The Forum December 2020 Edition

Dec. ‘20

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Student Newspaper

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Also in this issue:

Campus reacts to Joe Biden’s projected win

PA GE 4

Chancellor Drale’s plans for spring 2021 Page 5

Learn how the pandemic has affecting the deaf community - Page 6

the history of the ottenheimer library - page 10

men and women basketball season nonconference schedule announced - page 21

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DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR JORDAN WOODSON

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Former Vice President Joe Biden becomes the projected 46th President of the United States

By Jordan Woodson Executive Editor It only took a few days after the Nov. 3 presidential election, but former Vice President Joe Biden became the projected winner of the 2020 election to become the 46th President of the United States after an electoral vote of 306-232 beating out incumbent President Donald Trump, but not without some pushback in the following weeks.

Christopher Williams, an Assistant Professor of Political Science here at UA Little Rock who specializes in elections, public opinion and democratic governance, says that Biden’s win was “absolutely” historic.

“It represents a clear break from the often radical-right and anti-system policies of Trump,” he said. “The election of Joe Biden likely means a return to the existing global order. At the domestic level, we can expect to see major differences in immigration policy, education policy, tax policy, environmental policy, trade policy, etc.”

Drew Martin, the chair of the UA Little Rock College Republicans Chapter, says that the Presidential race is not quite over yet, and points locally to why there should be some concern with the projected results.

“Fraud and incompetence in elections are always a concern,” he said. “Locally we know that 327 ballots were counted in Pulaski County that should not have been. The director of elections (Bryan Poe) admits that, and two house races have margins well within these bounds.”

Martin is referring to 327 absentee ballots in Pulaski County that had been disqualified accidentally being included with absentee ballots when being added to unofficial totals.

“The problem with proving these cases in court is the necessity of a paper trail, and we have not clearly seen that in many of the states where Joe Biden maintains slim leads,” Martin said. “There is a constitutional question at play in Pennsylvania as it relates to segregated ballots. I do believe though that President Trump’s case will and should have its time in court so the Judicial

Branch can make its decision.”

Williams disagrees with Martin, Trump and many Republicans claiming fraud, saying that there is a slim chance this election was fraudulent.

“The question of evidence of election fraud is not one of belief; it is an empirical fact,” he said. “There has been no evidence of election fraud.”

Fraud or not, Martin says that Biden’s win isn’t as victorious as many might think.

“There is still the decision to be held in the judicial branch; but make no mistake about the results of the election: this was not a Biden mandate,” he said.

“We were told across the country that Joe Biden would win in a landslide with coattails electing many more Democrats to the Senate and House, and that simply is not the case.”

Currently, President Trump still has not conceded the election, which Williams says will have both short term and long term effects.

“The short term regards the outcome of this specific election,” he said. “In reality, Trump refusing to concede will likely have little effect on the outcome of this election. On Dec. 14, the electors will meet and elect Joe Biden, this will be certified

by Congress and on Jan. 20, 2021, Joe Biden will become President. If Trump refuses to leave, he will likely be escorted out of the White House by the Secret Service.”

Williams says that the long term effects of President Trump not conceding may have large effects on the health of American democracy.

“Democracy only survives when elites (e.g. candidates, parties, media, etc.) agree to the rules of the game,” he said.

“They drive the public in accepting the outcome of elections and the peaceful transfer of power, which are imperative for democracy. Trump and others in the Republican Party undermining this election leads to many in the public believing the election was not legitimate, which makes them more likely to believe that future elections are not legitimate. It also increases the likelihood of violence.”

Williams and Martin both agree that this election has caused the country to become

even more divided than before.

“I think what you see is a country that is divided ideologically,” Martin said. “There is so much more that unites us, but you would not know that from looking at the election results. For now, I think we (the Republican Party) need to focus on the two senate runoffs in Georgia, so that we preserve the Republican Senate.”

Martin is referring to the two runoff elections in Georgia, between current Republican Senator David Perdue against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff and current Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler against Democrat challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock, which both Martin and Williams agree will have a major impact on the outcome of the election as Democrats need to win both these races in order to gain control of the Senate.

“Changes under the Biden administration will, in part, be determined by the outcome of the two Senate races in Georgia,” Williams said. “If the Democrats lose at least one of those seats, the Republicans will control the Senate, and that significantly restricts what Biden can get done as he won’t have unified government.”

Even if Republicans don’t have a substantial victory in the federal elections, Martin points out that they did have some here in the state of Arkansas.

“We here in Arkansas had a fantastic night for Republicans,” he said. “We re-elected Congressman French Hill by double digits and we expanded our majorities in the state house and senate by multiple seats each. This state ‘Democratic’ up and down the ballot a decade ago, but the Democratic Party of Arkansas has essentially given up on the working people in this state, not even contesting many races and sometimes running half-hearted campaigns. I believe the Republican Party of Arkansas is ready for the years ahead, and the Democrats have a lot of soul searching to do.”

In the federal government, Williams says that a lot of changes may come under the Biden administration as opposed to the previous one, even if he doesn’t have a unified government.

“Under all conditions, I

expect the U.S to immediately rejoin the Paris [Climate] Accord,” Williams said. “I also expect Biden to reinstitute DACA. If Biden doesn’t enjoy unified government, he will also likely use an Executive Order to cancel substantial student loan debt. If he does enjoy a unified government, I expect student loan debt will be cancelled through legislative means along with a repeal of parts of the Trump tax cut. Further, I would expect some movement on passing a Voting Rights Act and even statehood for Washington, D.C.” Martin, however, says that there is a real concern about Biden’s lack of vision from a legislative standpoint.

“Biden’s initial moves postelection give the appearance that he will govern much the same as his former boss, President Barack Obama,” he said. “However, he has no clear vision, no clear agenda, no clear first move. I believe that concerned many voters who saw him as a Trojan horse for leftist ideology, which you will see a hard push from the far left of the Democrat party to influence the Biden Administration.”

Martin says that the Biden Administration will be a huge contrast from Trump’s four years in office from an accomplishment perspective.

“The Trump Administration, whether you liked the bluster or not, was filled with accomplishments,” he said. “Record low unemployment for Americans of all backgrounds, an Americancentered foreign policy where we kept our word to our allies, criminal justice reform, circuit and Supreme Court judges who embrace the Constitution, and historic funding for HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). I expect the Biden years to be quiet and to honestly pass no major legislation, instead, relying on executive orders to put together whatever they can deem as satisfactory. The Biden years will be quieter, but they also will not deliver results for the American people.”

Whatever the results of the election might be, it was a historic win for all Americans when it comes to engagement and voter turnout as we saw the highest percentage of eligible voters vote since the election

of 1900 with both Biden and Trump breaking the record for most votes for an individual candidate (formerly held by Obama in 2008).

“Voter turnout was exceptionally high, but what is interesting is that it was high on both the right and the left,” Williams said. “Republicans turned out in huge numbers, with Democrats showing up in even greater numbers. On the Democratic side, this comes down to anger with Trump’s policies, Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic, and an extensive Democratic organization, led by people like Stacey Abrams in Georgia, encouraging voter turnout. On the Republican side, it appears that a substantial amount of the voter turnout was driven

by Trump himself. In 2018, Democrats in statewide races did better in almost every swing state than Joe Biden did. This is because Republican turnout was substantially lower in 2018 than in 2020. This indicates that Trump brought a huge number of Republican voters to the polls.”

Martin on the other hand points to social media as another factor in why voter turnout was so high in this election.

“Politics continues to consume more and more of our lives as we continue to consume more of it,” he said.

“Nobody could open Facebook or Instagram without constant reminders about voting. Every celebrity, from Youtube stars to Hollywood A-listers, repeatedly hit voters with the same reminders.”

Martin, like Williams, also points to events of 2020 as major factors as well.

“We also cannot take COVID out of the picture,” Martin said.

“We saw during the George Floyd protests during the summer that being socially distanced for long periods of time spurs people to get outside and to become involved in causes they care about, on both sides.

Campaigns also continue to reinvent the wheel on get out the vote efforts, making use of increased absentee voting among other items.”

The Forum reached out to the UA Little Rock College Democrats Chapter for comment but did not get a response.

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Drale sets plans for Spring 2021

By Azalea Andrade Staff Writer Trying to run a secondary educational institution during a pandemic is probably one of the toughest challenges university leaders are having to face.

UA Little Rock Chancellor Dr. Christina Drale has managed to run the campus smoothly so far and plans to continue some of the implemented policies into Spring 2021.

“We are planning to do the spring semester in a very similar way we have done the fall semester,” Drale said. “We have tried to increase the number of face-to-face classes that we are going to be offering in the spring, primarily focusing on trying to offer more core courses so that new students in particular or freshman level students have some face-toface options because they often struggle a little bit with the online environment.”

Plans for the 2021 Spring semester are still in the works, but the university leadership team feels confident that they will pull through and continue

to contain the amount of COVID cases on campus. They have a better handle on the situation since their experience at the start of the summer.

“We are not going to be building the plane as we are flying it,” Drale said. “We know the routine now. We have our faculty up and running in a variety of modalities that they are most comfortable with and that students are comfortable with. In the spring, we can probably spend more time communicating and working with students to enhance what we are doing instead of just trying to figure out how to do what we are doing.”

UA Little Rock, as of Nov. 16, currently has 25 active COVID19 cases that have just been reported due to the fact that they recently started on-campus testing. However, compared to the population of faculty, staff, and students, that is less than .01 percent, and Drale intends to keep it that low.

“Things are getting worse, not better, in terms of the overall [statewide] numbers,” she said. “On-campus, we have done pretty well. We have managed

to keep our numbers pretty low.”

With people preparing for the holidays, there is a worry of coming back to campus after students and faculty convene with family and COVID-19 cases rising. However, to prevent that, Dr. Drale and her staff have decided to give professors autonomy.

“One of the things I would really like to be able to do in the spring is to bring back more campus activities.”

- Chancellor Christina Drale We are going to let the faculty know that for those last two weeks if they want to have more of their class online or want to have all of it online, and it doesn’t disrupt the class, they can do that,” she said. “We are going to be as flexible as possible without shutting down the

university.”

Drale also gave some statistics about enrollment. The university predicted a 10 percent decrease in enrollment even before COVID-19 because of the trend they saw from previous years. However, there was only about a six percent decline in enrollment, but 51 percent of the students who were admitted decided to opt-out of going to college at all which put UA Little Rock in a 12 percent decline of new students. Drale doesn’t like those numbers, but it brings a sense of confidence to know that there is a potential for these students to choose UA Little Rock in the spring.

There are also certain things that Drale is hopeful about what the spring semester can bring.

“One of the things I would really like to be able to do in the spring, especially as it starts getting warmer, is to bring back more campus activities,” she said. “That, I think, a lot of our students are really missing, events to go to and generally more activity on campus is what I hope for in the spring semester as we start to bring our numbers down statewide.”

As for students graduating in the Spring, there is unofficial talk on how the university is going to handle commencement ceremonies but no concrete plans have been put in place.

“I hope we can do something other than a virtual ceremony by spring,” she said.

“What we may end up doing is what Fayetteville is doing now [which] is a series of smaller ceremonies that have smaller numbers of people and limited numbers of family members that can attend.”

All in all, the hope is that the spring brings a more fluid transition for UA Little Rock and opportunities for more student engagement as well as a better college experience for all students. Dr. Drale and the leadership staff are continuing to work hard to implement the best plan for the better of the university.

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By Nakiah Willis Staff Writer Since COVID-19 has made its impact on the United States, these past few months have been a difficult and overwhelming time for all Americans.

According to the official Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, over 13 million people in America have been diagnosed with COVID-19, while more than 260,000 have died from the virus. Millions of citizens have lost their jobs, small businesses have been put to rest, and educational institutions have been shut down and transferred to remote online learning. COVID19 has had a more destructive effect on people of color compared to any other racial group.

There are other minority groups that COVID-19 has heightened barriers for. Even before the pandemic, these groups tend to get overlooked, such as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HOH) communities.

Dr. Glenn Anderson, a professor at UA Little Rock, became deaf at the age of seven. He stated that he uses American Sign Language (ASL) as his primary source of communication. According to Dr. Anderson, COVID-19 hasn’t produced additional barriers when it comes to communication within the Deaf community.

“There are plenty of options that allow for communication among Deaf people,” Anderson said. “There are smartphones with text and video chat capability, video relay services, video conferencing technology such as Zoom, and email.”

While Dr. Anderson did deny the effect COVID-19 has on technological communication, he did mention there is a conflict when it comes to direct social communication.

“The impact of COVID has impacted opportunities for direct social contact with other Deaf people,” said Dr. Anderson.

“It has, to some extent, resulted in isolation or ‘cabin fever’ in the home.”

Dr. Anderson stated that this “cabin fever” can negatively impact individuals’ emotional, physical, and psychological wellbeing. And he’s not wrong. Fear, stress, and worry are normal human responses to the uncertainty and unknown and that is exactly what this pandemic has brought upon the United States.

The CDC and many different news outlets have been working hard to keep the public informed on the latest updates on the virus. However, the Deaf and HOH communities tend to get overlooked when it comes to the relay of this information.

Dr. Anderson stated that he does not believe the Deaf community has been equally accommodated in the relay of informa-

tion about COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, we do not have a community service agency that provides information, advocacy, training, etc. that has skilled people trained to work with Deaf people,” he said.

Many Deaf people utilize an interpreter to aid them in communication. The lack of a community service agent within the Deaf community makes the transfer of information a bit more tedious. Although the Deaf Community in Little Rock doesn’t have a community service representative, Dr. Anderson stated that Governor Asa Hutchinson’s updates have been helpful.

“It’s helpful that the Governor includes a sign language interpreter when he does his updates,” said Dr. Anderson.

“You can check other programs out of state and get an idea of what they are doing. For example, you can check the Deaf Action Center in Dallas. They are doing some good work for the community.”

Dr. Anderson mentioned that Arkansas does not have these same types of programs, however, the state is still doing a good job in educating the public. In the Deaf Community, Deaf socials are highly valued.

These socials allow Deaf people to communicate and interact with each other freely without disruption or criticism from the hearing world. However, due to social distancing restrictions, most of these gatherings have been discontinued until further notice. Dr. Anderson stated that large socials have been held virtually.

“It is not the same as in-person socials,” he said.

A majority of universities have transitioned to online classes in an attempt to curve the spread of COVID-19. Teachers have had to quickly construct different teaching methods to accommodate the online mode of learning. Dr. Anderson says that he had to adjust to the new form of teaching.

“Since I teach a visual language course, ASL, virtual learning is not my preferred choice for teaching,” he said. “I’ve become a better Zoom user.

Virtual learning has required that I develop alternative ways

to conduct my quizzes and tests.

I’m not able to use the whiteboard when I teach virtually. I’m also not able to move around like I normally do in class.”

Dr. Anderson suggested that the university should implement resources for faculty to better navigate themselves through online learning platforms such as Blackboard and Zoom. UA Little Rock is a predominantly hearing institution, so mostly everything is catered to hearing people. Dr. Anderson says that it would be helpful for hearing people to learn sign language in order to be a good ally for the community.

“The main barrier between deaf and hearing communities is related to communication,” he said. “By more hearing people learning sign language, that communication gap could be bridged.”

As the number of COVID19 cases steadily increases, it’s important that everyone receives the necessary information they need to stay safe. It’s pertinent that no group is overlooked during this pandemic.

It’s time that we stop leaving the Deaf and HOH communities out of the conversation centered around COVID and find ways to equally accommodate them just as we do with the majority.

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DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

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How Do I Detect It and Protect People UA Little Rock recruitment during COVID-19 from Human Trafficking?

Melissa Easdon, director of the emergency department and clinical decision unit, spoke about human trafficking.

By Azalea Andrade Staff Writer The Student Success Workshop Series presented “How Do I Detect It and Protect People from Human Trafficking?” on Tuesday, Nov. 10 where Melissa Easdon, director of the emergency department and clinical decision unit spoke about how prevalent human trafficking is and what we can do to be more aware of it and be informed on how to detect it.

Easdon has over 25 years of experience in emergency nursing where she has been exposed to the real-life horrific effects that sex and labor trafficking has on its victims. With dedication and determination to create awareness around this subject, Easdon has worked closely with multiple agencies, including the Arkansas Hospital Association, PATH (Partners Against Trafficking Humans), and the FBI to develop educational materials on the topic of human trafficking for healthcare providers in Arkansas. She provides these materials to the community from business owners to students.

What is human trafficking? It is officially defined as “the use of force, fraud, and/or coercion by a third party to compel labor or commercial sexual activity for profit.” Since human traf-

ficking isn’t the “traditional” slavery we know about, it was not included in anti-slavery laws until 2000.

“It is a huge issue and should have been addressed far sooner.

It is estimated that there are 21 million victims of human trafficking worldwide and that is considered a conservative estimate. We really don’t know how many cases that there actually are. It happens in a lot of work settings from pornography and prostitution and childcare to farm labor and factory work,” said Easdon.

Human trafficking is everywhere and no city is immune to it. The cases reported don’t always reflect how prevalent this heinous crime is.

Traffickers prey on the most vulnerable people including pre-teens, those who might be shy and find it hard to make social connections, youth from broken homes, addicts, and it does not discriminate. Both girls and boys fall victim to human trafficking. However, girls are reported to be at a higher likelihood.

“Anywhere where there is a demand for cheap labor and people are willing to supply it unethically, it exists,” explained Easdon.

According to Easdon and her experience, trafficking a victim typically occurs in four steps: the trafficker identifies a vulnerable victim, the trafficker

addresses the vulnerabilities and develops a new or deeper relationship with the victim, the trafficker threatens the relationship, and finally, the trafficker manipulates the victim for profit.

This industry internationally profits about 150 billion dollars and this is another conservative estimate due to underreporting of cases. In the US alone, there are about 1.5 million victims with 80 percent of them being domestic.

“This is a huge number. It is higher than the sale of illegal weapons. It is higher than the sale of illegal drugs. And it represents a huge crisis in humanity,” said Easdon.

The worst part of this is that people can be so oblivious to this crime because traffickers can hide it so well and use less dramatic ways of coercing their victims. They commit these crimes in the most subtle way which in turn does not allow for recognition to be able to stop it. The most common way to victimize someone is when the victim knows the trafficker and gets slowly lured and tricked into this kind of life.

In Arkansas, the number of human trafficking victims is recorded by the National Human Trafficking Hotline which got about 200 calls last year.

However, the hotline and the FBI consider that to be just about 5 percent of the actual number that goes unreported.

Times have also made this crime much more prevalent explained Easdon. “About 200 years ago only the wealthy could participate in this activity and cost as much to purchase a slave as it did to purchase a new car in modern times. These days a trafficker can get their hands on a victim for the equivalent of about 80 dollars.”

It is something that is so prevalent because of how at reach it has become and we have to be much more aware of how it can happen and where to be able to understand and recognize when it is happening right in front of us.

It is so important, now more than ever, to be informed and aware of the causes and ways this industry works. Always pay attention to your surroundings and even the people that are close to you, and stay as safe as possible.

By James Johnson Staff Writer As the last batch of 2021 graduates are set to toss their caps, many are wondering who’s the new batch of students that’s gonna come in? How will recruiting happen within the pandemic? What’s the next step for incoming UALR students?

With the pandemic restricting many of the events planned to happen for the new recruits, the UA Little Rock Director of Admissions & Recruitment Ms. Chelsea Bishop-Ward and her team have changed up their format. Though it has been very difficult to navigate during these times, they have finally met their pivot, and they’ve been making sure since the start of this pandemic in March.

At the beginning of the initial shut down back in March, Ms. Ward and her team met virtually and completely shifted their services into an at-home format leaving their emails and phone lines open and working from home. While working from home the team developed a virtual online tour of the campus to ensure that new students and prospective students still got to see the campus and get familiar with the landscape. What makes the UA Little Rock virtual tour stand out against other colleges, was that the tour was still recruiter led to ensure there is still a personal connection with the possible new students and their families.

Another way the recruiting team has tried to stay connected, was to reach out to the twoyear college representatives, the Chamber of Commerces, homeschool resources, and high school counselors. They let them know that the school visits will be shifting into the online format and set visits for each of the representatives in order to engage with students in the evening or during the school days.

They held a virtual luncheon with the high school counselors where they give resources, information, and also give out $1000 scholarships to a student of the counselor’s choosing. During this luncheon, there were over 150 high school counselors in attendance. This beat their previous attendance record which was a little over 90 with them being able to reach the counselors that couldn’t make a trip all the way up to Little Rock. Many counselors from Texas and the border counties to make atten-

dance.

Though the recruiting team has had some success with these online events, they also faced some hardships in the transition. Ms. Bishop-Ward noted that engagement has gone down since the beginning of the pandemic. She believes that it’s gone down because at the beginning of the pandemic people were excited and engaging into the new format; however, with people being bombarded with all the online information and everyone is doing virtual events now there’s less engagement now and they’re over it. With engagement going down, the recruitment team has moved to a more blended format to ease people onto campus. They’ve instituted a more restricted and socially distanced campus tour by limiting certain areas and limiting the amount of campus tourists. They also had to shift our Discover event which had to go virtual. Discover is our biggest recruiting event at UALR where students can engage and talk to a panel of students and directors to answer any questions. The team also couldn’t finish their spring recruiting season.

Through these adversities, the team has been making sure things are still getting done.

Even during this time, the recruiters have been spread out across Arkansas, traveling to any high school that would allow them in even though 85% of the schools are not allowing visitors. They’ve visited schools in Greenwood, Texarkana, Blytheville, and Cabot and are visiting schools in Bentonville and Springdale. Even with all of the travelling, applications have not been trending the way they had hoped, but they are pushing forward and even set up a couple in-person socially distanced events at the school this upcoming December. One of the events is an in-person application day, where prospects can fill out their applications while remaining safe. They can get assistance with filing out their applications, doing their admissions, and finishing their FAFSA. With these visits coming up, Ms. Bishop-Ward has reported that there are more students signing up to come onto campus than signing up for the virtual tours. She remarks it as interesting seeing how the trend has changed and they’re waiting to see what’s next in the upcoming 2021-2022 year.

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First-generation students speak on their experiences

Lucee Lugo (left) and Kaycee Greenwood (right) are the first members of their family to go to college.

By Azalea Andrade Staff Writer The thought of college is not always present in every child’s mind growing up. It is especially hard to imagine pursuing a post-secondary education as a first-generation student because options can sometimes be limited. With determination and hard work, the thought of college becomes more clear and attainable to those who are willing to pursue it despite their circumstances.

Kaycee Greenwood, a Ph.D. first-generation student at UA Little Rock, recalled her early thoughts about college.

“I have always wanted to go to college growing up,” she said.

“Initially, I wanted to be an elementary teacher, which I knew did not pay a lot. I knew my family did not have the money to put me through college and I did not want to put myself in debt.”

Greenwood did not take the traditional route but is still able to attend college. She had a lot to consider when thinking about college and ultimately decided

to join the military. This allowed her to not worry about having to pay for college.

“I decided to go into the military to earn funding for college,” she said. “In the end, I knew it was attainable, just not as a traditional student.”

The pressure of success is highly present when being a first-generation student. You’re the first one in your family to attend college and that comes with its own stress. There is also a certain fear that overpowers excitement due to the lack of experience with the college process.

Lucee Lugo, a first-generation master’s student in Higher Education/Student Affairs at UA Little Rock, spoke about her fears of entering college.

“I think my biggest fear going into college as a first-generation student was being adequate enough to finish,” she said.

“I came into college with the ‘imposter syndrome’ that I am sure many students have due to the intense culture shock that comes with being a first-time freshman.”

Because of no previous knowledge about college,

Greenwood was going in headfirst.

“I had no idea what to expect,” she said. “I had no clue I could have asked for more of my military credit to transfer in. I really had no idea what to ask to get help, because I knew nothing.”

Unfortunately, this often happens to first-generation students because many times they either lack resources or just do not know which way to look for them.

“Honestly, I really didn’t have anyone,” Greenwood said. “The military had an education center that I would go ask for help from, but looking back they did not assist a whole lot. I ended up going along the route to get my degree. In fact, I received my bachelor’s prior to an associate that I had spent 4 years working on.”

However, that is not always the case. For others like Lugo, a more traditional student, resources were readily available to her at her high school.

“My high school counselors and career coach were very helpful in the logistics aspect of applying,” she said. “They

made sure I filled out the FAFSA, accepted any scholarships, checked my email, and kept an up-to-date resume that highlighted my activities/ involvement. The counselors at my high school were one of the main reasons I didn’t miss any deadlines in applying for scholarships or schools.”

Everyone’s college experience is unique and there will be mistakes along the way, even if there might be four college graduate generations before you. Through no fault of their own, some mistakes are more prevalent among first-generation students and Greenwood has some great advice for this.

“Do not be afraid to ask for help,” she said. “I was always scared to ask for help because I did not want people to think I was not intelligent. If I would have just asked for help, I may have taken another path towards my degree.”

Lugo also has some insightful advice for upcoming first-generation college students.

“I would say to utilize the resources on campus,” she said.

“Whether that be counseling or health services, a tutoring

center such as the Math or Writing center, career services, etc. there are so many resources that the University provides in order to help students succeed.”

Lucee Lugo is passionate about engaging first-generation students as much as possible.

“I am Puerto Rican and would love for any first-generation Hispanic students (or really any first-generation students for that matter) to feel free to reach out to me via email (ljlugo@ ualr.edu) if they have any questions or concerns,” she said. “I remember my undergraduate journey well and am always open to sharing my experiences with other students.”

It is a difficult yet rewarding experience to be a first-generation student. There is constant pressure to succeed and a mindset of failure is not an option because making family proud is their main priority. You can make them and yourself proud as long as you work hard for your goals and keep a positive mindset; anything is possible.

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UA Little Rock hosts Campus Safety Student Forum

DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

Our “new normal”: The good and the ugly

By Maddie Becker Guest Writer

By Rodricka Blanks Staff Writer The UA Little Rock Student Government Association (SGA) and the Department of Public Safety hosted a campus safety student forum on Nov. 5 via zoom.

The forum was intended to ensure that there is a connection between the students and the campus police force.

It was a big turnout with over 21 questions submitted from anonymous attendees as well as private chat questions submitted to the panelists.

The panelists for the forum included: Chief of Police Regina Carter with Department of Public Safety, SGA President Landon DeKay, Graduate Assistant for Multicultural center Lauren Wilson, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Director of the Multicultural Center Dr. Mia Phillips, and Dean of students and SGA Advisor Richard Harper.

Chief Carter addressed many concerns. Carter has been with the Department of Public Safety for over 23 years and works hand-and-hand with Dean Harper from student affairs to help build core relationships with faculty and staff.

The biggest thing on campus has been thefts, so it’s best to be familiar with your surroundings and to not leave your personal belongings unat-

tended. Surveillance Cameras on campus have helped with many thefts and there will be an upgrade of cameras in the village and the residence halls.

Students learned about the escort services provided by DPS. The escort service includes a police escort to class or your vehicle. To contact them you can call 501-916-3400 and meet at a designated location to help you get where you need to go.

Officers are also trained to help you unlock your vehicle on campus for free and if your battery is dead, they can jump start your car.

The escort service is available anytime, but is mostly utilized after 4pm. There is not yet an escort service for people with disabilities, but they are working on it with the Disability Support Services. Chief Carter suggested that the goal is to have it by the Spring semester.

When questioned about the Rave alerts, Chief Carter stated that they go out as soon as they have critical information, if it’s for imminent danger reasons.

She stated that DPS test the blue campus safety lights once a month, and have an annual lighting walk through to ensure that they are up to par. Students also learned that DPS has the ability to use sirens and a PA system in case of an active shooter, similar to the siren that goes off on Wednesday’s at 12 p.m.

For better safety tactics, a

map of emergency phones on campus was suggested by a student and Chief Carter agreed that it would soon be established.

Students were instructed to report any out of the ordinary activity to DPS. Students also learned that when 911 calls are made on campus, 911 will revert calls to DPS and you will lose critical time calling 911 versus calling DPS first in a dangerous situation.

Students mentioned the possible fears of contacting campus police due to being uncomfortable due to ethnicity reasons.

Chief Carter interjected and stated that DPS is diverse, being 80% African American. In the past they have had unapproachable officers, but they are no longer working with them. If a student feels unfairly treated due to their race, Chief Carter wants to be notified. There is a complaint form online that will go directly to her that can be utilized and can be done anonymously as well.

The forum was a safe space for students to ask a wide range of questions and to be informed.

The panelists succeeded at making that happen. Landon DeKay and Lauren Wilson helped break the ice and open the floor for questions. Dr. Mia Phillips and Dean Richard Harper briefly spoke, but Chief Carter was the overall star of the show.

9

COVID-19 has drastically changed the way people all across the world live their everyday lives and this change is especially widespread in education.

COVID-19 has brought difficulties we never imagined. It could be educationally, financially, medically, or even mentally there’s nothing we could have done to prepare ourselves for this life-altering pandemic which has taken the focus of education away from many college students.

Kezia Kress, a sophomore at Pulaski Tech, works full time at Wal-Mart while also being a fulltime student.

“I work almost every day,” she said. “On the days I get off early that’s when I do my homework. It can be challenging because I’m drained from working.”

Anna Gurrocho is a nursing student in Colorado Springs, Colorado and she says turning in assignments on time has been one hurdle she has had to overcome since going remote.

“Taking a break even for a little to watch a movie, play video games, or read helps relieve a lot of my stress,” she said.

On March 23, Philander Smith College started their transition to hybrid remote learning.Remote learning has given students that don’t have access to the internet or technology a disadvantage.

Veronica Lindsey, a senior at Philander Smith College majoring in Biology, says this semester is her hardest and most important semester yet.

“Just knowing the uncertainty of what could happen has made me not focus on my school life as much as I should,” she said.

“I have been focused on trying to keep myself and those around me safe from getting this detri-

mental illness.”

The idea of remote learning was well thought out; however it doesn’t work well for every student.

“I’m a hands-on and visual learner,” Lindsey said. “I have a better understanding of the material when I’m able to see it.”

Online learning has taken away the immediate interaction between the students and the professor. Miscommunication is one of the challenges students face every day in their virtual classes.

“Online learning is more challenging because I feel at times, I have to teach myself the material,” Lindesy said. “I don’t have access to see my professor when I need help with the material. I have to wait up to three days for them to respond through email.”

Learning the material to the full extent has been hard for some students. The overwhelming amount of work has caused students to focus more on turning their assignment in on time rather than fully understanding the material.

“I have so much homework that just feels like busywork to me, and I feel like I’m not benefiting from it,” she said.

Although online learning has been a challenge. The move has allowed students to pick up extra hours at their job that they wouldn’t normally get if they were doing in-person learning.

“I like online classes,” Grace Conner, a transfer student at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said. “I’m able to work more and complete my assignments at my own pace,” Conner feels like remote learning has helped her succeed this semester and others do try to see the positive side of things as well.

“I just always remember that I am very blessed because my situation personally could be worse,” Lindsey said.

10

DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

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A Look Back: Ottenheimer Library

By Dessi Kelly Staff Writer In 1970, UA Little Rock expanded into the immaculate metropolitan university we see today. Throughout the last five decades, thousands of students have checked out books, used computers, and studied at the Ottenheimer Library. 50 years ago, UA Little Rock students couldn’t log into a computer and quickly turn in an assignment to their professors like we can today, which is why the little things matter.

Imagine your computer crashing and not having a library available to you on campus, it would be utter chaos.

Most importantly we can’t forget the business leader who opened the gateway, Gus Ottenheimer.

In 1969, Ottenheimer was given a task to determine whether or not Little Rock University (LRU), the name of now UA Little Rock before its merger with the University of Arkansas system, had the potential to become part of the University of Arkansas system as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Moreover, the university name may have changed but the history remains the same.

As of 2020, the Ottenheimer Library is a reliable source and beating heart of our campus.

Because of Gus Ottenheimer’s contribution, hard work, and dedication to successfully merge the university, UA Little Rock honored him by naming the campus library after him.

Photo of the Little Rock Universtity Library from an old Little Rock University Yearbook.

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What does it mean to be an ally?

DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

Criticizing Biden’s Plan to Rejoin the Paris Agreement is a Mistake

By Chloe McGhee News Editor

By James Johnson Staff Writer “You’re good for a woman.”

“So are you a man or a woman?”

“We all struggle, it’s not just a black thing.”

How does it make a person feel hearing these types of statements and questions?

Can people relate to all of these statements? How many can they relate to? What can they do to make sure no one feels the way that they feel? How can they help? There’s a simple answer: become an ally.

Some people may ask what is an ally? An ally is a companion who unites a cause with theirs to promote common interests.

This means they align themselves with others who share the same goals of equality, fairness and acceptance for all social groups whether it be for race, sexual orientation, or gender. Being an ally is like an united front against social injustices and problems in our society.

So how do you be an ally?

Well to be an ally you have to understand the struggle of those who need an ally. In this article we’re going to focus on three social movements: Feminism, LGBTQ, and Black Lives Matters and what an ally means to them.

Women, LGBTQ members, and black people all struggle in their own significant ways.

Women are looked down upon and people make claims that they are too emotional and are the less superior gender in both physicality and mentality. Members of the LGBTQ are looked down upon and seen as queer inferior beings or, as some people would describe them, confused. Blacks are looked down upon because of the pigmentation of their skin and are viewed as savage animals in humanoid frames.

These days these groups are fighting back for their equal rights and their freedom of society’s shackles of what they’re supposed to be. Not only are they fighting for themselves, they’re also educating themselves and fighting for others. So

what is being an ally?

“Though I am a woman who faces my own adversity, I am white, and therefore do not experience oppression anywhere near the degree which many people do.” Libby Maack, a student at Texas Chrisitan University (TCU), gives her insight on what it means to be an ally. She goes on to say that it is not a choice but a responsibility to stand with those who have been or are oppressed. She wants to use her privilege and voice to reach more people.

She goes on to say that being in a global pandemic shed some light on more injustices that people face. “ There are people without access to adequate healthcare and who cannot afford to take off work if they are sick because of the pandemic. Though everyone is in need of medical services, prejudice has been made apparent for racial and ethnic minorities who have been shown to be disproportionately affected,” she said as she touched on how the pandemic has affected our racial views.

A University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR) student agrees to this. She says an ally is someone who educates themselves and others of the struggles a community faces and breaks the stigmas and stereotypes. She believes that the use of the internet is a way allies can educate people and to remain open-minded because an essential part of being an ally is listening to the struggles within a community and hearing from them first hand. They spread knowledge to different communities that may be uneducated about it. She believes that her being discriminated against for not only being a woman but being a black woman has opened her eyes to discrimination to other women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Brown being an ally is using her social platforms to share posts and include links to help them get their message out and garner awareness of the many injustices that they face. She speaks out in order to educate people that may be ignorant to the struggles of the LGBTQ community.

To Mallory Hall, an ally is someone who approaches others with love and supports them through their life’s struggles.

Mallory is a Trans woman who recently came out four years ago. She lives with her partner, who is non-binary(someone who describes their gender identity as isn’t being exclusive to male or female), and three cisgender(someone whose gender identitiy corresponds to their birth sex) women in the Little Rock area. Though they do feel left out ever so often, she knows that her roommates will go to war for her and her partner. Before coming out, Hall was highly conservative and looked down on others because she felt that she wasn’t living her own truth; however, through the love she received from others through her transitioning process she has become a lot more open and is eager to educate others and learn about herself, and she intends to use this pandemic to achieve her goal just like Alex and Libby.

Libby is taking the time like Alex and is sharing posts for the Black Lives Matters movement and is using her platform at TCU to enlighten people about the struggles that not only black people face but other groups as well. She says that in order to believe in feminism then you have to believe in feminism for everyone whether it’s their equal rights or for the color of their skin, not simply for those who are privileged. Alex has been linking people with each other and starting conversations with her friends to bring awareness. Mallory is using the pandemic and her gaming platform to keep people informed and stop hate speech by educating them from her previous experiences.

So how to be an ally? Listen to what others have to say and recognize the struggles they go through. Stay educated and be attentive to injustices and stand against those who are uneducated on the matter and teach them what they don’t know.

Remember to show love and support to not only one community but to all communities because they all deserve allies.

11

In 2015, the world came together to draft the Paris Climate Agreement in which 189 countries vowed to tackle climate change. In 2017, US President Donald Trump swore to withdraw the United States from the accord. As the US is second in greenhouse gas emissions to China, this decision was detrimental to climate and to US global relations. Although in his New York Post article, “If Biden pushes US back to Paris accord, climate change won’t get better,” Johnathan Lesser claims US citizens will suffer for nothing, here is why President Elect Joe Biden’s plan to rejoin the Paris Agreement is a step in the right direction.

According to the World Population Review, the scientific consensus is that anymore than a two degrees Celsius rise in world temperature would be detrimental. The Paris Agreement swore to keep Earth’s temperature rise under 1.5 degrees, .5 degrees lower than the established catastrophic increase; if America participated in the agreement, we alone would account for a .1 degree decrease. Lesser claims that the .1 reduction “does not sound like much,” diminishing the sheer effect that temperature rise would have on island nations, coral reefs and the Arctic. Moreover, Lesser spends time criticizing the way we measure Earth’s temperature, claiming “statistics always mean ‘noise.’” Not only is this incorrect, but in 2019, the most accurate and complete recording of global temperature was concluded, with NASA claiming “the estimate of Earth’s longterm temperature rise in recent decades is accurate to within less than a tenth of a degree Fahrenheit.” Temperatures are rising, and America is unquestionably contributing.

Lesser criticizes the Paris Agreement for having “lofty goals,” but fails to realize the end goal is less important than the reduction of emissions in the first place. If emissions fall at any rate, that is a win for the global climate. By reentering the Paris Agreement, America

would be declaring to better the environment, and since we are one of the top polluters in the world, rejoining may actually help the agreement reach its socalled ‘lofty goals.’

Many of the objections to Biden’s plan to rejoin the agreement are economicallybased. Lesser claims “the Paris Agreement will impose huge costs on American consumers and taxpayers. Energy costs will rise. Manufacturing industries will move abroad in search of more relaxed regulations, eliminating thousands of domestic jobs.” However, research shows this is wildly incorrect. Trump claimed that the Paris Agreement would cost America $3 trillion and 2.7 billion jobs by 2025, but the costs of leaving will far outweigh the costs of staying in the agreement. A Stanford study found that Trump’s decision to leave will cost the US $6 trillion and a global 30% loss in economic output. Biden’s decision to rejoin the Paris Agreement would save the three million workers employed in clean energy (14 times that of workers employed in fossil fuel industries), and would create millions more jobs by 2030 just by investing in more clean energy practices. As Andrew Steer, CEO of World Resources Institute, said “by withdrawing from the Paris agreement, the Trump administration is showing that it cares neither about science nor economics. It is driven by outdated views from the last century that held that climate action was costly and hurt jobs.”

By writing his article, Lesser perpetuated the damage the Trump Administration did to the American public and likened climate action to economic hardship for American citizens.

If America did rejoin the agreement under Biden, the US would rightfully lead the international initiative against climate change. We worked side by side with other countries in 2015, and we can do that again.

However, if we choose to follow Trump’s path and stay out of the Paris Agreement, the climate will take a deadly turn, and as Lesser put it, “want to know who will pay? Look in the mirror.”

12

DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

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UA Little Rock features two exhibits on work of graduating students

By Angie Faller UA Little Rock News Director The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will hold two exhibits this fall to display the talent of graduating art students.

The first exhibit, “Madeline England: Damage and Repair,” features the master’s thesis work of Madeline England, who has created a series of sculptural objects incorporating ceramics and mixed media. The exhibit will be on display from Nov. 20 to Dec. 16 in the Ann Maners and Alex Pappas Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art and Design.

“I’m using damaged architectural structures undergoing fibrous restoration to represent positive healing after grief and trauma,” England said. “It’s to promote letting go of selfdestructive behaviors after experiencing emotional and mental damage, which is something I’ve struggled with.”

A second exhibit featuring capstone projects for graduating seniors will be on display from Nov. 21 to Dec. 9 in the Brad Cushman Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art and Design.

Students who are earning their Bachelor of Fine Arts and

Ke-Ida Young. “Provoked” 2020 displaying their work include Madeleine Robinson, illustration, LeAnn Roberson, graphic design, Terry Julian, graphic design, and Ruijie Zheng, sculpture.

The Capstone Exhibition includes projects from seniors Carley Brown, painting; Tatiana Correa, illustration; Madeline Hutson, illustration; Crystal Johnson, graphic design; LeAnne Roberson, BFA Illustration; Keri Speer, photography; Micah Steed, drawing and painting; Ke-Ida Young, drawing and painting; and Ruijie Zheng, BFA Sculpture.

Both exhibits can be viewed virtually at the UA Little Rock Art Gallery website (https:// artexhibitionsualr.org). UA Little Rock will hold a virtual artist talk with the BFA seniors at 4 p.m. Dec. 4 via Zoom. For more information and a link to the talk, email pnscheidt@ualr.edu.

A virtual artist talk with England will be held at 6 p.m.

Dec. 4. For more information and a link to the talk, email England at mmengland@ualr. edu.

The UA Little Rock Art Galleries are free and open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday through Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Masks are required. Patrons

can also contact 501-916-3182 or email becushman@ualr.edu to schedule a visit. Drop-in visits are also welcome. The Cushman Gallery will close for the winter Dec. 10, while the Maners Pappas Gallery will close Dec.

17. The galleries will reopen with new exhibits in January, For more information, contact Art Gallery Director Brad Cushman at becushman@ualr. edu or 501-916-3182.

Scan the QR code to access all virtual exhibits:

Tatiana Correa, Ghoulish Drinks, 2020, Procreate

Madeline England, Column: Energy, 2020 stoneware, fibers, wire, 24” x 13” x 13”

Carley Brown, The Bust and the Gumball Machine, 2020, Oil on Panel 40 1/2” x 28”

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DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

Entertainment

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Nicki Minaj: Queen of Rap

Sink or Swim

By Dessi Kelly Staff Writer

By Dessi Kelly Staff Writer Raptress, Nicki Minaj, has officially solidified her title as the “Queen of Rap” in the mainstream music industry. At age 37, Nicki Minaj is currently one of the top best selling and most influential rappers of all time. Minaj has dominated the Billboard charts, radio spins, and music streaming platforms throughout her 10 years in the music industry. With success comes adversity, Minaj has conquered every challenge that she has faced in the music industry while making history along the way Female rappers are idolized and held at a high standard in the music industry, making Minaj’s fight for music streams a massive success in pop culture.

In 2016, Minaj won a major battle for streaming rights that changed the music industry forever. Before Minajs’ streaming battle, music artists’ sales and chart placements were based on physical and digital sales. Many

Nikki Minaj on the cover of Vogue Magazine. music artists, such as Chance the Rapper have thanked Nicki Minaj for her courage because 1,000 music streams on platforms like Tidal, iTunes, and Spotify currently count as the equivalent of 10 track sales.

When you chart on Billboard, you become an international superstar. In 2017, Minaj made history by becoming the first female international music artist to have over 100 “Billboard Hot 100” entries. As of 2020, Minaj surpassed Elvis Presley with 115 “Billboard Hot 100” entries, making her one of the top-charting music artists of all time. 2020 was a big year for Minaj, after a decade, Minaj got her first number one record on the “Billboard Hot 100” chart in May 2020. Minaj collaborated with Doja Cat not only went number one but was the first female rap duo to do so, adding another accolade to Minaj’s’ list of achievements.

With a net worth of $100 million, Nicki Minaj made history by becoming the richest female rapper of all time in March

2020. Throughout her career, Minaj has accumulated over 100 million RIAA certified units, making her the best-selling female rapper of all time. In Oct 2019, Minaj collaborated with the high fashion brand “Fendi”, making her the first female rapper to have a high fashion collection. In Showbiz, wealth and status matters, which is why Nicki Minaj placed at number 12 on Forbes “Highest Paid Rappers” list in Sep 2020.

Although Nicki Minaj has been nominated for a Grammy for the past few years, she has never won. However, Minaj made history by becoming the first female rapper to be nominated at the “Latin Grammys” in Sep 2020. Minaj may not have had success with the American Grammys but she has reached a new milestone with her Latin Grammy nomination. “Stan culture”, popularity, and politics contribute to a lot of music artists’ success, which is why Nicki Minaj made it a priority to show the world that talent wins in the end.

Furthermore, “stan culture” has taken over pop culture by storm; giving fans a chance to make sure their favorite music artists is the best, such as streaming their favorite artist’s new song to get it to chart on Billboard. I recently interviewed the owner of one of the most followed Nicki Minaj fan pages on Twitter, “Nicki Minaj Charts”.

The owner is an “International Barb” who has been a fan of Minaj since 2008. During the interview, the owner stated that “Stan culture rules the music industry, the music industry can’t defeat Nicki Minaj because she has millions of fans from Brazil like me and all around the world who genuinely support her and will always defend her, post her stats, cote for her win awards, and buy her music”. Moreover, Nicki Minaj will continue to be the “Queen of Rap” and make history until she retires. Minaj has a loyal fan base known as “The Barbz” that have contributed to her success and always will.

UA Little Rock students seeking a career in the entertainment industry would be delighted to know that despite the current global pandemic, the entertainment industry has evolved for the better.

Technology has led entertainers to adapt to the “new normal” and has given them a new outlet to entertain the audience such as hosting virtual movie premieres, concerts, and award shows. Fortunately, I was able to attend the “Sink or Swim” virtual event on zoom in a safe environment. Panelists, Retta and Barbie Ferreira are both actresses who star in two of the most popular TV shows in America, Euphoria and Good Girls. Because of the pandemic, Retta and Ferreira are able to film scenes and make TV appearances by using green screens at home, which has given them and other entertainers more free time.

Green screen effects have evolved during COVID-19 and will be the “new normal” for a very long time. Performances and broadcasts can be done from home and will be aired on television or YouTube, which is why UA Little Rock music, theater, mass communications, and applied communications students with an interest in the entertainment industry are still able to have a successful career.

Naomi Bulochnikov, Jessie Blackhall, and Bonnie Liedtke have a prominent career despite COVID-19 and are booking their clients for virtual events, which has been a major success.

People who work in the entertainment industry were given two choices: sink or swim. Everyone who attended the “Sink or Swim” virtual event, have learned how to thrive in the entertainment industry during a pandemic.

Tej Bhatia Herring presented an amazing panel with intelligent women, showing the importance of PR in the entertainment industry. During the event on zoom, Herring mentioned that she’ll be returning with more panelists soon, giving UA Little Rock students who didn’t attend this event another chance to meet entertainers and learn important information that will benefit their career in the entertainment industry.

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DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

15

Local Artist Spotlight Kevin Cottrell

By Dessi Kelly Staff Writer If you’re an upcoming music artist, producer, or majoring in music at the UA Little Rock Department of Music, Joker Entertainment Studio is the place to be. Joker Entertainment Studio is located on John Barrow Rd, which is less than 10 minutes from campus.

Kevin Cottrell, who is also known as “Kev”, established Joker Entertainment in the late 90s and has had massive success over the last 2 decades. Cottrell has worked with notable artists in the mainstream music industry such as Lil Boosie, Yo Gotti, Young Thug, and 2Chainz.

One of the best features about Joker Entertainment Studio is it’s availability. If you have a busy schedule and can’t miss work or classes, you’ll be thrilled to know that Joker Entertainment Studio

is open 7 days a week for 24 hours, all you need to do is book an appointment.

Joker Entertainment offers many features for their clients such as a control room, production section, and lounge room for guests. Moreover, Joker Entertainment Studio also offers affordable rates and packages for instance, it costs $50 an hour to record and an engineer is included in the deal so you won’t have to worry about extra fees.

When it comes to sound, Cottrell is versatile. He specializes in many genres such as hip-hop, gospel, r&b, and soul.

Joker Entertainment studio can also give your audio better high quality by mixing and mastering your sound. If you’re currently working on a music project and looking for a studio that can help take your project to the next level, Joker Entertainment sells CD’s, DVD’s, and beats at an

affordable price. To be informed about discount prices and the latest news, Joker Entertainment offers a free mailing list on it’s

Kevin Conttrell’s album cover from Joker Entertainment Studios website.

Call 501-838-1134 to book your appointment with Joker Entertainment today!

16

Entertainment

Movie Reviews DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

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Executive Editor: Jordan Woodson ‘Run.’ is a huge win for the disability community

question things and we find out answer exactly when Chloe finds out answers (even if we’ve kind of known deep down all along).

Both Allen and Paulson are fantastic. Paulson has proven herself time and time again throughout her entire career just how fantastic of an actress she is, but this might actually be a top-tier performance from her. She knows EXACTLY what type of movie she’s in and she pulls it off flawlessly. However, it’s Allen that’s the absolute standout just from the fact that this is only her second acting role ever. She did one short film back in 2014 and that’s it. There are many scenes where she’s alone and has to literally carry the film by herself and she does

it to perfection.

I also want to give a huge standing ovation to the fact that Chaganty actually cast an actual person that lives her entire life in a wheel chair for the leading role. Allen actually uses a wheel chair in her everyday life and is the first wheel chair user to star in a major thriller since 1948’s “The Sign of the Ram.” The authenticity this fact alone brings to the film just elevates the already incredible movie to a whole other level for me.

Overall, “Run.” is another incredible film from Chaganty with two fantastic female leads.

In a world where representation is on the forefront of Hollywood’s minds, this movie does it so well for the disabled community.

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ is so Oscar-baity it fails

Photo: Hulu “Run.” is a horror/thriller written and directed by Aneesh Chaganty (writer and directed of “Searching”) with writing help from “Searching” writing partner Sev Ohanian. The film stars newcomer Kiera Allen as Chloe, a teenager who is confined to a wheelchair and is home schooled by her mother (played

by Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story). When Chloe starts to notice her mother’s strange behavior, she begins to look into the world around her and everything begins to change.

“Searching” was one of my favorite movies of 2018 so much so that I was instantly excited for Chaganty’s follow-up, sophomore directing debut the second it was announced. Thankfully Chaganty did not let me down and between both his movies, he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite writers and direc-

tors working today.

The amount of intensity and absolute nuttiness Chaganty puts on display here is other worldly. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen as the story, secrets and reveals begin to unfold. I was really on the edge of my seat almost the entire movies with very few moments of relaxation. Despite it not being in any shape or form a comedy, I found myself dying laughing at just how bonkers this movie got.

Chaganty does a fantastic job setting up everything you need to know and every plot element early on. Right away you pretty much know what’s going on (even if you haven’t seen the trailer) and for some films, that could be looked at as bad writing, but I think it was purposeful here and for good reason.

We begin to question things exactly when Chloe begins to

Photo: Netflix “Hillbilly Elegy” is directed

by Ron Howard (director of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and “Apollo 13”) and written

by Academy Award nominated writer Vanessa Taylor (writer of “The Shape of Water” and

“Divergent”) based on the memoir by J.D. Vance of the same name. The film stars Gabriel Basso (“Super 8”) and Owen Asztalosas (“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul”)) as old and young J.D Vance, a Yale Law student who is drawn back to

his Appalachian hometown and reflects on his family’s history and his own future.

Amy Adams (“Arrival” and “Doubt”) and Glenn Close (“Fatal Attraction”) also star in this film, two actresses who have 13 Oscar nominations between them but zero wins. That on top of a story about the struggle in Appalachian America written by a former Oscar nominee are really all the ingredients you need for a slam dunk Oscar contender… except it fails at reaching the goal almost completely.

Nothing about the movie is necessarily terrible, but almost everything feels heavy-handed, emotionally manipulative and/or just mediocre. Close and Adams are good, but this is nowhere near either of their best performances. Close being the better of the two has some really great moments as does Adams, but overall they’re not given much to work with. Asztalosas is the biggest surprise here as he gives an actually really good performance as young J.D., but Basso as older J.D. is probably the worst in the film despite him having to do the most.

But again, the not-to-the-levelit-needs-to-be performances I feel are mostly thanks to the subpar screenplay. I loved “The Shape of Water” and thought Taylor’s screenplay was one of the best parts about it, but her screenplay here is messy and all over the place structurally.

The characters in particular seem to be reduced to their basic descriptions which makes them feel overall one-demential.

Howard also doesn’t do much to help the film as his direction overall just feels flat.

As I said, there are some really great moments sprinkled throughout and I think taking out some of the mediocre or bad moments to make the film shorter would’ve definitely benefited it. There are a lot of pieces of a great movie in here, but it’s mixed in with not so great pieces as well.

One of the best technical elements of the film, however, is the makeup and hairstyling. The makeup and hair team on this More on the next page

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life.ualr.edu/forum film really are the only ones that should be in the awards conversation because the visual transformations here are incredible. Glenn Close in particular in impressive because if you look at the photos of her character at the end of the film, they’re basically the same person.

Overall, “Hillbilly Elegy” isn’t a disaster, but if it’s shooting for a lot of awards nominations then it is. It’s mediocre in a lot of areas that doesn’t fully utilize all the talents it has in front of and behind the camera.

‘Uncle Frank’ will leave you an emotional wreck

Lillis is also amazing and brings the right level of innocence and charm that her character needs.

However it’s the lesser known of the three main cast members in Peter Macdissi who is truly the standout. He absolutely steals ever single scene he’s in. I don’t think this movie is being talked about enough to get any awards considerations, but I really think all three leads need to be in the conversation.

The first two acts are perfect, but the third act goes a tad bit

DECEMBER 2020 EDITION downhill. Not too much, but it gets really cheesy at the end.

The third act also feels really rushed and a lot of character development we see I would’ve like to have seen expanded upon more. The film is only 90 minutes long so there’s plenty of time that could’ve been added on to accomplish this.

Overall, “Uncle Frank” is a fantastic film that features a deep message and three truly impressive leads that will leave you a complete hot mess by the

‘Superintelligence’ is super dumb

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Melissa McCarthy has proven herself to be a talent actress and comedian with roles like in “Bridemaids” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” which is why it’s always so frustrating when she continually takes up roles like this film. I get that it’s her husband directing these films so she’s basically obligated to attach her name to them, but her husband has never made a good movie.

“Superintelligence” is really just dumb and frankly unfunny, so unfunny in fact that I was actually able to count the exact number of times I laughed throughout the entire hour and 45 minute runtime (three times to be exact). When you’re watching a comedy that doesn’t even do the basic thing that comedies are supposed to do… that’s a bad sign.

The entire plot just doesn’t make sense and there are multiple plot holes everywhere and many aspects of the AI that aren’t explained well enough.

There are also multiple scenes and moments that that are just eyerollingly (I know that’s a word, but it’s the best way to describe it) dumb.

McCarthy is fine. That’s all I really have to say. There are

Photo: Amazon Prime “Uncle Frank” is written and directed by Alan Ball (writer of “American Beauty”) and stars Sophia Lillis (“It”) as Beth, an 18-year-old college student who finds out that her literature professor uncle (Paul Bettany, “Avengers: Infinity War”) is gay. When her grandfather and Uncle Frank’s father passes away, they take a road trip together from New York to their hometown in Creekville, South Carolina along side Frank’s secret boyfriend Wally (Peter Macdissi, “The Losers”) where Frank tries desperately to keep his secret hidden.

This film is a rollercoaster of emotions from beginning to end. Ball does a great job mixing in different tones from the feel-good elements to the dark, serious and emotional ones.

Throughout the entire film I had either a big smile on my face or

was crying my eyes out. Ball’s writing is also really funny too and I laughed out loud a lot of the time despite this not being a comedy.

Ball does a great job showing how hard it is being gay in souther America while also showing how lucky it is too when mirroring Frank’s experience with Wally’s. The character of Wally is a gay muslim man from Saudi Arabia so having that stark contrast from his experience where he could literally be beheaded if he was out where he is from vs what could happen to Frank really puts things into perspective and Ball handled this aspects subtly and perfectly.

This is probably the best performance I’ve seen from Paul Bettany like ever. He has such a complex role and does a fantastic job with it. Sophia

comedians that I know are comedy gold like Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry that can’t even make the material laughable so I don’t really blame McCarthy for how bad the whole thing is.

Also, I don’t hate James Corden as much as a lot of people seem Photo: HBO Max “Superintelligence” is

most average person on Earth,

directed by Melissa McCarthy’s

Carol Peters (Academy Award

husband Ben Falcone (director

Nominee Melissa McCarthy,

of “Life of the Party,” “The Boss”

“Bridemaids” and “Ghostbusters

and “Tammy”) and written by

(2016)”), the fate of the world

Steve Mallory (writer of “The

hangs in the balance as the A.I.

Boss”). When an all-powerful

decides if it wants to enslave,

Superintelligence that takes on

save or destroy humanity. It is

the voice of talkshow host James

now up to Carol to prove that

Corden chooses to study the

people are worth saving.

to, but the entire idea of him in this just adds to how dumb this movie is.

Overall, “Superintelligence” is not offensively bad, it has some fun moments here and there, but I had low expectations going in and man did it meet them.

At least it wasn’t worse than I thought it would be going into it.

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DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

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Christmas Reviews Executive Editor: Jordan Woodson ‘The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two’ isn’t as good as the first, but still a lot of Christmas fun

“The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two” is written and directed by Chris Columbus (director of the first two “Home Alone” and “Harry Potter” movies), co-written by Matt Lieberman (“The Christmas Chronicles” and “Scoob“) and is the sequel to the 2018 film. Darby Camp returns as Kate Pierce who is reluctantly spending Christmas with her mom’s new boyfriend and his son Jack (Jahzir Bruno, “The Witches“), but when the North

Photo: Netflix Pole and Christmas are threatened to be destroyed, Kate and Jack are unexpectedly pulled into a new adventure with Santa Claus (Kurt Russell, “The Hateful Eight” and “Escape from L.A.”).

The first Christmas Chronicles was a huge surprise when it was released on Netflix two years ago and while I definitely think the first is far better than this sequel, “The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two” is still a ton of fun and full of

a lot of laughs. The second half is actually a lot stronger than the first half since that’s where the majority of the laughs and emotional moments come in. So, yeah, it takes a bit for the film to take off, but once it gets there, it really gets there.

The second half is genuinely super funny and can get completely bonkers at times. There were multiple jokes and bits that had me actually bursting out in laughter. The emotion in the second half is really strong as well and packs some moments that really left me with a few happy tears. All of this really makes this one of Columbus’s best films in over a decade.

This film really expands upon the lore of Santa Claus, the elves, and the North Pole as a whole.

The world building here is really great, far better than the first.

The set design of the North Pole has really improved as well and it’s really jaw-dropping what a beauty production designer Jon Hutman (“The House with a Clock in Its Walls”) was able to create.

Kurt Russell is just as good as he was in the first movie and really prove himself to a be a perfect Santa. Goldie Hawn is also really great as Mrs. Claus while Darby Camp improves as our lead. She still isn’t great, but her charm and sweetness goes a long way. I said in my review of “The Witches” earlier this year that Jahzir Bruno wasn’t that great of an actor.

He’s definitely better here, but still not at the level he needs to be for his role. Julian Dennison (“Deadpool 2” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) is good as the villain and brings a lot of levels to a character that I feel was kind of written almost one-demential.

Overall, “The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two” is a slight downgrade from the first film, but it’s still a lot of fun and a great holiday movie to check out this season.

‘Happiest Season’ is the perfect movie for the holi-gay season

“Happiest Season” is a Christmas rom-com written and directed by Clea DuVall (actress from “The Faculty”) with writing help from Mary Holland. The film stars Kristen Stewart (“The Twilight Saga”) as Abby, a young woman whose plans to propose to her girlfriend (Mackenzie Davis, “Terminator: Dark Fate” and “The Martin”) while at her family’s annual holiday party are upended when she discovers her partner hasn’t not come out to her conservative parents.

It feels like every year there is that one holiday film that I instantly add to my annual

Photo: Hulu holiday season watch list (last year it was “Klaus“). Also every year there seems to be that one rom-com that I really fall in love with (last year it was “Alway Be My Maybe“). “Happiest Season” checks both those boxes for me as both a really great Christmas movie and an equally as solid rom-com.

While the film definitely falls into certain cliches of both of the aforementioned subgenres, DuVall with the help from Holland really make the film still feel super fresh and unique.

With a storyline like coming out to family, the film could’ve

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easily become a deep and emotional film and while it does have does elements in parts, DuVall and Holland still keep it the way Christmas movies should feel: fun. There’s never a dull moment.

This film is the perfect role for Kristen Stewart. I say it in almost every single review I write of a Kristen Stewart film that she shines in roles where she can let loose, have fun and be herself. Light hearted movies and more specifically comedies are where Stewart can really show her acting talent (not films like “Twilight” or “Snow White and the Huntsman” for example) and there’s no better evidence than here. Stewart carries the film along side Mackenzie Davis (who is also fantastic) and the two really have the perfect chemistry to make their relationship fully rootable and believable.

The entire ensemble as a whole is really what makes this film what it is. Mary Holland also stars as one of Davis’s sisters and her alongside Schitt’s Creek‘s Dan Levy are the major standouts and steal the spotlight in every single scene they’re in. Audrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) and Alison Brie (Glow and Community) are also fantastic as well are Victor Garber (“Argo”) and Mary Steenburgen (“Elf”) as Davis’s parents. The casting department in this film did a fantastic job.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fresh rom-com or movie in general for this holiday season, “Happiest Season” is the perfect choice and will definitely be on the Christmas watchlist for years to come.

‘Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey’ celebrates Black inventors with a new Christmas classic

“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” is a Christmas musical written and directed by David E. Talbert (writer and director of “Almost Christmas” and “El Camino Christmas”) and stars Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”) as Jeronicus Jangle, a toy inventor who hits a rough patch after his former assistant (played by Keegan-Michael Key, Key and Peele) steals all of his inventions, but when Jeronicus’s granddaughter, Journey (new-

Photo: Netflix comer Madalen Mills), comes to visit for Christmas, she might just give him the inspiration he needs to succeed again.

This is really the perfect movie for any child, especially a Black child, to watch on Christmas and give them inspiration to go into the world of STEM one day. I do say this as a white man, but I can honestly see this movie spawning dozens of future STEM majors, more specifically Black female STEM majors as our lead character is a

DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

brilliant Black child after all.

Talbert does a great job showcasing the past, present and future of Black inventors with this film. The character of Journey is insanely intelligent and I can totally see a young Black girl just like her getting inspired by this film. It’s not just Black girls either as Talbert also does a great job including an equally as intelligent Black male character alongside Journey with the character of Edison (played by newcomer Kieron L. Dyer).

Talbert’s showcase of Black inventors doesn’t just stop at the characters he shows on screen, but he also gives nods to some with the insanely magical production design. If you look closely, you can see that the names of the shops and buildings in the film are all named after Black inventors and trailbrazliers, like, for example, the music building in the film is called “Tharpe Music Co.” which is named after after Rosetta Tharpe who is considered “The Godmother of Rock ‘N’ Roll.”

The production design as a whole is insane, even beyond the nice Easter eggs. Production designer Gavin Bocquet (production designer for Stars Wars Episodes 1, 2, and 3 as well as “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”) does a fantastic job bringing this small, snow-covered village surrounding Jeronicus’s shop to life. It’s really well craft and beautiful.

Forest Whitaker is great in the role, but the Oscar winning actor is actually outshined by Madalen Mills who has surprisingly never acted before. Mills was truly an incredible find for Talbert as she is insanely charming in every scene she’s in.

Keegan-Michael Key is also an amazing villain, even if his character is kind of bland, Key does the absolute most with the role.

I also want to give a shoutout to Lisa Davina Phillip, who plays the mail lady. She only has had a

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few television and theater roles in her carer over in the UK, but she is truly as scene stealer.

Writer and director David E. Talbert is most notable as a playwright and you can definitely see that with this film, for better and for worst. All throughout the film apart from one scene in the final act feels exactly like it could be a stage musical. From the blocking to the dialogue to even the sets, I found myself perfectly picturing exactly how this script would look on the stage which isn’t really something you want from a motion picture. The script could work fine for a stage play with very little changes and that’s kind of problem.

The songs are fine. There are a few standouts like one solo song by Mills and a duet with Whitaker and the actress who plays his daughter Anika Noni Rose (“Princess and the Frog”) towards the end. Other than that, most of the songs are very forgettable and some even feel a little too much like a rip off of “The Greatest Showman.”

Overall, “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” is still a solid Christmas musical that isn’t anywhere near perfect, but will hopefully inspire future Black STEM students and will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit.

Read more of Jordan’s Reviews on his official website:

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DECEMBER 2020 EDITION

21

Little Rock Announces 2020-21 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedules

Women’s Three opponents from Power 5 schools will visit the Jack Stephens Center in 2020-21 as Little Rock announced its women’s basketball non-conference schedule.

The challenging slate will feature four teams that surpassed 20 wins last season, four teams that finished in the top three of their league and it all starts off with last year’s Conference USA Champion visiting Little Rock when Rice made the trip on Nov. 28.

Most notably, the Arkansas Razorbacks will play a game on campus within the state of Arkansas for the first time ever when the Hogs visit Little Rock and the Jack Stephens Center on Dec. 19. But to see the state’s two

premier women’s basketball teams play, fans will have to buy season tickets as single game tickets will not be available for that matchup.

The 14th-ranked Razorbacks will end up being the third Southeastern Conference team to visit the Jack Stephens Center this season. Vanderbilt will head to Little Rock for a Dec. 5 matchup before No. 13 Texas A&M, led

by Gary Blair, visits Little Rock on Dec. 10.

Trojan fans will get the chance to see an old Sun Belt rivalry rekindled on Dec. 13 when Western Kentucky makes its way down to Little Rock. The Trojans then hit the road for the Governor’s I-40 Showdown presented by Arkansas Blue Cross/ Blue Shield on Dec. 16.

Mens’ Little Rock men’s basketball has finalized its non-conference schedule for the 2020-21 slate, adding four games in the month of December. Three of those four contests will be held at the Jack Stephens Center, rounding out Little Rock’s 27-game schedule for the upcoming season Following the season-opening “bubble” event in Louisville November 25 through December 4, Little Rock opens its home schedule with the annual Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Governor’s I-40 Showdown matchup with Central Arkansas.

The game against the Bears tips at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 6 and will be the lone meeting between the two rivals this season.

Little Rock remains at home

for its next two games, facing a pair of opponents for the first time. The Trojans welcome Texas A&M-Texarkana to the Jack Stephens Center for a 6:30 p.m. tip on Tuesday, December 15 before a Friday evening matchup with Champions Christian College on December 18.

The Trojans close out the non-conference schedule on the road at Missouri State, traveling north Springfield, Missouri to face the Bears at JQH Arena on Monday, December 21 in a 7 p.m. tip. Little Rock is then scheduled to open up Sun Belt Conference play hosting UT Arlington on January 1-2 and the Jack Stephens Center.

Season tickets are now available by contacting the Trojan ticket office at (501) 565-8257.

Due to the limited number of seats available in the Jack Stephens Center because of COVID protocols, season tickets are the only way to ensure a seat at every Trojan home game in 2020-21.

All games, dates and times are subject to change.

For the latest information on Little Rock Basketball, make sure to check out LRTrojans. com. You can also find the team on social media at @ LittleRockWBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Story Courtesy of Little Rock Athletics Department

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Junior NATALEE GEREN (#2) kicks that ball during a game. Photo by Maggie Risley

Little Rock soccer defeats Georgia Trojans Volleyball defeat Southern, advanced to quarterfinals Warhawk’s at ULM

By Azalea Andrade Staff Writer

The Little Rock soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament after their 2-1 victory over the Georgia Southern Eagles— freshman midfielder Mariella Stephens scoring both goals.

“We challenged them to be more aggressive on set plays today. It was brilliant to get one in on the first corner of the game. Mariella did a great job and [she’s] a terrific young player,” said head coach Mark Foster. “It was great to see her step up today and get two goals.

It was a big-time effort from a freshman.”

The energy was high from the Trojans who came into the match in full swing, took all the opportunities they had, and ran with them. Within the first six minutes of the game, there was a Trojan corner kick by senior midfielder Morgan

Smocavich that landed perfectly on Stephens’ feet for a side tap that netted the ball, passed the Eagle defender.

Their confidence was up and they were not going to let this one slip away. Three minutes later, junior defender Natalee Geren set the ball up upfield, sophomore forward Mari Young headed it towards the goal, and Stephens effortlessly curved it to the left side of the net, leaving the Eagle goalkeeper frozen with no opportunity to stop it.

Stephens was excited and hopeful of her team’s performance. “During the game, I was really excited. I thought we played, especially in the second half, really well. We played the type of soccer that we normally stick to—possession. We created a lot of chances from it, so that was exciting.”

The Eagles fought back to try and get back in the game. Luck was on their side during minute 38 when the Little Rock defense

was attempting to get the ball out of the box. Instead, an Eagle player deflected the ball into the goal.

Regardless of the Eagles getting on the board, the Trojans kept their energy and continued playing as the great team that they are, not letting their opponent tie the game.

The second half brought less action but was still meaningful as Little Rock had possession for most of the remaining of the game and created multiple opportunities that ultimately fell short of another goal. At minute 75, a red card was called on the Eagles leaving them with 10 players.

The defense worked to not let anything through and with follow-through and determination, the Trojans came out victorious.

“We kept our energy up. And then after the game, it was such a rewarding feeling that we got away with a win,” Stephens said.

By Coyunna Jones Staff Writer The LR women’s volleyball team took on the Warhawk’s at Monroe Nov. 6-7 where The Little Rock trojans won there third matches. defeating ULM with a 3-1 win. Little Rock (4-13, 4-12 Sun belt) finished the regular season with a perfect record.

The set scores were 18-25, 25-22, and 25-17. Laura Jansen who put down 6 kills and 2 blocks behind with Janae Thurston with 11 kills and 3 blocks, Nedima Kamberovic with 8 kills and 2 block, Alyssa Nayar who had 6 kills and 6 blocks and Halee Pedro with a career high of three aces.

ULM volleyball team had a fast start, but this was not enough to stop the Little Rock trojans. ULM was led by Cali Assaley’s a 6’0 freshman from Ohio who had 15 kills and two

blocks.

The second set the lady trojans took control early by building an 11-6 lead. Jansen led the trojans in the second set with 7 kills and 7 digs. This set has led the Trojans to win this set with 25-22.

The third set the Warhawks came in strong with 4-1 lead.

Little Rock then takes control to tie the set before the two teams battled to win the set. Little Rock then claims a 21-14 then finished the set with a 25-17 to take on the 2-1 lead.

The fourth and final set ULM took on a 4-2 league in the beginning, but little rock immediately took charge to build a four-point league which made this difficult for the Warhawks to come back which led the trojans to winning the set 25-17.

Little Rock (LR) women’s Volleyball team stats is now 37-3 all-time against ULM.

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Athlete Spotlight Jaelyn Tucker

By Chloe McGhee News Editor With the indoor track season on the horizon for UA Little Rock, track and field athletes are antsy to get started. With an impressive 7.78 second 60 meter dash, 11.8 second 100 meter dash and 18’9’’ long jump, sophomore Jaelyn Tucker is one of the top qualifiers for her events on the team. Tucker started running as an eight year old, and then ran competitively starting in middle school.

“My parents encouraged me to be in sports, and I played a lot growing up,” Tucker said.

“I enjoyed running [then and now]. It keeps my mind off

Photo submitted by Jaelyn Tucker things. I knew it would be a while competing, everyone was fun hobby to pick off and it cheering and screaming.” was more competitive than any More than the atmosphere, other sport. I love being compet- Tucker missed running competiitive, it gives me a rush; that’s tively. why I picked running.”

“Your nerves are really hot “Since Covid shut down our before the race,” Tucker said. spring season, it made me more “The nerves go away when you motivated to come back harder run, when that gun goes off, all for next year,” Tucker said. “I’ve that excitement and the nerves upped my training, it’s been go away and you power through harder and more intense. I am your race. I just missed competdefinitely stronger now and able ing against the best of the best. to hold my speed.”

Being a college athlete is not for Tucker also missed the meet everybody, not everybody can atmosphere over the break. run track, so running against “I missed the meets and the others like me is huge.” traveling the most,” Tucker Although Tucker loves comsaid. “I enjoy being around my peting, she also enjoys running teammates and the coaches. in general.

Everyone is so hyped up during “First off, it keeps me healthy traveling. If someone killed it and in shape,” Tucker said. “I

had no muscle, and running made me want to be in shape and keep my health sustainable.

It makes you stronger physically and mentally. If I am stressing out about anything, when I go out and run, I only think about what I am doing and the sport.”

Despite her excitement, Tucker does have some nerves surrounding the upcoming season.

“I’m eager to see what will actually happen,” Tucker said.

“With COVID, we have to prove a point that we have been training and we are an upcoming team who can blow people out of the water. I do have a fear of injury since it has been so long since we last competed. The only hope is to stay healthy and

not have any problems.”

Tucker does not think COVID will bring the team down.

“At the beginning of the season, it was hard,” Tucker said.

“We won’t let it bring us down though. We’re not letting it control our training. I know we are going to kill this season.”

2020 Christmas Light Displays in Arkansas

Lights of the Ozarks in Fayetteville Downtown Square Nov 20 - Jan 1

Downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas will be decorated with over 1,000,000 holiday lights. Stroll or drive down historic Bathhouse Row and don’t forget to tag @visithotsprings in all your posts!

Sherwood’s Enchanted Forest Trail of Lights at Sherwood Sports Complex Nov. 20 - Dec. 30, from 6 p.m-9:30 p.m