The echo nov 4, 2015

Courtney Barrentine

named Homecoming Queen

by Joe Kramer News Editor Senior Courtney Barrentine was crowned as UCA’s 2015 Homecoming Queen during the halftime ceremony during the Bears’ football game against Southeastern Louisiana.

2014 Homecoming Queen Lacy Flurry placed the crown on Barrentine and took her into a loving sister-like embrace, tears welling in their eyes.

Senior Natalie Brown was named Maid of Honor.

Barrentine said she does not take her new role lightly, expressing the depth to which being selected has impacted her.

“For me, chosen to be queen means that the little things don’t go unnoticed. Every person you impact and influence will make a difference in their life, so I strive to be a friend to everyone I meet,” Barrentine said. “You never know who you could impact or who will impact your life.

I was not expecting to win. The entire Homecoming court consisted of great women who are highly involved around our campus and do so much for UCA. In my opinion, every person on that court deserved to be Queen.”

See Queen page 2 Senior Natalie Brown was named Homecoming Maid of Honor. photos by Jared L. Holt

3 1 1. Members of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority congratulate senior Courtney Barrentineaftersheiscrowned2015HomecomingQueen;2.LacyFlurry,2014 Queen, rides in the Homecoming parade prior to the Bears’ football game againstSoutheasternLouisiana; 3.TylerHollowellplaystromboneduringthe pre-game parade on Bruce Street; 4. Members of the UCA community watch floats putt along the parade route.

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Queen

Continued from Page 1 Barrentine is a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority from Sherwood, Arkansas. She attended Sylvan Hills High School, where she was involved in cheerleading and student government. She worked on her school’s yearbook staff as the advertising editor. She graduated with honors and was a member in the National Honor Society.

Barrentine will graduate in May with a nutrition major. She hopes to take her degree and go to nursing school, where she wants to work on becoming a registered nurse.

Barrentine said attending UCA was a logical and friendly option.

“I picked UCA because of how at home I felt when visiting,” she said. “Faculty and even students were very welcoming and inviting.”

While being a safe and fun environment to grow and learn in, Barrentine feels that she gained even more.

“My time here so far has been unforgettable,” she said. “UCA has given me not only the best education, but also a safe place to live, leadership skills for present and future opportunities, and friends that I will have forever.”

The process for selecting a Homecoming queen is a rigorous one.

Members must be nominated by a group from UCA before they are officially able to be voted for.

Then, candidates must endure another round of selection before finding out which nominees make it onto the court at a pep rally a few days prior to the Homecoming game. Once the court is established, judges from the school make a final vote to decide the queen and subsequent positions on the court.

Senior Kelsey Pope, one of the women who was voted unto the court, said that the competitive nature of the process did not affect the dynamic between members of the court.

“I would definitely say it’s a family atmosphere,” she said. “The girls on court are all very supportive of one another.”

Pope said she will look back on her time at UCA fondly and that her Homecoming experience was unforgettable.

“It was exhilarating and it all went by so fast,” she said. “Having my family and friends there to support me was amazing.

I feel like the winners felt surprised simply because the eight people on court were all so deserving. It was a wonderful night for all of us.”

photo by Jared L. Holt

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1. Cheerleaders celebrate on a float in the pre-game Homecoming Parade, sponsored by The Edge apartment complex; 2. UCA Bear Marching Band members perform a special-edition Halloween halftime show; 3. A saxophone player plays during halftime at the Bears’ match against Southeastern Louisiana University; 4. A homemade Bear parties atop a float at the 2015 Homecoming parade on Bruce Street. photos by Makenzie Evans

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THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE

WEDNESDAY

NOVEMBER 4, 2015 Volume 109 — Issue 10

ucaecho.net 4 TODAY’S FORECAST CONWAY

Entertainment:

Campus Life: Stage:

Overcast

4 THE NEWSDESK FROM THE EDITOR

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

Further investigation of crash depicts destruction Airbus A321-200 crashed over the Sinai Peninsula and killed all 224 of its passengers on their flight to St. Petersburg on Saturday. The nature of the crash remains under speculation. The most popular theory is that a faulty fuselage set off the crash. Other analysts believe that the crash stemmed from human interaction. A Sinai militant group associated with the Islamic State claimed responsibility, but analysts are still not sure that the group posseses weapons necessary to take down a plane at cruising altitude.

Based on the scattered remains of the plane, experts say that the plane was ripped apart while still in the air, another rarity that makes the puzzle more confusing. The records, commonly referred to as “black boxes,” have been recovered and under review as of Monday.

LOCAL

UCA teams up with Conway in honor of U.S. veterans UCA will partner with the city of Conway to host the 18th annual Veterans Day Celebration beginning at 1 p.m. Nov. 5 on the McCastlain Lawn.

The event will celebrate World War II veterans and will feature a speech from retired Major General Ronald S. Chastain, the presentation of two scholarships, live music, free food and T-shirts.

Chastain’s speech honoring veterans will be during the formal ceremony at 1:40 p.m.

Chastain is an Arkansas native who served a 38-year career with the military as the adjutant general of the Arkansas Guard, commander of the 39th Brigade Combat Team during Operation Iraqi Freedom II and commander of the 25th Rear Operations Center during Operation Desert Storm. He also served as chief of staff for the United States Forces Korea. The 39th Brigade was the first Enhanced Brigade to be sent to war since WWII. The scholarships – the UCA Veterans Day Scholarship and the Tidwell UCA Veterans Scholarship – will be awarded to full-time UCA students who are veterans or current service members.

The Tidwell Scholarship is funded by Mark and Tracy Tidwell in memory of the U.S. Army’s Staff Sgt. Harry Midgett and in honor of the U.S. Airforce’s Master Sgt. John Tidwell.

The 106th Army National Guard Brass Quintet will perform throughout the ceremony.

Vendor booths will open at 1 p.m. before the ceremony and free food and refreshments will be available after.

In the event of rain, the event will be moved to the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center.

4 WHAT’S AHEAD IN OUR NEXT ISSUE

After many months of faulty Wi-Fi on campus, President Tom Courtway reveals plans for a university Wi-Fi revamp

AWA R D

ENHANCEMENT

Markham awarded for community contribution

UCA receives long-term student grant

by Kendra Beattie Opinion Editor

by Calli Morrison Online Editor

UCA Center for Community and Economic Development Assistant Director Josh Markham received the New Professional award from the Arkansas Community Development Society on Oct. 22.

The award recognizes those whose community efforts have made an impact, but who have been involved in professional community and economic development for less than five years. In contrast, the Community Development Achievement Award recognizes those with longer periods of professional development.

CCED Director Amy Whitehead nominated Markham because of his “impressive contributions.”

“Josh is a major asset to the university’s outreach and community engagement efforts, and he is known as a leader in community and economic development in the state and the region,” Whitehead said.

Markham started his journey at UCA as a project coordinator for CCED, but has since become the assistant director and instructor for the Master of Science in community and economic development program.

photo courtesy of un.org

At the United Nations News Center in San Francisco, UN Chairman Ban Ki-Moon delivers a speech to celebrate the 70th anniversary of UN Charter – ‘compass’ to a better world.

UN commemorates anniversary

by Kendra Beattie Opinion Editor

The UCA Department of Political Science hosted a United Nations 70th anniversary commemoration event on Oct. 30, allowing Arkansas high school students and teachers an opportunity to hear several speakers.

“Acting as a volunteer and getting to hear back from some of the high school students was quite rewarding, [and] it was clear that they enjoyed themselves and came out with a broader view of the world and the global politics that affect their lives,” UCA Model United Nations Secretary-General Breanna Wilbanks said.

See Award - page 4

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4Around Campus

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were present at the event, the anniversary celebration was particularly targeted toward high school students and teachers.

“Given the limited size and capacity of the rooms that we were able to reserve for the event and…limited budget, we decided to target high school students who might not otherwise have an opportunity to learn more about the role of the UN in the international system,” Mullenbach said.

The event began with a workshop at 9 a.m. during which AMUN students and teachers heard presentations by Mullenbach

See UN - page 4

See Grant - page 4

Q&A

by Maggie McNeary

Science Center and the opening of Greek Village.

Common question topics included parking, campus safety and Donaghey Hall.

Some students used the virtual town hall as an opportunity to ask humorous questions.

Ja’mie Boelkens asked if Courtway was taking applications for tenants in the president’s residence, while senior Jared Holt asked “Boxers or briefs?”

More serious questions came from Millie Bird and senior Joe Love.

Bird asked, “Are you happy with the way that the UCAPD handled the threats on campus last month?”

Courtway said he was.

“I think they understood what it was,” he said. “They

Online Editor

President Tom Courtway held UCA’s first virtual town hall meeting on Oct. 28.

Courtway and UCA VP for Communications, Public Relations and Marketing Christina Madsen appeared on a live stream broadcast to answer questions from students, alumni and community members.

Students submitted questions on Twitter by tagging their tweets with #AskPresCourtway.

Questions could also be submitted through a link on UCA’s website.

Courtway began the broadcast by speaking about recent developments on campus, such as the construction of Donaghey Hall, the expansion of the Lewis

investigated it and worked very diligently not only themselves, but with other law enforcement agencies and federal agencies and made an arrest and did everything they could to make sure that the campus was notified, that we all were aware of what had gone on, and acted accordingly.”

Love asked about improvements to academic buildings and dorms such as State Hall, Arkansas Hall, Burdick and Snow Fine Arts.

Courtway answered by speaking about previous campus improvements. He also spoke about the challenges of restoring older buildings on campus, especially buildings built in the 1960s and earlier.

Austin Grissom wrote in to ask Courtway about problems with

campus Wi-Fi. He said he was satisfied with Courtway’s answer.

“Up until then, the only answers to the Wi-Fi issues I had been hearing were ‘don’t have routers’ and ‘turn off wireless printers,’” he said. “President Courtway actually gave us some insight that the school is aware and working on the issue.”

Grisson said he thought the virtual town hall was a good way to address student questions.

“I wanted to participate because I think it’s important for the administration to hear from the students directly,” he said. “This virtual town hall was a good opportunity to get students directly involved and still accommodate a busy schedule – we could tweet in a question at our convenience instead of

C U L I N A RY

having a meeting or going to a full town hall.”

A representative from the president’s office said that the virtual town hall was the first of its kind and is comparable to UCA’s monthly Campus Talks.

During those talks, Courtway and SGA officials speak face-to-face with students, faculty and staff about campus happenings. As with the virtual town hall, Courtway answers questions submitted online and from the audience.

Time has passed to tweet questions for the virtual town hall live stream, but students and faculty can still ask Courtway for answers by going to uca.edu/answers/submit-a-question/ and by attending the next Campus Talk on Nov. 17.

GOVERNMENT

National food day shows healthy options Late-night options increase

by Julia Kramer Entertainment Editor

Yoga, scavenger hunts and cooking demonstrations were just some of the activities on Oct. 24 in Downtown Hot Springs for national food day.

This year’s theme, “Toward a Greener Diet,” focused on informing people on how they can improve their diets to be more plant-based and on food policies.

Since Arkansas was rated

the No. 1 state in adult obesity in September 2015, according to stateofobesity.org, the day received large backing by the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (Ar CORP).

The 12 interns in UCA’s dietetic internship program volunteered to be a part of the day’s events and teaching.

“We performed a variety of functions at the event,” intern Vincent Suha said. “Some interns were doing exit interviews,

Contact Us: 4

The event was the first UN event that UCA has hosted in eight years. Political science professors and students have participated in United Nations Day events at other universities since 2007 and were excited to host the anniversary commemoration.

UCA also hosted the UN 60th anniversary commemoration in 2005.

“High school teachers from across the state that have participated in the annual Arkansas Model United Nations were given the opportunity to participate in the UN Day event at UCA,” associate political science professor Mark Mullenbach said.

While several UCA students who participate in Arkansas Model United Nations (AMUN)

The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation (WRF) awarded UCA a $137,000 grant over three years to progress the Black Male Achievement (B-MAC) program and the Stanford-led College Transition Collaborative program.

The B-MAC program is in its second year at UCA and was designed to improve graduation and retention rates among African-American male students. Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity Angela WebsterSmith said a “lion’s share of the funding” will go toward this initiative.

The CTC program will receive $35,000 from the WRF grant this year, with the B-MAC program receiving the extra $102,000 from 2016-2018.

Webster-Smith said the CTC would receive “additional funding from the continuing research efforts of the CTC consortium.”

Both programs receiving further funding from the WRF have a similar goal: to improve overall graduation and retention rates by providing students an avenue to develop a deeper sense of community and belonging at UCA. Creating more programs to surround students with an extra support system is expected to make them feel more confident

Virtual town hall meeting opens new paths for communication

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Sports:

Rocky Horror Show Football: Bears run gives audiences fun on route over Lions on spooky holiday Homecoming night

Bradley Cooper’s newest role highlights his strengths Film:

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documenting opinions of those who came to the market on behalf of the Arkansas Department of Health, and others put on fruit and vegetable costumes to help bring participants to our booth.”

Suha prepared a cooking demonstration of an apple-yogurt salad that uses different local ingredients, including toasted Arkansas black walnuts and local

See Food - page 4

by Jordan Johnson Assistant News Editor

The Student Government Association’s Nov. 2 meeting covered food services and campus traditions.

General manager of Aramark Jim Nabors spoke to SGA concerning issues brought to his attention regarding food services on campus. The Starbucks on campus has extended its

Social:

hours to 2 a.m. for a trial period in response to requests for late-night food options. Nabors said that he hopes the extended hours will bring additional business, allowing the change to be permanent.

There have also been discussions about how to manage the long lines at

See SGA - page 4

Inside: Partisanship hinders growth

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Radicalism within American politics dismisses vital dialogue for large-scale change page 5

4/ November 4, 2015

NEWS

Police Beat The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports

by Assistant News Editor Jordan Johnson.

Hit, runs leave students with hundreds in vehicle damage

Laundry thief strikes during laundry room raid once again

Two hit and runs were reported on Oct. 29. At approximately 9:24 a.m., UCAPD was informed by student Kevin Miers that his car had been struck while he was in class. The 2006 Toyota Camry incurred approximately $300 in damage.

UCAPD was alerted to a theft from a dryer in Short Hall on Oct. 27. Student Rebecca English reported her black slacks and socks missing from the dryer in the laundry room in the basement of the building.

The stolen goods are valued at $20 and have not been recovered.

At 9:43 p.m. on the same day, student Samantha Taylor reported that her 2013 Ford Fusion had been hit in parking lot 202 on Western Avenue. The car sustained approximately $200 in damages. Arrests have not been made in either case.

Magic eight-ball fails to save student from campus bust UCAPD discovered a drug violation during a routine traffic stop in the Christian Cafeteria parking lot at 10:33 p.m. Oct. 30.

The driver, student Sean Mayberry, was discovered with a marijuana grinder with an eightball decal on top.

Award:

Bad drivers causing damage to UCA lampposts running free A Damage estimated at $200 was incurred sometime during the week of Oct. 17 north of Lewis Science Center. While on patrol, UCAPD noticed that five lampposts were dislodged at around 11 a.m. on Oct. 24.

The Physical Plant was called to fix the lampposts and ensure that the wiring was safe. No arrests have been made.

Faculty builds bridges between communities to benefit

university, public

4 Continued from page 3 CCED is a division of UCA Outreach, Community and Engagement.

“This is part of the university’s commitment to life-long learning and public service,” Whitehead said. “Our premier program is the Community Development Institute, which will celebrate its 30th annual institute in 2016.”

In his five years working for CCED, Markham developed the First Impressions Tour technical assistance service for Arkansas communities, managed the project in Clarksville and Greenwood, Arkansas, developed a Business Retention and Expansion Toolkit and piloted it in the Greenwood community.

He has also written to the UCA Magazine and the Arkansas Municipal League’s City and Town publication, delivered development presentations throughout Arkansas, assisted community strategic planning efforts in Paris, Arkansas, provided leadership, logistical and planning

support for the Community Development Institute, supported long-term tornado recovery efforts in Faulkner County and secured over $107,000 in sponsorships, grants and contracts for programs.

“This work helps prepare elected officials and community leaders to better create positive change in their communities,” Markham said.

CCED received a three-year grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to fund regional training programs for elected officials and local leaders. This fall, it has hosted programs in Northern Arkansas. In spring 2016, it will host programs in Northwest and Southwest Arkansas.

Markham said the effectiveness of CED may take years to see, but that it has trained hundreds of people through its regional training programs over the past five years.

The Arkansas Community Development Society is

an educational nonprofit organization dedicated to advance community development and the community development profession.

“ACDS has been a long-standing supporter and partner with CCED,” Whitehead said. “Many of the alumni of UCA’s Community Development Institute are participants of the society.”

Markham said he wants to see UCA become a national leader for community development and solve the riddle for how to get students involved in meaningful developmental projects.

“I would absolutely love to see the story of development in Arkansas change,” Markham said. “Literally, the mindset and images that people think of when they think of Arkansas needs to change. People are really doing great things in our state with limited resources, and UCA is a part of that effort.”

Film festival creates cultural link

by Trevon Yarber Staff Writer

UCA kicked off its first French Film Festival at 6 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center.

The film festival will be held each Tuesday and Friday evening from 6-9 p.m. until Nov. 13 and all films are free and open to the public with refreshments for all in attendance.

Films are shown to give an inside look on the French culture and will have English subtitles.

The French film festival was brought to UCA this summer after the university received a grant from the French American Cultural Exchange, which invested in the film festival with the goal of bringing more French culture to American institutions.

The grant allows a series of

six films to be shown on UCA campus, including “Clouds of Sils Maria,” which was the first film to be shown in the festival.

According to the flier, “Clouds of Sils Maria,” is “a masterpiece starring Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche. Maria (Binoche) is considering whether to star in the play that launched her career 20 years ago. She now plays the part of the spurned middle-aged lover, while younger actress gives the lead role.”

After the film, audience members seemed very entertained by “Clouds of Sils Maria” and discussed the film with a faculty panel led by associate professor of English Mary Ruth Marotte and professor of English Wayne Stengal.

Every film will be followed by at least two professors to engage in audience discussions.

“It’s really rewarding as a French professor to be able to share part of France’s culture with people that might have never been or even imagined themselves going,” assistant professor Katelyn Knox said. “As our discussion session illustrated, the students in the audience really found the film to be very deep with a lot of layers, and it’s really rewarding to see them engaged in this film on multiple levels.”

Future films include “Girlhood” on Nov. 3, “Because I Was a Painter” on Nov. 6, “The King of The Mocking” on Nov. 7, “Two Days, One Night” on Nov. 10, and “Timbuktu” on Nov. 13.

For more information about the French Film Festival, contact Knox at (501) 450-5585.

SGA:

Jim Nabors speaks on food quality, diversity on campus, explores late night options with Starbucks 4 Continued from page 3 Starbucks, including a program that would text customers when their order is ready. Nabors said that he was trying to determine where and when that would be best used on campus.

Concerns about the quality and freshness of campus food were also discussed. Nabors said that although he does monthly audits of every item offered on campus, “occasional mishaps” may occur. He said that the best thing a student can do in this situation is to let an employee or himself know.

Additionally, Nabors said that the absence of boiled eggs in the Student Center is due to a national egg shortage.

SGA will conduct a survey about which campus traditions students enjoy and want to see more of. One new tradition suggested was the “Nearly Naked

Mile,” in which students run a mile in layers of clothing and discard the clothing as they go.

The clothing left on the road is donated to charity.

Assistant Student Health Clinic Director Steven Shook spoke to SGA about UCA’s annual Relay for Life. The event will take place from 6 p.m.-2 a.m. on April 15, 2016.

This is the Relay’s sixth year at UCA, and last year UCA raised the most money of any university in Arkansas. Harding held it’s Relay for Life this fall and raised over $15,000, so Shook said that he hopes UCA comes out on top again this year.

The Diversity Committee will accept applications for a non-SGA member until 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5.

Student Activity Fee Allocation (SAFA) deliberations will take

place this week. Registered Student Organizations will be able to appeal the SAFA Committee’s decision Nov. 16-23.

The Campus Resources Committee received results of a survey concerning desks on campus. It was a fairly even split, with about 50 percent of the surveyed population happy with their classroom desks and about 50 percent unhappy. The committee will meet with the deans of individual colleges to discuss the possibility of updating desks.

The committee is also looking into the best locations for new crosswalks on and around campus.

SGA will vote next week to elect a primary graduate senator.

This year marks the first time that SGA has had more than three graduate senators.

UN:

United Nations celebrates birthday with tip of hat from local mock United Nations at UCA 4 Continued from page 3

Food:

Healthy options showcased at Hot Springs’ national food day; public learns what goes into wholesome meal 4 Continued from page 3 honey.

“It was very well-received and helped showcase not only local ingredients, but quick and healthy recipes that can be made with the whole family,” he said.

At their booth, visitors asked interns multiple questions about GMO concerns, organic food, how to avoid sugar and how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their children’s diets.

UCA Dietetic Internship Director Nina Roofe said that with the weight problems in Arkansas, proper nutrition training and information sharing is extremely

ucaecho.net

important.

“It was a really neat experience and exposure for the program and department,” Roofe said.

The internship program is community-based and lasts 15 months, allowing interns a variety of experiences in each aspect of dietetics, including: clinical, food service, community and research.

Roofe said they focus on going out into the community and helping inform people about healthy living through involvement, rather than just dropping off pamphlets.

“We take them by the hand and teach them how to improve

their lifestyle,” she said. “Helping one family at a time.”

Suha said he is studying nutrition because it is a great way to reach the public, since eating a part of everyone’s lives.

“The dietetics internship at UCA has been an incredible, eye-opening, challenging and rewarding experience all rolled into one,” Suha said.

“Though I can’t wait to graduate in August and begin practicing as a registered dietitian nutritionist, being ‘in the trenches’ with the other 11 interns and Dr. Roofe has been a wonderful learning experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

Applications for

ECHO EDITOR are available at and will be returned to at STANLEY RUSS 220 Due: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 @ 5PM Interviews: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 @ 4PM

and visiting assistant political science professor Mark Elrod.

Mullenbach’s presentation was titled “The Historical Roots of the United Nations,” in which he also discussed the UN predecessor, The League of Nations.

“In the presentation, I [talked] about the origins of the basic concepts and principles that constitute the foundation of the United Nations,” Mullenbach said. “These basic concepts and principles include collective security, conference diplomacy, peacekeeping and international organization.”

Elrod’s presentation, titled “Learning About International Politics Through Model United Nations,” focused on how MUN can be used as a teaching tool to help students gain a better understanding of international politics through learning experience.

After the workshop, a

luncheon was held in the Student Center featuring keynote speaker Karen Mingst, a political science professor for the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.

Mingst is “a well-known international relations, [including both] international organizations and international law, scholar in the U.S.,” Mullenbach said.

Mingst has written scholarly articles and books about these academic focuses and the UN. The political science department will also host the AMUN’s 50th anniversary conference on Nov. 20-21 at UCA. The political science department expects more than 500 high school students from Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Mississippi to attend. “[Students] will represent the stances of countries from around the world on a variety of topics.

This provides the students with a chance to diversify their worldly knowledge and develop their professional skills, including public speaking, writing and diplomatic debate,” UCA Model UN President Kayla Close said.

“The AMUN conference has provided me with the opportunity to understand viewpoints that I may not have ever considered.”

The opening session for the AMUN conference will be at 1 p.m.

Nov. 20 in Ida Waldran Auditorium in Old Main.

The keynote speaker for the opening will be Deputy Consul General Bernd Georg Reindl from the German Consulate-General in Houston, Texas.

Following the opening session, there will be an AMUN alumni appreciation dinner and reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center.

Grant:

Funds given to UCA to be used to improve graduation, retention rates for men of color 4 Continued from page 3 in both their academic and personal goals.

“This WRF grant allows us to extend the benefits to more marginalized men of color and to implement, for the first time, an Early Arrival Program (EAP) and a corresponding mentoring program for marginalized males [and] historically underrepresented men,” Webster-Smith said. Beginning the summer of 2016, the EAP will bring young men to campus a few days before the fall semester begins so they can become better adjusted to collegiate residential life and attend events.

Events include “testimonials from successful and involved UCA men of color, intentional connections to underrepresented faculty, in addition to exposure

to standards, habits of mind and practices that lead to optimal success in college,” Webster-Smith said.

Associate Director for Diversity and Community/ NPHC Adviser Kaylon Bradford discussed the other benefits of the grant.

“Additionally, this grant will afford B-MAC the opportunity to strengthen enrichment programs, success workshops, and signature events, such as ‘The Gentleman’s Brunch,’ ‘B-MAC Kick-Off’ and mass meetings,” he said.

The College Transition Collaborative (CTC) is a newly implemented program at UCA and a nationwide retention initiative led by researchers from Stanford University, Indiana University,

University of Waterloo and the University of Texas—Austin.

The CTC’s goal is to promote adaptive mindsets to students experiencing difficulty transitioning into college life, especially socially disadvantaged students who may feel more out of place in a college lifestyle than typical students.

“The primary intervention is with incoming students who view and complete brief online vignettes about academic and nonacademic challenges,” Webster-Smith said.

“The activities include stories of how students overcame their challenges and realized that such challenges are simply a part of the college experience and can be endured and surmounted.”

Opinion

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The Voice

November 04, 2015

Virtual talks could become think-tanks

America’s redemption requires bipartisanship, compromise

The Echo Staff Misti Hollenbaugh Editor

Jared L. Holt Associate Editor

Joe Kramer News Editor

Jordan Johnson Assistant News Editor

Morgan Embry Campus Life Editor

Paige Yutsus

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Kelsey Williams Sports Editor

Malachi Thornton Assistant Sports Editor

Julia Kramer

Entertainment Editor

Kendra Beattie Opinion Editor

Maggie McNeary, Calli Morrison Online Editors

Makenzie Evans

Partisan politics are bringing our nation’s growth and success to a screeching halt. There seems to be an increasing tension between our two national parties.

Republicans and Democrats have been at each other’s throats for as long as I have been alive, so it is expected, right?

As one grows older, he begins to understand that things are often more dynamic than they first appear.

Life isn’t black and white. Not every issue has a clear right and wrong option. There aren’t always perfect or even semi-perfect solutions.

Finding compromise between two polarized beliefs is an essential part of growing up and becoming a stronger society member. It is the modicum of understanding that allows us to empathize with others and to collaborate to solve problems, ensuring our growth and survival.

It is apparent that there have been many struggles over power and influence in Washington D.C., which is reflective of human nature. But in this struggle, many people seem to have forgotten what middle ground looks like.

So many people have become locked in their ways.

It’s Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal.

But American issues are not black and white; our representatives in Washington should shouldn’t be either.

A study from the Depew Research Center in 2014 showed spikes in partisanship over the past 20 years.

Increasingly, American voters express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions.

The number of polarized voters has doubled over the past two decades, from 10 to 21 percent. As a result, ideological overlap between parties has shrunk.

Today, 92 percent of Republicans swing right of the median Democrat, and 94 percent of Democrats shoot left of the median Republican.

This sort of group thinking – an innate reaction to put all the eggs in one basket – is hindering our politicians’ efficiency and growth as leaders.

Not enough politicians are willing to break away from their political packs, fearing being stranded by their own political party.

But if we want to create real progress and solutions, our politicians must embrace ideological diversity.

Instead of being conservative and leaning toward all conservative standpoints, or being liberal and standing for all liberal points, our esteemed politicians in Washington must find some sort of medium.

I am positive that not all of our representatives in Washington think one-sided. There must be some premier Republicans who lean left on some issues.

There must be some top Democrats who lean

by Joe right – or has the moderate Kramer breed of politician gone News Editor extinct?

That is as big a travesty as polar bears being wiped out by climate change.

But we don’t see commercials about saving the moderate politicians that offer a stuffed effigy of a moderate party leader if you donate to the cause.

Today it seems that any willingness to compromise has become a sign of weakness.

Being a moderate to many in modern-day Washington is the same as being a double agent in a James Bond film. This is a massive problem.

If the United States is to overcome its current struggle and reclaim its lost supremacy as a world leader, there has to be change.

This nation must find a political middle ground before it is too late.

The people need to see compromises between parties being made. It is the only path to redeem our once great nation.

Picking up pieces: Don’t let mental illnesses hinder ambition

Photo Editor

Joe Kramer

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At my mother’s 55th birthday party in January, I found myself locked into an uncomfortable conversation about bipolar disorder with a family friend. It wasn’t that I felt ashamed to discuss our mutual mental illness – I was beyond that point.

I had been questioned and roped into many discussions about bipolar disorder for two years prior: ever since I found myself in the wake of a severe manic episode at a psychiatric rehabilitation facility in Dallas, Texas. I had almost no recollection of how I got to the facility or why I was there.

That was embarrassing; this conversation paled in comparison.

What made the discussion uncomfortable was a statement the family friend made while we discussed dealing with bipolar disorder on a daily basis.

“I think my ambition is the real danger,” he said. “As long as I don’t get too ambitious, I think I can avoid getting manic.”

I’ve since realized that what he said was bullshit, but, at the time, my heart sank. His words mirrored my deep-seeded fears, and I began to wonder if my situation would ever improve.

Prior to our conversation, I had doubted whether my own ambition—as it had been before my early symptoms started to take effect—was truly my own drive and persistence, or if it was just low-level spurts of mania waiting to be diagnosed.

I felt like a stranger after the episode. I feared independence and self-reflection. Although I desired progress in my life, I withheld my ambition to see it through. I was afraid I would push myself back into mania. It was no way to live.

My fear ruined a relationship, removed my motivation to attend classes and dissolved my self-esteem. It held me back from my dreams, goals and hobbies.

I still catch myself feeling defeated and hopeless every now and again, but it’s getting better every day.

To anyone struggling with a mental illness: Please

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remember that what you’re feeling in this moment is temporary. It may take a while to feel confident and in control again, but the time will come.

Psychiatrists likened my episode—neurons rapidly firing in sectors of my sleep-deprived, chemically unbalanced and malnourished brain—to enduring a brain injury. It’s not something anyone could simply bounce back from, but it didn’t mean permanent, detrimental change.

Everyone I’d talked about my experience with said life would be different afterward and that it would take getting used to.

It would require finding the right doctor, diagnosis and medication—but it wasn’t that simple.

Recovery requires a lot of self-reflection, research and experimentation, but

By Kendra it is not unachievable.

Beattie The hardest part is Opinion Editor keeping emotions in check and realizing how to detect early symptoms while separating them from your true personality.

Psychiatrists, in my experience, can’t help with this.

They’ll make sure you’re staying hydrated, exercising and taking your medication, but you’re out the door in 10 minutes. The bulk of the work occurs outside the office.

It’s important not to become secluded or embarrassed when you need help; someone close to you will always try to understand when given the chance.

But, most of all, you must remember that a mental illness does not control you. It does not define your personality. Although it may influence the way you behave sometimes, your true self remains pure and whole.

Don’t let a mental illness smother your ambition.

There is a difference between deluded, manic ambition and the real, beneficial drive that allows you to thrive in life. I realize now that ambition isn’t dangerous.

Succumbing to fear, introverting problems and accepting a mental illness as personal defeat is dangerous.

Everyone does.

Write a letter to the editor at ucaechoeditor@gmail.com Letters to the editor don’t just have to be about Echo content.

If you’ve noticed something on campus that’s positive or negative, we want to hear about it.

UCA hosted its first virtual town hall meeting Oct. 28.

The meeting was a new move by administration to encourage students, faculty, alumni and interested community members to become more involved in campus discussions.

People were encouraged to tweet questions to President Tom Courtway using the Twitter hashtag #AskPresCourtway, and Courtway answered the questions during a live stream that was later posted to YouTube.

Although the virtual town hall meeting lasted about half the time of a typical Campus Talk, it still showed an increased administrative effort to boost transparency and bring more students into a conversation about campus improvement.

As Courtway mentioned several times in the stream, he’s not big into technology and is generally unfamiliar with Twitter.

Participating in this meeting showed the university is dedicated to widening the conversational spectrum through a medium students are more likely to participate in.

One of the advantages the virtual meetings offer—and Courtway asked for feedback on a few topics during it—is that more people can contribute ideas through social media.

UCA has a lot of intelligent students, faculty and staff members.

Providing them a convenient method to express viewpoints on campus improvements can only help.

The questions about extra parking, overdue renovations to older buildings such as Snow Fine Arts and other campus improvement requests were answered similarly: UCA doesn’t have the funding.

However, UCA does have experts in multiple fields and many innovative students who could contribute ideas.

Social media could provide UCA with a readily available technological think-tank to help administration work through these issues.

Standard Campus Talks can be overrun by questions from faculty or other administrative members. The meetings are held during x-period, which generally results in scheduling conflicts for students involved in RSOs. Also, students may feel intimidated speaking in a group of predominantly faculty and staff.

Another benefit of utilizing social media for opening campus conversation is that everything stays publicly posted.

Students can see what others ask and if their questions are answered.

Courtway and Christina Madsen, associate vice president for communications, public relations and marketing, made a good effort to address many of the questions.

However, while using social media provides more transparency, students should still keep in mind that it is easier to avoid concerns on social media.

The administration has the opportunity to select which questions to answer and which to avoid. Appearing in person at a Campus Talk is the best way to guarantee an answer to questions.

The virtual town hall meeting is a great move by the university to include as many people as possible in campus conversations and will be a wonderful supplement between campus talks.

Students should continue to show their support of this new feature and use it to voice suggestions and offer feedback about administrative actions.

The Echo is printed weekly at the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Ark. Decisions about content are made by the student editors.

The views published are not necessarily those of the University of Central Arkansas. All material is subject to respective copyrights.

UCA has a lot of intelligent students, faculty and staff members.

Providing them a convenient method to express viewpoints on campus improvements can only help.

Campus Life

6

November 4, 2015

Around Campus: Lux: Pagans United Lux: Pagans United will host an interest meeting from 6 – 8 p.m. Nov. 4 in Irby Hall 102. Current and potential members will discuss ideas for the next semester at the meeting.

Best Buddies There will be a Potbelly in Little Rock fundraiser from 5 – 8 p.m. Nov. 5 at 314 S. University Set 160 in Little Rock. The fundraiser supports UCA Best Buddies, an organization that helps create one-on-one friendships with people with disabilities.

Race for a Reason Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority will host a “Race for a Reason” 5K to benefit Conway’s Area 17 Special Olympics from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Nov. 7 on UCA’s campus.

photos by Jay Hiatt

(Left) Rocky Horror Picture Show fans enjoy the crowd participation element of the play and grasp for the actor onstage. (Right) Light floods on Janet during an intimate scene of the show during its Oct. 16 - 30 run of the Rocky Horror Show at the Lantern Theatre.

Rocky Horror show mixes film, intimate play setting

by Jordan Johnson Assistant News Editor

The Conway Community Arts Association and Lantern Theatre celebrated 40 years of doing the Time Warp this October with its

first live production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” which opened Oct. 16 and closed Oct. 30 The Lantern Theatre in downtown Conway is small, containing a ticket counter and a few couches in the front room and a small stage area in the back that

seats around 48 people.

The show attracted people of all kinds, ranging from girls dressed in fishnet stockings and corsets to older people reliving a favorite movie from their youth.

The show included a cash bar before the show and during

intermission, so spirits were high.

Children were not permitted, resulting in a decidedly adult atmosphere. The stage was a mere foot away from some of the seats and no more than 15 feet from any of them.

The production was a mix

between a “Rocky Horror Picture Show” showing and an intimate stage play.

Audience members were given the option to purchase a

See Play- page 7

PERFORMANCE

Cellist delves into solo career during eerie show at Black Box Gallery

by Kayla McCullough Staff Writer

Austin, Texas-based artist Lindsey Verrill delivered an intimate performance Oct. 27 at the Black Box Student Gallery, playing an assortment of songs that showcased her talent for rich

storytelling and her impeccable picking of the banjo.

Verrill said her arrangements fit the genre of “freak folk.” The lyrics reflected themes of the Southern gothic in songs such as “Werewolf” and contained stories of a mother’s lamentation over her dead children. Eerie

melodies were reverberated throughout the dimly lit gallery, with lyrics that captivated her audience.

The unique performance was one of Verrill’s first solo shows and a departure from her work as a professional cellist.

“That’s my main job,” Verrill

said. “I play the cello and the bass, as well. I just started playing banjo and singing by myself. It’s a fun new thing for me to do.”

Verrill said she enjoys storytelling and experimenting with new sounds from traditional instruments.

“I play a lot of covers right

SPOTLIGHT

by Jordan Johnson

photo courtesy of Facebook

UCA graduate and visiting lecturer Zack Parham plays bass for his band Becoming Elephants. The band’s album will release Nov. 9 at its release show at Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack.

Most students wouldn’t expect to find out that their math teacher doubles as a bassist in a progressive rock band.

Little Rock native and UCA graduate Zack Parham, 25, is the mathematics visiting lecturer surprising previous and current students when seen playing bass in the band Becoming Elephants.

What started out as two friends jamming at a party in 2011 is now a four-piece instrumental band including Logan Kennedy, Jameson Burton, Brandon Toney and Parham.

“I’ve only ever had one student that was currently taking me show up to one [show] in Little Rock,” Parham said. “He was

there to see another band and was like ‘I’ve had no idea, you’re like living another life.’ So, I guess they all just think I’m this math-nerd guy.”

Having grown up playing guitar and bass, music has always been a hobby for him.

After graduating from UCA in 2012 with a math degree, he wasn’t ready to give it up.

“You can’t really just do music.

Or at least the kind of music I’m doing,” he said. “So you need a job and then the band is just my thing I do for fun. I’m not really looking to make any money off of it or anything.”

Becoming Elephants landed in the finals of the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase in February and March this year.

Parham said even though it

See Cellist- page 7

Artist says goodbye through lecture Assistant News Editor

Opinion Editor

recordings and travel the world,” Verrill said. “I’m going to Kenya soon to play music with people over there.”

The blend of haunting lyrics and beautiful remedies was

COMMUNITY

PEOPLE OF UCA Zack Parham

by Kendra Beattie

now,” Verrill said. “I write some of my own songs, and I do interpretations of old songs, too.”

As well as her bass and vocal work for the Austin-native band, Weird Weeds, Verrill talked about her upcoming endeavors.

“I want to make some more

was disappointing to get that far in the competition and not win, it was still a fun experience and the band got to compete against friends.

After months of working on its first record, “Volume I,” his band will release it at the band’s release show on Nov. 9 at Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack.

Parham said he is always surprised when people on campus talk to him about his music because he has no idea who knows about Becoming Elephants.

“It’s interesting when the two things collide because my friends in the band and all of my music friends, they never see me in this context, and nobody here [at UCA] really sees me in that context,” he said.

Washington, D.C.-based artist in residence Dan Steinhilber ended his exhibition at UCA on Oct. 27 with a lecture as interesting and eccentric as his art.

Steinhilber’s lecture was a sort of walk through some of his more famous and favorite works, of which he was the narrator.

From rows of mixed two-liters of soda meant to evoke the Tuscan landscape to an enormous piece of gum constructed from regular strips of gum and saliva, nontraditional materials transformed into art.

He placed a stronger emphasis on composition and the process of working with the materials than on the meaning of each individual piece.

Materials as varied as plastic wrap, soda and plastic mulch were analogous to paint in many of Steinhilber’s works. Much of his artwork incorporates plastic grocery bags, particularly after he mulched them with a lawnmower.

“I think I really liked the chopping up because it sort of takes the identity away from the plastic thing a little bit, but also, I could mix it like a liquid and make new colors that didn’t exist,” Steinhilber said. “It’s the same thing you do with painting: mixing.”

Made mostly of consumer

goods, Steinhilber’s art naturally makes a statement about consumerism and materialism, but it also speaks to man’s need to conquer nature, and sometimes his inability to do so.

“You want to gather up your stuff, you put it in a plastic grocery bag to control it, move it,” Steinhilber said. “It’s a man-versus-nature idea. I feel like I’m working with nature when I do something like this, and it has its own nature.”

Even a piece made from twisted balloons fixed to a board can evoke some of life’s biggest questions.

“Art is having an experience, and that’s what you get: some of them pop, and that’s nature,” Steinhilber said.

“Making something, destroying it, creating it; it’s part of control between the artist, who tries to understand something about life and death, and balloons are definitely that.”

In addition to discussing his individual pieces of art, Steinhilber gave some insight on how he became the artist he is today. He started out by drawing and painting from observation, but then something changed.

“There was something disappointing about it, spending your whole day on the beach and bringing it inside,” Steinhilber said. “It wasn’t the experience anymore. I felt like I wanted to share the experience of making it, so that’s how I turned to

sculpture a little bit more.”

Many of Steinhilber’s exhibitions are temporary and are constructed and deconstructed at every venue.

One sculpture in particular, a caterpillar-looking figure constructed from Styrofoam plates and plastic forks, had to be painstakingly reassembled (without glue) in the home of a buyer.

Some of Steinhilber’s work can be transported, and Art Chair Jeff Young said seeing it all go into a U-Haul can be an impressive feat.

“It was kind of interesting seeing that trash can one, where all those trash bags fill up the entire room, all fit back inside the trash can,” Young said. “He has a lot of work like that he can transport, but then when he gets to a place, he kind of changes it around, too.”

The sculpture mentioned is a trash can with a fan on the bottom which inflates an enormous patchwork of black trash bags, which can be neatly packed for transport.

Steinhilber’s exhibition in the Baum Gallery, entitled “Primary Developments,” was opened Sept. 10 and featured sculptural work throughout the three main galleries. His temporary outdoor sculpture entitled “Dark Matter,” located between Harrin and McAlister Halls, was unveiled Sept. 12. The exhibit closed Oct. 23.

K N O X H A M I LT O N

Film department releases indie music video

by Harrison Glaeser Staff Writer

Students in the UCA film department published a music video of recently signed indie rock band Knox Hamilton’s song “Work it Out.” The video was uploaded to YouTube on Oct. 27 and was filmed on campus and in Little Rock, Arkansas, for an assignment in film professor Michael Gunter’s Digital Filmmaking I class.

The group assignment asked students to gain the rights to use the song of their choosing and then create a music video.

Project director senior Hayden Turskey and the other group members contacted Knox Hamilton’s manager for permission to use “Work it Out” in the video.

Project editor senior Krizia Buck selected the Little Rock band’s hit song, which is reminiscent of indie pop bands such as Phoenix and Foster the People.

“I heard the song on Sirius XM Alt Nation a long time ago, and it gets a lot of air time,” Buck said.

“I really like it and found out they are from Little Rock, so I thought it would be a good idea to support a

local band that I like.”

The music video is a visual representation of the song, depicting a couple breaking up and the steps they then take to “work it out.”

The video’s plot is based around a boy and a girl, played

by Tursky and junior Brett McLaughlin, and features footage the students took at a concert the band played at Juanita’s Café and Bar on Oct. 24.

The video, despite being only four minutes long, took the group

See Film- page 7

ucaecho.net

CAMPUS LIFE

November 4, 2015 /7

STUDENTS SAY

SPOOKY

Japanese club throws Yokai monster festival

by Paige Yutsus

Assistant Campus Life Editor

UCA’s Japanese Club threw a festival for the masses on Halloween Eve, filled with monsters and fun for everyone.

Kicking off in the evening, participants dressed in their Halloween costumes a day early and mingled with new people over fun carnival style booth events.

The UCA club also hosted a Japanese festival last year, which took place in McCastlain Hall. The event was moved to the Student Center Ballroom this year-a much larger venueso the group could add more activities.

Interactive events such as a mask-making booth and a makeover table kept groups entertained, while other students spent their time getting their portraits drawn in cartoon form, throwing paper Shuriken blades and shooting monsters with rubber-band guns, which was sophomore Augie Gentry’s favorite game.

“I like that you can experience an entire culture here,” Gentry said. “You can dress up in whatever you want and shoot monsters with rubber band guns.”

The event also included an origami table and a food-tasting table, where students could test their taste

Cellist:

buds with native Japanese candies and cakes.

All crafts and discoveries introduced attendees to a little slice of Japanese culture.

Japanese Club President sophomore Shiori Soya said seeing people interested in her native culture always makes her smile.

“I am always glad to see people interested in Japan,” Soya said. “It is my favorite part of these types of events.”

Former club president graduate student Yuki Yamamoto said being able to dress up in her native clothes is her favorite part of the event.

“I love showing the public traditional Japanese garb,” she said.

Senior Ronnie Romero said the club throws these parties to show Japanese culture to the student body in a way that the United States can’t, because the two nations celebrate differently.

The festival also included a Yokai, or Japanese Monster fashion show, where some club members dressed up as their favorite characters from anime shows or as other fun monsters.

Through the festival, students were able to get in touch with their inner child and maybe even do a little trick or treating, or as they say in Japanese, “Okashiwokurenayka itazura shichauzo.”

Art gallery premieres talented

musician; Verrill says she hopes to return to Arkansas 4 Continued from page 6 received well by the audience.

Senior Taylor Brady said the performance was one of the best things the Black Box has put on this semester.

“It was fantastic,” Brady said.

“I really love folk music, and she did an expert job.”

Black Box Gallery Director senior Addie Rule said Verrill’s performance was one of the first concerts the Black box has hosted in a while.

Rule was able to bring Verrill’s talent to Arkansas because the two are cousins, and they support each other’s artistic pursuits.

Rule said the performance is just one of the many opportunities and activities the Black Box has to offer, which includes art shows and salsa

dancing scattered throughout the semester.

“The art shows that we do often have themes,” Rule said.

“Students can submit their art work and basically the space is an opportunity for students to see their work on the walls and have fun.”

As for Verrill’s performance, there is hope for an encore. She gushed at the positive reception of her performance, praising her audience’s amiability.

“I love Arkansas,” Verrill said. “Everyone has been really friendly, and I’m going to come back.”

Up next for the Black Box Student Gallery is a printmaking exhibition entitled “Under Pressure,” which will be on display Nov. 12-20.

“

What did you do for Halloween?

”

story by Paige Yutsus photos by Lauren Swaim

photo by Jay Hiatt

Three Rocky Horror Picture Show actors collapse over a pile of cards as the two actors left standing pose in a loving embrace.

Play:

Rocky Horror fans participate in

screenings; several UCA students involved

Senior Ben McDaniel

Freshman Jack Spurlock

“I went to see ‘Crimson Peak,’ and it was actually really good.”

“I slept through it.

I pretty much did homework and hung out with my friends.”

Senior James Foote

Freshman Jigna Patel

“We had a Halloween party at Chi Alpha. It was fun to dress up and have a costume contest, and there was a lot of dancing involved.”

“I tailgated with Kappa Sigma, attended the opening of my sorority house, went to many H a l l owe e n - t h e m e d parties, and went to the Draft.”

Freshman Jemini Patel

Freshman Sam Williamson

“I tailgated with Sig Ep, went to The Draft as well and also attended the sorority open houses.”

“I shot a short film with my friends and watched ‘Ash Evil Dead’ in Little Rock with my brother.”

Freshman Heather McKiddy

Freshman Nick Caldwell

“I watched movies and popped popcorn and ate a lot of candy.”

“I watched Halloween movies with Heather.

We watched movies like ‘Paul’ and ‘Unfriended.’ It was fun.”

4 Continued from page 6 prop bag to use at predetermined times throughout the show, which included newspapers and fake money, among other assorted goods.

The audience participation was amplified by the small space, which made it difficult not to participate in the singing and dancing.

Director Justin Pike was himself a character in the play, in an indirect but vital way.

There is a type of dialogue that dedicated Rocky Horror fans participate in during live productions or screenings, and the director was fluent.

He sat in the back and shouted timely comments and responses throughout the play, most of them too inappropriate to repeat in this article. For inexperienced or recent Rocky Horror fans, this dialogue added another layer of hilarity to the play that is not experienced watching the film.

Pike took a few liberties when casting for the film.

First, Riff Raff, who is a man in the film, is played by UCA senior Greer Williams, a woman.

Second, Rocky is played by an African-American man, Jorrell Bonner, of Conway.

The entire experience was one of community and hilarity.

By the end, one got the sense that he had shared something almost intimate with his neighbor. Friends and fans were made.

Much of the cast and crew are Conway natives and UCA alumni.

Pike, who is currently artistic

director of The Studio Theatre in Little Rock and vice president of the Arkansas Community Theater Association, graduated from UCA with a theater degree in 2006.

Williams, who played an androgynous Riff Raff, is a fifth-year senior and sociology major at UCA. Williams also participates in UCA’s Vagina Monologues. Jeff Ward, who played Eddie and Dr. Scott, also graduated from UCA with a theater degree.

Several “groupies” of Dr. Frank N. Furter were also UCA graduates. Sarah Rawlinson graduated in May with a creative writing degree, and Pammie Fabert graduated in 2008 with a theater degree.

Darby Burdine, another groupie, earned a master’s degree in English from UCA this previous May, but said that theater has always been a big part of her life.

She has been assistant director at the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre for the past two seasons, but said this was her first time working with the Lantern Theatre.

“I love the people at the Lantern, and their love of theater makes it fun,” Burdine said. “It has been incredibly positive, and honestly just the entire process of seeing it brought to life from the first read-through to seeing how even now the show is continuously evolving has been my favorite part.”

The Oct. 29 show also featured UCA English Department Chair Jay Ruud as narrator.

photo courtesy of Krizia Buck

The film crew seniors (Left to right) Hayden Tursky, Krizia Buck, Corey Graham and (right) Cecile Dowdle pose with Knox Hamilton’s frontman Boots Copeland.

Film:

Dowdle discusses difficulty behind making quality music videos, excitement about having name

attached to upcoming artist’s work 4 Continued from page 6 many hours to produce. With the many components needed to make a music video – such as cinematography and lighting – and only four group members, the process required dedication.

“It took three or four seven-hour days,” senior Cecil Dowdle, project camera operator, said. “It took a while, but we wanted to do it really well. Since we had such a good artist and song that we were using, we

wanted to make it count, so we put a lot into it.”

The group said the project served as a fulfilling learning experience that provided them with hands-on filmmaking, collaboration and time-management experiences.

They said the project seems to have its own potential career-building benefits, as well.

“This is also something that could help us get our names attached to something like Knox

Hamilton, who’s starting to get a lot bigger,” Dowdle said.

The show that the team recorded was part of Knox Hamilton’s nearly three-month tour, comprised of shows at venues and festivals across the nation in cities including New York City and Washington, D.C. This tour serves as the band’s preemptive measure toward its first full-length release, which the band will record in Los Angeles, California, with Virgin Records.

“[They’re] definitely somebody else putting Arkansas on the map, for sure,” Dowdle said. “Because we don’t have a ton coming out of here.”

With over 3.5 million streams of “Work it Out” on Spotify, Knox Hamilton is creeping into the public eye outside of the Arkansas music scene.

The band’s new four-song EP “How’s Your Mind” is available on iTunes for $3.36 and available for streaming on Spotify.

Entertainment

8

November 4, 2015

New This Week Movies

Nov. 4 - Brooklyn (PG-13), directed by John Crowley, starring Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Emily Bett Rickards and Jim Broadbent.

Nov. 6 - Miss You Already (PG-13), directed by Catherine Hardwicke, starring Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Dominic Cooper and Paddy Considine.

Nov. 6 - Spectre (PG-13) directed by Sam Mendes, starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, Lea Seydoux and Naomie Harris.

Nov. 6 - The Peanuts Movie (G), directed

by Steve Martino, starring Francesca Capaldi and Bill Melendez.

Music Nov. 6— Nothing- Kode9 Nov. 6— Elaenia - Floating Points Nov. 6 — Alone in the Universe - Jeff Lynne’s ELO

Netflix Nov. 6—Master of None: Season 1 (2015), created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, starring Aziz Ansari, Fatima Ansari and Shoukath Ansari.

Television Nov. 9—Supergirl: Episode 3 created

by Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisbeg, starring Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks and Chyler Leigh. The series premiered Oct. 26 on CBS. Nov. 10—The Flash Season 2, Episode 6, created by Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns and Andrew Kreisberg, starring Grant Gustin, Candice Patton and Danielle Panabaker.

Cooper’s latest role plays to his strengths

by Joe Kramer News Editor

The food world has become increasingly glamorized over the past decade, following the emergence of chef super stars like Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre White within the culinary scene.

These chefs are cast as perfectionists, hot heads, playboys and idols to professional cooks across the globe.

In “Burnt,” starring Bradley Cooper, we follow the life of recently dethroned culinary titan and playboy Adam Jones (Cooper).

We first meet Jones on the streets of New Orleans, banished from the world he left behind after a failed culinary life in Paris.

His penance for his sins— drugs, sex and alcohol—that led to his exile leaves him shucking one million oysters in a dingy New Orleans eatery.

The opening scenes narrated

by Jones give viewers an insight to the mind of a recovering addict who aspires to be great again.

The theme becomes more apparent when he checks his pocketbook to cross off the final oyster before removing his apron and walking out of his job.

After booking a transatlantic flight to London where he works to reassemble his old crew—which he left on bad terms—he faces a myriad of obstacles, both in his personal and professional life.

From drug dealers, old rivals and new flames, Jones must navigate through life without the aid of his old vices.

Cooper plays Jones to perfection. Cooper started off as a pretty boy in Hollywood, hardly more than a pretty face and a body full of muscles.

But in recent years, he has come into his own as a stellar actor in multiple dramas such as “Silver Linings Playbook” and

photos curtosy of indianexpress.com and mtv.com

(Above) Bradley Cooper plays Adam Jones in the new film capturing the story of a once-great chef remaking his name after a failed time in Paris. (Below) Hellen (Sienna Miller) plays the role of Jones’ sous chef in “Burnt.” the autobiographical drama “American Sniper.”

Although Cooper’s performance was stellar, he was not the only familiar face on screen. Daniel Brühl co-starred as Jones’ old front-of-house manager

and new boss Tony.

Despite being in love with Jones himself, Tony must stand to the side as Hellen, played by Sienna Miller, captures Jones’ attention when she boards the team as a new sous chef.

Both prove to be Jones’ backbone and are the catalysts that push his emotional growth.

The film’s ending leaves us feeling happy and hopeful, if not inspired.

As a critic, I feel as though I

am not supposed to love happy endings. But despite this, I feel as though the films’ writers, Steven Knight and Michael Kalesniko, gave us enough character growth, romance, humor, drama and twists that I couldn’t complain.

“Burnt” is a realistic look into the ultra-competitive world of fine dining.

It is a character study of humanity and perseverance, a stark look at the extent to which addiction and obsession can ruin your life and a reminder that all toxic things in your life have remedies.

It is a story of hope and overcoming life’s obstacles, although I doubt most of us have chefs throwing plates at our heads.

Over the past few years, foodie culture has exploded in the States.

There has always been a deep-rooted respect for cooks in Europe, but only until recently was it both cool and respectable to be a chef in American culture.

As one would expect, Hollywood has used this to its advantage. There are cooking shows on cooking channels, reality shows such as “Hell’s Kitchen” and movies that center around restaurant life.

Although one could argue that the hot-headed chef stereotype has become cliché, ”Burnt” doesn’t glamorize the aggressive and abusive behavior that some famous chefs have been known to display in the kitchen.

It doesn’t commodify that type of life and behavior. Rather, it scrutinizes that activity and the writers use that as a sort of modicum for change in their lead character.

By the end of the film, we see a man who has come to terms with his demons and has triumphed over them.

We see a man go from angry and alone to happy and surrounded by what could be considered a familial group of individuals.

“Burnt” is currently playing at Cinemark Theaters in Conway. It is rated R for language throughout.

SCREAM

New FOX series provides viewers fresh, campy murder mystery

by Jennifer Buckley Staff Writer

“Scream Queens,” a new satirical series from FOX, brilliantly combines comedy, horror and mystery.

Similar to the show “Pretty Little Liars,” this new show is all about figuring out who the killer (or killers) is.

Although it is predictable and often cheesy, this new show is successful.

The show balances modern-day stereotypes of sorority girls and fraternity boys

with serious characters and moments, which keeps the show from being a total joke.

“It’s sort of the idea of what would happen if you put something like ‘Heathers’ meets ‘Friday the 13th’ to those genre pictures like ‘Massacre of Sorority Row,’ that early-to-late ‘80s exploitation horror thing,” said Ryan Murphy, a co-creator of the show, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The show’s cast is refreshing; it does not include typical actors/ actresses.

Emma Roberts plays Chanel,

the president of the most popular sorority house, Kappa Kappa Tau; Jamie Lee Curtis acts as the dean of the college; Abigail Breslin, known as Chanel number 5, is second in command to Robert’s character; and Skyler Samuels plays Grace.

There are also several guest actors, such as Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas.

There are two main plots to this show: strange killings from a secret killer named “Red Devil” and Grace’s quest to be like her mom, who was a part of the Kappa house.

The mysterious Red Devil kills

a character, or multiple characters, every episode.

What makes the show interesting is that the Red Devil could be anyone – each character becomes suspect at one point.

Everyone wants to know who the killer is and why he is after blood.

Grace, whose mom died after she was born, is a part of the Kappa house. She wants to carry on her mother’s legacy and become a part of the same sisterhood, but it seems that there could be a mystery behind her mother’s death.

Meanwhile, top sorority girl Chanel seems to have a lot to do with the murders. She knows many secrets and information about the sorority’s past.

“Chanel is a mean girl and says things that I definitely don’t agree with, but I like that there’s a layer of smartness to her,” Roberts said about her character in an interview with Teen Vogue Magazine. “I try to come from a place of understanding. Still, there are definitely times when I’m apologizing to all of the girls when we say ‘cut.’”

Jamie Lee Curtis, who usually plays lovable characters, now plays a character who is hated.

She definitely has something to do with the murders, but nobody knows what.

“I’ve never had words like this to say,” Curtis said in an interview with Biography.com, “peeling away someone’s veneer with my words, with my very hard, biting, stiletto words. It’s amazing what I get to say.”

“Scream Queens” is fresh and exhilarating.

The show airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on FOX.

SADGAZE

New Orleans experimental rock trio releases debut full-length album ‘Blistered’

by Julia Kramer Entertainment Editor

New Orleans is not just the producer of delicious food and rich culture, but is also home to one of the raddest sadgaze, bummercore three-piece bands: Woozy.

Woozy, made up of Kara Stafford, John St. Cyr and Ian Paine-Jesam, recently released its debut, full-length album “Blistered” on Oct. 16 and it is a dreamy yet heavy banger that you’ll never want to turn off.

The 10-track record contains an addictive melodic sound with captivating lyrics on top of dynamic chord progressions, guitar feedback and static fuzz that not only creates a sound unique to the band, but also makes me want to put the album

on repeat until I get sick of it.

Woozy is no stranger to Arkansas.

The band has played multiple shows in area, including a recent house show in Little Rock on Oct. 22 with Ratboys from Chicago and local band Nouns. They also stopped in Russlleville during their summer tour to play with local bands Headcold and Sad Magick, as well as Dowsing from Chicago, whom they were touring with.

I heard them for the first time at the show in Russlleville in June and remember immeditaley digging them. Listening to “Blistered” left me feeling just as impressed as I was on that June night.

The album doesn’t dissapoint and shows the growth and success they’ve made as a band.

The sound and vibe of 1. LITERALLY ANY ANIMAL

Five Overdone College Costumes List compiled by Morgan Embry

Put on your tightest black dress, throw on a headband with some ears hot glued to it, draw some eyeliner whiskers on your face and there you have it. You’ll match at least half of the other girls packed in the fraternity house. If you didn’t catch on from “Mean Girls,” being a slutty animal is pretty basic. And if you’re dressing as a slutty animal, then we all know you have definitely watched “Mean Girls.”

“Blistered” reminded me of a Cranberries-gaze, with some punk influence and intricate placements of echo-like dreamy yet heavy sound. The warm fuzz mixes perfectly with the raw vocals, creating an impressive album and leaving listeners wanting more.

The first track, “Venom,” sets the tone for the album with an figurative slap-in-the face that almost any listener can relate to with lyrics such as “talking shit with your new best friends / that you made when you lost everything / what’s the point in having / when you are nothing.”

Track 5, “Gilding the Lily,” is an enchanting duet with echoing vocals over heavy intrumental progresssions. Stafford and Cyr’s contrasting vocals go together perfectly and strike a chord somehwere inside.

2. RISKY BUSINESS This costume has its obvious perks: you can steal the entire costume from any man’s closet, people will think you’re decently cultured and you don’t have to wear pants. You also have an excuse to drunkenly slide across the floor and probably fall. While “Risky Business” may be one of my favorite cliché costumes, it can be guaranteed at any party you go to. Do you really want to be the token “Risky Business” person?

Track 6, “Christmas Club,” is one of my favorites on the record.

It first reminded me of a mix of Brand New and Tigers Jaw. The more I listen to it though, the sound seems all their own.

The last song on the album, “Fade Like A Sigh,” was a solid song to close the album as the calm, dreamy vocals sang over the heavy and rhythmic percussion, creating a sound so unique you feel like you’re stuck in a weird dream where you don’t have a clue what’s happening.

The song ends with the vocals fading out and notes hit by what sounds like a xylophone, snapping me out of the stoned, dream-like state this fuzzy heavy, sadgaze record put me in. photo curtosy of woozywoozywoozy.bandcamp.com “Blistered” is available on iTunes for $9.99 and is free on New Orleans natives, Woozy released “Blistered” on Oct. 16.

Spotify and on their bandcamp.

This was the band’s debut full-length album and is available online.

3. DEVIL AND ANGEL

This costume is basic as Satan’s home, unoriginal and often done as a partner costume.

Grab your B.F.F., your most revealing red and white lingerie and decide who will be the devil and who will be the angel. Tack on some horns or a halo and you’re good. As a pair, you’ll receive a plethora of cliché pick-up lines such as: “Did you fall from heaven?” and “Are you naughty or nice?”

4. SLUTTY (INSERT DISNEY CHARACTER) Take any Disney princess you grew up loving, cut off half her dress and add some flashy makeup. You may not be true to the character, but hey, at least you look good. If you can find your Prince Charming, some tight pants and a half buttoned top, you’ll pretty much nail it. It’s so clever and original, no one has ever seen it before.

5. NURSE/DOCTOR None of the costumes listed are true to their characters - save “Risky Business.” And there is absolutely no way a nurse would wear that costume you bought at Walmart to work. It’s almost comedic. This costume, consisting of a tight white dress, red heels, sheer thigh-high tights and a plastic stethoscope, is the furthest thing from the loose fitting scrubs, tennis shoes and a pony tail most nurses dawn.

Sports Football defeats Lions 21-16 for Homecoming 9

November 4, 2015

Editor’s Corner

Seniors sent off in flying colors, still more to go

by Kelsey Williams

UCA women’s volleyball seniors Amy South, Heather Schnars, and Corri Hunt received standing ovations for their stellar careers on the court this past Saturday in the Prince Center on senior day.

The UCA football team took to Estes Stadium on Oct. 31, defeating the Southeastern Louisiana Lions 21-16 in front of a homecoming crowd of 7,427.

Senior quarterback Taylor Reed made a comeback after injuring his shoulder five weeks ago when the Bears faced Northwestern State Sept. 26. Reed returned back to action, completing 19 of 26 passes for 114 yards before exiting late in the fourth quarter, when true freshman Kirk Baugh stepped in for the Bears at the quarterback position.

“I was just glad that I was able to be back on the field with my teammates and be a part of a big homecoming win,” Reed said.

Sophomore quarterback Hayden Hildebrand, who had stepped in as the starting quarterback for the past five weeks, was absent from the game after taking a tough hit against the Lamar Cardinals the previous week in Beaumont, Texas.

Senior running back Blake Veasley lived up to his hyped reputation from the previous week when he rushed for 292 yards, while this week rushing for 191 yards off of 27 carries, earning himself the L.B Jackman award, which is awarded to the most outstanding player of the homecoming game. Veasley has rushed for 483 yards in the past two games.

“Going into the game, I knew it

UCA Sugar Bears fans and alumni took time to celebrate the ladies and the hard work they had put into the Prince Center during their time here.

Each of the athletes honored saw time on the court for four years at UCA and greatly contributed to the team’s overall success.

Setter Amy South spent her time as a serving specialist and reserve setter and holds the school record for assists in a five-set match (66). Defensive specialist Corri Hunt spent her time as a serving specialist and was a member of the 2011 Conference Championship Team. Outside hitter Heather Schnars saw much of her time as a starter and holds honors for 2013 All-SLC First Team, 2014 All-SLC First Team and 2014 SLC Player of the Year .

They capped off the day with an all-star performance, sweeping the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks in all three sets, giving them their fifth straight sweep. Schnars received SLC Player of the Week again for her performance.

It may have been senior day for the Sugar Bears but the job isn’t done just yet.

If the Bears can win their four remaining road matches, they will secure second seed in the Southland Conference Tournament – which will be held Nov. 20-22 at the Farris Center.

The Sugar Bears plan to keep this momentum moving forward as they travel to Houston, Texas, on Thursday to face Houston Baptist University starting at 7 p.m. They will take on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Upcoming games Football

Nov. 7th vs. Stephen F. Austin in Conway at 2:30 p.m.

Volleyball

Nov. 5th vs. Houston Baptist in Houston, Texas at 7 p.m.

Nov. 7th vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas at 1 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

Nov. 7th vs. Missouri State in Springfield, Missouri at 7 p.m.

Women’s Soccer

Nov. 5th Southland Conference Tournament in Conway Men’s Basketball

Nov. 7th vs. Central Baptist in Conway at 7 p.m.

Sports Editor

photo courtesy of Jared L. Holt

True freshman Kirk Baugh celebrates with junior wide receiver Desmond Smith after rushing for a 10-yard touchdown with 2:37 remaining in the second half to put the Bears up 14-3. The Bears defeated the Lions 21-16 in front of a homecoming crowd of 7,427 on Oct. 31. was my last homecoming I’ll ever get to play, so I knew I wanted to make it one to remember,” Veasley said.

“I was able to do that with the help of my teammates. It’s a wonderful feeling any time you win an award, but it wouldn’t have been possible without my offensive lineman, super tights and wide receivers blocking for me. It was a complete team effort.”

Veasley got the Bears off to a flying start with a 1-yard rushing touchdown on the Bears’ first possession of the game.

The Lions answered back for the first time in the second quarter when freshman kicker Jonathan Tatum completed a 25-yard field goal to put the score at 7-3.

The Bears finished the first half of the game when Baugh entered the game at 2:37 and ran

the ball for a 10-yard touchdown, with senior kicker Jace Decker converting the extra point to put the Bears up 14-3 at halftime.

Coming out from the break, Tatum was able to put 6 more points on the board for the Lions, with two field goals that closed the gap to 14-9.

After missing last week’s game against Lamar with a concussion, sophomore running

back Dominque Thomas returned for the Bears, breaking away for a 45-yard touchdown run to extend the Bears’ lead to 21-9.

The Lions were quick to answer back after freshman quarterback Donovan Isom completed a 48-yard pass to senior wide receiver Chris Briggs to put the Lions within 10 yards of a touchdown. Fortunately for the Lions, they were able to convert after freshman running back Julies Maracalin broke through UCA’s defense to score a 7-yard touchdown.

UCA ran the clock down to 2:48 before the Lions took control of the ball. Isom threw a Hail Mary halfway down the field, where senior safety Bobby Watkins intercepted the ball.

UCA held onto the ball before punting it off to the Lions with 38 seconds remaining. The Lions had three failed attempts at a first down, with senior defensive end Jonathan Woodard securing the Bears’ win after sacking Isom on the Lions’ fourth attempt.

Woodard is now only one sack away from tying former UCA Bear Mike Coffman’s record of 30 sacks and one yard away from tying the record of sack yards (148) With the win, the Bears now move to 5-1 in conference, placing them in a second place tie with Sam Houston State, McNeese State continues to hold down first place.

The Bears next opponent is Stephen F. Austin on the stripes at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 7.

HOPEFUL

Men’s basketball shows promise for upcoming season

by Joe Kramer News Editor

UCA’s men’s basketball team returned to the court on Oct. 31 and began exhibition play against the team’s first competitor: Lyon College. The Bears will play one more exhibition game against Central Baptist College on Nov. 7 before regular season play begins on the road against Tulsa University on Nov. 14.

The Bears struggled last season, earning an overall record of 2-27 with a conference record of 1-16. But last season the Bears were a very young team: A majority of their players were underclassmen.

There were no seniors to lead the team and seven freshmen filled the ranks.

“A lot of us were freshmen last year, so a big thing for us was getting stronger,” sophomore forward Otas Iyekekpolor said. “I know myself specifically I spent a lot of time in the weight room getting bigger and stronger. As a whole, we all got stronger and a big thing for us was building team chemistry because we got to spend a lot of time together this offseason,” Enduring a tough season forces teams to grow and a team as young as UCA has plenty of time to build a team for future seasons.

Coach Russ Pennell knew this and focused on team building and

boosting morale after last season.

He led the team on a trip to Paris, France, last semester, allowing the team to become more like a family.

“We worked hard every day as coach stressed he wanted to play fast this year,” Iyekekpolor said. “It was a great offseason that ended with a France tour, where we played professional teams going 3-1 while we were there.”

Guard Mike Martin will be the veteran senior this season. As one of the younger guys who saw some playing time last season, Boo Milligan, the sophomore strong forward from Los Angeles, California, will prove a pillar for the Bears, both offensively and defensively.

Sophomore point guard Jordan Howard had a lot of minutes last semester and will likely lead the Bears offensively in tandem with junior point guard Jeff Lowery.

UCA has a tough schedule coming into its conference play early this season. In the first month of play, the Bears take on teams like Rutgers University, the University of Massachusetts, Oklahoma University and the University of Pittsburgh.

These games will be a good tune-up for conference play where team leaders will emerge out of the amounts of playing time each athlete will get.

Thatch Unruh, sophomore shooting guard from Branson,

photo courtesy of ucasports.com

Junior point guard Jeff Lowery puts up a shot in an exhibition game against Lyon College. The Bears defeated the Scots 77-69 Oct. 31 in the Farris Center.

Missouri, feels optimistic about the upcoming season and hopes to make a comeback from last season’s record.

“This year I think we can

surprise a lot of people,” he said.

“We have a chance to make a huge turnaround from last year, and I believe we will.”

The Bears play their first

home game against University of Arkansas–Little Rock on Dec. 16 before heading into conference play against Abilene Christian on Jan. 2 at home.

REVEL

Volleyball celebrates sweep over SFA on senior night

by Malachi Thornton Assistant Sports Editor

UCA women’s volleyball put up great competition this weekend, coming off back-to-back wins at home.

The Sugar Bears (14-10, 10-2 SLC) welcomed defending Southland Conference Tournament champions Northwestern State (6-21, 4-10 SLC) to the Prince Center on Oct. 29 for a high energy match, that ended in a threestraight-set sweep.

Northwestern State carried the match with an early lead until sophomore right side hitter Megan Nash and senior outside hitter Heather Schnars led a comeback that put UCA ahead midway in the set.

The Sugar Bears took command for the remainder of the set, attacking from the left of the net and winning 25-21.

“They came out with a lot of energy and emotion and really took it to us in set one, but

fortunately we were able to pull away,” UCA head coach Jeni Jones said after the game.

During the next set, the women continued on the attack and took a commanding lead before finishing off Northwestern State by more than 10 points with a 25-14 lead before the break.

The women came back and finished strong.

Northwestern State fought back and temporarily tied the Bears at 11-11 until Schnars led another comeback.

The match ended after a game-winning block by Nash, sealing victory at 25-22.

“It felt good winning this game because they beat us last year and were the conference champs last year,” Nash said after the win.

The Lady Bears rolled into Saturday with confidence as they faced Stephen F. Austin on senior day.

Before the game, honors were given to senior defensive specialist Corri Hunt, setter Amy South and Schnars to celebrate their careers on the court.

photo courtesy of ucasports.comr

Seniors outside hitter Heather Schnars, setter Amy South and defensive Corri Hunt celebrate senior night with their families after the Bears’ sweep over Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 31.

UCA raced to an early lead before finishing the set on an 8-3 run by Schnars and junior outsdie hitter Rachel Sharp.

The second set began with the Ladyjacks’ early lead until the Sugar Bears went on a 7-0 run.

The Bears finished the set on a 5-0

run led by the seniors, which had eight kills from Schnars and 11 assists by South. UCA kept rolling and forced another timeout in the third set. They didn’t allow the Ladyjacks room for a comeback and finished the game at 25-16.

UCA will head to Houston for their next competition against Houston Baptist at 7 p.m. on Thursday Nov. 4.

The Sugar Bears next opponent is Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the road at 1 p.m. Saturday Nov. 7.

10/ November 4, 2015

ucaecho.net

SPORTS PREVIEW

WIN

Soccer clinches SLC tournament berth Women’s basketball sets minds on rings

by Kayla McCullough

by Misti Hollenbaugh

Staff Writer

Editor

UCA’s women’s soccer team (7-11-1, 4-6-1 SLC) clinched a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament after a 3-1 victory against the Northwestern State University Lady Demons on Oct. 30 in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

After the Nicholls State University Colonels lost 2-1 to the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions earlier that day, the Bears knew that defeating the Lady Demons would secure them a spot in the tournament.

Sophomore defender Stacia Carroll said the win was the only thing on the Bears’ minds.

“It was all up to us to put everything we had into this game and make it to the conference tournament,” she said. “We came out super energetic and ready to fight for what we thought should have been ours earlier in the season.”

Freshman forward Camille Bassett said after a six-game losing streak, the team’s attitude had taken a hit.

“However, when we found out that we had one last chance to make it to our conference tournament if we won, we all became very encouraging and positive toward one another,” she said. “We were all so supportive, energetic and positive, and I don’t think those characteristics of our team ceased throughout the whole 90 minutes.”

UCA started the scoring against the Lady Demons in the eighth minute, when junior midfielder/forward Shelby Wilson made a long pass to freshman midfielder/forward Ashley Smith, who chipped it over the Northwestern State goalkeeper.

Bassett said after the goal, the team’s positivity and energy increased.

“I think that helped us hold the game where we wanted to and even get a few more goals,” she said.

The Bears added to their lead in the 23rd minute with a wide pass from midfield from sophomore midfielder Alex Moore to Bassett, who sent the ball into the net, bringing the score to 2-0.

The Lady Demons made their rebuttal in the 52nd minute, with UCA goalkeeper

photo via ucasports.com

Freshman midfielder Ashley Smith weaves the ball in the Bears’ 3-1 defeat over Northwestern State Oct. 30. in Natchitoches. sophomore Anna Hughes blocking junior midfielder Camila Ardila’s shot, then sophomore defender Sage Leffew knocking in the rebound.

Bassett secured the Bears’ victory in the 61st minute after Smith stole the ball and sent it down the field to Bassett, who won the one-on-one with NSU goalkeeper sophomore Alex Latham to bring the score to 3-1.

Even when the Bears were two goals ahead, Carroll said the team didn’t quit.

“I knew that there wasn’t enough time for them to score that many goals, but anything can happen,” she said. “There was no way that we could think that we had it in the bag and let them score easy goals on us.

We needed to play the full 90 minutes.”

UCA outshot Northwestern 16 to 13 for the night, with eight and four shots on goal, respectively.

Bassett led the offense firing six shots, with three on goal.

Smith and Wilson both added three shots, with two of Smith’s and one of Wilson’s on goal.

Junior midfielder/forward Kate Koch and junior midfielder Allie Coleman both added on shot on goal.

Hughes made three saves in the net for the Bears, allowing one goal. Latham made three saves and allowed one goal for the Lady Demons, while senior

goalkeeper Brooke Bourbonais made two saves and allowed two goals.

While Carroll said the teams were evenly matched, she said the Bears’ energy and hard work set them apart from the Lady Demons.

Bassett said it was a fast-paced and physical game.

“However, we struck with our game plan of winning and ended up with the result we wanted,” she said.

The win marks the Bears’ second appearance in the Southland Conference Tournament, after losing in the opening round to Southern Louisiana in 2013.

As the team heads to the Southland Conference Tournament, Bassett said it could check off one of its goals for the season.

“We have proved to the other teams that we are able to stay up in the standings right next to everybody else,” Bassett said.

UCA will host the tournament Nov. 5-8 at the Bill Stephens Soccer Complex, with the championship game at 1:05 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

The Bears at sixth seed will face the No. 3 seed Sam Houston State Bearkats at 7 p.m.

Nov. 5. The winner will face the No. 2 Houston Baptist Huskies at 7 p.m. Nov. 6.

As the Sugar Bears embark on another season, there is one goal in mind: winning the Southland conference championship. With a mixture of veterans and fresh new talent, the Sugar Bears are ready to prove themselves on the court.

The Sugar Bears experienced a productive offseason dedicated to strength training and developing individual skills. Senior center Taya Novokreshchenova said the offseason was a chance to learn the individual styles of each player, which led to an overall congruent performance from the team.

“This summer and beginning of fall, all of us worked on individual weaknesses and continued improving on our strengths,” Novokreshchenova said. “I think each of us became mentally and physically stronger.

That will definitely be an important part of our game in the upcoming season.”

Junior guard Maggie Proffitt said that the offseason not only promoted individual growth, but also a stronger bond between players.

“The offseason has really

helped us bond more as a team,” Proffitt said. “We usually don’t begin workouts until July, but this summer we came back in June. I think that extra month has really helped us to get in better shape and also helped us bond and create team chemistry earlier than usual.”

Coach Sandra Rushing said while the upcoming season holds potential for a championship, the focus is on how the team approaches each step of the season.

“We want to continue to improve every day,” Rushing said.

“We need to take one game at a time. If we do that, we will have the opportunity to reach our goals, which of course is to win the Southland.”

Five new players are joining the Sugar Bears for the 2015-2016 season, including two transfers: sophomore forward Taylor Baudoin and junior guard Sandy Jackson. Rushing said that Baudoin, who earned a NJCAA Division I All-American honorable mention after her freshman year of play at Jones County Junior College, and Jackson, with her aggressive style and well-rounded abilities, will add depth to the team. Rushing

said the three incoming freshmen are still adjusting to the pace of the game, but are also significant additions.

“I’m excited to watch this team develop as the year goes along,” Rushing said. “We have a lot of work to do, but it will be an exciting year for us.”

The suspense for the upcoming season is boiling among the players, as well.

Novokreshchenova said she is looking forward to play at Tennessee on Nov. 15, as she thinks it will be great experience for the team.

“With the returning players and newcomers, I think we will have a great team with very high potential on having an amazing season,” Novokreshchenova said.

Proffitt reiterated the anticipation of starting a new season with a clean slate.

“I am just looking forward to playing with my team,” Proffitt said. “It has been a long offseason, and I know we are all ready to get on the court and play and see what we can accomplish together.”

The Sugar Bears begin their season at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Farris Center when they take on the Hendrix Warriors.

L O N G D I S TA N C E

Cross country finishes strong in SLC tournament

by Jordan Johnson Assistant News Editor

The men’s cross country team placed fourth while the women’s placed sixth at the Southland Conference Tournament on Oct. 30 in Huntsville, Texas.

UCA earned higher placements at this year’s conference than it has since joining in 2006. Senior Ryan Davidson said this is in part due to coach Beau Theriot’s coaching methods.

“Our coach has really pushed us this season to attain team and individual goals and did a really good job of making sure everyone was healthy and ready to roll at the right time,” Davidson said.

“He really taught us how to be resilient and to be able to handle anything thrown our way.”

Davidson, who placed 57th, (27:21.8), also said that the team’s tight-knit nature had a huge effect on morale and performance.

“We know each other really well and can rely on each other to pick us up if we have a bad

training day or race,” Davidson said.

Sophomore Julien Jeandree was the top finisher for the UCA men’s team in 12th place of 93 racers. Jeandree finished the 8K run at 25:28.4 minutes. He trailed the first place runner, Iliass Aouani from Lamar, by about one minute and four seconds.

Jeandree’s run Friday was about a minute longer than his time at the Little Rock Invitational on Oct. 17. This may be explained by a last-minute course change due to heavy rains, which made the course slightly longer than eight kilometers.

“As we were running the course the day before the race, we measured it out to be about 250 meters longer, which not only affected our times, but everyone else’s, as well,” Davidson said.

Also in the Top 30 from the men’s team were sophomore Preston Borg in 17th (25:39.9) and senior Josue Quiroga in 25th (26:04.2). The men’s average time at the conference was 26:00.32.

Lamar, the first-place men’s team,

had an average time of 24:57.76.

Junior Brigette Caruthers placed highest on the women’s team at 18th of 84 women.

Caruthers completed the 6K course at 22:27.5, about two minutes behind first place Alexandria Hackett of Abilene Christian, who finished at 20:26.6.

Also in the Top 30 for the women’s team were freshman Sara Shaw in 26th (22:57.6) and sophomore Abigail Topham (23:05.8).

The women’s team had an average time of 23:07.04. The first place team, Abilene Christian, had an average time of 21:29.42.

Caruthers said that for a team with a majority of girls who hadn’t competed at a collegiate conference, their ranking was admirable.

“I think all of us had higher expectations for this race,” Caruthers said. “I still believe that placing in the top half of the conference is a very respectable end to the season.”

It’s Legal. It’s Safe. It’s Anonymous.

Safe Haven is a law designed to protect babies.

What is Safe Haven? In Arkansas, the Safe Haven law allows a parent to give up a newborn anonymously. The purpose of Safe Haven is to prevent babies from being hurt or killed by unsafe abandonment. Unsafely abandoning a baby puts the newborn in extreme danger that can result in the baby’s death. It also is illegal, with severe consequences.

There is an option. Don’t abandon your baby.

1-888-510-BABY 2 2 2 9 w w w. a r k a n s a s s a f e h a v e n . o r g www.HumanServices.Arkansas.gov | Division of Children and Family Services