The Echo | October 19, 2016

The Echo

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THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WEDNESDAY

OCTOBER 19, 2016 Volume 111 — Issue 8

ucaecho.net TODAY’S FORECAST

Campus Life:

CONWAY

LGBTQ+: History month offers many pride events

Entertainment:

Sports:

Concert: Melanie Martinez plays to packed Metroplex

Volleyball: Sugar Bears sweep New Orleans Privateers

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Partly Cloudy

Clery Report shows rise in dating violence, drugs

87/65 THE NEWSDESK

by Jordan Johnson News Editor

FROM THE EDITOR

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

Iraqi forces begin assault on ISIS-controlled Mosul President Haider al-Abadi ordered Iraqi military forces to attack Mosul, Iraq on Monday morning, Oct. 17.

Al-Abadi gave his statement on Mosul on state television Oct. 16 at around 2 a.m. Before the attack began, the Islamic State rulers of Mosul built

tunnels under the city, and Iraqi helicopters dropped leaflets assuring civilians that they would not be fired upon.

N AT I O N A L

photo by Shiori Soya

GOP office vandalized with Molotov cocktail

(Left to right) Sophomore Morgan Benton, junior Brick Cullum, junior Laura Boelkens and sophomore Moesha Williams were speakers at the sixth annual Olive M. Hillard Speech Showcase for the College of Fine Arts and Communication.

Students participate in Hilliard Showcase

In Hillsborough, North Carolina, on Oct. 16, a local Republican office was struck by a Molotov cocktail. The bottle caused fire damage to the GOP office. Along with the fire damage, someone spray painted an anti-GOP phrase on a nearby wall, using the term “Nazi Republicans.” No one was injured, according to State GOP director Dallas Woodhouse.

by Cassidy Kendall Staff Writer

LOCAL

Investigation for 2010 shooting in LR underway The family of Eugene Ellison, a 67-year-old man who was fatally shot by an off-duty Little Rock police officer in 2010, are asking for a new investigation. This development comes after a former police chief and a current assistant chief said in sworn depositions that investigators didn’t adequately consider an autopsy report.

North Arkansas refuge takes on Colorado tigers The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge near Eureka Springs is rescuing more than 100 big cats from Serenity Springs Wildlife Center in Calhan, Colorodo, after its previous owner was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to take adequate care of the animals. The refuge bought the place in an effort to provide better care for them. As of Oct. 16, 27 big cats had been moved from Colorado.

Marijuana initiative gets OK from highest court On Oct. 13, Arkansas justices ruled that one of the two marijuana proposals set for the Nov. 8 ballot would be allowed, despite several groups against marijuana proposals that had asked the court to prevent officials from counting votes for the measure. This proposal would let patients with certain conditions buy the drug, differing from the second proposal, yet to clear the courts, in the specifics of its restrictions and regulations.

WHAT’S AHEAD

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE Homecoming Week holds a number of spirit events. Check out our extended Homecoming issue next week.

The sixth annual Olive M. Hilliard Speech Showcase, which presents student speeches, was Oct. 6 in the College of Business.

This showcase was created in honor of UCA professor Olive Hilliard after she died in February of 2010. There was an overflow in attendance, resulting in some people having to stand to observe the competition.

The presenters were sophomore Morgan Benton, junior Laura Boelkens, junior Brick Cullum and sophomore Moesha Williams. Cullum won, with Williams coming in second.

Each student presented four judges with an original speech. The judges included Log Cabin Democrat Managing

Editor Maria Anderton, UCA School of Communication representative Riva R. Brown, Conway Chamber of Commerce representative Adena White and the dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication Terry Wright.

Cullum presented an informative and emotional speech on the murder of Matthew Shepard, and how it helped to lessen hate crimes over the last 10 years. Cullum said that Shepard’s death helped us get to the point of President Barak Obama signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. “To win makes me feel very validated because it’s a topic that’s very close to my heart, and I think it should be close to

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Students Say

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Board of Trustees discusses SGA passes amendment, hears SAFA appeals next Greek Life investment by Brent Wilson Assistant News Editor

by Cody Macomber Staff Writer

The UCA Board of Trustees discussed possible ways to increase certain scholarships and discussed the possible second phase of Greek Life residential improvements in the Wingo Hall auditorium on Oct 7.

Trustee Robert Adcock discussed the issues brought up in the finance committee’s meeting.

He said scholarships, such as the Honors College Scholarship, have not been increased for years, and that those managing the budget are looking for ways to possibly increase scholarships such as the Honors Scholarship and performance scholarships at UCA. “All items of concern are addressed, with the most important ones brought to the top of the list. With this information, we evaluate which items to be funded will further the goals of the university, and adjust our budget accordingly,” Vice President of Finance and Administration Diane Newton said.

Vice President of Student Services Ronnie Williams discussed the direction of Greek organizations at UCA and showed the benefits that would come with “phase two” of Greek Village.

Phase one focused on sororities by adding five sorority houses on the east side of Donaghey Avenue and chapter room spaces for members of National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) sororities.

If accepted by the board, phase two will focus on fraternities at UCA. “This would provide space for men of NPHC fraternities, and bring five residential wings for IFC fraternities,” Williams said. “Each of these wings could hold 20 fraternity members, which would be provided to different members based on the decisions of the IFC Executive staff at UCA.” These five wings would be placed on the east side of Donaghey Avenue, across from the sorority buildings on the

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A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

Index: Police Beat People of UCA

many peoples’,” Cullum said.

Cullum said his public speaking skills would come into use during his career.

“I’m going to be a teacher, and that’s like professional public speaking every day, and I plan to be the president someday,” Cullum said.

Williams’ speech was titled “GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONE.” Her three main points were that cell phones are distracting, rude and a substitute for communication when used in public.

“Speaking louder makes me less nervous,” Williams said. “I’ve been looking over my speech all summer, but didn’t start hitting it hard until about

UCA’s 2016 Clery Annual Security and Fire Safety Report shows an increase in dating violence, burglaries and motor vehicle theft and a decrease in alcohol-related arrests on campus in 2015.

The report gives crime and fire statistics for the university from 2015 and compares those statistics to figures from 2013 and 2014.

While reports of domestic violence dropped from 10 in 2014 to two in 2015, reports of dating violence saw a spike from three in 2013 and 2014 to six in 2015.

The difference between the two offenses is the duration and intensity of the romantic or intimate relationship between the parties, according to the report’s section on definitions.

There was a large increase in burglaries in 2015. Nineteen were reported in 2015, as compared to only 5 in 2014.

There was also an increase in motor vehicle theft — seven were reported in 2015, as compared to only one in 2014.

UCAPD Public Safety Officer Michael Hopper said programs such as Operation Gotcha are used by the police and residence halls in an attempt to decrease the number of burglaries on campus.

Every year, officers and residence workers go door-to-door in residence halls and check to see if students have locked their doors.

If they are found unlocked, the officer or worker will lock the door and leave the students a note.

Housing and Residence Life Program Coordinator Thomas Bruick said Housing has increased the number of cameras in residence halls

in an effort to identify those responsible for burglaries.

Drug arrests on campus also saw an increase in 2015, especially in residence halls.

Nine drug arrests were reported in residence halls in 2015 as compared to three in 2014. However, both years showed lower arrests than 2013, when 18 were reported.

At the same time, alcohol arrests on campus have seen a dramatic decrease. Five arrests were reported on campus in 2015, down from 20 in 2014 and 17 in 2013.

Hopper said UCAPD does walkthroughs of residence halls with residence staff to check for suspicious activity and offers drug and alcohol awareness classes.

“We try to focus on educating the public, educating our students in regards to the dangers of not only alcohol abuse but drug abuse as well,” Hopper said.

Reports of stalking also increased, but only two were reported in 2015. Aggravated assault reports have been steady since 2014 at two, and robbery reports have slightly decreased from one in 2014 to zero in 2015.

Although the university and UCAPD have several programs aimed at reducing crimes and increasing awareness, Hopper said it can be hard to determine whether statistical trends are the result of those programs or something else.

“Those stats tend to fluctuate, and without trying to do some kind of in-depth study on that, it’s hard to say what kind of impact our programs do have,” Hopper said. “We hope that they do help. We do everything we can to help educate students — not only us,

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Phone: 501-499-9822 E-mail: ucaechoeditor@gmail.com

During Oct. 10 meeting, SGA heavily deliberated on the changing of its constitution wording.

SGA members went about the discussion of new business, which included two motions concerning the wording of certain parts of its constitution.

The first was to change the wording of article one, section two of the constitution to coincide with a previous change made. The motion was passed with 39 yesses, one no and one abstention.

The next motion was to change certain capitalizations in article two, section three, letters A through D. This motion caused confusion and sparked debate amongst the senators, who, last week, voted to table the discussion until the following meeting, allowing the motion to be further reviewed for grammatical soundness.

During the next meeting, SGA voted on previous motions and heard the appeals of two RSO leaders who were seeking more SAFA funding for their organizations on Oct. 17.

When SGA adjourned its meeting on Oct. 10, the members tabled discussion

on a proposed amendment to the constitution designed to allow the document to be more easily readable, fixing certain inconsistencies.

When the discussion was renewed, Junior Class Representative Carly Ebinger proposed an amendment to the previous amendment motion, which would simplify the changes made to the constitution and help the flow of the reading of the document.

The amendment was constructed for section D, article 2 of section 3 of the constitution. “We just felt that for the consistency throughout the constitution this would be the best fix,” Ebinger said.

The amendment to the motion was passed, and the motion itself passed shortly thereafter.

At the beginning of the meeting, SGA allowed two student RSO leaders to make appeals for more funding after having receiving what they believed to be unsatisfactory funds from SAFA. According to their constitution, RSO’s can appeal for more funding after presenting to SAFA. The first presenter was senior Sandrekkia Morning, who appealed to the senators on behalf of Bare Arts.

Social:

Morning made the appeal that the RSO needed more funding in order to invite a popular comedian to perform on campus and to have a mentorship program for the members. After little debate, a motion was passed to deny Bare Arts any extra funding because SGA felt the members had the means to raise more money themselves.

The second RSO presenter, Geoffry Spooner, spoke on behalf of the Fisheries and Wildlife Survey. Spooner said his RSO needed more funding to send some of its members to a biology-related conference.

This appeal provoked more debate amongst SGA members, with some supporting his appeal on the grounds of supporting graduate students and positive publicity for UCA. Others, however, insisted that no RSO should receive special treatment, and that the RSO had received more than adequate funding already.

“It’s unfair to the other RSO’s,” Zacchaeus Jolly, the College of Fine Arts and Communication Representative, said.

After much debate, a motion to approve further funding for the Fisheries and Wildlife Survey failed by a slim margin, with 21 no-votes and 19 yesses.

Inside: Vaccinations save lives

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Evidence shows they don’t cause autism

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2/October 19, 2016

NEWS

ucaecho.net

Medical marijuana advocates discuss differences in upcoming ballot issues

by Emily Gist Staff Writer

Lawyer David Couch and Director for Arkansas for Compassionate Care Ryan Denham discussed two statutes — issue six and issue seven — regarding the extent to which medical marijuana should be legalized in Arkansas on Oct. 10 in McCastlain Hall.

Denham took the stand for the first 20 minutes and started with arguments regarding why medical marijuana should be legalized. He then continued with why voters should vote yes on issue seven.

Denham listed conditions that might benefit from the use of medical marijuana and listed sources which advocated for medical marijuana use.

Denham said it was considered a crime for sufferers who need medical marijuana for health reasons.

“Patients have to break the law to get the relief that they need,” Denham said. “We have been fighting this battle for too long, and it’s time that we finally gave patients access to a safe and effective medicine, which is medical cannabis.”

Though the two advocated for their own issues, Couch, supporter of issue six, agreed with Denham on this point.

“It’s about getting people the medicine they need,” Couch said. “Sometime you’ve got to take baby steps to run.”

Denham also argued that passing the law in Arkansas is the first step to getting it passed on a federal level.

“By passing more medical cannabis laws, we will build up more momentum and try to repeal federal cannabis laws in congress,” Denham said.

Couch said he has seen anecdotal evidence involving a need for medical marijuana.

“People would come up and they’d all tell the same story,” Couch said. “There’s so much anecdotal evidence that medical marijuana helps and that it can save lives.”

However, Couch said he wants to get at least one of the issues passed.

“We have to craft something that’ll pass,” Couch said. “Once we get it passed, we can bring everyone else under the tent” Issues six and seven differ in a few ways. Issue six doesn’t

allow patients to grow their own marijuana, whereas issue seven has the Department of Health overseeing patient-grown marijuana. Issue six allows for changes to the law whereas issue seven seeks a constitutional amendment. Finally, issue six allows only Arkansas residents to own dispensaries and issue seven allows out-of-state companies to own them.

Despite these discrepancies, the two speakers urged the audience to vote yes on both issues.

“It’s too important of an issue to have the vote split and have one or both of them not pass,” said Couch. “At the end of the day, our interest is seeing that sick people get medicine.”

Denham said patients have waited long enough for access to helpful medication.

“Medical cannabis works, it’s safe, it’s effective, there’s a mountain of scientific evidence showing that it helps with so many different conditions,” Denham said.

More information can be found at arcompassion.com or at the attorney general’s office.

SPEAKERS

Challenge Week discusses criminal justice

by Monica Sanders

Staff Writer

“Challenge Week 2016: Unlocking Mass Incarceration” presented four speakers and a faculty panel to discuss criminal justice reform and mass incarceration in the United States and Arkansas Oct. 3 through Oct. 7.

The series is sponsored by the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College at UCA, in partnership with the Honors Center Society and the Student Government Association.

Kemba Smith gave the Farris Endowed Lecture on Oct. 6 in the College of Business Auditorium. She spoke about her personal experience as a first time non-violent drug offender who was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison and was eventually granted clemency by President Bill Clinton.

“I hope to change people’s perspective on the people who are affected in this ‘War of Drugs’ and in the prison system, that there are people like me that deserve a second chance,” Smith said.

Smith spoke about the policies in place that have led to mass incarceration in the United

Hilliard:

States and the importance of making good choices in college, avoiding abusive relationships, and self-esteem.

“I really hope the younger generation can take this movement to reduce mass incarceration, because I think those are the people that will eventually be in positions that can make an impact,” Smith said.

Omavi Shukur, attorney and founder and director of Seeds of Liberation, an organization that works to create “a just, equitable and empowering criminal justice system,” according to the Challenge Week poster, spoke Oct. 5 about his personal experience with the criminal justice system and the polices in place that have led to mass incarceration in Arkansas.

Shukur, a Little Rock native, said his childhood experiences with police brutality prompted him to become an advocate.

He also pointed out statistics in his presentation that examined how Arkansas has the highest and fastest growing rate of incarceration in the United States, and why certain legislation has helped create this trend.

Honors College Dean Rick Scott said the goal of Challenge

Week is to present speakers who would challenge audiences to think about important civic issues that affect their communities.

“We want these symposia to raise awareness about critical topics and social problems that must be addressed,” Scott said.

Challenge Week was first held in 1984 during an election year. Assistant Dean of the Honors College Patricia Smith acknowledged the importance of discussing issues around election time.

“The topic for this year’s event was chosen by a panel of faculty and students who felt the topic would be a critical one given the current political climate. It’s a tough issue, but one that politicians from both parties agree needs to be addressed. Reforms have been proposed, but no progress has yet been made,” Smith said.

Chad Bradford, adjunct instructor in the UCA Theater department, gave the final speech on Oct. 7 about “Voices UnCaged,” a program designed to help prisoners find their artistic voice through storytelling, improv, acting and performance, according to the Challenge Week poster.

Students give original speeches on topics ranging from

effective speech to environmental justice; “outstanding” students nominated

Senator, state health professionals speak on medical marijuana in public forum

by William Middleton Staff Writer

Arkansas Sen. Jason Rapert sponsored a medical marijuana forum at 6:30 on Oct. 3 in the McCastlain Ballroom.

The forum included Arkansas Surgeon General Dr.Gregory Bledsoe and Director of State Health Nathaniel Smith.

Bledsoe and Smith have publicly opposed issue six and issue seven in the past.

“I am in difficulty in opposition to this. I want people to have scientific facts about the issue,” Rapert said. “Based upon what the doctors say, majority of physicians, and the majority scientists on the issue say, ‘this is not the answer.’”

Rapert believes that the high from THC numbs patients to the condition, but does not treat their condition.

Bledsoe started the night with a 45-minute presentation on information about medical marijuana and the side effects.

Bledsoe said he does not believe

Clery:

marijuana is medication and that marijuana has not reached a level of safety, and is not approved by the FDA. Bledsoe’s presentation also touched on the rise of support of medical marijuana in the United States, the side effects and the conditions commonly treated by marijuana.

“There is a narrative going on nationally, the theme is that marijuana is safe, it is natural, and cause no problems and no side effects, and it’s working,” Bledsoe said.

Rapert presented information about national laws and banking concerns that would be a consequence of passing issue six or issue seven.

“Most people are not even thinking about it, the banks in Arkansas will not bank marijuana deals because federal law prohibits them from doing so. You have a very real situation, that it is against federal law,” Rapert said. “What has happened, you have had a directive from the president that told the department of justice ‘do not prosecute.’ That may not be the next case with the next

president.”

The last 30 minutes audience members were able to ask questions to which Bledsoe and Smith responded.

Questions ranged from the lack of research being conducted on marijuana, whether marijuana could be a solutions to the opioid crisis and whether marijuana could help people on multiple medications.

“I had people admit to me tonight that there are people in the medical marijuana movement that are more interested in the legalization of marijuana period, for recreational use,” Rapert said.

After the event was over audience members, along with Bledsoe, Smith and Rapert, stayed around and talked about issues.

“Honestly, I have never been to a public forum like this before so I was not expecting this level of professionalism, but everyone was respectful, even though we did not all agree.

I most definitely understand their points,” sophomore Daniel Nansel said.

Fires reported on campus usually the result of electrical

appliances; residence policies change often to keep up with changing technology 4 Continued from page 1 but the university as well.”

The report also included incidences of fires on campus.

Most of the fires reported in on-campus residence halls were attributed to small appliances catching fire.

Bruick said this is a challenge to Housing and Residence Life staff because new appliances are introduced to the market every year, and housing policy is constantly changing to reflect

Board:

that.

“Enforcing the policy is an important component,” Bruick said. “To that end, we provide extensive training to our student staff concerning approved and restricted electrical appliances.

We also do monthly safety and cleaning checks where staff are able to identify the presence of prohibited items.”

The report, which is required by the Clery Act to be published

yearly, also contains general information about UCA’s crime reporting and communication policies, emergency response and evacuation information, the university’s drug and alcohol policy and a list of safety and counseling services offered both on- and off-campus.

The entire Clery Report can be found online at www.ucapd. org/go/cleryreport or in the UCAPD lobby.

Final four candidates for president position to visit campus

Oct. 24; drop in enrollment may affect 2017 budget, will not affect student costs

4 Continued from page 1 three weeks ago.”

Benton gave a speech on “How to Sound Smart During your Informative Speech.”

Benton taught the audience a lesson on intonation, rhetoric and confidence.

She used examples from Martin Luther King Jr. to Plato, saying they had great “voices” within speeches, because they persuaded listeners to be engaged in the message they were trying to relay.

Boelkens presented a speech on “Environmental

photo by Monica Sanders

Arkansas Sen. Jason Rapert introduced Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Gregory Bledsoe at a panel discussion about medical marijuana Oct. 3 in the McCastlain Ballroom. Bledsoe has opposed issues six and seven.

Justice” and its importance.

Boelkens had the audience members close their eyes and imagine two types of communities — one essentially bad, and one essentially good.

She made the point that with environmental justice, the good community is more possible. She walked the audience through what exactly environmental justice is, and why it matters. Boelkens boiled it down to two broad concepts: people are not disposable and communities are not

disposable. She ended with pointing out that environmental justice makes for a community that everyone deserves and that shares equality.

Communication Lecturer Katherine Bray nominated the candidates for the showcase.

“It wasn’t difficult, because the outstanding stand out,” Bray said.

The number of nominees depends on how many semi-finals they have before the final showcase. This year there was only one semi-final.

4 Continued from page 1 west side of Donaghey Avenue.

For now, the board is only focused on passing the contracts that would allow the planning of architecture and design of these buildings.

If the plans pass, construction is estimated to start around June of 2017, and students would be able to move in by fall 2019.

Vice chair of the board Elizabeth Farris discussed the process that is now taking place to find a new president for UCA.

A committee of five members, along with Farris, talked to the candidates for the first time last week.

The transition committee went through the list and narrowed down the candidates on Oct. 13.

During the week of Oct. 24, the final four candidates will visit the UCA campus.

Later, it was announced that UCA has $3.7 million available for projects from its unrestricted and unallocated cash budget.

However, UCA may have to make some changes to its overall budget in the middle of 2017 because of the drop in student enrollment at UCA. Newton said that this will not affect students at UCA, and that raising student costs would be a last resort.

The board also discussed issues such as the school’s lease with Chainwheel, the bicycle shop that will be added to Donaghey Hall.

Police Beat The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports

by Assistant News Editor Brent Wilson.

Cameras malfunction near where scooter was stolen

Student reports wallet stolen Student reports COPA bike from backpack near HPER stolen from near Bear Hall

Student Breylin Smith reported his scooter stolen on Oct. 4, saying that he had parked the scooter on Oct. 3 at the southwestern corner of building five at Stadium Park Apartments. Smith said he noticed the scooter missing the next day, at about 9 a.m.

Smith asked his friends about it but they didn’t know where it was. The camera footage which would have provided video of the theft was unusable. One camera was malfunctioning and the other’s image was unclear because of an obscuring light.

Student David Irico reported that his wallet was missing on Oct. 11. He said that he had had his wallet in the front pocket of his backpack when he entered Burdick Hall room 302 for class.

He said that he set his backpack beside him in class. After class he set the backpack in the front seat of his vehicle and went to the HPER Center.

Irico then said he noticed his wallet missing later at Kroger, and that the zipper was open about four inches. He described the wallet as a brown leather bi-fold wth a metal LSU clip on it. It contained his student ID, a dollar bill, his driver’s license, an Arvest Bank card, and some gift cards.

Oct. 6, a UCAPD officer was dispatched to Bear Hall following a report of a theft. Student Shabnam Rajani stated at some point between the day of Oct. 4 to the day of Oct. 6 at around 2:30 p.m. the COPA bike which she had rented was stolen.

The bike had been parked at a bike rack near the Bear Hall main entrance, she said, and so it must have been stolen from there. The bike was COPA bike No. 20, and she said it had a basket on it. The bike was reported found by Anthony Fillippino, director of COPA. He said it was on a bike rack near the Student Center.

Student reports car egging in north overflow parking Student Allison Good contacted UCAPD on Oct. 9 to report that her car, along with multiple other cars parked at the North Overflow parking lot, had been egged overnight.

Good was advised by the UCAPD officers to wash her car as soon as possible and report to them any permanent damage.

Good washed her car and told the UCAPD that no permanent damage had been done.

The responding officer requested dispatch to contact the other students whose cars had been involved.

Campus Life

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October 19, 2016

Around Campus: The Liar Performances of David Ives’ “The Liar” are showing at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20, 21, 27, 28 and Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. in the Bridges/Larson Theatre in the Snow Fine Arts Center.

Homecoming On Oct. 22 the Bears will play against Lamar University for the homecoming game.

Homecoming week events include a movie night on the football practice field at 7 p.m. Oct. 20, the Homecoming Greek Step Show Oct. 21 at 7 p.m., and the grand openings of Donaghey Hall and the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences on Oct. 22.

Octubafest At 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 in Snow Fine Arts the UCA music program will present Octubafest, a series of annual concerts given for the public featuring tubas and euphoniums.

Greek Goddess

The annual philanthropic Greek Goddess pageant will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 in the Ida Waldran Auditorium. Sponsored by the Sigma Nu fraternity, this pageant is a fundraiser involving the ladies of the

photo by Waid Rainey

In order to raise LGBT awareness within the UCA community, UCA’s PRISM alliance held the fourth annual Pride Walk on Oct. 6. Starting at the Crafton Alumni Pavilion, the walk went down Bruce Street and up Donaghey Avenue to the Student Center Ampitheater.

LGBTQ+ History Month celebrates with UCA Pride Walk

by Sophia Ordaz Staff Writer

As part of LGBTQ+ History Month, the UCA PRISM Alliance in conjunction with UCA’s Office of Diversity and Community is sponsoring events throughout October to help observe and celebrate LGBTQ history and pride.

“It’s important to recognize minorities…[LGBTQ history] always gets pushed back,” freshman PRISM member Lexi Edmonds said. “It’s a month to celebrate.”

On Oct. 6, PRISM members celebrated their pride during Pride Walk, a short march around UCA’s campus that aimed to honor and promote awareness for students’ diverse sexualities and gender identities.

“Pride events can be about many different things,” Cindy Lea, Leadership and

Engagement Coordinator of the Schedler Honors College and a speaker at Pride Walk, said. “Our Pride Walk is about visibility. It’s about being proud of who you are. It’s also about being a part of a community that you know you can rely on. Every year I like seeing more and more people and different people come out for the Pride Walk because a lot of times people need to know where they’re safe and who they can talk to and have honest discussions with.”

PRISM continued the month’s events with “1 Girl, 5 Gays,” a student panel discussion held in the College of Business auditorium on Oct. 10. The five-person panel answered audience questions about topics ranging from favorite LGBTQ celebrities to the possibility of opening a chapter of a co-ed LGBTQ fraternity to discuss personal experiences of coming out to

friends and family.

“It used to be, whenever people asked me why I didn’t have a girlfriend, I would always say ‘I’m studying. I’m studying.

I’m trying to get better grades.’

I never understood why that was such a good explanation.” junior PRISM member Devan Bauer said of his life before coming out. “It used to be a constant battle between who I could trust and who I couldn’t.”

The following day, Oct. 11, was National Coming Out Day. To celebrate and spread awareness, the UCA Counseling Center passed out buttons in the Student Center.

That evening, the UCA Counseling Center provided a shuttle service to transport students to Little Rock’s South on Main for the Human Rights Campaign’s “Outloud Storytelling: Taking Pride.

Taking the Stage.” The event spotlighted LGBTQ and allied

Arkansans and their stories of discrimination, adversity, acceptance and love.

On Oct. 16, the counseling center provided shuttles again, this time for students wishing to attend Little Rock’s annual Pride Fest. The 2016 Pride Fest featured food trucks, local vendors, live entertainment and performances by Bob the Drag Queen, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season eight.

LGBTQ+ History Month events will continue on campus to the end of October.

“On Wednesday Oct. 19, we will be showing the movie ‘Rent’ in the College of Business at 6 p.m.,” Director of the Office of Diversity and Community Angela Jackson said. “Tuesday Oct. 25, our very own Reesa Ramsahai, [LBGTQ and Women’s Outreach Initiatives Coordinator], will be speaking at 1:40 p.m., x-period, for the LGBTQ+ Student Identity

Program, sponsored by the Academic Bridge Connection (ABC) Center.”

PRISM president and senior Ethan Murchison maintains that while UCA’s LGBTQ+ History Month events are fun and enjoyable, they are also representative of the courage it takes to be who you are in the face of adversity.

“Celebrating our pride is important mostly because in the past LGBTQ+ people haven’t always been able to do that. We weren’t always allowed to be out and who we are in public because that was punished by law and general social norms, and while our visibility and rights are [improving] in some areas, it’s not in all areas,” Murchison said. “We are people, and we have a right to be who we are without any kind of fear as to what may happen to us for that. Anything else would just be inhuman.”

HOMECOMING COURT CANDIDATES

Greek community of UCA.

photo by Lauren Swaim

Freshman Breigh Arendall takes in “Paper” by the papermaking work shop at the Lady Scouts exhibition Oct. 6 in the Black Box Gallery.

Individual craft, skill pieces presented by the Lady Scouts

Jazz Ensemble The UCA Jazz Ensemble will be giving a public concert at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at in the Snow Fine Arts Center Recital

by Caroline Bivens Staff Writer

Hall.

How to Vote Well Philosophy Professor at Georgetown University, Jason Brennan will be visiting UCA to discuss voting in a lecture titled “How to Vote Well and Why Most People Don’t” at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 in the College of Business Auditorium as part of the Campus Election Engagement Project.

Men’s club volleyball A volleyball tournament sponsored by the men’s club volleyball team will take place on Oct. 29 all day on the intramural fields. Costumes are encouraged and prizes will be awarded to the best costumes and the winner of the tournament.

Twenty-seven candidates prepare for homecoming week with events sponsored by campus organizations. The final eight members of the homecoming court were chosen during the pep rally at 7 p.m. on Oct. 18 in the Farris Center. The Homecoming Queen and Maid of Honor will be announced during the homecoming game at 6 p.m.

Oct. 22 at Estes Stadium.

The Lady Scouts hosted an art exhibit in The Black Box Gallery from Oct. 6-14 to celebrate individual skills and crafts.

Senior Taylor Helfrich organized the exhibition, which encouraged Scouts to present work they were proud of. Pieces included sculpture, multimedia, needle point, photography and patch work jackets.

The Lady Scouts aim to dismantle the bias associated with gender skills and although they are called the “Lady Scouts,” they encourage people of all genders to join.

“As you grow up, boys learn carpentry and girls learn how to do their nails or sew or cook,” Helfrich said. “As a community we need to feel comfortable enough to explore skills outside of our gender roles.”

The Lady Scouts are not a Registered Student Organization, and they don’t plan to be.

Helfrich claims she has put the most effort into the group, but does not claim to be the founder. Instead, the Lady Scouts created the character “Eleanor Ranier” to claim the title.

The Lady Scouts have created workshops for every skill set. The workshops include tie-dying, papermaking, patch making and cookie making.

Helfrich encourages teaching everyone’s individual abilities. The Lady Scouts are hoping to develop more workshops taught by men who want to teach technical skills.

“Skills like how to change a tire, or how to change your oil, skills that you might have learned if you were a boy growing up,” Helfrich said.

The Lady Scouts began as a graphic design project about branding.

“We came up with the idea about the Lady Scouts first, and then I had the project. We had to come up with a really bizarre concept and then brand it,” Helfrich said. “So I went for the idea and made it a thing and I’ve just been doing it since.”

Post-baccalaureate Kate Bramante entered her monoprint collage patchwork into the exhibition.

“The Lady Scouts is a really cool, cooperative and supportive environment where everyone can come and learn new things and feel good about themselves,” Bramante said.

Approximately 15 artists submitted around 24 exhibits.

The Scouts’ next Black Box exhibit, the Anticipation Show, will be Oct. 27. They will critique artwork presented with feedback from peers. They will have a “scary” theme and costumes are encouraged.

They have other workshops planned for mid-November.

“I just want a community where everyone feels comfortable exploring what they’re nerdy about,” Helfrich said. “I want the weirdest people to feel supported and ambitious.”

Helfrich said everyone who attended that night became a Lady Scout, whether they intended to or not.

For more information about the Lady Scouts, follow them on Facebook.

ucaecho.net

CAMPUS LIFE

October 19, 2016 /4

STUDENTS SAY

“

What do you think of the

”

election so far?

story by Mary Kate Mansfield photos by Lauren Swaim

photo by Monica Sanders

Cast members stand on stage for their curtain call at Oct. 8’s production of Ray Bradbury’s “The Halloween Tree” in the McCastlain Ballroom. The Conway Symphony Orchestra partnered with the Schedler Honors College and El Zócalo Immigrant Resource Center for the production.

“The Halloween Tree” production uses puppets to retell fantasy story

by Emily Gist Staff Writer

Projections set the stage as shadow-actors and puppets evoked a visual retelling of Ray Bradbury’s “The Halloween Tree” on Oct. 7 and 8 in the McCastlain Hall Ballroom.

Various forms of puppetry accompanied music to tell the story of three friends chasing after their fourth friend, Pip, on Halloween night.

Through their chase, they traveled through different periods in history with the help of Mr. Moundshroud and his magical playing cards.

“The children encountered some really frightening things, but they also learned about traditions around the world and why we do what we do for Halloween,” Sharon Colton, one of the silhouette actresses for Pip said.

As the children time traveled, they encountered different rituals regarding the dead.

“What Bradbury does in the story is take us through many different death rituals and traditions throughout history so

we see that people treated it in many different ways,” Schedler Honors College professor Adam Frank said.

Frank said there were two main messages within the story.

“One is that death is nothing to fear, that it’s part of the natural cycle of life,” Frank said. “The other thing I think it’s really about is the importance of friendship and how people will put themselves on the line for each other when they’re friends.”

Although Frank took the performance from Bradbury’s book, he had to make several changes so the story could fit the medium. “One of the big changes I made was just to add the whole first scene (the prologue) to give a clearer idea of what the relationship between Tom and Pip was,” Frank said.

Frank also added what he calls the “death bird.” “There is no death bird in the book, Pip just disappears and [the three friends] keep running into him. But we wanted some visual way to really condense that and symbolize that,” Frank said.

Storytelling functioned differently in the performance

because there was no dialogue and everything had to be done in shadow.

“It’s kind of strange because character development is just how you move the puppets or how you shutter up and down,” puppeteer Barry Clifton said. “That’s for us working the projectors. Now the actors in front of the screen, they were doing a lot more acting.

We were just acting through the slides.”

For the performance, there was a dynamic contrast between how those manipulating the projector had to act and how the actors and puppeteers near the screen had to evoke meaning.

Those manipulating the projector had to act through small movements whereas those in front had to act with much bigger gestures.

“Say I might wipe a tear. Well okay, that’s not going to read very well on a big screen like that,” Deb Lewis, one of the puppeteers, said. “If I’m going to sob I’m going to use my whole body. If I’m going to reach for somebody, it’s got to be a bigger movement because you don’t have all the nuances that you normally see on

someone’s face.”

Intense coordination was involved with the show as there were many different parts working together.

“It’s different when you’re on a stage play where people are talking at each other and communicating that way, but we’re back here in the dark, but still we had to communicate,” Lewis said. “So it really became a collective effort.”

A lot of technology was involved to make the play successful. “It’s like every rehearsal was tech rehearsal because we had to deal with the tech at every rehearsal,” Clifton said. “We had to deal with the puppets and the moving parts and spiking them on the projector and coordinating with the actors and then the lights so it was a lot of technical stuff.”

At the end of the play, audience members were allowed to go backstage and see all of the technical aspects at work.

“The kids coming back here and hopefully sparking their imagination, that’s the best thing ever,” Clifton said. “That’s why we do what we do.”

WELLNESS

SMART Choices Program teaches students about making wise decisions

by Malachi Thornton Staff Writer

UCA hosted another Make SMART Choices program on campus for students on Oct. 5 to promote alcohol awareness.

Student Health and UCAPD worked together to coordinate a series of events and activities on campus for students to engage and educate themselves.

The Make SMART Choices program is about promoting positive choices in young people’s lives so that they don’t make decisions that could jeopardize their health and safety.

Booths, activities and exercises were on full display for students to enjoy themselves while promoting smart choices.

Various student organizations set up booths

which offered students different activities and organizations to sign up for.

Students signed a pledge to not drink and drive, a staple of the SMART Choices Program from last year.

The program was held for the first time last year.

Last year, students enjoyed the free T-shirts and interactive activities.

The department of Student Wellness and Development made efforts to bring them back the following fall.

“The Make SMART Choices program was held for the first time last fall after we received a grant directly from Blue Cross and Blue Shield. We decided to host it again because of its success with students last year,” Director of Student Wellness and Development Jenna Davidson

said.

Make SMART Choices is a program idea from the National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week toolkit.

Each letter in SMART stands for a prevention phrase. “S” stands for “set limits,” “M” is for “make a plan,” “A” is for “act to help others,” “R” is for “respect the choices of peers,” and “T” is for “talk to your friend.”

The staff educated students on these strategies, as well as standard drink sizes, consequences of binge drinking and having proper designated drivers.

UCAPD and Student Wellness coordinated a “walk the line” activity with special goggles and hosted an activity called the “Pouring Exercise” that was there to educate students about proper drink sizes.

Students had to pour water, which took place of an alcoholic beverage into a beer glass, shot glass or wine glass.

After pouring what the students felt was the correct the amount, the glasses were measured to reveal what was an acceptable standard drink size according to the legal blood and alcohol level.

Students who participated received a T-shirt that said “Make SMART choices.”

Student Wellness and Development also hosted a prescription drug abuse program Oct. 5 and raised awareness for students to get tested for STD’s.

The department will continue hosting different events and continue raising awareness for different issues involving wellness throughout the rest of the semester.

Junior Khadijah Alexander

Freshman Madison Mayhue

“Personally, I think we’re all doomed.”

“I think it’s a mess. The candidates are both just all over the place.”

Freshman Travis Huff

Sophomore Katie Frazier

“I haven’t really been paying attention to it I’m a freshman so I’m focusing on school right now.”

“It’s very media-based and childish.”

Sophomore Christopher Moore

Junior Jonathan Onyumbe

“It’s just like two kids arguing about stupid stuff really. They aren’t really talking about what they want to do for America.”

“I mean I think it’s a little crazy for me and for me I don’t really care who is going to be president. I’m not American but I don’t really see Donald Trump becoming president.”

SPOTLIGHT

PEOPLE OF UCA Randy Pastor

by Denn-Warren Tafah Staff Writer

photo by Valentin Sawadogo

UCA Medical Director Randy Pastor has been at UCA for 10 years. He is also the campus adviser for the Christian Student Fellowship, an RSO on campus.

Former star high school athlete Randy Pastor is the University of Central Arkansas’ Medical Director.

He was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio where he grew up with his parents and three brothers.

“In high school I played basketball, football, baseball and ran track. I played four sports all year round in high school, but my junior year I quit baseball to focus on basketball and football,” Pastor said.

Growing up, Pastor didn’t have much but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream.

In the sixth grade, he envisioned himself becoming a doctor and he knew only college could get him there.

“I come from a very poor family but when I was in sixth grade I always wanted to be a family doctor of a small town and my only way to go to college was through athletics or education, so I worked hard at those things,” Pastor said. “Also, there were times in college when I didn’t have money to buy a seven cents stamp to send a letter back home.”

From ages 16 to 24, Pastor owned over 100 cars because he would buy the cars, fix them and sell them.

“My brothers and I would buy cars, work on the engines and do the bodywork and resell them. We did that for about eight years.

That’s back when we could buy a car for $100

and resell it for about $500,” Pastor said.

In 1986, he graduated from the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine and then moved to Arkansas with his wife in 1987 while she was four months pregnant with their first child.

“My wife and I stayed in Hope, Arkansas where we had our three kids and I opened a private practice from 1987 to 1996,” Pastor said. “All of my kids went to UCA.” Before he worked at the University of Central Arkansas, Pastor was a doctor in Jacksonville, Arkansas and was affiliated with Baptist Health Medical Center and Conway Regional Medical Center.

“A member from the fellowship I attended was a former teacher at UCA and she told me about the job opening at the campus clinic, so I applied, went through interviews and six months later they called me,” Pastor said.

So far Pastor has been at UCA for 10 years and he is also the campus adviser for the Christian Student Fellowship, which is an RSO established in 2011.

Pastor said he loves working with young people because they make him feel young.

“I thank God everyday I am at UCA. It’s been a blessing in my life. Sometimes I wonder what it will be like when I die, how many people would possibly show up to my funeral and say ‘He touched my life,’ and the opportunities are endless [having] been involved in my profession and campus ministry,” Pastor said.

Opinion

5

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October 19, 2016

The Voice

Nonviolent offenders require rehabilitation, not mass incarceration

hey I’m ing Walk e!!! her over

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Bikers should be more cautious of pedestrians on campus It was a regular, cool morning with clear skies, a slight breeze and the potential for a great day. I was making my daily walk to campus with a cup of coffee in hand, ready to take on the day.

A girl wearing headphones was walking just a step or two in front of me when we started to cross at a crosswalk. I heard a noise from behind me and jumped back just in time as some guy on a bike darted between us, nearly running us both over.

The biker zipped off, never looking back as we tried to steady our heart rates and thanked our lucky stars that we had been spared.

Considering that UCA’s campus is fairly big and classes can be spread out, I think bicycles are a fantastic form of transportation for college students on campus. Not to mention it’s a great stress reliever and an easy way to exercise, especially for students who don’t have a lot of leisure time to spend in the HPER. Most of us are struggling to get six hours of sleep a night between our mounds of homework, jobs and social lives, let alone trying to work out regularly.

However, had this girl and I not noticed this biker and moved out of the way, we would have been hit by him and maybe severely injured, more so than he would have been, due to the fact that he was wearing protective gear.

Bikers on campus should be more cautious and courteous towards pedestrians. Not only is

it rude for bikers to soar around and in front of us, it jeopardizes our safety. Their carelessness could seriously hurt us.

If that isn’t enough reason for bikers to be more cautious when riding around on campus, the 2016 student handbook states “coasting devices are approved for use as transportation on university property, but cannot be used in any manner that places pedestrians at risk.”

Simply using a verbal warning like “excuse me” or “watch out” is not enough. Many pedestrians wear headphones and will never hear your warning. Instead, bikers should ride more slowly and look out for pedestrians, rather than pedestrians having to be paranoid about a biker hitting them out of nowhere.

by Michelle In fact, the Moore handbook further Staff Writer states “persons may coast or ride upon any sidewalk or improved surface used for pedestrian purposes, provided that they yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on foot, and they must be walked in crosswalks, which are often filled with pedestrians.”

After all, according to the student handbook, it is the responsibility of bikers and students who choose to ride rolling devices to yield to pedestrians. Not the other way around.

Instead of frantically soaring across campus, set your alarm 10 minutes earlier and ride more slowly.

Being a few minutes late isn’t worth putting someone else in the hospital.

Vaccinating children prevents disease, is not linked to autism Life is filled with decisions: what to eat, what to wear, what to believe, where to work, who to be friends with, where to go to school, where to live, etc. Choices belong to the individual who makes them and should not be made for us by the government or any similar force. Part of our freedom as human beings and Americans allows us to make decisions for ourselves without being forced down one path or the other, except in cases of legality. However, once a choice has the potential to cause a public health issue then something must be done.

Vaccinate your children, please. This is not a plea to create a law to demand vaccination for everyone; this is a plea to realize the harm that can come from not vaccinating children.

Herd immunity, also known as c o m m u n i t y immunity, is when 90-95 percent of the community is protected against a highly contagious disease, allowing the entire population to be protected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Herd immunity protects those who do not have immunity. The CDC suggests vaccinating your baby against 14 serious childhood diseases, and while it is not a legal mandate, the majority of public schools and daycares will not enroll students who have not received the DTaP (protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough), chicken pox, polio and measles/mump/rubella (MMR) vaccines. These guidelines for enrollment are in place to protect the other children in the school or daycare. If you don’t want to vaccinate your children, don’t enroll them in a setting where they could infect, or be infected by, other children.

In early September of this year, there were 150 suspected and confirmed cases of mumps in the Springdale and Rogers school districts in Northwest Arkansas, according to 5newsonline.com. A total of 19 Northwest Arkansas elementary and high schools had students with reported mumps symptoms. Both students with the symptoms and students with MMR vaccine exemptions were sent home. The CDC has guidelines that require unvaccinated students to stay out of school for 26 days after the last case of reported symptoms. When someone chooses to not vaccinate his children, he is endangering his family and other children.

Those without health insurance are not able to treat their children, or themselves, effectively if they become sick with a preventable infection.

Despite scientific data refuting the theories, some people believe that there are medical links between vaccinations and autism, ADHD, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma and diabetes because of some of the ingredients in vaccines. While these ingredients, including thimerosal, formaldehyde and aluminum, can be harmful in large doses, vaccinations have a safe amount in them, according to CDC. The amount of aluminum in vaccination doses is under 1 milligram.

For example, aluminum is used in vaccines to boost the immune response to that vaccine, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

This allows for fewer required doses of the vaccination because

by Julia the one dose is more Kramer effective.

Aluminum Online Editor is not used in vaccines such as MMR and rotavirus, according to CHOP. “Breast-fed infants ingest about seven milligrams, formula-fed infants ingest about 38 milligrams, and infants who are fed soy formula ingest almost 117 milligrams of aluminum during the first six months of life,” according to CHOP. Over the last 20 years, there have been extensive studies conducted to test the hypothesis of the link between autism and the MMR vaccination. The results showed no connections, according to both the CDC and autismspeaks.org.

“Scientific research has not directly connected autism to vaccines,” Bob Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks said in 2015. “Vaccines are very important. Parents must make the decision whether to vaccinate their children. Efforts must be continually made to educate parents about vaccine safety. If parents decide not to vaccinate they must be aware of the consequences in their community and their local schools.”

Parents must make an educated choice for their children and there should not be a legal mandate on the decision. Newborn’s and children’s immune systems are more susceptible to infection and are less able to fight off diseases and infections that mature immune systems can fight. Protecting your children against diseases that could complicate their health or even fatally harm them, or others, is vital to their adult health.

Booster shots are available for adults who want to re-boost their immune system to protect against infections. The CDC recommends getting a booster shot for tetanus and diphtheria vaccine every 10 years. Health is something human beings can control and keep in check. We cannot take that for granted.

Have an opinion?

Mass incarceration is a major issue in the United States. Many people are thrown into jail cells, prisons and put under federal supervision because of low-risk and nonviolent offenses. Many of these offenses involve substance addiction or abuse and should not require a person to be put in jail.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union’s website, “drug arrests now account for a quarter of the people locked up in America, but drug use rates have remained steady. Over the last 40 years, we have spent trillions of dollars on the failed and ineffective War on Drugs.

Drug use has not declined, while millions of people — disproportionately poor people and people of color — have been caged and then branded with criminal records that pose barriers to employment, housing and stability.”

As a result, those people put in jail are unable to succeed once they are released. They bear the title of a criminal and have a hard time finding work.

Therefore, they often resort to unhealthy or negative activity that often leads them back to jail.

Throwing a person in jail or prison does not teach him the right lesson.

The U.S. needs to find better ways to help these people who violate laws instead of throwing them behind metal doors.

“Problems like mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness are more appropriately addressed outside of the criminal justice system altogether.

Services like drug treatment and affordable housing cost less and can have a better record of success,” according to aclu.org.

Locking people away does not solve the problem or help people find an alternative way to deal with their issues. America needs to use alternative programs that provide treatment to its citizens instead of punishing them.

There are many methods, such as Smart Probation, that America can use to keep low-risk offenders out of jail while keeping the community safe.

Some of the Smart Probation programs include Project HOPE, which has helped drug users reduce their use and eliminate addiction, and the 24/7 Sobriety Project, which helps substance abusers remain fully sober in order to keep their driving privileges.

Both programs have proven that instead of putting people who have drug and substance offenses in jail, and by putting them in programs that provide them with treatment, they were able to recover and better themselves, which is not something a person can do when he is locked behind bars.

Not only is the prison system ineffective for low-risk offenders, but it costs U.S. taxpayers tons of money every year. According to The New York Times, “The annual average taxpayer cost in these states was $31,286 per inmate.”

According to the National Instititue of Corrections website, “In 2015, the Arkansas Department of Corrections operating expenditures were $337 million.”

Arkansas’ $337 million is just a small fraction of the $80 billion spent by the United States each year on incarceration. If taxpayers’ money went toward alternative programs our nation would be much better off.

Incarceration rates would drop significantly. Putting people in jail for nonviolent and low-risk offenses is ineffective and comes with high costs.

There are alternative possibilities that the U.S. needs to explore.

Instead of taxpayer money going toward locking a person in jail, it should go toward programs that help him get better and increase his chances at success later in life. Locking people up won’t help.

Providing treatment will provide a safer community.

Not only is the prison system ineffective for low-risk and nonviolent offenders, but it costs U.S. taxpayers tons of money every year

Everyone does.

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

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

The Echo is printed weekly at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark. Decisions about content are made by the student editors.

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

Entertainment

6

October 19, 2016

New This Week Movies

October 21— A Monster Calls (PG13), directed by J.A. Bayona, starring Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones and Lewis MacDougall.

October 21 — Boo! A Madea Halloween (PG-13), directed by Tyler Perry, starring Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely and Yousef Erakat.

October 21 — Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (PG-13), directed by Edward Zwick, starring Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders and Danika Yarosh.

October 21— Ouija: Origin of Evil (R), directed by Mike Flanagan, starring Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser and Doug Jones.

October 21— Keeping Up with the Joneses (PG-13), directed by Greg Mottola, starring Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Zach Galifianakis and Jon Hamm.

Melanie Martinez energizes Metroplex

by Taylor Fulgham Staff Writer

The Little Rock Metroplex was transformed into a maniacal playground on Oct. 5, when Melanie Martinez played a nearly sold-out performance to hordes of adoring fans.

Martinez, best known for her stint on the reality television singing competition “The Voice,” became a breakthrough star after the show, releasing her first full-length album, “Cry Baby,” in August of 2015. The album received critical acclaim and built Martinez’s fan base.

The line for the concert wrapped all the way around the Metroplex parking lot, with the first people in line stating they had been waiting at the door since 9 a.m. I arrived around 4 p.m. and was pleasantly surprised to see that there were relatively few people in line. Around 100 people stood between me and the front entrance of the venue.

After the VIP ticket holders

Music October 21 — Dreamless Crocodiles October 21 — Lighthouse - David Crosby October 21 — Big Box of Chocolates - Hooten Tennis Club October 21 — Integrity Blues Jimmy Eat World October 21 — The Serenity of Suffering - Korn October 21 — Joanne - Lady Gaga October 21 — You Want it Darker - Leonard Cohen October 21 — Tattooed Heart - Ronnie Dunn October 21 — Apricity - Syd Arthur October 21 — Alone - The Pretenders October 21 — Running Out of Love - The Radio Dept.

Video Games

were ushered into the theater, the general admission ticket holders waited for another hour to enter.

The crowd began getting rowdy and chanted the singer’s name before doors were even open to the public.

Once inside the venue, fans were treated to an opening performance by Handsome Ghost, a lovely four-piece electro-folk group fronted by Tim Noyes. The band’s dreamy pop melodies boomed through

by Malachi Thornton

sexism and violence — all while living up to the hype of other superhero Netflix shows.

Netflix recently welcomed the newest addition to the Marvel superhero cast of characters with the season one premiere of “Luke Cage.”

The show is the most recent infusion of the Hell’s Kitchen superheroes on Netflix.

Actor Mike Colter, who also portrayed Cage on the Netflix series “Jessica Jones,” shoulders the weight of starring as Netflix’s first black superhero.

He takes on the task of playing Cage, who confronts a talented cast of villains played by well-known actors such as “House of Cards” Mahershala Ali and Theo Rossi, who appeared on the show “Sons of Anarchy.”

Rosario Dawson is seen in this series as well, in relation to her other appearances on “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones.”

Staff Writer

Coming on the heels of “Daredevil” season two, “Luke Cage” adds a different flair to the usual superhero shows by adding a strong cast and a rich storyline. Cheo Coker, the show’s creator, developed this show as it is the third in a series of shows that will lead up to a “Marvel Defenders” miniseries.

“Luke Cage” cultivates artistic expression and social relevance in a show that attacks both gender and racial inequalities. This show’s timing couldn’t have been more appropriate, given the current climate of polarizing views with racial issues. The show gives strong commentary on prior and current issues that plague our society — such as racism,

Although Cage is not Marvel’s first black superhero (that title belongs to the Black Panther) he is one of the most influential and ground-breaking superheroes of the comic era.

He takes on the streets as well as social injustices equipped with extreme character and bulletproof skin, his hallmark for handling his enemies. The show takes him back to his origin where he first

by Zach Keast

October 25 — Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel DLC, for PC, PS4 and XBox One.

The 20th season of “South Park” continues to impress with its topical satire and boundary-breaking humor.

In the first episode, an internet troll is causing the girls of South Park Elementary School to gang up against the boys, starting a “gender war.”

October 21 — Containment: Season 1 (2016), created by Julie Plec, starring David Gyasi, Christina Marie Moses and Chris Wood.

October 21 — Joe Rogan: Triggered (2016), directed by Anthony Giordano, starring Joe Rogan.

October 21 — Black Mirror: Season 3, part 1 (2016), created by Charlie Brookre, starring Hannah JohnKamen, Chris Martin Hill and Paul Blackwell.

Over the years, the makers of “South Park” have prided themselves on poking fun at very touchy subjects such as Scientology, medical marijuana and nearly every major religion in the world.

The lead creators, writers, producers and main voice actors Trey Parker and Matt Stone keep finding ways to take serious subjects and poke at them with a stick, while creating a dialogue showing arguments on both sides.

They’re able to make topical jokes every week because it only takes six days to make an entire episode. As soon as the newest episode airs, they’re immediately looking in the news for more stuff to make fun of. And this season is no different.

After an eight month break, it seemed like there was an endless supply of topics the show’s creators could have covered. During the first episode, they tried to shove as 1. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

Top Five Video Games List compiled by Brody Arnold

The show’s strength is in how it embodies the character as well as his social climb.

Cage differs from his other Hell’s Kitchen peers in a way that allows him to delve deeper into social issues. His world mirrors the portrayal of black men in America and their resilience to misguided stereotypes and a corrupt justice system.

Powered by a rich hip-hop soundtrack, the soul of this show lies in its distinctive musical influence displayed in each episode. The show gives musical performances from artists such as Jidenna, Method Man, Faith Evans and Raphael Saadiq.

Due to the upcoming shows, such as “Ironfist” and “Defenders,” that will air in 2017 and the already set returns of “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones,” the next season’s air date is unknown. Fans of the show might not see a season two until as late as 2019.

Beloved comedy uses latest season to mock election Sports Editor

Netflix

FILM

gained his powers in prison due to an experimental program. He escapes and returns to society to find that remaining hidden proves to be more difficult for those with his abilities.

TELEVISION

October 21 — Civilization 6, for PC.

October 25 — Dragon Ball Xenoverse, for XBox One, PS4 and PC.

a Tim Burton nightmare music box, and a figure clad in a white lab coat and rubber rabbit head mask emerged from a set piece on stage, creating a sense of uneasiness.

Martinez emerged from a crib on stage left, kicking off the show with the titular song from her “Cry Baby” album. The audience erupted in adoring screams, and Martinez seemed right at home on stage. Clad in a pastel pink leather dress and yellow cropped jacket,

New Marvel hero addresses racial issues

much of 2016 into 22 minutes as they possibly could have, nearly to a fault.

October 25 — World of Final Fantasy, for PS4 and PSCista.

the amps on stage and kept the audience thrilled while waiting for the main act to begin.

Finally, about half an hour after Handsome Ghost finished their set, Martinez was slated to take the stage. Stagehands removed tarps covering her set pieces, featuring a large set of blocks spelling out “Cry Baby” in pastel colors. The lights dimmed and her backup band, wearing bunny ear hats, took the stage.

The pre-show music sounded like something out of

NETFLIX

October 21 — Battlefield I, for XBox One, PS4 and PC October 21 —LEGO Harry Potter Collection, for PS4.

photo courtesy of populove.net

Martinez delivers an electrifying performance for her growing fanbase. Tickets are sold on ticketmaster.com for venues in cities such as Dallas, Texas.

This is the best platformer ever made, and my favorite video game of all time. While video games with deep stories and philosophical meanings are great, let us not forget what they are about in the first place: fun.

No genre exemplifies this better than platformers, which often forego interesting narratives while providing amazing gameplay. No series has better gameplay than the Donkey Kong Country series.

Meanwhile, the United States government hires J.J. Abrams (director of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) to reboot the national anthem, so athletes won’t be pressured into standing or kneeling when the song plays during sporting events.

In past seasons, all of these jokes might have worked within 22 minutes, but the past three years Parker and Stone have experimented with making each episode lead into the next one, with each season telling one long story.

In the past, the story would begin and end in one episode (much like a typical sitcom).

Last season, it seemed they wrote themselves into a hole and worried about story more than jokes. But this season, at least so far, they seem to have adjusted to this new form of storytelling, and are making it work.

The main chunk of the 2. The Mass Effect trilogy If I didn’t think it was unfair to put an entire series at number one, Mass Effect would be at the top of this list. After beating the first game, players can import their saved data to the second game, and then to the third game. Doing this makes for a unique experience, causing choices and actions in previous games to affect what happens in the next entry. This personalizes each play through, ensuring that players don’t have identical experiences.

she danced across the stage, microphone in hand, with such ease that it seemed as though she could perform the number in her sleep.

Just as the energy died down and Martinez wrapped up “Cry Baby,” she launched directly into “Dollhouse,” her first single ever released. The audience shouted the lyrics back to the singer, who tried to personally interact with her fans while on stage.

Martinez exploded with energy through the entire concert. Her vocals seemed even better live than when recorded, and she really seemed to enjoy her time on stage.

Overall, to say I enjoyed myself would be a sorry understatement. I found myself personally connecting to her lyrics even more after hearing them sung directly from the artist’s mouth.

Martinez also revealed she would be returning to the Little Rock area for another concert in 2017. I can tell you now that I’m already about to purchase my tickets to see her again next year.

over-arching story deals with America coming to terms with the presidential candidates.

They’re stuck between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.

(That’s actually what the two candidates are called, which is a recycled joke from an episode from 2004, but it is still just as relevant.)

I nearly cried with laughter when Trump’s character, Mr. Garrison, who’s been a major character since the very first episode, debates Hillary Clinton, who is just Clinton.

This episode came out less than 48 hours after the very first presidential debate, and Mr. Garrison was trying to get the American people to distrust him, so he said the most racist, hurtful things, and the people loved it.

This season only has four episodes, and it already looks like one to remember. They’ve lampooned Amy Schumer, the Black Lives Matter movement, America’s obsession with social media and nostalgia.

I can’t wait to see what Parker and Stone decide to poke fun at in the upcoming weeks.

South Park is available on Comedy Central and Hulu.

3. Halo 3 No other competitive multiplayer game has managed to mimic such perfectly balanced gameplay. Not only that, but Halo 3’s skill ranking system guaranteed most matches would be competitive, especially as the player reached higher ranks. Forge mode allowed players to create custom maps and game modes, spawning such classics as “Duck Hunt” and “Jenga.” Besides the multiplayer, Halo 3 had one of the best campaigns in the series.

photo courtesy of bustle.com

Rachel Watson, played by Emily Blunt, stares out of the train window on her daily visit to her old neighborhood. “The Girl on the Train” has made over $32 million according to Box Office Mojo.

Film delivers letdown to viewers

by Michelle Moore Staff Writer

Based on Paula Hawkins’ best-selling 2015 novel, “The Girl on the Train” is a mystery thriller that could have had you on the edge of your seat, but is ultimately a disappointment when you figure out the plot halfway through.

The movie certainly had potential to be shocking, but seriously lacked enough twists and misleading information.

Although some elements were surprising, and the whole cast did a fantastic job, it took nearly the entire movie for the suspense to pick up, and by that point the ending was obvious.

This film fails to deliver the shock and intensity of similar psycho-thriller film “Gone Girl.”

“The Girl on the Train” was released on Oct. 7 starring Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux and Luke Evans.

The movie revolves around unstable homeless alcoholic Rachel Watson (Blunt) who is a complete train wreck.

Still devastated from her divorce and inability to have children, Watson spends her days drowning her sorrow in vodka and daily train rides to Manhattan so she can spy on her ex-husband and his new wife and baby daughter. As the train passes her former house now inhabited by the happy family, it also passes their neighbors’ house, occupied by a very attractive and seemingly happy couple.

Desperate for love and still raw from her ex-husband’s betrayal, Watson develops a consuming infatuation with this couple who seem to have everything she has lost.

Watson becomes emotionally invested in the couple as she spends more and more time ogling them from the train and drawing countless pictures of them, imagining what their perfect lives are like.

Watson becomes especially fascinated with the woman, who bears a remarkable resemblance to the woman her ex-husband Tom (Theroux), left her for. But everything 4. Ocarina of Time Some critics say there have been better Zelda games in recent years however, for its time, Ocarina of Time is still the greatest Zelda game. It seems empty by today’s standards, it was a thing of beauty back in the late ‘90s. The closest thing to an “open world” up to that point in gaming, an engaging story, revolutionary gameplay, and that soundtrack we all know and love, makes Ocarina of Time the most influential game ever made.

changes one day when Watson sees something no one was supposed to see take place in the perfect couple’s back yard, sparking rage in Watson.

Watson wakes up the next morning covered in blood and bruises with no memory of the previous night, to find out that the perfect girl, Megan, has gone missing.

Partially concerned for Megan’s well-being and more so about her own capabilities and involvement, Watson sets out on her own investigation to put together the missing pieces from that night.

Despite the predictability in the film, the cast did a great job, especially Blunt who morphed into the troubled, drunken Watson. But even Blunt’s phenomenal acting wasn’t enough to save the film. You almost get tired of her because you see her so much.

There are a lot of great characters that deserved more attention and could have provided more suspicion as potential suspects rather than getting ruled out so quickly.

For instance, very little is known about Megan’s steamy psychiatrist or how abusive her husband Scott was.

There were also a lot of unanswered questions. What happened to the wife, Anna (Ferguson)? Was Megan’s secret history even important if her former love isn’t a part of the plot? Did Tom abuse Anna the way he abused Watson? None of these questions are answered to the audience’s disappointment.

I would recommend “The Girl on the Train” to anyone who likes mystery thrillers.

The movie was by no means horrible but it was certainly a disappointment after all of the built-up suspense from previews. Had some factors been changed, such as less focus on only Watson and more twists and background information on other characters, the movie could have been much more satisfying. “The Girl on the Train” is rated R for nudity, violence, and language and is playing at Cinemark Towne Centre.

5. Fallout 3

When Bethesda bought the series and slapped their awardwinning Elder Scrolls formula on it, it instantly thrust the Fallout series to the forefront of gaming. While Fallout 3 may be responsible for creating the cliché post-apocalyptic setting we see often today, it was a refreshing change of pace when Fallout 3 first released in 2008. The atmosphere is almost eerie, playing music only when necessary, creating a sense of loneliness in the wasteland.

Sports

7

October 19, 2016

Editor’s Take

Alabama football reigns above college football

By Denn-Warren Tafah Assistant Sports Editor

The University of Alabama is still ranked number one in all of college football after the first seven weeks of the college football season.

They have faced top tier teams like the University of Arkansas, the University of Southern California and the University of Tennessee. The last game against the Volunteers was hyped for the Crimson Tide to struggle, but instead Alabama dominated 49-10.

So, can the Crimson Tide be beaten or will they go undefeated this season and win the national championship?

Their schedule isn’t so easy.

Their next game is against No. 6 ranked Texas A&M, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State and Auburn. However, the Crimson Tide has the highest defensive efficiency rating at over 90 in every game this season, and they now have an average of 98.5 efficiency rating on the season, the highest for a team through seven games in the last decade.

They held down the Vols senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs to 92 passing yards and one interception and -31 rushing yards. They also held star junior running back Jalen Hurd to just 28 rushing yards.

Their record is 4-0 in conference and 7-0 overall. In the past we have seen that the only way to beat the Crimson Tide is by running a fast pace offense.

So, if Texas A&M was to run a read option offense with the weapons they already have, I believe they would come close to beating the Crimson Tide.

Defensively, you have to challenge them to beat you by passing the ball. Even though their freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts will be a star, he hasn’t shown he can beat teams with just his arm.

Teams have to stuff the box in order to challenge that classic I-formation defense and cause Hurts to throw for 300 yards on them.

Even with that knowledge, stopping the running game is still hard, because of the Crimson Tide’s star power and tenacity.

photo by Valentin Sawadogo

The Sugar Bears play against the University of New Orleans Oct. 15 in the Prince Center. Two days before, they were struggling with a four game losing streak. The victory against the Privateers finally broke that streak.

Sugar Bears end losing streak, begin winning streak

By Malachi Thornton Staff Writer

The University of Central Arkansas women’s volleyball (10-11, 4-5) team squared off against the University of New Orleans Privateers (4-16, 1-6) on Oct. 15 with a sweeping win in the Prince Center.

The Sugar Bears dominated the Privateers, winning all sets 3-0.

The Sugar Bears hit a high percentage, attacking at .385 over the whole afternoon.

Central Arkansas developed a strong lead opening up the beginning of the first set 7-2 before the Privateers battled back to pushed the margin down to 14-10.

UCA called a timeout to return and dominate the rest of the set, going on an 11-2 run to close out the set taking a 1-0 lead.

UCA tallied 12 kills in the first set while making zero errors hitting at a .429 percentage.

Junior middle blocker Megan Nash led through the first set tallying six kills, while senior outside hitter Rachel Sharp assisted the UCA defense with five digs.

The second set began differently with the Privateers scoring first, and didn’t let up for several minutes.

UCA came back and tied the game quickly then eventually regained a 6-5 lead over the Privateers.

The set remained close into the final stretch, with the Privateers making a final 3-0 run which forced UCA into a timeout with 19-18 left on the board.

The Privateers tied 19-19 but UCA did not fold. They regained the lead before edging the margin, going up by two points.

The Privateers tied again with the score 23-23 before UCA broke the tie once more and closed the set with 25-23 before the break.

After the break, the Privateers would opened up with a new focus going on a 3-1 run.

UCA regained control and took the lead at 6-4. Central

Bears succeed on road, shut out McNeese State

By Austin Savell

Staff Writer

Volleyball

6:30 p.m. Oct. 20 vs.

Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas Women’s Soccer

7 p.m. Oct. 21 vs. Southeastern Louisiana University at Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex Men’s Soccer

Football

6 p.m. Oct. 22 vs.

Lamar University at Estes Stadium

photo by Shiori Soya

The UCA Honeybears take advice from dance coach Jennifer Smith. The dancers, who do not have an off-season, work during summer and winter breaks.

Dance team works nearly all year

By Taylor Fulgham Staff Writer

At football games, after the players and coaches have left, a new kind of sport takes the field.

The UCA Honeybears Dance Team, led by coach Morgan Gray, is a different kind of athletic team.

The UCA dance team is a competitive spirit squad that primarily performs at home football and basketball games.

According to the UCA Spirit Team Coordinator Kortlind Johnson, the team does much more than just perform at halftime.

“Unlike other athletes, dancers do not have an offseason. After spring tryouts in April or May the team begins their summer with what we call ‘work weeks.’ The dancers

practice two to three times a day for three to four days straight; they have three to four work weeks throughout the summer not counting NDA (National Dance Alliance) camp at the end of July,” Johnson said.

The team choreographs dances for many other sports other than football.

“Starting in August the dance teams gets ready for football season where they attend every home game and perform at halftime. Toward the end off the fall semester the dance team switches gears to basketball season where they attend all home games and perform at halftime just like football. Instead of only focusing on basketball season for the spring semester the dancers are also learning and perfecting their nationals choreography,”

a 25-18 win over the set and giving them the match tally 3-0.

“With the way we’ve been playing this means a lot for our momentum, mentality and focus. I give a ton of credit to my staff for ensuring that we’re not only preparing for games but pushing the practice,” coach Jeni Chatman said.

The Sugar Bears put on a much needed performance with this being their second win in a row after a rocky start with four straight losses prior.

They will be looking toward their next game when they face off against Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas at 6 p.m. on Oct. 20.

Stephen F. Austin is 12-8 with a conference record of 5-2.

FOOTBALL

HONEYBEARS

Upcoming Games

7 p.m. Oct. 26 vs. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at Bill Stephens Track/ Soccer Complex

Arkansas kept scoring until New Orleans called a timeout with 10-6 on the board.

Sophomore outside hitter Haley Tippett, who was hot from the last set, scored six kills and put on a strong run along with sophomore right side Samantha Anderson and sophomore outside hitter Kellen Dunn.

All of them scored four kills and freshman setter Elizabeth Armstrong acted as floor general and dished out 13 assists.

“Coming out the weekend with two strong wins is a bit of a confidence booster. Doing well as a team and individually gives a boost for the rest of the season,” Tippett said.

The final 5-2 run put the game beyond reach, giving UCA

Johnson said.

Attending and competing at the NDA camp allows the team to compete in the NDA nationals at the beginning of April every year.

Johnson said the team has been successful.

“Since 2012 the dance team has been going to NDA College Nationals in Daytona, Florida.

The dance team competes against other dance teams in Division 1 and finished in the top six last year. Before competing for NDA the dance team competed in Orlando, Florida at the UDA College Nationals (Universal Dance Association) where they competed from 2006 to 2011 and were in the top 10 every year,” Johnson said.

See Dance- page 8

The 4-1 UCA Bears football team traveled to Lake Charles, Louisiana Oct. 15 to take on the defending Southland Conference champs, the McNeese State Cowboys.

McNeese state took the ball to start the game, but after a promising drive senior defensive tackle Terrence Partee forced a fumble that was recovered by junior linebacker George Odum, giving UCA possession of the ball.

The Bears responded with a 60-yard drive that put them all the way on the Cowboys’ 1-yard line. Regardless of the gain, they were stopped on fourth and one, and turned the ball over to McNeese State.

In seemingly a replay of their first drive, McNeese State drove down the field before fumbling, this time forced by junior corner back Jaylon Lofton and recovered by junior Tremon Smith.

UCA didn’t waste the opportunity given to them by their defense this time, as senior running back Kelton Warren took the ball in from four yards out to cap a six play, 38–yard drive to put the Bears ahead 7-0 at the halfway mark of the first quarter.

After forcing a punt on the next drive, UCA drove the ball down the field, but once again fell just short of scoring, this time missing a 47-yard field goal to end the first quarter.

The teams traded punts to begin the second quarter before a Lofton’s interception gave the Bears an excellent position at the Cowboys’ 23 yard line. Three plays later, senior running back Antwon Wells ran the ball in from 10 yards out to give UCA a 14-0 lead.

The Bears added another turnover before the end of the half with an interception by sophomore Raphael Garner, but there was no more scoring in the first half as the Bears took a 14-0 lead over the Cowboys into the half.

UCA came off the blocks hot to start the second half with a seven play, 74-yard drive highlighted by 41-yard pass by junior Hayden Hildebrand to Warren and capped off by an eight yard touchdown run by senior Antwon Wells to put the Bears up 21-0.

The defense followed the offense’s lead when junior Fernando Van Hook forced and then recovered a fumble, setting up UCA with great field position yet again.

Three plays later, Hildebrand threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Jatavious Wilson to extend the Bears’ lead to 28 points.

Both teams remained silent on the scoring front until almost halfway through the fourth quarter when UCA scored an 83-yard touchdown pass from Hildebrand to junior Roman Gordon, giving the Bears a 35-0 win over the Cowboys.

Hildebrand was confident in his defense.

“We know if we can put points on the board, even if it’s a score or two, we can win because they are playing so well,” Hildebrand said.

The victory gives UCA a 5-1 record on the season and a 4-0 record in the Southland Conference, as well as the team’s first shutout win since a 70-0 throttling of Houston Baptist in 2014. Wilson broke an over 20 year record for most career all-purpose yards with his 109 total yards, bringing his career total to 4,793 yards, according to ucasports.com.

Coach Steve Campbell has already set his sights on the future.

“Our guys know that the best football is still ahead of them. It’s a lot of fun to watch us get better,” Campbell said.

UCA will look to extend its four game winning streak as it hosts the 3-3 Lamar Cardinals at 6 p.m. Oct. 22 in Estes Stadium.

8/October 19, 2016

SPORTS

ucaecho.net

UCA STATS CORNER

SPORT

RESULT

SCORE

RECORD

Football

WIN

35-0

(5-1)

W-Soccer

WIN

1-0

(11-3-1)

M-Soccer

WIN

1-0

(4-7-1)

Volleyball

WIN

3-0

(10-11)

photo by Valentin Sawadogo

Senior forward Kayiraba Toure has played a limited amount of minutes for UCA, but the game has had an impact on his life.

Toure hopes to play soccer professionally in the future.

Player finds happiness in soccer

By Denn-Warren Tafah Assistant Sports Editor

Walk-on senior Kayiraba Toure hasn’t played much for the University of Central Arkansas men’s soccer team, however, his journey to being part of the team is a long one.

The 5’11 188-pound forward would have never gotten a chance to chase his dreams if he hadn’t given up first.

Before he came to the United States, Toure and his father agreed that he would not to pursue sports and that he would focus on his education.

“My dad didn’t get to go to school, so he felt like I had a talent at school and soccer was a distraction for me, so I left my dream to make my dad satisfied,” Toure said.

The only way Toure could leave his country was by agreeing with his father not to pursue soccer. He came to the U.S. on Aug. 9, 2014.

Toure is from Abidjan, the economic capital of the Ivory

Dance:

Coast. It’s the most populous French-speaking city in West Africa.

“Growing up in Africa, soccer is like a religion. Every kid plays in the street and you can see the passion in their eyes for the sport,” Toure said.

Many kids in the Ivory Coast wanted to play soccer but organized soccer teams weren’t as easily available.

“We didn’t have teams to play for like they do in the United States, so a couple of friends got together and we made our own team,” Toure said. “It’s times when we didn’t have balls, we would take plastic and put it together and use it as a ball.”

Majoring in economics, Toure thought soccer was over for him. He planned to graduate, go back to Africa, work for his country and fund his family.

However, his friend told him the UCA soccer team was hosting a tryout.

“When I wasn’t playing soccer I was very unhappy,” Toure said.

Toure made the team in the spring of 2016. The UCA men’s soccer team is 3-7 and Toure has only played 14 minutes of one game, which was against Central Baptist College.

“He is very dedicated to the sport. He puts in a lot of work on his own and he is always putting in a good shift in training. He’s a strong attacking player with a lethal left foot. He can play as a target forward or out on the wing, but he is at his best when he is near the goal. Toure has a lot of the qualities a player needs,” coach Ross Duncan said.

After the season, Toure plans to keep playing soccer.

“I plan on trying out for professional league teams like the LA Galaxy,” Toure said.

His father doesn’t know he is playing for UCA’s soccer team.

“I told my mom but I didn’t tell my dad, and I told her not to tell my dad. If he finds out he will try to discourage me. But I will tell him at a time I think is proper,” Toure said.

Toure plans to graduate on Dec. 10.

With the UCA Honeybears practicing four times a week,

dancers have to learn time management skills while bettering themselves.

4 Continued from page 7

Gray said the girls on the team build a strong sense of friendship and unity since they spend so much time together, in and out of practice.

The team practices four days a week, and team members often spend time with each other when not in practice.

Gray also commented on how rigorous the practices can be.

“We run a mile before practice every Monday, run bleachers for 20 minutes on Wednesday, and sprint/muscle train on Fridays before practice.

Every Tuesday the girls have a 6a.m. workout as well. Practices are two to two and a half hours

and the girls are constantly dancing full out. It is safe to say they have some sore muscles and sweat every time,” Gray said.

Sophomore Samantha Kordsmeier said dance has always been a major factor in her life ever since she was put into classes at age two by her parents.

She described how being a dancer on the team has taught her valuable lessons in time management.

“We have practice four out of five days during the school week so it’s imperative that we all use our time wisely and complete all homework and

class assignments when we have free time. We have GPA requirements to meet as well so we all push ourselves to do more than just the minimum academically,” Kordsmeier said.

Kordsmeier said she believes that the best thing about being on the team is the lifelong bonds she has formed with her teammates.

“The biggest impact this team has made on me is friendship. My teammates are also my greatest friends and I love seeing them four times a week for practice and outside of that,” Kordsmeier said.

Go to www.ucasports.com for more on the Honeybears.

photo by Lauren Swaim

Senior Kevin Chang, aka Bruce D. Bear, is starting his second season as the team’s beloved mascot. He is currently majoring in digital film and minoring in business.

Man behind mascot aims to entertain

By Lauren Swaim Photo Editor

Bruce D. Bear, UCA’s most popular bear on campus, is also the most mysterious.

He can be seen at sporting events cheering on the crowd, dancing and back flipping for applause. So who is behind this energetic suit of fur?

Kevin Chang, a senior at UCA, is starting his second season as the university’s bear mascot.

When people talk about the mascot, the cheer team tries to keep the illusion of Bruce alive, Spirit Coordinator Maegan Dyson said.

“A lot of children think Bruce is real,” Dyson said. “It’s like the characters at Disney; you don’t want to take the magic away from their imaginations.”

Originally from Cambodia, Chang moved to Pennsylvania when he was 11 years old and later moved to Oklahoma, where he attended high school at Broken Bow High School.

It was at Broken Bow that he first got involved with cheer and became the school’s mascot, Savage.

After starting college, he performed as Viking at Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Oklahoma for a year. He then transferred to UCA and became Bruce D. Bear.

Chang performs as Bruce for both men’s football and men’s basketball.

He also attends events as an entertainer. He has entertained as Bruce at an elementary school, a news station, a car dealership and, of course, homecoming pep rallies.

When Dyson first saw Chang, it was at his audition to be Bruce.

“As soon as he came to tryouts, I knew that he had to be the mascot because he could do a standing back tuck in the suit, which is pretty incredible and extremely difficult,” Dyson said.

Chang used to watch a lot of martial arts movies, which inspired him to start up

gymnastics.

“So I looked up some tutorials on YouTube and I started to fall in love with it,” Chang said.

Chang said that he loves being Bruce because everyone knows who he is. He said he loves entertaining the crowd, so he gets to do a lot of crazy things.

“I act crazy and I like to get people dancing and take pictures with the crowd,” Chang said.

Chang is majoring in digital filmmaking and is pursuing a minor in business. He plans to be a visual effects editor after college.

At some point after college, he wants to entertain at events.

Chang also hopes to one day become the American Ninja Warrior.

Besides his usual flipping and dancing, he enjoys playing tennis and men’s club volleyball at UCA. You can see him riding his unicycle across campus.

JOIN US for an

OPEN HOUSE! Stop by our open house as we celebrate our newly remodeled banking center. Plus, we will be serving FREE hot dogs from the Teal Grill during lunch from 11a.m. to 2p.m.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 University Banking Center | 2105 Dave Ward Dr.

O N L Y IN A R K A N S A S

f s b a n k .c o m • o n l y i n a r k .c o m

*Do not have to be a customer to win. Do not have to be present to win. No purchase necessary to enter. Must be 18 years to enter. See banking center for complete set of rules. Drawing to be held at the end of business on October 31, 2016.

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