INDEX Feature Events Obits Sports Arkadelphian
No. 13
Vol. 3
Veteran's Day in Arkadelphia Emily Henderson Contributing Reporter
“Adapt and Overcome,” is the Marine Corps' motto and something Gunnery Sgt. Charles Ragsdale lives by. Ragsdale comes from a family where service runs deep. At a young age, he knew there was no question what he wanted to do: follow in their footsteps and serve our country. According to Ragsdale, to understand Veterans Day, one has to know what being a veteran means. To him, a veteran is not just a title and a discount at Starbucks, it means a person takes the oath and signs a “check” to the United States with the payable amount of their life. At any moment they could be called for the service of this nation. They possess a willingness to leave behind their whole life and comfort zone and “that’s what makes them special.” Veteran’s Day is to honor the ones that were and are brave enough to put on the uniform and serve in whatever capacity they asked of them. There are no unimportant roles, it is a team effort and without everyone involved it would not persevere. This is why he believes Veteran’s Day is for all those in service, past and present. “It does matter if you were a door kicker, trig-
November 11, 2021
HSU Theatre presents "Men on Boats" Jose Santana Contributing Reporter
Photo by Emily Henderson
Veterans Upward Bound provides services such as tutoring, financial counseling, FAFSA assistance and much more.
ger puller, infantry, or drove trucks,” said Ragsdale. “It’s all hands that take to make the military go forward and support this country.” Ragsdale understands the holidays are special, but there is not a day that goes by that he does not wake up and think about the brothers and sisters that were lost. While he honors those who serve, he does not forget about his family. Leaving a wife and kids at home was hard, but he said he had the easy part. “My wife took care of herself and three kids
for eight months and I couldn’t even take care of them for 45 minutes while she went to the grocery store,” he said. Ragsdale never forgets to make sure his family knows how much they mean to him and how strong they are. He honors them as well as all the other families in the same situation. After 20 years of being a part of the Marine Corps, he retired and currently works for Veterans Upward Bound. Ragsdale is excited to be helping those who served. He is home with his family and
does not regret anything, no matter how difficult it was at times. His hope is that those willing to go into service in the future enjoy it and not rush it because “life moves quickly.” Those 20 years he spent in the service flew by and did not hit him until the last week of his service. His wish for everyone on Veterans Day is to take 10-30 seconds of their day to think about everyone who has or is still serving, and think about all they have given so that we can be free.
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Men on Boats is an upcoming play by the Henderson Theatre production with five scheduled shows this November. When one thinks of a play about Men on Boats, they would imagine a simple play about heterosexual men pirating the ocean. But that is not the case for this production of Men on Boats directed by Lacy Klinger and produced by Henderson Theatre. According to Jessica Smith, who is one of the cast members of the upcoming play, the men will be played by an all women and nonbinary cast. The play is going to be very different, even for the non-men cast to take the challenge to learn how to play twenty to thirty years old, cisgendered, heterosexual white men in the 1800s. But the challenges are what make the play so enjoyable, because it is not every day a woman or a non-binary cast member gets to play a such role. The play, written by Jaclyn Backhaus, is scheduled for five performances this season at Henderson’s Arkansas Hall. “One of the best shows
that Henderson State has ever put on,” said Smith. “Anyone would enjoy the show, it is a show for all ages. It is definitely one of my favorite plays I have already performed here at Henderson.” She also assured that the audience will be amazed and should be prepared for many surprises. This will be the second play by Henderson Theatre that will be performed without masks since the COVID outbreak. Smith said she is excited to finally show emotion through facial expressions and that it is long-awaited to perform maskless. The show will also be nearly 2 hours long, and is set for Nov. 18, 19, 20, and 22 at 7:30 pm and also a second show for Nov. 20 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are sold through Henderson’s Theatre Box Office. “Theatre is one the most important things someone can familiarize themselves with, it has a rich history that is rooted in pleasure, art, and self-expression,” said Smith. “I would like the theatre to grow at Henderson, to be bigger than it's ever been, and I hope more people get more interested and enjoy the theatre at Henderson State University.”
HSU Clery Report published Emberlynn Pendergraft
Contributing Reporter
According to the Clery Center, the Clery Act requires colleges and universities to report campus crime data, support victims of violence, and publicly outline the policies and procedures they have put into place to improve campus safety.
Henderson recently released its 2021 Clery Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, detailing all crime and fire-related incidents that occurred within the university’s crime reporting geography in 2020. The report also includes past incidents from 2018 and 2019, revealing changes in crime statistics over the past few years.
Photo by Emberlynn Pendergraft
If you're in an emergency, call 911. For non-emergencies, call the Campus Police Department at 870-230-5098.
The 2021 Clery Report revealed a total of 78 offenses on its main campus in 2020, documenting eight more offenses than what occurred in 2019 when a total of only 70 offenses. In contrast, the 2018 Clery Report revealed a total of 74 offenses. Henderson reported one case of Arson in 2020, something that has not been recorded since 2017 when two cases occurred. It was also reported that the campus saw a total of 12 more occasions of Liquor Law Violations Referred for Disciplinary Action, and 10 more occasions of Drug Law Violations Referred for Disciplinary Action than in 2019. The report also documents sexual assault and domestic abuse cases on and off campus. These include one case of stalking, two cases of dating violence, one case of domestic violence, and one case of rape. According to the Chief of University Police & Director of Emergency Management, Johnny Campbell, Henderson’s historically low enrollment has created a problem for campus safety. “Higher enrollment would mean a requirement for more officers, but because our enrollment is so low at the moment, we only have a few officers,” said Campbell. “If we
could get our enrollment back up, maybe get our staff back up, we might have more resources to work with,” That’s not the only reason Henderson is low on officers though. “This isn’t just Henderson,” Campbell said. “We’re experiencing a statewide shortage of officers, too. We’re recruiting right now, but all across Arkansas officers are being recruited and then moving on to different organizations shortly after.” Henderson also saw one case of burglary and two cases of motor vehicle theft, which has statistically remained about the same the past three years. “There’s definitely a learning curve in students after they commit an offense,” Campbell said, “There’s a process they go through in order to hopefully keep them from committing more offenses that helps us from seeing repeat offenders here on campus.” For more information on campus safety, visit https://www.hsu.edu/ pages/campus-safety/. If you are placed in an emergency situation, call 911, and for nonemergencies call the Campus Police Department at 870-2305098 or visit them at their office in the Meeks house.
Photo courtesy of Lacy Klinger
From left to right, Savannah Price, Sophie Burke, and Suzy Hill make up part of an all female and non-binary cast of "Men on Boats."
Gurdon Marching Band puts four on the floor at state competition J.T. Dickens Contributing Reporter
The Gurdon GoDevil Marching Band have become the state marching champions in classification 2A once again at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock Nov. 1. This comes after an impressive four year winning streak, starting back in 2018 with their show “Angels and Demons.” The band is currently under the direction of Christopher Elliott II, who graduated from Henderson in 2018
with a degree in music education. Other bands that won throughout the day included Fouke High School in class 3A and Arkadelphia High School in class 4A, who also have Henderson alumni that are involved with their band programs. This year marks the sixth win for the Arkadelphia program. The next day, Paragould won in class 5A, Van Buren took the title in 6A and 7A went to Bentonville.
Info from Weather.com
FRI - Nov. 12 partly cloudy
SAT - Nov. 13 partly cloudy
SUN - Nov. 14 mostly sunny
MON - Nov. 15 sunny
TUE - Nov. 16 mostly sunny
WED - Nov. 17 partly cloudy
THU - Nov. 18 mostly cloudy
62o 33
60o 39
66o 35
61o 31
64o 39
70o 46
68o 42
Precipitation: 13% Wind: WNW 9 mph Humidity: 58%
Precipitation: 2% Wind: W 8 mph Humidity: 51%
Precipitation: 21% Wind: W 10 mph Humidity 55%
Precipitation: 1% Wind: NW 8 mph Humidity: 48%
Precipitation: 3% Wind: S 8 mph Humidity: 56%
Precipitation: 19% Wind: S 10 mph Humidity: 62%
Precipitation: 24% Wind: SW 9 mph Humidty: 65%
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