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MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013
HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY
VOLUME 15, ISSUE 27
Comedian brings laughs to campus Cherith Cobbs Staff Writer Spring Fling continued with a bang last week with its various programs and events. Loud laughs, quiet giggles and snickering could be heard coming from the Lecture Hall. Students gathered together to enjoy the entertainment they had been anticipating. Comedian Chad Daniels graced the stage with his presence last Wednesday, making this his 55th college on his tour. Daniels is a Minnesota native who travels around the states performing standup comedy. Even though he is known as a natural on stage, things were not always this way. “My friends signed me up at an open mic without me knowing about it,” Chad Daniels, comedian, said. “So they ushered me to the stage, and I was white knuckling the microphone. I was grabbing it so hard, and I kept unscrewing the microphone stand and screwing it back together. I was so nervous I was about ready to puke.” Since then, Daniels has been doing standup comedy for 15 years. He credits most of his talent and inspirations to other wellknown comedians such as Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. “I started in 1998, so almost when people that are coming to this show were born,” Daniels said. “Eddie Murphy is one of my inspirations. I didn’t realize
he took a lot of his style from Richard Pryor, so I guess it goes all the way back to Richard Pryor.” Daniels is quite comfortable on stage. He admits that some of what he does is purely his personality. “This is embarrassing,” Daniels said jokingly, “but I don’t really take any steps to get ready for a show, just because I am so comfortable on stage and I like goofing around. After 15 years, you just kind of know where it is going to go.” Daniels kept the crowd laughing with his many jokes. Some of the audience members had heard of him. Some of them were completely oblivious, but one thing they could agree on was that they were pleased with what they saw. “I like how he communicated and connected with the audience,” Jordan Johnson, sophomore mass media major, said. “I like his jokes. I’ve never heard of him, but I think he is a really good comedian.” On the other hand, some of the students were taken by surprise at his jokes and delivery. “I really liked his jokes,” Joshua Jasper, junior physics major, said. “A lot of them were really out there, but they were kind of blunt and straight to the point.” “I thought it was funny,” Shuree Brandon, junior human services major, said, “but I think other people took offense to it.”
Photo by Ryan Klare
BA-DUM-PSH
Daphne Willis, junior theatre major, is shown posing for a picture with comedian Chad Daniels. Daniels is a successful comic who brought his talent to the Garrison Lecture Hall. The comedian brought laughter and a bit of unease with his performance. Daniels’ command of the stage and professionalism kept the show on track despite the few people in the audience who didn’t enjoy his comedic stylings. Daniels even used some of the audience in some of his material. Some students claimed that to be their favorite part of the show. “He actually interacted with the crowd a lot instead of just coming up on the stage and telling jokes,” Jesse Wells, freshman business technology education major, said. “He actually interacted and said something about the crowd, especially the
people he got really mad about. That was great.” Daniels’ material was funny and sometimes controversial, but the crowd liked it and also had a few favorites. “I liked a lot of the stuff he presented,” Johnson said. “One of my favorites was the Queef Latifah joke he told. I really really liked that one.” Although Daniels did not start out doing standup com-
edy by choice, he gives everyone a fair warning about it. He encourages people to try it on their own. “If anyone has ever thought about it, they should definitely at least try it so they don’t wonder ‘what if’ later,” Daniels said. More information, tour dates, CDs and merchandise can be found and purchased on his website, www.chaddaniels. com.
Henderson 100 gives high school students a college preview Sarah Williams Staff Writer
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Upperclassmen from Arkansas and bordering-state high schools flooded in Friday evening to get a firsthand feel of the Reddie Spirit. Henderson 100 and the Reddie Connection weekend has been a successful tradition for over a decade at Henderson. “If one student comes to Henderson as a result of this program, it has paid for itself and is a benefit,” David Thomson, honors college director, said. The students on the visit for Reddie Connection are seniors in high school who have already been admitted to the university. They have paid their application fee, are able to get their ID made and fill out housing information. The group of students who came for Henderson 100 were mainly juniors selected to stay in the living rooms of Henderson honor students and shadow them for the weekend. “I can’t wait to actually check in when fall comes around,” Daeja Jones, senior from Hall High, said. To sum up the Reddie Connection weekend, it is a two-day preview of college life. The high school students attending are invited to the university. During their stay, there are educational
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Photo by Ryan Klare
FUSION DANCE Henderson band students played in the NuFusion concert. The Quad
show took place Friday night. This event was one of many students attending Henderson 100 and Reddie Connection were encouraged to take in. The visiting high school students were residents of Henderson for a weekend and they sampled college life. The program is designed to help integrate students who will be attending Henderson this fall into the routine of college life. as well as entertaining activities. The Henderson 100 students were shuttled to campus and met with an academic adviser, received a campus tour, had a picnic lunch and even attended a class related to their major. The honors students hosting put on a scavenger hunt for the
students to do electronically by taking pictures of the items necessary around campus. Games and movies were available in the evening as well as trips to the book store. There was a banquet buffet held for them requiring formal dress, which was served in Caddo B. Chad Fielding spoke
about student life and informed them on some of the historical background of Henderson and welcoming remarks. To take some seriousness out of the banquet, gag gifts were given to students who could answer questions about Henderson. A band called NuFusion held a concert on the quad Friday
night. This was available for both groups of high school students, as well as college students to attend. After the concert, the students checked into their rooms for the night to rest for an eventful day on the quad Saturday. RA’s were required to house the seniors for their stay during Reddie Connection and show them a closer look into a college dorm and life as a student here. “It’s cool to show incoming freshman what Henderson is about and show them what the heart of Henderson is, and that’s the people,” Matthew Hargrove, senior athletic training major and Newberry RA, said. All day Saturday, the quad swelled with people taking photo booth pictures, riding a mechanical bull, rock climbing, playing laser tag and doing a number of other activities, all free of charge. A large handful of people went into putting the weekend together, and there isn’t only one organization responsible for pulling it off successfully. “I think this is a great idea to get students more excited about coming to HSU,” Jasmine Bishop, Smith Hall director, said. “It lets them put a face to the university and meet people before coming.”