Mar. 16, 2011 by Arkansas Traveler

Hogs Start Spring Pratice Page 5

PAGE 1 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011

Filling the Vacancy

Long Searching for Next Basketball Coach

Vol. 105, NO. 24 UATRAV.COM

JOHN PELPHREY by the Numbers

Record in 4 Seasons 69-59 Record against SEC Opponents 16-35 NCAA Tournament Appearance 1 (2008) ESPN Rank for 2011 Recruiting Class 4 Scholarship Players Suspended in 3 years 10 Pelphrey’s Buyout over 3 years 1.8 Million Buzz Williams, Marquette by JIMMY CARTER Sports Editor

On-court struggles, declining revenue and waning fan support revenue outweighed the promise of a highly-touted recruiting class for Arkansas’ basketball program. Coach John Pelphrey was fired Sunday afternoon by Vice

Mike Anderson, Missouri

Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M

Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long, after compiling a 69-59 record and one NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons. The Razorbacks went 18-13 this season, finishing fourth in the Southeastern Conference West Division and missing postseason play for the third

consecutive year. Now the search begins to find the Hogs’ new head man. Long has a short list of candidates and would like to make a hire around the April 2-4 Final Four, he said. “I certainly have some people in my mind that I think would be a great fit for us, but that process

is just beginning,” Long said. “It’s difficult to assess a timetable.” Missouri coach Mike Anderson, Marquette coach Buzz Williams and Minnesota coach Tubby Smith are among hot names identified by national

by MATTIE QUINN

year, and not necessarily limit the amount of people that can come to the parties, but just make the number more manageable. We also want to work with UAPD more this year, just to make sure we are on the same page and make sure the alcohol situation is under control as well.” Maintaining safety, especially during the hectic atmosphere of ROW Week, has been a focal point for Greek life this semester. Originally short for “Recruit Orientation Week,” ROW Week is now a multi-day social event often featuring big-name concerts for students.

Courtesy Photo

Greek Life Promotes Service, Prepares for ROW Week Staff Writer

GARETH PATTERSON Staff Photographer Two members of the Chi Omega sorority reenact a famous Saturday Night Live skit from the 1990s. They performed during the 2011 Kappa Delta Shamrock Talent Show in the Verizon Ballroom of the Arkansas Union on Wednesday, March 9.

see BASKETBALL on page 3

After some disciplinary problems in the 2009-2010 school year, leaders in Greek Life pushed a more positive image to the rest of the UA. “People think we party a lot, but we also do a lot of good that people don’t see. With ROW Week, which is really the only big social event we have left this semester, we are really working to make it a safer place, as cliche as that sounds,” said Daniel Kleine, president of Interfraternity Council. “We want to work to make crowd control better this

“Our risk management officer, Derek Moore, has been busy leading risk management efforts this semester and spreading risk management and safety tips to organizations in preparation for ROW Week. Co-Public Relations officers Shawn Merriss and Garrett Johanssen are in the process of creating risk management posters to market the prohibited items, behavior and guests at IFC functions,” said Parice Bowser, director of Greek Life. “This was an initiative the officers proposed as a way to communicate to people who may be

entering the houses for a function who are not members of the fraternity what is expected of them as guests. The posters will be displayed soon, in time for ROW Week events. “ However, parties are not the only thing IFC members have been focusing on this school year. “We have been trying this year to collaborate more with the different chapters if one chapter has a really good idea for a philanthropic event,” Kleine said.

see GREEK on page 2

Students Feel Impact of Earthquake UA Adds December by SABA NASEEM Staff Writer

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan Friday, followed by a massive tsunami, leaving more than 10,000 people dead or missing, thousands homeless and millions without water, power, heat or transportation, according to reports in The New York Times. Miles away, aftershocks of the earthquake could be felt in the hearts of international Japanese students at the UA. “I still can’t believe it,” said Yuta Yoshida, an international student from Hyogo, Japan. He saw the news online around 2 a.m., and his first reaction was that it wasn’t serious. “Japan has many earthquakes that are more than a 6.0 magnitude,” he said. “So I didn’t think much of it until, after a couple hours, I saw the tsunami wipe out many towns.” His family and friends live far from the disaster area and are safe, he said. The epicenter of the earthquake was near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, 231 miles northeast of Tokyo. It was followed by more than 50 aftershocks, many of them greater than a 6.0 magnitude on the

Richter scale. “It was the biggest earthquake I’ve experienced. I was really scared,” said Asato Sekimoto from Tokyo, in an email interview. The next day she “passed a difficult night,” she said. “I could not sleep because of the aftershocks.” The earthquake triggered the “formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfed entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like toys,” according to CNN reports. UA international student Hiroyuki Sonoda, an international relations major from Shizuoka, Japan, said he immediately called his family after hearing the news and learned they were safe, but could not get in contact with his friends. “They (his friends) live in the Tohoku region, which was the pinpoint area of the earthquake,” he said. “I finally talked to them and they are safe. They said there was a lot of furniture broken in their homes.” Three UA students are studying abroad in Japan, but all of them far from the affected areas, said DeDe Long, director of the Office of Study

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011 VOL. 105, NO. 24 UATRAV.COM

Graduation Option by SABA NASEEM Staff Writer

MCT CAMPUS There were 16,000 inhabitants of the village of Minami-Sanriku before the tsunami hit. Now, more than half of them are still missing. Abroad and International Exchange. “Two of the students are in Osaka, Japan, and one student is in Matsue, Japan, and they are all safe,” she said. “Routinely, when there is any kind of event like this, we will email the students or get on Facebook to check with them to confirm that they are safe.” A UA journalism student, Yukiko Morikubo, had recently returned to Japan to look for a job. She was in Tokyo at the

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THURSDAY 75°

time the earthquake hit, and reported Friday that she and her family were safe, according to her Facebook page. This is the most powerful earthquake recorded in Japan’s history, according to media reports. Figures for recovery are an estimated $180 billion, according to initial estimates by European banks Credit Suisse

see JAPAN on page 3

FRIDAY 74°

WEEKEND 70°

UA officials have decided to add a December all-university graduation ceremony for students who graduate in August or December, a university official said. “We know that student enrollment is growing and we wanted to provide an opportunity for students to graduate at different times,” said Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. There will be an estimated 23,000 students enrolled in the fall semester, she said. This decision also comes in response to student demands voiced in an Associated Student Government student poll. More than 70 percent of students polled supported a fall commencement ceremony, while approximately 28 percent said they did not, according to the ASG poll. There were 2,276 respondents. “This reinforces the great relationship that we in ASG have with administrators that we can go to them with results like this and know that they will take them seriously,” said ASG President Billy Fleming. “It allows us to bring them data to show what students, en masse, want.”

Students also responded, however, that they did not want to pay additional fees for the graduation ceremony. Out of 1,633 respondents, less than 5 percent said they would definitely pay additional fees, 23.76 percent said “probably yes”, 44.27 said “probably no”, and 27.01 percent said “definitely no”, according to the poll. Money to pay for the fall commencement will not come out of student fees, Gaber said. There is a certain amount of money allotted for a graduation budget, which includes costs of the stage and lighting, she said. Money from that budget will be used toward the December graduation. Before making this decision, UA officials ran numbers to estimate how many students would participate in this ceremony using last year’s numbers. “Last year, there were 1,600 students who graduated during the August and May dates. By our estimates, even if half of them decided to walk, we would have 800 students,” she said. The December commencement will be an alluniversity ceremony. Vari-

see GRADUATION on page 3

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011 PAGE 2

PROFILES FROM THE HILL A Conversation with Kaleb Cox by KRISTEN CAPPOLA

Q: How did you feel when you became president?

Kaleb Cox became the new president of Resident’s Interhall Congress after the president and vice president stepped down from their positions in January. With politically active mind, Cox is tackling a quadruple major, double minor course load. He recently returned from a trip with the Economics special topics class to the nation’s capital, and he cannot come close to deciding which sport he likes better — soccer or tennis.

A: At first I was really surprised. When you’re third in line for the presidency, it’s really surprising if it ever happens. I’m really excited. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to do it.

Staff Writer

Q: How did you choose the UA? A: I’m from Missouri, so I applied to a lot of the schools in this region and in the Midwest. Financially, it was the best decision. I’m an Honors College Fellow. When I came down here for the fellowship interview weekend and I saw all of the opportunities that were available here – opportunities for study abroad, research, and student government – it just really sold me. Q: How did you end up being promoted to president? A: I was the president protempore, so I was the head of the Senate. Constitutionally, if both the president and the vice president vacate their seats at the same time, my position moves up to president.

GREEK from page 1 “The week of ROW Week we are going to have an IFC cookout and all of the proceeds will benefit different philanthropies. We want everyone to have fun, but in a safe way.” Collaboration was a common theme with the different councils of Greek life. “We’ve been trying to communicate more with the different councils, IFC, National Panhellenic Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council, and also communicate more with the different chapters within NPC,” said Sarah Gibson, president of NPC. “We are expecting recordbreaking numbers of girls for rush this fall, even more than this past year, so communication within the different chapters is key. We need to make sure we are all on the same page in dealing with numbers this large,”

Q: What initiated your interest in RIC? A: I got involved in RIC my freshman year. When I got to college, I just really wanted to be involved in student government. It was something I wasn’t involved in during high school, but I had always thought ‘when I get to college, I want to be involved in this.’ I got involved in my hall senate, and then from there, I got involved in RIC. At the end of my freshman year I ran for the position of president pro-tempore and held that position for a year and a half until I moved up to president.

the extra responsibilities of being the president. [I attend] lots of university committee meetings and have increased contact with the advisors. Q: What is something you particularly like about being involved in student government? A: I really like it when people have these programs that they’re really passionate about, have planned out and really want to put on, but financially they don’t have the means to do that. Being in an organization that has the ability to help these people do what they really want to do and make a difference in their lives is really awesome. Being in this kind of politics has always been really intriguing to me. Q: What did you do while in Washington D.C.?

A: Before, as president protempore, I was head of the Senate, so I was in charge of legislation, creating agendas and in the executive meetings I spoke as the voice of the Senate body. Now that I’m the president, I’m coordinating everyone’s roles, checking in on everyone, plus

A: The UA sent a delegation to the first model Asian Pacific Cooperation Conference. It’s by the same people who run the Model United Nations. It was an awesome experience. We ended up winning distinguished delegation. We represented Japan and in the simulation each of us was broken up into different committees. In each of our committees, we tried to draft these resolution working papers in order to address a lot of the problems in the Asian Pacific region. Then at the end, after we’d passed

she said. “I like to think of NPC as the federal government, and the different chapters within NPC are like the state government. We want to be there for them in making sure they have everything they need to function.” National Panhellenic members also decided to focus on a different kind of goal for the school year that Gibson hopes will be helpful for girls in Greek Life. “Girl empowerment has been a big goal for the school year, and learning how to just say ‘no’ to things. Girls these days run themselves so thin, and they never have any time for themselves,” Gibson said. “Girls take on so much responsibility, and if you think about it, in the course of a day when do you ever have time for yourself? “We want to promote that it’s okay to stand up for yourself and take time out for yourself. When I brought up

the idea of having a goal be girl empowerment, I thought people would shut down the idea, but I got a really good response from it.” National Pan-Hellenic Council, UA’s historically black council of sororities and fraternities, also looked to change things up this year. “For our alumni week we typically have a step show, but we decided this year to have a fashion show instead just to try something new and because we were tired of doing a step show every single year” said Clarice Montgomery, president of NPHC. “We got clothes donated from Belle Boutique, Maude, Something Urban and other clothing stores around Fayetteville. We had participants from IFC and NPC, and we raised about $3,000, so it was a success.” Montgomery also wanted the focus of the school year to be about improving grades.

Q: How has your role in RIC changed now that you’re the president?

all of these reports, we developed it into a comprehensive report, and then we read it before the entire conference body at large. Q: Does your major involve politics? A: Yes, I’m majoring in history, Spanish, international relations and European studies. I have minors in political science and economics. Q: Are you interested in getting involved with politics after you’re done with your degrees? A: Maybe eventually. I worked on a congressional campaign this summer. I was the office manager. My candidate ended up losing, but it was an awesome experience. After I graduate, I want to get my law degree and hopefully practice law for a few years. When I’m older or middle aged, I would love to get involved in politics. Q: Have you always had high ambitions for your future? A: I never really thought about it before. I didn’t think that was a high ambition. I just thought that I was supposed to keep going and go as high as I could until I finish what I want to accomplish. “We have an ‘A’ jar, where if you get an A on a test or paper you can put your name in a jar. We have drawings sporadically and the winner gets a gift certificate to different places around town, like Walmart. We thought this would be a good way to reward chapters and keep striving for excellence,” Montgomery said. “Even though we are the smallest council, we do a lot of work on campus, be it through programs, scholarships or community service.” Even though Greek Life is seen as a fun activity on campus, Kleine wants to make sure students don’t get carried away, so disciplinary issues don’t arise again. “We want to above all push Greek Life, especially IFC, in a new light. We have a lot of fun and that’s great and to be expected, but we really want to make sure that we keep our priorities in order,” Kleine said.

ABOUT THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER The Arkansas Traveler, the student newspaper at the University of Arkansas, is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring academic sessions except during exam periods and university holidays. Opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Traveler. The editor makes all final content decisions. One copy of The Arkansas Traveler is free to every member of the UA community. Additional copies can be purchased for 50 cents each. Mail subscriptions for delivery within the continental United States can be purchased for $125.00 per semester. Contact the Traveler Business Manager to arrange.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011

JAPAN from page 1 and Barclays. This number is more than 50 percent higher than the total cost of the earthquake in Kobe, Japan, in 1995. Countries around the world are helping with relief efforts. “They are sending money and offering words of encouragement to the people,” Yoshida said. “I think the Japanese people are reacting very calmly to this situation. The crime has not increased dramatically and people are respecting each other. They are even making lines in food stores and are trying to keep order and peace.” He is impressed and proud of the Japanese people, he said. The UA community has reached out to students, offering their condolences and

BASKETBALL from page 1 media as early possibilities for the vacancy, although Smith said he plans to return to Minnesota on his weekly radio show Monday night. “We’ll be going after highquality candidates and many of those candidates will be involved in the NCAA Tournament,” Long said. “We won’t talk to those folks until after they’re done with NCAA play. The typical timeline is sometime around the Final Four. If a candidate became identified and we could move quicker, we certainly would.” The new coach will be the fifth in the last decade, including Dana Altman’s one-day stint as coach. The program struggled in former coach Nolan Richardson’s final seasons and has made just three NCAA Tournament appearances since Richardson was fired in 2002. “I think Arkansas, to me, is one of the top-tier jobs,” former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson said. “To me, it’s a major, major college job. What other people see it as now, I

GRADUATION from page 1

words of comfort. “Many Japanese students are feeling helpless because they are so far from their country, so they need the support of their fellow classmates,” said Tatsuya Fukushima, associate professor of Japanese. His family is from Yokohama, Japan, and they emailed him to let him know that they were safe, he said. “I have received so much support and I can’t tell you how much the Japanese community here appreciates the thoughts, condolences and prayers of the city of Fayetteville and the UA students, faculty and staff,” he said. “They have been wonderful to us.” Students on campus are also working to raise money. ASG Senator Raven Cook is working to create a new Registered Student Organization for

the purpose of collecting donations for the tsunami relief, she said. Ideally, Cook would like to collaborate with other groups and put cans all around campus to collect money, she said. “I believe it is important because there is such a large amount of devastation and people have lost so much,” Cook said. “Compassion, encouragement, and love are what is needed right now and I will work tirelessly to let people know that that the UA is a part of the efforts to help Japan.” The Japanese Student Association and Holcombe Hall Senate are also organizing a food sale for 5 p.m. on March 30. All donations will be sent to the Red Cross to support emergency relief and recovery efforts.

ous colleges and schools will not be holding individual ceremonies as they do in May. The first fall-semester commencement ceremony will be at 9 a.m. on Dec. 17 in Barnhill Arena. This ceremony is for undergraduate, graduate and law students who receive their degrees in August or December. “I think this is great for the university and for students because students shouldn’t have to wait to receive their diplomas,” Gaber said. “Most of our peer institutions have more than one graduation and this better meets the needs of our growing student population.”

don’t know.” Anderson was an assistant at Arkansas for 17 years under Richardson, helping lead the Hogs to a national title and three Final Fours from 1990-95. He was hired at UAB in 2002 after Richardson was fired. Anderson is now at Missouri and has led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, including the Elite Eight in 2009. “I would not give him any advice,” Richardson said about Anderson’s coaching future. “Mike’s a man and he can make his own decisions. All I would tell him, ‘Whatever you want to do, I’m on your team. You’re my guy. Do what you think your family deserves and needs.’” Anderson is coaching former college roommate Paul Pressey’s two sons, Matt and Phil. Matt is a junior and Phil is a freshman. “I’m sure that will be very important in his decision-making,” Richardson said. “He’s very loyal person, so there’s no question that will play an important role in his decision.” Smith is 467-198 in 20 seasons as a head coach and won a national championship at Ken-

tucky in 1998. He has coached at Minnesota the last four seasons, compiling an 80-53 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances. The Golden Gophers started strong this season, but lost 10 of their final 11 games to finish the season 17-14 and miss the postseason. Smith responded “Yes, I do” when asked Monday on his radio show if he expected to return to Minnesota. Williams is 65-32 in three seasons at Marquette with NCAA Tournament appearances each season. Money will be an issue in the hire. “Money is an object — anyone who says it isn’t would be irresponsible,” Long said. “As the athletic director, I have analysis on what we can afford to pay. I think we’ve built a program that is going to be more desirable to the next coach than maybe it was when coach Pelphrey took over. We know that we can have a great basketball program and win at a high level here. “We understand that to go out in that marketplace, we have to be prepared to meet the marketplace demands for a coach

that has the background to forecast success here at Arkansas.” Long won’t use a search committee, he said. “I will involve those that I trust and that have opinions I appreciate,” Long said. “I’ll seek those people out, but we’re not going to have a formal committee, except for myself and my internal staff. As I go through the search, if I feel like I need someone to assist me, I won’t hesitate to do that.” The new coach’s top task will be trying to keep the consensus top-10 recruiting class Pelphrey signed intact. Three of the five commitments are in-state prospects. “You very much want to approach this in two different positions,” said Dave Telep, ESPN national recruiting editor. “You want to hire the best coach possible — then do it in a timely fashion so he can have an opportunity to reclaim this class. Every day that goes by that you don’t have a head coach is another person recruiting these guys.” The class is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Scout.com, No. 5 by Rivals.com and No. 7 by ESPN.com.

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EDITOR: Bailey Elise McBride MANAGING EDITOR: Mille Appleton

FROM THE BOARD With spring break only a few days away, students are scrambling to finish homework and pack for warm weather excursions. It’s no different here at the Traveler. From the Vegas Strip to the South by Southwest festival in Austin, many of our editors and staff members are gearing up for a week of stressfree fun, filled with good food, music, shopping and outdoor activities. But for some of us, it’s not all about self-indulgence. Managing Editor for New Media Lana Hazel, is traveling to Belize with her church as a translator. Throughout the trip, they will be working at a clinic and helping to build local infrastructure. The UA’s Alternative Spring Break is hosting several trips this year that give students an opportunity to take an active role in serving our state. They will be traveling to Southwest Arkansas to work with community groups and area youth and Helena, Ark., to train high school seniors to build computers. They will even host a three-day camp that focuses on “girl empowerment,” in which students will assist in developing curriculum, leading lessons, playing games and leading team building activities. Other editors, such as Nick DeMoss and Mille Appleton, will spend their Spring Break week slaving away on their theses, as will many other honors students on our campus as they prepare for their thesis defense in the coming months. One thing we find ourselves disappointed in is the closing of Mullins Library during the break. Although library staff obviously deserve a break too and the university has stated that the closing is due to a planned power outage, this closing comes at an extremely inconvenient time for many of our students, who will now have to decide between the pitfalls of trying to study at home or the issues of finding another location to study. Regardless of what your Spring Break plans might entail, make sure to stay safe and try to do something worthwhile, be it academic- or service-oriented. While we’re not knocking sunbathing on the beach or catching up on some much needed sleep, we would like to encourage you to use your Spring Break to get involved in your community and give back in some way. Whether it be volunteering at a local homeless shelter or lending your elderly neighbor a hand, there’s always a way to get involved. And for those of you working on your thesis, stay strong— in the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

LETTER TO THE EDITOR As members of the Associated Student Government Parking and Transit Committee, we often hear students complain about seeing non-UA-students riding on Razorback Transit buses, especially if the riders exhibit a lack of hygiene or abnormal behavior. What many students do not realize is that Razorback Transit only receives about 25 percent of its funding from student fees. The remaining 75 percent of funding comes from state and federal tax dollars. In a sense, the general public has just as much right to use the bus system as we do. As long as individuals are non-hostile and non-threatening, all students should demonstrate a hospitable attitude to all other riders, regardless of what profile they represent. Many who are considered “homeless” are simply utilizing the bus system to get to work, run errands or visit friends and family like the rest of us. With the United States recovering from the recession, the job market still amok, and oil prices continually rising from the democratic uprisings in the Middle East that have threatened oil supplies, the Razorback Transit bus system is a savior for many of these individuals who either lack a car or lack the funds to use their car on a continual basis. It is imperative that University of Arkansas students reflect a welcoming mind-set to these individuals. Next time you’re on the bus, ignore that text or email, lay down the newspaper and reach out to these fellow riders. Interact with them. You could quite easily brighten their day, relate to their situation and gain a new appreciation for the blessing that is higher education. MIKE NORTON Written on behalf of the Associated Student Government Transit and Parking Committee

Children Should be the Priority by Sarah Creasman Guest Writer

In 2008, President Barack Obama wasn’t the only one to score a monumental victory — 57 percent of Arkansans also won when they voted in favor of the controversial “Unmarried Couple Adoption Ban,” despite widespread opposition. The ban makes it is illegal for any individuals cohabiting outside of a valid marriage to adopt or provide foster care to minors. In April 2010, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Chris Piazza overturned the bill, arguing that it “infringes upon the fundamental right to privacy guaranteed to all citizens of Arkansas.” He said that the bill specifically targets an “unpopular” group and that a desire to harm that group was no basis for a legitimate governmental interest. On March 17, the Arkansas Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments for an appeal to Piazza’s ruling and the eyes of the nation will surely be upon us. I think it is unlikely the ban will survive because it is well settled in Arkansas that public morality is not a valid reason to infringe upon the personal liberties of the individual citizen. If a law were to infringe upon these liberties, it must advance a compelling state interest such as the welfare of children.

EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR OPINION EDITOR NEWS EDITOR

Bailey Elise McBride Mille Appleton Samantha Williams

Nick DeMoss The Arkansas Traveler welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be at most 300 words and include your name, student classification and major or title with the university and a day-time telephone number for verification. Letters to the editor can be sent to traveler@uark.edu. Letters are edited for grammar and length, not content.

The exclusion of an entire group of people should immediately signal potential injustice. By prohibiting adoption by unmarried cohabitating people, an irrefutable presumption is set in place that it is in the best interest of a child to live with married parents. Uniform discrimination is a generalization that most likely contains many exceptions. For example, one of the plaintiffs involved in the case was the biological grandmother of a twomonth-old child in foster care. She was prohibited from adopting her grandchild because she resided with her partner of 11 years. While the legislation claims it does not affect guardianships, plaintiffs include married couples that desire to place their children with trusted family members in the event of their deaths. However, plaintiffs say the bill would preclude those family members who happen to be in a cohabitating relationship with someone of the same or opposite sex from adopting. Glaring inconsistencies should also serve as a warning. It is puzzling that the ban continues to allow single individuals to adopt when it advocates that children are best served in a family with married parents. Arguably, cohabitating heterosexual couples are not what the policy is trying to avoid, because why would two otherwise qualified adoptive parents be worse than one?

It is hard to find a justification for this when the supporters of the ban have continuously emphasized the importance of a two-parent home. It might be helpful to know that before the “Unmarried Couple Adoption Ban” was drafted, the Arkansas Supreme Court struck down a broader regulation that prohibited anyone from serving as a foster parent if any adult member of the household was a homosexual. Supporters of the ban say that unlike the previous proposed regulation, the new policy “eliminates the element of singling out gays and lesbians because of their sexuality” because it includes both heterosexuals and homosexuals. That might be the case, but in Arkansas heterosexual couples have the option of marriage while homosexual couples do not. Focusing solely on the sexual orientation of potential adopters is not an effective way to address the startling number of foster children in our state. While sexual orientation and marital status should be taken into account, factors like income, education, mental health, religion, and family structure should be equally important when considering an adoption decision. During a detailed evaluation process, a cohabitating relationship should not preclude an otherwise qualified couple from adopting — especially when the alternative is adoption by no one.

Sponsor of Bible Bill Goes Too Far Across the Aisle Samantha Williams Opinion Editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

Opponents and supporters alike have agreed that the measure appears to target homosexuals. The Family Council Action Committee even released a flyer saying that the bill “blunts the gay agenda.” The FCAC’s website claims that “common sense” says the best place for a child is with a married mother and father, while opponents argue that the policy defies common sense to exclude a cohabitating couple from adopting. Research and studies offered by both sides of the aisle offer little help in explaining what our “common sense” should be in this context. Both have accused one another of distorting and misrepresenting valuable information. What may be most unnerving is that opponents and supporters of the bill claim to serve the same goal — the best interest of the child. Despite the conflicting research, common sense tells me that children in need should be placed in suitable homes, and reducing possible homes for those children is illogical. According to The Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime, a non-profit Christian organization that focuses on foster care initiatives, there are about 3,500 children in Arkansas’ foster care system at any given time. Additionally, The C.A.L.L. estimates that there are about 7,000 children in foster care in Arkansas within a year, with only about 950 foster families available to care for these children.

What do you get when you mix Christianity, America’s founding fathers and an Arkansas legislator that doesn’t believe in the separation of church and state? A new bill that would allow Bible classes in public schools, that’s what. Rep. Denny Altes, R- Fort Smith, is the sponsor of House Bill 1032, which would permit public schools to offer “nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, culture and politics.” On March 9 he was scheduled to present the legislation on the House floor but opted to send the bill back to the House Education Committee, which has already endorsed the measure, to clarify that new curriculum standards would not be required by the state Board of Education if the bill passes.

Instead, schools would find curricula that are already available and if they choose to adopt one they would subsequently submit it to the state Board of Education and have it approved. Proponents of educational Bible classes point out that some school districts already offer similar courses and abide by the procedures proposed by Altes. This bill would simply make the policy law. The rebuttal, offered by organizations like the Arkansas Civil Liberties Union, is that while the bill’s stated intentions are to encourage the teaching of religion, Altes’ motives appear to be to the contrary. The legislation, they argue, doesn’t say anything about studying other sacred books outside of Christianity. “The Bible is the oldest, the most popular, the most accurate history book on the face of the earth,” Altes said. Many Americans agree with Altes’ assumption, but there are also many Americans who do not agree that the Bible should be taught as a history book. “They say — not me, but other people — say we need a separation of church and state,” Altes said. “This nation was founded on Christian principles and most of the founding fathers

were Christians.” Beside the startling revelation that one of our elected officials does not agree that there should be a separation of church and state — a core principle of American democracy — it is all too apparent that Altes’ strong convictions are seeping into policies that could affect thousands of Arkansas school children and disrupt the foundation of our nation. His statement that the U.S. was founded on Christian principles is troubling and used far too often as a way to legislate religious doctrine to further one’s agenda. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” is explicitly written in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The words “In God We Trust” were not adopted as the official motto of the U.S. until 1956, nor was the phrase “one nation under God” added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1955. While arguably several of the founding fathers practiced some form of Christianity, many were deists or, like Thomas Jefferson, opposed organized religion. Having fled from oppressive regimes that used religion as a tool to control the public, the founding

fathers knew that it was imperative that religion be entirely separate from government. While Altes might be correct in his belief that Christian principles have driven our nation since its inception, this is no reason to completely demolish the constitutional liberties guaranteed to us by the First Amendment. I agree with Altes that religion should be taught in schools. However, it should be taught as a way to help students understand the historical implications resulting from various world religions, not just Christianity. It is nonsensical to only offer classes that focus on the Bible while totally dismissing all other religions of equal importance in the global community. Some will argue that these Bible-based courses are optional, but that is not the issue. The issue is that students should be receiving a well-rounded education that is not grounded in religious doctrine or personal, spiritual beliefs. Altes’ view that the Bible should be regarded as both a literary work and a historical text is perfectly acceptable, but it should remain just that — a personal belief. It should not be used to undermine the real principles of our nation, which is religious freedom.

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SPORTS EDITOR: Jimmy Carter ASST. SPORTS EDITOR: Zach Turner

PAGE 5 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011

BASKETBALL

FOOTBALL

Recruits Take Wait-and-See Approach Offensive Line by JIMMY CARTER Sports Editor

Arkansas’ new head coach will have the chance to inherit a talented team his first season. Much of that will hinge on the new coach’s ability to keep John Pelphrey’s consensus top10 recruiting class intact. The five commitments signed letters of intent in November and the Razorbacks’ new coach will have an opportunity to convince the signees to honor their commitments. The class is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Scout.com, No. 5 by Rivals.com and No. 7 by ESPN.com. “I guarantee you the new coach will leave his press conference, get on the Hog jet and go see every one of those guys that day,” said Dave Telep, ESPN National Recruiting Editor. “Those guys are the most important facets of the Arkansas program and they will be addressed immediately following the introductory press conference.” Three of the commitments are in-state prospects — Little Rock forward Aaron Ross, Lepanto guard Rashad Madden and Jonesboro forward Hunter Mickelson. The trio played AAU basketball together for the Arkansas Wings the last three summers. The class headliner, five-star St. Louis point guard B.J. Young, has family ties to the Little Rock area. “The rules are a little bit different with this specific class at Arkansas,” Telep said. “It’s very much an in-state class. You’ve got a group of kids (Ross, Madden and Mickelson) that won an AAU national championship together. There’s some natural ties binding this class together that will work in Arkansas’ favor.

Top Head Coaching Candidates

Mike Anderson

Tubby Smith

Current Job: Missouri 2010-11 Record/Postseason: 23-10, No. 11 seed in NCAA Tournament Record at Current Job: 111-56 (.665) in 5 years, 3 NCAA Tournament appearances Career Record: 200-97 (.673) in 9 years (UAB, Missouri) Notable: Arkansas fans’ top choice for job...assistant coach at Arkansas under Nolan Richardson for 17 seasons...led Missouri to 31 wins and Elite Eight in 2009...employs up-tempo, pressing system dubbed “Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball”

Buzz Williams Current Job: Marquette 2010-11 Record/Postseason: 20-13, No. 11 seed in NCAA Tournament Record at Current Job: 65-32 (.670) in 3 years, 3 NCAA Tournament appearances Career Record: 79-49 (.617) in 4 years (New Orleans, Marquette) Notable: Known as a strong recruiter...signed highly-ranked class in two seasons as Billy Gillispie’s recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M...signed the No. 1 class in the nation in 2009, according to HoopScoopOnline.com...the Golden Eagles have been competitive in the rugged Big East

Questions Abound by ZACH TURNER

Current Job: Minnesota 2010-11 Record/Postseason: 17-14, no postseason Record at Current Job: 80-53 (.602) in 4 years, 2 NCAA Tournament appearances Career Record: 467-198 (.702) in 20 seasons (Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota) Notable: Said he plans to stay at Minnesota on his Monday radio show...Won a national championship in 1998 at Kentucky...17 of 20 teams have won 20 or more games...Golden Gophers lost 10 of final 11 games this season to miss postseason for first time in Smith’s four years

Gregg Marshall Current Job: Wichita State 2010-11 Record/Postseason: 24-7, No. 4 seed in NIT Record at Current Job: 77-54 (.588) in 4 years, 0 NCAA Tournament appearances Career Record: 271-137 (.664) in 13 years (Winthrop, Wichita State) Notable: Led Wichita State to two NITs and one CBI appearance in four years... led Winthrop to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in nine years, including the second round in 2007

Assistant Sports Editor

Arkansas has holes to fill as spring practice starts this week. Quarterback Ryan Mallett left early for the NFL Draft, but junior Tyler Wilson showed he could lead the team in stellar performances against Auburn and Ole Miss last season. The offensive line is another area the Razorbacks have holes to fill. Three starting linemen that protected Mallett last season graduated. “Obviously it is a concern,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said about the offensive line. “We are losing two kids who were seniors and played a lot

of ball for us, but I think we have recruited well.” Arkansas returns its starting center in 6-foot-5, 305-pound sophomore Travis Swanson, as well as starting strong guard Alvin Bailey. Both Swanson and Bailey started all 13 games last season for the Razorbacks, who finished 10-3 with a loss to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. The biggest question mark heading into spring practice is “no question the offensive front,” coach Bobby Petrino said. “Our huge challenge is who is going to be our starting five on the offensive front,” Petrino said.

see FOOTBALL on page 6

Mark Turgeon Current Job: Texas A&M 2010-11 Record/Postseason: 24-8, No. 7 seed in NCAA Tournament Record at Current Job: 97-39 (.713) in 4 years, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances Career Record: 250-158 (.613) in 13 seasons (Jacksonville State, Wichita State, Texas A&M) Notable: Has gone to the second round of the NCAA Tournament first three seasons at Texas A&M...led Wichita State to the 2006 Sweet Sixteen...only Larry Brown and Roy Williams, both at Kansas, won more games their first three seasons in the Big 12

“They’re obviously good with each other because they’re coming to the same school, so I would have to say that this is an

advantage in trying to keep this recruiting class intact.” The three in-state commitments will wait to see who the

new coach is.

see BASKETBALL on page 6

GARETH PATTERSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Replacing three graduated starters on the offensive line is one of coach Bobby Petrino’s main goals in the spring.

SOFTBALL

OLYMPIC SPORTS

Softball Struggles in SEC Gymnastics Stumbles

Entering SEC Meet

by MEGAN HUCKABY Staff Writer

After finishing an up-anddown nonconference season that included a surprising upset of then-No.1 UCLA, the Arkansas softball team returned to Fayetteville to begin Southeastern Conference play with high expectations. The Razorbacks were swept by No. 24 Auburn in their first SEC series last weekend, getting outscored 16-2 by the Tigers. “Right now we are in a little bit of a funk,” Arkansas coach Mike Larabee said. “The only thing you can try to do is try to stay as positive as possible and work hard and hope it all clicks. I don’t have a magic formula, but we can’t be negative. We have to make sure we aren’t finger pointing and blaming people. We just have to come together as a team. “I know what we are capable of doing, we just aren’t getting it done at that level right now.” Arkansas (9-15, 0-3 SEC) was on the road for 21 games before opening SEC play, finishing its nonconference season 9-12. The Razorbacks had tough losses

by BRANDON HOWARD Staff Writer

GARETH PATTERSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Hope McLemore and Arkansas beat No. 1 UCLA, but were swept by Auburn to start SEC play.

against ranked opponents Oregon, Michigan and Louisiana-Lafayette. Arkansas has nine newcomers Larabee is trying to mesh with the returnees. Sophomore transfer Linnea Ketcher and five true fresh-

men start. “We are a young team,” Larabee said “This is going to be a year

see SOFTBALL on page 6

After three straight wins, Arkansas’ gymnastics team finished the regular season with a loss at No. 18 Denver. The Razorbacks were edged out 195.725-195.70, breaking their hot streak prior to competing in the Southeastern Conference championships. Denver got a break early when Arkansas had two falls on bars to open the meet and took the momentum to post a 49.45 on the floor, the third highest score in the country. Arkansas took the lead late, but the early stumbles kept them from holding on to the win. “Having a fall on bars kept us tentative early,” Arkansas co-coach Rene Cook said. “Contrary to that, we got aggressive and finished the meet strong. I was happy with the way we finished the meet.” Junior Jamie Pisani and freshman Katherine Grable performed

well, but fresh faces grabbed some spotlight for Arkansas in the meet. Pisani won the all-around for the fourth consecutive week, while Grable won beam and tied for the vault title. In just her first vault event of the season, sophomore Amy Borsellino scored a 9.8 and set a career high 9.875 on floor. Two other underclassmen, freshman Shelby Salmon and sophomore Jordan Salsberg also performed well. Salmon had a career high 9.8 on beam and Salsberg tied her career highs in beam and floor. “We came back pretty strong in the meet,” Cook said. “With the Southeastern Conference Championships coming up, I don’t see any residual effects from this loss.” Arkansas (7-4, 5-1 SEC) tied for the regular season SEC Championship. The team will travel to Birmingham, Ala., Saturday for the SEC Championship. There are five top 25 teams in the SEC, with three in the top 10, but Arkansas has faced a tough schedule.

Arkansas will have faced 16 opponents ranked in the top 30 by the end of the SEC Championships. “I look forward to getting out there,” Cook said. “It’s going to be a big meet for not just our conference, but for our national ranking for the national championships. I’m ready to get started.” Men’s Track Struggles at NCAAs Arkansas’ men’s track team didn’t get expected results at the NCAA Indoor Championships, struggling to finish 22nd. The Razorbacks finished strong when they hosted the Southeastern Conference Championships, but couldn’t carry that momentum onto the road. The Hogs started the meet off with a fifth-place finish Friday, but struggled the rest of the weekend.

see OLYMPIC on page 6

COMMENTARY

Pressure On Long to Make Name Hire Extra Points

JIMMY CARTER jicarter@uark.edu

Jeff Long thinks Arkansas will attract a top-tier coach to replace John Pelphrey. He better be right, for his sake. Arkansas has been Exhibit A of how not to handle a basketball program for the last decade. Long has a chance to change that streak of ineptitude, during

which the program slipped from one of the nation’s elite to an alsoran in a bad conference. Pelphrey didn’t get it done on the court the last three seasons. I won’t argue that he did and neither will anyone else. Missing the postseason three consecutive years doesn’t fly at a program that made the NCAA Tournament 22 times in 28 years under Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson, including four Final Fours and one national championship. There’s a good chance Pelphrey was about to turn the corner, though. He had inked a consensus topfive recruiting class in November, one he hoped would catapult Arkansas back into contention on a

national level. The incoming recruits would have put the Hogs back into competition with Kentucky at the top of the SEC. Long fired him before he got a chance to coach them. Arkansas hasn’t had a lot of instate talent the last decade. This year Pelphrey signed top-100 instate recruits Rashad Madden, Aaron Ross and Hunter Mickelson to go along with five-star B.J. Young and highly-touted Dallas forward Devonta Abron. A lot of people say Pelphrey wouldn’t have had success with the class based on his track record. He took the only talented team he had at Arkansas — his first — to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008, the only time the Razorbacks have advanced

past the first round in the last 12 years. The incoming class meshed with Rotnei Clarke and the Hogs’ other returnees would have made that Arkansas roster more talented than any since Nolan Richardson left. The influx of talent could have started a run of success. There’s a good chance that roster will never take shape now. Pelphrey did struggle. The Razorbacks played hard this season, but they just weren’t a very talented team. Turn on the TV and watch Kansas or Duke. The talent disparity between a top program and the Hogs will amaze you. That was about to change. Arkansas has settled for midmajor coaches with its last two

hires and if Long can’t get a name coach or keep the recruits, Razorback fans will be grumbling in two years when they see B.J. Young tearing it up somewhere else. This has all the makings of another instance where Hog fans end up saying, “What if?” The onus is on Long to make a good hire. The job is more attractive than when Pelphrey took it. There aren’t any glaring personnel problems or a cumulative team GPA less than 2.0. Long is a competent athletic director to work under. Arkansas was in the process of Frank Broyles stepping down as AD when Pelphrey was hired. Chancellor David Gearheart is unquestionably better than former

chancellor John White. If Bill Self or a coach like him wanted to take the job now, Long and Gearheart would be smart enough to accept. The situation has been improved. The new coach will get an opportunity to try to keep the stud recruiting class. If Long strikes out, hires another Pelphrey and the Hogs lose their recruiting class, it will be just the latest setback in a decade-long march toward insignificance. Not that Long won’t make a good hire. After all, he’s the one who wanted Jim Grobe and Tommy Bowden before Bobby Petrino fell in his lap. Jimmy Carter is the sports editor for The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every other Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011 PAGE 6 from BASKETBALL on page 5 “Us three are on the same page, we’re going to wait and see,” Mickelson said. “It’s not a decision about whether I need to up and leave or anything like that. It’s more to see the new coach they get it, how he runs stuff and his style of play. It’s probably more of that than anything. “I don’t know about B.J. and the out-of-state guys. I probably will listen if other coaches call, but there’s obviously really no point in anybody calling because it’s not really about me leaving, it’s about me seeing who the new coach is.” Messages left for Young and Dallas forward Devonta Abron were not returned. The lure of the in-state players staying together is still big, Mickelson said. “That’s one of the big factors that got us to commit under Pelphrey, to play on the same team” Mickelson said. “We already know how each other plays, the ins and outs. There wouldn’t been an adjustment

period. Speaking for me, I think it’s pretty attractive.” Hiring a coach by the time the Final Four ends is a reasonable timetable, Telep said. “If I were the athletic director, I would reach out to those kids and stress the timetable of the decision-making process,” Telep said. “As difficult as this is for fans to understand, the goal is not to retain every single one of those recruits. That would be an amazing byproduct. The goal is to hire the best name coach for Arkansas.” Long will keep the recruits up to date during the hiring process, he said. “I will follow up with them in the very near future,” Long said Sunday. “We’re concerned about those young men. We hope that they will remain committed to us. That will be the job of the new coach to meet with the student athletes when he’s hired. Our process will just be to try and keep them informed, let them know they’re still very much wanted here at the University of Arkansas. “We will reach out, be in communication with them and answer any questions they have.”

Madden, Young and Ross led their high school teams to state championships Saturday, while Mickelson’s Jonesboro squad lost in the state title game. Pelphrey was fired the next day. “It was a real surprise to me,” Mickelson said. “There had been rumors about it for a little while, but I brushed them off as rumors. Then he called me yesterday and I found out he had been let go. It was pretty tough. I was really hoping for him to be able to stay on and be the coach for the four years I was going to stay there.” Pelphrey called the recruits after he met with Long and was dismissed Sunday afternoon. “I’ve told them the University of Arkansas was the best place for them for however long and I still believe that,” Pelphrey said. Retaining all five commitments would be an impressive accomplishment for the new coach, Telep said. “There’s a realistic chance that the class could fall apart,” Telep said. “Right now, college coaches are hitting up the people around the inner circle of these recruits. That’s the cannibalism of college basketball.”

from FOOTBALL on page 5 True freshman Brey Cook and junior college transfer Jason Peacock are listed as costarters at offensive tackle on the pre-spring depth chart. Cook was heralded as the Razorbacks most-prized recruit for the 2011 class. Cook, a Springdale native, attended Har-Ber High School was ranked the No. 5 offensive lineman, according to ESPN. com. “He is a really quick learner,” Petrino said. “I think that is the thing that stands out. He is physically ready to go and mentally very sharp so it will be a unique situation for me because I have never had a guy that came

from SOFTBALL on page 5 that we can get experience.” The win against UCLA has been the high point of the season. “They were the No. 1 team in the nation and I think we went into that game with a very strong desire to win,” Larabee said, “We made plays that we needed to make and got some timely hits.

from OLYMPIC on page 5 “I’m certainly disappointed with our finish,” Arkansas coach Chris Bucknam said. “We had much higher expectations than that. I thought our No. 3 ranking and how well we competed at the SEC championships was legit, but it just wasn’t our weekend.” Despite the tough finish, there was some positive news announced after the meet. Arkansas produced 18 All-Americans, many for athletes competing in multiple events. Some notable first-team members are Tarik Batchelor, Chris Bilbrew, Neil Braddy, Marek Nitt, and Ben Skidmore. Batchelor, a junior, achieved All-American status in the longjump and triple-jump, finishing fifth overall in the long jump at the NCAAs. Bilbrew, a senior, led the way for the 4x400 meter All-American team comprised of teammates Braddy, Nitt and Skidmore to finish third. “We have the horses,” Buck-

in during January and is a true freshman and line up with the 1’s (starters).” Cook graduated one semester early from high school, enrolled at Arkansas and will participate in spring practice. Peacock, who transferred to Arkansas from Citrus County Community College in California, is also an early enrollee for spring practice. “The one thing that stands out about Jason is his eagerness to learn,” Petrino said. “He is very very coachable and tries to do the things the coaches are telling him.” Senior tackle Grant Freeman, senior guard Grant Cook and sophomore tackle Anthony Oden will also compete for playing time on the offensive line.

Last season, Freeman played sparingly at tackle. Cook rotated often at guard with starter Bailey. Oden left school last fall due to mononucleosis but enrolled back into school in January and was reinstated on the team. The Hogs also need to replace Love and Dominguez’ leadership. “I don’t feel like anyone has really taken over the O-Line yet,” Petrino said. “Maybe that is because there are so many questions, but I would like to see more from guys like Swanson and Bailey, guys that have played a lot of football around here.” Arkansas’ spring practice started Tuesday and will culminate with the ESPN-televised spring game April 16.

Layne McGuirt and Kim Jones played at a very high level.” The Razorbacks finished second in the Holiday Inn Emerald Beach Islanders Classic after topping the Bruins in the first game of the tournament. “For a lot of us it was a great honor it was fun playing the defending national champions,” sophomore pitcher Hope McLemore said. “That win gave us

confidence that we could do anything.” Larabee is in his second season with the Razorbacks. He led the team to a 28-29 record last season. After a double-header Wednesday against Kentucky, Arkansas will hit the road again for a nine-game stretch that includes a series at Alabama and the Border War with Tulsa and Oklahoma State.

nam said. “We’re proud of all those individual honors. But the kids will tell you as well that we went down there to win as a team.” Arkansas has a quick turnaround with the outdoor season starting on March 25 with a meet at Austin. The Razorbacks will be in a head-to-head meet between them and Texas and UCLA. “We have a meet in less than two weeks,” Bucknam said. “But the kids will get a much needed rest to catch up on classes and sleep off the last meet.”

cal official questioned her spikes right before the meet, and it totally interrupted her mental concentration.” The sophomore was stopped just before her race started because of an issue about her spikes damaging the track surface. However, there should not have been any question because she had the emblem of approval already given to her by NCAA officials. Brown was noticeably distraught afterwards and Harter brought the issue back up with the head officials. “We ended up going back to the original official,” Harter said. “She had already approved them and we needed to let her know that a local official had overstepped his bounds. What’s worse is the BYU athlete who won the event had the same spikes implemented and was never bothered after being checked-in.” Arkansas had a positive finish heading into the Stanford Invitational March 25-26, which will kick-off the outdoor season. “We had a great meet and did a great job,” Harter said.

Women’s Track Shows Out The Arkansas women’s track team only took All-Americans to the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships and brought back a fourth-place finish. The Razorbacks missed a few points early and had some problems with officials, but exceeded their point expectation. “Stephanie Brown had big problems with her spikes,” Arkansas coach Lance Harter said. “She had been approved from the outset by an NCAA official, but a lo-

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LAUGH IT UP Man: “Doc, I’ve hurt my arm in several places.” Doctor: “Well, don’t go there anymore!”

Q: What does an old folks home smell like? A: Depends.

THAT MONKEY TUNE Michael A. Kandalaft

WONDERMARK David Malki!

BREWSTER ROCKIT Tim Rickard

CALAMITIES OF NATURE Tony Piro

CROSSWORD ACROSS

1 Muddy stuff 5 Fallback option 10 Pinochle calls 14 Bounce, as off a canyon wall 15 Margaret Mead’s island 16 Tom Joad, for one 17 Tool that can extract nails 19 Princess played by Lucy Lawless 20 Spanish song 21 Surprise “from the blue” 22 “Get Smart” evil agency 23 Silky sweater 25 Bard of boxing 27 It’s poured into an iron at breakfast 34 They may be outsourced 37 King with jokes 38 Keebler cracker 39 Oral health org. 40 Aerialist’s apparatus 42 Pictures on the wall 43 Back biter? 45 “Without a doubt!” 46 Mars’ Greek counterpart 47 United Kingdom currency 50 Heavy drinker 51 Tranquilize 55 Plastic user’s concern 58 Words of woe 62 Autobahn autos 63 Length times width 64 Fur bartered by Native Americans 66 Highlands dagger 67 “Bye for now” 68 “I did it!” 69 High school skin problem 70 Idyllic spots 71 Sources of iron

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FEATURES EDITOR: Lindsey Pruitt ASST. FEATURES EDITOR: Erin Robertson

SIFE Rebuilds Mama Dean’s

Andrew Hagood STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

David Noudaranouyong and Michael Miller hang a metal Razorback sign as they work on renovations at the restaurant Monday night. The two members of the UA SIFE committee are working with fellow members to help improve the restaurant’s business. by ANDREW VAN GENDEREN Staff Writer

Meneria Morrison never knew how big her family business would grow when she first started cooking for crowds. “I started in my kitchen and things got too big, and I’ve been here ever since.” Mama Dean’s is run by Morrison and her family who jointly founded the restaurant in May 2007. Since then, they have become a staple of the Fayetteville community, serving up hearty, generous portions of downhome soul food to hungry locals. Mama Dean’s serves not only paying customers — all of whom get a lavish home-style meal for

less than $10 – but also those who can not pay. Every Sunday at 3:30 p.m., Mama Dean’s opens its doors and feeds the hungry and homeless, free of charge. “We put the poster outside, and they know they can come right on in,” Morrison said. “Be good to everybody, that’s all anyone can do.” Morrison’s passion is not just making food, but serving people. She finds great reward in serving others in such a tangible way, and has built her entire life around that vision. She has lived a remarkable life — she is one of 16 children, a foster mother and a restaurant owner. “If I ever win the lottery,” she said, “I’m gonna build a

soup kitchen, if they let me.” Recently, however, the restaurant has had serious conflicts with the Internal Revenue Service for not filing statements correctly and making payments on time. It was shut down by the IRS in 2010 for outstanding taxes. The situation looked bleak — the company’s finances were a wreck, their building was falling apart and an entire family was facing bankruptcy. It appeared that this family, devoted as they were to meeting the needs of the impoverished, might join the ranks of the homeless. But a drive today down south School Avenue, where the restaurant is located, reveals it now to be alive and vibrant. The rea-

son for this lies primarily in the ambition of UA junior Brianna Turner, director of special competitions for Students in Free Enterprise, or SIFE. Turner’s leadership is a major part of the reason that Mama Dean’s is now back on its feet and prospering – this time for the long run. “We reached out to Mama Dean’s in the past to promote healthy business practices,” Turner said. “We went in and paid their bills. We made a desk system, office system, way of paying bills. We showed them how to pay their waitresses, how to account for tips, how to keep accurate records. Everything.” Reaching out this time meant more than cleaning up the family’s financial records. The building itself had its own share of problems as well. SIFE volunteers took on extensive electrical, roofing, plumbing and lighting problems and were able to repair or replace much of the outdated or faulty equipment. All this took place during mid- to late-February, amid the chaos of the postice storm scheduling issues. As a result, a project that was initially scheduled to take a month had to be completed in less than two weeks, leading to the endeavour’s nickname, “The Mama Dean’s 10-day project.” Staff worked 12-hour days during snow days, and 8-hour days most others. “Boy, they were great,” said Morrison. “I appreciate what they’ve done for us. People don’t help each other anymore. You’ve got to help from the heart.” “We still have ‘Mama Mondays,’” Turner said. She and other SIFE students check on Mama Dean’s each week to make sure

see SIFE on page 10

Students Take Advantage of Spring Weather

Andrew Hagood STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students gather with friends on the grass near the Greek Theater to enjoy the warm weather. Popular activities include napping in self-strung up hammocks, studying, picnicking and hanging out.

Two Students Transform

Safety into Style

Contessa Shew STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Sarah Noland makes Ozark Survival Bands, handmade bracelets that can act as a safety measure while out in the wilderness. They are $10 each and can be ordered through the Ozark Survival Bands facebook page. by ALEKSANDR HALL

Contributing Writer

Two UA students have found a way to make survival gear trendy and even profitable. Andrew Gibbs-Dabney and Sarah Noland, the creators of Ozark Survival Bands, have established a small but growing company that makes custom-fitted, hand-crafted parachute cord accessories right here in Fayetteville. “I started out shopping for one. I had seen them on the Internet, and read about them in survival magazines. My girlfriend saw them and said she could just make one; so she made one for me. I got a lot of comments from friends and family, and they started asking for ones of their own. We’ve mainly sold them to friends and family, but then we had about five or six people that had requested them online through our Facebook page. That’s the way it started,” Gibbs said. Stylish accessory or life saving survival tool? Why not both? The standard bracelet is made with 10 feet of 550 paracord. “The test breaking strength is 550 pounds, meaning that tiny little rope can support up to 550 pounds,” Gibbs said. “Whatever application you may have, the paracord is there for you.” First and foremost, Gibbs said, paracord is a survival tool. “When you’re camping, or in a survival situation, the two most important things you could have is fire and rope. A buddy of mine was kayaking and he got stuck, so he had to jump out and he used his unwound survival band to pull it back to shore,” Gibbs said. An interesting feature of

the paracord is that it has eight intertwining strings on the inside that give it a high level of tension resistance. “There’s eight intertwining strings, and I’ve heard of people taking the inner strings out and using them to latch things to a backpack, like tourniquets or even fishing line,” Gibbs said. The cords also come in a variety of colors. Bracelets are $12 for a single colored band or duel toned band. “Double colors look amazing,” Gibbs said. The bands can also be customized in length. “Most of the bracelets are generally 10 feet in length, but we can special order a 15-foot one on request,” Noland said. “Someone that’s survival conscious could want more rope.” And if you’re looking for something other than bracelets, Gibbs said that’s also available. “It’s a rapidly growing endeavor, so we’re considering expanding into doing leashes, collars and key ring lanyards.” The prices have yet to be decided, but, Gibbs added, “If someone wants a collar or leash, all they have to do is ask and we’ll make it.” The business couple takes one dollar from each sale and contributes it to charity. “That was one of our main ideas on how to give back to the community, and to Arkansas. If we’re gonna be in a position to help, we definitely want to take advantage of that opportunity,” Gibbs said. “The possibilities are endless,” Gibbs said. To purchase an Ozark Survival Band, or for more information, visit the Ozark Survival Bands Facebook fan page.

American Aquarium Introduces Fayetteville to Modern Country Music by Brady Tackett Staff Writer

Subtlety is not a hallmark of modern country music, but don’t tell American Aquarium. The Raleigh, N.C., band smuggles vengeance and black humor into otherwise formulaic country songs. The sextet has released about an album a year since 2006, and in that time they’ve accumulated glowing reviews and many more tour dates, including March 25, at George’s Majestic Lounge. The band dabbles in irony. It’s no coincidence that band leader BJ Barham sings about the inner turmoil of an alcoholic over the sunny, loping chords of “Ain’t Going to the Bar Tonight.” Conventional country songs like these, with clunking honky-tonk piano and warm organ swells, are ideal for sardonic lyricists.

But more often, Barham is passionately sincere. A video posted to the band’s Facebook page finds the singer stunned and giddy when his voice is drowned in the mass of people singing his words. He embraces it, steps back from the mic and continues. “Moments like the one at 5:14 are why I love what Im doing,” the band wrote above the video. In another live video, Barham prefaces a song with a vitriolic account of a high-school romance that went south. The three-minute episode ends with Barham grinning, saying, “thanks to her, I write ****ing songs and drink a lot. This song’s for her, she can go **** herself.” It wouldn’t be country music without binge drinking and scornful women, and that certainly is the case with this group, except that Barham’s drinking songs are really about women, too.

“I ain’t going to the bar tonight, ‘cuz I heard you were back in town,” goes the song’s punch line. That sort of subtle despair echoes throughout most American Aquarium songs. Barham tells bitter love stories in one-liners: “She come up through like a hurricane at midnight,” and “She fights fire with gasoline,” and, channeling Bob Dylan, “She ****s like a woman, but she loves like a little girl.” The women in these songs aren’t just mean; they’re “rattlesnakes,” “wasps” and “hurricanes.” Barham, in a nasally Southern drawl, peppers the songs with intense profanity. This leaves the group in an interesting dilemma – too coarse for the Country Music Channel, but too commercial for fans of Mumford & Sons. At some point, the band will have to choose. For now, they are a fascinating and often thrilling contradiction.

Courtesy Photo

American Aquarium will play George’s Majestic Lounge at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 25. Brody Buster and Kory Montgomery Band will also perform. Tickets are $7.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011 PAGE 9

Summer Break Motivates Students To Get Fit by Emily Potts

Contributing Writer

UA students who want a toned, summer-vacationready body can get into shape with simple diet and exercise before the end of the semester. Rather than starting a crash diet or participating in daylong gym visits, a few simple tips and tricks can give students the results they want just in time for this year’s summer fun. Students can get motivated to perfect their bodies naturally through simple exercise and safe dieting. Kate Brown, community director and International Sports Sciences certified fitness trainer for DailyBurn. com, gave UA students a few easy ways to get into shape before pulling out this year’s summer wardrobe. “Getting into shape in the spring is a great way to start a healthy lifestyle makeover,” Brown said. “It’s a great time to ditch the bad habits of overeating and hibernation that we accumulate over the winter.” Rather than waiting until finals week to begin a workout plan, starting in the spring allows students to lose weight and tone their bodies slowly and safely and can motivate students to keep a year-round regulated workout plan. Instead of viewing getting in shape as a once-a-year commitment, students can use the workout plans by Brown year-round to maintain a healthy body and mind. Exercise will help students in the classroom, too. “Getting in shape for summer is not only good for your body — it is also great for

your mind. Exercising will help you concentrate more during class and eating nutritious foods like almonds, salmon, cocoa powder and berries can lift your mood and improve your memory,” Brown said. Brown’s easy workout plans found on DailyBurn. com can be done in a gym or a dorm room, so students have no excuse to skip the quick and easy 15-minute work-out. “Three exercises that are excellent for a quick workout are body weight squats and walking lunges for butt and thigh toning, side plank pushups for shoulders and arms and Russian twists for toning the stomach,” Brown said. Through working out five days a week and cutting out processed foods such as sugar, students can lose several pounds before heading into the summer sun, Brown said. Students not only have to keep a regimented workout to tone up before summer, but also need to consider cutting back on fast food consumption to get maximum results. “Diet and exercise go hand in hand. Exercising for hours a day will not compensate for eating junk. Eating nutritious foods will not only make you feel better during the day, but you’ll have more energy to workout harder,” Brown said. So instead of giving in to weight loss pills and cutting enojoyable foods out of your diet for the next few months, Brown suggests a simple solution. “Cut the crap out of your diet, work out and increase your intake of fresh foods to lose weight safely and quickly.”

Russian Twists

Side Plank Push Up Assume a pushup position, and keep your arms straight. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. As you push yourself back up, lift your right hand and rotate the right side of your body as you raise your hand straight up over your shoulder until your body forms a T. Return to plank position. Reverse the move and repeat, this time rotating your left side.

Body Weight Squats Stand with your feet hip width apart. Cross your arms in front of your body. Keeping your weight on your heels bend your knees and lower your hips down. Keep a neutral back and do not let your knees go past your toes.

Walking Lunges Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lift your chest up and look straight ahead. Position your right leg forward in a long stride. Your foot should be far enough in front of you so that when you bend your right knee, your thigh and lower leg form a right angle. Slowly bend your knees, lowering your hips so your rear knee just clears the floor. Pause briefly in this position, then slowly straighten your legs and raise your body back up to a standing position.

Secure your feet either by placing them under something that won’t move or by having a partner hold them. Start in the position shown above, leaning slightly back and clasping your hands in front of you. Moving only at the trunk, rotate to one side. At the end of your range of motion, quickly reverse the movement and rotate to the opposite side. Repeat in a rapid fashion for the full number of reps. You can also hold a weight or medicine ball to increase the difficulty. Courtesy Photos Descriptions Courtesy of DailyBurn.com

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011

‘A Genesis Found’ Indie Film

Is Homegrown Moviemaking by CARA TURBYFILL Staff Writer

Lee Fanning of Wonder Mill Films will be hosting a showing of the film “A Genesis Found” at the UA campus Thursday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. Fanning is an Alabamabased independent filmmaker and a founder of Wonder Mill Films, which he began in 2006 with his partner Benjamin Stark, according to a press release. “A Genesis Found” is their first feature. The story, which intertwines history and prehistoric Alabama, centers on the discovery of a skeleton which is neither human nor animal, found and then buried by Civilian Conservation Corps Cadet John Patton Jr. in 1938. Decades later, his grandson Gardner must come to terms with certain remnants of his grandfather’s life, including the skeleton, which he considers to be a possible link between God and man. The film, which is billed as “Do-It-Yourself ” Indie, is a “fresh and exciting example of Southern homegrown

moviemaking,” according to the press release. Wonder Mill Films has opted to avoid the traditional festival release of the film in hopes that the more personal approach of a tour and the regional flavor of the film will encourage more people to become interested in the DIY Indie filmmaking model. “The industry is definitely growing in the South,” Fanning said. “So there’s already support for making films here. What we hope to encourage, though, is the perspective that films can be more than just a product of an ‘industry’; each is a carefully constructed expression, and as such are colored by where they are made. Just as others advocate foreign films, we advocate regional films as a viable alternative to studio or bigger ‘indie’ films. “Even a domestic film from an under-sung region can be as culturally enlightening and provide as fresh a perspective as a film from another hemisphere,” he said. Fanning, who travels around showing the film,

hopes that even non-genre viewers will be attracted by the traditional but unique management of the adventure/mystery plot and the regional appeal. His accounts of the tour can be found on his blog, http://sonofarkie. com. The tour has visited more than a dozen universities since last fall, according to the film website, including other members of the South Eastern Conference such as the University of South Carolina and Auburn University. The film will be shown in the viewing room in the basement of Mullins Library, room 104, and will be open to the public. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and a question and answer session will follow the showing of the film. The showing is free and, the first 50 people in the door will receive a free promotional DVD, but seating will be limited. Copies of the DVD of the film itself will be available for sale after the showing. More information, including a trailer of the film, can be found at the film website, www.agenesisfound.com.

Judges Deliberate on Science Fair

Contessa Shew STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The 2011 Northwest Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair and Northwest Arkansas Regional Junior Academy of Science took place in the Union on March 11. Judges deliberate as they view the numerous entries for the fair. from SIFE on page 8 everything is going well. “We talk to them about their goals and what they want to do with the money they save,” said Turner. And SIFE is not planning to rest on laurels of the great efforts they devoted to Mama Dean’s. “Ultimately, we have a three-year plan with them,” Turner said. “We are an organization that thrives on sustainable projects. We do not get into projects just to accomplish them and say we are done.” SIFE is an international organization that works with students to develop sustainable practices and business solutions. They received two $1000 grants from Sam’s International this past year to undertake this project, and the results

have exceeded expectations. “You wouldn’t believe all the things that happened,” Turner said. “It was amazing.” Brian McCaster, junior international business major, did physical labor. “I think that, if not now, then definitely in the future, they will be able to function better,” McCaster said. When asked whether she thinks Mama Dean’s will find long-term success, Turner is confident. “I know they will. Anyone that talks to them realizes that it is tear jerking. They are thankful for anyone that helps them,” she said. And the reward goes both ways. “It’s really humbling to help,” Turner said. “They’re helping me. They think that we are helping them, but they don’t realize how many hearts they touch just from being there.”