ADAMS, HOGS HEAD TO TEXAS
PAGE 11 PAGE 1 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2010
Vol. 105, NO. 8
Dickson Parking Policy Changes by SABA NASEEM Staff Writer
Two months ago, Emilia’s Kitchen on Dickson Street would have been crowded with costumers at noon. Now, however, the restaurant caters to emptiness and silence as lunchtime comes and goes. “Lunches on Dickson have been quiet for a while now,” said Sara Lusher, an owner of Emilia’s Kitchen. To fix this problem, the Fayetteville City Council decided to alter the paid parking ordinance, extending the time of free parking to 2 p.m. This went into effect on Oct. 1. Under the original ordinance, parking was 50 cents an hour during the day, $1 an hour at night, and free between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. The altered ordinance allows free parking from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. This decision comes after many business owners on Dickson protested the new parking rules. Profits were down 40 percent street-wide, according to the owners. There has been a noticeable difference, Lusher said. “To tell you the truth, I don’t even want to know
the exact numbers of our loss,” she said. “It was a good theory, but it’s not working well at all.” There is much confusion about parking, she said. They did not consider handicap parking and people are always asking questions about where they can park and where to pay. Many restaurants have lost their regular customers who are eating elsewhere in protest. “A lot of people think they are hurting the city when they go other places, but they’re actually hurting the businesses they want to save,” Lusher said. “We’d be better off if we just shut the door and opened at five - that’s how bad it is.” Stores that have their own parking lots on Dickson have also been hit hard by the new regulations. People who don’t want to pay for parking are now parking in the Collier Drug Stores lot, creating a problem for costumers who want to park. “I’ve complained to the
see PARKING on page 3
UATRAV.COM
Parking by the Numbers 12 hours of free parking - 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. 40 percent profit loss for business owners so far 50 cents per hour during the day 1 dollar per hour at night Ben Flowers CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER The nearly empty Walton Arts Center parking lot serves as an indicator of business on Dickson Street. Now that all parking on Dickson is paid, business owners say their profits have diminished.
67,500 dollars made by the city during one month
UA Alum Wins Playboy Fiction Writing Award by KRISTEN COPPOLA Staff Writer
COURTESY PHOTO- PLAYBOY ENTERPRISES
UA alumna Meagan Mulholland was awarded $3,000 as the winner of Playboy magazine’s annual College Fiction Contest for her piece “Woman, Fire, and the Sea.” In addition to winning the money, her work is published in the October 2010 college edition of Playboy.
Students at the UA have received honors for their work before, but never quite like UA alumna Meaghan Mulholland, a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts program this past spring. Mulholland is the 2010 winner of Playboy magazine’s annual College Fiction Contest with her short story “Woman, Fire and the Sea.” She was given $3,000, and her story is published in the October 2010 College issue of Playboy. “[The contest] has been a part of that college issue for many years now, and it is one of the only contests of its kind that just allows college students to express their creativity and write fiction and
be able to have the chance to be published in a national magazine such as Playboy magazine,” said Steve Mazeika, the junior publicist for Playboy Enterprises, Inc. Mulholland beat out 500 other submissions with her fluid writing style and the strong theme of her story, Mazeika said, which is tagged as “A tale of multiple misunderstandings set on the French Riviera.” Mulholland entered the contest while at the UA for the opportunities it provides and the magazine’s track record of publishing upstanding literature, including works by Kurt Vonnegut, author of “Slaughterhouse-Five.” Mulholland is using the award to get her work into the hands of readers and to help her continue writing her novel.
“I’ve been working really hard on my book for the past few years, and the writing life can be so solitary and full of angst, so it’s nice to have a moment of recognition like this,” Mulholland said, “[The money] is going to help me to keep working on my novel for a while, now that I’m done with grad school.” There was no lack of support or encouragement felt by Mulholland from her professors or advisors at the university while she prepared and perfected her entry or after winning the contest. “They were really pleased [when I won]. They’ve all been wonderfully supportive throughout my whole time in the writing program,” Mulholland said. “My winning this contest is in part a testament to the fantastic faculty in the UA’s MFA
program, especially Molly Giles, Skip Hays and Ellen Gilchrist, who’ve really helped my writing to improve. I’m so grateful for the lessons they’ve taught me.” Playboy, however, does have a reputation for things other than literature, and both Mazeika and Mulholland are well aware of that fact. “We always like to tell people there are great articles as well, in addition to the women that we have. We just try to have a wide variety of different editorial content,” Mazeika said. “Playboy has a long tradition of publishing great writing, but I do get a kick out of picturing people like my parents and in-laws asking for the magazine at the
see PLAYBOY on page 5
With Cold Weather Come Winter Blues by JACARA ROBINSON Staff Writer
Pat Walker Health Center officials have designated October as Mental Health Month. The primary goal of mental health month is to “educate the general public about the realities of mental health and mental illness,” according to Mental Health America. Though officials have few events planned, event director Susan Rausch said that it is because “self-awareness
month can be self-defeating”. Mental health is an issue year-round and focusing on it in just October wouldn’t be right, she said. A candle-light vigil with the theme of “changing attitudes, changing lives,” will be take place to advocate for people in need of mental health services and the impact that they have on their families and communities Oct. 10. Also on tap is a full-day seminar to train law enforcement officers to deal with mentally ill people in serious situations. There
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2010 VOL. 105, NO.8 UATRAV.COM
will be a student health fair in the Union ballroom Oct. 21 that will focus on all aspects of health, and flu shots will be available. There are a number of things that occur to affect student mental health during the winter months,” said Patricia Petretic who practices in the UA Psychological Clinic. Seasonal affective disorders, which mostly affect those in northern states, stem from lack of sunlight and extended nights. Some people are more susceptible to this be-
WEATHER FORECAST
TODAY 77°
THURSDAY 81°
cause of genetic predispositions. There are things like family history that make people more vulnerable to the change in light. As the days get shorter students become more vulnerable to depression, Petretic said. Petretic also thinks that the problem is that when students get further in the semester there is more stress for and more exams, she said, not so much the weather or less light but there
see HEALTH on page 3
FRIDAY 82°
WEEKEND 78°
Jessica Palmer CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Susan Rausch is a health educator at the Pat Walker Health Center. She served as president of the Northwest Arkansas chapter of Mental Health America and co-chair of the University of Arkansas’ campaign to promote the tobacco-free campus policy.