Issue 9, Volume 118 -- November 2, 2022

HOMECOMING ISSUE

NOVEMBER

GisselleHernandez, NelsonOmolonamed queen,kingofUCA

Homecoming Queen Gisselle Hernandez and Homecoming King Nelson Omolo pose after being crowned at Estes Stadium Oct. 29. The two were crowned at the UCA homecoming football game during halftime.

BY KATHRYN THORNBERRY

Sta Writer Senior Gisselle Hernandez was crowned queen of homecoming, alongside her king, Nelson Omolo on Saturday, Oct. 29. Gisselle is the frst Latina Homecoming queen in UCA history.

“I feel so excited. I was honestly just excited to get nominated,” Hernandez said. “I’m a transfer student so I thought this wasn’t even possible.”

Omolo was also surprised to receive the crown but was thankful he did.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m super excited and super thankful for everybody,” Omolo said. “I don’t know, it’s just a bunch of emotions, to be honest. I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t know how to put it into words.”

The pair are the frst to be crowned as a Latina and African American queen and king. “I’m representing the Latino community,” Hernandez said. “I’d be the frst Latina homecoming queen so that just makes me really excited.”

Hernandez thanked her sorority

sisters, the members of Alpha Sigma Tau, for nominating her and for being there for her throughout the process.

“They’ve been so supportive and they’re the ones who have calmed my nerves during this time, so I’m really thankful for them,” Hernandez said.

On her Instagram, Hernandez said, “To Alpha Tau, without your support I know this would not be possible.”

Omolo also thanked the organization that nominated him for Homecoming royalty, the Nursing Student Association, and the

people who voted for him. “There’s also a lot of pivotal people throughout my college experience that I’d like to thank for giving me information, advice and leadership,” Omolo said.

On his Instagram, Omolo said, “Queen Gisselle, the love and passion that you have for everyone has and will never go unnoticed and I cannot be more proud of you. We have such similar goals in life, and I’ll always do anything I can to make sure you reach them.”

Hernandez said on her Instagram, “To

Nelson, you were one of the frst people on staff that I was able to relate to on a personal level. You are a gift to this campus and I am grateful for your friendship. To be able to hold this title alongside you is a great privilege.”

Hernandez and Omolo were both a part of the Student Orientation Staff.

While Hernandez is a transfer student from Clinton, Omolo moved to Conway when he was seven. He attended Conway public schools and said the community of Conway raised him. He will attend UCA for

one more year. “I’m in my frst year, my senior year, with nursing school. So I’ll have another year after this,” Omolo said.

As for the queen, Hernandez is premed and a senior at UCA. She transferred from the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.

“I was ready to be at a four-year university and it wasn’t too far from home,” Hernandez said. Her goal is to be an ER physician. She said being crowned homecoming queen was a memory she will hold on to forever.

HOMECOMING:

Fall Fest offers rides, food, art for UCA students

NEWS: Fuel costs hit city’s first responders

4 page 5

4 page 7

SPORTS:

Football Bears beat Lions 64-29 at homecoming

4 page 11

(Left) Homecoming Princess senior Anastasia Coleman (left) and senior Ryan Jones walk at the UCA Homecoming coronation.

(Middle) Homecoming Queen Gisselle Hernandez (left) hugs 2021 Homecoming Queen Savannah Jessup (right).

2021 Homecoming King Tyler Cox (left) presents the crown to Homecoming King Nelson Omolo (right). The homecoming coronation was held at Estes Stadium during the football game’s halftime.

photo by Madison Ogle

CAMPUS LIFE: Frank Warren shares journey of PostSecret

photos by Madison Ogle

FALL FEST BLOCK IS HOT

GREEK STEP SHOW

photos by Madison Ogle, Courtney Shepherd, Delaney Van Wilpe, Torrie Herrington, Mia Waddell, Julia Trantham

e Block is Hot’ opens homecoming, sets atmosphere of week’s celebrations

BY DELANEY VAN WILPE

Entertainment Editor

The Block is Hot, hosted by the Students For the Propagation of Black Culture, kicked off UCA Homecoming Week to boost student camaraderie at the Crafton Alumni Pavilion Oct. 23.

“Events like this, especially at the beginning of Homecoming Week, I believe, are essential,” associate director of the Offce of Diversity and Community Tajardo Hudson said. “They help set the tone for the week [and] get students and faculty and staff excited.”

SPBC and the Offce of Diversity and Community normally team up to put on the annual Greek Show, but they decided to throw an earlier event to make students get “in the spirit of homecoming,”

Angela Jackson, director of the Offce of Diversity of Community and homecoming committee member, said.

Angela Jackson said they originally planned to do a bonfre in place of The Block is Hot but had to call it off due to the Faulkner County burn ban, which was issued by County Judge Jim Baker Sept. 26.

“This is our frst time throwing this event, normally we would only have our Homecoming Greek Show during homecoming week but we thought having a block party would be a fun way to kick off Homecoming Week,” junior Imani Mbong, SPBC publicist, said.

Unlike the Greek Show, which encourages alumni involvement, the Block is

Hot mainly targeted current students.

“Homecoming is about our alumni, right? But it’s also about our students,” Hudson said. “Events like these are one’s for our students to get them excited for homecoming because alumni [are] going to be excited regardless.”

DJ Dooley commanded the event with music, dance competitions and a couple games of musical chairs. The competitive events included three games of musical chairs — one where the players had to fnd a specifc item before sitting down — and dance competitions versus Dooley and between other attendees.

The winners of the competitions were awarded money and other free giveaways provided by the UCA Bookstore and the Offce of Diversity and Community. The Offce of Diversity and Community provided free Block is Hot T-shirts to all attendees and food.

Dancers United performed at the event. Unlike last year, they did not have the opportunity to perform at the Homecoming Pep Rally this fall.

Fall Fest thrills community

BY COURTNEY SHEPHERD Opinion Editor

Those who saw the enormous, yellow Zero Gravity ride peeking over top of the trees Wednesday, Oct. 26, may have focked to the HPER parking lot, along with students from every corner of campus, to enjoy the annual fan-favorite event, Fall Fest.

This year’s Fall Fest, organized by the Student Activities Board, featured a variety of activities, smack dab in the middle of every Bear’s favorite week — homecoming.

Students spun to their heart’s desire on the Dizzy Dragons and the Tornado, eliciting screams and laughter heard across the lot. They also stood in long lines for a Butt Sketch booth and food, but according to senior Brianna Moseley, it was all worth the wait.

“I waited in lines for the spray paint art piece and the guitar pick keychain. Both were worthwhile because free art is a luxury to me,” Moseley said. “The spray paint art booth was my favorite. It was incredible to watch.”

Moseley said the music and activities provided a fun atmosphere for students. “My favorite aspect of Fall Fest was the overall sense of community. A lot of people decided to come out,” she said. “All of the booths seemed cohesive.”

Moseley also got the opportunity to eat from some of the vendors scouted by SAB.

“I ate the elote at the Las Delicias booth, it was perfect. I also had some funnel cake, which was equally amazing,” she said.

the start of the semester.

“We start by looking at what we did last year and asking ourselves what we can do to improve it,” Massingill said. “From there, we start looking at what vendors we want, and even carnival rides. We spend weeks looking at the vendors and DIYs to make sure we get something that the students will enjoy. It really takes everyone on board to make this happen.”

Every year, members of SAB go to the National Association for Campus Activities conference, where they are able to see performances by different comedians, singers and vendors, Massingill said.

“After different showcases, they hold what is called the Marketplace. There, we get to meet the acts we saw and look at what companies have for DIYs,” he said. When they return, everyone shares the vendors they liked the most and the team narrows it down from there.

“I feel as though most students are excited about the carnival rides,” Massingill said. “Those stay busy from the moment they open to when they close.”

Students had unlimited, free access to rides like Zero Gravity, the Sizzler, Dizzy Dragons and the Tornado, as well as a

“We like to bring [Dancers United] into the mix to get them some exposure,” Hudson said.

“They are open to anybody, but they are one of our minority dance groups so we like to give them the opportunity to show all their hard work.”

Hudson said their performance at the Block is Hot is also a way to “hopefully get more people to join.”

The event excited SGA freshman class representatives Tymera Marsh and Lyric Williams

for the rest of homecoming. After attending The Block is Hot, they said they plan on going to everything that Homecoming Week has to offer.

Senior Deanna Jackson, SPBC member, said this was a great event to “get everybody out of the house, get everybody pumped and ready for Homecoming Week, because most folks just stay in and wait for a party to kick off at night, whereas this is something safe, on campus where you can come have fun with your friends.”

Homecoming parade returns a er a decade

BY MIA WADDELL Associate Editor

Bears took to the streets for the frst time in a decade to celebrate the homecoming parade, outftted by classic cars, the homecoming court and registered student organizations wielding candy.

Jacob Ternes, co-chair of the homecoming committee’s student life division, planned the comeback.

“I’ve been here since 2020 and I know that we haven’t had a parade

since then. I think in 2018 and 2019 they had a little bit of a bigger Bear Walk on game day, but having a standalone parade like this … it was about 10 years ago they did that,” Ternes said.

This year’s Homecoming Week was all about bringing back tradition, with the return of the parade and a much bigger Fall Fest. Despite excitement growing over the parade, a cold snap and high winds dimmed the comeback.

Ternes said, “We were worried that our crowd was going to be affected by the cooler temperatures and the

GOOD EATS

a student her card. Ten food trucks gathered on campus for a celebratory festival. Students voiced desire for more food trucks on campus.

Bears eat local at Food Truck Fest

BY DELANEY VAN WILPE

Entertainment Editor

UCA hosted its frst Food Truck Festival in tandem with Homecoming Week which prompted a desire for more events like this on campus.

“It would be pretty awesome if we could have food trucks more often,” senior Alexis Mosely said.

Ten food trucks attended the festival: Smackin’ Wings & Things, Joyful Baking Co., Taqueria Don Manny, Hibachill, Wade’s BBQ, Kingdom Made Treats, Juice Me Up, Dee’s Soulfood, Nach’yo Nachos and Fry Fry Crazy.

Las Delicias also participated but they did not have a truck. They

normally operate out of their store at 1815 Old Morrilton Hwy in Conway. They provided Popsicles and street corn, a fraction of their normal menu, under a tent at the festival.

Francisco “Frank” Yanez, owner of Las Delicias, said his store participated at the food truck festival to “give a little taste to the students, something different.”

Sophomore Faith Wentz said, “It’s pretty cool … that [UCA] thought about bringing them out to give us more opportunity to try out different things.”

Nadia Eslinger, associate director for Student Success and former

wind. I think that happened to a certain extent, you know, not as many community groups came out to watch.”

The parade had a total of 25 entries, but Ternes estimated a total turnout of 22.

“We had a couple that had to pull out today, like the reigning homecoming queens from the previous decades. Unfortunately, none of them were able to join us today,” Ternes said.

Ternes said the turnout was

Though Moseley favored the spray paint booth, Fall Fest had many other activities to offer to students, including the Photo Boxx, balloon art and bracelets, digital caricatures, henna and letter art, street signs, name license plates, tie-dye shirts and wire writing.

Junior Robert Massingill, the president of SAB, said this year’s turnout was amazing. “We estimate that around 2,000 people showed up. We had more people attend this year than we did last year,” Massingill said. “So, I defnitely feel as though the community was more excited.”

Junior Caleb Watson attested to this.

“I liked the environment because everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves,” Watson said.

Watson said the event was a good opportunity to put yourself out there and make new friends. “I didn’t interact with any of the booths, but I did get a really small funnel cake. It was good, I just wish I had another one right about now.”

Massingill said the organization begins planning for events like Fall Fest at

ropes course, called Fear Factory. “I went on two rides,” Watson said. “I really enjoyed them. I can’t tell you what they were called, but I do know they were fun.”

Massingill was happy with the outcome of the festival. “For everything we planned for this year, I feel as though everything went perfectly.”

Watson agreed, with one small complaint. “I think it was planned well. I just wish they had corn dogs.”

BBQ heats up Bruce

Street

BEAR PRIDE

Pep rally cultivates spirit going into homecoming

BY JULIA TRANTHAM Sta Writer

Crowded into the Farris Center arena, many students gathered Oct. 24 for the pep rally kicking off the beginning of homecoming festivities.

Junior Jeromy Hunt is president of Bear Den and was in charge of many homecoming events throughout the week.

Hunt said he was looking forward to Homecoming Week since last spring and has had meetings biweekly to plan the festivities.

“It’s been a long time,” Hunt said.

“I sat down with my executive board and talked about the games or what we’re going to have, who was going to do what and when and how it was going to be done. Then present it to the committee making sure that everything we’re doing aligns with UCA guidelines and making sure everyone is in a welcoming community and just having a good time because everybody knows that the homecoming pep rally is just that.”

Hunt said he couldn’t choose a favorite part of the pep rally.

“Even though I emceed tonight, it was still a surreal moment,” Hunt said.

“When you plan an event and you can sit back and watch it work and everything

goes smoothly without a hitch, it just makes you feel good.”

Hunt’s experiences in Bear Den have all led up to this week’s celebrations and he feels that it is only the beginning.

“You always want to grow from where you started,” Hunt said. “We’ve already started planning and getting ready for next year. We plan to go bigger and better.”

Hunt said that this year’s events have already proven to be better in various ways.

“This is one of the frst real pep rallies that we’ve had since COVID happened,” Hunt said. “Last year, we had an in-person pep rally, but it really wasn’t inclusive. This year we wanted to get back to that student involvement aspect of it, so this year we did what we could and next year, we will be awesome.”

President Houston Davis began the event with a speech, kicking off the event. He said he loves the planning of each event by the students.

“I love that it’s student conceived, student implemented,” Davis said. “The students get to contribute and then it’s hard to go wrong with it being something that isn’t enjoyable. I think if the staff were just planning things out, it would take on the personalities of the

staff.”

Davis said that his favorite part of the pep rally was the minigames that were scattered throughout.

“Everybody likes to be a little kid again, and all the games allow that to come through,” Davis said.

Davis said that the minigames gave a view of the large variety of students that the campus has.

“I think when you do silly things like that, it allows everyone to kind of say ‘hey, we have a really diverse student body,’” Davis said. “They probably saw people out on the foor playing a game and they’d never seen that person before and they’re like ‘that’s a really interesting person. I want to get to know them’ … that’s the good that comes from that.”

Davis said that a lot of spirit came from the cheer team and the band.

“They contribute a lot to our campus spirit,” Davis said. “It’s hard to go wrong without saying that those could be favorites too.”

Davis said that the students that participated in the run for homecoming court are really brave.

“We’ll be crowning the homecoming queen and they’ll be

COMEBACK

photos by Delaney Van Wilpe and Madison Ogle

(Top) Attendees of The Block is Hot dance at the Crafton Alumni Pavilion. (Bottom) Students video a dance battle. The event was held by the Students for the Propagation of Black Culture Oct. 23.

photo by Madison Ogle

An attendee smiles while on a ride at Fall Fest in the HPER parking lot Oct. 26. The event was held by the Student Activities Board.

photo by Madison Ogle

A slow roasted pig is served at the UCA Homecoming tailgate on Bruce Street Oct. 29. The tailgate was dampered by rain, not seeing as many participants as usual.

photo by Delaney Van Wilpe

A Wade’s BBQ worker hand’s

See Comeback - page 4

photo by Courtney Shepherd

(Left) Ricardo Guevara and (right) Lizzie Langston ride along in the homecoming parade as part of the homecoming court. The parade was held on Oct. 25 and started on Western Avenue, went down Bruce Street and circled through campus.

Eats- page 4

Kappa Alpha Psi grabs rst place at annual Greek Step Show

BY EMILY KENNARD

Online Editor

The brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi grooved, stepped and stomped their way toward a $1,500 check at the Homecoming Greek Step Show competition Oct. 28 at UCA’s Farris Center, and gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones made a surprise appearance.

The fraternity performed 1977-themed skits and dances to honor its original members, complete with matching afros, lettered sweater vests and bell-bottom khakis.

“We’re coming up on our 45th-year anniversary, and we kind of just wanted to pay a little tribute to our chartermen as well as our older brothers in the chapter,” senior Ryan Jones said.

The brothers had no shortage of prop usage, as they danced with canes and threw rose petals.

After their performance, emcee Jay Dukes introduced gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones.

“He’s a Black man,” Dukes said. “He paid for his own ticket. He didn’t even get a free ticket. He came to support what y’all have going on.”

Five National Pan-Hellenic Council member organizations, three fraternities and two sororities competed for cash prizes and trophies, each having themed performances that involved percussive mixes of hand claps, footsteps and chants.

The Delta Sigma Theta sisters also put on a second-place performance where sisters came down with “red fever,” a reference to the sorority’s crimson color.

A sister in red scrubs led the patients through stepping routines to cure them, and the sorority

Comeback:

4 Continued from page 3 “not too bad. A good place to start for future years.”

Ebony Models, a registered student organization dedicated to promoting a “spirit of cooperativeness … while increasing self-confidence,” according to their page on CubConnect, was excited to participate in the parade.

Vice President Brennan Price said, “We thoroughly enjoyed the parade. It felt great to be a part of something so fun and memorable for Ebony models and UCA.”

Ebony Models was not an RSO during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this appearance was a welcomed return for the group. Price said, “It feels great to be back.”

incorporated fashing red lights as defbrillators into its routine.

Senior Diamond Brown, who played a patient in the performance, said she felt great after winning

Parade returns to campus

Members of its executive board rode in the back of a pickup truck, posed for cameras and held signs promoting the organization.

“Our ride was provided by [my family],” Price said. “A few of the executive members worked on our sign overnight.”

Other participants in the parade included Greek life organizations, the 2022 homecoming court, IDEAL freshman leadership, UCA’s ROTC and the UCA band.

The parade route began on Western Avenue and snaked through campus, where residence halls organized watch parties.

“They sponsored watch parties out in front of a couple of different halls; Arkansas

Bear Pride:

4 Continued from page 3 representing the university for the next year,” Davis said. “In that way, this sort of represents this student body for the next year [and it is a] truly great thing to do to put yourself out there.”

Davis said he admired the support for each candidate as they were announced.

“I love that as the names were called, there were people here in this arena that cheered

Hall and Conway Hall, and then in front of the student center. That was right in the heart of campus” Ternes said.

Ternes said homecoming is important not only for current students but to involve alumni with the growing and changing campus community.

“We’re trying to build memories for students so that they can have a good time and they want to come home in the future. We’re trying to create a vibrant campus atmosphere so alumni want to come home to visit,” Ternes said. “So we can make our students happy, get them excited to come back in the future as alumni, and get to keep our alumni happy to continue coming back to support our students.”

Students play games

for everybody,” Davis said. “You know, certainly everybody had one that they were here to cheer for, and I loved it in general, but everybody gave good applause who came out. That’s fun, because, in the end, we’re all bears.”

Davis said that the pep rallies at UCA are different solely due to the overall unity students bring.

STYLE

“I think that students are more open to come to events like this to allow themselves to have fun and to maybe be a part of the bigger community,” Davis said. “I think the community can come together in a really fun way and I love being president during an era where that’s possible with our student body and everyone seems to have fun with it.”

Ebony Models return for fashion show

BY SYDNEY AMBRUS

Sta Writer

Students and faculty gathered in the Ronnie Williams Student Center Amphitheater to watch the return of Ebony Models’ homecoming fashion show, after taking a hiatus due to COVID-19.

Ebony Models is a UCA modeling group that aims to “foster unity among college students and to promote spirit of cooperativeness,” according to their CubConnect page.

Music was provided by DJ P. Smooth of Power 92 Jams at the Oct. 27, event.

The show consisted of three segments sponsored by Old Navy and Cori Bleu Boutique. The three segments were: Night Out, Denim and Monochrome.

The show was flled with fashion ideas for students to use and mimic over the homecoming weekend.

“I hope students take different fashion expressions as a guide to style their own outfts,” senior Ebony Models President Adriane Asumugha said.

The night-out segment consisted of high heels, bodycon dresses, knee-high boots and other party clothes.

The denim segment showcased several ways to wear denim beyond the typical t-shirt and jeans. The monochrome segment showcased outfts using one color.

“We created this event for people to be able to express themselves, showcase their

talents, have fun and inspire people,” senior Ebony Models historian Agatha Asumugha said.

Ebony Models offers a space for all UCA students who want to model, learn new things about fashion and gain newfound confdence in themselves.

“I hope students are able to be more confdent and express themselves. I also hope students get to bond with new people,” senior Ebony Models Vice President Brennan Price said.

The students have been practicing with Ebony Models for months in preparation for the event. Several of the students were frst-time models who enjoyed getting to debut their talents.

“This was my frst time

$1,000 with her sisters.

“I think my sorority put on a great performance.

I think we worked very hard, and all the other sororities or fraternities did well as well,” Brown

said.

She said research and practice made up a lot of the routine’s preparation.

“We brainstormed a lot of steps. We watched YouTube videos to get some ideas and we just kind of went with the fow,” Brown said.

In matching jumpsuits, the Phi Beta Sigma brothers secured third place and a $500 prize with an ex-convict-themed routine.

Ryan Jones said that he was proud to win frst place with his fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi and that the chapter was going to celebrate.

“Just to know we’ve been putting in so much work since August just to come out on top, it just feels amazing,” Jones said. “We’re gonna go back and have a good time.” Jones said the brothers would put their prize money to good use.

“We plan to take [the $1,500] and put it into the chapter as well as fnd out different ways we could use it and put it back into our community,” Jones said.

The Offce of Diversity and Community, with the help of the NPHC and Students for the Propagation of Black Culture, put the Friday night event on.

Angela Jackson, director of the Offce of Diversity and Community, said about 1,700 guests attended, and that each NPHC organization chose a judge.

The judges compared the groups’ introductions, themes, attire, choreography and synchronization, vocal clarity, complexity and enthusiasm, as well as their overall performances and the crowd’s reaction

Kappa Sigma runs ball home

BY WILL MCDONALD Assistant News Editor

Before UCA ran up the score against North Alabama, Kappa Sigma ran a football from the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock to the Estes Stadium Stripes in a 33 mile homecoming game-day relay.

President Houston Davis was with his Kappa Sigma brothers on the Capitol steps at 5:30 a.m. to run the frst leg of the relay.

“It’s a neat concept for them to be able to take [the game ball] from the Capitol to here at midfeld in Estes Stadium. It’s a great tradition on homecoming, I’m glad to know that they do it,” Davis said.

Sophomore Kappa Sigma member Zack Benham ran four legs of the relay. “I had to get it going. … I started there [in the Capitol] with President Davis and then ran another three legs in Maumelle,” Beham said.

About the frst leg with President Davis, Benham said, “Well, you know, I let him win.” Davis laughed and said, “Yeah, I think they were

probably being nice to me because their young legs can defnitely move a lot faster than mine, but I kept up with them”

32 members of Kappa Sigma participated in the 33 mile relay. The members ran through the rainy weather, fnishing the relay in roughly four hours.

Sophomore Kappa Sigma member Omar Franco organized the event. “The relay is a fundraiser for the military heroes campaign. The money raised from the relay will go to those who serve and can’t support themselves. We raised a little over $800. I am proud of all the guys that showed up and participated,” Franco said.

Sophomore Eli Calvert ran one leg of the relay in Maumelle. “Our philanthropy is military heroes, and I grew up with military heroes, so I don’t mind being out here in the rain for our military heroes,” Calvert said.

Sophomore Brad Lewis, Kappa Sigma’s president, ran in the frst leg of the relay, “I was excited to support the cause. We wanted to make sure to come out and continue this tradition, even

through the rain. It made me really excited that other people were also, not only willing, but excited to get out, show their support and wake up at the crack of dawn and get to the Capitol by 5:30 in the morning,” Lewis said.

The game day relay has become a homecoming tradition. It was not able to continue during the pandemic, but it resumed last year. The event is a part of Kappa Sigma’s philanthropy.

President Davis is a Kappa Sigma alum, “I was a Kappa Sig as an undergrad and I’m still obviously an alum. So certainly, I’m proud of all of our Greek organizations, but this group knows if they need somebody to run a mile out of 32, they know they’re going to jerk at my heartstrings to defnitely run that mile,” Davis said.

“I just appreciate that it’s entirely their initiative to do this. I think it’s great, and then add that they’re raising money for veterans and military organizations, I mean, really we’re proud to be affliated with something like that,” Davis said.

Good Eats: Locals lunch on campus

4 Continued from page 3 president of Staff Senate, organized the festival.

As former Staff Senate president, Eslinger was working on making a festival happen last year.

“I was not able to get it off the ground last year, so I revisited the idea this year,” Eslinger said. “Fortunately, we have a new general manager with Aramark who was very open to the idea of a food truck festival.”

modeling and I honestly really enjoyed it,” freshman QueNasia McCrary said.

“I am so blessed to have this opportunity because it’s getting me out of my shell.”

Sophomore Demetrius Foreman was inspired by Ebony Models’ executive board.

“After seeing the Ebony Models executive board’s passion about modeling I thought I’d give it a try. They never let us down because they taught and guided us all the way to the amazing show we put on.”

Senior Tre Bizzell described the fashion show as interesting, intriguing and successful.

Ebony Models next fashion show is Dec. 1 where they will showcase a winter wardrobe.

Eslinger and Joshua Gorham, general manager of Aramark, brainstormed the event to create an environment for faculty, staff and students to mingle.

“A lot of UCA faculty and staff eat lunch in our offces or break rooms with only the people in our offces,” Eslinger said. “I wanted to create opportunities for faculty, staff and students to get outside and enjoy a meal together … We had a meeting and [Gorham] was all for fnding ways to get faculty and staff out of their offces for meals.”

Eslinger’s goal for having the event during Homecoming Week was to open up the homecoming experience to the entire UCA community.

“I think there is a misconception that homecoming is just for students,” Eslinger said. “It is not. It is for the entire campus. This event will get a lot of faculty and staff out of their offces and celebrating homecoming together with our awesome students.”

Not only was the event designed to boost community camaraderie but it also boosted Conway’s local businesses.

“Food trucks are a really great way to enjoy great food and support local businesses,” Eslinger said. “I’ve been wanting to do something like

this for a while, I’m just really happy we made it happen this year.”

Some UCA band members were also playing music to add to the festival ambience.

Eslinger plans to do a Food Truck Festival next homecoming and urged other local businesses to get involved.

“We reached out to almost 30 food trucks and from the ones who were available that day we tried to pick a variety of types of food,” Eslinger said. “We hope to do this again next year so any trucks that we couldn’t get this time, we hope to get next time.”

photo by Madison Ogle

photo by Will McDonald

Kappa Sigma holds its annual Homecoming rely Oct. 29. The relay began bright and early 5:30 a.m. at the Little Rock Capitol. Members of Kappa Sigma, inluding Kappa Sigma alumni President Houston Davis.

RELAY

Attendees don the Alpha Kappa Alpha colors: green and pink. The Greek Step Show happens every Homecoming Week and serves as a chance for alumnae and current students to connect over the organization’s traditions.

photo by Maci England

Cheese is poured atop nachos at the food truck festival. The festival was brainstormed last homecoming, but never got of the ground.

photo courtesty of Jada Cooks

Members of Ebony Models show of their styled looks. The show had three categories: night out, denim, and monochrome.

9

ucanews.live

TODAY’S FORECAST

CONWAY

Crowd crush kills 151 in South Korea

A Halloween crowd crush in the Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea, resulted in at least 151 deaths on Saturday, Oct. 29. South Korean offcials said that most of the deaths were women and people in their twenties. The crush happened after a huge crowd pushed their way into a narrow street during Halloween celebrations. Of the victims of the stampede, 19 were foreigners, including people from Iran, Uzbekistan, China and Norway.

Security agencies issue threat advisory

U.S security agencies issued a heightened threat advisory, warning of potential attacks on political candidates, election offcials and offce holders. The advisory was issued on Friday, Oct. 28, the same day Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul was attacked in their home in San Francisco. The security bulletin was issued by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center and the U.S. Capitol Police.

Oldest Bay prisoner released at age 75

On Saturday, Oct. 29, the Department of Defense announced that Saifullah Paracha, a 75-year-old man from Pakistan was returned home. Paracha was kept imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay without charge for 18 years after he was arrested in 2003 for his suspected affliation with al-Qaida. According to the Department of Defense, there are still 35 detainees remaining in Guantánamo Bay.

Over 140,000 people voted early in state

More than 140,000 people have voted in Arkansas during the frst four days of early voting. This number is down from the roughly 153,000 early voters who voted in the frst four days of the 2018 midterms. The Secretary of State’s offce predicts that 916,674, or roughly 51%, of the 1.79 million registered voters will vote in Arkansas. In 2018, 852,642 of 1.69 million registered voters cast their ballots in Arkansas.

WHAT’S AHEAD

Candidates participate in Miss UCA scholarship competition.

Campus Life: Year in review with 2021 Homecoming Queen Savannah Jessup.

4 page 7

Entertainment: Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights:’ amazing melodies, poor production.

4 page 10

Sports:

Football: UCA Bears beat North Alabama Lions 64-29 in hoco game.

4 page 11

“This is the first time “This is the first time since I have been chief since I have been chief that I have had to ask that I have had to ask for an increase in the for an increase in the fuel budget. I became fuel budget. I became chief in 2014.” chief in 2014.”

High fuel prices a ect city’s first responders

BY ASHLYN LITTLE Sta Writer

This year’s rise in gas prices hasn’t just taken a toll on everyday drivers, but emergency services too.

In September, both the Conway police and fre departments requested extensions to their annual fuel budgets as a direct result of record-high fuel prices.

The city council passed ordinance O-22-106 on Sept. 13, 2022, to appropriate $100,000 toward the Conway Police Department for fuel for the remainder of the year. Two weeks later on Sept. 27, the council passed ordinance O-22112 to appropriate $40,000 to the Conway Fire Department for fuel for the remainder of the year.

The fuel budget for the police department this year was $270,000 before the department was granted the $100,000 extension. This year’s budget was $70,000 more than the budget for 2021. Even with the increase in the 2022 budget, the amount wasn’t able to suffce in the current economic state, where high gas price records were broken across the state and country.

Lacey Kanipe, public

information offcer for the Conway Police Department, said the department budgets for fuel each year are based on current prices, which usually works well for the department.

“We budget for a certain amount each year and that typically suffces. This amount can fuctuate based on the price of fuel,” Kanipe said.

The fre department’s fuel budget was the same for both 2021 and 2022, sitting at $94,000 before the budget extension.

Both the police and fre departments agreed that there is no other explanation for their fuel budgets not suffcing other than the rising cost of fuel this year.

Fire Chief Mike Winter said, “This is the frst time since I have been chief that I have had to ask for an increase in the fuel budget. I became chief in 2014.”

Aside from the ordinances granting more money to both departments for fuel, they have also each taken measures to adjust for the high cost of fuel in order to still operate properly and keep the community safe.

Kanipe said, “We have

See Fuel - page 6

LECTURE

THE ART OF THE ART OF OF

"You walk out on the "You walk out on the street, and

MONICA STEINBERG MONICA

Candidates for governor debate trans care, media relations, taxes

BY SYDNEY CYR News Editor

Candidates for Arkansas governor, Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Democrat Chris Jones and Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. debated about transgender care, media relations, taxes and more on Friday, Oct. 21.

The debate was hosted by Arkansas PBS at Reynolds Performance Hall on UCA’s campus.

Each candidate is on the ballot for the general election Nov. 8, 2022.

The incumbent for Arkansas governor, Asa Hutchinson, is not running as he has served two consecutive four-year terms. Governors cannot serve over eight years in a 12-year period.

During the debate, each candidate was given one minute to answer a question followed by a 30-second optional rebuttal.

The candidates were asked if they would have sided with Hutchinson’s decision to veto the bill banning transgender care for minors in Arkansas. The legislature later overrode Hutchinson’s veto to enact the law and the ban is now being challenged in court.

Jones and Harrington said they would have sided with the incumbent governor whereas Sanders said she would have supported and signed the initial legislation.

Jones said he would “listen to what the science says and make sure that we’re allowing parents and families to make the key decisions that they need.”

“I don’t question either one of my opponents’

BY BENNETT TINNERMON Editor-in-Chief

UCA alum Monica Steinberg talks ethics of surveillance art

BY MIA WADDELL Associate Editor

Students and faculty explored and debated the ethics of surveillance art in a special lecture by 2022 UCA Young Alumni Award recipient Monica Steinberg.

Eager to hear about Steinberg’s postgraduate work in art history, students and faculty gathered around Steinberg in the Farris Hall presentation room. The lecture, held Oct. 28, focused primarily on surveillance, such as through security cameras and the data mining of online posts. Art, such as Italian artist Paolo Cirio’s, highlights the reimagining and repossession of one’s image.

Steinberg highlighted Cirio’s Street Ghost exhibition, where stills from Google maps were taken and projected onto the sides of buildings. The prints were also shown in museums and a documentary was made about the project.

“These fgures were installed in the same locations where the original image was generated. In other words, real life, a real-world presence was transformed into a virtual one,” Steinberg said. “They’re grainy urban citizens, and they’re the product of this panopticonlike architecture of a society we live in that essentially, you walk out on the street, and the terms and conditions of

See Lecture - page 6

love for their family, I don’t question their desire to make decisions for their children and I wouldn’t question any other Arkansans,” Jones said.

Harrington said the government should not be able to pass laws that regulate people’s personal choices and behaviors.

“We have physicians, we have doctors, imams, psychologists, rabbis, priests that can help those families to make that decision and it is their decision to make, not a politician’s,” Harrington said.

Sanders said the government is responsible for protecting citizens, particularly those who can’t protect themselves, like children.

“We have to do a better job of protecting the kids in this state and, frankly, across the country because kids are not capable of making life-altering decisions like that,” Sanders said.

Jones said although children are not capable of making those decisions, the parents of those children are.

“I trust parents to listen to their physician and make the best decision that they can for their children,” Jones said. “We have to make sure we don’t strip away those powers and rights from parents.”

Harrington said, “Are my children, my children, or do they belong to the government? Who has a better idea of how to take care of your children? Does the government or do you?”

The candidates were asked how much access Arkansas media will have to them as governor.

Sanders said, “Freedom of the press is

See Debate - page 6

FUNDING

The Conway City Council approved the use of federal grant funds to extend the Stone Dam Creek Trail, which has an end beside the UCA tennis courts, along with entering an agreement to contract with S7 Tactical for police training.

The resolution for extending the Stone Dam Creek Trail passed 8-0.

James Walden, the city’s planning and development director, said the extension would reach past the current trailhead, located on South German Lane south of Dave Ward Drive. He said the plan is for the trail to eventually reach Mayfower.

The trail is connected to the ongoing Connect Conway greenway trail project. Connect Conway “aims to build a safe, equitable and accessible transportation system through investment in 15 miles of bike and pedestrian infrastructure,” according to the website conwayarkansas.gov.

The Federal Aid Surface Transportation Block Grant Program will provide 80% of the funding, and Conway’s street sales and use tax will fund the remaining 20%.

There is a maximum award of $400,000 available for design. If the project hits the maximum for design,

then $320,000 would come from the grant and $80,000 from Conway to fund the project.

The agreement with S7 Tactical, “a strategic training corporation offering an extensive line of law enforcement, military and civilian training services,” according to its website, will utilize S7’s training facility for the Conway Police Department.

The resolution passed 8-0.

Mayor Bart Castleberry said “prices came back pretty high” on building a range and that using S7 would be an alternative until a range is built.

Police Chief William Tapley said S7 will not charge for using its facilities for the remainder of the year. Next year, the cost will be $25,000.

The last group of items on the agenda was an annual vote to approve millages, which are taxes on real and personal property that fund different areas.

Castleberry emphasized no increases are being made and the resolutions are something state law requires the city to do every year. He said a headline in the Log Cabin Democrat seemed to suggest there were tax increases, and some people on Facebook read it that way.

“You have my word, there is no increase here and nothing new here,” Castleberry said.

See Funding - page 6

Inside:

graphic by Mia Waddell

graphic by Mia Waddell

6/ November 2, 2022 NEWS uca news.live

Police Beat

Undies raided from Farris Hall dryer

Offcer Kaylob Boykin went to Farris Hall Oct. 24 to investigate a reported incident of stolen laundry. Student Cade Albertson told UCAPD he loaded his laundry into the dryer in Farris Hall around 3:20 p.m.

When Albertson returned roughly an hour later, around 4:25 p.m., to unload his laundry, he noticed that his laundry basket, along with his laundry, was missing from the laundry room. Albertson reported a pair of black jeans, a pair of faded blue jeans, a brown and orange jacket, a puffy white jacket, a blue t-shirt, a black t-shirt, underwear and multiple patterned socks were stolen. Albertson has still not found his stolen clothes. There are no active suspects, according to UCAPD.

Fuel:

Pike re: student charged with arson Group of 20 ght near Conway Hall

On Oct. 8, student Milton Rodriguez and his friends went to the Pike house around 1:30 a.m. According to Rodriguez, there was a verbal altercation when a few Pikes would not let them into the house to use the bathroom after the party ended. Security camera footage shows Rodriguez setting the Pike banner on fre. After Lieutenant Michael Shaw told him about the camera footage, Rodriguez confessed to starting the fre, saying he was upset after he thought he heard a Pike call him “tranny,” but he also says he may have just been under the infuence. Rodriguez was charged with arson, criminal trespassing, criminal mischief, and unlawful burning. The total cost for the estimated repairs to the Pike house is $2,582.04.

Offcer Anthony Tufu responded to a fght involving 20 people outside of Conway Hall Oct. 12 around 11 p.m. When Tufu arrived, the group of people began to disperse. Two females, nonstudents Amaya Reed and Tayari Penn, continued to yell at people inside Conway Hall. They both said Reed’s phone was stolen and was being kept somewhere inside Conway Hall. Reed and Penn continued to yell without cooperating. UCAPD issued them both ban letters, but they didn’t leave until UCAPD threatened to arrest them. Reed and Penn said the stolen phone belonged to student Morgan Rucker. Rucker later reported that there were several guys involved in the fght that she believes to have her phone. Rucker’s phone has not been located.

UCAPD not in need of additional fuel money

4 Continued from page 5 made some internal changes to try and adjust for the cost of fuel, but the safety of the public is our primary mission and any changes made did not affect that goal. Supervisors also send out an email each day listing locations with the lowest fuel prices and each employee is encouraged to visit those locations when in need of fuel.”

Likewise, Winter said the fre department began to make adjustments in April when they noticed gas prices rising and their fuel budget taking a hit.

“We had estimated that we would be able to make it through July or August at the current rate of fuel prices in April. The adjustments in activity were made and we were able to make it through September before exhausting our budget,” Winter said.

Some of the adjustments made within the fre department included reduced training,

pre-fre planning, hydrant maintenance and not allowing department personnel the freedom to grocery shop or go out to eat as they had been before, but instead confning them to the station to save money. Due to recent hot, dry conditions, the fre department has also experienced an increase in calls over the last month.

“We have had numerous responses to grass fres throughout the city during this most recent drought. We had one of our engines get hit on the interstate while battling a grass fre earlier this month. Fortunately, no one was injured,” Winter said. While the city’s frst responders have faced adversity presented by the rising cost of fuel, the University of Central Arkansas’ police department has been lucky enough to dodge these fuel-related problems.

At UCA, fuel for campus police patrol vehicles is funded by the university’s access and security fee. This fee is $27 for the 2022-23 academic year and $15 during the summer and is charged to all UCA students.

UCAPD’s public information offcer Michael Hopper said the department doesn’t solely rely on vehicles as their main form of patrol.

“Our department has always utilized alternative patrol methods, foot patrol, bike patrol, etc. to complement our vehicle patrol. This helps us reduce our fuel costs, but also allows for community policing opportunities and better community relations,” Hopper said.

He said that due to the multiple methods of patrol, he cannot see any necessary reason why UCAPD would need to allocate additional money for fuel.

Debate: Early voting open until Nov. 7

4 Continued from page 5

incredibly important, but with freedom of the press comes a great deal of responsibility. When they don’t live up to their end of the bargain, it forces some of us to go outside of the box.”

Sanders said she can deal with Arkansans face to face if the media is unreliable.

“I would be willing to venture that I’ve actually met with more Arkansans directly, face to face, than all of the other candidates running for this offce both in the primary and general combined,” Sanders said.

Jones said he will always be open to having conversations with the media and as governor, he will be “transparent, accountable and open.”

“I’ve heard from folks that are frustrated because they can’t hear from my opponent Sarah Sanders,” Jones said. “The more we have leaders who are unwilling to show up and answer the tough questions in front of crowds that don’t agree with them and with media that don’t agree with them, the further we’ll get away from the strength of our democracy.”

Harrington said he’s joked that he would go as far as live streaming his days as governor to ensure transparency.

“If we want to have a free and safe society, we have to be forthright,” Harrington said. “We have to be truthful with one another.”

Both Jones and Harrington participated in a news conference after the debate.

Sanders declined to participate in the news conference. The candidates were asked how they plan to accomplish their goals and proposals without raising taxes.

Harrington said he plans on cutting the remainder of the grocery tax and fghting to get the sales tax cut.

“I can’t even believe that Arkansas ever had a tax on the food that goes into people’s mouths,” Harrington said.

“That is an immoral tax.”

Sanders said Arkansas needs to do more with the money already being invested into the state, like the 54% of Arkansas’ budget spent on education despite the results of that investment being “simply unacceptable.”

“We have to look for modernization and effciencies within government by focusing on things like phasing out the state income tax to allow us to be competitive with the states around us like Texas and Tennessee and Mississippi, who

photo courtesy of spreadthelightbooks.com Leigh Anne Fortner shows her frst children’s book, “The Light,” and her second children’s book “Mariposa.” Some of the proceeds from Fortner’s books goes to support nonproft organizations in Arkansas. Fortner’s third children’s book is titled “Ripples.”

UCA alum donates to Arkansas nonpro ts with book proceeds

BY MACI ENGLAND Campus Life Editor

Leigh Anne Fortner, a UCA alum, has been helping her community through the art of writing children’s books.

Fortner is the founder of “Spread the Light Books,” a series of books that are not only educational but support a good cause as well. Each book in the series helps nonproft organizations in Arkansas through net proceeds donations.

Approximately $4.50 of each purchase of Fortner’s new book “Mariposa” will be given to Our House Shelter in Little Rock. Our House Shelter is dedicated to empowering and providing support to families who are facing homelessness.

Fortner decided to donate to Our House Shelter “to continue with the theme of spreading light, not only through stories but with donations.”

“I had always heard great things about Our House, but I got to see frsthand how they help our community when I joined a service group at Mosaic Church in Little Rock a few years ago,” Fortner said. “Our group would go cook meals and serve dinner once a month at Our House. That’s when I got to really learn about their mission and I love that they empower people, not only by providing for their

physical needs but by providing them with education, life skills, work opportunities, child care, etc. They really seem to care for the whole person and that’s why I chose to support them.”

“Mariposa” is a story of growth about a tiny seed living in the desert who is transformed into a beautiful fower. This is Fortner’s frst self-published book.

“I have really taken the time to learn as much as I can about publishing and I have decided to self-publish this book and all future books,” Fortner said. “The world of selfpublishing is really growing and it’s a wonderful opportunity for someone like me, who is just starting out, to actually get your books out into the world.”

Despite spending her time writing children’s books now, Fortner originally envisioned a much different career path.

Fortner earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech pathology from the UCA College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and worked as a speech pathologist before deciding to become a stay-at-home mom after the birth of her second child.

Inspiration for her frst book, “The Light,” came to her during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I knew this story was special and needed to be shared,” Fortner said.

4 Continued from page 5

have just passed legislation to do so,” Sanders said. “We have to do it responsibly, but we do that by growing our own economy and cutting out the waste and the fraud and the abuse that exists in our government spending as it is now.”

Jones said he is for cutting taxes, but “the math has to add up.” “You cannot eliminate 55% of the state revenue and then not cut something unless you end up like Texas, where property taxes go through the roof … or you end up like Florida, where sales taxes go through the roof … or you end up like Kansas, where the educational system collapses,” Jones said.

“I’ve met with all 15 department agencies in Arkansas and their senior leadership under Gov. Hutchinson’s administration and the [Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration] has said you just can’t eliminate 55% of the state budget.”

Jones said the longterm solution is investing in preschool education, broadband internet access and jobs.

Polls are open in Arkansas on Election Day from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Early voting started Oct. 24.

living in the world are a willingness to be surveilled.”

Steinberg called the premise of constant surveillance voluntary servitude.

“If you want to be part of the world, you have to be willing to be surveilled. Being in public, there is an implicit form of consent implied in all of this. You will be recorded by private corporations and government entities. This level of surveillance is just intrinsic to our contemporary life,” Steinberg said.

Steinberg highlighted artists who are actively working against surveillance, such as those who propose modifying one’s self to be unrecognizable or traceable.

Adam Harvey exhibited CV Dazzle, which Steinberg said “advocates for asymmetrical makeup and hair to kind of trick facial recognition.”

Harvey was commissioned in 2014 to create a lookbook of sorts for the New York Times in an article entitled “Face to Anti-Face.” The publication detailed the look and how each component, such as hair covering the face, could thwart facial recognition and potentially respond to invasions

After writing “The Light,” Fortner described herself as having caught “the writing bug” and was eager to write her second story.

“The inspiration for ‘Mariposa’ came from thinking about the desert and relating that environment to certain times in our own lives,” Fortner said. “Oftentimes, diffcult situations or circumstances can feel like a desert — hard, lonely, barren, but through those times we usually learn valuable lessons or see beauty form in unexpected places.”

Fortner is currently working on adding a new addition to “Spread the Light Books.” The inspiration for her third story, “Ripples,” came about after Fortner frst heard the news about the current war in Ukraine.

“I wrote this book to inspire kids that our small acts of kindness, love and compassion can have ripple effects in this world far beyond what we expect,” Fortner said. “I really feel like children need stories like this when the world can seem so out of control. I hope that this next book will start some ripples of its own.”

Steinberg discusses loose U.S. privacy laws

of privacy through surveillance.

Harvey’s website, ahprojects.com, said, “There has been a surprisingly positive response to the CV Dazzle project since frst publishing it in 2010. Activists and art groups have done workshops to explore and expose the vulnerabilities of biometric recognition systems.”

The liveliest discussion of the lecture was about invasions of privacy through photography and the loose privacy laws in the United States specifcally.

Steinberg said U.S. citizens have “negative rights” compared to those in countries like Germany.

Steinberg also touched on the collection of data through genetic testing companies such as 23andMe through the art of Heather Dewey-Hagborg who created 3D printed faces through DNA collected on discarded cigarette butts.

Some attendees commented on having participated in DNA testing to learn more about their health and look for genetic diseases.

Likewise, Hagborg used commercial DNA testing labs to create her masks.

Steinberg said of the masks, “These are called Stranger Visions because to

her they are strangers. But yet she knows more about them than they likely know about themselves.”

Steinberg graduated with a bachelor of art in art history in 2004 and is now an associate professor of American studies at the University of Hong Kong.

In addition to being named young alumni of the year, Steinberg has also received awards for her research work; such as the Frost Essay Award from the Smithsonian American Art Museum journal. Steinberg was honored at a dinner later in the evening in the McCastlain Hall Ballroom.

In a press release on uca.edu/ news, Steinberg said, “I am surprised and fattered to have won this award. The incredible support of the UCA faculty made all the difference. While I was an undergraduate, Dr. Gayle Seymour drove me to and from conferences and the airport, wrote countless letters of recommendation, and went above and beyond as an academic mentor. And the support of the Honors College was truly amazing: the classes, the community and the study-abroad and internship experiences.”

All seven of the millages passed 8-0. The frst three millages are voluntary and go toward the animal shelter at 0.2 mill, public recreation and playgrounds at 0.4 mill and cemeteries at 0.4 mill. A mill is 0.1 of a penny based on 20% of a property’s valuation. The remainder of the millages are mandatory and go toward general fund revenues

and pension and relief funds for police, fre and nonuniformed employees. These four millages add up to 4.2 mills.

tour of northwest Arkansas’ greenways and trails, approved a conditional use permit, appropriated reimbursement funds from the police department and set a public hearing to discuss the closing of a

Campus Life

Frank Warren Frank Warren

LSA Dia De los Muertos

From 7-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2 in the Student Center Ballroom 205B, the Latino Student Association will host a competition where four teams will create altars with clay to spread awareness of the importance of the Day of the Dead and the traditions carried out throughout the Hispanic communities in honor of the day.

Poetry Craft Talk

From 12-12:50 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3 in Win Thompson Hall Room 331, the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will host a poetry craft talk with guest Tess Taylor.

Slap Out Hate

From 12-2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, on the Ronnie Williams Student Center lawn, the Health Science Club and BearX will host an educational “Slap Out” event to increase awareness of diversity issues around the world. Participants will be able to choose paint colors to represent the biases they would like to reduce in today’s culture and slap it out by placing their handprint on a giant canvas.

Bear Bones and Natural Slides concert

From 7:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3 in the Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, the music department will host a trombone recital.

C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference

From 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 in the Fireplace Room in McCastlain Hall, the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will host a conference focusing on women writers from all genres and experience levels with the intention to provide a space for camaraderie, connection-making and inspiration. All genders are encouraged to attend.

Fear the Strike

From 6-8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7 at Conway Family Bowl, Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Honor Society and the Accounting Club will host their annual Fear the Strike charity bowling fundraiser where accounting majors will compete for money to give to their favorite charities.

Party at the Polls (Midterm Edition)

From 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at Donaghey Hall, Bears at the Ballot and BearX will host an on-campus polling site.

Schedler Honors College presents ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’

by g ab E W hi TE

Assistant Sports Editor

Frank Warren shares sensitive information sent by postcards

by J ulia T ran T ham Staff Writer

The inventor of PostSecret, Frank Warren, spoke Oct. 28 in Reynolds Performance as part of UCA’s Challenge Week discussing mental health. The event began with a speech from Warren and then opened up for other attendees to approach microphones and have the opportunity to share their secrets.

PostSecret is an anonymous art project where people mail in their deepest secrets on a postcard addressed to Warren. Warren then handpicks a few of the secrets and posts them on his website, where anyone can view these secrets. With over one million postcards and counting, Warren has appeared on multiple talk shows including Good Morning America, the Today Show and NPR. He also has six New York Times bestselling PostSecret books.

Deemed one of the “most trusted” people in the world, Warren said he feels fortunate to be able to hold these secrets

for others.

Before PostSecrets, Warren was a volunteer on a suicide prevention hotline called the Kristin Brooks Hope Center.

“I feel like when I was volunteering on the hotline, I felt like there’s this conversation wants to happen but there’s not a place for it,” Warren said. “So, I think PostSecret helps with that. And it gives me a sense of purpose to which I like selfishly.” Since Warren has received so many secrets in many forms of media, he said he has to deal with the information in different ways. A lot of the mail he receives can be emotional in different aspects, to where he has to internally deal with the information that he has just read. “There are secrets and emails that I read and I have to say ‘I have to forget that,’” Warren said. Warren said he has to tell himself to forget what he has read, but he also said he does endurance exercises to help.

“Every day I swim a mile, or I bike 25 miles and afterward I feel so exhausted,”

MENTAL HEALTH

Warren said. “I can’t hold any tension or stress. I’m kind of addicted to cycling. I rode a bike today and fell down. So I’m here in spite of my injuries, cycling to cope with secrets.”

Warren said that he does not see PostSecret as a challenging project, rather, he sees it as a mission.

“I feel lucky to be a part of it. I always get excited pulling secrets out of the mailbox. And how many of you could see me on stage I’m still excited telling the stories and I feel that connection,” Warren said. “I feel like the secrets help people and like being a part of that process makes me feel helpful to having meaning is kind of just happiness for me.”

Warren ended his presentation to the crowd with a word of advice.

“If I have to leave you with one line, it’s just something that kind of rings over and over in my head, and it’s ‘free your secrets and become who you are.’”

You can find Warren’s collection of secrets updated every Sunday on his website, www.postsecret.com.

Honors College hosts annual Challenge Week

by O livia S n E l SO n

Staff Writer

UCA’s Norbert O. Schedler Honors College hosted its annual Challenge Week from Monday, Oct. 24 until Friday, Oct. 28.

The Schedler Honors College has hosted a challenge week every year since it was founded.

“According to our founding director, Dr. Norb Schedler, the purpose of Challenge Week [has always been] to involve the university community and the public in a discussion of an important issue. It also provides Honors College students the opportunity to do something significant

for the whole and so instill in them the commitment to society as a whole,” Honors College Dean Patricia Smith said.

The theme for this year’s challenge week was “The Mental Health Crisis: Finding Our Way,” and it featured a variety of speakers and events throughout the week.

Kayla Gowin, a clinical instructor and licensed mental health therapist at UCA, hosted one of the events titled “The Heart of the Matter: An Exploration of Values and the Impact They Have on Your Mental Health.”

The event put emphasis on being able to recognize, reflect on and follow your core values as a way to improve and maintain

positive mental health.

“It’s identifying what you really care about, what is at the heart of you. And so asking yourself, who am I and what do I value, being able to identify our values, and then being able to recognize them and rely upon them through all facets of life,” Gowin said. “Because it does help increase self-esteem, selfawareness, self-reliance, selfconfidence, self-efficacy and your internal dialogue.”

Some of the other events that took place during this year’s challenge week included a Buddhist perspective on maintaining positive mental health and a dive into the history and science behind mental health.

The Schedler Honors College Council hosted an interactive screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with several generations of Schedler students Oct. 29 in McAlister Hall.

Before the screening began, students, professors and guests were given bags filled with random objects, such as a newspaper, glove, party popper, sponge and more.

Audience members used each object in their bag with a corresponding scene, such as using the party popper during a celebration scene or covering their heads with a newspaper as a storm rained on the lead characters.

Older audience members quoted lines and played along with the dialogue throughout the movie.

The event was open to council members, students, graduates and professors being a long-running staple for the honors council.

“I hope to share a little bit of what things used to be like and see how things have changed,” alumni Alex Chandler-Ezell said.

Ezell graduated in 1996, representing a nearly 30year gap between himself and freshmen today.

The tradition began after an old girlfriend of Ezell’s took him to a showing of the film.

Soon enough, Ezell and others introduced the cult classic to other Schedler members, watching it at least once every semester.

Freshman Kyle Urban said, “It’s a pretty good movie. I enjoyed interacting with some of the older folks from the honors college and getting a slice of the history.”

Urban believes that it’s through a connection with the alumni that the honors college can become the best it can be.

“They inspire us to grow as people, and as a byproduct of that growth, we end up helping our community,” Urban said.

Only a handful of the audience, mostly alumni and older members, had seen the movie before.

Students had a great time playing along with the film’s interactive elements, dancing, and joking with alumni.

Urban finds that events like these are important, especially for freshmen, as the effects of the pandemic are still present, with people struggling to participate in group-held activities.

“We are in need of a new approach to student engagement,” Urban said.

Coordinator of engagement and support Cindy Lea was another one of the original students to watch the film with Ezell.

Lea didn’t know that the film existed until her freshman year, quickly becoming a fanatic and dressing up as the popular character Magenta for Halloween.

“It makes me really happy to see we had current students who’d never seen Rocky here, and then people from when I was here,” Lea said.

Coming to UCA from Fayetteville, Lea says that it was through the council that she found her best friends, her husband and a safe place to talk to anyone.

Lea said, “It really shows that we’re a family and that the connection doesn’t end when you graduate.”

Year in review: 2021 Homecoming Queen Q&A

by maci England Campus Life Editor

Last November, Savannah Jessup was crowned UCA’s 2021 Homecoming Queen. It’s almost been a year since then, and Jessup has undoubtedly been busy. In the past eleven months, Jessup has not only fulfilled her royal duties but has graduated, gotten married and started a new career as an elementary school teacher, all while supporting her alma mater.

While a student at UCA, Jessup was a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority, the Association of Future Alumni, the College of Education Dean’s Leadership Team, the Order of Omega and a UCA merit fellow. She was put up for nomination by Alpha Sigma Tau and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, where she was named the organization’s “dream girl.”

Besides Jessup, last year’s crowned court consisted of Homecoming King Tyler Cox, Homecoming Maid Eryka Williams and Homecoming Prince Skyler Cox.

Before this year’s Queen was crowned, Jessup shared her experience and revealed what UCA and Homecoming mean to her, describing her time as Homecoming Queen as “a dream.”

What was your favorite part of homecoming as a student?

“My favorite part was getting to see all of the students from UCA getting together to have fun and celebrate our

awesome school.”

What is your favorite homecoming memory besides getting crowned?

“Getting to be on court with two of my best friends and my now-husband. It was absolutely surreal.”

What did being nominated to homecoming court and then being crowned queen mean to you?

“It was a dream. It meant so much to me that people even considered me to be on court, so when I was crowned, I felt so undeserving. I always tried to treat people with kindness and be my true self and having so much love and support just blew me away. I love UCA and the people here so much and will forever be thankful.”

Did you have any responsibilities as queen?

If so, what was your favorite responsibility?

“I was able to go back for this year’s homecoming festivities and helped emcee the Student Life awards ceremony. I love being able to come back and be with those getting to experience homecoming on this side.”

Have you kept up with any previous homecoming queens?

“Yes. A few of my old sorority sisters were queen and it is awesome sharing that with them.”

How did your time at UCA benefit you?

“I grew so much as a person, leader and friend from UCA. I found my true self and was never ashamed to show that due to those who encouraged and pushed me to be my best.”

What all have you been up to since last homecoming?

“I recently got married in June to my high school sweetheart who currently plays for UCA football. I am also a second grade teacher at Morrilton Elementary School, and I am loving this new phase of life. I am so grateful for UCA for getting me to where I am today!”

"Free your secrets, and "Free your secrets, and become who you are." become who you are."

Frank Warren is the inventor of PostSecret. People send in secrets anonymously to Warren through different mediums and he chooses which ones to post on social media. He has received over one million secrets.

graphic by Mia Waddell

Film Club screens spooky short films

by Regan belue

Staff Writer & lauRen Owens

Staff Writer

Members of UCA’s Film Club and other students gathered for a lively time of socializing and screening members’ original thriller short films Oct. 25 in Stanley Russ hall.

Costumes were encouraged at the event, and many students went all out. Pirates, spiders, fairies, foxes and even Steve from the game “Minecraft’’ made an appearance.

Preceding the screening, attendees were provided time to catch up with one another, eat Halloween snacks and play Jackbox games.

“We all feel comfortable here. We’re all friends here. If I need a favor they’re always down to do it. Film club is just like a family,” junior Film Club Vice President Emma Barrett said.

In this family-like environment, attendees were quick to jump at the opportunity to watch one another’s films.

“I am excited to see the films … you don’t always get to see other people’s work, and so it’s nice to support your peers,” sophomore Janie Gentry said.

Nine films were presented to the audience, and many were met with hearty applause, shocked gasps

and cheerful laughter. The night’s films were mainly of the thriller and horror genre in keeping with the Halloween theme.

Discussing the merits of a good thriller film, senior Torin Hight said, “It’s anything that makes me nervous … it’s that feeling of anticipation of something bad happening.”

Hight’s own film, “Debriefed”, was played at the mixer.

“Debriefed” takes place in a world that Hight said has been in the works for seven years.

Although Hight did not originally intend to implement the

world in a thriller setting, the story that evolved was one of thrills and suspense.

Other films screened at the event consisted of freshman Finnian Lawless’s “The Forlorn”, senior Susannah Skelton’s “The Yearning of Flesh”, junior Bailey Vo’s “Reflection” and “Good Enough”, junior Lexie Mosby’s “Nightmare”, senior Erv Jeffries’s “Escape”, Niki Kovacs “We’re Having Company”, and junior Johnny Luna’s “Zoinked.”

Even under the thriller umbrella, each film had a unique take on the genre.

Some films utilized plot twists to scare or shock the audience. Others focused on special effects and editing for jump scares or to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Other features also explored topics of grief, loneliness and race relations.

The final film, “Zoinked”, diverged from the rest as it leaned more into humor than suspense. “Zoinked” follows three explorers that make a shocking discovery on a new planet. Returning from the planet, the explorers must face the consequences of their trip in a humorous fashion.

All types of films are welcome within the club, and anyone on campus who enjoys cinema is welcome to join.

“We wanted to show what film club is about, which is basically about bringing the community together in the film department. You can have upperclassmen meet lowerclassmen like anybody, even your friends can come hang out and get to know film because you don’t have to be a film major,” Barrett said. While no future events are set in stone, the group is hoping to have more gatherings like this one in the future, possibly including a Christmas or Thanksgiving mixer. The films from the screening can be found on the UCA Film Club YouTube channel.

People of UCA: Melody Henrie

by Julia TRanTham Staff Writer

Working in her office located in Snow Fine Arts, Melody Henrie helps keep the program running as a fiscal support analyst, handling the money for the entire department.

“I buy things, I get things paid, do payroll, that kind of stuff,” Henrie said. “With travel, it is arranged for the departments.”

Previously employed as an accountant, Henrie took this job as a way to get back out into the working world.

“This is my retirement job,” Henrie said. “I’ve been here since February of 2021.”

Henrie is originally from Toronto but lived in Chicago before moving to Conway.

“I moved here in the middle of COVID,” Henrie said. “They closed the city behind us, but we’ve been here since then. I was working from home until they found somebody to replace me at my last job. And they did and then I got the job over here.”

When Henrie’s husband had to have surgery back in March, many music students organized to help take care of her lawn.

“One of the faculty members arranged it,” Henrie said. “They came in and my whole front yard was transformed. It was really helpful. I couldn’t believe it. He [usually] has to pick up the slack because there’s only two of us.”

Henrie said that even though the department is small, they all come together to help out.

“This department is interesting because it’s a small place,” Henrie said. “It’s just like a family.”

Henrie has taken on quite a few hobbies outside of her job, including working with UCA in a community emergency response team.

“There isn’t one in Faulkner County, there used to be one but I guess it’s not active anymore,” Henrie said.

Henrie said after she heard the call for volunteers, she stepped right in.

“I was like ‘OK’ because that kind of stuff doesn’t bother me.” Henrie said. “I am a people person, so I like being out there with tons of people. It’s fine with me. It’s been really fun and I’ve gotten to know more people in the university.”

Henrie said that the program has many opportunities for volunteers to learn how to save lives.

“You learn what to do in case there was a tornado, I think we’re going for this one because

STUDENTS SAY: “What do

that’s the threat you most likely would have to deal with here,” Henrie said. “They just teach you about basic first aid, how to carry someone without killing yourself, you know, basic rescue.”

Currently, Henrie is pursuing her certification.

“I have a go bag, it’s not here right now because I’m not certified yet.” Henrie said, “Once I’m certified, we’ll have our backpack, we get a hard hat and we get a vest so you can be identified so people will know that’s what you are and they’ll be more willing to let you help them.”

After being in the program for eight weeks, Henrie said she has also learned how to make cribbing to save people who are stuck, how to use random objects as a lever to free them and also how to use a fire extinguisher.

“You give information to the first responders when they come in,” Henrie said. “You’re the first one on the scene.”

“Say there was a fire in this building, people would get out. We’d be the ones that would go through and tell them this is how many people got out.”Henrie said.

Henrie said that the content she is learning is often very theatrical.

“I have now learned how to splint a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal,” Henrie said. “Tomorrow we do it on real people with fake blood and objects.”

Henrie said she also loves to travel in her free time and explore the world around her although her husband does not.

“My husband does not like to go on long plane rides, and so I have a friend that I travel with and we’ve been to New Zealand and Australia, it’s the farthest away we’ve been,” Henrie said.

Henrie said her friend is very adventurous and has made it a mission to go to every continent.

“She’s literally been all over the world, that’s why we went to Australia, it was number 10,” Henrie said.

Henrie said her advice for anyone is to never give up.

“[For] me, it was my husband. We didn’t know. He was taking an ambulance, people were like ‘oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re still here’. It gives you a little perspective,” Henrie said. “When things get hard, don’t give up. I’m Christian, so that helps me. It’s not in our hands, we think we’re in control — we’re not. Nobody is guaranteed anything.”

homecoming?”

year; I’m hoping they’ll be able to pull off a win for Saturday’s game.”

Caitlyn Brown freshman

“I enjoy the carnival and how it’s free for students. It has fun rides, cute balloon animals, food and just a little bit of everything for everyone to enjoy.”

Allie Leggit sophomore

“I can’t wait to see the crowning at the homecoming game. I always enjoyed watching it in highschool, so I’m excited to see it on a bigger scale.”

Christa Neal junior

Juniors Lauren Elkins, Bailey Vo and Donavon Millington pose for a photo in their costumes. Two of Vo’s films “Reflection” and “Good Enough” were screened at the event.

photo by Regan Belue

you look forward to most about

Story and photos by Amber Austen

Jason Gregory

moved to Conway during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top left: Lindsey Williams looks at Tyler Navarro after accepting his marriage proposal. Top right: Williams and Navarro embrace. Bottom left: Williams tearfully smiles as she and Navarro leave the field. Bottom right: Williams shows off her new engagement ring.

photos

Maci England

Financial security is important, but sacrificing the good fortune of friends and other relationships for “the bag” is futile.

As with other slang terms, it is hard to offer an exact definition of “the grind.”

From my experience, it is the sole pursuit of money. There is also a sense of urgency involved; the securer needs income, therefore taking the quickest route to acquire it.

I get it. Money is important.

In our society and culture, money is necessary in acquiring food, water and shelter. But does taking the quickest route to cash, which usually involves screwing over a great number of people, always yield a trustworthy community and friends?

I would argue no. We are social creatures, and we evolved to get along with other members of the human race. There is value in relationships, and this is what people have to sacrifice when they put money over community.

This is why people can spend a great deal of time finding the “right” occupation; it is not always about money when choosing a career. Meaning is also important.

Why do you care to get out of bed in the morning? Why do you want to be good at your job?

What do you love about the occupation itself?

If someone asked full-time professionals these questions, they would find out quickly that humans have ulterior reasons for enjoying their work. It isn’t just about the money. And yet, this action of scrambling to generate profit is hardwired into our culture. One can hardly go anywhere without being met with advertisements telling them that they need the latest gadgets.

Need is such a strong word. The truth is, we don’t need the things shown in advertisements, and

Christmas is overrated. As the most liked holiday in the United States, Christmas decorations dominate the stores before the best holiday of them all — Halloween.

Halloween has so much more to offer than any other holiday. You can celebrate and do activities for an entire month and it’s fun for all ages. You know how Christmas stops feeling like Christmas the older you get? Well for Halloween, the pure excitement remains throughout adulthood.

The most notable activity is dressing up as whoever or whatever you want. Your costume can have as much depth and creativity as you want it to, ranging from a vampire to Bob Ross. Who doesn’t love getting to dress up and pretend to be someone else?

Pumpkin patches are also a major part of Halloween. You can go and take cute, aesthetic pictures with friends, navigate a corn maze or go for a hayride. Of course, you can find yourself a pumpkin or two to carry on the festivities by carving pumpkins! Carving pumpkins and assembling your costume are two ways you get to be as creative as you want. The best part is you get to do it with family and friends! Christmas is usually reserved for family, as well as Thanksgiving. It’s refreshing to be able to

The Voice

Banning critical race theory will not erase history

Since 2021, an alarming amount of states have introduced legislation with the objective to ban or restrict the teaching of critical race theory in schools pre-K through 12, including Arkansas — although it was not signed into law.

By definition, critical race theory is “an academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society — from education and housing to employment and health care,” according to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Though, it goes much deeper.

Conservative lawmakers in these states would have you believe that by obstructing the knowledge of our nation’s atrocious historical treatment of minorities, they are actually stopping the spread of “divisive” language and racism against white people.

we know it. We can’t eat smartphones. But perhaps these companies aren’t speaking to our physical needs; they’re speaking to our social needs.

Evolutionarily speaking, we had to conform to a group to survive, and our survival depended upon our ability to live and work with others. Therefore, others’ opinions mattered to our well-being.

These feelings of social recognition are still active and by utilizing handsome models driving the latest model of a car, these companies are telling us we need this item to be part of that in-group. We “grind” to pay. And how do we make money the quickest? By forfeiting meaningful

We isolate ourselves to make money in the hopes of satisfying our social needs. Seems a bit paradoxical to me. Scott Russel Sanders paints a very different way of life in his essay “The Common Life.”

Instead of relying upon ourselves and distrusting our neighbors, we can instead fall into the beauty of community. This allows us to enjoy: “loving company, neighborliness, inherited knowledge and good work, shared purpose,” and more. Of course, this sounds foreign in our day and age.

It is also probably considered anti-American, which isn’t surprising. America was settled through constant confrontation with the frontier, where one had to look out for themselves.

Yes, self-definition through rebellion has provided us with many good fortunes, but I believe the common life is what we need now. We have social needs as humans and they can’t be satisfied by a new car or watch, not genuinely at least.

We need an exodus from greedy consumerism and the grind. Our current culture doesn’t see our social needs and doesn’t address them appropriately. We need community, now more than ever. Because in twenty years, you probably won’t have those new shoes, but you will have connections.

have a holiday where you can have fun and celebrate with both.

One of the more thrilling activities is haunted houses. Designed to make you engage with fear, it is easily one of the best parts of Halloween and makes the holiday so unique. This activity is a right of passage from trick-or-treating. There’s nothing like the excitement of fear while waiting in line with bloody, hair-raising individuals walking around you encouraging that

Watching Halloween-themed or scary movies is another activity the holiday has to offer that makes it so great. Halloweentown, Twitches and Hocus Pocus are some classic gems that Halloween has given us. We can’t forget about the aesthetic and décor that come with Halloween. From spooky to pumpkin-everything, the vibe is good no matter what. Black, orange, purple and white alongside skulls, spiderwebs and pumpkins provide a mystical ambience.

It’s not the usual fuzzy feeling provided by Christmas, but a sense of excitement. Halloween deserves more appreciation than it receives. While Christmas is fun, it doesn’t provide the togetherness of both friends and family that Halloween has to offer — and if you like Christmas more for the presents, don’t worry, you can always be gifted a spooky basket!

Proponents of this gag order believe that CRT pushes an agenda to promote white guilt and force accountability for a racist framework that they did not build.

It is the undeniable truth that students should not be blamed for the gross initiation of racism and hatred in this country, but because they continuously benefit from the systems put in place to prohibit minorities from acquiring necessary resources, it is absolutely a requirement that they are made aware of this privilege.

There is no evidence to support the claim that CRT is being taught in elementary schools, and it would be shocking to find out that southern high schools were teaching CRT to its students in the first place. However, this legislation will negate any constructive conversation involving race.

This harmful legislation serves as a response to the current political climate — a rug-pull to the growing enlightenment of our shameful history.

They are terrified of the shift in mentality their sheltered children will have when they realize the damage our country has done. It is a blatant attempt to run from the truth: that racist ideologies are sewn into the foundation of our world and affect the mobility of minorities to this day.

They do not realize that they are setting their children up for failure. Without an accurate scope of the way our world works, these children will graduate high school and attend a university with a variety of viewpoints and backgrounds, and they will struggle to understand them.

According to the UCA Diversity Ledger, minorities made up about 28% of the undergraduate student population from 2017-2021. Those are students who were not required to learn the history of racism because they have lived it.

Students affected by this suppression of truth will not learn the important parts of history that still affect their peers. They will not learn empathy for those who struggle under a system that was created for them to fail. If these legislators have any say in it, these students will put in no work to help eradicate these systems, either.

This is not an issue to be swept under a rug or hidden out of shame. America has cultivated a bad habit of concealing the topics that make them uncomfortable, and of turning a blind eye to the things they do not wish to deal with. By outright silencing these conversations from occurring, they are taking it a step further.

Whether we like it or not, race plays a large role in the lives we live. It affects our education systems, our health care systems, our job market and everything in between.

It is not fair to rid American students of the opportunity to gain an honest picture of the world they will soon be thrust into. Everyone involved will bear the burden of that consequence.

New This Week

Movies

Nov. 4 — The Estate (R), directed by Dean Craig, starring Anna Faris, Toni Collette and Kathleen Turner

Nov. 4 — Something in the

Dirt (R), directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, starring Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson and Sarah Adina Smith

Nov. 4 — I’m Totally Fine (NR), directed by Brandon Dermer, starring Natalie Morales, Harvery Guillen and Jillian Bell

Music

Nov. 4 — Her Loss — Drake & 21 Savage

‘Midnights:’ electrifying yet puzzling album

by anna yanosick Staff Writer

Taylor Swift’s heavily anticipated new alternative pop album “Midnights” is simultaneously electrifying and puzzling due to its characteristically phenomenal melodies and poor production.

“Midnights,” released Oct. 21, is a love child between her critically acclaimed records “1989” and “Reputation.” It sounds uncannily similar to Lorde’s “Melodrama,” which was also produced by Jack Antonoff. However, its synthpop beats and experimentalism often miss the mark due to their awkward and sometimes unnecessary placement. While the opening track “Lavender Haze” is dreamy and sensual, the sound mixing feels messy.

Both Swift’s greatest weakness and strength on the album is her hyperspecific lyricism. On one hand, her candid writing is endearing; it feels like an exclusive invitation to a sleepless night with Swift, riddled with introspectiveness and vulnerability.

In one of the strongest songs on the album, “Maroon,”

Nov. 4 — Scarecrow — John Mellancamp

Nov. 4 — Use Your Illusion (Super Deluxe) — Guns N’

Roses

Nov. 4 — Heroes & Villains —

Metro Boomin

Nov. 4 — Alpha Zulu —

Phoenix

Nov. 4 — Seal (Deluxe Edition)

— Seal

Nov. 4 — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever— Roc

Nation/Def Jam/Hollywood

Streaming Services

Nov. 4 — Enola Holmes 2, directed by Harry Bradbeer, starring Henry Cavill, Millie Bobby Brown and Helena Bonham Carter (Netflix)

Nov. 4 — My Policeman directed by Michael Grandage, starring Harry Styles, Emma Corrin and Gina McKee (Prime Video)

Swift moodily sings, “The burgundy on my T-shirt/ When you splashed your wine into me/ And how the blood rushed into my cheeks.”

On the other hand, some of the lyrics that are meant to be profound come across as vapid and laughable.

In the track

“Anti-Hero” Swift sings a string of corny rhymes, “I should not be left to my own devices/ They come with prices and vices, I end up in crisis/ I wake up screaming from dreaming/ One day I’ll watch as you’re leaving/ ‘Cause you got tired of my scheming.” Perhaps the childlike rhyme scheme was intentional, but it comes off as lazy writing.

Besides the polarized writing, “Midnights” is refreshingly consistent as no

tracks sound the same. There is a solid balance of breathy ballads and confident pop bangers.

Each song has its own message personal to all things Swift — from her tumultuous love life to her deepest regrets and proudest accomplishments.

The song “Bejeweled” is a

dazzling, self-assured track bound to crack a smile across the listener’s face as Swift bubbly sings, “Best believe I’m still bejeweled/ When I walk in the room/ I can still make the whole place shimmer.”

The album also includes a long-awaited collaboration between Swift and singer Lana Del Rey in the song “Snow on the Beach.” It’s a hazy, flowery song that brings the elated feeling of reciprocated love to life; the pair melodically sings, “And it’s like snow at the beach/ Weird, but fuckin’

beautiful/ Flying in a dream/ Stars by the pocketful/ You wanting me/ Tonight feels impossible.” Del Rey fits comfortably on this track, however, it would’ve been nice to receive a verse from her instead of just background

vocals.

In true Swift fashion, a surprise seven tracks were released several hours after the release of the album, known as the “3am Edition.” It’s a shame some of these songs didn’t make it to the original album because they would make smart replacements for the weakest tracks.

The bonus song “The Great War” is a vivid saga between Swift and her lover as they battle the trials and tribulations of a relationship like soldiers on a battleground. Including this song on the original record would have strengthened its repertoire.

Minus the jarring production and a few disappointing tracks, the album is an overall well-grounded pop record. It’s evident that Swift has not lost her touch, and while it’s not quite as groundbreaking as “folklore” and “evermore,” it’s reassuring to know she’ll always carry a piece of her pop brilliance as she continues to release album after album.

“Midnights” is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music.

Berger-directed film enhances war genre

by Gabe White Assistant Sports Editor

“All Quiet on the Western Front” breathes new life into the war genre, providing a harrowing tale of brutality and camaraderie.

The German period film stars Felix Kammerer, Daniel Brühl and Albrecht Schuch, with direction by Edward Berger.

The adaptation of the 1929 novel follows Paul Bäumer (played by Kammerer), a 17-year-old who enlists in the German army with his friends at the tail end of World War I.

As Paul faces death and forms new bonds, his psyche and world begin to crumble, questioning if his country is worth his life.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” is one of 2022’s most difficult films to watch.

Danielle Deadwyler shines in historical drama, ‘Till’

by Will McDonalD Assistant News Editor

“Till” is a powerful, moving film about the life of Emmett and Mamie Till. It follows Mamie Till-Mobley’s activism after her son’s brutal death at the hands of J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant.

Danielle Deadwyler plays the lead role of Till’s mother, Mamie, and she delivers an oscar-worthy performance. I’m calling it right now; Deadwyler will win an Oscar for this performance.

Deadwyler’s presence is felt in every single shot, even the shots where she is not pictured. Her performance is incredibly moving, and she will make many viewers cry.

Nov. 4 — Causeway, directed by Lila Neugebauer, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry and Neal Huff (Apple TV+)

Five fictional characters I would like to hang out with

Although she grieves for a large part of the movie, she never fails to exude strength, dignity and grace. There was one part of the movie where her performance especially stood out to me — the trial.

During the trial of Emmett’s murderers, Mamie testifies. Deadwyler delivers this testimony in a single shot

1. Iroh I think anyone who has watched “Avatar: The Last Airbender” can agree: Uncle Iroh would be the best person to share some tea with. I know that hanging out with Iroh would mean great tea and even better advice from the former fire nation general. Iroh always has wise words to say to different characters in the show, and I have no doubt that he could help me solve all of my problems in life before the tea was done steeping. Iroh is easily my first choice for a fictional character to hang out with. I think I’m gonna rewatch “Avatar” now.

that will leave most viewers in tears, in awe or both.

This testimony is arguably the most emotionally powerful moment in the film. I was so mesmerized by Deadwyler’s performance there that I forgot it was even a performance or that I was even in a theater.

Jalyn Hall plays Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955. Hall compliments Deadwyler perfectly, and the two feel like they could actually be mother and son.

Whoopi Goldberg plays Emmett’s grandmother Alma Carthan. Although Goldberg doesn’t get much screen time, she fills her role with charisma and energy that only she can offer.

The movie chooses, like Mamie did, to show the swollen, tortured body of Emmett Till. I believe this reveal is gutwrenching and is given more power by the movie’s choice not to depict the torture or death of Till, only the abduction.

2. Hank Hill From propane and propane accessories to standing around with his friends, Hank Hill seems like someone who would be fun to chat with. Throughout “King of the Hill,” Hank always has funny, sometimes questionable, responses to different situations he ends up in. I can’t imagine there would be a way to have a bad time standing around with Hank and the other residents of Arlen, discussing fishing, shooting or golf. None of which I know much about. If you’ve never watched “King of the Hill,” go check it out and you’ll know what I mean. He’s basically just some guy.

By choosing not to extensively depict his torture or death, the movie leaves it to the viewer’s imagination. I believe this decision provokes more emotion than detailing his suffering would. This also keeps the rating at PG-13; the rating is important because this movie offers a valuable history lesson and sparks further conversation about race in America.

Even though Deadwyler’s performance alone is enough to stir emotion, the music composed by Abel Korzeniowski adds to the emotional weight of the film.

Chinonye Chukwu wrote and directed Till, and her goal is very clear. Chukwu centers the movie around Mamie — its heartbeat — and draws attention to her as a Black woman who holds a rightful, important place in America’s ongoing representation of the civil rights struggle.

This is a heavy, important movie that is a must-see.

“Till” is out now in all theaters.

3. Gonzo I knew I wanted to include one of the Muppets on this list, but it took some thinking to finally decide on Gonzo. Other candidates were Animal or Statler and Waldorf. But, for his endless antics and dashing outfits, Gonzo wins and I want to hang out with him. I think Gonzo and I could come up with something fun for the daredevil’s show. It would definitely include Gonzo flying through the air to the tune of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” I’m also hoping that some of his fashion sense would rub off on me if we hung out.

With graphic depictions of war violence, heart-wrenching deaths and prolonged scenes of panic, the film never gives you a moment to breathe, twisting the blade with every chance it gets.

Whereas many war films like “Hacksaw Ridge” focus on the heroics of war, Berger’s movie does the exact opposite.

There are no scenes of patriotic bravery or valor.

Every moment on the battlefield is anxiety-inducing, as you hope for the survival of the main characters, a plea that you know won’t be heard.

The script’s understanding of the human condition helps ground its simple story far more than other war films.

Berger injects themes of anti-war and class warfare in his action scenes while placing slivers of levity and friendship throughout, such as singing along at dinner or fawning over girls who cross paths with the soldiers.

Although these humorous scenes let us connect with the lead characters, it also acts as a double-edged sword, making the deaths of several of these comrades more challenging to watch.

Kammerer and Schuch give the film’s best performances, having strong chemistry as they bond throughout the war, trusting each other with some of their darkest secrets.

It’s because of the actors’

4. Bilbo Baggins

Similar to Iroh, I can see hanging out with Bilbo Baggins as a very calm time. Based on how hobbits are in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” there would be plenty of food and drink. Two breakfasts? Count me in.

I’m hoping we would get to hang out at his house because hobbit holes look like unique and quaint places to visit. Maybe I could read some of his writing and vice versa. Think he’d be okay with number four on my list? And hey, there’s a chance for a spontaneous adventure with a guy like Bilbo.

subtle nuances and unique character choices that their friendship feels authentic.

Even with a story that engages audiences and elicits strong emotions, the film still stands tall with its technical marvels alone.

Cinematographer James Friend finds a perfect balance of intense, taut shots during scenes of warfare or stillness.

Even within these quieter scenes, Friend’s shots create a boiling atmosphere, unsure of what a character is about to say or do.

The film’s use of natural lighting blends the cinematography into the world, making the audience feel that they’re in the trenches with these characters.

The earlier scenes are drenched in muddy blue skies and earthy browns, supporting the realism of the war scenes while casting a depressive shadow across everything.

Later segments are covered in burning oranges as fires roar, creating both a sense of victory and unease.

These colors and shots are given beautiful backdrops with the natural landscape of Prague, as well as historically accurate production design, helping immerse the viewer even more.

As history has continued, more wars have been fought, and technology has progressed, Edward Berger proves that value can still be found in this story even after nearly 100 years.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” was released on Oct. 28 and can be streamed on Netflix.

This may seem like an odd choice, but hear me out. George Costanza is a sad man, but he’s really funny about it. We all love self-deprecating humor, and he would be great competition for jokes like that. “Probably because this whole universe is against me,” and “I am Costanza, lord of the idiots,” sounds like something you’d hear from a classmate after a really difficult test. Even if hanging out with George isn’t necessarily fun, I think I can easily say it’d make me feel a bit better about myself.

5. George Costanza

List compiled by Bennett Tinnermon Editor-in-Chief

Jalyn Hall (left) plays Emmett Till and Danielle Deadwyler plays Mamie Till. The film released to all theaters Oct. 28.

photo courtesy of unitedartistsreleasing.com

photo courtesy o f store.taylorswift.com/ products/midnights-cd

— Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, directed by Eric Appel, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood and Jack Black (The Roku Channel)

‘ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT’

With graphic depictions of war violence, heart-wrenching deaths and prolonged scenes of panic, the film never gives you a moment to breathe, twisting the blade with every chance it gets.

DRAMA

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6 p.m., Nov. 4 vs. Queens Football

UCA masters the elements in slick homecoming victory

BY MADISON OGLE Sports Editor & Cartoonist

Foul talk from the North Alabama Lions wasn’t enough to scare off the Bears Oct. 29, as UCA took home a rainy-day 64-29 ASUN Conference victory that made their homecoming football game all the more sweet.

UCA sophomore running back Darius Hale was one to watch throughout the night, breaking his 2021 record of rushing yards by one yard for 255 total with two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Alongside Hale, sophomore running back Kylin James clutched 113 yards on six carries, a career-high for the UCA player.

Wide receivers Jarrod Barnes, a junior, and Myles Butler, a redshirt freshman, both surpassed the 100 mark in receiving yards.

Coach Nathan Brown recognized the rarity of the feat and commended the team’s drive to continue setting personal bests.

“I’m a big fan of history. I think having the opportunity to break records is important to guys,” Brown said. “We were able to do it against a really good football team in a conference game and stay on top of the ASUN mountain. The ASUN mountain is a big deal.”

UCA made a quick lead against the Lions in the first quarter with 12 points. North Alabama wasn’t able to put points on the board until less than ten minutes were left in the second quarter. By the end of the second, UCA was up to 33 while the Lions still clung to those first 7 points.

With 4:54 left in the second quarter, UCA freshman linebacker Jace Benesch was downed. Though Benesch was back on the field by the end of the game, Hale said the sight of his teammate being carted off on a stretcher paired with North Alabama’s trash-talking made the team rally together.

“[The Lions] were talking a lot of stuff and I just feel they were being really disrespectful. So when we got on the offense and got back on the field, we came at it like two times harder,” Hale said. “[We] were pushing a little harder because we had to avenge what they did to our player.”

Hale said that even when opposing teams tend to hammer down on bad-mouthing, he avoids firing back and instead keeps it positive.

RECORD BREAKING

“I don’t ever talk bad. I just smile and have a good time,” Hale said.

The Lions managed to get up to 14 points at the start of the third, though UCA would jump to 54 points by the end of it.

The Lions pulled off two more touchdowns in the fourth while UCA climbed to and remained at 64 for the rest of the matchup.

The Lions first touchdown of the fourth, made by sophomore running back ShunDerrick Powell, upped their score to 21. The second and final touchdown was made by Junior wide receiver Dakota Warfield with 30 seconds left on the clock, leaving the Lions at 29 points.

While Brown said the team has aspects it can build on before its Nov. 5 game against Eastern Kentucky, he said “our guys, it didn’t matter who was running it, we were having success.”

Brown said Eastern Kentucky would make for a tough game, especially with the Bears being away from home.

The matchup will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Richmond, Kentucky. This game will be the Bears’ fourth ASUN Conference game of the season before the final conference game Nov. 19 against Jacksonville State.

Cross country sets records in conference championship

BY MIA WADDELL

Associate Editor

It was a record-breaking day for graduate student cross country runner Julian Haessner, as he shattered UCA’s men’s 8k record for a second time this year at the cross country ASUN Conference championships Saturday, Oct. 29.

Haessner broke the Bear’s record earlier in October with a time of 23:59.2, but leveled up his performance even further for the championship run with a time of 23:45.7, finishing in seventh of the 116 contestants.

In addition to breaking the record, Haessner was awarded First Team AllConference in the ASUN Conference, topping off his victorious day.

Haessner said, “I am very happy with the new record and it is amazing if you can re break your own record within 14 days again. This gives me a lot of self-confidence for the next races.”

Not far behind was Haessner’s twin brother, Phillip Haessner, who earned Third Team All-Conference and finished with a time of 24:11.3, breaking his personal record.

Phillip secured 17th place in the 8k run.

Senior Jared Touart also broke his personal record with a time 24:31.2, ringing in yet another improvement for the team. Touart finished in 29th place.

Junior Thomas Cain finished with a time of 25:56.6 in 68th place, and junior Parker Jackson finished with a time of 25:58.9 in 70th place.

Junior Christian Tamura placed 87th with a time of 26.44.9, followed by sophomore Bresner Austin in 91st finishing with a time of 26:58.2.

Wrapping up the men’s team, freshman Beau Melancon ran in his first ASUN conference championship, finishing 93rd with a time of 27:09.5, followed by sophomore Johnny Cordero who placed 99th with a time

of 27:30.9.

The men’s cross country team finished in sixth place overall out of the 14 schools that participated.

Coach Josey Weaver complimented the team’s performance in a news release.

“I thought we raced really well upfront. With two all-conference performances from Julian and Philipp Haessner, a school record and the best race of the year for Jared Touart, our men were able to move up from last year by two spots,” Weaver said. ”The goal is always to keep progressing. As long as we keep improving our team performance year to year, then we will eventually get to where we want to be. The goal is a conference championship for both our men and women, that is our standard.”

In the women’s 5k race, Junior Sara Steimel led her team, finishing with a time of 17:48.9, placing her in 31st out of the 113 runners. Junior Anna Bommes finished with a time of 18:23.0 placing her in 59th.

Sophomore Ali Nachtigal achieved a personal record with a time of 18:27.2, placing her in 61st and sophomore Emma Selph placed 79th with a time of 18:58.3.

Sophomore Jewel Baer broke her personal record with a time of 19:19.5, placing 85th. Right behind in 86th place, freshman Sequoya Prentice made her championship debut with a time of 19:25.0.

Graduate student Kennedy Timmerman finished out the trio in 87th with a time of 19:42.4.

The women’s cross-country team placed 10th of the 14 schools that participated.

In a news release, Weaver said, “We gained a lot of experience from this race. We definitely would have liked to place higher, but I do like the way we fought and raced when things weren’t going our way. We expect big things from this group in the years to come. We are lucky to return seven of the eight racers from today.”

Volleyball snags scary close win

BY DELANEY VAN WILPE Entertainment Editor

In light of Halloween weekend, the Sugar Bears volleyball team (17-8, 9-3 ASUN) secured another scary close win, 3-2, against the North Alabama Lions (12-12, 2-10 ASUN) at the Prince Center Oct. 30.

“I didn’t like how we came out, but I’m really impressed by the way we finished,” Coach John Newberry said.

The first two sets ended in North Alabama wins, 2520 and 25-21. The Sugar Bears retaliated in the third, fourth and fifth sets.

The third set, 25-13, switched the narrative for the Sugar Bears. They maintained a lead the entire set after Newberry changed the 5-1 lineup — an offensive system with only one setter — to a 6-2 lineup — an offensive system with two setters opposite of one another.

“We had to switch up our offensive tactics and make some key changes with our personnel … Both setters played and then we had to switch it up with a little bit of a bigger block with Lilly Taylor in the front row,” Newberry said.

Taylor, sophomore

outside hitter, was one of the UCA players to lead in kills. Taylor had eight kills with an attack percentage of .30%. Taylor made five of her eight kills in the fourth set, 25-17.

The Sugar Bears and the Lions were going point for point nearly all of the fifth set, 15-11. UCA’s performance was not only a reflection of the overall match but also the Sugar Bears overall season.

“This is what we’ve been doing the whole entire season, so they know that if they stick together through the entire match, then it’s going to be in our favor,” Newberry said.

Sophomore right side Mackenzie Vernon made the match-winning kill in the fifth set and set a career record with 23 kills in the entire game. Vernon had an attack percentage of .277%.

“She had a massive game today, over 20 plus kills by her today, so it was impressive,” Newberry said.

Alexis Stumbough, senior outside, was also a leader with 24 digs and 10 kills.

Newberry said the team earned this win not because of specific players but because all of the athletes can each contribute and work together.

“We don’t really have

any star athletes; we just have a great team,” Newberry said.

“We were able to spread the ball around and everybody did their job.”

This match is not the first win the Sugar Bears have achieved against North Alabama. They faced the Lions Oct. 26 with a sweeping 3-0 win in Florence, Ala.

The Oct. 30 win against North Alabama secured a spot for the Sugar Bears at the ASUN Volleyball Championship.

“We just clinched the conference tournament, which [is] a massive deal,” Newberry said.

UCA sits at second on the current ASUN Conference standings, led only by Liberty University and Kennesaw State University at spot one.

Lipscomb University follows behind UCA.

According to asunsports. org, this will be the Sugar Bears first appearance at the championship. The quarterfinals will be Nov. 17, semifinals will be Nov. 18 and the final games will be Nov. 19 at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.

The Sugar Bears will take on Queens University of Charlotte next at the Prince Center on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.

4

p.m., Nov. 5 at Eastern Kentucky Men’s soccer

Nov. 5, hosts ASUN Conference quarter nals Cross Country

Nov. 11 at NCAA South Central

Editor’s Take

Trash-talk, instant karma and you: a lesson in kindness

BY MADISON OGLE Sports Editor

It should’ve been clear after North Alabama ripped the helmet off a Bear that hey, maybe these guys are a bit aggressive. Don’t get me wrong, you want your players and your team to be aggressive on the field — just in a much different way.

North Alabama hasn’t been the first team bouting profanities and insults toward UCA. Lindenwood was just as foul-mouthed two weeks prior. Perhaps it’s a common ailment of teams with a lion mascot.

Either way, it feels misplaced in a sport of any kind. Your actions and athletic ability should be what makes you feared on the field, not a handful of dirty yomama jokes and f-bombs.

UCA was quick to suppress baseless insults and yelling matches by simply kicking butt and taking names. If you were anywhere within 10 feet of the stripes, you would have noticed a surprising lack of angry rhetoric from the Lions by the third quarter.

At some point, North Alabama must’ve focused more on catching up to UCA’s 64 points and less on finding alternative ways to illustrate their anger issues.

Football is the only setting where I’d recommend not using your words when it comes to settling conflicts.

Even when the Lions managed to keep their mouths shut, the game’s runtime was filled with more than enough shoving, hard hits and unsportsmanlike conduct. All of these went unnoticed by referees.

The Lions hit hard during the first half of the game, luckily irritated by UCA’s 14-point lead going into the second quarter.

UCA’s number 44, Jace Benesch felt the brunt of this tantrum before halftime. While the freshman linebacker was back on the field by the game’s conclusion, seeing a player flattened and subsequently carted off the field via gurney would have lit a fire under any player on the team.

Already suffering at the hands of the Bears, North Alabama was practically begging for the hammer going into the third. And even if they weren’t, we gave it to them anyway.

Instant karma comes in many forms. UCA’s pickup on points by the end of the game was a textbook illustration of this and boy, wasn’t it beautiful?

Out of eight games, Eastern Kentucky sits with only three wins under their belt before butting heads with the Bears. Hopefully, the Colonels are a team that finds it easy to rely on athletic action over taunting and borderline brawling. After all, UCA seems to find peace just fine on the field.

Maybe it’s those three straight ASUN conference wins? I can’t say.

photo by Madison Ogle

Sophomore outside hitter Lilly Taylor jumps for a spike against the North Alabama Lions. Taylor had eight kills throughout the game and was a leading player in regards to kills.

photo by Delaney Van Wilpe

HALLOWEEN MATCHUP

Redshirt freshman wide reciever Myles Butler runs for a touchdown in the frst half of the Bears’ matchup against the North Alabama Lions. Butler, alongside UCA junior Jarrod Barnes, both broke the 100 mark for recieving yards.

Soccer sees rainy day tie against Dolphins

BY EMILY KENNARD Online Editor

BY GABE WHITE Assistant Sports Editor

The UCA women’s soccer team (6-8-4, ASUN 4-5-2) slid past Lipscomb (11-5-3, ASUN 8-1-1) for the win in the ASUN quarterfinals match on Oct. 30.

Both teams ran side by side the entire match with a score of 1-1, the Bears pulling the win with the penalty shoot-out.

UCA pulled possibly the biggest upset of the season, as Lipscomb’s ASUN track record was far better than its own.

Lipscomb had over double the wins in the ASUN Conference going in.

“I believe it was just pure grit [the reason for winning]. We didn’t take anything for granted, We knew Lipscomb was good and they were expecting to win. Playing in the conference tournament, no matter your age, is a privilege and one that some teams don’t get at all. Knowing that we came to compete, not just to participate, we didn’t stop fighting for one second of the game. We gave it everything we had to prove the conference wrong,” sophomore midfielder Kelly Van Gundy said.

With only five shots taken compared to Lipscomb’s 42, the Bears’ offense struggled to keep up, but their defense persevered, especially in junior goalkeeper Keyla Perez. Out of the Bisons’ 42 shots taken, only 13 were on goal, Perez saving 12 of them.

Sophomore forward Anna Kerr said, “It’s about the whole team and I believe we played as a whole team yesterday. Not just the starters but even the people on the bench or the people that came on off the bench, we all had an impact as a team because that’s what we do. Us playing as a team and giving everything we had out there showed what we are capable of and got us a great win. Our overall performance made history and we are going to be back Sunday to fight as a team.”

The game began in Lipscomb’s favor, taking long passes across the field from the goalpost before being intercepted by UCA, with sophomore defender Addison Martin carrying the ball back down the field.

Both teams continued to scuffle, the Bears showed an intensity that had been dormant all season.

The Bisons began to push forward, only for UCA to take back the ball.

As Lipscomb rushed senior forward Taylor Lassiter, she made the first goal of the game, shooting the ball straight past Lipscomb redshirt sophomore goalkeeper CJ Graham.

Graduate defender Taylor Webb said, “I think we found our edge in working hard as a collective and playing for each other. Never once did we doubt ourselves, even through all the ups and downs, so that love and effort for each other is finally showing on the field.”

Five minutes later Lipscomb returned with a shot, only to be saved by Perez, her first of many.

The Bisons continued to make poor shots until 33 minutes into the game, finally scoring their first goal. Neither team was able to secure another goal in either half.

The game went into two overtime periods, only for both teams to continue to be unsuccessful.

The Penalty shoot-out began in favor of the Bears, Webb making the first goal.

Lipscomb pulled forward with a 2-1 lead before Gundy answered with a point of her own.

The teams crawled towards a score of 4-4, the next two shots determining the outcome of the game.

Freshman forward Nina Mazzola made UCA’s last goal, with Perez stopping Lipscomb’s final shot, handing the Bears the victory.

Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said in a press release, “It was a tough one for the team and my heart breaks for them. They worked so hard, tried so hard, and they created ample chances. The game’s just tough and it can be cruel that way.”

The Bears played against Florida Gulf Coast University in the semifinals two days later on Oct. 30.

The eagles took 12 shots in the third quarter without a goal, the Bears were unable to strike back. The game came to a close as Florida Gulf Coast scored a third goal, UCA never making a comeback. The Bears ended their 2022 season with a 2-3 loss.

Despite fighting hard through their downpour duel, the UCA men’s soccer team didn’t quite drown the Jacksonville University Dolphins, but they did secure a favorable position in the ASUN brackets.

The Bears (6-4-5, 5-1-2 ASUN) managed a 2-2 draw against Jacksonville University on the Bears’ home field after a rain delay Oct. 29.

The teams spent most of the game tied, as Jacksonville (3-7-4, 0-4-3 ASUN) quickly cleaned up each UCA lead.

Jacksonville showed a fierce start four minutes in when freshman forward David Robinson put up the game’s first shot on goal, which junior goalkeeper for the Bears Zach Schawl saved.

UCA’s junior midfielder Jerry Gutierrez almost scored with his only shot, but it was saved by Jacksonville goalkeeper Jabari Gray.

In the 27th minute, sophomore defender Richy Lapointe-Guevara scored a goal off a corner kick.

The lead didn’t last long before the Dolphins tidied the score up 1-1, but the Bears held the tie with a team save against Dolphin forward Trey Demps’ shot on goal.

The second half’s first couple of minutes saw the Dolphins save a shot on goal from senior forward Sebastian Andreassen, only for him to score a goahead goal seconds later, putting the Bears in the lead 2-1.

Dolphin midfielder Olivier Correra tied the game ten minutes later when a rebound was passed to him, and the last 32 minutes of the game were spent in a defensive battle, neither team able to break the tie.

The final 15 minutes saw a series of shots that showed it was anyone’s game: Schawl saved a bottom-right shot from Correra, and Gray saved a bottom-center shot from graduate midfielder Bernard Assibey-Rhule.

The save was Schawl’s second in

the game and his 40th ASUN save of the season, maintaining his spot as the ASUN Conference’s second-place goalie.

Gray blocked Andreassen’s third shot on goal of the afternoon, the game’s final shot.

The explosive second half saw each team receive three yellow cards, compared to the first half’s two.

The game was the last in the team’s regular season, but it placed UCA as the second seed in the ASUN Conference championship, guaranteeing the Bears at least one more home game in the semifinals Monday, Nov. 7.

The tie comes after the Bears’ 1-1 draw against Kansas City and marks six undefeated games.

The cold, wet game also celebrated

Basketball prepares for incoming fall matchups

BY SYDNEY AMBRUS Sta Writer

UCA’s women’s and men’s basketball teams are working diligently as they prepare for the 2022-23 season.

The Sugar Bears and Bears are determined and optimistic for the new season. Senior point guard Kayla Mitchell will play with the Bears for the first time this season after transferring from Lamar University.

“[We plan] to prove the doubters wrong and the believers right,” Mitchell said. “[My goal is] to make a difference in the program.”

Sophomore point guard Camren Hunter has high hopes for the season.

“Should be a great season … I feel great about this brotherhood we have formed,” Hunter said.

As the teams anticipate the seasonopening games, they practice every day, sometimes even twice a day with weight sessions right after.

“It’ll definitely mess with you mentally, having to be in the gym all day but it’s all about how bad you want it and how far you want to go,” freshman forward and guard Cameron Wallace said.

Hunter said the team works hard.

“Very rigorous training on not just me but for our whole team,” Hunter said.

Both teams are confident in their

abilities this season and are not afraid of any of their opponents. Wallace said she is ready for any opponent.

“We have been working really hard every day in the gym and the weight room. I believe that we are ready to compete with anybody we play against,” Wallace said.

Junior guard Kierra Prim described the upcoming season as fun, exciting and hard work.

Prim and Hunter said that both teams are putting an emphasis on its defense this season.

Hunter said, “We have a lot of great defenders and if we can stop somebody, we have a higher chance of winning.”

The two teams share the same goal: winning. Wallace and Hunter both said they want the team to make it to the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. “One of my biggest goals is to make it to the March Madness tournament as a team because UCA hasn’t done that before,” Wallace said.

The Sugar Bears and Bears will play this November.

The Sugar Bears’ will play their first game on Nov. 7 against the Kansas State Wildcats at Kansas and their first home game is Nov. 15 against the Lindenwood Lions in the Farris Center at 7 p.m.

The Bears’ will play their first game on Nov. 1 against the Champion Christian Tigers in the Farris Center at 7 p.m.

senior Bears.

The starting 11 players included seniors Karim Diao, Andreassen, Mathias Bendiksen, Assibey-Rhule and Bradyn Knutson.

Other seniors honored were Edoardo Merci, Diego Gonzalez and Rowan Laufer.

Andreassen’s presence on the ASUN offensive leaders list is hard to miss, as he sits in the top five of ASUN Conference players for goals, assists, points and shots with seven, five, 19 and 37, respectively.

Coach Frank Kohlenstein said the wet conditions “changed the game entirely for both teams.”

“You just have to change how you play and do better in those conditions,” he said.

Dolphin redshirt sophomore defender Maxim Pencak said, “Under the conditions, it’s hard to actually play. It’s more of a transition game.”

“The ball doesn’t roll. It was a scrappy game, but I thought we played well,” Pencak said.

Lapointe-Guevara said the tie will make the Bears hungry going into the semifinals.

“We could have done more,” he said.

UCA sophomore defender Daniel Shabani said his team had a lot of energy, but the downpour got in the way.

“Unfortunately, the weather and the field wasn’t really on our side today,” Shabani said. “But, the game is over. Now we just have to focus on the semifinal next Monday.”

Karim Diao will pursue soccer dreams following senior season

BY ASHLYN LITTLE Sta Writer

Karim Diao has broken many barriers in his time at UCA.

Diao is one of eight seniors on the Bears soccer team this season. He plays an attacking midfielder position for the team. He transferred to UCA from Oral Roberts University to join the soccer program after his sophomore year.

Diao can hardly recall when he first started playing soccer, but it feels like forever to him.

“I don’t know when exactly I started playing soccer, but as far as I can remember, I could barely walk when I was kicking a ball. But on a club team, I started at four years old,” Diao said.

His lifelong love for soccer has earned him some impressive stats and recognition from highly-respected organizations.

Diao has started in all 14 games this season and so far has two goals and eight shots on goal.

Last season, Diao was the Bears’ second-highest scorer with 13 points on the season.

In August, Diao was named to the 2022 Hermann Trophy Watch List.

The Hermann Trophy is the nation’s highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year in soccer.

Despite being a senior, Diao doesn’t plan on ending his soccer career at UCA.

“After graduating, I want to take soccer to the next level. I want to play pro soccer so I can pursue my passion and achieve my dreams,” Diao said.

Diao said that he loves soccer because it challenges him.

“Soccer has taught me also to be relentless, never give up and always push myself in the hard moments because even in the toughest moments, when you’re tired and think that you can’t go, you still have a lot more to give,” Diao said. He also shared that soccer is a way for him to represent not only himself but those who have helped him get to where he is today.

“It’s also a way for me to make my people proud because when I play soccer, I represent everybody that was involved in my life,” Diao said. Having transferred from another school, he said what drew him to choose UCA as his next step was Coach Frank Kohlenstein.

Diao said that Kohlenstein called him and explained his plans for the program, and that’s when he realized that UCA was the perfect fit for him.

“He was truthful and trustworthy,” Diao said about

Kohlenstein.

Aside from thriving on the soccer field, Diao spends his time at UCA studying communication. Some of his other passions and hobbies include photography, fashion, sneakers, music and hanging out with his friends and teammates.

Diao’s major in communication has helped him learn English, as it isn’t his first language. He is originally from Bordeaux, France.

“It was a big cultural shock when I first came to America, even soccer wasn’t the same, so I had to learn quick and am still learning from examples,” Diao said.

Regardless of the short time Diao has spent at UCA, he is still grateful for the experience and connections he has made as a Bear.

“I would like to thank my professors as an international student coming from France. Without knowing any English, they were willing to work with me and help me a lot to be where I am, about to graduate. I want to thank my teammates also for everything they did to make my experience here at UCA better. And I wanted to thank my coaches for their trust, and their daily support and pushing me to get better every day at practice,” Diao said.

Sophomore Kris Naicker looks for an opening past Jacksonville University players. Though the Bears tied, the team claimed a spot in the ASUN quarterfnals and will have at least one more home game Nov. 5.

photo by Emily Kennard