November 2013

November 4, 2013

theprofileonline.blogspot.com

Volume 102 Issue 2

The hendrix college

WHAT’S

ON YOUR TRAY FOOD ISSUE

New Food Committee 3 AR Hunger Relief Alliance Ms. Martha Feature 11 Food Truck Review 18

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THE P RO FIL E

contents NEWS

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NEW FOOD COMMITTEE

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CAMPUS SAFETY

5

OBAMACARE/SHUTDOWN

6 7

KEEP UP ON THE LATEST HENDRIX NEWS FOLLOW: @HDXPROFILE

Caf concerns addressed

LIKE: THE PROFILE AT HENDRIX

New steps taken to protect students The aftermath of the shutdown

PRO/CON ON LATE NIGHT CAF

THE PROFILE STAFF

PRAISE FOR THE CAF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JAMES OWEN

OPINION

Conversation about the new hours In light of the new committee

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Volume 102 Issue 2 November 2013

LAYOUT EDITORS Jackie oakley claire de pree

501-802-5300 OwenJG@Hendrix.edu

FEATURE

100 YEARS OF THE PROFILE How The Profile has evolved

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AR HUNGER RELIEF ALLIANCE

11

Ms. Martha

Hunger concerns in the Conway area

PHOTO EDITOR Wil Chandler

MANAGING EDITOR GRACE OXLEY

COPY EDITORS samia nawaz Roman Barnes-walker

501-350-5954 OxleyGN@Hendrix.edu

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Blair schneider

A beloved caf icon

615-516-3180 SchneiderBL@Hendrix.edu

SPORTS

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volleyball

14

ultimate frisbee

15

football

18

FOOD TRUCK REVIEW

20

FACULTY TUNES

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NOT TO WATCH ON A FIRST DATE

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NOVEMBER CALENDAR

Working together on and off the court The fall season

Warriors remain competitive

Culture

A review of food trucks on Main St. Faculty share their favorite music “(500) Days of Summer” is a no-go Music, Sports, Art and more

FOOD ISSUE

recipes for autumn Pizza with crispy kale, butternut squash, maple butter and more

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by Stacey Svendsen THEPROFILEONLINE.BLOGSPOT.COM

2

PHOTOGRAPHERS STACEY SVENDSEN ABIGAIL GARCIA-LUCAS QUINN NEAL

STAFF WRITERS JENNIFER MOULTON MARY KATHERINE BARKER BROOKE NELSON CARTER MILLIGAN JOSH HAMMONS ELLEN MARTIN CONNOR NEWTON

Food Committee Formed

NEWS

New Food Committee acts as link for staff, students

by Josh Hammons

A

s many students may know from their senate notes, a new Food Committee has been formed in order to deal with the large number of student requests and questions. The committee is headed by sophomore Senator Cheyenne Ford, the dining services liaison.

“There were so many opinions coming at me that I needed help,” Ford said.

The committee is made up of Ford, sophomore Senator Sean Alexander, freshman Brooke Rittman, sophomore Kathleen Conley, sophomore Kelly Johnson, junior Elisa Rivera, junior Mary Conner, and senior Jordyn Spennato.

“I wanted to make sure every student was represented,” Ford said.

The Committee was not designed as a larger catch all for student complaints, but rather a way to better communication between dining services and the student body.

“I hope to bridge the gap between students and staff,” Spennato said.

The members were chosen by Ford through an application process. Each student had to send her a paragraph explaining why they wanted to be on the Committee.

“I wanted to join the Food Committee because I have a really good relationship with the cafeteria workers,” Spennato said.

Right now the Committee does not have a regular meeting time. However, it met for the

photo Quinn Neal first time Sunday, Oct. 6.

“Whenever there are a bunch of issues we meet,” Ford said.

The Committee is diverse in more than just the grades represented as well.

“I had people who are vegetarian and vegan,” Ford said.

The Committee was supported and passed by Senate. In addition, it has received support from Dining Services.

“The whole Executive Board of Senate has been really great,” Ford said.

Sending emails to senators is not the only way for students to get their ideas to the Food Committee. Social media will also play a role, with both a Twitter account and a Facebook page.

The idea will be to provide information while simultaneously giving students a chance to express ideas, gratitude, or even show off photos of unique items in the cafeteria.

“I’m in charge of the Facebook page that is currently in the works,” Spennato said.

Even before the Food Committee began, Ford would meet weekly with Mike Flory, executive director of Dining Services, to discuss similar issues.

“He really wants every student to be happy with dining services,” Ford said.

Many student requests get fulfilled, but some are either impractical or too expensive for the

NOVEMBER 2013

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budget. To help solve this problem the Food Committee is trying to cut down on student waste.

“We cannot have nice things with the amount of food we waste,” Spennato said.

Another idea the Committee is considering is that some popular requests, like avocados and guacamole in the cafeteria that are too expensive with the current amount of waste could become reward items. A week of minimal waste to bring Dining Services under budget could result in a day where those reward items are provided.

“I want to raise awareness about the expense,” Spennato said.

The waste will most likely be an upcoming issue.

“We are really trying to look at what students don’t eat,” Spennato said.

The Committee is not only designed to help the interest of the students, but the cafeteria workers as well.

“I think it’s really cool that Dining Services really listens,” Ford said.

Part of the social media aspect is to show gratitude towards the workers, and the Committee in general was created to help students understand why some requests can’t be fulfilled.

“We really are a go-between,” Spennato said.

The goal of the Committee is to continue to help students have the best experience possible in the cafeteria.

“Often it’s a refuge for stressed out students,” Ford said.

The Committee may not have been around for long, but it has already started to work through the many suggestions of the students.

“We’ve already made a couple of changes,” Ford said.

These “changes” include adding pickle spears, more grapes, Greek Yogurt, and make-your-own soup at late night. These were some of the more popular, yet still feasible suggestions. Soon a survey will be sent out to help gather more ideas for the Committee.

Other ideas the Committee has come up with don’t always involve food.

“In November, I want to have a ‘Caf Staff’ appreciation day,” Spennato said. “They’re so nice to us.”

The happiness of the Dining Services staff was a large part of the Committee’s goal.

“I want to show my gratitude,” Spennato said.

Safety For Students Campus public safety makes adjustments to its previous routine

A

t 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, Hendrix students and faculty woke to an email from Rick Sublett, the chief of Public Safety, reporting news of a sexual assault that had occurred on campus in the early hours of the morning.

Local law enforcement was immediately notified, and Sublett asked that any information regarding the incident be reported to Public Safety.

The news sent a tremor through the campus, shaking its community to the core. Although incidents such as these do occur on college campuses, they seem to hardly ever reach Hendrix directly.

“Most people would think it’d never happen here at Hendrix,” freshman Zack House said.

“It really opens your eyes to how prevalent that kind of danger is.”

The responses were immediate and varied. The town hall met to raise awareness against sexual violence, and a rally was held in the Brick Pit against violence in the Hendrix community. A men’s group was formed on campus last spring that focused on preventing sexual assault by providing support and information and eliminating misconceptions about sexual violence.

But perhaps the most important response has been that of Public Safety itself.

In the past, the Department of Public Safety has employed seven officers and one director, two of which patrol the campus at all hours every day of the week. Each officer on duty is assigned one half of the campus to patrol. Their area could cover anything from the Huntington apartments to the practice fields by the freeway.

This is a wide area to cover, according to Sublett.

Following the report, changes to Public Safety have been promptly made regarding the number of officers on patrol at a particular time.

“At this point right now, I’ve been authorized to use overtime,” Sublett said. “We’re adding a third officer at a period of time during the night.

That officer has been assigned to the center of

by Brooke Nelson

campus to kind of keep a visible patrol through and a natural cycle of statistics for the gap. there.”

Hendrix College puts forth significant efforts The goal is to have three officers on patrol toward educating students about how and when at night all the time. This allows each officer’s to report sexual assault. Residence Life staff patrol area to be divided into smaller, more must inform campus residents about emergency manageable sections. procedures during required meetings every fall, However, these changes are still being evaluand an outline of emergency policies and proceated. Sublett has presented a plan for active dures can be found in every building on campus. change in the campus’s Department of Public The College’s emergency response plan is also Safety to a senior staff to assess and approve, reviewed and updated annually. but at this time, Sublett was unable to elaborate.

All of these factors and more have contributed In the meantime, P-Safe will continue to imto an increase of awareness around campus. prove upon what it has always done.

This awareness could prevent a situation like “Everything we do is improving,” Sublett said. this from occurring again.

“An increase in staffing makes the campus safer.

“The main thing is to not walk alone or find We’re really concentrating on our patrols, [and] yourself alone,” Sublett said. “There’s strength we’re constantly evaluating lighting, which has in numbers. Use our escort service if you find always been a priority.” yourself where you can’t find somebody to walk According to the Campus Crime Statistics on with. You just have to be vigilant.” the Hendrix website, four ‘forcible sex offenses’ Students are already taking this advice to were reported in 2012, a severe jump from just heart. one in both 2011 and 2010 respectively, and zero “It makes me… more cautious about where I go in 2009. The Handbook for Campus Safety and and to always travel with someone,” freshman Security Reporting defines forcible sex offenses Dimple Shah said. as “any sexual act directed against another perIn the end, vigilance will be key to taking an son, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; active role on this issue: the students’, the facor not forcibly or against the person’s will where ulty’s, and especially Public Safety’s. the victim is incapable of giving consent.”

The reasons for this drastic difference in reports may have potential underlying factors, however.

Sublett cited underreporting, a 713 Oak St. growth in WWW.LAYLASGYRO.COM 501.205.8224 Conway, AR 72032 population,

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NEWS

Government Shutdown Raises Concerns Amongst Students

by Carter Milligan

T

he U.S. Government officially shut down on Oct. 1 due to House Republicans’ insistence that any introduced spending bill include provisions to either defund or dissolve Obamacare.

Despite the healthcare law not being directly tied to funding the government, it was being used as the Republicans’ bargaining chip. A group of Republicans led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz believes the president’s healthcare plan is so bad for the country that it is worth disrupting government funding and functionality to undercut it.

“I’m just upset with congress,” freshman Sam Higgins said. “It’s a testament to how polarized Congress has become. If they’d stop arguing over legislation that has already passed, maybe something would get done.”

Although the shutdown appears grim to students, professor of politics Dr. Jay Barth said there is nothing to panic about yet.

“Many of the programs that affect the daily

s’s

lives of students are at this point not affected by the shutdown,” Barth said. “Student loan checks have gone out. The places where people interact with the government the most are taken care of right now.”

However, the families of students could be facing difficulties.

“Obviously if it lasted longer, it could become a big deal,” Barth said. “It affects people’s families because they are furloughed at present.

Although they don’t have a check coming in this week, they will get a paycheck down the road.”

Barth believes the public should be weary of a lingering government shutdown.

“The big question now is if the shutdown will end by Oct. 17,” Barth said. “The debt ceiling is a big concern, and hopefully the government doesn’t have to default on its obligations to other nations. Clearly if the debt ceiling is not raised, then that is another big deal in terms of the impact on everything from credit card debt to individual student loan debt.”

With congressmen willing to disrupt government funding and functionality over a healthcare bill, students have concerns as to how Obamacare affects them.

“The big effect of the new healthcare legislation on students is that now folks can stay on their parents insurance until they are 26,” Barth said. “Previously it was left up to the insurers; there have been historical disparities between prices for women and men in terms of insurance. Those have ended. The bigger impact will be after folks are off their parents insurance.

Students here aren’t affected because they are required to have insurance while at Hendrix.”

With mass public disapproval of the shutdown, Barth encourages students to be proactive.

“It is, at this stage, all up to Congress,” Barth said. “There are all kinds of ways to be proactive and send letters to senators. Stay engaged, and stay informed.”

Family First

Congressman Griffin will not seek reelection in 2014

by James Owen

O

n Oct. 21, Hendrix College Alumnus Congressman Tim Griffin announced that he would not seek reelection to Arkansas’s Second Congressional District in 2014.

Griffin, the first Arkansas Republican to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most powerful Congressional Committees, cited family reasons for his abdication of the seat.

“It has been an agonizing and difficult decision involving much prayer, thought and discussion,” Griffin said in a statement.

“We have decided that now is the time for me to focus intently on my top priority, my family, as Elizabeth and I raise our two young children."

After winning 55 percent of the vote in 2012 to hold the seat he first won in 2010, political pressure was mounting for Griffin.

“At least in my opinion and in some other things I’ve read, there were several things that he had to face [in 2014],” sophomore photo courtesy of the Office of Tim Griffin NOVEMBER 2013

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Robert Taylor, President of the Hendrix College Young Democrats said. Taylor went on to explain that Griffin’s stance on oil pipelines in the wake of the Mayflower Oil Spill and the unpopular government shutdown would have made for a hotly contested race that would have drawn Griffin away from his family for over a year of campaigning.

The Second Congressional District consists of Pulaski, Faulkner, Van Buren, White, Conway, Perry, Saline, and Yell counties.

As far as candidates to replace Griffin, former North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays has announced for the Democrats. Little Rock banker French Hill and State Representative Ann Clemmer of Saline County are running on the Republican ticket.

The primaries will be held May 20, 2014 while the general election will take place on Nov. 4, 2014.

TABLE TALK

Conversation about the late night caf

DEVIL’S ADVOCATE

by Connor Newton

I

love the Caf; I love the workers; I love the great food; I enjoy what Late Night Caf offers me, but for the sake of this conversation, I must explain the few flaws I see in the Late Night Caf. First, as a sophomore, I was able to see The Burrow in its prime last year. At 10 o’clock, the bottom floor of the SLTC was rockin’ with the crack of billard-breaks, laughs from all around, and the pleasing-groans of old school cheesy bread (you upperclassmen know what I mean).

The Burrow has since lost its late-night atmosphere.

No longer do student flock to the bottom floor of the SLTC with its comfy couches to embrace each other in procrastination. They have moved to the top of the SLTC and into the delicious Caf inside.

This is where I have to find fault in the Late Night Caf. The Burrow has become a seemingly nonexistent place for socializing.

The couches and tech-clusters sit there empty every night, lonely-longing for students to

use them once again. With the instillation of the Late Night Caf, The Burrow’s hours have changed from staying open to nearly 12 some nights, to closing at 3 on some days.

Now late at night, The Burrow contains just a few students studying every now and then, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I just miss ordering cheesy bread, or a shrimp Po-Boy, or a grilled cheese on wheat and being able to play pool or pong, too!

Another issue I see with Late Night Caf is its inability to please students who live off-campus or in an apartment. Generally those students who live off-campus or in apartment style housing have access to a kitchen of some sort, which is generally why they take a smaller meal plan.

A smaller meal plan, like a 5 meal plan, means that the number of times you can visit Late Night Caf is extremely limited. Last year those students had The Burrow to go to late-night, if they didn’t want to prepare a snack in their own kitchen, but now that isn’t an option either.

However, Late Night Caf does encourage students to upgrade to a larger meal plan in the future to be able to enjoy all the offerings of the Late Night Caf. And word on the street is that the Late Night menu will get larger and the food tastier (if that’s possible).

Bottom line, I miss The Burrow.

I get tired of sitting at those long tables three times a day, which is why you can normally find me sitting outside on the patio. The Burrow, and its couches and clusters, offered a more communal feel to my late nights, while keeping me away from those stairs, which my body finds reluctant to climb after 10 p.m.

But don’t get me wrong, I love the Caf, and I can guarantee you’ll see me at Late Night often because, yeah, quesadillas…

I just miss the social flexibility of The Burrow and the multiple methods of procrastination that atmosphere once created.

THE RAMEN ALTERNATIVE

by Ellen Martin

T

he five minutes that pass until you take another glance at the clock always seem to turn into hours of staring holes into the wall. No matter how hard you try to avoid the mesmerizingly dead color that’s peeling off every square inch of the room, your focus will — at one point or another — shift to the steady beat of the ticks now keeping pace with your growling stomach. Face it, you’re hungry — it happens. If you think about it, most of us manage our time accordingly around those three most-lookedforward-to times of the day when we can finally eat. In fact, we enjoy it so much that for the first time, the dearly beloved Caf is letting us eat great, even late, at Late Night Caf! We’re keeping more money in our pockets with no need for late night Wendy’s runs anymore; which is kind of like the whole “negative calories” concept, right?

Some view Homedrix’s new Caf time as a

“freshman-fifteen waiting to happen.” That’s understandable in the sense that some people really will only use it for fourth meal purposes… or fifth (yikes!). Though, some of us don’t get the luxury of making it to dinner at the normal time every night. With around 50 percent of our student body active on sports teams, not to mention the percentage of students with on and off campus jobs that require lengthy time commitments, Late Night Caf is the reason they don’t chow down on Ramen or Easy Mac every night.

My roommate is on the tennis team, and three times a week she doesn’t get done with practice or workouts until after 7:30 p.m. Sure, she could eat before, technically, but, given the intensity of their practice, that really only puts her at risk of blowing chunks all over the court — which is totally embarrassing, and I know for a fact no one wants to see that. On a more universal note, it seems pretty reasonable to say that most of THEPROFILEONLINE.BLOGSPOT.COM

6

us aren’t able to stay completely focused on our homework or studies from dinner at 5 o'clock until we decide to close up shop and hit the hay.

We need a refuel sesh.

If you come at this new addition to the meal plan from a negative angle, I feel like you haven’t truly connected with the meaning of Late Night Caf yet. Maybe it’s late, and you’re reading this right now and thinking about how perfectly golden the tater-tots looked at lunch today. You’re looking around your bed that’s just wrecked with papers and textbooks, but you can’t seem to work up enough energy to finish the eight million things there are to do tonight.

Just take a break, bud. Come join the rest of your Warriors in Late Night Caf, and we’ll bond over the stress of the class work with a nice bowl of cereal or a personalized pizza. Take this opportunity and give your brain a rest because you’re worth it.

OPINION

Kudos to the Caf Future Directions for the new Food Committee

By Jennifer Moulton

D

ude, I bet Panera is pissed!”

I turned to investigate the agent of Panera’s woes, and my friend was palming a roll with a large chunk carved out. I realized I was face-to-face with a homemade, improvised bread bowl: Hendrix caf style.

Panera who?

Despite the hyperbolic nature of this Panera comment, the expressed comparative is a significant one. Do Hendrix students think of our cafeteria as a “Panera?” An establishment whose very existence relies on its ability to laboriously and exhaustively cater to the fleeting fancies of its demanding patrons?

On Sept. 25 the new and approved Food Committee was unveiled. Initially, I reacted with disappointment, for while I acknowledge the need for a forum to discuss large topics such as meal plan options and vegan/vegetarian alternatives, the general perspective towards our Dining Services staff implied by the creation of the committee perturbed me. Do we really have a consistent and relevant influx of concerns regarding Dining Services to warrant the formation of such a club?

The answer is a bothersome yes. Flipping back through some old senate notes, I am convinced that the supply of frivolous demands accompanied with generic discontent is overwhelmingly abundant.

That is not to say that efforts to continually advance the cafeteria’s standards and character are unnecessary and discouraged. But, I do not

consider the majority of cafeteria complaints to address the interests of students as a whole and to progress towards the betterment of our dining department.

The submitted concerns against Dining Services appear unduly finicky. How many students’ days will be affected by being able to eat honey-vanilla Greek yogurt as opposed to regular Greek yogurt? Perhaps having Tony Chachere Creole seasoning will meaningfully inflate the cafeteria’s overall quality? During the previous academic year, there was a request for “more bread-ish pizza.” I have yet to fully uncover what “bread-ish pizza” is (investigation pending) but the level of specificity in the request is goofy and trivial.

Admiringly, there seem to be a few diamondin-the-rough recommendations whose simple implementation benefited the bulk of the student body; for example, most probably enjoyed the casserole-massacre that accompanied the modification of Friday night dinners, or the inclusion of water on all four drink machines to reduce beverage wait times. Even the occasional quirky, culinary experiment whose pleasure might be more particular to individual preferences can be collectively appreciated and acknowledged. I’m sure I was not the only one who gleaned delight from those short-lived bread bowls, and even the inherently wacky people who inexplicably don’t enjoy bread bowls could probably feel a warm fuzzy from knowing the attention and thought that an unidentified

cafeteria worker put into a small comfort.

One thing I find helpful to keep in mind is that all proposed modifications have a commonality in their obligatory dollar signs. Change is money. So before demanding the addition of heart-shaped papaya pieces that have been vineripened in the heart of the tropics, consider your request’s relative worth.

In spite of my anxiety that Food Committee may become another direct outlet for superfluous criticism, I remain optimistic in the committee’s stated objective to provide students with the opportunity to “represent how passionate and hard-working the Dining Services department really is.” We need to remind ourselves that our entire Dining Services is quite simply brilliant, and maybe we can learn to not sweat the small stuff.

To the people who sing to us on our birthday, who turn our between-class refuel station into a quasi-functioning carnival, who personally welcome us with ubiquitous smiles after a rough day of class: you’re better than “bread-ish pizza” any day.

Though I desire this new committee to be a source of constructive dialogue between students and staff, I especially and sincerely hope it will act as a platform to sing the hallelujah praises of our kickass cafeteria!

Now someone, please, propose a Housing Committee.

photo Quinn Neal NOVEMBER 2013

7

October 7, 2013

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&NOW Then

How the spirit of our small liberal arts college hasn’t changed much throughout the years Hendrix holds and honors various academic, architectural, athletic and social traditions. These traditions have continued and evolved throughout the decades, defining the Hendrix we have come to know. photo courtesy of Hendrix College Archives

100 YEARS OF

FEATURE

THE P R O F I L E With past in mind, The Profile sets goals for 2013-2014

T

his year, Hendrix College has already seen the 100th anniversary of Shirttails and the reintroduction of football after more than five decades.

It is now timely to celebrate the 100th year of The Profile by looking to the past for inspiration for the future.

There is no denying the timeless need for news, whether in the current vogue form of Twitter, the future of online mass media, or traditional media outlets such as newspapers. These sources of new events or information have been an integral part of society for hundreds of years.

This need is no different for Hendrix.

On Oct. 28, 1913, the precursor to The Profile published its first issue to respond to the need for credible news. Aptly named The Bull Dog after the nickname for Hendrix’s football team, it was primarily a sports newspaper.

As such, the lead article for the first issue was detailing a 32-0 romp that Hendrix delivered to the Jonesboro “Aggies.” Among other headlines were construction of a house, now Ellis Hall, for the President and a synopsis of a speech that Charles Taylor, the Mayor of Little Rock at the time, gave on the importance of good citizenship.

Also of note is a preview of the next football game against Ole Miss. “Bulldogs out to win . . . Will give ‘Ole Miss’ the fight of her life in order to ‘bring the bacon home,’” the headline read.

This prophetic headline and subsequent win were the basis from which the Shirttails tradition draws its roots.

Caught in a corner on the back page of the newspaper was an advertising pitch from The Bull Dog that touted “circulation of six hundred November 4, 2013

throughout the state.”

This advertising pitch worked, as The Bull Dog became a campus fixture that has adapted through the years and has stood the test of time.

Some memorable ads that kept the publication in circulation during that period include cigarette ads that advocate “toasted” cigarettes as throat protection against coughs.

Just like times have changed for the advertisements, The Bull Dog design evolved to include a picture of its namesake’s mascot in various refined forms in the nameplate of the newspaper.

The name of Hendrix’s publication has also changed.

Starting in Oct. 1929, Hendrix’s publication was renamed The College Profile after Henderson-Brown College merged with Hendrix.

This consolidation of the two Methodist schools caused a committee of alumni, faculty members and students to be formed to rename the publication as well as to change the mascot to the Warriors.

Both names that came out of that committee remain today.

With that look at the past, it is now time to look forward.

The entity of a newspaper at Hendrix has changed forms many times under many editors.

It has appeared as the aforementioned sports newspaper.

It has appeared as a tabloid newspaper.

Now, The Profile is in its second year as a newsmagazine. This form of publication allows the student body more access to feature, culture and sports focused coverage because it allows time for the staff to compile facts and interviews to tell an in-depth story that is timeless in its theprofileonline.blogspot.com

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WHAT’S

ON YOUR TRAY FOOD ISSUE

New Food Committee 3 AR Hunger Relief Alliance Ms. Martha Feature 11 Food Truck Review 18

10

NOVEMBER 2013

9

by James Owen

bounds, but that is still related to students.

Accordingly, the overarching goal for coverage in the coming year will be to provide Hendrix Students with feature and editorial content relating to the greater Hendrix community, including Conway, Little Rock, and the surrounding areas.

Through this extension of coverage, The Profile will have a threefold impact.

First, The Profile will highlight Hendrix Students and Alumni that have achieved acclaim or are worthy of recognition through their work within Hendrix, the community, or the world.

This will be accomplished through our traditional Alumni Issue as well as through regular coverage.

Secondly, The Profile will encourage Hendrix students to contact us with events, potential news, or community occurrences for which the student body would like to see more coverage.

Any student may submit a letter to the Editor by dropping it in the box outside The Profile office in the Student Organizations Suite in the Student Life and Technology Center or via email to TheHendrixCollegeProfile@gmail.com. All submissions will be considered.

Thirdly, The Profile will not hesitate to publish stories that may be deemed controversial as long as all sides of the story are included. By this, we intend to provide a credible source of information from which campus debates on issues can be had.

For years, The Profile has claimed to be Hendrix’s number one source of news. With the input of students, it will become the number one source of news, feature, opinion, and sports as it relates to students and the community.

Food Insecurity New club looks to curb community problem

by James Owen

P

rompted by changes to the cafeteria, accessibility of food has become a major issue for the Hendrix campus.

Starting this year, Hendrix Dining Services has extended cafeteria hours through the Late Night Caf option, which allows students to eat dinner on a more flexible schedule, as the Cafeteria is open until midnight on Monday through Thursday. This addition has caused different hours in the Burrow as well.

The merits of the changes can be debated by the student body, but the underlying fact remains that Hendrix students have great options for food.

“Regardless of the concerns and complaints that people have about the dining services at this college, I still think we are incredibly fortunate to have the level of quality, quantity, and accessibility of food on campus,” sophomore Sean Alexander, who serves on Student Senate’s newly-formed food committee, said.

Outside of the Hendrix bubble, the issue of food accessibility is more pronounced.

According to FeedingAmerica.org, there are 579,000 people, or about 20 percent of the state’s population, that are considered “food insecure.” This is defined as a lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life

or an uncertainty about getting nutritionally adequate meals.

In Faulkner County alone, there are over 18,000 people that fall into this category. To put that in perspective, the city of Conway’s population is around 60,000 people while the whole county boasts approximately 118,000 people.

Seeing this lack of access to nutritionally sound food through her internship with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, a non-profit based in Little Rock, sophomore Mary Katherine Barker has taken steps to start a new chapter of the Alliance through Hendrix College.

Although the club is still getting off the ground, the Hendrix group will continue to advance the overall mission statement of the organization “reduce food insecurity in Arkansas through direct hunger relief, education and advocacy.”

Founded in 2004, The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance was originally a unification of six regional food banks with the intention to tackle hunger and build a coordinated food distribution system for the state of Arkansas.

Specifically within Hendrix, there are plans for the club to be involved with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as SNAP or food stamps) outreach, teaching low income families how to shop for nutritious food

on a budget, and volunteer work with local food pantries.

“The goal of the club, essentially, is to raise awareness about the issue of hunger in our country, and get students involved in service work to help end hunger in our own Arkansas community,” Barker, President of the club, said.

The need for this club in the greater Conway community is clearly evident.

“We [as Hendrix Students] are incredibly lucky to be in the situation we are,” Alexander said.

“Yet there are people literally surrounding us that do not have enough to eat, that do not have enough to sustain themselves in the day-to-day lives. I think [Hendrix’s chapter of the Alliance] has the potential to bring light to that fact, and possibly empower some students to really make a change in the immediate Conway [and] Faulkner county area.”

The issue of food within Hendrix is likely to be an ongoing topic of debate, but with the help of students in the Hendrix Chapter, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance hopes to put an end to the food insecurity discussion in Faulkner County.

Hunger by the numbers statistics from feedingamerica.org

50,120,000 food insecure people in America

TWENTY THREE

18,000

percent of children in Faulkner Country are food insecure

135,250

20

of Arkansas’ population are TWENTY considered food PERCENT insecure

people in Faulkner country are food insecure

1 6 in

food insecure people in Central Arkansas

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Americans face hunger

Ms. Martha The Woman, The Legend

O

n other college campuses, cafeterias are places to be avoided. Students flee from the flavorless food options, limited variety, and that all-too-familiar scent of stale “surprise” casseroles. At Hendrix, on the other hand, the caf is a place for students to congregate and enjoy everything from stir-fry to chocolate chip pizza.

But the delicious meals aren’t the only perk: we’re also incredibly lucky to have such a caring cafeteria staff. Clutching a plateful of chicken tetrazzini wouldn’t be the same without a smile accompanying it from behind the homestyle counter, and that’s how the cafeteria employees have become some of the most popular faces on campus.

This brings us to one of the most familiar and reliable smiles we see as we mosey through the caf – Ms. Martha’s.

Everyone on campus knows Ms. Martha, and even more impressively, Ms. Martha knows all of us. She goes the extra mile to remember our names, making our caf experience that

FEATURE

by Mary Katherine Barker

much more memorable. “It’s great that she still remembers who I am, even though I’m a senior and don’t come to the caf that often,” senior Clayton Jacobs said.

Not only does she remember our names, but she also boosts morale, according to sophomore Carl Napolitano.

“The day I came back from my orientation trip my freshman year, I was in the cafeteria and dropped my tray, and I broke a plate,” Napolitano said. “Ms. Martha came up to me and said not to worry about it, and that she would take care of it. We’ve been in love ever since.”

Without a doubt, Ms. Martha goes out of her way to make us feel welcome, always asking us about our days and seeming concerned when we complain about our upcoming exams. But, do we ever take a break from our routines to reciprocate the question? Most of the time, the answer is no.

“Ms. Martha is a person who every single student knows, and she knows so much about us,” sophomore Evan Mitchell said. “But, I feel like

photo Stacey Svendsen NOVEMBER 2013

11

if anyone were to ask another student, ‘what’s Ms. Martha’s favorite color?’ or ‘How was Ms. Martha’s day today?’ nobody would have the right answer.”

So, who is the woman behind the smile?

When we take a step back to consider Ms. Martha’s life outside of the Hendrix cafeteria, we discover that she’s not only student-focused here, but also family-focused at home.

She has three grandchildren: two boys, ages eight and ten, and one girl, age 12. “We have little treasure hunts and like to experience different trails,” Ms. Martha said. “One time we almost got lost, so that’s when Grandpa started going with us!”

Ms. Martha also likes to tune in to her favorite TV shows when she has a break between work and the grandkids.

“I watch all the CSI’s,” Ms. Martha said. “I like all the gory ones – isn’t that awful?” But, when she needs a break from the gore, she also enjoys the occasional romantic comedy. “I like love stories too – I’ll watch anything that makes me cry,” Ms. Martha said.

However, her hours spent at Hendrix are the highlight of her day. “My favorite part of the job is my students! Everyone is so beautiful here,” Ms. Martha said. But it’s not just the students that brighten Ms. Martha’s day – she also enjoys the teamwork between herself and the other cafeteria employees.

“We’re all good friends, we all get along really well, and we all work together,” Ms. Martha said. “If we don’t work together, we don’t survive.”

This friendship is what keeps our lines moving seamlessly, and it also contributes to the overall sense of belonging in our cafeteria.

“If you don’t work together, the job don’t get done right,” Ms. Martha said.

She’s certainly doing something right: Ms. Martha’s friendliness makes an impact on every student that goes through the homestyle line.

“I love that she’s always in a good mood and happy to see me,” Jacobs said.

Her inviting nature, along with the personalities of the other cafeteria staff, makes our caf experience unique.

“At a big school, you would probably never get to know the people that work in the cafeteria,” Mitchell said. “But here, people who work in our cafeteria aren’t just faces – it’s Ms. Martha, and Ms. Janice, and Ms. Mimi, and people who I know.”

Ms. Martha makes the effort every day to reach out to hundreds of people, so it shouldn’t be hard for us to simply reach out to a few. So, next time you’re going through the homestyle line, be the first to ask Ms. Martha – or any employee, for that matter – how her day is going, and let her know how truly appreciated she is.

higher & Hi-ya Warriors welcome their young-but tall-volleyball team

by Brooke Nelson

P

erhaps Hendrix students have noticed a slight change in the physicality of the men on campus this year with the addition of the football team. They seem bigger, for sure, and louder to boot. But what may have gone overlooked is the change in the women—they have gotten a bit taller, thanks to our newest volleyball recruits.

Comprised almost entirely of freshmen, Hendrix volleyball began its season the first weekend of school and will continue until the conference tournament early this month. They will play each team in their conference twice: once away and once at home in the Grove Gym. And not only have the newbies brought a new height to the team, but they have also brought an immense amount of talent.

With a current overall record of 16-11 and a home record of 9-2, the young team appears to be progressing smoothly into the season. However, there is still work to be done.

According to head coach Ryan Meek, the coaching staff will focus on creating a sense of “cohesiveness and confidence” within the team.

“Right now, with as many young players as we have, sometimes they don’t know how to react to adversity,” Meek said. “We [need to] figure out a system that is best for us.”

The young team has some of time to implement these changes. Volleyball’s ‘playoffs’, a bracket conference tournament, will begin on the 8th and continue through the 10th of

November.

At the end of the regular conference season, Hendrix volleyball will be seeded according to their record. Then they will play a series of games in the single-elimination bracket tournament. The conference champion will get a bid to the NCAA tournament the following weekend, an impressive feat in the world of sports.

So what does the team need to improve upon to have a shot at the conference title?

“I think it’s going to be committing to it every day at practice, committing to the work ethic we need,” Meek said. “I think it’s going to be building consistency.”

Freshman setter Marlee Matlock said that the most challenging part of volleyball for the freshmen is the transition between high school and club volleyball to college volleyball.

“I didn’t expect it to be that big,” Matlock said.

“It’s not that it’s more physically taxing; it’s mental.”

With labs or school until almost four o’clock every day, and volleyball practice beginning at four and lasting until dinner, there is no doubt that the young team is doing a lot of adjusting.

Yet the talent of the ladies on the floor this year cannot be denied.

“We’re all really good,” Matlock said.“There are so many different people that are good at what you do. You have to be mentally sharp to keep on your game because if you’re not, you let the team down. There’s someone else ready to take

Celebration. Volleyball players congratulate each other after winning a point. The volleyball team was used to winning, as it secured the program’s first winning season in history.

REJECTED. Freshman Grace Griffin blocks the opponent’s strike, leading to a Hendrix point. The Hendrix Volleyball team benefited greatly from the freshmen class of tall and talented players such as Griffin.

photo Wil Chandler

photo Wil Chandler

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over and be just as good.”

Meek agreed.

“We have three kids in every position that are pretty good, so they’re always fighting for spots,” Meek said. “The competition’s just way different than it has been.”

On the court, players and coaches alike will be making some changes for very competitive teams. But off the floor, things could not be going more smoothly.

“The best part of volleyball is being a part of a team,” freshman middle blocker Grace Griffin said. “The volleyball girls are all really fun to be around, and I love getting to play my favorite sport with such a great group of girls every day.” “[I love] the team atmosphere,” Matlock said.“We have a pretty close knit team.”

Travelling, especially, has proved to be a great team bonding experience.

“Traveling with the team is always an adventure because everyone gets along so well, so we always laugh and joke around,” Griffin said. “We have so many inside jokes and funny stories from our road trips.”

“But if we get an hour or two hours away from where we’re supposed to play,” Matlock said, “we just sit in our own little bubble kind of, and get ‘in the zone.’ It’s a lot of fun time until it’s time to get into volleyball mode.”

‘Getting into volleyball mode’ hasn’t been too difficult for these girls so far this season, and with all luck, it will continue to stay that way.

SPORTS

GAME ON. Freshman Allison Gaia serves across the net. The Warriors Volleyball team clinched the third seed for the Southern Athletic Association conference tournament with a 7-7 mark in conference play.

photo Wil Chandler NOVEMBER 2013

13

Ultimate club starts

fall tournament season Rookies get first chance for college level play

by Josh Hammons

A

fter weeks of practice the Ultimate Frisbee club took part in the first tournament of the year – Itch Fest. Although the second day was rained out, the Flying Squirrels (men) and the Sugar Gliders (women) left on Friday and returned on Sunday from the two day tournament in Nashville. Ultimate is unique from many sports in that Hendrix’s team is not an official sport, but rather an open club.

“There’s not the pressure of having expectations,” sophomore Taylor Pate, team representative at large, said.“You just go out there and have fun.“ At Itch Fest, the men’s team went 0-4 against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Rhodes College, Miami (Ohio) University, and The University of Tennessee X team.

“I think of it as more of a learning experience more than anything else,” freshman Aditya Katke said.

The women’s team fared better with a 2-2 record, beating Rhodes and Lipscomb University, while losing to Auburn University and the University of Georgia.

A large portion of the men’s team is made of rookies, both freshmen and sophomores, and only two of the veterans are upperclassmen. The men’s team lost 10 seniors this year.

“I think we lost a lot of knowledge and talent of the game, but I think we’ve started to make our way, our own style,” sophomore Owen Tennenbaum said.

The fall season of tournaments is less serious.

Spring will present more rigorous practices.

“I think we’ll start practicing as though we were playing games,” Tennenbaum said.

With the new group of rookies, the veterans of the team have had to assume more leadership roles.

“I’m expected to help out the rookies,” sophomore Nini Hoang said.

The teams often benefit from not being an officially recognized team. The entire organization is student run, and is not as regulated as sports such as soccer or football.

“They don’t get a lot of time for other activities,” Pate said.

With so many new players, the teams are look-

ULTIMATE! The Sugar Gliders scrimmage in prepreation for the club’s upcoming tournaments. In their first tournament of the year, the Hendrix ladies ultimate team finished with two wins and two losses.

photo Stacey Svendsen THEPROFILEONLINE.BLOGSPOT.COM

14

ing to build up experience with upcoming tournaments, such as Harvest Moon in Fayetteville.

While the women have more upperclassmen than the men, they still have many new players.

“Everybody’s really young and versatile, and I think that’s going to be helpful going into Harvest Moon,” Pate said.

The Ultimate club has also been trying to foster camaraderie among teammates. It is a club that presents the opportunity to travel and play together as a sports team.

“There’s a real community aspect to it,” Pate said.

The newcomers are benefitting from the knowledge of the returning players.

“They are very open, and you can talk to them about anything,”Katke said.

While the rookies are encouraged by the veteran’s experience, the veterans are enthused by the fresh talent. The sophomores and freshmen can play together for a few more years.

“It’s definitely a lot of challenges, but it brings a lot of excitement,” Tennenbaum said.

SPORTS

Football Charges through the season Warriors seek winning record

by Carter Milligan

W

ith mere inches to go, the Hendrix Warriors football team suffered its first home loss to Washington University on Oct. 13.

“We knew we had to score a lot of points to win that football game, and we came up one foot short,” head football coach Justin “Buck” Buchanan said. “One, you’re one foot short, everybody can think of one thing they could have done better to be one foot closer. It was one of the most challenging games we’ve faced to this day.”

The loss did not come without a lasting effect on the football team and its freshmen players.

“If we had a little more time left, we should have scored,” freshman defensive end Jake Falleur said. “It was an emotional loss; I mean it was the first time we lost at home. It was heartbreaking to loose against a team we should have beat.”

Despite the loss, Buchanan admires Washington’s team and views the game as a learning experience.

“They’ve been a great program for the past 25 years,” Buchanan said. “Larry [Kindbom], their coach, has been a great guy, and he’s a figure in Division III. It was a good matchup.

We made progress; we got better. It just wasn’t quite good

“

We have to take a step back and be a yard short to get a hundred yards.

“

-Coach Buchanan FIRST DOWN. Freshman quarterback Seth Peters throws downfield aganist Washington University. Although the Warriors fell to the Bears 45-41, Peters completed 19 of 25 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown.

enough to get us to that victory. Eventually, we will get to that point where we have the victories, but we have to take a step back and be a yard short to get a hundred yards ahead.”

Hendrix had a shot to rebound from the loss the following week at home aganist Berry.

“It’s another first year program. They do some good things; their biggest problem this year has probably been consistency.

Hopefully, we can continue to mix things up and keep them inconsistent,” Buchanan said. “They have good players and good coaches, and I think they are going to come here ready to play.

We’re going to be physically matched up against other freshmen. It’s a battle that will be a lot more even in that regard.”

The Warriors capitalized on the opportunity to play another freshman-heavy team by pulling out a 30-17 victory.

Previously in the season, the Warriors lost to Millsaps on Oct. 5. At time of press, Hendrix Football stands at 3-4 overall (1-2 in conference) and is scheduled to finish up the season with two home games Nov. 9 and Nov. 16 aganist Rhodes and Sewanee, respectively.

photo Wil Chandler

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE. Ms. Martha and Ms. Mimi cheer the Warriors on at Young-Wise Stadium. Helped by its fans, Hendrix posted a 3-1 record through four games at home with wins over Westminster, Southwestern, and Berry.

photo Wil Chandler

NOVEMBER 2013

15

NOVEMBER RECIPES

By Stacey Svendsen

for the best ways to make the most of the autumn harvest. So here they are — my top four fall recipes to get the most out the season’s best flavors.

Pizza with Crispy Kale, Butternut Squash, Bacon & Smoked Mozzarella, and Maple Butter.

It’s been fall for over a month and although the Conway weather has yet to get the memo, I’ve been craving the season. With delicious foods like apples, cranberries, squash, kale, and pumpkin being in season, I’ve been looking

Pizza with Crispy Kale (from thekitchn.com) Makes two 10” pizzas

To prepare the butternut squash, heat the oven to 450°F. Peel and dice the squash into small 1/2-inch cubes. Toss the cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer so the cubes aren’t too crowded (roast in two batches if necessary). Roast the cubes for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until soft. Set the cubes aside until needed.

Dice the bacon. Warm a skillet over medium-high heat and fry the bacon until cooked through, but not totally crispy. It will cook a little more in the oven. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

Wash the kale. Spin it in a salad spinner or pat with a clean kitchen towel to get the kale as dry as you possibly can. Strip the leaves from the stems and tear into small 1/2-inch pieces. Toss the kale with a little olive oil just before assembling the pizza to toss with oil.

Heat the oven to 500°F or as hot as it will go. To assemble and bake the pizzas, divide the dough into two halves and shape each into 10inch rounds. Working one round at a time, brush them with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover the dough with mozzarella and arrange 1/2 cup of the roasted squash and half the bacon across the dough. Scatter half of the kale over top. Transfer the pizza to the oven.

Bake for 7-10 minutes, until the kale is crispy and the crust is dark golden. Let the pizzas cool slightly before slicing and serving.

butter

pizza

INGREDIENTS

1 small butternut squash, 1 1/2 - 2 pounds 4 strips thick-cut bacon 4 big leaves kale (roughly 1/4 bunch) 8 ounces mozzarella 1 pound pizza dough, storebought or homemade 1-2 tablespoons olive oil Salt 250mL pure maple syrup ¼ teaspoon vegetable oil (helps prevent syrup from boiling over)

Maple Butter I’m a huge maple syrup fan, so maple butter is a practical way of getting more maple syrup into my belly. It’s great on toast, pancakes, oatmeal, between two cookies, or even just by the spoonful. Stirring takes about half an hour so I’d recommend making it while watching TV, or having a friend to share the stirring duty.

Combine the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Continue to boil the syrup for 10 more minutes. Transfer the boiled syrup into a medium mixing bowl and place in freezer to chill until room temperature. With a spoon or a mixer, slowly stir the syrup until it becomes tan, opaque and creamy, totaling 20-30 minutes.

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FOOD

Cranberry Walnut Pumpkin Bread (from smittenkitchen.com)

What is fall without pumpkin? As a fair warning: this bread tastes more like pumpkin than pumpkin spice. I actually prefer this since the cranberries keep it sweet enough, but if you want something that tastes more like your pumpkin spice lattes—add a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg or just slather a slice with maple butter for a sweet fix.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Scatter the walnuts in a metal pie tin and roast them until toasted, 8-10 minutes. Roughly chop.

Soak the cranberries in boiling water for at least 10 minutes then drain and dry on a paper towel.

Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl and slowly stir for the yeast to dissolve. Stir in the pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add 3 1/2 cups of flour to form a loose, shaggy batter.

Add the drained cranberries, chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup additional flour to the dough. Use your hands to squeeze the dough and work in the ingredients. The dough will be very sticky and loose at this point. Scrape as much dough from your hands as you can, cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 2-5 hours. It should at least double in bulk during this time.

Sprinkle your work surface generously with flour and place the

Baked Apples Stuffed with Oatmeal & Brown Sugar

dough out on top. (If making two loaves or rolls, divide the dough now and shape each loaf or roll as follows.) With floured hands, fold the dough in half toward you so the un-floured surface is sealed inside and the outside is coated in flour. If the outside is still sticky, rub it gently with a little more flour. Shape the dough into a tight and smooth ball and set on a piece of parchment paper. Let the loaf rise uncovered until puffy, about 45 minutes.

Heat the oven to 450°F and set a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.

When ready to bake, remove the sheet from the oven and quickly place the bread on top. Cut a few slash-marks in the top of the loaf with a serrated knife. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is golden-brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.

Cool completely before slicing. Baked loaves will keep in a paper bag for several days or can be frozen for up to a month.

(from Bon Apetit magazine) Serves 4, easily multiplied

17

1/2 cup (2 oz) walnuts 3/4 cup (3 oz) dried cranberries 1 cup (8 oz) water 1 scant tablespoon yeast 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 tablespoon butter, divided in four 1 cup hot water Optional extras: dried fruit, chopped nuts, cream cheese, peanut butter, nutella

apples

NOVEMBER 2013

INGREDIENTS

bread

Pre-heat oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower-middle position.

Remove the core of the apples, cutting to within a half inch of the bottom of the apple and creating a well roughly 3/4-inch wide. This is easy to do with an apple corer, but I managed to do it by carving away with a butter knife.

Mix together the oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon and any extras in a bowl. Divide this mixture between the apples, packing the wells firmly.

Arrange the apples in a baking dish, and top each one with a square of butter. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes and remove foil. Continue baking uncovered until the apples are soft and the brown sugar has melted into syrup--an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

You can test the apples by poking a knife through the oatmeal mixture and into the interior of the apple; it should slide into the apple with no resistance.

The skin on the apples will also become wrinkled and soft by the end of cooking.

Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Leftovers will keep for up to a week in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave or eaten cold for breakfast.

photos Abigail Garcia-Lucas

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CULTURE

Food Truck Fridays Bringing the Fun Downtown

by Mary Katherine Barker

E

ven though it is our state’s capital and largest city, I wouldn’t quite call Little Rock a thriving metropolis. Its residential sprawl has caused the city to creep further west, with new neighborhoods and shopping centers popping up daily. This spaciousness is part of Little Rock’s suburban charm, but it seems that many of us Little Rockians have forgotten about the heart of our home: downtown.

The Downtown Little Rock Partnership is a nonprofit organization working to reinvigorate the downtown community. The Partnership works to address and advocate for planning, transportation and development with a goal of strengthening the economic, cultural, recreational, and residential qualities of the downtown area. Within this organization, there is a Main Street Revitalization Committee working to reinvent the Main Street community specifically, and with this came the creation of Food Truck Fridays.

This year, every Friday until November 22, food trucks from throughout Little Rock congregate at the corner of Main Street and Capitol Avenue to put on Food Truck Fridays. Lasting from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., this event provides a perfect lunch break for anyone working in the downtown area, not to mention for anyone that’s simply hungry for good food.

Some food truck regulars include Hot Dog Mike, Fat Buoy’s, Southern Gourmasian, Tropical Sno, Roxie’s Hot Dogs, Green Cuisine, and King Blvd. Concessions. With such a wide variety of tastes, Food Truck Friday is sure to please even the pickiest eaters.

The Friday that I ventured out to Main Street was a little slower than normal, with only three food trucks in attendance: Southern Gourmasian, Roxie’s Hot Dogs, and Tropical Sno. To try a little of everything, my mom and I agreed to share each other’s lunches. I satisfied my cravings with a chili cheese dog from Roxie’s, while she ventured to Southern Gourmasian to try their version of beans and cornbread. I have to admit, my dog was underwhelming, with too much nacho cheese and not enough chili for my taste. Roxie’s featured the basics: hot dogs and nachos, with little room for creativity. After be-

ing spoiled by the Green Cart Deli here in Conway, I tossed my cheese-covered foil wrapping into the trash feeling rather unimpressed.

My mom, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised by her purchase. With white beans doused in hot sauce, tender pulled pork, and topped with little cornbread cakes, the Southern Gourmasian beans and cornbread put a twist on a home-style favorite with just the right amount of kick. The pork was cooked to perfection, and the cornbread was moist without being chewy – I’m picky about cornbread, so that’s saying a lot.

I was skeptical of the dish at first – in fact, I was skeptical of the entire idea behind the food truck – but somehow, they’ve mastered the combination of Southern food and Asian style. Some other interesting menu items included Balinese chicken with cilantro honey vinaigrette, Sriracha lime butter roasted pork, shrimp and grits and spicy chicken and dumplings. Your taste buds definitely need to be acclimated to spicy foods before venturing to this truck.

To top off lunch, I went with a personal favorite – a vanilla snow cone. I’ve never had one that I didn’t like, and Tropical Sno definitely did the trick with this syrupy (but not overly syrupy) treat. After eating my hot dog, most of my mom’s beans and cornbread, and a snow cone, I left Main Street feeling satisfied and a little restricted by the waistband of my shorts. Southern Gourmasian is definitely a Little Rock jewel, and I hope to return on a Friday when there are more trucks to try.

With the goal of attracting more people and business to the Main Street area, Food Truck Fridays is an effective idea from the Downtown Little Rock Partnership. It creates a fun, social atmosphere with a great variety of tastes, and good food never fails to bring people together. Perhaps with the effort of the partnership, we can bring the heart of Little Rock back to the downtown area – one food truck at a time.

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PROLONGED AND FULFILLING INDECISION

Music

Dr. Stella Capek Professor, Sociology and Anthropology Department

FROM FACULTY

HER MAJESTY THE DECEMBRISTS/ THE DECEMBRISTS

by Jennifer Moulton

BEFORE THESE CROWDED STREETS/ DAVE MATTHEWS BAND COUNTRY GENRE Dr. Jennifer Peszka Assistant Professor, Psychology Department “Well, I’m not very hip so this might not help that image, but I mostly listen to country music. I like Toby Keith because many of his songs are just for fun - “As good as I once was” and “How do you like me now” sorts of songs. Toby can be pretty controversial politically so I try not to pay too much attention to all of that because it can ruin the music. Right now, I am enjoying a guy named Cory Morrow; it’s that “red dirt country” sound that I like from him. He got into some trouble with the law not too long ago, so again, country music artists aren’t perfect. They are sometimes controversial and get into their share of trouble...I guess just like most music scenes. Oh, and I will always love the Eagles and their early country music roots.”

Dr. Duff Campbell Associate Professor, Mathematics and Computer Science Department “I am embarrassed that the album (do we still call them albums?) is 15 years old, but here’s the story behind it. I loved the two albums “Crash” and “Under the Table and Dreaming” and played them a lot when I first got them (and I still do). I bought “Before These Crowded Streets” when it came out, but for some reason I didn’t like it the first time or two I played it. So I thought, ‘I guess I only like early DMB’ and moved on. Sometime last year I decided to try “Before These Crowded Streets” again, and all of a sudden I loved it, too. One thing I like about DMB is that the lyrics are confusing, obscure and hard to follow - Dave Matthews has, let’s say, interesting phrasing when he sings. I often (not always) like having to puzzle out what the words are and what they might possibly mean, and that adds to my enjoyment of the music.”

Dr. Dorian Stuber Assistant Professor, English Department “There are songs about pirates and chimney sweeps and would be actors “born for the stage”--so it could easily be quite precious. But it’s not.

Maybe it’s how expansive many of the songs are, filled with tempo shifts, that keeps them from being so. Or maybe it’s how literary they are. Colin Meloy, the lead singer and writer, has a nice way with enjambment. Just when you think a line’s over, it’s not, not quite. And there are plenty of songs on the album with great hooks. My absolute favourite - the one I can play on repeat most of the way to Conway - is ‘Song for Myla Goldberg,’ which I fell in love with because of its first line, which could be from a late nineteenth century novel: ‘Myla Goldberg sets a steady hand upon her brow.’ I had an instant vision of this person - her fortitude, her stoicism, maybe a bit lonely, maybe a bit homely, certainly a bit old fashioned (she has a “brow” after all), and I immediately fell in love with her. And of course it’s the most Jewish name ever. I was definitely disappointed to learn that there’s a real Myla Goldberg, a contemporary novelist. I’m sure she’s a nice person, but she’s not *my* Myla Goldberg.

Mine is the one summoned up over and over again by track six of this terrific album.”

“Unlike most people that you would ask, I really can’t answer who my favorite artist is – I often have too many choices when it comes to being interested in something. My relationship to music has changed very much over the recent years, but I’ve always been pretty eclectic in terms of what I like. Back when I was growing up, music wasn’t so privatized. We all listened to everything on the radio; I was surrounded by music.

What’s happened in recent years - when we’ve entered the age of downloading world - people like me who grew up with music being public and all around have not been a part of that. So I connect to music when I happen to bump into it, like if I travel somewhere and there is a local performer.

But I find it interesting how artists that I was hearing when I was growing up like Van Morrison or Neil Young and Jodi Mitchell - people like that how, over the years as they’ve matured, sometimes they take completely new directions or sometimes they’re still out there fighting for the same things they always were fighting for. I’m old enough to appreciate that evolution in artists. And, unlike when I was growing up and the music was all around us, I feel really removed from a lot of the new voices. I feel disconnected from the cultural bubble that a lot of you are in... I understand that customized aspect, but I kind of feel like there’s a loss there, too, without that sort of common background. Still, it continues to be fun to see the directions that the creativity is pouring into.”

DO MAKE SAY THINK Dr. Tyrone Jaeger:

ADELE

Dr. Joyce Hardin: Professor, Biology Department

Assistant Professor, English Department

“I love her voice; it’s so different and versatile. Well, I don’t want to say versatile because her voice is very distinct. She has soul while always being in control; it’s very melodic. My favorite was the one she did for that last Bond movie [Skyfall]. I could listen to that over and over again!”

THE PIXIES

“They’re an instrumental band from Canada. Their albums have the feel of movie soundtracks. The songs are subsumed to the album to the degree that the album is one long song. Do Make Say Think rock out, yet the absence of a singer keeps their words from getting in the way of my own words.”

SOUTHEASTERN/JASON ISABELL Dr. Jay Barth:

Dr. Lindsay Kennedy: Assistant Professor, Psychology Department

Professor, Politics and International Relations Departments

“My favorite group is – without a doubt – the Pixies. ‘Pixies Radio’ is my default Pandora station while in my office, and I honestly never tire of it.

What I love about the Pixies is how varied their songs are from one to the next, yet how identifiable their general style is.”

“I’ve got pretty wide-ranging musical tastes, but at the moment I’m quite into Jason Isbell’s album “Southeastern.” The song “Elephant,” about a friend dying from breast cancer and their interactions in the final weeks of her illness, is one of the more moving things I’ve heard in recent years.”

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CULTURE

(500) Days of Summer

By Connor Newton Ah, November — the leaves are changing; the air feels crisp; the sweaters are out, and as always — love is in the air.

With this lovely love-ambiance floating around, there comes the prospect of potential dates, which raises the question: What should I do for that first date?

If you’re anything like me, a filmmajor with a stellar movie collection, you consider the classic, and often successful, movie-date. But what if you don’t have a handsome repertoire of lighthearted-comedic movies to watch, and find yourself asking, “What movie should I watch to have a successful date?”

Well here’s my advice: most any movie pick will turn out okay, as long as you divert from crude humor and gore, but one movie stands out from the rest as an automatic, first date no-go: “(500) Days of Summer” (Marc Webb, 2009).

The movie starts with an Author’s Note claiming the film is: “a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch.”

Right from the start, the writer/ director lets you know that this film

comes from an emotionally fraught time in his life; an actual previous relationship that has hurt him, and the movie is his response.

Here, I can side with the writer/ director. Clearly this article, and the idea for it, derives from a fictitious story I heard about a friend of mine, who knows a guy, who definitely isn’t me, and once, for a first date, about two years ago — he watched “(500) Days of Summer,” and it didn’t end horribly…

Or maybe it did, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it!

Don’t get me wrong; “(500) Days” is a great film (to preferably watch alone) for a lot of reasons: it features the universal eye-candy of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, and has an awesome soundtrack that includes the gorgeous voice of Regina Spektor.

The film swaps between scenes of JGL’s character, Tom, pre and post relationship with Summer (Zooey Deschanel), which helps convey that the movie consist of memories, both the good and bad, and engages the audience to connect the memories along the way.

The movie also raises interesting points about romance and its NOVEMBER 2013

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interaction with pop culture.

In a beautiful, job-quitting rant, JGL denounces the guidelines and predispositions society has made about love. Levitt’s character, a greeting card writer, criticizes modern culture — movies, pop-songs, and even his own greeting cards, as a scheme for skewing the actual concept of love, which he doubtfully believes exists.

This is where the film gets interesting. Levitt’s character attacks the film industry for producing fairy-tale worlds where love exists and things end happily ever after, but, as an audience are, we are watching a film about love.

Webb isn’t trying to rob or mock us by making another standard “rom-com.” Instead he supplies us with a question: What makes “(500) Days” unique and different?

Why is “(500) Days” worth watching if movies about love are corrupt?

The answer is honesty.

Webb presents an honest depiction of relationships: A quick, happy start; the “lets-do-everything-together” feeling; that peak moment of infatuation; the moment where you realize the relationship will either work or it won’t, and finally, the memories we cling to after it’s over or the happy enlightenment of marriage. And that, my friends, is why you can’t watch “Summer” on a first date.

Because it’s real.

First date movies should be reserved for something fictional and cheerful, not a movie about how the person you’re watching it with could potentially ruin or complete your life (trust me, you’re not there yet).

Every time I watch this movie, I am hit with emotions and memories from relationships past.

Watching this film generally puts me into an emotional coma, and may or may not be the reason that that one guy botched a chance he may or may not have had with a cool girl.

A girl who unwisely picked the wrong first movie.

But alas, as in the end of the film, and in life, there are other fish in the sea for the Joseph GordenLevitts in all of us. “(500) Days of Summer” ends on an optimistic note, and can leave you ready to go out and find love in the fall air (if you’re not in tears from the first 95% of the film).

But hey, even if you strike out in fall, I heard February is right around the corner, and the air is nice then, too. photo courtesy IMDB

november

CALENDAR To place an event in The Profile calendar, e-mail Blair Schneider at SchneiderBL@ hendrix.edu. Please include the event, date, time and place.

Sewanee. Conway.

7 p.m. Senses Fail. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

8:30 p.m. Smile Empty Soul. The Rev Room.

Little Rock.

Monday, Nov. 4th

NOV. 1 - NOV. 7

Conway, Little Rock & Central Arkansas

Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

Thursday, Nov. 7th 8 p.m. An American Legacy Tour Starring Ronnie McDowell. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

9 p.m. Barret Baber. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

NOV. 8 - NOV. 14

Friday, Nov. 1st

Friday, Nov. 8th

9 p.m. Little Rock Salsa Presents: Salsa Dancing.

Juanita’s. Little Rock.

Warrior Men’s Soccer Southern Athletic Association Tournament. Conway.

8 p.m. “Red.” Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Little Rock.

8 p.m. Zodiac: Scorpio Edition feat. Archnemesis.

The Rev Room. Little Rock.

9 p.m. Salsa Dancing. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

9 p.m. Two Cow Garage. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

Saturday, Nov. 9th 9 p.m. Band of Heathens. The Rev Room.

Little Rock.

Saturday, Nov. 2nd 7 p.m. “JFK: A President Betrayed.” Market Street Cinema. Little Rock.

8:30 p.m. Sons of Fathers. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

Tuesday, Nov. 5th

8 a.m. RunWild! 5K. The Promenade at Chenal.

Little Rock.

10:30 a.m. Asian Festival 2013. Prince Street.

Conway.

1 p.m. Warrior Football. Hendrix vs Rhodes.

Conway.

8 p.m. Pallbearer. The Rev Room. Little Rock 8 p.m. Arkansas Symphony Orchestra “Beethoven and Blue Jeans.” Robinson Center Music Hall. Little Rock.

10 p.m. Ivan & Alyosha. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

Sunday, Nov. 10th

7:30 p.m. Straight No Chaser. UCA. Conway.

3 p.m. Arkansas Symphony Orchestra “Beethoven and Blue Jeans.” Robinson Center Music Hall. Little Rock.

7:30 p.m. The Mowgli’s. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

9 p.m. The Apache Relay and Jonathan Rice.

4 p.m. “Straight Right.” Market Street Cinema.

Little Rock.

7:30 p.m. Audra McDonald. UCA. Conway.

8 p.m. Motion City Soundtrack/ Reliant K. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

8:30 p.m. Reverend Horton Heat. The Rev Room.

Little Rock.

9 p.m. Brown Soul Shoes. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

Sunday, Nov. 3

11 a.m. Warrior Field Hockey. Hendrix vs

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22

culture

Promo photo sources: Band of Heathens: https://www.facebook.com/thebandofheathens; Audra McDonald: https://www.facebook.com/AudraMcDonald; JFK: A President Betrayed: http://www.marketstreetcinema.net; The Mowgli’s: https://www.facebook.com/themowglis; The Misterwives: https://www.facebook.com/MisterWives; Butch Walker: https://www.facebook.com/butchwalker

Saturday, Nov. 16th 12 p.m. Warrior Football. Hendrix vs Sewanee.

Conway.

7:30 p.m. Conway Symphony Orchestra. Conway.

8 p.m. Paul Thorn. The Rev Room. Little Rock 10 p.m. Wes Jeans. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

Sunday, Nov. 17th 8 p.m. An Evening with Steve Vai. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

Tuesday, Nov. 19th 9 p.m. The Giving Tree Band. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

Thursday, Nov. 21st 9 p.m. The World is a Beautiful Place. Juanita’s.

Little Rock.

NOV. 22 - NOV. 30 8 p.m. The Royal Concept/ American Authors/ Misterwives. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

Tuesday, Nov. 12th 7 p.m. “Stalag 17.” Market Street Cinema. Little Rock.

7 p.m. Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. “Artist of Distinction: Inbal Segev.” Clinton Presidential Center. Little Rock.

Wednesday, Nov. 13th 7:30 p.m. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors with David Ramirez. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

Thursday, Nov. 14th 9 p.m. Baaver. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

9 p.m. Moon Taxi. The Rev Room. Little Rock.

9 p.m. Scott H. Biram. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

NOV. 15 - NOV. 21 Friday, Nov. 15th

8 p.m. Butch Walker. The Rev Room. Little Rock.

11 a.m. Main Street Food Truck Fridays. Capitol and Main. Little Rock.

9 p.m. Salsa Dancing. Juanita’s. Little Rock.

9 p.m. Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights.

The Rev Room. Little Rock.

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Friday, Nov. 22nd 7:30 p.m. Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, “ASYO Selections from Swan Lake.” Albert Pike Memorial Temple. Little Rock.

9 p.m. Backroad Anthem. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

Saturday, Nov. 23rd 9 p.m. Matt Stell & Deep Roots. The Rev Room.

Little Rock.

9 p.m. The Hosty Duo. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

Monday, Nov. 25th 7:30 p.m. Lisa Ling. UCA. Conway.

Friday, Nov. 29th 7 p.m. “Luminous Journey.” Market Street Cinema. Little Rock.

8:30 p.m. (HED) p.e. The Rev Room. Little Rock.

Saturday, Nov. 30th 12 p.m. The LR Zoo is coming to Under the AppleTree. Oak Street. Conway.

9:30. Stiff Necked Fools. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack. Little Rock.

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