The Echo | October 31, 2018

The Echo

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

w ed n esday

October 31, 2018 Volume 113 — Issue 9

ucaecho.net TODAY’S FORECAST

Campus Life:

CONWAY

Communication: Students encouraged to start conversations

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE

Entertainment:

Sports:

‘Hill House’ Ghosts: Family confronts inescapable ties

Men’s Cross County: Win at Southland Conference a first

4 page 6

4 page 3

4 page 7

Suspicious van trails student, stirs response on social media

Partly Sunny

71/49

THE NEWSDESK

by Emily Gist Opinion Editor

FROM THE EDITOR

I N T E R N AT I O N A L Hawaii islands wiped out, one submerged The chain of island groups located in Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument was struck by a Category 5 hurricane Oct. 25. One island within the chain, the East Island, was completely submerged and wiped from the map by the massive hurricane. Though the island was uninhabited, there are concerns for the Hawaiian green sea turtle and the Hawaiian monk seal as the island was a refuge for these two endangered animals.

photo by Lauren McCabe

Actress and advocate Rita Moreno lectures about her early career in Hollywood Oct. 23 at Reynolds Performance Hall.

Moreno discussed her experiences playing ethnic roles, dealing with sexual harassment among top Hollywood men and how her career has panned out into her work today.

Rita Moreno recounts successes, strife in her career as famed EGOT actress

by Lauren McCabe

N AT I O N A L

Staff Writer

Jewish hate crime in

PA, synagogue mourns On Oct. 27, 11 people were killed in a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. The victims included a pair of brothers, a married couple and a Holocaust survivor.

The oldest victim was 97 years old and the youngest was 54. Shooter Robert D. Bowers, 46, was armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle, and at least three handguns.

He was charged with 29 criminal counts, including the obstruction of the free exercise of religious beliefs, also known as a hate crime.

Ill-constructed mail

bombs fail to detonate Cesar Altieri Sayoc Jr., a radical Trump supporter, was charged Oct. 26, for sending explosive packages to over a dozen Democratic members.

At least 14 bombs and 12 targets have been identified, all of whom have been scrutinized by the right wing.

Sayoc has been charged with five federal crimes, including the interstate transportation of an explosive, the illegal mailing of explosives and making a threat against a former president and other Democratic members.

A crowd of music and movie lovers erupted in applause and cheers as a living legend crossed the Reynolds Performance Hall stage Oct. 23 to give a presentation on her life, challenges and career in Hollywood.

Rita Moreno, 86, is known for being one of the only four female EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) award-winners for her groundbreaking roles in movies such as Anita in “West Side Story”and Zelda Zanders in “Singin’ In The Rain,” guest appearances on TV shows such as “The Muppet Show” and “Happily Divorced,” as well as her performance in stage productions such as “The Ritz” and most recently her own one-woman show, 2011’s “Life Without Makeup.”

Moreno was born in 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico, but immigrated to America with her mother when she was 5 years old.

“As a 5-year-old immigrant to New York City, I was confronted with such overwhelming change in everything,” Moreno said.

“When I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time, I thought she was holding the world’s biggest ice cream cone.”

Moreno heavily reflected on her early years settling in the Bronx, which were filled with moving in and out of cramped apartments covered in flaking wallpaper and plagued by bug problems.

Being born in Puerto Rico,

she remembers that she wasn’t too accustomed to the chilly northern weather and that for the first time she owned a coat and boots and saw her first snowfall.

“I concluded this was my life now, and how I chose to react to it would be woven into the fabric of my character for the rest of my life,” said Moreno, just before she broke out into a short, sweet tune about dreaming as the audience sat transfixed.

Moreno made her Broadway debut at 13 years old in “Skydrift,” when by pure luck a talent agent saw her performance and arranged her to meet with Louis B. Mayer, the owner of MGM Studios, where she was signed into a contract.

Moreno laughed and joked as she recounted her first experiences working with big Hollywood names at the studio, and even seeing them around during lunch breaks.

“They sauntered in like real people: Clark Gable, Lana Turner, Elizabeth Taylor,” Moreno said, her voice rising excitedly as she spoke about Taylor. “I [nearly] wet my [pants].”

Moreno credits her mother as being her cheerleader and role model throughout her life, as she worked hard to allow her daughter to pursue her dreams, even when times were tough in Moreno’s career, like when she regularly played ethnic roles that she described as “dusty maiden Indian[s].”

“There lay my problems in Hollywood,” Moreno said. “The roles objectified [me] as they almost always portrayed [me] as

ignorant, passive, uneducated and morally bankrupted.”

The biased roles Moreno started out playing weren’t the only reasons she disliked her time at MGM and 20th Century Fox. She also dealt with sexual assault and harassment by powerful men in the movie industry, even those that she dated.

But finally, her big break came when she was casted to play Anita in “West Side Story.”

“I was never given the opportunity until I was 28 to play the role of a woman who stood up for herself,” Moreno said. “I discovered I could make a difference.”

After her rise to fame and making a name for herself, Moreno steadily got involved in political causes, including participating with Martin Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington in 1963.

“Looking beyond myself and engaging my energy to a wide range of interests, I began to see myself as a part of the bigger picture,” Moreno said. “[As] someone who was now a public figure, I felt the responsibility to help others, or at the very least to help raise awareness.”

Today Moreno remains in the spotlight as she currently lends her voice to the character of Abuelita in the animated series “Nina’s World” on NBC TV’s Sprout Network and has published a memoir.

Her lecture at UCA ended in a standing ovation.

“If I don’t dream, I don’t reach, and if I quit, I can’t,” Moreno stated boldly. “Never quit. Never give up.”

A young black student with the last name Williams was walking by herself at 3 a.m.

Oct. 24 when a blue van drove onto the sidewalk behind her, following her to her dorm; after the incident was made public, students took to various social media platforms warning others about the dangers of walking alone late at night, with one student proposing that UCAPD didn’t take the incident seriously because of racial bias.

Williams, who asked to withhold her first name out of concern to her safety, said she was walking from her car in the Stadium Park parking lot back to her dorm in Bear Hall. She said there were hardly any cars and she was the only person out walking.

As she crossed Bruce Street walking southbound on the west side of the Physical Therapy building, a navy blue van passed by Williams heading the opposite direction toward a roundabout. A white car followed immediately after. Everything was silent.

Williams said she didn’t know what made her turn around, but when she did she saw the headlights of the van heading in her direction. Then, she said, the van drove onto the sidewalk behind her.

“When I saw the van coming my direction, I did what any person would have done — ran to safety,” Williams said. “The van was still coming toward me as I made it to the door. [Then,] it stopped.

It sat there. I was digging in my pocket to try and find my BearCard, but I kept pulling out credit cards. I stuck the [other cards] in my mouth, so I wouldn’t get them mixed up until I found my [BearCard].

The van continued to [idle] there. I didn’t see anyone exit the van. It just sat there.”

Williams filed a report with UCAPD around 9:15 a.m.

Oct. 24, then filed a report with Conway PD. The UCAPD report was filed as “suspicious activity” and matched Williams’ telling of the story.

Williams said a UCAPD officer speculated the driver was a taxi cab driver dropping off an intoxicated person at the Farris Center. But Williams said Conway PD told her taxi cabs weren’t dark-colored, and shouldn’t drop people off so late at night. Additionally, she said she saw no markings on

the van to identify it as a taxi.

At 9:41 a.m. Oct. 24, Williams’ brother, nonstudent Antonio Williams, posted about his sister’s experience on Facebook, with word of the incident spreading from there.

“My little sister was followed by a dark (Blue or Black) van unknown make and model on campus last night/ early morning! They actually drove on the sidewalk as she was running to her building!

All UCA students please be careful!” her brother’s post read.

After contacting Antonio and his sister privately, junior Tionna Ladd posted at 10:26 a.m. accusing UCAPD for racial bias in their handling of the incident.

“UCA IS TRYING TO COVER UP THE ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING BECAUSE SHE WAS BLACK!!!” Ladd said in a Facebook post.

Ladd said she heard about the UCAPD officer’s taxi cab theory from Williams, and she said she felt UCAPD didn’t treat the incident seriously and would have treated it with more scrutiny if the person reporting the incident had been white.

“If it happened to a white person then we would have gotten an alert or email, and she reported it and they didn’t take it seriously,” Ladd said.

“They even made a post about it saying they didn’t think it was an attempted kidnapping.”

Around 4:40 p.m. Oct. 24, UCAPD posted a statement on Twitter.

“While we received a ‘suspicious activity’ report, at this time we have no reason to believe that there was an attempted kidnapping or any other criminal act or intent.

We will continue to investigate the incident in an attempt to identify the facts surrounding the matter and ensure the safety of all of our students,” the post read.

UCAPD Public Relations and Communications officer Michael Hopper said the police department had not withheld any information regarding the incident from the public, and explained why the campus wasn’t alerted of the event via email.

“After an initial investigation, it was determined this incident did not meet the criteria for a Timely Warning or an Emergency Alert as stated by

See Van- page 2

DEVICE SECURITY

S TAT E Teen under investigation for assaulting his sister A Conway mother filed a report with Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office against her 14-year-old son Oct. 8. The woman showed officers questionable history searches and explicit videos, which she found on her son’s phone. The search histories were “brother and sister porn” and the explicit video was of the son engaging in sexual contact with his 3-year-old sister.

The case is currently under investigation.

WHAT’S AHEAD

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE Homecoming Week Festivities

Email scammer attempts to blackmail students, asks for ransoms in Bitcoin

by Emily Gist

Four students opened their emails to an extortion attempt before forwarding the emails to the UCA Information Technology Help Desk, prompting IT to send out a notification Oct. 18 warning students about the attempts.

Chief Information Officer of IT Mike Lloyd said the scammer asked for varying amounts on Bitcoin, some up to $10,000, but most were under $1,000.

According to the email IT sent out, the scammer pretended to have hacked into students’ accounts and supposedly gained access to passwords. The scammer threatened to send personal documents to the

Index: 4Police Beat 4People of UCA

4

4Students Say

4

2

4Columns 4Entertainment 4Sports

you often visit. I am in shock of your fantasies! I’ve never seen anything like this!”

Forwarded to The Echo by Information Technology Lead Systems Administrator Phillip Arnold The scammer also said he captured screenshots of Hello! the users’ “piquant sites” and threatened to send those I’m a hacker who cracked your email and device a few months ago. pictures to all the users’ You entered a password on one of the sites you visited, and I intercepted it. contacts unless the users paid This is your password from xxxxxxxxxx@uca.edu on moment of hack: the ransom.

“There will be laughter aynugffrzadncpynwidvfq when I send these photos to Of course you can will change it, or already changed it. your contacts! BUT I’m sure But it doesn’t matter, my malware updated it every time. you don’t want it,” the scammer image courtesy Arnold Do not try to contact me or find me, it is impossible, since I sent you anof Phillip email fromwrote. your Lloyd said there are several An excerpt of the email sent to one of four students by an email scammer in a Bitcoin extortion attempt. Information account. warning signs of a scam Technology Systems Team Manager Phillip Arnoldcode said heto was first made aware of these extortion emails Through yourAdministration email, I uploaded malicious your Operation System. attempt.

Oct. 17, sent an email alert to students Oct. 18 and provided The Echo with the forwarded email example Oct. 26.

I saved all of your contacts with friends, colleagues, relatives and a complete history of“Some visitsof the telltale signs are if poor grammar is used in students’ contacts unless they but trying to be specific enough sent to students, he wrote, “You to the Internet resources. the content of the email. That paid ransoms in Bitcoin. to make you think they had the are not my only victim, I usually seems to be indicative of some Also I installed a Trojan on your device and long tome spying for you.

“No accounts have been information from breaking into lock computers and ask for a You are not my only victim, I usually lock computers and ask for a ransom. compromised. It was just a your account,” Lloyd said. ransom. But I was struck by the See Scammer- page 2 sites of intimate But I was struck the sites ofInintimate that you often visit. content that scammer being vaguebyenough the emailcontent the scammer

Email exchange between a student and scammer

Opinion Editor

5 6 7

I am in shock of your fantasies! I’ve never seen anything like this!

So, when sites (you know what I mean!)

Social: Contact Us:you had fun on piquant I made screenshot with using my program from your camera of yours device.

After that, I combined them to the content of the currently viewed site.

Phone: 501-499-9822 There will be laughter when I send these photos to your contacts!

E-mail: ucaechoeditor@gmail.com BUT I’m sure you don’t want@ucaecho it.

The Echo ucaecho Therefore, I expect payment from you for my silence. © 2018I think The Echo, Printed Leader Publishing, Arkansas. $889 is anby acceptable price forJacksonville, it!

Inside: That moment when...

Your offspring comes with a GMO label.

see page 5

2/ October 31, 2018

NEWS

ucaecho.net

Police Beat

The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports

by Assistant News Editor Caela Rist

Hit and run turns into drug violation

photo by Lauren Swaim

Rebekka Bodnar from J. B. Hunt speaks to junior Tou Cheng at the STEM/Graduate School Career Fair Oct. 25 in the Student Center Ballroom. Career Services, who hosted the event, brought in representatives from different companies and graduate schools for the fair.

STEM Career, Graduate School Fair brings schools, employers to UCA

by Lauren McCabe Staff Writer

The Student Center Ballroom was bustling with diverse graduate opportunities and donuts as UCA held its annual STEM Career/Graduate School Fair Oct. 25.

The event provided information and opportunities to students who were interested in pursuing STEM in graduate school or were ready to begin looking for employment positions to start in after college.

“I wanted to get experience in [attending career fairs] and [with] talking to recruiters,” said junior Tou Cheng, an attendee who is majoring in computer sciences. “In the future, I [hope] to be more comfortable and feel that I am being myself [during interviews] or [while networking] with groups of people in general.”

Graduate schools lined up their booths and brochures.

Some schools in attendance included the UAMS College of Pharmacy, Texas A&M University and UCA’s own graduate programs in business and mathematics.

Employers who were looking to hire for full-time positions included Entergy Arkansas, the Arkansas Army National Guard and Netsmart Technologies.

While every grad school application may be different, Courtney Rippeto, the professional and transfer admissions specialist for the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, suggested admission committees like to learn who the student is that is applying.

“Specifically, for [the] pharmacy [program at SLCOP], we like to see good science references from an upper-level division course, as well as what the professors [or instructors] have to say about that student,” Rippeto said.

“It’s nice to [have a source that shows] how a student performs, their relationships with their professors [and even] some words about their character in college.”

As recruiters and professors representing a variety of different programs and universities mingled with students and faculty, they all had one thing in common: wanting to be the right choice for a future student.

“Make sure you [think] of what you’re going toward,” Harding University representative Josh Brown said. “Harding University is a very welcoming place. We try to keep our class sizes small so that you’re not just a number [and are able] to know who the faculty is [in our STEM programs]. I think that’s what

makes Harding so unique.”

Some students seemed to take part in the career fair with an idea of exactly what needed to be done to get into their chosen school or career, and some of those students challenged lowerclassmen to think about their futures after UCA. “It’s a lot of work; you have to make sure you stay on top of everything, as [professors] cannot do [all of the applications and research] for you,” said senior Ashley Harper, an attendee majoring in family and consumer sciences.

“I think [STEM fairs] such as this one [provide opportunities] to network. [I believe students should] start early, start [making connections] and try not to get behind in classes or [on application] deadlines.”

Recruiters, such as Rippeto, also emphasized keeping track of how much time one has to apply and exactly what types of documents one needs to submit to be accepted into graduate school.

“Getting your applications together [and] writing that personal statement [are] really good points of reference for committees to understand [where that student] is coming from and why they want to join that specific program,” Rippeto said.

Van:

Williams’ friend speaks out to ensure others’ safety 4 Continued from page 1 the Annual Security Report,” Hopper said. “We felt the best course of action was to release a statement via our social media outlets instead of an email to make the community aware that an incident occurred and reiterate the need to report suspicious activity immediately to the police department.”

According to UCA’s Clery Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, a Timely Warning is issued in “any situation or incident on campus that involves a significant emergency or dangerous situation that may involve an immediate or ongoing threat to the health and safety of students and/or employees on campus” and has to be confirmed with quality evidence Ladd said that even if UCAPD didn’t think the incident met the Timely Warning or Emergency Alert criteria, it was an oversight on UCAPD’s part not to notify students.

“Even if they didn’t think that it was suspicious activity, they still should have notified the campus,” Ladd said. “Whether

they think it’s suspicious activity or not they should always notify the students [about] what’s going on.”

Ladd said Williams was shaken after the incident, but feared the consequences of remaining silent. Therefore, Ladd felt the need to speak out in solidarity with Williams.

“She wasn’t going to say anything [on social media], but she said that if it would’ve happened to somebody else on campus and they would’ve actually took the girl, she would’ve had that on her conscience,” Ladd said.

Freshman DaQuann Ford, a friend of Williams, said that she is now losing sleep, fears traversing campus and wants to have someone nearby at all times, adding that she is scheduling an appointment with the Counseling Center.

“I know for a FACT something had to happen because [Williams] has changed

Scammer:

as a person,” Ford said in a Facebook message to The Echo.

Many people commented on various posts about how shaken up Williams must feel, sharing her brother’s post on various accounts and on various GroupMes, including the sophomore Honors student’s GroupMe, the Students for the Propagation of Black Culture GroupMe and the African American Studies Society GroupMe. Most posts were accompanied with warnings for others, offering ways to stay safe at night so they don’t face a similar incident.

Williams said this incident has led her to lose trust in campus safety.

“I want to believe someone was getting dropped off, to make me feel safe again,” Williams said. “I just want to feel safe living on campus and not in fear.”

Scammers show signs of bluffing

4 Continued from page 1

of these scamming emails,” Lloyd said.

He said another sign is if the scammer greets the victim by saying something like, “Dear customer” instead of the user’s name.

“They’re obviously phishing. They don’t know you as they pretend to know you,” Lloyd said.

In this recent incident, the scammer simply started the email with “Hello!”

Other signs of scamming are claims of knowing students’ passwords and sensitive data.

This scammer claimed to know the students’ passwords for their Cub accounts “on moment of hack.”

Lloyd said that according to IT Systems Administration Team Manager Phillip Arnold’s research into scam attempts, many of the passwords scammers claimed to know weren’t valid and hadn’t been valid for at least three years.

Lloyd also urged users to be aware of suspicious links in the bodies of emails.

“It’s always a good idea to go to your browser without clicking on a link and search for that company to see what their true URL may be to validate it,” Lloyd said.

Arnold added that another warning sign was incorrect email addresses. In the past four months, Lloyd said they had received several email scams with Houston Davis’ name followed by a Gmail account.

“Anyone can go to Gmail and create an account as long as it’s not being used, so that’s another thing to be cautious of — the sender address,” Lloyd said.

According to the notification email IT sent out, IT was working with Google to add another layer of protection to student emails. Arnold said he was on the phone with Google support for an hour and a half getting that layer of protection in place.

This protection essentially works by blacklisting certain domain names that try to enter UCA’s mail server from

an unwanted mail server, so UCA’s server can reject message attempts.

Despite this extra layer of protection to UCA computers, Arnold said the protection doesn’t apply to people’s personal devices. Arnold said any device can pick up a virus that can read and compile the user’s email contact list from the account.

“When that happens, if it’s a UCA-owned computer we’ll find [the virus] really quickly,” Arnold said. “We have software that runs and corrects that issue, but for your personal PCs, home PCs, personal files and tablets, the device is only as secure as the user keeps the device updated.”

Arnold said users can protect their personal devices by consistently updating their antivirus systems and owning antivirus systems in the first place. He said McAfee, AVG and Webroot are good program options, and that there are many free antivirus programs available.

On Oct. 21, student Madelyn Miller reported her boyfriend’s car was hit overnight in the parking lot of College of Business. The 2012 Silver Honda Accord belonging to Miller’s boyfriend, Tyler Spencer, received extreme damage to the rear driver side fender. The damage was estimated to be $2,500.

After officer Kaitlyn Weber and officer Christopher Vasquez reviewed the video surveillance, they identified the hit and run driver, later named as student Sawyer Poulsen. Weber then patrolled UCA’s parking lots looking for the vehicle that matched the video surveillance footage of the perpetrator’s vehicle. She found the vehicle in the parking lot southeast of Stadium Park Apartments and cross-checked the license plate and parking permit to confirm it was Poulsen’s vehicle.

Upon approaching the vehicle, Weber smelled an intense odor of marijuana

coming from the vehicle’s open window. Later, Vasquez searched Poulsen’s car and found marijuana particulates and buds, an open Bud Ice container and a silver thermos with alcohol inside. After Weber contacted Poulsen in Bernard Residence Hall, he was placed under arrest for Leaving the Scene of an Accident and Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree.

Random person pops student in eye, runs On Oct. 18, student Joel Vangeemen was walking eastbound behind Conway Hall while listening to music through his headphones when an unidentified person tapped him on the shoulder.

When Vangeemen turned the individual punched him directly in his right eye and ran off. Vangeemen was unable to provide a physical description of the assailant. There was not any surveillance footage of the incident and no witnesses. The case has been marked inactive pending any development of additional information.

Intoxicated couple argues over dance Officer Phillip Boyd was dispatched to a possible domestic disturbance in State Hall Oct. 20. Student Taylor Thompson was in her dorm room with her boyfriend, non-student Hunter Mullings, when a verbal altercation occurred. After speaking to the individuals separately, Hunter determined that both parties were intoxicated from a previously attended sorority formal.

Once they arrived back to Thompson’s dorm, Mullings said they began arguing because Thompson believed that he did not dance with her enough. Mullings tried to leave the dorm room twice, but Thompson convinced him to stay because he had been drinking heavily. At some point during the altercation, Mullings threw a picture onto the floor, shattering the glass.

After Mullings’ friend came to pick him up, Boyd instructed Mullings not to contact Thompson until the next day when he would be sober again.

CHALLENGE WEEK

Speaker discusses status of contemporary slavery

by Sophia Ordaz Editor

From rural Nepal to the Amazon rainforest to the South Asian Brick Belt, contemporary slavery covers the globe with a total of 40.3 million slaves, and exists much like it has throughout human history in terms of slaves’ lived experience. “[Slavery is] the total control of one person by another person, violence being used to maintain that control and then that control and violence maintaining that exploitation, labor and sexual,” Kevin Bales said during his keynote address for the Schedler Honors College’s 2018 Challenge Week, which aimed to examine the global supply chain.

A professor of contemporary slavery at the University of Nottingham and cofounder of the advocacy group, Free the Slaves, Bales was invited by the Honors Council to deliver the keynote after Professor of English Conrad Shumaker brought Bales’ book, “Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecocide and the Secret to Saving the World,” to the council’s attention. “[Shumaker] had discovered the book while developing a literature and environmental justice course, and thought the topic of modern day slavery, environmental destruction and our global economy would make for a highly relevant, interdisciplinary Challenge Week,” said Assistant Professor of Geography Ellen Hostetter,

who compiled ideas from faculty across departments and colleges to organize the week.

In his address, Bales approached contemporary slavery from economic, ecological, technological, linguistic and psychological standpoints, declaring that the most significant change seen in contemporary slavery in the last 50 years has been that overpopulation has caused the value of slaves to plummet in the world economy.

Whereas the average slave in the American South during the 1850s would cost between $40,000 and $60,000 in today’s money, the average cost of a contemporary slave is just $90.

“The cost of human beings in slavery today has, compared to all of human history, collapsed,” he said. “And what it means is that like really cheap things, like Styrofoam cups, it means that you use them, [and] what do you do with them? You don’t cherish them. You just crumple them up and throw them away.”

From satellite images, Bales discovered five fish camps where child slaves as young as 9 work, two of which were located in the Sundarbans National Park, a protected World Heritage Site in Bangladesh. Not only were these child slaves dying from disease or tiger attacks, the fish camps also led to deforestation of the protected forests. The ecological destruction caused by slavery is so great that its combined emissions would make it the third largest emitter of carbon

dioxide, behind only China and the United States.

“If we actually could phenomenally and amazingly reduce the amount of slavery dramatically in a year or two and we cut that emission, where would that put us in terms of our carbon emission? Well, it actually would almost stop the increase,” Bales said. “If we began to employ the newly freed slaves to replant the forest that had been cut illegally, it could actually even reverse the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”

According to the United Nations, contemporary slavery generates $150 billion a year in profits. While this value may seem enormous numerically, its proportion to the world economy is minor as it is valued at a little over the GDP of Kansas.

“The important thing to understand is that of course slavery is in supply chains, and it’s powerfully in supply chains, but it’s actually economically trivial,” Bales said. “The amount of slavery in supply chains that reach Americans is pretty small in a scattering of different types of products, everything from frozen shrimp to our electronics to coffee and cocoa and cotton.”

It would cost about $23 billion over 20-30 years to eradicate slavery — the cost of a few warships or aircraft carriers, Bales said.

“It’s tiny but enormous, and the enormity is all about the moral responsibility we have and the enormous horror of impact on lives.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Alumni awarded for service, one posthumously

by Cassidy Kendall Associate Editor

Greg Hunt and Susan Hoggard are the recipients of the 2018 Alumni Service Award, marking the first time ever to have two recipients at once, and for one of the awards to be given posthumously, with Hunt dying in 2015.

“Susan and Greg really are the definition of service with what they’ve done for the university,” Alumni Association director Jesse Thill said.

“They’ve given their time over the years, and we are incredibly grateful for what they’ve done for both the association and the university … They [board members] were unanimous in their support for Susan and Greg, and this was the first year ever they’ve actually had two recipients chosen in a year. The board felt that strongly about each of their nominations.”

Hunt served one term on the Alumni Association Board.

“Greg would have been ecstatic to have learned about his selection for this award,” Hunt’s sister Marilyn Chapman said. “UCA always held a special place in his heart and knowing that the Alumni Association thought enough of his service for this recognition is truly an honor.”

Hunt graduated from UCA in 2003 with a degree in mass communication. He was active in the Alumni Association,

Black Alumni Charter, Diversity Advisory Committee and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Member.

He worked worked for Sandstone Real Estate Group out of Conway and had two children with his wife Kendra.

He died of colon cancer at 38.

“The University of Central Arkansas laid the foundation for Greg’s educational and professional success,” Chapman said. “While there, he met many individuals that mentored him and provided him access to a variety of growth opportunities.

Greg knew the value of what had been poured in to him and believed in giving of his talents and resources to others within the UCA community.”

Hoggard is currently serving her second consecutive term on the Alumni Association Board.

“It’s an honor. You do something out of love for what you’re doing, but then to be recognized for that, it really is special,” Hoggard said.

Originally from Stuttgart, Arkansas, Hoggard has resided in Conway since beginning her college education at UCA in 1963. While in school, she played the E-Flat clarinet in the Bear Marching Band and was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority.

She graduated in 1967 with a degree in elementary education.

Hoggard and her late

husband, former Conway Mayor Jim Hoggard, have five children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren — all of which remain relatively local.

“UCA built my whole personality, my goals and my achievements,” she said. “It’s what my whole life is built around ... it’s where I met my husband — Conway is where we married and raised our family — it’s where I got my education, giving me a vocation to teach school, and I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends here.”

Thill said this award speaks to the heart of the association; it is volunteer powered and driven.

“The Alumni Service Award is all about just that: serving the Alumni Association …

The purpose of the Alumni Association is three-fold; it exists to keep alumni connected to each other, to their classmates and to the institution itself. It’s instrumental in supporting private student scholarships,” Thill said.

He said nominations are carried from year to year, with solicitation for additional nominees, building up a pool of nominees for the board of directors to vote on.

There were seven nominees to consider this year.

The awards will be given at a ceremony at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Conway Country Club.

Campus Life October 31, 2018

Around Campus: “‘Tis Pity” The UCA Theater Department will present “‘‘Tis Pity” by John Ford at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 and 2 in the Bridges/Larson Theater in the Snow Fine Arts Center. The 17th-century play is about an incestuous affair that brings about tragedy. The play is directed by Associate Professor of Theater Chris Fritzges and stars Emily Cobb as Annabella. For more information, contact Theater Business Manager Melissa Kordsmeier-Pearson at melissap@uca.edu.

John Mulaney The Student Activities Board presents comedian John Mulaney at 8 p.m. Nov. 1 at Reynolds Performance Hall. Mulaney is an Emmy award-winning writer of SNL fame, and recently had a special released on Netflix, “Kid Gorgeous,” that was nominated for an Emmy.

Mulaney will be debuting a new stand-up routine during the performance. For more information, contact SAB at sabcomedy.uca.@gmail.com.

3

Communication Week emphasizes power of connection

by Aysha Dixon Social Media Editor

The College of Fine Arts and Communication highlighted the importance and impact of communication in both the professional world and everyday life during its Communication Week Oct. 22-26, capping off the week with a panel discussion about race and race relations spurred by student concerns.

Communication professors Adriian Gardner and Charles Eastman organized the panel, titled “Starting the Conversation: Changing the Narrative on Race and Race Relations,” after students who took an end-of-the semester exam felt that a few of the questions that referenced Kanye West and Common were racially angled. Instead of sweeping the students’ concerns under the rug, the two professors partnered in hopes of creating a dialogue about a subject that is touchy not only on UCA’s campus, but statewide.

Panelists included Dean of Students Kelly Owens; senior UCA NAACP chapter president Jayda Williams; City of Hope Outreach director Phillip Fletcher, who represented the Conway community; senior Abigail Galicia-Romero, who represented the Latino Student Association; and Samantha Harrington, who is a freshman communication major.

As the discussion began, Eastman asked the panelists to discuss their personal opinion

on the definition of race and how the terms discrimination and prejudice tie into race.

“I look at race from a theological and biological standpoint … [I believe in the] human race,” Fletcher said. “Ethnicities are the subcategories that form a sense of ‘superiority’ and ‘inferiority’ among us.”

According to UCA’s diversity ledger, in fall 2017, black students had the largest headcount among undergraduate minority students at 16.3 percent, with Hispanic students as second (5.3 percent), Asian students fourth (2.1 percent), American Indian/Alaskan Native students fifth (0.5 percent) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students sixth (0.1 percent).

According to statistics on College Board’s website, which gathers research on higher education, UCA’s student population is considered to be more diverse in comparison with other universities across the country. However, Williams believes that a campus that “values, supports and advances diversity” per its website should also consider diversifying campus faculty.

“I think the panel gave a good idea of where to start [to talk about race relations],” Williams said. “I believe that UCA encourages diversity; however, I think that we can do a better job about intentionally hiring minority professors.”

Other panelists spoke about UCA’s campus diversity in particular. There was

photo by Lauren Swaim

Junior Jennifer Draper blows up a balloon during her speech to demonstrate how stress and anxiety can build up while attending college. Draper was the winner of the seventh annual Olive M. Hilliard Speech Showcase Oct. 25 in Stanley Russ Hall.

agreement that diversity is discussed among both faculty and students; however, conversations like the one at Friday’s panel do not typically pair with action from administration.

Gardner is heavily involved with UCA’s Black Male Achievement Challenge program. He said he has noticed that it is hard for students of color in his classes to feel a sense of belonging because they do not see a reflection of

COLLEGE ESSENTIALS

Associate Editor

photos by Marley Cash-Powell

Junior Noah Love tries the new supplies vending machine, which is on the first floor of the Torreyson Library. After some difficulty getting the card reader to accept his payment method, hearing the prompts spoken out of the machine’s low-placed speakers and understanding the confusing credit amounts displayed on the screen, Love was finally able to purchase a four-pack of Tylenol for $2.

by Caela Rist

The National Panhellenic Council and Students for the Propagation of Black Culture present the 2018 Homecoming Greek Show at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Farris Center. NPHC Greeks will comptete for the title of Homecoming Step Show Champions. Tickets are $20 at the door. For more information, contact Greek Show representative Kaylon Bradford at kaylonb@uca.edu.

Pizza at the Polls UCA will host a celebration of election day from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at the campus polling site in Donaghey Hall.

There will be entertainment, free food and games at the Green in Donaghey Hall.

Students must be registred to vote in Faulkner County to vote on campus Nov. 6.

For more information on this event, including volunteer opportunities, conctact Director of Service-Learning and Volunteerism Lesley Graybeal at lgraybeal@uca.edu.

REDUCING BINGING

by Cassidy Kendall

New library vending machine offers essential school supplies Homecoming Greek Show

discussion, Eastman opened up the floor to questions from the audience. The questions mainly focused on how to effectively communicate with others about cultural differences, despite having opposing backgrounds. In the end, it was obvious why communication is so important when combating societal differences.

For more information about CFAC’s Communication Week, visit uca.edu/cfac.

Alcohol Awareness Week sobering, edifying

Women’s Leadership Network The Women’s Leadership Network will host a First Friday Coffee meet and greet event from 9 to 10 a.m. Nov. 2 at the UCA Downtown building. The network pursues the goal of supporting women who are seasoned or aspiring leaders in the home, at work or in the community. The network also provides opportunities for women to connect from various backgrounds in Conway and surrounding areas. For more information, contact the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement at outreach@uca.edu.

themselves in the professors that they are taking.

“I always tell my students that they’re the next generation of problem solvers, that’s why the panel was titled ‘Starting the Conversation.’ If you never start the conversation, then there is no solution or resolution,” Gardner said.

Panelists delivered diverse perspectives about their experience at UCA and the city of Conway. At the end of the

Assistant News Editor A new vending machine stocked with essential school supplies that students might need in a pinch was installed in Torreyson Library.

The machine is near the copy machines and computer lab on the first floor in the same nook as the food product and drink vending machines. The supplies vending machine’s contents are provided by the UCA Bookstore and range in price from $1 to over $10.

It is currently stocked with Advil, Tylenol, earbuds, pens, pencils, highlighters, phone chargers, flashlights, UNO cards, batteries, eye drops, Scantron forms, Blue Book exam booklets and various other items.

Bookstore employee Nathan Suits said they will periodically switch out products depending on which items sell the most. However, products like the Scantrons and Blue Books will likely become staples in the machine.

Junior McKay Qualls was surprised at the variety of products the machine has to offer.

He said the first purchase he would likely make would be notecards and a pen. “In fact, that’s probably what I’m going to wind up getting soon,” Qualls said.

He also noticed the somewhat steep prices, chalking them up to the price of convenience.

“They have drastically different prices for different items because of how likely a student would be in need [of ] a pencil over an eraser.”

Qualls said if students forget their phone chargers, they would likely be more

willing to pay $8 for one.

However, the $9 price tag for UNO cards remained a bit perplexing for him.

Qualls also suggested the vending machine should supply wooden pencils as a less expensive option, since the two-pack of mechanical pencils cost almost $8.

Access Services librarian Tamela Smith confirmed that convenience was the main reason behind the implementation of the school supply vending machine.

“It was a student need requested by SGA last spring,” Smith said.

SGA Executive President Joshua Eddinger-Lucero confirmed the idea started in SGA. “A conversation was started with Administration and then other avenues were taken to allow for implementation which did not involve SGA,” Eddinger-Lucero said.

The vending machine provides convenience for students who cannot leave the library or who choose to stay overnight. Smith said students have needed items like Tylenol or other types of medication in the past.

“The biggest need here is because we have students here overnight when the bookstore is closed,” Smith said. “Some of those things we would have loved to give to the students who stayed overnight, but we previously couldn’t.”

Suits said the machine is also handicap accessible which is why the touch-screen control system and the payment scanner is lower on the machine than on many other vending machines on campus.

The vending machine does not currently accept BearBucks.

It only accepts cash and credit or debit card payments.

With football season in full swing and Homecoming festivities right around the corner, UCA Student Wellness and Development took advantage of this prime time to observe National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week Oct. 22-25 to educate students on the serious repercussions of abusing alcohol.

NCAAW is a national program held annually at UCA. According to the nonprofit Choose Responsibly, NCAAW aims to bring attention to the serious public health issues posed by excessive drinking among college students during a part of the academic calendar that is marked by football games, homecoming weekends and other large celebrations on many campuses.

“Students have more freedom than they are used to [in college],

often feel peer pressure and have increased access to alcohol,” Assistant Director for Student Wellness Jenna Davidson said.

“They may not understand tolerance, blood alcohol concentration or negative health and legal consequences. Media portrays getting drunk as such a fun and positive experience, but in reality, it can lead to academic problems, assaults, injuries and even death.”

The week began Oct. 22 with the display of the familiar car crash scene in front of Torreyson Library throughout the week.

Students are encouraged to write personal stories of how alcohol has negatively impacted their lives on the car. Davidson said that over the years she has found the car crash scene to be the most impactful event of NCAAW, as it always receives high student interest.

“We know that sharing personal stories is impactful,” Davidson said. “It allows them

photo by Lauren Swaim

UCAPD Sergeant Sarah Garrett signs a wrecked car, which was placed outside Torreyson Library Oct. 22 for National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. Students could sign the car and write personal stories about how alcohol has impacted their lives.

to read about the experiences of others. It is very eye-opening and educates students about the negatives of alcohol consumption.”

On Oct. 23, the Delta Zeta sorority hosted the “I Have a Choice” pledge to drink responsibly, encouraging pledged students to stamp their painted handprints on a banner outside the Student Center.

Senior Delta Zeta member Abby Washkowiak said when students have to stop what they are doing to physically stamp their hand in order to take the pledge to drink responsibly, it makes them take the pledge into heavier consideration.

“People will stop by and ask what it is and whether or not they do want to pledge we get to tell people about drinking responsibly and the outcomes of abusing alcohol,” she said. “I feel like transitioning into adulthood requires the knowledge of what it looks like to drink responsibly.”

The week concluded Oct. 25 in the Student Health Center with a presentation by UCA Wellness Ambassadors informing students how to drink responsibly — with mocktails provided.

According to a report conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, researchers estimate about 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes; about 696,000 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking; and about 97,000 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.

NOW HIRING

EDITORS For The Echo

Echo editor applications are available at Stanley Russ 220 The deadline to submit applications is 5 p.m. on Monday, November 5.

Interviews will be scheduled for Friday, November 9.

ucaecho.net

CAMPUS LIFE

October 31, 2018 /4

STUDENTS SAY

“

“

What do you think about gun control?

story by Jessica Huffmaster photos by Lauren Swaim

photo by Emily Gist

UCA alumna Randi Romo reads from her book “Othered” to conclude a month of LGBT History Month events on Oct. 25 in the Student Center.

Romo wrote the book to record her experience as a Southern lesbian who spent two years of her life in a mental institution.

LGBT activist. author shares challenges, triumphs

by Ryan Bradford Staff Writer

UCA marked the close of LGBT History Month last Thursday night with a visit from LGBT activist and poet Randi Romo.

Romo talked about her life and experiences growing up as a lesbian in the South. She also read from her poetry book, “Othered,” which is about these experiences as well.

Romo has been an activist and organizer for LGBT rights for over 30 years. She cofounded the Center for Artistic Revolution, a statewide organization advocating for LGBT rights, in Little Rock.

Romo said she grew up with an alcoholic father and a mother who didn’t accept her when she came out. Because of this, at age 13, she was sent to G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital, a mental institution, for two years. This is when she began to think about civil rights.

She talked about playing canasta with some of the African-American aides

there and learning from their conversations.

“I started really having this awakening and this understanding,” Romo said.

After that she was sent to the Rebekah Christian Academy for Girls in 1973 and part of 1974, a place infamous for the abuse that went on behind closed doors.

Her life after leaving didn’t really improve as she fell into a depression after these experiences and did various drugs, drank alcohol and “wanted to burn herself down,” she said. It was during this time she had her daughter.

Toward the end of this chapter of her life, she encountered Southerners on New Ground, a social justice advocacy group. She talked about how her various experiences with them really solidified the concept of intersectionality.

After growing up as a lesbian Mexican American and going through these different experiences, she came to an understanding. “[Through] these multiplicities of identity we’re

still very connected because we don’t leave any part of them outside the door when we come into any room,” Romo said.

She shared different poems from her book like “The Night You Disappeared.” One called “Baby Boy” was dedicated to Nicholas West, a friend of Romo’s and a UCA graduate and then research assistant who killed himself in April of this year.

She also discussed the loss of her daughter who overdosed in February of this year and how the loss has affected her.

She then tried to lighten up the mood with a more light-hearted poem titled “Step-Sister’s Lament,” based on Cinderella.

“I like to ‘queer up’ fairy tales,” Romo said.

Another poem called “Philly” was about friends she’d lost in the AIDs epidemic in the 1980s. The pain is clearly etched into the words of the poem.

“Even when it seems insurmountable, especially with loved ones, nothing is forever,” Romo said about reconciling with her mother at

50. She talked about how they are trying to make up for all those lost years to develop a better relationship.

“As long as there’s breath, there’s hope,” Romo said.

UCA junior A. VanSickle was one of 14 people in attendance at the event and works as an associate editor at Sibling Rivalry Press, which published Romo’s book.

“I like Romo because she’s lived it, she’s authentic,” VanSickle said.

Romo’s book has been acquired by the Rare Book and Special Collections vault in the National Library of Congress along with every title Sibling Rivalry has published since 2015, because these books are of historical interest as they come out of a small LGBT-centered press in the South.

For the finale, Romo ended on a more positive note, reading a poem not featured in “Othered,” called “One if by Land, Two if by Sea.” It was a poem of hope and resolution with the closing line: “We are forever the resistance.”

B R O A D W AY AT U C A

Legendary musical ‘Chicago’ rocks Reynolds Performance Hall

by Daniel Adams Staff Writer

Legendary musical “Chicago” captivated a packed Reynolds Performance Hall for two nights Oct. 27 and 28, featuring a full live band and all the hits from one of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history.

Closing out the month of October for the fall season, “Chicago” transported the audience to the 1920s in a satirical take on criminal trials, murder and jail time that has been one of the most popular musicals for decades. Originally based off of the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, “Chicago” has received one Grammy, six Tony awards and two Olivier awards.

The audience follows the journey of Roxie Hart (Dylis Croman) as she goes from murderer to newspaper starlet, fluctuating in public opinion on the way. With star criminal lawyer Billy Flynn (Peter Lockyer) pulling the strings, Roxie has to do her best to keep the charade alive while dealing with Velma Kelly (Terra C. MacLeod), a fellow prisoner who is just as desperate for attention.

The audience experiences a roller-coaster ride full of thrills, stunts and excellent dance performances by the cast. Whether it was the crowd-stealing song “Mr. Cellophane” by Amos Hart (Paul Vogt), or watching the rendition of the “Cell Block

Tango” led by Velma and the rest of the cellmates, they were treated to all of the classic hit songs that people have grown to love nationwide.

The audience was on their feet in a standing ovation for the performers upon the musical’s conclusion.

There was just as much applause for the live orchestra who had been onstage the entire time. The band’s pulpit acted as a way for them to actually enter and exit the stage whenever they pleased. Even the conductor was included in some of the comedy in the show.

The cast performed various stunts, with MacLeod and Croman both performing on ladders during parts of their

respective songs, looking out on the awestruck audience.

With the fitness level required for some of the dances, it is no wonder that the crowd was thrilled.

“The stunts seemed so dangerous, but the actors were so confident doing them that I thought I was crazy for being scared for them,” senior Adrienne Thompson said. “I could never be so confident on a ladder in heels.”

Junior Danielle Devecsery was extremely pleased with the overall performance.

“I thought it was really neat, especially with the choreography because you could tell how well-rehearsed it was,” Devecsery said. “I would like to see it actually on Broadway.”

Senior Dalton Diles

Freshman Julia Dabdub

“I think there are benefits. There are pros and cons to both sides and I would agree that there should be a limit to clip size. There’s no sense in having 30 round clips.”

“I don’t think people should be able to have guns on them in public.

They were made to kill people, not hug them. I don’t think people should carry around things invented to kill people.”

Freshman Jessica Reddig

Senior Fernando Johnson

“I don’t think they should be able to be carried on someone’s person, especially on campuses.

Things get out of control very easily, and especially considering all of the school shootings happening lately.”

“I’m not the biggest fan of guns personally. I don’t feel like we need them, especially on campus.

Accidents happen and we need better gun control laws because it’s hurtful when someone innocent dies.”

Senior Alex Leslie

Senior Zack Stone

“I feel like better gun control should be a thing. However, I’m a hunter and I like my guns.

Don’t keep them from everybody, but access should be restricted.”

“I’m not fond of guns. I get that some people think they’re important to protect themselves, but they’re not that safe.”

SPOTLIGHT

PEOPLE OF UCA A. VanSickle

by Marley CashPowell News Editor

There’s no better way to round out the end of LGBT History Month than to feature an emerging young writer who gives a voice to the LBGT community.

Junior creative writing major and Honors interdisciplinary studies minor A. VanSickle is currently at work on her first novel.

VanSickle, who is agender and doesn’t have a pronoun preference, is drafting her historical fantasy novel “Flawed.” In the novel, she uses her writer’s voice to break down heteronormativity with her main characters, who are two boys in a homosexual relationship.

In spring 2019, she will study abroad at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, England, where she will continue studying creative writing and conducting research for her novel.

“There’s only one student [from UCA] selected for Edge Hill each semester, so [the application process] was nerve-wracking,” she said. “I was told that the main thing that

set me apart from the other applicants was that my book is set in England.”

The characters in her novel are from Georgia, here in the United States, but they go to England to study magic.

The way that she built the magic community is such that sexual identity is not something people think about as a problem. There aren’t any sexual identity crises.

“They have more of a bias about whether you’re born with magic or whether your parents have magic or how old your family line [of magic] is, and that would be a sort of bigotry,” VanSickle said. “But the bigotry revolving around sexuality is just nonexistent.”

“My two main characters are he-pronouned,” VanSickle said. “I do have a nonbinary secondary character in ‘Flawed.’”

This character’s name is Amber, and Amber uses gender-neutral pronouns.

“Most of the time, I address them by their name more than anything,” VanSickle said. “Occasionally, when one of the other characters are

referencing Amber in the book, they will use ‘they’ or ‘them.’”

VanSickle said people don’t realize how much they don’t use pronouns. When people are trying to be aware of pronouns, they might seem to be everywhere. However, when one is writing about a character, a lot of the time, personal pronouns really aren’t in the text as much as one would think, and when there are multiple characters, pronouns are even less prevalent.

“When it’s a long text with a lot of characters, you are going to use names over terms because you have to differentiate between the characters,” she said.

“Otherwise there are going to be 50 ‘hes’ in one book.”

Aside from her studies and novel writing, VanSickle is also an associate editor at Sibling Rivalry Press in Little Rock. She connected with the press at last year’s C. D. Wright Women photo by Marley Cash-Powell Writer’s Conference, where she Twenty-year-old junior A. VanSickle uses spunk, creativity and effort to forge was offered an internship with a path in the creative writing industry. VanSickle hopes to give voice to others the publication.

“I’ve been working with in the LGBT community by creating diverse characters and working at Sibling them since November of Rivalry Press out of Little Rock to publish the inspiring voices of others.

last year,” VanSickle said. “I’ve learned a lot about really taking charge and allowing myself to critique [writers] who I consider my uppers, because these are [older] published authors.

I’ve really learned to just take charge of that through the encouragement I’ve gotten [at the press].”

Over this last summer, she worked at the LGBT Kaleidoscope Film Festival where she sold books for Sibling Rivalry Press. One of the books released during the event was “Othered” by Randy Romo, who recently spoke at UCA as part of its recognition of LGBT History Month.

After reading some of her own poetry at the Kaleidoscope Festival and the hard work she put in editing Collin Kelley’s poetry book “Midnight in a Perfect World” for Sibling Rivalry, she was offered the associate editor position and has earned an acknowledgement from Kelley in his poetry collection, which is forthcoming on Nov. 15.

This year’s C. D. Wright Women Writer’s Conference is Nov. 9 and 10.

Opinion

5

ucaechoeditor@gmail.com

October 31, 2018

The Voice

Midterm election voting gives vote more power

The Echo Staff Sophia Ordaz Editor

Cassidy Kendall Associate Editor

Marley Cash-Powell News Editor

Caela Rist

Assistant News Editor

Taylor Sone

Campus Life Editor

Jessica Huffmaster

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Emily Gist Opinion Editor

Sarah Kapity

Entertainment Editor

Cody Macomber Sports Editor

Marcus McClain Assistant Sports Editor

Caroline Bivens Online Editor

Aysha Dixon

Social Media Editor

Lauren Swaim Photo Editor

Got Letters?

Comments or complaints about content of The Echo or in reference to anything on campus should be registered with the newspaper by letters or email to the editors. All letters must be limited to 300 words and include the author’s name and phone number. All letters may be published unless they are marked private. Letters may be edited for style, clarity and length.

Editorials written in The Voice express the opinion of the newspaper and the editorial staff. Individual staff opinions are expressed in individual columns.

The Echo office is located in Stanley Russ Hall 124

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

Advertising Advertising: (501) 499-9822 echonewspaperads@gmail.com

Discuss ethics prior to genetic enhancement According to the United Nations In a world where technological advancement Bioethics Committee, outpaces discussion of said advancement, there International are looming issues that have not yet reached the “Interventions on the human genome should public consciousness. One such issue is genetic be admitted only for preventive, diagnostic engineering — specifically how far it could take or therapeutic reasons and without enacting modifications for descendants.” It would us and how far we should let it.

Genetic engineering, sometimes called otherwise “jeopardize the inherent and genetic modification, is the process of altering therefore equal dignity of all human beings and the DNA in an organism’s genome, which is its renew eugenics.”

Unfortunately, the U.N. has been ignored complete set of DNA. This may mean changing one pair of DNA, deleting a whole region of DNA many times before and it seems likely these statements are ultimately meaningless, with or introducing an additional copy of a gene.

The most promising development in the each country having its own separate laws on field of genetic modification is Clustered the issue.

Countries will first use genetic engineering Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats: an extremely powerful tool that enables to prevent diseases, then use it to create smarter an organism’s code to be cut and then pasted and more physically viable humans. They could elsewhere by using specialized proteins. These charge their population to use this service or, sequences are derived from DNA fragments of if they’re smart, they could use government viruses; they are then able to detect and subsidies to ensure that their people were destroy DNA from analogous viruses the best in the world. Imagine the kind of military advantage they could create during subsequent infections. You can imagine it as showing a mugshot using this strategy. Their increased to your DNA so it knows what to collective intelligence would also enable avoid in the future. CRISPR is just them to progress technologically at a rate faster than any other country, ensuring a recent revelation in a field that promises to have many. that they are never defeated.

When making swift Even in the unlikely scenario scientific progress, it is that genetic engineering is used only for preventable diseases easy to continue onward and mutations, it still without thinking about

by Tim Morrison presents questions: What if doing so is wise. But Staff Writer are the preventable maladies it is important to create wherein use of genetic regulation before it is engineering is acceptable? needed instead of waiting until a problem has arisen. Laws regarding Parkinson’s disease? Celiac disease? Diabetes? genetic modification vary from country to Nearsightedness? Until we can confidently draw country. Some have strict bans while others a line of demarcation separating that which should be prevented and that which shouldn’t, have no regulation at all.

According to a report from the U.S. National we cannot do anything.

Humans are not gods, and never should Academy of Sciences, in the U.S, editing the DNA of a human embryo to prevent a future they try to be. Look at what humans have done disease could be ethically allowable one day, but with dog breeding: creating animals for which only in rare circumstances and with safeguards existence is pain just to make them look as they in place. The report goes on to state the clinical desire. Have you ever heard a Boxer breathe? trial “might be permitted, but only following Humans would likely make the same mistakes much more research” and “only for compelling in creating their kin.

We should always try to advance as a reasons and under strict oversight.”

These safeguards sound reasonable because species, but not at the cost of creating a they are. The problem is that as advancements broken, asymmetrical society where you could are made in other countries, the U.S. will be potentially tell the social status of an individual pressured to keep up. It will be very hard to say just by looking at him, A world where humans no in the future when other countries start to — not the natural order of the universe — are able to design other humans is a world where become smarter and healthier than the U.S. It may take global consensus to prevent the power wielded is greater than the hand that holds it. such a competition to occur.

Campus needs more parking spaces closer to classes Leaving campus at night could be one of the most frightening things a student does, and although the world can be scary place, this issue is not crime related.

UCA parking has been a major problem as more and more students enroll every year.

Most students fear leaving campus due to the fact they may lose their parking spots and will have to consider parking far away from their residence halls. With most halls being so closely packed, there aren’t many parking spots to choose from.

This affects students who work late, students who may have a late-night emergency and students who just need to leave campus.

The class of 2022 had over 2,000 incoming first-time freshmen, which is a 5 percent increase from last year. This made

by DJ Jones parking even more of Staff Writer an issue because all of those students would have to stay on campus in residence halls. Although all freshmen don’t have vehicles, the ones that do have to fight for spots with the upperclassmen.

Residence halls such as New Hall and Hughes Hall both use the same parking. Because Hughes Hall is more of a freshman hall, this takes away parking from the upperclassmen

who live in New Hall.

Parking is not only a problem during the night; it also affects students who live off campus and take classes on campus during the day. Students sometimes have trouble finding parking near classes. Students should have more parking near buildings like Irby Hall, Laney-Manion Hall and Lewis Science Center, among others. These buildings don’t have good parking because they are in the middle of campus, which makes walking really stressful for students on rainy or cold days.

Adding closer parking would also benefit professors as it would make their walks to class easier.

Like many other students, junior and Stadium Park resident Lauren Rogers believes more campus parking would benefit students off campus just as much as it would benefit students on campus.

“I hate leaving during the day because I never know if I’ll have a spot when I come back home. I see cars lined up sometimes waiting for people to leave their spot,” she said. “It would be nearly impossible to add parking to every building that needs it, but adding parking in some areas would really make a difference.”

Voting is the best way for college-age students to share their voice, and is especially impactful during midterm elections.

Although most people recognize the importance of voting in the presidential election, they often don’t realize that importance when voting in smaller elections, like midterm elections. It may seem as if voting in the primary election would be more important — you’re voting for the leader of the nation after all — but it’s actually more beneficial to vote in midterm elections.

Firstly, less people vote in midterm elections than presidential elections. Because of this, those who do vote have more influence over who wins midterm elections.

In other words, your vote has more power in midterm elections.

Additionally, midterm elections determine who will take representative positions in each state. These positions ultimately decide who will eventually run for president and play a large role in voting for president through the Electoral College.

And because people vote for local representatives during midterm elections, the changes those politicians will produce will be felt far more than any changes a president might create.

Because of the lengthy system of checks and balances, or because most decisions the president or politicians in higher-up positions make must be verified with the three branches of government, those federal changes often take a long time to roll out. Local elections for local officials don’t have that problem, meaning changes can be implemented relatively quickly.

And since those changes are often small in scale, as opposed to governmental decisions ruled out over the entire nation, those small changes, like building a bridge or adding a complex to a building, are immediately felt.

Generally speaking, people in our age range don’t often vote.

According to the United States Election Project, from 1984 to 2016, people between the ages of 18-29 have consistently had the lowest voter turnout rates when compared with every older generation. There is also a consistent drop in voter turnout rate for every midterm election among every generation.

Additionally, voting in this election will be convenient because the UCA campus will be a voting center for this November election.

According to the Log Cabin Democrat, the Faulkner County Election Commission unanimously voted to reinstate UCA as a voting center for the November 2018 midterm election. The Commission offered to have the voting booths placed in Donaghey Hall because there is public parking located there.

On Sept. 17, during the first SGA senate meeting, SGA President Joshua Eddinger-Lucero said SGA is urging students to vote in this election and that SGA was considering sending out a mass email to ask teachers to be more lenient to students running late to class because they went out to vote.

Early voting ends Nov. 5 and Election Day is Nov. 6 students should research this year’s issues, clear their schedules, inform your friends and start voting as soon as possible.

Your vote has more power in midterm elections

Have an opinion? Everyone does.

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

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

The Echo is printed weekly by Leader Publishing. Decisions about content are made by the student editors.

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

Entertainment

6

October 31, 2018

New This Week

‘Haunting of Hill House’ a creative, terrifying Halloween must-watch

Movies

by Sarah Kapity

Nov. 2 — Bohemian Rhapsody (PG-13), directed by Bryan Singer, starring Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello

Based on the novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson, “The Haunting of Hill House” is a masterpiece of cinematography and beautiful storytelling that has arrived just in time for Halloween.

It follows the life of a large family who once lived in Hill House and has had a twisted connection to it ever since.

It’s especially interesting to watch the five children growing up in Hill House paralleled by their adult lives unfolding, and the show switches between the two timelines seamlessly.

The ghosts are often subtle. Oldest sister Shirley (Elizabeth Reaser) sees a man on her couch at one point, and then he’s gone as quickly as he appeared. Young Shirley (Lulu Wilson) and Nellie (Violet McGraw) hear banging on the walls in Hill House that mount in intensity until both the young girls are screaming.

Other times, the ghosts are far from subtle. They stand right in front of you and their faces warp, stretch and blacken. Dead family members

Nov. 2 — Boy Erased (R), directed

by Joel Edgerton, starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton, Russell Crowe Nov. 2 — Maria by Callas (PG), directed by Tom Volf, starring Fanny Ardant, Joyce DiDonato, Maria Callas, Aristotle Onassis Nov. 2 — Nobody’s Fool (R), directed by Tyler Perry, starring Tiffany Haddish, Courtney Henggeler, Missi Pyle, Whoopi Goldberg Nov. 2 — The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (PG), directed by Lasse Hallstrom, starring Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightly, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren

Music Nov. 1 — This Is My Dinner — Sun Kil Moon Nov. 2 — Yawn — Bill Ryder-Jones Nov. 2 — More Or Less — Dan Mangan Nov. 2 — Dionysus — Dead Can Dance Nov. 2 — Negative Capability — Marianne Faithfull Nov. 2 — This One’s For The Dancer — Moonface Nov. 2— The Last Rocket — Takeoff Nov. 2 — Post-Apocalypto — Tenacious D Nov. 2 — No Tourists — The Prodigy Nov. 2— 10 Years/1000 Shows — Touche Amore

Netflix

Nov. 1 — Cape Fear (R), directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis Nov. 1 — Children of Men (R), directed by Alfonso Cuaron, starring Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Caine Nov. 1 — Close Encounters of the Third Kind (PG), directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon Nov. 1 — Cloverfield (PG-13), directed by Matt Reeves, starring Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller

Top Five Easy Halloween Costumes List compiled by Caela Rist Assistant News Editor

photo courtesy of meaww.com

Youngest child Nell Crain, played by Victoria Pedretti, depicted as a ghost in her early 20s. The series follows the Crain family during their time in Hill House as well as afterward.

come back with strange eyes and bugs that come out of their mouths.

The scare factors aren’t only in the ghosts, though — the traumatized family deals with drug addiction, mental illness, strained relationships and PTSD. The creators paid close attention to details in the set and camera movement. This lends itself to the storytelling

quality: Each scene unfolds like its own chapter, color-coordinated with smooth camera transitions.

The storyline isn’t linear, and it doesn’t go in just one direction. It’s like watching the story get written right there on the screen, with new intricate details that catch your eye each time.

We see what happens in Hill House, and the effects

that it leaves on the entire family for years. We discover that each child has a special quality. For example, Theo (Kate Siegel) senses energies when she touches something.

She can tell if someone is afraid, or angry. When she touches objects, she knows their history. It becomes so overwhelming for her that she begins wearing gloves everywhere.

The timely plot twists and

If you’re not easily scared, this might be the show for you.

I’ve seen scarier things, but it’s the most uniquely jarring of all my favorite horror movies and series. I’m as fascinated with the story as I am with the way it’s filmed, and how it sucks you into the world just like a book. It also plays with time in an unsettling way, with the adult children running into their younger selves to symbolize flashbacks.

“The Haunting of Hill House” is a creatively terrifying and beautiful series that any horror lover must watch.

“The Haunting of Hill House” is rated TV-MA and is currently streaming on Netflix.

TEST SUBJECTS

RAP BEEF

Pusha T, Drake continue controversial feud ‘RWBY’ Volume 6 reveals new

by Ronak Patel Staff Writer

One of the wildest rap beefs in recent years just got wilder when Pusha T revealed he got information about Drake’s hidden son from one of Drake’s closest friends, record producer Noah “40” Shebib.

In response, Drake went on Lebron James’ new HBO show “The Shop,” divulging that Pusha T actually got this information from Kanye West, who tricked Drake into giving him this information on a trip to Wyoming.

There is an ongoing debate on who is telling the truth about this situation. Those who side with Drake agree that Kanye feels threatened

by Drake and that he did this as way to end Drake’s career.

Those who side with Pusha T believe that the information came from 40.

However, the debate on where the information came from is insignificant. In this rap beef, Drake has been protected by his millions of fans and other celebrities. The interview

Drake gave on “The Shop” was incredibly problematic and frustrating to watch. Pusha T has wrongfully been made the bad guy in all of this and Drake was painted as the victim. As much as I love Lebron James and his new HBO show, I feel it did a disservice toward Pusha T. Lebron and Maverick Carter, the host of “The Shop,” didn’t want to reveal what actually happened, but instead wanted to use this platform to help their close friend Drake save his image. Drake took this opportunity to make Pusha T seem like the villain in this whole beef. He wrongfully accuses Pusha T of wishing death upon 40 in his diss track.

In his diss track Pusha T does mention 40’s multiple sclerosis, but he never mentions death upon him.

“OVO 40, hunched over like he 80 — tick, tick, tick.

How much time he got? That man is sick, sick, sick.” This is the line from Pusha T’s searing diss track of Drake, “The Story of Adidon,” which Drake used to back his claim. In this line, Pusha T is simply saying 40 is nearing death.

It is clear that 40 is a huge part of Drake’s success, and many speculate that 40 is the only reason Drake is successful and Pusha T was just letting Drake know his spot at the top of the rap game is coming to an end. It was a shot at Drake, not 40’s multiple sclerosis.

On “The Shop,” Drake goes on a long rant about how there are rules in the rap game and Pusha T took it too far. Drake is the last person to complain about going too far in rap beefs. This is the same Drake who belittled Kid Cudi for being depressed and suicidal.

Even in the rap beef with Pusha T, Drake is the one who got personal and took it too far by bringing Pusha T’s fiance into the mix. I guess there’s only rules when Drake doesn’t have a comeback for his opposition.

Drake was irresponsible on “The Shop,” and needs to do a better job of accurately portraying what is truly going on.

Untruthfully painting Pusha T as the villain for something he didn’t even do was a great way for him to turn the attention away from the fact that he isn’t in his son’s life and smear Pusha T’s name.

FOLK/POP

Mumford & Sons’ ‘If I Say’ pales next to former folk style

by Rose McGarrity Mumford & Sons’ newest song “If I Say” is nothing in comparison to their older music; frankly, I miss the banjo and the band should return to folk music. Their older songs were more organic because the band wasn’t trying too hard to be likable. They did what they wanted, and it was beautiful.

Their sound has been evolving away from banjos and toward pop for a while now.

Mumford & Sons’ evolution is similar to Taylor Swift’s change from her signature country sound to pop music. This change is often implemented to keep audiences interested.

However, I don’t think the band’s change was as successful as Swift’s.

“If I Say” is almost haunting. It starts off quiet and mellow. About one minute in, the songs picks up its pace, with the drum beat in the background adding an element of anticipation to the song.

The lyrics are not very

creative; lead singer Marcus Mumford sings “If I say I love you, then I love you” about a million times. This repetition gets old after a while.

To give “If I Say” some credit, it was emotional.

People will probably like it the more they listen to it.

This song is one giant crescendo that keeps on building, making it sound very dramatic. The song builds throughout, but it didn’t seem like there was enough of a finale at the end. It just ends anticlimactically.

Since it is very dramatic, it seems like the type of song that would play in the background of a movie or TV show. The best part of the song is the musical instruments in the background.

The music video uses art to illustrate the sounds in “If I Say” very effectively, and it’s quite different from earlier videos we’ve seen from the band.

In music videos for their older music, Mumford & Sons seemed to be having a great time while playing their music.

For instance, in the music video for their song “Hopeless

Wanderer,” which was released in 2013, the band members danced around a barn as they rocked their heads to their music. There is no denying the passion and energy in this song.

Songs such as “I Will Wait” and “Lover of the Light” were also filled with passion and energy, the kind that makes listeners want to dance. There is less energy in “If I Say.”

1. Rosie the Riveter The contents of this costume could be lying at the bottom of any typical woman’s closet. All you need to take on the persona of the acclaimed Rosie the Riveter are denim pants, a denim button-down shirt and a scarlet polka-dotted bandana to tie around your head. If you weren’t a product of the ‘90s and do not have a dozen layers of denim hanging in your closet at all times, all of these items can be bought at your local Walmart, Target or Goodwill. You only need three articles of clothing and they are all easily accessible for the budget savvy college student.

Plus, who wouldn’t want to take on the identity of one of history’s strongest female icons?

2. Clark Kent/Superman One of comics’ most honored superheroes has a surprisingly simple costume concept. For all you DC Comics fans, here’s all you will need to morph into the kryptonite conqueror: a white button down shirt, a pair of slacks, a black tie, a pair of fake black rimmed glasses and a T-shirt with the Superman symbol plastered on the front. Throw on the Superman T-shirt under your button-down, and leave a few buttons popped open so the symbol peeks out. Voila!

You now have a DC-themed Halloween costume that’s better than the basic, just-thrown-on Superman T-shirt.

3. Starbucks Frappuccino For all you Starbucks lovers, here is the perfect costume to wow your friends at that belated Saturday night costume party.

To pull off this look you will need access to a printer and glue. Don’t let this deter you, this costume is still effortless.

All you will need to do is find your favorite tan dress and print off the Starbucks logo from your printer. Slap the logo on the center of your dress, and you’re halfway done. Then, grab an old headband and glue on a long slender green tube (made out of plastic or paper) to the headband to act as your “straw.”

Finally, throw on a fluffy white boa scarf. You’re done and now look insanely delicious.

Staff Writer

Nov. 1 — Bram Stoker’s Dracula (R), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anothony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves

reveals kept me bouncing up and down on the couch, yelling with excitement and anticipation at the TV. This is not a typical ghost story, and I’m impressed with how the creators took such a classic idea — a haunted house — and made it new and surprising.

Each ghost has its own complicated backstory that is revealed throughout the series, and they aren’t your typical spirits. I’ll leave the details to your imagination for now.

Entertainment Editor

Mumford & Sons’ song “If I Say” is nothing like their old music. The banjo, unfortunately, has been thrown out the door. While I don’t think Mumford & Sons will go back to their folk music, I am still hanging on to a small strand of hope that they will someday.

“If I Say” was released as a single Oct. 25. This song will likely be a hit for a while, since it caters to mainstream taste.

Radio stations will likely play it for a few months.

This song is part of the album “Delta,” set to release Nov. 16. “If I Say” is currently streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.

characters, striking soundtrack

by Lauren Swaim Photo Editor

The American anime web series, “RWBY,” released the first episode of Volume 6 Oct. 27, and it looks like we are going to see new characters and the back stories of old ones.

To recap last season, the members of RWBY, a huntress group from Beacon Academy, and their allies fought to defend Haven Academy against an evil organization that uses the creatures of Grimm to wreak havoc and destruction on the country of Remnant. The organization teamed up with White Fang, a terrorist group of Faunus that wishes to wipe out the humans because they are discriminated against.

Cinder Fall (Jessica Ngiri), Fall Maiden and a member of the unnamed organization of villains, attempt to steal the Relic of Knowledge, which has great power. However, the Spring Maiden, Raven Branwen (Anna Hullum), defeats Fall and prevents her from obtaining the Relic.

After their fight, Branwen lets her daughter Yang Xiao Long (Barbara Dunkelman), a member of team RWBY, take the Relic.

In the first episode of Volume 6, team RWBY, the three remaining members of JNPR, Qrow Branwen (Vic Mignogna) and Oscar Pine (Aaron Dismuke) — whose body also contains the soul of the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin (Shannon McCormick) — travel to the kingdom of Atlas, where they hope to show the headmaster of Atlas Academy the Relic. While on their way, the train is attacked by Grimm and the two teams are forced to separate, Branwen and Pine going with team RWBY.

this volume is no different.

However, because of the animation company Rooster Teeth’s improved animation, the fact that the animation is better isn’t as much of a big deal as it was a few years ago.

The fight sequences are still cool to watch, especially when Ruby Rose (Lindsay Jones) turns into a swirling vortex of rose petals. The opening song’s animation was also great and, after watching it, I want more episodes to come out so I can see what happens next.

Speaking of the opening song, there was a lot of content shown in the intro that may foreshadow what will happen in Volume 6. Going back to the older woman, a part of the intro is set up to where it zooms in on her goggled eyes, then on Ruby’s silver eyes.

Ruby unconsciously used the power of her silver eyes at the end of Volume 3 to defeat Fall, so maybe the woman is there to help Ruby with her silver eyes’ power. It also may be possible that the woman herself has silver eyes.

There are also new characters in the intro that have not been introduced yet. One of them walks down a busy street and sees a feathered hat float by. This hat belonged to the late Roman Torchwich (Gray Haddock), a member of the evil organization. This probably means she is connected to him or will become involved with the organization he followed.

The music in this episode is phenomenal, especially the songs during the Grimm fight scene and the opening song, but this is not surprising.

RWBY’s songs and score, written by Jeff Williams and sung by Casey Lee Williams, have been great since the beginning of the series.

Another part of the intro flashes by different male characters who are unknown to the viewer, then centers in on Ozpin who then turns into Pine. After Ozpin died in Volume 3, he used his power to transfer his soul to a body with a similar soul. Eventually Ozpin and Pine’s souls are supposed to combine. This scene in the intro might mean that those unknown men were Ozpin’s other reincarnations.

Hopefully in this season, we will learn more about all these characters and their pasts.

The last couple of volumes have gotten better in terms of quality of animation;

The first episode of “RWBY” Volume 6 can be streamed on Rooster Teeth.

4. Danny Zuko Who doesn’t like a classic?

Turning yourself into this grease monkey is as simple as throwing on a leather jacket. No, really, it’s that simple. Go grab your favorite pair of black skinny jeans (if you don’t have a pair, Goodwill sells them for chunk change), a white V-neck, any black shoes and, of course, a black leather jacket.

For bonus points, grab a dollop of hair gel and slick those strands back. If you don’t have black hair, don’t worry. If anyone asks, just say you’re another character from Grease. They’re all rocking that grease lightnin’ after all.

5. Harry Potter If you’re a serious Potterhead, you don’t want to miss this excuse to wear your robes this Halloween season. If you don’t have robes for some reason, grab your handy white button-down shirt, a pair of black jeans, black shoes, a preferably black sweater vest and your Hogwarts House scarf. If you’re a normal person and do not have your preferred house’s scarf lying around, you can purchase one from a Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble or Amazon Prime. Oh, and don’t forget to run outside and grab the nicest looking stick you can find. You don’t want to be without your wand when it gets dark. Lumos!

Sports

7

October 31, 2018

basketball teams set for

Volleyball win-total reaches 20 yet again

success behind seniors

by Caroline Bivens

Editor’s Take

UCA men’s and women’s

Online Editor

by Marcus McClain Assistant Sports Editor

With the college basketball season quickly approaching, the UCA men’s and women’s teams were introduced Oct. 25 in the Farris Center.

Both teams start play Nov. 6, as the Sugar Bears will host Central Baptist College, while the men will travel to play the University of Missouri.

The men’s team is looking to build from last season’s 18-17 performance. The task will be tall for the Bears, as they move on from their top scorers of last season, Jordan Howard and Mathieu Kamba.

However, the Bears still have the bar set high for the upcoming year.

“The ceiling is high for this team. We have high expectations,” sophomore forward Jared Chatman said.

“It’s going to be tough replacing players like [Howard and Mathieu], but as long as we stay focused and continue working hard I think we’ll be fine.”

This Bears team will feature a lot of size and length with nine players at a height of at least 6 feet 7 inches. One of those players is sophomore center Hayden Kovall, who led the conference in blocked shots as a freshman, averaging 3.8 per game.

The Bears may lean on sophomore point guard DeAndre Jones for play-making.

Jones led the conference last season in assist to turnover ratio, averaging 5.4 assists and only 2.4 turnovers per game.

The Sugar Bears will look to build on last season’s 25-10 record and third-place finish in the conference. They are also tasked with replacing two of their top three scoring leaders in Taylor Baudoin and Kierra Jordan.

They are returning their second leading scorer in senior guard Kamry Orr. She provides a steady hand late in games at the free throw line, ranking 10th in the conference last season and currently 14th in UCA’s program history.

The Sugar Bears are also returning one of the conference’s top defenders in junior guard Taylor Sells. She was named to last season’s All-Defensive Team while also leading the team in total assists with 92.

Senior guard Antonija Bozic will provide 3-point shooting for the Bears, as she led the team in 3-point percentage last season at .385.

The Sugar Bears are picked to finished third as they did last season in the preseason poll, but could boost this if they continue tenacious defensive play. Last year, they allowed only 50.1 points per game.

Upcoming Games Women’s Soccer

11 a.m. Oct. 31 vs.

Northwestern State University, round 1 SLC tournament Volleyball

6 p.m. Nov. 1 vs.

Abilene Christian University

photo courtesy of UCASports

UCA’s men’s cross country team placed two runners in the Top 10, and five in the Top 15 of the 8-kilometer course as they won their first Southland Conference title. The course played a challenge for the Bears with its wet, muddy conditions, but UCA powered through, beating five-time defending champion Lamar University by just 7 points.

Men’s cross country wins Southland conference title

by Sophia Ordaz Editor

The UCA men’s cross country team mastered a mud-drowned track to bring home the Southland Conference championship, the program’s first-ever conference title.

“It was probably one of the muddiest and hardest courses I have ever run on,” senior Markus Schweikert said.

“I literally ate mud during the race, and there were parts where I sunk knee-deep into the mud.”

The team pulled through the mucky conditions with two runners in the Top 10 and five in the Top 15 over the

Men’s Basketball

7 p.m. Nov. 6 at University of Missouri

in at 11th just behind Hanson, tailed by senior Julien Jeandree (27:24.3) in 13th and junior Jaron Hamilton (27:28.8) in 15th.

“The moment we found out about our victory is impossible to describe with words. It was a dream come true and I have never felt like this before,” Schweikert said.

On the women’s side, the team put up a good fight, landing in sixth place with 169 points out of the 13 universities competing.

SLC Freshman of the Year Gracie Hyde fared well, finishing seventh at 23:20.3, and earning second-team All-SLC honors in her first season.

LOUISIANA LETDOWN

TA K I N G F L I G H T ( S )

Tennis team travels, wins three in singles

by Cody Macomber Sports Editor

photo courtesy of UCASports

Senior wide receiver Jakari Dillard catches a 75-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Hales in the first quarter to quickly answer the touchdown that McNeese State had scored. Dillard had four receptions in the game for 103 receiving yards. UCA collected 402 yards on offense, but fell short of McNeese by two points.

UCA football three points shy of solely taking conference’s top spot

by DJ Jones Staff Writer

The UCA football team (5-3, 4-2 SLC) lost to the McNeese State University Cowboys (6-2, 5-1 SLC) Oct. 27 in a game that determined first place in the Southland Conference.

McNeese scored first in the game with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back David Hamm. The Cowboys took a 7-0 lead after the extra-point field goal from senior kicker Gunnar Raborn.

The Bears came back and scored quickly on a one-play drive, 75-yard touchdown with a pass from freshman quarterback Luke Hales to senior receiver Jakari Dillard. The Bears tied the game after the field goal from senior kicker Matt Cummins.

McNeese ended the first quarter with a 17-7 lead over

Football

6 p.m. Nov. 3 vs.

Lamar University

8-kilometer course, skirting past five-time defending champion Lamar University (64) for the championship win with 57 points.

“We knew going in we had a really good chance to win so I was not surprised with the win, but I knew it was going to be close and I could not keep up with the place count, so I was shocked to see we had won by 7 points,” coach Beau Theriot said.

Schweikert (27:12.8) took ninth and sophomore Alex Hanson (27:17.2) slid in at 10th, both earning second-team All-SLC honors. Sophomore Jared Hamilton (27:19.4) came

The UCA volleyball team (20-5, 10-2 SLC) won its games against Lamar University (6-17, 3-9 SLC) Oct. 25 and against McNeese State University (7-20, 5-7 SLC) Oct. 27, giving the Sugar Bears their 19th and 20th wins of the season.

“One thing we have learned this year is how unstoppable we can be when we play together as a unit,” senior outside hitter Kellen Dunn said. “This in turn has helped bring us those wins.”

The Sugar Bears won the first set against the Lamar Cardinals 26-24 and kept their lead in the second and third sets 25-21 and 25-16, respectively. The Sugar Bears managed to take the lead early in each set, bringing them the three-set sweep.

Against Lamar, senior right-side Samantha Anderson hit 12 kills and earned three blocks, Dunn hit 11 kills, sophomore setter Bailey Waddington made eight digs and sophomore defensive specialist Emily Doss made 10 digs.

“Playing together — that’s UCA volleyball — playing fierce and collectively as a team,” sophomore middle blocker

the Bears after a 16-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore quarterback Cody Orgeron and 34-yard field goal kick from Raborn.

It took only four plays for UCA to score in the second quarter. Hales connected with sophomore receiver Brandon Myers on a 24-yard pass, giving Hales his second passing touchdown of the night.

Three minutes later, McNeese scored again with a 33-yard field goal from Raborn.

The drive went for 50 yards on 14 plays with a duration of 7:02 off the clock.

Junior running back Carlos Blackman broke out for a 39-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to take the lead over McNeese 21-20.

McNeese’s defense prevented the Bears from scoring in the fourth quarter, and held on to a 23-21 win.

Running back Carlos Blackman said the team played a decent game, but have minor things that could be cleaned up.

Blackman also said the team started with a disadvantage.

“I feel like some unnecessary penalties put us in a hole early.

We’ve learned from this loss and we will get better,” Blackman said.

UCA defensive coach Madison Bunch said the difference in a big game can be a tweak here or there.

“Every big game comes down to the little things we teach. At the end of the day, it was a dog fight and we came up short.”

Bunch said the team is shifting their focus over to next game.

The Bears will play against Lamar University Nov. 3 for UCA’s Homecoming game.

GOVERNOR’S TROPHY

Golf team places behind rival Little Rock

by Lauren McLemore Staff Writer

The UCA men’s golf team finished 17th in the Little Rock Invitational hosted by University of Arkansas at Little Rock at the Chenal Country Club’s Bear Den Course Oct. 22 and 23.

The golf team took last place with a final score of 63 over par 927.

Sophomore Miles Smith and senior Lewis George placed

best for UCA, tying for 63rd place, with both shooting a 230.

Freshman Josh Turnock tied for 78th and freshman Brett Daughdrill tied for 81st.

The tournament was suspended near the end of the second round because of darkness.

“Weather was cold in the morning and [the] course was playing long,” coach Steve Runge said about the first day of the tournament. UCA was in

14th place at the end of the first day.

Once play resumed, UCA finished round two with a score of 304 and finished round three with a score of 317.

“Seeing as we picked up five freshman, we had quite a bit of a young team,” George said.

For the future, he said he is confident the team will get better with experience and he has high hopes for next semester.

Amari Mitchell said.

The Sugar Bears kept their winning streak against the McNeese Cowgirls. The Cowgirls snatched the lead in the first set 25-17 after a strong start. They led again in the second set, but the Sugar Bears knocked them back down and finished the set 25-20.

The Sugar Bears fought hard to take the lead in the third set, and dominated 25-17.

McNeese picked up some momentum in the final set, but as both teams battled, UCA ultimately came out ahead. The Sugar Bears finished the set 25-23.

Anderson had a match-high 20 kills, and earned six blocks.

Senior middle blocker Savanah Allen followed with 12 kills and five blocks and Dunn hit 12 kills and collected five digs. Junior setter Elizabeth Armstrong managed 33 assists, nine digs and three blocks. Doss had 17 digs, and junior defensive specialist Rayna Jefferis had 11.

“With 20 wins under our belt, I think we have truly appreciated every win as another milestone in our journey together,” Dunn said.

The Sugar Bears will play the University of New Orleans Nov. 6 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The UCA tennis team made its mark in the Missouri State Fall Invitational, winning three of four singles flights, senior Marli Van Heerden said.

“There were some really good results, but more than that, also some really great matches,” Van Heerden said. “I thought that the team fought hard and executed what we have been working on in practice, and that is the goal.”

Freshman Fuka Nonoyama won the Flight A singles championship 6-4, 6-3 against junior Gabrielle Goldin from the University of Missouri.

In the event’s top flight, Nonoyama only lost one set through the entire four rounds.

She defeated freshman Romana Tarajova of Southeast Missouri University in the second round and UM’s sophomore Taylor Gruber in the third round of the flight.

Van Heerden won Flight B by defeating Constanca Crespo of Southern Baptist University.

She didn’t lose a single set in the first two matches before winning the flight’s championship Oct. 28.

Sophomore Yada Vasupongchai won Flight C, with senior teammate Rada Manataweewat placing second in the flight. Both lost only one set going into the final match of their flight.

UCA didn’t have a competitor in Flight D. In doubles competition, Vasupongchai and freshman Mei Ishimura won Flight B. “I truly believe that we, as individuals, and as a team, are preparing day by day and tournament after tournament to get ready to go earn that Conference Championship in the spring,” Van Heerden said.

This marked the last event the tennis team will play during the fall semester. UCA will play next at Alabama A&M University Jan. 18, 2019.

LAST RIDE

Soccer programs celebrate seniors, win with shutouts

by Taylor Sone Campus Life Editor

UCA soccer had a big weekend as the women’s team shut out Northwestern State (4-7-0) 5-0, finishing the season No. 1 in the Southland standings, and the men’s team narrowly beat top conference opponent Loyola University at Chicago (9-5-2) during both teams’ senior nights at Bill Stephens Track and Field Complex Oct. 26-27.

The women’s game started off in UCA’s favor, with senior forward Camille Bassett scoring after just three minutes of play.

The Bears kept this momentum going, finishing the first half with another goal from Bassett in the 28th minute.

UCA scored three more goals by the end of the match: one by Bassett on a penalty kick, another by junior forward Bria Williams and one from sophomore forward Lauren Hargus.

The Bears finished the regular season undefeated at home. Friday’s game also marked senior goalkeeper Lauren Mercuri breaking a program record of wins by a goalie for a season with 31 wins

and also breaking the record for most shutouts by a goalie with her eighth shutout of the year.

The men’s game was a low-scoring, intense match as the Bears managed to get on the board early with a goal from sophomore forward Kasper Andersen in the eighth minute and held off the Ramblers scoreless through the game.

“After we scored the goal, Loyola started increasing pressure more and more up toward our goal, so our tactic was not to give up anything in the defensive third while trying to switch point of attack when they turned the ball over,” Andersen said.

Coach Ross Duncan said the early lead was unexpected, and that maintaining the lead against a team like Loyola was no small challenge.

Duncan also thanked the senior players on his team for turning around the entire program.

The women’s team travels to Texas for the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament Oct. 31, where they will face Northwestern State once more, and the men’s team travels to Missouri State this weekend for the final game of the regular season.

ucaecho.net

8/ October 31, 2018

Northwestern State University

38-17 (W)

(5-2, 4-1)

Volleyball

New Orleans University

3-0 (W)

(18-5, 8-2)

Men’s Soccer

Valparaiso University

2-2 (T)

(5-5-3, 2-1-1)

3-0 (W)

(14-3-1, 9-1)

Women’s Soccer

Southeastern Lousiana University