February 25, 2015

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SINGLE COPY PAID FOR BY STUDENT PUBLICATION FEE

WEDNESDAY

FEBRUARY 25, 2015 Volume 108 — Issue 6

ucaecho.net 4 TODAY’S FORECAST CONWAY

Campus Life:

Entertainment:

Sports:

‘Kingsmen’ gives fresh take on old genre, leaves audiences satisfied 4 page 6

Basketball:

Movie:

Concert:

Harlem Gospel choir fills Reynolds Hall with sounds of heritage, history 4 page 3 DEBRIEF

Partly Cloudy

take Double issues for week Students to social sites

by Peyton Olsen

4 THE NEWSDESK

Assistant News Editor

FROM THE EDITOR

Gas prices experiencing slow, steady rise in US The price of gas around the United States jumped about 26 cents in the past month to the current national average of $2.31 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.com. The Associated Press attributes the spike to an increase in crude prices, several labor strikes at refineries and the Feb. 18 explosion at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California. Arkansas’ average price falls about 17 cents below the national average at $2.14.

Conway’s prices range from $2.07 to $2.21. The website reports Cabot’s Murphy USA on Rockwood Drive with the lowest price in the state at $1.92.

Professor finishing work on 15-foot steel sculpture The 15-foot steel tornado that has been growing behind Schichtl Hall since January 2014 is nearing completion. Professor Bryan Massey Sr. has been molding the metal into the cyclone shape for Russellville High School’s Center for the Arts building. Massey told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette he is ahead of the scheduled August installation date. He hopes to finish sandblasting and painting the sculpture with the classic RHS Cyclone red in June. Massey said the cyclone is physically the biggest project he has ever done.

Chicken nuggets need fat Ya-Jane Wang, a food science professor at the University of Arkansas, is researching how to modify baked chicken nuggets to taste more like their popular fried cousins. Wang said fat is the key ingredient. The U of A’s Division of Agriculture is developing a coating that uses a modified starch to allow oil to attach to the nuggets. This coating could be applied commercially in public schools and state government facilities to help improve its cafeteria food without decreasing nutrition value.

Snow days delay deadlines for scholarship applicants Due to plethora of snow days, the deadline to apply for incoming freshman scholarships and transfer scholarships has been extended until Friday, Feb. 27.

Potential students can visit www.uca.edu/scholarships to apply online.

photo courtesy of UCA Lactation Station Committee

Blueprints for the first lactation station in Old Main Hall include plans for curtain rods, a blacked-out window, paneling and an additional column.

UCA ‘expresses’ itself

Lactation suites to open after spring break

by Kendra Beattie Opinion Editor

Pregnant and nursing women will enjoy two new lactation suites, one in Old Main Hall and another in the Women’s Health Clinic, after spring break.

Lactation suites are comfortable, safe, private environments for women to express breast milk. The stations will consist of new furniture, sinks, microwaves, small refrigerators and controllable light settings. Funding for lactation stations comes entirely from faculty, staff and student senate reserves.

“The staff and student senates each donated $2,000, and the faculty senate gave $5,500 to the project,” Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity Angela Webster-Smith said.

“We’re estimating each suite will cost between $1,500 to $2,000.”

Student financial contributions come from the student activity fee, which is part of the SGA reserve fund, so no student fees will be raised for the project.

“It’s basically like asking each student to pitch in 18 cents to help pregnant or nursing mothers on campus,” SGA Vice President of Operations Bryce Crabb said.

“We didn’t think anyone wouldn’t want to throw in that little to help someone in that situation.”

The ultimate goal is to have five lactation stations in different locations on campus so women who need them will have close access from any building. All potential rooms are unoccupied, and future stations will possibly be located in Torreyson Library, Burdick Hall and Lewis Science Center.

The Office of Institutional Diversity hopes these stations will aid pregnant and nursing faculty, staff and students in balancing parenthood and academic life.

“We don’t want to prohibit any mother from making that most excellent choice to attend college,” Webster-Smith said.

“We want them to see UCA as an option.”

Several former students who attended UCA while pregnant or nursing agreed that an area to express breast milk would have helped them tremendously during their academic career.

Alumna Bethany Alexander said attending college while pregnant and nursing was difficult because she would have to frequently leave campus to pump breast milk comfortably.

“The thing about pumping that requires a special room is that it’s so revealing, and it’s very noisy because [the pumps] are motor-powered,” Alexander said.

See Express - page 2

PEDALING THROUGH POWDER

UCA to welcome Jesse Till The UCA Alumni Association and UCA Athletic Department will co-sponsor an Alumni Day with the Bears at 4 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Farris Center, where the basketball teams will take on Southeastern Louisiana University. UCA’s new Alumni Services Director Jesse Thill will be introduced, and the Associate of Future Alumni will host a halftime competition. Admission is free for UCA alumni and their immediate families.

4 WHAT’S AHEAD IN OUR NEXT ISSUE

Conway city council to vote on anti-discrimination law, SGA hosts leadership summit

photo by Makenzie Evans

Freshmen David Leiva and Caitlin Gibson ride bikes through the snow and ice Monday, Feb. 23. UCA canceled classed due to the ice.

Index:

Contact Us: 2 3 6

4Campus Life 4Opinion 4Sports

3 5 7

AWA R E N E S S

I N C L E M E N T W E AT H E R

45/28

4Police Beat 4Around Campus 4Entertainment

Sugar Bears earn last-second victory, face equally close defeat after missed shot 4 page 7

Phone: 501-450-3446 E-mail: ucaechoeditor@gmail.com

The Echo’s fifth issue of spring 2015 will accompany the sixth on distribution racks around UCA’s campus this week.

The icy weather that fell throughout the South last Sunday night caused full and partial closures at businesses throughout central Arkansas, including the Log Cabin Democrat, which The Echo uses as its liaison for its printing service at the Jacksonville Patriot.

Though the fifth issue’s pages were properly sent to print Monday night, the chain of communication between the Log Cabin and the Patriot froze.

The Log Cabin originally told Echo Editor Misti Hollenbaugh she could expect the pages late Wednesday afternoon, but the Log Cabin had not sent the page files to Jacksonville.

Friday morning, the Patriot

reported it had lost The Echo files and asked them to be resent.

The papers arrived at the Log Cabin Democrat dock at 1 a.m.

Feb. 21, just in time for another bout of bad weather.

To prevent the newspapers from becoming soggy goop on the stoops outside each academic building, Hollenbaugh kept the entire 5,500-paper shipment in her car to be distributed Sunday night.

About 4 p.m. Feb. 22, icy flakes started to fall again, giving the Bears another day off school on Monday, Feb. 23 and pushing The Echo’s distribution back again.

However, as every journalism student knows, the news never stops.

Rain, snow, sleet or shine, The Echo’s editorial staff works each Monday to build the paper with articles and photography provided by UCA students.

The Echo produces 13 issues each semester.

HOUSING

for campaign

by Misti Hollenbaugh Editor

As a prerequisite to Valentine’s Day, students provided information about violence against women as part of the One Billion Rising event Feb. 13 in the Student Center.

The event stemmed from the statistic that one in three women across the planet is beaten or raped during her lifetime, which translates to one billion women and girls.

Every February, countries around the world speak out as part of One Billion Rising to shed light on injustice toward women and to show the issue’s far-reaching effects.

During the event, students handed out bookmarks with facts about violence against women to passer-bys, then encouraged them to either read a statistic from the bookmark or dance for 15 seconds on video to raise awareness.

The videos were posted on Instagram with the hashtag

“It’s an injustice; it’s inhumane and shouldn’t exist.” ­—- Junior Juan Garcia

photo by Lauren Swaim

Short Hall, half of the STARS Residential College, will be closed for at least 12 weeks this summer. Short Hall is among the top priorities for summer housing renovations to be funded by fall rate increases.

Making ‘STARS’ shine

Short/Denney at top of summer ‘15 renovations

by Calli Morrison Staff Writer

An increase in room and board fees will be coming to UCA residential life in the next academic year. Proposals between the SGA and the UCA Board of Trustees resulted in a 2.5 percent increase, which will cause students to pay an additional $106 each semester for their room and board fees.

Housing and residence life has seen much growth over the past several years. Along with this has come the responsibility of expanding and remodeling existing housing.

“UCA is in a transitional state, and housing has done it’s best to keep up with our continued increase in enrollment,” Resident Housing Association President junior Daniel Grayling said.

This enrollment increase carries many challenges with it.

UCA’s current housing exhibits much need for maintenance and remodeling.

“UCA is building on an aged

infrastructure,” Grayling said.

“There are certainly issues within on-campus housing, and they most strongly affect residents.”

While new halls have been built over the last several years, older halls on campus present issues.

One of the more prominent housing needs is in Short/Denney Hall. The two-sided, co-ed residential hall houses the STARS program for freshmen who are interested in “living the arts.”

“It’s a great community for the theater, art and music kids and the students that want to join the fun because there isn’t any pressure to be normal or less eccentric or whatever you want to call it,” senior Chandler Gaines said. “A lot of our people formed family units that would do everything from homework to friendsgiving and turning the second floor into a haunted hallway together. I love it and think it was a great place for me and a lot of others.”

See STARS- page 2

#ucarising.

Junior Stephanie Daigle, who participated with Honors professor Cindy Lea’s Women and Law class, said the event was a success.

“It gave people a fun way to participate in the movement and step out of their comfort zone by dancing and reading facts for the video, but also it provided them with a tangible piece of paper to take away that reminds them of the realities of what it’s like to be a woman today,” Daigle said. “I think the most important thing for students to take away from the event is how important it is for women to be aware of the realities of the society they live in, [and] that it’s on each individual person, men included, to ensure women can live in environments where they can thrive without the fear of being assaulted or harassed in any way.”

Junior Juan Garcia, who volunteered at the event with Gender Studies Director Taine Duncan’s Race, Class and Gender class, stressed the importance of giving a voice to the voiceless.

“Many victims do not speak for themselves, and I’ve known a few girls who have been in abusive relationships,” Garcia said. “It’s an injustice; it’s inhumane and shouldn’t exist.”

Junior Joseph Oluokun, who also participated with Lea’s class, said the event did a fantastic job at inspiring people to learn more about violence against women, while introducing them to facts they might not have known.

“This is an important issue for UCA because a large portion of our student body is women, and we, as a university, should show we are taking steps to provide the safest and most enjoyable environment for our student body,” Oluokun said. “Participating in this type of

See Campaign - page 2

Inside:

Social:

Luxurious lives, less lessons @ucaecho

The Echo

ucaecho

© 2015 The Echo, Printed by the Jacksonville Patriot, Jacksonville, Arkansas.

Blue-collar jobs teach students values of hardwork, common courtsey

page 5

2/ February 25, 2015

NEWS ucaecho.net

Police Beat

Campaign:

The following information is compiled from UCAPD incident reports

by Assistant News Editor Peyton Olsen.

Smoking doobie in shower soils Hughes Hall kid’s clean record Resident Assistant Tyler Hollowell, 20, reported finding student Jordan Johnson, 19, of Camden, smoking a marijuana cigarette in the Hughes Hall third floor bathroom about 2:14 p.m. Feb. 16.

UCAPD arrived to find Johnson still sitting fully dressed inside one of the showers. Hollowell handed UCAPD a red lighter and the small joint that he found Johnson smoking in the shower.

After being read his Miranda rights, Johnson told UCAPD that it was his joint and that he did not have any more marijuana in his possession.

Hollowell told UCAPD that Johnson had not caused any problems in the hall this year and said he would file a drug violation with UCA Housing and Residence Life.

UCAPD decided to let the violation remain within the university’s Judicial Review Board (J-board), took a picture of the joint and flushed it down the toilet.

Harsh words leaving State Hall window put student on watch Student Reggie Weyimi, 18, of Plano, Texas, reported former student Quintin Vinzant, 19, about 6:08 p.m. Feb. 16 for verbally abusing him continuously since the fall 2014 semester.

Weyimi told UCAPD he heard Vinzant’s voice yell, “bald-ass mother f***er,” at him when he was walking past State Hall.

UCAPD told Weyimi to call immediately if he sees or hears from Vinzant anymore.

Bear Village impromptu ice rink causes student vehicle damage Student Ezekiel McPherson, 19, of Mena, reported damage to his gray 2005 Mazda MX3 after his vehicle

slid on ice at the west entrance of Bear Village Apartments about 11:24 p.m. Feb. 17.

Police said the front passenger side tire was dented in and the front fender was dented and scratched from colliding with a curb.

Police said the roadway was completely covered in ice.

Pro Auto towed the car, and UCAPD estimated the damage at $900.

Clothes stolen from washroom Student Anna Whitworth, 19, of Searcy, reported her UCA sweatshirt and black skinny jeans stolen from the Bernard Hall laundry room about 12:22 p.m. Feb. 19.

Whitworth told police she started washing her clothes around 1:45 p.m. Feb. 17 and finished about 3:10 p.m. the same day. She said her clothes had been removed from the dryer and folded when she found them, but she did not notice the missing sweatshirt and jeans until she got back to her room.

The sweatshirt, valued at $30, was gray with the words “Central Arkansas” and a bear paw print on it.

The black jeans, valued at $50, were American Eagle brand.

Students bring attention to domestic violence issues, call to action through social media 4 Continued from page 1 event shows an effort to taking those steps.”

Seeing the enthusiasm of men and women alike when they danced and learned about the issue was hopeful and humbling for sophomore Ashley Lewis, who volunteered with Duncan’s class.

“I think that people need to be aware of the numbers and aware of the abuse that women face,” Lewis said. “Awareness is the only way to rise above the systematic injustice and to

begin a road to nonviolence in women.”

Lewis said students and faculty were eager to support the cause more often than not.

Garcia agreed that many people were receptive to the message.

“Those who danced for the camera or recorded themselves reading a statistic took action,” he said. “I don’t expect that as students we would be expected to become huge advocates and take to the streets, but we did

something small with what we could and that’s something.”

Garcia said the event focused on speaking out, raising awareness and calling to action.

“By getting the word out— even if the person just walked past us and took a bookmark or heard that we were trying to raise awareness—I feel that [it] at least put something in their minds,” Garcia said. “People need reminders so that the people who are suffering or forgotten become visible.”

TURNING SMILES INTO STONE

Officers roll up on student as he prepares blunt in his front seat Student Tyler Phillips, 19, was referred to the J-board for a drug violation after UCAPD saw him rolling a blunt in his black 2006 Toyota Camry about 10:27 p.m. Feb. 19.

Phillips’ Camry was parked outside the Pepsi Center. UCAPD “asked him to step out [of the car] and hand [them] the weed,” and Phillips listened.

Phillips told UCAPD about the other paraphernalia he had in his car and where they could find it.

Along with the half-rolled blunt, UCAPD found 2.3 grams of marijuana, a scale and a grinder.

UCAPD said, “The contraband was seized and later destroyed at the police department.”

photo by Makenzie Evans

Freshman Antraneshia Goodwin smiles for the camera as her crystal keychain is made. UCA’s Student Activities Board hosted the novelty event on Thursday, Feb. 19 at the Student Center.

Express: photo by Lauren Swaim

Students from the STARS Residential College attend a writing class in the Short/Denney classroom.

Residents must apply to live in Short/Denney through the Office of Undergraduate Studies.

STARS:

Room, board rate increases will fund long-awaited work on Short/Denney, other university housing 4 Continued from page 1 Though it provides a community for students, the hall faces several maintenance issues.

“There was mold in vents and showers, the bathrooms were in general pretty gross,” Gaines said. “Short smelled like body odor when I lived there because it used to be the boy’s side until the integration. A lot of paint is missing in various places. I don’t think the ceilings have really ever been cleaned, judging by the dust and cobwebs I found up there, and blowing a fuse was really very easy.”

According to Housing’s renovations priority list, Short/ Denney needs a new roof, boiler replacement and repair, bathroom ventilation and paint and floor upgrades.

“They have the same issues all the normal halls do,” Short/ Denney Resident Assistant Jordyn Kaga said.

Other maintenance issues spread to most halls on campus.

Bear Village and Stadium Park need floor and paint renovation.

Hughes Hall needs a boiler replacement and repair. Farris Hall’s interior paint needs to be finished. Various halls and apartments need furniture replacement, upgrades to the hot water system and better Internet access.

Junior Alexis Cleavenger said Baridon Hall has had its own issues, as well.

“It took them a month to get the crickets fixed,” Cleavenger said. The insects had apparently been falling from the ceiling on her and her roommate. Along with this, her floor experienced flooding and heating and airconditioning problems.

Junior Resident Adviser Elizabeth Flores said sometimes students don’t take care of the furniture or fixtures, and things get damaged really fast.

“I can definitely see how housing could use the extra funding,” Flores said.

Other issues with housing on campus include having systems in place to provide necessary items for the students.

Former Short/Denney resident junior Leanna Adams said the dorm didn’t always have toilet paper.

“They were supposed to, but they took it away for most of the year after some students stole it on Halloween,” she said.

Grayling pointed out the importance of reporting housing issues.

“The problems of age and normal wear-and-tear are made more difficult by some residents not engaging in productive assistance,” he said. “When an issue goes unreported, it can become more severe.”

The ability to report problems has become easier, Flores said.

Students can make maintenance requests directly from their housing account on my.uca.edu, compared to previously having to find a student housing staff

member to report the problem.

Maintenance can now usually fix problems within two days.

At the Feb. 9 SGA meeting, Newton said it is looking at ways to maintain current levels of maintenance and renovations while building reserve funds.

The housing increase cost will allow for an additional $325,000 per semester. This will provide the budget with funds for planned maintenance and the budget reserve. The reserve will be used as emergency funds.

“The raise will help improve the quality of life for the on-campus population and assist in keeping our buildings in strong form,” Grayling said. “It’s vital that UCA is able to respond to [infrastructual issues] promptly, effectively and vehemently when it might affect the lives of students living on campus.”

Newly approved lactation stations scheduled to open after spring break will provide student mothers valuable resource 4 Continued from page 1 “Most women I knew who were pregnant while in school ended up taking a semester or a year off to be at home before returning.”

Former student Errica Pruden was both a pregnant and nursing mother who commuted between Leslie and Conway for classes in 2004. She said a lactation suite would have benefited both her and her son.

“My milk production went down a lot [during that time],” Pruden said. “If I would have had access to something like this, and a place to store milk, my son would have likely been able to nurse past [a] few months [old].”

The idea to create these stations came from several faculty members who approached the Office of Institutional Diversity because they often let students use their offices to relieve milk. Faculty and staff senates also wanted the areas for their members, as well as for students. Soon after, Webster-Smith asked the UCA community for input.

“I sent out an email to everyone on campus, and 50

women responded saying they thought it was something we needed,” Webster-Smith said.

In the email responses, faculty, staff and students said they have trouble finding private areas to pump breast milk throughout the day and often have to resort to their cars or restrooms.

The next step was to assemble a focus group. Twentytwo women—either faculty, staff or students—participated in the group. Each woman was either pregnant, nursing or had recently finished nursing. They were separated into groups of four and assigned a facilitator to keep conversations on track.

The consensus overwhelmingly emphasized environment as a crucial factor in healthy milk expression.

Expressing milk in uncomfortable environments can affect milk production or make it difficult to pump the full amount needed to maintain healthy production.

“Not expressing milk regularly can also lead to

engorgement,” Webster-Smith said. “Engorgement can be painful, cause a fever and even an infection. All this affects a mother’s ability to continue to produce milk.”

While the rooms’ cost seems excessive, the intent is to create the most relaxed environment possible.

The walls will be painted soothing colors, the furniture will be comfortable and there will be no outside visibility.

Renovation and manual labor costs are also a factor for some rooms in older buildings.

Efforts to increase privacy include a lock that shows when the room is occupied and a plaque clearly designating the area as a lactation suite. WebsterSmith is also considering having students sign in with a faculty or staff member to use the room.

For more questions concerning lactation suites or when they will be available for use, contact the Office of Institutional Diversity at Institutional-Diversity@uca.edu, or at (501) 450-3135.

Donate life saving plasma.

You have the power to save lives!

The first 200 people to pre-register, before we open our doors at Biotest Plasma Center Conway, will automatically be entered to WIN an LED HD TV! Pre-register at www.biotestplasma.com Coming Soon to Conway!

Biotest Plasma Center • 2235 Dave Ward Drive, Suite 205 • Conway, Arkansas 72034 (501) 499-8698

BiotestPlasmaCenterConway

@BPCConway

Campus Life

3

February 25, 2015

Around Campus:

Writing students perform UCA undergraduate writing students will read and perform original works 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. March 2 in the Thompson Hall Grand Foyer. The event is open to the public and appropriate for all ages.

Admission is free.

Women of Ireland “Women of Ireland,” a showcase of Ireland’s leading female performers, will appear 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

March 3 at Reynolds Performance Hall. The show is a full-stage production of traditional Irish music and dance. The show also features Anthony Fallon, a former lead dancer with Riverdance and four-time River Dancing World Champion. Admission is $30-$40 for the general public and free for UCA students.

Spring Job Fair The Spring Job Fair will be 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. March 4 in the Student Center Ballroom. Students should bring resumes and dress professionally.

photo by Krisa McCullough

The world famous Harlem Gospel Choir performs at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in Reynolds Performance Hall. The Choir performed as a part of Reynold’s Black History Month lineup.

Gospel Choir caps off Black History Month celebration

by Joe Kramer

Entertainment Editor A nearly packed Reynolds theater hosted the worldfamous Harlem Gospel Choir on Feb. 19 to cap off Black History Month after Common’s lecture at Reynolds the previous week.

Allen Bailey founded the choir in 1986 after he attended a lunch in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Cotton

Club in Harlem, New York.

Since then, the spirit and soul of Harlem’s Gospel community has been making appearances and doing philanthropy around the world.

The choir performs contemporary gospel music with a touch of jazz and blues.

Its music has influences ranging from standard gospel hymns and songs heard in churches throughout the U.S.

to the old, African-American spirituals of slave-era America.

With this jazz and soul influence, the choir has sold out shows with famous artists around the world.

The Reynolds crowd on Thursday night was on its feet, singing and dancing to the music for the nearly two-hour performance.

While being high energy and friendly to the audience, the

choir brought people on stage and gave out prizes.

Donations toward the event went toward the Operation Smile Foundation, which helps fund reconstructive surgeries for children with cleft pallets.

The choir visited Honduras two weeks ago to see firsthand the money’s impact on the Honduran children.

“It was all the validation one could ever need to know that God

is good and that Operation Smile is one of the many organizations that needs our help,” said Sister Kecia, a five-year choir member.

Some choir members have been involved since they were children, such as Brother Craig Stagg, who has been a member for almost 15 years.

“The gospel is responsible

See Gospel- page 4

B AW K - B AW K

Virtual tour shows tough life of chicken

by Corissa Calico Staff Writer

The PETA innovation team gave students the opportunity to participate in a virtual tour of being a chicken for about three minutes Feb. 19 and 20 in the Student Center.

UCA’s Environmental Alliance Club requested the team come to campus.

To participate, each student put on a small backpack, two monitors on his arm and some goggles.

During the first minute of the experience, all the participant sees is his reflection as a chicken, then another chicken in front of him with the word “follow” above its head.

As he starts following the chicken, a person in the real world suddenly grabs the participant, symbolizing being grabbed by factory workers.

The next thing the participant knows, he’s inside a cage with approximately 200

plus other chickens on their way to be slaughtered. Little do these chickens know, their lives will end soon.

The last thing the participant sees in the tour is the chickens after they have been slaughtered and before they are cooked. This somewhat emotional sight left some students shocked.

“It’s like a video game,” senior Bre Baker said. “It was really cool, but the information that was given to me was so much more impactful than the tour.”

In a society that eats meat every day, many students do not know what it would be like to be a chicken.

Caroline Gardner, Peta2 tour administrator, said PETA’s innovation team worked with developers to create the unique and leading-edge virtual reality experience called I, Chicken to help participants empathize with one of the most abused animals in the world.

“Over one million chickens are slaughtered for meat every hour in the U.S. alone, and that’s not including the 452

million egg-laying hens who are kept in small cages and denied all comforts, viewed only as producers of eggs and meat, rather than as individuals with their own wants and needs,” Gardner said.

A small preview of a chicken’s life could include never getting to breathe fresh air, having its legs broken, being thrown against walls, having its beaks and toes cut off, having its head ripped off or being scared to death.

The treatment of these chickens, what some would consider torture, is the reason why many decide to become vegan.

Becoming vegan doesn’t mean people stop eating their favorite foods.

They can still eat foods such as macaroni and cheese, ice cream, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches. These foods are just made with different ingredients.

For more information on this topic, email college@ peta2.com. Use the hashtag #IJustWentVegan to help spread these statistics.

photo by Makenzie Evans

Freshman Keondra Bates experiences “I,Chicken,” a simulation of the life of a free chicken being taken from its environment that hosted by PETA. Bates said it was a different and cool experience to be aware how chickens have their freedom taken away from them.

SPOTLIGHT

by Austin DuVall

PEOPLE OF UCA Neil Rutman

Online Editor

Neil Rutman’s world revolves around experiences, toeing the line between ambition and meaning, though he’s realized with age that the scale tilts more toward the latter.

“When I was younger, I was always ambitious,” the world-renowned pianist said.

“Accomplish this. Play here. Be famous here. But after a while, you want experiences that have meaning rather than doing something for anything less.”

Rutman, a tenured piano professor and Artist in Residence at UCA for 20 years, is a fourthgeneration San Franciscan who was recruited by the university after an extensive musical career that took him from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo. He sought out lessons at age 10 after inheriting a family piano.

“It’s my life,” Rutman said, referring to music. “I sometimes take it for granted. Sometimes I have a catharsis, an emotional experience when playing a piece of music and completely break down … and sometimes I don’t want to have anything to do with

AUTHOR

photo by Makenzie Evans

Artist in Residence Neil Rutman poses next to his piano, which is one of his many talents. it. It’s a mixed bag, all of those things combined.”

To Rutman, a devout Mormon, music is another experience to be had, albeit more spiritual than most.

“I think it’s important to help people connect with the best within them,” he said. “I have a spiritual life and I think that helps people connect with that.”

Rutman also runs the UCA

Ellen Hopkins lecture inspires Boxing Club, a campus RSO. As he sees it, the club is more for the members—not all of whom are students.

He has been a volunteer Faulkner County probation officer for six years and was asked to form the boxing club to help juvenile defenders with their community service requirements.

“They love being in that environment, and college boxers act as tutors for some of the boys who need to raise their grades because they come from families who don’t value academic study,” Rutman said. “And then, after we beat each other up, we get in the center ring and I give them a 60-second sermon on some moral issue related to their lives.”

Rutman received the Martin Luther King – President Barack Obama Service Award in 2012 for his work as a probation officer.

He was one of 30 Americans to be named.

He will soon be able to add “published author” to his already lengthy resume with his first work, “Stories, Images and Magic from the Piano Literature.”

by Kelli Wierzbicki Contributor

New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins made an appearance at UCA on Feb. 18, after rescheduling due to snow days earlier in the week. The lecture was held in the College of Business 107 as part of the Artist in Residence program, which is funded by UCA’s art fee.

Stephanie Vanderslice, writing professor and Arkansas Writers Master of Fine Arts Workshop director, facilitated the event and spent one-on-one time with Hopkins.

“She’s very down to earth and very self-effacing and a really interesting person to be with,” Vanderslice said. “She works really hard to make a difference in the world. She has a real heart for young people and it’s really amazing.”

During her lecture, Hopkins revealed the inspiration behind her books, gave advice to aspiring authors and read a few pieces of her poetry. She also signed books after the events.

Hopkins’ first novel, “Crank,”

is based on her daughter’s meth addiction. One of her more recent works, “Rumble,” is loosely based on her son’s religious quest.

Hopkins said divulging her personal life to her audience was a conscious decision, and she let people into it because she felt she could offer insight.

“Not just to people who are considering doing [drugs], but to people who have lost family members to drugs or people who are going through hard times,” she said.

Hopkins advised students who want to turn their writing into a career to recognize the importance of social media. She told students to let the publisher know there is interest in the book as a tip to get published.

“There was interest in [“Crank”] — from my family and friends — but they didn’t know that,” she said.

She also explained why she used nontraditional word placement on the pages of her earlier books. She did so to create

See Hopkins- page 4

ucaecho.net

CAMPUS LIFE DOUBT

H I S TO RY

February 25, 2015 /4

STUDENTS SAY

NAACP honors holiday with date auction Controversial play strikes harsh feelings

by Joe Kramer

Entertainment Editor

February brings a more unique sense of holiday and remembrance than other months. As the month enters its final days, it is important to look back at what February has come to mean for so many people.

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be Negro History Week. This week was chosen because it coincided with Abraham Lincoln’s Feb. 12 birthday and Frederick Douglass’ Feb. 14 birthday, both dates which black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century.

Negro History Week was expanded to Black History Month in 1969 when the leaders of Black United Students at Kent State University proposed the idea.

Black History Month is not only celebrated in the United States, but also in Canada and in the United Kingdom in October.

One UCA group in particular holds this month dear. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been on UCA’s campus for the past four years since extending to the university from the Faulkner County NAACP branch.

The UCA chapter works with the Faulkner County chapter to bring awareness to the campus and community about important matters that influence the colored community’s freedoms and to make sure their voices are heard. To achieve this, the chapters do community service and host monthly events.

Since February is Black History Month, many programs and events have been planned.

The NAACP hosted its annual Poetry Slam on Feb. 9, which was a great success. Grammy Awardwinning poet J. Ivy hosted the event, in which the audience listened to pieces from his recent book, “Dear Father.” The event also showcased talent from UCA

“

by Morgan Embry Campus Life Editor

photo by Krisa McCullough

Kaylon Bradford, UCA’s Office of Diversity and Community associate director and NAACP Date Auction host, reads junior Camille Reyes’ biography to potential bidders Feb. 18 in the McCastlain Hall Ballroom. students.

The NAACP partnered with other African-American organizations, such as Students for the Propagation of Black Culture, the Minority Mentorship Program, National Pan Hellenic Council, Real Beauty and Griot, to discuss pressing issues within the black community, such as the Mike Brown case, in a program called “Saving Ourselves” on Feb. 19.

The NAACP will host “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” on Feb. 25 as its last program of the month to test how much students know about America’s history.

This month’s events have been focused on raising awareness and money for different parts of the community.

UCA’s NAACP chapter hosted a Date Auction on Feb. 18, where students who volunteered to be candidates for the auction read short biographies they wrote for themselves to an audience, giving the audience a chance to bid on them based on their personalities.

NAACP Treasurer Johnathan

Mablin, a senior from West Memphis, said this month’s events have gone extremely well, but that Wednesday night was especially light-hearted and fun in a month taken seriously by many NAACP and community members.

“Wednesday’s Date Auction was created as our monthly fundraiser,” Mablin said. “The event was a way for students on campus to have a relaxed and fun time by learning a little more about the participants. Everyone enjoyed themselves, so this was a successful event.”

Mablin met with the rest of the NAACP executive board over the summer to discuss the group’s goals for this academic year.

“We decided that for this year, our theme is ‘Changing the Game,’” Mablin said. “They developed this theme to really incorporate change within our community, within our campus and, most of all, within our lives.

We want every member who is a part of NAACP to strive and be the best they can within all aspects of their life.”

A performance full of controversial topics brought thought and emotion for the audience, cast and crew in UCA’s Theater Program’s showing of “Doubt: A Parable” during their five shows this February.

In “Doubt” concern is raised when a priest at a Catholic school in the Bronx is accused by the school’s principal of molesting a boy.

Though the priest, played by alumni Austin Brown, denies the allegations brought against him, he refuses to tell the principal what he and the child do while they’re alone.

Throughout the play, questions of homosexuality are also raised. It becomes muddled if the priest is consoling the child and helping him cope or committing the crimes held against him.

“As a Catholic, I went into the show curious,” sophomore Emma Boone said. “I was curious about the costumes, the set and the acting. I was blown away by all three. The costumes and set were incredibly accurate. The acting gave me goosebumps. It was incredible.”

For junior Emily Ray, the play struck emotion for more than one reason.

“Doubt” was Ray’s first stage-design, and the process proved to be arduous task.

Ray’s particular challenge was creating a set in a small space with multiple scenes. The director, Chris Fritzges, wanted to have the audience sit on stage to create an intimate tone to the play.

“The greatest challenge of designing the set was creating such a realistic design in a small intimate space,” Ray said. “We wanted to feel like they were actually a part of the congregation.”

How have you spent your

”

snow days?

story by Audrey Roberts photos by Makenzie Evans

EXHIBIT

Sophomore Osiris Stephenson

Freshman Jonahthan Onyumbe

“I spent my two snow days in bed watching ‘Californication.’ ”

“I worked on writing my paper for media and society.”

Sophomore Jiaxuan Li

Sophomore Becca Shaw

“I watched movies and had a snowball fight outside.”

“I actually got caught up on my homework. I got a lot of work done.”

Junior Shamenia West

Freshman Devin Sims

“I’m a nontraditional student, so snow days are all about the kids. I cleaned my home, and I hung out with my family.”

“I made my cat go out in the snow, which was so fun. I slid her out onto the ice, and she freaked out. But she began to love it, and she rolled around in it. I should have gotten a picture.”

American Sign Language Club brings diverse crowd looking to learn

by Kendra Beattie Opinion Editor

While the American Sign Language (ASL) Club meets during x-period like many groups, its members come from various majors and have different motivations for joining.

It initially seems that the members would all be speech pathology or linguistic majors getting extra credit, but most want to simply practice sign language.

The club even has a digital filmmaking major participant whose past makes sign language important to him.

“I was born 100 percent deaf and raised to speak because my parents and [siblings] can hear,” sophomore Zack Stone said. “I was the first known deaf person [diagnosed] at the age of 1 in Arkansas.”

Stone got a cochlear implant at 9 years old and has been able to hear since then. However, he can still remember how difficult

Gospel:

it was to communicate before the procedure, especially without knowing sign language.

“I like to help other people who are deaf and to help myself talk to them,” Stone said. “I can learn sign language better than any other languages.”

Stone makes YouTube vlogs where he uses subtitles so the hearing impaired can understand him. He hopes to eventually incorporate sign language into the videos.

Stone has a friend in the club who helps him with some of his film projects and who wants to take a sign language class next semester.

“I started learning [sign language] in fifth or sixth grade, but I never learned more than the alphabet and a few basic signs,” freshmen Kendra Marbley said. “I want to pick it back up.”

Marbley’s reasoning was shared among other club members. Many members were in sign language-related majors, and

some said sign language doesn’t get enough academic attention at UCA. There are two sign language classes offered, both at a basic level. After completing these courses, there aren’t many options to keep learning or practicing the language at UCA. Occupational therapy graduate student Kristen Grammas received her undergraduate degree at the University of North Texas, where sign language counts as a foreign language credit. For her, sign language is important because it is the only other language she picked up easily.

“I’m dyslexic, so sign language was easier for me to learn because they still teach other foreign languages based on English and with lots of reading,” Grammas said. “I really don’t want to lose that.”

The ASL Club has several students who know enough sign language to help teach others to further their knowledge.

Brother Stagg explains his start with choir; members gain

Hopkins:

Students enjoy, relate to Hopkins’ teen novels,

such as ‘Crank’ series

fulfillment by spreading gospel of Christ 4 Continued from page 3

for bringing me into this family,” Stagg said. “I grew up in church singing gospel music. One day, someone at work heard me sing when I was young and told me I should audition. So I did, and now I get to travel the world spreading spiritual healing through singing.”

Many members derive a greater sense of accomplishment and pride from their work.

“We are here to spread the gospel and to do good work, but when it really comes down to it,

“I learned because of my major, but it just so happened that I became friends with a deaf student who is the club president,” junior Melinda Hatcher said. “I also use it to communicate with my [former] baby sitter’s dog that’s deaf and understands sign language.”

The club also designs exercises to help members experience communicating with sign language.

At Thursday’s meeting, the club separated into pairs and attempted to describe characters with sign language while their mouths were covered. They could only use their hands to tell their partner their character’s name, age, occupation, marital status and whether or not he had kids.

ASL Club’s next scheduled meeting is during x-period March 12.

A guest speaker will talk to students about deaf culture, audiology and different hearing aid equipment.

4 Continued from page 3

everything we do and everything I do is for the children and different people in need that our donations help,” Kecia said.

“That is my greatest reward from this experience.”

While the proceeds earned by the Harlem Gospel Choir help the less fortunate, Stagg spoke of a different kind of fulfillment.

“Giving the gospel of Christ to the people is something that is one of our principle duties,” Stagg said. “We are spreading love and healing to the people of

the world, and that is all we do.”

Stagg said the choir was trying to give the same Jesusinspired love to all the world’s people.

“We aren’t stars, we aren’t here for the fame, we are here for the people by bringing awareness to groups that need help from our proceeds and to bring the message of Jesus Christ to everyone,” Stagg said.

“It never feels like we have to work a single day when the work that we do gives us so much in return.”

visual interest and bring readers who might not otherwise read books to a place where they felt comfortable reading.

Junior Justine Yatska said the lecture was great and that she enjoyed hearing Hopkins’ insight on her books. Yatska’s favorite book is “Identical,” which is about identical twins whose father abuses one of them.

“I’m an identical twin, and I related a lot to the twins in the story,” she said. “My life is not

that dark, though.”

Hopkins is popular in the teen fiction world. She has written several books in that genre including the “Crank” series, which includes six titles, and “Rumble.” Hopkins’ novels focus on teenage hardships such as prostitution, abuse, drug addiction and mental illness. Hopkins also writes poetry and children’s books, but she is best known for her young adult books.

Hopkins’ novels are classified as fiction, but they are

all based on real-life situations.

She researches these situations by asking people who have experienced them to give their perspective.

She has reached out to fans via social media to get their viewpoints to use for her stories.

Hopkins’ message to UCA students is to not give up on reading.

“Whatever it takes, come back to it, because I think books don’t just fill a place; they fill a void,” she said.

Opinion

ucaechoeditor@gmail.com

5

The Voice

February 25, 2015

Increasing standards increases graduates

Living off daddy’s cash won’t teach empathy for others

The Echo Staff Misti Hollenbaugh Editor

Laura Landers Associate Editor

Jared L. Holt News Editor

Peyton Olsen

Assistant News Editor

Morgan Embry Campus Life Editor

Andy Robertson

Sports Editor/Associate Online Editor

Mason Addison Executive Assistant

Joe Kramer

Entertainment Editor/Editorial Cartoonist

Kendra Beattie Opinion Editor

Austin DuVall Online Editor

Makenzie Evans

I know many people who work their way through college. Most of them hold jobs in places such as restaurants, bars, retail stores or banks to pay the bills.

However, just as there are many who have jobs in the blue-collar work force, there are many who don’t lift a finger while attending college.

Now, those lucky enough not to have to worry about working during college could be fortunate in a number of ways.

They could be students to the highest degree and have their school paid for, which is a job in itself to maintain the requirements to keep those scholarships.

Increasingly, I have found there are people who have rich mommies and daddies who can afford to have their money squandered on the college experience of partying and good times, as opposed to getting a worthwhile education.

But who am I to care what other people do with their money?

My bone to pick is with the type of people who make it into the real world with the same attitude they harbored while attending the university on their parent’s dime.

There is a whole, rather large, subsect of the world that participates in blue-collar work.

In America, the corporate system is prevalent in almost every job you could hope to score with a degree.

There is little empathy or understanding of how much that corporate world hinges on the blue-collar work of almost every country in the world.

If we had the same amount of manual laborers as China or India, we would see a tremendous change in attitude toward blue-collar work, as well as a discernible growth in our own nation’s productivity.

Universities and trade schools would be held in the same light, and students who do not wish to pursue a career as a paper pusher would contribute to society with

the notice and respect they deserve.

Instead, there are people who tip badly, who are the people who make your day as a cook, waiter or waitress a living hell.

Their sense of hard work and what it takes to maintain the little comforts of society has been distorted. Some act that way on purpose, but I believe many of these people do it out of ignorance.

It is an ignorance that has stemmed from lack of experience in the blue-collar world, a world that carries that upper class on its shoulders.

This is a world that, if vanished, would take the comforts of the first world

by Joe with it.

Kramer That is why everyone, no Entertainment matter what your financial Editor status, where you come from or who you think you are, should hold a job in the bluecollar sphere.

Even if it’s only for a summer or semester, everyone should experience customer service jobs for a while before heading back home.

Because the one thing I have learned as a blue-collar worker is there is so much you can do to not be a jerk.

The world needs fewer jerks, and I think that by gaining a new appreciation for the working class, we will in turn diminish society’s stratification and hopefully understand each other without being rude and impatient.

We would learn to not be so expectant, and we would understand and deal with things better when they don’t go our way instead of throwing a tantrum like some kind of grotesque man-child.

Trust me, I know your day might have been rough, but you can bet mine was as well.

It would just lead to more civility within our day-today lives.

Shared experiences promote empathy. Empathy promotes understanding.

In my experience, understanding breeds peace. I think we could all use a little more of that.

Straight-edge: why students can have fun without drinking

Photo Editor

Got Letters?

Comments or complaints about content of The Echo or in reference to anything on campus should be registered with the newspaper by letters or e-mail to the editors.

All letters must be limited to 300 words and include the author’s name and phone number. All letters may be published unless they are marked private.

Letters may be edited for style, clarity and length.

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

The Echo office is located in Stanley Russ Hall 124 Newsroom: 501-450-3446

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

Advertising Advertising: 499-9UCA (822) echonewspaperads@gmail.com Dallas Smith, Business Manager

A while ago, I decided I would not drink alcohol or do drugs for several reasons.

It wasn’t the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program or my background that made this decision, but it was because of the substances’ effects on the body.

During high school, I learned about straight edge and decided to take the label.

I don’t exploit it much because labels are stupid, but it has remained a constant in my life for several years.

I found a culture behind it and its origins, and it intrigued me to find out more.

The term was coined in the song “Straight Edge” by Minor threat.

Straight edge people are hated because they are labeled as people who think they’re above the world, but that’s not the case for many straightedge kids.

Some of my best friends drink or use illicit substances, but it doesn’t bother me.

What kind of friend would I be to disown friends because of what they do?

In all honesty, I wish they wouldn’t do it, but people are allowed to do what they want.

If you drink, that’s fine. You do you.

There are many important things between me and my friends, but the mutual respect we have for each other is of great importance.

One of my closer friends in high school introduced me to straight edge, and a few words a girl in high school said helped me decide that it was the path I wanted to take.

She asked me if I drank, and I told her no.

Have an opinion?

It may have been her ignorance, but she asked me, “So, you don’t have any fun?”

Since then, I have been unable to get this question out of my head.

I know this isn’t true, but it led me to wonder if everyone who drinks thinks nondrinkers don’t have fun.

From then on, I decided I was going to stick with being straight edge because it’s what’s best for me.

Those six words have been one of the bigger motivators in my life because they reassure me that I can have the most fun I possibly can.

If you’re around me often, you can see I don’t take things terribly serious.

I make jokes all the time because I only have one life, and I want to make the best of it.

It’s part of who I am. However, I know when to be serious.

It’s because of this that I can have fun and that I love to be around people as much as I do.

by Andy However, drinking is just not Robertson included in my idea of fun.

Sports Editor The aftereffects of drinking turn me off more than anything.

I know people have different reasons for drinking, but there is nothing appealing to me about having a hangover.

I hang out with friends, play sports, watch TV and play guitar, and I have a lot of fun.

I’m not saying everyone’s idea of a fun time is seeing how many beers they can throw back, it’s just not mine.

It’s doing any one of the previously mentioned things that gives me enjoyment in life.

Bottom line: Drinking doesn’t have to be the only avenue to have fun.

You just have to find what interests you. Parties aren’t bad if you try to have a good time with people there and meet new ones. There are several ways to enjoy this world without getting intoxicated.

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 UCA Board of Trustees recently approved stricter admission standards for incoming students, which caused some concerns about the decision’s financial implications.

The changes are slight. For unconditional admission, students will require a 20 ACT score and a cumulative 2.75 GPA instead of a previous 19 ACT score and 2.5 GPA. Conditional admission requires a 17 ACT score instead of 16 and a 2.30 GPA instead of 2.25.

Raising admissions standards will undoubtedly affect university admission rates and, therefore, the money made from it.

However, the long-term financial benefits from increasing retention and graduation rates will eventually even out.

Placing more importance on these issues than in a brief financial stagnation is the best decision for the students’ benefit.

Of course, we all want more money for UCA, and it seems that limiting the number of incoming students takes away an integral financial source. But the amount of students who transfer out of UCA or drop out also takes a toll on revenue. Not only does raising standards help in keeping a steady income, but also in awards to the university.

In last week’s article about the new requirements, Executive Vice President and Provost of Academic Affairs Steve Runge said increasing graduation rates was more important to the university because it “influences performance funding.”

According to the National Conference of State Legislature’s website, performance funding is state money given to universities based on the amount of students working toward and completing degrees.

Arkansas is among 30 states that adopted this supplemental financial model in addition to traditional state funding based on enrollment rates.

Enrollment-based financing often leads to universities increasing the number of incoming students and not maintaining the ones they already have. As Runge said, we should be doing more to help students achieve their goals instead of admitting greater numbers who aren’t all prepared to do so.

If it is harder to get into UCA, students who aren’t ready for our academic requirements might find somewhere else that fits them better.

Students who do come here might feel more confident that they didn’t get in because it was easy.

The amount of unprepared students in UCA’s Fall 2014 remedial courses was 29.7 percent of incoming students, a shocking amount compared to University of Arkansas—Fayetteville’s 8.5 percent remediation rate in the same semester.

Decreasing this percentage by tightening admission standards will also look better for UCA. Statistics and goal orientation aside, it is admirable that the university is attempting to better its students and focus on their needs.

It comes from a financial standpoint, but the idea behind performance funding caters more to students’ interests than universities’ financial goals, which is something often lost in the education system.

If we keep up our graduation and credential degree requirement rates, we can add to the growing attention toward performance funding.

We can be part of a new financial system that looks to long-term student benefits instead of just admission rates.

The Echo is printed weekly at the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Ark. Decisions about content are made by the student editors.

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

Enrollmentbased financing often leads to universities increasing the number of students and not maintaining the ones they already have

Entertainment

6 AWA R D S

February 25, 2015

Oscar goes to Iñárritu

by Joe Kramer Entertainment Editor

photo courtesy of chicagonow.com

Harry Hart (Colin Firth) recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into a spy agency’s ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

‘Kingsmen’ proves fresh air for over-played genre

by Morgan Embry Campus Life Editor

When I walked into the theater to see “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” I have to admit I had my doubts.

But with this movie, director Michael Vaughn manages to show a kind of versatility others fail to display. It helps that he has some solid material to work with in Mark Millar’s comic series “The Secret Service,” but the screenplay he developed with partner Jane Goldman is smart, witty and meta, knowing full well what the film is and never taking itself too seriously.

Whereas a film such as “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” felt tired and true, Vaughn manages to breathe new life into the spy genre.

The familiar tropes are all there, but they’re treated with the kind of fun that makes them entertaining, even when you know what’s coming. Though there is a definite sense of style, it’s a style that oozes from the film rather than smacking you in the face and wanting you to accept it for how cool it is.

One of the pleasant surprises the film offers is Colin Firth as the

New This Week Movies March 6 ­- Chappie (R), directed by Neill Blomkamp, starring Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver and Sharito Copley.

March 6 ­- Unfinished Business (R), directed by Ken Scott, starring Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco and Tom Wilkinson.

Music March 3 - Piece By Piece - Kelly Clarkson March 3 - Aureate Gloom - Of Montreal

Books March 3 — H Is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald March 3 —Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon Feb. 11 — Just Kids from the Bronx by Arlene Alda

Netflix Feb. 27 —Open Windows (2014), directed by Nacho Vigalondo, starring Sasha Grey, Elijah Wood and Neil Maskell.

Feb. 27—House of Cards Season 3 (2015), starring Kevin Spacey, Michael Gill and Robin Wright.

lead Harry Hart. The soon-to-be 55-year-old Firth takes his first foray into the action genre, and it is a memorable one. It’s one thing to cast an older actor such as Firth to play a gentleman, but to sell him as an action star is another.

Lesser films in this genre would cheapen the action with quick edits, but the hyper-frantic style of “Kingsman,” where it’s all energy on screen in long takes, not only shows off the fluid and beautifully choreographed action, but the actors themselves.

There is a solid story to be told with his connection to the young man named Eggsy, played by actor Taron Egerton. There is a personal backstory regarding Eggsy’s now deceased father that draws the two together. The biggest flaw, though still minimal, is the distance in Eggsy and Hart’s relationship.

While Egerton gives a solid performance as Eggsy, there’s a cold atmosphere between the characters that makes it hard to fully believe Hart’s debt to Eggsy’s father.

Firth plays Hart too cool in the scenes meant to display his care for Eggsy. While it has the effect of portraying Hart as a calm and collected agent, it also works against his character in the moments when he needs to show

List compiled by Calli Morrison

their own right. With Valentine, we get to learn how he became the man he is, and, while nothing new, the eccentricity of his persona makes him memorable.

The fascination with Gazelle, on the other hand, doesn’t so much have to do with her character, but in her character’s design. I can’t remember the last time we had an amputated villain that was as badass as Gazelle, and her amputation works well with her character’s name.

All in all, “Kingsman” easily represents 2015’s best new film.

Five feature films into his career, Vaughn continues to show that he and comic book films are a perfect match, knowing full well how to capture the right tone while keeping things fresh and new.

There’s a vibrancy and eccentricity in its antagonist, played by Jackson, which is sorely missed from the genre that alone makes “Kingsman” a must-watch.

But the solid cast, energetic action and humor elevate “Kingsman” to new levels that should be enjoyed by all.

“Kingsman: the Secret Service” is rated R for sequences of strong violence, language and some sexual content and can be seen at Conway’s Cinemark Theater.

CONCERT

Little Rock’s Juanita’s gets a little ‘Grimey’

by Peyton Olsen Assistant News Editor

RL Grime and Djemba Djemba left the crowd with a dose of trap culture shock after their sold-out show Feb. 18 at Juanita’s Mexican Cantina in Little Rock.

RL Grime announced his stop at Juanita’s back in November 2014, days within dropping his debut full-length album “VOID,” which made up the majority of his Wednesday night set. After a listen on SoundCloud, I went ahead and purchased my event ticket.

Little Rock made the cut for the second leg of his “VOID” Tour, bookended by Tulsa’s infamous Cain’s ballroom and Memphis’ Minglewood Hall.

Luckily, exposure to big names such as Big Gigantic and Pretty Lights has helped the electronic music scene grow enough in central Arkansas to attract producers on the climb, such as RL Grime.

The event played out smoothly considering how many people were stuffed inside Juanita’s.

Opener Tommy Kruise served his purpose of entertaining the masses, but his production skills left you wanting something more and a bit uninspired. He held the crowd together by continually promising that Djemba Djemba and RL Grime were up next.

His mashed-up, vulgar rap 1. Open the curtains

Top Five Ways to Stop Reading BuzzFeed Articles

more humanity.

The actor who shines the most in this film and consistently steals the show is Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the film’s main villain, Valentine.

Jackson has had his fair share of over-theatrical roles to date, especially in many of his more recent low-budget excursions, but I haven’t had this much fun watching Jackson in a while.

Valentine is the perfect comic book villain for Jackson to play, and he chews up the scenery every single time. From his goofy outfits, topped off with hysterical headgear and his lisp, his character screams cartoon, which is what he aims for. In one of the film’s smarter bits where he discusses spy films with Firth’s character, everything he does is calculated and intentional.

As stated midway through the film, a spy movie is only as good as its villain, and Jackson is up to the task of fulfilling that role.

Coupled with his lovely assistant and deadly bodyguard Gazelle, played by Sophia Boutella, the two make for one of the more entertaining antagonistic duos in recent memory.

Beyond the actors’ performances, the villains must be well thought out and interesting in

As the daylight streams in, you will experience your first look at the outside world. Do not be alarmed. Your hermitlike tendencies may cause you to recoil into yourself. However, it is worth the risk. Brush your layers of candy wrappers off the bed and close out of your Netflix.

Your newfound ability of leaving your bed will lead you to all sorts of places, maybe even to the “15 Places for Afternoon Tea You Must Visit.” You may find real life an advantageous replacement to the dreary life of a Buzzfeed junkie.

lyrics felt—and sounded—like filler. My disinterest in Kruise did give me enough time to catch up with the other Conwegians who made the 40-mile drive while waiting for an expensive drink from the bar, so I’m not really complaining about his time spent on stage, just the $5 wells.

Thankfully, Djemba Djemba took the stage promptly at 9 p.m., and his set was quite the treat. He’s in his late-20s and, like Grime, is from Los Angeles. He went with the crowd’s mood, navigating through the haze of the fog machines with his original tracks until everyone was rocking in the same ebb and flow.

Thirty minutes into his set, everyone was airborne, jumping with the bass. He dropped the beat so low that it took the crowd to its knees. Even so, the crowd didn’t seem to truly focus on the show until Grime took the stage for his set, starting with the fluttering beat of “Scylla,” the third track from “VOID.” The lights synced to the speakers vibrating his premade tracks from the “VOID” family, including “Always,” “Danger,” “Let Go,” “Core” and “Golden State.”

His beats are tribal, but the sirens and horns married to electronic crescendos give “VOID” an out-ofthis-world feel.

RL Grime’s shadowed figure behind his decks put off the same

mysterious feel as his music, but with the first big drop, I felt confident that Juanita’s was in the best musical hands we could have hoped for. For the show’s last 15 minutes, I was able to climb the status ladder to the VIP balcony to witness the lights flashing to “Valhalla,” a Djemba/Grime collaboration, above the bobbing mass of sweaty bodies.

It was evident that everyone, including the doorman who was swaying in place, loved it as much as I did. Grime ended his set with his edit of TNGHT’s “Acrylics,” but per the crowd’s roaring request, finished with the grand finale of “Tell Me,” which is arguably his most popular track, with over 7.5 million plays on SoundCloud.

Then the lights came on, and the crowd was ushered off the dance floor and back into the reality of Arkansas. The show was a wonderful break from the social norm, and I hope Grime graces Arkansas with another visit soon.

This leg of the tour wraps up with a show on Feb. 28 in Miami, but the incredibly compatible Grime and Djemba will be together again to start their European leg in April.

If you missed Grime this time around, don’t fret, but do check the lineups of your favorite festivals this summer. RL Grime will surely make a stout appearance.

2. Turn on your FarmVille Requests You will immediately be struck with a continuous flow of game requests that will never end.

There will be a variety of Candy Crush Saga, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and even some Texas Hold’em notifications. All of your random acquaintances will soon need your desperate help in defending their Clash of Clans.

Though doing this will prevent you from leading a productive life, Buzzfeed posts, though pervasive, could never keep up with this kind of excessive activity. Either way, kiss your day goodbye.

3. Set your computer on fire Solve the problem quickly and effectively with only gasoline and a couple of matches. Feel free to grab a blowtorch. No more computer. No more Internet.

No more Buzzfeed. Your life will be computer, school and productivity free. You will become a stress-free guru. When choosing this option, be sure to stay away from close acquaintances, as they will wonder why you do not respond to the posts they tag you comparing your friendship to “Mean Girls.” And we all know how that story ends.

A night of pomp and glamour proved more fruitful than most others for Alejandro González Iñárritu as he took home the top honor of Best Picture for his work on “Birdman.”

The glam and glitter of the red carpet shined through the rain in Hollywood on Feb.22 as the 87th annual Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. There is no awards show without the electric atmosphere and endless weeks spent in preparation and anticipation.

The Oscars are notorious for the amount of time spent looking at the women of Hollywood on the red carpet before the show begins.

Unfortunately, that focus seems to fall on these women’s superficial aspects, such as their outfits.

Reese Witherspoon urged viewers and reports to look beyond the dresses and jewelry and take a deeper look at the artists wearing those dresses and the designers who put those beautiful outfits on those artists. This was the only thing that saved me during the time spent listening to dribble and reporters barely fit to carry that title.

Among the year’s most notable films of the year were “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Birdman,” both taking home more Oscars than they could carry. I was especially glad to see Eddy Redmayne and J.K. Simmons come away with individual Oscars for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for their work on “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash,” respectively.

Patricia Arquette, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Boyhood,” not only accepted her

award graciously and in a state of bewilderment, but also was the first of many winners to promote awareness of global social issues.

She called for equal pay in the United States for men and women.

The show’s biggest highlight was the social commentary and moving speeches given by recipients in the way of equal rights for women and acceptance of everyone regardless of sexual orientation, gender or race.

Many spoke for the awareness of young people committing suicide due to lack of acceptance among other insecurities. Many award recipients sent messages of encouragement to stay strong and “weird’ in hopes of finding one’s place in this world.

Something that stood out beside the films was the musical appearances. Kate Hudson and Lady Gaga performed, but John Legend and Common really stole the show, taking home an Oscar for their song “Glory,” which was the anchor song for the film “Selma.”

This performance managed to not only bring laughter and joy to both John Legend and Common, but brought tears to the eyes of David Oyelowo, who played the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the movie “Selma.”

The Academy Awards, a show surrounded by pomp and extravagance, rose to new heights, remaining a beacon for messages that are both prevalent in the films honored and prevalent in the societies where these films are created.

It is more than an awards show; it is a forum where art, politics, culture and, most importantly, an audience of millions can witness and appreciate all these things.

FILM

‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ flops despite box office success

by Laura Landers Associate Editor

I think it was more an interest in the film’s controversy than an interest in the content that drove me to the theater to watch “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Since the movie’s release, there have been accusations of rape, domestic violence and abuse pinned against it, and yet the movie is playing in national theaters? I am all in favor of controversy, so I bought my movie ticket expecting some real scandal.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” is based off the novel of the same name by E.L. Cummings. It tells the story of young Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), who interviews the wealthy, handsome and aloof Christian Grey (Jamie Dorian), multi-million owner of Grey Enterprises Inc. There is obviously an attraction between the pair, and Anastasia grows closer to Christian. She finds out he enjoys Bondage, Domination, Sadism and Masochism (BDSM).

He asks her to be his submissive— to dress, act, say and basically obey every command he gives her—and in return, lose all her personal freedom and consent to doing whatever Christian wants whenever he wants it.

Ten years ago, I would not have thought that bondage would become America’s new guilty pleasure. However, this movie’s release has proved otherwise, with box office sales through the roof. I went to the movie to see what all the fuss was about.

I am sorry to report that I was extremely disappointed by the whole thing. Better chemistry has existed between wet mops than between Johnson and Dorian. Dorian, who plays Christian, seems to be more of a man experimenting with BDSM than someone who has done this for years with 15 women.

4.

Set yourself on fire

This is not only useful as an “Arrested Development” reference to express your response to life’s hardships. Fire is a dramatic solution for every dilemma, including avoiding the need to find out “Which Disney Princess are You?” Though burn wounds and trauma may occur, you will be physically unable to use any technological devices. Not to mention, hospital pudding is delicious. After a long visit to the hospital, BuzzFeed will be put into its perspective place.

One particular instance when this was painfully obvious is when Grey says, “I don’t make love. I f*ck hard.” This line, designed to be delivered in a sexy fashion, induced giggles from the audience.

Two hours into the movie, I walked out. I failed to see any sort of real conflict beside Anastasia hesitating to sign the contract because Christian is an obsessive, controlling man who doesn’t know the meaning of no. And yet, despite Anastasia’s hesitation, Christian has his way with her frequently.

Now, many would argue that a movie of this nature needs not contain a plot, but honestly, even the sex scenes were a snoozefest. If you are only watching this movie to watch them have sex, save yourself the money and find some porn on your laptop.

As for the rape and abuse accusations, I do not find them to be expressly true. While this is not a stable relationship in any means, Anastasia holds her own, making sure her voice is heard in the bedroom.

However, it was less about what happens in the bedroom and more about the couple’s everyday interactions that troubled me.

Christian is intrusive, entering her apartment without permission and sticking his rich fingers in Anastasia’s personal affairs.

Anastasia allows Christian’s good looks and charm to influence her decisions. However, there are several worrying times when Anastasia expressly tells Christian to leave her alone, and he does not listen. This is more of a story about a woman falling in love with her stalker.

If you really want to waste your money, you can see “Fifty Shades of Grey” in Conway’s Cinemark Theater. The movie is rated R for some strong sexual content such as dialogue, some unusual behavior, graphic nudity and language.

5. Join a monastery in Nepal Your newly pious lifestyle will definitely place all technology out of your reach. The daily rituals and the beautiful landscape will distract you from your BuzzFeedridden life. You will soon embrace your new robe and completely forget about “10 Ways Men are Dressing Wrong.” Celibacy will also remove the need for the entirety of Buzzfeed’s relationship advice articles, allowing a more holistic and permanent approach to singleness, which means you don’t have to worry about your crush seeing you bald-headed.

Sports

7

February 25, 2015

Week at a glance SLC Indoor

The men’s and women’s track teams finished seventh and 13th, respectively, at the Southland Conference Indoor Championships Feb. 17 in Birmingham, Alabama.

The men’s team finished with 58 points, setting seven new school records. The women’s team finished 13th with 11 points and broke the school record in the triple jump and the 4x400 relay. Senior Chance Tanner broke the school record in the 400-meter, finishing fourth with a time of 47.36 seconds. Tanner also broke his personal record in the 200-meter preliminaries with a time of 21.93. Freshman Josh Quiroga set a new record in the 800-meter with a time of one minute 52.92 seconds in the preliminaries, then finished with a time of 1:53.14 in the final, finishing seventh. In the 5,000-meter, senior Jonathan Burgess set a school record with a time of 14:49.01. Freshman Eric Moore broke his own record in the high jump with a height of 7-1.

Freshman Daniel Spickes broke the pole vault record with a vault of 16-7.5. The 4x400 relay team of freshman Trevon Boyd, senior Kelton Ray, freshman Jeremiah Watson and Tanner finished second and set a new mark with a time of 3:12.25. On the women’s side, junior Jasmine Campbell broke a personal record in the triple jump with a leap of 38-03.25, placing her fifth. Junior Alex Dorch finished sixth in the long jump with a jump of 18-05. Sophomore Samantha Gibson finished with the school’s second-best total in school history in the indoor pentathlon with 3,399 points.

Upcoming games Men’s Basketball

Saturday vs.

Southeastern Louisiana University. 4 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Thursday at Sam Houston State University. 6:30 p.m.

Saturday vs.

Southeastern Louisiana University. 2 p.m.

Baseball

Friday at Missouri State University. 3 p.m.

Saturday at Missouri State University. 2 p.m.

Sunday at Missouri State University. 1 p.m.

Softball

Friday vs. East Carolina University at Tampa, Florida. 11:15 a.m.

Friday vs. Sacred Heart University at Tampa, Florida. 1:15 p.m.

Saturday vs. Redford University at Tampa, Florida. 12:15 p.m.

Saturday vs. Oakland University at Tampa, Florida. 2:45 p.m.

Sunday vs. Eastern Michigan University at Tampa, Florida. 9 a.m.

Tennis

Saturday at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. 2 p.m.

Sugar Bears split week’s games, sit at seventh in SLC

by Kelly Hays Staff Writer

The UCA Sugar Bears basketball team lost 65-63 at the last second against the McNeese State University Cowgirls, then won their next game 66-63 against the Sam Houston State University Bearkats.

The Sugar Bears (15-11, 8-6 Southland Conference) missed a last-second shot against the Cowgirls (15-11, 9-6 SLC) on Feb. 18 after MSU junior guard Jayln Johnson hit a layup with 3.9 seconds left, putting the Cowgirls up by two.

Sophomore guard Brianna Mullins was able to get a shot off in the final seconds for UCA, but was just short of converting the contested attempt.

The loss to the Cowgirls makes the fifth game this season that the Sugar Bears have lost by three points or fewer.

UCA coach Sandra Rushing said the McNeese game was a heartbreaker.

“We played really hard the first half, but when you miss free throws and give up as many rebounds as we did, it’s going to be a close game,” she said.

UCA was nine for 13 from the free-throw line and shot 46 percent from the field. The Sugar

photo by Lauren Swaim

UCA sophomore guard Maggie Proffitt attempts to get around McNeese State junior guard Jalyn Johnson in the Sugar Bears 65-63 loss to the Cowgirls on Feb. 18.

Bears were out-rebounded 43-29, with eight offensive rebounds.

Sophomore guard Maggie Proffitt was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points and was three for five from the three-point

line.

Junior guard Kendara Watts scored 16 points, while senior forward Brittany Agee added nine.

The Sugar Bears held their own against SHSU on Feb. 21, winning

the game 66-63 after blowing a 23-point lead in the second half.

“I feel like we came out in the second half and relaxed a bit,” Proffitt said. “There is no excuse to why we should ever lose a 23-point

lead. We have to learn to put our foot on the pedal and never take it off for the full 40 minutes.”

UCA’s big problem in the second half was SHSU junior guard Shernise Robertson, Southland Conference’s leading scorer at 19 points per game.

After UCA held Robertson to six points in the first half, she came out and scored 26 points in the second half, outscoring the Sugar Bears single-handedly 26-25.

Proffitt helped UCA keep the lead by hitting three of four from behind the 3-point arc in the second half.

Mullins also helped seal the game from the free-throw line, hitting five of eight.

With four conference games left in the season, every game is important for the Sugar Bears if they want to play extra games in March.

“The win against Sam Houston was very important because we are neck and neck with several teams in the conference and are fighting every game to solidify a spot in the tournament,” Proffitt said.

The Sugar Bears will play Sam Houston State again, this time on the road at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26.

After that game, the Sugar Bears will return to Conway to play their last home game in the Farris Center this season against the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions on Feb. 28.

3-POINTER

SERVE

Senior looks Bears struggle to break double-digit points during toward post game’s first 15 minutes, lose 70-42 against SHSU graduation coaching job

by Andy Robertson Sports Editor

by Misti Hollenbaugh Editor

Senior Cassidy Crawford has spent the past 10 years developing one of her greater passions in life: tennis.

Crawford, a native of Tipton, England, has been playing tennis since she was 12 years old.

Crawford Cassidy Crawford said she loves that the game combines a variety of elements.

“I love how it’s not only such a physical game, but also has so much to do with mental stamina,” she said, adding that wearing the “pretty outfits” helps.

This is Crawford’s second season at UCA. Prior to transferring to UCA before her junior season, she spent a year at North Central Texas College, where she played junior college tennis.

Crawford said the biggest reason for the transfer was the coach and the team seemed great.

“I really think it doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you have good people around you,” she said.

Crawford said the level of tennis is definitely higher at UCA. “I loved NCTC. I had such an amazing coach and team there, but I am so lucky to have that again here at UCA,” Crawford said. “Being so far away from home, it’s so nice to have a team that’s like your second family.”

Before attending NCTC, Crawford attended Hillsborough Community College in Plant City, Florida her, freshman year.

Crawford said UCA coach Casey Wharton has had a positive impact not only on herself, but on the whole team since becoming the coach this offseason.

“He is so focused on bringing us all together as a team and a family,” she said. “Practices are so structured. As a team, we’re stronger, and I think the tennis program will improve so much because of that.”

Crawford said she has set the bar high for herself in her final season, but she wants to have fun

See Senior - page 8

UCA’s men’s basketball team struggled to break double digits in the first 15 minutes of its 70-42 loss to the Southland Conference’s No. 1 team, the Sam Houston State University Bearkats, on Feb. 21 at home.

Freshman guard Thatch Unruh said the team didn’t play like it wanted to.

“We just didn’t come with the right mindset,” he said. “We weren’t ready to play for some reason.”

The game started off with a bang when the Bearkats (22-5, 13-1 SLC) won the opening tipoff and scored the game’s first points on an alley-oop from senior guard DeMarcus Gatlin to senior center Michael Holyfield.

Turnovers brought the Bears (1-23, 1-12 SLC) trouble early in the game, causing SHSU to jump to an 8-0 lead.

SHSU held UCA scoreless for the game’s first three minutes and 55 seconds, until junior center Jake Zuilhof hit one of two free throws, bringing the score to 8-1.

The Bearkats struck back with a jumper and an and-one by sophomore forward Aurimas Majaruskas, bringing the score to 11-1.

Following a media timeout, Zuilhof made a jumper, cutting

photo by Krisa McCullough

UCA sophomore forward Ethan Lee dunks during the Bears’ 70-42 loss to the SHSU Bearkats on Feb. 21 at home. The two teams will meet in a rematch at 6:30 p.m. March 3 in Huntsville, Texas.

SHSU’s lead to eight before senior guard Jabari Peters forced a turnover and made a layup on a fast break, bringing the score to 13-3.

The Bearkats continued their 9-0 run until the 10:51 mark when UCA freshman guard Jordan Howard hit a mid-range jumper, bringing the score to 20-5 in SHSU’s favor.

SHSU built its lead to 28 points with two minutes and 44 seconds left in the first half on a jumper by junior forward Sean Goodwin, bringing the score 39-11.

Howard stayed hot despite the Bearkats’ scoring, making UCA’s next four baskets, but it wasn’t enough.

The first half ended with the score at 40-17, in favor of the

Bearkats.

Peters led the Bearkats in points in the first half with 10, while Howard led all scorers in points with 11.

Three UCA players scored in the first half, compared to SHSU’s

See Struggle - page 8

WA L K

Baseball drops lone game of weekend, falls to 3-1

by Cody Morris Staff Writer

The UCA baseball team was handed its first loss of the season against the University of Memphis Tigers on Feb. 22 at home.

The Tigers (2-2) scored four runs in the fifth inning to boost past the Bears (3-1), eventually winning the game 5-2.

The Bears’ first run came in the first inning with a single to left field by senior infielder Nate Ferrell off Tigers senior pitcher Caleb Wallingford, allowing junior outfielder Braxton Phillips to score.

The Bears’ second run came from a failed pickoff in the bottom of the seventh, which brought junior outfielder Tyler Langley home. These were the only marks made by the Bears.

The Tigers tied up the game in the third inning, but the breaking point came in the fifth when the Tigers took the lead with an RBI single by senior catcher/first baseman Carter White, followed

photo courtesy of ucasports.com

UCA senior third baseman Nate Ferrell gets a hits in the Bears’ 5-2 loss against the University of Memphis Tigers on Feb. 22 at home. by a bases-loaded walk.

The Tigers brought in one of their final two runs when freshman infielder Brandon Montgomery reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring senior utility player Kane Barrow.

The Tigers got their final run of the game on a double steal by

Montgomery, who stole second and senior infielder Tucker Tubbs, who stole home, making the score 5-1.

Junior Connor Gilmore, the Bears’ starting pitcher, allowed five runs in four innings, along with five walks, which he said contributed to the loss.

“One negative was walking five guys,” he said. “We did have runners in scoring position with less than two outs and didn’t execute. However, I put the outcome of the game on myself.

I walked five guys and threw too many pitches, which allowed them to have a big inning and score four runs. I’m going to do my best to not let something like that happen again.”

Senior pitcher Chris Caudle said the game would have been much different with some timely hitting.

“Quite a few things could have happened to change the game,” he said. “If we could have had one less walk and capitalized on some hitting opportunities, then we would have had a completely different ballgame.”

Though the game ended with a loss, the Bears took away some positives. Caudle said the bullpen helped late in the game. “[The bullpen] gave our hitters

See Baseball- page 8

8/ February 25, 2015

SPORTS

ucaecho.net TRIPLE

S T U D E N T - AT H L E T E S

Possibility of declaring freshmen ineligible would wound athletics

by Andy Robertson Sports Editor

The Big Ten Conference is flirting with the idea of making freshmen athletes ineligible for competition in the moneymaking sports of football and men’s basketball.

No official proposal has been made yet, but it could come soon if other conferences around the country take on this idea.

However, there is growing interest in the nation for the idea of keeping freshmen ineligible for competition.

The idea behind the move is it would help student-athletes graduate, as opposed to leaving early to become professional athletes.

Freshmen were ineligible to compete in all NCAA sports until 1972.

Since then, rules have gradually changed.

At one time allowing players to declare for the draft whenever they chose and, at another, putting rules in place that said when players could declare.

The current rules allow a student-athlete in football to declare for the NFL draft after three years and the NBA after one year, whereas baseball athletes can declare for the MLB draft out of high school.

The MLB has minor leagues to help develop players drafted out of high school, the NBA has the Developmental-League, but the NFL’s only developmental system is college football.

This idea is not about student-athlete development; it’s supposed to be about athletes graduating.

Despite recent trouble the NCAA has faced for marketing its athletes and not compensating them, this doesn’t seem like a cash grab, but again, the NCAA’s hands have not been clean.

If it is truly about increasing graduation, then it is a good thing,

Spring Training and I’m for it.

However, keeping students out one year doesn’t necessarily mean they will stay in college all four years.

Because football players cannot declare for the draft until they’ve been in school for three years, the only sport I see this hurting is basketball.

While the list is small, most players who reach the NBA are the one-and-done types who only play their freshman year.

Looking at the 2014 NBA draft, nine of 30 players taken in the first round of the draft were freshman, with six coming in the first nine picks.

However, if a rule is put in place that would force players to sit out their freshman year, they could play in leagues overseas because there’s not a rule saying they can’t.

Schools such as the University of Kentucky would be hurt tremendously if this rule goes into effect because it is the primary place of one-and-done basketball athletes.

Mid-major schools would not be hurt as much because they usually don’t feel the effects of student-athletes declaring for the draft before finishing all four years.

Looking closer to home, this

year’s UCA men’s basketball team would have had a hard time finding eligibility because it features eight freshman, which makes up much of the roster.

The current roster features 14 players, but with junior forward Justin Foreman and junior guard Jeff Lowery out because of transfer rules, UCA would only have four players.

The Bears’ starting lineup in the Feb. 21 matchup against Sam Houston State University Bearkats featured three freshmen.

At the end of the day, the NCAA is a business, and it needs to make money.

The association would still make money, but I wonder what kind of hit it would take if this were to pass.

It’s not hard to see that the NCAA has grown tremendously since 1972 with the emergence of cable and satellite television, so causing freshmen athletes to sit out a season would hurt because of the potential loss of money.

If this rule were to pass, schools would basically be redshirting every freshman athlete who steps on campus.

This begs the question, how would redshirting work, then?

A team can have as many redshirts as it wants as long as roster requirements are met.

Would men’s basketball coach Russ Pennell redshirt the team’s eight freshmen and hold some players over from last year’s team to make up the difference?

Either way, if this rule had went through prior to this season, the NBA and college basketball would look a lot different.

I also think national signing day wouldn’t be as big.

Several factors could make this difficult.

I like that people are putting education first, however, studentathletes’ destinies should not be controlled by people who don’t know them.

Struggle:

Bears lose battle of first, worst teams in Southland Conference; Bearkats prove to be too much for young team 4 Continued from page 7 nine.

UCA had 23 total rebounds, three more than SHSU, but the Bears had 11 turnovers compared to the Bearkats’ three.

The Bearkats had a better shooting percent from the field, making 44.8 percent of their shots, while the Bears made 28 percent.

The second half didn’t fare much better for the Bears, though they scored on their first possession on a jumper in the paint by Howard, bringing the score to 42-19.

UCA cut SHSU’s lead down to 20 on a free throw and a jumper

by Zuilhof.

Both teams traded baskets until the Bearkats built a 31-point lead with five minutes and five seconds left in the game.

The Bears were unable to put anything together and fell 70-42 to the Bearkats.

UCA freshman forward Boo Milligan led the Bears in scoring in the second half with six points, finishing with nine.

Howard was the lone Bear scoring in double figures, with 13 points for the game. He scored two points in the second half.

Gatlin led all scorers in the second half with seven points, finishing with nine.

Peters led all scorers with 14 points on five of nine shooting for the game.

The Bearkats shot 40.4 percent

UCA vs. Sam Houston State February 21, 2015 Farris Center

by Mason Addison Assistant Sports Editor

The UCA softball team swept both games of the UCA Tournament on Feb. 21 and 22.

Senior pitcher Kylee Studioso faced 20 batters and had 11 strikeouts.

Studioso gave up one hit but no runs.

The Bears started out by shutting out the University of Louisiana—Monroe Warhawks 8-0 Feb 21.

ULM started at-bat in the top of the first, but was unable to get anyone on base with two outs and a strikeout.

The Bears took over at-bat at the bottom of the second.

After a pop fly by junior outfielder Sam Forrest, sophomore outfielder Briana Whisenhunt reached on a fielding error by Navarrete.

Junior utility player Sarah Bigej singled to shortstop.

Junior catcher Jessie Taylor singled through the left side, allowing Bigej to advance to third, and Whisenhunt was thrown at home.

Sophomore outfielder Hannah Stirton hit a fly ball out to center field.

UCA took over again in the bottom of the second, only getting on base after senior first baseman Ashley Boswell reached on a walk.

Freshman infielder Audrey Pratt struck out looking, freshmen infielder Tori Seasor hit a fly ball out to center field, and junior outfielder Amy Gunnells grounded out to third base.

The Warhawks came out and tried to get their first run in the top of the third, only to face three consecutive strikeouts.

Sophomore outfielder Vanessa Garcia struck out swinging, sophomore outfielder Sidney Coy struck out looking, then senior Mackenzie Miller struck out swinging.

The Bears started out the bottom of the third inning with a home run by junior outfielder Sam Forrest, making the score 1-0.

Whisenhunt hit a fly ball out to left field.

Bigej hit a line drive out to center field.

Taylor reached on a walk.

Stirton hit a single down the left side, and Taylor advanced to second.

ULM senior Jessica Colliver came in to pitch for freshmen Paige Porter.

photo by Krisa McCullough

Junior catcher Jessie Taylor makes contact in the bottom of the sixth inning in the Bears’ 8-0 win over the Warhawks on Feb. 21.

Pratt also walked, while Stirton advanced to second and Taylor advanced to third.

Seasor hit a single to center field and advanced to second, Pratt advanced to third while Stirton and Taylor scored, making the score 3-0.

Boswell reached on a walk.

Gunnells hit a single down the left side, Boswell advanced to second and Seasor advanced to third, allowing Pratt to score.

Forrest grounded out to first base.

The Bears ended the third inning up 4-0.

The Bears looked to add on to their lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Whisenhunt hit a double down the left field line.

Bigej grounded out to the pitchers mound, and Whisenhunt advanced to third.

Taylor hit a sacrifice fly out to center field so Whisenhunt could score.

Stirton hit a fly ball out to center field.

UCA led 5-0 at the end of the bottom of the fourth inning.

UCA used a lot of pinch runners in the bottom of the fifth to give the starting lineup a rest.

Pratt hit a fly ball out to left field.

Sophomore utility player Bailey Reynolds pinch hit for Seasor and reached on a walk.

Junior third baseman Lindsay Elliott walked after pinch hitting

for Boswell.

Elliott walked, and Reynolds advanced to second.

Freshman utility player Ryan Holdiness pinch hit for Gunnells, but struck out swinging.

Forrest grounded out to the pitchers mound.

The Bears scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to win the game.

Whisenhunt grounded out to second base.

Freshmen Brianna McArthur pinch hit for Bigej and hit a home run to left field.

Taylor grounded out to third base.

Stirton reached on a walk.

Sophomore utility player Tylor Dodson pinch hit for Pratt.

Dodson hit a home run to right center and Stirton scored, ending the game by run rule.

UCA also beat the University of Delaware Blue Hens 7-2.

The Bears had seven different players get runs in the game and had eight hits.

“Delaware is a tough team that won 38 games last year,” Stirton said. “We knew we’d have to execute on offense, defense and pitching. Kylee [Studioso] threw another great game ,and we executed well offensively.”

The Bears play in the South Florida Tournament from Feb. 27 - March 1 in Tampa, Florida, but return home March 3 to take on the Lyon College Scots.

HONOR ROLL

1-23, 1-12 SLC 13-1, 22-5 SLC 42

Score

70

33.3

Field Goals %

40.4

25

3FG%

21.1

53.8

FT%

62.5

36

Rebounds

42

9

Offensive

16

27

Defensive

26

22

Turnovers

12

3

Blocks

4

6

Steals

16

Assists

11

11

from the field, 21.1 percent from behind the 3-point line and 62.5 percent from the free-throw line for the game.

UCA made 33 percent of its shots from the field, 25 percent of its 3-point shots and 53.8 percent of its free throws.

Unruh said the Bears look up to the Bearkat team.

“Defensively, that team was pretty good,” he said. “It was a good team to measure ourselves with and see what we need to become on defense.”

The Bears’ end total of 42 points scored was their lowest single-game point total all season and lowest since Feb. 7, 2013, in Nacodoches, Texas, against the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks, when UCA scored 39 points.

The Bears end their threegame homestand against the Southeastern Louisiana University Lions at 4 p.m. Feb. 28.

UCA will travel to Huntsville, Texas, for a rematch against the Bearkats at 6:30 p.m. March 3.

Senior:

Crawford enjoys playing for the Bears, has won all but two singles matches, all doubles matches this season 4 Continued from page 7 more than anything.

“It’s my senior year, so I really want to have a good season, but more importantly to go out there and give my all and really enjoy it,” she said.

As an online journalism major and business marketing minor, Crawford plans to go to graduate school at an undetermined location, where she wants to be a graduate assistant tennis coach.

Senior Kristina Horsikyan said

Softball sweeps both games of weekend; inclement weather shortens tournament

Crawford is one of her closest friends,on and off the court.

“She always gives 100 percent effort on the court and is fighting for every point,” she said. “She has a great personality and is always willing to help people if they need anything.”

On the season, Crawford has won three of five singles matches and has won all five doubles matches.

Junior Nataly Yoo has been

Crawford’s doubles partner in all but one match when Horsikyan was her partner.

The tennis team’s last three matches were postponed or canceled, but its next match will be against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College at 2 p.m.

Feb. 28 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The team will continue playing in Tulsa, taking on Oral Roberts University at 10 a.m.

March 10.

photo courtesy of ucasports.com

One hundred eight male student-athletes were honored for earning a 3.0 GPA or better during halftime of the Sugar Bears’ 65-63 loss to the McNeese State University Cowgirls on Feb. 18.

Baseball:

Bears lose season’s first game during shortened weekend against University of Memphis 4 Continued from page 7 more opportunities for another plate appearance,” he said.

Both Caudle and Gilmore said Phillips was a standout player during the contest.

Gilmore said Phillips had two big hits in the game, one which led to a run.

He was also hit by a pitch.

Senior third baseman Nate Ferrell, who went two for five in the matchup with two singles, was also mentioned as a standout performer.

While the Tigers ended with five runs, the Bears allowed only five hits.

Because of inclement weather, UCA had two games canceled last week, including the second half of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon.

The Bears travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to face the University of Mississippi Rebels at 4 p.m. Feb. 25 before going to Springfield, Missouri, to play the Missouri State University Bears

at 3 p.m. Feb. 27 to start a threegame series.

The University of Mississippi

are ranked 23rd in the nation in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

UCA vs. Memphis February 22, 2015 Bear Stadium

3-1, 0-0 SLC 2

2-2, 0-0 AAC Runs

5

9

Hits

5

7

Singles

5

2

Doubles

0

0

Triples

0

1

Stolen Bases

2

1

Caught Stealing

0

4

Walks

5

Pitching 6

Strike outs

13

5

Earned runs

2

1

Errors

1