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Volume 105 — Issue 7
March 9, 2011 Wednesday
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Opinion: Voice: Hardin’s guilty plea hopefully marks end to bad era
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Around Campus: Apply for a Passport Students wishing to travel abroad during spring break can apply for a passport today in the Student Center Courtyard from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Students must bring proof of citizenship, government issued I.D., a front and back copy of their I.D, two passport photos (available on site for $15) and a check payment.
Fulbright Scholars Upperclassmen interested in traveling abroad after graduation as Fulbright Scholars to teach English, conduct research or begin graduate study should attend an information session on the Fulbright program tomorrow during x-period in McAlister 302.
Student Art Exhibition The Annual Student Competitive Art Exhibition will open tomorrow in the Baum Gallery. Opening receptions are 4-6 p.m. tomorrow and 2-4 p.m on Sunday and are free and open to the public.
AFA Applications Applications for the Association of Future Alumni are available at the Student Center information desk, Buffalo Alumni Hall or online at uca.edu/afa. The deadline to turn in applications is Friday.
Alumni Association Scholarship UCA Alumni Association Scholarship Applications are available for 2011-12 for incoming and current UCA students. Brochures can be found at uca.edu/go/ alumnischolarships, the Student Center information desk or Buffalo Alumni Hall. The deadline to turn them in is Friday.
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. Deadline to turn them in is Friday.
“Bus Stop” The Montana Repertory Theatre’s production of William Inge’s Tony-nominated play “Bus Stop” will be March 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Reynolds Performance Hall. Call the RPH box office for ticket information.
Nicholas Sparks New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks will speak at Reynolds Performance Hall March 15 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Call the RPH box office for ticket information.
Basketball: Sugar Bears win on Senior Day 81-59
Writing: Toadsuck Review Launchapalooza held in downtown Conway
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Campus Life:
Hardin pleads guilty to two felony charges by Taylor Lowery Editor & Opinion Editor
Former University of Central Arkansas president Lu Hardin pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to felony charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The federal charges state Hardin’s charges were based on a memo Hardin forged to the UCA Board of Trustees in April 2008 stating that it was legal for him to receive a $300,000 package of deferred compensation that he wasn’t supposed to receive until 2010. He dictated the memo to his secretary and it was written as if it was from three UCA administrators. The $300,000 bonus was to come from private money because
Hardin was already paid at the statemandated salary cap. Hardin entered guilty pleas Monday morning after returning to Arkansas following his abrupt resignation Friday as president of Palm Beach Atlantic University. Hardin appeared in court with his wife, Mary, his son, Scooter, and his attorney, Chuck Banks. The UCA officials whose names he forged were former Vice President of Administration Jack Gillean (now chief of staff ), former Executive Vice President Barbara Anderson and former Vice President for Finance Paul McLendon. All three have said they had nothing to do with the memo sent to the board of
trustees. U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Thyer said in a news release that Hardin abused his positions as UCA president. “As president of UCA, Mr. Hardin was in a position of public trust,” he said. “He abused that position to the detriment of the University of Central Arkansas, the state of Arkansas and the United States of America.” Thyer continued to say that “public office is not a blank check to selfenrichment.” FBI Special Agent Valerie Parlace also condemned actions by those in power. “Corrupt schemes involving abuses of a public official’s position undermine public confidence,” she said. “We will continue to room out schemes committed
by those entrusted with public funds.” The board approved the request, however, and Hardin received $198,000 of the bonus. UCA deducted the remainder to pay the taxes on the amount. Harris said Hardin needed the bonus to pay “pressing financial debts.” The Arkansas Times reported Hardin’s debts were caused by gambling in Tunica, Miss. casinos. Hardin has repaid the bonus he received. The charges state that Hardin took out bank loans, drew lines of credit and made early withdrawals from his retirement fund to pay off his “large personal debt.” No sentencing date was set Monday and Hardin was released after he was
See Hardin - page 2
-PROJECTS -
President’s House to undergo repairs; Meadors, wife to stay in guest house by Taylor Lowery Editor & Opinion Editor
The President’s House is facing several upcoming repairs and renovations, stemming from recently discovered problems with heating and air systems, windows and lead paint. Vice President of Finance and Administration Diane Newton said there are two major projects which are scheduled to take place this semester. The first deals with mold discovered during a window replacement. “While they were taking paint off the walls, they found mold,” Newton said. She said they have to eradicate the moisture problem before the mold can be removed, which was caused by ill-fitting and rotted windows. The mold was discovered because of lead found around the windows, which is why paint was being removed. President Allen Meadors said the mold found around the windows was far above what is considered safe. He said some of the mold identified is black mold, which he said can be very dangerous to your health.
The indoor quality testing and abatement are being done by Environmental Enterprise Group. Testing costs $3,035 and the mold abatement will cost approximately $37,170. The cost of replacing the windows will be $98,662.00 and will be done by Shields and Associates. The second project Newton said will be done is replacing the heating and air system (HVAC). “There’s a multitude of problems with the HVAC, mostly that none of which were working efficienly at all,” she said. Newton said the President’s House had been running off of the original boiler system, which was installed when the house was build in the 1930s. “They were replacing compressors on the boilers which kept blowing on these units, almost every summer,” she said. “The boiler also had to be manually checked every hour of every day, 365 days a year.” Replacement of the HVAC system is estimated at $99,999.99. It will be done by Four Seasons HVAC Company.
See House - page 2
Photo by Nick Hillemann
Jesse Borschakin of Paladino-Nash, Incorporated operates a backhoe outside of Estes Stadium on Feb. 28 as part of the capital projects taking place around campus.
-TR AVEL -
-EVENT -
Study Abroad offers passports SGA, Concierge to present Pizza Wars, Be a Peace of Something Bigger by Lisa Burnett Entertainment Editor
by Marisa Hicks Assistant News Editor
The SGA senior class and Concierge Services has been working together to produce Pizza Wars/Be a Peace of Something Bigger Day. Vice President of Operations Kyle Moix said in the past, SGA has sponsored an entire week of events to represent Green Week but Pizza Wars was scheduled on the same day, March 15. Concierge Services and SGA decided to combine the events, he said. Graduate student Mallory Carranza said Pizza Wars is an SGA sponsored event that will take place during x-period whereas Be a Peace of Something Bigger is an event that will take place from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Center Courtyard. SGA senior class president Robert Rogers said, “As the president of the senior class, I hope everyone comes to the event. We have been working hard all year to make this possible and there will be door prizes and pizza for everyone.” He said in the past, the events of Green Day took place throughout the week, but because Pizza Wars was scheduled during the same week, it was decided to consolidate all of the activities into one day. Carranza said she hopes 4,500 students show up to take part in the activities. “As far as Pizza Wars goes,” she said, “there will be five pizza companies competing for the students’ vote. Bear’s Den Pizza, CiCi’s Pizza, Dominos, Little Ceasar’s and Gusano’s will be competing for the students’ vote for the best
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pizza.” There will be many door prizes for gift certificates to Slim Chicken, Hut No.8, Holly’s, Radio Shack and more, including 10 tickets to Arena Cross, she said. For students to take place in the pizza judging competition, they must bring their student ID to register. Carranza said, “We need to have students bring their ID’s to register so other people don’t just walk up and eat all of the pizza. Also, when students register they will receive a card with the name of each pizza company that will be marked off as they go so they can’t keep coming back for pizza from the same station over and over.” Moix said T-shirts will be available for students on a first come first serve basis. Rogers said the idea of Be a Peace of Something Bigger is to raise students’ awareness for the environment and encourage them to be more environmentally friendly. He said the Physical Plant will have two trailers set up by Denny Hall. One trailer will display all of the nonfood trash collected from the residence halls from the day before while the other trailer will display the recycled goods. Senior Courtney Walker said, “To emphasize how much students waste ,we will display recycled and wasted goods. All the trash from the previous day from the residence halls will be on display.” Students will be able to plant seeds in recycled cans and bottles to take with them and can pre-order white TOMS to participate in Paint Your Soles.
The UCA Office of Study Abroad is preparing for its event, “Going Global: Are YOU Ready? Health, Safety & Security for the International Traveler” which will take place at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Center Courtyard. This event will help students who are studying abroad with UCA, don’t have a passport, are taking an international vacation in the summer, are wanting to take a language lesson or two before their trip or are traveling somewhere for spring break. “This will tell students what they need to do before traveling abroad. It will help them with stuff like shots and passports. It’s geared toward students, but anyone can come,” Tachia Awbrey, Communication Coordinator for Study Abroad, said. The event will give the UCA community the opportunity to apply for a passport on campus. Representatives from the Postal Service of downtown Conway will assist attendees in applying for a passport. Amanda Legate, director of education abroad and international promotion, said that one of the most frequent questions asked at the Office of Study Abroad is “How long does it take to get a passport?” The U.S. Department of State advises on
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its website (travel.state.gov) that processing times can vary depending on workload and unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters. During busier times, such as the summer travel season, it encourages customers to expedite their applications if traveling in less than 10 weeks. Legate said, “Applying for a U.S. passport before you need one can save time, money and stress in the event of short notice or unexpected international travel. Many members of the UCA community are not aware of the application process for obtaining a passport. Getting a passport now will make future preparations and planning for international travel much more convenient.” Representatives from the UCA Community Language School will provide details regarding opportunities to take language courses. “Language skills, even basic, can drastically improve the overall experience abroad. Whether studying, working or vacationing, it is important to understand the basics of the language and have command of a few phrases and words,” Legate said. UCAPD is providing demonstrations and details on selfdefense courses that it offers to promote personal safety and security. prepared.
See Abroad - page 2
Crazy Charlie Sheen’s antics entertaining, despite weirdness in interviews
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© 2011 The Echo, Printed at the Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Ark.
2 / March 9, 2011
NEWS
Police Beat
- GOVERNMENT-
The following reports and arrests are from the UCAPD docket. UCAPD reports any tickets issued as arrests, according to Lt. Rhonda Swindle.
Alcohol found in dorm room Resident Assistant Andrea Durham detected the smell of marijuana in room 307 of Conway Hall at 12:06 a.m. March 7. When officers arrived, the third floor reeked of marijuana and as they walked closer to room 307, the smell got stronger. The officers asked student Tracker Hardin, 19, if they could enter. They asked Hardin if he had been smoking marijuana and he said, “No.” His roommate, student Telvin Wilson, 19, walked into the room. The officers asked if he’d been smoking marijuana but he also said he hadn’t. Half a bottle of Crown Royal liquor and half a bottle of Jim Bean Whiskey was found in Tracker’s mini fridge. Tracker was charged with possession of alcohol by a minor, purchase and possession of intoxicating liquor by a minor and received a temporary license because his was suspended. Tracker and Wilson both received judicial board notices and the officers poured out the alcohol.
Nonstudents banned from campus for smoking weed UCAPD was conducting a routine interior security check of Bernard Hall when they smelled marijuana on the first floor at 10:40 p.m. on March 5. The officers discovered the smell was coming from room 120. Student Jeremy Massiet, 19, opened the door and allowed the officers to enter the room. Non-students Ryan Riggin, 20, Andrew Zuerlein, 19, Mark Milton, 18, and Garrett Harden, 18, were in the room. All five men stated they had not been smoking. Massiet gave officers consent to search his half of the room. When the officers got to Riggin he said, “Man I ain’t gon lie, I got some weed.” He then proceeded to pull five small bags of marijuana from his pockets. Officers asked him to stay in the room and searched through Massiet’s property where no contraband was found. Riggin was placed under arrest for possession of a
controlled substance and banned from campus. Riggin told officers he gets his “weed” from a guy in Little Rock. Zuerlein, Milton and Garrett eventually admitted to smoking and were also banned from campus.
Student violates Clean Air Act Student Nicholas Clary, 19, was found in violation of the Clean Air Act outside of the Bear Village Apartments on March 5 at 6:12 p.m. Officers noticed an overwhelming smell of marijuana coming from the room and knocked on the door. Clary almost knocked the officer onto the floor when he opened his door. His eyes were bloodshot and there was a haze in the air. Due to probable cause, the officers searched Clary’s room where they found rolling papers on his desk and marijuana seeds in his shoes. The officers said it was not a useable amount so they had Clary flush the seeds down the toilet. Clary was charged with violating the Clean Air Act and given a written warning for his drug violation.
Fire alarm set and window shattered in Arkansas Hall On March 5 at 3:29 a.m. a fire alarm set off in Arkansas Hall. A resident assistant told officers he heard a loud bang coming from the stairwell that sounded like someone dropping a bunch of tools from the second floor. When he walked up the stairwell he said he noticed that the entire inside window panel was shattered and that’s when the fire alarm began to sound off. When the officer went to reset the main panel, the pull station on the southeast side was activated. The Conway Fire Department arrived and reset all of the panels. No smoke or fire was present inside the building. There are currently no suspects. The estimated damage to the window is set at $400.
Hardin:
Felony charges carry fines of $250,000, up to 30 years in prison 4 Continued
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ordered to surrender his passport. The felony charges of wire fraud and money laundering carry 20- and 10-year penalties, respectively, and fines of up to $250,000 each. The wire fraud charge was based on the electronic transfer of the bonus funds from a UCA bank account to Hardin’s account. The money laundering charge resulted from three cashier’s checks totaling $42,500 that Hardin purchased after receiving the bonus. UCA Board of Trustees
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member Rush Harding, who served as chairman during spring of 2008, was quoted on ArkansasBusiness.com after Hardin pleaded guilty that he was “saddened” for Hardin and his wife. “I really believe in Lu and I’m hopeful and confident that once he’s got this behind him he can get on with rebuilding his life,” Harding said. He also said he was speaking personally, not at a UCA trustee. UCA Board of Trustees Chair Scott Roussel released a
statement Monday regarding Hardin’s guilty pleas. “While we just learned of the guilty pleas of Lu Hardin, who left our campus nearly three years ago, our current administration has made great strides in creating a stronger, more accountable and transparent university. We hope today’s news brings to a close that chapter in UCA’s history and we have moved forward as a university. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today.” Hardin served as UCA president from September 2002 until his resignation Aug. 28, 2008. He was hired as president of Palm Beach Atlantic University on June 30, 2009.
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SGA allocates money to solar hot dog cart by Marisa Hicks Assistant News Editor
The Student Government Association made allocations to fund Brad Kossover, “the hot dog guy,” and is now reviewing SAFA funding applications. Senior Class Representative Robert Rogers discussed Pizza Wars/Be a Peace of Something Bigger Day. He said representatives from TOMS shoe company, Ozark Outfitters, the biology club and the honors college, along with many other retailers, would be on site for the event. Rogers said Army representatives are going to be at the event to discuss water safety and the Physical Plant will have all of the previous day’s residential hall trash on display. He asked the senate for funding to allow Kossover, “the hot dog guy,” to demonstrate how he makes hot dogs using solar power to students. He said there will be five pizza vendors on campus. The senate allocated to fund no more than $510 to Kossover. President Meghan Thompson said she will talk with Aramark to see if there are any contract violations that will contradict the amount of money that can
Abroad:
Students given chance to seek international goals over spring break 4 Continued
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Awbrey said: “The UAMS Travel Medicine Clinic will be present to tell students about international travel health, and tell the students exactly what to be prepared for healthwise when they travel abroad.” The UCA Health and Wellness Center will give tips on healthy behaviors that will make the traveler’s trip much more enjoyable. Applications for international student/faculty discount cards will be available at “Going Global: Are YOU Ready?” The International Student Identity Card is the only internationally
Additional crosswalks, green house included in spring projects 4 Continued
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Newton said the combination of these two projects, which are expected to begin in mid-March, will cause the house to have no heating or air, and there will be mold and lead stirred up during the process. Meadors said he and his wife will not be able to live in the house for about two months. During that time, they will be living in the university-owned guest house. “We don’t want to cost the university any more money,” he
said. Jeff Pitchford, vice president of university and governmental relations, said during this process,the university will be following energy standards put in place by Act 1494 of the 2009 legislative session. “All state agencies must have a 20 percent decrease in energy use by 2014,” he said. “We do everything we can to meet that criteria. He said none of the work being done are renovations, but
unfamiliar city.” FBI special agents will provide information and resources on travel security. The FBI assists travelers by introducing individuals to potential threats and offering tips on avoiding unsafe situations and reducing the risk of encountering problems abroad. “This event is designed to provide attendees access to professionals and experts in the areas of international health, safety and security,” Legate said. He said it’s a great opportunity for anyone currently without a U.S. passport to apply for one right here on campus. Staff from the UCA Office of Study Abroad will be present during the event to encourage all UCA students, faculty and staff to take advantage of this program, he said.
rather are fixing problems that already exist. “It doesn’t matter who or what is in that building, those are repairs that have to be made,” he said. He said the same would be done if these problems existed in a residence hall or a classroom. The work on the President’s House in only part of many capital projects to happen on campus this spring. Others include repairs and paint in Ida Waldran Auditorium, the demoltion of Minton Hall, building a green house, refinishing the floors of the HPER center, repairing water problems under Lewis Science Center, adding crosswalks by UCAPD and AETN and fixing the HVAC in McCastlain Hall.
In a March 2 article, The Echo incorrectly stated a suggested color for the turf in Estes Stadium. One suggestion is that it might be purple and gray striped. In the same article, a portion of a quote by President Allen Meadors was missing, changing its meaning. Meadors was speaking in the third person about the mentality that some professors believe it is not their responsibility to babysit freshmen, but his message was that professors do have a responsibility toward students.
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Executive Vice President Austin Hall reported the differences he saw in other school’s SGA’s at the Conference of Student Government Associations. “Many schools reported having three branches in their SGA instead of the unicameral system our university has,” he said. Vice President of Finance Kyle Boyd said SAFA funding hearings started Monday night. He said 55 organizations applied for funding. The freshmen class reported they are working with Aramark to have the hours of operation of the vendors in the Student Center put up on display. The junior class reported they are working on having surveys sent out to students asking them their opinion of the “gameday experience” they receive from the Bear’s Den. Rogers reported he saw in the Arkdansas Democrat-Gazette that $400,000 has already been given toward repairs to the president’s house. Boyd said this money was to cover repairs for mold and heating and air and the money SGA is trying to have funded is for more aesthetically pleasing features.
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recognized student ID, Legate said. Every year more than 4.5 million students from 120 countries use ISIC cards to take advantage of offers worldwide on travel, shopping, museums and more, worldwide. Legate said: “These cards give discounts all over the world and serve as an alternative form of identification overseas. They also provide emergency coverage such as emergency transportation and evacuation. Cardholders will have access to a 24-hour ISIC Emergency Helpline as well, relieving some of the stress associated with being in an
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be funded to the production of Kossover’s hot dogs. In her report, she discussed her meeting with President Allen Meadors last week. She reported to Meadors the SAFA funding updates, Operation Safewalk and Brakes for Bears dates and received an update on the disk golf course proposed as a Think Big! project and the academic calendar. Meadors said there would be no changes to the academic calendar as far as Fall Break is concerned. Thompson said the Student Center was refinanced and will now receive $343,904 a year, which means money will already be set into the budget each year. She said Student Center funds will now be $0.25 opposed to the previously proposed incremental amount. Students will pay $0.35 for the Writing and Academic Center instead of $5.00 per credit hour, she said. Thompson said it will cost 2.89 percent instead of 1 percent to run the university based on this year’s enrollment. Other universities face an increase of 4-6 percent. She said the university will be safe with tuition increases of less than 4 percent.
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The Voice
March 9, 2011
Guilty plea signals end to dark days
The Echo Staff w
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Taylor Lowery Editor & Opinion Editor
Preston Tolliver Associate Editor
Mary DeLoney News Editor
Marisa Hicks Assistant News Editor
Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor
Shea Higgerson Assistant Campus Life Editor
Lisa Burnett Entertainment Editor
Ben Keller Sports Editor
Allison Hartman Assistant Sports Editor
Nick Hillemann Photo Editor
Alex Chalupka Heather Chiddix Editorial Cartoonist
Lance Coleman Feature Cartoonist
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Although it embarrasses me, I will admit that We have the distinct pleasure of seeing Sheen, my new guilty pleasure is watching Charlie Sheen on a daily basis, spew his insane nonsense. as he spirals farther and farther down the rabbit His publicist has quit, saying that he was hole. unable to work effectively, which leaves Sheen able His current craziness is too bizarre and to speak freely on as many programs as he wishes. hilarious for me to “I have a 10,000ignore. I conveniently year-old brain and the push from my mind the boogers of a seven-yearfact that this man is a old. That’s how I describe father and supposed role myself,” Sheen said on model, and focus on the “Piers Morgan Tonight.” by Jeanette Anderton entertainment of the Sheen makes Lindsey Staff Writer situation. Lohan look almost Apparently, I am not normal. alone. The man is on He says that he almost every television desires to show “his true station at any given time self.” If this is Sheen’s of the day or night. true self, perhaps he should have kept it hidden. In a week’s time, he appeared on “20/20,” “I’m tired of pretending I’m not a total bitchin’ Howard Stern, the “Today Show,” “Piers Morgan rock star from Mars, and people can’t figure me Tonight” and “Access Hollywood,” to name a few. out; they can’t process me. I don’t expect them to. There have also been several websites set up You can’t process me with a normal brain,” Sheen showcasing some of his recent thoughts, which are said on the “Today Show.” quite fascinating, if not lucid. Apparently his ego is still intact. He said he was Sheen insists that he is not currently on drugs. not worried when his hit CBS show, “Two & a Half In fact, his insistence is one of his funnier sound Men” was put on hiatus indefinitely. bites. “Well, I mean, first of all, come Wednesday “I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s morning they’re gonna rename it Charlie Bros. not available. If you try it once, you will die. Your and not Warner Bros. Duh, winning! It’s, like, guys, face will melt off and your children will weep over IMDB right there, 62 movies and a ton of success. I your exploded body,” he said on “20/20.” mean, c’mon bro, I won best picture at 20. I wasn’t He refers to his home as Sober Valley Lodge. even trying. I wasn’t even warm,” Sheen said on the Sheen is obviously not the first celebrity to go “Today Show.” off the deep end. We all remember Mel Gibson, For the record, they have not yet changed the Paris Hilton and Britney Spears going through a name of the company from Warner Bros. to Charlie bout of crazy. The difference is all in the public Bros. relations. Gibson, Hilton, Spears and others weren’t Eventually Sheen will most likely go through nearly as visible during their trying times as Sheen drug rehabilitation and apologize publicly and has been. profusely. Only after rehabilitating did they make the For now, I can’t wait to see what he comes up press circuit, full of apologies. with next.
Online gameplay takes enjoyment out of playing
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The gaming experience is nothing like the way majority of them consist of characters that have the it used to be back in the nineties. ability to sit back and shoot various projectiles all Over time, video games have started becoming the time. Now whenever I play a fighting game I get more and more competitive, changing the way a shooting game feeling. If that is the case I may as people play. well get “Contra,” an action side scrolling shooting The classic fighting games started with the old game. school “Street Fighter II.” The game was meant for The recent release of “Marvel vs. Capcom 3” nothing more than fun. As time progressed, things has been pretty bad about turning a fighting game started to change not only into a shooting game and for fighting games, but also turning a fun game into a full sports as well. competition to having the The online gameplay better win-loss ratio. gave gamers the All this time I was opportunity to play with thinking, “It’s just a game.” by Zachary O’Neal other gamers across the Apparently not everyone Staff Writer world. This gave more fun thinks the same way. by supplying a wide variety In addition to the of people to play with players’ records, the Xbox beside their local friends. and Playstation 3 offer Along with the online gameplay came records achievements and trophies for doing different of the gamers’ win and loss ratio. Gaming started to tasks. It is amazing watching the gamers doing get a bit more competitive with the records. People everything it takes to obtain them. After collecting would disconnect online in order to save their high all of the achievements or trophies, the player winning percentage. gets no prize. Along the road they might get new Sometimes people may quit for their low enemies that could have simply been made friends. tolerance for losing. Communication can be another issue with Now with all the games with online play, there online gaming. However, the Wii lacks the are people everywhere doing whatever it takes ability to communicate with your opponents to win. There are glitches in many games that or allies, depending on the game being played. will give players the edge. There are even times The Xbox and Playstation 3 allow the gamers where people would hack the game, giving them to communicate through a headset or texting advantages beyond even the glitch users. messages through the system. The experience of gaming has been turned With this communication technology, a player into a lesson of patience now that many gamers is allowed to assault another player over something seem to have a purpose to winning. With winning that is supposed to be just a game. being such a big thing in gaming now, fun has been Sometimes I feel that the games today cause drained from video games. problems for many people and their relationships I remember back in the day where fighting with others. Games were better simple like when games were mostly hand-to-hand combat. Now the they first came out.
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On Monday, Lu Hardin pleaded guilty to felony charges of money laundering and wire fraud, which stems back to his illegal forging and sneak executive session of 2008 that landed him a $300,000 bonus paid by public funds. Since then, UCA has unfortunately received enough negative attention to scare away even the bravest of souls. There’s no need to rehash all the bad—we all know what it is. What is important, however, is that UCA is making positive steps forward, and we hope Hardin’s guilty pleas and eventual trial will mean an end to UCA’s dark days and a period of positive growth and good news. UCA Board of Trustees Chair Scott Roussel said it best in his statement Monday after news of Hardin’s plea. “... Our current administration has made great strides in creating a stronger, more accountable and transparent university,” he said. “ We hope today’s news brings to a close that chapter in UCA’s history and we have moved forward as a university.” We hope the same. Many students weren’t even in school yet when the bad news broke April 2008, signalling month of bad publicity and even worse news before Hardin resigned in August 2008. It was disappointing that Hardin would commit such sloppy, irresponsible crimes. It created a distrust in the board, the administration and the university, even though fault lay with him. UCA suffered for it. Since Hardin left, enrollment declined and the news has been filled with stories of unnecessary administrative decisions and federal investigaions. With Monday’s news, however, we hope this dark era will come to an end. Financially, UCA is in the clear. Investigations are coming to a close and the administration is taking steps toward transparency and clarity to the students and community. Almost weekly, university departments are receiving research grants and other awards; professors are doing great things and students are shining. Though UCA never reached rock bottom, the administration and others on campus have made great strides in improving the university. Just looking at our campus, it’s impossible to ignore the beauty. From the Centennial Fountain to the College of Business, our campus is a beautiful sight for this community and for prospective students. In the past few semesters the addition of flowers and other aesthetic features have only made things better. The addition of a new residence hall with skyboxes overlooking the field is an exciting new feature UCA will soon have. Not only is it a way for the university to bring in revenue, it will give prospective students a beautiful new home. Athletic fields have improved, and many of our Division 1 sports are giving outstanding performances that will bring notoriety to our campus. An upcoming partnership with Conway Regional Medical Center will show the community that UCA is an excellent place for students in the medical sciences. The past few years were tough, but we are in an amazing position to wow the world with everything this university has to offer. There is truly something for everyone here and things are only getting better.
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.
The past few years were tough, but we are in an amazing position to wow the world with everything this university has to offer.
Campus Life
4
March 9, 2011
Toad Suck Review launches with rooftop extravaganza by Shea Higgerson
Assistant Campus Life Editor The writing department hosted the Toad Suck Launchapalooza Extravaganza on Michelangelo’s rooftop Friday night to celebrate the release of the first issue of the Toad Suck Review. Writing professor Terry Wright said it is important to have readings and launch parties like this one because reading original work in front of an audience is the same as an actor acting or a musician playing music. He said creative literature has the same performance aspect and oral tradition and is part of the fine arts. “We want to remind people that the literary magazine is a vital part of the art community,” he said. The launch party included readings by UCA students and faculty, readings from those who contributed their work to the Toad Suck Review and live music from the band Don’t Stop Please. The band and the readers performed in front of a room full of listeners and fellow artists. “It’s good to see people interested in what we have to say,” UCA alumus Carter Fliss said. Part one, which included the student reading, began at 8 p.m. and featured writing professor Stephanie Vanderslice, Arkansas Times journalist Bernard Reed and writer Julee Jaeger. UCA writing senior Ariel Moore, senior Michael Garland and Fliss also read their original poetry.
Anthony Byrnes photo
UCA alumnus Carter Fliss reads poetry on the rooftop of Michelangelo’s at the Toad Suck Review Launchapalooza Extravaganza on Friday, March 5. The writing students participated in an interview with writer David Schneiderman that was published in the Toad Suck Review. Vanderslice read an excerpt from a novel she has been working on that is based on a young German immigrant in New York City in the mid-1920s and Jaeger read part of “Beyond Flipper” by David Gessner, which was published in
the journal. “Reading poetry before an audience helps to show what’s going on in the literary world,” Fliss said. Part two began around 9:30 p.m. and featured artists who contributed to the journal. Poet Timothy Snediker, poet Marck Beggs and novelist Kevin Brockmeier all read their original pieces to the
-ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE-
Film critic shows documentary of craft
audience. Brockmeier is a writer from Little Rock whose work has been published in 15 languages. He was recently named one of Granta magazine’s Best Young American Novelists, according to the Toad Suck Review bio. Beggs is a writing and literature teacher at Henderson State University and has published three poetry collections titled “Catastrophic Chords,” “Libido Café” and “Godworm,” as well as a CD with songs from his band dog gods. Snediker is from Fayetteville and is a student at John Brown University in Siloam Springs. Don’t Stop Please, an indie band, performed around 10 p.m. to the end of the launch party. Members of the band are William Krzeszinski, Joel Ludford, Nick Caffrey, Marly Feliciano and Robert Gaiser. The Toad Suck Review was sold at the launch party, along with the Exquisite Corpse and other Toad Suck merchandise. The Toad Suck Review also held a national launch party in Washington, D.C. in February at the Associated Writing Programs conference. The launch party was the last event of the week-long Arkatext Literary Festival focusing on writing and reading in Arkansas. Along with T-shirts and merchandise, Toad Suck Review made $300 at the launch party, editor Mark Spitzer said, and its distributors have 300 copies they are currently selling. It has sold about 100 copies through Internet sells and a book fair in Washington, D.C. The journal has been out one month and is going into its second printing.
HANGIN’‘ROUND
By Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor
Few people took the opportunity to view the free documentary “For the Love of Movies: the Story of American Film Criticism” and partake in a question and answer session with the filmmakers on Tuesday, March 1 at Reynolds Performance Hall. The film, released in 2009, was written and directed by film critic Gerald Peary and produced by his wife Amy Gellar. Peary is the current film critic for the Boston Phoenix, where he’s reviewed films since 1996. Both Peary and Gellar were artists in residence in the Mass Communications department. Mass Communications professor Greg Brown said that Peary and Gellar were the departments first ever artists in residence. Only about 40 people, mostly students, attended the screening of the documentary, which lasted about an hour and a half. The documentary focused on the story of film criticism in America from its beginnings around the time film itself began to the current state of film criticism. ‘For the Love of Movies’ included many historical pieces on famed film critics like Frank E. Woods, who’s considered to be the first film critic, Robert Sherwood, James Agee, Bosley Crowder, Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris and more. It featured breakdowns of the different eras of film criticism from Woods and Sherwood’s days of reviewing silent films to today where much of film criticism is done online and not necessarily by traditional film critics, but instead by bloggers. A major part of the documentary discussed a sort of battle of film criticism thought between Kael, who wrote for The New Yorker, and Sarris, who wrote for The Village Voice. Sarris was a fan of the auteur theory, which states that a film reflects a director’s personal creative vision. Kael disagreed with Sarris and the disagreement became perhaps the most notable one in film criticism history. This part of the film was the most intriguing part for junior Ron Walter. “The whole debate between Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris [was my favorite part]. It’s just a different time with two different schools of thought dueling. It’s enlightening,” Walter said. The film also included a few pieces about current critics talking about which films made them want to become critics. Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman stated that “Rosemary’s Baby” was that film for him, while former New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell chose the low budget 1964 horror film “Two Thousand Maniacs!” After the documentary ended, Peary and Gellar started the question and answer session, for which less than 10 people stayed. Many of the questions pertained to the film criticism boom on the
Freshman Anna Cromley “Purple and gray. Green is not original. Purple makes me happy and full of team spirit.”
Rose Cowling photo
Producer Amy Gellar and film critic and director Gerald Peary introduce their film at Reynolds on Tuesday, March 1. Internet, to which Peary noted that film criticism on the web is not necessary a bad thing. “I hope we made clear in the movie that good criticism can be anywhere – whether on the Internet or print,” he said. An interesting part of the Q&A session was when Brown asked Peary if he considered himself a reviewer or critic. “Every critic is a reviewer, but not every reviewer is a critic. The opinion part is a review, but critics go beyond that. A critic is a real writer; language is a big part of it,” Peary said. Peary was asked what his favorite film was and said that it is John Ford’s 1956 Western “The Searchers,” starring John Wayne. “I’ve seen ‘The Searchers’ 25 times in my life. I saw it when I was 11 and saw it four days in a row,” he said.
Rose Cowling photo
Senior Sam Ellis surfs the Internet while relaxing in a hammock by the fountain between classes on Thursday, March 4.
Students Say story and photos by Lukas Deem
Freshman Mallory Sexton “Pink because it is super pretty. Also, we can support breast cancer.”
“What color do you think the football field’s artificial turf should be?” Freshman Maribelle Sigfried “I would like the field to be green, because it will look more natural.”
Junior Ngaatendwe Ngwenya “Personally, I would prefer green turf because green is my favorite color.”
Freshman Jacob Bundrick “I would prefer all white with purple lines, I don’t know why. I would also like it if the field were green.”
Senior Lamar “Moe” Moore “I would personally like natural grass, but with the changes we will be adding an asset to our school. Purple and gray on the field would increase the student participation and spirit at the games.”
w w w. UCAE cho .n e t / c ampu s -life
Freshman Kayla Nehus “I would say purple because it would be cool and original.”
Freshman Kristen Cromley “Purple and gray is my choice because purple is my favorite color and it’s better than green.”
ucaecho.net
CAMPUS LIFE
KODIAK MOMENT
Sparks to lecture at Reynolds by Lisa Burnett Entertainment Editor
Anthony Byrnes photo
Blood, Sweat & Tears, pictured, performed with The Buckinghams at Reynolds Performance Hall on Friday, March 5. Blood, Sweat & Tears performed many of their biggest hits.
Hopeless romantics everywhere will see their dreams come true when author Nicholas Sparks addresses his fans with his romantic and poetic words that he is known so well for, in Reynolds Performance Hall on March 15. Sparks is famous for his inspirational romance novels which have been on the New York Times bestseller list multiple times. He has written 17 novels, six of which have been made into movies. Sparks’ books have sold an estimated 52 million copies worldwide. The movies based on Sparks’ books have starred actors such as: Mandy Moore, Channing Tatum, Richard Gere and Miley Cyrus. “We try to schedule at least one author in the distinguished lecture series and we thought it would be cool to have someone as high profile as Nicholas Sparks to come to UCA,” Jerry Biebesheimer, director of Public Appearances, said. Sophomore Holly Garrison said she has been excited about this lecture since she found out about it in the fall, and already has her tickets. “I’m going to see him because I’ve read a few of his books and I have seen all of his movies,” Garrison said. Biebesheimer said he wants to know how Sparks puts his thoughts in order to write a book. “I’m hoping that he talks about his process of writing and the process he goes through to write. I also hope that he tells us what’s involved in making a book into a movie.”
Groups bring out of touch music to stage by Andrew McClain Staff Writer
Friday night at 7:30, Blood, Sweat & Tears took the stage in a timely fashion, as not to keep their audience out too late. Blood, Sweat & Tears are notable for their early fusion of jazz and rock ‘n’ roll music, alongside contemporaries Chicago, with whom they often traded band members and producers. Blood, Sweat & Tears’ second self-titled album gained notoriety, beating The Beatles’ Abbey Road for Grammy Album of the Year in 1970, giving them a headlining slot at Woodstock, and eventually going quadruple platinum in the years since its release. The band of nine musicians that performed Friday night at Reynolds are allowed to call themselves Blood, Sweat & Tears because original member Steve Katz was among them. They began their set with their recognizable hit “Spinning Wheel,” continuing a crowdpleasing set into the evening. The concept behind Blood, Sweat & Tears doesn’t place an emphasis on songwriting — many of
their songs are covers — what they did, and did first, was to incorporate a brass section into long-form rock ‘n’ roll and pop performances. This is why you see many high school marching bands showcasing songs from Blood, Sweat & Tears alongside “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago. This explains their appeal to band geeks and others who value instrumental skill in music above other qualities. “You could tell they’re getting pretty old, but they still got some swag,” sophomore Tyler Haley said. Senior Steven Davis said he enjoyed the performance “It was wonderful. Watching them play was truly an experience,” he said. I found the performance to be charming, but inoffensive and unchallenging as ever. The subgenre that Blood, Sweat & Tears pioneered in the ‘60s was a creative dead-end in the ‘60s. Part of rock ‘n’ roll is that it must remain fresh and aggressive; it must have something to challenge, to rock against, but the objective of Blood, Sweat & Tears seemed to be to tame it. After an intermission, The Buckinghams
took the stage to play a rousing set of their originals and a few covers. The Buckinghams saw a few good hits in the late ‘60s, establishing them as an American answer to the popular British Invasion bands. During this time, most American garage rock bands, British Invasion bands and American soul singers were all attempting hits by recording each other’s songs, so this qualifies The Buckinghams very well to perform a long medley of ‘60s rock covers. The theme of the night and the theme of the current concert series at Reynolds is “nostalgia.” Looking at the past is certainly a virtue and college students should not be ignorant of the great musical acts of yesterday, but at a certain point nostalgia can also become dangerous. American popular music may have peaked 40 years ago, but this does not present us with a compelling reason to live in the past. Personally, I’d like to see some musical acts who are currently in their prime perform at Reynolds — not to suggest that currency automatically translates to merit, but nostalgia doesn’t, either.
- P L AY-
Montana Rep to perform Inge’s ‘Bus Stop’ by Simon Gable Staff Writer
The Montana Repertory Theatre is coming to Reynolds Performance Hall to perform its version of “Bus Stop,” a play written by William Inge, on March 14 at 7:30 p.m. “Inge is a famous American playwright that became popular in the late 1940’s and 50’s,” Director of Public Appearances Jerry Biebesheimer said. Inge wrote “Bus Stop” in 1955 after gaining momentum from his previous play, “Picnic,” which he wrote in 1952. “Inge made a name for himself with his play, ‘Picnic,’” Biebesheimer said. “He won many awards for it, including the Pulitzer Prize,” he said. “Bus Stop” is unique because it is the only comedy that Inge wrote as a playwright, Biebesheimer said. “While most of Inge’s plays involve very in-depth character analysis, ‘Bus Stop’ can be compared to a modern romantic comedy,” he said. “Bus Stop” tells the comedic story of “eight down-home characters taking shelter in a Kansas street corner restaurant during a violent storm. During the course of the hilariously turbulent night, extraordinary qualities are revealed in the seemingly ordinary characters,” according to montanarep.org Frustration, tears, romance and laughter result as the characters are forced to confront their own motivations. “As Inge demonstrates in this classic story, a lot can happen in one night,” according to the website. The overall message of the play is, “We are all in
by Lance Coleman
-PUBLIC APPEARANCES-
-REVIEW-
y
March 9, 2011 / 5
this together,” Biebesheimer said. The Montana Repertory Theater, which has been touring since 1968, has not performed at UCA in many years. “They did something at Ida Waldran over 30 years ago,” Biebesheimer said. “This was long before Reynolds Performance Hall was even built,” he said. The Montana Rep, who is performing their rendition of “Bus Stop” in over 40 US cities, is only stopping in Arkansas for one performance. “Reynolds will be the only venue in Arkansas at which the Montana Rep is performing ‘Bus Stop’,” Biebesheimer said. “All performance groups that travel across the United States use either Interstate 80 or 40 to travel from east to west. The Montana Rep is traveling on I-40 so we were able to book them no problem,” he said. Biebesheimer said he is excited about booking the Montana Rep because they are one of the top theaters that tour the US. “It is exciting to bring the Montana Rep to Arkansas because we also have a top rated repertory theater. Now Arkansans can see two of the nation’s top rated theater performance groups without leaving the state,” he said. Junior theater major Nanako Kasuga said she is also excited about the upcoming performance. “I have seen a few plays at Reynolds since I have been a student here at UCA, but never a comedy,” she said. “It will be fun to see a play that has been performed on Broadway in the past.” Tickets for the show are $30-$40 for adults, $27$37 for senior citizens, $25-$35 for UCA Alumni, $28$33 for UCA faculty and staff and $10 for all students.
Garrison said she wants to know more about his writing, content-wise. “I want to know where he gets his ideas when he writes, if the ideas come from personal experiences or stories he has heard. I also want to meet him and get one of my books signed,” Garrison said. “The Notebook,” one of Sparks’ most popular novels, has been the third novel in recent history to spend over a year as a hardcover best seller, according to the author’s website. “Typically when he speaks, the expected audience will be people from the ages of 15 to 35 or 40 years old, and typically female. We’re expecting the event to sell out so people need to get their tickets fast,” Biebesheimer said. Tickets are available at the UCA Ticket Central box office. The event is free for UCA students, $10 for the general public, $5 for UCA staff and faculty and $5 for students from other colleges. “What I like about Nicholas Sparks is that he is a guy writing about love. Girls always talk about love and it’s different when a guy does it. I think it’s cool that people of all ages read his books and see his movies, so his material is applicable to almost everyone,” Garrison said. According to Sparks’ website, he is currently on track to publish a novel in September that is tentatively called “The Best of Me.” Sparks’ website offers tips for teachers and aspiring writers. He also gives recommended reading for the viewers of his website. To purchase tickets, students can contact the Reynolds Performance Hall box office at (501) 450-3265.
- C U LT U R E -
NAACP chapter to nominate candidates by Paige Turner Staff Writer
The UCA chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will nominate candidates for positions on its executive board for the 2011-2012 school year tomorrow. Nominations will take place during the NAACP’s bi-monthly meeting during x-period in the Student Center. The nominations will be held in accordance with Robert’s Rules, which is a system that allows general body members to be the nominators of candidates. Existing executive board members or general body members can be nominated. Nominations will be taken for the executive positions for president, vice president, treasurer, parliamentarian, historian and director of events. Candidates can be nominated for various positions and there is no limit on how many nominations can be proposed. Sophomore vice president Elise Hampton said she feels nervous about the upcoming elections. “NAACP is an organization of action and I hope and pray that people elected to the board will be productive people,” Hampton said. Two weeks after nominations, the candidates will deliver their election speeches and the general body will elect the executive board immediately afterward. Each election speech will last approximately three minutes. Hampton said she recalls her vice president election speech and the anxiety that comes with the process. “I knew that the key to delivering a great speech was asserting my platform for change in the organization,” Hampton said. “Future
candidates will need to make sure they set themselves apart from the rest.” Junior general member Victor Carter said he believes there will be a great selection of candidates due to the revitalization and enthusiasm for leadership the organization has inspired within the last year. “I think that based on this year, there is a lot of great talent and strong leaders in our organization,” Carter said. “This year’s nominations should be promising.” Junior secretary Michelyn Gant said she recognizes the difficulty and time commitment of being on the executive board and advises potential candidates to understand the effort. “There will be an incredible amount of work for both the president and vice president positions,” Gant said. “There is a constant need to keep in contact with the local national chapter and stay in touch with our headquarters on a weekly basis.” The standing executive board has amended the chapter’s constitution to allow all positions to have two-year terms. Hampton said that this amendment promotes stability in the organization. “Getting all new executive board members each year can sometimes stunt growth in the organization,” Hampton said. “Keeping executive members for two years allows the organization more time to make more things happen.” Changes to the constitution emphasize the overall theme of change and progression of the UCA chapter of NAACP. Potential candidates said they are uneasy about the nominations and the stress that will come with the election process.
6 / March 9, 2011
CAMPUS LIFE
-WRITING-
Assistant Campus Life Editor Students from the University of Kansas read their poetry and prose along with UCA students during x-period Thursday, Feb. 3 in Thompson Hall as part of an exchange program during the Arkatext Literary Festival, which celebrated writing in Arkansas. “I think it’s great that we are expanding our horizons,” senior creative writing major Megan Riley said. “It’s crucial in writing to establish a community.” She said it’s good that the writing department is hosting student readings and allowing students to meet other artists who are in the same situations. She said she hopes UCA gets to do events like this with other universities. “We only need more of that,” she said. KU students were the first group to share their work with the audience in Thompson Hall and were introduced by UCA writing students. Senior English major Whitney Hartgraves, who was in the audience during the reading, said this was an opportunity for students to get together, which is important for the arts. “It’s important for writers to support one another wherever they are, especially emerging writers,” she said. The KU students who read were senior English major Loren Cressler, senior English major Alyson Fuller, senior English and journalism major Logan Jones, senior English major Emylisa Warrick and junior English major Alex Zoubine.
Warrick shared some of her work about the Adam and Eve story, because she said she really likes the story, but Eve doesn’t really get a voice in it, so she wanted to give Eve a voice through her poetry. Jones read three short fiction pieces; Zoubine read several original poems; Fuller read a short story about a marsupial and a relationship and Cressler read several original poems, one of which was dedicated to mustaches. UCA students shared their work in the second part of the reading, which continued after x-period was over. Those who read were Riley, sophomores Richard Darden, Stacy Gerard, Robert Downing, juniors Alyx VanNess, Laisha Harris, Doug Knight, Brent Nelson, Sarah Wilson and senior Cassey Misee. In April, KU students will be hosting UCA students to share their work in Lawrence, Kan. as the next part of the exchange program. KU participated in an exchange program with the University of Alabama and later approached the UCA writing department about doing an exchange with UCA students during the Arkatext Festival. Riley said KU isn’t just choosing to go to New York and other popular art centers to write. Instead, they’re going to places they find interesting, which is good for building a network of writers. Thursday night at the country club, KU and UCA faculty participated in a tag-team reading as another culture and art exchange between the two universities. Faculty and students from KU stayed in Conway until Saturday so they could interact with UCA students and faculty and enjoy the Toad Suck Launchapalooza at Michelangelo’s Friday night.
-LEISURE-
Kickball tournament brings sororities together by Lee Hogan Staff Writer
The Panhellenic Council sponsored a Kickball Tournament for the sororities at UCA, which are part of the National Panhellenic Association, to compete in on Sunday, March 6. Junior Panhellenic Council Social Chair Beth Campbell, also a member of Sigma Kappa, said these events are used for the girls of sororities to meet one another. “Panhellenic has socials for all the sorority girls to come together and bond so we have Greek unity,” Campbell said. Junior Sigma Kappa member Chelsi Huddleston said she participated to help Campbell, who was heading the event. “My sorority sister was helping put it on for Panhellenic Council and we wanted to support her by playing in it,” Huddleston said. “Its always fun to get together with other Greeks.” Huddleston said getting to know others from different sororities was a fun opportunity. “I had a blast,” she said. “I loved getting to meet more girls and playing against my own sorority sisters was pretty fun too.” Campbell said she thought a lot of people had
fun participating in the tournament. Huddleston also said she enjoyed seeing girls from different sororities working together. “It’s always great to see girls from other sororities come and work together, even if it’s something like kickball,” she said. Freshman Alpha Sigma Alpha member Hannah Ray said as a new member, she thought the tournament was a great way to meet new people. “I participated mostly because as a new member I think stuff like this kickball tournament is a great way to mingle with other sorority girls,” Ray said. “We get separated a lot by the letters and the kickball tournament threw us all together and reminded us that we’re all Greek and we all share a lot of common interests. I had so much fun getting to know everyone.” Junior Alpha Sigma Alpha member Catherine Bausom said the tournament was a good way to get away from the grind of school. “I thought it would be a fun break from all the stress of school and I love sports,” Bausom said. Bausom said besides the cold weather, the tournament was fun. She said she most enjoyed being able to let loose with her friends. “My favorite part was definitely getting to hang out and be goofy with everyone,” she said.
ucaecho.net
-MUSIC-
Students read works for Arkatext by Shea Higgerson
Lukas Deem photo
UCA graduate student Ashley Burnam performs with the Percussion Ensemble in the Snow Fine Arts auditorium on Wednesday, March 2. The percussion ensemble thrilled the audience.
Percussionists wow Snow audience by Jeanette Anderton Staff Writer
The UCA Percussion Ensemble wowed the audience with their variety on March 2. “I thought it was very interesting,” freshman Mallory Meek said. “I’ve never been to a percussion concert before. It blew my mind how they got all that music from just percussions. It was very good.” Blake Tyson, associate professor of percussion, directed the concert, which was held in the Snow Fine Arts auditorium. Tyson also acted as emcee, introducing the players and pieces and giving the audience some background information during set changes. The program opened with the entire ensemble dressed in black, taking the stage to perform David Long’s “Jubilee.” The ensemble consists of freshmen Dakota Atchley, Moose Davis, Dolan Ellis, Gabrielle Mays and Stephen Sivils, sophomores Tyler Hutchins and Tyler Kemp, juniors Brant Blackard and John Crocker, seniors Xzavier Lay and Alexis Weaver and graduate students Ashlee Burnam, Brian Elizondo, Kyle Littlejohn and Sarah Yarnell. “It was great to enjoy the different levels of musicianship,” graduate student Jerry Crawley said. “The quartet was really good.” The second piece was a selection from Ney Rosauro’s “5 Cirandas Brasileras” with Littlejohn playing marimba and Yarnell playing the vibraphone. Tyson said “Cirandas Brasileras” is Brazilian children’s songs. The third piece was the highlight of the concert. “Cloud Forest,” which was written by Tyson, featured Burnam on the marimba, without using sheet music. Burnam said there would be about 18 pages of
sheet music with no good breaks to change, so it is easier to commit it to memory. She said she has been playing “Cloud Forest” for four years, but this was the first time she had the solo part in a performance. “It was hard to learn it because I kept thinking of all my old parts,” Burnam said. Tyson said the inspiration for “Cloud Forest” came when he was on a trip to Ecuador. The piece illustrates a ride down and back up a mountain. Tyson said he didn’t coin the name cloud forest. “Cloud forests are like cousins to the rain forest,” Tyson said. “It is so high up in the mountains that the clouds hang in the trees. It reminds me of the forest in the movie ‘Avatar,’ but it is real life.” Rudiger Pawassar’s “Sculpture in Wood” was the fourth piece. “These guys do an incredible job on it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,” Tyson said. The jazz-inspired piece was a hit with the audience. The concert closed with a selection from Eric Ewazen’s “Palace of Nine Perfections.” Tyson said this piece, which has an Asian influence, is one of the most beautiful pieces for a percussion ensemble. Tyson thanked the ensemble for all of their hard work. He said they have missed at least seven rehearsals, due to snow days, All-State, etc. and he appreciates all the extra time they took to prepare for the concert. “They were amazing,” Tyson said after the concert. “I’m immensely proud of all the work my students have done and I look forward to our next performance.” Tyson said he encourages everyone to check out some of the work of the UCA Percussion Ensemble by visiting his website, blaketyson.com.
Entertainment
7
March 9, 2011
-ALBUM REVIEW-
Fans of jam bands sure to enjoy ‘Underneath Pines’ by Andrew McClain Staff Writer
fanpop.com
Jamie Reagan (Will Estes), Henry Reagan (Len Cariou), Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) and Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) play three generations of New York police officers.
‘Blue Bloods’ becomes Friday stand-out by Julian Spivey
over the last few years by fans who think that every cop show is a direct copy of every other cop show. Some cop shows have better acting, others have better plots. “Blue Bloods” has both. The star of the show in name is Selleck, who is television royalty and an Emmy-winning actor, but the star as far as air and plot time has been Wahlberg in the first season, as many of the plotlines revolve around him and his partner solving the episode’s major crime. Wahlberg’s character Danny is an interesting character that takes a few episodes to really figure out if you like him or not. He’s a hard as nails detective who’ll occasionally smack a bad guy in the back of the head to get an answer out of them and will go to great lengths, sometimes not always acceptable ones, to solve a crime. Dedicated is the perfect word to describe his character. While Wahlberg’s character takes up much of the screen time, it is Selleck’s Police Commissioner Frank Reagan that is the fascinating one, at least as far as acting goes. Selleck is an incredibly likable and effortlessly natural actor. His character is one of honor and duty, whose family is the only thing in life that means more to him than his job. It’s the perfect role for Selleck, who rocketed to stardom in the ‘80s as private investigator Thomas Magnum on CBS’ “Magnum, P.I.”
Campus Life Editor
CBS’s new cop drama “Blue Bloods” has been one of the three most watched new series on television this season, along with fellow CBS shows “Hawaii Five-O” and “Mike & Molly.” “Blue Bloods” follows the Reagan family of three generations of New York police officers. There’s the patriarch of the family, Henry Reagan (Len Cariou), who is the retired police commissioner of New York City. His son, Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), is the current police commissioner of NYC. Frank’s oldest son, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), is a big-shot detective with the department, Frank’s youngest son, Jamie (Will Estes), is an idealistic rookie on the force who gave up his dream of becoming a lawyer to become a cop when his other brother was killed in the line of duty. Frank’s only daughter, Erin (Bridget Moynahan) is NYC’s assistant district attorney. “Blue Bloods” also co-stars Jennifer Esposito and Nicholas Turturro in supporting roles. Esposito plays Danny’s partner, Jackie, and Turturro plays Jamie’s partner and mentor, Anthony. “Blue Bloods” is a typical cop procedural, but is better than your average cop show. The genre of cop dramas has gained a negative stigma
An interesting plotline running through the series in the first season has surrounded the death of Frank’s middle son, who might have been killed by someone within the NYC police. The FBI has recruited Jamie to do a little sniffing around to try to figure out if a group of dirty cops did indeed murder his brother. This plotline only appears every few episodes, which is a good thing. The show shouldn’t beat the viewer over the head with it every week. The only issue I have with the series is one that I know isn’t going to change and that’s the weekly family dinner that takes center place in every episode in which the Reagans always seem to take some side on moral subjects like police brutality or certain laws. In many instances, I love seeing films or shows take sides on certain issues, but the way that it’s done in “Blue Bloods” around the family meal is something that I can’t help but find corny and the show’s one weakness. The truly exceptional thing about “Blue Bloods” is that it is one of the most watched new series on TV this season while appearing on Friday nights. Friday night timeslots have frequently been deemed as “death slots” for TV shows, but “Blue Bloods” has thrived thus far. It is one of the lone standouts of the current TV season in which so few freshmen shows still survive.
Chaz Bundick is the static member of Toro Y Moi, a project that is seen as a cornerstone of the poorly named and overhyped subgenre known as “chillwave,” which erupted into the indie scene in 2010. Having started Toro Y Moi in college and graduating from the University of South Carolina in 2009, Bundick had a running start, gaining momentum from a slew of demos and EPs. Bundick’s approach to music recalls older funk and jazz fusion, but approached with a low-key attitude, which unfortunately became the catching descriptor of an entire musical movement. “Underneath The Pines” is a pretty sharp retort to anyone who would seek to call Toro Y Moi “just chillwave.” Bundick exhibits his virtuosity as a multi-instrumentalist and as someone with a keen ear for playing with sounds and with song structure. His grooves are sharp and lucid when appropriate and dreamy at other times. The primary sins of the so-called “chillwave” genre that Bundick accidentally helped spawn were their overtly hazy, sun-bleached sampled disco bass lines, approached from the ironic distance of a cassette-sampler, with only one, dumb mood: “chill.” Much of this music, including some of Toro Y Moi’s early output, seemed to be put together on cheap computer software or four-track recorders, using samplers and hazy reverb, so it came
as a surprise to many who hadn’t seen Toro Y Moi live when Bundick and his band recorded a free, live-in-the-studio session with Daytrotter (daytrotter.com) which revealed that Bundick and his crew are all quite talented musicians and that their skill is quite obvious without the thick layers of production on the early Toro Y Moi albums and EPs. On “Underneath The Pines,” Bundick remains chill, but presents a clearer, more articulate, more nuanced take on the idea, with busy, varied percussion and extended instrumental jams with undistorted electric bass and synth organs. It’s similar to jazz in many ways. When Bundick finds a certain musical phrase, he’ll repeat it and riff off of it until it’s tired, then bring in another one, layering and distorting sounds as he sees fit. It takes a very unique mind to create something with so many layers and harmonies without losing interest—and Toro Y Moi very well may lost the interest of many an average listener. Bundick’s small, unremarkable voice sounds like a bored Elliot Smith, showing little emotional range, while his music takes the listener deep into a dense world of layered noise. So then“Underneath The Pines” is sure to capture the hearts of fans of jam bands and those who appreciate a skilled musician or an interesting sound or harmony, but the album, while polished and clean sounding, doesn’t have much to offer in the way of pop hooks upon a first listen. For this reason, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call the album boring, but it’s at the very least relaxing.
- L AT E N I G H T -
-MOVIE REVIEW-
Macdonald’s ‘The Eagle’ predictable, boring to fans by Marisa Hicks Assistant News Editor
“The Eagle,” opened Feb. 11, directed by Kevin Macdonald, is the story of a young warrior trying to restore the honor of his father’s memory. The film leaves the Academy Award-winning director with a bad name. Macdonald won an Academy Award for “Best Documentary” for “One Day in September,” in 1999. Marcus Aquila, played by Channing Tatum, is the commander of the Roman troops stationed in Britain in 135 A.D. He was sort of the wannabe jock of the army who found himself with an honorable title. Due to injury, he is honorably discharged and left with nothing else to do with his life but to give orders to his slave, Esca (Jamie Bell). 5,000 troops somehow were killed off without a trace in the past and the great seal warriors have taken the heart of Rome, an eagle. The seal warriors were a strange group of hermits who found it necessary to kill their children upon their own selfish needs. I guess the storywriters decided their PG-13 film could appear more frightening by slaying small, innocent children. It’s difficult to fathom that someone would really base an entire film around the quest for a staff topper. The eagle was just a large metal work the Romans used after raping and killing the innocent to raise in the air to state their presence, as if rape and murder didn’t do the trick. There was no real meaning behind the statue. Throughout the movie, the director constantly used ‘the art’ of blurred
Fallon ‘wins’ with Sheen impression by Julian Spivey Campus Life Editor
aceshowbiz.com
Channing Tatum plays Marcus Aquila, the commander of the troops in the Roman army in Kevin Macdonald’s “The Eagle.” scenes. Some of the shots were so blurry it was distracting and difficult to follow what was happening. A few of the scenes benefited from this technique, and by a few, literally only three shots were enhanced by this. The plot was easy to follow, but the director was so scatterbrained as to which shots should be deleted that the story line became difficult to pick up on. Aquila and his slave had a difficult time deciding who was the slave and whether or not the other was actually a slave. Why cast a character as a slave if you are unsure if you really want that character to act as a slave? Although the storyline was terrible and the shots were bad, the buildings throughout the film were amazing. The wall separating the Romans from the British was vast, and all of the fortresses and houses were historically accurate. At least the film was able to gain
1. Zach Galafianakis
Five Best Stand up Comedians list compiled by Shea Higgerson
fmtaccess.com
Jimmy Fallon does his now famous Charlie Sheen impression by repeating phrases by Sheen, like “winning” and “tiger blood.”
There is no denying that Zach is a funny man. His Comedy Central special and his DVD, “Live at the Purple Onion,” prove that he is a master of several comedic effects. He can be both witty and simple in the delivery of his jokes. People love and know him best as Alan in The Hangover, but the true comedian is seen in him when watching him perform his own material. He never makes fun of his audience without also making fun of himself.
a few points of recommendation to observe the beauty of the buildings. The simplicity of the time was apparent when the untended ‘latrines’ were spilling out onto the city for sight and smell. The casting was terrible. At least the lead cast for Aquila was terrible. Of course, what can be expected of a former model whose resume consists of movies like “Step Up” and “G.I. Joe?” One positive thing I can say about this film aside from the beauty of the architecture is the dedication and respect the characters earn. Each character is devoted to their tasks, minus the slave trade. Also, the respect that individuals have earned by their families is historically accurate. Should shame be brought upon one’s family in ancient times, it is not forgotten, but must be regained. The running time for “The Eagle is 114 minutes.
2. Katt Williams Williams is one of the most vulgar and blunt comedians performing and entertaining for audiences right now. He often comments on social faux pas and uses racial and crude humor. When he entertains, it’s like he’s almost preaching his jokes. His silliness and crazy re-enactments never seem to stop the audience from believing that Katt is indeed a pimp, because his jokes are so true to the way people behave in social situations.
Every now and then you’ll see something on a Late Night show that will just absolutely floor you and leave you thinking and laughing about it for days on end. With Conan O’Brien it was the “Walker, Texas Ranger” clip lever, with David Letterman it was his skewering of Joaquin Phoenix during his infamous mockumentary phase and with Craig Ferguson it was puppets lip syncing to Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.” On the Wednesday, March 2 episode of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” there was one of these moments when during his monologue, Fallon unveiled his spot-on Charlie Sheen impression with a mock ad about a brand of cologne the recently unemployed “Two & a Half Men” star was pitching called “Winning,” which has sort of become Sheen’s trademark over the past week. The funniest part is that much of the nonsensical dialogue spoken in the comedy bit is word for word with statements made by Sheen in interviews last week. The funniest moments of the bit are when Fallon as Sheen says: “What’s my real name? Carlos Estevez … como se dice winning?,” “the only drug I’m on is Charlie Sheen … I take a lot of Charlie Sheen” and the one that really had me
3. Nick Swardson Nick is very relatable to college students in his jokes because he often talks about drinking and partying, but his stories always sound familiar and accurate. He makes fun of the way people actually behave when they’re drunk and makes fun of himself while doing it. He’s also not afraid to be silly and create crazy, random scenarios to entertain. He does a mixture of real life and imaginary life and the way he delivers his jokes keeps audiences laughing.
rolling: “You know that computer Watson on ‘Jeopardy’ … well, he’s a pussy. I’m living with two goddesses, what’s that computer Watson living with?” Fallon has been one of the most underrated impressionists in the comedy world for some time and it’s one of the things that makes him unique from other late night comedians, like Letterman, Jay Leno and Ferguson, who rarely, if ever, have impressions on their shows. Fallon’s impression is world’s better than the one done by “Saturday Night Live” star Bill Hader in the cold opening of the most recent episode of ‘SNL’ on Saturday night. Hader is typically a fabulous impressionist with atypical impressions of people like Alan Alda, James Mason and Vincent Price that you don’t see from other impressionists, but he just doesn’t have the Sheen voice or mannerisms down. Fallon had both the voice and mannerisms of Sheen down to a T, and it doesn’t hurt that he looks a little like Sheen in general. If you haven’t seen this sketch from Wednesday’s show it’s an absolute must, and I’m certain you’ll want to watch it over and over again. The sketch can be seen on YouTube and Fallon’s website. “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” plays on NBC at 11:35 p.m. Monday through Friday.
4. Mitch Hedberg Mitch’s monotone voice is very effective in the delivery of his jokes, rather than dry or boring. It gives him the aura of a sarcastic rock-and-roller who doesn’t really care what anyone think and it works for him. His jokes don’t typically have a flow or a story and tend to be very random from one joke to the next, which makes him really unique. Unfortunately, Mitch passed away in 2005, so fans are left only with a limited number of Mitch’s unique jokes and stand-ups.
5. Ricky Gervais Ricky uses classic British humor and is often very sarcastic. He asks hilarious questions and deliberates on random subjects and ideas that most comedians would not often address. He also uses a lot of the crude humor and vulgar language audiences have come to expect from British comedians, but does it so that it is still mature comedy. He also is relatable for American fans and addresses things that aren’t only specific to Great Britain.
Sports
8
March 9, 2011
From the Shotgun By Ben Keller
Tragic end to high school athlete’s life stirs emotion, realization of dangers
T
his past week, tragedy struck again and a young, aspiring athlete’s life was cut short. In Michigan, a high school basketball player named Wes Leonard helped take his team to a perfect season by making a game-winning layup, only to fall to the ground and die. The cause was an undiagnosed case of an enlarged heart that caused Leonard to go into cardiac arrest. It is such a tragedy to see this happen to such a young kid when the thing that caused his death could have been easily regulated and treated. I know this all too well because I know the difficulties of growing-up and playing sports with a heart condition. I was born with a heart disease that is known as aortic coarctation. Essentially, my aortic valve is narrower than that of a normal person’s, and all my life I have had to be careful about the things I eat, the way I exercise and most importantly what sports I could play. Football was absolutely out of the question for me. That was the one sport I have never been able to play just because of the heavy contact and the risk of loosening my corrective stint. Other than that, I was free to do what I wanted, albeit very regulated. That was what I had to do to be able to live a normal life and play the sports I loved. The one thing that could have saved Leonard’s life was prevention and regulation, but his condition was unknown. You may ask yourself how a heart condition could slip under the radar, but the answer is simple.
Having an enlarged heart is nearly impossible to detect unless a person undergoes an echo cardiogram, EKG or a full physical assessment, a much more physical and intense look at a person’s overall health compared to the “cough, please” examinations. Otherwise, people have to look out for symptoms that can often be overlooked for being tired from physical stress, which often produces those symptoms. What I am getting at is high schools and the actual athletes have to be looking out for their best interest. If you think something is wrong, you need to speak up. Most high schools and their athletes don’t have the extensive examination processes or athletic trainers that universities have to look for these kinds of things. That is why something needs to be done with the level of screenings done that look for these kinds of conditions. These kinds of examinations have to start in high school to help these kids and this isn’t to single them out or to convince them to quit playing. It is to keep them healthy and safe. When I was growing up and playing the sport I love most, baseball, I still had to take precautions. It wasn’t that I couldn’t play or I couldn’t do everything everyone else could. I just had to be mindful of my own body and that is the most important thing: getting these athletes to know the difference between being physically tired and there being something seriously wrong.
-ON DECK-
Baseball Bears lose opening game against Indiana State Sycamores 10-5 by Zachary O’Neal Staff Writer
The Bears baseball team trailed in its three-game series 1-0 with its 10-5 loss on Friday as the Indians State Sycamores offense overpowered the Bears’ defense. The game ended with the Sycamores leading the Bears in hits 12-8 and in strikeouts 12-8 as well. Sophomore left and right fielder Ethan Harris and senior first baseman Jonathan Houston both got two hits. Senior pitcher Evan Cox started pitching for the Bears. Cox got four strikeouts pitching up to the seventh inning. The Bears changed pitchers in the middle of the seventh inning. Freshman pitcher Jackson Lowery pitched for the rest of the game making the other four strikeouts. “As far as getting going early on as far as pitching, Evan just missed his spots,” coach Allen Gum said. “They just kept adding runs and once they got in a good position they could bunt a little bit and do some stuff like that to move runners.” The first hit of the game was a grounder past third base from the Sycamores’ junior designated hitter Lucas Hileman. Sophomore third baseman Koby Kraemer batted in an RBI with a fly ball to center field the Bears’ junior center fielder Jordan Getchell attempted a diving catch at. Kraemer stole second base as junior first baseman Jon Hedges was at bat. Hedge scored a runner with a sacrifice fly, ending the first inning with the Sycamores leading 2-0. The Bears did not score in the bottom. The Sycamores managed to score another run in the top of the third inning. Getchell lead off the bottom of the third with
a homerun. The Bears built momentum as they made more hits and got another run on the board still trailing at the end of the inning 3-2. “We just lost momentum,” Getchell said. “We weren’t sticking with the plan that we had and the pitcher was kind of keeping us off balance a little bit.” In the top of the fourth inning, Hedges hit a two-run homer for the Sycamores. From the fourth to the sixth inning, the Bears did not score a run. By the end of the sixth inning, the Sycamores lead was 6-2 their sophomore right fielder Robby Ort batted in a run with a grounder past first base. The Bears went another inning without scoring in the seventh. The Sycamores had a few hits, scoring three runs that inning. One of the runs scored came from a squeeze bunt by Ort. They were held by the Bears’ defense in the top of the eighth inning. The Bears rallied for three runs pulling them a little closer to the game ending that inning 9-5. The game ended with the Sycamores scoring one more run in the ninth inning and stopping the Bears from scoring. “Basically what it came down to is we didn’t execute enough pitches,” Gum said. “And then offensively we didn’t do enough. We got something going there late but it was too late and we couldn’t hold them down so they would come back and score again.” “We always got a plan,” Gum said. “We know what we try to want to do and if we can execute then we’ll be OK but if we don’t execute our pitches, they’re a good team and they’ll score a lot of runs.”
Anthony Byrnes photo
Junior guard Nakeia Guiden fights off Lady Roadrunners’ senior guard Alysse Davis during the Sugar Bears’ 81-59 win at the Farris Center on March 2 on Senior Night. Guiden scored a career-high 23 points during the game.
Sugar Bears send off seniors with 81-59 win by Allison Hartman Assistant Sports Editor
The Sugar Bears basketball team won their final home game of the season 81-59 on March 2 in front of a crowd of 1,100 on Senior Night to give them their first ever win over the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners (14-4, 10-5 Southland). After getting off to a slow start in the first half, but coming out on fire in the second half, the Sugar Bears improved to 19-10 and 10-5 in Southland Conference with the victory and clenched their first ever birth into the Southland Conference Tournament on March 8-12 in Corpus Christi, Texas. This was senior forward Brea Banks and senior center Megan Moss’ last game in the Farris Center and they were recognized for their devotion to the Sugar Bears basketball program and received framed jerseys before the game. The Sugar Bears shot 53.6 percent in the game and were led by sophomore Megan Herbert in scoring with 28 points. Herbert also recorded 10 rebounds for a doubledouble. Junior guard Nakeia Guiden put up 23 points, her career high for the Sugar Bears, giving her over 20 points in scoring for the second game in a row. Freshman center Courtney Duever also hit double digits in scoring, putting 14 points on the board for the Sugar Bears. Junior guard Ashley Gardner led the roadrunners in scoring with 15 points, followed by senior forward Ashleigh Franklin with 14 points. Roadrunners’ senior guard Alysse Davis earned a double-double in the game with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Roadrunners led the Sugar Bears for the majority of the first half, allowing the Sugar Bears to lead only once in the half when they led 7-5 early. The Sugar Bears’ lead was short lived as Gardner quickly scored a three-pointer for the Roadrunners, giving them an 8-7 lead. The Sugar Bears were able to tie the game 10-10 but would trail for the remainder of the half. The Sugar Bears were able to stay within reach, only allowing the Roadrunners’ biggest lead to be by six points when they went up
21-15 with just under eight minutes left in the half. The Roadrunners led 27-22 with 3:40 left in the half, but back-to-back two-pointers by sophomore guard Micah Rice and Duever pulled the Sugar Bears within one. UTSA went back up by five when Franklin scored back-to-back layups to put the Road Runners ahead 31-26. The half ended when Roadrunners’ sophomore forward Cori Cooper fouled Duever who made both free throws to send the Sugar Bears into the locker room trailing 31-28. Guiden said the Sugar Bears came out of halftime looking to be aggressive on the defensive end and it made the difference in the way they were playing. “Coach told us it’s all on the defensive end and we had to be more aggressive and come out here and play our game that we usually do and we would come out on top,” Guiden said. The Sugar Bears came out of the locker room on fire and tied the game 34-34 when Guiden put the ball in the hoop with a lay up two minutes into the half. They took their second lead of the game when Guiden made her second layup in a row to put the Sugar Bears up 38-36. Guiden put three more points on the board for the Sugar Bears a minute later to send the Sugar Bears ahead by five. With under 10:00 remaining, Sugar Bears sophomore forward Britney Gowans scored back-to-back three-pointers to give the Sugar Bears a 56-42 lead. Herbert added to the Sugar Bears’ momentum when she put a twopointer through the hoop and was fouled, putting the Sugar Bears up 59-42 when she made the free throw. This was the beginning of a 4:00, 13point scoring streak for Herbert for the Sugar Bears, which was broken up by only three Roadrunners baskets. The Sugar Bears led by 20 with 4:22 left in the game when Herbert made a two-pointer to put the Sugar Bears up 69-49. The Sugar Bears’ biggest lead of the game came with 1:30 left in the game when they led 77-53 after Duever scored one of her two three-pointers of the game. The Roadrunners were able to put six more points on the board
before the game ended with the Sugar Bears on top 81-59. Coach Matt Daniel said, “That’s a great win. I don’t know what’s going to happen the rest of the season but that’s a great win right there and it’s a great way to close out the regular season at home.” Moss said it was really good to win their last home game of the season in front of the home crowd, especially as a senior. “We knew how important tonight was for me and Brea as seniors and we talked about how not everyone in the crowd would be able to see us play again this season so we wanted to go out with a bang,” Moss said. Daniel said the Sugar Bears didn’t play particularly well in the first half but they came out of halftime locked in and were able to score 53 points in the second half. He said the Sugar Bears were trying to get the ball to Herbert in the second half and were able to get the win. Daniel said, “Our kids focused on the game plan. We wanted to get the ball inside and they had some foul trouble. We went to our horse and the thoroughbred got it done.” Daniel said the Sugar Bears have gained momentum and shot over 50 percent in the last few games of the season, and it will be good for the Sugar Bears to carry that momentum on the road to their final regular season game at Texas A&M at Corpus Christi and then to the conference tournament. Daniel said, “I hope this will be the longest road trip I’ve ever been on in my life. We’re playing with poise, we’re playing at a good speed, but we’re playing with good pace. We understand our game plan and we’re executing and that’s the difference.” Moss said being the first basketball team in the school’s history to go to the Southland Conference Tournament is a really special experience for the Sugar Bears. “The fact that we’re the first team to ever be able to go to the tournament in the history of the school is just amazing. I get to be a part of that and it will never be forgotten,” Moss said. The Sugar Bears solidified the number three seed in the Southland Conference Tournament with an 85-66 win over the Texas A & M at Corpus Christi Islanders on Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- S O F T B A L L-
Bears shutout Devilettes 6-0 in victory at home by Ben Keller Sports Editor
The softball Bears shutout the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes 6-0 on March 2 with another pitching win for sophomore pitcher Kelsie Armstrong. Armstrong pitched the entire seven innings against the Devilettes and kept their batters from creating any footholds to get them going in the game. Armstrong allowed only three hits and walked one batter. During the game, Armstrong also had 10 strikeouts and threw 74 strikes. The Devilettes’ junior pitcher Devyn Pearl had 11 hits against her, allowed six runs, walked two batters and had one strikeout. Coach David Kuhn said he was glad to see Armstrong have another successful game and he hopes that will continue. “She has done great all year,” he said. “We really haven’t been able to support her offensively like we should but she has stayed up beat, continued to work and every time out she has gotten better and gotten stronger.” The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when the Bears scored their first three runs of the game. Senior first baseman and designated player Shay Ristau hit a line drive single into left field to get the inning started for the Bears. Freshman second baseman Taylor Dear reached on fielder’s choice bunt and Ristau was safe at second base. Sophomore shortstop Preslie Long hit a grounder to third base and reached on the fielder’s choice. Ristau was out at third base and Dear advanced to second. It was
freshman center fielder Kelvon Greer and an error from the Devilettes that got the Bears’ first run. Greer hit a bunt to Pearl and singled, Pearl had a throwing error that allowed Dear to score and Long to advance to third. Junior left fielder and first baseman Kasey Britt hit a single up the middle that brought in two more runs for the Bears. Kuhn said the bats were slow to start on Wednesday, but combined with the hits from Tuesday’s doubleheader, he was pleased with the hitting effort and hopes to see more of it. “We had about 30 hits over the past three games, had 11 today and we just kept hitting a lot of balls right at people,” he said. “The bats finally lit up. Hitting comes and goes. It has been something else and it is fun.” Sophomore catcher Melanie Bryant said the team has to become more consistent with their hitting and hopes that will correct itself before conference play starts. “We have been struggling with timely hitting in the past,” she said. “I wouldn’t say we’ve lost because of timely hitting, but there have been some games we’ve lost by one run. Hopefully these past three games will help keep our confidence up and keep our hitting going.” The Bears had 11 hits during the game with Britt and junior Katie McGregor leading the team with two apiece. Britt also led the team in RBIs with three. The one homerun for the game came from Bryant during the bottom of the fifth inning. It was also the only run and hit the Bears had that inning. During the bottom of the sixth, the Bears had back-to-back doubles from Greer and
Britt that allowed Greer to score. McGregor hit a single up the middle that allowed Britt to score the final run for the Bears. While the Bears did not start scoring until halfway through the game, their defense was a brick wall throughout the game that did not allow the Devilettes to bust through. The Bears had no errors during the game and made the Devilettes leave four runners on base during the game. Kuhn said the team’s defense has been a blessing so far this season and he hopes the synch between the fielders and pitcher stays strong. “I was really pleased,” he said. “We made all of our plays in the outfield and the infield. Pitching and defense has been our strong suit all year and I really like that because it gives you a chance to win every time.” Bryant said the team did well in the field and were able to keep the Devilettes at bay and worked well together. “We did pretty well defensively. Kelsi just rocked them out and struck them out. I caught a fly ball and we caught all fly balls when they were catchable and we got rid of their extra opportunities,” she said. Bryant also said she and the team were glad to be back at home and hope they are going to have big crowds for the season. The softball stadium had a facelift this season by adding raised bleachers and a new scoreboard. The Bears next home games are this weekend against Southland Conference rival Texas A&M Corpus Christi Lady Islanders. The doubleheader on Saturday will start at 11 a.m. and the series finale on Sunday will start at 12 p.m.
ucaecho.net
SPORTS
March 9, 2011 / 9
- B A S E B A L L-
- B AT T E R U P -
Bears secure finale victory over Sycamores 6-5 by Simon Gable Staff Writer
Rose Cowling photo
Bears junior designated player Katie McGregor returns to second base after taking a lead off of the bag during the Bears game against the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Lady Lions on March 2.
Softball Bears sweep Lady Lions in home game doubleheader by Lee Hogan Staff Writer
The Bears softball team swept the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Lady Lions in a doubleheader March 2, improving their record to 6-10. The Bears jumped out to early leads in both games and great pitching made comebacks from the Lady Lions impossible. The Bears defeated the Lady Lions, 12-1 in five innings in the first of two games, and wasted no time in getting runs on the board in the first inning. Sophomore catcher Melanie Bryant started the first inning off by scoring with a single to left field, plating junior left fielder Kasey Britt and junior right fielder
Nicole Beals, who both reached base on hits. Beals finished the first game 3-3 at the plate, with a double and a two RBI-single. The first inning onslaught resulted in six runs off five hits for the Bears and two errors in the field by the Lady Lions. The bottom of the third inning plated four more runs off five hits for the Bears. Bryant led the way in the third inning with a two-run home run to left field, bringing in herself and junior designated player Katie McGregor. “It felt good,” Bryant said of the home run. “I don’t like to pop-up on slower pitchers. I just wanted to take my time and not try too hard.” Junior pitcher Cami Newsome
Bear Chat with
Melanie Bryant
by Lee Hogan Staff Writer
Sophomore catcher Melanie Bryant has been a key part of the UCA softball team since arriving in 2010. Bryant, originally from Hernando, Miss., played in 56 games as a freshman in 2010, starting in 54. Bryant tied for the team lead and for fifth in the Southland Conference with 10 home runs last year, while hitting for a .287 batting average and a .537 slugging percentage. Her freshman campaign also brought a third team AllSouthland Conference selection at catcher. Bryant also holds the UCA career fielding percentage record at .989 entering her sophomore season. Bryant was also selected to the 2011 Pre-Season AllSouthland Conference Second Team. Through 20 games in 2011, Bryant has a .469 batting average with five home runs and 15 RBIs. Bryant has also continued to be a defensive bright spot with a .967 fielding percentage. Bryant also leads the team in multiple-hit games, ten, and multiple-RBI games, four. Bryant attended St. Benedict at Auburndale in Tennessee where she was a two-time All-State selection. Bryant was named Southland Conference Hitter of the Week on March 7. Bryant hit for a 1.250 slugging percentage last week with four home runs and eight RBI, including two home runs in a game against McNeese State.
When did you start playing softball?
I actually played boys baseball until I was nine and then after that I started playing softball.
What moment stands out the most to you as a UCA Bear?
Probably last weekend when my sister [Melissa Bryant] hit two home runs after suffering a concussion.
What brought you to UCA?
Coach Kuhn. He was at Delta State in Mississippi before he came to UCA and I’m from Mississippi and he had been looking at me for a while and then he came here.
What did you like about UCA that helped make your decision to come here?
I liked that it was Division-1, but at the same time it was small. It wasn’t a really big school. I also like the color purple.
Do you have any pre-game superstitions or rituals?
I have to put my socks on last. I also have to have a head band. Usually one nobody else is wearing. And when I go up to bat I have to swipe my hand across the white chalk.
What are things you like to do outside of softball? I love water sports and sleeping.
What is on your iPod before a game?
I listen to “Voice of Truth” and “My Ride” before every away game on the bus rides to the game.
What is your favorite TV show?
My favorite TV show is “Pretty Little Liars.”
What is your major? I’m a nursing major.
What are your plans after graduation?
I want to get a bachelor’s in nursing and then also a masters degree, but I would also like to come back to coach and teach.
proved to be almost unhittable during her four innings on the mound. Newsome struck out seven batters, including the entire side in the second inning, while allowing only three hits and one run. Junior pitcher Kelly Martino pitched one inning in relief-effort of Newsome, facing three batters and striking out one and allowing no hits. The Lady Lions scored their only run of the game in the top of the 4th inning when catcher Valerie Higareda crossed the plate after an error by the Bears on a hit by Lady Lion shortstop Jill Howard. The Bears defeated the Lady Lions 12-0 in five innings in the second game. The Bears were once again able to jump out to an early lead and never looked back. The first inning brought the Bears three runs on four hits. The third inning also brought many runs for the Bears, plating six runs on five hits. McGregor led the Bears offensively in the second game, going 2-3 at the plate with four RBIs, including a three-run home run to center field in the third inning. Martino, pinch-hitting for Britt, hit a two-run home run in her only at-bat of the game in the fourth inning. Sophomore pitcher Kelsie Armstrong showed strength on the mound, striking out 11 batters, including the side in the first inning, and six of the first seven batters. Armstrong went four innings allowing two hits and no runs in the shutout for the Bears. Junior pitcher Kristen Johnson pitched the final inning in relief of Armstrong, striking out two batters while allowing one hit and no walks. Coach David Kuhn said he was happy to get the two wins. “It felt great,” Kuhn said. “We came out and got two great pitching performances, which you always want, to have a chance to win. We also got a lot of timely hits.” Kuhn said he was happy with the fact that the team was able to get out to early leads in both games. “I couldn’t be any more pleased,” Kuhn said. “We came out and scored six runs in the first inning of the first game and three runs in the first inning of the second game. There have been a lot of times this year we’ve been in the same situation and haven’t been able to do that, so I’m pleased with the performance.” Kuhn said he was also pleased with the improvement the team showed hitting with runners in scoring position as well. “We haven’t been doing that all year,” Kuhn said. “Hitting is contagious and so is a lack of hitting.” Bryant said she hoped the success at the plate would help with the team’s confidence moving forward in the year. “I feel like some people who hadn’t hit well got some hits against these pitchers today and hopefully it will bring their confidence up before conference play,” Bryant said. Kuhn said he agreed that the performance the team showed offensively would help the team’s confidence. “Some of the girls have been struggling really badly at the plate and a couple went 3-3 or 4-4, so absolutely it helps,” Kuhn said. “You’re only as good as your last at bat.”
The men’s baseball team beat the Indiana State Sycamores 6-5 in a must-win game on Sunday, March 6 at Bear Stadium. It was the final meeting of a four-game series, in which the Bears had not yet won a game. Bears coach Allen Gum said; “This was a huge win for us. We’ve had a rough go-around with this team. This was our first win against the Sycamores and we needed it.” The Bears got down early and found themselves down 2-1 after three innings. They turned it around in the top of the fourth inning when they got the final out of the inning by throwing out Sycamore outfielder Lucas Hileman while he was trying to steal second base. Freshman second baseman Jonathan Davis started the inning with an infield single by sliding into first base to beat the throw. He then proceeded to steal second base. Two batters later, right fielder Ethan Harris tied the game at 2-2 when he doubled to right field to bring in Davis. For the first time, Bears fans had the chance to see senior Michael Pair, normally playing catcher, play left field during the game on Sunday. During Pair’s at bat, he was hit by a pitch and that put two runners on for the Bears. Senior first baseman Jonathan Houston made the game 4-2 when he doubled to right field and drove in Harris and Pair. Sophomore catcher Travis Snider drove in the final run of the inning with his single to center field making the score 5-2. The Bears were able to capitalize in the bottom of the fourth by scoring four runs, putting them up 6-2. Both teams were able to score a run in the fifth inning the make the game 6-3. The Sycamores scored a single run in the seventh- inning to make the game 6-4. The Sycamores began the eighth with momentum after ending the Bears seventh inning with a double play. The Bears began to regain momentum after striking out the first batter of the inning but ran into trouble after an error by Pair on a fly ball to left field put two
Nick Hilleman photo
Coach Allen Gum gets ejected from Sunday’s game at Bear Stadium in the eighth inning after arguing with home plate umpire Randy Clayton over what he felt was a missed strike call. The Bears won 6-5. men on base. “That was the first time that Michael [Pair] has ever played outfield for us,” Gum said. “He is usually our catcher, but I felt that we needed another bat in the line-up to beat these guys. Him missing that fly ball totally falls my fault,” he said. The next Sycamore batter after the error, junior out fielder Kyle Burnam RBI singled to make the score 6-5. This came moments after Gum was tossed from the game for arguing with the umpire over what he felt was a blown strike call that would have ended Burnam’s at bat.
“They were getting a lot of calls in their favor over that area of the plate. The umpire happened to make a call that I didn’t agree with, at the most crucial point in the game, and I let him know what I felt about it,” Gum said. Despite not having their coach, the Bears managed to escape the eighth inning up one run and were able to close out the game in the ninth after the Sycamores failed to score. “Indiana State is the best team we have played this year,” Gum said. “Getting a win against them puts us one step closer to where we need to be.”
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10 / March 9, 2011
SPORTS
- B A S E B A L L-
ucaecho.net
-TENNIS -
Racers outpace Sugar Bears in opener by Mary DeLoney News Editor
Rose Cowling photo
Freshman second baseman Jonathan Davis sprints to first base after hitting the ball during the Bears doubleheader against the Indiana State Sycamores on March 5. The Bears lost 8-0 and 5-2.
Sycamores down Bears in doubleheader by Ben Keller Sports Editor
The baseball Bears lost both games, 8-0, 5-2, in their Saturday doubleheader against the Indiana State Sycamores with one of the games ending in a no-hitter for Sycamores pitcher Jason Van Skike. Skike pitched all nine innings allowing no runs, no hits and walked five batters in the first game. Senior shortstop Kyle Prevett said the Bears had a tough time zeroing in on Skike. “We were battling but we just couldn’t figure him out,� he said. “He was working both sides of the plate, throwing the cutter and he just got the better of us.� The first game went scoreless until the top of the fourth inning. The Sycamores hit back-to-back doubles from sophomore right fielder Robby Ort and sophomore third baseman Koby Kraemer. Bears’ junior pitcher Dustin Ward started the game for the Bears for the first five innings. Before the top of the fifth, Ward allowed one run and four hits. It was during the top of the fifth where the Sycamores zoned in on Ward and took off with a big lead over the Bears. The Sycamores scored five runs with four hits during the top of the fifth before the Bears could end the inning. Before the Sycamores could get going, junior right fielder Greg Noble fielded
a deep fly ball that could have resulted in a double, but he made the grab on the run and brought in the first out for the inning. Things started off for the Sycamores when Prevett missed an opportunity to get senior center fielder Levi Ferguson out. Prevett recorded a fielding error and Ferguson reached first. Ferguson stole second and then junior left fielder Kyle Burnam singled into left field to advance Ferguson to third. Ferguson and Burnam were both brought in on separate hits to add to the Sycamores score for the game and total runs for that inning. Another throwing error hurt the Bears when sophomore left fielder Ethan Harris when he botched a throw to home plate to try and put out a runner. Kraemer advanced to second on the throwing error. The Sycamores final run came from a wild pitch that allowed Ort to cross home giving the Sycamores a 6-0 lead. Prevett said the Sycamores kept hammering the ball in the fifth and were able to find the gaps in the Bears defense but he still thought they played well. “Defense wasn’t that bad today,� he said. “We were playing hard and they just seemed to find all the holes, whereas we were hitting balls right at guys.� The Sycamores scored two more times, once during the top of the seventh inning and again in the top of the ninth. The Bears were able to hang
with the Sycamores a little longer during the second game, but the Sycamores pulled ahead during the top of the fourth and kept the Bears subdued for the remainder of the game. The Sycamores got things going fast in the first inning with Ort scoring. He reached base on a fielder’s choice while Burnam was thrown out at third base. Ort stole second and then scored after Lucas singled into left field. Lucas then scored after being advanced around the bases and reached home plate off of single through the left side from junior first baseman John Hedges. The Bears answered back in the bottom of the second inning with two runs of their own. Harris got things started for the Bears when he singled up the middle and then stole second base. Senior left fielder Matt Bauer was hit by pitch and took his base. Both Harris and Bauer then advanced up another base because of a wild pitch from freshman pitcher Sean Manaea. Harris scored on a fielder’s choice that put freshman second baseman Jonathan Davis out at second. Bauer followed up by scoring off of a sacrifice bunt from Prevett that he still reached on. The Bears did not score for the remainder of the game, but the Sycamores continued to add to their score during the tops of the fourth, fifth and seventh innings.
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The Sugar Bears tennis team was defeated 5-2 in its 2011 home opener March 3 by the Murray State Racers. “It was a good match, close. I knew it was going to be a pretty head-to-head match,� coach Rebecca Miller said. The loss brought the Sugar Bears to 0-7 for the season. The Racers improved on their season to 3-5. Freshman Simona Horsikyan earned the Sugar Bears’ first point in her number one singles matchup against Racers junior Cassidy Cunitz 7-6, 6-1. The Sugar Bears’ second point was earned by senior Kati Andersen in her number four spot singles match-up against Racers senior Lindsey Wiseman 6-2, 6-4. “My number one player played smart,� Miller said. “Really, everyone played smart. They went to the net and were more aggressive. We’ve been working
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Otani and Horsikyan were defeated by Webb and Wiseman 8-5 in the number two spot. And, Rios and Andersen lost 8-6 to Suga and freshman Taylor Vick in the number three spot. Rios said the team needs to practice point play. “We need to work on setting up the point from the beginning, not letting them set it up for us,� Rios said. Miller said the team struggled with consistency. “We’ve been out of match practice. It’s been about two weeks since we’ve had a game,� she said. “But, movement laterally was really good. We’ve been working on it for the past two weeks and it was way better than it has been.� She said the team will begin practicing consistency, hitting deep balls and volleys. Ruocco said the team could have won. “They don’t play better than us,� she said. “We just don’t know how to read them.�
-HOOPS-
Lukas Deem photo
Senior forward Tadre Sheppard goes up for a basket over Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders senior forward Desmond Watt and junior center Jawan Nelson during their game March 5.
Basketball Bears lose on Senior Day 76-69 by Zachary O’Neal Staff Writer
The Bears basketball team’s final game of the season Saturday turned into a 76-69 defeat by the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders. The Bears received the tipoff at the beginning, followed by a three-point basket then a twopoint basket by senior guard TK Smith. Going a little over the 12minute marker, the Bears jumped to a 14-point lead. In just a short time, their momentum dropped. They started missing shots and allowed the Islanders to slowly catch up. “We were all excited and came out hyped,� senior guard Imad Qahwash said. “We kind of got away from our offense. We didn’t have as much energy as we did.� The Islanders tied the game at 36. By the end of the first half, they turned the 14-point deficit to a one-point difference. “We worried a little bit,� coach Corliss Williamson said. “The guys came out so focused and so full of energy and we wondered if there
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on that.� Freshman Sasha Ruocco narrowly lost to Racers sophomore Ashley Canty 6-4, 6-4 in number two singles. Racers senior Alexis Webb, in the number three singles match, defeated sophomore Kazumi Otani 6-0, 6-0. Junior Allison Hartman fought a hard match in number five singles, with a tiebreaker loss to Racers junior Ashley Pierson 3-6, 6-4, 10-6. Senior Alex Rios lost the number six match-up to Racers freshman Carla Suga 6-2, 6-3. “I played too defensive,� Rios said. “I didn’t place the ball where I needed it.� The Racers dominated doubles match-ups with Hartman and Ruocco losing at the number one spot 8-1 to Cunitz and Canty. “I think we played good,� Ruocco said. “We were both injured trying to push through it.� Ruocco said her back has been bothering her for a few days and Hartman is coming back this season after sitting out for eight months due to a hip labral tear.
was any way to get that back. We worried about a possible letdown. We just got down and we didn’t have enough in the tank to fill us back up.� The Islanders netted a free throw going two minutes into the second half that tied the game at 37. A little under a minute later, they scored another free throw that gave them the lead they held on to until the end. The Bears did not score their first field goal of the second half until about seven minutes in. They scored their second field goal almost five minutes later. The game turned around with the Bears down by 12. Freshman guard Ryan Williams scored two back-to-back two-point goals and then a three-point basket. The Bears started to regain their momentum again, climbing out of the hole they were in. “In the past three games, he showed he has the ability to score points for us and be effective on the court,� Williamson said. “We pray that he stays healthy and during the offseason we continue to get him better and come back stronger.� The Bears made 14 out of 19
free throws during the game. The leading scorers were senior forward Tadre Sheppard with 18 points, Qahwash with 16, Williams with 13 and junior guard and forward Mark Rutledge with 10. “It was like a lot of emotion running through my body,â€? Qahwash said. “Before the game, after the game and right now. I couldn’t even sleep last night. I was really excited. You get nervous then you want to play well and then you want to win ‌ it was just a bunch of emotions running through my body. I’m really grateful for this experience here at UCA and I want to thank all the fans for supporting me these four years.â€? The Islanders continued playing hard as the Bears were getting close. The loss of the final game resulted in the Bears’ record falling to 5-24 and 1-15 in the Southland conference “Our guys played with their hearts. They made some big shots and got up to a 14-point lead,â€? Williamson said. “They withstood our emotion and adrenaline that had us going earlier.â€?
-SET POINT-
Bobcats take match 7-0 against Sugar Bears by Jeanette Anderton Staff Writer
The UCA Sugar Bears lost Sunday’s tennis match 7-0 to the Texas State Bobcats. Sophomore Kazumi Otani said the energy was a lot better on Sunday than it was on Saturday, in part because of the weather. She said everyone was moving better because the shining sun made it a little warmer. She said everyone was moving a little slow and lethargic Saturday. Junior Allison Hartman and freshman Sasha Ruocco lost the top doubles match 8-6 against freshman Jessica Kahts and sophomore Melissa Hadad. It was a close match that was won when the Bobcats were able to break Ruocco’s serve for the first time in the match. Otani and Freshman Simona Horsikyan lost the second doubles match 8-2 against sophomore Gabriella Rojas and freshman Berenice Van Den Bergh. Otani said, “We just need to be more consistent. We have to learn to be patient and not try to get a winner off shots we shouldn’t.� Sugar Bears senior Alex Rios and freshman Maribelle Siegfried
lost the third doubles match 8-3 against Bobcats freshman Jessica Laing and sophomore Mariana Perez. In singles, all the Sugar Bears except Horsikyan lost in straight sets. Horsikyan, against Kahts in number one singles, won the first set 6-4, then lost the second set 1-6, forcing a third set. Horsikyan lost the third set, in which both players played well and fought hard, 4-6. At one point during the match, the Bobcat’s head coach, Tory Plunkett, stopped the playing to get a line judge to come watch the match. Sugar Bears coach Rebecca Miller said this was not typical and she was surprised by Plunkett’s actions. “My girls have a reputation for fairness,� she said. Ruocco lost the number two singles match to Hadad, 2-6, 3-6. Hartman lost the number three singles match to Laing, 4-6, 1-6. Otani lost the number four singles match to Rojas, 2-6, 3-6. Rios lost her singles match to Perez, 2-6, 1-6. Siegfried lost her singles match to Vandenbergh, 1-6, 1-6. Miller said she was proud of
the way the team played. “The girls did a really good job of stepping up their game,� she said. After the match, Plunkett said, “UCA did very well. They are one of the tougher teams in the conference.� Plunkett had praise for Miller’s coaching. “Becca is doing something right,� she said. “The girls gave us a run for our money in doubles and singles.� She said she thought both teams played well. “All of the girls from both schools did a great job today. [The Bobcats] have had three matches canceled due to rain so this was our first conference match. We were sick of playing each other. We were just really ready to play today,� Plunkett said. The Bobcats are now 1-0 in the Southland Conference and 4-2 overall. Siegfried said the Sugar Bears only have six healthy players right now. Seniors Kati Andersen and Lisa Mainz did not play Sunday due to injuries. The Sugar Bears are 0-4 in the Southland Conference and 0-9 overall.