The Echo Oct. 28 Issue 9 by The Echo at UCA

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THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WEDNESDAY

OCTOBER 28, 2015 Volume 109 — Issue 9

ucaecho.net 4 TODAY’S FORECAST CONWAY

Entertainment:

Campus Life:

Cinema:

State Fair focuses on entertainment to delight of fair-goers

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4 THE NEWSDESK FROM THE EDITOR

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by Jordan Johnson

Executive President Zach Carter met with executive university staff concerning SGA committee goals and outlined what committees want to accomplish this year. In response to these discussions, the university is hiring new shuttle drivers, specifically to meet late-night transportation needs from campus to Bear Village. Executive Vice President Corey Parks discussed the President’s Residence Advisory Committee, which is attempting to put the traditional university president’s residence to good use. President Tom Courtway no longer resides in the house, which has been used since its vacancy as an event center. Parks said that the building will likely continue to serve this purpose, following the example of Arkansas Tech. SGA discussed fee increases, gender-neutral restrooms and nontraditional students during its Oct. 19 meeting. Career Services requested a small increase in the Student Activity Fee to help fund new tools for UCA graduates looking for a career.Carter said that SGA needs to write a resolution in support of or against the increase. SGA must also consider whether to grant fee increases on a case-by-case basis or to answer requests for the year all at once. Carter said that SGA should “dig into that a little more and see when the best timeline is” for a fee increase. Associate Vice President for

Assistant News Editor

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Russia’s naval movements worry U.S. military officials Russia’s recent military manuevors and influences around the globe have proved worrisome for U.S. officials. A naval manuever led Russian ships near fiberoptic cables on the ocean floor necessary for Internet and telecommunications . The drill was interpreted as a possible war tactic.

Facebook struggles with patchy connection in India Patchy connections across India prove to be a stress point for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to supply Internet connection throug h the Indian Internet provider Reliance Communcations. Zuckerberg’s project “Internet.org” hopes to bring web access and connectivity between all nations in the world by supplying online access to the nearly four billion people who lack connection.

N AT I O N A L

Gun from recent murder found in Harlem River After many days combing the Harlem River in Harlem, New York, police divers are believed to have located the gun used in the fatal shooting of Officer Randolph Holder last week. The gun was found with one bullet in the chamber and matches many descriptions of the weapon. Officers believe the gun was thrown into the river from the promanade between the river and Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive. It is a .40 claiber Glock handgun believed to be shot only once at Officer Holder by suspect Tyrone Howard. Howard has been charged, arrested and is now awaiting trial.

Carson surpasses Trump in polls with calm demeanor This election season has confused party members and analysts alike. Despite Donald Trump’s fiery start, his brash comments have isolated swathes of voters. Ben Carson’s mildmannered tactics have been paying off as he climbed past Trump in national polls over the weekend.

The Student Government Association voted unanimously during its Oct. 26 meeting to amend the SGA Constitution. The amendment, forwarded by sophomore class president Ellen McKinnie, helps clarify hour requirements and classifications. Specifically, the amendment states that individuals running for a senate seat during the spring semester shall not include currently enrolled hours. This amendment came in response to issues voiced during the Oct. 12 meeting, when SGA voted to amend the constitution to specify hour requirements for individuals running for senate in an attempt to properly classify senators as freshmen, sophomores, and so on. However, this ranking system does not take into account individuals running in the spring to replace any senator who has stepped down. If these individuals include their current spring hours, they could be improperly classified as a year above what they are. The second amendment seeks to solve this issue by not factoring spring hours in the calculation. The motion passed unanimously without discussion, satisfying the two-thirds requirement for a constitutional amendment. The diversity committee is looking for non-SGA members. Applications for the positions went out Monday, Oct. 28 and will close Thursday, Nov. 5, followed by interviews Thursday, Nov. 12.

by Joe Kramer

him on the docket. The pair was called to the stand with Davies’ defense attorney, Otto Fry, after nearly an hour and a half. Despite the charges levied against him by the UCA police department upon his Oct. 5 arrest following his threats, Judge Clawson and Fry agreed to push Davies’ case to Nov. 9 due to a “lack of formal charges.” Fry said without any formal charges there is a need to push the court date back to allow time for the prosecuting attorneys and police to finish their investigations. Davies, of Saline County, was arrested after making the

News Editor

UCA freshman Samuel Davies made his first appearance before Judge Charles “Ed” Clawson regarding two felony charges Oct. 26 in the Faulkner County Circuit Court. The 18-year-old is charged with one count of terroristic threatening and one count of communication of a threat after posting threatening statements regarding campus safety on the social media site Yik Yak. Davies’ mother accompanied him in court, as they waited through the nearly 50 cases before

DONAGHEY HALL PROGRESS

See SGA - page 2

Donaghey Hall has been under construction for nearly four months. As winter approaches, construction remains on time, with the end date set for August 2016.

OUTREACH

College of Education adopts elementary school for academic prep by Darian Whitmore

The organization teaches educators methods that give their students a head start and show options after students finish their required schooling. The program hopes to ready children for promising futures and get them excited for college in new ways. “All of the different classrooms have colleges they’ve adopted,” explained Victoria Groves-Scott, UCA’s College of Education dean. “They are learning the geography of their selected colleges and talking about how to get in,

Contributor

UCA’s College of Education has teamed up with the “No Excuses University” program to adopt a classroom at Cain Elementary in Whitehouse, Texas. The “No Excuses University” organization states that children should be taught “in a way that prepares them for college,” according to the mission statement found on its website, noexcusesu.com.

the acceptance rates and the admissions standards for their schools.” UCA’s sponsored class is studying and learning everything about UCA and Conway. Students have decorated their classroom in purple and gray and have learned the UCA fight song, Groves-Scott said. This is the first year that UCA has participated in the program, but Groves-Scott said the school is excited about its future involvement. Since the school year began,

Groves-Scott and her faculty have sent the class pens and pencils and have given the teachers T-shirts to show their UCA school spirit. The classroom has sent back pictures of its decorated rooms and dressed up students, who are all excited to have UCA sponsor their class, Groves-Scott said. Colleges all across the country are taking part in this program. Notre Dame, LSU and Georgia Tech are only some of the other colleges that have joined UCA in the “No Excuses University” program in elementary

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Mississippi registered sex offender arrested in sting Faulkner County Sherrif Investigators arrested Richard Lee Milstead, 54, of Southhaven, Mississippi, after Milstead drove to a Conway hotel in hopes of having sexual relations with a minor. Milstead faces felony charges for conspiracy to commit rape and two counts of distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.

4 WHAT’S AHEAD IN OUR NEXT ISSUE

“Virtual Town Meeting” gives new outlet to the University of Central Arkansas community via social media platforms.

by Amanda Nettles Staff Writer

This year marks 100 years of Greek life on UCA’s campus, as Greek organizations were introduced to UCA in 1915. Since then, 24 Greek organizations have formed at UCA: 10 sororities and 14 fraternities. Members of the UCA Greek community say their organizations go beyond sets of letters: they consist of strong brotherhoods and sisterhoods, social events, philanthropy and leadership. The UCA Greek community offers numerous opportunities to

every organization. Many Greek individuals said they did not know what they would do without Greek life. Sigma Nu fraternity member Reed Atkinson said if he had not gone Greek, his college experience would have been much less fulfilling. “Without the support and encouragement that my fraternity brothers have given me, I never would have gotten involved in other RSOs like SOS or SGA,” Atkinson said. “Through serving in these organizations and on the executive board of my fraternity, I developed valuable leadership skills and made some of the best friends anyone could ever hope to have.”

classrooms. Like UCA, these colleges send their classes goodies for the students so that they can represent their sponsor colleges and learn about their sponsor schools. “Fun and exciting things are happening in classrooms around the country, and I am very excited that UCA is able to be a part of it,” Groves-Scott said. UCA was chosen to take part in this program by Catherine Forrest, a UCA alumna who now works at Cain Elementary.

AWA R D

Greeks celebrate centennial year at UCA Three art interns selected

Index: 3

following post on Yik Yak: “Fellow yaks, you seem like good people and I care for you, so if you read this, please stay in your dorms or off campus next Wednesday, I care too much for you all to fall victim of the event.” Davies made two posts in total, but was not arrested for the first one because UCAPD determined it “too vague” to be considered a valid threat. Upon exiting the courtroom, Davies replied to reporters with “no comment.” Davies is currently being held on a $15,000 bond until his new Nov. 9 court date. Due to the ongoing investigation, Davies’ files remain sealed.

photo by Waid Rainey

LOCAL

4Around Campus

Football: Bears come out strong in 35-17 win against Cardinals

Student government Yik Yakker’s hearing postponed Davies’ court date pushed back to Nov.9 after judge, lawyer agree on changes constitution case’s ‘lack of formal charges,’ momentum slows

Partly Cloudy

4Police Beat 4Opinion

Sports:

Festivities:

Del Toro’s newest film leaves more to be desired

4Campus Life 4Entertainment 4Sports

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Phone: 501-499-9822 E-mail: ucaechoeditor@gmail.com

Sigma Kappa sorority member Casey Morgan said she decided to go Greek because she thought it was the best way to get involved in a positive movement on campus. “Greek life is basically the central hub to being involved at UCA, not to mention the support system behind it,” Morgan said. UCA’s website says students enlisted in Greek organizations have higher grade point averages than the university’s overall average. Going Greek also provides countless connections to form lifelong friends and

See Greek - page 2

by Kayla McCullough Staff Writer

The Baum Gallery of Fine Art recently selected three interns to be funded by a grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation. Windgate offered three years of funded support to the Baum Gallery that allowed for the hire of two UCA undergraduate students, Emilia Barrick and Kimberlyn Fitts, and post-graduate student Georgia Erger for the 2015-2016 year. The interns share high hopes for their contributions to the gallery and the Arkansas art community, and hope to

See Art - page 2

Inside:

Social: @ucaecho

gain valuable experience that strengthens their individual careers. Erger’s work will concentrate on museum management. Erger obtained her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Toronto, and she received her master’s degree in art history at Courtauld University of Art in London. The Toronto native is optimistic for her experience in central Arkansas. “It’s very hands-on,” Erger said. “Helping install the Dan Steinhilber exhibit was really

Convicts deserve education The Echo

ucaecho

Financial aid doesn’t reach those who need it most: recovering criminals, drug users page 3

2/ October 28, 2015

NEWS

Police Beat The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports by Assistant News Editor Jordan Johnson.

Driver hits light post, suffers more damage to car than post

Nonstudent arrested for driving under influence on Dave Ward

A drunken driver struck and damaged a light post in the west overflow parking lot on campus at around midnight Oct. 16. The driver, Taylor Ann Pool, was noticed by UCAPD when screaming at a nonidentified male in the parking lot a few minutes past midnight. The light pole was surrounded by debris, with damage estimated at $35. Pool was arrested for driving under the influence. Her vehicle sustained $1,000 in damage.

A police officer make a DUI arrest on Dave Ward Drive at 11:10 p.m. Oct. 16. The UCAPD officer saw a red Chevy SUV speeding and driving erratically and pulled the suspect over. Zachary K. Hufstedler was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving.

Student found with marijuana paraphernalia in dorm room A Conway Hall resident coordinator called UCAPD on Oct. 18 regarding a possible drug violation after smelling marijuana near one of the rooms. Upon investigation, UCAPD discovered a circular grinder in the room of William Newton Redwine.

Equipment worth approximately $144 stolen from Irby Hall State inventory worth around $144 was reported stolen from Irby Hall 306 on Oct. 14. Mary Crawford reported that the two pieces of video equipment, a Canon charger adapter and a Rycote portable recorder suspension could have gone missing at any time between January 2012 and the date they were discovered missing. The inventory has not been recovered.

ucaecho.net L AW

Alcohol policy during tailgating lenient by Morgan Embry Campus Life Editor

UCAPD and UCA’s Athletics Department say the alcohol policy during football game tailgating is a no-alcohol policy, but the policy isn’t strictly enforced. UCA Board Policy 405 says alcohol is only allowed on campus for specific events in locations such as at the President’s Home or Buffalo Hall and during religious events in Ferguson Chapel. Exceptions must receive written consent from President Tom Courtway. Athletic Department policy forbids all alcoholic beverages

within Estes Stadium and grants security the authority to eject intoxicated fans, according to the Athletics Department website. Sgt. Brad Moore of UCAPD said that President Courtway has not granted permission for alcohol during tailgating because the event is visible to the general public. “If we could somehow fence off all of Bruce Street, that’d be a different story,” Moore said. “But Bruce [Street] is a city road and having open containers is still against state law. There isn’t a red-cup policy or anything like that, but we’re not going to go sniffing cups. We want

everyone to have fun. Our most important goal is overall safety.” Moore said that unless tailgaters are actively causing harm, threatening to cause harm or carrying an alcohol container in public view, campus officers are unlikely to disrupt them. “We have so much going on during football games,” Moore said. “Alcohol has hardly ever been a problem. I could count on one hand the instances when we’ve had problems with alcohol during tailgating. Our biggest concerns are safety and that everyone is having a good time. Alcohol just isn’t a priority.”

DAZZLE THEM WITH DRAG

SGA:

Needs of LGBTQ, nontraditional students discussed on senate floor; leaders to meet with campus officials to deliberate needs 4 Continued from page 1 Institutional Diversity Angela Webster-Smith spoke to SGA about addressing the needs of nontraditional and LGBTQ students at UCA. The Office of Diversity will release a campus climate survey late this fall or during the spring semester to gauge the needs of nontraditional students. In addition, Webster-Smith said that a subcommittee of the Office of Diversity will revisit gender-neutral restrooms. Possible locations for new gender-neutral restrooms include the Student Center and Christian Cafeteria, as well as Farris Hall. These restrooms will be single-use and will likely have

to be built, not converted from traditional public restrooms. Parks said SGA will consider funding more lactation stations for nursing mothers on campus. Parks said that SGA was passionate about this project last semester and that plans are underway for a Lewis Science Center location. The Campus Resources Committee plans to talk with UCAPD about fixing crosswalks around campus. The committee is also pressing for new desks around campus to replace high school-style desks, which are inconvenient for larger and pregnant students. SGA voted to allocate $1,765 to

the Big Event fund. The Big Event, which was a committee of SGA until recently, does not fall under Student Activity Fee Allocation (SAFA) guidelines, so the money will come out of the SGA reserve. Because it doesn’t fall under SAFA guidelines, the money allocated doesn’t have the same restrictions as traditional RSOs. Vice President of Finance Emma Baird said that funding the Big Event was justified because this is the first year it has not been directly overseen by SGA, and it needs help. The vote, which needed a two-thirds majority, passed with 39 yes votes, zero nays and one abstention.

Art:

Greeks:

100 years of fraternities, sororities at university celebrated as opportunity for many incoming freshman over past century 4 Continued from page 1

Students earn internship opportunities with help of grant money from Wingate Charitable Foundation

4 Continued from page 1 great. It was such a unique installation process, so to be a part of that was amazing.” Erger said she is currently conducting research and drafting proposals for future exhibits, which won’t be on display until 2017 and 2018. She said her efforts in planning are significant contributions to the gallery’s future. Senior Kimberlyn Fitts and junior Emilia Barrick handle behind-the-scenes details. They intend to form a brand for the Baum Gallery by collaborating their backgrounds in public relations and media exposure, which Fitts said is crucial in a visually driven world. Fitts, a theater major, is a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority and is an assistant theater instructor at Blackbird Academy in Conway. She said her duties as an intern will utilize her talents in

photo by Waid Rainey

Victoria Rios performs in UCA’s annual drag show Oct. 6 at the Student Center Amphitheater. UCA’s PRISM Alliance hosted the event.

graphic design. “My role is more of communicating to the public,” Fitts said. “I’m handling social media and marketing, as far as branding. We’re not just a gallery, we’re actually a museum. Making sure that people understand that we’re not something that you just go and look at and that there are other things that are offered here is my job.” Fitts said she designs postcards, manages all social media postings and has started a Trivia Tuesday on the gallery’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Barrick is majoring in public relations and is also the music chair for the UCA Student Activities Board. Barrick said her work includes writing press releases and media pitches. “My internship with the Baum has given me real opportunities and experience to aid in the

development of my educational endeavors,” Barrick said. “I’ve always loved the arts, so it’s a perfect combination for me.” The interns spoke with an obvious passion for the gallery’s growth and a hope that UCA students and the public will acknowledge the potential the gallery offers. “The Baum brings quality international art for free to the community,” Barrick said. “Art is something that adds quality and value to the community. The gallery is a fantastic resource for students, faculty and all members of the Conway community.” The Baum gallery’s current exhibition, Sculptural Work by artist Dan Steinhilber, will be on view until Oct. 25. The gallery will present its next exhibition; the BA/BFA juried Senior Art Exhibition, from Nov. 5 – Dec. 3.

Applications for

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make connections with future employers, participants said. Greek members also take part in various philanthropies. UCA Greeks are involved with St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Big Brothers and Big Sisters mentorship programs,

Adopt-A-Highway, United Way and other service organizations in Arkansas. Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority member Elaine Gorgas said UCA’s Greek organizations are all involved with supporting national charities or local businesses by

being involved and giving back to organizations that have touched so many of their lives. “It is such a rewarding experience to raise money or volunteer at an event that can literally change someone’s life for the better,” Gorgas said.