Issue 20, Volume 118 -- March 8, 2023

TODAY’S FORECAST

Campus Life: Students slap out hate with Health Science Club

4 page 3

Sports: Basketball player plans career in politics

4 page 5

Lifestyle:

Conway Art Walk kicks off 2023 season

4 page 8

Storms

INTERNATIONAL

Sea destroys boat, kills 70 migrants

Approximately 70 bodies were recovered after a Feb. 26 shipwreck near Steccato di Cutro, Italy. Nearly 180 Middle Eastern migrants boarded a boat Feb. 22 to take a lesser-known migration route from Turkey to Italy. Survivors said the boat landed on a sandbar and was torn apart by the waves. Eighty survivors were found, leaving 30 migrants unaccounted for. Investigations were launched into the smugglers and Italian government for its delayed response.

Utah bans permits for abortion clinics

Gov. Spencer Cox said he will sign a bill to ban abortion clinics from operating in Utah, making hospitals the only place the medical procedure would be accessible. Cox said March 3 that the legislation will also address legal liability concerns expressed by insurance providers. A proposal from a Utah state representative would ban all abortion-providing clinics from being licensed after May 2, and not allow them to operate once their license expires.

Alaskan sled races

slammed by PETA

Before the 51st running of the Iditarod, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ran full-page ads in Alaska’s biggest papers, portraying the sled dog race as cruel abuse. The March 4 race had 33 sled drivers, its smallest starting group ever. Race organizers believe fewer people participated because of infation and the loss of wealthy sponsors amid growing pressure from animal rights organizations.

Amended LEARNS passes state house

The Arkansas House of Representatives passed the amended LEARNS bill March 2. The bill will be voted on again by the state Senate, which passed an older version Feb. 23. The bill aims to raise minimum teacher salaries and place restrictions on instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation in elementary classrooms. It also gives guardians vouchers to pay for private and home schooling using state funds.

WHAT’S AHEAD

‘The Big Event’ sends UCA volunteers across town

City Council approves K-9s, acknowledges CPD lawsuits

BY EMILY KENNARD

News Editor

Conway City Council voted 7-1 to approve using the police department’s asset forfeiture funds to purchase two more K-9 units Feb. 28, but the discussion afterward led to a spat between Mayor Bart Castleberry and Councilwoman Cindy Webb about pending civil rights lawsuits against the city.

“I think transparency is so important in our government,” Webb said. “I’m uncomfortable seeing that there is some pending litigation against the city and the PD at this moment by two different people.”

“We’re not going to talk about pending litigation against the city in this meeting,” Castleberry said. “That’s where we need to stop.”

“Because Conway citizens don’t need to know?” Webb asked. “So, I’m being told to shut up. OK.”

Webb voted no on the ordinance, which moved $61,782 from the assets forfeiture account to fund the purchase of two dogs, handler courses and equipment, but voted yes on other CPD-related ordinances.

Chief William Tapley said one of the department’s goals was to expand the department’s K-9 program.

“Currently, we have four K-9s. One of those is assigned to our narcotics investigators, one of those is assigned to our schools. We have two that do more patroltype functions,” Tapley said.

“They’re gonna run probably between $13,500 and $16,500 for a dog,” Tapley said, adding the cost went up.

Tapley said the equipment includes items like “insurance, dog food, kennels.”

City Councilwoman Cindy Webb asked Tapley if the equipment will include a “properly sized bite suit” for female handlers to work with dogs.

Tapley said, “We provide the proper equipment.”

Tapley did not acknowledge the race and gender discrimination lawsuit from Offcer Brittany Byrd, who says she was the department’s frst female K-9 handler.

Byrd’s suit alleges she faced retaliation after reporting her superior’s conficts of interest; specifcally, she reported that Major Clayton Smith misused public funds

to beneft his dog-training company, “Clay’s Top Dog.” She also said she received more dog bites than other handlers.

The council approved a personnel adjustment that will reclassify a department offcer position as a sergeant position, which pays $13,800 more.

“We’ve previously had a crime suppression unit. Due to staffng, we weren’t able to keep that up and running,” Tapley said. “We’re trying very hard to get back into that.”

“It’s a very important unit to have a supervisor, and we currently don’t have a supervisor that I can get in that unit,” Tapley said, adding the previous supervisor was moved to help with training.

Castleberry said the council’s previous raises for CPD had a “tremendous impact.”

“Chief was able to hire four certifed personnel and he feels like he’s going to be back to full staffng,” Castleberry said. “With full staffng, then he can put the crime suppression unit back on the street.”

The next city council meeting will take place March 28 at 1111 Main St.

Honors discusses changes: budget, housing, Schichtl

BY BRENNA METTS Sta Writer

During the spring 2023 Honors Town Hall, council members and faculty addressed stipend cuts, housing adjustments, plans for Schichtl and the need for a new online communication platform.

The Schedler Honors College stipend is being cut in half for its incoming freshmen — from $2,000 to $1,000 per semester.

A student, who spoke anonymously through the event’s provided Google form, said, “It is disheartening that honors is no longer a full ride and now only pays for a small portion of our expenses and takes away from the feeling of being valuable and secure that the people in honors used to have … Very surprised to know that I’m in honors with other scholarships and still taking out loans.” The program’s seniors, the class of 2023, are the last to beneft from full rides. The class of 2024 receives $5,000 a semester while current sophomores and freshmen receive $2,000.

Patricia Smith, dean of the Honors College, responded to this concern by sympathizing with students who have to work to close the gap not covered by their scholarships and, as a result, have to miss out on opportunities to participate in the honors community.

For incoming students, it will be even more diffcult, Smith said, offering context for the cuts.

Smith said funding for higher education in the state has not increased in nearly 20 years, while the cost of running an institution has.

Every dollar that the honors program receives has been a dollar of tuition paid

UCA adds parking, keeps same Greek Village rates

BY MIA WADDELL Editor-in-Chief

The demolition of Short and Denney Hall will provide approximately 80 parking spaces, according to UCA President Houston Davis. The demolition will begin in May.

The UCA Board of Trustees voted unanimously to demolish the structure during a March 3 teleconference meeting.

The demolition will cost $803,130 and is expected to be completed in June. The construction of the parking lot will cost $421,704 and is expected to be

completed in August.

The Short side of the hall currently holds offces that were moved from McAlister while it undergoes renovations.

Kevin Carter, associate vice president for facilities, said the faculty in Short Hall will move out “as soon as the semester ends, in that frst week of May.”

“Our plan is to have all of our contracts in place and begin to work immediately after we get those faculty members moved out,” Carter said.

by non-honors students.

“If you think about that $4,000 a year that you’re getting, that is $4,000 that’s being spread across the 10,000 students at UCA,” Smith said. “That $4,000 times 300 students is $1.2 million — spread across 10,000 students, and they’re paying more in tuition to cover your scholarship.”

Funding for the honors stipend was cut by millions of dollars to ease the fnancial burden on the UCA community.

Smith said, “I agree that most people, students and faculty have no idea that that’s going on. People were shocked to learn that our students aren’t on board, and maybe [they] just take it for granted. “Some assume that is still the case, and they do so bitterly because they feel like honors is continuing to take away from programs that they’re trying to support as faculty, and have no idea that, in fact, we’ve seen millions of dollars cut from our budget in less than half a decade. It is a reality, and I get it. I hate it,” Smith said. Discussion at the town hall shifted to cover the transition in housing, with the addition of the honors house at 425 Donaghey Ave.

Smith said she planned to hold a meeting with the 17 students selected to occupy the house in the fall to discuss the extent to which the house will be open to the rest of the honors community since most honors spaces are shared and made available 24/7. Smith said she is cautious about offering unlimited access to the new house.

See Stipend - page 2

Suicide awareness walk brings campus ‘Out of the Darkness’

BY BLAKE WEAVER Sta Writer

UCA students, faculty and staff took to the pavement for “Out of the Darkness,” a campuswide walk to raise awareness about suicide.

The UCA Student Wellness and Counseling Center teamed up with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on March 4 to host the walk.

Susan Sobel, director of the counseling center, said the goal of the event was to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s research, outreach and education efforts, as well as provide awareness and support for people affected by suicide.

Millie Goins, assistant director of student wellness, said, “Historically, the walk is hosted by UCA and Hendrix and this year was UCA’s turn. This is the frst walk of the season for the state of Arkansas.”

“The UCA foundation funded a

grant for Dr. Alina Yee from the College of Education to provide T-shirts that have the national crisis line for suicide — so the 988 number will be on those shirts, which are free for any individual who preregistered for the walk,” Goins said.

The event had tables set up that provided various takeaways for attendees.

Sobel said, “They have beads representing different parts of struggling with suicide, whether you have, whether you know someone who has.

“There are also beads supporting LGBTQ which is a population that has a higher than average rate of suicide. There are also tables that provide support and information on depression and suicide.”

Arkansas Area Director at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Jacqueline Sharp, was also in attendance and had a booth set up which provided information on the organization. Sharp said, “The big thing with our Arkansas

Inside:

photo by Blake Weaver

Students and community members walk behind an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention banner March 4 in front of the Ronnie Williams Student Center. The walk switches annually between Hendrix and UCA.

screenshot from City of Conway’s YouTube channel Councilwoman Cindy Webb asks Chief William Tapley if CPD will purchase equipment for female K-9 handlers. The department is facing a civil rights lawsuit from its frst female K-9 handler, Ofcer Brittany Byrd, alleging gender and racial discrimination.

Student gives weed butts to UCAPD

Student Letecia

Holt handed Officer Skyler Cox an ashtray containing 2.3 grams of burnt marijuana cigarette ends. Cox was patrolling a parking lot March 1 and smelled a strong odor of burnt marijuana. He approached Holt’s car and found that the smell was coming from it. Holt told Cox that she had smoked in her car earlier that evening off campus.

When Cox asked if she had anything illegal in the car, Holt handed him the ashtray. The ashtray and burnt marijuana ends were placed in an evidence locker to be destroyed and she received a drug violation for having paraphernalia on campus.

Man gets arrested for drunk driving Man arrested for failure to appear

James Ecker, 49, was arrested for driving while intoxicated and issued a $2,205 bond after being pulled over Feb. 28 by Officer Tyler Ryals for careless driving. Ryals said when he approached the vehicle, Ecker “had a look of guilt on his face, bloodshot, watery eyes, and a strong aroma of intoxicants emanated from the vehicle.” Ecker told Ryals he was supposed to have an interlock device from a DWI. Ryals asked Ecker to exit the truck and had him perform sobriety tests, where Ecker lost his balance several times. Ecker was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated and transported to Faulkner County Jail.

Stipend:

4 Continued from page 1

“Before this year, I would have said, ‘I would trust any honors student to be in the space at any time.’ But, this year, we’ve had theft of property, we have had damage of property, we have had things go missing from the kitchen, we’ve had entire legs ripped off the tables and chairs torn down to fragments that were no longer recognizable as furniture,” Smith said.

Smith said that this was the frst time in the 41-year history of honors that something like this had occurred, but that she would still like to make the space open for commuting honors seniors.

Due to the recent mistreatment of honors housing property, Milan Novakovic, the residence coordinator for Farris Honors Hall, has started the progress of getting cameras installed in Farris, something the hall has not needed in its 16 years of housing students.

Novakovic said he plans to address these issues during a mandatory Farris housing meeting March 14 in the dorm’s courtyard, and also announced that after his graduation in May, Farris and New Hall would share their frst-ever full-time coordinator.

Smith said with the program’s accepted addition of 15 seats, it may bring back the honors village structure, which would involve both New Hall and Farris Hall containing 100% honors students.

“Considering budget cuts that we are all being forced to make, we’re really excited to be able to make that move,” Smith said.

Smith said that the program also hopes to grow by setting

Board:

4 Continued from page 1

Nelio Zamorano

Chipana, 32, was arrested Feb. 26 by Officer Skyler Cox after he discovered Chipana had a failure to appear warrant from Conway Police Department. He was pulled over at 1:13 a.m. for a faulty brake light. Chipana told Cox he was headed to Baridon Hall to drop off a friend after a concert.

Chipana said he was an international student, so Cox read him the Consular Notification and Access Reference Card for the arrest of foreign nationals.

Cox said it was later discovered that Chipana was not a UCA student. Chipana was transported to CPD, where he was served a warrant.

Honors program discusses housing future

up articulation agreements with other universities’ honors programs, allowing their students to transfer into UCA’s University Scholars Program.

Besides changes in housing, the program is also expecting to move offces and classes from McAlister to Schichtl.

Schichtl will be home to both the Department of Honors Interdisciplinary Studies and the Center for Global Learning and Engagement at some point in 2024, Smith said.

Images of the proposed design, which depicted concepts from honors students and the Center for Global Learning and Engagement members, were shared with those in attendance.

The design included a library, a student lounge, classrooms, offce spaces, a sensory garden and an outdoor classroom complete with a moss wall, accessible swings and barbecue grills.

The library, named after Norbert O. Schedler, the founder of the honors college, caters to those wanting a meditative or nondenominational prayer space, Smith said.

A fnal transition under consideration was the honors online forum platform.

Students said the program’s current dependence on GroupMe for communication was “impersonal”, unhealthy and “hostile.”

One student said, “there’s this sense that when you say something, you’re both saying it in front of a huge audience, and you’re saying it to the void.”

Donna Bowman, professor and freshman curriculum coordinator for the honors college, said that in her Core

FUNDS

II: The Search for Community freshman class, she and her students are discussing helping the community switch to Discord in the coming year.

Bowman said that, because Discord — a voice and instant messaging platform — offers students the ability to make threads that branch off from the main chats, students would be able to more easily curate what information they wanted to be notifed of and participate in.

Discord would allow students to host streams and chat rooms, which would offer other conversational alternatives, should the students need something other than text.

Bowman said that her class is working to propose a design structure or a rule set for the Discord community. At the conclusion of the meeting, Hannah Malone, president of the Schedler Honors Council said, “This is just the conversation. The important part about what we do is what we do after this.”

Malone said that it is important for honors students to keep both themselves and faculty in check because “that’s how this relationship works and that’s how we grow.”

The Honors College will take part in the campuswide Day of Giving on March 9 and also intends to bring former Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones to campus March 16 in Doyne Hall.

The Schedler Honors Council will hold a silent art auction at the Ronnie Williams Student Center on April 1 to raise money for Lucie’s Place, a shelter for trans youth.

SGA gives $900 for student gala, tables oversized game discussion

BY TORRIE HERRINGTON

Assistant News Editor

The African Student Association requested a total of $1,199.65 for the Gala they’re hosting April 1 at SGA’s March 6 meeting.

The money would cover catering from Kontiki African Restaurant, beverages, crowns and sashes for Mr. and Miss Africa, as well as sewing supplies for traditional African clothing.

Executive Vice President Mary Amoaning said, “The gala is basically an opportunity for us to showcase our culture.”

Senator Blessing Odusola said the sewing materials were not originally part of the plan for the gala but potential participants requested clothing to be provided.

“African clothing is not the easiest to get and it’s not the easiest to make either,” Odusola said. “We’re willing to get a sewing machine to make the fabric.”

SGA voted to allocate $900.28 for all costs except the sewing and fabric supplies.

Vice President of Finance J’Lun Herron said, “It does not include the materials for the

clothing or the sewing machine, and we didn’t include that price because we felt there could have been more communication toward other organizations like family consumer science.”

The motion to allocate the money to ASA’s gala passed with 31 yeses and two abstentions from Amoaning and Odusola, who hold positions in ASA.

Senator Takari Glover motioned for SGA to allocate $10,277 to oversized lawn games outside of the student center.

“The concrete slab is $4,200, Connect Four is $4,999, checkers is $55 and chess is $999,” Glover said.

Herron said the outdoor games were a good idea, but it needed to be tabled for later.

“I just don’t know what to think about this because there are just so many different factors in it that haven’t been mentioned,” Herron said.

Senator Annabelle VanAsche also rose in opposition to voting on the games. “I just don’t think we have all the logistics made for us to allocate all of this money when we don’t have a place to

Davis said renovating the Hall would cost almost double the most expensive dorm renovation, with just the structural remediation coming to $8.1 million, “and that’s before we even get into the actual renovations, and architect and engineering fees and costs.

“Over the last few years, we’ve done signifcant renovations to several halls, but this particular residence hall complex did not score out to be eligible for those renovations,” Davis said.

The board also voted to not raise the room rates for Greek Village.

Tier one of Greek Village, which includes the houses of Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX), and Phi Sigma Kappa will all maintain a

double room rater of $2,395 a semester or $3,350 for a single room.

Tier two of Greek Village includes all other Greek housing on campus, like the three fraternity houses and two sorority houses on Donaghey Avenue, the National PanHellenic Council men’s complex on Western Avenue, the two sorority houses on Augusta Avenue and the NPHC women’s complex on Augusta Avenue.

These will continue to cost $3,190 for a double room and $3,350 for a single room per semester.

On Feb. 17 the trustees raised room and board rates for the rest of campus by 5%.

Residence hall room rates now range from $2,362 to $2,825 for a double room, and

$3,060 to $3,945 for a single room. Apartment housing options range from $2,665 to $2,825 for a double room, and $3,465 to $3,945 for a single.

Tier two of Greek Village is the most expensive double-room housing option on campus, even after the Board increase. However, the single-room option is the fourth cheapest on campus.

Tier one of Greek Village’s double-room rate is slightly more expensive than the cheapest residence hall options — Arkansas and Bernard halls, which cost $2,362 per semester. The single-room option for tier one of Greek Village has a higher rate than all residence hall options, other than Donaghey Hall.

Community: Student shares experience

4 Continued from page 1

chapter is, it’s OK to not be OK, but it’s not OK to not do something about it.

“So what we try to do as a chapter is get out into the communities and educate people on suicide prevention. We want you to know the warning signs, the risk factors that you or someone you love is in crisis, and for you to know what to do next.”

One thing Sharp provided at her booth was a “lifesavers guide,” which she said was the organization’s “standard suicide prevention information.”

“We put inside a walletsized brochure that describes all the information you need to know, your next steps and what to do if you or someone else is in

crisis,” Sharp said. Student Kennedy Cook said, “I lost a childhood friend about two years ago. I’ve always had a soft spot for suicide awareness and prevention. It’s just horrible. But when I lost that childhood friend, I just had to do more to help. It’s just the worst.”

Before the walk began, Sharp took the stage at the UCA amphitheater and thanked people for coming out.

“It means the world that we have staff and people who lead this college that want you to know that you are not alone. I hope you leave here knowing that there is hope. We want to normalize the conversation.

Last year we lost 583 Arkansans

CTEH

to suicide. It is the leading cause of death for 25 to 34-year-olds,” Sharp said. Sharp concluded her speech by saying, “You have a really incredible counseling center that is here for you. Please make sure you are reaching out and getting help. If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis, please call 988.”

Students can make free counseling appointments at uca. edu/counseling/appointment. The counseling center is available 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through 501-450-3138 for crisis care or questions. For after hours crisis care, contact UCAPD at 501-450-3111.

Environmental science alumnus dies in plane crash at Little Rock

BY MARY LESIEUR Assistant Sports Editor

Five people died, including a UCA alumnus, on Feb. 22 after a twin-engine Beech BE20 crashed while leaving the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. The victims were all employees of the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health and include Gunter Beaty, 23, Production Safety Data Manager; Kyle Bennett, 36, Staffng Manager, Logistics; Micah Kendrick, 41, Safety Supervisor and UCA alumnus; Sean Sweeney, 64, Pilot; Glenmarkus Walker, 32, Rapid Responder.

Kendrick was a Conway native and an active church member at Fellowship Bible Church in Conway. He received a bachelor’s in environmental science from UCA in 2013.

Left to cherish memories are his wife Jordan, and his two sons Sawyer and Wyatt.

Kendrick was known as a loving father and husband, prioritizing his son’s knowledge

of the gospel.

“His greatest priorities in life were his family and God, spending quality time with his sons, reading them God’s Word and making sure they knew the Lord,” Kendrick’s obituary stated.

Kendrick had a love for the outdoors, and he enjoyed snowboarding, surfng, wakeboarding, skateboarding and paddle boarding.

“Micah was passionate about life and took every opportunity to ‘do something fun’ with his family and friends,” his obituary states.

Kendrick was a hard worker and enjoyed his work as a Safety Supervisor at CTEH.

A memorial service was held for Kendrick at Fellowship Bible Church on March 4.

On the day of the crash, around 12 p.m., there were intermittent storms, and The National Weather Service released warnings for 50 mph winds.

Only two minutes after 12 p.m., authorities were alerted of the crash.

CHILDREN

The employees were “responding to an incident at the Schumann and Company metals plant in Bedford, Ohio,” Denver Peacock, a public relations frm said in a written statement.

The incident in Ohio, an explosion, killed one and injured 13.

Senior Vice President of CTEH, Paul Nony said in an email, “We are incredibly saddened to report the loss of our Little Rock colleagues. We ask everyone to keep the families of those lost and the entire CTEH team in their thoughts and prayers.”

The National Transportation Safety Board’s statement said, “Once on scene, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. Part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, air traffc control communication, maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records. NTSB investigators will look at the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation.”

Conway Cradle Care gets grant with help from UCA professor

BY GABE WHITE Sports Editor

store it,” VanAsche said. “The student center hasn’t even been approached and if they’re going to be our main people to store it, I just don’t think that we should vote on it right now.”

Senator Phoenix Vu motioned for the vote to fund the lawn games be tabled, and it passed unanimously.

Senator Aniya Polite said a food truck festival and farmers market will take place April 11.

“They’re planning to do it in front of the library with about 10 food trucks, and in the middle it’ll be a farmers market,” Polite said.

Senator Madison Yarbrough said the Student Resources Committee is working on getting large UCA letters put up.

“I met with Dr. Williamson and the physical plant last Friday and we decided on an area near Donaghey,” Yarbrough said.

“The physical plant talked about putting a spot in the middle of concrete, and laying out a walkway from the sidewalk to the letters as well.”

Senator McKenzi Bogan said Food for Fines will be March 14.

UCA associate professor of psychology, Heather Martens, helped secure a local child care organization a $60,000 grant.

Conway Cradle Care partnered with Martens to write a proposal for the grant.

Conway Cradle Care runs a day care and offers mentoring for young parents attending school.

McKinley Hess, the executive director for Conway Cradle Care, said, “We’re able to help provide them with child care, and anything and everything they need, to be as successful as they can within our mentoring.”

Hess said the organization keeps the children safe while the parents are at school, “so that’s one less thing they have to worry about and they are able to focus on their education.”

According to the American Rescue Plan’s fact sheet, this is the biggest child care investment since World War II.

Hess said she saw the effects of the pandemic on child care frsthand, but the grant is a step in the right direction.

“I know in Conway there were a few pretty good quality child cares that had to shut down

because of COVID and the loss of income there, so this is something that is helping make up for those losses during that time,” Hess said.

Conway Cradle Care has several plans for how to use the grant money.

One of the organization’s priorities is to raise salaries for the teachers.

“Without our teachers, our program would not be able to run smoothly, and our adolescent parents would not be able to go to school,” Hess said.

Along with raising the budget for child care necessities, the organization will invest in technology to help with its services.

In January 2022, Heather Martens and the nonproft received a grant from the Crafton Tull Foundation to purchase monitoring equipment for the nurseries.

With the grant provided by the American Rescue Plan Act, Conway Cradle Care hopes to ditch most of the paper used for the children and instead use iPads for daily lessons and activities. The iPads will allow teachers to streamline learning experiences for the children, track a child’s progress and keep parents in the loop — all with a

single app.

Besides providing a day care service, Conway Cradle Care also offers mentoring classes for young parents in different stages of their lives, including high school, college and the workforce.

“We can help them apply for child care vouchers, which helps pay for their child day care up until about kindergarten,” Hess said. “They are able to get those expedited so they can get back in school or get back to working full time.”

Although the organization’s only location is in the First Presbyterian Church on Prince Street in Conway, it offers mentoring sessions and day care vouchers throughout, Faulkner, Van Buren, Perry and Conway Counties.

Conway Cradle Care’s frst large-scale event since the pandemic will be the Rockin’ the Cradle 5k/1k on April 15th. The sign-up fee for the race is $30, with all proceeds going toward the organization’s mentoring and child care services.

Sign-ups for the race can be found on runsignup.com, and volunteer opportunities can be found on GivePulse.

Campus Life

Around Campus: Smashing Midterms

From 5-6 p.m. Thursday, March 9, Bear Hall invites students to let out their stress and frustrations by smashing their way to midterm exams. The event will be in the Bear Hall lobby.

A link up with LinkedIn

From 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 9, the Oaks Community invites students to learn how to brand themselves and make themselves appealing to jobs with descriptive words and phrases. Students will also learn to see what makes them a good candidate on job-placement websites such as LinkedIn. Free food will be provided.

Mario driving drunk

From 6-7 p.m. Thursday, March 9, students are invited to Carmichael Hall to play Mario Kart while wearing drunk goggles. This activity is to educate students about the importance of alcohol safety and the legal ramifcations of driving under the infuence or while intoxicated. UCA PD will be a main presenter and collaborator.

Fundraiser for Ukrainian animal charity Uanimals

From 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, March 10, Bear Animal Advocacy invites students to the frst foor of the Ronnie Williams Student Center to donate to Uanimals, a Ukrainianbased animal charity. Donations will go to directly rescuing animals, keeping them fed and warm in shelters and sanctuaries, along with medical care. For each $10 donation made at the tabling events, there will be Ukrainian currency as a gift while supplies last.

The Big Event 2023

From 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 11, The Big Event will hold UCA’s biggest day of service, bringing together students, faculty and staff to say thanks to neighbors and nonproft organizations that make Conway a better place. Kickoff will take place in Estes Stadium at 8.

Cinderella’s Closet

From 12-4 p.m. Sunday, March 12, the Panhellenic Council will be in the Ronnie Williams Student Center Ballroom 205 for a fundraiser for high school students having a chance to buy a formal dress for upcoming formal events or prom for $10 per dress. Proceeds will go toward Circle of Sisterhood.

Dresses of all styles, sizes and colors can be taken to the Offce of Student Life at the Student Life Offce located in the UCA Student Center Suite 207.

Ukrainian animal fundraiser comes to campus

BY J ULIA T RANTHA M Assistant Campus Life Editor

Senior Colburn Clark is the president of Bears Animal Advocacy and is in charge of raising funds for UAnimals, a Ukrainian animal aid organization that began its work in 2016.

“They are the largest in the country right now,” Clark said. “Humans are getting a lot of aid but the aid going to animals kind of not as much and that’s why I think it’s important.”

UAnimals runs animal shelters and provides food and veterinary services for animals in need. The organization has rescued horses, cats and some animals out of a zoo for relocation away from dangerous warzones.

“If you subscribe to their Patreon, they will send you photos from the war,” Clark said.

Clark said that he found the organization on social media, specifcally Reddit. Clark said that his attention was directed toward UAnimals due to how Ukraine entered the public eye on social media.

“Around the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on the vegan subreddit, people were talking about ways to help animals affected by the war and this was one of the charities,” Clark said. “I did some more research on it to see if they were legitimate, and I found out they were.”

Clark said that the organization is fairly sizable with many members.

“They posted 20 animal rescue volunteers and received the distinction of the frst all-Ukrainian Animal Protection award,” Clark said. “But it’s far more than that. They’re coordinating efforts for a lot of people coming into the country.”

Clark connected with UAnimals initially on Patreon, where he sends them money and has the ability to view the posts that they create. He said that he has asked for the money he has donated to go toward vegan products, such as vegan-specifc dog food or hay for horses.

“They were very quick to respond but their English wasn’t the best,” Clark said. “I’m sure I could request photos of the

specifc donations, but I don’t know if they would have that. The funds probably get pooled. As an organization, they have sent photos of, generally, what they’re doing. They send me email updates every day.”

Clark said that one of his biggest challenges is fundraising for the project.

“Where we’re at, there are a lot of college students,” Clark said. “Not everybody has money that they can donate. I haven’t really had any negative interactions at the table but it’s been challenging to raise funds here. You kind of have to be aggressive and ask people if they want to donate, you can’t just be

INVOLVED

passive and sit there and expect them to.”

Despite these challenges for Clark, he said he has raised a total of $290.

“Our treasurer will verify all the cash donations that we get and all the Cash App and all the Swipe donations we get,” Clark said. “I usually add a little bit of my own money to that and then she verifes that I’ve sent that payment.”

Clark has held a few fundraising tables in the Ronnie Williams Student Center, asking students to donate.

“We did one event last November and then we did one event February 24,” Clark said. “This is our third.”

People of UCA: Isabelle Saettele

BY M ACI E NGLAND Campus Life Editor

Being involved in the Girl Scouts as a child fostered an early passion for business in sophomore Isabelle Saettele.

Growing up in Hot Springs, she learned the importance of making a fair deal early in life.

“I’ve always wanted to be in business,” Saettele said. “I sold handmade stuff at the farmers market when I was little, and cookie sales as a Girl Scout were always super exciting for me.”

Saettele’s love for business led her to UCA, where she originally declared a marketing major. This fall, she changed her major to accounting with a minor in computer information systems.

“My principles of accounting class is what really caught my interest. I know so many people hate that class, but I loved it.” Saettele said. “I felt more confdent in my future career options after changing to accounting.”

Saettele plans to go to graduate school at UCA and get a master of accountancy as well as a certifed public accountant license.

Saettele said she decided to follow in her brother’s footsteps of becoming a UCA student.

“My brother attended UCA, so I knew the college of business provided a great education as well as opportunities outside the classroom,” Saettele said.

The personableness of UCA is what Saettele enjoys most about being a student here.

“I feel like the campus size is perfect because you’re always meeting new people, but the individual colleges are small enough that you have a close bond with people within your department,” Saettele said.

“I believe that UCA has amazing faculty and staff who are always willing to help you succeed,” she said. “As someone who was always made to feel like college was going to be an immense struggle for me because I was home-schooled,

UCA has support systems and resources in place for every problem I could ever come across.”

Saettele is involved in the College of Business as a student ambassador. One of Saettele’s responsibilities as an ambassador is to recruit potential students to UCA and the College of Business.

“I love getting to meet prospective students and helping them see that UCA is a place where they can succeed,” she said.

Saettele enjoys going to events around campus.

“I’m always checking CubConnect to fnd fun activities going on or workshops to supplement my education. I live in the Muse residential

college, and I love going to our Lavender Library to read,” Saettele said.

In her free time, Saettele enjoys crocheting and creating handmade artwork.

“It helps me focus while listening to podcasts or videos for school. Bags are my favorite thing to make,” Saettele said.

Saettele says simply putting in the effort will make your college experience more enjoyable and benefcial to you in the long run.

“What you get out of college is based on what you give. If you just want to get your degree and leave, you can, but UCA has so many great resources and opportunities that you can take advantage of if you just put in a little extra effort.”

Clark said he will be at his table March 10 and March 13. He also said that he might do one or two more events later on in the semester but is unsure as of right now.

Since Clark is heading toward graduation, he mentioned that his plan for after graduation is to hopefully visit the country and help on a more personal level.

“I’ve had thoughts about going to Ukraine to help,” Clark said. “I’m not really in the best shape of my life right now, so I need to get in better physical shape but that’s something that I want to do.”

Sophomore Brayden Bailey is one of the students who has supported UAnimals.

“I was inspired to donate because animals and wildlife are critical to our society and raising funds for them to have further care and protection is necessary for societal stability,” Bailey said. “There was also a desire to help animals across the world that are abused and are uprooted from their habitats when they are destroyed.”

Bailey said that he was not aware of the organization before he made the decision to donate.

“When I was asked to donate at the booth, Colburn talked about their cause and what the donation was going to support and why they wanted to help,” Bailey said. “I would defnitely love to donate more in the future, whether it be through this organization or with other nonprofts to support animal welfare.”

Bailey said that he hopes to see a physical impact from the donation that he has made.

“The impact I wish to see is one that is tangible to the lives of animals being treated properly and living a long and healthy life. Every animal deserves the same level of respect and freedom,” Bailey said.

Bears Animal Advocacy invites students to contribute to the organization as much as they can.

“Please donate to UAnimals,” Clark said. “You can go on the UAnimals website and donate through the website or you can donate to UAnimals at wild. uanimals.org via PayPal.”

CLASS FEATURE

Interpersonal Communication improves student relationships

BY A SHLYN L ITTL E Staff Writer

Everyone always says communication is key in relationships, but no one really tells us what this exactly means.

At UCA, students have the opportunity to take a course that answers the questions of ‘What does successful communication with those close to us look like?,’ ‘ What do we know about ourselves as communicators?,’ and ‘How can we be better for others?’

Interpersonal Communication is an elective communication course that meets three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Any student who has successfully completed COMM 1300: Principles of Communication is eligible to take the course.

“In the most general sense, the course looks at how we interact with ourselves and others. It underscores — via scholarly research and theory — how strong interpersonal skills help us live and thrive with ourselves and others, whether at work, or home or as a member of a community group,” course instructor Nelle Bedner Runge said.

The course aims to study communication in not only a traditional, theory-based fashion, but also in a way that encourages collaboration and open conversations about potentially diffcult topics.

“Responsiveness and reciprocity are important in our relationships, and if we want our relationships to be successful, it’s important to familiarize ourselves with best practices in relating to and with others … This course, and the content it covers, benefts all of us personally, professionally and society as a whole. The world can’t proft enough from having more responsive and thoughtful communicators,” Bedner said. The class embraces diversity and differences among students and prioritizes learning from students’ experiences.

Throughout the semester,

students in the class have the opportunity to refect on and improve their own interpersonal communication skills, and, as a group, get to collaborate on ideas and projects revolving around what care looks like for one’s self and for others.

Senior Alexis Welborn said she enjoys the class.

“Taking Interpersonal Communication is a great way to learn more about yourself and your relationships on a deeper level. The content is genuinely fun to learn about and applicable to your everyday life.

I’d defnitely recommend it.”

Students, whether in the School of Communication or not, can beneft from taking Interpersonal Communication at UCA as it truly does apply to any and everyone.

Bedner said, “I’ve also had aspiring dental hygienists take the course. In short, everyone is welcome.”

Although some students exclusively study communication, it is a skill that everyone possesses and has room for improvement. The course has a lasting effect on both the students and the instructor.

“Though I taught the course in graduate school at least twice, I frst taught Interpersonal Communication at UCA in the fall of 2001. This is particularly memorable because the class met the day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As a collaborative entity we worked particularly hard that day on the concepts of responsiveness and reciprocity.

‘How should we respond or need to be responding to what happened? How do we reciprocate or respond in kind? How do we move forward?’

The learning was intense, and I became a better communication teacher-scholar because of it,” Bedner said.

Interpersonal Communication, or COMM 3307, is a course that aims to answer questions about how to effectively communicate within relationships and how to be a better, more caring person in all aspects of life.

photo courtey of Isabelle Saettele

Sophomore Isabelle Saettele has a passion for business and accounting. She plans to go to graduate school and get a master of accountancy.

photos courtey of uanimals.org

Top: The logo for the UAnimals organization. Bottom: A soldier holds a dog in Ukraine. UAnimals is an animal aid organization that relocates animals away from warzones.

“Arkansas” writer John Brandon offers advice to students through Artist in Residence discussions

RD

BY C OURTN

Lifestyle Editor

As part of the Artists in Residence program, novelist and short story author John Brandon spent two impactful days interacting with students and faculty through his self-described “weird” short stories and a flm screening of his novel, “Arkansas.”

The “Ivory Shoals” author made his campus debut at Reynolds Performance Hall on March 1, with a cozy screening of “Arkansas,” the flm adaptation of his novel by the same name.

Ty Hawkins, chair and associate professor of English at UCA, was thrilled to welcome Brandon to campus, knowing the familiarity his name holds among students in the English department and other parts of campus.

“Students in the English department, Honors College and other units have been studying Brandon’s fction for years,” Hawkins said. “Those students, and many others, were able to interact with professor Brandon on multiple occasions.”

The flm screening drew to a close with a Q&A session, in which the discussion of adaptation had a heavy infuence. Breaking in the Keystone Steps at the Windgate Center, Brandon led a discussion and presentation titled, “From Page to Screen, Adventures in Adapting Books to Film,” on March 2.

Later that night, he read two short

stories to a room full of people who were excited to listen. “For the past couple of days, we’ve been able to interact with professor Brandon in various forums. This promises to be the most exciting and enlightening,” Hawkins said, now standing in front of the packed Fireplace Room of McCastlain Hall as he introduced the author before his reading. “Because it is in this one that Brandon is going to share with us a variety of his fction.”

And share he did, but not before explaining his evolution as a short-story writer.

“When I was starting out, I wrote short stories like everyone does,” Brandon said. “Back then, we didn’t have enough confdence to try and write a novel until we were a little older. We had to write short stories,” he said, laughing.

“And I’m bad at it,” Brandon said. “And I hated it. I hated all of them.” After eliciting laughs from the audience, Brandon continued, explaining the determination he had to get his early work noticed by editors.

After sending in work, improving it, and sending it again, he was left with a collection of short stories.

Though, once his work was published, he decided he would never write another short story again. “Then a few years after that, I got a hold of a collection of stories that was really nontraditional, and didn’t try to do the things that traditional stories do. I was

reading it and enjoying it,” Brandon said.

This inspired Brandon to consider, “How would John Brandon write a story?”

“I just started writing story after story,” he said. “I don’t even know if they are stories, but they’re strange.”

Brandon delivered a calm retelling of his short story, “Vintage,” followed immediately by “Games of Chance, a Rhapsodic seminar on past and past to come.”

Afterward, the audience peppered him with questions, eager to pick his brain on the thought-eliciting stories he created. Many questions and comments arose, such as “I might be a fool, but is it a metaphor in the frst story?,” “In the second story, I was curious when you said ‘Let’s call him David. Why did you say that?” and “Both of the things you read to us today do interesting things with time, right?”

Liz Taylor McMullen, administrative support supervisor at UCA, enjoyed the reading. “I liked the unique choice of imagery and the stream of consciousness that you only get from having a person — in a very detailed fashion — write down their thoughts as they come,” McMullen said.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on his work, Brandon’s novels can be found on the McSweeneys website at https://store.mcsweeneys.net/ authors/john-brandon.

Health Science Club “slaps out hate” in colorful event

BY T ORRI E H E RRINGTON

Assistant News Editor

The sound of hands slapping canvas echoed throughout campus March 2 as students brought awareness to hate with the Health Science Club.

Associate professor of health sciences, Anita Sego, said Slap Out Hate is one of her favorite annual events and allows students to choose the type of hate they want to bring awareness to.

“A large canvas curtain is suspended on our backdrop frame.

Participants choose what issues they want their handprint to represent and they paint their gloved hand with the colors to present those issues,’” Sego said. The club provided various colors of paint to represent the various hate forms — green for racism, red for ageism, blue for gender bias, purple for ableism, yellow for elitism, and orange for homophobia.

Senior Samuel Duvall said he chose orange, purple and green paint to show his support in bringing awareness to

STUDENTS SAY:

multiple discrimination forms.

“I think it allows people to see that they have supporters and people who are willing to show support for whatever they’re going through,” Duvall said. “It is always nice to know that people are backing you up, and I think that even just seeing that someone is willing to back you up, even if it’s not a personal interaction, can be pretty uplifting.”

Sophomore Sierra Owens said the event was a good opportunity to demonstrate anti-discrimination on campus.

“I chose the color blue because it was gender discrimination, and that’s just the type of discrimination that I personally face the most,” Owens said.

Sego said when the event was over, it was clear what issues were important to those who participated.

“The canvas full of colorful handprints is an excellent visual for how many people are against social injustices and types of discrimination. The color patterns clearly indicate the types of issues the participants chose the most,” Sego said.

While many students used multiple colors, green, blue and purple appeared the most on the canvas.

President of the Health Science Club, senior Anna Weisenbach, said a goal of hers is for the event to bring awareness to new and forthcoming issues.

“I also think that students fnd camaraderie during the event when they overhear another student creating a new color for a new issue, and then they want to use that color to bring awareness to that issue as well,” Weisenbach said.

Sego said the hand-painted canvas is displayed after the event to continue bringing awareness.

“The piece of art created by this event is on put display on the third foor of the Doyne Health Sciences Center for several weeks after the event to add to recognition of how UCA, the department of health sciences, and the Health Science Club want to bring awareness of the support of our campus for diversity awareness and acceptance,” Sego said.

Sego said the event was created in 2018 by a former president of the club.

“This original program was originally created by Hannah Branton,” Sego said. “Equity and respect were very important to Hannah so she wanted to create an awareness program to illustrate people’s support for abolishing discrimination of any kind.”

Sego said the event was benefcial in allowing the UCA community to speak out against discrimination.

“This activity is important for several reasons. It gives our students, staff, faculty, and administration a place to have a voice in what areas of discrimination or injustice matter to them,” Sego said. “It lets them choose colors of paint to represent their feelings and their support to the eradication of those specifc topics or areas they care about or have experienced.”

“What do you think is the most underrated location on campus?”

“I’d de nitely say the courtyard outside of the student center, it doesn’t seem like it’s used outside there for much, but it’s a good place to chill or listen to music or just sit with your friends.”

“I love the library. I’m always in there studying. Probably on the second floor, there’s a lot of little places to hide up there. It’s great.”

“I like sitting at the tables outside of Einstein, but I don’t think it’s very underrated. It’s a good spot. It’s in the sun and you can see all of the cars passing by.”

“Probably the fountain, she’s my favorite for real.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily underrated, but the nature reserve. Especially in the spring, it’s really nice out and it’s good to get away from technology and be out with a friend.”

“I would say Snow Fine Arts. A lot of people don’t know what we do here, a lot of people just overlook this building and should come inside and see what’s going on inside of this building.”

Story and photos by Julia Trantham

Alex Ipina graduate student

Kimley Beard sophomore

Lily Camper sophomore Sadé Hendrix junior

Jace Horton sophomore

Isabella Mason freshman

photo courtesy of imdb.com

A poster for “Arkansas,” the flm adaption of John Brandon’s novel by the same name. Liam Hemsworth stars in the movie as “Kyle,” a standofsh drug dealer

(Top) Senior Anna Weisenbach puts her handprint on the canvas curtain. (Bottom) Handprints line the curtain, representing hate forms students want to “slap out.”

photos by Torrie Herrington

photo by Torrie Herrington

Senior Samuel Duvall chooses paint to mark his hand with. Duvall ended up using a mixture of orange, purple and green paint to represent multiple dicrimation forms.

UCA Softball proves unlucky in four game Shamrock Classic

by Gabe White Sports Editor

The UCA softball team (13-5) began the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic strong on Friday with a win against the University of South Dakota (8-9) and the University of Nebraska Omaha (10-5).

The Bears fell flat Saturday against the University of Iowa (11-8) and in a rematch against South Dakota.

After ending the Michelle Short Memorial Classic with a total of 27 runs, the Bears only pulled together four runs in the Shamrock Classic.

Although UCA still won half the game in the classic, the sudden drop in total runs was noticeable.

The Bears began the classic with a 2-0 win over the University of South Dakota on Friday, March 3.

The first inning was fruitless for both teams, as the bad luck continued on for South Dakota into the top of the second.

UCA broke the stalemate at the bottom of the second when redshirt junior infielder Morgan Nelson ran to first base after cracking the ball down center field.

Redshirt senior infielder/ pitcher Jaylee Engelkes landed a home run, scoring the Bears two runs from Engelkes and Nelson.

The Coyotes’ fifth-year outfielder, Courtney Wilson, bunted the ball to secure a spot on first base but wasn’t able to make it any further after freshman infielder Delaney White fouled out to second base.

UCA was unsuccessful at the bottom of the third without any hits or runs.

South Dakota left the top of the fourth with a single hit, with UCA nearly scoring a third run with freshman outfielder Regan Riemersma until freshman infielder McKayla Betts grounded out to third base.

Neither team proved successful in the fifth.

Although the Coyotes looked to be taking home a last-minute win when all bases were loaded at the top of the seventh, Wilson popped the ball to shortstop, giving the Bears the win with a score of 2-0.

UCA’s game against Omaha later that day proved to be rather slow, with an exciting final inning from the Bears.

Both teams found themselves empty-handed at the bottom of the first, the game finally gaining momentum when the Mavericks’ graduate outfielder Rachel Weber singled down the right field line. Weber only made it to second base when the Mavericks took three strikes.

The Bears responded with redshirt junior infielder Mary Kate Brown landing on first base after driving the ball down left field. Brown was able to make it all the way to third base before Betts struck out.

After Omaha landed one hit at the top of the third, the game became stagnant until the bottom of the fifth when the Bears locked all three bases, Engelkes whipping away UCA’s potential with a strikeout.

UCA took the victory with a score of 1-0 in the final inning when Betts was able to make it through the diamond, hitting home plate at the bottom of the seventh.

The Bears found themselves in a rematch with South Dakota Saturday morning, taking their first loss of the classic in a game

similar to the one before.

UCA showed promise as they lined up players to second and third base fairly often, but poor batting skills kept them from scoring any runs.

The game remained scoreless until the top of the seventh when the Coyotes’ junior catcher Bela Goerke slammed a home run through left center.

The Bears grounded out three times in the bottom of the seventh, giving South Dakota the win with a score of 1-0.

The Iowa Hawkeyes began their Saturday afternoon game against The Bears with a run-to single from senior outfielder Nia Carter.

Carter doubled at the top of the third, when launching the ball to left center.

Junior infielder/righthanded pitcher Denali Loecker struck out, leaving Carter at third.

The Bears finally showed progress at the bottom of the fourth when Nelson made it to third with Brown hitting first base then advancing to second on a throw.

Engelkes dashed UCA’s

chances for more than one run for the second time in the classic, grounding out at second base.

Adding salt to the wound, the Hawkeyes scored the first run of the game at the top of the fifth when Carter slid to home plate, finally making it around the diamond.

With the game seemingly wrapped up, the Bears pulled a last-minute run with Betts, pushing the game past the seventh inning for the first time in the classic.

Although neither team scored in the eighth inning, Iowa came into the ninth swinging, freshman right-handed pitcher Jalen Adams swiftly making her way to home plate.

Even with sophomore catcher Bella Barnes starting on second, the Bears were unable to make any progress, Iowa taking home the win 2-1.

The UCA softball team’s next series of games will be in the Jayhawk Classic on March 10 through March 11 in Lawrence, Kansas.

Basketball player plans political career

by Mary LeSieur Assistant Sports Editor

Jonas Munson is a senior political science major and a UCA basketball player who is excited to pursue a career in politics after he graduates.

Munson grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, and had a goal from childhood to make a difference on and off the court.

Munson played basketball in high school and knew he wanted to continue his skills in college.

“It was amazing. Since I was a kid, my dream was always to play college basketball. Being able to not only realize that initially but see it through, was very rewarding. The things I learned here at UCA, the people I met, it’s very valuable,” Munson said.

Although Munson loved his sport, he had another passion he felt drawn to since high school — politics.

“It was later in high school that I became more politically active, which is what I think happens for most people. It was something that I felt I could be successful in.”

With both parents working in government, he knew from the start that he was going to follow in their steps.

After switching from journalism to political science in his freshman year, he instantly had a love for the degree.

“I switched after a semester to political science, and basically all the stuff that I do doesn’t even feel like work. I enjoy it and it makes sense to me,” he said.

His hard work these last four years has certainly paid off, and he was able to take part in an internship over the summer, working for the Democratic

Upcoming Games

Tennis 11 a.m., March 10 vs. North Alabama Softball

March 10-11, Jayhawk Invitational at Kansas University Baseball

March 10-12 vs. UT Martin

Beach Bears sink in second tournament

by Mary LeSieur Assistant Sports Editor

The Beach Bears (1-7) had their second tournament at Louisiana State University and had one win and three losses for UCA, on March 4 and 5.

“The University of Central Arkansas Bears finally broke through into the win column against Southeast Louisiana on Saturday, but fell short in the final three games in Baton Rouge,” according to UCA Sports.

Central Arkansas started off well in the first set against South East Louisiana, winning 4-1.

Senior Julia Oravec and senior Evelyn Griffith won their first match 21-14, but had a hard time in the second and third sets, losing 21-10 and 15-11.

Sophomore Ryenne Gepford and junior Bria Garmon had a victory in the first set, 21-9 and the second set 24-22.

While Gepford and Garmon were successful, Junior Payton Sproule and graduate student Kayla Cook struggled in their first match and were defeated 21-17.

They made a recovery in their second match, and they were triumphant winning 21-11. The third match was another win for the Bears, 16-14.

Junior Marrisa Gilmore and Freshman Anna Linskey won the match with two sets of 21-17 and 15-7.

With two matches left Junior Charlie Tidwell and Freshman Madelyn White had two winning sets of 21-16 and 21-19.

After this win, the Beach Bears had a hard time staying on top until the last match against Tusculum.

Their next opponent was the University of Alabama at Birmingham, ending with UCA losing 4-1.

Starting the matchup, Orave and Griffith had a difficult first match losing both sets to UAB Dragons.

The Bears continued the rough set, with only Gepford and Garmon winning a set.

The first set for Gepford and Garmon was rough, but they recovered by winning the second and third sets, 21-18 and 1510.

The tournament took a turn for the worse for UCA, with a 5-0 loss.

“UCA’s upset bid fell flat on Sunday morning, as they were shut out by the nationally ranked Gamecocks. South Carolina made quick work of the Bears, as well, with no Bear players even winning a set,” according to UCA sports. “UCA falls to 0-2 all-time against South Carolina, with 5-0 losses in backto-back seasons.”

The last and final game of the tournament was a turnaround for the team, and a better match compared to the prior two games.

The winning matches were by players Oravec, Griffith, Gepford, and Garmon.

Oravec and Griffith defeated Tusculum 21-15 in the first set, then 21-16 in the second match.

Party of Arkansas.

With a position like this, Munson explained this experience was amazing for him and said he is ready to make a change in the world.

“It showed me I was ready to work,” Munson said. “I was always the first intern in the office every day, because there are consequences for that, just like on the basketball court.”

“The way you speak to superiors, and the way that you present yourself, are ways you’re representing more than just yourself.”

Munson’s career goal is to be a campaign manager.

He has taken many of the life lessons learned from his years at UCA, explaining that his coaches and his sport pushed him to be the man he is in all aspects of life.

Looking back, Munson said that he would not change a thing and that he had a blast in his last season at UCA. He’s also excited for what comes after college.

Munson is thankful for his time at UCA, especially his study of political science.

“I think education is the most important thing. I think that is one of the things that has set me on this path that feels correct in life. I got a really good public education, and there, I was around people who were invested in it. I think that if people aren’t given the opportunity, it’s gonna be hard for them to succeed,” said Munson. His final statement was an encouragement for students to get out and be active in their political communities.

“Don’t be afraid to reach out to people who you’d like to get involved with. They can be likeminded, or they can be not likeminded.”

Up next, was Gepford and Garmon, with a winning first match of 21-14 and a winning third match of 15-10.

“The Tusculum University beach volleyball team finished up the Tiger Beach Challenge on Sunday (Mar. 5), winning the opener 3-2 against Central Arkansas,” Tusculum Sports said on it’s website.

Regardless of win or loss, the Bears are one step closer to their next tournament against Austin Peay, Lindenwood and the University of Tennessee at Martin, on March 17 and 18.

Redshirt senior infield/pitcher Jordan Johnson throws a pitch at the top of the fourth against the University of Iowa. Johnson had a pitching value of 10 against the University of South Dakota on Friday afternoon.

photo by Gabe White

(Top) Senior center Jonas Munson leaps to slam a dunk. (Bottom) Munson comes

tallest player for the men’s basketball team at seven feet tall.

The

Staff

the best type of friendships to have. Low-maintenance friends are people who you don’t have to talk to every day but who are there when you need them.

With all the stressors of life, this type of friendship is key, and here’s why.

For starters, there are zero expectations in a lowmaintenance friendship. No expectations, no drama.

You know that you’re still friends with the person and you still love each other despite not talking to each other every single day.

This dynamic allows you to gain mutual respect for each other.

This type of friendship respects each other’s boundaries and you understand that it’s no love lost, just because you haven’t gotten a chance to talk with them lately.

There is nothing more frustrating than a friend who thinks you have some weird secret animosity with them because you didn’t text them that day or repost their latest Instagram picture.

by Sydney ambruS Staff Writer

Leading me to my next point, we are no longer in grade school. In grade school, you have little to no responsibilities, making it easy to text your friends all day and hang out with them every chance you get. In grade school, your biggest responsibility is making sure you grabbed your lunchbox or completed a single worksheet.

As college students, our lives are a bit more complex, and we have super busy schedules.

From taking 15 credit hours, working a job, searching for internships and making sure that a 1200-word essay is turned into Blackboard by 11:59, it’s not realistic for us

University is an exciting change of pace for any person. Fresh out of high school and your own home, many people see it as a new lease on life.

Being able to create a new environment for yourself as well as a lifestyle has never been easier. But even with the newfound freedom, many students can agree that one of the biggest downsides of freshman year is living on campus.

Although it’s a thrilling prospect at first, it only takes a matter of weeks for the true horrors of dorm life to set in.

From leaky bathrooms, moldy air conditioners, cramped living spaces and crappy hall-shared appliances — dorm living can only be described as Dante’s 10th circle of Hell.

Many of these problems arise from the building and the university itself, but that only scratches the surface. Out of all of the complications I have faced in my hall, the biggest hasn’t been the building itself — it’s the people.

Every drawback of my hall has come from others living in the same space.

Although I’m blessed not to have a roommate this semester, it doesn’t stop me from experiencing the dread many others face.

From bodily fluids, overflowing garbage and a mixture of pungent odors always present, there’s no escaping the disgust that lingers around every corner of my hall.

Some of the most revolting situations I’ve experienced in my dorm come from this semester, specifically, the urine cup incident of Jan. 29 and the vomit explosion of Feb. 8.

Imagine entering the bathroom to take a shower, only for the smell of stagnant urine to enter your nose.

You’d assume that someone simply missed the toilet, but no, upon exploration you find a single red solo cup, filled to the brim with a disgusting liquid.

The terrible acts that the cup went through are scary enough, but the smell is worse.

Sure, we’re all open to a joke or two, but when did

to spend as much time with friends as we could when we were younger. That said, low-maintenance friendships allow you to live your own life.

Sometimes with friendships and friend groups, you can become so consumed with each other that you lose your own identity. You may have been a straight-A student, but once you started hanging out with a certain group you became lazier, and your grades dropped. You forget about your needs and who you are as a person because you’re so busy pouring into your friend group instead of yourself.

Low-maintenance friendships let you have a personal life. With low-maintenance friendships, you don’t see each other as often or speak as This also eliminates any disagreements or random falling-outs that friends tend to have when spending too much time together.

This space gives you a newfound appreciation for your friendship and time spent together.

Plus, nothing beats a monthly gossip session with your lowmaintenance bestie. Since you haven’t spoken as much, there is so much to catch up on and lots of tea to spill.

Those types of meetups are elite.

I am not saying to cut off all your friends and not be social. We need friendships to keep us afloat and make life worth living.

But if your friendships are draining you, causing you to lose a sense of self and causing excess drama in your life, consider scaling back. Consider having low-maintenance friendships.

the idea of a communal urine cup become funny? I have my doubts that your mother would find it hilarious to discover this in your own house.

We’re 18 and older, not five years old.

Luckily, I wasn’t present for the early days of the vomit explosion, but eyewitnesses have reported an unbelievably dreadful situation.

Found in the first sink in my floor’s bathroom, vomit sat in the basin and on the ground for several days until it was fully cleaned up. Bless the person who was brave enough to enter the room to open the windows.

Not only was it irresponsible of the perpetrator to say nothing and run, but what made it worse was expecting the cleanup crew to take care of it. They already aren’t paid enough for the messes they have to clean up, why make their jobs any harder?

Besides bodily fluids found on our floor, the hall kitchen isn’t much better. The sink is stacked with pots, bowls, plates and any other dish under the sun.

Because of the unclean stack, very cloudy, disgusting water sits on top of the tableware.

Right next to the sink sits a large industrial trash can, overflowing with old food, boxes and drinks. With so much trash arising from the can, people have begun to lay it out beside it, including expired milk.

You would assume that the worst smells would arise from the sink and trash can, but no, it’s the refrigerator.

Although it’s unclear what began the stench, the fridge is filled with food that has been in there for who knows how long.

Whether it be people too lazy to take care of their leftovers or those who are forgetful, the kitchen refrigerator is one of the worst sins of the hall.

The living situations of the building itself could be far better, but it’s the people who live around you who create the true havoc. Watch out, you’ll never know if your dorm neighbor could be partaking in the bathroom cup.

The Voice Reynolds Hall doesn’t cater to

college kids

Reynolds Performance Hall, a distinguished theater with over a thousand seats, hosts an abundance of plays, comedy acts and live music monthly. Yet, hardly any of these performances speak to college students. Anyone who has been to one of these can attest that the audience does not reflect a college demographic. These shows cater to the elderly and families with children.

In a perfect world, old and young alike would swarm Reynolds and fill every single seat for productions like “The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage.” Unfortunately, this is not reality. Most college students are between 18 and 22 years old. They are unsure who Christian pop singer Amy Grant is and have sadly long forgotten about “Blue’s Clues” icon Steve Burns.

The issue is not the lack of demand for fine art performances.

The issue is not the artists themselves; they are talented individuals who put a colossal amount of effort into perfecting their performances.

The issue is Reynolds booking shows that miss its target audience — UCA’s students.

“Hot Ones” with Caleb McLaughlin and Sean Evans, or Blue Man Group are examples of Reynolds done right. These shows sold out weeks in advance.

Hendrix gets rapper Flo Milli on March 11, and UCA gets Pink Floyd tribute band Floyd Nation on March 10.

It may be shallow, but there is a difference.

While Hendrix students anxiously scramble to purchase tickets for their spring concert, UCA students are scratching their heads, trying to remember what Pink Floyd is.

Indeed, it’s remarkable to see the revival of seventies and eighties stars like in Purple Piano: A Celebration of Prince and R.E.S.P.E.C.T., a tribute to Aretha Franklin, take center stage.

Plenty of old souls and old people attend these shows, but this only appeals to a certain genre of music lovers.

There is not always a flurry of distinguished artists readily available for UCA, but when there is, Reynolds should take the chance and book them.

Once again, this is not a dig at the previous and future booked artists. It may even be disheartening for these performers to stare back at a crowd of mainly senior citizens. College students bring a fresh sense of energy and enthusiasm.

This is also not a dig at the older population for attending these performances. However, there should be a balance — a Reynolds brochure that covers performances for all age groups.

All sorts of personalities, such as Nicolas Cage and Spike Lee, have walked the Reynolds’ stage since its opening in 2000.

Present-day UCA students deserve a Flo Milli moment like Hendrix or another star like Caleb McLaughlin to grace the stage and stir a bit of buzz around campus.

UCA students also get discounted tickets or even free tickets occasionally. There is no reason not to utilize Reynolds’s intense value for the Conway Community; it would just be nice for a change to see more moments made for college students.

New This Week

Movies

March 10— Scream VI (R)

Directed by Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin. Starring Jenna Ortega, Hayden Panettiere, Courteney Cox. Theatrical release.

March 10— Champions (PG-13)

Directed by Bobby Farrelly. Starring Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson. Theatrical Release.

March 10— 65 (PG-13) Directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods. Starring Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman. Theatrical release.

Television

March 8— Farmer Wants a Wife (Fox)

March 9— School Spirits (Paramount+)

March 9— You Season 4 Part 2 (Netflix)

March 10— Outlast (Netflix)

Music

March 10—Miley Cyrus—Endless Summer Vacation [Columbia]

March 10—Sleaford Mods—UK Grim [Rough Trade]

March 10—Conway the Machine & Jae Skeese—Pain Provided Profit [Drumwork]

March 10—Frankie Rose—Love as Projection [Slumberland]

March 10—Death Cab for Cutie—Asphalt Meadows Acoustic [Atlantic]

Video Games

March 9—Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse [Koei Tecmo] PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch

March 9—Clash: Artifacts of Chaos [Nacon] PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Season three of ‘Outer Banks’ dull

by ashlyn little Staff Writer

There’s a common saying — third time’s the charm — but this isn’t the case for “Outer Banks” season three.

The show that captivated our quarantined, teenage selves launched its third season on Feb. 23.

The Netflix original show returned with 10 episodes that continued storylines and took on new ventures, still featuring our favorite hot — both figuratively and literally — and sweaty teenagers running around beach towns from South Carolina to South America.

This season is worth the watch, especially if you have seen the two previous seasons; however, it felt incomplete.

In a show revolving around treasure hunting and running from bad guys, there’s only so much that can be done to keep the story consistent and compelling, which showed in the most recent 10 episodes.

Most of the episodes focused on the main character, John B., finding his father, who was believed to be dead after going on an expedition to find long-lost treasure.

‘Destiny 2’ expansion divisive, raises questions on new lore

Bungie unleashed neoncolored chaos on Neptune with the release of Destiny 2’s latest expansion, “Lightfall,” but changes to the game’s core mechanics and pacing of the story have left fans divided.

“Lightfall” has been described by Bungie as the penultimate story of the lightand-darkness saga that was set in motion with the release of Destiny 2.

The villains teased at the end of the base game campaign — released in 2017 — are finally at Earth’s doorstep and have brought an armada of ships to combat humanity.

In last year’s expansion, “The Witch Queen,” we finally got a glimpse of the Witness, the leader of the mysterious darkness army which seeks to extinguish the light.

The Witness, with the help of the exiled Emperor Calus — former leader of an army of warlike aliens known as Cabal — finally enacts his plans.

The Witness tasks Emperor Calus with sieging the secret, technologically advanced city of Neomuna, on Neptune, to retrieve a powerful artifact known as The Veil.

The Veil is needed to defeat the Traveler — a giant orb that bestows light upon players, granting them immense power.

It’s a lot, I know. But this led to a divided reception of this new expansion.

There are too many questions left unanswered for what is supposed to be “Destiny 2”’s “Avengers: Infinity War.”

What is The Veil? How has Emperor Calus amassed an army when he was in exile?

These questions make something like The Veil a MacGuffin. We are racing to beat Calus to the Veil because Calus is working for the Witness, and the Witness is bad. No more is really explained.

There is one throwaway line, though, that explains the residents of Neomuna have uploaded their consciousnesses to a network linked to the Veil, to take refuge during the Cabal siege.

With a year of seasons and “The Witch Queen” leading up to “Lightfall,” we should have more of an idea of what’s happening in the story.

Pair all that with the new subclass introduced in “Lightfall,” Strand, and we have even more unanswered questions.

The Strand subclass allows players to wield threads of darkness power to combat Calus loyalists on Neomuna.

Many players have come to the consensus that Strand feels shoehorned into the story.

March 14—WWE 2K23 [2K] PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Top 5 Disney princesses most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse

training-montage cutscene that shows our characters mastering the Strand subclass, time that could be spent on more interesting characters like the Witness and Calus.

“Lightfall” also overhauled the armor mod system by removing elemental armor affinity and elemental mods, making the overall combat experience more homogenous between all the different subclasses.

What is good about the change to armor mods is that it allows newer players to get into the game more easily.

His father, Big John, is the star of a large part of the season, leading John B. on a side quest apart from his friend group, the Pogues.

Instead of having a soft spot for a reunited father-son relationship, this storyline deterred me from parts of the show that I enjoy watching the most.

The season begins with the six teens shipwrecked on a deserted island in the finale of the previous season. While it seemed like the Pogues were loving their island life, we only got a glimpse before the group drew the attention of a passing plane and were rescued.

A show like Outer Banks can’t go for long periods without high action; however, I would’ve liked to see more of their life on the island, which they named Pouguelandia.

One aspect of the show that draws in viewers like myself is the ships.

I’m not talking about the abundance of boats that are

stolen and used to escape from local villains and international antagonists; I’m talking about the relationships between characters that have built up.

This season we finally see a relationship between JJ and Kiara, two of the Pogues who have had chemistry for seasons.

Some of the best parts of this season involved the trials and tribulations of JJ and Kiara’s budding relationship.

“Outer Banks” also gave us a well-deserved love interest for Pope, the smart and loyal character of the group. He sparked a romance with Cleo, the group’s newest member, finding companionship in one her and feeling less outcast.

This season Sarah Cameron, John B’s love interest, and her ex-boyfriend Topper reignited an old flame. While the show wasn’t giving us the John B. scenes that we know and love, we got dramatics from Sarah’s confused emotions.

Although I hate to see a core couple break up, it needed that twist to spice up the dull season.

The final episode picked up some of the slack from the other nine episodes, giving us the old-fashioned treasure-hunting scenes, and the reuniting of friendships and relationships that make “Outer Banks” great.

It ended with a happy ending, including the longoverdue death of a character who has caused problems for the Pogues throughout the show. We also saw a successful search for gold, and an allusion to a fourth season about the search for pirate treasure.

Although Outer Banks season three didn’t strike gold or live up to its motto, “paradise on Earth,” it’s a great binge-watch to get in the mood for warm weather and summer adventures.

Outer Banks was recently renewed for a fourth season. Production hasn’t begun and there is no release date, but based on the time between the past three seasons it seems likely the wait may be two years at most.

All three seasons of “Outer Banks” are streaming on Netflix.

New “Destiny” players no longer have to be at a disadvantage because they missed out on obtaining an armor mod that is essential to a certain build — now we’re all on the same playing field with the same armor mods.

Another great change that “Lightfall” introduced is changing the seasonal artifact mods to passive buffs, instead of requiring artifact mods to be inserted into armor pieces to gain their benefits.

New Destiny 2 players have been motivated to try the game by the introduction of guardian ranks, which give players goals to increase their ranks and gain access to several loadout slots they can switch to.

This is a great change because before “Lightfall,” new players were just thrown into the wide world of Destiny 2 with a single tutorial quest and not much direction on how to progress afterward.

My hope for Destiny 2 following “Lightfall” is that we have questions answered in seasonal storylines leading up to the next expansion “The Final Shape.”

I hope Bungie will listen to player feedback and provide new and interesting armor mods for us to make new builds with.

III’ a strong directorial debut

by

I wish he would’ve been in at least the last fight before Creed goes into retirement at the beginning of the movie.

“Creed III” shows Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan, at his most vulnerable state when his past catches up with him.

“Creed III” picks up seven years after “Creed II.”

While it isn’t necessary to watch the previous “Creed” movies to understand the content and the story, you should watch them beforehand. Otherwise, Creed’s retirement won’t make sense.

Unlike previous movies, Sylvester Stallone’s character Rocky Balboa doesn’t appear in this movie.

Bungie wastes too much time on mastering this new power when they could have been explaining what’s going on with the Witness.

There is even a Rocky-esque

5. Cinderella Cinderella has all the qualities necessary to survive an apocalypse. Cinderella can cook, clean, sew and communicate with animals. Skills like these are necessities in an apocalypse, which would make her a valuable addition to any group. You get a scratch that could make you an easy target for the undead? She can clean the wound. The camp gets hungry or runs out of ingredients? She can call on her mice and bird friends, who will leave the camp and bring back food. Not to mention her fairy godmother. With one wish she can bibbidi-bobbidi-boo shelter or wish a zombie into a vegetable.

“Lightfall” is available to purchase for “Destiny 2” players on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

4. Rapunzel Rapunzel is used to being by herself, so the quarantine of a survivor camp would be no challenge for her. Locked away in a tower for years, she learned how to cook, clean and sew, on top of a multitude of other hobbies that would be beneficial in an apocalypse. She’s also wary of strangers, a good quality in a world where danger lurks around every corner. If she ever came face-to-face with a zombie, Rapunzel isn’t afraid to use her frying pan. A couple of whacks to the zombie’s face would give her time to get back to safety — if she doesn’t get tangled up in her hair first.

It was disappointing to not see Rocky, as he was Creed’s mentor in both of the other movies and was a critical part of Creed’s professional career in boxing.

3. Merida Merida is skilled in archery, an advantage in the apocalypse as she has a way to defend herself from undead enemies. Even without shelter, Merida is equipped for success as long as she has her bow and arrow. She can use it to ward off predators, defeat zombies and hunt. Merida is independent, stubborn and courageous. Merida is also brave enough to stand up to cursed bears, including one that was a bloodthirsty prince who planned to kill her. Her knees wouldn’t buckle under the pressure of the apocalypse. She’s a headstrong princess who knows no fear, and not even the end of the world or an outbreak of zombies can stop her.

Creed’s past catches up to him when Damian Anderson — his childhood friend played by Jonathan Majors — gets out of jail and asks Creed to coach him. If you like a darker theme, then you’ll really like “Creed III.” The first two were set up like the “Rocky” movies, but not this one.

This could have to do with the fact that Sylvester Stallone had nothing to do with the script; he helped write the script for “Creed II.”

Stallone’s “Rocky” movies were the inspiration for “Creed.”

For any underdog story, there needs to be a little darkness in it, otherwise it doesn’t make as much sense.

My favorite scene was the

2. Mulan If Mulan can single-handedly take down the Huns, she can easily fight a few zombies. Mulan trained for war and became a top soldier in the Chinese army, with some of her skills including martial arts, swordsmanship and archery. She has the combat skills and intelligence to make her a champion in the fight against the undead. She’s tough, brave and selfless. Mulan would use her skills for protecting and honoring all the survivors she could. If there was one person who could prevent everyone from getting infected and zombies taking over the earth, my bet would be on Mulan. She is a war hero, after all.

final fight scene. The way it’s shot makes it seem like Creed and his opponent are the only two in the arena; no fans, no coaches, no mentors — just them.

One more feature of this movie I loved was the inclusivity. Creed’s daughter Amara has the same hearing condition as her mom, Bianca. Any scene that features a conversation with her is in sign language.

The hype music was on point, with songs like “Last Time That I Checc’d” by Nipsey Hussle and “Anthem” by Dreamville and Big Sean playing when each fighter went into the arena.

In the last fight, Creed’s hype song was more lowkey, whereas his opponent’s was very in-your-face, almost arrogant seeming, like the fighter himself.

“Creed III” is currently in theaters.

1. Ariel Ariel may seem weak, but she has advantages none of the others have. Ariel is a mermaid and lives underwater. As far as I’m aware, there are no zombies in the ocean. I don’t think they can swim, either. Ariel would never have to experience a zombie apocalypse and her survival would not be questioned if there were one, as it seems like apocalypses are a ‘land only’ thing. Even if zombies make it underwater, Ariel has an entire sea of backup. This includes her father, his magical pitchfork and a variety of sharks, killer whales and other fierce sea creatures that could defeat any enemy — or anemone.

Michael B. Jordan directed and starred as the title character in “Creed III.” Released on March 3, “Creed III” is Jordan’s directorial debut and the third installment in the series.

by blake Weaver Staff Writer

‘Creed

ellie albany Staff Writer

There are too many questions left unanswered for what is supposed to be “Destiny 2”’s “Avengers: Infinity War”

Promotional poster for ‘Outer Banks’ season three. All 10 episodes of the third season dropped on Netflix on Feb. 23.

photo courtesy of bungie.com A promotional image for “Lightfall.” The expansion for Destiny 2 was released on Feb. 28.

Conway Art Walk brightens cloudy skies

Celebration of art returns for 2023 season with updates

by brenna Metts Staff Writer

The Conway Art Walk commenced its 2023 season March 3 with a diverse lineup of artists, along with the premiere of several updates to the event structure.

Starting this year, instead of the Studio Downtown beverage bar carrying wine, it will now carry non alcoholic craft soda and kombucha provided by The Rogue Roundabout, a craft restaurant coming to 804 Chestnut St.

At Friday’s event, Rogue Roundabout brewmaster, Chris Smith, served free samples of several homemade brews including the Loblolly Pine Hopped Tea, Lemon Coriander Lacto Soda, Lacto Berry Lemonade, Black Lychee Jun and their Grape Nut Soda.

Smith said that Rogue Roundabout started collaborating with the Conway Art Walk because they saw it as a way to expose Conway residents to their nonalcoholic options and show them the capabilities of a craft restaurant.

Smith said the partnership has been beneficial to them as a business and that it has also allowed them to educate customers on their process for making their drinks.

With the three core pillars of the Rogue Roundabout being “craft, community, and culture,” Smith said the company aims to offer people “craft experiences” while also exposing locals to the brewing methods of other cultures.

The Rogue Roundabout has collaborated with several local artists for their graphic designs and murals and Smith said that he looks forward to

getting artists as future customers

This new Conway Art Walk season also premiered the new “Maker’s Market.”

“Hand-made makers” can now join in the assembly of exhibiting artists.

Haley McKnight, owner of Meep Morps Art, is now able to participate in the walk.

McKnight sells jewelry, keychains, Ouija planchettes, coffin trinket boxes and more all made out of resin.

McKnight said, “I’ve always wanted to do Conway’s markets, but I never found one I could break into successfully or one that felt inclusive enough for my weird niche art.”

McKnight said her experience working with those at the Conway Art Walk was fantastic because of how communicative, nice and inclusive they had been with her.

“The artist space is so great, because anytime you’re around other artists, you’re around so much inclusivity and diversity, and so you can be as weird as you want,” McKnight said.

McKnight said that she thinks the art walk is beneficial to the community because “It brings people together and it gets people outside that might not normally be stopping into a lot of these places.” McKnight also added that she hopes that the Art Walk may open itself up to partnerships with the local food trucks.

For the 2023 season, the Conway Artwalk is planning to make more opportunities for demo artists this season.

This month’s demonstrating artist was Faye Hedera, a portrait artist currently working on a

project titled “100 faces of Conway” for which she has been painting portraits of Conway locals who are making a difference in the community.

The Conway Art Walk used Friday to debut their new “Make and Take” option. In addition to the craftspeople now able to join as artists, they have now begun to allow artists to host collaborative crafting activities to allow locals to make their own art with the artist and then take it home after paying a fee to the artist.

Two craft hosts participated in Friday’s walk: Lakey Goff, a collage artist and painter inspired by God, natural pigments and organic materials, and Paula Rogers, who makes hand-torn leather journals.

Goff said it was her first time getting to participate in the Art Walk and that she learned about it by journeying downtown during one of her “prayer walks” where she goes to gather robin’s eggs, mud, snakeskin, flower, feathers and candy wrappers to use for her art collages.

Goff said that she went to school at Hendrix in the ‘90s but that she recently moved back to Conway and was happy to find so much more was happening in town now.

Goff said that she thinks the Conway Art Walks benefit the community because they bring life, creativity, vitality, joy and offer “new ways of seeing.”

Mattie Neighbors, a biology student at UCA, was another artist who was able to participate in March’s Art Walk. Neighbors runs an online store called “Darling Drawings Shop” via Etsy, Instagram and various other platforms.

501 Kickz aims to ‘wake up’ Little Rock sneakerheads

by sydney aMbrus Staff Writer

501 Kickz’s “Sneaker Madness” show was every sneakerhead’s dream. Vendors from all over the state came together to buy, sell and trade high-demand sneakers. The show was held in Little Rock, at the Jack Stephens Center on March 4.

Name-brand sneakers from Nike, Air Jordan, New Balance and Adidas have become highly sought-after to the point where they are selling out in seconds and are no longer accessible to the regular consumer. This increasing demand has led consumers to invest in the sneaker resale community.

Sneaker resellers are able to acquire these high-demand items and upsell them to those willing to pay more than the retail price.

501 Kickz is a local sneaker resale business in Little Rock, owned and operated by Adrian Wyatt and Javii Goins, that specializes in getting you your favorite hype sneakers. Wyatt said they started 501 Kickz to create a sneaker community in Arkansas.

“It’s so big elsewhere, and our state is behind on it so we’re trying to speed the process up,” Wyatt said.

Goins said, “We want to wake it up.”

501 Kickz initially started as a Facebook group, where users came together to sell their shoes.

The online group now has 1,300 members and has expanded to in-person sneaker shows.

501 Kickz hosts a few shows throughout the year in Little

Rock, where the local community comes together to network and sell their items.

“Sneaker Madness’’ contained over 30 vendors and was not limited to just sneakers. Local clothing brands such as Young Fresh Clothing and Rlamar Clothing were in attendance, selling graphic t-shirts and sweatshirts in different colors to coordinate with popular shoes at the event. There also were vendors selling custom tufted rugs inspired by the different sneaker brands and hip-hop artists.

The event even had artists selling sneaker-inspired wall art and paintings.

The most popular shoes at the event were Nike Dunk Lows and Air Jordans. Nike Dunk Lows retail for $110, while Air Jordans retail for $200. Some pairs were selling for as high as $450.

Daylen Mack, owner of Mack Soles said that his most sold sneakers were the Air Jordan models.

Mack decided to come out to the event not just to make sales, but to connect and meet new people.

“The sneaker culture to me is just an extra reason to come together as people and enjoy something we all have in common,” Mack said.

Outside the Jack Stephens Center, food trucks lined up so attendees were able to eat and shop. The food trucks were Ceci’s Chicken and Waffles, Fry Fry Crazy and Smoke Beast BBQ. For more information about 501 Kickz and future events, find them on Facebook and Instagram @501_kickz.

While not from Conway originally, Neighbors said that she could tell Conway put an emphasis into the arts when she drove through downtown for the first time and saw all of the murals. Neighbors was an influencer last season but this was her first time getting to display her own art. She said she has felt very welcomed and she has enjoyed getting to talk to different people at the art walk.

“I think that local art is so important and it’s something to be treasured because you can go to a big store and buy art but you can also contribute the same amount of money if not less by supporting local art, so I think it’s really important to kind of showcase that,” Neighbors said.

Neighbors is excited to see the implementation of the “Make and Take” option this season and is also looking forward to exposing children to art and encouraging creativity.

This season the Conway Art Walk also added the STEAM zone for kids. Available to grades K-12, kids are invited to participate in hands-on crafts and even join in on the musical entertainment. March 3, kids were able to drum in the collaborative drum circle, add to the chalk art on the sidewalk, and make their own dyed cotton ball art.

For those needing a break from the action, the VIP lounge at the Cross Creek Sandwich Show offered a destination to stop for a bite to eat and some live musical performances.

This season is set to run from March to October and recurs every first Friday of the month from 5:00-8:00 p.m. The next Art Walk will be held April 7.

SNEAKER MADNESS

photos by Madison Ogle

(Left) Lakey Goff hands supplies to waiting participants at Conway Art Walk in Downtown Conway. (Top Right) The streets of Downtown Conway were full of chalk drawings from young artists who attended the Art Walk. (Right Middle) Chris Smith, Rogue Roundabout brewmaster, addresses a crowd of interested attendees. (Right Bottom) Children create colorful crafts beneath a deep blue sky at the Conway Art Walk.

(Top) 501 Kickz allowed sneakerheads to buy, trade or sell

soughtafter sneakers. (Bottom) The most popular shoes at the event were Nike

Lows and Air Jordans.