Issue 21, Volume 116 by The Echo at UCA

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE

WEDNESDAY

MARCH 31, 2021 Volume 116 — Issue 21

ucanews.live

Looking Back:

Moving Forward:

In this week’s issue: Greek life: Recruitment, philanthropy and events all changed

Student Media Newspaper, yearbook and daily news were still produced despite challenges

How campus was impacted

Athletics Schedules changed, games cancelled and eligibility

2020: a year in pictures

These photos describe the year of 2020, in all of its’ unusual aspects, including a pandemic, an election, protests for several causes and the reopening of campus after being closed for many months.

Special edition

3/March 31, 2021

ucanews.live

Student Media persists after struggles due to closed campus by Sarah Coleman Editor

A year later and COVID-19 has thoroughly impacted many aspects of the college experience at the University of Central Arkansas. From student life to academics to athletics, life changed drastically for students. Student media sadly was not exempt to the reality of change during this time. At UCA, there are three published student publications as well as News 6 and Purple and Gray - the sports network at UCA. This gives students many opportunities to get involved and cover events happening on campus. Each of the publications along with broadcast opportunities

persisted over the course of the pandemic, but with some major changes along the way. Morgan Jenkins, a producer for News6, explained her time as less than ideal last spring. “The biggest challenge I think was staying motivated. There was so much going on in the world, and that made it hard for myself and the whole staff,” Jenkins said. News6, in a normal year, has a live broadcast daily at 4:00 p.m. on their Facebook page. However, during a time where campus was closed indefinitely, the broadcasts were less than normal - mostly just discussing what new changes had come due to the pandemic. Connor Holmes, a senior and producer/ anchor for News6 this

semester, has been part of News6 since before the pandemic. According to Holmes, there have been several difficulties and challenges during the past year. “Honestly, News6 has done very well with handling covid. With masks, wiping everything down and keeping plastic in between people,” Holmes said, “However, I think the hardest part has definitely been not having two anchors. There would usually be two lead anchors and you could split stories between them, now it just relies on one anchor who has to talk the whole time and that can be tiresome and boring for the viewer.” Purple and Gray, the sports network at UCA, had a particularly different

time of uncertainty, as the network covers UCA sports. Games were canceled in abundance following the removal of students from campus, seasons were cut short and more changes were made to the athletic department in the following semester. C o l e m a n Watkins, a journalism student and team member of Purple and Gray, describes the changes to the network as being smooth. “Ironically, everyone on the crew has rolled with the punches pretty well, we’ve had to change camera positions because of COVID-19 distancing guidelines and even started broadcasting soccer - which we traditionally haven’t produced,” Watkins said. Watkins also explained another big

hurdle the crew had to overcome- scheduling. “With games getting canceled last second and having to keep our own staff safe it’s been chaotic, I think everyone has been really understanding,” Watkins said. UCA is known for having a yearly yearbook produced called The Scroll. This book traditionally highlights the big events as well as the clubs and students that make up UCA. Emily Zimmer, the co-editor for The Scroll explained the difficulties that have come with making the yearbook this year. “It has been so hard making the yearbook this year just because our staff is smaller than usual

and the events have been dwindling, also it’s just been difficult because almost all the events are over zoom,” Zimmer said. Despite these difficulties, and the excess books from the previous year still in abundance, the yearbook will be handed out during this semester - encompassing all the events of the past year. The Echo, the student-run newspaper at UCA, went completely online for the first time ever following announcements ,from Houston Davis, that the campus was closing. This meant that instead of the regularly weekly printed paper, all stories were simply posted at ucanews. live.

Fraternity, sorority life changes Campus feels less alive this year during tumultous pandemic life according to teachers, students by Emilee Hagewood Staff Writer

Many changes have taken place in the fraternities and sororities on campus due to COVID-19 restrictions, but nothing can keep these Greeks away from their brothers and sisters. The corona virus created many challenges for the fraternities and sororities to be able to come together. Some events were postponed or even canceled due to UCA’s guidelines for group events. The events that were given the go ahead had maximum occupancy rules and not all members were able to attend at times. President of Alpha Sigma Alpha, junior Hannah Hall said, “Planning for events during covid has been extremely difficult and there was definitely a learning curve to it. Being on exec when covid first struck was full of uncertainty.” Chapter meetings were held over zoom and the number of events each month were much less than usual. It was difficult to get approval for events as there were many concerns regarding the spreading of the virus. “It took more planning and a lot of approvals, but we were able to get the first event in Greek Life of the pandemic. Being sure that our members are following all UCA and CDC

guidelines has been our main priority” Hall said. Recruitment was one area that was heavily affected by Covid. Recruitment Officer for Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike), sophomore Koby Rich said “Covid definitely created many challenges throughout the recruitment process. The foundation of all recruitment basically lies at a social facet, so we kind of just had to make the best out of the circumstances that we were in.” The financial situation of many students was altered when businesses shut down. A lot of jobs were lost, some students and families could no longer afford to go through recruitment and pay dues. “Due to the pandemic, lots of kids were very hesitant to rush mostly because of the lack of the social aspect that Greek Life brings, but also many financial situations were affected within the last year as well, so that created another area of uncertainty that we had to take into account” Rich said. The executive boards of the fraternities and sororities had to come up with creative ways to get the attention of potential new members. Social media played an important role in the success of recruitment for many of the organizations. It allowed the members to share their upcoming events and philanthropy opportunities with a large audience.

“With mostly everything being virtual, I kind of just had to utilize my personal network to find these guys that were interested. This is where the power of social media comes into play. Luckily, UCA lets us have a few in-person events giving me and my recruitment committee a better idea of who we were looking at” Rich said. Philanthropy has been another area affected by the pandemic. Special Olympics is one of the many philanthropic events held at UCA that was postponed. “We have not been able to participate in special Olympics since covid, but this past semester we got to participate in Girls on the Run! We anticipate getting to do Polar Plunge for special Olympics on April 6th. Our girls are always willing to dedicate their time to things that matter most” Hall said. Although things have been different over the past year, these two organizations have tried their best to maintain a level of normalcy by staying in touch with their members and having as many events as Covid would allow. “Covid restrictions definitely did not help the entire process, but so far I think it has worked well and hopefully we can continue this trend and make the Epsilon Phi chapter the best it can possibly be,” Rich said, “and make not only UCA but Conway as a community just an overall better place to be.”

by Sarah Coleman Editor

A little over a year ago, campus was busy, filled with the constant rumblings of students preparing for Spring Break, studying for mid-term exams and going to class. The weird reality that awaited us was confusing, and now hard to believe. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, there were so many activities that happened on campus. Not only were the sidewalks almost constantly filled with students rushing from one side of campus to the other, but the library was full of students cramming for exams, the fraternities were always advertising their latest themed party, stadiums were full with students and parents watching the next big game and the line for Chick-Fil-A at the student center was wrapped around into the lobby. Campus was an entirely different space than what it looks like now. On Tuesday, March 24 2020, students, faculty and staff received an update that solidified the change of campus completely. “In preparation for [a big outbreak in Arkansas] that possibility, over the next three weeks, UCA has shifted academic instruction to online for the remainder

of the semester, encouraging employees to telecommute…. Today we are closing the residence halls until the end of the semester,” UCA president Houston Davis wrote. This was the moment COVID-19 felt real for many students. At first, students like Kylee Beetch were confident the pandemic would pass soon. Beetch explained her newfound relief that UCA would continue with spring break this year, due to the fact that many colleges in Arkansas eliminated spring break due to COVID related concerns. “I’m excited spring break is happening because i think we all really need and deserve a break this semester,” Beetch said. Campus today looks a lot different than it did at this time last year. There are no longer packed stadiums, and class inside of a classroom is rare. People don’t crowd around the Starbucks in between classes and masks are worn at all times. UCA offered online only classes before the pandemic was ever known, however, with the change to campus - on campus learning became foreign, and fast. Many departments had to completely rethink the way they taught classes, this includes Riva Brown, a professor of public

relations and communications. “I was on campus a lot more often in the fall of 2020,” Brown said, despite most classes being conducted online. “I chose to do more work at home this semester, because there was a lack of liveliness on campus in the fall, the building where I teach feels pretty normal but honestly, the HPER, where I workout three times a week, definitely feels more lively,” Brown said. Bri Vongvilay, a senior and social media marketer for the university, explained that while campus feels different, she is actively working to make the most of it. “ Campus feels good but definitely different,” Vongvilay said, “everyone seems to be following the guidelines, but it’s very weird to make new friends and only see the top half of their faces until you see them in photos.” What Vongvilay has experienced during this time is similar to what other students have been experiencing. Sophomore Jada Washington, agrees that campus definitely feels different than it did in previous years at UCA. “Campus is pretty small in general, but with stuff being online, it feels smaller, and more cozy,” Washington said.

Vaccine roll outs leave campus hopeful, Athletics impacted by COVID-19 guidelines despite expected rise following break , regulations allow for extended eligibility by Jacob Smith, Staff Writer

by Delaney Van Wilpe Entertainment Editor

With the rise of COVID-19, there were many setbacks brought about to UCA’s community. For UCA athletics, specifically, obstacles were plenty. However, athletes, coaches and management were able to confront challenges, adapt and grow stronger from them. Senior Alex Wetteland was able to experience these challenges of COVID-19 firsthand. The women’s soccer, along with other athletics on campus, vigorously worked to adhere to CDC guidelines to ensure the safety of the players and coaches. These efforts include mask-wearing, social distancing, weekly testing and quarantining if ever exposed to the virus. “We face obstacles of losing players to quarantine or one of our own catching COVID, but we do not let it slow us down at all,” Wetteland said. “We’re all a team and we play for one another everyday, and when one of our girls is out because of it,

sure it makes things hard, but it also makes us grow stronger as a team because we have to work for that [missing] person.” For Wetteland, it has been difficult for her to see her teammates miss out on playing time when they are in quarantine. “That sucks to know what they’re going through and just have to watch them go through it without being able to help them,” Wetteland. However, these challenges have translated well to the field and the team’s performance. “Because of what we are able to overcome, I think on the field it has strengthened our performance in games because we know that everything we do we have had to work for and put in extra effort, and I think, personally, that strengthens our play,” Wetteland said. Despite a multitude of challenges, there weren’t too many cancellations for the fall soccer season. “We were really blessed with the fact that even though COVID shut down a lot of seasons in the fall, it did not shut down ours and we actually

got to play a lot of games in the fall. So, because of that, and the fact that we get to play a full conference spring schedule, I think that we have gotten plenty of playing time to make this season worth playing,” Wetteland said. Coach Autumn Erickson of the Beach Bears shares a similar sentiment of a growing bond through the pandemic. “I think we have grown closer over the past year, so I’m eager to see our chemistry shine,” Erickson said. The season for women’s beach volleyball has just started, but COVID-19 has allowed for a successful off-season for the Beach Bears. “We were fortunate to train full-time during our off season in the fall. The players have worked hard to stay in shape over the break,” Erickson said “We remain optimistic about the spring. It will be challenging to navigate travel and competition due to thet COVID-19 pandemic,

See Sports - page 2

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has moved into the next phase of the vaccine rollout, which allows more students to get vaccinated depending on less strict circumstances. The vaccine was developed to combat SARS-CoV2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, but recently there have been mutations of the virus that have created new strains in various parts of the world that are concerning. According to Dr. Benjamin Rowley, a virology and immunology professor at UCA, the variants that are of the most concern are the B1.351 from South Africa, B1.1.7 in the United Kingdom, and P1 from Brazil and possibly Japan. The mutations are all new enough that scientists are still studying them, trying to determine what exactly they do and if they are more deadly than the original SARS-CoV2. However, there is a rising number of COVID-19 cases around the globe that house these particular strains and they appear to be more contagious. According to Dr. Rowley, “It’s very much unclear yet if they are any more dangerous/deadly than the initial SARS-CoV2

virus that kicked this whole thing off.” Many of the world’s top scientists are researching these variants to determine their threat, but it is simply too early to tell. People’s immune systems will likely build up toward COVID-19 and vaccines will continue to develop and it will end up becoming a yearly shot like the flu and be treated as an influenza. Technology has also become so advanced as Dr. Rowley points out, the technology used to make the COVID shots is a “big improvement over the older, traditional influenza shots. It produces stronger and better responses” However, for Spring Break in 2021, Dr. Rowley and the rest of UCA urges people, especially those who have only received the first vaccine dose and not the second, to continue to social distance, follow CDC guidelines, and only gather in small groups with other vaccinated students/citizens, in case the vaccine does not protect against the new variants.

See Vaccination - page 3

Sports: 4 Continued

rules and regulations differ.

from page 1

we are focusing on what we can control one day at a time,” Erickson said. Just with other athletics on campus, there will be a lot less interaction with spectators, fans and families that attend the matches. Additionally, less playing time for the Bears could be possible. “I hope we get to play our full schedule, but cancellations are inevitable,” Erikson said. Thus far, the Beach Bears have been able to play all scheduled games. With less fans and less games, ticket sales are much different than years in the past. “Obviously with COVID-19 our numbers dropped, and I think you

Vaccination: 4 Continued

might see a slight decrease in numbers with fans not quite ready to be out in the public, but with the percentage we were given by the state, I would say that we were pretty close to normal for all home events that we held this year at UCA,” athletic ticket manager Hunter Roberts said. Although there were less tickets being sold, the athletic offices were able to work with what the resources available to them. “The leadership of our athletic offices kept us in a situation where we could still be aggressive with the capacity given to us,” Robers said. Proactivity was essential

to assure that the few fans that did attend were taken care of. “We had to make sure that we had everything set-up and ready to go sooner than normal and we needed to make sure that we set a good example for the fans around us,” Roberts said. Making sure that capacity was not exceeded was challenging at first, “but with the abilities with our ticket software it wasn’t difficult at all to sell to the general public. If anything, it helped me better myself in the position I am in to make sure that we are keeping track of our fans and building a personal

from page 1

case the vaccine does not protect against the new variants. The large parties that often transpire over Spring Break remain a high risk and should be avoided. “We need to stay vigilant on this,” Rowley said. The picture for a surge after Spring Break is unclear due to the high number of vaccines being rolled out as

Masks create some difficulty breathing for asthmatics, causing panic, anxiety

by Lindzie Lundsford, Staff Writer

For those of us with asthma, the face mask serves two purposes: to prevent the spread of COVID and as a new form of torture – courtesy of the pandemic and the CDC. The face mask – or as I like to call it: the muzzle – makes it more difficult for a person to breathe due to the fact that air must be filtered through one or more layers of cloth. For an asthmatic, who already has difficulty breathing without the added layers of cloth, this can be overwhelming – if not torture. However, wearing a mask is important, if not life-saving, for people with asthma. The CDC states that “People with moderate to severe asthma may be at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.” This sickness can result in not only “an asthma attack... [but also] pneumonia and acute respiratory disease,” the CDC states on its website. That does not mean, however, that masks do not cause their own problems for those with asthma. The restricted airflow from cloth masks not only makes it more difficult to breathe but can also lead to asthma attacks. During an asthma attack, a

person breathes in very rapidly to take in as much oxygen as possible. However, instead of pure air, a person is met with a limited supply of air and a mouth-full of unpleasant tasting cloth. This cloth, in turn, gets wet – which is not only uncomfortable but also makes breathing even more difficult due to a now damp cloth barrier. When – by the grace of God or an inhaler – a person finally catches their breath, they are left exhausted and traumatized. Allergy season can also make breathing even more difficult for someone with asthma. Not only does wearing a mask make it more difficult to take in oxygen, but a person’s difficulty breathing is made worse with allergies. Allergies produce drainage that restricts the normal airflow from the mouth and nose without the added air restrictions from the mask. This drainage from allergies also dampens a mask and makes it more difficult for air to pass through. In turn, allergies can increase the likelihood of an asthma attack while wearing a mask. With an asthma attack, a panic attack can follow that can feel just as real and just as scary – if not scarier – than the initial

asthma attack. As a person who normally has panic attacks after asthma attacks, I can attest to this trauma, exhaustion, and fear. I face it almost every day at school when I walk to my classes – or heaven forbid I am running late and have to run to make it on time for class. Most days I end up anywhere from slightly panting to frantically gasping for air in front of the classroom door. I have also had to use my inhaler more often to regulate my asthma when I could normally control it relatively well without it. Nonetheless, I still wear the insufferable cloth mask to not only help protect myself as a person, who is more at risk with asthma but to protect others around me. Dr. Pastor assures UCA continues to be cautious and is moving slowly toward “normalcy” before the pandemic as the number of cases declines and more students and faculty become vaccinated. “This will afford us plenty of time to observe the effectiveness of our current vaccines in light of the SARS CoV-2 variants and to react accordingly,” he said. UCA will again partner with the Arkansas Department of Health to host a free COVID testing event on March 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Center.

well as the uncertainty of the new SARS-CoV2 variants. “Until then, it’s more of the same measures and efforts to work properly against this thing,” Rowley said. Dr. Pastor assures UCA continues to be cautious and is moving slowly toward “normalcy” before the pandemic as the number of cases declines and more students and faculty become vaccinated.

“This will afford us plenty of time to observe the effectiveness of our current vaccines in light of the SARS CoV-2 variants and to react accordingly,” he said. UCA will again partner with the Arkansas Department of Health to host a free COVID testing event on March 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of the Student Center.

Sudden shift to online leaves students, faculty alike struggling through the year by Elvira Toddy, Staff Writer

OPINION

outbreak expected after break.

The massive wave of students who transitioned to online learning has had their lives and college experience drastically altered by the pandemic. Struggling right alongside them are their professors. “It was quite a shock for instructors and students alike to have to “pivot to online learning” so quickly,” David House, Japanese Language Professor said. House said that the biggest challenge for him since the shift to virtual learning has been finding a balance between Zoom and Blackboard in order to meet the needs and expectations of his students. “I definitely don’t get everything right, but I can proudly say that it’s not for want of trying,” House said. Now that most of his work is done online, House finds it difficult to stay away from the computer screen. “We live in an age where everyone can contact anyone anytime,” House said. ”It’s tempting to spend a lot of time researching online, checking emails and messages, or monkeying around on Blackboard.” When House is teaching, he experiences frequent interruptions from his dog who seemingly always wants to go outside just as House begins to start class. House said that while last semester was difficult, this semester he is more concerned about his students. “When work is not turned in or people

are absent it makes me really anxious. The last thing I’d ever want is for some kind of mistake I’ve made in course design, assigning work/grades, etc. to be the source of someone’s stress.” House encourages professors and students to keep open lines of communication. “Open communication between instructor and student should always be the norm, but a persistent encouraging reminder of open communication during uncertain times helps make the classroom, virtual or otherwise, a comfortable place where everyone is more likely to want to learn,” he said. For Amy Baldwin, Director and Senior Lecturer of Writing, Literacy, and Academic Success in Student Transitions, the pandemic also led her to more screen time than she is used to. “The only thing that was a little different is that I spent all my day on my computer rather than interacting with real, live people,” she said. “As a department chair, I felt responsible for helping my faculty and staff as well as my own students,” Baldwin said, explaining that her job helps to keep her from focusing on all the uncertainty out in the world. Baldwin’s children are in college, so it was easy for her to find a quiet space at home to work. “When both of my kids were at the house at the beginning of the pandemic, we had to be careful when entering a room as we never knew if someone was taking a class or having a meeting,” she said. Baldwin encourages

students and professors to take breaks and listen to their bodies. “If you need a break, take a break. If you need to get some tasks done to feel better, get some tasks done,” she said, adding that staying connected with others throughout the pandemic has given her something to look forward to. David Welky, Professor of History, explained that the pandemic changed everything about teaching at UCA. “The halls are empty and the sidewalks bare. I’ve barely seen any of my colleagues. Sometimes it feels like teaching in a ghost town,” he said, adding that the challenges have made him a better teacher. “In practical terms, I’m devoting more time to my classes this year than ever before,” Welky said. “Everything takes a little bit longer and is a little harder to do. But I still have a job to do, and I’m determined to do the very best that I can under the circumstances. It’s a no-brainer - I have to find that extra time for the sake of my students.” Welky deals with stress from the pandemic by finding moments to be quiet within himself. “I try to be grateful for all the wonderful things in my life,” he said, encouraging others to go outside and get away from their screens as much as possible. “Take up a hobby that doesn’t involve a screen. Talk about your problems rather than bury them. Listen to music that makes you happy. Do the things you love. Be patient with yourself and others,” he said.

Professors experience unique challenges A year later, it is hard to see experiences missed due to pandemic, life persists on engaging students during online learning OPINION

by Addison Freeman, Staff Writer

It’s been a year since we were sent into quarantine. A year since we went home and started learning through a computer screen. A year since we said, “I give it two weeks, maybe a month, before everything’s back to normal.” The pandemic has changed several aspects of our lives. It’s made us come to terms with who we were and who we are now, who we allowed into our lives and who we still need. Everyone has had their ups and downs throughout this COVID year, and I think we’ve all experienced part of these ups and downs in our relationships. I found new hobbies throughout quarantine. Life slowed down a lot, and that gave me more room to notice the little things; my friend bringing me a cup of coffee, getting letters in the mail from grandparents telling me they miss me and adding to my collection of house plants, to name a few. The pandemic has made me think more in depth about how I spend my time and who I spend my time with. I’ve been able to rekindle old friendships. I’ve relived some of my funniest memories and some of my most embarrassing one. And I’ve made plenty of new memories, too. When everything is put on hold, who’s going to stop you from going on random, last

minute drives to Oklahoma to look at Christmas lights? Who’s going to tell you that you can’t spend days going through every flea market and antique store you can find? Who’s going to discourage you from sitting on your couch and watching six seasons of a show in a day? No, of course I didn’t do that… While getting to know old friends again, I began to think about how important it is to spend my time with the people I love the most. Quarantine brought a lot of uncertainty. I needed to focus on what I knew would always be there. I try not to take my family and friends for granted. I try to stay healthy, so that I can eventually see them again. I’m totally going to force a group hug with my grandparents when it’s safe for us to be together again, by the way. It’s crazy to think of the days where I could only see my favorite people through my kitchen window as they dropped off groceries for my next two weeks alone. It’s weird to look back at the times I left my front door open so I could talk to someone on the other end on my porch. I also had to come to terms with my relationship with myself in the past year. I think it’s safe to say this has been the hardest part for me. Before I started hanging out with my friends on a regular basis, I tended to isolate myself.

Then I started to let myself have fun and be open to socializing, and I started to feel a weight lifting off of my shoulders. Right as I got comfortable with my new life is when everything started to go downhill. Going into an isolation that I didn’t necessarily choose to be in wasn’t the best for my mental health. It wasn’t the best for anyone’s. I got burnt out with work and school. I got burnt out with my routine. I got burnt out with myself. It was a really tough go in the beginning, but then more people started telling stories about their mental health and burnout during quarantine. It was so validating to know that others felt as terrible as I did. It made it easier to start looking at ways to change my mindset. It’s been a year since we realized we’d be in this mess for a while. A year since we gathered our friends for a night of fun. A year since we started to hold our loved ones a little tighter while we still could. A year since we realized loving ourselves might be difficult, but it’s necessary to keep us sane. It’s been a year of hoping for better days. And it’s taken a year to see that clinging to even the smallest amount of hope can pay off in the end.

by Elvira Toddy, Staff Writer

COVID-19 has shaped the normality of school into something that was not in the foreseeable future for some time. This primarily includes video conferencing and its breakthrough application, “Zoom.” Classes are strictly remote if the professor chooses to do so, while others are strictly in-person. Some classes are a hybrid of both with a Zoom option for those that feel symptoms of the virus or are high-risk. However, that Zoom option has been taken advantage of as there is no way to prove if a student actually has symptoms. The conditions for Zooming need to be adjusted. In year’s past, specifically in middle school, students have often faked a stomach ache to get out of going to school. Parents could not really use a thermometer to check like they could with a fever, so the student would often get to skip the day and not attend classes. Although, there were consequences to this as most middle schools have a certain number of absences before punishment. Students could not “fake sick” whenever they wanted. Now in the pandemic, it is different. Students can

indeed fake having symptoms of COVID, but there is no risk as long as there is a Zoom option, because they are still attending. The conditions of the Zoom option are for those who test positive, feel symptoms, or are high-risk. Professors usually do not require proof for a positive test but some still do. They also require proof of being high-risk because they will likely use the Zoom option for the entirety of the course. Then there are feeling symptoms, which cannot be proven unless a professor comes to your house to take your temperature, which, rest assured, will not happen. Some professors are suspicious but make jokes about the student faking, some do not care at all and do not question why ¾ of the class is appearing on Zoom, while some do care and ask the student to get tested and return or enter quarantine once they get their results. The latter should be enforced more often. Classes where some students appear online while some appear in-person are inefficient in multiple areas. It causes a disruption in the classroom when students want to see their online peers and engage in discussions, so, they have to open up their laptop or tablets and join Zoom, but there are technological issues when students both have their mics

on at the same time that causes a loud ringing, and if the volume is up on everyone’s computers, voices are echoed throughout the room at a high volume. Not all students even have computers, so unless they want to get out of their chair or scoot closer to someone to look and type on their computer, which, should not technically be done because of social distancing, they sit there and have to relay to their teacher what they want to say to the online students. It also likely impacts the professor’s teaching ability because they are having to focus on teaching to the students in the class and the ones online. There is a disconnect. Especially when there are more students in one area than the other as their focus will likely go there. A solution to this problem would be when students say they have symptoms, they are required to get tested and send a doctor’s note of their results. Once they test negative, they are required to return to the next class period or face absences. This will likely prevent students from using the Zoom option as they do not want to go through the effort of getting tested. However, if they are willing to get the painful nose swab multiple times knowing they will test negative just to get out of going to in-person classes, bravo to them.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER FEE

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION

WEDNESDAY

Volume 116 — Issue 21

ucanews.live TODAY’S FORECONWAY

Entertainment:

Sports:

Colorism on campus: A fully student-led discussion

The List: Top 5 places UCA students can get news for free.

Women’s Basketball: Season recap is here. 4 page 5

4 page 3

4 page 7

Spring Break brings increase of COVID-19 concerns

Rainy

57/32

THE NEWSDESK FROM THE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

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

Navalny requests better treatment

Alexei Navalny, an opposition leader in Russia, has accused prison authorities of not providing appropriate treatment for his health problems. Navalny has back pain and leg problems and says that his condition has worsened to the point where he now has trouble walking. Navalny says the prison authorities don’t allow his doctor to visit him and are making hourly checks on him amounting to sleep deprivation. Navalny is President Vladimir Putin’s outspoken opponent and has spent more than five months trying to recover from a poisoning he blames on the Kremlin.

N AT I O N A L Pulitzer Prize dies, heart failure at 84

By Jacob Smith Staff Writer

COVID-19 has killed over half a million Americans and nearly 30 million worldwide. Vaccine rollouts have begun the “return to normal” process and are helping everyone breathe a little easier, but with Spring Break occurring, there is a possibility of a spike in cases once students return to campus. Students and citizens alike Photo courtesy of UCA.edu are urged to be cautious in whatever th ey do, especially [Left to Right] Leah Martin, Randy Pastor, Amber Harrell and Virginia Seamon are seen in front of the Student over the break and to be safe. Health Center. These four are just one piece of the staff that continue to monitor COVID-19 on campus and what Naturally, not everyone is the university should be doing, especially following spring break. willing or able to follow the guidelines. Therefore, UCA is strict circumstances. still studying them, trying to to tell. remaining “very diligent” The vaccine was developed determine what exactly they do People’s immune systems according to Student Health to combat SARS-CoV2, and if they are more deadly than will likely build up toward Center director and doctor which is the virus that causes the original SARS-CoV2. COVID-19 and vaccines will Randy Pastor and are prepared COVID-19, but recently there However, there is a rising continue to develop and it will to “re-implement accelerated have been mutations of the virus number of COVID-19 cases end up becoming a yearly shot mitigation measures on campus that have created new strains in around the globe that house like the flu and be treated as an following spring break if we various parts of the world that these particular strains and they influenza. identify new outbreaks or if our are concerning. appear to be more contagious. Technology has also positivity rate rapidly increases According to Benjamin According to Dr. Rowley, “It’s become so advanced as Rowley on campus,” Pastor said. Rowley, a virology and very much unclear yet if they points out, the technology used Many of UCA’s faculty, immunology professor at UCA, are any more dangerous/deadly to make the COVID shots is staff and students have been the variants that are of the most than the initial SARS-CoV2 a “big improvement over the vaccinated for the virus and concern are the B1.351 from virus that kicked this whole older, traditional influenza Gov. Asa Hutchinson has South Africa, B1.1.7 in the thing off.” shots. It produces stronger and moved into the next phase United Kingdom, and P1 from Many of the world’s top better responses” of the vaccine rollout, which Brazil and possibly Japan. scientists are researching these However, for Spring Break allows more students to get The mutations are all new variants to determine their in 2021, Rowley and the rest of vaccinated depending on less enough that scientists are threat, but it is simply too early UCA urges people, especially

Larry McMurtry, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel “Lonesome Dove” died at age 84. According to a family statement, McMurty died of heart failure and will be buried MARIJUANA ON C AMPUS “in his cherished home state of Texas.” McMurtry was primarily an author, but also worked as a bookseller and screenwriter. He co-wrote the script for the movie “Brokeback Mountain,” which went on to win an Oscar. His books “The Last Picture Show” and “Terms campus apartments. of Endearment” became Oscar- By ViviAnne Flora Staff Writer “And they have antiwinning films. Medical marijuana has discrimination work policies,” NASA talks dangers been a talking point for many Calvert said. This means that people when it comes to pain any student worker cannot be of ‘Apophis’ astroid management and mental health under the influence of medical NASA announced that Earth issues. However, it is one of the marijuana while on the job, and will be safe from the asteroid most expensive prescriptions to that Apophis for the next 100 “Employees in safetyyears. The 1,100-foot rock get. For many students at sensitive positions remain subject was supposed to come close to hitting the earth in UCA, having access to medical to pre-employment, random and 2029 and in 2036, but was marijauna has been a great help to for-cause drug testing.” predicted to be a near-miss their medical needs. The cost of These kinds of prohibitions in both years. A collision in the medicine is high though, and on campus is what deterred 2068 was still in the realm of possibility. Apophis was most insurance agencies won’t Daniels from living on campus. detected in 2004, but is cover the cost. She opted to get an apartment officially off NASA’s “risk UCA junior, Gwendolyn off-campus in order to take her list.” The asteroid will come Daniels, said that if there were medicine. She now pays out of within 20,000 miles of the other options as effective for her pocket for her medicine and her earth in 2029, which will chronic pain, she would take apartment, when she would be allow astronomers to get a those instead. “My healthcare living for free on-campus with her better look. in general is really expensive, scholarship. back injuries are hard to treat These are not small costs. and this kind of treatment, along Medical marijuana requires a S TAT E with everything, else is really certification that usually costs Hutchinson signs expensive,” Daniels said. $50, and then for some the cost Students that live on campus of the medicine can be anywhere controversial law Governor Asa Hutchinson have an additional issue: medical from $75-150 a month since signed a transgender sports marijuana is currently prohibited insurance agencies don’t offer ban into law. The law on campus, despite it being a cost deductibles for medical bans transgender women marijauna. As if that was not and girls from playing medication. Sydney Calvert, a junior at enough, Arkansas currently competitive school sports teams consistent with their UCA, lives on campus and talked has a “privilege tax” on medical gender identity. Arkansas is about how difficult it is to get the marijauana. “Because I am so the second state to approve relief from the medication while privileged to have chronic pain,” this restriction this year. living on campus. “Even like, Daniels said. Republicans from about 20 These numbers add up state legislatures are pushing discrete, or like, non-smoking for similar bans this year. forms of marijuana ... you’re not quickly, and then to have the Arkansas’ law applies to allowed to have it,” Calvert said. use of this medicine limited to collegiate and K-12 sports. UCA’s medical marijuana heavily by the University makes it If the law isn’t blocked by any policy is strict. The official UCA that much harder to get the care legal challenges it will take stance says that “marijuana use needed. effect in the summer. on the University of Central Prohibitions include Arkansas’ premises or at student athletes. “Students who university-sponsored events or in NCAA-sanctioned WHAT’S AHEAD activities remains prohibited.” It participate events will remain subject to also states that any use of medical NCAA rules and regulations, IN OUR NEXT ISSUE mariajuana is prohibited in any ‘owned or leased spaces” on Graduation Spring 2020 vs. See Medical - page 2 campus, which would include Graduation Spring 2021

COVID RELIEF

Students talk hardships, medical marijuana access

Index: 4Police Beat 4People of UCA

6 8

4Students Say

Photo coutresy of APNews.com

College students and adult dependents have not been eligible to recieve the first two COVID-19 stimulus checks. However, in Biden’s latest relief package, student eligibility was acknowledged and included.

Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief differs from previous, allows student eligibility by

Sarah Smythe

Staff Writer

Since President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act into motion earlier this month, more students who were claimed as dependents on their parents’ 2019 and 2020 tax returns are seeing an influx of cash through stimulus checks from the government. For the first time through the pandemic, adult dependents will become eligible for the checks, meaning many students will be receiving $1,400 through direct deposit, or through the mail as a check or a debit card. With the third round of stimulus payments going out earlier this week, eligible dependents received more than double the amount that was previously given out to Americans. An overwhelming majority of students, like sophomore Anthony Reiter, did not receive the first or the second stimulus check. “Initially as I was filed as a dependent under my parents’ joint return,” Reiter said. Aandrea Aguilar is among many who have experienced not

receiving a stimulus. “I didn’t get the first two checks when everyone else did (I got them this year with my tax returns), I was very glad to be getting this one,” Aguilera said. “It’s nice to have some security money and I remember how unfair it felt to not get them when everyone else did last year.” According to AARP.com, under the current version of the American Rescue Plan Act, single adults who reported $75,000 or less in adjusted gross income on their 2019 or 2020 tax return will receive the full $1,400 payments. Additionally, couples who plan to file jointly who earned $150,000 or less in adjusted gross income, will receive the full $2,800. Along with these payments, the IRS will add on an additional $1,400 for each dependent in the family, so children are covered as well. For many students, this comes as a much needed sigh of relief and a chance to catch up on bills or save for the future. Senior Edmund Burke said he plans to “hopefully keep [the stimulus money] in the bank so

Social:

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Opinion:

College football playoff should be expanded.

E-mail: ucaechoeditor@gmail.com @ucaecho

I have the extra funds available when needed.” Other students like sophomore Emilee Hagewood said she was “ready to shop till I drop!” with the newly added government funds. Although, students who were eligible for the stimulus payment in 2021 are thankful now, there will still be discussions about what more the government could have done to aid students specifically through the pandemic. “[The government] definitely should be doing more. $1,200, $600, $1,400 here and there is not enough. People have lost their jobs over Covid-19,” Aguilera said. “People who are immunocompromised sometimes can’t get to work. Especially with mask mandates being lifted, it’s hard for many people to go on with somewhatnormal lives even a year later. We’ve gotten three checks over the course of 12+ months now with Covid. Just ridiculous.” Stimulus checks will become more readily available

Inside:

4Opinion 11 4Entertainment 9, 12 4Sports

those who have only received the first vaccine dose and not the second, to continue to social distance, follow CDC guidelines, and only gather in small groups with other vaccinated students/citizens, in case the vaccine does not protect against the new variants. The large parties that often transpire over Spring Break remain a high risk and should be avoided. “We need to stay vigilant on this,” Rowley said. The picture for a surge after Spring Break is unclear due to the high number of vaccines being rolled out as well as the uncertainty of the new SARSCoV2 variants. “Until then, it’s more of the same measures and efforts to work properly against this thing,” Rowley said. Pastor assures UCA continues to be cautious and is moving slowly toward “normalcy” before the pandemic as the number of cases declines and more students and faculty become vaccinated. “This will afford us plenty of time to observe the effectiveness of our current vaccines in light of the SARS CoV-2 variants and to react accordingly,” Pastor said.

The Echo ucaecho

see page 6

6/March 31 , 2021

NEWS

Police Beat

Medical:

The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports by Addison Freeman

4Continued from page 1

Student takes fall UCAPD instructs Parking ticket leads in covered manhole groups to part ways officer to investigate

Micaiah Temple injured his ankle and scraped his knee when he fell in a manhole during a run. Temple went running from the Pike house and was planning to cross the bridge over Dave Ward, but because of traffic, changed directions and ran in front of the Wingate construction area. Temple said he fell through the manhole cover because it wasn’t blocked off and he hadn’t seen it. UCAPD met with the Physical Plant at the manhole cover and were able to replace it.

Stimulus:

Two groups in Bear Village Apartments were instructed to stay away from each other after one called UCAPD on the other for a possible drug violation. Officer Gene Hodges was called to apartment 808 for the strong odor of marijuana. Officer Hodges met with resident Kelsie McQueen , a student, and her roommates, non-students Derrick Smith, Madison Thacker and Jermaine Lopez-Butler. No drugs were found. Lopez-Butler was found to be wanted out of Sherwood.

Campus policy causes ultimatum for students.

including exclusions from participation for failing a required drug test.” Rules like this one aren’t

Officer Steve Pointer was writing a parking ticket for a car when Golston arrived and got into the vehicle. Officer Pointer gave Golston the citation and tried to explain why it was written when Golston began to drive away. When he stopped, Pointer could smell cannabis coming from the vehicle and started a new investigation. Golston denied having any drugs at first, but eventually handed over a grinder, a glass pipe, a jar with less than two grams of suspected cannabis and a digital scale.

surprising. The NCAA is notorious for stipping student athletes of their rights all the time. But we must remember,

medical marijauna is a medicine, and it helps people take care of themselves.

N AT I O N A L AWA R D

Students’ eligibility recognized with 3rd check.

4Continued from page 1 to eligible students and eligible dependents in the near future,

especially with the upcoming tax return deadline at the end of March. Payments may be delayed

if there are issues with personal tax returns, but can be checked at any time with the “Get My Payment” tool on IRS.gov. Photo courtesy of UCA news

Lori Mize (far left) graduated from UCA in 2004 with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Mize was given an award at the Academy of Pelvic Health conference that was directly related to her success and skills as an

SGA

UCA graduate recieves national award By DJ Jones Staff Writer

UCA Graduate Lori Mize received the Education Excellence Award at the APTA Academy of Pelvic Health conference and business meeting. “The award I received was one of the few national awards given. I received the Education Excellence Award, specifically for excellence in education, for leading the pelvic coursework into the digital space, for excellence in team collaboration and in student engagement in the live and digital space,” Mize said. “I have been here at UCA for two years now, but I have been in academia for seven years. Before that, I developed,

The state mandated mask policy will come to an end on March 31. The end to this mandate will leave businesses in power of deciding what guidelines they feel safest upholding in its space. This decision will also cause the university to announce which ways it will choose to navigate its mask policy after March.

opened and operated a specialty women’s and pelvic health private practice affiliated with Conway Regional,” Mize said. “I have been practicing in the field of pelvic health for almost 17 years, since graduating from UCA in 2004,” Mize said. “I have been involved with our national organization, the American Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Pelvic Health since 2010 and I have been teaching post graduate coursework to PT’s around the world,” Mize said. Mize said she became interested in pelvic health PT while attending PT school. “I was pregnant with my second child and had low back pain. No one knew what to do with me since I was pregnant,”

Mize said. Mize said her and other PT students brought in a visiting teacher to instruct them on Pelvic Health. “I felt better those last couple weeks before I delivered than I had earlier in my pregnancy, and I’ve been practicing pelvic health ever since,” Mize said. Mize said winning this award was important for UCA as a whole. “This is particularly important as we have been transitioning lots of didactic content in the digital space here at UCA. We are trying to see how incorporating more digital flexibility can be utilized in the Physical Therapy Curricula,” Mize said.

NURSING

UCA instructor published in journal by ViviAnne Flora

Staff Writer

Janet Fletcher, a Clinical Instructor at UCA was recently published in the Nursing Education Perspectives Journal. The Journal publishes articles that bring education and nursing together and publishes people who work directly with students and in the academic community. Fletcher’s article discusses academic-practice partnerships at UCA, UA Little Rock, and CHI St. Vincent. The academic-practice partnership (APP) program works to connect UCA nursing students to the clinicals at CHI St. Vincent. The hospital donated money for the students to attend there, and the idea is for the students to return to St. Vincent as nurses, a way for them to pay back

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the investment the hospital made. But not all students went back. The goal of the program was to get students comfortable with the environment of a fastpaced hospital through their work in clinicals. Most students did return to St. Vincent, for the job and the atmosphere, but not all students returned. According to Fletcher, students who returned remained gracious. “They were thankful for the opportunity, ” Fletcher said. The idea for the program generated from the Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions, Dr. Ann Bain, and the chief nursing officer at CHI St. Vincent, Bryan Williams three years ago. “As it was developed there were things that developed along the way,”

Fletcher said. The best part of the program for Fletcher is going to clinicals and seeing former students working at the hospital has been very encouraging. “Just to see ‘em doing their thing,” has made an impact on Fletcher. She also said how encouraging it is to see students who struggle with the course grow into it. “That’s what’s exciting for me. When they look at me and it’s like a light bulb that went off. And when I see them out practicing, it’s like [I’m] a proud mama,” Fletcher said. Fletcher has been a nurse for 24 years, and hopes to see the APPs program develop to more schools with the publication of her article. She hopes to educate others on the benefits of getting students involved early.

SGA

SGA talks guests speakers, digital student IDs, Food for Fines, more by Addi Freeman

Assistant News Editor

The Student Government Association hosted guest speakers Stephanie McBrayer, Heather Romine and Shon Killion to discuss a new initiative involving students’ Bear Cards becoming a mobile credential. Students will have the option to choose between a physical Bear Card or one that can be scanned from a phone or smart watch. The initiative has already been accepted and the University is in the process of starting the technological move. Staff members of Housing and Residence Life and BearCard hope to have the plan fully instated by August 2021, but said that it will be in place by spring 2022 at the latest. The mobile Bear Card will do everything the physical copy of the card can do.

Senate members questioned what students would do if their Bear Card was on their phone and it died. Killion informed members that, with the software the mobile credential would be using, a signal would be available for up to 15 hours if the student’s phone was dead, therefore it would still allow them access to buildings. However, if the student’s phone is dead, they will not be able to use the signal to purchase something. If a student loses their phone with their mobile Bear Card, they should report it immediately and can get a temporary card to get into buildings on campus. Once the mobile move is complete, students will have the chance to switch their physical card to a mobile one, and their physical card will be disconnected.

Students can only choose one option. McBrayer, Romine and Killion gave a list of benefits to switching to mobile usage including the security it brings, its convenience and its lower cost for the university. The University of Central Arkansas will be the second university in Arkansas to go mobile. Arkansas State University launched their mobile cards in 2019. The Safety and Wellness Committee reminded senate members that Food for Fines is March 29-April 2. Food for Fines is an event in which students can bring non-perishable food items and hygiene products to the SGA office instead of paying their citation. SGA has paired with UCA PD and Bear Essentials Food Pantry as a way to increase donations. The food and hygiene items will all

go toward stocking the Bear Essentials Food Pantry. There are several $10-15 tickets available to excuse with food and hygiene items. Students can bring a combination of items to add up to the amount of their ticket. Food for Fines only applies for students with citations and not faculty or staff. The SGA passed a motion to add two new staff members to the Library to help meet demands in some areas of the library as COVID restrictions begin to lift. SGA advisor Gunnar Bartlett informed senate members that UCA will be launching a Capital Campaign on April 9 at noon at Harding Centennial Plaza. The university is hoping for a large student turn-out and will be putting up banners around campus in the upcoming days.

Campus Life

March 31, 2021

Around Campus:

Week of Kindness Booth At 9:00 a.m., March 31 and April 2, Tri Sigma will be outside the Student Centergiving out free keychains and other items along with selling dog bandanas to raise money for a local dog rescue.

Alpha Omega Worship From 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., March 31, the Catholic Campus Ministry will host a night of socially distanced prayer, community, and worship in the Student Center room 223/224.

SPS Meeting From 1:40 p.m.-2:40 p.m., April 1, the Society of Physics Students will host their regular Zoom meeting. The Zoom link can be found on CubConnect.

Pulse Campus Ministry At 7:00 p.m.-8:15 p.m., April 1, Pulse will meet in the Student Center room 215 to discuss topics like faith and relationships with others.

KKPsi Membership Candidate Lessons At 8:00 p.m., April 1, Kappa Kappa Psi will host a lesson in Brooks Rehearsal Hall to educate candidates about the fraternity.

Photo by Emilee Hagewood

Student gives donations to Alpha Sigma Tau sisters Ali Goodson and Hattie Mahoney for ‘Her Drive’ fundaraiser. The Alpha Sigma Tau sisters hosted this drive March 15th through 18th from 11:00-1:00 p.m. outside the Student Center.

Viral Tik Tok leads to Alpha Sigma Tau fundraiser by

Emilee Hagewood

Staff Writer

Alpha Sigma Tau sisters Ali Goodson and Hattie Mahoney hosted a Her Drive to collect feminie care and hygiene products for women in need. Her Drive is a nonprofit organization aiming to close the gap to limited access to feminie care products. The drive took place from the 15th to the 18th from 11:00-1:00 p.m. outside of the student center and the donations were given to the women of Harbor House, Haven House and the Women’s Shelter of Conway. The two sisters, who are roommates on campus,

discovered the Her Drive through a video on Tik Tok. Mahoney said, “Ali saw a video on TikTok of the founders of the Her Drive organization based out of Chicago talking about the opportunity to host your own drive. After that, we applied to host our own drive and a few weeks later we were accepted.” The women were able to utilize the resources of their sorority to host the drive in an organized way that brought many people together. Social media played an important role in this drive, as it is what led the women to hosting it. Also serving as a communication tool, social

media allowed members to share flyers for the drive with their followers which garnered attention and brought in donations. Goodson said, “My roommate and I prepared by meeting with the Her Drive team for weeks, developing flyers and gathering materials for the drive, as well as contacting the school to host it and finding donation sites.” After four days of the drive, 2550 total items were donated, which Mahoney said was better than expected. Among these items were new or gently used bras, vanity products, menstrual and general hygiene products. March is Women’s Empowerment Month and the

ladies agreed that it was the perfect timing for the drive to be held, as it allowed women and men to help other women have access to important items. Amidst the pandemic, there were still restrictions in place for the drive. Goodson said, “We had to make sure we were being covid conscious. I tried to make it was contactless as possible for people, we followed guidelines to make it easy for donations and keep everyone safe.” Oftentimes, sororities and fraternities will offer service hours to their members for donating to various drives and fundraisers hosted on campus. “We were able to offer service hours for donations

for our sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau. All of the other sororities and fraternities had the opportunity to offer service hours for their members for donating as well. We also offered service hours for volunteering to help us with the drive and logging donation items,” Mahoney said. The drive was considered to be a huge success by the leaders and they plan to host it again around the same time next year. Mahoney said, “We are so thankful that the UCA community was so supportive of us doing this. I think we were able to make a big difference.”

CRAFTS

Big Event Work Day From 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., April 3, The Big Event will hold their second volunteer service day at various Conway locations. The event brings together UCA students and staff to say thank you to neighbors and nonprofit organizations in Conway.

Pi Sigma Alpha Spring Speaker At 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on March 10, John Davis of the University of ArkansasMonticello discusses the political dynamics of the 117th Congress, the status of the political parties, and redistricting.

Lambda Xi 30th Anniversary From 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., April 4, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Lambda Xi Chapter via Zoom. The Zoom link can be found on Instagram @LX19923 and will be open to all students.

Photo by Limdzie Lunsford

Student Activity Board members; [top left to right] Trey Massingill, Lily Sharum, Theodora Tuduriu, and Melissa Duong; put together mystery pearl necklaces for Sigma Kappa members, [bottom right to left] Alexis Bogues and Sydnee Ross. SAB hosted ‘Novelty Pearl’ event on March 18 in the Student Center Ballroom.

Students create jewlery with authenthic pearls at Student Activity Board’s ‘Novelty Pearl’ event

by Lindzie Lunsford

Staff Writer

PhiRe Club Meeting During x-period, April 6, The Department of Philosophy and Religion’s PhiRe Club will meet in Irby Hall room 311.

Delta Zeta Chapter Meeting From 6:00 p.m.-7:45 p.m., April 6, in the Student Center Ballroom the Delta Zeta Sorority will hold their chapter meeting to update members about logistics and upcoming events.

The Student Activities Board hosted, a free event, titlled the Mystery Pearl on March 18, which allowed students to pick out their own freshwater pearl to convert into a piece of jewelry. “I’m happy to see that students are taking advantage of the opportunity,” Director of Student Activities, Kendra Regehr, said. “It was fun picking the oyster out,” Kyra Waller said. Waller said she attended the event because “it was just something that looks fun.” Waller attended the event with her roommate and longtime friend of seven years, Lindsay Resteman.

“She loves this kind of stuff,” Resteman said. Waller and Resteman both chose silver heart shaped pendants that had tiny roses to hold their chosen pearls. “It kind of reminds me of sleeping beauty with the rose and the heart,” said Resteman. The pearl colors were the luck of the draw from real oysters. Waller chose a green pearl while Resteman chose a gold pearl. Both women said that they were happy with the colored pearls they received from their oysters. With the option to display their pearl-enclosed pendant on a necklace, keychain or bracelet, both women chose a necklace. “It looks very elegant,” Waller said. Waller said that she would wear her necklace for a special occasion. However, Resteman

said that she typically doesn’t wear jewelry. Both Waller and Resteman were smiling and laughing together as they left the event. “The students seem to really like it, and that’s what’s important,” President of the Student Activities Board, Melissa Duong, said. There were “so many different variations of colors,” Duong said. Regehr estimated there were 150 pearls available for students to choose with dozens of different color pearls that students had the chance to pick from. The most popular pearl colors chosen within the first half of the event were mint-green and purple, while a white pearl was the rarest color. Regehr said that the pearls’

colors were determined “upon how they treat the water that the oysters are in.” Once an oyster with a pearl was chosen, novelty venter of the pearls, Rogann Cameron, would shuck the oyster to reveal the chosen pearl. As for the oysters, Regehr said that Cameron “shucks them, and then she chucks them.” All three jewelry options, as well as a variety of pennants, came in iridescent, rose gold and silver. Different pendants included a silver lotus pendant, a pennant that resembled a golden ferris wheel, even an iridescent horse that reared up on its hind legs. Regehr

estimated

that

around 100 students attended the event.

The Mystery Pearl event, which was originally planned to be hosted by the Student Activity Board in February, was postponed due to the snowstorm that shut down the UCA campus. The next event that the Student Activity Board will be hosting is an Among Us Tournament on April 8th. “We’ve got a full April coming up,” Regehr said. The Student Activity Board will also send out a survey on April 5th for UCA students to submit their ideas on future events. “We’ll have it run for a couple of weeks, and we always offer an incentive – a gift card or something like that – to help encourage people to voice their opinion,” Regehr said.

8/ March 31, 2021

CAMPUS LIFE

ucanews.live

STUDENTS SAY

Latino Student Association discusses colorism by Addison Freeman Assistant News Editor

The Latino Student Association and the National Association for Advancement of Colored People discussed issues of colorism students face on campus and in public. The event didn’t have a guest speaker and was led completely by students. The purpose was to get a feel for what other students may be facing and to learn how to grow from their experiences. Part of the conversation revolved around stereotypes and biases that the Latinx and other minority communities face. “For example, for Latinos, we have this really big bias that we’re all Mexican, when in reality, that’s not true,” said junior and LSA president, Esmeralda Ramirez.

“Sometimes it can be very hard to be titled something that isn’t you.” Members of the UCA’s branch of the NAACP joined the meeting to relate some of the stereotypes they face as well. “Some of the stereotypes that I’ve encountered as a black woman is that I’m always angry. Every time I show any sort of emotion, it’s all mistaken as anger,” said sophomore, Emma Davis. “Usually the people who stereotype me like this, because we’re at a predominantly white institution, are usually white people. Sometimes I feel like they feel scared of me or threatened by me, but I’m not angry, I’m just raising my voice because I’m passionate about something,” Davis said. Several students agreed that part of these stereotypes come about because of the lack of experience a majority of students have with diversity.

Some students in the meeting mentioned their excitement about the diverse population at UCA after coming from a high school that lacked diversity. However, others expressed that the diversity was small compared to their previous institutions, especially among their professors. “When I first came here, I was a little bit surprised that I couldn’t see black professors at all in any of my major or minor classes until I got up into an upper level one, and then I’ve had one black professor my entire time at UCA,” said Tristan Hall, UCA senior. Hall transfered to UCA from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a historically black university. The transfer caused her to feel a little bit of “culture shock” because she was used to “seeing people that looked like [her].” Students mentioned that, while they don’t mind having

white professors, sometimes it makes things more difficult because the professors can’t understand certain perspectives regarding their majors or what they will have to face within the industries they plan to go into. Leadership positions within UCA are currently held by an 88% white majority. “I think it’s really impactful for students, especially students of color to see faculty and staff of color. With Ronnie William’s retirement, I think it’s important that we as an institution and students as well, basically demand that that position is filled by another person of color,” said Javier Hernandez, historian for the LSA. The students stressed the importance of a more diverse faculty, stating that there is no career path or job field in which people won’t encounter people of color.

SPEAKER

What is your favorite “spring break destination? ” Story and photos by Bennett Tinnermon

Senior Caleb Whithurst “I’ve been to like two places. Usually either Branson or, one specific year, Disney World. Between the two, I can’t really decide.”

Photo by Delaney Van Wilpe

Professor of music theory and technology Brianne Little spoke to fellow musicians and students about the fear of failure, imposter syndrome and the truth. She was a participant for the national Women in Music speak series hosted by the Gamma Tau chapter of Tau Beta Sigma Thursday, March 18 in the Snow Fine Arts Recital Hall.

Brianne Little discusses fear of failure and imposter syndrome in Women in Music series by Delany Van Wilpe Entertainment Editor

Professor of music theory and technology Brianne Little delivered a compelling and encouraging speech for fellow musicians and students for the national ‘Women in Music’ speaker series hosted by the Gamma Tau chapter of Tau Beta Sigma Thursday, March 18. Little addressed themes that she sees in college students and her own life: the fear of failure, imposter syndrome and the truth. “One of the big trends in students today is the fear of failure. It’s really scary to put yourself out there and it is really vulnerable, especially in a place like a music school where people are literally grading your performance,” Little said. Little said that the fear of failure is normal, but she emphasized to her students that they are at a growing stage and mistakes are lessons to be learned.

“College is a great place to fail. This is the testing ground, this is the training ground,” Little said. “You cannot learn by doing everything perfectly the first time. Honestly, the best teacher you will ever have is failure.” Little believes that musicians let fear take control the most when performing. “Allow failure to teach you its lessons, and refuse to let it crush your soul,” Little said. Little reflected on opportunities she missed because of her fear of failure. In one instance she pushed her doubts aside and entered a contest. She won first place and was invited to perform at Carnegie hall — fulfilling a lifelong dream. Oftentimes, the fear Little had was run by imposter syndrome. She said, “It’s that feeling that everyone else knows what they’re doing, and at some point they’re all going to figure out that you don’t.”

However, she guaranteed that herself and many of her peers and idols have all had the feeling of imposter syndrome somewhere along their career. To conquer imposter syndrome, she emphasized that one has to learn to get better. This is how she was able to make an impact on her students. Little was aware of the fact that if she approached her teaching methods already believing she knows it all, her teaching would not be effective. “The more I taught, the more I screwed up, the more I learned how to teach, and I learned to teach in a nonjudgemental way,” Little said. She assured her classes that she will be learning right along with them. “They felt seen and heard because when they were confused about a topic, they felt empowered to ask me questions, to ask me to clarify, to ask me to find another way to explain that,” Little said. “So, the whole time I was thinking that I was an imposter,

my students were loving the experience and felt like they were getting something truly valuable out of it.” Little believes in telling the, sometimes uncomfortable, truth to her students “because the truth can help you make better decisions.” The truth, in Little’s case, was that she had potential, but she needed to make a sacrifice to meet the potential. Little reflected on two specific moments where teachers helped her realize this potential, which inspired who she wants to be as a teacher. “I want to be the one that always tells you the truth, even when it’s hard to hear. I also want to be the one that encourages you to see your own potential,” Little said. As of recent, she has had to remind students how great they really are. “We are our own worst critic,” Little said. “The truth could be that you’re improving.”

Junior Margarita Rodriguez

“I really don’t travel, but if I had the choice I would go to Mexico to visit family. Most of my family is over there.”

Junior Riley Neil “In the past I’ve gone to Nashville and it was just super fun because it was like a girls trip and there’s just a lot of stuff to do in that city. We had a really good time.”

Junior

Nic Nash “I have to say Miami or really just the whole state of Florida. It’s warm, they’ve got good vibes, palm trees, good drinks, all that.”

Junior Alexis Bogues “Definitely the beach, but I’m actually going to San Antonio this Spring break. I love the beach, I’ve always loved it, my family is from Tampa.”

Junior Camden Shaw “My favorite Spring break destination would probably have to be Oklahoma. That’s where I’m from. Mainly because my family is back there.”

People of UCA: Leslie Jones-Steele by Emilee Hagewood Staff Writer

Leslie Jones-Steele, 57, is a junior at UCA enrolled in online courses and majoring in professional writing with a minor in communication. Steele was never able to attend college after high school due to her busy work schedule and life circumstances, even though she graduated at the top of her class. For 23 years, Steele worked for the same company where she was awarded numerous sales and services awards, but when her supervisor retired, she was let go. She had a decent online portfolio and several years of experience but when applying for a new job she quickly realized that she needed a bachelor’s degree if she ever wanted to find a job in her field. “I was submitting online applications one night around

midnight. After submitting one, I immediately got an automated reply letting me know that my application had been received,” Steele said, “About five minutes later I got another automated email telling me that my application was not selected for further consideration. The only reason that could be was because I could not check the “bachelor’s degree” box.” Upon realizing that a bachelor’s degree was vital if she wanted to work in her field again, Steele decided it was time to go to college. Steele married for the first time at age 52 to a disabled veteran whose military benefits were what allowed her to further her education. Living in Atkins, Steeles first choice was to attend Arkansas Tech University. Upon entering college though, she realized how difficult it was to go back to school after all those years.

With strictly online classes, she felt even more removed from the college experience and with ATU not having a technical writing program, she made the switch to UCA. Steele said, “I think the several years I was out of school probably made for a more difficult transition back to school than traditional students have, but I also think the life experience I bring back to classes with me has been very beneficial.” Steele says she prefers online classes and likes that she does not have to drive to school, and because she is a non-traditional student, she doesn’t miss the lack of social interaction with her peers. “I’m thinking that traditional students may feel so stressed out that many just want to pass the classes and don’t have time to really appreciate what they have the opportunity to learn, but I could be wrong. I just know

that I’m finding my classes so interesting, and I don’t think I would have felt the same way when I was 18” Steele said. Comparing her life choices to that of a road with many exits, Steele says that because she couldn’t see what lay ahead at the end of an “exit”, she passed on it and continued to travel down the same road. Once she had passed so many exits or opportunities, she found herself feeling like a victim of her own life choices when the opportunities began to dwindle. “If I could do it all over again, I would have taken some of the early exits knowing that if they didn’t work out, I could always get back to the main road… maybe try the next exit” Steele said. Steele is happy to be back in school and enjoying all the learning opportunities she now has.

Photo courtesy of Leslie Jones-Steele

Leslie Jones-Steele is a non-traditional student. She is majoring in professional writing with a minor in communication.

Sports

March 31, 2021

Upcoming Games

Baseball 6:30 p.m , March 30 Fayetville, AR Men’s Golf

April 5-6 at Tiger Invitational Women’s Soccer 7 p.m., April 1 vs UIW Tennis 11 a.m., April 1 vs Corpus Christi Men’s Soccer 4 p.m., April 3 vs Missouri State University

Editor’s Take

Photo courtesy of ucasports.com

Zach Schawl kicks the ball down field after getting a stop on defense. UVA only scored one goal.

Photo courtesy of ucasports.com

The Sugar Bears pose while on the road in front of the team bus. The Sugar Bears finish the season with two playoff wins.

Sugar Bears’ season comes to end by Sarah Smythe Staff Writer

photo courtesy of ucasports.com

Sugar Bears won two playoff games.

Fans should support small programs in their home state by Ronak Patel Sports Editor

The Arkansas Razorbacks have captured the excitement and support from the state and it is well deserved. Throughout the chaos of March Madness, the Razorbacks continue to win, even though there were times it seemed they were destined to have their season cut short by Colgate, Texas Tech and Oral Roberts. The Razorbacks haven’t made it to an Elite 8 since the 90s and Arkansans should enjoy every moment of this run whether it ends in a title or not. Despite the fanfare the Razorbacks are receiving, it still shows a lack of support athletic programs get from fans in Arkansas. There is more than just the Razorbacks to celebrate in the state. Sports fans need to give the same level of support to the small programs in the state. As March Madness has shown us every year, the size of the program doesn’t matter, any school can become go on a deep run during March Madness. Fans in Arkansas need to support the smaller programs consistently and not just when they make a deep run. There are plenty of promising and exciting teams in the state. During my time as a college reporter, nearly all the athletic events I covered at UCA were filled with empty stands and bleachers. Before I covered college games, I was like most people and didn’t pay any attention to the small programs, and I regret it because I now realized how much I missed out on. The UCA Women’s Basketball team made it to the tournament and I don’t see or hear much mention of that. We should be celebrating their accomplishments as well. Even though the UCA Men’s Basketball team wasn’t in the tournament this year, Arkansans should take pride in the fact that the Bears were able to pull off a big comeback win against Abilene Christian Univeristy, a school now known for pulling an upset against Texas. Every small athletic program in Arkansas might not become the next Loyola or Oral Roberts, but they still are exciting and deserving of the state’s support.

Bears fail to score goal in its loss to Virginia

With the basketball season ending, the Sugar Bears entered the postseason with a record of 13-14 overall and 9-7 record in conference. The season was shaped by strong winning intentions, new coachable tactics and a tightly-bonded team. “The season was really good, it was different than most seasons,” junior Romola (Ro) Dominguez, guard on the basketball team said. “I enjoyed getting so close to my teammates, playing some of the top teams in the country, meeting the fans of UCA, and winning again and again and again.” The women’s basketball team had a tough start back in November that later developed into numerous wins at the beginning of 2021 when the team traveled through Lousianna

and played Southeastern Louisiana University and New Orleans. The Sugar Bears defeated New Orleans in Louisiana and at home within a two week time span. Overall, for the 20-21 season, the Sugar Bears scored 1,479 points with an average of 54.8 points per game. The Sugar Bears won 7-4 home games this season and lost 4-9 away games, and ended the season with 2-1 in the Southland Conference Tournament. “Overall the season went well. Just like any team, we had our highs and lows but when it came down to it, we overcame anything in our way,” senior Savanna Walker, point guard of the team said. “We made it to the final four of the conference tournament.” Covid-19 has continually

changed sports seasons, with basketball being no different. Walker said, “the pandemic made the season different than any other season. We were willing to take any precaution needed for us to play and as a result no one on our team (players, coaches, or trainers) contracted Covid.” The Sugar Bears tore through the postseason with two consecutive wins in the Southland Conference Tournament that took place in Katy, Texas, from March 11-13, 2021. In the first game of the tournament against Houston Baptist, the team won 56-51, with senior guard-forward Briana Triggs recording her third double-double for the season. The second game that took place on March 12, 2021, resulted in a 69-55 victory over Lamar University, but was met by a loss the next day with a score of

by Lindzie lunsford Staff Writer

The UCA Men’s Soccer team lost 1-0 in a close game against the University of Virginia, Tuesday night, in Charlottesville, Virginia. “This was certainly amongst the most difficult games [this season] and amongst the most difficult games we’ve ever played,” Headcoach Ross Duncan said. “I’m proud of the performance and I’m proud of the commitment level the guys showed tonight,” Duncan said. Virginia (7-5-1, 4-4-1), a seventime national champion team, scored their goal within the first 8 minutes of the game against UCA (6-8-2, 3-3-0). Virginia’s freshmen forward Leo Afonso scored a goal with an assist by sophomore midfielder Jeremy Verley. “They scored a goal on a kind of free kick and we just couldn’t respond with a goal of our own,” Duncan said. UCA Men’s Soccer Captain Alberto Suarez said, “I think we played better than them and just that one moment that we lost focus changed the whole game.”

Duncan said, “I thought we came out really well against a top opponent, and we played the way we wanted to play, and made the game really difficult for Virginia.” Duncan said that there were three players that really shined on the UCA Men’s Soccer team at the game. They were goalkeeper Zachary Schawl, Team Captain Alberto Suarez and freshman Rubyn Gill. “They looked fearless out there, they made tackles, they completed passes, they created scoring chances and they looked like they belonged in a big game like that,” Duncan said. Suarez said, “I think I played pretty good to be honest, the whole game we had a really good performance.” Suarez said that his most memorable moment of the game was when he blocked a shot in the second half from a striker with about “20 minutes left on the clock”. Schawl said, “I think overall, I did well, I had a couple saves I had to make but at the same time, it probably would have been a lot more if it wasn’t for my defense.”

See Soccer- page 8

See Basketball- page 8 TOURNAMENT

UCA Golf finishes in sixth place at tourney held in Missouri by Andrew McMahan Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of ucasports.com

Miles Smith watches the trajectory of his ball after striking it. UCA Golf finished in sixth place at the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate.

The University of Central Arkansas men’s golf team traveled to the Twin Oaks Country Club in Springfield, Missouri for the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate. Overall, UCA tied for sixth place out of eighteen competing schools. UCA ended the tournament with a total of (20+) twenty over par. Missouri State University hosted the event from March 22nd thru the 23rd. In the three round tournament, UCA hit the ball consistently. In round one, the UCA golfers combined to hit for 295. In the second round, the Bears shot their lowest round total, a 283. In the third and final round, UCA shot a 294.

The three day shot total for the Bears ended up being 872. Individually, Junior Miles Smith led the Bears on the course. Smith tied for ninth place in the individual category. Smith shot (+2) two over par during the tournament. Smith’s lowest round shot total was a 69 in round two. Smith shot a 73 in round one and also round three, bringing his overall tournament shot total to 215. UCA sophomore Josh Turncock placed not far behind Smith, finishing tied for twelfth place individually. Turncock’s lowest round shot total was 71, coming in both the second and third rounds. In round one Turncock shot a 74, bringing his event shot total to 216 and (+3) three over par overall. Another Bear, Freshman

Blaine Calhoun, finished tied for 41st place individually. Calhoon’s lowest round shot total was a 71 in the second round. Calhoun shot a 76 in the first round a 75 in the third round. Calhoon’s shot total for the event was 222, and he hit (+9) nine over par overall. UCA Bear and Sophomore Nate Jolly finished tied for 50th individually. Jolly’s best round came in the second round where he shot a 72. Jolly shot a 76 in round one, and shot a 75 in round three. Jolly’s shot total for the event was 223 which is also (+10) ten over par. Sophomore Davis Irving, who tied for 103rd place overall, shot a 72 for UCA in round one. This was Irving’s lowest round shot total. In round two, Irving

See Golf- page 8

STRONG SHOWING

Sugar Bears go 5-0 vs Ottawa University; 3-2 vs Missouri

by Megan Holder Staff Writer

It was a successful two game trip on Friday, March 26. in Springfield, Missouri for the University of Central Arkansas Beach volleyball team. The Beach Bears went 5-0 against Ottawa University and 3-2 against Missouri State. The number one duo, senior Aly Brinkley and senior Colene Hamilton, defeated Tina Sesa and Hanna Murry 21-10 and 21-7. Junior Faith Hasness and sophomore Evelyn Griffith as the number two duo beat Taylor Mobley and Adrianna Skipper 21-9 and 21-16. Hasness said “speeding up the tempo of practices helped us to have control and play our level of game. I went into practice thinking it’s game day and treated it as if I was really about to play a match.” Junior Kelsie Sager and senior Makenna Schmitt held on to the win as they beat Kourtney Collins and Stefanie Mitchell 2111 and 21-11. In the number four position, junior Kayla Cook and sophomore Julia Oravec showed no remorse, winning 21-8 and

21-5 against Jessica Gibson and Dennisa Dafay. In the number five match against Ottawa, junior Shannon Stone and freshman Bria Garmon came out on top 21-6 and 21-5 against Kristinia Thomas and Mia Burge. Hasness said before their next game, she wants to work on positivity, being aggressive, and first ball side out is always on her mind. She also wants to work on growing as a team and creating a sense of unity that will help moving toward the conference tournament. The Missouri State game had a few bumps but not enough to take away the Beach Bear’s second victory. In the number five match, Garmon and Stone beat Brooke Plessner and Gala Galabova 2114 and 21-16. Then came Sager and Schmitt who defeated Parker McAllen and Kylee Davis 2118 and 21-13. Tory Penick and Pamela Jaime got Missouri State a win against Oravec and Cook, 21-16 and 22-20. Chloe Filipski and Tylar Garrett got Missouri their second win against Brinkley and Hamilton, 21-19, 22-24, and 15-11.

Photo courtesy of ucasports.com

Kelsie Sager and Colene Hamilton return the ball. The Sugar Bears went 5-0 against Missouri State.

Hasness and Griffith took a different route winning 21-15 against Chloe Tome and Grace Cook. Missouri State put their best foot forward and won 2220 in the second set which took the game to a third and final set. Hasness and Griffith didn’t let

up and won 15-13 for UCA. As a duo, Griffith said Hasness and her compliment each other in their differences in emotions on the court. She said, “I get very hyped and energetic and Faith is very calm and collected. It helps me when games get tight and she

is very constant in her energy and mindset. We also differ in our styles of play. Faith has incredible shots with a lot of finesse (along with great wrings) and my strength is in my power and on

See Beach Bears- page 8

Opinion

ucaechoeditor@gmail.com

March 31, 2021

The Voice Arkansas lawmakers should expand rights, not revoke them

The Echo Staff

The college football playoff needs expansion

Olyvia Gonzalez Assistant Online Editor

The College Football Playoff is nearly as big as have no shot at the playoff before the year begins. a sporting event gets, especially in the United States. How is that fair at all? The Super Bowl is one of the few things that comes to Bottom line is that it is not fair. mind that compares. The only way to make this a fair playing field The playoffs draw eyes from all across the world. is to expand the College Football Playoff from just a However, the last few years the College Football measly four teams. Playoff has taken place, there has been little In comparison, division one college basketball added excitement. has a 68 team tournament, known as “March In my opinion, there has even been Madness”. It has been given that nickname a decrease in excitement. This is due to because there are typically a lot of upsets as the fact that we see the same teams in well as other unpredicted circumstances that the playoffs and winning it year arise. after year. Coincidentally, the Prolific college college basketball tournament football powers like is ongoing right now, and it Alabama, Clemson, has lived up to all the hype with Oklahoma and others have multiple underdog stories. been in the playoffs more The college basketball years than not since the tournament has seen teams playoffs were established. from all corners of the college by Andrew McMahan Then there are a select few basketball win games and have Staff Writer others that rotate in and a chance at winning it all. Both out of the playoffs every few big and small schools from big years. and small conferences have a Another reason for a lack of excitement is the fair shot because the college basketball playoff field is lack of a Cinderella or underdog story. The reason so large. for this is because the College Football Playoff The craziest fact to me is that both division consists of only four teams. With spots so limited and two and division three college football have had larger far in between, only the best of the best get a shot at playoffs than division one for many years. the crown. College baseball and softball also have a large The Football Bowl Subdivision, division playoff or tournament field. one level of football, consists of 130 football teams. With all the facts out there, I don’t see why the Considering only four teams get in the College NCAA is waiting to expand the College Football Football Playoff, it is obvious the chances are in very Playoff. few teams favor. It is limiting the ceiling of what college football There are also ten conferences of teams in the can be, as well as the playoff system itself. FBS thus far since the playoffs started in 2014, only It is also limiting the ceiling for the NCAA’s own five conferences have been represented. student athletes, which is the biggest problem I have That means basically half the teams in the country with the entire situation.

Ian Lyle Photography Editor

There aren’t enough spreadable cheeses

Sarah Coleman Editor in Chief Elvira Toddy Associate Editor Ashley Savage News Editor Addi Freeman Assistant News Editor Kennadi Harris Campus Life Editor Bennett Tinnermon Assistant Campus Life Editor Madison Ogle Opinion Editor/Cartoonist Delaney Van Wilpe Entertainment Editor Ronak Patel Sports Editor Mia Waddell Online Editor

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I hate cutting cheese from a block, it’s way too Some more spreadable cheeses are variations of inconvenient. I have to get a knife out, sometimes bleu cheese, brie, buchette, feta and goat cheese, and wash one, and a cutting board all for one piece of ricotta. unevenly sliced cheese. These and more cheeses can be spread sometimes, I don’t like the action of grating cheese and I but other times the cheese can be firm or harder than never have. I get scared that skin from my finger could usual. I just wonder why all cheeses can’t be spreadable get in my cheese. I like thick and thin grated cheese on though. certain foods, but at what cost? There are literally 10 different kinds of cheddar Now, coming from a student, I can confidently say cheese, and none of them are spreadable or soft. that sliced cheese is too expensive. Why should I have to choose between I mean, if I buy a pack of Kraft cheese cheddar or pepper jack for my weekly singles at Walmart, because the Walmart sandwiches just because of the firmness of Brand cheese does not taste the same, I’m the cheese? going to spend $3.97 plus tax for 24 slices Make cheese like spreadable of cheese. butter. That’s too much money and There is no reason why I sometimes I can’t justify paying that shouldn’t be spreading my at the grocery store. cheese of choice like I spread Let alone having to pay for my butter in today’s world. name brand cheese that probably The technology is there, still has 20 different preservatives we just aren’t utilizing it to in it. our fullest advantage. Also, I am aware that there It would actually are cheeses in the world right probably cost less to just now that are spreadable. bulk the cheese in big by Sarah Smythe Take a moment and clap containers. Staff Writer for cream cheese. This would make Cream cheese was cheese ready to use at any literally made for humans to time, and also kind of like spread. a cheese dip that could be eaten straight out of the Cream cheese can lead by example for other container. cheeses by simply saying, “you can be spreadable, just I like the texture of hard cheeses, but they could like me.” be spreadable. That’s the point, if the cheese can be I love cream cheese but it is really fattening, which made to spread, why is it not available yet? is the main downside to getting it. Instead of awkwardly cutting cheese from a I will add Easy Cheese, that bright orange rubber charcuterie board, maybe even getting some cheese cheese that comes out of the can, even though I’m not rind on your toasted baguette, just use a knife and sure if there is even any real cheese in it. spread the cheese right on.

In a recently unbelieveable devleopment, the Arkansas Senate passed a bill barring transgender minors from recieving gender-affirming care. While Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee have already signed trans athlete bans into law, Arkansas is the first to sign a bill of this nature and send it forward. It’s position to become law now relies on Asa Hutchinson. To say this is taking a step backwards would be an understatement. With discrimination already being more than prevelant against the trans community, a motion such as this one introduces the possibility of other states following suit. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 28 other states are also considering anti-trans bills. What this bill essentially does is deny both hormone treatment and surgery for trans minors. Those already receiving care will no longer receive it and doctors would be unable to recommend alternate providers to patients. Not only do trans minors experience increased rates of anxiety, depression and suicide, forcing minors to proceed through the process of puberty and other changes causes extreme damage that can be difficult to treat or reverse later. You would think that in the year 2021, things like this wouldn’t be passed. You’d think we would have come to better terms with letting trans individuals exist and lead bountiful lives as the gender they identify with. Those living life as a trans individual already expereince countless instances of discrimination on a daily basis.

This is more than a denial of healthcare, it’s a denial of identity. Whether you live in agreeance with their choices or not, no state or person should hold the power to take this away from them. Everyday it gets more and more frustrating having to remind those around you that the lifestyle of others shouldn’t be something we get to play with. Especially in a matter such as this, when it concerns a person’s physical health and personal identification, it’s baffling that a change like this would even have a possibility of standing. Those fortunate enough for their physical presence to align with their preferred gender identity, we can’t begin to fathom what blatant disregard such as this feels like. This is more than a denial of healthcare, it’s a denial of identity. The bill’s targeted audience of trans youth is especially vulnerable to this, as they are already facing countless other self discoveries alongside coming to terms with their gender identity. Groups of support for these parties are all the more valuable at this time, considering trans youth living in southern states are already located in generally conservative areas. For those already receiving treatment, it’s not as though the choice to go through it was made on a whim. It’s a carefully considered and serious personal realization. Their only wish is to finally live in the body they desire. This bill denies that. Governor Asa Hutchinson has five days to either sign or veto the bill before it becomes law. Though he has not expressed an open support of the legislation, this span of time before the final decision is going to prove more than anxiety inducing.

Have an opinion? Everyone does. Write a letter to the editor at ucaechoeditor@gmail.com Letters to the editor don’t just have to be about Echo content. If you’ve noticed something on campus that’s positive or negative, we want to hear about it. The Echo is printed weekly by The Courier. Decisions about content are made by the student editors. The views published are not necessarily those of the University of Central Arkansas. All material is subject to respective copyrights.

Entertainment

March 31, 2021

New This Week

Lana Del Rey provides comfort through her latest album

by Sarah Coleman

Movies

Editor

Here I am, yet again, gushing over the latest Lana Del Rey album, and I am not mad about it in the slightest. March 31 — Godzilla vs. Kong Since I was in Junior (PG-13), directed by Adam High, I have been blasting Wingard, starring Alexander hits from “Ultraviolence” to Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown and “Norman Fucking Rockwell.” Rebecca Hall “Chemtrails Over The Country Club” is no different. This is an album you can both sob and do homework to, April 2 — The Unholy (PG-13), so it’s obviously a win-win directed by Evan Spiliotopoulos, situation. starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, This album has sort of Cricket Brown and William Sadler the same tone that “Norman Fucking Rockwell” did, however, I still feel that nothing will ever beat that April 2 — Assault on VA-33 (R), 2019 iconic album. directed by Cristopher Ray, starring Ladies, I do not recommend Sean Patrick Flanery, Michael Jai listening to this if you have White and Mark Dacascos been going through a breakup — simply because you will definitely cry. The best way I can describe this album is comfortably April 2 — Shiva Baby (NR), nostalgic. I love the nostalgia directed by Emma Seligman, I normally feel when listening starring Rachel Sennot, Molly to Lana Del Rey, this nostalgia Gordon and Polly Draper is different. This album simply makes me want to text my ex,

Photo courtesy of www.stereogum.com

Lana Del Rey released her sixth studio album, “Chemtrails Over The Country Club.” Rey interwines sadness and wanderlust in the album.

and had me balling at 2 a.m. in my room to “Breaking Up Slowly.” Specifically, healing to the line, “Don’t send me flowers like you always do, its hard to be lonely but its the right thing to do.” Like holy cow, what a line am I right? I also felt myself falling

slightly more in love with my life while listening to “Let Me Love You Like A Woman.” Mostly because it gave me vibes from the first Lana album I fell in love with — “Born to Die.” Side note: I feel like Lana Del Rey raised me in a way since I was blasting her

April 2 — Dancing With The Devil... the Art of Starting Over— Demi Lovato

‘Drive to Survive’ tells story behind a unique F1 season by Bennett Tinnermon

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” recently released its April 2— Mutator — Alan Vega third season of the docuseries covering the 2020 Formula 1 season, which was delayed after coronavirus struck the world in April 2 — Head Of Roses — Flock March. The new season takes of Dimes experienced fans and newcomers alike behind the scenes with interviews and footage exclusive to the show. April 2 — Course in Fable— Ryley As Netflix has done in the Walker previous seasons, it undergoes an amount of dramatization, something F1 fans often see straight through. From added April 2— Tethers— The Natvral sound effects to intense music that makes close teammates seem like aggressive rivals, it can be misleading to those new to the sport. April 2 —Homecoming—Du But some aspects of Netflix’s Blonde dramatization of the 2020 season aligned with fan discussions about certain teams. In episode eight, “No Regrets,” McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says, “you never April 2 — Half Drunk Under a wanna favor drivers.” While Full Moon— The Fratellis he says this, Netflix shows Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, both who were rumored to be favored by their teams over their respective teammates. This gives viewers the impression that Red Netflix Bull and Ferrari are guilty of the mistake that Brown mentions, and many F1 fans agree. Regardless, F1 has seen more new fans as a result of the April 2 — Concrete Cowboy, show and who quickly understand directed by Ricky Staub, starring the real politics and nature of the Idris Elba, Lorraine Toussaint and sport. Caleb McLaughlin The show’s beginning captures the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak in March 2020, some drivers expressing April 2 — Just Say Yes, created by serious concerns over the Appie Boudellah, starring Yolanthe Australian Grand Prix going on Cabau, Huub Smit and Jim Bakkum as scheduled. The race weekend was eventually cancelled after McLaren received a positive test for COVID-19 and withdrew prior to hitting the track. April 2 — Madame Claude, The show does not do a directed by Sylvie Verheyde, great job of explaining important starring Karole Rocher, Roschdy history, rules or acronyms for those who have not watched Zem and Garance Marillier Formula 1 in the past. It does some of this, but specific events are mentioned with no context.

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country with mentions of the Louisiana two-step and ranches. This song reminds me of “Young and Beautiful,” the soundtrack that landed on the latest remake of “The Great Gatsby.” I feel like it’s important to clarify that this is not a country album, I would never listen or praise anything of that nature — even if the queen, Lana Del Rey, wrote it and sang it herself. I have written it before in articles, and I probably will write it again but good art makes me cry. This is why I feel such a connection to artists like Lana Del Rey, the words are powerful and meant to make you feel things — even if you don’t want to feel them. This album does make me want to text my ex and cry, but it also makes me want to dance under the stars with my best friend again. It makes me want to experience life to the fullest, in the most pretentious way possible. “Chemtrails Over The Country Club” is available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

2021 GRAMMY’S

NETFLIX DOCUSERIES

Music

iconic song lyrics at midnight in my room at the age 13. It is also worth mentioning that Arkansas was MENTIONED in Lana Del Rey’s song “Tulsa Jesus Freak,” which is actually insane in a way. “ We should go back to Arkansas/Trade this body for a can of gin, like a little piece of heaven… ’Cause down in Arkansas, the stars are aglow.” These lyrics are really reminiscent of the album “Ultraviolence.” This song came out at the perfect time for me — just because the closer I come to leaving Arkansas, the more I am appreciating this quiet state that I spent my entire life resenting. It is comforting to know Lana finds this little state comforting from the tribulations that California brings. Some of these songs are significantly happier than her normal ones, which, in a way, feels totally normal in this pandemic-era world we are living in where everything is a little upside down. “Dance Till We Die” also reflects on life in the western

1. The Associated Press The Press is the gold standard of journalism and often newspapers use their work. The Associated Press has a website that is free. Arkansas has its own Associate Press reporter who covers politics and has been covering COVID-19. The reports done by the Press are thorough and well written. The Associated Press is a source that is considered the most neutral among the many media platforms. For anyone who wants reliable reporting of what is happening with Arkansas politics, this is a great source. The Associated Press has social media accounts for people who enjoy following news sources on social media. https://apnews. com/hub/ar-state-wire.

Since the show has been a gateway for new fans, it would make sense to implement more explanations, but in the end, it is not meant to be a crash course. F1 presenter and reporter Will Buxton is shown throughout to give analysis of what is being shown on screen, like Mercedes’ controversial steering system. Buxton also provides important information about what it means to the sport when unexpected decisions take place. One major oversight to the show is the, almost, total lack of coverage of Mercedes during the Sakhir Grand Prix. After Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, a now seven-time world champion, tested positive for COVID-19, Williams Racing driver, George Russell, served as a replacement. F1 had never seen a driver leave his team to replace another team’s driver for a single race. Even more so, Russell was switching from Williams, a team that had not scored a single point during the 2020 season, to Mercedes, a team that had already claimed the constructor’s championship for a seventh-year in a row. The last five minutes of the final episode were set aside for Hamilton to speak about activism and being the only black F1 driver. The British driver was not afraid of speaking out during the 2020 season, standing at the podium of the Tuscan Grand Prix wearing a shirt that read, “arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” across the front. “I’m not always too bothered about upsetting someone, if it’s gonna make a difference,” Hamilton said. Overall, the new season is great for fans to learn what goes on behind the scenes and for new fans to get baptized into the sport. While there are things Netflix could change, the show does its job. The Formula 1 2021 season began March 28 at Bahrain International Circuit and will next travel to Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on April 18. “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” season three is streaming now on Netflix. 2. The Article

The Article is a free newsletter via email and social media page on Instagram created by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The Article is a great way to stay up to date with what is happening with the state’s politics and culture. The post will highlight local businesses and programs available to Arkansans. The weekly newsletter, which The Article emails readers every week, is insightful and does a great job of highlighting the important stories of the week. The Article has done a great job explaining the complex bills that are being proposed and passed in the Legislature. https://www. arkansasonline.com/thearticle/.

Photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com

Dua Lipa stuns fans with performance of songs “Don’t Start Now” and “Levitating” featuring Dababy at the 2021 Grammy’s. Lipa took won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Future Nostalgia.”

Dua Lipa gave refreshing performance compared to past, bland performances by Ashley Savage Among the many memorable Grammy 2021 performances, pop princess Dua Lipa was one that left viewers in awe. Lipa’s Grammy performance exhibited the pop singer’s ability to perform and not just stand behind the microphone. This is a prime example of how social media influences today’s entertainment. It isn’t obvious at first, but let me explain. Lipa’s performance kicked off with a slow camera pan that exposed the vibrant pink and purple hues displayed on the screens behind her. The visuals matched the extremely detailed hot pink, glittery boxer-like robe she wore. Lipa sang her song “Levitating” ft. Dababy, and for the first bit of the performance, she remained front and center behind her microphone. For those that haven’t been following Lipa since she dropped her first selftitled album, “Dua Lipa,” you’d think that the English singer had always been as comfortable on stage as she seemed on the Grammy’s stage. However, Lipa was notorious for receiving extreme criticism on the blandness of her performances over the

years. People complained that she lacked stage presence and the ability to keep her fans engaged. These comments and opinions swirled social media and, honestly, it seems that they might have had an impact on the way Lipa approaches the stage. One twitter user wrote, “I still can’t get over how stan twitter bullied Dua Lipa into getting a better choreographer and it worked…” following the Pop singer’s Grammy performance. Another tweeted, “I can’t believe Dua Lipa was cyber bullied into being a good performer.” Obviously, this idea of intense social media criticism is touchy. But, in this case, it really did cause a shift in Lipa’s stage presence. Her Grammy performance spent under a minute fixated in one spot, camera wise, before it quickly gravitated to her welcoming Dababy to the stage. When Lipa entered the frame again, she strutted down a side set of stairs in a new sparkly blazer before meeting Dababy in the middle. The two shared a balanced choreography before the rapper left the stage, which is when Dua’s stage presence really came into show. The English singer immediately joined her dancers in a synchronized dance break, which led to the dropping of her

sparkly robe, revealing a formfitting two-piece body set. This wardrobe change sequenced a 20-30 second dance interlude that led into the beginning of Lipa’s other single, “Don’t Start Now.” Flashing lights, sparkly attire and Lipa’s flawless ability to join in and out of her dancer’s routines without error truly kept viewers attention in ways she’s struggled to accomplish in the past. The performance in its entirety was more advanced than what Lipa had exhibited in her first few years as an artist. Her grammy performance, however, embraced visuals, synchronized dancing, outfit changes, choreographed entrances and exits and several other features that simply lacked Lipa’s shows in the past. A third twitter user said, “Dua Lipa was bullied into greatness,” and there’s a scary, almost funny, amount of truth in the statement. Other artists at the Grammys were seen dancing and cheering Lipa on and watching the screen visuals intently. All in all, the pop singer’s performance was both refreshing and mesmerizing compared to her history of bland stage presence and left viewers in awe of her evolution on stage.

3. Talk Business and Politics

4. Arkansas PBS

5. UCA News6 Like the Echo, News6 is filled with student journalists who do a great job of explaining what goes on around campus. The Echo is a weekly publication, while News6 broadcast daily. Students are paying tuition, so it is in their best interest to know what is happening with their money. News6 has packages on the UCA News Live website, but their full episodes, which are casted daily, can be found on their Facebook and Instagram pages. They also cover stories happening in the local community of Conway. Last year, News6 provided in-depth interviews of SGA candidates that will help students choose who they want representing them in SGA. https://www.ucanews. live/.

News Editor

Talk Business and Politics is one of my favorite news sources because of how well designed their website is. The website has a beautiful design and is easy to navigate. In addition to having a great website, Talk Business and Politics does great reporting on what is happening with the Legislature and with business. Roby Brock’s weekly interviews with politicians, business leaders and other decision makers around the state are always a great thing to watch at the end of the week. The interviews done every Sunday by Talk Business feel like “60 Minutes,” but the Arkansas version. https://talkbusiness. net/.

For those who prefer their journalism to be done through broadcasting rather than print, PBS is a great source. During the 2020 election, PBS did a great job of hosting the debates. PBS has sharp journalists who are knowledgeable with what is happening within the state and their interviews reflect that. In addition to this sort of coverage, Arkansas PBS broadcast documentaries on historical and present issues about Arkansas. PBS also does a great job highlighting people in the community of Arkansas with their featured pieces. https:// www.myarkansaspbs.org/ homepage.

ucanews.live

SPORTS

12 / March 31 , 2021

UCA STATS CORNER SPORT

OPPONENT

RESULT

RECORD 9-11

UIW

4-3 W

Twin Oaks Intercollegiate

6th place

Virginia

1-0 L

Women’s Golf

Bama Beach Bash

4th place

Women’s Soccer

Lamar

3-0 L

12-7-1

Tennis

Corpus Christi

6-1 W

10-10

Baseball

Men’s Golf Men’s Soccer

6-8-2

DOMINANCE

Photo courtesy of ucasports.com

Kayla Cook has dreams of working for the Peace Corps. Cook is a leader for the volleyball team.

Cook steps up as leader for her team by Lindzie Lunsford Staff Writer

Kayla Cook, team captain of the Beach Bears, shined this season through her positive attitude, work ethic and level headedness on the sand, Autumn Erickson, head coach of the Beach Bears said. “I feel like younger players coming in can look to her for leadership,” Erickson said. While beach volleyball is “a team [sport], it’s very individual and it’s very mental,” Erickson said. This is due to the fact that it is a two-on-two sport. “If the other team notices that you can’t consistently score points, they’re never going to move the ball off of you,” Ericskon said. Due to this, Cook’s “really positive and always encouraging” attitude as a team captain is important, Erickson said. However, when Cook first joined the team, she was very shy. In her entire freshman year on the team, “I think she said 3 words,” Erickson said. “It definitely helps getting comfortable with teammates and the coaching staff and everyone,” Cook said. “Beach volleyball taught me a lot of life skills like how to be a team player, how to work with, like a team to accomplish a goal,” Cook said. Cook, who has been on the team for three years, is a junior

majoring in general science and minoring in family and consumer science. In order to balance both her studies and practice time, Cook said that she utilized time management. “You really have to set time for yourself aside,” Cook said. Cook said that she wants to use her degree to volunteer for the Peace Corps in developing countries, like South America, or even Africa to teach there and help out. “I’ve been looking into the Peace Corps just because you get to travel and...help people who need it, Cook said. After last year’s season was canceled due to the pandemic, Cook said that she was excited to play in tournaments again. However, things have been different this year with new regulations, such as wearing masks at tournaments when they are not playing on the court, and social distancing. Instead of high fiving other teammates, the team now cheers each other on from the sidelines. Cook said that they have turned into a “vocal team instead of a physical high five type team.” Cook said her most memorable moment this season was at their first tournament when it was raining and “we were soaking wet”. “We were all on the sidelines, cheering, losing our voices, and it was really fun to be around the team cheering everyone on in that

Basketball:

environment,” Cook said. Cook said her favorite thing about playing for the Beach Bears is playing in pairs. “it’s really fun to really build a bond with that person and play against other teams and see what you need to fix and how to get better,” Cook said. Photo courtesy of ucasports.com Cook has won many matches this season, such as when she Chunxi Xin sends the ball back. Xin helped lead UCA to a big win against Stephen F. Austin. not only won four matches but also had” the second most wins for the team” at the ULM Beach Invitational. However, Cook has also faced losses, such as at Chunxi Xin and Fuka Nonoyama coming from Gledic. Gledic won the NOLA Classic, on the 19th by Ronak Patel Sports Editor and freshmen Maja Gledic and her matches 7-6 and 6-3. where she lost two matches. Sumomo Hamanaga helped UCA UCA’s win is a result of Cook’s biggest supports are UCA Tennis (10-10) is get off to their 2-0 lead. Both the team taking advantage Erickson as well as her mom, duos won their matches with a of their opportunities, “Our sister, aunt and uncle. Cook back to .500 after picking up a 6-1 win over Stephen F. Austin score of 6-3. said that her family was “always success was just giving ourselves UCA’s stellar play carried there to like text me and call me (7-8). opportunities. I think we needed Coming into the weekend, over into the singles. Stephen before game, after game and just to be patient and then go for UCA Tennis was in a two-game F. Austin only picked up one encouraged me.” those opportunities when they point in the singles matches. Meanwhile, “Autumn losing steak and this win over came,” Wharton said. Xin started the singles 1-0, but supports me just by helping me Stephen F. Austin ended that Despite the final score, streak. after the first match was able to get better every day,” Cook said. Headcoach Wharton believes Headcoach Casey Wharton pull off three straight wins. Xin’s At games as well as practices, credits the team’s attitude for scores for the singles were 4-6, this was a tough matchup for his Tall Boy, who is Erickson’s dog ending the losing steak, “Every 6-3 and 6-2. team, “We got some really good who has been dubbed the “team team we play is good, so it is Junior Yada Vasupongchai wins and the score was really mascot”, also supports Cook as not easy to win week in and picked went 2-0 with scores close. The match was very close well as the team. week out, so we just focus on of 6-4. Freshman Jaeun Lee even though the overall score “We love it when she brings controlling the things that we went 2-0 with her victories may not show that. I was very him to practice,” Cook said. can control like our attitudes, coming with scores of 6-2,6proud of how everyone played. 1. Hamanaga narrowly pulled The Beach Bears host a and our effort,” Wharton said. We are on our way back away in both her matches and tournament April 2 and 3 against From the start of the match, and will rest at home and then ended up 2-0; her scores were Hendricks, North Alabama, “and UCA looked dominant. UCA play Corpus on Thursday,” started 2-0 after picking up wins 6-4 and 7-5. UCA finished the possibly an exhibition game Wharton said to ucasports.com in the doubles. Sophomores tournament with a pair of wins against UALR,” Erickson said. “I’m so excited….because we only get one a year,” Cook said.

Tennis ends two-game losing streak

Golf :

Trigg ends season with double-double

4 Continued from page 9

47-55. “Winning the conference tournament was our goal, although this did not happen there were many successes throughout the tournament. We earned a “by” for the first round, and then went on to win 2 games to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament,”

Soccer:

Dominguez said. “We played an amazing game against a very well coached SFA team. I believe that as a team we learned a lot from this tournament and we grew as players and individuals.” Even with the season coming to an end, the Sugar Bears can look back on a great season and look forward to the

upcoming season in the fall.

Runge credits improved practice for successful showing

4 Continued from page 9

my swings.” Griffith said, “I think my biggest goal is to not forget

that growth is a process. I need to continue to fight for progress even when there is

failure. I also am focusing on being aggressive from point 1 to 21.”

Dominguez said, “the season was definitely one to remember, I am super excited that we are

TALL BOY SERVES AS MASCOT

heading over to the ASun, and can’t wait to see all of our fans and supporters, you guys mean the absolute world to us!”

Bears’ defense solid throughout the game

4 Continued from page 9

“I think overall our defense was solid throughout the game aside from the one goal,” Schawl said. UCA had 12 shots, six shot-ongoals, four saves, 13 fouls, five corner shots and one offside during the game. Virginia, on the other hand, had eight shots, five shot-ongoals, six saves, six fouls, six corner shots and no offsides. In the first period, UCA had six shots and two corners while

Virginia had one shot, three saves and one goal. The second period consisted of six shots, four saves, three corners shots and one foul for UCA. Virginia, in the second period, had seven shots, three saves and six corner shots. 301 people attended the game, which started at 5 p.m. and ended at 7 p.m. Schawl said that a 1:0 loss was “a tough pill to swallow.”

Beach Bears: 4 Continued from page 9

shot 83. In round three, Irving shot an 86. In total, Irving finished with a shot total of 241. Irving finished (+28) twenty eight over par. The overall winner of the tournament was Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, who shot (+6) six over par for the entire event. Zak Butt of SIUE won the individual

“All the boys here are upset, frustrated, but all of that just goes towards our next game, and we just work hard and train and focus on the next game,” Schawl said. The UCA Men’s Soccer team will play against Missouri State on April 3 at the Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex.

Griffith improving aggressiveness

category, shooting (-6) six under par for the tournament. UCA Men’s Golf Head Coach Steve Runge told UCA Sports, “We have been playing well in practice lately, so it’s nice to have a solid finish. I’m very happy for Miles Smith and Josh Turnock for their good play as they finished tied for ninth and tied for 12th,

respectively. We are looking forward to our next event at the University of Missouri in a couple of weeks.”. UCA’s next golf event will be April 5 in Columbia, Missouri for the Tiger Invitational hosted by the University of Missouri. The event will be at The Club at Old Hawthorne.

Photo by Lindzie Lunsford

Kayla Cook (left) and Headcoach Autumn Erickson (right) take a photo with Tall Boy, Erickson’s dog. Tall Boy is considered the mascot of the team.