Arkansas 2 5 proof3

February 13, 2014 | Volume 3, Issue 18 | Fayetteville, AR

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ConFFessions oF A BArtender, pArt tWo pAge 6

THE WINTER OLYMPICS ARE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR page 3 15 MILLION! page 4 THE TECH CHALLENGE page 10

kAtie korteBien, kAtie Johnson, MoLLY MCdAnieL And LeXi rAsniC enJoY A night out.

Photo provided by: Ryan McCready

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editor’s note

FaCeBOOK’S papeR ReVOLUTION After almost 10 years spent dominating the world and our attention, Facebook has decided to explore a new way to present and deliver information with its new iPhone app, Paper.

This app was a long time coming and is a great response to the people like me, who sometimes despise Facebook.

As a person who uses Facebook only to check my fraternity’s group page and shameless self-promote my Odyssey articles (click them!), I see the potential for this app to bring back some of the users Facebook lost to Twitter. It also shows that Facebook is evolving as a news and information site. With its already established social media empire, it will be a force to be reckoned with.The simplicity of the app will help bring back users who were annoyed or just didn’t care about what their fourth grade friend from summer camp is doing with her life, but felt too bad to un-friend them.

With Paper, the future looks bright for Facebook. Robinson Meyer of The Atlantic put it best, saying, “Where Facebook has gotten faster, newsier, trendier, Paper takes it slower. It presents, in other words, a different, profoundly un-Twitter interface.”

Now on to Paper ’s functionality and design. With Paper being an iPhone exclusive app, Facebook made the right decision to use former Apple developers to build it

from the ground up. The group of developers was not part of the desktop version of Facebook, which gave them the freedom to really explore what would make a good and sustainable app.

RYaN MCCreAdY Pi Kappa Alpha Editor-in-Chief

Ryan is a senior studying international business.

You may contact him at rmccread@uark.edu.

When you first open Paper, it automatically links to your Facebook app and plays a helpful opening video. The video walks you through how to use, post and discover stories, and it helps you pick interests to follow, including headlines, tech, score and ideas. The ambiguous name of each category helps keep the number of stories available high. After you make it through the set up, the real simplicity of Paper is on display. For anyone who has used Flipboard, you will recognize design and functionality elements. The interests are separated and can be accessed just by a swipe left or right. Once on an interest page, there is a main story area that takes up the top half of the screen. On the bottom half there are blurbs of individual stories you can swipe through or tap to bring into full screen. Once in full screen, you can read the story or swipe through the rest of the blurbs or pictures. When you’re on the Facebook section of Paper it works exactly the same, but usually with a picture on the top half and status lining the bottom half. And, saving the best news for last, there are no ads – yet.After using it for only a few hours, I definitely recommend downloading Paper if you are looking for a simpler and less chaotic version of Facebook. It has the potential to be a game changer.

THE ODYSSEY AT ARKANSAS EXECUTIVE TEAM president Dave Santoro

Pi Kappa Alpha

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CREATIVE TEAM editor-in-chief Ryan McCready Pi Kappa Alpha

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The Odyssey is a private entity not associated or governed by University of Arkansas or Arkansas Greek life office. The views and opinions shared in The Odyssey are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Odyssey and Olympia Media Group.

3 THE WINTER OLYMPICS ARE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR

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The Winter Olympics haven’t been around forever. We’ve all heard that the Olympics originated from the ancient Greek games and events from those times, such as running, can still be found in the competitions. The Winter Olympics are much different. They did not begin until 1924 and have occurred every four years, with the exception of the interruption of World War II. It wasn’t until 1992 that the Winter Olympics took place in alternating even years from the Summer Olympics.

I bet most people prefer the Summer Olympics because of the large array of sports and competitions. There is something for almost every type of person. The Winter Olympics include very popular sports such as skiing, snowboarding and ice hockey as well as sports many have never heard of or have no interest in watching, including skijoring, cross country skiing and curling.

This winter, we watch the American teams fight for the gold, once again, but it seems things are a little different this year. This winter, Sochi has undergone deadly attacks. A railroad bomber killed 18 people in a terrorist scale attack, as people prepared to travel to Russia for the games. As in any event where large numbers of people merge and mingle, security is always something to keep in mind.

The U.S.A. teams have been encouraged not to wear team uniforms

feature story

or American pride clothing while in MORgaN Sochi, outside of the JohnSon games. Some have Pi Beta Phi disregarded this Morgan is a junior studying political science. and will take their You may contact her at mrj012@uark.edu. chances to show off the red, white and blue. Speaking of colors, the United States’ uniforms have been under attack as well.

Designer, Ralph Lauren expresses a vintage take on these American made uniforms which people seem to either love or despise. If you haven’t already, take a look.

Also in the news are the political ramifications of the Olympics.

Russia has been criticized for strict anti-gay laws, which the United States has taken into full account but chosen to to comment on.

However, President Obama sent a message to the Russian government by appointing two openly gay members to the Olympic delegation.

This year ’s Winter Olympics have been interesting before they even began. National security has been tightened and the political of it all is being widely debated in Russia. We wish all the athletes the best and, of course, USA! USA! USA!

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feature story

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15 MILLION!

In 1999, Delta Delta Delta Fraternity (Tri Delta) officially adopted St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as its philanthropic partner. In the first year, 15 of 133 chapters participated and raised $44,269.

In 2002, Tri Delta took on the challenge of raising $1 million over four years to endow the hospital’s Teen Room. The Teen Room is a haven where patients, aged 13 to 19, get away from parents, nurses and doctors to be with kids their own age. In January 2005, Tri Delta reached its $1 million goal a full year ahead of schedule.

partner and few are raising a comparable amount of money. This new goal challenges the collegiate chapters of Tri Delta to raise $3 million each year, collectively.

aLeXaNDRa Chunn delta delta delta

Alexandra is a sophomore studying Broadcast Journalism and PR. You may contact her at atchunn@uark.edu.

The next year Tri Delta committed to raise $10 million in 10 years to name the Patient Care floor in the Chili’s Care Center. The Patient Care floor provides 18 additional patient rooms, with a parent room attached. This floor houses patients who recently received bone marrow transplants. In May 2010, just four years later, Tri Delta met the $10 million fundraising goal.

The Specialty Clinic houses a broad range of services for St. Jude patients. At some point during their care at St. Jude, each child will likely be referred to a clinic within the Specialty Clinic. The following services are provided in the Specialty Clinic: cardiology, gynecology, immunology, neurology, pain management, preoperative surgery care and pulmonary care.

In July 2010, Tri Delta announced it would take on a new, more aggressive challenge to raise $15 million in five years to name the Specialty Clinic located in the Patient Care Center at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

As a member of the Delta Iota chapter of Tri Delta, I am beyond thrilled to announce that, nationally, Tri Delta has met their goal of $15 million, not in

No other Greek organization has had this level of commitment to a charitable

five years, but in only three and a half years.

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feature story

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campus connections

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CONFESSIONS OF A BARTENDER, PART TWO There’s more to being a bartender or waiter than pouring a shot or dropping off drinks in front of a customer. It takes some savvy and charisma, along with a deep knowledge of which drinks will please and who to serve them to. Bartending is one of those jobs in which your success depends on your personality more than anything. Anyone can go to school to become a bartender and knowing what’s “top shelf” isn’t enough. Becoming a successful bartender takes time. Here are some confessions from a local bartender here in Fayetteville.

Name: Molly McDaniel Where do you work?: West End How long have you worked there?: “I started last May.” When do you usually work?: “Thursday through Saturday. I used to work Mondays, but I had an 8 a.m. class on Tuesdays, so I had to stop.”

What is your busiest night?: “I would say, Fridays. And I honestly have no idea why. All our specials are on Thursdays, so I can’t really say why Friday is our busiest night.”

Can you typically tell who is going to be a “good” customer?: “You really have no idea who’s going to be a good tipper. I’ve had people really surprise me.”

KaTIe KorTeBeIn Pi Beta Phi

Katie is a sophomore studying creative writing.

You may contact her at kkortebe@uark.edu.

Who have been your best tippers?: “A&M fans, hands down. Football season was definitely awesome.”

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campus connections

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sometimes just be rude and lose all their manners. Some people just don’t get that you have to wait in line; they think they’re, like, top priority. There was this one night when we were super busy. Some guy just came behind the bar and had our glass glasses, not plastic cups, just pouring Crown into them.

I was like, “What are you doing?!” So I told one of the bigger bartenders, and he walked over to handle it. One of our bouncers kicked him out and apparently, in the process, a drink was spilled on the guy. So then these two girls came over screeching, “You kicked our boyfriends out!” and were being so obnoxious. I offered to get them a free drink because I felt bad their friends were kicked out. Later, after giving them like four free drinks, one of them gets in my face screaming, “I want six shots of Crown! He was supposed to get six shots of Crown!” It was miserable.

Fun fact: “One of my favorite things to do is spray people with my gun when they’re just being too drunk or obnoxious. Like this one time, there was this guy who was blackout and couldn’t even keep his head off the bar but kept ordering tequila shots. Finally, I just teasingly sprayed him with water from our soda gun, and he just lifted his head up and started laughing. His friend thought it was awesome.”

Funniest thing to happen while bartending?: “The night after Halloween, so not even Halloween, but the night after, this guy dressed up as the teddy bear in Miley Cyrus’ “Can’t Stop” video. He even had her little pigtails. He just got up and started dancing on our bar, like swinging around the poles. Not kidding. It was awesome, I took a video!”

Creepiest thing to happen while bartending?: “There was this guy who claimed he was from L.A. who would not get away from my well all night.

He kept trying to grab my hand and saying he needed someone to hang out with for the weekend. I kept telling him I had a boyfriend, but he would not leave me alone. He was super sketch.”

What do you like about bartending?: “The money, definitely. Good time, great money. It’s pretty fun because it’s like you get paid to hang out with your friends. It is hard work because you never get to sit down. But even the slow days, if you have good customers, it can be fun. I had this one group on Mondays that would come in; we would put their iPod on and just dance around. But especially on the days we have live bands and all your friends are there, it’s awesome.

What do you dislike about bartending?: “Well, I don’t mind dealing with drunk people, but sometimes, it just gets overwhelming. Drunk people can

8 Looking AheAd: CAreer opportunities campus connections

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PM

5:30 PM – 7:30

Where: Arkansas Union 507 Representatives from the Walmart Home Office will discuss how their Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math degree has assisted them in the work they currently do. Students will have the opportunity to ask network with Walmart representatives.

aNNIe huMPhreY Zeta Tau Alpha

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

the panelists a variety of questions and

Business Career Fair When: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Check out this complete list of the Career Development Center’s upcoming events Exploring UA majors and Minors Fair When: Thursday, February 13, 2014 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 – 3:00 PM Where: Arkansas Union International Connections Lounge The Exploring UA Majors and Minors Fair is an opportunity for University of Arkansas academic departments to inform and educate undecided undergraduates about various academic majors and minors that exist on our campus. As a student, you will be able to see what students in your department have achieved. You will also have the opportunity to provide students who are still deciding on an undergraduate major a better understanding of benefits to choosing your discipline as their major or minor area of study.

UA Career Fair for All Majors/Veterans Fair When: Thursday, February 13, 2014 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Where: Arkansas Union Ballroom This career fair is for all University of Arkansas students and veterans who are seeking employment or internship opportunities. Whether you are looking for a full-time position, part-time or an internship, you will find great opportunities at this fair to connect with prospective employers from a variety of industries. By attending this fair, you can also expand your network, brush up on interview skills, and learn new information about companies. Some employers who attend this fair are focused on students with specific major; however, many are interested in UA students and student veterans form a broad range of disciplines and majors. There is a full list of employers that are attending at career.uark.edu. Business Casual is required to attend.

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Where: Reynolds Razorback Stadium – East Indoor Clun Any business majors are encouraged to attend. For more information, visit http://waltoncollege. uark.edu/career/fairemp.asp.

Pre-STEM Fair Mixer When: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 5:00 – 8:00 PM Where: Bell Engineering Center Students are encouraged to attend the STEM Career Fair and Pre-STEM Mixer. The Pre-STEM Mixer is for students and employers the night before the STEM Career Fair in the Bell Engineering Center. This event will replace the traditional information session. Students are encouraged to attend in order to network with employers and highlight their skills and abilities. You must register to attend, so visit career.uark.edu to register.

STEM Career Fair When: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM Where: Reynolds Razorback Stadium – East Indoor Club Students are encouraged to attend this career fair to find employment opportunities, expand their network and gather information about companies. There is a shuttle to and from Reynolds Razorback Stadium – East Indoor Club at the following locations: BELL Engineering (Dickson side street) between 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM. Business Casual Attire REQUIRED to attend. To find more information and what employers will be attending, visit career.uark.edu.

STEM Career Fair Resume Review

SEC & ACC Virtual Career Fair

When: Monday, March 3, 2014and Tuesday, March 4, 2014

When: Tuesday, April 1 – Thursday, April 3, 2014

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Where: Arkansas Union International Connections Lounge On March 3rd and 4th, you can stop by the Arkansas Union International Connections Lounge to have your resume reviewed before the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Career fair, which is held on March 5th.

Walmart Home Office STEM Panel When: Monday, March 3, 2014

Times may vary Where: Online The University of Arkansas is proud to host the SEC & ACC Virtual Career Fair. The SEC & ACC Virtual Career Fair offers a number of advantages to employers seeking talented U of A students and alumni and to students and alumni seeking employment from a variety of great companies. You can receive interviews without ever leaving your computer, avoid waiting in long lines, and save your valuable time by searching for an online job, and meet employers which may not attend on-site all day events. You can upload your resume for this event online at career.uark.edu.

www.theodysseyonline.com E2 Series (Engineers Employed) Spring 2014 When: Tuesday, January 28 – Tuesday, April 8 Various Times Where: Bell Engineering The Engineers Employed Series or better known as E2, was created by the College of Engineering to ensure that students majoring in Engineering at the University of Arkansas will be prepared to enter the workforce. Through various professional development workshops and events, UA College of Engineering students will be equipped to face the challenges associated with job searching and find a career that best suits their interests, motivational traits, personality, values, abilities, aptitudes, personal work styles, and work environment preferences.

The E2 Series consists of resume and interview workshops & critiques, company tours, and a few employer/student meet and greets that will allow students the opportunity to interact with local, regional, as well as national employers looking to hire engineers. Students will learn how to create eye-catching resumes, interview effectively, and network with employers that are promoting open positions.

Education Fair When: Thursday, April 10, 2014 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM Where: Arkansas Union Verizon Ballroom This Education career fair is encouraged for upcoming 2013 graduates who are looking for a teaching position with a local, in-state, or out of state employers. This is a great way to connect and

campus connections

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find great opportunities to connect with future employers. Business Casual is required to attend.

Full Bright College Career Services When: Tuesday, February 4 – Thursday, April 10 Various times Where: Various locations The Fulbright College Career Series includes a number of opportunities for Fulbright College students to be more competitive candidates for employment and graduate programs. The series consists of resume, interview, and pre-professional program application workshops, a resume review to prepare for career fairs and applications for employment and graduate programs, and industryspecific and general career fairs.

Career Fest When: Thursday, January 30 – Tuesday, April 22 Various Times Where: Various Locations The University Career Development Center presents Career Fest, a semester of professional development events for all UA students. The event is designed to prepare and equip UA students with the skills and knowledge necessary for career success. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn from knowledgeable employers and staff. The semester will include break out sessions with industry experts, a panel discussion, and networking events. Attire is Business Casual.

For more information about these upcoming events visit career.uark.edu and click events.

10 THE TECH

debate & discuss

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CHaLLeNge

In recent times, many of us have been accustomed to creating our relationships and social lives through our cell phone screens and, while it may seem you have hundreds of friends at the tip of your fingers, in reality you don’t.

Let’s be real. Most of us have created a life inside our technology, a complete illusion of having a life. Social media boosts our confidence, enhances our social life and keeps us connected to the craziness around us. When we get likes on selfies, it makes us feel important or just well liked. We’re not missing anything at parties because we see them the next day.

LaUReN rAndALL Alpha delta Pi

Lauren is a freshman studying english / journalism.

You may contact her at lerandal@uark.edu.

So I propose a challenge. I challenge you to go through an entire day without posting a picture on Instagram or an update on Facebook. No one really cares that you had pancakes for breakfast or that you miss your boyfriend 400 miles away.

What is important to you probably isn’t to most people. Go print that picture and hang it up on your wall if it is a moment that makes you happy. Or go visit your boyfriend.

I challenge you to talk to the person sitting next to you in class instead of killing the time and awkwardness by checking your phone. I mean a real conversation not, “Can I borrow a pen?” or “What I challenge you to talk to the person sitting was the homework assignment?” Do next to you in class instead of killing the time and you think our parents met in college by sending texts? Make real friends awkwardness by checking your phone. I mean through conversation and experience, a real conversation not, “Can I borrow a pen?” not Facebook. Surrounding yourself with actual people is a healthier way or “What was the homework assignment?” to engage.

“

The issue is not sharing our lives with the world around us, but that we are missing the world around us. Everyone is so consumed with themselves and media that we forget to look up. Social media boosts our esteem, but it also kills it. I don’t have to tell you how nauseating it is when you post a picture on Instagram and it only gets 12 likes. It starts to get to you. Most of the time, that is this generation’s biggest worry.

I’m not the first to speak of what social media and technology does to our society.

I won’t lie. I can’t go thirty minutes without texting someone, checking Instagram or, so help me, Facebook. Sometimes, it makes me feel so unproductive and upset.

I see all the pictures of people on Facebook, or past boyfriends, instead of doing homework or something that actually benefits me. While it is fun to share with the exciting moments in your life everyone, it’s counterproductive. It’s almost creepy.

I know more about people before even meeting them. College is supposed to be some of the best times in life and we are wasting them.

“

I challenge you to find a book, a real book, that isn’t on a Kindle, Nook or iPad. Have a cup of tea; it might actually make you look up.

I challenge you to write a letter to a distant relative or friend. I really miss the whole getting mail thing. It shows people that you are really thinking of them, you are describing what is going on in your life and are generally interested in what the other person has to say.

Lastly, I challenge you to not use your phone for a whole day. Go do something productive like homework or actually go to one of the parties you always see on Facebook. Go outside.

If we can separate ourselves from technology, I promise you will be so much happier. You won’t be the one skimming the pictures from last night. You will be the one at last night. Sometimes, it feels better to be away from everything.

Technology only adds to the unnecessary drama in our lives.

sports talk

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NATIONAL SIGNING DAY SUCCESSES Signing day.

Every college coach has a chance to redeem a less than satisfactory season.

aSHLeIgH gIoVAnnInI delta delta delta

Ashleigh is a sophomore The cause could be a lack studying Biochemistry of team chemistry or a and Sports Management.

You may contact her at shift in strategy or a new avgiovan@uark.edu. coaching staff. The thing that ties every team in the nation together on this national football holiday is the hope that comes from four and five-star recruits.

The Arkansas Razorbacks can see a glimmer of hope along the horizon of the upcoming season.

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DE-Jake Hall: This Arkansas native is a 6-5, 235-pound, 3-star weak-side defensive end. He attends Har-Ber High School and will surely add size to our defensive front.

RB-Juan Day: Another Arkansas native, Juan Day is a 3-star Running Back from North Little Rock who signed in January of 2013. He just knew this is where he belonged.

CB-Henre’ Toliver: This 4-star Cornerback from Metairie, Louisiana is 6-4, 165-pounds, and fast. His popularity among teams such as Indiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Nebraska did not outweigh his desire to play in the SEC. TE-Jack Kraus: Kraus is from only a few miles away, and he has been set on Arkansas for quite a while. Kraus is 6-5, 240-pounds, and a 3-star Tight End from Bentonville, Arkansas.

SAF-Josh Liddell: Liddell is a 6-0, 193-pound, 3-star Safety from Southern Arkansas. Josh also received offers from Boise State and Henderson State.

Coach Bielema is progressively building a program around a group of strong men up front and a healthy secondary.

K-Cole Hedlund: A Texas native who was once an interest of Texas A&M chose to come to Arkansas (maybe to join his comrades). Hedlund is 5-10 and 170-pounds. He is a 3-star recruit and will join the stronghold of the Razorback kicking team.

With this in mind, a signing class rich in cornerbacks, defensive powerhouses, and 4-star offensive linemen will grace Donald W. Renoylds Razorback Stadium during the 2014 season.

LB-Dwayne Eugene: Another recruit from Metairie, Louisiana, Eugene is a 6-1, 222-pound, 3-star recruit who received offers from Tulane, Western Kentucky, and South Alabama.

Bielema is also adding a new kicker to replace our beloved Zach Hocker and a band of fresh wide receivers to supplement the senior losses of the 2013 season.

DT-Bijhon Jackson: After receiving offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, and Arkansas State, this 6-2, 334-pound, 4-star Defensive Tackle recently won a high school state championship in El Dorado, Arkansas.

For Razorback fans, the most pressing position on signing day is that of the quarterback.

After a disappointing 3-9 finish on the season, fans are looking for a strong leader to lead the Razorbacks to a more successful finish within the most competitive conference in the country.

Never fear, Razorback fans.

Bret Bielema has a plan.

Here is a brief look at the 2014 signing class:

OL-Jovan Pruitt: Pruitt, who received offers from Florida, Alabama, Baylor, and Colorado State, is a 3-star Offensive Linemen. This 6-6, 290-pound Texas native is smooth in his athleticism, frame, and body quickness.

OL-Brian Wallace: Wallace is a 4-star who also received numerous offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Mizzou, and Iowa. This 6-6, 305-pound Offensive Lineman from St. Louis, Missouri is one of the highest ranking linemen in the country.

WR-Jared Cornelius: Cornelius is a 6-0, 175-pound, 3-star Wide Receiver from Shreveport, Louisiana that officially committed to the Hogs on December 18th. He also received offers from Mizzou and Houston along with a few others.

OL-Sebastian Tretola: One of Arkansas junior college recruits, this 3/4-star recruit ranks in the top 30 junior college recruits this signing season. Tretola is 6-5, 215-pounds and has incredible numbers in accordance with his size, frame, and punch.

WR-Cody Hollister: Hollister is a 6-4, 205-pound, 2/3-star Wide Receiver from Yuma, Arizona.

He received offers from Wyoming and Troy but chose to join the Hogs on December 16th.

CB-Santos Ramirez: Transitioning from Safety to Cornerback, Ramirez also received offers from LSU, Baylor, and Southern Mississippi. The 6-2, 180-pound, 3-star from Shreveport, Louisiana committed to the University of Arkansas on November 11th.

CB-Chris Murphy: Murphy is a 5-10, 181-pound, 3-star Cornerback from Marietta, Georgia.

Offers from Connecticut, Washington State, Akron and Arizona followed an offer from Arkansas. Much to Arkansas’ delight, Murphy signed with the Razorbacks on July 14, 2013.

QB-Rafe Peavey: Peavey has been said to be a “pro-style quarterback.” This 6-2, 212-pound, 3/4star quarterback also received offers from Auburn, Arizona, Boston College and Connecticut.

(We beat out Auburn, y’all!)

LB-Khalia Hackett: Bielema’s former school, Wisconsin, offered Hackett a spot during the summer of 2013. This 6-3, 205-pound, 3-star outside linebacker had bigger things in mind.

Also during the summer of 2013, Arkansas offered Hackett a place in the 2014 recruiting class, and he graciously accepted.

DT-Armon Watts: Once a favorite at Kentucky, Cincinnati and Ball State, Watts is a 6-4, 260-pound, 3-star defensive tackle from St. Louis, MO. Armon committed to the Razorbacks on August 9th of 2013.

OL-Frank Ragnow: This is one of my favorites. Mr. Ragnow is a native of Minnesota that had offers from the likes of Florida State (what?), California and Minnesota. Instead, this 6-6, 291-pound, 4-star offensive lineman chose the Razorbacks. Smart kid.

CB-Cornelius Floyd: Floyd, a 6-1, 190-pound, 3-star cornerback from Miami, Florida received offers from Northern Illinois, Appalachian State and Oklahoma. There is room to grow for this young man, but, apparently, he has wicked ball skills.

WR-Kendrick Edwards: Edwards is 6-6, 205 pounds, and ranks a 3-star Wide Receiver. His size sets him apart from the pack, something that Rutgers, Appalachian State, and Florida Atlantic also noticed.

WR-Jojo Robinson: Jojo committed to the Florida State Seminoles during a camp in 2012. He then received offers from Miami, West Virginia, Marshall, Syracuse, USC, UCLA, and Auburn.

As of February 5, 2014, Robinson, a 6-0 Wide Receiver from Miami, Florida with incredible speed, ball-skills, and a 4-star rating shifted his loyalties to the Arkansas Razorbacks.

DE-Anthony Brown: Brown is also a Florida native with a 2-star rating at weak-side Defensive End. He is 6-4, 235-pounds, and has immense potential with his size and speed.

LB-Randy Ramsey: Randy Ramsey is a Fort Lauderdale, Florida native transitioning from a 3-star high school safety to a 6-4 college linebacker. His size and frame add immense potential to his SEC career.

Congratulations to all the Arkansas Razorback recruits!

Speaking for the student body, we can’t wait to see your talents in action on August 30th.

Make us proud. Go Hogs!

12 sports talk

A ThoughT To Ponder Sam Steele Ponder is an ESPN college football sideline reporter, the wife of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, a n d a b l o g g e r.

P o n d e r ’ s w e b s i t e ( w w w. prothirtyone.com) offers a sincere side to the otherwise serious, statistical, and show-stopping style she displays on the sidelines of college football games. Due to the hustle and bustle of a very busy college football season, Ponder has but one entry, but the content is invigorating. The title: “Examining Truth And Twitter.”

The true meaning behind her father’s words didn’t really sink in until Steele Ponder got her first real taste of the cruelties of the world via HaNNaH henderSon Twitter. She had just landed her big break with Fox College Sports, delta delta delta covering Big 12 College Football on the sidelines. She believed Twitter H a n n a h i s a f re s h m a n studying broadcast journalism. would help her engage with the viewers, answering any questions You may contact her at heh009@uark.edu. she could while in the middle of the action. After her first report, she scrolled through her Twitter.

None of the questions had anything to do with football.

They were ridiculing her based The things we let bother us must have little on her external appearance.

“

bits of truth to them. As C.S. Lewis said, “By mixing a little truth with it, they made their lie far stronger.” Ponder went on to say, “here ‘s the lie: that our worth as humans is dependent on what any other human says, does, or thinks.”

No human was created exactly the same and we all have insecurities. Sam Steele Ponder is no exception.

She creates a common ground between us and an admired, powerful woman in a very male-dominant industry.

Samantha Steele Ponder grew up a confident kid, avoiding the high school insecure years. “While the common school of thought was that fitting in was what made a kid confident, being different was the key to my self-esteem.” She didn’t give much thought to her wardrobe, hair or makeup and certainly didn’t follow by trend. “I was friendly and good at sports,” she explained, “and that was enough.” Sure there were probably one or two people who weren’t too fond of Steele growing up, but she never believed she was bullied, “I just dealt with life’s unpleasantries,” she exclaimed. When difficult times arose her father would remind her that if she lived her life trying to be the best at everything, she would never feel like enough. He would say, “If your confidence is based on something subjective, you will never be truly confident.”

Because of the harsh words, Steele Ponder looked deeper into what was wrong with just about every part of her body. Being in the national spotlight can really make anyone, especially a woman, focus on every little insecurity they have ever had about themselves. When all eyes are on you, it’s easy to feel like the ugliest person in the room. It didn’t matter how many positive things were said, “the constant reminders of what’s wrong with me… you know, the things God missed, forgot about or didn’t like me enough to include are what continue to linger,” Steele Ponder said.

“

The things we let bother us must have little bits of truth to them. As C.S. Lewis said, “By mixing a little truth with it, they made their lie far stronger.” Ponder went on to say, “Here ‘s the lie: that our worth as humans is dependent on what any other human says, does, or thinks.”

Sites like Twitter are breeding ground for those lies. As soon as I tweet something, I wait to see how many retweets or favorites my tweet will receive. It is like a little game. You come up with something clever to say, reword it a couple times, ask a friend if it is funny or good enough to tweet, send it out there and wait. Sounds a bit like a popularity contest,

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sports talk

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if you ask me. Just like high schoo – we are trying to be popular, liked problems they have and a heck of a lot of Twitter followers, but where and accepted by a general public. When someone criticizes us, we take we all relate is they can be just as insecure as we are. The people with the what these broken people are telling us and let it break us. most, are often the most unhappy. When we stop looking in the mirror and start living our lives more confidently, we are the real winners.

Our common ground is that we are all broken, flawed. Even those superstars who look like they have everything figured out, are flawed My advice after reading, “Examining Truth and Twitter” is to accept in one way or another. The most beautiful girl you know, most likely, your flaws, yet be humbly confident. Be confident in the ways you woke up this morning and complained about a body part she didn’t were created,accepting of your flaws and receptive to where you may like. The girl with over a thousand instagram followers probably took fail and where you exceed expectations. If you keep the mindset that an hour or so making her teeth whiter, her skin clearer and more tan you are a consistent learner always willing to learn new approaches, with a photoshop editor. The point is, we are all insecure. you will shock your doubters or learn something you didn’t know before. That is otherwise known as being humble. Sounds like a winWhere we fail is when we let others dictate how we perceive ourselves. win situation to me.

The media does a fine job reminding us of just how unimportant we are. It’s easy looking up to celebrities, professional athletes or other Dita Von Teese said “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world idols. They have everything, or so we think. Perfect bodies, perfect hair, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” perfect wardrobe, perfect life, sufficient amounts of money to fix any

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laugh out loud

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DEATH BY COOLER PAINTING There is a way to identify the girl who’s devoting all of her time, energy, blood, sweat and literal tears to painting a Kappa delta M e g a n i s a s o p h o m o re cooler. During formal studying English & journalism. season, you can find You may contact her at any given girl stuck in map014@uark.edu. her room and covered in paint for endless hours.

Girls devote sleepless nights to drinking cups upon cups of coffee for a fraternity boy who gives her a t-shirt in return. Ha, a t-shirt. On average, a sorority girl spends 150 plus hours in their college lifetime painting a cooler. I made this statistic up, but it sounds plausible.

MegaN PeArSon-hArguS

Hobby Lobby lives for formal season, I promise you. They stock their shelves hoping that sorority girls with mascara stained cheeks will run in with a panicked look and buy up every bottle of paint. Then we do. We create Pinterest boards full of images we found all over the Internet as inspiration. By cooler law, every cooler has to be red, white and blue and has to say, “Raised Right,” at least once. If you do not, you will have dateless functions for the rest of college. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.

Boys. Do you know what kind of mental and near physical pain you put girls through

when you ask them to a formal? Obviously, we like getting dressed up, so do not hesitate to ask, but do realize that when you ask we are automatically banished to a week of absolute cooler hell. Do you know what you put these poor girls through? It is awful. Painting a cooler was by far the worst week of my six months of college life. Plus, painting coolers ruins your nails, which is practically a federal offense in my eyes.

Where did this tradition come from? What girl decided, one day, to paint a cooler for her formal date? The act of painting coolers truly confuses me. I have tried researching it, but the origins do not exist. Whoever you are, who created this tradition, I will find you and I will use a lot of mean words. This girl has probably caused more pain and suffering for the female gender than our home girl, Eve, ever did.

During formal season, the University should offer counselors on call with tissues for these poor girls. Counselors should also provide medical excuses for class. This should be a legitimate excuse accepted by all U of A faculty: “Sorry, teach, I can not come to class because the formal is on Saturday and I have to finish the cooler.” I am sure our professors would completely understand.

For clarification, there are rare assortments of girls with unbelievable talent who love devoting their weekends to painting every square inch of several coolers. My heart goes out to these girls. I pray for their sanity. Also, a shout out to the art majors who make kick butt masterpiece coolers that make my cooler look like kindergarten level Microsoft Paint.

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