02/08/16 Issue

@HSUORACLE www.hsuoracle.com

Henderson State University Monday, February 7, 2016 - Volume 110, Issue 17

MASTER DEBATER Raymond Sims takes the gold pg 5

THE ORACLE

THE ORACLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Moe Skinner FACULTY ADVISER – Mike Taylor COPY EDITOR – Madison MacNew NEWS EDITOR – Carmin Wills SPORTS EDITOR – Dom Cella VIEWS EDITOR – Dax Guilliams VIEWS EDITOR – Jae-Kur Lockhart PHOTO EDITOR – Joshua Bradley PAGE DESIGNER – Melanie Cole AD DESIGNER – Chris Sharp GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Jordan Jones

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ABSENTEE VOTING Voting available for students who are from out of town

STD STATISTICS

See diagnosis numbers for colleges around the state

A RACIST SCANDAL Judge Scalia recieves backlash for his comments

ATHLETIC UPDATE Stay caught up with last week’s statistics

ONLINE EDITOR – Ashley Smith BUSINESS MANAGER – Coley Henson

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Have an opinion on an issue or response to what we said? Just want to rant about something for a while? Write us at ORACLE@HSU.EDU. We want to hear what you think. Hell, if it doesn’t suck, we’ll publish it in next week’s issue. Try to keep it between 400 and 600 words. Just like your Tumblr, we ignore anonymous submissions.

COVER Raymond Sims shows off his awards.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY SMITH

ONLINE STORIES Make sure to check out our other featured stories online at www.hsuoracle.com.

NO GUN SALES ON FACEBOOK MAKING A MURDERER STUDENT OPINIONS IS VALENTINE’S DAY OVERRATED?

FEB. 7, 2016

FEATURES

CAST AWAY

VIEWS

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SPORTS

No stress when voting away from home STORY BY SERENE GARCIA History was made in 2008 with the election of President Barack Obama as the first African American president.

This election year, America has another opportunity to make history. With Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz being the front-runners in the Iowa caucus, the possibility of having a female or Hispanic president is ever increasing.

Behind Clinton and Cruz comes a controversial candidate pool with Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Marco Rubio amongst others. Now more than ever, it is important to vote.

“This is an opportunity for the citizen’s voice to be heard,” Rhonda Cole, Clark County Clerk, said.

According to Henderson’s website, 46 percent of undergraduate student are living on campus. Some students will need to fill out absentee ballots to be able to vote this election year. There are two ways to go about obtaining an absentee ballot.

The first is for the student to contact their local county clerk’s office and ask for an absentee ballot application to be mailed, emailed, or faxed to them.

After the absentee ballot application is received the voter needs to fill it out and have it mailed, emailed, or faxed back to the county clerk’s office. Then the county clerk will send out the absentee ballot once the application has been processed.

The second way to obtain an absentee ballot is through a bearer. The voter designates a bearer to bring the absentee ballot to them. The bearer must sign for the ballot and is responsible for getting it to the voter, allowing them to fill it out, and getting it back to the county clerks office.

The deadline to register for the Arkansas Presidential Preference and State Primary was Feb. 1. However, the deadline for updated registration information and ab-

sentee ballots will be on Feb. 23, for the applications done through email, fax, or mail. The deadline for absentee ballots through bearer or in person is due Feb. 29. The deadline to register for Arkansas State Primary Runoff is Feb. 22, and the deadline for the Arkansas General Election is Oct. 10.

Arkansas has an open primary so anyone can vote on either ballot the voter just has to choose which ballot to vote on when they arrive at the polls regardless of their political affiliation, according to an email from the Arkansas Secretary of State that was shared on campus last week. This deadline is in place to ensure the there is sufficient time to vote. The State Primary election will include a race in the local judicial system, the Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court Justice.

With stressful days and busy schedules, it is not unusual for college students to procrastinate on registering to vote.

With todays technology the process is becoming easier and quicker. Voters can go to the Secretary of State website and print out an application or go to the county clerk’s office and pick one up.

Also, there is more information on us vote foundation website about deadlines and voting days. History is being made by voting students can take part in the rapidly changing world and have an influence on the direction that it takes.

Before voting, it is important for people to understand who the candidates are and what they represent. Voter should be sure to choose the candidate that they feel will faithfully represent the U.S. and leave a legacy worth following.

This is not a decision that should be taken lightly. The future is in the hands of the people.

GRAPHIC BY JORDAN JONES

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NEWS

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SO WHAT’S GOTTEN INTO

YOU It ain’t all about catching the love bug STORY BY EMILY R. BELL It’s almost Valentine’s Day, which means everyone is going to be doing the do… Well, perhaps not everyone (shout out to all the singles and celibates).

Whether or not students plan to partake in the “go all the way” romance Valentine’s night, it is in everyone’s best interest to learn as much about the different forms of contraception as possible.

Not all students are well read in protection against sexually transmitted infections, so they may be wondering, “Who do I ask about that sort of thing? How do I find out the best way to protect myself ? Where can I get the protection that’s right for me?”

Welcome, my possibly-virginal child, to just the informative article required.

Henderson’s health center is just the place to start regarding basic facts to help students protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.

Tami Arnold, Henderson registered nurse, suggests these simple-to-understand steps to best protect against sexually transmitted infections (STI’s): 1. Practicing Abstinence from oral, vaginal, or anal sex (no contact with infected fluids or tissue) 2. Limiting the amount of sexual partners you have in your lifetime (the more partners you have, the more at risk for STI’s).

3. Using Latex Condoms every time and correctly.

(Free condoms are available at the Henderson’s student health and counseling center).

4. Getting vaccinated from STI’s: Hepatitis B vaccine, HPV vaccine

GRAPHIC BY JORDAN JONES Sounds easy enough, right?

“Not really, I’m still a little unsure about some of these options.”

That’s all right, my child; the information is all right here.

Practicing abstinence is a 100% sure way to avoid contracting any STI’s and having any unwanted pregnancies, but let’s be honest: at some point, many of us will want to skip gleefully into that next phase of the relationship. Or perhaps someone will want to get a little friskier than usual at the party down the street with that super-cute somebody they’ve been flirting with for over a month now.

Thus, options 2, 3, and 4 are necessary to follow to stay safe and healthy.

“Using condoms is the best method of preventing infection if two people are going to have sex,” website Advocates for Youth stated when comparing all forms of protection and contraception. However, “Condoms do not provide complete protection against genital herpes, syphilis, cancroids, or HPV because the STIs can be transmitted across infected skin surfaces not covered by the condom.”

Condoms are indeed great protection against STI’s, but obviously they can’t stop everything from being transmitted. STI’s can be contracted through kissing (even if it’s not French) and touching of the genitals (better known as hand-jobs and fingering).

That doesn’t mean students should disregard the use of condoms. They still protect from so much, and decrease the chances of infection as well as pregnancy significantly according to numerous sources including

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Young Women’s Health.

“All right, so I’ll keep some condoms around, but where can I get them? What if I can’t afford them?”

Henderson’s student health center, below Mooney School of Business, provides free (that’s right, FREE) condoms to all students.

In fact, RN Arnold encourages sexually active students to get tested for STI’s yearly whether or not they have symptoms, because some infections have early stages without any noticeable symptoms. The earlier a student with an infection is made aware, the earlier treatment can start, and the easier it will be to treat or possibly cure the infection (depending upon the type of infection).

There are other forms of protection against STI’s aside from the male condom. There are also female condoms and preventative vaccinations as aforementioned. Male condoms simply prove as one of the most highly-rated, cost-efficient, and easy to use forms of protection.

Consumer Reports rates LifeStyle brand condoms as the best condom, which is the brand provided by Henderson. Men’s Health prefers Trojan’s Ultra Ribbed Ecstasy for pleasure, sensitivity, and flexibility. Students can take that information however they want.

In other words: get tested, make sure partners are sexually healthy and/or tested, and use a condom (male or female).

Overall, my child, make this Valentine’s Day VDfree.

FEB. 7, 2016

NEWS

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CHAMPION COMMUNICATOR Raymond Sims: 2016 Southern Forensics Tri-State Champion STORY AND PHOTO BY ASHLEY SMITH

SMILING PROUD — Raymond looks forward to debating in Nationals.

“Yes, I won the whole thing,” Raymond Sims, junior business and computer science major, said into the phone.

“I’m proud of you, you did it,” Yvonne Sims, mother of a champion, said. “You’ve always wanted to be a state champion since high school and it took you until college to be one.”

Raymond Sims has recently become the 2016 Southern Forensics Tri-State Champion in debate, which took place last weekend. While debating if the FED should continuously increase rates on student loans, Sims came out the winner of the entire tournament.

“My man. Good job. And you were nervous about coming to this competition,” Darrel Farmer, assistant professor of communication and theatre arts and coach of the debate team, said when congratulating Sims at the tournament.

“My first time ever speaking I was nervous,” Sims said. “Now I’m the debate tournament champion.”

In a debate tournament, competitors are paired by computer. There are six out rounds for each person debating, and each debater has to argue three for the affirmative and three for the negative. Each round a winner comes out, and eventually the final round is debated.

The competitors who make it to the final round have to win four or five rounds, as Sims did. He argued the affirmative for the resolution and came out the winner with two trophies to show for it.

“Finally, that’s the word I would use to describe the debate,” Sims said. “Because in high school I always wanted to win, whether it was football, track, even impromptu speaking. Finally.”

A passion for speaking has gotten Sims this far. “Being able to take control of a room with my voice is the best part.”

He’s had a lot of help along the way. Coaches in high school, his best friends, and his family have been cheering him on since the beginning.

“I owe a lot of ‘thank yous’ to a lot of people,” Sims said. “My mom and my aunt have been my anchors. They’re the reason I’m here.

They’ve kept me on the right path with religion, school, everything. The biggest thank you I can give them is keeping me speaking in church.”

Sims has been competitively speaking since eighth grade, while also speaking in his church. His career in debate, however, didn’t start until he came to Henderson. He did impromptu speaking in FBLA, read the morning announcements, and was on the open/closing ceremony team in high school. Now, he is the president of the debate team, president of the Gentlemen’s League, and on the yearbook staff at Henderson.

Sims’ career in debate isn’t over yet. The debate team still has two more competitions, and Nationals are coming up.

“I want to take the next step in debating at Nationals,” Sims said. “I see now that I am not just a speaker.”

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SPA CITY

HUMOR

SPORTS

KILLING THE COMPETITION OPINION BY DAX GUILLIAMS — PARODY IMAGE BY JORDAN JONES BASED ON AN IMAGE © MICROSOFT STUDIOS Out of every fighting game series I’ve ever played, the “Killer Instinct” series is the most impressive. The series disappeared for several years, but its revival on the Xbox One was one of the greatest events in fighting game history.

The series started off as an attempt to please fighting game fans by combining the finest points of all of the fighting games that were out at the time with a heavy emphasis on long combos.

This resulted in “Killer Instinct” being an immediate success as the game was developed so well that it brought in fans from all over.

Not only was it a success as a fighting game that combined elements that so many people wanted, but it was a success by being a western developed fighting game in an era where most of the popular games in the genre were developed in Japan.

Many years went by without a “Killer Instinct” game being released due to the developers, Rare, being bought by Microsoft, causing a dramatic shift in the games they developed.

But after so many years without a “Killer Instinct” title, the fans got more and more vocal about their desire for a new addition to the series.

In 2013, Double Helix Games and Iron Galaxy Studios came together to revive the series with help from Rare and Microsoft Studios. The game was simply titled “Killer Instinct” as it was to be a reboot of the series and it became an immediate hit despite the series being gone for so long.

The game started as a free-to-play title as the development team, who are mostly made up of people involved in the Fighting Game Community, wanted to slowly build up the game with fan feedback.

I can confidently say that “Killer Instinct” is the best fighting game on the market right now.

The new title kept the series’s focus on chaining long combos together, but improved it in every way. And as the game continued being updated, characters received unique skills that are triggered by using some of their Instinct Gauge and the mechanics of stage finishers returned.

Every single fight is as intense as can be whether you’re playing it for the first time or you’ve been playing for years.

One thing that can make a fighting game so amazing is its ability to make new players feel like they’re making progress while also rewarding long time players for their dedication.

And the new “Killer Instinct” somehow managed to make the already impressive line-up of characters even better.

The “Killer Instinct” series created characters around the mindset of making each one of them homages to the stereotypes of popular fighting game characters while adding their own unique touch to them.

Jago, the hero of the series, plays similarly to Ryu and Ken from “Street Fighter” and also he plays on the wise monk stereotype in fighting games. Then there are characters like Orchid, Fulgore, TJ Combo and Sabrewolf, who play on the stereotypes of magic users, cyborgs, boxers and monsters that are commonly present in other popular fighting games.

There is also Cinder, who is a martial artist whose body is covered in flames, and while that isn’t a stereotype in any sense, he still fits into the series so well and is easily one of the best fighting game characters even created.

Many of these characters were brought over to the first season of “Killer Instinct” and the rest have been introduced in season two along with new characters to the series.

The only new character in season one was Sadira, an assassin who is also part spider. Season two brought some of the

best characters the series has ever had.

Characters like Aganos, a large golem who can give himself extra armor, and Hisako, a ghostly woman who is similar to the girl from “The Ring,” were introduced and they made the roster so much better.

“Killer Instinct” started off very small with only eight characters to begin with in its first season, but the game is now getting ready for a third season which already looks amazing.

The announcement of season three came with the developers stating that crossover characters will also be appearing and the first will be Rash from“Battletoads.”

For a short time, players were allowed to test Rash, but now he’s getting ready for release. Kim Wu, another classic char-

acter is also getting ready for release and the end of her trailer hinted that The Arbiter from “Halo” will be added as a playable fighter in season three.

And while there are still many classic “Killer Instinct” characters that haven’t made it to the game yet, the developers still plan to get them in.

Recently, “Killer Instinct” had its own official tournament that many people attended and participated in. A lot of news for season three was revealed along with news of future plans of the game.

While “Killer Instinct” didn’t see any action for so many years, its revival was so strong it rekindled the series and gave fans one of the best fighting games we could have asked for. Thankfully, the developers are putting in more and more effort to make the game even better.

FEB. 7, 2016

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SCOLDING SCALIA Is there injustice in the higher education system?

OPINION BY JAE-KUR Where on the globe do we have to travel for this week’s issue of “Jackass in the Justice System?” Well we won’t have to travel far this time around – Austin, Texas to be exact.

As heard on Dec. 9, 2015, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia suggested that African-Americans belong in slower-paced colleges as opposed to their Caucasian peers.

That’s not all though -- Justice Scalia also suggested that the University of Texas in Austin should have fewer black students on its roster because the school will be too challenging for them.

He’s not saying that black students don’t excel -- they just excel in simpler courses.

“It does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas in Austin,” said Justice Scalia. “As opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a slower track school where they do well.”

Scalia went on to try to support his argument by saying that most black scientists in the country do not come from schools similar to the University of Texas in Austin – they come from less-challenging schools that do not push ahead.

“I whole-heartedly disagree with what Scalia said,” Anthony Price, freshman sports management major said. “Race does not determine how hard a person will work. If a person wants to be successful, they are going to work hard either way to show their potential.”

Maybe Scalia should’ve kept that

remark to himself because he immediately sent uproars through Honorary Black Colleges and Universities as well as African-American students throughout the nation.

Although Scalia probably said one of the most racist comments of the century, how far in the left-field was his statement?

It should not be considered something to brag about to say that your university admits a substantial amount of African-Americans – maybe it’s an honor but definitely not a bragging right.

Are universities admitting more diverse students to simply avoid a civil lawsuit?

“What the media or ‘white people’ fail to realize is that most colleges are predominately white so no matter what, I feel as though it will be harder for a black student to succeed, regardless of the college,” Tamiah Epps, freshman music major, said.

All of this came about because of the Fisher vs. University of Texas case.

This case was built over whether the university’s use of race as a “helper” to get a certain percentage of diversity admitted into the college is actually constitutional.

The University of Texas in Austin has about 75 percent of its students admitted through their Top 10 Percent program – a program that focuses on people who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high-school class. The remaining 25 percent are admitted through a screening process that happens to take race into

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

account for admission, among other criteria.

The University seems to believe this process should be acceptable without much question being as though they want it to be known that without the screening process, then the remaining 25 percent of the enrollment will be mostly Caucasian students.

During the court case, U.S. Solicitor General Greg Garre represented the university.

“Maybe it is because more African-Americans are attending HBCUs and with that, those colleges are considered easier by the standards

of white people simply because it is a college mostly populated by black people,” said Epps. “[We] attend these HBCUs because we feel more comfortable with our own kind; damn sure not because we are afraid to attend a school with more white people.”

What is your opinion on the idea that Supreme Court Justice Scalia proposed? Do you believe that African-Americans belong in easier colleges and easier courses? If so, do not be afraid to write in to the Oracle here on campus or even if you don’t agree, please feel free to respond.

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IN FULL SWING Reddie Athletics coverage of a week of travel STORY BY DOM CELLA Tennis Starting off the week on Sunday was our women’s tennis team, picking up wins in singles play were sophomore Annie Shannon who won both matches 6-3 and freshman Sydnee Parker who won her matches 7-5 and 6-3. Despite these two singles wins, the Reddies dropped their first team match falling to LSU- Alexandria 7-2. In doubles Shannon and senior Amanda Korinihona fell 8-6, while duets of junior Sara Griffin and freshman Mariah Bartlett as well as Parker and freshman Alex Morillo fell 8-5. The women take to the court again on Saturday in Russellville.

Men’s Basketball Reddie men’s basketball dropped both of their games this week one to East Central University, 46-58, and one to Southeastern Oklahoma State, 64-71. The scores however, do not tell the whole story. The Reddie defense went held strong and game number one of the week against ECU. “We felt like we gave ourselves a chance to be successful with our team defense, holding them to a low FG% and well below their season average as far as points go,” said head coach, Jimmy Elgas, “However, we didn’t capitalize offensively.”

Game two against Southeastern Oklahoma came down to the line as the Reddies fought hard to stay in the game. Senior big man Alioune Mboup boxed out ECU forcing them to shoot from outside the key. Mboup dropped 13 points while shooting 58 percent from the field.

“We were much more pleased with our effort on Saturday at Southeast Oklahoma. We battled through some scoring droughts, yet put ourselves in position to win the game in the second half,” Elgas said, “Our team is hanging in there.

While we are all disappointed with our losing games, we really want our team to focus on the process of improvement and getting better. If we can keep out eyes on that process, I am 100% positive we can put together a good stretch of basketball in the month of February.”

Sophomore guard Kaylon Tappin put the team on his back in the second half, leading the comeback with 24 points on the night and a 47 percent field goal percentage against Southeastern. The Reddies hope to have a great home-court advantage when they tip-off against SAU at 7:30 on Thursday.

Softball Softball travelled to Durant, Oklahoma to compete in the three-day Southeastern Oklahoma Shootout and get the season started. On their opening day of the season the Reddies would grab two wins against Emporia State and Central Missouri. Sophomore pitcher Madison Calvert picked up her first win of the season with help from junior saver Ashlyn White. White knocked in two runs as junior Keirsten Seahorn also batted in a Reddie in their 3-1 win against Emporia. Their bats were in full swing during game two against Central Missouri as the women scored 6 runs to their opponents 4. Destiny Garza, the sophomore out of Plano, Texas batted in two runs helping out sophomore pitcher Michelle Sorensen pick up a win and add another save to White’s tally. Day two held bad news for the Reddies as the softball team was shutout on the day. Central Oklahoma snuffed out the flame of the day before with a 4-0 win allowing only one hit from sophomore Caroline Cullins. The second game of the day can be chalked up two the Reddies’ two hits from Griffith and senior Morgan South as well as two errors that cost them the game.

However, resilience is key and the Reddies were able to bounce back on day three with two wins picking up another over Emporia 1-0 when freshman Alexis Morton scored on a single from sophomore Courtney Warren driving the win behind the no-hitter of Sorensen who picked up her second win. In the final game of the tournament the women would beat Missouri Southern 3-1 with help from the sophomores Olivia Trapp who had a two RBI single to left and Shayla Wright who dropped a sacrifice bunt to score freshman Ashleigh Erb. Calvert would pick up her second win. The women travel to Bentonville this week to compete in the UAM Invitational.

Baseball Baseball went on the road this week picking up a 6-5 win against University of Central Missouri on Friday. The men left the bases loaded twice on Friday, however junior righty pitcher Jordan Taylor batted in two runs and scored himself while picking up the W. The Reddies struggled in Saturday against St. Mary’s University as the Rattlers managed seven runs in the bottom of the eighth, enough to put them over with a final score of 5-10. Taylor was back at it again going 3 for 4, knocking in three and scoring once in this loss. The Reddies will be hosting their HSU Invitational this week starting Thursday night as they faceoff against Northwest Missouri State at 6 p.m. and Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. against Missouri Western State. With temperature in the sixties planned for the weekend it should be a great couple day of baseball in Arkadelphia. Check out the Reddie Athletics page for a recap of Sunday’s game against Tarleton.

HSU Invitational

Women’s Basketball Reddie women’s basketball also had a pair of losses to ECU and Southeastern Oklahoma. Thursday night’s game against ECU was lead by senior guard Victoria Stewart who dropped 15 points on the night. Senior forward Dulincia Keener pulled down 11 boards trying to fend off the Tigers but to no avail, the Reddies would still lose 49-59. Saturday night showed classic Keener delivering yet another double-double as she scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.

Unfortunately, the Savage Storm would prove too much to handle and outscore the Reddies 68-51. They return back home to play SAU at 5:30 on Thursday.

HSU v Northwest Missouri State HSU v Missouri Western State Arkansas Tech v Northwest Missouri Arkansas Tech v Northwest Missouri Arkansas Tech v Missouri Western HSU v UofA Fort Smith HSU v UofA Fort Smith

Thursday @ 6 p.m.

Friday @ 3 p.m.

Friday @ 6 p.m.

Saturday @ 12 p.m.

Saturday @ 3 p.m.

Saturday @ 6 p.m.

Sunday @ 12 p.m.