Oracle The
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY
VOLUME 105, ISSUE 05
Fair features reptiles and organization opportunities Kenneth Ibarra Staff Writer Last Tuesday at the Garrison, Henderson hosted its Student Organization Fair for all the students on campus. This year, there was a little of everything, from petting snakes to watching a few Greek students unleash their dance moves. “At the beginning of the year, we give student organizations the opportunity to come out and talk about their organizations a little bit,” Chad Fielding, Dean of Students, said. “It’s great for incoming students to come out and just see what kind of organizations are available because if a new student can just get connected with at least one organization on campus, it’ll at least give them a group to belong to.” There were tables in every section for groups such as the Biology Club, Psychology Club, the League of Latinos and a few Greek groups as well. Bailey Wheeler, senior psychology major, was greeting people left and right at the psychology table. “We do a lot of degree planning in our club, and we also help you figure out what you’re interested in career-wise,” Wheeler said. “The club goes on field trips to places like the mental health institution and the Human Development Center here in Arkadelphia.” Wheeler is co-president of
Photo by Jennifer Ketcheside
COLD-BLOODED CUDDLES Tayvia Brownmiller (left) and Emily Eoff (right) promote the biology
club with red-tailed boas. Various other clubs and organizations attended to boost membership and campus the psychology club. The club does a lot of community service and fundraisers for different organizations. Currently they have been helping out with the animal shelter. “Everybody kind of votes on what to do,” Wheeler said. “Being here helps you know what classes to take for your future, and you also get to meet new people. We all like to hang out, talk about field trips and explore careers close to psychology.” Another organization that attended the fair was Henderson
International Student Association, or HISA. “It’s a society where you can get to learn more about people from other cultures,” Hayden Hillner, a freshman aviation major from South Africa, said. “Being a part of HISA helps bring the international students together and it gives the American students a chance to meet people from these countries so they can get to learn how their life is like. We have games and trips. It’s just cool.” One sorority that attended was Alpha Sigma Tau. Mika Grant, sophomore psychology
major, is the group’s new member educator. “What we are is a social sorority here on campus,” Grant said. “We have a lot of different plans here. We support Pine Mountain Settlement School. It’s a program that teaches kids life and campus skills. We also have lifelong sisterhood once you’ve joined. Because we have a lot of leadership opportunities. We do a lot of volunteer work, and we do help out a lot with the community, which looks pretty good on a resume.” Currently the group sent money to help support an el-
ephant to live on a reservation here in Arkansas. It is also one of the campus’ smallest sorority groups, one of the features that makes it unique. “There was not that much attendance unfortunately, but I got some cool stuff, and I did sign up for a few clubs.” Kourtney Kim, senior communication major, said. “If you didn’t come, you’re out of luck, because you didn’t see what you could have been involved with here on campus. Whenever you’re applying for a job, jobs like to see what you were involved in.”
MBSF to accomodate growing student involvement Kaitlyn Tolleson News Editor
Index
The MBSF house is a place where students can go to make new friends, learn about Christianity and worship with other Henderson and Ouachita students. As the ministry for Arkadelphia collegians, MBSF has seen a spike in attendance on Tuesday night’s Encounter and Wednesday’s free lunch. The building standing today was built 25 years ago by Baring Cross Baptist Church, which founded and sponsored MBSF for 50 years. The sponsor of MBSF is now Center Fork Baptist Church of Hot Springs. “Students and adults can go to MBSF, put aside all their differences and have family time praising and learning about God,” Kaitlin Stubbs, sophomore social science major, said. “It’s also a great place to meet new people from HSU and OBU.” Midweek, which is the most successful of MBSF’s ministries, is a weekly Wednesday lunch and devotional hosted by different churches around the Arkadelphia region. Churches volunteer to bring food for the college students, and a member of the church
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gives a short lunchtime devotional. Recent spikes in the attendance of MBSF have caused need for more food. With over 200 people crossing the street and entering the MBSF house for lunch, extra food had to be prepared while students waited in line. Every chair in the building was full. Standing room was the only choice for many visitors. Encounter is also a big part of MBSF. On Tuesday nights, students meet for a time of worship and fellowship. On Sept. 4, a new record of attendance was set for a Tuesday night worship service. Ronnie Inman, youth pastor at Center Fork Baptist Church, shared his devotional. Ice cream floats were served afterwards. With all of the new attendees, MBSF director Kelvin Richardson and sponsor church Center Fork Baptist have proposed a plan to Center Fork church members to financially support an expansion of the MBSF building. The plan has been approved and construction will begin in January. “I am very excited about this new era of Arkadelphia MBSF,” Richardson said. “I believe the growth in attendance the last
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Photo by Stephanie Hartman/Oracle
MAKE ROOM The MBSF has seen such a rise in attendance for the organiza-
tion’s free lunches and devotionals that the MBSF director Kelvin Richardson has proposed that their sponsor church renovate the building. The renovations will nearly triple the size of the building just off campus. couple of years is a result of that excitement. The growth has brought about the need for additional space. Center Fork Baptist Church approved a plan on Sunday night, Sept. 9, 2012, to proceed with plans to construct an additional building.” The building will undergo a major renovation. The east side of the glass and aluminum building will receive the largest part of the renovation. A large building addition will be added to the east side for seating. A stage will also be installed.
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The building will become handicap accessible, with first floor entrances and handicap accessible restrooms. The student lounge area will also be expanded. “It was really a no-brainer,” Richardson said. “You can either accommodate for growth or you can just maintain, which eventually brings decline.” With the renovations, the MBSF building will nearly triple in size. This will make plenty of room for new students. The renovations are expected to be
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completed by the beginning of the Fall 2013 semester. “I love the upcoming renovations because we can have more room for all the students,” Stubbs said. “I am so glad Center Fork voted to provide us with the new space and hopefully the bigger building will attract more people.” Renovations will not disrupt any of the MBSF meetings. Normal meeting times will still be in session. Most renovations will occur during the summer.