The Echo | March 15, 2017 by The Echo at UCA

The Echo

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WEDNESDAY

MARCH 15, 2017 Volume 111 — Issue 21

ucaecho.net TODAY’S FORECAST

Entertainment:

Campus Life:

CONWAY

THE NEWSDESK FROM THE EDITOR

by Cody Macomber Staff Writer

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

Afghani hospital attack leads to deaths, injuries At least 30 are dead and dozens wounded after an Islamic State attack on an Afghani military hospital. The gunmen were wearing white lab coats to look like doctors when they stormed the 400-bed hospital. Four gunmen were involved, including two suicide bombers. The attack started with an explosion at the hospital’s main gate.

34 dead after girls burn mattresses, protest rape A fire at a youth shelter in Guatemala has left at least 34 girls dead. The fire erupted after a few of the girls set fire to their mattresses to protest rape and other mistreatments at the overcrowded facility, which was built to hold 500, but housed 800. The shelter is located on the outskirts of Guatemala’s capitol and is home to girls and boys, including juvenile offenders. Nineteen victims were found dead at the scene while another 15 died from their injuries at a hospital. Several more were severely injured.

N AT I O N A L

Bathroom bill generates 13 hours of commentary The “bathroom bill” in Texas cleared a first vote after 13 consecutive hours of public commentary from mostly transgender-rights supporters who oppose the bill. The bill would require people to use the public bathrooms that match the sex on their birth certificates. Among the people who spoke against the bill were parents of transgender school children. Republicans in favor of the bill say they are protecting the privacy of women in bathrooms.

S TAT E

Arkansas Senate passes HB 1249, votes 18 to nine HB 1249, the bill that would allow concealed carry guns on public college campuses, passed the Arkansas Senate on March 9. The Senate voted 18 to nine. The bill would allow anyone with a concealed carry license and eight hours of active shooter training to conceal carry their guns on campus. The bill will go back to the House for modification. The bill previously allowed anyone over the age of 25 who underwent 16 hours of training to carry on campus.

The Echo will not publish a paper during spring break on March 20-26.

UCA has offered a record number of 2,080 scholarships to incoming freshmen, due to the increased eligibility of students and recruitment efforts. UCA is offering 309 more scholarships for the 2017-2018 year than for the previous year. UCA offered 1,771 scholarships for the 2016-2017 year. “We’ve awarded more scholarships because there are more students eligible this year for the scholarships. We won’t know exactly how many have accepted these scholarships until March 17,” Director of Student and Financial Aid Cheryl Lyons said. According to a UCA press release, President Houston Davis credited the record amount of eligible students to the increase in the admission standards. UCA raised the admission standards in 2015 for first-time undergraduates to require a minimum 2.75 GPA and an ACT score of 20 to have guaranteed admission. The requirements went up again in 2016, and students now have to score 21 or higher on the ACT. UCA has also increased its efforts to reach out to students within the last year. UCA’s recruitment staff have sent mailers, emails, calls and texts with permission to prospective students. They have increased the number of high school and follow-up visits to establish connections with students and counselors. “Our emphasis in the admissions office has been a heart of service. This is not just for incoming freshmen, but for all students at UCA,” Director of Admissions Courtney Bryant said. “We try to be transparent and supportive, and allow all students to be connected with resources that they need. We know that higher education is a catalyst for a successful future, and if we can play a role in that,, that is what we want to do.” According to the press release, the Future Leaders Scholarship — $1,000 for two semesters — had 41 more offers this year than last year; the $3,500 University Scholarship increased by 132 offers; the $6,000 Achievement Scholarship

increased by 62 offers; the $7,000 Excellence Scholarship increased by 22; and the $8,500 Distinguished Scholarship increased by over 50 offers. As of March 7, there were 258 offers for Future Leaders Scholarships, 559 for the University Scholarship, 490 for the Achievement Scholarship, 367 for the Excellence Scholarship, 380 for the Distinguished Scholarship and 26 for the Distinguished Out-of-State Scholarship. UCA has tried to help students more with the change in the amount of money given in scholarships for the 2017-2018 school year. The University Scholarship has decreased its amount, but all other scholarships have increased. Scholarship amounts change based on the recommendation of the scholarship committee, in coordination with senior staff members. If all students were to accept their offered scholarships, it would cost UCA $11,265,500. However, from statistical data, UCA expects about 41 to 42 percent of the incoming freshmen offered a scholarship to actually enroll. “In the last seven years, my tenure at UCA, we have not capped the number of award offers,” Vice President for Finance and Administration Diane Newton said. “If the student is eligible, he or she is offered the scholarship.” UCA budgeted $24,417,476 for scholarships and waivers for the 2017 fiscal year. Newton said there is not typically excess money in the budget at the end of each year, but that all budgeted money is used for scholarships for students. “We typically over-award for incoming freshmen,” Newton said. “The overage is normally offset by savings in the renewal budget.” Renewal budget savings occur when scholarship students either leave the university or no longer meet the scholarship requirements. The money that UCA uses to award scholarships come from a combination of tuition, fees and state appropriations. UCA also offered privately funded scholarships through the UCA Foundation.

4Student Say

Survivor tells Holocaust experience by Emily Gist Staff Writer

Eighty-eight-year-old Holocaust survivor Susan Warsinger narrated her journey from Germany to New York during WWII. Though physically on the Student Center ballroom stage, Warsinger led the audience back in time, taking them on her journey from Germany to Portugal and on a cruise ship to the U.S. Warsinger was living in the front hull of a ship traveling from Portugal to the U.S. when she was finally being rescued from the Nazis. It was nearly 6 a.m. on September 1941 and Warsinger was with her brother and 48 other children. They fled to the top of the cruise ship ready to see their parents, but they arrived in a dense fog. “The fog was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face,” Warsinger said. “Just at 6 o’clock that fog lifted like a curtain. That curtain went up and I tell you that boat was right smack in front of the Statue of Liberty.” Warsinger’s arrival at the Statue of Liberty marked her survival of the Holocaust. She had to travel from Germany to France to Portugal and finally, via cruise ship, to New York

City. By age 10, Warsinger had witnessed key events from the Holocaust, personally experiencing what is now read about in textbooks. Nov. 10, 1938 was called Kristallnacht, the Night of the Broken Glass, when German citizens broke Jewish-owned shop windows and harassed families. Warsinger heard bricks and rocks being thrown through the window of her family’s home. Her parents took the family to the fourth-floor attic where she looked out the window to that see citizens had uprooted a telephone pole to break in. They had taken a rabbi from the third floor of the complex, cut his beard, and — as Warsinger later found out — took him to jail. After Kristallnacht, Warsinger’s parents wanted to protect their children. They paid a French woman to take them to France. She and her brother stayed in unoccupied France, but in 1940, Germany invaded and bombed the country. “We used to look out the window, and it used to look like the Fourth of July with all of the bombs falling down,” Warsinger said. So, they fled once more. They ran to the Crystal Palace in Versaille, where their parents found them. That was when they fled to Portugal. They boarded

the cruise ship as two of 50 passengers headed to America. Warsinger said that now more than ever, it’s important to hear the stories of survivors as opposed to just reading about them in history books. “When you just read something in a history book it doesn’t make it personal,” Warsinger said. “But when you have the individual people talking about their own experiences, and everybody comes and tells a different story, they all have different experiences and it ties everything together.” Museum Program Assistant for Office of Survivors Keri Bannister said Warsinger’s stories add a human connection to the history that students learn. “It makes it a little more real,” she said. “You hear this number 6 million, but hearing one specific story and how it impacted one individual really puts into perspective the scale and the scope of the Holocaust.” Students were able to hear directly from a survivor. The next generation won’t have that luxury. “This is really the last generation of individuals who can hear from a survivor so it’s really important for her to continue and share her story,” Bannister said.

R O C K T H E YA R D

Student juggles for police at traffic stop

SGA denies frat’s funding

by John Anderson and Morgan Embry

by Caroline Bivens

Staff Writer

When junior Blayk Puckett was pulled over by UCAPD on March 3, he entertained officers by performing a juggling act. Public Relations and Information Officer Michael Hopper said Puckett’s broken brake light was the probable cause for the stop, though Patrol Sergeant Keith McKay said Puckett’s driving showed some indications of impaired driving. McKay said that before Puckett was pulled over in the

Smokehouse BBQ parking lot on Donaghey Avenue, Puckett was driving under the speed limit. Within minutes of McKay talking to Puckett, he said he could tell that Puckett was not intoxicated. When McKay asked Puckett to step out of the car to show him his broken light, he noticed something in his pocket, which Puckett explained was a prop for a magic trick. “I told him that he is free to go with a warning, but if [he was] willing I would love to see some magic,” McKay said. McKay then noticed

Photo by Hunter Moore

Holocaust survivor Susan Warsinger leaves the stage after recounting her testimony of living through World War II era Europe. The event took place at 7 p.m. on March 6 in the Student Center Ballroom.

UCAPD

Index: 4Police Beat 4People of UCA

4 page 7

UCA freshmen offered scholarship opportunity

53/35

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE

Women’s Basketball: Sugar Bears win Southland Conference

4 page 6

4 page 4

WHAT’S AHEAD

Sports:

Games: The Nintendo Switch is a difficult, interesting console

Safety: UCA encourages safety during spring break

Sunny

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE

4Columns 4Entertainment 4Sports

5 6 7

Puckett’s “JUGGLER” license plate and Puckett offered to juggle instead. “I think that UCAPD is more focused on protecting the community than giving out tickets,” Puckett said. “It was pretty clear that they were not trying to get me in trouble, they just wanted to make sure that I was safe.” McKay said traffic stops are usually of a serious nature, and it was good for the UCAPD to have a positive contact.

See Juggle - page 2

Assistant News Editor

SGA denied the full requested SAFA funding amount for Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity’s performance during Rock the Yard. The fraternity’s representative, junior Jacob Kent, requested funds to cover the $25,000 fee to bring Soulja Boy to perform during Rock the Yard. However, Senior Class Representative Emilia Barrick books shows for the Student Activites Board, and she said Soulja Boy’s performance only

Social:

costs $15,000. SGA unanimously voted to allocate $10,000 for the performance and $81.25 for advertising, and decided to cover 75 percent of security fees. Kent said Sig Ep currently has 68 members and charge members $450 a semester, though president and senior Kelsey Broaddrick said that was incorrect. “I could understand if they were small, but they aren’t,” Vice President of Finance and

See SGA - page 2

Inside: Stop sexualizing skin

E-mail: ucaechoeditor@gmail.com @ucaecho The Echo

ucaecho

The UCA HPER should allow two-piece swimsuits

see page 5

2/March 15, 2017

NEWS

ucaecho.net

UCA downtown hosts ‘winning proposals’ workshop By William Middleton UCA helped minority business owners in the Central Arkansas area by providing an education workshop titled “Creating Winning Proposals” at UCA Downtown on March 8. The workshop was tailored around helping current and future business owners learn how to write and submit proposals, and educated them on resources to help grow their businesses. “We try to stress the importance of preparation so they are prepared to submit proposals, and we try to give

them the adequate resources to do so,” Director of Marketing Kristy Carter said. Wanda May, from the U.S. Small Business Administration, gave a presentation on resources and certifications that are available for minorities. The workshop covered the Minority Business Enterprise Certification. This certification gives minority-owned business the opportunity to sell their products and services to the state of Arkansas. Teresa Tate, a resident of the Central Arkansas area, said she came to the workshop to learn how to start her dream business: an educational resources center

for children with disabilities. Guest speakers from local businesses included Loretta Lever from Choice Promotions, Ron Woods from Woods Group Architects, owner of Sherman Waterproofing William Sherman and Leanna Godley from Goddess Products. Sherman talked about building a reputation with computers and shared a story about when he was starting his business and he was waterproofing a UCA building. He said he was waterproofing the basement of the Student Center. After he was finished with the job, he had to go back and fix it because it was still leaking.

He was just starting his business and had no money to work with. Carter said the workshop was part of the minority vendor partnership program that UCA has established. UCA must do 10 percent of its business with minority-owned businesses, according to Arkansas Act 1222 of 2009. Carter said UCA is extending the small business series to minorities by offering scholarships to cover the $25 cost per workshop. Tate said she learned that she needs to be more specific and concise when she is writing out proposals.

GRANT WRITING

photo by Lauren Swaim

Chad Lairamore was elected to Distinguished Fellowship and will receive the National Academy of Practice in Physical Therapy medallion at an forum and formal induction, which will take place March 17-18 in Philadelphia, PA.

Physical therapy professor nominated for medallion by Brody Arnold Staff Writer

photo by Ang Sonam Sherpa

Professor of Philosophy and Religion Jin Y Park gives a workshop presentation on Buddhism to UCA students during Asian Studies Symposium on Friday. The event also had speakers like Peter Hershock from the East West Center.

Studies specialists examine Asian culture, philosophy by Des’ree Dallmann Online Editor

Two Asian studies specialists traveled to UCA to lecture on Asian culture, philosophy and religion to faculty and students on March 10 in the Student Center. The event was broken up into two sessions. In the first session, director of the Asian studies development program at East West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, Peter Hershock, gave a three-hour lecture titled “Relational Virtuosity: Reconceiving Freedom, Diversity and Equity.” According to the abstract, Hershock’s lecture included “making use of East Asian conceptual resources – Confucian as well as

Buddhist – an alternative, relational conception of persons will be developed that opens prospects for significantly rethinking diversity and equity as global values and public goods, and for reconceiving both the meanings of and means to social justice.” In the second session, professor of philosophy and religion at American University in Washington, D.C., Jin Y. Park spoke about women in Buddhism, Buddhist philosophy, justice in relation to Buddhism and how it affects ethics in a lecture titled “Thinking Differently: Buddhist Perspectives on Gender, Justice, and Ethics.” Hershock said that he was invited to speak at UCA for the fifth time since 2000, and

Juggle:

Puckett likes magic tricks, and truly enjoys juggling, he was glad the video went viral and that people

“We are dealing with perennial but contemporary problems surrounding diversity, equity and social justice,” Brasovan said. He said the lectures were open to faculty and students to bring a variety of perspectives into the classroom. Sophomore Adelyn Havens attended the lecture for one of her classes. “I thought it was really interesting that [Park] was talking about reconciling Buddhism and Christianity,” Havens said. Havens said she thought the lecture was important because she felt that people don’t focus on Asian philosophy, but instead focus more on Western philosophy.

SGA:

SGA discussed lowering performance fees 4 Continued from page 1

4 Continued from page 1 “It was one of the best stops I have ever made,” McKay said. Though juggling is a form of stress relief and meditation for Puckett, it’s also his profession. Puckett performs magic shows both in and out of state. He said he loves to use magic to impress people and to make sure that they have a good time. “No one really introduced me to juggling. I thought it would be [a] really fun thing to learn,” Puckett said. Puckett has been juggling for seven years; he can juggle up to five items and is working on seven. Puckett does not only

decided to partner with Park for the talks. He said College of Liberal Arts Dean Maurice Lee invited them to speak and that Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion Nick Brasovan organized the event. Hershock said Brasovan had participated in the Honolulu Asian studies program, which has partnered with UCA for 15 years. Brasovan said that he felt the symposium advanced UCA’s mission for academic vitality, integrity and diversity. “One initiative to advance that mission is to provide a globalized education to greater UCA’s community,” Brasovan said. Brasovan discussed the timeliness of the lectures.

UCA Assistant Professor and Chair of the Interprofessional Education Committee Chad Lairamore was nominated as a Distinguished Fellow. He will receive the National Academies of Practice in Physical Therapy medallion in Philadelphia after being nominated to the Distinguished Fellowship. Lairamore was nominated for the award by UCA professor and graduate coordinator Julie Meaux. “Each year distinguished fellows in scholarship, practice or education are recognized,” she said. “Dr. Lairamore is a leader for interprofessional education here at UCA.” Meaux recognized the work Lairamore has done as chair of the Interprofessional Education Committee. “He has led efforts to engage faculty and students in interprofessional activities so that we can learn about each other, learn with each other, and learn from each other in order to assure that graduates are best prepared to enter the workforce,” Meaux said. The National Academies of Practice covers many fields, including medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, veterinary science, psychology, dentistry and audiology. There are only 16 Distinguished Fellows from physical therapy, Meaux said. “I was honored to nominate my Dr. Larimore for this prestigious recognition,” she said. “My hope is that we have more Distinguished Fellows from UCA in the coming years to recognize the important work being done to promote interprofessional scholarship, practice and education.” The National Academy of Practice was established in 1976 with the goal of promoting interprofessional communication between various fields in healthcare, Meaux said. Lairamore said

the Academies has the goal of not only impacting practice, but impacting healthcare legislatively. “Collectively we can do more,” Larimore said. “So if you’re talking to legislatures and things like that, you have more impact if you’re coming from 18 different professions instead of going ‘Hey, [physical therapy] thinks this and medicine thinks this.’” Lairamore graduated from UCA in 2000 with a master’s degree in physical therapy. He worked in inpatient rehab at Baptist Rehab in Little Rock and at another facility in Searcy. Stroke and brain injury rehab and geriatric rehab have been Lairamore’s focuses. Working with stroke patients, he realized there is no way just one professional can help, and it has to be a coordinated effort by people from many health fields. Lairamore said the medallion is given to people who are working to further the goal of making healthcare more interprofessional. “It’s that whole goal of hopefully changing healthcare from being siloed,” he said. “Instead of one person doing one thing and another person doing another, but they’re working actually communally to take care of the patient.” Lairamore started working at UCA in 2010, and he says he started working on interprofessional projects immediately. “It was 2013 whenever the committee was officially the college committee,” he said. “It helped to then have different opportunities for our students.” Lairamore said it was much better having simulation labs with students studying different professions, instead of just having students from physical therapy participate. Lairamore will receive the medallion at the 2017 Annual Meeting and Forum, which takes place March 17-18 in Philadelphia.

juggle with clubs; he also juggles rings, balls and knifes. “I usually just stick to balls and clubs,” Puckett said. Puckett said it has been exhausting talking to reporters, but he is excited that the video went viral. “It is so exciting that people get to see me juggle,” Puckett said. Since the incident, Puckett has made national news. After posting the original video on Reddit, Puckett was featured on local stations, as well as the Today Show and college-parody shows.

senior Ryan Pfaff said. “They didn’t take the request seriously and they provided false information.” SGA also discussed lowering the $800 nightly fee for students who want to book performances at Reynold’s Performance Hall. “This is a huge price to pay for a facility on campus that’s available for students,” Broaddrick said. SGA later spoke to ARAMARK General Manager Jim Nabors about changing the cafeteria hours. Nabors said they were unable to make those changes this semester because meal plans had dropped by 400 plans.

Police Beat

The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports By Assistant News Editor Caroline Bivens

Non-student arrested after police find meth, pipe, pills

Two students involved in car Non-student drives under wreck, vehicles damaged influence without license

Non-student Nancy Caldwell was arrested on March 3 for 1.3 grams of methamphetamine that police found in her car on campus. A pipe, two Gabapentin, over-the-counter pills, a torch, multiple bags of white residue and a small knife were also found in the car after police pulled Caldwell over for expired tags.

Non-student Lauren Hebling and sophomore Thatch Unruh were involved in a wreck in a parking lot west of the Farris Center on March 3. Unruh said Hebling’s Toyota Rav 4 backed into his Ford Escape as he was driving through the parking lot. Unruh’s car had a large dent on the passenger’s side and Hebling’s car had only a few scratches.

Non-student Hector Urizar’s truck was towed on March 5 after police found him driving under the influence of alcohol without a drivers license. Police pulled Urizar over after the found him driving at night without his headlights on. Urizar told police that he drank four beers that night.

Two students collide in lot, both cars’ damages $200 Students Blake Wilson and Josey Risner were involved in a wreck in the overflow parking lot on Bruce Street on March 7. Wilson said he was backing his Ford Mustang out of a parking spot when he was struck by Risner’s Honda, which was reversing out of a parking spot behind him. Damages were estimated at $200 for both cars.

Campus Life

March 15, 2017

Around Campus: Academic Workshop The Office of Student Services will hold a Academic Success Workshop during x-period on March 14 in Doyne Health Science Center room 141. The workshop will address personality and learning and will be taught by Coordinator of Outreach Programming Reesa Ramsahai. For more information contact Director of Student Success Julia Winden-Fey at juliawin@uca.edu.

Phantom of the Opera “The Phantom of the Opera” is showing March 15 through 19 at the Ron Robinson Center in downtown Little Rock. Show times range from 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. depending on the date and ticket prices range from $50 to $200. For more information contact the Ron Robinson Theater at 501-320-5715.

photos by Lauren Swaim

[Left] Freshman Adm Justice Qahhat drives a golf cart while wearing vision impairment goggles during the Fatal Vision Course on March 8 on the Old Main Lawn. [Center] UCAPD Lieutenant Bradley Moore attaches a GoPro to a golf cart that was used in the Fatal Vision Course. [Right] Freshman Kendrianna Dyson drives a golf cart while wearing vision impairment goggles during the Fatal Vision Course.

University departments encourage safety during upcoming spring break by Taylor Fulgham Assistant Online Editor

With spring break drawing nearer, one thing is on nearly every student’s mind — vacation. While students are gathering supplies for their beach excursions, the University of Central Arkansas Police Department and Office of Student Wellness and Development have student safety on their minds, and held events throughout the week to encourage student safety over spring break. Director for Student Wellness Jenna Davidson said the Safe Spring Break week has occurred for over 10 years. She also said that the week was designed to help students understand potential dangers

that could occur over the break. “The events and activities encourage responsible decision-making and are designed to reduce the risks involved in the college spring break experience,” Davidson said. The week of events began March 6 with a “Safe Spring Break” fair on the Christian Cafeteria lawn. Students attended various booths about alcohol education, water safety, sexual assault awareness and personal safety. Other events included a video about prescription drug abuse, a “fatal vision course” that allowed students to drive small pedal carts while wearing vision impairment goggles and a video addressing sexual assault aimed toward college students. Davidson said the main

goal of these events was to have students think about preventing issues before they even leave campus. One key event that was held every night of the week was the self-defense course taught by UCAPD. Junior Heidy Dubon said she believes that the workshops are beneficial for all students preparing for their spring break getaways. “I feel like it makes us more aware of the dangers that you can encounter,” Dubon said. “You don’t go out to the beach thinking ‘Someone is gonna try to steal my car’ or ‘Someone is gonna try to steal my bag,’ but this makes you more aware of your surroundings.” Dubon said that the techniques covered in the workshops were beneficial to her spring break vacation last

FUTURIST

year. “I have a 14-year-old little sister, and she’s kind of naive, so what I did was teach her all what I’d learned in these workshops,” Dubon said. “I think it’s good knowledge to spread because not everyone can come to one of these [workshops], so if you can help other people be more aware, that’s so much more helpful.” Davidson said that while the activities focus on preventing accidents for students, many of the issues at hand are those that students can use in their everyday lives. “A lot of the students we speak to at events tell us they are staying in town to work or not going anywhere for spring break,” Davidson said. “Most of the topics we cover are important for them

as well. Knowing their limits with alcohol, not driving after drinking, the dangers of prescription drug misuse, avoiding sun burns, not texting while driving, unplanned pregnancy prevention and sexual assault awareness are topics we cover.” Davidson said she is glad these programs are available to help better educate students and show them that the university is looking after them even when they are away from campus. “Students appreciate opportunities to learn outside the classroom. Events like these reinforce that the university cares about them not only as a student, but as a person,” Davidson said. UCA’s spring break is March 20 through March 27.

SCOTLAND

UCA hopes to begin new study abroad program Internship panel

by Brandon Jones Staff Writer

The Public Relations Student Society at will present a UCA alumnae panel discussion about internships during x-period on March 16 in Win Thompson Hall room 206. The panel will feature alumnae and Resource Development Coordinator of the Boys and Girls Club Sarah Burns and Marketing Assistant at Lawson & Company Jacqueline Moragne, among others. For more information contact Vice President of PRSSA Chynna Stipe at chynna.stipe@gmail.com.

Korean Spring festival The UCA Korean Spring Festival will feature music, snacks, games, prizes and performances at 6 p.m. on March 16 in the Student Center Ballroom. The festival is sponsored by the Student Government Association. For more information contact SGA at ucastudentgov@gmail.com.

Photo by Lauren Swaim

Illusionist Adam Trent waves confetti in the air with a fan during his magical performance March 9 at Reynolds Performance Hall. Trent’s act consisted of tricks, comedy and technology.

Magician Adam Trent enthralls viewers with magic tricks, jokes by Sophia Ordaz Entertainment Editor

New book reading Associate Professor of Creative Writing Mark Spitzer will read from his newest book “Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West” at 7 p.m. on March 16 at the Faulkner County Library. The event is free and open to the public and books will be available to purchase. Spitzer will sign books after the reading. For more information contact Nancy Williams at 501-327-7482.

Bad art and writing The Vortex Literary Magazine will host “Show Us Your Shame,” a student reading, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 17 at UCA Downtown. The reading is focused on celebrating bad art and urges students to share their “terrible fan fiction” and “overwrought Gothic romances.” For more information contact Vortex Editor Hayden Pickens at vortexmagazine@gmail.com.

Broadway magician Adam Trent combined magic, comedy and technology during his performance on March 9 at Reynolds Performance Hall. Trent incorporated common household technology like cell phones, video cameras and a blender into his magic tricks during his performance. A camera recorded Trent’s up-close magic, and a projector displayed the live recording on a screen that all audience members could view. For one trick, Trent asked the audience for their personal items to use as props. After receiving a business card, nasal spray and a personalized playing card, he declared that he would go back in time. Trent stepped off stage for less than five seconds and then came back on stage, claiming that he had gone back in time. To prove his time travel, he played a video from his iPhone on the screen behind him. In the video, Trent walks around an empty Reynolds Performance Hall, stating that he has gone back in time to before the magic show began. The video ends with Trent opening his hands to reveal the very same business card, nasal spray and personalized playing card. “You can expect a combination of comedy and magic in my performances,” Trent said. “My magic show is both for people who like magic and for people who don’t.” Throughout his performance, Trent invited audience members onto the stage, cracking jokes at every opportunity. During one trick, Trent invited an audience member on stage and handed him a coat to wear. Trent stuck his arms into the

coat sleeves and began swinging his arms to the upbeat music, creating the illusion that the audience member was dancing. Trent also shared personal anecdotes about his love for magic. As footage of him as a child played on the screen behind him, Trent told the audience of his aunt, who was one of his biggest supporters. At a young age, Trent began performing magic on the streets, at nursing homes and at birthday parties. Although he could always count on his aunt being in the audience to support him during these early performances, she passed away before she could ever see Trent perform for the large audiences he entertains now, Trent said. “What drew us to Adam Trent was his youth,” Director of Marketing and Finance at Reynolds Performance Hall Julia Dossett Morgan said. At 31, Trent has appeared on “Good Morning America,” “America’s Got Talent,” “Rachel Ray,” VH1, Disney Channel and ABC. He landed a spot on the U.S. News & World Report Magazine’s list of top 10 most influential youths in America for his philanthropy. “I want [audiences] to walk away feeling differently about magic,” Trent said. “It’s not corny or cheesy. One of the best compliments I’ve received about my performances is people saying, ‘I normally hate magic shows, but I loved this.’ I want to make people leave my performances laughing. Like I said, my magic shows are for everyone, even people who don’t normally enjoy magic.” Because of his mixture of magic and technology, Trent was billed as “The Futurist” in the Broadway show “The Illusionists – Witness the Impossible” during its 2014-2015 run.

UCA hopes to establish a Scotland study abroad program that Mary Modeen from the University of Dundee proposed on March 7 in the College of Business. Modeen is not Scottish but said she has lived there for 27 years, and while she thinks Scotland is gorgeous, she said she wanted to provide opportunities, rather than push her view. “I am not trying to do some hard selling,” Modeen said. Modeen listed different sections of the university, including the schools of humanities and medicine. Students who wish to travel to Scotland could earn a degree for under $20,000 and would be able to continue receiving funding through FAFSA like the Pell Grant. Students would also be able to work up to 20 hours per week. For those interested in forensics, Professor Sue Black can reconstruct identities from fragments of skulls, Modeen

said. The university also offers a practice-based Ph.D., which Modeen said is only offered by one university in the U.S. Modeen said the world is at an interesting time when students are needed, bringing up the U.K. vote to leave the European Union while Scotland voted to stay. “When you graduate, you really start the journey,” Modeen said. “All that you do becomes a part of you and how you’re working.” Modeen’s proposed program would send students to Scotland for four weeks, from June 14 to July 14. Students would receive campus accommodations, full board and guided trips across Scotland. There is no prereqruisite to apply, but students would need to sign up by May 1, after which they would receive a letter of invitation. Modeen said the program would cost students under $3,000 and would require two letters of recommendation and a firm understanding of the English language for

non-native English speakers. Though students would receive credit with the University of Dundee, Associate Vice President of International Engagement Jane Ann Williams said the program wouldn’t provide credit for UCA, but her office would work with students to make credit attainable. Williams said the university has been waiting for a time to bring Modeen and they have been building a study abroad partnership. “She is very open and giving with her time,” Williams said. “We want to make sure students get a good experience.” A final contract will be in place before the planned trip goes ahead, Williams said. The University of Dundee is next to the Tay River and The RRS Discovery, which was used to sail the Atlantic, Modeen said. Among the school’s alumni is creator of “Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book” Johanna Basford, and Modeen said other students have gone on to do work in comics and graphic novels.

INCLUSION

Workshop for faculty raises awareness of diversity by Harry Glaeser Opinion Editor

The UCA School of Communication hosted an event for UCA professors about raising awareness of social and racial diversity in classroooms titled “Diversity, Inclusion and Retention” on March 10 in room 215 of the Student Center. It featured Grand Valley State University Associate Professor of Philosophy Dwayne Tunstall, who delivered a presentation and hosted a workshop. In the workshop, Tunstall described various ways in which racial, cultural and social diversity can be approached by professors in the classroom and how a sympathetic approach to diversity and controversial topics can be applied to the design of each professor’s curriculum. “You have to critically examine your course from multiple perspectives,” Tunstall said. “For me personally, the hardest thing to accommodate for in terms of examining my own courses is nationality and political affiliation.” The workshop also featured many activities that revealed the cultural, ideological and linguistic differences between the attending professors and

gave them a chance to address them. “Students think that the way they speak from their places of origin are ‘incorrect,’” UCA Assistant Director of First-Year Writing Lisa Mongno said. “In any culture there is a language of dominance in which business is conducted. For us, it’s called ‘Standard American English.’ There are all these different types of English that aren’t the dominant dialect, though. When faculty become aware of this, they can change the way that they teach their classroom by means of accommodation of this fact. Other types of English aren’t lesser, they just have their own rules.” Tunstall also addressed problems regarding writing proficiency and patterns in student confidence toward beginning writing classes such as Writing 1310. “If you sit in class and claim that you won’t be a good writer, you will often do things to reinforce that mindset that you have already adopted,” Tunstall said. “This mindset actually caused me to fail Composition I in college.” Tunstall wrapped up his workshop by addressing the difference between a “Growth

Mindset,” a world-view in which one sees his qualities as things that can be developed through dedication and effort, and a “Fixed Mindset,” a view in which one believes that he was given a certain fixed amount of intelligence and talent. He advocated for professors to promote their students adopting “Growth Mindsets.” “It’s not difficult to make more diverse environments in the classroom,” Tunstall said. “We can diversify our syllabi, we can be more sensitive to how certain groups will respond to the particular content we assign, and we can pay attention to differing verbal communication styles within students.” The event was coordinated by Mongno and Director of First-Year Writing Lanette Grate, both of whom are professors of Intro to College Writing at UCA. Professors from the Philosophy Department, the University College, the School of Communications and the Writing Department were encouraged to attend the event. The event was funded by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Institutional Diversity.

March 15, 2017/4

CAMPUS LIFE

ucaecho.net

STUDENTS SAY

“

What are your plans for spring

”

break?

story and photos by Monica Sanders

photos by Anna Suarez

[Left] Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin speaks at the UCA STEM Institute’s Leadership for Girls Conference March 8 at the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center. [Right] Associate Vice President for Communications, Public Relations and Marketing Christina Madsen introduces the speakers for the event.

Experts on campus encourage girls to seek careers in STEM by Mia Moulden Staff Writer

The UCA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Institute’s Leadership for Girls Conference brought experts in fields such as the FBI, geology and genetic counseling to interest high school girls in STEM careers on March 8 at the Brewer Hegeman Conference Center. UCA STEM Institute Director Uma Garimella said the goal of the event was “to expose the girls to STEM careers and to encourage them to pursue jobs in STEM.” She said that the percentage of females opting for STEM career fields is 11-15 percent, which is substantially lower than males. The six sessions at the Leadership for Girls conference

were endocrinology, genetic counseling, FBI evidence recovery, geology, a nursing simulation lab and computer science. The girls at the event attended a general introduction to the STEM fields, then split off into smaller groups to attend lectures about one of the fields discussed and finally met together for concluding statements. Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin said the event was important not only for the girls in attendance, but also for the United States as a whole, because having an effective and growing STEM program would allow the nation to compete in international markets. Garimella said 160 female students attended the March 8 session from Conway High School, Bigelow High School,

Mayflower High School, Vilonia High School, Greenbrier High School and Morrilton High School. Garimella said this was the third event held by the UCA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Institute for girls; the next conference will take place on April 28. Speakers at the conference included pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Annie Wang and genetics analyst Julie Kaylor. The conference introductions were given by UCA Associate Vice President of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing Christina Muñoz Madsen, Garimella and Griffin. They spoke about the importance of STEM careers in a technological society and the advantages of working in these

fields. According to a response to the question asked by Griffin during the introduction, the majority of the students attending the conference did not have a previous interest in the STEM fields. They were instead chosen to attend the conference based on their grade or their school’s choice to participate in the event. The previous conference held by the institute took place on Feb. 10 for girls from Conway High School and featured speakers from L’Oreal, the United States Air Force, CVS Pharmacy, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, NASA and the UCA Astronomy Department. According to the STEM Institute website, this conference included a coding session with a couple of professors from the UCA College of Education.

PURELY PLANETARY TUNES

photos by Lauren Swaim

Graduate student Yu-hsuan Vivian Chang plays the French horn while Associate Professor of Music Israel Getzov conducts the Conway Symphony Orchestra at their performance of “The Planets” March 11 at Reynolds Performance Hall. During the performance, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Scott Austin came out and introduced each of the planets to the audience.

Freshman Abbey Sutton

Senior Darlene Sutton

“I’m getting my wisdom teeth out. I’m not very excited for it. I think it’ll be pretty bad, but I’ll probably feel fine once I get back to school.”

“Not anything fantastic or awesome, just staying home at East End — it’s about an hour away — to relax and recoup from all this sinus stuff. Take a break from classes.”

Freshman Xochitl Shields

Freshman Daisha Gable

“I’m gonna go to Macomb, Illnois; I’m visitng my boyfriend. I wish we could go to Chicago but we’re pretty broke. I’ve never been to Illinois and I hate the cold, but I’m excited.”

“My spring break plans are to do a road trip with my best friends and have a little fun maybe. We wanna go to South Padre, Texas, because I heard it’s fun for people to go to for spring break and enjoy yourself. We’re gonna go to the beach too.”

Sophomore Ashley Freitag

Sophomore Conner Swaffar

“I’m going home to Fayetteville to plan a wedding. I’m excited but it’s kinda crazy with all the stuff before break, but I’m really excited for a break. We’re going to make signs and crafts for the wedding.”

“I don’t have many plans. I was gonna catch up with some friends back home in Little Rock. We might play a lot of board games, like Betrayal on the Hill. They’ll probably force me to play Monopoly.”

SPOTLIGHT

PEOPLE OF UCA Nathaly Moreno by Harry Glaeser Opinion Editor

photos by Hunter Moore

Junior Nathaly Moreno sits upstairs in Torreyson Library while studying film. Moreno is a digital filmmmaking major from Honduras who minors in journalism.

Junior Nathaly Moreno is an international student from Honduras who studies digital filmmaking at UCA. She lived in Honduras for her entire life before coming to UCA in the spring of 2015 to explore her education. Moreno entered UCA studying journalism, but quickly learned that filmmaking was her true passion, though she continues to study journalism as a minor. “I’ve always liked movies, but I never really thought I was going to study film until I came to college,” Moreno said. “Then I took a film appreciation class, and decided that that’s what I actually wanted to do with my life.” Moreno has big aspirations as a filmmaker, and wishes to use her skills to make audiences more aware of other cultures around the world and the hardships they face. “Films are basically works of art. The artist composes their film in a way that impacts their audience in a certain way. Films can have different

meanings to different people,” Moreno said. Moreno’s favorite movie is currently “La La Land,” and she likes all different kinds of films, except for horror films. Recently, she attended a late-night showing of James Mangold’s “Logan,” the newest installment in Marvel’s X-Men universe. “I loved it! The script, the dialogue, it was all really good,” Moreno said. Along with being a full time student Moreno is also a residential advisor at UCA’s Stadium Park Apartments, a job that she pours a lot of her effort into. “Sometimes, being an RA is a lot of work, but I like that you get to meet a lot of different people from different places,” Moreno said. Moreno said of the many things that she misses about Honduras is the food. Her favorite food from her home country is a dish called baleadas, a traditional dish made of a folded flour tortilla filled with mashed fried beans, cheese and a Honduran-style sour cream called mantequilla. She also likes mint chocolate chip ice cream. Though she misses home, Moreno has found a welcoming place here at UCA, a home ripe with inspiration and fuel toward her medium.

March 15, 2017/4

CAMPUS LIFE

ucaecho.net

STUDENTS SAY

“

What are your plans for spring

”

break?

story and photos by Monica Sanders

photos by Anna Suarez

Experts on campus encourage girls to seek careers in STEM by Mia Moulden Staff Writer

PURELY PLANETARY TUNES

photos by Lauren Swaim

Freshman Abbey Sutton

Senior Darlene Sutton

“I’m getting my wisdom teeth out. I’m not very excited for it. I think it’ll be pretty bad, but I’ll probably feel fine once I get back to school.”

“Not anything fantastic or awesome, just staying home at East End — it’s about an hour away — to relax and recoup from all this sinus stuff. Take a break from classes.”

Freshman Xochitl Shields

Freshman Daisha Gable

“I’m gonna go to Macomb, Illnois; I’m visitng my boyfriend. I wish we could go to Chicago but we’re pretty broke. I’ve never been to Illinois and I hate the cold, but I’m excited.”

Sophomore Ashley Freitag

Sophomore Conner Swaffar

SPOTLIGHT

PEOPLE OF UCA Nathaly Moreno by Harry Glaeser Opinion Editor

photos by Hunter Moore

Junior Nathaly Moreno sits upstairs in Torreyson Library while studying film. Moreno is a digital filmmmaking major from Honduras who minors in journalism.

Opinion

ucaechoeditor@gmail.com

March 15, 2017

The Voice Spring breakers should be aware of financial bummers

The Echo Staff Jordan Johnson Editor

Morgan Embry Associate Editor

Amanda Nettles News Editor

Caroline Bivens Assistant News Editor

Brent Wilson Campus Life Editor

Monica Sanders

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Harry Glaeser Opinion Editor

Sophia Ordaz

Entertainment Editor

Denn-Warren Tafah Sports Editor

Zach Keast

Assistant Sports Editor

Des’ree Dallmann Online Editor

Taylor Fulgham

Assistant Online Editor

Julia Kramer Photo Editor

Got Letters? Comments or complaints about content of The Echo or in reference to anything on campus should be registered with the newspaper by letters or e-mail to the editors. All letters must be limited to 300 words and include the author’s name and phone number. All letters may be published unless they are marked private. Letters may be edited for style, clarity and length. Editorials written in The Voice express the opinion of the newspaper and the editorial staff. Individual staff opinions are expressed in individual columns.

The Echo office is located in Stanley Russ Hall 124

ucaecho.net ucaechoonline@gmail.com ucaechoeditor@gmail.com David Keith, Adviser

Advertising Advertising: (501) 499-9822 echonewspaperads@gmail.com Business Manager: Winston Williams

Have an opinion? 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.

HPER dress code rules: stop sexualizing skin Last semester I looked forward to going to the HPER pool with my two roommates to take a break from midterm stress. I was excited because it was my first time going to the HPER pool, and the last time I’d gone swimming was months prior; the pool experience turned out to be a shallow testament to the sexualization of the female body. As soon as I entered the pool area, I took off the T-shirt and shorts covering my swimsuit and jumped into the pool. I dove to touch the bottom of the pool’s deep end only to be startled by the shrill ringing of the lifeguard’s whistle. I hurriedly swam toward the lifeguard to see what the problem was, and he reluctantly told me to get out of the pool because my swimsuit didn’t follow the dress code. The 10th rule of the HPER’s Pool Rules and Regulations reads, “All swimwear must be modest in coverage, style and cut.” For men’s swimwear, that means swimsuit briefs are prohibited, and for women’s swimwear, that means bikinis are prohibited. I was forbidden from swimming because I wasn’t wearing a one-piece swimsuit. The situation makes me laugh because I had been wearing a high-waisted swim bottom. I was exposing two inches of my stomach, but apparently that was two inches too many. Luckily, my roommates and I were still able to swim, but we had to put T-shirts on over our “obscene” two-piece swimsuits. However, by wearing T-shirts in the pool, we were breaking another one of the pool’s rules. Part of rule 10 reads, “No baggy street clothes are allowed in the pool.”

It’s ridiculous that hiding our stomachs is so important that it forced us to break another dress code rule. The HPER should reform its pool dress code because many women only own two-piece swimsuits. It’s inconvenient and unnecessary to have to purchase a one-piece swimsuit just to swim in the HPER pool. We need to stop sexualizing skin. There’s nothing indecent about wearing bikinis or swim briefs, and exposing two inches of my stomach isn’t improper. I’m not scarring, distracting or hurting anyone by wearing a two-piece swimsuit. I’m just trying to swim comfortably using the swimsuit I already own. But I forget by Sophia that the female Ordaz stomach is improper Entertainment and obscene. Editor This inches-long expanse of skin will distract others from their swimming. My stomach is a probably a hazard for swimmers, and I must shield others from viewing it at all costs by wearing a one-piece swimsuit. And of course it’s okay if a man shows his stomach while swimming. Female stomachs are immodest, while male stomachs are normal. I guess female belly buttons are just too sexy, guys. We’ve got to cover them up. To anyone who has ever seen my stomach, please forgive my awful indecency. I apologize for frightening you with the sight of my skin. It’s just a little ridiculous that women have to accommodate this rather excessive pool dress code rule that leaves us with fewer options for swimwear. Is it too much to ask for people to learn to accept the beauty of the human stomach?

Films should not be criticized for diverse representation Movie adaptations are constantly hounded by people saying they want diverse representation and those who claim any diversification is pandering. While I mostly agree with the former, the two sides need compromise. With the upcoming release of Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast,” one thing has caught people’s attentions. After some complaints about the designs for the enchanted people within Beast’s castle, the harshest criticisms were the result of Disney revealing that the character LeFou is gay. Naturally, those who exhibit a lack of tolerance towards homosexuality have expressed distaste towards the decision. The Henegar Drive-In theater in Henegar, Alabama has even refused to show the movie because of the character. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I was shocked to find that people were complaining about this decision. It seemed obvious to me that he was gay even in the original. With LeFou commenting on how “incredibly thick” Gaston’s neck is, I always thought the little lackey might have found a love interest in Gaston. Even Gaston himself, despite pursuing Belle, chooses to sing with a group of men when a group of women approach him, showing them his hairy chest and telling them about his decorating choices with an odd pose. Disney seems to be the company most often pressured to make ethical changes like this that attract attention. Many fans petitioned for the company to give Frozen protagonist Elsa a girlfriend. Fans also requested that Disney feature more diverse princesses and apply ethnic and gender changes to characters in Marvel films. Typically, these moves result in some people saying that Disney is trying to make their films more diverse and enjoyable, while others say these choices are merely publicity stunts forcing ideologies down people’s throats. I was surprised this time to find that people who want more diversity have also complained about Lefou. Many think that making the

first officially gay Disney character a villain reinforces negative stereotypes about the LGBTQ community. So many people within the LGBTQ community work to fight against stereotypes, so I can see where this opinion comes from. At the same time, there have been moments like this in recent years that have felt like stunts, such as the Marvel comic decision to have a woman become the new Thor upon gaining Thor’s hammer. Overall, it still feels like this is just a normal choice to make for the movie, if not for how LeFou was in the first movie, then for the purpose of making the characters a new way to fit how the new creator sees them. LeFou’s admiration, or love in this case, for Gaston and how he is treated in the setting of 18th-century France can show what gay people have had to go through over time, which could make LeFou’s sexual orientation within the story a positive aspect. One could also hope that having a gay character could lead to more film writers coming by Brandon up with stories that Jones include such diversity. Staff Writer It’s sad that there are probably creators out there with ideas like this who don’t think their projects would be well supported And while you can claim it’s just a publicity stunt to push a certain agenda, it’s also a fact that Disney is trying to diversify itself and normalize portrayals of typical people that don’t seem to get the spotlight very often. It would help if those who think these types of moves are simply pandering would consider the arguments of those who want representation in children’s films. It would also be advantageous if those that are angry about a gay character being a villain could think about the possibility for more diversified characters in the future. If “Beauty and the Beast” can make it through the controversy, I hope Disney is able to use the situation as an opportunity to continue its diversification trend by incorporating characters of different ethnicities and sexualities to make its films feel more inclusive.

Spring Break 2017 is a fluttering thought in the back of each student’s mind as we all furiously type and scribble to complete our mid-semester coursework and earn the grades that will inevitably determine whether or not we feel academically remorseful during the glorious week of non-obligatory solace. Though the week is going to be a much-needed escape from reality for those who spend all of their time in the doldrums of campus life, it also has great potential to foster awful situations for those with big spring break aspirations, especially in the economic realm. Students who find themselves abroad, around the country or simply living large at home during spring break should know that the week is open season for corporate America. Cultural and political publication Alternet goes as far as to call it “Corporate America’s bootylicious wet dream.” Time seems to stop when every student in America is left free to his own endeavors. It becomes many businesses’ primary focus for money-making. If enterprising spring breakers don’t take heed of the potential financial ramifications that could result from the spring break life, they could find themselves in heaps of mid-semester monetary troubles. It seems like it would be relatively easy to keep one’s finances secure during spring break: just don’t spend a ton of money on booze, travel expenses and other various wonderments. However, the societal pressures that accompany the concept of spring break are actually pretty unsettling. Many young people feel incredibly pressured during the week to have the most stellar spring break experience. Whether it be soaking up sun on Panama City Beach or hitting various L.A. clubs, if you aren’t living large during spring break, you most likely feel like a loser at the end of the week. Why is this the case? Simply because everyone else is buying into it. This is a fact that corporate America has advocated, exploited and taken advantage of for as long as spring break has been in its romanticized state. And with this phenomenon is an accompanied desire to spend, spend, spend on many students’ parts, simply because they feel like there is no other option than to buy into the idea of the “spring break experience.” I’m not trying to advocate widespread spring break boredom next week. We are given the opportunity to put our strenuous academic goals on hold so that we can take a load off and remember that experiences are truly what life is all about. However, we now live in an age in which experiences are exploited for financial gain, and this is something that each student should be aware of when crafting his spring break plans. According to Alternet, “The average student now graduates with over $20,000 in debt. The average cost of a trip for two to Florida, including airfares and seven nights in a hotel, is around $2,000. For Hawaii and Caribbean destinations, add another $1,000 or so. And that doesn’t include the beachwear, booze or the money to pay the bail bondsmen and attorneys who are always on hand to get spring breakers out of jail – for a price.” So, obviously, spring break ventures can be uncomfortably expensive. This is just a byproduct of how the break was designed, tailored to give travel companies and businesses in certain trendy locations the largest possible March income. I guess what I’m preaching is simply for those who are going to have an out-of-this-world spring break experience to beware. It’s only a week. Each student’s life will resume the moment class starts again the week after spring break. It’s probably a good idea to ensure that you don’t return to campus penniless and miserable.

The societal pressures that accompany the concept of spring break are actually pretty unsettling

Corrections In our March 8 edition, The Echo incorrectly reported the name of the Faulkner County NAACP president. His name is Franklin Holbrook.

The Echo is printed weekly by the Jacksonville Patriot in Jacksonville, Ark. Decisions about content are made by the student editors. The views published are not necessarily those of the University of Central Arkansas. All material is subject to respective copyrights.

Entertainment

March 15, 2017

New This Week

Nintendo Switch can't keep up with home consoles

Movies

by Brody Arnold

March 17 — Beauty and the Beast (PG), directed by Bill Condon, starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans and Josh Gad.

Reviewing the Nintendo Switch is a difficult task because it’s the most interesting yet imperfect gaming console I’ve ever played. The Switch’s biggest problem is that while the console can do many things, it doesn’t necessarily excel at any of them. The Switch's simple, lightweight build gives it an impression of high quality that other mobile devices sometimes lack. The ability to instantly switch from playing on a television set to playing on the handheld device is an advantage and something I won’t get over anytime soon. Although it’s only 720 pixels, the Switch’s screen display is clean and gorgeous. “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” looks stunning on the screen. The Joy-Con controllers are hit-and-miss. When playing the Switch in its handheld mode, the Joy-Con controllers are great. The Switch’s analog sticks aren’t perfect, but they are still better than PlayStation Vita sticks. When using a single Joy-Con as a controller or using the controllers with the included grip, there is much to be desired. The Joy-Con controllers are incredibly tiny

March 17 — The Belko Experiment (R), directed by Greg McLean, starring Adria Arjona, Michael Rooker and Abraham Benrubi.

Music March 17 — Detroit House Guests - Adult. March 17 — Room 29 - Chilly Gonzales & Jarvis Cocker March 17 — Salutations - Conor Oberst March 17 — Spirit - Depeche Mode March 17 — Paul Shaffer & the World's Most Dangerous Band - Paul Shaffer & the World's Most Dangerous Band March 17 — Climate Change Pitbull March 17 — The Haze - Pulled Apart By Horses March 17 — In Mind - Real Estate March 17 — Rather You Than Me Rick Ross March 17 — You're Not As ______ As You Think - Sorority Noise. March 17 — Hot Thoughts - Spoon March 17 — Rattlesnake Love - The Cousins

Netflix March 15 — The BFG (2016), directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton and Jemaine Clement. March 16 — Coraline (2009), directed by Henry Selick, starring Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French. March 17 — Marvel's Iron Fist, Season 1 (2017), created by Scott Buck, starring Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, David Wenham and Jessica Stroup. March 18 — The Vampire Diaries, Season 8 (2016-17), created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, starring Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham and Candice King.

Video Games March 17 — The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (M), for Nintendo Switch. March 21 — Mass Effect: Andromeda (M), for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. March 21 — Toukiden 2 (T), for PS4 and PS Vita. March 21 — Touhou Genso Wanderer (T), for PS4 and PS Vita. March 21 — Troll and I (T), for PS4 and Xbox One.

Five Things Not to Do Over Spring Break List compiled by Lauren Swaim

Staff Writer

photo courtesy of forbes.com

A user plays "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" on the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is a hybrid console that allows for handheld and home console gameplay.

when turned sideways, and the placement of the analog stick and face buttons awkwardly change depending on which Joy-Con controller a person uses. The included dock allows the Switch to be played on a television. While I haven’t had any problems, there have been multiple reports of users scratching their Switch screens while placing it on or removing it from the dock. As a handheld device, the Switch is innovative. It easily surpasses the PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo 3DS. However, the Switch’s short battery life and large size make it impractical as a handheld gaming console. Depending on the game

being played, the Switch’s battery life can last anywhere from three to six hours. In my experience playing “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” I needed to charge the Switch after just three hours of playing. Personally, three hours of battery life is plenty of time because I play in between classes and during breaks from work, but for people who want to use a handheld device all day without charging, this is not enough battery life. Because of its size, the Switch won’t fit in average-sized pockets, so a carrying case is necessary. As a home console, the Switch falls short in almost every category. According to Forbes, the Switch is only slightly more

powerful than the Wii U. It’s frustrating that the Switch is significantly less powerful than the Xbox One, a console that was released in 2013. Nintendo has promised that the Switch will have much better third-party support than the Wii U, but I don’t see that happening, considering that the system lacks the necessary power. The Switch is also lacking when it comes to online features. As of now, there is no way to communicate with friends online. This will be possible in the summer, albeit through a cell phone app. I understand that the app is meant to be appealing to people wanting to game online while on the go, but there is no

reason a player shouldn’t be able to voice chat through the system itself. Although we will most likely be able to add friends through the Switch app when it launches, Switch users are currently limited to adding people with friend codes. The recommended section suggests adding friends from the Miitomo app, Nintendo's rather unpopular smart-device app. The recommended section is mostly useless because few of my friends use the app. There is also still no achievement or trophy system on the Switch console. The Switch has more downfalls. “Breath of the Wild” runs better in handheld mode than on the dock, despite the fact that the system uses power from the USB-C cable to output at higher resolutions while docked. Frequent frame rate issues plague the game when docked, but are nearly eliminated in handheld mode. The Switch’s handheld mode shines, but the docked version lacks too many modern features to be considered serious competition for other home consoles. While third-party developers will likely abandon the system, Nintendo will continue to produce great first-party content, which will be enough for most hardcore gamers.

INDIE

T H E AT E R

'Phantom of the Opera' visits Arkansas stage by Jordan Johnson Editor

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of “The Phantom of the Opera” is a feat of stage engineering and superb performances that sets it apart from average stage plays. The performance, brought to the Robinson Performance Hall in Little Rock by Celebrity Attractions, stayed true to the aesthetics and musical grandeur of the 2004 movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical. The set alone deserves its own review, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll go over the highlights. In the classic opening scene, a large chandelier hangs from the ceiling and crackles with light. The chandelier swoops over the audience when the Phantom (Derrick Davis) shoots it down with a shotgun, ending the first act. The set itself was incredibly intricate, with several moving parts and a track that allowed it to rotate. When the Phantom took ingénue Christine Daae (Katie Travis) to his domain in the bowels of the Paris Opera House, wooden planks slid out of the wall, concealing the two’s descent into the opera house’s underground. The characters

seemingly rowed a boat through a river of mist that gave the illusion of subterranean water. The set morphed to accommodate the numerous locations within and outside of the opera house, including, but certainly not limited to, the main stage, Daae’s dressing room, the labyrinth and the graveyard where Daae’s father is buried. The transitions were nearly flawless, and even the transitions that required stagehands didn’t distract from the musical. The musical numbers were flawlessly performed and nostalgic for those of us who grew up with the 2004 movie.The narrative was nearly identical to that of the movie but for a few minor details that were tweaked. Many of the songs had slightly different lyrics, which gave the production new life. There was even a new scene and musical number in the production that mirrored the performance of “Notes” in the first act. Beyond the technical and narrative aspects of the production, the acting and musical performances were phenomenal. Davis was by far the star of the show, and certainly received the loudest applause at the end of the performance. His powerful voice and stage presence brought new life to the

mysterious Phantom, and he perfectly channeled the agony and passion of his character. Equally compelling was Travis, whose portrayal of Christine lent the character more agency than in the movie. She somehow managed to maintain her voice’s powerful vibrato throughout the performance with nary a slip or crack. Travis attained impossibly high notes beautifully and surreally. Emily Ramirez played Meg Giry, the daughter of mistress of ballet Madame Giry (Anne Kanengeiser). Ramirez livened up Meg’s role, which was already one of independence and daring. She sang her parts and interjected the giggles and sarcasm that define the close friendship her character has with Daae. The cast of Mackintosh’s production was more diverse than the movie’s cast, which was made up entirely of white actors. Davis and Phumzile Sojola, who played leading tenor Ubaldo Piangi, were both AfricanAmerican. Both men played their parts flawlessly and were undoubtedly the best choices for their roles. “The Phantom of the Opera” will be performed at Robinson Performance Hall in Little Rock through March 19.

POP

Sheeran diversifies sound, retains themes of love by Amanda Nettles News Editor

Pop star Ed Sheeran has done it again with the release of his newest album, “÷,” a work that combines classic pop sounds, upbeat, unique rhythms and, of course, beautiful songwriting. The cute ginger dropped the singles “Castle on a Hill” and “Shape of You” before the highly anticipated release of his 16-song album on March 3 . Both singles have been at the top of Spotify charts since early January. I am probably the reason the number of Spotify plays keeps increasing for “Shape of You.” I put the song on repeat on my phone, so it continuously plays any time I’m in the car, at the gym or on campus. It’s catchy, hip and the most-played song on Sheeran’s Spotify page at the time I am writing this. 1. Drop out of school It’s more than halfway through the spring semester, and many students are probably exhausted from all the work professors are bombarding them with, but that is no reason to quit. One must think of school as a test of strength for the future. Students are being taught how to survive in the real world, and although it may sound more appealing to go zip lining on Club Penguin Island, education is important, and many jobs require you to have a college education.

The first time I listened to the song “Perfect,” I felt nostalgic because of its slow tempo, beauty and peace. “Castle on a Hill” is a relatable song about Sheeran’s childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Although Sheeran’s acoustic pop music maintains the romantic themes of his previous music, the singer-songwriter adds some variety to “÷.” On the track “Eraser,” Sheeran briefly raps to the song’s acoustic rhythm. “Barcelona” is a fun, quirky song that appeals to a wide audience. Sheeran sings about dancing in the street while drinking sangria in Barcelona, and the song’s funky instruments and rhythms differ from Sheeran’s typical sound. The album’s subject matter is also diverse. Upbeat songs like “Shape of You” are about Sheeran’s lust for beautiful

women, but the song “Happier” is about Sheeran seeing a past lover much happier with another man. It’s interesting how the songs on “÷” can make you feel as if you can conquer the world one moment and lead you to contemplate your own personal problems and emotions the next. The fact that it’s hard to tell what’s coming next on the album keeps listeners engaged. “÷” is an absolute masterpiece. Sheeran’s songwriting is excellent, unique and meaningful. His imagery is effective in every song. This album features rapping, singing, orchestral instruments and dance music, and its diversity is extremely impressive and works well. “÷” is available for purchase on Google Play and iTunes and is now streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.

2. Get high on Windex fumes

3. Get incarcerated in a Turkish prison Why go to a fancy hotel when you can be locked up at the infamous Diyarbakir Prison in southeastern Turkey for your spring break? This prison is known for being one of the most sadistic prisons in the world, and many inmates have been physically and mentally tortured. This sounds like a great way to spend one’s spring break, but in all seriousness, don’t go there. If you're dying to go to prison, you should visit Peru's San Juan de Lurigancho because there are cockfights there.

Spring break gives students time to take a breather, but it is also a great time to rid your home of the many atrocities that have built up during the first half of the semester. Students should be wary of cleaning too much and getting intoxicated from inhalants, such as bleach products, spray cleaners and acetone. The safest way to clean is to wear a mask or take breaks in between cleanings. If students do want to get high, they should do it the Hendrix way and get high with prescription drugs.

photo courtesy of billboard.com

English indie rock band alt-J pose for a promotional image. "3WW" is the latest single from the trio's upcoming third album "Relaxer."

alt-J single '3WW' heightens anticipation for new album by Caroline Bivens Assistant News Editor

British indie rock band alt-J released “3WW,” a strong single from the band's upcoming album “Relaxer,” which will be released June 9. “3WW” stands for “3 Worn Words,” presumably the words “I love you.” The single is a complex, stirring melody that begins with about 90 seconds of smooth, slow guitar plucking and steady drum beats. Vocalist Gus Unger-Hamilton jumps in with a soft melody that highlights his British accent. Lead vocalist Joe Newman’s croaky, whispered vocals emerge, conveying the heart of the song. The song continues to build, adding new layers of expertly crafted melodies and enticing, unusual vocals. Newman’s throaty voice is reminiscent of the beloved “Muppets” character, Kermit the Frog. However, set to a background of skillful musicianship, his unusual vocals are easy to listen to. A warm duet between Newman and guest vocalist Ellie Rowsell of the alternative rock band Wolf Alice continues the five-minute track. The song becomes a tender ballad about wanting “to love … in [your] own language.” The group’s intense, swiftly changing instrumentals and Newman’s incoherent, gravelly voice normally muddle alt-J’s lyrics. The same incoherency exists in “3WW.” Listeners with good ears will roughly interpret that the ballad’s poetic stanzas tell of two people making love by a campfire. Although “3WW” is consistent with alt-J’s smooth, soulful sound, it would still find itself out of place on the band’s previous albums 4. Juggle while driving Distracted driving is dangerous for the driver, passengers and others on the road. In 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 3,331 people died in car wrecks that were caused by distracted driving. Cell phones are a prime distraction, but you can also be distracted by juggling. If a person starts juggling in the car, other drivers can easily become distracted and lose control of their cars. Juggling is meant to entertain people, but you should not juggle at the expense of someone’s life.

because the single is darker and more mysterious than the band’s other songs. The official video for the song features intense, flashing images full of color that set the mood for the song. “Relaxer” will be the trio’s third studio album. It follows 2014’s “This is All Yours” and 2012’s “An Awesome Wave,” which won the Mercury Prize in 2012. The new single lays the foundation for another exciting and long-awaited album which consists of “3WW” and seven other songs. The number of songs on “Relaxer” is disappointing because alt-J’s previous two albums both had 13 songs. alt-J’s first two albums featured the intricate tracks “Bloodflood Pt. I” and “Bloodflood Pt. II.” Perhaps as an attempt to set “Relaxer” apart from the band’s other albums, alt-J’s third album won’t feature a third installment of “Bloodflood.” “Relaxer” also doesn’t feature the long intros and outros that alt-J is notorious for. In the past, the band stretched their imaginations and created gripping, rhythmic melodies with entertaining extras. However, if the third album’s remaining seven songs are as gripping and exciting as “3WW,” alt-J will have successfully completed another incredible album that is sure to live on in fans’ memories. Alt-J formed in 2007 in Leeds, England. The band’s name comes from the delta symbol, Δ, but is pronounced “alt-J” because of the keyboard sequence for the delta symbol on a Mac computer. “3WW” is available for purchase on Google Play and iTunes and is now streaming on Apple Music and Spotify. 5. Forget to embalm that dead beaver Camping is always a fun way to spend quality time with friends and to make new friends in the woods, but if you find an especially cute, cuddly critter to hang out with, you should definitely make sure that the creature is alive. However, dead beavers can be formidable companions if you embalm them correctly. If you don’t quickly embalm the beaver, the rodent could grow bacteria and spread diseases. Just leave it to beaver to give a person tularemia.

Sports

March 15, 2017

Editor’s Take

Most valuable award should go three ways By Denn-Warren Tafah Sports Editor

The National Basketball Association MVP race is very close this year — no single player has swept this award like in previous years. For example, last year, guard for the Golden State Warriors Steph Curry won the award unanimously. This year it’s a close race between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets guard James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lebron James and San Antonio Spurs guard Kawhi Leonard. Westbrook has a good chance because he is averaging a triple double currently, and has passed Wilt Chamberlain for second-most triple-doubles in just one season. His only downfall is that he is not a team player, but I’m sure OKC’s game plan from the start was to give Westbrook the ball and get out of his way. Harden is my favorite, because he came in with adversity after being criticized for not playing defense and not passing. He changed his position to point guard after a 50 percent win season for the Rockets and now leads the NBA in assists with 11.2 percent. This year, his team already has more wins than last year with 14 more games to play. Lebron James is the most popular canididate because of the consistent work he has put in over his years in the NBA. James is not only a player on the court, but a coach, which adds to his value not only physicaly, but mentally too. However, James also has a great team with forward Kevin Love and point guard Kyrie Irving. Finally the best for last, Leonard is not only an offensive force like most of the guys on the MVP list, but also brings a defensive presence, as he has won defensive player for the last two years. However, I’m sure with coach Greg Popovich’s great mind, he can find a way to win without Leonard. I honestly don’t know who will win but if I had to give to someone, I would split it between Harden and Westbrook.

photo courtesy of UCA Sports

The University of Central Arkansas women’s basketball team defeats the Stephen F. Austin University women’s basketball team 60-35, becoming the 2017 Southland Tournament Champions. The Sugar Bears will be advancing to the NCAA tournament.

Women’s basketball wins SLC tourney

by Jordan Johnson Editor

The UCA women’s basketball team (26-4, 16-2 SLC) won its final two games of the season to become the Southland Conference champions on March 11 and 12 at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. “It feels great to be a champion, Everybody wants to be number one and to actually be number one is a great feeling,“ junior forward Kierra Jordan said. The first game, against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (21-11, 9-7 SLC), ended in a 62-44 victory for the Sugar Bears. UCA started strong in the first quarter, scoring 15 goals to the Islanders’ four. In the second and third quarters, the Islanders outscored UCA, but failed to gain the lead at any point in the game. The Islanders were within four points of tying with UCA several times in the third quarter and within three points in the fourth but failed to pull ahead. The Bears’ lead steadily increased throughout the fourth until they

won with an 18-point advantage. UCA’s first score came from junior forward Taylor Baudoin less than a minute into the first quarter. Senior guard Maggie Proffitt soon followed up with a three-pointer. The Islanders did not score until there were three minutes left in the quarter, when freshman guard Dae Dae Evans scored in the paint. By the end of the first quarter, the Sugar Bears had an 11-point lead. The Islanders scored first in the second, bringing the lead down to nine points, but Proffitt and Baudoin soon scored, increasing the lead to 13 points. A jumper by Islander senior guard Kassie Jones with three seconds left in the quarter again brought the lead down to nine points, ending the quarter with the score 29-20 UCA. A three-pointer from Jones early in the third brought the lead down to six points, but the lead quickly increased after sophomore forward Brianna Mullins scored from the paint and made a three-pointer. Baudoin and Proffitt continued to score, increasing

the lead, but after a jumper from Proffitt that put the lead at 11 points, UCA failed to score until the last minute of the quarter. The Islanders took the opportunity to chip away at the lead, which was within four points twice in the quarter. The fourth quarter started out promising for the Islanders, as sophomore forward Uri Jolivette and Jones amassed five points early, bringing the lead down to a close three points. However, the Islanders scored only twice more in the quarter as the Sugar Bears increased their score from 42 to 66 and the lead to 18 points by the end of the game. The Sugar Bears’ final shot by Baudoin came with one second left in the game. In their second game, against Stephen F. Austin University (257, 14-4 SLC), the Sugar Bears consistently outscored the Ladyjacks in every quarter, ending in a 60-35 victory. SFA scored first and held the lead for the first half of the quarter, but a three-pointer from Proffitt put the Sugar Bears in

S LC

Softball utility says father inspires her

Women’s Basketball

by Cassidy Kendall

March 17 at University of Texas in Austin, Texas

Staff Writer

Beach Volleyball

Softball

March 17 - 18 vs University of the Incarnate Word at the Farris Field Baseball

March 17-19 vs University of the Incarnate Word at Bear Stadium

photo courtesy of UCAsports

Junior UCA outfielder Keaton Presley celebrates scoring a run against the McNeese State University Cowboys. Presley managed to score two runs over the three-game series.

Baseball falls short to McNeese by William Middleton Staff Writer

The UCA Bears baseball team (6-11) was defeated by McNeese State University (12-4) in all three games March 10-12 at Bear Stadium. “The biggest thing we need to work on right now is to play our own game,” freshman pitcher Mason Smith said. ”We need to win every pitch of the game, one pitch at a time.” On March 10, McNeese State won 6-3; on March 11, the Bears scored three runs to McNeese State’s five runs, and on March 12, the Bears lost 5-3. McNeese State junior second baseman Joe Provenzano scored first in the game by hitting an RBI, putting McNeese on the scoreboard. Junior designated hitter Shane Selman then scored two runs for McNeese. The next run came in the third inning when UCA’s sophomore first baseman Hunter Strong hit two RBIs, and in the sixth inning junior second baseman Eddie Sanchez

scored, tying the game 3-3. The score remained tied until the game went into extra innings. McNeese State ended the game by scoring three runs in the 11th inning. On March 11, McNeese State University senior outfielder Ramirez Jr. scored an RBI in the the first inning. In the fifth inning, McNeese State senior third baseman Matt Gallier scored and junior left fielder Robbie Podorsky scored an RBI, giving McNeese the lead 0-3. In the sixth inning, McNeese added two runs to their score. The Bears did not score until the eighth inning when senior shortstop Brooks Ballistreri scored an RBI. Sophomore catcher William Handcock and junior third baseman Rigo Aguilar scored a, RBI each. The game ended with a scoreless ninth inning, making the final score 3-6. On March 12, Selman started the game off by hitting an RBI in the first inning, followed by sophomore pitcher Nate Fisbeck hitting two RBIs. The Bears responded in the

three to beat the shot clock buzzer in the fourth,” sophomore guard Olivia Williams said. UCA beat SFA in all but free-throw percentage; UCA’s free throw percentage was 54.5 percent to SFA’s 69.2 percent. UCA’s 48.1 percent field goal percentage towered over SFA’s 27.3 percent. The Sugar Bears nearly doubled SFA’s 15.4 percent three-pointer percentage with a steady 33.3 percent. Proffitt led the Sugar Bears in field goals with nine, followed by Baudoin with six. Proffitt and Mullins led in three-pointers with two each, though Proffitt’s free throw percentage was higher at 66.7 percent to Mullins’ 50 percent. Jordan led in assists with 13. Proffitt also led in total points with 13, raising her career total to 1,629. “My goal for the NCAA tournament is to win,” Jordan said. The Sugar Bears are scheduled to play against the University of Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas on March 17 in the March Madness Tournament.

D E F E AT

Upcoming Games

March 17 - 18 in Clarksville, Tennessee for Govenors Beach Duals Tournament

a two-point lead. UCA remained in the lead throughout the quarter. Neither team scored in the first three minutes of the second quarter. SFA’s senior guard Taylor Ross scored two back-to-back free throws after a foul by freshman guard Taylor Sells. The Ladyjacks stayed close to UCA throughout the quarter but never regained the lead, and UCA ended the quarter with a seven-point lead. The Sugar Bears continued to increase their lead throughout the third quarter from seven points to 18 points. The Ladyjacks scored only twice in the quarter, leaving the score 42-24 UCA. In the fourth quarter, Ladyjack freshman guard Riley Harvey scored two free throws after a foul from junior center Kierra Jordan, but UCA’s lead quickly rebounded, rising to a 26-point lead late in the quarter. The Sugar Bears ended the game with a 25-point lead after a free throw from Ladyjack junior guard Stevi Parker. “I felt we had the game in the bag when Angel Williams hit the

bottom of the first inning when Sanchez hit an RBI, allowing Balisterri to run in from third base. UCA tied the game 3-3 in the second inning when Strong hit two RBIs. McNeese won the game 3-5 by scoring two runs in the seventh and eighth innings and holding the Bears from scoring the rest of the game. UCA freshman pitcher Mason Smith said it’s still early in the season, and still they have work to do. He believes that the team has talented guys that want to compete. This is the Bears’ third lost series in a row. “The outcomes of our series was definitely not what we wanted, but you have to take it one game and one pitch at a time,” freshman pitcher Mark Moyer said. “We are a good team, and I have faith in my team no doubt about it, but we have things to work on. I know how good we are so I believe that we will get in our groove.” The Bears’ next game is part of a three-game series against University of the Incarnate Word at Bear Stadium from March 17 - 19.

Sophomore Morgan Felts plays utility, focusing on third and second bases and centerfield, for her first year on the UCA softball team. Felts has been playing softball since she was in fourth grade. She is from Conway, Arkansas, and she attended Conway High School, where she played shortstop for the Wampus Cats softball team and point guard for a short time on the Wampus Cats women’s basketball team. Felts’ high school team made it to State every year she played, and she made All-Conference for four years and All-State for two years. She said she really enjoyed her high school years because of the coaching she received and the friends she made. “I love softball because of all the lifelong relationships I have made because of it,” Felt said. “Being a part of a team is something I cherish and will never take for granted. This game teaches me how to strive for perfection and learn from my many failures. It’s a blessing every time I get to step on the field.” Felts said her favorite thing about softball is the many opportunities it brings her, including the chance to travel to places she has never been and getting to compete at a high level with her team. Her parents, Scott and Lisa Felts, are UCA alums, and her dad played for the UCA men’s golf team. She has one younger sister, Alli Felts, and she has two dogs: a goldendoodle named Max and a cavapoo named Lil Dude. She credits her dad for her

inspiration because he has always ensured that she has had the best opportunities through the sacrifice of his time and energy over the years, and that has made her the person and athlete she is today. Felts previously attended the University of Arkansas, where she also played utility, but she mostly played outfield. She transferred to UCA after her freshman year because, although U of A provided her with a great experience, she said UCA was home. Between her love for the community and her teammates on the UCA softball team, UCA was a better fit than the U of A. The UCA softball team provides numerous community service opportunities that keep Felts busy. In October, she helped the softball team collect money at sporting events to help those in Louisiana affected by the flooding. In December, she helped the softball team fill shoeboxes with gifts for children who wouldn’t receive gifts from Santa otherwise. She also volunteered with the softball team at the Samaritan’s Feet event, where they washed children’s feet and gave them a new pair of shoes in January. Classes, softball practice and the community service she does through softball take up most of her time, but she enjoys spending her free time with her friends and family. Felts is a psychology major, and hopes to someday work as a sports psychologist in the Central Arkansas area, helping athletes with the mental aspect of the game.

8/March 15, 2017

SPORTS

ucaecho.net

UCA STATS CORNER SPORT

photo courtsey of UCAsports

Softball wins only one of five game series by Brent Wilson Campus life Editor

The UCA softball team (17-7) won one game out of five during a series from March 7 to March 11, but the team remains positive about the rest of the season. Senior outfielder Hannah Stirton said she felt the team could get to where it needed to be, despite the losses over the week. “I’m confident in this team and so are our coaches,” she said. The first game on March 7, a home game against the University of Louisiana at Monroe Warhawks, was lost 1-0. The Warhawks made their point in the beginning of the third inning and the Bears didn’t make a hit until the end of the fourth. On March 8, the Bears won their only game of the week against the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes 9-3. The Devilettes made the first

run of the game, but the Bears immediately scored three times afterward and were able to hold a consistent lead throughout the rest of the game. On March 10, the Bears played two games against the McNeese State University Cowgirls, then played them once more on March 11, but lost all three games. Stirton said McNeese played well and is a strong team. “We hung in there until the end,” she said. During the first game against McNeese, the Bears lost 8-0; the second was lost 2-6 and the third was lost 7-3. Stirton said she believes in the team’s ability to come back despite the losses and better themselves. “I’m confident we can get better throughout the season and come back and beat them [McNeese] in the postseason. This week we play two good teams at home in Missouri state and

Mississippi state. It’s just another opportunity to get better and get our offense rolling,” Stirton said. Head coach David Kuhn expressed similar feelings, saying that the team wasn’t where it needed to be but could get there. “We’re getting better on the mound and we’re getting better on defense, and starting to get more chemistry,” he said. Kuhn said hitting was the biggest issue they faced during the games over the week, and that it would be a major focus area of training. “Hitting just comes and goes and right now it’s not here,” Kuhn said. He also said the games overall that week had been tough. “We’ve played a really tough schedule and it’s been hard on us a little bit,” he said. The Bears will play Missouri State University March 14 on the Farris Field.

SCORE

RECORD

W vs. SFA

60-35

(26-4)

M-Bball

L vs. SHSU

77-69

(8-24)

Tennis

L vs. UTSA

4-1

(12-2)

Softball

L vs. MSU

7-3

(7-17)

Baseball

L vs. MSU

5-3

(6-11)

W-Bball

Sophomore Ellie Reaves pitches in the softball game against the McNeese State Cowboys. The softball team finished the weekend with one win out of five games in Lake Charles, Louisiana from March 10 to March 11.

RESULT

UCA track and field dominates opener by Denn-Warren Tafah Sports Editor

The University of Central Arkansas men and women’s track team finished first place 11 times during the UCA spring opener at Young-Wise Memorial Stadium and Bill Stephens Track on March 10. Due to the rainy weather, the event was scheduled a day early and some of the field events were hosted at Bill Stephens track and field. “As a team we performed really well for the season opener,” sophomore Marcus Johnson said. “There was another school record broken that Rachel Durler broke in the javelin. We have broken so many school records so far and we’re looking forward to more records being broken this year.” For field events, sophomore Hannah Noble won the women’s high jump at a 5’3”. Junior Logan Morton ranked first in the women’s long jump with 18’5”. Junior Rachel Durler was first in the javelin throw with a distance of 130-8.50 meters.

Last year’s Southland Conference high jump champion, junior Eric Moore, won the high jump with a height of 6-8.75 feet. Senior Sharad Mackey won another field event with 1.75 meters in the long jump. For the running events, junior Brant Cook won two events: the 800-meter with a time of 1:56:77 and in the 800-meter. Senior James Lassiter ranked first in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15:07 and junior Alonzo Pollum won the 5,000-meter in a time of 15:16.26. Freshman Ajah Criner took first in the women’s 200-meter with a time of 25.36. During the final running event, sophomores Aliyah Robinson and Victoria Campfield, juniors Jasmine Richard and Samantha Ellis won the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:00.71. Other notable mentions were Mackey, who ranked second at the 200-meter with a time of 21.54, junior Daniel Lawson, who finished second in the 400-meter with a time of 48.77. Alejandra Ruiz came in second place with a time of 4.54.48 and Brigette

Caruthers came in third with a time of 4:57.11 at the women’s 1,500-meter. Campfield came in second place at the women’s 400-meter hurdle with a time of 1:09.17. Johnson came in second at 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.06. For the women’s 400-meter hurdles, sophomore Rhandi Jackson came in third place with a time of 1:12.32. University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Hendrix College, Southern Arkansas University, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas Baptist and some unattached teams attended. The next track and field event will be at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee on March 17-18. “As a team we performed really well for the season opener. There was another school record broken that Rachel Durler broke in the javelin,” Johnson said. “We have broken so many school records so far and we’re looking forward to more records being broken this year.”

TOURNAMENT

photo by UCAsports

UCA junior point guard Mathieu Kamba goes up for layup against Sam Huston State Bearkat senior guard Paul Baxter in Bears’ game on March 8. Mathieu Kamba played for 35 minutes, scored 21 points including 7 field goals. The Bears lost 77-69 to the Bearkats in Katy, Texas.

UCA men’s basktetball loses in first round at Southland Conference Championship by Denn-Warren Tafah Sports Editor

The University of Central Arkansas Bears (8-23,7-11 Southland Conference) lost to Sam Houston University Bearkats (20-12, 10-8 SLC) 77-69 on March 8 in Katy, Texas at the SLC tournament. The Bearkats started hot with a 9-2 run in the first three minutes. UCA answered back with five

points, bringing the Bearkats’ lead to just four points. After that, the Bears never came within four points again. At one point in the first half, the Bearkats were up 19 points, finishing the first half with a 49-35 lead. Junior guard Jordan Howard had 12 points with 100 percent free-throw shooting, while senior guard Derreck Brooks had nine points with 50 percent field-goal shooting.

However, in the second half the Bears dominated the Bearkats, scoring 49 to the Bearkats’ 34 points. In the first nine minutes, the Bears outscored the Bearkats 16-7 and were within five points at 5651 with 11:16 left. “We knew we didn’t have a good first half so we came out inspired and determined to play hard for each other,” Howard said. As the game went on, sophmore guard Thatch Unruh hit

Men’s soccer playoff season

photo by Ang Sonam Sherpa

UCA sophomore middle Daltyn Knutson steps back after making a pass during a game against the Little Rock Rangers on March 10 at the Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex. The Bears took the game 4-0.

a three-point shot that brought the Bears to a two-point defecit with 6:58 remaining. This put them in position to erase a 43-24 deficit at the 3:33 minute mark of the first half. On four different possessions, Central Arkansas had an opportunity to either tie or take the lead, but were unable to make that push. The Bears came into this game with a 38.9 win percentage in the SLC and 25.8 win

percentage overall. The Bearkats came into this game as the worst three-point shooting team in the Southland Conference with 31.7 percent. In the game they shot 57.14 percent in the first half. During the second half, the Bears held them to 10 percent, but they still finished with 37.5 percent. The Bears, who have third-best three-point shooting percentage, made 25 percent of their threes.

UCA had three players with over 10 points: junior guard Mathieu Kemba had 21 points, Howard had 18 points and senior guard Derreck Brooks had 14 points. “For off-season we’re going to get better, stronger and faster as a collective unit. Losing in the tournament gives us a taste and a template of what we need to do and improve on to go in there next year and win,” Howard said.