February 16, 2011 by The Echo

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

Volume 105 — Issue 4

February 16, 2011 Wednesday

Opinion:

4 TODAY

Partly Cloudy/Wind

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4T H U R S D AY

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4F R I D AY

Partly Cloudy

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Around Campus: Miss Essence Pageant The 2011 Miss Essence Scholarship Pageant will be tomorrow at 7 p.m in Reynolds Performance Hall. Admission is free for UCA students with ID, $3 for UCA faculty and staff and $5 for general admission. Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady will perform as a special guest.

Imperfectly Remembered

Basketball: Bobcats shut down Bears 85-61

Guest: Director, author, producer, actor Spike Lee speaks at Reynolds

Voice: SGA makes decision for BIG! Project

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4 page 4

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Few Showers/Wind

Sports:

Campus Life:

Trustees to decide room, board increases Housing looking at increasing dining options on campus g

by Abby Hartz Senior Writer

The UCA Board of Trustees will decide Feb. 25 whether to approve the proposed room and board rate increases, as proposed by the department of Housing and Residence Life. Rick McCollum, interim director of Housing and Residence Life, said the proposed 3.8 percent increase on the current board rate and the proposed 3

percent increase on the current room rate are partially a yearly inflation rate increases, while the board rate increase is aimed at introducing new dining concepts. “Based on the Market Match program we utilized, we saw that students want a late-night option and based on some more of the results from that program, we’re hoping to provide some more options for students,” McCollum said. One of the new concepts, McCollum said, would be the introduction of Einstein Bros. Bagels in the College of Business building. He said a late-night food option is still being discussed. “These are still in the proposal stage,” McCollum said. “We’ve even been working to potentially work with McAlister’s Deli in

Burdick Hall, as well.” The Student Government Association approved the board rate increase at the Dec. 6 meeting, after much debate. SGA President Meghan Thompson said the resolution passed 18-17. According to a document given to SGA at the Dec. 6 meeting: “Aramark is proposing and will have completed by Fall 2011 the following concepts and services: Starbucks extended hours, Sushic Sushi added, expanded concessions menus, refurbished “Bear Cart,” Einstein’s Brothers Bagels in College of Business …” Thompson said the arguments made by some of the senators about the board rate increase had to do with DCB [Declining Cash Balance].

SNOW FORT

Campus closes due to weather; Snow, ice causes safety concerns by Zachary O’Neal Staff Writer

Jesus Loves You Party The F.O.C.U.S. Campus Ministry is hosting a “Jesus Loves You” party at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow in Torreyson Library room 202. There will be free food, games, fellowship and more. All are welcome to attend.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Boot Camp: Improving Your Assertive Skills Learn how to be more assertive instead of saying “no” when you would like to say “yes” and voice your opinion in the Student Health Center room 307 tomorrow during x-period.

Grad Central May graduates can order caps and gowns from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 2 and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 3 at the UCA Bookstore.

UCA Official Ring Students can order the official UCA ring March 2 and 3 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the UCA Bookstore. The ring is reserved exclusively for students who have completed 60 credit hours.

Alumni Association Scholarship UCA Alumni Association scholarship applications are available for 2011-12 for incoming and current UCA students. The deadline to turn them in is March 11.

Foundation Scholarship UCA Foundation scholarship applications are available for 2011-12 for incoming and current UCA students. Brochures can be found at uca.edu/go/ foundationscholarships, the Student Center information desk or Buffalo Alumni Hall. The deadline to turn them in is March 11.

Lukas Deem photo

Senior Geraldine Cazales, alumni Kristina Kryzhanovska and senior Michael Hinds make an igloo outside New Hall on Feb. 10.

-SEMINARS -

College of Liberal Arts to host series by Brad Smith Staff Writer

The UCA College of Liberal Arts will host the “Exploring Our World” series of lectures, seminars and workshops. The series will deal with a diverse subject matter ranging from movies to environmental issues. The first seminar will be called “Darwinism and American Religious Thought.” Professor of philosophy and religion Jesse Butler will open the seminar. Butler will speak on what Darwinism is and he will try to clear up misconceptions that people may have about it. “Many people are unsure and find Darwinism a threat to their ideals,” Butler said. “We will try to show that there are a variety of possibilities.” Butler also said the audience for the event will represent a wide part of society. He said the audience he would like to reach is not just a general audience, but also teachers in public education. According to a UCA press release, professor of philosophy and religion Jeff Williams will speak on Darwin’s effect on religion

Index 4 Opinion 4 Campus Life 4 Entertainment 4 Sports

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-POLICY -

A solo show displaying works by Mark Monroe will explore the paradox that is forgetting. The open reception will be tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in the Black Box Gallery in Schichtl Hall and can be viewed Feb. 17-24.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21 in Reynolds Performance Hall. Tickets are sold out.

“It was the fact that the new meal plans that were proposed included more DCB in the plan, when students feel they can load their card with DCB as they want, instead of buying a more expensive meal plan in order to get more DCB,” Thompson said. Thompson said it was explained to SGA that in order for Aramark to enter into agreements with companies like Einstein Bro. Bagels and McAlister’s Deli, it was beneficial for Aramark to prove that students would have money to spend there. “When it was explained to us like that,

from 1797-1902 after Butler. Lecturer of philosophy and religion Phillip Spivey will end the seminar by speaking on Darwinism’s effect in relation to Arkansas laws. Maurice A. Lee, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said the series will be aimed at anyone that wishes to attend. “It’s our attempt to reach out to the community from the academic side,” he said. “You don’t have to have a Ph. D. It’s more of a populist approach.” Lee said the series will be conversational and informal and will serve to open up the academic community to a wider community in Arkansas. The series is planned from now until fall 2012. Lee said there will be at least two each semester. There are already events planned in February, March, April and June. Lee said the June event will likely be a part of the Arkansas Shakespeare Festival. Lee said the lectures will come in three formats. Lectures will be shorter back-and-forth discussions of issues. Seminars will be longer and serve more for presentations from faculty. Workshops will be the longest and will seek interaction from

participants. According to the press release, each event will be led by a UCA faculty member. Future topics for the series will include an event on the possibilities of artificial intelligence and the effects it could have on humanity. According to the website for the event, the workshop will deal with whether artificial intelligence is a possibility in the near future and what this could mean for humans. “Watching Woody Allen Seriously” seeks to discuss how the famous director moved from his earlier comedies to his dramatic and critically acclaimed movies. The event will take place March 12. Allen’s films “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Match Point,” which will be topics of discussion during the event, will be shown after the workshop. All events in the series are free and open to the public, but participants must register online. “Darwinism and American Religious Thought” will be held from 4-6 pm Saturday, Feb. 19 in the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center at UCA.

The downpour of snow and icy roads caused classes to be canceled and other establishments on campus to be closed for three backto-back days beginning Feb. 9. Unlike public school, college classes are not made up. However, just because the campus receives snow does not always guarantee a day out of class. The student handbook states the university does not close due to bad weather during academic terms, unless it is in extraordinary circumstances. Typically, large accumulations of snow or ice or severe damage from a tornado may cause classes to be canceled. “Generally, classes missed due to inclement weather are not made up. If classes must be made up, it would be expected that faculty would hold classes,” UCA Chief of Staff Jack Gillean said. Often a problem occurs with transportation for commuters who come to classes and later that day the inclement weather takes place. According to the handbook, commuter students must exercise

judgment as to when it is safe to travel. No student will be penalized for not being present to class due to bad weather. If a commuter student were stranded in Conway due to severe weather, he or she would be responsible for making arrangements for food and lodging. If the severe weather were to impact a large number of students, the university would make every effort to find suitable shelter and make food services available. The university makes every attempt to provide for the safety of faculty, staff and students, Gillean said. The required actions depend on the nature of the emergency. Snow and ice must be removed from sidewalks and parking lots. Damage to a building as the result of a storm might require closure of the building for safety reasons. If the weather causes the Student Center to shut down, Aramark supplies two weeks worth of food at the cafeteria for the commuters stranded on campus. “We just try to take care of the students the best way we can,” UCAPD Sgt. Brad Moore said. Moore said law enforcements will be there 24/7.

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- E D U C AT I O N -

Great Bear Writing Project to host national conference in Little Rock by Shea Higgerson Staff Writer

UCA’s Great Bear Writing Project will host a conference in Little Rock on March 12 and 13 to educate America’s teachers on teaching at rural schools. The theme of the conference is “Overcoming Inequity: Creating Opportunities for ALL Rural Students.” Stephanie Vanderslice, director of the Great Bear Writing Project, said the goal of the conference is to “bring teachers from all over the country to think about the challenges of rural education,” especially literacy and writing. She said when teachers get together, there’s a lot of “brain power” so they can talk through issues. She said she hopes teachers at the conference get new ideas on resources to bring to rural students and hopes teachers from all over America see how wonderful Arkansas is, “and that we’ve got it

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SGA makes changes to Registered Student Organization’s funding

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going on.” Vanderslice, who has helped plan the conference for two years, will be giving the opening welcome, overseeing the entire conference and will be part of the digital writing session. She said there will be tours of the Clinton Library and Central High. Teachers will have the opportunity to sightsee around Little Rock and get inspiration for writing. Jennifer Deering, the tech liaison for the conference, will also be on hand to help personnel and direct people to their sessions. Deering said Lee Anne Bell, professor of education at Barnard College, and Spirit Trickey-Rowan, author of “One-Ninth,” will be speaking at the conference, among others. She said that the Friday pre-conference will feature a miniconference directed toward teachers who teach English as a second language, due to the growing Latino

See Project - page 2

Get Involved! Campus involvement can make or break college experience

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2 / February 16, 2011

NEWS

Police Beat

- G O V E R N M E N T-

The following reports and arrests are from the UCAPD docket. UCAPD reports any tickets issued as arrests, according to Lt. Rhonda Swindle.

Students receive judicial board notices

Marijuana found in student’s car

A UCA police officer noticed smoke coming out of a car parked in the gravel lot by Bear Village around 10 p.m. Feb. 11. The officer smelled marijuana when contact was made with the driver, student Richard Goff. Student Connor Lawson said student Jacob Garrigus had just finished smoking a black and mild cigar. The officer asked if either of them had been smoking marijuana in the car. Lawson said, “Marijuana, what’s that?” The officer searched the car and no contraband was found on either persons or in the car, however, the officer noticed small bits of marijuana in the center console and tobacco from a cigar near the passenger side floorboard. Goff was asked again if anyone had been smoking marijuana and replied that he and his friends had been driving around smoking and then pulled into the gravel lot to talk. Garrigus, Lawson and Goff received Judicial Board notices and nonstudent Daniel Harrison was given a warning about smoking marijuana on campus.

UCA officers were walking around campus by State Hall around 12:30 p.m. Feb. 10 when they detected a strong odor of marijuana. The source came from a vehicle west of State Hall. The officers saw tobacco that had been removed from a cigar and a marijuana cigarette laying on the ground by the car. The front driver and passenger doors did not look locked. UCAPD called student Markita Mendenhall to lock her car. Mendenhall said her boyfriend Terence Gordon and another student had dropped her off in front of Carmichael Hall. She gave officers consent to search her car where officers found marijuana behind the driver’s seat. Officers did not see Mendenhall guilty and did not charge her of any violations.

Student arrested for trespassing at Bear Village Student Brandon Jones was seen at Bear Village apartments Feb. 10 after he had already been informed of eviction. When UCA police asked for identification, Jones went to a room in the back of the apartment and ruffled through a pile of clothes that were believed to be his and then stated that he could not find his ID or his wallet. Another student currently resides in the apartment, whose items Jones was searching through. Jones was arrested for trespassing.

Nonstudent skis alongside car A patrolling officer noticed through his rear-view mirror an individual jump from the passenger side of a vehicle and begin “skiing” down Robins Street by Baridon while the vehicle was in motion around 10 p.m. on Feb. 9. Nonstudent Cody Murphree was hanging from the vehicle at a distance of about 100 yards as the driver, student Brady Batson, drove the car at 25 m.p.h. Batson was pulled over at the intersection of Robins and Davis Street. When the officer asked Batson if he knew why he’d been pulled over he replied, “because he was hanging out there like an idiot.” He said that he told Murphree not to do it, but did not stop him. Murphree could not come up with a reason for skiing on the sidewalk from the car. Batson received a citation for reckless driving because he continued to drive with no regard to Murphree’s safety and Murphree was charged with disorderly conduct.

Snow:

Students can receive class cancellation alerts through UCAPD 4 Continued

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“Generally, a decision must be made whether to cancel classes and/or close university offices when inclement weather arrives,” Gillean said. “However the university is a residential campus with several thousand students living in university housing. Those students rely on the university for shelter, heat and food service. So certain services must be provided even during inclement weather.”

ucaecho.net

Fall break, spring break, winter break and summer break will most likely not be affected due to inclement weather, Gillean said. “It is not anticipated that the spring, summer or winter breaks will be affected by the cancellation of classes due to inclement weather,” Gillean said. There are times that Conway

will receive snow and ice, lightly covering the roads and classes will still go on. To prevent students from wondering if classes will be canceled the next day, they can sign up for text or voice message alerts through the UCA Police Department. The alert sends out text and voice messages about the campus closing or any other type of emergency. Students and faculty may sign up for UCA Alert to receive emergency notification via text message and voice message by logging on to the UCAPD website at ucapd.com.

SGA presented with HPER expansion plans by Marisa Hicks Assistant News Editor

Coordinator of Intramural Activities David Dennis met with the Student Government Association to propose HPER Center expansion plans for SGA to choose from and pass onto the Student Life Committee. Dennis said there is currently no estimate of the cost increase for either plan per credit hour. In 2007, SGA voted to set the cost at $1.50 per credit hour, however, prices have risen and estimates will not be ready until today. The expansions will give the HPER an entrance three to four times bigger of that what it is now and will cut away from parking options. Currently, there are 198 parking spaces available to students by the HPER and with the expansion program, spaces will be cut down to 92. There is hope to gain back parking spaces by filling in the ditch by the HPER, gaining 50-75 spaces, Dennis said. The first plan was the only proposal not featuring a pool. It included three aerobic studios along with three racquetball courts to add more activity to the HPER. The second plan featured a 25-yard pool along with all the other features as the first option. Dennis said this is the size pool that high schools use for competitions, so it could be used

to bring in revenue. It would also include a therapy pool like the one in the Farris Center. The pool will be about 88 to 98 degrees which is too hot for lap swimmers to swim in. These expansions will cut the fitness center of the HPER from 11,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet. The third option is the same, but it features an Olympic sized pool that is more than double the size of the second option. A proposal needs to be approved to send off to the Student Life Committee so estimates to raise fees can be made. Dennis said the first option would cost about $10.5 million, the second would cost about $15 million and the third option would cost about $17 million. The senate took an informal vote to send the second proposal off to the committee. President Meghan Thompson said she went to a technology fee increase meeting and discovered that no one knows where all of the current technology funds are going. Information Technology is working on issuing a technology fee increase to cover more servers and update Blackboard. Thompson said next week she will meet with Rick McCollum and Shelley Mehl from the amphitheater project to see if they can get additional funding from the Alumni Association. She also said that in the past,

Increases:

Funds proposed to improve student living environment 4 Continued

from page 1

it made more sense to increase the amount of DCB on some of the meal plans, therefore increasing the price of those meal plans, in order to provide security to companies coming onto campus that students with meal plans will be able to use that money there,” Thompson said. According to the provided board rate increase document with the proposed increase, for example, the unlimited meal plan would increase from $1,085 to $1,185 and the 220 block meal plan with $75 DCB would increase from $1,170 to $1,275. McCollum said the 3 percent room rate increase is to provide

funds for deferred maintenance and to “improve the living environment of students.” “This is mainly a yearly inflation rate increase,” McCollum said. “This is a usual thing for us. We usually propose a yearly 3 percent increase in the room rate. Comparatively, though, we still have lower housing rates than many other universities in the state.” According to a document provided to SGA at the Dec. 6 meeting, with the proposed room rates, a double occupancy residential hall would increase from $1,430 to $1,470 and a similar room at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is $2,040 and at Arkansas State

Project:

Deering says plan is to help in rural development, education 4 Continued

from page 1

population, and presentations on increasing writing across the curriculum, including writing in math and science. “For any conference like this, the real goal is to come away with fresh ideas and feeling refreshed,” Deering said. She said it is easy to get burned out in teaching, but the conference would hopefully help teachers get re-motivated and help them find “that spark” again. According to the press

release, the Great Bear Writing Project is part of “The Rural Sites Network,” which holds a conference every two years and helps link teachers together. Deering said the Great Bear Writing Project would continue with the current theme as it continues to develop its site as a place for rural development, but she did not know whether the Great Bear Writing Project would host future conferences. She said the theme for the upcoming conference was

an account was opened to help fund renovations to Ida Waldran with First Security Bank and now those funds will be put into the reserve account and the Ida Waldran account will be closed. Executive Vice President Austin Halls said the $5 testing fee students pay does not actually go toward testing but to general education and we should continue putting this money toward general education. Vice President of Finance Kyle Boyd said that a Student Activity Fee Allocation meeting was to be held yesterday to make it harder for travel fund to be allocated. Regulations will require a full senate or not vote can be made. Boyd said, “When we break our own rules we need to make sure everyone is on the same page.” He also said SGA has been asked to allocate funds for Green Day/Pizza Wars. The total cost for 500 organic shirts is about $3,700 or $2,400 for 500 cotton shirts. It was decided by the senior class that the Green Day/Pizza Wars event would last from 11-3 p.m and student musical performances are already set in stone. The Library Fee Committee is still working to have the Torreyson Library open until midnight during the week and 2 a.m. during finals week. Hall said eventually they hope students will be allowed 100 free prints.

University is $1,560. A double occupancy apartment like Bear Village, Torreyson or Erbach apartments would increase from $1,725 to $1,775 and a similar apartment at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is $3,058 and at Arkansas State University is $2,000. McCollum said there is currently over $18 million in deferred housing maintenance. “I could spend $1 million on paint alone,” McCollum said. He said this proposed rate increase would generate about $300,000 more a year for the department. Thompson said this proposed rate was passed unanimously at the Dec. 6 meeting because SGA could see that the room rate was being raised out of necessity for students. “If this increase wasn’t made, it would begin to affect the lives of students living on campus,” Thompson said.

brainstormed and presented to a national board, which chose “Overcoming Inequity: Creating Opportunities for ALL Rural Students.” She said they have been studying the issue of rural education for a couple of years and had compiled a “warehouse of information.” She also said rural students are of a particular set and come from all racial groups and socioeconomic statuses. She said they are often more isolated from other cultures than urban students. Vanderslice and Deering both expressed the need to reach out to rural students and the teachers who teach them in order for the students to develop a stronger sense of culture and to develop better reading and writing skills.

Opinion

February 16, 2011

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The Voice

SGA chooses proposals with big student benefit

The Echo Staff College experience depends on involvement w

I was sitting in class the other day and I heard organization is different, but it usually consists of someone say: “UCA is so boring. There’s nothing filling out a membership sheet or e-mailing the to do here.” president of the organization about your interest. I wondered to myself how that person could Now, you’re officially a member of a UCA RSO. be so bored, knowing the opportunities UCA But don’t let it stop there. You only get out of an offers with its wide array of Recognized Student organization what you put into it. So be the best Organizations. There member you can be. really is something, if Introduce yourself not multiple things, for to the officers of the everyone to get involved in. organization. In college, In the fall there were people are always 128 RSO’s students could meeting new people. by Mary DeLoney get involved with and Keep introducing yourself News Editor recently five new RSO’s to the officers until they were added to the list. recognize you outside of Students can find the full meetings. These are going list at uca.edu/rso. to be the people who call I realize that telling you (if they know you) someone to “get involved” when they need help or isn’t that easy. It can be overwhelming, especially have a new idea. when something sounds interesting but you don’t Be sure to introduce yourself to all of the other know anyone in the organization or how to get members, too. It’s an awesome way to meet new involved with it. friends. Try to get to know these people outside I have a few tips for those students who feel of the membership setting. It’s so much easier to like they aren’t getting the full college experience go through the process of getting involved in an because they aren’t involved, but would like to be. organization if you have friends in it. First, check your cub mail accounts. Lots of You have friends, you know who everyone is, organizations send e-mails about their meetings, what’s next? Get involved. Join a committee or events they are putting on or philanthropy volunteer at an event. Everyone has skills they work they are doing. This is an easy way to see can offer to an organization. Officers always want what organizations are up to and provide an reliable people who are willing to help. Plus, other opportunity for you to find out how you can be people are going to see that you’re involved and involved with the organization. It’s also a good this will help if you want to be elected as an officer opportunity for you to meet people that are into later on. the same things you are. If you’re scared to go Lastly, dedicate yourself. Go to meetings and alone, grab a friend to tag along. events. These organizations are great ways to Second, so now you’ve gone to the meeting, make friends and contribute to the community. you like what you saw and heard, and you want They are also great ways to help make your UCA to be involved. The sign-up process for each experience the best it can be.

Taylor Lowery Editor & Opinion Editor

Preston Tolliver Associate Editor

Mary DeLoney News Editor

Marisa Hicks Assistant News Editor

Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor

Lisa Burnett Entertainment Editor

Ben Keller Sports Editor

Allison Hartman Assistant Sports Editor

White Stripes’ end calls for look at great band

Nick Hillemann Photo Editor

Alex Chalupka Web Editor

Heather Chiddix Editorial Cartoonist

Lance Coleman Feature Cartoonist

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The White Stripes announced on Feb. 2 that This is what made their dynamic commercially they were breaking up for good. Their website said: viable—just like any pop act, it was very easy for us “The reason is not due to artistic differences or to wrap our mind around The Stripes; they made lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues perfect sense. All we had to do was buy the myth as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good and trust in their childlike wisdom to save us from health. It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to the irrelevant, pandering, sentimental post-postpreserve what is beautiful and special about the grunge. band and have it stay that way ... Both Meg and Through their six albums, The Stripes Jack hope this decision isn’t progressed from lo-fi blues met with sorrow by their rock (with occasional basic fans but that it is seen as organ or piano sounds) on a positive move done out “The White Stripes” and of respect for the art and “De Stijl” to a gradually music that the band has more polished sound on created.” “White Blood Cells” and by Andrew McClain So many artists’ careers “Elephant,” which brought Staff Writer are cut short by death or them into the public eye. fighting, or extended long Nearly every alternative past their prime by greed, band that sees sudden fame so as a White Stripes fan, releases an overproduced this news sits well with me. crowd-pleaser of an album They’ve left us with six excellent albums, the worst as a follow-up to their initial success, but The of which is still fascinating. Stripes, like shy children pushed onstage, their I’ll never forget this: I’m sitting on my bed after kneejerk reaction to their sudden ubiquity was school, scanning the radio channels for something to release “Get Behind Me Satan,” an offbeat, interesting because I’m tired of all the CDs I have. experimental album with weird, haunting I’m twelve years old, or thirteen, maybe. Some marimba ballads, piano rock and a goofy bluegrass obnoxious DJ on Little Rock’s mostly-intolerable number about being in love with a ghost. modern rock station says, “All right, so I just got a “Get Behind Me Satan” is one of the most call from Julie in Bryant who says her five-year-old interesting things about The White Stripes to me, daughter wants to hear ‘Seven Nation Army’ by because every artist with a notable discography The White Stripes,” and I’ll never forget the way he has a low-point, a throwaway—an album that feigned discomfort, chuckling and saying “Huhtrue fans prefer not to talk about. Many artists huh ... I don’t know what to think about that,” as if aren’t even able to bounce back from this album, it were disturbing to him that a five-year-old liked but The White Stripes managed to hit their “low” The White Stripes. without compromising their integrity. Instead, they I’d never heard The White Stripes before, so I exposed us to the most experimental set of songs listened carefully for what could be so subversive they could write, and see if we’d still love them. As about them. This was a time when modern rock it turns out, the album won a Grammy for “Best radio was flooded with the heroin-grunge of Tool Alternative Music Album,” earning the Stripes our and Godsmack and Nickelback’s sentimental-buttacit permission to do whatever they liked. sexualized Neanderthal buttrock. Rock ‘n’ roll was After getting away with “Get Behind Me Satan,” still hung up on the grunge sound, which was 10 The Stripes decided they’d just as soon revisit years stale at that point. their garage-rock and country sounds with “Icky As I listened to that simple, clear bass guitar Thump,” two years later. “Icky Thump” was a sound, I searched for what might have made that personable return to everything we have ever loved DJ think it so perverse that a five-year-old would about the Stripes—it’s all there, like a greatest-hits like it. Lyrically ambiguous, Jack White doesn’t collection with all-new material, plus the usual seem to be saying anything in particular in “Seven stylistic curveballs. It’s a more perfect final album Nation Army,” but he was shaking up the world of than any artist could ever hope for. mainstream rock with his still-distinctive guitar So what happens next? Who’s stepping up to sound, which owes much more to 60s garage the plate and saving rock ‘n’ roll like the White rockers and Delta bluesmen than to Kurt Cobain. siblings? It might be no one (and please don’t tell That was subversive. me it’s the Kings of Leon, because it’s not). All the The image they fashioned is exactly this: Jack, real innovation in pop music in the last 20 years vocalist and guitar prodigy, playing hard-edged has happened within the realm of hip-hop, and it blues-rock on a cheap toy guitar while his little seems as if rock ‘n’ roll with pedigree is basically sister, Meg bangs along clumsily on the drums. extinct or hiding in obscurity. I’m not trying to These two, black-haired and pale-skinned, wearing be melodramatic, but an obituary for The White only red, black and white, they play music because Stripes may be a eulogy for mainstream rock ‘n’ it’s fun, and they make it look easy. They sing about roll itself. Maybe it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, simple things and yearn for simpler times. either.

hen the Student Government Association announced their choices for their BIG! Project funding, we were happy to see that they made decisions that will have a big impact on students at UCA. There were only a few concerns when SGA announced on Jan. 31 the decision to fund three projects. For one, SGA originally said only two projects would be funded, each up to a maximum of $50,000. However, SGA unanimously approved three projects at their Jan. 31 meeting: $4,000 to go to the Bear Trail Disc Golf course, $11,635 for restorations to Ida Waldran Auditorium and no more than $50,000 for the amphitheatre planned to go in the Student Center Courtyard. There were 13 total proposals presented to SGA, which also included a statue of the official UCA class ring, funding for The Fountain, UCA’s online newspaper, a physical therapy clinic, a TOMS shoes Barefoot Walk, a dance contest, a campusspecific social network, renovations and artwork in Main Hall, scoreboards for the intramural fields and in the HPER and technology for Disability Support Services. Fortunately, SGA chose three projects that will benefit students, however, there are some concerns. For one, the disk golf course, which will go along the walking trail surrounding the Jewel Moore Nature Reserve, was presented as having goals places in trees along the trail. Hopefully SGA and the organizer of the disc golf course have sought approval from the science department, who have been in charge of any up-keep to the nature reserve. As long as the disc golf course doesn’t cause any damage, it should be a fun way for students to enjoy nice weather outdoors. The renovations to Ida Waldran are a great choice. Student could use an improved auditorium, especially with Main Hall’s pending introduction into the National Register of Historic Places. Having a second beautiful place for performances besides Reynold’s Performance Hall could benefit many students for a long time. The amphitheater currently sounds like a good idea. However, SGA won’t fund the $50,000 until the Department of Housing and Residence Life can prove that the other $53,000 have been funded. SGA did vote, however, to have a vote to possibly grant more than the original $50,000 to the amphitheater. Although the amphitheater will likely be a great addition to the campus, SGA should use the remaining funds to support another BIG! Project proposal. They’ve already increased it to three, so why not add a fourth project? SGA is still to be applauded for their BIG! Project idea in the first place. There’s no better way to spend student money than to let the students benefit from these plans.

SGA is still to be applauded for their BIG! Project idea in the first place ... There’s no better way to spend student money than to let the students benefit from these plans.

Have an opinion? Everyone does.

Write a letter to the editor at

ucaecholetters@gmail.com Letters to the editor don’t just have to be about Echo content. If you’ve noticed something on campus that’s positive or negative, we want to hear about it. (Follow the guidelines in the Got Letters? column to the left.)

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

February 16, 2011

Spike Lee speaks to audience about education, dreams by Shea Higgerson Staff Writer

When Spike Lee appeared at Reynolds Performance Hall on Feb. 7, he learned about black history in Arkansas when Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the Little Rock nine, joined him on stage. During the question-and-answer session, an audience member asked Lee when he was going to make a film about the Central High crisis. When Lee began discussing his knowledge of Central High, the audience informed him that one of the Little Rock nine was in the audience listening to his lecture. Lee invited Trickey to join him on stage and continued his question-andanswer session, but he began asking Trickey the questions. He asked Trickey how she felt about there being more African American males in prison than in school when she had to fight so hard for an education. “It makes me feel that I’ve got a lot of work to do,” Trickey said. Trickey spoke to Lee for the rest of the lecture about her Central High experiences and Lee agreed that the film needed to be made; however, he did not say whether he would make the film himself. “I don’t know how we top this,” Lee said. “This is real black history.” Trickey said her time on stage with

Lee was fun and said she has great respect for him because he is an example for the opportunities that young people have. “He serves as a really good role model for young people,” she said. Lee spent a significant amount of his lecture speaking about the importance of education and following dreams. He said several times that it is important for young people to choose a major they love instead of doing what their parents want them to do. “Parents kill more dreams than anybody,” he said. He said he realizes the “harsh economic realities,” but people don’t want to work at a job they hate or study a major they don’t enjoy just because it will earn them the most money. He also said it is important to expose yourself to as many things as possible because everyone has a gift. “When you can make a living doing what you love, it’s not a job,” he said. Lee spoke of these things from his own college experiences and his experience in becoming a filmmaker. He said he did not become an A student until he began studying what he loved and working with his camera. “Film chose me,” he said. He told the audience about his experience making “Malcolm X,” which was recently put into the Library of Congress. He said “The Autobiography of

Nick Hillemann photo

Director, actor and writer Spike Lee speaks to a packed audience in the Reynolds Performance Hall on Monday, Feb. 7. Lee was joined by former Little Rock nine student Minnijean Brown Trickey on stage during a question-and-answer session. Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley” was the most influential book he has ever read so he wanted to make a movie out of it, but he did not have the financing. He said Warner Bros. wanted him to cut the time of the film after money ran out, but Lee did not want to, so a bond

company came in to finance and Lee said he took a reduced salary just to get the film made. Eventually, Lee said, he called people such as Bill Cosby, Janet Jackson and Michael Jordan to ask for donations to make the film. He said a press

conference was held on Malcolm’s birthday to announce the gifts given and the studio decided to finance the film again. Lee expressed to the audience throughout his lecture how important and education is in achieving dreams.

-WRITING-

STUDY TIME

Exquisite Corpse becomes Toad Suck Review by Shea Higgerson Staff Writer

Nick Hillemann photo

Junior Laisha Harris, left, reads an issue of The Echo, while sophomore Renee Smith studies in the Student Center Courtyard on Feb. 14.

Freshman Barbie Robinson “I’ve been playing the Wii in the lobby every day. I also have been catching up on all of my homework.”

Toad Suck Review, the writing department’s new international literary journal, will be replacing the Exquisite Corpse Annual, whose editor, Andrei Codrescu, decided he could no longer concentrate on the project because of other priorities. Mark Spitzer, editor in chief of the Toad Suck Review, said the literary journal’s name came from the area’s interest in the idea of Toad Suck. Associate Editor Terry Wright said it is “a deliberate hint at our region” and reverses the expectation of readers because of its unique name. The decision was reached by a vote in the department. Toad Suck Review was chosen over The Unnatural State, which was dismissed for concern that it would be associated with a book published under that same name. The decision on the literary journal’s name did not come without controversy. Spitzer said there were critics who thought that having the word “suck” in the title would make the journal appear too “redneck” and cause people to dismiss it. “The work in this journal is going to be so good that it’s going to redefine Toad Suck,” he said. Wright said they would be working to play against the name and that not everyone would like it, but dismissing a journal for its name is “like saying you don’t like a movie you’ve never seen.” Spitzer said it is a re-envisioning of the Exquisite Corpse Annual, which was well recognized and had a strong Photo courtesy of toadsuckreview.org international reputation. He said the staff wants to keep the UCA’s literary magazine has changed its named from the Exquisite Corpse readers with them and create a new audience. Exquisite Corpse to the Toad Suck Review. The Exquisite Corpse released two issues before losing its editor. The department decided to create something new instead of “babysitting” its former literary journal, Spitzer said. students and one Hendrix student, according to the press Subscribers to the Exquisite Corpse Annual will be sent copies release. of Toad Suck Review once it is released as a replacement. Spitzer Students will also have the opportunity to interview artistsand Wright are confident that the new journal will be well received in-residence, which will be documented in the journal along and develop its own respectable reputation. with the artist’s work. Students may also submit their own work He said the new journal will be opened up to more mainstream to the journal. artists and readers, will focus on Arkansas and retain international The first issue is available now and includes such renowned appeal. Wright said the journal will reinforce that there are great writers as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, C.D. Wright, and Xaviera writers in Arkansas, as well as other places around the world. He Hollander. The journal includes poetry, art, nonfiction, reviews, said that the journal will be open to broader types of expression. translations, fiction and numerous other literary pieces. Spitzer said he would like the journal to develop an The Toad Suck Review can be purchased at the “environmental edge” as well. campus bookstore for $10 or online at amazon.com and Wright said the journal will be more inclusive of students. barnesandnoble.com for $15. There will be three student intern opportunities for two UCA

Students Say story and photos by Lukas Deem

“What did you do on the snow days?” Freshman Jessica Hunt “I’ve been catching up on sleep that I have missed from studying and going to class so much. I also participated in a big snowball fight.”

Sophomore Jacob Howard “During the day I watched TV and played outside. Then at night I had a snow drifting contest in the parking lot of Kroger with Rachel Seals and Kristin Clark.”

Freshman Kaitlin Smith “I played ‘Just Dance’ on the Wii with my friend Kinzey. Also we had a massive, intense snowball fight with our friend Sergio.”

Freshman Ashton Wills “Wednesday I hung out with a bunch of my girls from the dorm. We romped through the snow taking pictures and climbing trees. We drank a lot of hot chocolate and watched movies. On Thursday we had an adventure in the sparkly white nature reserve.”

w w w. UCAE cho .n e t / c ampu s - life

Junior Emily Moore “During my five days off, I partied, hung out with friends, and just had fun. I was so excited to find out we didn’t have class Friday, too.”

Freshman Anh Vu Duy “I played some computer games with friends. Otherwise, I didn’t do much.”

Freshman Jennifer Merino “I slept and walked around while taking photos. I went to Stadium Park and spent time with the international students.”

ucaecho.net

CAMPUS LIFE

KODIAK MOMENT

February 16, 2011 / 5 by Lance Coleman

-PUBLIC APPEARANCES-

Grammy-winning jazz musician to play Reynolds by Simon Gable Staff Writer

Wynton Marsalis, an accomplished trumpet soloist, has teamed up with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for a 14-city U.S. tour beginning in Mesa, Ariz. on Thursday, Feb. 17 and ending in Steamboat Springs, Colo. on July 1, according to his official website, wytonmarsalis.org Reynolds Performance Hall, the fourth stop on the tour, will be the stage for Marsalis at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21. The show at Reynolds will be the only performance in Arkansas for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, according to Marsalis’ web site. Director of UCA Public Appearances Jerry Biebesheimer said: “The main reason we were able to get Wynton and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra here in Conway is because Wynton hates to fly. He is starting this tour out west and will be returning to the east coast on I-40. It just so happens that UCA is the perfect location.” Marsalis first became involved with the Lincoln Center in New York, which houses The Metropolitan Opera, when he co-founded a jazz program specifically for the Lincoln Center in 1987, Biebesheimer said. Eventually the program took off and in 1996 the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Lincoln Center’s official

photo courtesy of Public Appearances

Nine-time Grammy winner Wynton Marsalis will appear at UCA with the Lincoln Center Orchestra at the Reynolds Performance Hall on Monday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Marsalis has won Grammys for both jazz and classical music. jazz orchestra, teamed up with Marsalis, Biebesheimer said. “Soon after that, the Lincoln Center added on a performance space specifically for jazz,” he said The Jazz at Licoln Center Orchestra is a 15-piece jazz orchestra, composed

of trumpet, trombone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, baritone, piano, bass, drums, clarinet and bass clarinet. “This versatile orchestra performs educational events across the U.S. and the globe: in concert halls, dance venues,

jazz clubs, public parks, etc,” according to jalc.org. Marsalis is a nine-time Grammy Award winning musician and composer, according to his website. In 1983 he became the only artist to ever win Grammy Awards for both jazz and

-SAB-

- LO C A L TA L E N T-

Alumnus finds success on ‘American Idol’ by Mary DeLoney

Relationship expert to speak tonight by Lisa Burnett Entertainment Editor

News Editor

Former UCA student Perry Johnson made it to Hollywood week on Season 10 of “American Idol.” Johnson auditioned for ‘Idol’ in October in Nashville. His sister, Pamela Watson, and brother-inlaw, DJ Watson, tagged along for support. “I’m not sure what day it was, I just remember we drove all night to get to Nashville as early as we could,” DJ said. They spent the night in a McDonald’s parking lot down the street from Bridgestone Arena, where auditions were being held. “We dozed off in the parking lot until Mickey D’s opened, grabbed some breakfast and then went back to the arena and got in line,” DJ said. Johnson had to make it through several preliminary tryouts before getting to appear in front of the judges: Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler. “The try-out process is pretty complex,” Pamela said. “The fact that he was able to make it past those initial rounds, considering the literally thousands of people who did not, is testament to his talent. He soared through with flying colors. It was amazing. Every time he came back and said he made it past that audition, we screamed like he had already made it to Hollywood.” For his audition, Johnson sang “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson. “I know Steven told Perry he liked his belt because it had a piano key pattern. Steven and Randy both said they really liked him and asked him to sing a little more of the song for them,” DJ said. The Nashville auditions aired Jan. 27, but Johnson’s audition was not shown. “It was a surreal moment when he came out with his golden ticket to Hollywood. We couldn’t have been more proud and we were just so blessed to be there to support him and share in his special moment,” Pamela said. As soon as he came out with his golden ticket, the ‘Idol’ madness began for Johnson. “They kept calling him

Tonight at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom, Ryan Clauson will enlighten students on the secrets of gaining and maintaining a good relationship. Clauson, also known as Mr. Attraction, recently won the 2010 Fastest Rising Star award by the Campus Activities Magazine. Rachel Linn, sophomore pop culture chair of SAB, said almost anyone could benefit from this program. After seeing him at the National Association for Campus Activities conference, Linn wanted to book Clauson because she thought his program would be great for UCA students. “He teaches us how to read people’s body language. Most of the people who attend this will be students and I really think that they will benefit from coming,” Linn said. Clauson has been doing research for more than seven years on dating and attracting behavior. Clauson’s website says his routine is a mixture of stand up comedy and advice about healthy ways for meeting, attracting and dating the right person. SAB Director Kendra Regehr said she is excited for this program to take place. “I think the executive committee made a really good choice in booking Ryan Clauson. He talks about the dynamics between men and women, which is important stuff for students to know,” Regehr said.

photo courtesy of americanidol.com

UCA alumnus Perry Johnson has made it past the first week of Hollywood Week on Fox’s “American Idol.” out to go take pictures and do interviews,” DJ said. Johnson and his family had to sign secrecy contracts after finding out he was moving on to Hollywood week. “The secrecy is pretty intense. After he got his ticket to Hollywood, we all had to sign contracts saying that we would not tell anyone, because if word got out before the show aired, he could be kicked off. And, even now there are things that we are still under contract to not talk about until after the episodes air. So, our lips are sealed, but we’re excited,” Pamela said. Johnson has received a lot of support from friends and family already. “On the night the Nashville episode aired he got dozens of texts, calls, Facebook and Twitter messages. He actually had to put

classical records. He is the only artist to ever win Grammy Awards in five consecutive years (1983-1987) and in 1997 he became the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music, according to his website. Since the new year, Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have been profiled on “60 Minutes,” and were recently reviewed by the Washington Post, according to Marsalis’ website. Matt Schudel of the Washington Post said, “The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra may be Marsalis’ greatest achievement.” Junior guitar major Shawn Hartley agrees. “His work with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is some of the best jazz music I’ve heard,” he said. Hartley, who said he is excited about the chance to see the performance, said: “Usually you have to go to a big city like New Orleans to see a jazz concert of this magnitude. I’m really impressed that we get to see it in Conway of all places.” Getting Marsalis to play at UCA is a big deal, Biebesheimer said. “People know of Wynton and his musical accomplishments. He performs all around the world in the biggest of venues. He has to turn down countless offers every year, but we were able to get him.” All tickets to the performance are sold out, he said.

his phone in the other room so he could finish watching he show,” DJ said. Johnson should appear on ‘Idol’ again. “He will definitely be on the show again, but we have no idea when the episodes will air. So, just like everyone else, we will be tuned in every week in hopes that they show him again,” Pamela said. Johnson can be found singing on YouTube under the name Perry O’Neal. His interviews from the day he received his ticket to Hollywood can be found at americanidol.com/videos/ season_10/road_to_hollywood. Johnson made it past the first round of Hollywood week on Thursday, Feb. 10, but wasn’t shown on TV. Johnson is being shown on commercials for this week’s episodes, though.

Shyness is another obstacle Clauson tackles in his presentations. Clauson also struggled with shyness when he was younger. According to his website, Clauson was so shy he would hide in the bathroom during school formals because he was too nervous to ask someone to dance. Having battled these issues himself, Clauson has brought these issues into his presentations and teaches his audience how he has overcome his fears, therefore helping them overcome their fears. Not only does Clauson teach his audience about battling shyness, he also tackles how to balance out a relationship and all of the other activities that students may participate in. Clauson has a passion for optimal health and he gives his audience pointers for boosting their energy and becoming the healthiest version of themselves. He is a former professional hockey player and participates in marathons on a daily basis. Clauson’s website has testimonials from students who have participated in his programs and have seen results from his pointers on relationships and balancing everything they have going on. The people in these testimonials praise how wonderful Clauson’s presentation was. This is Clauson’s first time appearing at UCA. “Ryan talks about how to balance everything that might be going on in a student’s life. They have to go to school and they participate in clubs, but throw a relationship on top of that and things could get bad,” Regehr said. Clauson is a published author of “The Nine Rules of Attraction,” which is a guide on relationships.

Entertainment

February 16, 2011

-CD REVIEW-

New Smith Westerns album proves solid by Andrew McClain Staff Writer

channels.com

George Strait makes an appearance in “Pure Country 2: The Gift,” as himself, not his original “Pure Country” character, Dusty Chandler, just one of the reasons this movie does not live up to the original.

‘Pure Country 2’ doesn’t live up to first; storyline fitful for family-oriented drama by Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor

Christopher Cain’s newest film, “Pure Country 2: The Gift,” doesn’t live up to the first “Pure Country” film. Cain’s 1992 film “Pure Country,” which starred country music star George Strait as fictional country superstar Dusty Chandler who was tired of the glitz and glamour of music stardom, was actually a pretty good film and a personal guilty pleasure. Cain’s new flick, “Pure Country 2: The Gift,” which was co-written by him and his son, actor, Dean Cain, is the story of young Bobbie Thomas, played by the beautiful Katrina Elam. Thomas, whose mother dies during childbirth, is given the gift of a angelic singing voice by three angels, played by Michael McKean, Cheech Marin and Bronson Pinchot, and is allowed to keep this gift if she adheres to three rules: Never lie, always be fair and never break a promise. Of course, Thomas is going to break these three not very simple rules and have to redeem herself at some point in the movie. This actually leads to one

of the biggest problems with “Pure Country 2: The Gift.” From the point she’s broken the third and final rule to the denouement of the film where she redeems herself isn’t much screen time at all. It’s almost as if the Cain father-son writing duo realized they were nearing the two hour mark and needed to wrap the entire story up with one big red bow. There is also one huge point that needs to be clarified for fans of the first “Pure Country” film before viewing ‘The Gift.’ ‘The Gift’ really isn’t much of a sequel, but rather a film that stands on its own. The only real similarities are that both films are directed by Christopher Cain, both involve country music in the storyline and both include appearances by Strait. This third similarity seems to draw problems with fans of the first film. While Strait appears in ‘The Gift,’ it’s only in three small scenes and it’s as himself and not his character from the 1992 film. If you’re thinking this film is going to be much of the same as the first then you’re going to be disappointed. The first “Pure Country” film had a

few things going for it that the second one doesn’t. The first is that it featured Strait in his first feature film, and only starring role, which makes the film a must-have for fans of the country legend and genre in general. The second was that because the film features Strait it has one of the greatest soundtracks in cinema history. The third thing going for it was that it included a lovely romance storyline that makes it a common “date movie.” The only real thing going for “Pure Country 2: The Gift” is that it’s a decent family film that an entire family can sit down and enjoy. The direction is nothing special, the acting is nothing special and the script is nothing special. “Pure Country 2” was released on DVD and to pay-per-view on Conway Corp. last week. The film was only released to certain theaters throughout the country and I don’t believe ever showed at a theater in Arkansas. The film is rated PG for some language and thematic material and runs for one hour and 52 minutes.

Chicago four-piece Smith Westerns released their sophomore album, “Dye It Blonde” on Jan. 18 on Oxford, Miss. label Fat Possum. Their first album, “Smith Westerns,” was a grungy, strutting throwback, paying very unsubtle tribute to T. Rex’s mangy glam-rock. Our generation’s glam-rock revivalists sound relatively apathetic, or at least a little tired. Ironically, lead singer Cullen Omori is only 20 years old. His younger brother, bassist Cameron Omori, is 19, and “Dye It Blonde” is their second album in the three years they’ve been playing music together with Max Kakacek, also 20, and a non-static drummer. The four play a woozy, guitar-driven throwback version of garage rock, handed down from the godfathers of glam, Marc Bolan and David Bowie, with a nod to Pussy Cats-era Harry Nilsson and John Lennon’s ethereal “#9 Dream” synth-strings. Their guitars are distorted and overdriven to wail and shimmer, and their vocalist sounds like he could care less. In keeping with many of the current indie rock, glo-fi trends, each song on “Dye It Blonde” sounds like it was written for a campy 70s movie dream sequence, all soft-lit, glittery and washed out. Omori’s mellow vocals evoke nothing but drowsiness, but with jarring guitar lines that shake the whole thing to life. There are also bouncy piano-rock lines and George Harrison-style guitar runs played backwards, all hovering around in a dreamlike fuzz. Lead single “Weekend” opens with

a few seconds of guitar harmonics that sound like they’re coming from under water, before a distinctive, sunny guitar line suddenly breaks in and starts buzzing like a live wire, staying in the listener’s head for days and begging them to play air guitar along with the track. “Weekends are never fun unless you’re around, too,” Omori sings, stretching the word “too” out into the chorus’ sleepy falsetto hook. The music video for “Weekend” shows the band out in a field, carrying a rifle and an axe, cutting down a tree for kicks, intercut with scenes of them bumming around a typical mall, buying girly stud earrings at Claire’s, playing arcade games and getting latenight junk food from a 7-Eleven—just running around and doing typical teenage hoodrat stuff. Their lyrics are written for assonance instead of meaning, which is permissible, because the real gems of the album are the guitar hooks, each of them catchy in their own right. These three are students of classic glam rock, and even their throwaway riffs are better than anything on modern rock radio, and certainly try to give David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” and T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy” a run for their money, without too much imitation. “Dye It Blonde” is a fairly solid set of songs, and as far as sophomore albums go, it’s remarkably no slump, which is stunning for a group of kids who’d just as soon hang out at the mall instead of making rock music.

- I N T H E AT E R S -

- O F F T H E S H E LV E S -

Patterson, Ledwidge write explosive collaboration by Jeanette Anderton Staff Writer

James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge’s thrilling new novel, “Tick Tock,” starts with a bang, literally. This is the sixth time Patterson and Ledwidge have teamed up, and they seem to have found a formula for success. “Tick Tock,” which was released on January 24, topped the New York Times bestsellers list on Feb. 13. The fourth installment of the series, featuring NYPD homicide detective Michael Bennett, begins with someone leaving a bomb at the main branch of the New York Public Library. Thankfully, the bomb, which was a laptop that had been gutted and glued to a table in the library, did not detonate. Instead, a message for the NYPD flashed on the screen saying that this bomb was not supposed “to go BOOM,” but the next one will. Bennett, who is on vacation, gets the call from his boss that it’s time to get back to work. Bennett and his late wife Maeve adopted 10 children before Maeve was diagnosed with cancer and died. Now a single dad to 10 kids, Bennett reluctantly accepts the help of his cantankerous grandfather Seamus, who is a nononsense priest. When Maeve died, Seamus hired an Irish live-in nanny, Mary Catherine, to help as well. A romance has slowly been brewing between Bennett and Mary Catherine that continues in this novel, but not without a few bumps along the way.

Five Best Emo-Rock Albums list compiled by Preston Tolliver

After a couple of outrageous bombings, there are some murders that, at first, seem unconnected. Once a letter addressed to Bennett makes it clear that all of these atrocities are being committed by the same individual, Bennett is still unable to see the connection. Enter FBI agent and other potential romantic interest for Bennett, Emily Parker. She and Bennett worked together on a previous case and shared a kiss that he had hoped would turn into something more. However, after the resolution of that case, Parker returned to Quantico and had no contact with Bennett until now. During the time apart from Parker, Bennett and Mary Catherine’s romance has started to blossom. Now that Parker has returned, Bennett struggles to identify and separate his feelings. With the city under attack by a madman, Bennett has little time to ponder his feelings. In fact, most of the love scenes occur when Bennett has been under

tremendous stress and needs to escape thoughts of the case. At times it seems that whichever woman is handy at the time when he is most stressed will end up winning his affection. “Tick Tock” is full of the action and humor that Patterson fans have come to expect, along with an interesting love triangle. With Patterson’s signature short chapters and lightning pacing, this book is an incredibly fast, fun read. Patterson and Ledwidge work so smoothly together now that it is almost impossible to distinguish which parts come from which author. The only thing I would change about this novel is to have more interaction between Parker and Mary Catherine. There are only a few conversations between Parker and Mary Catherine, and each of them occurs over the telephone. Despite this, they are some of the best scenes in the book. Parker and Bennett finally determine that the bomber/murderer is re-enacting crimes of some of New York’s most notorious killers, including the Son of Sam and Joel Rifkin. Another snag in the investigation comes when they have the name of the man who is carrying out these horrible crimes. Although they are aware that he has some military experience, they are unable to find his name in any of their databases. Enter the CIA. This novel will thrill you from start to finish. It has everything from teenage bullies to the underworld of the mafia, from the mundane trials of being a father to the intrigue of the CIA.

directpreviews.com

Minka Kelly plays college freshman Sara, who is randomly selected to become roommates with obsessive Rebecca, played by Leighton Meester.

‘Roommate’ predictable to film-goers by Jillian Browder Staff Writer

When it comes to Sony Pictures’ new flick, “The Roommate,” the best advice that can be given is simply don’t bother. Even going into the theater with zero expectations, I was somehow still underwhelmed. The plot is by far nothing new and in all honesty is just a tad bit overdone. Well, more like a lot overdone. It’s been described as a scary intense psychological thriller. Trust me when I say that it is anything but. The story is simple enough. It follows Sara, played by Minka Kelly, a college freshman from a small town that moves to the big city of LA for school. It is there that she is paired with Rebecca, played by Leighton Meester, as a roommate. And if you couldn’t tell from the previews, then just take a wild guess and you’ll know what happens. Yep, that’s right. Rebecca is a psycho and, don’t worry, I didn’t ruin anything for you. As the semester progresses, the very unstable Rebecca begins to take her obsession of her irritatingly unsuspecting roommate Sara to a new level. How a person could be so oblivious to what’s going on around them, I will never know. Anyone Rebecca finds unsuitable for her dear roomie she threatens, attacks and you guessed it, kills. And lets face it, everyone is unsuitable for Sara, or else there wouldn’t be a movie.

The gore is minimal due to its PG-13 rating and suspense nonexistent. You will know what’s around every corner, beneath every bed and in every dryer. The film’s acting isn’t necessarily cringe-worthy but the logical fallacies that keep it moving along are. Parents that are that afraid of what their child is capable of would not give them a pricey car and credit card let alone send them off to college in place of a mental ward. Not to mention that a student with Rebecca’s history of obsession and violence would not be aloud to live on campus with an unsuspecting student. The liabilities are too great. No college is going to risk a lawsuit that heavy. So kids, sleep easy tonight, chances are your roommate is just fine. And of course, since Hollywood screenwriters don’t have licensed psychologist on hand, their go-to disorder for Rebecca is a mixture of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder when her behaviors do not align with those disorders at all. But now I’m just being nit-picky. Unfortunately. this movie is not good by any means and yet somehow is not horrible enough to enjoy poking fun. So if you’re looking for something a little more on the wild side, why not try the 10 o’clock news? If that’s not enough to deter you from buying a ten-dollar ticket and thirty bucks worth of stale junk food, maybe “Single White Female” will. It’s the exact same story. So why not rent it and spend a night in? It will be loads cheaper and definitely more entertaining as it holds a seat in ‘90’s thriller royalty.

1. Sunny Day Real Estate “The Rising Tide” (2000)

2. Further Seems Forever “The Moon is Down” (2001)

3. Mineral - “The Power of Failing” (1997)

4. Brand New - “Deja Entendu” (2003)

5. Taking Back Sunday - “Tell All Your Friends”

Though many will disagree because of its difference from their first three albums, Sunny Day Real Estate’s fourth and last album, “The Rising Tide,” is arguably the best emo album to be recorded. It was not only much heavier than their previous albums, but more mature as well. Sadly, SDRE broke up shortly after releasing the album, but as of last year, the band is rumored to be writing another album.

Before Dashboard Confessional, Chris Carrabba fronted Further Seems Forever, lending his voice to a much heavier, alternative backing. Though Carrabba only performed on ‘Moon,’ the band went on to make two more albums with vocalists Jason Gleason and Joe Bunch, neither of whom were as good as Carrabba. Last Fall, FSF’s website announced a reunion this Spring with Carrabba.

Before bands like Taking Back Sunday and Brand New made emo music more mainstream, bands like Mineral, Sunny Day Real Estate and Jimmy Eat World defined the genre. In Mineral’s first of only two full-lengths, we hear the soft, harmonic and perfectly out-of-key vocals of Chris Simpson taking second stage to the harder beats going on behind him, rather than the vocals dominating each song.

One of the biggest names in emo music today, Brand New set the bar high with their first album, “Your Favorite Weapon,” and cleared it with flying colors with their second album, “Deja Entendu.” Each song on “Deja” delved into the raw emotion of vocalist Jesse Lacey that would eventually earn the album goldrecord status with its 500,000th sale in 2007.

Taking Back Sunday hasn’t had a really good album since their first, perhaps because of the role guitarist/back-up vocalist John Nolan played. He and bassist Shaun Cooper left after the release of ‘Friends’ to form Straylight Run, which released two full-length albums and three EPs. Luckily, Nolan and Cooper recently reunited with TBS and have announced an album to come out early this year.

Sports

February 16, 2011

From the Shotgun By Ben Keller

NFL owners, NFLPA need to resolve differences quickly L

ast week, the argument between the NFL owners and the NFL Players Association erupted in a display of trash talking, canceled talks and threats of boycotting the draft combine. Everything started last week when the second day of negotiations to settle the dispute over rookie salary caps and other disputes was canceled. This was just the start of this soap opera’s woes. It came out Sunday that owner Jerry Richardson from the Carolina Panthers verbally denounced and bad-mouthed quarterbacks Drew Brees and Peyton Manning. It has been reported that Richardson made sarcastic remarks to Manning when he began talking at a Feb. 5 negotiation between the NFLPA and owners. That has to be about the stupidest thing Richardson could have done at this point in time. This whole dispute has both sides ready to explode and he potentially could have started the spark that will ignite a player lockout. However, I think both sides are taking things a little too far and this has been blown way out of proportion. The owners are asking for players to take too many pay cuts and will not budge on their stances, while the players are resorting to some childish measures like getting potential draftees to boycott their combine. Seriously, the NFLPA is trying to convince players and their agents who have not even joined the league to help stick it to the owners. Those are playground tactics any way you look at it and it is not right. The players aren’t being the only stubborn ones. The owners have set themselves on their stances and have held firm through every negotiation. I attribute that to having their butts kicked by the players during the 2006 negotiations. That is understandable and

Bear Chat with

Jasmine Ellis

pretty funny. A bunch of business-savvy old guys got beaten in business negotiations by a bunch of football players. That had to sting their pride a little. Richardson has even gone so far as to say that the owners should “take back our game.” Really? Richardson may be an owner but I haven’t ever seen him on the field playing. Richardson and the rest of the big-wigs may be owners of a team but it is not their game. It belongs to the players on the field. Now, not to cut the players too much slack, they have been getting way overpaid in my opinion. While the NFL does have a somewhat better rein on player salaries than the MLB, some of the starting rookie salaries have been ridiculous. Last year, the number one pick, Sam Bradford, received a $72 million deal over a sixyear contract with $50 million guaranteed to him no matter what may happen to him. That is a ridiculous amount of money to be getting offered without even knowing how that player will perform once he is in an NFL game. That isn’t to say the owners’ solution is much better. In fact, it is worse. The owners want to make every top draft pick have a required five year contract of $19 million. It would be even worse for later round draftees. He would almost be required to sign a contract extension just to make sure they would be making money. The owners and the players have to find some kind of common ground before March 3. If they don’t, it will come back to haunt both sides and hurt the most important people in this situation—the fans. The fans are the lifeblood of any organization because they are the ones who pay to see their team and wear their merchandise. When the fans are forced to weather the leagues disputes it just isn’t right.

What brought you to UCA? I love track and UCA offered to let me be a part of their team. I’m so glad I decided to come to UCA. I love it here.

What’s your major? I’m undeclared right now, but I’m leaning towards coaching.

What athletes inspire you? Lolo Jones, she was a hurdler in the Olympics.

by Lisa Burnett Entertainment Editor

Sophomore Jasmine Ellis has been one of the frontrunners on the women’s track team this year. She beat her own school record in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing fourth in the Southern Illinois University Invitational on Feb. 5. Ellis is competitor in the multi category. This means that she competes in seven events, including the long and high jumps, the 60 and 55 meter hurdles, the shot put and the 800- and 200-meter sprints. Needless to say, this girl does it all.

When did you start running track events? I started doing track in the 7th grade.

What is your most memorable Bear moment? Last year during the outdoor conference. I won fifth place overall in the multi event.

How do you get ready for a track meet? I listen to a variety of music. This helps me zone in and stay focused on what I’m about to do.

What meet are you most excited about in the 2011 season? I would definitely say the outdoor conference meet.

What has been you favorite meet so far? The ASU invitational because I jumped really well in the high and long jump.

What are your plans after graduation? I just want to try to succeed in coaching and just everything after I graduate.

Do you have any goals that you’ve set for your track career this season? My goal is to win in multi at conference this year.

Lukas Deem photo

Senior guard Mike Pouncy fends off several Texas State Bobcats guards as he dribbles for the basket during the game on Feb. 9 in Conway. The Bears lost the game 85-61 and now have a conference record of 1-10.

Bobcats maul Bears in Conway 85-61 by Zachary O’Neal Staff Writer

The Bears basketball team’s losing streak continues with the defeat at home against the Texas State Bobcats 85-61 on Feb. 9. In the first half, the game was close. At the beginning, there was a period of lead changing going back and forth. After the first Bears’ timeout, the Bobcats started to pull further ahead with three consecutive threepointers. “We felt this was a team that we had a great opportunity to play with,” coach Corliss Williamson said. “To come out and play the way we did was very disappointing and very disheartening, but we have to continue to play on.” Senior guard Imad Qahwash led the Bears with 19 points and 10 rebounds, followed by senior forward Tarde Sheppard with 12 points and eight rebounds. As a team, they made 13 out of 30 free throws, 22 turnovers and four out of 20 three-pointers. The Bears were outrebounded by the Bobcats defensively 32-27. Offensively, the Bears made 16 rebounds. “We came in the gym yesterday. The guys

all shot free throws, we shot them earlier today … you know, I’m just lost at words on the free throws. We’re trying every trick in the world. We use big balls we used to shoot with and we can’t knock them down. It’s a concentration thing or something,” Williamson said. “Our shot selection I don’t believe was good at all. We shot 20 percent from the three-point line. It’s like we didn’t learn.” After the first half, the Bears picked up their game by scoring more points, but it wasn’t enough to outscore the Bobcats. The Bobcats took advantage of the Bears defense and took their time making three-pointers. They outscored the Bears in three-pointers, making 10 out of 24. “Look at 29 points off of turnovers, we leave 17 points on the board from free throws. If you cut some of those down and make some free throws, who knows, you may have an opportunity to win a game and we haven’t figured that out,” Williamson said. “I wish I can come in here in some make up and look like another player and play a few positions.” Williamson said he was dissappointed in the Bears’ efforts and for letting down the fans who braved the weather to attend the game.

“I got on to our big guys at half time. I challenged them, it’s like you can’t let your guards out rebound you and you’re big, you got to take some pride into that,” Williamson said. “We had 16 offensive rebounds and that’s because we did not shoot the ball well. As coaches we always try to find something positive to take from the game. In this one, for me, there’s really nothing to take away that’s positive because I felt we had a great crowd out here seeing as though the weather is bad, came out and support us. I don’t believe we came out with the effort that we should have to encourage them to come out some more.” Qahwash said that despite the tough loss, the Bears will practice hard to prepare for the upcoming games. “We just got to keep working hard and practice. It was a tough loss, but they’re a good team. We just have to keep practicing hard and concentrate on things we need to improve on. In this game you can’t lay down or it’ll get ugly,” Qahwash said. “I’m just trying to encourage my teammates to keep playing hard and hopefully good things will happen. We just want to keep improving on that, in particular free throws.”

-PREVIEW-

Track team looks to continue success in Missouri by Lee Hogan Staff Writer

Coach Richard Martin and the UCA track team will be looking to continue the success they have had so far this season when they travel to the Missouri Collegiate Challenge in Columbia, Mo. this weekend. The teams have combined to break four school records during their last meet and have 16 qualifying marks for the Southland Conference Indoor Championship. Junior Sage Raphael won the 400 meters and qualified for the SLC Championship. In the high jump, junior Bobby Washington broke his own school record while finishing third at the meet. On the women’s side, sophomore Courtney Efurd set a school record during a first place finish in the 3000 meters while also qualifying for the SLC Championship. Sophomore Jasmine Ellis broke her school record in a fourth place performance in the 60 meter hurdles. Martin said he is pleased with where the team is considering the challenge they have faced, much like all the other teams here at UCA, the weather. “I feel it’s going alright considering the weather.” Martin said. “We haven’t had that

many times to workout outside because of the weather. Considering that, we’ve come along pretty good.” Martin said he feels the most important thing about the meet this weekend is getting more of the team qualified in events for the SLC Championship. “We still have some people we’re trying to get qualified,” he said. “We still have some people that haven’t qualified that we need to get qualified at this last meet.” Martin said that so far this season, senior Donavan Loring had been the team’s strongest point. “Our biggest leader has probably been Donavan Loring.” Martin said. “He’s our triple jumper and he has probably been our biggest strength, along with being our biggest leader so far.” Loring won the triple jump at the team’s last meet in Illinois. Along with the triple jump, Loring has qualifying marks for the SLC Championship in the 60 meter hurdles and long jump. Junior Courtney Houff agrees with coach Martin in being pleased with the performance of the team to date this season. One of the events Houff competes in is the 4x400 meter relay, which Martin said is an area he is trying to work on the most even

though the team has a qualifying mark for the SLC Championship in this event. “We are just trying to position people and try people on the relays,” Martin said. “That is just trying to find exactly when they need to run whether it be the first leg, second leg, or a different one.” Sophomore Jake Goode said the team, as a whole, has had great success so far this year. “I really feel like the season is going well so far,” Goode said. “I know that a lot of people have qualified for indoor conference so far especially a lot of our runners and a lot of our people in field events. It has been a real combination so far.” Goode, a decathlon participant, has qualified for the SLC Championship. Goode said this weekend is a great opportunity for him to improve on his events and carry that momentum into the rest of the season. “I just want to use this meet and the indoor season to compete at a higher level at the Southland Indoor and Outdoor Championships,” Goode said. After this weekend’s meet in Missouri, the track team will switch its attention to the Southland Conference Indoor Championship in Norman, Okla. on Feb. 25-26.

-MILESTONE-

Megan Herbert hits 1,000 career points as sophomore by Shea Higgerson Staff Writer

Megan Herbert reached over 1,000 points in her basketball career after the Sugar Bears’ 63-37 win over Texas Arlington on Feb. 6. Herbert, who is only a sophomore, has been playing basketball since the first grade and has since become a major player for the Sugar Bears. Tiffany Brooks, assistant women’s basketball coach, said Herbert wasn’t highly recruited out of high school so the way she came to the team and played the way she does has been amazing. “She can set a lot of records,” Brooks said. “She already has, but she can set many more.” Brooks and Tony Kemper, associate head women’s basketball coach, both spoke of how great a person and teammate Herbert has been. “She’s not in it for individual reasons,” Kemper said. “She’s in it for the team. She does tremendous things individually, but it’s not about that to her.”

Brooks said that all of Herbert’s teammates love her and were very excited for her when it was announced she had reached 1,000 points. She said Herbert always works hard, plays hard and gives 110 percent without giving any attitude. She said Herbert also tries to make other teammates better, not just herself. Kemper said the coaching staff and her teammates have a lot of respect for the work she does for the team. Kemper said Herbert’s accomplishment shows the kind of player she is—relentless, energetic, a good rebounder and a team player. He said that’s probably the biggest reason for her being able to achieve something like this so early in her basketball career. He said that it is a “neat thing” that she probably doesn’t know yet how big of an accomplishment it was. Herbert said she doesn’t see it as a big deal right now but knows she’ll look back and say ‘I can’t believe I did that’ and it will be a good memory. “It’s a great accomplishment,” she said.

“I’m really glad to be here.” She said the accomplishment was a team effort and that her teammates, family and friends have been her biggest inspirations because they’ve always been there for her and have always supported her. She said they always try to get her to do her best and she doesn’t want to struggle or let anyone down. “Being around people like that, it really motivates me,” she said. Herbert said her favorite thing about playing for the Sugar Bears is they are seen as an underdog a lot of times, so when they play bigger schools and can win or do well in the game, it feels good. She said she likes that UCA is a smaller Division 1 school. In the Texas Arlington game, in which Herbert achieved her 1,000 point accomplishment, she also had the highest points scored in the game with 15 points. After reaching such a high point her sophomore year of college, Herbert said she has no clue what her plans are for the future but to just keep playing hard.

8 / February 16, 2011

SPORTS

Bears Brief • The Bears basketball team fell to 5-20 overall and 1-10 in Southland Conference play when they lost to the McNeese State Cowboys 8167 in Lake Charles, La. on Feb. 12. The Cowboys improved to 14-8 overall and 6-3 in Southland Conference play with the victory and gave them the season sweep over the Bears. The Cowboys beat the Bears 70-63 on Jan. 29 in the Farris Center. The Bears trailed 37-24 at halftime after shooting just over 30 percent from the field and struggling with free throws, making eight out of 14. Cowboys’ senior guard Diego Kapeland led all players in scoring with 27 followed by junior forward Richard Patrick with 24. Bears’ Senior guard Imad Qahwash led the Bears in scoring with 18 points. Senior forward Tadre Sheppard added 13 points of his own to the board for the Bears, followed by junior forward Chris Henson with 12 points. Junior guard Mark Rutledge led the Bears in rebounds with eight, six of which were on defense. The Bears return to the Farris Center Saturday at 4 p.m. against the Sam Houston State Bearkats. • The Sugar Bears basketball team beat the Texas State Bobcats for the first time ever Feb. 9 in San Marcos, Texas 74-60. Sophomore forward Megan Herbert recorded her season high in scoring and rebounds when she recorded 28 points and 14 rebounds. Junior guard Nakeia Guiden recorded her first career double-double in the game when she scored 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Sugar Bears. The Sugar Bears improved to 15-8 overall and 7-3 in Southland Conference play with the victory while the Bobcats fell to 8-14 and 3-6. The Sugar Bears only led by three at halftime but quickly extended their lead in the second half 74-56 with 1:00 left, before ending the game with a 74-56 victory. The Sugar Bears basketball team fell to the McNeese State Cowgirls 65-59 in Lake Charles, La. on Feb. 12 after leading by 15 points in the second half, but the Cowgirls (17-6, 9-1) outscored the Sugar Bears (17-9, 7-4) 30-13 in the next 15 minutes to give them the lead and the victory in the final minutes of the game. Herbert recorded her sixteenth doubledouble of the season in the game with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Guiden put up 11 points for the Sugar Bears, all coming in the first half. The Sugar Bears will take on the Sam Houston State

Bearkats on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Hunstville, Texas. • The Bears softball team competed in the Mizuno Classic at the University of Southern Mississippi softball complex Feb. 12-13 in Hattiesburg, Miss. where they dropped their first four games of the season. The Bears played their first game on Saturday against the Kennesaw State Owls and lost 4-2 after the Owls (4-0) took a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning. The Bears scored their first run in the sixth inning off of an RBI from junior pinch hitter Katie McGregor to tie the game at 1. The Bears second run came in the top of the seventh inning when sophomore shortstop Melissa Bryant scored on a wild pitch. The Bears played the Owls again Sunday and despite taking them to extra innings, suffered a 3-2 loss. The Owls jumped to an early 2-0 lead off of a two run homer, but the Bears answered back in the same inning off of an RBI from junior first baseman Kasey Britt. The Bears tied the game in the bottom of the third inning when freshman infielder Tarra Underhill drove in a run. The rest of the game went scoreless, but with the international tiebreaker rule where a runner starts off on second in the eight inning, the Owls were able to break the tie with a sacrifice fly to give them their second win over the Bears. The Bears also played the host, the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles on Saturday and Sunday, dropping the game Saturday 5-1 and Sunday’s game 5-2. The Eagles (3-2) took a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Eagles added two more runs to their lead in the third inning to give them a 5-0 lead before the Bears scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the third when Britt recorded an RBI. The Bears faced the Eagles again Sunday, dropping to 0-4 on the season with the loss. The Bears took an early lead in the first inning with an RBI from sophomore catcher Melanie Bryant, but the Eagles answered right back in the bottom of the first. Britt hit an RBI triple in the third inning to give the Bears the 2-1 lead, but the Eagles hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the third to tie it at 2. The Eagles scored their remaining runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to put them up 5-2, and the Bears couldn’t answer. The Bears will play the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils today at 3 p.m. in Itta Bena, Miss.

- B AT T E R U P -

Baseball Bears start season with new gameplan by Allison Hartman Assistant Sports Editor

The Bears baseball team will kick off its 2011 season Feb. 18 with a new coach, an updated stadium and a lot of hope for a successful season. The Bears’ 2011 season will mark Coach Allen Gum’s first season at the helm of the baseball team, and with an updated stadium that brings fans closer to the action and an artificial turf infield, Gum said the Bears are looking forward to what 2011 has to offer. Gum said the Bears spent the off-season getting used to the new system he put in place while also getting in great shape for the season. “The main thing in the off season, with me being new, was putting a new system into place and getting everyone used to it. But we’ve been trying to get our bodies ready with weight room training, speed training, and conditioning,” Gum said. The Bears finished the 2010 season with a record of 19-35-1, with a Southland Conference record of 10-22-1. They finished with a combined batting average of .283 and were outscored by their opponents 415-321. Gum said he’s confident that the Bears will be able to make a strong showing on the offensive end this season. He said, “We have some balance offensively with right and left handed hitters.

There is a lot of strength there.” In addition to having a balanced batting order, some of the Bears’ biggest hitters from 2010 are returning this year. Junior infielder Blake Roberts recorded 38 RBIs and six homeruns in 205 at bats for the Bears last season with an overall batting average of .341. Senior catcher Michael Pair hit five homeruns and 42 RBIs with a .304 batting average in 204 at bats and senior infielder Zack Dickson, who brought in 19 RBIs and one homerun in 178 at bats for a .320 average, will also be returning to the diamond this season. Defensively, Gum said the Bears have a lot of different players he can put in a variety of situations. “Overall, there isn’t just one or two guys that are going to be asked to pull the ship, but each individual guy has something that he can bring to us and help us win some ball games,” Gum said. Senior infielder Kyle Prevett said the team has a new philosophy in place this year that the players are really buying into. “The results have been good so far. We’ve been focusing on hitting pitches that we are good at hitting. Basically hitting ones that you know is in your strike zone and being patient,” Prevett said. Gum said as the season has gotten closer, the Bears have still been focusing on conditioning and weight training, but have also

been working on their movement so they can become better ball players and have been focusing on making sure they are all on the same page. “We have our foundation and philosophy of what we’re doing on offense and defense, and making sure everyone understands that takes time,” Gum said. The Bears will face several non-conference opponents before facing the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks on March 12 in their first Southland Conference series of the season in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Bears will also be traveling to Stillwater, Okla. on March 15 to play the Oklahoma State University Sooners, a Big 12 powerhouse. In addition, the Bears will play several other Arkansas universities, including the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojans on March 29 and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions on April 5 at Bear Stadium. The Bears were one of the teams fast tracked during UCA’s transition to a Division 1 institution, meaning they have been eligible for post-season play for the past two seasons; however, they came up short. Gum said: “It’s time for us to make post-season play. They are hungry for it, and the motivation should come from daily routine. They came up short the last couple of years, so it’s time to get there for sure.”

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- F O OT B A L L-

Conque says 2011 recruits add team depth by Ben Keller Sports Editor

The Bears football program has filled out its roster with 23 new members and Coach Clint Conque said he is glad to have them on board to add depth and some experience to his team. The 23 recruits breakdown into 18 coming from high school and five transferring from a twoyear college. Of the mid-year additions, Conque said getting kicker Kevin Buford was pivotal for his team going into the 2011 season. “He has played at a high level his first two years at Northwest Community College, he was an All-Region selection and he led the Mississippi junior colleges in punting,” he said. “The thing about Kevin is that he is a very hard worker and I think he is just going to get better and better with more experience.” Kevin was the only kicker that the Bears recruited for the 2011 class. The return of Bears kicker Eddie Carmona is still questionable, Conque said.

Carmona and the coaching staff are pleading a case to the NCAA to allow Carmona to play another year, but the appeal has been extended. “It has extended almost into the spring,” Conque said. “We thought that it would be over by the first of the year so there are no guarantees. Kevin and Eddie together would give us a great advantage and really strengthen our kicking game if they were both on the field together split into duties.” Another recruit Conque is bringing into his team is Trey Taylor, a quarterback from Memphis, Tenn. Conque said he and the coaching staff noticed Taylor early on last year and have been interested in him ever since. “We identified Trey along with an in-state player and we offered both of them pretty early on in the process,” he said. “We were only going to take one of them and we got Trey. The other young man is going to Memphis.” Conque said Taylor is an athletic young quarterback who has great potential and a hard working attitude. “He can make all the throws,

he has a quick release, he is not a true dual-threat player but he is athletic enough that he can extend a play and escape,” he said. “He is very smart and he wants to be good. I think his best football is in front of him. Certainly, he has to get bigger and stronger and he has to learn our system, but I think he has a lot of potential and potentially a bright future here.” Conque said the 2011 class as a whole filled in some immediate concerns with depth in some positions, but also helped round out the Bears and gives the team more options to work with. He said the Bears returning a lot of starters also helps with bringing in new players and even though there are plenty of returning players, it does not mean the freshmen will not be given their opportunity to participate and help the team. Conque said there are still a few recruits who have not signed yet because they are looking at other potential schools. Conque said he is still hoping they will sign with UCA but that has yet to be determined.

-RECRUITS-

Eight players join Bears women’s soccer team by Marisa Hicks Assistant News Editor

The women’s soccer team will have 19 returning players with a team of 27 next season as eight new players were just signed onto the team. Seven of the players are coming from Texas and the eighth is a Conway local. All are incoming high school seniors that will be freshmen in the fall. Head coach Tina Banham said that this class is one of the best UCA women’s soccer team has signed on since the transition to a division one team. They are technically and athletically inclined, she said. Assistant coach Jeremy Bishop said that most of the players were team captains of high school and club teams. Banham said signing on these new players is the next step to winning the Southland Conference title. She said it is a very young

team with eight freshmen coming in and the 12 sophomores that signed on last year. Two of the new players, midfielder Chelsea Collins and midfielder and defender Alexandra Wurst are from Flower Mound High School in Texas. Midfielder Brooke Johnston was signed onto the team from JJ Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas where she earned two state championships. Johnston was a national team finalist in 2009. Another midfielder, Vanessa Randall, won three straight state titles in high school. Randall went to Ursuline Academy in Dallas, Texas and like Johnston, was a club teammate of national champion Sting ’93 club. Forward and defender Sara Perlman was awarded first team honors at The Colony in Dallas. The team signed on defender and midfielder Lauren Trueheart from Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas. Trueheart won three district championships and a state championship as a

member of the Space City FC ’93. The last Texan signee, forward Cassie Lange, is from Fair Oaks Ranch. Lange was a team captain for two years and brought her helped her team qualify as a state semifinalist. Conway High School senior Brooke Ballard was signed onto the women’s soccer team as a forward and midfielder. She won four consecutive state titles and played on the conference champion team for Conway High School. Bishop said that now the team can focus on better attacks, getting the ball in the back of the net and sheer speed and agility. Banham said it will be a tough transition starting out for the incoming freshmen because they will be focused on getting the players comfortable with the system of UCA soccer. Banham said: “We had a good year last year. The goal is to go to conference and these new players will help give us a chance at the Southland Finals.

-PREVIEW-

SIU Edwardsville kicks off 2011 baseball in Conway by Allison Hartman Assistant Sports Editor

The Bears baseball team will begin its 2011 season at Bear Stadium Friday at 3 p.m. with a three-game series against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars. The game will be the season opener for the Cougars as well, and the first series to be played in the newly renovated Bear Stadium, which got a facelift in the off-season with the addition of an artificial turf infield, student section and a new score board. The season opener will also mark Coach Allen Gum’s first game as head coach of the Bears. Gum coached the Southern Arkansas University baseball team for five years and recorded a 226-68 record for the Division 2, Gulf South Conference team. Gum said the Bears have missed a lot of practice because of the snow Conway has seen this winter, which has affected their preparation, but the Cougars are facing it as well. Gum said: “No doubt the weather is affecting our preparation, but they’re battling it also. We need to be getting out

onto the field. Especially with this being a transition year, there are a lot of new things being implemented and getting on the field, playing, and getting into a routine is important.” Senior infielder Kyle Prevett said the team has been lifting weights and doing speed and agility drills in the Pepsi Center throughout the winter weather, but when the weather is good, he said the team practices two or three times a day. “We lift weights in the morning, practice in the afternoon and do a lot of extra hitting on our own. We’ve been doing a lot of high tempo gamelike situations to get us as ready as we can be for the first game,” Prevett said. Gum said he wants to see the Bears apply everything they’ve been working on in practice in the SIUE game and to see them give everything they’ve got, and if they are able to accomplish that, “I think we’ll have no problem taking care of the series.” Gum said the biggest obstacle is never the other team, but it’s battling adversity. “We’re going to face it throughout the year, at some

point in each game, and the key to our success will be how well we overcome adversity,” Gum said. The Cougars, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, finished the 2010 season with an overall record of 14-38. The Bears played them last season, recording a 14-8 win. Gum said the team has been familiarizing itself with the scouting reports, but the most important aspect of preparing for the series will be focusing on themselves. He said: “The best way we can get ready for them is to make sure we’re prepared. We have reports, which are from last year, so things can change. But the most important thing is to make sure we’re ready to go.” Gum said the Bears spent the off-season getting into good physical shape, getting used to the new system he put into place and getting on the same page philosophically, and he is ready to see his team hit the diamond for the first time this season. “I’m really looking forward to seeing our guys perform. I’m ready to see them have a good time and play baseball at a high level,” Gum said.