THE
ORACLE
Henderson
Wednesday September 29, 2021
Emberlynn Pendergraft Staff Reporter Content warning: This article discusses topics like self-harm, suicide, and mental illness, which may be emotionally unsettling for some readers. Four months after I turned fourteen, I was diagnosed with depression and social anxiety disorder. There I sat in a psychologist’s
office with a brand new label to the thing that had controlled more than half of my young life. I spent a large portion of time fighting something I didn’t even know had a name because of the lack of conversation and stigmas surrounding mental health, self-harm, and suicide. No one was willing to talk about this dark and brooding thing that took over the lives of thousands of young Americans. Just after I graduated
State
University
Issue 3
Vol. 119
Suicide prevention awareness month high school, I was diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety disorder, adding yet another term for the list of things I struggled with but wasn’t really supposed to talk about. I spent almost all of
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my time in high school using harmful coping mechanisms as a way to take control of the situation, and eventually, I began to struggle with suicidal thoughts and
behaviors. For years, I truly believed that I would not live to see myself turn eighteen. My entire day revolved around my mental (Continued on Pg. 2)
Historically low enrollment at HSU Tropical storm Nicholas Emily Henderson The University has started the determining factor. He Contributing Reporter with becoming a test optional mentioned some students
Four-hundred and twenty eight less students have enrolled for Fall at Henderson State since 2017. In 2019 the enrollment increased from 3,958 to 4,054, yet decreased in the Fall of 2020 to 3,168. It dropped again this fall to 2,914. Like many universities, this may be due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, or the fact that the “scholarship model could have been better.” Dr. Brad Patterson, Vice Chancellor of student affairs and student success spoke briefly about his concerns and excitement for the future of Henderson’s enrollment.
campus. This means incoming student’s scholarships can be based on ACT scores or highschool GPA. “Every student will get a scholarship.” said Patterson. This will help reach a broader array of students. Dr. Patterson understands test taking and coming from lower income families may make it difficult for students to attend university. Dr. Patterson explained Henderson wants students who work hard and the best way to see that is through their GPA not a single standardized test score. While those scores are still important, it will not be
have difficulty taking standardized tests, but are good students who work. Their GPA may be high, but their ACT score may be low. “They already have so much going on, and this could help.” The hope of being test optional is to take the anxiety out of it for the students. He encouraged students to take advantage of the new model and expressed his gratitude for the advising team, “They are doing a fantastic job, we have only seen positive responses.” The university has over 400 applicants and 200 already admitted for the Fall of 2022.
coastal areas up to Houston. Emily Henderson Contributing Reporter Thousands of Texans were left
Tropical Storm Nicolas moved from the Gulf of Mexico into Louisiana and Texas over the past week. Sunday evening the rain began to hit coastal areas of the two states. Tuesday morning the storm made landfall as a Category one Hurricane along the Gulf Coast of Texas. Flooding and high winds brought devastation to multiple areas. Flash flood watches left around six million from Texas to Florida expecting the worst. Rain continued to fall over the course of the week, the people were told if they received a flood warning to “Please take it seriously.” A storm surge watch was put into effect for most of Texas’
Photo courtesy of Henderson State
Students of Henderson walking across campus.
without power for many hours before it began to get restored. Many homes were destroyed by trees falling and the excessive rain mixed with high winds. The possible Category one Hurricane is making it difficult for Louisianaians to recover from the Category four hurricane, Hurricane Ida, that hit just a couple weeks ago. Some residents do not know if they will be returning to Louisiana because of the destruction. Hurricane season can last anywhere from May until October, so these back to back storms come at no surprise to the residents that live near the coasts. The Atlantic season hit its peak on September 10 with more storms expected to come.
Photo courtesy of npr.org
Tropical Storm Nicholas overview