12/16/14 Issue

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Henderson State University - Tuesday, December 16, 2014 - Volume 108, Issue 14

CENTER STAGE

Theatre students make their directorial debuts at Henderson P.9

THE ORACLE

ORACLE STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Scott McKinnon FACULTY ADVISER – Mike Taylor COPY EDITOR – Josh James NEWS EDITOR – Moe Skinner SPORTS EDITOR – Kaitlyn Kitchens FEATURES EDITOR – Devin Anderson VIEWS EDITOR – Dax Guilliams PHOTO EDITOR – Jeffery P. Gilmore PAGE DESIGNER – Houston Fryer GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Megan Snoddy ONLINE EDITOR – Scott McKinnon BUSINESS MANAGER – James T. Allen DISTRIBUTION MANAGER – Carmin Wills

PHOTO BY SCOTT MCKINNON

5 With each LARP they grow stonger

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.

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GRAPHIC BY MEGAN SNODDY

Time to de-stress from finals

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PHOTO COURTOUSY OF CHRISTINE DICKSON

Psychology research to drool over

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PHOTO BY MOE SKINNER

Art installation moves into Huie library

DECEMBER 16, 2014

FEATURES

BREAK TIME Counting the days until the semester is over

STORY BY ADRIANNE WILLIAMS — GRAPHIC BY MEGAN SNODDY

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he days are numbered as everyone prepares for finals week and winter break. Students are studying for finals and preparing to go home for a month to celebrate the holidays and get ready to return for spring. For some students, this is the last week of their college life as it is also time for fall graduation. For seniors who have fulfilled the requirements for graduation will soon be walking across the stage to receive their degree. “ I still hasn’t hit me yet that I’m about to be a real adult with a degree, I think it’ll become reality to me the morning after graduation when I wake up the next day and realize that I actually gradated college,” Raven Lockhart, senior political science, said.

The fall semester has had its highs and lows as any school may have. There have been many different changes on campus. Office locations have changed and renovations have been made is the most used areas, such as the Garrison.

Along with physical changes, many academic subjects have had changes in curricu-

lum and requirement. All students may not have known these changes.

“This semester has been stressful, but through stress you achieve change,” Lyrex Williams, sophomore, pre-med wbiology major, said.

Despite the changes and academics, students are still trying. Finals week is Monday December 15th through Thursday December 18th. The schedule can be found on Henderson’s website.

To help out with the stress of finals week, there are a few planned campus events that students can attend to take a break from studying. There will be a “De-Stress Fest” event held from 2 in the afternoon to 5 in the evening.

There will also be a “Fall Break for Breakfast” on Tuesday the 16th from 8pm to 10pm.

So take a little break from studying and take part in the events happening on campus. As this semester ends, January will be the start of a brand new semester.

There will be a chance for new memories and experiences for the spring.

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DE-STRESS YOUR MESS Take a load off and chill before tests

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STORY BY BRETT RUCKS — GRAPHIC BY MEGAN SNODDY

t’s the most stressful time of the school year. With the library packed, students cramming and blood pressure skyrocketing, people are just looking for motivation to make it through the day. The clock is ticking, and students face the ugly truth: finals are here.

In an effort to ease the tension, the Health & Counseling Center will host a de-stress event in the old Caddo on Dec. 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Students who are worried about finals, and who have built up stress crossing the threshold of insanity were welcomed into an environment where there were no worries.

“It’s an alternative to drinking, partying and for the freshmen, this is their first finals week and they just don’t know what to expect and of course they are going to be stressed,” Willica Morgan, student services counselor said. “There are also seniors, and this is going to be their last final so they are also stressed out about that. ‘Will I be able to find a job after I earn my degree? Will I be able to graduate after I get the results of my finals?’”

This event gave students who were worried about finals week a chance to come together and bond as they learn helpful tips and tricks to prepare for finals.

They were also able to just escape from the stress of finals and learn to have fun while making the best of the situation.

“De-stress fest is a time for students to not have to think,” Christopher O. Golston, student services counselor said. “This is a time for them to be able to relax and shed the burden of taking finals. We want students to just have fun and not be worried.”

Students do not have to wait until finals week, however, to seek advice. The Health & Counseling center offers aid to students in need of any psychological help. Counseling is not only for mental illness, anyone is welcome and can benefit from their services.

The counselors are there to give help the students by providing advice, stress relief treatment or simply an ear to confide in.

The De-stress Fest has been well-received by participants in the past. It has relaxed the minds of students who were ready to rip their hair out of their heads beforehand.

“We do this every semester on Monday and Tuesday, and we have received positive feedback from students because this offers an escape for students, and we see students stay all day long,” Morgan said. “We will see students come and enjoy themselves and then they will leave to go take a final and they will

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return to enjoy themselves and be with the friends that they came with.”

However, some students have mixed feelings about the dates on which the event is scheduled.

“I have greatly enjoyed being able to attend the de-stress event because it provides me with a form of escape from the finals,” Patrick Durbin, junior political science major,

said. “However once it’s over on Monday and Tuesday I’m left to stress all over again on Wednesday.”

Students probably should have taken advantage of those two days, because finals take their toll on almost everyone.

De-stress is designed to wipe away those tears of agony and provide a sense of ease to those who are anxious about the year’s end.

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FOR THE HORDE Left to right— Ashley Bles, Jackson Ables, Eli Stamps, Dakota Clark, Parker Hutson, Dylan Powell, Leighann Cowan, Nick Sanchez, Dakota Jones, Zane Hentorn

Members of Henderson’s Legion of Nerds work to bring a more immersive role-playing experience on campus STORY BY ADRIANNE WILLIAMS—PHOTO BY SCOTT MCKINNON Legion of Nerds began when Coley Henson, junior general studies major, noticed that there were many different people with similar interest in playing video games and watching cartoons. Henson mostly noticed this with incoming freshmen.

“I kind of thought it would be cool if all these groups could get together and get to know each other,” Henson said.

Henson posted a sign, and people started signing up. The population grew rapidly, and Henson decided it was time to establish Legion of Nerds as an organization.

Henson said that joining is not exclusive and that all the membership is kept on the Legion of Nerds at HSU Facebook page.

There are currently 63 members on that page. They post announcements, invite each other to play in a variety of games and ask and answer all sorts of generally nerdy questions.

“We usually have about 15 to 20 people at the meeting weekly on Fridays,” Henson said.

According to Henson, Ashley Bles, junior

mass media major, introduced LARPing (live action role playing) one day when the members were introducing themselves to each other.

Students may have noticed that, in November, there were people in costumes running around with swords and other weapons.

That was LARP. LARPing is what it sounds like.

Participants choose a character, join a quest or battle, and play the role they’ve chosen. They fight their enemies and defend their allies.

Henson said it took a lot of preparation to pull off the November LARP, so they will be preparing for the January 2015 LARP as early as their next meeting.

The Legion will discuss setting up props, gathering and making costumes and other possible events for the spring semester.

“We have plans to do one once a month at least next semester.” Henson said.

For the next LARP, Henson recommends

that students who want to participate let the Legion know in advance because they want to prepare the materials and script for the game ahead of time. A national LARP event is held in Texas a few times a year. Nine members of the Legion have participated in this event so far.

“I’m working on it to where it’ll be more of an immersive feeling on Henderson like the one that I experienced in Texas,” Henson said.

Henson’s character is named Marethyu, a reference to his favorite book series “The Alchemyst Series” by Michael Scott.

Dillon Hall, senior psychology major, is also a member of the Legion of the Nerds and has participated in the Texas LARP three times.

Hall’s girlfriend, Ashley Bles, the one who brought LARP to the Legion, has been playing in the national LARP for almost a full year now.

Hall’s character, Inok-Nil, which is an anagram for Oni-Link, the Legend of Zelda

character, is a combat medic. Inok-Nil is also a violent cannibal.

“He acquires a taste for flesh and also likes to break people’s limbs,” Hall said.

Since being introduced to LARP, Hall has played three times and died once because he was lured into a trap. Hall heard someone cry for help in the woods, and when he went to help he was eaten by about 30 zombies. Hall said he likes to play because it’s unique and fun and he can pretend to someone he isn’t, or even someone he is but in an exaggerated way and in an exaggerated environment.

“The feeling of adrenaline rush whenever you’re going into combat and your friend falls in front of you and starts bleeding out,” Hall said. “You get this sense of urgency to save their life.”

Legion of Nerds is planning more LARPs on campus next semester. Anyone interested in LARPing or joining the Legion should search “Legion of Nerds at Henderson” on Facebook or attend the meetings on Fridays.

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TUDOR TALKS SPORTS

Professor’s experiences aid Henderson’s sports classes

STORY BY JACOB LANKFORD— PHOTO COURTESY OF MEDIA RELATIONS

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here was probably a little culture shock for Margaret Tudor when she first moved to Arkadelphia in May, but as she wraps up her first semester as professor of recreation and sports management, she seems to be right at home.

Tudor grew up in Canton, Michigan, where she played softball, basketball and volleyball at Salem High School.

“Salem High School was really three schools put together,” Tudor said. “It was Salem, Plymouth and Canton high schools all connected. I graduated with somewhere around 1,200 students so it really felt like I was already in college.”

Tudor came to Henderson from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where she played softball and earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management and sports enterprise, her master’s degree in kinesiology and her doctorate degree in leadership studies and sports management.

Tudor said she had grown tired of the harsh northern winters and started looking at schools in the South. During her search she came across an opening at Henderson and mentioned the possible move to her colleagues.

They discussed the matter, weighing the pros and cons, and Tudor decided to go for it. After working at a larger, Division I school, Tudor was attracted to a school that allowed her to be more personable with her students.

“I wanted more of an intimate setting with my students,” Tudor said. “I like having smaller classes where I get to know my students, relate to them and help them move forward with what they want to do with their careers.”

Arkansas’ warm weather certainly wasn’t a deterrent. Tudor spends much of her free time outdoors. She loves playing softball, basketball and volleyball as much as she enjoys hiking and biking.

“Another thing that drew me to Henderson and the state of Arkansas was the lakes and the outdoor activities,” Tudor said. “Up in Ohio it’s kind of flat, so it’s nice to be down here where there are plenty of hiking and wa-

ter activities.”

Tudor said that even in high school she knew she wanted to pursue a career in sports-management.

In addition to the high school sports she played, she also worked in her school’s athletic department.

Tudor’s work hasn’t been limited to high school and college athletics. She used her background in sports psychology to work with several minor league baseball and hockey teams.

“Sports psychology focuses more on a player’s mental game,” Tudor said. “When a baseball player is in a hitting slump, it’s a sports psychologist’s job to help that player get back in the zone and focus up.”

Although Tudor has only taught one semester at Henderson, she’s covered a variety of subjects including leadership in commercial recreation, marketing, fundraising, recreation in sport and organization, and administration in sport and recreation classes.

“I feel like I bring something new to the department,” Tudor said. “I think that coming from a different area and a different school, I might’ve brought something new to the department that they aren’t used to.”

She also helps her students prepare to look for internships. She contacts people from both within the state and outside the state. She evaluates their resumes and counsels them on the direction they would like to go.

Tudor likes to focus on developing her students’ critical thinking and professional skills.

She says her goal as a teacher is to prepare her students to go out into the real world and be good workers and good leaders in their professions.

Tudor is of course, a professional sports fan who is loyal to her home state. “I’m a pretty big Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers fan,” Tudor said. “I was really disappointed with how the Tigers’ season ended, but the Lions have had a pretty good season so far.”

She also watched all the televised Razorbacks football games this season and confessed that she is “slowly becoming a fan.”

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THE HEALING TOUCH: Corliss Strickland, Twin Rivers administrator, Christine Dickson, and Denise Cordova, senior pyschology major, pose for a photo at Twin Rivers Health & Rehabilitation

PSYCHED FOR SUCCESS

Christine Dickson goes above and beyond to seize her education and break new ground with research

STORY BY CRYSTAL CORDOVA — PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINE DICKSON It is never too late to go back to school.

Christine Dickson senior, psychology major has proven that all it takes is hard work and dedication. “I dropped out of school in 8th grade, I came to Henderson with a GED,” Dickson said. Growing up, Dickson did not live in one location, she was born into a mil-

itary family, so she moved much more often than the average student.

She fell in love with Henderson because of the support offered to non-traditional students both academically and socially. She has benefited from programs like student support services and is impressed with her fellow stu-

dents in general. “The student body is awesome,” Dickson said.

She is an army veteran and licensed massage therapist. She has used her background in massage to conduct an interdisciplinary study on the effects a simple massage has on stressed-out college students.

The study measured cortisol levels in saliva to determine the levels of stress Cortisol is a hormone associated with the “fight or flight” response to stimuli. Terry Bateman, professor of chemistry has helped Dickson with her experiment. “Chris came to me through Denise [Cordova],” Bateman said. “She had an idea for a project that related to her being a massage therapist. She could do everything on the psychology end as she was a senior psychology student, she just needed help with the physiological end of it.”

Psychological inventories were also used to measure mental anxiety. They found that a 10 minute massage lowers stress.

“Christine is a pioneer in developing the beginnings of a neurophysiological program at the undergraduate level in the psychology program.” Aneeq Ahmad, professor of psychology, said. “She is an extremely conscientious, hardworking student and will go places with this research.” Dickson said she has had amazing support from Bateman and Ahmad.

The study was expanded to evaluate the effects massage therapy has on elderly patients who suffer mild depression. Dickson’s research team is composed of herself, Denise Cordova, senior psychology major and Hunter Wayland, senior chemistry major.

They received permission from Twin Rivers nursing home to perform the experiment.

“The nursing home decided not to wait until the chemistry results came back,” Dickson said. “The response was amazing. They created a massage therapy position, and I work there now.”

Dickson is a member of Psi Chi honor society, Alpha Chi honors, a McNair scholar and recipient of the Ellis College award for outstanding research. “Not doing too bad for a student with a GED,” Dickson said.

Dickson is continuing her massage therapy research with patients who suffer from dementia, multiple sclerosis and strokes. “I firmly believe that a loving touch provides benefit for more than our bodies,” Dickson said. She is also working on publishing her first research project in The Journal of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.

Dickson has proven through her hard work and dedication that it is possible to make a change in the world, and improve people’s lives.

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LIFE OF A MODERN WIFE Senior Pa Choua Vue’s art installation in Huie Library questions modern domesticity STORY BY TIFFANY SAMUEL – PHOTO BY MOE SKINNER

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tudents cramming for finals may have noticed a strange arrangement of household items in the front of the library last week.

Senior studio art major, Pa Choua Vue placed her art pieces in the library to raise awareness to an issue she finds dear to her heart.

Vue and her husband have been married for almost five years and have been discussing the everyday tasks of a housewife.

“At first I was shocked at the idea, but then I began to think, ‘why should a wife have to be a slave for their husband?’”

“There are some things I enjoy doing every day, like cooking because my husband is terrible at it,” Vue said, “but I think the dishes should not be my job every night.”

Vue said that even though the world has improved for women over the last hundred years, household duties are still seen as “women’s work,” while providing for the family is seen as “men’s work.” She said that public opinion seems to be that women have equal rights, but it is a different story behind closed doors.

“I think even now women are looked down upon whenever they have a higher education than their husband or make more money than him,” Vue said. “I just don’t think that’s how it should work.”

She created her art installation to reflect her thoughts on the issue. Her art installation features many domestic household items including a broom and a mold of herself.

She chose the library because it has good lighting and is a common area for students.

Her timing was not intentional, but rather lucky because the library is crowded in the days leading up to finals.

Along with her pieces, she included a box that asked viewers to enter their ideas of what tasks a housewife should be responsible for.

“I put that women should only do things around the house that they want to do,” Kayla Langley, junior psychology major, said.

“Women shouldn’t be bullied to do housework whenever we work just as much as men, and they are just as capable of doing it.”

Vue hopes that her art will bring awareness to this issue and will force her viewers to ponder the problem.

“I have wondered about this before,” Langley said, “but I just thought I would do whatever society said because I thought I was wrong for thinking different.”

Other female students have also admired Vue’s work and her stance on the issue.

“I think it is great what she is doing,” Shelby Hintson, junior nursing major, said. “It is about time someone talked about this.”

The artwork has also gained attention from male students.

“At first I was shocked at the idea, but then I began to think why should a wife have to be a slave for their husband,” Seth Freer, junior business administration major, said. “I mean it would be nice but I think the husband should help around the house just as much as the wife.”

Vue said she hopes her work will make people more conscious of the issue.

“I want to stand up for women everywhere, like my mother who will not speak up for herself,” Vue said.

Vue plans to further her investigation and discussion of the problem in the future and create a series of this art installation. Her next art installation will be exhibited early next semester.

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COVER: Koty Mansfield, sophomore theatre major, shows a section of linen to Savannah Reynolds, freshman theatre major.

LEFT: Koty Mansfield and Savannah Reynolds inspect thread count.

Student directors take on six poignant plays STORY BY MADISON MACNEW — PHOTO BY JEFFERY P. GILMORE To end the fall semester, the Theatre Program produced six short plays to showcase students’ progress in a theatre directing course taught by Claudia A. Beach.

The process of directing these short plays was not an easy task for these six theatre students. One of the first things the student directors had to do is choose the play they want to bring to life.

“We had to read like a thousand different

plays just to find one to first be approved by Dr. Beach,” said Andrea McDaniel, senior theatre major.

Other theatre students ranging from freshmen to fifth-year seniors participated in auditions. The directors then ranked their top three choices for their characters, and Beach matched the actors to roles to remove bias.

One of the most challenging tasks for the directors was working with their actors.

“There are so many different personalities,” said McDaniel. “It took some time for us all to get to know each other.”

Not only the directors, but the entire cast and production crew had the passion for each play.

“It’s like a ship,” Misty Frazier, freshman theatre major, said.

Her co-star, Justin Cox, junior theatre major, elaborated: “The director may steer the ship while standing on the stern. But without everyone pulling the ropes from the other parts of the ship, there would be no show.”

With the help of the actors and production crew, the six directors certainly sailed their ships with the utmost success.

“The Unerring Instinct”: Sarah de Rueda, senior theatre major, directed a short written by Thornton Wilder.

A mischievous young woman, Leonora, plays a practical joke on her naïve sister-in-law, Belinda, by convincing her that all “Smiths” are bad people.

The joke itself was intended to teach a young woman who believes in unjustifiable prejudices not to be so gullible. The ways in which Belinda humiliates herself make for outbursts of laughter from both Leonora and the audience.

“Four Walls”: Jeffery P. Gilmore, senior theatre major, directed this Gus Edwards’ play.

It tells the story of an unfaithful husband, Ralph, and his deranged wife, Rose.

After Ralph brings home a young girl, he tries to convince Rose that he is simply doing a good deed for a stranger. Later that night, Rose walks in on her husband kissing and embracing the girl — who’s obviously no stranger to Ralph.

Ralph stumbles through the door the next day after being mugged and jumped in of New York City, Rose, who has had about enough of her unfaithful husband, and acts in an unusual manner. Instead of calling the police or an ambulance right away, Rose allows Ralph to die in her arms. After this, she proceeds to call 911 and report the death, ending the play and leaving the audience with an unsettled feeling.

“Throwing Your Voice”: Hannah Breeden, junior theatre and music major, directed this play by Craig Lucas.

Doug and Lucy are having Richard and Sarah over at their apartment when casual conversation turns into Doug going off on a political rant. Doug criticizes Richard for buying a diamond ring, claiming that they are sup-

porting the poor working conditions of the South African diamond mines. Having been accused of such injustice, Sarah starts hearing the screams and cries of a young African girl being beaten to death over the diamonds.

By the end of the play, all four can hear them and Sarah throws the ring across the room in shame.

“The Blizzard”: McDaniel directed this David Ives play. Stuck in a remote cabin during a snowstorm, Neil and Jenny await the arrival of Neil’s brother and sister-in-law.

When Neil opens the door, in walk Salim and Natasha, two of the eeriest characters of all the six plays.

For a while, the two unexpected guests attempt to convince Neil and Jenny that they were sent by Neil’s brother and sister-in-law, who were simply “ill”.

By the end of the play, the audience can infer that Salim and Natasha killed the originally expected guests, and that the same future was in store for Neil and Jenny as the night would proceed.

“Thread Count”: Shelley Mills, senior theatre major, directed “Thread Count,”

by Lisa Soland. It is the story of a sweet mid-western woman, Dot’s, encounter with a Macy’s salesperson, Fergus, on her first trip to New York City.

As the night goes on, and Dot seems only to annoy Fergus, but then the two make a deeper connection.

This connection leads first to a possible “rendezvous”, but instead they decide to explore both the city and their interest in each other while the night is still somewhat young.

“The Spot”: Directed by Adrianna McLeod, senior theatre major, this play by Steven Dietz explores the behind-the-scenes of the production of a political campaign commercial.

The campaign manager has every aspect of the main character polled for approval and changes who she is to make the most “wanted woman.” The woman then refuses to take part in such a fallacious production.

The campaign manager then discovers that the woman is not there to speak for their candidate at all, but is instead spying on the production and capturing their plans with a tape recorder.

With no star, the pressure is on to get the commercial produced as quickly as possible.

To end, the manager decides to cast the director’s assistant as the star of the spot.

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PINK FLOYD’S ENDLESS RIVER Pink Floyd releases their first album in 20 years with a collection of unreleased songs

STORY BY ASHLEY BLES — PHOTO COURTOUSY OF PARLOPHONE RECORDS AND COLUMBIA RECORDS Never in my lifetime did I think I would be writing a review of a new Pink Floyd album.

Never did I think I would be asking the question, “have you heard the new Pink Floyd album?” The last album the English progressive rock legends released, “The Division Bell,” came out when I was a year old.

For a lifelong Floyd fan, to say that “this is a bit of an emotional experience” is an understatement.

Most people know of Pink Floyd through a few select songs. “Dark Side of the Moon” was not just record-breaking but earth-shattering. It lived on the Billboard Top 200 chart for 736 weeks. That’s 14 years.

I hope readers can excuse the over-discussion of legacy, but when writing a review of the last album from a band that’s made 15 of them and has been around for 50 years, it’s hard not to get nostalgic.

“The Endless River” is an 18-track album forged from previously recorded but unreleased material from their 1994 album, “The Division Bell.” Richard Wright, the band’s

keyboard player who died from cancer in 2008, is responsible for much of the album’s material.

“River” serves as a tribute to Wright and as a conclusion to the band’s long career.

Floyd fans looking for an album similar to “The Wall” or “Dark Side of the Moon,” won’t find it here, but then, they can’t find that anywhere.

“River” is essentially a sequel to “The Division Bell.” Like the 1994 album, it’s full of blues-style sweeping instrumentals. It’s not the band’s most original album. Although there are moments that conjure memories of their experimental past, none of them are revolutionary. Rather, it’s an album full of a comfortable, familiar sound that in some indescribably beautiful way weaves itself through all of their past works.

The album opens with quotes from each of the three band members featured in the album, heavily distorted and hidden under sound effects.

From “’Live at Pompeii,’ “We certainly

have an unspoken understanding. But a lot of things unsaid as well,” Wright says.

Followed by David Gilmour: “Well we shout and argue and fight and work it on out.”

And finally, Nick Mason: “The sum is greater than the parts.”

The rest of the song stretches into slow, trembling notes that slowly fall off.

The second track, “It’s What We Do” is spawned from the album “Wish You Were Here” and shines on like a crazy diamond as a tribute to that classic album (the arrangement weaves “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” into the song).

The next few songs feature organ work

by Wright and seem to be the most dedicated to him. There are several moments that are reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s early experimental period, teasing “Saucerful of Secrets” with an ambiance of weird sound effects.

“Anisina,” definitely belongs in the early 90s, if not the 80s. The saxophone is soulful to the point of cheesiness and the soft “oohs” in the background only add to this. That being

said, Pink Floyd established with “The Division Bell” that there is something very soothing about a cheesy sax solo, and it’s comforting to hear it here. There are also unmistakable references to “Us and Them,” arguably one of Wright’s masterpieces.

Both parts of “Allons-y” seem like bits and pieces pulled directly from “Run Like Hell” from “The Wall.” Part one is separated from Part two by “Autumn ‘68,” a piece taken from a sound check referred to as “Wright’s Symphony.” Although the band uses only 96 seconds of the 20-minute piece, the organs are somber adding an interesting contrast of tone considering where it’s placed in the album.

Famous physicist Stephen Hawking makes an appearance as one of the only pieces of spoken-word on the entire album in the aptly named “Talkin’ Hawkin’.” The piece is a little cheesy, but “cheesy” worked with most of “The Division Bell.”

The album trickles to an end with slow, subtle, sleepy sounds from the 90s and a few nods to the late 60s with “Eyes to Pearls” teasing “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.” The final track is a little out of place. It opens with Gilmour’s smooth, and slightly age-strained voice singing “We bitch and we fight / dis each other on sight,” which sounds unflattering coming from such a beautiful voice. The song’s point is clear but it sounds like Gilmour is trying too hard. The melody is sweet and soothing though.

Overall, this album does what it is supposed to do. It references a great amount of material and it serves as a send-off to a legacy.

However, such an undertaking would be better if the songs were longer. Each piece is a small tease, which is far from what Floyd does best. Pink Floyd’s progressive energy is best served by long sweet lullaby sounds, tracks that sweep and swell for anywhere from four to 20 minutes.

In spite of that, as I sit here after listening to “River,” I can’t say I’m disappointed. I can’t even say I’m sad. This album is the respectable end cap to something that has covered many genres, expressed a plethora of ideas and been a present influence in my lifetime and those of my parents.

This is the kind of album that sits comfortably on your ears, fading quietly and putting a beloved phenomenon gracefully to bed.

This album served as a way to close up loose ends and wave goodbye from the distance.

“The Endless River” was just what Pink Floyd needed to complete the story. It won’t be anyone’s favorite Floyd album, but it wasn’t meant to be.

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NICK JONAS REVIEW STORY BY MARIAH DELAVEGA — PHOTO COURTESY OF ISLAND RECORDS AND SAFEHOUSE RECORDS

BIG HEROES FOR ALL AGES

“Big Hero 6” follows the story of a young boy and his plus-sized robot friend

STORY BY MARIAH DELAVEGA — PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY

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iro Hamada is a 14-year-old high school graduate living in the fictional city of San Fransokyo. He overestimates his mad genius skills and gets caught organizing underground bot fights.

“Big Hero 6” is an action-packed superhero comedy that invokes a little childhood nostalgia.

Hiro’s brother, Tadashi, tries to get him back on track. Tadashi attends college at San Fransokyo’s Institute of Technology. Tadashi invites Hiro to check out the college’s robotics lab where he meets a team of tech-nerd specialists – Honey Lemon, GoGo Tomago,

Wasabi and Fred.

Tadashi not only wanted to get his little brother out of trouble, but also wanted Hiro to see the project that he had been working on that year: Baymax, a plus sized inflatable robot whose job is to help people from being sick or hurt.

Baymax is activated when someone says, “Ouch.” With a simple scan he can check vitals and determine the degree of patient’s pain, so he can treat any condition.

Hiro falls in love with the college immediately. To get accepted, he has to create a science project. Hiro thinks of an original idea,

and it starts out as a huge hit, but it ends in disaster.

Hiro later discovers that he was sabotaged.

Hiro and his friends spend much of the movie engineering Baymax, who was only meant help people in need, to be a fighting machine so they can stop the saboteur from doing any more harm. The supporting characters use their own inventions to give Baymax superpowers.

“Big Hero 6” is of course for kids, so the plot is simplistic and some of the dialogue is used to point out the obvious, but the action and comedy make the film fun even for adults.

The popular boy band, The Jonas Brothers, formed in 2005, made girls scream and go crazy for Joe, Kevin and the youngest brother, Nick. Sadly the band broke up in 2013. Luckily, Nick Jonas, went solo recently, again.

Nick Jonas released one album before forming the Jonas Brothers and another in 2010 as the front man of Nick Jonas and the Administration. With his new bad boy look, flaunting his abs on magazine covers, Nick again has girls drooling over one of the Jonas Brothers.

Recently, Jonas talked with Just Jared, celebrity gossip journalist, and explained why he wanted his first post-Jonas Brothers album to be self-titled.

“I think that was important for me to establish who I am now and sort of put the stamp of sort of a new day on it,” Jonas said. The biggest hits on the album are “Chains” and “Jealous.”

“Chains” has a nice bass line under the main hook.

The song is about Nick loving a girl who is doing him wrong and not loving him back. So, he feels like she has him in chains, and they bring him down. The other song that is blowing up on the radio stations is “Jealous.” It starts with a nice beat and has a catchy hook.

Jonas explained that the inspiration for the song came from his real-life jealousy. He saw guys checking out his girlfriend, Olivia Culpo, and he could hear the suggestiveness in the comments they made.

“I just went to the studio and took out my frustration there, and made a song out of it,” Jonas said.

The album was released on Nov. 11, and, according to Billboard’s website, debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.

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DAX’S EXCELLENT VIEWS STORY BY DAX GUILLIAMS — IMAGE BY HOUSTON FRYER It’s nearing the end of my first semester as the views editor, and I wanted to to do a recap of some of the things I wrote about.

First off, I would like to thank all of you for taking time to read my various rantings.

Now, I’m going to start this recap with what was probably my most serious story.

Recently, ther have been more incidents in which police officers killed people. I don’t want to point any fingers, and I certainly don’t want to upset or offend anyone, but I still want to give my thoughts on the matter.

It’s so terrible that people have been killed in these incidents and I still think they all could have been avoided.

I’m not trying to say that the police officers involved in these events are killers or terrible people, but it didn’t have to turn out this way, and I hope it doesn’t continue.

Now that that’s out of the way, I’d like to turn attention to some more fun subjects that I’ve discussed in previous issues.

In just the past few days, another trailer

for Street Fighter V was released during the Capcom Cup. What started as another fight between Ryu and Chun-Li became something that made me even more excited for the title.

During the fight, it was revealed that parries, a big gameplay mechanic from Street Fighter III, will be brought back. Not only were parries revealed, but at the end of the trailer, a short video revealed that Charlie, a character from Street Fighter Alpha, will also be brought back.

I cannot possibly express how great this is.

The parry system in Street Fighter III made the fighting so much better and, Charlie is one of my favorite Street Fighter characters.

With just two trailers, Street Fighter V looks amazing to me, and more news is on the way.

Speaking of video games, this semester was pretty good for video game releases. I talked about the new Smash Bros., which was released on the Wii U last month. I haven’t had a chance to play the Wii U version, but

I’m still enjoying my 3DS copy of the game.

While I didn’t write a review of it, the new entry to the Borderlands franchise, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel has been taking up a lot of my free time.

I’m actually still playing the game as Feral Interactive releases more downloadable content.

Now that “The Flash” tv series has reached its break, I’d like to praise it a little more.

I’m happy with how the show has turned out. I think the characters were all well written, and the crossover episode with Arrow was also impressive.

Captain Boomerang, a classic “Flash” villain, was done well, although I would have preferred for him to debut fighting The Flash instead of Green Arrow.

The season break ended on Flash fighting his counter-villain, Reverse Flash. Reverse Flash was so good on screen just because of how disturbing he was.

The actor, whose identity I won’t spoil for

those who haven’t seen it, did a great job as the character.

One thing I love about this show is that it’s not afraid to be like the comics. Other shows based on comic books aren’t as good as they can be because they’re so afraid to be associated with what they came from.

Speaking of comic books, it’s come to my attention that Henderson will finally be offering a comic studies minor. I think it’s great that Henderson has finally decided to offer that as a minor, and I know Randy Duncan, professor of communications, the man who fought so hard to make it possible, is also happy.

I don’t know if I’ll change my minor to comics studies, but I’ll attempt to take some comic book-based courses.

From what I heard around campus, I’m not the only one who didn’t enjoy the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” I told you all it was bad, but now I have other people on campus to back me up.

The acting was awful, the story was awful, the producers and director were awful and the acting was awful. Yes, I’m aware that I listed acting twice, but that’s how bad it was.

There were other stories I wrote, but I’m starting to run out of room and I wanted to write a few more things before this story ends.

I had a great first semester as views editor.

I’m glad I was given the chance to talk about what I like, hate and admire when it came to tv shows, video games and even events that affected us on campus.

I tried to keep it serious when necessary, but for the most part, I tried to make it fun for me and anyone reading.

But for next semester, I want to do more, and I want more of you to provide your opinions to this paper.

While I’m happy providing my own views, I’d still like to know what everyone else on campus, student or faculty, has to say on certain matters.

Who knows? Maybe one of you hates The Flash tv show. If so, write about it.

Next semester, I’ll gladly take your stories, just as long as they don’t break our rules. Just message them to me at my Henderson email, which can be found at the front of the paper, or send them to The Oracle’s email.

So, once again, I’d like to thank you all for reading my stories. Next semester, I’ll surely keep writing about nerdy things I like, nerdy things I hate and some other things either I or someone else cares about.

Party on, Henderson.

DECEMBER 16, 2014

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FINALS WORDSEARCH

AGONY ALLNIGHTER BLUEBOOK CAFFEINE COFFEE DROWSY

EASYA EXAMS FAILURE FATIGUE FLASHCARDS HOPE

HOPELESS LIBRARY NOSHOWER NOSLEEP PAJAMAS PASSING

PROCRASTINATION REMEDIAL SHAME STUDYING SWEATPANTS YIKYAK

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DECEMBER 16, 2014

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A SKIP ACROSS THE POND Frank Keenan tells of his experiences during the first year as Henderson’s assistant athletic director for external affairs

Frank Keenan began his first year as the new assistant athletic director for external affairs at Henderson this past fall. He is in charge of the Reddies corporate sponsorship program, game day promotions, the student support group, special events, social media and the coordination of community engagement efforts for the athletic program.

Keenan was born in London, England and has always been fascinated with American culture. He received his bachelors degree at Durham University, one of many filming locations for the “Harry Potter” film franchise, in England. Keenan completed his master’s degree at Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he became a graduate assistant in the development office.

Keenan has served on the NCAA Division II National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the NCAA Division II Championships Committee while representing the West

Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for three years.

Keenan started out as a management consultant in England but wasn’t happy with his work and decided that he needed a change.

Keenan and his best friend went on a threemonth road trip all over America. He fell in love with America and started applying for jobs in the United States right away.

“I never say ‘no’ to anything,” Keenan said.

“It has personally been great to experience things. It’s an ongoing adventure.”

He decided to finish his master’s and work as a graduate assistant at Fairmont State. While there he was introduced to football. He had never played a day in his life and knew nothing about the sport but was offered the position as the kicker for their football team. He played as the kicker for Fairmont for two years while working as a graduate assistant.

Keenan soon fell in love with college ath-

STORY BY KAITLYN KITCHENS — PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANK KEENAN letics and realized that he wanted to pursue a career in it with a degree in business. He was at Notre Dame for two years where he was responsible for 22 sports before he received the job at Henderson.

Keenan knew David Sharp, Ouachita Baptist University’s athletic director, and when he heard about the position opening up at Henderson, he applied right away.

Keenan had heard of Shawn Jones, Henderson’s athletic director, but didn’t know him personally.

“Working with Shawn and learning from him makes me become better and get a better understanding of things,” Keenan said.

Keenan loves his job and trying to get Henderson athletes recognized in the community. His job involves raising money and selling sponsorships. He believes that building personal relationships with the businesses he sells sponsorships to is essential.

“I encourage all of our coaches and athletes to visit the places that sponsor us,” Keenan said. “That personal relationship will really make them want to promote the Henderson athletic department.”

In Keenan’s free time, he enjoys riding bikes and running. He has ran in five marathons and plans on running in the Little Rock marathon in the near future. He loves the small school atmosphere at Henderson and enjoys the fact that he can walk around campus and see and talk to people.

“I like talking to people and I’m happy my job involves relationships,” Keenan said.

Keenan gets to travel back to London twice a year, during Christmas and during the summer. He wants to establish roots in Arkadelphia and really likes where he is. He knows that it will take a few years, but he is excited for his journey and enjoys the fact that he never knows what the future will hold.

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HARDWOOD ANGELS Men’s basketball team wins 113-55 against Champion Baptist on Angel Tree Night at the Wells Center

STORY BY TAYLOR DANIELS — PHOTO BY JEFFERY P. GILMORE

O

n Tuesday Dec 9, the Reddies men’s basketball team faced Champion Baptist at home. Duke Wells Center also hosted Angel Tree Night, in which the Reddies asked fans attending the game to bring a small toy to receive free entry into the game.

The boys joined forces with the Junior Auxiliary of Clark County in gathering toys for less fortunate children in an attempt to help providing a joyful holiday for more children. All items received go to children who reside in Clark County.

“I enjoyed giving back and it was really cool because not many schools do that,” Kelvin Dixon, senior and general studies major, said, “it made me happy to be able to leave an impact on kids that are less fortunate.”

Dixon did not participate in the Champion Baptist game due to a slight ankle sprain. The Reddies did very well, five of them scoring double digit points to contribute to the final of 113-55.

Kevin Kozan led the boys with 23 points with Micah Walker trailing behind him with 16 points.

Talking to his teammates about his last year playing basketball he reminded them of something that he always tries to keep in mind: “Playing hard at all times,” Walker, senior undeclared major, said, “and just to love the game regardless of what’s going on around you, you never lose the love of the game.”

The boys used the game against Champion Baptist to work on what needed to be improved.

They worked on certain plays and execution both on offense and defense. It was about them gaining confidence in themselves, trusting plays and trusting each other.

“The goal is always to keep getting better and keep making strides,” Head Coach Doug Nichols said, “and we need to keep playing within ourselves.”

The first half ended 59-19 while the second half the Reddies scored 55 while Champion pushed 36 points into the net.

The largest lead the Reddies had was in the second half when they led by 59.

During half-time, all of the Henderson athletics joined together to give the Junior Auxiliary of Clark County all the donations and toys that were gathered for the boys and girls who were sponsored this holiday season.

Each sport sponsored a child and show what an impact giving back can have.

For the ninth straight game, Reggie Murphy scored in double figures with 14 points.

While Aaron Cooper and Daniel Cheek contributed with 12 points each.

“We have such characters on the team,” Walker said, “and when we are all together whether it is on or off the court, it is always a good time.”

The Reddies were just shy of 90 percent, 89 percent to be exact, from the free throw line while pushing Champion to 23 turnovers resulting in 32 points for the Reddies.

Kerrell Davis contributed seven assists while Ryan Yeates had four of the 25 assists in the game for the Reddies.

After this game the boys have a record of 6-3 and work to keep improving in the weeks ahead.

“Every week we are preparing for a team but Harding is going to be a tough challenge,” Dixon said. “Just because they are good shooters and we have not seen that yet.”

The Reddies will face Texas A&M University Commerce on Dec. 19 at 7 pm.

TEAM PLAYER — Sophomore, Charles Wesley from Cedar Hill, Texas plays position as point guard in the game against Arkansas Tech. The Reddies won 69-63 over the Wonder Boys in the Duke Wells Center on Dec. 6.