April 8, 2009 by Arkansas Traveler

VOL. 103, NO. 75 | Single Issue Free

University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark.

Lifestyles Fine arts gallery explores ‘physical reminders’ page 9 Sports Wilson fights for starting job page 6

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Page 1 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009

HIGH

UA hosts former president Bailey McBride

Senior Staff Writer Other than making clear his contempt for broccoli, former President George H. W. Bush suggested that “every American is called to greatness” and encouraged everyone to “find some way to serve” when he spoke to students and members of the Fayetteville community Monday in Barnhill Arena. “There can be no definition of a successful life that does not include service,” Bush said. “The lives you are able to touch are their own reward.” Bush, who has had a career built on public service, drew on many personal examples as he spoke to the nearly 4,000 members of the UA campus and surrounding area. He recalled a time when he was the captain of his college soccer team and had called home to tell his mother about the three goals he scored in a single game. “I remember my mother said to me, ‘That’s great, George, but how did the team do?’ and those words have stuck with me ever since,” Bush said. His mother’s advice was mentioned multiple times, as Bush related the values he had grown up with to lessons he assumed most students in the audience had learned from their parents – to “help others, be fair and honest, and to sometimes give the other guy credit.” The former president referred to the battle for young minds as one of the key struggles the nation is facing, as he discussed the need for students to “get involved in the See

PRESIDENT on Page 2

LARRY ASH Staff Photographer

Former President George H. W. Bush greets attendees of a question and answer session Monday. At his speech Monday evening, he emphasized the necessary role of community service in leading a successful life.

Q&A

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Q: Do you feel you made the right decision invading Iraq in the Gulf War? A: It was the right decision at the time ... we wanted to get rid of Hussein because of his invasion of Kuwait. We wanted to kick him out. When my son was president, he faced different circumstances and had more aggressive action. But even those who think that was wrong don’t want to see Saddam Hussein sitting in power.

Former President George H. W. Bush answered questions from several UA students Monday in a private session in the Law Courtroom. Though the former president’s presentation that night in Barnhill offered advice for students and an insight into his background, the private question and answer segment hit on more detailed and public issues dealing with politics.

Q: What is your opinion on your son’s No Child Left Behind policy? A: I am for it. That educational program is the best thing they did, and it even started out with support from the other side of the aisle... There is accountability with the program and it develops quality education.

Q: What is your opinion on President Obama’s economic stimulus budget? A: It blows my mind. It’s so big, like we’re spending a trillion on this and a trillion on that... It troubles me that the government is running businesses. I hope the program succeeds, but I don’t know where the money comes from. I am not dealing day in and day out, so I can’t be a very good critic. I am worried about the government intervening in day-to-day operations. Q: Which former president do you admire the most? A: Lincoln. Teddy Roosevelt was a doer and an activist, and Eisenhower because he served in World War II, but I have to say Lincoln because of the way he preserved the Union.

ASG vice-presidential candidates Oilman Pickens stresses need for make a run for office alternative fuels

Jon Bame

Robert Sharp

Jon Bame, who is running for ASG vice president alongside presidential candidate Jacob Holloway, plans to use his role as a “nonGreek” to better represent UA students if elected. Bame is a junior political science major who spent one semester as an ASG senator last spring. He is also the president of the UA OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology. Bame is the only non-Greek student running for ASG vice president. At the ASG debate last Wednesday, Bame began his personal introduction by saying he is “one man with two ideas.” These ideas – creating an RSO Congress and an ASG radio hour on KXUA – are his two main goals if elected vice president. “The great thing about the vice presidential position is that it is open-ended,” Bame said. Bame wants to create an RSO Congress to bring together members of different organizations across campus so they can band together and find groups that might have missions similar to their own. The vice-presidential candidate also wants to create an ASG radio hour on KXUA, the student FM-radio station, so students can have a

Robert Sharp would like to maintain a balanced relationship between the UA administration and student body if elected ASG vice president, he said. Sharp is running alongside presidential candidate Jonathan Powell. “We represent the student body because we are the student government,” Sharp said. “We definitely want to keep good relations with the administration and the faculty, but we represent the students first.” Sharp is a senior marketing and management major in the Walton College of Business. Sharp previously has served as a senator for the Walton College and on the Campus Safety Committee. The three main issues Sharp plans to address if elected vice president are the new policy for Razorback football tickets, campus safety and sustainability. Regarding the change to the current ticket policy, which would require students to validate their football ticket the week before a football game, is “really unnecessary right now” in light of the current economic situation. And on the topic of sustainability, Sharp suggested a huge expansion of the current recy-

See

BAME on Page 5

See

SHARP on Page 5

Andrew LeNarz

Andrew LeNarz is running for ASG vice president alongside presidential candidate Mattie Bookhout, and, if elected, he plans to focus on appointing students to various committees at the university. LeNarz is a junior majoring in accounting and economics in the Walton College of Business. His previous roles within the ASG have included working as the assistant treasurer, serving as a member of the Appropriations Committee and serving as a senator for the Walton College. LeNarz is a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. LeNarz’s platform with Bookhout is based on the four pillars of the ASG as outlined in the ASG Constitution. “I think the role of the vice president goes hand in hand with those,” LeNarz said. LeNarz’s goals as vice president would be to improve the ASG’s communication with the administration, the students and the media, help provide a broad educational experience for all students, and promote citizenship on the campus and in the greater Fayetteville area. LeNarz and his running mate plan to operate their administration with a document they See

LENARZ on Page 5

LARRY ASH Staff Photographer

T. Boone Pickens spoke at the Donald W. Reynolds center Monday morning.

Bailey McBride

Senior Staff Writer A scream of “Pickens for president” echoed in the Donald W. Reynolds auditorium Monday morning as philanthropist, billionaire and Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens spoke to students about the importance of shifting to alternative sources of energy. “We have gotten out there, we have our oar in the water and this year we will have an energy plan,” Pickens said. “College students are plenty smart, and if we can recruit them, we can work this problem out together.” Chancellor G. David Gearhart,

who introduced Pickens, joked that “Texas oilmen are not usually known for their advancement of alternative energy, but T. Boone Pickens is not like most others.” Pickens was on campus to educate students about the “Pickens Plan” for energy independence, which can be accessed in full at Pickensplan.com. The plan calls for the use of natural gas, wind and solar power to replace foreign oil, using natural gas as a “bridge” for the next 20 to 25 years until another transportation fuel is developed. “I have a friend who says, ‘The See

PICKENS on Page 3

Page 2 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009

BRIEFLY speaking Some students find errors with ASG voting Students who have encountered an error when trying to vote for the ASG executive positions at vote.uark.edu should visit the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement on the sixth floor of the Arkansas Union to fill out a paper ballot. English department to host Guest Lecturer Colloquium tomorrow The Graduate students in English and the English department will present the first annual Guest Lecturer Colloquium 5 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in Room 306 of Kimpel Hall featuring Melanie R. Benson, assistant professor of English at the University of Hartford. Benson’s talk is entitled “’How is this one supposed to end?’: Re-writing Loss in Native Southern Narratives.” A reception will follow. Video Underground series to continue Sunday Video Underground will feature “Forgotten Faces: The Palestinian Refugee Crisis” 7 p.m. Sunday, April 12, in the United Campus Ministries at 902 W. Maple St. Filmmaker and human rights activist Jefferson Fletcher will present his award-winning documentary “Road To Nowhere: Journeys Through Palestine,” followed by a multimedia presentation about the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. The event is sponsored by the Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology and by the Muslim Student Association at the UA. For more information, contact Gerald Sloan at 575-6302 or gsloan@ uark.edu. UA groups to host ‘Ducks for Dharma’ Heifer International and Students for a Free Tibet will host “Ducks for Dharma” 7 p.m. Monday, April 13, at George’s Majestic Lounge. The benefit is to raise money to provide ducks for impoverished families in India, and half the proceeds will go to a Tibetan school in India. The event also will raise awareness of Heifer International’s efforts to promote sustainability to end world hunger and inform the public about the situation of Tibetan Buddhists living in exile in India. “Ducks for Dharma” will feature free food, a silent auction and entertainment including Tiffany Christopher Band, Candy Lee, Real Good Legends, The Smithstonians, Memphis Pencils and DJ Matt Boles.

CORRECTIONS In the Monday, April 6, edition of the Traveler, the column “‘Clean Air on Campus Act’ disregards UA opinions” should have said that the Staff Senate, not the Faculty Senate, has passed legislation regarding the UA tobacco policy. The Traveler regrets the error. The Arkansas Traveler strives for accuracy in its reporting and will correct all matters of fact. If you believe the paper has printed an error, please notify the editor at 575.8455 or at traveler@uark.edu.

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The Arkansas Traveler is a member of the Arkansas College Media Association, and the Associated Collegiate Press. The Arkansas Traveler, the student newspaper at the University of Arkansas, is published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday 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 editorial that appears on the left side of the opinion page is the opinion of this newspaper. The editor makes all final content decisions.

NEWS

SAFE RIDE PROGRAM

UNION

AR cuts E colors highlights eyebrow waxing

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PRESIDENT from Page 1

process, get off the sidelines and take a personal stake in making someone’s life better.” Bush’s own history of public service is extensive. He spent time serving as a Texas state representative, as vice president under President Ronald Reagan, and as president, which he referred to as his “high honor,” serving a single term from 1989 to 1993. Bush, a Yale graduate, also was also a decorated soldier in the Navy who flew combat missions during World War II, director of the CIA and an adjunct professor at Rice University. Bush took time in his presentation to praise UA institutions and programs that help foster service in the community and around the nation, mentioning specifically the Volunteer Action Center, Alternative Spring Break, Make a Difference Day and the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement. He used this as a segue to talk about how he and former President Bill Clinton had joined together to work on relief after Hurricane Ike – service is not a partisan issue, he said. Through the question and answer session during which the former president fielded questions from the student body, Bush was able to share his views on many pertinent issues currently facing the country. On the topic of health care reform, Bush suggested that he didn’t want to see a decline in the quality of health care being provided. And Bush’s remark on the future of the Republican Party was simple and direct – “What goes around comes around.” Speakers for the Distinguished Lecture Series are chosen by the Distinguished Lectures Committee, which is composed of student representatives, faculty and staff. The distinguished lecturers are brought to campus through student activity fees and funding provided by the Associated Student Government and the university. Past lecturers have included Benazir Bhutto, Ehud Barak, Robert Redford, Anderson Cooper and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. After wishing President Barack Obama the best of luck, Bush said that “names and faces have changed, but the challenges remain the same. The call to greatness is going out to you – how will you answer it?”

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NEWS

New state act makes separate Spring Breaks no longer an issue Jessica Powviriya Staff Writer

Students who tried to schedule Spring Break plans with friends who attend Northwest Arkansas Community College encountered a major predicament this year: the UA has a different Spring Break than the neighboring community college, as well as public schools throughout NWA. That problem will be soon forgotten. Arkansas Sen. Shane Broadway, vice chair of the Joint House and Senate Energy Committee and a member of the Senate Education Committee, introduced Senate Bill 226, which would give all Arkansas public schools the same Spring Break. “There were issues of parents teaching at one school while their children were students at another,” Broadway said. The idea originated in the Department of Higher Education, the Arkansas Education Association and the Arkansas Activities Association. The organizations saw that potential could exist where schools and colleges could have the same break, Broadway said. “(There needed) to be a coordination of school schedules plus extracurricular activities,” Broadway said. “The state basketball finals were the same week as benchmark exams. (The act)

PICKENS

from Page 3

WATCH UATV

best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but if you didn’t, plant it now’ – we have to get a plan for American energy now,” Pickens said. “You either have a plan, or you get foreign oil.” Pickens indicated that already more than 50 congressmen, 15 senators and 200 mayors had signed a pledge to support the Pickens Plan for energy independence. Pickens presented the audi-

ensures the students won’t miss exams while still competing.” The Arkansas Senate passed the bill, as did the House. It was delivered to Gov. Mike Beebe March 12 and became Act 424 four days later. The act has charged that each public school district that allows a five-day holiday for Spring Break must schedule it starting the Monday of the 38th week of the school year. The reasoning behind choosing the 38th week was that more than 90 percent of high schools and colleges were already using that week to have Spring Break, Broadway said. The act will be implemented for the next two school years and will be reviewed by an eightmember advisory committee on the impact on state tourism and the coordination of academic, extracurricular and athletic school activities. In 2011, the Arkansas Legislature will make a decision depending on the recommendations of the committee that will affect the next academic school year. Michael Dodd, a freshman business major, said he is neither for nor against the act. “I could care less since I’m from Kansas City and most of my friends wouldn’t be affected,” he said. “Plus, I ski every year, (and with different Spring breaks,) there are fewer people on the slopes.”

Several other students agree with the act. Jessica Cowart, a junior prepharmacy and kinesiology major, said she has had trouble scheduling Spring Breaks with her family. “My brother is in college as well (at UCA), and we always have different Spring Breaks,” she said. Abel Tomlinson, a political science graduate student, agrees with the act, as well. “It makes sense that parents who are teachers and have children in public schools to have the same break,” Tomlinson said. “With it staggered, it would make it difficult for vacation plans.” Colleges are not specifically mentioned in Act 424, but all Arkansas public universities have agreed to schedule their Spring Breaks on the 38th week of school. Only private colleges, such as Harding University, will not be changing their Spring Break week because of certain school traditions and the week’s function for recruitment. So though different Spring Breaks might have complicated planning this year, they shouldn’t be an issue for Arkansas students in the future. “My hope is that because Spring Breaks will be the same week that families can do something together here and see Arkansas first,” Broadway said.

ence, which filled not just the auditorium he was speaking in but also five other rooms, with numerous statistics and figures regarding the consumption of foreign oil in the United States. During one of his famous white board presentations, Pickens claimed that 70 percent of the 21 million barrels of oil used in the United States daily comes from foreign countries. An estimated 85 million barrels of oil are produced daily, meaning that the United States, which accounts for around 4 percent of the global population, uses 25 percent of the oil produced daily.

“When the American people saw the price of oil jump in July 2008, I thought, ‘Somebody is going to have to explain energy to these people,’” Pickens said. “We have nothing good going for us unless we change the direction we’re going.” Denise Bode, president of the American Wind Energy Association out of Oklahoma, accompanied Pickens. She stressed the availability of wind energy in what both she and Pickens referred to as the “wind corridor,” running from Sweetwater, Texas, up to Canada. “This is a bottom line issue

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009 | Page 3

ALTERNATIVE ROW WEEK

CODY BENNETT Staff Photographer

Students celebrate Alternative Row Week in Pomfret Honors Quarters with the arrival of the band, “Gritz.” Several other bands participated in Alternative Row Week last weekend.

for all of us,” Bode said. She discussed the idea of natural gas cars, of which there are 10 million worldwide but only 142,000 in the United States. When an audience member asked about competition with the oil companies when lobbying Congress, Pickens has a simple answer: “I know all their tricks because I used to be one of them – they’ll have a hard time beating us.” Pickens, a well-known Republican who worked on the campaigns of both Bob Dole and Rudy Giuliani, said he has now developed many friendships

across the aisle with Democratic leaders such as Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada and former Vice President Al Gore. Pickens also recounted to the audience his separate meetings with both then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain in September of 2008, when they discussed options for alternative energy in the United States. Both senators were interested in the idea of the battery, Pickens said, until he informed them that a battery could not run an 18-wheeler – “you should have seen the looks on both their faces,” Pickens said. Pickens used his time in

Northwest Arkansas not only to speak to UA students but also to meet with officials from Walmart and J.B. Hunt to discuss natural gas trucking, which Walmart already is testing in several locations, Pickens said. The event can be seen in its entirety on the Walton College of Business Web site. The event was sponsored by the Sam M. Walton College of Business and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. in conjunction with the Supply Chain Management Research Center and the Applied Sustainability Center at Walton College.

OPINION THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

Page 4 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009

Online Poll What do you think of “The Clean Air on Campus Act of 2009,” which will take effect in 2010? Vote online at thetraveleronline.com

Editor: Kimber Wenzelburger | Managing Editor: Tina Korbe

Phone: 575.8455 | E-mail: traveler@uark.edu

Brophey, Storm for ASG treasurer and secretary Editor’s note: These endorsements reflect the Traveler editorial board’s opinion after conducting interviews with each candidate. The treasurer of the Associated Student Government has the complicated, extensive task of doling out money to various Registered Student Organizations on campus through chairing the Appropriations Committee. Both of this year’s ASG candidates, Jody Bland and David Brophey, have recognized the importance of the allocations process, and they’ve also each suggested specific ideas to keep all facets of education – from tuition to fees to parking – affordable for money-conscious college students. The two candidates even recognize the importance of building stronger, more functional relationships with UA administrators and state legislators, and they’ve outlined ways to do so in their respective platforms. With their student-conscious mentalities and somewhat similar ideas, Bland and Brophey presented a very tough choice for the board. After interviewing the two and dissecting their platforms, neither appears to be a particularly bad choice for the position. Regardless, the board quickly recognized that only one candidate truly has the experience necessary to jump into the responsibility-laden treasurer position with both feet – and that’s Brophey. Though Bland has past experience with the ASG – on the Judiciary and Student Fee Review Board – his knowhow doesn’t stack up with Brophey’s. Having served as a Fulbright senator and on the Appropriations Committee, Brophey has the knowledge that will be necessary next year when he’s handling the ASG’s budget and allocating money to campus organizations. Both candidates present strong ideas and seem to understand the many demands of the treasurer position. But judging on experience, Brophey’s familiarity with the Appropriations Committee makes him an excellent choice for treasurer.

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The role of the ASG secretary is often boiled down to one phrase: the liaison between the ASG and the rest of the campus. Both Erica Harmon and Geoff Storm spoke to the board extensively about their ideas to publicize ASG activities and communicate with RSOs and other groups on campus, and they also addressed the often “hot topic” for secretarial candidates: the ASG Web site, which, at times, has notably been less-than-stellar when it comes to providing ASG visibility. But the candidate with the most reasonable, concrete vision is Storm, who has considered experimenting with alternate forms of media – like videos and weekly polls – to increase ASG transparency on the Web, as well as providing updated minutes available for subscription. Harmon, a freshman who’s worked on the ASG Cabinet in the past, undoubtedly has the necessary enthusiasm to do great things for the ASG in the future. But it’s Storm, who’s worked as a Fulbright senator and served on the Appropriations Committee, who wins in the arenas of experience and vision and will serve the campus well as ASG secretary. For more information about the candidates and their platforms, visit www.thetraveleronline.com/election. Voting ends Thursday, April 9.

ONLINE POLL RESULTS

Afghans have their doubts about Obama’s stragegy GUEST COLUMN

Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi The rest of the world may feel as if Afghanistan, along with the international financial crisis, were the main topic of discussion during the recent conference on Afghanistan in The Hague and President Obama’s visit to Europe. But Afghans have a very different impression. They saw that the main news event emerging from The Hague conference was a brief conversation between the U.S. and Iranian envoys, rather than a breakthrough on how to help their beleaguered country. Those who watched the proceedings, which were broadcast live on national TV, got a chance to see the sartorial splash made by their president, Hamid Karzai, who appeared in a green-andpurple striped chapan, or coat, topped by his trademark karakul hat. But Karzai had little new to say. He listed achievements of his administration, including 6.5 million children in school, and thousands of miles of roads paved. He welcomed the world’s assistance and applauded the international community’s sudden interest in seeking a “regional solution to Afghanistan’s problems.” The irony, of course, is that Afghanistan has been saying for years that most of its problems originate outside of its borders,

in Pakistan and Iran. The main objective of the conference was to drum up support among American’s flagging allies for the Obama’s recently announced new Afghan strategy. The major outlines of this program are clear: more foreign troops for Afghanistan to combat insurgents, greater support for the country’s own security forces and increased financial assistance for Pakistan, which will receive $1.5 billion from the United States annually in non-military aid for the next five years. Many Afghans were less than thrilled by Obama’s announcement. To them, it sounds like more of the same. When American bombs sent the Taliban packing in 2001, the local population dreamed that mountains of cash and other aid would flow into the country. Instead, what they received was a small contingent of aid workers and a much larger number of foreign troops – many of whom appeared unable to tell the difference between an insurgent and a civilian. Karzai was hardly speaking for most Afghans when he lavished praise on Obama’s plan. “I am in full agreement with the new strategy,” he said. “It is exactly what the Afghan people were hoping and looking for. Therefore, it has our support and backing.” Few Afghan lawmakers share his enthusiasm.

“Afghanistan is in need of economic and financial aid, and reconstruction programs,” said Shukria Barakzai, a member of parliament. “But in the new strategy, the focus is once again on a military solution.” The influential newspaper Afghanistan Daily carried a scathing editorial in its March 28 edition. “Pakistan has once again managed to sway America in its own interest,” read the editorial. “Pakistan has raised the Taliban like its own child, and has used al-Qaeda to destabilize the political situation in Afghanistan. Yet America is paying $1.5 billion a year for the reconstruction of Pakistan’s infrastructure.” Ordinary Afghans are suspicious that the new strategy is just another trick being played on them by the International community. “I watched all this talk about the strategy last night on television,” said Mohammad Azim, 55, a resident of Kabul. “It’s all the same stuff. Since the fall of the Taliban, there have been dozens of promises. None of them has been kept. This one is the same thing.” Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi is a reporter in Afghanistan who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict. – Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Protest new Arkansas smoking law

EDITORIAL BOARD KIMBER WENZELBURGER| Editor TINA KORBE | Managing Editor BRIAN WASHBURN | News Editor JACLYN JOHNSON | Assistant News Editor 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. Letters appear in the order they were submitted as space permits. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse letters on the basis of length, accuracy, fairness, liability and sensibility.

In light of the passage of the tyrannical and unconstitutional bill regarding campus smoking, I ask all students to stand up in protest. In November of 2010, I ask all students eligible to vote to vote against all public parties in support of this bill, including Gov. Mike Beebe for his failure to veto this bill. The guilty legislators failed in their duty to their constituencies to consider the consequences of such a loosely written bill and the impact on the rights and lives of students, faculty and maintenance workers who spend eight to 24 hours a day on campus. For legislators who share concern for their jobs, I recommend that a new bill be written to provide more focused wording as well as exceptions that allow students and university employees to lawfully smoke in designated areas, respecting their rights

as well as the rights of nonsmokers to breathe clean air. I also ask that the UA Police Department use wise discretion in enforcement of this law. It would be unreasonable to fine tailgaters for burning combustible plant matter to cook their steaks and hamburgers on Saturdays. It would also hurt the local economy to shut down tailgating prior to major sporting events. Charles Guerriero Freshman Economics

Marijuana safer than alcohol Dear Vice Provost Pugh, Upon reading your letter to the students regarding the SAFER Referendum, we felt we would be doing a disservice to the students if we did not respond to the nature of your letter. More upsetting than your interference in the election process are: 1) your failure

to mention any of the serious harms associated with alcohol use (which dwarf the “harms” of marijuana), and 2) your ideological dismissal of a student-inspired effort to improve campus safety and curb dangerous student drinking. Alcohol use is potentially lethal, resulting directly in the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year – 1,700 of whom are college students – including hundreds purely from overdose. Yet there are zero deaths attributable to marijuana use each year. (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003; The American Scientist, 2006) Alcohol use contributes to about 599,000 unintentional student injuries each year. According to scientific research, “Cannabis differs from alcohol … in one major respect. It does not seem to increase risk-taking behavior.” (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Task Force on College Drinking, 2007; British Advisory

Council on the Misuse of Drugs, 2002) Alcohol use is a contributing factor in incidents of violent crime and aggressive behavior. Each year there are about 696,000 alcohol-related assaults and about 97,000 alcohol-related sexual assaults involving students. There is no evidence of marijuana being a contributing factor in such behavior. At a time when university administrators are trying everything from encouraging students to “drink responsibly” to lowering the legal drinking age, it seems like there is no reason to take any potential solution off the table. We realize you may scoff at the idea of allowing students to use marijuana instead of alcohol, but this is literally a matter of life and death. UA chapter of NORML

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NEWS

Sexual assault center hosts open house

CAMPAIGNING

Jack Willems

Senior Staff Writer

VERONICA PUCCI Staff Photographer

Eric May and Mattie Bookhout, ASG presidential candidate, prepare the grill to serve hot dogs to students.

NWA Volunteer Awareness Fair hosted today Bailey McBride

Senior Staff Writer Students will have the opportunity to explore volunteer opportunities from across Northwest Arkansas as the Volunteer Action Center hosts its spring Volunteer Awareness Fair 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today on the Union Mall. The fair will bring together 22 agencies from the NWA area and give students the chance to learn about some of the unique volunteer opportunities that these agencies offer. Students will be able to sign up to volunteer and learn about what non-profit organizations are in

the area, and they also will be served free hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks. “They will primarily be here to show the students what they do,” said Matt McNelley, current president of the VAC on campus. The Susan G. Komen Foundation will be one of the organizations featured at the event, and the group will bring to campus its massive pink Susan G. Komen arch, which many students might have seen before at the Race for the Cure. Members of the VAC at the UA will serve as the volunteer coordinator for this year’s race, which will take place April 25 in Rogers. The group is trying

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009| Page 5

to recruit almost 500 volunteers for the event and will be on campus talking about what their organization does. All of the agencies were invited by the VAC, whose office is located on the sixth floor of the Arkansas Union. The VAC works to help match students with volunteer opportunities throughout the year, and is best known for its own events like Make a Difference Day and Student’s Day of Caring. The VAC will also have an educational table set up for students. “We just really want people to know where we are and what we can do for students,” McNelley said.

Have a bike collecting dust? Donate it to

Razorbikes. We!ll recycle it for use on campus. Call 479-575-7615 or visit http://parking.uark. edu/320.htm Co-sponsored by Transit & Parking, ASG

Students Advertise FREE In The Classifieds

The Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention Agency for Northwest Arkansas will host an open house at its new office 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. The new office is in Springdale at 589 White Road Suite, located just off the Elm Springs exit. April 8 is the Day of Action, a time to spread awareness about sexual assault and educate the public, according to the Web site of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, according to the Web site. The open house will have on display a proclamation of support from local mayors and the Clothesline Project, said Jen Carlson, program director for SARPA. The Clothesline Project is a national art exhibit where sexualassault survivors express their

BAME

feelings on T-shirts, she said. The full project first goes on display at John Brown University, and then some of the T-shirts are sent to the UA for their Clothesline Project, Carlson said. Lunch from Osegueras will be served at the open house. This year’s theme for Sexual Assault Awareness Month is sexual assault in the workplace, according to the Web site of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. People spend a lot of time with their co-workers, so they naturally start to trust their co-workers even if they do not know them very well, Carlson said. “Proximity is the greatest predictor of crime,” she said. To prevent sexual violence, employers can invite SARPA to do educational programs for employees and provide resources on sexual assault, Carlson said. SARPA representatives speak to more than 1,000 people a year in NWA, and all educational material is free.

LENARZ

In addition to education, SARPA also advocates for victims of sexual violence and provides one-on-one support for victims, Carlson said. Also, SARPA has six support groups for sexual assault victims, and the organization has medical exams that can determine if someone has been raped within the last 72 hours, she said. Sexual assault includes everything from forcible rape, which Arkansas law defines as penetration, to groping, to comments that are considered sexually harassing, Carlson said. The UA Police Department received four reports of rape on campus in 2007, according to the 2007 Clery Report. In the first half of 2008, the rate of forcible rape decreased 3.3 percent, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Web site. In 2007, the FBI estimated that there were 59.1 instances of forcible rape for every 100,000 female inhabitants, according to the Web site.

SHARP

from Page 1

time slot to catch up on ASG events and call in with any questions they might have. Bame said he thinks his candidacy is unique because he is not a member of a Greek organization, which he said works to his advantage because the ASG is “lacking in representation for independent students.” “There’s a divide, really a divide of ignorance, between Greeks and non-Greeks,” Bame said. Bame and Holloway said that, if elected, they will enter office with a plan to address the major issues that students are facing on campus, including the rising cost of tuition, sustainability and more national and international issues like global warming. More information about Bame and Holloway, in addition to their full platform, can be found at www.freewebs.com/asgvictory2009.

call UA 52, which would be a strategic plan to work over the year in achievable weekly goals and will include a weekly progress report on what the ASG has been doing. LeNarz said he would take the vice-presidential task of appointing people to university committees seriously and would publicize the appointments. He said he plans to invite many people he sees as qualified to apply for the positions. “That’s our biggest obligation – to take the students’ concerns to the administration,” LeNarz said. He said he would have no problems representing the student’s views, even if they were in opposition to those of the administration. More information about LeNarz and Bookhout, in addition to their full platform, can be found at www.bookhout-lenarz.info.

cling program to all athletic events and Greek houses on campus, and a serious effort to “reduce the university’s carbon footprint.” “I think I would bring a lot of good things to the ASG by being cooperative and a good listener,” Sharp said. Sharp and his running mate said their campaign is “representing real issues to real students,” and at the ASG debate, both discussed the lack of cooperation between the ASG and other organizations on campus. Their platform is based on issues that face the current student body, including the rising costs of being a student, the university’s budget and the lack of college degrees across the state of Arkansas. More information about Sharp and Powell, in addition to their full platform, can be found at www. powellandsharp.com.

SPORTS THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

Leading the league Arkansas hosts Vandy, puts SEC’s top record on the line Friday in Sports

Sports Editor: Bart Pohlman | Assistant Sports Editor: Matt Watson

Page 6 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009 COMMENTARY

Hansbrough, Tar Heels get it done

A TALE OF TWO QUARTERBACKS: PART TWO

Striving for success

Bullpen key for Arkansas Senior Staff Writer

DEREK OXFORD daoxford@uark.edu

OXFORD on Page 8

BASEBALL

Harold McIlvain II

Year of the Ox

See

The Diamond Hogs are ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball, the first such ranking in any poll in program history.

Phone: 575.7051 | E-mail: travsprt@uark.edu

Is Tyler Hansbrough the greatest college basketball player of all time? Is that a question that can even be answered?

Sitting at Buffalo Wild Wings watching the title game Monday night, I watched as North Carolina flexed its muscle early and ran the upstart Michigan State Spartans out of Ford Field, winning the national championship in the process. As much as I love watching underdogs overcome the odds and win, I felt as though the Tar Heels deserved their shot at glory just as much as Michigan State would have savored its one shining moment. I don’t think Detroit would have stood had the Spartans won. That city might have burned to the ground if mighty North Carolina had been upset. And I don’t really care either way about Hansbrough. But what was painstakingly clear Monday night was this – basketball is bigger than just one person. Sure, your team can have a LeBron or a Kobe, or in this case, a Hansbrough, but if five guys aren’t working together to reach a common goal, you’re not going to cut down the nets. People love Hansbrough for his work ethic. People hate him for it. People love Hansbrough for his attitude. People hate him for it. When you’re a star, either you will be adored or abhorred. It’s that simple. I’ve got friends who think he’s the Antichrist, and also have friends who think he’s the next Bill Walton. Whatever your opinion, you have to look at facts, and the facts are that Hansbrough stayed for four years at a college, was named first-team All-American during those four years and won a championship. No one will ever be able to take that away from him. The only problem is that people tend to forget who really makes Hansbrough who he is. Guys like Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson make UNC the power that it is, and that it will continue to be as long as Roy Williams is coaching there. Who would have thought that a kid from Poplar Bluff, Mo., would become a North Carolina Tar Heel and step on the same court on which so many greats played before him? Williams believed in the kid and he delivered, much to the delight of the UNC faithful, who probably felt the program was headed for decline after the 2005 title team was decimated by graduation and NBA draftees. Hansbrough would likely be the first to tell you, however, that it’s not about him, but the guys who are with him every day who put in the work just like he does. He may be a great post player, and he can score and rebound with the best of them, but if Ty Lawson doesn’t beat his man off the dribble before flicking a pass to him for a dunk, he doesn’t score. There’s a reason he’s the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leading scorer – he’s had great assist men and a phenomenal supporting cast to back him up. I don’t doubt for a second that Hansbrough is the player he is today because of the people at

Did you know?

JONATHAN GIBSON Staff Photographer

Arkansas redshirt-freshman Tyler Wilson is battling sophomore Ryan Mallett for the starting quarterback position.

Wilson competes for starting QB job Jimmy Carter Staff Writer

After a redshirt freshman season, Tyler Wilson is entrenched in a battle to win Arkansas’ starting quarterback position. His competition could have been Jacob Bowers, G.J. Kinne and Shavodrick Beaver. Those are the three quarterbacks competing for Tulsa’s starting job. Wilson very easily could have been right in the thick of that competition instead of locked into a battle at Arkansas with Ryan Mallett and Jim Youngblood. The Greenwood native was not offered a scholarship by former Razorback coach Houston Nutt despite accumulating over 8,100 yards passing and 93 touchdowns through the air in two seasons at Greenwood High School. Wilson was rated the eighthbest quarterback in the nation by ESPN and was committed to the Golden Hurricane, and also sported offers from LSU, Alabama and Missouri. But Wilson didn’t hold a grudge against Arkansas and was thrilled when Bobby Petrino took the job and made offering a scholarship to Wilson one of his first acts as the Razorbacks’ head coach. “I had other places to go to, but I always liked Arkansas,” Wilson said. “It’s been a dream to play in front of the home stands and home crowd and that’s what you want to do growing up.” “When coach Petrino came here

and offered me I took it right away. I wouldn’t change it for the world.” That same patience allows Wilson to stand coolly in the pocket and deliver a strike with the defense breathing down his neck. As a freshman Wilson saw mopup duty against Texas and Alabama, throwing for 69 yards and a touchdown as Casey Dick’s backup. But he then contracted mononucleosis which effectively ended his first season in Fayetteville. He was awarded a medical redshirt and will again be a freshman this fall. Wilson made strides while going through his first collegiate spring practice. He completed 17-of-27 passes for 360 yards with five touchdown tosses and one interception in Saturday’s scrimmage, capping a strong week of practice. “Tyler’s doing some real nice things,” Petrino said. “He’s throwing the ball real well. (He has) the ability to move in the pocket. He has to be able to handle the blitz. I think that’s his biggest thing and then continue to work on playing the position from underneath the center.” Wilson said added confidence from his playing time as a freshman has been a boost, but noted that being a student of the game is the most important aspect for a quarterback. “Just knowing the feeling and what it’s like running out on the field and the speed of the game too is going to help me immensely,” Wilson said. “I think it’ll carry on into next year and confidence-wise too, it’s go-

ing to be a bit of a boost. “You can always study film and that’s the part of the game that you’re going to get the most advantage of. Throwing a lot of times is the easy part.” At any given moment the quarterbacks can be tutored by Petrino, offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee or any combination of the three, something Wilson said is a huge benefit as the quarterbacks work to master Petrino’s comprehensive offensive scheme. “We refer to this system as an offense university,” Wilson said. “We’ve got one of the leaders of offensive minds running our staff. Having a quarterbacks coach is extremely beneficial because you have someone to teach you on every play. It’s great having three of them.” McGee said Wilson has developed an understanding of not only the Razorbacks’ offense but defenses as well. “Tyler has really worked hard,” McGee said. “He’s really starting to get an understanding of our offense, of defenses. He’s got a long way to go but I can see him growing and getting better every day.” McGee is confident that Wilson has the physical talent needed to excel as a starting quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. “He has very good instincts for a quarterback,” McGee said. “He can See

WILSON on Page 8

SOFTBALL

Razorbacks set to battle Sooners Derek Oxford

Senior Staff Writer After dropping two out of three games over the weekend to Southeastern Conference foe Auburn, the Razorbacks will step out of conference today to battle the Oklahoma Sooners at 5 p.m in Norman, Okla. Arkansas (22-15, 9-6 SEC) has had trouble putting away late leads, as evident in the weekend series against Auburn. “We had (Auburn) on the mat a couple of times today, but couldn’t put them away,” Arkansas head coach Jamie Pinkerton said Sunday. “We had some big hits in the game with the home runs but didn’t get any hits in the clutch when we had runners on base or in scoring position.” In Sunday’s game alone, Sandra Smith belted two home runs and Miranda Dixon hit her second homer of the series. Dixon is also still the ace of the squad, sporting a 14-4 record with a 2.67 ERA. Kim Jones has also done a nice job in the circle, despite a 6-8 overall record. Her 3.06 ERA is second on the team behind Dixon. Arkansas is 8-7 in road games this season as compared to 6-3 at home and 8-5 at neutral sites. Oklahoma, meanwhile, is ranked No. 12 in the country this week and is coming off a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Nebraska on Sunday. The Sooners have a freshman star on the mound in

Allee Allen, who has won two straight and is 14-2 overall on the year. The left-handed Allen struck out four while only giving up one run and a walk in 3.1 innings pitched in Sunday’s win over the Cornhuskers. Amber Flores hit her 11th home run of the season for the Sooners, and the junior is among the top of the Big 12 Conference in batting average at .429. Flores has four home runs, tying her with Missouri’s Megan Christopher for best in the conference. Overall, the team’s .337 average leads the conference. Samantha Ricketts, who had a game-winning hit over the weekend against Nebraska, leads the Big 12 in doubles and RBIs. Oklahoma (30-11, 7-3 Big 12) is a perennial power in the Big 12, winning the national championship in 2000 and making five straight trips to the Women’s College World Series from 2000-04. Head coach Patty Gasso has been around for all of the success, and is in her 15th season on the Sooner bench. Her teams have gone 686-224-2 while she has been the Oklahoma coach, and she doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon. After the Razorbacks visit Norman, they will return home this weekend to Bogle Park where they will face division rival LSU. Two games will be played Friday with the final game to be played Saturday.

Last year, against then-No. 1 Arizona State, Arkansas allowed a two-run seventh inning – losing 6-5 in the first game of the series. With a bullpen that struggled with depth last season, losing a lead late wasn’t unusual at times for the Razorbacks. But now, with a core of relievers getting outs during key situations, Van Horn said the bullpen has been a big part of early season success. “We’ve hung in there and played a lot of one-run games that went down to the last innings early in the season,” Van Horn said. “This is a more experienced team. Our team just doesn’t panic. We haven’t given up a lot of leads late in the game like last year.” Relievers Mike Bolsinger, Stephen Richards and Justin Wells have been a part of the bullpen turnaround in late games this year for the Razorbacks, who host a midweek finale tonight at Baum Stadium against No. 1 Arizona State at 6:30 p.m. “We have a great bullpen,” Bolsinger said. “Richards and Wells have been doing great lately. All the starters have to do is pretty much get to the fifth or sixth inning. But they’ve been helping us out by going a little further.” With different polls ranking both teams No. 1 in the nation, Van Horn said the series finale should make for a great game. “It is an honor to be ranked among the top 15 in the nation,” Van Horn said. “There are a lot of polls out there and to be No. 1 in any of them is something special.” If the bullpen is called upon, Bolsinger said there are plenty of options to get outs. Last week, Bolsinger pitched 9.2 innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10. He lowered his season ERA to 2.08 while increasing his strike out total to 33 over 26 innings. But he doesn’t try to do too much when pitching. “I just try to tell myself that I want to go out there and finish the inning,” Bolsinger said. “I want to finish what I started.” Van Horn said earlier in the year he wasn’t sure when Bolsinger would rejoin the team after battling mononucleosis. But the McKinney, Texas, native missed only the first six games of the season and has found success on the mound, despite not fully recovering. “I think my velocity can be a little better than it is right now,” Bolsinger said. “But I feel physically fine. I’ve been running and lifting. I’m just hoping for my arm strength to come back.” After making his first appearance of the season against Valparaiso, Bolsinger started strong but allowed two earned runs while striking out four in 1.1 innings. Van Horn said after the outing that Bolsinger just ran out of gas and was a little out of shape coming off mono. But the right-hander has since adjusted. Facing South Carolina on Sunday, Bolsinger earned the win with a six-inning, one-hit performance that helped Arkansas take its fourth straight SEC series to start the year. South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner said Arkansas has solid starters, but the pitching threat doesn’t end there when facing the Razorbacks. “They’ll go get you out from the bullpen with Richards and Bolsinger,” Tanner said. “When you have a good team, you have to plug people in. You have to have that bullpen guy that can stop a rally, whether it is the fifth or ninth inning.” Richards – who has struck out 24 in 18.2 innings – leads the teams in saves with four and has a teamlow 1.45 ERA. Arkansas starter Drew Smyly allowed four runs in the first inning Sunday. But Wells helped Arkansas when he added three scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 3.51 this season. “Obviously it’s disappointing that we scored four runs in the first inning and then proceeded to get shut out the rest of the way,” Tanner said. “I give credit to (Justin) Wells and (Mike) Bolsinger. They came in there and four-hit us through six.”

JONATHAN GIBSON Staff Photographer

Mike Bolsinger (above), Stephen Richards and Justin Wells are a combined 8-0 with a 2.44 ERA and 9.8 K/9.

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WONDERMARK | David Malki

BLISS | Harry Bliss

HOROSCOPES | Linda Black ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) TODAY IS A 7. There’s money coming in, due to your own hard work.Take care not to waste a cent.That includes making risky investments.You don’t even need to try to make a quick buck. For you, that route won’t work now.

CROSSWORD

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) TODAY IS A 7. You are determined to get your own way, but that might be a challenge. You’ll have to convince your strongly opinionated adversary to come over to your side. Use charm, not threats. GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 21) TODAY IS A 7. The confusion is starting to clear up. This is good, because there’s a job coming due that you haven’t done yet. Find it and do it, before you accrue any penalties.You hate it when that happens. CANCER (JUNE 22-JULY 22) TODAY IS A 7. Better check your calendar to make sure you haven’t scheduled two activities for the same date and time. That would be easy to do right now. LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) TODAY IS A 6. No need to rush a decision, either career-related or domestic. Do more research first. New information is just now becoming available. Find it and use it.

SUDOKU

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MONDAY’S SOLUTION

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MONDAY’S SOLUTION

Page 8 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009

LIFESTYLES

PCC

CHEAP CHIC

outdoor events,â&#x20AC;? Halim said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Especially during the springtime since Arkansas weather is impossible to predict, going from 70 (degrees) one week to 30 (degrees) the next.â&#x20AC;? The people who came, however, found ways to keep themselves warm and enjoy the festival at the same time. Some drank hot chai tea and others danced to the upbeat bhangra music of Pakistan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is amazing,â&#x20AC;? said Diwakar Arora, one of the bhangra dancers who came to the UA from Little Rock to attend the festival. Ismail said that the main reason for doing this was to show that Pakistan is still full of life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The media images of men holding guns, sitting in the back of Toyota pick-ups and living in mud huts are an incredibly remote and small part of Pakistan,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This festival shows the real spirit of Pakistan, and we want our fellow university students to know that Pakistan is still a country full of life, music and dancing. This is a festival that we have truly made unique to our culture and is something we want to share with our friends here.â&#x20AC;? And share they did, as students and community members from different backgrounds came to join the celebration of spring.

ing their carbon footprint and bank account. But when it comes to purchasing clothes and other everyday needs, shoppers are essentially conditioned to buy more than they need. Target has brought many bigname designers to their stores, at an affordable price that gives customers the opportunity to wear designer clothes that would otherwise be out of reach because of high prices. And thus, the transformation of Target to TargĂŠt began. Designers like Isaac Mizrahi, Alexander McQueen, Mossimo, Converse and Liz Lange are among the few offering a great selection of their work for a fraction of the price. Mizrahi however, who paved the â&#x20AC;&#x153;runwayâ&#x20AC;? in creating the fashion-

from Page 9

CELEBRATING A CHAMPIONSHIP

CHUCK LIDDY Raleigh News & Observer/MCT

North Carolina guard Ty Lawson helps cut down the net after the Tar Heels defeated Michigan State 89-72 Monday night to win the national championship. The win gives UNC its fifth title in school history.

able image of Target, left the store this past year. Since his departure, Target has introduced a number of new designers and consumers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disappointed. One can find McQueenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs for thousands of dollars or save money by buying a piece from the designer at Target for about 20 dollars - for a lower price, the shopper gets the name and the quality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My favorite places to shop during these hard times include Forever 21, Target and Old Navy,â&#x20AC;? said Bonnie Barton, a UA sophomore apparel studies major. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These places provide a great variety of fashionable clothing and, at the same time, do not put a hole in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wallet.â&#x20AC;? For those with wardrobes stuffed with shirts that no longer fit right and pants theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve outgrown, a simple solution as well as a shopping trip can come from such a problem. Thrift stores and resale shops purchase quality used clothing

THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER | www.thetraveleronline.com

in exchange for cash. Why horde clothes that are no longer used when some fast cash can come of it? Locally, Platoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Closet buys and sells brand name, gently used clothing. The store is located on Joyce Street and has a wide selection of brand name clothing for less. Another local favorite is Cheap Thrills, a boutique known for its vintage items. Other stores, such as Shoe Carnival, are doing their part to help customers through the tough economic times. Since April 1, Shoe Carnival has been offering their customers a â&#x20AC;&#x153;BOGO When You Want 2â&#x20AC;? card through Saturday. Upon any purchase, customers can present the card anytime through January 19, 2010, and receive their famous â&#x20AC;&#x153;Buy one, get the second pair of equal or lesser value for 1/2 off.â&#x20AC;? In a recent statement to Tradingmarkets.com, Todd Beurman, senior vice president of marketing

for Shoe Carnival, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;BOGO When You Want 2â&#x20AC;&#x2122; card, our customers will be able to take advantage of this valuable deal, even when the promotion isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t running in our stores, to better meet their familiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; footwear needs.â&#x20AC;? Online blogs are also focusing on affordable fashion. Magazines such as Elle, Harperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bazaar and Lucky offer advice on how to find chic yet cheap fashion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My shopping habits have definitely changed,â&#x20AC;? Barton said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have become much more aware about the importance of financial security and have grown more conscious about avoiding frivolous spending. I have minimized the amount of purchases I make.â&#x20AC;? As the times call for reflection on spending, fashion still isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going anywhere anytime soon. Italian fashion entrepreneur Achille Maramotti said it best. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fashion is never in crisis because clothes are always necessary.â&#x20AC;?

OXFORD

REVAMP

from Page 6

from Page 9

North Carolina that have made him better and have worked with him. If he was at any other school, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think he would have accomplished what he did in four years at UNC. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arguably the most polarizing player in college basketball history. The question I asked at the beginning may never be truly answered. One thing can be answered. Love him or hate him, Tyler Hansbrough was going to give 110 percent effort to lead his team to victory. We are left to debate his legacy. He will take his trophy.

advises that you pick out clothes you never wear so that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d put them to good use this spring. It is easy to donate, give away, sell or swap your clothes once you complete the task of separation. Last semester, I talked to Christopher Lowell, a well-known interior designer and TV star, about organization for a feature on his new book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seven Layers of Organization.â&#x20AC;? Although the entire book is helpful for your home, I found layers two and four the most important when it comes to closet maintenance. Lowell suggests detaching yourself physically and emotionally from your stuff, then purge all of the clutter. You are creating space for yourself to work with, which experts say frees half of your closet or a third of your drawers, so you can really revamp the closet. In layer four, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sort and Contain,â&#x20AC;? Lowell says the nearest is the dearest. When actually organizing your clothes and anything else in your closet, take your habits into consideration. Now that the unwanted clutter is gone, it should be easy to decide what needs to be easily accessible and what needs to be stored on the top shelf. Simple and cheap stacking boxes and shelves or hanging racks can make a big difference. Merely separating tops from bottoms or spring clothes from winter clothes can make them easier to use and to keep clean. A closet tends to accumulate junk, so it becomes a place of unconquered, unused space. This season, take a little time to tackle your closet. Without much effort, you can make good use of your belongings, sanitize your living space and freshen your wardrobe.

Derek Oxford is a senior staff writer for The Arkansas Traveler.

Natalie Johnson is a staff columnist for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every other Wednesday.

WILSON from Page 6

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really throw the football, he has good wrist snap. He can throw the football off balance and he can really make plays. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been playing quarterback all his life, so he has good instincts.â&#x20AC;? Wilson said he feels that the biggest difference in the offense from last year and what Razorback fans can expect to see this fall will be the precision with which itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s run. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Overall itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just going to be a little bit more crisp,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last year we had a lot of young players playing and sometimes there were some busted assignments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think this year and this spring what we focus on is crossing the tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and dotting our iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to get better as time goes on and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be much more crisp this year. The attitude of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changed completely.â&#x20AC;? Many pundits and fans have already crowned redshirt sophomore Ryan Mallett the 2009 starter, but if Wilsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong play through the first two weeks of spring practice is an indicator, the outcome is far from decided. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Competition is always good; I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helping (the quarterbacks),â&#x20AC;? McGee said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just working every day. Once (spring practice) is done and we understand it then Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll make a decision.â&#x20AC;? After leading Greenwood to a 24-4 record and back-to-back 5A state championships in his junior and senior seasons there is no debate that Wilson has a winning pedigree. Arkansas fans hope he can add to his championship legacy during his time in Fayetteville.

LIFESTYLES

Pills & Sleep THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER The effects of sleeping and caffeine pills Friday in Lifestyles Phone: 575.7540 | E-mail: travlife@uark.edu

Lifestyles Editor: Anna Nguyen | Assistant Lifestyles Editor: Lindsey Pruitt

Page 9 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009

Cutting edge sculptures examine presence and absence of objects

VERONICA PUCCI Staff Photographer

“Physical Reminders” features the work of seven artists who have created sculptures as “reminders” of time and space. From left: Greg Pond’s “For Pirates” and David Gurman’s “Reflector Project: Tigris-Potomac IKONOS Satellite View.”

Anna Nguyen

Lifestyles Editor In academia, sculptures have relied on their physicality to express meaning and communicate ideas. The art form has also paved the way for performance, video, electronic and extended media areas to exist and develop. As sculptures have progressed in the modern world, sculptures have deviated into current trends. “Physical Reminders” features the work of seven distinguished artists, including Michael Jones McKean, Claire

Watkins, Greg Pond, David Gurman, Micki Watanabe Spiller, Mike Wsol and Lain York, who approach sculpture as physical indicators of time, space, identity and invisible faces. The object is a point of departure for these artists, according to a statement of Bethany Springer, a UA assistant professor of art. Springer, who curated the exhibition, said it was important to bring contemporary sculptures to the university and celebrate them. “I wanted the students to have physical examples of sculptures,” Springer said. “I

am interested in communicating ideas through visual forms. I think of how viewers move through space, live in time and how they use physical contact.” Two years ago, she was asked to curate an exhibit and was looking at different artists’ Web sites. On Watkins’ Web site, the artist writes, “I am fascinated by systems found within the body and the parallel structures located outside of it; the human brain and circuit boards, nerve systems and trees…Electricity has a visual presence in my work, traveling

through motors, lights, wires, microcontrollers and drawings that are circuit boards. I want to expose the invisibility of electricity, a physical reminder of its presence.” Watkins’ words resonated with Springer and birthed the “Physical Reminders” collection. Elements of painting, photography, design and architecture collide with kinetics, sound, light and real-time information in the same space. The pieces in the exhibition “start with tangible, physical objects, but dissolve into other formats that not only rely

on sight but can include other sensory levels, such as audio, video and sound,” Springer said. “For Pirates” by Greg Pond is a piece that has a microphone attached to the object to absorb sound and recreate what it hears. And as the title of the exhibition suggests, the term “reminder” connotes the way in which objects can communicate their ideas and lose their meaning over time. Although Pond’s piece has the capability of recording what it hears and reenacting the sound, it loses the sound

over time. “‘Physical Reminders’ speaks through the absence of objects,” Springer said. “The word ‘reminder’ relates to a loss, in a sense, and forgetting. For the artists, the objects act as a point of departure. (The sculptures) are blurring the lines of the presences and absences of the objects.” “Physical Reminders” will be showcased in the Fine Arts Center Gallery through April 15. The exhibit was part of last month’s grand UA “Sculpture Symposium.”

A TASTE OF PAKISTAN Revamp your closet this spring Pakistan Cultural Club brings the festival

FASHION COLUMN

Razorback runway

NATALIE JOHNSON naj001@uark.edu

Switching wardrobes might not be on everyone’s agenda this spring, but anyone’s closet could benefit from a clean sweep. Though this spring season in Fayetteville hasn’t yet warranted an official spring wardrobe change because of the crazy weather patterns, now is a good time to clean out your closet. Many of us do not have separate wardrobes for the seasons, so a closet might

never be cleaned out as long as you live in one place. After the spring semester, many students move into a new place or go away for the summer. Just getting your clothes out of the closet or drawers is a good step for maintaining a fresh closet. If you don’t switch wardrobes or move, the shelves, floor and even your clothes can get pretty dusty. I usually don’t attempt to move all of my shoes to vacuum or move my clothes to dust when I clean the house, but I can tell the closet needs it at the end of the season. Closet cleaning can be a feat for many households and the space is curiously looked over every spring-cleaning time, so closets often house unwanted or unfit clothes for a long time. A few professional organizers gave tips in Reader’s Digest about ridding your closet of extra stuff and advise people to put hangers backwards on clothes you’ve worn to show what goes unused each season. The magazine See

of Basant to the Greek Theatre

REVAMP on Page 8

Bargaining for chic, cheap couture MAGGIE CARROLL Staff Photographer

Saba Naseem Staff Writer

LARRY ASH Staff Photographer

Bargains at Cheap Thrills, located in downtown Fayetteville, attract many customers as the recession drives shoppers to look for extra value.

Brittany Arroyos Staff Writer

In a time of recession, fashion might be the last thing on the minds of many, but that doesn’t mean appearance goes out the window.

Even with articles concerning corporate layoffs and bailouts on the front cover of papers, various headlines about the latest on Michelle Obama’s wardrobe still make an appearance. Our society recognizes that ours is a culture of people born to buy.

Today, consumers have the ability to choose to buy a hybrid car, shop for organic groceries, choose reusable bags instead of “paper or plastic” and other schemes in the process of going green and lowerSee

CHEAP CHIC on Page 8

Dancing, kite flying, upbeat music and the aroma of spicy Pakistani food filled the Greek Theatre on Sunday in celebration of Basant, a Pakistani festival welcoming the coming of spring. Before the partition of India and Pakistan, Hindus in Lahore used to celebrate the festival of Basant to welcome the spring season and to honor Saraswati, the goddess of music, knowledge and art. Slowly, the event became less religious and more cultural as Muslims of Lahore started participating. With the separation of the two countries, the Hindus left behind the tradition of Basant, which has now merely become a time of fun and celebration in Pakistan. The event was sponsored by the Pakistan Cultural Club, an organization dedicated to bringing out the colorful cul-

ture of Pakistan. Despite the cold weather, many students attended the celebration and expressed their enjoyment. “I came to watch the cultural displays…and for the food, of course,” said Utsab Khadka, a UA physics graduate student. “Pakistani food is very flavorful, and I’ll definitely come again next year.” The food was ordered from Aroma Restaurant in Bentonville, Ark., and included chicken and vegetable biryani, samosa, Pakistani tea, curried garbanzo beans and spicy yogurt. Rahul Pesaru, a sophomore computer engineering major, said he used to celebrate this festival in India where it is a lot grander. “In India, the festival would last for a couple of days,” he said. “We would have ‘kite fights’ where we try to cut the kites of our neighbors - this could get pretty crazy.” In Pakistan, the streets

of Lahore are full of music, flowers and people dressed in brightly colored clothes, mainly yellow and orange, during the week of Basant. Celebrities perform stage shows, people fly kites off their rooftops and large picnics are held. “Here, we are just trying to bring a small taste of that grandness by dancing the traditional Punjabi bhangra, flying kites shipped from Pakistan, and having a good time talking with friends while listening to Pakistani music,” said Amen Ismail, vice-president of PCC. The club celebrates Basant celebration every year, said Asad Halim, president of PCC. “Next year, we will try to have more decorations and hopefully it won’t be so cold,” Halim said. “Also, it would definitely help if ASG was more lenient with schedule changes for See

PCC on Page 8

Page 10 | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009

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