Feb. 1, 2012

Drinking While Abroad Page 5

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Vol. 106, NO. 64 UATRAV.COM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012

Construction Accident Puts Student in Hospital

by SARAH DEROUEN Staff Writer

An accident in a construction zone sent one student to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.

UAPD officers received a call at 12:16 p.m. that a female student was hit by a construction gate. The gate is located at what used to be Campus Drive near Vol Walker Hall and Ozark Hall, said Lt. Gary Crain, police spokesperson.

The student was taken to the hospital, but she was conscious, Crain said. She did complain of pain in her feet, he said.

“The wind blew the gate and the gate hit the student,” Crain said.

Yesterday afternoon, Fayetteville experienced 15 to 20 mph winds with gusts as high as 25 mph, according to the National Weather service.

Check The Traveler for updates on this story at www.uatrav.com

Housing Officials Prepare for Incoming Freshmen

Site of Incident

by JANNEE SULLIVAN Staff Writer

ERIK NORTHFELL LEAD DESIGNER

UAPD officers received a call at 12:16 p.m. that a female student was hit by a construction gate. The gate is located at what used to be Campus Drive near Vol Walker Hall and Ozark Hall, said Lt. Gary Crain, UAPD spokesperson.

In This Issue:

News

That’s Greek To Me This all-Greek retailer supplies UA sororities and fraternities with custom apparel.

Page 2

BEN FLOWERS PHOTO EDITOR

A student was struck by a gate Tuesday afternoon on Campus Drive near Vol Walker and Ozark Hall. The condition of the student is still unknown.

News

The housing process for the 2012 school year is underway and UA Housing officials are already working to prevent students from being placed in overflow housing next fall.

More than 50 students were placed in overflow housing at the beginning of the fall semester. For the first time in years, students were temporarily placed in study rooms and even hotels, Johnson said.

Some of these students remained in these overflow spaces well into the semester.

Housing officials work closely with enrollment management to project the number of students they will need to accommodate, she said.

“If cancellations are less than projected, that is when we have to use enrollment.

Due to this new phenomena of enrollment, old information doesn’t really apply anymore,” she said.

Housing officials expect to accommodate 89 to 91 percent of new freshmen enrolled for next fall, she said.

“We stay in contact with enrollment services through-

Features

out the process to see if there are variations or changes,” she said.

Housing officials require incoming freshmen to either live on campus or with their parents, which limits the number of upperclassmen that housing can accommodate.

Upperclassmen who do not receive a scholarship that requires them to live on campus are not guaranteed a spot on campus and usually look off-campus for housing.

“We anticipate we will not be able to fulfill all requests for upperclassmen looking to return to campus,” Johnson said.

The renovations of Walton South last summer added 68 beds for upperclassmen, yet housing still cannot accommodate all upperclassmen wishing to live on campus.

The addition of Hotz Hall, which will add 416 beds, is expected to ease the shortage of space, though additional housing will still be needed, Johnson said.

“Hotz Hall will definitely help, but the 416 spaces in Hotz won’t necessarily equal 416 more upperclassmen,”

Features

Sports

Hogs Hold Serve

Keeping the Thrill

The New Year Miracle

New students and the New Year has brought increased attendance to the HPER.

Legendary Fayetteville store offers fashionable items and even your next great costume.

How to keep those resolutions going strong past the first month of the year.

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Page 5

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Increase In HPER Attendance

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012 VOL. 106, NO. 64 8 PAGES UATRAV.COM

WEATHER FORECAST

TODAY 61°

THURSDAY 62°

FRIDAY 52°

Arkansas beats No. 25 Vanderbilt, improves to 16-0 in Bud Walton Arena.

SUNDAY 48°

Opinion

Black History - It’s Your History Too. The importance of celebrating black history throughout the year.

Page 4

Page 7 SATURDAY 49°

Johnson said.

“I applied to live on campus again next year,” said Grace Colly, freshman Yocum resident. “I would really like to keep living on campus. If I can’t live in a dorm, I’ll try and live in my sorority house, and if I can’t do that, I guess I’ll have to find an apartment.”

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet,” said Logan Moyer, freshman Futrall Hall resident. “My fraternity’s house isn’t going to be done yet, so we’re looking at apartments to rent together.”

Some student organizations, like Residents’ Interhall Congress, are advocating the issue to increase upperclassmen housing on campus.

A study conducted at Northwestern University shows that there are benefits to living on campus as an upperclassman, such as lower cost of living and higher focus on schoolwork.

Housing administrators are still working on a housing master plan, which will hopefully create a long-term solution for student housing, Johnson said.

MONDAY 50°

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012

PAGE 2

Spring Rush Begins for IFC

by MANDY MCCLENDON Staff Writer

Annual spring recruitment for the UA Interfraternity Council began this month, giving Greek hopefuls who didn’t rush in the fall another opportunity to do so, members said.

The process began Jan. 26 in the Arkansas Union with an event called “Meet the Chapters”. IFC recruitment orientation is to take place on Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. The orientation will take place in the union ballroom and is mandatory for all rush members.

Spring recruitment is not much different from fall recruitment, said Mark Ma-

chen, president of UA Interfraternity Council.

“The only difference is the amount of young men going through the process, but they will be going through the same processes and events that fall recruitment offers,” Machen said. “As president, my role is to aid our excellent co-vice presidents of recruitment, Daniel Massanelli and Ben Shipley, in all the aspects of the recruitment process.”

Going through the recruitment process does not require rush members to join a chapter. Men interested are encouraged to participate in order to learn more about the UA campus and Greek com-

munity. Recruitment counselors, known as Rho Chi’s, will assist rush members throughout the process and answer questions they may have.

Daniel Bingham, a senior biology major and member of Lambda Chi Alpha, served as Rho Chi during fall recruitment last semester.

“Rho Chi’s are truly there to alleviate any concerns that rushees may have. They’re someone who has gone through the process before and can answer any questions that rushees may have. Essentially, we served as counselors to our groups throughout the week,” he said.

Interfraternity Council plans to hand out a combined 80 bids, according to the Greek Life website, encouraging rush members to “meet as many chapter members as possible, and keep an open mind throughout the entire process.”

Because of less participating in spring rush, fewer bids will be handed out, Machen said. “Ultimately, it is the chapter’s decision on how many bids will be handed out,” he said.

A 2.5 GPA is required to participate in spring rush, according to the Greek Life website.

That’s Greek to Me Offers Custom Apparel

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.

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Meredith Kaloogian, employee of That’s Greek To Me helps Blaire Bauer pick out a letter pattern for her new letter shirt before it is made in the store. Both girls are juniors at the University.

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Account Executive 575-3899 travad2@uark.edu

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by KAREN STIGAR Staff Writer

That’s Greek to Me is an allGreek retailer where many UA sorority and fraternity members shop for t-shirts, gifts and more, the owner said.

That’s Greek to Me specializes in custom apparel. Customers can pick out which color, fabric, style font and lettering they want for their specific sorority or fraternity, owner Tina Huckleberry said.

“Our custom apparel is our most popular item I would say.

Just based on sales, that’s what we sell the most of,” Huckleberry said.

In addition to clothing, the

retailer sells everything from glassware to tailgating gear, according to the That’s Greek to Me website.

“They have a lot of cute stuff at That’s Greek to Me and it is all pretty reasonably priced,” said Michelle Bundy, international business major and sorority member.

The business, which opened in August 2007, is currently licensed for 29 Greek organizations and can provide a multitude of services, according to their website.

Huckleberry opened the business after attending the University of Central Arkansas. Unlike Fayetteville, Conway had an all-Greek appar-

el retailer for members of the university’s Greek system.

Huckleberry was inspired to open her own shop.

The busiest time of the year is fall, when all the sororities and fraternities get their bids, Huckleberry said.

“The majority of our t-shirts are done through Houndstooth Clothing Company, but different sororities have their own websites that they can go to and order shirts,” Bundy said.

Generally, sororities have t-shirt committees that design different t-shirts for various chapter activities. Members can then pick size and quantity of shirts and then place an order.

Members can either pay for the shirt themselves or put them on bill-highway, a system where parents can pay for their student’s shirts, due and other fees, Bundy said.

The sorority or fraternity that most frequents the store varies from year to year, Huckleberry said.

“The majority of customers that we get at the store are sorority girls, because they love to shop, as all girls do,” Huckleberry said. “But we are increasingly getting more and more fraternity guys as the word spreads about us around campus and in the fraternities and sororities.”

ANDY KOUCKY

Account Executive 575-8714 travad3@uark.edu

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CORRECTIONS 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.

CAMPUS NUMBERS NEED EMERGENCY HELP? CALL UAPD 575-2222

The women and men of the University of Arkansas Police Department, in partnership with the community, are committed to protecting the future of Arkansas by promoting a safe and secure environment.

HAVE A TICKET? CALL 575-7275 TO RESOLVE IT

The Transit and Parking office handles parking permits and passes and transit for students, including bus routes and GoLoco Ride Sharing. Students with parking violations can contact the office to appeal their citation.

NEED A RIDE AT NIGHT? CALL 575 - 7233

Otherwise known as 575-SAFE, the mission of the Safe Ride program is to provide students with a safe means of transportation from any uncomfortable or inconvenient situation. Safe Ride brings you home safely.

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

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012

Special Traveler Beat

HEALTH & SAFETY New Year, New Students Bring Increase in HPER Traffic

by VICTOR MONTALUO Contributing Writer

MIKE NORTON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Forty students participate in the group exercise class Lethal Legs in the HPER. The class occurs every Tuesday from 4:45 p.m.-5:15 p.m. and again on Wednesday as a double class with Amped Up from 3:15 p.m.-4:15 p.m.

UA Offers Weight Management Program for Faculty and Staff

by JANNEE SULLIVAN Staff Writer

Faculty and staff can now access a nutritional counseling and weight management program through QualChoice Health Insurance, according to Housing officials.

The program, which went online Jan. 1, offers incentives like rebates on health-care plans “in an effort to help you attain or maintain a healthy weight,” according to the UA Department of Human Resources.

Students, who are ineligible for the program, can still visit a staff nutritionist at Pat Walker Health Center, said Pam Delaney, UA student insurance representative at Pat Walker.

“Student health plans don’t typically have a lot of preventative stuff, like nutrition and weight management, but that’s just because they don’t need it,” Delaney said.

Students can make a free appointment with the nutritionist to discuss weight loss and nutrition issues, she said.

“The nutritionist usually stays pretty busy,” Delaney

said. “Typically someone realizes they want to lose weight or their doctor tells them they are pre-diabetic and they need to change their diet.”

Students can work with the nutritionist on their meal plans and develop a nutritional solution that works for them.

Speaking with a nutritionist is one of the best ways to curb unhealthy eating habits and fix nutritional issues in college and regular physical activity to help with weight issues, according to the CDC website.

A person with a body mass index more than 25 is considered overweight and a BMI over 30 is considered obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Obesity is rampant in Arkansas, where 30 percent of adults are considered obese. In certain subgroups, as many as 40 percent are obese, according to the 2010 Trust for America’s Health F as in Fat report.

Nutritional deficiencies, which are less obvious than weight issues, are common

in college students. Often students don’t know they are suffering from a nutritional deficiency, according to a University of New Hampshire study.

More than half of male students, ages 18-24, suffer from health issues such as high blood pressure. Twothirds of women students suffer from deficiencies in iron, calcium or folate, according to the same study.

Obesity is linked to many health problems and can steer students toward a lifetime of chronic nutritional and weight issues, including type two diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer, according to CDC website.

There are also high medical costs associated with obesity – in 2008, costs stemming from rising obesity levels were approximately $147 billion.

Third-party payers – including insurance options like the new UA faculty and staff program - for people suffering from obesity was on average $1,500 more than people with healthy weights, according to the CDC website.

With new teachers, new schedules and a slew of New Year’s resolutions, the HPER has seen a dramatic increase in student traffic, officials said.

Student attendance increased in all the HPER’s daily fitness classes, from cardiooriented dancing to isogenics and strengthening, said Taylor Martin, HPER employee. “[The classes] are pretty full right now, with most of the attendees being girls with a handful of guys in every class,” Martin said.

“It’s because of the New Year’s. Everyone shows up with their resolutions and starts working at them.”

HPER staff said this January was the largest increase in student traffic in recent years.

Fitness classes are free and offered on a “first come, first serve” basis. Some of the HPER’s most popular classes, including Zumba and Pilates, have seen attendance as high as 70 students this semester, which forces instructors to turn students away.

Classes like ‘Rock Hard Abs’ and ‘Turbo Kick’ have had to turn people away, too.

“However we must be realistic,” said Jessica Graham, graduate assistant at the HPER. “Attendance always starts out like this at the beginning of semester. A monthand-a-half in is when we start getting a better estimate of what attendance throughout the semester will be like.”

It isn’t just the HPER employees who are surprised at the overloaded classes.

“It is definitely really cool to see all these new people trying something new,” said freshman Austin Wilkins. “Personally, I found these work-out classes helped me out not only fitness but in my life overall.”

OPINION THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012

EDITOR: SABA NASEEM MANAGING EDITOR: MATTIE QUINN

FROM THE BOARD

UA Greek Life Expands Diversity When we say the word “sorority girl,” what comes to mind immediately is a tall, skinny blonde, yelling her sorority chant at the pep rally. Now, we know in reality that this isn’t what the sorority scene at most colleges, especially at the UA, is. Yet, the ways that our society depicts the modern Greek Life scene is much different.

At the end of last semester, seven members were initiated into Greek Life, who were set apart from the typical sorority style – members of Hermandad De Sigma Iota Alpha, more commonly known by Sigma Iota Alpha, a Latina sorority on campus that is now officially recognized by UA Greek Life.

So, what does this mean for our Greek Life at Arkansas? A culturally diverse, large group of women who strive to represent not only their chosen sorority, but also the university as a whole. Though many might not think the addition of new Greek chapters is primarily important on campus, this gives us a new light to shine down on what we can offer students through our campus organizations. It gives us something else to brag about as a university that breaks cultural boundaries in all aspects of campus, from the classroom to social life.

Being the second group added to the Greek Life Multicultural Council, in addition to the Latino fraternity, Phi Iota Alpha, we’ve not only shown that we care about having multicultural groups on campus, but that we care about the growth of these groups through adding more.

It seems that the UA is not only growing in size, but also in diversity of student organizations, offering more opportunities for us to get involved in every aspect. However we categorize ourselves here at the UA, we know that there is a place for each of us throughout our RSOs and campus supported groups.

Emailed Class Grades: Safe or Sorry?

Email – it’s convenient, fast and remote, the best way to get a hold of someone you don’t know, don’t particularly want to talk to in person, and an easy way to get a hold of someone quickly. Let’s be honest, we all do it - email a professor that we don’t feel comfortable with to ask questions, check on class information and most notably ask for grade information.

While email is an easy way to speak with your not-so-friendly college professor, the question of finding out where we stand in their class has become an issue throughout the past few days.

Are we safe sending information and asking questions about our class grade via the Internet, or does the prospect of online hacking and replying to the unknown cause a major issue?

The question at hand shouldn’t be “is it safe?” but rather “why are we so inclined to stay away from our teachers?” What happened to going and visiting your professor to talk (and yes, actually sit down and discuss in person) your class standing? We as the digitalage student body have become so reliant on email, the Internet and social media that we have forgotten how to form actual relationships.

In reality, our distance from our instructors might not be helping our situation in class. Now, obviously our grades don’t depend on how much our teachers like us, or how many times we talk to them throughout the semester, but if we got to know our instructors more in the year, wouldn’t we feel more comfortable in class, know what our instructor expects past the “class expectations” paragraph on the syllabus and in turn, work harder in our studies? We need to be more concerned with getting to know our instructors, talking to them in person and relying on face-to-face contact when asking for sensitive information, rather than relying on our computer keyboards.

If we were more at ease with our classes and our instructors, we wouldn’t feel such a need to contact people over the Internet. Though we have easy-to-use and incredibly fast technology in front of us, we need to make sure not to sacrifice relationships that could hurt us in the long run.

Traveler Quote of the Day “Attendance always starts out like this at the beginning of semester. A month-anda-half in is when we start getting a better estimate of what attendance throughout the semester will be like.”

- Jessica Graham, graduate assistant at the HPER, “New Year, New Students Bring Increase in HPER Traffic” page 3.

HEBRON CHESTER Staff Cartoonist

Black History - It’s Your History Too Black at the UA

by ROSALYN TAYLOR Traveler Columnist

February. It’s the month of red and pink hearts, cupid and “I love you.” It’s also the month that carries the honor, celebration and education of black History.

When we first learn of Black History Month, it’s exciting and interesting. But by the time high school rolls around, it becomes an annoying celebration that sparks debate and forces you to learn about black people who aren’t even alive.

And to add to it, students are taught the same thing about the same people every year. The legacies of Harriet Tubman, Rosa

EDITOR Saba Naseem MANAGING EDITOR Mattie Quinn OPINION EDITOR Emily Rhodes 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.

Emancipation Proclamation and 15th Amendment were items that could forgo discussion.

After adding my African American studies major, I found that I was completely deprived of a fulfilling and wellrounded education because I never learned the full story. And I found that I wasn’t alone.

I encourage anyone, no matter your race or ethnicity, to take at least one African American studies course. They are far from one-sided and are completely unbiased. Most are surprised of what they learn about others and themselves.

It’s obviously inefficient to try to crush hundreds of years of heritage and appreciation in a single month. The spectrum of black history seems to be constricted to the aforementioned people and some exceptions.

Why deprive young students of a truth that should be known? What good does it do?

It only perpetuates ignorance and allows for shallow, stereotypical thoughts to breed

and be made into insensitive reasons to dislike or have prejudice against minorities.

For the most part, when you know better, you do better, and we as a multiracial and multicultural nation need to do much better in educating ourselves and embracing our unique differences.

I encourage all students on campus to take a look at the programs and events that will be taking place this month.

The “State of the Black College Student” address will be held tonight at 7 p.m. in the Union Theatre, the Essence of History Fashion Show will be held from 7-9 p.m. in the Verizon Ballroom on Thursday, February 9 and the 4th Annual Black History Month Showcase will be taking place at 7p.m. at the Jones Center in Springdale.

For more information on what the UA and Fayetteville community is up to this month, go to aast.uark.edu.

Rosalyn Taylor is a Traveler columnist.

Obama’s Youth Misery Index Good To Know

by WILL SIMPSON

Traveler Columnist

EDITORIAL

Parks, George Washington Carver, Colin Powell, Oprah and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., among others, are drilled into the minds of both the majority and minority until they are blue in the face, or should I say black in the face.

One month simply isn’t enough in terms of education, especially for those who know absolutely nothing about black history, including blacks themselves.

The solution: stop relying on February to teach an important part of American history, and utilize the other eight months of the academic year to teach well-rounded and accurate American history. This includes the enslavement of Africans and African Americans.

Growing up, I noticed many of my history curriculums excluded slavery. I found that this was a decision made in fear of striking the wrong cord with blacks. Meanwhile, memorizing the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address was top priority, but the

Justin Bieber is amazing, truly. As a red-blooded, truck driving, Bruce Willis-watching, steak eating, gun-shooting American man, I have to give the lovable little guy and his serendipitous career serious respect. But more remarkable than Bieber himself are his Beliebers. They represent an irrational, piercing and intensely loyal devotion to a persona that transcends than any individual person and their true attributes.

Bee-bopping 12-year-olds (and slightly more sheepish 18-year-olds) are not the only ones to succumb to the weight of personalities. Four years ago, somewhere between watching Slumdog Millionaire and bragging about the iPhone 3G they preordered, college students fell in love with their

own personality cult.

It was something about the seas stemming their rise and the planet beginning to heal.

It was a landslide election for President Barack Obama.

Sixty-eight percent of voters in our age bracket backed Obama at the polls, and they gave him almost four times as many Facebook Fans as McCain.

So what did their investment in Team Obama yield?

Ron Meyer at the Young America’s Foundation created a metric to measure just that, called the “Youth Misery Index.” By simply adding youth unemployment, federal debt per-capita, and average student indebtedness at graduation, it’s a quantitative picture of exactly how those voters are fairing under the Administration’s policies.

Under President Obama, the Youth Misery Index has reached a record high. The President doesn’t magically run the economy, but it is influenced by his policy response to the recession. The first step was borrowing $826 billion to bail out state governments, hire public sector workers, keep key constituencies happy and try to stimulate the economy.

Did it work? Even if Team Obama was 100 percent cor-

rect and they optimistically “saved or created” 2.4 million jobs, that’s a price of more than a $270,000 per job.

What all that spending did accomplish was ramping up the national debt. Funding programs with T-Notes is free money to politicians who see only low interest rates, but it costs a fortune to young people who will spend a lifetime paying for record deficits.

PolitiFact confirmed that by the end of Obama’s first term his administration will have added more national debt than the previous 43 presidents combined.

Democrats love to blame debt on the Bush tax cuts, but even after Bush tax cuts had been in effect for years, the annual deficit stood at less than $200 billion. It exploded after falling revenues in the recession and sweeping bailouts, social programs and a new health care entitlement that had to rig the books to pass Congressional Budget Office scoring.

College students realize all of this, and reality came crashing through the façade.

The most recent numbers in a Harvard poll show that, for the first time, more collegeaged voters disapprove than approve of Obama’s performance.

We have a jobless recovery where businesses are slow to hire, investors are reluctant to roll out new capital, and there’s uncertainty about taxes and a quirky regulatory system. What’s the Administration’s reaction?

Promising us that if we could only tax the rich more, then it’s nothing a few green jobs, infrastructure projects, broccoli in school lunches, and a high-speed rail to Disney World couldn’t fix.

The president should to stop punishing businesses with the second highest corporate tax rate in the developed world, and might as well simplify and flatten the whole code while he’s at it. Young people can’t afford to finance more stimulus experiments that attempt to create wealth by dipping it out of one side of the bucket and pouring it into the other side.

Young people, in their demonstrable misery, are losing faith that Barack Obama is the man for that job.

Will Simpson is an economics and finance major, and a columnist for The Arkansas Traveler.

His column runs bi-weekly on Wednesdays.

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THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

FEATURES PAGE 5

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012

FEATURES EDITOR: LAUREN LEATHERBY ASST. FEATURES EDITOR: KELSI FORD

by STEPHANIE EHRLER Staff Writer

In college, students have almost unlimited possibilities and freedoms as they break away from adolescence and become adults while gaining their degree, but those under the age of 21 still cannot legally drink alcohol in the United States. Many students enhance their learning experience by studying abroad, which increases wisdom and also provides underage students the opportunity to drink legally.

Students who are under the age of 21 almost triple their drinking habits while studying abroad, according to a study done by the University of Washington.

“I was the only UA student within my program. I did take advantage of the lower drinking age, but not as much the nightlife,” said Keely Dye, a UA senior majoring in international relations, European studies and economics. “A lot of the drinking that took place within my study abroad experience was with my homestay family. They would have wine or spirits at almost every dinner and any celebrations I was a part of.”

Most countries have lower drinking ages than the U.S., which cause students to become more attracted to the party life abroad.

“I definitely think other students took advantage of being able to go out and drink, legally,” said Jessica Hawley, a UA senior majoring in Spanish. “That was the most popular thing to do for the majority of the students in the program.”

Studying abroad is a great opportunity for students to gain experience with other

Senior Jackson Cellars makes a sake bomb shot at Wasabi for himself. The United States has one of the highest drinking ages in the world. cultures while gaining credits toward their degree, but often students are distracted from this goal from overseas nightlife.

“My observation is that students do take advantage of the lower drinking age, not necessarily with the intention of abusing the privilege, but in part to enjoy the freedom,” said DeDe Long, Director of Study Abroad and International Exchange. “Learning how to drink responsibly is so important.”

While many underage students drink in the United States, the University of Washington found that those who increased their drinking levels abroad still continued their excessive drinking

when they returned home.

“Once you do start drinking, it is easier to continue doing so once you go back home,” Hawley said.

The most popular study abroad destinations for American students are the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, all of which have a legal drinking age of 18. Germany, Greece and Luxembourg have a minimum drinking age as low as 16 while Albania and Vietnam have no drinking age at all.

The United States is one of only five countries in the world to have the legal age set at 21.

A factor that causes students to drink more while abroad is the convenience.

“The major appeal of the nightlife is living in an area with public transportation. You have a set way to get home without any worry of drunk driving,” Dye said.

“You also are in a program with students in the same situation as yourself: away from home, more relaxed academic schedule and more accessible nightlife with almost no age restrictions.”

The University of Washington researchers discovered that studying abroad in Australia, New Zealand and European countries caused students to drink more heavily than those who studied in Asian, African, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries.

JACKI FROST STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

“Students need to take responsibility for themselves abroad just like they do when they participate in college life here in Fayetteville,” Long said. “If they get caught up in drinking here, they are going to have to be extremely careful not to mimic that behavior in another country, where access may be much easier.”

Studying abroad allows the student to learn new perspectives from being in a foreign country, but if drinking becomes too much of a distraction, the chance of a lifetime can become threatened.

“I think that those who did [drink more] tended to go to class less and focus less on their studies,” Hawley

by STEPHANIE EHRLER Staff Writer

COURTESY PHOTO

by ROSALYN TAYLOR Staff Writer

Located on East Avenue, it’s a legendary tenet of Fayetteville culture. It’s a spot to find new Halloween costumes or some unique and trendy threads to embrace collegiate individuality.

The scores-old shop that is Cheap Thrills provides a variety of advantages for shoppers. Most who know of the iconic store are unaware that one can trade or sell gently worn clothing and not just buy.

Great perks, right?

The best part is that the clothes are not just thrift store-chic but are an accurate reflection of a wide array of styles. Even those you’d find in other local landmark stores such as Mason’s, Private Gallery and Maude, but for a fraction of the price.

Designer tops, flowing tunics and gaudy accessories are only a few

items that Cheap Thrills offers its customers.

Owner Harriet Wells described her store as being both “contemporary and vintage” in a 2010 interview.

This happy-medium Wells has created has been a major help to fashionable and fun college students looking to dress fashionably on a budget.

Walking into Cheap Thrills is like entering a world of make-believe.

Customers can try on anything and immediately embody the character the clothing creates. Because of its versatile inventory, Cheap Thrills also allows customers to bask in their own personal style.

College is a time of renewal, innovation and change. Shops such as Cheap Thrills feed on the need that students have to express themselves in ways they may not have been able to do before.

Clothing is a major catalyst for self-expression and is one of the more visible ways to show off creativity.

Finding one’s inner professional, diva, scholar, etc. requires dressing the part. Expressing these many facets through fashion is a gift and a pleasure. It’s even more awesome when this can be accomplished without spending an entire paycheck.

All students, new and seasoned, can find their niche at Cheap Thrills and explore the options the store offers. Students may even be surprised at some of the unique things that can be found at Cheap Thrills. The lasting legend, the modern yet vintage character that is Cheap Thrills gives Fayetteville that extra flair of greatness. And greatness is always thrilling.

The memory of the 10-second countdown to 2012 is fresh on most peoples memories, but when that new year’s clock strikes midnight, it is not just ringing in a new year. It is also the beginning of new year’s resolutions.

According to an article on The Pioneer Online, 30 percent of people have already given up on their new years resolutions by mid-January.

People often abandon their resolutions because they set impractical aspirations.

“My advice to keep new year’s resolutions is to make one that is reasonable,” said Matt Strauss, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering.

“I also think it is good to set a goal that does not go against your personality.”

It is better to make a specific resolution rather than a general one because vague plans are more difficult to follow. People often get discouraged if they feel that their improvement is too small of a change rather than a drastic one, but a modest renovation can still encourage the goal setter.

“My resolution is to try to judge people after I get to know them rather than judging too quickly,” Strauss said.

The most popular new year’s resolutions are to lose weight, save money, and to spend more time with family, according to The Washington Post. A way to keep ambitions constantly on the mind is to write them down and re-read them everyday to help motivate.

“I am going to try and save more money this year,” said John Wadill, a sophomore majoring in business. “I hope to accomplish this by eating in

said. “School and studying was not their priority.”

The cornerstone of studying abroad is to acquire knowledge not already found in the United States, and the opportunity can benefit the future of the student.

“Study abroad is a significant investment of time and money,” Long said. “What a waste it would be to throw such a great learning experience away by finding yourself without money or a passport, or on a plane home after an accident caused by poor judgment.”

The study abroad program is trying to prevent and raise awareness of binge drinking overseas.

“In our pre-departure meetings with students, we continually stress how important it is for students to be mindful of their surroundings, take care of themselves, and to represent the University of Arkansas well,” Long said. “We strongly discourage over-drinking. Over-drinking can easily put a student in a vulnerable position, this is when they get lost, hurt or robbed.”

Some students already find normal college life to be distracting enough and factoring in the culture and exciting night life of a foreign country may lead them to stray away from the aspiration of studying abroad.

“I would tell students who are apprehensive about studying abroad that they should not worry,” Hawley said. “The partying scene wasn’t for me, and I had a very enjoyable time abroad without partying. I think you can have an enjoyable time anywhere, without having to drink or hang out at clubs.”

more or going to less expensive restaurants.”

Men have a greater chance of committing to their new year’s promises by focusing on the benefits of the resolution, while women achieve their goals better by telling their friends and family about it to create a support system, according to The Pioneer Online.

“This year I want to read more books instead of watching so much TV,” said Hannah Bush, a sophomore majoring in apparel studies.

New year’s resolutions that are made solely for the sake of the person making it are much more likely to be completed than resolutions that involve influencing others, because creating a goal to please someone else often leads to failure.

“This semester I want to pay more attention to my grades rather than focusing a lot of my attention on the social aspect of college,” said Brett Adamie, a freshman majoring in engineering. “I hope to succeed in my resolution because getting good grades is very important to me.”

By summertime, less than half of people who made resolutions have stuck with them, according to Psychology Today. This may lead some to wonder if there is even a point to making resolutions at all.

“Unfortunately, I usually never keep my new year’s resolution,” Bush said.

The most important thing to realize when making new year’s resolutions is that change is not going to be a simple task, but rather a challenge that will require a great amount of effort. The new year can be a time for change, but also a time to discern that 2012 could be a year without resolutions, too.

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

THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

DOWNTIME

Comics, Games, & Much Much More!

PAGE 6 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012

LAUGH IT UP

SUDOKU

Q: What is a cat’s favorite dessert?

A: Mice cream.

Q: What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor?

A: “Where’s my tractor?”

Q: Did you hear about the cannibal lion?

A: He swallowed his pride.

Difficulty:

Q: Who’s a shark’s favorite rocker?

A: Sid Fishes Q: Where does the Lone Ranger take his

TODAY’S SOLUTION

garbage?

A: To the dump, to the dump, to the dump, dump, dump.

WELCOME TO FALLING ROCK

Josh Shalek

THAT MONKEY TUNE

Michael A. Kandalaft

BREWSTER ROCKIT

Tim Rickard

BLISS

Harry Bliss

CALAMITIES OF NATURE

CROSSWORD ACROSS

DOWN

1 USAF NCO 5 Crème de la crème 10 Jazz devotees 14 “Tulip chair” designer Saarinen 15 Plant need 16 Crowning 17 Some HDTVs 18 Hopelessly lost 19 Pasta/rice brand word 20 Basic computer command 21 “Check, mate” 22 Common Cape Cod feature 24 Restaurant kitchen workload 26 Get one’s teeth into 28 Bush spokesman Fleischer 29 Invoice word 30 Encourages 31 “__ a problem” 32 Palm tree starch 33 Organize, in a way 34 Incidentally, in IMs 35 Massachusetts school ... and a description of the two-word meeting that occurs at each circled letter 38 Summer setting in Chi-town 40 Off-the-wall response?

41 61-Across curl 44 Rival 45 Catchall checkbox 46 One point from a service break 48 Football’s Parseghian 49 Thing to cook up 50 “Just like that!”

51 To a greater extent 53 Expert in pop psychology?

54 Vinaigrette ingredient 55 __ ideal world 56 First name in bologna 59 One-named illustrator 60 Touch down 61 Fire sign 62 Stepped heavily 63 What some losers have to resist 64 Cary of “The Princess Bride” 65 “__-mite!”: “Good Times” catchword

1 Severe fear 2 Bolts down 3 Fictional wolf ’s disguise 4 Talking-__: tongue lashings 5 Somewhat far 6 Past curfew 7 Part of TGIF 8 “Catch my drift?”

9 Acquired by, in the big leagues 10 “The Alienist” writer 11 Cartoon hero with antennae 12 Twelve-note scale, e.g.

13 Séance contact 21 Lovable droid 23 Clumsy hammerers’ cries 25 Square dance complement 26 Hobby with hooks 27 30-Down genre 30 Classic film involving a split personality 34 A sleeper hit may be on it 36 Went wild 37 Bee complex 38 Circles around the sun 39 Landers lead-in 42 “My sympathies” 43 Exhortation from a gift giver 44 Clan 45 Chances for photos 47 Lake Erie city 50 Small openings 52 Fades to black 53 Create 57 Tee size letters 58 Bully 59 Flight board abbr.

Crossword provided by MCT Campus

SOLUTION

Tony Piro

SPORTS THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

PAGE 7

Scan here to go to the Sports section on uatrav.com:

SPORTS EDITOR: JIMMY CARTER ASST. SPORTS EDITOR: ZACH TURNER

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012

BASKETBALL

FOOTBALL

What to Watch on Signing Day

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Springfield, Mo., receiver Dorial Green-Beckham will announce his college destination Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. on ESPNU. Arkansas is one of his finalists.

by JIMMY CARTER Sports Editor

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas junior guard Julysses Nobles battle through a tweaked ankle and scored 17 points to help lead the Razorbacks to an 82-74 win against No. 25 Vanderbilt. The Hogs improved to 16-0 at Bud Walton in the win.

Still Perfect

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by JIMMY CARTER Sports Editor

74

82

Vanderbilt entered the game with the second-best 3-point percentage in the Southeastern Conference, but Arkansas was the better outside shooting team Tuesday.

The Razorbacks knocked down six 3-pointers in a fourminute span in the second half

to spur an 82-74 upset of the No. 25 Commodores 82-74 and remain undefeated in Bud Walton Arena this season.

The Hogs hit a 3-pointer on five consecutive possessions in a 22-6 run that turned a threepoint deficit into a 61-48 lead.

“We feed off each other,” Arkansas junior guard Julysses Nobles said. “You see one hit a three and you get an open shot, you feel you have got to hit it, too. Then the crowd gets into it … When the crowd is shouting for you and rooting for you and you shoot it, you fell its going to go in every time.”

Four different Arkansas

players made six 3-pointers in the decisive run that broke open a close game and gave the Razorbacks (16-6, 4-3 SEC) a double-digit lead.

“When a team makes a run like that against you, everybody gets their head up and is confident,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “They start making shots that maybe they wouldn’t otherwise make.”

Freshman forward Hunter Mickelson started the run by making a 3-pointer at the top of the key, his first make in just his third attempt this season.

“We’re just versatile like

that,” Mickelson said. “Anybody can start it at any time.

We’ve been doing that throughout whole year. We can pick it up whenever we need to. We should come out the gate firing on all cylinders.”

Sophomore guards Rickey Scott and Mardracus Wade scored 18 and 10 points, respectively. Each hit two 3-pointers in the run and freshman guard BJ Young made another.

“I always tell our guys if there’s a half you want to win,

by ZACH TURNER

body is hitting threes and getting open like that, it just brings us more excitement.”

Junior guard Julysses wasn’t far behind Scott, netting 17 points including a 3 of 6 mark from the 3-point line. Nobles is shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc at Bud Walton Arena this season during Southeastern Conference play, connecting on 12 of 24 attempts.

“It felt good,” Nobles said.

“We feed off each other. You see one hit a three, then you feel like you have to hit it too, then that gets the crowd into

see STILL PERFECT on page 8

Balanced Scoring Propels Hogs Asst. Sports Editor

Arkansas had a balanced scoring attack in its 82-74 upset win over No. 25 Vanderbilt.

Five Hogs scored in double figures for the third time this season, led by sophomore guard Rickey Scott’s 18 points. Scott led the Razorbacks in scoring for the fifth time this season as he shot 6-for-13 including two more 3-point baskets. It was the second consecutive game in which Scott has made multiple 3-point baskets.

“It was just excitement,” Scott said. “I feel like if our team LOGAN WEBSTER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER is hot like that, we will be unArkansas sophomore guard Rickey Scott scored a team-high 18 points and led five Razorbacks in beatable like that. When everydouble figures in an 82-74 win.

see BALANCED on page 8

Editor’s Note: National Signing Day is the first day of the football signing period that runs Wednesday, Feb. 1 through Sunday, April 1. Almost all FBS recruits in the 2012 recruiting class will sign letters of intent with their respective schools on Wednesday.

Below is a guide of what to watch for in Arkansas’ signing day.

DGB decision Springfield, Mo., receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, the consensus No. 1 receiver in the nation, will announce his college destination in a 9 a.m. press conference televised by ESPNU. Arkansas is one of GreenBeckham’s finalists, along with Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama and home-state Missouri.

The Razorbacks and Tigers are widely considered the favorites to earn the signature of the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder ranked No. 1 in the country

by Scout and Rivals.

Last week, 14 of 15 national recruiting analysts from Scout, Rivals and ESPN predicted Green-Beckham would sign with the Hogs, where he visited the weekend of Jan. 21.

As of Tuesday, four other analysts had switched their prediction from Arkansas to Missouri, where GreenBeckham visited with nearly his entire family over the weekend. Tulsa World columnist John Hoover reported Green-Beckham would commit to the Tigers on Monday, citing a source.

Green-Beckham finished a record-setting high school career with a national high school record 6,353 receiving yards and 75 touchdowns.

How many do the Hogs sign Wednesday?

The Southeastern Conference introduced a new rule

for the 2012 recruiting class limiting league schools to signing 25 players each class.

The rule was enacted because of schools that oversigned to account for players that did not qualify academically, a practice that occasionally left schools without enough scholarships for committed players.

Wilmington, Calif., junior college defensive end Austin Flynn signed with Arkansas as a mid-term graduate in December and enrolled for the spring semester, leaving the Razorbacks with 24 openings.

The Hogs have 20 other verbal commitments in the class, leaving four open spots.

Arkansas is a finalist for the Chicago Simeon duo of Jordan Diamond and Robert Gregory, who will both announce their decisions Friday, according to ESPN. If the Razorbacks have more than 23 signees after Wednesday, it could indicate Diamond and Gregory won’t be choosing the Hogs.

Diamond is a 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive tackle rated a five-star by Scout. Arkansas is a finalist, along with Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin, where he visited over the weekend.

Diamond was leaning toward signing with the Razorbacks last week, according to a Michigan recruiting service report.Gregory is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback who was verbally committed to the Hogs until December. Arkansas is still one of his finalists, along with Kansas, Minnesota and Purdue.

Other signing day decisions - California junior college receiver Courtney Gardner has been verbally committed to Arkansas since early December, but took an official visit to Oklahoma over the weekend.

see SIGNING DAY on page 8

COMMENTARY

NFL Draft: Annual Sports Crapshoot Old Fashioned 3-Point Play

ZACH TURNER

zwturner@uark.edu For the Arkansas Traveler readers out there, you might have noticed that this marks the second consecutive week in which I have written on

the NFL. Basketball still remains my clear-cut favorite sport and the NBA my favorite professional league.

A basketball top play is always better than a football top play. Think about it.

However, that is a topic for another day.

Last week I laid out the Super Bowl from my perspective. Players from both teams wound up on their respective squad somehow.

New York Giant quarterback Eli Manning was the top overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, while arguable his favorite target down the

stretch, Victor Cruz, went from a two star recruit coming out of high school to an undrafted free agent out of UMass.

After being on the active roster for a full season, Cruz leads the Giants in receiving yards this season with more than 1,700 and has become a cult hero at MetLife Stadium this season, being the catalyst to the “CRUUUUUUZZZZZ,” chant from the Giant faithful.

On the other side of the ball, New England quarterback Tom Brady was drafted in the sixth round with pick No. 199 in the 2000 draft.

Three Super Bowl rings later, Brady has made a mockery of the way the draft can potentially backstab teams that pass on guys in the late rounds.

Same for his favorite receiver target Wes Welker. Not even drafted out of Texas Tech in 2004, the 5-foot-9 wideout bounced from the San Diego Chargers to the Miami Dolphins before winding up on the Patriots, where he led the league in receptions in 2007, 2009 and 2011.

Basically the NFL Draft is a crapshoot. Players get hyped up too much based on potential and not so much proven

worth. One guy who broke all his schools records might get passed over for a guy who ran a blazing 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

Players up and down the two Super Bowl rosters have stories of success that might not have started like they would have chosen. Which brings me to the real point of this column -- Arkansas has a number of NFL worthy prospects in this year’s draft.

None of the players have the “can’t miss” prospect label on them like former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden in 2008 or the first-round draft grade like fellow Hog

tailback Felix Jones the same year.

The 2012 NFL Draft on April 26-28 will feature six Razorbacks that will likely have their names called in the seven-round event, though.

Well I am no Mel Kiper Jr., obviously, but let me take the time to give my best impression of one of ESPN’s finest employees and break down the Hogs offensive side of the ball prospects.

Editor’s Note: Arkansas’ defensive prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft will be previewed see COMMENTARY on page 8

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012 from STILL PERFECT on page 7

LOGAN WEBSTER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas’ No. 1 men’s track team will split up this weekend, with part of the team going to the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind.,while the other members will compete in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.

Men’s Track Splitting Up Hogs participating in two meets

by ZACH LIGI Staff Writer

Arkansas’ No. 1 men’s track team will split up this weekend, with two events on the schedule. Some of the athletes will be competing in the Meyo Invitational in South Bend Ind. and others will be at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix held in Boston, Mass.

The meets will be a change of pace for the Razorbacks, the competition not based on the schools, but more focused on individual athletes.

“We will mostly be sending mostly our middle distance crew. Some of our kids need to train more and need more practice,” Arkansas Chris Bucknam said.

The Meyo Invitational is a two-day meet, staring on

Friday. The New Balance Indoor will be a one-day meet only, scheduled for Saturday.

Since the events won’t reflect the team as much as a normal meet would, Bucknam said he wants to use the meets as a tool to help his athletes gain experience and train against real competition.

“There is a big difference between running and racing,” Bucknam said. “Our kids are good racers. We have a team that races and they are developing into a great group of competitors.

We don’t have runners. We have racers.”

The Razorbacks have been ranked No. 1 for two consecutive weeks and want to keep it that way.

“I love how our kids are training,” Bucknam said. “I love how they race.”

The team has had plenty of success from its freshmen, a highly-touted recruiting class that has lived up to its expectations.

Freshmen Andrew Irwin and Gunnar Nixon have both made huge impacts for the team.

Irwin qualified for nationals and set an Arkansas pole vaulting record in just his second meet and Nixon broke a junior world record in the heptathlon in his debut meet for the Hogs.

Nixon will be participating in his second event for the Razorbacks, coming off his record setting performance.

Another Razorback star will be making his debut for the Hogs this season when junior All-American distance runner Eric Fernandez competes for the first time this season.

it’s the second half,” Anderson said. “It couldn’t go any better for us … The crowd was into it and we started speeding up Vanderbilt.”

The barrage helped the Hogs improve to 16-0 in Bud Walton this season, matching the 1994 and 2001 seasons for the most wins in the arena.

“You’ve got to protect the home,” Scott said. “You’ve got to. It’s just natural to us.”

Arkansas got a big night from Nobles. The junior scored 17 points and fought off a tweaked ankle that caused him to miss two minutes of action in the second half.

Mickelson fouled out after playing just 11 minutes, but scored all nine of his points in the second half.

In addition to starting the

from BALANCED on page 7 it. When the crowd into it, and you shoot it, you feel it is going to go in.”

Leading scorer BJ Young pitched in 12 points while fellow freshman Ky Madden and sophomore shooting guard Mardracus Wade both scored 10 points.

“When you play up tempo style you are going to have some of those spurts as we call them,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “Before you know it, the crowd was into it and we were speeding up Vanderbilt, but more than anything else I thought our defense was very, very good.”

The 82 points scored by the Hogs ended a six-game drought in which Arkansas had failed to score at least 70 points.

REBOUNDING TRIGGERS SUCCESS With an undersized team, only having three healthy players taller than 6-foot-8, Arkansas has been at a disadvantage on the boards.

The Hogs have been out-

from SIGNING DAY on page 7 He is one of just two Razorback verbal commitments with a consensus four star or higher rating from recruiting services, including Allen, Texas, running back Jonathan Williams. Both are consensus four stars.

Arizona junior college receiver Demetrius Wilson verbally committed to the Hogs on Sunday night, according to Scout.

PAGE 8

run, he helped the Razorbacks keep the momentum after the Commodores (16-6, 5-2) cut the lead to 10. He turned a spin move in the lane into a thunderous dunk, then had an athletic putback on the next possession to push the lead back to 14.

“That dunk Hunter got, I went crazy,” Scott said. “I’ve never seen Hunter do it like that. If he keeps doing that on the road, I think we’ll get a lot of wins because that definitely picked us up.”

The second half was vastly different from the first, when Arkansas struggled against Vanderbilt center Festus Ezeli after Mickelson picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game.

The Razorbacks used an 8-0 run to take an early lead, but Vanderbilt’s 11-0 run gave it a 29-25 lead. Ezeli started the

run by scoring seven consecutive points and the Razorbacks went almost four minutes without scoring.

Ezeli finished with 10 firsthalf points and made all four of his field goal attempts.

He scored just four points in the second half as the Commodores tried to match the Hogs outside onslaught.

Arkansas’ 82 points was the first time the Razorbacks broke the 70-point mark in seven games. The Razorbacks closed the game out by making 5 of 6 free throws in the final 90 seconds.

“I thought this team grew up tonight in a lot of areas,” Anderson said. “We shared the ball offensively. our pressure was disruptive. it took Vanderbilt out of what they wanted to do. fatigue was a factor … We were able to close the game out.

Total team effort.”

rebounded in each of its SEC games, except for Tuesday night. The 36-29 advantage on the glass for Arkansas over Vanderbilt, was the first time during conference they won the rebounding battle.

“The most disappointing thing from our stand point was the success that they had rebounding,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “They had not done well rebounding the ball and they had a good night on the boards against us.”

Freshman forward Devonta Abron catalyzed the rebounding attack, pulling down seven rebounds, while the other three forwards on the roster combined for nine.

It was Arkansas’ guards with the majority of the rebounding against the Commodores. Nobles, Scott and Wade, who each started the game, combined for 11 of the 36 rebounds.

“I thought we could use our quickness,” Anderson said. “I thought it was about our guys getting in there and getting after it. It is all about a mindset.

We were active, we were quick to the ball and in the second half

when fatigue began to creep in we got some long rebounds.”

- Arkansas is among the finalists Arroyo Grande, Calif., outside linebacker Seth Jacobs and Chandler, Ariz., receiver Javon Williams, who will announce their respective decisions Wednesday, according to a UCLA recruiting service.

Jacobs is rated a four star prospect by Scout and will choose between the Razorbacks, UCLA, Oklahoma State and Colorado.

Williams is rated a three star prospect by Rivals and will decide between the Hogs and

Bruins.

- Jacksonville, Fla., LB Reggie Northrup is a soft verbal commitment to Miami (Fla.), but will announce between the Hurricanes, Arkansas, Florida State and Ohio State on Wednesday morning, according to Scout.com.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder is ranked the No. 38 outside linebacker in the nation by Scout.

For more signing day information, follow @jicartersports on Twitter.

MITCHELL SEES ACTION FOR FIRST TIME ALL SEASON Arkansas backup quarterback Brandon Mitchell joined the Razorback basketball team after thee football team’s 29-16 win over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl.

The redshirt sophomore athlete checked into the for the first time all season at the 2:59 mark of the first half, after having suited up for the Hogs previous four games.

“We used a lot of people tonight, including Brandon Mitchell the football player,” Anderson said. “Those three minutes were very valuable because looking down the bench we had some guys in foul trouble early.”

Mitchell was a member of the 2009 Arkansas squad, but played in just four games, having a career-high of four points and two rebounds. The 6-foot-4, Amite, La., native failed to register any stats in his three minutes of action against Vanderbilt.

from COMMENTARY on page 7 next Wednesday.

Receiver/Return Specialist Joe Adams Noticed I added return specialist to Adams position. This is where he is going to rise up draft boards and make some extra money that he might not had before the season he had, returning four punts for touchdowns.

Adams has top-notch speed, shifty moves and an overall football savvy to him.

However, his hands have been questionable at times.

His return skills could get him drafted higher than his receiver skills suggest, ala Devin Hester.

Projection: 2nd – 5th round Receiver Jarius Wright No other prospect among the Hogs saw their draft stock rise more than Wright this season. The 5-foot-10 crisp route runner holds the alltime school record in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and yards in a game.

Wright may have a slight edge in speed on Adams, but definitely has better hands and leadershaip. Wright may have a hard time distinguishing himself in the NFL, but also has an upside similar to the aforementioned Welker in catching a high volume of passes for many yards like he did in 2012.

Projection: 3rd-5th round Receiver Greg Childs

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Former Arkansas receiver Joe Adams’ draft stock went up after an eight-catch, 133-yard performance in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.

Could it be possible for the small town of Warren, Ark., to have two players drafted in the same year? It absolutely could, but Childs saw his stock go the opposite direction from the rapidly rising Wright’s.

As Arkansas’ No. 1 receiver his first three seasons, Childs had established himself as possibly the third-best available receiver in this class behind Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon and South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery, but the 6-foot-3, 220-pound NFLready bodied Childs never seemed quite right after tearing his patella tendon during the 2010 season.

Childs struggled mightily, going without a catch in multiple games in 2011 and also

failing to catch a touchdown.

The former All-­Southeast-­ ern Conference performer has great upside due to his size and strength and he also seems to show great attitude and effort. Childs saved his best game of 2011 season for last, as he had a team-­high-­ W\LQJ ¿ YH FDWFKHV GXULQJ WKH Razorbacks’ 29-­16 Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State.

Some NFL team lacking ELJ UHFHLYHU GHSWK FRXOG ¿ QG a diamond in the rough with Childs.

Projection: 5th round-­un-­ drafted Zach Turner is the assistant sports editor for The Arkansas Traveler.

His column appears every Wednesday. Follow him on Twitter @zwturner.