Oct. 13, 2010 by Arkansas Traveler

1,800 More Tickets for Snoop Dogg Oct. 15, Noon osa.uark.edu PAGE 1 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

Vol. 105, NO. 9

Confused to the Core

UATRAV.COM

by KRISTEN COPPOLA Staff Writer

Students in Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences may soon be experiencing changes in their required course load. Faculty in Fulbright will vote to change the core requirements Thursday, Oct. 14. If passed, the core would shrink from 66 credit hours to the same 35 credit hour core accepted by the rest of the colleges within the UA. These potential changes are raising varied reactions not only among the faculty and students, but also among state legislators. The reason the curriculum change is drawing so much attention from outside the university is because of state legislation known as Act 182, which was passed in the 2009 session. The act, also known as the Roger Phillips Transfer Act, will allow students who transfer into a four-year institution with an associate’s degree to fully apply the courses toward a bachelor’s degree. The controversy centers around the differing interpretations of Act 182 by officials at the university, who feel that the act mandates changes to the core, and state legislators, most notably Sue Madison, who believes that changes in Fulbright core and the act are completely separate. “It’s to provide that seamless transfer,” Madison said, “I’ve been very vocal on this issue because memoranda keep coming out from the university that say, ‘We have to do this because of Act 182. We have to change our core in Fulbright College.’” “There’s core revision; there’s state mandate, and then there’s how we deal with that,” explained Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, about why the act requires change to the core. “Act 182 says you can’t require a student coming from a two-year school into a four-year school to take additional lower-division credit hour courses.” A main subject of turmoil is subsection C of the act, which states that it “does not remove the requirement that a transfer student must meet total baccalaureate degree program credit hour and course requirements.” “That section C means students still have to meet the degree credit

Confusion about state legislation regarding the core graduation requirements in Fulbright College has created friction between UA officials and state representatives. Sen. Sue Madison contends that Act 182 does not require the core to be changed, but some members of the Fulbright College think differently, fearful that a reduced core would compromise the overall quality of education. Photo Illustration Photo by Maggie Carroll

see CORE on page 5

Nuclear Plant Draining UA Funds by SABA NASEEM Staff Writer

Although the Southwest Experimental Fast-Oxide Reactor (SEFOR) has been deactivated since 1972, the University of Arkansas continues to pay anywhere from $25 to $50,000 a year to maintain the plant. The money comes from the overall university resources budget, said Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities. The money is used to keep the plant intact, secure and is used for the salary of a parttime employee who keeps an eye on the area. SEFOR was constructed for the U.S. Atomic Energy

Commission in Strickler, Ark. in 1969 to test the feasibility of breeder reactors in the production of electricity. “It was a pilot test facility to demonstrate whether liquid metal could be used for power generation,” Johnson said. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, General Electric, European nuclear agencies and 17 independent electric companies built this plant, where the experiment was conducted until 1972. It was then deactivated and given to the University of Arkansas in 1975. “At the time, it was thought by people in the university that the reactor

could be used for teaching purposes for students studying nuclear engineering,” said Dennis Brewer, associate vice provost for research and economic development. “As far as I know, it was never used for that purpose and has no purpose now.” Despite having “no purpose”, the UA still maintains the plant. “I think its good stewardship from the university,” Johnson said. “We do not want it to become contaminated.” Although radioactive material was removed from the site, it still contains residual radiation and chemicals. This radiation, however,

is contained and does not pose a health risk to the population around the plant, said Jared Thompson, program manager for the radioactive material at the Arkansas health department. The health department makes sure that the site stays contained. Once decommissioning begins, their job is to oversee the site and make sure all materials are handled safely and within federal regulations, he said. The UA has proposed a $26 million plan to the Department of Energy for

by MIKE ROACH

advance, and are paid for by tickets sold to the general public, as well as a student fee per credit hour that is included in tuition. The increase in enrollment this year means that there is more money available to the committee to bring in even bigger acts. “There’s definitely a little more money in the pool to bring an act like Snoop Dogg,” Flanagin said. “But in the scheme of things he wasn’t any more expensive than The Foo Fighters, or anyone else that we’ve brought.” “It takes a whole lot more to put on a show than what people think,” Flanagin said. “Let’s say we brought Snoop Dogg in and paid him $100,000. If he doesn’t bring his own mikes, stage and security and all of

Snoop Dogg Coming to Barnhill Staff Writer

Courtesy Photo Rapper Snoop Dogg will take the stage in Barnhill Arena Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. for this year’s fall concert, put on by the Headliner Concert Committee. The 5,000 free student tickets were all claimed within about four hours of their release.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010 VOL. 105, NO.9 UATRAV.COM

see SEFOR on page 3

Ben Flowers Contributing Photographer SEFOR, Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor in nearby Strickler has been owned by the University of Arkansas since 1975. The University continues to spend around $50,000 a year to maintain this facility, but hasn’t used it since 1986.

Every semester the Headliner Concerts Committee tries to bring a big name act to campus, and this semester is no different. Sunday, Oct. 24 students and non-students alike will have the opportunity to see Snoop Dogg at Barnhill Arena. “Headliner Concerts Committee is purely big-name headliner concerts,” said Scott Flanagin, director of communications and outreach for the division of student affairs. Started three years ago, the committee has brought acts such as The Foo Fighters, John Mayer, T.I., The Roots, Third Eye Blind and O.A.R. Concerts are free to students who procure tickets in

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that, okay well now you’ve got to also purchase all of that… There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.” Students wishing to get involved in the Headliner Concerts Committee can apply in the spring for the following school year. “Its work, people might think we get to go to the show for free but you may be running backstage, and never get to see the show,” Flanagin said.

For past concerts, students have had to get their tickets at the Arkansas Union, which led to people having to camp out the night before tickets were available. “We’re trying to find something that works a little bit bet-

see CONCERT on page 2

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010 PAGE 2

PROFILES FROM THE HILL

A Conversation with Political Analyst Janine Parry by JORDAN GRUMMER Staff Writer

Janine Parry, an expert on state politics, grew up in Washington before eventually making her way the UA. She is an associate professor of political science and the director of the Arkansas poll which supplies voters in the state with timely, unbiased information. She has written several books and has been published in numerous academic journals, and in 2008, she was appointed to a three-year term as co-director of the Teaching and Faculty Support Center Q: What initially led you to the field of political science? A: I come from a family that reads the newspaper and is interested in discussing all kinds of political things. My parents are teachers, so informed debates were something that was super important to our house hold. That said, actually my intention was to be a reporter and a columnist. That was what I wanted to be probably from a freshman in high school. I switched when I was practically a senior in college. I switched to political science because a professor took an interest in me and told me about political science and about how one became a professor which I really didn’t know. And I was good at school so I just kept doing that. Q: What are some interesting political trends that are happening in America right now? A: Obviously there’s a lot of anxiety about the economy. That’s having political implications so at least right now it looks like Barack Obama is going to be the next Herbert Hoover. There are some who would argue that Obama is trying to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt and George W. Bush was Hoover but because the turnaround has been so slow, it’s obviously having massive political implications right now. It’s the party in power that gets charged with responsibility, so that’s what we see happening. Q: What’s your take on the Tea Party Movement? A: It’s not novel; it’s not new. During times of economic cri-

CONCERT from page 1 ter,” Flanagin said. Monday, Oct. 10 at tickets will were available through www.osa. uark.edu. From there students clicked link that led them to another site where they must enter a promo code and can re-

sis people feel vulnerable, and that makes them feel angry so they find ways to take action. I think that many of the leaders would argue that they are some kind of original political philosophy, but I think if you looked at them in a broader historical context, if you look at their ideas and their origins, one sees a pattern. And it’s perfectly natural and expected. People need to, I guess, literally let off steam.

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.

Q: What are some of the more intriguing races in Arkansas this year? A: There’s a lot going on. About two-thirds of the states have their important state level elections in the years that are not presidential elections, and what students might be interested in knowing is turnouttends to decrease significantly because there are no presidential candidates on the ballot. It would be a grave error to think that means nothing important is going on. There’s a lot. Certainly in Arkansas, the race that’s getting the most attention is the U.S. Senate race where the incumbent on the Agriculture committee. [Blanche Lincoln] looks like she might get shown the door by the voters in a tough climate for Democrats, and that’s significant. If she is defeated, and it looks like the odds are pointing towards her defeat, that’s significant for Arkansas because it would be only the second Republican victory in a U.S. senate race since Reconstruction. A lot of people don’t know this, a lot of people who live here don’t know this, but Arkansas along with Louisiana remains the most thoroughly Democratic state in the South.Is it unusual for Arkansas to be what most people would call a conservative state but they have Democratic congressmen. There have been many efforts to explain that apparent dichotomy. But I think the first thing you have to consider is you want to be careful not to conflate party with ideology. So in Arkansas a good many Democrats who run for and win elected office are quite conservative or at least, on what often happens, to some extent they’re fairly conservative on social issues but they’re liberal on economic issues. They are serve one ticket per student ID. Students can pick up their actual tickets on Oct. 14 between 8 a.m. and 5p.m., at the Connections Lounge in the Union. They must however bring their ID card. Tickets that are open to the public will go on sale Wednesday Oct. 13 at 9a.m. through

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Gareth Patterson Contributing Photographer Janine Parry, Associate Professor of Political Science, stands outside Old Main Oct. 6. Parry specializes in Arkansas politics, polling and public opinion. “Students should take heart in knowing that in the United States the bar for political knowledge and political participation both is pretty low,” Parry said. “So if they just read a newspaper twice a week they’re likely to know more than almost anyone in the room at their next social event.” economic Democrats in that if you think about the contemporary national scene--they are sort ofsocial moral Republicans and that’s allowed Democrats to have almost a virtual monopoly in Arkansas’ elected positions. There’s a Democrat and then there’s a Southern Democrat, and in Arkansas what we’ve mainly seen have been Southern Democrats. The reality is we’ve never been as conservative as some of our other Southern sisters. That goes back to the early to middle 1800s. There’s a famous quote by an African American preacher who was in the area at that time, and I’m paraphrasing, but he noted that Arkansas was the place where black Americans stood the best chance, at least in the South. Q: What’s the most interesting topic you’ve been able to cover as a political analyst? A: It’s always interesting to be asked to comment on former Governor Mike Huckabee. He has a longhistory in Arkansas. He’s a colorful figure, and he has a nuanced political record that sometimes I have to explain to national audiences, and I enjoy that challenge, so it’s fun for me anyways. And the Walton Arts Center Box Office, at www.waltonartscenter.org or (479) 443-5600, public tickets are $29.50 and also contain both floor access and general admission. “It really excites me that we’re bringing Snoop Dogg,” Flanagin said. “He is an icon, I have a feeling that this show is

I also really enjoyed the 2002 US senate race between Mark Pryor and Tim Hutchinson, that was right after Hutchinson was finishing his first term as the first post-Reconstruction Republican U.S. Senator in Arkansas. So it was one of the hottest contests in the country, and it was the only one in the end thatyear where a Democrat took out an incumbent Republican . Tons of money was spent, it got lots of attention, in fact I was on CNN, so CNN was in our living room and that was an interesting experience. Q: Who’s your favorite actor or actress and why? A: I will watch anything Chris Cooper (October Sky, The Bourne Identity) does. There’s just something about him that is compelling to me-it has a lot to do with his voice. I think he sounds like Mike Bebee. And I really like Johnny Depp, I’ll watch anything with him in it. Q: What’s your ideal meal? A last meal like I’m on death row? Hmmm, the Mediterranean pasta my husband makes me. going to be a sellout and we’ll bring all kinds of people out to the show.” In response to reports of students planning to smoke marijuana before or during the show, Flanagin cautioned that police would be present at the show both in the audience and around the arena.

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PAGE 3

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

UA Officials Hopeful about Missed Bonuses by ALEX HARRINGTON Staff Writer

Department of Finance and Administration officials issued a memo in June freezing salaries for state employees for fiscal year 2011, which began July 1. The salary freeze is an effort to offset state revenue losses and applies to faculty and staff at state-supported colleges and universities. A statement issued by the Arkansas senate says that the governorâ&#x20AC;şs budget for fiscal year 2011 did not include funding for any raises for state employees. Budget officials hope that if the economy improves and state revenue increases, a raise may be possible about half way through the fiscal year, the statement says. Steve Voorhies, a spokesperson for the UA, said that nobody is particularly happy about the salary freeze. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We received a memo from the governor strongly requesting that we not give raises. They froze other state employeesâ&#x20AC;ş wages, so we complied,â&#x20AC;? said Voorhies.

However, giving raises to UA employees would not have affected the stateâ&#x20AC;şs budget. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Raises budgeted for the University of Arkansas were to come from tuition, not from stateÂ funds,â&#x20AC;? Voorhies noted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[State] revenues are higher than last year, but they are not meeting the forecasted revenues, so there could be a budget reduction beyond what we have already seen,â&#x20AC;? vice chancellor Don Peterson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To put it simply, tuition and state appropriations have to work together in the university budget. With the stateâ&#x20AC;şs uncertain economy, we donâ&#x20AC;şt want to give raises and then be forced to cut back in other areas because the money from the state isnâ&#x20AC;şt there,â&#x20AC;? Peterson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very hopeful that the freeze will be lifted at the end of this fiscal year, and if not then perhaps in the spring,â&#x20AC;? Peterson said. According to a recent Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article, the Northwest Arkansas Community College

gave several pay increases after July 1, despite the salary freeze for state employees. Usually, salary increases must be approved by the state department of finance and administration, but NWACCâ&#x20AC;şs were not. The college is now being investigated by the department for those salary increases. Steve Voorhies said that no raises have been given at the UA except to classified employees whose raises were already mandated or to those who have been promoted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;şt do bonuses, but if the freeze is removed raises could be reinstated possibly retroactively,â&#x20AC;? Voorhies said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad that our institution approached the situation as they did. We will still, hopefully, be able to provide the raises we promised in a retroactive fashion. NWACC, on the other hand, may have to return the raises they gave out which would put them in a rather untenable position with both the state and their faculty,â&#x20AC;? said Associated Student Government President Billy Fleming.

Q & A with UA Parking Officials, Part Two by GARY SMITH

Director of Transit and Parking

Q: Why arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t there more parking decks on campus? A surface lot built on land owned by the University of Arkansas costs about $5,000 per space to build. A parking deck costs about $17,500 a space to construct. Parking permit fees would have toÂ significantly increase to pay forÂ more parking decks. The campus parking master plan includes one more parking garage to be constructed when financing is available and the spaces are needed. Q: How many parking spaces are on campus? Â A: There are 12,767 total parking spaces on campus. 4,236 are in garages and 8,531 in surface lots. There are at least 800 empty parking spaces along Razorback Road during the busiest time of the day. All of these are served by a Razorback Transit bus. Reserved parking permits are still available for the Harmon Avenue and Garland Avenue Garages. There is a waiting list for permits for the Stadium Drive Garage. Â Q: Why are Parking Citations issued? A: Parking permits are required to park on campus. Receiving a parking citation is a choice.Â Many of our students purchase a parking permit, park properly and never receive a parking citation throughout their entire college career. Some students are habitual violators. They feel they should be permitted to park wherever they want; taking spaces away from paying customers, and then complaining when they receive a citation for violating the regulations. In the 2008 fiscal year, 15,301 students, or 82 percent of the student enrollment, did not receive an unauthorized lot/space parking

citation. Â Another 1,073, or 6 percent, received only one citation, and 685, or 4 percent, received two citations. Over 90 percent of students received two or fewer citations for unauthorized lot or space violation. Transit and Parking goes to great lengths to clearly mark spaces and to disseminate information, including parking maps with full sets of regulations on the back and a robust website. In addition, Parking works closely with University Housing, posting notices when lots must be vacated for sports events, placing signs in the lots, and sending e-mail reminders to those who have opted-in on the Parking listserv. Q: How many citations are written each year? A: Transit and Parking issues about 40,000 parkingÂ citations each year. One third of these are issued because the vehicle is parked in a parking lot but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a parking permit. One third are issued because the vehicle had a permit but parked in an unauthorized lot. For example, a vehicle displaying a faculty parking permit parked in a resident-reserved parking lot. The other third are for 16 other violations ranging from parking meter violations to safety hazards and unauthorized use ofÂ ADA accessible parking spaces. Q: Why are parking violation fees (or fines) and permit rates so high? A: Permit rates are set at a level necessary to fund parking construction debt obligations and operating costs. Fines are set at a level to deter illegal parking. When set too low, the fines do not adequately discourage violators. Â When a vehicle is parked in an unauthorized space, that vehicle takes the space from the person who has paid for its use. Both permit rates and violation fees are recommended

by the Transit, Parking and Traffic Committee, which is composed of students, faculty and staff; reviewed by the campus executive committee, and approved by the Board of Trustees.Â The university periodically benchmarks parking fines with other SEC and Arkansas Schools.Â Â The UA charges above average fines for six types of violations, and equal-to or below average fines for 15 violation types. Q: Why are towed or booted?

vehicles

A: Vehicles are towed because they have three or more citationsÂ and $50 or more in unpaid parking citations, are habitual violators, parked in an unauthorized space, creating a safety hazard or blocking a transit bus stop. In lieu of towing, vehicles may be booted (immobilized). The advantages of booting are that the vehicle remains on campus, the owner can still remove the contents from the vehicle, and the boot fee is much less than a tow fee. Vehicles will not remain booted overnight. Booted vehicles not claimed by the close of business will be towed. The owner of a towed vehicle does not pay the boot fee; however, they do pay all outstanding citations and the tow fee before the vehicle will be released. Â Q: Are parking controllers paid on commission? A: They are not. They are paid an hourly wage regardless of the number ofÂ citations written. Most Parking Control OfficersÂ are students, however they are also university employees, and as such deserve the cooperation and respect of students, faculty and staff. Their job requires them to be visible in their work area to assist drivers by providing directions and information, and ensure parking is available for authorized individuals.

SEFOR from page 1 decommissioning the site. These proposals have been sent multiple times in the last six years, but the Energy Department has rejected the proposal every time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is most likely because they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the money and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not high enough on the list of priorities,â&#x20AC;? Brewer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a small site, in comparison to other ones they have.â&#x20AC;? In 2009, the Department of Energy gave the UA $1.9 million for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;characterization studyâ&#x20AC;? that would determine the process and requirements for cleaning up the site. Funding seems possible in the near future, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made a good case and showed a relatively economic way of going about the decommissioning.â&#x20AC;? This $26 million will help restore the area back to its original condition. The toxic material will be safely removed and shipped and everything else will be cleaned up, so that all trace of the reactor is gone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a mistake for the university to accept this reactor,â&#x20AC;? Brewer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ever since then, we have been trying to secure funds to clean up the site.â&#x20AC;? There is a small group of six to eight university officials who deal with SEFOR and have been working closely with the governments to try and push these funds through. Once decommissioned, there is no set plan as to what the University of Arkansas will do with the land. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They might sell it,â&#x20AC;? Brewer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is not in a location where the university will have something useful.â&#x20AC;? For now, however, the group is focused on securing money to turn the area back into grasslands.Â

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PAGE 4 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

EDITOR: Bailey Elise McBride MANAGING EDITOR: Mille Appleton

Peace Corps, Perhaps?

This Thursday, Oct. 14, marks the 50th anniversary of the speech then-Sen. John F. Kennedy gave that inspired the formation of the Peace Corps. Since that inaugural group 50 years ago, more than 200,000 people have elected to participate in this form of national service, serving in 139 countries around the world. This summer, I began the application process for the Peace Corps, which is a lot more intensive than one might imagine. It involves an extensive application, followed by a two-hour interview and an even more extensive medical and legal review. When I drove to Dallas for my interview in August, I was nervous. What was I going to talk about, much less answer, for two hours? It was honestly the best interview I have ever experienced. For two hours I talked about the things I am truly passionate about—learning, service and culture—with a recruiter who under- LETTER FROM THE EDITOR stood all of it because they were the by Bailey Elise McBride same things that drove him to serve traveler@uark.edu years before. During that speech 50 years ago, Kennedy said to University of Michigan students, “How many of you who are going to be doctors, are willing to spend your days in Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service and spend your lives traveling around the world? On your willingness to do that, not merely to serve one year or two years in the service, but on your willingness to contribute part of your life to this country, I think will depend the answer whether a free society can compete. I think it can! And I think Americans are willing to contribute. But the effort must be far greater than we have ever made in the past.” Those words ring true, perhaps more so, today. We can continue to improve the reputation of the United States not through demonstrating our power conquer other nations, but our power to help. Although the Armed Services are a preferable service option for many, if you are interested in international relations, teaching, medicine, business, city planning, culture or service, I would encourage you to consider applying for the Peace Corps.

‘Equal Rights’ Are Not ‘Special Rights’

FROM THE STAFF

Fulbright Credits Face the Chopping Block Sen. J. William Fulbright, who President Bill Clinton once cited as a mentor, established the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences in 1946 with a mission to “bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship.” On Thursday, Fulbright faculty will vote on whether to change the curriculum of Fulbright by downsizing the course load required for liberal arts majors to graduate from the University of Arkansas. In shrinking the number of required hours, future Fulbright students won’t lose the “liberal arts” distinction on their college diploma, but will perhaps lose the well-rounded education to back that up. If the vote passes, the Fulbright core will go from 66 credit hours to the same 35-hour core accepted by every other college at the university, such as the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the College of Engineering. Credits on the chopping block include foreign language, philosophy and math requirements. When we, the Traveler editors, decided to declare journalism as our majors, we recognized that to do our job effectively upon graduation, we would have to fully utilize the well-rounded education that our college currently offers. Some Traveler writers have had to perform interviews in Spanish or calculate figures for an article, tasks they would not have been able to accomplish without the non-journalism requirements that officials might deem unnecessary at their Thursday meeting. At the UA, where many incoming freshman have not yet experienced opportunities to learn about the world outside of Arkansas, the university should be responsible for providing that education. In these instances, history, language and philosophy requirements are essential for a student’s intellectual growth. If the decision passes, each department in Fulbright is expected to form their own new requirements to compensate for the lost credits, though it seems unlikely that certain departments, such as math and science, will include enough humanity hours in their new curriculum plans to make up for the old. As journalism majors, we are required to take more classes than interest us. Many of us dreaded Finite Math, fought sleep during Biology or only went to Architecture Lecture because the professor took attendance. But looking back, we value those learning experiences. Even if we hated the course, if we understand something a little better because of it, we have filled our duty as liberal arts graduates and expanded our worldview just enough to more effectively perform in our careers after graduation. If you, as a student, staff or faculty member, have an opinion about this issue, we encourage you to attend the meeting or voice your opinion through a faculty member or ASG senator. The Thursday meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. in Giffels Auditorium in Old Main. However this debate concludes, we hope that legislators make their decisions realizing the full impact of this issue on future Fulbright graduates and the impact that those graduates, equipped with the UA’s liberal arts education, could have on the world.

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR OPINION EDITOR NEWS EDITOR

Bailey Elise McBride Mille Appleton Katherine Dawson Nick DeMoss

The Arkansas Traveler welcomes letters to the editor from all interested readers. Letters should be at most 300 words and should 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. Opinions expressed in The Traveler are those of the Editor, the Editoral staff or the writer of the article. They do not neccessarily represent the opinions of the UA Administration.

THE COX VOX byJonathan Cox

Traveler Writer

In the past month, several youth have committed suicide due to homophobic bullying. It seems that every time I check the news, the number goes up: four, five, nine. I remember seeing a comment somewhere online: if kids were dying in droves from some mystery illness, there’d be general public outrage on the failure of the government to take action. Focus on the Family recently attacked several pieces of anti-bullying legislation, claiming that they had been ‘hijacked’ by the LGBT movement. None of the four large school districts in the area (Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, Rogers) have any specialized protections for LGBT kids (although Fayetteville and Bentonville do have Gay-Straight Alliances, both have caused significant controversy from parents

who feel such a topic is inappropriate for school). The State of Arkansas, along with 28 other states, has no employment protection for sexual orientation. That means that, at any time, I could be fired for being gay. Blanche Lincoln, when questioned about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (a federal bill which would provide employment protection), issued a form letter in which she said that we must not let “equal rights” become “special rights.” “Special rights” is a term I hear frequently: we don’t want to provide employment protection because that’s “special rights”; we don’t want to provide special protection from bullying because that’s “special rights.” Newsflash: you know who has “special rights”? Straight people. I couldn’t imagine the spin and negative publicity that would be applied if I were to open a business and refuse to hire straight people. Or if a young, impressionable, straight teen were to commit suicide because of relentless bullying by gay peers. Straight people have the unique and special privilege of being able to hate and discriminate against gay people; there’s no place that the majority of voters, business owners, schoolchildren are gay. So while one side is continuously screaming at us: “no spe-

cial rights for you—you get the same treatment as we do!” the other group is torturing children because they aren’t the same: so-called ‘equality’ under the law is used to marginalize and vilify a group of people for being different. Of course, people try to justify their attitudes toward homosexuality: “it’s unnatural,” “it’s immoral,” “it’s against God’s will.” I will tell you as a gay man that the only choice I have ever made is to not be in denial about my sexuality. There is more and more evidence in favor of some biological predisposition towards homosexuality. But it doesn’t matter if it’s who you are from birth (which it is) or if it’s a choice you make. Why? Because when you pose that question, you’re looking for excuses to find problems with homosexuality. It doesn’t matter why I’m gay, it only matters that I am. Because when you suggest that it is a choice, you hold onto the idea that I can change; “be fixed.” Fixed, as if there’s something wrong with me. There are several “ex-gay” programs, almost all of which are affiliated with churches, and all of which cause psychological damage. Why are we, as a country, disgusted when a radical sect of the Church of Latter Day Saints performs un-

derage polygamy at a secretive compound in Arizona, but not equally outraged when mainline denominations operate brainwashing camps which have been debunked by the American Psychological Association as “environment[s] in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish”? It’s time we stop letting religion espouse hate. When we indoctrinate our children and let them know that gay is wrong, we give them a license to bully. And, as the past month has demonstrated, we’re letting children kill. The Bible is the frequent scapegoat: I’m familiar with all of the passages condemning me to hell. But it’s interesting how little of Leviticus’ arcane laws are still followed, and Christianity has an astounding ability to change. Having studied Early Christianity intensively, I’m familiar with just how radically the religion can change. We’ve got to stop excusing religion as our reason to discriminate against homosexuality. Because, while you may believe really hard that I am a horrible person, there’s no way you can prove it empirically. I believe, really hard, that your hatred is killing innocent teenagers by the droves. I, however, have a month’s worth of evidence.

Diminishing Dogmatic Divisions MIND THE GAP by Devin O’Dea

Traveler Columnist

It seems almost everywhere you look there are apparent divisions on the landscape of American culture. This is most prominently present in politics: our modern-day arena where conflict welcomed with the hopes that it can be used as leverage to some degree. But unfortunately, the divisions present in our world do not stop there. Religion, environmental policies, the ethics concerning medical treatment, and many other issues create ideological battlegrounds in which individuals are made constantly made aware just how different we all are from one another. However, not each and every division in this world is a bad one. We can categorize individuals in the manner that they assign quality amongst the world that they perceive. When this division is applied correctly, it can help explain why so many good-natured

people have so many bad-natured differences. In Robert M. Pirsig’s philosophical novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, Pirsig classifies individuals in two categories, those who view the world through a romantic perspective, and those who view the world through a classic perspective. Simply put, the romantic individuals are those who view life on the surface. Not to say that they are shallow, but romantics are those who assign quality to things or situations based on their essence, the “vibe” that they give off. Romantics are characterized as those that appreciate art, nature, and literature, while being put off by technology, industry, and most forms of science Classics view the world in just the opposite prospective. They assign value based on their understanding of the complex details and inner workings of an entity. They embrace technological and science because of the natural beauty found in the relationship between its parts. It is easy to visualize these individuals; engineers, biochemical researchers, and physicist all likely view the world from a classic perspective. The point of this article is not to give a book review of Zen, although if this brand of philosophy is of interest of you,

I strongly urge you to read the literary classic. Instead, I wanted to lay a foundation of one of the many ways in which one can view the world differently. The application of this perspective can clear up many of the blemishes on the face of American culture. We can do this by looking at one of the most controversial issues of 2010, government intervention in order to stimulate the economy. Those against governmental intervention can to some degree be seen as classics. By looking at the detailed interworkings of foundational American law (most point to the Constitution), they assign no value to government intervention. Moreover, from a fiscal, detailed perspective, it is wasteful and obtusely inefficient, and therefore of low quality or wrong. Conversely, romantics view government intervention from a different perspective. They assign quality based on the essence of the policy. They believe that because the intention of the intervention is good and legitimately justified, the intervention is also good, regardless of some of the less than attractive details attached to it. They look at the overall picture, that people are receiving help and assign a positive value to the governmental intervention. The classic/romantic divide is neither right nor wrong.

Different types of people just view the same thing through entirely different lens. As I am sure many of you have realized the more cultured and openminded you become, the concepts of right and wrong becomes more relative. We are all too quick to join the ranks of one side in opposition to what others think with complete disregard to why they think it. When we look at why someone holds their particular opinion, how they assign value to the different divisions based on their perspective of life, it becomes much easier to mediate a reconciliation between opposing viewpoints. If we don’t, we will be locked into the battles of our elder generations while we as nation become more and more polarized as less and less gets accomplished. This isn’t a new concept; the value of the phrase “walk a mile in another man’s shoes” is immediately evident to most. Maybe the concept of valuing the perspective of others is so simple that it has become lost as background noise in the complexities of modern life. Instead of losing the simplicities to the complexities, let go of the complexities in exchange for the simplistic truths of our world. It is in this way many become one, divisions disappear, and the world becomes a much simpler place.

PAGE 5

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

CORE from page 1 come from a two-year institution,” Madison said, “The act did not require institutions to water down their degree.” The Fulbright core curriculum was under review before the act added extra urgency to the initiation of changes. To Fulbright Dean Bill Schwab, the current core is restricting to students, making change a necessary action to loosen up the credit hours. “What the 66 hour core prevents [students] from doing is having two majors or a major and two minors,” Schwab said. “You’ve got 66 hours in the core for a B.A., you have usually 30 hours in a major, and you’re up to 96 hours. You need 124 to graduate, so you basically have 28 hours of electives. A major requires 30 hours.” Many professors are expected to express their unease with the core changes Thursday at the faculty meeting, according to Bernard Madison, a mathematics professor and Sen. Sue Madison’s husband. “Strong general education is more important now than it ever was because the world is so complex. The university should try to educate those students so they can be productive students in the world around them,” said Madison, expressing his own concern. Other professors are not as vocal about the changes in Fulbright, including Chaim Goodman-Strauss, chair of the mathematics department in Fulbright College, who said only, “It’s going to allow us to have more major- specific courses, but it is a scaling-back in some ways.” Despite the unease of many professors, the proposed program change is expected to pass

during the faculty vote on Thursday; however, that may not be the result in changes to Fu l br i g ht’s general eduSue Madison cation requirements. A letter is circ u lat ing among the faculty expressing a desire to revisit the core changes after Dean Schwab Sharon Gaber steps down at the end of this year and is replaced. “The Fulbright faculty requests that the departmental and college core curricula be revisited by the incoming dean,” according to the letter, “and that the proposed Fulbright College graduation requirements, if adopted, be considered an interim step in an ongoing review and revision of the curriculum.” The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is projected as offering a liberal arts education, but some students worry that changing the core to match the state minimum, which lacks extra fine arts, social sciences, and most noticeably foreign language requirements, will lose the well-rounded course load that is the associated with the liberal arts. “I think a well-rounded person is good, even if they’re not interested in it. More people should be educated in more things,” said Amy Danforth, a sophomore English major in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Gaber and Schwab had an extra perspective to set the minds of students like

Danforth at ease. “I think that’s part of the concern and criticism with this. Part of what the departments are doing is try to think of what is critical and moving some of that into a departmental major,” Gaber said. “So we’re trying not to lose some of that. I think that the college still needs to continue to have this discussion of what it means to have a good liberal arts education.” “What we’ve been attempting to do is to combine this core with additional hours in a major that give the student this well-rounded education,” Schwab said. “In many respects, I think the end result is students will have a much more rigorous education with upper division courses.” Other students are more than pleased in the potential decrease of general education classes. “The general point of core classes in high school is to give us a large range of basic knowledge to be applied to our careers and lives. By high school, many of us have determined our career choice and are generally able to deem what classes are appropriate to that,” said Troy Lawrence, a freshman Music Performance major, “Reducing core classes lets us focus on the necessities of our life while still encouraging a basic intellect for the average person.” Even after the vote is final, the changes in the core curriculum in Fulbright College will not cease to be a subject of discussion for further improvement. “I don’t think we’re closing the door,” Provost Gaber explained, “I think what we’re trying to do is do what we need to do to be in compliance but then have some of the conversations that have to be had.”

WAC Ticket System Frustrates Students by NICK DEMOSS News Editor

It took only four short hours for UA students to claim all 5,000 reserved tickets for the Oct. 24 Snoop Dogg concert in Barnhill arena. Despite an early-morning bottleneck of students logging on to the Walton Arts Center website, the show was among the fastest selling events box office officials have seen. The virtual traffic jam on the WAC site is something that commonly occurs when big-name shows come to town, said Josh Hart, box office manager. However, few acts have brought as much attention as Snoop Dogg. “We knew there was going to be a lot of excitement

for Snoop, but we didn’t know there was going to be this much,” Hart said. Many students expressed frustration at the system, waiting as long as 80 minutes for their order to process. Though several students were outraged by the lagging system, Hart said he was largely satisfied with the outcome. “We felt really good about the way things went,” he said. “We’ll continue to add to our capabilities so we can handle more, but I thought it went really well.” Hart emphasized that students must pick up tickets Thursday from the Arkansas Union, or the tickets will be forfeit. UA officials acknowledged the system was a struggle early Monday morning.

“People are ticked,” said Scott Flanagin, director of communications and outreach. When you get that many people on there at once, you’re going to have problems”. Flanagin said it was too early to tell whether the UA would continue the online system of ticket distribution, and that an evaluation of the process was required. When asked why the number was limited to 5,000 tickets, Flanagin explained that student fees only covered that many seats. The situation is the same with the yearbook, he said – there aren’t enough for everyone. For students who were not among the first 5,000 and missed out on tickets, there is still hope. Tickets for the public are available for $29.50.

Chancellor: UA Vehicles Lean and in Compliance by BRADY TACKETT Lemke Newsroom

Gov. Beebe’s order this week to limit the use of state vehicles has little impact on the UA, school officials said. The UA has 538 vehicles affiliated with the Fayetteville campus, said David Martinson, who is associate vice chancellor for business affairs. That number, however, encompasses 235 vehicles used by the College of Agriculture and related divisions. That number, Martinson said, includes tractors and other farm vehicles that cannot be used for commuting. “The numbers reported are a snapshot in time,” Martinson said in an interview Thursday. “There are vehicles being added and deleted all the time. I think we have been very mindful of vehicles that we ask for an use, because they represent significant costs. “We don’t take that lightly,” he said. Keeping track of UA vehicles isn’t a recent pursuit. “We have carefully monitored our vehicle inventory for years, and believe we have a very lean vehicle allocation,” Chancellor David Gearhart said Wednesday through e-mail correspondence. Still, the university is “rigorously reviewing our inventory to be certain that we are making wise use of our vehicles,” he said. Use of state-owned motor vehicles came into question after a Democrat-Gazette report determined that the

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission had 658 vehicles and 613 employees. Beebe this week ordered a reduction in the number of employees who use state cars to commute. The Game and Fish Commission is an independent agency, but officials there agreed to comply voluntarily. The governor does not control the UA, but in signing the executive order Tuesday asked for “voluntary compliance” from the commission, colleges and universities, which together account for about 24 percent of the 8,771 state vehicles. The day after Beebe’s order – which does not take effect until Nov. 1 – the Game and Fish Commission adopted a policy that would eliminate up to 165 department vehicles. Spokesmen from Razorback Transit Services and Facilities Management both said that employees never use department vehicles to commute. Facilities owns “a whole menu of vehicles” that includes trailers, tractors, dump trucks and service trucks, said Mike Johnson, the associate vice chancellor for Facilities Management. “We have under 200 vehicles. I really haven’t sliced and diced how many are just cars,” Johnson said. The UA fleet is farflung. “We don’t look good on the chart for higher education,” Martinson said in reference to Beebe’s remarks about how many vehicles are assigned to colleges and universities, “but we have

broader responsibilities than any other campus in the state.” The matter still is under review. “We are still studying the information and the executive order to determine how it effects us,” said UA spokesman Steve Voorhies.

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SPECIAL EDITION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010 PAGE 6

From Fire to Condoms: A Bit of Traveler History The Arkansas Traveler is older than any student, professor, staff member or faculty member who is part of the UA today. The student-run newspaper has been a part of this university for 105 years, with its first publication Oct. 10, 1906. The newspaper, initially published once per week, was aptly named the University Weekly until 1920 when it became the Arkansas Traveler. Not everyone was happy about the name change. It came from a story about a politician getting lost in the Arkansas backwoods who happened upon an Arkansan, who came off as an illiterate hilbilly while the traveler came to represent an educated outsider. The name the Arkansas Traveler serves to take a stand against that stereotype. In 1962, the Arkansas Traveler covered a speaker on campus who advocated pre-marital sex. Gov. Orval Faubus said the paper should have exercised self-

control, but the editor replied that “Faubus would agree that it is the Traveler’s responsibility as a newspaper and instrument of communication to inform both students and the public on all events occurring on campus. If this news is sometimes bad, then perhaps the need of the public to know is even greater than in routine happenings.” Faubus eventually said the newspaper had performed its service properly. In 1969, the Traveler office went up in flames in Hill Hall. The fire required three companies of firemen and drew a crowd of several thousand students. The Traveler staff was not among the students who were cheering, as their typewriters, cameras, and the newspaper’s press were all being consumed in the fire. The Springdale News offered to print the paper, and the Traveler staff set up a temporary office in Futrall Hall to publish an issue on the fire. Gerald Jordan, a journalism professor who was a columnist for theTraveler at the time, was quoted in the issue: “It is a shame that all that history was lost

PAGE 7 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

in the flames. Even though it’s laughed at and joked about, the Traveler, as menial as it was, was the heart of this campus. I don’t think the students quite understood this but now that it’s gone, they will.” A controversial moment in the Traveler’s history was the inclusion of free condoms in each copy of the paper in a 1990 Spring Break edition. The editor Ray Minor and his staff put together a feature on AIDS and other STDs to remind students of potential consequences of their Spring Break activities. Many of the comments came in after Spring Break, after Steve Wilkes, the current media adviser for the Traveler, became the editor. He wrote an editorial that took almost two pages, and then further controversy insued when the condom manufacturer issued a recall because of defects. Covering the news has not always been easy. From production issues to criticism, the Traveler has faced challenges. But the Traveler has also overcome those challenges and seen many advances to con-

tinue to serve the UA faithfully for 105 years, a service that will not end any time soon. The Traveler will continue to evolve with society into new areas of technology to offer information in the way the university community desires and requires. “The future [of the Traveler] will bring more innovation in new media,” Jordan said. “Our freshman class has never known a world without the Internet, and so much of the university’s business is done by app or Internet that it just makes sense to look for the broadest possible distribution in the most efficient way possible. It would be foolish not to get out front in that regard.” Thanks to Charlie Alison in University Relations for his work on the compilation of the history of the Arkansas Traveler and his website, arkansastraveler. typepad.com.

SPECIAL EDITION

THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

You can check out the Traveler online at uatrav.com or by scanning here:

PAGE 8 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

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

Don’t Drive Drunk—Take a Pedicab THE TOP FIVE

POLITICAL GAG GIFTS

Obama Urinal Cake

Sarah Palin Toilet Paper

Landon Montgomery STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Need a quick ride around Dickson? Bike taxis are the new way to get around quickly and easily. Clark Ogden takes advantage of the new taxi system Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010 during Bikes, Blues and BBQ while Jacob Richardson, the driver, huffs his way up-hill quickly and easily. by LINDSEY BALDWIN Staff Writer

As seen in cities such as New York City and Chicago, pedicabs are a growing trend for inner-city transportation, and are now on Dickson Street. Fayetteville Pedicab Company offers an alternative to walking while out on Dickson for the evening. The red tricycles can carry two passengers to and from bars and restaurants, transport from bar-to-bar or simply take passengers on a joy ride down Dickson. To catch a ride, the drivers and bright red cabs are usually located at the corner of Dickson and West Avenue by the hot dog stand. They are ready for service on Thursday, Friday and Saturday

evenings. Customers can call ahead of time to be picked up at their car to begin the night on the town, or for a quick ride back to the car at the closing of the night. On an average weekend, about 30-40 rides are given each night. One of the several drivers said that most people like to use the cab because it is different and fun. Several passengers don’t even have a destination and just want a ride down the scenic street. The cabs are also out during the day on game days, keeping the Fayetteville Pedicab Company busy as Dickson is bustling with Hog fans. At least 100 trips are made throughout the day and into the evening on these Saturdays. Most people are concerned

with high fees when it comes to transportation. The Fayetteville Pedicab Company, however, works solely on tips, with a minimum of $5. People out on Dickson think the new transportation is a good addition. UA student, Barbara De Leon, said it is very convenient, especially when your car is parked far away. Only after a week of business in July, the company had a brief run-in with an old city ordinance preventing them from service for several weeks. With support from the Fayetteville community, a new ordinance was set, and the cabs have been back on the street since August. There is now a change coming for the pedicabs. Electric assist cabs are com-

ing soon to replace the current cabs, according to the company’s Facebook. This change will make it easier for drivers to pedal up the steep Dickson Street hill. Pedicabs are convenient and also the greenest form of transportation. They minimize air pollution as they use muscle power instead of engine power, beneficial to the city of Fayetteville, and even more in high traffic cities around the nation. New Yorkers use pedicabs often because they are able to maneuver their way through traffic, just as passengers on Dickson have a quick, ecofriendly way to get around. To get a ride on Dickson this weekend, call 479-5953158 for the Fayetteville Pedicab Company.

UA Graduate Creates Theatre Company with Charity Mission by ANDREW VAN GENDEREN Staff Writer

Larry Ash STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

UA Drama Majors Catherine Witherspoon and Michael David Seals rehearse the production of “Seascape with Sharks and Dancer” a love story produced by the Step 1 Theatre Company. The show starts Thursday and runs through Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. in the B Unlimited Building at 612 Center Street. Tickets are $10 with 50 percent of the proceeds going to the Seven Hills Homeless Center.

Take everything you think you know about theatre and forget it. Downsize it, intensify it, tear it open and breathe in the newness of something profoundly real. Or just see a show from Step 1 Theatre. Step 1, founded by recent UA graduates Gabe Templin and William Grayson, strives to bring rawness back to the stage. Their mission is to “develop raw, open and challenging theatre” with a focus toward young adults and college student’s tastes. Socially relevant and locally written plays are the trademark and pride of this small business. Their goal is not only to show quality performances, but to give new artists a chance to develop and gain exposure. “We didn’t want to just start any theatre company. We wanted to do the type of theatre we like,” Templin said. “That would be theatre for twenty and thirty somethings, and theatre that gives back to the community.” Indeed, charity is a major component of Step 1’s mission. Every season, a different local charity will be highlighted, and proceeds will be directed toward it. A portion of their first show’s revenue will be given to Seven Hills Homeless Center.

see THEATRE COMPANY on page 9

Hillary Clinton Nut Cracker

George Bush Toilet Brush

Bill Clinton Cork Screw

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010 PAGE 9 see THEATRE COMPANY on page8

Competing and Beating

“We simply want to do our best to help out others, which is why we aligned ourselves with Seven Hills Homeless Center,” said Templin. “We kind of love the idea of doing what we love and benefiting others, not just ourselves.” The team is threefold. Templin, Grayson and fellow UA graduate Emily Osborne are the artistic, executive and managing directors, respectively. All received their MFAs in acting from Arkansas within the past two years after completing undergraduate careers out of state. The executives of Step 1 are very experienced individually, and bring storied academic and professional careers to Fayetteville. Templin has worked with a wide variety of shows, ranging from Shakespeare to musicals to children’s theatre. Grayson, a Dallas native, has acted in more than 70 stage productions since his undergrad years at West Texas A&M. Osborne spent time as an actor and teacher with a company in Norfolk, Va. before coming to Fayetteville. This year’s production schedule leads off with “Seascape with Shark and Dancer” by Don Nigro, which will run Oct. 14-16. Later shows will include “The Chamber,” written by Grayson,

!""#$%#"% !""&$ Ryan Miller STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Marie Erickson makes a move around a defender during a recent Quidditch practice in the Gardens across from the intramural field. Quidditch is a sport developed by J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter book series. Matches are played between two teams of seven players riding flying broomsticks, using four balls and six elevated ring-shaped goals. by CARA TURBYFILL Staff Writer

Thirty-five members of the Razorback Quidditch team traveled to Wichita, Kan., last weekend to participate in a tournament involving six different schools. None of the other schools—which included Kansas University, Arkansas Tech University, Texas A&M, Wichita State University and Oklahoma State University—had such a large team representation. “I was surprised,” said president and founder of the team, Amanda O’Connor of the turnout. “I figured we’d have about 15 people because that’s how many we had last year.” The team is composed of an ‘A’ Team and a ‘B’ Team and substitutes. The ‘B’ Team is called The Thestrals after an intimidating flying horse-like animal described in the popular children’s series created by J. K. Rowling. The ‘A’ Team is called The Whomping Willows. “We broke seven brooms.

That’s why we’re the Whomping Willows,” explained John Banks, a sophomore music major who plays Chaser on the team. Quidditch is known in the wizarding world as the sport of Harry Potter, played on broomstick. In the Muggle world, students also play astride brooms. But instead of a Bludger, the Beaters throw volleyballs, and the Chasers use hula hoops attached to PVC pipes for goalposts. The Snitch, instead of being a flying, fluttering goal ball, is a person—specifically a tennis ball “in a sock, that’s hanging out of [the snitch’s] shorts,” Banks said. But even with the modifications, Quidditch is still a dangerous sport, with the possibility of rogue Bludgers and broomstick malfunctions. “Three people got concussions,” Banks said of the tournament. “The only thing I remember about the A&M match is occasionally getting hit in the face. Everything else just blanked out. And then I col-

lapsed on the ground.” “I was worried,” O’Connor said, whose boyfriend and Vice President of the team, Michael Lutz, was also concussed. Of the broomstick malfunctions, O’Connor acknowledged the brooms that had been broken, and added, “We do modify them with duct tape.” With all of the factors involved, Quidditch can be an exhausting game to play. Fortunately, a handful of people, like O’Connor, went to the tournament solely to provide moral support. The teams have a number of cheers and even a theme song, such as the Whomping Willows’ “We Will Whomp You,” to the tune of “We Will Rock You.” In addition, the matches are relatively short. Each match at the tournament lasted around half an hour, with the players sending in substitutes when they became tired. As a result of having plentiful substitutes, and all-around superior skill, the Razorback Quidditch team

and “The Dumb Waiter” by Harold Pinter. The first show will have only two hired actors and a total of seven staff members, including the board of directors. “Seascape” will be performed at the B-Unlimited building, 612 Center Street. Locales of later performances will be announced as production dates draw near. The small size and unabashed intellectual independence of this group create a unique theatre experience for the audience member. The diversion from mainstream productions is purposeful and meant to stretch artistic boundaries. “We feel that we are offering an experience with theatre that is different than the University’s productions and those of TheatreSquared,” said Templin. “After all, our productions will be in a warehouse.” Donations to Step 1 are encouraged and welcome. On top of helping the company get settled into Fayetteville, monetary gifts will be used to help cover production costs, thus enabling more of the box office proceeds to go to Seven Hills. Several local companies have decided to sponsor the group, which have recently come to include the Dickson Street Bookstore. For information about upcoming shows, visit the Step 1 website at step1theatre.org.

beat Arkansas Tech, Kansas University, Wichita State and Oklahoma State. But they ultimately lost the tournament to Texas A&M. However, there has been some doubt cast on the fairness of the scoring of that match. “There were some discrepancies,” Amanda O’Connor said, and further confided that she thinks that the people running the tournament were misinformed about the rules. John Banks agreed. “By the rule book, we won,” he said.

WHAT: University Course HLSC 2101 (1 Credit Hour) WHEN: Spring 2011, First 8 Weeks, Tuesday 3:30-5:30 P.M. WHO: U Of A Military Personnel WHERE: Pat Walker Health Center Multi-Purpose Room ! !

This course is designed to help acclimate U of A Veterans to student life.!

Fashion Website Shops for You

COURTESY PHOTO

From left Mariah Chase, Christian Siriano, and Divya Gugnani. Christian Siriano, winner of the 4th season of Project Runway, is the co-founder of “Send the Trend” which sells accessories online for $29.95 each. A special promo code is being offered to Arkansas Students. When HOGS is typed in at checkout, $5 will be deducted from the cost of the purchase. by JOCELYN SMITH Staff Writer

Shopping for the latest fashion trends as a college student or recent graduate can be a challenge. It’s time consuming, costly and sometimes overwhelming. These hindrances are what the team behind SendtheTrend.com had in mind when launching their new fashion company in NYC. “SendtheTrend.com is a new online personal

shopping experience for fashionistas looking to keep their wardrobe trendy with the season’s best accessories. Our jewelry, scarves and sunglasses are the perfect way to stay stylish on a collegiate budget,” according to their website. This e-commerce accessory site was co-founded by fashion designer and winner of season four Project Runway, Christian Siriano. Siriano is remembered on the show for his wacky hair, spew of catchphrases

and amazing talent. Along with his many other fashion endeavors, he is now using his eye for fashion to help women who want to look good for an affordable price. What makes this online shopping different than others on the web is that it picks out accessories for you, according to your own tastes. The company calls itself the “e-harmony for

see FASHION WEBSITE on page 8

Clothing, Jewelry & Accessories www.ShopPrivateGallery.com

PAGE 10

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

Lady Gaga: Love Her or Hate Her?

by WYNDHAM WYETH Staff Writer

Ever since Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, now known to the world as Lady Gaga, burst into the music and pop culture scene in 2008, she has been getting all kinds of reactions. Some people can’t get enough of her while others could care less, but almost everyone has something to say about her.

FASHION

Lady Gaga has a very original sense of fashion. “It’s really cool! No one dresses like that,” said senior anthropology major Anna Newman. “I think kind of why she’s so popular is her fashion. It’s kind of what sets her apart.”

Lady Gaga can be a little overwhelming. “I don’t like that about her,” Smith said. “I think she just wants lots of money, and that gets her lots of attention.” In reference to the dress made out of meat that Lady Gaga wore to this year’s Video Music Awards, Smith said, “I think it’s really wasteful.”

MUSIC

Lady Gaga’s music is catchy and fun. “I like anything with a repetitive electronic beat,” said biology major Brandon Hill. “It’s all about the beat. Can I nod my head to it? Can I move my body to it? That’s all I care about. I could care less about what she does or looks like.”

Lady Gaga doesn’t have much substance in her music. “She seems like just another eccentric singer,” said journalism major Brittany Rogers. Her music is “very much like her,” Bell said, “intentionally stroking the masses, lacks artistic integrity I’m sure, but in that, it gains something else. She doesn’t claim any real artistry, so she isn’t a sell out.” “Her music is shallow,” Smith said. “I don’t think it’s very clever, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be.”

LadyGagaismorethanamusician. “She’saperformerandanentertainer,”Newman said. “I think that she’s surprisingly innovative,” said senior english major Richard Bell, “and she does this interesting thing where she breaks the cultural lens’s fourth wall. She’s not like Britney. She knows what she is.”

INFLUENCE

INFLUENCE COURTESY PHOTO

Lady Gaga is very influential, and she uses that influence for good. She is a big supporter of gay rights. She has a large following of gayfans,andsheisveryoutspokenaboutherappreciationforthem. Mostrecently,LadyGagacampaignedfortherepealofthemilitary’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. “I think that if you’re going to be put into the category of “beautiful people”, which is generally celebrities and models and not Donald Trump, you have a responsibility to understand the power of your beauty and position,” Bell said. “I think that her actions are noteworthy and responsible given her cultural position.” LadyGagaisarolemodelforindependentwomen. “Ilikethefactthatshe’snotafraidtoshowhersexualityonstageoroff. She’snot afraid to express herself,” said junior international business major Megan Ernst. “I think that a lot of men don’t really get it,” said Sarah Smith, a 22-year-old UA student in her last semester of college. However, Bell claims to have an understanding of what Lady Gaga is trying to do. “The message in her music is about some feign female independence, right? Well, she is doing that in the music world by allowing people to use her as she sees fit. More than being completely manipulated by the business, she’s strategic.”

COURTESY PHOTOS

Lady Gaga might not really be that influential after all. “I disagreed with that so strongly when I first heard it,” said Grace Gude, a senior double major in french and anthropology, referring to Lady Gaga being placed on Time magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential People.” “I guess she has made a pretty big influence. Everybody talks about her and she’s probably the most well-known pop artist or the most popular pop artist right now. I guess the way so many people talk about her makes her influential.” Lady Gaga sets a bad example for Americans. “People look at Americans and think that we’re out of control already. When people look at her they probably think all Americans are as crazy as she is,” said Vera DeBerg, a first-year grad student in political science.

It seems like a lot of people are on the fence about Lady Gaga. Almost everyone had something good to say about her, even the people who don’t really consider themselves fans, but even those who genuinely enjoy her music and persona had a few stones to throw as well. Regardless, Lady Gaga has definitely proven herself to be interesting, and if she is ever brought up in conversation, you can expect the topic to be discussed for quite a while.

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from FASHION WEBSITE on page 9 accessories” because it does the looking for you. Instead of browsing shopping sites until something catches your eye, the team at Send the Trend shops for you, while keeping the current trends in mind. Here’s how it works: go to SendtheTrend.com and take their Style Survey. The survey asks you six different questions about what kind of style you like (trendy, classic, colorful etc.) and what you need accessories for (the office, formal event just hanging out). After the survey, you sign up for your membership which is $29.95 a month and includes one

accessory and free shipping. Each additional accessory is an additional $29.95. Every month members get sent an e-mail with five personalized picks based on their responses to the Style Survey. You can retake the survey at anytime. Additionally, if there is not an item in your gallery that you like, you can browse other ways such as “Christian’s favorites” or use the search feature. If you decide to skip a month, you can, and won’t be charged for that month. While this online shopping site only offers accessories, accessories are important for a women’s wardrobe, said Mariah Chase, Send the Trend president. “Accessories

are a great way to update your wardrobe on a budget. They are also a great way to experience a trend, and what woman doesn’t love jewelry? You can take a little black dress and make it into five different looks using accessories. It’s perfect for holiday parties!” The site is easy to manage and with the team’s individual favorite accessory picks for the month, the website is more personable than other online shopping sites. Thirty dollars a month for one item might be too pricey for some, but for those who want to be current in fashion trends and don’t have time to go out shopping, this is a shopping site worth checking out.

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Comics, Games, & Much Much More!

PAGE 11 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

WORD SEARCH

SUDOKU

THEME: FALL CHILDREN A O C H A H A E

O A

B D N

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E W O

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Y R

B B O R

E A

S K N I

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W P

C U B

P U

M A

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H R O R O C

Hallow Scarecrows Black Cats Hay Rides Autumn Leaves

Pumpkins Bats Graveyards Halloween Cobwebs Ghouls

THIS WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

LAUGH IT UP Q: Why do gorillas have big nostrils? A: Because they have big fingers.

Q: David’s father has three sons : Snap, Crackle and _______ ?

A: David.

Q: When is a car not a car? A: When it turns into a garage.

GIRLS & SPORTS Justin Borus & Andrew Feinstein

WONDERMARK David Malki!

BREWSTER ROCKITT Tim Rickard

CALAMITIES OF NATURE Tony Piro

CROSSWORD ACROSS

DOWN

1 Eve’s youngest 5 Special __: military force 8 Priest’s place 13 Trojan War epic 15 “The __”: placekicker Lou Groza’s nickname 16 Dog 17 Wealthy relative 19 Sidekick who rode Scout 20 Bagel flavoring 21 Rio automaker 23 Bones partner 24 Emulate Muhammad Ali 27 Free, as legal work 31 Author Fleming 32 Titled woman 33 Older but __ 36 Dean’s list factor: Abbr. 39 Father-son talk, e.g. 43 D.C. bigwig 44 Annually 45 Jason’s vessel 46 Had some grub 47 Leave high and dry 50 Assembled in a makeshift manner 55 North Carolina university 56 Fed. loan guarantor 57 Take turns 62 Bank takebacks, briefly 64 Get-together for the starts of 17-, 24-, 39- and 50-Across? 66 Used a prie dieu 67 Many, many moons 68 Coach : athlete :: __ : student 69 When tripled, and so on 70 Gun lobby org. 71 Rockwell or Gothic

1 32-Acrosses’ spouses 2 Nobelist Wiesel 3 Nervous spasms 4 “Very funny!” 5 Non-Rx 6 Oktoberfest dance 7 Make welcome 8 On-target 9 Let out a few notches in 10 Toy truck brand 11 When Ophelia drowns 12 River at Arles 14 Disney pachyderm 18 One of the noble gases 22 French farewell 25 Alamo hero 26 Part of V.F.W. 27 Commonly e-mailed files, for short 28 Porterhouse order 29 Arabian sultanate 30 Golfer Hogan 34 “This __ ripoff!” 35 Scrawny one 36 Prepare, as for action 37 Walt Kelly’s possum 38 Soon, poetically 40 “K-K-K-__”: 1918 song 41 Batik artisans 42 __ Francisco 46 Composer Schoenberg 48 Arctic floater 49 Take in from a pet shelter 50 Beef __: dried meat 51 Kagan who replaced Stevens on the Supreme Court 52 Enticed, with “in” 53 “Peer Gynt” dramatist 54 Croc’s cousin 58 Drawn tight 59 Culturally pretentious 60 ‘Vette roof option 61 Brontë’s “Jane __” 63 RR depot 65 Literary collection

SOLUTION

Crossword by MCT Campus

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SPORTS EDITOR: Jimmy Carter ASST. SPORTS EDITOR: Danny Meyer

PAGE 12 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

FOOTBALL

Arkansas Faces Second-Half Struggles by JIMMY CARTER Sports Editor

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Sophomore running back Knile Davis ran for 82 yards against Texas A&M, but the Razorbacks struggled in the second half for the third consecutive game. The Hogs have scored only 16 points in their last three second halves.

No. 11 Arkansas leads the Southeastern Conference in passing and ranks second in total offense, but the Razorbacks have struggled in the second half of their last three games. The Hogs (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) totaled just 16 points in the second half against Georgia, then-No. 1 Alabama and Texas A&M. Arkansas’ offensive struggles allowed Georgia and Texas A&M to rally and threaten late in the contest, while the Hogs blew a 13-point, second-half lead against the Crimson Tide. “We’re used to moving the ball more and scoring more points,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “Yardage-wise and a lot of things we’re doing are good, but we’ve not scored points like we need to. Actually, all year long I’ve not been happy about the amount of points we’ve scored. “There was some frustration (against Texas A&M), there’s no question about that. When you’re

WOMEN’S GOLF

not executing and you’re not doing things the way you’re used to doing them, frustration mounts.” The Hogs will need to put together a complete effort Saturday at No. 7 Auburn (6-0, 3-0). Arkansas topped the Tigers 44-23 last season in its highest-scoring conference game. “We’re looking forward to the Auburn game,” Petrino said. “Obviously, it’s a big game for us. It’s another game we want to be in, and we’ve got to go down there and come away with a victory.” Alabama’s 35-21 loss to South Carolina put the Hogs back in the thick of the SEC West race. Auburn and LSU are both undefeated, while the Razorbacks and Crimson Tide each have one loss. All four teams are ranked in the top 12 of the AP poll. “What we do is worry about ourselves,” Petrino said. “We have an opportunity now to accomplish our goal. It’s still out there in front of us, but to do that we’ve got to Auburn, play great football and

see OFFENSE on page 13

FOOTBALL

Experience Leads Hogs’ Defense Steps Up Hogs to Victory by JORDAN GRUMMER Staff Writer

by PATRICK GRINNAN Staff Writer

The No. 14 Arkansas women’s golf team finished second at the Mercedes Benz Collegiate Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend. The tournament took place at the Holston Hills Country Club and featured 15 teams. The second-place finish follows the Razorbacks’ first-place finish at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic. Senior Kelli Shean, who shot three under par, was the lowscorer for the Razorbacks, followed by freshman Emily Tubert and senior Corinna Rees who both shot three over par. Shean and Tubert switched finishes from the team’s first tournament in which Tubert finished first and Shean finished second, separated by only two strokes. The freshman and senior have been battling all year, and the competition between the two have only made each player better, coach Estes-Taylor said. Tubert has had a first-place finish on the year, but Shean’s average score of 71 is lower than Tubert’s average of 71.67. Both players have a low of 69 and have shot in the 60’s twice.

The team had 21 birdies throughout the tournament. Freshman Emma Lavy and sophomore Victoria Vela shot four over par and nine over par, respectively. The ability of the team’s third and fourth players to contribute played a major factor in the team’s win, Estes-Taylor said. “The last round definitely showed the whole team can contribute,” coach Shauna Estes-Taylor said. “Corinna had an awesome performance and shot her low since she’s been here, and Victoria looked great. It was just a great team effort. They’re such a great group that they come out of every round smarter.” Rees has shown great advancement in her game and work ethic, Estes-Taylor said. “It’s her fifth year and she’s gotten so much better,” EstesTaylor said. “She has some confidence that I haven’t seen in her since she’s been here.” Freshman Rachel Carpenter played in the individual division and birdied four of her last five holes. “We ham-and-egged it quite nicely this weekend,” Estes-Taylor said. The team will head to the Boulder Creek Golf Course in Nevada Oct. 25-27 for the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown.

UA MEDIA RELATIONS

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The Arkansas defense had arguably its best game of the season against Texas A&M on Saturday. The Hogs held the Aggies’ offense, ranked No. 6 nationally entering the game, to 185 yards less than their season average. The Razorbacks’ defense forced four turnovers and was able to put consistent pressure on Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson, forcing him to complete only 15-of-40 passes. “We did a really nice job of our gap control, using our technique and our assignments, and we played fast and full speed for four quarters,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. Arkansas’ defense, ranked No. 19 in the nation in total defense,

see DEFENSE on page 13

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Junior defensive end Jake Bequette and the Razorbacks defense will face another dual-threat quarterback Saturday in Auburn’s Cameron Newton.

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball Looks Past Losing Streak by PATRICK GRINNAN Staff Writer

The Arkansas volleyball team (9-10, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) dropped below .500 in conference play last weekend, losing its second and third consecutive games. The Razorbacks dropped home matches to No. 22 Tennessee and Kentucky in five and four sets, respectively. Arkansas was able to hold two match points against the Volunteers, but could not close out the game. The loss marked the second consecutive loss in five sets to the Vols. Despite the losses, the Razorbacks showed improvement, coach Robert Pulliza said. “We keep evolving weekend after weekend,” Pulliza said. “We played our best volleyball this weekend, which is what you want to do. You want to keep playing your best volleyball in the game at hand.” Janeliss Torres-Lopez became the Southeastern Conference’s leading blocker over the weekend. Torres-

Lopez’s 12 blocks gave her a conference-leading 1.34 blocks per set and 61 total blocks on the season. The sophomore also hit better than 30 percent against Kentucky. “This weekend was another phenomenal weekend for her,” Pulliza said. “When you think she has hit her peak, she takes another step up, and this weekend was a step up for her offensively.”

Kelli Stipanovich Junior Kelli Stipanovich had a successful weekend, despite the team’s struggles. Stipanovich hit 35 percent with 10 kills, her fourth game of the season with 10 or more kills and a hitting percentage of 30 or better.

Stipanovich is hitting 28 percent on the season. “Kelli’s numbers are the best she’s had since she’s been at Arkansas,” Pulliza said. “She just keeps maturing and embracing her responsibilities. I still think her best volleyball is ahead of her.” Sophomore Cassie Clarke has also had a major impact in the team’s last two games. The setter had a season-high 53 assists against Tennessee and added 11 digs to complete a double-double, her third on the season. Freshman Raymariely Santos had 27 assists against Kentucky and has continued to play at a high level, Pulliza said. The Razorbacks will travel to Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday to face No. 12 LSU (16-1, 7-1). The Tigers will enter the match on a three-game winning streak. LSU’s Angela Bensend leads the conference in kills-perset with 4.4. Tiger’s setter Brittany Johnson leads the conference with 10.95 assists per set. “It kind of throws the week off a bit, but it’s always more fun to play than

COMMENTARY

A Very Long Way from the Top This Space for Rent

DANNY MEYER dxm010@uark.edu

Something terrible happened this weekend. The transgression that transpired wasn’t terrible for Arkansas fans – in fact, it was a good thing. When teams ranked above you lose, it usually works out well. This calamity, this bummer, was Alabama’s loss to South Carolina. And it doesn’t matter what team lost. The problem was that Alabama was undefeated, ranked No. 1 in the nation and above some other, let’s call them lesscompetitive, teams. I’m talking about Boise State and, to a lesser degree, TCU. After Bama’s loss last weekend, these two teams both jumped up one position in the polls, Boise to No. 3 and TCU to No. 4. And Alabama dropped to No. 8, with no first-place votes to boot. Yep. Not a typo. The Crimson Tide dropped that far in the polls after an SEC road loss to a top 25 team. Here’s the problem: Boise State and TCU are now in better position to contend for a spot in the national championship game. C’mon, they don’t deserve it. And it may not be their fault. Boise State plays in the Western Athletic Conference and TCU resides in the Mountain West Conference. They each play soft, soft schedules. Boise squeaked by then No. 10 Virginia Tech in week one. The Hokies then turned around and lost to James Madison, an FCS team. After that, Boise’s schedule featured bangers like Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and San Jose State. TCU is only a little better. They feature the likes of New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV, SMU and once again, poor old Wyoming. There’s no incentive for Boise and TCU to try to change conferences or attempt to grab a tougher schedule, either. To climb the rankings, all a team has to do is remain undefeated against cupcakes when other teams drop to juggernauts. Using this formula and looking at their remaining opponents, TCU and Boise are in a good position to stay where they are and most likely to continue to climb. The big-time teams behind them, including Nebraska, Oklahoma, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, South Carolina and now-forsaken Alabama, won’t leapfrog over them unless the Horned Frogs and Broncos lose. And the two teams above them, Ohio State and Oregon, play in elite conferences. The Buckeyes have No. 18 Wisconsin, Penn State, No. 15 Iowa and Michigan left. The Ducks battle against USC, No. 17 Arizona and No. 24 Oregon State. So it seems teams that play tough schedules and hard opponents get punished while teams that reside in easier conferences and feature lesser opponents get rewarded. What a travesty. How can there not be a strength-of-schedule component in the BCS? How can Alabama not be rewarded for playing at Arkansas, against Florida and at South Carolina, all in a row? And then playing at LSU and against Auburn later in the season? Arkansas is in the same boat. The Hogs best not lose at Auburn, at South Carolina or against LSU if they want to remain in the Top 25. With all the teams switching conferences next year, maybe bigtime programs in the SEC, PAC10 or ACC should look into it. I hear the MAC is hiring. Danny Meyer is the assistant sports editor for The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010 PAGE 13

Cobi Hamilton

Sophomore, WR 6-foot-3, 209 lbs 2010: 10 catches, 163 yards, 2 TD’s

Arkansas Traveler staff writer Jordan Grummer caught up with sophomore receiver Cobi Hamilton and discussed the Texarkana, Texas, native’s five-catch, 98-yard performance Saturday against Texas A&M. Can you talk about your touchdown catch last Saturday? It looked like there was pretty good coverage on you. I have fun out there, and like Coach Petrino said, just keep running, keep running. I know Ryan’s arm. He loves to throw the ball deep. That’s the first progression he has is to throw it deep. How hard has it been to stay patient even though everyone knows in this offense everyone’s going to get their turn. It’s been hard staying patient ever since my freshman year. Coming in being behind those three great receivers, but I knew my time was going to come. I’m just happy it came earlier, so I’m excited so far. Whose turn is it this week? Hopefully, it’s all four of us. We need all four of us to make big plays this week in order for us to win. How does Auburn compare to last year? So far they kind of look the same. We’ll get a lot of man coverages and stuff like that so hopefully it’s good for us. What’s been the difference in the second half of games for this offense? I think we’re just lazy coming out. Coach Petrino he emphasizes all the time in practice that we have to come out in second half and run the ball better, so I think that’ll happen this week. Have you done anything specifically in practice to emphasize that? Just getting tougher. Our scout team is giving us a good look. It’s all mental focus so that’s all we’ve been working on. Have the penalties been frustrating? It hurts you behind the sticks. I know a couple of times we were first and 20, and first and 15. It really hurts to call a play like that, so we have to get that worked out this week in order for us to win. How much carry over was there from the track season as far as your speed? I think it helped a lot in my route running. It opened up my stride making me a more pretty route runner. I think it really helped me a lot. If coach Petrino gives me the opportunity to do it, I’d be more than welcome to help the track team out again. What are you expecting from this game with both teams being so highly ranked? I’m expecting the receivers to have a good game. I think it’s going to come down to receivers making big plays in order for us to win. On offense, all 11 guys have to come together and make one. We have to run the ball good, and we just have to make plays.

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER from OFFENSE on page 12 come away with the win.” The Hogs will need to be sharper on offense in the second half against the Tigers, though. Texas A&M held the Razorbacks to just 125 yards in the second half. The Aggies had an opportunity to tie the game on the final play, but Arkansas safety Tramain Thomas intercepted Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson in the end zone. The Razorbacks scored on just 3-of-9 possessions in which they advanced into Texas A&M territory.

from DEFENSE on page 12 will face a quarterback with similar physical tools to Johnson, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 245 pounds. No. 7 Auburn is led by 6-foot-6, 250-pound quarterback Cameron Newton. Newton is a dual-threat quarterback and has been dangerous in Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s fast-paced spread offense. Newton ran for 198 yards and four touchdowns, while completing 13-of-21 passes for 210 yards in the Tigers’ 37-34 win at Kentucky on Saturday. “He’s a very good runner,” Petrino said. “He’s very physical. We’ve got to do a good job of being disciplined in our gap control

“On offense we’ve just got to execute better,” Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett said. “We just don’t need to shoot ourselves in the foot. That’s what hurts us the most, when we get penalties and things like that. We’ve moved the ball and still had a lot of yards, but we have to put the ball in the end zone. “We’ve had plenty of chances and the defense has put us in good position, but that goes on the offense not being able to put it in the end zone.” The Hogs racked up 13 penalties Saturday, including eight offensive penalties. The Razorbacks were flagged for five false start penalties. “Way too many (penalties),” Petrino said about the Texas A&M

game. “We’ve got some work to do to make sure we don’t make those same mistakes this week. There’s a number of things that contributed to (the false-start penalties). It’s just focus, concentration and communication.” Mallett threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns against the Aggies, but also threw his sixth interception of the season. The junior threw just seven interceptions in 13 games last season. “Every year is different,” Petrino said. “We work hard in practice all the time on taking care of the ball and making good decisions. A lot of times, your decision making is affected by pass rush. We’ve got to make better decisions. We had a few errant throws and a couple of

like we’ve been. It’s all about playing hard and playing fast.” With Newton at the helm, the Tigers lead the Southeastern Conference in total offense, rushing offense and pass efficiency. “The thing is you got to hold this guy up,” Arkansas senior cornerback Ramon Broadway said. “We have to gang tackle him. We definitely have to red swarm this week.” Freshman quarterback Brandon Mitchell ran the scout team offense last week in practice, because his skill set was similar to Johnson’s. “It was definitely a help because Brandon’s got some wheels on him,” Broadway said. “This week the scout team definitely has to step up and give us a great look. We’re definitely probably going to have Brandon doing the same ex-

act thing this week.” Arkansas has faired well against Malzahn-led offenses the last two seasons, including a 4423 win against the Tigers last season. The Hogs held Auburn to 375 yards and the Tigers scored 18 points less than their average. “We’ve battled each other for the last couple years, and they obviously do a good job offensively,” Petrino said. “It’s really about being able to come up with the stops.” Malzahan was Arkansas’ offensive coordinator in 2006 season, before leaving for the same position at Tulsa. Broadway said he and Malzahan have maintained a good relationship, but that won’t be a factor Saturday. “I think we understand exactly what they’re trying to do,” Broadway said. “You have to execute the plays and that’s what it’s going to come down to Saturday.” The Razorbacks haven’t given up more than 24 points this season and have held two opponents to single-digits scoring efforts. Arkansas allowed 27.8 points per game in its first five games last season. “I think our players are very confident and they should be because of the way they’ve been playing,” Petrino said. The Hogs have eight defensive starters in their third season in Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson’s system, something Broadway said has paid dividends. “I think the thing is our maturity has definitely gone to a different level,” Broadway said. “We understand the schemes and we understand what we’re trying to do.”

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Arkansas’ defense held Texas A&M to a field goal in the second half of the Hogs’ 24-17 win over the Aggies in the second Southwest Classic.

tipped interceptions. “It’s one of those things where everything adds up. It’s never one guy’s responsibility, it’s everyone’s responsibility.” The Hogs got a boost from their running game Saturday. Arkansas still ranks last in the SEC in rushing – averaging just 108 yards per game – but ran for 132 yards against Texas A&M. Sophomore Knile Davis ran for 82 yards on 10 carries, including a 45-yard run on the Razorbacks’ first scoring drive. “He can carry the ball more, there’s no doubt about it,” Petrino said about Davis. “He’s doing a nice job of hitting the holes and breaking tackles. He’s been very good on his tracks and his vision. He’s done

a very nice job of running the football the last two games.” Arkansas has to win its remaining six conference games and Alabama has to lose another contest for the Hogs to win the SEC West. Auburn is the Razorbacks’ second top 10 divisional opponent in three conference games and the Hogs will have another chance to impress a national audience in CBS’ SEC showcase. “Any SEC game is big,” Mallett said. “This one is a Western Division game, and they are a great team. They are undefeated, and we have one loss and could very easily be undefeated, too. We need to get mentally focused and prepare to go down there and put on a show.”

PAGE 14

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

ARKANSAS - AUBURN BREAKDOWN Arkansas run offense vs. Auburn run defense

Auburn passing offense vs. Arkansas pass defense

Auburn run offense vs. Arkansas run defense

Arkansasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; running backs combined for a total of 29 carries against Texas A&M, the most attempts in a game all season. Led by sophomore Knile Davis, who averaged an impressive 8.2 yards per carry, the Hogsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; backs ran for a total of 143 yards. Auburn comes into the game with a stingy run defense that ranks second in the SEC. The Tigers are holding opponents to just 95 yards per game on the ground and have only allowed eight rushing touchdowns in their six games. Auburn is led on defense by strong safety Zac Etheridge, who leads the team in tackles with 38 and also has one interception on the season.

Auburn had 210 passing yards in the Tigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 27-24 win against Kentucky, a game in which the Tigers relied heavily on the run. Arkansasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense kept the Razorbacks in the game against Texas A&M, including four turnovers and two sacks. The Razorbacksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will need to have the same level of play to stop Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton. Auburnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading receiver, Darvin Adams, had 105 yards on five catches against the Wildcats and his play could be a key against the Razorbacks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Hogs gave up several big passing plays against Texas A&M.

Arkansasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rush defense has been the strong point of the Razorbacksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense this season. The Hogs only allowed 112 yards on the ground against Texas A&M, holding scrambling quarterback Jerrod Johnson to 40 yards rushing. Arkansas will be facing a similar quarterback in Auburnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cameron Newton, who ran for 198 yards and four touchdowns against Kentucky. Newton is a dual threat, but his ability to run the ball is his strength. The 6-6, 250-pound sophomore is the Tigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading rusher this season, with 672 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground. Newton is ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in total yards behind Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, with 301.7 yards per game and 1,810 total yards. Advantage: Auburn

Advantage: Auburn

Arkansas passing offense vs. Auburn pass defense Arkansas Quarterback Ryan Mallett struggled at the end of the Texas A&M game after a stellar first half. The passing game seemed out of sync against the Aggiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; impressive second-half defense, after accounting for all three Arkansasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; touchdowns in the first half. Arkansas, with its trio of standout receivers, still leads the Southeastern Conference in passing, though. The Hogs will look to capitalize against an Auburn defense ranked 10th in the SEC in passing defense. Mallett and the aerial attack will have to come up big against the Tigers to knock off the SECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest ranked team.

Arkansas special teams vs. Auburn special teams

Arkansas coaching staff vs. Auburn coaching staff

Arkansas switched up its kick returning duties against Texas A&M, going with junior Joe Adams instead of freshman Maudrecus Humphrey. The Little Rock, Ark., native only had two returns for a total of 26 yards. Kicker Zach Hocker missed the first field goal attempt of his young collegiate career, a 49-yard attempt, before connecting on a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter. Auburn kicker Wes Byrum leads the SEC in scoring by a kicker. The senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has connected on all 28 of his extra point attempts and is currently 8-for-11 on field goals this season. Kick returner Demond Washington is averaging more than 24 yards per return. Neither team has produced big plays from their special teams, but providing a big play during this game might determine the outcome.

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik led the Tigers to the Outback Bowl in his first year as head coach, compiling an 8-5 record. In his second season, Chizik is off to a 6-0 start with a team that ranks tenth in the country in total offense and 40th in total defense. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino will take his 4-1 Razorbacks to Auburn, Ala., to pit his high-powered offense against the Tigersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense. Both teams have been high-scoring, but Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense could be the key factor in this matchup. The Hogs defense, ranked No. 19 in the nation, has only allowed an average of 302 total yards per game and will need to slow down the Auburn offense to give Razorbacksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offensive coordinator Garrick McGeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offense some breathing room. Advantage: Arkansas

Advantage: Even

Arkansas-Auburn Predictions Jimmy Carter Sports Editor

Advantage: Arkansas

Danny Meyer Assistant Sports Editor

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Auburn has won four of its six games by less than 10 points, including three three-point wins. The Tigers are overrated and Arkansas has a chance to prove the Alabama game wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a fluke. ARKANSAS 31 AUBURN 21

Jordan Grummer Senior Staff Writer

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Arkansasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offense, with all of the checks and attempts to quiet the home crowd (i.e. Mallett in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bama game), needs to be able to communicate at the line of scrimmage. The offense does match up well against the Tigersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense, and the defense has been solid against Gus Malzahan-led offenses the past two years. Arkansas needs this game to silence the critics and get a leg up in the suddendly wide open SEC West. ARKANSAS 24 AUBURN 21

Patrick Grinnan Staff Writer

The Razorbacksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; impress against the outmatched Aggies and Auburnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cameron Newton showed how devastating he can be with his four rushing TDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s against Kentucky. The Razorbacksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will be facing one of only two unbeaten SEC teams. If the Hogsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense can contain Newton and the offense can pick up the pace, the Razorbacks have a shot at stealing this one away. ARKANSAS 27 AUBURN 24

Arkansas didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look great last week, but perhaps Texas A&M is better than people give them credit for. There are questions about Auburn too, who beat South Carolina eailer in the season but only beat Kentucky by three last week. I think Arkansas shows up. ARKANSAS 27 AUBURN 21

Zach Turner Staff Writer

Arkansas faces a challenging road test against arguably the SECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best and highest ranked team. Auburn QB Cam Newton has been electric running the football and will continue that against the Razorback defense. Arkansas will struggle in a hostile environment if they do not get on the board early. AUBURN 35 ARKANSAS 20

Bailey Elise McBride Editor

Fans who saw last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A&M game may be a little concerned about the Arkansas offense. Auburn, undefeated in the SEC, had a great game, and will be ready to win again at home. If the Razorbacks can achieve some offensive consistency, they should be able to come out on top, though. ARKANSAS 31 AUBURN 28