Eli Young Band Visits AMP Page 8 Vol. 106, NO. 16 UATRAV.COM
PAGE 1 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
In This Issue:
News
LULAC Prepares for Hispanic Heritage Month
Members of LULAC began the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Page 3
Features
News
Hiring Expectations
2011 job outlook better than previous years.
Student Hit While Jaywalking by MEGAN HUCKABY Staff Writer
A UA student was struck by a vehicle and injured while crossing Garland Avenue Monday, according to an accident report by UAPD. Dylan Vail, freshman biology major and her friend Jessica
Morales were crossing in a noncrosswalk area on Garland Avenue when Vail was hit, according to the report. Vail and Morales were crossing by the campus Walmart trying to get a ride on a bus when they stopped on a concrete median and a vehicle in the left lane, driven by Tyler Dunlap, stopped to let them
cross, according to the report. Jebaraj Asirvatham was passing the stopped vehicle when Vail and Morales walked out in front of him, according to the report. Asirvatham tried to stop when he realized that the two girls were running out in front of him, but was unable to come to a full stop before hitting Vail, according to
Readjusting After Life Abroad
Students coming back from study abroad programs encounter reverse culture shock.
Features
by BEN SCHMUCK Contributing Writer
Middle East Film Club Offers Culture, Discussion Nadi Cinema gives students an alternative to Hollywood-made movies.
Page 8 SARAH CHAMPAGNE PHOTO EDITOR
Razorback Football Sports
see ACCIDENT on page 2
UA Ranks Among Top Schools
Page 2
Page 8
Dennis Johnson attends practice for the first time in two weeks, expecting to see action for the Troy game.
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Construction workers continue to tear apart the front lawn along Dickson Street. The newly constructed road is just feet away from touching the senior walk.
Old Main Road Construction Continues by LANDON REEVES Staff Writer
College Stress Makes Girls Body Conscious Opinion
the report. Asirvatham’s right front tire struck Vail in the right foot, according to the report. Asirvatham stopped and carried Vail to the side of the road while a bystander called
Traveler managing editor Mattie Quinn discusses how a stressful environment can make girls overly image conscious.
Page 4
Construction for the road on Old Main Lawn started Tuesday, Sept. 6, UA officials said. The road gives access to the renovations sites at Vol Walker and Ozark Hall for vehicles and equipment said UA director of planning. “It will be here for two years,” said Bob Beeler, UA director of
construction and design.” It will meander a bit through the trees where we have carefully selected a route and come out between Ozark and Old Main.” Several precautions are being taken to protect Old Main Lawn from the damages that can occur from this project and to preserve it so it can be restored to what it was before the road, Beeler said. Some of the smaller trees were
moved while some larger ones, several damaged by previous years ice storms, were cut down. The portion of the rock wall on Dickson Street that was dismantled will be rebuilt and the senior walk will have protection from weight damage, said Jay Huneycutt, UA director of planning. see CONSTRUCTION on page
College ASG Senators, Secretary Inducted Tuesday Scholarship Hours Create Burden for Students by SARAH DEROUEN Contributing Writer
Joana Murcia wishes she had more time. The senior architectural studies major won a state scholarship this year that requires her to take 15 hours each semester. “As a senior, I wish I could take a little less [classes]. I wish I could take a full-time job, but I have to take a part-time job,” said Murcia, who actually takes about 17 hours in the average semester. It pays the bills, though. Many students need the help of scholarships and grants to pay tuition, which costs $239.11 per hour, according to the UA financial aid office. Even so, it’s important to research the requirements of a scholarship, which can be complicated and vary widely, said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions. Scholarship requirements can be demanding, and include a minimum for credit hours and grade point average, McCray said. see SCHOLARSHIP on page 3
New members of the ASG senate are sworn in by ASG president Michael Dodd and Chancellor Gearhart Sept. 13.
KRIS JOHNSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
For the second straight year the UA was ranked one of the top 200 schools in the nation by America’s Best Colleges, which is an annual consumer survey created by U.S. News and World Report. “The University of Arkansas continues to maintain a strong and reputable position in the annual U.S. News survey,” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. The UA ranked at 132 overall, tied with Oklahoma State and Seton Hall among others, and it has the 65th best ranking of all public schools, according to the report. “Our ranking as number 132 nationally is something that is pretty prestigious. It places us among a group of the top colleges in the nation as well as being ranked in the top 100 for public institutions,” said John Diamond, the UA associate vice chancellor for university relations. “Our overall rating went up six points, which is a pretty good jump I’d say,” said Steve Voorhies, Manager of media relations. “Overall, the survey results produce two meaningful conclusions. First, we are indeed a high-performing academic institution. And second, we maintain widespread respect among higher education leaders as a nationally prominent public university,” Gearhart said. The rankings are based on categories such as academic reputation, faculty resources, graduation and retention rates, student quality and alumni giving. “The academics have seemed fine to me. It’s fairly rigorous but still enjoyable at the same time,” said Jacob Pinter, freshman. One thing that has set the UA apart from some of the other schools on the list is the ability of the university administrati to keep the price of tuition and fee’s lower than most of the other schools. With most of these schools having to pay tuition and fees somewhere in the range of $40,000 per year, UA students pay $7,000 (in state) and $18,000 (out of state) per year, according to U.S. News. see RANKING on page
ASG President Appoints Multicultural Center Liaison by MATILDE BONIFAZ Staff Writer
This year marks the creation of a new Associated Student Government position, the Liaison to the Multicultural Center, officials said. The liaison is Nicholas Locke, whose job will include spreading word of upcoming events and promoting greater involvement in diversity programs from ASG members, said Cedric Kenner, director of the Multicultural Center.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011 VOL. 106, NO. 17 10 PAGES UATRAV.COM
WEATHER FORECAST
“It is a great opportunity for ASG to show the student body that the UA is moving forward with our diversity efforts on all fronts,” Kenner said. “We recognized there were areas that had to be improved within both organizations to achieve the diversity initiatives set forth by the Chancellor and Diversity Affairs.” Renovations to the Multicultural Center gave Locke a late start. His first assignment is to promote Hispanic Heritage month, which runs from
TODAY 85°
THURSDAY 64°
FRIDAY 70°
Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The responsibilities of the position are still taking shape, Locke said. “We need to establish a well-structured framework for this position, given that it is critical for the growth and development of the position in the future,” he said. He wants to promote the Multicultural Center to as many students possible, Locke said. “My main goal for the organization and the UA is to create a more diverse
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SUNDAY 82°
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atmosphere,” he said. “Many people think the Multicultural Center is only for the minority students. Everyone is welcome.” The change is a long time coming, said Macarena Montero, a senior psychology major. “I always thought that the university needed more diversity, and now seeing that the ASG is contributing to work on it, I know it will be a success,” she said.
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NEWS RANKING from page 1
“It’s remarkable that we can keep this status as well as keeping our tuition lower than some other schools of the ranking,” Diamond said. “We can do this because of the emphasis that the chancellor has put forward to put students first. By steering our resources to improving academic and to provide the strongest learning experience possible not only in the
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
class, lab and libraries but as well as in the learning community here in Fayetteville,” he said. Another factor that has allowed the UA administration to keep their ranking is their ability to maintain their student to faculty ratio at 18:1, according to U.S. News-World Report. “It’s important to note that as we have had record enrollments in previous years that as the number of students grows so do the number of faculty.
Without the growth of the faculty we couldn’t keep the ranking,” Diamond said. Some students, however, are still doubtful about the rankings. “I don’t agree with that. Just because you’re keeping the ratio doesn’t mean you are getting good professors. I mean there are a few classes in the Union Ballroom as well as in Barn Hill Arena. How can we learn in there?” said junior Ben Davis. This ranking is impor-
tant for UA students and graduates. “The value of a degree from the University of Arkansas continues to be perceived very highly nationally. This is not only important for the current students but also for the alumni. The University of Arkansas being one of the top public schools in the country speaks well for the work they did in school to get that degree,” Diamond said.
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ABOUT THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER The Arkansas Traveler, the student newspaper of the University of Arkansas, is published every day during the fall and spring academic sessions except during exam periods and university holidays. Opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Traveler. The editor makes all final content decisions. One copy of The Arkansas Traveler is free to every member of the UA community. Additional copies can be purchased for 50 cents each. Mail subscriptions for delivery within the continental United States can be purchased for $125.00 per semester. Contact the Traveler Business Manager to arrange.
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The value of a degree from the University of Arkansas continues to be perceived very highly nationally, said John Diamond, associate vice chancellor for University Relations. “This is not only important for the current students but also for the alumni.”
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CONSTRUCTION from page 1
“The department of facilities management went
through and marked each of the stones on Tuesday morning and chiseled them out of their space . . . the stones were then loaded on to palates and kept in a storage unit until we get ready to rebuild the wall,” said Charles Alison, spokesperson for university relations. “The city of Fayetteville Parks Department
ACCIDENT from page 1
911, according to the police report. No citation was issued to Vail, according to the report.
Officer Jeannine Jones explained to Vail that she was at fault, not the driver of the vehicle, according to the report. This was “one of the few times somebody has actually been struck in a noncrosswalk,” said UAPD Lt. Matt Mills. Most accidents of this nature occur on crosswalks, he said. Vail was taken to the hospital where she learned that she had fractured her foot in the accident, she
has pretty good standards for preserving trees during construction and the State Forestry commission suggest that we use them,” Huneycutt said. “There will be steel plates covering the senior walk. It (the road) will be filled with a geo-textile fabric that protects the soil and gravel will be placed on top of it.” The geo-textile fabric UA plans on using is fiberglass carpeting that helps control erosion and protects from run off, said Huneycutt. Safety is also a major
concern, there will be a pre-cast concrete block wall on the sides of the road to cut off pedestrian traffic, UA officials said. Also there will be personal at major intersections to protect pedestrians from the flow of traffic, UA officials said. “There going to have flagmen there to make sure people stop when they should be stopping,” Huneycutt said. Previous plans to have the road's entrance on Maple St. or Arkansas Ave. were rejected because
of current construction and fear of damaging the brick walk in front of Old Main, Alison said. “We looked at coming in from Arkansas Ave,” said Alison. “But there were residents of Fayetteville who rejected to that because they felt like that front wall is a little bit more sacred and it needed to be treated with better hands then what we planned to do. So we eventually looked at Dickson St, and weighed it as our best option.”
said. “I was very scared,” she said. It wasn’t very busy on Garland Avenue when the two friends crossed the road, Vail said. “I was waving at the guy in the first lane and he waved back,” Vail said. She didn’t realize how close the driver of a Toyota Corolla was, she said. Vail’s friend Morales was behind her when the accident occurred, Vail said. The two friends were in a hurry to catch a bus and did not use the crosswalk that was “pretty far down,” she said. “Not everybody uses crosswalks,” she said. Students choosing not
to use crosswalks has become a concern for UAPD officers. UAPD officers began an educational campaign and media announcements about the importance of using crosswalks, Mills said. There will also be increased patrols in the area where Vail was hit and officers will start issuing citations, he said. A judge sets the fine for such a citation, he said. The growth of the campus and addition of more retail has caused students to cross roads where they wouldn’t normally cross in order to get from one point to the other, Mills said. “For whatever reason”
more people are crossing roads in non-crosswalk areas, Mills said. Extra patrols will be added in other areas as well, based on complaints by pedestrians and observances made by UAPD, Mills said. Crossing the street in a non-crosswalk area, or jaywalking, is against the law, Mills said. Students coming from different areas might have to adjust to different restrictions. “In high school I didn’t have to use crosswalks,” Vail said. Vail attributed the accident to not being accustomed to having to use the crosswalks.
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NEED TICKETS? CALL 1-800-982-4647 Don’t forget to call early and reserve your student football tickets for the 2010-2011 season. The ticket office is located on Razorback Road next to Baum Stadium.
PAGE 3
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
NEWS
LULAC Members Prepare for Hispanic Heritage Month
LAUREN HUSBAND STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
LULAC members get food after dancing at an event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 8th held in the Union Ballroom. Sponsored in part by the organization, LULAC members took part in dancing, eating, games and other activities.
SCHOLARSHIP
from page 1 “In any given semester, a student may have a difficult class, so they cannot take as many hours. I do not see us going over 15 hours a semester,” she said. Scholarships issued by the state -- such as the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, which Murcia won -require that students take 12 credit hours their first semester, and 15 hours starting the next semester, McCray said. UA scholarships are more stringent. They require that a student complete 27 credit hours their first year and 30 credit hours each year after that. Many scholarships also require that students maintain a certain GPA to continue to receive funds. The UA, which McCray said has special criteria for calculating a student’s GPA, requires that students maintain a 3.0. Some scholarships also
have other requirements, McCray said. For example, the Arkansas Academic Challenge requires that a student complete any remedial work within the first 30 hours of being at the UA, McCray said. McCray stresses that students see an advisor to discuss scholarship issues and to go to the financial aid office. Adriana Martinez who has been studying at the UA for five years learned about scholarship requirements the hard way, she said. She is a community health major from Roland, Okla., so she would have to pay out-ofstate tuition, she said. She received a scholarship that made her eligible to pay tuition as an Arkansas resident instead of an out-of-state resident. One stipulation of this scholarship is that it only last four years, she said. “At least [I paid] in-state. If was out-of state tuition, I wouldn’t be able to go to school here, Martinez said.
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EDITOR: SABA NASEEM MANAGING EDITOR: MATTIE QUINN
PAGE 4 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
MCT CAMPUS
FROM THE BOARD
College Stress Turns Girls Body Conscious From the Managing Editor
Band Article Sparks Criticism In Monday’s edition of The Traveler we ran a story about items that were reported stolen from the UA band, “UAPD Officers Arrest Student for Stolen Instruments.” Since then our reporter has received a handful of messages via Twitter and Facebook that claimed a multitude of things including that the reporter was inconsiderate, hateful and that she should have stayed out of the situation. As a journalist, part of our job is to report campus news and events truthfully; from time-to-time this gets us criticized. Generally these critiques come via our website —www.uatrav.com— , and comments on the content of the story. They are generally not personal attacks on the reporter for doing his or her job. Furthermore, a blatant lack of knowledge about the First Amendment and what is part of the public record leaves us worried. A brief description of all arrests on campus is available at the UA Police Department’s website under the “Crime Log.” Also, The Traveler runs logs from the “Crime Log” every Tuesday. Arrest records are also public knowledge and much of the information in the article came from UAPD’s police record. Any person who wants a copy of the arrest record only has to call UAPD or go the Washington County Police Department and ask for a copy. Brittany Nims did nothing wrong in reporting the story. She wrote an article about a crime that had occurred on campus, to a UA organization. She presented the facts as they were given to her. While we understand that no organization members like to see a story that could negatively impact its organization and/ or its members, there was nothing in the story that suggested, nor do we believe that this is a reflection on the UA band as a whole, or its members. Lastly, we understand that it is natural for the friends and family to want to stand up for someone they know, but personal attacks on a reporter because you dislike the subject matter isn’t an appropriate response.
Traveler Quote Of The Day “The value of a degree from the University of Arkansas continues to be perceived very highly nationally. This is not only important for the current students, but also for the alumni. The University of Arkansas being one of the top public schools in the country speaks well for the work they did in school to get that degree.”
-John Diamond, associate vice chancellor for University Relations “UA Ranks Among Top Schools,” pg. 1
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.
by Mattie Quinn
Traveler Managing Editor travmgr@uark.edu
It’s not a new topic: girls fall victim to media manipulations of what beauty is supposed to be. Eating disorders, plastic surgery and shopping addictions are dominated by females. From as far back as Marie Antoinette strutting around Versailles in her tall wigs and corseted gowns, girls have had some sort of image to aspire to and emulate. While I have always noticed fashion trends, the need to stay physically fit and hairstyles coming in and out of vogue, the college years have by far, in my experience, been the most treacherous of the comparison game. It didn’t take me long to realize that college was a whole new ball game when it came to “girl world.” In high school, jeans were acceptable to most parties. Suddenly girls looked
like they were the newest cast member on “The Hills” when they would go out. Friends of mine who never before cared much about weight were suddenly eating salads all the time. I, too, started to feel a little bit of the “freshman 15” and entered a gym for the first time in my life, where I began to go as often as I could. A girl I once came into contact with freshman year told me she was afraid of eating lunch because she had two bagels for breakfast. “Whatever, she’s gotten fat here lately anyway,” is a common retort I have heard when a girl vents about a friend, enemy or roommate. On the surface, you would never notice this obsession. Most girls don’t dress up to go to class. Girls are (generally) nicer than they were in high school and aren’t as caught up in the status quo. However, spend an extended amount of time with almost any college girl, and you will see appearance is a definite issue, and it probably intensified once they got to college. So if college is a time of independence, freedom and academia, why does the preoccupation with appearances seem to deepen once girls move into that freshman dorm room? A large part of it deals with the whole issue of independence.
Many girls have the luxury of a family who provided a support system during the middle and high school years. Most girl would not like to admit it, but now that they no longer have mommy to sit with and provide comfort after a long day of school; it can be stressful. Not to mention that girls are forced to live with at least one other girl in a small room for nine months. It’s in human nature to compare, but put a 19-year-old girl in a cell block with another girl for an entire school year, and the feeling will amplify. I lived with my very best friend one school year, and I would be lying if I wasn’t occasionally jealous of something, be it a haircut, a compliment she had received or just the fact that she looked skinny in that outfit. In high school, almost every one plays some sort of sport, and that number dwindles drastically in college. I noticed many former athlete friends of mine struggle with the fact that they no longer burned 600 calories a day playing their sport of choice. Having said that, all of these things are excuses for why girls are so hard not only on each other, but themselves, in college. I know that I occasionally forget to stop beating myself up over things that are trivial.
I will never be a waif like Kate Moss, and that’s OK. No matter how much you exercise and weight watch, you will not stay the same weight you were in high school. No matter how good you think you look before you go out, there will always be a girl who you think has a better outfit on once you get to that party. Don’t feel guilty after you ate that Taco Bell, college is stressful, you deserve to indulge every once in a while, just don’t make it your diet. Compliment that girl on her cute outfit, it’ll make you feel good about yourself too, believe it or not. When it’s rainy outside, stay in and watch Netflix, you don’t have to go to the gym. As long as “The Real Housewives,” Kate Middleton and Facebook photos exist, the pressure to be fit, pretty and somewhat fashionable will always be there. Like everything else in college, it’s sink or swim time. We can use it to be insecure and catty, or we can use it to better ourselves. How we handle this pressure is up to us. Mattie Quinn is the 20112012 Traveler managining editor. She is a senior majoring in journalism. Her column will appear bimonthly on Wednesdays.
Technology Can Unite, Help Fix ‘Implicit Racism’ Mind the Gap
by Devin O’Dea
Traveler Columnist
One of the most valuable experiences of an undergraduate education is that it forces you to interact with a wide range of individuals whose backgrounds and experiences differ radically from your own. This is particularly important to remember when one turns their attention to the pervasive force that social prejudice imposes on our community as country. The most prevalent, archaic and distinguishable form of social prejudice is manifested as racism. You physically look different than me, so you are, by necessity, entirely different from me. This thought, as simple and naïve as it appears, has led to an embarrassing anthology of moral incompetence within both our nation’s history and the world’s as a whole. It appears we are past the worst of it. Any argument based on outlandish racism is almost always dismissed as primitive, erroneous and vile by the bulk of our society. Yet, a subtle level of racism still exists in our culture and it is time that we recognize and abandon it. The form of racism I am referring to can be categorized as implicit racism, that is, the belief that amongst the difference eth-
nic races of the world, each race has inherent capabilities that can be qualitatively evaluated with respect to the other races. Some seem to believe that when viewed objectively, certain races are better or worse at certain things than other races. Sometimes implicit racism can appear harmless. Asians are the best at math. African Americans are the best athletes. “So what? These are complimentary and should be offensive to no one”, the implicitly racist mind concludes. Here’s the problem, and it’s a big one: This perspective of the world believes the physical and cognitive capacities (or lackthere-of) pertaining any given race objectively exist in the world, regardless of our evaluations. Proponents point to history, genetics and physiology (especially neurological physiology) to assert that the dissimilarity between races inherently exists in the world and we can, and should, judge accordingly. This is a profoundly flawed line of reasoning. Why? The value judgments that predicate implicit racism do not exist outside the confines of our own minds. Our brains are programmed to organize millions of information-packed sensations and to make subsequent self-referential value judgments on those packets of information based on their correlations to previously obtained information. Problem is, when it comes to judging other thinking objects (i.e. people), we don’t have nearly enough information to make an accurate valuebased judgments on the capabilities or character of an individual,
let alone make generalizations on what we construct as types of people. So, through a process that cognitive psychologists refer to as mentalization, we simulate the absent, inaccessible information by predicting the intentions, desires and emotions of other people. Futilely, we try to make solid judgments on those types of people based off of the predictions of our imagination. One of the reasons that implicit racism is nearly inescapable is that our brains uses one set neural pathways to mentalize those we perceive as similar to ourselves and another set to predict the qualities of those who are different. This dissimilar means of processing may underlie the forming of stereotypes of people perceived to be different. Individuals are instantly and physically divided and categorized by the same tool through which we experience life and this causes us to experience each individual as friend (same) or outsider (different). Once placed in the outsider category, our brains have no choice but to supplement information from the culture imbedded in our memory. Only problems, culture tends to miss the mark almost as often as our brains do. In an article published in the Nature, anthropologists Mark Pagel and Ruth Mace reason that racism and xenophobia have a deep-seated cultural basis dating back to the Stone Age. For tens of thousands of years, prior to the rise of agriculture in about 8,000 B.C.E., human societies lived in close-knit tribes of hunter-gathers that survived best if they distrusted outsiders. But this aversion
was more than simply protecting territory; it also ensured the greatest degree of cooperation within a community. For the majority of our history, humans have found it more advantageous to collaborate unselfishly than to live in groups where individuals can be more self-centered. It is this reasoning that catapulted our cultural evolution to its current degree of sophistication. Yet, individuals who fail to cooperate can undermine this altruism. The best way to avoid this is to have a healthy distrust of outsiders because it ensures people know each other and thus minimizes cheating. Ironically, thanks to culture in the form of technology we no longer need to distrust and designate anyone as other. An individual living in the 21st century has the power to communicate with almost everyone in almost any area of the world. The world is our community. We have more sophisticated, albeit imperfect, systems of averting cheating than reflexive xenophobia. Of course, there is something to be said about a being whose operating system subconsciously integrates implicit racism into its experience of the world. Perhaps, it is not our fault, but merely our nature. But then again, there’s even more to be said of the fact that we have the power to not only recognize this, but to also override our natural instincts. Here’s hoping that we continue to do so. Devin O’Dea a Traveler columnist. His column runs bi-monthly.
A victory for the wallet.
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SPORTS THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER
PAGE 6
Scan here to go to the Sports section on uatrav.com:
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
SPORTS EDITOR: JIMMY CARTER ASST. SPORTS EDITOR: ZACH TURNER FOOTBALL
Johnson on Track to Play Junior running back Dennis Johnson practiced Tuesday, could play Saturday
by MONICA CHAPMAN Staff Writer
Arkansas junior running back Dennis Johnson returned to practice Tuesday and might play Saturday against Troy after missing the Razorbacks’ first two games of the season. The 5-foot-9, 213-pounder has missed the Hogs’ last 13 games after he suffered a season-ending bowel injury. Tuesday was his first practice back since fall camp. “He looked fine,” special teams coordinator John L. Smith said. “I thought he looked pretty good.” Johnson could help the run game. He had just nine carries before his injury last year, but had a 127-yard game against LSU as a freshman and ran for 107-yard game against Florida as a sophomore. Johnson is Arkansas’ career leader in kickoff return yardage and has two kick return touchdowns. “That would be a nice duo
back there,” Smith said. “That was kind of the way we had started and then Dennis of course got hurt. We’ll have to wait and see if Dennis gets healthy and gets back and gets going, and does what he can do, what we expect him to do.” Saturday will be Johnson’s last chance for play time before the SEC action begins. “He looked great for his first day back since he got hurt,” senior receiver Joe Adams said. “He looked like the old DJ. He seemed excited.” Offensive Line Still Learning The offensive line paved the way for the Hogs to rack up 259 rushing yards, while allowing just one sack against New Mexico. “Coach Petrino made the comment that we played a lot faster and you could see it on film,” senior offensive guard
Troy SATURDAY, SEPT. 17 6 PM CSS Grant Cook said. “We weren’t hesitating as much. We were where we needed to be, right when we needed to be.” The trio of running backs – junior Ronnie Wingo, senior De’Anthony Curtis and true freshman Kody Walker – combined for just 24 yards on 11 carries in the first half, but had 101 yards on 18 carries in the second. “It was exciting to see. You have to give credit to Wingo, De’Anthony and Joe when they run the ball,” Cook said. “They’re doing a really, really good job for us.”
ARKANSAS 2-0, 0-0 SEC NO. 14 AP, NO. 13 USA TROY 0-1, 0-0 MVC LAST MEETING ARKANSAS 56-20 (2009) SERIES ARKANSAS 3-0-0 Opponents Avoid Adams, Wade New Mexico avoided punting the ball to Adams and true freshman Marquel Wade, after Adams returned two punts for touchdowns against Missouri State and Wade returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score earlier in the game against the Lobos. This year, Adams has seven punt returns for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while Wade has two kick returns for 103 yards and a touchdown. The crowd at War Memorial
FILE PHOTO Junior running back Dennis Johnson might be able to play Saturday after missing the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury. Stadium in Little Rock, Ark., booed New Mexico when they kicked out of bounds, away from the duo. “Yeah, we’re booing and we want those guys to catch the ball,” Smith said. “You have to understand that’s go-
VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball Set for Start of SEC Play by MARTHA SWEARINGEN Staff Writer
Arkansas’s volleyball team wrapped up its nonconference play this weekend at the West Point Challenge and will begin Southeastern Conference play at Alabama this weekend. Arkansas (8-3) brought home another championship title at the West Point Challenge after defeating Dartmouth in a four-set match. The Razorbacks also beat NJIT and host Army in three sets in West Point, N.Y. “It was a very good weekend for us,” coach Robert Pulliza said. “It was not only a great volleyball weekend from a volleyball standpoint, but from a lifetime experience. The people at West Point were unbelievable- cadets, soldiers, everybody. It was a great, great experience. Along with that came some great volleyball, especially in our last match. I thought we played our best volleyball in our last match after a really long weekend.” “I liked our effort. I liked our desire to win and be good and take it to the next level,” Pulliza added.
A back row tip from senior outside hitter Kelli Stipanovich in the fourth set against Dartmouth made her the 15th volleyball player in program history, and second player this year, to reach one thousand career kills. She was named MVP of the tournament and selected to the West Point Challenge AllTournament Team along with teammates Jasmine Norton and Janeliss Torres-Lopez. “Kelli has just been steady from beginning to end all season long,” Pulliza said. “She came ready for preseason and she just kept getting better and better. That’s been back-to-back weekends named MVP. She’s just playing great overall volleyball. She had I think 15 digs and 12 kills against NJIT, and those are big-time numbers so I’m excited about her play.” “Janeliss has been an unbelievable surprise,” Pulliza said. “We had that setback with her in the spring where she got hurt. As the preconference schedule has been going along, she had a really good weekend named to the All-Tournament Team and we are looking forward to her working some. This will be her
SOCCER
Soccer Searching for Wins by LIZ BEADLE Staff Writer
GARETH PATTERSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas placed three players on the all-tournament team at the West Point Challenge. Senior Kelli Stipanovich, junior Jasmine Norton and Janeliss Torres-Lopez Sophomore first weekend of practice in six months, so we are excited for her to come from an all-tournament award to now finally prac-
tice so she can get better.” The Razorbacks claimed two preseason tournament championship titles.
ing to happen and people are probably going to not kick to those guys, at least some people are going to not kick to those guys. We just have to make people fear what we’re going to do when we catch it.”
Arkansas’s soccer team has had one week off to recover from a four-game losing skid. The Razorbacks have been outscored 16-1 in losses to Kansas, No. 7 Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Missouri State. “We’ve really been focusing on scoring goals, getting around the goal more often, and getting more comfortable in front of it,” coach Erin Aubry said. “We’ve been practicing creating a lot of game-like scenarios in front of the goal.” The team is young and only seven of the 33 players are upperclassmen. “We have so many new faces on the team,” Aubry said. “Even our experienced senior Kailey Anders is new to the position of forward.” Arkansas has had trouble scoring goals and keeping its opponents off the scoreboard. In the last four games, the Razorbacks allowed an average of four goals per game. Starting goalkeeper Emily Lillard is a freshman this year. “We’re just making sure we
continue to focus on how well we can do defensively, specifically with our goal-keeping,” Aubry said. The last game the Razorbacks played was a 2-0 loss to Missouri State Sept. 6. The team will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., this weekend to take on Air Force and Colorado College before starting Southeastern Conference play against Ole Miss on Sept. 23. “We’re itching to get some goals in the back of the net — that’s the agenda for this weekend, and it certainly won’t be easy against two very good defensive teams,” Aubry said. “This is really our last final weekend to make sure we have all the holes in the dam filled up and we’re ready to play Ole Miss for the SEC opener.” The nine-day layoff between games has allowed Arkansas a chance to regroup. “We had a great team meeting Thursday evening where we kind of refocused ourselves for the season and recommitted ourselves to the task at hand,” Aubry said. “The whole team has really recommitted itself and that is great to see.”
COMMENTARY
Two-Quarterback System Could Prove Valuable Old Fashioned 3-Point Play
ZACH TURNER
zwturner@uark.edu Arkansas playing both Tyler Wilson and Brandon Mitchell throughout the season could be effective. Now, Wilson is the clearcut starter and Petrino made the right choice, unlike Brian Kelley at Notre Dame, who decided on Dayne Crist over Tyler Rees to start the season. You can ask former Arkansas Trav-
eler sports editor Bart Pohlman about that. In Arkansas’ win over New Mexico, the Razorbacks piled up 56 more yards rushing with Mitchell under center. The Hogs’ running backs also averaged 5.8 yards per rush with Mitchell, as opposed to 2.1 with Wilson under center in the first half. Wilson won the starting job during spring practice and fall camp for obvious reasons and has still been the premier quarterback through the first two games. His accuracy, decisionmaking, for the most part, mobility factor and leadership have all been greater than Mitchell. However, Mitchell’s confidence rose from game one to game two and it was evident on the field. Mitchell didn’t have as high of completion percentage, 8 of 13, as he did in the season opener against Missouri St. 10
of 11, but he gave the receivers more room to work and eliminated mistakes. He also ran for an impressive 59 yards on five carries including his first career rushing touchdown. This was a New Mexico team that went 1-10 last season, but all quarterbacks have to start somewhere. Wilson put in a 48-yard effort on the ground, but has made two or three poor decisions. He is running the football but not sliding and, instead, taking hits from bigger defenders. Wilson had to leave Saturday’s game with “concussionlike” symptoms after a rushing touchdown in which three Lobo defenders collided with him at the goal line. Mitchell has the size advantage on Wilson, 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, as opposed 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He’s also more athletically gifted, which makes him a lesser injury risk. With
All-SEC tailback Knile Davis out for the year, the Hogs can’t afford to have Wilson miss any time during the conference slate. This tandem should not be evenly split in the amount of reps each gets during the rest of the season. That is not my point at all. If Mitchell gets two, possibly three drives a game, though, this could help the Razorbacks have a more fluid offense. The reason for this proposal is that something is going to have to give for Arkansas to leave Tuscaloosa victorious next weekend. Arkansas hasn’t found a balance in the rushing attack with starting back Ronnie Wingo and backups De’Anthony Curtis and Kody Walker. Just imagine the game playing out as follows. Wilson sets the tone early with a few big passing plays early. Maybe gets
some solid yardage out of Wingo or some special teams yardage from the solid punt and kickoff return efforts of Joe Adams and Marquel Wade. Then to keep the defense on its toes, Michell enters the game and Arkansas runs its formations out of the pistol style of offense, opening the way for some big rushing opportunities. Call me crazy, doubt this will work or say whatever, but it has worked for other teams in the past. Last season, LSU went with a two-quarterback system for all of the season. The Tigers quarterbacks were played more equally than I am suggesting Wilson and Mitchell should, but they did go 11-2 and rebounded from a final regular season game loss to Arkansas to obliterate Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl 41-24. Another use of this system was the 2006 BCS Nation-
al Champion Florida Gators. That season, senior Chris Leak was the starter with heralded freshman Tim Tebow getting reps as quarterback and used mostly in running situations. Leak and Tebow offered a bit different skill set than Wilson and Mitchell, but Florida coach Urban Meyer was able to find a medium between the two that paid off for the 13-1 Gators. To start the game and to be the guy with the game on the line, I am taking Wilson all day, but in the middle of the game I don’t see why Mitchell getting his shot to prove his worth would be a bad idea for the Razorbacks moving forward. Zach Turner is the assistant sports editor for The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Wednesday. Follow him on Twitter @zwturner.
THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER
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PAGE 7 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
LAUGH IT UP
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1 Notre Dame’s Parseghian 2 Tennis tactic 3 Bridge guru Culbertson 4 Vacation destinations 5 Brass band sound 6 Brown-haired boy 7 Trunk attachment 8 Chow chow 9 Affectionate gesture con los labios 10 Thorough 11 April 1605 pope 12 “Poison” shrub 13 Elemental bits 21 Greek vowel 22 “The Family Circus” cartoonist 23 “Bullying is __!”: school rule 24 Dickens’s Drood 26 Homecoming guest 27 Occupy, in a way 28 Roman numeral 29 Today, in Toledo 32 Help 33 Dolt 34 Bug bugger 36 November ticket 37 Embroidered word 38 Put to the test 41 Painter’s medium 42 Half-story windows 44 Cape May County weekly 45 Time for celebration 46 Foster’s dream girl 47 Security device 48 Kid-lit elephant 49 “Hee Haw” host 52 Break 53 __-Ball 54 Manuscript marking 58 Family nickname 59 Org. with body scanners 60 Retiring
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THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER
FEATURES PAGE 8
FEATURES EDITOR: LAUREN LEATHERBY ASST. FEATURES EDITOR: KELSI FORD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
Readjusting After Life Abroad: Reverse Culture Shock
LAUREN LEATHERBY FEATURES EDITOR
While studying abroad in Morocco, features editor Lauren Leatherby rides camels with fellow study abroad students in the Sahara.
by LAUREN LEATHERBY Features Editor
Studying abroad involves adjusting to an entirely different culture, learning a new language, taking breathtaking risks and exploring in a constant adventure, but then students return home - that’s the easy part, right? Students returning from a life-changing study abroad trip may come to find it’s harder than they think - they miss life abroad, and their old friends can’t relate to their new experiences and are tired of hearing, “This is JUST like that one time in France.” This is when students come down with what they never even knew existed, let alone thought they would fall victim to: reverse culture shock. “Reverse culture shock is an altered state of awareness felt by people about their home country after spending an
extended period of time abroad,” said Mandy Prorok, an advisor at the UA Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange. “While abroad, we all make adjustments, however small, in order to successfully understand, accept and assimilate to our new environment.” Adjusting to a new culture changes students’ perceptions of their home environment, where even the most mundane and widely accepted American practices seem a little weird. “For the majority of my life, I never thought too much about the fact that in the United States, we happily wear our shoes throughout every inch of our homes, put them up on furniture, etc.,” Prorok said. When Prorok returned to the United States after spending four years in Japan,
where it is culturally inappropriate to wear shoes in the home, she began seeing the practice differently. “I found myself religiously taking my shoes off just inside the door of any home I was in, especially my own,” Prorok said.
port back in the United States, things begin to feel a little strange. “Using American currency again for the first time is always an interesting experience,” said Devin O’Dea, secretary of the Study Abroad Students Association. “It somehow feels awkward and unnatural to use something you are so familiar with. Actually, most of American culture feels like that for the first couple of hours.” Beyond the fact that U.S. practices and customs may seem a little odd, sometimesstudentsmayfindthemselvesdeeply missing the country where they studied abroad. “I was definitely depressed for a couple of months after returning from Spain,” said Ellen Barber, a senior who has stud-
“Adjusting to being back is hard, especially when you didn’t study abroad with anyone from home.”
- Ellen Barber, senior
“All the while, I found myself wondering whypeoplearoundmeweresocontentto dirty their floors, couches, bed sheets and more with their dirty shoe soles. These were thoughts I never had about this aspect of American culture before I lived in Japan.” Even as soon as students leave the air-
ied abroad three times. “There was not a single hour that went by that I didn’t think about the friends I made there and the amazing experiences that I had.” Students’ lives have changed abroad, and their friends at home haven’t been through the same experiences. “Adjusting to being back can be hard, especially when you didn’t study abroad with anyone from home,” Barber said. “I didn’t know anyone in Spain or London before I got there, so I didn’t have anyone back in Fayetteville who had been through the same experience I had.” It’s important to realize, though, that it is not Fayetteville that has changed, but it is the student that has been abroad. “There’s not much to do about the realization that everyone back home is ‘the same’; you studied abroad and they didn’t,” O’Dea said. “It’s you that needs to adjust to your daily routine back home to match up with your expanded habits and interests.” Feeling strange to be back and missing the country where they studied are very normal for returning students, but fortunately there are ways to combat this. “You kind of have to go through a process of grief in a way. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true,” Barber said. “You have to let yourself be sad that the incredible experience is over, but I think it’s important to focus on all of the great things that happened and to be grateful for all of your opportunities.” The best way to move forward is not to sulk, but to get back into the routine of enjoying life in Fayetteville. “Justdothings,”O’Deasaid.“Gotoyour favorite restaurant [which you probably have already planned to do while abroad], exercise regularly and get caught back up with American news.” A great remedy for reverse culture shock is to seek out other students that, while they may not have studied abroad in the same country, have shared similar experiences.
“As much as people close to you want to be supportive of your experience, if they themselves have not had an experience abroad, it’s difficult for them to relate, which makes it difficult for them to want to listen to and comprehend all of the stories you want to tell, look at all of your pictures and watch all of your videos,” Prorok said. “Debriefing, so to speak, about your experience abroad with others who have had similar experiences gives you a captive, empathetic, supportive audience for the prolonged, detailed stories you really want to share.” Fortunately, the UA has plenty of RSOs that help students connect with other students that have studied or worked abroad or who are even from foreign countries. One organization, they didn’t,” O’Dea said. “It’s you that needs to adjust to your daily routine back home to match up with your expanded habits and interests.” Feeling strange to be back and missing the country where they studied are very normal for returning students, but fortunately there are ways to combat this. “You kind of have to go through a process of grief in a way. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true,” Barber said. “You have to let yourself be sad that the incredible experience is over, but I think it’s important to focus on all of the great things that happened and to be grateful for all of your opportunities.” The best way to move forward is not to sulk, but to get back into the routine of enjoying life in Fayetteville. “Just do things,” O’Dea said. “Go to your favorite restaurant [which you probably have already planned to do while abroad], exercise regularly and get caught
STUDY ABROAD on page 9
Eli Young Band to Play Free Show at the AMP by STUART ROBINSON Contributing Writer
The Eli Young Band is set to rock the AMP September 14. The Texas-based country music group has performed throughout the United States, but say they’re especially excited to return to Arkansas. The band has established itself in 11 years of relentless touring, starting in small clubs and progressing to larger venues. Now, the old touring van and rugged equipment have given way to professional gear and a national presence. “Crazy Girl,” on the band’s fourth studio album “Life at Best,” has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of more than 500,000 downloads. Its popularity has earned the band a new level of success
and respect throughout the music community. The album itself debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Country Chart. “You know, we haven’t really had time to soak it in but we feel like it’s the next step and we’ve always made it a priority to remain grounded,” said Mike Eli, guitarist and lead vocalist. The musicians met at the University of North Texas in Denton. The duo of Mike Eli and James Young (guitar) started playing together, and eventually Jon Jones (bass) and Chris Thompson (drums) joined to form an electric and eclectic sound that spread quickly throughout the region. “We started when we were 18 years old, and the fact that we were able to hold this together for all this time is pretty cool,” Eli said. “We feel really fortu-
nate that not only are we making music, but that we’re still making music together.” The success of the Eli Young Band has led to television appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. They have also shared the stage with several national acts. “Playing on tour with the Dave Matthews Band was huge for us and it was our first big tour to go out on,” says Eli. He credits Don Williams, U2, Bruce Springsteen and Simon & Garfunkel as influences for the band’s style and sound. Eli says they hope to release another single by the end of the year. Look for the Eli Young Band this fall when they hit the road with Dierks Bentley for the Country & Cold Cans tour.
COURTESY PHOTO
Middle East Film Club Offers Culture, Discussion
by CONOR WOODY
Contributing Writer
COURTESY PHOTO Nadi Cinema will show Egyptian film Chaos at 7 p.m. tonight, Sept. 14, by the last film by Egyptian great Youssef Chahine in Mullins Library.
To many Americans, the term “Middle Eastern Cinema” can be as enigmatic as the word “movies” is familiar. For every mystical connotation that the Middle East might bring to the front of an American mind, movies seem to conjure up a boring one. Formulas are set in stone, plots are remade every year, and cliches endure like bad Muslim stereotypes. Joel Gordon, founder of the Nadi Film Club, hopes the enigma of the Middle East and the comfort of movies will complement each other: shrouding movies in the mystery that they once had, and making Middle Eastern art accessible to even the most reluctant Arkansans., he said. “Films were made to be watched in spacious dark
rooms with friends and strangers, and on screens much bigger than our home systems and, certainly, our laptops and tablets,” Gordon said. “Nadi Cinema is a way to expose people to films that they might never have an op-
joy seeing and analyzing movies dealing with historical issues,” Akturk said. “Nadi Cinema lets me do that in a more relaxed environment than a classroom; we watch movies, and then we talk about them.” The club began at students’
“Mark Twain says ‘travel is fatal to prejudice’; I think watching movies is fatal to prejudice too.” - Ahmet Akturk, PhD Student portunity to see,” he said. “For those who do seek out ‘foreign’ films on their own, it provides a framework for discussing the cultural, social, and often political contexts.” Ahmet Akturk, a PhD student in history from Istanbul, Turkey, has attended the film club since he took one of Gordon’s classes. “As a student of history, I en-
request a few years ago. “Nadi Cinema started as an outgrowth of a graduate seminar about six years ago,” Gordon said. “I started reserving rooms on campus to show the seminar students extra films at their request. The following semester they suggested I keep at it—and open it to the university and local community.” One of Gordon’s goals is to
show that Middle Eastern movies aren’t just for film scholars: “I do try to break popular American perceptions,” he said, “like that all Turkish or Iranian films are esoteric or very artsy. They also make great romantic comedies and tear-jerkers.” Showing after showing, the films continually shift themes, genres and geography. “Each semester I try to find a mix of genres—comedies, romances, and thrillers, usually with social or political content. I try to mix in some classics. And I always try to find a mix of countries: we generally always see at least one film from Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Palestine and Israel,” Gordon said. Lama Hamoudi, a Syrian doing her PhD work in comparative cultural studies with a focus on film studies, said she is
NADI CINEMA on page 9
PAGE 9
FEATURES
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011 NADI CINEMA from page 8
attracted to Nadi Cinema because it gives her the opportunity to watch a variety of films from different parts of the Middle East. “Nadi’s films stretch from the Maghreb region to India and Pakistan—covering films from Egypt, the Levant, and Iran. “For people in the Arab world, Egyptian cinema is the most watched; it is regarded as their ‘Hollywood.’ Other than that and Indian cinema, films from other areas are not really popular. Nadi Cinema has opened the door for me to cinemas I have always aspired to know about but never had the chance to.” To Gordon and many regular attendees, Nadi Cinema is about more than just movies. “I want people to gain a wider appreciation for film as an expression of popular culture on both local and global scales,” Gordon said. “[I want them] to be less wary of subtitles and artistic forms—and, at times, to realize, for better or worse, the way in which our own films impact and are impacted by global trends and fashions.” Students will find that the films shown at Nadi Cinema have an altogether different appeal than the cookie-cutter structure of Hollywood films that Americans have come to know. “Current students will be introduced to a different aesthetic, a different cinematic language, a different visual and verbal experience than what they’re used
to,” Hamoudi said. “They might end up appreciating this difference. The other thing is that Nadi’s films provide them with glimpses about Middle Eastern cultures, and give them an idea about some issues in that region.” And while the movies show homegrown Americans a new side of popular culture, Hamoudi said it’s the discussion afterwards that really expands their world view. “I do not think that watching Middle Eastern movies necessarily helps get rid of negative stereotypes of the Middle East,” Hamoudi said. “Sometimes it’s difficult for viewers to break away easily from their world views, which they probably use to read foreign films. The ‘first aid’ that Nadi offers to these people is the open discussion. Professor Gordon is an expert in histories of the Middle East, an avid reader of the region’s cultures, and a researcher.” The discussions probe even deeper into Middle Eastern culture with its participants from across the region. “Nadi’s audience is made up of several viewers who are originally from the Middle East,” Hamoudi said. “The discussion is usually very interesting and helpful for viewers who want to acquaint themselves with or know more about issues raised by Middle Eastern films.” “Mark Twain says ‘travel is fatal to prejudice,’” Aktur said. “I think watching movies is fatal to prejudice too.”
Christ On Campus: A Home Away From Home by KELSI FORD Asst. Features Editor
For students, one of the most important parts of campus life is connecting with others who share their interests and beliefs, as well as learning about and connecting with those whose opinions differ from their own. An extensive list of Registered Student Organizations on campus makes this connection a cinch. One RSO that aims to connect students with similar beliefs is Christ on Campus. The organization has been reaching out to UA students for 30 years, and it meets in The Rockhouse, a rock building on the corner of Arkansas Avenue and Dickson Street. Many students know it by that name or by its nickname, “ConC.” Mike Armstrong, the campus minister at The Rockhouse, said the group’s mission is threefold. “We want to engage the university community with the person of Jesus Christ and the implications of following him,” Armstrong said. “We want to equip and prepare students to be servant leaders wherever their lives take them. We want to serve the University of Arkansas and Fayetteville community.” Armstrong said it’s important for college students to get involved with a religious group, because college will be the first
time they’re making their own spiritual choices and not following their parents’ lead. “They need to figure out what they really believe and how much of their faith is their own,” Armstrong said. “They will also face situations that they have never faced before and ideas they have never heard before.
“I can honestly say that I have a family here at the UA because of Christ on Campus.”
- Shane Adams, UA student
Many will need others to help them sort out how these new experiences fit in with their faith.” Armstrong also said students need a community that can support them through academic challenges, relationship issues, roommate issues, financial struggles and all the other hardships that go along with college life. Austin Brown, an associate minister at The Rockhouse, said he has met and built relationships with a diverse group of people during his six years with Christ on Campus. “People who call themselves Christians and people who have nothing to do with anything that has the label Christian on it; people from all different backgrounds and all around the
STUDY ABROAD from page 8
by Mattie Quinn Managing Editor
Mattie is a senior journalism major. She likes sushi, traveling and being hilarious.
1 2 3 4 5 6
I Can Talk by Two Door Cinema Club Gotta Have It by Kanye West & Jay-Z Empty by Metric
Taken For a Fool by The Strokes I Summon You by Spoon Cornerstone by Arctic Monkeys
world.” UA student Shane Adams, who has been involved with the group for four years, said that diverse group of people has become his family. “[Christ on Campus has] been a home away from home, community of friends, awesome spiritual leaders, and just a great
back up with American news.” A great remedy for reverse culture shock is to seek out other students that, while they may not have studied abroad in the same country, have shared similar experiences. “As much as people close to you want to be supportive of your experience, if they themselves have not had an experience abroad, it’s difficult for them to relate, which makes it difficult for them to want to listen to and comprehend all of the stories you want to tell, look at all of your pictures and watch all of your videos,” Prorok said. “Debriefing, so to speak, about your experience abroad with others who have had similar experiences gives you a captive, empathetic, supportive audience for the prolonged, detailed stories you really want to share.” Fortunately, the UA has plenty of RSOs that help students connect with other students that have studied or worked abroad or who are even from foreign countries. One organization, the is ‘the same’; you studied abroad and they didn’t,” O’Dea said. “It’s you that needs to adjust to your daily
atmosphere to worship God,” Adams said. “The more time I put in with God and the people at Christ on Campus, the more I learned about myself and my life. I can honestly say that I have a family here at the U of A with ConC.” UA student Jessica Hawley, who started going to The Rockhouse three years ago, said the Christ on Campus group has become like a family to her, too. “The atmosphere of the Sunday church meetings is a relaxed one full of love, acceptance and friendship,” Hawley said. “I love going there just to hang out with the people I love, but also to be able to worship Jesus with them.” Adams and Hawley have both done outreach work with Christ on Campus, and they said the
routine back home to match up with your expanded habits and interests.” Feeling strange to be back and missing the country where they studied are very normal for returning students, but fortunately there are ways to combat this. “You kind of have to go through a process of grief in a way. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true,” Barber said. “You have to let yourself be sad that the incredible experience is over, but I think it’s important to focus on all of the great things that happened and to be grateful for all of your opportunities.” The best way to move forward is not to sulk, but to get back into the routine of enjoying life in Fayetteville. “Just do things,” O’Dea said. “Go to your favorite restaurant [which you probably have already planned to do while abroad], exercise regularly and get caught back up with American news.” A great remedy for reverse culture shock is to seek out other students that, while they may not have studied abroad in the same country, have shared similar experiences. “As much as people close to you want to be supportive of your experience, if they themselves have
experiences have made a difference in their lives. Hawley went on a mission trip to Mexico with the group, and she said her favorite outreach program is serving hot dogs on Dickson Street on Friday nights. Adams has also gone on mission trips with Christ on Campus, and he said they have completely changed his life. Brown said his years at Christ on Campus have taught him many things about what it means to identify himself with Jesus Christ, specifically when it comes to loving and serving others. “When I first arrived here, ‘service’ was not a word that I got excited about, and the idea of things like serving a meal for Seven Hills Homeless Center, which we do once a month, was a little intimidating,” Brown said. “God has completely turned that around for me, and the more I have been willing to put aside my agenda and take up his agenda, the more he’s taught me and the more I’ve been able to be a part of meaningful things that really impact lives. Jesus himself came not to be served, but to serve. How can we say we follow him and expect to do any different?” Students can learn more about
CHRIST on page 10
not had an experience abroad, it’s difficult for them to relate, which makes it difficult for them to want to listen to and comprehend all of the stories you want to tell, look at all of your pictures and watch all of your videos,” Prorok said. “Debriefing, so to speak, about your experience abroad with others who have had similar experiences gives you a captive, empathetic, supportive audience for the prolonged, detailed stories you really want to share.” Fortunately, the UA has plenty of RSOs that help students connect with other students that have studied or worked abroad or who are even from foreign countries. One organization, the Study Abroad Student Association, is just for students returning from study abroad programs. “Study Abroad Student Association was created so that all students who have studied abroad or who are interested in studying abroad could have an organization in which they could share their stories, pictures and lessons with other like-minded students and members of the community,” O’Dea said. “Basically, you just gotta do what you did when you studied abroad - get out there!”
FEATURES CHRIST from page 9
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2011
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Theta Tau Brings Community, Engineering Insight
Christ on Campus at w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / A rkansasRockhouse and ChristonCampus.org. Christ on Campus meets for worship at The Rockhouse every Sunday at 11 a.m. Armstrong said Christ on Campus is “decidedly Christian,” but students of all denominations are a part of the group. He said there are also students from other religious backgrounds and non-religious backgrounds who attend. “We believe that we are all on spiritual journeys, but in different places,” Armstrong said. “We invite students to come and listen, learn, share and discuss the Bible and what it teaches us about God, humankind, and life.” LAUREN HUSBAND STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Members of Theta Tau hang out in their house, across the street from Reid Hall. The engineering fraternity houses six males and four females.
by STEPHANIE ERHLER Staff Writer
The idea of engineering students hanging out a fraternity house on a school night is not usually the first thing that comes to mind with the difficult major; but just across Cleveland Street, right behind Reid Hall, there are engineering students doing just that. The red house with the Greek letters “theta” and “tau” is the property of Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity. Theta Tau has been an organization at the UA since 1928, but it is still a mystery to some students. The purpose of Theta Tau is to develop and maintain a high standard of professional interest among its members and to unite them in a strong bond of fraternal fellowship, according to thetatau. org. The purpose, which every potential member is required to memorize, highlights the fact that Theta Tau is not the stereotypical fraternity. While a normal fraternity house shelters around 100 guys, Theta Tau is currently the home to six men and four women, all who have the same interest of earning a degree in engineering or computer science. This commonality is the main requirement to becoming a member of this coed professional fraternity. There are currently 24 active members, but the eight week pledging process has recently begun for potential initiates.
“I joined because I was invited to the house, and the people made me feel like I could relate to them,” said Nicholas Shapter, an alumnus of Theta Tau. Theta Tau brothers have bonded with each other through camping, tailgating, community service, ropes courses and regionals. “The ropes course is my favorite because it gets us outside as a group and it gives us a chance to show our strengths and weaknesses while we work
the nation. The UA chapter is in the Southeastern region with Oklahoma State University, Texas A&M, Southern Methodist University and University of Texas chapters. Once a semester a chapter in the region hosts regionals where members get to learn and bond with brothers from different places. “One of my favorite memories of Theta Tau is regionals,” Shapter said. “It was a good mix of fun and getting to know other students who are inter-
“Ever since I walked in the door, I felt welcome.” -Anthony Douglas, sophomore together,” said David Rockwell Long, Theta Tau regent. Every semester the group secludes themselves from the normal college atmosphere and heads to Madison country for a weekend camping trip. “My pledge brothers and I bonded through team work in loading firewood and setting up tents,” said Andrew Palmer, a sophomore member of Theta Tau. “Looking back now we bonded indirectly as a pledge class by trusting each other throughout the weekend to support one another.” Fayetteville is home to the Upsilon chapter of Theta Tau, but, like Greek fraternities, there are other chapters across
ested in the same field.” The fraternity focuses on balancing academic success while having fun, and they also find time to complete community service. The Upsilon chapter adopted a part of highway 112 as their bi-annual community service project. “It is awesome to drive down the highway and see our ‘Theta Tau Upsilon’ sign,” Long said. “We clean our road at least once a semester”. While Theta Tau is small in numbers it is large in brotherhood. “Ever since I walked in the door, I felt welcome,” said Anthony Douglas, a sophomore member of Theta Tau. “Every-
one is so down to earth and genuinely nice.” The professional aspect influences many members to join, but the friendships made allow Theta Tau to become a real home for the members. “When I graduate, the main thing I will remember about our fraternity is the bonding experiences with my brothers,” Long said. “My favorite road trip was with two of my brothers, and even though we drove to Florida and back in the span of a weekend, it was a great experience,” Four years may seem like a long time when earning a degree, but graduation comes soon enough and students must be motivated to venture into the competitive world of finding a job. “Theta Tau definitely helped me make me connections professionally,” Shapter said. “It did not get me the job, but it is a benefit when you interview with a person who is also a Theta Tau alumni, even if they are from a different location.” The large red brick house across Cleveland Street may be unique, but the engineering fraternity shares at least one commonality with all UA students: “While we may be physically off campus, we are all Razorbacks at heart,” Long said.