04/14/15 Issue

@HSUORACLE www.hsuoracle.com

Henderson State University - Tuesday, April 14, 2015 - Volume 108, Issue 25

AUTISM AWARENESS Sorority hosts 5k run to help raise money P.4

THE ORACLE

THE ORACLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Scott McKinnon FACULTY ADVISER – Mike Taylor COPY EDITOR – Katie Brown NEWS EDITOR – Moe Skinner SPORTS EDITOR – Kaitlyn Kitchens FEATURES EDITOR – Devin Anderson VIEWS EDITOR – Dax Guilliams PHOTO EDITOR – Chris Sharp PAGE DESIGNER – Houston Fryer GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Megan Snoddy ONLINE EDITOR – Scott McKinnon BUSINESS MANAGER – James T. Allen

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PHOTO BY CHRIS SHARP

Claire Cade senior art show

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER – Carmin Wills

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: Alpha Xi Delta members release balloons to commemorate Autism Awareness month ar their event.

Photo by Chris Sharp

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PHOTO BY CHRIS SHARP

HSU Iron Chef winners

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IMAGE BY MEGAN SNODDY

Daredevil on Netflix

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PHOTO BY KRISTINE MOORE

Reddie baseball dominates

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A SNITCH’S DREAM COME TRUE New ethics software will allow for anonymous reporting of misconduct on campus

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ith great power comes great responsibility. Henderson has empowered its faculty, staff, and students with a way to report unethical behavior.

In turn, they are expecting everyone on campus to utilize the tool if they have a concern about conduct.

EthicsPoint, as the program is so appropriately named, is designed to help address issues of fraud, abuse, misconduct in the workplace, other violations of university policy and procedures and violations of state or federal law, or any other concern that may arise.

Henderson’s leadership is requesting that anyone who has knowledge of something of this nature come forward about it.

Preferably, employees would go to their direct supervisors, and students would voice their concerns to a department chair, dean or

STORY BY KATIE SMITH — PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS.COM other administrator.

However, the program is in place for those times when individuals do not feel comfortable reporting issues through these channels. “[The university would] rather you report anonymously than keep the information to yourself,” Elaine Kneebone, General Council, stated via email.

EthicsPoint is self-described as a “comprehensive and confidential reporting tool.”

Reports can be made either by computer or phone. If made by computer, the system does not collect IP addresses, so as to better protect confidentiality.

Because of this, reports do not have to be generated from university or personal computers, but are accessible from any device with internet.

With the telephone option, a person may

call and report, and an interviewer will transcribe the report for the individual. This too is completely anonymous.

It is available at any hour of the day, every day of the year for convenience.

After a report is made, it is only accessible to specific individuals within the university who have been picked to evaluate it. These persons have been trained to keep the reports with “utmost confidence”. Any individual mentioned in the report will not have access to it, even if they are on the evaluating team.

Via web or telephone, an individual may choose to identify themselves in the report for whatever reason. But it is not necessary to give a name to be able to respond to any questions the report’s investigators may have. The report is available with a username and password given at the time of the report for the writer.

They are then encouraged to log back on to the website within a certain amount of days to report any information they may have forgotten or questions that may have arisen from the investigator.

Individuals are also encouraged to report activity that is even remotely suspicious. According to Kneebone, the leadership prefers to have a report that turns out to be harmless, than to have unethical behavior going on in the university without being reported.

The university is spending approximately $3,700 a year to provide this program. It is, in their words, “Part of their continued efforts to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to the university and it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the university’s core value of integrity.”

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ALPHA Xi DELTA HOSTS 5K RUN Sorority raises money for Autism Speaks charity with second annual race and balloon realease

STORY BY JARVIS WARREN — PHOTO BY CHRIS SHARP

RAISING CASH ON THE RUN— Several Alpha Xi Delta release balloons in honor of autism awareness

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utism Speaks will come to Henderson this semester with the help of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. The Alpha Xi Deltas hosted the second annual Step It Up 5k on April 11.

All of the money raised by this run goes to the Alpha Xi Delta’s philanthropy Autism Speaks. “The 5k is inspired by Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism,” said Mallory Bell, junior pre-med biology major and president of the Alpha Xi Deltas. “Each year there are several walks held around the United States. Our chapter participates in the Little Rock Walk Now.” Please contact Mallory Bell if you have any questions or wish to find ways to volunteer or contribute to the Alpha Xi Delta autism awareness program at MB131067@reddies. hsu.edu or 870-403-7941.

“We held our 5k last year and it was a huge success,” Bell said. “This year we are trying to make it bigger and better so that we can raise even more money for this wonderful organization.”

Autism is a bio-neurological developmental disability that generally appears before the age of three. Individuals with autism typically

have difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities.

Autism is diagnosed four times more often in boys than girls. Its prevalence is not affected by race, region or socio-economic status.

Since autism was first diagnosed in the United States the incidence has climbed to one in 68 children in the United States.

Children with autism do progress, but early intervention is key.

Autism is treatable; it is not a hopeless condition.

There are several signs of Autism that can be watched for. These signs include no big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter; no back and forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter; no babbling or gesturing by 12 months; no words by 16 months; no two word meaningful phrases by 24 months; or any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age.

There are many resources available online for anyone looking for further information on autism and autism awareness campaigns going on throughout the month of April.

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IN HER ELEMENT Gender and identity displayed in Claire Cade’s senior art exhibition STORY BY JORDAN JOHNSON — PHOTO BY CHRIS SHARP

INKED — Claire Cade in the printmaking studio showing off her work “Art? To me, art is just a bunch of random lines in a bunch of random colors,” Maegan Estes, senior mass media major said, when asked about her opinion on Art. Many students seem to have the same mindset about the profession. However, other students see art in an entirely different way.

For senior studio art major, Claire Cade, art is more than just a pastime, it’s a lifelong passion.

“I’ve been making art since I was a small child, but I guess I would say that my art changed into something more serious when I was in about eighth grade because of some very difficult emotional challenges,” Cade said.

Cade’s love of art did not come without a few obstacles to overcome. Art was not an easy decision to commit to, until Cade attended college.

“I never really knew I wanted to commit, it was like a decision that my body made for me,” Cade said, “I had planned on studying computer science when I came to Henderson, but when the lady asked me at Heart Start

what my major was, ‘art’ just sort of came out of my mouth.”

Cade describes her family and friends as “crafty,” and believes she is surrounded by amazing and talented people. She also characterized their love for art as an “itch.”

“Pretty much everyone in my family is at least crafty,” she said. “My father likes woodwork, my estranged mother used to draw and paint with my brother and I when we were kids.”

In her artwork, Cade focuses on the human body and the many ways to portray it.

“I really like playing with the human figure,” Cade said. “I like drawing figures from life. I like making up figures. I like twisting them in impossible, visually uncomfortable ways.”

“Combining bodies and objects is one of my favorite visual exercises, as well as drawing interiors, like rooms that I am in or that I remember or that I dreamed about,” Cade said.

Cade also talked about how being a feminist impacts the way she views life, and is reflected in her piece.

“I’m a huge feminist, so issues around body image and bodily autonomy are a significant part of my mental landscape,” said Cade.

“Feminism is definitely a big part of why I make art.”

Cade draws influences from different parts of life and incorporates them into each of her works.

“Gender, sexuality, identity, mental illness, all of these things and so many more are what inspire me and make me want to be creative,” Cade said. “There’s also a distinctive influence from my relationship with religion, especially Christianity.”

Cade spoke about submersing herself in her craft, when she started to first make art.

“It’s exhausting, and sometimes I look at my work with a lot of disbelief that this object or image actually came from my hands,” said Cade. “When I’m making art, I sort of get in the ‘zone’ you know?”

Cade also likes to critique her own work, making sure to always have fun with her art.

“I giggle at my work a lot,” Cade said. “If something in a piece looks like a silly, dirty

joke, it probably is.”

Cade also talked about the title of her show, “Bemundolack,” and what it means to her. “’Bemundolack’ is a word that I invented as a teenager,” Cade said. “It is the name of my sort of reclaimed identity that I’ve had to fashion in order to cope with certain aspects of my past so that I can grow and heal and become a productive adult.”

“So I called the show ‘Bemundolack’ because it feels like a fulfillment of so many things that I have been striving for,” Cade said.

“There was nothing else that seemed fitting.”

This is Cade’s first ever “solo show” at Henderson. Cade’s senior art show, “Bemundolack” will be first presented in the Huie Library, on the second floor, and will be available from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 16, and will remain available to the public until April 21.

When Cade was asked what she wanted people to take from her exhibit, she answered, “I want people to wonder and be surprised by themselves.”

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KEEPING IT CLASSICAL Devin Anderson performs original works at his senior music recital

STORY BY MOE SKINNER — PHOTO BY CARMIN WILLIS

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t’s that time of year when almost all students are starting to feel the pinch of the semester’s closing doors. Many students are over burdened with hefty academic loads that leave very little time for even the mere presence of a blip on the social life radar.

Devin Anderson, senior music composition major, feels the same metaphorical crunch.

Along with juggling classes, homework and working as a writer and editor for The Oracle, Anderson also makes time to write an array of original musical compositions. Thursday, Anderson performed his senior recital in front of an intimate crowd of fellow students, faculty and family.

Keila Anderson, mother, traveled from Cypress, Texas, with Ina Slie, grandmother, Cynthia Caliste, aunt and Mae Jackson, great aunt, to watch Anderson’s performance.

Anderson took the stage and gave an inspiring monologue that concluded, “So long as one person is willing to listen to new music, they’ve ensured my success as a composer and others.” He started the recital with “Rebirth,” a collection of five pieces that reflected reincarnation.

Anderson’s passion for creating and playing music is like watching a father show off his newborn baby.

“We are so very proud of him,” Keila Anderson said about her son.

Keila spoke about what her son was like as a child. She said he came to her when he was about three, before Christmas and announced he wanted a washboard.

“A washboard?” Keila asked.

She said she couldn’t imagine why he wanted that. It turns out, Anderson had previously watched the children’s show, Barney. Along with the big purple dinosaur was also someone playing a washboard and that sparked Anderson’s musical gene. That Christmas, under the tree at the Anderson home, laid a wrapped washboard for the future composer.

His mother fast-forwarded to when Anderson was in the eighth grade. He came to

her in April and asked his mother, have you ever wanted to play a musical instrument?

She said yes, but she had never done so. Then Anderson asked her, which instrument would she have picked? She replied, the piano. Keila said, her son said, he liked the piano too and would very much like to learn how to play it.

Keila soon found a small keyboard and Anderson began experimenting. Keila said, about two weeks later Anderson claimed he needed a larger keyboard. Keila said she didn’t think anything about his request but later spoke with some of his teachers and they confirmed that Anderson could really progress if he had a larger keyboard, she obliged.

When Anderson was in the ninth grade, Keila said they were attending Anderson’s leadership conference and she was in mid bite of her sandwich when they started introducing this child who had done all these wonderful musical things. She said she had no idea they were introducing her son until they called his name.

Keila said her son, “a self-taught musician, shocked everyone in the crowd that day, including herself.”

Anderson’s fellow musicians also performed with him throughout the evening. Anderson’s composition included two separate pieces written for quartets. Throughout the evening, the music was hypnotic, and sometimes even dark. Anderson and his fellow musicians performed 13 of Anderson’s original pieces.

His final piece, “Fable of Melody and Marie,” featured a narration performed by Tanner Oglesby, vocal education major. Anderson played the piano, creating a soundtrack as Oglesby told the tale of twin sisters at the mercy of an evil witch doctor.

The two escape after he heals Marie in exchange for Melody’s voice and he tries to rape Marie. Melody soon finds out she is pregnant with the witch doctor’s evil demon and dies.

Marie becomes a warrior and kills the demon spawn and the witch doctor.

Anderson said the story for the last piece was written four years ago but the music was written just this year.

“I wrote it for an ex-girlfriend as an apology for things not working out, but she never read it,” Anderson said.

The composer kept the audience entranced, entertained and wanting more.

Mike Taylor, professor of communication, told Anderson after his performance, “You should be scoring Hollywood films and TV shows.”

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DOORS TO FREEDOM Henderson alumna’s art fights for human rights STORY BY KATIE SMITH — PHOTO COURTESY OF VL COX

STEPPING UP— VL Cox standing in front of the Arkansas State Capitol with her art installation “End Hate.”

“Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.”

Robert Green Ingersoll said. That is exactly the message VL Cox is trying to convey with her discrimination doors.

Six doors lined up on the State Capital steps, each one only accessible for a certain group of people. White. Colored. LGBT. Immigrant. Homeless.

But the door for human beings is chained up, inaccessible due to a lock. It is her statement about where she feels this country is headed.

Cox is a Henderson alumnus. She attended in 1980 and majored in “volleyball and frat parties,” as she recalls.

She spent a year at Arkansas Tech University, and dropped out. She moved to Memphis. Finally in 1988, she decided it was time

to go back to college.

She graduated with a degree in computer graphics. It was with those skills that she developed the concept for the doors two years ago.

She said she realized “change was on the horizon” when she saw a news story about some kids who killed a homeless person for fun.

With all the fuss about HB1228, Cox decided it was the perfect time to finally create her “End Hate” art installation doors.

She is a gay woman with a partner of 15 years. But her mission is not to push a homosexual agenda. Her mission: tolerance. “I don’t care who you are or what you believe in, to discriminate against someone else is wrong,” she said.

She and Paula Morrell will be headed up

to Washington, D.C., later this week to share their art at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.

Morrell has a radio show that is aired all over the world.

She invites people to come and tell their personal stories about discrimination.

Morrell said she believes Cox’s doors are extremely powerful and it is very powerful to remind us that those doors were real.

She called them a visual representation of what can happen if we aren’t careful.

“It’s an important statement to make,” she said. “I’m very excited and proud to be a part of it.”

Judge Wendell L Griffen has shared his story on Morrell’s show. He shared it again on Wednesday night at an event with Morrell and Cox. He had also seen the doors on the steps of the Capitol.

He said they remind him of a poster in his chambers titled “History.”

It has three doors: one for men, one for ladies, and one for coloreds. He said Cox’s doors are reminding us that if you don’t know where you’ve been, you won’t know when people are trying to take you back.

Cox said she is adding a “Veterans Only” door after hearing horror stories at the Capitol. However, she doesn’t want to add more doors.

This makes sense when one thinks of it.

The doors represent a spectrum of intolerance that are pretty much universally recognizable.

She wants to take some away. “Regardless of what your beliefs are,” she said. “You should treat your fellow man with respect.”

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DEEP-FRIED GLORY Henderson’s annual Iron Chef competition yields new champions

STORY AND PHOTO BY CARMIN WILLIS

Left to Right — Rio Cummings, counselor at SSS; Greta Goslee, freshman communication major; Ricki Rebollar, graudate assistant; Kayla Kastern, sophomore psychology and Spanish double major; Josh Switzer, sophomore social science education major; Veronica Salazar, associate dean of students; Front — Zach Noga, senior mass media major

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he third annual Iron Chef competition winner has been announced. Henderson’s version of the “Iron Chef ” competition was between five residence halls, Newberry, Smith, East, West and Sturgis. The winners of the first two days then competed for bragging rights and a trophy on the final day.

As the three judges sat and patiently awaited their food, Zachery Noga, senior mass media major, was the official master of ceremonies for the second year in a row.

Noga entertained the crowd and the judges by playing trivia games. The laughter and excitement grew throughout the Caddo.

Noga said there was not a good turn out this year but the contestants were not concerned with this, their only thoughts were to get their best dishes presented to the judges.

“Each group is determined to win,” Noga said.

The first round of the evening was appetizers. They were plated and served to the judges.

East served a lemon pepper grilled shrimp and

Sturgis served their coconut bacon wrapped shrimp. The judges were impressed with the presentation of each dish. The winner of the appetizer round was Sturgis. Ricki Rebollar, graduate assistant, enjoyed the shrimp dishes.

He took a bite of East’s shrimp and smiled.

“Very interesting flavor,” Rebollar said.

Along with flavor, these dishes were judged on originality, presentation, creativity and use of a secret ingredient.

Sturgis won this round with the sweetness of the coconut along with the bacon wrapped shrimp.

This was a nice combination for the judges.

With the appetizer round completed, the contestants went back to the kitchen to prepare for their main dish. The teams were chopping, dicing and mixing their ingredients for their main course.

During this hour Patrick Durbin, junior political science major, one of the chefs for East had a small malfunction with their burners.

“They just stopped working,” Durbin said.

This set the team’s nerves on edge, but was quickly resolved by the staff of Caddo. Sturgis did not have any problems and continued to prep.

While these teams cooked, the audience could talk to the contestants and get an up close view of the controlled chaos behind the counter.

About that time in walked Johnathon Love, freshman nursing major, who was rival chef to East the day before. Love started smack-talking to Durbin about his chicken, trying to throw him off his game.

“We should be in this kitchen right now,” Love said.

Love said his team lost because their homemade potato chips were too salty for the judges. East was preparing chicken with sautéed tomatoes and mushrooms, served with a chicken broth sauce over noodles.

Sturgis was preparing their salmon over mashed potatoes and mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese, shrimp and peppers. Everyone’s mouths were watering. Rio Cummings, edu-

cational specialist and counselor of student support services, was one of the judges for the event. “The salmon was light and airy, the two different flavors of hummus and guacamole blended together well,” Cummings said.

It is fun to watch students in this different element, Cummings said, “They invest their time, work together and produce great meals.”

When the main dishes were served the judges took a bite and wrote on their score cards. The score cards were totaled, and the winner was announced.

Sturgis’ team, Josh Switzer, sophomore social science education major, Kayla Kastern, sophomore psychology and spanish double major, and Greta Goslee, freshman communications major, won, each received individual Henderson “Iron Chef ” trophies and bragging rights for the next year.

Brittney Stephens, graduate student of accounting, put the event together this year. Students, faculty and staff enjoy “Iron Chef ” and she is sure that it will be repeated for many years to come.

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THE SEARCH WITHIN OURSELVES, NERD STYLE Alumnae Stacey Bean’s original stage production, “X-Nerds,” comes to Arkansas Hall for one night only

STORY BY ASHLEY SMITH — PHOTO COURTESY OF STACEY BEAN

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romising adult content, strong language, and mature humor, “X-Nerds: Protecting the Universe!” is set to be performed at 7 and 9 p.m. tonight in Arkansas Hall. The playfeatures theatre majors from Henderson as they perform as six college nerds battling an evil science professor and an evil sorority girl with an underlying theme of finding yourself while in college.

“X-Nerds” will run between 45 minutes to an hour.

Tuesday is the only night that the play will run.

The show is a fundraiser for Arkansas Young Playwrights Competition, and all of the money made from the show will go to the competition. It will be $5 at the door for students with an ID and $8 for adults.

Students in the play have been working on production since February, a few hours a week in the beginning and getting closer to premiere night it was about 10 hours a week “The show is full of energy and is pretty fun,” Harlen Mauro Palmerin-Segural said.

The other students working on the show seemed to enjoy the production process as well. “Hearing the jokes for the first time was

my favorite part of the show,” Justin Cox, junior theatre major, said.

“Finding out our super powers,” Eric Mouton, sophomore theatre major, said.

The play is directed by Henderson alumna Sarah Miller, who graduated with a degree in theatre last year and is currently attending UALR for a graduate degree in public administration with a graduate certificate in nonprofit management.

“X-Nerds” was written by another Henderson alumnus, Stacey Bean, who graduated in 1983. Bean said it took him about two weeks to write the script for the play. “My motivation for this play was for the competition,” Bean said.

“All of the money will go to it, specifically towards the $500 prize that they will be offering. Working with everyone and seeing how everyone collaborates has been really neat.”

“It’s cool to see the new faces and the old faces from the theatre department and see what they’re doing.” Miller said.

Bean and Miller created the Arkansas Theater Project, which is now recognized by the state and waiting on official recognition from the government as a nonprofit organization. The project is intended to bring theatre to smaller, rural schools throughout Arkansas that do not have a theatre program or way to put on a performance in their school.

“The only way to be able to reach out is to help fellow theaters in Arkansas, become a community and to grow and strengthen the theaters,” Miller said.

“We have to get them out of the mindset that there is only one theater here and we don’t have to interact with the other ones in the state.”

Miller and Bean intend to expand the Arkansas Theater Project. Henderson students and local residents can help support them by attending the show tonight. Students in the play promise that it is a good time and a funny show.

“It’s a good ’effing time,” Cox said.

The play can be summed up perfectly in one line delivered by Andrea McDaniel, senior theatre major, “Get ready for greatness.”

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STREET-SMART SPIDER Newspaper staff learns about the growing art of non-fiction comics before producing their own work in NYC

STORY BY CALEB WILLIAMS — COMIC BY HOUSTON FRYER

The world of comics is a magical place.

They can take you into the Batmobile with Bruce Wayne or have you smashing cars with Hulk. But for one group at this year’s college media conference in New York City it had them talking to strangers dressed up as these imaginary crusaders.

The team had to go against several others to turn a news story into a nonfiction comic. They were on a three-day time crunch, which meant the pressure cooker was boiling. Though many of the teams that started this dropped, team Pants-less Japanese Gentlemen, whose name was dubbed after an amusing incident occurred to team members in their hotel, continued to press on even through difficulty.

“Originally, we were assigned to do an article over the Naked Cowgirl that plays guitar in Times Square,” Houston Fryer, senior art major said. “But that fell through due since she

wasn’t at the area she was supposed to be at.”

“Basically, we thought we were screwed.

After Naked Cowgirl had fallen through, we just walked down Times Square and tried interviewing some street performers,” Fryer said. “We talked to a guy that was dressed as Jack Sparrow and a Guy dressed as Batman.

None of them wanted to be interviewed.”

“Then we saw this guy dressed up as Spider-man,” Scott McKinnon, senior communication major, said. “We just started talking to him. He was super enthusiastic about his job.”

“He had this rubber band web on his hand that he would sling out and hit cars and people with,” Fryer said. “He’d say, ‘Gotcha,’ or ‘Duh duh duh dun!’ You could tell he was enjoying what he was doing.”

It took a nice long interview with a dude in a suit, and two weeks of strenuous work for the team to finish the product. The comic that they wrote is entitled Street-Smart Spider. It is

about a day in the life of a Times Square street performer. This was assigned at a nonfiction comics workshop that Henderson’s own Michael Taylor, professor of communication and theatre arts, and Randy Duncan, professor of communication and theatre arts, held.

The professors are in the process of completing a textbook book titled “Creating Comics as Journalism, Memoir, and Nonfiction.” Though the title may be a bit clunky, it’s sure to be informative. The art of comic book writing infused with newspaper writing is a relatively new thing, but it gives the reader a whole new way to read news.

“This gives a true story that uses artistic elements,” Taylor said. “It engages the reader, and speaks to the reader in an intimate voice.”

“Nonfiction attempts to communicate a specific sense of place and a specific experience,” Duncan said. “Detailed images in a comic can bring a reader closer to understand-

ing a particular reality than can be done with words alone.”

“Our book, at its core, is an instruction manual for how to create nonfiction, particularly reportage comics,” Duncan said.

“The book is two years in the making and will be out this fall,” Taylor said. “We feel this is a legit and unique art form.”

The two professors are not alone in this writing of this book. They are accompanied

by David Stoddard, professor of art, and the author of “AD,” Josh Neufeld.

Neufeld is a world-renowned nonfiction comic writer that also offered support and advice at the conference workshop.

A comic can take you on a visual journey that books can’t quite convey.

Nonfiction comics turn what’s in the newspaper into the live news report on CNN. There’s nothing quite like it.

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DARE TO BE A DEVIL

OPINION BY DAX GUILLIAMS — IMAGE BY MEGAN SNODDY

Comic book related media has increased dramatically over the past few years and now Netflix has gotten into the game.

In just the past few days, Netflix released the entire first season of “Daredevil”, the first in in their series of four Marvel TV shows.

The show is based on the comics of the character, Daredevil, a superhero operating in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. While not in costume, he is Matt Murdoch, a defense attorney who was blinded when he, as a child, was involved in a car accident that caused toxic waste to enter his eyes.

While the incident blinded Murdoch, the radioactive material gave him superhuman senses, including radar sense.

I watched the entire season over the weekend and to call this show incredible is simply an understatement.

Charlie Cox just might be the perfect actor to portray Murdoch/Daredevil. He gets the attitude of the character down perfectly from the character’s sense of morality to his fantastic sense of humor.

Daredevil is an amazing hand-to-hand fighter and the choreography for the show is the best it could possibly be. In the second episode, the hallway fight scene was one of the best scenes I’ve witnessed in any show.

The pacing has a great balance between fast action sequences and character development through dialogue. There are even a few times where the pacing constantly jumps speeds, but it never looks or feels wrong.

One of my favorite things about the show was how well they handled the flashback scenes with Murdoch’s father. Each flashback sequence is brought up at just the right time.

Murdoch’s father was the most important figure in his life. The death of his father at the hands of the mafia was the ultimate factor in his decision to become a vigilante.

Of all the flashback scenes, the one that stood out the most to me was the scene where Murdoch’s father, after refusing to take a dive for the mafia in a boxing match, rushes to his locker in an attempt to put away his things and get away, instead stops to turn around and listen to the crowd chant his name one last time.

Before the show had been released, I was worried about its quality when I found out

Jeph Loeb is one of the executive producers.

Personally, I think Loeb is not a good writer, but the show managed to amaze me anyway.

Drew Goddard, director of “The Cabin in the Woods” and writer of shows such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Lost,” is the creator of the show and I think he did a fine job, which is obvious since I’m praising the show so much.

This is a show people need to watch. If you have Netflix, do yourself a favor and give “Daredevil” a look.

Even if you don’t like comics, this is something that you will still enjoy and I imagine you’ll start liking them after this.

Netflix is changing how TV works with this series and the series that will come from it.

They’re changing things not just with good writing and design, but also by doing a dark atmosphere correctly.

This is the darkest I’ve ever seen a Marvel series and it’s done not to add shock value or make you turn the brightness on your television all the way up. It’s done to convey emo-

tion and it does it well.

Violence is all over this show. “Daredevil” is a pretty violent comic and this show does a good job of following the comics.

As much as I enjoy the “Arrow” and “Flash” shows, “Daredevil” is giving those two a run for their money. “Flash” is still probably my top comic book related show even with how good “Daredevil” is currently.

Bullseye, Daredevil’s archenemy, is sadly not in any of the episodes, but he might appear later in the series.

Although Bullseye is absent, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin played by Vincent D’Onofrio, appears quite early in the series and he makes quite the impression with just his first two appearances.

Just like in the comics, Kingpin appears as a very dignified man who will not hesitate to crush someone’s head in a car door until they die for embarrassing him on a date.

Spin-offs for Daredevil were announced before the series was available to watch. Shows for Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist are

on their way and those will all come together in a “Defenders” series.

Because of the choreography, I’m really looking forward to the “Iron Fist” series. The people who are handling these shows know how to make exciting fight scenes and “Iron Fist” is going to be full of them.

Rumors of The Punisher appearing in the second season have emerged and if true, he will fit right in with the dark atmosphere Daredevil is a character that should be one of Marvel’s main attractions. He was huge in the ‘90s and his popularity should have never diminished.

He’s a great character with a sense of humor so good he makes fun of his own blindness and his villains are some of the best Marvel has to offer.

With this new series and its upcoming spin-offs to compliment Marvel’s cinematic universe, Marvel has been making some great decisions as of lately.

“Daredevil” is, in all sense of the word, amazing and is looking to change television as we know it.

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HOT SPRINGS HAPPENINGS STRENGTH IN MOTION: TAI CHI AT GARVAN GARDENS

Great Lawn at Garvan Woodland Gardens, 550 Arkridge Rd. Thursday, April 16 and Thursday, April 23 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. free with gardens admission It’s not just beautiful, it’s good for you. Join healthy living experts from the Oaklawn Center on Aging to learn Tai-Chi, the ancient Chinese practice that’s both art and exercise. Great for flexibility, balance, and gently building bone and muscle strength, it can be practiced at any level of fitness. Walk-ins welcome. Inclement weather location is Millsap Bride’s Hall.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, description courtesy of hotsprings.org

HOT SPRINGS AEROSPACE DAYS & JOB FAIR Hot Springs Memorial Airfield, 525 Airport Rd. Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. free The annual Aerospace Days event is coming. There will be aviation art on display and the Commemorative Air Force Missouri Wing will be flying a B-25, Mitchell Bomber and TBM-3 Avenger Torpedo Bomber to the event. Local industries will also be present with their HR staff to provide information and applications to those interesting seeking new careers.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, description courtesy of hotsprings.org

GARY JACKSON’S “A HISTORY OF THE MAJESTIC HOTEL”

The FAC of Hot Springs, 626 Central Ave. Friday, April 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. free

Gary Jackson is a member of the Garland Country Historic Society and he will give a slide presentation about the history of Hot Springs’ Majestic Hotel that was partially destroyed in a February 2014 fire. Following the presentation there will be a concert. The Fine ArtWorks of Hot Springs is a non-profit art organization that encourages advancement of the arts in the Hot Springs community.

Image courtesey of Wikimedia Commons, description courtesy of hotsprings.org

APRIL 14, 2015

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LADY REDDIES SWEEP HARDING IN FOUR The Lady Reddies played Harding University in a four game series and broke the record for longest game in Great American Conference history while winning all four games STORY BY KAITLYN KITCHENS — PHOTO BY KRISTINE MOORE The Lady Reddies took a four game sweep against Harding University while breaking a few records.

In the second game of the series, the Lady Reddies (30-8 overall, 21-5 GAC) went to 14 innings making it the longest game in Great American Conference history.

The game was stopped Friday night in the 12th inning because it was too dark for the players to see. The teams were tied 4-4 and resumed the game Saturday morning where they finished, Lady Reddies taking the win.

In the 14th inning Keirsten Seahorn hit a single to left-center field. Taylor Daniels sacrificed a bunt and Ashlyn White followed with a single to right field eventually letting Seahorn

score a run.

The Lady Reddies won the first game of the series 5-3, going into seven innings.

They made their first run with Morgan South singling the ball to the right side, allowing Seahorn to score.

Harding returned with a run to tie the game 1-1. The Lady Reddies received three runs at the top of the third inning to make the score 4-1.

They scored one more run at the top of the sixth inning with Daniels making a home run.

The second day of the series, after completing game two, the Lady Reddies took the win, 5-2 against the Bisons.

They started off in the first inning scor-

BATTER UP — Morgan South gets ready to bat at the Dee White Field in Arkadelphia, Ark.

ing a run on a throwing error, allowing Tricia Hock to reach home.

In the third inning, Henderson scored another unanswered run when White tripled to right center, allowing Seahorn to score.

They were able to score again in the sixth inning when Alicia Zack singled the ball up the middle with South making the run.

In the final game of the series, the Lady Reddies did not disappoint, winning 7-1.

Harding was first to score in the game but Henderson came back scoring three runs in the second inning.

In the fifth inning the Lady Reddies scored four runs. Amy Halter started the inning off getting a single to left field. Sarah Gipson then

singled up the middle, followed by Seahorn singling to the left side.

Halter scored a run and with players on third and first, Daniels made a home run, allowing all three players to advance to home and make the score 7-1.

Sorensen was 3-0 and stroke out 13 batters while pitching in 19 innings against the Bisons.

Gipson went 8-for-18 with two doubles and two RBI. Daniels had six hits total including a triple and two home runs.

The Lady Reddies will next face Delta State University on Monday for a double-header beginning at 2 pm. The games will be held at the Dee White Field in Arkadelphia, Ark.

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SWING BIG — Junior Hunter Mayall swings the bat in the game against Southern Nazarene at the Clyde Berry Field in Arkadelphia, Ark.

REDDIES WIN 2-OF-3 GAMES AGAINST SNU Reddies honor senior baseball players before facing Southern Nazarene University, winning the first and third games of the series

STORY BY MARIAH DELAVEGA — PHOTO BY KRISTINE MOORE It was an emotional day for the seniors, with it being senior night and their season about to come to an end.

The Reddie baseball team won the series against Southern Nazarene University on April 11, at the Clyde Berry Field.

All of the parents of the 10 seniors came for senior night to support them and the team.

“I probably saw half of the team get really emotional because that’s how close we are,” Carlos Rodriguez, senior, shortstop said.

The series started on April 10, and swept them away 13-5. HSU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. They scored without the benefit of a base hit.

The inning began with Hunter Mayall with a bunt moving both runners, AJ Kruzel and Rodriguez.

In the top of the fourth inning SNU scored

a run. Dalen Edgar singled to left field and Anthony Wiggins hit a double to tie the score.

SNU only had one run until Gaige Webster hit a ground ball and allowed a run to score. SNU added three more runs to the score. Hayden Daniel went in the game to pitch with the bases loaded with Henderson remaining on top 6-5.

The Reddies kept dominating throughout the game and SNU stayed with five runs for awhile. A two run base hit was made by Lance Fields to make the score 11-5.

The game ended 13-5 and the Reddies won that game of the series.

At 2 p.m. on April 11 the Reddies didn’t come out as strong as they did on Friday. They lost that game 2-3.

The Reddies had runners on base in the first game but couldn’t make any runs. They

had an error line drive that was mishandled with two outs and helped them score a winning run.

The Reddies didn’t let that loss affect their focus in the last game of the series. HSU won the series on their senior night 7-5.

The Reddies scored a run in the first inning.

Brackhahn and Claude Johnson both walked to start off the game. Lance Fields loaded the bases for the Reddies. Henderson had a lead in the third inning 3-0. Brackhahn walked and advanced to third.

Southern Nazarene was determined in the fourth inning and scored five runs on six straight hits to take the lead 5-3.

Henderson State cut made a run with the score of 5-4 in the fourth inning. Fields made his third hit of the game to score Brackhahn who walked for the third time.

SNU tied game in the fifth inning. The score was close but the Reddies pulled through with the score of 7-5 on their senior night.

“Even though we were down the first game we did not give up,” Rodriguez said. “We didn’t let that bother us so we came back and won the series,” The Reddies are 22-15 overall and 14-9 in the Great American Conference.

“I want to thank all of my teammates for continuing to fight this season,” Brackhahn said. “No matter what happens we stick together and we pretty much battle through anything. And even if we lose, we’re confident enough that we could beat anyone we want.”

The Reddies will play their final home game of the season against Ouachita Baptist University at 3 p.m. at the Clyde Berry Field.

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HOME RUN HAWKINS Tadarious Hawkins works hard on and off the field

STORY BY KAITLYN KITCHENS — PHOTO BY KRISTINE MOORE It was the day of graduation, walking across the stage and receiving his bachelors in pre law political science when he got the phone call.

Tadarious Hawkins heard the words, ‘Hey, we want to draft you. Have you talked to your parents?’ It was the Tampa Bay Rays and Hawkins had a big decision to make. The dilemma was that they had already paid for grad school and he couldn’t turn down the option to better his education.

Hawkins plans to get his masters in sports and entertainment law so he can be a sports agent. “My dream, other than baseball, would be to become a major sports agent with over 50 professional athletes,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins first picked up a baseball bat when he was only five years old and began his journey to end up playing for Henderson State University.

When Hawkins was in third grade he began to play football as well as baseball. He started straight off in tackle and was the quarterback for the one peewee team that his hometown Commerce, Texas offered from third grade until sixth grade. “We didn’t always win but we always went to the Super Bowl,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins had a good background in both baseball and football and continued to play both through high school.

His freshman year he started on the varsity baseball team. “That was a learning experience,” Hawkins said. “I played short stop all the way through little league and then had to play right field on varsity my freshman year.”

Hawkins received honorable mention his freshman year and gained some confidence for his sophomore year. He also was the pitcher for some of his junior and senior years, while playing football all four years.

Hawkins is a mamma’s boy. “I really look up to my mom in a way,” Hawkins said. “If I need somebody that’s going to be soft, I go to my mom.”

When it comes to his father he always feels the need to impress him in some way. “He’s one of those dads that you don’t hear say ‘I love you’ all the time,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins red-shirted his freshman year at Henderson and didn’t play at all. He was also playing football but ultimately had to choose between the two. “When it came to academics I didn’t have time for everything,” Hawkins said. “I’d go from football to baseball and when I wasn’t at either I would be sleeping.”

He admits he let his GPA slide, but not without a call from his father. “My dad was like ‘if you don’t figure that out then you will be back home,’ so I had to do something about that because he was pretty upset,” Hawkins said.

The football coach also gave him an ultimatum saying he had to choose one or the other.

“It didn’t really matter to me so I picked baseball,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins played right field his red-shirt freshman year while hitting .316 and getting honorable mention. “Last year I had the ‘sophomore slump’ and hit about 260.” His red-shirt senior year will be next year since he is in grad school now. He is currently playing center field and batting.

Hawkins is starting to feel like a role model to the younger players on the team. “I try to lead by example,” Hawkins said. “Sometimes I probably do things that they shouldn’t do but for the most part I’m becoming a pretty good role model.”

The biggest moment that stands out to Hawkins in his baseball career at Henderson was getting to play at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The home to the Houston Astros treated the Reddies like royalty because they were winning all of their games. “They put is in the actual visitors clubhouse and washed our jerseys while we were there,” Hawkins said.

“They put them in our lockers in number order.

We walked in and were like, ‘wow.’”

Hawkins’ baseball dream is to play for the Texas Rangers one day. He will graduate with his master’s next spring and will be going to law school. He currently plans on going to UNT law school in Dallas but is still waiting to see what will happen.

OUT OF THE PARK— Center fielder Tadarious Hawkins prepares for what could happen next after batting at the Clyde Berry Field.