1/30/17 Issue

Henderson State University — Monday, January 30, 2017 Volume 112, Issue 2

YOU ARE BLACK GOLD With a diamond soul: Alpha Phi Alpha sponsors the Black and Gold pageant. P. 4

@HSUORACLE www.hsuoracle.com

THE ORACLE

THE ORACLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Emily R. Bell FACULTY ADVISER – Mike Taylor SPORTS/ONLINE EDITOR – Pete Tubbs OPINIONS EDITOR – Dax Guilliams PHOTO EDITOR – Joshua Bradley GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Natasha Cribbs BUSINESS MANAGER – Kansas Tye

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 Black and Gold queen, Somerlyn Mason, with her winnings and fraternity sponsors.

Photo by Keaton Beasley

3 4 5 6

CONCEALED CARRY CAMPUS? Student reporter, Serene Garcia, gets the word on Hutchison’s bill to allow staff to have concealed firearms on campus

BLACK AND BOLD

This year’s Black and Gold pageant winners sweep the stage and sweep up their titles

BETTER RECOGNIZE

A theatre student gain recognition through Archibald Foundation scholarships

YAKUZA DAX

Yakuza Zero is out, and Dax has joined the gang

ORACLE ONLINE Our online format has more stories and full galleries of the latest games, news, and events. Go hsuoracle. com and check out these latest stories:

• 67 Grill is open for business • A comic of beeeeeeees?

• Bitchpolar blogs on the misogyny of the traditional bachelor’s parties • Theatre department’s homage to MLK Day

COMIC ARTISTS Eager to share your skewed sense of humor with the rest of your peers? Email us your digital comic strips or scanned hardcopies to ORACLE@HSU. EDU. But first, check out our policies for comics online at hsuoracle.com.

ADS AND ADS

For online or print ads, email us at kt194294@reddies.hsu.edu or call the business office at 8702305288 to get in touch with our business and ads manager.

Jan. 30, 2017

REDDIE NEWS

3

Concealed Carry Bill Awaiting Revisions Serene Garcia, Student Reporter This year alone there have been over 20 mass shootings in the United States. Due to the increasing frequency of these tragedies, government officials are taking measures to improve campus safety.

On Jan. 23, Representative Charlie Collins sponsored a House Bill that will allow University staff and faculty to carry a concealed handgun, if licensed and trained.

In 2013, Collins sponsored a similar bill, however, this bill gave each college or university the choice to decide whether they will allow the carrying of a firearm on campus. In Arkansas, there is not a single college or university that has voted to allow it.

The purpose of this bill is to better equip schools in case of an active shooter, and to discourage the possibility of one. Johnny Campbell, Chief of University Police and Director of Emergency Management, has some concerns when it comes to this bill. In an already tense situation, the question that is being asked is: will adding another gun into the scenario help?

“We would have to reevaluate our response to an active shooter situation,” Chief Campbell said.

University police priority is the safety of the students, and this bill would add a new element to the responding officer. Some students share this sentiment.

“I am not against guns and people trained to carry them, but I wouldn’t carry a gun. I think that’s what we have campus police for,” said Cheyanne Massey, senior English major. Massey also mentioned the problem with identification. Having more people with guns on campus could be an obstacle in identifying the real threat.

Scholarships Errywhere

As in all things, there are two sides to the coin. Some faculty would feel safer if there was the option of carrying a handgun to be used as another line of defense for the sake of the student.

Dr. Basil Miller, professor of physics, has had a different experience than most when it comes to self-defense. “If you’ve ever experienced a life-threatening situation, your perspective will change,” Dr. Miller said.

Dr. Miller is no stranger to the importance of self-defense having served in the Marine Corps for six years and on the Army Reserve for 21 years.

Not everyone is as thoroughly trained as Dr. Miller.

The bill was voted on by the state house Monday of last week and obtained 66 votes in favor and 25 against. The bill will now go to state senate for further revision. The amount of training that should be required of those that choose to carry a weapon on campus is also a major concern.

“Training for a university police officer is 13 weeks of academy training plus on the job experience compared to the one day of training required for a concealed handgun license,” Campbell said.

School shootings are not theoretical. Active shooters are a real threat that should be considered when improving school safety. The unprecedented access to information and ease with which it can be shared, has allowed us to see unfiltered encounters with active shooters and the tragic results that ensue.

Governor Asa Hutchinson has voiced his support for the bill provided that the staff that chooses to carry a firearm go through active shooter training in addition to the concealed carry training and license, according to arkansasmatters.com.

Story by Cassidy Witherspoon, Student Reporter College is expensive. Between 2004 and 2014, the cost of public college has risen 34% according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Many students at Henderson are experiencing first-hand the debt that comes with high tuition rates.

One hope that students have for saving money is using scholarships that are helpful because they don’t need to be repaid. The university is making it easier for its students to receive scholarships through the new foundation’s scholarship system.

The foundation was formed in order to invest money contributed by donors into Henderson’s student body. With the new scholarship system, there are over 150 scholarships available for multiple majors.

Marissa Gaspard, a freshman education major, was very excited when she heard about the scholarship opportunities available. “With the education force being so underpaid, there is a fear of sorts of pursuing a major while accumulating debt,” she said. “Even a small scholarship would be so appreciated.”

Anyone who is enrolled here can apply for the scholarships. The application process for these scholarships opened at the start of January and the deadlines vary for each scholarship.

Within the scholarship system, each scholarship has a brief description that includes the criteria they have for applicants, the amount of money an applicant could receive, and the application due date.

The students begin by creating a general profile for themselves. Kayla Goshen, a freshman communication major, found the process to be very simple. “You read about the scholarships, decide if the scholarship applies to you and click apply,” said Goshen.

Goshen went on to say that some applications required a few generic questions about the student before submission.

There are many different scholarships offered by the Foundation. There are scholarships available for students in a huge variety, from piano majors all the way to cheerleaders.

4

REDDIE NEWS

Back in Black and Gold Story and photos by Keaton Beasley, Student Reporter

Brianna Johnson perfects her Bond-girl stance in the swimsuit portion of the pageant.

This year’s annual Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant hosted by the Theta Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. was held Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. in the lecture hall. The pageant featured last year’s queen KeAmbra Roberts and had four contestants: Ahlexea Criswell (sophomore nursing major), Kaliyah Noble (sophomore early childhood education major), Somerlyn Mason (senior early childhood education major),

and Brianna Johnson (freshman nursing major). stated, “This year’s pageant was pretty cool, and I Being able to peek in and watch some of the pag- can’t wait to see how it will be next year.” eant practices, each girl displayed their determiThis year’s queen will be traveling with the nation in pursuit to be titled as this year’s queen. brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha to Pine Bluff, “I’m proud of all the girls, and it will be a Arkansas at their district conference Feb. 4 to tough decision on who deserves to wear the compete again at the district level. crown,” said Co-Chairman Marcus Mullins, junior human services major.

Kaliyah Noble doesn’t have the time for your nonsense as “The girls made me proud, and they came she shows off her professional power-pose. along way from where they were their first week. I’m excited to see who will be our new Queen,” said Head-Chairman Terrance Kelley, senior human services major.

The event was packed with people that came to see four hardworking young women compete to see who would be crowned this year’s Nubian Queen.

The contestants got the crowd into the show early by performing various dances paying respect to various 90’s artists. The pageant was overall 90’s themed. It consisted of different components which they were judged on: swimwear, business wear, talent, and the highly anticipated formal wear.

The show was hosted by Robert Webb, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, by way of the Pi Psi chapter of Monticello, Arkansas.

At the end of the night, all the anxiety to see who would win finally came to a close.

First prize started off with Miss Congeniality, awarded to Noble.

Next was a certificate Mason, who sold the most ads.

Criswell was first runner-up for the pageant.

The winner and this year’s new queen is Mason.

When asked what was something they gained the most from doing this pageant, Brianna Johnson replied, “I gained the confidence to do something like this. Before I was too shy and this helped me step outside of my comfort zone.”

After the show, I interviewed a student, sophomore psychology major Eric Flowers and he

Jan. 30, 2017

5

ARTS&MUSIC

Theatre student recognition

Student designer wins scholarship Story by Douglas Gilpin, Professor of Theatre Arts Six theatre students and two faculty members attended the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT SW) Regional 2017 Symposium held Jan. 13-15 in Norman, Oklahoma. The symposium included three days of advanced classes in theatre design, technology and management including hands on training in advanced topics in scenery, costumes, lighting, and stage management and the regional design and technology exhibition and competition. Five of the six students entered the juried invitational exhibition held in conjunction with the USITT SW symposium.

Magee-Lee Preston, sophomore theatre major, won a certificate of excellence in stage management, a Shure SM107 microphone and an Archibald Foundation $3,000 tuition scholarship with the display of her stage management work for “Photograph 51.” Courtney Palsa, sophomore theatre major, won a certificate of excellence in Sound Design with her design work from “Ten Little Indians” and an additional prize of one week training from Meyer Sound at their factory in Berkeley, California. Michael McMahen, senior theatre student, won an honorable mention for the exhibit of his scenic design and model for “Photograph 51.” Other students competing included Anthony McBride, senior theatre major, with a costume technology exhibit from his work on “Photograph 51;” and Jennings Johnson, junior theatre major, with her lighting design for “Photograph 51.”

65 students from university theatre programs across the southwest region competed at the competition in categories of scenery, lighting, costumes, props, technical direction and stage management. The students attending the

Magee-Lee Preston presents her project.

Photo by Claudia Beach

symposium and competing were from theatre programs such as University of Oklahoma, St. Edwards University, Sam Houston State University, UT Arlington and Oklahoma City University.

In addition to the design adjudication, the advanced classes included topics such as Digital Costume Design, Advanced Dance Lighting, Thermoplastics for the Stage, and Building a Corpse for Props, among others.

At the closing ceremony theatre professors Douglas Gilpin and William Henshaw were recognized by the USITT SW Institute with the presentation of Honorary Lifetime Achievement awards for their lifetime support to the institute. Gilpin has been a member since 1983, and Henshaw since 1996.

6 Doin’ a Crime

OPINIONS

Opinion by Dax Guilliams, Opinion Editor Graphic by Natasha Cribbs, Graphic Designer Last week, so many great games were released such as “Resident Evil VII,” “Tales of Berseria,” and even a new “Kingdom Hearts” title. But none of those come close to the glory that is “Yakuza 0.”

“Yakuza 0” is a prequel to the “Yakuza” series and is one of the best games to be released in the past couple of years.

I absolutely adore the “Yakuza”

games. “Yakuza” is actually my favorite video game series and “Yakuza 0” is possibly the best one in the whole series.

The game takes place before the first “Yakuza” and follows the main character of the series, Kazuma Kiryu, as a new member of the Dojima Clan. Goro Majima, another Yakuza member and main character of the series, is also a playable char-

acter and is drawn into the story.

The story begins with Kiryu being framed for murder, which leads to a huge conspiracy in his branch of the Yakuza.

Later on, Kiryu’s investigation leads to him getting involved with a mysterious real estate agent and his company.

“Yakuza” games have amazing stories with a ton of interesting characters and tons of plot twists.

They also have tons of plot holes, but that makes them even better as it makes the game go all over the place.

A large portion of the game is spent traveling around Tokyo either advancing the story, getting into fights or completing some other task.

Combat is the main focus of the game and “Yakuza 0” has the best combat yet.

I can’t think of a single other game where combat is so insane.

One minute, you’re trying to get to a restaurant and then you’re in a fight with a bunch of punks, slamming their heads into walls, hitting them with bicycles and suplexing them onto guard rails.

If you can think of a way to really mess someone up, you can do it in “Yakuza” games.

When this game throws you into combat, it throws you hard. There is no such thing as a minor confrontation in “Yakuza” games.

One of the first story missions has Kiryu going through an entire office building and fighting anyone

who comes close to him.

This game and the other ones in the series are just ass beating central. No one is safe when they mess with Kiryu or Majima and I love it.

These games blend serious elements of Japanese crime with goofy side missions so perfectly.

Just like in previous games, there are a ton of side missions to do and they’re all amazing. The first one I encountered had Kiryu helping a punk band realize what it truly means to be a punk.

When you’re not advancing the story or completing side missions, there are still tons of other things to do.

You can go bowling, dance at a disco, train with homeless people and plenty of other things.

They even included being able to build and race RC cars with tons of parts. They didn’t have to do that.

The “Yakuza” series has so much to offer people who love large, open-world games, intense combat and interesting stories with interesting characters.

It’s a shame this series is so niche.

With the effort the developers put in, “Yakuza” should be a best-selling series, but since it is so niche, it has a ton of charm.

Since this is a prequel to the whole series, “Yakuza 0” is the perfect game to start with if you want to get into this series.

Later this year, a remake of the first “Yakuza” game is being released, so now is the perfect time to try out the “Yakuza” games.

Jan. 30, 2017

GAMES

7

Keep your mind sharp and7, 2017 your hours FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY less numbing puzzle. Answers Los Angeles with Times this Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis in next week’s issue.

ACROSS 1 Gownlike Roman garment 6 Like teary eyes 11 Sculpted physique, briefly 14 Sky blue 15 Asteroids game company 16 Actor Vigoda 17 Zero or one 19 Japanese carp 20 Trunk of the body 21 Orchard rows 23 Internet destination 27 Good Housekeeping publisher since 1911 28 Pilot Earhart 29 Leaning-on-thehorn sounds 31 Hawk’s claw 32 Wintry temps 33 NYG rival in the NFC East 36 Pinball excess 37 Mountain bleaters 38 Ball-and-mallet game 39 Foxy 40 Business convention handouts 41 Clods 42 __ Wilson, who played Sam in “Casablanca” 44 Peaceful 45 Sports venues 47 Original star of “Star Trek” 48 Bedding 49 Promised 51 __ de Triomphe 52 July 14, in France 58 Golf ball holder 59 Hodgepodges 60 Eat away at 61 Lith. or Est., once 62 Graphs’ horizontal reference lines 63 “Billions & Billions” author Carl DOWN 1 Indent key 2 Submachine gun named for its designer 3 Religious school teacher, perhaps

By Gerry Wildenberg

4 Lyricist Gershwin 5 Free from doubt 6 Madrid mother 7 Bluesman Redding 8 “Othello” schemer 9 __ Lanka 10 Giggles 11 Thirteen 12 Thin woodwinds 13 Jefferson, religiously 18 Lotus position discipline 22 “The Facts of Life” actress Charlotte 23 Light bulb units 24 Online letters 25 Performer who shimmies and uses finger cymbals 26 “The __ thickens!”

27 Brinker on skates 29 Like little, glittering eyes ... and a phonetic hint to this puzzle’s four longest answers 30 “I’m game” 32 Ripped 34 Without assistance

Last week’s answers

2/7/17

Monday’s Puzzle Solved

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 7, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Gownlike Roman garment 6 Like teary eyes 11 Sculpted physique, briefly 14 Sky blue 15 Asteroids game company 16 Actor Vigoda 17 Zero or one 19 Japanese carp 20 Trunk of the body 21 Orchard rows 23 Internet ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 2/7/17 destination 27 Good 46 Goodyear 35 Hard luck case Housekeeping products 37 Big party publisher since 38 Shipping route 1911 47 Ham go-with 49 Powerful terminus 28 Pilot Earhart engine 40 Vending machine 29 Leaning-on-the50 Oklahoma feature horn sounds 41 Subordinate 31 Hawk’s clawnative 53 In the style of church officials 32 Wintry temps 33 NYG rival the 54inHistorical period 43 Poem of praise 55 Pooch 44 “Where the NFC East 36 Pinball excess 56 Oral health org.

Sidewalk Ends” 37 Mountain57 bleaters JapaneseBy Gerry Wildenberg poet Silverstein 38 Ball-and-mallet currency 4 Lyricist Gershwin 45 Blind strips game 5 Free from doubt 39 Foxy 6 Madrid mother 40 Business 7 Bluesman convention Redding handouts 8 “Othello” schemer 41 Clods 9 __ Lanka

2/7/17 Monday’s Puzzle Solved

8

Baseball Begins

SPORTS

HSU Basketball vs. OKB Story by Tyler Freeman, Student Reporter

Story by Pete Tubbs, Sports Editor America’s favorite pastime, otherwise known as baseball, is about to start revving its engines later this week.

The Reddies baseball team has understandably always had a large following, but their results have been somewhat storied over the past several years. In 2012, the men stood at sixth in the Great American Conference with a record of 11 wins and 13 losses. Ranked above them, in order from first to fifth, were SAU, SOSU, SWOSU, ATU and their rivals OBU. The men in red were bound for a comeback, however. The following year, the team rose two spots in the ranks and had more wins than losses with 17 and 13 respectively.

Regrettably, 2013 acted as a sort of calm before the storm. The following year, the men ranked ninth in the GAC, third from the bottom.

2014 saw the Reddies with a win-loss record of 11-19. The teams ranked above them were too many to count, the only teams below them were NWOSU and Southern Nazarene University.

The next year saw the men return to reasonable success as they were again ranked fourth in conference.

Although 2016 didn’t see any record low for the Reddies, they didn’t improve their stance. The GAC saw them ranked fifth in the state with a win-loss record of 20-13. Ouachita Baptist University was ranked below the men, but above them stood SWOSU, UAM, Oklahoma Baptist and SEOSU. The Reddies baseball team may have seen some mixed results in the

last couple of years, but the 2017 season looks to be one of the best in recent memory. The men have been hard at work for months, reigning in their focus and determination.

Head Coach Cody Hooten is looking forward to a rewarding season. “We are working to put together the team that this athletic department and university deserves,” said Hooten, “1982 was the last time that this program won the conference championship and we intend to change that.”

“We have been focused, as always, on defense and paying attention to detail,” Hooten said in reference to the team’s practices.

In the end, it’s the players that make the team, and this year’s line up is one of the most promising in recent memory. Coach Hooten has great respect for all of his players, both returning and fresh-persons.

“We have a lot of talented guys,” according to Hooten, “Jordan Taylor, Hayden Lessenberry, Luke Tebbetts, Chris Hunt, Zach Eschberger and Blake Patterson,” seem to be prospective standouts for 2017. Newcomers that carry immense promise, according to Hooten, include Parker Jones, Colton Coffman, Austin Cross and Jon Youngblood.

Regardless of the performance of the men’s baseball team in the past, the upcoming season looks to be one of the most promising in years. The first games will take place this Friday against Pittsburg State University and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively.

Men’s and women’s basketball returned to action on Thursday in Shawnee, Oklahoma for a GAC doubleheader against the Lady Bison and Bison of Oklahoma Baptist.

The Reddie women entered the contest in a tie for third in the GAC and the Lady Bison were towards the bottom of the conference standings, but due to Oklahoma Baptist’s transition from NCCAA to NCAA, Oklahoma Baptist is not eligible for post season play.

The Reddie women came ready to play as Hailey Estes scored a career high 25 points, but a scrappy Bison team was too much to overcome as the Reddies fell 85 to 81.

“It was a disappointing one today, and we need to come out with stronger first halves,” said Jill Thomas, women’s coach.

The Reddies struggled in the first half shooting, only converting on nine attempts, but the Reddies stayed in the game. Brittany Branum led the Reddies in the first half with 13 points.

As half time rolled around, the Reddies found themselves down by a score of 40-38. Tasha Edge led the Lady Bison in the first half with 11 points.

Hailey Estes led the charge in the second half knocking down four shots from beyond the arc and Estes scored 14 points in the second half.

Despite the valiant effort from the Reddies, the Lady Bison were too much to handle. Estes led the Reddies with 25 points. Brittany Branum added 21 points on and Pink Jones added 12 points and 3 assists.

In the second game of the GAC doubleheader, the Reddies took on the Bison, with the Reddies defeating the Bison by a score of 84-75.

The Reddies entered the contest in a tie for fifth in the GAC and the Bison were towards the bottom of the standings, but like the Lady Bison they are not eligible for postseason play due to the transition from NCCAA to NCAA. The Reddie men came out of the locker room quick, scoring first on a Chris Hawkins dunk assisted by Ben Marello. The trend would continue as Hawkins would drive the lane and score a team high 12 points in the first half.

Kevin Kozan would enter the scoring column on 4/6 shooting in the first half for 9 points. Despite the hot shooting early, the Reddies would find themselves down at the half 36-35. Vladimir Nemcok would lead the Bison in the first half with 12 points.

The Reddies came out of the break and continued the trend of hot shooting, with Chris Hawkins scoring 15 points in the second half, and 27 points for the game which set a new career high.

Marello finished the game with 18 points and Kevin Kozan pitched in 13 points.

Reddie women’s and men’s basketball will return to action on Thursday against Southeastern Oklahoma State at the Duke Wells Center. Women’s tip is set for 5:30 p.m and men’s tip to follow at 7:30 p.m.