The Echo | March 16, 2016

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE

WEDNESDAY

MARCH 16, 2016 Volume 110 — Issue 9

ucaecho.net 4 TODAY’S FORECAST CONWAY

Opinion:

Sports:

Entertainment:

Columns: Women should empower each other, not tear others down

Basketball: Sugar Bears win Southland Conference, head towards NCAA tournament

Movie: “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” takes heavy subject too lightly

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4 page 6

4 page 4

Big Event volunteers work SGA handles despite storming weather SAFA appeals

Partly cloudy

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by Kirby Smith

4 THE NEWSDESK

Staff Writer

FROM THE EDITOR

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

Six killed one hurt during Italian Alps avalanche More than a dozen people climbed around 10,000 feet on Monte Nevoso on Saturday when an avalanche rolled down on the party. The six killed were Van Pusteria locals and an Austrian citizen. One was injured and eight dug through the snow and were rescued by emergency responders.

photo by Lauren Swaim

N AT I O N A L

20 injured in 100 car pileup in North Carolina on I-40 W Over 100 vehicles were involved in a series of wrecks March 13 evening in Alamance County. Authorities are unsure what caused the pileup but the wet roads may have contributed.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation reported I-40 West/I-85 closed and reopened at 11:15 p.m.

LOCAL

Big Dam Bridge closed for inspection March 14 - 16 The Army Corps of Engineers will close the Big Dam Bridge between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on March 14 to March 16 across Murray Lock and Dam due to its semi-annual inspection.

Fort Smith police chief resigns after racist remark Chief Kevin Lindsey will resign during a press conference 10 a.m. on Monday after allegedly making a racist remark toward an African American employee during a meeting.

Members of the police force and city employees attended the meeting about diversifying the police department.

After the meeting, one of the attendees made a complaint that he/she was offended. Lindsey will quit in April.

4 WHAT’S AHEAD IN OUR NEXT ISSUE The news section will cover how students can access an emergency student loan fund that can offer up to $200 in urgent cases.

Junior Aliyah Ellise volunteers at the Soul Food Café during the Big Event March 12. UCA students and alumni went out across campus and Conway to do volunteer projects as a ‘Thank You’ to the community.

Student loan scam aimed at alumni claims to pay debts

by Darian Whitmore Staff Writer

A possible new scam is circulating the Internet, targeting UCA alumni who are looking for help with student loans.

The business name differs depending on the type of school in that location.

The ad aiming for UCA alumni calls its company Savings Study Club on Facebook and its website, but on the phone it calls itself the US Student Loan Center.

People from Pocahontas, Arkansas reported a similar scam focused on Black River Technical College alumni, that company was called Smart Finance Club then.

The ad reads “BREAKING NEWS: IF you attended University of Central Arkansas, you may qualify for loan forgiveness.

Call (855) 207- 8616 to see if you qualify. Deadline ending soon,” which pops onto the timeline, but disappears when clicking onto the page.

The website, savingsstudy. club, provides a testimony of a nameless student, but gives no information about what the organization is claiming to do except for saying “The good news is that the American government has recently passed laws that will give millions of Americans currently struggling with student loan debt much needed relief” and provides the phone number for questions. When calling the given phone number, the employee asks for your name and information about your loan, such as how much you owe, what kind of loan it is and if it was co-signed.

“All the forgiveness programs

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4Opinion

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and income-based programs are part of the William D. Ford Act of 2010,” Sue Condron, a US Student Loan employee said. “The money you don’t pay comes from the William D. Ford act. If you do decide to use our program there will be a one-time fee that will be based on your loan amount and we can actually break that into payments as well. We make it easy for you.”

Cheryl Lyons, director of financial aid, was not aware of this ad or company spam, but said UCA provides students and alumni with many tools to help them with their loans and avoid scams.

“At no cost to students,” Lyons said, “We can provide them with information that will explain and help them decide what is best for them without it costing a penny.”

Along with help from the

financial aid office, UCA also has a contract with a program called Solutions at ECMC that can help alumni stay ahead of their payments after graduating and help future graduates set up a plan before they have to start paying back the government. This program is paid by the university and can be used at no cost for students or alumni.

“ECMC is not a collection agency, they don’t try to take money,” Lyons said, “The whole purpose of this company is to try and help students keep from being delinquent on their loans and to answer questions.”

Students and alumni can look for certain red flags to help them avoid paying for unnecessary services and to help prevent them from being scammed, according to Lyons.

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ANONYMOUS

PostSecret Show performance pulls on audience heartstrings

by Kirby Smith Staff Writer

The PostSecret Show sent the audience through a whirlwind of emotions. The crowd laughed, smiled and cried together in a heartbreaking production dedicated to the art project that started it all.

The show was at 7:30 p.m. on March 11 in Reynolds Performance Hall. The performance contained raw mature material so audience members were required to be 18 and up.

According to the PostSecret website, PostSecret is a continuing community art project where people can mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a post card. The secrets are posted every Sunday and people can reply to the secret.

Frank Warren, the creator, used to work for a suicide hotline and

created PostSecret as a small art project in 2004. He dedicated the show as a love letter to PostSecret.

Director of UCA Public Appearances Amanda Horton immediately wanted to bring the show to campus.

“The content of the show is inspiring, emotional and thoughtprovoking and I felt our students would benefit from the messages,” Horton said. PostSecret The Show uses three talented actors, projected images and a guitarist to bring those secrets to life. Kerry Impema, Abby Rowold and TJ Downe did a remarkable job acting each heartbreakingly honest secret.

“The show was an excellent way of drawing the public into watching non-traditional theatre in a way that keeps them

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See Event - page 3

S AV I N G S

Index: 4Police Beat 4People of UCA

The rain didn’t stop UCA students from volunteering to give back to their community.

Hundreds of students gathered in Estes Stadium eager to serve at 8 a.m. on March 12 for “The Big Event.”

The Big Event is a day of service each year where UCA affiliates can help give back to the campus and Conway community.

Students, faculty, staff and alumni are all encouraged to volunteer.

The Big Event originally started at Texas A&M, Program Coordinator Vicki Jou said.

Volunteers fill out a form on OrgSync and pick from the many jobs The Big Event offers.

Once a volunteer picks a job, he is put into one of dozens of groups with one or two team leaders. Depending on the job, the groups can range from 4-12 people.

Conway community members, UCA faculty and staff and non-profit organizations can fill out a job request form if they

are in need of some volunteers.

The forms are reviewed and chosen.

The jobs ranged from organizing a storage unit, to planting flowers, to raking leaves at a school.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but giving back to the community that gives us so much is such a rewarding experience,” sophomore Michelle Moore said.

Moore helped rake leaves at Faulkner County Day School.

The Big Event also has a committee to help make the event happen. The committee helps with things like job site check, material preparation, advertising, fundraising, looking for sponsorships and the overall behind-the-scenes work for the event, junior Teresa Rios said.

Rios was in charge of public relations and giveawaysgive ways during the event.

“I decided to be a part of Big Event because I saw the opportunity for creating bonds

4Columns 4Entertainment 4Sports

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

photo by Lauren Swaim

Audience members write down their secrets and place them in a box during intermission at the PostSecret show March 11 at Reynolds Performance Hall.

Performers later read the secrets aloud to the audience.

Social:

by Erica Nicolas Assistant News Editor

The Student Government Association denied the Student Activity Fee Allocation appeals requested by the Student Support Staff and the Non-Traditional Student Association on March 14.

The Student Support Staff originally requested $6,526 but received $745.50 and returned to request an additional $5,780.50.

The money would go toward printer cartridges, paper for fliers and funds to give to Career Services to host events.

SGA voted unanimously in opposition of the request because money would be used for an excess amount of printer cartridges, paper for flIers and more.

Money already is given to Career Services through student fees. Career Services earns 50 cents per credit hour.

“Money is going to Career Services, not their organization,” Freshman Class President Megan Gibson said.

This caused SGA members to be hesitant to allocate additional funds to an already funded organization.

“For career services to use the Student Support Staff as a front to request money seems a little bit dishonest,” Senior Class Representative Mollie Henager said before the request was voted on.

NTSA originally requested $2,150 but received $775 and returned to request another $750 for their fall speaker series. The NTSA representative said the money would be given “It’s different if it’s their set fee, but if it’s something that we give as a token of our appreciation it’s harder to justify,” Vice President Corey Parks said about the cost of speakers.

SGA voted in favor of not allocating additional funds 36-0 with one abstention.

However, the SGA allocated $500 toward the UCA Out of the Darkness Campus Walk from the reserve account. The walk will promote suicide awareness and prevention and money will give UCA a silver level sponsorship.

The motion passed unanimously.

Aside from allocations, SGA amended the SGA Constitution after long deliberations.

SGA amended bylaw E, article III, section six, letter D on page 26 to read in part three that May 20th is the deadline for reimbursement of SAFA-funded programs held in the spring semester, typically January through April.

In part four, it reads that January 20th is the deadline for reimbursement of SAFA-funded programs held in the fall semester, typically May through December.

The motion passed unanimously.

The motion to amend bylaw B, article II, section I, letter H on page 16 also passed unanimously.

Part three now reads that the committee shall be composed of five senators and at least five non-SGA members to be nominated and elected yearly by the SGA. The non-SGA members must be deemed appropriate representatives of their constituents and must uphold the charge of the committee. The chair of the Diversity Committee shall be selected by the SGA executive board officers at the same time and place as chairs of the ad Hoc committees.

Elections for SGA members for the next year are approaching.

There will be an informational meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the Senate Chambers in the College of Business.

Inside: Gov. should be in control

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Corporations swing balance of power

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Kennedye Hervey takes home 2016 Spring Queen title

by Amanda Nettles Staff Writer

The 2016 Spring Queen pageant took place this past Thursday and junior Kennedye Hervey won the overall event.

The emcees for the night were Alpha Sigma Alpha member Claire Rogers and Kappa Sigma member Brandyn Thomas.

While contestants set up for their performances Rogers and Thomas asked the audience different questions to be answered via Twitter.

Whoever answered the question the fastest with the hashtag #SQ2016 won a gift card to either Wal-Mart, Blaze Pizza, Palm Beach Tan and so on.

There were 13 sorority members who competed against each another in a swimsuit/letter round, personality round and formal round.

Each contestant chose a theme to stick with throughout the entire show.

This year theme’s ranged from “Legally Blonde” to the shows, “Lip Sync Battle” and “The Amanda Show.”

Delta Zeta member Amanda Sexton creatively presented “The Amanda Show” to the audience in every round.

Sexton opened the show in the swimsuit/letter round with a huge handmade sign and banner spelling out “Amanda” just like the legendary sign displayed in the opening of each show.

Sexton also nailed the role of Judge Trudy and did a creative skit that left the audience hysterical when she yelled, “Bring in the dancin’ lobsters.”

The personality round was a unique round for the audience to see because they didn’t know what was coming.

There was tap dancing, skits, singing and many other diverse talents.

Each sorority also performed a stroll throughout the night.

Delta Zeta won the stroll competition for the night with

their “Purge” themed stroll. The theme was terrifying to some, but it was a unique and well-deserved win.

Alpha Sigma Alpha member Allison Chasteen took home the award for the formal round.

Her theme for the night was Peter Pan. She said she was surprised but honored to win for the formal round.

Sigma Kappa member Haley Trantham took home the award for her burlesque dance during the personality round.

She impressed the audience with her theme along with her dancing ability.

Hervey allowed the majority of the audience to feel nostalgic with her “Rugrats” theme.

During the swimsuit/letter round Hervey introduced herself in her Delta Sigma Theta letter shirt. photo by Lauren Swaim

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Freshman Thomas Guinee lip syncs during Spring Queen 2016 on March 10 at Ida Waldran. Kappa Sigma sponsored the event.

A R K A N S A S E D U C AT I O N

ACADEMIA

Representative French Hill presents Art history symposium highlights student papers from different universities documentary on Julius Rosenwald by Kayla McCullough Entertainment Editor

by William Middleton Staff Writer

U. S. Representative French Hill presented a screening of the documentary “Rosenwald: A Remarkable Story of a Jewish Partnership with African American Communities” on March 7 in the College of Business.

Before showing the film, Hill was introduced and talked about how he and businessman Julius Rosenwald both supported Booker T. Washington.

Rosenwald was an American businessman, owner of Sears and Roebuck in the early 1900’s, and a descendant of Jewish immigrants.

The documentary ran for nearly two hours, telling the story of Rosenwald’s life and impact.

At 16, Rosenwald dropped out of school and started working at a counting factory in New York.

Through Rosenwald’s years he continued to invest and make money in business.

Rosenwald read Booker T. Washington’s book “Up from Slavery.” Rosenwald felt sympathy for the mistreatment of African Americans.

Rosenwald felt that Jews and African Americans had similar

connections. Rosenwald helped African Americans by building housing complexes, providing scholarships, and funding the construction of grade school buildings across 15 states in the south.

By July of 1932 over 5,300 schools had been built.

“Those 5,300 was the difference from African Americans having the opportunity to grow up and be someone or not,” Hill said.

Rosenwald’s funds helped build 389 schools across 45 counties in Arkansas.

Only 18 of those schools build still are standing today.

One of these school buildings is located in Toad Suck just west of the Arkansas River.

Hill spoke about how he became aware of the school and the registration efforts he is conducting.

The school has recently been pressured washed and repainted.

“I always loved historical presentations, and preserving the school is a great way to save the history of education,” Hill said afterwards.

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The 26th Annual Arkansas College Art History Symposium kicked off March 10 with a keynote address by Lawrence Waldron, a professor at The City University of New York.

Waldron’s lecture “Primitive Whim: How an Accident at the Museum Became Curriculum at the College,” highlighted the complicated issues of African, Oceanic and South American art and its representation in museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Waldron is one of three experts of ancient Caribbean Art in the world and he stressed the harmful effects of the word “primitive” on art that was produced by ancient African and South American cultures.

Waldron’s lecture concluded with a look at the Metropolitan’s decision to leave ancient African, Oceanic and South American art grouped together, despite their distinct cultural differences.

The event then shifted to the all-day function on March 11, where 11 student papers were presented from five different universities including Hendrix, University of Arkansas, University

of Central Arkansas, University of Arkansas: Little Rock and University of Arkansas: Fort Smith.

The symposium offered anunique chance for undergraduate students to present papers that included eclectic topics ranging from Hitler and the Wari Empire to the depiction of Christ’s resurrection.

Senior Mackenzie Nunnally presented her paper “Monet’s Les Nympheas Seriers: Opening the World to Modern Art,” which Nunnally said dealt with Claude Monet’s later works and how they differed from his impressionism works, resulting in the inspiration for the expressionism and postimpressionism movements.

Her research required specific information that focused on a part of Monet’s life that is often overlooked and took countless hours shifting through giant art history books.

“It was incredibly interesting,” Nunnally said. “A lot of people assume they know a lot about Monet from the Impressionism period and I wanted to go past that. I had like 12 giant books in my arms at all times for at least two months.”

Nunnally said that the actual delivery of her paper at the symposium was initially terrifying,

but support from professors calmed her nerves.

“Professor Quesenberry approached me about a month and a half ago and asked if I would consider submitting my paper for examination,” Nunnaly said. “All the professors were really helpful.

I’m glad I had the experience.”

Nunnally said she also enjoyed the diversity of the papers.

“I thought they were all fantastic,” Nunnally said. “I love the way they presented different elements. We each had a topic from a different time period and I think everyone did a great job.”

Senior Kaylee Dewees’s paper tackled the emotional subject of the Jerry Can in “Romuald Hazoume: Behind the Jerry Can.” Dewees said her paper documented contemporary artist Romuald Hazoumè, a native of the Republic of Benin.

“He is documenting his people’s struggles with Western monopolies over their oil and gas resources,” Dewees said. “And with the historical institution of slavery and cultural art appropriation.

Dewees’s research over the topic was not easy, as somber emotional content interlaced with Hazoumè artwork.

She chose to extensively research the artwork to keep her

focused on Hazoumè’s ultimate message.

“I based my research mostly on the artwork itself, scholarly articles about the issues that Hazoumè is discussing through his work, and information from a couple of interviews with the artist,” Dewees said. “I used these sources to form my own conclusions about his artwork.”

Dewees said she felt the stress of public speaking, but preparation helped her deliver a smooth presentation that gripped the audience with its grim subject matter.

“I had presented this paper before for class, so I felt relatively prepared,” Dewees said.

“Delivering a paper is always nerve -wracking, and I was definitely nervous both before and during the presentation.”

Three other UCA students delivered their papers during the symposium including Sierra Moon, Rachel Avery and senior Taylor Helfich.

The event was concluded with another lecture by Waldron, this one called “Zoomorphs, Ritual, and Regionalism in Ancient Caribbean Art,” detailing his speciality, ancient Caribbean art and the culture’s use of animal imagery.

SWOLE

Katherine Hough, Chris Carroll take home wins at bench press competition

by Brandon Jones Staff Writer

photo by Kelsey B. Thornton

Female students who participated in the 2016 Bench Press Competition pose for a photo after competing. The event took place March 12 at the HPER Center.

Chatter filled the HPER Center at 3 p.m. Saturday in the weight room as groups of students prepared for the bench press competition.

According to Arian Story, assistant director at the fitness center, the competition has taken place for years.

She recalled it taking place back in 2007 when she was in training. The competition was divided into five groups based on weight.

The first group to compete was females of all weight classes, followed by four groups of males weighing between 114.51-165 pounds, then from 165.1-181.5, from 181.51-220, and from 220.1 onward.

Estimated times for the warmups and starts for each group were passed out early on, but much more time was needed, possibly due to the increased number of participants.

The initial estimate for when awards would be passed out was 5:45, but awarding did not take place until 6:30.

The competition usually averages around 20 people signing up and 15 people actually competing, Story said.

This year, 60 people signed up and almost 60 competed.

“I’ve felt the excitement of it coming on,” Story said. “I’m not sure what it is; I can’t quite put my finger on why there’s more excitement.”

Story said factors for increased participation could have been the fact that teams were done as well as individuals, and word of the competition had spread around campus easily.

Winners were determined using the ‘Schwartz/Malone Formula,’ which takes the maximum weight a person is able to lift, and multiplies it by a coefficient that matches his body weight, Story said.

Each person was given three chances to bench press as much weight as he could and the person who lifted the most when factored with the Schwartz/Malone Formula was the winner.

Throughout the competition, people who were not lifting right at the moment were usually talking and laughing with others.

The sportsmanship was abundant.

When people were lifting, there was cheering and support from everyone including the other competitors, regardless of if the person succeeded in their attempt or not.

Medals were awarded to the overall male and female champions as well as the overall male and female team champions.

The winners of all weight classes were also awarded certificates.

The female champion overall was Katherine Hough and the male champion was junior Chris Carroll.

For teams, the male champions were Geoff Synco, Zach Brown, Justin Helton and Jacob Riba of the group ‘DPT 2017,’ while the female champions were Claire Harness, Cayla Crider, Julia Reddit and Alex Sullivan in the group ‘Victorious Secret.’

Synco, a physical therapy student, said before winning that it was fun to compete but that it was also different having to follow

the rules set for each attempt, and was hopeful that he could make it far in the competition.

“I think it’ll be close, there’s guys in heavier classes that press a lot,” Synco said.

The heaviest amount of weight Synco attempted was 275 pounds.

Sullivan, an exercise science and nutrition student, said she found the competition fun and said that was the main reason she participated, and she was happy with how it turned out.

“I came just to participate and have fun, and get more people involved. I work at the HPER,” Sullivan said. “I failed my last attempt but I did quite a jump, to 145.”

The next event the HPER will host is the ‘Spring Has Sprung’ running competition, which will take place on April 22.

Story said HPER workers planned it to take place on “Dead Day” as a way to give students some relief from studying.

The race will start and end on the same track, which is a new course.

Police Beat The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports

by Assistant News Editor Jennifer Buckley.

Student called UCAPD claiming Student, nonstudent arrested battery, had warrant for arrest for jars of marijuana, grinders Student Marquize Clark contacted UCAPD on March 2 to report battery. The officer who took his report was informed that Clark possibly had a warrant out for his arrest.

After the officer took Clark’s report, it was confirmed that he had a warrant out for fraud committed by using a credit or debit card. Clark was then arrested and taken into custody.

A UCAPD officer pulled over a car containing student Patrick Mitchell and nonstudent Keundre Russell on March 2. He noticed the car had red lights glowing from its undercarriage, which is illegal.

Upon making contact with the driver, the officer smelled marijuana. Two jars of marijuana and two grinders were taken into custody. Russell and Mitchell were given municipal citations.

Students receive drug violations for smoking in Carmichael Hall

Student’s car hit while in class, witnesses left description of car

The smell of burnt marijuana drifted through Carmichael Hall as UCAPD was dispatched to room 243 on March 6. Student Alyssa Singleton answered the door wearing sunglasses while student Veonte Simon pretended he was asleep on the bed. After getting permission to search the room, two blunts were found on the windowsill. Both students received a drug violation for the offense.

Student Hailey Thomas contacted UCAPD on March 8 after noticing someone had hit her car and left the scene while she was in class. Thomas also found a note on her car from a witness of the accident who described the truck that hit her car before speeding off. Thomas’ car had scratches, dents and a transfer of grey paint along the driver’s side of her car.

3/ March 16, 2016

Pay:

Lyons discusses signs that something is spam 4 Continued from page 1 When applying for any loans, no matter if state, federal or private, students should not have to pay to apply or receive advice for their loan.

Upon leaving college, federal government agencies or services will not charge you to request advice or to help you set up payment plans.

“If someone is charging you for these services, it is either unnecessary or it is a scam,” Lyons said, “Because you can get it for free from the university by calling the federal agencies you took your loan out from.”

You can contact the financial aid office for help or questions about your loans at 501-450-3140 or Solutions at ECMC at 1-800-331-3262 or their website www.ecmc.org.

NEWS ucaecho.net

Event:

Jou recalls personal experiences with Big Event, talks about rewards of helping others with the people in our community and UCA students in this amazing day of giving,” Rios said.

The Big Event has an executive team which is led by the Executive Director and consists of the Operations Director, Job Recruitment Director, Programs Director and Volunteer Director.

One particular experience made Jou want to get more involved with the event, even after she graduated. Jou applied and got accepted for Program Coordinator.

“When The Big Event first came to UCA’s campus, I was simply participating because I needed community service hours.

But the job I participated in was

what made me want to get more involved,” Jou said.

Jou’s group had to dig and pick out daffodil buds in a huge field for three hours, she said. Jou said she could only pick out ten bulbs out of the thousands in the time she was there. The man was appreciative of the work because that was three hours work less, Jou said.

“The most rewarding part has been hearing testimonies from our campus and other campuses.

Every year I hear stories from volunteers about how the event has impacted them, and I’m glad to be a part of a committee that made that happen,” Jou said.

ABANDONED ARKANSAS

Title:

Hervey step dances during personality act 4 Continued from page 1 She was the iconic Angelica Pickles from the “Rugrats.”

Hervey even carried Angelica’s doll, Helga, out onto the stage with her.

Hervey said it was her favorite show growing up and she has always been a fan of the ‘90s.

For her personality round Hervey brought in all characters from Rugrats. Chuckie Finster, Tommie Pickels, Lillian and Phil and even Grandpa Lou Pickles made an appearance.

Hervey nailed the personality round with a step performance.

For the final round ended she wowed the audience in a beautiful red dress.

Shortly after the round she won the Spring Queen 2016 title.

“It feels amazing, and surprising, I feel so blessed,” Harvery said.

photo by Lauren Swaim

Senior Michael Schwarz presents his photographs from Abandoned Arkansas March 10 in the Black Box Gallery. His photographs featured abandoned locations such as the Majestic Hotel, Dogpatch USA and Townley’s Dairy in Oklahoma City.

Hill:

James discusses educational focuses at Rosenwald’s school: reading, writing, arithmetic 4 Continued from page 1 Former students and teachers of the Rosenwald School came out to see the film and hear Hill speak.

A former student of the Rosenwald School, Barbara James, attended the screening.

“We worked on the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.

Discipline was big. We knew we had to get an education. It was better than picking cotton,” James said.

SPOTLIGHT

PEOPLE OF UCA Claire Rogers

by Amanda Nettles Staff Writer

Junior Claire Rogers was recently accepted into an internship program in New York.

Juniors and seniors at the University of Central Arkansas usually try to find an internship because it is required for their major or because they want to gain experience in the real world.

Students can find internships by paying attention to fliers around campus, by being informed by their adviser, or by doing the research themselves.

Rogers said she applied to about 30-40 internships and she heard back from one internship and one internship program.

She had the option of choosing Los Angeles, London or New York to pursue her internship.

Rogers’ family and friends have been nothing but supportive, proud and excited for her.

“I chose New York because that is somewhere I want to live after college and I wanted to have my foot in the door and start making connections,” Rogers said.

She thinks that because she is just a 21-year-old, the hustle and bustle of New York will be life-changing.

“The internship that I got is with the company that made Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, I’ll be doing the PR for it and just all of the advertising and getting sponsors for the day, which is on Nov. 19. It’s a lot of just getting the word out there about the day. It was made by a woman named Wendy Diamond, that is who I will be working for,” Rogers said.

Diamond is also the founder of “Animal Fair” magazine, which is a magazine that supports animal rescue.

According to the Animal Fair website Diamond is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, humanitarian, a premiere pet lifestyle expert and TV personality.

There will be 150 interns in the program Rogers has chosen.

Rogers said she is most excited about being in New York and getting a feel for the future. She likes the fact photo by Lauren Swaim Junior Claire Rogers, a public relations major, has been that she will be getting a taste of what it would be like accepted into an internship in New York. Rogers, who also to be there.

Rogers said she cannot wait to see what this works at E. Leigh’s Boutique in Conway, loves keeping up experience has in store for her. with fashion trends. (Lauren Swaim)

Show:

STUDENTS SAY

Show had two sections: faith, suicide; reached out to diverse audience

“

”

Spring Break plans?

4 Continued from page 1 captivated and interested,” junior Colin Fowler said.

According to the PostSecret website, the show was created and produced by Frank Warren, Justin Sudds, Kahlil Ashanti and TJ Dawe.

Imperna, Rowold and Downe read the secrets projected on the screen and acted them out with an abundance of emotion.

The show also had two powerful, moving sections one on faith and one on suicide.

The secrets aren’t always tragically sad. The most common secret is actually “I pee in the shower.”

The show helped restore a little faith in humanity too.

One secret was a heartwarming story about how a single mom wished that Santa was real so she didn’t have to tell her child that she couldn’t afford a gift.

A girl replied that she wanted to help the struggling mother.

Warren also reached out and asked the woman if she could create a PayPal account to receive donations.

The woman ended up receiving enough donations to afford the gift and new clothes.

During intermission, the audience could fill out a card with a secret.

The actors read out dozens of confessions from the audience members.

“It was emotional just because it was so relatable, and it was nice knowing that there are people out there with the same problem as us,” Fowler said.

A couple secrets from the crowd confessed suicidal thoughts. Crowd members yelled out “Don’t do it,” “You are not alone” and “Please don’t.”

One audience confession said “I know you bought the ring, I know it’s in your pocket. I will say yes.”

After a few other confessions, another one read that he was planning on proposing tonight.

The crowd sought out and pointed out the couple.

He screamed out that she said yes. It was a magical moment.

The actors bring all the audience secrets as they travel and display them in the lobby of the next venue.

Warren doesn’t just receive postcards.

The most common objects sent in are wedding rings and razors.

An app was created in 2012.

Tens of thousands of secrets were posted a day and two million secrets were sent in over the course of three months.

Unfortunately the app was shut down due to inappropriate pictures.

The College of Fine Arts and Communication, Student Activities Board, Student Health Services, Counseling Center and Division of Student Services-Vice President Office all contributed to make this performance possible, Horton said.

PostSecret has a blog, which is updated every Sunday, and six best-selling books.

What are your

story by Jennifer Buckley photos by Lauren Swaim

Sophomore Tori Powers

Freshman Abbey Fletcher

“I’m going to South Padre with some friends and sorority sisters.”

“I’m meeting up with old high school friends to catch up.”

Sophomore Nikki Ingle

Freshman Austin Cumming

“I’m going on a camping trip with my parents in Georgia.”

“Working and hanging out with any friends that are in town.”

Freshman Dalton James

Freshman Zach Sheppard

“I’m going to Dallas and hanging out with my brother.”

“I get to go home and I’ll practice my dancing and just take a break from college.”

Opinion

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4

The Voice

March 16, 2016

Equality still not a reality for LGBTQ community globally

The Echo Staff Joe Kramer Editor

Morgan Embry News Editor

Erica Nicolas

Assistant News Editor

Jennifer Buckley Assistant News Editor

Jordan Johnson Opinion Editor

Johnathan Woodson Assistant Opinion

Taran Meyer Sports Editor

Malachi Thornton Assistant Sports Editor

Kayla McCullough Entertainment Editor

Maggie McNeary, Julia Kramer Online Editors

Julia Kramer, Morgan Embry Copy Editors

Lauren Swaim Photo Editor

Morgan Embry Editorial Cartoonist

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Women should be supportive of each other every day A quote that has always stuck with me is, “Another woman’s beauty isn’t the absence of your own.”

Every woman has at one point tried to tear another woman down to make herself feel better.

Sometimes we make fun of the way a woman dresses, acts or looks.

So, why? Why, as a society, do we feel the need to lower another woman’s confidence? Why are we not building each other up?

International Women’s Day was March 8. Women came together from all around the world to show support and love for one another.

This support system needs to be in place every single day, not just one day a year.

Kim Kardashian recently posted a nude selfie on Instagram.

Kardashian received harsh criticism from multiple female celebrities.

Bette Midler tweeted, “If Kim wants us to see a part of her body we’ve never seen, she’s going to have to swallow the camera.”

P!nk tweeted her advice to women and subtweeted Kardashian.

“Shout out to all the women, across the world, using their brains, their strength, their work ethic, their talent, their “magic” that they were born with, that only they possess. It may not ever bring you as much ‘attention’ or bank notes … Keep on resisting the urge to cave,” P!nk said.

While I understand P!nk’s viewpoint, this is another example of shooting another woman down.

Women should obviously use their brains, strength and work ethic, however, if a woman wants to show off her body, we should let her.

Chloë Grace Moretz tweeted Kardashian, “I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies.”

Setting goals is an important lesson, but so is loving our own bodies and feeling beautiful in our own skin. Ironically, Amber Rose, Kanye’s ex, stuck up for Kardashian. ”We were all born naked society sexualizes our breasts and bodies. If a grown mother of two is comfortable with her body and wants to show it off that’s none of your business or anyone else’s,” Rose tweeted.

Kardashian published an essay to respond to all the haters and call out slut-shaming.

“I am empowered by my body. I am empowered by my sexuality. I am empowered by feeling comfortable in my own skin,” she wrote.

by Kirby The fact that slutSmith shaming still exists in 2016 Staff Writer is ridiculous. If a woman wants to show some skin, who cares? If a woman wants to cover up from head to toe, who cares?

Every woman has a choice. We are not to decide or comment on the choices she makes with her own body. We have come so far as a society, it’s time to move past slut-shaming.

Also, women shouldn’t feel threatened by other women. I’ll admit to feeling threatened by another woman just because she was prettier or smarter than me. We shouldn’t see these women as a threat. We should embrace and support them.

Unfortunately, we live in a man’s world. The only way to change this if all women come together to fight this by building each other up instead of tearing each other down.

Monsanto protected from accountability by broken law Receiving legislative gifts from the government is one of the best gifts one can receive, and if you’re a very large multinational corporation, it can be your saving grace.

That saving grace came in the form of a short paragraph addition to a biochemical safety bill that left Monsanto (a multinational biochemical company) with a bit of breathing room from legal liability the company has faced for years.

Monsanto was the only major manufacturer of now-banned chemicals such as PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) and the pillar for chemical production in the United States for years.

Monsanto has been at the center of several controversies through the years, being a sort of boogeyman to the farming community specifically.

Monsanto’s production of PCB chemicals that are used as pesticides on crops has been a mainstay on the hazardous chemicals list, the center of health controversies and food issues for decades.

We could delve into why farmers should or should not use these cancer-causing chemicals on their fields, but in my opinion there is a broader issue at hand.

In a recent New York Times article written by Eric Lipton, he spoke with Pete Holmes, the city attorney of Seattle ,about the legal issues facing Monsanto and the recent addition to the biochemical bill.

“I wish for a Congress that would help cities with their homeless crises instead of protecting multinational corporations that poison our environment,” Holmes said.

Seattle is one of six cities suing Monsanto for PCB remnants in the city’s sewers.

Here lies the premise of this argument, and I believe Holmes has a very telling point.

The United States government has a track record for defending these multinational companies from their legal issues because of the power and influence these corporations have on our society. Albeit subtly, the government has often protected such corporations.

Corporations like Monsanto have lobbied and carried themselves to be seen as a single unified body, just like citizens of the United States. A citizen of the United States has rights that cannot be argued against, and can also be punished if he violates laws.

Well, if multinational corporations want to be seen as a unified, single body then they should be tried and held accountable for actions just as a citizen of our country would be.

Now, there are arguments and issues that arise when trying to figure out who should regulate these legal shields and to what extent the shields should protect. Even how the chemical industry is regulated.

The outlying factor in this particular situation is that for one reason or another, a company of stature is essentially being defended and given pardon for injustices they have committed.

Do I think that strings are being pulled and loopholes are being created to protect Monsanto from a mountain of legal fees? Absolutely.

I do not, however, believe that the change to the bill will shield the company from the entirety of the legal fees it faces.

When I say the issue is with the government protecting

By Taran Meyer multinationals, I Sports Editor don’t mean our entire government is corrupt and we are headed for definite apocalypse in this country. (Although some might argue that the country is headed in that direction.)

When these multinationals become as powerful as they have become it creates a shift in the balance of power between the corporations and the government.

This creates an ethical dilemma over who is actually in charge and who is making the decisions in the world we live in.

The government is set to be the controlling force.

Not the corporations.

With that being said, I am simply proposing that if these multinationals want to be seen as a single body and one person, then they should be held accountable for their actions the same as a single human is held accountable by our controlling force: the government.

Have an opinion?

For some of us, memories of our high school proms are those of dancing with a high school sweetheart, wearing a gorgeous dress or tuxedo and perhaps those after-prom activities that we all know so well.

For others, prom is a painful, awkward memory, or perhaps just one that doesn’t stand out. Some didn’t buy into prom.

But for many of us, prom was more about getting a date and possibly getting along with that date.

For a lot of LGBTQ students, finding a date wasn’t the problem - the gender of their date was.

In light of this unsavory fact, PRISM put together a “Queer Prom” for those students who couldn’t take their samesex date to prom in high school, either because they weren’t allowed officially or by parents, or because they weren’t comfortable with coming out at their high school.

The event was unfortunately cancelled, but the intent and concept brought up an interesting conversation.

Even though the legal system is becoming more friendly to the LGBTQ community, there are pockets of the country and the state that flout these laws or openly discriminate against the community.

We are still a long way from acceptance, and without acceptance there can be no real equality.

There are several issues at play here.

Most egregious is the fact that some high schools outright ban same-sex dates or strongly discourage it despite the fact that doing so has been ruled unconstitutional.

The Rhode Island District Court ruled in the 1980 case Fricke v. Lynch that students have a First Amendment right to take dates of the same sex to prom.

And yet according to the Huffington Post, as recently as this February an Alabama high school finally lifted its ban on same-sex prom dates.

A 2010 article in USA Today reported on a Mississippi county school board that cancelled prom after a gay student requested a same-sex prom date.

In addition to unconstitutional school policies banning same-sex couples, LGBTQ students have to navigate the uncertain world of coming out.

Especially in the South, and in rural areas, coming out isn’t always a safe bet.

Some of the fundamentalist among parents even kick their children out for admitting that they are attracted to members of the same sex.

Even if they don’t, there is no guarantee that they will condone or tolerate their child’s “lifestyle” while living at home.

Because of this, many LGBTQ students feel uncomfortable or outright afraid to even bring up the idea of taking a same-sex date to prom to their parents.

Even today, in 2016, LGBTQ students get ridiculed by those who should hold them up instead of tear them down: their schools, their parents and their peers.

And while acceptance for the gay community is growing and trans issues are becoming a part of the public dialogue, there is a massive amount of hate and misunderstanding towards the community as a whole.

This isn’t just an issue for high school students, but those are the people who would benefit most from unconditional support and who suffer most when ridiculed or judged for their sexuality or gender identity.

If our generation and those after us don’t actively support the LGBTQ community, the consequences will be a less accepting and less equal than society.

Laws are not enough, because apparently states and communities have no problem ignoring those laws.

As a society, we have to cast off our prejudices.

It starts with each individual.

If we can somehow work at that level and continue moving in that direction, there is a chance that future generations of LGBTQ kids will not have to endure the struggles that many people who identify as LGBTQ face today.

This is a goal that not only needs to be worked on but one that is acheivable.

Everyone does.

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

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

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

ucaecho.net

OPINION

March 16, 2016

courtesy of cnbc.com

Donald J. Trump adress a crowd on the campaign trail. Trump has recently gained momentum throughout the priamries and looks to gain even more ground as “Super Tuesday #2” approaches.

There’s more to the world than Donald Trump When I looked at the Arkansas DemocratGazette’s March 14 front page, I immediately rolled my eyes. I saw Trump’s name glaring off the paper in two side-by-side stories and thought to myself “there has to be something more important than this.” Well, there was.

Under the fold.

On the bottom half of the front page two stories’ headlines popped out at me.

The first was “W. African attack turns beach bloody,” and the second read “Car bomb in Turkey kills 34, wounds 125.”

As a journalism student, I am well aware of the need to prioritize your stories by relevance to the reader, and I am not, by any means, blaming this publication.

This goes much further than a concrete building by the river that sends papers everyday. This goes down to the section of American society that the paper is geared toward.

I can’t wrap my head around why a loud, obnoxious man takes precedent over 34 deaths in Turkey or 16 deaths in Ivory Coast.

I understand that with the presidential election

coming up, discussion about our candidates is healthy and encouraged, but I can’t say that I think a full story on the front page about political correctness is necessary.

Lately I feel as if many of the people I’m around have some sort of complex that makes them think that because America is a “super power”, it’s the only

by Morgan country that matters.

Embry However, if we look News Editor past the borders and flags we’ve grown up worshipping, we would see the mass murders and terroristic attacks in third world countries as the tragedies they are.

The problem here isn’t the newspaper and it isn’t the media. The media is going to write what the people will read. This is about you, your neighbor, your conservative grandpa and your liberal cousin.

We have to learn to look at the bigger picture, instead of only what’s in our backyard.

We shouldn’t just be up in arms about a man who says outrageous things, but also about the people being attacked by outrageous acts of hate.

Courtesy of patheos.com

Protesters hold signs supporting the rights of women to do what they want with their bodies, whether by exposing them or keeping them covered. American culture still sees female nudity as indecent and sexual, and most places in the US ban public nudity.

American culture still too timid about the topic of nudity I came across an article headline recently that is making an audacious move by showing her not only struck me as strange, but slightly perverse. naked body to her children when they reach the “Kendra Wilkinson will let kids see naked appropriate age.

Playboy photos” was featured on parrysound.com.

Wilkinson is comfortable with nudity - she The article covered the former Playboy model would not have posed naked for Playboy three times blatantly articulating how nudity is the norm around if she had any qualms about being naked - and that’s her household and that when her children are older the message she’s teaching her children. she does not have a problem with them viewing her Just because the general American population naked Playboy shoots. holds a taboo against nudity doesn’t mean we have The issue for me is not what Kendra Wilkinson the right to judge how others decide to expose their chooses to do with her family or how she raises her bodies. kids.

We are quick to assume that Kim Kardashian’s It’s the fact that, as nude selfie will cause a wave of body-shaming Americans, in the year 2016, and self-negativity among we still have no idea how women, but these women are to deal with nudity. not exposed to the beautiful With Kim Kardashian bodies of real people. being berated recently

by Kayla The only people for whom over a nude selfie, I remain McCollough it is socially acceptable to baffled as to why we try to Entertainment Editor expose themselves are porn mask our own discomfort stars and celebrities, who have with the naked human to have a certain aesthetic for form by attacking people, their jobs. mostly women, who This is the disconnect we face with nudity. The choose to reveal themselves. versions of nudity we see are provocative and erotic; The word “naked” used to make me however nudity is just our natural state, one that uncomfortable.

When I was in high school, I would never use the doesn’t have to be connected to sex or shame.

Remaining in a perpetually naive state about word “naked” in papers or assignments and would nudity is not protecting anyone from the dangerous choose its subtle synonym “nude.”

Naked to me meant vulnerability and shame, side of sex.

The more we hinder the open exposure of and it had to do with the culture I was raised in.

Americans do not like nudity. We don’t like it in the naked body, the more people will crave it and our art, in our movies or on the streets, but we do consume it secret - in legal and illegal ways.

It is not a question of whether Wilkinson and love it on our laptops, with Americans taking the top Kardashian are good role models or parents. slot in per capita page views on Pornhub.

These are simply two women who are According to HG.org, nudity is generally illegal comfortable with their naked bodies. in public places in America.

It is the American state of mind that wants to The site cites reasons why nudity could become dangerous and more than “innocent fun” as ignore that nudity is natural and continue to brand it as taboo. validation for the outlawing of nudity.

By ignoring nudity, trying to shove it out of sight, In Kendra Wilkinson’s case, people can take the ambiguous headline as a suggestion that Wilkinson we are ultimately doing more harm than good.

courtesy of blogher.com

Holy books are among the top sellers all around the world. In today’s charged religious climate, understanding others’ religions and beliefs can lead to a better understanding of the world and the conflicts in the Middle East and elswhere.

Empathy for others comes from understanding The ages of 18-25 are oftentimes some of the most formative years we have as fully conscious adults.

Our mode of thinking changes, we go from immaturity to maturity. Many of us are in school during this time, where we often come out of our shells and begin to develop our own thoughts we break away from our parents, our past teachers and more often than not our religious roots.

Now this isn’t the case for everyone, but I imagine that most of us, upon the broadening of our minds and understanding of the world, begin to call our faith into question.

At the very least we begin to ask questions.

Those general education philosophy and theology classes pick away at the ideas that provided our philosophical and spiritual roots.

This is part of growing up. This is why we come to college.

I grew up Catholic. I went to Catholic school every day from preschool until my high school graduation.

As a child my questions were easily answered. They were deftly navigated by the experienced teachers and clergy that made up my childhood education.

As I got older the questions became a little scarier and harder to handle by those who oversaw my education and spiritual growth.

My questions were met with long pauses and looks of concern or annoyance.

Points made to me as a child became riddled with holes.

The teachings of the church were slipping from me. Before too long I learned not to ask these questions to everyone, so as to avoid suspicion.

Being suspected of faithlessness was worse than getting caught smoking a joint under the bleachers or drinking a beer in the parking lot.

As I learned to be quiet I noticed an imbalance within myself.

There was a sort of hole that had appeared where my “faith” had been. Oddly enough, this didn’t scare me. I didn’t fear hell or the lamentations of my classmates and teachers. I only became more curious.

Soon I found myself in the office of the abbot.

I went to a Benedictine school where much of the faculty were monks (and who better to talk about faith than with an abbot?)

It didn’t surprise me that he had heard rumblings of my discomfort with the faith. I was expecting those firm Catholic words that I had become so accustomed to hearing.

Catholics aren’t the wordiest bunch when it comes to heretics.

This meeting didn’t go as I had thought it would.

I explained my lack of faith to the abbot and watched as he smiled at me.

He told me that questioning my faith would only make it stronger. I saw through the bullshit (or what I thought was bullshit at the time), smiled and nodded.

As I got up to leave he had one last thing to say. I turned around to see him clutching a stack of books.

On top was the Bible but underneath there were three books I had never seen in person. He held The Quran, The Tibetan Book of the Dead and a book of Hindu scriptures.

I was confused at first. What kind of abbot keeps other “false faiths” in his possession?

He saw this and told me that the only reason he was so resolute in his faith was due to his knowledge and understanding of the other faiths of the world.

I should have guessed. He told me to read all the books and see where I stood after I had had time to digest what they said.

To me, that was the most important thing I ever learned. I am not a Christian, or a Muslim or a Jew. I am not a Hindu or Buddhist.

by Joe Kramer So it could be said that Editor the abbot’s intentions were not met in the way he had expected. But I think there is an important lesson in this little story.

For those of you who are faithless, or look to understand more of the world. For those of you who are strong in your faith but feel threatened by the words on other holy pages.

I urge you to do what the Abbot asked of me: read.

Read the words that form the fabrics of other cultures. In the political climate we find ourselves in today there are many who fall into prejudice or even hatred.

There are many who fear out of ignorance. There are many who kill for a cause that isn’t so different from their own.

What can be accomplished by reading their books? What is there to accomplish?

Simply enough, there is understanding to be found within those pages.

In my experience, understanding leads to empathy. Empathy leads to kindness. Kindness leads to peace.

That is what is to be gained by cracking open the other books. That is what is to be gained from conversations of faith with those of other faiths.

If you ask me, there is everything to gain.

Courtesy of huffingtonpost.co.uk

A police or security officer and a rally attendee attempt to subdue to protestor at an October Trump rally in Richmond, Virginia.

Trump rallies have displayed a lot of violence, both from protesters and supporters, and Trump has kicked out peaceful protestors.

Violence at Trump rallies harm the cause I am not a Donald Trump supporter I cannot doing nothing but helping Trump.

The signs equate Trump with hate and yet those stress that enough.

However, I am someone who thinks everyone same people who are protesting start fist fights and should have their rights, especially to freedom of throw things, even injuring a cop, to somehow say speech, even if I despise everything the person uses they are in the right and Trump is wrong.

It is a complete double standard because if this that right to do.

Someone as crass and toxic as Trump has this same behavior happened from Trump supporters at a Bernie Sanders (Sanders criticized the protestors right and it should not be stopped by violence. who were violent) rally, people would want the At that point you are being just as toxic and Trump protesters’ heads on pitchforks. controlling as the person you are disagreeing with.

The violent protestors in this hypothetical One of Trump’s rallies in Chicago on March 11 situation would definitely be painted as villains, was cancelled due to violence whereas the protesters who incited violence in from protestors.

Chicago were painted as martyrs.

Do not confuse this stance This is wrong - no one with me believing people suppressing someone’s should not have the right to right to assembly and free protest. speech should be painted as Just as everyone should a martyr even if the person

by Johnathan have the right to free speech, they are protesting is Trump.

Woodson All this did was so should everyone have Assistant Opinion Editor demonstrate to the Trump the right to protest anyone’s supporters that the people beliefs. calling them ignorant are However at this point not so different from them. the protesters are causing This has not only helped Trump’s campaign violence to get their point across.

Especially in this situation, the whole goal of the it has now hurt protesters in other cities such as Kansas City. protest was lost.

Although this incident never reached the violent The protesters were protesting Trump by holding heights of Chicago, it has resulted in police using up signs and banners equating him with Hitler or more aggressive means to suppress protestors. just hate in general.

This creates a grey area because the stupidity This is fine, because protestors should start a of some of the protestors in Chicago that is now dialogue with Trump supporters and be mature negatively affecting the police force in Kansas City about it. and also now hurting the protestors’ efforts.

When starting a dialogue turns into pushing Although I do not agree with Trump, causing and shoving and yelling to incite a fight, or running violence harms the protestors’ purpose and causes around snatching signs and ripping them up because harmful repercussions for other protesters. In the that isn’t a sign you agree with, at that point you are end it helps Trump.

Entertainment

6 DEBUT

March 16, 2016

Norwegian teen singer puts moody twist on pop music

New This Week Movies

March 16 — Miracles from Heaven (PG), directed by Patricia Riggen, starring Jennifer Garner, Martin Henderson and John Carroll Lynch.

by William Middleton Staff Writer

March 18 — The Divergent Series: Allegiant (PG-13), directed by Robert Schwentke, starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels and Octavia Spencer.

March 25 — Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (PG-13), directed by Zack Snyder, starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Jesse Eisenberg.

March 25 — I Saw the Light (R), directed by Marc Abraham, starring Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford and David Krumholtz.

March 25­— My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (PG-13), directed by Kirk Jones, starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan.

Music March 18 — This Is What The Truth Feels Like - Gwen Stefani March 18 — Post Pop Depression -Iggy Pop March 25 — The Black - Asking March 25 —Mind Of Mine - Zayn Malik

Netflix March 16 — Happy Valley: Season 2 (2016), directed by Sally Wainwright, starring Sarah Lancashire, Siobhan Finneran and Shane Zaza.

March 18 — The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show (2015), directed byMike Bell, starring Chris Parnell, Max Charles and David P. Smith.

March 24 — The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), directed by Rob Minkoff, starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michael Angarano.

photo courtesy of ew.com

Tina Fey takes on the role of a war correspondent sent to Afghanistan. The film is based on Kim Barker’s memoir “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’ fails to tackle potential of memoir journalism story

by Joe Kramer Editor

Tales of the distant conflict in the Middle East and the surrounding nations of Afghanistan and Pakistan have always intrigued me. Mix this with the familiar faces of actors and actresses such as Tina Fey and Martin Freeman, add in a dash of journalistic flair and I would be hard-pressed to find the story less than stellar.

Unfortunately in Glenn Ficarra’s and John Requa’s latest collaboration “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” instead of diving in headfirst and coming up with the big fish, the story barely grazes the surface of the water, leaving viewers with a flat and onedimensional experience.

Based on the memoir of Kim Barker “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the woman who lived out many of the events that unfold in “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” one would expect a certain degree of depth to accompany such a mysterious and sensitive subject as our time in Afghanistan since 9/11.

The story follows Fey’s character, Kim Baker, through her

three-year journey from faceless stateside producer to seasoned war correspondent. In her time spent in Kabul, Afghanistan we watch her grow. We get an interesting glimpse into the culture of Afghanistan from the viewpoints of foreign journalists, and locals. We are led by the hand through dangerous times with a levity and briskness that I did not expect.

There was too much to see here. There were deep issues, huge windows through which we could have gotten a full-blown view into a world many Americans don’t understand.

Many Americans don’t put faces with the news. This story lends a certain humanity to a situation that we are often kept away from. There was so much potential with this film. That potential is easy to see when reading Barker’s memoir. One cannot hope to assert that things were tense 24-7 and that no one so much as cracked a smile.

But by zipping through the film in hopes of making the subject of Afghanistan lighter, maybe even easier to digest by the American people, the directors erred. You do not have to write for powerhouses such as Fey and Freeman. Had the directors gone a more serious

route, this film could have been considered a must-watch or even a great film. Unfortunately Ficarra and Requa chose a lighter approach that made the film fun and lighthearted. It felt more like a romantic comedy than a drama.

While the performances were fun to watch and the banter funny, it somehow seemed out of place.

The shots of Afghanistan were beautiful, the portrayal of the political and military climate of the time were seemingly accurate and the story line was brimming with potential. Despite all of these things going for the film, one would be hard-pressed to walk away from the theater with little more impact than a dent in his memory. The equivalent of a mosquito hitting a windshield.

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” is a fun film for any journalist or lover of culture. Unfortunately, if you fall outside of these categories, the film will do little for you apart from rob you of $10 at the ticket booth.

There could have been much more to this story but the directors just didn’t seem to be up to snuff.

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” is currently playing at the Cinemark Theatre in Conway. It is rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content, drug use and violent war images.

O LY M P I C S

Aurora reveals her first album “All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend,” which brings an emotionally exposed girl to the world.

Aurora Aksnes is a 19-yearold singer from Bergen, Norway.

Although this is her first album the singer has released, Aurora sprung into the music world in 2014, when she released the single “Under Stars.”

Then in May of 2015, she released an EP with four tracks, which she named “Running With The Wolves.”

“All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend,” allows the listener to connect with an emotionally younger version of himself.

The album moves along in an extemporaneous manner that keeps the listener interested and in tune. The first song, “Runaway,” eases the mind to a place of tranquility with many beats and the sounds of non-traditional instruments and Aurora’s voice singing “take me home.”

“Conqueror” brings an upbeat and energetic mood that is easy for the listener to get into. This channels the mood of more pop songs today. In the song, Aurora looks for her conqueror after many broken mornings and nights, but her conqueror never seems to come her way.

Aurora brings down the tone and gets on a more serious note with her song “Luck.” The song brings out the moments in life when one is emotionally downhearted but feels lucky to be alive. She brings a story that challenges the listener to take everything unpleasant and put it behind them and be happy to be alive.

Aurora’s song “Murder Song,” unhinges stereotypes of a 19-yearold girl by singing “He holds the gun against my head. I close my eyes and bang I am dead. I know he knows that he’s killing me for mercy.”

photo courtesy of kaltblut-magazine.com

Norwegian Aurora’s debut album showcases her talents in melancholy pop music.

Perhaps the most heartstopping song is “Through the eyes of a child.” Aurora brings the world to light by showing the second dimension to life, a child’s view of life.

In a child’s view, everyone in life is trustworthy. A child’s heart is open to anyone.

Life was much simpler when you longed for a mother’s warm and mild smile.

Aurora brings back one of her songs she released in on the four track EP in 2015, “Running with the Wolves.” It now has a darker, more gray-tone begging to match the rest of the album.

The new song goes through a range of motions from the dark beginning to a more motivating and uplifting chorus.

Aurora digs deep to pull out the independence and selfmotivation in everyone.

“All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend,” was released in two versions, the regular and deluxe edition.

The deluxe edition includes five more songs. Both editions of Aurora’s album can be found on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and Spotify.

NETFLIX

‘Eddie the Eagle’ falls short Original series adds new characters, loses momentum with fans with inspirational message by Malachi Thornton Assistant Sports Editor

by Darian Whitmore Staff Writer

Everybody likes to hear about underdogs. It warms our hearts and gives us hope for our own personal goals, but director Dexter Fletcher’s new movie “Eddie the Eagle,” which came out on Feb. 26, does not leave you feeling as overwhelmingly inspired as you would hope for.

Hugh Jackman stars alongside the movie’s main character, who is played by Taron Egerton, as they try to get Eddie (Egerton) into the 1988 winter Olympics.

The characters that the actors played both had unique personalities that they portrayed well. Egerton perfectly showcased Eddie’s innocent disposition and made the audience love him from the start. Jackman’s character was much colder compared to Eddie, but he managed to take his dark and gloomy attitude and turn it into dry humor that fit well into the film.

The other characters were mostly only used to show that no one wanted to see Eddie compete, apart from his mother and himself. The film consisted of many extra characters that only had the job of being mean, but they did not have a chance to be established as real characters.

The snarky remarks and snobbish objections in regards to Eddie’s involvement in the Olympics were short and did not give the audience much time to react before moving onto the next scene, which created anti-

Top 5 Performers to Look For at Beale Street List compiled by Austin Savell

climactic drama and made the movie feel like it dragged on to get to one point.

From the beginning you know that Eddie’s goal is not to win any Olympic medals, but only to get the chance to compete. That goal is met a little after the halfway mark and the rest of the movie is just watching him compete and lose. The writers attempted a heart-felt reconnection between Jackman’s character’s former coach and himself, but it was neither awe-inspiring nor exciting. The build up for the two was subtle throughout the movie to the point that it seemed irrelevant so the audience did not have the emotional connection needed to be excited about the rekindled relationship.

The movie either needed to show more of the conflict that Eddie had to face in order to get to the Olympics and better elaborate on the insults that the other characters said throughout the movie or it needed to insert more comedy into the film so that the audience did not go 30 minutes with any new stimulation of their emotions. Due to its lack of excitement, the movie did not stand out from all the other underdog movies that have gone through the theaters before it.

It was a cute movie and sparked occasional laughter, but at the end of it no part stood out.

It is rated PG-13 for the mild sexual content and alcohol use.

“Eddie the Eagle” is currently showing at Conway Cinemark Towne Center.

1. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats This R&B combo will bring the alluring voice of Rateliff and the soulful tones of The Night Sweats to Memphis on May 1 and is sure to bring the house down. I’ve been listening to their first single, “S.O.B.,” non-stop for days and absolutely cannot get enough.

The catchy tune will no doubt bring the crowd to its feet.

Though it was uncertain early on whether this series would be renewed for a fifth season, “House of Cards” season four was a success in defending the franchise as one of the top Netflix originals.

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright return yet again for another conflict-laden season in which the two continue to make their marks on the White House, motivated by their shared lust for power.

According to Variety.com, “House of Cards” is the most popular series on all of Netflix.

During the month of March, the show attracted more new subscribers (6.4%) than any other program.

There has been much added competition from other shows such as Marvel’s superhero series “Daredevil,” which acquired 4.4 million subscribers and Jessica Jones that brought in about 4.8 million new subscribers.

Based on the findings of Vareity.com, other shows such as “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” attracted 7.3% subscribers in the first month, the new drama “Bloodline” appeared to have a slow start with only 2.4 percent.

Amongst the three seasons in the show’s history, the third season was binge-viewed more than any of the others.

Nearly half of its subscribers watched at least three episodes in a single day over the first 30 days after the release. The anticipation grew largely for the show’s return in season four since Netflix had already renewed the show for a 2. Modest Mouse A favorite of mine for some time now, Modest Mouse will take the stage on April 30. The rock band from Issaquah, Wash. will be making their first appearance at the festival. Lead by lead singer, guitarist, banjoist and songwriter Isaac Brock, this band brings intense passion and excitement with all of their metaphor-filled songs.

photo courtesy of sivertimes.com

Robin Wright and Kevin Spacey return for the fourth season of “House of Cards.” Season five of the series has been officially confirmed and is projected to air next year. fifth season, meaning they were confident in season four.

Spacey won a 2015 Golden Globe award for best TV drama actor while Wright won for best actress in 2014 thanks to the shows success.

“House of Cards’” fourth season follows up with the presidency of Frank Underwood at the close of his tenure.

The rise to power is now being targeted again with Underwood having to deal with another election, except this time without the aid of his wife (Robin Wright) as his running mate. A few new characters were added thanks to new cast members Neve Campbell, Cicely Tyson and Ellen Burstyn amongst other high3. Paul Simon Who needs Garfunkel anyway? Seeing a music legend is a must at any music festival like this, and Paul Simon definitely fits the bill there. The singersongwriter has been performing for nearly 60 years and has numerous top 10 hits, both as a solo act and with long time partner Art Garfunkel. This is a slot you don’t want to miss.

profile performers.

The season begins with drama by cleverly pitting Claire against Francis, allowing her to capitalize on new opportunities as a character.

Wright has always been magnificent in her portrayal of the first lady but this season lets us see just what she means to Underwood. Claire coming into her own as a commanding force in Frank’s working relationships is something that gives an added edge to an already stark plot line.

The season is filled with a level of suspense that is a bit different from what conventional fans would have expected.

Though the drama develops more slowly than the other 4. Weezer This popular rock band from Los Angeles headlines the opening night of the festival on April 29. With eight top 10 singles and plenty of underrated tracks, Weezer will have no shortage of fan favorite songs to add to their set list. Plus with a new album, the band will be doing their best to push their new music, which just so happens to be the best they’ve come out with in years.

seasons, the show arrives at some very pivotal moments ranging from an assassination attempt, another affair and a hostage crisis which puts Frank in a volatile position while he simultaneously fights for his own candidacy.

What was most unexpected is the renewal of season five after Beau Willimon, the developer, announced that he would not return for the fifth season.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Willimon is leaving to pursue working on an original play.

Season five of “House of Cards” is set for a return but it is unsure whether or not the show will be preparing itself for any further seasons.

5. Courtney Barnett Barnett being at the top of this list is no doubt a surprise, especially to me. The Australianborn singer-songwriter truly stands out from the other performers at the festival with her witty, story-telling lyrics and charming accent. Nominated for the 2016 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Barnett is one of the most talented performers in the 2016 lineup.

Sports

7

March 16, 2016

Baseball tops series against Lumberjacks

Week at a glance

Football hopeful looks for opportunity at pro-day, in National Football League

By Joe Kramer Editor

By Malachi Thornton Assistant Sports Editor

The draft is approaching and much attention will be going to junior defensive end Jonathan Woodard.

He received 2012 All-SLC First Team and Southland Conference Freshman of the Year honors, finishing with 36 tackles and seven sacks. The following season he increased his numbers totaling 49 tackles with 10.5 sacks and was named 2013 All-SLC First Team.

Woodard will be preparing to enter the draft after having two productive seasons after being red-shirted his freshman year.

Woodard played in 24 games with 16 starts at defensive end where he collected 85 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

Woodard has since been conditioning himself in preparation for the draft. The NFL draft this year will be the 81st annual meeting and, like the year before will be taking place at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Ill. There has been an increase in the drafting of pass rushers and defensive lineman over the past decade which will work in Woodard’s advantage. This rise in numbers is due to the increase of teams around the NFL offensively relying more on the pass and focusing less on a rushing attack.

More draft picks have been focused the pass rush in the past five years than any other position in the NFL. Woodard will be entering the draft remaining at the position of defensive end following his college career.

photo courtesy of the Southland Conference

photo courtesy of Facebook

Champions

Sugar Bears take Southland title

By Taran Meyer Sports Editor

photo courtesy of UCA Sports

Upcoming games Women’s Basketball

March 17 N.C.A.A. Tournament vs University of Louisville at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2 Baseball

March 18-20 at Lamar University at 6 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m.

Softball

March 18-19 at Stephen F. Austin at 3 p.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

March 13 at Corpus Christi at 11 a.m.

Men’s Golf

March 16-17 at Bob Stitton Invitational at TBA

photo courtesy of Bradley Widding

Top: Sugar Bears celebrate the win post game. Bottom left: The Sugar Bears celebrate immediately after the buzzer sounds. Right: Junior guard Brianna Mullins shouts instructions near the end of the game. Mullins finished with a team high 17 points in the championship game.

The days of conference tournament woes are over for the women’s basketball team. The University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bear Basketball team is now officially Southland Conference Champions.

After a five year losing streak in the tournament, the team secured the title on March 13 after defeating the Sam Houston State Bearkats 69-62 in front of 882 people at Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. The win gave the program their first conference championship since the university

made the transition from division two to division one in 2010. Head Coach Sandra Rushing spoke to the team before the game about how far they’ve come.

“It was funny, we put all the hours and minutes of practice that we’ve played and it came down to 40 minutes,” Rushing said. “We have 40 minutes to go to get a championship. This team started back in June. The girls made the commitment and they’ve worked extremely hard and they’ve found a way to win.”

Maggie Proffitt was the leading scorer for the Sugar Bears the entire season, had no reservations all season long about the team’s

work ethic and effort leading up to the championship game.

“The win feels amazing,” Proffitt said. “We’ve been working extremely hard since June and it’s a great feeling to see that hard work pay off.”

The Sugar Bears (28-3, 16-2 SLC) capped what has turned out to be a miraculous conference season by winning 16 conference games and waltzing into the Southland Tournament with the number one seed.

The team will now travel to the number three seed Louisville Cardinals and they couldn’t be more excited to play a top team like Louisville.

COACH

Coach leads with professional experience

By Denn-Warren Tafah Staff Writer

In 2014, Russ Pennell led WNBA team Phoenix Mercury to a western conference championship after the firing of head coach Corey Gaines.

Even with a winning record in the pros, Pennell still opted to go back to college where he would work with young men.

“I got into coaching because I wanted to be a mentor to young men and in the pros it’s a job and in college it’s an occupation,” Pennell said.

On March 7 2014, Pennell was introduced as the head coach of the Central Arkansas Men’s Basketball team. He began making immediate changes to a belowaverage team on and off the court by implementing a student first, athlete second mentality.

The team Pennell inherited had an overall team GPA of 1.7, under Pennell’s leadership, the teams GPA has gone up.

“Ten guys were on the honor roll last semester, and the team GPA is now a 3.2,” Pennell said.

Not only did Pennell brought in new players and he brought a lifestyle that was enforced by his parents.

“My dad wasn’t mean but he was stern, he didn’t compromise,” Pennell said.

Born and raised in Missouri, Pennell grew up in a household with his father, mother and two younger siblings. His parents were both educators. His mom was a teacher and his dad was a coach and a teacher.

As a kid, Pennell competed

in different sports like baseball, football and basketball but eventually gravitated towards basketball.

His younger siblings would go on different paths, compared to his athletic path.

“We did baseball in the summer and basketball all year.

Russ excelled in sports. I eventually found other interests,” his brother, Mitchell Pennell said.

“I was in the gym with my dad all the time, so it was just natural to pick a ball up and start playing,” Coach Pennell said.

After high school Pennell played basketball for the University of Arkansas and the University of Central Arkansas. He started playing for the Razorbacks and then he transferred to a Bears team where he was a two-year starter at point guard.

While at Central Arkansas, Pennell played with current NBA hall of fame member, Scottie Pippen on the 1983-84 team.

“I still hold some assist records,” Pennell said.

Pennell was very good at self-motivation and hiding pain until his last game as a college basketball player against Southern Arkansas.

“When I finally came to the realization that my college career was over it really stung and it hit me hard. I was like, what do I do now?” Pennell said.

His playing days weren’t over though. After college, Pennell went on to play for Spirit Express, which was a Christian Evangelical based professional team in Memphis.

“At half time of the game we would speak to the people,

spreading the good news,” Pennell said.

He played for Spirit Express for five years, playing around 500 games.

Then, in the early ‘90s, Pennell began his coaching career as an assistant at Oklahoma State University under another hall of fame member, Eddie Sutton. He was also an assistant coach for Pittsburgh State, Ole Miss and Arizona State University but he received his first head coaching job at Arizona as interim coach.

“I was at the University of Arizona when James Harden played, good player, he was still bad on defense,” Pennell said.

Pennell’s previous college before coming back to Central Arkansas was the Grand Canyon Antelopes men’s basketball team in Phoenix. He happened to work with UCA sophomore point guard Jordan Howard’s father, Chuck Howard.

“I knew Jordan since he was young and his dad worked with me at Grand Canyon,” Pennell said.

At Grand Canyon, Pennell continued his success by leading them to the playoffs and having an overall record of (72-44, 46-22 PacWest Conference). Pennell has been married for 29 years to his wife Julie Smith, whom he met at Central Arkansas. He has two daughters, Morgan and Emily.

Morgan is a manager for the team at UCA. “When you include your family in your job it works best, we communicate well,” Pennell said.

Pennell hopes to usher in a new era of Bears basketball with the Bears being eligible for the postseason starting next year.

“We’re feeling great, we’re excited about this opportunity,” coach Rushing said.

Junior guard Brianna Mullins led the way in scoring against the Bearkats in the championship game, contributing 17 points to the teams win. Mullins was 6-11 from the field and adding one assist on the afternoon. Proffitt followed Mullins in scoring by adding 11 points and two assists.

“This has been our goal since we were freshman,” Mullins said when asked about the feeling of winning a conference

See Team- page 8 P L AY E R

photo courtesy of UCA Sports

Player creates on court, in kitchen

By Malachi Thornton Assistant Sports Editor

Things appear to have worked out for both Derreck Brooks and the Bears basketball team as he’s grown very comfortable with his surroundings at UCA. The 6-foot-6 inch, hardworking, mild-mannered player from Portland has grown into himself as a player after having an impressive first season with the Bears.

Brooks had a breakout junior season as guard averaging 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and was named SLC Newcomer of the Year.

Brooks came to UCA as a transfer, playing for Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, during the second half of the 2014-15 season and was red-shirted.

After arriving in the early part of 2015, Brooks had a steep learning curve before finding his own minutes on the court.

He came to Central Arkansas and didn’t waste any time before developing some chemistry with the other players.

He already had somewhat of a history with teammate Jordan

See Brooks- page 8

After a hectic week of cancellations and bad weather, the Central Arkansas Bears (7-6, 3-0 SLC) baseball team swept Southland Conference powerhouse Stephen F. Austin University (8-6, 0-3) SLC) in their first conference series of the season.

Despite facing a seven-point deficit five innings into the Bears’ first game of the weekend, the Bears managed to pull out nine unanswered runs late in the game to clinch the first victory of the weekend.

Senior center fielder Tyler Langley felt as though their first conference series tested their mettle but proved that the Bears have what it takes to compete in Southland play.

“This weekend we faced a lot of adversity against a great team.

The big thing was that we held together and just kept grinding and got the sweep. Logan Preston, Brandon Montalvo and Jacob Richardson really came up big at the plate for us. Michael Haun and Logan Preston made some great plays defensively for us also. Jacob Murray, Chris Durham, Derek Beier and Cody Davenport all were great on the mound for us,” Langley said.

The Bears were held to just two hits as they entered the bottom of the fifth inning by the Lumberjack’s opener Jarred Greene before opening up the flood gates putting up three runs.

Central Arkansas was able to keep SFA quiet throughout the sixth before the Bears got to the plate. The Bears brought in six runs on four hits despite being out-hit by five on the game. Despite this offensive gap, the Bears drew eight walks and one hit by a pitch.

Three walks in a row loaded the bases for the Bears, as senior designated hitter Brandon Montalvo squared up against Greene. Montalvo was walked, driving in freshman outfielder Hunter Strong. Senior third baseman Logan Preston took advantage of an error by the Lumberjacks, sending in senior infielder Chris Townsend and junior shortstop Butch Rea bringing the score to 7-3.

Senior pitcher Connor Gilmore was given a break from the mound in the sixth, making way for sophomore righty Tyler Gray. Gray held SFA from scoring, earning his first win of the season. Junior Jacob Murray came in to finish the game giving himself his fourth save of the season.

The Bears really turned up the heat in the seventh, as senior center fielder Tyler Langley, got himself a single, quickly backed up

by Townsend and Montalvo who loaded up the bases for the Bears.

After a pitching change for SFA, Preston lined a out a single that drove in Langley and Townsend bringing the gap down to two.

Preston and Montalvo made their way around the bases on a passed ball. Montalvo was able to score on a fielder’s choice.

Sophomore outfielder, Michael Haun was able to score Preston on a bunt that SFA was unable to make out. With the score at 7-7, Coach Gum called for freshman Cody Davenport to pinch-hit. Davenport singled to right bringing in McCarty. Rea then sacrifice-bunted to bring the score to 9-7.

photo taken by Shiori Soya

Sophomore pitcher Tyler Gray pitches at the match against Stephen F. Austin March 12 at the Bear Stadium. The Bears won 9-7 in that game and continued to win both games against Stephen F. Austin on March 13.

See Baseball- page 8

8/ March 16, 2016

SPORTS

Baseball:

ucaecho.net

Individual, team efforts propel Central Arkansas to a

conference series sweep

4 Continued from page 7 In the second game of the series, the Bears were able to beat out SFA with a 3-2 win. Preston clinched the win in the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off single that drove in two.

In the final game of the series, Central Arkansas was able to tack on four runs in the seventh inning to close the point gap and take the lead from their 4-1 deficit to 5-4 win. The Bears got off to slow starts in each game in the series pulling off each of their wins with

Team:

relievers taking the weight off the starting pitcher’s shoulders. Senior Derek Beier and sophomore Chris Durham got the wins for the UCA bullpen in Sunday’s double header.

Davenport started off for the Bears in the first game on Sunday with seven innings on the mound.

He managed to give up six hits and two runs earning five K’s along the way.

Durham was able to pick up the victory as a reliever and

Murray nailed down his fifth save for the season with a near-perfect ninth inning.

Langley finished 3-5 with two hits a piece for Townsend and Montalvo.

McCarty and Preston tallied up a pair of RBI each. The Bears managed to outhit the Lumberjacks 13-6. The Bears hope to continue their winning streak as they continue conference play on the road against Lamar University March 18-20.

Long-standing work ethic drives team to national tournament photo courtesy of UCA Sports

Sophomore shortstop Kate Myers collects a ball to throw toward home plate. Myers had two hits with one run against the Islanders.

4 Continued from page 7 championship. “We had to work very hard to get here.”

Central Arkansas outrebounded Sam Houston 49-27 in the game. The telling tale of the game was UCA commanding the offensive boards 19-8.

Closing out the game was important for the Sugar Bears as they held Sam Houston to just a single field goal in the final three minutes of the game.

Bench points also came at a premium for the Sugar Bears as a quartet of sophomore forward Taylor Baudoin, junior guard Sandy Jackson, junior center Taylor Strickland and freshman guard Olivia McWilliams contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds to the win.

Leading up to the tournament, UCA earned a double-bye privilege bypassing the first two rounds of the competition, and heading straight into the semifinals of the tournament.

This stemmed from the earning the number one seed in the regular season.

To book their ticket to the

Brooks:

championship game, UCA had to endure a tough test from the McNeese State Cowgirls in a semifinal contest.

In a 72-64 win over the Cowgirls, junior guard Sandy Jackson led the team in scoring against McNeese, hitting 18 points and adding an assist in 19 minutes of play.

photo courtesy of Bradley Widding

The Sugar Bears celebrate after receiving the Southland trophy. The team will play Louisville on March 18.

During the second half of the game, after the Cowgirls were down by as much as 12 in the first half, the Cowgirls mounted a furious comeback to bring the score to within one.

UCA was able to secure the win after scoring the next nine points in the last five minutes of the game and advance to the final.

Preparing for the NCAA tournament will be just the same for the Sugar Bears but with a little extra motivation attached to the game.

The Sugar Bears have never step foot in the tournament so this game will be something special for the team.

“Anything can happen in March. I want us to go in and play hard and continue to do the things we’re doing,” Rushing said.

The Sugar Bears will travel to Louisville, Ky, an eight hour bus ride to play the Cardinals. The game will be on on March 18 at 2:30 p.m. at KFC Yum! Arena. The game can be seen live on ESPN 2.

Familiarity with coach and players helps player follow dream

Softball wins Corpus Christi series

By Mary Kate Mansfield Staff Writer

Saturday and Sunday brought the University of Central Arkansas softball team to Corpus Christi, Texas where the Sugar Bears went 2-3 in their series against the Islanders.

The first game on Friday afternoon was lost by UCA with a score of 2-1. One RBI was batted by right fielder Briana Whisenhunt out of two hits and four at bats.

Third baseman Sam Forrest also had two hits out of four at bats but had no RBIs. Out of seven innings the University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bears put up a fight and went down swinging though it scored its only point in the top of the second inning according to ucasports.com. Before the games this weekend, senior pitcher Shivaun Landeros spoke about the upcoming games, “We feel pretty good. Our defense was great this past weekend and our bats finally got hit towards our last game. As long as we keep playing like we have been, hitting will come. We

just have to continue playing like a team and pulling for one another going into conference now,” she said.

This team’s mind set has shown to been exemplified in the outcome of the series this weekend.

The second game played in this series was later on a partly cloudy Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. The University of Central Arkansas softball team won with a score of 5-2 UCA coming back with a vengeance from losing the first game of the series. Kayla Gomness pitched a low-scoring game with only six hits and one error out of all seven innings.

In the top of the third inning two RBIs were earned by left fielder Hannah Stirton through an error by third base. Second baseman Sarah Bigej and third baseman Sam Forrest got both by unearned runs.

This play along with the play after it when Hannah Stirton advanced to third base and Jessie Taylor scored by an unearned run by way of a passed ball left the Sugar Bears with four runs at the end of the third inning.

The last run to seal the win for the University of Central Arkansas was scored by Krissy Fontillas on a double by first baseman Audrey Pratt.

The third game of the weekend was played on a partly sunny Sunday afternoon at 11 a.m.

The University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bears scraped together a win with a final score of 2-1 against Texas A&M at Corpus Christi. With the first run scored at the top of the third inning by Kate Myers the Bears started out well.

The UCA softball team carried its momentum from the third inning into the fourth inning earning its second run of the game that would later guarantee it the win over Texas A&M at Corpus Christi. At the top of the fourth inning Audrey Pratt scored the second run through a hit by Sam Forrest.

David Kuhn said he thought the weekend went well.

“Great, really pleased, to go on the road and win the series and come home two in one was great,” Kuhn said. “These ladies put up a fight and won the weekend two games out of three.”

to UCA

4 Continued from page 7 Howard having shared the same court with him a number of times during his years at Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Arizona.

“Me and Jordan spent some time going against each other back in Arizona. We’ve known about each other before me coming here. Back then I had to either face him or his brothers all the time,” Brooks said.

Brooks was selected first team All-Region in 2010, named East Valley Player of the Year in 2011, Division I All-Section first team in 2012 and was part of a NCAA D-II National Championship team.

Men’s head basketball coach Russ Pennell shared a history with Brooks from his time following him while he coached at Grand Canyon University.

“Me and Coach Pennell had a history before I got here which maybe helped. He used

to follow me back in high school and wanted to recruit me while he coached at Grand Canyon,” Brooks said. “He told me after he left that if he found a new school that he wanted me to come with him so when he finally did come to UCA of course he asked me, and naturally I was excited to come and play for him.”

Brooks He started each of the 28 games this season under Pennell, in a season that he described as “growing pains.”

This would be attributed to the

team having a 7-21 record which was a disappointment for Brooks.

“We all worked so hard on and off the court … it’s something a lot of people don’t know. I think some games got away from us. I thought there were some times I could have done some things differently that could have maybe helped us. I have be more consistent,” Brooks said.

Off of the court Brooks enjoys cooking and considers himself to be quite the talent.

“I’m not going lie … I can actually get down in the kitchen,” Brooks said. Another hobby of his is to check out a few recipes and try them out for himself in his free time.

Aside from wanting to help on the court, Brooks wants to someday help in the medical field.

Brooks majors in health science and plans to work in rehabilitation for patients dealing with drug addiction.

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