September 22, 2010 by The Echo

w w w. UCAE cho .n e t Single Copy Paid For by Student Publication Fee

Volume 104 — Issue 4

September 22, 2010 Wednesday

4 TODAY

Mostly Sunny

93/69

4T H U R S D AY

Opinion: Voice: Administration’s focus on enrollment misplaced

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Partly Cloudy

93/71

4F R I D AY

Isolated T-Storms

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Around Campus: Bootcamp

Sports:

Campus Life:

Football: Bears narrowly beat Murray State Racers 21-20

Event: Deborah Norville speaks to crowd about journallism

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Governor officially opens STEM doors by Marisa Hicks Staff Writer

Gov. Mike Beebe appeared as the keynote speaker Wednesday, Sept. 15 at the grand opening of the state’s first residential college with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The college, commonly called STEM, is

located in Arkansas Hall. Steve Runge, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, began the ceremony with recognitions and thanks to all who participated in the addition of the STEM residential college to UCA’s already successful handful of residential colleges, comprised of Hughes Hall, Short/Denney Hall and State Hall. He said 10 percent more students who attend

residential colleges graduate, opposed to those who don’t attend residential colleges. Special recognition was given to the Physical Plant. The employees of the Physical Plant accomplished a year’s worth of remodeling to the hall within a 90-day period, Runge said. Beebe said he was astounded by the achievements and goals made by graduates of residential colleges, and encouraged

During x-period on Sept. 23, the Counseling Center will host a Test Anxiety Boot Camp in Student Health Center room 307. Come to learn how to improve your test taking skills and get tips on how to counteract anxiety.

Rock the Yard Sigma Phi Epsilon is hosting Rock the Yard from 7-9 p.m. on Sept. 23 in the yard at the SPE house. Admission is $5 and it is featuring the band Tragikly White. All proceeds go to benefit Youth Aids.

Mudstock AFA is hosting Mudstock, a mud volleyball tournament held Oct. 8. Entry forms are available at the Student Center Information Desk and the deadline to turn in applications is Sept. 24.

Honeybears Tryouts The Honeybears Dance Team is hosting fall tryouts Sept. 27 and 28. They are open to students currently enrolled in UCA. For more information contact Susan O’Keefe at (501) 499-1719 or visit the dance team page at ucasports.com.

Dude Looks Like a Lady Sigma Sigma Sigma is hosting Dude Looks Like a Lady, a pageant where men dress as women, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in Ida Waldran Auditorium. Admission is $5.

The Three Phantoms Craig Schulman, Brad Little and Gary Mauer are performing with the Conway Symphony Orchestra on Sept. 28 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in Reyonlds Performance Hall. For ticket information, visit or call the RPH ticket office.

Black Box At 5:30 p.m. Sept. 30, the Black Box student gallery in Schichtl Studio Art will present “When Words Aren’t Enough,” a juried art show that focuses on poetic aspect of artworks. For more information visit uca.edu/art/ blackbox.

Majors Fair The 13th annual Majors Fair will be held from 12:30-3 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Student Center Ballroom. Representatives from the academic departments showcase majors, programs and achievements, among other highlights.

Submissions Please submit fall events for Around Campus in 50 words or fewer to ucaechoeditor@gmail. com. Include basic who, what, when and where information as well as contact information.

students entering college to attend residential colleges. Leah Horton, STEM Resident Manager, said: “There are over 200 students participating in the STEM program with a 100 percent participation rate of the activities and studies in the hall.” Horton said she believes the students are taking advantage of the program and using it to help them make decisions and further their careers in the sciences and mathematics fields. Horton is also a lecturer in Biology and assistant chair of the department. Partnering with K-12 teachers and working with UCA’s Nature Association inspire new ideas for the STEM residents, Runge said he believes the students can further their potential. Though residential colleges are a relatively new idea to Arkansas, more and more colleges are jumping into this new academic wave, Beebe said. “Tomorrow’s economy is changing; there is a greater need for people who share their interests,” Beebe said. Beebe encouraged students to attend residential colleges in the hopes of increasing the graduate rates of universities. Many of the STEM residents were unable to attend the opening due to classes and labs, however there were several students at the ceremony. Some took part in a ping pong battle against the governor. Freshman Tim Smith, a STEM resident, said the program “allows students with similar interests to study together and do homework,” allowing them to combine their ideas socially and academically. STEM Resident Adviser Derrick Perrion

Nick Hillemann photo

(From left to right) Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Steven Runge, Governor Mike Beebe and President Allen Meadors tear the opening ribbon for the STEM Residential College after the scissors failed to cut the ribbon on Sept. 15.

-ADMISSIONS-

See STEM - page 2

-RECOGNITION-

Overall enrollment drops again; Future alumni receive award second year for numbers to drop by Mary DeLoney

by Rachel McAdams News Editor

Total student enrollment saw a 2.9 percent decrease this year, the second year total enrollment dropped, despite $735,000 in advertising and marketing budgets directed at branding the university and increasing enrollment. While transfer students and new freshmen enrollment increased, total enrollment slid from 11,781 to 11,444, a 2.9 percent decrease, according to an e-mail supplied by Melissa Goff, director of institutional research. This is the second consecutive year UCA has seen overall enrollment drop, after a 9.2 percent decrease from 2008 to 2009. Interim Director of Admissions Penny Hatfield said there were large classes in fall 2005 and fall 2006 that have since graduated. Diane Newton, vice president of financial and administrative services, said the numbers matriculating through the system are smaller due to the smaller freshmen classes from 2007 and 2008. Both Hatfield and Newton agreed the bigger classes from the previous administration has graduated, taking with them large enrollment numbers. “Numbers just don’t tell the whole story,” Hatfield said. Since reducing the numbers, admissions has held strongly to their standards. “We want to make sure we get the right student here; a student that is going to stay and be retained at UCA and ultimately, graduate,” she said. She said UCA has changed how they recruit students. One way was changing BearFacts day to Saturdays instead of Fridays to help parents who might not have been able to take off work to attend during the week.

Next Issue:

Index 4 Opinion 4 Campus Life 4 Entertainment 4 Sports

According to a Sept. 14 article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Jim Purcell, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, said that a “slight decline in overall enrollment is healthy.” The university had planned for flat enrollment, an enrollment that neither increased nor decreased, however with the decrease, there are negative affects on the budget. Because of preparation and savings, the effects shouldn’t be felt though, Newton said. “Technically, it does adversely affect us, but we have prepared and planned for it,” Newton said. “We know that we’re going to be down in revenue, but we have contingencies in place for just such things ... we are very conservative on the expense side of the budget so we can handle these sort of things. That’s kind of the difference between different budgeting techniques whether we do it the way it was done in the past.” Because of enrollment decreasing, fewer scholarships were awarded, saving the university money and helping to offset the cost of the enrollment drops, Newton said. “We have fewer people, but we’re also cutting back on the scholarships; even the scholarships we thought we were going to give ... anytime you have a drop in enrollment, you have a drop in expenses to some degree,” Newton said. She said better planning has awarded the university the ability to have times like these without losing as much money as it might have under a different administration. “We built in some reserves. It’s just not smart to have a budget without having some contingency built in to it,” Newton said. Other Arkansas universities, including the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and Arkansas State University, have reported record enrollment numbers this year.

3 4 7 8

SGA holds elections for class representatives

Assistant News Editor

In August, the Association of Future Alumni received national recognition for the Freshman Survival Kits they sell at the beginning of each school year. AFA attended the Southwest District IV conference in March at the University of Texas at El Paso. During the conference the survival kits were awarded Outstanding Internal Program for the district. Winning the district level award, placed AFA in the running for the national award where they competed with seven other districts. In late August, AFA was notified through e-mail that they received Outstanding Internal Program at the national network convention held by Council for the Advanced Placement and Support for Education, Affiliated Student Advancement Programs in Kansas City, Mo., Jan Newcomer, director of Alumni Services, said. At the national conference, only three schools received the award. The University of California at Los Angeles and the University of California were the other two schools that received the award, according to a press release from CASE ASAP. “The key things that this award is based on are if it gives notice to the student organization, if it’s beneficial to the campus and if it’s financially profitable,” Newcomer said. This year, the AFA students were unable to attend the national conference. “We had a couple of conflicts with attending the national conference,” Newcomer said. “AFA didn’t have the funds to attend and scheduling was an issue. It was the first weekend in August and students don’t come back to school until the end of August, so it would have been difficult rounding up students to go.” AFA was notified through e-mail from CASE ASAP that they were selected as a winner at the national conference. By selling these survival kits, AFA raises

money to help fund students to be able to attend the district conference. “We send as many to district as we can afford to send,” Caleb Dickson, AFA vicepresident of projects, said. AFA bases which students get to go by using a points system, Dickson said. “The more AFA events a student attends, the more points they receive and the students with the most points get chosen to go first,” Dickson said. Candy, a bear pride water bottle and a magnetic marker board: These are just a few things included in the Freshman Survival Kit sold to the parents of freshmen by AFA. The Freshman Survival Kits were first introduced by AFA in 2003 under the name Freshman Welcome Kits, Newcomer said. “They were made in dorm room trash cans. Really the only thing that’s changed about them over the years is the packaging appearance,” Newcomer said. The names were changed two years ago when “other groups did Freshman Welcome Kits. It got confusing for parents, so the students changed the name,” Newcomer said. The program is completely run by students, for students. “This program is totally initiated and managed by students. They contact the businesses to get items donated, do followup work, send out mail, process orders. The kits are totally created by students through an assembly line. They contact students whose parents sent them a kit and make sure the students receive them,” Newcomer said. Dickson and AFA President Caitlin Fitch are in charge of contacting the businesses to get the items donated. “We start with a list of former donators, and then if we don’t have enough stuff we begin calling new people. It’s all area businesses that just want advertisement,” Dickson said. There are 30 AFA members that work

See Award - page 2

Banned Book Week Students should form own opinions about challenged books

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2 / September 22, 2010

Police Beat

NEWS

-AWARD-

Publications rank university among best by Preston Tolliver Entertainment Editor

UCA found national recognition in recent weeks, finding itself in the top ranks of several categories of schools by the U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek. The U.S. News and World Report ranked UCA 17th out of 69 public universities in the South on its “2011 Best Colleges” report. UCA ranked 47th out of 121 private and public Southern schools. According to the report, UCA is the highest ranked Southern Arkansas university. The report was released on Aug. 17. “We’re in the tier 1 level of masters universities in the south,” Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Lance Grahn said. “UCA is the highest ranked public comprehensive in Arkansas.” The news was quickly followed by the release of a Newsweek report that ranked UCA on two of their top 25 lists, “Most Desirable Rural Schools” and “Most Desirable Large Schools.” The Newsweek report contained several different lists, such as “25 Schools Stocked with Jocks,” “25 Most Desirable

Suburban Schools” and “25 Schools for the Service-Minded,” among many others. On the “Most Desirable Rural Schools,” UCA ranked number 24, followed by St. Mary’s College of Maryland at number 25. Ranking above UCA on the list were prestigious schools such as Clemson University at 23, Kansas State at 19 and Dartmouth leading at number one, to name a few. UCA ranked 23rd on the “Most Desirable Large Schools” list, ranking above Texas A&M and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Among the list were schools such as George Washington University at number 14, Cornell at 3 and Harvard ranking first. “Not knowing how Newsweek actually calculated the rankings … I do think it recognizes that UCA is a tremendous value,” Grahn said. Grahn said he believes another reason UCA ended up on the lists is because of its opportunities to students at a low price. President Allen Meadors said for a campus to be considered on the large schools list, it must have a minimum of 11,000 students, which UCA barely made. Meadors confirmed that no

Award:

AFA’s Freshman Survival Kits receive national recognition 4 Continued from

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together in making the sales and production of the kits a success. “They sell 200-300 kits a year, sometimes more,” Newcomer said. “Actually putting the kits together takes about three hours with everybody there,” Dickson

said. This year the kit includes: the bag everything comes in, which doubles as a cooler, a bear pride water bottle, a magnetic marker board, a Papa John’s magnet, a Centennial Bank pen, a USA Today pen and ruler, a

one from Newsweek appeared on campus, but instead the results were taken from information given to them and the U.S. News and World Report by other officials from schools throughout the country. “I think most of us in the academy only give so much credence to those kind of readings, because the proof is in our graduates,” he said. Grahn said the reports should be linked with the Higher Learning Commission report that says UCA can be one of the best public universities in the country, and that the rankings bring confirmation to the HLC conclusion. “We have a great campus, a wonderful faculty and a talented student body and even though I’m a little surprised that UCA ended up on the list, someone is taking notice of how good we are,” he said. The only two Arkansas schools that were included on the lists were UCA and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, which was on the “25 Schools Stocked with Jocks” list. U of A was ranked number 12 on the Jock list.

remembrance bracelet, a First Security Bank pen, a UCA Purple Power magnet, a package of Command Strips and PostIt Notes, Alumni Association Coasters, coupons and a cup from Domino’s Pizza, a Kaplan pencil, a Bank of the Ozark’s pen, a UCA Bear’s Football calendar, an “I heart UCA” pin, an Arvest Bank pen, a Bear Pride Sticker, a UCA Bears notepad and several snacks, candies and drinks. “This is an outstanding way to welcome freshmen. It gives them an introduction to AFA, and it’s profitable. They don’t spend a lot of money because they do the labor themselves. It is a very time-consuming and laborintensive project,” Newcomer said. Dickson said: “The money we raise from the kits goes into a general fund which also helps support Mudstock, our other big fundraiser.” Mudstock will be held Friday, Oct. 8. behind the Physical Plant.

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The following reports and arrests are from the UCAPD docket. UCAPD reports any tickets issued as arrests, according to ucapd.com.

Student arrested for DWI

Student Jon Tyler Benight, 18, was arrested Sept. 18 at 1:15 a.m. for driving while intoxicated. An officer on patrol was southbound on Donaghey Avenue when he noticed a red Chevy Blazer in front of his patrol unit traveling southbound as well. The vehicle made a sharp left turn onto Erbach Street without making an attempt to move into the turning lane. The officer then made the traffic stop at the entrance of Fox Run Apartments. The officer made contact with the driver and noticed the odor of alcohol and that Benight’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy. The officer asked Benight how much he had been drinking. Benight responded: “I ain’t even gonna lie, I had a bunch of shots.” The officer then had Benight perform a field sobriety test. The first test administered was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test. The officer gave Benight verbal instructions, which he claimed to understand. The officer then had to tell Benight twice not to move his head and follow the officer’s finger with his eyes only. Benight gave the officer a blank stare. The next test administered was the Walk and Turn test. The officer gave Benight verbal instructions that he claimed to undertand. He started the test before the officer gave him permission and he missed heel to toe on steps two and three and made an improper turn. The last test conducted was the One Leg Stand test. The officer gave Benight verbal instructions and a demonstration. Benight started before the officer gave him permission and swayed throughout the entire test. Benight was then taken into custody for DWI. He was handcuffed and placed in the officer’s car. At that time another officer arrived to assist in giving Benight a preliminary breath test. Benight blew a .16 BAC. Benight was then transferred to the UCA Police Department where he was read his DWI Statement of Rights and signed to take another PBT in which he blew a .14. Benight was transported to the Faulkner County Detention Center II for processing.

Nonstudent arrested for public intoxication, receives notification of campus ban

Nonstudent Kyle Thomas Davis, 18, was arrested Sept. 17 at 11:02 p.m. for public intoxication, obstruction governmental operations and received a notification of ban from UCA campus. An officer was out of his vehicle and observed five individuals leaving the northwest area of State Hall. Thomas drew the officer’s attention, as he appeared to be supported in walking by one of the females in the group.

The officer returned to his vehicle and noticed the group leaving in a black Chevrolet Tahoe with expired paper tags. The officer conducted a traffic stop on Emma Rasor Drive. The officer approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and detected a strong odor of alcohol from the interior of the vehicle. The officer then conducted a NCIS/ACIS test on the driver, identified as nonstudent Jesse Stone, 18. Stone exited the vehicle to talk to the officer. Stone told the officer that he was the designated driver and he believed everyone else in the vehicle had been drinking. The officer went back to the vehicle and approached the front passenger side where he noticed several unopened cans of Bud Light and an almost empty bottle of Rich and Rare whiskey in the floorboard in front of Student Ashley Foster, 18. The officer then removed the alcohol from the vehicle and asked all of the passengers if they had been drinking, in which they all responded yes. The officer then made Davis aware that he would be opening his passenger door to talk to him, but Davis was to remain in the vehicle. When the officer opened the door he noticed a strong odor of alcohol from Davis’ body and that he had a sleepy look and slurred his speech. When asked his name, Davis told the officer that his name was “Bill.” And, when asked for his date of birth Davis told the officer, “04/30/1993.” When the officer asked again Davis became confused, gave his real birth date and shouted “My name’s Kyle Davis.” The officer made Davis aware that he had given the officer false information and then took him into custody for public intoxication and obstructing governmental property. Davis was then transported to the Faulkner County Detention Center for processing.

Nonstudent receives ban from campus

Nonstudent Rahmin Williams, 38, received a notification of ban letter from the UCA campus on Sept. 16 at 11:30 p.m. An officer was dispatched to Baridon Hall in reference to a suspicious older male. When the officer arrived at Baridon, he made contact with Williams who claimed to be waiting on a friend to come speak to him. When asked the friend’s name, Williams refused to give any information. He became hostile and began speaking irrationally. Further investigation revealed that Williams had previous contact with UCAPD while being confused. He was issued a ban letter, which he refused to sign. After receiving a second copy, Williams was escorted to his vehicle and escorted off campus.

Clarification

In a Sept. 15 article, The Echo incorrectly implied all P2P file sharing was illegal. Many types of file sharing are legal.

- COMMUNIT Y-

UCA hosts Mexican bicentennial

by Brandon Norwood Staff Writer

UCA was the host of several events to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Mexican Independence and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. Rebecca Gatlin-Watts, professor of management and chairman of the bi-centennial celebration, said: “I want to thank everyone involved in these events. This is the first time we have done something like this. Everyone has been supportive, we had quite a few volunteers come and sign up. Hosting these events was worthwhile because we hope to build a strong relationship between UCA and the Latino community.” Events included a Mexican lunch in the cafeteria decorated with a Mexican theme, a guitar recital of Mexican music and book readings throughout the Central Arkansas area. A Mariachi band played in the Student Center on Sept. 16. Senior Nic Pitts said: “I’m glad I had a little time to stop and listen to the Mariachi band, they were very entertaining. It’s great that UCA is supporting Mexico in its celebration.”

Closing these events was the soccer tournament held at the UCA Soccer Complex. President Allen Meadors came up with the idea of hosting the soccer event, Gatlin Watts said. Gatlin-Watts said there was a decent turnout for the Mariachi band, and that although a bigger crowd was expected. In order to ensure a higher participation and a hopefully bigger turnout, having the band walk through the Student Center in the future will be a possibility. He hopes in the future, the soccer tournament can be put on yearly. “He identified the need to build a strong relationship with the Latino community and the importance of higher education to this growing sector of our community. He mentioned that if attendance was high enough at the soccer tournament that this could become a yearly event,” Gatlin-Watts said. The soccer tournament featured Mexican and Central American soccer teams from the Liga de Futbol Mex Ark and a team comprised of UCA international students. The winner was presented a trophy by President Meadors. There was also a free soccer clinic for children provided by UCA women’s soccer

STEM:

Program brings students new level of academic achievement 4 Continued from

page 1

said he enjoys the ability to converse with students who share common goals. “The students in the STEM program are all driven and participate with the other

students,” Perrion said. “Last year the residents of Arkansas Hall were all male and did not participate in anything.” The STEM program brings students to a new level of

coach, Tina Banham and the women’s soccer team. To help with the celebration, the College of Business is displaying pieces from the UCA Riddick Collection of preColombian pottery. This exhibit will be on display until Oct. 19. It is located on the third floor and is open to the public. The pottery features “escuincles,” hairless dogs once widely found around the State of Colima on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Other pieces include bowls and clay figures. UCA will also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Al “Papa Rap” Lopez on Oct. 5 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the UCA Student Center Ballrooom. Lopez is the host of “What’s Up! Que Pasa.” He will share information about his heritage and provide the audience with musical entertainment. The event is free and open to the public. These events are part of Arkansas Celebrates Mexico 2010, a partnership between the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock, the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock, the William J. Clinton Foundation, UALR and UCA to provide educational and cultural events recognizing Mexico’s history, according to a Sept. 9 UCA press release.

academic achievement, Beebe said. Business- and science-driven students receive the challenges and opportunities they sought and are already on the verge to successful careers, STEM Residential Advisers, Lyndsey Ingram and Deborhah Sanders, said. Beebe said there are businesses interested in hiring students who are graduating this academic year.

Opinion

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The Voice

September 22, 2010

Advertising, marketing funds may have better uses on campus

The Echo Staff Celebrate controversy of banned books w

Abby Hartz Editor

Taylor Lowery Associate Editor & Opinion Editor

Rachel McAdams News Editor

Mary DeLoney Assistant News Editor

Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor

Crosby Dunn Assistant Campus Life Editor & Assistant Web Editor

Preston Tolliver Entertainment Editor

Ben Keller Sports Editor

Allison Hartman Assistant Sports Editor

Nick Hillemann Photo Editor

Alex Chalupka Web Editor

Heather Chiddix

Last week I had a slight sense of deja vu Catcher in the Rye,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” while sitting in two of my classes as both of “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” and my professors started discussing one of my too many other books on that despicable favorite books of all time, “The Adventures list tackle those issues head on and they of Huckleberry Finn.” discuss why racial discrimination was Now I don’t know if you can call an awful, ugly stain on America, and in it coincidence or fate that they both some ways it still is today; or a boy going happened to be talking about that book through the trial and tribulations of life and on the same day, becoming a man in but it did make me the eyes of society. realize as they asked if It really is beyond students in my class if me why some people they had read or were believe these stories allowed to read Huck to be immoral and by Ben Keller Finn in high school bad for younger Sports Editor how many schools generations just still try to adhere to a because it uses bad banned book list. language or it has With Banned adult themes. The Books Week starting on Sunday, I thought I good those books convey far outweighs the should take the chance to encourage those language and risque situations that may be of you reading this to either re-read some of in there, and most of which actually help these great and thought-provoking novels, get the books point across. or read them for the first time if you have One example, and probably one of the not been fortunate enough to do so already. best, is from Huck Finn when Huck and When I started taking a better look Jim are traveling on their raft and Huck at the books that have been banned I decides that helping Jim reach freedom is couldn’t believe some of the cases that had the right thing to do. Huck’s upbringing been brought up to the American Library taught him that helping a slave to freedom Association. On their webstie, ala.com, it is wrong, and he would go to hell for it. After has a list of the top 100 most reported books everything Jim has done for Huck, how he that people have submitted a complaint to has been such a father figure for him and have removed from a library or school. I was always told him how important it was for actually shocked to see books on that list him to go to school, Huck decides that if I had no idea were even on it. As I looked doing the right thing to help Jim means he down the list I tried counting how many of will go to hell, then he is fine with going to those books or short stories I had read and I hell. just gave up after I got up to 20. So this Sunday if you have some down It really is sad that in these modern time or, better yet, make some time to times people are still afraid to read and sit down and celebrate in a great work of confront racial or sexual issues because literature. If you want more information it might offend someone. Well let me tell about Banned Books Week you can find you something right here and now, “The information on bannedbooksweek.org or Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “The the ALA’s website, ala.com.

Editorial Cartoonist

Students should avoid conforming

Lance Coleman Feature Cartoonist

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Welcome to campus life, where fun, friends and freedom lurk around the corner. It certainly feels like a different world compared to high school. The boundaries have shrunk and the possibilities have lengthened. You can be whoever you want to be. There are endless opportunities waiting behind every door. Each incoming student brings something socially new to the table and it integrates with the existing cultures found on campus. However, the transition can be overwhelming for most people. It unconsciously draws them to change a small part of themselves to adapt to the new situations at hand. Conformity does not happen right away because it takes a great deal of effort to change. Every now and then, it is common to strive for a sense of belonging and mutual friendship. Some people conform to blend into the social groups around them. The feeling of having a bunch of new friends but not being able to fully assimilate with them because of cultural or social barriers may cause most people to think of ways to get integrated, even if it means altering a part of their personalities or their general habits just to fit in. While there are many who try to blend in, there are others out there who try to stand out. They are driven to be different because they strongly believe in the concept of uniqueness; therefore, they try their best to stand out from the rest in various aspects. Either way, when a line has been crossed, stress comes in and leaves a huge stain on the pages of integrity. Peer pressure is highly prominent in new situations.

It is fine to seek improvement, or to be better at something. It is certainly all right to have a desire to fit in with a specific crowd. But the thing that most people do not realize is that the more they try to change themselves to suit the people around them, the less they know about themselves. In other words, they might have lost their true identity in the pursuit by Carissa Gan of a new one. Staff Writer At the end of the day, the one person left standing out there feeling empty and emotionally drained is the one who tried to please the world. Conforming has its benefits, of course. If it makes one a better person, it should have no degrading consequences. The important thing to remember is to always hold on to your sense of well-being; your own standards, your responsibilities, your priorities and your self. There is something special about you that no one else is ever going to have, and that uniqueness lies solely within yourself. Campus is the place to search for an identity, or to shape one. It is the platform of starting over with the qualities you have been equipped with, coupled with your past experiences. This is the chance to take on the encouraged pathway; the one that leads you back to finding fulfillment and happiness in being the self you are comfortable with. Do check your motives, as to whether you are doing it for yourself or for others. The people who truly care are the ones who would accept you just the way you are.

For the second consecutive year, UCA has reported a decrease in enrollment, despite a new, pricy contract with an advertising and marketing agency. The administrators aren’t concerned with the drop in enrollment, however, which is a smart choice on their part, but they still aren’t focusing where it really matters: students who already attend UCA. The enrollment drop this year was small, with only 2.9 percent fewer students than last year. The 2009-2010 year saw a more significant drop of 9.2 percent fewer students than 2008-2009. Why isn’t the administration worried about the decrease in enrollment? Interim Director of Admissions Penny Hatfield and Vice President of Finance and Administration Diane Newton both attributed the drop to former President Lu Hardin’s aggressive push to increase growth in the university. Hatfield said there were larger freshmen classes in 2005 and 2006 that have graduated, and Newton said something similar, reporting that there were smaller freshmen classes beginning in 2007. After the Hardin presidency, the push for larger classes was less of a priority, and the administration put focus on where it needed to be, which was improving the image of the university. Despite a few minor hiccups since Hardin resigned, the administration has gotten the university on track financially and implemented several new programs to draw in students. The administration did, however, allot $735,000 on advertising and marketing last year. Perhaps the administration needs to step back on take a look at the students that need the most convincing that UCA is finally on the right track, and that this is the place they need to be: current students. Some of those dollars spent attempting to attract new students could be reinvested in the students who already made the decision to come to UCA. The most disheartened students are likely the ones already attending UCA. According the the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, ncis.ed.gov, UCA has a 71 percent retention rate for full-time students, or those who began as freshmen in fall 2008 and returned in fall 2009. They also report a 41 percent overall graduation rate (referring to those who complete their program within six years, if it’s a four-year program) and a 32 percent transfer-out rate. The statistics aren’t too far out of line with the rest of the state. Arkansas Tech University reports a 44 percent graduation rate, the University of Arkansas reports a 59 percent graduation rate and Arkansas State University reports a 37 percent overall graduation rate (the University of Arkansas at Little Rock reports only a 17 percent overall graduation rate). UCA is obviously doing something right to be in line with the rest of the state. The biggest concern, though, is the overall morale of the students–and faculty, for that matter–and the transparency of the administration. It isn’t difficult to see why UCA is facing some issues, and why the administration should focus less on advertising and more on implementing good changes in the university. Because enrollment grew so rapidly during the Hardin presidency, the amount of state funding the university was receiving per students fell drastically lower than any other major university in the state. In a Sept. 14 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article, Arkansas Department of Higher Education Director Jim Purcell said UCA doesn’t receive near the amount of money it should for the number of students and the average number of credit hours. Fortunately, he said the decrease in enrollment won’t result in a decrease in state funding, but UCA isn’t likely to see an increase in funding in this economy. It’s a sad fact, but one the administration needs to acknowledge because it’s unlikely the university will see a significant enough increase in state funding any time soon, even if enrollment does increase in the next few years. The administration should take a lesson from General Counsel Tom Courtway and cut the budget for advertising and marketing, like he did when he was interim president. This year’s advertising budget was already increased to $800,000. Wouldn’t it be nice to put some of that money back into the university where students and faculty could really take advantage of the funding? Not physical improvements–students and faculty have had enough of the construction. Even a portion of that $800,000 would be extremely beneficial in improving the wireless Internet in the residence halls, or in replacing the old and, frankly, unsightly computers in the new College of Business. There are probably many departments that could make great use of some of that money, and the administration should make that an option. UCA has as many students as it can handle with the dismal amount of state funding. The administration could really make an impact by keeping happy the students that are already here instead of bringing in new students, many of whom will only transfer out anyway.

There are probably many departments that could make great use of some of that money, and the administration should make that an option.

The Echo is printed weekly at the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Ark. Decisions about content are made by the student editors. The views published are not necessarily those of the University of Central Arkansas. All material is subject to respective copyrights.

Campus Life

September 22, 2010

Norville lectures about award-winning career by Abby Hartz Editor

Deborah Norville, a two-time Emmy Award winning journalist, opened the Distinguished Lecture Series in the sparcely-filled Reynolds Performance Hall on Sept. 17, touching on topics like the “backstabbing” world of broadcast journalism and the power of positive thinking. Norville’s lecture marked the first of four Distinguished Lectures for the 2010-11 Reynolds Performance Hall season. Norville got the lecture off to an entertaining start, filling the crowd in on a little-known fact brought up by Greg Brown, assistant professor of broadcast journalism, during his introduction of Norville. “I was mortified,” Norville said. “I was named the ‘best lips in broadcasting’ by Playboy magazine. When they came to take my photo for the magazine, about all you could see of me was my lips. I was wearing and turtle neck and trench coat.” Norville said the success of her career was a series of “happy accidents,” the first of which came from her entry in the Georgia Junior Miss pageant, which she unexpectedly won. “I had no talent,” Norville said. “I sewed my own clothes, so I just played a fashion show on the projector and I won.” She then had to compete on the national level in Mobile, Ala., where she did not experience the same success. However, the pageant was televised on CBS where Norville was able to see the production process in action and she put her two loves together, research and production, which she said resulted in

her decision to pursue broadcast journalism. Norville then entered the University of Georgia, and, as she said, accidentally became involved in the educational TV program, where the university was covering the current legislative session. “On the last day of the session, the wife of the guy who was running Channel 5 news saw me and showed her husband,” Norville said. “I get this call asking if I wanted to come on as a gopher and I was paid $75 a week.” Norville said the decline in the quality of news reporting came when the focus shifted from world issues to only what was going on in politics and the United States. “It used to be that people saw us [journalists] as their protectors,” Norville said. “If a reporter went to jail for protecting their sources, people applauded them. The focus changed to what was happening in the Oval Office and news became a profit center.” She added that to a large part, the decline is the media’s fault, with “bad news” not able to get on the air. Norville’s quick success on shows like “The Today Show” and as a correspondent for CBS made her the “golden girl of TV,” but that was a high price to pay, Norville said. “Jane Pauley turned in her resignation before I even began on [‘The Today Show,’] but that set the wheels in motion and when Jane announced she was leaving, some people thought it must have been because of my presence,” Norville said. “One Chicago-based newspaper had an article where the author said I reminded her of the ‘high school cheerleader that could do the entire football team and ace the Calculus test.’”

Norville said she had to learn that with the power of your mind you have to put those things in the past and move on. However, the controversy surrounding Norville took a toll on the ratings for “The Today Show” and when Norville left for her maternity leave, she said it was clear that she would not be welcomed back. Soon slipping into depression, Norville said honing back into who she was was the first step in moving forward. Those experiences, Norville said, were what gave her the material and took her to “exciting places” and led to her first book, “Back on Track: How to Straighten Out Your Life When It Throws You a Curve.” Norville wrapped up her lecture with this question to the audience: “Who are you?” The question she attributes to pulling her out of depression. Following the lecture there was a question and answer period, where several faculty and community members asked Norville about her different experiences as a journalist working in the broadcast journalism field. Sophomore art major Lauren William said: “I came with my two friends because I thought it would be a really great lecture. Her stories were amazing. My favorite was when she talked about a story she worked on for ‘Inside Edition.’” According to a Sept. 13 UCA Press Release: “Before becoming host of “Inside Edition,” Norville was with CBS News where she was a correspondent for “Street Stories,” “48 Hours” and co-anchor for “America Tonight.” She has also written three bestselling novels and two books for children.”

-HONORS-

Student teaches series on Southern films by Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor

UCA digital film and honors student senior Ron Walter’s love for film and the South has led to the creation of his Southern Film Series for students in the Honors College. The series is a free school within the Honors College and features five films directed by Southern filmmakers. Walter will lead a discussion following each film. “It’s called a ‘free school’ where a student could teach anything they want. Last semester somebody did one on Harry Potter,” Walter said. The films chosen include Ray McKinnon’s “The Accountant,” which was shown Sept. 13, David Gordon Green’s “George Washington,” Jeff Nichols’ “Shotgun Stories,” Scott Teems’ “That Evening Sun” and Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone.” “George Washington” will show Sept. 27, “Shotgun Stories” on Oct. 11, “That Evening Sun” on Nov. 8 and “Winter’s Bone” on Nov. 22. All of these films will be shown in the Farris Hall Lobby at 7 p.m. Walter stressed that due to copyright laws, these films are being shown for educational purposes only and are directly meant for honors students. Walter said his inspiration on the topic came from his own independent studies from the books he’s read and the films he’s seen. “I’ll be showing five films primarily based on the American South, mostly North Carolina and Arkansas. Two of the directors are from Arkansas, David Gordon Green and Ray McKinnon,” Walter said. He said “Winter’s Bone” gave him the idea for doing the series on Southern films and filmmakers. “I believe the idea came from watching ‘Winter’s Bone’ this summer at Market Street in Little Rock. It takes place along the Arkansas/Missouri border in the Ozarks,” Walter said. “I realized that of all the geographies in the U.S., this one has the most interesting values. The South has a very deep character to it and complexities. It’s a culture that forever will be exorcising its demons. The South deals with its past much more than any other place in the U.S.” Walter said he believes the South primarily gets a bad rap in

Sophomore Amber Bledsoe “I love it because it is the cheapest way to get the music I like, times are hard in college.”

cinema and hopes that the five films he’s showing will lead viewers and future filmmakers to change their minds about the South. “Sometimes these stories are over-generalized and glib in the media. The way cinema views the South is somewhere between ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Fried Green Tomatoes,’” he said. “Either it seems very bigoted and hostile or overly jovial, and many times unintelligent. There’s no defining features about other regions in film, but if you say something about the South people get an idea in their heads.” The next film showing in Walter’s Southern Film Series is Green’s 2000 film “George Washington,” which Walter said is one of the finest Southern films ever made. “He made it right out of college. It’s a really powerful production,” Walter said. “David Gordon Green is one of the finest Southern filmmakers. If Billy Bob Thornton was [the best Southern filmmaker] to the ‘90s, [then Green is] that to the 2000s.” “George Washington” won nine awards from such prestigious festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival and the Newport International Film Festival. Junior honors student Brittany Edwardes said she enjoyed “The Accountant,” the first film shown in the series. “I really liked ‘The Accountant’ because it presented a completely different flavor than the Hollywood movies that I am used to seeing. Rather than seeing the South portrayed in a stereotypical negative or humorous view, we saw the South in its true form for better, or for worse,” Edwardes said. “The Accountant” was a 2001 short film that won an Academy Award for Best Short Film, Live Action. The film also won three other awards at various awards shows. Junior honors student Tyler Bittle said he expects to gain a greater appreciation for film and Southern culture from Walter’s film series. “Ron is very passionate about film, and that same passion is what makes his Southern Film Series entertaining and thoughtful. Ron’s choices in movies reflect an overall progression of the message he is trying to deliver through his series as opposed to being an arbitrary list of films that have Southern influence,” Bittle said. “I’m expecting to gain both a greater appreciation of film and Southern culture through Ron’s series and with ‘The Accountant’ setting the bar, I am very excited for what’s next.”

Students Say by Lukas Deem photos by Lukas Deem

Nick Hillemann photo

Emmy-Award winning journalist Deborah Norville speaks to the audience at Reynolds Performance Hall on Sept. 17 about her career as a broadcast journalist.

SKATIN’ALONG

Lukas Deem photo

Freshman Sara Paxton longboards outside New Hall on Monday. Sept. 20. Students have enjoying the weather by taking part in outdoor activities.

Freshman Ethan McMoran “Downloading music is amazing, I love it and use it every day.”

“How do you feel about illegally downloading music?” Junior Awni Filat “I feel great about it because some people can’t afford to buy music all the time so it becomes a way to lessen the financial stress we feel as college students.”

Sophomore Brandon Camp “I am inclined to overlook any moral dilemmas with it because it’s free to download music. It’s not free to go to Best Buy.”

Junior Kristopher Little “I hate it, artists work hard to make their music. Also, it is not fair because some of us do pay and get it legally while others get all that they want for free.”

Freshman Cassie Lassie “I think it is stealing but I do it anyway purely because it is easy.”

w w w. UCAE cho .n e t / fe atu res

Sophomore Travis Alexander “I feel that it’s wrong, but I do it anyway because I’m too embarrassed someone will see me buying my Coldplay records and think I’m a homesexual.”

Senior Jackson Fliss “I like music and I download it but I’m not sure how I feel about it morally at this point.”

ucaecho.net

CAMPUS LIFE

September 22, 2010/ 5 by Lance Coleman

KODIAK MOMENT

-SHOWCASE-

- CONCERT-

Rimes set to sing in Reynolds on Sunday Baum Gallery opens art exhibits featuring Blackmon, Luckett

by Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor

by Crosby Dunn

Country and pop music superstar LeAnn Rimes will perform at Reynolds Performance Hall on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 4 p.m. as part of the UCA Public Appearances fall semester schedule. Reynolds Performance Hall has seen the likes of legends such as Ray Charles, Loretta Lynn and The Temptations previously, but rarely include performances from a superstar of the younger generation, like Rimes. Public Appearances Director Jerry Biebesheimer said that artists like Rimes are typically out of the Public Appearancesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; price range. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Normally those kind of things are way out of our price range. Luckily she chose to [perform] at less than half of her normal fee,â&#x20AC;? Biebesheimer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of her friends said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;you should go to Conway; people are really nice there.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know who it was, but it was likely [Loretta] Lynn or [Rhonda] Vincent because they were the most recent to play here.â&#x20AC;? Rimes is performing at Reynolds to support her upcoming album â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lady and Gentlemen,â&#x20AC;? which will release just over a week after she plays at UCA, on Oct. 5. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lady and Gentlemanâ&#x20AC;? will be Rimesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 11th studio album and her first since 2007â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Family.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lady and Gentlemenâ&#x20AC;? is a cover album in tribute to Rimesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; favorite country music love songs, which were all previously covered by men, hence the title of the album, according to cmt.com. The album includes many country classics like George Jonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;He Stopped Loving Her Today,â&#x20AC;? Waylon Jenningsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Only Daddy Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Walk the Line,â&#x20AC;? Freddy Fenderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,â&#x20AC;? Vince Gillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I Call Your Nameâ&#x20AC;? and several more. Rimesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first single from the album is a cover of John Andersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1983 hit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Swinginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.â&#x20AC;? Rimes debuted the song on the 2010 CMT Music Awards in June. The song didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do well on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, topping out at only number 57. Rimes burst onto the country music scene in 1996 at the age of 13 with the number 10 country hit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blue,â&#x20AC;? according to cmt.com. The song won the Academy of Country Music awards for single and song of the year. Rimes also won both the ACM award and CMA award for best new artist the same year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blueâ&#x20AC;? also garnered Rimes two Grammy Awards. Rimes has had 12 career top 10 country hits and one career number one (1996â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;One Way Ticketâ&#x20AC;? from her debut album). Rimesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; notable songs include â&#x20AC;&#x153;How Do I Live,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Need You,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Fight the Moonlight,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Probably Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Be This Way,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nothinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Better to Doâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Somethingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gotta Give.â&#x20AC;?

Assistant Campus Life Editor & Assistant Web Editor

photo courtesy of Public Appearances

Country music singer LeAnn Rimes will perform songs from her upcoming album â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lady and Gentlemenâ&#x20AC;? at Reynolds Performance Hall on Sunday at 4 p.m. Rimes has had 12 top 10 country hits. Her acoustic tour kicked off Sept. 18 in Chicago with a three-man backing band to perform a 90-minute show, according to cmt.com. Controversy has surrounded Rimes, recently following her divorce from Dean Sheremet after she had an affair with actor Eddie Cibrian, whom she co-starred with in the Lifetime movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Northern Lights.â&#x20AC;? Senior Philip Price said he believes that Public Appearances bringing a star of Rimesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; caliber to UCA should prove to be exciting for students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It seems a positive way for UCA to garner a lot of good recognition when you have well established music stars coming to play a concert at the school. It gives people something to talk about regarding UCA,â&#x20AC;? Price said. Tickets for the Rimes concert are $10 to $20 for students and $40 to $80 for general public.

- B R OA D WAY-

photo courtesy of Publice Appearences

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Three Phantomsâ&#x20AC;? will perform at Reynolds Performance Hall Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Phantomsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to entertain Reynolds by Rachel McAdams News Editor

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Three Phantoms,â&#x20AC;? with the Conway Symphony Orchestra will appear at Reynolds Performance Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Jerry Biebesheimer, director of UCA Public Appearances, said once they found out that Conway Symphony Orchestra would be willing to play alongside them, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Three Phantomsâ&#x20AC;? were very excited about the opportunity and thought it would be fun. The Conway Symphony Orchestra will accompany the men as songs from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Miserables,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Phantom of the Operaâ&#x20AC;? are featured. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve really got a better symphony than we ought to have for a town of our size,â&#x20AC;? he said. Craig Schulman, Brad Little and Gary Mauer are experienced in Broadway. According to the UCA playbill, they have logged more than 8,000 performances, including 3,000 performances of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Phantom of the Operaâ&#x20AC;? and 2,000 performances of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Miserables.â&#x20AC;? Craig Schulman, known for the roles of the Phantom in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Phantom of the Opera,â&#x20AC;? Jean

Valjean in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Miserablesâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jekyll & Hydeâ&#x20AC;? has played in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fiddler On The Roof,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evita,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Secret Gardenâ&#x20AC;? and various productions around the world. He has sung on â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rosie Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell Showâ&#x20AC;? and NBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weekend â&#x20AC;&#x153;Todayâ&#x20AC;? He added that Schulman, who was trained in both opera and Broadway, was put at a crossroads where he was given the choice to be an understudy for Placido Domingo of The Three Tenors, known for more than 30 years in the opera community and even lauded as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;King of Opera,â&#x20AC;? or to take the opportunity to perform in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Phantom of the Opera.â&#x20AC;? Lucky for the thousands he has impacted with his acting and his voice, he chose the latter. Brad Little has Broadway and national tour experience including more than 2,000 performances of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Phantom of the Opera,â&#x20AC;? playing both The Phantom and Raoul in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cyrano: The Musical.â&#x20AC;? Gary Mauer is a recording artist, having recorded an album, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This Is The Moment,â&#x20AC;? and contributed to several including â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bravo Broadway.â&#x20AC;? He has sung on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Live with Regis and Kathy Leeâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;The View.â&#x20AC;? He is most noted for his performance as Raoul in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Phantom of the Operaâ&#x20AC;? and Enjoiras in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Miserables.â&#x20AC;? Sophomore Anna Davis said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have sold 417 tickets and still have 762 available.â&#x20AC;?

Sherri L. Latimer

Go Bears! 10% discount for all UCA Faculty, Staff and Students

Attorney at Law

#RIMINAL $EFENSE 4RAFFIC $7) $5) $IVORCE #USTODY 6ISITATION 7ILLS 4RUSTS

The Baum Gallery opened its new exhibit on Thursday, Sept. 17, which featured new artwork and photos by both a UCA professor and artists from out of state. One of the exhibits, called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fantastic Realities: Julie Blackmon,â&#x20AC;? was by Julie Blackmon, an artist from Missouri who digitally manipulates photos. James Austin, a freshman and art major said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really impressed by Julie Blackmon. All her work looks realistic and I like the reflections in her works.â&#x20AC;? Austin said he was especially impressed by Blackmonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s piece called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Candy.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to compose these things in a photo. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done really well. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned a lot about negative space, it can be a good thing. You can get a greater view and more detail from far away,â&#x20AC;? Austin said. Gayle Seymour, professor and associate dean of the art department said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a stunning exhibit. This is just what UCA should be doing. Julie Blackmonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is very hot in the art market right now.â&#x20AC;? Another exhibit is called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Baum MFA Biennial Competitive Exhibition.â&#x20AC;? It has artwork from two students who won a national competition, Ananda Biligit-LeFils and Daniel

McFarlane. The two students do not attend UCA. The final exhibit was called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aqua Bomb,â&#x20AC;? which featured artwork from Sandra Luckett, a visiting professor who is teaching painting this semester. All of the artwork in her exhibit is new, made in her spare time while at UCA. One of her works is a series of butterflies she made and attached directly to the wall in the Baum gallery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of the art here was made by me in two weeks during my free time, except for my painting and my etched mirror,â&#x20AC;? Luckett said. Luckett said she liked the other exhibits, too. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the paintings are really strong examples of contemporary issues in painting. They have good uses of mixed media,â&#x20AC;? Luckett said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Julieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compositions and their quirkiness make them really engaging.â&#x20AC;? Barbara Satterfield, director of the Baum Gallery, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very pleased with the gallery exhibits. They are great works of contemporary art done by excelling artists. They explore topics in ways of working that are new and they use materials in interesting ways.â&#x20AC;? The galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., for receptions only.

6 / September 22, 2010

CAMPUS LIFE

-SAB-

Power Hour

ucaecho.net

-SPEAKER-

Audience learns of porn’s dangers by Crosby Dunn

By Crosby Dunn

I’ve learned the hard way why exercising between classes can be a detriment to my grades. I have a break between my classes, and I decided to save time and workout then. My workouts usually run about 45 minutes to an hour, and I’m usually dead after them. For the rest of the day, I am completely exhuasted. I don’t want to do anything school related, including going to class. I now no longer exercise between my classes. I’d rather be awake. I have found that the best times to workout are when I have nothing else to do that day. I try to get everything done that I need to do before physically exhausting myself. Homework should always come first. Missing a class because “I was too tired to come” isn’t going to float with your professors. I always make time for some kind of exercise, even if it’s just 20 minutes of cardio, even if I still have homework to do. Twenty minutes of running won’t make me want to pass out and, if anything, it revitalizes me. Something about a quick run usually gives me energy. It’s better than nearly passing out at the end of working out. Some days, that kind of workout is nice. I like pushing myself to the absolute limit, but that isn’t always conducive to an academic lifestyle. School should be the highest priority.

Assistant Campus Life Editor & Assistance Web Editor

Daisuke Fukada photo

SeniorAmber Amos receives a painting created by Joe in the Student Center Courtyard on Monday, Sept. 16.

Artists entertain students in courtyard with spray paint by Crosby Dunn

Assistant Campus Life Editor & Assistant Web Editor During x-period on Sept. 16, the Student Activities Board brought in a duo of spray paint artists who created various pieces of artwork for free in the Student Center Courtyard. Students waited in line as the two artists painted. When it was a student’s turn to receive a painting, they were able to select one of 15 different styles. The paintings included ocean view, mountain night sky, cityscape and others. Each painting was completed in five minutes. “I thought his artwork was very interesting,” senior Chelsie Morgan said. “I’m an artist and I could never create something that fast and still be beautiful. I didn’t learn anything from watching them, but it did inspire me to try and make something with spray paint. I want to try and recreate something he made, but I doubt it will be as good.” While the students waited on the artists to finish the painting, they were able to talk with the artists and listen to a custom soundtrack that the artists brought with them. “Joe,” the alias of one of the artists, said: “The soundtrack is actually our way of telling time. We use it to let us know when

we can take a break or how much time before we need to start wrapping things up.” Throughout the soundtrack, the music would stop and a computer-generated female voice would announce when they were taking a break or it would advertise their website. “I’ve been doing this for 11 years at UCA,” Joe said. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years total. My partner, Sarah [Kiergaard], has been doing this for about 11 years.” Joe said one problem he faces when doing his work is that people will request the same painting repeatedly, which is why one of the paintings students can choose from is “artist’s choice.” “I try to reserve those that take more time for artist’s choice,” Joe said. “If students constantly pick night sky as the painting they want done, I run out of ideas to make each one unique. I start to feel like a Xerox machine. But artist’s choice gives me a chance to get out of the box.” Senior Tiffany Axsom said: “Watching him create works of art was awesome. You don’t think about spray paint as being something used for art like that. You usually think of it being used for graffiti. I couldn’t ever attempt to do something like him, it would just end up being a smudge.”

Porn was the topic of interest the evening of Sept. 15 when Michael Leahy came to speak in the Student Center Ballroom on the dangers of porn addiction and how he turned his life around after recovering from it. Leahy spent most of the lecture educating the audience and giving different statistics about porn, but toward the end of his speech he talked about his own life. Leahy said he was married for over 15 years but got a divorce because he had an affair. He said the affair resulted from his addiction to pornography. He used his life story and how he recovered from porn addiction to shed new light on the subject for the audience. Leahy would switch from talking about porn and his addiction to playing different videos that coincided with what he was talking about. One video was called “Death by Sex Syndrome.” The video was about the dangers of beginning a relationship with sex, and how it can ruin intimacy. “I thought his talk was interesting,” UCA graduate Alex Blondell said. “He was brave enough to get in front of a lot of people to tell his story and not be ashamed. My major was addictive studies, so his talk hit me where I’m learning. It made me much more knowledgeable about the subject,” UCA? graduate Alex Blondell said.

Close to the end of the lecture, he told everyone that he was going to tell his spiritual side of the story, and gave everyone a four-minute break. After the break, a video was played called “Sexual Healing.” It was a series of firsthand accounts about how Christianity saved them from their addictions. The video featured accounts of former porn/ sex addicts and how, through Christ, they were saved. He then spoke about how it saved him, and included a story about a time he and Ron Jeremy, a famous porn star, were in a hot tub talking about death and the afterlife. “My main goal is educating students about porn. My second goal is to educate people about Christ,” Leahy said. The speech was sponsored by Campus Crusade for Life, which pays for Leahy to travel across the nation to talk to students on college campuses. “I’ve been doing this talk for seven years,” Leahy said. “I’ve been to 200 schools in the USA, Canada, Bosnia, Slovakia and Kenya.” He said he doesn’t speak any language except English and has to have an interpreter when he travels out of the country. “My goal is to really bring this neglected topic up,” Leahy said. Freshman Brandon Hoffman said: “His speech was interesting. I didn’t know that it was that big of a subject. It made me think differently about its aspects.”

-WAKEUP-

New concierge service helps students wake by Lisa Burnett Staff Writer

UCA students now have a new option when it comes to waking up for class – a personal call from UCA to rouse even the sleepiest students from their beds. A free and easy-to-use wakeup call and reminder service is now available to students, called hiBEARnator. This new service can be set up with a student’s everyday schedule, not only to wake up for class, but also to remind students of upcoming meetings or exams. Reminders can be scheduled anywhere from five minutes to six months in advance. With this service, calls can be scheduled online, and students can receive them at home or on their cell phone. The concierge service for UCA began in July. Mallory Carranza, graduate assistant for the concierge service said: “President Allen Meadors had this service at his previous university and wanted to set it up at his current university.” Students have mixed emotions about the service.

“It’s a really good idea for students if they take advantage of this new service,” senior Brittany Conine said. “I know a lot of people who don’t check their e-mail, so students who don’t know about this should check out the information desk in the Student Center.” Junior Lauren Mohlke said she doesn’t think that the new service is good for students. Mohlke said: “I have mixed emotions about it. I understand UCA is trying to make it a good thing, helping out students. I also feel like it keeps students from growing up. We are in college now, and we should be responsible enough to wake ourselves up on time.” Every wakeup call has the option of being set up as “EasyAwake” for light sleepers, or “SecureAwake” for heavy sleepers. “EasyAwake” calls will be a one-time call, while “SecureAwake” calls will be attempted up to three times, every five minutes, until the phone is answered and the “1” key on the telephone is pressed. To set up an account go to http://edu. snoozester.com/uca/welcome. For any questions, contact the Student CenterInformation Desk.

Entertainment

September 22, 2010

-TELEVISION-

Season looks bright for “Parenthood” by Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor

wired.com

“Halo: Reach,” the latest installment of the Halo franchise, is said to be the last of the “Halo” games. The game is a prequal to the original “Halo” trilogy, answering questions left unanswered by the other games.

Latest ‘Halo’ game proves instant classic

by Simon Gable

look the same. The flow of the game allows you to progress through the levels diligently, constantly going from one intense battle to the next without getting lost along the way. The story in “Reach” is great, and is one that both avid “Halo” fans and beginners can both enjoy. Previous “Halo” installments bogged down the game with long, drawn-out cut scenes and complex story ideas. “Reach” however, lets the gameplay do the talking. Veteran “Halo” players should be able to complete the campaign mode in eight to 10 hours on heroic. Newcomers should be able to do the same with the difficulty set on normal. Campaign mode, which allows a multi-player game with up to four people (either split-screen or online), is a must-play that will keep players coming back for more. However, campaign mode is just the tip of the iceberg. “Reach” offers players a variety of new abilities. The addition of armor abilities is one of the best things about “Reach.” These armor additions allow players to temporarily choose from abilities like active camouflage, sprinting and jetpacks. Players can only have one ability at a time, and they require a cool down period before they can be used again. New weapons have been added, but classics like the needler and assault rifle remain. Also, the classic battle rifle has been replaced by the DMR. The designated marksman’s rifle is basically an upgraded single-shot version of the battle rifle. This should be any Spartan’s go-to weapon. “Reach” also offers players extensive online options. Players have the ability

Staff Writer

“Halo: Reach,” the latest Xbox 360 game from Bungie, was released in stores Sept. 14th, and it does not disappoint. “Reach” is the fifth installment of the “Halo” series, or sixth if you count “Halo Wars.” According to bungie.net, this will be the final “Halo” project. Luckily, the world’s last taste of anything “Halo” is sweet and satisfying. The plot of “Reach” serves as a prequel to the first versions of the original “Halo” trilogy. Unlike its predecessors, the campaign mode of “Reach” does not center around the Master Chief. Instead, players take control of Noble 6, the rookie member of a group of Spartans called the Noble Team. “Reach” allows you to choose the gender of Noble 6 and gives you the option to fully customize his or her armor. Noble 6’s story begins with an introduction to planet Reach, the home to humanity’s military stronghold. According to ign.com, a popular video game website, it houses the same Spartan program that produced the Master Chief himself. Throughout the 11-stage campaign, Noble 6 and his team thoroughly explore the planet. Of course, this is all done while fighting the ongoing war with the Covenant alien race. Reach’s array of wide-open levels and improved graphics make this the best “Halo” campaign to date. No longer do you find yourself constantly backtracking your way through the same environment, or walking down endless hallways that all

to choose from an array of classic game options including Slayer, Rumble Pit and Capture the Flag. New options include fast-paced team objective missions like Invasion and Headhunter. Players can also participate in a cooperative mode called Firefight. This pits a team of four against wave after wave of Covenant troops. “Reach” has totally revamped the online matchmaking process by allowing players to choose from several maps, rather than just one. The added armor abilities drastically change the tactics that go into a multiplayer match. Players can don the active camouflage and sneak up on unsuspecting victims, or put on the jetpack and fly around killing people, a personal favorite. Another great thing about “Reach” is the constant positive reinforcement. Everything that’s done in the game, whether it’s playing campaign or online, earns points. Some downsides to the game include bad team artificial intelligence and the lack of new online levels. The enemy’s artificial intelligence throughout the game is spot on. “Reach” is definitely the hardest and most tactical version of “Halo” when the difficulty is turned up. However, your AI teammates will do you little good, so it is advised to play with a friend. The lack of multiplayer levels can get a bit repetitive but new map packs will undoubtedly be released in time. Overall, “Reach” takes the franchise to new heights. A compelling story mode and endless online fun make this game a must have for Xbox 360 owners.

-MUSIC-

Ludo, Ace Enders give fans new albums “Prepare the Preparations” Ludo by Lisa Burnett Staff Writer

Ludo surprises fans once again with their 4th studio album, “Prepare the Preparations,” which is different from anything else they have released. The album, which was released on Sept. 7, is their most diverse yet. The style of this music goes from poppy to Broadway-esque to hard rock. Each track is completely different. Some might find this album odd because of its diversity, but that’s also what makes this album genius. The band’s frontman, Andrew Volpe, wrote all but one track on the album. “Whipped Cream,” the first single from this album is more like the sound of Ludo’s last album, “Love Me Dead.” It has the basic rock beat, guitar solo and fun lyrics that make Ludo so enjoyable to listen to. The most unusual song on this album is “Skeletons on Parade,” which sounds a lot like a Broadway production. You can easily envision the band playing this song out as a drama and dance number. The track tells a story and really shows off the unique talent that Volpe possesses.

The best song on this album is “Anything for You.” Its acoustic sound makes it seem sincere in its meaning, and really shows how much a man can care about someone. “I’ll Never be Lonely Again” sounds like it should have been played at a ‘50s sock hop. Its ballad vocals and scratchy sound give it that effect. You can’t help singing along with its simple beat and heartfelt lyrics such as “on a hot Kansas night/I pulled you in tight/and gave you the words I’d been holding/I gazed in your twinkling eyes/and kissed you for the first time.” My personal favorite track on the album has got to be “Battle Cry,” because the lyrics along with the music are a perfect pair. The vocals/harmonies remind me of Queen, and the guitar solos remind me of Boston, but of course Ludo, like always, makes a sound like no other. This song really does make you want to go fight some sort of battle because of the inspiring lyrics. The song says: “We are young, but we will never die/we won’t give up, this is our battle cry/and we will defeat the other guy.” Guitar is not hard to find on “Cyborgs vs. Robots,” which has a rock ‘n’ roll feel to it, along with a robot/auto-tuned sound effect. If you are a Ludo fan, buy this album. If you aren’t a Ludo fan, buy this album.

1. At the Drive-In

Five Bands We Wish We Could Have Seen Before Their End list compiled by Preston Tolliver

Arguably the most notorious post-hardcore band to ever hit the scene, At the Drive-In were known not just for their loud and fast music, but also the way they blended the energy from their music into their live shows. After their 2001 breakup, vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez formed the popular progressive band, The Mars Volta.

Not only does Ludo outdo themselves on “Preparations,” the band outdoes many mainstream artists by a long shot.

“Dustin’ Off the Ol’ Guitar” Ace Enders

by Preston Tolliver Entertainment Editor

Ace Enders, former frontman of The Early November and recently reestablished emo/alternative band I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business, released a seven-song EP this weekend, giving his fans acoustic covers of classic songs from both bands. The album was officially released under I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business, but features Enders singing with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a xylophone at parts. According to I Can Make a Mess’s website, the songs featured on the album were all requested by fans. The band offers several versions of the CD on its website, ranging from a digital download to a CD and a page of lyrics from TEN’s final album. Enders will make three more songs available for free download to those buying the album once 5,000 copies are sold.

2. Pink Floyd Seen by many as pioneers to the live musical performance, rock dieties Pink Floyd made a name for themselves in the ‘60s and ‘70s by incorporating previously unheard-of elements into their concerts. Providing psychadelic light shows, which involved strobe lights, lasers and an animated screen, Pink Floyd quickly became known for much more than their musical talents.

The Bravermans returned to television Sept. 14 for the season two premiere of NBC’s family drama “Parenthood.” The season kicked off with Sarah (Lauren Graham) searching for a job, Adam (Peter Krause) dealing with his boss, the addition of Gordon Flint (William Baldwin) to the show. Crosby (Dax Shepard) is dealing with his girlfriend, Jasmine (Joy Bryant), and his son, Jabbar (Tyree Brown), living in New York. Julia (Erika Christensen) and Joel (Sam Jaeger) are dealing with their daughter’s discovery of the word “vagina” and Zeke (Craig T. Nelson) and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia) going through couple’s counseling. As always, “Parenthood” has a lot going on in just an hour-long drama with essentially five different storylines going on at once, but as always the show manages to hold up nicely. “Parenthood” is solid week in and week out (at least it was in season one). Because it’s a family drama it may never give us a grand episode of mystery like many dramas will, but you know you’re going to get quality with every episode. Some obvious notes from the first episode include the addition of Baldwin as Adam’s boss. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this addition, the show already has enough characters … in fact, with 15 characters in the main cast it might be the biggest cast on television. Because of the fact that William

Baldwin naturally looks and sounds so much like his brother, Alec, from NBC’s “30 Rock,” I half wanted or expected to see William burst out as the brother of Jack Donaghey (Alec’s hilarious boss character on “30 Rock”). I know deep down though that this wouldn’t work in this drama. From the previews for future episodes, we realize that Baldwin is going to serve as a love interest for Graham’s character of Sarah. I don’t know about everybody else, but Graham and Baldwin just don’t seem like a very good match to me. Another thing noticeable about the episode is that it only included Sarah’s daughter, Amber (Mae Whitman), for around 10 seconds (if that). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and there will probably be an actor or two in each given episode who suffers a little loss of screen time. I think the most interesting character on the show throughout the show’s first season in the spring was Crosby, who grew from an immature boyishman needing to grow up to a father for Jabbar. In season two’s premiere, Crosby is having a rough time dealing with Jasmine and Jabbar being in New York so she could pursue her dancing career. We also see that Crosby might possibly have some interest in Minka Kelly, who plays Max’s autism coach. The funniest thing about the season two premiere was Zeek trying to calm down his aggressiveness a little with both his wife and everybody else. I sincerely hope his line: “I hear you and I see you” remains with his character throughout the season.

- I N T H E AT E R S -

ehollywoodnonsense.blogspot.com

Ben Afﬂeck directs and stars in the new action-drama, “The Town,” a movie about crime syndicates and the personal lives behind them.

Affleck’s ‘The Town’ hits homerun by Brandon Norwood Staff Writer

Ben Affleck delivers again as he directs and stars in “The Town,” which features an enormous cast, overlapping plots, and several car chases and shootouts. This is Affleck’s second movie as a director and it’s filled with excitement, drama and comedy, quickly showing he has what it takes to make entertaining movies. While it isn’t as emotionally-charged as “Gone Baby Gone,” Affleck’s first movie as a director, it makes up for in action and tension. “The Town” is set in Charlestown Mass., a city that the movie says has the highest number of bank robberies per capita. Crime is a part of life and tricks of the criminal trade are passed down from father to son. It centers around one crew of bank robbers led by Doug MacRay (Affleck). During a bank robbery, MacRay’s crew takes Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage just in case they are followed by the police later. She eventually is let go unharmed but they soon find out she lives in Charlestown and that she could possibly identify them to the FBI. To ease the mind of his hot-headed friend, James (Jeremy Renner), whose character is somewhat similar to his character in “The Hurt Locker,” Doug agrees to get close to Claire to see what she knows. Like most other movies in this genre, MacRay falls in love and wants out of the crime game, but is forced by the crime boss, played by Pete Postlethwaite, to do one last heist with a relentless FBI agent, Frawley, played by Jon Hamm on his tail. Affleck also had a hand in writing the

3. Mineral Before bands like Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday and Brand New popularized the “emo” genre, there was Mineral. The ‘90s band was known for their soothing and intelligent lyrics blended with the heavy instrumental backing, often being compared to fellow emo legends Sunny Day Real Estate. Sadly, Mineral was short-lived and recorded only two albums.

screenplay along with Sheldon Turner and Peter Craig. The dialogue between the characters was to the point and not really thought-provoking, but flowed together decently enough. There were many moments where humor was used to bring the down the tension, which worked really well. The acting in “The Town” is superb. The heist scenes and getaways were executed beautifully. One downside, though, was the excessive use of the Boston Red Sox logo. It seemed like there was at least one in each scene. I’m all for showing pride for your favorite team, but when the logo of one team is one of the main things you see in a movie, it gets annoying. Another downside is the character development for a couple of characters. The FBI Agent played by Hamm seems to really hate bank robbers and will do anything to get them locked away but it doesn’t really explain why. While Blake Lively’s acting is good, her character is a complete waste. She plays Renner’s sister and an old flame to MacRay, but she is mostly absent from the movie until almost the end. Those are only minor setbacks and overall the movie is excellent, living up to its hype.

ATTENTION STUDENTS! Do you play music or have a film you would like to have featured in the Echo? If so, shoot us an e-mail at ucaechoeditor@gmail.com with your information!

4. The Smiths Despite having had a terrible falling out, The Smiths are easily considered one of the most influential alternative bands. Though they only released three albums (their second, “Meat is Murder,” is on the Rolling Stone’s “Top 500 Albums of All Time” at number 295), The Smiths would go on to influence many modernday bands, such as Brand New and Manchester Orchestra.

5. Velvet Underground In the ‘60s when the Velvet Underground formed, they didn’t really gain the notoriety they deserved for their talent. They weren’t even recognized for it 10 years later. Now, almost half a century later, they’ve become one of the most well-known rock bands in American history. In 2003, the Rolling Stones placed them at number 19 on their “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” list.

Sports

September 22, 2010

From the Shotgun By Ben Keller

Jeter not cheater; football team has to be ready; NFL surprise win

efore I go into detail about some of the topics I’m discussing this week, I want to make it painfully clear that I have been and always will be a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan. That being said, if you have been paying attention to any sports news over the past week, you probably already know I’m about to defend Derek Jeter and him milking being hit by a pitch that didn’t even touch him. I really cannot understand why people are so upset about Jeter doing this. It is not like this is the first time in the history of baseball that someone has faked being hit by a pitch. It’s called gamesmanship for a reason. You play the game to win the game, and that is what Jeter did. He is a great player and he knows what needs to be done when push comes to shove. Another thing that shows he is a great player is after the game he openly admitted he was not hit by the pitch. If he wanted to be unsportsmanlike he could have kept the facade up and claimed he was hit despite the replays. He owned up and said he was playing the game, nothing more, nothing less. • The Bears football game this past weekend was a nailbiter at the end. The Bears did win, but in all honestly they got lucky with the win against Murray State. The Bears are going to have to start realizing they cannot stop playing after the first half and have to give it 100 percent the entire game. I have talked with Coach Clint Conque and players about how they are combatting the team’s endurance and said they are working on it with heavy conditioning to build up the team’s long-time endurance. The problem is they have one more game between them and conference play, and Tulsa is not going to be a pushover. They are going to test the Bears and push their abilities to the limit. The Bears need to solve the prevalent problems they have had and finish fine-tuning their playing style this weekend before going against Northwestern State on Oct. 9.

• The Sugar Bears volleyball team had a great home opening weekend this past weekend and they had an equally as great home crowd to support them. During the Sugar Bears Classic Tournament, the Prince Center was always packed and it was a great mix of Conway locals and student support. I have to commend the Bears Den RSO for being out there and getting other students to come out and support the team. I think the new student standing section added to the Prince Center court was a great idea and hopefully, every game will have students filling up that section of the bleachers. • Week two of the NFL has seen some interesting games, but the most shocking by far was the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Chicago Bears 27-20 on Sunday. Sorry to say this to you Cowboys fans, but it looks like you are all in for a rough season if they are already 0-2 and both of those games were games they were favored to win easily. What this does bring to the ring is the potential for the Bears to be a team who shakes things up a little bit this season. Teams in their division should not be writing off the Bears as an easy win because they are going to fight to the bitter end, and quarterback Jay Cutler is one of the main reasons why the Bears are going to be a team to watch out for. He has really come into his own as a quarterback and a leader for the Bears and that can be a deadly combination if they are underestimated. The second Manning Bowl ended the way everyone expected, with the Peyton Manning, Dwight Freeny and the rest of the Colts destroying any shred of hope Eli Manning and the Giants had of beating Eli’s big brother. Sorry Eli, looks like you’ll have to stay in your brother’s shadow for a bit longer, or until you can get yourself another Superbowl victory under your belt.

-PREVIEW-

Bears football prepares for tough game against Tulsa Hurricanes on Saturday by Ben Keller Sports Editor

The Bears football team will have their hands full this week as they prepare to face the University of Tulsa Hurricanes on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m in Tulsa. Coach Clint Conque said the team is going to have to prepare better than they did last week for their game against the Murray State Racers, who the Bears beat 21-20. Conque said he hopes the team has taken some of the lessons learned from the game against the Racers and will bring that experience into the game against the Hurricanes. “Myself and the coaching staff helped the team understand that our preparation was not quite as on par with the practices from our first two weeks,” he said. “I was concerned about a let down. I was concerned about us taking Murray State lightly because they were 0-2 and coming to our place.” Redshirt freshman quarterback Wynrick Smothers said the team is going to work on getting the offense going earlier in the game and keeping it going throughout. “We don’t want to have to worry about being behind early in the game because we know

Tulsa is going to be tough,” he said. “We have to stay in rhythm right from the start and stay like that for the entire game.” Smothers said the team will practice most of the same ways, but with more effort put into everything they do. Conque said the team is getting better every week and he is pleased that they are 3-0 right now, but the team has to be looking at the whole season and being prepared as well as looking to the next game. “It is my responsibility to make sure we are doing those things and to that end, I am not looking just at the Tulsa game, I am looking at the rest of the season and these younger players who will be with us over the next two, three or four years,” he said. Conque said the Hurricanes are very similair in terms of play scheme and their coaching philosophy as they were when the Bears faced them two years ago. “Coach [Todd] Graham is still the head coach at Tulsa and he has a philosophy in place both offensively and defensively,” he said. “I have a great respect for their program and they are a tough competitor out of the USA Conference and they play with 85 full scholarship players so we know that,to date, this will be our greatest challenge this season.”

Anthony Byrnes photo

Bears redshirt freshman quarterback Wynrick Smothers takes a snap during the Bears game against the Murray State Racers on Sept. 18 at Estes Stadium. The Bears defeated the Racers by a narrow margin of one point, 21-20.

Bears skirt past Racers 21-20 by Julian Spivey and Carissa Gan Campus Life Editor & Staff Writer

The Bears football team needed the late blocked field goal by sophomore defensive back Marcus Dumas to defeat the Murray State Racers by one point, 21-20 at Estes Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18. The Bears’ win gives them a perfect 3-0 record thus far in the season, while the Racers fell to 0-3. The Bears got off to a quick lead in the first quarter when junior quarterback Nathan Dick found an unbelievably wide open senior wide receiver Kenneth Robey for an easy 50yard touchdown to give the Bears a 7-0 lead at the 11:41 mark. The Racers cut into the Bears’ lead just a little bit with 8:51 remaining in the first quarter on a 43-yard field goal by junior kicker Kienan Cullen to make the score 7-3. On the Bears’ next drive, they had another possible long touchdown in sight on a pass from Dick to junior wide receiver TJ Adams, but the pass was booted by Adams on the run. The Bears were forced to punt the ball away, but received it back shortly after when sophomore defensive back Desmond Wilcox intercepted a pass from Racers senior quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt.

With 1:07 left in the first quarter, Bears sophomore running back Jackie Hinton scored from seven yards out on a touchdown run to give the Bears a 14-3 lead. It would be almost three full quarters before the Bears would find the scoreboard again. In the second quarter the Racers went on a run, scoring two touchdowns in the span of two minutes, both on touchdown passes from Ehrhardt to senior wide receiver Daniel Ard. The first touchdown from Ehrhardt to Ard came at the 13:09 point in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass on second and six, shortly after the Racers converted on fourth and second previously on the drive to keep the drive alive. The second touchdown came on a 8-yard pass at the 11:14 mark following a fumble by Bears sophomore running back Anthony Blackmon that was recovered by the Racers’ defense. Bears senior kicker Eddie Carmona missed a field goal at the 6:03 mark in the second quarter which would have tied the game. The Racers took a 17-14 lead into halftime. The third quarter was pretty inactive for both the Bears and the Racers, with the only points of the quarter coming off of a 39-yard field goal by Cullen to give the Racers a sixpoint lead at 20-14 with 5:16 remaining in the quarter.

The lead would hold up for the Racers until the 4:21 mark in the fourth quarter when Hinton broke free for a 21-yard touchdown run for the Bears to give them a one-point lead at 21-20. The Racers marched back down the field and into field goal territory where Cullen was lining up for what could likely be a game-winning 50-yard field goal. The field goal attempt was blocked by Dumas with 34 seconds remaining on the clock and Dick simply had to take a couple of knees to seal the victory for the Bears. Coach Clint Conque said the penalties the Bears have been racking up have to stop as well as repeated mistakes. “The concentration and practices were poor,” he said. “I’m not gonna mention any names, but some mistakes were repeated by the same people. We still need to catch the ball more and eliminate the penalties. We dropped some balls in the early parts of the game, though protection was okay. We just have to be prepared.” Dick said this game was an eye-opener for the team and that they will have to stay focused and be better prepared for future games. “This game was a good test for our offense,” he said.

-DANCE TEAM-

Honeybears host clinic for high schoolers by Mary DeLoney Assistant News Editor

The Honeybears Dance Team held a high school dance clinic Sept. 18 from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. This is the second year the team has held the clinic, and there were over 30 dancers in attendance, junior Honeybears captain Courtney Patton said. The team charged a registration fee that goes toward the team being able to compete at the national dance competition. The team profited over $900. They also sold T-shirts from the event, Patton said. “We’re the only team in the state that competes on a national level. So, it’s a big deal to not only represent the university, but the state as well,” Patton said. The team prepared for months for the event. They began advertising in the beginning of the summer on the UCA sports website and handed out flyers at high school dance competitions. The team designed T-shirts for the event and spent about a week

putting together the routines they taught to the dancers who attended the clinic, Patton said. Jennie Strange, owner of Blackbird Academy of the Arts taught the technique for the dances. Half of the team learned a hip-hop sideline routine and the other half learned a longer routine. The high school dancers came to improve their dance ability and to get advice from college dancers on how to balance school, work and dance, Patton said. Honeybears Coach Susan O’Keefe said, “This is a big recruiting tool for the dance team and the university. They get to see the campus, tailgate and they get complimentary tickets to the football game.” The team does two other fundraisers during the fall semester. The team will wash cars Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 at Moose Cleaners on the corner of Markham and Rodney Parham in Little Rock. They will also host a Little Girls Dance Clinic for girls ages 4-12 on Oct. 9.

“The girls will play fun games, get T-shirts and perform at the football game that day,” junior Honeybears co-captain Jordan Huntze said. Other organizations also help fund the dance team’s trip to nationals. “SGA has been very gracious in financially supporting us in the past,” O’Keefe said. The dance team is also hosting fall tryouts on Sept. 27 and 28. “Teams are allowed to have 14 compete on the nationals dance floor and there are only 13 on the team now,” Huntze said. The tryouts are being held for people who were not able to attend the tryouts held in April. They are open to students currently enrolled at UCA. “We’re not looking for a specific number. If there are any dancers at the same level as girls currently on the team we’ll take as many as there are,” O’Keefe said. For more information about the fall tryouts contact O’Keefe at (501) 499-1719 or visit the dance team page at ucasports.com.

-V O L L E Y B A L L-

Sugar Bears sweep Lady Demons 3-0 in home conference opener by Ben Keller Sports Editor

The Sugar Bears volleyball team defeated the Northwestern State University Lady Demons 3-0 during the Sugar Bears conference opener Sept. 16 in the Prince Center, with a record number of fans in attendance. The Sugar Bears came into the game after a long time spent on the road and Coach Steven McRoberts said it was good to finally be back home and play in Conway. Junior libero Cristin Curl also said it was great to be back in Conway and to have a home crowd backing the team. “The crowd was outstanding,” she said. “I think there was standing room only even after all the space we added, but it was just great to finally get to play in that kind of atmosphere.” During the first set, the Sugar Bears got off to an early lead scoring the first point, but the Lady Demons answered back every point the Sugar Bears put up. It was not until freshman outside hitter Karlie Giester got a kill against the Lady Demons that the Sugar Bears got on a hot streak to lead the Lady Demons 9-6. Halfway through the first set, the Lady Demons started mounting a comeback, narrowing the gap to a score of 16-15.

The Sugar Bears reacted quickly and started pulling away from the Lady Demons with kills by sophomore middle blocker Taylor Hammonds, senior right side hitter Chloe Smith and junior outside hitter Jessica Hays. The first set ended in a close race, but the Sugar Bears came out on top with Smith scoring the last three kills to make the final score of the first set 25-21. The Sugar Bears went into the second set just as hard as they had in the first with Hays scoring the first point of the set off a block. The Lady Demons fought back and kept the set close through the first points of the set, but kills from Hays, Giester and Smith along with errors on the Lady Demons part gave the Sugar Bears a demanding lead of 17-9 and forced the Lady Demons to use a timeout. The Lady Demons only scored three more points during the second set and the Sugar Bears won the set with a service ace by senior defensive specialist Chloe Evans, making the final score 25-12. The third set started with the Lady Demons scoring the first point for the first time during the game, but it would not help as the Sugar Bears fought to win the third and final set. The Sugar Bears did not take back the lead from the Lady Demons until after several kills and errors against the Lady Demons.

With the score tied at 8-8, the Lady Demons handed the lead over to the Sugar Bears with an attempted kill that hit out of bounds. The Sugar Bears did not lose control of the lead for the remainder of the set and beat the Lady Demons 25-16 with Smith scoring the final kill. Smith had the most kills of any player during the game with 13 and Curl had the most digs of any player with 18. McRoberts said the team was really focused on this game because it was their only conference game they were playing last weekend. “Not that we want to go 1-2 for the weekend, but all of our energies up and to this point had been for Northwestern and it was nice to execute at times like we did,” he said. Curl said the Lady Demons were a tough team and she expects every team they face this season will be just as tough. “We are the team to beat this season because of how well we did last year,” she said. “We went 16-0 in conference, so every team we play, they are going to be gunning for us.” The Sugar Bears faced the Memphis Tigers on Sept. 17 who they beat 3-0 and the Jackson State Lady Tigers on Sept. 18 who they beat 3-1.

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SPORTS

September 22, 2010 / 9

-SOCCER-

-SERVICE ACE-

Volleyball team slays Lady Tigers 3-0 by Katrina Ragsdale Staff Writer

Daisuke Fukada photo

Bears sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Brady fights off Golden Lions freshman defender Reaghan Zilkie during the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soccer game Sept. 17. The Bears beat the Golden Lions 2-1.

Bears down UAPB 2-1 in overtime by Allison Hartman Assistant Sports Editor

The womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soccer team extended its winning streak to three games when they came from behind to beat the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions 2-1 on Sept. 17 in a hard-fought game that ended in overtime. The Bears are coming off of a big win over Tulsa last week and came out a little flat, Coach Tina Banham said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to work on being consistent coming off of big wins or losses and take that consistency to conference play because conference play is what really matters,â&#x20AC;? she said. The first half was scoreless as the Bears were able to get the ball down the field numerous times but were not able to capitalize. With 35:00 left in the first half, Bears senior midfielder Randi Condley took a shot from a sharp angle that missed wide by inches. The Bears had another opportunity to score with 17:00 left in the half following

a throw in that provided a few opportunities to shoot, but they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to find the back of the net. Although they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to score in the first half, the Bearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense was strong and prevented UAPB from scoring when they had the ball near the goal. Early in the second half, UAPB senior defender MarieDaphnee Cadet received a yellow card when she tripped Bears freshman midfielder Kristin Pollard, which set up a free kick that resulted in a near goal. Halfway into the second half Bears junior defender Amanda Jocz collided with a UAPB player and took a shot to the chest that knocked her to the ground. Banham said she got drilled in the chest but luckily it only knocked the wind out of her and she was able to re-enter the game after sitting out for a few minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad Amanda is OK because sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mainstay in the backfield for us,â&#x20AC;? Banham said. The first goal of the game came in the 77th minute from UAPB junior midfielder Jade

West. With two minutes left in the game UAPB received a handball penalty that gave the Bears possession of the ball. They were able to take it all the way down the field and Bears sophomore midfielder Brittany Kemper drove the ball into the goal for the first time as a Bear to tie the game 1-1 in the 89th minute. Regulation ended in a tie, so the game entered overtime where Pollard scored a goal from a very sharp angle in the 5th minute of overtime to end the game and secure the 2-1 victory for the Bears. Banham said even though the Bears had a slow start, they talked about how to improve during half time and before overtime and were able to make the necessary adjustments to get the win. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We talked about our midfielders and where they needed to be because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the holes in the field were. Once everyone got going and made the adjustments they played well,â&#x20AC;? she said.

-V O L L E Y B A L L-

Sugarbears beat Jackson State 3-1 in weekend closer

The Sugar Bears volleyball team swept the Memphis Tigers 3-0 for the first time Sept. 17 in the Prince Center. During the first set, Sugar Bears freshman middle blocker Jessica Nagyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kill earned the Sugar Bearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first point where the team then pushed ahead 3-0 over the Lady Tigers. After a few kills by the Lady Tigers and a few missed shots from the Sugar Bears freshman outside hitter Karlie Giesler blocked a Lady Tigersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hit, tying up the score 6-6. The Sugar Bears took back the lead after Sugar Bears sophomore middle blocker Taylor Hammonds got a kill to make the score 8-7. The Sugar Bears continued on a point streak, earning four points to lengthen their lead to 12-7. The Sugar Bears won the first set 25-19. Sugar Bears freshman setter Marissa Collins aced the first serve, putting the Sugar Bears in the lead for the second set 1-0. Giesler hit the ball out of bounds tying the score 1-1, but Sugar Bears junior outside hitter Jessica Hays blocked at the net, tying the score back up at 2-2. With the Sugar Bears leading 7-3, the Bears scored the next point, but Lady Tigers freshman middle blocker Katie Meyer slipped on the wet floor during the play. After the spot was wiped up, the game continued but no point was given. Halfway into the second set, Lady Tigers sophomore outside hitter Altrese Hawkins got a kill, but the Sugar Bears still dominated the scoreboard with a 12-6 lead. The Sugar Bears took the seconod set 25-12. In the third set, Nagy killed and the Sugar Bears once again took the lead with 1-0. Nagy and Sugar Bears senior right side hitter Chloe Smith blocked Memphisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; kill attempt, making the score 2-0, but Collins served out of bounds, and Lady Tigers sophomore setter Hajnalka Molnar and freshman middle blocker Katie Meyer blocked a Sugar Bearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; kill attempt, tying the score 2-2. With Sugar Bears behind one point, they earned the next four points, missed a point, then earned the next three points,

Daisuke Fukada photo

Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Hammonds goes for a kill against the Lady Tigers during the Sugar Bears volleyball game Sept. 17. bringing the score to 9-4. The Lady Tigers kicked it into gear about halfway through, tying the score 15-15. Intensity hung thick as each team took turns making a point, consistently tying up the score board. The score was 2223 until the Lady Tigers hit the ball out of bounds, once again tying the score 23-23. Hammonds had 12 kills throughout the game, giving her the most kills for the game and putting the Sugar Bears in the lead with a kill making the score 24-23. Hawkins hit the ball out of bounds, ending the game with the Sugar Bears victory of 3-0. Hammonds said she and the team were excited to finally overthrow Memphis after a long losing streak to the Lady Tigers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We got so close to beating

[Memphis] last year,â&#x20AC;? Hammonds said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It feels good to finally beat them and get to do it in our home court.â&#x20AC;? Coach Steven McRoberts said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proud of his girls for coming together as a team, finally allowing them to check Memphis off the list. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had our number ever since we moved into first division. That was a great win,â&#x20AC;? McRoberts said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was rewarding to watch them play as well as they did.â&#x20AC;? Now 2-0 in the tournament, McRoberts said the more wins the team earns, the more confidence theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The crowds the last two nights were unbelievably great for us. Our level of play has gone up,â&#x20AC;? McRoberts said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we keep up with a crowd like this, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep winning.â&#x20AC;?

by Ben Keller Sports Editor

The Sugar Bears volleyball team beat the Jackson State Lady Tigers 3-1 in the Sugar Bears Classic tournament finale Sept. 18 where the Sugar Bears went 3-0 against their opponents. The Sugar Bears came out swinging during the first two sets of the game, not allowing the Lady Tigers to take the lead once. During the first set, the Sugar Bears dominated the Lady Tigers 25-11. The Lady Tigers were only able to score two kills and had eight errors while the Sugar Bears had 16 kills and only four errors. The Sugar Bears did not have as an impressive second set as the first, but still won 25-14. The Lady Tigers came out with five kills and five errors while the Sugar Bears recorded 14 kills and five errors during the second set. At the start of the third, the Sugar Bears racked up a 5-0 lead over the Lady Tigers before Jackson State called a timeout. When the Lady Tigers came back out on the court they were an entirely different team and quickly began closing the gap between them and the Sugar Bears. The Sugar Bears held on to their lead at 11-7, but the lady Tigers started their comeback after three kills and a shot hit out of bounds by the Sugar Bears to tie the game at 11-11. Sugar Bears sophomore middle blocker Taylor Hammonds broke the tie with a kill, but the Lady Tigers answered back and then took away the lead as they went on a four point scoring-streak to make the score 15-12. The Sugar Bears attempted to recover, but they were not able to catch up with the Lady Tigers. After fighting back to trail the Lady Tigers 21-24, the Sugar Bears lost the set after Lady Tigers junior outside hitter Chyna Coleman tapped the ball over the net into a hole in the Sugar Bearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; frontline to secure the set victory for the Lady Tigers, 25-24. During the fourth and final set, the Sugar Bears came out and put themselves ahead of the Lady Tigers and fast. After the first few points, the Sugar Bears were

t r e c n in co LeAnn Rimes has 16 CDs, 2 Grammys, and Academy of Country Music awards for Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Top New Female Vocalist. She is one of the hottest country artists in the world.

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Sugarbears sophomore middle blocker Taylor Hammonds and senior right side hitter Chloe Smith go up for a block against a Lady Tigers shot during the game Sept. 18. already ahead of the Lady Tigers 6-2. Later in the set, the Sugar Bears led 11-7 and went on a fivepoint scoring streak that started with a Lady Tigers error followed by a service ace, two kills and another Jackson State error. Toward the end of the fourth set, the closest the Lady Tigers ever came to the Sugar Bears was by a five point deficit when the score was 19-14. The Lady Tigers scored once more during the game and the Sugar Bears ended the game with a kill by Hammonds to make the final score 25-15. Coach Steven McRoberts said there were several things he

Set to release a new, acoustic CD, LeAnn will perform songs from that CD at Reynolds Performance Hall.

wanted the team to bring into the game against the Lady Tigers, but not everything went according to plan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted to execute which we did pretty well with for about two games, and then we had a spell where we were a little unfocused and our effort level went down considerably and [the Lady Tigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] went way up,â&#x20AC;? he said. Hammonds said the third set was rough for the team and that there were a few problems happening on the court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone was playing by themselves and not as a team, but we came together on the fourth set,â&#x20AC;? she said.

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