got me thinking about what will come after graduation. My dream is to work in New York, but I know how expensive it will be to live around that area. At this point, I don’t have a job lined up and my parents are already planning on me coming back and living with them until I find one and save up some money for rent. Of course, I’m lucky they live so close and I could commute from their house, but I would lose a lot of things I am used to by living without them.

We are pretty lucky, generally speaking. We are getting a college education an, perhaps, not a lot of our parents could say the same. A lot of us may come from parents who worked really hard and made something of themselves and now have taken care of us so we don’t have to worry about a lot. However, it’s coming

to the point where they’re going to push us out of the nest and expect us to fend for ourselves, like they did at our age or earlier.

I may think I know what’s coming, but let’s be honest, we’re all pretty clueless.

This is where this precious independence comes into play. This is the point where we, hopefully, recognize what we have and how much we don’t want to lose it, especially those of us who are graduating soon. The thought of having to live with my parents, for any amount of time, after four years of mostly being on my own seems like some major steps back. This has made me realize how important it is to work hard, now, so I can continue the independent lifestyle I love. I think this is one of the more important lessons college can teach us. I intend to learn from it.

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philanthropy & service

RECAP OF LIGHTS ALL NIGHT This year, Lights All Night was held at the Dallas Convention Center on Dec. 27 and 28 and housed over 43,000 rave-goers total. The lineup included top DJs, such as Fedde Le Grand, Kaskade, heRobust, Grizmatik, Dirtyphonics and Above & Beyond.

Kappa Delta Although all the artists Lauren is a sophomore studying did a great job on their set, Journalism-Advertising & Public Major Lazer and Deadmau5 Relations. You may contact her at Lnharps@uark.edu. did the best job. Major Lazer not only had two dancers, but also allowed a few girls to get on stage to dance. Diplo also crowd ‘ran’ in a ball, not to mention the set was amazing. Deadmau5 had a great light show and the crowd was just as involved as the crowd was for Major Lazer.

LAUREN HARPS

The 43,000 in attendance sported many outfits, costumes and bright colors. People dressed in everything from suits to swimsuits and many dressed in neon and LED lit-up clothes.

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debate & discuss

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DISSENT IN AN AGE OF INSANITY

When writing this piece, I couldn’t put my finger on what I wanted to write about. Girly things, like getting the perfect spring break body or getting my “MRS” degree? What to do after graduation, and if I even want to go to graduate school? How college football is its own religion in the South? How naive our country is regarding its current political situation? Or the inevitable Phil Robertson conversation?

Then I realized that no matter what I chose to write about, it will never be accepted by everyone. There is always going to be one person who will disagree with you and tell you that you are wrong.

But that’s the beauty of our country -- there are going to be people that will challenge your mind and get you to Alpha Omicron Pi Taryn is a senior studying think differently. communication disorders.

You may contact her at How lucky are we that we tpegram@email.uark.edu. get to live in a country where we are allowed to speak our minds and have our own opinions? How incredible is it that we are not forced to believe in anything that we do not want to? How horrible would it be, if you were not even allowed to say what was on your mind, because if you did, you would be persecuted for it? To me, that sounds dreadful. More often than not, I feel that we take our First Amendment for granted. I know I do on a daily basis.

TARYN PEGRAM

Recently I was reading a family member’s Facebook post that absolutely enraged me, where I swear that steam was blowing out of my ears. But my father reminded me in a conversation later that evening, that it is her right to say whatever she wants, in whatever mode she chooses to do so. In that moment, I really began to think. I was thinking about how intolerant people have become of others views and opinions. Simple Facebook posts or tweets, can sometimes break into full-fledged arguments. Or a minute comment can be the reason for two people to never talk again. Is it really all worth it?

Here is where we all get it wrong: instead of being tolerant of others views and simply listening to what they have to say, we brush it off and tell them they are wrong. We refuse to listen to other people when we don’t agree.

LISTEN. HEAR OTHER PEOPLE OUT. RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE, AND THEIR VIEWS. Allow these differences in opinions be the fuel for you to become more knowledgeable about your beliefs. If you only know “your side” of the debate, then you are not knowledgeable at all. Take the time to listen to others and get to know the reasons for them having a certain opinion on Phil Robertson, gun laws, abortion, civil rights or whether the sky is blue or green-- because I guarantee if you give them the respect on their opinions, they will return the favor. Knowing both sides to the issue at hand, is only going to make you a more well rounded individual, more reputable, and more knowledgeable.

What makes me so qualified? Honestly, I could not tell you. But what I can tell you is that I could definitely be more mindful of others opinions, and I think everyone should be.

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debate & discuss

THE MRS EFFECT Growing up, I always knew what I wanted to do. I always imagined a future for myself, and never was that future defined by a husband or his dreams. In fact, my parents always “joke” and say, “College or a wedding.” Then the first week of college came, and I heard a term that I had never heard before. Soon “Mrs. Degree” became a term overly used in my and my friends’ vocabulary.

Kappa Delta Jokingly we discussed Megan is a freshman studying english & journalism. girls coming to the U of You may contact her at A just for a Mrs. Degree, map014@uark.edu. and then ultimately we started thinking about our lives. Are we behind schedule in the husband department? Then we started to imagine the reality that any boy that we meet could possibly be “the one”.

MEGAN

PEARSON-HARGUS

A “MRS Degree” means “Marriage as a result of attending a 4-year university with the soul purpose of getting married and consequently not completing college,” according to Urban Dictionary. So girls actually go to college with only the idea of getting a husband in mind? I thought you went to college to get a job to be able to support yourself. If I had a dollar for every time I read a tweet during finals week that said, “I hope my future husband is doing well on his exams,” I would have enough money to pay for my and my future husband’s tuition. Speaking of future husbands, there’s even a twitter account devoted to every girl’s ideal beau. @ToMyFutureHus is an account owned by “Two simple ladies sending messages to their future husbands while trying to give hope to girls.” It has 179,371 followers hanging on with desperation to every tweet. Thank goodness this count even exists.

I know I’m only 18, but I was losing hope! I’m basically an old hag, right? No. As if I don’t have my entire life to settle down.

“The Bachelor” season is in high spirits. This series just ads fuel to the fire. No doubt most of the Greek life ladies on this campus are hooked to the TV every Monday with every ounce of attention on this year’s most eligible bachelor as he chooses who he ultimately wants to be with, myself included. As single girls watch this show, we don’t just see our guilty pleasure reality show, we see our ultimate future. If we’re still alone at 25-32, we’ll be forced to drunkenly fight on TV for a husband. Please, let’s take it to the next level and make next season’s bachelor a “Hunger Games” format.

Last woman still alive can have the guy. Maybe that will decrease the feminine need to feel incomplete without a husband.

However, even I’m guilty. I will admit that even I have a Pinterest board dedicated to the day far in the future that I wed my future husband, and it’s the best damn wedding themed Pinterest board that you will ever see. Its content varies from multiple samples of the perfect dress, fantastic venues, a handful of bridesmaid dresses and tips, and my dream ring. Ah, what would a Mrs. Degree be without the perfect ring? Is this what defines our generation? A generation full of desperate girls flocking to college, majoring in Mrs. and minoring in settling down at 19? No, thank you. I don’t think I’m old enough to get married if my parents still pay for my cell phone bill.

Girls, go ahead and settle down in college, if you must. Get that Mrs. Degree you joke about but really aim for. Thank you for doing so; now there will be less of a competition in the job market for me and all of the others who don’t let a man and a ring define them.

A “MRS Degree” means “Marriage as a result of attending a 4-year university with the soul purpose of getting married and consequently not completing college,”

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health & fitness

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GETTING CARRIE UNDERWOOD’S LEGS After the holidays and my remaining days at home, I told my mom that I was going to start two-adays when I got back to school. She kind of chuckled but proceeded to tell me that this was a good idea.

O.K. mom, I get it. I’m not in the best shape like I was last year, or even in high school. But I told her I was determined to get that “high school body” back. So, I started doing some research and found some exercises that the famous Carrie Underwood does on a regular basis. Who doesn’t envy those legs? Guys love to look at them, and girls will always remain jealous of those things. Have you ever seen a more perfectly sculpted pair of legs? Definitely not. Carrie has the sort of definition and tone that most women only dream about. And she’s clearly worked hard to get them – so we can hardly blame her for showing them off, can we?

Don’t imagine for a second that owning a pair of hot legs like this is out of your reach. Google will tell you that Carrie was two sizes heavier than her weight now when competing in American Idol and has only recently developed this beautifully toned body. Want to start laying the steps for your own incredibly defined legs? Here’s how it’s done: 1. Choose compound exercises that work all your major leg muscles in one hit. From my research I learned that weight machines are for people who want to build poorly balanced, chunky muscles -- so not what women are after! Exercises like squats, lunges, side-ways lunges, dead-lifts, 1-leg dead-lifts or squats and stability ball work like lying leg curls are the best ways to define your legs.

To achieve the bonus effect of some powerful fat burning while working with weights, perform four or five types of these exercises back to back, for about eight to twelve reps

each with no rest between exercises. Rest for 30 seconds after completing the circuit. Repeat this between three and four times. Aim for at least two sessions like this each week while working on core and upper body the rest of the week.

2. Sprint, baby, sprint! Toning Zeta Tau Alpha comes from sprinting. Long runs are good for burning calories, but Shannon is a junior sprinting on the treadmill works studying Apparel Studies. wonders on your bottom half. To You may contact her at blast off body fat, come up with snj004@uark.edu. a sprint and interval cardio work out, and you’re good to go. I’d recommend two to three sessions of 15-20 minute sprint work each week, either on its own or right after a leg session. Be at your freshest by doing your sprints after an upper/core dominant session rather than after a big leg workout.

3. Drain out any excess fluid that may be puffing you up. It’s said that a good percentage of your despised “fat” is actually excess fluid and water retention that you are carrying due to a combination of too much caffeine, too much sugar, too many grain-based foods and a hormonal imbalance brought on by all this bad food with daily stress. Talk about a recipe for bloating and disaster! I’ve come to a conclusion that bloating might possibly be the worst thing ever. I recommend sitting in the sauna or steam room. Not only is it relaxing, but it gets rid of all that extra water weight. It’s also easy to trim your body of excess fluid by making a few simple changes to the way you eat. Try cutting any form of table salt, sugar, caffeine, and starch.

Don’t think all that is worth the effort? Well that’s your call. Fight for that spring break bod early so you aren’t worrying about it during midterms and two weeks before you’re half naked in a bikini.

SHANNON JONES

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9 IN DEFENSE OF ASPIRATIONAL, HOPELESS SELF IMPROVEMENT special occasions: Winter Break

After much anticipation the New Year is finally here, and there is an aura of opportunity hanging in the air for everybody. For me, New Years is a time to look back and reminisce on memories of the passing year, like twerking and Gangnam Style, and a time to look forward and plan how you can improve yourself, be that lying to yourself about going to the gym or how you are going to dig yourself out of the academic grave you have dug yourself into.

Looking back, you may have a lot of accomplishments you celebrated on New Years, and if you are anything like me, you celebrate each achievement with a drink. You may have been so successful that you wake up the next day with no recollection of the previous year, which in itself is an accomplishment (you can pocket that one for this year). No matter how you celebrate New Years, you should see to it that you look back on what you’ve done so you can get an idea of where you are now. Once you know where you are you can look at where you’re going.

Still have no idea where you are going in life? Do you feel helpless to the forces that influence our lives? Unsure of where to start making improvements? Unfortunately I can’t help you. No one can. Though you are not alone, as there are countless students who are unsure of where they are going, and surely some of you will be going nowhere, which is fine (I guess). The only advice I can give is to use this opportunity of a New Year to feel compelled to do something about it. Be proactive, give yourself that push you need to jump-start your life. Often, we are told we have years ahead of us, but in reality, time is slowly ticking away, you don’t want to suddenly realize what you should be doing when it’s too late. Everybody has a skill or talent that they can use to be successful. What you believe to be success could be monetary, how happy you are or being able to support a family, at any rate the world is apathetic to the rut you are in, only you can make do with what you are given and turn it into success.

Now, after by far the most philosophic paragraph I have ever written, you may feel a sense of urgency to do something positive for yourself this year. Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this. Personally I believe the only way to truly improve your life is to work for it. Nothing is going to change just because it’s your New Years resolution.

That weight isn’t going to suddenly fall off, and your Pi Kappa Alpha GPA won’t magically raise.

Taylor is a sophomore studying Of course, you probably Journalism & Political Science. know this, but some people You may contact him at feel like the world is going to Taylorshelton34@gmail.com. hand them a golden ticket.

This isn’t the case, the student who works towards that 4.0 or works towards that beach body for spring break is going to get that golden ticket and they’re going to meet Willy Wonka filled with success and chocolate, and you? You’ll be left at the gate of the Wonka Factory, filled with regret and chocolate. Hopefully you get the picture (though when I think about it, that’s a terrible example as Charlie was literally handed a chocolate bar with a golden ticket).

TAYLOR SHELTON

Regardless, it seems a lot of people take this time of year for granted, which is a shame because this is where a precedent is set for how the rest of your year will play out. My belief is that if you start your year strong and shoot above your expectations, you will most likely fail but still wane down to a point where improvements are made.

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HOW TO DO VEGAS RIGHT

Shimmering from the desert haze of Nevada, Las Vegas is the most dynamic, spectacular city on earth. This city lures in 37 million tourists each year. This exciting destination is filled with casinos that are free to enter, open 24 hours per day, with acres of floor space packed with ways to lose money: million-dollar slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette wheels and much, much more.

ANNIE HUMPHREY Zeta Tau Alpha

Annie is a junior studying Social Work. You may contact her at arhumphr@email.uark.edu.

There are definitely different ways to do Las Vegas, from extravagant, expensive and outrageous to the equally fun and incredibly cheap way. Scoring the best deals in Sin City is key when you are on a college-student budget. With my recent trip to Las Vegas this past winter break, I learned some tips and tricks on how to make a Las Vegas trip an entertaining, affordable and all around exciting trip. Here are my top 8 things to do in Las Vegas.

1. Visit the Bellagio Fountains

are perfectly choreographed to Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. These fountains are a must-see!

2. The Clubs Each Casino and Hotel on the strip contains nightclubs within. Usually girls get in for free, and guys have to pay a cover charge. One of my favorite nightclubs was “Hyde,� which is within Bellagio Casino and hotel. This nightclub overlooked the Bellagio fountains and was an all-around fun time with great music. Tip: one of the best things about Vegas is carrying around alcohol on the street. You can make mixed cocktails and carry them along with you when you are out in about, not having to buy expensive nightclub drinks that will drain your wallet.

3. New York-New York Roller Coaster Although it is not the wildest roller coaster in existence, this is the coolest for sure.

It goes right through the New York-New York hotel and takes only a few minutes. The hotel is worth seeing for its brilliantly compressed version of Manhattan and the Big Apple. Basically, the Roller Coaster is a better way to tour it than walking through, and you also get to see the whole strip from an amazing view!

4. See a show Even though shows may be pricey, most will only cut three hours of your evening, and they actually are really cool and totally Vegas. For example, the Cirque Du Soleil is a show where former Olympic gymnasts catapult themselves all over the stage, risking their lives in crazy costumes just for your amusement. There are many other shows you can see from comedy shows to Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood! Tip: you can score the best tickets if you go to the ticket booth the morning of show day.

5. Gambling, duh

People stare at lots of free shows outside the hotels, but really there is only one worth going to, and it is the Bellagio Fountains. These famous fountains, on an 8.5acre lake in the middle of the desert, go off every half-hour. The water explodes with 1,214 spritzers shooting water up to 460 feet in the air. The water rockets and dances

When you are on a budget, low-limit games are probably all you can afford.

However, there is always a chance you can win big, too! During my last trip, I played slot machines the entire time and roulette once. I realized slot machines suck your money away really fast. Tip: if you stay and gamble at a slot, or blackjack table, you will get free drinks. Even if you are not a gambler, it is still fun to try out all the

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different tables and slots just for the fun of it.

6. Get brunch at one of the hotels Brunch is a tradition in Las Vegas. Whether you want to try Jamaican, Asian or French fare or just the best eggs you can try, brunch is the way to go. You can even start out the day with bottomless mimosas as well. These brunches are well worth the calories, and you cannot fully do Vegas without doing a buffet brunch.

7. Party at the Pool Each hotel and casino on the Vegas strip offers a slice of paradise for their guests -- their pool parties. When the weather is warmer, these relaxing and luxurious pools are often called “Day Clubbing.” Vegas is known for their best pool parties, which is more than water and a few deck chairs, it really is a day club- a concept that’s exactly what it sounds like, a nightclub scene during the day, poolside.

8. Shark Reef Aquarium Although some aquariums can be boring, this one is not. Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino has the “Shark Reef,” which is only $16 to see. It offers a half outdoor halfindoor experience with rays, sea turtles, crocodiles, lots of sharks and as of recently, a komodo dragon. Also, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, they have lions there that you can go see.

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entertainment news

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BEST AND WORST OF 2013: U OF A EDITION Best pre-season football moment of 2013

Signing running back, Alex Collins, from Florida. During a very disappointing season for our beloved Razorbacks, under then coach John Smith, Alex Collins’ commitment to join the team was a step in the right direction. There was even some drama. Collins’ mother refused to sign his letter of intent to play football at Arkansas because she wished he would stay closer to home. Luckily, Collins’ father stepped in. Collins finished his first season as a Razorback with over 1,000 rushing yards.

Biggest disappointment of 2013 Football season. High hopes lead fans to believe that the football season is going to be better than the previous one, but did not pan out. Winning no SEC games after some tough battles made it a heart-wrenching fall for football fans. We still have faith in our football boys and hope that things get better – for their sake and ours.

Best basketball moment of 2013 Arkansas upsets number Florida, two ranked team in the nation. If you attended this game you probably rank it one of your best college memories. Bud Walton was jumping. Arkansas beat Florida 80-67 in February 2013.

Biggest win of 2013 Arkansas wins Indoor Track Championship. Hey, we’re the best in the nation!

Most exciting sports moment of 2013 Diamond Hogs ranking number one pre-season in the country. For the first time in history, our very own baseball team was supposedly going to be the best throughout all of college baseball. This was so exciting for fans and the team.

Most entertaining time-outs of 2013 The marketing team for Razorback Sports has really stepped up their game. From the football team singing on the jumbo-tron, funny interviews and the basketball team Christmas caroling on the screen in Bud Walton, it has really made time-outs a whole lot more entertaining.

The worst conversations of 2013 2013 was a monumental year for text language becoming regular language. It’s almost as if Twitter conversations are real live conversations between two very normal people. For example, “LOL” is now commonly used in conversations. “JK,” “BTW,” and “OMG,” are amongst very typical verbal words. Whether you think this is funny or utterly annoying, it hit its peak in 2013.

Best local eats of 2013 Hammontrees hit it big this year. Gourmet grilled cheese is really in. Sushi is also widely popular and hip.

Worst political moment of 2013 Government shutdown. The government shutdown burst open the divide we have in the federal government and showed that cooperation is not something that we strive for anymore.

Second worst political moment of 2013 The let down of the online marketplace that was suppose to be the beginning of the great new Obamacare. Whether you agree with the Affordable Care Act or not, taking over a month to get the website fully functional ranks as one of the worst political moments of the year.

Best political moment of 2013 Congress voted in the summer of 2013 to not double interest rates on student loans in 2013.

This saves college students around $1,000 for every year they have student loan debt.

Biggest Winner of 2013 Netflix. Netflix has grown immensely in the year of 2013. They have expanded their television series category by almost double and have entered the lives of 29.2 million individuals. They also began Netflix originals and met with huge successes with House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black.

MORGAN JOHNSON Pi Beta Phi

Morgan is a junior studying political science.

You may contact her at mrj012@uark.edu.

Biggest loser of 2013 Dogs. Most everyone still loves dogs and they will still be deemed “man’s best friend,” but dogs didn’t get a lot of attention this year. Cats became widely popular. We saw cats on sweaters, cats on big tshirts, cats in space – cats were everywhere. Dogs, still likeable and cute, just aren’t as marketable on an Urban Outfitters tee, or a Facebook cover photo shooting lasers out of its eyes.

Best train wreck to watch of 2013 Miley Cyrus. We saw our girl Hannah Montana completely change this year. It was fun to watch what she was going to do next and her Video Music Awards performance will for sure go down in history.

Worst train wreck to watch of 2013 Amanda Bynes. Almost everyone followed Amanda Bynes on Twitter to see what outrageous drug induced decision she was going to make that day. It was fun, but also painful to watch our beloved The Amanda Show, and What a Girl Wants star turn out so twisted. We haven’t heard from her in awhile, so we can only hope that rehab has treated her well!

Best campus moment of 2013 The slow down of campus construction. If you have been on campus for the last two or three years, you know how hard it was to get from point A to point B in the time allotted between classes because of all the construction. Now, we don’t have to worry about dust in our eyes or the terrible smell coming from Hillside during our commute. It was also a huge win when classes began to be 15 minutes apart instead of 10!

Worst campus moment of 2013 The supposed free, surprise concert at the Greek Theatre. The Twitter account gained tons of followers and promised a free concert on campus that was supposed to be a surprise. Once everyone showed up, it turned out to a political riot for Libyan freedom. Everything about this was weird and, hopefully, we have all forgotten it by now.

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A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE AGES Football fans all across the U.S. are in mourning. The 2013 college football season has come to an end. The BCS National championship game ended in the most dramatic of fashions.

If you were in the minority and didn’t tune in to the biggest college football game of the year -- no judgment. Here’s a rundown for those of you who couldn’t catch the game, or opted to catch the season premiere of The Bachelor.

Florida State represented the ACC, with a 14-0 record, 8-0 in conference play and was favored by ESPN pre-game poll as the victor by 57.1 percent. Auburn was the underdog, the Cinderella story, going 0-8 last year in conference play to a total turnaround of a 7-1 conference record and a 12-2 overall this year. They represented the SEC, arguably the toughest conference in college football.

Delta Delta Delta

(Lets out nervous yell, grits teeth, tries all things to slow down heart rate.

Unsuccessful).

As Rocky Balboa once said, “I didn’t hear no bell.”

Jameis Winston would throw five yards to Kenny Shaw at the Auburn 12 for a first down.

Hold your breath.

Second and 10, it is Jameis Winston again to Devonta Freeman for seven yards bringing them to the Auburn 5.

HANNAH HENDERSON

At this point if you are an Auburn fan your clothes are more than likely covered in sweat, not only because the following play Auburn would receive a pass interference penalty, allowing Florida State a first and goal with less than 30 seconds to play, but as you watch the money you ever so confidently bet on the power of your underdogs slip out of your hands in just the wrong time. Yikes.

H a n n a h i s a f re s h m a n studying broadcast journalism.

You may contact her at heh009@uark.edu.

With a first and goal at the Auburn 2 yard line, Jameis Winston seals the 34-31 victory for his Florida State Seminoles with a pass to Kelvin Benjamin and the goahead field goal by Roberto Aguayo.

Auburn would have FSU on upset alert, as the No.2 team in the final BCS standings had won eight of the last 11 BCS title games.

Statistics don’t lie, and with a 21-10 lead, the first half was primarily dominated by Auburn. The Tigers were led by Tre Mason, who rushed for a total of 195 yards, 34 carries and a touchdown. Quarterback Nick Marshall, who completed 14/27 passes throwing for 217 yards, gave Auburn three touchdowns going into halftime.

This would be the first time all season for the Seminoles to trail an opponent going into the half, but FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher believed the fake punt on 4th and 4 and the ensuing touchdown they scored with 1:28 left in the half changed their momentum and confidence, saying “We lost momentum, and we had to gain it back…our kids are relaxed now, and they’re playing ball again. Next thing you know we’re down 21-10 and I like where we’re at, I mean we got the ball coming out we get some points were right back in this ball game, outta be great second half.”

That it was.

Although a slow third quarter, FSU would score a field goal, making the score 21-13 going into the final quarter of the National Championship.

The fourth quarter was all a college football fanatic could’ve dreamed for and more, as Florida State would score an early touchdown, bringing the score to 21-20. A field goal by Auburn with 4:42 left would now make the score 24-20, but what happened next was the game changer.

As the kickoff immediately after would be returned 100 yds by Florida State’s Levonte Whitfield. FSU was finally in control. The score 27-24, with only 4:31 ticking down the clock. (Begins anxious habit—aka--biting fingernails, taking laps around the living room, ect.).

If there’s any team to come through clutch in big game situations my money is on Auburn, a reflection of their 109-yard field goal return win over rival Alabama. They don’t need much time to do it either.

Auburn’s Tre Mason would score for the Tigers with only 1:19 left to play, making the score 31-27.

They would have to trust in their defense to show up strong and hold FSU to ensure the victory.

FSU Freshman quarterback and Heismann trophy winner Jameis Winston had another plan in mind, as he completed three consecutive passes to both Rashad Greene and Devonta Freeman, for a combined 63 yards, leading Florida State into scoring territory at the Auburn 17 before taking a timeout with only 46 seconds remaining.

Winston threw for 237 yards and 2 TDs for the win, making him the Vizio BCS National Championship Most Outstanding Player.

Perhaps the only thing that received more public attention and media buzz than the game itself was what occurred immediately after.

During Jameis’ very emotional interview he said, “We controlled our own destiny, and those men looked me in my eyes and said ‘We got this Jameis.’ and I said, ‘Are you strong?’ They said, ‘I’m strong if you strong,’ and I said, ‘We strong then.”

While Jameis Winston’s skills as a quarterback speak for themselves, the twittersphere seemed to have mixed feelings towards the words he managed to come up with in his post-game interview.

Superstar athletes such as Lebron James had nothing but love and positive things to say of Winston, tweeting “UN-Freaking-Believable interview by Jameis!! Just shows part of the reason why he’s SPECIAL!” One popular tweet-er in particular, however, did not agree.

Whom, may you ask has such a twitter following her controversy would end up on the front page of Foxsports.com?

None other than Alabama superstar quarterback and AT&T POY, Aj McCarron’s mother, Dee Dee McCarron (@DeeDeeBonner).

Her tweet read: “Am I listening to English?”

This tweet was quickly deleted, and followed up with an apology tweet reading “Any1 that knows our family knows we r far from racist. My tweet was not in anyway meant that way. I sincerely apologize if it offended any1.”

Winston seemed to have come up with the perfect words this time, in a tweet that stated: “For the people that criticize the way that I talk this is for y’all. The Florida State Seminoles are national champions! That is all.”

Well said.

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THE BOWL SEASON, IN A NUTSHELL Before you get lost in the library, here is a recap of the 2013 bowl season.

Texas Bowl: Syracuse 21, Minnesota 17 A disappointing end to a great season for the Minnesota defense, the Gophers fought for the lead after starting with a 14-3 deficit against the Orange. Though a disappointing end to a great season for Minnesota, Syracuse has discovered newfound quarterback hopes and are already thinking of next year.

Sun Bowl: No. 17 UCLA 42, Virginia Tech 12 UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley dominated this game led his team to a blowout win against Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech may not have suffered so severely had their senior quarterback, Logan Thomas, not taken a college career-ending blow to the chin in the first quarter.

Russell Athletic Bowl: No. 18 Louisville 36, Miami 9 Louisville’s NFL hopeful Terry Bridgewater threw for 447 yards, a career high. The Louisville defense held the Hurricanes to fewer than 200-yards throughout the game and managed to stop all 11 of Miami’s third down conversions. In the past few days, it has been reported that Bobby Petrino has been offered the head coaching position at Louisville.

Poinsettia Bowl: Utah State 21, No. 23 NIU 14 Heisman candidate Jordan Lynch’s last game at Northern Illinois ended in disappointment against unranked Utah State. NIU had a one-point lead at halftime but were unable to hold it together.

Pinstripe Bowl: Notre Dame 29, Rutgers 16 This game hit close to home for Razorback fans as Notre Dame defeated Rutgers in a field goal battle at Yankee Stadium. Not only did the Irish have multiple crucial elements suspended in the weeks before the game, a vast number of players were fighting off the flu and were unable to play.

Outback Bowl: No. 16 LSU 21, Iowa 14 Jeremy Hill and the defense carried the Tigers (without Zach Mettenberger) to an Outback Bowl victory, accounting for 216 of their 302 yards of total offense by himself.

The Tigers held Iowa to a 233-yard game total.

New Orleans Bowl: UL Lafayette 24, Tulane 21 Win or lose, imagine the party after this game. Cairo Santos, Tulane’s award winning kicker had a stroke of bad luck and missed a 48-yard game-tying field goal attempt within the final seconds of the game, allowing UL Lafayette a third straight New Orleans Bowl Title.

New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State 48, Washington State 45 If dramatic sports are your thing, this was the game for you. The lineup of the game’s events included a bowl record-tying six touchdown passes by Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday, a 22-point comeback, a screaming match between Halliday and a Colorado State assistant, the 18 points scored within the final three minutes of the game, two straight Washington State fumbles, and some atrocious game clock management that allowed Colorado State kicker, Jared Roberts, a 41-yard game winning field goal as the game came to a close. (And a partridge in a pear tree.)

Music City Bowl: Ole Miss 25, Georgia Tech 17 Our SEC brothers made us proud and Bo Wallace managed to beat Eli Manning’s total offense record. There isn’t much else to say. This game was a bit of a mess, but in the end, the SEC prevailed.

Military Bowl: Marshall 31, Maryland 20 Rakeem Cato added a cherry to the top of his wonderful junior season by shredding the Maryland secondary. For a moment, Maryland had the lead, but then came Cato

and his crew to put a 31-20 end to things. Randy Edsall’s work in Maryland is not to go without recognition. There is a bright future ahead of the Maryland football program.

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Pitt 30, Bowling Green 27

ASHLEIGH GIOVANNINI Delta Delta Delta

Ashleigh is a sophomore studying Biochemistry and Sports Management. You may contact here at avgiovan@uark.edu.

After the devastating loss of their coach to Wake Forest, Bowling Green managed to hold their own and recovered from a deficit with a 94-yard kick return for a touchdown by BooBoo Gates (classic). With 77 seconds remaining, the Pitt Panther kicked a 39-yard field goal and went on to win the game.

Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State 44, Rice 7 Mississippi State provided the SEC with another proud victory in Memphis against Rice. This really came as no surprise. One thing I can tell you, Mississippi State football players should stick to football. At a Grizzlies basketball game a few days before the showdown, the two teams sent representatives to compete in a shooting competition.

Rice wiped Mississippi State off the map. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Las Vegas Bowl: No. 25 USC 45, No. 20 Fresno State 20 Cody Kessler completed four touchdown passes for 344-yards, a career high, to lead the Trojans to a 45-20 victory over Fresno State. On the opposing sideline, Derek Carr struggled with only 217-yards on 54 attempts. No surprise here.

Holiday Bowl: Texas Tech 37, No. 14 Arizona State 23 Talk about an upset. Kliff Kingsbury’s crew ended a five-game losing streak in a most unexpected fashion, rolling up a 21-point lead in the first half. Arizona State was short tailback Marion Grice for the game, but, regardless, the ASU secondary just couldn’t compete.

Heart of Dallas Bowl: North Texas 36, UNLV 14 The Mean Green put up a beautiful defensive hold over UNLV, allowing only 2.4-yards per carry for a total of 262. This is North Texas’ best season since 2003 and their first bowl win since 2002.

Hawaii Bowl: Oregon State 38, Boise State 23 Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks and quarterback Sean Mannion set new Pac-12 records for single-season yardage (1,730 and 4,662). But the most notable of players was Beavers cornerback Rashaad Reynolds, who scored two defensive touchdowns before halftime. The win capped the weirdest winning season you’ll ever see for Oregon State and was a friendly reminder to Boise State that it is time to make some changes. Bryan Harsin, head coach at BU, spoke to the broadcast booth via telephone all the way through one of Reynolds’ touchdowns. Way to be supportive, Coach.

GoDaddy Bowl: Arkansas State 23, Ball State 20 After losing Gus Malzahn, Arkansas State survived the season and was able to pull off a stunning comeback against the MAC Champions Ball State. Congratulations to our fellow Arkansans.

Gator Bowl: Nebraska 24, No. 22 Georgia 19 For the second straight year Georgia and Nebraska met during bowl season. Georgia faced a less-than-satisfactory regular season and battled frustrations in the postseason as well. Despite seven red zone trips the Bulldogs could not make anything work in their favor. Their final attempt -- a fourth-and-three from the Nebraska 16 -- ended when tight end Arthur Lynch dropped the pass, giving Nebraska the ball with 25

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seconds to go and the victory.

Fight Hunger Bowl: Washington 31, BYU 16 Probably one of the most interesting names for a bowl game. Huskies quarterback Keith Price ended his college career in the third quarter with an injury, however the Washington defense was up to the task, exhausting BYU in the second half despite missing some contributors of its own. Washington tailback Bishop Sankey ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Huskies to their first nine-win season and first bowl win since 2000. Chris Petersen looks optimistic as he enters 2014 with a talented team in a tough division.

Potato Bowl: San Diego State 49, Buffalo 24 Adam Muema, the San Diego State back, made this game look impossibly easy.

Even when Buffalo looked as if they were about to attempt a comeback, Muema shut down all prospects. Buffalo couldn’t catch a break.

Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Missouri 41, No. 13 Oklahoma State 31 Sometimes it is very difficult to put bias aside, but most of us do it for the SEC. Good news for Arkansas, the majority of the ridiculously huge and bearded men of the Tiger’s offensive line are on the way out. Regardless, not much can be said for OSU, as they didn’t seem to stand a chance once Mizzou began to take off.

Compass Bowl: Vanderbilt 41, Houston 24 Another SEC salute is in order. At first, this game didn’t sound very interesting.

With Vandy missing starting quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels, it wasn’t expected to be such a blowout. At one point, Houston did succeed in tying the score at 24, but Vandy could do no wrong on either side of the football and ran away with the score.

Chick-fil-A Bowl: No. 21 Texas A&M 52, No. 24 Duke 48 Everyone underestimated Duke’s ability to hang with the Big Dog. Duke jumped out to a 38-17 lead at the break after scoring on all six of its first-half possessions, but Johnny Manziel was as irrepressible as ever, leading a furious charge back and delivering this gem of a play that was as exciting as any in his career. It was recently announced that Manziel would transition to the NFL in 2014. Can you blame him?

A&M and Duke played an amazing game, one of the best this bowl season.

Capital One Bowl: No. 9 South Carolina 34, No. 19 Wisconsin 24 Jadeveon Clowney made headlines by confirming his intent to declare for the Draft, but the victory of the Capital One Bowl really belongs to Connor Shaw who had a hand in all five South Carolina touchdowns, throwing three, rushing for one, and catching one himself on a trick play. Joel Stave, Wisconsin’s quarterback and trusted leader, left the game during the 3rd quarter, and Wisconsin could not recover offensively from the blow. Hats off to the Gamecocks.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Kansas State 31, Michigan 14 Jake Waters, Kansas State’s quarterback, completed 21-of-27 pass attempts for 271 yards and led the Wildcats to a solid victory. Michigan freshman quarterback Shane Morris, filling in for the injured Devin Gardner, led the Wolverines in both passing and rushing yards. His 40-yard run to set up Michigan’s only touchdown came far too late to matter, though, as the Wolverines were already behind 31-6.

Belk Bowl: North Carolina 39, Cincinnati 17 Another basketball school graces the grasses of the BCS bowl series. Within 15 minutes, the Bearcats were already down 16-0, thanks to a kickoff return for touchdown by North Carolina’s T.J. Logan, a safety, and a two-yard score from Romar Morris. From there, Cincinnati had no hope. Neither team played extremely well on offense, but whatever the Tar Heels were doing worked for them.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: ECU 37, Ohio 20 For Ohio, this loss was indicative of their entire season, but for East Carolina, it was a perfect way to bandage a tough loss to Marshall that cost them the conference title. East Carolina jumped out to a 14-0 lead, only to watch the Bobcats rally to take a 20-17 edge early in the 3rd quarter. After taking over possession on a surprise onside

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kick and missing a field goal on the subsequent drive, though, Ohio crumbled, and ECU re-asserted itself to claim the win.

Armed Forces Bowl: Navy 24, Middle Tennessee 6 Ken Niumatalolo led Navy to the close of another great season against a flustered and sloppy Middle Tennessee who committed five personal fouls throughout the game.

Alamo Bowl: No. 10 Oregon 30, Texas 7 Though it wasn’t a surprising outcome, watching Texas’ loss to Oregon was depressing. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you enjoy Texas football, the end of Mack Brown’s coaching era was emotional. But, it was also necessary.

AdvoCare V100 Bowl: Arizona 42, Boston College 19 Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey outworked Boston College’s Heisman finalist Andre Williams and delivered an easy victory to the 8-5 Wildcats. Even though this gave proved to be the closest thing to a battle of the running backs in the BCS bowl series, the MVP for Arizona was the quarterback, B.J. Denker, who threw for 275 yards.

Sugar Bowl: No. 11 Oklahoma 45, No. 3 Alabama 31 Oklahoma was the only state to give themselves a chance against the No. 3 Crimson Tide and the rest of the country should have listened. There isn’t really much more to say. I know most everybody watched.

Rose Bowl: No. 4 Michigan State 24, No. 5 Stanford 20 Michigan State managed to surprise Rose Bowl spectators as they picked up their first win in the battle of the champions since 1988. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State head coach, showed the world his integrity by suspending his valuable middle linebacker and team captain Max Bullough for his violation of team rules. In return, the replacement, Kyler Elsworth, made a remarkable game-ending stop to win the game. In other news, the Michigan State uniforms were nothing short of masculine, clean, and beautiful.

Orange Bowl: No. 12 Clemson 40, No. 7 Ohio State 35 I’ve always been a proponent of allowing Clemson into the SEC. Clemson held on to their win in spite of Tajh Boyd’s interception pass thrown in the last few minutes of the game. This game was by far one of the most entertaining. Two really strong teams in one really ugly grudge match. That is what makes good football.

Fiesta Bowl: No. 15 UCF 52, No. 6 Baylor 42 Upsets all around. Blake Bortles finished with 301 yards and led the Knights to one of the biggest upsets in school history. It may go down in the books as one of the biggest upsets in BCS history. Baylor was a 17-point favorite and was staring its first-ever BCS bowl win straight in the face. No wonder it was upsetting.

BCS Championship: No. 1 Florida State 34, No. 2 Auburn 31 Finally. The Big Dance. I have never watched more of a nail-biter in my life.

Throughout the game, Auburn was convinced that it was on the verge of perfecting the about-face season, especially when Tre Mason got himself into the end zone with 90 seconds remaining. Also throughout the game, my nerves were on the verge of bursting from my body. No SEC fan wanted the streak to end. And if there is, I’d like to talk to that fan.

This brings us to the end of the BCS dynasty—one most of us are not sad to wave goodbye to. Given the newly devised structure of playoff football, it will be hard to step on anyone’s toes.

So, with that being said, congratulations to the winners of the final BCS bowl game series. Also, congratulations to all of the wonderful talent making a break for the NFL and all of the coaches who have relocated.

We look forward to a memorable 2014 season.