Feb. 15, 2012

Fake-it-ville Page 5

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Vol. 106, NO. 72 UATRAV.COM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Yard-Parking Lucrative for UA Neighbors

Dining Halls Grapple with Overcrowding way out the door to get food in between classes,” Robertson said. “I don’t eat there as much on the weekends just because I am not already up on the hill for classes.”

Peter Hamby, junior music education and Spanish major, said he eats at Brough nearly every day.

“If I go at noon, I have to wait in line for a long time.

If I go earlier in the midmorning, it is pretty empty, so I normally try to go then,” Hamby said Hamby said dining hall crowding has improved despite the enrollment spike.

“It actually seemed a little worse last year. It is hard to find a seat this year, but last year there were times I had to wait to sit down,” he said.

Monday through Thursday tend to be the busiest days, Johnson said. Dining halls post occupancy charts to remind students of limited seating.

by BAILEY KESTNER Staff Writer

JACKI FROST STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Freshman Mitchell Hooe parked cars in a yard Saturday as Arkansas played South Carolina at Bud Walton. At $10 a spot, parking can be a lucrative enterprise. See page 2 for story.

Chartwells is trying to regulate the flow of students in Brough Commons during the busiest times of the day, officials said.

“There is a maximum occupancy for the dining halls and the number is monitored by our management staff at each location,” said Kim Johnson, marketing director for Chartwells.

Chartwells officials work with the campus fire marshal to set an occupancy number for each building, Johnson said.

“We track customer counts by 15-minute increments daily,” she said.

Freshman business major Quinn Robertson said the long lines are discouraging.

“It is frustrating to have to wait in a line going all the

“In addition to the charts and tables, we have opened Brough-A-Go-Go, which is a lunch take-out option for students with meal plans. It is open through Friday and features different hot and cold menu items daily for carry-out,” Johnson said.

“Enrollment at the UA has risen steadily over the past three years, with the last two seeing the largest jumps in enrollment,” Johnson said.

“We have and continue to work with our university partners to follow growth projections and collaborate on plans for expansion,” she said.

“There are several phases of plans for dining to be built in the future,” Johnson said.

“The nearest phase includes the expansion of the Brough Commons Dining Hall and new and expanded retail food locations. Ground will officially break this summer on the project,” she said.

Tax-Free Textbooks Not in Near Future For Students

by SARAH DEROUEN Staff Writer

College students understand that feeling in the pit of their stomach when it comes time to buy textbooks. Some ASG members found out that there will not be relief from Little Rock to ease the pain.

Last week, ASG’s State Student Advocacy committee traveled to Little Rock to meet some members of state government to discuss the idea of making students’ textbooks tax-free. The group met with Gov. Mike Beebe, Shane Broadway, interim director for the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and Rep. Kelley Linck, vice chair of the Revenue and Tax committee, Cox said.

“It turns out that the issues are much more intricate than I think a lot of students originally thought,” said Kaleb Cox, director of State Student Advocacy committee.

The committee was told that tax-free textbooks is a bad idea for two reasons: in the long run, it would only

hurt students and the timing is bad, Cox said.

The committee estimated that tax-free textbooks would have resulted in about $12 million in lost revenue in 2009-2010 and with most tax money going to education and Medicaid, students would be the ones feeling the repercussions of this crunch, Cox said.

“It really wouldn’t be productive for us to pursue this measure unless we could offset those [loss of revenue] through a raise in tax in another area, which would be extremely difficult to do,” he said At this time, the state government is updating the tax code and working to get rid of tax exemptions.

“Currently there are over 120 exemptions built into the tax code, and so the culture in the capital is that they are trying to get away with as many of those as we can in order to increase revenue to the state,” Cox said.

Students in Fayetteville pay a 9.25 percent sales and

In This Issue:

News

see TEXTBOOKS on page 2

News

Fans Take Advantage Of Officials Work to Keep Alternative Parking Tuition Costs Down Some community mem-

bers are capitalizing by selling front-lawn parking spots.

Page 2

Arkansas higher education funding has remained relatively constant.

Page 3

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012 VOL. 106, NO. 72 8 PAGES UATRAV.COM

MIKE NORTON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ASG director of State Student Advocacy Kaleb Cox discusses the future direction of tax-free textbooks with fellow student advocacy committee member, and younger brother, Zach Cox. The ASG advocacy group traveled to Little Rock last week to gauge the culture of the state legislature on issues that are important to students.

WEATHER FORECAST

Features

Features

Sports

Opinion

On the Road Again UA Graduate Lights Up The Great Indoors: A Biker’s Manifesto: Arkansas basketball is 0-8 Fashion World Creative Projects for a “Respect of Way” away from Bud Walton Snow Day Chavon Sewell is getting Pedestrians don’t have the exArena, but can break that attention in Northwest Arkansas for her unique clothing designs.

How to keep yourself from going stir-crazy during Fayetteville’s winter days.

streak tonight at Tennessee. clusive right of way anymore.

How bike riders and walkers can get to class in harmony.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012

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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.

CONTACT 119 Kimpel Hall University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR 72701

MIKE NORTON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ASG director of State Student Advocacy Kaleb Cox discusses the future direction of tax free textbooks with students Autumn Lewis and Zach Cox. All three students traveled with an advocacy group to Little Rock last week to meet with Interim Director of Higher Education Shane Broadway, Gov. Mike Beebe and many state legislators on issues important to students.

TEXTBOOKS from page 1

use tax. This tax includes the 6 percent state tax, 2 percent city tax and 1.25 county tax, according to the Washington County Website.

Tax exemptions for textbooks is not a new idea.

Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minneso-

ta, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia all offer tax exceptions for text books, according to the National Association of College Stores.

In the past, Rep. Roebuck tried to issue a tax exemption on used textbooks

for students in Arkansas, but found opposition and the bill did not make it through committee, Cox said.

Textbooks at the UA are not only expensive in general but also expensive compared to schools around the country.

The national average cost of textbooks is $1,168 and the average textbook costs at the UA for fall 2011

were $1,214, according to College Board.

Operations have to change at the university level to offer cheaper textbooks to students, said Cox. This includes professors and department officials looking for cheaper books or using older version of textbook to reduce student costs.

Razorback Fans Take Advantage of Alternative Parking (From Page 1)

by JARED LAGINESS Contributing Writer

Thousands of fans come to the UA for football and basketball games, and some community members are capitalizing by selling front-lawn parking spots.

“Yard parking helps the university’s parking situation and also provides extra income for some people in the community,” said Andy Gil-

bride, education and instruction specialist in parking and transit.

Gilbride, who has yardparked with friends for games in the past, said Harmon Garage is a good option for nonstudents, who are not allowed to use student parking on game days.

Many community members have offered their yards for parking since the late 1960s.

“We can park around 40 cars in our lawn and we charge around $20 for football games and $10 for basketball games,” said Shelley Wilburn, a UA administrative specialist who lives near campus.

Wilburn’s landlord has offered up the lawn for parking for the last 50 years and now splits the money with tenants.

The landlord even installed limestone under the lawn so the cars wouldn’t make ruts,

Wilburn said.

“One time, we made $300 for one basketball game, and that was a very good day for us,” Wilburn said.

UA student Michael Tarver said yard parking is a great option.

“I got a great parking spot close to the stadium and it was really convenient not having to look for a parking spot for an hour,” Tarver said.

Makeup In Modern Times

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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.

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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.

LAUREN HUSBAND STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A “ Vinegar Tom” cast member fixes another member’s hair before a showing of the drama department’s production of the show on Saturday.

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 15, 2012

Special Traveler Beat

COLLEGES UA Officials Work to Keep Tuition Costs Down

by JACK SUNTRUP Staff Writer

As states around the country continue to slash funding to higher education, public universities have had to make ends meet on the backs of their students. In response, President Obama recently laid out his vision for reigning in tuition costs.

Obama’s administrations general message is simple: control tuition or lose federal aid to schools that do.

Schools that raised tuition because of state cuts criticized the plan, but Arkansas higher education funding has remained relatively constant, said John Diamond, UA media

relations representative.

This year, the university expects the same level of support.

“We don’t expect there to be a cut in the university system or for higher education in general,” Diamond said.

Cutting state funding to higher education has been a trend since at least 1988, according to CNN. Arkansas has gone against the grain, though. This has helped to alleviate major increases, Diamond said.

In-state tuition at Arkansas is $7,174. The national average is $8,244, according to College Board.

Nonetheless, constant funding combined with increased costs have created tuition in-

creases; tuition rose 6 percent last year for in-state students and 10 percent for non-residents, according to UA office of institutional research.

Future increases depend on finding efficiencies and lobbying the state officials not to cut funds, Diamond said.

“We work really hard to find efficiencies around campus to keep the cost of operating the university as low as possible,” he said.

“It’s too early to know what size tuition increase, if any, there would be,” Diamond said.

While it is unknown if tuition will increase next year, it is also premature to presume Obama’s reforms will become law as they require congressio-

nal approval.

“It’s way too early to know what the university would do based on proposals that have yet to go to Congress for consideration,” he said.

Increasing the amount of Perkin’s loans available from $1 billion to $8 billion is central to the president’s proposal. Arkansas is one of 1,700 schools using the program. The number of schools participating would increase to 4,000, according to The New York Times.

Perkins loans are handled at the individual school level, unlike Pell Grants, which the government allocates to students.

Increasing these loans conditionally would increase the leverage the federal government

has with public schools.

Grants similar to the Department of Education’s elementary program Race to the Top are also part of the president’s plan.

One billion dollars would be set aside for states that keep funding constant and reform their curricula to help community college transfers graduate on time, according to The New York Times.

The state is ahead of the game on both conditions.

Funding has remained constant and there are proposed policies intended to ease the transition from two- to four-year schools, according to state documents.

Another $55 million grant program would be used as le-

verage for schools to increase value and efficiency, The Times reported.

Since the administration has not proposed specific legislation and implementation, it is premature to endorse the grant plans, Diamond said.

“The concept has just been released by the president and there are not any details for our university or any other university to really look at,” he said.

“Generally speaking, anything the federal government does to make the cost of higher education more affordable would be something we likely would support,” Diamond said.

Pat Walker Officials Takes Precautions for Prescription Drug Abuse

by LANDON REEVES Staff Writer

There were more than 14,000 deaths from pain killer overdoses in 2008, and approximately 7 million Americans abused prescription drugs in 2010, according to the Center for Disease Control and National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Most college students have heard of using Adderall or similar stimulant to help stay up and study. College students ages 18 to 22 were twice as likely to use Adderall as non-college students of the same age, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

College students who abuse Adderall are eight times more likely to abuse prescription tranquilizers, and five times more likely to abuse prescription pain relievers, according to the NSDUH. The rise in popularity of prescription drugs for college students has given way to special precautions by the Pat Walker Health Center, said executive director Mary Alice Serafini.

Patients who are prescribed a controlled substance by physicians at Pat Walker are asked to sign an agreement that says it will only be used as directed, Serafini said.

“Our physicians are trained to ask critical questions and make observations to detect drug seeking behavior. There are also health promotions and education programs on harm reduction and prevention of substance abuse,” Serafini said.

“We can do counseling, but we are not a substance abuse treatment center. Our main thing is to be accessible and help students connect to what they actually need,” she said.

Oxycodone and Adderall, two popular drug choices for college students, are classified by the Drug Enforcement Agency as Schedule II substances because of their addictive properties, according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

Pharmacist and physicians need licenses from the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy and the DEA to distribute any Schedule II

substance. To be deemed a Schedule II substance, a drug must have a high potential for abuse and proof that the abuse of the substance may lead to severe psychic or physical dependence, according to the ASPB website.

A Schedule II substance must also have currently accepted medical use for treatment in the United States, or currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions.

“There are no refills for Schedule II substances,” said Tom R. Crosby, family practice practitioner at Washington Regional Health Clinic.

“Any Schedule II prescription cannot be called in.

Someone must come and pick up the prescription and then take it to the pharmacy.”

For medications similar to Adderall, the state requires a letter from a mental health care professional stating that the medication is improving the patient’s disorder, Crosby said.

These restrictions were designed to identify and stop drug seeking behavior like forgery, early refilling and ER-hopping, Crosby said.

Not allowing “call-ins” lessens the number of forgery attempts, while the no-refill policy helps medical workers spot misuse.

ER-hopping means visiting multiple hospitals to get several prescriptions and then filling them in different pharmacies. The state and medical workers monitor who gets what from where, and on whose orders, to help curb misuse.

“UAMS requires students to take classes on addiction and pharmacy law to recognize drug seeking behavior,” said Andrew Mize, pharmacist for Collier Drugs on Dickson Street. “They also require several hours of work in the community to prepare you for what you will encounter in your career.”

All of the restrictions placed on the medications were intended to protect the public, not the pharmacist, Mize said. Pharmacists have to take careful steps to avoid contributing to prescription drug abuse. The most important step is to know who is allowed to prescribe controlled substances and for how long, Mize said.

MELEAH GROSS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The use of prescription drugs has grown more popular among college students. Those addicted to prescription drugs find them from sources like family and friends.

“You get more familiar with the medications and the patients who need them and the doctors that prescribe them,” Mize said. “You learn the ways drug seekers will try to obtain those medications. You have to learn to watch for those techniques.”

Pharmacists and physicians can do nothing about addicts acquiring medication that has already been sold. Anyone can open up the medicine cabinet and possibly find a Schedule II substance.

That’s why the Department of Justice, local police agencies and groups like Project Right Choice will sponsor National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 28, said Sgt. Craig Stout, public information officer for Fayetteville Police Department.

“We used to say, ‘Just flush them down the toilet,’ but as we became more educated, we realized it just goes back into their water supply. Now the DEA uses an incinerator to burn them,” Stout said.

“Our primary goal is to keep the drugs away from youths and the water supply.”

“Whenever I started in 1999, marijuana was the drug of choice for most of the schools. Over the years, I started to see more prescription drug abuse,” Stout said.

COURTESY GRAPHIC FROM MCT CAMPUS

OPINION THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

Scan here to go to the Opinion section on uatrav.com

EDITOR: SABA NASEEM MANAGING EDITOR: MATTIE QUINN

PAGE 4 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012

FROM THE BOARD

Politics and Campus: Breaking the Silence It’s the age-old argument – democratic or republican? Whether you consider yourself more of a conservative or a liberal, there’s a place for you on our campus.

Over the past few years, it’s become taboo to be involved in politics – more and more students every year use the line “I don’t care who wins,” or “I’m not a very political person,” yet as the next generation of working adults, can we really keep up our uncaring attitude towards the leaders who will directly affect us in the years to come? The answer is no.

We need to stop making the mistake of thinking in the high-school mentality - that we aren’t old enough to care about politics, moreover be involved in them.

As college students who are soon to be graduates, entering the workplace, starting families and generally considering ourselves functioning members of society, we must place emphasis on becoming more politically interested. If we don’t, we’re only destined to end up with leaders we don’t like, and we can’t very well complain if we don’t take action.

We’ve all heard it before – don’t criticize if you don’t vote. And, for the most part, it’s true. Politics isn’t just an avenue for CNN reporters and political science majors anymore. There are multiple outlets to get involved on our very campus, whether it’s attending a once-a-week meeting or going all out and taking part in the political rallies we’ve seen on Dickson Street.

However much we choose to get involved, it’s important that we start thinking for ourselves. Gone is the idea that we will simply vote for who our parents support. Instead, we can explore what we believe, what our potential leaders advocate, and how we feel the nation should run in the future.

Whether you feel Romney, Paul or Obama will be the next best leader for the nation, make sure to use the time you have in college to expand learning beyond the classroom. Joining any campus RSO is a good idea, not only for furthering our resumes but also for taking our learning to the next level.

If we could all take one step to becoming just a little more politically inclined, we could make ourselves a much better, well-rounded and educated generation, one that is fit to make votes based not on what we hear through the tidbits of media we see and hear, but on concrete opinion and learning.

MARCUS FERREIRA Staff Cartoonist

The Youth Vote: It Matters From the Managing Editor

Free School: Not Too Good To Be True With a prospective interest rise on student loans, an increase in the cost of college across the nation and students generally feeling that their pocketbooks are constantly suffering from the dollars spent in school, we need to consider applying for more scholarships, now more than ever.

For most of us, our student loan amounts grow each year – the good news is, they don’t necessarily have to. We all filled out scholarship applications throughout our final year of high school, and frankly most of us are sick of writing our names and majors a thousand times. However, for those of us serious about getting some free money, many scholarships exist with some very unusual requirements. Scholarships for creative writing fiction, duck calling and even lofting your dorm room bed are all available to students, giving us something to celebrate.

We might think of these scholarships as strange, but if we don’t even apply then we’ll never know what we can get – who knows, duck calling could be your very talent. With so many unusual scholarships available to students, we have to be available to filling out the short applications and getting creative with our way to rake in the big bucks to attend another semester of school.

Traveler Quote of the Day “We don’t expect there to be a cut in the university system or for higher education in general.

We work really hard to find efficiencies around campus to keep the cost of operating the university as low as possible.”

- John Diamond, UA media relations representative, “UA Officials Work to Keep Tuition Costs Down,” page 3.

by MATTIE QUINN

Managing Editor

In the days, weeks and months after Obama was elected president, countless articles were written from publications around the world about his ability to harness the most elusive voter demographic of all—the youth vote.

But how could he have not? With pop art posters, rallying “change” after an unpopular president and attending a hip hop event instead of a forum in Iowa sponsored by the AARP, Obama without a doubt had his eye on those 18-24 year old voters. It worked—the number of registered young Democrats who voted in the 2008 election soared 135 percent, according to an article published in Time magazine in January 2009.

The youth vote is not

by MIKE NORTON

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.

What is important is that you have opinions.

When I say it is important to have opinions, I don’t mean you call your parents and ask them how they feel about Obama or who they are planning on supporting in 2012. We are adults now, hence our right to vote, and it is time to really think for ourselves when it comes to the issues. The people that raised you have your best interests at heart, but now just repeating what you heard around the dinner table growing up during political discussions isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Really think about the hotbutton topics covered in the debates and in news headlines and how you would want them handled, not how you think your parents would react, Don’t believe that birth control should be covered by insurance? Find a Republican candidate with views that match yours on reproductive rights.

Think Santorum is a little extreme on his position on women in the military? At least you know that you need someone a little more centerist to support. Agree with Romney and Paul that the federal Department of Education is a failed program? Read up on both of them to find which

one falls in line with your other beliefs.

You don’t have to be a well-versed in all aspects in politics-I will even admit many economic policies go over my head and bore me. But caring enough to register to vote and care about who gets elected president is important.

Many felt disinfranchised after the 2004 election when the youth vote decided to stay at home when a disappointing president was, once again, matched up with a lackluster alternative. You may not fall in love with any of the candidates this election season, but at least have one you would want to support for the next four years.

Much of the research and speculation about this November is probably right—the 18-24 bracket is probably not going to turn up at the polls like they did in 2008. But that doesn’t mean that we should just stay at home feeling apathetic like in 2004.

There is more at stake when it comes to the youth vote this year. We may not rock the vote, but at least we can try.

Mattie Quinn is the 20112012 managing editor of the Arkansas Traveler.

She can be reached at travmgr@uark.edu.

The Bikers’ Manifesto: “Respect of Way” Guest Columnist

EDITORIAL

expected to turn up in such numbers in 2012. Many people see the upcoming election as a choice between a president with a disappointing first term and a lackluster Republican alternative.

But beyond that, I cannot count the number of times I have heard someone say that they are not registered to vote and, even worse, they just don’t have any interest in the upcoming election. While I agree this election is not going to be a pretty one— apathy cannot be an option for the youth of America.

Each presidential candidate, incumbent or otherwise, supports or opposes legislation that would affect the 18-24 year old demographic.

Santorum opposes females serving in combat. Obama wants contraception to be provided to females through their own health insurance. Ron Paul and Mitt Romney believe in abolishing the federal Department of Education.

All of these things would affect the youth of America. If you didn’t care before, you should.

It does not matter to me what you believe on the above stances. What makes America a great country is that we can are allowed to have such varied opinions.

I have done just about every form of transportation possible to get to class on this campus. I’ve walked.

I’ve longboarded. I’ve biked.

And that one time I woke up five minutes before my Chemistry I final freshman year, I’ve ran.

Though, for the past year, I have mainly been a walker. My classes have been pretty concentrated in one part of campus, so walking has worked out well. This semester things have changed though. I have a set of classes that make me do the campus equivalent of the Ironman two times a week, so my bike came back for an encore.

I assumed bike riding

would be a breeze and would help me make my cross-campus hike in a fraction of the time, but that was before I experienced “the texters”. An army of students entranced by the world within their cell phones, zombie-like walkers who slide along the sidewalks with no selfperception of their location.

As I rode along the sidewalk I begin to scan vigilantly for these walkers, lest they walk directly into my path, leaving both of us in a state of disarray.

I have heard it a thousand times over - “Pedestrians have the right of way.” Yet, I am here to introduce a new term to the traffic lexicon: respect of way. In this new world of yielding to respect of way, all people on the

sidewalk (and road for that matter) are aware of their surroundings and the other people that inhabit them.

It would be wrong to not recognize that yes, some bikers fly by within inches of pedestrians with no warning. I have been on the receiving end of this before. But, these hoodlums represent a minority of the biking population, while texters represent a large majority of walkers.

Most bikers are acutely aware of their surroundings, because quite frankly it would be difficult to bike if one were not. It seems like I have to completely stop my bike every day I ride because a walker is deep into the “Twittersphere” and using up the left lane of the sidewalk like an

expatriated Brit.

Some have even walked into my stopped tire before realizing they were playing chicken with a stopped biker.

In these dark and dire days of campus construction and congested sidewalks, when the shadow of the crane looms over everyone’s shoulder and parking lots are disappearing faster than five star recruits, we must stick together. Just as the sidewalk that brings us together, this hallowed ground can be cracked without mutual respect.

Together, we can exist in a state of harmony. Together, we can survive these treacherous times. Together, bikers and walkers can move as one towards the ultimate goal - the next class.

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

THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

FEATURES PAGE 5

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012

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

by ROSALYN TAYLOR Staff Writer

She sat across the table, hands tucked in her lap and a friendly grin on her face. She wore a sweater with thick gray and turquoise stripes and a knit scarf hanging loosely around her neck and shoulders. She wore very little makeup and her hair was bound in a perfect bun sitting intricately on top of her head. She is Chavon Sewell, a friendly and alluring, tiny young woman who is the creator of her own clothing line: Chavon Shree.

Not only is she the creator, the twenty four year old is also the designer, seamstress and seller. With no help from others, Sewell immerses herself in all facets of the industry and makes clothes and accessories that help others get in touch with their creative side.

Avoiding the typical retail market, she instead makes custom, made-to-order pieces for individual clients. Describing her line as being “eclectic, fun, flirty and sexy,” Sewell wants her designs to give her clients the freedom to express themselves more openly. “Dare to be different,” she said boldly.

A picture girl for the dawning “express yourself ” revolution, Sewell sees her “side” business as more than just making clothes. For her, it’s a way of life. It was in her home economics class in middle school when Sewell first felt that overwhelming sense of intrigue that fashion gave her. She knew immediately that this was her calling. While others were struggling to complete pajama shorts and pillows, Sewell was stitching the bottom hems of dresses.

She favors the first dress she completed over any piece she has made to date.

This, one would say, is quite inspiring.

COURTESY PHOTO

But, what inspires Sewell? Where does she get her vivid ideas? “Nowhere really,” she said confidently. “What happens in [my] head is what comes out. I just get an idea and go with it.”

This fact only adds to her uniqueness, seeing that it opposes the tendencies of most designers, and it reflects Sewell’s skill and ability to produce art with just a single idea and a ton of motivation. Sewell never makes an exact garment twice. That’s a lot of pressure, but she never breaks a sweat.

Working mostly nights and weekends, Sewell spends endless hours sew-

ing, stitching, shredding, beading and mending. She works diligently because she wants to.

“I finish most of my ordered pieces within a day or two," Sewell said.

"Once I get started, I hate to stop.”

With her sleepless nights and growing clientele, Sewell is putting her apparel studies degree and natural talent to good use.

Sewell is excited that more people in Northwest Arkansas are beginning to recognize her talents, and she finds it very important to conquer in Arkansas before venturing out to larger mar-

kets. The UA grad has already been involved in the fashion circuit here in Northwest Arkansas. The publicity she’s gotten has made its way down to central Arkansas where Chavon Shree is causing a bit of a stir.

Last summer Chavon Shree was featured at Little Rock Fashion Week, this past fall, the SARPA 2nd Annual Design Competition and more recently she was offered an opportunity to launch her own runway show in London. She had to decline the offer because of the late notice and her employment obligation at a consumer

textiles lab in Bentonville. Although disappointed, she’s satisfied with where she is…for now.

“I want to continue building my fan base in Arkansas,” she said. “I just want my talent to be recognized and to be able to continue to help people step outside the box and think more creatively.” This is her constant motivation. With artists like Rihanna and Lady Gaga being mainstream and noticed for their random and elaborate style, Sewell is very confident that one day she’ll be able to say “good-bye” to her corporate job and “hello” to her very own design house.

We both took a bite from our dinner plates and nodded, both knowing it was only a matter of time until this was true. After wiping my mouth, I closed my notebook and sat, continuing to listen to the gifted young woman sitting in front of me. She described the photo shoot that was to take place that coming Saturday and the theme of her spring collection: Safari/Jungle.

She was excited, to say the least.

“Every piece will have some type of animal print,” she said. “Leopard is like my favorite pattern. So it will be everywhere.”

I didn’t doubt her. The saying “big things come in small packages” seems to pop in my head every time I think of Chavon Sewell. She only seems like your average college graduate but it’s her brilliant and bold mind that will prove any skeptic wrong. Beyond her hard work lies her love for what she does. Money or no money, Sewell articulates very clearly that designing clothes is her passion first and her job second. But one day, she knows, she’ll be able to fasten both her passion and her job together to make her dreams a reality.

by MIKE MAHARDY Staff Writer

by KELSI FORD Asst. Features Editor

Although we haven’t seen much snow in Fayetteville this winter, if the past few years are any indication we will inevitably experience another “snowpocalypse” before spring. And while you’re stuck inside during this inevitable storm, you’ll want something to keep you busy. Gather up a few supplies before you’re snowed in, and when the time comes you’ll have a few projects to work on to keep you from going stir-crazy.

After an afternoon of sledding and playing in the snow, you may want to warm up with a giant cup of hot cocoa. Spoons filled with milk chocolate and candy are fun and easy to make, and when you use them to stir your hot chocolate the fun fillings will melt, creating a rich, delicious flavor.

Items needed:

plastic spoons, ½ cup milk chocolate chips, and decorating supplies (shredded coconut, M&M’s, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, crushed up candy canes, melted white chocolate, etc.)

Put milk chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat until chocolate is completely melted. If the chocolate gets lumpy, add a tablespoon of canola oil and stir until smooth. You will need to prop up the handles of your spoons on a plate or a thin book so the spoon is level. Using one of your plastic spoons, fill each spoon with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with shredded coconut, and place a few M&M’s, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, or crushed candy canes onto each spoon, or drizzle them with melted white chocolate.

Be sure to add your decorations before the chocolate has hardened. Carefully place spoons in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes. Once they are completely hardened, make yourself a cup of hot cocoa, stir with one of your chocolate spoons and enjoy!

While you’re stuck inside on a snowy day, spend a few minutes making this simple hanger for your collection of scarves. It is a cute and practical way to display your scarves, and it’ll be so much easier to find one you want

to wear when they aren’t all crammed into a drawer.

Items needed:

a plastic or wooden coat hanger, plastic shower rings (a pack of 12 can be purchased at Walmart for around $1), and yarn or ribbon.

Clip four shower rings onto your hanger. Using a piece of yarn or ribbon, tie one shower ring onto the bottom of each ring that is already clipped onto the hanger. Then tie another onto the bottom of each of those shower rings. You will have four sets of three rings on your hanger. Pull one scarf through each ring.

Take advantage of your day off by pampering yourself with an at-home spa day. This moisturizing body scrub is inexpensive and easy, and it’s great for exfoliating heels, knees, elbows and other dry spots.

Items needed:

3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey, ½ cup sugar and a glass jar with a lid.

Pour the olive oil and honey into the jar. Stir in the sugar. Apply to clean skin in a circular motion, concentrating on any dry, rough patches. Rinse with warm water and pat skin with a warm towel. While skin is still a little damp, apply a rich lotion or body butter to lock in moisture.

Make the most of your time stuck inside by creating something cute and sparkly for your bedroom. Although these letters are time consuming, they are incredibly easy to make.

Items needed:

wooden or cardboard letters (which can be purchased at Hobby Lobby for around $3 each) that spell out your name or just your initials, paint in a color of your choice, paint brush, Mod Podge and glitter.

Paint your letters with at least two coats of paint, allowing them to dry for at least one hour in between applications. When your letters are covered and completely dry, paint on a thin layer of Mod Podge and sprinkle with glitter. Prop letters on a dresser or bookshelf, or hang them on your wall.

In college towns such as Fayetteville, partying is inevitable. While many students are mature enough to drink responsibly, there are many underage drinkers who don’t want to wait until their 21st birthday to join in the fun. With this comes the use of fake IDs, which continue to be a growing problem in college towns all across the country.

The University of Arkansas Police and Fayetteville Police alike have been cracking down since the start of the school year, said Sgt. Craig Stout of the Fayetteville Police Department. With a new program titled Cops-In-Shops, officers are now allowed to stake out liquor stores.

“Police officers are in plain clothes, with no signs of their true jobs. They’re working there like regular employees,” Stout said. “You never know whether the person taking your ID is a liquor store employee or a police officer.”

The legal ramifications of using a fake ID include two separate citations — one for using a fake ID and one for buying alcohol under the age of 21.

These fines carry a weight of $200 and can also include up to 15 hours of community service in Fayetteville.

According to Sgt. Stout, the consequences are too steep to risk it.

“It’s best just to wait until you’re 21, then you can drink legally,” Stout said.

While the Fayetteville police are strict when it comes to punishment, bars and other private establishments are slower to involve any legal recourse.

For Garret Henry from Parker, Colo., underage use of fake IDs is something he has witnessed firsthand many times before.

“You see a lot of younger kids trying to buy beer at the bar, and we usually just tell them they have to leave,” Henry said. “If they make a huge scene, we threaten to call the cops, but just the embarrassment of being caught is usually enough to stop them. For the night, at least.”

College towns like Fayetteville are usually epicenters for fakes, although universities in bigger cities like Chicago or New York City have skyrocketing numbers for citations. While Fayetteville averages about ten tickets a night, larger cities can reach up into the fifties, depending on the day.

The fines themselves can vary greatly, seeing that charges differ from

CONTESSA SHEW STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A UA student looks at confiscated fake IDs on a local liquor store’s wall of shame. Many liquor stores have a wall of shame to show that they are serious about not selling alcohol to people using fake IDs. state to state. In states such as Maryland or Arizona, which both contain many large schools, criminal impersonation and forgery can be included with the citations. These charges can carry a fine of up to $1,500 and possible jail time based on the individual situation.

A UA sophomore who prefers to remain anonymous uses his fake ID often on the weekends to purchase beer for himself and his friends.

“I don’t exactly think that using a fake should be such a huge deal.

I mean, we’re in college; we are old enough to make decisions by ourselves,” he said. “We’re not drinking and driving, I’m bringing beer back to a safe environment and we should all be able to take care of ourselves.

I’ll be 21 in like two months, and I really don’t think I’m any less mature now just because my real license says that I’m 20.”

For the police department and university officials, purchasing alcohol is the chief concern of fake ID use. However, for students such

as the aforementioned sophomore, having an older false identity allows them to gain access to clubs or concerts.

“I don’t drink every weekend, so I don’t think I have too high of a risk of being caught buying alcohol,” he said.

“I use my ID to get into live shows in bars or clubs, and to me it’s crazy that college students aren’t allowed into places like that even though they’re independent and capable of taking care of themselves.”

With new programs such as CopsIn-Shops on the rise and police departments across the country cracking down on underage drinking, it is more of a risk than ever for college students to use fake IDs. Whether for the purchase of alcohol or gaining access to exclusive live shows, using a false identity can yield extensive repercussions that most students are not aware of. While the number of citations has already dropped slightly throughout this school year, only time will tell if future students learn their lessons.

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

THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

DOWNTIME PAGE 6

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Comics, Games, & Much Much More!

LAUGH IT UP

SUDOKU

Q: What do you call ten saxophones at the bottom of a dumpster?

A: A good start Q: What do you call a pig with three eyes?

A: Piiig Hedgehogs - why can’t they just share the hedge?

Difficulty:

Q: Do you know what really makes me smile?

A: Facial muscles

TODAY’S SOLUTION

Q: What’s Bruce Lee’s favourite drink?

A: “WAAATAAAAHH!”

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 The Dude _____ 7 Load in a basket 11 Label 14 Busts 15 Potent introduction?

16 Nabokov novel 17 Source of mints, at times 19 With “on” and 59-Across, a hint to the theme hidden in three places in this puzzle 20 7-Across destination, eventually 21 New York City’s __ River 22 Chowderhead 23 They often accompany stretches 25 “I Loves You, Porgy” and others 26 House on TV, e.g.

30 Poker star Hansen 31 River from the Cantabrian Mountains 32 Invasion leaders of the ‘60s 39 It prohibits illegal search and seizure 41 The recent past 42 Huit + trois 43 __-Aztecan languages 44 Buyer, in legal usage 46 Love 49 Roundup need 52 Zoom 53 Sub 54 Once and again 59 See 19-Across 60 Subject of a 1922 archaeological discovery 62 Santa __ winds 63 One who often doesn’t pick up?

64 Some chickens 65 Craving 66 Show closers, perhaps 67 Balmoral attraction

1 Start of a tots’ song 2 1922 physics Nobelist 3 “__, old chap!”

4 Taj Mahal topper 5 Developmental stage 6 Prescott-to-Tempe dir.

7 Smith attendee 8 Round up 9 Hissy fit 10 Went underground 11 Attraction near U.S. 395 12 Go with the flow 13 Jenga and jacks 18 Remote letters 22 Broom alternative 24 Prefix with -pod 25 Pair 26 Challenge 27 Clarinet cousin 28 French vineyards 29 Agony 30 Blues and others 33 It’s cut and dried 34 Morph ending 35 Emmy-winning Arthur 36 Provided temporarily 37 Auto designer Ferrari 38 Prank ending 40 Head of Québec 45 Lepidopterous opponent of Godzilla 46 Orderly grouping 47 “Tell It to My Heart” singer Taylor 48 Expanse with crests 49 Reveal 50 Most Syrians 51 Cain was the first 53 Dance with flowing gestures 55 Distance 56 “__ a man with seven wives” 57 Forearm exercise 58 Start of Massachusetts’s motto 60 Medicine amt.

61 “Original, crispy or grilled?” co.

Crossword provided by MCT Campus

SOLUTION

Tony Piro

SPORTS THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER

PAGE 7

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012

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

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

TRACK

LOGAN WEBSTER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas junior Leoman Momoh is a member of the Razorbacks 4x400 relay and distance medley relay which finished first at the Razorback Invitational in January.

Men’s Track Prepping for SECs byZACH LIGI

Staff Writer

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas coach Mike Anderson and his team have another chance to earn their first win on the road Wednesday at Tennessee before hosting No. 14 Florida on Saturday. The Razorbacks are the only Division I team with a winning record that hasn’t won on the road this season. The Hogs are one of six teams from power conferences with an undefeated home record.

When an athletic conference has three of the top 4 teams in a sport, the conference tournament is likely to be a slugfest.

That is the situation Arkansas’ men’s track team is in this season going into the SEC Championships.

The Razorbacks are still ranked No. 1 and have held the top spot since the Jan. 24th poll. The Hogs will be tested by No. 2 Florida and No. 4 LSU. Arkansas has a break week for the meet after the Tyson Invitational, hosted in Fayetteville over the weekend.

“We had a good week-

end,” coach Chris Bucknam said. “We had this weekend circled, it’s the ultimate meet into the SEC Championships.

It was really important for us to step up and do a good job.

I told the team we’re probably running on six of eight cylinders and I think we just added a cylinder in there.

“We’re still not at 100 percent where I’d like us to be if we’re going to win the SEC Championship we have to be on all eight cylinders. Certainly made a lot of good progress this weekend.”

The meet will be held in Lexington Ky., at the Nutter Field House. It runs Feb.

Season-changing Week? Coming Full Circle see TRACK on page 8

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Hogs get another chance to notch road win before hosting top-15 foe

by JIMMY CARTER Sports Editor

Arkansas is one of just six teams from power conference that is undefeated at home.

The Razorbacks are also the only Division I team with a winning record that is without a win away from its home arena.

The other five teams with undefeated home records are ranked in the top 20 and virtual locks to make the NCAA Tournament. The Hogs’ 0-8 record outside Bud Walton Arena could keep them out of March Madness.

“It just shows the mark of a young team and how you can be great at times and the worst at times,” freshman guard BJ Young said. “I think we’ll get it together.”

This week, Arkansas get

Old Fashioned 3-Point Play

ZACH TURNER

zwturner@uark.edu As I sat in Bud Walton Arena during pregame warm-ups for the ArkansasSouth Carolina basketball game, a thought about the two schools zipped through my head.

I turned to colleague and sports editor of the Arkansas Traveler Jimmy Carter

another opportunity to earn its elusive first road win Wednesday at Tennessee.

Then the Hogs will put their school-record 17-0 home record on the line Saturday against No. 14 Florida.

“We’re just trying to stay in the hunt, as Coach Anderson would say,” Young said.

“Just take it one game at a time and not get too down if we lose one game or get too up if we win one game.

We’re trying to keep an even keel and come out here and put the hard work in every day and try and transfer that onto Tennessee.”

The Volunteers were winless on the road – like the Razorbacks – before beating the then-No. 7 Gators 75-70 on Saturday.

“It’s just really getting over the hump before it becomes mental from the

standpoint that you start second-guessing and doubting,” Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said. “We were blessed to get a win at Florida, but I just think (Arkansas is) good enough and talented enough and they have got a great coach.

“It’s just a matter of when they will get it.”

Now, the Hogs are the only team in the SEC without a road win.

“It’s draining, so I mean hopefully we can just do it and get that monkey off our back,” senior forward Marvell Waithe said. “In all sports, it’s going to be harder just to get calls while you’re on the road. You’ve got to play through those kinds of things. Home-court advantage is a real thing. It exists. Sometimes the refs get caught up in the game, too.

“Just like when we play at home, I’m sure we get a lot of calls that we wouldn’t normally get on the road.”

Arkansas has three home wins against teams with top 50 RPIs – Mississippi State, Michigan and Vanderbilt.

Road losses to Oklahoma, LSU and a 22-point blowout defeat last week at Georgia hurt the Razorbacks’ NCAA Tournament resume.

“This is a big week for a lot of people, and for a lot of reasons,” coach Mike Anderson said. “February, this is a time you want to hopefully play some of your better basketball. The key for us is, let’s see if we can get better. I thought we had made tremendous progress playing on the road – Alabama,

see BASKETBALL on page 8

Seniors Key Turnaround

by MONICA CHAPMAN Staff Writer

Arkansas’ seniors have had their struggles since arriving to play for the Razorbacks women’s basketball team.

The group was part of an 1814 squad during their freshman season and then took a step backward during their sophomore campaign only winning 12 games.

Last season Arkansas went 22-12, but still didn’t make the NCAA tournament.

This season, the women’s basketball team has a chance to improve on last season’s success and a possible bid to the NCAA tournament if they can keep their eight-game winning streak alive during the remaining four conference games left on the schedule.

“It would mean so much knowing the seniors we’ve been

Arkansas Athletics = Good News

and told him that I was dubbing the matchup of these two schools, “The Battle of the Southeastern Conference Schools Where Basketball Ranks Third out of the Big Three Sports”.

I realize this may be a very lengthy title for such an underwhelming basketball game, but how better could it have been said? I will take suggestions, but that is besides the fact.

Arkansas and South Carolina are the only two SEC schools where basketball is behind both football and baseball, though there could be an argument for this season for Georgia, too.

That doesn’t mean this is a bad thing though. It is great for both schools actually.

The reason basketball is third for both these schools starts with each of the football teams winning 11 games this year. Although Arkansas got the best of South Carolina in their head-to-head matchup, the Razorbacks and Gamecocks went a combined 22-4 with a Cotton Bowl win and Capital One Bowl win, respectively.

The baseball programs are both among the nation’s elite. South Carolina’s speaks for itself, as they have won back-to-back NCAA Championships, but the Razorbacks have found themselves in the NCAA tournament each of the past four seasons, including earning the No. 1 ranking in a few polls during the 2009 season.

Rankings are something

that tend to be overrated, but are a good gauge as to how well a school’s athletics program is noticed. Arkansas’ football and baseball teams have been consistently ranked in the top 25 each of the past two seasons.

The Razorback basketball team hasn’t been ranked since spring 2008 and although coach Mike Anderson has exceeded some expectations in his first year as head man, Arkansas still has a ways to go.

With baseball season opening Friday, the Diamond Hogs have lofty expectations, sitting at Baseball America’s No. 4 ranking in the preseason polls. The high expectations for the Razorbacks this season stem from having an entire pitching ro-

tation back and the core of the infield returning.

Arkansas is led by pitcher DJ Baxendale and first baseman Dominic Ficociello.

Baxendale anchors the Hogs pitching staff and won 10 games a season ago after coming in as a reliever during his freshman year.

Ficociello lead the 4022 Razorbacks last season in batting average, hitting over .300 during his freshman campaign. The 6-foot-4 sophomore also hit 15 doubles and had 50 RBIs, both team-highs.

With pitchers Ryne Stanek and Cade Lynch along with Randall Fant and Brandon Moore helping fill the rotation out behind Baxendale, Arkansas’ baseball team looks primed to make a run

through a lot,” senior Lyndsay Harris said. “I know when we got here, as freshman like C’eira and myself, we had to jump in and kind of step at a young age.

To finally feel like the weight’s lifted off your shoulder and you have help, it feels like so much more of a team.”

“We want nothing more than to leave on good terms and I think this is the best way to leave right now the way we’re going and it just feels good after all the things we’ve been through, we’ve been through some heartaches and we’ve been through some tough times, it just feels good to you know get to this point.”

This year’s seniors were key players in coach Tom Collen’s first recruiting class at Arkansas.

see FULL CIRCLE on page 8

COMMENTARY

at the NCAA Championship just as the football Hogs did.

Look for Arkansas to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons. The pitching staff will help the Razorbacks move past the Regional and Super Regionals both and make a trip to Omaha.

However, I don’t see Arkansas hoisting the trophy at the end. Remember though, that is just a prediction.

Some may be asking what point I am trying to make and the following is it.

As I still consider myself a novice sports journalist with quite a bit of experience in two years, it is fun to

see COMMENTARY on page 8

SPORTS from BASKETBALL on page 7 LSU – we just didn’t finish it.

“So let’s see if we can put 40 minutes together.”

The Hogs had stayed close in road losses at Ole Miss and LSU before getting handled easily by Georgia, a team that entered the game tied for last in the SEC. “Maybe we underestimated them,” freshman forward Hunter Mickelson said. “I don’t know. They came out and they shot the lights out of the ball. When a team does that, we’re not really ready for them, it’s kind of a bad mixture.

We’ve just got to take every game seriously and don’t underestimate anybody.

Just work hard.”

The Tennessee game is one of Arkansas’ three remaining SEC road games, including matchups at Auburn and Mississippi State, teams the Razorbacks beat at home.

The Hogs will try to remain undefeated in Bud Walton against the Gators on Saturday, a team Arkan-

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012 ARKANSAS (17-­8, 5-­5 SEC) PLAYER

Devonta Abron Marvell Waithe Rickey Scott

Mardracus Wade Julysses Nobles

BJ Young

Ky Madden

Hunter Mickelson

Starters POS F F G G G

HT 6-­8 6-­9 6-­3 6-­2 6-­1

Key Reserves G 6-­3 G 6-­5 F 6-­10

from COMMENTARY on page 7

PPG 5.7 5.7 9.7 10.8 9.0

RPG 4.6 3.1 3.7 2.0 3.3*

14.4 7.2 5.2

3.1 3.7 3.7

TENNESSEE (12-­12, 4-­5 SEC) Starters PLAYER

POS Trae Golden G Camerson Tatum G Skylar McBee G Jeronne Maymon F Kenny Hall F

Jarnell Stokes Renaldo Woolridge Josh Richardson *Assists

HT 6-­1 6-­7 6-­3 6-­7 6-­9

Key Reserves F 6-­8 F 6-­9 G 6-­6

sas has lost four consecutive games against, including a 75-43 loss in Gainesville, Fla., last season.

PPG 13.0 8.1 6.7 11.9 6.1

RPG 4.6* 3.8 1.1 7.9 4.6

8.9 5.0 3.0

7.9 3.4 1.4

“We’ve got to win,” sophomore guard Mardracus Wade said.

cover a winning program. It makes for better storylines, it makes for having some entertainment value to the job and it provides much more readership from the fans

from TRACK on page 7 24-26.

Following the SEC Championship is the Arkansas Last Chance and then the NCAA Championships.

“Ultimately there’s two phases here.” Bucknam said.

“There’s what you do physically and what you do mentally. I think the physical part is making sure that when the guys go into the meet their rested and ready to go, their healthy and well rested. That’s the plan.

“For the most part it’s gathering our thoughts and getting ourselves mentally ready to compete.” from FULL CIRCLE on page 7

RYAN MILLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas sophomore guard Mardracus Wade leads the Southeastern Conference in 3-point percentage, shooting 49 percent from with 51 made 3-point shots.

Coach Collen said he would want nothing more than seeing the seniors get a chance at the NCAA tournament.

“This senior class, it was our first recruiting class,” Collen said. “I’m sure they would have liked to won more games and got to the NCAA tournament sooner, but for them to be able to go to the tournament their senior year, I think all their hard work and effort, would be justified if we accomplish that goal.”

Senior Ashley Daniels has posted eight consecutive double-digit scoring games while senior C’eira Ricketts recently broke the all-time steals record that had stood since 1983.

PAGE 8

when their sports teams are winning.

Covering losing squads in the “big three” college sports brings the same storylines.

Covering Arkansas’ athletics program hasn’t brought much losing the past two seasons, with the obvious

exception being the football team playing Alabama or the basketball team playing away from Bud Walton Arena.

Zach Turner is the assistant sports editor of The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Wednesday. Follow him on Twitter @zwturner.

Staying Consistent Key for Hogs Arkansas’ No. 4 women’s track team is also done until the SEC Championships.

The Razorbacks will travel to Lexington Ky., to take on their conference rivals and try to win a championship.

“We’re looking forward to the conference meet,” coach Lance Harter said. “In the SEC it’s always tough,and it never gets easier. What we tell the team is to stick with the plan, its working. We need to make good choices, stay healthy and be ultimately prepared.”

The extra week off will be a big help for the team, Harter said, giving them more

time to prepare for some of their toughest competition so far.

One of Arkansas’ biggest challengers in the meet will be No. 3 LSU, a team that just jumped the Razorbacks in the rankings. No. 7 Florida will also provide stiff competition.

“We’ve seen LSU I think almost every week this year indoors,” Harter said. “We know what they have. Florida has been kind of a little more elusive, they’ve gone to a lot of other meets that have produced good marks. It’s a situations where all three of us will clash, it will be a very close meet when we get to Kentucky.”

Harris leads the team in made three-point shots this season with 47.

Collen credits his players for growing into their roles from their freshman year until now.

“They didn’t have a lot of help early in their career because some of the classes ahead of them,” Collen said. “Some players transferred out or players weren’t quite as talented, so they didn’t have anybody to teach them how to lead, you now they didn’t have anybody to keep them to make game winning shots. They had to figure that all out on their own.

They found a way to do that now.”

The seniors came in wanting to leave their mark in Arkansas history and hope when they leave the program they hoped

change it in some way.

“When I came here that’s what I wanted to do,” Harris said. “I wanted to change the program. I think a lot of people, when they choose what school they want to go to they look at how well they’re doing and don’t realize that their impact may not be as big as they think it is.”

“They may come and play a role, but I wanted to be the type of person to come pioneer a school, help bring it up and it is hard. Being young and new you don’t know everything. You don’t know what to expect, but by the time you’re a senior you can measure how you’ve helped a program by how well you’re doing. I think me and C’eira and all the seniors this year have definitely done our part.”

LOGAN WEBSTER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Arkansas senior guard C’eira Ricketts leads the Razorbacks in assists with 105 and broke the all-time steals record this season which had stood since 1983. Ricketts along with seniors Ashley Daniels and Lyndsay Harris were part of coach Tom Collen’s first recruiting class at Arkansas in 2008.