Issue 8, Volume 117-- October 13, 2021

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE

WEDNESDAY

OCTOBER 13, 2021 Volume 117 — Issue 8

ucanews.live TODAY’S FORECAST CONWAY

Campus Life:

Sports:

Entertainment:

New Release: “The Guilty” keeps viewers on edge with tense plot.

Bears vs. Wildcats Sugar Bears volleyball fall to Eastern Kentucky State.

Greek God: BYX member Triston Bishop sweeps the competition.

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Arkansas Supreme Court blocks proposed mask ban

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BY EDMUND BURKE

THE NEWSDESK FROM THE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

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

Child abuse in France exposed

The members of the Catholic Clergy in France sexually abused over 200,000 minors over the past several decades, according to a report that accused the church of protecting the institution over victims. The number of abused minors reaches over 300,000 when including victims of people who had other links to the Church but were not part of the clergy. The report found that around 3,000 abusers were estimated to have worked in the French Catholic Church between 1950 and 2020.

N AT I O N A L

Facebook source reveals identity

Staff Writer

The Arkansas Supreme Court denied the state’s request on Thursday, Sept. 30, to enforce its ban on mask mandates, allowing a judge’s preliminary injunction in a circuit court case to remain in place until the scheduled November trial.

University of Central Arkansas President Houston Davis said, “We are aware of the court’s ruling, and we are continuing to monitor the case.”

Governor Asa Hutchinson signed the state senate bill Act 1002 in April, and the law went into effect July 28. Sen. Trent Garner R-El Dorado and Rep. Joshua Paul Bryant R-Rogers sponsored the bill.

Act 1002 sought to ban school districts, universities and colleges, and local and state government agencies from enforcing mask mandates.

In August, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox ruled Act 1002 unconstitutional, issuing a preliminary injunction against the law after school districts Little Rock and Marion, parents, and Pulaski County officials filed a lawsuit challenging the ban. The injunction allows school districts and government agencies to make independent decisions on mask mandates.

Following Judge Fox’s injunction, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge released the following statement in a news release on arkansasag.gov: “I will appeal the decision of Judge Fox, which blocked Act 1002 from going into effect. For

The Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, 37, revealed her identity on “60 Minutes.”

Haugen released tens of thousands of documents showing Facebook’s internal research. The documents indicate that Facebook was aware of many problems caused by its platforms.

Haugen will face questioning from a Senate Commerce subcommittee about what Facebook and Facebookowned platforms, such as Instagram, knew about its effects on users, among other BY ADDI FREEMAN Associate Editor issues.

photo by Bennett Tinnermon

Face covering required signs adorn most doors on UCA’s campus. President Davis instituted a mask mandate at the beginning of the 2021-2022 academic year, dependent on campus transmission. The mask mandate remains.

nearly seven years, I have always exercised my constitutional duty to represent the State of Arkansas and will continue to wholeheartedly defend state laws to protect Arkansans of all ages.”

In early August, the governor said he regretted pushing Act 1002 into law after he reinstated a statewide public health emergency due to the rising cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant.

Before the start of the 2021-22 academic year, UCA devised a color-coded system that provides students, faculty and staff with a weekly update on Sundays on the campus’s

status on mask requirements.

The three colors are red, yellow and green. Red indicates masks are required in all indoor spaces on campus. Yellow indicates masks are encouraged in all indoor spaces on campus. Green indicates the campus will follow normal business and operational patterns.

“From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UCA has followed guidance primarily from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Arkansas Department of Health, and our medical director, Dr. Randy Pastor. Following this same guidance, the weekly status

system is based on the CDC’s Level of Transmission status, which is a scale of low, moderate, substantial and high. The system alerts campus of our community transmission status and what actions individuals on campus should take regarding masking,” Davis said.

When asked about the mask mandate, senior Anthony Reiter said, “I personally think that mask mandates do not add much benefit to the COVID situations at schools, but that it is a result of the system in place that the decisions are made this way.

I think it’s better for the schools not to be able to make their

TRUSTEES

SUCCESS

Fail Forward festivities inspire growth in failure

Vaccine objection not religious, Fauci Increased vaccination rates are needed to keep COVID-19 infections on a declining trend, according to Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical advisor. Fauci said people who refuse the vaccine due to religious reasons may be confusing that with personal objections since “less than a handful” of established religions oppose vaccinations. Fauci stressed that getting a COVID-19 vaccination is no different than receiving other vaccines, which has been done for many years.

S TAT E

Three bills pass: vaccine mandate

The Arkansas Senate passed three bills regarding employer-mandated COVID-19 vaccines.

Senate Bill 739 would require employers that mandate vaccines to provide an exemption process for workers who are unwilling to get vaccinated. Senate Bill 730 would allow people who lose their jobs due to vaccination refusal to be eligible for unemployment benefits. Senate Bill 732 would prohibit groups from coercing someone to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

During the week of Oct. 4-8, UCA encouraged its students to embrace their failures in their annual Fail Forward Week.

“The first Fail Forward Week was in 2017 as the brainchild of Dr. Julia WindenFey (student success), Dr. Amy Baldwin (student transitions) and Dr. Jayme Stone (learning communities), so this is the fifth year,” Honors College Dean Patricia Smith said. “The hope for students on Fail Forward Week is that they are able to recognize that everyone experiences failures and setbacks, but that it is through these lessons that we learn and grow. In a world in which we all share our success stories on social media, but don’t necessarily share all the hard work or failures that come with it, we want students to be open with themselves and each other about what success really looks like.”

This year’s Fail Forward Week consisted of several activities, some lasting the entire week.

The workshops featured during the week gave students tips on how to get through some of the more difficult aspects of college life.

Workshops included topics such as “Test-taking Tips,” “How to Go to Graduate School” and “Decreasing Your Test Anxiety.”

Student Success hosted a table outside of the Student Center offering students “treats and inspiration.”

At the table was Kilee Webb.

“I am a senior peer coach for the Office of Student Success, who hosts Fail Forward Week. It is important for us to normalize failures because they are part of the road to success,” Webb said.

“If we can encourage people to share their stories about

Index: 4Police Beat 4People of UCA 4Students Say

how they grew from failure, then maybe we can inspire others to push through the failures that they might be struggling with.”

Fail Forward Week is sponsored by the Office of Student Success, Schedler Honors College, Learning Communities and Student Transitions.

The annual Majors Fair and the Student Wellness Fair were also hosted as part of the week’s events.

The Student Wellness Fair was hosted in the HPER Center.

Students were able to learn ways to help them keep up their physical, mental and emotional fitness while entering for chances to win prizes.

The Majors Fair was located in the Student Center Ballroom, giving students the option to speak with other students and faculty from each of UCA’s departments.

Each table was decorated in a theme of each department’s choosing and was judged in a table decorating contest. The School of Communication won the competition with their Harry Potter-themed table created by Carmen Edington, a visiting lecturer of writing.

More information about Fail Forward Week, along with resources on why failures are important, is located at https:// uca.edu/studentsuccess/failforward/.

These resources are available throughout the academic year, not only during Fail Forward Week.

Upcoming events hosted by the Office of Student Success include workshops “Improving Your Social Game” on Oct. 14 in Burdick 205, “Personality and Learning Styles” on Oct. 19 over Zoom, and “Becoming a Better Writer” on Oct. 20 over Zoom.

The events are hosted during x-period with the exception of “Becoming a Better Writer,” which is from 3 p.m.-4 p.m.

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students mask up as students will always have that right. I do not want judges’ powers to change as it would be really bad for them not to have the ability to make a decision that I thought was better.”

Freshman Erin Smith said, “I believe that masks should absolutely be mandatory in class. I got COVID the second week of school. I got it from an ex-roommate. UCA will have a better chance of keeping inperson classes and better grades with the mask mandate in place.”

According to a database kept and updated by the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, 157 school districts and charter schools have partial or fullmask requirements, with 104 having no mask requirement.

In addition, the ACHI reported on Thursday, Oct. 7, that forty Arkansas public school districts have COVID-19 infection rates of 50 or more new known infections per 10,000 district residents over a 14-day period, down from 77 last week.

The UCA Student Health Center continues to offer vaccines for students, faculty, and staff.

“Although the number of vaccinations given in the Student Health Center has decreased from a high of around 200 per week at the beginning of the semester, they’re still averaging around 100 shots per week. The slow decline was expected as more students get vaccinated,” Dr. Randy Pastor said.

Judge Fox will preside over the November trial, set to begin Thanksgiving week.

photo by Mia Waddell

President Houston Davis presents the Bear CLAWS award to sophomore Daisy Martinez. CLAWS stands for celebrating the lofty achievements of our wonderful students.

UCA’s finances ‘on track’ despite declining enrollment, budget cuts

BY MIA WADDELL News Editor

The Board of Trustees honored two students, raised faculty insurance premiums and reported positive financial status in their second meeting of the academic year.

Diane Newton, chief financial officer and vice president of Finance and Administration, reported “comforting” numbers in regard to UCA’s current cash report, which showed a decrease in unrestricted cash.

Unrestricted cash goes into the operating budget and generally spikes around the beginning of each semester.

“The numbers are consistent. The decline in enrollment has affected [money garnered from] tuition and fees,” Newton said.

“A lot of our current funding will not show up yet because it is coming from HERF. This year is not like other years, but we are tracking right along,” Newton said.

HERF (higher education relief fund) is part of the CARES Act signed into law by former President Trump in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funds are still being allocated.

Newton noted that more money may be given to the University around the latter part of June, which would

Social:

then roll to the funds’ balance.

“We are doing well,” Newton said. “Enrollment is not coming up. We are trying to reevaluate our spending.”

University money has already been moved around to compensate for low enrollment numbers. MNO (Maintenance and Operations) money took a large hit. Newton claims that less money is being put into this category of the budget.

Amy Denton, a member of the board, presented a vote to increase insurance premiums for the faculty’s health insurance program.

“It is a 4.9% increase

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NEWS

Police Beat

ucanews.live

The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports

by Assistant News Editor Sydney Cyr

Student receives alcohol violation

R.A. Imeril Johnson called in an alcohol violation in Baridon Hall to UCAPD. Johnson was doing room checks when he found an empty bottle of Hornitos and a bottle of Svedka on a desk in Arieyuana Collins’ living room.

UCAPD entered Collins’ room and instructed her to dump out and throw away the bottles. UCAPD then informed Collins that she would be receiving an alcohol violation through the university for having alcohol in her dorm.

UCAPD explained the alcohol violation process and how she would be contacted by the university in the future before leaving Collins’ dorm.

Marijuana found in Greek Village

Officer Hill smelled an odor of marijuana while patrolling Greek Village.

Hill made contact with a vehicle and identified the driver as student Aiden Calloway and the passenger as Jeannie Deal. Hill searched the vehicle and found two pipes, a bag of marijuana, and a White Claw.

Calloway and Deal were detained in handcuffs and placed in the back of police cars. Due to their cooperation, Officer Hill chose to release Calloway and Deal.

Deal was referred to the Judicial Board for a drug violation, and Calloway was referred for a drug and alcohol violation.

Trustees: 4 Continued from page and is based on all claims data. Nationally premiums are increasing by 7-7.5%. 4.9 is very good in this environment with COVID,” Denton said.

The board passed the motion unanimously. A total of 51,700 will be saved under the new program and Denton reports an increase in coverage for employees.

President Houston Davis honored two recipients of the Bear CLAWS Award. CLAWS stands for “celebrating the lofty achievements of our wonderful students.”

Sophomore Daisy Martinez was honored for winning a $5,000 scholarship from Blue

Rifle found in back of student’s car

Officer David Stone was patrolling a parking lot when he located a .22 rifle in the backseat of a vehicle. Dispatch matched the vehicle to student Haleigh Wilson.

Dispatch contacted Wilson and instructed her to come speak with Stone. Stone spoke to Wilson about the severity photo by Ashley Savage of the issue and told her Dietetic interns, Vasil Valev (left) and Jessica Smith (right) holds a stuffed UCA bear at the Wellness Fair. The annual it was a violation of UCA Policy to have a firearm in Wellness Fair strives to educate students on generating wellness and health outside of the classroom. her vehicle. Hill informed Wilson that she was not criminally in trouble but to remove her vehicle immediately.

Wilson stated that she was in between moving and that they had visited 10 of the implementing a balanced life forgot that the firearm BY ASHLEY SAVAGE booths. which means thriving in all Photo Editor was in her backseat.

Wellness Fair promotes a dynamic view of campus health and wellness

All proposals pass unanimously.

1 Cross and Blue Shield for her work as an intern in summer 2021. Martinez was awarded the Blue365 scholarship for her work on projects and a presentation she gave to executives at the company.

Additionally, graduate student Grant Williams was honored for his work in Green Bear Coalition and overall academic achievements as he continues his work for a Master’s in Biology.

During his undergraduate years at UCA, Williams was the captain of the track team.

Davis called his masters bid a “victory lap.”

Several contracts were

reviewed and renewed by the board. A contract with Nabholz Construction was unanimously renewed. A contract regarding UCA Downtown, a branch of UCA in Downtown Conway was renewed as well, its second renewal since 2015.

Brad Teague, the athletic director, reported a positive showing for “Night on the stripes” fundraiser.

This fundraiser took place on the football field in Estes Stadium October 7, 2021.

“We had great attendance,” Teague said. “It was a great night.”

The next Board of Trustees meeting will take place on Dec. 3.

SGA

The Department of Campus Recreation and Wellness hosted its annual Wellness Fair on the HPER Center basketball courts on Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m..

The fair was organized around the theme of “Student Success Partners on Campus” and aimed to encourage “student success outside of the classroom,” according to uca.edu/campusrecreation/ wellness-fair.

The page states, “We are inviting all on campus departments that contribute to student success outside of the classroom, within each of the six dimensions of wellness (Occupational, Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Intellectual).”

UCA Student Life and UCA’s Dietetic Internship Program were just two of the booths that lined the downstairs courts inside the HPER building. To promote show-out, the Department of Campus Recreation and Wellness offered free throw towels to the first 400 attendees that could prove (with stamps)

Senior Brittany Cresswell said, “I think events like these are so important because it allows for students to see that the university is pushing for our success in ways that aren’t just classroom related.”

Adding, “Some of those booths advocated for emotional support, or social involvement or increased physical activity.

It wasn’t just about making good grades or academic success, which I know we all appreciated.”

Senior Raven Nobles said, “I think students need to know that they can get support and help if they need them. These resources need to be advertised and this wellness fair was a great way to get involved.”

With the weight of the semester increasing as students face midterms and grade reports, it’s important that the student body is aware of the university’s efforts to relieve some of those stressors.

Nobles said, “Students should be involved in realms outside of academics that promote mental, spiritual or physical health for their own sanity. While school is immensely important, so is

areas.”

The Wellness Fair information page on uca.edu explains how the fair seeks to educate students on what true wellness is. The site states that the fair is “designed to educate students that good health and wellness is multi-dimensional and not just about exercise, eating well, and avoiding disease.”

Adding, “It’s important for optimal health to strive for success within each of the dimensions of wellness.”

Nobles describes the importance of balancing and defining what wellness means to her. “Academic growth is beneficial in terms of mental gains, but sometimes mental gains come in other areas such as resting and being aware of what you think about outside of school.” Adding, “With events like [the wellness fair] we’re able to understand ourselves better, thus translating to a better understanding of others --something everyone should strive to do.”

For more information on the university’s resources regarding multidimensional wellness and growth, please visit uca.edu/campusrecreation.

COMMUNIT Y

photo courtesy of UCA Inform photo by Vivian Norris

The inaugural class of the Women’s Leadership Academy. The Women’s Leadership Network partnered with WLA to create the Women’s Business Showcase.

Mobile Bear Cards, dining staff, Members inaugurated to the and housing discussed at SGA Women’s Leadership Academy SGA senate meets for their third meeting. The senate had two visiting speakers, Stephanie McBrayer and Jim Nabors. The senate dressed up in costumes in anticipation for Halloween.

DELANEY VAN WILPE & VIVIAN NORRIS BY

Editor-in-Chief, Staff Writer The Student Government hosted presenters—Stephanie H. McBrayer, associate vice president of Housing and Residence Life/BearCard, and Jim Nabors, General manager of UCA Dining— who addressed an increase in housing occupancy, a decrease in staffing for UCA Dining, and the launch of mobile Bear Cards.

Members of the Student Government Association dressed in costumes with their business attire, in the spirit of Halloween approaching, at their meeting Oct. 11.

Upcoming events for the SGA include Break for Bears, which will be held Oct. 13 from 8:50 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. They are in search of volunteers to hold signs and hand out t-shirts; there will be two shifts for volunteers to choose from, one starting at 8:50 a.m. and the other at 9:30 a.m.

There will also be a senator meet and greet event coming soon—the date is not yet decided.

Hearing dates for Student Activity Fee Allocation (SAFA) will be Oct. 12 through the 14 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Chambers Student Center room 208.

McBrayer updated the SGA about housing and residence life.

McBrayer said housing occupancy has increased from last year, at 79%, to 86% currently. Before

BY

the pandemic, occupancy was around 90%.

McBrayer said Arkansas Hall and Bernard are transitioning to all single rooms. A contender in creating single rooms was to have less people using community bathrooms. Bernard will be available to upperclassmen.

Arkansas will be available for freshmen and will have themes— music, unity, and adventure— for each floor. Carmichael, which was the isolation dorm for quarantining last year, has reopened with new furniture for female students.

The Village Den, the storm shelter near Bear Village, is being worked on this semester and will “hopefully” be done by next semester. McBrayer said, “It’s a really cool facility.” One goal would be to let RSOs use the space for events.

Over the summer, the campus had projects ranging from card access systems updated, painting, flooring and roofing projects completed, and the mobile student Bear Cards were launched.

Nabors said staffing is still a major issue for UCA and all across the state. Nabors said, “I just want everyone to know we are working on it.” Nabors said they put out 45 applications and only received two back. For students interested in applying, UCA will offer students $50 in dining dollars for the day they are hired and an additional $100 after 60 days of working. UCA Dining is hiring a sustainability manager and has

two applicants thus far.

The green recycling reusable bins, which were used in 2019, have not been started up this semester. Anabelle Van Asche, senator and member of Green Bear Coalition, is hoping to help get it back up and running for spring semester.

Sustainability Committee Chair Courtney Clawson said the Sustainability committee wants to do recycling awareness and promotion on campus to “let [students] know it is an option,” Clawson said.

Housing and Food Committee Chair Dylan Garrison is reaching out to UCA’s Chief of Police John Merguie about getting lights in Stadium Park.

They will meet soon to pursue further.

Garrison also talked to the Physical Plant to get five or six bike racks in Bear Village.

BAG Committee Chair Dylan McCloud said the Bear Advocacy Group will partner with Lesley Greybeal and Vote Everywhere for voter registration tables for the semester and other events.

There is an increase in patients at the Counseling Center. Van Asche said there is a need for one more counselor, but the addition will call for added space in the Counseling Center.

President Mya Hall approved all agenda items at the Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 8.

Within the next few weeks, Internal Affairs Chair Montana Cramer will be presenting changes to the SGA constitution.

MEGAN HOLDER

Online Editor

The University of Central Arkansas Division of Outreach and Community Engagement announced the establishment of the Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA) on Thursday, Sept. 16 at the Women’s Business Showcase.

The UCA Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) partnered with WLA to make this program a reality. WLA is a six-month program for future and present women leaders to learn new things for the workforce.

Taine Duncan, a director of WLA, said, “Through the Academy itself, we are providing practical training, access to experts who lead in a variety of fields, network building and an opportunity for a community project—all

oriented to building a diverse, inclusive and collaborative community of leaders.

Additionally, WLA will provide a safe, supportive and welcoming environment to enable personal growth.”

Duncan is looking forward to the women learning new things that can stay with them forever.

She said, “Personally, I am looking forward to the opportunity for the Women’s Leadership Academy to elevate women in all pathways in life to feel equipped for lifelong leadership. Whether that leadership takes the form of serving the community on school boards, serving businesses as a CEO, or serving their family through care work, we want women to achieve growth and confidence in their capacities as leaders.

Additionally, I really want the members of the academy

to grow together, and to embrace the WLA values of diversity and inclusion; by building community together, we are hoping to develop leaders who support and work together. I believe, strongly, that leadership is not about individuals, but about the good we can do together for a beloved community.”

The first session will begin in January 2022 and end in July 2022.

“This academy is womencentric,” said Shaneil Ealy, associate vice president of UCA Outreach and Community Engagement and co-director of WLA. “The personal development infused throughout this academy, along with the thread of diversity, belonging, inclusion and equity, make this academy unique.”

Seventeen women were inaugurated.

Campus Life

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October 13, 2021

Around Campus: Coming Out Celebration Month

In light of LGBTQ+ History Month, there will be various events hosted in October to celebrate and validate individuals who have come out or are coming out. Event details can be found on CubConnect.

Salsa Night From 7:15 p.m.-8:15 p.m., on Oct. 13, room 214 in the Student Center, Phi Beta Sigma is hosting a salsa night. There will be representatives from the Latino Student Association there to educate participants about Hispanic Heritage Month through the art of the salsa dance.

Faculty Chamber Recital On Oct. 13, from 7:30 p.m.8:30 p.m., in Star Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, the music department will be putting on a faculty led recital. This includes vocal and instrumental performances.

Improving Your Social Game On Oct. 14, during x-period, in Burdick 205, Academic Success will be hosting a seminar for students who want to learn how to manage social anxiety and improve their social interactions.

Photo by Felicity Auxier

Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, which represented the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, perform during the Greek God Pageant on Thursday, Oct.. 7. Sigma Phi Epsilon won the best opening round of the event. The event’s proceeds went to the Sigma Kappa Foundation PULSE. The foundation creates and funds initiatives that reflect the sorority’s values.

BYX member Triston Bishop wins Greek God

by Felicity Auxier Staff Writer

Triston Bishop, member of the Beta Upsilon Chi Fraternity of University of Central Arkansas’ Alpha Gamma Chapter, swept the competition in the Greek God pageant held by UCA’s Sigma Kappa. Bishop represented UCA’s Delta Zeta.

“Greek God is a philanthropic pageant that is hosted annually by Sigma Kappa,” junior and member of Sigma Kappa Lizzie Langston said.

The Greek God pageant is held every year by the sororities and fraternities of UCA. This year’s pageant was held by Sigma Kappa.

The event involves selected fraternity members representing sororities in an arrangement of rounds.

Each round serves as a different competition.

Winners are selected for each round, along with an overall winner.

Langston oversaw and composed the entire event for the 2021 pageant.

“I started working on getting the space rented back in May 2021,” Langston said.

Langston also took on the responsibility of creating the judges panel in advance and setting up a way for attendees to buy tickets.

“The proceeds from this event will benefit the Sigma Kappa Foundation PULSE fund. The Sigma

Kappa Foundation creates and funds scholarship, leadership and philanthropic initiatives that reflect the values of Sigma Kappa Sorority,” Langston said.

Giovanni Arizmendi, member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, representing the ladies of Alpha Sigma Alpha, won the best opening round.

“I’m not a big fan of being the center of attention, but during the pageant I remembered that not only was I representing myself, but the ladies of Alpha Sig,” Arizmendi said.

The event is held to enhance campus life and create involvement in UCA’s community. “It helped push me to make

sure that everyone in attendance had fun and a good time,” Arizmendi said.

Members of Greek life made up most of the attendance at the event, but this year had an increase in non-Greek life students attending, according to Langston.

The attendees, while mostly friends of members, showed support.

“I love how, in the Greek community, everyone gets together to support everyone, especially in events like the Greek God pageant,” Arizemendi said.

This event is looked forward to by much of Greek life with weeks of preparation going into making the pageant

possible.

“This is the first pageant we’ve had that everyone could come to in a while.

It’s so fun to see everyone come out and watch the performers,” Langston said. “We get to have fun and be together and feel less alone in these times.”

The pageant raised over $4,000 for the Sigma Kappa foundation. “This is the reason we put on the event, so that is why it’s so important,” Langston said.

The last time a full capacity Greek God pageant was held was fall 2019, before COVID-19.

“There were a lot of things we needed to relearn, but overall it was a successful night,” Langston said.

FILM SCREENING

Board and Brush From 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, in the Student Center Ballroom, Student Activities Board will be hosting a sign building do-it-yourself session.

The reason for it is to be appreciative of raw materials.

Materials will be provided.

Movie: ‘OLD’ On Oct. 17, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom, Student Activities Board will be showing the movie “OLD” (PG13). Free food will be provided.

Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band Concert From 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., on Oct. 18, in the Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, the music department will be hosting a concert for the wind and symphony bands.

Passport Fair From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., from Oct.. 19, Conway Post Office will be in McCastlain room 108, to process new passport applications, assist with passport renewal applications, and take passport-sized photos on-site. For more information contact the Office of Study Abroad.

Singer/ Songwriter: Kristen Merlin On Oct.. 19, during x-period, in the Student Center Food Court, Kristen Merlin, “Voice” semifinalist, will be performing.

Student Activities Board will be hosting this event.

Photos courtesy of manmadedoc.com

(Left) T Cooper (left), director of “Man Made,” and UCA HPER assistant director Arnie Story (right) pose in front of a billboard advertising the “Man Made” documentary.

(Right) T Cooper (left) speaks at the Atlanta Film Festival in 2018 for the “Man Made” documentary along with those who were featured in the April 2018 documentary.

Feminist Union screens ‘Man Made’ featuring HPER assistant director Arnie ‘Kennie’ Story

by Rob Davis Staff Writer

UCA faculty member Arnie “Kennie” Story has experienced many obstacles since coming out as a trans-male, including training for an all-trans bodybuilding competition.

The Feminist Union held a screening for the documentary “Man Made” in the Ida Waldran Auditorium on, Oct.. 5, as part of LGBTQ+ History Month.

“Man Made,” a T Cooper-directed documentary released in 2018, follows the lives of four transgender men in 2016 as they prepare for Trans FitCon, the only all-trans bodybuilding competition in the world, while also giving the audience a chance to hear their own transition experiences.

Story works as the assistant director of UCA’s HPER Center and their personal trainers. But outside of work, he found a passion in bodybuilding.

Bodybuilding was not only a way for him to train and show his physique, but it was a way to express the person he really was.

“Beyond us all being trans, I think all of us found somewhat of an escape in fitness. I think for a lot of us, fitness kept us alive. Quite literally for some of us. I talk about fitness all the time, and health is a multidimensional thing.

While we couldn’t quite focus on certain aspects of our health, like mentally and emotionally to kind of figure ourselves out or letting society control who we are in some ways, the physicality of fitness is something that will always keep us going,” Story said.

Story is no stranger to fitness, having played soccer for 20 years until he finished his playing career in college. But, when he went to Trans Fitcon in 2015, before he even knew the documentary was taking place, he had no

intentions of actually competing.

“Honestly, I went to Trans Fitcon not intending to jump into the competition, Russell nudged me along when I was there. My main reason for going was actually to network during the conference and to get to know some of the guys competing in the competition, but I jumped on stage and then fell into this documentary unexpectedly,” Story said.

While the bodybuilding competition is one of the main reasons for people going to Trans Fitcon, Story was also able to share his story and learn from the other trans-men competing.

“One of the things I love about this film is that it shows us all being human.

Going to a lot of these different screenings, one of the things I’ve noticed is that this film is not just for trans individuals, but that it can be related to all of our stories in the sense that we all have relationships, we all have dreams, we all have passions and jobs. Being human is something that we were all able to reflect on with each other,” Story said.

Since the close of the documentary, Story has started his health and fitness initiative called The Movement, which provides LGTBQ+ individuals with an opportunity for online or in-person fitness programs and personal coaching that is more comfortable and inviting than other gyms.

Through The Movement, Story announced during his Q&A that he has been able to start The Move More For Advocacy scholarship, which will provide 12 months of free training to those in the LGBTQ+ community who are doing advocacy work to continue to advance equality and justice for all. Details can be found at www.yourmovefit.com.

“Man Made” is available on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video.

4/ October 13, 2021

CAMPUS LIFE

Honors College explores context of COVID-19

by Bennett Tinnermon Campus Life Editor

The Honors College began their annual Challenge Week with a talk on the history of diseases and U.S. response along with how COVID-19 was dealt with to put today’s pandemic in context with the past.

The event, hosted in Ida Waldran Auditorium on Oct. 8, was titled “Putting COVID-19 in Context,” and featured professor Trish Starks from the University of Arkansas Department of History and professor Adam Frank from the University of Central Arkansas Honors College.

Starks gave a 20-minute presentation on past diseases and how they are different and similar to COVID-19. Starks said that looking to the past can offer insight into how epidemics and pandemics are dealt with.

“In epidemics, we don’t know where we’re going,” Starks said, referring to new diseases’ lack of vaccines, treatment or even knowledge of transmission.

Starks used four different well-known periods of disease to highlight how groups handle them.

During the plague from the 14th century to the 17th century, quarantining was a common way to try to control spread of the disease. The plague also saw people use scapegoats, something also seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With cholera, finding the source came from John Snow, who tracked the disease back to a water pump.

During typhoid outbreaks, understanding transmission became important, a test was made and eventually immunizations were distributed.

The 1918 influenza pandemic, often referred to as the Spanish flu, saw differences in social isolation strategies. Starks explained that Philadelphia’s mayor denied the issue of the virus and a parade left hospitals overwhelmed, while in St. Louis, one case was found, and isolation

began. Starks showed a graph of the two cities’ outbreaks; Philadelphia had many more cases compared to St. Louis.

Frank’s section of the talk was given in acts.

Act one focused on how the U.S. blamed China for the outbreak of COVID-19.

Frank referenced an Italian politician, Luca Zaia, who in early 2020 claimed Italy would fare better with COVID-19 due to better hygiene and that people in China ate live mice.

There were more instances of both verbal and physical abuse toward Asians across the globe resulting from the pandemic.

Act two, “the accusation,” painted a picture of how China was made to be “the sick man” of Asia after the opium war, and now again as politicians, like Zaia and others, have blamed China.

During act three, “collateral damage,” Frank discussed how statements against China led to hate towards Asians overall.

In May of 2021, Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to make reporting of hate

crimes related to COVID-19 more accessible, along with expediting the review process.

The closing section, “action,” of act four showed stopaapihate.org, a website with resources and information about AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) hate, along with a way to report incidents online. Frank showed different parts of the websites so attendants could find further information.

After the two talks, Starks and Frank took questions from the crowd and discussed the return to normalcy amid COVID-19 and how the politicization of vaccines even affected past pandemics.

The event was the first of the Honors College’s 2021 Challenge Week, where different speakers talk about a chosen topic or issue for the week. This year’s theme is “COVID-19 Recovering and Reimagining.” The next event, “Living with COVID-19,” will be held on Oct. 13 in Ida Waldran Auditorium from 6-7 p.m.

PERFORMANCE

Ivalas Quartet performs, explains the meaning behind classical music pieces

by Christian West Staff Writer

Ivalas Quartet performed at the UCA campus at the UCA student amphitheater for Artists in Residence Oct. 7 and 8. They performed pieces ranging from Beethoven to George Walker and Carlos Simon.

In between pieces, they illustrated the meaning of each piece to help guide the audience through the music because these classic pieces do not have lyrics.

In Beethoven’s pieces, listeners could tell what phase of his life he was going through. For example, listeners could hear and feel the eeriness in many pieces from around the time he began to go deaf. Additionally, in George Walker’s pieces, the audience could infer the struggles he faced

as a Black man in the 40s.

While Beethoven and Walker are much older, yet still different time periods, Ivalas Quartet also covered pieces from newer composers like Carlos Simon. He is a younger man, 35 years old, who has made pieces as recently as 2018.

Ivalas Quartet played the first movement, “Rays of Light”

by Simon, for the crowd on Thursday.

“The piece opens with high pitched violins using harmonic, seemingly breaking through clouds and refracting in the most unusual, yet beautiful way,” violist Amiée McAnulty said.

They finished performing the entire piece on Friday.

To the Ivalas Quartet, sharing this music is everything to them, and the importance of

the pieces is timeless. Violinist Reuben Kebede believes there is an importance in keeping classical music around. Kebede said, “I think when we look back into the past of classical music, there’s a lot of great music. For example, Beethoven is timeless, but one of the most important things is looking at the evolution of it.” Kebede is a fan of the contemporary style. “There are a lot of contemporary composers who are phenomenal, and a lot of their music is not being played as much,” Kebede said.

Not only were the lessons from the pieces important, but the music itself was enjoyed as well, drawing a large round of applause after each piece. Which would then be followed by a group bow from the quartet before continuing into the next piece.

The quartet’s cellist Pedro Sanchez gave advice to those thinking about joining a quartet.

“If you put four great musicians together that does not necessarily make a great string quartet. The string quartet life is extremely different then what you would think. We spend so many hours in a tiny room just trying to get along, and that is already a lot of work,” Sanchez said. He referred to being in a string quartet as “having a second family.”

The Artist in Residence program continues to put on events for the students of UCA for both entertainment and learning. Upcoming events include percussion with John Metzger Nov. 2 and 4. Metzger will hold a workshop, improvisation clinic, a masterclass and a public concert.

ARTS

Pumpkin painting helps students de-stress

by Rob Davis Staff Writer

Pumpkin painting has long been a fall tradition for many in the United States, and with midterms in sight, students got the opportunity to paint a pumpkin and de-stress as part of the Pumpkin Painting Party with Students for the Arts.

UCA students gathered in the Student Center on Thursday, Oct. 7, to paint their own miniature pumpkins to take home, with everything being provided by the Students for the Arts organization.

UCA’s Students for the Arts mission as an organization is to advocate for the advancement and promotion of the arts, arts education and the creative economy in Arkansas. With midterms around the corner and the fall atmosphere setting in, the organization thought painting pumpkins would be the perfect way to ease some stress and also be festive.

“Originally this was supposed to be a tie-dye event but we changed it to the pumpkin paint

party because I realized we are at midterms right now and I’m stressed, you’re stressed, everyone’s stressed, and paint or

their own creativity and express themselves openly.

“I know that there’s a stereotype about the arts, like ‘if

Photo by Rob Davis

Sophomore Madison Roy paints a pumpkin at the Students for the Arts’ Pumpkin Painting Party on Thursday, Oct. 7.

doing any art itself without any limitations allows people to just relax and enjoy themselves and kind of have a break,” Students for the Arts President Avery Rudolph said.

Rudolph, who is a junior at UCA, is majoring in art history and hopes that through her work as president of Students for the Arts that everyone can tap into

you’re an artist you won’t make it in the big world’ and our goal is to simply say that yes, while that may be the case, like the five percent, but in reality, the arts is something that is valuable to people. It lets them express themselves. It lets them go through the motions and portray whatever events they have going on in their lives,” Rudolph said.

Gayle Seymour, the associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, also acts as one of the faculty sponsors for the organization.

With the Students for the Arts organization on campus still growing, having only been active since spring 2019, Seymour hopes that she and the rest of the organization can spark a new wave of creatives on campus.

“People have to make sure that there is room for the arts in our world, so what we are trying to do is raise a new generation of students who are aware that the arts are an important part of people’s lives and also a part of the creative economy,” Seymour said. “The arts really are critical, not only to our quality of life but to our economic world that drives most of everything we do.”

Students interested in getting involved with the organization or who want to learn about other events that Students for the Arts host in the future can find event details on CubConnect or the organization’s Instagram @ucastudents4thearts.

ucanews.live

STUDENTS SAY news story are you “ Whatfollowing and why? ” Story and photos by Olyvia Gonzalez

Senior Logan Smedley “I just read the paper the other day. I heard there was a molasses truck that spilled on the interstate and like that is kind of interesting. I mean how often does that happen?”

Senior Sarah Graham

“I guess the Gabby Petito case and looking for Brian Laundrie, but just because that is what the media is pushing down our throats. I really should not be following that, and be doing more research in news stories about all the indigenous women going missing. “

Sophomore Ryan Mckenny

Junior Starr Osbourne

“Right now I’m following the news about the Zodiac Killer because I watched some videos over it like a while back and it’s kind of like weird that they just found him now. And he is dead, allegedly.”

“I think the news I am kind of focused on right now is Biden’s plan to get rid of student debt and student loans because I think everyone should have an opportunity to an education and financial plans, and affording that shouldn’t be an issue.”

Postbaccalaureate Sarai Thomas

Junior Tristian Carr

“Mainly religious type news.

The vaccine mandates, I kind of follow that. With social media, I have been looking into that. I had just watched a video regarding the social media outage and all of that jazz. I mainly keep up with the news for religious purposes to see the climate of certain stuff.”

“The women’s rights stuff in Texas, and like all the trans-rights stuff here in Arkansas. I feel like after all the crazy political stuff that happened in the last four years, we have regressed a little bit. I feel like its evidence of that, and so it’s very worrisome to just like be watching that happen.”

People of UCA: Wanya Frazier

by Mia Waddell News Editor

During the day, sophomore Wanya Frazier is a business student, waiter and much-needed comedic relief to his coworkers. By night, he’s a rapper with a second job producing and engineering music in Little Rock.

Originally from small-town El Dorado, AR, Frazier is the oldest of seven siblings, two of which are tattooed along his biceps.

“I have my youngest here, Omari, and Kobe, who’s three years younger than me,” said Frazier, showing them off.

In the past year, Frazier has put out three albums, beginning with his first “Best of Wanya,” a compilation album of the singles he’s worked on for the past two years.

His passion projects, “Immortal 2” and “Immortal 2, Pt. 2” were released this year, with themes of love, selfreflection and even a feature from his roommate.

“I have a lot of stuff to say, I just didn’t have the confidence to say it. I can express it in my music,” Frazier said.

“I know I want to make music, and I want to tie business in with it. When I make it, I want to invent and give back. I don’t love money.

I just want to be comfortable,” Frazier said.

Frazier’s biggest influences are Tupac and J. Cole, he seeks to tell his story and to be authentic.

“I like rappers with substance. I want to write real stuff. I talk about what’s important to me and my everyday struggles,” Frazier said.

Frazier even admits his second album “Immortal 2, Pt. 2” was never supposed to come out this year. “Honest, I was in my feelings. So I put it out. It’s a sad album.”

Along with a full course load, Frazier works at Conway staple Stoby’s and has held almost every position in the restaurant.

“I’ve been everything but a manager,” Frazier said.

Frazier also works nights at a recording studio in Little Rock, where he mixes beats and works as a sound engineer for other local artists.

With such a full schedule, Frazier admits his new home can be quite lonely.

“I like Conway, it’s a lot less run down than where I’m from, but the people here are different. I’ve experienced some prejudice here.”

When he can find free

time, Frazier is making music at home.

“I write everything myself. I record myself, I mix it, I do all of it,” Frazier said.

Frazier has teamed up with a graphic designer for his album covers, and pours his heart and soul into his music.

“I need to promote it more.

That’s what I’m working on.

I don’t promote it enough,” Frazier said.

His classes at UCA are not what he expected, but he appreciates the education.

“I’m here on scholarship.

I wanted to do more with music, but UCA doesn’t really offer what I want to do- It’s all more classical music classes.

I’d love to take a sound engineering class. I wish they had a more broad music program,” Frazier said.

Frazier, whose stage name is Wanya, has music available on all streaming platforms.

Photo courtesy of Wanya Frazier

Frazier’s albums “Immortal 2” and “Immortals 2, pt. 2” released in August and September 2021. Frazier is a sophomore business student.