The Echo | March 29, 2017

The Echo

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WEDNESDAY

MARCH 29, 2017 Volume 111 — Issue 22

ucaecho.net TODAY’S FORECAST

Entertainment:

Campus Life:

CONWAY

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE

Sports:

Movies: “Kong: Skull Island”not as impressive as hoped

Safety: UCA students celebrate Korean festival

Women’s Basketball: Sugar Bears lose in March Madness 78-50 4 page 7

4 page 6

4 page 4

STUDENTS, FACULTY MAKE ZINES FOR FESTIVAL

Rain

63/53 THE NEWSDESK FROM THE EDITOR

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

Terrorist attack in London causes deaths, injuries A man identified as Kahlid Masood hit several pedestrians and three police officers with a car in London.

He killed five and injured 50, and the incident was deemed a terrorist attack. The driver then crashed into the fence outside the Houses of Parliament and stabbed another citizen. Masood — born Adrian Russell Elms — was shot and killed by police . The attack lasted 82 seconds.

photo by Jordan Johnson

UCA’s Office of Outreach and Community Engagement hosts a zine-making station on Thursday, March 16 in the Student Center. The zines, which are small hand-made booklets about civic engagement and the recent presidential election created by students and faculty, will be collected and displayed at Zinefest from 3-6 p.m. on April 14 at UCA Downtown.

RACISM

Activist analyzes importance of equality in today’s society

U.S. unites 68 countries working to destroy ISIS

by Brandon Jones

The United States rallied 68 countries on March 22 in an effort to stop ISIS. The group, called the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, discussed ways to destroy the terrorist group and to disrupt its finances. The coalition included representatives from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan and Iraq.

The coalition is already making progress to stop ISIS in Mosul, Iraq.

N AT I O N A L

Dakota Access Pipeline attacked; no suspect yet A developer for the Dakota Access Pipeline , which runs through Sioux land in Standing Rock, South Dakota, reported coordinated physical attacks on the pipeline just as it was ready to carry oil.

Authorities said holes were burned on the sides of the pipeline and that no suspects were identified, but the suspects are believed to be activists or terrorists.

Staff Writer

Activist and educator Jane Elliott showed that she is anything but a typical, sweet old lady at her equality event on March 14 in Ida Waldran.

Elliott started the event by expressing that she is old and angry, and that she has no filter.

Elliott is a former teacher who came up with the famous “blue eyes/brown eyes” method of teaching children about racism.

Elliott was a teacher when Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot, and said she was devastated by the news.

“My life has never been the same,” Elliott said. “Martin Luther King, Jr. represented hope to me.”

The assassination prompted Elliott to create her

Arkansas is trying to put eight men to death over a 10-day period because a main ingredient in the lethal injection serum is about to expire. This will be the first time in 12 years that the state will carry out executions. If the plan goes forward, Arkansas will be the first state to execute that many inmates in such a short time since the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. in 1976. The state would perform four double executions with only a few days in between. This will begin April 17.

WHAT’S AHEAD

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE UCA’s Day of Giving broke records.

UCA raised $41,504.80 during the event on March 16.

An arrest warrant was issued for 19-year-old student Tristan Susoeff of Bryant for the rape of his ex-girlfriend in February.

The sexual assault was reported on Feb. 2, and reportedly occurred in Short-Denney Hall. Susoeff was 18 at the time.

According to the affidavit, the victim was sleeping in her dorm room, forgetting that she had invited Susoeff over. Susoeff arrived, bringing breakfast, which they ate on her bed while talking.

After eating, Susoeff pinned the victim to the bed and the two began wrestling, according to the affidavit. The victim stated the assault lasted 30 minutes before she was able to make Susoeff leave the dorm.

UCAPD Public Relations and Information Officer Michael Hopper said he wasn’t sure why the warrant was issued just recently, when the report was made on Feb. 2.

Hopper also said that the number of annual sexual assault reports fluctuates.

“Unfortunately, I think assaults on college campuses happen more often than reported. We always encourage victims of crime to report it to the police. There are resources available for victims of crime and we can assist with obtaining those,” Hopper said.

According to the affidavit, the victim said that she didn’t want to press charges, but did want a restraining order to be placed on Susoeff.

“It is not uncommon for victims to not want anything done. There may be many reasons that victims might not want to either report the sexual assault or want charges filed.

I do not know if the victims’ reluctance will affect the court case,” Hopper said.

According to the affidavit, during his interview with the police, Susoeff admitted to “losing control of himself sexually.” The victim told police that after she and Susoeff broke up, they remained friends.

However, he started pushing boundaries after she started dating another person.

UCAPD had not arrested Susoeff by Monday, March 27.

Contact Us:

Index: 4Police Beat 4People of UCA

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4Student Say

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not deterred her at all, and she isn’t afraid of the dangers her opinions make her face.

Elliott said that if a person is racist, he should give up everything that comes from people of color­— including paper and rubber — because they were initially used in countries predominantly populated by people of color.

Elliott also talked about politics throughout the event, stating her opposition to President Donald Trump.

Elliott also criticized current popular views about Muslims and said that attempting to get rid of Muslims is ethnic cleansing.

Elliott also discussed laws about birth and abortions and said that responsibility can’t fall to women alone, because a man always has to be involved for pregnancy to occur.

Elliott took questions

from the audience, including Arkansas Technical University student Laura Torres Velazquez, a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens and Hispanic Student Association.

Velazquez wanted to know how to approach the school about a process taking place to defund the school’s diversity program, and Elliott said she would have to be blunt and not be afraid to scare them.

President of UCA’s Students for the Propagation of Black Culture Teanna Jenkins said the group had wanted Elliott to come to UCA for some time because she is not afraid to speak her mind.

“She too wanted to be involved in equality for all men and women, regardless of races,” Jenkins said.

COUNCIL

Student admits assault, 2017 All Greek Step Show canceled claims he ‘lost control’ after displaying lack of participation

Campus Life Editor

Eight men on death row; injection serum expiring

that the children adopted the racist beliefs so quickly and easily Elliott also came to the conclusion that everyone is racist to some degree, and many people hide behind phrases like “I don’t see race.”

“I didn’t know I was racist until after Martin Luther King, Jr. died,” Elliott said.

Elliott said because we are all part of the human race and came from the same place, we are all technically distantly related.

Elliott had the audience members turn to the people around them to shake hands and say “Hey, cousin” as a step toward getting rid of racism.

“Anything you learned, you can unlearn,” Elliott said. “It’s time to unlearn racism.”

Elliott said the problems she and her family have faced as a result of her decisions have

UCAPD

by Brent Wilson S TAT E

teaching method because she was shocked by the lack of compassion she saw from white people, Elliott said.

In 1968 Elliott asked her students if they wanted to experience what black people constantly face, and when they agreed, she told them that people with brown eyes are superior to those with blue eyes.

Elliott gave the blue-eyed children collars to wear, and by the end of the day, the blue-eyed children were more withdrawn and did poorly on work, while the brown-eyed children became arrogant and performed well.

The next day, Elliott reversed the previous dynamic, and the result was similar; the blue-eyed children became happier and did better in class, while the brown-eyed children suffered.

Elliott said she was shocked

4Columns 4Entertainment 4Sports

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by Caroline Bivens Assistant News Editor

The All Greek Council has decided to cancel the 2017 All Greek Step Show, which was scheduled for April, because of a lack of participation.

According to a statement sent by All Greek Council executive members and advisers in November, the show was canceled because no National Pan-Hellenic Council organization would be participating in the show.

The Step Show includes all recognized National Panhellenic Conference and NPHC sororities and IFC fraternities, who work together in random pairs to perform in the dance competition.

All Greek Council President Whitney Meyer said the show was created to promote unity within the Greek community, which is what made the step show so important.

The step show normally occurs twice during the school year: once in October during homecoming week when they compete for the title of “Homecoming Step Show Champions,” and once in spring to compete for first, second and third places.

Assistant Director of Student Life Lindsey OsbourneShirley said most—but not all groups—participated every spring and that the decision to cancel the show was mutual between Greek organizations.

“The decision varied by organization and by year, but common themes were time and membership numbers [that kept them from participating],” Shirley said.

The statement also said the show was flawed and that it did not adequately represent the Greek community.

“The event began to become more about the competition and therefore was not meeting the original intent of the event, of producing fellowship amongst members of different organizations,” Meyer said.

Junior Alpha Kappa Alpha member Kasiana Pettus said her sorority doesn’t participate in the show, but she believes the show was flawed because NPHC choreographs the dances and the other organizations just join in.

Pettus said she believes that the NPHC organizations feel like they are being used for the step show because they created the dance steps, and she wasn’t surprised that the performance

Social:

Inside:

Involvement’s necessary

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was canceled. “[This situation] is dramatic because it makes us look bad,” Pettus said. “It makes it look like [the Greek community] can’t get along.”

UCA has five NPC sororities: Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Delta Zeta, Sigma Sigma Sigma and Sigma Kappa, and four NPHC sororities: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rho. UCA also has nine NPC fraternities: Alpha Sigma Phi, Beta Upsilon Chi, Kappa Sigma, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Tau Gamma.

There are four IFC fraternities on campus: Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma.

According to the statement, the Greek Council is working to create events that will not take the place of the step show, but that will instead work to build fellowship within the community.

“This decision [to cancel the show] is indefinite,” Meyer said. “It’s up to the community [to decide] if and when it comes back.”

ucaecho

© 2017 The Echo, Printed by the Jacksonville Leader, Jacksonville, Ark.

Students should become more involved at UCA and in the Conway community

see page 5

2/March 29, 2017

NEWS

ucaecho.net

Senior psychology student accepts Harvard position

LEGO DAY BUILDS RELATIONSHIPS

by Mia Moulden Staff Writer

photo by Waid Rainey

UCA held a Family Lego Day on March 18. Parents and children enjoyed a day of building with and learning about Legos in the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center.

CAREER

Independent producer named new AETN executive director

by Caroline Bivens Assistant News Editor

Courtney Pledger was named as the executive director of Arkansas Educational Te l e v i s i o n Network on March 20. “ M y life-long love for AETN and public television Courtney Pledger drove my interest in the job,” Pledger said.

“I look forward to working with and getting to know the talented staff. We will grow together.”

Pledger took the place of former executive director Allen Weatherly and Interim Director Tony Brooks. Weatherly served as director for 20 years and died in November 2016.

Before coming to AETN, Pledger was an independent producer for CBS, NBC and ABC, vice president for IndieProd, executive producer for DreamWorks Animation, senior vice president of development and production at Radical Pictures Company, producer and partner for Jigsaw Films, director of television for Hearst Entertainment and, more recently, executive director of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

“As I have moved through my career, I have often been pleasantly surprised to discover how readily the things learned in one job transfer to another,” Pledger said. “My first job during my college years was at a public television station, so coming full circle feels very right to me.”

Pledger was selected by a vote of the AETN

Board of Commissions and was supported

by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

AETN Vice Chair of the Board of Commissions Annette Herrington said Pledger was chosen because of her expansive television and film experience and her work in production and fundraising.

“We expect her to look at all aspects of AETN and how we relate to people in Arkansas,” Herrington said. “We want her to take what we have and bring new ideas and leadership that will spark new directions.”

Herrington said the board was impressed by the way Pledger reinvented the struggling Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival by bringing in new sponsorships that makes the festival special in the state.

According to a statement

released by Hutchinson, Pledger’s television and leadership experience made her the model candidate for the position.

“Courtney’s passion for this industry is second to none and I am excited about her vision for this agency,” Hutchinson said in the statement.

According to the statement, Pledger has received several honors and awards, including a Golden Globe for her production in the film “A Killing in a Small Town,” the Women in Film’s Lillian Gish Producing Award and a primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Pledger was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, but grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson with a Bachelor of Arts in theater.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

UCA senior Emily Hahn has accepted a position at the Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical S c h o o l , where she will assist a Department of Defense initiative Emily Hahn to treat psychiatric illnesses.

Hahn, a psychology major, will be a Clinical Computational Research Coordinator in the Division of Neuro Therapeutics in Boston, Massachusetts.

Hahn said the responsibilities of this position include data acquisition, analysis and coordination for the neuroimaging component of a large-scale Deep Brain Stimulation initiative.

This will be funded by the Department of Defense and is intended to treat a broad range of treatment resistant psychiatric illnesses.

Neuroimaging is the process of producing images of the brain’s structure or activities for psychologists and other medical professionals to interpret.

According to the National Parkinson’s Foundation, “Deep brain stimulation is a surgical procedure used to treat a variety of disabling neurological symptoms — most commonly the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.”

According to Harvard Health Publications, the electromagnetic devises that treat psychiatric disorders have expanded in recent years.

The deep brain stimulation initiative is a result of such advances.

“At the University of Central Arkansas, I have engaged in three different research projects with psychology and neuroscience professors. In fact, the first lab I worked in was associate professor

of psychology Dr. Shawn Charlton’s behavior and decision making lab,” Hahn said.

She said the inspiration and support of her psychology, biology and computer science professors contributed to her success at UCA. She also said that being involved in the UCA chapter of Psi Chi, the international psychology honors society, helped her gain grant-writing experience and receive funding for her undergraduate honors thesis.

For her thesis she is using data from the lab she works in at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science to examine the relationship between emotional regulation and the neural correlates of fear extinction in women with post traumatic stress disorder.

Hahn said that one academic barrier for her, and possibly other students, was not having computer programming classes integrated into the general education requirements. She said that her exposure to it helped her at UCA and going into the workforce.

She attributed a significant number of her experiences to the Brain Imaging Research Center in the Psychiatric Research Institute at UAMS. “A year and a half ago, I began as a doe-eyed, curious undergraduate intern. Now, I am leaving well-versed and fundamentally trained in psychiatric neuroimaging,” she said.

Charlton said Hahn’s appointment to the position at Harvard marked a level of success that he believes is possible for all of UCA’s psychology undergraduates.

Other honors and grants that Emily Hahn has received during her time at UCA include a Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Grant and a Psi Chi Undergraduate Scholarship to help with her educational expenses.

MEETING

President Davis shares goals, SGA recognizes Sugar Bears

by Caroline Bivens Assistant News Editor

credit of Conductor Facebook

President Houston Davis spoke at UCA’s high school startup day event on March 16. Conductor opens these events to the Conway community. The next event will be the Spark, tank pitch competition on April 22.

UCA’s partnership with Conductor, Startup Junkie urges innovation

by Denn-Warren Tafah Sports Editor

UCA has established a partnership with Conductor and Startup Junkie Consulting to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development in Central Arkansas, according to the Conductor website.

Conductor is a public-private partnership and Startup Junkie is a globally proven enterprise.

“UCA engaged Startup Junkie Consulting about two years ago to assess the assets

UCA has and the assets in Central Arkansas to see what it would take to create a true startup ecosystem, both on campus and in the community,” Team Leader Jeff Standridge said.

Standridge said the recommendations from the engagement were voted on by the Board of Trustees.

This partnership equips K-12 students with expertise in financial literacy, intrapersonal skills, entrepreneurship and innovative thinking.

“So far, at our inaugural event back in December (our G60 Pitch Contest), two UCA students won $1,000 each.

Secondly, we have placed two interns so far; one with a startup company and one with Cadron Capital Partners and the Conductor,” Standridge said.

Team member Haley Allgood said the team is excited to expand.

“At Startup Junkie Consulting we are really excited for the Conductor to expand entrepreneurial programming and the startup movement to a region in Central Arkansas that had previously been overlooked,” Allgood said.

According to the Conductor website, their commitment to the community is to create jobs, deliver new products and

solutions, generate tax revenue and increase the quality of life.

Conductor also provides advice and mentorship for small businesses, entrepreneurs and investors in Central Arkansas and has 18 mentors who are accessible to the community and students for free.

“We have also launched the UCA Entrepreneurship Club and are about to launch 1 million cups on March 29 at the Cave in the Donaghey Hall, which is an opportunity for students, faculty and others to come, mingle, network, drink free coffee and hear from an entrepreneur,” Standridge said.

President Houston Davis spoke to SGA briefly about his plans for the next five years, and SGA passed a resolution acknowledging the women’s basketball team’s Southland Conference victory during their meeting on March 27.

Davis said he plans to provide more internships and experiential learning opportunities for students on campus.

He said he would also like to see more last-dollar scholarships for students who only owe a small amount of money for their tuition.

“We try to be student centered,” Davis said. “If we aren’t keeping students centered we’ve lost some of what this university is about.”

Davis also discussed his concerns about the recent passage gun law, which will allow concealed-carry guns on campus.

“This is a great concern to me, and I didn’t know anyone in law enforcement who thought this was a good idea,” Davis said.

Davis said he will have more information in the upcoming weeks about how this law will affect campus and said he

wants to take the time to figure out what to do.

Later, SGA unanimously passed a motion titled the “Sugar Bears Conference Champions Resolution,” which will recognize the women’s basketball team on their Southland Conference championship win.

The resolution states that SGA will “wholeheartedly congratulate” the team.

“I’ve seen how often and how hard they’ve worked.

They’ve done an amazing job,” Senior Class Vice President Hayley Harp said.

Senate members were also encouraged to donate to Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

“This is an incredible organization and it’ll be a fun time to get together and support [this fundraiser],” Executive Vice President senior Bryce Woods said.

The Community Involvement Committee is still working to expand library hours and the Academic Affairs Committee is working to allow forgiveness for C’s and to abolish HPER and library fees for study abroad students, since they won’t be on campus to use those facilities.

Police Beat

The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports

By Assistant News Editor Caroline Bivens

Student reports stolen Nike bag, products worth $200

Two students have party, asked to remove alcohol

Student parks near physical plant, car receives scratches

Non-student drives under influence, suspended license

Student Nicholas Hall reported the theft of his Nike duffle bag stolen from his car on March 9. Hall said the bag contained his baseball referee gear and various clothing items worth approximately $200. Hall’s car was parked in the lot east of the HPER, and said his car must be locked manually and believes that the car may have been unlocked.

Students Xochitl Shields and Zoe Tollette, with approximately 10 other people, were found with alcohol in their dorm in Farris Hall on March 10. The resident coordinator on duty, Kristen Meeker, said she was contacted because of the loud noises coming from the room. Tollette and Shields were advised by police to remove all alcohol from the room.

Student Sharbrodric Young reported multiple scratches on the driver and passenger side of his car on March 11.

Young said he was parked in the lot by the physical plant and did not notice the damage because it was dark out, and did not see them that morning. Police estimated the damages to be $750.

Non-student Ashley Coleman was arrested on March 16 for driving under the influence after police pulled her over for making an illegal left-hand turn without yielding to traffic and for driving with a suspended license.

Coleman said she only had one drink and avoided blowing into the Breathalyzer but was found to have alcohol in her blood.

Campus Life

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March 29, 2017

Around Campus: State Science Fair UCA will host the Annual Southwestern Energy Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair all day on March 31 in the Farris Center. The fair will feature students grades 9 through 12 from across the state as they compete in their individual competition categories. The award ceremony for the fair will be held in Ida Waldran Auditorium at 3:30 p.m. on April 1. For more, information contact Associate Professor of Biology Mark Bland at 501-450-5967.

Coding Academy Demo The UCA Coding Academy will host Demo Day at UCA from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 31 in McCastlain Hall. Graduates of the Coding Academy will show their final projects and portfolios to the public. The event is free and open to the community.

For more information, contact UCA’s Division of Outreach and Community Engagement at 501-450-3118.

Hunger Banquet The Social Justice League at UCA will host a Hunger Banquet at 6 p.m. on April 3 in the Hall of Fame room at Estes Stadium.

The event will focus on world hunger. For more information contact SJL President Marisa Hahn at mbader1@cub.uca.edu.

‘Who’s in your bed?’

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity will host “Who’s in Your Bed?” from 7p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 3 in Student Center room 215. The event will focus on STD and HIV awareness and prevention. For more information contact Phi Beta Sigma President Timothy Johnson at tjohnson20@cub.uca.edu.

UCA Wellness Fair The UCA Wellness Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 5 in the Student Center Ballroom. Sponsored by the Office of Student Wellness and Development, the fair will feature information on health and wellness, free samples, giveaways and door prizes.

For more information contact Director of Student Wellness Jenna Davidson at 501-450-3133.

‘Take Back the Night’ The Social Justice League will host “Take Back the Night” at 6:30 p.m. on April 5 in UCA’s amphitheater. The event will include awareness about domestic violence and abuse and will include T-shirt tie-dying.

For more information, contact SJL President Marisa Hahn at mbader1@cub.uca.edu.

Academic success The Office of Student Services will hold another Academic Success Workshop during x-period on April 4 in Doyne Health Science Center room 141.

The workshop is titled “Traits of Successful Students” and will be taught by Charlotte Strickland.

For more information contact Director of Student Success Julia Winden-Fey at juliawin@uca.edu.

photos by Lauren Swaim

[Left] Sophomore Juhee Pack dresses Sophia Ligon in traditional Korean clothes at the Korean Spring Festival on March 16 in the Student Center Ballroom. The event presented different parts of Korean culture, including a show with Korean music and dancing. [Top Right] (back, left to right) Junior Seyoung Kim, freshman Debra Lee, sophomore Alina Ayelbekova, senior Seojin Kim, (front, left to right) junior Jinsol Kim and senior Minji Kim dance to K-Pop music.

Korean Spring Festival uses hands-on activities to express culture

by Caroline Bivens Assistant News Editor

The Korean Spring Festival informed attendees about traditional and modern Korean culture through games, performances and a spicy noodle competition.

The festival was hosted by the UCA Korean Club on March 16 in the Student Center Ballroom.

Korean Club president, junior Jinsol Kim, said the club is open to anyone who wants to learn about Korean culture, and that the purpose of the festival was to share the culture with others.

“This is my first time being a leader in the club and [the club] is very special to me because I

am from Korea,” Kim said.

Booths were set up to display examples of traditional Korean food, culture, religion, music, games and dress.

Korea is predominately Buddhist, which is reflected in Korean art, culture and lifestyle.

Symbols of Buddhism can be seen on temples and religious sites in Korea.

There were also displays of the Korean alphabet, and club members offered to write attendees’ names in Korean so they could wear it on a name tag. Club members also taught attendees to say simple phrases in Korean such as “annyeong haseyo,” which means “hello.”

Traditional Korean clothing, popular Korean games and food were also on display.

Hanbok is the traditional Korean dress made with vibrant colors and simple lines, which would have been worn to formal and semi-formal events.

Today, the clothing is only worn in festivals and celebrations.

Club members encouraged attendees to try on examples of Hanbok that came from Korea.

Yutnori is a traditional board and dice game with four wooden sticks, normally played on New Year’s Day. The game was set up for students to play and interact in a hands-on experience.

The festival offered traditional noodles and rice, and provided information on popular dishes like kimchi, which is a chili pickled cabbage, and bibimbap, a mixed rice

F E AT U R E

dish.

Traditional Korean music is mostly folk, but today Korean pop, or K-Pop, has become popular throughout Asia and other parts of the world.

During the performances, club members performed a piano solo of the Korean National Anthem and sang covers of popular K-Pop songs.

The girls of the club performed two energetic dance routines to K-Pop songs.

The festival ended with a spicy noodle competition in which contestants had to eat a cup of hot noodles quickly; the top three were rewarded with prizes.

Kim said the club began around four years ago, and this is only its second year to host a

spring festival.

Sophomore Scarlett Lokey said she joined Korean Club because she wanted to learn the Korean language.

“I grew up learning Spanish, and now that I’m in college I want to learn something different,” Lokey said. “Korean is an emerging business language so I think it will be beneficial for my future.”

UCA doesn’t offer a Korean language class, but offers a community Conversational Korean Class through the UCA Community Language School.

The class is taught by junior Ha Ram Kim. To keep up with the Korean Club and when they meet, join the UCA Korean Club on Facebook.

MUSIC

Lecturer felt called to science

by Taylor Fulgham Assistant Online Editor

When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, they usually give the same sorts of responses — astronaut, police officer, firefighter. One career path that is often placed on these lists is the mysterious and elusive scientist.

Zaida Gomez-Kramer, a senior lecturer in the biology department at UCA, was one such kid with aspirations of working in the science field.

Gomez-Kramer was born in 1955 in Puerto Rico to an accountant father and seamstress mother.

She said it is difficult to pinpoint a specific moment t h a t sparked her interest in science and the medical Zalda Gomez-Kramer field, but re m e m b e r s a visit to a doctor’s office that changed her life forever.

“When I was six years of age, my mother took me to a clinical laboratory for routine doctor’s visits, and they would take blood from my finger,” Gomez-Kramer said. “And I remember I was nothing, a little twerp, and I looked at the nurse and I said ‘Can I see what you’re looking at?’ And she was looking at a microscope, looking at cells that she was counting on a chamber under the microscope.

So my mom raised me up on the counter and I looked at it, and when I walked out of there, I looked at my mom and said ‘That’s what I want to be when I grow up.’ And that’s what I did.”

After finishing her undergraduate training at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Gomez-Kramer immediately began work as a medical technologist for a hospital in Puerto Rico.

Gomez-Kramer later decided to leave her job at the hospital in hopes of finding something better.

“I didn’t want to be there eight hours a day, in the basement of a hospital, running tests and not talking to anybody and not doing anything else,” Gomez-Kramer said. She decided to re-enter academia and begn work on a master’s degree at Texas Christian University. After earning that degree in just a year and a half, Gomez-Kramer realized she had a new passion in life — teaching.

“The university I was at for my masters had two programs.

One was geared toward administration in the hospital and the other was geared toward education. I didn’t qualify for the administration program because I only had one year of working experience. But I didn’t want to stay another year to work, so I went into the education program.

So I end up switching gears, So when I finished my masters, I was

aware I was going to be teaching more — either laboratory science, or science of some kind. And that’s when I went back home and I taught in the medical technology program,” Gomez-Kramer said.

Gomez-Kramer moved to Arkansas near the turn of the century with her family.

She began to work in the UCA biology department in 1999, teaching microbiology to undergraduate students.

Success within her microbiology class allowed her to begin teaching a general biology course and then a human anatomy and physiology class.

Gomez-Kramer said she likes changing up the courses she teaches because her field is always changing.

“The demand for new and better things keeps coming,” Gomez-Kramer said. “When I came here, we were essentially a service department, meaning we taught a lot of courses for the physical therapy program, the nursing program — the required courses for them. But since then, we have developed courses that we didn’t have before. I teach pathogenic microbiology now — that didn’t exist when I started here.”

In 2015, after 16 years of teaching at the university, Gomez-Kramer had to take a leave of absence due to complications with her back and a battle with breast cancer, which made it difficult for her to teach.

“If you’re gonna get sick, you want to get sick at UCA,” Gomez-Kramer said. “Due to all my appointments and whatnot, I was coming and going a lot, and I literally was covered by every single member of this department.”

Gomez-Kramer said her family was a huge source of inspiration for her as well.

“My kids were fantastic,” Gomez-Kramer said. “They picked me up when I couldn’t drive because of my back, and they did what they had to do.”

Gomez-Kramer’s daughter Maria Kramer, who works for the UCA Alumni Association, said she was not worried about her mother’s health conditions because she knew her mom would be victorious in the fight.

“It didn’t really affect much,” Kramer said. “Life threw her something, and she handled it. She’s always been very resilient.”

Gomez-Kramer said she felt comforted through her struggles because of her support system at the university and at home.

“You never realize how nice people really are until you’re faced with difficulties like that” Gomez-Kramer said. “It was a tough time, but not remotely as tough as it could have been.”

photos by Lauren Swaim

[Top] UCA Graduate Conducting Intern Nathan Rakow conducts the UCA and Hendrix College wind ensembles during a joint concert on March 16 at Reynolds Performance Hall. This concert was the first time for both wind ensembles to play together as a group. [Botom Left] Hendrix Director of Bands Gretchen Renshaw conducts the Hendrix College Wind Ensemble during a joint concert March 16 at Reynolds Performance Hall.

[Bottom Right] Sophomore Rachel Lewis plays the clarinet. Lewis was the winner of the UCA Student Spotlight Concerto.

UCA and Hendrix wind ensembles collaborate

by Brody Arnold Staff Writer

The UCA and Hendrix College wind ensembles played a joint concert March 23 in what UCA Director of Bands Ricky Brooks called a “historical event.”

This was the first time the UCA and Hendrix wind ensembles played together.

Hendrix Assistant Professor of Music Gretchen Renshaw said it started after she and Brooks had conversations last spring about possibly collaborating.

Brooks highlighted the importance of the joint concert.

“It’s historical. This is the first time the two university bands have collaborated,” he said. “Good for the students to join together for a concert.

Good relations for the music departments and universities, and Conway.​” Renshaw said that students from different schools playing together is a good thing.

While Renshaw thinks that playing with other schools might inspire students to play better, she doesn’t believe it

is a competitive atmosphere, saying that music is about “bringing people together to create something bigger and better than what they could achieve individually.”

The Hendrix ensemble took the stage first. They played “Meridian” by Ola Gjeilo, followed by “Give Us This Day”

by David Maslanka. The band was conducted by Renshaw, while Hendrix Associate Professor of Music John Krebs played the piano.

After a short intermission, UCA’s ensemble took the stage.

They first played “Carnival of Venice” by Paul Jeanjean.

This featured clarinet player, sophomore Rachel Lewis, who was the UCA Student Spotlight Concerto winner.

The band then played “Gazebo Dances” by John Corigliano, followed by “La Pequeña Habana” by Todd Malicoate.

The two ensembles then formed into one band. UCA Graduate Conducting Intern Nathan Rakow conducted the band.

They played “The Pines of Rome” by Ottorino Respighi.

A reception was held after the concert.

Renshaw said she hopes this is just the beginning of collaborations between UCA and Hendrix.

“I hope that this joint concert will contribute to further collaborations between Hendrix and UCA,” she said.

“It’s just a great thing for the Conway community to see two different colleges being able to work together to produce something so great between them.”

Renshaw also said it is a good thing for students from different colleges to be able to come together and share their mutual love for music, especially considering the differences between the two schools.

“We have two wind ensembles with students who are attending different schools and following different career paths,” she said.

She pointed out that most of the students in the UCA ensemble are music majors, while most in the Hendrix ensemble are majoring in something other than music.

March 29, 2017/4

CAMPUS LIFE

ucaecho.net

STUDENTS SAY

“

Where is your favorite place to eat on campus?

”

photos by Lauren Swaim

[Left] Lucy Moon (Junie B. Jones) writes in the survival guide that she is writing with her classmates in “Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide” on March 17 at Reynolds Performance Hall. The cast performed a night show and two matinees, which were part of the Reynolds’s Main Stage Education Series for elementary school children. [Right] Lucy Moon (Junie B. Jones) tells her classmates her idea for a school survival guide.

story and photos by Monica Sanders

Junie B. Jones musical teaches children important morals

by Lauren Swaim Staff Writer

The kindergartener everyone knew when they were younger jumped off the pages of Barbara Park’s books on March 17, bringing adventure and rubber cement with her.

Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School was a part of the Reynold’s Main Stage EdUCAtion Series, which was created for audiences in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Lucy Moon, starring as Junie B. Jones, said that by seeing the books come to life, children could be encouraged to read more or get involved with acting and theater.

“Maybe some of the kids that don’t necessarily read the books can still learn the lessons that Junie B. has to offer through music and still enjoy it

that way,” Moon said.

During the musical, which was filled with catchy songs and giant school supplies, Jones decides she wants to write a book about how to survive the first grade.

Each of her friends at school comes up with chapters to write in her book, though Jones can’t come up with any ideas for what she would write.

Some of the chapters that Jones’ friends thought up discussed backpacks, world peace, what to do on the bus, fashionable clothes and different kinds of school supplies.

Feeling frustrated, Jones starts lashing out and getting in trouble at school. She blames her angry outbursts on El Toro Fabuloso, the angry bull inside her stomach. Jones even sings

a musical number where she looked in the mirror and a look-a-like of her wearing bullhorns looks back at her.

The show taught many morals that children Jones’ age could understand. Jones learns that it’s all right to accept help from others and that it’s better to work together. The show was also meant to teach kids how to be nice to each other and that rules exist to protect them and enhance their education.

The show had everything that would keep the attention of a child for the hour-long production, including a giant version of Jones’s survival guide that served as the set.

At the beginning, the cast opens the book so it functioned as a classroom, Jones’s bedroom and her home. At the end, the cast closes the book after all of the chapters are complete.

The performance required a lot of energy on the actors’ parts. The entire show consisted of adults running around like children, singing and dancing.

“You have to keep the energy so high or the kids will get distracted,” Samantha Sayah said. Sayah played Lucille and other characters.

Eleven-year-old Meghan Huff said she could relate to the characters in the energetic performance because of her experiences at school.

“I deal with a bunch of students who don’t shut their yabber-boxes,” Huff said.

Stage director Lindsey Gradwohl said this tour would be the final tour for the show.

After this show ends, the production company Theatreworks USA is bringing back the first Junie B. Jones show they created, “Top Secret Personal Beeswax.”

PA N E L

Sophomore James Cooper

Freshman Colby Little

“I would say the Student Center because, while I enjoy the caf and it’s healthier, the food is tastier at the Student Center. You can get larger portions — if you go to Mooyahs you can get whatever you want on your burger, it’s up to you.”

“Probably the Student Center, because of the varying food choices and you can get whatever your stomach or wallet desires. There are healthier choices there too, like you can get yogurt or water.

I like the quality or quantity amounts.”

Sophomore Wesley Peters

Junior Kayshell Adderley

“The cafeteria. It’s more of a variety; it might not always be good, but it surprises me more than a chicken sandwich, ‘cause those are gonna be there every single time. It never surprises you.”

“Einstein’s, ‘cause I really like coffee and I think they have a better variety than Starbucks and better customer service. My favorite thing to get there is the hot white chocolate mocha.”

Sophomore Angela Randolph

Senior Megan Saville

“I really like the Burdick Hall sandwich cafe ‘cause they give you guacamole and I love guacamole. And they give you bacon. And the staff there is amazing and very kind and compassionate. They are really awesome.”

“Probably the Student Center because it’s close to Irby and that’s practically where I live.

I like how it’s central to everything else: the bookstore and Einstein’s are right here; everything I need I can get right here.”

Senior Christa Wilson

Senior Asia Mason

“The cafeteria because, for my meal plan, it’s the cheapest place to go and I find that it has a lot of variety. There’s something different every time. They do a spicy tofu stir fry that is excellent.”

“I would say either the caf or Quiznos, and I like Chick-Fil-A, and that place in Burdick. I like everything. I like food.

I live off campus so I don’t eat at the caf a lot, so I don’t get tired of it like people do.”

Group of alumnae discusses internship tips with students

by Sophia Ordaz Entertainment Editor

Four UCA alumnae advised students on how to score desirable internships in a panel discussion on March 16.

Seasoned former interns Sarah Burns, Jennah Denney, Mary Dunlap and Jacqueline Moragne explored the personal setbacks and triumphs of their internship searches during the nearly hour-long discussion, which was hosted by the UCA chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Burns, the resource development coordinator at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Saline County, revealed that she didn’t begin her internship search until she was halfway through with her undergraduate studies.

“When I was here at UCA, [around] my junior year, I set a goal for myself of doing three internships by the time I graduated, and at first I didn’t really know what [to expect],”

Burns said. “So, I just started researching like crazy.”

Moragne, marketing assistant for graphics and printing business Lawson & Company, urged students to extensively research internship opportunities and companies before applying and interviewing for a position.

“Whoever you’re interviewing with, make sure you do research on the company,” Moragne said.

“That’s so important. That way you can go in there and already have an idea about these people, and you can tie that into [the interview]. You can sneak it in there before they even ask you about it.”

All four professionals emphasized the importance of promoting personality and achievements during the interview process for an internship. Dunlap, the program director for the Arkansas Coding Academy, demonstrated her “60-second pitch” — a brief introduction of

herself, her education and her previous achievements.

“My interview process relies on my 60-second pitch,” Dunlap said. “I don’t think that people take [selling yourself ] super seriously, but that’s something you have to practice, and you have to practice out loud and to other people …

Sometimes I question how I landed positions before my 60-second pitch.”

Moragne encouraged students to apply for internships in a variety of different industries to find the best fit. She also warned students not to waste time interning for companies where they would be treated as “coffee-fetchers,” instead of peers.

“When I go somewhere, I want to learn something or take something away,” Moragne said. “The only thing I took away [from some of my internships] was a footnote at the bottom of my resume.”

Burns and Denney attained

some of their internships by requesting temporary positions from companies and organizations that weren’t publicly looking for interns.

After working with the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas for a marketing class, Burns emailed the nonprofit’s executive director and inquired about an internship. The executive director created an internship and later a full-time position for Burns.

Denney’s internship working on the UCA Core’s design and branding was created after a meeting she had with the program’s leaders.

“Chase opportunities and be hungry for it,” Denney said.

“The one thing I always knew I wanted to be when I grew up was super successful and a driven woman, and I wanted to almost be a shark in whatever industry I was in ... If you treat every experience as a learning experience, you’re going to take a lot from it.”

SPOTLIGHT

PEOPLE OF UCA Phyllis McDaniel

by Denn-Warren Tafah Sports Editor

The saying, “never trust a skinny cook” doesn’t apply to UCA Christian Cafeteria cook Phyllis McDaniel, because she has never tasted her own omelets.

She judges the deliciousness of the omelets based on the response of students.

“I have never had one of my omelets, but the students say it tastes good,” McDaniel said. “I truly believe it’s a gift from God that I can cook and make things from scratch.”

Born and raised in Conway, Arkansas, McDaniel is the second of seven children.

She and her siblings were raised by her grandmother because her parents both died when she was younger.

McDaniel’s father died while at Petit Jean State Park with some friends and siblings.

Her mother also died in an accident.

“My mom was killed in a car accident when I was younger, so my grandmother had to take care of us seven girls, and I would always be in her way when she was cooking,” McDaniel said.

As a kid, McDaniel cultivated her cooking gift by watching her grandmother.

Being the second child of

photos by Lauren Swaim

Phyllis McDaniel cooks omelets at her omelet station March 17 in the Christian Cafeteria. This fall McDaniel will have worked in the cafeteria for nine years, working the last four at the omelet station.

seven also caused McDaniel to take a leadership role.

“It was hard on my grandmother taking care of all seven of us,” McDaniel said. “I had to become kind of like the mother figure, even till this day.”

McDaniel has been working at UCA since August 2008.

She first worked in the Student Center food court before getting transferred to the cafeteria because of her relationship with students.

“The executive chef called

me during the summer and asked me if I would come to the caf because he saw I had a personal relationship with the students,” McDaniel said.

This move to the cafeteria also benefited her financially, as McDaniel works several jobs to support herself and her family after her husband died.

“I met my husband when I was 18, he was like my best friend and when he died there was a part of me that left,” McDaniel said.

Despite the pain she has faced, McDaniel never asked for anything, and she helps students with their personal problems.

“I love people ... A lot of times students come and tell me their personal problems that they can’t tell their families,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel is very family oriented and she enjoys church and family gatherings.

She has two daughters; her first daughter works at Molex and her second daughter is an intensive care nurse.

Open every weekday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., the famous omelet bar is open to everyone who has access into the Christian Cafeteria.

If you go to UCA and haven’t tried McDaniel’s famous omelettes, you haven’t had a signature UCA breakfast.

Opinion

5

ucaechoeditor@gmail.com

March 29, 2017

The Voice Reading literature: mentally stimulating, exciting, underrated

The Echo Staff Jordan Johnson Editor

Morgan Embry Associate Editor

Amanda Nettles News Editor

Caroline Bivens Assistant News Editor

Brent Wilson Campus Life Editor

Monica Sanders

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Harry Glaeser Opinion Editor

Sophia Ordaz

Entertainment Editor

Denn-Warren Tafah Sports Editor

Zach Keast

Assistant Sports Editor

Des’ree Dallmann Online Editor

Taylor Fulgham

Assistant Online Editor

Julia Kramer Photo Editor

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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.

Students should get involved with city, campus activities As a student journalist, my work takes me all over campus and around Conway. I attend plays, lectures, fairs, readings, concerts — the list is extensive.

Some students may think that this sounds absolutely absurd. How could I, or any other student taking 15 credit hours, possibly have time for that?

Being a part of all these things has actually opened my mind to the different cultural phenomena and various happenings that occur on the UCA campus and around Conway.

This is why I propose that students should get more involved in the events and organizations in Conway and use these opportunities to have a more eventful and gratifying college experience at UCA. We came to UCA to become more educated, and education is not limited to one field, contrary to the specialized nature of modern life and the working class to which many people limit their worldview.

This educational spectrum is why we all have to take a large number of core curriculum courses before moving into our preferred fields of study.

Once we move into our particular majors, we tend to branch off into our departments and primarily associate with people we have classes with or see on a regular basis.

If we truly want to be fully educated once we leave the academic nest we live in at college, we must step out of our academic shells and subject ourselves to the foreign worlds of the sciences, literature and the arts.

You never know what surprises you will find when you step out of your academic comfort zone.

For instance, one of my assignments took me to a play performed at UCA’s Black Box Theatre.

As an English minor, I had read plays before the performance, but I had never seen them acted out and presented in the light they were originally meant to be portrayed in.

I also had the pleasure of meeting some

cool theater students in the department.

Getting involved in extracurricular activities will allow you to meet all kinds of people from different walks of life.

Exploring campus and city-wide events also brought me to a science night hosted by the Fisheries and Wildlife society at a local middle school I saw a plethora of neat things, including an uncanny performance from the Museum of Discovery and a real-life Bald Eagle standing just five feet away from me.

My extracurricular travels also took me to a creative writing reading off campus where I met my favorite poet, who read at one of the previous readings I attended.

At another event,

by Des’ree I ran into and had a Dallmann conversation with Online Editor the Vortex Magazine editor, which sparked an enlightening conversation about writing and literature.

I know it’s not always easy to get away, with classes and studying keeping most of us incredibly busy.

Students should at least take advantage of the opportunities that they are given.

College students spend a lot of money on their education.

This money also pays for the many extracurricular social and educational experiences that accompany your college experience.

So why not make the most out of it by using your time in an interesting and even educational way?

At times it may seem daunting to have to turn off Netflix, get out of bed and go to what may seem like just another banal educational experience.

While you may not love that symphonic band concert or that play you had to go to for extra credit, you may be surprised at how fun and self-fulfilling going to these types of events can be.

At the very least, you will be able to mark it off as another fulfilling educational experience during your time at UCA.

March Madness: an exciting time for sports fans March Madness, a fun title for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, in all its athletic glory, is the most entertaining time of the year for many sports fans — or even for that girl at work who only fills out a bracket with the teams that have the cutest mascots.

To start with the obvious, who doesn’t love a Cinderella story?

In professional sports, you might have an unpredictable team make the playoffs and have a good run, but most of the time, the well-equipped teams dominate and hold up the trophy.

The Patriots won the Super Bowl. The Cavaliers won the NBA Finals.

Sure, the Cubs winning the World Series was a historic thrill to watch, but if they win next year, it won’t be any more special to the casual sports fan.

M o r e consistently, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament provides upsets and “bracket busters” that have fans on the edge of their seats throughout the entire month of March.

Instead of having a seven-game series to determine who advances to the next round of the tournament, single games determine who will advance one step closer to the championship.

If there were seven games in a series, the schools that successfully recruit players would win every year, such as the University of North Carolina and Duke University.

This is all canceled out in the single-game setting, because anyone can have an “off day,” and anyone can have the game of his life. Does Florida Gulf Coast University ring a bell?

For smaller schools, such as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, winning a first round thriller against formidable schools — Purdue University in their case — can be just as satisfying

as winning the championship.

Going to the “Sweet Sixteen,” the “Elite Eight” and the “Final Four” is just as prestigious and rewarding to many as winning the championship itself; more schools feel accomplished at the end of the season when they acheive these sorts of titles.

The match-ups in the tournament are as good as it gets.

Legendary coaches, such as Rick Pitino of Louisville and Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, can face each other in second and third rounds of the tournament, not forcing the fan to wait until the championship game to get a good story.

And did I mention this is when all of the

by Cody sports “experts” come out Macomber of hiding?

Staff Writer You can watch highlights on ESPN about once a month, fill out a bracket with more teams picked to win than your friend who watched every conference tournament available, and brag about your “vast knowledge of the game” once your picks prove more fruitful.

Elitism is common in the sports community, and it is often a product of uncertainty about how different teams will perform throughout the season each year.

The possibilities of injury, bad match-ups and just the thrill of the NCAA Tournament itself can have a 10th-seeded Syracuse going to the Final Four.

If you can guess something like that, you’re bound for sports-knowledge royalty.

The NCAA March Madness Tournament should definitely be a good one this year, and with teams such as Northwestern University in for the first time, it’s bound to fulfill the expectations of all of us who are excited for it.

With the odds of a perfect bracket being one in billions, let the Madness begin.

In the advent of the past century’s technological boom, there are few things that have become as underrated as reading and writing literature.

Our world is currently enveloped in a period characterized by computerized infomation; people hunger for information now more than ever in human history, and the amount of information floating around is astonishing.

Paradoxically, this has also created widespread disinterest in reading books, stories, magazines and other physical compilations of information.

The internet and social media have become major human obsessions, and it is often our only means of consuming information, due to its ease and immense popularity.

It takes astoundingly minimal effort to use a search engine to find answers to all of life’s questions somewhere on the Internet.

It’s also ridiculously easy to see what all of your friends are up to on any given day with social media applications such as Snapchat and Instagram.

All of these things are a mere swipe and touch away because of the ubiquitous nature of smart phones in modern society.

Consuming literature, on the other hand, is something that many find taxing. It requires focus, time and dedication to finish reading that book you checked out from the library or to read that textbook that your professor assigned for you to read cover-to-cover.

It’s much easier to simply see how the book ends or what information is contained in the textbook by giving it a swift Google search.

This seems to be the go-to method for many individuals who are entirely enthralled in the age of the Internet. Many are unable to remember a time when the Internet was not a reliable means of consuming information.

This means that most of us who are currently in college are probably guilty of often ignoring literature and the many ways it can enrich our lives.

Consuming literature is an exercise, just like everything else humans do every day. It can be entertaining and leisurly or it can be drab, but enlightening. It takes many different forms, and everyone has different tastes in what they think is interesting and meritable literature.

Some may consider science fiction stories a superior form of reading material, while others will find more interest in a monthly science journal.

Part of the magic of literature is that there is a little something out there for everyone, due to the nature of physical literature that has been published throughout human history.

Reading is a mental exercise, so it often incites heavy mental stimulation in the reader.

It is a catalyst for obtaining new information and improving certain analytical thinking skills.

Nonfiction books tend to be geared toward delivering a vast array of information about a topic to a reader who wishes to learn more about it.

Stories and fiction novels can often keep the reader thinking in a way that challenges the reader’s logical inquiry of events that unfold within them. This can often benefit the reader’s inquiry of what is happening in the real world.

Reading also tends to increase a reader’s vocabulary, something that should be emphasized in today’s speech.

Sophisticated word choice seems to be a dying art as more short, simple words substitute longer, more descriptive ones in the vocabularies of modern, more utilitarian humans. With a more enriched vocabulary, one can have a more educated tone as well as a better means to create descriptive language.

Reading is something that we shouldn’t give up as a species. Though we’ve been spoiled by the Internet, reading still proves to be an effective mental excercise.

Most of us are probably guilty of ignoring literature and the many ways in which it can enrich our lives

Corrections In our article “SGA denies frat’s funding” published March 15, Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Student Allocation Fee hearing, which took place before the meeting, was confused with the appeal to that hearing, which took place March 13. For the full corrected version of the story, visit ucaecho.net.

The Echo is printed weekly by the Jacksonville Patriot in Jacksonville, 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.

Entertainment

6

March 29, 2017

New This Week

'Kong' relies on cheap thrills instead of substance

Movies

by Mia Moulden

March 31 — The Boss Baby (PG), directed by Tom McGrath, starring Alec Baldwin, Miles Bakshi, Steve Buscemi and Jimmy Kimmel.

March 31 — Ghost in the Shell (PG13), directed by Rupert Sanders, starring Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt and Pilou Asbæk.

March 31 — The Zookeeper's Wife (PG-13), directed by Niki Caro, starring Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Michael McElhatton and Daniel Brühl.

Music March 31 — Mental Illness - Aimee Mann March 31 — Triplicate - Bob Dylan March 31 — Bloodlust - Body Count March 31 — Let the Dancers Inherit the Party - British Sea Power March 31 — Star Stuff - Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2 March 31 — You Only Live 2wice Freddie Gibbs March 31 — Silver Eye - Goldfrapp March 31 — In the Same Room Julia Holter March 31 — In the Same Room Mastodon March 31 — The Ride - Nelly Furtado.

March 31 — Contact - Pharmakon March 31 — Close Ties - Rodney Crowell March 31 — A Common Truth Saltland March 31 — Crawl Space - Tei Shi March 31 — Brand New Day - The Mavericks March 31 — Something's Going On - Trace Adkins March 31 — Silver / Lead - Wire

Staff Writer

Although “Kong: Skull Island” appeases monster movie lovers and continues the legacy of the King Kong movies, the film's uninspiring, ordinary plot makes it a run-of-the-mill action film.

A ragtag team of scientists, government agents, military units, photojournalists and roguish British trackers travel to the uncharted Skull Island with unclear and dubious motives. On the island, the team encounters a number of terrifying giant animals, including Kong, a giant primate.

“Kong: Skull Island” presents the team’s journey of survival in a way that is suspenseful only on the most superficial level.

The most significant problem with the film is the antagonistic skull crawlers. While most of the monsters terrorizing the protagonists have some sort of motive, the skull crawlers are motivated entirely by malice and a desire to make life harder for any humans on the island.

Despite their fabled capacity for destruction, the skull crawlers’ most significant impact is adding

photo courtesy of rogerebert.com

A team of scientists, military units, government agents, photojournalists and British trackers hunt down Kong, a giant ape. These individuals are the first humans to step foot on the uncharted Skull Island.

intensity to the conflict scenes and painting Kong as an unlikely hero.

A second glaring problem with the film is the mostly static female photojournalist Mason Weaver (Brie Larson). Introduced as a heroic, determined and supremely talented photographer, Weaver quickly takes a nosedive

when the action begins. Because Weaver contributes nothing but half-hearted protests, she seems to be the film’s token woman character.

Although Weaver brings to mind the female leads of the original King Kong films, she ultimately falls flat and leaves audiences wondering why they are supposed to care about her

MUSIC

FA N TA S Y

Frances sings of heartbreak on debut album

by William Middleton Staff Writer

English singer-songwriter Sophie Frances Cooke, better known as Frances, relies on her raw talent to project the emotions of a young person with a broken heart on her debut album “Things I’ve Never Said.”

The first track on “Things I’ve Never Said” is the previously released single “Don’t Worry About Me.” Frances showcases her vocal talent at the start of the track by singing acapella.

Her smooth voice puts listeners at ease as she sings, “I’ll do anything I can to make you comfortable.” Piano later joins her voice to create a more emotional impact. On “Don’t Worry About Me,” Frances speaks to the experiences of people who have put their loved ones before themselves.

“Drifting” is a previously unreleased track. Frances starts the upbeat song by singing, “Just because I'm broke does not mean that I'm useless.” Although

“Drifting” brings a somewhat lighter mood to the album, Frances expresses that she expects to have her heart broken again.

“Let It Out,” another previously released song, includes a minor drum beat that marks a change from Frances’ typical piano-only instrumentals. On the track, Frances recalls when things were simple and she could quickly fall in love, but she also sings about the torments that young heartbreaks can bring.

On “No Matter,” Frances borrows from contemporary pop music, switching things up even more by including electric guitar, drums and digital beats. An acoustic version of “No Matter” features Frances’ characteristic piano instrumentals, but this version is a separate single that isn't included on “Things I’ve Never Said.”

Frances ends the album with her most powerful song, “The Last Word.” She tugs on listeners’ heartstrings by singing about the end of a relationship: “Don’t say my name/Don’t touch my hand/

You say the last word/Cause I don’t think I can.”

Frances is a rising artist., and her music was recently featured on the soundtrack for the film “Fifty Shades Darker.” According to the AllMusic website, Frances was nominated for the Critic’s Choice award in the 2016 BRIT Awards but lost to Jack Garratt.

She was also nominated for BBC Sound of 2016.

According to The Guardian website, the 23-year-old hails from Newbury, Berkshire, England, and she studied music at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts.

Seven singles on “Things I’ve Never Said” were released within the past two years.

Frances released a regular and deluxe version of “Things I’ve Never Said” on March 17.

The deluxe album features 16 tracks, while the regular album only features 11.

"Things I've Never Said" is available for purchase on Google Play and iTunes and is now streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.

March 31 — Automaton - Jamiroquai March 31 — As Long as Your Eyes Are Wide - Said The Whale

Netflix

DRAMA

'The Shack' combats hardships with spiritual message

by Cassidy Kendall Staff Writer

March 31 — 13 Reasons Why, Season 1 (2017), created by Brian Yorkey, starring Katherine Langford, Christian Navarro, Michael Sadler and Justin Prentice.

March 31 — The Discovery (2017), directed by Charlie McDowell, starring Rooney Mara, Riley Keough and Robert Redford.

March 31 — Five Came Back (1939), directed by John Farrow, starring Chester Morris, Lucille Ball and Wendy Barrie.

Video Games April 4 — ArmaGallant: Decks of Destiny (E), for PS4.

April 4 — Lego City Undercover (E), for Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. April 4 — Persona 5 (M), for PS3 and PS4.

Top Five Squad Mates from "Mass Effect" List compiled by Brody Arnold

in the first place, especially in an era of strong and fiercely dynamic female leads.

Skull Island is unexplored because of a perpetual tropical storm.

Instead of adding suspense or danger to the film, this weak explanation merely shows audiences how little the filmmakers cared about anything

other than monsters. Alhough the storm had apparently prevented the world from exploring Skull Island, a team of young military helicopter pilots, who are strengthened by their commanding officer’s inspirational speeches, quickly overcome the storm.

These flaws could almost be written off as the requisite components of typical monster films, but audiences may roll their eyes at the cinematography in action scenes because it’s forced and overly dramatic. The extreme excess of fiery explosions and conveniently placed weapons took away my last shred of investment in “Kong: Skull Island” and replaced it with surfacelevel suspense. The integrity and significance of the actual plot amounted to a weak distraction.

Although “Kong: Skull Island” is superficially interesting and a fun way to kill a couple of hours, its flaws prevent the film from being anything more than a cheap thrill for audiences that want to see something flashy and violent.

“Kong: Skull Island” is rated PG-13 and is now playing at Cinemark at Conway.

“The Shack,” an emotional film that focuses on overcoming life’s hardships from a spiritual perspective, is a phenomenal movie.

“The Shack” follows the life of Mackenzie "Mack" Phillips (Sam Worthington) and his struggles as a formerly abused child and a grieving father.

A serial killer murders Phillips' daughter Missy (Amelie Eve), and her blood and torn dress are discovered at an abandoned shack.

In the wake of his daughter’s death, Phillips neglects his two other children, Sophia (Alice Braga) and Kate (Megan Charpentier), and relies on his wife Nan (Radha Mitchell) and his best friend Willie (Tim McGraw) for support.

Nan's and Willie's faith in God is strong — Nan endearingly refers to God as “Papa” — but Phillips blames God for his daughter's death.

Phillips receives a telegram signed “Papa” urging him to visit the shack where his daughter is 1. Garrus Vakarian Garrus is the best friend you’ve always wanted. Although he and Commander Shepard frequently disagree about how often the player can choose paragon options in the first game, Garrus is still the perfect sidekick.

Garrus is the best sniper in the entire galaxy, and he has the best one-liners. He also breaks the fourth wall a lot to reference his obsession with weapon calibration and the long elevator rides from the first game.

thought to have been murdered.

Soon after, his spiritual journey to gain closure and healing begins with the appearances of God — ­ who is initially played

by Octavia Spencer — Jesus (Aviv Alush) and the Holy Ghost (Sumire Matsubara) at the shack.

My initial reaction to “The Shack” was negative. Within the first 20 minutes, I couldn’t help but notice Charpentier's bad acting.

However, once the movie began focusing on Phillips’ ordeal in the shack, Worthington’s outstanding performance redeemed the movie.

The scenes at the shack with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were beautiful because of the actors’ stunning displays of emotion and the natural setting.

Despite traditional Christian imagery that depicts God as a white male, Spencer, a black woman, convincingly portrayed God with her superb acting.

It is explained in the movie that Phillips needs to be confronted by someone less intimidating than a “giant of a man with a white beard” because of his fragile emotional state after 2. Liara T'Soni Ah, Liara. I chose Liara as Shepard's love interest, and many fans argue that she is the canon romance option because of her efforts to recover Shepard’s body after the starship Normandy is destroyed at the beginning of Mass Effect 2. After becoming an information broker and later a Shadow Broker, Liara seems sterner, but she still maintains the sweet sympathetic nature that fans fell in love with in the first game.

his daughter’s death.

Although Spencer and Matsubara’s performances were outstanding, one of the many controversies surrounding “The Shack” is its portrayal of God and the Holy Spirit by women of color.

Later in the movie, when Phillips is forced to undergo a particularly extreme hardship and needs a more intimidating spiritual authority, God changes form and is played by Graham Greene.

The message of “The Shack” manages to stay true to Christianity, even with the film's departure from traditional Christian standards with its portrayal of God and the Holy Spirit.

I recommend this movie to everyone because it inspires growth from the hardships of life, and its themes of forgiveness and unfailing love are universal.

Be sure to have a box of tissues on hand when watching “The Shack,” because it is quite emotional and insightful.

“The Shack” is rated PG-13 and is now playing at Cinemark at Conway.

3. Mordin Solus When players first meet Mordin in Mass Effect 2, he seems like the typical annoying, nerdy character. However, as Mass Effect 2 and 3 unfold, it becomes clear that Mordin is a perplexing character because he struggles with the guilt that came with releasing the genophage onto the Krogan species and experiences a change of heart. Mordin's song for Shepard in Mass Effect 2 marks one of the greatest moments in gaming.

photo courtesy of cinefilesreviews.com

Belle (Emma Watson) and the Beast (Dan Stevens) dance in a scene from "Beauty and the Beast." The film is the latest of Walt Disney Pictures' recent chain of live-action remakes.

Live-action 'Beauty and the Beast' revives Disney classic

by Brent Wilson Campus Life Editor

Despite some drawbacks, Disney’s live-action revamp of “Beauty and the Beast” was an enchanting, magical success.

The movie’s plot is almost identical to that of the 1991 Disney cartoon musical of the same name.

Belle (Emma Watson) lives in a small, sleepy French town, dreaming of the world beyond and constantly reading books to distract herself from her ordinary life. Because she is a smart and well-read young woman, most of the townsfolk think Belle is odd. When Belle’s father, Maurice (Kevin Kline), journeys into the woods to sell his inventions in the city, a storm and wolves steer him off the main road. Deep in the woods, Maurice finds the Beast’s (Dan Stevens) castle.

The Beast imprisons him for plucking a rose from the castle’s garden.

Upon finding her father in the Beast’s castle, Belle trades places with him. During her imprisonment, she discovers a different side to the Beast, and Belle reminds him of humanity. The two fall in love, but the situation goes awry when Belle’s suitor, an angry, bigoted hunter named Gaston (Luke Evans), brings an angry mob to the castle in search of the Beast.

The live-action remake departs a little from the original 4. Miranda Lawson Through the series, Miranda changes more than most squad members. She is at first a loyal Cerberus employee, but in Mass Effect 2 and 3, she distances herself from her employer. She also has side missions that revolve around finding and protecting her younger sister, who is constantly being pursued by the pair's controlling father. Also, let’s not forget that Miranda has some other interesting … assets.

cartoon. In the 2017 “Beauty and the Beast,” the Beast has more backstory. Viewers learn why he is cursed with his beastly form.

Although some of the additional backstory and character depth had a positive impact, other changes did not enhance “Beauty of the Beast” as much.

The movie is inspired by the 1994 Broadway musical of the same name and the original cartoon movie. The filmmakers add a few songs that aren’t from the cartoon or the musical, and these new songs are not great.

The new songs’ dull, unimaginative lyrics and music sound as if they were composed by Taylor Swift.

After watching the film, I could hardly remember the unremarkable songs.

Despite the musical mishaps, the movie was still thoroughly enjoyable.

The scenery, set pieces and animation were all magical.

The movie makes viewers feel as if they are in another world.

The villain Gaston is even more wonderfully horrible in the live-action “Beauty and the Beast.”

Although new songs detract from “Beauty and the Beast,” the impeccable casting and gorgeous visuals still make it a great movie.

“Beauty and the Beast” is rated PG and is now playing at Cinemark at Conway.

5. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya For many reasons, Tali is one of the most interesting characters in Mass Effect. She has never revealed her face, unless you count the controversial stock photo used if the player’s Shepard is in a relationship with Tali.

Tali reveals the majority of the Geth’s history and shows players why the Quarians are such an interesting race. The fact that artificial intelligence created by the Quarians drove them from their home world sets them apart.

Sports

7

March 29, 2017

Sugar Bears fall at tournament

Editor’s Take

March Madness as usual filled with bewilderment

By Zach Keast

by Morgan Embry, Denn-warren Tafah

Assistant Sports Editor March Madness is the second-best reason to stay inside during spring. The first reason is my terrible allergies.

Every year, 68 of the best college basketball teams compete against each other every week in the month of March.

It’s always notorious for the “Cinderella stories,” where an underrated, or often low-ranked, team beats out a juggernaut early in the tournament.

The UCA Sugar Bears attempted to take down the Texas Longhorns on March 17 but failed.

This season, the final four are University of North Carolina, who was the first seed, against University of Oregon, a third seed.

The other game is Gonzaga University, another first seed, against the University of South Carolina, which is seventh.

South Carolina is clearly the underdog, but has been playing incredibly well, and it looks like they might take it home.

But on paper, it’s looking like Gonzaga will take home the trophy.

According to ESPN, Gonzaga, which has been 36-1 throughout the season, has a 55 percent chance.

North Carolina, which is always in the running for the top spot, comes in second with 26 percent.

Oregon has 17 percent, and South Carolina gets the scraps with 2 percent.

I have high hopes that South Carolina will take down the big names and shock the entire sports world.

But no matter what, all of the games are likely to end up extremely close.

Upcoming Games Softball

4 p.m. March 31 vs. Nicholls State University at the Farris Field 6 p.m. April 4 vs.

Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi Baseball

March 31- April 2 at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana April 7-9 at Houston Baptist University in Houston, Texas Tennis

11 a.m. April 1 at Nicholls State University in Thibosaux, Louisiana

Associate Editor, Sports Editor

photo courtesy of UCA Sports

Senior Heather Schnars and graduate Kate Elman contribute to UCA beach volleyball’s first tournament win of the season on March 17 and 18 at the Governors Beach Duals. The team has been practicing for a year for their first season at UCA.

Beach volleyball dominates

by Caroline Bivens Assistant News Editor

The Sugar Bears won their first tournament 4-0 as UCA’s first beach volleyball team on March 17 and 18 at the Governors Beach Duals in Clarksville, Tennessee.

The Sugar Bears opened the second day and final game of the weekend against Missouri Baptist University (5-4) and scored a 7-2 lead in the fifth match and a second-set win of 23-2. The Sugar Bears won the fourth match with 21-7 lead.

The third match resulted in a 21-11 lead in the first set and a 21-18 lead in the second.

The Sugar Bears scored a 21-18 lead again in the first set of the second match and a 21-9 win in the second set.

Sophomore Haley Tippett and junior Stephanie Pollnow took the first set of the first match 21-10. The Missouri Baptist Spartans took the second set 19-21, but were beaten when Pollnow and Tippett took the third set 15-8.

“We are putting in the right kind of work and we are learning a lot,” Tippett said. “Maybe people will understand that we are a legit … team on this campus who has the potential to do amazing things.”

Against the Austin Peay

State University Governors (3-10), the Sugar Bears scored a 22-20 first-set victory in the No. 5 match and a 25-23 lead in the second set. A first-set win for the Bears of 21-8 dominated the No. 4 match and the Bears continued to dominate 21-16 in the second set.

The Sugar Bears won the third match 21-17 in the first set and 21-6 in the second. The Sugar Bears won yet again in the second match 21-12 in the first and 21-11 in the second set. Pollnow and Tippett won the first match 21-12 again

See Beach- page 8

SLUGGIN’

SOUTHLAND

UCA softball team gains mixed results

by Brandon Jones, Denn-Warren Tafah Staff Writer, Sports Editor

After facing two defeats from Sam Houston State University’s softball team (13-15, 4-3 SLC), UCA (11-22, 2-4 SLC) won 5-3 in their final game against Sam Houston on March 24 and 25 in Huntsville, Texas.

During UCA’s final game against the Bearkats, Sam Houston scored a point during both the first and second innings, but UCA maintained in the second inning to match them 2-2.

UCA kept their stride and scored again in the third inning, and didn’t allow the Bearkats to score again until the fifth inning, leaving the final score 5-3 UCA. Freshman infielder Cylia Hill went two-for-four with a run scored, while senior catcher Bailey Reynolds was one-for-two with a pair of runs batted in and a run scored at the plate.

UCA’s previous losses against Sam Houston — the first game’s score being 13-0 and the second being 4-0 — showed improvement as their loss deficit lowered with the second game, and they won in the third.

During the start of the second game, the score was tied at zero until the Bearkats hit a homer for all their four points for the game.

During the first game of the tournament, the Bears faced a vicious defeat by allowing Sam Houston two points in the first inning, five in the second, two in the third, four in the fourth and calling the game in the fifth.

The Bearkats were ahead 13-0 by the fifth inning, causing the game to end before reaching all nine innings because UCA wasn’t responding.

According to the UCA Sports website, “In the day’s first game, Central Arkansas saw just two runners reach base, as [freshman] first baseman Kaylyn Shepherd was hit by a pitch in the first inning, and [senior] designated player Bailey Reynolds picked up a single in the fifth inning.”

Before the tournament, the UCA softball team faced a week of wins and losses ending with a victory against the University of the Incarnate Word

(5-23, 1-5 SLC) on Saturday, March 18 at Farris Field.

The first game of the week ended in a 6-2 loss for the Bears against Missouri State University (13-11, 1-2 SLC) on March 14 at Farris Field.

Senior outfielder Hannah Stirton said Missouri State was better at putting the ball in place.

“I think they just made contact with the ball a lot more and they just executed more,” Stirton said.

On March 15, the Bears lost 3-1 to the Mississippi State University Bulldogs (22-6, 2-3 SLC) during the Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night at Farris Field.

The teams were tied at the bottom of the fourth inning with one point each, but the Bulldogs managed to score two more runs in the top of the seventh inning.

Coach David Kuhn said the team played well defensively, and commended the players.

“I thought [sophomore pitcher] Payton Herman pitched really well and gave us a chance to win,” Kuhn said. “[Senior pitcher] Kayla Gomness came in late and did a good job.”

Kuhn had high hopes for the remaining games despite the loss that night.

“I like our chances,” Kuhn said. “The way we played today, I feel good going into this weekend.”

Kuhn’s attitude paid off, as the Bears won their first and last games against the University of the Incarnate Word 5-0 and 6-1, losing only their second game 5-4.

During the UCA’s Military Appreciation Game on March 18, UCA secured its tournament win with a 6-1 victory against Incarnate Word.

No runs were scored by either team until the third inning, when UCA’s senior center fielder Briana Whisenhunt, freshman first baseman Kaylyn Shepherd, freshman designated player Kailla Searcy and freshman catcher Lauren Brooks scored.

In the fourth inning, freshman right fielder Kayla Crutchmer made it home after

See Softball - page 8

The University of Central Arkansas women’s basketball team (26-5, 16-2 SLC) lost 78-50 in their first round against the University of Texas women’s basketball team (25-8, 15-3 Big 10) on March 17 during the NCAA Tournament in Austin, Texas.

“Texas was a good team, we knew that going into the game,” junior center Kierra Jordan said.

The Sugar Bears came into the game with 17 consecutive victories after winning the Southland Conference Championship.

Dominating UCA 48-20 in the first half, the University of Texas shot 63.3 percent from the field goal and 60 percent from the three-point line.

Senior guard Maggie Proffitt scored 10 points — she was the only starter with points in the first half.

In the middle of the third quarter, the Sugar Bears went on a 16-4 run and outscored the Longhorns 23-14.

Though the Longhorns were still ahead, this brought the score to 62-43.

In the final quarter, the Sugar Bears only scored seven points, putting them further behind the Longhorns’ 10 points this quarter.

This finished out the game, sending UCA home with a 78-50 loss.

“They were bigger, faster and stronger, and they played well,” Jordan said.

According to the UCA Sports website, the Sugar Bears fought every possession against the Longhorns over the final 30 minutes, including a one-point advantage in the second and third quarters combined.

But the first quarter plagued them, during which they fell behind 24-4 and were unable to fully bounce back against the larger Longhorns. The Sugar Bears didn’t shoot well against the Longhorns, making just 20 of 63 field goal attempts.

Proffitt and senior forward Taylor Baudoin led the game, with Proffitt scoring 17 points and Baudoin scoring 14.

Sophomore guard Olivia McWilliams and Jordan also made their mark with six points each.

Texas doubled UCA in second-chance points 18-9, and had a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint.

“Our plans for the off season are to pick up where we left off and return how we ended,” Williams said.

The University of Texas later lost to Stanford University with a score of 77-66 in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA tournament in Lexington, KY.

photo courtesy of UCA Sports

Senior infielder Brooks Balisterri swings during the second game of a three-game series against the New Orleans Privateers in Conway on March 25. UCA won the series 2-1, as they won their first and final game, but lost their second.

Baseball leads in series, wins 2-1

by Morgan Embry, Denn-Warren Tafah

Associate Editor, Sports Editor

The University of Central Arkansas baseball team (12-14, 3-6 SLC) defeated the University of New Orleans Privateers (14-11, 4-5 SLC) 2-1, finishing off a three-game Southland series lasting from March 24 to March 26 on Farris Field.

During the game on March 24, UCA beat New Orleans 6-5. Neither team scored until the Privateers scored three points in the fourth inning.

By the fifth inning, junior infielder Josh Somdecerff scored with a hit singled up the middle by junior outfielder Keaton Presley. Presley then scored in the same inning, with a hit singled up the middle.

In the sixth inning, New Orleans scored twice and led the game 5-2 until the last inning of the game. The Bears didn’t gain the lead until Presley’s game-winning hit, which gave UCA four points and a final UCA victory of 6-5.

During the second game, the University of New Orleans

came back with a vengeance and beat the Bears 11-4.

According to the UCA Sports website, “New Orleans … hit four home runs in the victory, the third time the Privateers have hit four home runs in a game this season and just the second time ever in a Southland Conference contest.”

The Bears only scored three points in the second inning and one point in the fourth, while the Privateers scored one point in the second, five points in the sixth, four points in the seventh and one point in the eighth.

The only players who scored for the Bears were sophomore catcher William Hancock, senior infielder Brooks Balisterri, junior outfielder Michael Haun and junior infielder Eddie Sanchez, who each scored one run.

During the third game, UCA beat the Privateers 10-0, giving them a victorious series score of 2-1.

Aside from the Bears’ one point in the first inning, the game didn’t take off until the fifth inning, when the Bears scored eight runs and took a 9-0 lead.

With another point for the

Bears in the sixth inning and a total score of 10-0, the game finished early and ended in the seventh inning.

Redshirt freshman pitcher Mark Moyer came back swinging after missing the 2016 season because of an arm injury, and only allowed five hits, struck out four batters and sent one Privateer walking.

Sophomore first baseman Hunter Strong boasted a game-high three hits with two RBIs and a pair of doubles, while Presley and Balisterri both posted two hits with two RBIs. The Bears came into this series with two wins against Mississippi Valley State (4-16, 3-9 SWAC) on March 22 and Southeast Missouri State University (11-10, 4-5 OVC) on March 21. Against Mississippi Valley, the Bears won 9-2.

Against Missouri State, the Bears won 5-4 in a 12-inning game.

UCA also played the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (6-16, 5-4 SWAC) on March 26.

Their next game will be against Northwestern State University at 6:30 p.m. on March 31 in Natchitoches, Louisiana as part of a Southland tournament.

8/March 29, 2017

SPORTS

ucaecho.net

UCA STATS CORNER

SPORT

RESULT

SCORE

RECORD

W-Bball

L vs. Texas

78-50

(26-5)

M-Bball

L vs. SHSU

77-69

(8-24)

Tennis

L vs. Lamar

2-5

(13-5)

Softball

W vs. SHSU

5-3

(12-22)

Baseball

W vs. UNO

10-0

(12-14)

Beach:

Team wins all four games of tournament; Pollnow says

year-long training has paid off, though she says there’s still work to do 4 Continued from page 7

photo courtesy of Amiri Shimoguchi

Junior Amiru Shimoguchi jumps for the hit during UCA’s conference match on March 25 against Sam Houston State University in Conway. UCA lost both their games 2-5 on March 25 and 26 against Sam Houston and Lamar University.

Tennis loses back-to-back

by Denn-Warren Tafah Contributor

UCA’s tennis team lost back-to-back during its Southland Conference matches against Sam Houston State University and Lamar University on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26 at the UCA tennis courts.

UCA lost 2-5 to both teams, first against Sam Houston State University on March 26 and then against Lamar University on March 25. These were Central Arkansas’ first conference losses of the season.

“Coming into the game I felt a lot of pressure because it

was our first home conference match,” junior Amiru Shimoguchi said.

During the second match, Central Arkansas started by taking a 1-0 lead after winning two of the three double matches on the day.

However, Sam Houston recovered and took five out of six matches to win the match.

Junior Rada Manataweewat won the straight-set No. 6 singles by giving the Bears a 2-1 lead once again, but Bearkats junior Mila Milanovic quickly evened the score.

Milanovic survived against UCA sophomore Marli Van Heerden on the No. 5 line 1-6, 6-4 and 6-0, which tied the score 2-2.

in the first set and 21-17 in the second.

“It feels good to be undefeated coming out of our first tournament,” Pollnow said.

“We’ve trained all year long not knowing how we measure up against other teams [but] we went all out no matter what the competition looked like.”

Pollnow said the team still

has a lot of work to do and there are weaknesses that still need to be addressed.

“It’s cool having some wins under our belt, but the team knows that the work cut out for us is only going to get harder from here on out,” Pollnow said.

The Sugar Bears also won their first two games against Carson-Newman College and

The University of Tennessee at Martin on March 17.

The Sugar Bears won 5-0 against every team they played against during the tournament.

The Sugar Bears will play in their next tournament, the University of Louisiana Monroe’s Bayou Beach Bash, from March 31 to April 1 in Monroe, Louisiana.

“We do our best. Our team gets emotional a lot and coach doesn’t like that. He wants us to fight until the end and never giving up. Even if we are losing the game we still fight,” Manataweewat said, In the match against Lamar, Central Arkansas lost with the same score.

“Even though we didn’t play our best yesterday, today’s match we played better,” Shimoguchi said.

Manataweewat said the team emphasizes focus, fight and energy.

The next match for University of UCA’s tennis team will be against Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana on Saturday, April 1 at 11 a.m.

I N V I TAT I O N A L

Men’s golf places ninth of 24

by Cassidy Kendall Staff Writer

The University of Central Arkansas men’s golf team placed ninth against 24 teams during the Bob Sitton Invitational at the TPC Four Seasons Golf Course from March 14 to 16.

According to the UCA Sports website, UCA started the invitational tied for 13th place with Texas State after playing two rounds on March 14 and 15.

UCA shot rounds of 293-305 with a total score of 598.

During these rounds, junior Louis Tomlinson tied for 32nd place overall, sophomore Lewis George tied for 43rd, senior Ryan Shuttleworth tied for 59th, sophomore Alvaro Carol tied for 69th and sophomore Luis Obiols tied for 97th.

Arkansas State University took the lead of the tournament with a total score of 570.

UCA went on to place ninth in the tournament after their final round on March 16, shooting rounds of 293-305-288, with a final score of 886.

Overall, Tomlinson tied for 12th place, George tied for 46th, Carol tied for 51st, Shuttleworth finished 71st and Obiols tied for 72nd. Arkansas State won the tournament with a final score of 852, followed by Long Beach State University with a final score of 862 and Texas Christian University placing third with a final score of 869.

“I had a fantastic experience getting to play a course where so many legends from the pro circuit have stepped foot,”

George said. “I had played a very tidy game all week, but the difficulty around the tricky and undulating greens made it difficult to score well.”

George said weather delays during the first day caused them to play some of their round in the dark, and they had to finish the round at 8:15 the next morning.

“The week has given me a big confidence boost going into Chenal next week, a course the team knows well,” George said.

Junior Christopher Fynboe said that after a few near wins throughout the semester, the team is set on winning at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock.

The UCA men’s golf team will be competing at the Little Rock First Tee Classic on March 27 and 28 at Chenal.

Dylan? The Beatles? Panic! At the Disco?

By a Barbershop Chorus? In Little Rock?

Absolutely! With Acapella Rising!

If you like to sing, then we need you now!

Mondays at 6:30p at Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1402 Kiehl Ave., Sherwood, AR

www. Acapellarising.com

photo courtesy of UCA Sports

Senior catcher Bailey Reynolds hits the ball during UCA’s second game against Sam Houston State University on March 24 in Huntsville, Texas. UCA lost 2-1 in a three-game series against Sam Houston on March 24 and 25.

Softball:

Stirton says team is strong offensively, needs work

defensively; says relying on other players is key when hitting 4 Continued from page 7 stealing second base and moved forward after a sacrifice bunt from Whisenhunt and a single from Shepherd.

Cardinals freshman outfielder Marcella Lopez scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth inning, but Crutchmer scored her own unearned run in the bottom of the inning.

Stirton said that Shepherd, Crutchmer and junior catcher Ryan Holdiness have been playing well, and freshmen who

haven’t played until this season have come through for the team.

“When we’re on offensive, everyone is playing well,” Stirton said. “When we’re off, we need a lot of people to show up.”

Stirton said she had three sacrifice bunts during the March 15 game, and was telling herself they just needed one or two runs to win the game.

“I was relying on the hitters behind me and players in front of me,” Stirton said. “I was trying

to be selfless and rely on the rest of the team.”

Though the team has had its lows and struggles, Stirton said they have good games on the horizon.

UCA also played the University of Memphis in Tennessee on March 28. Their next game will be against Nicholls State University at 4 p.m. on March 31 on the Farris Field as part of a Southland series.

Applications are being accepted for editor and associate editor positions at The Echo and The Scroll for the fall 2017 semester.

Echo applications are available in Stanley Russ 220, and Scroll applications are available in Bernard 008.

Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Monday, April 3.

Interview dates will be announced at a later date.