A Wide World Awaits Students Through Study Abroad Page 5 PAGE 1
In This Issue:
News
Skinny ‘Genes’ Researchers take steps to regulate human fat.
Page 2
News
UA Political RSO’s
Political RSO’s get ready for campaign season.
Features
Page 3 Culture and Corn Dogs: One student’s International Experience.
Ramz Shalbak, a student from Palestine, gets a taste of the American lifestyle.
Page 5
Sports
Knile Coming Back?
Arkansas junior running back Knile Davis is practicing with the team and coaches are mum on whether he will return this season.
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Sports
XC Misses NCAAs Arkansas’ men’s cross country team missed the NCAA Championships despite being ranked No. 15 in the nation.
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Opinion
Vol. 106, NO. 48 UATRAV.COM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011
Parking Solutions Create More Questions Possible parking solutions raise more questions about how UA administrators plan to move forward without ostracising students.
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ASG Senate Approves UA Dance, Amnesty Delayed by SARAH DEROUEN Staff Writer
Associated Student Government Senate members passed a resolution to support a Razorback Ball Tuesday night. Organizers of the ball are not asking ASG senators to pay for the ball. The ball organizers hope to make this event a new tradition on campus, in which all students will attend. If possible, the event will take place in Barnhill Arena to save on costs. In other news, Associated Student Government members delayed legislation that some senators think will alleviate the fear of calling for medical help for a student who has been drinking. “It’s a great idea and will be a safe gaurd to future student deaths,” said ASG President Michael Dodd. This policy will state that students can call for medical help for themselves or another student that may be in danger because of alcohol without getting in trouble by the university on the first offense, according to the bill. Though students would not get in trouble through the UA judicial system, the students could still face criminal charges. The students would also have to complete a brief psycho-educational intervention at the Pat Walker Health Center. A similar bill was written last year by ASG President Michael Dodd, but never got off the ground, Dodd said. Some changes were made to the bill this year in comparison to last year. This year, Dodd will be responsible for appointing a committee that will oversee how the policy could be implemented and will write a letter to each of the board members explaining why the policy should be implemented.
Plans unveiled for Future Public Transit System by LANDON REEVES Staff Writer
UA Community Design Center officials and UA students created plans, in early November, for a student public transit system to help contain growth and development in Fayetteville. The plans spent a year in the making from the summer of 2010 until it was completed and presented at the end of the summer of 2011, officials said. The team who designed was composed of students from architecture and landscape departments, Huber said. The students studied street car systems from Little Rock and Portland. At the beginning it was kind of difficult because we had to cover more material than we usually had in school,” said Enrique Colcha, a UA senior architecture major who worked on the project. “It was really interesting. It was really tough. I used all
of what I have learned these past four years in this project,” which ended last semester, Colcha said. The plans envision a city with increased pedestrian travel opportunities and a street car system with six miles of track that connects downtown Dickson Street with the Northwest Arkansas Mall area, officials said. The UACDC created four scenarios to show opportunities for development based on growth in Fayetteville. The scenario presented for funding to the National Endowment for the Arts included a street car system on College Avenue. Jeffrey Huber, project designer for UACDC, described others as an “urban agriculture” model and an “education” model.
see TRANSIT on page 3
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011 VOL. 106, NO. 48 8 PAGES UATRAV.COM
Occupy Fayetteville:
Protesters Set Up Camp by JACK SUNTRUP Staff Writer
As city officials dismantle Occupy camps across the country, Occupy NWA members, including UA students, set up camp at the Fayetteville Town Center. Fayetteville’s members provide a way to feel connected to the broader movement, said graduate student Amber CulbertsonFaegre. “People already knew they were getting the short end of the stick,” she said. “People already
knew they were being treated unjustly. This is just giving them a place that they can point to and offer a donation or come and sit for a few hours and begin to raise awareness and begin to feel they’re not alone.” Protesters spent the last three nights in tents and plan on staying indefinitely, regardless of the weather. “We [slept through rain] last night,” said Evan Locklear, member of Occupy NWA. “I am not going to lie, it sucked. Somebody on Facebook called us a bunch
of idiots for sleeping through the rain.” Protesters sat under an overhang near the entrance to the camp eating chicken-noodle soup and sipping coffee as rain poured Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve had all kinds of stuff donated,” said Matthew Garen, member of Occupy NWA. “We’ve got more supplies than we do people. We have traffic during the day but we need more people on a regular basis.” About 11 protesters spent the night in seven tents Monday,
Garen said. A demonstration against wage theft is scheduled Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the square. Media has not done a service in properly characterizing the many normal people who have joined the Occupy movement, Culbertson-Faegre said. “There are definitely dirty hippie homeless kids involved but there are also homeowners,” she said. “I own my own property. I am not getting foreclosed on. I pay my bills on time and I am sitting here.”
GRACE GUDE STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Supporters of Occupy NWA camp outside the Fayetteville Town Center Tuesday. The protest, which began on Wall Street, carries on in Arkansas and across the nation.
Increase in On-Campus Bike Thefts by AMANDA POGUE Staff Writer
The increasing number of on-campus bike thefts has been a problem for University of Arkansas Police Department officials this fall, UAPD officials said. “We’ve had several bicycles stolen this fall. It’s a problem right now,” UAPD Lt. Gary Crain said. Most of the bikes are stolen from the racks around the residence halls, Crain said, but students and staff have lost their bikes to thieves. “I see a lot of students who keep their bikes in their rooms so they don’t get stolen,” said Debbie Hudson, administrative specialist for Yocum Hall. MELEAH GROSS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER “I think the best way to Students on-campus lock their bikes to protect themselves from theft. There are many go is one of those bar locks. different chains and locks available for purchase to prevent their bikes being stolen.
That’s the best possible defense for someone stealing a bicycle,” Crain said. Chain locks are too easily cut. But bar locks, which are available to students from UAPD officers, are much sturdier, Crain said. Most of the stolen bicycles wind up for sale online, he said. “Some are being marketed on Craigslist or eBay. Many are being pawned. The higher-end bicycles are definitely being sold for a profit,” Crain said. Bicycle thefts are easily preventable, he said. “I ask that if anyone sees anyone acting suspicious or anyone with any tools in their hands around a bicycle stand, that they call the police immediately so that we can put a stop to this theft of bicycles,” he said.
Increase in Out-of-State Students at the UA by CHAD WOODARD News Editor
Between 1998 and 2010, the number of UA freshmen from states that border Arkansas increased by nearly 400 percent. Meanwhile, the number of instate students increased by about 7 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Among those bordering states, Texas has the largest UA
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enrollment with 736 freshmen. That is well above the 89 students from Texas in the 1998 freshman class. Missouri also had a large increase of freshmen in this time period from 40 to 222, or an increase of a little more than 450 percent, and Oklahoma had the third highest increase from 89 to 173, or an increase of a little more than 94 percent. The number of UA freshmen from contiguous states is higher
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than any state institution in Arkansas. Arkansas Tech, for example, had just 16 freshmen from Texas in 2010, eight from Missouri and 11 from Oklahoma. Arkansas Tech’s enrollment of less than 2,000 freshmen in 2010 contrasts with the UA freshman class of more than 3,800 that year. At Arkansas Tech last year, 3 percent of the freshman class came from states that border
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Arkansas. In that same year, nearly 35 percent of UA freshmen came from bordering states. ASG President Michael Dodd, who is from Kansas City, Mo., looked at a few colleges before narrowing his choices to Arkansas and Texas. One important element made the UA an obvious choice for him:
see OUT OF STATE on page 3
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011
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“We have discovered a gene, that if we knock this gene down, we basically produce fat-free fly larvae; little maggots that you can look through, are transparent, because they don’t contain, or contain very little, fat tissue,” said Michael Lehmann, professor of biological science. “That’s the same gene that controls fat metabolism in humans as well.”
Skinny ‘Genes’:
Researchers Take Steps to Regulate Human Fat by LEIGH JACKSON Staff Writer
What do humans have in common with fruit flies? Both possess a gene that controls metabolism and weight, and now a UA professor is researching this gene to determine how humans might regulate metabolism. Michael Lehmann, UA professor of biological sciences, is the lead researcher on work that could provide some insight into how to regulate human metabolisms. “We have discovered a gene, that if we knock this gene down, we basically produce fat-free fly larvae; little maggots that you can look through, are transparent, because they don’t contain, or contain very little, fat tissue,” Lehmann said. “That’s the same gene that controls fat metabolism in humans as well.” “The gene that we’ve found in these flies is present in humans as well, so most likely
the gene has the same weight function in humans,” Lehmann said. “We can use the gene in the flies to see how the protein is regulated; how it’s activated or repressed. More often than not, it turns out that what we find in flies also applies in humans.” The research on metabolism is important because obesity has become a worldwide problem, Lehmann said. “Obesity has become a problem in not just the U.S., but the entire industrialized world,” Lehmann said. For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate Body Mass Index, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BMI consistently correlates with a person’s amount of body fat. An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight; 30 or higher is considered obese. About 34 percent of adults in the U.S. are obese, according to the CDCP.
“People are becoming more and more overweight, and not just overweight, but morbidly obese,” Lehmann said. “Some people would say ‘just eat less,’ but in some cases, that just doesn’t work because these people have metabolisms that are so deranged. We have to take a medical approach and try to help these people.” The research is being supported primarily by the National Science Foundation and the Arkansas Bioscience Institute, Lehmann said. “We have been working on this since 2007 and just received a new grant this year from the NSF for another three years,” Lehmann said. “I hope, though, we will be able to continue our metabolism work beyond those three years. There is lots of work to be done.” Fruit flies were the optimum choice for the research. “Fruit flies have been used for pretty much exactly a hundred years now as model organisms in genetics research,” Lehmann said. “Because they
are such a good model organism, they have many advantages over other organisms. Especially in genetics, because if you want to use a quantitative approach, you need a lot of offspring. A single female fruit fly can have 800 little fly babies. They also have a very short life cycle, so you get from one generation to the next in eleven days, so they’re very suitable for experimentation.” Fruit flies are useful for a variety of scientific studies. “The fly can be used to study many aspects of biology, that are also relevant to human biology, which surprises many people, because you wouldn’t necessarily expect this because they are so different from us,” Lehmann said. “It turns out that the basic processes, even in development, are very similar.”
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011 TRANSIT from page 1
The final scenario, Huber said, was a “do nothing” option where the city let urban sprawl run its course. “The reason we ran these plans is because by 2030, Fayetteville is projected to add more than 55,000 people to its population,” Huber said. “Close to 50 percent of Fayetteville’s built environment projected for 2030 doesn’t exist. There was a huge opportunity to build [a] more intelligent future.” NEA officials didn’t give UACDC members enough funding to present all three proposals, Huber said. UACDC members chose to present the street car scenario because it was the most viable option. A street car could easily be retro-fitted to any existing street, Huber said. “This is a proposal, for what could happen in the next 30 years, it was put out there so people could see what it would look like if this sort of development came to Fayetteville,” Huber said. “The time it would take to build the system is roughly equal to 1 year per mile. On an aggressive schedule, it could be around 3 months per mile,” Huber said. The city wanted to see three things in the future: more infill development, curb the sprawl on the western edges of the city and efforts to preserve the environment, Huber said. “At the beginning it was kind of difficult because we had to cover more material than we usually had in school,” said Enrique Colcha, a UA senior architecture major who worked on the project. “It was really interesting. It was really tough. I used all of what I have learned these past four years in this project,” which ended last semester, Colcha said. Colcha designed two stops for the street car system: the stop at Fiesta Square and one farther down College Ave. The team took an early trip to Oregon to prepare for the project, Colcha said. “We went to Portland and studied their trains, because they are supposed to be the best in the country,” Colcha said. “We met the people that managed the system, [and] after that we came back and started the project here.”
OUT OF STATE from page 1
“Texas was about 35,000 a year with all the expenses and Arkansas was 10-to-15,000 at the most,” he said. The cost of out-of-state tuition at the University of Texas for this year was $32,506; room and board cost more than $10,000, according to College Board. This means that an out-ofstate student, after adding the cost of books, fees and other
Visiting Artist Shapes UA Ceramics Workshop
KRIS JOHNSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Visitng artist Gweyndolyn Yoppolo throws a pot on a wheel during a workshop and lecture at the Ceramics building Nov. 3
Student Political Organizations Prep for Presidential Campaign With the presidential election a year away, Registered Student Organization leaders have begun to rally their members for the upcoming political season. “Historically, the Democratic Party has had a better hold on the youth vote, but when you speak to the issues that really affect young people, like the economy, I think you’re seeing a lot of interest in the Republican Party,” said Grant Hodges, vice chairman of Arkansas Federation of College Republicans. “I can feel it in myself. I can feel people actually getting interested in the Republican Party, which is exciting,” Hodges said.
Young Democrat President Matthew Suebert is optimistic despite the trouncing Democrats took in the 2010 mid-term elections, he said. “It was tough to look in the mirror the next morning,” Suebert said. “People are not happy with the jobs the Republicans have done since taking over the House of Representatives.” “That brand of Republicanism has been irresponsible and I think in 2012, at the state as well as the national level, Democrats have a lot to run on. Here on campus, we’re not going to be shying away from that.” At the UA, groups like the Young Democrats and College Republicans work year-round preparing for the presidential race as well as local and state races.
incidentals, would have to pay about $45,000 a year to attend the University of Texas at Austin. At the UA, however, the yearly tuition cost for a student from a contiguous state would be nearly $1,000 more than an in-state student would pay, said Steve Voorhies, manager of news and media relations. This means that a UA student from a contiguous state would pay a little more than $8,000 in tuition a year and a little more than $8,000 in
room and board, according to College Board. So a UA student from a contiguous state would pay a little less than $20,000 a year. Over four years, Texas residents would save about $100,000 by attending the UA as opposed to the University of Texas at Austin. However, tuition cost was not the only reason Dodd chose to come to the UA. “The number one reason I came here is because I thought it was more comfortable and down to earth,” he said.
by JACK SUNTRUP Staff Writer
“Really what I’ve done with my time at Young Democrats is to give students as many different ways to get involved in this cycle as we can,” Suebert said. “We’re looking to create a Democratic job bank to place students in campaigns and volunteer opportunities where they can get that good experience. “Washington County now has eight or nine General Assembly seats either wholly or entirely in our county, so it’s a good opportunity to reach out to those candidates who chose to run in those districts,” Suebert said. Hodges and Suebert both recognize the important role young volunteers play in every election. “What we mainly focus on is volunteering and having boots
on the ground,” Hodges said. “[On] election day, we try to get voters out to the polls as best we can.” Expect a large campus presence starting after winter break, Hodges said. “As far as voter registration, that will probably start up a lot in January and February,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ve set a goal yet as far as how many we want to register, but 1,000 sounds like a good number to me.” Mobilization and voter registration are also important focuses for the Young Democrats, Suebert said. “We’re looking at creating sort of a tiered approach of recognizing that students have different levels of involvement,” he said. “For some students, it’s
just a matter of getting them to the polls. You need to have those mobilizing efforts of ‘Hey, this is how you register here,’ and ‘Hey, we’re going to the polls together.’” For both groups, fighting for general involvement in this democracy is a goal. Campaign rhetoric ignited almost immediately following Barack Obama’s inauguration; the upcoming election could be pivotal for the country, Suebert said. “Almost every election cycle, we’re told it’s the most important election cycle ever,” he said. “But this is a cycle that will in a lot of ways pick the direction our country will go. It’s going to become clear that if you don’t participate, you’re not going to have a say on where things go.”
OPINION THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER
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EDITOR: SABA NASEEM MANAGING EDITOR: MATTIE QUINN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011
FROM THE BOARD Parking Solutions Create More Questions Gary Smith, the parking and transit director, discussed various options UA administrators are looking at to alleviate the campus parking crunch at the Associated Student Government Senate meeting Tuesday. While we were glad to hear more details on an issue that plagues many students, some of the ideas Smith talked about had us worried. Administrators have looked at getting rid of lots that are in the center of campus, used usually by students who live on campus, and instead having on-campus students park remotely. Also, they have discussed having students pay every day that they park on campus. Both ideas could potentially curb how often students park on campus, he said. The idea of having students who live on campus being forced to park remotely isn’t what worries us—as long as they were able to pay the green lot prices and not the current reserved prices, but the idea of paying for parking by day worries us. Yes, it could probably curb parking, while also generally agitating students. Realistically, an agitated student body likely won’t stop UA officials from doing what they feel needs to be done to help the UA grow and accommodate continued student growth. (We don’t mean that negatively. It’s just the for-the-greater-good theory.) Also, in the UA’s master plan officials are planning a fourth parking garage. Obviously parking garages are the most efficient way to easily increase parking and save space, but they are also more expensive for students. Though these plans are for future UA students, given the current economic slump expecting students to pay about $500 for a garage pass, while continuing to eliminate cheaper surface lots, seems out of touch. In the future, officials are planning to replace some of the surface lots with more buildings—which we agree that we need— but we would rather see more remote lots built than parking garages which some students might not be able to afford. Sadly that requires more space, which the university is limited on at best. Administrators also discuss banning freshmen from parking on campus every year, Smith said. It’s an option we’ve discussed in a previous from the board. Obviously the disadvantaged group is freshmen, but the UA would by no means be the only university that bans freshmen from bringing cars to campus as a way to curb the number of people parking on campus. While as students we are against the ideas of charging students for parking per day, and some on-campus students might be frustrated at the idea of having to park in ,for example, a green lot on Razorback Road, we understand that officials are discussing these ideas to deal with the UA’s growth—which is essentially a good thing— and it is a problem that cannot be ignored. As Smith said at the meeting, the best way to balance increasing parking prices and fewer lots, aside from not cutting lots or rising prices which doesn’t seem like a realistic option, is to promote and reward students that make the transition to taking a bus, carpooling, walking or riding their bikes.
Traveler Quote of the Day “Almost every election cycle, we’re told it’s the most important election cycle ever. But this is a cycle that will in a lot of ways pick the direction our country will go. It’s going to become clear that if you don’t participate, you’re not going to have a say on where things go.” -Matthew Seubert, Young Democrats president, “Student Political Organizations Prep For Presidential Campaign,” page three
EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR Saba Naseem MANAGING EDITOR Mattie Quinn OPINION EDITOR Jordain Carney ENTERPRISE EDITOR Samantha Williams CONTACT US 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 should be sent to traveler@uark.edu.
HEBRON CHESTER STAFF CARTOONIST
ASG Senate Supports University-Wide Ball The Fourth Estate
by JORDAIN CARNEY Opinion Editor travop@uark.edu
Though the Associated Student Government members tabled the resolution supporting a medical amnesty policy to give senators more time to gather information and work with Residents Interhall Congress— a good idea considering RIC is probably the group that would be most effected by a medical amnesty policy— have no fear, they passed a resolution supporting a Razorback Ball by a 34-15 vote. The ball would be “a campus-wide social affair” and “could be an outstanding new tradition, as well as an opportunity to promote ASG, Razor Rewards and a real feeling of being a part of the Razorback Family,” according to the legislation. Perhaps that’s true, perhaps it isn’t. I have my doubts with how ASG members can ensure it will be a university-wide social affair for two reasons.
Firstly, they have only spoken to RIC members and the Order of Omega— a Greek Life honors society— to collaborate on the event. Secondly, while creating an event that people other than the usual suspects— the groups mentioned above— would attend is perhaps an admirable goal, it’s also an near impossible to guarantee. (For some context, they based the idea off the Wake Forest University President’s Ball. Wake Forest is a university of 7,079 students according to its admissions website. Approximately 5,000 can attend the ball and that includes students, alumni, staff and faculty.) Too a point I can understand why ASG members would be attracted to the idea of this ball. I, like many others, looked forward to going to prom in high school— and let’s not fool ourselves that’s what this is. To help garner student involvement they’ve proposed letting organizations nominate a king and queen and allow students to vote for the winner— unlike the committee process that Homecoming Court nominations go through. Hypothetically if the funding for this ball gets approved by the Program Allocations Board, I have a feeling the organizations nominating someone for king and queen will be the same groups
that nominate girls for Homecoming. But theories aside, perhaps the thing that frustrates me the most— because I’ll admit this could be a fun, though realistically unnecessary, event— is how it was passed by ASG senators. As Sen. Mike Norton pointed out in his speech against the legislation, ASG appropriations committee members just went through a competitive funding round where funding for purely social events— which is what this is— was cut or minimized. Though the funding is coming from PAB, and not RSO allocations, it is kind of hypocritical to cut funding for RSO’s social events, and then have ASG members turn around and ask for as much as $8,000 from PAB for a social event. And if PAB members do by some chance reject the funding request, they could come back to the ASG senate and ask for help with funding. (If that happens it would go from being kind of hypocritical, to fully hypocritical.) Also, senators don’t know exactly how much this is going to cost. The bill’s authors said approximately $8,000 at the ASG Senate meeting last Tuesday, but that depends on location, transportation, etc. They don’t know where it’s going to be held. They don’t know when
it’s going to be held. Pohlner and Pennington could have— and in my opinion should have— researched at least to the point that these questions could be answered. To be fair, they thought they would have this questions answered and be presenting to PAB Thursday, but obviously that didn’t work out. I can even understand why they would want ASG’s seal of approval on this legislation—if nothing else there are four ASG members on the PAB— but I think it was premature to bring a half-baked plan when they could have waited until later this semester or early next semester. They aren’t presenting to PAB until at least February. I’m sure defenders of the bill and the event will say that to move the planning of the event forward a committee was needed. I have a hard time believing that. Realistically, it isn’t as though senators never speak about legislation before it comes on first reading. Doing some basic research and planning beforehand seems like an obvious missed step in presenting the legislation. Jordain Carney is the 20112012 Traveler opinion editor. She is a senior majoring in political science, journalism and English. Her column appears every Wednesday.
Campus Crowd Shots: Penn State Scandal Student Leaders React
“I would pray that it would never happen here. What happened at Penn State was a tragedy, and ultimately the coaches and the university failed to achieve their primary goal which is to protect the kids that were there. I think this is hopefully an isolated incident; I don’t see it happening here, but my heart goes out to the kids that were abused.”
“I think it’s a really unfortunate situation. It’s very interesting to see the way people are reacting to the events taking place. I would understand that if we were to lose Bobby Petrino there would be people that would be upset, but the thing about the families and the individuals that were effected by that assistant coach is that there’s a lot of psychological harm to those kids.”
“I do think it is something that can easily tear down a university. I think that we’re really fortunate to have good leadership amongst students and administrators. The toughest part about the Penn State deal is that a lot of the people that had created great relationships across campus, it was literally torn apart in one second.”
-Grant Hodges, ASG senate chair, junior, political science
-RIC President Cameron Mussar, senior, psychology
- ASG President Michael Dodd, senior, transportation and logistics
THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER
FEATURES PAGE 5 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011
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FEATURES EDITOR: LAUREN LEATHERBY ASST. FEATURES EDITOR: KELSI FORD
Culture and Corn Dogs: One Student’s International Experience
BRITTANY WULF STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER “I feel weird because I’m now in a country that does not recognize my country as a country,” said Ramiz Shalbak, exchage student from Palestine.
by HAILEY RAY Staff Writer
More than 6,700 miles from home, 21-year-old Ramz Shalbak is getting a taste of the American lifestyle for the first time.
“Most of what I knew of the United States was from movies,” the West Bank native said. Shalbak is spending a year studying at the UA through the Near East and South Asia Undergraduate
Exchange Program. In the beginning, Shalbak worried that people wouldn’t be nice or that she would not be able to adapt well enough, but “Arkansas is a friendly environment,” she said. Her first impression of the state came before she even arrived. A quick Internet search turned up the Katy Perry “Firework” video that several UA students made during the spring snow storms. Studying here has been very different from her home school, Birzeit University in the Palestinian city Ramallah, where she is majoring in English literature and minoring in translation and business. In Ramallah, Shalbak does not live on campus. Palestinian students don’t typically get to experience the oncampus life that students have at American universities. At home she would study alone in her apartment, but here she attends cultural events in Holcombe Hall, her residence hall and goes to the library with friends to work on her increased amount of homework. One of the challenges of going to school in the West Bank comes from the conflict with Israel. Schools are closed for days or even weeks because of the conflict, Shalbak said. Even when students aren’t affected physically, they are affected psychologically. Shalbak has felt some tension because of the United States’ allegiance with Israel.
A Wide World Awaits Students Through Study Abroad
In October, the United States voted against recognizing Palestine as a state through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. “I feel weird because I’m now in a country that does not recognize my country as a country,” she said. Shalbak prefers to get her news through Arabic sources rather than U.S. media, although she said that the full picture is not always portrayed there either. “People only know what the media channels show,” she
etables and rice, she said. “My experience is not limited to the American experience,” she said. “Maybe that’s why they call it a cultural experience.” Shalbak was determined to try corn dogs, a food she had always seen people eating on TV. However, because she is Muslim, she couldn’t eat any that were made with pork. At Bikes, Blues and BBQ, Shalbak went from vendor to vendor until she found a corn dog that she could eat, and it was good, she said. Different foods is just one of
“For some people, I may be the only Palestinian they meet. I don’t want to represent a bad image, and I don’t want to be someone I’m not.”
-Ramz Shalbak
said. Shalbak wants peace between Palestine and Israel, but not everyone agrees on the way to achieve peace, she said. “The most important thing is the lives of the people,” she said. “Lots have Israeli friends and lost connection after the war started.” Shalbak is now friends with many American students, but she has also met students from Serbia, Ghana, South Korea and other countries. She enjoys cooking her native foods for others and trying international foods as well. She particularly enjoys Mexican food for the guacamole, cheeses and rice. Typical Palestinian meals have lots of veg-
many firsts Shalbak has experienced during her time at the UA. She celebrated her first Halloween and also went to her first football game. Football was confusing in the beginning. The students were using their hands and Shalbak didn’t understand the rules, she said. She enjoys the fireworks after each touchdown, the cheerleaders and Tusk IV watching from the sidelines. Through the Friendship Family Program offered by the International Students and Scholars office, Shalbak was paired with Susan Bolding. Bolding knew a friend of Shalbak who attended the UA last
year, and she wanted to work with another Palestinian student to help prepare her for a trip there next year. Shalbak still meets with Walding every Sunday and attends New Heights Church with her. “Though I’m not Christian,” Shalbak said, “because it’s a holy place, [it’s spiritual].” She enjoys the opportunity to learn new things, and meeting the Americans there who visited Palestine before. At her university in Ramallah, Shalbak would be a senior. Instead of coming to the United States during her junior year, she decided to stay in the West Bank for her brother’s freshman year at Birzeit University. After she returns to her home university, Shalbak will have one more year of classes before she graduates. Then, she hopes to return to the UA for her MBA and may get her doctorate degree abroad as well. She can also see herself teaching in the future, even if just on the side. If she can find a suitable job, a social one where she isn’t confined to an office, then she will return to Palestine. While she is here, Shalbak is careful to uphold her beliefs while experiencing a great variety American culture. “For some people, I may be the only Palestinian they meet,” she said. “I don’t want to represent a bad image, and I don’t want to be someone I’m not.”
International Education Week Essay Contest Winner Mirna Ordoñez Sandoval
Sunshine of Valuable Truth
JACKI FROST STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Study Abroad Coordinator Mandy Prorok advises sophomores Kaleigh Green and Audrey Dunn on which program to choose to study abroad in Spain.
by KATHERINE BARNETT Staff Writer
Disguised as a quaint brick home and distinguished only by the gray sign outside its doors marking its purpose, the study abroad office on Maple Street is full of opportunity for any UA student interested in taking their college career outside of the United States. The UA offers a diverse selection of study abroad options across the globe for spring, summer and fall semesters, including more than 20 summer programs led by UA faculty. Study abroad programs are available across the world for students of every major, and the number of opportunities as well as the process of signing up for a program may be overwhelming for students considering studying abroad. To combat that feeling, students with any level of interest can begin the process by attending a “Hogs Abroad 101” information session, offered on campus weekly on alternating Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons in the
J.B. Hunt building. Advising for study abroad trips is available at the study abroad office on Maple Street by appointment or during open advising, offered every Friday from 1-4:30 p.m. Students are encouraged to attend an information session before scheduling an appointment. Students are advised to consider their personal, professional and academic goals when choosing the study abroad program that is right for them, according to Mandy Prorok, a staff advisor at the UA study abroad office. Programs led by UA faculty or direct exchange programs offer the easiest opportunity for credit transfer, but many others led by faculty of other schools or outside study abroad companies also offer credit that is transferable to the UA. While many students show interest in studying abroad at some point during their college years, financing a study abroad trip is often students’ most common obstacle. Options to finance study abroad trips are almost always
more extensive than students would imagine. In many cases, the scholarships and financial aid that students currently use to pay for their education may be used for study abroad. A variety of outside scholarships are also available, and the study abroad office provides resources on available scholarships and how students can apply for funding. Many students that are discouraged by the expense of study abroad may not know that funding is often available for full-year programs as well as programs in countries that are less visited by study abroad students, such as Africa or East Asia. Programs are offered for students of all ages and majors, but the study abroad office has begun to encourage younger students in particular to consider a trip early in their college career. Freshmen are encouraged to look for study abroad options for as soon as the summer after their freshman year, a time that provides a prime opportunity to experience study abroad
The first time I traveled outside my home country was to start college at the University of Arkansas. I was very excited about studying in another country, developing my English skills, and making many friends. I was a very confident student, but I completely lacked self-esteem as an individual. My idea of beauty was represented by a thin, blond, and blue/ green-eyed Caucasian woman. I was totally opposite to this image, and this made me feel very ugly. This image of beauty was constructed in my mind by the context and media in which I grew up in my country. Nevertheless, this paradigm shifted completely after a very interesting observation. One chilly and cloudy fall afternoon in Arkansas, I was resting in the TV lounge in the second floor of my college dorm. All the sudden, the sun started to come out with so much splendor that it made me get up and look through the window to appreciate the sunshine. I observed the sky for a while, and then I looked down to the first floor. In that very moment, I was in shock! I observed two American girls in bathing suits placing their mats in the back of the dorm to sunbathe. At first I thought it was a prank, because I could not believe that they were sunbathing while the temperature was 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Then, I went back to sit in the couch again trying to digest what I had just observed. It was so difficult to grasp the idea that these two American
while there are still plenty of semesters and credits left to fit in a trip abroad before graduation. Although deadlines for specific scholarships and programs vary, October 1 is a general deadline for most spring programs, March 1 for summer programs and June 1 for programs in the fall, Prorok said. For UA junior Celi Birke, studying abroad provided an opportunity to study her academic focus intensively while learning about foreign culture.
girls were willing to suffer uncomfortable conditions just to get a bit of tan in their arms and legs. I was in complete astonishment because all my life I was rejected and ridiculed by many for having dark skin. After 15 minutes of dealing with my incredulity, I went to look through the window again just to verify the previous scene. And there they were, the two American girls still enjoying sunbathing. In that marvelous moment, I felt like a sleeping mask was removed from my eyes. I lived in a lie for so long! I looked at my dark hands, and I thought, “There are people out there that appreciate tremendously the physical features that I already possess; and all my life I have grumbled about my appearance like a spoiled child!” In that instant, I promised to never diminish myself or anybody else for his/her physical appearance or condition, and to display constant respect, kindness, and appreciation for every human being, including myself. Through self-reflection I recognized and internalized this great truth that: every person is completely different from one another in appearance, thoughts, cultural background, and so forth; but at the same time, we are all the same…valuable human beings trying to do the best out of life. This has helped me to enrich my life by developing greater selfesteem and building stronger relationships with wonderful people from everywhere in the world.
A graphic design major, Birke’s focus while studying abroad in India was photojournalism. Birke traveled to India for three weeks last summer with the UA’s TEXT Project - Tibetans In Exile Today. The project records and archives the stories of Tibetan monks who have fled Tibet to find refuge from religious persecution. “There’s no better way to improve your work than to go and shoot for three weeks straight, looking for new opportunities to get great photos,” Birke said.
The relationships she built with the other students on the trip were another major element of her positive experience in India. “They become like family to you,” Birke said. “You spend so much time together doing something so radically different from your normal lives that it’s a bond that never goes away.” Additional information is also available at the study abroad office’s website, studyabroad.uark.edu.
You can check out the Traveler online at uatrav.com or by scanning here:
THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER
DOWNTIME
Comics, Games, & Much Much More!
PAGE 6 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011
LAUGH IT UP
SUDOKU
Q: What do you call a bucket painted orange? A: An orange bucket. Q: What is green and hurts when you get it into your eye?
A: A billiard table. Q: What’s the difference between an onion and an oboe?
Difficulty:
A: Nobody cries when you cut up an oboe. TODAY’S SOLUTION
Q: What do you call a bucket painted green? A: An orange bucket in disguise.
WELCOME TO FALLING ROCK
Josh Shalek
THAT MONKEY TUNE
Michael A. Kandalaft
BREWSTER ROCKIT
Tim Rickard
BLISS
Harry Bliss
CALAMITIES OF NATURE
CROSSWORD ACROSS
DOWN
1 Auctions 12 Counterproductive “Get Smart” apparatus 14 Poster-mounting aid 16 White and black pawns, e.g. 17 “The Da Vinci Code” monk 18 Filet mignon sources 19 Zoo feature 23 Some peculiarities 24 [More on next pg.] 25 Tierney of “E.R.” 26 Mother of divine twins, in Greek myth 27 Twin who adopted the surname Bunker 28 Student employees, usually 30 Ruby or tawny drinks 31 Where some washers are kept 33 See 32-Down 36 Dogpatch creator 37 Conical brewing equipment 38 Tendency 39 Fivers 40 Retired boomers 41 One who’s been rubbed out? 42 Nebraska tribe 44 French enforcement unit 45 2006 Cate Blanchett film 50 Classic 1913 novel called “the tragedy of thousands of young men in England” by its author 51 1983 best-seller with a misspelled title word
1 Looking grumpy 2 Straightened 3 Shots taken quickly 4 ‘50s Dodger pitcher Billy 5 Hypotheticals 6 CBS ratings giant 7 Rocker Vicious 8 One might be blonde 9 Watch readouts, briefly 10 Qualifies 11 More reptilian, in a way 12 Silkworm’s protection 13 Solar year/lunar year differentials 14 Sweetly, in some suites 15 Brand with a tiger mascot, once 19 __ Vineyard 20 Where many homesteaders headed 21 Museum VIPs 22 Besmirches 25 Aquino’s predecessor 28 Race competitor 29 Marzo, por ejemplo 30 Billboard magazine’s milieu 31 Things to avoid 32 With 33-Across, common tourist transport 33 Drought-stricken 34 Baltimore NFLer called “The Golden Arm” 35 Mill output 36 Abridgment on the bridge? 38 German director Herzog 41 Tropical fruit 43 Part of PDA: Abbr. 44 Macbeth, for one 46 Treaty gp. that admitted Belize in 1991 47 Denver-to-Bismarck dir. 48 Fleet VIP 49 Radical org. in 1974 headlines
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SOLUTION
Tony Piro
SPORTS THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER
Scan here to go to the Features section on uatrav.com:
SPORTS EDITOR: JIMMY CARTER ASST. SPORTS EDITOR: ZACH TURNER
PAGE 7 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011
FOOTBALL
COMMENTARY
Davis Close to Returning?
Predicting the College Basketball Season
by JIMMY CARTER & LIZ BEADLE Traveler Staff
Arkansas junior running back Knile Davis could be close to returning to action this season just three months after suffering what was diagnosed as a season-ending broken ankle. Davis practiced in full pads every day last week and Tuesday, Razorbacks running backs coach Tim Horton said. Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee declined to comment on whether Davis would return this season or redshirt. “I don’t get to make those decisions, so I try to stay out of stuff I don’t have anything to do with,” McGee said. He also said Davis “needs to stay off Twitter”, referencing two tweets from the preseason second-team All-SEC back Monday. “Moving this weight...gettin big... this will b a good week : - ),” was Davis’ first tweet Monday afternoon. It was followed by, “Just wanna thank god for seconds chances... finally moving like
i use to.” Davis hasn’t been hit since suffering the injury, Horton said. “He’s still a little rusty,” Horton said. “Like (Tuesday), just running pass route with him he’s not as good catching the ball as he once was just because he hasn’t gotten to do that a whole lot, but he’s like any kid. He wants to play. We’ll see what happens.” His return could help bolster a rushing attack ranked No. 9 in the Southeastern Conference, averaging just 144.4 yards per game. Last season, Davis ran for 1,322 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning first-team All-SEC honors and helping lead the Hogs to a Sugar Bowl appearance. His return to practice has boosted his teammates’ spirits, junior quarterback Tyler Wilson said. “It’s always good,” Wilson said. “To seem him go
see FOOTBALL on page 8
Old Fashioned 3-Point Play
ZACH TURNER
zwturner@uark.edu
GARETH PATTERSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Running back Knile Davis is practicing in full pads again, Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said Tuesday.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Hogs Need Bench Help by ZACH TURNER
Asst. Sports Editor
RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas senior Marvell Waithe is the Razorbacks’ most experienced player off the bench. The 6-foot-9 forward scored seven pointsand had four rebounds in Arkansas’ season-opening win over USC-Upstate 83-63.
Arkansas’ starting lineup is comprised of returning players from last season’s team that went 18-13. The Razorbacks beat South Carolina-Upstate 8363 in the season opener, but got just 28 points from its bench, comprised mainly of newcomers. “Our bench has to continue to maintain or add,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “I felt at times they actually took away from the team. That’s the process these guys have to make sure they understand as they define their roles each and every game.” The Hogs’ four freshmen come off the bench, along with a sophomore and a senior. The group combined for 11 of the team’s 23 turnovers
as well. The highly-touted freshmen were playing in their first collegiate game, while the other two bench players, Kikko Haydar and Marvell Waithe, have just 32 games of experience between them. “I think our whole team from the standpoint of the buildup of the game, now it’s finally here and we get a chanced to go out and play,” Anderson said about the team’s jitters. “We got off to a good start and now they get a chance to come in and contribute. I think sometimes they come in and try to contribute in the wrong way. “A lot of guys try to do it from the offensive standpoint as opposed to coming in and getting your feet wet as far as deflecting a pass or making a nice pass and getting to the free throw line.”
VOLLEYBALL
Top 25 Matchups Critical for NCAA Hopes by MARTHA SWEARINGEN Staff Writer
Arkansas’ volleyball is in second place in the Southeastern Conference West, but facing two ranked SEC opponents on the road this weekend could go a long way to locking up an NCAA Tournament berth. The Razorbacks will play at No. 14 Tennessee (24-3, 16-1 SEC) Friday. and at No. 16 Kentucky (24-4, 15-2) Sunday. “We obviously can compete with the best,” coach Robert Pulliza said. “Now, the next step, when you get around that playground, is to close them out. We have two teams that are better than Florida coming up, in Tennessee and Kentucky. That’s what’s at hand this weekend and we take it one weekend at a time, one match at a time.” Arkansas (18-10, 10-7) will close out the regular season Thanksgiving weekend at
LSU, a team the Razorbacks swept in October, but trail by one game in the SEC West standings. “We’ve certainly got to get
one more, I think, to make a stronger [NCAA Tournament] case,” Pulliza said. “It
see VOLLEYBALL on page 8
LOGAN WEBSTER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas (18-10, 10-7 SEC) ends its season with three road games. The Razorbacks begin their roadtrip at Tennessee on Friday before heading to Kentucky on Sunday. Arkansas will finish its regular season against SEC West rival LSU.
The bench failed to expand on a 16-point first half lead and allowed the Spartans to cut the game to 10 in the second. “The bench came in and played a little unsteady,” starting sophomore guard Mardracus Wade said. “That will come more with just practicing and playing. Once they learn the system and learn to play with each other they will go up.” Wade is one of five players that played in all 31 games last season, mainly coming off the bench. The 6-foot-2 Memphis, Tenn., native averaged 4.0 points per game and earned minutes as a defensive stopper. “I tried to tell those guys to be more consistent, try to
see MEN’S BASKETBALL on page 8
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Arkansas on Hot Streak Razorbacks have won two straight. by MONICA CHAPMAN Staff Writer
Arkansas’ women’s basketball team returns to Fayetteville for its first home game of the season Wednesday morning. The Razorbacks were one of four teams that participated in the WBI Tipoff Classic over the weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla. Arkansas dropped its first game against Minnesota 68-60, but then knocked off South Florida in overtime before upsetting No. 13 ranked Florida State 5552 in their last game of the tournament. “[We] got off to a rocky start against Minnesota, but competed fine,” coach Tom Collen said. “It was a close game as were all three of our games down there. Every time you looked up at the clock you were up two or down two for 40 minutes for three straight games. That’s the way they all were.” Florida State entered the game against Arkansas as the only unbeaten team left in the tournament. “We came like we were shot out of a cannon,” Collen said. “I think it was an 8-0 lead but it seemed like a large, large lead at the time. I think more than anything else it just energized our kids. They believed they could
beat this team. Although we had lead changes in the game they sustained their effort. I am really pleased.” Senior C’eira Ricketts led the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game and was second in rebounding with 5.7 per game. Junior Sarah Watkins also chipped in 13.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. The two Razorbacks were named to the all-tournament team and Ricketts was also honored as the SEC Player of the Week for her efforts. Senior Lyndsay Harris, who is still recovering from a knee injury suffered late last season, was able to play limited action in all three games during the weekend. The 5-foot-9 guard is third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game, while playing an average of 21 minutes per contest. “I thought Lyndsay did really well,” Collen said. “My goal was to keep here around 15-20 minutes a game. I needed her for 20, which is about what she averaged. She is not back to being 100 percent yet and I think that affects her more on the defensive end, but she didn’t play like she was hurt.”
see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL on page 8
It would be tough to find a more bitter basketball fan than me. College basketball’s regular season has been underway for a week and I am thankful I have already witnessed the dunk of the year (provided by UCONN’s Jeremy Lamb. Watch out Michael Sanchez when Arkansas travels to face the Huskies on the road Dec. 3). For that I am thankful, however, the professional realm of the sport is still in a repetitive limbo called the lockout. ESPN’s coverage of the NBA scene for the past few months has turned from something of substance to the same images being flashed on the screen with the words seeming as if they are now just saying, “blahblahblah.” With the latest deal rejected by the players and the season now highly unlikely, I am as depressed as Tiger Woods is not getting to come home to Elin Nordegren anymore. Although the bright spot of mid-November is college basketball starting, the lockout is killing the other part of my fanhood making me bitter. I sit and watch my favorite professional team, the Dallas Mavericks, continue to get older and older. As this may be old news to most, they are the reigning NBA Champions and to see this happen during the season they are supposed to defend that first ever title just eats at me. Instead of watching Dirk Nowitzki light dudes up for 30plus points, Tyson Chandler swat weak shots in the paint and young guys like Roddy Beaubois and Dominque Jones get experience, I have to resort to the thought of the second-oldest team in the NBA last season having their biological clocks tick a little faster. Enough on my brief rant about the Mavericks and NBA, though. On to the college realm of basketball and my three bold predictions for the 2011-2012 campaign. 1. Arkansas will win 20 games but not 25. Arkansas has high expectations from its fan base this season, coach Mike Anderson’s first. The Razorbacks have four highly-touted freshman. However, with those high expectations, will the wins satisfy? Looking through the Hogs slate for the upcoming season and predicting SEC Tournament and postseason success, I see the Hogs having a solid, but not spectacular season in Anderson’s first year and finishing 23-12. Arkansas will be a changed team than in the four years past under coach John Pelphrey where mid-major teams always had a chance when playing the Hogs. No more losing to Morgan State, East Tennessee State and South Alabama in consecutive games. The Razorbacks lose to Oakland or Houston, but will be 6-1 heading to their farthest game of the season in Hartford, Conn., where they will get throttled by one of my preseason Final Four favorites and defending champion UCONN Huskies. This game will resemble last year’s 79-46 loss at Texas – a game nobody remembers because Arkansas was playing Ohio State in
see COMMENTARY on page 8
SPORTS FEATURES from FOOTBALL on page 7 through all the work and the labor to get back playing at the speed that he once did is awesome. It’s good to see that.� Having him back on the practice field has helped the other running backs focus. “He’s got such good enthusiasm and such a good work ethic and he just brings such a sense of energy to the running back group,� Horton said. “For me as the coach, it’s really been good because he’s someone that can kind of motivate them when I don’t have to do it every play. He’s there to kind of encourage and uplift the guys. It’s been really refreshing.� Offense anced
Becoming
Bal-
For the second year in a row, the Razorbacks have developed a more balanced offensive attack in the second half of the season. Dennis Johnson had 97 yards on the ground against Tennessee last week, leading a hogs rushing attack that ran for 254 yards, well above their season average. “It all comes back to being balanced,� special teams coordinator John L. Smith
said. “When we can throw the ball and run the ball, we can do some good things on offense.� Junior quarterback Tyler Wilson said an established run game helps takes pressure off of him. “It’s definitely beneficial,� Wilson said. “We ran the ball [against Tennessee] better than we have all year.� Johnson has averaged 176.8 all purpose yards over the Razorbacks last four games. McGee said Johnso has played a crucial role on and off the field this season after recovering from an injury that ended his 2010 season in September. “To see him battle back from that injury last year is a true tribute to what we have going on here,� McGee said. Johnson was not alone in the running attack last week. Junior Ronnie Wingo, senior Broderick Green and senior De’Anthony Curtis all accounted for at least 40 yards each. “We’ve been able to run the ball better in the last month and that’s helped us but by no means have we arrived,� coach Smith said. “We’ve still got to work and improve and prepare because we’re playing a great team this week.�
from COMMENTARY on page 7 the Sugar Bowl. Get used to hearing the name Andre Drummond this season college basketball fans. I feel as if the Razorbacks will learn a lot from the beat down about themselves and rebound to go on a seven-game win streak heading into conference play with a 12-2 record. Arkansas will capture its first SEC game of 2012 against Mississippi State at home in Fayetteville on Jan. 7. Arkansas will be 14-4 entering the last nonconference game of the season, hosting a ranked
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011 from MEN’S BASKETBALL on page 7
play up-tempo and averaged 85.5 points per game last season. “We’ll hopefully see an improvement this game,� Anderson said. “I think they want to. Sometimes you want to do something so bad it doesn’t work out for you, but I think they will do well.�
push themselves each and every day so they can get better,� Wade said. Arkansas will need to rely on its bench in its second game against Oakland (0-1). The Golden Grizzlies also
from VOLLEYBALL on page 7 is just about building your resume. I do believe we have built a really good resume. I believe we are playing NCAA tournament volleyball. I hope that by our win against LSU on ESPNU and this last match against Florida, hopefully some people on the selection committee got to watch us play and see that we are the real deal and an NCAA tournament team.� Arkansas defeated South Carolina in straight sets Friday, but dropped a tough match to No. 19 Florida Sunday, losing in a five-set battle. The Razorbacks won the first two sets of the match as the offense outshined the Gators with a .467 and .310 attack percentage, respectively. Arkansas couldn’t close, though.
“There was some very good volleyball being played this past weekend here in Barnhill Arena to close out the home stand of our season,� Pulliza said. “I thought it was exciting for the country to see the team we have become since the match was televised. We did some really, really good things, we just couldn’t close it out to come our way, but good effort.� Tennessee is in first in the SEC East and defeated the Razorbacks in three sets at Barnhill Arena earlier this season. Kentucky, only one conference loss behind the Lady Volunteers, is second in the East and beat Arkansas 3-1 earlier this season. “What’s up to us is Tennessee,� Pulliza said. “That’s all we can take care of, and that’s what we are focused on. Hopefully we can show people that we deserve to be in.�
Big 10 opponent for the first time since the early 1980s in a ranked Michigan Wolverine squad. With a mid-afternoon tip and on national television, look for the home court advantage to help propel the Razorbacks over Michigan for their best win of the season. Arkansas will then have 12 games remaining and will win half, with three losses coming at home to Vanderbilt, Alabama and Florida. The Razorbacks will win one in the SEC Tournament. Arkansas gets an NIT bid in 2012 and mimics its success in the SEC tournament by winning
the first and being bounced in the second to finish out Anderson’s first season 23-12. 2. Marshawn Powell will be Hogs leading scorer AND rebounder Powell is coming off a dismal season in 2010-2011, but seems to be one of the most optimistic guys on the team this season. The 6-foot-7 forward says he is in the best shape of his life and is looking forward to benefitting greatly from coach Anderson’s style of play. With a starting lineup not set in stone with just one game having been played, Powell looks like the only mainstay.
from WOMEN’S BASKETBALL on page 7 Arkansas tips off its home schedule Wednesday against the UT-Arlington. The Razorbacks beat the Mavericks last season, 57-54. “UTA is pretty young right now,� Collen said. “They’re off to 0-2 start. They’re trying to install a completely different offense from the one they ran last year so I think it’s going to take some time for them to get that in place.� The game will also be the second annual Elementary Day. Last season was the inaugural season for the event and they had about 2500, third through fifth graders.
PAGE 8
“Last year was the first year we did this promotion and I thought it was very successful,� Collen said. “They come in and scream and cheer and it gets loud. It’s a great atmosphere. It might have been the best atmosphere we had in the arena all year so we’re excited about them coming in and maybe they’ll energize us a little bit.� The game has an early tipoff at 11 a.m. in Bud Walton Arena. “Our biggest challenge for [Wednesday’s] game will be the quick turnaround,� Collen said. “We played three games in three days. We spent Monday traveling, I think the challenge is it’s a quick turnaround with short preparation.�
FILE PHOTO Arkansas senior Lyndsay Harris averaged 21 minutes a game during the Razorbacks’ first three games. The 5-foot-9 guard is still recovering from a knee injury suffered late last season. Look for the third-year Razorback to see his numbers right around 14 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. 3. Kentucky will be last team standing. Now in his third season as Kentucky’s coach, John Calipari has gotten the Wildcats closer and closer to a title each year. This season will be the one to finally give the most polarizing coach in college sports his first ever national title. Kentucky returns sensational sophomore Terrance Jone,s along with savvy swingman Darius Miller to compliment the nation’s No. 1 ranked 2011 recruiting
class, a unit that is well-rounded at each position. Kentucky will take the ultimate prize from ACC giant and preseason No. 1 North Carolina, a team with the most talented roster in nation by far. The Wildcats and Tar Heels will have to knock off the Syracuse Orange and Florida Gators to get to the championship, however, but at the end of the day it will be the mastermind of recruiting, Calipari, cutting down the nets. Zach Turner is the assistant sports editor for The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Wednesday. Follow him on Twitter @zwturner.
Men’s CC Misses NCAA Championships by RUMIL BAUTISTA Staff Writer
Arkansas’ men’s cross country team finished third last week at the 2011 NCAA South Central Regional Championships behind Texas and Texas A&M. The Razorbacks didn’t qualify automatically for the NCAA Championships and weren’t awarded an at-large bid, marking the first time they did not compete at the national meet since 1973. “Well, it’s obvious that wasn’t the game plan,� Arkansas coach Chris Bucknam said. “We’re pretty disappointed that we’re not at the national meet next coming Monday. We just didn’t run fast enough, didn’t get the job done.� Outside of the top two automatic qualifier teams from each of the nine regions, 13 atlarge teams were also selected to compete in the national championships. Arkansas was ranked No. 15 in the nation, but wasn’t one of the at-large selections. “The formula’s kind of quirky,� Bucknam said. “It’s all about who you beat during the year. Ultimately we did not have very many wins against teams that ultimately were the 31 teams that made it in. “I was more stunned that we didn’t automatically qualify, to tell you the truth.� The Razorbacks’ failure to receive an at-large bid because of a weak strength-of-schedule
GARETH PATTERSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas’ men’s cross country team finished third in the South Central Regional, failing to qualify automatically or get an at-large bid. may lead to scheduling adjustments for next season, Bucknam said. Part of the issue could have been the decision to skip a prenational meet to host the Chile Pepper Festival the same weekend. “We’re fully committed to Chile Pepper, we always will be, but it might be in our best in-
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terest to move Chile Pepper to another week as we can get a more competitive race,� Bucknam said. “We want to strengthen the Chile Pepper, and that means Arkansas stays in it, and we do something that will give us a better race collegiately. And maybe that means moving it, and we’ll talk to those guys about it. “It’s on the drawing board— there’s things that need to change.� Junior co-captain Eric Fernandez, finished second at the regional and earned him an individual at-large bid in the national meet. He and four other Razorbacks earned All-South Central Region honors. “He’s just been a great leader for us in terms of getting the job done every time he goes out there and runs,� Bucknam said.