THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER
SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE
WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 Volume 116 — Issue 3
ucanews.live TODAY’S FORECAST CONWAY
Entertainment:
Campus Life:
Sports:
Bears at the Ballot: Voter registration available on campus.
Football: UCA bears vs. UAB Blazers.
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New Release: The Pale Door film.
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Present, future conditions of construction on UCA’s campus
Mostly sunny
90/70 THE NEWSDESK FROM THE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Khashoggie receives justice
The eight defendants in former journalist Jamal Khashoggie’s death have been sentenced in Saudi Arabia. Five of the defendants were sentenced to twenty years in prison. One defendant was sentenced to ten years and the other two were sentenced to seven years in prison. Khashoggie was murdered and allegedly dismembered following. The CIA concluded that Bin Salman personally ordered the killing. King Salman has never confessed to this.
N AT I O N A L Baseball legend dies at 81 years old Lou Brock died Sunday at 81 years of age. Brock was known as the “Stolen Base Specialist” because of his statistics during his 19 years of playing in the MLB. 16 of the years he spent in the MLB were spent playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock is one of only 32 in the league that has hit more than 3,000 and he holds the title for the second most stolen bases in MLB history.
Wildfires rage through California Dozens of people were trapped at Mammoth Pool Campground in Northern California due to one of the three wildfires that struck the state on Labor Day Weekend. Campers were forced to seek shelter. Police reported no injuries.
S TAT E
Huckabee Sanders will promote new book in Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders has officially released her book “Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside of the Trump White House.” This book allowed her to share her side of the story while working in the Trump administration. Her book is among 1,200 books written about Donald Trump since he first began his presidency in 2016. Sanders will start promoting in Arkansas during her book tour. Sanders also dedicated a chapter of her book to Arkansas.
WHAT’S AHEAD IN OUR NEXT ISSUE UCA football is recieving national attention.
ByDelaneyVanWilpe News Editor
This fall semester, the University of Central Arkansas is undergoing positive additions with the Donaghey improvement project, the Lewis Science Annex, the Integrated Health Science building and more to come. More recently, the university has completed a storm shelter at Bear Village, three fraternity houses on Donaghey avenue, a National Panhellenic Council house and five gravel parking lots with one more to come in the next couple months. Physical Plant Director Larry Lawrence said that currently, the Lewis Science Annex is near completion and the Integrated Health Science Building is halfway finished and expected to be done fall 2021.. The more visible work being done on campus is the “Donaghey improvement project” being done by the City of Conway. This project will span from Dave Conway construction worker is on the job along Donaghey avenue Sept. Ward drive to Prince street currently in its first phase and is expected to be completed August 2021. and will be done in phases. The Donaghey Street “Most utility companies complete the first phase of have completed the utility the project,” Conway City project is currently in its first phase and is expected to be relocations necessary to Engineer Finley Vinson said.
decrease despite housing increases by Kennadi Harris Entertainment Editor
For the fiscal year of 20202021, UCA has decided to cut pay for residential assistants. According to UCA’s operating budget for 20202021, UCA’s base state appropriating budget line has decreased by $7,229,921. This decrease is in response to the economic shut down related to COVID-19.The largest portion of the decrease is attributed to a reduction in projected registration revenue of $5,542,021, which is based on a projected decrease in enrollment of 5%. The budget now totals $185,318,864, which is $14,171,192 or 7.10% less than the October revised budget. In the budget book, it says that there has been “significant adjustments within existing budgets, mainly focusing on salaries, fringe and M&O.” The exact salary amount for residence halls were not listed. Despite the cuts to salaries in housing, the budget also reports that there has been a 5% increase in room and board. Normally, resident assistants are paid based on the amount of housing but this reduction in pay doesn’t equate the cost of housing this semester. This decision has left many resident assistants confused and frustrated. An anonymous source that works in housing says this payment deduction is unfair. “I thought that the decision was kind of out of left field… there wasn’t really a lot of discussion, they kind of just made us choose getting lower pay or not having a job at all. I thought that was kind of unfair,” anonymous said. The normal duties of an RA include making rounds around the dorms, hosting programs, office hours and ensuring their residents are safe and comfortable.
However, this semester due to COVID-19, resident assistants are asked to enforce precautions to keep their residents safe. “We have to make sure that everyone is wearing a mask while inside. We have to ensure that there aren’t any outside guests in the building. We have to make sure everyone is being safe and sanitary,” anonymous said. Anonymous says this has kind of made the job tougher. Along with the new tasks RAs have to take on, some RAs have to take on more tasks due to a shortage of staff. “In the entirety of residents and housing life there are so many of us that have left,” Anonymous said. The anonymous source also explains that in their residence hall there are no male RAs, making it difficult for staff to oversee and assist the male side of the dorms. “It’s stressful but these kids really need help. I feel like we are the only people that are close enough to do anything about it and even then it’s very difficult to help them when they need it,” Anonymous said. Former resident assistant for Hughes Hall and senior, Remington Gonser, says that given the duties of being an RA, this payment cut is not right. “I feel like the school definitely has funding somewhere that we could probably put into housing. Housing is probably one of the most important parts of campus, especially for freshman students,” Gonser said. He says that according to friends of his still in housing, the current state of housing is really bad and can be mentally draining. “I know that the RAs and [peer coaches] that are still working are really trying their best and they could use a lot of support right now,” Gonser said.
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Performing Arts building is expected to begin construction soon and will be opened fall 2022. “All of the projects are exciting both to start and even more so to see them completed and be used,” Lawrence said. In the future, the City of Conway plans to add a crosswalk on south Donaghey avenue near the AETN building. This crosswalk will include two R920-F for a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon on both sides of the road. The RRFB is powered by solar energy and is activated through sensors or push buttons. The dates to begin this addition were not disclosed. “Anytime there is a construction project, there is always likely going to be some amount of inconvenience. After all, UCA is a busy place with many occupants here every day,” Lawrence said. “That said, you have to photo by Delaney Van Wilpe go through that minor 3. The Donaghey improvement project is inconvenience to get what is on the other side. By that I mean a new building or a new road, or a new parking completed August 2021. Additionally, the lot etc. In a sense, it is the new Windgate Fine and price we pay for progress.”
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photo courtesy of nbcnews.com
The weather radar shows Hurricane Laura on the coast of Louisiana Aug. 27. Laura made landfall as a category 4 storm. The impacts of Laura hit Conway Aug. 28.
City of Conway experiences minor damages after tropical storm Laura ByAndrewMcMahan Staff Writer
Hurricane Laura found her way to the Natural State after landfalling on the Louisiana coast near Lake Charles on Thursday, Aug. 27. Laura and her treacherous conditions arrived in Conway on Friday, Aug. 28. Conway recorded 3.09 inches of rain that Friday. The highest wind gust Conway recorded was 53 miles per hour. Conway also recorded multiple wind gusts during the afternoon ranging from 35-45 miles per hour. Some lost power in the area for short periods of time, as the consistent gusty
winds led to a few electrical transformers blowing. The storm brought a plethora of limb damage and a handful of trees falling in the Conway area. “A fallen tree temporarily blocked thru traffic on Duncan Street near Conway High School,” City of Conway Spokesperson Bobby Kelly III said. “One minor was transported to the hospital after a tree fell on a house on Simms Street.” The University of Central Arkansas did not experience any major exterior damage from the tropical storm. However, Physical Plant Director Larry Lawrence found the university sustainted some
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minor damages, “Minor limbs and debris on the grounds area. Nothing major. We also had several small leaks and one major leak at the basement of the Student Center,” Lawrence said. Lawrence elaborated that the ongoing construction around campus was affected by the storm, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for them. Lawrence said, “Very small hindrance. Usually on exterior work, on rain days no work occurs. These days are built into the contract. Interior work tends to continue on regardless of
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