PHOTO: LOGAN WEBSTER, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: ERIK NORTHFELL
Ahead of the Game: Sophomore Standout Student Suffers Concussion from Gate Accident by KRISTEN COPPOLA Staff Writer
LOGAN WEBSTER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Nathanael Franks, a recipient of the Chancellor’s scholarship, which is only given to the top five percent of the applicant pool according to the academic scholarship office website, is a double major in chemistry in physics, with dreams of becoming a doctor. In addition to taking 17 hours of classes every semester he’s been at the UA, he has also conducted chemistry research. He is a sophomore this year.
by MEGAN HUCKABY Multimedia Editor
A double major in chemistry and physics, dreams of becoming a doctor, more than 17 hours taken in all three semesters at the UA, conducting chemistry research and a recent affinity for insects sounds like someone who spends every waking moment involved in academia. Nathanael Franks, a recipient of the Chancellor’s scholarship, which is only given to the top 5 percent of the applicant pool according to the academic scholarship office website, does all of this all of this plus runs track at the UA. Franks, an SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll athlete, walked on to the track team, according to the UA track and field website. Oh, and he is only a sophomore. Managing time just comes naturally. “I kind of see time as my friend more than my enemy,” he said. “I try to embrace whatever time I have and I mean we get 24 hours.” Franks hopes to use his time here at the UA to fulfil his dream of becoming a doctor. But not just a typical emergency room physician. “I want to be a mountain surgeon,” Franks said. “My dream would be to go to
the Himalayas and work with the people there.” Despite his academic record, Franks didn’t always see college as an option. “I wanted to become a machinist,” he said. “I am kind of against some institutions of education, I like learning more than I do school.” Being forced to learn makes things less interesting, he said. The 6-foot-3 decathlete is “taking these different avenues” of physics and chemistry to figure things out, he said. He wants every student to have the same opinion of school that he does. “[Students] are all about getting that ‘A’ or getting that ‘B’ so that when they walk out of here in four years they will have this transcript, but what did they do on the way and what did they learn along the way,” he said. “I hope they have real memories of their college experience and real knowledge from their college experience. I hope that every person that graduates from this campus will change the world in a positive way,” Franks said. Franks came to the UA from his home in Oregon after turning down a scholarship and the opportunity to run track at Duke University. He attributes his decision to come to the
UA to the professors. “The [professors] at Arkansas were by far the most helpful of any. They wouldn’t only answer your question but they would answer the question you were about to ask,” he said. Handling the work load can cause strain. “It is really easy to feel like you are behind and get down on yourself, but the Lord has really been a comfort to me,” he said. “When I feel like I am drifting away He is always my answer.” Franks also takes part in the international culture team at the UA for fun. “We try to bring the world to the community,” he said. Franks was always busy. In high school he played football, basketball and soccer. He was even a state champion in Swiss wrestling, he said. He was also the valedictorian of his class at Sam Barlow High School, according his biography on the track and field website. Before college he also studied abroad in Germany, his mother’s home country until she emigrated to the U.S. when she was five years old. When he was 16, Franks gained German citizenship. He has also traveled to Lebanon, Turkey and Greece.
A student suffered a concussion sometime between 12:10 p.m. and 12:20 p.m., Tuesday after a construction gate hit the student in the head, UAPD officers and the student said. Meredith Wilson, senior human development major, was walking to class when the wind increased in speed, which caused a gate to dislodge. “There was no advanced warning,” she said. “The gate hit me directly in the face.” Wilson was conscious but disoriented after she was hit by the gate, she said. An ambulance was called and Wilson was taken to Washington Regional hospital. “I was at the hospital for a few hours and was diagnosed with a concussion,” she said.
Tuesday afternoon, Fayetteville experienced 15 to 20 mph winds with gusts as high as 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service. When the gates are closed for students to walk through, there is no attendant, and when the gates are open for trucks to drive through, an attendant guides and secures the gate, Johnson said, so there was no attendant when the gate flew open. The construction company and workers involved were spoken to about safety precautions and ensuring that the gate is properly secured at all times, Johnson said. “Construction leadership on-site talked to [workers] immediately within 10 or so minutes,” he said. “Unfortunately, I wish we were perfect. We were fortunate that the young lady wasn’t more seriously hurt,” he said.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012 VOL. 106, NO. 64 12 PAGES UATRAV.COM