Vol. 2, No. 35
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020
OBU named Second Best Regional College in South Rachel Moreno Ouachita Baptist Comm. and Marketing
ARKADELPHIA, Ark.— Ouachita Baptist University has been named “#2 Best Regional College in the South” for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. The university landed high honors in other categories in the region, as well, including #4 rankings for “Most Innovative” and “Best Undergraduate Teaching” and #5 for “Best Value.” The U.S. News rankings come as Ouachita has its highest fall enrollment in 20 years and the highest fouryear graduate rate on record for the institution. “It’s exciting and gratifying to see this affirmation of the innovative educational models Ouachita has developed over the last several years,” said Dr. Stan Poole, Ouachita’s vice president of academic affairs. “From embedding undergraduate research into the curriculum to pioneering online and graduate programs that address critical needs for our state and region, we have
expanded the university’s reach by capitalizing on the expertise and creativity of our faculty.” The “Most Innovative” ranking is defined by U.S. News as “schools the public should be watching because of the cutting-edge changes the colleges are making on their campuses.” This ranking was determined by peer nomination. College presidents, provosts and admissions deans may nominate up to 15 schools already listed in the “Best College” rankings who they consider have a particular strength in the area. To be selected, a college also had to receive seven or more nominations. “I’m especially pleased that Ouachita earned this distinction while simultaneously being recognized for outstanding undergraduate teaching,” Poole added. “Year after year our students affirm the quality of our faculty and the strong tradition of teaching excellence, grounded in personal relationships, that distinguishes their Ouachita educational experience.” The “Best Undergraduate Teaching” ranking “focuses
on schools where faculty and administrators are committed to teaching undergraduate students in a high-quality manner,” said U.S. News. It also is chosen by peer nomination. Additionally, Ouachita’s Hickingbotham School of Business was listed in the U.S. News “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” nationwide. The ranking is based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty members at peer institutions accredited by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB); Ouachita is one of only nine private, undergraduate-only schools in the world to be accredited by AACSB. A school or program had to receive seven or more top15 nominations to be listed. The “#2 Best Regional College in the South” ranking includes both public and private colleges and considers peer assessment and average first year retention rate. In the South region, Ouachita trails only High Point University, a college in North Carolina with an enrollment of 4,590.
“These recognitions come as we begin the fall semester with the highest enrollment the university has seen in 20 years and are further evidence that Ouachita is rising,” said Dr. Ben Sells, Ouachita president. “They speak to distinctive qualities we are proud of – providing an excellent and affordable education, embracing innovation, and supporting our students in the classroom and beyond to meet their educational and career goals.” The “#5 Best Value Col-
lege in the South” ranking weighs academic quality and cost after accounting for total expenses and financial aid. Schools were scored based on factors including average discount and percentage of students awarded aid. Ouachita also was included in U.S. News’ “A+ Schools for B Students” list, which recognizes schools with an environment where students of all levels are likely to succeed. Ouachita is one of only three colleges in the South and one of 17
regional colleges nationwide to be listed. The ranking considers, among other things, student GPA and the university’s freshman-tosophomore retention rate. Ouachita Baptist University, a private liberal arts university in Arkadelphia, Ark., is in its 135th year as a Christ-centered learning community. Its seven academic schools include business, Christian studies, education, fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. For more information, visit obu.edu.
Photo courtesy of Ouachita Baptist University.
OBU has now been named the Second Best Regional College in the South for the second year in a row.
HSU financial update
Payne in court Oct. 6
On Thurs., Sept. 24, Henderson State University’s Board of Trustees held a meeting over Cisco Webex. Outsiders wishing to attend were granted access to the virtual meeting through a link on Henderson’s website. The video conference attendees resided mostly in the ASU Executive Conference Room in Little Rock. Amid audio and video troubles, they discussed a plethora of topics regarding this fiscal year. On the agenda were action items like the surplus land sale and title ix resolution as well as a few key updates including the higher learning commission update and financial report. However, review of the budget and the pandemic took a significant amount of the focus. Trustees discussed the ways in which the pandemic has impacted the university this fall semester. With 12 percent of all students totally online, it has affected the school’s residence hall occupancy rate. More students have chosen to live at home or change meal plans, which is expected under the current circumstances. In turn, this has affected issues like student tuition, student
On Oct. 6, Cameron B. Payne will be appearing in court to answer to burglary charges being pressed against him. Payne, residing in the Northern Little Rock Area, is facing charges for two counts of commercial burglary, and the misdemeanor charge of escaping in the third degree. Before the suspect was caught on Aug.31, there were also two previous burglaries occurring on Aug. 19 and Aug. 28. There were reports of someone breaking into the Russell Fine Arts building on Henderson’s
Julie Young University Correspondant
fees, and scholarships. Henderson is reducing student tuition by about $1.8 million and student fees by $224,000. With the current decline in enrollment, the school is also not rewarding as many scholarships, reducing that number by $653,000. In addition to these reductions, they will reduce travel expenses by $100,000 due to the pandemic, as there is very little traveling this year and meetings can be held virtually. The school expects a second federal stimulus, something Henderson State University’s Interim Chancellor Jim Borsig claims has already been confirmed by the ASU system representatives in Washington, DC. While the timing of a second stimulus is uncertain at this time, Chancellor Borsig already knows that the school has no plans to spend it all covering holes and expenses in the current budget and leaving the university operating as it is today. As he explained, they will instead use the money to manage multiple financial issues. “In all of these adjustments, and the ones that you’ll see in the auxiliaries, we are being very conservative. We probably will realize a little bit more revenue and we probably will realize a
little bit less in the way of expenditures, but we are going with the conservative slightly higher estimate on expenses and we are not budgeting all of the revenues that we think we might end up receiving in this fiscal year,” Chancellor Borsig said. In the midst of previous shortfalls and a global pandemic with no end in sight, there will continue to be virtual meetings to discuss these issues.
“I have absolute confidence in the faculty and staff of Henderson State University.”
-Interim Chancellor Dr. Jim Borsig “I have absolute confidence in the faculty and staff of Henderson State University. I am absolutely confident that we are going to find this path forward, and we are not going to compromise on the quality of the education that we deliver to our students,” Chancellor Borsig said.
Johnson County woman found dead in home
ARKANSASThe Johnson County Sheriff’s Department has requested Special Agents of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division to lead an investigation into the death of a woman found outside a residence earlier today. Melinda Walker, 65,
was found dead at her home shortly after 8 AM. Sheriff’s deputies responded to 146 Private Road 2257 near Hartman, west of Clarksville, after receiving a report from an acquaintance of Walker’s that her body was lying in the yard. The body has been transported to the Arkansas State
Crime Laboratory where a manner and cause of death will be determined. While awaiting the autopsy findings, state police special agents will continue their investigation keeping local authorities apprised whether they find any evidence of a criminal act that resulted in Walker’s death.
Ayanna Williams Crimes Reporter
campus, and items were reported as stolen. However, on the morning of the third robbery, Payne was found hiding in a closet in the building, holding the burglary tools in hand. Payne was transferred to Henderson’s police department. While being interrogated, Payne gave officers a fictitious name. While an officer was turned away, Payne escaped from the police department while in handcuffs. Students all over Henderson’s campus received text message alerts that morning with a description of Payne, alerting them of the escape. Payne was apprehended
forty-five minutes after the escape, and was located about five blocks from the Henderson police department. Payne later signed a consent form to let officers search his residence for evidence. However, only a desktop computer from the Russell Fine Arts building was found. The computer was taken by authorities as evidence. Payne first appeared in court on Sept. 2, and was summoned to appear again on the morning of Oct. 6 at the Clark County Circuit Court.
Performing during COVID Rae Lynn Dinger Dispatch Reporter
Ever since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been many hoops to jump through concerning the precautions we have to take to remain healthy. Washing our hands as often as we can, wearing a mask correctly, using hand sanitizer, just to name a few. For the HSU Theatre program, however, they have to jump through those hoops and then some. “We all just want to do theater again and understand that in order to do that we need to follow the rules,” said Sophie Burke, a sophomore theatre major whose main stage debut was “Let Us Go Out into the Starry Night” in the “Welcome to the Moon and Other Plays” this past week. As an actress for the theatre program, Burke has had to adapt to an altered style of acting to remain in conjunction with pandemic guidelines. Every actor, stage hand, or tech crew mate is required to wear a
mask and remain six feet apart—even if they’re on stage, in the case of the actors. Other such alterations include dressing rooms that enforce social distancing, as well as a cap to how many people can be inside at a time. Gone are the days of old when those involved in a production could bring their friends or family backstage for a glimpse of the magic. “We kind of feel alienated [on stage], but it gets the point across that we’re taking it seriously,” Burke said, “We’re supposed to be talking to someone beside us, but they’re far away, so we have to make sure our body language reflects it.” “We want to keep all our cast and crew along with the audience and keep their safety in mind,” said Kylee Hancock, a sophomore theatre major and stagehand for the theatre program. Pandemic rules aren’t just for the actors and stagehands, as the audience is required to wear masks and sit in designated
seats that keep up with the six-foot guideline. Moving from the studio theatre to the Arkansas Hall auditorium has made following these rules all the more easy for everyone involved. Even with spaced out seating, the performances have still had a full house. “We’ve had a full house with limited seating, and have had to turn people away,” Hancock continued, “Having an activity to go to is something people would like because of quarantine, and they’re also curious to see how we’re handling it.” It’s safe to say that interest in the arts hasn’t gone down due to Covid, but is something people are still actively seeking out. Even with all the new hurdles, HSU Theatre is a beacon of safe, socially-distanced activities we can still enjoy in our current times. “It feels really good to be performing even if we are in masks, to just to be doing something,” said Burke.